When he awoke, his head was pounding far worse than any headache or hangover he'd ever had in his life. He opened his eyes, but shut them again quickly with a groan as he felt the burn from the bright white light above him. That light wasn't the sun; not unless he had hit his head hard enough to forget what that looked like. But, that didn't seem likely. Images of running down the roots of the Lifa Tree, finding Kuja almost lifeless, and most of all saying goodbye to Dagger and the others flashed quickly through his mind. With them, came the sting of regret.

He had planned on leaving anyway, but why had it been so painful? He had wanted to slip away quietly, instead he had done the opposite. Had leaving been honorable? It didn't feel like it; he felt like a coward. He hadn't even been able to look at Dagger as she flew away and out of his life.

"You are awake." A feminine voice spoke with only traces of mild excitement. For a short moment he had hoped it was Dagger, but he knew her voice far too well for that to be the case. "Mikoto?" He croaked hoarsely. Gods he was thirsty, how long had he been out?

"Yes brother, I have been taking care of you the best that I can." She answered matter-of-factly. He heard the shuffle of her feet as she walked to his side."

"How… how long?" he managed to groan.

"You have been unconscious for three months and four days."

"…."

Three months? How had he been-

I managed to figure out the workings of the life support system onboard the Invincible. It wasn't too difficult, as I had been on this ship a few times before. I have not yet told the others that I found you. I didn't know if you would recover with your many injuries. You had twelve broken bones, seventeen fractures, a punctured lung and a severe concussion. Now that you are awake, I will let your friends know."

He opened his eyes quickly, despite the pain, and grabbed her arm as she began to walk away. "No!" he breathed. Damn that had taken more effort than it should have.

She turned back toward him with a look of puzzlement across her face. "I do not understand."

He tried to sit up, but found himself failing miserably. To his relief, she grabbed him and helped push him to a sitting position. Surprisingly, that didn't hurt. But godsdamn if he wasn't weak!"

"Wa… wuu" he tried to say water but it came out as a dry croak. Thankfully she understood and moments later brought a glass of water to his mouth which he drank greedily, spilling some of it down his chin. It amazed him slightly just how much better he instantly felt from one glass of water. "I mixed a bit of Elixer into the water." She offered, as if reading his thoughts. "Why do you not want me to tell them, Brother? Are they not your friends?"

"They are. I just... Don't tell anyone for now, okay?" He knew he couldn't stop her if she intended to, but if she did, what would he say to them? He didn't want them to welcome him back just for him to tell them that he couldn't stay. Before the final battle he had seen the way Dagger looked at him, and as much as his heart had soared at the look of love in her eyes and the connection they had shared that couldn't have just been between friends, it had hurt just as much. He had heard the sadness in her voice when they had said their goodbyes. It could've just been because he was leaving, but he felt that she knew, a part of her anyway, that even if he came back things could never be the way they had been those last few months.

"I understand." She answered, though her face might have told otherwise. "If they ask, I will… lie. Is that the correct term for when you do not speak in facts?"

He chuckled lightly at this. "Yea, that's pretty much it. Thanks, Miko."

She turned to him with a mixture of confusion and concern. "My name isn't Miko. You know that it is Mikoto; is your head not healed? The scans showed that-"

"Woah, I'm fine! It's a just a nickname!" He exclaimed, afraid she might subject him to more treatments, whatever those had been.

Her concern faded away, leaving only blank confusion. "A nickname?"

"Yea, it's a special name that friends or family sometimes give each other." He replied with a laugh, stretching his muscles that had been dormant for far too long.

Mikoto smiled warmly at that. "Family."

He nodded and pushed himself off the bed, intending to stand. Instead, all he managed to do was fall limply to the floor as his legs refused to support his weight. "Ugh.." he groaned. That was embarrassing..

"You will have to take it slowly, your body is not longer used to being mobile." She studied him for a moment, but thankfully he heard no laughter in her voice. "It may take quite a while.."

….

"Quite a while" ended up being almost three months. The first few weeks were spent just building his strength up enough to stand. Having finally conquered that, he'd rather not admit how long it had actually taken him to take the first step. Had learning to walk as a child been so difficult? His headache had eased to almost non-existence around that time as well. By a month, he was walking normally but didn't dare attempt running or jumping.

During that time, he found joy in Mikoto's company. The other Genomes no longer seemed to be anywhere near lifeless, but rather had taken on almost childlike qualities. He was saddened to see however, that already three of the black mages had "stopped" as they called it. But, it didn't matter how you dressed it up, they fact was all of them were dying. It was only a matter of time until… but they didn't seem to be letting it get them down. They went on about their lives trying to enjoy even the smallest moments that each day brought. He supposed there was a lesson to be learned there.

He had expected, and hoped, that his dear friend Vivi would soon arrive, but in those months of recovered there had been no sign of the young mage, nor had anyone else stopped either. Who was he kidding? They probably hadn't even looked for him. Kingdoms didn't send out an entire airship crew just to find one commoner, let alone a thief. Hell, could he even be called that anymore? If he could, he had likely become one of the worst thieves in Gaia. When was the last time he had successfully stolen anything?

He had been walking by the creek in the Black Mage Village, and as this thought crossed his mind, he stopped and stared into the clear water. He barely recognized the person staring back at him. His face had regained its color from the last time he had looked. His hair was no longer dirty and his eyes no longer looked pale grey. Piercing blue eyes now stared back at him. What surprised him the most however, was that there was a light stubble of hair on his chin and the sides of his face. "Shouldn't I be starting to look more like Kuja?" he asked to no one in particular.

