A/N: Hi! I'm happy to say that I am most pleased with the progress of this
story! I thank you all and I give my reviewers an imaginary bear-hug.
*Hug* Anyhoo, I'm sorry for the delay but I kept changing things in this
chapter. Took me awhile to write it. And also, if you're getting sick of
this not going anywhere than sit tight! Next few chapters will reveal the
TRUE plot! It's a little different than you might think (and a little
weirder too). So just hold on! Thanks a bunch, peoples . . .
Disclaimer: I'm sick of saying this . . . I DON'T OWN FINAL FANTASY!!!!
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"Paper's here!"
Feather held out a rolled up newspaper across the kitchen table from his house-mate and shook it irritatingly in her face. Megan was still groggy having never been a morning person, and muttered something inaudible before grabbing it, fumbling with the string, and opening it. The half-awake woman couldn't remember why she'd been asking Feather over and over again for it.
"There, you satisfied?" the young boy snapped, laughing. "I thought you were going to have a fit if you didn't get it!"
"Uh . . ." Megan squinted her eyes, trying to read the blurred cover. She gave up, groaning loudly, and slammed her head down on the table. Feather just laughed again and stood up, flinging his jacket over his shoulder and nodding to Mrs. Yorokobi who was frying eggs over at the stove.
"I'm headin' out," he announced, reaching for the door handle. Mrs. Yorokobi cleared her throat and Feather hesitated. Then sighed. Megan's mother watched him, frowning slightly. Her daughter was too tired to question the awkward moment.
From outside, Megan's grandmother rapped on the window and held up a bucket of carrots she had apparently picked up out of the garden. Her daughter-in- law nodded and turned off the stove, heading out of the kitchen to go retrieve the vegetables. This left Megan all alone with her forehead grinded into the wood and her eyes squinted shut.
/Flash/
The newspaper . . . tomorrow . . . read it . . .
/Flash/
Megan's head snapped up as if she'd slammed it onto a pin cushion. She was awake so fast it jolted her mind into triple-speed and everything went on fast-forward. The brunette sobered so suddenly that it made her start. The voice! How could she have been so stupid?!
Fingers trembling, the anxious young girl lifted up the paper and held it out at arms length, staring at it.
/Oh god . . . The covers going to say that the apocalypse is coming tomorrow, isn't it . . .? Damnit . . . I knew it . . . I've wasted my whole life!/
But there was nothing like that at all. Quite the opposite, really.
"Queen of Alexandria engaged to be married . . ." Megan read aloud, curiosity rising as her eyes scanned the page. "Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the XVII has been blessed with the return of her love, Zidane Tribal, the hero of the Great War three years ago. They are expected to be wed some time in August. Celebration in Alexandria will commence in four days. All are . . . invited . . ." Megan frowned.
"A celebration . . . Hmm . . ."
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Kuja trudged down the road, staring at the gravel beneath his feet. Fascinating . . . Very . . . fascinating . . . He sighed heavily, jamming his delicate hands into his pockets and chewing on his lip. Immediately, he scolded himself and scowled.
"Where am I going?" he wondered aloud, suddenly stopping dead in the street. His eyes strayed back to the dirt. Ah, of course . . . he recognized this spot. Where he'd first met Megan. He laughed. Then stopped. It wasn't funny. Yet it was.
"She was afraid of blood . . ." Kuja muttered thoughtfully, grinding his boot into the gravel. "I wonder why . . ."
/Flash/
"Oh my god . . ."
"Megan, what the hell are you doing here?!"
"Someone get her out of here!"
"Oh shit . . ."
/Flash/
He could still remember that look she'd given him. That look of terror before she'd passed out. It was a look he had once loved to see when people glanced at him, yet had been so horrified to see on her. He didn't want her to fear him. He didn't want anyone to fear him anymore. It just wasn't as satisfying as it had once been. His lip twitched.
"She was afraid of blood . . ."
A piercing roar split the air causing Kuja's thoughts to scatter from him mind like a thousand fireflies released from their jar. A scream arose from nearby and the sounds of shouting. Something was going on further down the road!
Breaking into a run, the silver-haired sorcerer flew down the street, pushing people out of the way as he did so. The screams were getting worse, bringing the very air around them to its knees. Then he saw it . . .
In the field behind the school-house!
A Red Dragon, with a wingspan of at least thirty feet, was hovering above the ground, beating the air in a flurry of feathers, its roar reverberating in the air around them and freezing Kuja's insides. Several children were scrambling to get away only to find the dragon swooping down upon them and blocking their path. Many of the townspeople were watching from many yards away, horrified, as the dragon landed upon the grass with a thud and threw its head back, flames licking its teeth. Three little girls were huddled before it, crying.
"Amanda!" a woman shouted, shoving Kuja out of the way. "Oh my god, Amanda!"
"Mommy!" one of the tykes sobbed, trembling as the dragon flailed its head around, shrieking. Her mother rounded on one of the nearby townspeople, her eyes flashing angrily.
