Disclaimer: Is this really necessary? Do representatives of Square Enix actually surf the web looking for fanfics without disclaimers? Like anyone would claim ownership... Would they?

Ok, I didn't use Ultros because he's a giant purple octopus and a little too fantastical for my tastes. I did need someone to move the opera along, though, and came up with what I hope is an interesting alternative. Tell me what you think! C&C always welcome!

Chapter Eleven: Across the Stars

A battered and worn warrior stumbled amidst the carnage of his comrades. Blood seeped from under his armor, and he collapsed to his knees with a deep pained sigh.

"Maria!"

The warrior glanced around the bloodied battlefield, and his resonating bass voice bewailed his grief.

"I have failed you, my love!"

The rustle of armor caught his attention as a small group of men of a different uniform came into view.

"Sir! A survivor of the West!" one shouted.

"Kill him!" another answered.

Even as his enemies raised their crossbows, snapping their bolts into place, the warrior remained on his knees and cried out to his love.

"Maria, how I long to be with you!"

The lights suddenly went out at the sharp clicks of crossbows, and the audience gasped. A prolonged silence reigned as the hero's fate was left to the imagination, until the voice of the narrator broke through.

"The forces of the West fell,

and Maria's castle was taken.

Prince Ralse, of the East,

took her hand by force,

but she never stopped yearning for Draco..."

The sounds of a brief struggle were discerned from beyond the darkened set, and a light harp melody drifted up from the orchestra pit. A soft blue glow illuminated the stage, revealing the set of a castle balcony under the night sky. The patrons were startled by an angry bellow and the desperate footsteps echoing through the castle corridor, and a tear-stricken Maria ran into view, stopping only when she reached the stone rail. Her heavy breathing of sorrow and despair was a stark contrast to the gentle plucking of the harp, but when the airy phrase paused, Maria took a breath, and let it out in a sweet melody.

"Oh my hero, so far away now. Will I ever see your smile? Love goes away, like night into day. It's just a fading dream."

At the sound of Maria's haunting voice, Sabin stilled his restless fidgeting, and all three men sat enraptured.

"I'm the darkness, you're the stars. Our love is brighter than the sun. For eternity, for me there can be, only you, my chosen one..."

Each wrestled with the uncanny resemblance between the soprano and their companion, finding it difficult to make the distinction. The absolute clarity of her tone rang throughout the hall, touching every man and woman present and giving them a cathartic peace.

Except Locke.

The thief sunk down into his seat, more than a little disturbed by the lyrics and the images they were inducing. He bit back tears at the lyrical emotion, the utter anguish and emptiness Maria was expressing, suddenly wishing he had never come up with this plan. His own grief burned as the hole in his despondent heart was ripped open anew.

"Must I forget you? Our solemn promise? Will autumn take the place of spring? What shall I do? I'm lost without you. Speak to me once more!"

Maria absently fingered the pendant around her neck, and the strings continued their melodious waves. She lifted her head at a whisper of her name and turned to find the source. On the third step leading to the upper terrace, a single white rose glowed in the moonlight. Reverently, she picked it up and ascended the stairs to look out over the eastern kingdom. Her dreamy expression soon transformed into a cringe, though, when a servant called to her from within the castle. Staring at the rose, a glaze came over Maria's face as her decision was made.

"We must part now, my life goes on. But my heart won't give you up. Ere I walk away, let me hear you say I meant as much to you..."

The orchestra swelled as Maria cast the rose into the darkened abyss below in a final surrender to reality. Her voice soared with impossible emotion in the closing phrase, proclaiming her undying love for her hero, before fading away in the dimming lights.

"So gently, you touched my heart. I will be forever yours. Come what may, I won't age a day, I'll wait for you, always..."

The occasional sniffle was heard from the audience during the brief scene change. The strings began a playful waltz, and the lights shone down on the castle's ballroom, where couples danced in celebration of their prince's betrothal.

Edgar's attention drifted, and something caught his eye. "Hey, what is that up there?"

"Where?" Sabin asked.

"In the rafters?"

Through the diffuse light, they just could make out the silhouette of a shadowy figure making his way to the beam just above center stage.

"I think that's our guy," Locke guessed.

Sabin stared intently at the form. "Wait... Something seems...off."

When the mysterious figure reached its destination, a shaft of light streaked across its face. It took him a moment, but Sabin recognized the man.

"Ziegfried!"

Locke and Edgar looked at the younger Figaro brother. "Siegfried?"

"No, Ziegfried!" Sabin tried to clarify. "He poses as the blade master, Siegfried, but really he's just a petty thief. A wimpy one, at that."

Offended by the thief comment, Locke coughed, but it went disregarded.

"So, what's he doing here?" Edgar wondered.

The three men followed the imposter's gaze down to the stage, where Maria and Ralse were waltzing.

"You don't think he's..."

"Pretending to be Setzer?" Sabin finished for his brother.

"So, this is the part where we foil his evil scheme, right?" Locke assumed.

Below them, a guard ran onstage, crying, "Sire! The survivors of the West attack!"

"Impossible!" Ralse growled, abruptly letting go of Maria.

"Sire, we must get you and the lady to—"

"Attack!"

The shout came from offstage, and a small band of men charged the stage, engaging in battle with the Eastern soldiers. Maria, joyous at the assault by her countrymen, tried to edge away from Ralse to escape. The prince, however, noticed this and grabbed her arm, pulling her violently back to him.

"No, Maria!" he snapped. "You belong to me now."

"No!"

The cry reverberated through the hall. A chocobo galloped across the stage, and a man in heavy armor jumped off as it passed Maria and Ralse. After landing hard on the ground, the warrior slowly rose and stepped forward, gazing upon Maria. His deep voice boomed through the hall, declaring his relief at finally seeing his love once more.

