A/N: Aw, you people are so sweet with your reviews ^_^ Thank you to
everyone for caring so much, I loves ya all *hug*! And yes, the story may
be coming to a close, but there's still at least two months of updates
left. So don't worry. You'll have reading material for quite some more
time now. Besides, the so-called "downward spiral" of the plot doesn't
start for at least two chapters. You'll see what I mean . . . Thank you
everybuddy (lol, pardon the pun, I made that up just now . . .).
Disclaimer: Yo no tengo Final Fantasy. That made no sense . . . Three years of Spanish classes and the most I've gotten out of it are "I don't have Final Fantasy."
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"Usually, terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things."
– Russell Baker
That night a terrible storm hit. To Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII it seemed fitting. She'd just lost hundreds of her citizens . . . Gone forever. And there would not even be rest for them in the after-life because their souls were held in captivity aboard an enemy airship. She had cried when no one was looking, for it was unfit for a queen to cry. Then she'd sent contact to Regent Cid pleading for aid. She just . . . felt so alone.
But here was a strange thing for sure. While passing down the hall, Garnet had once again spotted her future brother-in-law, Kuja (how she shuddered at the thought), in the library once more, pouring over an incredibly thick book on the Great War. She'd seen him in there many, many times before. Always the same book. And always Garnet wondered why he bothered to read it if he had been not only IN the war, but the very cause of it! What was in that leafy volume that he found so fascinating . . .?
So, feeling rather foolish but determined, Garnet tucked herself away behind a tree-trunk sized marble pillar in the library and watched the sorcerer; scrutinizing his every flip of the page.
/What is he reading in there?!/ Garnet thought over and over again. /Why does he sit away in here, rotting? Why?/
"Last I checked, Your Majesty, spying quietly behind a pillar was not scrawled in the list of requirements for queen . . ."
Garnet started and turned deathly pale, jumping. "H-how – ?!" /Of course, stupid. He's an Angel of Death . . . He probably knew you were there the entire time./ Garnet took a deep breath, smoothed out her dress, and composed herself carefully before stepping out from behind the pillar with a confident expression on her face.
"I'm very sorry," she apologized, though her eyes betrayed her lie. "I didn't mean to spy,"
"Oh?" Kuja, without even looking up from his book or shifting at the table flipped a page and continued to read with empty eyes that didn't drift across the words. Garnet blinked, realizing he was mocking her with doubt.
"Excuse me, but are you accusing me of stalking?" Her voice carried a sharp tone now. The Summoner's royal side was beginning to take control again.
"Begging your pardon, but I did no such thing," Kuja smirked slightly, turning another page silently. "Though . . . I do find it odd that you – a woman of such noble upbringings – hid herself away behind a pillar to blatantly stare at a guest while he sat quietly reading a book . . ."
Garnet felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She knew he was right, but still . . .!
"Well, I find it odd that you lock yourself away in here every single day and read a book that accurately details the very life you already lived!"
Kuja chuckled, still keeping his sightless eyes latched firmly on the text. "Then you have much to learn, Canary . . ."
Garnet paled upon hearing the now alien title Kuja had once crooned so lovingly to her ear. It was creepy; cold . . . Like some fragment of their past life was resurfacing. To days when her very mother was trying to murder her . . . And Kuja loomed like a black spider in the back of her mind at every waking moment.
"Wh-what's THAT supposed to mean?!"
Kuja didn't respond, just licked a finger and peeled over another page. He seemed enveloped in something. Garnet was suddenly feeling defensive. After all the wonderful things Kuja had done for her and her comrades he still seemed like the villain. It was as if no matter how good he ever became, he would always be EVIL . . . Like there was just no end to the regeneration of his violent aura. Garnet wondered, for one split second, if perhaps it was merely her suspicions. However, she spoke regardless . . .
"W-well . . . Well maybe you're just reading that book so . . . so you can find the ERRORS in your last attempt to ruin our lives in order to CORRECT them THIS time around!!!"
A flash of pain suddenly crossed Kuja's face and he trembled before leaping huffily to his feet. His eyes burned momentarily red as he shook with rage. Then he threw down the book, bending one of its pages and nearly breaking the fragile spine as it landed text-down. He was breathing heavily, his maroon eyes locked furiously upon the queen. Garnet felt herself gripped with fear, like an icy fist was closing around her heart. Those eyes . . . such violence and insanity was mingled in them . . . So confused . . . Swirling. He could kill her with merely a word.
But then Kuja's eyes spurted back to their snowy white and he seemed suddenly to be in agony. He wavered for a moment, then stormed around the table and shoved past Garnet. She caught a glimpse of his face before he vanished from the library and it was then that the Summoner felt the first stab of pain.
It wasn't rage on his face anymore . . .
It was hurt.
Garnet stood still for a moment, the breath knocked out of her body. She felt strangely empty . . . Then her eyes fell on the book. When Kuja threw it down, he'd bent the page, marking the leaf he'd been reading. Garnet walked cautiously towards the table, not sure why she was so nervous, and gently lifted the book. Flipping it onto its back and resting the text on the table, Garnet silently read the page. Her eyes grew wider with every word as she raised the book closer to her face . . .
"Upon the eve of Lindblum's massacre by the black mages and the Summon Atomos, it is said a great feast was held at Alexandria Castle. The queen's aforementioned servant, Kuja, was said to have collected the blood of the dead at the massacre and served it as drink for the guests. Whether Brahne knew of this or not is unknown . . ."
Garnet let out a sharp gasp and the book tumbled from her hands. Disbelief clouded her face, marring her deep brown eyes. It was unbearable agony, having read those words. The Summoner clapped her hands over her mouth and backed away from the table. But it wasn't the atrocity of the words that had her in so much pain . . .
/This book . . ./ Garnet thought, horrified. /Everything in it is a lie! Kuja . . . he's been reading his own LIBELING!/
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Garland couldn't help but smirk as he felt the crimson light of his armor pulsating with renewed strength. Obviously, Drakja had been successful in collecting more souls. As Garland had rigged it, the souls were immediately filtered out of the ship, into the Mist, and straight back to his hide-out. There was no way for them to escape. And with the Mist now flowing freely to Terra, he could begin to initiate the last stages of his plan.
Garland gazed out across the plains near the entrance of his base. It was bare, desolate, melting into creamy snow in the distance.
". . . So Garland has returned to the Forgotten Continent once more . . ."
Garland whipped around, shocked that someone had been able to sneak up on him. However, Garland's surprise turned to a pleasant smile when he spotted the small, rather demonic cloaked figure standing a few feet from the entrance of his lair.
"Well, well, if it isn't my old friend Triss. How have you been?" Garland folded his arms across his chest, scrutinizing Triss's tiny, shadow-like frame carefully. Triss snickered darkly, her voice cold and sharp from beneath the black folds of her hood.
