A/N: Yay! Chapter twenty-five! Doesn't that have a nice sound to it? Uh
. . . What to say, what to say . . . Um, just that we learn a little more
about Garland's plan in this chapter. Not much, but you can sort of pick
out where he's heading. Also . . . I have yet ANOTHER warning ^_^! Yay!
The warning is: HUGE, ENORMOUS, GIGANTIC HUMOGONOUS CLIFFHANGER WARNING!!!
I know, I'm evil . . . mwahahaha!
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"The best proof of love is trust."
- Joyce Brothers
Mrs. Yorokobi couldn't believe what was going on. First she was living all happily in Madain Sari with her OWN kind, then it blew up. Then she was living peacefully in Katei and some woman with weird eyes told her she had to leave. Next thing she knew, she was being herded through Conde Petie, unable to understand a word her fellow townspeople were saying. So now what? She's going BACK to Katei! Sent by a kid with a TAIL!
"This world's gone mad . . ." Mrs. Yorokobi muttered bitterly as she threw various outfits and accessories into a bag.
"You almost done in there, Martha!" her mother-in-law called from the other room where she, too, was stuffing crud into a suitcase.
"Almost!" Mrs. Yorokobi kicked her bag out of the way and began furiously throwing open drawers. "Oh for the love of Atomos! Where did I put it?!"
The older woman peeked her head through the door curiously. "Lose something, dear?"
Mrs. Yorokobi growled angrily, her search becoming frantic. "Yobi-Dasu, I can't find the sword!"
"The sword?"
"The Masamune! That's a family heirloom! It's worth billions of gil! It's the only one ever made; one of the most valuable items on the entire continent!"
Yobi-Dasu blushed slightly, shuffling her feet. Mrs. Yorokobi froze in mid- toss and her clear blue eyes rose, flaming, up towards her mother-in-law.
"Yobi-Dasu . . . What did you do with the sword . . .?"
Yobi-Dasu put on her most innocent (and obvious) expression. "Why, Martha, dear, whatever do you mean?"
Mrs. Yorokobi was now rising slowly to her feet, fists clenched. "I'm not kidding here, Yobi . . . I swear on my idiot husband's grave that if you - "
Yobi-Dasu rolled her eyes and shook out her frizzy gray hair. "Well if it's so gosh darn important to you, I gave it to Feather right before he left,"
Mrs. Yorokobi blinked, uncomprehending. "You . . . You gave it to HIM?! Why, in the name of Bahamut, why?!"
The elder woman sighed, gazing placidly at the ceiling. How to explain it . . .
"Martha, please. The boy loved that sword more than anything. I didn't say he could keep it, though from what I've seen the little snob can certainly afford it . . ."
"Yobi . . ."
"Martha, please! He and that sword are a good match. All he ever did was sit around cleanin' the damn thing. So eventually I broke down and told him to take it and shut up! It's in safe hands . . ."
Mrs. Yorokobi was laughing hysterically with disbelief. "Safe hands?! You call those hands safe?! The hands that are stained with the blood of the very virgin innocence?!"
"Okay, now you're going a little far . . ."
"Whatever. What I mean to say is you just gave a dangerous sorcerer - who doesn't know we know he's dangerous - one of the most powerful weapons on the planet,"
"Martha, I know what I'm doing," Yobi-Dasu's eyes crinkled as she smiled.
"I hope so . . . Or I'll kill you . . ."
The elder woman snorted, hauling a bag over her shoulder.
"C'mon, let's just go. We're not accomplishing anything standing here . . ."
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"Are you ready?"
"Ready,"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure,"
"Are you REALLY sure?"
"Dart! Would you shut the hell up?!!" Drakja shouted from down the line. Dart smirked - having just tormented an "innocent" geonome - and kicked at a pebble.
"I'm bored!" she whined, gazing down the seemingly never-ending line of geonomes. They stood there - at least a hundred - in a straight row half a mile from Conde Petie. Most geonomes were sharpening their weapons, preparing for the attack. Hidden strategically at various points were the leaders - Drakja, Lulian, etc. Chikara was baring his teeth as the reek of battle came to his nostrils.
"Hmph. Pathetic," Lulian growled, tail thrashing. "Let's just get on with it! We're gonna get those damn Summoners!"
"Orders from Garland first," Drakja snapped from about fifteen geonomes away. He couldn't show his guilt at their lost cause. He blushed. "Just get ready,"
Lulian nodded, her ears already folding back and fur sprouting from her face. She melted, sloshing, into her German Shepard form.
Drakja breathed slowly. The breeze was cold as it blew over the awaiting army. He was trying desperately to suppress the original Drakja's fiery emotions. He was fighting a losing battle . . .
/Flash/
Now, Saishoja . . . Now we end it . . .
