A/N: Chapter ten already? My my, where does the time go? It's already 2006, for Pete's sake! But this story doesn't follow our timeline, so don't worry, Earth isn't going to be destroyed any time soon. Anyway, I'm glad you're pleased with the story thus far. I'm especially glad that you like my characters! You know, I was sorely tempted to make Felina's Cockney accent much more obvious; i.e. it would look like this: "Let go o' me 'and, you bloody imbecile!" But that would've made it harder to read, so I decided against it. And now I'm glad, because you seem to like it the way it is. Anyway, on to chapter ten!

Disclaimer: Kuja, Jack, and any other characters I might use, along with locations and whatnot, are property of Square Enix. The song below is Madonna's.

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Requiem for an Angel

a Final Fantasy IX fanfiction

by Wakizashi

Chapter Ten: A Warm Welcome

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If I'm smart, then I'll run away

But I'm not so I guess I'll stay

Haven't you heard?

I fell in love with a beautiful stranger

-Madonna, "Beautiful Stranger"

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Alexandria was a very hard place to get into. The city stood on top of a tall cliff above a waterfall, surrounded on all sides by a wide river. To reach it, Claire, Kuja, Jack, and Felina had to ascend a steep, narrow, winding path up the side of the cliff, the spray of the waterfall making the journey dangerously slippery. When they finally reached the top, they had to take a ferry across the river to get to the city itself. If Claire had had any idea how much was involved, she would have insisted on taking Silver Dragon.

Security had been tight when they had reached the city walls, and they had feared Kuja would not be able to get through without being recognized. But Jack had unexpectedly come to the rescue and charmed the female Alexandrian guards with his flirtatious, easy-going ways, despite his surplus of limbs, and they were able to sneak Kuja through undetected. Claire had been truly amazed.

Once inside the city, Jack declared that Kuja's obligation to him was ended, and he took their leave of them. Felina wasted no time in following him, insisting that she had yet to be reimbursed. Through the journey, the pair of criminals had proved themselves valuable companions, and Claire was almost sorry to see them go.

"Aww, don't look so sad," said Jack, patting her shoulder. "It's not like we won't see each other again..." He frowned. "Well, I guess it is. But we'll always have the memories. And hey," he added with a smile, "it's been fun."

Felina came forward and hugged Claire fiercely. "Take care, poppet," she said, squeezing the breath out of her. "I do hope you find a way to save your planet."

"Thanks," said Claire, hugging her back.

"Oh, and Ku-- I mean, hey you," Jack quickly corrected himself, remembering not to say Kuja's name in public. He stuck out one of his hands. "Thanks for lettin' me tag along."

Grudgingly, Kuja grasped his hand and gave it a shake. "You're welcome, Jack. It was... interesting."

Jack grinned. "Interesting. Yeah, I'd say so. Well, I'd better get goin'." He turned to Felina. "You comin', leech?"

"I ain't lettin' you take off wif me money, if that's what you mean," she growled. She flashed a merry grin at Claire and Kuja. "Good luck, you two!" Clapping her hat down on her head, she took off after him.

Claire was simultaneously pleased and uneasy about being alone with Kuja again. Before Jack and Felina had graced them with their presence, it had been different; Kuja had been more aloof and standoffish. But ever since the malboro attack, he had softened dramatically. He didn't speak so harshly, and he smiled at her more often. He found excuses to touch her. She didn't know whether she should be worried or thrilled.

He was undeniably attractive; that was an inescapable fact. All too often Claire caught herself admiring his lithe body or his china blue eyes or his perfect teeth. And he was unfailingly courteous to her... if not always to other people. But he was also a deeply melancholy man with a troubled past and many dark secrets. And she couldn't forget that she wouldn't be with him for much longer, if their plan to reach Earth and save it worked out in time. It was much wiser not to get attached.

Claire glanced up at him as they walked through the city streets, and he caught her eye and smiled warmly. Don't get attached, don't get attached, she thought doggedly.

"Are you hungry?" Kuja suddenly asked, breaking the silence. "Would you like to stop somewhere to eat?"

His words made Claire realize she was absolutely famished. They had brought few provisions with them from when they had left Treno, and they had quickly gone through what little food they had during the last leg of their journey into Alexandria.

"That would be fantastic," she had to admit. Then she frowned as a new thought occurred to her. "But should we really risk it? What if someone recognizes you?"

