There was no noise coming from behind the door but Zidane knew Kuja was behind there, waiting and ready. He stopped in front of the door and let his hand fall down before it pushed the door open. He turned round at them all and wondered if he was the only one who felt the cold leaking out from under and around the door's bulk. The rest of the group all looked at him with determined faces. They too knew that Kuja was behind that door and they were going to get him for all he had ever done. Vivi drank ether quickly and then stood next to Zidane, they looked at each other, and a link of agreement swept through them. They were the ones most affected by Kuja, and they were going to make him pay once and for all.
They pushed open the door together and ran towards the grey haired man, drawing staffs and daggers as they did so. Kuja was just sitting in front of them on an imitation throne he had made up. His feet were over the arm of the throne and he was holding a child in his arms. The child was terrified, crying and screaming. Kuja was looking at it like it was a stupid doll.
With her staff in her hand, Garnet froze as she saw her daughter being held in such a way. Zidane was just standing there, his eyes fixed on the scene in front of him.
'Kuja.' Garnet said and Kuja's fascination on Mikoto slipped away and it settled on Garnet.
'Garnet. Nice of you and your useless tin-can man to pop in. and you brought my brother with you, how kind. And is this a 'sorry' present? The last black mage, brought straight to me so I can kill it right now? Not to mention the annoying little brat summoner and a rat to exterminate.' Kuja got up and, with Mikoto in his arms, took a few steps forwards. 'Sorry, I almost forgot you, Amarant. We could have made quite a team if you would have just listened to me before you went to get your 'mission' of getting the pendant back from Garnet all that time ago.' Amarant grunted and glared at Kuja like he was an ant. 'So, Garnet. Why did you run off with my brother? Was I just a disappointment? And you told me all the time how you thought I was so much better than him.' Kuja smiled at Garnet and turned to Zidane
'You're scum. No brother of mine.' Zidane spat and held his daggers even tighter.
'Oh? Is that so? Well, I'm so glad we sorted that out.' Kuja's voice was flat as he said that, coated highly with dead irony.
'Give Mikoto to me.' Zidane said between gritted teeth. He didn't doubt for a second it actually WAS Mikoto, not just a phoney trick.
'Catch.' Kuja said and threw Mikoto into the air. Garnet screamed as Zidane threw down his daggers either side of him and ran to save Mikoto from cracking her head open on the stone floor. He caught her just it time and tucked her into his chest. Then, all at once, Kuja was upon him, an invisible barrier with a yellow sheen to it segregated Kuja and Zidane from the rest of the group and Zidane's daggers, now the group could only stand there and watch. Zidane curled himself round Mikoto and closed his eyes as Kuja kicked him in the back and then in the neck, where Zidane's reflex action was to move his head up to protect his neck and then Kuja kicked and punched him at the same time into the face. The rest of the group watched in horrified silence as Zidane slowly lost his health and his grip on Mikoto. He couldn't defend himself because he had to defend Mikoto and Kuja knew it. 'You just couldn't leave her alone could you brother. You just had to get her back even if it meant bringing up your brother's kid as your own.' Kuja growled angrily as he kicked Zidane in the face again and again
'She IS mine.' Zidane yelled and Kuja suddenly stopped kicking him. Zidane didn't get up, he curled himself more round Mikoto and covered her face with his hands, squashing her into his frame as much as he could, because he knew what Kuja would do now. Kuja looked at Garnet who smiled evilly and the barrier wavered and then dissipated. The group all fell over and then Kuja remembered then and vines grew out of the floor and pinned them down.
'You BITCH!' Kuja screamed and walked purposely towards Garnet, who couldn't hide her face as she was pushed up to kneel by the vines and then her head was brought down onto Kuja's knee and everyone heard the sickening crack. Then the room was filled with Garnet's gulps of breath and sobs as blood flooded in front of her eyes. 'Careful dear, you'll get your blood on me.' Kuja considered, calmly and lightly. Then he turned back to Zidane, who had half got up and had Mikoto in his arms. 'Give her to me, brother.' Kuja said and opened his arms. Mikoto cowered further in Zidane's safety. Zidane wrapped his arms more tightly around her.
'No.' Zidane said, blood was welled up like tears in his eyes and down his face, but he wasn't going to give up. Even if he didn't survive, Mikoto would. Kuja walked fast over to him and grabbed at Mikoto's arm, then he pulled and Mikoto screamed in agony. Quick as a flash, Zidane's leg came out and hit Kuja's legs so he fell over and let go of Mikoto. Zidane picked Mikoto up and ran to the side, put her down and ran to his daggers.
