"Alright guys, welcome to the Wutai mountain range. The obstacle here is to trek south." Jason woke his teammates up to see the sunrise. "Wow, I hate last watch..."

"Yeah,but somebody has to do it." Megan teased.

"Anyway, the mountain range may be a tad difficult. The monsters here are not your run of the mill plains riders. Nope, we could see Bombs, Grenades, maybe even a Roc." Harold shuddered at the thought of a roc. Jason continued, "So, let's get some grub, get 'dolled up,' and head out."

Half an hour later, the party was on its way climbing their up through the mountains. The road was long and treacherous, and there were many enemies along the way.

At around noon they reached a rickety bridge that looked like it had been there for at least a hundred years. Jason stared at the sun for a second. "Okay, that hurt, so it's time for lunch."

Gary just shook his head. "Look, Jason, you can't determine that it's a good time to eat just because it hurts your eyes to stare at the sun. You should look at a clock and say that it's about noon, so I am going to eat now."

Jason looked at Gary like he was stupid. "Well, for one, the nearest clock is about a day's journey that way," he pointed to his right at Wutai, "so I have to rely on a very good method for telling time. Stare East." Gary just looked at him, like he was a manual instead of giving him an order. "What are you just sitting there for? Get up and stare east."

"Ohh." Gary lifted himself to his feet and began staring east.

"Alright, now look at the sun without moving your legs, hips, or torso." Gary began to crank his head back to stare at the sun. Jason did it along with him to demonstrate. "Doesn't that hurt your neck?"

"Yes, ow, actually it does."

"Then it's time for lunch."

"Speaking of lunch, yours is almost ready." Said Megan from behind her makeshift kitchen. A sleeping bag unfolded for room to prepare.

"Hey, Jason, that's a neat trick. Where'd you learn it?" Buffie inquired in between bites of her sandwich that she was malicously attacking with her teeth.

"Aeris taught it to me, on one of our many trips out together. She's always been there to watch over me, if I didn't know any better, I would swear that she was my grandmother."

"We all feel that way about her." commented Harold. "She's the sweetest woman I know. And you've all met my mom. So that's saying a lot."

"But there's always been this special bond. Like she intuitevely knows exactly what I'm thinking before I do. The way she gives me lessons. It just feels like she has taken over that grandmother role."

Harold shook his head. "There's just no getting into you is there?"

"Yeah, I guess not, huh?"

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With lunch over and the packs all crammed again, they headed towards the bridge. "Ummmm, guys?" Gary's voice came from the back and halted all of them. "Could we find another way around? I don't like the looks of that bridge, and I'm deathly afraid of heights."

They all stared at him. It just has to be that the brains of the outfit is afraid of heights. "C'mon, Gary," Jason encouraged, "It's perfectly safe." He took a few steps out onto the bridge. "These things don't just appear, they're probably the same guys who've studied physics at the university that design these things not to break under the weight of 5 kids."

"I'm still afraid."

"Look, if it'll make you feel any better, I'm afraid, too. Heights play with my head a little, you know, make me a little dizzy. I get too close to the edge, and man I nearly black out."

"I just can't do it, Jason, I'm sorry, can I take Buffie with me to find an alternate route? You know, one that's less...rickety?"

"No can do, Gary, you're just going to have to face it. We'll put you in the center, so that if you just happen to fall through you've got Harold in front to grab on to, and me right behind to catch you, okay?"

"No, but I don't think that I have a choice."

"Just don't look down." Offered Buffie. So Megan took lead across the wooden rope bridge. Gary gripped the rope so hard that he began leaving rope marks in his palms after just 5 seconds. Gary counted the steps as he stared at the back of Harold's head.

"56, 57, 58, 59, 60."

Harold yelled, "You've got to be kidding me! He's making me nervous with that damn counting! Can you get him to stop that, Jason?"

"Gary, you're going to have to st... Holy Shit!" A roc suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began swooping over the party's heads. "Harold, can you rid us of the pest?"

"With pleasure." Megan had stopped with Jason's outburst and now Harold had a steady aim at the passing roc. The gunshot echoed through the canyon. "Yes! Got him!"

"But not enough!" Buffie screamed. The roc sped up its descent into something of a dive. The trajectory took the roc right next to the bridge, in the middle of the party. Gary's steel trap grip had never been held tighter, unlike the other two men, he was able to stay on his feet. Jason, on his stomach, slowly tried to get to his knees with the swaying bridge hindering that process. What really didn't help at all was Gary whispering to himself.

"Not again. Not again. Oh please, not again."

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"99! 100! Here I come, ready or not!" The classic 8-year-old game of Hide and Seek had begun in the woods. Gary climbed swiftly into the tree. George would never be able to tag him up here. Gary snickered as he watched George below, searching behind trees, a mere ant. Gary was really enjoying this chase. There were three others playing. Betty, Megan, and Jason. None of the others were visible from up here. They had obviously found some pretty good spots.

Suddenly, to break Gary's concentration a raven landed flew onto the edge of Gary's branch. Though Gary was on the base of the branch leaning against the trunk, the raven had spooked him. Why would it land so close? This was odd. Gary's curiousity got the best of him as he began to crawl out toexamine the bird more closely. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with his wings. The raven hopped away as Gary drew nearer. His experience screamed not to go out any further.