You wish . . . Heh.
/Flash/
"Damnit," Drakja muttered, running his fingers through his rich hair. Then he heard it; the soft whisper brushing like wind through his ears.
Garland.
"Go!!!" Drakja screamed, pointing his sword towards the horizon. "Go! Go! Go! Go!"
And like a ripple of advancing thunder, the geonomes roared, charging across the barren plains of the outer continent, ready for the slaughter.
They would leave none alive . . .
And in the mad dash they did not notice two women peeking out at them from behind a bush . . .
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Freya Crescent's nose twitched as she stood against the gates of Alexandria.
/Blood has been spilled . . . Much blood . . ./
"Is something troubling you, my dear?" came a familiar, soft voice from around the corner. Freya turned slowly, seeing Fratley's anxious form. The dragoon knight wheeled back to the gate, gingerly sniffing the air.
"Do you smell it, Fratley?" she queried. "The stench . . . of death . . ."
The Iron-Tailed nodded, eyes narrowed. "Indeed . . . It comes from the north. What could have happened?"
Then the sirens blared. Freya ducked, white with shock, and clutched onto Fratley's coat.
"An attack!" she cried. "There was another attack!"
"Oh no . . . What now?" Fratley snarled, the fur on the back of his neck rising. "The leaders have returned to their cities . . . They won't be able to tail Garland!"
Alexandrian soldiers were charging down the streets. "Lockdown!" they cried. "Everyone inside!"
"Back to the castle . . .!" Fratley hissed, nudging Freya away from the gate. "Come, we must hurry!"
Guards were surrounding the castle by the time they got there, ready to defend the structure at a moments notice. The soldiers recognized the Burmecian couple and allowed them entrance across the moat. However, when Fratley attempted to walk through the door, he was nearly trampled by a screaming brunette wearing a pair of thick glasses . . .
"Megan, no!" came Garnet's shrill cry. She reached desperately for the deactivated Summoner who shoved angrily past Freya, shrieking.
"Stop her!" Zidane yelled, coming up frantically beside his fiancé. Luckily Fratley was in the line of fire. At the last minute he brought his spear down on the train of Megan's dress, forcing her to the ground. She collapsed there, sobbing and beating her fists into the dirt.
"No, no, NO!!!" she cried, tugging on her hair. "This isn't HAPPENING!!!"
"Megan. Megan, dear, calm down," Beatrix cooed, coming from around the side of the castle. She yanked Fratley's spear out of the young girl's dress and gently hugged Megan's sobbing form.
"No!" Megan moaned, tears pouring out from beneath her glasses. "Mom . . . Grandma . . . They're all dead!"
The others were filing slowly into the entrance. Vivi's amber eyes were wide.
"What?"
"They were in Conde Petie!" Megan wailed, burying her face in her hands as Beatrix tried to comfort her. "But the geonomes slaughtered EVERYONE! I - I have no one left! I'm - I'm an ORPHAN!!!" she burst into another fit of hysteria, leaving the rest of the crew dumbfounded and silent.
Kuja stood in the entrance hall of the castle; disconnected from the rest of the group, brooding as usual. It was all too much. Tot's words had left him even more confused than before and now Garland's attacks had become three times more random. Why Conde Petie? What could he possibly want from a town of Scottish green dwarves?
"Have you nothing to say?!" Garnet spat suddenly, gaze smashing onto the dazed sorcerer. The crew could see that she, too, had tears in her eyes for the lost girl at her feet. "How can you just stand there?!"
Kuja refused to meet her tear-streaked glare.
/What does this all mean? Why can't I understand Him? My own master? I should be dead . . . Shouldn't I? Why has Megan lost her family at the hands of my creator? Why?/
Beatrix was watching Kuja closely. The others seemed torn; undecided between staring sympathetically at Megan or curiously at Kuja. The warlock was obviously spaced beyond grasp. He shook his head, thoughts warring through his mind.
/All your problems could be solved . . ./ a voice whispered like a knife through his musings. Kuja pushed it back.
/I'm not listening . . ./ he whispered to himself.
/Obviously you are. This hatred . . . Why not use it?/
/I'm not going to use it./
/You did once before. Didn't it work out beautifully? All the vengeance and destruction you ever wanted . . . You could kill Garland now, you know./
/I'm not listening!/ Kuja practically sung.
/Use your anger. Let us help you./
Kuja closed his eyes wearily. /Stop . . ./
/You're nothing without us. Just like before./
/There was a before? There was a time when you weren't here?/
A small laugh echoed through his skull. /Yes . . . Don't you remember . . .?/
/. . . No . . ./
/Fool. How silly mortals are . . . Use us. You have used us before . . . Let your true nature show . . ./
Kuja could feel the claws scraping through his soul. But this time . . . the feeling was pleasurable . . . A small smile creased his pale lips.
