Disclaimer: -sigh- it still isn't mine…-curls up in corner and dies-
Rushi-chan: You stay that way. Thanks!….. -brakes shield and beats up Rushi-chan with newspaper- OH BURN!
Toxo-chan: Thanks a ton! You is my oldest non-school-friend reviewer! -HUGS!-
Anonymous: XD Got a problem with me getting weirder? Is it me that's getting' weird or my story?
Leo-kun89: Ay…When you get here, I just want ya to know, thanks for the review…and…erm…thanks for the tidbit about the computer…I guess…XD
A/N: YO! Me is being back! Well, I'm certainly gettin' more reviewers…YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY REVIEWERS! -confetti, confetti-
Story continues…………………………now!
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Kioku cautiously took the man's hand.
"Do you know where we are?" he asked as he pulled her up.
Kioku looked around at the darkness, "In my dream right?"
"Yes, but more specifically where are we? What do you see around you?"
"Darkness…nothing but darkness…"
"Look closer."
She looked at the man and then back into the mist…mist…
"Mist…" she whispered.
The man only smiled, "Yes, there is mist. This is all people used to see on Gaia in place of the sky, but look even beyond the mist."
Kioku squinted. Tiny lights began appearing throughout the sky.
"The sky!" she yelled with the sudden realization, "Stars! We're in the sky!"
The man stared into the distance, "Zidane was once in the place we are now standing. Yes, this is the 'sky', but it is still more. This is a gateway."
"My dad…? A gateway…to what?"
He turned back to her, "Terra, the planet of lost souls."
"But, Terra was destroyed…"
"Yes," the man's cool voice seemed to come from all around, a voice born from silence, a voice that wasn't really there, "Terra was destroyed. Do you know how?"
"No. No one knows."
He chuckled, "Oh, they know. They simply lie to make it easier on those who truly know nothing."
"'They'? Who are 'they'?"
"Again, all in good time. For now, I will just point you in the proper direction."
"To find Kuja?"
The man paused and nodded, almost sadly, "To find Kuja."
He took a moment to stare straight ahead, as if he was trying to see something within the mists.
" Go to Memoria." he said softly, "At the Iifa Tree."
"Memoria…? The 'castle of memories'? That place is a fairytale-"
"Did Zidane tell you that?" the man interrupted quietly, still staring into the mist.
His change in behavior made Kioku nervous, "W-Well…Y-Yes, of course."
The man tilted his head back and toward her allowing his hood to slip off, "He denies what has happened, does he?"
Kioku gasped as she saw the man's face…Kuja's face…
His clouded eyes looked at her sadly, "Head for Iifa. My time here is short, so I've no time to explain. Just trust me and fly into the light atop Iifa's branches."
…The light atop Iifa's branches…
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Kioku woke to someone knocking on her door.
"Hey, Miss Kiki. You up?" came Aji's voice.
"Yeah." said Kioku, still half asleep.
"Can I come in?"
"Ye-" Kioku stopped as she realized she wasn't wearing her hood or hiding her tail, "No. Please wait a moment."
She quickly brushed her hair, put the hood on, and hid her tail, "Come on in."
The knob jiggled for a second and Aji laughed, "It's locked."
She stood up and opened the door for him, but didn't let him in, "Is there a reason for this little visit?"
He was smiling as usual, "No need to be so cold, I came to apologize."
He stared at her for a moment, "Hey! I just noticed, you have blonde hair!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah…I left it down today."
"Why don't you ever take that hood off? Would it be so bad if I saw your face?"
Kioku stared at him. What was she supposed to say? Yeah, see I got this horn thingy on top of my head?
He stared at her, "Is it a problem?"
Kioku remained silent.
Aji sighed, "Whatever. I'll see your whole face someday. That's a promise."
He turned and began to leave.
"Aji, wait!" Kioku said suddenly, "I know where we have to go!"
He turned, "Where?"
"Iifa."
"Iifa? Why? That place is just a collapsed tree!"
"Pleeeease?" Kioku pleaded, putting on her best puppy dog face.
Aji sighed again, "Pack your stuff. We'll leave in an hour."
Kioku hugged Aji, "Thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me!"
She didn't notice Aji blushing as he pushed her off, "U-Um…G-Go pack. Remember, one hour. Meet me at the Ryu."
She nodded and ran back inside her room. Not that she had brought a ton of things, mostly just items, a weapon, and some snacks.
She ran to the Ryu Chikara as soon as she could. Aji was waiting outside.
He waved her in, "Hurry, there's another ship that wants through."
She nodded and followed him to the control room. They caught a glimpse of the other ship as they left. It hovered outside the airship dock.
"Whoa!" shouted Aji, "I don't believe it! That's the Invincible! I've heard of it, but I never saw it!"
Koku ran to the window and stared at the great blue airship as it flew into the dock.
"They're looking for me…" she whispered.
Aji turned to her, "Looking for you?"
Kioku quickly shook her head, "No… it's nothing. Don't worry."
She quickly walked to her room and closed the door. Just remembering Garnet…her mother…brought tears to her eyes. She'd felt so good about going to meet Kuja that she had forgotten all about Alexandria…and her family. She never dreamed they'd come after her.
"Kiki?" Aji said from the other side of the door, "Y' okay?"
Kioku wasn't sure of how to respond, "…Homesick."
Aji was silent for a moment, "Mind if I come in?"
"No."
There were no locks on the doors of the Ryu Chikara, so Aji didn't have to worry about it being locked.
Kioku stood by a window and stared into the clouds, "Aji, do you ever…miss your home?"
Aji walked to her side, "You want the truth?"
Kioku nodded.
Aji looked out the window with her, "As I told you in Lindblum, I used to live in Dali until about four years ago."
"Why did you leave?"
"…Dunno…Guess it's 'cause…there was nothing there to make me want to stay."
"What do you mean?"
"What is it that makes you want to go home?"
"My parents and friends, I suppose."
"There were no kids my age in the village, so I really had no friends. My parents died when I was six years old. After that, I decided to become an airship pilot, but no one really thought a six year old could be a pilot. I waited eight years, until I was fourteen, the age most people become pilots and I left Dali. Simple as that."
Kioku put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry."
He smiled at her, "Ah, don't be. It gave me freedom, didn't it? If I didn't have the Ryu, I'd be a farmer right now."
Kioku looked into his eyes. For once, they didn't seem happy or free. It was as if these memories were all that stood between him and the freedom he longed for.
"So, Kiki, your turn. Why did you leave your home?"
She paused to think of a way to word her story to make sure she didn't lie, but kept a certain amount of secrecy, "I-I…had a big fight with my father. He had kept secrets about my family from me my entire life. I feel like I don't know who my parents are anymore…who I am. So I left to find out about my parents."
"I see." Aji said calmly, "Well, we should be reaching Iifa soon. Try not to worry about your family. When you go back home after you figure everything out, stuff'll go back to normal. Promise."
Kioku smiled. Maybe Aji wasn't as bad as she first thought. He had certainly proved that he wasn't just some uneducated pilot as she had originally thought.
Aji walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Kioku stared at the door. There was something about him that was familiar, but she couldn't quite figure out what.
She gripped her improved prism staff and head toward the door as Iifa came into view…
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A/N: Holy crap! That took forever! 1299 words…-collapses from exhaustion- Sorry this one took so long…writers block to the X-TREME!
Thanks for reading this chapter! All that's left is to review. And don't even think about not reviewing. I now have a mob of undead lackys with rolled up newspapers just waiting for a chance to whack someone! Dewa mata!