It was a crowded night at the Calber Fastella - a Shinra-owned nightclub, that was as exquisite as its name implied. Five dozen people or so occupied the large, smoky room - most of them citizens of the newly formed city the club was in - Thaisan. A mainly (but not exclusively) Shinra-occupied town on the outskirts of Midgar. A city built with the tax-payers money, mostly so the Shinra soldiers had a nice quiet town to live with their families in, outside of the crime-ridden streets of Midgar. The club had its fair share of crowds from night to night, but was particularly full on this one. Rex Arinthone - a general to the reformed Shinra army - was celebrating his final night of duty, before slipping into a quiet retirement right here in Thaisan itself.

The general sat in the back of the room at a large, round table with three other soldiers - armed with automatic machine guns. The table overlooked the entire club from its position - raised four feet higher, and sectioned off with finely-polished golden rails. The flashy red carpeting of the lower floor had been abandoned for a royal blue one with silver trimming, and golden silhouettes of an assortment of magnificent creatures and beasts. A single, diamond-coated chandelier hung above the table, watching over them like a divine blessing. A fitting seat for a retiring general.

Rex looked around the table, smiling at the friends surrounding him. Edward Batch - his oldest friend in the army and the quickest hands he had ever met. Herman Davis - the man posed to take his job. He had to admit they couldn't have found a better replacement. And Brale Theed - the youth of the table, but deceptively deadly. A fine soldier, and an even better pilot.

Three men he would trust his life with. He would trust his families lives with.

"To Shinra!" He suddenly bellowed out, raising his mug of beer to the heavens. "And retirement!" He added with a bit of a laugh. The three men laughed with him, as they saluted their mugs as well. The people on the lower floor - breaking away from their casual chatter and dancing - noticed their salute and began cheering. The majority, if not all of them, were middle to high class civilians. They didn't feel the sting of President Shinras taxation. They didn't get hassled in the streets by Shinra guards for unjust causes. To them, Shinra and its army were heroes - and General Arinthone was a king.

He acknowledged the crowd by tipping his mug to them, then took down the ale inside with a long chug. His comrades did the same. Almost as soon as he had placed the empty mug on the table, a woman was at his side.

"Refill General?" She asked politely, shyly smiling and tilting her head to the side.

Rex looked up at her. Above him stood an attractive woman with reddish brown hair tied back in a tight ponytail, wearing a black waitress's outfit.

"Sure sweetheart." He answered, handing her the mug.

"Oh, general!" She said, batting her eyelashes and picking up his empty mug.

She'll earn her tip tonight. Rex though as he smiled up at her.

"The rest of you boys will have to wait - generals first tonight." She said, giving Rex a wink.

She'll earn more than that if she keeps this up.

And with that thought, she slowly walked down the stairs, and headed towards the bar at the opposite side of the room. Rex watched her the whole way, grinning all the while.

"Relaxed Mr. Arinthone." Edwards said, breaking his daze. "Have you forgotten Mrs. Arinthone?"

Rex let out a deep laugh. He knew Edward was right - yet - he felt his eyes go back to the waitress. There was something about her…

"So…" Brale began. "Our last night as a team."

Everyone at once began jeering at the young blonde man.

"Come on, Brale!" Herman said. "This is a night of celebration, not some sappy goodbye."

"Yea kid… plus, I'm sure Rex will be hanging around base all the time, anyway." Edward added, giving his general a smile.

"Guys." Rex started, a bit reluctantly. "I don't plan on disappearing, but I certainly do not plan on hanging around. President Shinra had hinted at that to me already. Twice. I'm guessing he wants me to hang out in the shadows, call the shots from afar - just not do any fighting. But what he, and all you guys, has to realize is, I'm done. Ten years is too much war for one man to see. I need this. I need to be with my family."

Everyone silently nodded.

"Besides, the war, for the most part, is over. Only a few more rebel dogs to be put down, and Shinra won't even need an army anymore. We can all go home to our families."

More nods all around.

