A/N: Eek, I made you all wait awhile! Bad BMD, bad! So, who had a good
Halloween? A friend of mine and I were Spartan cheerleaders from Saturday
Night Live. It was so cool . . . Anyhoo . . . What to say? Um . . . Oh
yeah! First off, this chapter is much longer than the last few have been
(hey, I'm just following the script I wrote out a year ago). Also, I want
to make sure no one missed a part of the story that will be mentioned
again. I made several comments a little while ago about Saishoja having
weird eyes. It will come up again in this chapter. I repeat: IT WILL COME
UP AGAIN IN THIS CHAPTER!!! In other words, DON'T FORGET ABOUT IT!!!
IMPORTANT PLOT-POINT GIVEAWAY!!! Heh. This chapter's kinda cool . . .
Lulian's such a bitch. And more mystery unfolds about the people in Kuja.
He frees them for a few seconds. Or did they free themselves?
MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I'll never tell. Seriously, by the end of this story
I'll never tell.
Disclaimer: You thought I owned Final Fantasy?! What are you, stupid?!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf."
- Walter Lippman
Zidane's scream echoed through the chamber and filled the entrance hall with a swell of terror. But the sound was overlapped by a crash and boom as Steiner and Beatrix managed to smash the door down and throw themselves in - and the rest of the crew - with a cry of determination.
"Zidane!!!" Garnet screeched. The barrier vanishing gave the impression of collapsing over the genome's head. The group gasped as Zidane fell to his knees, wincing as a wave of unused energy washed over him.
But the next scene was so strange that until years after the end of this tale, no one was exactly sure what happened.
Kuja's body lay lifelessly upon the floor, unmoving. As he lay there, the room was filling with an unearthly wail. There were screams and cries and the sounds of clawing and pain mingled in. From Kuja's body, hundreds of lights were shooting out into the chamber and filling it with an eerie glow.
The crew shielded their eyes, staring in awe at the strange apparitions.
"What in the world . . .?!" Lani whispered. It was obvious that the screams were coming from the little balls of light. They were flying through the room furiously as if trying to escape. Zidane shivered, huddling up against the wall. Something about the little globes of luminescence was making him . . . nauseous . . . And the screams were getting harsher. Zidane squinted thorough the light, staring at Kuja's body. There was something strange . . . He couldn't look away . . .
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kuja's eyes snapped open with a hiss. Zidane had to stifle a scream. They were white and as empty as his dead body . . . They seemed to be leering at him, through him, past him . . .
Into him . . .
The crew was covering their ears now as the wailing increased. Eiko was on her knees.
"Why . . . won't . . . it . . . stop?!"
Vivi moaned. All at once, one of the lights thrust itself down from the flurries near the ceiling and, before anyone could react, shot into Garnet's body. She screamed, tumbling to her knees.
"Your majesty!" Steiner cried in horror. Garnet shuddered, eyes rolling into her head. Freya managed to catch the young queen before she fell. A faint glow emitted from beneath her eyelids.
"No!" Beatrix gasped. "One of Them is in HER now! She'll wind up just like - "
She meant to say Kuja, but the sentence was never finished.
There was a hissing sound as if a giant gasp were sucking the air from the room. The balls of light seemed to shriek and flee, scattering into the corners of the chamber. And then, as if pulled on invisible strings, they were dragged from their hiding places and right back to their original source . . . Kuja was re-absorbing them . . .
The group covered their eyes as an explosion rocked the hall. There was a burst of light that filled the room in a damp chill and, from behind their eyelids, the crew watched the glow recede. Now that it was safe to look, they saw the thousands of little lights vanishing back within Kuja's body. His blank eyes remained open, staring at Zidane. The blonde felt like throwing up . . . Garnet arched her back in pain as the light within her popped out of her body and was drawn back to Kuja.
"Wh-what's happening?!" Vivi yelped as little sparkles ghosted past his face.
"They're returning!" Fratley gasped, watching in fascination.
"Quina no like!" sobbed the Qu.
The last light vanished with a swish. The crew hesitated. Something else was happening . . .
"It's not over yet . . ." Amarant muttered.
Kuja jerked forward into a sitting position, clutching his head in agony. His eyes were closed tight in pain as a fierce wind wrapped itself around the sorcerer. His hair billowed out behind him and - receiving a deserving scream from the crew - the silver locks were turning a deep blood red. Feathers sprouted from his hairline just as his lips turned black and dark rings twisted around his tail. His eyes opened furiously for one fatal second and they were a violent crimson. But not the full-socket color he'd sported the last few times. Only the irises were red . . . and they were angry . . .
Beatrix, forgetting herself, whimpered. ". . . He's Tranced . . ."
Kuja's eyes lurched onto his brother. Zidane shook his head, tears threatening to spill. ". . . No . . ."
And then it was over. A wind swooped up from the floor, lifting Kuja's hair, and the next thing they knew he had been washed clean and back to the way he always was. His silver locks collapsed over his shoulders as his sapphire eyes glazed over in shock. He groaned, seemingly confused (the crew was pretty sure the warlock had no idea where he was) and then fainted. Zidane scrambled to his feet and was at his brother's side within seconds.
"Kuja!" he called desperately, falling beside the Angel of Death. Kuja winced. At least he was alive . . .
The others were coming in slowly behind them while Beatrix stayed behind to rouse Garnet from her sleep. The queen's eyes opened slowly and they were devoid of any glow. She only uttered one word before collapsing once more, and that word - coupled with what the crew saw next - set a feeling of unease upon them that could not be topped.
". . . Mother . . .?" It was a question.
Eiko peeled her eyes away from Kuja and looked up, face twisting in confusion. She ran her fingers, disbelieving, through the air.
"Guys . . ." she whispered, eyes widening with fear. "This entire chamber . . ."
". . . is filled with Mist . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuja was still pretty dazed and confused as Zidane helped him up the stairs.
"Are you serious . . .? I Tranced . . .?"