"I had a recent . . . encounter, shall we say . . . with several of your creations. Spawns of Drakja, if I recall, Garland,"
Garland nodded, laughing. "Yes, that would be Dart, Ummei, and the new Drakja. They were sent for the Momoku-tama,"
"Not very bright, are they?" Triss teased. Garland would have killed anyone else for this comment, but he knew not only that Triss was right, but that she meant it in a harmless way.
"No, I'm afraid not," Garland responded dryly. "But what is the reason for your sudden appearance here? You almost never leave your cave,"
"Ah, I have several reasons for being here," said Triss softly. "The first is to ask if your mission was successful,"
"Ah, so you figured out my plan . . ."
Triss sniggered. "Well, it doesn't take much more than a retarded oglop to put two and two together. As soon as I heard the bullets AND my gun were meant for the first Angel of Death I knew exactly what you were up to . . ."
Garland laughed. "Ah, Triss, we think too much alike! It's rather scary! Yes, the mission was quite successful. Kuja was blinded and survived the Fever,"
"And now he has obtained the Blind Sight?"
"Naturally,"
Triss looked thoughtful, though it was hard to tell with her face completely obscured in darkness. "So Kuja is finally becoming as strong as he was intended before creation,"
"So it would seem," Garland shrugged. "I blocked his powers for a very long time, but he managed to use them on occasion anyways. He took out the alpha-female geonome in one stroke,"
"Fascinating," Triss tented her pale fingers, now definitely deep in thought. "So his soul is swiftly gaining strength . . . Enough to defeat the very magics of his creator. Soon he will reach the point of being the true Angel of Death like his brother,"
"Ah, I'm afraid that's not quite accurate," Garland looked sour. "For Kuja –or Zidane, for that matter – to be true Angels of Death, they would have to be brainless . . . creatures that follow orders without question,"
Triss flinched, then burst into maniacal laughter. Several strands of her ebony black hair tumbled from her hood, making her look mad. Garland wondered what the weapons-smith found so funny.
"Now tell me, Triss," Garland broke through Triss's deranged snickering. "What is your true intent for coming here? Surely you did not come all the way from the dregs of your cave to catch up on the success of a mission that in the end will affect you in absolutely no way,"
"No, of course not," Triss giggled, and Garland could feel her soul-seeking eyes upon his face. "No, I came here on rather nasty business, I'm afraid,"
"Oh?"
"Yes," Triss sighed, and her black robes rustled uncomfortably in a breeze. "There is a minor . . . flaw . . . with the Momoku. One which, under most circumstances shouldn't do any harm, but for you . . ."
Garland was shocked. Triss had created an imperfect poison? And sold it?
". . . What is the flaw?"
"Well," Triss folded her thin arms across her chest. "Because the Momoku settles itself in the bloodstream of its victim, the poison acts only while blood is circulating properly. What I mean to say is, the affects of the Momoku wear off in someone's moment of death, or if they are near death,"
". . . Is that all? That doesn't seem so bad . . ."
"Well, I find it terrible," Triss hissed bitterly. "It's always the same thing. I give my test subjects Momoku and they mope around blabbering about ALL the beautiful things they could have seen but missed. Then, when they're slowly and PAINFULLY dying from whatever other tests I've performed on them, they can – gasp – suddenly see! And then, rather than sobbing over all that they missed while blind as they're dying, and wishing, as the delicious darkness consumes them, that they could have seen their loved ones one last time, they are suddenly blessed with vision and are OVERJOYED at their death! It's disgusting, this lack of suffering . . ."
Garland chuckled. "But that's just you. This doesn't affect me at all!"
"Oh, but it does," Triss corrected curtly. Her eyes flashed in the light and Garland caught the red, slit-like pupils. "Think about it. Blind Sight or not, Kuja's eyes are permanently damaged by the poison as long as it resides within him. What this means is Kuja is unable to perform certain magics while his vision is impaired – a problem that ailed Saishoja centuries ago, as well. But if he were to be injured so terribly that death became inevitable, his sight would return to him. He would, ironically enough, be able to hinder you from behind whilst on his very last breath!"
". . . I see. That is a problem," Garland rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But what am I supposed to do about it?"
". . . You know . . ." Triss's voice rattled like a snake.
"Ah, of course. I have to complete my plans before any rescue is possible,"
"Exactly," Triss nodded. "I merely came to warn you, 'tis all. If you heed it, there should be no problem. Your plan is nearly flawless,"
"Yes, except for one thing . . ."
"Hmm? What is that?"
Garland sighed heavily. "Drakja's final power. I had hoped by now he would have figured it out, but alas, he does not even realize he has one,"
Triss raised a delicate, hidden eyebrow within her cloak. "Is that so? But if I recall, the original Drakja was not aware of it either?"
"Not so," Garland shook his head. "Drakja was fully aware of it and knew how to use it. Alas, however, he never utilized it in his life. It would have saved the poor fool some . . . nasty situations,"
"Indeed . . ." Triss hesitated, then flashed the Terran overlord one of her fanged, white-wash smiles. "Say, Garland . . . Are there any geonomes out here at the base? I'd like to . . . have some fun with them . . ."
"No, I'm afraid not," Garland chuckled as the tiny person shivered with delight at the thought of more torture on the poor, unsuspecting creatures.
"Ah, damn . . ."
"But if you come back in a couple of days, this place will be teeming with them,"
Triss's face brightened considerably beneath the shroud. "Yes . . . Yes, I will do that," she cackled with glee, then turned to leave. Garland watched her for a moment, and then blinked as everything around him seemed to grow dimmer. This lasted for less than a snapped second, and then he realized Triss was gone . . .
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Kuja bared his teeth furiously as he stormed down the hall, as far from the library as possible. How could she – after everything he'd done – still believe him false?! What had he done to deserve this?
/You killed both her mothers for starters . . ./
"No duh," Kuja snapped to himself.
/And destroyed her kingdom . . ./
"I did not!" Kuja ran his fingers agitatedly through his hair. "Garland did!"
/You're only putting the blame on someone else . . . It's your fault Garland had to do it . . ./
"God, shut up!"
Kuja stopped dead, eyes wide. /Wait a minute . . ./ he thought to himself. /That wasn't MY voice accusing me just now . . ./
"Oh holy Shiva . . ." Kuja trembled slightly with fear. "I'm hearing voices in my head . . . Maybe I AM insane . . ."
He tried for a moment to contact the phantom voice once more but was unsuccessful. All was silent in his mind besides the swirling of his own misery and inner thoughts. As it should have been . . .
Kuja was suddenly startled by a clattering sound nearby. He turned in the direction of the disruption but saw nothing there.