For a second Gary hesitated. But then his curiousity overrode his caution. The young dark-haired boy tried to coax the bird into letting him examine him. "I'm not going to hurt you buddy. C'mon. It's alright." It leapt away as Gary inched closer. This time it was a little bit more unbalanced. Gary noticed that that the left talon had been hit with something. What could have hit this raven's poor little... with that thought, the branch cracked. Gary's eyes opened wide in surprise. The raven flew off, leaving Gary to his inevitable fate. Gary slowly started to inch backwards but the crack was too far back. As the weight began to shift, the branch began to split.

He fell. This is it... I'm going to... A large branch intercepted his chest knocking his wind, but not stopping his arms from gripping the other end of the branch. He managed to gasp out, "Help!" through his panting. Jason, who had been in the next tree on the opposite side from Gary, heard the cry. He looked over and saw that the branch probably wasn't going to hold for very long. Think, Jason, think...

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Megan grabbed Harold's arm while Buffie grabbed Jason's. Gary stood like a statue gripping as tightly as he could to the swaying rope. The roc had ascended about a hundred meters out and was making a huge arc to get at the party. Jason, being smaller and more fit, climbed up before Harold, freeing Buffie.

"Give it hell, Buffie."

"Yes, sir." She mock saluted and turned towards the oncoming bird. It looked like a raven coming at them. But she knew that the size was going to drastically change in about 2 seconds. She let loose half a dozen shurikens at the oncoming roc hoping to imbed them in its skull. The roc noticed the glint of the shurikens too late. 5 of them lodged into its upper back and neck as it tried to dive out of the way. The 6th stuck into its eye. Through the pain it let loose a blood-curdling scream that broke Gary's trance.

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"Hang tight Gary! I'll have you out in a jiffy." Gary froze, his arms gripped the branch as tightly as he could muster. Which is surprisingly tight for an 8-year-old. Jason's branch was thick enough to support his weight about a half meter out. So he strode once, then leapt. The branch may have been able to support his normal weight that far out, but it couldn't hold up against a leap. Jason hit Gary's tree trunk knicking his face a little. That didn't stop him, he climbed through the maze, around the trunk to get to Gary's branch. Gary tried to shift his weight a little to get his foot up, but the branch began to creak some. He instantly froze in mid-shift and gripped tightly.

Jason laid down on Gary's branch. About a meter and a half out it was beginning to snap. He could see the bark splintering. He crawled out half a meter, and extended his hand out, "Grab my hand Gary." Gary's trance broke.

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Jason's materia began to glow. "BOLT!!!" A tine of lightning descended from the sky, ripping through one of the roc's wings. But this pesky annoyance couldn't deter it. It just pushed the roc faster. Gary was able to look away from the bird and unclench his left hand. With it he grabbed Harold's other arm and helped him up.

"Thank's for joining us today, Gary."

He just slowly nodded back at Harold, his eyes still wide with fright. But he knew that he couldn't just stand...

"AERO!!!" Yuffie's tornado suddenly blocked the roc's path. Jason looked over at her.

"That wasn't stolen materia?" Buffie's head just shook, as she concentrated on keeping the tornado going. The roc reeled to its left to get out of the tornado's way. The tornado followed, to block the roc's assault. It eventually had to fly away from the party. It was at about 200 meters before it turned around again. This tornado was just a mere inconvenience.

"Alright, what's the plan guys?"

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"Look Gary, I have an idea. There's a branch about 30 centimeters below your foot. If you grab my hand, you can drop down to it. I know, you can't see it, but you'll have to trust me. Do you understand?" Gary nodded, "Now grab my hand."

"I can't." He squeaked. The branch began to crack more as Gary tried to pull himself up a little more. Jason scooted forward a little. "Gary, you have to just grab my hand. Don't think about, it just grab my hand." He paused. "C'mon."

Gary mouthed the words "I can't."

"Yes. You can, and I know you will. Finally, the branch cracked enough to start to tilt. only half the branch was holding Gary up now. This sprung him into action. He stretched out his arm to grab Jason's as the branch brought him closer. Jason grabbed Gary's elbow as the branch snapped off and fell 20 meters to the ground below. Jason was then left with Gary's weight which started to dislocate his shoulder. Gary began to descend as Jason slipped Gary's arm up to his hand. Gary felt the branch below his foot and instantly leaned against the trunk.

Breathless, the two boys could do nothing but gasp for the next few minutes.

"I can't believe you just did that, Jason."

Jason's wide smile was his first response. "What can I say, I'm amazing."

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"Let me take care of it. Buffie, drop the tornado."

"Are you crazy?" Jason spurted out. "That's our only defense against the roc!"

"I can take him out, I know you can't see that, but you're going to have to trust me."

Jason froze for a second before saying, "Drop the tornado, Buffie."

She broke her concentration to yell at him, "What?!" With that the tornado began to slowly fade down below the level of the bridge, The roc saw his chance and flew in towards the prey. As Buffie collapsed from the strain, Jason caught her and comforted her.

Gary stood defiantly as the others were nursing wounds or helping nurse wounds, and were kneeling. The roc saw the short one standing defiantly. This was going to be its first victim. Gary's materia began to glow. Jason looked over at the materia and whispered, "You can do it, Gary."

The roc was now only 75 meters away. 50, 40, 30. "FIRE2!!!" The roc burst into flames and fell down. But it wasn't fast enough. The roc passed within three meters of the bridge. Gary continued to stand defiantly as the fire singed his eyebrows. The roc speared itself onto the rocky spires below as the party cheered Gary on.

"I can't believe you just did that, Gary."

Gary returned Jason's smile, "What can I say, I'm amazing."

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