A/N: Alrighty then. I have posted once more. Hark! *Bows down to
herself.* Anyways, I'm terribly sorry for the slow pace of this story. I
assure you that once everyone gets to Alexandria it will all come together
and begin to move much faster. I just need to unite my heroes and
villains. And it's pretty obvious who is who, lol. Um, this chapter is a
little longer so hopefully y'all can get some more out of it. And it
explains a few things too. And leaves other things hanging even more . . .
So enjoy!
Disclaimer: I may not own Square now . . . But someday I shall! Bwahahahaha!
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"What you've done becomes the judge of what you're going to do - especially in other people's minds. When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road . . ."
- William Least Heat Moon, Blue Highways
Kuja stood waiting outside the door of the Yorokobi residence, a backpack slung over one shoulder and a his hair pulled back gracefully off his face. A lot of the town had shown up, curious to see why the airship sat parked in the middle of the unpaved road. They talked amongst themselves, shooting glances at Kuja every once in awhile, as the small air-cab hummed casually, awaiting its passengers. The silver-tailed genome had, of course, arranged the ship himself. Little did his hosts know that he still had - after all those years - more money than the entire town combined. He'd simply found a local moogle and sent word to his auction house in Treno that he needed a withdrawal of . . . well, a withdrawal of a LOT of money. He'd made sure he could bring along just enough cash to buy Megan whatever she wanted. The trip was really for her. Kuja had discovered, much to his surprise, that she had never traveled much farther than Conde Petie. He figured he'd show her what there was to see in the world and buy her a few souvenirs along the way.
And speaking of Megan . . .
"What's taking her so long?" Kuja asked the young girl's grandmother, frowning slightly. The old woman just laughed, shaking her head.
"Oh, just give her some time. Megan's been acting as if she were leaving the planet!"
Kuja rolled his eyes and shifted the backpack to his other shoulder. In a few more minutes he was just going to go off without her . . .
"I'm he-ere!" someone sang suddenly, there voice disgustingly sweet. Everyone looked up to see Megan jump down the steps of her home and trot up to her friend, balancing at least four suitcases in her arms. Kuja raised both his eyebrows in surprise.
"Megan," he groaned, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're only going to be there for three days! It's not like we're going to boot camp or anything!"
Megan smiled. "I know. But I needed a lot of stuff. Like, um, my brush, and my make-up, and a set of casual clothes, not to mention a set of dressy things. And I need my jewelry, and of course my diary, and my . . ."
Mrs. Yorokobi snuck up behind the brunette and clapped a hand over her mouth, growling lightly. Kuja nodded his head to her gratefully and steered the stupefied girl up the steps of the ship. Megan hissed and shoved him away testily before stomping up the last few steps, nose held high in the air and her backside stuck meaningfully in Kuja's face. He grinned and glanced back at Mrs. Yorokobi and her mother in law. They both looked teary eyed for some reason.
Kuja tipped off the driver in the front of the cab and was about to shut the door when and arm stuck its way through the gap. Mrs. Yorokobi slid the door back open and squeezed inside. Megan, who was unloading her suitcases next to the seat, looked up in surprise.
"Mom?"
"Honey!" Mrs. Yorokobi ran forward and threw her arms around her daughter's neck, hugging her so tightly the poor girl was turning blue.
"Mom! Let go of me!"
"Oh, promise me you'll come back safe! It's a dangerous world out there!"
Megan patted her mother awkwardly on the back. "Um, okay. I promise,"
"Say it again,"
"I PROMISE!"
"That's my girl!" Mrs. Yorokobi placed her hands on Megan's shoulders and gazed blearily into her eyes. "Oh, you've grown into such a beautiful young girl. We're so proud of you," She brushed a finger over Megan's forehead, frowning slightly. Her eyes hardened as if she were angry and she turned to Kuja severely. "Don't let anything happen to her," she instructed, eyes narrowed. Kuja stared at her innocently.
"Oh, come now. You know me better than that!" he defended, looking hurt. Mrs. Yorokobi scowled.
/Yes . . . Yes I do . . ./
"You're going to keep her safe?"
