Disclaimer: If I have to write the word 'disclaimer', then wouldn't that give you a hint?

Big thanks to Omega Gilgamesh for all of the reviews! Wow, I never thought I'd actually be threatened to continue the story, I'm flattered.

Chapter 9

Mikoto and the others stood there, shocked.

"Not even a 'Hello' for your beloved brother once lost, and now found?"

"Kuja?"

It was the original Angel of Death himself, but he was different.

"What happened to you?" Mikoto said, she couldn't tear her eyes off of him.

Kuja stood at the entrance of the stone building, partially hidden in the shadows, but he now stepped forward revealing his form.

There was an intake of breath all around.

Kuja's once beautiful body now lay in decay and rot. His once fine clothing hung in bloody, muddy tendrils, halfway ripped from his shrunken body. His face was sunken in, the skin hanging loosely off of his bones, decomposing. Layers of black, maggot-filled tissue showing underneath. His head, once crowned with flowing, silver hair, now was balding, his stringy hair brittle and knotted. But what was most disturbing were his empty eye sockets, the lids pulled back and stapled open to his forehead.

Mikoto shrunk back from her once beautiful brother, "You died."

Kuja smiled, showing his brown, rotting teeth and swollen tongue, "Yes I did, didn't I?"

He then seemed to look at his claw-like hands, trying to discern if he was really dead.

"Now I am a true Angel of Death."

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Baku pulled Mikoto back, shielding her from the corpse. Blank, Marcus, and Cinna took flanking positions, surrounding Kuja. But Mikoto pushed forward, facing her brother head-on.

She narrowed her green, burning eyes, "How are you alive? What are you doing here? I want some answers."

Kuja smiled his disgusting smile, "Dear sister, do you not trust your brother?"

"No."

"Ah, a pity." He sighed as he came forward, his rotting stench filling Mikoto's nostrils.

"Answer my questions."

Kuja stopped and shrugged his shoulders, "As you all should know, I am unfortunately not alive at the present moment. It is only the power of my Mistress that keeps me animated.

Hers is the only will I serve."

Blank smirked, "Sounds like a pretty crappy deal to me. Whatever happened to 'Rest in Peace'?"

Kuja waved his hand dismissively…

And sent Blank flying into the air. The thief crashed into the ground nearly thirty feet from where he stood.

"Bro!"

Marcus charged at Kuja, but was abruptly halted by Mikoto, "No, that's what I'm here for. Look after Blank."

She pressed a potion into his hand, willing him to help his Tantalus brother. She then looked at Baku and Cinna, "You two stay out of this as well."

Baku looked ready to put in his two cents, but caught the energy crackling around Mikoto's body, and kept his mouth shut, motioning for Cinna to do the same.

Mikoto returned her attention to Kuja, "Who is this 'Mistress' you speak of?"

Kuja shook his head, his nasty hair swinging back and forth, "Sister, you do not want those painful answers," he looked up, staring into her eyes, "Come to me, let me embrace you in the arms of Death!"

"Sorry, not my style."

"You'll regret your decision, you'll regret it when you are screaming in agony, begging for release from this painful life."

Mikoto was ready to be sick, "You're insane."

"Haha… you forget that now I am merely a puppet, completely surrendered to the will of my Mistress."

Kuja then started to rise into the air, sending streams of energy into all directions. A wind blew into Mikoto's face, nearly cutting off her supply of oxygen. The Lifestream now crashed against the sides of the platform, the waves growing by the second.

"The will of Terra is absolute!"

Kuja then raised his bony arms, the swells of the Lifestream simultaneously splashing over the edge of the platform, rushing towards Mikoto. She only had time to send a barrier to protect the Tantalus members, before the Lifestream engulfed her.

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She tumbled and spun in the currents, feeling the liquid enter her nose and mouth, drowning her. She saw lights passing by, felt no pain as she was dying.

She heard voices screaming her name, but they seemed miles away. Saw images, but they flashed by like a strobe light. Mikoto used her remaining strength, and closed her eyes and covered her ears, trying to shut out the overload.

All was still.

The genome felt a hand on her shoulder, calm and comforting. She opened her eyes.

Only to stare into another pair as vibrantly green as her own. She pulled back, it was a woman with long brown hair. The woman smiled and hugged Mikoto, imparting feelings of love and contentment.

"It is not your time yet, daughter of Terra. Go now, the sons of Gaia are calling for you."

Mikoto sputtered and coughed, gasping for air.

"Mikoto, are you alright?"

She looked up into Blank's concerned face, raising her shivering, wet body from the ground.

"What happened?"

Blank started rubbing her arms, trying to warm her, "We narrowly missed that tidal wave, and pulled you out of the Lifestream when we got the chance. Kuja was blasting things left and right-"

"Where did he go?"

"-took off, said something about fulfilling Terra's destiny. C'mon we gotta get out of here."

Blank then slung one of her arms over his shoulder, helping Mikoto to her feet. Marcus came as well, ready to help any way he could.

The trio started out, but something registered in Mikoto's brain, "Let's take look in the stone building."

Marcus stared at her, "Are you crazy? After his temper tantrum, Kuja left us inside a collapsing tree. We won't get out in time."

She glared at him hard, "We need to know Kuja's plans, there's a chance we'll find something in there. Or are you willing to risk the safety of this world to save your own skin?"

Marcus took it well, he merely nodded, "Now I see why Zidane and Cid sent you with us. We'll go in."

He and Blank supported Mikoto as they entered the building. Baku and Cinna had already headed up to prep the airship.

The collaspsing tree groaned in the cavern, signaling the short time span.

"It should be some kind of map or something." Blank suggested.

But Mikoto had already spotted the document, her lovely eyes growing wide, "He is going after Lindblum."