/My true nature . . ./
". . . No . . ."
Eyes burning to red. All conscious thought lost. The flooding of power . . .
Kuja dropped to his knees, trembling furiously. Megan sniffled, glancing over her shoulder.
/Oh god . . ./
The crew was on their feet within minutes. Beatrix - quick on the draw - grabbed Eiko and Megan and dragged them away from the door just as a blonde blur leapt in front of her.
"Back away!" Zidane shouted angrily. "Everyone get out of here! I'll hold him off!"
"No, Zidane!" Garnet cried shrilly. "Not by yourself!"
Kuja snarled, rising slowly to his feet. His hair was streaked red, his tail ringed with black, eye flaming with a psychotic energy. Zidane whipped out his daggers, leering angrily at his deranged brother.
"Back off!" Zidane shouted. "I'll kill you!"
As the others scurried to the sides, away from the obvious danger, Lani yelped.
"Zidane can't kill his brother! Not if he doesn't know what he's doing!"
"It's what they call an 'empty threat,'" Amarant grumbled. Quina shook his flabby head.
"Not empty! Zidane gonna kill Kuja!"
Zidane's eyes were flashing. "I'm not joking, you vermin. I will kill him . . ."
Kuja laughed, though his voice was not his own. "And free us? Such a clever boy . . . Or perhaps a tad foolish?"
With a cry, Zidane flung himself forward, daggers poised for the attack. Kuja laughed and - with a simple gesture - sent a blazing wall of water crashing through the entrance hall and straight at Zidane. The blonde genome braced himself, and for one moment he was sure it was the end. Closing his eyes, he placed himself securely in the threshold and - reaching back - closed the door with a locking click. He could hear Garnet's muffled scream as she lost sight of her doomed fiancé.
With a thud, the wave smashed hard. A roar like thunder rose into the air. Zidane waited, and when he didn't feel the crushing of his own bones, he slowly opened his eyes.
The barrier. The barrier was surrounding his body once more; protecting him.
"What in the world . . .?"
Kuja levitated a few feet into the air with a "hmph."
"Why won't you die?" he queried more to himself than anything. "What makes you so special?"
Zidane didn't respond. He was staring at the rippling wall of energy around him, noticing how the water from the wave sloshed against its sides but was not granted entrance. His boots weren't even wet . . .
/Kuja . . ./ he thought wistfully. /The Kuja who knows me as a brother won't let me die . . . Then that means no matter how much They surface, the real Kuja is still in there . . . somewhere . . ./
Zidane looked up dreamily to see Kuja's face inches from the barrier. He was floating in midair, arms folded across his chest.
"You really are a nuisance . . ." the warlock muttered, his voice still carrying the faint traces of the others within it. "I have to dispose of you . . . But how . . .?"
Zidane continued to watch with his crystal-blue eyes out of focus. He had never felt so lost and confused in all his life . . . Like the foundations of his world were collapsing in around him . . . The way he'd felt when he'd stumbled across Kuja's dying body in the Iifa Tree . . .
/Kuja was uninjured this time . . ./ Zidane's mind whispered. /He had no reason to change . . . Did Kuja let them surface of his own volition . . .? Or . . ./
"Why are you so difficult . . .?" Kuja queried, flying above the barrier and looking down at his protected victim. "Our mission was to kill all in Kuja's way . . . So why can't I kill you?"
/Did Kuja give them that order? To kill me?/
"Funny . . . Garland gave you such a powerful soul. Could that be what's causing this? Are you more powerful than Kuja, perhaps?"
Zidane stared up at his brother just in time to see a single crimson feather fall loose and drift lazily to the floor. Zidane's heart skipped a beat.
/Is it just me . . . Or are They stronger than last time? Not only that, but . . ./
The barrier was weakening. The dome of energy was growing thinner and now Zidane could see a trickle of water seeping in from beneath it.
/It's both./ Zidane realized, horrified. /Those people are getting stronger . . . And Kuja's getting weaker . . . That purple-eyed woman was right! Their power is killing him!/
"Kuja!" the words burst suddenly from Zidane's mouth. He pressed his hands against the barrier, blue eyes widening desperately as he realized the inevitableness of the situation. "Stop!"
Kuja laughed, crimson eyes glittering. "Ah, so the defenses have weakened, eh? Excellent,"
"No! God damn it!" Zidane punched the barrier furiously, tears forming in his eyes. If he didn't bring Kuja back soon . . . His brother would . . .
The wall had almost completely faded. Zidane noticed for the first time that Kuja's face was paler than before and red feathers were peppered throughout his hair; which was now more red streaked with silver than anything.
