A/N: Well, this is it. This is THE chapter. Yes, that's right. This is
the chapter where almost everything (I did say "almost," though) is
revealed. This is the chapter where we find out what the Metsubo is, what
those people are, what Garland is intending to do, where his base is
located, how to stop him, and basically the mission (the last mission,
actually) of this entire story. And ya know what's really crazy? Heehee .
. . WE FIND OUT THE PURPLE-EYED WOMAN'S NAME!!! Woot! Celebrate! But I
have an important note on that at the end, so make sure you read the second
A/N. So read on, and try to grasp all the information slowly. Otherwise
your head might explode (mine nearly did trying to make sure I didn't leave
anything out . . . This chapter is COMPLICATED). So you have been warned,
there's a lot of information packed into one little space here. If you
don't understand something, tell me and I'll explain it in the next
chapter's A/N (or the chapter itself, if need be).
Disclaimer: I, Black Mage Dad, shall knock you all down! Or . . . not own Final Fantasy *gets killed by original Final Fantasy I Garland in cute 8- Bit form for stealing lame line*
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"Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once."
– Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (2.2.32-37)
Zidane's eyes were shining with fears he couldn't quite express.
". . . Kuja . . ." he rasped, kneeling down beside the bed where his brother lay upon a bed in the castle's infirmary, barely even alive. "Kuja . . . Gods, what did he do to you . . .?"
The others weren't allowed in the room yet. Several soldiers had carried Kuja back into the castle after the rooftop battle. Zidane had been practically slung over Steiner's shoulder so that he could get medical treatment from Doctor Tot. Zidane had been in such bad shape that he hadn't even protested or felt a loss of dignity that Steiner was the one carrying him . . . Though his wounds still stabbed him repeatedly as if he were receiving the blows all over again, Zidane chose to ignore the pain and demanded to see his brother. Doctor Tot, who was now in charge of the warlock's care as well, was reluctant but decided perhaps it was for the best. Zidane had noticed something else in Tot's voice, however. Much sadness. Indeed, the doctor knew something about the whole mess that he wasn't willing to spill . . .
"Kuja, I'm so sorry I didn't get there in time to keep . . . whatever this is . . . from happening . . ."
Zidane reached out slowly and touched his brother's pale face. It was icy. Zidane closed his eyes and lay his forehead miserably against the side of the bed. So much had happened . . . So much fear and doubt . . . Only to lead him right back where he started.
/Flash/
"Zidane, I don't know how much more of this I can take . . . Why . . . Why didn't you just let me die at the Iifa Tree?! Why, damn it?!"
/Flash/
"No . . ." Zidane whispered, still keeping his eyes tightly shut. "You never wanted that . . . I know you didn't . . . You always acted like you wanted to live so BAD. And then when you found out you were going to die, you said you'd do anything to keep yourself from perishing . . . You would have even killed me; your own brother. But . . . But then you lived. I don't know how it happened, but the limit on your life . . . It never passed . . . And that was when you gave up. Now, when life was practically smacking you in the face, calling out to you after all those years, you decided you wanted to die!" Zidane punched his fist into the side of the bed, tears pouring unbidden down his cheeks. "What could have caused such a change in you?! It was like you lost the will to live . . . It didn't matter anymore. You wanted the easy way out . . . No, I refuse to believe that. You never wanted to die. And you still don't want to die . . ."
"I know you don't . . ."
Zidane opened his eyes slowly and gazed into his brother's face. Sure, it LOOKED like Kuja . . . But the presence . . . It was gone. No matter how hard he tried, the ex-thief couldn't explain it. As Kuja's brother (though by genetics he was something far closer than that) he had always been able to "feel" Kuja. Mikoto had said she had similar senses for her brothers as well. Zidane and Kuja always knew when the other was nearby or in distress. But now . . . There was nothing. It was like . . .
Kuja wasn't even there anymore . . .
". . . What happened to you . . .?"
A soft knock echoed at the door. Zidane whipped his head over his shoulder as a voice asked, "May we come in?"
"Y-yeah," Zidane faltered, surprised. Within moments, the rest of the crew was filing into the room. This time it was everyone: Garnet, Eiko, Steiner, Vivi, Amarant, Lani, Freya, Fratley, and Beatrix. Once they had entered and dispersed around the chamber, Zidane was able to see that the violet-eyed woman had come in as well, Megan trailing along aloofly behind her. Megan's face surprised the genome. She looked furious about something. And coming in even more frightened behind her was the Black Mage.
The purple-eyed woman opened her mouth to speak but Zidane cut her off with an irritable wave of his hand. "Yes, you DO have a lot of explaining to do. And I demand answers NOW,"
The mage smiled sadly. "As you wish . . ."
"But first," Zidane rudely interrupted her once again. "I've got a bone to pick with you," The woman raised an eyebrow inquisitively as Zidane stood up and moved threateningly towards her. He looked angry.
"Your cloak," he said, pointing at the mage's brown robes. "There's no blood,"
"I . . . I do not understand . . ."
"Neither do I!" Zidane snapped. The others watched on in silence, curiosity keeping them from interrupting this strange tirade. "But if I recall – and I've been meaning to ask you about this for awhile! – didn't Garland punch a fist straight – through – your – back?! I saw his hand come right out the front!"
"Y-yes . . ."
"Then how is it that there is no blood, no wound, or any sign of weakness?! How are you even ALIVE?!"
"I . . ."
Zidane seemed clearly to have snapped now with this new set of developments disrupting his crew's plans. "What the hell are you, then, woman?! You have no name, no origin, no motive for helping us! And now you have miracle healing powers as well?!"
"STOP IT!" the purple-eyed woman suddenly thrust her fist, palm out, into Zidane's chest. The others gasped, their past experiences immediately setting them into attack mode. Yet in that awkward moment she simply stood there, this odd mistress, with her palm pressed against Zidane's shirt . . .
And blood pouring like a cut faucet from her arm . . .
Zidane's crystalline eyes widened in horror and he recoiled from her touch. He looked numbly down at his shirt, which was drenched and shining with crimson blood as the woman took a step back. She pulled up her sleeve to reveal where her wrists were slashed . . . fatally. A puddle was forming at her feet.
"Sh-shit!" Zidane choked out, seemingly unable to grasp any words in the fear of the moment. "I-I'll get Doctor T – "
"No," The purple-eyed woman halted him with a glare. "No, don't. Look,"
And much to the astonishment of everyone within the room, the cuts sealed, the bleeding ceased, and the wounds vanished. Not even a scar. Just like that.
"S-so you DO have healing powers!" Vivi gasped.
"No!" the woman argued. "Look!"
And then they all saw, much to their shock and distress, that the blood on the floor was gone. Zidane's shirt, as well, was spotless. It was as if nothing had ever happened.
". . . What in the . . .?"
"Don't you see?!" the mage cried. "It's not real! None of it! When Garland punched me, his fist went straight through me! I never even felt it! It's all an act; a drama! Don't you understand?!"
Zidane stared at her arm as if it were disintegrating from her body. ". . . But why would you do that . . .?" he queried softly. The woman sighed heavily.
"So that Garland would THINK he'd hurt me!"
"But . . . But then why didn't you just escape?"
". . . Because he would have caught me in other ways . . ."
A ringing silence descended upon the room. Still, Zidane wasn't finished.
"Then what are you, that you can do this? I-I've never seen anything like this in my life . . ."
"I am . . . nothing I can tell you about . . ."
Zidane lowered his gaze, then turned away. "Then we're done,"
The woman didn't answer. She didn't have to. The blonde genome spoke up himself.
"So tell me about my sister . . ."
The Black Mage who stood in the back squirmed slightly. "Ah, I'm sorry for my lack of introduction, Sir . . . We've met. My name's Mr. 41 and I came from the Black Mage Village,"
". . . So I figured . . ." Garnet shot Zidane a warning look, silently telling him to cut the sarcasm. The Black Mage blinked his bright yellow eyes, then continued. If they had been able to see his face they would have known he was blushing profusely.
