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Okay, I admit I've had this one hanging for far too long. Part of this is to finally finish this, partly b/c I'd like some criticism and stuff; I don't have a beta reader or anything, so I mostly go at this by myself when the mood strikes.
I'll try to get up a new chapter a week. ^^ Anyway before we start this, I'd recommend you check out the story that started this (aka. How do Cloud and Zidane know each other?), Passing The Torch. There are a few refs to that, but nothing major. I may build a little on what's before, but that's it. Also I did start this before Advent Children, tho I'm trying to work that in without it seeming stupid (I try to stick to canon, always) so bear with me. If it's really off, then consider this a alterverse. Also I sorta ignore the other FF7 "sequels" so perdon me! Advent Children is as far as I go down that rabbit hole..
Anyway, 'nuf beating around the bush. Here we go.
[h=1]Prologue[/h]
[h=1]GAIA, THE IIFA TREE...[/h] It wasn't supposed to end this way. Kuja had warned Zidane to get away from the Iifa tree quickly. He hadn't. Zidane had come back...to save Kuja, he'd said. Now, as Kuja felt consciousness slip away from him for a moment, he heard a loud noise...he bobbed back up just in time to see what seemed to be both their dooms racing at them in the form of a lot of the Iifa Tree's roots. This is it...Zidane, why were you crazy enough to come back for me? Kuja thought. But just then, a strange thing happened. The roots hit in such a way that there was a temporary dome over them; then there was a flash of light and then he felt the familiar shiver of a magical transport.
If anyone had been there, they would of thought the roots had smashed them both, for that was how it looked from the outside.
Kuja leaned up on one elbow. They seemed to be in some underground cavern. There were more roots along the walls, but they weren't thrashing. At one edge of the room, there was a shelf...and a ball of light. Kuja smiled a bit. He remembered that Garland had mentioned there was something like this that was a way to control the tree. Could that light be what he spoke of? It has to be! he thought. He lay back down; that had taken quite a bit of effort. He realized that he was still dying...slowly. He could feel his strength gradually slipping away, little by little. I'll probably die in a few hours. I don't know how long I have left...
Zidane looked at Kuja. "What the heck happened? Thought we were gonna die there for a second..."
"If I'm not mistaken, I think this is a cavern Garland mentioned to me once. He said, 'There is a light at the heart of the Tree...that can control it, maybe even stop it from destroying both worlds. That is, if someone is willing to step into it and use it...' he mentioned it was hard to find though."
Zidane's eyes widened. "Then I'd better try..."
"NO!!" Kuja cried. "I'm not sure what that will do to you...it might kill you..."
"I have to! My friends may not know about this, but...they wouldn't want Gaia to be destroyed. Neither do I. It would be worth any price..." Before Kuja could say one more word, he'd ran to the light...and disappeared into it. There was a cry, and then silence. Neither did Zidane come out, which worried Kuja a little.
I hope he's okay...Kuja thought. Oh yes, Kuja had been raised among the Genomes, which he'd hated. They were so...cold and hollow, most of them. He hadn't wanted to be associated with those...empty shells. But both him and Zidane were different...If only I could go back in time and do things differently...I'm just no good...Zidane's truly better than me... But it was too late, he knew that. Death was coming and he wished he had more time. He laid his head to one side, sadly.
Just then, there was a flash of blue-green light at the far end of the grotto. A woman stepped out. Kuja couldn't help but stare, for she was unusual. For one, her clothes were of a much older style; it seemed like she had stepped out of an old painting. Second, her green eyes, which were exactly the color of emeralds, were just...not natural. Her white blond hair was pulled back; she appeared to be human. She was carrying a silver bow with crystal tips; there were very few people who used that weapon.
She spotted him, grabbed a silver arrow out of her quiver, and pointed it at Kuja. He heard her mutter something about 'chaos slime should just die'. Wha? I'm not that! He could see her arrows were as unusual as her bow. The shaft of the arrow she had pointed at his chest was silver; the point was either diamond or crystal; and the fletching seemed to be made of spun crystal. Kuja didn't admire it for more than a second, though. He didn't want that arrow in HIM! So he said, "Lady, please don't shoot me. I'm...dying...already...as...it...is.". He knew already he had nothing left to cast a spell to defend himself. He had used almost everything he had to give Zidane and his friends a way out.
She didn't loose the arrow, but she held it back, ready to fire. She snarled, "Give me one good reason I shouldn't, Garland's patsy..."
Kuja's eyes widened, realizing what this lady must be thinking. He said mildly, "I realize now I was wrong. He played me like a puppet on a string because I wanted to destroy him and surpass his power...he tempted me to hunt for great power...to serve him...and cause chaos...even though I wanted to destroy him..."
The lady's eyes widened. She took the tension off the string (she didn't take the arrow off the string, though) and came over to Kuja and inclined her head toward them. She hummed a tune; Kuja felt as if he was being looked at in the most minute way. After a moment, she smiled, sighed with relief, and put the arrow away.
"You're telling the truth. You're as much a victim as Zidane. Worse, as Garland made you think you were doing what you thought was right when you were wrong. On his own head be it, then. I don't have time to deal with you right now, but I will."
She walked toward the light and paused before it. She unstrung her bow and put it in her quiver. Then she raised her right arm and began to sing; it seemed like a call. Kuja summoned as much strength as he could and leaned up on one elbow to get a better look. A great rushing reddish-colored wind blew in. Kuja sensed this was the elemental power of fire. It swirled around her. Then another came in from another direction, this one blue. It was the elemental power of water! Another wind of power, this time green with pinks in in it. Kuja sensed this one was Air. Hot on that one's heels came a brown wind, which was the power of Earth. A dark wind blew in; this was the element of Darkness. Finally, a wind, with crystalline sparkles in it, blew in. This, Kuja sensed, was the power of Holy, or the Spirit element. Kuja was surprised and almost didn't believe what he was sensing; he'd been told that this was impossible, that no one could control all six elements at once without being destroyed.
Then the song she was singing changed. In the whirlwind of power that she was in, he saw a glowing silhouette of a woman, then energy swirled around her, creating a robe. It had long, wide sleeves that went down to her wrists. The robe itself also went down to her ankles. Not only that, it was pure white, including the sash. Her hair came loose and swirled around her face. Then she moved the arm she'd had sticking up to her side, then crossed both arms over her face. A pair of almost transparent bird wings sprouted from her back and covered her face and body, so he could not see her distinctly. A moment passed, then the wings exploded into a thousand feathers. The feathers swirled around her. First thing he noticed was that her ears had changed; they became pointed. Her clothes shifted to a beautiful gown. The glow itself disappeared gradually. It started disappearing from the top of her head first and then rippled down her body, down to her feet. She then removed her arms from her face, while a slight halo of power shimmered around her. She didn't look much different, except...she definitely was no longer human. She was...something else. She now had a very...alien cut of gown on (tho it was one any princess or queen would be proud to own) and had this very thick chain around her neck. Her eyes now also slanted a bit, not to mention the beforementioned pointed ears. Uh oh! Kuja thought. I remember Garland mentioning something about pointy-eared people once. Guardians, that is! He said they were evil...but he was wrong about a lot of things. She could of killed me right there, but she let me live. I'd better just make up my own mind about this, and not let Garland's ghost dictate things...He did say they were very powerful, which I am inclined to believe after this.
She turned away from Kuja and toward the light. She reached for the chain around her neck and sang out two distinct words. It shimmered and changed into a staff, with a star in circle on its top. The first star had a second star that was inside it, but it was blackened and badly crazed. She sighed, muttered something about "needs to be done now, don't know if what little is left of Terra will survive this" and began to sing again; it seemed like another call. The only words that Kuja caught were "woo cavartii di toiana". What is she doing now? Kuja wondered. As the last notes died away, she waited a moment. Then there was an answering call that seemed to be from twelve others. There was a blinding flash of light, and then twelve other people of her kind stood next to her. Six of them were men and six of them were women. The lady that had confronted Kuja bowed and went to one knee.
"Shistk va bixt, Nora. Oi hiok nv tive." one of the others said. She nodded and rose.
"Vesta, shi vaato ti Iifa takv fakt. Ni batov shii!"
The lady that had been addressed as Nora nodded. She raised her staff; the other twelve sang out the same two words that Nora had sung out earlier while grabbing not quite as ornate chains from around their necks; these changed into very simple staves, nowhere near as ornate as Nora's. They all gathered around the pool of light and raised these staves so they touched and pointed at the light. They began to sing. This sounded like a command. There was a soft gasp; Zidane fell out, on his back. They ignored him for the moment and continued the song.
Something began to happen to the light as well; it was beginning to slowly, ever so slowly, change shape somehow. A few minutes passed; the singing was disturbed by a shattering. The inner star on Nora's staff shattered into a thousand pieces and fell on the floor. Still they continued on. Suddenly there was a big flash that blinded Kuja for a second. When the flash cleared the pool of light had been replaced with a crystal tree. Zidane was laying not far from it.
Nora nodded at the other twelve. "Sa, sa. Iv et finbis."
"Sa. Muvis ga. Wua abkt hon?"
"Mmm, miv yv cvahe fiok ba ecgdwb lov lolk?" She motioned toward Kuja.
They seemed to think a moment about the question and discuss it a bit, then one of them said:
"Sa, ek es necuvvaro. De bi. Woku avok tek orhar?"
"Yv toke ma iv. Ga, avd bi boklyssrd bi woo hikarii!!" She bowed.
The twelve then raised their staves, sang a few quick notes, and disappeared.
Nora then came up by Kuja. "Sorry about that, had to ask."
"Ask what? And who were those people?"
"That was the Council Of Twelve, the rulers of my people. I asked them if I could attempt to change your fate so you wouldn't die today..."
Kuja gasped. "You can do that?!" He hoped beyond hope that it was true. If I could only have a little more time...maybe I could atone for what I've done...
"Maybe. But fair warning; I can't extend it for long. You are doomed to die young of seeming old age since Zidane has surpassed you in power; I can't completely change the fact. But I may be able to give you a few more months and a more...peaceful death. If I fail, you're no worse off. I admit I don't quite trust you, but I wouldn't wish a painful death like the one you're facing on my worst enemy."
Kuja nodded and laid back down. He guessed this...person knew what he had done, so it wasn't surprising that she didn't trust him if that was true. Nora hummed, which changed the staff back to the necklace that it had been before. She then pulled up her left sleeve and caught hold of a crystal bangle she was wearing. She hummed again; it shimmered and changed...into a dagger, made completely out of crystal. "Hoped I'd never have to use this again..." she muttered. More loudly she said, "Whatever happens, don't make a sound. I'll do what I can." Kuja nodded. She went to her knees, holding the knife with the blade pointed to her head. She then began to sing softly, as if she was speaking to someone very respectfully. After a moment, the song changed. She got up and began to sing more loudly; something about "Ha mai kamii shii di waa...Mii na kari shari taa". The knife began to glow. She kept singing and moving, as if in a kind of dance. Suddenly it seemed to end; she pointed the tip at Kuja. A ball of light came off the knife and flew toward Kuja. It surrounded him; his strength returned in a flash. It faded and Kuja sat up, then got to his feet.
First, Nora hummed and the dagger turned back into a bangle on her left arm. She then said, "I'm afraid you'll only live to see...and maybe speak...to Zidane one more time. There is a limit to what I can do when someone's life is flickering like a guttering candle. However, I've also changed the manner of your death; you will go to bed one night and not wake up again. It will also be fairly painless."
"What are you going to do about him, anyway? He sacrificed himself..."
