| Everyone should always have a place that they can call home. -Dragon�s Words; vol. 8, pg. 75 Part 62 �I don�t know yet. But I won�t get myself killed, I promise.� � . . . Okay.� I watched Kuja ravage the world of his birth, stunned by the malice with which he used to fuel his power. Part of me concluded that he was a lost cause, but the other part insisted that he was just a misguided soul. He was only five d-age for the sake of the August Dragon! He deserves another chance! Once I was sure that the others were safe, I left Kuja to his destroying and escaped Pandemonium. � Mother!� Zidane�s voice was colored with relief. Trance faded as I landed. He hugged me tightly and I noticed that his wings were visible because of some reason currently undefinable. � Oh, I was so worried!� � I�m all right.� I looked around. � We best not stay here, however.� He nodded and looked to Garnet. � Is everyone out?� � Just about.� He glanced around. � Hey . . . Where�s that girl?� He looked to me. � Can you find her for me?� I sniffed, but the scents were all the same. I trotted back to the basement lab where I had last seen her. She was still there. � What are you doing?! Kuja�s tearing up the place!� � Terra is being destroyed. My home will soon be gone.� � Oh please! Don�t give me that!� He ran over to her and stepped in front of her so she couldn�t work at the computer. � Look, you can start over on Gaia . . . Hey, what�s your name?� � What?� � You said Garland built you as my replacement, so he must have given you a name.� � . . . Mikoto.� Mikoto . . .? Tokomi? Zidane grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, pushing her gently to the stairs. � Okay, Mikoto. Let�s get out of here.� � But . . .� � Don�t argue with me!� Mikoto shut up. �. . .� He has a way of doing that to people. � Get on the dragon.� � What?!� [You can�t be serious!] � Do it!� Mikoto slid onto my back as the floor dropped out from under me. I lifted into the air, made sure Zidane was still with me, and then headed out of Bran Bal and--more importantly--out of Terra. We came upon the Invincible and I paused momentarily. Zidane motioned for me to follow. � It�s okay. The others are in there already.� The ship was full of the genomes of Bran Bal. We had to search for a moment to find any of the others. The first we found were Tiovex and Gelgameth, laying calmly in a small room, talking about . . . something. Vanel was curled up, sleeping soundly in the protective curve of Tiovex�s side and stomach. [Where is everyone?] [I think they�re all on the bridge,] Tiovex answered, pointing in several different directions. [I can�t tell you where the bridge is, but I know that�s where they are right now. Most of them, at least.] He frowned at Mikoto. [Who is she?] Then he narrowed his eyes. [Hey, isn�t she the one who---] Zidane growled low, as he had at Kuja. Tiovex fell silent, watching Zidane closely and observing the other�s tail thrash back and forth angrily. [Yes,] I replied, lifting a hand to forcefully turn Zidane around. [But that does not matter anymore.] [What�s so---] [I�ll get back to you, all right?] He caught my meaning and gave Zidane one last wary look before staring at Vanel. [As you wish.] [I shall return soon.] I sniffed out the others. Very simple, since they were the only ones on the ship with an actual scent. We got there and found that the entire world was shrouded in Mist. Mikoto slid carefully off my back and inched away. I turned to her. � And just where do you think you are going?� � You can talk?� � Of course I can talk. Everything can talk. It�s just a matter of you being able to understand. Now answer my question.� � I was going to . . . to . . . I don�t know.� � Does she smell funny?� Zidane asked, coming over to us. Mikoto hesitated and he smiled. � Ah, don�t worry. She won�t hold a grudge.� � She does,� Mikoto finally said. � A little.� [Humans have no tact,] I sulked. [How do you know I�m not sensitive to that kind of stuff?] He laughed, giving my cheek a good slap. � Oh, whatever!� Tiovex came in with Gelgameth and Vanel and watched Mikoto as though she were a criminal. Zidane noticed. He didn�t like it either. He snarled warningly. Tiovex pinned his ears and snarled back defensively. The rest of the bridge turned to find out what all the ruckus was. They leapt at each other and I leapt toward the middle, striking both at once; raking my talons across Zidane�s cheek and chomping on Tiovex�s neck, jerking my head to the right to rip scales off. They veered away from each other so quickly one might�ve thought there was an invisible wall of death there. And there was. Me. [You�re going to destroy this ship and then you�re going to kill each other and I�m not going to let either happen,] I hissed. Tiovex sat with his back to us and stared at the wall. �. . .� Zidane stood from where he�d been kneeling and looked at me, a hand over his bleeding cheek. � Geez, Kiti. Did you have to be that violent?� <--Part 61 Part 63--> |