So it really came to this. He was hoping, almost foolishly, that Kuja would not fight, that he'd see Zidane's will and determination and... change his mind. But no, Zidane didn't know Kuja very well, but he did know that Kuja wouldn't simply step down like that.

But if Zidane were more honest with himself, he was raring for a battle.

The spheres didn't catch him much by surprise. He took a dive to the left instinctively before he even fully registered them, moving quickly around the perimeter in order to out-run them and get himself close enough to Kuja to attack. While keeping an eye behind him and Kuja in sight, he flings one of his daggers in a boomerang-like maneuver, expecting to retrieve it once more if it missed his target.