Nora shook her head. "No, he still lives, physically at least. However, he is stuck between the lands of life and death, not able to move to either at the moment. Because friends used the Cure spell on him many many times today, I cannot heal him instantly since that method of healing has one similarity to the Cure spell; it uses resorces from the healed one's body. His has been drained to almost nothing; it would kill him to quickly heal him now. In any case, I couldn't call him back. He does not know me...yet." Kuja bowed his head. The brother...I hardly knew and threw away like so much trash. I wish I hadn't now... "Never fear, there is a way, though I hate it. There is a friend of his that you've never met that can give him a chance to come back. It will have to be his choice in the end to live or to die, however. Both are equally likely, but in the most likely future if he reaches that friend, he will live. It is not certain, however. There are many possible futures at this time and it's extremely difficult for me to tell which is correct, only the ones that are the most likely."
"Who is this friend of whom you speak?"
"Well..." She waved one arm in the air and sang out four words. A ray of light shaped itself into...a very odd looking man. His hair was blond and stood pretty much straight up; his eyes were blue with a odd glow to them. The strangest thing was his weapon; it was a sword that was almost as big as he was. It seemed he wouldn't be able to use that at all. "His name is Cloud...he hasn't been on this world in years--not since he went back to his home world six years ago. I'll send Zidane to Cloud's world...that world has technology that can keep Zidane alive long enough to decide if he will live or die."
"Why not just bring Cloud here?"
Nora sighed. "He couldn't help alone. Besides, I promised Cloud I wouldn't bring him here without asking him first; there is no time to do that. It must be done, and quickly. However, I won't leave Zidane without any help at all...not this time..." She turned, sang four words, holding her hands a inch apart. A ball of light formed between them; she carelessly flipped that at Zidane. It was absorbed into his body. What is she up to? Kuja thought. She then started singing something else; whatever she did seemed to stir memories in Kuja. Three sparks of light appeared in her hands, then danced around Zidane; they seemed to melt into him. Kuja decided not to ask exactly what she had done other than the obvious since he didn't think he'd get a clear answer out of her.
She fell silent a few moments, then broke into song once again. Some rags that looked like someone had thrown them out appeared before her. At Nora's song, they turned into a couple of sheets of paper. Writing appeared on them at a horribly fast speed. Kuja got a little closer; they were letters. Before he could read a word, they folded themselves over. A strip of sealing wax flew out of nowhere. The end melted, dripping on first one, then the other letter. One note later, and a starred seal was pressed into the wax. Then they turned around. On one, the name Cloud appeared; "Zidane" appeared on the other one. Her song changed; some small cloth bags filled to the brim with something appeared and landed next to Zidane. Then she touched the chain around her neck and once again sang out the two distinct words. It changed into the staff again. She then touched Zidane's cheek. "Forgive me for not asking your permission first.", she murmured.
She then straightened up, raised that staff, and began to sing one more time. It seemed like a call. A second voice answered and began to harmonize with Nora; a glow began to form under Zidane. It changed to blue green, and then he...along with the letters and the bags...melted into it, disappearing.
"There, that part has ended for the moment.", she said. "One more thing I must do and then I can rest for a time."
"What is it?" Maybe I can help if she's willing...after all, I have a lot to atone for...
[h=1]VIDA, NEW MIDGAR--ABOUT THE SAME TIME[/h] It had not been the best of mornings. First off, Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent were training outside when Loki, Cloud and Tifa's youngest, had wandered into that area of the yard (Which was fenced anyway), which was off limits with good reason. Tifa had spotted Loki before anything bad happened and grabbed him with a "No! You don't come in here!" Like the two year old he was, Loki had a temper tantrum about it. Tifa had hauled him inside to deal with the tantrum. So Cloud had started wacking on the pell. Vincent continued to shoot at a target (he'd just been visiting).
Suddenly, Vincent dropped the gun, grabbed his head with his one real arm, and cried out, "Uh, oh, Ahh!" Then he transformed into Chaos, and his clothes (very uncharacteristic of him, Cloud knew) tore into shreds. Cloud saw the whole thing out of one corner of an eye and heard the roar. Uh oh, that's bad., Cloud thought. What if Arella, our sweet four-year old, comes out? I'd better stop him fast!
Cloud quickly grabbed a net made out of myrthil cables he had lying around (he'd thought this might happen, though he liked Vincent) and threw it over Chaos, doing his best to keep Chaos from flying away. Chaos fought; Cloud stubbornly dug in his heels and held the net down. Chaos managed to get one arm/hand out and claw Cloud's leg--just as Cloud saw Tifa poke her head out of the house. The next minute, she ran out with a big bowl; she threw the contents at Chaos/Vincent. Some of it got on Cloud; it was icy water from the fridge!
Chaos shook himself, and then said "Wha...oh shit..." in the usual voice that kind of sounded like Vincent, only deeper, that Chaos used.
Cloud let go of the net. "Did you have to do that?"
Tifa shrugged. "That's supposed to work on people that faint. Thought since Vincent's mind was kinda knocked out enough that he was attacking you, it would work here, too..."
Chaos/Vincent nodded. "It worked. Thanks, needed that Tifa." He got the net off and shook himself. "It's gonna be hell to replace those clothes, though..."
"You'd better get in the basement before you change back." Cloud said. "Tifa, will you go to the spare room and go get a new set out of Vincent's pack and leave them in the basement?" Tifa nodded and went back in the house. To Chaos/Vincent, he asked, "Why is it going to be so much trouble to replace them?"
Chaos/Vincent sighed. "I have to get those made out of a special material that's really expensive...it's made out of a certain kind of unstable molecules that respond to thought..."
Cloud nodded. "Gotcha. Hey, why'd you transform like that anyway?"
"It happened pretty suddenly. I felt a lot of terrible pain and a scream in my head; next thing I remember was the cold drench. The scream was something like, "Why? Do people really have that much will to live? And why can't I ever win!?" Then whatever it was died and something inside me just...shattered."
"It's okay, Vincent. I think...Zidane won, it's over for good. Remember...six years ago, what I warned you about?"
Chaos/Vincent nodded. "Yeah...you mean it's happened?" He cocked his head, considering that. "Right now, I feel like a great weight has suddenly been yanked off me; the pressure is finally off. I think you're right, Zidane and his friends did it. By the way, did I hurt you?" He pointed at Cloud's clawed leg. Cloud nodded.
"It's not bad, and you weren't in your right mind...."
"Doesn't matter. Soon as I get dressed and can get at my materia, I'll Cure that. It's my fault for coming here..."
Cloud gently touched Chaos's/Vincent's arm. "Don't beat on yourself like that. I'm not afraid of you in either guise, even when you startle me by coming up from behind me after dark. Besides, could've been worse. This might've happened while you were wandering; no telling how much damage you'd of done then, with no Tifa to throw ice water at you."
Chaos/Vincent nodded and shuddered. "You're right, Cloud. But I'll still Cure that." He headed for the basement door. After a moment (and after he picked up the forgotten practice weapon, which he had dropped early on), Cloud leisurely followed, knocking first to make sure that Vincent had changed back and changed clothes. He had. It didn't take long for Vincent to find his Cure materia and use a cure spell on Cloud. Then they went inside.
A couple of hours passed fairly peacefully, only marred by yet another of Loki's temper tantrums (this time, it was Tifa wouldn't let him play with a cookie sheet she wanted to use to bake cookies on).
Cloud and Vincent were in the living room playing a game of chess when suddenly there was a surprised and shocked cry from the kitchen. It was Tifa.
"What the?" Cloud said, nodded to Vincent, and then they both ran into the kitchen, leaving the unfinished game on the table. Tifa was standing so she was facing away from the stove. She was looking a bit shocked. The reason was apparent once they came in. On the floor, lying face down, was Zidane...and he hadn't been there before. His clothes were a mess. Cloud went over to Zidane, patted one shoulder, and called to him; Zidane didn't even react. Cloud then carefully turned Zidane on his back, placed his head so one cheek was near Zidane's face, and started feeling around on his neck for a pulse. In a moment, he stood up.
"His heart's still beating and he's still breathing...but he looks dead. Tifa, what happened?"
"I'd just put the cookies in the oven; there was a flash, and then..." She pointed at Zidane. "He appeared along with these..." She showed him some cloth bags, full of rocks or something, and two letters...one of them had Cloud's name on it! Cloud took that one away from Tifa and undid the wax seal; then he read it. After he finished, he folded it over and muttered, "Nora, why?" He shook his head, sighed, and said, "We'd better get Reeve...we're gonna need a doctor. One that won't talk even if you pried his jaws open."
Tifa's eyes widened. "Why?"
"Nora said in that letter that he's 'caught between the lands of life and death'; I think that means we need a doctor...I hope Zidane's gonna be okay..."
Tifa nodded. "I understand, Cloud. You and him were good friends while you were there, right?"
Cloud nodded. "What's in those bags?"
Tifa opened one and dumped it out. It was full of gems and gold! Cloud laughed.
"That Guardian isn't dumb! Bet she knows we're gonna have to get the doctor...and doctors cost money. Gil wouldn't work, since the gil found there is different than ours..."
Vincent chuckled as well, which was a rare thing for him. "Heh.", he finished with. Tifa grabbed the phone and called Reeve at the office with a quick nod. After a minute, he must of picked up, for she said, "Hello? Reeve? We got a problem here. Do you know a doctor that'll make house calls and'll be totally discreet?" A pause; then she said, "No, I don't wanna talk about it. Mmm-hmm...mmm-hmm. Just a sec, lemme get some paper and a pen..." She put the reciver down and ran into the living room quickly. She came back with a piece of scratch paper and a pen. "Okay, got it." She wrote some stuff down, then said, "Thanks, Reeve. Sorry to bother you." Another pause and then: "Okay, bye." She hung up. Then she grabbed the paper and began to dial.
By the time the doctor had gotten there, Cloud had carefully carried Zidane's limp body to the spare bedroom. Vincent had said he was going to sleep on the couch for now; he thought Zidane needed the bed worse than him. Cloud hadn't protested overmuch; they really had only one spare room. Tifa led the doctor up the stairs into the room. The doctor examined Zidane over carefully and did some tests, then he sighed. He then said, "Goodness. I think I know what this is." He pointed at one of Zidane's arms, which had bruised very mysteriously when Cloud had carried Zidane upstairs. Cloud had sworn he hadn't banged Zidane into anything. "My guess is it's cure shock."
Cloud started in surprise. "Cure shock?!"
The doctor nodded. "And a bad case too. From what I can tell, he's somehow been thrown into a coma...he'll need to go to the hospital..."
"Please, no if you can avoid it." Cloud said. "Let's just say...Zidane here would be rather upset if he woke up there...he might throw a fit..."
The doctor nodded. "You think it would be better for him to stay here?" Cloud nodded. "I think it would be possible to bring the hospital to him instead of the other way around. I'll arrange it." Cloud nodded.
As the weeks passed, Cloud kept his eye on Zidane when he could. He also fought for Zidane with the doctor...some things he and the nurses wanted to do Cloud was dead sure that Zidane wouldn't like. Often when he was home, he sat by Zidane's bedside, talking to him, hoping he'd come out of it.
Tifa was very understanding through the whole thing, thank goodness. When Cloud had first gotten back and she'd found out about the episode, she'd grilled him about it; consequently, she knew exactly how Cloud felt about Zidane. Because of that, she stayed out of it and supported him the whole way.
Cloud kept hoping Zidane would wake up sometime...he didn't want to have to go to Gaia with bad news...
[h=1]Chapter 1[/h] ...Zidane finally woke up today. Scared me good though. Doctor says it's gonna be a while before he's going to be better. Zidane told me some things that startled me...
--From Cloud's journal
...I felt like I was lost in the dark...I really didn't care at the time...until I heard Cloud call out. Then I remembered...Garnet, my friends, the promise...mine and Garnet's song...That song gave me the strength to come back. What was weirder is I could remember back farther than I ever could before...into a time that I've revisited time and again in my worst nightmares. Still can, and it scares me. I found out why too. Darn that Guardian! ...Anyway, I like Arella better than Loki. Loki's got a bad habit of yanking on tails. If he yanks on mine again, he's gonna get his hide tanned. At least Cloud gave me permission to do that. Oh, I just wish I'd hurry up and get better...then I can go back to Gaia...