"Well . . . I don't know . . . One day Mikoto just . . . She just vanished! But, well, her and the other genomes are very curious people . . . They love to learn. I thought maybe she'd just left to continue on this 'quest for knowledge' she was always talking about. But . . . Well, Master Vivi's children were in her keeping at the time. And I know Mikoto would NEVER abandon them!"
Vivi clutched his cloak in fear. "M-my kids?!"
"Don't worry, don't worry," Beatrix waved an irritable hand. "A guard turned them over to me about an hour ago. They're in a guest room, you can see them later," she turned back to Mr. 41. "Please continue,"
Mr. 41 cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, I knew I had to leave the village and get the news to Zidane immediately. I snagged Vivi's children and took off for Alexandria. But while traveling this continent – which is much too large in my opinion, by the way – we saw other mysterious things that I thought needed to be brought to your attention," The mage straightened his hat nervously, doing an unconscious and rather amusing imitation of Vivi. "For one thing, there is Mist and Mist Monsters EVERYWHERE . . . Not to mention strange dark crafts in the sky,"
Fratley nodded thoughtfully. "That would be the Indomitable, for sure . . ."
"Yes . . . It was scaring the children,"
The purple-eyed woman made a light coughing sound so as to bring attention back to herself.
"I'm afraid, among many other things, I do know the whereabouts of Zidane's sister,"
Most of the people within the room stood up straighter at this comment. Zidane's eyes were wide.
"Y-you do?!"
"Yes, though you will not like what I tell you . . . Unfortunately, Mikoto was captive upon the Indomitable with me. She is alive, if that is what you are going to ask next. In fact, she is relatively unharmed for now. Our guard seemed to be on the verge of turning traitor on Garland at any moment,"
Zidane ran a trembling hand through his hair. "Th-thank goodness . . ."
"However," the purple-eyed woman cut in. "I'm afraid that may not last much longer. This," she swept an arm over Kuja's form. "Was the last fatal step in Garland's plan. With this done, the geonomes will bother you little until it is too late . . ."
"But what IS this?" Eiko snapped, looking incredibly impatient.
"Yeah!" Zidane snarled. "You mind telling me what the hell that ass did to my brother?!"
The mage lowered her gaze slowly, looking pained. Then she smiled as though something about the situation struck her as ironic. "I . . . have been dreading this moment for quite some time now . . . The day that I had to explain this all to you. Please, I'm begging you to interrupt me as little as possible . . . This is a bit complicated and . . . And it may be difficult for you to accept what you are about to hear. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but . . . But you must know,"
The others listened, captivated, as the mysterious woman began to tell the story. From the very beginning, they could tell it was not a happy one . . .
"I guess you could say it begins and ends with Them," the purple-eyed mage glanced sympathetically at Kuja. "Perhaps at one time They were beneficial . . . But now They will be the end of all things,"
"But what ARE They?" Steiner queried.
The woman shook her head. "Please, please let me explain. This all starts back three years ago, almost to the day. Back to the time when most of you here were on Terra, attempting to save this world. Do you remember what Garland had been doing before that?"
". . . Collecting souls . . ." whispered Freya.
"Yes, many souls. He kept them all on the Invincible, waiting for the day he could deliver them to his genomes and recreate Terra's civilization once more. But I'm sure none here can forget what foiled those meticulous plans . . ."
They thought hard. Then Garnet's eyes widened as she recalled what was probably one of the most horrifying, traumatic memories in her entire past.
"Kuja took them!"
The woman's unnaturally-colored eyes flashed. "Yes . . . And he absorbed them into his own soul – which was wretched and incapable of much power so close to death. Then Kuja used those souls to fuel his own. And it was your adoptive mother, Brahne, who gave him the strength he needed to . . ."
"To Trance . . ." Zidane hissed. /I think I see where this is going . . ./
The mage nodded. "Indeed. From those souls, Kuja achieved a quite frightening Trance. An unnatural one that eventually stole away his sanity and brought about his own demise. Those souls corrupted him; toyed with his mind. Though they were sworn to protect him now that they were a PART of him, they were still individuals . . . As they overthrew Garland, they then attempted betrayal of Kuja by destroying him,"
"But what does that have to do with ANYTHING?!" Lani cried, impatient. "That was three YEARS ago! Those souls have long since fled along with the rest of them!"
The woman closed her eyes, ignoring the young bounty hunter's shrill voice. "I want you, Zidane, to think back on something . . ."
"Hmm?" the blonde raised an eyebrow.
"The Iifa Tree incident . . . I know you never spoke to anyone about what happened there and other than Kuja, you are the only person that can remember what occurred,"
Zidane looked pale. "Wh-what do you want to know?"
"When Kuja was in the Iifa Tree, was he in Trance?"
"N-no . . . I'm pretty sure the Trance vanished at impact. Like Lani said, the souls fled when he was inches from death,"
". . . And how far would you say he fell . . .?"
Zidane scratched his chin. "More than eighty stories at least, and . . ." His blue eyes suddenly widened with intense fear. The others, who had not yet figured it out, looked at him inquisitively. "And . . ." Zidane continued. "He didn't die!"
"Hard to believe someone could fall eighty stories into an imploding tree and live to tell the tale . . ."
"So what are you saying?" Steiner queried nervously. "That Kuja lived because those souls remained within him?"
". . . Pretty much . . ."
"But that doesn't make any sense!" Freya argued. "After falling such a height, the souls should have immediately dispersed from him and back into the Mist! It's a natural cycle! The souls would have done it themselves!"
"You're not thinking!" the purple-eyed woman sighed. "Think about the previous events that had occurred! The Iifa Tree was dying! No Mist was flowing from it anymore! In fact, after the implosion of Memoria, there was seemingly no Mist left on any of the continents at all! Without Mist, souls these days just drift back into the normal cycle on their own rather than having the Mist carry them away. But the souls in Kuja were not his own and there was no Mist to actively transport them back. In affect, the souls were TRAPPED within him!"
There was a brief pause as the group absorbed this knowledge. Then Zidane made a sour face.
"So you're telling us Kuja was being controlled by the souls of those he and Garland had killed all those years ago?"
"Yes,"
"And that was why he seemed to Trance weakly whenever he was pissed, because those souls were what made him capable of Trance in the first place?"
"Yes,"
". . . Then how does Garland fit into all this? This seems to easy. There's got to be more to this than Kuja just having some leftover souls trapped within him,"
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" the purple-eyed woman looked at Zidane, seemingly horrified.
". . . Obviously not . . ."
"Hmm," the woman stared down at the floor, obviously contemplating what to say. "Well . . . Garland wanted those souls back, as you could probably tell. But he took advantage of the situation at hand. Kuja, as you saw with the Trance, increases in strength when fueled on by other souls. His own soul is weak, the one thing keeping him from practically becoming Saishoja's reincarnation. But those souls were still people, after all. And they couldn't forget what Kuja had done to them. They tried to take over his body in order to escape Garland, whom they knew was coming after them,"
Zidane's eyes widened as his mind involuntarily recovered the words They had spoken to him through Kuja.
/Flash/
"We will NOT go to him! You cannot make us!"
"We oppose all who stand in Kuja's way . . . All replacements must be terminated . . ."
"It's not what he DID to us! It's what he COULD make us do AGAIN!"
"We've been under orders for FAR too long. Well, tell Garland he can keep his precious genomes dumb and his precious plans out of OUR – WAY!!!"
"Ah, isn't it lovely? The destruction of Terra . . . And it was all Our fault . . ."
"The freedom . . . The call of the Mist . . . The body becomes a vessel . . . which greets a new soul . . ."
/Flash/
". . . You've got to be kidding . . ." Zidane whispered. "All this time, those things were trying to escape Kuja . . . Yet they couldn't because WE stopped the Mist from flowing,"
"Unfortunately . . . Yes,"
Zidane rubbed his face irritably. "Then why was Garland blocking Kuja's powers? He seemed to WANT Kuja to Trance,"
"Because," the purple-eyed mage explained. "If Garland stemmed Kuja's magic, the souls wouldn't lash out and escape suddenly when he needed them. But by having geonomes attack Kuja, they would get angry and make KUJA'S soul stronger,"
"But why?!" Garnet had her hands over her mouth in disbelief.
