A/N: This chapter's . . . EVEN LONGER THAN THE LAST ONE *scream* !!!
Almost twenty friggin pages! Dang it . . . Not much to say today . . . I'm
on break, so I might be able to post faster ^_^ Thanks for the reviews!
Oh, and be warned: Drakja's got a foul mouth in this chapter, teehee. And
it's a CLIFFHANGER!!!
Disclaimer: It's the holiday season . . . I asked to own Final Fantasy . . . But NO!
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"That man can destroy life is just as miraculous a feat as that he can create it, for life is the miracle, the inexplicable. In the act of destruction, man sets himself above life; he transcends himself as a creature. Thus, the ultimate choice for a man, inasmuch as he is driven to transcend himself, is to create or to destroy, to love or to hate."
- Erich Fromm, "The Sane Society"
The sun seemed to wobble in the sky as it began its mournful descent towards the horizon. The heat that burned from its fiery form did nothing to penetrate the eternal snows of the Forgotten Continent. The land remained caked in infinite ice with the exception of Triss's Forest. Deep in the heart of the snow-monster Fubuki's forest the heroes of Gaia stood with their heads bowed in silence. Nothing seemed able to break the stillness just as the sun tried in vain to crack through the snow.
"You know . . . In all the years I knew Quina . . . I always thought he was stupid,"
The crew's heads snapped up in surprise to see Zidane standing a few feet from his comrade's dead body, an ironic smile plastered to his face.
"Zidane what are you - ?"
The genome laughed. "I can't believe I never saw it before!" The team obviously seemed to think their leader had lost his mind with grief. Zidane was laughing and near tears at the same time. "Don't you see?! All those years that Quina stood by we thought he didn't understand what was going on! I was so sure he was just there for food; that he had no clue even what the threat to Gaia was! But now I know . . . Quina always understood. He always knew. He was always there . . . fighting besides us . . . But now, no more . . ."
Garnet bit her lip sympathetically. "Zidane, I know you're grieving but - "
"No," Zidane shook his head, a shaky smile upon his face. "No, I'm happy! All the years I thought we meant nothing to Quina . . . Now I see . . ."
Beatrix, who had barely known Quina, cocked her head curiously at Freya who was frowning.
"He's right . . ." the Burmecian said softly. Zidane sniffled, chuckling.
"C'mon guys . . . Let's give the poor fool a decent burial until we can come back. How's this? We'll come back for Quina's body and return it to the Qus after this is all over; after we've won! When we are victorious we will return, as Quina would have wanted . . ."
There was a moment of hesitation in which the team remained silent. Eiko was the first to speak.
"That's a GREAT idea!" she shouted determinedly. "We'll come back to give Quina the news of our victory after we've kicked Garland's ugly butt!"
Vivi nodded, eyes bright. The others were smiling slowly, even laughing. And in that moment, a unity was formed between the team; a bond that couldn't even be broken by the finality of death. In that moment, they were one.
"We'll kill Garland to avenge the Qu!" Fratley laughed, leaning against his spear. Everyone was smiling.
"Vivi, would you do the honors?" Zidane queried, signalling towards the snow. Vivi blinked with confusion for a moment and then, understanding, nodded. Murmuring a small command, the mage sent a blast of flames to burn the ground. The snow retreated into a thick, slushy water. Fratley and Steiner then lifted Quina's body and lowered him gently into the snowy grave. They removed the icicle from his body (which Vivi burned promptly) and covered the Qu in the snow. Their hope was, of course, that the freeze would keep Quina's body in fairly good condition until they returned.
If they returned . . .
Kuja, as was typical, stayed as far from the others as possible. His thoughts were elsewhere. While the death of the Qu was tragic (he, himself, remembered battling the pest years before and had always admired the creature's rather strange courage) at the moment he was growing concerned. Why were there geonomes in the forest? And why had Garland ordered Fubuki to kill all the crew but himself? Were the geonomes there to retrieve him? Or something worse . . .?
" - Kuja, yo!"
"Wha - ?" Kuja turned around, surprised.
"Have you been listening at all?!" Lani snarled, glaring. Kuja scratched his head.
"Uh, not really . . ." he said truthfully. The crew sighed.
"We're saying we might have to leave the continent!" Steiner shouted in frustration.
"What? Why?"
"Because . . ." Beatrix said slowly. "The temperatures in this area have dropped considerably. By night-fall, the temperatures will become lethal . . . We still haven't found the ship . . . We may have to retreat back to Alexandria,"
Much to their surprise, Kuja smiled.
"Excellent idea," he said happily. Anything to get them away from the geonomes was a good idea. One death was enough . . . ". . .When shall we go?"
Garnet's eye was twitching angrily. "You jerk!" she cried furiously. "You're so selfish! Doesn't this mission mean anything to you?! What about our vengeance for our friend?! What about killing Garland?! What about MEGAN?!!"
Kuja snorted. "Feh. We've lost one tonight already . . . Would you care to make it more?"
"Yes!" Steiner barked. "You! YOU'RE the one that doesn't want to die! Just as long as YOU'RE okay, it's cool, but if the WORLD'S life is at stake it's not worth it!"
Kuja flinched. His eyes flashed red for the briefest of moments and every member of the team stiffened with fear. Luckily, however, Kuja caught himself and settled for shaking a menacing fist at the knight.
"You misunderstand me, you rusted old fool!" Steiner jerked with surprise. "Do not forget that I have been bred with the senses of the great Saishoja himself! I have sensed the evil in this forest even after Fubuki's death! We are in the most dangerous place on Gaia at this very moment and every second brings us a step closer to death! If you wish to die, then stay, but if you don't mind - " the warlock stopped mid-sentence. He seemed to be sniffing the air. Then he threw a furious punch at Steiner. "You IDIOT!!! They're here!"
"What?"
Kuja whipped around, glaring up at the cliff. The same pair of eyes was upon them once more.
". . .Geonomes . . ."
"He's a lunatic," Freya grumbled. "I say we camp out here tonight and continue the search tomorrow . . ."
Kuja shook his head in defeat. /There's no getting through to them . . . We're in so much danger . . ./
Kuja could only watch as the crew slung their packs into the snow and began to settle down for the night . . .
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"Alright, alright . . . Come on . . ."
"Let GO OF ME!!!" Megan screamed, wrenching her arm from the geonome's grasp. "Don't TOUCH ME!!!"
The geonome, a male she didn't recognize, snarled and smacked the girl to the floor. "Shut your mouth, wench! You will do as you are told!"
"Aw, lay off the bitch, will ya?" another geonome snapped from down the hall. It was a female who was leading a curious cloaked woman in the opposite direction. The woman's hood obscured her downcast face, but at that moment she lifted her head and blinked with unnatural violet eyes.
/That woman from before!/ both prisoners thought simultaneously.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Megan's geonome shouted angrily, giving Megan a good jerk while he was at it. The female geonome stuck her tongue out. That did it. Megan's geonome threw his captive to the floor and stormed towards his opponent. The Summoner sat there stunned for a moment and then heard someone hissing towards her.
"Wha - ?"
The purple-eyed woman had managed to squirm her way out of her guard's grasp and was huddled against the wall, signalling for Megan to come closer. Nodding, the brunette got down on her hands and knees and crawled over to the woman. She listened carefully to the argument above, making sure neither geonome noticed they'd released their prisoners.
"You're always telling me what to do, Megumi!"
"Nuh uh! You're the one who sucks up to every damn beta that comes by, Shrift!"
"You callin' me an omega?"
"You accusin' me a callin' you an omega?"
"You wanna a piece a me?"
"Wanna mess?"
"BRING IT ON!!!"
The two geonomes then tumbled into each other, clawing and biting like savage animals. Occasionally one would transform into a hawk or something and then back again, tearing at the other's flesh. Megan ignored the pair and quickly moved in next to the other prisoner.
"What is it?" the Summoner queried. The purple-eyed woman was studying the girl's face carefully.
"Are you . . . the daughter of the Yorokobi . . .?"
Megan blinked in shock. "Y-yes I am! Or . . . I was. They're dead,"
"Dead? But Ummei said - "
The purple-eyed woman gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "You poor thing!" she exclaimed. "You have no idea! Honey, a friend of mine went to your mother and grandmother in Conde Petie and got them out of the settlement before the attack! Your family's fine!"
" . . . What . . .?" /Impossible!/
The woman nodded, then looked serious. "But if they have you . . ."
"I told you, I can't summon!" Megan cried, then blushed because she remembered there were two grappling geonomes nearby. "I was deactivated as a child, but the geonomes don't know it!"