"Of course,"
"You swear to protect her with your life,"
"To the best of my ability,"
"Hmm . . . You have to promise me, too,"
Kuja smirked. "I promise,"
"Shout it!"
"I PROMISE!"
Mrs. Yorokobi couldn't help but grin. She gave him a tight hug, realizing suddenly that she'd miss his charming face, and kissed the sorcerer on the cheek.
"You enjoy yourself now," she told them both, turning away. "And your grandmother gives you both her love,"
Megan and Kuja nodded together as she gave them her last farewell wishes.
"Stay out of trouble . . ."
And the door slid shut with a dull snap.
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The ride to Alexandria would take nearly twenty-four hours. Megan was very impatient and bouncy at first, however - after the first four hours - she became very tired and simply sat back in her seat and stared out the window, looking intent on nothing.
"So . . ." Kuja began, deciding he was a bit bored himself. "You've never left the Outer Continent?"
Megan tore her eyes off the window and nodded, sighing. "Yeah . . . I've never had a need to,"
Kuja smiled. "I would die of boredom without traveling,"
"Yeah, well, that's pretty much what I was about to do anyways," Megan smirked. "But I haven't always lived in Katei, of course,"
Kuja looked up sharply, rather surprised. "Really? I didn't know that . . ."
Megan shrugged, and yawned, leaning back against the seat. "Yeah, I used to live in a village near the edge of the continent. We moved when I was nine,"
"Why?"
"Tornados,"
"Tornados?"
Megan shrugged again, turning her attention back to the world outside the air-cab. "Uh huh. The town was ravaged by tornados so my family left,"
Kuja frowned. "There hasn't been a tornado on the Outer Continent in years. Before you were nine, that's for sure,"
Megan shifted uncomfortably. "Well, maybe it was a hurricane . . . I don't know! The village was destroyed by natural disasters and we fled! My father, unfortunately, was not so lucky. He died when the tornados hit. I . . . saw him die . . ."
Kuja hesitated. "I'm sorry . . ." the silver-tailed genome muttered. He really was. There was a moment of silence in which he stared down at the floor, trying to comprehend such horror.
"Yeah. That's the source of my phobia," the brunette explained, face passive. "He bled to death while handing me over to my mother and grandmother. It was . . . indescribable . . ."
Silence settled over the airship once more leaving nothing but the whir of its engines rolling around in their ears. Kuja bit his lip.
"Well, if it's any comfort at all," he said slowly, glancing back at his partner. "I can assure you that his spirit is safe. With the Iifa Tree destroyed, his soul will be free!"
Megan's eyes flicked onto the genome, expressionless. "I heard some souls were not free . . . But I don't understand what that means . . ."
Kuja paled as he felt a sudden wave of nausea pass through his body. He shuddered and leaned forward slightly. Megan blinked.
"Are you okay?" she queried, tilting her head inquiringly.
"Yeah . . ." Kuja lied, feeling the world tip slowly beneath his feet.
"You look awful!"
"I'll . . . be okay . . . It must be the ship or something . . ."
The sickness passed as suddenly as it had come and Kuja straightened himself, wiping the cold sweat off his brow. What had THAT been? Megan still seemed unsure.
"I thought you traveled all the time,"
Kuja forced a weak smile. "I do. Or should I say, I did. I've been just about everywhere, as a matter of fact,"
"You'd never been to Katei before," Megan pointed out, grinning superiorly. Kuja chuckled lightly.
"True. But I've been within at least ten miles of it,"
"You've even been to the Forgotten Continent?"
"Several times,"
"And Alexandria?"
Kuja cringed. "Yes . . ." He felt a slight nervousness stir within him that he had been anticipating for quite some time. "I've been to Alexandria many, many times,"
Megan smiled warmly. "Then this shouldn't be such a spectacular trip!"
Kuja laughed. "Yes it will be! I've never been to an Alexandrian party! I used to only travel to the Mist Continent for business, business, and more business,"
His friend made a disgusted face. "That sounds boring,"
Kuja took a deep breath. "If only you knew . . ." he mumbled.
"What?"
"Nothing . . . Just reminiscing . . ."
