A/N: Hi peeps! Sorry about the wait. I've been sick, and therefore not motivated at all. But I think I'm finally getting better now. Thanks for all your reviews, by the way. Looks like we've got some new readers with us! Thank you for your interest. And to anyone who has visited my DeviantArt gallery, thank you as well! Okay, enough with the thank yous. Here it is at last, chapter eleven. Be prepared for angst.
Disclaimer: Must we? The glorious privilege of owning Final Fantasy IX belongs to Square Enix. I own nothing of importance.
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Requiem for an Angel
a Final Fantasy IX fanfiction
by Wakizashi
Chapter Eleven: No More Secrets
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As the foursome followed Queen Garnet and Zidane to her royal chambers, Felina's head swiveled back and forth as she gaped at her lavishly appointed surroundings. The shining marble columns, the meticulously carved architecture, the elaborate tapestries... she had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. Granted, she hadn't traveled much in her nineteen years, and she was easily impressed. But anybody who stepped inside this castle would be forced to admit that it was stunning.
"Blimey, is this ever posh!" she exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement. She elbowed Jack, who was walking beside her. "D'you think they'll let us spend the night here in one of their swanky guest rooms?"
"Mmm, I don't know, kitten," he muttered doubtfully. "I think it all depends on how things go between Kuja and Queen Garnet. And right now, it doesn't look good for him."
Felina shrugged. "I wouldn't worry, Jack," she said airily. "The queen seems like a nice enough sort." Suddenly Jack looked oddly uncomfortable. "What is it?"
He leaned in close to her and lowered his voice to a whisper. Unexpectedly, Felina felt herself shiver at his close proximity. "I think I might have stolen a thousand gil from her in Treno once," he replied, his face reddening to match his hair in his embarrassment.
For a moment Felina's gray eyes widened in surprise. Then she snorted with laughter. "No foolin'!" she choked. "You silly twit! Don't you ever think before you do somefin' stupid?"
"Hey, shut up," Jack hissed, indignant. "It's not funny. If she recognizes me, not only am I totally screwed, but it'll probably mean the end of Kuja and Claire's mission. And then it's goodbye to her planet." He shook his head in shame. "I should get out of here. I'm gonna ruin everything."
In response, Felina slipped her hand into one of his, surprising herself even more than Jack. "Cheer up, luv," she said kindly. "Everyfin' will turn out all right. You'll see."
His exotic golden eyes, rimmed with black kohl, met hers, and his smooth brow wrinkled. "How do you know?" he asked quietly.
She was about to answer when she suddenly collided into Kuja as he came to an abrupt stop in front of her. He winced in pain from his injuries and turned around, giving her an odd look. "Sorry, guv," she mumbled sheepishly, patting his arm.
"We've arrived in the queen's private chambers," he said, by way of explanation.
"Oh," she said, and looked around in surprise. Strangely, during her conversation with Jack, she hadn't even noticed that they had climbed two staircases and entered into a large, elegant bedroom, with a huge, comfortable-looking bed draped with a gauze canopy. Felina whistled. "Makes you envy what you don't got, eh Jack?"
The redhead shrugged. "Meh. I ain't impressed."
As the group entered, Queen Garnet closed the door and turned toward them. "All right, we're here," she said flatly. "As I promised, I will listen to your case. Miss-- I'm sorry, what was your name?"
"Just call me Claire," the brunette replied.
"Claire, then: you said you were from another planet?" The queen sounded skeptical.
"That's right," Claire said firmly, refusing to be intimidated. That's a girl! thought Felina, mentally cheering her on. "A planet called Earth. I'm not sure how I got here, but I met Kuja in Conde Petie, and he agreed to help me find a way back. He said there was this legend, see, that talked about a technologically advanced planet - that's Earth - that was destroyed long ago by some madman. Well, Gaia's past is my planet's present, and if we don't get to Earth and stop this guy..." She swallowed. "Well... it's going to happen very soon."
Kuja cleared his throat, ignoring the look Garnet gave him. "I thought Doctor Tot might be of some help, since he has so much knowledge of history," he added. "He told of a place on Vile Island which connected to another world. We have reason to believe this world might be Earth."
"Vile Island?" Zidane repeated in disbelief.
"Yeah, that's what I said," Jack muttered.
Garnet shook her head, trying to assess the situation. "If all this is true," she said, "then why have you come here?"
At this Claire blinked. "Uhh... That I don't know. Kuja?"