A look of pain briefly crossed the young man's features, so briefly that Claire couldn't be sure she had even seen it. "I doubt that will be a problem," he said evenly, looking straight ahead. "We've come this far, and I haven't been recognized yet."

"Except by Jack and Felina," she pointed out.

"Indeed." He turned to her with a faint smirk. "But they are gone now, aren't they?"

Claire had to laugh. It must have been such a relief for Kuja to see the back of that four-armed thief as he disappeared into the crowd, his "leech" following closely behind him. "It's almost too bad," she said with a sigh. "I haven't been hit on for about fifteen minutes."

"What?" Kuja stared at her incredulously from under his hood. "You can't possibly mean to say that you miss those little urchins?"

She shrugged, unable to hold back a smile. "They were entertaining, weren't they?" she asked. "Besides," she added, putting on her best lovesick expression, "wasn't Jack just the dreamiest?"

The look on Kuja's face was one of disgusted horror until he realized that she was joking. "Oh, what comedy," he muttered.

"Yeah? What would you know about comedy?" Claire snickered as she poked him in the ribs. "Mr. Dead-Serious, Poker-Faced, Don't-Mess-With-Me-Or-I'll-Go-Trance-On-Your-Ass! Oww, let go!"

Kuja had grabbed her offending hand and was holding it prisoner under his arm. He propelled her slowly backward until her back touched the wall of a building. Then he leaned in close to her, one eyebrow raised in a challenge. "Life is a comedy, Miss Giovannucci," he said in a silken whisper, causing the hairs on the back of Claire's neck to rise, "and we are its unwitting players."

Fighting a blush, Claire again tried to yank her hand free. "Geez, what are you, a weapons dealer or an actor?" she demanded.

His pale lips twitched in a brief smile. "Perhaps a little of both," he murmured, staring down at her thoughtfully.

Claire shifted uncomfortably under Kuja's unwavering blue gaze. Something had suddenly changed between them, something so quick and subtle that she had barely noticed when it happened. "What are you looking at?" she asked, frowning playfully.

In response Kuja released her hand, only to snake his arm around her waist. "Why, you, my little bird," he said softly, pulling her close to him.

Claire felt her breath catch in her throat as he held her, gently but firmly. She tried mightily to think of some smart remark to answer him with, but it was no use. The look in Kuja's eyes left no room for playing around. This was a man who knew what he wanted. Like a revelation, she suddenly realized that she wanted it, as well.

Slowly, she lifted her hand and let it rest lightly on his shoulder. His skin beneath his cloak was warm and firm.

"When are you going to tell me," she whispered, "why you keep calling me that?"

She felt, rather than heard, the low chuckle deep in Kuja's chest. "Because your song, my canary, warms my frozen heart," he purred into her ear. "Because the Angel of Death has been given the breath of life."

Kuja's own breath was warm on her neck. Claire's eyes drifted shut as she felt his face draw close to hers. Closer and closer, until the lightest of touches graced her lips...

A small child suddenly ran straight into Kuja, causing him to squash Claire flat against the wall she was leaning back against. "Zidane's back, Zidane's back!" the boy shouted in delight as he sprinted off in the opposite direction.

"Zidane?" Claire repeated, her heart pounding as Kuja pulled away from her. That sounded familiar. "Where have I heard that name before?" She turned to Kuja, who had turned angrily toward the child, ready to give him a sound scolding, and her eyes widened. "Hey, what's with you?"

Kuja's back was as rigid as a board. Under his long cloak, his silvery tail was bristled in agitation. "Z-Zidane," he stuttered in disbelief.

"What's wrong?" she persisted, pulling on his sleeve.

In response, Kuja shook his head, and then to her utter bafflement, he began to laugh uproariously. "He made it!" he exclaimed in elation. Claire yelped in surprise as he plucked her off her feet and twirled her around. "He made it, he made it!" he kept shouting like a madman.

Blushing furiously as he set her down again, Claire planted her fists on her hips. "Who made it?" she demanded impatiently. "What are you talking about?"

Grinning, Kuja took her hand and squeezed it. "Zidane," he explained, not helping at all. "I never heard from him, and I thought he was dead, but he made it!" She had never seen him so ecstatic.

Suddenly she remembered where she had heard the name before. Zidane Tribal was the lead actor in that acting troupe, Tantalus. But Jack had said that he had disappeared two years ago. A lot of important things seemed to have happened two years ago.

