A/N: Aah . . . Chapter twenty. Another landmark! Me so very happy ^_^ I
start school tomorrow so I had to post this one nice and fast. The updates
might be slowed down a little (I'm starting high school this year!) so
don't fret! I'm hoping there won't be any visible change, but if it
happens, I apologize. Anyways . . . ON WITH THE STORY!
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is too cool to be owned by me . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Garland's fist slammed down furiously on the Indomitable's control console. Drakja hesitated in the background. He made sure his head was down submissively in case Garland turned around and decided to take his anger out on the geonome.
"Sir . . . Is there anything I can do?" asked Drakja tentatively, tail sweeping the floor with nerves. Garland whipped around so bullet-like that Drakja jumped.
"Don't - TALK TO ME!" the man screamed, eyes glowing with fury. Drakja tried to make himself as small as possible, tail hovering between his feet. Standing in the doorway, Lulian watched with an unnaturally sympathetic look on her face.
"This is UNBELIEVABLE!" Garland raged, shaking with perpetual wrath. "I can't believe this! That - that WITCH! Where is Ummei?! Bring him here! He is in BIG trouble!"
"I'll get him," Lulian said quickly, turning to leave. Drakja glared at her, his opportunity to get away from Garland stolen.
"Sir," Drakja began slowly, turning back to his master. "This is not the end of the world. Surely . . . if we just stick to the plan . . .?"
"I am AWARE of that, Drakja," Garland snapped, glaring through the window of the Indomitable. "But things could have gone so much smoother if she hadn't - "
"Ummei's here," Lulian's voice floated from behind. Drakja and Garland turned to meet the quaking young geonome.
Ummei looked like he was about to have a heart-attack on the spot. He was shaking so bad he could barely stand and his green eyes were flat with fright. As Garland stepped towards him, Ummei cried out in pain and dropped to his knees, Garland's angry presence taking its toll on his mind.
"SO!" Garland began, boring down upon the serf. "SO!"
"Master . . ." Ummei pleaded, leaning forward. "Master . . . please . . ."
"SILENCE!!!" Ummei's body slammed into the floor. He clutched his head in agony, writhing before the Terran leader's presence. Lulian bit her lip, watching.
"Master Garland . . . perhaps you shouldn't be so hard on the kid . . . This isn't really his fault . . ." she pleaded, clutching a fist near her chest. Garland's sightless eyes whipped onto her and she too, clutched her head and dropped to her knees, eyes rolling up into the back of their sockets. Drakja said nothing.
"Master . . ." Ummei begged, struggling to raise his head. "Have mercy . . ."
Garland growled for a moment before turning away, black cape swishing behind him. "Why should I show you mercy, Ummei? Why? How many more times must you slip up before you will learn?"
Garland's wrath muffled slightly, Ummei's body was finally able to go lax. Likewise, Lulian stopped clutching her head and stood up shakily. Relieved, Ummei climbed onto his knees and bowed his head.
"Sir, there was nothing I could have done," he explained, cringing nervously. "She told me you were planning on extracting information from her and then . . . and then she cast some sort of spell on herself and fainted dead on the spot,"
Garland kept his back to the servant, hands gripping the edge of the consol tensely. He didn't speak for several seconds.
"She is avoiding the inevitable . . ." he whispered finally, eyes narrowed. "She doesn't realize that Garland - Master of Terra - ALWAYS gets what he wants . . ."
"Will you merely continue as before?" Drakja queried, folding his arms over his chest. Garland smirked slightly.
"You know the drill," he said, glancing at the tall geonome. "I've picked the first target. We're going to commence with our attack formation. Do you know the positions?"
Drakja rolled his leopard-like eyes in annoyance. "Like I'd FORGET!"
"Are you ready now?" Garland queried, tilting his head inquiringly.
Drakja nodded confidently, brushing a strand of hair over his shoulder. "I'm already there . . ."
"Good, you're dismissed," his master stated, waving the geonome away. "Get into position. All of you,"
Drakja grabbed Ummei by his collar and dragged the frightened servant out of the room. Lulian followed, still shaken by the previous events. Garland watched them out of the corner of his eye before turning back to the window. A low growl escaped his throat.
"I WILL find the summoner family . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mikoto tossed fitfully in her sleep, horrible images haunting her dreams. She was relieved of them, however, when a cry rang out and something heavy fell on top of her. Eyes snapping open, Mikoto awoke to find Ummei lying thrown over her body.
". . .Ummei . . .?"
The young geonome blinked, then realized he was on top of the prisoner. "Eep! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Ummei rolled off of her apologetically. "They just sorta threw me in here,"
Mikoto pulled herself into a sitting position, forehead crinkled curiously. "So they didn't kill you?"
"They didn't kill me!" Ummei exclaimed happily, sitting Indian-style and grinning.
"Did they whip you?"
"Nope,"
"I . . . don't understand . . ."
Ummei just shrugged, happy simply to be alive. "I guess they didn't need her that much after all," he pointed at the body of the purple-eyed woman, who was lying sprawled against the wall nearby. She looked the epitome of dead, however her chest rose and fell slowly; the only sign that she was actually alive.
"I'm so confused," Mikoto grumbled, rubbing her eyes. "First they need her for her information, then she puts herself into some sort of coma so they can't get it, and now they act like nothing's happened! No offense, Ummei, but you're people are REALLY weird,"
"Yah, no shit," Ummei mumbled, lying down on his back and gazing up at the pipe-clouded ceiling. "I really hate them sometimes . . ."
"They're your people!" Mikoto snapped, disapproving. "You shouldn't speak about them in such a way,"
"Psh," Ummei rolled his eyes. "We're just Drakja's little pets. Tha's all . . ."
"That doesn't make it right,"
"You sure seemed offended when Drakja compared you to YOUR people . . ."
That shut Mikoto up immediately. She turned beet-red with embarrassment, then with fury.
