A/N: Ah . . . another chapter up . . . And I have hardly gotten to the plot
*sigh* But the reviews are coming in great! Seven for the last chapter!
Seven! I am at a loss for words! Anyhow, I hope everyone's enjoying this
fic because I know I am ^_^ So read and review!
Disclaimer: Um . . . Final Fantasy is, like, not mine. Yeah . . .
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"It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all . . ."
- Samuel Butler
"Blank! Think fast!"
"Wha-?"
SPLAT! Blank blinked, dumbfounded, as he had a head-on collision with a muffin.
"Zidane! What the hell was that for?!" Blank shouted, rubbing the mush out of his eyes. Zidane just pointed at him and laughed.
"Ha ha! Gotcha!"
"Oh you are SO dead you little monkey!"
Zidane ran off giggling as Blank chased him down the crowded Alexandrian street, peeling bits of the pastry off his face and throwing them at the galloping teen ahead of him. Marcus just rolled his eyes.
"Some things never change . . ." he muttered, chuckling to himself.
"I don't care if you ARE going to be king!" Blank's cries could be heard from the end of the street. "You're in BIG trouble! Come back here!"
"Come and get me, pasty-face!"
"Why you little - !"
Cinna nudged Marcus hurriedly as he spotted Queen Garnet strolling leisurely down the street with a basket slung over her arm. People bowed as she passed and the young woman nodded her head to them in return, smiling. When she spotted the remaining members of Tantalus, her face brightened and she trotted towards them, grinning kindly.
"Marcus! Cinna! What a pleasant surprise!" she exclaimed, curtseying daintily. The boys bowed rather clumsily, knocking into each other and cursing under their breath. Garnet just laughed.
"Have you seen Zidane?" she asked, glancing around the stuffed market area in search of her fiancé. Marcus and Cinna stifled their laughter.
"Sure have, miss!" Cinna guffawed, winking at his friend. "He and Blank are having a little tiff. I dub it: The Muffin Massacre,"
Garnet frowned. "Don't tell me . . . He threw a muffin at Blank, didn't he?"
Cinna's eyes widened with shock. "How did you know?" he queried, looking thoroughly surprised. Garnet sighed heavily, shifting the basket to her other arm.
"He's been doing it to Steiner every morning now; since his proposal. In other words, for the past week," she muttered, shaking her head in embarrassment. "Quina's about ready to kill him,"
Marcus and Cinna burst out laughing, hugging each other as tears streamed down their faces. The queen did not seem to find it as amusing as they did. Just as she was about to open her mouth to protest, a squeak escaped her throat. Steiner went tearing past them, throwing Garnet completely off balance. He was clutching something tightly in his hands and skidded to a halt before them, eyes dancing mischievously.
"I've done it!" he cried, holding out the package for them to see. "I've done it!"
"What?"
"I've stolen all the muffins from the kitchen!"
"Oh . . . Great . . ." Marcus glanced at Cinna. Cinna glanced at Marcus. They both glanced at the disgusted look on Queen Garnet's face. And collapsed into peals of laughter.
"Oh man! This is too good for words!" Cinna choked out, his face beat red. "This celebration's going to be awesome if stuff like this keeps happening!"
"Well don't expect it to," Garnet stated in a huff. "I don't want any trouble while everyone's here. And that means no riots!"
"Aw, damn . . ."
Garnet tapped her foot huffily, staring down her nose at the pair. They sighed.
"All right . . ." A smile spread across her majesty's face.
"Good. Let's keep things in order here. I don't want any trouble. This party's going to be fun . . . I've had enough adventures to last me a life time . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuja spent the entire morning gazing out his window in confusion. That woman in his dream. Who was she? And what had she meant?
/Flash/
Your soul was given to you, therefore, it can be taken away.
/Flash/
Kuja frowned. "I know I'm going to die eventually but . . . how can my soul be taken away? And who would want it anyways? It's a terrible soul! It's weak and built only to last a short time,"
Nothing seemed to add up or make sense. Everything had become a jumbled pile of fragments and the more he tried to understand it, the more confused he became.
A soft sigh rolled off his lips.
"I thought I could escape here . . ." the silver-tailed genome whispered, watching the pale morning sky. "But perhaps the whole world is nothing more than a cage . . ."
