Author's Note: And now…to say my thank you's. Thank you all that reviewed my story and a special thank you for the cookie. smiles Enjoy.

Chapter 1

Treno

Foggy Morning

Tamiko Ava Straugh-Nightshade;

I love foggy mornings. I always have. There was something thrilling about hunting someone through heavy fog. The way they panicked when they realized that their senses betrayed them…excited me. But that was a predatory issue, in itself. I knelt low to the ground near the gates of Treno and craned my ears. No noise so far. I had set out from the guild-house a mere hours before on the tip that King Zidane was in town. Micah was really reluctant about telling this little tidbit of information. Something about being my brother.

I told him to stop worrying with a firm voice and set off. Now I was huddled in the fog, near the guards at the front gates.

"Zidane, I really don't approve of this visit. It pains me to see my mansion again," A soft voice said.

I lifted my head off of my knees and squinted into the fog. Two tall forms came into view and stopped just before the gates.

"Kuja, you weren't crying over it when you went inside. In fact, you looked mighty happy."

I glanced up at the figure that was speaking. It was a man with pale-colored creamy skin. He was dressed in a light brown sleeveless T-shirt that showed off the definition of his muscles. He wore a pair of baggy brown pants that nearly covered the boots he was wearing. This was Zidane…King Zidane, in fact. He was handsome, I'll give him that. The form next to him had to be Kuja. He was glorious…god-like! He had long flowing silvery, feathery hair that matched the color of his lovely skin.

Kuja also had on a two piece outfit that showed off his smooth belly. I licked my lips, despite myself. My target was very attractive. It was a damn shame I had to kill him.

"I wasn't happy about it, Zidane," Kuja snapped.

I caught sight of his eyes…and nearly gasped. I had never seen eyes that were so deep like that. So…blue…so filled with sadness. For a moment, I pitied him. How could someone this beautiful be deadly? Zidane shrugged and scratched his auburn hair.

"Alright, I get it. Let's just go home."

"If you can call that home."

Home? Does Zidane mean Alexandria? I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly, all thoughts of Kuja's beauty out of my head. I could kill him now, I had the chance. But there was the issue of witnesses. Panicked people made difficult targets to silence. And so, I would wait until the time was right to strike. Kuja and Zidane sighed and walked through the gates. I got up to my feet cautiously and drew my cloak over my head. I was just about to step out when a firm hand grabbed my arm. I whipped around, palm raised to slap whoever dared to touch me.

"Don't you dare, Tamiko," A harsh voice whispered.

I glared right at an exhausted Micah.

"Don't scare me like that," I snapped loudly.

"Hush, or you'll attract unwelcome attention," Micah hissed.

I started to say something loud, but thought the better of it. After all, Micah did piss me off by sneaking up behind me. But I was sure he had something important to tell me.

"Did you see Kuja?" Micah asked.

Or…not.

"Yeah, I did. Now if you excuse me, I have an airship to catch," I snapped.

I pushed past him and started off towards the gate. Micah grabbed my arm again and pulled me backwards.

"It's not a good thing to try to hitch a ride on the Invincible. Terran technology, very bad for thieves. Lady Torien has arranged something for you."

But I wanted to follow Kuja. Something about that beauty…that drew me. I blinked and forgot all of the anger I had towards Micah in one moment.

"Lady Torien has arranged something for me?" I asked, dreaming of how Kuja's body would look dead.

Micah ignored my expression and yawned.

"Magical arrangements, Tamiko. She's told me to watch over you."

I snorted.

"Magic? What can magic do? I don't have to rely on magic."

Micah frowned. He hated it when I denounced magic, simply because he was an avid user of magic himself.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"It's fine. Let's get you going.

Kuja Tribal:

I stared out of the window forlornly at what was left of Treno. It wasn't like I was going to miss it. Treno had more than it's share of good and bad memories for me. And at least, I had a personal servant to wait on me hand and foot without fear. Alexandria servants were just intensely paranoid of me, period. There was no denying that. Sure, I was grateful to my brother for taking me in under his wing against Garnet's wishes. But the qualities that made me, me, were stifled greatly. I flicked a small feather out of my eyes and sighed. Ok…maybe the narcissism hadn't been suppressed much…if at all.

I smirked a little at that. I turned away from the window and sighed. I had also seen something odd at the gates of Treno when I was talking to Zidane earlier. One pair of eyes…looming out of the shadows. They seemed so lost…and yet, I couldn't tell. Who did those unbelievable eyes belong to? I rubbed my temples gingerly. It wasn't like me to worry about such trivial things such as eyes. Yeah, that was almost as fantastic as my idea about people trying to assassinate me.

That entire episode was good for a laugh. Zidane thought I was going senile for the entire week.

"Someone looks like their thinking too much. Let's not repeat the trip to the mental hospital," Zidane said merrily.

I shot him a glare that if put into magic form would easily rival Ultima.

"You know, I don't like it when you mention stuff like this. You know, I'm not crazy."

"I know that, you don't have to remind me."

If you ask me, having a younger brother must be a crime. Still, I couldn't help but see those eyes.

"I saw something strange on our way out to the Invincible," I muttered.

Zidane gave me a look that clearly said 'not again'.

"Maybe it was a dog, Kuja. Stop thinking that everything's out to kill you. It's not healthy."

When will do you get it through your head that I am not healthy? I kept my mouth shut. Brothers are evil. Those eyes belonged to a human, not a dog. I smoothed my feathers down with a yawn.