/Like Trance . . . Except Kuja has no control over himself . . ./
"Please Kuja," the genome sobbed, dropping to his knees. "You can't leave . . . Not now . . ."
"How touching," his brother smirked. "Are those your last words? Pathetic," he raised his delicate hands slowly, and Zidane spotted the beginnings of a spell that struck fear into the hearts of millions . . .
"Ultima . . ."
"Yes, it's a nifty little trick, isn't it?" Kuja queried smugly. "Our own personal creation, actually . . . Kuja never learned it himself,"
"Wh-what . . .?"
"Ah, isn't it lovely?" Kuja's multi-layered voice chuckled. "The destruction of Terra . . . And it was all Our fault . . ."
"What the hell are you talking about?! Nothing makes sense anymore!"
Kuja was suddenly grinning widely, hands shaking with glee. "Yes . . . Yes, it's working! The freedom . . . The call of the Mist . . . The body becomes a vessel . . . which greets a new soul . . ."
A sigh rolled softly off Kuja's lips. As if someone had cut his strings, he fell through the air and crumpled like a doll to the floor. The barrier evaporated with a swish. Zidane gasped.
"NO!!!"
A thousand miles away, Garland crowed with glee.
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". . . Drakja . . . Do you see this light? Tell me my eyes do not deceive me,"
Drakja stood obediently by his master's throne and turned his poisonous green irises onto the strange red glow emanating from Garland's armor.
"It's much brighter than before, sir,"
Garland smirked darkly. "This light means my plans are working perfectly. With only one minor glitch . . ." he glanced sidelong at Drakja who shifted nervously. Garland continued. "It seems every day the glow increases. They're growing stronger, Drakja. Far stronger than they ever were before . . ."
Drakja furrowed his brow. "But won't Kuja die . . .?"
Garland shrugged. "He may be dead already. What difference does it make?"
"Um . . ." Drakja frowned. "It's just . . . Don't be mad sir, but a recent report shows the Mist has not yet encircled Terra. If They were released, they could go anywhere. You would have no way of capturing them,"
Garland raised a dangerous eyebrow. ". . . Excuse me . . .?"
"Th-the Mist has not even spread completely across Gaia,"
". . . I see . . . Then it cannot be helped. I'll replenish Kuja's magic reserves. The Angel of Death will live . . . For now . . ."
Drakja nodded nervously. Garland did not seem too happy. Now there were two glitches in his plan . . . That and the lack of Summoners found at Conde Petie . . . The aged Terran gazed forward, sighing.
"Come to think of it, I may have plans for my first Angel of Death, yet,"
Drakja blinked with surprise. "Like what?"
Garland leaned back in his throne, tenting his fingers delicately. "There is much I do not yet know of Kuja's connection to Saishoja. It would be interesting to see - "
"You mean you're going to let Them grow stronger in Kuja?"
Garland smirked. "When the time comes, I will take back what is rightfully mine. The bastard took all my power. It belonged to me. Perhaps through Saishoja's powers, They will become even stronger. Then, when I myself am strong enough, I will finish the assimilation that I intended years ago,"
Drakja bit his lip. ". . . Will the geonomes lose their souls . . .?" he queried uncomfortably. It was a topic he did not like to think about. There was nothing a creature feared more than to die and suffer for eternity. Garland's eyes glittered maniacally in the darkness.
"Your souls will be spared," he said softly. "You are already the perfect Terrans. As for my genomes, however . . . They are slowly gaining their souls. I will take them from the fools, and replace their undeserving souls with the souls of Gaia. You need not worry, Drakja. There are far more souls on Gaia than I need,"
"But what will you do with the rest?"
Garland grinned viciously. "The same thing I plan to do with Kuja . . ."
Drakja gulped and shuddered.
"However . . ." Garland's voice rose slightly in a taunting sort of manner. "Perhaps I could feed a certain geonome's soul back into the assimilation if a certain geonome doesn't fix a certain problem in my plan . . ."
Drakja's jaw stiffened. To lose his soul . . . To die again . . .
/No!/
"Garland . . . Just out of curiosity. What do you know of the remaining Summoner family?"
Garland shrugged, uninterested. "They are two women. That is all,"
"And did you know about the daughter?"
Garland glanced suspiciously at Drakja. "Daughter?"
"Yes, sir. You have seen her. The little imp that's running around with Kuja. Light brown hair . . . Glasses . . ."
Garland sat up instantly. "How do you know this?"
Drakja couldn't help himself from smiling. "I eavesdropped on one of their conversations and heard it,"
Garland sat back in shock. "Then if I could just capture the girl . . . My search is over! Drakja, get Lulian. Now! We've got a Summoner to kidnap!"
Drakja grinned widely, finally back in his master's favor. "Yes, sir!"
