A/N: Yo! I'm back! Sorry about the wait! I know, I'm evil and I suck ^_^
*Looks around nervously as the reviewers stand by, smacking bats in their
hands* Ehehehe . . . *Shifty eyes* Anyhoo, I have an explanation! See, I
wrote this WHOLE long chapter, see? And I finished it early, too! Then,
just as I was about to post it I thought: "Hmm . . . You never reread it,
BMD. Maybe you should . . ." So I did. And when I was done, I reached a
very simple conclusion:
IT - SUCKED!!!!
So I went back and rewrote the whole thing! *Grins* . . . *Reviewers continue smacking bats in their hands*
Er . . . Also, this chapter reveals so much of the plot I could explode! *Explodes*
Person in BMD's mind: WAIT! Don't explode!
BMD: *Implodes*
Person in BMD's mind: You reveal a lot, but not enough to even get a stomachache!
BMD: *Thinks about it* You're right . . . I'll save that for when the WHOLE plot comes out.
Reviewers: *Smack . . . Smack . . .*
Disclaimer: Okay, everyone knows this already . . . I DON'T OWN FINAL FANTASY!!!! DUH!!!!!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it."
Bernard Bailey
Megan ran so fast she couldn't even think straight; she didn't even know where she was going. All she could think about was Feather and what would happen if . . . well, if something happened to him.
/Why am I concerned about him?/ she wondered through the haze and blurs of exploding buildings around her. /I know he can fend for himself. So why am I worried?/
"MEGAN!!!" the brunette ignored the frightened voices of the others behind her.
/No . . . I've got to find him . . ./
"AAARGH!" Megan felt her feet fly out from under her as she tripped over a bump in the road. She hit the ground hard, skidding slightly. She felt the skin on her arms scrape and they immediately lit on fire. However, looking over her shoulder, Megan realized her luck. The item shop behind her had just burst into flames and debris was raining down like hail upon the spot she had just been running past.
"Megan, are you all right?!" Zidane was immediately at her side, helping the girl to her feet. Megan nodded numbly, realizing how dizzy she was all of the sudden. The others were coming up behind, looking relieved.
"Megan, you can't just go running off like that," Fratley scolded, whiskers twitching. Megan felt a strange hot wrath she couldn't explain inside. Who was HE to tell her what to do?! He had probably just heard her name two seconds ago!
"Listen, we've got to get back," Garnet informed her companions, biting her lip. "This isn't safe and they're already evacuating the city without us," Steiner, naturally, nodded approvingly.
"Good idea. You guys head back to the castle and the general and I will take care of - WATCH OUT!!!"
Something whizzed over their heads and smashed into the inn nearby, shattering it into a thousand pieces with a sickening crackle. Stones and brick flew through the air, hitting the ground so hard it cracked.
"RUN!" Beatrix shouted, shoving Lani, who look back at her in a rather disgruntled fashion, out of the way. Megan whirled, eyes wide with fear. There were stones coming down EVERYWHERE! With no other options left, she dropped to her knees and covered her head, whimpering as pebbles rained down on her back like little needles.
Zidane grabbed Garnet, holding her tight. They remained locked in the embrace, eyes slammed shut.
"Zidane! Garnet! Duck!" Regent Cid yelled, trying to see them through the dust clogging the air around the square. The soon-to-be-wedded couple looked up just in time to see a block the size of a small air-cab screaming straight down like a minute meteor. Zidane shoved Garnet hard in the chest and the two fell backward just as the block landed in between them causing small cracks like spider-webs to form around it like rays of sunlight. But a blood-curdling scream rose through the air causing the hairs on the back of Zidane's neck to rise off his skin and make him shiver.
"Your majesty!" Steiner cried, lunging forward. But a foot came down hard on his back and pressed him into the ground, cracking his armor. The knight struggled briefly, then raised his eyes. His mouth formed a perfect "o" of surprise.
"Don't - move . . ."
"Steiner?!" Beatrix yelled, spinning around. The dust was beginning to settle. Everything was coming back into focus.
Regent Cid and Lady Hilda were holding Eiko, blocking her from the debris. Quina was jumping up and down, tongue flapping as he looked around wildly. Freya and Fratley had their spears ready, looking angry. Amarant had his hand on Lani's head, holding her down. She was swiping at him furiously but he just rolled his eyes. Vivi was kneeling on the ground, holding down his hat as if afraid it was going to be blown away.
Zidane was lying on his back, mind swirling. Not daring to open his eyes, he reached up towards the throbbing spot on his head. There was a warm liquid trickling down his cheek. Blood . . .? What had just happened? He'd been hit with a rock . . . Someone had screamed . . . Garnet . . .?
Zidane sat up with such a jolt that it felt as if his brain had a head-on collision with his skull.
"Dagger?!"
Garnet was leaning back on her elbows, tears rolling down her face, gasping for breath. Zidane realized, with a horrible flopping sensation in his stomach, what had happened.
Garnet's leg was beneath the stone . . .
"Oh my god!" he scrambled to his feet and dropped to his knees next to the queen, trying to see the extent of the damage. She whimpered and let out a faint cry of pain.
"Shh . . . shh . . . Don't move, you'll make it worse," Zidane whispered, moving her dress a little. Well, the leg still seemed to be attached. But that was all he could tell.
Something pressed sharply into the back of his neck, causing the genome to freeze in his tracks.
"Nobody move," someone commanded from above. "Stay where you are,"
Steiner stood up slowly, the foot removed from his back. Everyone else rose as well, hands in the air nervously. When the knight saw Garnet, he made to run towards her once more, however, a sword flashed through the air in front of him forcing Steiner to stumble back, yelping with surprise. A woman with shoulder-length, curly brown hair was glaring at him, a sword pointed in his direction and the end of some weapon he didn't recognize pressed into the back of Zidane's neck.
"I thought I said DON'T MOVE!" she screeched, eyes flashing. They were scary; an electric, leopard green. Steiner opened his mouth to protest but Beatrix stepped down hard on his foot and he shut up immediately. Nearby, Garnet cried softly. The pain was unimaginable. Zidane squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. Nobody spoke. A cold breeze was ruffling their hair.
Then the woman lowered her weapons. Zidane turned to see why. And his mouth dropped open in shock.
Shapes were moving in the debris, rising slowly out of the mess of dirt and rubble. People . . . people were climbing out of the rocks like insects creeping out of the very earth itself. They crawled forward, forming a circle around the crew, and slowly they rose like ethereal black specters of the night. Each wore a grin of pure malice.
"Z-Zidane . . ." Garnet choked out, chest heaving. "Who ARE these people?!"
Zidane didn't answer. He was numb with horror. The newcomers were all drawing various assortments of weapons, their eyes sparkling. Their green eyes . . . like emeralds as the sun fades from the sky. The woman who had been standing in the middle of the circle moved away, stepping back into the mass of people. There had to be at least a hundred of them. And, Zidane noticed, as soon as she stepped in, she seemed to vanish. It took him a moment to realize that all the people were disturbingly similar in appearance: dark brown hair, tall, lanky, jade-stone green eyes . . .
His thoughts were shaken from his head as a deep rumble broke through the air above. All eyes turned to the sky as a ship descended a short distance away from the circle, the wind billowing around it. It touched down slowly, and sent clouds of dust puffing out around it.
