ShS – My B-Day has come and gone (with no prezzies from the parents, but an oil burner and two rings from my friends, plus $20 from Grandma. No cake either :-( ). I'm getting the meals room computer put into my room, so mebbe I'll work on my fanfics more, since I can't use internet on that computer until I buy a modem for it. 'Es, and if you'll recall from last chapter, Kura has a pretty weird reaction to status spells after they're lifted. Be prepared for sum weird happening's 'cause of this.
Kuja – Indeed, a most odd development.
Max – I'm aliev! VW007!
Kura – O.o; on with the fic. Oh, and be prepared for a lot of dialogue.
The crown prince of Alexandria strolled down the hallway confidently, closely followed by Trent. In fact, Trent was following so closely that he was virtually standing on the back of Alex's shoes.
"Stop that Trent, you're making yourself look even more suspicious," Alex hissed under his breath. Trent stepped back a bit, albeit rather reluctantly
"I still don't see why I had to come along," Trent hissed back. "I coulda just waited at the inn for ya." Alex rolled his eyes at this.
"Yeah, and how am I supposed to carry all the stuff on my own to the inn without falling over?" he snapped.
"Carry what Alexander, pray tell?" came a voice from behind him. Both Alex and Trent gulped in unison, and turned around slowly. Zidane met them with amused sapphire eyes and raised eyebrows.
"Erm, nothing father," Alex answered quickly. Perhaps too quickly, because Zidane's eyebrows raised even higher.
"Is that so Alex?" he asked, a laugh barely hidden in his voice.
"Alex was going to give us some things for the gangs HQ your Majesty," Trent put in quickly, smiling charmingly and eyes all innocence.
"Oh really?"
"Yes, I hope you don't mind that one of my position is in the castle?" Trent asked with false sincereness as Zidane had been a thief himself and (hopefully) wouldn't care that much.
"It's perfectly alright Trent. Don't forget to say hello to Max when you see him, and bring Kura back safely please."
'Damn, he knows' thought both Trent and Alexander.
"Who would Max be?" Alexander asked, hoping that it was just by chance that Zidane had heard of Max. And besides, Kura was always getting into rouble that Alex pulled her out of.
"Your cousin of course. Kura's gone with him to visit your uncle," Zidane smiled, leaning against the wall, the picture of nonchalance. Alex blinked, once, twice, thrice.
"I…have a cousin?" he asked, "and an uncle as well?" Zidane waited for this to fully sink in.
"Yes, just don't tell your mother. We're figuring out a way to let her know without her getting too upset." Zidane straightened and walked to Alex, patting him on the shoulder. "Kura's safe with them, or I wouldn't have let Max in to take her there."
"Take Kura where?" Trent broke in. Zidane turned to Trent, noting how Trent didn't use the honorific 'Princess' when talking of his daughter. Filing it in his memory for later, he told the two boys where Kura was.
"She's in the Desert Palace, and we'll leave for there as soon as the airship is right. I've left a note with Dagger… I mean, Garnet that I have taken yourself and Kura on a short trip, Alex." Both Alex and Trent were visibly shaken. Zidane endured their stupefied stares for ten full seconds.
"You're coming?" (Alex)
"What airship?" (Trent)
Both boys said at once. The original plan had been to take a few supplies, and two chocobos, not an airship. The risk was too great when compared to the usefulness of an airship as compared to chocobos. Most airships required many people to man them, and secrecy was needed to get Kura back, for both security and so Kura wouldn't get into TOO much trouble.
"Yes I am coming, and the airship is waiting for us just outside Alexandria. We should go now so we can get to the Forgotten Continent quicker." Zidane started to walk leaving Trent and Alex behind, until they realized he was serious and ran to catch up.
"Soooo, how exactly are we going to do this?" Kura asked, tilting her chair back. She, Kuja and Max were all in the Desert Palace's library, one of the few placed not coated in dust from Kuja's absence and lack of servants to clean.
"It shall be rather difficult to plan, as your mother and most of Gaia presume that I am deceased, and would not care for my presence here," Kuja replied, folding his hands together and leaning his head on them.
"True." Kura replied. She raised her hands above her head to catch the golden motes lit up by the dying afternoon sunlight. "I doubt that my mother in particular would be too pleased. Daddy wouldn't mind though."
"Maybe I should've brought him here as well, your father that is," Max said from his position in the window seat, before returning to his book.
"Hey, yeah! My dad could make a plan real quick to get you introduced to the Gaians again, and help them see you aren't really the same person anymore." Kura bubbled.
"Yes, well that is true, which is why I've sent for him to come," Kuja stated, standing up. "He may be here within the day, or even at some point this night."
"Ehh!" Both Max and Kura started, Kura let her chair fall back with a thump, and Max knocked all the cushions out of the window seat as he leapt up.
"My dad's on the way, and the Palace is like this?" Kura gasped in mock horror. "Why, he would be rather horrified at the state!" Kuja laughed.
"Ah yes, I'd forgotten that he's a little princeling now. 'Tis funny, how our roles have been reversed."
"Hey, wait a minute, back up here!" Max growled. "If Zidane is on his way, he could've brought Kura with him, there wasn't any real need for me to go and get her!" He stormed out in a huff, irritated that his time had been wasted. Kura and Kuja looked at each other.
"I apologise for Max. He doesn't really like to be pulled out of his room," Kuja bowed his head. "It has been this way for around five years now." Kura tilted her head to one side.
"Oh, what happened?" She asked.
"Well, that would be-" Kuja was cut off by the door opening.
"Hey there bro, hope I'm not interrupting!"
ShS – Heh, there it is after such a long time. Truly sorry about the long time in between updates. Truth is that the story drifts in and out of my mind, and it's rare that I can keep focused on it to do a whole chapter at a time. Getting a new LiveJournal (forgot PW and what E-Mail I used, so keh), in which I'll say how progress on my stories is going. Check it out at ultimaflare-ess. livejournal. com/ Add me if you have LJ's please (puppy eyes). Chances are that I'd update that around once a week and say how the fics are going. Ah yes, Philoworm's question is answered in the first entry in play form, working on the piccie. Blame Square for Zidane and Steiner's outfits. Once again, truly sorry for the delays. Until next time them, R&R.