"Yup. I forgot how freaky it looked," Zidane kept a firm grip on Kuja's arm as he glanced at Steiner, who was carrying Garnet's unconscious form up the stairs beside them. "You kinda reminded me of a strangled phoenix . . ."
Kuja, despite the fact that the world was tipping and he wasn't totally sure if he was on Gaia still or not, rolled his tired eyes. "Thank you . . . You are most kind . . ."
"Always try to be," Zidane said cheerfully. Garnet moaned slightly, shifting in Steiner's arms.
"At least . . . phoenixes . . . are pretty . . ." she muttered.
Zidane smirked. "Must be the shock setting in . . ." Steiner leered at them both as Kuja made a face that somewhat resembled a tiger with its buttons in the process of being pushed.
"What's everyone else doing?" the sorcerer queried, trying to glance over his shoulder but realizing if he did he'd probably faint from dizziness. The stairs looked like they were about to swallow him whole.
"They're just sorta moseying, I guess," Zidane responded, shrugging with the shoulder that wasn't holding up his brother. "They're trying to cool down the people and keep them from thinking another attack happened. On top of that, they need to call off the lock-down," Zidane frowned. "Come to think of it . . . I think Beatrix wanted Lani and Amarant to help her find Megan. The girl vanished after they broke through the door,"
Kuja seemed ready to say something but closed his mouth with a snap. "Bah . . . What do I care about her . . .?"
Zidane didn't respond. This matter was between Megan and his brother . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Megan sighed softly, swirling her cup of tea. It had been too hot, so she'd let it sit outside for awhile. Now it was too cold and tasted like old shoe leather . . . The hustle and bustle around her was like a droning buzz as people crowded through the market streets and past the small outdoor restaurant. They didn't know anything . . .
Megan had immediately run to Amy and sobbed into her friend's shoulder for at least a half an hour. But Amy's family was still in Katei and she didn't understand . . . She never would . . . Miserable, Megan had eventually dragged herself out in Alexandria's market square and plopped herself down at one of the outdoor restaurant tables. A sympathetic smile came her way occasionally, but the world seemed to pass her by, uncaring . . . For the first time in her life, Megan felt completely and utterly alone.
/Flash/
"When you were having nightmares . . . What were they about?"
"They were pointless. Just flicks of memory . . . From my past . . . What's important is that you're alright,"
/Flash/
Megan bowed her head, honey-colored hair falling into her eyes. No. She had to stop thinking about him . . . Had to let him go . . .
/Flash/
"Don't let anything happen to her. You're going to keep her safe? You swear to protect her with your life?"
"To the best of my ability,"
"Hmm . . . You have to promise me, too,"
"I promise,"
/Flash/
Megan whimpered and wiped a tear away from beneath her glasses. Now she was gone . . . they were all gone . . . Father . . . Mother . . . Grandma . . .
"It's all His fault . . ." Megan sobbed, sniffing. "I hope he dies . . ."
Lost in her misery, the deactivated Summoner didn't notice the large, coffee-colored rat sitting beneath the table and watching her with its bulging, black-button eyes. If she'd been even more observant (or less, in this case) she would have noticed the strange belt wrapped around its middle. The rat's whiskers twitched.
/Such a pretty little girl . . . Ah well . . . Too bad . . ./
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The door opened with a creak. Light flooded into the darkness. Mikoto squinted her eyes and frowned.
". . . Ummei . . .?"
There he was, a faint grin upon his face. He was definitely proud of something. Even the obvious whip-cut across his sleeve wasn't deterring him in the least.
"Don't you look . . . buoyant . . . today . . ." the purple-eyed woman muttered. Ummei smiled toothily.
"Thanks! I'm AM a boy!"
Mikoto smacked a hand to her face, sighing. The chains clacked and shivered as she moved.
". . . So . . .?" the purple-eyed woman raised a delicate eyebrow. Ummei plopped down on the floor with a smirk.
"They're gone,"
"They're dead?!"
Ummei rolled his brilliant green eyes. "No, idiot! I mean they left Conde Petie! The Yorokobi's are safe!"
Mikoto relaxed with a sigh of relief. Trusting Ummei with ANYTHING was always a nerve-wracking experience. "But you're hurt,"
Ummei glanced down at the tear on his arm and shrugged. "Eh. Drakja wasn't too mad. He didn't seem to really care that I went missing, actually. He's REALLY happy about something . . ."
That did NOT help the prisoner's nerves. Drakja's idea of a good thing was usually a very, very bad thing. The cloaked woman's lips creased apprehensively.
"What is he . . . so happy about . . .?"
Ummei shrugged. "Dunno,"
"Can you . . . find out . . .?"
"Nope,"
"O . . . kay then,"
Ummei sighed, collapsing onto his back and resting his arms beneath his head. "'sides, with Lulian gone they're gonna move the ship. Drakja's gonna be real edgy,"
Mikoto sat up instantly. "They're moving the ship?! Where?!" /Hell . . . I don't even know where the ship is NOW . . ./
Ummei yawned, tail twitching slightly. "They're movin' it near Alexandria for a short while . . . After that they're leaving the continent . . ."
"Alexandria?" the purple-eyed woman stared at the geonome suspiciously. "Why?"
"Dunno,"
"Do you know anything?"
"Nope,"
The woman sighed. "That's what I get for allying myself with the omega in the wolf-pack . . ."
Mikoto blinked. "The what now?"
"The omega wolf," the woman smirked dryly. "Tell me you haven't noticed the wolf hierarchy system of the geonomes?"
"Uh . . . no . . ."
The woman nodded. "Yeah, see they automatically established themselves into a pack hierarchy. That's common among uneducated dolts like geonomes,"
"Hey!" That was Ummei. And he wasn't even sure what a "dolt" was.
"Anyways," she continued, noticing Mikoto's obvious interest in the topic. "If you've noticed, Drakja and Lulian are at the top - the alpha male and female. As a matter of fact, I once called Lulian that and she understood what I meant because she KNOWS that's the setup. Below that are some of the more powerful geonomes - "
"Like Chikara and Dart . . ." Ummei grumbled.
