IMPORTANT NOTE!:
MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE TO KNOW THE ANSWER BECAUSE IT AFFECTS A BIG PART OF THE PLOT! SO PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTION IN A REVIEW! IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO SO!
A/N: Aaaaaagh! I caught a virus! I mean . . . my computer caught a virus ^_^ It was so sad! I had to back-up everything and . . . and . . . blah . . . This chapter is sooooooo important! I can't even stress how important this chapter is! It changes EVERYTHING! So ya can't skip it ;-) A lot is going to start making sense now. And the plot thickens! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Disclaimer: I would LOVE to say that I own Final Fantasy. But NO! I cannot!
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"Too much hope is the opposite of despair . . . An overpowering love may consume you in the end."
- Vincent Valentine, Final Fantasy VII
"Kuja?! KUJA!!!"
Zidane ran desperately around the top floor of the Invincible, searching frantically for his lost brother. The crew had split up and spread out; some searching the Airship Holding Facility, others scanning the Invincible. Zidane had thought Kuja would be easy to spot; just follow the trail of destruction. But it appeared that the silver-haired sorcerer hadn't done anything! The airship looked perfectly fine! The blonde stopped at the top of the middle staircase, peering down into its deep, murky depths.
/A red light? Of course! The place where the souls are stored!/
"Kuja!" Zidane screamed, leaning forward and gripping the railing for support. There was no response save the cold, numbing silence.
"Zidane!" Lani shouted from the control-room, peering around the door- frame. "Do you think it's possible Kuja left this building entirely?!"
"Impossible . . ." Zidane whispered to himself. "We SAW him go in here!"
/Could he have gone downstairs? But there's nothing down there . . . The souls all went back into the cycle. Hmm . . ./
Tentatively, Zidane placed a foot on the step beneath him. He knew it was dangerous to leave the top floor by himself, but something told him he was safe. Climbing down the stairs, the genome shielded his eyes from the burning red glow.
Once he had cleared the more powerful rays of light, the outline of a deep scoop-like bowl (the inner-eye of the ship) came into view. Lying upon the floor before it, he saw the silhouette of . . . a body?!
"Kuja!" Zidane gasped. He immediately flew down the steps, throwing himself upon the ground next to his fallen brother. Fingers trembling, Zidane turned the man over. The warlock's eyes were partially open, the faint red glow still burning beneath the lids. Zidane knew it was dangerous to be near Kuja in that state . . . but he couldn't just leave him there!
"Beatrix!" Zidane called out, trying to see to the top of the stairs in the light. "Beatrix, c'mere! I FOUND HIM!"
There was some excited movements from above and the outline of a shapely woman appeared at the top of the steps.
"You did?! Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine! But HE'S not! I need you to come down here and help me!"
There was a moment of hesitation in which Zidane heard the general whispering to someone else. Finally, her voice floated back into the eerie room. "Alright, we're coming down! Lani's getting the others!"
Zidane nervously poked Kuja's hand. It was ice cold. The sorcerer appeared to be unconscious . . . But . . .
"Zidane, don't touch him!" Beatrix commanded, stepping through the glow and coming up next to her companion. Behind her, Zidane could see Vivi, Quina, and Garnet.
"I-Is he dead . . .?" Vivi whispered, instinctively moving in close to Garnet. Beatrix crouched down next to Kuja, peering into his eyes.
"They're still enflamed . . ." she muttered. "Which means if we wake him up . . ."
"He'll try and kill Zidane . . ." Garnet completed the sentence, frowning. Beatrix leaned forward, biting her lip.
"I don't think we have any choice . . ." she said finally. The others looked at her in surprise. Quina didn't seem to like this idea at all.
"That man insane! He best off asleep!"
General Beatrix didn't respond. Gently, she placed a hand on Kuja's forehead and muttered "Cure . . ." Small strands of light glided off her finger-tips and into Kuja. A faint glow spread over him for a second, and then vanished with a swish. Beatrix patiently pulled her hand back and waited.
"Uh . . ."
Kuja stirred for a moment. Zidane poised himself, ready to drag the sorcerer back down if he had to. But the crimson luminescence in Kuja's eyes faded, leaving nothing but the whites. Behind them, the remaining members of the party were jumping the last few steps, voices hushed in awe. Then the warlock groaned and opened his eyes completely.
"Wha . . . What's . . ."
And for the rest of Zidane's life, he would never forget that horrified look that passed over Kuja's face when he realized where he was.
"No!" the sorcerer cried, sitting up so suddenly that Zidane fell backwards. Kuja's hands flew to his mouth. He looked over his shoulder at the scoop. "No!" he repeated. "Oh god, I didn't!" he turned desperately to the others, now-blue eyes wide. "I couldn't have!" Zidane noticed that Kuja was shivering.
"Beatrix . . . Let's just get out of here. We can deal with this later,"
No one spoke. Kuja still seemed to be in shock. "Did I . . . kill anyone . . .?" he rasped, tears brimming his eyes. The silence increased. It felt like a giant hand was squeezing the Invincible; closing in the walls. Beatrix stood slowly, sighing and brushing a strand of bronze hair over her shoulder.