"Why the hell are you just standing there?!" the woman shouted, balling her fingers into fists. "My daughter's about to be killed!" She was on the verge of hysteria, tears brimming her eyes. The man just shook his head.
"I'm sorry!" he defended miserably. "But we don't have enough magic OR weapons to take him down, plus, we could accidentally hurt the children if the dragon becomes provoked,"
Kuja wanted to give that man a piece of his mind but knew the truth in what the villager had said. It was an impossible situation. No matter which way the youth looked at it, the children were as good as dog food.
The silver-tailed warlock had no choice but to watch the three doomed children, his face mimicking the helpless expression of everyone around him. The atmosphere was that of a funeral.
/Why aren't you doing something?!/ Kuja thought angrily to himself. /How can you just stand by and watch those three little girls turn into dragon feces?! You ought to be ashamed of yourself . . ./
Unfortunately, the spirits on Kuja's shoulders were up for a brawl, and conflicting arguments immediately began to plague the young man.
/You can't!/ the devil argued, pushing back Kuja's conscience. /It would be impossible to destroy that creature! Besides, no one here knows you are a sorcerer!/
/So?!/ the angel hissed back, spitting venom. Kuja winced as the dragon began to snap its head around, its wings pummeling the air relentlessly. /Is that worth the lives of three CHILDREN?!/
/You've got a point there . . ./
/I know I do . . ./
/Damn . . . But I can't . . ./
Kuja sighed watching a group of nearby spectators. He couldn't possibly take on a dragon . . . There was no way . . . He hadn't used magic in years except for small things like levitating a book off a high shelf or relighting a blown out candle. But fighting a dragon?! That was not an easy task . . . even with experience . . .
Suddenly, an explosion of flames burst forth from the dragons mouth, engulfing the children dead on target.
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Megan galloped down the road at top speed, the newspaper still clutched in her right hand as the sounds of screams reached her ears. Something bad was going to happen . . . She just knew it . . .
Rounding the corner of the street, Megan found herself at the old school house. There were people everywhere, all of them wearing masks of terror. Spotting her mother and grandmother in the middle of the crowd, Megan quickly ran towards them, her stomach sinking as she saw that her family was doing nothing to help whatever situation was going on. That meant that it was either impossible to do anything . . . or . . .
It had already happened . . .
A scream erupted from the crowd like a single sob of anguish. All anyone saw was a flash of silver as something hurled itself desperately in a blur at the little girls, throwing them safely out of the path of flames. Unfortunately, the one who had grabbed them was immediately engulfed in the pyre. Megan's mother gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth as realization sunk in.
The children scrambled out from beneath the body on top of them and flung themselves out of harms way, sobbing as they ran towards their families. Amanda's mother collapsed to her knees and caught her daughter, rocking the frightened little tyke back and forth in her arms, crying softly.
"Oh sweetie . . ." the relieved woman whispered, sniffling. "Oh my poor, poor sweetie . . ."
But silence was spreading over the townspeople as they realized the children's savior was lying face-down in the grass, unmoving. A hush fell over the crowd. Megan saw the silver-furred tail lying limply over the mass of charred clothing and the pearly white feather lying burnt nearby.
/Oh god no . . ./
"Feather!" she screamed, hurling herself forward in a frantic attempt to get to her fallen friend. Megan's grandmother caught the horrified young woman, clutching her tightly in her arms.
"No, Megan!" the old woman shouted, pressing her grand-daughter's face against her chest as Megan sobbed uncontrollably. A shuddering sigh passed her lips.
"Feather . . ."
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Kuja groaned inwardly as the stinging pain washed over his body. The children had gotten away . . . Thank the gods . . . And it was a good thing he'd put up that barrier at the last minute or he would have been toast. The stupid shield hadn't been as affective as he'd hoped, but at least he was alive . . . The silver-haired warlock waited for the initial shock to dissipate slightly, breathing the grass in deeply as his mind de-numbed a little before pulling himself weakly onto his hands and knees. A gasp arose from the villagers.
Megan's eyes widened in shock. Impossible! How could anyone have survived such an attack?!
Kuja raised his eyes, assessing the creature before him. After a moment in which the warlock judged the beast to be of the fire sort and susceptible to more elemental attacks, Kuja was struck with a sudden and very curious thought.
/Isn't this . . . a Mist Monster . . .? But . . . the Iifa Tree is dead . . . There IS no more Mist . . . Then how - /
"Feather, watch out!"
Kuja snapped out of his thoughts and looked up just in time to see the dragon's claw come flying past his face. He quickly pushed off backwards and fell into a fighting stance, ready for action. The dragon turned towards him, snarling slightly. It's forked tongue slithered out of its mouth and Kuja saw the sparks sizzling there. It was going to attack again . . . He couldn't let it . . .
With astonishing speed, Kuja charged at the beast, palms forward as if preparing a magic attack of some sort. Then, at the last minute, Kuja sprang clear over the dragon's head and landed in a crouched position several feet away, his back turned vulnerably towards the beast. This seemed to really tick the monster off and it roared angrily, whipping its neck towards the silver-haired man.