"The Invincible . . .?" Beatrix queried uncertainly, staring at the machine as its wings folded back onto its sides and the engine slowly faded and died away.
"But it can't be . . ." Freya whispered, frowning. "The Invincible's back at the castle . . ."
Silence descended once more. No one spoke. Their seemed to be a nervous wave running through the outer circle of people. The curly-haired woman from before was shifting from foot to foot, hands clenched at her sides.
The door on the side of the ship slid slowly open, and someone stepped out, landing lightly upon the ground like a cat. He was tall, just like the others, and he too had the brown hair (which was pulled back into a ponytail) and the green eyes. But his eyes were different. They were so much colder. So much scarier. A shiver ran through the crew trapped in the circle, and the air dropped several degrees as his lips twisted into a grin.
"I - I don't like the looks of this guy . . ." Vivi whimpered, wringing his fingers nervously. Amarant nodded, folding his arms over his chest.
"Yeah . . ." he agreed. "I've known a lot of losers . . . and this guy's trouble . . ."
A section of the circle parted slightly, allowing the newcomer to enter the ring. He had his hands on his hips and his eyes were glittering. Garnet shuddered and hugged Zidane harder.
"Well, well, well . . ." the man muttered, his voice like running grease. "This is an interesting group . . . Let's see," he cast his eyes around the companions, freezing their insides. "We've got a pair of vermin . . . Some miscellaneous bandits and nobles . . ."
"SHUT UP!" Lani yelled, running forward. Amarant simply held out an arm and flung her backwards as if she were a mere fly. The brunette stumbled slightly and stood up growling. However, she didn't charge forward a second time. The green-eyed man was smirking at her.
"What else have we got?" he asked quietly, walking around the group like a sergeant inspecting his crew. His clothes, they noticed, were - like the others - very weird. Gloves, boots, drenched in strange gadgets. He looked like something from another world . . . His eyes roved on to Megan, and he chuckled quietly. "You . . ." he purred, smiling hungrily. "You wouldn't tell me where my dog was . . ."
Megan shook as she stood there. He was the one that had cornered her in the Alexandrian market-square demanding that she tell him where his German Shepard was!
"Not a problem . . ." the man continued, brushing a strand of mahogany hair over his shoulder. "I found her . . . And the summoners!" he exclaimed suddenly, clapping his hands together as he spotted Eiko and the injured queen. "How wonderful! And . . ." his voice faded off as he spotted Zidane. "The genome . . ."
He strode over to the side of the circle and crouched down next to the second angel of death, snatching his chin in his hands and tilting the boy's head up. "Amazing . . ." the green-eyed villain whispered, staring into Zidane face. "All the recurring traits are present: dirty blonde hair, vacant blue eyes, the blank expression . . . Yet this one is so different! You are the only one I haven't had the . . . privilege . . . to see,"
"Don't touch me!" Zidane yelled, slapping the man's hand out of the way. "I don't know WHO the hell you are but if you don't get the hell OUTTA here I swear I'm going to bash your head open!" the man laughed and stood up, looking delighted.
"A bad temper must run in your family!" he guffawed, turning away. The villain beckoned towards the circle of people and two of the mysterious humans tumbled out, looking nervous. One of them was the curly-haired woman from before. The other looked like a shorter, thinner, weaker version of the man himself.
"Dart," the leader addressed the girl. "Go out into the city and find Lulian for me. Tell her I said 'two-thirds.' She'll understand,"
"But what if she's not - "
"She should be in the form of a German Shepard,"
Dart nodded and, right before their eyes, vanished. A gasp arose from the crew but they said nothing. Now the man turned to the boy and he was a lot rougher with him then Dart. Grabbing the kid by the shoulder, the leader shook him fiercely and pushed him backwards with agitation.
"You're going to be my backup, Ummei, understood?" he snapped, bearing down upon his junior. The boy looked scared out of his wits.
"Backup for what?"
A grin spread across the man's face. He turned away and pulled a large weapon out of its sheathe. He seemed to delight in the blank looks he got from it. Zidane was the only one in the circle who recognized the weapon for what it was, a memory slipping out from his life on Terra. Though it didn't seem exactly right, the genome put the only word he could on the device: gun. But it was red and consisting of strange gadgets Zidane had never seen: a retractable sword, several buttons, and what looked almost like a needle coming out of the bottom of the nozzle. Slowly, with the grace of a swan, the man pointed the gun straight in Megan's face.
"I don't know who you are . . ." he whispered, cocking the device. It clicked and loaded. "But you are not part of these plans, thus, you must not be important and I can kill you,"
Megan was rooted to the spot with fright, breaking out in a cold sweat. The man licked his lips, index finger itching to squeeze the trigger. Eiko covered her eyes in horror. But suddenly . . .
"NOOOOOO!!!" Vivi jumped in front of the young woman, holding his arms out like a barrier. "Don't kill her! She didn't do anything to you!"
The man seemed mildly surprised and raised an eyebrow, lowering the gun ever so slightly.
"A black mage," he acknowledged, eyes curious. "A simple creation based on darker forms of magic. A new being beginning sometime within the last twelve years. Created by a very unwise sorcerer . . ." Zidane clenched his fists angrily. "And not meant to live much longer than a year . . ." Vivi trembled but looked determined, ignoring the insults being thrown at him. Megan prodded the mage desperately in the back, pleading with him to stop trying to sacrifice himself for her. The man sneered. A grin that sent shivers down everyone's spine twisted upon his face and he uttered one deadly word . . .
". . . Disposable . . ."
BAM! Garnet screamed, burying her face in Zidane's chest. Lady Hilda flung Eiko around, trying to hide the young summoner's eyes. Steiner let out a cry and dropped to his knees, Excalibur II falling limply out of his hands. Vivi fell backwards into Megan, who caught the mage and let out a sob, lowering him to the ground.
"VIVI!" she pleaded, shaking him. "Open your eyes!"
And he did. He sat up, too, straightening his hat. Megan blinked.
"What the - ?" she placed a hand on Vivi's blue coat, searching for a wound. There was nothing. All eyes turned on the villain. He was still holding out the gun, but the bullet, which should have killed Vivi on impact, was suspended in midair as if frozen. The man looked shocked.
With a swoop, a woman appeared out of nowhere next to him, landing in a crouched position. She, too, seemed different from the others. Her brown hair was layered and streaked with blonde and she seemed more . . . developed . . . than the other women. Her dress seemed to emphasize this even more.
"Wha - ?" she spotted the bullet and blinked, standing up. Slowly, the man raised his eyes. A look of malice passed over his face. Now, everyone was turning around, looking to see what was so fascinating behind them.
He floated high in the air, silvery hair flowing gracefully in the wind. His white cloak billowed out behind him despite the lack of breeze and an orange glow seemed to surround his body. Ice-blue eyes flashing to red . . . face taut with a rage none of them had ever seen before.
"Feather!" Megan cried, taking a step forward to run to her friend. Beatrix caught the brunette and shook her head. Something was wrong . . . The sorcerer they had known for so long seemed beyond anger . . .
"DRAKJA!!!"