/. . . Strange . . ./
Kuja decided to let curiosity get the better of him and trotted down the hall in search of whatever had caused the noise. He heard it again down the hall to his right. Kuja decided to let his anger dissipate in light of the situation and concentrated on solving the mystery.
"Oh, for crying out loud . . ." Kuja stopped walking when he realized the sound had led him straight to the doors of Alexandria Castle where the storm boiled and raged on the other side. He could see the rain splattering against the windows as the rumble of thunder gargled outside. Something darted past the window, faster than the lightning in the sky. Kuja shrugged.
"It's not like I'd listen to the queen after what she just did to me anyways . . ."
And with that – and happily disregarding all the rules laid out before him – Kuja shoved open the great, painted doors of the castle and went out into the crying storm.
As Kuja crept into the empty gondola he heard the whooshing sound of something sweeping the air nearby. /I'm being led on . . ./ Kuja realized, frowning. /Whatever this thing is . . . it wants me to follow it somewhere . . ./
The trip across the moat was fairly quick even despite the pouring rain and howling wind. The sky above was black and inky. Once on the other side, Kuja blessed his cloak and its thickness and quickly hugged it around himself as he leapt out of the small boat. He heard a clattering nearby and Kuja quickly turned in that direction.
The silver-haired sorcerer wasn't sure how long he played this strange game. He remained forever unaware of the way the cold water soaked into his cloths, weighing them down, and his hair clung to his back. The ivory feathers laced into his part were laid flat against the rain.
Eventually his search led him to an apartment-like building somewhere in a denser area of Alexandria. The building was several stories high and he recognized it as the place where Megan's odd friend worked.
/Well, now what?!/
The door to the inn swung open and closed of its own accord. Kuja sighed.
/I guess I have to go in, then . . ./
Kuja pushed open the wooden door and snuck quietly inside. Megan's friend – Amy or whatever – was slumped over asleep at the front desk. Kuja didn't want to wake her or create any chaos, so he simply crept by the young woman.
A fluttering sound came from the stairs and Kuja quickly scrambled after the phantom figure.
Soon, Kuja was spiraling endlessly up the staircase, one step after another, never sure where he was supposed to go or stop. When it seemed the madness would never end, Kuja suddenly found himself standing at the top floor and staring up at the hatch that led to the roof.
"Don't tell me I've got to go out THERE now . . ."
Someone knocked on the portal. Kuja sighed and carefully leapt up, grabbed the handle, and yanked down the door to allow a set of stairs to crash noisily at his feet. Kuja flinched, hoping he hadn't woken Amy, then climbed up the steps and into the wailing storm.
The roof was empty, the poor, primitive gutter system allowing the rain to rise like a flooding lake atop the building. The ledges going in a rectangular shape created a three-inch deep pool of rain. Kuja stepped out onto the roof and felt the icy-cold water rise up to his ankles, rippling out in tiny rivulets from where he stood. Immediately his legs and feet went numb. The plinking of rain was deafening, leaving a sparkling, fuzzy halo around the sorcerer's body. He blinked water from his eyes and waited. Then he growled.
"DRAKJA!!!" Kuja's voice carried out into the storm. Lightning fizzled and snapped in the smeared sky, temporarily illuminating the city before returning to the shadows. When Kuja received no answer, he tried again.
"DRAKJA!!! GOD DAMN YOU, I KNOW YOU'RE THERE! COME – OUT – NOW!!!"
There was a flash nearby and Kuja whipped around, snarling. Gone.
/The eye . . . They want to go to the eye . . ./
Kuja blinked, recalling those words from only the day before. The voice, those people . . . something . . . something was connecting. Kuja gasped as a thousand memories suddenly resurfaced and flooded his mind at once.
/Flash/
"I am trying to warn you."
"Beware of the Metsubo . . ."
"Your soul was given to you, therefore, it can be taken away . . ."
Holograms? Some sort of illusion?
"I just needed to borrow the power from wretched souls that cannot die . . . The souls trapped inside the Invincible welcomed me with open arms. They were fed up with being your prisoners, Garland . . ."
"You and the queen had much more in common than you may have realized."
". . . in the scheme of life, which is more important? The body, or the soul?"
"The soul, of course."
"Bingo."
"Why do you keep commenting on my soul? The thing is useless! It should have died years ago!"
"And it hasn't. Ever wondered why?"
"You must go to the Invincible and deposit – "
"We will NOT go to him! You cannot make us!"
His name . . . his life . . . his destiny . . . No longer belonged to him.
There was one, though A woman. She was pleading. Make them stop . . . Make them stop . . .
"Kuja . . . Let us out. Or you'll be sorry . . ."
"It's not what he DID to us! It's what he COULD make us do AGAIN!"
"Don't . . . interfere . . . We must . . . deactivate . . ."
"Garland no longer has the souls . . ."
". . . A year ago the limit on your life ended . . ."
"You're nothing without us. Just like before."
"Ah, isn't it lovely? The destruction of Terra . . . And it was all Our fault."
". . . Mother . . .?"
Was his time with his brother dwindling that quickly?
"Is he forgotten too?"
". . . The truth would kill you . . ."
He felt like his control over his life was slipping away.
". . . Don't die . . ."
A struggle going on in him . . . Between black and red . . .
"You can do it . . ." a voice whispered. It was a woman . . . Her voice was so familiar . . . "Fight them . . ."
/Flash/
Kuja's whitened eyes widened in horror. Spinning . . . Everything around him was spinning . . . Rain faded to black and white smudges swirling dizzily around his head. He felt like he was going to pass out.
He understood . . . Now on the brink of darkness atop the empty roof he understood everything that had happened since his very creation . . . since Saishoja's death. It all made sense. It all clicked.
But now he, too, understood the consequences. There was no fighting destiny. No matter how he turned, it would all end the same.
Then why fight it? Let fate take its toll . . .
It was the end . . .
"Drakja!" he called out, weaker this time. "Just . . . Just do it – now! I know what you want . . . and . . . Take them! Take them now! I surrender!"
There was no response save the pitter-patter of rain against the concrete.
"GOD DAMN YOU TO HELL, YOU ASSHOLE!!! I SURRENDER!!!"
There was a snicker from behind him and Kuja felt the shadow looming up over his head.
/I'm sorry, Brahne . . ./ he thought softly into himself. /I failed you . . ./
/. . . It's not your fault . . . Your brother will save us . . ./
Then Kuja closed his eyes and allowed the sweet freedom to come. He heard the swish, the swoop, felt the green eyes flickering on his back. Yes, now it was over. No more waiting for it to come . . . It was over.
The end . . .
And his final thoughts, telepathically to Zidane, before darkness grasped his sight forever were clear as day:
/It was the gun all along . . ./
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"Zidane!" Garnet knocked desperately upon his door. "Please tell me you're in here! Come out! Please! It's an emergency!"