The woman shook her head. "I'm not so sure about Dart . . . Chikara, yes. He's definitely one of the betas. But Dart may be beneath that in the mid- class along with the majority of the geonomes. Or she may actually be at the bottom-most rank with the omega like you, Ummei. Typically there is only one omega in the pack, but in rare instances of sudden weak strains in the genes there can be more than one . . ."
If Ummei had been in one of his "intelligent modes" he would have understood that the woman had just seriously offended him.
"Anyways, Ummei. Why is Lulian gone?"
Ummei shrugged once more, staring blankly at the maze of pipes along the ceiling.
"Some mission . . ."
". . . In Alexandria . . .?"
"Yup,"
The purple-eyed woman shivered. It couldn't be . . . No. That was impossible. Garland didn't know about her . . . She was safe. For now . . .
But still, the thought nagged at the back of the woman's mind . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Beneath the dampened basement of Alexandria Castle, a torch was flared across the floor. The Alexandrian guard, who bore an expression of the utmost disgust, watched behind her visor as at least a dozen rats went scurrying and scampering out of the darkness and away from the flames. The guard's face contorted.
"Filthy vermin . . . Get outta here!"
There was much squeaking and scrambling as the rats escaped into the hidden cracks among the walls. The guard, deciding she'd flushed them all out, replaced the torch upon the wall and headed back towards the stairs.
But one of the rats was watching the guard attentively. It's small nose twitched curiously - the strange belt around its waist glittering in the light of the flame - and then it began to change. Ears melted into graceful brown hair, black button eyes reverting to emerald green, bald tail sprouting into the mahogany appendage of a geonome as she grew to her full height. The rat's belt was now around her wrist. Once the woman became her normal height of 5'10" and she was satisfied that all her humanoid features were back, the geonome let out a sigh of glee.
"Oh, Lulian, you've done it again . . ." she giggled, flashing a handful of bubble-gum pink nails. "You ARE a genius . . . Everything worked PERFECTLY!"
Still snickering at her small victory, Lulian looped her way over to the nearest wall. She ran her fingers down its greasy, dank surface and nodded. Yes, this was the supporting wall of the basement. Funny how one simple slip of a brick could bring the whole bloomin' thing crashing down . . .
"Now then . . . All I have to do is . . ." Lulian gently pressed a button on her wrist-band. There was a click and it unlocked and tumbled into her outstretched palm. Humming softly to herself, Lulian flattened out the small device into a rectangle and tacked it gently to the wall. She laughed, reveling in her glory.
"This is so perfect . . . With the Summoner-brat out of the castle, all I have to do is take down everyone in here and she's free for the snagging . . . And if Kuja dies . . . Well Garland will surely be happy . . . Heh . . . I love myself . . ."
But Lulian was, unfortunately, not as cautious as she'd thought. The guard halted in her footsteps, listening carefully to what the woman said. She gasped.
"Oh my god . . . It's one of Them! Sh-she's gonna take out the whole castle! I-I gotta go get the queen!"
Lulian, not hearing the guard's rambling, proceeded to click combinations on the device's minute keypad.
"Now let's see . . . Mmm . . . I . . . and a size six . . . Seven, maybe? No, too strong. And set this here for about ten . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Garnet grunted as Steiner lowered her into the chair beneath the bedroom window.
"Careful, Steiner . . ." she muttered. "My head's killing me . . ."
"I'm sorry, your majesty," Steiner apologized truthfully. "Will you be okay?"
Garnet nodded, rubbing her temples irritably as the soft rays of light filtered in through the window. "I'll be fine. Just kinda dizzy . . ."
Steiner, as was typical, looked extremely concerned. "M-maybe we should see Doctor Tot . . . I mean, one of Them did enter you . . ."
Garnet's eyes narrowed, annoyed. "Steiner, I - "
"Your majesty!" came a desperate voice from outside.
"Eh?"
The door was thrown open as a guard tumbled into a heap upon the floor. "Queen Garnet . . . I'm so sorry to . . . to intrude . . ."
Steiner stepped over to the guard, frowning and reaching for his sword. "What seems to be the problem?"
The guard, catching her breath, rose shakily to her feet. "I have to report . . . one of the green-eyed people is in the basement . . . she's gonna take out the whole castle!"
Garnet sat up immediately, sobering at lightning fast speed. "A geonome?!"
The guard nodded hurriedly. "Yes! She was a rat, and then she was a person!"
Garnet was on her feet in a matter of seconds. "All the geonomes can shape- shift, but I suspect it's Lulian. If Garland has sent her - one of the top- ranking geonomes - to the castle then she must be doing something really bad!"
Steiner nodded to the guard. "Thank you. You may go. I'll get Zidane; we'll take care of it,"
Garnet's eyes narrowed. "What about me?"
"Your majesty, you must rest," Steiner said lightly, unsheathing his sword. Garnet smirked.
"Steiner, I order you to let me go,"
"Wh - ?! Oh for crying out . . ."
Garnet grinned, fetching her spare racket from behind the chair. "Yes! Let's go get the others!"
She rushed out the door and charged eagerly down the hall. It had been so long since she'd properly fought . . .
"Zidane! Zidane, where are you?!"
"Hmm?" a dirty-blonde head peeked out from one of the nearby doors on the right. Garnet skidded to a halt, clutching her racket tightly in her fists.
"Zidane, there's a geonome in the basement! C'mon!"
"What?!" Zidane's crystal eyes widened. He craned his neck back into his own room and shouted.
"Kuja, didja here that?!"
Kuja appeared beside him in the doorway, frowning. "A geonome? In the basement?"
Garnet, forcing back a scowl and a couple well-chosen and incredibly rude words, nodded.
"That's right. We have to get the others,"
Zidane opened his mouth to speak when he was abruptly cut off from a voice down the hall.
"No need! We hear from guard!"
It was Quina, and the rest of the crew - Eiko, Lani, Amarant, Beatrix, Vivi, Freya, and Fratley - was trailing behind him. Steiner blinked.