Flames burst forth at the man's feet, blowing his coffee-brown hair off his face and forcing him to step backwards slightly, singing the hem of his cloak. The fire twisted into the air, gave a dying gasp, and vanished leaving a table-sized scorch-mark on the road. The man stared at it, then looked back up.
"Ah, the first angel of death," he acknowledged, making a low sweeping bow with much twirling of the hand, the locks of his hair nearly touching the ground. "What an honor . . ."
"Shut up!" Kuja shouted, eyes narrowing. Another explosion of flames erupted at Drakja's feet. However, his time the green-eyed man was ready and he deflected the pyre with a simple gesture.
"Temper, temper," he mocked, hands on his hips. "We wouldn't want you to accidentally light any of your charming friends here on fire,"
"Don't . . . TOUCH THEM!!!" Kuja screamed. A fierce wind circled his body, lifting his ivory hair off his back and making him look truly like an angel of death. Below, Megan dropped to her knees, clutching desperately at Beatrix's cloak.
"What's . . . happening . . .?" she sobbed, staring up at the warlock. "Where did he get all this power?" Beatrix said nothing. Megan mustn't know . . .
Drakja was glancing at the woman next to him, smirking. They distinctly heard him whisper "Don't worry, Lulian. This ought to be easy . . ." and then stepped forward to face the silver-haired genome. Lulian was watching Kuja with extreme interest etched in her emerald-green eyes.
"So!" Drakja yelled up at Kuja, voice sharp with a rather supercilious tone. "You're STILL alive. Bravo . . . I commend you," he gave a very unenthusiastic applause. Kuja's eyes narrowed dangerously, resembling sharpened blades.
"Be quiet, Drakja!" he shouted back, floating down a few feet, tail thrashing angrily. "I don't know HOW the hell you got here but you'd better leave NOW!"
This seemed to go in one ear and out the other. Drakja chuckled. "Who died and made YOU boss?!" he snapped, raising an eyebrow. Kuja smirked.
"THAT can be left up for debate!"
Drakja glanced at Zidane. Then back at Kuja. So suddenly that it made everyone start, the man burst into laughter, leaning over and clutching his sides, tears rolling down his cheeks. A chill breeze blew through the circle as everyone watched him. Was this guy insane? After the spasm had passed, Drakja straightened, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, still chuckling.
"Can you believe this?!" he shouted at Lulian, pointing a finger at Kuja. "They're together! Fighting side by side! This whole world's flopped upside-down, I swear!"
Lulian folded her arms over her chest, still looking up at Kuja. "Drakja . . ." she whispered, tilting her head to the side. "Be careful . . . Something about this doesn't seem right . . ."
Drakja snorted, looking offended. "You think I can't take him on? He's the SECOND BEST! Remember?!"
Kuja shook with wrath, eyes flashing to red again. The aura around his body seemed to flare slightly as he clenched his fingers into fists at his side.
"How DARE you!" he shrieked, sparks crackling near his hands. "I ought to rip your lungs out right NOW, you piece of crap! I will never forgive you for what you did to me! And I will NEVER forget about it!"
Drakja laughed, rising slowly into the air as well. "Is that so? Well then, we'll just have to settle the score, won't we?"
Kuja growled lightly. "Too right, you are . . ."
All eyes were raised, watching as Kuja and Drakja floated across from one another, high above the rubble of Alexandria. Those below could practically feel the electricity crackling between the two, charging them up for battle. The orbit of green-eyed humans making up the circle were all shifting around excitedly, preparing for the fight of a life-time. Lulian, on the other hand, seemed very uneasy and Ummei kept glancing back at the ship and wringing his fingers with nerves.
Regent Cid was standing so stiffly that when Quina poked him in the back of the head, his patience snapped like a piece of frozen rope. He whipped around furiously, fists clenched. "What, Quina?! What?!"
Quina stuck a finger up in the air, pointing at Drakja overhead. "That man look like Zidane!" he exclaimed, bouncing up and down slightly. Regent Cid sputtered with annoyance.
"What are you talking about?! They look nothing a - WHAT THE HELL?!!"
The regent saw it for the first time . . . Snaking out from beneath Drakja's cloak was a long, silky, umber-brown tail. Cid gasped and spun around to stare at the circle of people. They all had one! It had been impossible to spot in the clump before, but now - now it was so obvious! Beneath Lulian's dress, a tail skimmed along the ground, brushing up against the street. Ummei was standing on his.
"Zidane!" the regent shouted. "Zidane, do you - "
"I know . . ." the genome muttered, resting his chin in Garnet's hair, eyes on his brother. "They all do,"
Everyone knew. And it only added to their mounting confusion.
Meanwhile . . .
Kuja glared at Drakja. Drakja simply smirked. Neither of them made a move. Several tense moments passed. Then . . .
With a cry, Kuja's palm shot straight out, a burst of magical energy blasting forth from seemingly nowhere. Drakja flew out of the way, dodging it, and sent a blast of flames in Kuja's direction. The silver-haired genome deflected it with a barrier, nearly hitting its original conjurer.
The battle had begun . . .
Kuja lunged forward, smashing his opponent hard in the chest and blasting him with a Thundara at the same time. Drakja tumbled down several feet but recovered quickly and summoned a powerful black orb in his hands. He hurled it at Kuja who, caught unawares, got hit full force. The genome screamed in agony, consumed in a haze of dark mist. Everyone below gasped, shocked at the outcome of events so far. Suddenly, however, Kuja's eyes flashed blood crimson once more and the smog seemed to evaporate off his body. Drakja did not seem to have expected this and flew back a yard or so, getting into a defensive stance.
Kuja turned slowly to face his adversary, the curious aura of light silhouetting him once more.
"Give it up!" Drakja yelled, laughing. "You can't beat me! And you know it! It's not a matter of experience, it's a matter of 'I was born this way!'"
This seemed to make Kuja even more outraged than before. With a sudden burst of speed that caused the air to snap behind him, Kuja shot forward, punching Drakja so hard he was knocked with a smash into the street below. The ground cracked, dust billowing into the air. Lulian shrieked, hands over her mouth.
"Drakja!"
But Drakja rose triumphant, seeming perfectly unharmed save his clothes being a bit smashed up.
"Nice one!" he commented, looking up at his wrathful opponent. Kuja lowered down into the street as well, boots lightly hitting the pavement. The circle de-clumped slightly, spreading out so as to make the perimeter wider. Kuja and Drakja were now in the middle, staring each other down as they moved into fighting stance. They would continue on the ground . . .
Drakja charged, aiming a right hook straight between Kuja's eyes. Kuja bent sideways, avoiding the attack, and grabbed Drakja's fist, hurling the villain out of the way like a rag-doll. Drakja skidded backward, landing on his back, and blasted a Flare at the first angel of death. Just as Kuja was blocking the attack with a barrier, Drakja pounced and knocked the genome to the ground with a thud. They clawed angrily at each other before Kuja kicked out furiously; what should have been a devastating blow.
But Drakja vanished! Gone! One second he'd been there and the next, he wasn't! Kuja leapt to his feet, looking around wildly. Suddenly . . .
"HiYA!!!" Drakja materialized out of nowhere and kicked Kuja in the back of the knees, knocking his feet out from under him. The sorcerer fell down hard, the wind escaping from his lungs so fast his head swam. Megan wailed, not daring to watch. No one spoke. After a moment, Kuja rose shakily, breathing hard. Drakja shoved him back down mercilessly, a simpering smirk etched on his pale lips.
