A/N: Chapter sixteen! Yay! This has gone farther than I ever would have
imagined! Wow! Anyhow, a few reviewers commented on the fact that Ummei
seemed a little "smarter" during that one conversation in the last chapter.
Well . . . I actually have an explanation for that ^_^ See, I'd
originally planned for that to happen but I intended to sort of . . . ease
. . . the readers into it slower. Guess I did a lousy job with that
*sweatdrop* For those of you who have read/watched Fushigi Yuugi: think
Chiriko *laughs* But it has nothing to do with kanjis or celestial powers
. . . er, you'll see . . .
Disclaimer: If I owned Final Fantasy they would be movies and I wouldn't be wasting time trying to battle my way through them. I would watch them every day! Alas, for my lack of ownership . . .
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"When will we learn . . . When will we change . . . We'll make millions writing books on the way we should have been . . ."
- Warning, Incubus
Kuja skidded down one of the side hallways, grasping onto the wall as he nearly lost his footing. She was going to be there . . . Somehow he just knew that woman was going to be there . . . As one of the lit corridors down the side came into view, he finally spotted the fiend, standing near a tapestry of the late Queen Brahne. Her unnaturally colored eyes were scanning it with extreme interest. When Kuja called out, she simply glanced at him, and then acted as if the genome wasn't there.
"Hello?!" he shouted in frustration. "Please! What is it you're trying to tell me?! What is the Metsubo?!"
The woman - ignoring the shouts - gently placed her hand against the tapestry, face remaining emotionless. Kuja's temper was boiling once more.
"Excuse me, are you DEAF?! Hello?!" he waved his arms (feeling rather foolish) in a vain attempt to get her attention. Slowly, the woman raised her eyes, turning them onto him and making him feel as if she were reading his mind.
"You and the queen had much more in common than you may have realized . . ." she said in her eerie, resonating voice. It sounded almost as if it didn't come from her throat but rather from the very walls around them.
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
The woman didn't answer. Instead, she raised a finger and beckoned Kuja over, silently drawing him nearer. He couldn't help but do so. When they were within touching distance, the woman turned to him, violet eyes casting over his physique. The first smile Kuja had ever seen on her face flickered across her lips. But it was more of a grimacing smirk than anything.
"You are lucky," she said smoothly, pressing a hand against Kuja's chest and running her fingers over his muscles. "You are powerful in body and spirit . . . Yet perhaps not so lucky? Hmm?"
"Wh-what do you mean?" Kuja found the whole thing very awkward. A stranger was touching him and talking about him as if he were some sort of object for sale.
"A body like this is rare and sought after," she answered simply, removing her hand and turning back to the tapestry.
"It's just a replica," said Kuja rather derisively, raising one of his arms and staring at the fine-toned shape. "That's all. It was just luck of the draw,"
The woman sneered, lavender eyes flashing. "Then answer me this: in the scheme of life, which is more important? The body, or the soul?"
Kuja was quite taken-aback by the question, finding it rather off-topic. He blinked, and the words tumbled out of his mouth of their own accord.
"The soul, of course,"
"Bingo,"
Kuja hesitated. "Uh . . . so . . .?"
The woman chuckled, turning back to face the genome. She looked him over again and then sighed, looking sad once more. She winced for a moment and looked over her shoulder nervously.
"I can't do this much longer . . ." she whispered to Kuja, eyes seemingly more orb-like than usual. "I've warned you, but there's only so much I can say before I'm cut off,"
"Cut off by who?"
The woman shook her head vigorously, pointing to her throat.
"Can't say, eh?"
She nodded silently. Kuja sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, searching the air for an answer. It hit him suddenly that he was standing in the middle of a hallway before a purple-eyed woman who couldn't talk about certain things and seemed a bit crazy at the same time. Maybe HE was the crazy one.
"Listen," Kuja snapped. "I just want to know what the Metsubo is and why you were showing me memories of Drakja! Is that so difficult?!"
"Well it must be or I would have done so already," the woman shot back. Kuja felt whipped and slightly ashamed. But still he pressed on.
"Why do you keep commenting on my soul? The thing is useless! It should have died years ago!"
"And it hasn't. Ever wondered why?"
Two emotions swooped down upon the first angel of death. One, that this woman knew something she shouldn't, and two, that she might actually have an answer.
"The thought's . . . crossed my mind . . ."
The woman looked thoughtful for a moment, then exhaled heavily, rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache. "I can't risk saying anything out loud," Kuja felt the sinking disappointment immediately. "But . . . I WILL tell you this: you know of Saishoja. You looked into him. Don't develop anything further,"
"But why?"
"JUST DON'T!!!" the woman screamed, dropping to her knees. Kuja reached out to catch her but she vanished.
Kuja hesitated, thinking back on her words. "Don't develop anything further . . ." he whispered to himself. Frowning slightly, he pulled a single coin of gil out of his pocket, holding it tightly between his fingers and clasping them into a fist so that the chip was no longer visible. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes. The coin slipped straight through the back of his hand and clattered to the floor with a dull chink. Kuja crouched down next to it, tail sweeping the floor, and gently picked it up.
/Don't develop anything further? But why? Obviously HE did!/ Kuja unconsciously found himself growling. With a start, someone called out behind him, causing the genome to drop the gil.
"Feather! What're you doing?" Megan trotted down the hall, shooting her friend strange looks from behind. Kuja hurriedly picked up the chip and looked over his shoulder, smiling and showing it to her.
"Found a coin," he said brightly, standing up and holding it out. "You want it?" Megan looked reluctant (she'd taken so much money from him already) however Kuja grabbed her hand and turned it palm up. A smirk flashed across his pale lips.
/Don't develop further?! Who the hell does she think she's kidding?! I'll do whatever I WANT!!!/
He lifted his wrist to drop the coin in her hand, then at the last minute teleported it into the other. Megan blinked and stared at her empty palm and then at his.
"How did you do that?!" she demanded, wrinkling her forehead. Kuja smirked, showing her the coin.
"Cool trick, huh?"
Megan put her hands on her hips, glowering. "Do it again," Kuja chuckled and stuck the coin in his mouth, showing it between his teeth first. Megan raised a curious eyebrow. Then Kuja threw his head back, looking as if he were swallowing the coin. Megan shrieked in horror. However, Kuja had let the coin drop straight out the back of his head and caught it in the hand hidden behind his back. When he showed her the coin, Megan looked almost faint.
"Feather, how . . . how is that possible?!"
Kuja just laughed and put an arm around her shoulder.
"Megan, one of these days you're going to learn that certain things are best left un-discussed,"
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Dust was blowing in the wind. Sand swirled around his feet. Messing up his nice shiny boots . . . Drakja scowled as he shuffled his way through the grainy powder, trying to keep it out of his more-than-perfect hair. He gave Garland a death-look and slung the pack over his other shoulder.
"I don't see why I can't just follow you as a snake or something!" Drakja snapped, tail thrashing the air angrily. Garland smirked, cape bobbing in the wind.
"Because you have to carry that pack with you,"
"Why can't YOU carry it?!"
Garland chuckled. "Two reasons. Because you obey me, and because SHE may not,"
"I THOUGHT she was DEAD!" Drakja shifted the pack again, the straps cutting into his shoulders. If it weren't for the sand in his teeth, he surely would have bitten his master.
"Of course she's not dead!" Garland snarled, kicking at a clump of dirt. "Do you think I would have come all this way if she was dead?!"
"Grrrrrrr . . ."
"Oh, grrrrrrr yourself . . ."
Drakja raised his eyes to the blistering sunlight. A bird swooped by unnaturally close.
/Lulian . . .? You're not supposed to be here . . ./
Garland stopped walking so abruptly that Drakja nearly bumped into him. "There . . ." the Terran leader whispered, pointing over the horizon. "You see it?"
Drakja's eyes widened. A volcano! He'd never seen one before!
"Whoa . . . And there's fire in there?"
"Sort of,"
Drakja's eyes grew larger.
"Come on. We don't have much time . . ."
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Unbeknownst to them, a woman was tracing their footsteps. She stopped and sniffed the air, frowning.
/Just as I thought . . . You plan to bring back all your old henchmen, eh Garland? Nice try . . ./
She glanced up at a bird soaring overhead. Her irregularly colored purple eyes flashed. "That is no normal flight pattern . . . Nice try again . . ."
The bird fluttered and landed on a nearby tree, eyeing the woman reproachfully. The violet-eyed specter glared back.
"You're shape-shifting is nice . . ." she hissed. "But you know you can't beat him nor fool me. . . Geonome . . ."
There was a slurping sound and the bird's body-parts twisted and melted, forming into a human physique until the bird was completely gone. Back to normal, Lulian growled down at the woman, fingers grabbing at the branch like a throat.
"Who are you?!" she shouted, bracing herself. The violet-eyed mistress simply laughed.
"Would you look at that! I've stumbled upon the alpha-female! You must have SOME talent, then . . ."
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
"No one of interest. Now then, I want some information from you Miss . . . What is your name?"
"Tell me how you knew I wasn't a bird and I will gladly spare your life!"
The violet-eyed woman gave Lulian a simpering smile. "Fine then. I shall call you alpha-female. Now, can you tell me when they plan on putting the Metsubo to its full use?"
Lulian pulled her heavily painted lips off her teeth, snarling. "Why should I?!"
A dry wind blew across the sand, causing it to rise up in small puffs before them. The woman's lavender eyes sparkled so dangerously that Lulian actually gripped the branch harder.
". . . Then you asked for it . . ."
The geonome let out a choked gasp, emerald eyes rolling up into her head. "No . . . what are you . . . doing . . . to me . . .?"
"Give in . . ." the woman whispered. Her voice seemed deeper, more melodic. Like running syrup. It poured in through Lulian's mind, soaking through its every nook and cranny. A shuddering sigh escaped the geonome's lips and a fountain of information seemed to tumble over her nemesis like an open book of secrets.
/Flash/
Ready . . . Aim . . . FIRE!
Look at these. God, it's the fountain of youth!
I can control everything else without his own mind! And use the remains for myself!
Garland, are you sure about this?
They're back . . . All of them . . . Beautiful, beautiful . . .
Don't let him unleash everything. He's being aided, remember?
Not . . . dead . . .?
I want my guardian back! Get me the Gulug stone!
I've reinstalled the old Invincible. Though with you, I won't be needing it.
Transmigratory?! He's Barrier Transmigratory?! Why didn't you TELL me?!
Kill her.
I want them back! I want them and I will have them!
It could kill him.
No! Not with Saishoja!
Funny. So many things he wanted and I give them to him in less than a second!
The summoners? Of course!
The girl. Look into the girl.
Two-thirds twice!
It's the Theory of Planetary Magnetism. It works like patchwork with my plan!
Tonight we use . . . the Metsubo . . .
/Flash/
The violet-eyed woman stumbled backwards, head reeling. Lulian let out a soft whimper and fainted out of the tree, landing with a thump in the sand.
"Planetary Magnetism?!" the woman gasped. "No! It can't be! Then . . . Then there is even more at stake here! I - I must no longer risk visions. I will go to the Ninth Devil in person! I may not be too late . . .
Please don't let me be too late . . ."
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Kuja heard a faint cluttering sound behind him as he stood, cowl-covered, in the market-square. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted a baby chocobo running loose down the street chased closely by a stumbling black mage. He hurriedly pulled his hood up further over his face.
"Are you buying, sir?" a voice asked nearby. Kuja didn't even look to see who it was and shook his head, backing away. He'd just needed to escape the castle. Megan had run off to her guest-room once more (still muttering "how is that possible . . .?" at the same time) and the others were hanging around too close for comfort. He'd been getting "the looks" again. Phooey . . .
Someone tapped the sorcerer on the shoulder, startling him. "Wha - ?"
"Hey! It's me, Zidane!" the blonde genome moved in front of his brother, smiling. "What's up?"
Kuja just grunted as people brushed past him, trying to squeeze their way down the crowded road. "Just wandering . . ."
"Yeah? Well maybe that's not the safest thing to be doing right now. You do realize this is one of the only areas those geonomes didn't burn to the ground. What makes you think they won't be back to finish the job?"
"Oh, they won't," said Kuja confidently. "I doubt they're here to destroy Alexandria. That doesn't seem like Garland's style,"
"He did it once before . . ."
"But only to keep me in check,"
Zidane folded his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow. "You know . . . No offense, bro, but you told us Garland viewed your original . . . ancestor . . . as the second most powerful warrior on Terra. But . . . Drakja seems a LOT more powerful than you,"
Kuja laughed, tucking a highly noticeable strand of silver hair back into his hood. "Yeah, I've been meaning to warn you about the geonomes - Drakja in particular - so you and your friends can be on alert,"
"What do you mean?"
"Well," Kuja said. "First of all, he - Drakja - is a Teleporter. He can vanish with the snap of a finger. Not only that, but he has flight - as you saw - and amazing physical and magical strength. You know that shadow- ball Garnet told me I was attacked with?" Zidane nodded with interest. "Well, let me put it to you this way. Avoid those at all costs. It's a sort of death-ball. Drakja summons the power of shadows with that attack and if you're hit, it acts like one. You're blinded; can't see a thing. And sometimes, the haze leads to unconsciousness or death. It shuts down your organs. On top of that, it uses magical attacks on you from the inside. No one can tell what's hitting you, thus, no one can help you. Until you die. So if you see a black mist in any of the geonome's hands, get the hell oughtta there 'cause it's big trouble," he frowned. "By the way, what kind of magic did it look like I was hit with? I really can't remember . . ."
Zidane tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Based on the twitching and screaming, I'd say it was some kind of lightning attack,"
Kuja nodded. "Yeah, it probably had a hidden Thundaga in it. And one more thing. The geonomes are shape-shifters,"
Zidane sputtered with surprise. "Shape-shifters?! You mean, like, being able to turn into other things?!"
Kuja shrugged. "Basically . . . I mean, that stray chocobo over there," he pointed at Bobby Corwen as he made a mad dash down the street with the black mage hot on his heels. "Could be Drakja right now. Or that fly buzzing around your ear . . ."
Zidane shivered. "Stop it! You're freakin' me out!"
Kuja laughed. "Don't worry. Shape-shifting doesn't come all that easily for them and they don't do it often. I find it highly unlikely that the fly is a geonome. Although that one woman - Lulian or whatever - must be pretty good at it if she was romping around Alexandria as a German Shepard,"
Zidane still looked confused. "But what about you? You're nowhere NEAR that powerful! How could Garland think you were the second best?"
Kuja's deep blue eyes sparkled in a bemused manner. "Let's just say, I've got a few powers you've never seen besides my above-normal sorcery,"
"Like what?"
"Like . . . I'm Barrier Transmigratory,"
" . . . Which is . . .?"
"The ability to walk through walls,"
There followed a mad coughing fit from the second angel of death. When he recovered, he was red in the face and gasping for breath. "You . . . You can walk through WALLS?!!"
"Uh huh,"
"But . . . But you told us how you couldn't get in that door, and . . ."
"Cool it, Zidane," Kuja instructed, smirking slightly. "I didn't learn about that stuff till I was around fifteen or so and even then I never bothered developing it. Never thought I'd have to,"
"So . . . So you could walk right through me? Right now?"
Kuja shook his head. "Doubtful. I'm not experienced enough. But," he pulled out a coin of gil. "I can do the little stuff," slowly, the genome tipped his hand. The coin tumbled out and fell through his foot, vanishing from sight. Smiling, Kuja raised his boot. The gil lay beneath it. Zidane gasped.
"That's unbelievable! You are SO lucky!"
/Flash/
"You are lucky," she said smoothly, pressing a hand against Kuja's chest and running her fingers over his muscles. "You are powerful in body and spirit . . . Yet perhaps not so lucky? Hmm?"
/Flash/
Kuja bit his lip. "Perhaps . . ."
"Perhaps?! Hell, I'd give ANYTHING to be able to do that!"
"Even your soul?" the words came out of Kuja's mouth without him even realizing it. He paled, blinking. Why had he just said that? Zidane seemed to be wondering the same thing.
"Er . . . no, I don't think I would, thanks,"
Kuja shook his head. That haze was coming back. Everything seemed to appear before him as a mist. He rubbed his eyes a few times to rid himself of the feeling and then noticed Zidane staring at him.