"Wow, that was easy . . ."
Garnet was beside herself. "Alright! Let's get going!"
Wasting no time, the mismatched group raced towards their destination.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lulian grinned, finally finishing the code. "Perfect! Yes! Now I just have to change and - "
"Not so fast, geonome!"
Lulian whipped around, violet dress flying, and gasped in horror. It was them. All of those meddlesome fools. And they looked furious.
"Ah!" Desperately the woman pulled back to transform. If she could just turn into a fly or something she'd be home free . . .
"No! Stop her!" Eiko shouted as the group flooded into the chamber. Kuja was beside himself with rage.
"Lulian!" he shouted angrily. In his fury he decided to let the expletives fly. "I've had it with your shit! You're through! FLARE STAR!!!"
Vivi summed it up in one simple word: "eep."
Flames of energy began to circle around Kuja's body as his hair began to whip angrily around his face. The sorcerer drew his arms in, bringing forth as much power from his weakened magic-reserves as he could find. The room darkened and the torches went out as Lulian shrieked.
Flames burst before her, singing her dress and tearing open her leg. Blood spilled onto the floor as she screamed, falling backwards with a sob. Zidane gasped.
"He did it! Even though his magic was supposed to be gone!"
With a poof, the torches relit to reveal Lulian crouched upon the floor, rubbing her leg and snarling furiously.
"You - ! You'll pay for this, you son of a - !"
Kuja's eyes narrowed dangerously. He spoke softly, and with as much courtesy as he could muster on his hated enemy. "Leave . . . now . . ."
Lulian twitched, growling. But she couldn't fight and Kuja had spared her life. Lulian rose painfully to her feet, stumbling backwards.
"I'll get your damn Summoner-whore yet!" she sobbed, shaking with rage. "You'll see! And when the Metsubo comes, you'll be EXTRA sorry!" her gaze smashed onto Kuja with as much hate as a toxic venom "Particularly you, you sorry fucking excuse for Saishoja!" and then, in a very un-Lulian-like manner, she spat on the floor and vanished with a swish.
It took several moments for what Lulian said to sink in.
"A-a Summoner?" Vivi whispered, straightening his hat. Kuja was rooted to the spot.
"Is that . . . is that what they're after?! Megan?!"
"Well I'll be damned . . ." Amarant muttered.
"Shit! Where is she?!" Zidane shouted, twirling around. "She's in trouble!" he started to go when a hand reached out and grabbed his collar.
"Kuja what the - "
"Shh!" Kuja yanked Zidane around, pressing a finger to his lips. The others watched curiously, a look of the utmost confusion upon their faces. "Do you hear that?"
Zidane wrenched himself from Kuja's grasp. "Hear what?!"
"That ticking sound . . ." Kuja murmured, brow furrowing in concentration as he listened. The others were now straining their ears to hear as well.
"I don't hear anything . . ." Lani hissed. Beatrix shook her head.
"Nor do I . . ."
"It's too soft," Kuja explained. "Only a genome's senses could pick it up . . . Do you hear it, Zidane?"
Zidane's eyes were widening by the minute. "Y-yeah! That faint ticking, like a clock . . ."
Kuja's face was growing worried. "Not like a clock . . ."
He and Zidane exchanged nervous glances before they turned and ran into the chamber, searching frantically for the source of the noise. The others followed, hoping the genome's weren't thinking what they thought they were thinking.
"It's gotta be around here somewhere!" Zidane grumbled, feeling along the walls. "Where the hell is - Ah! Kuja, Kuja, Kuja! Over here!"
The sorcerer was at his brother's side in seconds. There it was, a small, black, mechanical-box tacked to one of the wall's bricks.
"It's a bomb!" Zidane cried. Eiko screamed.
"Turn it off!" Beatrix shouted, shoving Fratley slightly and running to the wall.
"I would if I COULD!" Zidane snapped bitterly to the general. Kuja hesitated.
"There's only a minute left . . ."
"This is a supporting wall!" Freya whimpered. "If it gets blown out then the castle will . . ."
"Don't you think I know that?!" Kuja shouted. Freya jumped slightly in surprise. They'd all been noticing it lately: Kuja was becoming more like his old-self since Megan started hating him. Zidane thought vaguely that Tot's plan to keep the people in Kuja restrained was working as long as he became his bitter, pompous old self once more.
"Now then," Kuja said softly, placing his hands on the wall and leaning forward. "How do I deactivate it . . .?"
/Flash/
"Please, sir . . . Please save us . . ."
"Heh. He can't help us . . . Look at his EYES!"
The silver-haired man smiled kindly, brushing into the crowd. "No problem. Bombs are a specialty of Shi . . . I'll just punch in the reciprocal code, which in this case would be . . ."
/Flash/
"Twelve . . . Five . . . Nine . . . Ten . . . Seven . . . Six . . . I,"
Kuja's eyes opened slowly in surprise. How had he - ?
"You did it!" Lani gasped. "Jesus, you freakin' did it! You're a genius!"
Kuja blinked, staring at the zeros flashing across the box.
"Whoa . . ."
There was a moment of awed silence.
"Moron!" Zidane growled. "We don't have time to roll over your handiwork! We've got to find Megan!"
Kuja nodded, still scratching his head. "R-right . . .!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Megan's in trouble, nya, nya, nya, nya, nya, nya! Hee! And I've got some WONDERFUL NEWS!!! THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER WHERE THE ENTIRE THING TAKES PLACE IN ALEXANDRIA!!! That's right; next chapter the crew's snaggin' an airship and high-tailing it out of that Dullsville. Thank god, eh? Finally the plot progresses . . . And I'm really excited 'cause every scene that happens after the crew leaves Alexandria up until the end of the story is TOTALLY AWESOME!!! Them leaving marks the half-way point of the tale. Who wants a progress report? In the original scene-summary script I wrote, this story has approximately two-hundred-and-fifty scenes (give or take five, 'cause a few things change here and there). Right now, the end of this chapter was scene #119. Amazing, huh? Y'all have read a hundred and nineteen scenes . . . My goal is to get through scene #136 by next February, but I'm not sure if it will be sooner or later. We'll just have to see, ne? Oh, and I have a manga report! I finally got the Kuja I wanted and Beatrix is almost done! Yay! And Dart is finished. I'm working on Ummei, but he's REALLY hard . . .
