A/N: Chapter three already? Wow, and the story hasn't even gone anywhere yet! Oh, but it will... I can promise you that. Starting with this chapter!
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy IX, along with all its characters, places, and other elements are property of Square Enix, and not me. Which is why I frequently cry myself to sleep.
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Requiem for an Angel
a Final Fantasy IX fanfiction
by Wakizashi
Chapter Three: Adverse Conditions
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Claire was up early the next morning. She had not been able to sleep more than two or three hours, partly because her mind was filled with thoughts of a devastated and ruined Earth, and partly because she had never been able to sleep in strange surroundings. And this Desert Palace of Kuja's was without a doubt the strangest place she had ever seen.
Every hall and chamber she had thus far visited was beautiful, though curious and vaguely frightening. Fantastic statues of hideous gargoyles, gentle angels, fierce warrors, and wise-looking sages watched her from dark corners. And things would... happen, with no explanation as to how. Candles would light as she entered a room, and doors would close behind her. On one occasion, she could have sworn that a stone gargoyle had turned its head to watch her as she passed.
Kuja had assured her that she was completely safe, and that in any case they would be leaving for a place called Treno in a couple of days. Claire was eager to leave this creepy place.
Unable to lie in bed any longer, she swung her legs onto the cold marble floor and stood up, shivering in the long white nightshirt Kuja had given her to wear. She wasn't too thrilled about wandering around, but she was too restless to remain in her bedroom. Besides, it was just as eerie as the rest of the palace.
Creeping out into the hall, Claire padded softly past Kuja's room and down a twisting flight of stairs, trying to remember where the library was that he had shown her the night before. She seemed to recall that it was near the room with the circle of statues, where she had first arrived. But no, this was definitely not the way. She closed the door and began walking in the direction she had come - and then quickly turned back and yanked the door open.
In the middle of the dimly lit room beyond was a strange table, with straps that seemed to be made to restrain a person's arms and legs. More devices for torture lay strewn about, and sitting perched on the table, swinging its stubby little legs, was the weirdest, cutest creature Claire had ever seen. It was pale pink and furry, with a pair of tiny purple bat's wings and a big red pompom on its head that bobbed up and down. It seemed to be sleeping.
Walking slowly toward it, Claire reached out and lightly touched the creature's waggling pompom.
Its reaction was immediate. "Kupooo!" it shrieked, running around in circles on the table. "Kupo-kupo! Help, kupo!"
"Whoa, hey!" Claire cried, holding up her hands. This Gaia place was getting weirder and weirder. "Calm down, little guy! I didn't mean to scare you."
The creature stopped its mindless running and turned to face her. "Kupo? Who are you?" it asked, looking puzzled. "You're not Master Kuja, kupo."
"No," she said slowly. "My name is Claire. I'm a..." She stopped. Was she a friend of Kuja? "I know Kuja," she finished lamely.
"Oh, okay then, kupo." The little animal nodded. "My name's Mojito. Pleased to meet you, kupo!"
She wondered why it kept saying 'kupo', but she decided not to ask. She had a feeling there were a lot of things in this world she wouldn't understand. "So, what... are you, exactly?"
"Me, kupo? I'm a moogle," Mojito replied, its furry chest puffing out with pride. "You'll find moogles everywhere. Many of us moogles like to travel, but I like it here, kupo. I'll probably stay as long as Master Kuja lets me, kupo."
I don't know how anyone could like it here, Claire thought to herself with a shiver. She didn't even want to ponder over what this torture chamber was doing here. "Well, I'm glad you like it," she said. "Can you tell me what kind of a person Kuja is?"
The moogle looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. "I don't know, kupo. He seems like a good person, but he didn't used to be. I think Master Kuja is trying to forget a lot of things, kupo."
Claire frowned. "Like what?" she pressed.
"Miss Giovannucci, that will do," came a sharp voice behind her. She whirled around guiltily to find Kuja standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips, his tail lashing in displeasure. "If you are through interrogating the resident moogle, I suggest you get ready. We'll be leaving soon."
"Today?" Claire blinked in surprise. "But I thought you said we weren't leaving for a couple of days."
He turned on his heel and hurried out of the room, the clunk-clunk of his boots echoing in the vast marble halls. Bidding a hasty good-bye to Mojito the moogle, Claire took off after him, struggling to catch up. "What's going on?" she asked, exasperated.
"A sandstorm is coming," was his terse reply. "In a few hours, the sky will be a literal blanket of sand. If we don't leave quickly, we'll be trapped here until it passes. And we don't have that kind of time."
Claire followed him uneasily as he stalked through the endless chambers and up the winding stairs which led to their bedrooms. He pointed to a door at the end of the hall. "You can wash up in there," he told her. "But be quick about it, and meet me downstairs when you're done."