"But I'm not like them!" she defended, fingers balling into fists. "I have a soul! I would NEVER speak in such a way about Zidane or Kuja,"
Ummei snorted. "I'm not like my people either! I've got intelligence swings like a freakin' pendulum. Garland called me a defect in the cycle but . . ."
"He needs you," Mikoto finished the sentence.
"Something like that . . ."
". . . Ugh . . ."
"Eh?" Mikoto and Ummei both turned towards the sound of the voice. They were surprised to see the other prisoner's violet eyes on them, completely out of focus and glassy. Mikoto let out a small gasp and crawled towards the woman, cursing the shackles as they started to pull her back.
"Hey, are you alright?!" the blonde genome called to her fellow prisoner. The violet-eyed woman blinked slowly, then groaned.
"I feel like shit . . . Ugh . . ."
"Well that was pretty crazy of you . . ." Ummei said matter-of-factly. "I mean, attacking YOURSELF?! What were you thinking?"
"I . . . gotta keep my information . . . out of evil hands . . ."
Ummei shook his head irritably. "Gotta play the hero . . . Whatever . . . do what you want," he blinked. "You're exploits are most insufferable . . ."
Mikoto stared at him. "Those were big words . . ." she commented, impressed. "You cease to perplex me," Ummei blinked again.
"Per . . . what" he hit himself on the head furiously. "God damn brain! Why won't it stay smart?!"
Mikoto sighed. It was going to be a LONG imprisonment . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"'scuse me, but have you seen a guy with silver hair around here?"
"Silver hair?"
"Yeah,"
"You kiddin?'"
Zidane watched the man walk away and sighed, kicking at a pebble. Where the hell was that damn brother of his?! This was an emergency! He stared through the crowds of people in the street.
/Ooh, she looks nice! I'll ask her!/
"Hey, miss!" Zidane shouted, waving his hand at a young teenage girl walking by. She stopped and stared at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah?"
"Er . . . Just wonderin' if you've seen a guy with silver hair around here,"
"Is this a joke?"
"Um . . . no,"
The girl blew a bubble in his face. "I ain't seen no one . . ."
Zidane stared at her. "You have very pretty green eyes, miss,"
"Mmm . . . thanks, yo,"
/Stop flirting with her!/ Zidane snapped to himself. /You're engaged, idiot!/
"Can I go?"
"Er . . . yeah,"
The girl flipped her hair and walked away, blowing another fluffy pink bubble as she passed. Zidane watched her go, then turned to continue his quest.
Unfortunately, if he had watched her for two more seconds, he would have seen the smirk pass over her face before she blew another bubble and vanished with a pop . . .
"Have you seen a guy with silver hair?"
"No,"
"Have you seen a guy with silver hair?"
"No,"
Zidane watched the last person go, frowning. /Where the hell could Kuja be?!/
Zidane stopped, thinking, and suddenly smacked himself in the face. "Idiot!" he cried aloud. "He wouldn't go outside without wearing a cloak over his hair! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
Zidane turned and ran down the road, searching frantically for another halfway-decent looking person.
"Hey, lady!" he called to a nearby person, all tact lost. "Have you seen a guy in a white cloak pass by here?! Might have looked a little depressed . . ."
The middle-aged woman standing near the clothing store looked thoughtful for a moment. "Actually . . ." she began. "I could've sworn I saw a guy in a white cloak go into that bar over there," she pointed at a tavern a few buildings down. "I remember thinking he had a sort of slump to his appearance. Could've sworn he had a tail, too . . ." the woman remarked, scratching her head. Zidane laughed.
"That's the one! Thanks!"
The blonde genome scurried over to the bar, vaguely noting that he didn't think Kuja drank, and burst inside. Kuja looked up gloomily from a table at the back of the room, resting his chin in his hands.
"Kuja! Megan's a SUMMONER!!!" Zidane cried, running up to his brother and shaking him furiously by the shoulders. Kuja's eyes widened in horror.
"WHAT?!"
"MEGAN - IS - A - SUMMONER!!!"
"But how do you know?!"
"She told me!"
"But - "
"Kuja, since when have you drunk?"
Kuja blinked at the random question. "I don't. I just felt like watching other people more miserable than me,"
"Oh. Makes sense . . ."
Kuja grabbed Zidane's arm and dragged him down into the seat next to him. "Now slow down," the silver-haired man instructed, frowning. "What do you mean, she told you,"
Zidane sighed and took a deep breath before explaining. "Megan started talking about her childhood. She lived in Madain Sari and everything,"
"But . . . but . . ." too stunned to think of the right word, Kuja simply pressed a fist against his forehead.
"The Yorokobi's CUT OFF their horns!" Zidane explained, also making a fist near his forehead. Kuja stared at his little brother for several seconds.
"Y-you know what this means . . . don't you . . .?" he whispered hoarsely.
Zidane looked sadly into Kuja's eyes, where the silent tears were already forming.
"You killed Megan's father . . ."
There followed a silence so heavy it was nauseating. The only sound that could be heard was the uncomfortable shuffling of the man at the next table. The two genomes couldn't see his face through the cloak, but he seemed to be writhing in his seat occasionally. Zidane silently noted that taverns could bring in some serious weirdos.
"Would you like anything?" a waitress queried, coming up behind the second angel of death. Her voice didn't register for several seconds. Finally, Zidane snapped out of it an nodded.
"Oh, um, sure . . . You got any Maudite?" The young (and underage) boy thought it appropriate since the name translated to mean "The curse."
The waitress chuckled. "That's gonna cost ya . . ."
"I can afford it," Zidane pulled out a pouch busting with gil. The waitress's eyes widened but she didn't say anything as Zidane handed her the money.
"And you?" she politely asked Kuja. Kuja was so deep in thought he didn't even hear her. He was so spaced it was gut-wrenching.
"He doesn't drink," Zidane explained. The waitress simply shrugged and walked away. The man at the next table crossed and re-crossed his legs.
