(All characters are owned by the Square Enix Company)

The Promised Land

"Eiko! more water," the owner of the opera house called. Eiko muttered childish obcenities about child slavery as she rushed to get the pitcher of water for her highness Maria so she wouldn't sing her oh so precious songs with a dry throat. "Hurry Up!" Maria stomped her foot, she pecked her head out the curtain to see the how big the crowd was. " I said hurry!" she stomped again as she saw Eiko moving sluggishly with the big pitcher. Going over to Eiko, Maria snacthes the pitcher from Eiko and drinks the water straight from it's container "took you long enough." She says using her sleeve as a napkin."

Eiko muttered more about how she hopped the stupid woman choked on the rest of the water as she sat on a turned over bucket in the corner of the stage. She crossed her small arms over her small chest and awaited her next command.

The light dim, the curtains lift and Maria is standing on a man made balcony she begins to sing "Ohy my hero, so far away"

"It's just a fading dream, I'm in the darkness"..."Only you, my chosen on must I..."..." We must part now."..."We must part noe. My life goes on. But my heart won't give you up."... The opera house begins to shake and screams can be heard throughout the audience. Maria fusses at being interrupted.

Eiko is thrown off her bucket on to the stage. The audience is running and screaming trying to escape the opera house. Eiko gets to her feet and looks around for a safe exit ,there are none. She looks up to see a fustrated Maria glaring down at her. "You did this didn't you...you little brat. We should have never taken you in...This is all your fault." Maria accused.

Eiko backed up as Maria began to advance towards her " I'll get you for this, you little monster." Eiko is backed up into a wall, Maria reaching out for her. A tentacle wraps around Maria's waist just as she touches as part of Eiko's shirt collar. Eiko screams as Maria is ripped backwards and thrown into a wall.

Ultros laughs as he gets closer to Eiko "So much power." The giant octopus monster barks "You will be a great meal."

Eiko screams louder, a high pitched wail. Just as a tentacle is reaching out for her, there is a loud clank and the attack is blocked. Eiko looks up to see a very--- tall,young blond man in a white duster holding off UItros with a gunblade. "Get out of here," the man hisses over his shoulder as he tries to hold off Ultros.

Eiko scrambles to her feet and quickly takes off running off the stage, the opera house now empty except for the unconcious Maria, Ultros, and the man that saved her.

Eiko nearly at the exit hears a grunt and turns around to see the man who had saved her laying on the other side of the stage, "NO!-" She begins to run back towards him but sees Ultros now heading toward her and takes off running back towards the exit. Just as she makes it out of the doorway one of Ultros tentacles wrap around her and drags her back into the opera house. Eiko screams as she is pulled toward Ultros's sharp toothed booth " Come to Papa," Ultros barks.

Part 1: Road to adventure

Eiko falls to the ground, she could have sworn she was octopus food fust a few minutes ago. Dazed and confused she look around. She can no longer see Ultros "What the heck just happened?" A soft piece of black cloth brushes Eiko's face, she looks up to see a tall man with long-- silver hair blocking her view of Ultros. He must have been the one who saved her this time.

"I'll protect you." The man says in a deep sinister voice that gave Eiko very little comfort.

Eiko rose to her feet wobbling a bit, she looks to the stage to see the blond man rising to his feet. He shakes his head a bit and begins heading towards them, gunblade still in hand.

"I thought I told you to run." The blond man says when he reaches them. "Damn kids, never listen."

Ultros screams and curses, the man with silver hair had cut off one of his tentacles. "I'll get you for this. If it's the last thing I do I will get you back." Ultros vanishes in a flash of light.

The man with silver turns around to face Eiko and the blond man. He shrugs off Ultros's useless threat. "Who are you?" He asks the blond man giving him the death glare.

"Who the hell are you?" The blond man asks back becoming agitated.

"Uh-huimm" Eiko clears her throat, steps back a few paces so she can look both men in the eyes " Thank you for saving me," she says hands on hips."But I really did not need either one of your help, I could have taken care of that big bully on my own."

The blond man kneels down in front of her , a charming smile plastered to his face "Sureeee you could have little girl, or wait now your a big girl aren't you."

Eiko glares at him, "Do not patronize me." "Now who are the both of yo-"

Eiko was cut off by a roaring Maria standing Shinra officers "That's them, those men destroyed my beautiful opera house." Then did the most ridiculious thing she had ever seen, crying Maria ran over to Eiko and wrapped her arms around her, it was all a show and Eiko knew it. "And poor Eiko -sniffle- Eiko here was caught up in the middle of these barbarians pissing contest, Excuse my French."

The blond man looked at the man with silver hair, they glared at each other. Then the wreckage Ultros had caused.

Everything was destroyed the seats, the stage, the... stone collumns holding the place up.

"Shit" the blond man and the man with silver hair both muttered as the stared at the cracking ceiling. They both turned to leave, but were stopped by Shinra soldiers. "Your coming with us."

The two looked at each other then the Shinra soldiers, they nodded in union, readying to attack. Then the ceiling caved in, a large beam landed on both of them and everything went dark for the both of them.

Sephiroth woke up with a rather large bump on the back of his head. Opening his eyes, he winced as a large ache sliced through his head "Uh.." He looked around, he was looked in a large cell that appeared to be under a castle. The cell was bare, no cot, no shackles on the walls, not even a toliet, the last part made hi angry because he really had to piss. Well the cell was not totally bare in the far corner lay a big blond lump and there was a bar covered window that look out over a very oh so beautiful desert. Yeah he was doomed. He could feel it in his bones, him and the annoying blond man were going to die, the king of the desert castle played no games, well kefka did play games but the weren't the type he had in mind. A public extectution after some serious torture was probably what kefka had in mind for them.

The big blond lump stirred "Where the hell am I?"

Sephiroth stared at him.

The blond man raised up and sat back on his on his knees "Who are you? where are we? and why does my head hurt so damn much?" The man had an attitude. Great, that the kind of person Sephiroth wanted to die with, a blond piss ant.

"We are in a prison cell underneath the Desert Castle and your head hurt because a big beam fell on it."

The stood up and walked over to Sephiroth , he extended his hand " I am Seifer Almasy head Seed of Balam Garden and you are?"

"So not impressed."

"Your really starting to piss me off."

"Oh really and what are you going to do about that little boy?"

Sephiroth stood, he was only an inch shorter than Seifer, but with a bigger body build.

"I'm going to kick you arse."

Seifer took a step closer so they were toe to toe.

Sephiroth smirks at that, these young punks just didn't know what the were getting in to "Oh really now?" ...Throws his head back and laughs."Give me your best shot kid."