Disclaimer- I own nothing! Not a thing! None of the characters are mine at all! They all belong to Square-Enix! All hail the exclamation mark!
Krimson- Alright! This gives the story a total of more than 10,000 words! And it's my longest chapter EVER!
Damien- Why are you so excited?
Krimson- I have very little going on and most of my friends are off in other states.
Damien- Geez you're a freak.
Krimson- You know what you need? Tea! I'll get you some.
Damien- I don't want tea!
Krimson- This is chapter 6: Explanations.
Damien- NO TEA!
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"Kuja? What are you doing here?" Zidane asked.
Kuja's silver cloak blew behind him as he posed in his "cool guy" look, which was really helped by the dying light from the sunset over the mountains. He looked at Zidane with a piercing intensity. "I'm here to help."
"What are you talking about?"
"The Black Mages, Zidane. Don't you remember that they have a shorter life expectancy than Gaians?"
"You mean there's really a way to fix that? I thought you made that up."
"He is!" said one of the Black Mages. "We wont let him use us anymore!"
"I'm not trying to use any of you!" Kuja protested.
"Liar!" screamed another Black Mage.
"Wait, he might have a way!" Zidane said.
"I do!" Kuja said.
"Prove it!" said the first Black Mage.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Lani yelled.
Everyone turned to look at Lani, who was standing outside of the small group that had formed between Zidane, Kuja, and the Black Mages.
Lani looked around in utter confusion from Kuja to the Black Mages and back to Zidane. "Who's he?" she asked pointing to Kuja. "What are they?" she asked pointing to the Black Mages. "And what the hell are you talking about?" she asked turning to Zidane.
They all looked at each other for a moment before Zidane spoke up. "Okay, this is Kuja," Zidane said, indicating Kuja. "He's my brother, who created these guys, the Black Mages." Zidane continued to explain while pointing at the Black Mages.
"After Kuja manipulated Queen Brahne into starting a war using the Black Mages and the eidolons as her secret weapon, some of the Black Mages woke up and they ran from the fighting and made this village in these woods."
"What do you mean they woke up?" Lani asked. She was confused before. Now she was getting a migraine.
"They came to realize their existence, like when young children come to understand what they are as people." Kuja explained.
"Right," Zidane continued. "Well, after they came here they started to realize that they could die from old age and that their "old age" was actually pretty young. So when Kuja, who was trying to conquer Gaia at the time, came to them and offered them the chance to live longer they took his offer and helped him move his plans for power along."
"Then he betrayed us!" one of the Black Mages yelled.
"Stop!" Lani said. "Just stop. This isn't helping."
Zidane thought back on what he was saying and realized that it was pretty elaborate. Anyone who hadn't been through it themselves would need a while to take everything in. "The simple version is that Kuja's my brother and the Black Mages are the magic users who live in this village."
"Whatever."
Changing the subject to something more relevant, Zidane turned to Kuja. "You still haven't explained why you're here Kuja."
Kuja brushed a lock of hair from his face and let out a sigh. "Do you remember the mist at the bottom of the Iifa Tree?"
"Yeah." Zidane said.
"That mist is lighter than the mist I used to create the Black Mages. It's because the souls of Terra aren't flowing through the mist anymore."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that there is a way to allow the Black Mages to live longer."
"He's a liar!" accused a Black Mage. "He'll just try to control us again!"
"No I won't!" Kuja protested.
"Hold on!" Zidane said getting between Kuja and the mob of Black Mages. Zidane turned to his brother. "Kuja, you have to understand, the Black Mages have no reason to trust you."
"That's why I'm doing this." Kuja explained. "This is for redemption."
Given Kuja's recent attitude change, Zidane thought it was best to at least hear him out. "Alright, how will this work?"
Kuja knelt down and neatly drew an outline of a Black Mage. "The mist outside of the Iifa Tree now has properties of water." he explained. "That means that it can be frozen. If it's ingested by a Black Mage in this state, it will regenerate parts of the Black Mages' bodies." He demonstrated this by illustrating the flow of energy in his Black Mage diagram.
"Kind of like a potion, right?" Zidane asked.
"It's very similar, yes." Addressing the Black Mages, Kuja said, "It won't keep you alive forever, but it will expand your life spans considerably. "
"We still can't trust you!" yelled another Black Mage, followed by shouts of "Get out of here!" and "Leave us alone!" Nearly every Black Mage in the village had gathered, each one protesting Kuja's presence. Even a few of the Genomes had gathered to see what the fuss was all about.
