Disclaimer- I don't own anything in this story except for the persona of Mr. 386. Everything else belongs to Square-Enix. Yay Square-Enix!
Author's note: To all my readers and fans, I'm back! After months of schoolwork, broken computers, bad internet connections, relationship issues, and more computer problems, I'm finally uploading not one, but two chapters for everyone awesome enough to read my story. I'll try my best to finish the story before Christmas. I promise.
Krimson- Well, I've just ingested 30 pounds of pure sugar and will now attempt to see how strangely I can write a chapter.
Damien- Doesn't that seem like a bad idea?
Krimson- Why? What could go wrong?
Damien- Your hand.
Krimson- What? (Hand is green) Cool!
Damien- Moron.
Krimson- Ooh, nice shade too.
Damien- This is Chapter 7: The Exodus.
Krimson- The green turns pink when you press on it!
Damien- I'm going to go hide every sharp object nearby before you kill yourself.
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It was bright and sunny the next morning. Mikoto had stayed most of the night and ended up taking Zidane's tent next to Lani's. Zidane and Kuja had to make due with sleeping outside without any pillows or blankets, but with what they put up with in the Iifa Tree, it really wasn't all that bad to them.
Mikoto was the first to wake up. She emerged from her tent and squinted in the morning sunlight. After a quick stretch, she looked around for her brothers. The woods became denser the farther away she walked from the campsite so they couldn't be far. Mikoto thought about waking Lani up to help her search, but by the way Lani had acted through most of the night, it seemed like a better idea to let her sleep.
Lani had secluded herself for most of the night. She sat with the others, but didn't add to the stories being passed around and didn't talk much at all. Mikoto could tell that Lani didn't really mean to be obnoxious, but rather that it was more of a defense mechanism since she didn't get along with others very well.
Kuja was leaned up against a tree not far from the campsite. His hands were folded neatly in his lap. Zidane was just a few feet away from Kuja, sleeping facedown in a pile of leaves.
"Wake up you two." Mikoto said.
Kuja stirred and opened his eyes. He gave a small yawn and stretched his hands out in front of him. Zidane just slept through the wake up call.
"Zidane!" Mikoto said in a slightly harsher tone. Zidane still slept.
"That's not going to work." Kuja said standing up. "When he's really tired he'll sleep through almost anything."
"How do you know?"
"Well I was stuck with him in a tree for five months. Try kicking him in the ribs."
"Isn't that a little drastic?"
"Drastic would be using Flare on him."
Mikoto stared at Zidane. They were only up a little past midnight. Seven hours of sleep should have been enough. Mikoto gave him a little nudge in the side but Zidane gave no reaction. She kicked him a little harder. Zidane groaned, but still stayed asleep. Mikoto looked at Kuja, who shrugged not knowing how to explain it. Mikoto, not wanting to hurt Zidane too much, turned him onto his back and with a small leap, jumped on his stomach.
Zidane's eyes almost flew out of his head. Mikoto stepped off of him and Zidane curled up into a ball trying his hardest to breathe again.
"Sorry." Mikoto said.
Zidane could only softly hit the ground next to her as he struggled to draw breath.
"Hey, this is nothing like when I tried to wake you up." Kuja said.
Mikoto's eyes darted to him. "What did you do?" she asked.
"You don't want to know."
After Zidane had a few minutes to recover, all three of them went back to the campsite where Lani was already packing up the tents. After one look at Zidane, she asked "What the hell happened to you?"
"She jumped on me." Zidane said pointing at Mikoto. Lani gave a slight grimace out of sympathy for Zidane.
"Well, we're packed up here." Lani said. "Are we leaving or what?"
"Sure, let's go." They all grabbed their packs and set off for the Black Mage Village.
It took them a few minutes to get there, given the nature of the forest, but when they arrived they saw most of the Black Mages waiting for them. One of the Black Mages, Mr. 386, stepped out to meet them.
"Hello Mikoto." he said.
"Mr. 386." she responded.
"How long should this take?" Mr. 386 asked. "We don't have much time."
"We'll cross the plains, go through Conde Petie, and walk through the mountain path, so we should be there in two or three days."
As Zidane heard this, he realized his predicament. The Dwarves threatened to kill him if they ever saw him again.
"Uh, could I get a coat and a hat?" Zidane asked Mr. 386.
"Why do you need one all of a sudden?" Kuja asked.
"Oh, uh, I just think things will be easier if I have a set."
"Why?"
"No reason."
"The Dwarves threatened to kill him if they ever saw him again." Lani said.
"Lani!"
"What did you do?" Mikoto asked.
"Nothing!" Zidane claimed.
"Something about him not sleeping with his princess." Lani said again.
"Dammit Lani!"
Mikoto raised an eyebrow and Kuja smirked. The Black Mages just stood, not in the mood for such jokes.
"Can we leave now?" one of the Black Mages asked. "We don't have much time."
"Wait." Mikoto said. She ran back into the village and disappeared around a corner. After a minute she came back with a Black Mage's hat and coat, which she handed to Zidane. "Just don't do anything to stand out." she said.
"Let's go already!" one of the Black Mages said impatiently.
The Next Day
"C'mon, tell me."
"No."
"Please?"
"You're better off not knowing."
Mikoto and Kuja were walking in the middle of the group headed for Conde Petie. She was eaten up with curiosity for how Kuja used to wake up Zidane inside the Iifa Tree. What could be so much worse than waking up with someone jumping on your stomach?
"Fine." Mikoto said. "If you won't tell me, I'll just ask Zidane."
"I wouldn't do that." Kuja warned. "It might traumatize him."
"You're exaggerating things."
"Fine. But when he collapses I'm not helping you carry him."
Mikoto eyed him suspiciously. She ran up to the front of the group to Zidane.
Zidane was talking with some of the Black Mages about some of his exploits. They were also interested in Vivi's adventures. Apparently, Vivi earned a lot of respect from the other Black Mages by defeating Kuja and saving Gaia.
"Zidane," Mikoto said as she approached him. "Could I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure." he said. "What's up?"
"Not here." Mikoto grabbed Zidane's arm and pulled him out of the group until they were walking twenty feet off to the side of the Black Mages. Kuja looked on in concern from the center of the group.
"I have to know something." Mikoto said.
"Okay, what?"
"What did Kuja do to wake you up when you were both in the Iifa Tree?"
Zidane stopped in place. His face, a moment ago cheery and proud, was now frozen in horror.
"Zidane?"
Zidane's hands started to claw at his face as he sunk lower to the ground. He started mumbling to himself, but it was to fast and too quiet for Mikoto to hear.
"Zidane?"
Zidane crumbled to the ground and curled himself into a ball. He started softly sobbing to himself.
"Uh…" Mikoto didn't know how to handle a situation like this. None of the other Genomes had ever acted like this on Terra, so she wasn't sure what to do. "It…it's okay Zidane."
"I told you not to ask him."
Mikoto looked up and saw Kuja approaching. He was clearly angry at Mikoto, but there was a hint of compassion for Zidane.
"Help me carry him." Kuja said.
Kuja grabbed Zidane's right arm and Mikoto grabbed his left. They dragged him back to the group as the Black Mages waited impatiently for them to return.
"Please hurry." one of the Black Mages asked. "We do not have much time."
"They're awfully single-minded, aren't they?" Kuja asked.
It took Zidane half an hour to recover from his trauma. When he did, he quickly apologized for slowing everything down and readjusted his hat. Kuja pointed out that it was the same way Vivi adjusted his hat. Zidane just took it in stride.
It took another hour before they got to Conde Petie. The guards were confused by how many Black Mages there were, but after Mr. 386 explained what was going on they were allowed to pass through. One by one the Black Mages stood in front of the guards and said "Rally-ho!". Zidane stood in line worried about what would happen if he was caught. They might tie him up and throw him to the bottom of the canyon the city overlooked.
As Zidane thought about what might happen the line kept moving. Before he was even aware of it, it was his turn.
"Wot's the password?" the guard asked.
Ever since Zidane got chased away from Conde Petie the first time, the Dwarves here had scared him a little. Being back here wasn't easy.
"Rh-Rhallie-whoo." Zidane replied nervously.
The guard eyed him suspiciously. Zidane tried to hide as much of his face with his hat as he could. The guard's face came closer and closer to inspect who Zidane really was. He did stand out from all the other Black Mages. Kuja, Mikoto and Lani, who had already passed through, anxiously looked on to see what would happen.
"Aha!" the guard proclaimed. "I knew it!"
This is it. Zidane thought. I'm dead.
"Ev'ryone!" the guard called to the other guards. "It's him!"
Goodbye Dagger.
"It's the little peinty-hated guy who married the fat giant-tongue thing!"
"Wha…?" Zidane said. Then he realized that they thought he was Vivi. What an odd thing to happen.
"Wot was it like being with soomone like that?" one of the guards asked.
"I doon't think ah could manage to marry soomone like that. Ye've got a pair on ye." another guard said.
Zidane was confused. Was he being complimented or mocked?"
"Uh, I've got to go." he said as he moved to the others. The guards all gave disappointed groans.
"Excuse me," said the next Black Mage in line. "We don't have much time. Could we just get through?"
"Right-o" said the first guard after a sigh. The Black Mages started walking through again.
Zidane approach Lani and his siblings to endure their reactions from his recent encounter. Lani was clutching her sides trying to hold back her laughter, Kuja was smirking, and Mikoto was showing a slight smile while raising an eyebrow.
"Whoever sees Vivi next," Zidane began, "make sure he doesn't spend much time here, alright?"
The others all nodded.
A few minutes later, the whole group made it through the city and they were once again headed off to the Iifa Tree.
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Damien- That… was the weirdest thing you've ever written.
Krimson- Yeah.
Damien- Are you sure that was just the sugar? Are you sure you didn't take anything else?
Krimson- Dude, I don't even remember.
Damien- Wait, we have to stop talking like this.
Krimson- Why?
Damien- Someone might think you're high on something.
Krimson- Uh… (Proceeds to juggle chainsaws)
Damien- THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?
Krimson- Proving I'm not high.
Damien- You're an idiot!
Krimson- Hey, could you say it this time Damien? I need to concentrate on this.
Damien- Oh for- Please read and review.
Krimson- (Still juggling chainsaws) This is kinda fun.
Damien- Hold on, I'm gonna get something to throw at you.