The purple-eyed woman cringed. "You poor, poor thing . . . You knew Kuja, didn't you?"
Megan's eyes narrowed. "That jerk . . . Don't talk about him in front of me!"
The woman bit her lip. "I'm scared for him and all your friends. If Garland managed to get his hands on you . . . Who knows what he could do . . ."
"Who cares?!" Megan cried. "Kuja's an ass! We'd be better off without him!"
The purple-eyed woman looked somewhat hurt but didn't respond. She hesitated before whispering something so strange and so far-fetched that for a long time Megan was positive she'd misheard her.
"I can hear him sometimes . . ." the woman murmured, closing her eyes as if overcome by a sudden weariness. "He cries out in his sleep and I can hear him . . . His guardian comes ever closer . . . But what if he's too late?"
Megan didn't get a chance to respond. The two geonomes had finally calmed down and were lying in a gasping, panting heap upon the floor. Megumi threw Shrift angrily off her body and spat on him.
"Serves you right!" she snapped, grabbing the purple-eyed woman roughly by her coat. "You sorry excuse for a geonome!"
Shrift gave her the finger and, likewise, snagged Megan off the floor. The Summoner could only mutter a gloomy goodbye before the purple-eyed woman was led miserably in the opposite direction. The other prisoner, however, didn't return the gesture.
She had been suddenly overcome with a burning, nauseating, and utterly overwhelming fear . . .
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"Hey Dart . . . I just thought of something . . ." Ummei said slowly.
". . . That's a first . . . What?"
"It's really cold here . . ."
Dart stared in an aggravated manner down her nose at Ummei. He was lying completely on his stomach in the snow, peering down over the edge of a large cliff into a forest clearing. Fubuki's forest clearing . . .
"So get out of the snow, idiot!" Dart snapped, growling. "Geez . . . How do I always get stuck with you?!" she continued to rant for several minutes. "Hundreds of geonomes . . . An entire continent . . . Drakja's left . . . All alone with you . . . dumber than the dead Qu . . ."
Ummei was still processing the concept that it was the snow that was making him cold. Then, suddenly, he figured it out and stood up, brushing off his pants. He continued to stare down into the clearing.
"Would you get away from there?!" Dart snapped, smacking Ummei across the back of the head. "They're not doing anything interesting!"
"I don't care," Ummei retorted. "Garland told us to spy on the enemy, so that's what I'm gonna do . . ."
"There's a difference between spying and stalking, Ummei," Dart sighed exasperatedly. "Besides, we're only supposed to watch and make sure Drakja doesn't screw up . . ."
"Which he WILL . . ." Ummei scoffed. Dart laughed.
"Yeah, as if YOU could do better . . ."
"Hey, Drakja gave me permission to use the Metsubo if I had to and he didn't even MENTION it to you!"
Dart's emerald-green eyes widened. "Wh . . .WHAT?!! Bu . . . but . . . NO FAIR!!!" She looked ready to cry. "No fair, no fair, no fair!!!"
Ummei cackled with glee, then became bored and reverted to peering over the edge of the cliff again. Dart was too busy muttering violent oaths to herself to pay him any heed . . .
Meanwhile, the sun continued to set. Soon, darkness would be upon them.
And the curse of the winter's night . . .
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"Geez, Kuja . . . You don't have to look THAT glum . . ."
"Feh," Kuja looked away, grumbling. The other members of the team were too busy pawing through the supplies or taking care of the fire to notice Kuja's coldness. Only Zidane, being the warlock's brother, seemed somewhat concerned.
". . . You wanna tell me what's on your mind . . .?"
"No. You wouldn't listen anyways . . ." Zidane raised an eyebrow. Kuja sounded like a whiney little child . . .
"Um, I'm listening right now . . ."
Kuja folded his arms across his chest angrily. The cold was starting to annoy him and his cloak was already wet despite the rotting log he sat upon. Zidane waited, but when no response came he suddenly stood up from the snow and came to sit on the log beside his brother.
"Hey Kuja. I was just wondering . . . What's your favorite color?"
Kuja blinked, surprised, and looked curiously at the young blonde. "Why do you ask . . .?" he queried suspiciously.
"I-I don't know," Zidane admitted. "It's weird but . . . I feel like if I don't bond with you some time soon . . . Then I'll never get the chance to again . . ."
For some reason, Kuja felt like there was a cold knife tickling his spine. The statement scared him, though he couldn't quite figure out why. Had Zidane been feeling the same as him? That feeling that something really bad was going to happen that would irrevocably change their lives forever . . .?
"I . . . I don't have a favorite color . . ." Kuja stumbled slowly. "Or at least . . . If I did, I never really thought about it . . ."
"It should be silver," Zidane teased, laughing. "Since everything about you seems to be!"
Kuja frowned. "Silver . . ." he murmured slowly. "Yes . . . Silver's a nice color,"
Zidane couldn't help but smile. It was hard to believe that after being alive for more than nineteen years, he'd only known his brother for the greater part of seven. He really knew nothing of the man. Well sure, he knew about Kuja's past and what it was that made the guy tic . . . But he'd never even had the slightest inkling as to what Kuja truly felt beneath that stoic exterior of his. Kuja always seemed so aloof and alone; as if a cold blanket of ice had been wrapped around his body that none could penetrate. More than once, Zidane had found himself pondering what the world meant to Kuja. He didn't want to just understand Kuja's anger at the universe and the hurt he felt at his mistreatment. He wanted to know the deeper side of things. Zidane remembered vividly the time he and Kuja had spent alone on the Outer Continent after narrowly escaping the Iifa Tree. Kuja had scared him sometimes; crying out in his sleep as if in pain or suddenly collapsing to his knees and refusing to move for several minutes. Zidane wanted to know more than just Kuja . . .
He wanted to know his brother . . .
And lately the feeling had been returning; that his time with Kuja was short. Sure, he knew Kuja was supposed to be dead. But still . . . Kuja wasn't, was he? Did that mean he'd beaten the system? Or was something much worse at play . . .? Something bad was going to happen . . . He just knew it . . .
Zidane's musings were broken by the topic's voice suddenly speaking in his ear.
"I'm going to go get some more firewood, okay?"
Zidane didn't even have to answer before Kuja stood up coldly and vanished through the trees. Zidane saw that several of the crew member's had noticed the warlock's departure but chose not to say anything. Zidane felt his tail bristling slightly with anger at everyone; Kuja included.
Why couldn't they all just get along?!
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Kuja lingered as long in the trees as he could. The silence was something of a comfort as he gathered dry twigs from the forest-floor (which was difficult considering the snow). He couldn't help but think about what Zidane had said. Was it true? Was his time with his brother dwindling that quickly? Why was he so afraid of this . . .?
On top of that, Kuja had a strange longing tugging at his heart. He wasn't sure what it was . . . Yet his thoughts drifted to Megan so often that sometimes the warlock wanted to scream as loud as he could until she was driven from his mind forever.
Kuja was soon so lost in thought that it took him several minutes to feel the presence against his back. Kuja whipped around in surprise and saw for the briefest of moments, a flash of silver. For a second he thought it was Fubuki, somehow returned from the grave. But when he paused the memory in his mind he didn't see a woman, but a man. A man with silver hair and no eyes to speak of . . . At least . . . Kuja didn't see any. Then his own eyes went blind with darkness and he stumbled; overcome with panic.
". . . What in the . . .?"
Kuja stopped, a growl rising in his throat almost automatically. The mist cleared in his eyes and he knew immediately the scent of geonomes in the forest.
/They're here . . .!/ he thought wistfully. Kuja pulled back, dropping the sticks he'd been carrying. They clattered, rolling, to the ground. /I've got to warn the others!/
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Drakja pressed his back against a tree, pushing himself flat against the trunk. He fumbled with the large gun tacked to his belt for a moment and then held it against his chest. Using his teeth, he ripped a piece of cloth from in his pocket and wiped the nozzle of the gun. Then, with a click, it was locked and loaded.
". . . Phew . . ." Drakja breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, his mission on the continent would be over. So soon . . .
". . . Sir?"
Drakja blinked in surprise and looked up.
"Chikara?" The muscular geonome nodded his head once and bowed. Dozens of other geonomes were appearing from the trees behind him. Drakja frowned. "What are you doing here . . .?"
"We're assisting you, sir,"
". . . Why . . .? I can do this myself . . ."
Chikara glanced at some of the nearby geonomes. They refused to meet his emerald glance.