"Where downstairs?" she asked, frustrated. She didn't know where anything was in this marble labyrinth.
"The room with the teleporter, where we first arrived," he called over his shoulder as he sauntered off.
"Oh, yeah, like I'll be able to find that," she muttered, sticking her tongue out at his retreating back and swaying tail. Making quickly for her room to retrieve her clothes, she hurried to the end of the hall and opened the door. The room that met her eyes was undoubtedly the most beautiful in the entire palace. It was white marble, like the rest of the chambers, but at the far end of the room was a pool of clear water, with a cascading stream pouring into it from the mouth of a stone fish. Against one wall stood a huge round mirror, and under it was a table arrayed with dozens of little bottles and soaps.
Remembering that she was supposed to hurry, Claire quickly undressed and bathed in the pool, washing her hair with a purple bottle of something that made her hair as glossy as Kuja's. Once she had dried off, she threw on her clothes, along with some makeup from her purse - no harm in looking presentable - and dashed off in search of Kuja.
She located the room in less time than she expected, and found Kuja standing by the teleporter, putting on his cloak. As she came to join him, he picked up a long coat and tossed it to her. "Put that on," he ordered. "To keep out the sand."
Her brown eyes grew wide. "It's already started?"
"Yes."
Claire immediately drew the coat around her. It was tan and leather and lined with black fur, and reached past her knees. The sleeves were slashed at the elbows, and the tail was slit into four sections. It looked pretty dang good on her, and she considered asking him if she could keep it.
"Come," said Kuja, motioning to the teleporter. She sighed and stepped reluctantly onto the platform, wincing as she experienced the now-familiar sensation of nothingness, of the absence of sensation. As soon as she materialized on the other side, she jumped off instantly, and Kuja followed her. He whistled sharply, and there was an answering rumble as the silver dragon emerged from the darkness of the cavern.
Tying his long silver hair behind his head with a bit of leather cord, Kuja nodded to her. "Let's go."
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The instant the dragon ascended out of the cavern and into the air, Claire could tell they had not left soon enough. The winds were already howling, blowing sand and dust into her face and making it difficult to see ahead of her. She craned her neck to look up at the sky. The clouds were almost black, churning tumultuously above her, and the rolling clap of thunder seemed frighteningly close.
Turning up her collar to block out the sand, Claire turned around toward Kuja, who was seated behind her. "How far is Treno?" she yelled above the wind.
"Pretty far," he shouted, shielding his eyes with his hand. "It's to the south, on the Mist Continent. But once we reach the ocean, we should be past the storm. That won't be long."
Claire ducked her head down, trying not to think about the sand that was getting into her just-washed hair. She was definitely glad to leave this place, but it made her wonder: if things like this sandstorm happened here, in one of the few places she had been on Gaia, what was it like on the rest of the planet?
Disinclined as Claire was to dwell on that topic, it brought up a new one in which she was interested. "Hey, Kuja," she shouted. "What part of Gaia are you from?"
He didn't reply, and she turned around again. "Hey, did you hear me? What part--"
"I'm not from Gaia," he said, returning her gaze. "I'm from a planet called Terra."
"Terra?" she echoed, taken aback. She had never even considered the existence of planets other than Gaia until now. "What's it like?" she asked.
For a long time Kuja was silent, and Claire thought he would answer. Finally he said in a low voice, made almost inaudible by the wind, "Terra is no more. It was destroyed."
Claire was stunned. "Oh my God," she said numbly. "I'm sorry." A thought occurred to her, and she looked at him carefully. "Is that why you're helping me?"
Again he hesitated. "Yes."
She turned around, deep in thought. She was very grateful to him; after all, she wouldn't even know that Earth was in danger if it hadn't been for him. But it always seemed like he was keeping something from her. And what was it that that little fuzzy dude, Mojito, had said? "I think Master Kuja is trying to forget a lot of things."
What did that mean?
Suddenly, before Claire had time to ponder any further, the silver dragon gave a deafening roar that she felt in her bones. She looked up, wondering what had disturbed the enormous beast, and then she saw what it was, a second too late. A huge, twisted piece of wood, borne aloft by the howling winds, was hurtling inexorably toward her.
"Claire, get down!" Kuja shouted.
She tried to duck, but she just wasn't quick enough. She felt the huge branch strike her on the side of the head, and for a moment she saw stars. And then... blackness.
And then the strangest feeling that she was weightless.
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At first, she knew nothing. And then, an instant later, all she knew was pain. Cruel, merciless pain that washed over her in tidal waves of agony. It filled her consciousness, it was her consciousness, until it overwhelmed her entire being, and she ceased to exist. She became pain.
And then, through the pain, she felt sun on her face.