/That's it . . ./ Kuja thought tauntingly to himself, watching the dragon over his shoulder. /Just a little bit closer. That's right . . . You hate me . . . You want . . . to kill me . . ./
The dragon lunged at his nemesis, teeth bared, fangs glinting. A cry arose from the crowds of spectators as Kuja leapt into the air, straight over the dragon. The creature stopped and let out a confused grunt. Above him, Kuja used the dazzling skills born of a genome and shot his own jet of flames down upon the beast from the palms of his hands. The dragon screamed as it was engulfed in the pyre and it immediately began thrashing around, flailing its thick neck and bellowing in agony.
The young sorcerer landed safely away from the dragon, tensing as he waited for the creature to notice him. The flames sizzled and went out, and the winged lizard stopped its insane rampage, staring forward, stunned, its sides heaving. Kuja stood by, clenching his fists. The crowd was silent, many families gripping each other in fright. They were still convinced that their darling Feather was nothing more than an inexperienced item-shop clerk. Well, they were about to find out just how wrong they were . . .
The dragon let out a deadly growl, its poisonous green eyes locking onto its enemy, the slit-like pupils dilating dangerously. It snorted and released a jet of steam from its nostrils. Letting out a piercing roar, the dragon belched a river of flames at the first angel of death. Kuja immediately dodged the fire and pointed his finger at the creature, sending a gust of icicles shooting out of his hand. The Red Dragon cried out in agony as it was impaled repeatedly by the frozen lances, hurriedly shielding itself protectively with its wings.
Letting out a fierce roar, the beast flapped backwards, propelling the icicles back at their creator. Kuja quickly put up Barrier and the spears smacked into the shield, cracking it, before dropping harmlessly to the ground and vanishing with a small fizzle. The Red Dragon, angry at the failed attack, beat its wings hard and lifted into the air, fangs dripping with saliva.
"Oh god, Feather . . ." Megan groaned, watching from afar, face taut with fear. "How can he . . . how can he do this . . .? He'll be killed!"
"Have a little faith," Mrs. Yorokobi berated, gazing at the battle before them. "I have the feeling that this fight is very evenly matched,"
"Wha - "
"Shh . . ."
Kuja stared up at the dragon, a look of nervousness passing over his face. What was he thinking?! He couldn't fight anymore! Why did HE have to be the one to save the stupid kids?!
/Duh . . . Because you're the only one who could get to them fast enough . . ./
"Oh yeah . . ."
The Red Dragon dove, it's eyes wild. Kuja looked up in horror just as its fangs became as large as pencils. He ducked quickly and crouched down, hearing the whistling of wind and the billowing of his hair as the dragon scraped by overhead. The genome looked over his shoulder just in time to see the feathery lizard cut a swerving arc and swivel back around, closing in for another attack.
"Oh . . . shit . . ."
In a flurry of claws and scarlet plumage, the dragon blew past Kuja's face, it's teeth glinting in the sunlight. The genome wasn't fast enough to react and the Mist Monster's jaws managed to nick the side of his arm, spilling a trickle of blood onto the grass. Kuja cried out as the searing pain flowed down from his shoulder to his wrist. Poison . . . the god damn dragon had poison . . .!
"D-damnit . . ." Kuja choked out, leaning forward as a wave of dizziness washed over him. If he didn't do something quick, he was going to pass out. The silver-tailed warlock had to think fast . . . How could he destroy this creature without an antidote on hand . . .?
/Flash/
"The Iifa Tree is the portal between our worlds, Kuja. You got that? Kuja? Kuja! Pay attention, damnit! Ahem . . . As I was saying, the Iifa Tree is the portal between Gaia and Terra. But only the back of the tree faces that of the Blue Moon. All visible sources of Mist flow from there. The Mist itself is comprised of shredded souls, not to mention a few other variables. When a monster is spawned from the Mist, for example, its creator, the Soulcage, its life force is reversed so to speak. This term is referred to as Undead. Now, how would you destroy a creature that is, as we so crudely refer to it, Undead?"
"Uh . . . Kill it?"
"Stupid boy! It's Undead! It's the opposite of alive! It is the LIVING dead! How would you reverse the life force of something dead?! Bring it back to life you moron! Herbs and magic can do this. In fact - when you really think about it - pitted against a white mage, Mist Monsters are weaker than even the most defective Hecteyes! It's simple logic you fool!"
/Flash/
"Bring it to life . . ." Kuja muttered, his vision blurring slightly. He'd never been good at ANY form of white magic! Great . . . just when he needed it . . . He could see the smudged outline of the dragon landing with a thud nearby. It knew he was down . . . Kuja thought hard. What to do, what to do . . .
Of course! A phoenix down! Only one problem . . .
"I don't have a phoenix down!" Kuja screamed at the top of his lungs. Many yards away, Megan crinkled her forehead in confusion.
"Why does he want a phoenix down?" she asked her mother curiously. Mrs. Yorokobi frowned.
"I'm not sure . . . He's not unconscious or anything,"
"He will be soon," Megan's grandmother pointed out, looking nervous. "I don't know what kind of poison Red Dragon's have but . . ." her voice faded off. They knew what she meant.