--From Zidane's journal
It had been a month since that day that Zidane had unexpectedly appeared in the kitchen. Cloud, as usual, was sitting by the bed, next to Zidane. Tifa had checked on him a bit ago and had gone away.
Cloud gripped Zidane's hand. He was really upset; the doctor had told him he was afraid that Zidane wouldn't wake up.
"Zidane! ZIDANE!" Cloud cried out. He started to cry..."Don't you remember me? The times we had?...I'm waiting for ya, you scamp! Your friends back home must be worried sick! They're waiting for you too... Please...whereever you are, come baaaack! I'm not gonna abandon you, not now!" he leaned his head against Zidane's hand and the tears really started to come...
Cloud looked up. Zidane moaned again. "Oh my...Doctor, where's that dratted doctor?!" Tifa ran to get that doctor, since he'd gone downstairs for just a minute. The doctor dashed in with the nurse that had been helping him and they both did some quick checks. "Heart rate's up...he's hyperventilating a bit..." The nurse said, "He's not dying..."
Cloud stood up. "I think I know..." He grabbed Zidane's hand and held it firmly. "Zidane? Zidane? Remember me? Come back, I promise I'll get ya home when you get better..." Zidane let out a scream at that and made everybody jump.
"Wait, you think he's coming out of it?", the doctor said. Cloud nodded. The doctor cocked his head and then said, "Let me check the EKG...". He looked at the machine by the bed. "You're right Cloud. He is. How?"
Cloud glanced at the doctor. "We were very good friends six years ago, that may have something to do with it..."
The doctor nodded. "Then that's why. Call him back, I think he hears you..." He removed the EKG net since it seemed it would be no longer necessary.
Cloud turned to Zidane again. "C'mon, wake up, Zidane. I'm here. I'll get you back to your friends. C'mon and wake up..."
Zidane moaned one more time, then his eyes opened and he squeezed Cloud's hand back. "Cloud? Long time no see..." Goodness, it's been a long time since he left...but why is he here? "...but, how did you get back?"
Cloud shook his head. "Get back?! No, this isn't Gaia. You've ended up on Vida..."
Zidane's eyes widened. "That doesn't seem possible..." But then a lady stepped into his line of view. She winked. "Not when your erm...arrival scares the heck out of me in my kitchen!" She looked familiar...it took Zidane a minute to place the face. It was the lady of the picture that Cloud had been carrying around..."Tifa?! Wha?"
Tifa looked startled, but Cloud turned a bit and winked at her. "I did have a picture of you with me back then, what do you expect?"
Tifa then grinned. "Oh, you!" and then she laughed.
Then Zidane got a better look around. There was a needle? in his arm? and it otherwise just seemed like a normal bedroom, other than stuff that made funny noises. That needle really bothered him, though. It stirred some memories of...being in a tube? He shook his head fast and thought for a second. Yes, he could vagely remember being trapped in a tube like some Genomes he'd seen in Bran Bal...something he couldn't remember before. Those memories were scenes from his worst nightmares. It made him shiver a little. But they also made him detest that thing in his arm. He reached over to yank it out, but Cloud grabbed him by the hand, then shook his head. His eyes seemed to say, "Don't do that" Zidane wondered why and struggled to sit up...it was harder than he thought. It took forever for him to dredge up the strength, and he was dizzy for a few seconds once he managed it. He noticed a man in a odd-looking white coat in one corner. Cloud looked that direction.
"I told you, Doctor. I didn't know how Zidane here would react...he's not from around here. How many times..."
"You know what I said. There was no choice."
"What are you talking about?" Zidane asked, surprised. He tried to remove the thing in his arm again, but Cloud wouldn't let him. He nodded.
The 'doctor' smiled and said, "I'm sorry...what seems to have happened is you pushed yourself way too far and someone cast healing magic on you once too many...that is, cure shock."
"Cure shock?"
Cloud nodded sadly at Zidane. "You've noticed, haven't you? There comes a time when cure spells don't seem to heal wounds all the way? That they reopen real easy?" Zidane nodded. "It's because cure spells use resources from the person who is healed. When you've been cured and the wounds reopen really easy, that's a sign that you need to rest and get something to eat because your body's nearing the end of its reserves. If you don't...you can be knocked into a coma or even die. That's what happened to you...you got knocked into a coma."
"What's a 'coma'?"
"Oh..." Cloud smiled gently. "Basically it looks like sleep, but the best way I can explain it is the person's stuck between life and death. Sometimes people in comas decide to die, but sometimes they decide to come back and live...I thought for a while you wouldn't come back..."
Zidane's eyes widened. Oh crap! I don't think I could've died, but that's scary... Cloud continued, "You're just lucky..that thing in your arm is just one way they tried to help you get over it. I fought hard to make sure they wouldn't do anything worse than that tube in your arm..."
The doctor rolled his eyes. "Echh, I didn't know why you yelled half the time. Now I do."
Yech, I don't wanna know what 'worse' is... Cloud must of noticed the look in his eyes, for he said, "Is something still the matter?"
Zidane nodded, his feelings still in quite a tangle. Did that light...mean I could die? No, can't be right...
Cloud must've noticed the confusion in Zidane's eyes, for he said, "Will you guys please go downstairs? I think this's something that I'd better be alone with Zidane for..."
Both Tifa and the doctor nodded, and Zidane heard a third voice say (whomever it was was somewhere behind him) "Okay, I understand". They all went away, except Cloud.
Cloud then dragged up a chair, sat down, and then turned to Zidane again.
"Now, what's bugging you?"
Zidane sighed. He figured Cloud guessed something was wrong...Not that that's bad. Cloud was the one person who could understand last time...maybe this time too? That made his mind up, so he sighed one more time and began.
"Cloud...it's hard to know where to begin..." He laid back down. "But I'm finding I can remember farther back than I could before...and I don't like it."
Cloud's eyes widened a bit. "It might help to talk about it. What happened?"
His voice trembling a little, Zidane began the story. "First thing I remember now is that light...and bein' stuck in a big glass tube. It's kinda vague though...I kept gettin' stabbed with needles. I don't know how long it was...it's just a blur."
"Now I know why you're bugged by that needle in your arm. Brings back some of those bad memories, right?"
Zidane nodded. "You know, I've had nightmares before of that...just after I went to Terra...and a place you never saw called Bran Bal. A few times Steiner would wack me with the pommel of his sword when I started sayin' "let me out" in my sleep...not a nice way to wake up."
"Erm...Steiner? I heard of him...knight of Alexanderia, right?"
Zidane nodded. "Yep. Then Garnet would usually yell at him, for when he did that, I'd yelp and wake HER up."
"In a tent, right?"
Zidane nodded again. Cloud continued, "Yuck. That knight seems to have been rather dense to not realize you didn't like to be woke up like that. Go on."
"Well, Bran Bal was where I came from, I found out...Anyway, it's all a blur of bein' in that tube and getting stabbed by needles...as well as the blue light...Anyway, it got so at times I was almost awake. One day, I was finally let out of there...I didn't know how to talk very well though at the time. Three days later, this guy (who I later found out was Kuja) saw me and glared at me. He said some nasty words, and then there was a loud BANG. Next thing I knew, I was lying on my face in some woods. Took two tries to get up, I fell once. It was just so quiet...didn't know where I was, only that the blue light was gone. Took me a while to get my legs to work again..." Zidane shivered at that. Yeah, in the Mist, didn't know it was dangerous, but... "I'm not sure how long it was, but suddenly a monster showed up and scared the crap out of me..."
"Lemme guess. You ran, right?"
Zidane nodded. "Yep. Ran a lot, for I kept running into monsters...I was only able to rest enough once in a while to catch my breath. I only got bit once, thank goodness. Then I came upon a airship in a clearing...didn't know what it was, but there was a monster hot on my heels. So I ran for it...into the airship and into someone's cabin. The others there didn't see me, they saw the monster and went after it. I dashed out of sight of the door and then just stopped and panted, just gettin' my breath back. Soon as I'd caught it, I looked around a bit and realized I was safe. It was a nice room. I could feel myself calming down..." Yeah, my heart quit tryin' to leap out of me. I was that scared. "Then I noticed I was gettin' hungry; I didn't know what to eat tho, because nothing was familar. Found a bowl of some kinda sweet-bars, didn't know why I put one in my mouth, but I found that they were good...ate a bunch of them. I went over to the bed after that and sat on it...before I could stop myself since it was sooo comfortable, I'd laid down and took a nap."
Cloud smiled at that. "Heh, you were probably just tired. What happened when you woke up?"
"Well, for one, I was starving...my belly was really complaining then. Also, there was a lady leaning over me...dressed in red, with a red hat with a feather in it. I later found out she was a Red Mage. I was scared for a second, but she was real nice. She knew exactly what was wrong and got me something to eat. She talked to me a lot, which helped. I could understand her perfectly...and she could understand me, even though I had trouble finding the words I wanted to say at the time. She then asked me what my name was and told me hers: Kari. I told her. That was the start of a really happy time..."
"Lemme guess. She pampered you, didn't she?"
Zidane nodded. "Yep. Anyway, it ended when it was discovered I existed. Her boss was mean...he wanted to throw me out. Some thugs grabbed Kari; she yelled, "Run! Get out of here!" and she started casting Fire and Lightning on their rears. I got out of there...the rest is a blur, and then I remember my first few hours in Lindbulm and joining Tantalus. That's it."
Cloud nodded. Zidane continued, "It worries me. I know I came from Bran Bal and am one of the Genomes now...but those memories, especially the early ones, really bug me. I knew I didn't have a mother or a father, but..."
Cloud nodded again. "I know the feeling...at least about the 'tube' part. I may have an idea of how you got those memories back, though..."
Zidane's eyes widened. "Wha? How?"
Cloud sighed. "Best I start from the beginning. First things first: I have a confession to make. Wasn't completely honest with you when we were together last time. Didn't tell you everything on how I got to Gaia; I left something out."
"Wha? Why?" Zidane was pretty shocked.
"Well...when I first arrived, it wasn't in the woods. It was in a cave with no entrance or exit. There was a lady there who tried to say someting...I'm afraid I made a ass out of myself at first. Lost my temper and tried to attack her...she disappeared and reappeared on the top of a pillar..." He went on to tell him what had happened; that Nora the Guardian had known what was going to happen and had asked him to help. That she'd said that Guardians don't lie. The whole nine yards. Zidane was shocked and wasn't sure if Cloud was lying, for it sounded too incredible. Cloud hid..this? Why? It's just about impossible to believe... "You're still lying!"
"No I'm not!", Cloud exclaimed.
Zidane shook his head. Cloud sighed and reached in a pocket. He muttered, "Hoped it wouldn't come to this..." and removed a drawstring bag. He opened it and dumped...a ORANGE materia?! Onto his hand?! He never mentioned that color! Zidane thought. Cloud closed his hand around it and then closed his eyes, concentrating. The materia flared to life; nothing seemed to happen for about five minutes or so. Then out of nowhere a lady appeared. She was...wierd, that was Zidane's first impression. Her ears were pointed, and her eyes were just too green to be allowed. Zidane had never seen anyone dressed in a gown like the one that lady was wearing either.
The lady nodded to Cloud and said: "You'd better be right..." Zidane was slightly puzzled, for it felt like he'd come in somewhere in the middle of a conversation. Cloud smiled at the lady and said, "It's okay, Tara. If he tries anything, I'll sit on him...don't think he can. He's as weak as a kitten..."
It didn't take much to figure out who Cloud meant by "he"; Zidane got a little annoyed that Cloud was talking about him like that and said, "Hey!"