"You know . . ." Megan began, tapping a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "My grandmother was up in Alexandria a few years ago. During that terrible time when their Queen Brahne was starting up pointless wars,"
Kuja shivered. He didn't want to talk about those days. Megan continued anyways, ignoring the grotesque look on the silver-haired man's face.
"She talked all about the high courts. It was rather interesting. The succession seemed to go on forever. Brahne, Garnet, - the current queen - General Beatrix, Captain Steiner, and I even skipped a bunch!"
Kuja wrinkled his nose. "Yes, I've meet the whole court," he explained distastefully.
Now it was Megan's turn to be surprised. "Really? All of them?"
/I was one of them . . ./ Kuja thought.
"Yes. It was no big deal," he stated aloud. "They were all rather stuck- up anyways,"
/Just like me . . ./
Megan scratched her head and crossed her legs. "My grandmother witnessed Queen Brahne's burial," she muttered sadly. "It was terrible. You know, she was only forty years old,"
Kuja shifted uneasily in his seat and tried to hide his pain as memories flooded back to him.
"I know . . ." he rasped.
/I did it . . ./ he thought miserably. /That was my doing . . ./
Megan continued on, still gazing out the window. "Grandma told me about how she died. Brahne had been planning a sneak attack on some nemesis of hers and he boomeranged it right back on her. That was the man that tried to destroy the universe and stuff,"
/God . . . Please stop . . ./
"She died on the beach. Burns, broken bones. Half her fleet was dead and the rest were seriously injured. Millions of gil in damages,"
Kuja cut the young woman off though his voice was barely above a whisper.
"I was at the funeral too . . ." he stated, lowering his head slightly.
/Flash/
"And it is, on this day of June 21st, that we honor a woman whose life was drastically cut short and whose reign was stolen from beneath her feet by no fault of her own,"
Kuja smirked as he rested against the fence around the gravesite, leaning upon the railing jauntily, his hood lowered over his eyes and face. He found General Beatrix's eulogy rather boring.
"Our queen should not have had to die the way she did; taken down by the power she so desired herself,"
"Sure . . ." the genome rolled his eyes.
"Our Queen Brahne was a grand woman . . ."
"Around the middle, yes,"
"And so it is, perhaps, a lesson to us all,"
Kuja chuckled. "Perhaps . . ."
"That evil merely begets evil . . ."
There was a moment of silence. People wept quietly in the crowds of thousands stationed around the Alexandrian burial site. Kuja yawned openly.
His eyes suddenly caught that of an old woman nearby. She was staring hard at him, her lips tight. Kuja raised his face slightly so that their eyes met, and a small smile crept across his pale lips. He blew her a kiss.
"Mr. King," someone whispered in his ear, tapping him gently upon the shoulder. "We request that you appear in the court immediately to prepare for the inauguration of Princess Garnet," he paused. "We most humbly beg that you show up as soon as you have paid your respects,"
Kuja brushed the man away and gave him a swift glance. "Of course . . ." His eyes locked on the old woman's again. She gave him a look of the utmost . . . pity, was it? and walked away, sprinkling a small bit of crushed rose powder upon the ground as she left. It was a tradition in Alexandria that the deceased royals had their graves coated with roses heads, petals, and powder; as the rose was the symbol of the Alexandrian army. Kuja smirked as she vanished back into the crowd.
Turning back to the grave, the Treno noble let out a small sigh. "Ah, such a pity my great queen. You sought so long and fell so fast. My blessings to you,"
The last thing anyone saw of the mysterious white-cloaked man in the cemetery was his fair fingers gracefully dropping something upon her grave before vanishing into the crowd with a swish of his cape.
Spectators let out a collective gasp as they saw the item lying harmlessly upon the over-turned soil.
A black rose . . .
An Alexandrian soldier's hand flew up to her mouth.
"The Dark Messenger is here . . .!"
Beatrix looked up sharply from the nearby podium and a sad look crossed her face.
Mr. King never appeared at the inauguration meeting . . .
/Flash/
"Feather? Hey Feather, you all right?"