"One soldier . . ." said the general, shrugging. "But no charges will be pressed. You didn't know what you were doing, after all. Now let's get out of here. The people outside are getting suspicious,"
There were several murmurs of assent and the crew climbed the stairs, leaving Zidane and Kuja alone in the eerie, glowing room. After a moment, Zidane spoke again.
"Can you stand?" the blonde genome queried, turning to his brother. Kuja nodded slowly, pulling himself to his feet. His eyes were hollow. He seemed to be lost in thought. They headed towards the stairs. Kuja stumbled slightly and shut his eyes. Zidane hesitated.
"Are you SURE you're alright?"
Kuja bit his lip. "I-I'm fine. Really. Let's go,"
The red glow was receding in the background as if their exiting presence was causing the light to die. Zidane noticed this but chose not to mention it. He was too concerned about Kuja. Did the others really believe him? Kuja COULDN'T have known what he was doing! Could he?
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"You've got until the count of three . . ." Garland drawled, drumming his fingers on the armrest of the throne. ". . . To tell me the specified location . . ."
The violet-eyed woman spat at his feet, snarling. "Why the hell should I tell YOU?!" she snapped.
"If Garland commands it, you will do it!" Drakja shouted from behind, cracking his whip against the cold, steel tile floor of the ship.
"I don't KNOW where they are!" the woman shrieked, rubbing her wrists together behind her back in a feeble attempt to break the chains binding her. Drakja slapped her hard and she fell to the floor, whimpering. A trickle of blood rolled down her lip.
"YOU WILL DO AS GARLAND COMMANDS YOU!!!" Drakja screamed, kicking his prisoner hard in the side. The violet-eyed woman groaned but didn't make any sounds of breaking. She'd be a hard one to crack . . .
"I would NEVER reveal information to the likes of YOU!" she choked, glaring into Garland's white, colorless eyes. "And you can't make me!"
"Oh, but I can," Garland said softly, his voice carrying the faintest trace of a threat. "YOU may be unable to use your powers right now, however . . . I can," the woman spat again, growling lightly. Garland frowned for a moment, thinking.
"Drakja . . ." the Terran leader beckoned the geonome over to the throne. "What if you used our little experiment on her and then reversed its effects. I would have complete access to her information . . . would I not?"
"I-I think so," Drakja seemed rather unsure. "But shouldn't we test it out on someone more . . . dispensable . . . first? Didn't you want to try it out on the first angel of death?"
Garland didn't answer right away. He was staring down at the woman sprawled before his feet, face passive. He knew what she was thinking. She was aware of what her captors wanted to do to her.
"You're right," Garland said finally, much to Drakja's relief. "Her information is too valuable. One slip up and we could lose it,"
The violet-eyed woman pursed her lips, glaring. "Fool . . ." she hissed. Garland ignored the prisoner.
"I've got a better idea . . ." the faintest hint of a smile crossed the Terran leader's aged face but quickly vanished into the deep brooding that was forever Garland. "We will simply weed it out . . . one place at a time. Eventually, we will find what we need. And . . ." Garland's seemingly sightless eyes lit up. "I will gain back my power in preparation for the final experiment,"
Drakja blinked, then laughed. "Brilliant, sir! Brilliant!" he applauded, receiving many death-glares from the violet-eyed woman at the same time. "I love it! Shall we begin today?"
Garland smirked, nodding. "Absolutely . . ."
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Standing upon the steps of Alexandria Castle, Freya watched the soldiers load the body of Crystal Tan into a sack. They carried her to a wagon waiting outside and dumped the corpse in the back. Freya's whiskers twitched but she said nothing.
"'Tis a shame, is it not, my dear?"
Freya glanced over her shoulder at Fratley, who came up beside her and sighed. The two watched the procession outside the castle sadly.
"This is dejá vu . . ." Freya whispered, gritting her teeth together. "Every time that man is around . . . someone perishes . . ."
"I don't think we can blame Kuja for this one . . ." Fratley said slowly, resting against his spear.
"Give me a break!" Freya's voice was harsher than she had intended. "Kuja is a man of cunning and great evil. He would stop at nothing to continue the havoc that was torn out from beneath his feet years ago. It all makes sense to me! Kuja wanted to go to the Invincible so that he could regain control of it for more souls. And then he plans on killing Zidane to get rid of his replacement! It is just SO like him!"
"Beatrix seems to have faith in him," Fratley pointed out, glancing at his girlfriend out of the corner of his eye. "And I would trust Beatrix with my life,"
"Beatrix is not always right . . ."
"She has intuition, Freya dear. As do I,"
"Hmph," Freya felt particularly embittered. /You do not even remember our childhood . . . Don't talk to ME about intuition . . ./
Nearby, Garnet watched the flickering emotions on Freya's face.
"I know how you feel . . ." she grumbled to herself, watching the cart ride off into the sunset. "That man is evil. If not for Zidane, he would be rotting in a jail-cell right - now,"
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"So . . . Is it alright if I just leave you here?" Zidane queried, glancing nervously at Kuja as they approached Alexandria Castle. Kuja nodded numbly, brushed the hair out of his face, and trudged up the steps in an extremely automatic state. Zidane watched his brother go, then went running around the back way to see if he could find Megan without the sorcerer hanging around.