Kuja felt nauseous. The dragon was coming closer. He could hear its snuffling breath, its claws digging into the dirt. The thick, trunk-like tail lashed out near the genome's face. This was NOT going to be how it ended . . . Pitted against one of his own creations . . .!
"Someone give me a phoenix down, quick!" Kuja cried, feeling the very heat of the dragon above him. Megan glanced anxiously at her mother. The older woman nodded and fumbled around in her purse. Finally, she pulled out one of the delicate red feathers and blew some dust off of it. She hadn't needed it in years . . .
"How do we get it to him?" Mrs. Yorokobi wondered aloud, biting her lip with nerves. "Nobody can get near that thing . . ." she watched as the butcher and his son stood about ten feet away from Feather, not daring to move any closer. Megan watched Feather's shuddering form. A wave of sickness washed over her.
/Flash/
"Megan! Run!"
"No! No! I can't leave you!"
"Martha, take her!"
"No! Don't take me away!"
"Megan, please!"
"But -"
"I love you . . ."
"Daddy!"
/Flash/
There were no second thoughts. Megan took off running, the phoenix feather clutched tightly in one hand, the other clenched in a fist near her chest.
"Megan! No!" her mother screamed, making a frantic grab for her daughter. Megan dodged it and flew into the field. Cries echoed throughout the crowd of villagers.
Kuja heard the shouts of protest and looked up blankly, unsure of what was going on. The next thing he knew, however, he felt someone slapping something hurriedly into his hand.
"Megan? Is this-?"
GRAAAH!!
The dragon let out a bellowing roar above their heads. Megan screamed and fell into the silver-tailed genome, her eyes squinted shut. The dragon was up on its hind legs, preparing for the kill. Kuja reacted quickly (better than before) and flung the feather into the dragon's face. The beast yelped and fell backwards, shaking its head and doing something that quite resembled a sneeze. A dazzling sparkle of glitter washed over its entire body and two flickering red angel-wings sprouted ghost-like from its back before fading away. The dragon's eyes widened with shock and it began to flail around, screeching and snapping its teeth. The townspeople covered their faces in horror. After several tortured seconds, the dragon let out a last whining growl and crumpled to the ground, dead.
Megan, who had been crunched up next to Feather and shivering, opened her eyes, wide with surprise.
"It's . . . dead . . . but how -"
"Mist Monster," Feather grunted simply, his voice slightly strained as he began to feel the first clench of pain in his body. "It was Undead . . . So I brought it to life . . ." Megan immediately began to look concerned.
"Just hold on, Feather. Don't worry. We'll get you an antidote," Feather nodded numbly, his vision nearly gone.
He still couldn't get that thought out of his mind.
How could there be any more Mist Monsters . . . ?
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Mr. 41 was feeling the first tingling of anxiety.
"Are you sure you haven't seen her?" he asked a female genome tending to the chocobos and feeding the scurrying yellow birds. The genome nodded, expression blank.
"Mikoto was supposed to be taking care of Master Vivi's children," she stated, sprinkling chocobo feed into the pen. "Perhaps you should contact her brother and find out if he is aware of her disappearance,"
Mr. 41 thought the suggestion over in his head, amber eyes glowing. Finally, he nodded.
"I'm going to do just that," he announced, standing tall. "I think there is more to this than we realize. Mikoto would NEVER abandon Vivi's sons,"
The genome nodded, frowning. "I agree. She loved those children,"
The black mage sighed and started to turn away when a thought struck him and he stopped.
"Wait. Who will take care of the children?"
The female genome raised a questioning eyebrow. "I believe just about anyone here is just about suited to do so," she commented rather dryly. The genomes were finally beginning to grasp the concept of emotion. Their progress was most satisfying. However, Mr. 41 shook his head.
"No, I'm not comfortable with that idea. I think I'll take the tykes with me up to Alexandria. If I recall, there is going to be a celebration there. The children will enjoy that,"
He continued muttering to himself as he turned on his heel and went power- walking off, his staff clutched tightly in one hand. The genome watched him quietly, her blue eyes sparkling.
"Be careful, sir . . ." she muttered.
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A/N: Whoa! That chapter was frickin' LONG! Hope it's not too much *glances around nervously* . . . I think this may have been my longest chapter so far ^_^ Well, updates are going smoothly so I don't think this story will be abandoned. I even know how it's going to end and all the characters and stuff. So . . . yay! And I have only one last thing to say:
READ AN REVIEW OR I WILL PEEEEEEEEEEEEERISH! *cough* thank you . . .
^*^ Black Mage Dad ^*^
P.S. I'm not a boy! People always think that! "Dad" isn't referring to ME! (Isn't it obvious who it IS referring to?) And people always think I'm talking about Vivi! Isn't it easy to tell that I'm NOT! Don't get me wrong, though. I love that little dude. He is SO cute! *Gives Vivi a big squeeze*
Vivi: *Gasp* Help me . . .
Black Mage Dad: Never!
Kuja: I thought you loved ME the best!
