"Are we alive?" Zidane asked slowly.

Kuja pried his eyes open, staring at the dirt covering the front portal. "I think so..." He replied shakily, climbing to his feet after un belting himself.

"We're on Terra, right? What happened to rip us down like that?" Zidane asked, sounding slightly panicked.

"I think...maybe.....Garland did it, maybe he was afraid we'd attacked his fortress...." Kuja replied, slowing his rapid thoughts.

"We weren't going to ram it....I don't think.." Zidane intoned slowly.

"I Wasn't planning on ramming it. I'd just barely seen it when we went down." Kuja shook his head, turning to face his brother. "We should probably go down and check, We're near bran bal, if not in the middle of it."

Zidane paused "I hope we didn't land on anyone." He commented.

"Most of the would keep walking anyhow." Kuja joked.

Zidane gave a small smile. "Why, because no one told them to hurt?" He asked.

"Pretty much, I used to kick them when I was a kid to try to get a reaction. They'd fall on their faces, then get up and keep walking, bleeding or no." Kuja confided, a smile on his face.

"Sounds dull." Zidane commented, following him.

"Far too dull, little brother, far too dull." He agreed, pushing a button to lower the side ramp and starting down. He stopped abruptly when he came face to face with a spear. "Well, hello...."

"You little freak..." The Bermiciean snarled. "What have you done with Zidane?! Where is he?!"

Kuja arched an eyebrow, wiggling his fingers slightly to make sure Zidane stayed back. He didn't want his brother to be harmed, after all. "And what makes you think I did anything to him at all...Freya, wasn't it?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest and taking in the rest of the party glaring at him.

"You took him away!! Vivi and I SAW you take him away!!! If you hurt him!!!!" The little summoner was hopping up and down in rage.

"Where is he?" The Princess demanded, starting to step forward only to be stopped by the over weight knight.

"Who ever do you mean, Princess?" He asked, tilting his head and feigning ignorance. He could just see Zidane out of the corner of his eyes, but knew his brother wouldn't come unless he felt that he, Kuja, was in danger. Kuja found himself kind of glad at that, he wasn't sure if Zidane was ready to face his friends yet.

"You KNOW who, Dammit!" The princess snarled, tears welling up in her eyes as she stormed around the knight. "What did you do to Zidane?!?!"

(Kuja....Don't lay it on too thick.) Zidane's voice was soft and uncertain in his mind.

Kuja inclined his head ever so slightly to show that he'd heard. "Oh, yes. Him." He crossed his arms, what to say, what to say? He didn't feel right calling Zidane names, not here and now.

"Yes, Him!" Eiko spat. "Where is he, you silver haired freak?! What'd you do with him?!"

Kuja kept himself from making a face by pure strength of will. He could tell from the implications in Eiko's tone what she THOUGHT he'd done with Zidane, and the images that came to mind were none too appealing.

Zidane vanished from his line of sight for a few moments, probably to a curve where they couldn't hear his laughter.

(Har, Har, Was I THAT Bad?) He asked, ignoring the peals of laughter that were making his mind vibrate.

(Well...not THAT bad, but I can see why she might think something like that.) Zidane replied, muffled laughter evident in his mental tone.

(Thank you, I feel so much better. That's just....disturbing, Zidane......) He muttered, then focused on the group. "I do NOT Swim on that side of the pool, THANK YOU." He retorted to the small summoner, managing to look quite a bit affronted and insulted. "And even if I DID, which I DON'T, the incest part would really turn anything between us off."

He was treated to another round of Zidane's mental laughter.

(Don't kill the ship.) He intoned mildly, unable to keep his lips from twitching.

The princess voiced what all of the group were thinking. "What?" She asked confusion replacing anger.

Kuja slapped his forehead. Hard. "I am going to bury this one right here and now, Zidane and I are BROTHERS, I think of him AS a Brother and NOTHING else, except for the occasional 'Pain in the Ass' Reference." He snapped, trailing off a bit to the end.

(I love you too....) Zidane said, chuckling.

(You'd better, this has not been the best day of my life.) Kuja retorted.

(Is this one of those 'Pain in the Ass' days?) Zidane joked.

(YES! This day fits into that category perfectly!) Kuja cried in response. (Thank you, I needed something for that!)

The group took a few moments to process this, all paling when it clicked.

"Brothers?!" The Knight demanded. "How?!"

Kuja affected a board tone, rolling his eyes. "Do I have to explain the Birds and the Bees to you, Rusty?" He asked, sweetening his tone.

"There's no WAY you and Zidane are brothers, you look nothing alike and he's SOOO much nicer then you!!!" Ekio stamped her foot on the group, glaring at him.

(I didn't know being brothers meant we had to share personalities.......) Zidane commented.