"Now… let's get back to celebrating." Rex stated with a wide grin, and instantly the mood was lightened back up. The man certainly was a general. On and off the battlefield.

There new celebration was cut short.

"Aye there! General Abarabathrone!" An odd voice called out, butchering the generals last name.

All four men simultaneously looked to the stairs where the voice had originated from. Slowly wobbling his way towards them, was a young man. His hands pulled on the golden railing adjacent to the stairs, seemingly forcing his legs to find their way up them. He reached the top and nearly fell flat on his face, before wind milling his arms and catching his balance. Once he was steadied, he pointed at the general and gave a large, foolish grin.

"General! Tis' an honor, good sir! Pleasure to make your acquaintances'" He stated boldly, his tongue flailing about recklessly in his mouth as he spoke. The man was clearly drunk.

Edward began pushing his chair out to get up and remove the man, but was stopped by a gesture from Rex's large, commanding hand.

"This could be a laugh." He muttered to his comrade.

"If you say so." Edward replied, scooting his chair back towards the table.

"Make I ask, good sir," Rex began sardonically. "Who I am making my acquaintance too?

The man looked hurt, yet innocent - like a wounded puppy dog.

"General." He said in a matching tone, as he began hobbling his way to the table. "I'm offended!" And with that, he flopped into an empty chair - practically tipping it over.

Rex studied the strange new man, curiously. He looked to be about twenty five… too young to know better than to intrude on a soldiers table - drunk or not. He had uncombed, shaggy brown hair and a scruffy red bandana to hold it out of his face - which was desperately in need of a good shave. He wore flat-brown pants and a plain white shirt that was covered partially by a dirty, brown vest. Not common clothing in the town of Thaisan, where most of the snobby civilians paraded about in equally-snobby suits and dresses - competing with each other, most of the time, to see who can out-snob the other.

"You got pretty eyes, general… keep lookin' at me like that, and people will think we're in love." He said in a low, playful voice. The three lower-ranked soldiers at the table all threw their heads back in laughter. Rex went a bit red.

"That chandelier is one heck of a site to see, If I do say so myself." The man said as he suddenly gazed dreamily up at the large, diamond-coated circle above him. "Look's a little weak though…"

"Can I ask your name, stranger?" Rex asked in a professional manner, hiding his embarrassment.

"I ain't no stranger, general, and my name… heck, that ain't of no importance." The man began, sitting up in his seat. "My pop used to always say - he said - folks get too caught up in names and titles. They forget what really matters. What matters is what's inside the names and titles. What matters is the people." The man grinned. "You can't forget the people, general."

Rex frowned now. Something about the way the man said the final sentence - almost as if he'd completely sobered up in a heartbeat. However, the man burst out laughing at Rex's face and began slapping his knee. Rex eased up a bit.

"I tell you, general." He said between laughter. "Them eyes are hypnotizing. You sure maybe you ain't in love? Only time I seen eyes like that, someone was in love."

More laughter around the table.

"Let me tell you fellers a tale about me and old Rex here." The man began, loudly forcing his voice over the tables laughter. "OK, so we're down in Costa Del Sol, right?"

"What were you two doing down there?" Herman asked playfully, glancing at the generals face as if to say "This guy's out of his mind."

"Well, I do believe we were trackin us down a pair of chocobo thieves." He answered. "Caught a trail all the way from Junon harbor! Helluva trip, wasn't it general?"

Rex nodded, playing along, but losing interest fast. The rest of the tables laughter disagreed with him.

"So we get down there, right-

"How long it take ya?" Brale questioned amusingly.

"Longer than a Phoenix's tail, but that ain't important right now." More laughs. "So - we get there and we catch these two fellas in a hotel room, and I'd be damned, what do they have in the room with em'?

"The chocobos?" Herman answered between laughter.

