Disclaimer: We don't own Final Fantasy, or any of the related characters or places. This disclaimer will last for the duration of this fic.
A/N: Just like it's prequel, 'Keep Yourself Alive' got its name from a Queen song. I couldn't think of a title on my own, so I just looked through my Queen CDs (Hehe…I have a lot) and this title seemed to fit. You won't figure out why until you read…
"Keep yourself alive, keep yourself alive. It may take all your time and money but honey you'll survive." -'Keep Yourself Alive' words and music by: Freddy Mercury
Keep Yourself Alive: Chapter One
She was running as fast as she could down a long corridor. Her messy blond hair bounced as she bounded further and further down the dark passage. Why did she continue to run, even when she became so short of breath? Sometimes she wasn't even sure herself. There was many a time in which she wanted to give up, but then the voices would get louder.
"Mikoto…" She stopped abruptly, panting and placing her hand over her heart. "Mikoto…" the voice spoke again. Now horribly confused, the Genome began to look every which way. She recognized that voice, but it was impossible! As much as she wanted to believe it was Zidane, she knew better. Zidane was gone forever.
Her eyes were now blurred with tears as she continued down the hall. Even if her hopes were in vain, she wanted to see him.
"Mikoto! Over here!" another voice chorused with Zidane's. This one she recognized as Kuja. Both of the voices were coming from the end of the hall. Excitedly she pursued them, pushing all doubt from her mind.
A door was up ahead, she was almost there! She picked up her pace slightly as she drew ever closer to the end. Steadily the voices were getting louder.
"Mikoto! In here!"
Finally she made it to the door. Gasping for air, Mikoto put her hands on her knees. She was certain the voices were coming from there! Once her breathing was almost normal again, she reached up with a single hand and turned the handle. With ease the door opened and a burst of light flooded the corridor. It was so incredibly bright that she winced and had to shield her eyes with her black sleeve.
"Mikoto!" Zidane's voice exclaimed. Slowly her eyes focused and she could make out her surroundings. She stood in the library of the Desert Palace, but something was different. For the most part it seemed unchanged. The candelabras were lit, and the sun shone through the stained glass windows making all the colors of the rainbow dance around the room and bounce off of the shelves of books.
However, instead of a wall on the far left of the room there was an unmistakable black line running across the floor. For several minutes she stood there, examining the line when something snapped her attention away from it.
"Over here! Mikoto!" Her gaze looked past the line and landed on two figures who were standing side-by-side not fifteen feet away. She felt her heart leap into her throat. It was them! Her brothers were standing there, beaming and waving.
"Zidane? K-Kuja!?" Her eyes stung with more tears as she ran for them, her arms outstretched, preparing to embrace them. Suddenly, she was on her back. It had felt like she ran into a wall. She opened a single blue eye but there was nothing.
"Come on!" Kuja said. His eyes were full of a childish happiness that she had never seen in him before.
Sighing, she took a step back and examined the situation. She was standing inches away from that line. What did it mean?
"You must come! You have so much to learn!" Zidane pleaded.
For a second she made eye contact with him. He looked just as excited as Kuja, though she could sense some other emotion. Fear? Sorrow? She couldn't tell.
"Hurry, Mikoto!"
"I'm trying! It won't let me!"
The two brothers exchanged curious glances and looked back at her. Now desperate to make it to the 'other side', she took several more steps back and ran full force, only to be deflected by the line again.
"What's wrong!? Why won't it let me through!?" she mumbled savagely to herself. Her eyes darted back to Zidane and Kuja. They weren't standing in the library, it looked more like…Bran Bal. That was it! They were standing in front of one of the houses, and she could see the water in the distance. So that line…how did it work?
"You'll find your answers in Terra…" Zidane and Kuja said together. Then, giving Mikoto a sad look, they disappeared entirely.
"Wait!" she called after the vast nothingness. Helplessly, she banged her fists against the invisible force-field that held her back. "No! Don't leave me again!" She slid down the unseen wall, hugged her legs to her chest, and sobbed into her knees.
* * *
All of a sudden, Mikoto was aware of a sharp pain in
her head and the cold touch of stone against her bare skin. Her eyes shot open and she looked wildly
around. Slowly her room came into
focus. It was just a dream, but it
seemed so real!
Gingerly she brought her
hands up to her cheeks. Tears still
streamed heavily down her face. From
across the room the numbers 3:42 flashed in red on her digital clock.
"Mikoto?" a voice called from the other side of her door.
"No more…" she thought out loud, putting her hands against her ears. "No more, please."
"Mikoto, are you alright? Kupo?"
Opening a single eye, she realized who it was. "Y-Yeah" she stammered, "I'll be alright." Shakily, she stood up and opened her bedroom door where a moogle stood. "Sorry Mojito, did I scare you?"
The moogle nodded, causing his red pom-pom ball to bounce. "What happened, kupo?"
"Ugh…fell out of bed…" she said, holding her sore head and forcing a smile. Once Zidane had died, she was sure she would be alone. Never did it occur to her that there were moogles in the Desert Palace. There were two, Mojito and Mogsam.
