Kuja stood on his feathered dragon, silver hair flying backwards in the wind. This is what he loved doing best; the huge sense of freedom he got from seeing the whole world so small underneath him as it rushed past like a river. As he flew towards the Black Mage Village, he spoke to his dragon in his thoughts, as he had not done for so long.

Where have you been all this time, Kuja?

To hell and back, my friend.

The dragon sent Kuja the telepathic equivalent of a snort. I couldn't believe it when I saw you fall into the Iifa Tree. I called for you, but you did not reply.

I was dying.

Ah, replied the dragon. That would be it.

The dragon paused.

We have a lot to catch up on, Kuja.

I know. But not now. Now you must concentrate on getting us to Magrathea Forest as quickly as possible.

Do you doubt my abilities, Kuja? Don't you remember how you and I used to race the elephant- lady's ship, or how we used to fly from one corner of the world to another in a day, just to feel the wind ruffle our feathers?

Kuja smiled. I remember.

Zidane spotted the tiny village below and pointed. "Kuja, there!"

Silver dragon, descend!

It has been so long since I heard that. Too long.

The dragon dived. Zidane and Beatrix clutched on for dear life, as Kuja spread his arms wide to meet the gust of air that almost blew him off the dragon's back.

I haven't done this in a while.

It shows, the dragon replied. You are out of practice.

"Holy Ifrit!" Zidane shouted over the gale. "Kuja! Can you talk to your dragon... with your mind?"

The dragon landed gracefully, and Kuja leapt down from the flying beast and tickled it under the neck. Zidane and Beatrix jumped down after him.

"Didn't I tell you already?" Kuja inquired innocently.

Zidane, however, was distracted by Mr. 87 running up to them. "Mikoto's gone! She was kidnapped by some people in a big red ship! There was nothing we could do!"

"That bastard! Phiran was already here!" Zidane said, kicking a rock on the ground. "Is everyone else alright?"

Mr. 87 nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Well, that's a blessing." said Beatrix.

Zidane sighed and leaned against the dragon, holding his head in his hands. "No... my sister... what are we going to do?"

"We are going to get her back."

Zidane turned to see Kuja speaking.

"She's my sister, too. And I'm sure there's nothing you or I wouldn't do for her that Garnet or... or Freya, or any of your friends wouldn't. We'll figure out something we can do."

What has happened? The silver dragon asked.

My sister has been kidnapped by a man in a red ship. He has a large army at his command. We don't know where he is, what he wants, or who he truly is. All we know is that his name is Phiran, and he seems to have some sort of vendetta against us, me in particular.

Phiran...

Does that name ring a bell?

I think so, but... no, I cannot place it.

I feel the same way. Something is there, but I cannot see it. Can you find the red ship?

There are many red ships in the world. You shall have to come with me. And to search the entire world for one ship... you have no idea where they are?

Kuja thought for a second. Phiran said that his army, the Soroyans, comes from the far north. We should probably try there first.

Kuja turned to Zidane and Beatrix. "The silver dragon says he can find the ship, given time. But I shall need to accompany him."

Zidane nodded. "Right. But I think we should go back to Alexandria first. Check up on what's going on there, make sure the situation hasn't gotten out of hand in our absence."

Beatrix agreed. "We also need to come up with a plan of action should we find the Redwing."

"Right." Kuja said, patting the dragon's neck before vaulting back on its back and stretching out his hand to help Zidane and Beatrix up.

Kuja spoke to the dragon.

Let's go.

We haven't ridden together for three years, the dragon responded. Last time I was in a hurry. But this time, we shall make it something special.

Be careful, Kuja cautioned. My friends are not accustomed to riding dragons.

Then let me introduce them to this world.

The dragon took off, beating it powerful wings and blowing Mr. 87's hat away.

To Alexandria, Kuja told him.

But first, to heaven and back.

The dragon soared through the air, up towards the clouds. The sudden rush of air made all three gasp with surprise. Laughing with delight, Kuja stood up, holding out his arms to balance himself. His blue eyes shone and the sunlight glinted off his armour.

"Hey, Kuja!" Zidane called. "You never told me how you manage to stay standing up on your dragon!"

"It took me a long time to perfect it." Kuja said. He bent down and took Zidane's arm. Zidane stood, although he wobbled a lot. Kuja shook his head. "Keep your knees relaxed and put your weight on your back foot."

Beatrix also tentatively stood, although she crouched lower than Zidane. Zidane whooped. "This is great, Kuja!"

Here we go, said the dragon.

They're not ready! They've only-

Suddenly the dragon dived. Beatrix shrieked and was whipped off its back into the air current. The dragon quickly stopped, and Kuja turned and cast a hasty Float spell. For several heart- stopping seconds, it looked as if the spell hadn't worked. But then Beatrix stopped, and simply hovered in the air, bobbing up and down slightly. With just a slight shift in the weight on his feet, Kuja signaled for the dragon to fly over to her. When it reached her, Kuja held out his hand and pulled her onto the dragon's back, where she sat, slightly breathless. "I'm sorry, Beatrix."

"That's perfectly fine." Beatrix gasped. "Just- just get us back to Alexandria, on firm ground."

Kuja nodded, and the dragon resumed its flight towards Alexandria, but this time at a more sedate pace.

You should have been more careful, silver dragon.

You enjoyed it, didn't you? The speed. The air currents. You've not felt that for such a long time.

Kuja was annoyed at how well the dragon could read him. Stop changing the subject! You knew they had no experience in flying! You've had three years to nosedive and pull whatever tricks you want!

The dragon landed in General Madeline's square. Luckily, the only witness was a drunken man, who scratched his head and checked the label on his bottle. The silver beast looked at Kuja mournfully, its eyes huge and round.

Oh, don't look at me like that...

The dragon whined. Kuja sighed and smiled at the dragon.

You've always known how to get what you want from me, he thought, tickling it affectionately behind the ears.

You've always known how to fly, Kuja. The dragon replied.

A/N: Well, I didn't really like this chapter, but it had to be done. And I have Nirvana's greatest hits CD! It rocks!!! I also saw Van Helsing (finally) which was rubbish apart from the special effects and Dracula. If you watch Sleepy Hollow and Jeepers Creepers 2, you will see some hilarious similarities. Hee hee hee... actually, I'm just a friar...