Garnet heard a loud yawn and the door swung open to reveal Zidane looking very ruffled, his hair in disarray, and dark black circles under his eyes.
"Ah, darn it, Dagger . . . I was just takin' a cat-nap . . ."
However, Zidane sobered immediately when he saw the urgent look upon his fiancé's face.
"Whoa, what's wrong, Dagger?"
Garnet whimpered, wringing her fingers nervously.
"I . . . I think I did something bad, Zidane!" Garnet abruptly burst into tears. The blonde genome pulled the queen gently into a comforting embrace and rubbed her back as soothingly as possible. He couldn't help but smile slightly at how – queen or not – Garnet still ran to him whenever she needed help.
"Shh . . . shh . . . It's alright. You can tell me,"
Garnet pulled back, still sniffling, and sighed.
"I-I pissed off your brother really . . . really bad . . ."
"Well, that's not news,"
"Zidane!" Garnet threw the genome an angry look. Zidane laughed and held up his hands apologetically.
"Sorry! Sorry! Go on!"
"Well . . ." Garnet bowed her head in despair, rubbing her eyes as she felt a fresh wave of tears coming. "I . . . I said some really horrible things that were out of place . . . Things he didn't deserve and . . . things I wish I could take back,"
"Is that all?"
"N-no . . ." Garnet looked fearfully into her fiancé's aqua-blue eyes. "Kuja was so furious he stormed away and . . . Zidane, I think he might have gone outside!"
Zidane flinched, feeling a terrible fear creep up his spine. Not wanting to frighten Garnet, the genome quickly put on a calm, composed expression.
"Th-that's alright, Dagger . . . I can just go out there and find him . . . No problem," he held Garnet's face in his hands and kissed her quickly on the cheek. "I'll go get him. Don't you worry, alright?"
Garnet nodded, gulping, and watched Zidane as he brushed past her and down the hall.
"Please find him . . ." she whispered.
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"Oh, of all the gosh darn times for there to be a storm . . ." Mr. 41 snarled, ushering the children along. "But at least we're almost there,"
"Is Daddy in that big city?" one of the tykes queried cautiously, tugging on Mr. 41's robe.
"He sure is," the older Black Mage responded, chuckling. "It's less than a mile away . . . We should be there soon . . ."
He squinted his lamp-like yellow eyes, cursing the threatening clouds above the grand, torch-lit city.
"But at least we're FINALLY almost there . . ."
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Zidane shivered against the cold rain. No matter how tightly he pulled his long coat around himself, it was still wet inside.
"Dammit, Kuja . . . Where are you?"
He'd already searched Alexandria for a half an hour and there had been no sign of the silver-tailed warlock. Soon his quest had taken him into a more crowded section of the city; one of the touristy areas near the market square. Zidane highly doubted Kuja would have gone there to vent his sorrow, except . . .
"Oh geez!" Zidane gasped. An inn loomed up dark and foreboding above him. And Zidane saw that there was someone up on the roof, a murky silhouette barely visible against he inky black sky. A flash of lightning revealed ivory hair . . . and white eyes.
"Ah! Kuja!"
/Oh shit . . . He's up on a high roof . . . In a storm . . . In the dead of night! That can only mean one thing!/
Zidane raced for the inn, knowing he had to stop Kuja before he took the irrevocable plunge. He barged into the building so loudly that it woke the desk-clerk who was sound asleep.
"Eep! Ah, who the hell are you?!"
"SorryladyurgentmattersI'llgiveyouatiplatersorry!" Zidane flew past the startled woman and threw himself at the steps leading to the roof. No time for dawdling. The desk-clerk harrumphed as he shot past her.
"No decency in people these days, I tell ya . . . No decency,"
Zidane scrambled up the steps, nearly losing his footing, and then made it to the already open path to the top of the building. Zidane took the stairs two at a time and skidded to a halt on the rain-soaked roof. Water splashed up around him, spraying in his eyes.
"No, Kuja! Don't do it, you – what the hell?"
Zidane froze stone-still as he took in the sight before him.
Lying face-down on the rooftop, silver hair splayed out around him, face pale as a ghost, was Kuja. The rain ran eerily down his form as the water kept him half-submerged. The warlock's eyes were closed, a slightly pained expression on his face. And above him stood a menacing shadow, leering at Zidane with jade-stone, jaguar-green eyes . . .
Zidane shivered as the telepathic words suddenly surfaced in his mind.
/It was the gun all along . . ./
"Wh . . . what . . .?" Zidane shook his head, gulping.
". . . What in the name of all things holy did you do to him . . .?"
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A/N: *shiver* This chapter was . . . creepy. Very dark, very evil. But hey, Triss came back, and she's always good for a laugh! I got so many reviews saying people liked Triss that I stuck her in ANOTHER chapter! Originally Garland was just going to figure that news out by himself, but then I decided "heck, why not just have Triss tell him personally?" But DAMN that was a disturbing chapter. Let's take a poll: how many people think I just killed Kuja? Hmm? Hmm? Probably everyone *sweatdrop* . . . Did I? I'm not tellin', bwaha! You're all gonna have to wait until, like, the END of the next chapter! Why the end? Because first something really AWESOME is gonna happen! So let me sum this up as best I can: Kuja-fans, I'm at your mercy. I promise everything will work out. And Zidane-fans: Hot DOG do I have a chapter for you! If anyone here is a fan of Zidane or REALLY likes battles, the next chapter is a serious must-read. So yeah . . . Then the chapter after that is where we discover EVERYTHING! And yeah, Kuja just figured the plot out himself. And he wasn't surrendering because he was weak! We'll find out in two chapters why he gave up. And all that random dialogue will make sense I PROMISE!!! Stick with me! Heehee.
Lee y revisa por favor! I think that means "read and review, please" but like I said, three years of Spanish (one of them in an accelerated program) and basically all I can say is "hello" "goodbye" and "hot stuff, baby!" Hehe, now you probably all wanna know how to say "hot stuff, baby." It's "calientes cosas, nene!" Or if you wanna say "You are SO good-looking" you say "Estás muchísimo guapo." Lol. I'm gonna dump Spanish and take Japanese instead . . .
Oh, and a reviewer asked if the Invincible ACTUALLY has missiles . . . I have no idea, but I like to pretend it does because it always seemed like a warship to me. I mean, Garland used it for blowing stuff up, so why shouldn't it have missiles, lol?
Ooh, and you people should seriously go to adventchildren.net (the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children website). Go to the screens section, because the new screens feature an almost CLEARLY defined shot of Vincent Valentine (meaning it's, like, totally the real deal now). He's crouched up in a tree, and you can actually make out the red of his cape AND his long black hair. AND his claw ^_^ I almost passed out when I saw it. Cute . . . long-haired . . . bishounen . . . And there was a totally hot shot of Cloud AND the most adorable long, silver-haired bishounen EVER. He looked like Kuja wearing skin-tight black leather and a gun. For anyone who goes there, I'm talking about the picture of the guy where the gun is pointed sort of on an angle towards the screen. *sigh* Just look for the Kuja- like picture . . .