"We have come for your help, your Highness," Kuja said quietly. "Vile Island is a very wild and dangerous place. I have been training Claire to defend herself in battle, but she is still inexperienced. And because of my... my condition--" Here his voice hitched slightly, and both Felina and Claire frowned in confusion. "I am not as strong as I used to be. You and your friends are strong."
The queen stared at him in astonishment. "I don't believe it," she breathed. "You're asking for our help? You would dare to ask for our assistance after what you've done?" She shook her head bitterly. "Kuja, how can we even be sure of your motives? You've proved that you can't be trusted."
Felina looked at Kuja's bruised and battered face, and couldn't help but feel pity as he stared listlessly down at the floor. Maybe Jack was right, she thought; maybe everything wouldn't turn out all right.
When Kuja spoke again, it was barely above a whisper. "Your Highness," he said, his gaze still directed at his feet. "There are six billion people that live on Earth, including Claire's family and friends. If we don't act, they will all die." Finally he raised his eyes to the queen's. "I know I don't deserve your help. But I beg you, don't deny it of Claire, or her people. They need it."
Holding his gaze, Garnet walked toward him, her heels clicking in the silence that followed. "And you, Kuja," she said quietly. "Why do you need it?"
Breaking eye contact, he looked at Claire, who was biting her lip nervously. Felina clearly saw the conflict on his face, and she sighed. How long was he going to keep it from Claire? The longer he waited, the more angry and hurt she would be at being deceived. But Felina had promised she wouldn't be the one to tell her, and she would be as good as her word. Just tell her, you git! she thought in frustration.
"Claire," he finally said, "could you leave us for a moment?" Felina pursed her lips in disappointment. "Jack and Felina, too."
"Excuse me?" Claire put her hands on her hips, offended. "Why should I have to leave? This is as much my concern as yours, if not more."
Kuja closed his eyes, clearly trying to force down his annoyance. "I know that," he replied in a level voice. "And I'm sorry, but there is something I must discuss with Zidane and the queen. Privately."
The young Earth woman stared at him in disbelief. "Oh, don't give me that, Kuja," she said angrily. "Enough secrets, all right? I'm sick of it! In case you've forgotten, my home is about to be destroyed! We don't have time for all your little mystery games!"
Interrupting her tirade, Kuja placed his hands on her shoulders. "Claire, please," he said softly. "Please, let me have a moment with my brother."
Her eyes wide, Claire looked from Kuja to Zidane. "Your brother," she repeated, the anger fading from her voice. She craned her neck to look up at him again. "All right," she said with a sigh. "We'll get out of your hair."
Kuja smiled gently. "Thank you." Lifting one hand from her shoulder, he held it briefly against her cheek, and Felina could almost see the sparks flying between them. Then his arms fell back down to his sides, and the moment was over.
"Come on, guys," said Claire, and Jack and Felina followed her out the door.
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Kuja's brother. Now it all made sense. Why they were here, why Kuja had been so ecstatic to hear that Zidane was alive, all of it. When Claire had seen the blond's tail, she had immediately suspected some sort of familial connection. But brothers! Of course! Well, good looks obviously ran in the family; Zidane was quite the cutie. But that didn't matter. He clearly had a thing going with the queen, and to be honest...
To be honest, Claire was becoming quite attached to his brother.
She knew she shouldn't be, but she was. Kuja really hadn't left her any other option. So the more she thought about it, it actually wasn't her fault. And how could everyone say he was so horrible? He was so polite and kind and protective. A little rude at first, maybe, but that was when they had first met. They hadn't known each other back then.
And you think you know him now? a tiny voice inside her head whispered.
Claire tried to ignore it, but it was true. Kuja had many secrets, none of which he had bothered to tell her. It was a little insulting, but he had assured her that he did trust her. He was trying to protect her, he'd said.
He'd never said from what, exactly.
"Man, I'm hungry," said Jack, breaking into her thoughts as they roamed the corridors of the castle. "Maybe we can get the cook to give us something to eat. I'm pretty sure I could find the kitchen again."
"I want to find me clothes before we do anyfin' else," Felina replied irritably. "This soldier's uniform is drivin' me crazy."
"It's drivin' me crazy, too," said Jack, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Felina punched him hard in the shoulder. "Oww, frick! Okay, sorry. Maybe the soldiers put them somewhere. One of them had your hat, remember?"
As they turned a corner, they were suddenly forced to a halt as a tall, hulking man in a suit of armor stood in their path. "You there, you are not a Pluto Knight," he said loudly in Jack's direction. "State your name."
"Uhh, Jack," the redhead answered, shrugging.
"There is no Pluto Knight Jack!" the man bellowed, stamping his feet furiously. "I demand to know why you are dressed in the livery of the queen's royal guard! Speak!"
