A/N: Chapter dos! More kudos to Elendraug, who's been a wonderful sport throughout my obsessive streak.

Also, THERE'S ANOTHER AMARANT/KUJA FIC IN TOWN, by Zozo the White – it just updated so I gotta go read the new chapter. Anyways, go read it, it's pretty good, and there's some funny stuff in it.

Is it wrong I think Amarant's ticklish?

The airship Prima Vista is a lot like the costumes that Tantalus wear; extravagant but cheaply made. The huge woman on front is made of copper and is green-tinted, old and worn, and the wood creaks under Amarant's feet.

Then again, it's just been converted to a steam engine, so it's not completely ancient. Kuja is looking around and Amarant feels like the other wants to live here. He hopes that's not the case, because this thing could probably fall out of the sky at any moment. Blank is talking quickly and easily, covering more ground than Amarant thought his short legs could, and Kuja is smiling, laughing lightly. He's pointing out all sorts of random objects – props, scenery, lighting – and he gives everyone they pass waves.

"Blank!"

Amarant looks over his shoulder and then stops, turning around in time to see a bulky man with large rat ears – half-Burmecian? – and a pilot's hat on, complete with goggles.

"Uh..." The actor moves in front of Amarant and grins, almost sheepishly. "Hey, boss. What's up?"

"You know damned well what's up! What do you think you're doing, bringin' people on this ship like we can take 'em?"

Kuja blinks, looking at Amarant briefly before turning to Blank, crossing his arms. "Oh, dear. Did we cause a problem? Blank never said anything about that..."

The boy winces and rubs the back of his head, looking at Kuja empathically. Amarant snorts. "I didn't... I mean!" He turns to the boss, pleading now, "Come on, Baku – I promise it's not-"

"The Prima Vista ain't a damned cruise ship!"

"They needed to go to Treno and we were heading there anyways! I thought-"

"Yeah right you thought! Look, we don't have enough supplies to baby two-"

"Baby us?" Amarant snorts, cutting Baku off. He's heard enough. "I'm not planning on flying for free." He nods to the older man, "I'll do work for you, from here to Treno. Nightshifts, engine work, whatever." He jabs a thumb at the actor, giving him a vicious glare before looking back to Baku, "I didn't come here 'cos of this fool. I need to go to Treno, that's all."

"You can work an engine." Baku doesn't look impressed, and probably can see through Amarant, who bluffs anyways because Kuja wants to go back to Treno.

"Enough to know if we're going to crash or not. I pull my weight. Ask any of the airships on this continent."

Kuja speaks up, suddenly, and Amarant knows Baku's not going to be able to back down now. "Please. I haven't been home in a long time, and my friend has gone missing. I need to find her and make sure she's alright."

"Aw, damn it..." Baku sighs, shaking his head, before pointing at all three of them. "Fine! But if you ever..." He jabs Blank roughly, "Ever go over me and invite people on this ship again, you are going to re­-gret it."

"Y-Yeah, boss, I got it." Baku mumbles and shakes his head, heading past them. "Um..."

"You didn't tell me we weren't allowed," Kuja snaps, eyes narrowing slightly. Amarant, for once, is glad Blank's here – now that glare isn't directed at him.

"I didn't think he'd care."

"You know better than that!" Amarant looks and sees Ruby approaching them with a big, cat-like smile on her face. "I'm sorry, Blank here doesn't know what he's doing half the time."

"I can believe that," Amarant mumbles. Kuja gives him a look and he turns away, looking over the hull. The ship only took off a few minutes ago, and it's obvious that it isn't meant to carry as much as it is.

"Kuja, you should come see the view!" Blank exclaims, grinning easily, "It's really great, especially from my room."

Kuja smirks, crossing his arms and shrugging, "I wonder if that's really all that's great in your room," he drawls, walking past the actor, "Alright, let's go see."

Blank looks like a cat with a mouse and Amarant rolls his eyes – the stupid actor has no idea who's the mouse in this game.

"Are you sure that guy isn't a prospect?" Ruby asks after the two leave. Amarant looks at her. "I mean, I know you don't want him to be, but..."

"He isn't."

"Really, then... I think you should make sure Blank knows what kind of mess he's getting into, darlin'. Poor boy isn't too bright in the head – I don't think he even sees those death glares you've been givin' him."

"It's not my problem." Amarant shrugs and shakes his head, crossing his arms. "It's Kuja's business, who he wants to bed."