Disclaimer: Yo no tengo Final Fantasy. That made no sense . . . Three years of Spanish classes and the most I've gotten out of it are "I don't have Final Fantasy."
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"Usually, terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things."
– Russell Baker
That night a terrible storm hit. To Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII it seemed fitting. She'd just lost hundreds of her citizens . . . Gone forever. And there would not even be rest for them in the after-life because their souls were held in captivity aboard an enemy airship. She had cried when no one was looking, for it was unfit for a queen to cry. Then she'd sent contact to Regent Cid pleading for aid. She just . . . felt so alone.
But here was a strange thing for sure. While passing down the hall, Garnet had once again spotted her future brother-in-law, Kuja (how she shuddered at the thought), in the library once more, pouring over an incredibly thick book on the Great War. She'd seen him in there many, many times before. Always the same book. And always Garnet wondered why he bothered to read it if he had been not only IN the war, but the very cause of it! What was in that leafy volume that he found so fascinating . . .?
So, feeling rather foolish but determined, Garnet tucked herself away behind a tree-trunk sized marble pillar in the library and watched the sorcerer; scrutinizing his every flip of the page.
/What is he reading in there?!/ Garnet thought over and over again. /Why does he sit away in here, rotting? Why?/
"Last I checked, Your Majesty, spying quietly behind a pillar was not scrawled in the list of requirements for queen . . ."
Garnet started and turned deathly pale, jumping. "H-how – ?!" /Of course, stupid. He's an Angel of Death . . . He probably knew you were there the entire time./ Garnet took a deep breath, smoothed out her dress, and composed herself carefully before stepping out from behind the pillar with a confident expression on her face.
"I'm very sorry," she apologized, though her eyes betrayed her lie. "I didn't mean to spy,"
"Oh?" Kuja, without even looking up from his book or shifting at the table flipped a page and continued to read with empty eyes that didn't drift across the words. Garnet blinked, realizing he was mocking her with doubt.
"Excuse me, but are you accusing me of stalking?" Her voice carried a sharp tone now. The Summoner's royal side was beginning to take control again.
"Begging your pardon, but I did no such thing," Kuja smirked slightly, turning another page silently. "Though . . . I do find it odd that you – a woman of such noble upbringings – hid herself away behind a pillar to blatantly stare at a guest while he sat quietly reading a book . . ."
Garnet felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She knew he was right, but still . . .!
"Well, I find it odd that you lock yourself away in here every single day and read a book that accurately details the very life you already lived!"
Kuja chuckled, still keeping his sightless eyes latched firmly on the text. "Then you have much to learn, Canary . . ."
Garnet paled upon hearing the now alien title Kuja had once crooned so lovingly to her ear. It was creepy; cold . . . Like some fragment of their past life was resurfacing. To days when her very mother was trying to murder her . . . And Kuja loomed like a black spider in the back of her mind at every waking moment.
"Wh-what's THAT supposed to mean?!"
Kuja didn't respond, just licked a finger and peeled over another page. He seemed enveloped in something. Garnet was suddenly feeling defensive. After all the wonderful things Kuja had done for her and her comrades he still seemed like the villain. It was as if no matter how good he ever became, he would always be EVIL . . . Like there was just no end to the regeneration of his violent aura. Garnet wondered, for one split second, if perhaps it was merely her suspicions. However, she spoke regardless . . .
"W-well . . . Well maybe you're just reading that book so . . . so you can find the ERRORS in your last attempt to ruin our lives in order to CORRECT them THIS time around!!!"
A flash of pain suddenly crossed Kuja's face and he trembled before leaping huffily to his feet. His eyes burned momentarily red as he shook with rage. Then he threw down the book, bending one of its pages and nearly breaking the fragile spine as it landed text-down. He was breathing heavily, his maroon eyes locked furiously upon the queen. Garnet felt herself gripped with fear, like an icy fist was closing around her heart. Those eyes . . . such violence and insanity was mingled in them . . . So confused . . . Swirling. He could kill her with merely a word.
But then Kuja's eyes spurted back to their snowy white and he seemed suddenly to be in agony. He wavered for a moment, then stormed around the table and shoved past Garnet. She caught a glimpse of his face before he vanished from the library and it was then that the Summoner felt the first stab of pain.
It wasn't rage on his face anymore . . .
It was hurt.
Garnet stood still for a moment, the breath knocked out of her body. She felt strangely empty . . . Then her eyes fell on the book. When Kuja threw it down, he'd bent the page, marking the leaf he'd been reading. Garnet walked cautiously towards the table, not sure why she was so nervous, and gently lifted the book. Flipping it onto its back and resting the text on the table, Garnet silently read the page. Her eyes grew wider with every word as she raised the book closer to her face . . .
"Upon the eve of Lindblum's massacre by the black mages and the Summon Atomos, it is said a great feast was held at Alexandria Castle. The queen's aforementioned servant, Kuja, was said to have collected the blood of the dead at the massacre and served it as drink for the guests. Whether Brahne knew of this or not is unknown . . ."
Garnet let out a sharp gasp and the book tumbled from her hands. Disbelief clouded her face, marring her deep brown eyes. It was unbearable agony, having read those words. The Summoner clapped her hands over her mouth and backed away from the table. But it wasn't the atrocity of the words that had her in so much pain . . .
/This book . . ./ Garnet thought, horrified. /Everything in it is a lie! Kuja . . . he's been reading his own LIBELING!/
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Garland couldn't help but smirk as he felt the crimson light of his armor pulsating with renewed strength. Obviously, Drakja had been successful in collecting more souls. As Garland had rigged it, the souls were immediately filtered out of the ship, into the Mist, and straight back to his hide-out. There was no way for them to escape. And with the Mist now flowing freely to Terra, he could begin to initiate the last stages of his plan.
Garland gazed out across the plains near the entrance of his base. It was bare, desolate, melting into creamy snow in the distance.
". . . So Garland has returned to the Forgotten Continent once more . . ."
Garland whipped around, shocked that someone had been able to sneak up on him. However, Garland's surprise turned to a pleasant smile when he spotted the small, rather demonic cloaked figure standing a few feet from the entrance of his lair.
"Well, well, if it isn't my old friend Triss. How have you been?" Garland folded his arms across his chest, scrutinizing Triss's tiny, shadow-like frame carefully. Triss snickered darkly, her voice cold and sharp from beneath the black folds of her hood.
