Title: Happily Ever After
Chapter: Terra-Matra
Author: Raserei Hojo
Summary: FF Crossover. When you die, you're not really gone. In two separate worlds, two young men with different goals died. In the darkness, they meet. But, within a short amount of time, will their souls be erased from time as the law states?
Rating: T
Feedback: Very much so desired!
Story Warnings: Male/Male, shounen-ai
Pairings: Kuja/Sephiroth
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters of Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. Any that are NOT recognizable belong to me. However, feel free to use them in any story you wish.

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"It's...so beautiful!"

"It's dull."

"It's amazing!"

"It's dismal."

"It's spectacular!"

"It's morbid."

"Why can't you just be positive for once, Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth shrugged and shook his head. "Why can't you just be calm for once. It's just a city. So what?" His green orbs took in the scenery. The view was quite breathtaking, but he was not about to admit that to Kuja. Besides, he had spent plenty of time in the wilderness during war times, and the comforts in the city were really of no use to him anymore.

"Hmm..." Kuja eagerly looked around. The city was a mass of skyscrapers and narrow ally ways, very alluring to someone such as Kuja. "People, people, buildings. I wonder who can help us?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Sephiroth frowned and looked aside. "Why do we need the help of others? Why don't we just hack off some guy's head and take his house."

"Well, I suppose we could..."

"...However...?"

"I just don't feel like killing anyone right now. After all, that's how I ended up here. And, we're all already dead. How can someone die again?"

"I can sever his head and observe what happens then."

"You need to take some medication for that attitude."

"No thank you."

Kuja licked his dry lips and placed his hands over his stomach. "...I'm hungry."

Sephiroth, aggravated, moaned into his hand. "What do you want me to do about that?" He moved his hand away from his mouth and looked at Kuja. "I don't have any food, so I can't feed Your Majesty like you probably expect me to."

"I never said that. I just said I was hungry. I haven't felt hunger or anything else in so long..."

"Maybe while we were in the darkness our needs were cut off."

"Perhaps, perhaps not."

"..."

"What!"

"You question too many things."

Kuja smirked, pleased. "It's better than just accepting everything you're told, isn't it?" He looked around the city again. "...Oh dear."

"...Oh dear?" Sephiroth rose a brow at that statement.

"Look, there's a man in a white robe coming this way."

"...So?"

"He looks like he came from a circus."

"And you don't?"

Kuja glared at him. "No, I don't. I'm highly fashionable, unlike you. You're the one wearing suspender straps over your chest as if it's the newest fashion out there."

"I told you not to piss me off!"

"Genome!"

Kuja stiffened and turned his gaze back to the white garbed man who was now a mere yard away from them. "Don't call me that."

"Güten tag."

Sephiroth and Kuja blinked.

"What...?" Kuja was confused. He shook off his confusion quickly though. "How do you know I'm a Genome, anyway."

The white robbed person, an elderly frail looking man, crossed his arms and shook his head, dismissing Kuja's question. "Ich heisse Michael und ich komme aus Bügel. "

"..." Kuja glared at the man. "I don't understand you, so don't bother speaking if you're not going to speak our language."

Sephiroth sighed. "He introduced himself to us, and probably where he's from."

Blinking, Kuja looked up at Sephiroth. Bewildered, he stared at him for a long while before speaking. "You understand him!"

Running a hand through his hair, Sephiroth frowned again. "No, but I heard a name. Usually, you tell where you're from when introducing yourself."

"Oh..." Kuja leaned forward, examining the elder. "Can you speak our language?"

"Ja."

"...Ya? That's a horrid slang term." Kuja shook his head and straightened. "So, speak it then."

"I am sorry. Most people here speak this language."

Kuja's throat tightened. "They... they do?"

The man nodded. "Yes. But that is not important as of now. My name is Michael, and I am a Sage here."

Kuja smirked. "A Sage? Do you have any magical powers? Something that makes you special?" He tossed his hair behind his shoulders. "Or are you just smart?"

Michael frowned. "You're very proud of yourself."