Mogsam was rather strange, he enjoyed keeping to himself and playing pranks on anyone who was unfortunate enough to pass him. Mojito on the other hand was more calm and friendly. For about a month he was Mikoto's only companion. However, Mojito did a lot of traveling, so Mikoto didn't see much of him. From the way he was dressed it looked like he was getting ready to leave just as Mikoto fell out of bed.
"So, where are you going this time?" she asked him.
Mojito shifted his little backpack, "I'm meeting Stiltzkin in Burmecia, kupo. Do you need me to bring anything back?"
"Just stories and news."
"Alright, kupopo! I'll be back in a few days!" With that, Mojito turned around and flew off. Mikoto leaned against her doorway and watched him go. Now it would be her and Mogsam…again. She shuddered to think about what pranks he would try to pull this time.
Mikoto looked back at her clock. It was nearing four, but the memory of her dream was still lingering. She wanted so bad to talk to someone about it, but Mojito just left. As tired as she felt, she didn't think she could fall asleep again.
Might as well get dressed…she thought as she walked back inside her room, shutting the door behind her. She dressed in silence, putting on her usual pink skirt, white and pink blouse with a black long sleeved shirt under it. Because she avoided going in to town unless it was necessary, she didn't own that much clothing. Occasionally she would wear Zidane's old clothes, even though they were too big for her. His scent still lingered in the fabric and in his room. She couldn't help but smile at the familiar smell. It made her feel…less alone.
When Mikoto had finally dressed, she walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Just as she was rearing the bottom of the stairs, she heard a cry of, "Geronimo!" Her instincts told her to duck, and it was a good thing she listened to her intuition. At that moment, Mogsam flew at full speed right where her head had been.
"Mogsam! You do that again and I'll pull off your pom-pom ball! Don't think I won't! It's too early in the morning to be so loud!" Mikoto complained.
The moogle hovered in midair, laughing. "You're not as threatening as your brother!"
While Zidane was still alive, both of the moogles hid. Something about him scared them. Probably the dagger…she thought. Then, smiling somewhat she added in, "If only he were still alive, what would he do to you?" The moogle gulped, "Impale you? Boil you?" With each idea, Mogsam backed up farther and farther. "Or…maybe, he'd just pounce on you!" She said the last one so loud that Mogsam turned around and began flying full-speed. Unfortunately, he didn't pay attention to where he was going, and flew directly into a wall.
Mikoto laughed. She knew Zidane would never do any of that, but she couldn't resist torturing that moogle. Lord knows how many times he tortured her. She walked past the stunned Mogsam and into the kitchen where she began to raid the pantry.
"We need groceries…" she thought out loud. It wasn't fun going without food. Because she couldn't die, not having food didn't affect her health, it was just extremely uncomfortable. After searching she decided that a bagel would hold her over for the morning.
"I'll get you back for that one…kupo," Mogsam grumbled as he scurried into the kitchen as well. He was holding his left paw against his already swollen head.
"Of course you will, Mogsam," Mikoto said nonchalantly, taking a bite from her bagel. The moogle scowled at her and sat on top of the table where he began writing a letter.
"Calling for reinforcements?" she asked as she watched him. Artemecian was due at the Palace tomorrow to pick up and drop off mail. Mognet was one of Mikoto's few connections to the outside world.
"How did you know, kupo?" Mogsam grumbled sarcastically.
Smiling, Mikoto shrugged and stuffed the last of the bagel in her mouth. Once she swallowed her breakfast, she got up from the table.
"Where're you going, kupo?"
"The library…not that it's any of your business," she cooed. The moogle didn't say anything and continued to write.
As she forced her way down the hall she tried to keep her mind on the obstacles. If she missed lighting just one candle, it would ruin everything. But her mind was wandering back to her dream. She had been standing in the library…so maybe going there would help her.
When she opened the door, she half expected to see that black line. But it looked the same it had always been. Mikoto sighed and began to leave when she had an idea.
"Maybe there's a book in here on translating dreams…" she said thoughtfully. Now very curious she climbed one of the ladders and began to look through the selection of books.
Because it was Kuja's palace before anyone else's, a lot of the books had to do with magic and Summoning. However, there were tons of others! There was all of Lord Avon's works, poetry books, fantasy, mystery….but one in particular caught her eye. There wasn't anything special about it. As a matter of fact it was a very ordinary book. It was old, the leather binding was ripped and several pages torn. So, why this book? Why did this book interest her more than all of the others?
She reached up and gently pulled if off of the bookcase. The book was so old that the title was barely legible. After squinting for a few minutes, she gasped and almost dropped the ancient thing.
" 'Basic Magic'…this is the book that taught me to use my first spell; cure!" All of a sudden, she was more interested. How'd it get here!? I thought it was in Garland's Observatory when Kuja burnt it down! She thought wildly.
Tucking the book under her arm, she made her way back down the ladder and out of the library. This time she headed for the study. When she got there, she locked the door behind her (to avoid any distractions from Mogsam) and sat at the desk.