Kuja glanced up at his worried friend and nodded numbly. "Yeah . . . I just forgot about how terrible the funeral was . . ."
Megan's face twisted into a frown. Feather seemed strangely apprehensive of something . . .
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Mikoto was too tired to glare at Ummei. Eventually, she fell asleep on the floor. Ummei blinked when he realized his charge was unconscious. Then he shrugged and went back to twirling the rope of his whip around his finger.
All at once, the weapon was snatched out of his hands and he found himself staring up into a pair of intense green eyes, just like his own, only female.
"Lulian!" he gasped starting with surprise. Lulian smiled sinisterly and straddled herself over his legs, placing her hands on his shoulders.
"Well if it isn't Ummei!" she teased, leaning in close to his face. Ummei, in turn, leaned back, pressing against the wall. It stung his skin something awful.
"Wh-what do you want?!" he choked out, deathly afraid of the woman who was locking him back against the side of the ship. Lulian grinned.
"Just came to say hi,"
"Uh . . . hi . . ."
Lulian giggled. It held no mirth. Her dress was cut really low . . . and it was right in Ummei's face. He tried not to stare. From what he'd heard, she was the Master's . . .
Lulian let go of her lackey's shoulders and backed away from him. But not before giving his cheek a final pinch. Ummei rubbed his face dejectedly as the scantily-clad woman swung her way over to where Mikoto was lying. Lulian's high-heels clicked rhythmically upon the floor, echoing around the cavernous walls. It woke up the genome immediately.
"Oh, look how cute!" Lulian squealed, patting Mikoto on the head in delight. "A little genome! Oh, she's so sweet!"
Mikoto snapped at her hand. Lulian seemed to find this amusing and she waggled a multi-ringed finger in the blonde's face.
"Ah, ah, ah! Let's not get feisty here! Not if we're all going to be friends!"
"Oh go to - "
"Lulian!"
The brunette glanced over her shoulder at the door where the Master was standing, bathed in light and frowning.
"Yes?"
"We've located the exact spots and coordinated our entire plan. We'll be ready in two days,"
Lulian scowled. "Oh dear. We're running behind,"
The Master shook his head, ponytail slapping his shoulders. "No. Everything's going EXACTLY according to plan,"
Lulian flashed her pearly white teeth, grinning. Mikoto saw it again, the eerie resemblance between Ummei, Lulian, and the Master. Brown hair, green eyes, really tall, same bone structure. It was kind of creepy . . .
"So what are we supposed to do with THIS nincompoop?" Lulian queried, nodding her head to Mikoto as if she were a pile of smelly garbage. Mikoto was too tired to protest. She could feel her eyelids drooping again. It was from that damn fighting the day before . . . She never should have fought back. She should've just run for it . . .
Her jailer refused to meet the genome's eyes. "The Master told me to keep her here until we've completed our first task," he explained. "He voiced the entire plot to me. It makes sense,"
"But she's just a little stick!" Lulian complained, scowling. The Master gave her a look of pure death.
"That's not the point. It's the inside that's important. You'd best remember that . . ."
Lulian rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're so hypocritical Mister Drives-People- Crazy-About-Their-Appearance!"
The Master's face became even colder than usual and he flicked a loose strand of hair over his shoulder.
"Ummei. Go alert the others. I'm going to move our little prisoner down to the lower levels,"
Ummei nodded and stood up. As he headed towards the exit, the servant's back became turned towards Mikoto for the first time. The genome noticed that his belt was hooked on funny . . . The blonde cocked her head to the side, trying to see what was wrong with it.
A small gasp escaped her lips at what she saw next.
"No!"
Her eyes flitted onto Lulian and the Master. Them too!
"No! What the hell is this?!" she cried out, struggling against her bonds. Lulian smiled warmly at her boss.
"Aw, she's so cute when she's upset!"
The Master nodded, a small smirk on his face as well.
"Yes . . . Just like her brother . . ."