REEAAADDDD ANNDDD REEVVVIIIIEEEEEWWWWWW!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: You thought I owned Final Fantasy?! What are you, stupid?!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf."
- Walter Lippman
Zidane's scream echoed through the chamber and filled the entrance hall with a swell of terror. But the sound was overlapped by a crash and boom as Steiner and Beatrix managed to smash the door down and throw themselves in - and the rest of the crew - with a cry of determination.
"Zidane!!!" Garnet screeched. The barrier vanishing gave the impression of collapsing over the genome's head. The group gasped as Zidane fell to his knees, wincing as a wave of unused energy washed over him.
But the next scene was so strange that until years after the end of this tale, no one was exactly sure what happened.
Kuja's body lay lifelessly upon the floor, unmoving. As he lay there, the room was filling with an unearthly wail. There were screams and cries and the sounds of clawing and pain mingled in. From Kuja's body, hundreds of lights were shooting out into the chamber and filling it with an eerie glow.
The crew shielded their eyes, staring in awe at the strange apparitions.
"What in the world . . .?!" Lani whispered. It was obvious that the screams were coming from the little balls of light. They were flying through the room furiously as if trying to escape. Zidane shivered, huddling up against the wall. Something about the little globes of luminescence was making him . . . nauseous . . . And the screams were getting harsher. Zidane squinted thorough the light, staring at Kuja's body. There was something strange . . . He couldn't look away . . .
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kuja's eyes snapped open with a hiss. Zidane had to stifle a scream. They were white and as empty as his dead body . . . They seemed to be leering at him, through him, past him . . .
Into him . . .
The crew was covering their ears now as the wailing increased. Eiko was on her knees.
"Why . . . won't . . . it . . . stop?!"
Vivi moaned. All at once, one of the lights thrust itself down from the flurries near the ceiling and, before anyone could react, shot into Garnet's body. She screamed, tumbling to her knees.
"Your majesty!" Steiner cried in horror. Garnet shuddered, eyes rolling into her head. Freya managed to catch the young queen before she fell. A faint glow emitted from beneath her eyelids.
"No!" Beatrix gasped. "One of Them is in HER now! She'll wind up just like - "
She meant to say Kuja, but the sentence was never finished.
There was a hissing sound as if a giant gasp were sucking the air from the room. The balls of light seemed to shriek and flee, scattering into the corners of the chamber. And then, as if pulled on invisible strings, they were dragged from their hiding places and right back to their original source . . . Kuja was re-absorbing them . . .
The group covered their eyes as an explosion rocked the hall. There was a burst of light that filled the room in a damp chill and, from behind their eyelids, the crew watched the glow recede. Now that it was safe to look, they saw the thousands of little lights vanishing back within Kuja's body. His blank eyes remained open, staring at Zidane. The blonde felt like throwing up . . . Garnet arched her back in pain as the light within her popped out of her body and was drawn back to Kuja.
"Wh-what's happening?!" Vivi yelped as little sparkles ghosted past his face.
"They're returning!" Fratley gasped, watching in fascination.
"Quina no like!" sobbed the Qu.
The last light vanished with a swish. The crew hesitated. Something else was happening . . .
"It's not over yet . . ." Amarant muttered.
Kuja jerked forward into a sitting position, clutching his head in agony. His eyes were closed tight in pain as a fierce wind wrapped itself around the sorcerer. His hair billowed out behind him and - receiving a deserving scream from the crew - the silver locks were turning a deep blood red. Feathers sprouted from his hairline just as his lips turned black and dark rings twisted around his tail. His eyes opened furiously for one fatal second and they were a violent crimson. But not the full-socket color he'd sported the last few times. Only the irises were red . . . and they were angry . . .
Beatrix, forgetting herself, whimpered. ". . . He's Tranced . . ."
Kuja's eyes lurched onto his brother. Zidane shook his head, tears threatening to spill. ". . . No . . ."
And then it was over. A wind swooped up from the floor, lifting Kuja's hair, and the next thing they knew he had been washed clean and back to the way he always was. His silver locks collapsed over his shoulders as his sapphire eyes glazed over in shock. He groaned, seemingly confused (the crew was pretty sure the warlock had no idea where he was) and then fainted. Zidane scrambled to his feet and was at his brother's side within seconds.
"Kuja!" he called desperately, falling beside the Angel of Death. Kuja winced. At least he was alive . . .
The others were coming in slowly behind them while Beatrix stayed behind to rouse Garnet from her sleep. The queen's eyes opened slowly and they were devoid of any glow. She only uttered one word before collapsing once more, and that word - coupled with what the crew saw next - set a feeling of unease upon them that could not be topped.
". . . Mother . . .?" It was a question.
Eiko peeled her eyes away from Kuja and looked up, face twisting in confusion. She ran her fingers, disbelieving, through the air.
"Guys . . ." she whispered, eyes widening with fear. "This entire chamber . . ."
". . . is filled with Mist . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuja was still pretty dazed and confused as Zidane helped him up the stairs.
"Are you serious . . .? I Tranced . . .?"
"Yup. I forgot how freaky it looked," Zidane kept a firm grip on Kuja's arm as he glanced at Steiner, who was carrying Garnet's unconscious form up the stairs beside them. "You kinda reminded me of a strangled phoenix . . ."
Kuja, despite the fact that the world was tipping and he wasn't totally sure if he was on Gaia still or not, rolled his tired eyes. "Thank you . . . You are most kind . . ."
"Always try to be," Zidane said cheerfully. Garnet moaned slightly, shifting in Steiner's arms.
"At least . . . phoenixes . . . are pretty . . ." she muttered.
