Edonil: Hello! I don't have much to say right now, so moving on...

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it, it's still fanfiction.

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Iifa: Ancient Tree of Life

Chapter Four

Kuja had once been an Angel of Death. He had waged bloody war on several cities. He had brutally massacred countless innocents. He had destroyed one planet and nearly finished off another.

At the moment, however, he was forced to sit, shivering, in a none-too-pleasant cell beneath Alexandria Castle.

Kuja had been sitting there for perhaps ten minutes, with nought but his guards for company, before anyone deigned to look at him. Luckily for Kuja, that someone just so happened to be Her Royal Majesty, Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII (accompanied by General Beatrix, of course).

Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII looked perplexed. No doubt she had not expected to ever see Kuja again. Kuja might have felt insulted, but under the circumstances, hers was a reasonable reaction.

"So... You say he just popped into your window, Beatrix?" Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII asked. Beatrix nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty. It was most... peculiar."

"That is... understandable." Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII turned to Kuja. "Kuja!"

"Yes, Your Royal Majesty?" Politeness was probably a very good idea right about now.

"What are you doing here? How did you survive!" Kuja smiled his most winning smile. Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII stepped back.

"I was searching for my brother, Zidane Tribal," Kuja explained pleasantly. "I'm afraid I'm not too sure of his whereabouts... As to your other question, technically I didn't survive. However, because I died in the Iifa Tree, I was brought back by its powers." Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII looked like she didn't quite know what to say. Beatrix, luckily, was used to unusual things happening, so was not so shocked as to be incapable of speech.

"Zidane isn't here," she informed him. "Why are you really here?"

"He isn't? Hmm... I really did come to see him. Is it possible for me to bargain with you to let me out, so I can reach him? Do you know where he is?" Beatrix glared.

"We assumed he was dead. No one has seen any sign of him for nearly two years."

Oh. Well, then.

"Then is it possible I could bargain with you to let me out to continue my search?"

"No." Ah, well, it was worth a try.

Now, what to do? Zidane probably was dead, seeing as he probably would have raced this way the first chance he got. But now what? Kuja hadn't ever considered the possibility that his brother had died. His plan had been to find Zidane, get into Zidane's good graces, and mooch off Zidane for the rest of his life. It was really quite a good plan, but it did have one flaw...

Or did it? If Kuja could find someone else to mooch off of for the rest of his life... Yes, that would have to be it. Kuja would just replace Zidane in his plan, and carry on. But who?

The possibilities: Beatrix, Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII, a soldier, one of Zidane's old friends, one of the other heroes. The soldiers would probably be disinclined to help him... Zidane's friends might be, too. As would those heroes. Besides, Beatrix and Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII were currently available. Now, which one...?

Both. He'd try to convince both of them to let him out of this stupid prison cell. The first one to agree to let him out would be the one he eventually mooched off of. Yes, his plan was perfect.

"Ladies, I see that we are at an... impasse," Kuja said finally. "I can do nothing to convince you to let me out, and you are not about to do so on your own, which is, I'll admit, quite understandable, given our past... experiences. Therefore, seeing as I appear to be rather... limited in what I do next, might I inquire as to what it is you wish to do with me?"

"Leave you here to rot," Beatrix responded emotionlessly.

"Ah. I see... I suppose, given how I have treated you in the past, that is understandable." Beatrix's eyes narrowed.

"What are you plotting?" She knew him too well. Drat. He would have to be careful.

"Why must you assume I am plotting anything?" Kuja asked, sounding slightly hurt. He really was quite a good actor. "Could I not have changed?" Beatrix just rolled her eyes.

"Come, Your Majesty," she said, turning to Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII. "It seems we have nothing left to do here." Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII nodded slowly.

"Yes... I suppose..."

"Don't mind him," Beatrix said as they walked away. "He's not going to change."

How right she was. Kuja made a mental note to work harder to convince Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII.