The Reunion
Chapter Eight - How He Survived
The sky gave off an ominous feeling as I watched the Hilda Garde 3 fly off, with Dagger and I staring back at each other until the airship was out of sight. At this moment, I knew what I had to do. As I told everyone in the group beforehand, there's no way I would have been able to live with myself if I didn't go back to try and save Kuja. I had to try while giving it my all at the same time. As I began to head back toward the depths of the Iifa Tree, the vines swaying violently in the cool air, Kuja's voice spoke to me. He told me to get out of there while I still could, but my mind was already set. There was no way in hell I was turning back at this point.
I made a leap into the violently swaying vines and began to run, as fast as I could, toward the bottom of the tree. It certainly wasn't easy. Vines threatened to knock me off my balance, crush me, throw me around, and do anything they possibly could to prevent me from reaching my destination. But still, I kept on going and using my natural quick reactions to avoid death. There were a number of close calls, but through fate or perhaps lucky timing, I made it. I had to make one last leap and I ended up falling a long way. It was quite a rush, and as I was falling toward the bottom of the tree, it seemed as though time stopped as I spotted Kuja lying on one of the tree's branches. There was nothing I could do to prevent my fall though, and I hit the bottom shortly afterward. It didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would, as the ground was pretty soft. I got up, dusted myself off, and proceeded up one of the tree branches to where Kuja lay.
I wasn't sure whether he was dead or not, but he eventually spoke up. He asked me why I came back for him, and I asked "wouldn't you do the same for me?" He also mentioned that he had become useless, to which I replied "nobody's useless." I just wanted to get him out of there as quickly as possible, but he didn't seem very eager to move. He then told me that after we defeated him, he had nothing left to lose, and it was at that time that he finally began to realize what it meant to live. I wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that, but looking back, I believe he was talking about life being about friendship and the memories we make throughout life from spending time with our friends, as well as living life to the fullest and without regrets.
Anyway, after he spoke this, he turned his head to one side. I told him not to go dying on me, but unfortunately, I was too late. Kuja breathed his last breath right then and there. I felt that I had failed at that very moment, However... I didn't have much time to think at all, as several vines were on their way to completely crushing me. I quickly covered Kuja, because I didn't have much time at all to react in any other way. As the vines began speeding toward me and baring down on me, I felt a considerable amount of pain. Immense pain. But then... I felt myself changing. I was actually going into Trance. Through the pain and the tears beginning to well up in my eyes from the pain, I tried my best to use my most powerful move while in Trance: Grand Lethal. It took quite a few seconds, and I know that I was near death at this point, the vines choking and squishing me, but I finally got Grand Lethal off. A loud "boom" noise was heard as I used the powerful move and destroyed the majority of the vines that were baring down on me. Barely able to move afterward, I crawled out from beneath the remaining vines and rolled off the branch, back onto the ground. I must have lay there for several minutes, possibly hours, as I was in pain and still thinking about all that had happened. I was also afraid that more vines would come and try to crush me, but I was so exhausted and barely had any energy left to move. My Trance also eventually wore off, but even if it didn't, I certainly wouldn't have had the strength to use another Grand Lethal if more vines or any other danger were to come.
Eventually, I forced myself to stop laying on my back. I moved to my side, then got on my hands and knees. I began to crawl back up the same branch I had went up to try and save Kuja. It was very difficult, but the whole time, I just kept thinking about the promise I had made to Dagger. The promise that I would come back to her, that I must get back to her, no matter what it took. When I got back up to where Kuja lay, a few vines still swaying dangerously, I whispered something to him, even though he was already dead. I told him I was sorry that I couldn't save him, and that I hope he knew that I tried my best. I also told him to rest in peace and hugged his lifeless body. A few of the vines were swaying over me the whole time, but somehow I knew that they wouldn't try to attack me. After a little longer, I finally tried to stand. It was a rough climb as I stumbled up the various branches, hoping I wasn't about to lose my footing and plunge back to the bottom of the tree. I felt like just stopping and falling back to the bottom a number of times, but again, the promise I made to Dagger kept coming back to me. "No matter what," I kept saying to myself, and after climbing for what felt like an eternity, I finally reached the outside world once again.
There were still quite a few vines that were moving, but not nearly as violently as before. They were actually getting calmer and calmer as each minute passed. I didn't really know what to think, nor did I want to waste anymore time thinking. I just wanted to get out of that area as quickly as I could. It was depressing just to be around there. I stumbled over roots, gently swaying vines, and rocks as I struggled to get back up on the ledge where I began this entire plunge. Ready to pass out, I only had less than five feet left to climb, Then... I would be on the ledge. I could finally rest. However, as I was within three feet of the ledge, my legs started to give. I couldn't stand any longer. I believe it was my left leg that gave first, followed shortly by my right. I knew this was when I would roll backwards, back to the tree which I had just fought so hard to get the hell away from. I had no idea what was going to happn next. Would I be forced to stay there for several days until I could finally walk out of there? Would I end up starving to death? Would the vines begin to try and crush me again? Well, the answer was none of the above. Because... I didn't end up falling backwards. As a matter of fact, I didn't fall at all.
A hand reached down and grabbed one of my wrists. I sort of fell to my knees, but because of the hand holding onto my wrist, I didn't go backwards. I slowly looked up to see the face of a female genome. It was my "sis" Mikoto. I could hardly believe it. She told me to give her my other hand, and she did the best she could to pull me up onto the ledge. I finally was able to roll on my back, safe as ever on the ledge, Mikoto standing over me. She was like a guardian angel at that time, and I felt safe and protected in her presence. She told me to take some time to rest, but not to take too long, because she wasn't sure what was going to happen. I kept thanking her, and she kept nodding her head. It seems as though she knew all that had happened in the Iifa Tree without me having to explain any of it to her. She kept staring down at the tree with a sort of solemn look on her face. I just kept laying there, wondering how much time had passed since the Hilda Garde 3 left. How much time would it take for me to recover and make it back to the Mist Continent and to my Dagger? Or, more importantly, how would I cross from the Outer Continent to the Mist Continent? All these thoughts ran through my head until my head started buzzing. Everything felt like a blur. I just wanted to get up and run... run across the ocean to the Mist Continent, into the arms of the one I loved and wanted to spend my remaining days with.
Mikoto must have walked a certain distance toward the Iifa Tree, but some time later I saw her return. She asked if I could stand. I told her I wasn't sure, but I would try. It took me a few moments, but I eventually was able to hobble around on my right leg. My left leg still felt as though it would easily give out under me. I put one arm around Mikoto as she helped me hobble away from the ledge. Before we got too far, however, we both heard a voice. It was the voice of Necron, telling us that one day he would return to destroy us when we least expected it. I couldn't believe my ears. After all, we had just defeated Necron. That was the last thing I wanted to hear at that point. When we heard nothing else from that spot where Memoria was above the Iifa Tree, we went away in silence, Mikoto helping me hobble along. I asked her where we were going, to which she replied "the Black Mage Village." However, when we got to the Mountain Path, I had a different idea for the moment.
"Mikoto..." I began to speak to her with what strength and energy I had left, "can we make a stop at Madain Sari? I would like to go there for a little while."
Mikoto nodded her head in silence, and began to move toward Madain Sari. It took about three times as long as it normally would have, due to my condition, but I was determined as ever to make it to our destination. As we left the Mountain Path and looked across the field, I spotted some chocobo tracks. My heart began to beat faster for a moment, before I realized I had no gysahl greens on me. I couldn't have called Choco even if I wanted to. He was probably at Chocobo's Forest or some other place on the continent which I longed to reach. My heart sank a bit, but I still managed to hobble onward until we made it to Madain Sari.
As we came into Madain Sari, several of Eiko's moogles began to surround Mikoto and I. They were asking several questions at once, but all I said was that their questions would be answered in time. I wanted to go to the Eidolon Wall, and I didn't want to waste anymore time in doing so. The moogles followed us, and as we neared the fountain, Lani came running up to us. She was basically asking the same questions as the moogles, and I told her the same thing. As I continued to head toward the Eidolon Wall, Lani got behind the moogles and followed us.
Once I made it to the wall, I just kind of fell to my knees, and I began to pray. I didn't know what good it would do, but I prayed long and hard about making it back to the Mist Continent, and back to my soulmate. Once again, I'm not sure how much time had passed, but everyone left me alone. I sat in solitude until the night sky covered the wall. At that point, Mikoto came back. She told me it would be a good idea to stay there for the night. I nodded in agreement. As eager as I was to get back home, I felt very weary at the same time. I fell asleep almost immediately.
