Chapter 5
"NOOO! Stop it! Stop hurting him!" He was on the ground now, clutching his head between his knees, trying to block out the screams and laughter that rang through his mind. But the sounds never ceased, and now images were trying to force their way into his eyes; images that were cruel and frightful; images that he never wanted to see….And it didn't stop. And when the tears welled up and he started to cry, it only seemed to fuel the nightmare. "..please….just stop it.." he sobbed, "..I don't want to see anymore…"
"..Jitan…"
"Leave me alone…" He tried to ignore the voice, thinking it was only one of Garland's tricks, but it persisted.
"Jitan."
Something touched him. He shrank away at first, but the touch was soft and hesitant, and it didn't seem to want to hurt him. And when it came again, he reached out for it. His eyes opened to a clear blue sky. A seagull cried out somewhere nearby and he turned his head in the direction.
"Jitan…"
'…are you alright?' The thought finished inside his head and he was confused at first. He followed the voice that had spoken his name found himself looking at his older brother next to him. "What?"
Kuja gave him a strained look, 'You have been dreaming for quite some time; I was beginning to worry.'
"I, uh..." He glanced at the sun—which was now waning towards the west, and he also noticed that Kuja's long silken hair was completely dry. "How long was I out?"
'I don't know. I awoke when you began to talk in your sleep….you seemed to be having a nightmare.'
He tried to block out the images that resurfaced in his mind, "Yeah…I was." He didn't want to think about it, "Hey, what's with the telepathic voice now? You could have done that earlier, you know; made things easier."
Kuja looked at him significantly, 'Talking this way requires concentration, dear brother; you are just trying to change the subject.'
"So what if I am?" he said jeeringly, though his eyes showed that he was quite serious about not wanting to discuss the matter. "I don't wanna talk about it, ok?"
His eyes softened, 'As you wish.'
Jitan sat up and looked his brother over. "You feeling better?"
'Yes,' he tried to sit up, 'but this boulder isn't very comfortable.'
Looking for ways to take his mind off the past, Jitan slid off the rock and carefully helped Kuja get down, though he still had to carry him, as his wounds were very much capable of reopening if jostled. He set him down beneath a large tree with smooth bark and stood to the side, shading his eyes as he looked up into the sky feathered with palm tree fronds that always seemed to be out of reach. He spotted some coconuts in a nearby tree and was suddenly reminded of his dry throat. He looked over at Kuja who was silently regarding him, "Hey, you want something to drink?"
His brother followed his gaze to the tree and commented, 'You plan to climb to the top of that?'
Jitan turned back around and grinned, "Yup. You're hungry, too, aren't you?"
'Well, maybe a little…' he confessed, 'but it's not worth you falling and breaking your neck over.'
"Aw, don't worry so much," he said walking towards the tree. "Besides," he spit into his hands and rubbed them together for dramatic effect, "They don't call me a monkey for nothin'!" Then he pushed off the ground and jumped as high as he could before grabbing onto the coconut tree's rough trunk, quickly scaling the tree's height in a matter of no time. Kuja watched from below as Jitan quickly reached the coconuts and reached into his back pocket to pull out a small knife. Carefully balancing himself, he began to saw away at the nut's nonexistent stem until it finally gave way, letting the fruit fall to the forest floor with a loud thud. "Order up!" he called out to Kuja from his perch.
Kuja reached over to his left and grabbed the fallen fruit, pulling it in his lap. He looked up and watched as Jitan released his hold on the tree and fell like a rock to the ground beside him.
"So," Jitan said as he rubbed the palms of his hands on his breeches, "How do you like your coconut, Sir? Cooked, boiled, fried...?"
Kuja looked glanced at him sideways, cocking an eyebrow.
"Ha, ha. Don't be so uptight; it was a joke." He gently punched his shoulder.
Kuja winced slightly and handed his brother the fruit.
"Oy," Jitan said as he accepted it and pulled out his knife. "You are absolutely no fun, Kuja," he said while cutting into the nut's outer covering.
'And you are positively odd,' retorted the mage.
Jitan paused momentarily from peeling back the rind, "Why, Kuja," he said with a dramatic tone, "How, in Terra's name, could you say that I—the coolest, most daring and handsome guy ever to have been created—is odd?" He'd finished removing the coconut's outer layer and was now using his knife to scratch something on the shell's surface. After a couple minutes, he looked to be done, but he turned around and plucked two blue-colored berries from a bush behind him and proceeded to mash them into the side of the coconut. "There!" He turned the nut around and presented it to his older brother.
The coconut, having been removed of its green outer peel, now looked somewhat bald—save for the tiny white hairs that covered its surface. The vigorous scratching of Jitan's knife had produced a haphazard face of sorts: mouth, nose, and eyes (which were stained blue with berry juice).