Zidane: What about ME?!
Black Mage Dad: God! So selfish! I love you all! Particularly you, Kuja *Bats eyelashes seductively*
Kuja: *Takes a step back nervously* Uh oh . . .
Hehehe . . .
Disclaimer: I'm sick of saying this . . . I DON'T OWN FINAL FANTASY!!!!
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"Paper's here!"
Feather held out a rolled up newspaper across the kitchen table from his house-mate and shook it irritatingly in her face. Megan was still groggy having never been a morning person, and muttered something inaudible before grabbing it, fumbling with the string, and opening it. The half-awake woman couldn't remember why she'd been asking Feather over and over again for it.
"There, you satisfied?" the young boy snapped, laughing. "I thought you were going to have a fit if you didn't get it!"
"Uh . . ." Megan squinted her eyes, trying to read the blurred cover. She gave up, groaning loudly, and slammed her head down on the table. Feather just laughed again and stood up, flinging his jacket over his shoulder and nodding to Mrs. Yorokobi who was frying eggs over at the stove.
"I'm headin' out," he announced, reaching for the door handle. Mrs. Yorokobi cleared her throat and Feather hesitated. Then sighed. Megan's mother watched him, frowning slightly. Her daughter was too tired to question the awkward moment.
From outside, Megan's grandmother rapped on the window and held up a bucket of carrots she had apparently picked up out of the garden. Her daughter-in- law nodded and turned off the stove, heading out of the kitchen to go retrieve the vegetables. This left Megan all alone with her forehead grinded into the wood and her eyes squinted shut.
/Flash/
The newspaper . . . tomorrow . . . read it . . .
/Flash/
Megan's head snapped up as if she'd slammed it onto a pin cushion. She was awake so fast it jolted her mind into triple-speed and everything went on fast-forward. The brunette sobered so suddenly that it made her start. The voice! How could she have been so stupid?!
Fingers trembling, the anxious young girl lifted up the paper and held it out at arms length, staring at it.
/Oh god . . . The covers going to say that the apocalypse is coming tomorrow, isn't it . . .? Damnit . . . I knew it . . . I've wasted my whole life!/
But there was nothing like that at all. Quite the opposite, really.
"Queen of Alexandria engaged to be married . . ." Megan read aloud, curiosity rising as her eyes scanned the page. "Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the XVII has been blessed with the return of her love, Zidane Tribal, the hero of the Great War three years ago. They are expected to be wed some time in August. Celebration in Alexandria will commence in four days. All are . . . invited . . ." Megan frowned.
"A celebration . . . Hmm . . ."
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Kuja trudged down the road, staring at the gravel beneath his feet. Fascinating . . . Very . . . fascinating . . . He sighed heavily, jamming his delicate hands into his pockets and chewing on his lip. Immediately, he scolded himself and scowled.
"Where am I going?" he wondered aloud, suddenly stopping dead in the street. His eyes strayed back to the dirt. Ah, of course . . . he recognized this spot. Where he'd first met Megan. He laughed. Then stopped. It wasn't funny. Yet it was.
"She was afraid of blood . . ." Kuja muttered thoughtfully, grinding his boot into the gravel. "I wonder why . . ."
/Flash/
"Oh my god . . ."
"Megan, what the hell are you doing here?!"
"Someone get her out of here!"
"Oh shit . . ."
/Flash/
He could still remember that look she'd given him. That look of terror before she'd passed out. It was a look he had once loved to see when people glanced at him, yet had been so horrified to see on her. He didn't want her to fear him. He didn't want anyone to fear him anymore. It just wasn't as satisfying as it had once been. His lip twitched.
"She was afraid of blood . . ."
A piercing roar split the air causing Kuja's thoughts to scatter from him mind like a thousand fireflies released from their jar. A scream arose from nearby and the sounds of shouting. Something was going on further down the road!
Breaking into a run, the silver-haired sorcerer flew down the street, pushing people out of the way as he did so. The screams were getting worse, bringing the very air around them to its knees. Then he saw it . . .
In the field behind the school-house!
A Red Dragon, with a wingspan of at least thirty feet, was hovering above the ground, beating the air in a flurry of feathers, its roar reverberating in the air around them and freezing Kuja's insides. Several children were scrambling to get away only to find the dragon swooping down upon them and blocking their path. Many of the townspeople were watching from many yards away, horrified, as the dragon landed upon the grass with a thud and threw its head back, flames licking its teeth. Three little girls were huddled before it, crying.
"Amanda!" a woman shouted, shoving Kuja out of the way. "Oh my god, Amanda!"
"Mommy!" one of the tykes sobbed, trembling as the dragon flailed its head around, shrieking. Her mother rounded on one of the nearby townspeople, her eyes flashing angrily.
"Why the hell are you just standing there?!" the woman shouted, balling her fingers into fists. "My daughter's about to be killed!" She was on the verge of hysteria, tears brimming her eyes. The man just shook his head.