But SHE found HIM.
"Zidane?! Oh my god, it IS you!"
"Megan?"
The young brunette threw her arms around Zidane's neck, squeezing him till he was blue. "Oh, Zidane! I don't know what just happened but please - PLEASE - help Feather!"
Zidane managed to slither out of Megan's grasp enough to breathe. "Megan," he choked, rubbing his sore ribcage. "What are you talking about?"
Megan blinked, eyes shiny behind her glasses. "I-I don't know . . . B-but something was wrong with him! I-I remember when I saw these monsters . . . They would corrupt people's minds and - and then the person would DIE!" she dissolved into tears once more, burying her face in Zidane's chest and causing him to blush profusely.
/Whoo . . . I hope Dagger's not nearby . . ./ the genome thought nervously. /She'd kill me!/
"Here Megan," he offered. "Why don't we go back into the castle. It's silly to talk out here. The sun's already starting to go down,"
Megan pulled back, sniffling and wiping her nose on one sleeve. "S-so he's not being corrupted by monsters? And - and he's not gonna die?"
Zidane laughed, slinging an arm around the young woman's shoulders. "Of course not!"
"Oh . . ." Megan let out a shaky breath. "I-I guess that's good news . . ."
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"Erm . . . You guys wouldn't mind if we stopped somewhere, would you? Looks like rain . . ."
Getsuyo-Bi gave Mr. 41 a dejected look but the others nodded. They'd been traveling for days and were horribly exhausted. The boat-ride across the ocean to the Mist Continent had been bad enough (all six of Vivi's children had gotten sea-sick much to Mr. 41's dismay) and the poor little tykes could only travel so much a day.
"What's the closest town?" the elder mage queried, clutching the brim of his hat and glancing around. All he saw was grass, grass, and more grass.
"There's something over there!" Kayo-Bi pointed out, spotting what appeared to be a small settlement a few miles away. Mr. 41's amber eyes widened as he realized where they were.
"Why, that must be Dali!" he exclaimed, feeling the mounting excitement inside. "Alexandria must be only a few miles away! We've almost made it!" Vivi's children cheered. However, Mr. 41 suddenly felt the disappointment hit him over the head like a sack of bricks.
"Wait . . . We can't go there . . . It's DALI! They MADE us,"
"Not US, Mr. 41, sir," Nichio-Bi piped up, tugging on Mr. 41's sleeve. "Mikoto-sama made us!"
Mr. 41 groaned. "Oh man . . . Can't we just camp out? I don't want to go back to that stinkin' town . . . With its egg machines . . . And chocobo wheels . . . And barrels . . . And windmills . . ."
Vivi's children all looked at each other in surprise, eyes bright.
"WINDMILLS?!" they cried. "Oh, PLEASE let us go! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!"
"No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No,"
"Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!"
"No. No. No. No. No,"
"PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!"
"No. No. No."
"PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE! PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!!
"ALRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!!"
Mr. 41 sat down in a huff, straightening his hat in distress. "You children will be the death of me . . ."
"Yay!" the tykes all threw their arms around Mr. 41 gratefully.
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Zidane escorted Megan back to her guest-room, ushering the young woman inside before Garnet noticed. Closing the door softly, the genome gave an embarrassed sort of smile.
"So . . ." he began, scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry about all that,"
"'s alright . . ." Megan mumbled, plunking onto the bed. "I was just worried, that's all,"
"K - I mean - Feather will be fine," Zidane assured the young girl, sitting down in a chair nearby.
"But what happened?" Megan begged, sniffling.
"Well . . . we, er, kinda don't know,"
"Oh. Well then how can you say he'll be fine?!"
Zidane blushed. "I don't think its anything serious. He's not insane,"
"He tried to KILL you!"
"Sibling rivalry?" Zidane offered, the red in his cheeks deepening. Megan rolled her eyes and collapsed back on the bed, groaning.
"I'm so confused . . . I don't know WHAT to think . . . Sometimes I think I don't know Feather at all!" Zidane's eyes widened.
/Flash/
"What do you want me to do?"
"You have to - HAVE TO - make your brother tell that girl who he really is,"
"You mean Megan?"
"Yes. Do whatever it takes,"
/Flash/
"Shoot . . ."
"What?"
Zidane straightened himself in the chair, shifting uncomfortably. "Megan, I was just wondering. Your relationship with Feather . . . what is it?"
Megan rolled onto her side, holding her head up with one hand. "I dunno . . . friends?"
"Nothing more?"
She shrugged. "I don't think so . . ."
"Oh," Zidane curled his tail around his ankle thoughtfully. /What am I doing?/
Megan sighed, rolling to her back again and stretching luxuriously like a cat. "I feel kind of guilty, though," she said suddenly, staring absently at the ceiling. "Feather pesters me sometimes about where I come from. And I keep lying or avoiding the subject . . ."
Zidane glanced at the brunette with interest. "Really? Why? You from the slums or something?"
Megan laughed. "Of course not!"
"What then?"
Megan's lips twitched into a small smile and she gave Zidane a strange look.
