Starting over
Author note; Again I would like to apologise for the lateness of my update. I got a new computer two months ago but it didn't have Microsoft word for some reason. So I had to wait until my computer genius friend came along and put Microsoft Word on it. I would like to thank Seikyu and Phoenix Hoshika for reading my fic. And after re-reading my second chapter I know what you are talking about Phoenix. For some reason on my old computer my spell-check only looked over spelling and not grammar, but HOPEFULLY my new comp will look out for me. Now on with the fic!
Disclaimer; You know, I'm beginning to understand why fanfic authors hate disclaimers. I do not own FFXI.
Chapter 2
When I woke up for the second time, in a very bad mood, I…kinda…went…nuts? Yeah! That's a good word to describe it. Let me explain what happened. I remembered that I no longer had to be a thief, which meant I had nothing to do with my life, which made me feel worthless. This made me angry, thus I took my temper out on the furniture.
…The room is no longer liveable. Zidane was quite impressed. Kuja, surprisingly, was not impressed. In fact, I think he broke some kind of Earth record for longest rant. Seriously! He went for quite a while before taking his first breath. After the rant he showed me to my new room, leaving me with a few chosen words.
"Destroy this room and not only will you be cleaning the mess, I will throw you outside of town so that the monsters can get a snack."
"Monsters?"
"Yes, monsters. Which reminds me, do you know how to fight?"
"Um…Ah can street figh'."
"Not good enough. You will begin training with Zidane and I in 2 hours. Get some rest," then he left me outside my new room. Deciding to take Kuja's suggestion I went inside the room and surprise surprise, it was also blue. I was beginning to wonder why blue? I'd ask Kuja during training.
It felt like minutes since my head hit the pillow. Now what had woken me up?
"Aurora!" The muffled voice was coming from the door.
"Who's it?"
"Zidane. It's time to train!" Then I heard fading footsteps. That kid must be on a constant sugar rush. It's the only explanation as to why he's always so happy.
I got out of my bed and put my old rags back on. I sniffed them and almost fainted at the smell of them. I would need to ask Kuja about getting them washed. I stepped outside the door of my room only to realise that I didn't know where to go.
"So you're finally ready?" I looked to my right and there stood Zidane. "Well come on!" How did he do that? I should have been completely aware of his presence, it's part of being a thief.
He had already ran ahead of me and I had to run to catch up. Then we came to a pair of white doors.
"Why's it tha' these door's ar' blue while this one's whit'?"
"It is the training room." I turned around to face Kuja. He seemed a lot less colder than he was two hours ago. I wonder what had happened to make him that cold.
"Kuja told me that everything's blue to match time!"
"Huh?"
"Inside this room time continues," Kuja said pointing toward the white door. "The rest of the rooms, including where we stand, time does not move. It was part of the Terrans' plan for immortality."
"Immortality?"
"Yes." I would have burst out laughing had Zidane and Kuja's faces not been so serious.
"Ye're kiddin'" I stated.
"Nope!" The sugar high freak replied. I was starting to go into the same rage that I went into when I was in my old room.
"So," I said, "Ye think jus' cause ye got a power mak's ye bette' than evree un else? Include the Higher Powers." I was completely furious! How dare this 'race' say that they were better! I had never really believed in any 'god', but that didn't mean that there weren't any 'guardians'. These people's attitudes were which made me run away to become a thief. I HATED that kind of attitude.
Kuja must have sensed something, because he then said, "It is not our sin, but the sin of our ancestors." I have to admit, that sentence calmed me down. He then continued, "Well, more like our 'creators'." Just then the doors opened and I stepped inside.
Training had begun.
A week after going through the 'daily' routine of fighting, Kuja then gave me two mini pitchforks for weapons.
"Um…Why do ah need mini pitchforks?" My grammar had changed dramatically from the first time I meet Kuja and Zidane.
"They are not 'pitchforks', they are sias. You will learn how to fight with them. And Zidane Tribal! Would you kindly stop taking MY daggers!" In return for teaching me to fight, read, write and speak properly, I taught Zidane a few tricks about thieving. He already knew about stealth, I just taught him how to pick pockets. He had been practicing on Kuja but hadn't managed to take anything without him noticing.