"Just stop now, kid," he drawled, blowing a strand of hair out of his eyes. "You know you're going to lose . . ."
". . . Never . . ." Kuja hissed. He stood up again, wincing in pain. His eyes were back to their usual glacial blue. Drakja yawned and smacked Kuja across the face, stunning him sideways. The warlock dropped to his knees, groaning.
Kuja wasn't even aware of what was going on. Drakja was rambling on about something overhead . . . he wasn't sure what . . . The genome's eyes closed. A drop of blood rolled out of his hair and down his cheek. In the distance, he could hear Garnet whimpering; her foot caught beneath a boulder. It seemed to spark something inside of him. And the rushing feeling began . . .
His mind was gone; a haze seemed to cloud the insides of his skull. There were voices whispering in his mind. He shuddered.
Drakja sighed, glancing over at Lulian. "You see? What did I tell you? Piece - o - cake,"
/Flash/
That insolent whelp . . . Now I can finish him off!
/Flash/
Ice blue eyes flashed to spurting blood red . . . Constriction . . . And freedom . . .
Magical energy erupted from Kuja's body with such force that the circle of onlookers were thrown off their feet. He whipped around, grabbed Drakja, and smashed him into a nearby building, nearly breaking its foundation. Drakja cried out, blood running down his face, and desperately tried to lunge at his opponent. Kuja socked him into the dirt, kicking him hard in the side. Drakja let out a scream of pain, fumbling for a way out. Megan escaped Beatrix's grip and leapt to her feet, tears streaming out from behind her glasses.
"FEATHER!!!"
A gasp escaped Kuja's lips. There was a roaring in his ears.
/Flash/
I just needed to borrow the power from wretched souls that cannot die . . . The souls trapped inside the Invincible welcomed me with open arms. They were fed up with being your prisoners, Garland . . .
/Flash/
Everything came back into focus so fast it caused Kuja to stumble backwards with a start. Immediately, he knew he was in trouble. Drakja was trembling with inexplicable rage and breathing hard when he stood up. The green-eyed man lunged forward, shoving Kuja mercilessly to the road. Kuja thrust out a hand, fingers wrapping tightly around Drakja's throat. The brunette choked, eyes wide, and suddenly there was an opal-studded dagger clenched between his fingers, poised and ready to attack. They struggled for several moments, shouts arising from the spectators nearby, before a deep, bone-rattling voice floated into the ring, ceasing all action whatsoever.
". . . Stop . . ."
Kuja suddenly felt that uncontrollable weakness and nausea that he'd been experiencing before. His fingers slipped from Drakja's throat as his arm fell like an useless strand of spaghetti at his side. His whole body went limp. He lay there, gasping for breath, as someone floated down next to him, a smile so wide on their face that Kuja could actually feel it.
"Get off of him, Drakja! He can't hurt you right now!"
Drakja rolled off of his adversary, crouching upon the ground, chest heaving. He unceremoniously used one of his sleeves to wipe away a trickle of blood leaking from his nose and his emerald eyes became wracked with disgust. He threw a glare at Kuja but received nothing in return. The sorcerer was fighting to remain conscious . . .
"It can't be . . .!" Freya gasped, lowering her spear in horror. The entire crew was staring at the newcomer, eyes as big as dinner plates.
"I - Impossible!" Steiner wheezed, shaking his head as if sure that would cure him of the horrible sight.
"I thought that man dead!" Quina exclaimed, surprisingly understanding of the seriousness of the situation.
In the street, Kuja stirred, body shuddering. ". . . Garland . . ." he rasped, struggling to keep his eyes open. "You . . . no . . ."
But there he stood, black cape swelling in the wind, colorless eyes crinkled with wicked joy. He stared down his pointed nose at Drakja, smirking with delight.
"You fool," he teased, folding his arms over his chest as the red orb in his armor glowed dimly in the afternoon sunshine. "How could you possibly think that MY creation wouldn't go down without a fight?! He may be worthless, but he's still as powerful as hell!"
Drakja spat blood onto the street, wiping his mouth furiously with one hand. "WELL," he snapped, not daring to stand up in the presence of a Terran leader. "A certain SOMEONE told me they were blocking a certain genome's powers!"
Garland burst into laughter, shaking out his frail, gray hair. "I was!" he asserted, face twisting into a devilish grin. "But I was curious as to how you would fare against him when his FULL power is unleashed,"
"Full power?! THAT was his full power?!"
Garland glanced at Kuja, who had managed to roll onto his side, eyes boring into his creator with exhausted rage. "Well, it's hard to say what that was, actually," Garland explained, shrugging. "I think you know what I mean . . ."
Drakja nodded numbly, pulling himself slowly to his feet. Garland glanced around the circle, then at the pile of dirt that had once been fine Alexandrian architecture.
"Not bad," he commented, beginning to walk away. "That's enough for the moment. Now, we must plan for the future . . ."
Drakja obediently followed his master, head hung low. Occasionally, his fingers would grope near the red weapon tacked to his sheathe, however, he refrained from actually turning around and blowing everyone to smithereens.
The circle of tailed beings slowly began to unwind and shadow behind their masters, all filing along like circus fleas. They were all going into the ship. When everyone inside and the door was slammed shut, the strange, Invincible-like device rumbled. The engine roared like a raging elephant and its wings stretched out gracefully like a bird. The ship took off slowly into the air, vanishing amidst the cottony clouds.
The others watched it go, all too stunned to speak. Suddenly, Garnet let out a gasp of pain and shocked everyone back into reality. Zidane bit his lip, turning to his fiancé. Acting as if nothing had happened, he asked Amarant and Steiner to assist him in lifting the boulder off the queen's leg. Meanwhile, Zidane had the others go see what they could do with his brother.
Megan was the first at Kuja's side, eyes wide with fear behind her lenses. "Oh my god! Oh my god! He's gonna die, I know it!" she burst into a fresh wave of tears. Freya snorted, rolling her eyes.
Tentatively, Beatrix lifted one of Kuja's delicate wrists, frowning. "He's not dead, Megan," she stated, trying to comfort the young woman. "I don't know what happened to be quite frank. Something about . . . that man . . . had some strange effect on him. Besides, I'm sure that battle drained him of a lot of energy. He could've just overexerted from the fight!"
Meanwhile, the boulder was successfully removed from Garnet's leg. It actually seemed quite well, considering. However, it was obvious that she'd be off her feet for awhile. Steiner lifted her majesty gently into his arms, carrying her up to the castle to find Dr. Tot. Zidane stood up and went over to his brother, looking lost in thought.
"Blocking powers, eh . . .?" he muttered to himself. "Interesting . . . Very interesting . . ."
Vivi looked up nervously. "What . . .?"
"Nothing . . . Let's just get him back to the castle. Maybe Tot can do something for him . . ." there were some murmurs of assent and everyone began to head in the direction of Alexandria Castle.