"No, because you were created differently." Mikoto answered, as she walk up from behind him. He turned to her and saw that she was struggling to carry a basket of freshly picked apples. He began to offer to carry them for her, but she shook her head. "I don't wish to pick them up again."

He sighed in defeat, feeling useless. "How do you mean different? He asked, struggling to keep up with her quick pace as she carried the apples to the small market.

"You and I were modeled to be more… Human. Unlike the other Genomes, you and I will age and show other characteristics that humans possess, such as full life spans and the ability to reproduce. The others will not age but eventually just.. stop. I have yet to figure out a way to change that for them.

"If there's anyone that can find a way, it's you, Miko." He offered, trying to cheer up the suddenly sullen girl. His thoughts were on the other genomes, and so he barely registered the relief at not looking like Kuja. Though he had no plans of "reproducing" anytime soon.

"Would u like an apple?" She asked suddenly, the seriousness of her previous thought apparently forgotten. "The trees here are very bountiful. They will help you recover your strength and though it is not very scientific, I find them to be very delicious."

He chuckled at her words and accepted one of the apples. "Thank you." He smiled still slightly out of breath. "How much longer do you think it will be before I'm back to normal?"

She looked at him thoughtfully. "If by normal you mean until your strength is fully recovered, then it depends. I believe recovery is deferent for everyone. Maybe a few more weeks."

"Oh." He replied simply. He enjoyed the village, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to go somewhere else.

"Have you decided what you will do when you have fully recovered?" She asked.

"Uh.. haven't really thought about it." He lied. Truth was, he had been thinking about very little else. His dreams had constantly been filled with Alexandria and a certain raven haired woman that dwelt there. Had she found someone else already? Did she even-

"Perhaps you should find a hobby. I find reading to be pleasurable." She commented knowingly.

Him read?

….

A few days later, he found himself standing in the meager library that the black mages had constructed. It had many books that they had undoubtedly thought would be helpful, such as cookbooks, books concerning herbs and medicine, and even basic homebuilding. He skimmed though, finding nothing that peaked his interest until his gaze landed on a small section of Avon's poems, a fictional book called "The Last Cherry Blossom" and finally to a book at the end titled "Of Kings and Kingdoms". He pulled it carefully from the shelf, its bindings looked far older than any of the other books. He wondered vaguely where the mages had found a book so old, but didn't dwell on it as he opened the book to a random page somewhere near the middle and began to read what he decided was meant to be a letter to someone.

Dear friend, I have not heard from you in three seasons but I hope these words find you and find you well. I wanted you to know that I took your advice, but I believe I have gone as far as I can go. I have naught left to give. My family, all of the people I have ever truly cared about have abandoned me or are dead. Have you too forsaken me? I told you many times before I ascended to the throne that I was not worthy of such a seat.

I have ruled this kingdom the only way that I know how. I have been hailed as a great ruler in these times of war, but what would they think of me if they knew that it was you, not I, that was meant to be king? Would they cast me aside or into the fire if they knew not a single drop of Noble blood ran through my veins? Sometimes I wonder..

I don't suppose it matters now; my life nears its end. I grow more weary with each passing hour. I dare not sleep however, for I fear that when I do, I will sleep the sleep of the dead. I have many regrets in my life, but it was never this. I do not hold any bitterness for this life, if my rule helped even one individual… then I shall die peacefully. I ask of you only that you forgive any of my shortcomings, for they are many, and that you find peace in knowing that I have lived a full life and none of the blame is yours to bear.

With love, Edgar

He closed the book with a frown and gently placed it back on the shelf. So, the man hadn't been born a king? He started to reach for the book again, but stopped and instead walked out of the library.

….

"So, have you decided where you will go?" Mikoto asked as Zidane walked in, out of breath from his morning run. "You may not be quite as fast as before you were injured, and may not ever be, but I would say that you have recovered well." She commented, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I have to go back." He breathed. "I may not have a chance at being with her, but I have to at least talk to her one last time."

She turned from him and walked to one of the contraptions she had been tinkering with not meeting his gaze. "So, you are leaving today then?"

Even though she had said almost nothing against him leaving, he knew his younger sister wished that he would stay. He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you know we'll see each other again soon." He said cheerfully.

She looked at him skeptically and did not return his smile. "I know that you are leaving with the three black mages that are teleporting to Treno, will you be returning with them as well?"

"Well no, but-"

"Then it is unlikely you will return anytime in the near future."

She was right, if things went the way he hoped, it would be long while. However, he hated seeing her sad, though in truth she still showed little emotion. "Look, I WILL be back, till then I'll send lend letters as often as I can, just so you know I haven't forgotten about you."

She did brighten visibly at this. "I enjoy reading. You had better tell me about the places you go."

"Of course." He laugh.

"Well you better hurry. They will be leaving any moment." She warned, motioning to the black mages that were gathering magical energy outside.

To her surprise, he hugged her tightly then. "Goodbye, Miko. Thanks for everything!"

She shook her head as he hurried toward the door. "Zidane!" she called.

He stopped abruptly and turned toward her. "Yea?"

"Don't forget your book that you were reading." She replied knowingly, looking to the table beside the door. He nodded somberly, then picked up the book. Moments later, he was gone.

"Good luck, Zid." Mikoto whispered quietly. "Finding that book wasn't easy, but maybe it was worth it."

...

Thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a review on the prologue and all of my silent readers who have continued to read my fic! I hope you enjoyed chapter 1!