Chapter 1
Disclaimer: As much as I hope and wish, I do not own these characters. ::sigh:: Ah well, can't win 'em all. All pathetic attempts at poetry are mine unless other wise noted.

"Kuja! No!" Queen Garnet cried in her sleep. She sat up in a cold sweat. Realizing she was in her own bed -chamber, safely within the walls of Alexandria Castle, she relaxed. "I suppose it was all just a dream," she said to herself. She lit her lamp and got out of bed. The dream had disturbed her, but she didn't know where it had come from. Garnet went to her window, trying to think of an answer. A vision of Alexander, the Holy Eidolon, came into her head. She jerked is surprise. 'Could it have been Alexander who sent me this dream?' She wondered.


"EEEEKK!!! No! You stupid lady! Ahhh!" Eiko kicked and shrieked.

"Eiko! Eiko, wake up!" Regent Cid called.

"Hey!" Eiko woke up suddenly. She saw Cid, looking very concerned, standing over her. "Oh, Father, it was terrible!" She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What was it Eiko?" Cid asked.

"I don't know! It was a dream! I saw the Iifa Tree, and some glowing lady, and Kuja! Then I saw Alexander! I think it was a warning! A warning from Alexander! Kuja's alive again!"

"Kuja?" Cid looked her in the eyes, he shook his head, "Eiko...Kuja died at the Iifa Tree a long time ago."

"I know!" Eiko insisted, "I know he was dead, but he got brought back to life!"

"Eiko, I'm sure this was all just a bad dream."

"Why don't you believe me?!" Eiko cried angrily.

Cid looked sympathetic, "I don't know...come now, think about it." He smiled warmly, "why would Kuja be alive again? Who would want to bring him back?"

Eiko sighed. She lowered her eyes, then brought them back up to meet Cid's gaze, "...Vatica..."


"And so the tables have turned...That meddling Alexander, trying to take what is mine! HE'S MINE! MINE! MINE!!!!!!!!!" The beautiful angel grabbed at her hair; "YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM!" Her voice calmed, "you are the meddling fool," she said in a voice that dripped with malice, "you are the incompetent one." Her eyes widened and she screamed again, "NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM FROM ME!" Vatica stamped her foot. She shrilled madly again, but suddenly, as if someone had pushed a button, she stopped. "None of you deserve him," this time her voice was gentle and sweet, "it was I who found him. Can't you all see that this fighting is..." The malicious voice cut in, "idiot. You're so sweet I'm getting cavities." She began to rave again, "YOU'RE ALL CRAZY!!! I DESERVE HIM! ME! HE'S MINE!!!"

From the shadows he watched her madness. Hollow eyes staring in a continuous gaze. A body without a soul. It had been Vatica who had chosen to return there, to the Desert Palace. She had situated herself in the old throne room where she dictated her demands. Cobwebs had overrun the place; she only used that one room. He observed her everyday from his usual place next to the throne. Her screaming, whining, and vicious personalities exploding every few minutes. She was, in short, a schizophrenic. An angel without the grace of Alexander, she had fallen from his favor, to be left on Gaia where her personality had split into three. Her resentment of him made her mad with vengeance and rage. Of course, Kuja could not comment or have any thoughts of his own. He was Vatica's puppet, her toy that she flung about, doing her every command.
The insane angel's rage calmed. She pulled a piece of hair behind her ear, rose from her seat, and strode gracefully toward him. It had been like this everyday for a long time. Every night she would send him out into Gaia, to find his soul. "Tonight will be the night of glory," she cooed, "you will finally find your soul and be truly alive. Then we will go together and unseat that pompous Alexander. You and I together will rule Alexander's heaven...we will have our revenge." She smiled, as she did an equally sinister grin appeared on Kuja's face. This is how she did it, she tapped into his dead mind and took control, moving him where and how she wanted. "Now go." She said, "find what has been stolen from you."
Kuja walked to the teleport panel on the floor. He stepped onto it and in a flash of blue light, disappeared.

The teleporter panel brought Kuja to the streets of sleeping Lindblum. The moons glowed over the quiet city, much of which was still under repair. "We've been through these streets a million times before...," he said. Of course it was really Vatica, whatever she said came out through his lips. She moved him down through the business district, glancing down the dark alleys every now and then. "This is pointless..." she complained. She turned his head toward the castle. "Why didn't I think of it before?" His mouth asked, "what better place for a lost soul to hide than in the presence of nobility?"
He flew up into the air, black eyes locked on the towering Lindblum Grand Castle. Back in the Desert Palace, Vatica watched through his eyes, "now I will finally have what I deserve!" She directed him to one of the stained glass windows on the castle walls. Without stopping he crashed through it.

"What's going on?!" A guard hurried down the long hallway.

"Blast it..." Kuja spat. He turned to the guard.

"Who are you?" The man demanded. He drew up his spear in front of him.

Kuja put his hands up, a smirk on his face; "looks like you caught me..."

"That voice...I know you from somewhere..." the guard said fearfully, "back when I was in Alexandria..." his face contorted with terror, "no...it can't be!"