"I had a recent . . . encounter, shall we say . . . with several of your creations. Spawns of Drakja, if I recall, Garland,"
Garland nodded, laughing. "Yes, that would be Dart, Ummei, and the new Drakja. They were sent for the Momoku-tama,"
"Not very bright, are they?" Triss teased. Garland would have killed anyone else for this comment, but he knew not only that Triss was right, but that she meant it in a harmless way.
"No, I'm afraid not," Garland responded dryly. "But what is the reason for your sudden appearance here? You almost never leave your cave,"
"Ah, I have several reasons for being here," said Triss softly. "The first is to ask if your mission was successful,"
"Ah, so you figured out my plan . . ."
Triss sniggered. "Well, it doesn't take much more than a retarded oglop to put two and two together. As soon as I heard the bullets AND my gun were meant for the first Angel of Death I knew exactly what you were up to . . ."
Garland laughed. "Ah, Triss, we think too much alike! It's rather scary! Yes, the mission was quite successful. Kuja was blinded and survived the Fever,"
"And now he has obtained the Blind Sight?"
"Naturally,"
Triss looked thoughtful, though it was hard to tell with her face completely obscured in darkness. "So Kuja is finally becoming as strong as he was intended before creation,"
"So it would seem," Garland shrugged. "I blocked his powers for a very long time, but he managed to use them on occasion anyways. He took out the alpha-female geonome in one stroke,"
"Fascinating," Triss tented her pale fingers, now definitely deep in thought. "So his soul is swiftly gaining strength . . . Enough to defeat the very magics of his creator. Soon he will reach the point of being the true Angel of Death like his brother,"
"Ah, I'm afraid that's not quite accurate," Garland looked sour. "For Kuja –or Zidane, for that matter – to be true Angels of Death, they would have to be brainless . . . creatures that follow orders without question,"
Triss flinched, then burst into maniacal laughter. Several strands of her ebony black hair tumbled from her hood, making her look mad. Garland wondered what the weapons-smith found so funny.
"Now tell me, Triss," Garland broke through Triss's deranged snickering. "What is your true intent for coming here? Surely you did not come all the way from the dregs of your cave to catch up on the success of a mission that in the end will affect you in absolutely no way,"
"No, of course not," Triss giggled, and Garland could feel her soul-seeking eyes upon his face. "No, I came here on rather nasty business, I'm afraid,"
"Oh?"
"Yes," Triss sighed, and her black robes rustled uncomfortably in a breeze. "There is a minor . . . flaw . . . with the Momoku. One which, under most circumstances shouldn't do any harm, but for you . . ."
Garland was shocked. Triss had created an imperfect poison? And sold it?
". . . What is the flaw?"
"Well," Triss folded her thin arms across her chest. "Because the Momoku settles itself in the bloodstream of its victim, the poison acts only while blood is circulating properly. What I mean to say is, the affects of the Momoku wear off in someone's moment of death, or if they are near death,"
". . . Is that all? That doesn't seem so bad . . ."
"Well, I find it terrible," Triss hissed bitterly. "It's always the same thing. I give my test subjects Momoku and they mope around blabbering about ALL the beautiful things they could have seen but missed. Then, when they're slowly and PAINFULLY dying from whatever other tests I've performed on them, they can – gasp – suddenly see! And then, rather than sobbing over all that they missed while blind as they're dying, and wishing, as the delicious darkness consumes them, that they could have seen their loved ones one last time, they are suddenly blessed with vision and are OVERJOYED at their death! It's disgusting, this lack of suffering . . ."
Garland chuckled. "But that's just you. This doesn't affect me at all!"
"Oh, but it does," Triss corrected curtly. Her eyes flashed in the light and Garland caught the red, slit-like pupils. "Think about it. Blind Sight or not, Kuja's eyes are permanently damaged by the poison as long as it resides within him. What this means is Kuja is unable to perform certain magics while his vision is impaired – a problem that ailed Saishoja centuries ago, as well. But if he were to be injured so terribly that death became inevitable, his sight would return to him. He would, ironically enough, be able to hinder you from behind whilst on his very last breath!"
". . . I see. That is a problem," Garland rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But what am I supposed to do about it?"
". . . You know . . ." Triss's voice rattled like a snake.
"Ah, of course. I have to complete my plans before any rescue is possible,"
"Exactly," Triss nodded. "I merely came to warn you, 'tis all. If you heed it, there should be no problem. Your plan is nearly flawless,"
"Yes, except for one thing . . ."
"Hmm? What is that?"
Garland sighed heavily. "Drakja's final power. I had hoped by now he would have figured it out, but alas, he does not even realize he has one,"
Triss raised a delicate, hidden eyebrow within her cloak. "Is that so? But if I recall, the original Drakja was not aware of it either?"
"Not so," Garland shook his head. "Drakja was fully aware of it and knew how to use it. Alas, however, he never utilized it in his life. It would have saved the poor fool some . . . nasty situations,"
"Indeed . . ." Triss hesitated, then flashed the Terran overlord one of her fanged, white-wash smiles. "Say, Garland . . . Are there any geonomes out here at the base? I'd like to . . . have some fun with them . . ."
"No, I'm afraid not," Garland chuckled as the tiny person shivered with delight at the thought of more torture on the poor, unsuspecting creatures.
"Ah, damn . . ."
"But if you come back in a couple of days, this place will be teeming with them,"
Triss's face brightened considerably beneath the shroud. "Yes . . . Yes, I will do that," she cackled with glee, then turned to leave. Garland watched her for a moment, and then blinked as everything around him seemed to grow dimmer. This lasted for less than a snapped second, and then he realized Triss was gone . . .
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Kuja bared his teeth furiously as he stormed down the hall, as far from the library as possible. How could she – after everything he'd done – still believe him false?! What had he done to deserve this?
/You killed both her mothers for starters . . ./
"No duh," Kuja snapped to himself.
/And destroyed her kingdom . . ./
"I did not!" Kuja ran his fingers agitatedly through his hair. "Garland did!"
/You're only putting the blame on someone else . . . It's your fault Garland had to do it . . ./
"God, shut up!"
Kuja stopped dead, eyes wide. /Wait a minute . . ./ he thought to himself. /That wasn't MY voice accusing me just now . . ./
"Oh holy Shiva . . ." Kuja trembled slightly with fear. "I'm hearing voices in my head . . . Maybe I AM insane . . ."
He tried for a moment to contact the phantom voice once more but was unsuccessful. All was silent in his mind besides the swirling of his own misery and inner thoughts. As it should have been . . .
Kuja was suddenly startled by a clattering sound nearby. He turned in the direction of the disruption but saw nothing there.
/. . . Strange . . ./
Kuja decided to let curiosity get the better of him and trotted down the hall in search of whatever had caused the noise. He heard it again down the hall to his right. Kuja decided to let his anger dissipate in light of the situation and concentrated on solving the mystery.