"So what are you going to do?" Zidane whispered, poking Kuja in the arm. Kuja blinked, then miserably buried his face in his hands.
"Someone must really hate me up there . . ." he grumbled. Zidane leaned back thoughtfully.
"Well . . . you did kill thousands and toy with people's lives and - "
"Just shut up! You're not helping! What am I going to do?!"
"Tell her who you are?" Zidane offered.
Kuja laughed, but it held no mirth. "That'd be wonderful! Hey Megan! I'm the guy that killed your father! Wanna go out for a bite?"
"Here's your Maudite, sir," Zidane nodded and took the drink from the waitress. He smirked and made a small toast with the glass.
"Here's to the wonderful world of decisions!"
Kuja made a swift motion to knock the glass out of Zidane's hand but the blonde managed to get it out of the way just in time.
"I can't tell Megan . . ." Kuja whispered, whimpering slightly. "I mean, our whole bond of trust could break!"
"That's not the only thing that's gonna break when she finds out," Zidane commented, sipping on the Maudite. Kuja looked ready to smack at the glass again but restrained himself.
"How could she be a summoner?" the warlock moaned, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Of all the things - "
A low chuckle arose from the table next to them. Zidane glanced suspiciously at the cloaked man, frowning. There was something creepy about that laugh. It sounded vaguely familiar . . . And something was curled around the table-leg. Zidane's eyes narrowed and he gasped.
/A tail! A brown one!/
The genome stood up so suddenly his chair clattered to the floor with a thud. "GEONOME!" he cried, pointing an accusing finger at the man. Kuja blinked and looked up in surprise. But before either of them could act, the door at the front of the bar flew open. A Pluto Knight stood there, looking slightly shaken.
"This - this is a lockdown!" he shouted, puffing out his chest in a feeble attempt to look commanding. "All residents of Alexandria are ordered by the queen to go home and lock their doors immediately until further notice!"
Protests rang out immediately.
"What?!"
"What kinda crap is this?!"
"I got a life, here!"
The Pluto Knight straightened his helmet nervously, wincing at the barrage of verbal attacks coming his way.
"Please!" he shouted desperately. "Half the Mist Continent is in a state of emergency right now! Dali's just been attacked!"
Zidane gasped. His eyes caught a swift movement at his side. The cloaked man was on his feet now, laughing hysterically. Zidane growled and lunged at him. The figure dodged the attack and whipped off his cloak. Kuja sprang over the table immediately.
"Drakja!"
Drakja's green eyes glittered as he stood there. Zidane saw the geonome leader's hand reaching towards his belt.
"Everyone! Get out of here! NOW!" he cried, taking a step back. Kuja was growling lightly, eyes boring into Drakja menacingly.
No one moved. They all seemed too confused. Zidane looked around at them furiously. "As the man engaged to the throne of Alexandria, I am ordering you all to get out of here NOW! AAAAAH!" Zidane cried out in agony, enveloped in crackling electricity. Kuja threw himself at Drakja, throwing the green-eyed man to the floor.
Everyone in the bar ran out screaming. Including the Pluto Knight . . . (he screamed the loudest).
Amidst the chaos, Zidane stood up shakily, small bursts of lightning still floating around him. Kuja and Drakja were in the middle of a wrestling match on the floor. Drakja grabbed Kuja's hair and gave it a sharp tug. Kuja cried out and punched Drakja in the face. Zidane just stood there, unsure of WHAT to do.
Finally, Drakja gained the upper hand and kicked Kuja with such force that he flew into a bar table, sending it crashing and splintering to the floor. Drakja smirked and rose, brushing off his pants.
"Well, now . . . that was fun," he said happily, glancing at Zidane out of the corner of his eye. "Let's do that again sometime, ne?"
"What are you doing here?!" Zidane snapped, squaring himself in case of retaliation. Drakja laughed.
"Just waiting for the attack on Dali to end,"
"Wh-what do you want with that pathetic little town?!" Kuja choked from the corner, pulling himself out of the mess of wood and dragging himself to his feet.
Drakja folded his arms over his chest casually. "None of your beeswax,"
"It is so!" Zidane shouted, tail puffing out angrily. "Dali's part of Alexandrian territory! And I'm about to become its king! So if you don't mind - " he was suddenly interrupted by a very frightened shout from his brother.
"ZIDANE, RUN!"
"Wha - ?"
Drakja leapt into the air, throwing something down upon the blonde. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. A black orb was hurtling towards the thief. He blinked slowly. Nothing seemed to move.
/A shadow ball . . ./ Zidane realized.
/Flash/
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 out of there 'cause it's big trouble.
/Flash/
Zidane was rooted to the spot. The shadow-ball was coming ever closer. Drakja's eyes were glowing with anticipation as he floated above them. Kuja let out a gasp and threw himself forward.
"Noooo!" he shrieked. There was a whoosh and he fell into Zidane. In that instant, time returned to normal with shocking speed.
"Aaaaaagh!" the orb plummeted into Kuja's back. Immediately a black smoke covered his body. He screamed, whatever attack the shadow-ball was producing destroying the sorcerer from the inside. He rolled off of Zidane, writhing upon the floor. Drakja lowered slowly to the ground, chuckling.
"Well, my target missed, but it seems I've claimed a better prize . . ."
"Kuja!" Zidane pleaded, reaching out towards his screaming brother.
"No!" Kuja gasped, fingers clenching into fists. "Zidane, stay back!"
Zidane hesitated. Then he saw the flash of red. "SHIT!" he stumbled backwards, hand over his mouth. Kuja's eye flashed crimson and the black mist evaporated off of him. The warlock screeched, clutching his head.
"No! I won't let them!" he crawled backwards until he hit the wall. The silver-haired man pressed himself up against it, face twisted painfully in the silent struggle. Drakja remained silent, arms folded over his chest. A thoughtful look passed over his face.