"I don't know why, but I feel I can trust you with this stuff,"
Zidane smirked. "I am a golden vault. Tell me what you wish,"
Megan yawned, resting one arm on her stomach and the other behind her head. "I really should tell Feather," she said sadly. "I already told him I'm not from Katei,"
"Yeah?"
"Yup. I actually come from a small city near the northern tip of the Outer Continent,"
Zidane raised an eyebrow. "There aren't any cities up there,"
"Well that's what's confusing Feather!" Megan exclaimed, chuckling. "There isn't one now, but there was. I told him it was destroyed by tornadoes but - "
"That's a lie?"
"Bingo,"
"What happened then?" Zidane's voice was hushed with interest. His eyes sparkled. Megan smiled bemusedly at him.
"It's not a happy tale," she explained. "And I sure as hell don't remember it well . . ." she exhaled slowly, trying to think back thirteen years. "When I was nine, I was living with my mother and father. That was all. My grandparents on my dad's side lived nearby. Things were wonderful. Then one day . . . poof! It was all gone,"
"What happened?" Zidane whispered, leaning forward eagerly. Megan's eyes went slightly out of focus.
"All I remember . . . is an eye,"
". . . An eye?"
"Uh huh. This big red eye in the sky. It came and the next thing I knew, everything was in flames. My parents ran for it. Big mistake. My father was impaled on falling debris. I was really lucky, though. He was holding me and the chunk missed. Bleeding to death, he handed me over to my mother and grandmother. She had found us running. Unfortunately, Grandpa was already gone. Burned to death. Then my mother and grandmother took me and fled the town,"
Zidane felt an icy chill in the pit of his stomach as if he'd swallowed a block of ice and it was slowly melting there. "A-and this town . . . Was it near the Iifa Tree?"
"Yeah . . . So?"
/This CAN'T be happening . . ./
Zidane took a deep breath, ready to the take the fatal plunge. "Was this town called . . . Madain Sari, by any chance,"
Megan sat up abruptly, eyes wide. "How did you know?!"
Zidane let out a groan of horror and gripped his hair. /Just count to ten . . . It's not the end of the world . . ./
"Zidane?"
/WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! SHE'S A GOD DAMN SUMMONER!!!!!/
Zidane kicked his legs furiously, mimicking a minor temper tantrum. "Not happening," he mumbled. "This is NOT happening,"
Megan stood up tentatively, looking nervous. "Hey, you okay?"
Zidane quickly stopped, took a deep breath, and looked up slowly into the eyes of the seemingly normal girl before him.
/She doesn't have a horn. And I've never seen her use magic./
"Can you . . . summon eidolons?" the genome queried, locking eyes with the young girl. She, in turn, blinked.
"Eido . . . what?"
Zidane's face clouded over in confusion. "Eidolons. Great big monsters. You . . . don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"
Megan looked thoughtful for a moment, chewing on a fingernail. Then she burst out laughing, head thrown back.
"You mean Guardian Forces?!" she collapsed into a chair, crowing with laughter. "You think I . . . can summon Guardian Forces?!"
"But I thought ALL summoners from Madain Sari could," Zidane admitted innocently. Megan smirked.
"Well I COULD. That is, before my mother screwed up,"
"What?"
"Yeah, see, during our journey to Katei, my mother and grandmother decided we'd all cut off our horns to blend into the rest of Gaia better. But they cut mine too deep. I've lost all connection to Guardians and all forms of magic,"
Zidane stood up, moving in towards the young girl. "No magic? So you're not any kind of mage or anything?"
"Nope."
Zidane brushed some of the hair out of Megan's face, staring at the spot where the horn should've been.
"Fascinating . . ."
Then he stopped. A memory emerged in the genome's mind that he hadn't had in years. Something Kuja had once said while seemingly on his death-bed.
/Flash/
I did it . . . I destroyed their village . . . I was fourteen years old . . . Garland made me . . . I'm so sorry! I wanted to tell the queen . . . and the little summoner . . . but . . . but . . .
/Flash/
Zidane stumbled backwards, hands over his mouth. "Oh holy shit,"
Megan blinked, touching her forehead. "What? Am I getting acne or something?"
"No. No, it's not that,"
"Then what?"
Zidane looked wildly at the door. "Listen, I've REALLY got to go. We'll talk later!" and he tore out of the room so fast that a breeze ruffled the curtains. Zidane cursed furiously as he ran.
/This is going to be harder than I thought . . ./
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A/N: Ah, a not-ridiculously-long chapter. Hasn't been one of those in awhile. Anyhow . . . yeesh! What's Kuja gonna do now? Or should I say: what's Megan gonna do now? When she finds out who Kuja is? *Cackles maniacally* I am just SOOOOOOO evil! And now for the most important thing!
PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:
If you remember the story of Terra, then you know that Kuja is simply a recreation of a previous Terran (Saishoja). Kuja said he wasn't sure if Drakja (the villain) is the real Drakja from Terra or a remake. WHAT DO YOU THINK? IS DRAKJA THE ORIGINAL OR NOT? PLEEEEEEEEEASE TELL ME!