"Zidane," Beatrix whispered off to the side, scooping Kuja gently into her arms. "I think something's wrong. We have to talk . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Oh snap, that was hard to write! I couldn't keep everything straight! If ya'll though my writing wasn't up to tab in this chapter, just let me know. It'll make the waits longer but it's a small price to pay for good writing. Thanks a bunch ^_^
Review . . . weiveR
~~~~~~~~ Black Mage Dad ~~~~~~~
P.S. That was my longest chapter yet! It was REAAAAAAALY LONG ;-)
IT - SUCKED!!!!
So I went back and rewrote the whole thing! *Grins* . . . *Reviewers continue smacking bats in their hands*
Er . . . Also, this chapter reveals so much of the plot I could explode! *Explodes*
Person in BMD's mind: WAIT! Don't explode!
BMD: *Implodes*
Person in BMD's mind: You reveal a lot, but not enough to even get a stomachache!
BMD: *Thinks about it* You're right . . . I'll save that for when the WHOLE plot comes out.
Reviewers: *Smack . . . Smack . . .*
Disclaimer: Okay, everyone knows this already . . . I DON'T OWN FINAL FANTASY!!!! DUH!!!!!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it."
Bernard Bailey
Megan ran so fast she couldn't even think straight; she didn't even know where she was going. All she could think about was Feather and what would happen if . . . well, if something happened to him.
/Why am I concerned about him?/ she wondered through the haze and blurs of exploding buildings around her. /I know he can fend for himself. So why am I worried?/
"MEGAN!!!" the brunette ignored the frightened voices of the others behind her.
/No . . . I've got to find him . . ./
"AAARGH!" Megan felt her feet fly out from under her as she tripped over a bump in the road. She hit the ground hard, skidding slightly. She felt the skin on her arms scrape and they immediately lit on fire. However, looking over her shoulder, Megan realized her luck. The item shop behind her had just burst into flames and debris was raining down like hail upon the spot she had just been running past.
"Megan, are you all right?!" Zidane was immediately at her side, helping the girl to her feet. Megan nodded numbly, realizing how dizzy she was all of the sudden. The others were coming up behind, looking relieved.
"Megan, you can't just go running off like that," Fratley scolded, whiskers twitching. Megan felt a strange hot wrath she couldn't explain inside. Who was HE to tell her what to do?! He had probably just heard her name two seconds ago!
"Listen, we've got to get back," Garnet informed her companions, biting her lip. "This isn't safe and they're already evacuating the city without us," Steiner, naturally, nodded approvingly.
"Good idea. You guys head back to the castle and the general and I will take care of - WATCH OUT!!!"
Something whizzed over their heads and smashed into the inn nearby, shattering it into a thousand pieces with a sickening crackle. Stones and brick flew through the air, hitting the ground so hard it cracked.
"RUN!" Beatrix shouted, shoving Lani, who look back at her in a rather disgruntled fashion, out of the way. Megan whirled, eyes wide with fear. There were stones coming down EVERYWHERE! With no other options left, she dropped to her knees and covered her head, whimpering as pebbles rained down on her back like little needles.
Zidane grabbed Garnet, holding her tight. They remained locked in the embrace, eyes slammed shut.
"Zidane! Garnet! Duck!" Regent Cid yelled, trying to see them through the dust clogging the air around the square. The soon-to-be-wedded couple looked up just in time to see a block the size of a small air-cab screaming straight down like a minute meteor. Zidane shoved Garnet hard in the chest and the two fell backward just as the block landed in between them causing small cracks like spider-webs to form around it like rays of sunlight. But a blood-curdling scream rose through the air causing the hairs on the back of Zidane's neck to rise off his skin and make him shiver.
"Your majesty!" Steiner cried, lunging forward. But a foot came down hard on his back and pressed him into the ground, cracking his armor. The knight struggled briefly, then raised his eyes. His mouth formed a perfect "o" of surprise.
"Don't - move . . ."
"Steiner?!" Beatrix yelled, spinning around. The dust was beginning to settle. Everything was coming back into focus.
Regent Cid and Lady Hilda were holding Eiko, blocking her from the debris. Quina was jumping up and down, tongue flapping as he looked around wildly. Freya and Fratley had their spears ready, looking angry. Amarant had his hand on Lani's head, holding her down. She was swiping at him furiously but he just rolled his eyes. Vivi was kneeling on the ground, holding down his hat as if afraid it was going to be blown away.
Zidane was lying on his back, mind swirling. Not daring to open his eyes, he reached up towards the throbbing spot on his head. There was a warm liquid trickling down his cheek. Blood . . .? What had just happened? He'd been hit with a rock . . . Someone had screamed . . . Garnet . . .?
Zidane sat up with such a jolt that it felt as if his brain had a head-on collision with his skull.
"Dagger?!"
Garnet was leaning back on her elbows, tears rolling down her face, gasping for breath. Zidane realized, with a horrible flopping sensation in his stomach, what had happened.
Garnet's leg was beneath the stone . . .
"Oh my god!" he scrambled to his feet and dropped to his knees next to the queen, trying to see the extent of the damage. She whimpered and let out a faint cry of pain.
"Shh . . . shh . . . Don't move, you'll make it worse," Zidane whispered, moving her dress a little. Well, the leg still seemed to be attached. But that was all he could tell.
Something pressed sharply into the back of his neck, causing the genome to freeze in his tracks.
"Nobody move," someone commanded from above. "Stay where you are,"
Steiner stood up slowly, the foot removed from his back. Everyone else rose as well, hands in the air nervously. When the knight saw Garnet, he made to run towards her once more, however, a sword flashed through the air in front of him forcing Steiner to stumble back, yelping with surprise. A woman with shoulder-length, curly brown hair was glaring at him, a sword pointed in his direction and the end of some weapon he didn't recognize pressed into the back of Zidane's neck.
"I thought I said DON'T MOVE!" she screeched, eyes flashing. They were scary; an electric, leopard green. Steiner opened his mouth to protest but Beatrix stepped down hard on his foot and he shut up immediately. Nearby, Garnet cried softly. The pain was unimaginable. Zidane squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. Nobody spoke. A cold breeze was ruffling their hair.
Then the woman lowered her weapons. Zidane turned to see why. And his mouth dropped open in shock.
Shapes were moving in the debris, rising slowly out of the mess of dirt and rubble. People . . . people were climbing out of the rocks like insects creeping out of the very earth itself. They crawled forward, forming a circle around the crew, and slowly they rose like ethereal black specters of the night. Each wore a grin of pure malice.
"Z-Zidane . . ." Garnet choked out, chest heaving. "Who ARE these people?!"
Zidane didn't answer. He was numb with horror. The newcomers were all drawing various assortments of weapons, their eyes sparkling. Their green eyes . . . like emeralds as the sun fades from the sky. The woman who had been standing in the middle of the circle moved away, stepping back into the mass of people. There had to be at least a hundred of them. And, Zidane noticed, as soon as she stepped in, she seemed to vanish. It took him a moment to realize that all the people were disturbingly similar in appearance: dark brown hair, tall, lanky, jade-stone green eyes . . .
His thoughts were shaken from his head as a deep rumble broke through the air above. All eyes turned to the sky as a ship descended a short distance away from the circle, the wind billowing around it. It touched down slowly, and sent clouds of dust puffing out around it.
"The Invincible . . .?" Beatrix queried uncertainly, staring at the machine as its wings folded back onto its sides and the engine slowly faded and died away.
"But it can't be . . ." Freya whispered, frowning. "The Invincible's back at the castle . . ."