"Because then Kuja's soul would become stronger than Saishoja's," the woman smiled dryly. "Garland's hope was to make Kuja's soul AND the other souls as powerful as possible, then take them. Once he had them back, he would become even greater than Saishoja. Saishoja and Drakja were the only two Terrans to ever outmatch Garland. Then, Garland planned to go after Saishoja's spirit, which is currently lingering here on Gaia. Once he had that, he was going to assimilate the planets,"
Zidane closed his eyes wearily. "So let me see if I understand . . . Garland wanted to make Kuja's soul stronger by strengthening the OTHER ones; those mysterious people. Then he wanted to take them and use the strength they gave him to capture Saishoja, which would . . ."
". . . Make him the most powerful creature alive, yes,"
"And then he was going to assimilate the planets? Sounds a bit random . . ."
The mage looked thoughtful. "Then you do not know of the Theory of Planetary Magnetism, do you?"
"No, since you never TOLD us about it . . ."
"Zidane, shush!" Garnet hissed. The purple-eyed woman ignored the squabbling pair.
"Well, as you know, souls are drawn to Mist. That is why, whenever Kuja transformed, Mist often followed. That is also the function of the Invincible. It uses a diluted, Mist-like substance to draw the souls into it voluntarily. Garland's plan was to absorb and capture all these souls, exposing them to the Mist. Then he rerouted some of the Mist to Terra so that the souls, together in such a large gathering, would be drawn to the Mist on that planet! The souls would then try to get to the Mist on Terra and the Mist on Terra would try to get to the souls here. The planets would literally move to accommodate them!"
"And then they would assimilate!" Zidane gasped.
"Yes! Exactly! That was how Garland did it the first time after Drakja and Saishoja's deaths! But there were too many souls left on the planets still in living bodies, and the civilizations perished from the horrendous chaos that this act did by throwing the cycles out of balance. So if Garland is the strongest creature alive, not only will Terra become drawn to him, but he will destroy all life on Gaia so that he won't have to worry who lives and who dies during the assimilation!"
"But the geonomes – "
"They will be spared. They are Terrans on Gaia and have been trained to withstand the change in balance,"
". . . That's wicked . . ." Eiko whispered.
"Unfortunately, it's the perfect plan," the woman nodded in return. "No matter what, Garland wins. He has nothing to lose now . . ." she glanced at Kuja, and her violet eyes flashed. Zidane felt his stomach drop into the floor.
". . . Then what happened to my brother . . .?"
A stiff silence fell over the room. Words were not necessary. The pieces of the puzzle were snapping together so loudly that they could practically hear one another's thoughts.
"Oh Zidane, I'm so sorry . . ."
Zidane swallowed painfully hard. "S-so . . . So what you're saying is Drakja took Kuja's soul?"
". . . Yes . . . An incredibly powerful one at that. Kuja's soul had gained a satisfactory amount of strength. Garland has it now,"
Zidane was shaking but he tried not to let the others see it. Garnet put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Then . . . Then he'll just become like one of the genomes, right?" Zidane pulled off a trembling smile as if trying to reassure himself. "He'll just be an emotionless doll, right? L-like he was before . . ."
The purple-eyed woman made a sniffling noise and turned away, holding her sleeve up over her nose. They realized she was crying. She looked back over at Zidane, and her eyes were like pools of molten lilacs as the tears ran in streaks down her face.
"Zidane, oh gods, you don't know . . . I wish I wasn't the one who had to tell you this!"
The others looked suspiciously wary of the mage's sudden outburst. Why was she so upset . . .?
"Zidane, you must understand," the purple-eyed woman whispered. "Drakja, he had this weapon . . . It was called the Metsubo,"
Zidane nodded nervously, remembering that Kuja had once asked him if he knew what the Metsubo was.
"That red gun, right?"
"Yes. That gun was given to Garland hundreds of years ago by a weapons- dealer named Triss. Triss hinted to Garland that the gun could be used on a larger scale. From that, Garland created the Invincible and the Indomitable. Do you see where I am going?"
"Yeah," Zidane hissed. "The Metsubo is a tiny fucking soul-sucker,"
"Well, sort of. You see, the Metsubo was made for POWERFUL souls. The Invincible can pick up ordinary spirits, but the Metsubo can capture souls even as powerful as Garland's. It can also . . . Take many powerful souls at one time,"
". . . And . . .?"
"Oh Zidane, don't you see?!" the purple-eyed woman sobbed. "Drakja took ALL the souls, not just Kuja's!"
". . . So . . .?"
The woman looked so sad it hurt. "Zidane . . . Didn't you ever wonder why Kuja lived? Why the cut-off on his life never came . . .?"
"Y-yeah I wondered . . ."
/Flash/
"I can't help you, Kuja. Perhaps a year ago I could've but – "
"Wh-what changed a year ago . . .?"
". . . Because a year ago the limit on your life ended . . ."
/Flash/
The young woman clenched Zidane's icy hands, looking tearfully into his face. "Zidane . . ." she whispered, voice choked up. "Zidane, those souls . . . Were the only things keeping your brother alive . . .!"
Zidane felt this knife drive into his heart; this painful, god-awful knife that burned and burned and hurt. Still, he didn't understand.
"So what're you saying . . .? He's . . ."
"Zidane, your brother is DEAD!" the woman cried, squeezing Zidane's hands so hard they went numb. "Don't you get it?! Without those souls he has a matter of hours! He will never revert to a normal genome because he will never wake up to become one! He will never wake up AGAIN! He's dying, Zidane! I'm so sorry! I am so, so sorry!"
Zidane yanked his wrists away from the woman, shaking his head. "No . . ." he hissed furiously. "No . . . No!"
"Oh, Zidane . . ." Garnet chewed her lip, unable to find the proper words to say. Her eyes were swelling with tears. The others stood on in silence as Zidane stared helplessly at Kuja's angelic form.
"He . . ." Zidane's lip was trembling. "He's not dead . . . I promised . . ."
Beatrix had a delicate hand over her mouth, breathing hard with disbelief. /I swore . . ./ she thought to herself. /I swore I would help him . . . Now that he had changed . . . But . . . I failed!/
Zidane seemed to echo her inner thoughts aloud.
"I . . . I wanted to save him . . . I SWORE I'd save him . . . But . . . But . . ."
Zidane suddenly sagged to his knees, falling back against the wall. Garnet immediately rushed to his side, thinking he'd passed out. But what she saw was much, much worse than that . . .
Zidane was crying. Not just sniffling or teary-eyed, as was expected of Zidane, but actual, physical sobbing. His head was in his hands as his shoulders shook, racked with the onslaught of tears that poured down his face. It seemed years of agony were running in rivulets down the ex- thief's cheeks as he gasped with the pain that choked his very heart. For Garnet, who had never seen Zidane cry, this was the worst pain of them all.
The purple-eyed woman bowed her head in sadness as she watched the pitiful sight. Beatrix now had both hands over her mouth in distress, whimpering softly. Garnet was crying gently as she held Zidane.
"Oh Zidane . . . This is all my fault . . ." she whispered. "I drove him out of the castle . . . This never would have happened if I hadn't been so rude . . ."
The purple-eyed woman flinched. "Kuja . . . gave himself up," she said quietly. "It wasn't your fault, Your Majesty,"
Beatrix's eye, red from tears, narrowed. "Wh-what do you mean . . .?"
"What I mean is Kuja knew about this somewhat from the start. He understood at some point what was going on; that his demise was imminent. So he surrendered to Drakja, allowing his soul – and the others – to be taken,"
"But . . . But why would he do that?!" Vivi seemed taken-aback as he shivered from the chaotic situation at hand.
"Because he gave you all something very special," the mage said softly.
". . . What . . .?"
"He gave you all . . . Hope . . ."