Jack flinched at the knight's booming voice, but Claire stepped forward. "My name is Claire, and these are my friends, Felina and Jack. We are personal guests of her Royal Highness, Queen Garnet, and Master Zidane Tribal," she said importantly. "And they have requested that you, Sir Knight--"
"Captain Adelbert Steiner," the man said, his bluster rapidly faltering.
"Captain Steiner," Claire continued, "are to give us the grand tour of this castle."
"After findin' us something to eat," Jack added.
"And findin' our clothes for us," Felina chimed in.
Steiner stared at each of them, his confusion all too evident on his hatchet face. "Her Majesty requested it?" he asked uncertainly. "And Zidane?"
"That they did," said Felina, nodding grandly. "It's a rare privilege, to be sure."
The knight shook his head, his chain mail clinking. "In that case," he said slowly, "I should certainly be honored to comply with the queen's wishes. If you would be so good as to follow me, I will inquire about your clothing."
"I thank you for your assistance, Captain Steiner," Claire said respectfully. "Your queen must be proud to have such a noble knight in her employ." Jack chuckled under his breath.
A short time later, the three were relaxing in the galley in their own clothes, munching on some moist slices of coffee cake. Jack fiddled absently with the pots hanging from the ceiling, and Felina sighed happily, patting her stomach with her gloved hand. "Thank you, Mr. Steiner, sir," she said, tipping her hat to the knight, who stood dutifully to one side. "That really hit the spot."
"It was my pleasure," Steiner replied with a smile. "Any friends of her Highness and Master Zidane are friends of mine."
He's not such a bad guy, thought Claire, returning his pleasant smile with a twinge of regret. She felt despicable for taking advantage of him.
She cleared her throat. "So, Captain Steiner," she said conversationally, "how did you come into the queen's service?"
"Well, actually, Miss Claire," he began, "I have been in the royal guard since long before her Highness became the current queen; it's been twenty years, in fact, since I pledged my allegiance to king and country. Twenty years." He shook his head in amazement, then continued, warming to the topic. "That was when her Highness's parents, the king and queen, were alive."
"You mean they're dead?" Claire asked.
Steiner gave her a strange look. "Yes, Miss Claire," he replied. "The king died of consumption three years ago, and Queen Brahne was killed shortly thereafter."
Claire's eyes widened in surprise. "Killed?" she repeated. "How?"
Suddenly Felina coughed loudly, and Claire turned toward her, her eyebrows raised. Felina shook her head in warning.
After a short, uncomfortable silence, Steiner cleared his throat. "Queen Brahne was killed when her marine fleet was destroyed off the coast of the Outer Continent." He narrowed his eyes. "Surely you have heard of the incident?"
"Uhh... I'm not from around here," Claire said meekly.
"I see." Steiner looked at her for a moment longer, then shrugged slightly. "In that case, you would not have heard what happened. The queen had been doing business with a weapons dealer named Kuja, who--"
"Kuja?" Claire blurted.
"Aww, bloody hell," Felina murmured under her breath.
"Ah, so you have heard of Kuja," Steiner said with a knowing nod. "He provided the queen with powerful summon magic, stolen from the princess, along with hordes of black mages, soldiers created from the Mist." His face darkened. "An evil man. I shall never forget what he did."
Claire listened, too shocked to speak, as the knight continued. "Blinded with greed, Queen Brahne destroyed kingdom after kingdom with the weapons Kuja had sold her. But she did not stop with the Mist Continent. She was not satisfied until she had conquered all of Gaia. Princess Garnet, Zidane, and others had gone to the Outer Continent in search of Kuja, when Brahne's fleet arrived.
"I am not certain why the queen tried to kill Kuja. Perhaps she felt that the greed flowing through her was his doing. Or perhaps he had merely outlived his usefulness. In any case, she summoned her most powerful eidolon, the dragon king Bahamut, to finish off Kuja. But it was her own undoing. Somehow, Kuja made the dragon turn on her, and it wiped out her fleet in a giant ball of flames. It destroyed them all."
Claire felt her skin grow cold. When she tried to speak, only a harsh croak came out. "He killed them?" she said hoarsely.
"Yes; but he was not yet finished taking lives," Steiner said bitterly. "With Bahamut under his control, he turned his bloodlust on Alexandria, burning houses and killing innocent people. Princess Garnet tried to protect the kingdom, but even her strongest eidolon, Alexander, was not enough against Kuja's airship, the Invincible. With one blast, Alexandria was destroyed. Even now, we are still reconstructing what was demolished. But not all things can be repaired."