"No!" Kuja cried as several strands of hair began to turn a deep blood-red. "I won't let them hurt anybody!"
Light burst forth from his body, twisting strands of energy shooting out into the room. A wind-like shield covered Zidane's body. He stared at it in wonderment, reaching towards it. But before he could touch the barrier, Kuja let out a gasp and his eyes spurted back to blue. The light vanished. The shield dissipated.
Every table and chair in the bar was overturned. Drakja had a magic shield up in front of him but his leopard-like eyes were wide. Kuja looked equally shocked.
"I-I did it . . ." he whispered, breathing heavily. "I held them back . . ." his eyes locked onto Drakja. Zidane realized what was about to happen two seconds before it did.
"No! Don't let him get away!"
POP!
The two brother landed in a heap upon the floor . . . right where Drakja should have been.
"Damn it!" Zidane cursed bitterly, pulling himself onto his elbows. "He teleported, the rat bastard!"
Kuja stood, growling. "Damn him . . . What the hell was he doing here anyways?! He should be with his other nasty little friends blowing up innocent towns!"
Zidane looked thoughtful. "Do you think he heard what I said?" he queried, glancing at his brother.
"What?"
"About Megan! Do you think he heard?"
Kuja shrugged. "Who cares . . . Drakja probably doesn't even know what a Summoner is . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Drakja cackled gleefully, running down the hallway of the Indomitable. Hoo boy, was Garland going to be pleased! Here Garland had been chasing down a pair of Summoners when Drakja could just hand one to him on a platter! Excitedly, Drakja threw open the door of the control room.
"Master, I - "
With a growl, Garland turned and glared fiercely. Drakja felt the strangle- hold immediately over his body but resisted wincing.
"I didn't find them, boy," Garland snarled, baring his teeth. "They weren't in Dali! Not only that, but I barely got any power from the attack. It was worthless!" he pointed an accusing finger at the geonome. "Why were you there?!"
Drakja mouth fell open in surprise. "Master, you told me to go on scouting duty in Alexandria! I - "
"SILENCE!" Garland shrieked, eyes maddening. Drakja shut up immediately, feeling the pressure in his brain increasing painfully. How could Garland be treating him this way?! After everything he'd done! He was the Demon of the Death, damn it!
"Now you listen to me," Garland snapped, stepping towards his minion. "From now on, you're going to command every attack. If we don't find those Summoners by the time I've taken down THREE cities . . ." Garland drew a finger menacingly across his neck. Drakja gulped. Suddenly, a thought passed through his mind that made the geonome stop and wonder.
/Flash/
No! I won't let them hurt anybody!
/Flash/
Garland felt the uneasiness in Drakja's brain and tilted his head inquiringly. "What are you thinking about . . .?" he queried, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Drakja snapped out of his reverie and looked up. He wasn't exactly sure what to say. Garland was certainly not the understanding type, nor the friendly type. Drakja highly doubted that Garland had ever had a true feeling in all his life!
"Um . . . Well . . ." the green-eyed man scratched his head curiously, searching for the correct word choice. "It's about the first angel of death . . ."
Garland's eyes flashed with interest, though he quickly tried to stifle it. "Yes, go on . . ."
Drakja shifted uneasily, frowning. "Um . . . Well . . . When I was in Alexandria today, I saw him in a bar. He seemed perfectly normal, to be honest. I would never have suspected him of being anything strange. But when he started fighting . . ." Drakja faded out, shrugging. "I don't know. It's not important,"
"No . . . it might be . . ." Garland whispered, taking a few steps towards his minion. "What did you notice about his fighting?"
Drakja chewed his lip. "It wasn't just the fighting in general . . ." said the geonome, curling his tail around his ankle. "It's just . . . the whole darn thing . . . seemed so . . ." Drakja's eyes widened as he managed to grasp the right word. "Familiar . . ."
Garland tried to contain and mask his surprise. /It can't be . . ./ "Familiar? How so?"
Drakja shrugged. "I dunno . . . I tried to use a shadow-ball on the second angel of death but Kuja jumped in the way. The shadow-ball hit him kinda funny. In the back, actually. And he was in a lot of pain. And I . . . I . . ." Drakja's face turned immediately cold. He straightened himself and squared his shoulders. "It was nothing. I'm going to leave,"
Garland remained silent, piercing eyes going dull. After a moment, he turned away from the geonome, acting as if he didn't know the man was there. "By the way . . ." he said softly, glancing over his shoulder. "Was there something you wished to tell me?"
Drakja hesitated, frowning. A small smile crept across his pale lips as he grinned devilishly. /Yell at me, why don't ya? Treat me like dirt, huh?/
"Funny . . ." the geonome muttered curtly. "I seem to have forgotten . . ."
And with that, the Demon of Death turned and fled the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Ooh. Drakja has feelings! Cool. But don't think he's turning traitor or nothin' . . . He's not THAT upset! But things are gonna start to get weird with him from now on. That's why I had to know your opinion on his origins. And thanks! I didn't receive a single review that didn't answer my question ^_^ Thank you everyone! And luckily, basically everybody said he wasn't the original. And that's good, 'cause otherwise I'd have to rewrite the plot *sweatdrop* Read and review, y'all!
P.S. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
This is not definite, but I've started work on character designs etc. for this fic. In other words, I'm thinking about turning Return of the Destroyed into an online manga series of sorts. I would post parts of the story in comic format slowly like I did with the book version ^_^ But things are moving slow, right now. So far, the only designs I'm satisfied with are Lulian, Megan, and Kuja. I'm desperately trying to get Drakja right and I'm pretty happy with the way Zidane is coming along. I worked on Megan's family a little and I'm almost positive I've got Mrs. Yorokobi down. As for her grandmother . . . *sigh* That's another story . . . I'll keep y'all posted on the progress of the manga later. But before I can do anything, I would need a website to put it on (which I don't have . . .) and some new nib-pens (which I'm getting in a few days). So stay tuned!