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A/N: Whoa . . . that was odd . . . Lulian sure seemed ditsy in this chapter _ But later on she won't be quite like that as much. In fact, she's going to start going from ditsy to very devilish. For whatever reason, I picture her as a brunette, green-eyed Christina Aguilera. Outfits and all. Lulian is very, very slutty at times . . . And I promise I'll at least LAND the characters in Alexandria in the next chapter. Maybe even start them off there! Anything to get this fic moving . . . So read and review! I need my motivation!
Disclaimer: I may not own Square now . . . But someday I shall! Bwahahahaha!
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"What you've done becomes the judge of what you're going to do - especially in other people's minds. When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road . . ."
- William Least Heat Moon, Blue Highways
Kuja stood waiting outside the door of the Yorokobi residence, a backpack slung over one shoulder and a his hair pulled back gracefully off his face. A lot of the town had shown up, curious to see why the airship sat parked in the middle of the unpaved road. They talked amongst themselves, shooting glances at Kuja every once in awhile, as the small air-cab hummed casually, awaiting its passengers. The silver-tailed genome had, of course, arranged the ship himself. Little did his hosts know that he still had - after all those years - more money than the entire town combined. He'd simply found a local moogle and sent word to his auction house in Treno that he needed a withdrawal of . . . well, a withdrawal of a LOT of money. He'd made sure he could bring along just enough cash to buy Megan whatever she wanted. The trip was really for her. Kuja had discovered, much to his surprise, that she had never traveled much farther than Conde Petie. He figured he'd show her what there was to see in the world and buy her a few souvenirs along the way.
And speaking of Megan . . .
"What's taking her so long?" Kuja asked the young girl's grandmother, frowning slightly. The old woman just laughed, shaking her head.
"Oh, just give her some time. Megan's been acting as if she were leaving the planet!"
Kuja rolled his eyes and shifted the backpack to his other shoulder. In a few more minutes he was just going to go off without her . . .
"I'm he-ere!" someone sang suddenly, there voice disgustingly sweet. Everyone looked up to see Megan jump down the steps of her home and trot up to her friend, balancing at least four suitcases in her arms. Kuja raised both his eyebrows in surprise.
"Megan," he groaned, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're only going to be there for three days! It's not like we're going to boot camp or anything!"
Megan smiled. "I know. But I needed a lot of stuff. Like, um, my brush, and my make-up, and a set of casual clothes, not to mention a set of dressy things. And I need my jewelry, and of course my diary, and my . . ."
Mrs. Yorokobi snuck up behind the brunette and clapped a hand over her mouth, growling lightly. Kuja nodded his head to her gratefully and steered the stupefied girl up the steps of the ship. Megan hissed and shoved him away testily before stomping up the last few steps, nose held high in the air and her backside stuck meaningfully in Kuja's face. He grinned and glanced back at Mrs. Yorokobi and her mother in law. They both looked teary eyed for some reason.
Kuja tipped off the driver in the front of the cab and was about to shut the door when and arm stuck its way through the gap. Mrs. Yorokobi slid the door back open and squeezed inside. Megan, who was unloading her suitcases next to the seat, looked up in surprise.
"Mom?"
"Honey!" Mrs. Yorokobi ran forward and threw her arms around her daughter's neck, hugging her so tightly the poor girl was turning blue.
"Mom! Let go of me!"
"Oh, promise me you'll come back safe! It's a dangerous world out there!"
Megan patted her mother awkwardly on the back. "Um, okay. I promise,"
"Say it again,"
"I PROMISE!"
"That's my girl!" Mrs. Yorokobi placed her hands on Megan's shoulders and gazed blearily into her eyes. "Oh, you've grown into such a beautiful young girl. We're so proud of you," She brushed a finger over Megan's forehead, frowning slightly. Her eyes hardened as if she were angry and she turned to Kuja severely. "Don't let anything happen to her," she instructed, eyes narrowed. Kuja stared at her innocently.
"Oh, come now. You know me better than that!" he defended, looking hurt. Mrs. Yorokobi scowled.
/Yes . . . Yes I do . . ./
"You're going to keep her safe?"
"Of course,"
"You swear to protect her with your life,"
"To the best of my ability,"
"Hmm . . . You have to promise me, too,"
Kuja smirked. "I promise,"
"Shout it!"
"I PROMISE!"