When I woke the next morning, I felt quite a bit better. Though my left leg wasn't healed completely, I could at least limp around on it now. Lani had fixed some breakfast and told Mikoto and I how peaceful it was there in Madain Sari, living with the moogles, but she also mentioned that she was eventually planning on settling down in Lindblum. She also said that she was sorry for what happened in the past, and I told her not to worry about it. I asked her if she knew of any possible way to get back to the Mist Continent, and she mentioned that I might possibly be able to get back through Fossil Roo. I finished my breakfast, thanked her and the moogles, and Mikoto and I were off.
I felt considerably better as Mikoto and I made our way back through the Mountain Path and toward Conde Petie. Maybe I would be able to use Fossil Roo to get back to the Mist Continent. After all, that's how we made it to the Outer Continent in the first place, was it not? We passed through Conde Petie without saying a word to the bewildered dwarves, and proceeded to the Black Mage Village. When we were finally there, I was feeling pretty tired. Even though the trip from Madain Sari to the Black Mage Village wasn't that long, I still felt exhausted due to all that had happened the day before. I must have spent quite a few days at the village under the care of the black mages. While I was there, I could tell that the genomes were learning more and more everyday. Eventually, I decided that it was my time to try and get back to my home. Mikoto told me she would go with me to Fossil Roo, so we were off.
However, once we made it to Fossil Roo, we both realized that there would be no way back to the Mist Continent. A gargant had dropped Dagger, Vivi, Quina, and I off at the exit leading to the Outer Continent months ago, and it would require a gargant to get back. I must have stood there for a long time, just waiting and hoping for a gargant to arrive, but none ever came. I decided to slowly walk back to the Black Mage Village in despair. Several days passed, which slowly turned into weeks. Almost everyday I would visit Fossil Roo, just hoping for a way back. I couldn't believe now that I had survived the Iifa Tree's violent reaction, that I had no way back to my home. While the weeks passed, I slowly came out of my depression. I began to realize that I would make it back eventually, and while I was at the Black Mage Village, I might as well make the most of it. I spent a lot of time with the black mages and genomes. I would also visit Madain Sari on occasion. Lani wanted me to let her know if I ever did find a way back to the Mist Continent.
Unfortunately, none of the shops at any place I visited while stowed away on the Outer Continent had any gysahl greens left. The black mages didn't carry any, the dwarves at Conde Petie had none, and Eiko's moogles at Madain Sari didn't have any either. "That's just my luck," I thought miserably. However, I still held onto that lingering hope, that one day, I would and could make it back to the Mist Continent.
As the months passed, different ideas came to my mind, each one less encouraging than the last. I returned to the Iifa Tree one day just to see if I could find some flowers in order to call a gargant at Fossil Roo. However, the vines had pretty much killed everything, so it was no use. Sometimes I would even stand out on the field, yelling as loud as I could for Choco. That was no use either. I was also hoping that I would at least see someone turn up at the Black Mage Village, such as Vivi. Surely he would have been able to use an airship or something, at least to visit his people? But that never happened, either. No visitors at all. The world was finally at peace, but I was stuck in a world away from all the celebrating. Sure, I had Mikoto, the black mages, the moogles, and the other genomes, but it just wasn't the same without the ones I shared so many memories with and helped rid the world of evil with. I began to want to get back so bad that it hurt.
When nearly 10 months had passed, I set out on one of my trips to Madain Sari to visit Lani and the moogles. The moment I arrived, I faintly heard a noise above me. I looked to the south, and sure enough, an airship was heading toward me slowly in the distance. It was the same airship that I had watched travel away from me with my love on it so many months ago: the Hilda Garde 3.
As the airship landed nearby, I ran toward it. Out came Regent Cid, followed by none other than Eiko. I ran up to hug them both, and I'm sure they could hardly believe their eyes, same as I could hardly believe mine. Eiko told me Cid and Hilda had adopted her and that she had been wanting to go to Madain Sari for quite a while to visit her moogle friends, and they finally got that chance on this night. I was so happy that I began to cry tears of joy. I finally had a way back to the Mist Continent... back to Dagger.