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"Absolutely not. No. I won't allow it,"
"But Mom!" Megan whined, slamming down her foot angrily. "It'll just be for a few days! What's the big deal?!"
Mrs. Yorokobi turned and gave her daughter a cold look. "I don't want you going to another continent by yourself; all by yourself. It's too dangerous,"
"But Feather might go!" Megan argued, jumping in front of her mother as the woman began rinsing the dishes in the sink.
"All the more reason for me to say no,"
"What?!"
"You heard me,"
"Mom!" Megan was on the brink of tears.
"No. And if I have to ask you to stop pestering me one more time, I will lose my temper,"
"But what has Feather ever done wrong?! In fact, he's proven to us that he's excellent at keeping people safe!"
"Megan, I don't want to discuss this right now. I have my reasons for not wanting you and him to be alone together so far away,"
Megan couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother had no reason to deny her the trip.
"But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" she shouted, clenching her fists angrily. Mrs. Yorokobi set the dishes down hard on the counter with a sharp clang.
"No. I said no,"
Megan's eyes felt hot.
/No. Don't cry. You can't let your mother see you acting like a baby. Then you'll have absolutely no chance at all./
Lips tightening, Megan stormed out of the kitchen and thudded up the stairs like a raging rhinoceros. With a pent-up scream of frustration, she slammed the door of her room shut, causing the whole house to shake, and dissolved onto the bed.
Mrs. Yorokobi sighed and grabbed a towel out of the cabinet. Her fingers moved gracefully through the pile of dishes as she dried them, masking the terrible feeling of guilt she housed inside.
/I'm sorry honey./ she thought sadly. /But I just can't trust that man . . ./
"Don't you think you were rather harsh?"
The older woman turned around to see her mother-in-law standing behind her, looking rather concerned. Mrs. Yorokobi turned away icily.
"No, I don't think I was," she stated firmly, wiping hard at a donut- encrusted plate. "I'd think you of all people would agree with me,"
"I'm afraid I don't," the old woman responded, sliding in next to the younger.
"But you were the one that -"
"Yes. But only for your awareness,"
Mrs. Yorokobi frowned. "What are you saying? That you believe him to be safe?"
A small smile played across her mother-in-law's lips. "He's been in our house for two-and-a-half years and never done anything wrong. To be quite honest, he's mimicked that of a perfect angel,"
"But what would stop him from doing harm outside of Katei?"
"Nothing. And what would stop him from doing harm here?"
Tears filled Mrs. Yorokobi's eyes and she brushed them away hurriedly. "I made a promise," she whispered, her fingers trembling as she let the water in the sink run freely. "I made a promise that day to my husband that his daughter would be safe. I PROMISED him,"
The old woman put her arm around the trembling girl's shoulder, sighing sadly. "And I, too, made a promise that day," she continued. "To my son. That his daughter would always be happy. Are you going to deny her happiness?"
"I . . . I feel so torn . . ."
Megan's grandmother leaned toward the younger woman, eyes twinkling, and whispered quietly into her ear.
"And I'm going to promise to you today. You're daughter WILL return safely. I promise,"
Mrs. Yorokobi sniffled and released a shuddering sigh. Slowly, she nodded her head.
"All right . . . She can go . . . If you have that much faith . . ."
Megan's grandmother nodded, smiling.
"That I do, miss. That I do . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuja could hear the sounds of muffled crying drifting down from above his room. The silver-tailed sorcerer frowned and melted away from the window, heading towards the door. He wondered who was crying. It sounded like Megan. Pulling down his sleeves, Kuja decided it was worth checking out. As he trotted up the stairs, the sound became louder. It was definitely coming from Megan's room . . .
Kuja hesitated when he reached her door. What if she didn't want company? What if she got mad that he was meddling in her affairs? What if . . . what if she was naked?! Kuja shook that thought hurriedly from his head, muttering "pervert," to himself, before grasping the brass handle firmly and opening the door as quietly and carefully as possible.
He peered through the small crack he had made in the door and saw Megan sitting on her bed, head in her hands. The copper-haired woman's shoulders shook as she sobbed and the locks covered her face as she bent over in misery.