"Yes, yes I am." He looked around the city again. "Do you happen to have any food?"

Sephiroth sighed and ran his fingers over the hilt. If he killed Kuja, he wouldn't have to listen to that egotistical bastard anymore. But then he wouldn't have any entertainment, and that wouldn't be any fun at all.

"Food? Of course we have food. Once you enter the city, your needs come back fully. I assume you are starving?"

Kuja nodded. Sephiroth's eyes flickered to the Sage.

"How long did it take you to get here?"

Growling, Kuja kicked at a nearby rock. The rock, in turn, went flying across the street and went straight through the window. Kuja gaped, Sephiroth rolled his eyes.

"It took us about seven hours to get here. Actually, about two weeks if you include the time we spent floating around in nothing. Kuja was there for two weeks, I was there for several months. We would have gotten here sooner, but this young man here had to take so many breaks. I decided to stay with him during those breaks so I could have some entertainment and that's the only reason," Sephiroth explained.

Kuja whirled around and glared at Sephiroth. "Entertainment! Entertainment! I am not entertainment! If I had my magic, I'd make sure you could never move again!"

Sephiroth smirked and rolled his eyes again. "I was just kidding. And here I thought that it was me who had the lack of humor."

Kuja remained silent.

"Yes, my magic-less friend?"

"I hate you."

"Ahem!" Michael cleared his throat loudly, deciding to ignore the window that Kuja had broken. "As a Sage, it is my duty to welcome all new members of our city, which we proudly call Terra-Matra."

Kuja looked at Michael. "...Did you say Terra?"

"Partly. This city is called Terra-Matra. It's been called this for millions of years. I believe a planet was named after it. Are you from this planet? This Terra or Matra?"

"That's none of your business, old man."

Michael shook his head. "No, I don't believe it is. If you don't mind, however, I do need your names and how you died if I'm to properly take care of you."

Kuja frowned for a long while. Sephiroth didn't seem to want to go first, so he would have to. "My name is Kuja. I died in the Iifa tree... Basically, I was doing my best to defy my master and failed. I had to follow his last order, all the way to the end."

Nodding, Michael turned his gaze to Sephiroth. "And you?"

Sephiroth smiled. A wicked smile. "And me what?"

"Care to explain why you're here?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "I died."

"...Sephiroth. His name is Sephiroth." Kuja glared at the soldier. Sephiroth was delaying Kuja from getting food. With two weeks of no food and all of that hunger coming back in one blow, Kuja was not a very happy person. "How did you die, Sephiroth? Hurry up so we can eat!"

Sephiroth growled. "Quit ruining my fun. I enjoy toying with the elderly. It's fun to play with people's minds."

"Yes, yes, I know how fun it can be to toy with the minds of others, but really. I'm hungry. I'm sure you're hungry as well."

Sighing, Sephiroth succumbed to Kuja. "I'm not... entirely sure how I died. My memories are muddled." He shrugged, not seeming to care. "I burnt down Nibelheim, I was thrown into the Lifestream, I ended up in the North Crater for five years. Mother set me free and a clone of mine, designed to be weaker, broke my mind control over him. After that, I ended up here. I guess I was still living because part of me was embedded in Cloud. Like I said, I'm not entirely sure how I died."

Kuja rested his fingers over his lips. A clone? Sounds like...Zidane... Only he was meant to be the stronger one. I wonder...

"Very well then. I'll take you to the mansion."

Perked up at the word 'mansion', Kuja rubbed his hands together in glee. "Mansion?"

"I doubt we're going to be pampered, Kuja."

A frown managed to find its way to the Genome's face. "...Indeed." He tilted his head. Oh well. At least I'll be able to eat... I hope. These constant pangs of hunger are so bothersome!

Michael nodded. "Follow me then." He turned, his white robes flowing behind him, and walked towards a dark square building in the distance.

Sephiroth casually followed the Sage, while Kuja cautiously did so.

I wonder if they've got wine... Kuja wondered. As soon as I eat, I can stop thinking about food so much!