"What?" he queried. Zidane frowned.
"Is that thing you do with the red eyes . . . part of your powers?"
Kuja was quite taken-aback by the question. "Listen, Zidane. I don't know what the heck you guys mean about the red eyes but, honestly, it's no big deal,"
"What about the gaps in your memory during those times?"
Kuja hesitated but was spared having to answer because at that moment a woman fell into him and Zidane, nearly knocking them to the ground. She was wearing a heavy cloak, obscuring her face, and she shrieked, clawing at Kuja furiously as he tried to shove her off.
"Lady! Lady, geez! Get off me!"
The woman suddenly grabbed Kuja's wrists and stood over him, her eyes wild.
Her lavender eyes . . .
"You!" Kuja hissed. Zidane was scrambling to his feet, daggers at the ready. However, Kuja halted his actions with a look. He turned back to the woman, who was breathing heavily, and softly questioned her. "What do you want . . .?"
The woman bared her teeth, grip tightening on Kuja's delicate wrists.
"Kuja!" she rasped. "You've got to get out of here! Now! Run!"
"What?! Why?!" people were stopping and staring. If this kept up, someone was going to gather soldiers.
"They will come for you!" the woman cried, grabbing Kuja's shoulders and shaking him. His hood fell back off his face, revealing silvery locks of hair. "You don't understand! The Invincible! Return to the Invincible!"
Kuja's face clouded over in confusion as he fought to get up. "You're - you're not - making - any - sense! What are you talking about?!"
Zidane's eyes were gleaming. He looked ready for some serious stabbing. Kuja glanced at him and shook his head. He had only managed to get in a sitting position. The woman continued to hold him down slightly.
"Now, slow down . . ." Kuja instructed. "And try and explain this to me . . ."
The violet-eyed specter did not seem ready to slow down. Rather, she seemed more hysterical than before. "No! You don't understand!" she seemed to be trying to convince him that he was not comprehending. "You're alive! They will come for you! You must go to the Invincible and deposit - "
She was cut off by the nearest shop-stall exploding. Debris and wood planks blasted in their direction barely managing to graze by. Just barely . . .
"No!" someone screamed nearby. "No! I'll kill you, you - " something flashed behind the violet-eyed woman and she was thrown off of the first angel of death so suddenly that neither he nor Zidane realized what had happened before it was too late.
"You tattling SNITCH!" an all-too-familiar voice shrieked. Lulian was crouched on one of the nearest roof-tops, green eyes flaring like a cats in the darkness. "You bitch! I'll kill you, I swear!" she leapt off the building, landing nearby. The second her feet hit the ground she vanished and reappeared next to Zidane, tossing him - caught unawares - out of the way.
The cloaked woman was getting to her feet, backing away defensively. "Ah, it's the alpha-female. Back and ready for clawing, I see,"
"Shut up, you perse-eyed freak!" Lulian took a threatening step forward. Kuja was still sitting on the ground, watching. Apparently, he was not afraid of Lulian.
"Kuja, it's that woman again!" Zidane ran over to his brother, waiting for confirmation that he could attack. But Kuja was staring intently at Lulian. He frowned. Zidane stepped back nervously. "What? What is it . . .?"
Lulian raised her hands, ready to attack. She growled furiously. "If I get whipped because of you, you're a DEAD WOMAN!"
Her nemesis sniggered, rolling her eyes. "Sure . . . Whatever,"
Flames erupted at her feet but she managed to jump out of the way. Lulian charged. Her opponent dodged and Lulian made a quarter-turn in the air to attack, palms at the ready. Unfortunately, the magical energy she had intended to threw at the cowl-covered specter was avoided and it pummeled into the shop-stall right behind Zidane and Kuja. Zidane managed to dive out of the way of the collapsing structure just in time. He hit the ground and immediately whipped his head over his shoulder in search of his brother.
"KUJA!!!"
There was a moment of silence. Lulian backed up a few steps, eyes uneasy. Zidane was breathing hard, unable to believe that Kuja couldn't have dodged that explosion. But their reactions were nothing compared to the lavender- eyed woman's. She clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes disbelieving.
"Oh no! Alpha-female, you fool! If you've stirred up . . ."
Lulian's leopard-like eyes rounded on her enemy. "Y-you don't mean what I think you mean . . .? Do you . . .?"
People were running and shouting now. Guards would be coming at any second. Zidane suddenly felt himself rising in the air.
"Wha - ?!" but he saw that the violet-eyed mistress was levitating him towards her with some kind of telekinesis.
"Zidane, come here! Hurry! Don't go near that building!" the blonde genome landed on his rear with a thump next to the woman. He glared up at her, rubbing his backside.
"But why?!"
Lulian was grinding her teeth nervously. "You'll see . . ."
A deep rumbling was shaking beneath the ground. Zidane felt the vibrations beneath him. He looked around in surprise, and then his eyes fell on the pile of rubble that Kuja was under. Cracks of light were shooting out of it in great golden beams. His eyes widened.
"Wh - what's going on . . .?!"
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A/N: CLIIIIIIIIIIIIF-HAAAAAAAAANGER! Wheeeeeeee!!!! Don't you just HATE it when we do that?! BWAHAHAHAHA! And I've already started work on the next chapter so I know EXACTLY what's happening! Heeheehee! Anyways . . . Purple-eyed woman . . . I'm sick of saying that. But I'm not revealing her name for awhile. Not until everyone gets friendly with her. Sorry . . . Oh well. Anyways, read and review!