"I don't understand,"
The woman closed her unnaturally colored eyes with a soft sigh. "Kuja . . . knew that this was inevitable. Fate had sealed this mess to happen and end from the start. Kuja figured out recently that no matter which way he turned, he WOULD die and the souls WOULD be taken by Garland. It was only a matter of when and how. So he gave you all a second chance,"
Zidane didn't move from his position and didn't attempt to stem his tears. Still, the others were fairly sure he was listening.
". . . Think of it this way. Kuja realized if he kept avoiding having the souls taken, eventually Drakja was going to kill him, most likely while all of you were together fighting Garland. Then Garland could just capture the souls from the Mist. But he knew if he surrendered and let Drakja take the souls while he was ALIVE, there would still be a chance,"
Zidane raised his head slightly, breathing erratically. The woman continued, noticing this.
"If you were to release the souls, Kuja's own soul would return to his body because the body still lives . . ."
Zidane looked up at the mage blearily, his eyes wounded red. "Then . . . Then there's still a way to save him . . .?"
"Zidane . . ." the purple-eyed woman hesitated. "You still don't seem to understand . . . Kuja's soul would return to him, yes. But . . . But the others wouldn't. They're not his. They would just drift back into the cycle. Which means . . ."
"He would die anyways,"
". . . Yes . . . But he would still have about a year left because his soul increased in strength so much from being molded with the others. And he could help you defeat Garland . . . Not to mention the release of the souls into the cycle and the ceasing of the Iifa Tree's activity would stop the assimilation,"
Zidane stumbled to his feet, clutching onto the wall and making Garnet quickly rush to his aid. "Then tell me what I must do,"
The purple-eyed woman frowned, eyes flashing. "Then you want this task? It is nigh impossible . . . And you have little chance of survival or success,"
"All the better,"
"You must all work together, then. Like before,"
"We can do that!" Lani piped in.
"Just tell us what we have to do," Fratley nodded.
The mage rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Garland's base is located in the Fire Shrine on the Forgotten Continent. There, right now, he has hundreds of his geonomes stationed. The place is most likely guarded, and even Drakja currently resides there with his task complete. But Garland also has the souls located in the shrine, though by what means I know not. His prisoners are contained at the base as well; Mikoto for example. You must go there WITH Kuja's body and free those souls before Garland can take Mikoto's, the genome's, anybody's. You must also, then, figure out how to stop the Iifa Tree from making Mist,"
"I will do whatever it takes," Zidane whispered.
The purple-eyed woman sighed. "I figured as much. But you realize the dangers of this, don't you? You MUST take Kuja's body with you due to lack of time. He will slow you down greatly. And you are on a set number of hours. Every second that we stand here now, Kuja deteriorates a little more. It's terrible, but true . . . And you are outnumbered by more than fifteen to one. Not to mention Garland is thousands of times stronger than he was the last time you challenged him. And this time Kuja is not there to help you,"
"I will do whatever it takes," Zidane repeated.
"Then it is done," the woman nodded, smiling faintly. "You will have to leave shortly. Have you been to the Fire Shrine before?"
"We have," Freya said, indicating herself and Amarant. "There were no traps and the Fire Guard was destroyed,"
"Yours didn't have traps?" Eiko sulked. "Garnet's and mine threw giant water bombs at us,"
Zidane nodded, still sniffing. "Quina and I, in his own words, nearly became pancakes when the floors tried to impale and crush us against the ceiling in the Earth Shrine,"
"Then that is probably why Garland chose the Fire Shrine for his base," Steiner shrugged.
The purple-eyed woman smirked as if sharing a private joke with herself. "Possibly . . ."
"We're going to have to do a little planning, though," Beatrix informed the crew. "Just briefly to figure out how we're going to manage this," she turned to the mage beside her. "Will you be going with us . . .?"
The violet-eyed woman flinched and gave an embarrassed smile. "I can't . . ." she muttered. "There is someone there – and it's not a geonome – who, er . . . doesn't like me very much,"
Zidane cocked his head. "Who?" /The Fire Shrine was sealed for over six centuries before we opened it up again only three years ago . . . And there was nobody in there other than the Fire Guard. Who – and how – does she know anyone in the shrine?!/
The woman didn't respond; just got a tight expression on her face. Zidane lowered his head, allowing his golden locks to fall in front of his tear- streaked eyes.
"Then we are all going alone?"
". . . I have faith in you . . . And if you bring Kuja back, he can help you,"
The mage glanced sideways, then, at someone who had not spoken a word the entire time.
"And you, Megan? Are you going to go with them?"
"Not a chance," the Summoner hissed without hesitation. "I would never EVER go on a life-threatening mission to save a MURDERER," She folded her arms across her chest as if to say "and that is that."
The mage lowered her lashes thoughtfully. "Alright then, if that is the way you see it . . . Everyone, leave. Go do your planning and get an airship ready. You have a day at the most to save the world," she laughed coldly at that statement.
"Alright . . ." Garnet put an arm around Zidane's shoulder, resting her head beneath his chin sadly as she and the rest of the crew began to file out. Zidane cast one last look at Kuja over Garnet's head, shuddering, before they were nearly gone. Megan began to follow her companions when the purple-eyed woman called out her name.
"No, you stay," she snapped. The other looked over their shoulders with curiosity. The mage narrowed her eyes. "I need to have a word with Megan . . . alone,"
The team just shrugged, most of them deep in thought about how they were going to pull off this impossible feat. Megan stayed behind, looking frightened and very wary. Mr. 41 glanced at her sympathetically as he bumbled out of the room. But just before the door closed, Zidane – who was the last to leave – turned around with an inquisitive look on his face.
"Just out of curiosity . . ." he said. ". . . What's your name?"
The purple-eyed woman hesitated, looking up at Zidane slowly. Then she smiled a restrained, uneasy smile.
"Demeter," she murmured softly. "My name is Demeter,"
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A/N: Phew, I bet a lot of people are rather satisfied now. No more asking questions about most things, ne? It should make a bit more sense now. It explains a lot of stuff, if you think about it. I mean, you could go back to almost any chapter, read it, and realize now that the dialogue wasn't actually me smoking pot and writing completely random words 'cause they sound cool. I actually meant things by everything I said. In fact, I highly recommend grabbing a random chapter, scanning it, and then slapping yourself on the forehead for ever doubting me *fanged grin.* Now, here's a note on the purple-eyed woman's name (NEVER AGAIN AM I SAYING THOSE THREE WORDS, DAMNIT!!!). There was a REASON why I chose that name. It's not because it's a *gasp* really-cool-sounding-Greek-goddess-so-therefore-she- sounds-cool! But here's the bad news . . . We don't find out why I chose that name until, no, not the last chapter . . . The epilogue! The last SCENE of the epilogue *points and laughs at dying readers* Yes, the last thing we find out in this ENTIRE story, is what/who Demeter is. Then, those familiar with the Demeter's story will see why it fits, and those that aren't will get a lovely explanation by moi in the last A/N ever ('course, I'll be crying the whole damn time . . .). And just so you know, you could go look up Demeter's story on the internet and still not be able to guess why I chose the name. Then, when I finally explain it, you'll see that it is, in fact, the perfect name for this woman's story. Whoa, I am talking WAY too much. Well, I got this chapter up fast, so you can't sue ^_^ In the next chapter's A/N's I'll probably discuss this chapter a little better. But for right now it's probably best to let the information absorb into your heads before I go into explaining how the information fits into the previous, er . . . thirty-seven chapters of this story, lol.
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!: Let me just say this now to avoid further hassles in the future: KUJA IS NOT OUT OF THIS STORY! IT'S ALRIGHT IF I GET A FEW REVIEWS SAYING "OH LORD, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO KUJA *sob sob* ?!?!" BUT – KUJA – IS – NOT – GONE! I DIDN'T KILL HIM, RIGHT?!?! RIGHT?!?!?! IN FACT, HE STILL HAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SCENES LEFT IN THIS ENTIRE STORY ALL TO HIMSELF!!! Actually, about that, ehe . . . Kuja is still, in fact, a majorly important character (majorly is not a word . . . like using grossness as an adjective . . . But I still do both anyways ^_^). I've got some stuff planned out for him that is SERIOUSLY cool. So don't yell at me *cowers and hides* I didn't do nuffin' wrong . . . *cry* Hehe . . . this plot's gonna be grossness soon . . .