REEEEEEEEEEAD AND REEEEEEVIEW!
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is too cool to be owned by me . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Garland's fist slammed down furiously on the Indomitable's control console. Drakja hesitated in the background. He made sure his head was down submissively in case Garland turned around and decided to take his anger out on the geonome.
"Sir . . . Is there anything I can do?" asked Drakja tentatively, tail sweeping the floor with nerves. Garland whipped around so bullet-like that Drakja jumped.
"Don't - TALK TO ME!" the man screamed, eyes glowing with fury. Drakja tried to make himself as small as possible, tail hovering between his feet. Standing in the doorway, Lulian watched with an unnaturally sympathetic look on her face.
"This is UNBELIEVABLE!" Garland raged, shaking with perpetual wrath. "I can't believe this! That - that WITCH! Where is Ummei?! Bring him here! He is in BIG trouble!"
"I'll get him," Lulian said quickly, turning to leave. Drakja glared at her, his opportunity to get away from Garland stolen.
"Sir," Drakja began slowly, turning back to his master. "This is not the end of the world. Surely . . . if we just stick to the plan . . .?"
"I am AWARE of that, Drakja," Garland snapped, glaring through the window of the Indomitable. "But things could have gone so much smoother if she hadn't - "
"Ummei's here," Lulian's voice floated from behind. Drakja and Garland turned to meet the quaking young geonome.
Ummei looked like he was about to have a heart-attack on the spot. He was shaking so bad he could barely stand and his green eyes were flat with fright. As Garland stepped towards him, Ummei cried out in pain and dropped to his knees, Garland's angry presence taking its toll on his mind.
"SO!" Garland began, boring down upon the serf. "SO!"
"Master . . ." Ummei pleaded, leaning forward. "Master . . . please . . ."
"SILENCE!!!" Ummei's body slammed into the floor. He clutched his head in agony, writhing before the Terran leader's presence. Lulian bit her lip, watching.
"Master Garland . . . perhaps you shouldn't be so hard on the kid . . . This isn't really his fault . . ." she pleaded, clutching a fist near her chest. Garland's sightless eyes whipped onto her and she too, clutched her head and dropped to her knees, eyes rolling up into the back of their sockets. Drakja said nothing.
"Master . . ." Ummei begged, struggling to raise his head. "Have mercy . . ."
Garland growled for a moment before turning away, black cape swishing behind him. "Why should I show you mercy, Ummei? Why? How many more times must you slip up before you will learn?"
Garland's wrath muffled slightly, Ummei's body was finally able to go lax. Likewise, Lulian stopped clutching her head and stood up shakily. Relieved, Ummei climbed onto his knees and bowed his head.
"Sir, there was nothing I could have done," he explained, cringing nervously. "She told me you were planning on extracting information from her and then . . . and then she cast some sort of spell on herself and fainted dead on the spot,"
Garland kept his back to the servant, hands gripping the edge of the consol tensely. He didn't speak for several seconds.
"She is avoiding the inevitable . . ." he whispered finally, eyes narrowed. "She doesn't realize that Garland - Master of Terra - ALWAYS gets what he wants . . ."
"Will you merely continue as before?" Drakja queried, folding his arms over his chest. Garland smirked slightly.
"You know the drill," he said, glancing at the tall geonome. "I've picked the first target. We're going to commence with our attack formation. Do you know the positions?"
Drakja rolled his leopard-like eyes in annoyance. "Like I'd FORGET!"
"Are you ready now?" Garland queried, tilting his head inquiringly.
Drakja nodded confidently, brushing a strand of hair over his shoulder. "I'm already there . . ."
"Good, you're dismissed," his master stated, waving the geonome away. "Get into position. All of you,"
Drakja grabbed Ummei by his collar and dragged the frightened servant out of the room. Lulian followed, still shaken by the previous events. Garland watched them out of the corner of his eye before turning back to the window. A low growl escaped his throat.
"I WILL find the summoner family . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mikoto tossed fitfully in her sleep, horrible images haunting her dreams. She was relieved of them, however, when a cry rang out and something heavy fell on top of her. Eyes snapping open, Mikoto awoke to find Ummei lying thrown over her body.
". . .Ummei . . .?"
The young geonome blinked, then realized he was on top of the prisoner. "Eep! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Ummei rolled off of her apologetically. "They just sorta threw me in here,"
Mikoto pulled herself into a sitting position, forehead crinkled curiously. "So they didn't kill you?"
"They didn't kill me!" Ummei exclaimed happily, sitting Indian-style and grinning.
"Did they whip you?"
"Nope,"
"I . . . don't understand . . ."
Ummei just shrugged, happy simply to be alive. "I guess they didn't need her that much after all," he pointed at the body of the purple-eyed woman, who was lying sprawled against the wall nearby. She looked the epitome of dead, however her chest rose and fell slowly; the only sign that she was actually alive.
"I'm so confused," Mikoto grumbled, rubbing her eyes. "First they need her for her information, then she puts herself into some sort of coma so they can't get it, and now they act like nothing's happened! No offense, Ummei, but you're people are REALLY weird,"
"Yah, no shit," Ummei mumbled, lying down on his back and gazing up at the pipe-clouded ceiling. "I really hate them sometimes . . ."
"They're your people!" Mikoto snapped, disapproving. "You shouldn't speak about them in such a way,"
"Psh," Ummei rolled his eyes. "We're just Drakja's little pets. Tha's all . . ."
"That doesn't make it right,"
"You sure seemed offended when Drakja compared you to YOUR people . . ."
That shut Mikoto up immediately. She turned beet-red with embarrassment, then with fury.
"But I'm not like them!" she defended, fingers balling into fists. "I have a soul! I would NEVER speak in such a way about Zidane or Kuja,"
Ummei snorted. "I'm not like my people either! I've got intelligence swings like a freakin' pendulum. Garland called me a defect in the cycle but . . ."