"Maria!"

The soprano broke from Ralse and took a step towards her love. "Draco!" she sang, throwing herself into his arms as she continued. "I've waited so long. I knew you'd come!"

The audience could see the anger swell up in Ralse as he watched this reunion between lovers. He shoved Draco back, forcing the two apart. He challenged the bass singer with his own tenor voice, jerking Maria by the arm back to his side.

"Maria is already my queen! She is no longer yours, but my trophy to bear."

The hero ignored the prince and held out his hand to Maria, gently pulling her from Ralse's grip. "I have traveled across the stars for you! For the rest of my life I will keep you near!"

Lifting her chin with two fingers, Draco lowered his head and tenderly kissed Maria's lips, bringing the audience to tears.

Ralse, infuriated, drew his rapier, bellowing, "It's a duel, then!"

Breaking from his love, Draco glared at Ralse. He stepped forward to place himself between Maria and the prince, drawing his sword.

"Stand back, Maria, and I will rid us of this ­letch!"

"Be careful, my love!" she pleaded.

As the two actors dueled, the three Returners traversed the maze of narrow wooden beams. When they finally reached Ziegfried, Sabin called out, but not loud enough to disturb the performance below.

"Hey, Ziggy! Don't you learn?"

The man turned. "Fools! I have been training under the best. I could kill you all with my little finger!"

"You really need a thrashing," Sabin challenged.

"Careful, Sabin," Edgar warned. "Not here."

"Ha ha haaa!" Ziegfried laughed. "The tall one is right to fear me!"

"You little twerp!"

Without thinking, Sabin rushed the phony swordsman, even while Edgar tried to hold him back. Locke watched in dread as the three men teetered dangerously on the edge of the rafter directly above Maria. Acting quickly, the thief leapt off the plank and grasped a rope counter-weighted by sandbags. He landed behind Maria and pulled her out of the way a second before the tangle of men tumbled down to the stage where she had just been standing.

"You all right?" he asked her immediately.

The soprano, her face pale, looked at the men, then up to the rafters, then back at Locke.

"Yes," she breathed. "Thank you."

The audience was silent at first, then slowly began murmuring its confusion at the unexpected turn of events.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ralse whispered harshly.

Locke knew he had to cover his appearance quickly. He took a step forward and spoke in his most chivalrous voice.

"Lord Draco! I've come to take fair Maria to safety."

Maria shot him a brief but questioning glance, but he just gave her a slight shrug.

Draco was perplexed, but being the actor he was, tried to improvise along with the thief. "What has happened?"

Locke's mind was racing to come up with an explanation. "…If you recall my lord, it is because the evil warlord Ziegfried is planning on abducting Maria...and killing her."

"The evil warlord…Ziegfried," Draco repeated uncertainly.

"My companions and I attempted to hold him off, but as you can see, he nearly slipped past us."

The odd threesome finally began getting to their feet, and Draco looked to Maria for some clue as to what was going on, but she just sent him a small look encouraging him to go with it.

"Go, then…friend…" Draco hesitated, but his normal bravado was returning as he continued, "and fight this…vile brute who dares to threaten my love!"

"Silence, you ruffians!" Ziegfried screeched, getting absorbed into the role himself. "You are in the presence of royalty!"

Locke raised an eyebrow at the peculiar man and the grand sweeping of his arms, but turned back to Maria.

"Fear not, my lady, for as soon as we dispatch this slime, you will be taken to safety."

Ralse, knowing he, too, had to stay in character, interjected. "I would not allow a swine like you to lay a hand on my queen. Lord Ziegfried, take care of them immediately!"

"Of course, Prince Ralse," the 'warlord' responded.

Locke drew his dirk, Edgar his sword, and Sabin readied his claws. The three rushed Ziegfried from all sides, and the mêlée began. For his part, Ziegfried managed to dodge the attacks of his opponents, but the clash was short and sweet. Sabin nicked him with his claws, and the charlatan decided to flee.

"Well, uh, I'll just be going now. But you haven't seen the last of me!" he assured unconvincingly. "And, Maria, I just want to show you my gratitude for such a lovely performance…"

Ziegfried drew a small knife from his robes and threw it at her, not even sticking around to see if he succeeded in hitting his target. Locke tried to reach her, but he knew he wouldn't make it in time and mentally cursed himself. Seeing Maria flinch, he winced in anticipating of the iron biting through flesh, but it never came. Instead, murmurs arose from both the audience and from the actors onstage, and when Locke looked up, he saw the impossible: the knife caught in the soprano's hand inches from her face: very un-Maria like.

Locke's eyes widened. "Celes…?" he whispered.

Kicking herself for the exposure of her identity, the imposter soprano knew needed to draw attention away from her inexplicable reflex, so she did the only thing she could think of.

She fainted.

Locke, close to her now, was quick to act, catching Celes before she hit the ground and trying desperately to hide his amusement at her choice of action.

"Maria!" Draco cried, trying to stay in character. He was about to rush to her side, but a voice stopped him.

"Hold on, there, Drake!"

The lights dimmed unexpectedly, and a spotlight hit the stage, illuminating only Celes and Locke. A figure dropped from the rafters behind them and shoved the thief out of the way, his face concealed in darkness.

"Bravo! I love these kinds of shenanigans!" the man exclaimed.

"Setzer—!"

The gambler cut the Impresario off. "I'm a man of my word, opera boy." He lifted the 'unconscious' woman into his arms. "And now I gotta fly."

Setzer pushed a control on the rope he descended on, causing the cable to lift him and his captive back up through the skylight to his airship. When the technicians finally got the lights back on, the Returners were nowhere in sight.