Kuja regarded the little fruit face with a look that changed from surprise, to amazement, to curiosity, and, (upon realizing who it was supposed to be), bewilderment. His jaw dropped.
"You're speechless; pretty awesome, I know," Jitan said as he turned it around again, admiring his handiwork. He paused suddenly and scrunched up his nose, mumbling about something being missing. "Oops. I guess I zoned out again. Here, you're probably needing this more than I am," he said as he used his knife to screw a hole in the top through one of the coconut's three 'eyes.' "You drink all that you can and I'll have what you don't finish." He handed Kuja the fruit and watched as more than half the contents of the hairy sphere were downed in less than a minute. "Woah, onii-san, leave some for me!" he teased.
But Kuja stopped in mid-swallow and timidly handed back the coconut as he fumbled out the word "Sorry."
Jitan blinked in surprise and waved his hands from side to side, "No, no, no! I was just kidding! No, here. You finish it, I'm fine. I can get another one."
'Are you sure?'
"Absolutely. Drink up—I'll get another one later," he gave him his best saru grin.
Kuja reluctantly withdrew the nut and drank a few more gulps before sighing contently and setting the empty fruit aside as he rested his head back against the tree. 'The sky is beginning to look rather ominous.'
"Hmm?" Jitan followed Kuja's gaze and saw the dark clouds looming in the distance. "Do you think it'll come our way?"
'I believe so..' responded the mage as he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, smelling the air. His face became hard, 'The storm is accumulating more power, I can sense it… By nightfall, it will have reached our island.' He turned and looked at his younger brother, his eyes shining like cut glass, 'Jitan I have a bad feeling about this...I feel there is something evil behind the storm.'
"Evil..?" Jitan rose and looked up at the sky, squinting his eyes so that he could see more clearly. He looked back down at Kuja whose face was still hardened with concentration, "How can a storm be evil?"
He didn't answer him; there were too many things going through his mind. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he felt a hand on his arm. He blinked. Jitan had knelt beside him and was looking straight into his blue eyes. His heart skipped a beat. 'What?'
"I said…that we should be getting back to the cave."
He was still staring at him. Kuja held his breath.
"Kuja?"
'..Yes?'
"Let's go," he pulled Kuja's arm forward so that his back was clear of the tree before hoisting him to his feet by his shoulders, "I'll carry you back."
Kuja merely nodded and let his brother bear his weight, his feet dragging the ground as they made their way back to the safety of the cave.
By the time they reached the mouth of the cavern, the dark clouds were nearing the edge of the island. Jitan eased Kuja down on the cave floor and sat down next to him with a sigh. 'Tired?' the eldest inquired.
The blond opened a solitary eye and made a quirky face. "You may look feminine, but I know for a fact that you weigh just as much as any guy."
Kuja made a cross between a glare and a pout. 'Well would you rather I was any different? Perhaps thickset and dumpy like your brain-challenged Captain of the Knights of Pluto?'
"Rusty?" He laughed out loud. "Nah. I like you just he way you are, Kuja." He went back to leaning against the cave wall, eyes closed with a small grin playing upon his lips.
He blinked in surprise. Did he…Did he just say that he likes me, in a way? Kuja turned his head and looked at his brother wonderingly. I always figured he hated me for what I've done. Maybe he just meant—Jitan's weight was suddenly pressing upon his right side and Kuja noticed the monkey's steady breathing as his head drooped and slowly came to rest on his shoulder. I guess he's pretty worn out, he concluded as he felt Jitan's body relax against him.
Minutes passed by and soon the storm reached their island. The wind picked up and made a soft howl as it came in contact with the cave's entrance. Kuja couldn't help but snuggle closer to Jitan for warmth, as his under garments did nothing to keep out the chill that now filled the cave. A steady rain began to fall, and in the distance, Kuja could hear thunder. He nestled closer to his brother who never seemed to be cold; Jeez, he's like an oven, he thought to himself as he began to take his share of body heat.
He lay there huddled in his brother's warmth and was starting to drift to sleep when suddenly the insides of his eyes flashed white and then an earsplitting 'crack' of thunder as it ripped the air and echoed slowly into nothingness. After Kuja managed to get his heart back to a normal pace, he opened his eyes to find Jitan's tail wrapped in a death-grip around his own, and his hands balled into fists that were drawn tightly to his chest. Kuja opened his arms and hugged his younger brother, pulling him in a protective embrace, hoping that would calm him. Another clap of thunder sent shivers through the both of them, but he couldn't imagine why.
The storm raged well into the early morning hours before it showed signs of weakening, but the two brothers were so wrapped up around each other that when the rain finally stopped, both were fast asleep.
A/N: you may stone me for the slowest update, but please get in a comment between rocks!