Mrs. Yorokobi couldn't help but grin. She gave him a tight hug, realizing suddenly that she'd miss his charming face, and kissed the sorcerer on the cheek.
"You enjoy yourself now," she told them both, turning away. "And your grandmother gives you both her love,"
Megan and Kuja nodded together as she gave them her last farewell wishes.
"Stay out of trouble . . ."
And the door slid shut with a dull snap.
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The ride to Alexandria would take nearly twenty-four hours. Megan was very impatient and bouncy at first, however - after the first four hours - she became very tired and simply sat back in her seat and stared out the window, looking intent on nothing.
"So . . ." Kuja began, deciding he was a bit bored himself. "You've never left the Outer Continent?"
Megan tore her eyes off the window and nodded, sighing. "Yeah . . . I've never had a need to,"
Kuja smiled. "I would die of boredom without traveling,"
"Yeah, well, that's pretty much what I was about to do anyways," Megan smirked. "But I haven't always lived in Katei, of course,"
Kuja looked up sharply, rather surprised. "Really? I didn't know that . . ."
Megan shrugged, and yawned, leaning back against the seat. "Yeah, I used to live in a village near the edge of the continent. We moved when I was nine,"
"Why?"
"Tornados,"
"Tornados?"
Megan shrugged again, turning her attention back to the world outside the air-cab. "Uh huh. The town was ravaged by tornados so my family left,"
Kuja frowned. "There hasn't been a tornado on the Outer Continent in years. Before you were nine, that's for sure,"
Megan shifted uncomfortably. "Well, maybe it was a hurricane . . . I don't know! The village was destroyed by natural disasters and we fled! My father, unfortunately, was not so lucky. He died when the tornados hit. I . . . saw him die . . ."
Kuja hesitated. "I'm sorry . . ." the silver-tailed genome muttered. He really was. There was a moment of silence in which he stared down at the floor, trying to comprehend such horror.
"Yeah. That's the source of my phobia," the brunette explained, face passive. "He bled to death while handing me over to my mother and grandmother. It was . . . indescribable . . ."
Silence settled over the airship once more leaving nothing but the whir of its engines rolling around in their ears. Kuja bit his lip.
"Well, if it's any comfort at all," he said slowly, glancing back at his partner. "I can assure you that his spirit is safe. With the Iifa Tree destroyed, his soul will be free!"
Megan's eyes flicked onto the genome, expressionless. "I heard some souls were not free . . . But I don't understand what that means . . ."
Kuja paled as he felt a sudden wave of nausea pass through his body. He shuddered and leaned forward slightly. Megan blinked.
"Are you okay?" she queried, tilting her head inquiringly.
"Yeah . . ." Kuja lied, feeling the world tip slowly beneath his feet.
"You look awful!"
"I'll . . . be okay . . . It must be the ship or something . . ."
The sickness passed as suddenly as it had come and Kuja straightened himself, wiping the cold sweat off his brow. What had THAT been? Megan still seemed unsure.
"I thought you traveled all the time,"
Kuja forced a weak smile. "I do. Or should I say, I did. I've been just about everywhere, as a matter of fact,"
"You'd never been to Katei before," Megan pointed out, grinning superiorly. Kuja chuckled lightly.
"True. But I've been within at least ten miles of it,"
"You've even been to the Forgotten Continent?"
"Several times,"
"And Alexandria?"
Kuja cringed. "Yes . . ." He felt a slight nervousness stir within him that he had been anticipating for quite some time. "I've been to Alexandria many, many times,"
Megan smiled warmly. "Then this shouldn't be such a spectacular trip!"
Kuja laughed. "Yes it will be! I've never been to an Alexandrian party! I used to only travel to the Mist Continent for business, business, and more business,"
His friend made a disgusted face. "That sounds boring,"
Kuja took a deep breath. "If only you knew . . ." he mumbled.
"What?"
"Nothing . . . Just reminiscing . . ."
"You know . . ." Megan began, tapping a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "My grandmother was up in Alexandria a few years ago. During that terrible time when their Queen Brahne was starting up pointless wars,"
Kuja shivered. He didn't want to talk about those days. Megan continued anyways, ignoring the grotesque look on the silver-haired man's face.
