Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. If I did, we'd all be worshipping monkeys. Oo

Chapter II:

Dark Reunion

Amie stood stock still in fear as she took in the sight that was before her. Two minutes ago, her fiance had been pacing the floor; now, the first Angel of Death, the man who created her, stood there. "Y...You...bastard!" How dare you show your face!" she cried, lunging at Kuja with her long staff at the ready. Kuja easily caught her, holding her despite her struggles. "Shhh, shhh...Amie. Please calm down. It's all right," he murmered, trying to calm her down. "No, it's not!" she screamed, but she was already starting to weaken. After a few more minutes, she had stopped completely and burst into tears. Kuja just held her, uncertain of what to do. /Hey, let me come back,/ Orion's voice said inside his head. /I know what to do./ Kuja nodded slightly, and in another flash of red and white, Orion reappeared. Amie looked up and cried even harder. "Shhh, love, I'm here now," he whispered, kissing her forehead softly. "I'm back." "B-but he was here!! I saw him!" Amie cried, sobbing. Orion shrugged sheepishly and led her to their bed. Out the corner of his eye, he saw their china cabinet shudder ever so slightly. Not long after that, he felt the ground rumble a bit. "Hey, Ames, do you hear that? Or feel it?" he asked her. She nodded, eyes wide. "Sounds like...an airship coming to Dali," she replied. "Hmm. I'll go outside and see what's going on. We are, after all, outside the town itself, so if it's an attack, we'll be the first the know," he told her, grabbing his Serpentine Blade from the wall. "I'll be back," he called to her.

Zidane stood on the main deck of the Rose, the wind blowing his blonde hair back. He looked to Dagger, a multitude of thoughts cascading through his mind. Steiner walked to him. "Zidane, we are nearing Dali," the knight reported, saluting briskly as always. Zidane nodded, then turned his attention back to Dagger. There was a fire in her chocolate-brown eyes that he had seen only one other time-when they had faced Kuja on the Crystal World. She was clearly incensed about something-her mood had darkened considerably since they had left Alexandria. He tapped her lightly on her shoulder, but got nothing in response. Shrugging, he thought, Well, at least she's not mad at me, he thought. He looked to Steiner, and gave the signal to land.

Standing outside their flat, Orion watched as a familiar airship began to land. Is that...the Red Rose? Hmm. What could it mean? Zidane coming to pay me a visit, perhaps? he thought. /Well, well. If it isn't my little brother coming to pay us a visit,/ Kuja said glumly. Orion looked at Amie, who had just entered the doorway. She merely shrugged. "Well, I'll go greet our guests," he told her nonchalantly. She nodded. "Be careful, my love," she whispered as he left.

As the Red Rose Mark IV touched down a few hundred yards away from Orion and Amy's flat, Zidane once again tried to establish communications with Dagger. She would only glare at him and say nothing. This had Zidane worried. Looking down from the deck of the ship, he saw a familiar grey-and-black shape approaching the ship. Must be Orion, he thought. Hasn't changed much. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Dagger pulling the switches that opened the cargo bay doors on the belly of the ship. Zidane tried to stop his wife, but it was too late. Instantly, all eight of the bay doors opened, spilling out thousands upon thousands of Alexandrian soldiers...

Orion could only watch in horror as the bay doors on the Rose opened, and the legion of Alexandrian soldiers poured out. /Whoa. This is not good, Orion,/ Kuja said, stating the obvious. /We're in trouble./ "Yeah, you don't say?!" Orion shot back. /Wait! You do know you've got full access to my powers, right? That means you can use my Trance, if you need to,/ Kuja told him entusiastically. "Great. Now he tells us...as an army of Alexandrians obviously bent on our destruction comes at us," Orion quipped. /Hey, sorry. I completely forgot after Amie broke down,/ Kuja said. "Well, let's hope it's someone's birthday. I really don't want to have to fight these guys-er, girls," the younger Genome replied.

Zidane also watched the scene unfold, transfixed. He also noticed that Orion had drawn his custom-made short sword, and had assumed his fighting stance. Is he insane?! He'll be killed! Zidane thought frantically. "Dagger! What the hell are you doing?! You want to kill him?!!?!" he yelled. Dagger only nodded and smiled grimly. Then she said, "He won't hurt anyone anymore..."

By now, the first soldiers to come out of the ship were less than a hundred feet away. As they neared Orion, they began casting volleys of mid-level elemental spells-Fira, Thundara, and Blizzara. One of these spells hit Amie full force, and she fell to the ground, moaning softly. Orion saw this, and instantly erupted in fury. "YOU ASSHOLES! YOU'RE DEAD FOR THAT ONE, MOTHERFUCKERS!" he screamed, his red eye blazing. /Hey, now's a good time! Your rage is more than enough to fuel my Trance. Use it! Now!/ Kuja cried in his mind. Orion screamed in rage, and felt the changes begin. His normally black hair turned red and became feathery in texture while lengthening, stopping halfway down his back. His black tail became striped with crimson. His blue eye changed color and also became a deep crimson, like his right eye. Muscles bulged everywhere-on his chest, his legs, and his arms, and became coated in a deep red down. His skin paled considerably until it was white. With a roar, a field of energy erupted from him, causing many of the senior Alexandrian soldiers to back up in fear, for Orion had just become the most powerful and feared sorcerer in all of Gaian history....Kuja. In his Trance form.

Zidane watched these new developments, with an expression of something like awe on his face. So...it's true. The Seers were right, he thought. Kuja is back. He looked at Dagger. She had the same fire in her eyes, but it was toned down considerably, and there was something else entering them....Fear. Zidane put his arm around her, as all they could do was watch as the slaughter progress.

/Nice. I couldn't have done it better myself. You sure have got the Trance thing down,/ Kuja said proudly. "Thanks," Orion said. "I've had practice." He lifted his hand and pointed it in Amie's direction, gently pushing her back into the flat. /She'll be fine. Don't worry,/ Kuja reassured him. "Oh, I'm not worried, Kuja," Orion replied. "I just want...revenge." With that, he turned his spread-out hand toward the Alexandrian soldiers, then stopped. "Wait. I have an idea. Let me see...I want to use a particular spell..." /You mean.../ Kuja began. "Yup. I want to see if I can do it," Orion answered. Kuja knew what he was talking about. Orion smirked, levitating fifty feet into the air. He extended his arm, his hand spread out. A small field of energy appeared in his hand. The field suddenly exploded into a huge black magic spell. He aimed the magic down into the petrified army, while quietly uttering two words, "...Flare Star."

The resulting explosion of magical energy was enough to destroy two-thirds of the Alexandrian force. The remaining soldiers fled back to the Red Rose, for good reason. Zidane and Dagger both watched, transfixed. As if out of nowhere, however, Orion appeared as Kuja(Tranced, of course). He grabbed Zidane, as if to throw him across the deck of the Rose, but then, shuddering, reverted to Orion's normal form. Murmuring softly, "Amie...", he collapsed. Zidane bent over the fallen Genome's form, then proclaimed, "He's...not breathing. Hey, get a doctor up here pronto! We've got an emergency here!!"

A/N: Blah...I have nothing much to say here. Review if you want.