P.S. Yay! Today's my birthday! Bwahahahaha! I'm FINALLY fourteen! *runs in happy circles*
MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE TO KNOW THE ANSWER BECAUSE IT AFFECTS A BIG PART OF THE PLOT! SO PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTION IN A REVIEW! IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO SO!
A/N: Aaaaaagh! I caught a virus! I mean . . . my computer caught a virus ^_^ It was so sad! I had to back-up everything and . . . and . . . blah . . . This chapter is sooooooo important! I can't even stress how important this chapter is! It changes EVERYTHING! So ya can't skip it ;-) A lot is going to start making sense now. And the plot thickens! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Disclaimer: I would LOVE to say that I own Final Fantasy. But NO! I cannot!
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"Too much hope is the opposite of despair . . . An overpowering love may consume you in the end."
- Vincent Valentine, Final Fantasy VII
"Kuja?! KUJA!!!"
Zidane ran desperately around the top floor of the Invincible, searching frantically for his lost brother. The crew had split up and spread out; some searching the Airship Holding Facility, others scanning the Invincible. Zidane had thought Kuja would be easy to spot; just follow the trail of destruction. But it appeared that the silver-haired sorcerer hadn't done anything! The airship looked perfectly fine! The blonde stopped at the top of the middle staircase, peering down into its deep, murky depths.
/A red light? Of course! The place where the souls are stored!/
"Kuja!" Zidane screamed, leaning forward and gripping the railing for support. There was no response save the cold, numbing silence.
"Zidane!" Lani shouted from the control-room, peering around the door- frame. "Do you think it's possible Kuja left this building entirely?!"
"Impossible . . ." Zidane whispered to himself. "We SAW him go in here!"
/Could he have gone downstairs? But there's nothing down there . . . The souls all went back into the cycle. Hmm . . ./
Tentatively, Zidane placed a foot on the step beneath him. He knew it was dangerous to leave the top floor by himself, but something told him he was safe. Climbing down the stairs, the genome shielded his eyes from the burning red glow.
Once he had cleared the more powerful rays of light, the outline of a deep scoop-like bowl (the inner-eye of the ship) came into view. Lying upon the floor before it, he saw the silhouette of . . . a body?!
"Kuja!" Zidane gasped. He immediately flew down the steps, throwing himself upon the ground next to his fallen brother. Fingers trembling, Zidane turned the man over. The warlock's eyes were partially open, the faint red glow still burning beneath the lids. Zidane knew it was dangerous to be near Kuja in that state . . . but he couldn't just leave him there!
"Beatrix!" Zidane called out, trying to see to the top of the stairs in the light. "Beatrix, c'mere! I FOUND HIM!"
There was some excited movements from above and the outline of a shapely woman appeared at the top of the steps.
"You did?! Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine! But HE'S not! I need you to come down here and help me!"
There was a moment of hesitation in which Zidane heard the general whispering to someone else. Finally, her voice floated back into the eerie room. "Alright, we're coming down! Lani's getting the others!"
Zidane nervously poked Kuja's hand. It was ice cold. The sorcerer appeared to be unconscious . . . But . . .
"Zidane, don't touch him!" Beatrix commanded, stepping through the glow and coming up next to her companion. Behind her, Zidane could see Vivi, Quina, and Garnet.
"I-Is he dead . . .?" Vivi whispered, instinctively moving in close to Garnet. Beatrix crouched down next to Kuja, peering into his eyes.
"They're still enflamed . . ." she muttered. "Which means if we wake him up . . ."
"He'll try and kill Zidane . . ." Garnet completed the sentence, frowning. Beatrix leaned forward, biting her lip.
"I don't think we have any choice . . ." she said finally. The others looked at her in surprise. Quina didn't seem to like this idea at all.
"That man insane! He best off asleep!"
General Beatrix didn't respond. Gently, she placed a hand on Kuja's forehead and muttered "Cure . . ." Small strands of light glided off her finger-tips and into Kuja. A faint glow spread over him for a second, and then vanished with a swish. Beatrix patiently pulled her hand back and waited.
"Uh . . ."
Kuja stirred for a moment. Zidane poised himself, ready to drag the sorcerer back down if he had to. But the crimson luminescence in Kuja's eyes faded, leaving nothing but the whites. Behind them, the remaining members of the party were jumping the last few steps, voices hushed in awe. Then the warlock groaned and opened his eyes completely.
"Wha . . . What's . . ."
And for the rest of Zidane's life, he would never forget that horrified look that passed over Kuja's face when he realized where he was.
"No!" the sorcerer cried, sitting up so suddenly that Zidane fell backwards. Kuja's hands flew to his mouth. He looked over his shoulder at the scoop. "No!" he repeated. "Oh god, I didn't!" he turned desperately to the others, now-blue eyes wide. "I couldn't have!" Zidane noticed that Kuja was shivering.
"Beatrix . . . Let's just get out of here. We can deal with this later,"
No one spoke. Kuja still seemed to be in shock. "Did I . . . kill anyone . . .?" he rasped, tears brimming his eyes. The silence increased. It felt like a giant hand was squeezing the Invincible; closing in the walls. Beatrix stood slowly, sighing and brushing a strand of bronze hair over her shoulder.