Cloud turned his head. "Sorry about that, Zidane. Should've been a bit more courteous..." Zidane nodded, guessing that Cloud didn't mean what had just happened that way. Cloud motioned toward the lady and then said, "This is Tara, the Guardian of Vida. Tara, this is Zidane.."
Tara startled and nodded; Zidane thought she was acting like a shy and very scared bird. Hmm, I'd better be careful. She's scared half out of her mind... He gently smiled at her. He didn't feel like flirting, but he did his best to put her at her ease without saying a word. (Lately he hadn't had the heart for it) The lady relaxed a little bit, but still seemed quite a bit tense.
"Hello," she said.
"Hi! S'okay..." Zidane answered.
The lady nodded. "Cloud told me through that materia that he needed me to show you that he is not telling you something...that isn't true this time. I usually won't show myself to anyone except Cloud for caution's sake, but...he was quite convincing." She held out her hand, shaking; Zidane carefully took it and gently smiled at her. They shook hands. Then Tara cleared her throat nervously and then said, "I thought you might want to know. My vaskiita, Tara, was very sorry she had to send you here...she was nearly crying inside when she contacted me to help create the dimensional gateway. She wished she could ask you first..."
Cloud started. "Pardon? Vaskiita? What's that?"
Tara turned that way, not seeming to care that Cloud had interrupted her. "Oops. I should of remembered you wouldn't understand that word. It's not a word that translates really well, but the closest is 'cousin'"
Zidane then said, "Erm...'closest'?"
Tara sighed. "The literal translation of that would be "person four times removed from the speaker's aunt". Family relationships among my people, the Kinaari, are complicated, especially when there's a Guardian in the family. Guardians live as long as the planet they are joined to, unless they renounce the Guardian's Oath. It's just the way it is." She backed up a bit at that; Zidane guessed Tara still was very nervy. Bet she isn't used to this... He considered what Tara had said, then answered, "It's okay."
Tara nodded. "What's odd is she's always...cared...about you, though it is certain you've never seen her."
Zidane nodded. Huh, that's wierd. I'd better ask... "True. But why does she care? And why wouldn't she just...show herself?"
Tara trembled a bit, then answered, "She won't show herself because...you are a Hikarii no Takkwon...excuse me, Light Warrior, and until a month ago, you had not fulfilled your destiny."
"Huh?"
Tara seemed to get a bit more courage and then said, "It's something you wouldn't of known. Few who are Light Warriors ever know what they are beforehand--or ever know that fact. As for caring about you; I don't know. She hides it very well, but I've been concerned for her the moment I heard of your existence. She goes...crazy...when something really bad is going to happen to you that is beyond your control. Many a time during this latest adventure, I'd contact her to find her pretty upset, and knowing she could do nothing this time...I fear she has let a curse of the heart take hold of her and affect her judgment. Won't be the first time, though."
"Curse?"
"I can't tell you, for it is a thing unspeakable among us sworn ones to even consider." She seemed to consider a moment and gather what courage she could, then asked: "Everything all right? My erm, cousin, will be asking about you sooner or later...I know her too well."
"I think it's okay; but...I seem to remember things I couldn't before.."
Tara looked shocked for a second, then muttered something like "bevvidk" ...Zidane didn't catch the exact word, though. However, the way she said it sounded like some kind of cussword, so Zidane realized it would be better not to find out what THAT meant. "My cousin said she restored your memories, since what you had just been through had...nearly destroyed them." Zidane was shocked by that. Almost...yeah, she's right. I barely remembered my own name just before I passed out... She took a deep breath. "Since me and Nora are related by blood, I may be able to use my abilities to see exactly what happened when she restored your memories. If I fail here, luckily it won't hurt you, it's just I won't be able to tell you anything."
"What do you have to do?"
Tara tugged at one glove. (Zidane hadn't noticed up until that moment that she was wearing them!) "I'll have to touch you skin to skin...and that's kind of risky..."
"Why?"
Tara sighed. "Because like the rest of my people, I'm a telepath as well. If you don't know what that is, it means I could read minds if I wanted to and send my thoughts over great distances to others. Touching people like that--especially people who are not telepaths...is not liked very much since, well, that causes the other person's thoughts to blast through one's protections, especially if there's strong emotions behind those thoughts. It can be quite...unpleasant if one is not prepared for it and ready to parry those thoughts, so to speak."
"You don't read minds...just to do it, do you?" That idea made Zidane a little nervous.
She shook her head. "I'm well aware what most non-telepaths think of mind reading; that it's a major invasion of privacy, so I won't if I have any say in the matter. Besides, most people who are not of my race have natural defenses against such a thing, which can be very hard to get around without touching the person in question."
Zidane nodded and thought a moment about it. She might get some of my thoughts up her nose...she knows that...but it's worth it. Now that I know that Nora gave me back my memories, I want to know if this was her fault or not.. He then said, "It's worth the risk. Please?"
Tara nodded, then pulled off a glove and touched Zidane's cheek with a bare hand. Zidane then noticed a feeling like if something had brushed his mind; it startled him and sent a chill up his spine, but nothing else happened. She then said, "Seems like you blocked those memories a long time ago...deep down, you didn't want to remember them."
Zidane's eyes widened a bit. Tara continued, "It's been known to happen. If there's a lot of pain in those experiences and couldn't handle them at the time, that's probably why. When you started searching for your origins, the block started to weaken somewhat, so you could remember bits and pieces..."
Suddenly Zidane realized what she meant. "I was having nightmares! You mean..those were those memories!?"
She nodded. "Must of been. Buried Memories come back up in odd ways sometimes. Anyway, when Nora restored your memories, the strain smashed the wall that you'd built around the memories you had hidden behind them, so to speak. It was already weakened by what you'd been through, so don't blame Nora. Guardians like me and Nora don't always know all the consequences of a action; we're not infallable."
Zidane nodded, understanding. She then said, "I'd better go."
Cloud nodded, and Tara disappeared. One minute she was there, the other minute she wasn't. Cloud turned to Zidane again.
"Didn't expect her to be that chatty. She's really shy, usually." He fingered the materia a bit.
"Where did you get that?"
"Nora gave it to me so I could yell at other Guardians if any of them dared jerk me to another world again. She created it with Tara's help."
"Oh, I gotcha." It HAD been the third time he'd been yanked to another world, he said when we met last time, after all. Nora seems like the sort to be courteous...and it was the Guardians's fault it happened, obviously!
"Anyway, she does seem to be fairly concerned about you, which is a little odd." Zidane looked at him curiously, Cloud then said, "Think about it. Why would she call someone out of another world to help you back then? She also wrote this..." He handed Zidane a letter that had his name on it in some fancy script.
"Wha? She wrote me a letter?"
Cloud nodded. "Wrote me one too. She really sounded worried in it..."
Zidane opened the letter. It said:
Cloud glanced at it and said, "I have something similar on mine. I asked Tara; she said that was Nora's name and clan. It's a more 'traditional' signature. It's just that kinda thing doesn't translate very well, she said."
"Wierd too...how can someone who never met me be concerned that way?"
Cloud shook his head. "I don't know, really. Even Tara isn't sure. Nora won't tell her about it. Nora and Tara may be telepaths and know the other's thoughts, but it's still possible to one of them to hide something from the other if one tries hard enough." Zidane nodded. "Also, I find it odd too. She doesn't know you, yet she cares about your welfare enough to find help for you when she could do nothing? That's odd to me..."
Zidane nodded again. He then noticed he was starting to get hunger pangs...they were kind of sullen, but they were there. He put one hand over his belly and thought, Shut up, not now!
Cloud must of noticed, for he said, "What's wrong?"
Zidane answered, "I think...I'm hungry..."
Cloud smiled. "No problem. I'll go and get you something to eat. Won't be long." He left.
Zidane turned around with some difficulty and turned so his face was to the wall. Everything's been turned upside down. Cloud...didn't tell me about the Guardian, why? And what does she mean with that cryptic remark about "the sins of the father"? I don't have a father... Just then, someone YANKED his tail (which he hadn't been paying attention to where it was) pretty hard, making Zidane lose his train of thought. He yelled, "YEOWCH!" He spun around with strength borne of anger and annoyance...just in time to see a little girl run in and run straight to a even younger boy.
The girl said to the boy, "Naughty Loki! Yankin' his tail! Bad boy!"
Loki (That was obviously the boy's name) started to cry. Just then, Cloud came in with a tray. He clicked his tongue and said, "Loki! Did you...?" Loki started to throw a tantrum. Cloud looked at Zidane and rolled his eyes. "Sorry. I didn't see which way Loki ran...he has a bad habit of pulling on Red XII's tail when he comes over to visit. Been trying to keep him away from you."
Zidane nodded, wishing he had some earplugs since Loki certainly could scream. Cloud came over to him, handed him the tray (it had some sandwiches on it, which made Zidane's mouth water) "Be careful, k?" Cloud whispered, then he excused himself by grabbing Loki by the arm and dragging him out of the room. Zidane picked up a sandwich and started nibbling on it; the taste brought his appetite back. (Not to mention, his stomach really started growling then) He started munching on it. The girl came closer.
"Why are you eating in bed? Mom will be maad..."
Zidane swallowed, then smiled. "No she won't. I got hurt real bad, okay?" Zidane guessed the gal was about four or five, so he figured it was best to keep things simple.
She bowed her head and said, "Awww! You okay?"
Zidane nodded and swallowed another bite. "I'll be okay, just don't feel good enough to play with you..."
The girl nodded. "Maybe you can play laaater. I'm Arella. Who are you?"
"Zidane. You been chasing your little bro?"
She nodded. "He's real bad, pulling tails like that. Last time Red wuz over, he said he'd bite Loki if he did it agaaain..."
"He'd better not do it again. I may just take my belt and whup his behind next time." Zidane remembered that Cloud had said that Red XII was a ...nonhuman...person that reminded one of a dog. (He'd also said 'don't call him that or he'd be upset'.) He wouldn't like getting his tail yanked any more than me, I bet.
Just then Cloud came back. "I heard that. Don't use your belt on him, k? Though I don't mind if you swat his bottom if he does it again. He needs to learn not to yank on tails." He knelt and glanced at Arella. "You getting to know Zidane?"
She nodded. "He's nice. When is he gonna get better?"
Cloud cocked his head. "Probably going to be a while. He really got hurt bad..."
Zidane nodded and swallowed. "She can stay, I don't mind her." He took another bite of his lunch.
Cloud smiled. "You sweet kid, you've won someone else over!" He then gave her nose a friendly tweak. Arella giggled.
Zidane smiled and worked on finishing his lunch. Guess I'm gonna be okay for now. I hope everyone else is all right...and I hope I get better soon! Darn that Guardian!
I'll try to get up a new chapter a week. ^^ Anyway before we start this, I'd recommend you check out the story that started this (aka. How do Cloud and Zidane know each other?), Passing The Torch. There are a few refs to that, but nothing major. I may build a little on what's before, but that's it. Also I did start this before Advent Children, tho I'm trying to work that in without it seeming stupid (I try to stick to canon, always) so bear with me. If it's really off, then consider this a alterverse. Also I sorta ignore the other FF7 "sequels" so perdon me! Advent Children is as far as I go down that rabbit hole..
Anyway, 'nuf beating around the bush. Here we go.
[h=1]Prologue[/h]
[h=1]GAIA, THE IIFA TREE...[/h] It wasn't supposed to end this way. Kuja had warned Zidane to get away from the Iifa tree quickly. He hadn't. Zidane had come back...to save Kuja, he'd said. Now, as Kuja felt consciousness slip away from him for a moment, he heard a loud noise...he bobbed back up just in time to see what seemed to be both their dooms racing at them in the form of a lot of the Iifa Tree's roots. This is it...Zidane, why were you crazy enough to come back for me? Kuja thought. But just then, a strange thing happened. The roots hit in such a way that there was a temporary dome over them; then there was a flash of light and then he felt the familiar shiver of a magical transport.