"We're just making sure things run smoothly," Chikara said slowly, as if trying to calm a bristling tiger. "We'll help take down the others while you finish your job,"
Drakja hesitated. "I-I guess that's reasonable . . . Alright, fine. But the first geonome that screws up will personally deal with me!"
The geonomes gulped. Drakja was a force to be reckoned with when his alpha position was put it check.
Drakja cocked his gun, chuckling. "Kuja's already gone to warn the others. I saw him a few minutes ago. We'll surround the area from the cliffs above them and while I shoot, you all will charge. Understood?"
Chikara and his comrades nodded. Drakja smirked.
"Good. Let's move out!"
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"Zidane! Zidane!" Kuja cried, stumbling and slipping in the snow. The group members, who were seated, shivering, around a gentle fire, looked up in surprise at the usually calm warlock's urgent movements.
"Kuja, what - ?" Zidane stood up, but Kuja raised a hand, shaking his head angrily.
"No . . . No time for explanations . . . Geonomes . . . They're here!"
Zidane's eyes widened with fear. "Geonomes?! How close?!"
"Five minutes away!" Kuja shouted, pointing through the tree towards the rising snowy hills in the distance. "There's got to be at least fifty of them!"
"Shit," Zidane cursed, turning back to the group. Steiner was a curious shade of crimson. Zidane glared at him. "Learned your lesson?" he queried coldly. "Will you listen to my brother from now on?" Steiner didn't respond, just stood up along with the others.
"Come on, we'll make for the cliffs," Beatrix instructed, pointing through the trees to where the forest dropped off into an empty plain. Outside the mass of trees was a wide open field of snow. But the peacefulness of its white was broken by a twenty story drop off the side of jagged cliffs. And even above those, were higher, sharper cliffs. Below that, was doom.
Gathering their materials and unsheathing glittering weapons, the crew ran for their lives from Fubuki's Forest. The cliffs loomed hauntingly overhead as the crew became increasingly aware of the fatal drop on the very cliff they stood. In their anxiety, the mismatched team didn't even notice the dozens of glittering green eyes upon them from above . . .
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"Are you ready?!" Drakja snapped, moving out from behind his tree-post and trotting towards the cliff-edge. Chikara looked to the other geonomes for approval and then nodded. "Good. Prepare to swarm . . ." Drakja waited, peering down over the edge of the cliff to where the crew stood hesitantly near the brink of the lethal drop. He could see him . . . The first Angel of Death . . . Right in his line of fire. The shot was too perfect to pass up. Drakja's teeth glittered as he grinned wickedly in the setting sun.
"And . . . NOW!!!"
With his cry, the ninety-plus geonomes leapt from the cliff or teleported to the protrusion of land below. The enemy, caught unaware, could only cry out as the sparkles of leering green eyes fell upon them. The geonomes, laughing, moved closer; surrounding them; encircling them; suffocating them. They were trapped . . .
"No!" Garnet gasped, clutching onto Zidane's arm. There was no way out. Dozens of cackling, snarling geonomes were surrounding them. They could only back up so far before they tumbled to their deaths . . .
"We have to fight!" Lani shouted, preparing her axe. "We have to break the circle!"
"W-we can't defeat them ALL!" Vivi whimpered, shivering.
"Hold your ground!" Kuja hissed. Something was wrong . . . He couldn't see any of the high-ranking geonomes . . . Not Chikara, Dart, Lulian . . . or Drakja . . . None of them. Kuja frowned.
/Is this some sort of trap . . .? It's not a very good one, is it . . .?/
Drakja licked his lips as he perched several stories above the heads of his nemesis. He closed one emerald eye, aiming the gun as carefully as he could despite the shaking of his hand.
"Come on, you silver-haired devil . . ." the madman murmured, licking his dried lips once more. The sight was directly upon the warlock now. He could see Kuja through the target, holding out a frighteningly long sword to ward off any geonome that dared to break the circle. Chikara was hidden somewhere, waiting . . . Drakja's hand was shaking, jostling the sight and moving the cursor.
"Fuck it . . ." he snarled. "I can do this . . ."
Triss had given Drakja only nine Momoku-tama. He couldn't afford to miss. Yet his nerves were getting the better of him. The geonome had never used the gun on a humanoid before. He certainly wasn't utilizing the gun's most frightening function (which Mikoto knew all too well), but still . . . shooting someone took guts.
With a gasp, Drakja fired.
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Kuja heard the shot and the echoing report. His eyes widened.
"Watch out!" The bullet was practically in Vivi's face. Kuja lunged and shoved the black mage into the snow. The sorcerer felt the bullet whiz by overhead and as he landed with a thud on top of Vivi, the two looked up in fear.
"Th-they're shooting at us with those weird gun-thingies!" Garnet cried, looking horrified at Zidane. Zidane cursed. One of the geonomes cackled.
"With poisoned bullets, we are!" The crew gulped.
"They're surrounding us so they can fire!" Fratley realized aloud. "Which means we have to . . ."
"Break the circle," Beatrix finished. Zidane nodded. The question was "how?" There was almost a hundred giggling geonomes surrounding them and they were being backed up further and further towards the cliff-edge. The surrounding cliffs, which loomed like mammoth castles overhead, were ringing with the echo of the gunfire. The bullets were coming from above . . .
Kuja rose slowly, apologizing to Vivi. The black mage only shook his head and thanked the silver-haired genome for saving his life. Kuja barely heard him. The horrible truth was becoming clear . . . That bullet was meant for him . . . The geonomes had come for his life at last . . .
/I've got to watch myself . . ./
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"Fuck!" Drakja cursed once more. He fumbled furiously with his gun, clicking the loader with trembling fingers. "God damn piece of shit . . ." His patience was steadily fraying. Only eight more bullets . . . And now the enemy knew he was there shooting at them. The geonome pulled out from his hiding place behind a rock and darted to a thin, scraggly tree which appeared to have never seen a leaf in its entire life. Pressing his back against the bark, Drakja readied the gun once more. He hesitated, then craned his neck around the trunk and held up the weapon. The sight was directly on Kuja once more, but now he could see the sorcerer whipping his head around like a startled horse. He would leap away as soon as Drakja pulled the trigger, the bastard . . .
With a deep breath, Drakja closed his eyes and fired.
Below, the crew scattered as they heard the shot. Kuja in particular threw himself into the snow. The geonomes were laughing. Amarant, who seemed to feel this was all a pinch in his pride, lashed out suddenly at one of the geonomes with his claws. She fell back as three long rips appeared in her shirt.
There was a moment of silence as the female stared down at the ruined garment. Geonomes were known for being narcissistic, fashion-oriented, and all around image-conscious creatures. The girl's lip was trembling with rage. She looked up slowly at Amarant and growled.
"ATTACK!!!"
The circle of geonomes collapsed inward, throwing themselves like vicious animals upon the crew.
And thus began the battle. It was eleven against a hundred, yet Zidane and the others were holding out amazingly well. They slashed, clawed, bit, cast magic, summoned, and did whatever it took to simply stay alive. Killing the geonomes was no longer a priority, only keeping the monsters from tearing out the team's throats mattered.
"Damn it!" Freya snarled, smacking a geonome across the head with her spear. Though the creature fell back, six more suddenly piled on top of the Burmecian.
There was simply no end to them . . .
Above, Drakja was cursing up a storm. Two bullets gone, and all because he couldn't keep his damn hands steady.
"I can do this, I can do this . . ." he repeated over and over as the alpha- male reloaded and began to aim once more. He fired and it missed.
The team below looked around wildly for the bullet, but couldn't figure out where it had gone or who it had nearly hit. The geonomes didn't seem perturbed at all, and they continued to fight like maniacs. Another shot rang through the air, then a third. Still, the battle raged on . . .
"Watch out!" Zidane shouted towards Kuja as he dodged a shadow-ball and slashed with his daggers simultaneously. Kuja looked around puzzled, wondering why Zidane had yelled at him when no bullets were being fired. The warlock was a second too late . . . Chikara came out of nowhere and rammed into Kuja with such force that the sorcerer was thrown clear off his feet. Kuja skidded into the snow causing several geonomes to leap out of his way as he fell. A break formed in the back of the circle, opening towards the edge of the cliff. As the gap formed, the geonomes became a chaotic semi-circle of attackers. The drop yawned nearby. For a moment Kuja lay there, stunned. Then he rose to his feet with a groan.
His side was throbbing with a dull pain where Chikara had hit him. Kuja's bright blue eyes locked onto the geonome, who was grinning maniacally at him. He intended to keep him in the line of fire . . .!