"I'm sorry!" he defended miserably. "But we don't have enough magic OR weapons to take him down, plus, we could accidentally hurt the children if the dragon becomes provoked,"
Kuja wanted to give that man a piece of his mind but knew the truth in what the villager had said. It was an impossible situation. No matter which way the youth looked at it, the children were as good as dog food.
The silver-tailed warlock had no choice but to watch the three doomed children, his face mimicking the helpless expression of everyone around him. The atmosphere was that of a funeral.
/Why aren't you doing something?!/ Kuja thought angrily to himself. /How can you just stand by and watch those three little girls turn into dragon feces?! You ought to be ashamed of yourself . . ./
Unfortunately, the spirits on Kuja's shoulders were up for a brawl, and conflicting arguments immediately began to plague the young man.
/You can't!/ the devil argued, pushing back Kuja's conscience. /It would be impossible to destroy that creature! Besides, no one here knows you are a sorcerer!/
/So?!/ the angel hissed back, spitting venom. Kuja winced as the dragon began to snap its head around, its wings pummeling the air relentlessly. /Is that worth the lives of three CHILDREN?!/
/You've got a point there . . ./
/I know I do . . ./
/Damn . . . But I can't . . ./
Kuja sighed watching a group of nearby spectators. He couldn't possibly take on a dragon . . . There was no way . . . He hadn't used magic in years except for small things like levitating a book off a high shelf or relighting a blown out candle. But fighting a dragon?! That was not an easy task . . . even with experience . . .
Suddenly, an explosion of flames burst forth from the dragons mouth, engulfing the children dead on target.
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Megan galloped down the road at top speed, the newspaper still clutched in her right hand as the sounds of screams reached her ears. Something bad was going to happen . . . She just knew it . . .
Rounding the corner of the street, Megan found herself at the old school house. There were people everywhere, all of them wearing masks of terror. Spotting her mother and grandmother in the middle of the crowd, Megan quickly ran towards them, her stomach sinking as she saw that her family was doing nothing to help whatever situation was going on. That meant that it was either impossible to do anything . . . or . . .
It had already happened . . .
A scream erupted from the crowd like a single sob of anguish. All anyone saw was a flash of silver as something hurled itself desperately in a blur at the little girls, throwing them safely out of the path of flames. Unfortunately, the one who had grabbed them was immediately engulfed in the pyre. Megan's mother gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth as realization sunk in.
The children scrambled out from beneath the body on top of them and flung themselves out of harms way, sobbing as they ran towards their families. Amanda's mother collapsed to her knees and caught her daughter, rocking the frightened little tyke back and forth in her arms, crying softly.
"Oh sweetie . . ." the relieved woman whispered, sniffling. "Oh my poor, poor sweetie . . ."
But silence was spreading over the townspeople as they realized the children's savior was lying face-down in the grass, unmoving. A hush fell over the crowd. Megan saw the silver-furred tail lying limply over the mass of charred clothing and the pearly white feather lying burnt nearby.
/Oh god no . . ./
"Feather!" she screamed, hurling herself forward in a frantic attempt to get to her fallen friend. Megan's grandmother caught the horrified young woman, clutching her tightly in her arms.
"No, Megan!" the old woman shouted, pressing her grand-daughter's face against her chest as Megan sobbed uncontrollably. A shuddering sigh passed her lips.
"Feather . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuja groaned inwardly as the stinging pain washed over his body. The children had gotten away . . . Thank the gods . . . And it was a good thing he'd put up that barrier at the last minute or he would have been toast. The stupid shield hadn't been as affective as he'd hoped, but at least he was alive . . . The silver-haired warlock waited for the initial shock to dissipate slightly, breathing the grass in deeply as his mind de-numbed a little before pulling himself weakly onto his hands and knees. A gasp arose from the villagers.
Megan's eyes widened in shock. Impossible! How could anyone have survived such an attack?!
Kuja raised his eyes, assessing the creature before him. After a moment in which the warlock judged the beast to be of the fire sort and susceptible to more elemental attacks, Kuja was struck with a sudden and very curious thought.
/Isn't this . . . a Mist Monster . . .? But . . . the Iifa Tree is dead . . . There IS no more Mist . . . Then how - /
"Feather, watch out!"
Kuja snapped out of his thoughts and looked up just in time to see the dragon's claw come flying past his face. He quickly pushed off backwards and fell into a fighting stance, ready for action. The dragon turned towards him, snarling slightly. It's forked tongue slithered out of its mouth and Kuja saw the sparks sizzling there. It was going to attack again . . . He couldn't let it . . .
With astonishing speed, Kuja charged at the beast, palms forward as if preparing a magic attack of some sort. Then, at the last minute, Kuja sprang clear over the dragon's head and landed in a crouched position several feet away, his back turned vulnerably towards the beast. This seemed to really tick the monster off and it roared angrily, whipping its neck towards the silver-haired man.