"The chocobos!" The man repeated, tossing his arms in the air and putting on a silly face. The table was in stiches now, holding their guts and gasping for air. "OK, but the worst part is what these two fellas are doin to the chocobos! I won't go into details, being at a dinner table and all - but let's just say them chocobos gonna put up a fight next time someone tries riden em', if ya catch my drift." Edward threw his head back and slapped his knee in amusement. Brale was clinging onto Hermans shoulder laughing wildly. "So me and the general walk in on the act, right - and Rex he goes-

Suddenly, as quick as a lightning spell, the man leaned over to Herman and yanked his gun out from his holster - then quickly did the same to Edward, who was on the opposite side of him. He slammed both machine guns down on top of the table hard. One pointing at Brale, the other at Rex himself.

"Nobody move."

The mens faces slowly shifted from laughter, to confusion, to shock.

"What the hell?!" Herman exclaimed as the shock faded to anger.

Rex sat silently at the opposite side of the table from the man - a cold fire burning in his eyes. He would have pulled his own weapon out, only it wasn't there.

Something about that waitress…

He cursed himself for being so sloppy. Last day on the job, and fooled by (undoubtedly) some rebel dogs. Across from him was no longer the drunken idiot who had staggered his way to the table. It was a gun-toting rebel, with fiercely focused eyes and an expression to match.

"Those eyes sure are pretty." The man said with a grin. The general did not return it.

"Impressive." Rex said nodding his head. "But stupid." He added with a sharp tone.

"Yea, maybe - regardless, I'm gonna need your keycard, general."

His keycard? How did this dog know he had a key-.

Then it hit him. A leak. Someone close in with the higher-ups. It had to be, being as only a handful of people knew about the secret detention center, hidden under the Thaisan Inn. A detention center in which only his keycard would open. A detention center full of rebels.

"You give me the name of the source." Rex began calmly. "And I only arrest you under the charges of public disturbance."

The brown-haired man grinned.

"Names aren't important, general. It's what's inside the name that counts."

Rex went hot with rage. His fists balled up tightly - his throat ran dry. Air was rhythmically sucked into his throat and shot back out by a cannon.

"You won't leave this town alive, scum. I give my word on that."

"Yea, well - let's hope you're not a man of your word then. Now, the keycard."

Rex shot him a look before digging into his pocket and ripping out the small, plastic rectangle.

"So young for such a big job." He said, sliding the card across the table. The man stopped it with his hand right before it slid off the edge.

"Alright, now the real card, general."

Whoever the leak was, he was good. He had told the rebels about the decoy card for just such an occasion. If the card was inserted, it would have triggered a security mechanism that would lock all the doors and set off an alarm, sealing the fate of whomever had tried using it.

Rex gave him another icy look, before reluctantly reaching underneath his shirt and pulling out a thin necklace - at the end of which was a keycard.

"That's the one." The man said with a smile. Rex angrily ripped it off the chain and slid it over to him.

"Now!" The man shouted loudly, and just as quick as he did, all the lights on the lower section of the club went out - plummeting it into darkness. Screams of confusion flooded the large room as the people (who hadn't even noticed what was going on at the table above them.) began panicking.

Rexs face was as cold as ever.

"You won't live to tell this grandeur tale to anyone, you do realize that?"

The man had already stood up from the table, and was backing up towards the stairs - keeping the dual machine guns locked on the four soldiers. He paused at the top of them.

"For my father." His voice was steady and full of pride as he raised one of the guns to the weak-looking chandelier that hung above the table. Rex was only able to get out a half of a shout, before the sound of bullets drowned it out - cutting through the supporting chains of the magnificent light. They snapped, and it shot straight down into the middle of the table, exploding in a brilliant display of light before going dark and sending the club into complete blackness.

It was probably better for the three men at the table who weren't generals. You didn't want to see Rex's face.

---

-

---

Teioh slammed the double doors of the club shut behind him, spilling out into the moon-lit streets of Thaisan and dropping the two machine guns.

"Marlene!" He called out, pressing all his weight against the doors.

A moment later, Marlene (still dressed as a waitress) appeared from around the side of the building, driving a small car. She parked it in his place, as Teioh took a few steps back from the entrance.

"That should hold them for awhile." She said, scooting to the passenger side and getting out of the vehicle.

"Yea." He agreed. "And the back door?"