"She talked all about the high courts. It was rather interesting. The succession seemed to go on forever. Brahne, Garnet, - the current queen - General Beatrix, Captain Steiner, and I even skipped a bunch!"
Kuja wrinkled his nose. "Yes, I've meet the whole court," he explained distastefully.
Now it was Megan's turn to be surprised. "Really? All of them?"
/I was one of them . . ./ Kuja thought.
"Yes. It was no big deal," he stated aloud. "They were all rather stuck- up anyways,"
/Just like me . . ./
Megan scratched her head and crossed her legs. "My grandmother witnessed Queen Brahne's burial," she muttered sadly. "It was terrible. You know, she was only forty years old,"
Kuja shifted uneasily in his seat and tried to hide his pain as memories flooded back to him.
"I know . . ." he rasped.
/I did it . . ./ he thought miserably. /That was my doing . . ./
Megan continued on, still gazing out the window. "Grandma told me about how she died. Brahne had been planning a sneak attack on some nemesis of hers and he boomeranged it right back on her. That was the man that tried to destroy the universe and stuff,"
/God . . . Please stop . . ./
"She died on the beach. Burns, broken bones. Half her fleet was dead and the rest were seriously injured. Millions of gil in damages,"
Kuja cut the young woman off though his voice was barely above a whisper.
"I was at the funeral too . . ." he stated, lowering his head slightly.
/Flash/
"And it is, on this day of June 21st, that we honor a woman whose life was drastically cut short and whose reign was stolen from beneath her feet by no fault of her own,"
Kuja smirked as he rested against the fence around the gravesite, leaning upon the railing jauntily, his hood lowered over his eyes and face. He found General Beatrix's eulogy rather boring.
"Our queen should not have had to die the way she did; taken down by the power she so desired herself,"
"Sure . . ." the genome rolled his eyes.
"Our Queen Brahne was a grand woman . . ."
"Around the middle, yes,"
"And so it is, perhaps, a lesson to us all,"
Kuja chuckled. "Perhaps . . ."
"That evil merely begets evil . . ."
There was a moment of silence. People wept quietly in the crowds of thousands stationed around the Alexandrian burial site. Kuja yawned openly.
His eyes suddenly caught that of an old woman nearby. She was staring hard at him, her lips tight. Kuja raised his face slightly so that their eyes met, and a small smile crept across his pale lips. He blew her a kiss.
"Mr. King," someone whispered in his ear, tapping him gently upon the shoulder. "We request that you appear in the court immediately to prepare for the inauguration of Princess Garnet," he paused. "We most humbly beg that you show up as soon as you have paid your respects,"
Kuja brushed the man away and gave him a swift glance. "Of course . . ." His eyes locked on the old woman's again. She gave him a look of the utmost . . . pity, was it? and walked away, sprinkling a small bit of crushed rose powder upon the ground as she left. It was a tradition in Alexandria that the deceased royals had their graves coated with roses heads, petals, and powder; as the rose was the symbol of the Alexandrian army. Kuja smirked as she vanished back into the crowd.
Turning back to the grave, the Treno noble let out a small sigh. "Ah, such a pity my great queen. You sought so long and fell so fast. My blessings to you,"
The last thing anyone saw of the mysterious white-cloaked man in the cemetery was his fair fingers gracefully dropping something upon her grave before vanishing into the crowd with a swish of his cape.
Spectators let out a collective gasp as they saw the item lying harmlessly upon the over-turned soil.
A black rose . . .
An Alexandrian soldier's hand flew up to her mouth.
"The Dark Messenger is here . . .!"
Beatrix looked up sharply from the nearby podium and a sad look crossed her face.
Mr. King never appeared at the inauguration meeting . . .
/Flash/
"Feather? Hey Feather, you all right?"
Kuja glanced up at his worried friend and nodded numbly. "Yeah . . . I just forgot about how terrible the funeral was . . ."