¿¡RËÂD ÀÑD RÊVÍËW?!
Disclaimer: I, Black Mage Dad, shall knock you all down! Or . . . not own Final Fantasy *gets killed by original Final Fantasy I Garland in cute 8- Bit form for stealing lame line*
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"Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once."
– Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare (2.2.32-37)
Zidane's eyes were shining with fears he couldn't quite express.
". . . Kuja . . ." he rasped, kneeling down beside the bed where his brother lay upon a bed in the castle's infirmary, barely even alive. "Kuja . . . Gods, what did he do to you . . .?"
The others weren't allowed in the room yet. Several soldiers had carried Kuja back into the castle after the rooftop battle. Zidane had been practically slung over Steiner's shoulder so that he could get medical treatment from Doctor Tot. Zidane had been in such bad shape that he hadn't even protested or felt a loss of dignity that Steiner was the one carrying him . . . Though his wounds still stabbed him repeatedly as if he were receiving the blows all over again, Zidane chose to ignore the pain and demanded to see his brother. Doctor Tot, who was now in charge of the warlock's care as well, was reluctant but decided perhaps it was for the best. Zidane had noticed something else in Tot's voice, however. Much sadness. Indeed, the doctor knew something about the whole mess that he wasn't willing to spill . . .
"Kuja, I'm so sorry I didn't get there in time to keep . . . whatever this is . . . from happening . . ."
Zidane reached out slowly and touched his brother's pale face. It was icy. Zidane closed his eyes and lay his forehead miserably against the side of the bed. So much had happened . . . So much fear and doubt . . . Only to lead him right back where he started.
/Flash/
"Zidane, I don't know how much more of this I can take . . . Why . . . Why didn't you just let me die at the Iifa Tree?! Why, damn it?!"
/Flash/
"No . . ." Zidane whispered, still keeping his eyes tightly shut. "You never wanted that . . . I know you didn't . . . You always acted like you wanted to live so BAD. And then when you found out you were going to die, you said you'd do anything to keep yourself from perishing . . . You would have even killed me; your own brother. But . . . But then you lived. I don't know how it happened, but the limit on your life . . . It never passed . . . And that was when you gave up. Now, when life was practically smacking you in the face, calling out to you after all those years, you decided you wanted to die!" Zidane punched his fist into the side of the bed, tears pouring unbidden down his cheeks. "What could have caused such a change in you?! It was like you lost the will to live . . . It didn't matter anymore. You wanted the easy way out . . . No, I refuse to believe that. You never wanted to die. And you still don't want to die . . ."
"I know you don't . . ."
Zidane opened his eyes slowly and gazed into his brother's face. Sure, it LOOKED like Kuja . . . But the presence . . . It was gone. No matter how hard he tried, the ex-thief couldn't explain it. As Kuja's brother (though by genetics he was something far closer than that) he had always been able to "feel" Kuja. Mikoto had said she had similar senses for her brothers as well. Zidane and Kuja always knew when the other was nearby or in distress. But now . . . There was nothing. It was like . . .
Kuja wasn't even there anymore . . .
". . . What happened to you . . .?"
A soft knock echoed at the door. Zidane whipped his head over his shoulder as a voice asked, "May we come in?"
"Y-yeah," Zidane faltered, surprised. Within moments, the rest of the crew was filing into the room. This time it was everyone: Garnet, Eiko, Steiner, Vivi, Amarant, Lani, Freya, Fratley, and Beatrix. Once they had entered and dispersed around the chamber, Zidane was able to see that the violet-eyed woman had come in as well, Megan trailing along aloofly behind her. Megan's face surprised the genome. She looked furious about something. And coming in even more frightened behind her was the Black Mage.
The purple-eyed woman opened her mouth to speak but Zidane cut her off with an irritable wave of his hand. "Yes, you DO have a lot of explaining to do. And I demand answers NOW,"
The mage smiled sadly. "As you wish . . ."
"But first," Zidane rudely interrupted her once again. "I've got a bone to pick with you," The woman raised an eyebrow inquisitively as Zidane stood up and moved threateningly towards her. He looked angry.
"Your cloak," he said, pointing at the mage's brown robes. "There's no blood,"
"I . . . I do not understand . . ."
"Neither do I!" Zidane snapped. The others watched on in silence, curiosity keeping them from interrupting this strange tirade. "But if I recall – and I've been meaning to ask you about this for awhile! – didn't Garland punch a fist straight – through – your – back?! I saw his hand come right out the front!"
"Y-yes . . ."
"Then how is it that there is no blood, no wound, or any sign of weakness?! How are you even ALIVE?!"
"I . . ."
Zidane seemed clearly to have snapped now with this new set of developments disrupting his crew's plans. "What the hell are you, then, woman?! You have no name, no origin, no motive for helping us! And now you have miracle healing powers as well?!"
"STOP IT!" the purple-eyed woman suddenly thrust her fist, palm out, into Zidane's chest. The others gasped, their past experiences immediately setting them into attack mode. Yet in that awkward moment she simply stood there, this odd mistress, with her palm pressed against Zidane's shirt . . .
And blood pouring like a cut faucet from her arm . . .
Zidane's crystalline eyes widened in horror and he recoiled from her touch. He looked numbly down at his shirt, which was drenched and shining with crimson blood as the woman took a step back. She pulled up her sleeve to reveal where her wrists were slashed . . . fatally. A puddle was forming at her feet.
"Sh-shit!" Zidane choked out, seemingly unable to grasp any words in the fear of the moment. "I-I'll get Doctor T – "
"No," The purple-eyed woman halted him with a glare. "No, don't. Look,"
And much to the astonishment of everyone within the room, the cuts sealed, the bleeding ceased, and the wounds vanished. Not even a scar. Just like that.
"S-so you DO have healing powers!" Vivi gasped.
"No!" the woman argued. "Look!"
And then they all saw, much to their shock and distress, that the blood on the floor was gone. Zidane's shirt, as well, was spotless. It was as if nothing had ever happened.
". . . What in the . . .?"
"Don't you see?!" the mage cried. "It's not real! None of it! When Garland punched me, his fist went straight through me! I never even felt it! It's all an act; a drama! Don't you understand?!"
Zidane stared at her arm as if it were disintegrating from her body. ". . . But why would you do that . . .?" he queried softly. The woman sighed heavily.
"So that Garland would THINK he'd hurt me!"
"But . . . But then why didn't you just escape?"
". . . Because he would have caught me in other ways . . ."
A ringing silence descended upon the room. Still, Zidane wasn't finished.
"Then what are you, that you can do this? I-I've never seen anything like this in my life . . ."
"I am . . . nothing I can tell you about . . ."
Zidane lowered his gaze, then turned away. "Then we're done,"
The woman didn't answer. She didn't have to. The blonde genome spoke up himself.
"So tell me about my sister . . ."
The Black Mage who stood in the back squirmed slightly. "Ah, I'm sorry for my lack of introduction, Sir . . . We've met. My name's Mr. 41 and I came from the Black Mage Village,"
". . . So I figured . . ." Garnet shot Zidane a warning look, silently telling him to cut the sarcasm. The Black Mage blinked his bright yellow eyes, then continued. If they had been able to see his face they would have known he was blushing profusely.
"Well . . . I don't know . . . One day Mikoto just . . . She just vanished! But, well, her and the other genomes are very curious people . . . They love to learn. I thought maybe she'd just left to continue on this 'quest for knowledge' she was always talking about. But . . . Well, Master Vivi's children were in her keeping at the time. And I know Mikoto would NEVER abandon them!"
Vivi clutched his cloak in fear. "M-my kids?!"