"Outta my way!" Kuja snarled, holding out the Masamune as threateningly as he could.
Chikara chuckled. "Not a chance, Dark Messenger," In his head, however, Chikara was thinking only of Drakja. He didn't want his master to make a fool of himself for Garland. Drakja had the greatest aim of anyone he'd ever known. Why couldn't he hit Kuja? Drakja's performance record was already slipping dangerously low. Another strike, and Garland could literally dispose of the man . . .!
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Drakja was fuming. Only four more bullets . . . Only four fucking bullets. Already the geonome was seized with nerves. He had to make it this time; he had to! Drakja lifted the gun once more and peered angrily through the sight. This time it was dead-on. He couldn't miss!
"Come on you sorry excuse for Saishoja . . .!"
BLAM!
The bullet whizzed through the air, scattering several geonomes below and causing Zidane's group to duck with fear. Drakja's eyes widened. Chikara was backing Kuja up, keeping him in the bullet's path. He was going to make it!
"Whu . . . What the fuck?!"
Drakja rubbed his eyes, stared, and then rubbed them once more. The bullet had veered off course, nearly hitting Chikara!
"I-Impossible!" Drakja cried, staring angrily over the side of the cliff. "No! No, no, no!"
In his fear, Drakja shot blindly two more times. His green eyes were glowing wildly, his hair falling madly into his face. This was impossible . . . Impossible! He was descended of the greatest general Terra had ever known! He couldn't botch a simple shooting mission!
Below, the battle continued. The crew was fighting with all they had as the geonomes swarmed. But inevitably the heroes were slowing down. Death was looming over their heads like a frightening black fog.
"I-I can't do this anymore!" Eiko gasped, casting Cure upon herself. "There's too many of them!"
The others were drooping with fatigue as well; their movements becoming slurred. Already, a geonome's dagger had come too close for their liking; a shadow ball too near for comfort.
The odds were slim to none . . .
"We'll never survive this . . ." Zidane murmured. The realization of defeat was imminent. It was over.
"This is the end . . ."
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Drakja was gasping for breath as he stood atop the cliff drenched in a cold sweat. His ponytail had come undone in his hysterics and long, mahogany hair piled over his shoulders and down his waist.
One bullet left . . . One last bullet . . .
Drakja could feel himself shaking with fear as he stared down at his gun. Only one last chance. Just one. A beacon of light and hope seemed to glow from the nozzle of the weapon, and yet a black feeling of doom came to his heart as well.
If he didn't make it . . . What if . . .?
Attempting vainly to compose himself, Drakja got down on one knee and raised his gun once more.
/Just one . . . Just one . . ./
He closed one eye, and took a breath. His finger twitched upon the trigger, went cold, and let go.
/I can't do this . . ./
/Just one . . . Just one . . ./
"Damn it . . . I'll kill that fucking bastard!"
Then Drakja slammed down upon the trigger . . .
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The event that followed Drakja firing the gun happened so fast that any passerby who blinked missed the scene entirely.
At first, Zidane heard the shot. He yelled out just as he and the others realized how dangerously close the bullet was coming. This one was not merely brushing over their heads. The screaming of its trail cut straight through the battle. But as Zidane rushed forward to get to his companions, a geonome suddenly came out of nowhere. The green-eyed creation, laughing hysterically, threw a shadow-ball directly into Zidane's chest just as the blonde was hit across the side of the head with the butt-end of a spear. Zidane cried out as blood splattered, and was thrown off his feet as the cloud of black smoke encircled him. It seemed a Thundaga had been placed within the noxious fumes, for Zidane convulsed violently as he fell backwards, unconscious.
"ZIDANE!!!" Garnet screamed. The ledge was inches away.
Zidane was going to fall . . .
Kuja gasped as he took in the sight of his brother's body drenched in blood as it tumbled towards the cliff-side. The shadow-ball hadn't completely dispersed, and Kuja knew touching Zidane would meaning getting electrocuted . . .
"No!" /Zidane WILL NOT die on my watch!/
Kuja lunged forward, dropping the Masamune. His cloak billowed out behind him as he dove through the air. Gasps arose from the spectators, geonome and comrade alike.
There was a sharp intake of breath as Kuja tore through the air behind Zidane and wrapped his arms around the boy's chest, catching him. Kuja winced against the tidal-wave of electricity that washed over his body. Then he felt the sting in his shoulder. For a moment, time froze. Then he felt a piercing pain wrench through his body. It felt like someone was ripping his arm clear out of its socket.
"Ah!"
Blood gushed into the air as the bullet drove through Kuja's shoulder and right out the other side. He screamed in pain as the sheer momentum of the shot threw his feet out from under him.
There was a shriek of disbelief from every witness there as the two genomes, in a flurry of billowing cloaks and silver hair, tumbled over the edge of the cliff and vanished. The last thing they saw was the end of Kuja's cape before he and Zidane were gone . . .
The entire thing had taken less than three seconds . . .
It felt as if the very air in the clearing had been sucked away. No one dared to breathe. Chikara blinked several times, then looked up towards the nearby cliff where Drakja was standing, a dot atop the mass of snowy land. Then the dot vanished and Drakja reappeared several feet away from the battle. He was clutching the gun weakly, as pale as the surrounding landscape.
"D-did I do it . . .?" he queried softly. Chikara nodded slowly. No one seemed able to comprehend what had happened yet. Garnet suddenly let out a strangled cry and ran to the edge of the cliff. The rest of the crew followed. The geonomes, on the other hand, backed up towards their master. Drakja was staring aloofly at his enemies.
/I shot the Shishon of Saishoja . . ./ he thought absently, staring into space. /So why don't I feel happy . . .?/
"Oh god, no!" Garnet cried, dropping to her knees beside the cliff. Beatrix was staring over the edge silently. At the bottom of the twenty- story drop was a positively massive lake. Unfortunately, it was frozen solid.
No one could have survived such a fall . . .
Then Beatrix spotted the stream. The lake twisted out into a shallow trickle of water untouched by the cold of the continent. What if . . .?
"Come on, we've got to get down there!" Beatrix cried, backing up. No one dared question the general's motives. They brushed past the geonomes as they flew away from the ledge of doom, desperate to find their friends.
Drakja did not try to stop them . . .
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Everything was a blur. For a moment, Kuja felt the sensation of his body free-falling with nothing, not even land, beneath it. Nothing seemed real. The pinkish sky above him was . . . literally above him. His grip on Zidane was almost gone.
They would perish together . . .
/Then I finally realized what it means to live . . ./ Kuja thought wistfully to himself. He could feel old memories returning to him. Beckoning to him in his moment of death. /Am I too late again . . .?/
The cliff-walls rushed up before him as blood from his shoulder streamed into the icy air. The ground below was charging up to meet them . . . To take its evil, blackened hands and seize the brothers into the realm of death. Kuja closed his eyes amidst the screaming of the howling wind against his ears and imagined himself and Zidane when they hit the frozen lake below. It was a gruesome image . . . But what if there was a way to . . .
Kuja's eyes snapped open in his moment of enlightenment. There was a way . . . But one of them would have to . . .
"Zidane . . ." Kuja murmured, though he knew his unconscious brother couldn't hear him. ". . . I'm sorry . . . Garland has robbed me of my magic . . . Your comrades were too late to cast a spell . . . I have only one option left . . . Forgive me . . ."
Then Kuja closed his eyes and with a deep breath, clutched Zidane to his chest and positioned his own back to the ground as he fell dream-like through the air.
Then there was a crack and he felt the rushing agony as the warlock's side hit the ice below. He let out a gasp of pain as he broke through to the unforgiving, black waters of the lake. And as he clutched Zidane's shielded, unharmed body to his chest, everything went dark . . .
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A/N: *giggle* When I said it was a cliffhanger, I was serious! I mean it's literally a cliffhanger! Get it, get it? *snigger* In case you couldn't tell, Kuja used his body to shield Zidane from the ice. Now here's the important note: in this fic there will be three "Enlightenment Chapters." These three chapters are when someone will say something and you people should all go "*gasp* I get it!" and it will suddenly make sense. The next chapter's the first one! We're going to find out one of the mysteries of Saishoja and what Triss's poison was for. We also get to meet a new character (sort of), and we find out more of Garland's plan! It's a learning chapter (thus, the Enlightenment title). Oh, and my mom has an incredibly dry sense of humor. I was at a Michael's Arts and Crafts store and my mom came up to me holding a furry red pen with a bird-face and huge red feathers sprouting out of its head and said "Hey, look! It's Kuja!"