"One soldier . . ." said the general, shrugging. "But no charges will be pressed. You didn't know what you were doing, after all. Now let's get out of here. The people outside are getting suspicious,"
There were several murmurs of assent and the crew climbed the stairs, leaving Zidane and Kuja alone in the eerie, glowing room. After a moment, Zidane spoke again.
"Can you stand?" the blonde genome queried, turning to his brother. Kuja nodded slowly, pulling himself to his feet. His eyes were hollow. He seemed to be lost in thought. They headed towards the stairs. Kuja stumbled slightly and shut his eyes. Zidane hesitated.
"Are you SURE you're alright?"
Kuja bit his lip. "I-I'm fine. Really. Let's go,"
The red glow was receding in the background as if their exiting presence was causing the light to die. Zidane noticed this but chose not to mention it. He was too concerned about Kuja. Did the others really believe him? Kuja COULDN'T have known what he was doing! Could he?
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"You've got until the count of three . . ." Garland drawled, drumming his fingers on the armrest of the throne. ". . . To tell me the specified location . . ."
The violet-eyed woman spat at his feet, snarling. "Why the hell should I tell YOU?!" she snapped.
"If Garland commands it, you will do it!" Drakja shouted from behind, cracking his whip against the cold, steel tile floor of the ship.
"I don't KNOW where they are!" the woman shrieked, rubbing her wrists together behind her back in a feeble attempt to break the chains binding her. Drakja slapped her hard and she fell to the floor, whimpering. A trickle of blood rolled down her lip.
"YOU WILL DO AS GARLAND COMMANDS YOU!!!" Drakja screamed, kicking his prisoner hard in the side. The violet-eyed woman groaned but didn't make any sounds of breaking. She'd be a hard one to crack . . .
"I would NEVER reveal information to the likes of YOU!" she choked, glaring into Garland's white, colorless eyes. "And you can't make me!"
"Oh, but I can," Garland said softly, his voice carrying the faintest trace of a threat. "YOU may be unable to use your powers right now, however . . . I can," the woman spat again, growling lightly. Garland frowned for a moment, thinking.
"Drakja . . ." the Terran leader beckoned the geonome over to the throne. "What if you used our little experiment on her and then reversed its effects. I would have complete access to her information . . . would I not?"
"I-I think so," Drakja seemed rather unsure. "But shouldn't we test it out on someone more . . . dispensable . . . first? Didn't you want to try it out on the first angel of death?"
Garland didn't answer right away. He was staring down at the woman sprawled before his feet, face passive. He knew what she was thinking. She was aware of what her captors wanted to do to her.
"You're right," Garland said finally, much to Drakja's relief. "Her information is too valuable. One slip up and we could lose it,"
The violet-eyed woman pursed her lips, glaring. "Fool . . ." she hissed. Garland ignored the prisoner.
"I've got a better idea . . ." the faintest hint of a smile crossed the Terran leader's aged face but quickly vanished into the deep brooding that was forever Garland. "We will simply weed it out . . . one place at a time. Eventually, we will find what we need. And . . ." Garland's seemingly sightless eyes lit up. "I will gain back my power in preparation for the final experiment,"
Drakja blinked, then laughed. "Brilliant, sir! Brilliant!" he applauded, receiving many death-glares from the violet-eyed woman at the same time. "I love it! Shall we begin today?"
Garland smirked, nodding. "Absolutely . . ."
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Standing upon the steps of Alexandria Castle, Freya watched the soldiers load the body of Crystal Tan into a sack. They carried her to a wagon waiting outside and dumped the corpse in the back. Freya's whiskers twitched but she said nothing.
"'Tis a shame, is it not, my dear?"
Freya glanced over her shoulder at Fratley, who came up beside her and sighed. The two watched the procession outside the castle sadly.
"This is dejá vu . . ." Freya whispered, gritting her teeth together. "Every time that man is around . . . someone perishes . . ."
"I don't think we can blame Kuja for this one . . ." Fratley said slowly, resting against his spear.
"Give me a break!" Freya's voice was harsher than she had intended. "Kuja is a man of cunning and great evil. He would stop at nothing to continue the havoc that was torn out from beneath his feet years ago. It all makes sense to me! Kuja wanted to go to the Invincible so that he could regain control of it for more souls. And then he plans on killing Zidane to get rid of his replacement! It is just SO like him!"
"Beatrix seems to have faith in him," Fratley pointed out, glancing at his girlfriend out of the corner of his eye. "And I would trust Beatrix with my life,"
"Beatrix is not always right . . ."
"She has intuition, Freya dear. As do I,"
"Hmph," Freya felt particularly embittered. /You do not even remember our childhood . . . Don't talk to ME about intuition . . ./
Nearby, Garnet watched the flickering emotions on Freya's face.
"I know how you feel . . ." she grumbled to herself, watching the cart ride off into the sunset. "That man is evil. If not for Zidane, he would be rotting in a jail-cell right - now,"
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"So . . . Is it alright if I just leave you here?" Zidane queried, glancing nervously at Kuja as they approached Alexandria Castle. Kuja nodded numbly, brushed the hair out of his face, and trudged up the steps in an extremely automatic state. Zidane watched his brother go, then went running around the back way to see if he could find Megan without the sorcerer hanging around.
