Chapter 16
Kuja clutched his fur cloak tightly about him, and tried to lay down closer to Zaruyon's neck. But despite the heat from the body of the great beast beneath him, the biting chill wind still managed to sneak in and freeze him down to his bones.
He tried not to concentrate on the cold, but the only other thing that came to mind was equally unappetizing. The snow drake's words echoed inside his skull, giving him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Kuja. Traitor. How dare you show your face now? You sent thousands of white dragons to their death and for what?! So you could ally with mortals?! Hah! You're a disgrace to all draconian kind. You deserve to die for your betrayal. Traitor!
In his mind he saw again the blur of shining white as the drake leaped at him, saw the teeth so vividly that he could make out the individual drops of saliva hanging from each fang. And then Blank, dear, courageous Blank, had thrown himself between them. Kuja knew that he deserved to be the one lying there, breathing his last, not Blank. Blank should have lived.
Kuja bowed his head, trying to keep tears at bay - surely they would freeze at this temperature. Blank was lying back at the castle, dying, because of him. Zidane had been right all along. He should never have gotten involved with Blank. Not because Kuja would have been hurt, but because he was a danger to those who got close to him. Nothing around him survived for long. He was the Angel of Death, after all.
Kuja groaned, feeling the agony of remembrance well up inside him, threatening to overwhelm him. Thankfully, Zaruyon startled him out of it.
I'm going to land. We're about as close as I can get; any higher and I wouldn't be able to fly in the storms.
Zaruyon began to set down, and Kuja stared up at the enormous mountain in front of them. This was one of the highest peaks in all of Gaia, and if he could make it to the snow drake colony near the top... He shook his head. He'd worry about dealing with the snow drakes when he got there. Until then, there was the small matter of the mountain to climb, and the blizzard raging from here skyward, probably all the way up to the peak.
"You can wait for me here," he told Zaruyon. "I'll come back down once I get the antidote."
I'm coming with you, said Zaruyon.
Kuja was surprised. "But... are you sure? I mean, your body heat..." He eyed his friend, knowing how quickly such a large frame would lose heat. Could he possibly survive in the cold of the mountains?
I'll be okay, Zaruyon assured him. This way, when you get the antidote, we can leave right away. You won't have to come back down. Provided I can find a spot clear enough to take off from, of course.
"All right," said Kuja. "If you say so. Come on, then." He didn't say it, but in truth he was glad to have the company. He hadn't been relishing being alone with his thoughts on such a difficult journey. He started up the mountain.
It was very slow going. The mountainside was steep, and would have been difficult to climb even in the best weather. As it was, there were times when Kuja felt that getting to the top would be impossible. He became very grateful for Zaruyon, who could easily lift him past some of the short, near-vertical stretches. As long as the dragon could find a few good footholds, each step would take him a great deal farther up the rock face. And thus he could easily pick up Kuja and deposit him several meters higher, saving him from some of the more precarious sections.
In almost no time, Kuja was frozen to the bone. His gloves were thin, so as to provide better grip on the mountain, but this lack of insulation quickly chilled his fingers. More than once he wondered what on Gaia he was doing. But then he would remember Blank, would picture him lying still in that bed. He couldn't face the idea that Blank would die because of him. And so he would press on.
Gradually, inch by inch and foot by foot, he made his way up the mountain.
Oh God, that was hideous. Take me back.
or
Oh God, that was hideous. Let me complain to the author.