If anyone had been there, they would of thought the roots had smashed them both, for that was how it looked from the outside.
Kuja leaned up on one elbow. They seemed to be in some underground cavern. There were more roots along the walls, but they weren't thrashing. At one edge of the room, there was a shelf...and a ball of light. Kuja smiled a bit. He remembered that Garland had mentioned there was something like this that was a way to control the tree. Could that light be what he spoke of? It has to be! he thought. He lay back down; that had taken quite a bit of effort. He realized that he was still dying...slowly. He could feel his strength gradually slipping away, little by little. I'll probably die in a few hours. I don't know how long I have left...
Zidane looked at Kuja. "What the heck happened? Thought we were gonna die there for a second..."
"If I'm not mistaken, I think this is a cavern Garland mentioned to me once. He said, 'There is a light at the heart of the Tree...that can control it, maybe even stop it from destroying both worlds. That is, if someone is willing to step into it and use it...' he mentioned it was hard to find though."
Zidane's eyes widened. "Then I'd better try..."
"NO!!" Kuja cried. "I'm not sure what that will do to you...it might kill you..."
"I have to! My friends may not know about this, but...they wouldn't want Gaia to be destroyed. Neither do I. It would be worth any price..." Before Kuja could say one more word, he'd ran to the light...and disappeared into it. There was a cry, and then silence. Neither did Zidane come out, which worried Kuja a little.
I hope he's okay...Kuja thought. Oh yes, Kuja had been raised among the Genomes, which he'd hated. They were so...cold and hollow, most of them. He hadn't wanted to be associated with those...empty shells. But both him and Zidane were different...If only I could go back in time and do things differently...I'm just no good...Zidane's truly better than me... But it was too late, he knew that. Death was coming and he wished he had more time. He laid his head to one side, sadly.
Just then, there was a flash of blue-green light at the far end of the grotto. A woman stepped out. Kuja couldn't help but stare, for she was unusual. For one, her clothes were of a much older style; it seemed like she had stepped out of an old painting. Second, her green eyes, which were exactly the color of emeralds, were just...not natural. Her white blond hair was pulled back; she appeared to be human. She was carrying a silver bow with crystal tips; there were very few people who used that weapon.
She spotted him, grabbed a silver arrow out of her quiver, and pointed it at Kuja. He heard her mutter something about 'chaos slime should just die'. Wha? I'm not that! He could see her arrows were as unusual as her bow. The shaft of the arrow she had pointed at his chest was silver; the point was either diamond or crystal; and the fletching seemed to be made of spun crystal. Kuja didn't admire it for more than a second, though. He didn't want that arrow in HIM! So he said, "Lady, please don't shoot me. I'm...dying...already...as...it...is.". He knew already he had nothing left to cast a spell to defend himself. He had used almost everything he had to give Zidane and his friends a way out.
She didn't loose the arrow, but she held it back, ready to fire. She snarled, "Give me one good reason I shouldn't, Garland's patsy..."
Kuja's eyes widened, realizing what this lady must be thinking. He said mildly, "I realize now I was wrong. He played me like a puppet on a string because I wanted to destroy him and surpass his power...he tempted me to hunt for great power...to serve him...and cause chaos...even though I wanted to destroy him..."
The lady's eyes widened. She took the tension off the string (she didn't take the arrow off the string, though) and came over to Kuja and inclined her head toward them. She hummed a tune; Kuja felt as if he was being looked at in the most minute way. After a moment, she smiled, sighed with relief, and put the arrow away.
"You're telling the truth. You're as much a victim as Zidane. Worse, as Garland made you think you were doing what you thought was right when you were wrong. On his own head be it, then. I don't have time to deal with you right now, but I will."
She walked toward the light and paused before it. She unstrung her bow and put it in her quiver. Then she raised her right arm and began to sing; it seemed like a call. Kuja summoned as much strength as he could and leaned up on one elbow to get a better look. A great rushing reddish-colored wind blew in. Kuja sensed this was the elemental power of fire. It swirled around her. Then another came in from another direction, this one blue. It was the elemental power of water! Another wind of power, this time green with pinks in in it. Kuja sensed this one was Air. Hot on that one's heels came a brown wind, which was the power of Earth. A dark wind blew in; this was the element of Darkness. Finally, a wind, with crystalline sparkles in it, blew in. This, Kuja sensed, was the power of Holy, or the Spirit element. Kuja was surprised and almost didn't believe what he was sensing; he'd been told that this was impossible, that no one could control all six elements at once without being destroyed.
Then the song she was singing changed. In the whirlwind of power that she was in, he saw a glowing silhouette of a woman, then energy swirled around her, creating a robe. It had long, wide sleeves that went down to her wrists. The robe itself also went down to her ankles. Not only that, it was pure white, including the sash. Her hair came loose and swirled around her face. Then she moved the arm she'd had sticking up to her side, then crossed both arms over her face. A pair of almost transparent bird wings sprouted from her back and covered her face and body, so he could not see her distinctly. A moment passed, then the wings exploded into a thousand feathers. The feathers swirled around her. First thing he noticed was that her ears had changed; they became pointed. Her clothes shifted to a beautiful gown. The glow itself disappeared gradually. It started disappearing from the top of her head first and then rippled down her body, down to her feet. She then removed her arms from her face, while a slight halo of power shimmered around her. She didn't look much different, except...she definitely was no longer human. She was...something else. She now had a very...alien cut of gown on (tho it was one any princess or queen would be proud to own) and had this very thick chain around her neck. Her eyes now also slanted a bit, not to mention the beforementioned pointed ears. Uh oh! Kuja thought. I remember Garland mentioning something about pointy-eared people once. Guardians, that is! He said they were evil...but he was wrong about a lot of things. She could of killed me right there, but she let me live. I'd better just make up my own mind about this, and not let Garland's ghost dictate things...He did say they were very powerful, which I am inclined to believe after this.
She turned away from Kuja and toward the light. She reached for the chain around her neck and sang out two distinct words. It shimmered and changed into a staff, with a star in circle on its top. The first star had a second star that was inside it, but it was blackened and badly crazed. She sighed, muttered something about "needs to be done now, don't know if what little is left of Terra will survive this" and began to sing again; it seemed like another call. The only words that Kuja caught were "woo cavartii di toiana". What is she doing now? Kuja wondered. As the last notes died away, she waited a moment. Then there was an answering call that seemed to be from twelve others. There was a blinding flash of light, and then twelve other people of her kind stood next to her. Six of them were men and six of them were women. The lady that had confronted Kuja bowed and went to one knee.
"Shistk va bixt, Nora. Oi hiok nv tive." one of the others said. She nodded and rose.
"Vesta, shi vaato ti Iifa takv fakt. Ni batov shii!"
The lady that had been addressed as Nora nodded. She raised her staff; the other twelve sang out the same two words that Nora had sung out earlier while grabbing not quite as ornate chains from around their necks; these changed into very simple staves, nowhere near as ornate as Nora's. They all gathered around the pool of light and raised these staves so they touched and pointed at the light. They began to sing. This sounded like a command. There was a soft gasp; Zidane fell out, on his back. They ignored him for the moment and continued the song.
Something began to happen to the light as well; it was beginning to slowly, ever so slowly, change shape somehow. A few minutes passed; the singing was disturbed by a shattering. The inner star on Nora's staff shattered into a thousand pieces and fell on the floor. Still they continued on. Suddenly there was a big flash that blinded Kuja for a second. When the flash cleared the pool of light had been replaced with a crystal tree. Zidane was laying not far from it.
Nora nodded at the other twelve. "Sa, sa. Iv et finbis."
"Sa. Muvis ga. Wua abkt hon?"
"Mmm, miv yv cvahe fiok ba ecgdwb lov lolk?" She motioned toward Kuja.
They seemed to think a moment about the question and discuss it a bit, then one of them said:
"Sa, ek es necuvvaro. De bi. Woku avok tek orhar?"
"Yv toke ma iv. Ga, avd bi boklyssrd bi woo hikarii!!" She bowed.
The twelve then raised their staves, sang a few quick notes, and disappeared.
Nora then came up by Kuja. "Sorry about that, had to ask."
"Ask what? And who were those people?"
"That was the Council Of Twelve, the rulers of my people. I asked them if I could attempt to change your fate so you wouldn't die today..."
Kuja gasped. "You can do that?!" He hoped beyond hope that it was true. If I could only have a little more time...maybe I could atone for what I've done...
"Maybe. But fair warning; I can't extend it for long. You are doomed to die young of seeming old age since Zidane has surpassed you in power; I can't completely change the fact. But I may be able to give you a few more months and a more...peaceful death. If I fail, you're no worse off. I admit I don't quite trust you, but I wouldn't wish a painful death like the one you're facing on my worst enemy."
Kuja nodded and laid back down. He guessed this...person knew what he had done, so it wasn't surprising that she didn't trust him if that was true. Nora hummed, which changed the staff back to the necklace that it had been before. She then pulled up her left sleeve and caught hold of a crystal bangle she was wearing. She hummed again; it shimmered and changed...into a dagger, made completely out of crystal. "Hoped I'd never have to use this again..." she muttered. More loudly she said, "Whatever happens, don't make a sound. I'll do what I can." Kuja nodded. She went to her knees, holding the knife with the blade pointed to her head. She then began to sing softly, as if she was speaking to someone very respectfully. After a moment, the song changed. She got up and began to sing more loudly; something about "Ha mai kamii shii di waa...Mii na kari shari taa". The knife began to glow. She kept singing and moving, as if in a kind of dance. Suddenly it seemed to end; she pointed the tip at Kuja. A ball of light came off the knife and flew toward Kuja. It surrounded him; his strength returned in a flash. It faded and Kuja sat up, then got to his feet.
First, Nora hummed and the dagger turned back into a bangle on her left arm. She then said, "I'm afraid you'll only live to see...and maybe speak...to Zidane one more time. There is a limit to what I can do when someone's life is flickering like a guttering candle. However, I've also changed the manner of your death; you will go to bed one night and not wake up again. It will also be fairly painless."
"What are you going to do about him, anyway? He sacrificed himself..."
Nora shook her head. "No, he still lives, physically at least. However, he is stuck between the lands of life and death, not able to move to either at the moment. Because friends used the Cure spell on him many many times today, I cannot heal him instantly since that method of healing has one similarity to the Cure spell; it uses resorces from the healed one's body. His has been drained to almost nothing; it would kill him to quickly heal him now. In any case, I couldn't call him back. He does not know me...yet." Kuja bowed his head. The brother...I hardly knew and threw away like so much trash. I wish I hadn't now... "Never fear, there is a way, though I hate it. There is a friend of his that you've never met that can give him a chance to come back. It will have to be his choice in the end to live or to die, however. Both are equally likely, but in the most likely future if he reaches that friend, he will live. It is not certain, however. There are many possible futures at this time and it's extremely difficult for me to tell which is correct, only the ones that are the most likely."
"Who is this friend of whom you speak?"
"Well..." She waved one arm in the air and sang out four words. A ray of light shaped itself into...a very odd looking man. His hair was blond and stood pretty much straight up; his eyes were blue with a odd glow to them. The strangest thing was his weapon; it was a sword that was almost as big as he was. It seemed he wouldn't be able to use that at all. "His name is Cloud...he hasn't been on this world in years--not since he went back to his home world six years ago. I'll send Zidane to Cloud's world...that world has technology that can keep Zidane alive long enough to decide if he will live or die."
"Why not just bring Cloud here?"
Nora sighed. "He couldn't help alone. Besides, I promised Cloud I wouldn't bring him here without asking him first; there is no time to do that. It must be done, and quickly. However, I won't leave Zidane without any help at all...not this time..." She turned, sang four words, holding her hands a inch apart. A ball of light formed between them; she carelessly flipped that at Zidane. It was absorbed into his body. What is she up to? Kuja thought. She then started singing something else; whatever she did seemed to stir memories in Kuja. Three sparks of light appeared in her hands, then danced around Zidane; they seemed to melt into him. Kuja decided not to ask exactly what she had done other than the obvious since he didn't think he'd get a clear answer out of her.