Well, previously, he had been sure it was his business, but now...

Ruby is giving him one of the most devilish smirks he's ever seen on a woman. "What?" he asks, warily.

"You want it to be your business," she purrs, "So, it's my duty as Blank's friend to keep him out of the picture."

"As Blank's friend?"

"Well, of course!" She laughs, covering her mouth with her hand, "I don't want him rend limb from limb because he got in your way!" She shakes her head, "The poor boy is just... well, you see it. He's not the brightest – not when it comes to relationships, at least."

"I can see that."

Ruby laughs again, "Come on, sugar. I'll show you where you can sleep – we'll be in Treno by tomorrow morning. I'll find out what Baku's going to make you do," she adds, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward – he follows without complaint.

"Better not be engines," he mutters, "I don't know how the hell those things work."

Ruby grins and shakes her head, "He likes doing that himself. He probably won't have you do much of anything. He'll take it out of Blank, most likely."

Amarant grins; that's not a half-bad idea. Maybe he'll just do that instead.

"So, what's with the lizard guy?" Blank asks, closing the door to his room.

"Hm?" Kuja looks in the actor's direction, before going to the windows and looking out. "Oh... What do you mean?"

"Well..." Blank stands next to the Genome, unaware of just how close he is to someone who could have killed everyone he knows. "I mean, is he a relative, or a bodyguard, or something? I don't get your relationship with him."

Kuja laughs. His relationship with Amarant? "Neither do I, unfortunately." He knows what they aren't and he knows what he wants it to be, but when he looks at both of them together, the words and thoughts jumble and become impossible to figure. "He..." Kuja shrugs, "He's something."

"For sure, I see that. Well, so long as him glaring at me doesn't mean I'm tromping on his territory..."

"Territory?" Kuja asks, looking at Blank in mild amusement.

"Well – I mean, when I was talking with you earlier. He got really... angry."

The Genome shakes his head, laughing slightly, "Amarant gets angry very easily. But he's... oh, what was it – he's a skirt-chaser. He has very little interest in me."

That's not true, Kuja thinks vaguely, but the thought drifts easily enough.

"So you guys are just friends, then?"

Kuja hasn't been able to say the word "friend" in a while. He doesn't like categorizing people, and Amarant is definitely more than a friend... Maybe.

"I don't know. There's something, but..." Kuja looks out over the desert, and sees the sea coming towards them. The ship is fast. "It's very pretty."

"Yeah – I haven't really been off the Mist Continent too much, so all of this is pretty new. It's cool, though..." The boy gives him a halfway look and then shakes his head. "You know, if you're interested in that guy, you shouldn't be leading me on."

Kuja blinks and looks at Blank in confusion. "Leading you on...? Oh." He shakes his head, "I didn't mean to do that. I mean... Hmm. Yes, I'm very much interested in Amarant, but... He's very much not interested in me – not like I want. So, why waste my time on something that can't be?"

Blank raises an eyebrow and shakes his head, smirking. "You speak very well and know when to reel it in. You could be an actor."

"I could be a lot of things that I'm not."

"Hopeless romantic?"

Kuja smiles vaguely, looking at the rapidly approaching sea. "Utterly and uselessly." And it's true. He's always liked the plays where the couple ends happily – always likes the stories about true love and kissing the beast makes him a man. He likes thinking that's a possibility in life – in his life, specifically, but as long as he can see it in action... Being a hopeless romantic and a pessimist, Kuja thinks, is probably the worst thing to be.

"Well, then." Blank stretches and then leans against the window, grinning at Kuja, "I guess we're going to give that lizard guy a run for his money, aren't we?"

"What do you mean...?"

"It's obvious." Blank laughs, "Ruby always thought I was so stupid. Man, I can see straight through you, like a plate of glass." He reaches out and grabs Kuja's hands, becoming serious, causing the Genome to blink in confusion. "Give me until I leave Treno to woo you away from that other guy, or until he gets his act together. He was giving me glares like he wanted you all to himself, but you say he doesn't want you at all. So, I figure," Blank flushes suddenly and then grins wide, "If I can't get you two in bed by the end of my stay, it means I should have you instead. Does that work for you?"

Kuja looks at their hands and then smirks, looking up, "You mean to tell me that you want to play a game of 'let's make Amarant jealous'?"

"You make it sound so dangerous," Blank frowns, looking a little put off.