Felina wiped fiercely at her eyes, and Jack put a hand on her shoulder, murmuring something soothing in her ear.
"But as devastating as it was seeing Alexandria in ruins," the knight continued, "it was nothing compared to the destruction of Terra."
"Terra?" Claire echoed weakly.
"Terra was Gaia's sister planet. It was where Kuja and Zidane were born, or rather created. They, along with others, were to be the vessels which would carry the souls of the original inhabitants of Terra. They were created by a man named Garland. Genomes, he called them. But Kuja felt intense hatred and jealousy toward his younger brother Zidane, who was to replace him as Garland's angel of death. So when Zidane was a child, Kuja took him to Gaia and left him there.
"Zidane, the princess, myself, and the rest of our friends followed Kuja back to Terra. Garland was done with him, and wanted Zidane to take his place. But Kuja rebelled against his creator and killed him, then took his fury out on Terra itself. We managed to escape with the other Genomes, but we could not stop Kuja from destroying Terra, his home planet."
Felina was moaning and pulling at her hair. Suddenly Claire spun around toward her and Jack, inexplicably angry. "You guys knew," she said accusingly. "You both knew, and you didn't tell me."
"You said you didn't want to know," Jack said quietly. "You said it didn't matter to you."
"That was before I knew he was a mass-murderer!" Claire shouted furiously, tears springing to her eyes. She collapsed to her knees on the galley floor, a black wave of nausea sweeping over her. "Oh, God," she said weakly. "How could I have been so stupid?"
Felina knelt down next to her. "You couldn't have known, poppet," she said gently, placing her hand on Claire's. "And I promised Kuja I wouldn't be the one to tell you."
"What?" Steiner exploded, his voice causing the post to rattle together. "Promised Kuja? What are you talking about? What is going on?"
Claire could barely hear him. She kept seeing Kuja's face in her head, and every time she felt so betrayed, so disgusted that she really felt she might vomit. She had respected him, had trusted him. But all she had felt for him was based on a lie. And all the things people had said about him; fiend, monster, demon. It was all true.
Not only that, she realized with a surge of rage, he had kept it from her. He had said he was trying to protect her. Now she knew that was all a lie. He knew that if she ever found out the truth about him, about who he really was, she would leave him in a heartbeat. Maybe she would have, too. But hearing it from his own lips would have been infinitely better than hearing it from a stranger's.
It was then she knew she couldn't stay with him any longer. The mere thought of him made her think of all the atrocious things he had done. How could she ever face him again?
Suddenly, from somewhere deep in her vault of memories, she heard Jack's voice in her head: "You know, Kuja isn't such a great guy. If you knew half the stuff that he's done, you wouldn't touch him with a thirty-foot pole."
Tears burned her eyes as she remembered what she had said to him in reply: "That's why we're so different, Jack. I don't condemn people for what they've done in the past. The only thing that matters is who a person is on the inside."
She blinked her eyes furiously, ashamed at herself for forgetting her own words. But how could she have known? This wasn't like stealing food for your starving family. Kuja had killed people. Countless people.
Kuja, she thought, shaking her head in disgust. How can you possibly live with what you've done?
----
Queen Garnet dropped her hands back down to her sides as she finished her cure spell. As Zidane watched, the cuts and bruises on Kuja's face and neck slowly faded, and the kink in his tail worked itself out. He rotated his shoulder experimentally. Then he bowed low, the feathers in his hair bobbing. "Thank you, your Highness," he said quietly.
"Don't thank me, Kuja," she said stiffly. "You should be thanking Zidane for persuading me to hear you out. As it is, I'm still not quite sure I believe your story about this... planet in danger."
Zidane winced at Garnet's harsh words. He had hoped if he ever saw Kuja again, he would have a chance to straighten things out with him. But it certainly hadn't turned out as he'd hoped. He could understand Garnet's feelings toward his brother; after all, he had been responsible for the destruction of her kingdom and the death of her mother. Still, she could keep in mind that Kuja had saved his life. That had to count for something, right?
"I quite understand your position, your Highness," Kuja was saying. "I have given you no reason to trust me. My word must mean absolutely nothing to you, so naturally any assurance I might give you would be utterly useless. But I can give you the testimony of several people that I am a changed man. My companions, Jack and Felina, will confirm that; as will Doctor Tot. And Claire..." Zidane saw his pale face flush slightly. "Well, she can confirm that I have saved her from danger numerous times. All I've done in the past is just that: in the past."
It was a pretty good speech; Zidane had to give him that. He looked at Garnet in expectation, in hope, but she shook her head.