Silence descended once more. No one spoke. Their seemed to be a nervous wave running through the outer circle of people. The curly-haired woman from before was shifting from foot to foot, hands clenched at her sides.
The door on the side of the ship slid slowly open, and someone stepped out, landing lightly upon the ground like a cat. He was tall, just like the others, and he too had the brown hair (which was pulled back into a ponytail) and the green eyes. But his eyes were different. They were so much colder. So much scarier. A shiver ran through the crew trapped in the circle, and the air dropped several degrees as his lips twisted into a grin.
"I - I don't like the looks of this guy . . ." Vivi whimpered, wringing his fingers nervously. Amarant nodded, folding his arms over his chest.
"Yeah . . ." he agreed. "I've known a lot of losers . . . and this guy's trouble . . ."
A section of the circle parted slightly, allowing the newcomer to enter the ring. He had his hands on his hips and his eyes were glittering. Garnet shuddered and hugged Zidane harder.
"Well, well, well . . ." the man muttered, his voice like running grease. "This is an interesting group . . . Let's see," he cast his eyes around the companions, freezing their insides. "We've got a pair of vermin . . . Some miscellaneous bandits and nobles . . ."
"SHUT UP!" Lani yelled, running forward. Amarant simply held out an arm and flung her backwards as if she were a mere fly. The brunette stumbled slightly and stood up growling. However, she didn't charge forward a second time. The green-eyed man was smirking at her.
"What else have we got?" he asked quietly, walking around the group like a sergeant inspecting his crew. His clothes, they noticed, were - like the others - very weird. Gloves, boots, drenched in strange gadgets. He looked like something from another world . . . His eyes roved on to Megan, and he chuckled quietly. "You . . ." he purred, smiling hungrily. "You wouldn't tell me where my dog was . . ."
Megan shook as she stood there. He was the one that had cornered her in the Alexandrian market-square demanding that she tell him where his German Shepard was!
"Not a problem . . ." the man continued, brushing a strand of mahogany hair over his shoulder. "I found her . . . And the summoners!" he exclaimed suddenly, clapping his hands together as he spotted Eiko and the injured queen. "How wonderful! And . . ." his voice faded off as he spotted Zidane. "The genome . . ."
He strode over to the side of the circle and crouched down next to the second angel of death, snatching his chin in his hands and tilting the boy's head up. "Amazing . . ." the green-eyed villain whispered, staring into Zidane face. "All the recurring traits are present: dirty blonde hair, vacant blue eyes, the blank expression . . . Yet this one is so different! You are the only one I haven't had the . . . privilege . . . to see,"
"Don't touch me!" Zidane yelled, slapping the man's hand out of the way. "I don't know WHO the hell you are but if you don't get the hell OUTTA here I swear I'm going to bash your head open!" the man laughed and stood up, looking delighted.
"A bad temper must run in your family!" he guffawed, turning away. The villain beckoned towards the circle of people and two of the mysterious humans tumbled out, looking nervous. One of them was the curly-haired woman from before. The other looked like a shorter, thinner, weaker version of the man himself.
"Dart," the leader addressed the girl. "Go out into the city and find Lulian for me. Tell her I said 'two-thirds.' She'll understand,"
"But what if she's not - "
"She should be in the form of a German Shepard,"
Dart nodded and, right before their eyes, vanished. A gasp arose from the crew but they said nothing. Now the man turned to the boy and he was a lot rougher with him then Dart. Grabbing the kid by the shoulder, the leader shook him fiercely and pushed him backwards with agitation.
"You're going to be my backup, Ummei, understood?" he snapped, bearing down upon his junior. The boy looked scared out of his wits.
"Backup for what?"
A grin spread across the man's face. He turned away and pulled a large weapon out of its sheathe. He seemed to delight in the blank looks he got from it. Zidane was the only one in the circle who recognized the weapon for what it was, a memory slipping out from his life on Terra. Though it didn't seem exactly right, the genome put the only word he could on the device: gun. But it was red and consisting of strange gadgets Zidane had never seen: a retractable sword, several buttons, and what looked almost like a needle coming out of the bottom of the nozzle. Slowly, with the grace of a swan, the man pointed the gun straight in Megan's face.
"I don't know who you are . . ." he whispered, cocking the device. It clicked and loaded. "But you are not part of these plans, thus, you must not be important and I can kill you,"
Megan was rooted to the spot with fright, breaking out in a cold sweat. The man licked his lips, index finger itching to squeeze the trigger. Eiko covered her eyes in horror. But suddenly . . .
"NOOOOOO!!!" Vivi jumped in front of the young woman, holding his arms out like a barrier. "Don't kill her! She didn't do anything to you!"
The man seemed mildly surprised and raised an eyebrow, lowering the gun ever so slightly.
"A black mage," he acknowledged, eyes curious. "A simple creation based on darker forms of magic. A new being beginning sometime within the last twelve years. Created by a very unwise sorcerer . . ." Zidane clenched his fists angrily. "And not meant to live much longer than a year . . ." Vivi trembled but looked determined, ignoring the insults being thrown at him. Megan prodded the mage desperately in the back, pleading with him to stop trying to sacrifice himself for her. The man sneered. A grin that sent shivers down everyone's spine twisted upon his face and he uttered one deadly word . . .
". . . Disposable . . ."
BAM! Garnet screamed, burying her face in Zidane's chest. Lady Hilda flung Eiko around, trying to hide the young summoner's eyes. Steiner let out a cry and dropped to his knees, Excalibur II falling limply out of his hands. Vivi fell backwards into Megan, who caught the mage and let out a sob, lowering him to the ground.
"VIVI!" she pleaded, shaking him. "Open your eyes!"
And he did. He sat up, too, straightening his hat. Megan blinked.
"What the - ?" she placed a hand on Vivi's blue coat, searching for a wound. There was nothing. All eyes turned on the villain. He was still holding out the gun, but the bullet, which should have killed Vivi on impact, was suspended in midair as if frozen. The man looked shocked.
With a swoop, a woman appeared out of nowhere next to him, landing in a crouched position. She, too, seemed different from the others. Her brown hair was layered and streaked with blonde and she seemed more . . . developed . . . than the other women. Her dress seemed to emphasize this even more.
"Wha - ?" she spotted the bullet and blinked, standing up. Slowly, the man raised his eyes. A look of malice passed over his face. Now, everyone was turning around, looking to see what was so fascinating behind them.
He floated high in the air, silvery hair flowing gracefully in the wind. His white cloak billowed out behind him despite the lack of breeze and an orange glow seemed to surround his body. Ice-blue eyes flashing to red . . . face taut with a rage none of them had ever seen before.
"Feather!" Megan cried, taking a step forward to run to her friend. Beatrix caught the brunette and shook her head. Something was wrong . . . The sorcerer they had known for so long seemed beyond anger . . .
"DRAKJA!!!"
Flames burst forth at the man's feet, blowing his coffee-brown hair off his face and forcing him to step backwards slightly, singing the hem of his cloak. The fire twisted into the air, gave a dying gasp, and vanished leaving a table-sized scorch-mark on the road. The man stared at it, then looked back up.
"Ah, the first angel of death," he acknowledged, making a low sweeping bow with much twirling of the hand, the locks of his hair nearly touching the ground. "What an honor . . ."