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A/N: Aw, damnit Drakja. Why'd ya have to go and open your big fat mouth?! Stupid geonome . . . I'm happy to say I have several concept sketches for this fic that I might put up soon! Whoo Hoo! Progress! Sorry for the cliffy . . . Hehe . . .
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"The best proof of love is trust."
- Joyce Brothers
Mrs. Yorokobi couldn't believe what was going on. First she was living all happily in Madain Sari with her OWN kind, then it blew up. Then she was living peacefully in Katei and some woman with weird eyes told her she had to leave. Next thing she knew, she was being herded through Conde Petie, unable to understand a word her fellow townspeople were saying. So now what? She's going BACK to Katei! Sent by a kid with a TAIL!
"This world's gone mad . . ." Mrs. Yorokobi muttered bitterly as she threw various outfits and accessories into a bag.
"You almost done in there, Martha!" her mother-in-law called from the other room where she, too, was stuffing crud into a suitcase.
"Almost!" Mrs. Yorokobi kicked her bag out of the way and began furiously throwing open drawers. "Oh for the love of Atomos! Where did I put it?!"
The older woman peeked her head through the door curiously. "Lose something, dear?"
Mrs. Yorokobi growled angrily, her search becoming frantic. "Yobi-Dasu, I can't find the sword!"
"The sword?"
"The Masamune! That's a family heirloom! It's worth billions of gil! It's the only one ever made; one of the most valuable items on the entire continent!"
Yobi-Dasu blushed slightly, shuffling her feet. Mrs. Yorokobi froze in mid- toss and her clear blue eyes rose, flaming, up towards her mother-in-law.
"Yobi-Dasu . . . What did you do with the sword . . .?"
Yobi-Dasu put on her most innocent (and obvious) expression. "Why, Martha, dear, whatever do you mean?"
Mrs. Yorokobi was now rising slowly to her feet, fists clenched. "I'm not kidding here, Yobi . . . I swear on my idiot husband's grave that if you - "
Yobi-Dasu rolled her eyes and shook out her frizzy gray hair. "Well if it's so gosh darn important to you, I gave it to Feather right before he left,"
Mrs. Yorokobi blinked, uncomprehending. "You . . . You gave it to HIM?! Why, in the name of Bahamut, why?!"
The elder woman sighed, gazing placidly at the ceiling. How to explain it . . .
"Martha, please. The boy loved that sword more than anything. I didn't say he could keep it, though from what I've seen the little snob can certainly afford it . . ."
"Yobi . . ."
"Martha, please! He and that sword are a good match. All he ever did was sit around cleanin' the damn thing. So eventually I broke down and told him to take it and shut up! It's in safe hands . . ."
Mrs. Yorokobi was laughing hysterically with disbelief. "Safe hands?! You call those hands safe?! The hands that are stained with the blood of the very virgin innocence?!"
"Okay, now you're going a little far . . ."
"Whatever. What I mean to say is you just gave a dangerous sorcerer - who doesn't know we know he's dangerous - one of the most powerful weapons on the planet,"
"Martha, I know what I'm doing," Yobi-Dasu's eyes crinkled as she smiled.
"I hope so . . . Or I'll kill you . . ."
The elder woman snorted, hauling a bag over her shoulder.
"C'mon, let's just go. We're not accomplishing anything standing here . . ."
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"Are you ready?"
"Ready,"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure,"
"Are you REALLY sure?"
"Dart! Would you shut the hell up?!!" Drakja shouted from down the line. Dart smirked - having just tormented an "innocent" geonome - and kicked at a pebble.
"I'm bored!" she whined, gazing down the seemingly never-ending line of geonomes. They stood there - at least a hundred - in a straight row half a mile from Conde Petie. Most geonomes were sharpening their weapons, preparing for the attack. Hidden strategically at various points were the leaders - Drakja, Lulian, etc. Chikara was baring his teeth as the reek of battle came to his nostrils.
"Hmph. Pathetic," Lulian growled, tail thrashing. "Let's just get on with it! We're gonna get those damn Summoners!"
"Orders from Garland first," Drakja snapped from about fifteen geonomes away. He couldn't show his guilt at their lost cause. He blushed. "Just get ready,"
Lulian nodded, her ears already folding back and fur sprouting from her face. She melted, sloshing, into her German Shepard form.
Drakja breathed slowly. The breeze was cold as it blew over the awaiting army. He was trying desperately to suppress the original Drakja's fiery emotions. He was fighting a losing battle . . .
/Flash/
Now, Saishoja . . . Now we end it . . .
You wish . . . Heh.
/Flash/
"Damnit," Drakja muttered, running his fingers through his rich hair. Then he heard it; the soft whisper brushing like wind through his ears.
Garland.