"Megan?" Kuja whispered, looking concerned. "Megan, what's wrong?"
Megan raised her head slowly, cheeks streaked with tears. She didn't feel like talking to him. "It's nothing . . ." she mumbled, looking away. "Just leave me alone . . ."
Kuja ignored her request and strode into the room, sitting down upon the bed next to her. Megan looked up at him, frowning.
"What?" she snapped, her voice a bit harsher than she had intended. Kuja just smiled.
/God, I feel like Zidane . . ./ he thought bitterly to himself.
"Why are you crying?" he asked curiously. Megan simply heaved a heavy sigh and shook her head.
"Really, it's nothing," she stated, wiping briskly at her eyes. "Don't worry about me,"
Kuja stared at her a little while longer. She was zoning out into space, thus, for the first time ever, he had a chance to admire the young woman without being chastised. She really was beautiful. Silky rustic hair, coffee-brown eyes, fair skin. Everything about her seemed right. Apparently, Megan felt Kuja's gaze on her because she turned her head slowly towards him, looking rather concerned.
"Are YOU alright?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Kuja just blinked and looked away, exhaling quietly.
"You're a pretty neat girl," he commented rather suddenly, running his fingers through his hair. "I find you . . . interesting,"
/Flattering words coming from the first Angel of Death, sweet. So you better not be offended./
Megan didn't SEEM offended; just . . . surprised. "Oh . . . okay . . ."
Their eyes locked for a split second and involuntarily the two found themselves leaning in ever so slightly. Kuja's fingers clenched. He could feel her breath on his face like leaves brushing gently against his cheeks. A strand of hair was covering her eyes but she didn't seem to notice. There was a moment of silence in which their lips seemed to ghost over each other before there was a loud knock on the door, jolting them both back with a hiss of surprise.
Unfortunately, the door opened just in time for the visitor behind it to see them jerk away from each other. Mrs. Yorokobi stood in the doorway, lips tight.
/Oh no . . ./ she thought miserably to herself. /Just pretend nothing's going on . . . Everything . . . is fine . . ./
"Megan," she began, voice hoarse. "I've decided. You can go to Alexandria . . ."
Megan's mouth dropped open in shock and her eyes widened. "Are you kidding?!"
"Unfortunately not . . ."
"Oh my god! I love you Mom!" Megan jumped up and threw her arms around her mother's neck, kissing her on the cheek over and over again. She couldn't express her feelings of joy. There were no words to describe it. The youth looked over her shoulder at Kuja, raising her eyebrows inquiringly.
"Well?" she began, breaking away from Mrs. Yorokobi and holding out her arms. "Are you going to go or not?"
There was a moment of silence. Megan desperately wanted Kuja to go, whereas Mrs. Yorokobi had no clue whether she wanted him to or not. On the one hand, Megan would not be able to keep herself safe alone. On the other hand . . . Well, the other hand was pretty self-explanatory.
Kuja looked thoughtful.
/To go, or not to go . . . That is the question . . ./
/Flash/
"Then, I finally realized what it means to live . . . I guess I was too late . . ./
/Flash/
"Oh hell!" Kuja exclaimed, jumping up. "You only live once! Why not?!"
/And for me, that life may be quite drastically shorter than another's./ he added silently to himself.
"So you'll go?" Megan interrogated, voice rising several octaves. Kuja grinned.
"Absolutely,"
Megan let out a squeal of delight and threw her arms around him, rocking him back and forth.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! We are going to have SO much fun! This is going to be the best week EVER!"
"Pray to god . . ." Mrs. Yorokobi murmured. But she couldn't help but smile watching the two youths. She could still remember when she had been young and antsy herself. Before "old age" had taken its toll. Kuja winked at her and she let out a small laugh.
"Have fun, you two . . ." the elder muttered. "Have fun . . ."
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"Mr. 41, where are we going?"
"To Alexandria,"
"Oh. Uh, Mr. 41? Why are we going to Alexandria?"
"For lots of reasons,"
"Oh. And when are we going to get to Alexandria?"