She focused intently on that sensation, and gradually, the pain lessened. She became aware of her body, of the rise and fall of her chest as she laboriously drew air into her lungs. She became aware that she was lying on her back, on something soft and yielding. She smelled something sweet - the smell of grass.
Finally, she opened her eyes. She saw an intensely blue sky, dotted with puffy white clouds, and as she watched, a pair of birds flew across the expanse, trilling cheerfully. She thought idly that it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
And then she saw Kuja, and quickly revised her opinion.
"Claire," he said, leaning over her, his hair falling into his face. "Thank goodness. I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake up."
She blinked slowly, trying to keep his face in focus. "Kuja," she mumbled weakly, then repeated it. She found she thoroughly enjoyed saying his name. "What happened? I don't remember..."
"That branch hit you," he explained, and it sounded vaguely familiar. "It knocked you off, but I cast a Float spell on you. It gave Silver Dragon enough time to come up underneath you. You're very lucky."
Claire's head hurt too much for her to wonder what a Float spell was, but one thought kept echoing through her mind: I almost died. She stared up at Kuja, and a rush of gratitude swept over her. "You saved my life," she said breathlessly.
He arched a fair eyebrow as he considered this. "Yes, I suppose I did," he answered in surprise.
Holding her breath in, Claire sat up, and immediately she was overwhelmed with nausea. "Now don't try to get up," Kuja warned her, attempting to push her back down, but she shook her head, clenching her teeth as she waited for her head to stop spinning. Finally the nausea passed, and she took a shaky breath. "Are you all right?" he asked.
Claire stared at him, unable to tear her eyes off of him. His hair was a mess, his eyes were bloodshot, and his pale skin was raw from getting blasted with sand. But even so, he was a stunner.
"You saved my life," she repeated in an unsteady voice. "I can't thank you enough."
He shrugged, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable. "I wouldn't think too much of it, if I were you," he said awkwardly. "After all, it was my fault. If you hadn't been with me, you wouldn't have been injured at all."
She shook her head, wincing in pain as she did so. "At least I'm better off than I would be in Conde Petie," she replied. "I think the dwarves wanted to hook me up with that William guy." She smiled weakly at him. "I'm glad you kidnapped me, Kuja."
His cheeks reddened a few shades in embarrassment, and he shrugged again dismissively. "Come, Treno isn't far away," he said, getting to his feet.
Claire tried to stand up, and crumpled back down to the ground as another wave of dizziness hit her. Taking her hand, Kuja pulled her up and offered his shoulder for her to lean against. "Really? We've come that far?" She looked to the south and saw the sky beginning to darken. "Have I been unconscious that long?" she asked in disbelief.
"No; only for about four or five hours," he replied.
"Then why is the sun already setting?"
"It's not." She looked up at him, baffled, and he explained, "Because of the area's unique geological characteristics, Treno exists in a constant state of nightfall. It's always dark, no matter the hour."
Claire frowned. "How is that possible?"
"Though it pains me to admit it, my canary, I don't have all the answers. But be on your guard every second we're there; the perpetual darkness makes Treno an ideal environment for muggers and pickpockets."
"Terrific," she muttered.
Raising his fingers to his lips, Kuja gave a sharp whistle, and Claire heard the silver dragon roar its reply somewhere surprisingly close. Then she saw it emerge from a nearby grove of trees and come forward, padding as softly as a cat. Claire felt a rising panic as its massive head came toward her, but it nudged her arm gently, growling something like a question.
"Yes, she's all right," Kuja told it, and smirked at Claire in amusement. "Silver Dragon was worried about you."
Claire looked at the fearsome-looking beast in surprise. "Really?" Tentatively, she reached out and patted its massive head. "Well, thank you for your concern," she told it. It rumbled contentedly. She turned back to Kuja. "So where exactly are we?"
"The Bentini Heights, if I'm not mistaken," he answered. "Treno should be just across this field." He pointed past the grassy plain into the advancing darkness to the south. "Silver Dragon shall stay here. We wouldn't want him to alarm the sensitive nobles," he explained dryly.
Releasing her grip on his shoulder, Claire wobbled a bit but maintained her balance. "You know, you still haven't told me why we're going to Treno," she pointed out. "What help could we possibly find in a city of thieves and rich snobs?"
When Kuja replied, it was as if he spoke to himself. "We are going to ask the help of a man who has no reason to give it."
"Uh-huh," Claire said sourly, wishing he would stop speaking in riddles. "Well, you go have fun playing Mission: Impossible. I'll just stay here with Silver Dragon."
"Come on," he commanded, taking her brusquely by the arm, and together they set out toward the city of perpetual night.
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A/N: Yay, finished! And I can't wait for you to read the next chapter, when they finally get to Treno. I, for one, have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my newest cast member. He's not an original character, but you'll recognize him fairly quickly. In the meantime, leave me a review and tell me what you thought of chapter three.