She fell silent a few moments, then broke into song once again. Some rags that looked like someone had thrown them out appeared before her. At Nora's song, they turned into a couple of sheets of paper. Writing appeared on them at a horribly fast speed. Kuja got a little closer; they were letters. Before he could read a word, they folded themselves over. A strip of sealing wax flew out of nowhere. The end melted, dripping on first one, then the other letter. One note later, and a starred seal was pressed into the wax. Then they turned around. On one, the name Cloud appeared; "Zidane" appeared on the other one. Her song changed; some small cloth bags filled to the brim with something appeared and landed next to Zidane. Then she touched the chain around her neck and once again sang out the two distinct words. It changed into the staff again. She then touched Zidane's cheek. "Forgive me for not asking your permission first.", she murmured.
She then straightened up, raised that staff, and began to sing one more time. It seemed like a call. A second voice answered and began to harmonize with Nora; a glow began to form under Zidane. It changed to blue green, and then he...along with the letters and the bags...melted into it, disappearing.
"There, that part has ended for the moment.", she said. "One more thing I must do and then I can rest for a time."
"What is it?" Maybe I can help if she's willing...after all, I have a lot to atone for...
[h=1]VIDA, NEW MIDGAR--ABOUT THE SAME TIME[/h] It had not been the best of mornings. First off, Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent were training outside when Loki, Cloud and Tifa's youngest, had wandered into that area of the yard (Which was fenced anyway), which was off limits with good reason. Tifa had spotted Loki before anything bad happened and grabbed him with a "No! You don't come in here!" Like the two year old he was, Loki had a temper tantrum about it. Tifa had hauled him inside to deal with the tantrum. So Cloud had started wacking on the pell. Vincent continued to shoot at a target (he'd just been visiting).
Suddenly, Vincent dropped the gun, grabbed his head with his one real arm, and cried out, "Uh, oh, Ahh!" Then he transformed into Chaos, and his clothes (very uncharacteristic of him, Cloud knew) tore into shreds. Cloud saw the whole thing out of one corner of an eye and heard the roar. Uh oh, that's bad., Cloud thought. What if Arella, our sweet four-year old, comes out? I'd better stop him fast!
Cloud quickly grabbed a net made out of myrthil cables he had lying around (he'd thought this might happen, though he liked Vincent) and threw it over Chaos, doing his best to keep Chaos from flying away. Chaos fought; Cloud stubbornly dug in his heels and held the net down. Chaos managed to get one arm/hand out and claw Cloud's leg--just as Cloud saw Tifa poke her head out of the house. The next minute, she ran out with a big bowl; she threw the contents at Chaos/Vincent. Some of it got on Cloud; it was icy water from the fridge!
Chaos shook himself, and then said "Wha...oh shit..." in the usual voice that kind of sounded like Vincent, only deeper, that Chaos used.
Cloud let go of the net. "Did you have to do that?"
Tifa shrugged. "That's supposed to work on people that faint. Thought since Vincent's mind was kinda knocked out enough that he was attacking you, it would work here, too..."
Chaos/Vincent nodded. "It worked. Thanks, needed that Tifa." He got the net off and shook himself. "It's gonna be hell to replace those clothes, though..."
"You'd better get in the basement before you change back." Cloud said. "Tifa, will you go to the spare room and go get a new set out of Vincent's pack and leave them in the basement?" Tifa nodded and went back in the house. To Chaos/Vincent, he asked, "Why is it going to be so much trouble to replace them?"
Chaos/Vincent sighed. "I have to get those made out of a special material that's really expensive...it's made out of a certain kind of unstable molecules that respond to thought..."
Cloud nodded. "Gotcha. Hey, why'd you transform like that anyway?"
"It happened pretty suddenly. I felt a lot of terrible pain and a scream in my head; next thing I remember was the cold drench. The scream was something like, "Why? Do people really have that much will to live? And why can't I ever win!?" Then whatever it was died and something inside me just...shattered."
"It's okay, Vincent. I think...Zidane won, it's over for good. Remember...six years ago, what I warned you about?"
Chaos/Vincent nodded. "Yeah...you mean it's happened?" He cocked his head, considering that. "Right now, I feel like a great weight has suddenly been yanked off me; the pressure is finally off. I think you're right, Zidane and his friends did it. By the way, did I hurt you?" He pointed at Cloud's clawed leg. Cloud nodded.
"It's not bad, and you weren't in your right mind...."
"Doesn't matter. Soon as I get dressed and can get at my materia, I'll Cure that. It's my fault for coming here..."
Cloud gently touched Chaos's/Vincent's arm. "Don't beat on yourself like that. I'm not afraid of you in either guise, even when you startle me by coming up from behind me after dark. Besides, could've been worse. This might've happened while you were wandering; no telling how much damage you'd of done then, with no Tifa to throw ice water at you."
Chaos/Vincent nodded and shuddered. "You're right, Cloud. But I'll still Cure that." He headed for the basement door. After a moment (and after he picked up the forgotten practice weapon, which he had dropped early on), Cloud leisurely followed, knocking first to make sure that Vincent had changed back and changed clothes. He had. It didn't take long for Vincent to find his Cure materia and use a cure spell on Cloud. Then they went inside.
A couple of hours passed fairly peacefully, only marred by yet another of Loki's temper tantrums (this time, it was Tifa wouldn't let him play with a cookie sheet she wanted to use to bake cookies on).
Cloud and Vincent were in the living room playing a game of chess when suddenly there was a surprised and shocked cry from the kitchen. It was Tifa.
"What the?" Cloud said, nodded to Vincent, and then they both ran into the kitchen, leaving the unfinished game on the table. Tifa was standing so she was facing away from the stove. She was looking a bit shocked. The reason was apparent once they came in. On the floor, lying face down, was Zidane...and he hadn't been there before. His clothes were a mess. Cloud went over to Zidane, patted one shoulder, and called to him; Zidane didn't even react. Cloud then carefully turned Zidane on his back, placed his head so one cheek was near Zidane's face, and started feeling around on his neck for a pulse. In a moment, he stood up.
"His heart's still beating and he's still breathing...but he looks dead. Tifa, what happened?"
"I'd just put the cookies in the oven; there was a flash, and then..." She pointed at Zidane. "He appeared along with these..." She showed him some cloth bags, full of rocks or something, and two letters...one of them had Cloud's name on it! Cloud took that one away from Tifa and undid the wax seal; then he read it. After he finished, he folded it over and muttered, "Nora, why?" He shook his head, sighed, and said, "We'd better get Reeve...we're gonna need a doctor. One that won't talk even if you pried his jaws open."
Tifa's eyes widened. "Why?"
"Nora said in that letter that he's 'caught between the lands of life and death'; I think that means we need a doctor...I hope Zidane's gonna be okay..."
Tifa nodded. "I understand, Cloud. You and him were good friends while you were there, right?"
Cloud nodded. "What's in those bags?"
Tifa opened one and dumped it out. It was full of gems and gold! Cloud laughed.
"That Guardian isn't dumb! Bet she knows we're gonna have to get the doctor...and doctors cost money. Gil wouldn't work, since the gil found there is different than ours..."
Vincent chuckled as well, which was a rare thing for him. "Heh.", he finished with. Tifa grabbed the phone and called Reeve at the office with a quick nod. After a minute, he must of picked up, for she said, "Hello? Reeve? We got a problem here. Do you know a doctor that'll make house calls and'll be totally discreet?" A pause; then she said, "No, I don't wanna talk about it. Mmm-hmm...mmm-hmm. Just a sec, lemme get some paper and a pen..." She put the reciver down and ran into the living room quickly. She came back with a piece of scratch paper and a pen. "Okay, got it." She wrote some stuff down, then said, "Thanks, Reeve. Sorry to bother you." Another pause and then: "Okay, bye." She hung up. Then she grabbed the paper and began to dial.
By the time the doctor had gotten there, Cloud had carefully carried Zidane's limp body to the spare bedroom. Vincent had said he was going to sleep on the couch for now; he thought Zidane needed the bed worse than him. Cloud hadn't protested overmuch; they really had only one spare room. Tifa led the doctor up the stairs into the room. The doctor examined Zidane over carefully and did some tests, then he sighed. He then said, "Goodness. I think I know what this is." He pointed at one of Zidane's arms, which had bruised very mysteriously when Cloud had carried Zidane upstairs. Cloud had sworn he hadn't banged Zidane into anything. "My guess is it's cure shock."
Cloud started in surprise. "Cure shock?!"
The doctor nodded. "And a bad case too. From what I can tell, he's somehow been thrown into a coma...he'll need to go to the hospital..."
"Please, no if you can avoid it." Cloud said. "Let's just say...Zidane here would be rather upset if he woke up there...he might throw a fit..."
The doctor nodded. "You think it would be better for him to stay here?" Cloud nodded. "I think it would be possible to bring the hospital to him instead of the other way around. I'll arrange it." Cloud nodded.
As the weeks passed, Cloud kept his eye on Zidane when he could. He also fought for Zidane with the doctor...some things he and the nurses wanted to do Cloud was dead sure that Zidane wouldn't like. Often when he was home, he sat by Zidane's bedside, talking to him, hoping he'd come out of it.
Tifa was very understanding through the whole thing, thank goodness. When Cloud had first gotten back and she'd found out about the episode, she'd grilled him about it; consequently, she knew exactly how Cloud felt about Zidane. Because of that, she stayed out of it and supported him the whole way.
Cloud kept hoping Zidane would wake up sometime...he didn't want to have to go to Gaia with bad news...
[h=1]Chapter 1[/h] ...Zidane finally woke up today. Scared me good though. Doctor says it's gonna be a while before he's going to be better. Zidane told me some things that startled me...
--From Cloud's journal
...I felt like I was lost in the dark...I really didn't care at the time...until I heard Cloud call out. Then I remembered...Garnet, my friends, the promise...mine and Garnet's song...That song gave me the strength to come back. What was weirder is I could remember back farther than I ever could before...into a time that I've revisited time and again in my worst nightmares. Still can, and it scares me. I found out why too. Darn that Guardian! ...Anyway, I like Arella better than Loki. Loki's got a bad habit of yanking on tails. If he yanks on mine again, he's gonna get his hide tanned. At least Cloud gave me permission to do that. Oh, I just wish I'd hurry up and get better...then I can go back to Gaia...
--From Zidane's journal
It had been a month since that day that Zidane had unexpectedly appeared in the kitchen. Cloud, as usual, was sitting by the bed, next to Zidane. Tifa had checked on him a bit ago and had gone away.
Cloud gripped Zidane's hand. He was really upset; the doctor had told him he was afraid that Zidane wouldn't wake up.
"Zidane! ZIDANE!" Cloud cried out. He started to cry..."Don't you remember me? The times we had?...I'm waiting for ya, you scamp! Your friends back home must be worried sick! They're waiting for you too... Please...whereever you are, come baaaack! I'm not gonna abandon you, not now!" he leaned his head against Zidane's hand and the tears really started to come...
Time never seemed to pass...There was a glimmering light that beckoned him, but something was holding him back from going that way...He didn't remember who he was or where he had come from. He heard someone talking to him from far away, about this and that. Then he heard the shout."ZIDANE!" and the person saying that his friends were waiting for him... Friends...? Suddenly, a glimmer of light floated near him...and he remembered... Steiner...Eiko...Vivi...Freya...Quina...Amarant...GARNET! He finally remembered who was talking too. It was Cloud! Been six years!! Garnet's face swam before his eyes for a while...he remembered...it all came back to him...and more...
....promise me.......
....one thing........
..please come back...