Ha . . . Ha . . . Ha . . .
r34d 4|\|d r3\/|3\/\/!!! (read and review!!!)
Disclaimer: It's the holiday season . . . I asked to own Final Fantasy . . . But NO!
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"That man can destroy life is just as miraculous a feat as that he can create it, for life is the miracle, the inexplicable. In the act of destruction, man sets himself above life; he transcends himself as a creature. Thus, the ultimate choice for a man, inasmuch as he is driven to transcend himself, is to create or to destroy, to love or to hate."
- Erich Fromm, "The Sane Society"
The sun seemed to wobble in the sky as it began its mournful descent towards the horizon. The heat that burned from its fiery form did nothing to penetrate the eternal snows of the Forgotten Continent. The land remained caked in infinite ice with the exception of Triss's Forest. Deep in the heart of the snow-monster Fubuki's forest the heroes of Gaia stood with their heads bowed in silence. Nothing seemed able to break the stillness just as the sun tried in vain to crack through the snow.
"You know . . . In all the years I knew Quina . . . I always thought he was stupid,"
The crew's heads snapped up in surprise to see Zidane standing a few feet from his comrade's dead body, an ironic smile plastered to his face.
"Zidane what are you - ?"
The genome laughed. "I can't believe I never saw it before!" The team obviously seemed to think their leader had lost his mind with grief. Zidane was laughing and near tears at the same time. "Don't you see?! All those years that Quina stood by we thought he didn't understand what was going on! I was so sure he was just there for food; that he had no clue even what the threat to Gaia was! But now I know . . . Quina always understood. He always knew. He was always there . . . fighting besides us . . . But now, no more . . ."
Garnet bit her lip sympathetically. "Zidane, I know you're grieving but - "
"No," Zidane shook his head, a shaky smile upon his face. "No, I'm happy! All the years I thought we meant nothing to Quina . . . Now I see . . ."
Beatrix, who had barely known Quina, cocked her head curiously at Freya who was frowning.
"He's right . . ." the Burmecian said softly. Zidane sniffled, chuckling.
"C'mon guys . . . Let's give the poor fool a decent burial until we can come back. How's this? We'll come back for Quina's body and return it to the Qus after this is all over; after we've won! When we are victorious we will return, as Quina would have wanted . . ."
There was a moment of hesitation in which the team remained silent. Eiko was the first to speak.
"That's a GREAT idea!" she shouted determinedly. "We'll come back to give Quina the news of our victory after we've kicked Garland's ugly butt!"
Vivi nodded, eyes bright. The others were smiling slowly, even laughing. And in that moment, a unity was formed between the team; a bond that couldn't even be broken by the finality of death. In that moment, they were one.
"We'll kill Garland to avenge the Qu!" Fratley laughed, leaning against his spear. Everyone was smiling.
"Vivi, would you do the honors?" Zidane queried, signalling towards the snow. Vivi blinked with confusion for a moment and then, understanding, nodded. Murmuring a small command, the mage sent a blast of flames to burn the ground. The snow retreated into a thick, slushy water. Fratley and Steiner then lifted Quina's body and lowered him gently into the snowy grave. They removed the icicle from his body (which Vivi burned promptly) and covered the Qu in the snow. Their hope was, of course, that the freeze would keep Quina's body in fairly good condition until they returned.
If they returned . . .
Kuja, as was typical, stayed as far from the others as possible. His thoughts were elsewhere. While the death of the Qu was tragic (he, himself, remembered battling the pest years before and had always admired the creature's rather strange courage) at the moment he was growing concerned. Why were there geonomes in the forest? And why had Garland ordered Fubuki to kill all the crew but himself? Were the geonomes there to retrieve him? Or something worse . . .?
" - Kuja, yo!"
"Wha - ?" Kuja turned around, surprised.
"Have you been listening at all?!" Lani snarled, glaring. Kuja scratched his head.
"Uh, not really . . ." he said truthfully. The crew sighed.
"We're saying we might have to leave the continent!" Steiner shouted in frustration.
"What? Why?"
"Because . . ." Beatrix said slowly. "The temperatures in this area have dropped considerably. By night-fall, the temperatures will become lethal . . . We still haven't found the ship . . . We may have to retreat back to Alexandria,"
Much to their surprise, Kuja smiled.
"Excellent idea," he said happily. Anything to get them away from the geonomes was a good idea. One death was enough . . . ". . .When shall we go?"
Garnet's eye was twitching angrily. "You jerk!" she cried furiously. "You're so selfish! Doesn't this mission mean anything to you?! What about our vengeance for our friend?! What about killing Garland?! What about MEGAN?!!"
Kuja snorted. "Feh. We've lost one tonight already . . . Would you care to make it more?"
"Yes!" Steiner barked. "You! YOU'RE the one that doesn't want to die! Just as long as YOU'RE okay, it's cool, but if the WORLD'S life is at stake it's not worth it!"
Kuja flinched. His eyes flashed red for the briefest of moments and every member of the team stiffened with fear. Luckily, however, Kuja caught himself and settled for shaking a menacing fist at the knight.
"You misunderstand me, you rusted old fool!" Steiner jerked with surprise. "Do not forget that I have been bred with the senses of the great Saishoja himself! I have sensed the evil in this forest even after Fubuki's death! We are in the most dangerous place on Gaia at this very moment and every second brings us a step closer to death! If you wish to die, then stay, but if you don't mind - " the warlock stopped mid-sentence. He seemed to be sniffing the air. Then he threw a furious punch at Steiner. "You IDIOT!!! They're here!"
"What?"
Kuja whipped around, glaring up at the cliff. The same pair of eyes was upon them once more.
". . .Geonomes . . ."
"He's a lunatic," Freya grumbled. "I say we camp out here tonight and continue the search tomorrow . . ."
Kuja shook his head in defeat. /There's no getting through to them . . . We're in so much danger . . ./
Kuja could only watch as the crew slung their packs into the snow and began to settle down for the night . . .
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"Alright, alright . . . Come on . . ."
"Let GO OF ME!!!" Megan screamed, wrenching her arm from the geonome's grasp. "Don't TOUCH ME!!!"
The geonome, a male she didn't recognize, snarled and smacked the girl to the floor. "Shut your mouth, wench! You will do as you are told!"
"Aw, lay off the bitch, will ya?" another geonome snapped from down the hall. It was a female who was leading a curious cloaked woman in the opposite direction. The woman's hood obscured her downcast face, but at that moment she lifted her head and blinked with unnatural violet eyes.
/That woman from before!/ both prisoners thought simultaneously.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Megan's geonome shouted angrily, giving Megan a good jerk while he was at it. The female geonome stuck her tongue out. That did it. Megan's geonome threw his captive to the floor and stormed towards his opponent. The Summoner sat there stunned for a moment and then heard someone hissing towards her.
"Wha - ?"
The purple-eyed woman had managed to squirm her way out of her guard's grasp and was huddled against the wall, signalling for Megan to come closer. Nodding, the brunette got down on her hands and knees and crawled over to the woman. She listened carefully to the argument above, making sure neither geonome noticed they'd released their prisoners.
"You're always telling me what to do, Megumi!"
"Nuh uh! You're the one who sucks up to every damn beta that comes by, Shrift!"
"You callin' me an omega?"
"You accusin' me a callin' you an omega?"
"You wanna a piece a me?"
"Wanna mess?"
"BRING IT ON!!!"
The two geonomes then tumbled into each other, clawing and biting like savage animals. Occasionally one would transform into a hawk or something and then back again, tearing at the other's flesh. Megan ignored the pair and quickly moved in next to the other prisoner.
"What is it?" the Summoner queried. The purple-eyed woman was studying the girl's face carefully.
"Are you . . . the daughter of the Yorokobi . . .?"
Megan blinked in shock. "Y-yes I am! Or . . . I was. They're dead,"
"Dead? But Ummei said - "
The purple-eyed woman gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "You poor thing!" she exclaimed. "You have no idea! Honey, a friend of mine went to your mother and grandmother in Conde Petie and got them out of the settlement before the attack! Your family's fine!"
" . . . What . . .?" /Impossible!/
The woman nodded, then looked serious. "But if they have you . . ."
"I told you, I can't summon!" Megan cried, then blushed because she remembered there were two grappling geonomes nearby. "I was deactivated as a child, but the geonomes don't know it!"
The purple-eyed woman cringed. "You poor, poor thing . . . You knew Kuja, didn't you?"