Mr. 41 had to refrain from taping Getsuyo-Bi's mouth shut. "Not for several more days," he grumbled, trudging along the vast empty fields that spread out for miles along the Outer Continent. He had been traveling with Vivi's six children for a day at least and was finding them rather difficult to manage. Always asking questions! They were so curious! He blamed it on the genomes. They were always asking questions too.
"When I get my hands on their father I'll . . ."
"Mr. 41? What's that?"
The black mage clenched his fingers into a fist as he slowed to a halt, feeling less tolerant of the children than usual. "Can we PLEASE refrain from asking . . . anymore . . . What the hell IS that?!"
Something was skimming silently over the clouds like a deadly black shadow of the night, haunting the very air around them. It was absolutely soundless and yet it literally blocked out the sun as it passed. Mr. 41 hurriedly grabbed the children and dragged them down onto the grass, covering them with his body until The Thing had passed. When it was completely out of sight, he and the children stood up slowly, amber eyes turned towards the heavens.
"Mr. 41, I'm scared . . ." Mokuyo-Bi whimpered, pulling his hat over his face. Their elder just frowned as he gazed in the direction that the mysterious shadow had vanished too.
"I wonder if Zidane knows about this . . ." he whispered to himself.
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A/N: Hmm . . . A mysterious shadow . . . Bum bum BUM! Lol. Anyhoo, in case you're wondering, since all of Vivi's kid's names (what a mouthful) are days of the week, Mokuyo-Bi is Thursday. His name wasn't mentioned in chapter three and neither was Friday's (Kinyo-Bi). There is no Saturday. Also, I forgot to mention something in one of the previous chapters. Ummei (you know, the stupid idiot on the ship with Mikoto) also has a Japanese word for a name. His name means destiny, fate, or fortune. Why, you may ask? I'm not totally sure to be honest . . . It might play a part later or not . . . He's actually not a very important character. Not only that, but he's kind of dumb (couldn't you tell?). Ummei just sounded cool. And the word Drakja doesn't mean anything in Japanese and neither does Lulian. Lulian was just some name I came up with when I was glaring at this girl named Lily that I hate. I think it's obvious where Lulian came from after that. As for the word Drakja, that will actually be important later, so stay tuned. Until then, read and review! At least five reviews before I continue por favor!
P.S. Sorry this chapter's so short, considering I made y'all wait so long. I'll try and make the next one longer. Kay?
Black Mage Dad
Disclaimer: Um . . . Final Fantasy is, like, not mine. Yeah . . .
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"It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all . . ."
- Samuel Butler
"Blank! Think fast!"
"Wha-?"
SPLAT! Blank blinked, dumbfounded, as he had a head-on collision with a muffin.
"Zidane! What the hell was that for?!" Blank shouted, rubbing the mush out of his eyes. Zidane just pointed at him and laughed.
"Ha ha! Gotcha!"
"Oh you are SO dead you little monkey!"
Zidane ran off giggling as Blank chased him down the crowded Alexandrian street, peeling bits of the pastry off his face and throwing them at the galloping teen ahead of him. Marcus just rolled his eyes.
"Some things never change . . ." he muttered, chuckling to himself.
"I don't care if you ARE going to be king!" Blank's cries could be heard from the end of the street. "You're in BIG trouble! Come back here!"
"Come and get me, pasty-face!"
"Why you little - !"
Cinna nudged Marcus hurriedly as he spotted Queen Garnet strolling leisurely down the street with a basket slung over her arm. People bowed as she passed and the young woman nodded her head to them in return, smiling. When she spotted the remaining members of Tantalus, her face brightened and she trotted towards them, grinning kindly.
"Marcus! Cinna! What a pleasant surprise!" she exclaimed, curtseying daintily. The boys bowed rather clumsily, knocking into each other and cursing under their breath. Garnet just laughed.
"Have you seen Zidane?" she asked, glancing around the stuffed market area in search of her fiancé. Marcus and Cinna stifled their laughter.
"Sure have, miss!" Cinna guffawed, winking at his friend. "He and Blank are having a little tiff. I dub it: The Muffin Massacre,"
Garnet frowned. "Don't tell me . . . He threw a muffin at Blank, didn't he?"
Cinna's eyes widened with shock. "How did you know?" he queried, looking thoroughly surprised. Garnet sighed heavily, shifting the basket to her other arm.