He then remembered Garnet's song, and began to sing it, because it gave him the courage to go away from the light. Somehow, he knew this was going to hurt...Don't worry, I'm coming! Not...gonna...let...her...down!
Tifa appeared at the door again. "Cloud?" she said. Then she heard a low moan from the figure on the bed. "CLOUD!!" ....promise me.......
....one thing........
..please come back...
He then remembered Garnet's song, and began to sing it, because it gave him the courage to go away from the light. Somehow, he knew this was going to hurt...Don't worry, I'm coming! Not...gonna...let...her...down!
Cloud looked up. Zidane moaned again. "Oh my...Doctor, where's that dratted doctor?!" Tifa ran to get that doctor, since he'd gone downstairs for just a minute. The doctor dashed in with the nurse that had been helping him and they both did some quick checks. "Heart rate's up...he's hyperventilating a bit..." The nurse said, "He's not dying..."
Cloud stood up. "I think I know..." He grabbed Zidane's hand and held it firmly. "Zidane? Zidane? Remember me? Come back, I promise I'll get ya home when you get better..." Zidane let out a scream at that and made everybody jump.
"Wait, you think he's coming out of it?", the doctor said. Cloud nodded. The doctor cocked his head and then said, "Let me check the EKG...". He looked at the machine by the bed. "You're right Cloud. He is. How?"
Cloud glanced at the doctor. "We were very good friends six years ago, that may have something to do with it..."
The doctor nodded. "Then that's why. Call him back, I think he hears you..." He removed the EKG net since it seemed it would be no longer necessary.
Cloud turned to Zidane again. "C'mon, wake up, Zidane. I'm here. I'll get you back to your friends. C'mon and wake up..."
Zidane moaned one more time, then his eyes opened and he squeezed Cloud's hand back. "Cloud? Long time no see..." Goodness, it's been a long time since he left...but why is he here? "...but, how did you get back?"
Cloud shook his head. "Get back?! No, this isn't Gaia. You've ended up on Vida..."
Zidane's eyes widened. "That doesn't seem possible..." But then a lady stepped into his line of view. She winked. "Not when your erm...arrival scares the heck out of me in my kitchen!" She looked familiar...it took Zidane a minute to place the face. It was the lady of the picture that Cloud had been carrying around..."Tifa?! Wha?"
Tifa looked startled, but Cloud turned a bit and winked at her. "I did have a picture of you with me back then, what do you expect?"
Tifa then grinned. "Oh, you!" and then she laughed.
Then Zidane got a better look around. There was a needle? in his arm? and it otherwise just seemed like a normal bedroom, other than stuff that made funny noises. That needle really bothered him, though. It stirred some memories of...being in a tube? He shook his head fast and thought for a second. Yes, he could vagely remember being trapped in a tube like some Genomes he'd seen in Bran Bal...something he couldn't remember before. Those memories were scenes from his worst nightmares. It made him shiver a little. But they also made him detest that thing in his arm. He reached over to yank it out, but Cloud grabbed him by the hand, then shook his head. His eyes seemed to say, "Don't do that" Zidane wondered why and struggled to sit up...it was harder than he thought. It took forever for him to dredge up the strength, and he was dizzy for a few seconds once he managed it. He noticed a man in a odd-looking white coat in one corner. Cloud looked that direction.
"I told you, Doctor. I didn't know how Zidane here would react...he's not from around here. How many times..."
"You know what I said. There was no choice."
"What are you talking about?" Zidane asked, surprised. He tried to remove the thing in his arm again, but Cloud wouldn't let him. He nodded.
The 'doctor' smiled and said, "I'm sorry...what seems to have happened is you pushed yourself way too far and someone cast healing magic on you once too many...that is, cure shock."
"Cure shock?"
Cloud nodded sadly at Zidane. "You've noticed, haven't you? There comes a time when cure spells don't seem to heal wounds all the way? That they reopen real easy?" Zidane nodded. "It's because cure spells use resources from the person who is healed. When you've been cured and the wounds reopen really easy, that's a sign that you need to rest and get something to eat because your body's nearing the end of its reserves. If you don't...you can be knocked into a coma or even die. That's what happened to you...you got knocked into a coma."
"What's a 'coma'?"
"Oh..." Cloud smiled gently. "Basically it looks like sleep, but the best way I can explain it is the person's stuck between life and death. Sometimes people in comas decide to die, but sometimes they decide to come back and live...I thought for a while you wouldn't come back..."
Zidane's eyes widened. Oh crap! I don't think I could've died, but that's scary... Cloud continued, "You're just lucky..that thing in your arm is just one way they tried to help you get over it. I fought hard to make sure they wouldn't do anything worse than that tube in your arm..."
The doctor rolled his eyes. "Echh, I didn't know why you yelled half the time. Now I do."
Yech, I don't wanna know what 'worse' is... Cloud must of noticed the look in his eyes, for he said, "Is something still the matter?"
Zidane nodded, his feelings still in quite a tangle. Did that light...mean I could die? No, can't be right...
Cloud must've noticed the confusion in Zidane's eyes, for he said, "Will you guys please go downstairs? I think this's something that I'd better be alone with Zidane for..."
Both Tifa and the doctor nodded, and Zidane heard a third voice say (whomever it was was somewhere behind him) "Okay, I understand". They all went away, except Cloud.
Cloud then dragged up a chair, sat down, and then turned to Zidane again.
"Now, what's bugging you?"
Zidane sighed. He figured Cloud guessed something was wrong...Not that that's bad. Cloud was the one person who could understand last time...maybe this time too? That made his mind up, so he sighed one more time and began.
"Cloud...it's hard to know where to begin..." He laid back down. "But I'm finding I can remember farther back than I could before...and I don't like it."
Cloud's eyes widened a bit. "It might help to talk about it. What happened?"
His voice trembling a little, Zidane began the story. "First thing I remember now is that light...and bein' stuck in a big glass tube. It's kinda vague though...I kept gettin' stabbed with needles. I don't know how long it was...it's just a blur."
"Now I know why you're bugged by that needle in your arm. Brings back some of those bad memories, right?"
Zidane nodded. "You know, I've had nightmares before of that...just after I went to Terra...and a place you never saw called Bran Bal. A few times Steiner would wack me with the pommel of his sword when I started sayin' "let me out" in my sleep...not a nice way to wake up."
"Erm...Steiner? I heard of him...knight of Alexanderia, right?"
Zidane nodded. "Yep. Then Garnet would usually yell at him, for when he did that, I'd yelp and wake HER up."
"In a tent, right?"
Zidane nodded again. Cloud continued, "Yuck. That knight seems to have been rather dense to not realize you didn't like to be woke up like that. Go on."
"Well, Bran Bal was where I came from, I found out...Anyway, it's all a blur of bein' in that tube and getting stabbed by needles...as well as the blue light...Anyway, it got so at times I was almost awake. One day, I was finally let out of there...I didn't know how to talk very well though at the time. Three days later, this guy (who I later found out was Kuja) saw me and glared at me. He said some nasty words, and then there was a loud BANG. Next thing I knew, I was lying on my face in some woods. Took two tries to get up, I fell once. It was just so quiet...didn't know where I was, only that the blue light was gone. Took me a while to get my legs to work again..." Zidane shivered at that. Yeah, in the Mist, didn't know it was dangerous, but... "I'm not sure how long it was, but suddenly a monster showed up and scared the crap out of me..."
"Lemme guess. You ran, right?"
Zidane nodded. "Yep. Ran a lot, for I kept running into monsters...I was only able to rest enough once in a while to catch my breath. I only got bit once, thank goodness. Then I came upon a airship in a clearing...didn't know what it was, but there was a monster hot on my heels. So I ran for it...into the airship and into someone's cabin. The others there didn't see me, they saw the monster and went after it. I dashed out of sight of the door and then just stopped and panted, just gettin' my breath back. Soon as I'd caught it, I looked around a bit and realized I was safe. It was a nice room. I could feel myself calming down..." Yeah, my heart quit tryin' to leap out of me. I was that scared. "Then I noticed I was gettin' hungry; I didn't know what to eat tho, because nothing was familar. Found a bowl of some kinda sweet-bars, didn't know why I put one in my mouth, but I found that they were good...ate a bunch of them. I went over to the bed after that and sat on it...before I could stop myself since it was sooo comfortable, I'd laid down and took a nap."
Cloud smiled at that. "Heh, you were probably just tired. What happened when you woke up?"
"Well, for one, I was starving...my belly was really complaining then. Also, there was a lady leaning over me...dressed in red, with a red hat with a feather in it. I later found out she was a Red Mage. I was scared for a second, but she was real nice. She knew exactly what was wrong and got me something to eat. She talked to me a lot, which helped. I could understand her perfectly...and she could understand me, even though I had trouble finding the words I wanted to say at the time. She then asked me what my name was and told me hers: Kari. I told her. That was the start of a really happy time..."
"Lemme guess. She pampered you, didn't she?"
Zidane nodded. "Yep. Anyway, it ended when it was discovered I existed. Her boss was mean...he wanted to throw me out. Some thugs grabbed Kari; she yelled, "Run! Get out of here!" and she started casting Fire and Lightning on their rears. I got out of there...the rest is a blur, and then I remember my first few hours in Lindbulm and joining Tantalus. That's it."
Cloud nodded. Zidane continued, "It worries me. I know I came from Bran Bal and am one of the Genomes now...but those memories, especially the early ones, really bug me. I knew I didn't have a mother or a father, but..."
Cloud nodded again. "I know the feeling...at least about the 'tube' part. I may have an idea of how you got those memories back, though..."
Zidane's eyes widened. "Wha? How?"
Cloud sighed. "Best I start from the beginning. First things first: I have a confession to make. Wasn't completely honest with you when we were together last time. Didn't tell you everything on how I got to Gaia; I left something out."
"Wha? Why?" Zidane was pretty shocked.
"Well...when I first arrived, it wasn't in the woods. It was in a cave with no entrance or exit. There was a lady there who tried to say someting...I'm afraid I made a ass out of myself at first. Lost my temper and tried to attack her...she disappeared and reappeared on the top of a pillar..." He went on to tell him what had happened; that Nora the Guardian had known what was going to happen and had asked him to help. That she'd said that Guardians don't lie. The whole nine yards. Zidane was shocked and wasn't sure if Cloud was lying, for it sounded too incredible. Cloud hid..this? Why? It's just about impossible to believe... "You're still lying!"
"No I'm not!", Cloud exclaimed.
Zidane shook his head. Cloud sighed and reached in a pocket. He muttered, "Hoped it wouldn't come to this..." and removed a drawstring bag. He opened it and dumped...a ORANGE materia?! Onto his hand?! He never mentioned that color! Zidane thought. Cloud closed his hand around it and then closed his eyes, concentrating. The materia flared to life; nothing seemed to happen for about five minutes or so. Then out of nowhere a lady appeared. She was...wierd, that was Zidane's first impression. Her ears were pointed, and her eyes were just too green to be allowed. Zidane had never seen anyone dressed in a gown like the one that lady was wearing either.
The lady nodded to Cloud and said: "You'd better be right..." Zidane was slightly puzzled, for it felt like he'd come in somewhere in the middle of a conversation. Cloud smiled at the lady and said, "It's okay, Tara. If he tries anything, I'll sit on him...don't think he can. He's as weak as a kitten..."
It didn't take much to figure out who Cloud meant by "he"; Zidane got a little annoyed that Cloud was talking about him like that and said, "Hey!"
Cloud turned his head. "Sorry about that, Zidane. Should've been a bit more courteous..." Zidane nodded, guessing that Cloud didn't mean what had just happened that way. Cloud motioned toward the lady and then said, "This is Tara, the Guardian of Vida. Tara, this is Zidane.."