But SHE found HIM.
"Zidane?! Oh my god, it IS you!"
"Megan?"
The young brunette threw her arms around Zidane's neck, squeezing him till he was blue. "Oh, Zidane! I don't know what just happened but please - PLEASE - help Feather!"
Zidane managed to slither out of Megan's grasp enough to breathe. "Megan," he choked, rubbing his sore ribcage. "What are you talking about?"
Megan blinked, eyes shiny behind her glasses. "I-I don't know . . . B-but something was wrong with him! I-I remember when I saw these monsters . . . They would corrupt people's minds and - and then the person would DIE!" she dissolved into tears once more, burying her face in Zidane's chest and causing him to blush profusely.
/Whoo . . . I hope Dagger's not nearby . . ./ the genome thought nervously. /She'd kill me!/
"Here Megan," he offered. "Why don't we go back into the castle. It's silly to talk out here. The sun's already starting to go down,"
Megan pulled back, sniffling and wiping her nose on one sleeve. "S-so he's not being corrupted by monsters? And - and he's not gonna die?"
Zidane laughed, slinging an arm around the young woman's shoulders. "Of course not!"
"Oh . . ." Megan let out a shaky breath. "I-I guess that's good news . . ."
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"Erm . . . You guys wouldn't mind if we stopped somewhere, would you? Looks like rain . . ."
Getsuyo-Bi gave Mr. 41 a dejected look but the others nodded. They'd been traveling for days and were horribly exhausted. The boat-ride across the ocean to the Mist Continent had been bad enough (all six of Vivi's children had gotten sea-sick much to Mr. 41's dismay) and the poor little tykes could only travel so much a day.
"What's the closest town?" the elder mage queried, clutching the brim of his hat and glancing around. All he saw was grass, grass, and more grass.
"There's something over there!" Kayo-Bi pointed out, spotting what appeared to be a small settlement a few miles away. Mr. 41's amber eyes widened as he realized where they were.
"Why, that must be Dali!" he exclaimed, feeling the mounting excitement inside. "Alexandria must be only a few miles away! We've almost made it!" Vivi's children cheered. However, Mr. 41 suddenly felt the disappointment hit him over the head like a sack of bricks.
"Wait . . . We can't go there . . . It's DALI! They MADE us,"
"Not US, Mr. 41, sir," Nichio-Bi piped up, tugging on Mr. 41's sleeve. "Mikoto-sama made us!"
Mr. 41 groaned. "Oh man . . . Can't we just camp out? I don't want to go back to that stinkin' town . . . With its egg machines . . . And chocobo wheels . . . And barrels . . . And windmills . . ."
Vivi's children all looked at each other in surprise, eyes bright.
"WINDMILLS?!" they cried. "Oh, PLEASE let us go! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!"
"No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No,"
"Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!"
"No. No. No. No. No,"
"PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!"
"No. No. No."
"PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE! PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!!
"ALRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!!"
Mr. 41 sat down in a huff, straightening his hat in distress. "You children will be the death of me . . ."
"Yay!" the tykes all threw their arms around Mr. 41 gratefully.
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Zidane escorted Megan back to her guest-room, ushering the young woman inside before Garnet noticed. Closing the door softly, the genome gave an embarrassed sort of smile.
"So . . ." he began, scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry about all that,"
"'s alright . . ." Megan mumbled, plunking onto the bed. "I was just worried, that's all,"
"K - I mean - Feather will be fine," Zidane assured the young girl, sitting down in a chair nearby.
"But what happened?" Megan begged, sniffling.
"Well . . . we, er, kinda don't know,"
"Oh. Well then how can you say he'll be fine?!"
Zidane blushed. "I don't think its anything serious. He's not insane,"
"He tried to KILL you!"
"Sibling rivalry?" Zidane offered, the red in his cheeks deepening. Megan rolled her eyes and collapsed back on the bed, groaning.
"I'm so confused . . . I don't know WHAT to think . . . Sometimes I think I don't know Feather at all!" Zidane's eyes widened.
/Flash/
"What do you want me to do?"
"You have to - HAVE TO - make your brother tell that girl who he really is,"
"You mean Megan?"
"Yes. Do whatever it takes,"
/Flash/
"Shoot . . ."
"What?"
Zidane straightened himself in the chair, shifting uncomfortably. "Megan, I was just wondering. Your relationship with Feather . . . what is it?"
Megan rolled onto her side, holding her head up with one hand. "I dunno . . . friends?"
"Nothing more?"
She shrugged. "I don't think so . . ."
"Oh," Zidane curled his tail around his ankle thoughtfully. /What am I doing?/
Megan sighed, rolling to her back again and stretching luxuriously like a cat. "I feel kind of guilty, though," she said suddenly, staring absently at the ceiling. "Feather pesters me sometimes about where I come from. And I keep lying or avoiding the subject . . ."
Zidane glanced at the brunette with interest. "Really? Why? You from the slums or something?"
Megan laughed. "Of course not!"
"What then?"
Megan's lips twitched into a small smile and she gave Zidane a strange look.