B - L - A - C - K M - A - G - E D - A - D!
P.S. Barrier Transmigratory is a word I made up. So don't go using it in daily life 'cause it won't make you sound smarter. Quite the contrary, actually. Isn't it cool that Kuja can do that? Awesome!
Disclaimer: If I owned Final Fantasy they would be movies and I wouldn't be wasting time trying to battle my way through them. I would watch them every day! Alas, for my lack of ownership . . .
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"When will we learn . . . When will we change . . . We'll make millions writing books on the way we should have been . . ."
- Warning, Incubus
Kuja skidded down one of the side hallways, grasping onto the wall as he nearly lost his footing. She was going to be there . . . Somehow he just knew that woman was going to be there . . . As one of the lit corridors down the side came into view, he finally spotted the fiend, standing near a tapestry of the late Queen Brahne. Her unnaturally colored eyes were scanning it with extreme interest. When Kuja called out, she simply glanced at him, and then acted as if the genome wasn't there.
"Hello?!" he shouted in frustration. "Please! What is it you're trying to tell me?! What is the Metsubo?!"
The woman - ignoring the shouts - gently placed her hand against the tapestry, face remaining emotionless. Kuja's temper was boiling once more.
"Excuse me, are you DEAF?! Hello?!" he waved his arms (feeling rather foolish) in a vain attempt to get her attention. Slowly, the woman raised her eyes, turning them onto him and making him feel as if she were reading his mind.
"You and the queen had much more in common than you may have realized . . ." she said in her eerie, resonating voice. It sounded almost as if it didn't come from her throat but rather from the very walls around them.
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
The woman didn't answer. Instead, she raised a finger and beckoned Kuja over, silently drawing him nearer. He couldn't help but do so. When they were within touching distance, the woman turned to him, violet eyes casting over his physique. The first smile Kuja had ever seen on her face flickered across her lips. But it was more of a grimacing smirk than anything.
"You are lucky," she said smoothly, pressing a hand against Kuja's chest and running her fingers over his muscles. "You are powerful in body and spirit . . . Yet perhaps not so lucky? Hmm?"
"Wh-what do you mean?" Kuja found the whole thing very awkward. A stranger was touching him and talking about him as if he were some sort of object for sale.
"A body like this is rare and sought after," she answered simply, removing her hand and turning back to the tapestry.
"It's just a replica," said Kuja rather derisively, raising one of his arms and staring at the fine-toned shape. "That's all. It was just luck of the draw,"
The woman sneered, lavender eyes flashing. "Then answer me this: in the scheme of life, which is more important? The body, or the soul?"
Kuja was quite taken-aback by the question, finding it rather off-topic. He blinked, and the words tumbled out of his mouth of their own accord.
"The soul, of course,"
"Bingo,"
Kuja hesitated. "Uh . . . so . . .?"
The woman chuckled, turning back to face the genome. She looked him over again and then sighed, looking sad once more. She winced for a moment and looked over her shoulder nervously.
"I can't do this much longer . . ." she whispered to Kuja, eyes seemingly more orb-like than usual. "I've warned you, but there's only so much I can say before I'm cut off,"
"Cut off by who?"
The woman shook her head vigorously, pointing to her throat.
"Can't say, eh?"
She nodded silently. Kuja sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, searching the air for an answer. It hit him suddenly that he was standing in the middle of a hallway before a purple-eyed woman who couldn't talk about certain things and seemed a bit crazy at the same time. Maybe HE was the crazy one.
"Listen," Kuja snapped. "I just want to know what the Metsubo is and why you were showing me memories of Drakja! Is that so difficult?!"
"Well it must be or I would have done so already," the woman shot back. Kuja felt whipped and slightly ashamed. But still he pressed on.
"Why do you keep commenting on my soul? The thing is useless! It should have died years ago!"
"And it hasn't. Ever wondered why?"
Two emotions swooped down upon the first angel of death. One, that this woman knew something she shouldn't, and two, that she might actually have an answer.
"The thought's . . . crossed my mind . . ."
The woman looked thoughtful for a moment, then exhaled heavily, rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache. "I can't risk saying anything out loud," Kuja felt the sinking disappointment immediately. "But . . . I WILL tell you this: you know of Saishoja. You looked into him. Don't develop anything further,"
"But why?"
"JUST DON'T!!!" the woman screamed, dropping to her knees. Kuja reached out to catch her but she vanished.
Kuja hesitated, thinking back on her words. "Don't develop anything further . . ." he whispered to himself. Frowning slightly, he pulled a single coin of gil out of his pocket, holding it tightly between his fingers and clasping them into a fist so that the chip was no longer visible. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes. The coin slipped straight through the back of his hand and clattered to the floor with a dull chink. Kuja crouched down next to it, tail sweeping the floor, and gently picked it up.
/Don't develop anything further? But why? Obviously HE did!/ Kuja unconsciously found himself growling. With a start, someone called out behind him, causing the genome to drop the gil.
"Feather! What're you doing?" Megan trotted down the hall, shooting her friend strange looks from behind. Kuja hurriedly picked up the chip and looked over his shoulder, smiling and showing it to her.
"Found a coin," he said brightly, standing up and holding it out. "You want it?" Megan looked reluctant (she'd taken so much money from him already) however Kuja grabbed her hand and turned it palm up. A smirk flashed across his pale lips.
/Don't develop further?! Who the hell does she think she's kidding?! I'll do whatever I WANT!!!/
He lifted his wrist to drop the coin in her hand, then at the last minute teleported it into the other. Megan blinked and stared at her empty palm and then at his.