"Shut up!" Kuja shouted, eyes narrowing. Another explosion of flames erupted at Drakja's feet. However, his time the green-eyed man was ready and he deflected the pyre with a simple gesture.
"Temper, temper," he mocked, hands on his hips. "We wouldn't want you to accidentally light any of your charming friends here on fire,"
"Don't . . . TOUCH THEM!!!" Kuja screamed. A fierce wind circled his body, lifting his ivory hair off his back and making him look truly like an angel of death. Below, Megan dropped to her knees, clutching desperately at Beatrix's cloak.
"What's . . . happening . . .?" she sobbed, staring up at the warlock. "Where did he get all this power?" Beatrix said nothing. Megan mustn't know . . .
Drakja was glancing at the woman next to him, smirking. They distinctly heard him whisper "Don't worry, Lulian. This ought to be easy . . ." and then stepped forward to face the silver-haired genome. Lulian was watching Kuja with extreme interest etched in her emerald-green eyes.
"So!" Drakja yelled up at Kuja, voice sharp with a rather supercilious tone. "You're STILL alive. Bravo . . . I commend you," he gave a very unenthusiastic applause. Kuja's eyes narrowed dangerously, resembling sharpened blades.
"Be quiet, Drakja!" he shouted back, floating down a few feet, tail thrashing angrily. "I don't know HOW the hell you got here but you'd better leave NOW!"
This seemed to go in one ear and out the other. Drakja chuckled. "Who died and made YOU boss?!" he snapped, raising an eyebrow. Kuja smirked.
"THAT can be left up for debate!"
Drakja glanced at Zidane. Then back at Kuja. So suddenly that it made everyone start, the man burst into laughter, leaning over and clutching his sides, tears rolling down his cheeks. A chill breeze blew through the circle as everyone watched him. Was this guy insane? After the spasm had passed, Drakja straightened, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, still chuckling.
"Can you believe this?!" he shouted at Lulian, pointing a finger at Kuja. "They're together! Fighting side by side! This whole world's flopped upside-down, I swear!"
Lulian folded her arms over her chest, still looking up at Kuja. "Drakja . . ." she whispered, tilting her head to the side. "Be careful . . . Something about this doesn't seem right . . ."
Drakja snorted, looking offended. "You think I can't take him on? He's the SECOND BEST! Remember?!"
Kuja shook with wrath, eyes flashing to red again. The aura around his body seemed to flare slightly as he clenched his fingers into fists at his side.
"How DARE you!" he shrieked, sparks crackling near his hands. "I ought to rip your lungs out right NOW, you piece of crap! I will never forgive you for what you did to me! And I will NEVER forget about it!"
Drakja laughed, rising slowly into the air as well. "Is that so? Well then, we'll just have to settle the score, won't we?"
Kuja growled lightly. "Too right, you are . . ."
All eyes were raised, watching as Kuja and Drakja floated across from one another, high above the rubble of Alexandria. Those below could practically feel the electricity crackling between the two, charging them up for battle. The orbit of green-eyed humans making up the circle were all shifting around excitedly, preparing for the fight of a life-time. Lulian, on the other hand, seemed very uneasy and Ummei kept glancing back at the ship and wringing his fingers with nerves.
Regent Cid was standing so stiffly that when Quina poked him in the back of the head, his patience snapped like a piece of frozen rope. He whipped around furiously, fists clenched. "What, Quina?! What?!"
Quina stuck a finger up in the air, pointing at Drakja overhead. "That man look like Zidane!" he exclaimed, bouncing up and down slightly. Regent Cid sputtered with annoyance.
"What are you talking about?! They look nothing a - WHAT THE HELL?!!"
The regent saw it for the first time . . . Snaking out from beneath Drakja's cloak was a long, silky, umber-brown tail. Cid gasped and spun around to stare at the circle of people. They all had one! It had been impossible to spot in the clump before, but now - now it was so obvious! Beneath Lulian's dress, a tail skimmed along the ground, brushing up against the street. Ummei was standing on his.
"Zidane!" the regent shouted. "Zidane, do you - "
"I know . . ." the genome muttered, resting his chin in Garnet's hair, eyes on his brother. "They all do,"
Everyone knew. And it only added to their mounting confusion.
Meanwhile . . .
Kuja glared at Drakja. Drakja simply smirked. Neither of them made a move. Several tense moments passed. Then . . .
With a cry, Kuja's palm shot straight out, a burst of magical energy blasting forth from seemingly nowhere. Drakja flew out of the way, dodging it, and sent a blast of flames in Kuja's direction. The silver-haired genome deflected it with a barrier, nearly hitting its original conjurer.
The battle had begun . . .
Kuja lunged forward, smashing his opponent hard in the chest and blasting him with a Thundara at the same time. Drakja tumbled down several feet but recovered quickly and summoned a powerful black orb in his hands. He hurled it at Kuja who, caught unawares, got hit full force. The genome screamed in agony, consumed in a haze of dark mist. Everyone below gasped, shocked at the outcome of events so far. Suddenly, however, Kuja's eyes flashed blood crimson once more and the smog seemed to evaporate off his body. Drakja did not seem to have expected this and flew back a yard or so, getting into a defensive stance.
Kuja turned slowly to face his adversary, the curious aura of light silhouetting him once more.
"Give it up!" Drakja yelled, laughing. "You can't beat me! And you know it! It's not a matter of experience, it's a matter of 'I was born this way!'"
This seemed to make Kuja even more outraged than before. With a sudden burst of speed that caused the air to snap behind him, Kuja shot forward, punching Drakja so hard he was knocked with a smash into the street below. The ground cracked, dust billowing into the air. Lulian shrieked, hands over her mouth.
"Drakja!"
But Drakja rose triumphant, seeming perfectly unharmed save his clothes being a bit smashed up.
"Nice one!" he commented, looking up at his wrathful opponent. Kuja lowered down into the street as well, boots lightly hitting the pavement. The circle de-clumped slightly, spreading out so as to make the perimeter wider. Kuja and Drakja were now in the middle, staring each other down as they moved into fighting stance. They would continue on the ground . . .
Drakja charged, aiming a right hook straight between Kuja's eyes. Kuja bent sideways, avoiding the attack, and grabbed Drakja's fist, hurling the villain out of the way like a rag-doll. Drakja skidded backward, landing on his back, and blasted a Flare at the first angel of death. Just as Kuja was blocking the attack with a barrier, Drakja pounced and knocked the genome to the ground with a thud. They clawed angrily at each other before Kuja kicked out furiously; what should have been a devastating blow.
But Drakja vanished! Gone! One second he'd been there and the next, he wasn't! Kuja leapt to his feet, looking around wildly. Suddenly . . .
"HiYA!!!" Drakja materialized out of nowhere and kicked Kuja in the back of the knees, knocking his feet out from under him. The sorcerer fell down hard, the wind escaping from his lungs so fast his head swam. Megan wailed, not daring to watch. No one spoke. After a moment, Kuja rose shakily, breathing hard. Drakja shoved him back down mercilessly, a simpering smirk etched on his pale lips.
"Just stop now, kid," he drawled, blowing a strand of hair out of his eyes. "You know you're going to lose . . ."