Megan's face twisted into a frown. Feather seemed strangely apprehensive of something . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mikoto was too tired to glare at Ummei. Eventually, she fell asleep on the floor. Ummei blinked when he realized his charge was unconscious. Then he shrugged and went back to twirling the rope of his whip around his finger.
All at once, the weapon was snatched out of his hands and he found himself staring up into a pair of intense green eyes, just like his own, only female.
"Lulian!" he gasped starting with surprise. Lulian smiled sinisterly and straddled herself over his legs, placing her hands on his shoulders.
"Well if it isn't Ummei!" she teased, leaning in close to his face. Ummei, in turn, leaned back, pressing against the wall. It stung his skin something awful.
"Wh-what do you want?!" he choked out, deathly afraid of the woman who was locking him back against the side of the ship. Lulian grinned.
"Just came to say hi,"
"Uh . . . hi . . ."
Lulian giggled. It held no mirth. Her dress was cut really low . . . and it was right in Ummei's face. He tried not to stare. From what he'd heard, she was the Master's . . .
Lulian let go of her lackey's shoulders and backed away from him. But not before giving his cheek a final pinch. Ummei rubbed his face dejectedly as the scantily-clad woman swung her way over to where Mikoto was lying. Lulian's high-heels clicked rhythmically upon the floor, echoing around the cavernous walls. It woke up the genome immediately.
"Oh, look how cute!" Lulian squealed, patting Mikoto on the head in delight. "A little genome! Oh, she's so sweet!"
Mikoto snapped at her hand. Lulian seemed to find this amusing and she waggled a multi-ringed finger in the blonde's face.
"Ah, ah, ah! Let's not get feisty here! Not if we're all going to be friends!"
"Oh go to - "
"Lulian!"
The brunette glanced over her shoulder at the door where the Master was standing, bathed in light and frowning.
"Yes?"
"We've located the exact spots and coordinated our entire plan. We'll be ready in two days,"
Lulian scowled. "Oh dear. We're running behind,"
The Master shook his head, ponytail slapping his shoulders. "No. Everything's going EXACTLY according to plan,"
Lulian flashed her pearly white teeth, grinning. Mikoto saw it again, the eerie resemblance between Ummei, Lulian, and the Master. Brown hair, green eyes, really tall, same bone structure. It was kind of creepy . . .
"So what are we supposed to do with THIS nincompoop?" Lulian queried, nodding her head to Mikoto as if she were a pile of smelly garbage. Mikoto was too tired to protest. She could feel her eyelids drooping again. It was from that damn fighting the day before . . . She never should have fought back. She should've just run for it . . .
Her jailer refused to meet the genome's eyes. "The Master told me to keep her here until we've completed our first task," he explained. "He voiced the entire plot to me. It makes sense,"
"But she's just a little stick!" Lulian complained, scowling. The Master gave her a look of pure death.
"That's not the point. It's the inside that's important. You'd best remember that . . ."
Lulian rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're so hypocritical Mister Drives-People- Crazy-About-Their-Appearance!"
The Master's face became even colder than usual and he flicked a loose strand of hair over his shoulder.
"Ummei. Go alert the others. I'm going to move our little prisoner down to the lower levels,"
Ummei nodded and stood up. As he headed towards the exit, the servant's back became turned towards Mikoto for the first time. The genome noticed that his belt was hooked on funny . . . The blonde cocked her head to the side, trying to see what was wrong with it.
A small gasp escaped her lips at what she saw next.
"No!"
Her eyes flitted onto Lulian and the Master. Them too!
"No! What the hell is this?!" she cried out, struggling against her bonds. Lulian smiled warmly at her boss.
"Aw, she's so cute when she's upset!"
The Master nodded, a small smirk on his face as well.
"Yes . . . Just like her brother . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Whoa . . . that was odd . . . Lulian sure seemed ditsy in this chapter _ But later on she won't be quite like that as much. In fact, she's going to start going from ditsy to very devilish. For whatever reason, I picture her as a brunette, green-eyed Christina Aguilera. Outfits and all. Lulian is very, very slutty at times . . . And I promise I'll at least LAND the characters in Alexandria in the next chapter. Maybe even start them off there! Anything to get this fic moving . . . So read and review! I need my motivation!