Megan's eyes narrowed. "That jerk . . . Don't talk about him in front of me!"
The woman bit her lip. "I'm scared for him and all your friends. If Garland managed to get his hands on you . . . Who knows what he could do . . ."
"Who cares?!" Megan cried. "Kuja's an ass! We'd be better off without him!"
The purple-eyed woman looked somewhat hurt but didn't respond. She hesitated before whispering something so strange and so far-fetched that for a long time Megan was positive she'd misheard her.
"I can hear him sometimes . . ." the woman murmured, closing her eyes as if overcome by a sudden weariness. "He cries out in his sleep and I can hear him . . . His guardian comes ever closer . . . But what if he's too late?"
Megan didn't get a chance to respond. The two geonomes had finally calmed down and were lying in a gasping, panting heap upon the floor. Megumi threw Shrift angrily off her body and spat on him.
"Serves you right!" she snapped, grabbing the purple-eyed woman roughly by her coat. "You sorry excuse for a geonome!"
Shrift gave her the finger and, likewise, snagged Megan off the floor. The Summoner could only mutter a gloomy goodbye before the purple-eyed woman was led miserably in the opposite direction. The other prisoner, however, didn't return the gesture.
She had been suddenly overcome with a burning, nauseating, and utterly overwhelming fear . . .
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"Hey Dart . . . I just thought of something . . ." Ummei said slowly.
". . . That's a first . . . What?"
"It's really cold here . . ."
Dart stared in an aggravated manner down her nose at Ummei. He was lying completely on his stomach in the snow, peering down over the edge of a large cliff into a forest clearing. Fubuki's forest clearing . . .
"So get out of the snow, idiot!" Dart snapped, growling. "Geez . . . How do I always get stuck with you?!" she continued to rant for several minutes. "Hundreds of geonomes . . . An entire continent . . . Drakja's left . . . All alone with you . . . dumber than the dead Qu . . ."
Ummei was still processing the concept that it was the snow that was making him cold. Then, suddenly, he figured it out and stood up, brushing off his pants. He continued to stare down into the clearing.
"Would you get away from there?!" Dart snapped, smacking Ummei across the back of the head. "They're not doing anything interesting!"
"I don't care," Ummei retorted. "Garland told us to spy on the enemy, so that's what I'm gonna do . . ."
"There's a difference between spying and stalking, Ummei," Dart sighed exasperatedly. "Besides, we're only supposed to watch and make sure Drakja doesn't screw up . . ."
"Which he WILL . . ." Ummei scoffed. Dart laughed.
"Yeah, as if YOU could do better . . ."
"Hey, Drakja gave me permission to use the Metsubo if I had to and he didn't even MENTION it to you!"
Dart's emerald-green eyes widened. "Wh . . .WHAT?!! Bu . . . but . . . NO FAIR!!!" She looked ready to cry. "No fair, no fair, no fair!!!"
Ummei cackled with glee, then became bored and reverted to peering over the edge of the cliff again. Dart was too busy muttering violent oaths to herself to pay him any heed . . .
Meanwhile, the sun continued to set. Soon, darkness would be upon them.
And the curse of the winter's night . . .
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"Geez, Kuja . . . You don't have to look THAT glum . . ."
"Feh," Kuja looked away, grumbling. The other members of the team were too busy pawing through the supplies or taking care of the fire to notice Kuja's coldness. Only Zidane, being the warlock's brother, seemed somewhat concerned.
". . . You wanna tell me what's on your mind . . .?"
"No. You wouldn't listen anyways . . ." Zidane raised an eyebrow. Kuja sounded like a whiney little child . . .
"Um, I'm listening right now . . ."
Kuja folded his arms across his chest angrily. The cold was starting to annoy him and his cloak was already wet despite the rotting log he sat upon. Zidane waited, but when no response came he suddenly stood up from the snow and came to sit on the log beside his brother.
"Hey Kuja. I was just wondering . . . What's your favorite color?"
Kuja blinked, surprised, and looked curiously at the young blonde. "Why do you ask . . .?" he queried suspiciously.
"I-I don't know," Zidane admitted. "It's weird but . . . I feel like if I don't bond with you some time soon . . . Then I'll never get the chance to again . . ."
For some reason, Kuja felt like there was a cold knife tickling his spine. The statement scared him, though he couldn't quite figure out why. Had Zidane been feeling the same as him? That feeling that something really bad was going to happen that would irrevocably change their lives forever . . .?
"I . . . I don't have a favorite color . . ." Kuja stumbled slowly. "Or at least . . . If I did, I never really thought about it . . ."
"It should be silver," Zidane teased, laughing. "Since everything about you seems to be!"
Kuja frowned. "Silver . . ." he murmured slowly. "Yes . . . Silver's a nice color,"
Zidane couldn't help but smile. It was hard to believe that after being alive for more than nineteen years, he'd only known his brother for the greater part of seven. He really knew nothing of the man. Well sure, he knew about Kuja's past and what it was that made the guy tic . . . But he'd never even had the slightest inkling as to what Kuja truly felt beneath that stoic exterior of his. Kuja always seemed so aloof and alone; as if a cold blanket of ice had been wrapped around his body that none could penetrate. More than once, Zidane had found himself pondering what the world meant to Kuja. He didn't want to just understand Kuja's anger at the universe and the hurt he felt at his mistreatment. He wanted to know the deeper side of things. Zidane remembered vividly the time he and Kuja had spent alone on the Outer Continent after narrowly escaping the Iifa Tree. Kuja had scared him sometimes; crying out in his sleep as if in pain or suddenly collapsing to his knees and refusing to move for several minutes. Zidane wanted to know more than just Kuja . . .
He wanted to know his brother . . .
And lately the feeling had been returning; that his time with Kuja was short. Sure, he knew Kuja was supposed to be dead. But still . . . Kuja wasn't, was he? Did that mean he'd beaten the system? Or was something much worse at play . . .? Something bad was going to happen . . . He just knew it . . .
Zidane's musings were broken by the topic's voice suddenly speaking in his ear.
"I'm going to go get some more firewood, okay?"
Zidane didn't even have to answer before Kuja stood up coldly and vanished through the trees. Zidane saw that several of the crew member's had noticed the warlock's departure but chose not to say anything. Zidane felt his tail bristling slightly with anger at everyone; Kuja included.
Why couldn't they all just get along?!
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Kuja lingered as long in the trees as he could. The silence was something of a comfort as he gathered dry twigs from the forest-floor (which was difficult considering the snow). He couldn't help but think about what Zidane had said. Was it true? Was his time with his brother dwindling that quickly? Why was he so afraid of this . . .?
On top of that, Kuja had a strange longing tugging at his heart. He wasn't sure what it was . . . Yet his thoughts drifted to Megan so often that sometimes the warlock wanted to scream as loud as he could until she was driven from his mind forever.
Kuja was soon so lost in thought that it took him several minutes to feel the presence against his back. Kuja whipped around in surprise and saw for the briefest of moments, a flash of silver. For a second he thought it was Fubuki, somehow returned from the grave. But when he paused the memory in his mind he didn't see a woman, but a man. A man with silver hair and no eyes to speak of . . . At least . . . Kuja didn't see any. Then his own eyes went blind with darkness and he stumbled; overcome with panic.
". . . What in the . . .?"
Kuja stopped, a growl rising in his throat almost automatically. The mist cleared in his eyes and he knew immediately the scent of geonomes in the forest.
/They're here . . .!/ he thought wistfully. Kuja pulled back, dropping the sticks he'd been carrying. They clattered, rolling, to the ground. /I've got to warn the others!/
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Drakja pressed his back against a tree, pushing himself flat against the trunk. He fumbled with the large gun tacked to his belt for a moment and then held it against his chest. Using his teeth, he ripped a piece of cloth from in his pocket and wiped the nozzle of the gun. Then, with a click, it was locked and loaded.
". . . Phew . . ." Drakja breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, his mission on the continent would be over. So soon . . .
". . . Sir?"
Drakja blinked in surprise and looked up.
"Chikara?" The muscular geonome nodded his head once and bowed. Dozens of other geonomes were appearing from the trees behind him. Drakja frowned. "What are you doing here . . .?"
"We're assisting you, sir,"
". . . Why . . .? I can do this myself . . ."
Chikara glanced at some of the nearby geonomes. They refused to meet his emerald glance.
"We're just making sure things run smoothly," Chikara said slowly, as if trying to calm a bristling tiger. "We'll help take down the others while you finish your job,"
Drakja hesitated. "I-I guess that's reasonable . . . Alright, fine. But the first geonome that screws up will personally deal with me!"