Looking up at Kuja, who was grinning like an idiot, Claire wanted to rip out her hair in confusion. "Yeah? So what do you care if some actor is alive?" she asked, frustrated.

He opened his mouth to answer, and it was then that Claire realized his hood had slipped off. "It's the demon!" someone shouted. "It's Kuja!"

"Oh, God!" Claire cried. She looked up at Kuja, and his eyes were wide with horror. "Kuja, get out of here, now!"

Kuja took off at a dead run, but there were too many Alexandrian soldiers nearby to hope for any escape. He was quickly caught by the arm, and another soldier grabbed his other arm while a third wrenched his hands behind his back and clapped them in chains. "Claire!" he shouted, not even struggling to break free. "Go to the castle! Find Zidane and tell him about our plan!"

"But I don't even know what he looks like!" she protested in frustration.

"You'll know him when you see him!" he yelled. One of the soldiers struck him brutally in the face with the hilt of a sword. "Go!"

She felt her fists clench in anger at the abuse he was taking without even a trace of protest. "No!" she said adamantly. "I'm in this with you all the way! I'm not leaving you!"

"Claire, do it!" Kuja's eyes had a desperate gleam. "For me!"

Choking back a sob, Claire turned and ran.

----

Jack stretched his four arms over his head as he and Felina emerged from the mini-theater. "That was a pretty good play, don't you think, kitten?" he asked with a smirk. "A little too mushy, but girls like that romantic crap, right?"

"Like you would really know." Taking a coin out of her coat pocket, Felina began fiddling with it. "I thought you was here on urgent business or somefin', Jack. Don't you have anyfin' better to do in Alexandria than go to plays?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I just needed a change of scenery, that's all. After a couple years in Treno, a guy can really start missin' the sunshine."

"Mmm." Jack watched as she began flipping the coin across her knuckles, then with a flick of her wrist, it disappeared. "So when are you gonna give me money back?" she asked casually.

"How'd you do that?" he asked, his eyes wide.

Felina looked up at him and blinked. "Do what then?"

"You made that coin vanish!" She grinned at his amazement. "Show me again!" he demanded.

Raising her arm, she reached out and plucked the coin from his ear. He watched, spellbound, as the coin rolled across her knuckles, vanished again, and then reappeared in her other hand. "Where'd you learn to do that?" he asked, mesmerized.

"Me fiancé, Dace, taught me," Felina replied, returning the coin to her pocket. "In fact, he's the one who taught me that trick of stashin' me best cards up me sleeve."

"Oh, then I have him to thank." Jack was surprised to feel more than a little disappointed. "I didn't know you were engaged."

Felina looked down at her shoes. "I ain't, not anymore," she said quietly. "Dace died during the attack on Alexandria."

Suddenly Jack felt like an idiot. "Geez, I'm so sorry..." A new thought struck him. "Hey, and you must have known - oh, man, I bet you wanted to chop Kuja's head off when you saw him."

"Naw, I didn't." He looked at her sharply. "I thought I would, but when I seen how much he'd changed..." She shrugged slightly. "I just couldn't bring meself to hate him."

"Yeah, well, I don't know about that, but..." He trailed off and sighed. "To be totally honest, I was never gonna turn him in. I mean, I was at first, but... I just didn't want to come to Alexandria alone."

Felina smirked knowingly. "Don't give me that, Jack. You just wanted him to take you 'cause Claire was wif him."

"No, well, maybe," he said with a grin, sticking two of his hands in his pockets. "But she's not really my type. I'm more into girls with fire. You know, with a peppy personality." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Maybe with a derby hat?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Hmm, I don't know 'bout that, luv," she replied, though she didn't lose her smile. "I think you just need a girl to beat you into submission."

Jack edged closer to her, encouraged by her amiable smile. "You sayin' you're up to the job?" he asked in a husky voice, slanting his chin down and gazing at her intently.

He never got his answer, because at that moment, Felina suddenly frowned, looking past him. "Claire?" she said worriedly. Jack whipped his head around to see the brunette racing up to them. "Claire, what's the matter? Why ain't Kuja wif you?"

"Kuja's been captured by Alexandrian royal guards!" Claire exclaimed breathlessly as he stopped beside them. "I tried to get into the castle to find some guy named Zidane, but they won't let me in! You guys have to help me!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Jack waved his hands defensively. "Look, sweetheart, I know you like Kuja and everything, but it's no more than he deserves. If you knew what he did..." He shook his head. "There's just no way I'm gettin' involved. If anyone found out we were even with him, we'd be arrested for harborin' an outlaw."