"Sealed, but it won't hold for long."

"Alright then, bring the trucks to the front of the Inn, I'll head to the detention center underneath." He said, holding his arms up and twirling the keycard between his fingers. Marlene nodded.

"Teioh!" She called out as he raced towards the Inn. He looked back at her. "Be careful!"

"You too." He shouted back, then continued towards the Inn.

The inside was no different from any other Inn. Warm and cozy. Made you feel like it could easily be a second home. Long wooden walls, and comfy looking lobby furniture. A perfect disguise for Shinras secret prison.

Teioh pulled open a door behind the front desk, leading to a small, dark storage closet. He took two steps into the mothball-smelling cube, before crouching down and peeling back a carpet that was there. A trap door was exposed - looking like a kid who got caught cheating on a math test.

"Well I'll be damned." Teioh said, shaking his head. So far, their source had been spot on. The four guards and the retirement party. The fake keycard. And now, the trap door beneath the carpet.

We should be paying him more. Teioh thought to himself as he grabbed a hold of the indented grip of the door. He stood up quickly, bringing the trap door up with him, and swung it backwards. It landed with a soft thud on the wall behind it. A short descent down a ladder, and he was in a long, bright hallway - at the end of which was a steel, menacing-looking door. He started down the hallway, suddenly feeling like he had entered another world. When he reached the steel rectangle, he slid the stolen keycard through a machine to the doors left. A short beeping noise and a hiss of the doors locks being released later, and he was stranding in the prison.

"Teioh!"

He was met with a handful of cheers from the prisoners that were locked behind the four cells (One in each corner of the room). He looked around. This was Shinras dirty work down here. Rebels that had been locked up for petty crimes, or no crimes at all. Politicians that had opposed them. Men who had worked for them, and wanted out. Though he was happy to be setting them all free, he didn't see the man he was looking for.

"Teioh!" A voice called to him. He looked over and saw a short, dark-skinned kid in raggedy clothing.

"Loeb." He answered, jogging to the door of the cell the kid was in.

"Glad to see ya, buddy! Get me outta here!" He said, shouting with excitement and yanking at the long steel bars of the cell.

"Loeb." Teioh started, as he slid the card through the door. "Where's me dad?"

Loeb looked at him. The excitement had been replaced by a concerned frown.

"Loeb! Don't cut corners, man! Were is he!?"

"He's here… he don't look good though. They beat the hell out him man."

By now, the door was open.

"Here." Teioh said, handing Loeb the keycard. "Free the rest of them, then head upstairs. Marlene is waiting with three trucks. I want you behind one of their wheels."

Loeb nodded as he took the card.

"Hey Teioh, man." He said, standing to the side as people began flooding out of the cell doors. "He never cried out in pain, man. Not once."

Teioh forced a smile and shook his head.

"Be quick."

Loeb nodded, and he was on his way.

After the cell had been emptied, Teioh saw him.

Most people knew him as Joe. Or Jockey Joe. Or maybe, just as Teiohs rider. But all Teioh knew him as was

"Dad!" He shouted out as he ran to the man slumped into the corner of the room. He slid to a kneeling position beside him. The man was old, and Loeb hadn't lied - he didn't look good. His eyes were small circles in dark shells, his face long and tired, and a bit pale. The only thing that had maintained its health, was the "lucky" black cowboy hat the man had worn in every chocobo race he had ever entered. His dad had always claimed it was the source of all his fortunes.

His father looked up at him with worn eyes. His mouth fell open for a moment as he stared at Teioh - seemingly trying to figure out who it was that knelt over him.

"Son?" His voice was a grainy whisper that echoed distantly in the, now empty, room.

"Yea dad." He answered suddenly finding himself fighting back tears. His father stared at him for a moment - then said

"Did you bring Teioh?"

He must have been bad, because now he was delirious. The black bird he asked for, that had carried him on strong legs to countless victories, had passed on years ago.

"No dad… it's just me."