Zidane smirked. "Must be the shock setting in . . ." Steiner leered at them both as Kuja made a face that somewhat resembled a tiger with its buttons in the process of being pushed.
"What's everyone else doing?" the sorcerer queried, trying to glance over his shoulder but realizing if he did he'd probably faint from dizziness. The stairs looked like they were about to swallow him whole.
"They're just sorta moseying, I guess," Zidane responded, shrugging with the shoulder that wasn't holding up his brother. "They're trying to cool down the people and keep them from thinking another attack happened. On top of that, they need to call off the lock-down," Zidane frowned. "Come to think of it . . . I think Beatrix wanted Lani and Amarant to help her find Megan. The girl vanished after they broke through the door,"
Kuja seemed ready to say something but closed his mouth with a snap. "Bah . . . What do I care about her . . .?"
Zidane didn't respond. This matter was between Megan and his brother . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Megan sighed softly, swirling her cup of tea. It had been too hot, so she'd let it sit outside for awhile. Now it was too cold and tasted like old shoe leather . . . The hustle and bustle around her was like a droning buzz as people crowded through the market streets and past the small outdoor restaurant. They didn't know anything . . .
Megan had immediately run to Amy and sobbed into her friend's shoulder for at least a half an hour. But Amy's family was still in Katei and she didn't understand . . . She never would . . . Miserable, Megan had eventually dragged herself out in Alexandria's market square and plopped herself down at one of the outdoor restaurant tables. A sympathetic smile came her way occasionally, but the world seemed to pass her by, uncaring . . . For the first time in her life, Megan felt completely and utterly alone.
/Flash/
"When you were having nightmares . . . What were they about?"
"They were pointless. Just flicks of memory . . . From my past . . . What's important is that you're alright,"
/Flash/
Megan bowed her head, honey-colored hair falling into her eyes. No. She had to stop thinking about him . . . Had to let him go . . .
/Flash/
"Don't let anything happen to her. You're going to keep her safe? You swear to protect her with your life?"
"To the best of my ability,"
"Hmm . . . You have to promise me, too,"
"I promise,"
/Flash/
Megan whimpered and wiped a tear away from beneath her glasses. Now she was gone . . . they were all gone . . . Father . . . Mother . . . Grandma . . .
"It's all His fault . . ." Megan sobbed, sniffing. "I hope he dies . . ."
Lost in her misery, the deactivated Summoner didn't notice the large, coffee-colored rat sitting beneath the table and watching her with its bulging, black-button eyes. If she'd been even more observant (or less, in this case) she would have noticed the strange belt wrapped around its middle. The rat's whiskers twitched.
/Such a pretty little girl . . . Ah well . . . Too bad . . ./
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The door opened with a creak. Light flooded into the darkness. Mikoto squinted her eyes and frowned.
". . . Ummei . . .?"
There he was, a faint grin upon his face. He was definitely proud of something. Even the obvious whip-cut across his sleeve wasn't deterring him in the least.
"Don't you look . . . buoyant . . . today . . ." the purple-eyed woman muttered. Ummei smiled toothily.
"Thanks! I'm AM a boy!"
Mikoto smacked a hand to her face, sighing. The chains clacked and shivered as she moved.
". . . So . . .?" the purple-eyed woman raised a delicate eyebrow. Ummei plopped down on the floor with a smirk.
"They're gone,"
"They're dead?!"
Ummei rolled his brilliant green eyes. "No, idiot! I mean they left Conde Petie! The Yorokobi's are safe!"
Mikoto relaxed with a sigh of relief. Trusting Ummei with ANYTHING was always a nerve-wracking experience. "But you're hurt,"
Ummei glanced down at the tear on his arm and shrugged. "Eh. Drakja wasn't too mad. He didn't seem to really care that I went missing, actually. He's REALLY happy about something . . ."
That did NOT help the prisoner's nerves. Drakja's idea of a good thing was usually a very, very bad thing. The cloaked woman's lips creased apprehensively.
"What is he . . . so happy about . . .?"
Ummei shrugged. "Dunno,"
"Can you . . . find out . . .?"
"Nope,"
"O . . . kay then,"
Ummei sighed, collapsing onto his back and resting his arms beneath his head. "'sides, with Lulian gone they're gonna move the ship. Drakja's gonna be real edgy,"
Mikoto sat up instantly. "They're moving the ship?! Where?!" /Hell . . . I don't even know where the ship is NOW . . ./
Ummei yawned, tail twitching slightly. "They're movin' it near Alexandria for a short while . . . After that they're leaving the continent . . ."
"Alexandria?" the purple-eyed woman stared at the geonome suspiciously. "Why?"
"Dunno,"
"Do you know anything?"
"Nope,"
The woman sighed. "That's what I get for allying myself with the omega in the wolf-pack . . ."
Mikoto blinked. "The what now?"
"The omega wolf," the woman smirked dryly. "Tell me you haven't noticed the wolf hierarchy system of the geonomes?"
"Uh . . . no . . ."
The woman nodded. "Yeah, see they automatically established themselves into a pack hierarchy. That's common among uneducated dolts like geonomes,"
"Hey!" That was Ummei. And he wasn't even sure what a "dolt" was.
"Anyways," she continued, noticing Mikoto's obvious interest in the topic. "If you've noticed, Drakja and Lulian are at the top - the alpha male and female. As a matter of fact, I once called Lulian that and she understood what I meant because she KNOWS that's the setup. Below that are some of the more powerful geonomes - "
"Like Chikara and Dart . . ." Ummei grumbled.
The woman shook her head. "I'm not so sure about Dart . . . Chikara, yes. He's definitely one of the betas. But Dart may be beneath that in the mid- class along with the majority of the geonomes. Or she may actually be at the bottom-most rank with the omega like you, Ummei. Typically there is only one omega in the pack, but in rare instances of sudden weak strains in the genes there can be more than one . . ."
If Ummei had been in one of his "intelligent modes" he would have understood that the woman had just seriously offended him.