"I don't know why, but I feel I can trust you with this stuff,"
Zidane smirked. "I am a golden vault. Tell me what you wish,"
Megan yawned, resting one arm on her stomach and the other behind her head. "I really should tell Feather," she said sadly. "I already told him I'm not from Katei,"
"Yeah?"
"Yup. I actually come from a small city near the northern tip of the Outer Continent,"
Zidane raised an eyebrow. "There aren't any cities up there,"
"Well that's what's confusing Feather!" Megan exclaimed, chuckling. "There isn't one now, but there was. I told him it was destroyed by tornadoes but - "
"That's a lie?"
"Bingo,"
"What happened then?" Zidane's voice was hushed with interest. His eyes sparkled. Megan smiled bemusedly at him.
"It's not a happy tale," she explained. "And I sure as hell don't remember it well . . ." she exhaled slowly, trying to think back thirteen years. "When I was nine, I was living with my mother and father. That was all. My grandparents on my dad's side lived nearby. Things were wonderful. Then one day . . . poof! It was all gone,"
"What happened?" Zidane whispered, leaning forward eagerly. Megan's eyes went slightly out of focus.
"All I remember . . . is an eye,"
". . . An eye?"
"Uh huh. This big red eye in the sky. It came and the next thing I knew, everything was in flames. My parents ran for it. Big mistake. My father was impaled on falling debris. I was really lucky, though. He was holding me and the chunk missed. Bleeding to death, he handed me over to my mother and grandmother. She had found us running. Unfortunately, Grandpa was already gone. Burned to death. Then my mother and grandmother took me and fled the town,"
Zidane felt an icy chill in the pit of his stomach as if he'd swallowed a block of ice and it was slowly melting there. "A-and this town . . . Was it near the Iifa Tree?"
"Yeah . . . So?"
/This CAN'T be happening . . ./
Zidane took a deep breath, ready to the take the fatal plunge. "Was this town called . . . Madain Sari, by any chance,"
Megan sat up abruptly, eyes wide. "How did you know?!"
Zidane let out a groan of horror and gripped his hair. /Just count to ten . . . It's not the end of the world . . ./
"Zidane?"
/WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! SHE'S A GOD DAMN SUMMONER!!!!!/
Zidane kicked his legs furiously, mimicking a minor temper tantrum. "Not happening," he mumbled. "This is NOT happening,"
Megan stood up tentatively, looking nervous. "Hey, you okay?"
Zidane quickly stopped, took a deep breath, and looked up slowly into the eyes of the seemingly normal girl before him.
/She doesn't have a horn. And I've never seen her use magic./
"Can you . . . summon eidolons?" the genome queried, locking eyes with the young girl. She, in turn, blinked.
"Eido . . . what?"
Zidane's face clouded over in confusion. "Eidolons. Great big monsters. You . . . don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"
Megan looked thoughtful for a moment, chewing on a fingernail. Then she burst out laughing, head thrown back.
"You mean Guardian Forces?!" she collapsed into a chair, crowing with laughter. "You think I . . . can summon Guardian Forces?!"
"But I thought ALL summoners from Madain Sari could," Zidane admitted innocently. Megan smirked.
"Well I COULD. That is, before my mother screwed up,"
"What?"
"Yeah, see, during our journey to Katei, my mother and grandmother decided we'd all cut off our horns to blend into the rest of Gaia better. But they cut mine too deep. I've lost all connection to Guardians and all forms of magic,"
Zidane stood up, moving in towards the young girl. "No magic? So you're not any kind of mage or anything?"
"Nope."
Zidane brushed some of the hair out of Megan's face, staring at the spot where the horn should've been.
"Fascinating . . ."
Then he stopped. A memory emerged in the genome's mind that he hadn't had in years. Something Kuja had once said while seemingly on his death-bed.
/Flash/
I did it . . . I destroyed their village . . . I was fourteen years old . . . Garland made me . . . I'm so sorry! I wanted to tell the queen . . . and the little summoner . . . but . . . but . . .
/Flash/
Zidane stumbled backwards, hands over his mouth. "Oh holy shit,"
Megan blinked, touching her forehead. "What? Am I getting acne or something?"
"No. No, it's not that,"
"Then what?"
Zidane looked wildly at the door. "Listen, I've REALLY got to go. We'll talk later!" and he tore out of the room so fast that a breeze ruffled the curtains. Zidane cursed furiously as he ran.
/This is going to be harder than I thought . . ./
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A/N: Ah, a not-ridiculously-long chapter. Hasn't been one of those in awhile. Anyhow . . . yeesh! What's Kuja gonna do now? Or should I say: what's Megan gonna do now? When she finds out who Kuja is? *Cackles maniacally* I am just SOOOOOOO evil! And now for the most important thing!
PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:
If you remember the story of Terra, then you know that Kuja is simply a recreation of a previous Terran (Saishoja). Kuja said he wasn't sure if Drakja (the villain) is the real Drakja from Terra or a remake. WHAT DO YOU THINK? IS DRAKJA THE ORIGINAL OR NOT? PLEEEEEEEEEASE TELL ME!
P.S. Yay! Today's my birthday! Bwahahahaha! I'm FINALLY fourteen! *runs in happy circles*