"Don't worry, don't worry," Beatrix waved an irritable hand. "A guard turned them over to me about an hour ago. They're in a guest room, you can see them later," she turned back to Mr. 41. "Please continue,"
Mr. 41 cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, I knew I had to leave the village and get the news to Zidane immediately. I snagged Vivi's children and took off for Alexandria. But while traveling this continent – which is much too large in my opinion, by the way – we saw other mysterious things that I thought needed to be brought to your attention," The mage straightened his hat nervously, doing an unconscious and rather amusing imitation of Vivi. "For one thing, there is Mist and Mist Monsters EVERYWHERE . . . Not to mention strange dark crafts in the sky,"
Fratley nodded thoughtfully. "That would be the Indomitable, for sure . . ."
"Yes . . . It was scaring the children,"
The purple-eyed woman made a light coughing sound so as to bring attention back to herself.
"I'm afraid, among many other things, I do know the whereabouts of Zidane's sister,"
Most of the people within the room stood up straighter at this comment. Zidane's eyes were wide.
"Y-you do?!"
"Yes, though you will not like what I tell you . . . Unfortunately, Mikoto was captive upon the Indomitable with me. She is alive, if that is what you are going to ask next. In fact, she is relatively unharmed for now. Our guard seemed to be on the verge of turning traitor on Garland at any moment,"
Zidane ran a trembling hand through his hair. "Th-thank goodness . . ."
"However," the purple-eyed woman cut in. "I'm afraid that may not last much longer. This," she swept an arm over Kuja's form. "Was the last fatal step in Garland's plan. With this done, the geonomes will bother you little until it is too late . . ."
"But what IS this?" Eiko snapped, looking incredibly impatient.
"Yeah!" Zidane snarled. "You mind telling me what the hell that ass did to my brother?!"
The mage lowered her gaze slowly, looking pained. Then she smiled as though something about the situation struck her as ironic. "I . . . have been dreading this moment for quite some time now . . . The day that I had to explain this all to you. Please, I'm begging you to interrupt me as little as possible . . . This is a bit complicated and . . . And it may be difficult for you to accept what you are about to hear. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but . . . But you must know,"
The others listened, captivated, as the mysterious woman began to tell the story. From the very beginning, they could tell it was not a happy one . . .
"I guess you could say it begins and ends with Them," the purple-eyed mage glanced sympathetically at Kuja. "Perhaps at one time They were beneficial . . . But now They will be the end of all things,"
"But what ARE They?" Steiner queried.
The woman shook her head. "Please, please let me explain. This all starts back three years ago, almost to the day. Back to the time when most of you here were on Terra, attempting to save this world. Do you remember what Garland had been doing before that?"
". . . Collecting souls . . ." whispered Freya.
"Yes, many souls. He kept them all on the Invincible, waiting for the day he could deliver them to his genomes and recreate Terra's civilization once more. But I'm sure none here can forget what foiled those meticulous plans . . ."
They thought hard. Then Garnet's eyes widened as she recalled what was probably one of the most horrifying, traumatic memories in her entire past.
"Kuja took them!"
The woman's unnaturally-colored eyes flashed. "Yes . . . And he absorbed them into his own soul – which was wretched and incapable of much power so close to death. Then Kuja used those souls to fuel his own. And it was your adoptive mother, Brahne, who gave him the strength he needed to . . ."
"To Trance . . ." Zidane hissed. /I think I see where this is going . . ./
The mage nodded. "Indeed. From those souls, Kuja achieved a quite frightening Trance. An unnatural one that eventually stole away his sanity and brought about his own demise. Those souls corrupted him; toyed with his mind. Though they were sworn to protect him now that they were a PART of him, they were still individuals . . . As they overthrew Garland, they then attempted betrayal of Kuja by destroying him,"
"But what does that have to do with ANYTHING?!" Lani cried, impatient. "That was three YEARS ago! Those souls have long since fled along with the rest of them!"
The woman closed her eyes, ignoring the young bounty hunter's shrill voice. "I want you, Zidane, to think back on something . . ."
"Hmm?" the blonde raised an eyebrow.
"The Iifa Tree incident . . . I know you never spoke to anyone about what happened there and other than Kuja, you are the only person that can remember what occurred,"
Zidane looked pale. "Wh-what do you want to know?"
"When Kuja was in the Iifa Tree, was he in Trance?"
"N-no . . . I'm pretty sure the Trance vanished at impact. Like Lani said, the souls fled when he was inches from death,"
". . . And how far would you say he fell . . .?"
Zidane scratched his chin. "More than eighty stories at least, and . . ." His blue eyes suddenly widened with intense fear. The others, who had not yet figured it out, looked at him inquisitively. "And . . ." Zidane continued. "He didn't die!"
"Hard to believe someone could fall eighty stories into an imploding tree and live to tell the tale . . ."
"So what are you saying?" Steiner queried nervously. "That Kuja lived because those souls remained within him?"
". . . Pretty much . . ."
"But that doesn't make any sense!" Freya argued. "After falling such a height, the souls should have immediately dispersed from him and back into the Mist! It's a natural cycle! The souls would have done it themselves!"
"You're not thinking!" the purple-eyed woman sighed. "Think about the previous events that had occurred! The Iifa Tree was dying! No Mist was flowing from it anymore! In fact, after the implosion of Memoria, there was seemingly no Mist left on any of the continents at all! Without Mist, souls these days just drift back into the normal cycle on their own rather than having the Mist carry them away. But the souls in Kuja were not his own and there was no Mist to actively transport them back. In affect, the souls were TRAPPED within him!"
There was a brief pause as the group absorbed this knowledge. Then Zidane made a sour face.
"So you're telling us Kuja was being controlled by the souls of those he and Garland had killed all those years ago?"
"Yes,"
"And that was why he seemed to Trance weakly whenever he was pissed, because those souls were what made him capable of Trance in the first place?"
"Yes,"
". . . Then how does Garland fit into all this? This seems to easy. There's got to be more to this than Kuja just having some leftover souls trapped within him,"
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" the purple-eyed woman looked at Zidane, seemingly horrified.
". . . Obviously not . . ."
"Hmm," the woman stared down at the floor, obviously contemplating what to say. "Well . . . Garland wanted those souls back, as you could probably tell. But he took advantage of the situation at hand. Kuja, as you saw with the Trance, increases in strength when fueled on by other souls. His own soul is weak, the one thing keeping him from practically becoming Saishoja's reincarnation. But those souls were still people, after all. And they couldn't forget what Kuja had done to them. They tried to take over his body in order to escape Garland, whom they knew was coming after them,"
Zidane's eyes widened as his mind involuntarily recovered the words They had spoken to him through Kuja.
/Flash/
"We will NOT go to him! You cannot make us!"
"We oppose all who stand in Kuja's way . . . All replacements must be terminated . . ."
"It's not what he DID to us! It's what he COULD make us do AGAIN!"
"We've been under orders for FAR too long. Well, tell Garland he can keep his precious genomes dumb and his precious plans out of OUR – WAY!!!"
"Ah, isn't it lovely? The destruction of Terra . . . And it was all Our fault . . ."
"The freedom . . . The call of the Mist . . . The body becomes a vessel . . . which greets a new soul . . ."
/Flash/
". . . You've got to be kidding . . ." Zidane whispered. "All this time, those things were trying to escape Kuja . . . Yet they couldn't because WE stopped the Mist from flowing,"
"Unfortunately . . . Yes,"
Zidane rubbed his face irritably. "Then why was Garland blocking Kuja's powers? He seemed to WANT Kuja to Trance,"
"Because," the purple-eyed mage explained. "If Garland stemmed Kuja's magic, the souls wouldn't lash out and escape suddenly when he needed them. But by having geonomes attack Kuja, they would get angry and make KUJA'S soul stronger,"
"But why?!" Garnet had her hands over her mouth in disbelief.