So after about a year into training, we all learned that I could not use fire magic. First time I tried Zidane's tale caught fire. I thought it was funny watching Zidane running around in circles trying to put the fire on his tail out. Kuja didn't. I also learned that I could only cast 'cura'. When I tried to cast cure, it turned into a 'fire' spell. Zidane's tail was yet again at the receiving end of that spell. Same with 'curaga'.
After 6 months of magic training, I could cast cura, protect, haste, blizzard, blizzara, blizzaga, water, watera and waterga.
Another 6 months passed and Zidane, Kuja and I had become family. But all was not right. For one Kuja and I didn't look a day over 13 while Zidane looked 7. Kuja explained that as soon as the people of Terra hit a certain age they stopped growing.
"I believe the ingredient is in the water that we drink, but I cannot be sure. It was part of Terrains' plan to become immortal." Kuja explained.
"Why did they want to become immortal?" Zidane had been listening in. Ever since I had came, Zidane began to question certain things he knew more.
"As far as I can gather, they were already dieing as a race. So they sacrificed other creatures, other Terrains, until they ran out of people to kill. Needless to say these 'sacrifices' didn't work. If anything the planet's health declined faster. This is where we, Genomes, come in. We at first were meant to be another sacrifice, but it was soon discovered that it would not wok in time and so we were made soulless. They also relised an ingredient into the planets life stream to pause time. Then Garland was made. His duty is to make sure that we are kept soulless, and to take life away from other planets. You see, Garland has a crystal inside his chest, this crystal guides him to other planets, then he slowly takes away all life on that planet. I am still unsure how it works, but I believe this is why Zidane and I are allowed to live."
"What do you mean 'allowed'?" I asked. Kuja smiled sadly.
"Have you not noticed? Zidane and I are different from the rest of the Genomes. We smile, laugh, cry and display many other emotions that the others do not. They are nothing but vessels, we aren't." We never got to finish that conversation, for Kuja was then summoned by Garland.
I have no idea how Kuja did it, but Garland never knew of my existence here. Which came to the second thing that was wrong. Every time Kuja was summoned, he came back colder. After 2 days he would become the brother that I knew and loved again.
This time though, Kuja came running towards us in a panic.
"Get your weapons, both of you, you need to leave. Now!"
"Calm down. What's going on?" I asked
"It's Garland! He found out about you. Also he told me of the plan to destroy life on Gaia. He is going to use Zidane and I to cause a war on Gaia!" While he was telling me this he was grabbing my sais and Zidanes daggers, while I picked up a sleeping Zidane bridal style. "Come! Follow me!" Then we were running out of Bran Bal. We ran across a blue rope bridge which was where I stopped.
"What are you doing! We need to run!" Kuja was shouting. I didn't hear him for my eyes had spotted something. That something was the Starlight Jewel. I put Zidane down for a moment, picked it up, put in the pocket of my mini-skirt, picked Zidane up again, and started to run again. Kuja had run ahead so I followed until we came upon a harp shaped statue.
"Here, you will need this." Kuja had given me a few hi-potions. He then bent down and gave me a kiss on my fore head then repeated the process for Zidane, who was still asleep. Straightening up he said, "I gave him a potion that will take away his memories. I've done this because the next time he sees me, I will not be his brother but his enemy. The same goes for you."
"What are you talking about?" I was completely puzzled by his actions.
"Remember every time I went to see Garland I became colder?" I nodded. "He was preparing me. I'll explain it one day but for now you need to get to Gaia."
"How do we do that!" I was becoming angry. He was refusing to explain anything.
"Just step up to that shape there," pointing towards the harp without strings, "it'll take you to Gaia."
"Aren't you coming?" Kuja shook his head.
"No. If I go, certain events will start too early. I'm going to stay here and give Zidane and yourself time to get prepared."
"Time to prepare for what?"
"To kill me." At that statement I froze.
"What?"
"That is the reason I gave Zidane the potion. He is too emotional to try to kill his own 'brother'. But you aren't" looking me straight into my eyes while saying that last sentence.
"What do you mean," I whispered, still in shock.
"You'll understand when you get onto Gaia. Now go! You've wasted enough time." He then pushed me toward the harp shape, with Zidane still in my arms. The harp then started to glow.
"Good luck," were going to be the last kind words I would hear from him. Then everything went black again.
A/N; So is this longer? R&R. Please?