"Back to a boring life."

Hour Later

Tamiko Ava Straugh-Nightshade:

Traveling by magic has to be one of the funniest things on Gaia. One moment, your listening to a complex incantation and the next, your body is hurtling through time and space. And then, POW! The pavement says hello and now you are in an entirely different city. Micah pulled me off the pavement gently, suppressing a small chuckle. I pushed him away and staggered up to my feet crossly.

"You could have warned me first," I snapped.

Micah slipped on his hood and dusted his robes off.

"The surprise was worth your reaction. Get serious, Tamiko. You have a job to do."

Methodically, I straightened my cloak and the belt I had my sword on. Micah watched silently, with a look of a professional on his face. He was ready now and I wasn't.

"Wait, I have one last thing for you," He whispered.

I drew my hood over my head and smoothed my hair back. Micah reached into his pocket and drew out a small black wand with a white tip. It glowed softly in the light as if to indicate higher power. I gritted my teeth. More magic. Coming from Micah, that was hardly a surprise. But, I took it into my hands and pocketed, keeping my expression blank.

"Thank you. Though I hardly think I need it."

Micah turned away from me and started walking away.

"You will," was the last thing I heard him say before he vanished.

All of a sudden, I was in the middle of a large alleyway in front of a set of stairs leading downward. I glanced up only to see a sign that read 'Theatre District'. Now, I knew where I was. Micah and I used to run down this alley all the time when we had assignments together. I wrapped my cloak around me and moved to the back of the alley as quickly as I could. My objective: Infiltrate Alexandria Castle. That wasn't hard to do.

You see, there are many ways to get into the castle: underwater, from above, etc. So…where should I go? From above is the easiest way, but I doubted I still carried a grappling hook. But wait…the church bell. Didn't I leave something up there earlier? I rounded the corner and into the old church steeple. Had it been a few years ago, the building would have been occupied with hundreds of moogles. But now, I was eternally grateful that they had moved on to better places. I climbed up the ladder quickly and methodically.

I pulled myself up onto the ledge and pulled on the small string hanging near the arch. A small box tumbled into my hands. I opened it with deft fingers. Just my luck, my grappling hook was intact and loaded. Joy. I strapped in to my wrist and started off again. Alexandria was a very fascinating city in its own right. Where else did you see rat people and hippo's. It also had more than its share of Black Mages. I wrinkled my nose as I sat on the last rooftop before Alexandria Castle's courtyard.

I still hated magic folk. They destroyed my parents and cast me out into the assassin's guild. (Not that I minded killing.) Maybe this assignment would lift my spirits. Wasn't Kuja a powerful sorcerer? Hmm…his beauty was so wasted on him. I shook my head feverishly. Why was I thinking about him? I was putting him to death not getting ready to seduce him. I rubbed my grappling hook lovingly and turned my attention to the courtyard.

9:47 P.M. Nighttime

It was shortly after sunset when I roused from my careful slumber. The courtyard was dark and empty with the exception of a white haired man standing in a corner. White haired man? Could that be Kuja? I moved out from behind a large top window and stared at the walls around the courtyard. There was a space on top of them big enough for me to run along. Perfect. Now where should I shoot to take advantage of this little fact? There was a wall not far from where the man was standing.

If I moved fast enough, I could stay well out of sight. Good, Tamiko, you are thinking on your feet. The white haired man moved towards the exit of the compound quietly, waving at the guard. Time to move. I aimed the grappling hook at the wall I scoped out earlier and flicked a small switch. A small hook shot out of the device and dug into the wall. I pulled backwards and held on for dear life as the line began to retract itself. I landed on the wall carefully and pulled the hook out of the wall.

The white haired man was just inches away from the gate, well within my grasp. I dashed along the wall and dropped into the bushes before the guards could see me. On closer inspection, I saw that this man was Kuja. Funny how he looked so different in the moonlight.

"Be careful, Kuja. You know how bad Zidane got the last time you went out."

Kuja shrugged his shoulders. That simple motion looked extremely graceful. I licked my lips and tapped the hilt of my sword with one finger.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. If that's possible," Kuja said softly.

"Right."

With that, Kuja walked off into a grove of small thick trees. I moved after him as fast as I could in the shadows.

Kuja Tribal:

I knew someone was following me the moment I stepped out of the courtyard. Why didn't I tell the guards? I wasn't sure. Maybe I was so used to danger that I didn't bother with help anymore. I no longer had the problem of declining strength and magic now that I had learned how to tap Gaia's energy. I didn't tell any of the royal family that yet. They would somehow slip up and word would get to the city. That would create undue chaos. (Not that I would mind it.) After the Iifa incident, I wasn't new to maniacal, pent up thoughts. But I was new to paranoia, which was now haunting me.

I paused behind one of the trees, craning my ears for sound. None yet. It had to be an assassin.

"Show yourself, I know you're there," I said loudly.

"You are more gifted than I thought you were, Kuja Tribal. Too bad you won't live long enough to put it into use."

That voice sounded so cold…it sent shivers down my spine.

"Where are you?" I asked, keeping myself calm.

"I am everywhere, my dear fool. You're mine now."

A black form jumped down from a overhanging branch in front of me. Seconds later, it had a sword out and pointed at my throat. I wasn't threatened by this assassin at all. I learned not to fear death a long time ago and I will not fear it now. I reached out and grabbed the hand that held the sword. With one sharp quick twist, I had the sword out of her hands.

"What are you?"

Author's Note: Cliffy.