"He's been doing it to Steiner every morning now; since his proposal. In other words, for the past week," she muttered, shaking her head in embarrassment. "Quina's about ready to kill him,"
Marcus and Cinna burst out laughing, hugging each other as tears streamed down their faces. The queen did not seem to find it as amusing as they did. Just as she was about to open her mouth to protest, a squeak escaped her throat. Steiner went tearing past them, throwing Garnet completely off balance. He was clutching something tightly in his hands and skidded to a halt before them, eyes dancing mischievously.
"I've done it!" he cried, holding out the package for them to see. "I've done it!"
"What?"
"I've stolen all the muffins from the kitchen!"
"Oh . . . Great . . ." Marcus glanced at Cinna. Cinna glanced at Marcus. They both glanced at the disgusted look on Queen Garnet's face. And collapsed into peals of laughter.
"Oh man! This is too good for words!" Cinna choked out, his face beat red. "This celebration's going to be awesome if stuff like this keeps happening!"
"Well don't expect it to," Garnet stated in a huff. "I don't want any trouble while everyone's here. And that means no riots!"
"Aw, damn . . ."
Garnet tapped her foot huffily, staring down her nose at the pair. They sighed.
"All right . . ." A smile spread across her majesty's face.
"Good. Let's keep things in order here. I don't want any trouble. This party's going to be fun . . . I've had enough adventures to last me a life time . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuja spent the entire morning gazing out his window in confusion. That woman in his dream. Who was she? And what had she meant?
/Flash/
Your soul was given to you, therefore, it can be taken away.
/Flash/
Kuja frowned. "I know I'm going to die eventually but . . . how can my soul be taken away? And who would want it anyways? It's a terrible soul! It's weak and built only to last a short time,"
Nothing seemed to add up or make sense. Everything had become a jumbled pile of fragments and the more he tried to understand it, the more confused he became.
A soft sigh rolled off his lips.
"I thought I could escape here . . ." the silver-tailed genome whispered, watching the pale morning sky. "But perhaps the whole world is nothing more than a cage . . ."
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"Absolutely not. No. I won't allow it,"
"But Mom!" Megan whined, slamming down her foot angrily. "It'll just be for a few days! What's the big deal?!"
Mrs. Yorokobi turned and gave her daughter a cold look. "I don't want you going to another continent by yourself; all by yourself. It's too dangerous,"
"But Feather might go!" Megan argued, jumping in front of her mother as the woman began rinsing the dishes in the sink.
"All the more reason for me to say no,"
"What?!"
"You heard me,"
"Mom!" Megan was on the brink of tears.
"No. And if I have to ask you to stop pestering me one more time, I will lose my temper,"
"But what has Feather ever done wrong?! In fact, he's proven to us that he's excellent at keeping people safe!"
"Megan, I don't want to discuss this right now. I have my reasons for not wanting you and him to be alone together so far away,"
Megan couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother had no reason to deny her the trip.
"But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" she shouted, clenching her fists angrily. Mrs. Yorokobi set the dishes down hard on the counter with a sharp clang.
"No. I said no,"
Megan's eyes felt hot.
/No. Don't cry. You can't let your mother see you acting like a baby. Then you'll have absolutely no chance at all./
Lips tightening, Megan stormed out of the kitchen and thudded up the stairs like a raging rhinoceros. With a pent-up scream of frustration, she slammed the door of her room shut, causing the whole house to shake, and dissolved onto the bed.
Mrs. Yorokobi sighed and grabbed a towel out of the cabinet. Her fingers moved gracefully through the pile of dishes as she dried them, masking the terrible feeling of guilt she housed inside.
/I'm sorry honey./ she thought sadly. /But I just can't trust that man . . ./
"Don't you think you were rather harsh?"
The older woman turned around to see her mother-in-law standing behind her, looking rather concerned. Mrs. Yorokobi turned away icily.
"No, I don't think I was," she stated firmly, wiping hard at a donut- encrusted plate. "I'd think you of all people would agree with me,"
"I'm afraid I don't," the old woman responded, sliding in next to the younger.
"But you were the one that -"
"Yes. But only for your awareness,"
Mrs. Yorokobi frowned. "What are you saying? That you believe him to be safe?"
