| Keeping a good secret is hard, but once it is found out, you can enjoy it. -On Eidolon Wall in Madain Sari Part 78 Kuja rubbed at his shoulders for the sixth time that hour. [Are you all right?] � I don�t know. My shoulders feel like they�re on fire.� I felt his forehead with the back of my hand. [You have a slight fever. Maybe you should lay down.] � That sounds like a good idea.� He winced and hunched over, letting out a hiss of pain. Flopping backwards, he began to writhe. Zidane appeared around a corner, still on the search for the elusive Tiovex (he�d made a bet that Zidane couldn�t find him; he�s winning so far). He stopped in surprise at the scene, then abandoned the hunt to run over. � What�s going on?!� I shook my head in a slightly panicked way. [I don�t know. He told me that his shoulders were on fire, then fell over.] His eyes widened. He reached down and grabbed Kuja�s hands, pulling the other off the ground. � No no no! You have to get up!� There was no response. He let out a snarl. � On your feet, soldier! On your feet!� Kuja finally drew his legs under him and staggered to his feet. Tiovex arrived and demanded to know what was happening. I told him what I had told Zidane, ending with, [And he won�t tell me what it is!] Suddenly, Kuja let out a pained cry and arched backwards. We were all treated to the sight of a pair of beautiful white-feathed, gold/silver-edged wings exploding from his shoulders. He started to fall forward, but Tiovex and I caught him and held him gently as he recovered. Zidane, who had disappeared at some undeterminable point of time, returned with a towel and began carefully wiping one wing dry. Tiovex nudged me aside to bear Kuja�s full weight, leaving me to clean the other wing. An unexpected urgency arose when a gust of wind came through and washed over us. Kuja began to shiver and we started to worry more. � We should take him inside,� Zidane suggested as the wind strengthened, bringing his wing up as I did to shield himself and Kuja. [I�ll get Steiner,] Tiovex said with a heavy sigh. I took his place and carried Kuja inside. [Where should I take him?] � Uh . . . My room.� I laid Kuja out on Zidane�s bed and resumed the cleaning of his wing. Zidane finished with the other one and sat on the bed�s edge, watching me. Tiovex came in and laid on the floor. [He finally woke up. I explained what I could and told him to have some lunch, so he�s eating now.] I nodded absently, keeping my eyes on Kuja�s face. He stirred and woke quite slowly, every movement apparently painful. Sitting carefully, he looked around and said, confused, � Weren�t we out in the garden?� � We were, but you received a gift.� Zidane grabbed a wing and pulled it around for him to see. � This? It�s yours.� � It . . . is?� He glanced over either shoulder, meeting with the same feathery object. � It . . . is.� I hopped up onto the bed. [Whenever you wish to start flying, let me know.] � Okay.� He looked out the window and noticed the wind gusts. � . . . Never mind.� [If the weather is good tomorrow, I will take you out then.] � All right.� [Whoops!] came a cry from outside. Vanel tumbled through the window and landed on the floor with a plop. She looked up and waved. [Hi everyone!] Jumping to her feet, she raced out of the room before any of us could ask anything. There was a moment of silence, then Vanel stuck her head back into the room. [Oh, Kuja! You got your wings! Now both of you look like angels!] She disappeared again. We sat in total reticence for a long while. Then Zidane scuffed the toe of his boot along the floor. � Dammit! What does everybody know that I don�t?!� � I don�t know either,� Kuja reminded him. [Neither do I,] Tiovex put in. I remained silent. � You know, don�t you?!� Zidane accused. I frowned. [I will not admit awareness, nor unawareness.] There was a tentative knock at the door and then Gelgameth�s head appeared in the doorway. [It�s time,] he announced. I nodded. [Come, everyone. We�re about to see what the past few months of Dagger�s �temper� has added up to.] After some teasing and laughter--of which Kuja was the recipient because of his less-than-graceful walking (due to the extra weight of his wings) that was so opposite of his normally proud, stable stride--they followed me down through the castle to the ballroom. I paused outside the door, but heard nothing, and so opened the doors. The room was richly decorated. Yet, only Garnet, Beatrix, Gelgameth, and Vanel were standing in the middle of the room. The rest of it appeared to be only decoration. � What�s this for?� Zidane asked, confused. � . . . The date, the date. What�s the date . . .?� Kuja muttered to himself, glancing around warily. [I don�t remember anything special today,] Tiovex murmured. Forms sprang out from under the tables and there was the shout �Surprise!� from every direction. I was so absolutely alarmed by the room�s sudden onrush of activity that I did the only prudent thing possible . . . I squealed in terror and dashed toward the door. However, whoever had entered last had shut it and I ran headlong into it. My nose was smashed painfully into the wood and as I bounced backwards I began to yelp, for now I hurt all over, especially on my nose. When I finally stopped tumbling I was somewhere in the center of the room, but don�t take my word for it because my head was spinning awfully. I finished my yelping and ended with one long, pitiful wail. I made an attempt to stand, but I was so disoriented that my body wouldn�t cooperate. Abruptly, I was surrounded. Hands were on my head, turning it this way and that. My entire body was inspected thoroughly. � Do you feel anything running down your nose?� <--Part 77 Part 79--> |