Kuja grabbed the guard by his throat, raising him off the floor. He dropped his spear and tried to break out of Kuja's grasp. "So you recognize him..." Vatica's words came out through Kuja's mouth, "isn't he wonderful...soon we will rule all of Gaia...but you won't be around then. Such a pity. It will be a glorious day..."

The guard's brows furrowed in confusion, "w-what?..."

"You're the first to learn of our plan...if I let you go, you would tell the Regent, and wouldn't the Regent be surprised...but dead men tell no tales." Kuja's hand tightened around the guard's throat. He gagged and sputtered, legs kicking furiously. Kuja squeezed until blood spurted from the man's mouth and from behind his eyes, his tongue lolled out of his mouth. He stopped struggling and hung from Kuja's fist like a sack of linen. Kuja dropped him and continued down the corridor. "These mortals are truly pathetic..."
Vatica moved Kuja down a flight of stairs, past some patrolling guards, and to a large set of doors. "Now what could be in here?" she wondered.
Kuja broke the lock on the door and stepped inside. A large canopy bed was next to the wall. He moved closer to see who was there.

"...Yuck...what's that smell?" Eiko opened her eyes. She sat up and squinted in the darkness. She saw someone standing near by. "Who's there?" The moonlight fell across Kuja's face. Eiko's eyes widened, "EEEEEEEKKKK!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed.

Down the hall some guards heard her, "Lady Eiko is in danger!" They took off to her room.

"Little Eiko the Summoner..." Kuja mused, "now I remember you...you were one of the brats that murdered my dear Kuja!" Vatica's rage began to build again, she started to rave madly, "YOU KILLED HIM AND NOW YOU'LL DIE!!!"

"You're crazy!" Eiko screamed, "you better leave me alone!"

Kuja lunged at her; Eiko jumped away and ran for the door. He caught her by her arm; "you will be punished!"

"You let me go!" Eiko screeched. "Mog! Help!" From under the floor came a rumbling noise like a stampede. Eiko's guardian Mog rose up from the floor, fangs bared, glaring at Kuja. Mog seized Kuja by the shoulders and flung him against the wall. She roared furiously and with a well placed backhand, sent him crashing through the wall. He was knocked clear to the outside, where the forces of gravity sent him plummeting several hundred feet to the streets far below.
Mog disappeared into the shadows, leaving Eiko alone. At that moment the castle guards ran in, accompanied by Regent Cid and Hilda.

"By the gods! Eiko, are you alright?" Cid ran to her.

Eiko's lip trembled, her expression was a mixture of fear, anger, and triumph, and "I told you!" She said loudly, "I told you he was alive!"

"Who?" Cid asked.

Eiko looked at him incredulously, "Kuja! I told you! I knew it!"

"Kuja? Could it have been..."

"Sire!" a guard came into the room, ashen faced, "Ralf is dead...we found him in the upstairs hallway..."

"What?" Cid picked up Eiko and turned to the man.

"Come see Sire! Whoever was in here obviously broke in through a window on that level. Ralf must have gone to stop them...but whoever they were, they must have gotten the better of him..."

"Father, don't leave me!" Eiko clung to his robe, "I know it was Kuja, I saw him. He was right in here. Mog saved me from him."

"First things first," Cid said, "I want Hilda and Eiko taken to Alexandria immediately, until we find out what exactly is going on, who it was, whether it be Kuja or some other villain, and what they wanted in Lindblum Castle!"


"You incompetent fool!" Vatica raged, "how did you let him get caught?!" She cringed, "it wasn't my fault!" Back to anger, "then who is to blame? Certainly not I. How could I let you idiots take such matters into your own hands?" Back to innocence, "I'm telling you it wasn't my fault!" She began to weep. Her anger took over again, "you cry like an infant! All because you cannot admit your own folly!"
"I can admit when I'm wrong...and I am not wrong."
"Now, because of you fools, our secret is out! It will only be a matter of time before we are found out!"
"No, the mortals would never find this place...Why is it that I am always the one to blame?"
"ALL IS LOST!" She wailed, "BUT THEY SHALL NOT HAVE MY BELOVED!"
"Silence! You disgust me with your mad raving!"
Vatica's three other personalities gave themselves no names other than what that personality was. They called themselves Innocence, Malice, and Rage.
Vatica rose from her throne. She brought her hand to her temple, "I am in control..." she said quietly, "...let me carry out my own plans..."
Malice snorted, "why should I do that? You have failed miserably. Perhaps you should let me try, I never fail."
Vatica held her head high, "I conceived this plan, and I shall carry it out!" She went to the teleport panel, "bring Kuja back here!" she commanded. The panel glowed blue, Kuja's broken body appeared on it.
"Look what Innocence has done." Malice said darkly.
"It was not I!" Innocence said defensively.
Vatica knelt beside Kuja. Broken bones protruded from his flesh, dark blood oozed from the open wounds. "How could I have let this happen..." Vatica asked herself shamefully, "why is it we always hut the ones we love..." With her immortal strength, she picked him up and gazed painfully at his face. His empty eyes were still halfway open; he was still drawing ragged breaths. Vatica held back tears and carried him away into the cold silence of the Desert Palace.