"Come on, Jack!" Felina said angrily, grabbing his sleeve. "Kuja saved our lives! We can't just turn our backs on him! There's gotta be some way we can get into the castle! Think!"

Squeezing his eyes shut, he racked his brains for a solution. "Frick," he muttered. "Okay, I think I have an idea. But if it doesn't work, we're all screwed. Follow me."

----

Claire did not know how those Alexandrian soldiers could stand their uniforms. It was basically just a one-piece bathing suit with a few pieces of armor. She felt like she was practically naked, and every time she walked, the suit kept riding... well, up.

Beside her, dressed in Pluto knight garb, Jack gave the unconscious soldiers at their feet another kick for good measure. Claire felt awful about beating three people senseless, dragging them into an alley, and taking their uniforms, but there was really no other way they were going to get into the castle.

"This is by far the lowest thing I've ever done," she said, putting the sword in her sheath.

Felina sighed. "I'd better get me hat back, or you're gettin' me a new one."

"Relax, I never said it was a good idea," Jack replied, draping Claire's long jacket over himself to conceal his extra pair of arms. "By the way, ladies, fabulous legs, if you don't mind my sayin' so."

Felina punched his shoulder. "Bloody cheek," she growled.

"Oww. All right, all right. Let's go before someone sees us."

In their new attire, it was not difficult to take the ferry to Alexandria Castle. After they crossed the moat, they marched directly toward the gate, looking important and not stopping to answer to anyone. And surprisingly, no one stopped them. Once inside the castle, they stopped to consult each other.

"This place is huge," Claire whispered. "How are we going to find this Zidane guy?"

"Beats me," Jack hissed back. "I only saw him once, and I can't remember what he looks like. Did Kuja describe him to you?"

She shook her head. "He just said I'd know him when I saw him."

"Someone's comin'," whispered Felina. "Make up your minds. We're startin' to look suspicious."

They quickly made their way through an arched doorway into a dining hall, filled with bustling servants. From the far room, there was a crash. "Aiya! No! You dum-dum!" came an angry voice. "You no can add flour yet! It ruin whole recipe!"

"Ugh, it's one of those Qus, I can tell," Jack muttered. "Let's not go in there."

Puzzled, Claire was about to ask him what a Qu was, when she heard voices in the chamber they had just left. Carefully, they crept toward the doorway and listened.

"Please, it's only for one night," said a female voice. "The servants want to have a banquet to celebrate your return. Then everything will go back to normal, I promise."

"I don't know, Dagger," a second voice replied. "I don't want anyone to go to any trouble. I mean, I'm the one who made everyone worry. I don't deserve any fancy banquet. Besides, you know that rich food really isn't for me."

Jack nudged Claire. "That's him," he whispered. "I recognize his voice."

Without thinking, Claire rushed through the doorway into the room, then suddenly skidded to a halt on a slick marble floor as her eyes fell on the figures before her. There was a teenaged girl with long brown hair, dressed in a beautiful white gown. And next to her, his long, furry tail swinging lazily back and forth, was a young man with a mop of shaggy, sun-bleached hair.

She stared at him for a moment, blinking. "Zidane Tribal?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah, that's me," he replied, smiling politely. "What can I do for you?"

She pulled off her helmet and took a deep breath. "My name is Claire Giovannucci," she said. "I'm here on behalf of Kuja."

Zidane's smile quickly faded, and he walked up to her. "Kuja?" he repeated. "Tell me, what about him? Is he all right?"

"He's here," said Claire. "He's just been captured by royal guards, but he has to talk to you."

"Claire, wait up!" Jack and Felina came running into the chamber, skidding to a halt beside her. Jack looked from Zidane to the girl, and his eyes widened. "Holy crap, it's Queen Garnet," he breathed. Hastily dropping to one knee, he elbowed Felina, and she followed suit.

"He's alive?" Ignoring Jack and Felina, the girl in the white dress came forward, her brown eyes wide in disbelief. "Zidane, is what she says true?" He hesitated, biting his lip uncertainly. "Zidane! It is true, isn't it? Why didn't you tell me?"

The young man shook his head wearily. "I'm sorry, Dagger," he sighed. "I was going to tell you, but everything's been so crazy since I got here..." He took the queen's hand in his gloved one. "Kuja survived, that day at the Iifa Tree. I saved his life, then he saved mine, and last I saw of him, he was alive."