(Heh, Neither did I.........) Kuja replied, looking at the little summoner. "And how do you deduce that, little one?" He asked mildly

"You just can't be, Zidane's too nice and you're too mean!!" Ekio shouted.

"Ekio." Dagger scolded, trying her best to be diplomatic. "Ok, so let's say you took Zidane out of the goodness of your heart and were trying to protect him....." She began.

"That's pretty much how it happened, although I don't remember feeling the warm and fuzzy feeling that supposed to be connected to selfless sacrifice that everyone seems so fond of." Kuja kept a sweet smile on his face, though his words dripped with sarcasm.

Zidane snorted.

Dagger looked like she wanted to tear him to pieces with her bear hands. "Assuming that this IS what happened, where is he now?" She asked, trying to keep her voice even.

(Points to the princess, for being the only one not to attempt a swing at me. And TRYING her best to be diplomatic.) Kuja chuckled mentally.

(Vivi didn't take a swing at you.) Zidane pointed out, amused.

(Good point, geeze, he's too quite....I almost forget he was there.) He turned his attention back to the princess. "Now, here's a question for YOU, little princess. Why ever would I want to tell you that?" He asked, acid in his tone.

(Getting fed up with twenty questions?) Zidane guessed.

(More then you know.)

Dagger's fists clinched at her sides, her eyes glinting. "Kuja, so help me I will kill you if you don't tell me." She snarled.

Kuja smirked. "And if you kill me you'll never know." He returned, crossing his arms. "Seems you have a problem."

Freya looked like she was ready to gut him, finding Zidane or no. "Warlock....." She growled.

Kuja made a slight face at her and stepped out of slashing range. (You hang out with strange people...) He muttered.

(And your friends are the epitomes of sanity......) Zidane returned, grinning impishly.

(Scamp.) Kuja snapped playfully.

(Can't prove it.....) Zidane joked.

(Can so, nothing but a dirty little street rat, scamp.) Kuja replied. (I should beat you up.)

(You'd have to catch me first.) Zidane replied.

(Like that wouldn't be hard.) Kuja retorted.

(Yeah, if you were half as fast as me, face it Kuja, you couldn't catch me if I cut off my legs and was crawling!) Zidane crowed.

Kuja scowled. (We'll see about that.......) He muttered darkly.

"KUJA!!!" Dagger shouted, breaking through the mental argument.

All of Zidane's friends were giving him strange looks.

Kuja winced. (See what you did!)

(Me! You were talking to me first!) Zidane protested.

"I was...uh.. Being paged....." Kuja said by way of explanation, feeling a blush rise to his ears. Shit, he hadn't spaced like that in years, Zidane was a bad influence.

Dagger frowned at him, her eyes slitting slightly. "Who were you talking to?"

"Nobody." Kuja answered, trying to keep his face from twitching.

(I feel unloved….) Zidane complained.

(Hush!) He snapped.

A sharp jab at him with the spear reminded him that the princess wasn't the only person he had to worry about. "That's my chest!" He complained, frowning at the rat-woman.

"I'd gladly gut you if we didn't need information." She snarled in response.

(You want me to come down?) Zidane sounded worried now.

Kuja cursed to himself. (I'm not sure, stay put for the moment.)

"Kuja, pay attention!" Dagger commanded.

Kuja sighed. "Will you let me go if I tell you Zidane is fine?" He complained.

The rat-woman scowled at him.

"I guess that's a no then…Will you let me go if Zidane tells you he's fine?" He asked, looking at the Princess. He really didn't want to Ultima them into oblivion, it would take too much energy, would probably be messy, and Zidane wouldn't be too happy with him.

"Zidane's here?!"

"Zidane's been here, and Zidane isn't too happy you're holding his brother at spear point." Zidane commented, leaning easily in the door way.

"Zidane!" The shout was given voice by almost every member of the party.

"I thought I told you to stay put." Kuja muttered.

"Since when do I listen to you?" Zidane retorted. "Sides, it was either that or watch them kill you."

"Good point, But you still didn't listen to me." Kuja shook his head. "And here I thought you'd make the perfect minion." A sigh.

"Right, how about like…NO?" Zidane asked, laughing.

A deeper sigh. "Worth a try!" He lamented, ignoring the weird looks they were getting.

Zidane turned back to his friends, his grin hitching slightly for a moment before returning full force. "Hi, Guys!"

T.B.C.

A/N: Well, a few things limited my time, I no longer have net at my house because our main computer died and the back ups space bar doesn't work! They need to have a back up space bar, I tell you what! That and I recently discovered Harry Potter…..Much to my embarrassment, I thoroughly enjoyed it. sigh Ah well, I've been converted. It's life. Very mad at J.K.R. for killing my fav char. Scowl Please review!!!!!