Edonil: Yay! Two chapters all in one day! Don't you feel special? So, anywho, here's the first chapter. Oh, and the rest of the story will be told in third person, so no more of Zidane's crappy grammar.

Disclaimer: I own the computer I used to type this story, and I own the ideas and ways I manipulated the characters, but I don't actually own the characters themselves.

Iifa: Ancient Tree of Life

Chapter One

Kuja was dead. In the end, it was only the surging power of his trance that kept him going. The attacks of those who were later called 'heroes' knocked him unconscious. He was then left to die within the ancient tree of life. His trance faded. He died.

But his body was unharmed. Just before his death, another clone like Kuja, this one called Zidane, had come. Zidane had hoped to help Kuja. Kuja was beyond the help of any mere mortal, Angel of Life and Death or not. Kuja still died. But as the Iifa Tree collapsed around him, Zidane used his own body to shelter that of Kuja. Kuja's body was unharmed.

Moogles, friendly creatures who helped pitch tents, deliver mail, and a million other things came for Zidane's body. They were greatly surprised to find that the clone still lived, albeit barely. They took him to the dead village of Madain Sari, where they lived, and did their best to revive him. After long weeks of doctoring, Zidane was healed, and finally, months later, he was able to finally leave for his home. But that is another story.

Kuja, the moogles left behind. They had no use for a dead body. Let it rot with the remains of the dead Tree of Life. Perhaps weeds would grow, and use Kuja's remains to fertilize themselves. That way, he would be some use to the world.

Moogles are faeries. They are very intelligent. They know many things. But they do not know everything.

Unbeknownst to them, the Iifa Tree had the power to revive the dead. It took many months of direct contact to do so, but it could be done. The tree's name was no chance. It was a conduit between the lands of the living and the dead. It could channel energy, raw and unaffected by the petty spells of humans and clones, directly to anywhere it wished. Perhaps that sounds strange. How could a tree wish anything? But this tree could.

The Iifa Tree is not a plant. It does indeed look like a tree, which is why it is so named. But while the Iifa Tree contains chlorophyll, it is not a plant. It has a certain sentience to it. Perhaps it is a link between plants and animals. No one knows. No one knows anything about the Iifa Tree, except perhaps for the ancient peoples of Terra, who are said to have lived in entire forests of 'iiva'. Many scholars have suggested a link between these 'iiva' and the Iifa Tree. Only the final survivor of the Ancients of Terra could say for sure, now.

But the link between plants and animals, iiva and Iifa is not the topic of this story. This story is about Kuja, and his slow rebirth by the Iifa Tree.

After nearly a year, Kuja's heart began to beat.

Of course, it takes more than a beating heart to make one alive. Kuja's heart was beating, yes, but his mind took even more months to fully heal. But it did heal. Kuja slowly awoke from the dead. At first, he was not capable of true sentience. He could only realize his base desires. Sustenance, shelter, warmth... The Iifa Tree provided all of these. Its rotting remains provided nutrient-rich nourishment, which Kuja readily ate. Its tangled mass blocked out the elements, and kept trapped within it a good deal of warmth.

Kuja continued to heal. His brain, fuelled by the additional life power caused by directly imbibing the tree, continued to come back. Slowly, he regained his intelligence.

0o0o0

It had been several months of being awake before Kuja did anything. He liked his home. The Iifa Tree was the perfect habitat for one whose past haunted him as Kuja's did. There were no people to judge him, as there would be in the more civilized world. Outside, people would hate him. Kuja had tried to destroy their home. He had started a war. Perhaps, if things had been different, Kuja could have convinced them that he truly was sorry, and they would have perhaps forgiven him. But this was not the case. Kuja did not regret his past. To live without regret is a strange thing. Kuja realized that what he had done was wrong. He never wanted to repeat those events. But regret them? Never. They had led to this rebirth, to this new knowledge of life, death, and himself.

But Kuja was at heart a performer of sorts. He liked to be the center of attention. He liked people to notice him. He did not want to be scorned, but he was being driven slowly insane by this reclusive life. He needed to get out, to find people, to talk, to laugh, to be accepted...

Where to go? Kuja knew the answer instantly. Zidane, the one he called his brother, had come back for him once. Zidane would accept Kuja again. They were too alike for Zidane to do anything else. Zidane had come back before because of it. Zidane would accept him now.

The question now was where to find Zidane. And that question is where our story really begins.

0o0o0

Hmm... If I were my brother, where would I be? Kuja pondered silently. He was seated upon his favourite decaying branch within his lush home. The midmorning sun filtered through the green growth up above, lighting his entire environment with a rich emerald glow.

I'd definitely have gone towards people, Kuja decided. Both of us would do that. That is why I want to find him. But which people? Those friends of his, no doubt. But of course, there are many of them, and they are all very different. They would not live together. So Zidane must either be with a group of them who do live together, or he is with the one he cares the most about.

A breath of crisp air worked its way through the foliage, causing Kuja to shiver. I must remember to get new clothes, he reminded himself. These clothes were never terribly practical to begin with, and in their current state, they do little to keep me warm.

But as to my brother's location... Perhaps those players that he stayed with? They lived together for many years; he could perhaps be with them now. Or perhaps he is with the Queen of Alexandria? They loved each other; they could still be together. But it is also possible that they 'fell out of love' as humans say. Yes, it is entirely possible that he is not there. So where to go...

Lindblum. If he is with his friends, I will know, and if he isn't, then I will find out. Also, there are less people who are likely to recognize and imprison me in Lindblum. I was not well-known there. Brahne was the criminal to them, not I. Most of them would not even know my name!

Lindblum, then. And after that... We shall see.