"Stop!" came a cry from the group of Black Mages. They all turned and stepped out of the way as Mr. 288 walked to the front of the crowd, using his wand as more of a walking stick. During the time Zidane was trapped in the Iifa Tree, Mr. 288 had taken the role as the official leader of the Black Mage Village. He had worked with Mikoto to create suitable housing for the Genomes and had expanded the village's industry, specializing in farming and herding some of the local wildlife, which allowed them to live comfortable, secluded lives. Mr. 288 emerged from the crowd and stopped in front of Kuja. Mr. 288 was a wise person, everyone already knew that, but the way he walked made it obvious that he was aging.
Mr. 288 stared at Kuja patiently, carefully assessing him.
"Kuja," he began. "You have betrayed us, manipulated us, and in the end, you threw us away. We have no reason to trust you at all." Mr. 288 stamped his wand in the ground at his last point to emphasize its relevance.
"However," Mr. 288 continued with a sigh, "We do not have much of a choice, so we shall do an experiment."
The other Black Mages were shocked by Mr. 288 sympathizing with Kuja and many gasped with surprise.
"We shall go with you to the Iifa Tree and a volunteer will take the pill you described." He stood up straight. "I volunteer myself."
The Black Mages protested Mr. 288's decision with cries of fear. Mr. 288 had been a respected and beloved leader to them, almost like a father. The thought of him dying by Kuja's manipulation was far from comfortable for them. Mr. 288 raised his hand to silence the crowd. "Let's face it, I don't have much time left. If there should be anyone to take this sort of a risk, it should be me."
Mr. 288 raised his hand again to silence the roars of protest coming from the crowd. "If Kuja's plan works, we shall all be able to live longer healthier lives. If it is indeed a trick and something happens to me, I'll leave it to all of you to finish me off."
"Don't worry." Kuja said. "That's not going to happen."
"You're damn right it's not going to happen." said one of the Black Mages. "Because we're not going with you." It was followed by monstrous applause.
"Stop everyone!" Mr. 288 called out. But the sudden exertion was too much for him and he collapsed to his knees, coughing.
The Black Mages ran up to Mr. 288, helping him to his feet. As they lead him away back to the huts several Black Mages turned to face Kuja. They stared at him with murderous intent and Kuja stared back, understanding what they were feeling.
"Fine," one of the Black Mages said. "We'll go with you, but we'll leave tomorrow morning, after Mr. 288 has had some time to rest."
"Very well." Kuja replied.
"And you're not allowed in the village."
"What?" Zidane said at last. "He's willing to help you all and you ban him from any kind treatment in return?"
"Zidane, it's alright." Kuja replied. "I deserve it.
With that, the rest of the Black Mages went back into the village. A few stayed near the entrance to guard it.
Zidane looked around and took in everything about the forest nearby. He thought to himself and nodded. "I'll go with you."
"Zidane, I can't ask you to do that."
"Tough. You could use the company."
"You could use more control."
Then, a voice came from the direction of the village. "You could both use an adult."
Kuja and Zidane looked over and saw Mikoto, in a pink shirt and white shorts outfit approaching them from the village. She had her same solemn expression as always.
"Mikoto!" Zidane said and ran to her, picking her up in a hug. Kuja stayed back and watched the happy reunion. After Zidane put Mikoto back down she looked at her other brother.
"Hello Kuja."
"Mikoto." Kuja said with a nod.
"Well isn't this a cheerful scene?"
The three siblings looked behind them to see Lani leaning forward on her axe.
"Oh, sorry Lani." Zidane said. "I guess I forgot about you."
Lani grunted in response and turned her attention to Mikoto.
"Oh, right." Zidane presented Mikoto by putting his hand on her shoulder. "This is my sister Mikoto. Everyone, this is Lani" Mikoto nodded and Kuja waved slightly.
"Do you have any other brothers or sisters by any chance?" Lani asked sarcastically.
"Nope. Just these two."
"Hmm." Lani stepped back off of her axe and hoisted it onto her shoulder. "I'll let you three get reacquainted. I'm going to go set up a camp out here a ways."
"You won't be sleeping in the village?" Mikoto asked.
"I'm uncomfortable in situations like this."
"Keep the campfire going." Zidane said. "We'll be over in a few minutes."