"How did you do that?!" she demanded, wrinkling her forehead. Kuja smirked, showing her the coin.
"Cool trick, huh?"
Megan put her hands on her hips, glowering. "Do it again," Kuja chuckled and stuck the coin in his mouth, showing it between his teeth first. Megan raised a curious eyebrow. Then Kuja threw his head back, looking as if he were swallowing the coin. Megan shrieked in horror. However, Kuja had let the coin drop straight out the back of his head and caught it in the hand hidden behind his back. When he showed her the coin, Megan looked almost faint.
"Feather, how . . . how is that possible?!"
Kuja just laughed and put an arm around her shoulder.
"Megan, one of these days you're going to learn that certain things are best left un-discussed,"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dust was blowing in the wind. Sand swirled around his feet. Messing up his nice shiny boots . . . Drakja scowled as he shuffled his way through the grainy powder, trying to keep it out of his more-than-perfect hair. He gave Garland a death-look and slung the pack over his other shoulder.
"I don't see why I can't just follow you as a snake or something!" Drakja snapped, tail thrashing the air angrily. Garland smirked, cape bobbing in the wind.
"Because you have to carry that pack with you,"
"Why can't YOU carry it?!"
Garland chuckled. "Two reasons. Because you obey me, and because SHE may not,"
"I THOUGHT she was DEAD!" Drakja shifted the pack again, the straps cutting into his shoulders. If it weren't for the sand in his teeth, he surely would have bitten his master.
"Of course she's not dead!" Garland snarled, kicking at a clump of dirt. "Do you think I would have come all this way if she was dead?!"
"Grrrrrrr . . ."
"Oh, grrrrrrr yourself . . ."
Drakja raised his eyes to the blistering sunlight. A bird swooped by unnaturally close.
/Lulian . . .? You're not supposed to be here . . ./
Garland stopped walking so abruptly that Drakja nearly bumped into him. "There . . ." the Terran leader whispered, pointing over the horizon. "You see it?"
Drakja's eyes widened. A volcano! He'd never seen one before!
"Whoa . . . And there's fire in there?"
"Sort of,"
Drakja's eyes grew larger.
"Come on. We don't have much time . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Unbeknownst to them, a woman was tracing their footsteps. She stopped and sniffed the air, frowning.
/Just as I thought . . . You plan to bring back all your old henchmen, eh Garland? Nice try . . ./
She glanced up at a bird soaring overhead. Her irregularly colored purple eyes flashed. "That is no normal flight pattern . . . Nice try again . . ."
The bird fluttered and landed on a nearby tree, eyeing the woman reproachfully. The violet-eyed specter glared back.
"You're shape-shifting is nice . . ." she hissed. "But you know you can't beat him nor fool me. . . Geonome . . ."
There was a slurping sound and the bird's body-parts twisted and melted, forming into a human physique until the bird was completely gone. Back to normal, Lulian growled down at the woman, fingers grabbing at the branch like a throat.
"Who are you?!" she shouted, bracing herself. The violet-eyed mistress simply laughed.
"Would you look at that! I've stumbled upon the alpha-female! You must have SOME talent, then . . ."
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
"No one of interest. Now then, I want some information from you Miss . . . What is your name?"
"Tell me how you knew I wasn't a bird and I will gladly spare your life!"
The violet-eyed woman gave Lulian a simpering smile. "Fine then. I shall call you alpha-female. Now, can you tell me when they plan on putting the Metsubo to its full use?"
Lulian pulled her heavily painted lips off her teeth, snarling. "Why should I?!"
A dry wind blew across the sand, causing it to rise up in small puffs before them. The woman's lavender eyes sparkled so dangerously that Lulian actually gripped the branch harder.
". . . Then you asked for it . . ."
The geonome let out a choked gasp, emerald eyes rolling up into her head. "No . . . what are you . . . doing . . . to me . . .?"
"Give in . . ." the woman whispered. Her voice seemed deeper, more melodic. Like running syrup. It poured in through Lulian's mind, soaking through its every nook and cranny. A shuddering sigh escaped the geonome's lips and a fountain of information seemed to tumble over her nemesis like an open book of secrets.
/Flash/
Ready . . . Aim . . . FIRE!
Look at these. God, it's the fountain of youth!
I can control everything else without his own mind! And use the remains for myself!
Garland, are you sure about this?
They're back . . . All of them . . . Beautiful, beautiful . . .
Don't let him unleash everything. He's being aided, remember?
Not . . . dead . . .?
I want my guardian back! Get me the Gulug stone!
I've reinstalled the old Invincible. Though with you, I won't be needing it.
Transmigratory?! He's Barrier Transmigratory?! Why didn't you TELL me?!
Kill her.
I want them back! I want them and I will have them!
It could kill him.
No! Not with Saishoja!
Funny. So many things he wanted and I give them to him in less than a second!
The summoners? Of course!
The girl. Look into the girl.
Two-thirds twice!
It's the Theory of Planetary Magnetism. It works like patchwork with my plan!
Tonight we use . . . the Metsubo . . .
/Flash/
The violet-eyed woman stumbled backwards, head reeling. Lulian let out a soft whimper and fainted out of the tree, landing with a thump in the sand.
"Planetary Magnetism?!" the woman gasped. "No! It can't be! Then . . . Then there is even more at stake here! I - I must no longer risk visions. I will go to the Ninth Devil in person! I may not be too late . . .