I took some time to say goodbye to Mikoto, the other genomes, and the black mages. Lani boarded the Hilda Garde 3 with Eiko, Cid, and I. On the way back to the Mist Continent, I asked about everyone. It was at this time that Eiko told me about what happened to Vivi. A few months after we saved the world, he had, in the words Vivi always used, 'stopped moving.' I couldn't believe it. I also learned that Vivi had created six small black mages in his image through the same method that Kuja had, only somehow Vivi made them look like him. In a way, Vivi's kind would live on through his 'sons.' I mourned the loss of Vivi for a bit as we got back to Lindblum. It wasn't long afterward that I devised the "brilliant" plan to play "Marcus" in the upcoming play of "I Want to be Your Canary." I would just have to wait another couple of weeks, but I had already waited 10 months. In the meantime, I told Eiko, Cid, Hilda, Lani, and the boys of Tantalus not to mention anything to Dagger that I was still alive. I dunno what made me think of this crazy idea, but I wanted my return to be a big one. I also wanted "I Want to be Your Canary" to be one hell of a show and to have one hell of a finale. And... I hope that it lived up to those expectations. I certainly thought it did.
Zidane finished his last sentence with a small chuckle, followed by "And... that's the story. Whew. Now I need something to drink."
Many of the others laughed, while several applauded. "A tale for the ages!" shouted a red-faced Steiner. He had been drinking quite a bit of wine that night, either simply to celebrate or because of the danger they were set to face Sunday... or both.
Amarant sat over on one of the sides of the balcony in silence. He appeared to be deeply lost in thought. Freya walked over to him, stared at him for a minute, then asked "what's the matter? Why the 'lost in thought' look?"
Amarant didn't say anything at first. However, because he and Freya became pretty good friends during their adventure five years ago, he felt that he could confide in her. "I just hope to see her one last time... before Sunday and the showdown."
Freya looked surprised. "Amarant? Are you getting all sensitive now? I never thought I would see the day!" Freya let out a loud chuckle.
"Oh, shut up," said Amarant.
"Amarant is in love!" shouted Freya.
"No, I'm not," countered Amarant. "I just... want to see her again. When Zidane told me of seeing her at Madain Sari, it immediately reminded me of all the times we would talk late into the night about the days that she spent there."
"Well," began Freya, debating what to say next. "It sounds like love to me."
Freya began to head back inside. "'Night, everyone. I'm heading to one of the guest rooms and getting some much-needed rest."
Amarant was next. He got up and went back inside without a word, still obviously lost in thought.
The members of Tantalus, Ruby, and Cid were next to clear out. "We shall talk more tomorrow!" Cid told everyone. "I'm not leaving until around noon anyway."
"And I'm looking forward to my gift!" Cinna told Eiko as he walked by her.
Eiko decided to turn in as well, following Cid inside. Quina had already started to fall asleep, but with a nudge from Steiner, s/he got up, mumbled something about pie, and headed inside as well. This left Zidane, Dagger, Steiner, and Beatrix out on the balcony.
"I still can't believe you made me wait like that," Dagger told Zidane. "I spent all those months just hoping for some news, some hope, that you may still be alive. I honestly thought you were dead."
Zidane put his arm around Dagger. "Well, I'm not dead, and I'm very lucky to have survived it all, because these last five years have been the best that a guy could ever ask for."
Zidane and Dagger headed back into the castle. Zidane looked back and said "Goodnight, Beatrix... Rusty. Get Rusty to bed soon, Beatrix... he's had quite a bit to drink."
Zidane laughed as he went inside. Steiner and Beatrix were now alone out on the balcony. Beatrix looked at the drunken Steiner. He was either laughing hysterically or crying, Beatrix couldn't tell which. Or maybe he was doing both. "Umm... Steiner," she began warily, "what are you doing?"
"I don't know!" howled Steiner. "All these years of servitude! I have the best friends, the best wife, the best life... I've seen and done it all! And you know what? I don't want it to end! I just feel like a rusty armored loser right now! I want to just jump off the balcony and float away into a world of peace!"
Steiner began to move toward the balcony's edge, but Beatrix grabbed him. "Yep, you've definitely had too much to drink. Let's get you to bed before you wake the entire castle."