/That's it . . ./ Kuja thought tauntingly to himself, watching the dragon over his shoulder. /Just a little bit closer. That's right . . . You hate me . . . You want . . . to kill me . . ./
The dragon lunged at his nemesis, teeth bared, fangs glinting. A cry arose from the crowds of spectators as Kuja leapt into the air, straight over the dragon. The creature stopped and let out a confused grunt. Above him, Kuja used the dazzling skills born of a genome and shot his own jet of flames down upon the beast from the palms of his hands. The dragon screamed as it was engulfed in the pyre and it immediately began thrashing around, flailing its thick neck and bellowing in agony.
The young sorcerer landed safely away from the dragon, tensing as he waited for the creature to notice him. The flames sizzled and went out, and the winged lizard stopped its insane rampage, staring forward, stunned, its sides heaving. Kuja stood by, clenching his fists. The crowd was silent, many families gripping each other in fright. They were still convinced that their darling Feather was nothing more than an inexperienced item-shop clerk. Well, they were about to find out just how wrong they were . . .
The dragon let out a deadly growl, its poisonous green eyes locking onto its enemy, the slit-like pupils dilating dangerously. It snorted and released a jet of steam from its nostrils. Letting out a piercing roar, the dragon belched a river of flames at the first angel of death. Kuja immediately dodged the fire and pointed his finger at the creature, sending a gust of icicles shooting out of his hand. The Red Dragon cried out in agony as it was impaled repeatedly by the frozen lances, hurriedly shielding itself protectively with its wings.
Letting out a fierce roar, the beast flapped backwards, propelling the icicles back at their creator. Kuja quickly put up Barrier and the spears smacked into the shield, cracking it, before dropping harmlessly to the ground and vanishing with a small fizzle. The Red Dragon, angry at the failed attack, beat its wings hard and lifted into the air, fangs dripping with saliva.
"Oh god, Feather . . ." Megan groaned, watching from afar, face taut with fear. "How can he . . . how can he do this . . .? He'll be killed!"
"Have a little faith," Mrs. Yorokobi berated, gazing at the battle before them. "I have the feeling that this fight is very evenly matched,"
"Wha - "
"Shh . . ."
Kuja stared up at the dragon, a look of nervousness passing over his face. What was he thinking?! He couldn't fight anymore! Why did HE have to be the one to save the stupid kids?!
/Duh . . . Because you're the only one who could get to them fast enough . . ./
"Oh yeah . . ."
The Red Dragon dove, it's eyes wild. Kuja looked up in horror just as its fangs became as large as pencils. He ducked quickly and crouched down, hearing the whistling of wind and the billowing of his hair as the dragon scraped by overhead. The genome looked over his shoulder just in time to see the feathery lizard cut a swerving arc and swivel back around, closing in for another attack.
"Oh . . . shit . . ."
In a flurry of claws and scarlet plumage, the dragon blew past Kuja's face, it's teeth glinting in the sunlight. The genome wasn't fast enough to react and the Mist Monster's jaws managed to nick the side of his arm, spilling a trickle of blood onto the grass. Kuja cried out as the searing pain flowed down from his shoulder to his wrist. Poison . . . the god damn dragon had poison . . .!
"D-damnit . . ." Kuja choked out, leaning forward as a wave of dizziness washed over him. If he didn't do something quick, he was going to pass out. The silver-tailed warlock had to think fast . . . How could he destroy this creature without an antidote on hand . . .?
/Flash/
"The Iifa Tree is the portal between our worlds, Kuja. You got that? Kuja? Kuja! Pay attention, damnit! Ahem . . . As I was saying, the Iifa Tree is the portal between Gaia and Terra. But only the back of the tree faces that of the Blue Moon. All visible sources of Mist flow from there. The Mist itself is comprised of shredded souls, not to mention a few other variables. When a monster is spawned from the Mist, for example, its creator, the Soulcage, its life force is reversed so to speak. This term is referred to as Undead. Now, how would you destroy a creature that is, as we so crudely refer to it, Undead?"
"Uh . . . Kill it?"
"Stupid boy! It's Undead! It's the opposite of alive! It is the LIVING dead! How would you reverse the life force of something dead?! Bring it back to life you moron! Herbs and magic can do this. In fact - when you really think about it - pitted against a white mage, Mist Monsters are weaker than even the most defective Hecteyes! It's simple logic you fool!"
/Flash/
"Bring it to life . . ." Kuja muttered, his vision blurring slightly. He'd never been good at ANY form of white magic! Great . . . just when he needed it . . . He could see the smudged outline of the dragon landing with a thud nearby. It knew he was down . . . Kuja thought hard. What to do, what to do . . .
Of course! A phoenix down! Only one problem . . .
"I don't have a phoenix down!" Kuja screamed at the top of his lungs. Many yards away, Megan crinkled her forehead in confusion.
"Why does he want a phoenix down?" she asked her mother curiously. Mrs. Yorokobi frowned.
"I'm not sure . . . He's not unconscious or anything,"
"He will be soon," Megan's grandmother pointed out, looking nervous. "I don't know what kind of poison Red Dragon's have but . . ." her voice faded off. They knew what she meant.
Kuja felt nauseous. The dragon was coming closer. He could hear its snuffling breath, its claws digging into the dirt. The thick, trunk-like tail lashed out near the genome's face. This was NOT going to be how it ended . . . Pitted against one of his own creations . . .!