Please don't let me be too late . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuja heard a faint cluttering sound behind him as he stood, cowl-covered, in the market-square. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted a baby chocobo running loose down the street chased closely by a stumbling black mage. He hurriedly pulled his hood up further over his face.
"Are you buying, sir?" a voice asked nearby. Kuja didn't even look to see who it was and shook his head, backing away. He'd just needed to escape the castle. Megan had run off to her guest-room once more (still muttering "how is that possible . . .?" at the same time) and the others were hanging around too close for comfort. He'd been getting "the looks" again. Phooey . . .
Someone tapped the sorcerer on the shoulder, startling him. "Wha - ?"
"Hey! It's me, Zidane!" the blonde genome moved in front of his brother, smiling. "What's up?"
Kuja just grunted as people brushed past him, trying to squeeze their way down the crowded road. "Just wandering . . ."
"Yeah? Well maybe that's not the safest thing to be doing right now. You do realize this is one of the only areas those geonomes didn't burn to the ground. What makes you think they won't be back to finish the job?"
"Oh, they won't," said Kuja confidently. "I doubt they're here to destroy Alexandria. That doesn't seem like Garland's style,"
"He did it once before . . ."
"But only to keep me in check,"
Zidane folded his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow. "You know . . . No offense, bro, but you told us Garland viewed your original . . . ancestor . . . as the second most powerful warrior on Terra. But . . . Drakja seems a LOT more powerful than you,"
Kuja laughed, tucking a highly noticeable strand of silver hair back into his hood. "Yeah, I've been meaning to warn you about the geonomes - Drakja in particular - so you and your friends can be on alert,"
"What do you mean?"
"Well," Kuja said. "First of all, he - Drakja - is a Teleporter. He can vanish with the snap of a finger. Not only that, but he has flight - as you saw - and amazing physical and magical strength. You know that shadow- ball Garnet told me I was attacked with?" Zidane nodded with interest. "Well, let me put it to you this way. Avoid those at all costs. It's a sort of death-ball. Drakja summons the power of shadows with that attack and if you're hit, it acts like one. You're blinded; can't see a thing. And sometimes, the haze leads to unconsciousness or death. It shuts down your organs. On top of that, it uses magical attacks on you from the inside. No one can tell what's hitting you, thus, no one can help you. Until you die. So if you see a black mist in any of the geonome's hands, get the hell oughtta there 'cause it's big trouble," he frowned. "By the way, what kind of magic did it look like I was hit with? I really can't remember . . ."
Zidane tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Based on the twitching and screaming, I'd say it was some kind of lightning attack,"
Kuja nodded. "Yeah, it probably had a hidden Thundaga in it. And one more thing. The geonomes are shape-shifters,"
Zidane sputtered with surprise. "Shape-shifters?! You mean, like, being able to turn into other things?!"
Kuja shrugged. "Basically . . . I mean, that stray chocobo over there," he pointed at Bobby Corwen as he made a mad dash down the street with the black mage hot on his heels. "Could be Drakja right now. Or that fly buzzing around your ear . . ."
Zidane shivered. "Stop it! You're freakin' me out!"
Kuja laughed. "Don't worry. Shape-shifting doesn't come all that easily for them and they don't do it often. I find it highly unlikely that the fly is a geonome. Although that one woman - Lulian or whatever - must be pretty good at it if she was romping around Alexandria as a German Shepard,"
Zidane still looked confused. "But what about you? You're nowhere NEAR that powerful! How could Garland think you were the second best?"
Kuja's deep blue eyes sparkled in a bemused manner. "Let's just say, I've got a few powers you've never seen besides my above-normal sorcery,"
"Like what?"
"Like . . . I'm Barrier Transmigratory,"
" . . . Which is . . .?"
"The ability to walk through walls,"
There followed a mad coughing fit from the second angel of death. When he recovered, he was red in the face and gasping for breath. "You . . . You can walk through WALLS?!!"
"Uh huh,"
"But . . . But you told us how you couldn't get in that door, and . . ."
"Cool it, Zidane," Kuja instructed, smirking slightly. "I didn't learn about that stuff till I was around fifteen or so and even then I never bothered developing it. Never thought I'd have to,"
"So . . . So you could walk right through me? Right now?"
Kuja shook his head. "Doubtful. I'm not experienced enough. But," he pulled out a coin of gil. "I can do the little stuff," slowly, the genome tipped his hand. The coin tumbled out and fell through his foot, vanishing from sight. Smiling, Kuja raised his boot. The gil lay beneath it. Zidane gasped.
"That's unbelievable! You are SO lucky!"
/Flash/
"You are lucky," she said smoothly, pressing a hand against Kuja's chest and running her fingers over his muscles. "You are powerful in body and spirit . . . Yet perhaps not so lucky? Hmm?"
/Flash/
Kuja bit his lip. "Perhaps . . ."
"Perhaps?! Hell, I'd give ANYTHING to be able to do that!"
"Even your soul?" the words came out of Kuja's mouth without him even realizing it. He paled, blinking. Why had he just said that? Zidane seemed to be wondering the same thing.
"Er . . . no, I don't think I would, thanks,"
Kuja shook his head. That haze was coming back. Everything seemed to appear before him as a mist. He rubbed his eyes a few times to rid himself of the feeling and then noticed Zidane staring at him.
"What?" he queried. Zidane frowned.
"Is that thing you do with the red eyes . . . part of your powers?"
Kuja was quite taken-aback by the question. "Listen, Zidane. I don't know what the heck you guys mean about the red eyes but, honestly, it's no big deal,"
"What about the gaps in your memory during those times?"
