Author's Note: My, my…
Tainted Feathers
Chapter 7-The Dream
11:33 P.M.
Zoë:
I was in the middle of a street somewhere downtown. The moon was full and the middle of the sky, casting a dim glow on the buildings around me. Kuja was standing in the middle of the street, more than half of his beautiful silver hair turned red. Just a few yards from him stood Michael with a metal object in his hands. Metal? Wait—that's a gun! Before I could scream or move, Michael fired the gun. Kuja's body shook violently for a second…and then the sound of more gunfire ensued. With every bullet, his body sagged further until he was on the ground covered in blood.
I screamed as loud as I could, but I could only make a squeak. Then, Kuja's body rose up from the ground surrounded by red vapors. His hair was completely red and his face was completely pale. I reached my hand out to him slowly, hoping that it would draw his attention. It did, making him turn his face in my direction. Kuja's eyes were completely red and his normally rosy lips were completely black.
"Zoë."
The scene in front of me faded back into the light cheery interior of a hospital room. I blinked and rubbed my sore eyes softly.
"Zoë."
I turned around and caught the worried glance of a weary Kuja. He looked like he had just gotten finished throwing up.
"Zoë, you were crying out in your sleep…are you ok?" He asked.
I ran my hands through my messed up hair and sighed.
"It was a dream…a horrible dream," I whispered.
Kuja straightened up and set his blue gaze upon me.
"Would you like to tell me about it?"
"It had you in it. It was so awful…"
He frowned.
"I'll go call the nurse, Zoë. Maybe you are just stressed out."
I nodded. But why did that dream feel so real? Kuja pressed a button on the edge of his bed. I stood up slowly and stretched.
"Are you going to be ok in this room all alone?" I asked.
"Don't worry, I'll be ok. I'll just try to eat while your gone."
Kuja was trying to make me feel better.
Kuja:
I knew from experience that bad dreams were not a good thing, especially when loved ones were ill. I was surprised when she said the dream was about me. Was that a cause for concern? It probably was. In the meantime, I had to focus on keeping food down in my stomach. I had lost a lot of weight within 48 hours. I sighed. What can settle this stomach? In Gaia, crushed chocobo feathers would cure almost anything. Hmm…I wished I were on Gaia again. Then again, I didn't. If I went back, I would be slowly dying again.
I was still dying on earth, but at a much slower rate. At Earth's rate, I would be at least 87 years old before I expired. I liked those odds better. I took another sip of the soup on the edge of the table and sighed. It was chicken noodle soup as the nurse put it. The door to my room opened softly and Zoë stepped back in with a huge smile on her face.
"Hmm…you look much better than before, Zoë," I commented.
"Of course I am. I'm having your child, Kuja."
That was a true surprise. I wanted to get up and hug her, but due to my very sensitive stomach, I couldn't. Zoë kissed me on the cheek softly and grinned.
"I can't believe it. Oh…if I wasn't so sick," I whispered.
"Now, now. Don't act like that, Kuja. You'll be out of here soon, that I promise."
Yeah, I suppose when I'm able to eat, I thought darkly. Zoë sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up the bowl of soup. I knew there was one thing that was keeping me weak was the cloaking magic on my silver tail. I was crazy to hold onto a spell for this long. It would expire soon anyway. Zoë lifted the spoon up to my mouth carefully. I opened my mouth and took it in thoughtfully.
"You're worried, aren't you?" Zoë asked.
"I was thinking about what you said earlier. About a dream?"
"Oh. I was downtown and it was dark. All of a sudden, I saw you and Michael in the street. Michael had a gun in his hand—"
"What is a gun?" I interrupted.
"It's a horrible device used to kill people."
"To kill…hmm."
Zoë shrugged.
"Michael fired the gun and it went through your chest, killing you. And…And…you came back up and vapors of red hung around you. Your hair was red…"
That sounded like trance.
"Trance…" I blurted out.
Zoë blinked.
"Trance? What's that?"
"In Gaia, most people with special abilities can trance. It usually occurs after the person experiences pain. With enough pain, the person takes on an entirely different form."
"Has that happened to you?"
I nodded.
"Once."
I kept myself from saying anything else about trance. Zoë didn't need to know about that yet. But that dream…it meant something. Whether it meant life or death…who's to say?