He hated being named after the chocobo. It was demeaning, not to mention embarrassing - especially growing up, where he was teased into tears at school, being called "Chocobo Boy", or "Slow Teioh". But they were kids, that's not what really bothered him. What really bothered him was the fact that he had always felt he was in the stupid birds shadow. He remembered thinking If only I was as fast as daddies Teioh. Then daddy would love me just as much. He remembered the time his father let him ride along in a race. He had never gone so fast before. The black chocobo carried them relentlessly through the course he had grown to know so very well. His young eyes burned as the wind they cut through jabbed at them like a knife. It was an exhilarating experience for such a young child to participate in. Unfortunately it was the last time he ever got to do so. His father, for the first time in years, had lost a race.

Teioh remembered feeling the worse he ever felt afterwards. He remembered the disappointed look on his fathers face. He remembered the black chocobo of the same name, staring a hole through him later that night at home. He remembered the spiky-haired blonde man who had beaten them (who he would later learn to be the hero, Cloud).

But most of all, he remembered wanting to make up for it to his dad. Which led him here, in the basement of a secret prison - freeing rebels and hunching over his old man.

"Come on dad, we're getting out of here." He said, wrapping his arm around his fathers back.

"No son." His father suddenly said, more strength in his voice as he did so. Teioh looked down at him confused.

"Dad, I-

"Son." His father cut him off, staring into his sons eyes. "I've been in this race for a long time kid… and I think I can just about see the finish line."

"Dad…"

"But," His father continued. "This race can't be won by no mortal man. No. This is a race we're all born to lose."

"Dad! Stop!"

His father wrapped his old hand around the back of his sons neck and pulled him close. Teioh expected him to kiss him, but he did something else instead. He pulled the old black hat, that had seemed to be a permanent part of his head, off and gently lowered it onto Teioh's. He gave a tug to the front flap - securing it in place - and smiled.

"You've got the luck now kid." His father whispered and gave him a wink.

Teioh stared down at him with teary eyes.

"I love ya… Teioh."

And with those words, the race was finally over.

---

-

---

Loeb stood on top of a truck in the street of Thaisan - guiding the, now free, rebels to the back sides of them.

"Move, move, move!!!" He shouted, pointing towards the rear ends of the large vehicles. "Split up evenly!"

Marlene was standing back there, motioning with her hands to which trucks they should go to.

"Where's Teioh!?" She shouted at Loeb over the commotion. Loeb looked down at her.

"If my guess is right… he's probably saying goodbye to someone."

Marlene bit her lip and nodded. She knew they had captured Teiohs father, and she hadn't seen him come up either.

"OK, listen to me Loeb." She shouted at him. "Drive the middle truck - lead the others. Go to the outskirts of Midgar on the east side, we have a hideout in the slums that is reachable from there. We have a contact waiting near the path, he'll know where to go from there."

Loeb nodded.

"What about you and Teioh?"

"Don't worry about it, just go!"

As the last of the people had filed into the backs of the trucks, and two drivers took the other two wheels - the convoy took off into the night, leaving nothing behind but a trail of dust. And Marlene, who wasted no time dashing into the Inn.

She found the secret ladder, and was down in the holding room in seconds.

She raced in to see Teioh hunched over his fathers limp body, cradling it in his arms. Her eyebrows sloped inwards as she pressed her lips tightly together.

"Oh, Teioh." She said, rushing to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry."

"No, it's uh… it's ok." He said, rubbing her hand with his. "I, uh… just wanted to say goodbye, you know?"

She nodded.

Teioh gently laid his fathers body on the floor and stood up.

"Have they gotten out?" He asked. His voice was low.

Marlene nodded again. She didn't want to speak - it would have felt… disrespectful.

"OK… let's go get Montana and join them."

With that, they both turned and left the room - but not before Teioh turned around and gave his father one final tip of his old black hat.

---

-

---

Montana cut thru the cold night air like a bullet. Even with the extra weight of her two passengers, she was lightning quick. A golden chocobo - and the last of her kind. Teioh always referred to her as "The only good thing I got from that stupid, black bird.". And right now, the black birds only child was saving his life.