A small smile played across her mother-in-law's lips. "He's been in our house for two-and-a-half years and never done anything wrong. To be quite honest, he's mimicked that of a perfect angel,"
"But what would stop him from doing harm outside of Katei?"
"Nothing. And what would stop him from doing harm here?"
Tears filled Mrs. Yorokobi's eyes and she brushed them away hurriedly. "I made a promise," she whispered, her fingers trembling as she let the water in the sink run freely. "I made a promise that day to my husband that his daughter would be safe. I PROMISED him,"
The old woman put her arm around the trembling girl's shoulder, sighing sadly. "And I, too, made a promise that day," she continued. "To my son. That his daughter would always be happy. Are you going to deny her happiness?"
"I . . . I feel so torn . . ."
Megan's grandmother leaned toward the younger woman, eyes twinkling, and whispered quietly into her ear.
"And I'm going to promise to you today. You're daughter WILL return safely. I promise,"
Mrs. Yorokobi sniffled and released a shuddering sigh. Slowly, she nodded her head.
"All right . . . She can go . . . If you have that much faith . . ."
Megan's grandmother nodded, smiling.
"That I do, miss. That I do . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuja could hear the sounds of muffled crying drifting down from above his room. The silver-tailed sorcerer frowned and melted away from the window, heading towards the door. He wondered who was crying. It sounded like Megan. Pulling down his sleeves, Kuja decided it was worth checking out. As he trotted up the stairs, the sound became louder. It was definitely coming from Megan's room . . .
Kuja hesitated when he reached her door. What if she didn't want company? What if she got mad that he was meddling in her affairs? What if . . . what if she was naked?! Kuja shook that thought hurriedly from his head, muttering "pervert," to himself, before grasping the brass handle firmly and opening the door as quietly and carefully as possible.
He peered through the small crack he had made in the door and saw Megan sitting on her bed, head in her hands. The copper-haired woman's shoulders shook as she sobbed and the locks covered her face as she bent over in misery.
"Megan?" Kuja whispered, looking concerned. "Megan, what's wrong?"
Megan raised her head slowly, cheeks streaked with tears. She didn't feel like talking to him. "It's nothing . . ." she mumbled, looking away. "Just leave me alone . . ."
Kuja ignored her request and strode into the room, sitting down upon the bed next to her. Megan looked up at him, frowning.
"What?" she snapped, her voice a bit harsher than she had intended. Kuja just smiled.
/God, I feel like Zidane . . ./ he thought bitterly to himself.
"Why are you crying?" he asked curiously. Megan simply heaved a heavy sigh and shook her head.
"Really, it's nothing," she stated, wiping briskly at her eyes. "Don't worry about me,"
Kuja stared at her a little while longer. She was zoning out into space, thus, for the first time ever, he had a chance to admire the young woman without being chastised. She really was beautiful. Silky rustic hair, coffee-brown eyes, fair skin. Everything about her seemed right. Apparently, Megan felt Kuja's gaze on her because she turned her head slowly towards him, looking rather concerned.
"Are YOU alright?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Kuja just blinked and looked away, exhaling quietly.
"You're a pretty neat girl," he commented rather suddenly, running his fingers through his hair. "I find you . . . interesting,"
/Flattering words coming from the first Angel of Death, sweet. So you better not be offended./
Megan didn't SEEM offended; just . . . surprised. "Oh . . . okay . . ."
Their eyes locked for a split second and involuntarily the two found themselves leaning in ever so slightly. Kuja's fingers clenched. He could feel her breath on his face like leaves brushing gently against his cheeks. A strand of hair was covering her eyes but she didn't seem to notice. There was a moment of silence in which their lips seemed to ghost over each other before there was a loud knock on the door, jolting them both back with a hiss of surprise.
Unfortunately, the door opened just in time for the visitor behind it to see them jerk away from each other. Mrs. Yorokobi stood in the doorway, lips tight.
/Oh no . . ./ she thought miserably to herself. /Just pretend nothing's going on . . . Everything . . . is fine . . ./
"Megan," she began, voice hoarse. "I've decided. You can go to Alexandria . . ."
Megan's mouth dropped open in shock and her eyes widened. "Are you kidding?!"