"He needs you," Mikoto finished the sentence.
"Something like that . . ."
". . . Ugh . . ."
"Eh?" Mikoto and Ummei both turned towards the sound of the voice. They were surprised to see the other prisoner's violet eyes on them, completely out of focus and glassy. Mikoto let out a small gasp and crawled towards the woman, cursing the shackles as they started to pull her back.
"Hey, are you alright?!" the blonde genome called to her fellow prisoner. The violet-eyed woman blinked slowly, then groaned.
"I feel like shit . . . Ugh . . ."
"Well that was pretty crazy of you . . ." Ummei said matter-of-factly. "I mean, attacking YOURSELF?! What were you thinking?"
"I . . . gotta keep my information . . . out of evil hands . . ."
Ummei shook his head irritably. "Gotta play the hero . . . Whatever . . . do what you want," he blinked. "You're exploits are most insufferable . . ."
Mikoto stared at him. "Those were big words . . ." she commented, impressed. "You cease to perplex me," Ummei blinked again.
"Per . . . what" he hit himself on the head furiously. "God damn brain! Why won't it stay smart?!"
Mikoto sighed. It was going to be a LONG imprisonment . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"'scuse me, but have you seen a guy with silver hair around here?"
"Silver hair?"
"Yeah,"
"You kiddin?'"
Zidane watched the man walk away and sighed, kicking at a pebble. Where the hell was that damn brother of his?! This was an emergency! He stared through the crowds of people in the street.
/Ooh, she looks nice! I'll ask her!/
"Hey, miss!" Zidane shouted, waving his hand at a young teenage girl walking by. She stopped and stared at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah?"
"Er . . . Just wonderin' if you've seen a guy with silver hair around here,"
"Is this a joke?"
"Um . . . no,"
The girl blew a bubble in his face. "I ain't seen no one . . ."
Zidane stared at her. "You have very pretty green eyes, miss,"
"Mmm . . . thanks, yo,"
/Stop flirting with her!/ Zidane snapped to himself. /You're engaged, idiot!/
"Can I go?"
"Er . . . yeah,"
The girl flipped her hair and walked away, blowing another fluffy pink bubble as she passed. Zidane watched her go, then turned to continue his quest.
Unfortunately, if he had watched her for two more seconds, he would have seen the smirk pass over her face before she blew another bubble and vanished with a pop . . .
"Have you seen a guy with silver hair?"
"No,"
"Have you seen a guy with silver hair?"
"No,"
Zidane watched the last person go, frowning. /Where the hell could Kuja be?!/
Zidane stopped, thinking, and suddenly smacked himself in the face. "Idiot!" he cried aloud. "He wouldn't go outside without wearing a cloak over his hair! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
Zidane turned and ran down the road, searching frantically for another halfway-decent looking person.
"Hey, lady!" he called to a nearby person, all tact lost. "Have you seen a guy in a white cloak pass by here?! Might have looked a little depressed . . ."
The middle-aged woman standing near the clothing store looked thoughtful for a moment. "Actually . . ." she began. "I could've sworn I saw a guy in a white cloak go into that bar over there," she pointed at a tavern a few buildings down. "I remember thinking he had a sort of slump to his appearance. Could've sworn he had a tail, too . . ." the woman remarked, scratching her head. Zidane laughed.
"That's the one! Thanks!"
The blonde genome scurried over to the bar, vaguely noting that he didn't think Kuja drank, and burst inside. Kuja looked up gloomily from a table at the back of the room, resting his chin in his hands.
"Kuja! Megan's a SUMMONER!!!" Zidane cried, running up to his brother and shaking him furiously by the shoulders. Kuja's eyes widened in horror.
"WHAT?!"
"MEGAN - IS - A - SUMMONER!!!"
"But how do you know?!"
"She told me!"
"But - "
"Kuja, since when have you drunk?"
Kuja blinked at the random question. "I don't. I just felt like watching other people more miserable than me,"
"Oh. Makes sense . . ."
Kuja grabbed Zidane's arm and dragged him down into the seat next to him. "Now slow down," the silver-haired man instructed, frowning. "What do you mean, she told you,"
Zidane sighed and took a deep breath before explaining. "Megan started talking about her childhood. She lived in Madain Sari and everything,"
"But . . . but . . ." too stunned to think of the right word, Kuja simply pressed a fist against his forehead.
"The Yorokobi's CUT OFF their horns!" Zidane explained, also making a fist near his forehead. Kuja stared at his little brother for several seconds.
"Y-you know what this means . . . don't you . . .?" he whispered hoarsely.
Zidane looked sadly into Kuja's eyes, where the silent tears were already forming.
"You killed Megan's father . . ."
There followed a silence so heavy it was nauseating. The only sound that could be heard was the uncomfortable shuffling of the man at the next table. The two genomes couldn't see his face through the cloak, but he seemed to be writhing in his seat occasionally. Zidane silently noted that taverns could bring in some serious weirdos.
"Would you like anything?" a waitress queried, coming up behind the second angel of death. Her voice didn't register for several seconds. Finally, Zidane snapped out of it an nodded.
"Oh, um, sure . . . You got any Maudite?" The young (and underage) boy thought it appropriate since the name translated to mean "The curse."
The waitress chuckled. "That's gonna cost ya . . ."
"I can afford it," Zidane pulled out a pouch busting with gil. The waitress's eyes widened but she didn't say anything as Zidane handed her the money.
"And you?" she politely asked Kuja. Kuja was so deep in thought he didn't even hear her. He was so spaced it was gut-wrenching.
"He doesn't drink," Zidane explained. The waitress simply shrugged and walked away. The man at the next table crossed and re-crossed his legs.
"So what are you going to do?" Zidane whispered, poking Kuja in the arm. Kuja blinked, then miserably buried his face in his hands.