"Someone give me a phoenix down, quick!" Kuja cried, feeling the very heat of the dragon above him. Megan glanced anxiously at her mother. The older woman nodded and fumbled around in her purse. Finally, she pulled out one of the delicate red feathers and blew some dust off of it. She hadn't needed it in years . . .
"How do we get it to him?" Mrs. Yorokobi wondered aloud, biting her lip with nerves. "Nobody can get near that thing . . ." she watched as the butcher and his son stood about ten feet away from Feather, not daring to move any closer. Megan watched Feather's shuddering form. A wave of sickness washed over her.
/Flash/
"Megan! Run!"
"No! No! I can't leave you!"
"Martha, take her!"
"No! Don't take me away!"
"Megan, please!"
"But -"
"I love you . . ."
"Daddy!"
/Flash/
There were no second thoughts. Megan took off running, the phoenix feather clutched tightly in one hand, the other clenched in a fist near her chest.
"Megan! No!" her mother screamed, making a frantic grab for her daughter. Megan dodged it and flew into the field. Cries echoed throughout the crowd of villagers.
Kuja heard the shouts of protest and looked up blankly, unsure of what was going on. The next thing he knew, however, he felt someone slapping something hurriedly into his hand.
"Megan? Is this-?"
GRAAAH!!
The dragon let out a bellowing roar above their heads. Megan screamed and fell into the silver-tailed genome, her eyes squinted shut. The dragon was up on its hind legs, preparing for the kill. Kuja reacted quickly (better than before) and flung the feather into the dragon's face. The beast yelped and fell backwards, shaking its head and doing something that quite resembled a sneeze. A dazzling sparkle of glitter washed over its entire body and two flickering red angel-wings sprouted ghost-like from its back before fading away. The dragon's eyes widened with shock and it began to flail around, screeching and snapping its teeth. The townspeople covered their faces in horror. After several tortured seconds, the dragon let out a last whining growl and crumpled to the ground, dead.
Megan, who had been crunched up next to Feather and shivering, opened her eyes, wide with surprise.
"It's . . . dead . . . but how -"
"Mist Monster," Feather grunted simply, his voice slightly strained as he began to feel the first clench of pain in his body. "It was Undead . . . So I brought it to life . . ." Megan immediately began to look concerned.
"Just hold on, Feather. Don't worry. We'll get you an antidote," Feather nodded numbly, his vision nearly gone.
He still couldn't get that thought out of his mind.
How could there be any more Mist Monsters . . . ?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mr. 41 was feeling the first tingling of anxiety.
"Are you sure you haven't seen her?" he asked a female genome tending to the chocobos and feeding the scurrying yellow birds. The genome nodded, expression blank.
"Mikoto was supposed to be taking care of Master Vivi's children," she stated, sprinkling chocobo feed into the pen. "Perhaps you should contact her brother and find out if he is aware of her disappearance,"
Mr. 41 thought the suggestion over in his head, amber eyes glowing. Finally, he nodded.
"I'm going to do just that," he announced, standing tall. "I think there is more to this than we realize. Mikoto would NEVER abandon Vivi's sons,"
The genome nodded, frowning. "I agree. She loved those children,"
The black mage sighed and started to turn away when a thought struck him and he stopped.
"Wait. Who will take care of the children?"
The female genome raised a questioning eyebrow. "I believe just about anyone here is just about suited to do so," she commented rather dryly. The genomes were finally beginning to grasp the concept of emotion. Their progress was most satisfying. However, Mr. 41 shook his head.
"No, I'm not comfortable with that idea. I think I'll take the tykes with me up to Alexandria. If I recall, there is going to be a celebration there. The children will enjoy that,"
He continued muttering to himself as he turned on his heel and went power- walking off, his staff clutched tightly in one hand. The genome watched him quietly, her blue eyes sparkling.
"Be careful, sir . . ." she muttered.
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A/N: Whoa! That chapter was frickin' LONG! Hope it's not too much *glances around nervously* . . . I think this may have been my longest chapter so far ^_^ Well, updates are going smoothly so I don't think this story will be abandoned. I even know how it's going to end and all the characters and stuff. So . . . yay! And I have only one last thing to say:
READ AN REVIEW OR I WILL PEEEEEEEEEEEEERISH! *cough* thank you . . .
^*^ Black Mage Dad ^*^
P.S. I'm not a boy! People always think that! "Dad" isn't referring to ME! (Isn't it obvious who it IS referring to?) And people always think I'm talking about Vivi! Isn't it easy to tell that I'm NOT! Don't get me wrong, though. I love that little dude. He is SO cute! *Gives Vivi a big squeeze*
Vivi: *Gasp* Help me . . .
Black Mage Dad: Never!
Kuja: I thought you loved ME the best!
Zidane: What about ME?!
Black Mage Dad: God! So selfish! I love you all! Particularly you, Kuja *Bats eyelashes seductively*
Kuja: *Takes a step back nervously* Uh oh . . .
Hehehe . . .