"Unfortunately not . . ."
"Oh my god! I love you Mom!" Megan jumped up and threw her arms around her mother's neck, kissing her on the cheek over and over again. She couldn't express her feelings of joy. There were no words to describe it. The youth looked over her shoulder at Kuja, raising her eyebrows inquiringly.
"Well?" she began, breaking away from Mrs. Yorokobi and holding out her arms. "Are you going to go or not?"
There was a moment of silence. Megan desperately wanted Kuja to go, whereas Mrs. Yorokobi had no clue whether she wanted him to or not. On the one hand, Megan would not be able to keep herself safe alone. On the other hand . . . Well, the other hand was pretty self-explanatory.
Kuja looked thoughtful.
/To go, or not to go . . . That is the question . . ./
/Flash/
"Then, I finally realized what it means to live . . . I guess I was too late . . ./
/Flash/
"Oh hell!" Kuja exclaimed, jumping up. "You only live once! Why not?!"
/And for me, that life may be quite drastically shorter than another's./ he added silently to himself.
"So you'll go?" Megan interrogated, voice rising several octaves. Kuja grinned.
"Absolutely,"
Megan let out a squeal of delight and threw her arms around him, rocking him back and forth.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! We are going to have SO much fun! This is going to be the best week EVER!"
"Pray to god . . ." Mrs. Yorokobi murmured. But she couldn't help but smile watching the two youths. She could still remember when she had been young and antsy herself. Before "old age" had taken its toll. Kuja winked at her and she let out a small laugh.
"Have fun, you two . . ." the elder muttered. "Have fun . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mr. 41, where are we going?"
"To Alexandria,"
"Oh. Uh, Mr. 41? Why are we going to Alexandria?"
"For lots of reasons,"
"Oh. And when are we going to get to Alexandria?"
Mr. 41 had to refrain from taping Getsuyo-Bi's mouth shut. "Not for several more days," he grumbled, trudging along the vast empty fields that spread out for miles along the Outer Continent. He had been traveling with Vivi's six children for a day at least and was finding them rather difficult to manage. Always asking questions! They were so curious! He blamed it on the genomes. They were always asking questions too.
"When I get my hands on their father I'll . . ."
"Mr. 41? What's that?"
The black mage clenched his fingers into a fist as he slowed to a halt, feeling less tolerant of the children than usual. "Can we PLEASE refrain from asking . . . anymore . . . What the hell IS that?!"
Something was skimming silently over the clouds like a deadly black shadow of the night, haunting the very air around them. It was absolutely soundless and yet it literally blocked out the sun as it passed. Mr. 41 hurriedly grabbed the children and dragged them down onto the grass, covering them with his body until The Thing had passed. When it was completely out of sight, he and the children stood up slowly, amber eyes turned towards the heavens.
"Mr. 41, I'm scared . . ." Mokuyo-Bi whimpered, pulling his hat over his face. Their elder just frowned as he gazed in the direction that the mysterious shadow had vanished too.
"I wonder if Zidane knows about this . . ." he whispered to himself.
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A/N: Hmm . . . A mysterious shadow . . . Bum bum BUM! Lol. Anyhoo, in case you're wondering, since all of Vivi's kid's names (what a mouthful) are days of the week, Mokuyo-Bi is Thursday. His name wasn't mentioned in chapter three and neither was Friday's (Kinyo-Bi). There is no Saturday. Also, I forgot to mention something in one of the previous chapters. Ummei (you know, the stupid idiot on the ship with Mikoto) also has a Japanese word for a name. His name means destiny, fate, or fortune. Why, you may ask? I'm not totally sure to be honest . . . It might play a part later or not . . . He's actually not a very important character. Not only that, but he's kind of dumb (couldn't you tell?). Ummei just sounded cool. And the word Drakja doesn't mean anything in Japanese and neither does Lulian. Lulian was just some name I came up with when I was glaring at this girl named Lily that I hate. I think it's obvious where Lulian came from after that. As for the word Drakja, that will actually be important later, so stay tuned. Until then, read and review! At least five reviews before I continue por favor!
P.S. Sorry this chapter's so short, considering I made y'all wait so long. I'll try and make the next one longer. Kay?
Black Mage Dad