"Someone must really hate me up there . . ." he grumbled. Zidane leaned back thoughtfully.
"Well . . . you did kill thousands and toy with people's lives and - "
"Just shut up! You're not helping! What am I going to do?!"
"Tell her who you are?" Zidane offered.
Kuja laughed, but it held no mirth. "That'd be wonderful! Hey Megan! I'm the guy that killed your father! Wanna go out for a bite?"
"Here's your Maudite, sir," Zidane nodded and took the drink from the waitress. He smirked and made a small toast with the glass.
"Here's to the wonderful world of decisions!"
Kuja made a swift motion to knock the glass out of Zidane's hand but the blonde managed to get it out of the way just in time.
"I can't tell Megan . . ." Kuja whispered, whimpering slightly. "I mean, our whole bond of trust could break!"
"That's not the only thing that's gonna break when she finds out," Zidane commented, sipping on the Maudite. Kuja looked ready to smack at the glass again but restrained himself.
"How could she be a summoner?" the warlock moaned, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Of all the things - "
A low chuckle arose from the table next to them. Zidane glanced suspiciously at the cloaked man, frowning. There was something creepy about that laugh. It sounded vaguely familiar . . . And something was curled around the table-leg. Zidane's eyes narrowed and he gasped.
/A tail! A brown one!/
The genome stood up so suddenly his chair clattered to the floor with a thud. "GEONOME!" he cried, pointing an accusing finger at the man. Kuja blinked and looked up in surprise. But before either of them could act, the door at the front of the bar flew open. A Pluto Knight stood there, looking slightly shaken.
"This - this is a lockdown!" he shouted, puffing out his chest in a feeble attempt to look commanding. "All residents of Alexandria are ordered by the queen to go home and lock their doors immediately until further notice!"
Protests rang out immediately.
"What?!"
"What kinda crap is this?!"
"I got a life, here!"
The Pluto Knight straightened his helmet nervously, wincing at the barrage of verbal attacks coming his way.
"Please!" he shouted desperately. "Half the Mist Continent is in a state of emergency right now! Dali's just been attacked!"
Zidane gasped. His eyes caught a swift movement at his side. The cloaked man was on his feet now, laughing hysterically. Zidane growled and lunged at him. The figure dodged the attack and whipped off his cloak. Kuja sprang over the table immediately.
"Drakja!"
Drakja's green eyes glittered as he stood there. Zidane saw the geonome leader's hand reaching towards his belt.
"Everyone! Get out of here! NOW!" he cried, taking a step back. Kuja was growling lightly, eyes boring into Drakja menacingly.
No one moved. They all seemed too confused. Zidane looked around at them furiously. "As the man engaged to the throne of Alexandria, I am ordering you all to get out of here NOW! AAAAAH!" Zidane cried out in agony, enveloped in crackling electricity. Kuja threw himself at Drakja, throwing the green-eyed man to the floor.
Everyone in the bar ran out screaming. Including the Pluto Knight . . . (he screamed the loudest).
Amidst the chaos, Zidane stood up shakily, small bursts of lightning still floating around him. Kuja and Drakja were in the middle of a wrestling match on the floor. Drakja grabbed Kuja's hair and gave it a sharp tug. Kuja cried out and punched Drakja in the face. Zidane just stood there, unsure of WHAT to do.
Finally, Drakja gained the upper hand and kicked Kuja with such force that he flew into a bar table, sending it crashing and splintering to the floor. Drakja smirked and rose, brushing off his pants.
"Well, now . . . that was fun," he said happily, glancing at Zidane out of the corner of his eye. "Let's do that again sometime, ne?"
"What are you doing here?!" Zidane snapped, squaring himself in case of retaliation. Drakja laughed.
"Just waiting for the attack on Dali to end,"
"Wh-what do you want with that pathetic little town?!" Kuja choked from the corner, pulling himself out of the mess of wood and dragging himself to his feet.
Drakja folded his arms over his chest casually. "None of your beeswax,"
"It is so!" Zidane shouted, tail puffing out angrily. "Dali's part of Alexandrian territory! And I'm about to become its king! So if you don't mind - " he was suddenly interrupted by a very frightened shout from his brother.
"ZIDANE, RUN!"
"Wha - ?"
Drakja leapt into the air, throwing something down upon the blonde. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. A black orb was hurtling towards the thief. He blinked slowly. Nothing seemed to move.
/A shadow ball . . ./ Zidane realized.
/Flash/
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 out of there 'cause it's big trouble.
/Flash/
Zidane was rooted to the spot. The shadow-ball was coming ever closer. Drakja's eyes were glowing with anticipation as he floated above them. Kuja let out a gasp and threw himself forward.
"Noooo!" he shrieked. There was a whoosh and he fell into Zidane. In that instant, time returned to normal with shocking speed.
"Aaaaaagh!" the orb plummeted into Kuja's back. Immediately a black smoke covered his body. He screamed, whatever attack the shadow-ball was producing destroying the sorcerer from the inside. He rolled off of Zidane, writhing upon the floor. Drakja lowered slowly to the ground, chuckling.
"Well, my target missed, but it seems I've claimed a better prize . . ."
"Kuja!" Zidane pleaded, reaching out towards his screaming brother.
"No!" Kuja gasped, fingers clenching into fists. "Zidane, stay back!"
Zidane hesitated. Then he saw the flash of red. "SHIT!" he stumbled backwards, hand over his mouth. Kuja's eye flashed crimson and the black mist evaporated off of him. The warlock screeched, clutching his head.
"No! I won't let them!" he crawled backwards until he hit the wall. The silver-haired man pressed himself up against it, face twisted painfully in the silent struggle. Drakja remained silent, arms folded over his chest. A thoughtful look passed over his face.
"No!" Kuja cried as several strands of hair began to turn a deep blood-red. "I won't let them hurt anybody!"