". . . Never . . ." Kuja hissed. He stood up again, wincing in pain. His eyes were back to their usual glacial blue. Drakja yawned and smacked Kuja across the face, stunning him sideways. The warlock dropped to his knees, groaning.
Kuja wasn't even aware of what was going on. Drakja was rambling on about something overhead . . . he wasn't sure what . . . The genome's eyes closed. A drop of blood rolled out of his hair and down his cheek. In the distance, he could hear Garnet whimpering; her foot caught beneath a boulder. It seemed to spark something inside of him. And the rushing feeling began . . .
His mind was gone; a haze seemed to cloud the insides of his skull. There were voices whispering in his mind. He shuddered.
Drakja sighed, glancing over at Lulian. "You see? What did I tell you? Piece - o - cake,"
/Flash/
That insolent whelp . . . Now I can finish him off!
/Flash/
Ice blue eyes flashed to spurting blood red . . . Constriction . . . And freedom . . .
Magical energy erupted from Kuja's body with such force that the circle of onlookers were thrown off their feet. He whipped around, grabbed Drakja, and smashed him into a nearby building, nearly breaking its foundation. Drakja cried out, blood running down his face, and desperately tried to lunge at his opponent. Kuja socked him into the dirt, kicking him hard in the side. Drakja let out a scream of pain, fumbling for a way out. Megan escaped Beatrix's grip and leapt to her feet, tears streaming out from behind her glasses.
"FEATHER!!!"
A gasp escaped Kuja's lips. There was a roaring in his ears.
/Flash/
I just needed to borrow the power from wretched souls that cannot die . . . The souls trapped inside the Invincible welcomed me with open arms. They were fed up with being your prisoners, Garland . . .
/Flash/
Everything came back into focus so fast it caused Kuja to stumble backwards with a start. Immediately, he knew he was in trouble. Drakja was trembling with inexplicable rage and breathing hard when he stood up. The green-eyed man lunged forward, shoving Kuja mercilessly to the road. Kuja thrust out a hand, fingers wrapping tightly around Drakja's throat. The brunette choked, eyes wide, and suddenly there was an opal-studded dagger clenched between his fingers, poised and ready to attack. They struggled for several moments, shouts arising from the spectators nearby, before a deep, bone-rattling voice floated into the ring, ceasing all action whatsoever.
". . . Stop . . ."
Kuja suddenly felt that uncontrollable weakness and nausea that he'd been experiencing before. His fingers slipped from Drakja's throat as his arm fell like an useless strand of spaghetti at his side. His whole body went limp. He lay there, gasping for breath, as someone floated down next to him, a smile so wide on their face that Kuja could actually feel it.
"Get off of him, Drakja! He can't hurt you right now!"
Drakja rolled off of his adversary, crouching upon the ground, chest heaving. He unceremoniously used one of his sleeves to wipe away a trickle of blood leaking from his nose and his emerald eyes became wracked with disgust. He threw a glare at Kuja but received nothing in return. The sorcerer was fighting to remain conscious . . .
"It can't be . . .!" Freya gasped, lowering her spear in horror. The entire crew was staring at the newcomer, eyes as big as dinner plates.
"I - Impossible!" Steiner wheezed, shaking his head as if sure that would cure him of the horrible sight.
"I thought that man dead!" Quina exclaimed, surprisingly understanding of the seriousness of the situation.
In the street, Kuja stirred, body shuddering. ". . . Garland . . ." he rasped, struggling to keep his eyes open. "You . . . no . . ."
But there he stood, black cape swelling in the wind, colorless eyes crinkled with wicked joy. He stared down his pointed nose at Drakja, smirking with delight.
"You fool," he teased, folding his arms over his chest as the red orb in his armor glowed dimly in the afternoon sunshine. "How could you possibly think that MY creation wouldn't go down without a fight?! He may be worthless, but he's still as powerful as hell!"
Drakja spat blood onto the street, wiping his mouth furiously with one hand. "WELL," he snapped, not daring to stand up in the presence of a Terran leader. "A certain SOMEONE told me they were blocking a certain genome's powers!"
Garland burst into laughter, shaking out his frail, gray hair. "I was!" he asserted, face twisting into a devilish grin. "But I was curious as to how you would fare against him when his FULL power is unleashed,"
"Full power?! THAT was his full power?!"
Garland glanced at Kuja, who had managed to roll onto his side, eyes boring into his creator with exhausted rage. "Well, it's hard to say what that was, actually," Garland explained, shrugging. "I think you know what I mean . . ."
Drakja nodded numbly, pulling himself slowly to his feet. Garland glanced around the circle, then at the pile of dirt that had once been fine Alexandrian architecture.
"Not bad," he commented, beginning to walk away. "That's enough for the moment. Now, we must plan for the future . . ."
Drakja obediently followed his master, head hung low. Occasionally, his fingers would grope near the red weapon tacked to his sheathe, however, he refrained from actually turning around and blowing everyone to smithereens.
The circle of tailed beings slowly began to unwind and shadow behind their masters, all filing along like circus fleas. They were all going into the ship. When everyone inside and the door was slammed shut, the strange, Invincible-like device rumbled. The engine roared like a raging elephant and its wings stretched out gracefully like a bird. The ship took off slowly into the air, vanishing amidst the cottony clouds.
The others watched it go, all too stunned to speak. Suddenly, Garnet let out a gasp of pain and shocked everyone back into reality. Zidane bit his lip, turning to his fiancé. Acting as if nothing had happened, he asked Amarant and Steiner to assist him in lifting the boulder off the queen's leg. Meanwhile, Zidane had the others go see what they could do with his brother.
Megan was the first at Kuja's side, eyes wide with fear behind her lenses. "Oh my god! Oh my god! He's gonna die, I know it!" she burst into a fresh wave of tears. Freya snorted, rolling her eyes.
Tentatively, Beatrix lifted one of Kuja's delicate wrists, frowning. "He's not dead, Megan," she stated, trying to comfort the young woman. "I don't know what happened to be quite frank. Something about . . . that man . . . had some strange effect on him. Besides, I'm sure that battle drained him of a lot of energy. He could've just overexerted from the fight!"
Meanwhile, the boulder was successfully removed from Garnet's leg. It actually seemed quite well, considering. However, it was obvious that she'd be off her feet for awhile. Steiner lifted her majesty gently into his arms, carrying her up to the castle to find Dr. Tot. Zidane stood up and went over to his brother, looking lost in thought.
"Blocking powers, eh . . .?" he muttered to himself. "Interesting . . . Very interesting . . ."
Vivi looked up nervously. "What . . .?"
"Nothing . . . Let's just get him back to the castle. Maybe Tot can do something for him . . ." there were some murmurs of assent and everyone began to head in the direction of Alexandria Castle.
"Zidane," Beatrix whispered off to the side, scooping Kuja gently into her arms. "I think something's wrong. We have to talk . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Oh snap, that was hard to write! I couldn't keep everything straight! If ya'll though my writing wasn't up to tab in this chapter, just let me know. It'll make the waits longer but it's a small price to pay for good writing. Thanks a bunch ^_^
Review . . . weiveR
~~~~~~~~ Black Mage Dad ~~~~~~~
P.S. That was my longest chapter yet! It was REAAAAAAALY LONG ;-)