The Genome sat in the leather chair and opened up the book. The stench of aged, damp parchment made its way to her nose. She covered her face with her left sleeve and with her other hand began to flip through the pages. She wasn't sure of what she was looking for, but was once again following her instincts.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the study door and startled her, causing her to drop the book. Loose pages slowly fluttered to the ground as she stood there, grasping her heart. "Hey, Mikoto!" Mogsam yelled.
"What?"
"D'you have any stamps? Kupo? Can't mail this without one…kupopo!"
"Yeah, there should be some in here somewhere…" she said as she rummaged through the desk drawer. "Ah-ha! Found one!" Mikoto got up and walked to the door, opened it and handed the stamp to the moogle. After Mogsam left, she went back to the desk.
She bent down to pick the book up when she noticed several of the pages were scattered on the floor. "I'm going to kill that moogle…"she swore as she picked up one of the pages. Flipping it over, she realized it wasn't from the book. It was handwritten.
Frantically she looked at the other loose papers, they were the same. Who's handwriting was it though? She knew Kuja's and Zidane's, this was someone else's. Her eyes scanned over the papers and she murmured, "Garland…"
The first of these papers said, "Project #6: Genome Vessel". As much as it interested her, she skipped over it and continued on to "Project #7: Angel of Death". It had a rough sketch of a young Kuja. In the drawing he looked to be around the age of five. The familiar Terran writing said:
Project #7: Angel of Death:
Report 1: After many failed attempts, I have finally succeeded in building a prototype strong enough for a soul. The process required the sacrifice of souls until one suitable for the body was found. An Angel of Death cannot exist unless their body and soul are equally matched. This prototype seems to be functioning properly now, but as it is my first experiment, I believe it will expire sooner than I had hoped. I will begin to work on a new prototype in the near future. It will take the place of the first when it can no longer serve my intentions.
Report 2: The Angel of Death who now refers to itself as Kuja has begun to show signs of malfunction. The soul that I had conceived for him appears to be too independent and disobedient for the purpose I had in mind. It refuses to take up studying in combat and only busies itself with its spells. I must hurry with the new prototype so I can remove the first one's soul and destroy it. Project #8: Angel of Death 2I began work on the new prototype almost immediately after the fist began showing signs of malfunction. The new Angel of Death will be enhanced in every way; speed, strength, agility and intelligence. The body will resemble that of a normal Genome though its soul will be anything but normal.
Through observation, I've come to understand the body structure of the first prototype was all wrong for combat. Thus, my new Angel of Death's body will be smaller, and therefore more suited for speed and agility. The eyes will have perfect vision, be able to attack with pinpoint accuracy and its tail will enhance balance. The soul I have conceived for it is perfect, for this prototype is flawless. This soul is confident in its skills, and obedient unlike its predecessor. It also seems to have amazing powers I have never seen the likes of before. When these forces suraface he becomes ten times more powerful and can perform devastating attacks, easily capable of destroying an entire village. Though it is still in the testing stage, I know this one will be a success. Such a powerful Angel of Death deserves a name of equivalent strength…Zidane.
Already, I know that he alone will be enough to complete my plan of assimilating Terra with Gaia. However, things are liable to go wrong and I may need a back-up plan. When I merged the Gaian soul with my ultimate vessel, a strange new ability surfaced. Because of Zidane's internal power it enhanced the power of this technique. I must find the source behind this ability, given the name Dyne.
Project #9: TranceAfter putting Zidane through many strenuous tests, I have found the source of the power I have been looking for. These special attacks of his are brought about by a rush of emotion.
I doubt that I will need a third Angel, but for safe measures I will build one anyway.
Project #10: Angel of Death 3If both of my first Angels are not able to fulfill their purposes of destroying all life on Gaia and return the souls to Terra, I will be forced to take drastic measures. I did hours of experimenting with my 'normal' Genome vessels and have discovered a way to program these so-called 'Trances'. Using the same body structure as the Angel, Zidane, I created a female Angel. Her soul is very weak, as is her mind. Though these traits are lacking compared to my first Angels, they are perfect for the assignment given to her.
If, for some reason both the Angels Kuja and Zidane are to fail, this will unlock a hidden chamber inside her mind. She will begin to learn things at fast rates, including all sorts of skills and abilities. The most important thing she will learn is her Trance attack: Kamikaze.
This will be my last and only hope for resurrecting my precious Terra, so it will doubtlessly work. She will then, at a time of great emotion, build up a tremendous amount of energy and explode, taking all plant, animal and human life with her.
Mikoto's throat felt dry. Everything…every single thing seemed to come down on her. I promised Zidane! I promised him I wouldn't let Garland win! "I won't allow it!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sorry it just kind of cuts off. Hehe. I'll leave you all hanging! I'm sorry but this story isn't going to be as fast with updating as Who Wants to Live Forever. When I started posting WWTLF I had a majority of the story written, so I was able to update it at one week intervals. This one won't be so lucky, so I'm not going to make any promises when the second chapter will be up. But it's in the works right now! Please review! I really look forward to hearing from everyone again! (Oh, and by the way, the moogle names are directly from the game! Both of them were in the Desert Palace!!) ^_^ R&R!