"Go!!!" Drakja screamed, pointing his sword towards the horizon. "Go! Go! Go! Go!"
And like a ripple of advancing thunder, the geonomes roared, charging across the barren plains of the outer continent, ready for the slaughter.
They would leave none alive . . .
And in the mad dash they did not notice two women peeking out at them from behind a bush . . .
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Freya Crescent's nose twitched as she stood against the gates of Alexandria.
/Blood has been spilled . . . Much blood . . ./
"Is something troubling you, my dear?" came a familiar, soft voice from around the corner. Freya turned slowly, seeing Fratley's anxious form. The dragoon knight wheeled back to the gate, gingerly sniffing the air.
"Do you smell it, Fratley?" she queried. "The stench . . . of death . . ."
The Iron-Tailed nodded, eyes narrowed. "Indeed . . . It comes from the north. What could have happened?"
Then the sirens blared. Freya ducked, white with shock, and clutched onto Fratley's coat.
"An attack!" she cried. "There was another attack!"
"Oh no . . . What now?" Fratley snarled, the fur on the back of his neck rising. "The leaders have returned to their cities . . . They won't be able to tail Garland!"
Alexandrian soldiers were charging down the streets. "Lockdown!" they cried. "Everyone inside!"
"Back to the castle . . .!" Fratley hissed, nudging Freya away from the gate. "Come, we must hurry!"
Guards were surrounding the castle by the time they got there, ready to defend the structure at a moments notice. The soldiers recognized the Burmecian couple and allowed them entrance across the moat. However, when Fratley attempted to walk through the door, he was nearly trampled by a screaming brunette wearing a pair of thick glasses . . .
"Megan, no!" came Garnet's shrill cry. She reached desperately for the deactivated Summoner who shoved angrily past Freya, shrieking.
"Stop her!" Zidane yelled, coming up frantically beside his fiancé. Luckily Fratley was in the line of fire. At the last minute he brought his spear down on the train of Megan's dress, forcing her to the ground. She collapsed there, sobbing and beating her fists into the dirt.
"No, no, NO!!!" she cried, tugging on her hair. "This isn't HAPPENING!!!"
"Megan. Megan, dear, calm down," Beatrix cooed, coming from around the side of the castle. She yanked Fratley's spear out of the young girl's dress and gently hugged Megan's sobbing form.
"No!" Megan moaned, tears pouring out from beneath her glasses. "Mom . . . Grandma . . . They're all dead!"
The others were filing slowly into the entrance. Vivi's amber eyes were wide.
"What?"
"They were in Conde Petie!" Megan wailed, burying her face in her hands as Beatrix tried to comfort her. "But the geonomes slaughtered EVERYONE! I - I have no one left! I'm - I'm an ORPHAN!!!" she burst into another fit of hysteria, leaving the rest of the crew dumbfounded and silent.
Kuja stood in the entrance hall of the castle; disconnected from the rest of the group, brooding as usual. It was all too much. Tot's words had left him even more confused than before and now Garland's attacks had become three times more random. Why Conde Petie? What could he possibly want from a town of Scottish green dwarves?
"Have you nothing to say?!" Garnet spat suddenly, gaze smashing onto the dazed sorcerer. The crew could see that she, too, had tears in her eyes for the lost girl at her feet. "How can you just stand there?!"
Kuja refused to meet her tear-streaked glare.
/What does this all mean? Why can't I understand Him? My own master? I should be dead . . . Shouldn't I? Why has Megan lost her family at the hands of my creator? Why?/
Beatrix was watching Kuja closely. The others seemed torn; undecided between staring sympathetically at Megan or curiously at Kuja. The warlock was obviously spaced beyond grasp. He shook his head, thoughts warring through his mind.
/All your problems could be solved . . ./ a voice whispered like a knife through his musings. Kuja pushed it back.
/I'm not listening . . ./ he whispered to himself.
/Obviously you are. This hatred . . . Why not use it?/
/I'm not going to use it./
/You did once before. Didn't it work out beautifully? All the vengeance and destruction you ever wanted . . . You could kill Garland now, you know./
/I'm not listening!/ Kuja practically sung.
/Use your anger. Let us help you./
Kuja closed his eyes wearily. /Stop . . ./
/You're nothing without us. Just like before./
/There was a before? There was a time when you weren't here?/
A small laugh echoed through his skull. /Yes . . . Don't you remember . . .?/
/. . . No . . ./
/Fool. How silly mortals are . . . Use us. You have used us before . . . Let your true nature show . . ./
Kuja could feel the claws scraping through his soul. But this time . . . the feeling was pleasurable . . . A small smile creased his pale lips.
/My true nature . . ./
". . . No . . ."
Eyes burning to red. All conscious thought lost. The flooding of power . . .