"Because then Kuja's soul would become stronger than Saishoja's," the woman smiled dryly. "Garland's hope was to make Kuja's soul AND the other souls as powerful as possible, then take them. Once he had them back, he would become even greater than Saishoja. Saishoja and Drakja were the only two Terrans to ever outmatch Garland. Then, Garland planned to go after Saishoja's spirit, which is currently lingering here on Gaia. Once he had that, he was going to assimilate the planets,"
Zidane closed his eyes wearily. "So let me see if I understand . . . Garland wanted to make Kuja's soul stronger by strengthening the OTHER ones; those mysterious people. Then he wanted to take them and use the strength they gave him to capture Saishoja, which would . . ."
". . . Make him the most powerful creature alive, yes,"
"And then he was going to assimilate the planets? Sounds a bit random . . ."
The mage looked thoughtful. "Then you do not know of the Theory of Planetary Magnetism, do you?"
"No, since you never TOLD us about it . . ."
"Zidane, shush!" Garnet hissed. The purple-eyed woman ignored the squabbling pair.
"Well, as you know, souls are drawn to Mist. That is why, whenever Kuja transformed, Mist often followed. That is also the function of the Invincible. It uses a diluted, Mist-like substance to draw the souls into it voluntarily. Garland's plan was to absorb and capture all these souls, exposing them to the Mist. Then he rerouted some of the Mist to Terra so that the souls, together in such a large gathering, would be drawn to the Mist on that planet! The souls would then try to get to the Mist on Terra and the Mist on Terra would try to get to the souls here. The planets would literally move to accommodate them!"
"And then they would assimilate!" Zidane gasped.
"Yes! Exactly! That was how Garland did it the first time after Drakja and Saishoja's deaths! But there were too many souls left on the planets still in living bodies, and the civilizations perished from the horrendous chaos that this act did by throwing the cycles out of balance. So if Garland is the strongest creature alive, not only will Terra become drawn to him, but he will destroy all life on Gaia so that he won't have to worry who lives and who dies during the assimilation!"
"But the geonomes – "
"They will be spared. They are Terrans on Gaia and have been trained to withstand the change in balance,"
". . . That's wicked . . ." Eiko whispered.
"Unfortunately, it's the perfect plan," the woman nodded in return. "No matter what, Garland wins. He has nothing to lose now . . ." she glanced at Kuja, and her violet eyes flashed. Zidane felt his stomach drop into the floor.
". . . Then what happened to my brother . . .?"
A stiff silence fell over the room. Words were not necessary. The pieces of the puzzle were snapping together so loudly that they could practically hear one another's thoughts.
"Oh Zidane, I'm so sorry . . ."
Zidane swallowed painfully hard. "S-so . . . So what you're saying is Drakja took Kuja's soul?"
". . . Yes . . . An incredibly powerful one at that. Kuja's soul had gained a satisfactory amount of strength. Garland has it now,"
Zidane was shaking but he tried not to let the others see it. Garnet put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Then . . . Then he'll just become like one of the genomes, right?" Zidane pulled off a trembling smile as if trying to reassure himself. "He'll just be an emotionless doll, right? L-like he was before . . ."
The purple-eyed woman made a sniffling noise and turned away, holding her sleeve up over her nose. They realized she was crying. She looked back over at Zidane, and her eyes were like pools of molten lilacs as the tears ran in streaks down her face.
"Zidane, oh gods, you don't know . . . I wish I wasn't the one who had to tell you this!"
The others looked suspiciously wary of the mage's sudden outburst. Why was she so upset . . .?
"Zidane, you must understand," the purple-eyed woman whispered. "Drakja, he had this weapon . . . It was called the Metsubo,"
Zidane nodded nervously, remembering that Kuja had once asked him if he knew what the Metsubo was.
"That red gun, right?"
"Yes. That gun was given to Garland hundreds of years ago by a weapons- dealer named Triss. Triss hinted to Garland that the gun could be used on a larger scale. From that, Garland created the Invincible and the Indomitable. Do you see where I am going?"
"Yeah," Zidane hissed. "The Metsubo is a tiny fucking soul-sucker,"
"Well, sort of. You see, the Metsubo was made for POWERFUL souls. The Invincible can pick up ordinary spirits, but the Metsubo can capture souls even as powerful as Garland's. It can also . . . Take many powerful souls at one time,"
". . . And . . .?"
"Oh Zidane, don't you see?!" the purple-eyed woman sobbed. "Drakja took ALL the souls, not just Kuja's!"
". . . So . . .?"
The woman looked so sad it hurt. "Zidane . . . Didn't you ever wonder why Kuja lived? Why the cut-off on his life never came . . .?"
"Y-yeah I wondered . . ."
/Flash/
"I can't help you, Kuja. Perhaps a year ago I could've but – "
"Wh-what changed a year ago . . .?"
". . . Because a year ago the limit on your life ended . . ."
/Flash/
The young woman clenched Zidane's icy hands, looking tearfully into his face. "Zidane . . ." she whispered, voice choked up. "Zidane, those souls . . . Were the only things keeping your brother alive . . .!"
Zidane felt this knife drive into his heart; this painful, god-awful knife that burned and burned and hurt. Still, he didn't understand.
"So what're you saying . . .? He's . . ."
"Zidane, your brother is DEAD!" the woman cried, squeezing Zidane's hands so hard they went numb. "Don't you get it?! Without those souls he has a matter of hours! He will never revert to a normal genome because he will never wake up to become one! He will never wake up AGAIN! He's dying, Zidane! I'm so sorry! I am so, so sorry!"
Zidane yanked his wrists away from the woman, shaking his head. "No . . ." he hissed furiously. "No . . . No!"
"Oh, Zidane . . ." Garnet chewed her lip, unable to find the proper words to say. Her eyes were swelling with tears. The others stood on in silence as Zidane stared helplessly at Kuja's angelic form.
"He . . ." Zidane's lip was trembling. "He's not dead . . . I promised . . ."
Beatrix had a delicate hand over her mouth, breathing hard with disbelief. /I swore . . ./ she thought to herself. /I swore I would help him . . . Now that he had changed . . . But . . . I failed!/
Zidane seemed to echo her inner thoughts aloud.
"I . . . I wanted to save him . . . I SWORE I'd save him . . . But . . . But . . ."
Zidane suddenly sagged to his knees, falling back against the wall. Garnet immediately rushed to his side, thinking he'd passed out. But what she saw was much, much worse than that . . .
Zidane was crying. Not just sniffling or teary-eyed, as was expected of Zidane, but actual, physical sobbing. His head was in his hands as his shoulders shook, racked with the onslaught of tears that poured down his face. It seemed years of agony were running in rivulets down the ex- thief's cheeks as he gasped with the pain that choked his very heart. For Garnet, who had never seen Zidane cry, this was the worst pain of them all.
The purple-eyed woman bowed her head in sadness as she watched the pitiful sight. Beatrix now had both hands over her mouth in distress, whimpering softly. Garnet was crying gently as she held Zidane.
"Oh Zidane . . . This is all my fault . . ." she whispered. "I drove him out of the castle . . . This never would have happened if I hadn't been so rude . . ."
The purple-eyed woman flinched. "Kuja . . . gave himself up," she said quietly. "It wasn't your fault, Your Majesty,"
Beatrix's eye, red from tears, narrowed. "Wh-what do you mean . . .?"
"What I mean is Kuja knew about this somewhat from the start. He understood at some point what was going on; that his demise was imminent. So he surrendered to Drakja, allowing his soul – and the others – to be taken,"
"But . . . But why would he do that?!" Vivi seemed taken-aback as he shivered from the chaotic situation at hand.
"Because he gave you all something very special," the mage said softly.
". . . What . . .?"
"He gave you all . . . Hope . . ."
"I don't understand,"
The woman closed her unnaturally colored eyes with a soft sigh. "Kuja . . . knew that this was inevitable. Fate had sealed this mess to happen and end from the start. Kuja figured out recently that no matter which way he turned, he WOULD die and the souls WOULD be taken by Garland. It was only a matter of when and how. So he gave you all a second chance,"
Zidane didn't move from his position and didn't attempt to stem his tears. Still, the others were fairly sure he was listening.