Kuja hesitated but was spared having to answer because at that moment a woman fell into him and Zidane, nearly knocking them to the ground. She was wearing a heavy cloak, obscuring her face, and she shrieked, clawing at Kuja furiously as he tried to shove her off.
"Lady! Lady, geez! Get off me!"
The woman suddenly grabbed Kuja's wrists and stood over him, her eyes wild.
Her lavender eyes . . .
"You!" Kuja hissed. Zidane was scrambling to his feet, daggers at the ready. However, Kuja halted his actions with a look. He turned back to the woman, who was breathing heavily, and softly questioned her. "What do you want . . .?"
The woman bared her teeth, grip tightening on Kuja's delicate wrists.
"Kuja!" she rasped. "You've got to get out of here! Now! Run!"
"What?! Why?!" people were stopping and staring. If this kept up, someone was going to gather soldiers.
"They will come for you!" the woman cried, grabbing Kuja's shoulders and shaking him. His hood fell back off his face, revealing silvery locks of hair. "You don't understand! The Invincible! Return to the Invincible!"
Kuja's face clouded over in confusion as he fought to get up. "You're - you're not - making - any - sense! What are you talking about?!"
Zidane's eyes were gleaming. He looked ready for some serious stabbing. Kuja glanced at him and shook his head. He had only managed to get in a sitting position. The woman continued to hold him down slightly.
"Now, slow down . . ." Kuja instructed. "And try and explain this to me . . ."
The violet-eyed specter did not seem ready to slow down. Rather, she seemed more hysterical than before. "No! You don't understand!" she seemed to be trying to convince him that he was not comprehending. "You're alive! They will come for you! You must go to the Invincible and deposit - "
She was cut off by the nearest shop-stall exploding. Debris and wood planks blasted in their direction barely managing to graze by. Just barely . . .
"No!" someone screamed nearby. "No! I'll kill you, you - " something flashed behind the violet-eyed woman and she was thrown off of the first angel of death so suddenly that neither he nor Zidane realized what had happened before it was too late.
"You tattling SNITCH!" an all-too-familiar voice shrieked. Lulian was crouched on one of the nearest roof-tops, green eyes flaring like a cats in the darkness. "You bitch! I'll kill you, I swear!" she leapt off the building, landing nearby. The second her feet hit the ground she vanished and reappeared next to Zidane, tossing him - caught unawares - out of the way.
The cloaked woman was getting to her feet, backing away defensively. "Ah, it's the alpha-female. Back and ready for clawing, I see,"
"Shut up, you perse-eyed freak!" Lulian took a threatening step forward. Kuja was still sitting on the ground, watching. Apparently, he was not afraid of Lulian.
"Kuja, it's that woman again!" Zidane ran over to his brother, waiting for confirmation that he could attack. But Kuja was staring intently at Lulian. He frowned. Zidane stepped back nervously. "What? What is it . . .?"
Lulian raised her hands, ready to attack. She growled furiously. "If I get whipped because of you, you're a DEAD WOMAN!"
Her nemesis sniggered, rolling her eyes. "Sure . . . Whatever,"
Flames erupted at her feet but she managed to jump out of the way. Lulian charged. Her opponent dodged and Lulian made a quarter-turn in the air to attack, palms at the ready. Unfortunately, the magical energy she had intended to threw at the cowl-covered specter was avoided and it pummeled into the shop-stall right behind Zidane and Kuja. Zidane managed to dive out of the way of the collapsing structure just in time. He hit the ground and immediately whipped his head over his shoulder in search of his brother.
"KUJA!!!"
There was a moment of silence. Lulian backed up a few steps, eyes uneasy. Zidane was breathing hard, unable to believe that Kuja couldn't have dodged that explosion. But their reactions were nothing compared to the lavender- eyed woman's. She clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes disbelieving.
"Oh no! Alpha-female, you fool! If you've stirred up . . ."
Lulian's leopard-like eyes rounded on her enemy. "Y-you don't mean what I think you mean . . .? Do you . . .?"
People were running and shouting now. Guards would be coming at any second. Zidane suddenly felt himself rising in the air.
"Wha - ?!" but he saw that the violet-eyed mistress was levitating him towards her with some kind of telekinesis.
"Zidane, come here! Hurry! Don't go near that building!" the blonde genome landed on his rear with a thump next to the woman. He glared up at her, rubbing his backside.
"But why?!"
Lulian was grinding her teeth nervously. "You'll see . . ."
A deep rumbling was shaking beneath the ground. Zidane felt the vibrations beneath him. He looked around in surprise, and then his eyes fell on the pile of rubble that Kuja was under. Cracks of light were shooting out of it in great golden beams. His eyes widened.
"Wh - what's going on . . .?!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: CLIIIIIIIIIIIIF-HAAAAAAAAANGER! Wheeeeeeee!!!! Don't you just HATE it when we do that?! BWAHAHAHAHA! And I've already started work on the next chapter so I know EXACTLY what's happening! Heeheehee! Anyways . . . Purple-eyed woman . . . I'm sick of saying that. But I'm not revealing her name for awhile. Not until everyone gets friendly with her. Sorry . . . Oh well. Anyways, read and review!
B - L - A - C - K M - A - G - E D - A - D!
P.S. Barrier Transmigratory is a word I made up. So don't go using it in daily life 'cause it won't make you sound smarter. Quite the contrary, actually. Isn't it cool that Kuja can do that? Awesome!