Chapter 3
They sat, the eight of them plus Beatrix, in an airy drawing room near the queen's quarters in the palace. Bookshelves lined the wall opposite the window, and portraits of former monarchs adorned the other three. Zidane sat blissfully in the welcoming arms of an overstuffed armchair, while his companions sat about on couches, loveseats, stools, and in Garnet's case, the arm of his chair. Kuja had politely begged off the meeting, claiming weariness and inquiring as to where they would be staying.
Garnet had put them in a room next to her own that was usually used for guards; Zidane suspected that if she had to have him out of her sight that long, that she at least wanted him close by. It suited him fine; he didn't exactly want to be too far away from her, either. The room had two beds, so Kuja had gone up to use one of them.
Zidane took a deep breath of fresh air, enjoying the feeling of sunlight on his face and relaxing into the cushions of the chair. It was nice to finally be able to sit on something other than the hard, petrified vines and roots of the Iifa Tree, or the rough ground between the Tree and the nearest civilization, or any of the number of uncomfortable cots he'd endured on the trip between there and here. His muscles thanked him for the respite.
His friends had listened raptly to his story of Kuja's rescue, how Garnet's song had mysteriously soothed the petrified center of the Iifa tree, allowing them to cut their way out, and the arduous climb with an injured Kuja through a thick, dead jungle inhabited by monsters of the worst kind. Now, his tale told, they sat for a moment in silence.
Freya was the first to break it. "Why didn't you come straight here?" she asked.
Zidane smiled, running a hand through his hair. "A couple reasons. We weren't exactly presentable after our climb out of the Iifa Tree. And I knew that Tantalus would help me make a suitably dramatic re-entrance. That and Kuja was seriously injured. I wanted to get him some medical attention first."
It was Amarant who finally asked the question that Zidane was sure they were all thinking. "Why did you save him, Zidane? Or, if you had to save him, why on earth did you bring him back here? The guy's a psycho!"
"No," said Zidane firmly, "he's not." 'Might as well get this cleared up now,' he thought. "Kuja's changed. I know it sounds clichéd, but he realizes that he was wrong. He's just trying to figure out how to live life again, and it's not easy for him. He's not used to a world where he can't control or manipulate things. He's not used to not having any power. It's hard for him to readjust. So go easy on him, okay guys?"
Amarant still looked unconvinced, but Zidane saw a few of the others nodding thoughtfully. Quina looked oblivious, but then, Quina always looked oblivious.
"What did the Tantalus think of Kuja, when you brought him?" asked Beatrice, sounding amused.
"Well, I kind of introduced him as my brother," Zidane admitted. "And he stayed in his room most of the time and didn't come out. As it looks like he's doing now." Zidane looked up behind him, in the direction where their room was, as though he could see how Kuja was from here. He smirked at the memory of the Tantalus members' curiosity.
"So," Blank had said, after Kuja had gone to his room and he had Zidane alone. "Who's the hunk?"
Zidane blinked. "Hunk?"
"Duh," said Blank. "You remember. Gorgeous, white hair, won't say more than five words at once?"
Zidane shook his head. "I know who you mean, I'm just not used to thinking of him as a hunk." Zidane had known of Blank's tastes for a while, ever since his friend had had a crush on him a very long time ago. But it still felt odd to him that anyone, male or female, would look at Kuja that way. He supposed it made sense; Kuja was, after all, undeniably good-looking. But still.
"He's my brother," he said, giving Blank a look. "And go easy on him. He's learning right now what it means to be human and have human emotions. Relationships and sex particularly are advanced study, so don't go springing it on him without warning."
"Yeah, yeah," said Blank, but Zidane could tell that he was thinking about this very seriously. 'Oh great,' Zidane thought, 'am I going to have to spend the whole trip keeping Blank away from Kuja?'
Luckily, Kuja stayed in his room most of the trip and Blank didn't make any moves, contrary to what Zidane had expected. Maybe Blank had actually listened for once. It was rare, but not unheard of.
"Your brother?" asked Beatrix, bringing Zidane back to the present.
Zidane nodded. "It's what he is, really. I mean, we were created by the same person, in succession, right? So that sort of makes us brothers, doesn't it? And I was alone with him for months, so I feel like I know him as well as a brother, anyway. It's immaterial whether it's true or not. Kuja needs a brother to look out for him, so I'm going to be one for him."
"I hope you know what you're doing," Amarant muttered.
Oh God, that was hideous. Take me back.
or
Oh God, that was hideous. Let me complain to the author.