"Anyways, Ummei. Why is Lulian gone?"
Ummei shrugged once more, staring blankly at the maze of pipes along the ceiling.
"Some mission . . ."
". . . In Alexandria . . .?"
"Yup,"
The purple-eyed woman shivered. It couldn't be . . . No. That was impossible. Garland didn't know about her . . . She was safe. For now . . .
But still, the thought nagged at the back of the woman's mind . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Beneath the dampened basement of Alexandria Castle, a torch was flared across the floor. The Alexandrian guard, who bore an expression of the utmost disgust, watched behind her visor as at least a dozen rats went scurrying and scampering out of the darkness and away from the flames. The guard's face contorted.
"Filthy vermin . . . Get outta here!"
There was much squeaking and scrambling as the rats escaped into the hidden cracks among the walls. The guard, deciding she'd flushed them all out, replaced the torch upon the wall and headed back towards the stairs.
But one of the rats was watching the guard attentively. It's small nose twitched curiously - the strange belt around its waist glittering in the light of the flame - and then it began to change. Ears melted into graceful brown hair, black button eyes reverting to emerald green, bald tail sprouting into the mahogany appendage of a geonome as she grew to her full height. The rat's belt was now around her wrist. Once the woman became her normal height of 5'10" and she was satisfied that all her humanoid features were back, the geonome let out a sigh of glee.
"Oh, Lulian, you've done it again . . ." she giggled, flashing a handful of bubble-gum pink nails. "You ARE a genius . . . Everything worked PERFECTLY!"
Still snickering at her small victory, Lulian looped her way over to the nearest wall. She ran her fingers down its greasy, dank surface and nodded. Yes, this was the supporting wall of the basement. Funny how one simple slip of a brick could bring the whole bloomin' thing crashing down . . .
"Now then . . . All I have to do is . . ." Lulian gently pressed a button on her wrist-band. There was a click and it unlocked and tumbled into her outstretched palm. Humming softly to herself, Lulian flattened out the small device into a rectangle and tacked it gently to the wall. She laughed, reveling in her glory.
"This is so perfect . . . With the Summoner-brat out of the castle, all I have to do is take down everyone in here and she's free for the snagging . . . And if Kuja dies . . . Well Garland will surely be happy . . . Heh . . . I love myself . . ."
But Lulian was, unfortunately, not as cautious as she'd thought. The guard halted in her footsteps, listening carefully to what the woman said. She gasped.
"Oh my god . . . It's one of Them! Sh-she's gonna take out the whole castle! I-I gotta go get the queen!"
Lulian, not hearing the guard's rambling, proceeded to click combinations on the device's minute keypad.
"Now let's see . . . Mmm . . . I . . . and a size six . . . Seven, maybe? No, too strong. And set this here for about ten . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Garnet grunted as Steiner lowered her into the chair beneath the bedroom window.
"Careful, Steiner . . ." she muttered. "My head's killing me . . ."
"I'm sorry, your majesty," Steiner apologized truthfully. "Will you be okay?"
Garnet nodded, rubbing her temples irritably as the soft rays of light filtered in through the window. "I'll be fine. Just kinda dizzy . . ."
Steiner, as was typical, looked extremely concerned. "M-maybe we should see Doctor Tot . . . I mean, one of Them did enter you . . ."
Garnet's eyes narrowed, annoyed. "Steiner, I - "
"Your majesty!" came a desperate voice from outside.
"Eh?"
The door was thrown open as a guard tumbled into a heap upon the floor. "Queen Garnet . . . I'm so sorry to . . . to intrude . . ."
Steiner stepped over to the guard, frowning and reaching for his sword. "What seems to be the problem?"
The guard, catching her breath, rose shakily to her feet. "I have to report . . . one of the green-eyed people is in the basement . . . she's gonna take out the whole castle!"
Garnet sat up immediately, sobering at lightning fast speed. "A geonome?!"
The guard nodded hurriedly. "Yes! She was a rat, and then she was a person!"
Garnet was on her feet in a matter of seconds. "All the geonomes can shape- shift, but I suspect it's Lulian. If Garland has sent her - one of the top- ranking geonomes - to the castle then she must be doing something really bad!"
Steiner nodded to the guard. "Thank you. You may go. I'll get Zidane; we'll take care of it,"
Garnet's eyes narrowed. "What about me?"
"Your majesty, you must rest," Steiner said lightly, unsheathing his sword. Garnet smirked.
"Steiner, I order you to let me go,"
"Wh - ?! Oh for crying out . . ."
Garnet grinned, fetching her spare racket from behind the chair. "Yes! Let's go get the others!"
She rushed out the door and charged eagerly down the hall. It had been so long since she'd properly fought . . .
"Zidane! Zidane, where are you?!"
"Hmm?" a dirty-blonde head peeked out from one of the nearby doors on the right. Garnet skidded to a halt, clutching her racket tightly in her fists.
"Zidane, there's a geonome in the basement! C'mon!"
"What?!" Zidane's crystal eyes widened. He craned his neck back into his own room and shouted.
"Kuja, didja here that?!"
Kuja appeared beside him in the doorway, frowning. "A geonome? In the basement?"
Garnet, forcing back a scowl and a couple well-chosen and incredibly rude words, nodded.
"That's right. We have to get the others,"
Zidane opened his mouth to speak when he was abruptly cut off from a voice down the hall.
"No need! We hear from guard!"
It was Quina, and the rest of the crew - Eiko, Lani, Amarant, Beatrix, Vivi, Freya, and Fratley - was trailing behind him. Steiner blinked.
"Wow, that was easy . . ."
Garnet was beside herself. "Alright! Let's get going!"
Wasting no time, the mismatched group raced towards their destination.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lulian grinned, finally finishing the code. "Perfect! Yes! Now I just have to change and - "
"Not so fast, geonome!"
Lulian whipped around, violet dress flying, and gasped in horror. It was them. All of those meddlesome fools. And they looked furious.
"Ah!" Desperately the woman pulled back to transform. If she could just turn into a fly or something she'd be home free . . .