Suddenly he frowned and turned to Claire. "But I didn't think he'd ever come back here, not after what he did. And you say he's been arrested? Where is he?"

"I don't know," she replied desperately. "But he told me to find you. We're on a mission, see, and--"

"Your Majesty!" a sudden voice shouted, interrupting her. All five heads turned to see no less than a dozen guards dragging in an unresisting, securely manacled Kuja, beaten and bruised and half-conscious. Jack and Felina scrambled to their feet, their eyes wide. "Your Majesty, we found this monster, still alive, in the city," said one of the guards. "What should we do with him?"

"Kuja!" Claire cried in a strangled voice. From Kuja's battered appearance, it was easy to see that the royal guards had taken their time, as well as certain liberties, in bringing their quarry to the castle. Claire felt new rage simmering in her. She started forward, but one of the guards pointed a sword at her. Jack came up behind her and put a protective hand on her shoulder.

"We also found two soldiers and a Pluto knight, unconscious in an alley," the guard said. "Their uniforms were stolen. And we found some clothes behind some crates, along with this." She lifted up a red derby hat.

There was a long, tense silence as the queen deliberated on these new developments. Jack and Felina drew to Claire's side and stood defiantly. But Claire's eyes were on Kuja's, glassy and defeated as he stood surrounded by the royal guards. She knew he had given up.

After an eternity had passed, Queen Garnet finally took a deep breath. "Leave them to me," she said firmly; "all of them. I shall contend with them myself." The guards remained still, hesitant. "Am I being unclear? I said, leave them to me. Release the prisoner and go!"

There were murmurs of "Yes, your Majesty", and the shackles were removed from Kuja's wrists. One by one, the guards dispersed, and Kuja collapsed to his knees, coughing weakly. In an instant Claire was at his side, pulling him up. Her stomach lurched as she took in his injuries. His tail, bent at an odd angle, curled involuntarily around her waist. She tried to speak, but found she couldn't get a sound out.

Zidane stood motionless during all of this, his arms folded across his chest. Now he came forward and stopped in front of Kuja, his expression unreadable. "Hello, Kuja," he said quietly.

Kuja opened his mouth, then winced. "Hello, Zidane," he answered weakly. "I must say, I'm glad to see you alive. Though I doubt you can say the same of me." He turned his eyes on the queen and coughed again. "Your Majesty."

"Don't speak to me, Kuja," Garnet said in a low voice. "Don't you dare speak to me. You should be grateful I didn't have you executed the moment I saw you."

Kuja nodded and fell silent, and Claire tightened her hold on his arm. "Dagger," Zidane said in a half-reproachful, half-pleading voice.

Claire swallowed, finally finding her voice. "Your Majesty," she said unsteadily. "Before Kuja was arrested, he and I were on a mission. I'm from a planet called Earth, and if we don't find a way back, it's going to be destroyed." The queen raised a skeptical eyebrow, but Claire wouldn't be stopped. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. And we don't have a lot of time left."

"She's tellin' the truth, your Queenliness," Jack piped in. "And if you don't believe her, just go to Treno and ask Doctor Tot. He can tell you all about it."

Queen Garnet blinked. "Doctor Tot?" she repeated, frowning. "He knows about this?" Suddenly she narrowed her eyes. "Doctor Tot was my tutor. He is a good, honest man; he would never help you."

"Dagger, please," said Zidane, putting a hand on her arm. "They obviously went to a lot of effort just to see us. Maybe we should just calm down and listen to what they have to say."

Garnet sighed irritably. "Zidane..."

He gave her arm a squeeze. "He saved my life, Dagger," he said quietly.

The queen stared up into his eyes for a long moment. Then she turned, and her eyes connected with Kuja's. Finally she sighed again. "Very well," she said. "I will listen. But we can't stay here; if Captain Steiner were to see Kuja, I doubt even I would be able to restrain him. We'll have to speak in my chambers. Follow me."

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A/N: Oh snap, what's gonna happen? What's the queen gonna do to Kuja? Why do I put my characters through such abuse? To answer the last question, who knows? Maybe I'm just an angst junkie. Anyway, this chapter was some kind of fun to write. Especially the near-kiss between Kuja and Claire, and the Jack/Felina flirtiness. What can I say, I'm also a romance junkie. But enough of my thoughts; what are yours? Didst thou likest mine chapter? Let me know! The review button's down there!

-Waki