Kuja grins, "You have no idea just how dangerous it is." He leans over and then, in the simplest way he can, kisses Blank on the cheek. "I like it."

Ruby sits on the bed in Amarant's room, kicking her feet along the wood floor and looking at the bounty hunter in mild amusement. "Sorry it isn't too big – we don't get a lot of passengers other than ourselves."

"No matter. It'll just be me, after all." Amarant snorts and looks in the mirror, grimacing slightly, "Kuja can share that ragdoll's bed."

"Now, see, that's the first thing we'll have to work on – you need to accept the fact that you're jealous." Ruby gives him an annoyed look, "If you're always so impersonal, it's no wonder loverboy's going for Blank!" She reaches over the bed and pokes him sharply in the side, causing him to wince. "Well, what's that?"

He glares at her, realizing his mistake much too late. "Woman, don't you even think-"

She yells and bounces off the bed, pouncing on the bounty hunter and, without further ado, tickling him.

Amarant isn't someone who really likes to be touched by random people. He's also one of those people who likes to remain stoic during times when others are at higher levels of emotion.

Tickling Amarant Coral when he's trying to remain stoic is like grabbing an easily startled chocobo from behind and shaking vigorously.

Ruby looks vaguely surprised to find Amarant so easily felled but she recovers quickly, grinning evilly and running her fingers along his sides. He chokes and tries to shove her off, but goddamn he can't stop laughing!

"What the..."

Ruby stops and looks up, eyes widening slightly – Amarant manages to calm down and tilt his head back, looking at Kuja and Blank from an upside down view.

Amarant, who's eloquence is beautiful, speaks first. "Um."

"Hi y'all. Kuja," Ruby chimes, taking everything in a stride, "Did you know that this big guy's ticklish?"

"...No," the Genome says, crossing his arms, "No, I didn't. There's quite a bit about Amarant I don't know, it seems."

Blank looks from Kuja to Amarant, then bites his lip, looking at Ruby. "What are you doing, anyways?" he asks.

"Oh, I was asking Amarant here about this missing lady of yours," she nods to Kuja, who blinks, "And he said y'all were real worried. Then I poked him, and... well." She holds out her hands, still straddling his stomach, "You can see where that leads."

"Get off of me, woman," Amarant growls, and she does so, standing up and stepping over him to sit on the bed. The bounty hunter rolls over and gets up, looking at Kuja warily. He doesn't look happy.

"Him, worried about Janelle?" Kuja scoffs, "He didn't even want to come." The Genome turns and stalks out of the room, and Blank looks from Ruby to Amarant before following quickly.

"Goddamn son of a bitch I'm going to kill that goddamned rag-doll-"

"Amarant, now, calm down!"

Amarant glares at Ruby. If she hadn't... then... "This is, in some cosmic way, entirely your fault."

"Look, I just barely met you and I can see it ain't no one's fault but your own that Kuja's slipping away from you." The girl crosses her arms, pouting. "And I can't say I blame him, you great big jerk! I'll bet he's never even seen you laugh like that before."

"That's because he has enough damned sense not to tickle a bounty hunter three times his size and about five times as strong." Amarant looks at the mirror again, rubbing his beard in annoyance.

"That's a lie," Ruby snorts, "You're not stronger than that Kuja."

The bounty hunter looks at her as if she's grown a second head. "You have to be kidding me."

She smiles, and stands. "Look at yourself, sugar." She slinks up as sexily as she possibly can, and leans up against him. He stares at her some more. "I'm an absolutely gorgeous woman and here you are, fretting over that little monkey-tailed guy." She smirks, "Boy, you've got it so bad you don't even realize it yet. He could ask you to kill a thousand men and you probably would. He's completely overpowered you."

"You're crazy." Amarant frowns and pushes her away, going to the bed and sitting. "Maybe you just aren't pretty enough for me. I like my girls a lot smaller."

"You like your girls with silver hair and monkey tails. Preferably without the girly bits," she chuckles, easily pulling herself up on top of the chest of drawers. "Face it, darlin', he's got you wrapped up around his finger. Now then, how to get you to realize it..."

"Look," Amarant sighs and shakes his head. "Even if I wanted him, I'm not going to have him." He waves a hand towards the mirror, "Take a look, woman. You've got a three times too big man who can hardly eat better than a dog, and then you've got Kuja... three times too small who knows what every single damned fork is used for, and when to use them. I'm assuming that actor can at least act like he gets it. Hell, you guys can even blend in alright with nobles."