"Oh, for crying out loud . . ." Kuja stopped walking when he realized the sound had led him straight to the doors of Alexandria Castle where the storm boiled and raged on the other side. He could see the rain splattering against the windows as the rumble of thunder gargled outside. Something darted past the window, faster than the lightning in the sky. Kuja shrugged.
"It's not like I'd listen to the queen after what she just did to me anyways . . ."
And with that – and happily disregarding all the rules laid out before him – Kuja shoved open the great, painted doors of the castle and went out into the crying storm.
As Kuja crept into the empty gondola he heard the whooshing sound of something sweeping the air nearby. /I'm being led on . . ./ Kuja realized, frowning. /Whatever this thing is . . . it wants me to follow it somewhere . . ./
The trip across the moat was fairly quick even despite the pouring rain and howling wind. The sky above was black and inky. Once on the other side, Kuja blessed his cloak and its thickness and quickly hugged it around himself as he leapt out of the small boat. He heard a clattering nearby and Kuja quickly turned in that direction.
The silver-haired sorcerer wasn't sure how long he played this strange game. He remained forever unaware of the way the cold water soaked into his cloths, weighing them down, and his hair clung to his back. The ivory feathers laced into his part were laid flat against the rain.
Eventually his search led him to an apartment-like building somewhere in a denser area of Alexandria. The building was several stories high and he recognized it as the place where Megan's odd friend worked.
/Well, now what?!/
The door to the inn swung open and closed of its own accord. Kuja sighed.
/I guess I have to go in, then . . ./
Kuja pushed open the wooden door and snuck quietly inside. Megan's friend – Amy or whatever – was slumped over asleep at the front desk. Kuja didn't want to wake her or create any chaos, so he simply crept by the young woman.
A fluttering sound came from the stairs and Kuja quickly scrambled after the phantom figure.
Soon, Kuja was spiraling endlessly up the staircase, one step after another, never sure where he was supposed to go or stop. When it seemed the madness would never end, Kuja suddenly found himself standing at the top floor and staring up at the hatch that led to the roof.
"Don't tell me I've got to go out THERE now . . ."
Someone knocked on the portal. Kuja sighed and carefully leapt up, grabbed the handle, and yanked down the door to allow a set of stairs to crash noisily at his feet. Kuja flinched, hoping he hadn't woken Amy, then climbed up the steps and into the wailing storm.
The roof was empty, the poor, primitive gutter system allowing the rain to rise like a flooding lake atop the building. The ledges going in a rectangular shape created a three-inch deep pool of rain. Kuja stepped out onto the roof and felt the icy-cold water rise up to his ankles, rippling out in tiny rivulets from where he stood. Immediately his legs and feet went numb. The plinking of rain was deafening, leaving a sparkling, fuzzy halo around the sorcerer's body. He blinked water from his eyes and waited. Then he growled.
"DRAKJA!!!" Kuja's voice carried out into the storm. Lightning fizzled and snapped in the smeared sky, temporarily illuminating the city before returning to the shadows. When Kuja received no answer, he tried again.
"DRAKJA!!! GOD DAMN YOU, I KNOW YOU'RE THERE! COME – OUT – NOW!!!"
There was a flash nearby and Kuja whipped around, snarling. Gone.
/The eye . . . They want to go to the eye . . ./
Kuja blinked, recalling those words from only the day before. The voice, those people . . . something . . . something was connecting. Kuja gasped as a thousand memories suddenly resurfaced and flooded his mind at once.
/Flash/
"I am trying to warn you."
"Beware of the Metsubo . . ."
"Your soul was given to you, therefore, it can be taken away . . ."
Holograms? Some sort of illusion?
"I just needed to borrow the power from wretched souls that cannot die . . . The souls trapped inside the Invincible welcomed me with open arms. They were fed up with being your prisoners, Garland . . ."
"You and the queen had much more in common than you may have realized."
". . . in the scheme of life, which is more important? The body, or the soul?"
"The soul, of course."
"Bingo."
"Why do you keep commenting on my soul? The thing is useless! It should have died years ago!"
"And it hasn't. Ever wondered why?"
"You must go to the Invincible and deposit – "
"We will NOT go to him! You cannot make us!"
His name . . . his life . . . his destiny . . . No longer belonged to him.
There was one, though A woman. She was pleading. Make them stop . . . Make them stop . . .
"Kuja . . . Let us out. Or you'll be sorry . . ."
"It's not what he DID to us! It's what he COULD make us do AGAIN!"
"Don't . . . interfere . . . We must . . . deactivate . . ."
"Garland no longer has the souls . . ."
". . . A year ago the limit on your life ended . . ."
"You're nothing without us. Just like before."
"Ah, isn't it lovely? The destruction of Terra . . . And it was all Our fault."
". . . Mother . . .?"
Was his time with his brother dwindling that quickly?
"Is he forgotten too?"
". . . The truth would kill you . . ."
He felt like his control over his life was slipping away.
". . . Don't die . . ."
A struggle going on in him . . . Between black and red . . .
"You can do it . . ." a voice whispered. It was a woman . . . Her voice was so familiar . . . "Fight them . . ."
/Flash/
Kuja's whitened eyes widened in horror. Spinning . . . Everything around him was spinning . . . Rain faded to black and white smudges swirling dizzily around his head. He felt like he was going to pass out.
He understood . . . Now on the brink of darkness atop the empty roof he understood everything that had happened since his very creation . . . since Saishoja's death. It all made sense. It all clicked.
But now he, too, understood the consequences. There was no fighting destiny. No matter how he turned, it would all end the same.
Then why fight it? Let fate take its toll . . .
It was the end . . .
"Drakja!" he called out, weaker this time. "Just . . . Just do it – now! I know what you want . . . and . . . Take them! Take them now! I surrender!"
There was no response save the pitter-patter of rain against the concrete.
"GOD DAMN YOU TO HELL, YOU ASSHOLE!!! I SURRENDER!!!"
There was a snicker from behind him and Kuja felt the shadow looming up over his head.
/I'm sorry, Brahne . . ./ he thought softly into himself. /I failed you . . ./
/. . . It's not your fault . . . Your brother will save us . . ./
Then Kuja closed his eyes and allowed the sweet freedom to come. He heard the swish, the swoop, felt the green eyes flickering on his back. Yes, now it was over. No more waiting for it to come . . . It was over.
The end . . .
And his final thoughts, telepathically to Zidane, before darkness grasped his sight forever were clear as day:
/It was the gun all along . . ./
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"Zidane!" Garnet knocked desperately upon his door. "Please tell me you're in here! Come out! Please! It's an emergency!"
Garnet heard a loud yawn and the door swung open to reveal Zidane looking very ruffled, his hair in disarray, and dark black circles under his eyes.
"Ah, darn it, Dagger . . . I was just takin' a cat-nap . . ."
However, Zidane sobered immediately when he saw the urgent look upon his fiancé's face.
