Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII, Saint Seiya, or Robert Burns; I'd be Pegasus Seiya if I did.

A/N Hi everyone! Sorry to say I won't be updating much next week. Going on a trip to a rural area with no Internet. Fortunately this means many story updates!

"Should a body meet a body
Coming through the rye
Should a body kiss a body
Need a body cry?" I muttered as we rode along on the chocobos.

"What is it?" Melinda asked.

"It's a poem by Robert Burns," I replied as we rode through the marshes near Midgar. I glanced around to see Vincent once again bringing up the rear with Sephiroth. We'd picked him up at his mansion, and after a little persuasion along with a bite on the ear from Ariella; he'd agreed to accompany us. "Okay everyone keep your eyes open, there're Zoloms in the area!" I shouted behind us.

Sephiroth glared at me, "I'm the SOLDIER General so why the hell is she leading the group?" He muttered to Zack and Angeal.

"Well Seph the President did put her in charge of the situation," Angeal replied.

Bjanik just smiled to herself watching Sephiroth's irritation, "you know getting annoyed about it will only make the situation more difficult."

"Don't remind me…" Sephiroth grunted watching Ariella walking along side the group, she had neglected a chocobo saying it wasn't right to travel on one.

"Ariella are you okay?" Angeal asked as they walked along.

"We're fine, but everyone prepare to duck," she cautioned.

"Why?" I asked only to be swept off of my chocobo into the air by a massive snake tail. "Whoa shit!"

A large snake, the two-tailed Midgar Zolom reared its massive head hissing dangerously, I thrashed around, "let me go!" I summoned Acrossing Two, cutting into the tail, as I broke free I summoned Fenrir using it as a skateboard to cross the snake's body, I slid effortlessly along the back of the Zolom shooting Fire spells at the head. Ariella had switched places with Adarna, who pinned the head to the ground with her chains; the rest of the group was busy attempting to hack into the scales.

"Be careful up there!" Melinda shouted as I slid further along the back towards the head until I suddenly felt my feet touch down. Fenrir had slid out from under my feet and wedged itself firmly between the scales of the Zolom. I imagined for a moment that the swords glancing off of its scales would be akin to flies, but my Keyblade under the scales would be a thorn in the side, literally.

"Whoa not good!" I shouted latching onto the thrashing body like a drowning cat.

Adarna smirked from where she was being held by Chaos in an embrace, "Well then what should we do with it?"

"Oh just toss it, no sense wasting all this effort," Chaos replied.

Adarna smirked, "fine by me." She spun around rapidly lifting the massive serpent into the air.

I clung on until the centripetal force flung me off right into Kamui and Melinda, "urg…."

"Get off me," the clone grunted shoving me off as Adarna flung away the giant snake.

"Are you okay?" Melinda asked helping me up.

"Snakes… why did it have to be snakes?" I muttered leaning on her.

Sephiroth walked over, "alright then, we're still on a mission here, regroup and move out."

Angeal had picked up Ariella, "come on then you, let's go," he climbed back onto his chocobo watching the red hair fade to black leaving only a stripe while she curled up asleep.

Vincent, having reclaimed his body, watched her silently as we continued on through the caverns towards Fort Condor. Most of the monsters kept their distance as we trekked through the crystal caverns area, after several hours, including my need to sate my Magpie Syndrome, we left the caverns to arrive at Fort Condor, a helicopter was supposed to meet us for the journey to Mideel then off to the rest. I blamed Sephiroth for ruining the chocobo caravan; he didn't seem too annoyed after the eighty-five stops we made in the caverns to allow me to collect treasure, materia, crystals and other things I could keep later.

We rode up to the large base; I dismounted and flew backwards as a fist connected with my face, "Kamui!" I heard Melinda shout, the other Kamui's laughed cracked through the air.

I sat up to see Rhianna standing over me glaring daggers, "you stupid idiot! How dare you show your face around here!"

I sat up watching as Melinda restrained Rhianna from a second attack, "wait what did she do?"

"You were there, you saw what the psycho did!" Rhianna snapped.

"She didn't know any better!" Melinda snapped.

"Rhianna that's enough," a young man emerged from the tower. "Don't you know the meaning of hospitality?"

"Right sorry…" she muttered, "you guys can come on up, but not you." She glared at me.

"Wait that's not…" Melinda started to protest when I put my hand on hers.

"No it's okay, I don't mind, just go." I smiled at her.

"But I don't want you to catch a cold or freeze," she protested.

Bjanik left where she'd been talking to Sephiroth and walked over to Melinda, "come on, have a little faith in her."

"But it's not fair!" Melinda protested.

I took her hands in mine, "I promise you I'll be fine so you go on inside."

"But I…" she muttered.

"Go on, I'll be here in the morning, I promise."

She nodded weakly, Bjanik nodded and led her inside, and most everyone had gone up without a second glance leaving me alone. It was just I and the young man from earlier with the chocobos, "hey if you have time to stand around then you have time to help me put this lot away."

"Yes sir!" I ran forward to assist with the chocobos; we led them around to the lower end of the fort into a small stable. Quietly I pulled off the saddles and bridles from the chocobos, I was familiar with the process on horses so it didn't come as much of a challenge.

"I'm sorry for Rhianna's behavior," the man apologized. "She has a bad temper sometimes."

"No problem, I'm Wallace by the way," I introduced myself.

"Dustin," he replied as we brushed down the birds placing fresh Greens in the bowls. "So what brings you and the Shin-Ra out here?"

"We're heading to Nibelheim, trouble's brewing and we want to come to the town from the mountains," I replied.

"I see," Dustin smiled, "so you work for Shin-Ra?"

I shook my head, "no, I'm a privet freelance detective and jack-of-all-trades, I work on my own terms but I was a little surprised when Shin-Ra decided to call in some outside help."

"Well I don't know much about that sort of thing, heard there was a massive upheaval awhile back," he shrugged placing the bucket of Greens on a rack, "but what's the story with you and Rhianna?"

"Not much to tell, I screwed up and messed up her life, messed up a lotta people's lives," I shrugged placing my bucket next to his. "But I've learned to live with the hatred, actually makes it easier for me to do my job."

"Ah well we all make mistakes, so you planning on spending the night out here?"

I nodded, "mind if I take a stable for myself?"

He shook his head, "sure, there's a bunk upstairs for the stable hands. I'll send down some dinner later."

"Thank you," I smiled as Dustin left. I left the building and climbed up the boulders and ladders until I reached the roof. Settling down I gazed up at the night sky in pondering, well I would if I was the type who could ever have a deep philosophical train of thought without writing it in a story. So my mind wandered over the constellations watching the stars twinkle into life, I started humming a tune that normally I wouldn't hum at school unless I wanted people to give me weird looks. "Dakeshimeta… kokoro no cosumo… atsuku moyase kiseki wo okose… kizutsuita… mama ja inai to… chikai atta haruka na ginga… Pegasasu Fantaji sou sa yume dake wa… daremo mo ubaenai kokoro no tsubasa dakara… Seinto Seiya… shonen wa minna… Seinto Seiya ashita no yusha oh yeah… Seinto Seiya Pegasasu no yo ni… Seinto Seiya… ima koso… habatake…" I was singing Pegasus Fantasy from Saint Seiya; sue me, either way I kept singing until Dustin arrived with some dinner and a bucket of water to clean off in. He didn't stick around though, since as soon as he delivered he headed back up into the stable. So I ate dinner under the stars, it was nice, some simple fish and rice with some soy sauce. I finished it up then returned back inside, washed off myself and the bowls before heading into the stable hand's bunk falling asleep on the bed.