Chapter 24
Zidane had fallen asleep without realizing it in the wee hours of the morning, and so was startled to wake up into the bright light of morning. Garnet sat next to him, in the process of changing Blank's bandage. And because he was still slightly muddled from waking, it took Zidane a few seconds to realize that she had frozen in that position and was standing stiffly, listening.
Then suddenly it came again: a noise, which Zidane now realized must have woken him. From just beyond the window he could hear the leathery flapping of large, draconian wings.
Zidane bolted upright, standing so fast that he knocked his chair over. "Kuja!" he gasped, and dashed for the door.
Hallways which had never seemed long before suddenly felt as though it took an eternity to travel them, even at a dead run. Zidane cursed them in his mind, and cursed his slow feet, and cursed whatever else came to mind just to vent some of his frustration and calm his nerves.
A tiny voice in the back of his mind kept saying that it might not be Kuja. There were other dragons. In fact, it might not even have been a dragon. Never mind that Blank need that medicine now, that Garnet had said that even if he was lucky enough to live through the night, he probably wouldn't last another full day. The pressing need had little to do with the actual timeliness of events, and it was possible that Kuja still wasn't here, that he was coming, that he might not even make it in time, that he might not even make it at all.
But as Zidane skidded into the courtyard, his heart leaped to see Kuja sliding down from the neck of... of...
Zidane shook his head, unsure if his sleep-muddled mind was deceiving him. But no, it was real. Whatever Kuja was sliding off of, it was nearly impossible to see. Zidane could feel that there was some large creature there, but its flesh perfectly mirrored everything around it, so it seemed almost as though Kuja was descending from a being made of glass. Although even glass would have had clearer edges.
Again Zidane shook his head and turned his attention back to Kuja, who was even now striding towards him. There would be time to figure out his brother's strange mount later.
"Do you have it?" Zidane asked the second that he thought Kuja was close enough to hear him.
To Zidane's immense relief, Kuja wordlessly held up a small leather pouch. Zidane let out a breath he hadn't noticed he'd been holding, and led Kuja quickly inside and up to Blank's room.
When they reached it, Zidane pushed open the door as quietly as he could and ushered Kuja inside. His brother gasped as he caught sight of Blank. Staggering forward, he collapsed to his knees at the side of the bed and tentatively stretched forward one shaking hand to caress Blank's pale cheek.
"He... I had no idea it was so bad. He's practically transparent."
"Kuja," Zidane reminded him, "the medicine."
"Oh, yes." Kuja fumbled to retrieve the pouch and handed it to Garnet. "Here," he said, and Zidane could now make out in his voice how tired he was, "there should be six scales in the pouch. Powder them, and mix one into hot water, then make him drink. Give it to him once every day, in the mornings. Hopefully by the sixth morning he should be strong enough to take it on his own."
Garnet nodded and took the bag from him, clutching it to her breast. Zidane glimpsed her only long enough to see the tears of relief standing out on her cheeks before she turned and fled the room for the kitchen.
Zidane looked back at Kuja, who had seated himself on the floor next to Blank's bed and was clutching one of the pale hands between his own.
"You made it," Zidane said, smiling fondly at him.
"Time will tell," Kuja said quietly. "I was only in time if I came soon enough for the medicine to be effective. If he is already lost to us..." He trailed off.
Zidane moved over to the other bed in the room, where Garnet had slept during the short snatches of relief she had had. He pulled the blanket from it and moved back over to Kuja, draping it across his brother's shoulders. Kuja looked briefly up at him and smiled gratefully.
"So what's with the thing that brought you here?" Zidane asked.
"Caranteth is a mirror dragon," said Kuja softly, not taking his eyes from Blank's face. "We flew all night to get here. He carried me all the way back from the mountain. If I was in time, it is only thanks to him."
"What happened to that white dragon?" Zidane watched as Kuja visibly flinched, and his expression became mournful. Kuja, it seemed, had gone through as much pain as any of them with this experience, maybe more.
"He died," Kuja said softly, confirming Zidane's suspicions. "He sacrificed himself for me. So that I could save Blank."
There was something strange in Kuja's voice, something that hinted at a hidden intention. But before Zidane could question him about it, Garnet returned with a steaming cup in her hands. "Someone has to prop him up," she said.
Kuja stood quickly, the blanket still wrapped around him, and crawled onto Blank's bed. With a gentle tenderness that surprised even Zidane, Kuja lifted Blank's head and placed it in his own lap, propping him at a high enough elevation that they would be able to feed the medicine into him.
Zidane watched as Kuja held Blank's head steady and Garnet poured the warm liquid between his lips a little at a time, making sure that Blank would not choke. It seemed to take forever, but finally the last of the medicine was gone, and Garnet sat back on her heels.
Kuja was drooping, and looked about ready to fall asleep where he sat. Zidane smiled. "Kuja? If you'd like to sleep, you can use the other bed in this room. That way you'll be near Blank. Garnet and I will go to the master bedroom. Okay?"
Kuja nodded, and with some apparent reluctance, shifted Blank's head back down onto his pillow. Getting up seemed to be a struggle for him, and finally Zidane had to come forward and help Kuja to the other bed, where he collapsed bonelessly onto the mattress.
Zidane smiled and gestured to Garnet, walking with her to the door. But before he could leave, there was a feeble protest from Kuja.
"Please tell Caranteth that I am here, and that he should find a place to rest. I would like to talk to him when I wake."
"Will do," Zidane assured him, but Kuja had fallen asleep too quickly to hear even that.