In that small, un-anticipated move, Kuja had forgotten to keep the vines round the rest of the group and they got up quickly grabbing their weapons. When Kuja got up he came face to face with Phoenix and Ifrit, but he just laughed, made a cutting action with his hands and they wailed and disappeared. Eiko and Garnet reeled back with the shock and felt the two Eilodons die inside them. Freya had jumped up high and was now coming down with ever more speed towards Kuja while Steiner ran full on at him, but with a flick of his wrist, they both bounced off a barrier and fell at Kuja's feet, where he blasted a spark at them, like a mini-holy and a glow enveloped both of the two knights. When the glow subsided, the knights were lying very still. Amarant was trying for a back attack but at the last second Kuja turned round and did exactly the same as he had done with Freya and Steiner, and he too lay very still afterwards.
Kuja laughed at their pitiful efforts and pointed at Vivi, who had not done anything yet and pulled him with an invisible rope forwards.
'Do you know how much I enjoyed killing you defections? A village where black mages live in peace?' Kuja laughed harshly.
'You're a monster. You killed your kind too.' Vivi said incredulous. Kuja laughed.
'There's already one too many of them genomes against me. I didn't want a whole army.' Kuja replied and with his other hand that wasn't holding Vivi there, he took Vivi's staff out of his hands and smashed it against the wall, where it fell down in two useless pieces. 'I tried to kill you before but your precious little summoner saved you.' Kuja sent his hand out behind him and stopped Eiko who was running silently towards him. He brought her round to next to Vivi. 'What a match! Two demented misfits.' Eiko tried to punch him but he laughed at her and threw her against the wall, just as he had done with Vivi's staff. She dented the wall, her eyes open in shock, and then she fell down to the floor with a smack. She twitched once and then stayed still. Vivi had tears falling from his eyes as Kuja took off his hat and threw that away over the other side of the room as well.
'Do you want to know how I killed your little friends?' Kuja said as he smiled a victorious smile down on Vivi. Vivi looked up at him with big eyes, his mouth twisted in horror. Kuja raised his free hand and a ball of energy started to gather. Vivi looked frantically over at Eiko, tears staining his cheeks with wet trails. Then he kicked his legs forwards and Kuja fell backwards, the ball of energy dissolving and Vivi was thrown backwards. He got up and ran to Eiko.
Garnet finished casting Holy (Eiko and Alexander had taught it to her) as Kuja fell over and as Kuja opened his eyes, he was showered with pure white energy. Zidane squeezed Garnet's hand and walked carefully over to Kuja. His daggers again in hand he didn't walk all the way up to Kuja, a few feet from him, Zidane stopped and looked critically at his brother.
'Get up Kuja. This was always about you and me… so lets keep it that way now. A fight to the death, proper death, not just a deep coma.' Zidane said and his friend's head snapped round to look at him. Kuja lay still for a few seconds and then a deep laughter came from his mouth and he flew straight up to his feet again.
'Ok. No limits. Anything goes. Yes? GOOD!' Kuja laughed and flew up into the air, doing a flip and landing down behind Zidane. Then, before Zidane could turn round he was thrown across the room and crashed into the wall. 'We'd better clear the area huh?' Kuja said cruelly as he looked at the bodies of Freya, Steiner and Amarant in the middle of the room. He made a sweeping motion with his hand and they slid across the floor to the side of the room where Garnet and Mikoto were running towards Vivi and Eiko.
Zidane got feebly to his feet and looked at his enemy. Although Garnet had healed him again, his life was already down by half. He mustn't let Kuja do that to him again. He ran at Kuja with his daggers out but Kuja sidestepped him and hit down on his head with his palm, Zidane lost his footing and fell over. He got up and turned to see Kuja's fist smash into his face and he fell down again. Garnet had revived Eiko now and they were helping Amarant and Freya up as well. Amarant, when he was what was happening, ran at Kuja who brushed him back again and told Zidane in a loud, clear voice.
'Tell you friend's to stay out of this. Like you said, this is between you and me.' Kuja said. Zidane got up and smiled at his brother, flipped round and stood there in trance. 'Trance huh?' Kuja asked like it was the most normal thing in the world. 'I'll have that then.' He said and flew his hand at Zidane, who felt his energy being sucked out of him and saw glitters of gold and silver seep into Kuja's skin. He almost yelled at the injustice. He was going to die and everyone knew it. He ran blindly at Kuja as he was absorbing the trance and slashed at him with his dagger. He was surprised to feel warn blood splatter onto his hand and he turned round to see Kuja bent down, his hands on his face. Zidane smiled as he ran at Kuja again and slashed his hand deeply. Kuja got up and looked straight at the oncoming Zidane with a straight face and glowing eyes.