Chapter 14
Blank stared at Kuja and tried his very hardest not to drool.
Kuja had taken to shedding his usual many layers of clothing in favor of shorts and a rather small T-shirt, both in a dull forest green. His tail, instead of being hidden by his clothes, was instead curled invitingly around his waist like a soft, silver belt. Blank was nearly certain that Kuja was doing this to tease him, but he had just enough doubt not to bring it up. He was afraid that if he mentioned it, and Kuja had not been doing it intentionally, then Kuja would stop dressing like this. And it did look so good on him...
Blank cleared his throat and sidled up to Kuja, smiling and trying to act normal. 'Bad Blank,' he thought to himself. 'Don't stare at his hips. Or his ass. Or his tail. Or- dammit!'
"Hey," he said. His voice squeaked slightly, and he hurriedly cleared his throat. "Hey," he tried again. Much better.
Kuja smiled at him, and the very tip of his tail twitched. "Hi," he said.
Blank hesitated for a moment, then slipped his customary arm around Kuja's shoulders. "You look really nice today," he hazarded.
Kuja looked down at himself looking slightly surprised, but when he looked back up, Blank caught a small mischievous glint in his eyes. "Why thank you," he said. "I thought maybe I'd try a new look."
Blank chuckled. "I'll bet Zidane flipped when he saw your outfit."
Kuja smiled fondly, the glint dancing in his eyes. "There was a look on his face that I'll not forget in a hurry."
A sudden thought occurred to Blank. "You're not doing this to get even with your brother, are you?" he asked.
Kuja arched a delicate eyebrow. "Of course not. I'm not trying to get a rise out of him."
Blank gulped.
It was a beautiful day and so, without really discussing it much, the two men moved to sit on one of the ornate benches lining the garden path. The heavy perfume of expertly cared-for flowerbeds thickened the air, and the sunlight was warm and pleasant on their faces.
Blank kept his arm around Kuja's shoulders, and when Kuja not only did not resist, but actually leaned into the contact, he finally felt safe enough to broach the touchy subject.
"You're trying to tease me, aren't you?" he said.
Kuja snuggled a little closer to him. "And if I am?"
Blank grinned, tightening his arm about Kuja's shoulders. "Then you have my attention, certainly."
Kuja smiled and said nothing.
"Won't Zidane be angry, though?" Blank asked.
Kuja shook his head. "I cleared things with him. We talked, and it's okay now. I am free to make my own choices, as it should be."
"And you're choosing me?"
Kuja did not reply right away, and seemed to get momentarily lost in thought, as Blank was learning he was wont to do. "I have decided to give this a try," he said eventually, and with the deliberateness of a conclusion positively arrived at.
"Good enough," said Blank, and turned his head to kiss the top of Kuja's hair as the other man laid his head on Blank's shoulder.
They sat like that for a few minutes in comfortable silence, when suddenly Kuja's entire body went rigid. Blank heard him try to speak, choke, and manage only, "Who...?"
That was when he saw it. From underneath one of the bushes on the opposite side of the path, two beady gold eyes glared at them. Slowly, their owner crept out from under the shrub, revealing the body of an enormous white lizard. It was more compact than a normal lizard, with a heavy-set body and a head that was almost more equine than reptilian. It moved forward slowly, with the strange slithering gate of a large reptile, flicking its forked tongue in and out. Blank looked over at Kuja, who seemed mesmerized by the sight of it.
He was not sure what exactly made him do it. Perhaps it was some slight shift in the way the lizard set its weight. Or maybe his precognition somehow slipped beyond the confining power of his blindfold. But suddenly he was compelled to draw his knife and throw himself bodily over Kuja. Seconds later, the lizard struck.
Blank cried out in agony as he felt hot, sharp fangs sink into his upper arm (thankfully the arm not holding his weapon) and stick there fast. He thrust out blindly with his knife, but it glanced off the pale, shining scales on the beast's side. Desperately, he thrust again, this time coming nearer to the lizard's belly. But the beast's enormous muscled tail thrashed to the side, knocking his arm away at the crucial moment. The fangs sunk deeper as the lizard's jaw spasmed and bit down, and it was all Blank could do not to pass out from the sheer pain of it.
Taking a moment to try to aim, Blank thrust again with the knife, and this time it hit. He felt the blade slide into the soft flesh of the creature's belly with no more difficulty than it would have had cutting into warm butter. Warm, slippery liquid gushed from the knife wound over his hand, and he struggled to keep his grip on the hilt, twisting it as best he could.
The beast roared, a deep, guttural sound in its throat, but did not relinquish Blank's arm. Blank's grip on the knife was becoming precarious, and he knew he could never hold onto it long enough to make another thrust.
Just then he saw Kuja's hand out of the corner of his eye, reaching around Blank's waist and grabbing hold of the lizard's forearm. As Blank watched, Kuja's palm quickly began to glow a light blue. Knowing what was coming, he quickly let go of the knife, but there was no way to detach himself where the creature's teeth were still sunk into his arm. He braced himself as best he could.
The huge electric shock that passed through the lizard caused its entire body to jerk and spasm. Blank clenched his teeth as some of the electricity arced to his own body, but he knew it was nothing compared to the full brunt of the assault that the monster was receiving. When the attack ended, the teeth slid out of Blank's arm, and the creature fell to the ground, twitching. After a few whole body convulsions, it finally lay still.
Blank felt his blood dripping down from the wound in his arm, and a dull heat started to spread through his body from the point of the bite. He suddenly felt light-headed, and the world began to swim in front of his eyes. He put the hand of his good arm to his forehead, but then removed it when he realized that he was smearing the creature's blood all over his face.
His own breathing was somehow very loud in Blank's ears. Sweat trickled down from his forehead, mingling with the blood of the beast and dripping into his eyes, down his nose, running down his cheeks. The world continued to swim, and then suddenly lurched sideways. Blank had the vague, disorienting feeling of falling, and then a jarring sensation as his body hit the uncomfortable packed earth of the path.
As he stared up towards the sky, Kuja's familiar face swam into view above him. Kuja was so lovely, he thought. But he looked so very worried, from what Blank could make out of his expression. Blank tried to frown. Kuja shouldn't be worried.
He tried to tell him that, but managed only in speaking his name. "Kuja..."
And then the world went black.