Kuja dropped to his knees, trembling furiously. Megan sniffled, glancing over her shoulder.
/Oh god . . ./
The crew was on their feet within minutes. Beatrix - quick on the draw - grabbed Eiko and Megan and dragged them away from the door just as a blonde blur leapt in front of her.
"Back away!" Zidane shouted angrily. "Everyone get out of here! I'll hold him off!"
"No, Zidane!" Garnet cried shrilly. "Not by yourself!"
Kuja snarled, rising slowly to his feet. His hair was streaked red, his tail ringed with black, eye flaming with a psychotic energy. Zidane whipped out his daggers, leering angrily at his deranged brother.
"Back off!" Zidane shouted. "I'll kill you!"
As the others scurried to the sides, away from the obvious danger, Lani yelped.
"Zidane can't kill his brother! Not if he doesn't know what he's doing!"
"It's what they call an 'empty threat,'" Amarant grumbled. Quina shook his flabby head.
"Not empty! Zidane gonna kill Kuja!"
Zidane's eyes were flashing. "I'm not joking, you vermin. I will kill him . . ."
Kuja laughed, though his voice was not his own. "And free us? Such a clever boy . . . Or perhaps a tad foolish?"
With a cry, Zidane flung himself forward, daggers poised for the attack. Kuja laughed and - with a simple gesture - sent a blazing wall of water crashing through the entrance hall and straight at Zidane. The blonde genome braced himself, and for one moment he was sure it was the end. Closing his eyes, he placed himself securely in the threshold and - reaching back - closed the door with a locking click. He could hear Garnet's muffled scream as she lost sight of her doomed fiancé.
With a thud, the wave smashed hard. A roar like thunder rose into the air. Zidane waited, and when he didn't feel the crushing of his own bones, he slowly opened his eyes.
The barrier. The barrier was surrounding his body once more; protecting him.
"What in the world . . .?"
Kuja levitated a few feet into the air with a "hmph."
"Why won't you die?" he queried more to himself than anything. "What makes you so special?"
Zidane didn't respond. He was staring at the rippling wall of energy around him, noticing how the water from the wave sloshed against its sides but was not granted entrance. His boots weren't even wet . . .
/Kuja . . ./ he thought wistfully. /The Kuja who knows me as a brother won't let me die . . . Then that means no matter how much They surface, the real Kuja is still in there . . . somewhere . . ./
Zidane looked up dreamily to see Kuja's face inches from the barrier. He was floating in midair, arms folded across his chest.
"You really are a nuisance . . ." the warlock muttered, his voice still carrying the faint traces of the others within it. "I have to dispose of you . . . But how . . .?"
Zidane continued to watch with his crystal-blue eyes out of focus. He had never felt so lost and confused in all his life . . . Like the foundations of his world were collapsing in around him . . . The way he'd felt when he'd stumbled across Kuja's dying body in the Iifa Tree . . .
/Kuja was uninjured this time . . ./ Zidane's mind whispered. /He had no reason to change . . . Did Kuja let them surface of his own volition . . .? Or . . ./
"Why are you so difficult . . .?" Kuja queried, flying above the barrier and looking down at his protected victim. "Our mission was to kill all in Kuja's way . . . So why can't I kill you?"
/Did Kuja give them that order? To kill me?/
"Funny . . . Garland gave you such a powerful soul. Could that be what's causing this? Are you more powerful than Kuja, perhaps?"
Zidane stared up at his brother just in time to see a single crimson feather fall loose and drift lazily to the floor. Zidane's heart skipped a beat.
/Is it just me . . . Or are They stronger than last time? Not only that, but . . ./
The barrier was weakening. The dome of energy was growing thinner and now Zidane could see a trickle of water seeping in from beneath it.
/It's both./ Zidane realized, horrified. /Those people are getting stronger . . . And Kuja's getting weaker . . . That purple-eyed woman was right! Their power is killing him!/
"Kuja!" the words burst suddenly from Zidane's mouth. He pressed his hands against the barrier, blue eyes widening desperately as he realized the inevitableness of the situation. "Stop!"
Kuja laughed, crimson eyes glittering. "Ah, so the defenses have weakened, eh? Excellent,"
"No! God damn it!" Zidane punched the barrier furiously, tears forming in his eyes. If he didn't bring Kuja back soon . . . His brother would . . .
The wall had almost completely faded. Zidane noticed for the first time that Kuja's face was paler than before and red feathers were peppered throughout his hair; which was now more red streaked with silver than anything.
/Like Trance . . . Except Kuja has no control over himself . . ./
"Please Kuja," the genome sobbed, dropping to his knees. "You can't leave . . . Not now . . ."
"How touching," his brother smirked. "Are those your last words? Pathetic," he raised his delicate hands slowly, and Zidane spotted the beginnings of a spell that struck fear into the hearts of millions . . .