Teiohs shoulders reached for his ears as bullets ripped past them - Teioh holding the chocobo's reins from the back, Marlene between his arms in front of him. Just when it looked like they were going to escape the town - Rex and his men burst through the back door of the Calber Fastella nightclub which they had been locked into. It didn't take them long to spot the fleeing party and get into their hovercars and onto their motorcycles. They had also called in a couple of reinforcements - and now, they had a whole fleet of soldiers on their heels, sending a storm of bullets at their backside.

"Hya!" Teioh let out a thunderous cry and gave Montana a swift kick. Automatically, she kicked it up a notch. Marlene was amazed at how fast the bird really was. She had heard rumors of the golden chocobo's speed, but had never seen it up close.

Suddenly, her eyes caught a dreadful sight ahead.

"Teioh! Look!" She screamed, the fierce wind making it a whisper.

"I see it." He answered.

Ahead of them, the gate to the city was closing.

"Hya!" He repeated, if possible, even more powerfully. The golden bird pushed itself to its limits - leaning forward so far, Marlene thought she was going slide off. She felt one of Teioh's arms wrap around her waist, as if reading her thoughts. The gate (which was now only feet ahead of them) was closing too fast, they weren't going to get through.

"Teioh!" Marlene screamed. "We can't make it!"

Just as she said the words, Montana - with one last burst of strength - threaded them through the slim opening that was left. The sound of the metal gates slamming into each other was so close to the back of their heads, they felt it.

The army behind them wasn't so lucky. The two bikers that were leading the pack (unable to brake) slammed into it with a ferocious thud. The three hovercars behind them also slammed into it, but instead of coming to a dead stop, they simply barreled their way though - leaving the gate a mangled mess on the road behind them.

Teioh looked back and saw them coming. He suddenly turned back and jerked Montana's reins to the right. Marlene looked back at him with a confused face.

"We can't outrun em'… at least not on land." He yelled.

---

Rex sat in the passengers side of the middle hovercar, still grimacing over the fact he had to mangle his own cities gates. His eyes narrowed onto the small golden figure two hundred feet ahead of them.

"The chocobo can't run forever." He said calmly. "They will stop, or they will lead us straight to their base. It is a win-win situation. The rebel dogs, will pay."

Ahead, the party made a hard right turn.

"Sir?" The driver asked confused.

"Follow them!" Rex barked at him. He squinted his eyes. Where are you going?

---

Marlene's eyes went wide when she realized where he was going.

"Teioh! Are you nuts!?"

"Trust me…" He said assuredly.

Less than a hundred yards away was the massive, dark blue carpet of the ocean - softly lit by the large moon that hung low to it.

"Hya!" Teioh called out. He had no intention of veering off course now.

Marlene grabbed his arm with hers and closed her eyes tightly. This was the end of them.

But when she opened them again, they weren't dead. No, they were very much alive, and running full speed on top of the water. Marlene's mouth dropped slightly open, and her eyes went into a dreamy stare, as the ocean floor whizzed by beneath her.

"Teioh!" She cried out in half fear, half amazement.

Teioh smiled - and inside of himself, he buried the hatchet with his old black-feathered nemesis. Thanks… Teioh.

---

"STOP!" Rex screamed, but it was too late. The hovercar came to a slow halt, unfortunately - it was over the water. The jets below the vehicle gave in to the cold oceans floor, dieing instantly and reducing the car to a useless floating hunk of metal. The other cars behind him tried stopping as well, but also shot into the water - bumping Rex's car out even further.

The only thing he would catch now was their long shadows, which mockingly stretched back to him from the moon ahead. His face was stone-cold - his eyes murderous. Twenty minutes ago, he would have told you there wasn't a thing in the world to make him reconsider his retirement.

He would have been wrong.

---

-

---

As Montana carried them seamlessly over the ocean surface, Teioh reflected on what had just happened. All the bullets that whizzed inches from his head, the narrow passage through the gates, and the ocean escape. And for a moment, if only a moment, his mind thought of his fathers old, black, lucky cowboy hat - which now rested firmly on his own head.

---