"Maybe all that is in the past for you," she said. "But for countless other people, it is still all too real. And even the witness of other people of your... your change of heart... doesn't erase the fact that you took many innocent lives. The fact of the matter, Kuja, is this: you are a criminal, and criminals cannot go unpunished."
Crap, thought Zidane, casting a helpless glance at Kuja.
His brother caught his look. "It's all right, Zidane," he said with a sad kind of half-smile. "I was prepared for punishment before I ever came to Alexandria, and I will not try to escape it." He turned to Garnet. "But my promise to Claire cannot be ignored, your Highness. I gave her my word that I would help her in any way I can in her mission to save Earth. If you must execute judgment on me - and if it is death, so be it - I beg that you withhold my sentence until I have fulfilled my oath."
Garnet gave him a strange look. "Really," she replied dubiously, arching a brown eyebrow. "You, Kuja, actually want to keep a promise. Is that even possible?"
Zidane cleared his throat. "Yeah, uh, no offense, Kuja, but... Dagger's right. That isn't like you at all. I don't know how many times you've betrayed us in the past, but I know I couldn't count them all on one hand."
"You seem to forget that I am a changed man," said Kuja impatiently. Then he took a deep, calming breath. "I understand your skepticism. In fact, before I met Claire, I would not have given a second thought to keeping a promise. But I..." His smooth brow wrinkled, and his voice dropped to barely more than a whisper. "I care for her. I care about what she thinks of me. And I can't let her down because... because I..."
A tiny thought that had formed in Zidane's head had started to grow into an inkling as Kuja spoke, and now it blossomed into a full-fledged gut feeling. "Kuja," he said, not trusting himself to voice his intuitions, "what exactly are you saying? Why are you really helping Claire?"
Suddenly Kuja looked uncomfortable, which only raised Zidane's suspicion. "I don't know, exactly," he answered slowly, his color rising. "I can't quite explain it... but..." He cleared his throat and gave Zidane a decidedly sheepish look, his tail lashing back and forth. "Remember the letter you wrote to me, when you left my palace? And you told me why you had to leave?"
Zidane blinked. "Yeahhh..."
"Well, you said... that if I ever fell in love, I would understand."
He took in his brother's flushed cheeks and thrashing tail, and sighed. "Oh, no. Kuja, no."
"Zidane, wait just--"
"Are you out of your mind?" Zidane paced up and down Garnet's chambers, his own tail now whipping around furiously. "She's from another freaking planet, Kuja! Didn't you ever stop to think that maybe that's a problem? Or what about your 'condition', as you insist on calling it?" He made quotation marks in his elder brother's face. "Why don't you call it what it really is?"
"Zidane, will you kindly shut up?" Kuja growled irritably. Zidane glared at him; clearly, his older brother still retained his temper. "Yes, in fact, I have taken all of those facts into consideration. I am aware that there are... difficulties, to say the least, in my situation. But I can assure you that my feelings for Claire are quite beyond my control." His blue eyes took on a tender look as he spoke. "She is... exceptional. She's brought things out in me that I never knew were there. I'm not sure how she does it." He shook his head. "In any case, it is unlikely that I will act on my feelings. I'm sure it would only complicate matters."
He inhaled deeply and turned to Garnet, who had remained silent through this entire revelation. "In answer to your earlier question, your Highness; that is, why do I need your help... Claire's planet is on the brink of destruction. If we fail, billions of people will die." He swallowed hard. "I've already been responsible for enough death. I simply cannot stand by and let it happen again. Not if I can do something to stop it."
Zidane looked from Kuja to Garnet. She was staring at his brother intently, with a look almost of amazement on her face. "Well, I never thought I'd live to see it," she said softly. "Kuja, in love." She stepped forward until she was face to face with him, and although Kuja was much taller than her, she seemed to radiate an authority which could not be ignored. "You are right, Kuja," she said after a long silence. "We can't stand by and let this happen to Claire's home." She closed her eyes as she spoke the next words: "We will help you."
Kuja's proud, haughty eyes dimmed for a moment, and his firm lips shook ever so slightly. Then he regained his cool, self-possessed manner and bowed low. "Thank you, your Highness," he replied.
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A/N: Oy, this chapter pretty much killed me. Just describing all the things Kuja did... made me realize what a not nice person he was. And yet I kind of don't care... Well anyway, there it is. Claire knows. But what will she do with that knowledge? Stay tuned for chapter twelve (wow, twelve already?) in which she confronts Kuja about his past... and his "condition". Please review and tell me what you thought!
-Waki