"No! Stop her!" Eiko shouted as the group flooded into the chamber. Kuja was beside himself with rage.
"Lulian!" he shouted angrily. In his fury he decided to let the expletives fly. "I've had it with your shit! You're through! FLARE STAR!!!"
Vivi summed it up in one simple word: "eep."
Flames of energy began to circle around Kuja's body as his hair began to whip angrily around his face. The sorcerer drew his arms in, bringing forth as much power from his weakened magic-reserves as he could find. The room darkened and the torches went out as Lulian shrieked.
Flames burst before her, singing her dress and tearing open her leg. Blood spilled onto the floor as she screamed, falling backwards with a sob. Zidane gasped.
"He did it! Even though his magic was supposed to be gone!"
With a poof, the torches relit to reveal Lulian crouched upon the floor, rubbing her leg and snarling furiously.
"You - ! You'll pay for this, you son of a - !"
Kuja's eyes narrowed dangerously. He spoke softly, and with as much courtesy as he could muster on his hated enemy. "Leave . . . now . . ."
Lulian twitched, growling. But she couldn't fight and Kuja had spared her life. Lulian rose painfully to her feet, stumbling backwards.
"I'll get your damn Summoner-whore yet!" she sobbed, shaking with rage. "You'll see! And when the Metsubo comes, you'll be EXTRA sorry!" her gaze smashed onto Kuja with as much hate as a toxic venom "Particularly you, you sorry fucking excuse for Saishoja!" and then, in a very un-Lulian-like manner, she spat on the floor and vanished with a swish.
It took several moments for what Lulian said to sink in.
"A-a Summoner?" Vivi whispered, straightening his hat. Kuja was rooted to the spot.
"Is that . . . is that what they're after?! Megan?!"
"Well I'll be damned . . ." Amarant muttered.
"Shit! Where is she?!" Zidane shouted, twirling around. "She's in trouble!" he started to go when a hand reached out and grabbed his collar.
"Kuja what the - "
"Shh!" Kuja yanked Zidane around, pressing a finger to his lips. The others watched curiously, a look of the utmost confusion upon their faces. "Do you hear that?"
Zidane wrenched himself from Kuja's grasp. "Hear what?!"
"That ticking sound . . ." Kuja murmured, brow furrowing in concentration as he listened. The others were now straining their ears to hear as well.
"I don't hear anything . . ." Lani hissed. Beatrix shook her head.
"Nor do I . . ."
"It's too soft," Kuja explained. "Only a genome's senses could pick it up . . . Do you hear it, Zidane?"
Zidane's eyes were widening by the minute. "Y-yeah! That faint ticking, like a clock . . ."
Kuja's face was growing worried. "Not like a clock . . ."
He and Zidane exchanged nervous glances before they turned and ran into the chamber, searching frantically for the source of the noise. The others followed, hoping the genome's weren't thinking what they thought they were thinking.
"It's gotta be around here somewhere!" Zidane grumbled, feeling along the walls. "Where the hell is - Ah! Kuja, Kuja, Kuja! Over here!"
The sorcerer was at his brother's side in seconds. There it was, a small, black, mechanical-box tacked to one of the wall's bricks.
"It's a bomb!" Zidane cried. Eiko screamed.
"Turn it off!" Beatrix shouted, shoving Fratley slightly and running to the wall.
"I would if I COULD!" Zidane snapped bitterly to the general. Kuja hesitated.
"There's only a minute left . . ."
"This is a supporting wall!" Freya whimpered. "If it gets blown out then the castle will . . ."
"Don't you think I know that?!" Kuja shouted. Freya jumped slightly in surprise. They'd all been noticing it lately: Kuja was becoming more like his old-self since Megan started hating him. Zidane thought vaguely that Tot's plan to keep the people in Kuja restrained was working as long as he became his bitter, pompous old self once more.
"Now then," Kuja said softly, placing his hands on the wall and leaning forward. "How do I deactivate it . . .?"
/Flash/
"Please, sir . . . Please save us . . ."
"Heh. He can't help us . . . Look at his EYES!"
The silver-haired man smiled kindly, brushing into the crowd. "No problem. Bombs are a specialty of Shi . . . I'll just punch in the reciprocal code, which in this case would be . . ."
/Flash/
"Twelve . . . Five . . . Nine . . . Ten . . . Seven . . . Six . . . I,"
Kuja's eyes opened slowly in surprise. How had he - ?
"You did it!" Lani gasped. "Jesus, you freakin' did it! You're a genius!"
Kuja blinked, staring at the zeros flashing across the box.
"Whoa . . ."
There was a moment of awed silence.
"Moron!" Zidane growled. "We don't have time to roll over your handiwork! We've got to find Megan!"
Kuja nodded, still scratching his head. "R-right . . .!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Megan's in trouble, nya, nya, nya, nya, nya, nya! Hee! And I've got some WONDERFUL NEWS!!! THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER WHERE THE ENTIRE THING TAKES PLACE IN ALEXANDRIA!!! That's right; next chapter the crew's snaggin' an airship and high-tailing it out of that Dullsville. Thank god, eh? Finally the plot progresses . . . And I'm really excited 'cause every scene that happens after the crew leaves Alexandria up until the end of the story is TOTALLY AWESOME!!! Them leaving marks the half-way point of the tale. Who wants a progress report? In the original scene-summary script I wrote, this story has approximately two-hundred-and-fifty scenes (give or take five, 'cause a few things change here and there). Right now, the end of this chapter was scene #119. Amazing, huh? Y'all have read a hundred and nineteen scenes . . . My goal is to get through scene #136 by next February, but I'm not sure if it will be sooner or later. We'll just have to see, ne? Oh, and I have a manga report! I finally got the Kuja I wanted and Beatrix is almost done! Yay! And Dart is finished. I'm working on Ummei, but he's REALLY hard . . .
REEAAADDDD ANNDDD REEVVVIIIIEEEEEWWWWWW!!!!!!!