Light burst forth from his body, twisting strands of energy shooting out into the room. A wind-like shield covered Zidane's body. He stared at it in wonderment, reaching towards it. But before he could touch the barrier, Kuja let out a gasp and his eyes spurted back to blue. The light vanished. The shield dissipated.
Every table and chair in the bar was overturned. Drakja had a magic shield up in front of him but his leopard-like eyes were wide. Kuja looked equally shocked.
"I-I did it . . ." he whispered, breathing heavily. "I held them back . . ." his eyes locked onto Drakja. Zidane realized what was about to happen two seconds before it did.
"No! Don't let him get away!"
POP!
The two brother landed in a heap upon the floor . . . right where Drakja should have been.
"Damn it!" Zidane cursed bitterly, pulling himself onto his elbows. "He teleported, the rat bastard!"
Kuja stood, growling. "Damn him . . . What the hell was he doing here anyways?! He should be with his other nasty little friends blowing up innocent towns!"
Zidane looked thoughtful. "Do you think he heard what I said?" he queried, glancing at his brother.
"What?"
"About Megan! Do you think he heard?"
Kuja shrugged. "Who cares . . . Drakja probably doesn't even know what a Summoner is . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Drakja cackled gleefully, running down the hallway of the Indomitable. Hoo boy, was Garland going to be pleased! Here Garland had been chasing down a pair of Summoners when Drakja could just hand one to him on a platter! Excitedly, Drakja threw open the door of the control room.
"Master, I - "
With a growl, Garland turned and glared fiercely. Drakja felt the strangle- hold immediately over his body but resisted wincing.
"I didn't find them, boy," Garland snarled, baring his teeth. "They weren't in Dali! Not only that, but I barely got any power from the attack. It was worthless!" he pointed an accusing finger at the geonome. "Why were you there?!"
Drakja mouth fell open in surprise. "Master, you told me to go on scouting duty in Alexandria! I - "
"SILENCE!" Garland shrieked, eyes maddening. Drakja shut up immediately, feeling the pressure in his brain increasing painfully. How could Garland be treating him this way?! After everything he'd done! He was the Demon of the Death, damn it!
"Now you listen to me," Garland snapped, stepping towards his minion. "From now on, you're going to command every attack. If we don't find those Summoners by the time I've taken down THREE cities . . ." Garland drew a finger menacingly across his neck. Drakja gulped. Suddenly, a thought passed through his mind that made the geonome stop and wonder.
/Flash/
No! I won't let them hurt anybody!
/Flash/
Garland felt the uneasiness in Drakja's brain and tilted his head inquiringly. "What are you thinking about . . .?" he queried, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Drakja snapped out of his reverie and looked up. He wasn't exactly sure what to say. Garland was certainly not the understanding type, nor the friendly type. Drakja highly doubted that Garland had ever had a true feeling in all his life!
"Um . . . Well . . ." the green-eyed man scratched his head curiously, searching for the correct word choice. "It's about the first angel of death . . ."
Garland's eyes flashed with interest, though he quickly tried to stifle it. "Yes, go on . . ."
Drakja shifted uneasily, frowning. "Um . . . Well . . . When I was in Alexandria today, I saw him in a bar. He seemed perfectly normal, to be honest. I would never have suspected him of being anything strange. But when he started fighting . . ." Drakja faded out, shrugging. "I don't know. It's not important,"
"No . . . it might be . . ." Garland whispered, taking a few steps towards his minion. "What did you notice about his fighting?"
Drakja chewed his lip. "It wasn't just the fighting in general . . ." said the geonome, curling his tail around his ankle. "It's just . . . the whole darn thing . . . seemed so . . ." Drakja's eyes widened as he managed to grasp the right word. "Familiar . . ."
Garland tried to contain and mask his surprise. /It can't be . . ./ "Familiar? How so?"
Drakja shrugged. "I dunno . . . I tried to use a shadow-ball on the second angel of death but Kuja jumped in the way. The shadow-ball hit him kinda funny. In the back, actually. And he was in a lot of pain. And I . . . I . . ." Drakja's face turned immediately cold. He straightened himself and squared his shoulders. "It was nothing. I'm going to leave,"
Garland remained silent, piercing eyes going dull. After a moment, he turned away from the geonome, acting as if he didn't know the man was there. "By the way . . ." he said softly, glancing over his shoulder. "Was there something you wished to tell me?"
Drakja hesitated, frowning. A small smile crept across his pale lips as he grinned devilishly. /Yell at me, why don't ya? Treat me like dirt, huh?/
"Funny . . ." the geonome muttered curtly. "I seem to have forgotten . . ."
And with that, the Demon of Death turned and fled the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Ooh. Drakja has feelings! Cool. But don't think he's turning traitor or nothin' . . . He's not THAT upset! But things are gonna start to get weird with him from now on. That's why I had to know your opinion on his origins. And thanks! I didn't receive a single review that didn't answer my question ^_^ Thank you everyone! And luckily, basically everybody said he wasn't the original. And that's good, 'cause otherwise I'd have to rewrite the plot *sweatdrop* Read and review, y'all!
P.S. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
This is not definite, but I've started work on character designs etc. for this fic. In other words, I'm thinking about turning Return of the Destroyed into an online manga series of sorts. I would post parts of the story in comic format slowly like I did with the book version ^_^ But things are moving slow, right now. So far, the only designs I'm satisfied with are Lulian, Megan, and Kuja. I'm desperately trying to get Drakja right and I'm pretty happy with the way Zidane is coming along. I worked on Megan's family a little and I'm almost positive I've got Mrs. Yorokobi down. As for her grandmother . . . *sigh* That's another story . . . I'll keep y'all posted on the progress of the manga later. But before I can do anything, I would need a website to put it on (which I don't have . . .) and some new nib-pens (which I'm getting in a few days). So stay tuned!
REEEEEEEEEEAD AND REEEEEEVIEW!