"Whoa, what's wrong, Dagger?"
Garnet whimpered, wringing her fingers nervously.
"I . . . I think I did something bad, Zidane!" Garnet abruptly burst into tears. The blonde genome pulled the queen gently into a comforting embrace and rubbed her back as soothingly as possible. He couldn't help but smile slightly at how – queen or not – Garnet still ran to him whenever she needed help.
"Shh . . . shh . . . It's alright. You can tell me,"
Garnet pulled back, still sniffling, and sighed.
"I-I pissed off your brother really . . . really bad . . ."
"Well, that's not news,"
"Zidane!" Garnet threw the genome an angry look. Zidane laughed and held up his hands apologetically.
"Sorry! Sorry! Go on!"
"Well . . ." Garnet bowed her head in despair, rubbing her eyes as she felt a fresh wave of tears coming. "I . . . I said some really horrible things that were out of place . . . Things he didn't deserve and . . . things I wish I could take back,"
"Is that all?"
"N-no . . ." Garnet looked fearfully into her fiancé's aqua-blue eyes. "Kuja was so furious he stormed away and . . . Zidane, I think he might have gone outside!"
Zidane flinched, feeling a terrible fear creep up his spine. Not wanting to frighten Garnet, the genome quickly put on a calm, composed expression.
"Th-that's alright, Dagger . . . I can just go out there and find him . . . No problem," he held Garnet's face in his hands and kissed her quickly on the cheek. "I'll go get him. Don't you worry, alright?"
Garnet nodded, gulping, and watched Zidane as he brushed past her and down the hall.
"Please find him . . ." she whispered.
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"Oh, of all the gosh darn times for there to be a storm . . ." Mr. 41 snarled, ushering the children along. "But at least we're almost there,"
"Is Daddy in that big city?" one of the tykes queried cautiously, tugging on Mr. 41's robe.
"He sure is," the older Black Mage responded, chuckling. "It's less than a mile away . . . We should be there soon . . ."
He squinted his lamp-like yellow eyes, cursing the threatening clouds above the grand, torch-lit city.
"But at least we're FINALLY almost there . . ."
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Zidane shivered against the cold rain. No matter how tightly he pulled his long coat around himself, it was still wet inside.
"Dammit, Kuja . . . Where are you?"
He'd already searched Alexandria for a half an hour and there had been no sign of the silver-tailed warlock. Soon his quest had taken him into a more crowded section of the city; one of the touristy areas near the market square. Zidane highly doubted Kuja would have gone there to vent his sorrow, except . . .
"Oh geez!" Zidane gasped. An inn loomed up dark and foreboding above him. And Zidane saw that there was someone up on the roof, a murky silhouette barely visible against he inky black sky. A flash of lightning revealed ivory hair . . . and white eyes.
"Ah! Kuja!"
/Oh shit . . . He's up on a high roof . . . In a storm . . . In the dead of night! That can only mean one thing!/
Zidane raced for the inn, knowing he had to stop Kuja before he took the irrevocable plunge. He barged into the building so loudly that it woke the desk-clerk who was sound asleep.
"Eep! Ah, who the hell are you?!"
"SorryladyurgentmattersI'llgiveyouatiplatersorry!" Zidane flew past the startled woman and threw himself at the steps leading to the roof. No time for dawdling. The desk-clerk harrumphed as he shot past her.
"No decency in people these days, I tell ya . . . No decency,"
Zidane scrambled up the steps, nearly losing his footing, and then made it to the already open path to the top of the building. Zidane took the stairs two at a time and skidded to a halt on the rain-soaked roof. Water splashed up around him, spraying in his eyes.
"No, Kuja! Don't do it, you – what the hell?"
Zidane froze stone-still as he took in the sight before him.
Lying face-down on the rooftop, silver hair splayed out around him, face pale as a ghost, was Kuja. The rain ran eerily down his form as the water kept him half-submerged. The warlock's eyes were closed, a slightly pained expression on his face. And above him stood a menacing shadow, leering at Zidane with jade-stone, jaguar-green eyes . . .
Zidane shivered as the telepathic words suddenly surfaced in his mind.
/It was the gun all along . . ./
"Wh . . . what . . .?" Zidane shook his head, gulping.
". . . What in the name of all things holy did you do to him . . .?"
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A/N: *shiver* This chapter was . . . creepy. Very dark, very evil. But hey, Triss came back, and she's always good for a laugh! I got so many reviews saying people liked Triss that I stuck her in ANOTHER chapter! Originally Garland was just going to figure that news out by himself, but then I decided "heck, why not just have Triss tell him personally?" But DAMN that was a disturbing chapter. Let's take a poll: how many people think I just killed Kuja? Hmm? Hmm? Probably everyone *sweatdrop* . . . Did I? I'm not tellin', bwaha! You're all gonna have to wait until, like, the END of the next chapter! Why the end? Because first something really AWESOME is gonna happen! So let me sum this up as best I can: Kuja-fans, I'm at your mercy. I promise everything will work out. And Zidane-fans: Hot DOG do I have a chapter for you! If anyone here is a fan of Zidane or REALLY likes battles, the next chapter is a serious must-read. So yeah . . . Then the chapter after that is where we discover EVERYTHING! And yeah, Kuja just figured the plot out himself. And he wasn't surrendering because he was weak! We'll find out in two chapters why he gave up. And all that random dialogue will make sense I PROMISE!!! Stick with me! Heehee.
Lee y revisa por favor! I think that means "read and review, please" but like I said, three years of Spanish (one of them in an accelerated program) and basically all I can say is "hello" "goodbye" and "hot stuff, baby!" Hehe, now you probably all wanna know how to say "hot stuff, baby." It's "calientes cosas, nene!" Or if you wanna say "You are SO good-looking" you say "Estás muchísimo guapo." Lol. I'm gonna dump Spanish and take Japanese instead . . .
Oh, and a reviewer asked if the Invincible ACTUALLY has missiles . . . I have no idea, but I like to pretend it does because it always seemed like a warship to me. I mean, Garland used it for blowing stuff up, so why shouldn't it have missiles, lol?
Ooh, and you people should seriously go to adventchildren.net (the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children website). Go to the screens section, because the new screens feature an almost CLEARLY defined shot of Vincent Valentine (meaning it's, like, totally the real deal now). He's crouched up in a tree, and you can actually make out the red of his cape AND his long black hair. AND his claw ^_^ I almost passed out when I saw it. Cute . . . long-haired . . . bishounen . . . And there was a totally hot shot of Cloud AND the most adorable long, silver-haired bishounen EVER. He looked like Kuja wearing skin-tight black leather and a gun. For anyone who goes there, I'm talking about the picture of the guy where the gun is pointed sort of on an angle towards the screen. *sigh* Just look for the Kuja- like picture . . .