"Hey, don't-"

"I stand about two feet over them, wear battle gear instead of tuxedoes – for god's sake, I wear cotton and that man wears fucking silk!" He shakes his head. "Goddamn, I was better off with Lani. At least she was on my level."

"Oh, who gives a crap about levels!" Ruby crosses her arms and kicks the drawers in annoyance. "Your angst is great, and all, but did you see the way he glared at me when he saw me on top of you? You might wear cotton, but boy, he'd rather you both be wearing nothing." She's using his own analogy against him, and goddamn if she isn't good.

"You must be bored out of your skull if this is how you entertain yourself. Do you really get kicks out of trying to unwind my mind?"

Ruby sighs. "Darlin', you have no idea how much your mind needs to be unwound. Now, then... I'm gonna go talk to Baku about your duties and then I'll come back. I've got some serious questions that need to be answered..." She slides off the chest and goes to the door, opening it and looking around, before turning and grinning, "But first, I gotta figure out what they are. See you in a bit, sugar."

He doesn't respond and she shuts the door.

"That... That..." Kuja makes a very aggravated noise and a shiver runs through him, "That idiot!"

"Hey..." Blank puts a hand on the Genome's shoulder, "I know Ruby. Believe me, she goes for scrawny guys, not big guys. Besides, half of the time she's more worried about her hair than the people around her. She was telling the truth."

"I wasn't talking about her," Kuja mutters, crossing his arms, "I was talking about Amarant. That stupid oaf, letting her..."

"You're really not lifting my spirits much, you know," Blank complains idly, "I'm trying to seduce you, remember?" He puts his other hand on Kuja's other shoulder and starts kneading the muscles – Damned actor, with his... kneading hands and such...

Kuja sighs, deflating slightly, "At this rate I'll probably jump in your arms. He's so... untraceable. I don't understand where he's going or what he's getting at. You say he glares at you like he wants me?"

"Mmhmm." Blank doesn't sound too worried. This reassures Kuja, for some reason.

"Then why would he let her get so close when he..." Kuja throws his hands up in the air, disrupting Blank, who blinks as the Genome spins to face him. "You'd sleep with me, right?"

The actor opens his mouth, closes it, and then opens it again. The second time, something comes out – "Um..."

"I mean," Kuja clarifies, "If we shared a bed for three months, you'd have slept with me by now, right?"

"Well – yeah. I mean, I want to sleep with you now and I haven't even known you that long."

"Then why doesn't he!" Kuja groans and flops down on the bed, covering his eyes with his hands. "I don't get it – I can kiss him and he's fine with it, but he just... Gah!"

Kuja's surprised the sound even came out the right way. He's never been out of words before, and he's never been so exasperated.

"Maybe he... I don't know." Blank sits down beside Kuja, looking at him halfway. "I don't get it either, you know."

"I'm not surprised. I don't understand him. He's so... strange. I'm not used to unscripted characters and adlibbed lines. It's as if a play just got interrupted by someone jumping down from the rafters and throwing everything out of place."

"I think I understand that, at least. Look... Sometimes you have to work with what you're given. There's this playhouse in Alexandria that I went to with a friend once – they only had an opening bit of script, but then you adlibbed the whole way through. You had to learn to adapt to changes – it was awkward at first and I didn't like it... but then I realized that not everything needs to be scripted out for me." Blank puts his hand on Kuja's, and the Genome looks at it before looking at Blank curiously. "Sometimes, you've just gotta go with the flow."

"Hmm." Kuja smirks, "Does this flow involve me getting undressed for you at any point in time? Because my script just doesn't seem to follow that."

Blank pouts, "Hey, I tried, didn't I?"

"You tried too hard. My brother couldn't have wooed his lover with speeches like that."

Blank frowns, "You have a brother?" He grins, "Would his script change for me?"

Kuja laughs, shaking his head. "My brother is dutifully engaged to a rather high-classed woman at the moment. I doubt he would break away from her for anything."

"Well... It was worth a try."

Kuja grins at the actor but he doesn't feel too much different from before. He hopes that he doesn't have to make up his lines from here on out – that would lead to more endless waiting. He shakes his head. Maybe his happily ever after isn't going to go according to plan.

However, there's still another act to go through, and maybe, by curtain call, he can take his bow like planned.

Rushed ending. Forgive me? ALL I WANTED WAS TO MAKE IT GOOD FOR YOU.