". . . Think of it this way. Kuja realized if he kept avoiding having the souls taken, eventually Drakja was going to kill him, most likely while all of you were together fighting Garland. Then Garland could just capture the souls from the Mist. But he knew if he surrendered and let Drakja take the souls while he was ALIVE, there would still be a chance,"
Zidane raised his head slightly, breathing erratically. The woman continued, noticing this.
"If you were to release the souls, Kuja's own soul would return to his body because the body still lives . . ."
Zidane looked up at the mage blearily, his eyes wounded red. "Then . . . Then there's still a way to save him . . .?"
"Zidane . . ." the purple-eyed woman hesitated. "You still don't seem to understand . . . Kuja's soul would return to him, yes. But . . . But the others wouldn't. They're not his. They would just drift back into the cycle. Which means . . ."
"He would die anyways,"
". . . Yes . . . But he would still have about a year left because his soul increased in strength so much from being molded with the others. And he could help you defeat Garland . . . Not to mention the release of the souls into the cycle and the ceasing of the Iifa Tree's activity would stop the assimilation,"
Zidane stumbled to his feet, clutching onto the wall and making Garnet quickly rush to his aid. "Then tell me what I must do,"
The purple-eyed woman frowned, eyes flashing. "Then you want this task? It is nigh impossible . . . And you have little chance of survival or success,"
"All the better,"
"You must all work together, then. Like before,"
"We can do that!" Lani piped in.
"Just tell us what we have to do," Fratley nodded.
The mage rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Garland's base is located in the Fire Shrine on the Forgotten Continent. There, right now, he has hundreds of his geonomes stationed. The place is most likely guarded, and even Drakja currently resides there with his task complete. But Garland also has the souls located in the shrine, though by what means I know not. His prisoners are contained at the base as well; Mikoto for example. You must go there WITH Kuja's body and free those souls before Garland can take Mikoto's, the genome's, anybody's. You must also, then, figure out how to stop the Iifa Tree from making Mist,"
"I will do whatever it takes," Zidane whispered.
The purple-eyed woman sighed. "I figured as much. But you realize the dangers of this, don't you? You MUST take Kuja's body with you due to lack of time. He will slow you down greatly. And you are on a set number of hours. Every second that we stand here now, Kuja deteriorates a little more. It's terrible, but true . . . And you are outnumbered by more than fifteen to one. Not to mention Garland is thousands of times stronger than he was the last time you challenged him. And this time Kuja is not there to help you,"
"I will do whatever it takes," Zidane repeated.
"Then it is done," the woman nodded, smiling faintly. "You will have to leave shortly. Have you been to the Fire Shrine before?"
"We have," Freya said, indicating herself and Amarant. "There were no traps and the Fire Guard was destroyed,"
"Yours didn't have traps?" Eiko sulked. "Garnet's and mine threw giant water bombs at us,"
Zidane nodded, still sniffing. "Quina and I, in his own words, nearly became pancakes when the floors tried to impale and crush us against the ceiling in the Earth Shrine,"
"Then that is probably why Garland chose the Fire Shrine for his base," Steiner shrugged.
The purple-eyed woman smirked as if sharing a private joke with herself. "Possibly . . ."
"We're going to have to do a little planning, though," Beatrix informed the crew. "Just briefly to figure out how we're going to manage this," she turned to the mage beside her. "Will you be going with us . . .?"
The violet-eyed woman flinched and gave an embarrassed smile. "I can't . . ." she muttered. "There is someone there – and it's not a geonome – who, er . . . doesn't like me very much,"
Zidane cocked his head. "Who?" /The Fire Shrine was sealed for over six centuries before we opened it up again only three years ago . . . And there was nobody in there other than the Fire Guard. Who – and how – does she know anyone in the shrine?!/
The woman didn't respond; just got a tight expression on her face. Zidane lowered his head, allowing his golden locks to fall in front of his tear- streaked eyes.
"Then we are all going alone?"
". . . I have faith in you . . . And if you bring Kuja back, he can help you,"
The mage glanced sideways, then, at someone who had not spoken a word the entire time.
"And you, Megan? Are you going to go with them?"
"Not a chance," the Summoner hissed without hesitation. "I would never EVER go on a life-threatening mission to save a MURDERER," She folded her arms across her chest as if to say "and that is that."
The mage lowered her lashes thoughtfully. "Alright then, if that is the way you see it . . . Everyone, leave. Go do your planning and get an airship ready. You have a day at the most to save the world," she laughed coldly at that statement.
"Alright . . ." Garnet put an arm around Zidane's shoulder, resting her head beneath his chin sadly as she and the rest of the crew began to file out. Zidane cast one last look at Kuja over Garnet's head, shuddering, before they were nearly gone. Megan began to follow her companions when the purple-eyed woman called out her name.
"No, you stay," she snapped. The other looked over their shoulders with curiosity. The mage narrowed her eyes. "I need to have a word with Megan . . . alone,"
The team just shrugged, most of them deep in thought about how they were going to pull off this impossible feat. Megan stayed behind, looking frightened and very wary. Mr. 41 glanced at her sympathetically as he bumbled out of the room. But just before the door closed, Zidane – who was the last to leave – turned around with an inquisitive look on his face.
"Just out of curiosity . . ." he said. ". . . What's your name?"
The purple-eyed woman hesitated, looking up at Zidane slowly. Then she smiled a restrained, uneasy smile.
"Demeter," she murmured softly. "My name is Demeter,"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Phew, I bet a lot of people are rather satisfied now. No more asking questions about most things, ne? It should make a bit more sense now. It explains a lot of stuff, if you think about it. I mean, you could go back to almost any chapter, read it, and realize now that the dialogue wasn't actually me smoking pot and writing completely random words 'cause they sound cool. I actually meant things by everything I said. In fact, I highly recommend grabbing a random chapter, scanning it, and then slapping yourself on the forehead for ever doubting me *fanged grin.* Now, here's a note on the purple-eyed woman's name (NEVER AGAIN AM I SAYING THOSE THREE WORDS, DAMNIT!!!). There was a REASON why I chose that name. It's not because it's a *gasp* really-cool-sounding-Greek-goddess-so-therefore-she- sounds-cool! But here's the bad news . . . We don't find out why I chose that name until, no, not the last chapter . . . The epilogue! The last SCENE of the epilogue *points and laughs at dying readers* Yes, the last thing we find out in this ENTIRE story, is what/who Demeter is. Then, those familiar with the Demeter's story will see why it fits, and those that aren't will get a lovely explanation by moi in the last A/N ever ('course, I'll be crying the whole damn time . . .). And just so you know, you could go look up Demeter's story on the internet and still not be able to guess why I chose the name. Then, when I finally explain it, you'll see that it is, in fact, the perfect name for this woman's story. Whoa, I am talking WAY too much. Well, I got this chapter up fast, so you can't sue ^_^ In the next chapter's A/N's I'll probably discuss this chapter a little better. But for right now it's probably best to let the information absorb into your heads before I go into explaining how the information fits into the previous, er . . . thirty-seven chapters of this story, lol.
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!: Let me just say this now to avoid further hassles in the future: KUJA IS NOT OUT OF THIS STORY! IT'S ALRIGHT IF I GET A FEW REVIEWS SAYING "OH LORD, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO KUJA *sob sob* ?!?!" BUT – KUJA – IS – NOT – GONE! I DIDN'T KILL HIM, RIGHT?!?! RIGHT?!?!?! IN FACT, HE STILL HAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SCENES LEFT IN THIS ENTIRE STORY ALL TO HIMSELF!!! Actually, about that, ehe . . . Kuja is still, in fact, a majorly important character (majorly is not a word . . . like using grossness as an adjective . . . But I still do both anyways ^_^). I've got some stuff planned out for him that is SERIOUSLY cool. So don't yell at me *cowers and hides* I didn't do nuffin' wrong . . . *cry* Hehe . . . this plot's gonna be grossness soon . . .
¿¡RËÂD ÀÑD RÊVÍËW?!