The geonomes gulped. Drakja was a force to be reckoned with when his alpha position was put it check.
Drakja cocked his gun, chuckling. "Kuja's already gone to warn the others. I saw him a few minutes ago. We'll surround the area from the cliffs above them and while I shoot, you all will charge. Understood?"
Chikara and his comrades nodded. Drakja smirked.
"Good. Let's move out!"
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"Zidane! Zidane!" Kuja cried, stumbling and slipping in the snow. The group members, who were seated, shivering, around a gentle fire, looked up in surprise at the usually calm warlock's urgent movements.
"Kuja, what - ?" Zidane stood up, but Kuja raised a hand, shaking his head angrily.
"No . . . No time for explanations . . . Geonomes . . . They're here!"
Zidane's eyes widened with fear. "Geonomes?! How close?!"
"Five minutes away!" Kuja shouted, pointing through the tree towards the rising snowy hills in the distance. "There's got to be at least fifty of them!"
"Shit," Zidane cursed, turning back to the group. Steiner was a curious shade of crimson. Zidane glared at him. "Learned your lesson?" he queried coldly. "Will you listen to my brother from now on?" Steiner didn't respond, just stood up along with the others.
"Come on, we'll make for the cliffs," Beatrix instructed, pointing through the trees to where the forest dropped off into an empty plain. Outside the mass of trees was a wide open field of snow. But the peacefulness of its white was broken by a twenty story drop off the side of jagged cliffs. And even above those, were higher, sharper cliffs. Below that, was doom.
Gathering their materials and unsheathing glittering weapons, the crew ran for their lives from Fubuki's Forest. The cliffs loomed hauntingly overhead as the crew became increasingly aware of the fatal drop on the very cliff they stood. In their anxiety, the mismatched team didn't even notice the dozens of glittering green eyes upon them from above . . .
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"Are you ready?!" Drakja snapped, moving out from behind his tree-post and trotting towards the cliff-edge. Chikara looked to the other geonomes for approval and then nodded. "Good. Prepare to swarm . . ." Drakja waited, peering down over the edge of the cliff to where the crew stood hesitantly near the brink of the lethal drop. He could see him . . . The first Angel of Death . . . Right in his line of fire. The shot was too perfect to pass up. Drakja's teeth glittered as he grinned wickedly in the setting sun.
"And . . . NOW!!!"
With his cry, the ninety-plus geonomes leapt from the cliff or teleported to the protrusion of land below. The enemy, caught unaware, could only cry out as the sparkles of leering green eyes fell upon them. The geonomes, laughing, moved closer; surrounding them; encircling them; suffocating them. They were trapped . . .
"No!" Garnet gasped, clutching onto Zidane's arm. There was no way out. Dozens of cackling, snarling geonomes were surrounding them. They could only back up so far before they tumbled to their deaths . . .
"We have to fight!" Lani shouted, preparing her axe. "We have to break the circle!"
"W-we can't defeat them ALL!" Vivi whimpered, shivering.
"Hold your ground!" Kuja hissed. Something was wrong . . . He couldn't see any of the high-ranking geonomes . . . Not Chikara, Dart, Lulian . . . or Drakja . . . None of them. Kuja frowned.
/Is this some sort of trap . . .? It's not a very good one, is it . . .?/
Drakja licked his lips as he perched several stories above the heads of his nemesis. He closed one emerald eye, aiming the gun as carefully as he could despite the shaking of his hand.
"Come on, you silver-haired devil . . ." the madman murmured, licking his dried lips once more. The sight was directly upon the warlock now. He could see Kuja through the target, holding out a frighteningly long sword to ward off any geonome that dared to break the circle. Chikara was hidden somewhere, waiting . . . Drakja's hand was shaking, jostling the sight and moving the cursor.
"Fuck it . . ." he snarled. "I can do this . . ."
Triss had given Drakja only nine Momoku-tama. He couldn't afford to miss. Yet his nerves were getting the better of him. The geonome had never used the gun on a humanoid before. He certainly wasn't utilizing the gun's most frightening function (which Mikoto knew all too well), but still . . . shooting someone took guts.
With a gasp, Drakja fired.
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Kuja heard the shot and the echoing report. His eyes widened.
"Watch out!" The bullet was practically in Vivi's face. Kuja lunged and shoved the black mage into the snow. The sorcerer felt the bullet whiz by overhead and as he landed with a thud on top of Vivi, the two looked up in fear.
"Th-they're shooting at us with those weird gun-thingies!" Garnet cried, looking horrified at Zidane. Zidane cursed. One of the geonomes cackled.
"With poisoned bullets, we are!" The crew gulped.
"They're surrounding us so they can fire!" Fratley realized aloud. "Which means we have to . . ."
"Break the circle," Beatrix finished. Zidane nodded. The question was "how?" There was almost a hundred giggling geonomes surrounding them and they were being backed up further and further towards the cliff-edge. The surrounding cliffs, which loomed like mammoth castles overhead, were ringing with the echo of the gunfire. The bullets were coming from above . . .
Kuja rose slowly, apologizing to Vivi. The black mage only shook his head and thanked the silver-haired genome for saving his life. Kuja barely heard him. The horrible truth was becoming clear . . . That bullet was meant for him . . . The geonomes had come for his life at last . . .
/I've got to watch myself . . ./
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"Fuck!" Drakja cursed once more. He fumbled furiously with his gun, clicking the loader with trembling fingers. "God damn piece of shit . . ." His patience was steadily fraying. Only eight more bullets . . . And now the enemy knew he was there shooting at them. The geonome pulled out from his hiding place behind a rock and darted to a thin, scraggly tree which appeared to have never seen a leaf in its entire life. Pressing his back against the bark, Drakja readied the gun once more. He hesitated, then craned his neck around the trunk and held up the weapon. The sight was directly on Kuja once more, but now he could see the sorcerer whipping his head around like a startled horse. He would leap away as soon as Drakja pulled the trigger, the bastard . . .
With a deep breath, Drakja closed his eyes and fired.
Below, the crew scattered as they heard the shot. Kuja in particular threw himself into the snow. The geonomes were laughing. Amarant, who seemed to feel this was all a pinch in his pride, lashed out suddenly at one of the geonomes with his claws. She fell back as three long rips appeared in her shirt.
There was a moment of silence as the female stared down at the ruined garment. Geonomes were known for being narcissistic, fashion-oriented, and all around image-conscious creatures. The girl's lip was trembling with rage. She looked up slowly at Amarant and growled.
"ATTACK!!!"
The circle of geonomes collapsed inward, throwing themselves like vicious animals upon the crew.
And thus began the battle. It was eleven against a hundred, yet Zidane and the others were holding out amazingly well. They slashed, clawed, bit, cast magic, summoned, and did whatever it took to simply stay alive. Killing the geonomes was no longer a priority, only keeping the monsters from tearing out the team's throats mattered.
"Damn it!" Freya snarled, smacking a geonome across the head with her spear. Though the creature fell back, six more suddenly piled on top of the Burmecian.
There was simply no end to them . . .
Above, Drakja was cursing up a storm. Two bullets gone, and all because he couldn't keep his damn hands steady.
"I can do this, I can do this . . ." he repeated over and over as the alpha- male reloaded and began to aim once more. He fired and it missed.
The team below looked around wildly for the bullet, but couldn't figure out where it had gone or who it had nearly hit. The geonomes didn't seem perturbed at all, and they continued to fight like maniacs. Another shot rang through the air, then a third. Still, the battle raged on . . .
"Watch out!" Zidane shouted towards Kuja as he dodged a shadow-ball and slashed with his daggers simultaneously. Kuja looked around puzzled, wondering why Zidane had yelled at him when no bullets were being fired. The warlock was a second too late . . . Chikara came out of nowhere and rammed into Kuja with such force that the sorcerer was thrown clear off his feet. Kuja skidded into the snow causing several geonomes to leap out of his way as he fell. A break formed in the back of the circle, opening towards the edge of the cliff. As the gap formed, the geonomes became a chaotic semi-circle of attackers. The drop yawned nearby. For a moment Kuja lay there, stunned. Then he rose to his feet with a groan.
His side was throbbing with a dull pain where Chikara had hit him. Kuja's bright blue eyes locked onto the geonome, who was grinning maniacally at him. He intended to keep him in the line of fire . . .!
"Outta my way!" Kuja snarled, holding out the Masamune as threateningly as he could.
