Chapter 8
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Note: Can someone please tell me if Kuja has a tail? I can't for the life of me remember.
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"Why do you wear that blindfold?" Kuja asked Blank as they strolled through the palace garden. "You don't seem to be blind."
Blank grinned. He and Kuja had been meeting for just over a week now, and he was finding that in addition to taking in the eye candy that was Kuja, he was actually really enjoying the other's company. Kuja was a great conversationalist, and incredibly intelligent. And besides that, he always seemed to be keeping Blank on his toes. Just when Blank had it fixed in his mind that this person was intelligent, worldly, and mature, Kuja would say something so incredibly childlike or innocent that Blank's entire view of the man would be rearranged.
Zidane had definitely been right about Kuja's emotions.
"No, I'm not blind," Blank responded. "I was in an accident as a child. Magical explosion. The only way I can see properly is if I cover my eyes with something."
"Oh." Kuja was silent for a moment. Then he said, "So what happens if your eyes aren't covered?"
"Well," said Blank slowly, trying to come up with some way to describe it, "it's strange. I don't actually see what's in front of me. I sort of see... the essence of things? I don't know. Sometimes I can see the future of what I'm looking at. Mostly I just kind of see what the thing is. Not what it looks like, mind you, but what it fundamentally, at its core, really represents. I see time and emotion and thought and a whole realm of other things that I don't understand. I really don't like to do it; it gives me one hell of a headache and honestly kind of freaks me out a bit as well. I don't think people are meant to see that sort of thing."
Kuja looked thoughtful, digesting this. In the course of their acquaintance, Blank had learned that the white-haired man often did this. Unlike many people who chattered to fill up silences, Kuja would often lapse into quiet, thinking things over in his mind until he had come to some sort of conclusion, which he didn't always divulge. Often his next comment would seem to be a total non-sequiter because it was the result of a long, involved train of thought.
The pattern seemed to hold true. "What color are your eyes?" Kuja asked.
Blank grinned and stopped walking, turning to face his new friend. When he was sure he had Kuja's attention, he lifted the blindfold a small bit and opened his eyes, blinking at Kuja with his own strange vision. He heard the other man gasp and grinned. His eyes tended to have that effect. He lowered the blindfold.
"That's the other reason I keep my eyes covered," he said with a chuckle. "Can you imagine me walking out in public with gold eyes? It's easier to just let people think I can't see at all."
"You have no pupils," Kuja said, still sounding amazed. Blank shrugged and didn't respond, resuming his ambling pace along the garden path. It really was a beautiful day; he could feel the warm sun on his face, and hear the birds singing all around them. It was also more than a little romantic, but Blank didn't point this out to Kuja.
Seeing him move, Kuja started walking after him and after a while asked, "What did you see of me?"
Blank paused, unsure if he should tell the truth. But Kuja was not the sort of person that you lied to. He knew now more than ever what dishonesty or disloyalty would do to Kuja's budding respect for humanity. So he settled on honesty.
"You're sad, mostly. That's what I felt from you, really. You're not really angry at yourself, or angry at anyone else. You're just sad that you made a wrong choice. You're sad that you couldn't see before what you're seeing now in the people around you. You're sad because people are giving you a second chance, even though you don't think you deserve it. And at the same time, somewhere under all that sadness, there's a tiny seed of joy at the world around you. You're starting to wake up and realize how much wonder exists in this world. And that's saving you."
Kuja had stopped in his tracks and was staring openly at Blank, his mouth open and his expression a mess of conflicting emotions. He looked scared, angry, astonished, uncertain, depressed, and more than anything else, awed.
"You saw all that?" he finally whispered.
Blank nodded. "I did. These eyes do come in handy sometimes." He paused. "Please don't think badly of me for seeing those things about you. I can't control what I see. And I don't think the worse of you for it, honestly I don't."
Kuja looked hesitant, but eventually stepped forward and continued along the path. He said nothing when Blank fell into step beside him.
Oh God, that was hideous. Take me back.
or
Oh God, that was hideous. Let me complain to the author.