"Whatever." Lani walked a few feet down the path, but stopped, turned and took her axe off her shoulder and pointed it at Zidane's head. "Zidane," she said, "Don't take this opportunity to run. You still owe me that favor."
Lani latched her axe on her back and headed off down the path and as she walked a owl flew overhead and landed on a branch over the path. Weird, Zidane thought.
"Where have you two been these past months?" Mikoto asked, drawing the attention away from Lani's exit.
Zidane and Kuja glanced at each other. "We were stuck in a tree." they said at the same time. They both managed to get Mikoto to smile a tiny bit.
"How are the Genomes doing here?" Zidane asked.
"They've adapted rather well and make good laborers for some of the farming." Mikoto responded.
"Really? That's great!"
"I'll assume they still have no souls." Kuja said.
"They don't, but they're starting to develop in certain ways." Mikoto answered.
"What do you mean?"
"Some of them have started to have likes and dislikes."
"Like what?" Zidane asked.
"They enjoy cold drinking water and sunny days and dislike pain."
Zidane stood for a moment. "What's so developed about that?"
"You may not realize it Zidane, but for someone without a soul to even have ideas and opinions is quite remarkable." Kuja explained.
"Oh."
Then, Kuja's stomach rumbled. He placed his hand over it to quiet it, but it was still pretty obvious. "I guess I haven't eaten in awhile." he said.
"Why don't you both come back to the campsite with me?" Zidane said. "Lani and I still have a lot of griffin meat left."
"You have griffin?" Kuja asked, perplexed. "Where did you get it? What kind of glaze does it have?"
Back when Kuja was living in his Desert Palace he would frequently eat the finest foods around. Since he hadn't eaten any meat or delicacies for the past few months, the thought of eating something as fine as griffin made him so excited he lost his composure. Zidane was sent back a step as a result.
"Lani and I killed one the other day and packed up what we didn't eat."
"Oh." Kuja paused to collect himself and regain his composure. "Well I suppose it will do."
"Meat alone isn't enough." Mikoto said. "I'll go back to the village and bring back some fruit." She turned the other way and headed back to her hut to retrieve some of the fruits she had helped harvest earlier that day. Kuja and Zidane were left alone at the entrance of the village.
"Kuja?"
"Yes?"
"If the mist at the Iifa Tree can be turned into pills and can save the Black Mages, why didn't you bring some to show the Black Mages that they work?"
"Because I can't make them."
"What?"
Kuja sighed and crossed his arms at his chest. "The pills can only be created if three blizzard spells are condensed on a certain spot in the mist at the same time. I can't use three blizzard spells at once. Or at all."
"That explains a bit."
As they finished their conversation, Mikoto came running towards them carrying a basket which held apples and a head of lettuce. She also had a small chopping board under her arm.
"I hope this is enough." she said. "I didn't know how much you two would want."
"Mikoto, don't you need a knife to chop up the lettuce?" Zidane asked.
"I have one." She said and reached down to her boot and pulled a small dagger from its side. It was similar in shape to Zidane's first dagger but it was just a little smaller. "I got it down at the weapons shop."
"Mikoto, something like that is more suited for fighting monsters than cutting up vegetables."
"I know." Mikoto sheathed the dagger back in her boot. "But I never fight monsters, so I don't have any other use for it."
Kuja's stomach rumbled again. "If you two are done with the small talk, I suggest we head off and get something to eat."
With that, they left the fringe of the village. Fortunately, Lani hadn't set up camp too far off. As the night bore on they traded stories and discussed plans for the future. The meat was cooked about right and Mikoto's apples and lettuce were crisp and juicy. They all joked far into the night. Even Lani had a good time.
Meanwhile, in the Black Mage Village, Mr. 288 was in the infirmary hut being treated by some of the other Black Mages. They had given him some potions, but those didn't do too much. He was dying. He knew it. The other Black Mages knew it. Mr. 288 didn't even have a week left.
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Damien- I mean it this time. I'm not saying it!
Krimson- (Leaves)
Damien- Hey, where are you going?
Krimson- (Returns with sandwich)
Damien- What are you doing?
Krimson- (Starts eating sandwich really, really slowly)
Damien- (Pause) Stop it!
Krimson- (Continues eating sandwich)
Damien- Alright already! Please Read and Review.
Krimson- (Offering sandwich) What some?
Damien- NO!