Chikara chuckled. "Not a chance, Dark Messenger," In his head, however, Chikara was thinking only of Drakja. He didn't want his master to make a fool of himself for Garland. Drakja had the greatest aim of anyone he'd ever known. Why couldn't he hit Kuja? Drakja's performance record was already slipping dangerously low. Another strike, and Garland could literally dispose of the man . . .!
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Drakja was fuming. Only four more bullets . . . Only four fucking bullets. Already the geonome was seized with nerves. He had to make it this time; he had to! Drakja lifted the gun once more and peered angrily through the sight. This time it was dead-on. He couldn't miss!
"Come on you sorry excuse for Saishoja . . .!"
BLAM!
The bullet whizzed through the air, scattering several geonomes below and causing Zidane's group to duck with fear. Drakja's eyes widened. Chikara was backing Kuja up, keeping him in the bullet's path. He was going to make it!
"Whu . . . What the fuck?!"
Drakja rubbed his eyes, stared, and then rubbed them once more. The bullet had veered off course, nearly hitting Chikara!
"I-Impossible!" Drakja cried, staring angrily over the side of the cliff. "No! No, no, no!"
In his fear, Drakja shot blindly two more times. His green eyes were glowing wildly, his hair falling madly into his face. This was impossible . . . Impossible! He was descended of the greatest general Terra had ever known! He couldn't botch a simple shooting mission!
Below, the battle continued. The crew was fighting with all they had as the geonomes swarmed. But inevitably the heroes were slowing down. Death was looming over their heads like a frightening black fog.
"I-I can't do this anymore!" Eiko gasped, casting Cure upon herself. "There's too many of them!"
The others were drooping with fatigue as well; their movements becoming slurred. Already, a geonome's dagger had come too close for their liking; a shadow ball too near for comfort.
The odds were slim to none . . .
"We'll never survive this . . ." Zidane murmured. The realization of defeat was imminent. It was over.
"This is the end . . ."
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Drakja was gasping for breath as he stood atop the cliff drenched in a cold sweat. His ponytail had come undone in his hysterics and long, mahogany hair piled over his shoulders and down his waist.
One bullet left . . . One last bullet . . .
Drakja could feel himself shaking with fear as he stared down at his gun. Only one last chance. Just one. A beacon of light and hope seemed to glow from the nozzle of the weapon, and yet a black feeling of doom came to his heart as well.
If he didn't make it . . . What if . . .?
Attempting vainly to compose himself, Drakja got down on one knee and raised his gun once more.
/Just one . . . Just one . . ./
He closed one eye, and took a breath. His finger twitched upon the trigger, went cold, and let go.
/I can't do this . . ./
/Just one . . . Just one . . ./
"Damn it . . . I'll kill that fucking bastard!"
Then Drakja slammed down upon the trigger . . .
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The event that followed Drakja firing the gun happened so fast that any passerby who blinked missed the scene entirely.
At first, Zidane heard the shot. He yelled out just as he and the others realized how dangerously close the bullet was coming. This one was not merely brushing over their heads. The screaming of its trail cut straight through the battle. But as Zidane rushed forward to get to his companions, a geonome suddenly came out of nowhere. The green-eyed creation, laughing hysterically, threw a shadow-ball directly into Zidane's chest just as the blonde was hit across the side of the head with the butt-end of a spear. Zidane cried out as blood splattered, and was thrown off his feet as the cloud of black smoke encircled him. It seemed a Thundaga had been placed within the noxious fumes, for Zidane convulsed violently as he fell backwards, unconscious.
"ZIDANE!!!" Garnet screamed. The ledge was inches away.
Zidane was going to fall . . .
Kuja gasped as he took in the sight of his brother's body drenched in blood as it tumbled towards the cliff-side. The shadow-ball hadn't completely dispersed, and Kuja knew touching Zidane would meaning getting electrocuted . . .
"No!" /Zidane WILL NOT die on my watch!/
Kuja lunged forward, dropping the Masamune. His cloak billowed out behind him as he dove through the air. Gasps arose from the spectators, geonome and comrade alike.
There was a sharp intake of breath as Kuja tore through the air behind Zidane and wrapped his arms around the boy's chest, catching him. Kuja winced against the tidal-wave of electricity that washed over his body. Then he felt the sting in his shoulder. For a moment, time froze. Then he felt a piercing pain wrench through his body. It felt like someone was ripping his arm clear out of its socket.
"Ah!"
Blood gushed into the air as the bullet drove through Kuja's shoulder and right out the other side. He screamed in pain as the sheer momentum of the shot threw his feet out from under him.
There was a shriek of disbelief from every witness there as the two genomes, in a flurry of billowing cloaks and silver hair, tumbled over the edge of the cliff and vanished. The last thing they saw was the end of Kuja's cape before he and Zidane were gone . . .
The entire thing had taken less than three seconds . . .
It felt as if the very air in the clearing had been sucked away. No one dared to breathe. Chikara blinked several times, then looked up towards the nearby cliff where Drakja was standing, a dot atop the mass of snowy land. Then the dot vanished and Drakja reappeared several feet away from the battle. He was clutching the gun weakly, as pale as the surrounding landscape.
"D-did I do it . . .?" he queried softly. Chikara nodded slowly. No one seemed able to comprehend what had happened yet. Garnet suddenly let out a strangled cry and ran to the edge of the cliff. The rest of the crew followed. The geonomes, on the other hand, backed up towards their master. Drakja was staring aloofly at his enemies.
/I shot the Shishon of Saishoja . . ./ he thought absently, staring into space. /So why don't I feel happy . . .?/
"Oh god, no!" Garnet cried, dropping to her knees beside the cliff. Beatrix was staring over the edge silently. At the bottom of the twenty- story drop was a positively massive lake. Unfortunately, it was frozen solid.
No one could have survived such a fall . . .
Then Beatrix spotted the stream. The lake twisted out into a shallow trickle of water untouched by the cold of the continent. What if . . .?
"Come on, we've got to get down there!" Beatrix cried, backing up. No one dared question the general's motives. They brushed past the geonomes as they flew away from the ledge of doom, desperate to find their friends.
Drakja did not try to stop them . . .
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Everything was a blur. For a moment, Kuja felt the sensation of his body free-falling with nothing, not even land, beneath it. Nothing seemed real. The pinkish sky above him was . . . literally above him. His grip on Zidane was almost gone.
They would perish together . . .
/Then I finally realized what it means to live . . ./ Kuja thought wistfully to himself. He could feel old memories returning to him. Beckoning to him in his moment of death. /Am I too late again . . .?/
The cliff-walls rushed up before him as blood from his shoulder streamed into the icy air. The ground below was charging up to meet them . . . To take its evil, blackened hands and seize the brothers into the realm of death. Kuja closed his eyes amidst the screaming of the howling wind against his ears and imagined himself and Zidane when they hit the frozen lake below. It was a gruesome image . . . But what if there was a way to . . .
Kuja's eyes snapped open in his moment of enlightenment. There was a way . . . But one of them would have to . . .
"Zidane . . ." Kuja murmured, though he knew his unconscious brother couldn't hear him. ". . . I'm sorry . . . Garland has robbed me of my magic . . . Your comrades were too late to cast a spell . . . I have only one option left . . . Forgive me . . ."
Then Kuja closed his eyes and with a deep breath, clutched Zidane to his chest and positioned his own back to the ground as he fell dream-like through the air.
Then there was a crack and he felt the rushing agony as the warlock's side hit the ice below. He let out a gasp of pain as he broke through to the unforgiving, black waters of the lake. And as he clutched Zidane's shielded, unharmed body to his chest, everything went dark . . .
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A/N: *giggle* When I said it was a cliffhanger, I was serious! I mean it's literally a cliffhanger! Get it, get it? *snigger* In case you couldn't tell, Kuja used his body to shield Zidane from the ice. Now here's the important note: in this fic there will be three "Enlightenment Chapters." These three chapters are when someone will say something and you people should all go "*gasp* I get it!" and it will suddenly make sense. The next chapter's the first one! We're going to find out one of the mysteries of Saishoja and what Triss's poison was for. We also get to meet a new character (sort of), and we find out more of Garland's plan! It's a learning chapter (thus, the Enlightenment title). Oh, and my mom has an incredibly dry sense of humor. I was at a Michael's Arts and Crafts store and my mom came up to me holding a furry red pen with a bird-face and huge red feathers sprouting out of its head and said "Hey, look! It's Kuja!"
Ha . . . Ha . . . Ha . . .
r34d 4|\|d r3\/|3\/\/!!! (read and review!!!)