| Once in our lifetime, we see the end of the world. But no one imagines it the same way. -Scrawled on door in Lindblum Castle Part 69 He fell past where we were, then reappeared a moment later. Landing nearby, he jumped to the tiny platform we were on and sat down. � I thought I told you to leave,� Kuja said. Zidane shook his head. � I only listen when I wanna listen, right Kiti?� [True. Your lack of respect for authority has gotten you into much trouble. Just as it is doing now.] � Ah, whatever.� [I believe I have proved my point without an argument.] � Hm?� He snorted. � Hey, you�re right.� [Of course I am.] I looked to Kuja and nuzzled his cheek again. [You can start over once more, Ajuk.] � Yeah,� Zidane agreed. � We�re gonna get you out of here and fix you up and you�ll be as good as new.� � But everything I�ve done . . .� � We�re the only ones who know. The rest of Gaia has no idea.� � But I will know.� � So? You�re worried about being forgotten, but if you find someone . . . You don�t have to tell anyone. It�s not required. Everyone has secrets that need to be kept as their own.� Kuja was silent for a long while. � . . . I don�t understand.� Zidane looked up thoughtfully. � Well . . . Uh . . . Let�s see . . .� Growths from the Tree began to break through the protective dome we were in. I leapt to my feet and felt a tingle run through my body. The world disappeared into blue, then faded to an image of the Iifa Tree. I found myself suspended in the air, held there until I began to flap my wings. � Kiti!� I turned. The Hilda Garde 3 was still nearby. I flew over, landing on the deck. Garnet ran over to me and grabbed my head. � Where is he?!� I shook my head slowly. � I do not know. Kuja teleported me out before I could do anything.� She let go of me as if I were on fire. Turning, she wandered back to where she�d been standing at the rail of the deck. I felt awful for telling her that, but it was the truth. I went to stand beside her, resting my front legs on the rail. I didn�t know what to tell her, only that it was very unlikely that he was alive. Of course, there would never be a good time to tell her that. Listen to me. The pessimist. But I could not sense him, even through our link. Vanel paced restlessly, placing her hands on the side to peer back at the Tree every so often as we headed to Lindblum. She turned to me and said so Garnet wouldn�t understand, [He�s not coming back, is he?] [I don�t know, Vanel. I don�t know.] [He�s surprised us before,] Tiovex put in. [I wouldn�t put it past him to do it again.] [Neither would I, but there is an excellent chance that we have lost him.] I flopped heavily to the deck, placing my head on my hands. [I lost them both . . .] Tiovex laid beside me and placed his wing over my back. Vanel laid between my neck and my chest. Gelgameth laid on my other side, but offered only that comfort, for he had not known Zidane well enough to comprehend the impact it would eventually have on me. I noticed Garnet still standing by the rail alone. Steiner was at a respectful distance, fretting quietly. I got up and went over to her. � If you ever need me, I can be Summoned as the Cursed One.� She nodded absently, staring off into space, and I leapt over the rail, only to be slammed against the side of the airship. I climbed backwards up onto the deck and looked at Garnet (she was still holding my tail), who cried, � Where are you going?!� � Home.� � No! You can�t!� She lowered her head. � I need everyone by me now.� I consented and slunk off to brood. When we landed at Lindblum, Tiovex had to drag me out. I was so deep in my own mind that everything around me had become a worthless blur. Blindly stumbling after Tiovex, I was the recipient of so many bruises from painful run-ins with the walls, doorways, and staircases that not all of them could be counted (if they had been visible). The Regent and his wife agreed to care for Eiko as if she were their own. Freya and Amarant also broke off from the group and disappeared. The rest of us continued on to Alexandria. Gelgameth returned to Swiftwing a while later to keep Tiovex from having to go back immediately. Vanel went with him, the adventure now over. She swore that if her parents tried to keep her from doing anything now, she would come right to Alexandria and stay forever. She also forced me to promise to inform her if Zidane showed up. [Because we all know that Zidane�s a jerk and he wouldn�t tell me a secret about a complete stranger. He�d want the smallest chaotic mess possible. I want to be part of that mess.] I, myself, stayed in Alexandria mostly. Every so often I would return to my home in the Evil Forest, however it remained unpetrified, and dig up some of my treasures to move them to an area with easier access. I knew they would be undisturbed, no matter how long I left them there. I would eventually move them all to Swiftwing--but I did not yet know where--or Alexandria. Most of the time, though, I would sit in the middle of my old home and reminisce about the days I�d cared for Zidane. Where we had been when he�d first learned to walk and talk and fight. Garnet spent the majority of her time investing in what had become my favorite pastime: sulking. She didn�t lose her temper as often as I expected her too, but she did do it more often than before. When she had that look on her face, everyone just got out of her way. This was usually after some jackass noble paraded himself before her, as if expecting her to snatch him up and order for an immediate marriage ceremony. We all knew that they didn�t care one whit about her, which was what made it most frustrating. Zidane, we knew, would never be like that. I snarled and chased the dolts from the castle. <--Part 68 Part 70--> |