Tara startled and nodded; Zidane thought she was acting like a shy and very scared bird. Hmm, I'd better be careful. She's scared half out of her mind... He gently smiled at her. He didn't feel like flirting, but he did his best to put her at her ease without saying a word. (Lately he hadn't had the heart for it) The lady relaxed a little bit, but still seemed quite a bit tense.
"Hello," she said.
"Hi! S'okay..." Zidane answered.
The lady nodded. "Cloud told me through that materia that he needed me to show you that he is not telling you something...that isn't true this time. I usually won't show myself to anyone except Cloud for caution's sake, but...he was quite convincing." She held out her hand, shaking; Zidane carefully took it and gently smiled at her. They shook hands. Then Tara cleared her throat nervously and then said, "I thought you might want to know. My vaskiita, Tara, was very sorry she had to send you here...she was nearly crying inside when she contacted me to help create the dimensional gateway. She wished she could ask you first..."
Cloud started. "Pardon? Vaskiita? What's that?"
Tara turned that way, not seeming to care that Cloud had interrupted her. "Oops. I should of remembered you wouldn't understand that word. It's not a word that translates really well, but the closest is 'cousin'"
Zidane then said, "Erm...'closest'?"
Tara sighed. "The literal translation of that would be "person four times removed from the speaker's aunt". Family relationships among my people, the Kinaari, are complicated, especially when there's a Guardian in the family. Guardians live as long as the planet they are joined to, unless they renounce the Guardian's Oath. It's just the way it is." She backed up a bit at that; Zidane guessed Tara still was very nervy. Bet she isn't used to this... He considered what Tara had said, then answered, "It's okay."
Tara nodded. "What's odd is she's always...cared...about you, though it is certain you've never seen her."
Zidane nodded. Huh, that's wierd. I'd better ask... "True. But why does she care? And why wouldn't she just...show herself?"
Tara trembled a bit, then answered, "She won't show herself because...you are a Hikarii no Takkwon...excuse me, Light Warrior, and until a month ago, you had not fulfilled your destiny."
"Huh?"
Tara seemed to get a bit more courage and then said, "It's something you wouldn't of known. Few who are Light Warriors ever know what they are beforehand--or ever know that fact. As for caring about you; I don't know. She hides it very well, but I've been concerned for her the moment I heard of your existence. She goes...crazy...when something really bad is going to happen to you that is beyond your control. Many a time during this latest adventure, I'd contact her to find her pretty upset, and knowing she could do nothing this time...I fear she has let a curse of the heart take hold of her and affect her judgment. Won't be the first time, though."
"Curse?"
"I can't tell you, for it is a thing unspeakable among us sworn ones to even consider." She seemed to consider a moment and gather what courage she could, then asked: "Everything all right? My erm, cousin, will be asking about you sooner or later...I know her too well."
"I think it's okay; but...I seem to remember things I couldn't before.."
Tara looked shocked for a second, then muttered something like "bevvidk" ...Zidane didn't catch the exact word, though. However, the way she said it sounded like some kind of cussword, so Zidane realized it would be better not to find out what THAT meant. "My cousin said she restored your memories, since what you had just been through had...nearly destroyed them." Zidane was shocked by that. Almost...yeah, she's right. I barely remembered my own name just before I passed out... She took a deep breath. "Since me and Nora are related by blood, I may be able to use my abilities to see exactly what happened when she restored your memories. If I fail here, luckily it won't hurt you, it's just I won't be able to tell you anything."
"What do you have to do?"
Tara tugged at one glove. (Zidane hadn't noticed up until that moment that she was wearing them!) "I'll have to touch you skin to skin...and that's kind of risky..."
"Why?"
Tara sighed. "Because like the rest of my people, I'm a telepath as well. If you don't know what that is, it means I could read minds if I wanted to and send my thoughts over great distances to others. Touching people like that--especially people who are not telepaths...is not liked very much since, well, that causes the other person's thoughts to blast through one's protections, especially if there's strong emotions behind those thoughts. It can be quite...unpleasant if one is not prepared for it and ready to parry those thoughts, so to speak."
"You don't read minds...just to do it, do you?" That idea made Zidane a little nervous.
She shook her head. "I'm well aware what most non-telepaths think of mind reading; that it's a major invasion of privacy, so I won't if I have any say in the matter. Besides, most people who are not of my race have natural defenses against such a thing, which can be very hard to get around without touching the person in question."
Zidane nodded and thought a moment about it. She might get some of my thoughts up her nose...she knows that...but it's worth it. Now that I know that Nora gave me back my memories, I want to know if this was her fault or not.. He then said, "It's worth the risk. Please?"
Tara nodded, then pulled off a glove and touched Zidane's cheek with a bare hand. Zidane then noticed a feeling like if something had brushed his mind; it startled him and sent a chill up his spine, but nothing else happened. She then said, "Seems like you blocked those memories a long time ago...deep down, you didn't want to remember them."
Zidane's eyes widened a bit. Tara continued, "It's been known to happen. If there's a lot of pain in those experiences and couldn't handle them at the time, that's probably why. When you started searching for your origins, the block started to weaken somewhat, so you could remember bits and pieces..."
Suddenly Zidane realized what she meant. "I was having nightmares! You mean..those were those memories!?"
She nodded. "Must of been. Buried Memories come back up in odd ways sometimes. Anyway, when Nora restored your memories, the strain smashed the wall that you'd built around the memories you had hidden behind them, so to speak. It was already weakened by what you'd been through, so don't blame Nora. Guardians like me and Nora don't always know all the consequences of a action; we're not infallable."
Zidane nodded, understanding. She then said, "I'd better go."
Cloud nodded, and Tara disappeared. One minute she was there, the other minute she wasn't. Cloud turned to Zidane again.
"Didn't expect her to be that chatty. She's really shy, usually." He fingered the materia a bit.
"Where did you get that?"
"Nora gave it to me so I could yell at other Guardians if any of them dared jerk me to another world again. She created it with Tara's help."
"Oh, I gotcha." It HAD been the third time he'd been yanked to another world, he said when we met last time, after all. Nora seems like the sort to be courteous...and it was the Guardians's fault it happened, obviously!
"Anyway, she does seem to be fairly concerned about you, which is a little odd." Zidane looked at him curiously, Cloud then said, "Think about it. Why would she call someone out of another world to help you back then? She also wrote this..." He handed Zidane a letter that had his name on it in some fancy script.
"Wha? She wrote me a letter?"
Cloud nodded. "Wrote me one too. She really sounded worried in it..."
Zidane opened the letter. It said:
If you are reading this, I know you've gotten better, thank the light. There are many things I'd love to tell you about...and I wish I could of told you earlier, but there was no way. I couldn't break the laws of the universe without severe consequences and knew it.
I know the last few months have not been easy on you, and I know you still have questions. All I dare say at this time is part of your answer lies within you. Also, a hint I give freely; are the sins of the father the fault of the child? Think about that.
Also, one more thing I can promise you. When you recover from this, you will have your full strength back. That was one of two gifts I was able to give you; the other was I restored the memories that the Ifia tree stole from you. I don't know if we'll ever meet physically, but may you get well quickly. I admit to being worried about you; most of your friends think you died. I can't change that, sorry. Only one guesses the truth, and he does not have much time left...
Anyway, may the Light show you the way!
~~Nora
Under the name, there was something in a strange rune-like language that Zidane couldn't read. Cloud must of noticed that Zidane was puzzled, for he asked, "What's wrong?" "There's some writing on here that I can't understand.." He showed Cloud. I know the last few months have not been easy on you, and I know you still have questions. All I dare say at this time is part of your answer lies within you. Also, a hint I give freely; are the sins of the father the fault of the child? Think about that.
Also, one more thing I can promise you. When you recover from this, you will have your full strength back. That was one of two gifts I was able to give you; the other was I restored the memories that the Ifia tree stole from you. I don't know if we'll ever meet physically, but may you get well quickly. I admit to being worried about you; most of your friends think you died. I can't change that, sorry. Only one guesses the truth, and he does not have much time left...
Anyway, may the Light show you the way!
~~Nora
Cloud glanced at it and said, "I have something similar on mine. I asked Tara; she said that was Nora's name and clan. It's a more 'traditional' signature. It's just that kinda thing doesn't translate very well, she said."
"Wierd too...how can someone who never met me be concerned that way?"
Cloud shook his head. "I don't know, really. Even Tara isn't sure. Nora won't tell her about it. Nora and Tara may be telepaths and know the other's thoughts, but it's still possible to one of them to hide something from the other if one tries hard enough." Zidane nodded. "Also, I find it odd too. She doesn't know you, yet she cares about your welfare enough to find help for you when she could do nothing? That's odd to me..."
Zidane nodded again. He then noticed he was starting to get hunger pangs...they were kind of sullen, but they were there. He put one hand over his belly and thought, Shut up, not now!
Cloud must of noticed, for he said, "What's wrong?"
Zidane answered, "I think...I'm hungry..."
Cloud smiled. "No problem. I'll go and get you something to eat. Won't be long." He left.
Zidane turned around with some difficulty and turned so his face was to the wall. Everything's been turned upside down. Cloud...didn't tell me about the Guardian, why? And what does she mean with that cryptic remark about "the sins of the father"? I don't have a father... Just then, someone YANKED his tail (which he hadn't been paying attention to where it was) pretty hard, making Zidane lose his train of thought. He yelled, "YEOWCH!" He spun around with strength borne of anger and annoyance...just in time to see a little girl run in and run straight to a even younger boy.
The girl said to the boy, "Naughty Loki! Yankin' his tail! Bad boy!"
Loki (That was obviously the boy's name) started to cry. Just then, Cloud came in with a tray. He clicked his tongue and said, "Loki! Did you...?" Loki started to throw a tantrum. Cloud looked at Zidane and rolled his eyes. "Sorry. I didn't see which way Loki ran...he has a bad habit of pulling on Red XII's tail when he comes over to visit. Been trying to keep him away from you."
Zidane nodded, wishing he had some earplugs since Loki certainly could scream. Cloud came over to him, handed him the tray (it had some sandwiches on it, which made Zidane's mouth water) "Be careful, k?" Cloud whispered, then he excused himself by grabbing Loki by the arm and dragging him out of the room. Zidane picked up a sandwich and started nibbling on it; the taste brought his appetite back. (Not to mention, his stomach really started growling then) He started munching on it. The girl came closer.
"Why are you eating in bed? Mom will be maad..."
Zidane swallowed, then smiled. "No she won't. I got hurt real bad, okay?" Zidane guessed the gal was about four or five, so he figured it was best to keep things simple.
She bowed her head and said, "Awww! You okay?"
Zidane nodded and swallowed another bite. "I'll be okay, just don't feel good enough to play with you..."
The girl nodded. "Maybe you can play laaater. I'm Arella. Who are you?"
"Zidane. You been chasing your little bro?"
She nodded. "He's real bad, pulling tails like that. Last time Red wuz over, he said he'd bite Loki if he did it agaaain..."
"He'd better not do it again. I may just take my belt and whup his behind next time." Zidane remembered that Cloud had said that Red XII was a ...nonhuman...person that reminded one of a dog. (He'd also said 'don't call him that or he'd be upset'.) He wouldn't like getting his tail yanked any more than me, I bet.
Just then Cloud came back. "I heard that. Don't use your belt on him, k? Though I don't mind if you swat his bottom if he does it again. He needs to learn not to yank on tails." He knelt and glanced at Arella. "You getting to know Zidane?"
She nodded. "He's nice. When is he gonna get better?"
Cloud cocked his head. "Probably going to be a while. He really got hurt bad..."
Zidane nodded and swallowed. "She can stay, I don't mind her." He took another bite of his lunch.
Cloud smiled. "You sweet kid, you've won someone else over!" He then gave her nose a friendly tweak. Arella giggled.
Zidane smiled and worked on finishing his lunch. Guess I'm gonna be okay for now. I hope everyone else is all right...and I hope I get better soon! Darn that Guardian!