"Ultima . . ."
"Yes, it's a nifty little trick, isn't it?" Kuja queried smugly. "Our own personal creation, actually . . . Kuja never learned it himself,"
"Wh-what . . .?"
"Ah, isn't it lovely?" Kuja's multi-layered voice chuckled. "The destruction of Terra . . . And it was all Our fault . . ."
"What the hell are you talking about?! Nothing makes sense anymore!"
Kuja was suddenly grinning widely, hands shaking with glee. "Yes . . . Yes, it's working! The freedom . . . The call of the Mist . . . The body becomes a vessel . . . which greets a new soul . . ."
A sigh rolled softly off Kuja's lips. As if someone had cut his strings, he fell through the air and crumpled like a doll to the floor. The barrier evaporated with a swish. Zidane gasped.
"NO!!!"
A thousand miles away, Garland crowed with glee.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
". . . Drakja . . . Do you see this light? Tell me my eyes do not deceive me,"
Drakja stood obediently by his master's throne and turned his poisonous green irises onto the strange red glow emanating from Garland's armor.
"It's much brighter than before, sir,"
Garland smirked darkly. "This light means my plans are working perfectly. With only one minor glitch . . ." he glanced sidelong at Drakja who shifted nervously. Garland continued. "It seems every day the glow increases. They're growing stronger, Drakja. Far stronger than they ever were before . . ."
Drakja furrowed his brow. "But won't Kuja die . . .?"
Garland shrugged. "He may be dead already. What difference does it make?"
"Um . . ." Drakja frowned. "It's just . . . Don't be mad sir, but a recent report shows the Mist has not yet encircled Terra. If They were released, they could go anywhere. You would have no way of capturing them,"
Garland raised a dangerous eyebrow. ". . . Excuse me . . .?"
"Th-the Mist has not even spread completely across Gaia,"
". . . I see . . . Then it cannot be helped. I'll replenish Kuja's magic reserves. The Angel of Death will live . . . For now . . ."
Drakja nodded nervously. Garland did not seem too happy. Now there were two glitches in his plan . . . That and the lack of Summoners found at Conde Petie . . . The aged Terran gazed forward, sighing.
"Come to think of it, I may have plans for my first Angel of Death, yet,"
Drakja blinked with surprise. "Like what?"
Garland leaned back in his throne, tenting his fingers delicately. "There is much I do not yet know of Kuja's connection to Saishoja. It would be interesting to see - "
"You mean you're going to let Them grow stronger in Kuja?"
Garland smirked. "When the time comes, I will take back what is rightfully mine. The bastard took all my power. It belonged to me. Perhaps through Saishoja's powers, They will become even stronger. Then, when I myself am strong enough, I will finish the assimilation that I intended years ago,"
Drakja bit his lip. ". . . Will the geonomes lose their souls . . .?" he queried uncomfortably. It was a topic he did not like to think about. There was nothing a creature feared more than to die and suffer for eternity. Garland's eyes glittered maniacally in the darkness.
"Your souls will be spared," he said softly. "You are already the perfect Terrans. As for my genomes, however . . . They are slowly gaining their souls. I will take them from the fools, and replace their undeserving souls with the souls of Gaia. You need not worry, Drakja. There are far more souls on Gaia than I need,"
"But what will you do with the rest?"
Garland grinned viciously. "The same thing I plan to do with Kuja . . ."
Drakja gulped and shuddered.
"However . . ." Garland's voice rose slightly in a taunting sort of manner. "Perhaps I could feed a certain geonome's soul back into the assimilation if a certain geonome doesn't fix a certain problem in my plan . . ."
Drakja's jaw stiffened. To lose his soul . . . To die again . . .
/No!/
"Garland . . . Just out of curiosity. What do you know of the remaining Summoner family?"
Garland shrugged, uninterested. "They are two women. That is all,"
"And did you know about the daughter?"
Garland glanced suspiciously at Drakja. "Daughter?"
"Yes, sir. You have seen her. The little imp that's running around with Kuja. Light brown hair . . . Glasses . . ."
Garland sat up instantly. "How do you know this?"
Drakja couldn't help himself from smiling. "I eavesdropped on one of their conversations and heard it,"
Garland sat back in shock. "Then if I could just capture the girl . . . My search is over! Drakja, get Lulian. Now! We've got a Summoner to kidnap!"
Drakja grinned widely, finally back in his master's favor. "Yes, sir!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Aw, damnit Drakja. Why'd ya have to go and open your big fat mouth?! Stupid geonome . . . I'm happy to say I have several concept sketches for this fic that I might put up soon! Whoo Hoo! Progress! Sorry for the cliffy . . . Hehe . . .