He stared out over the landscape, his expression harsh and unyielding. A chewed cigarette hung out of the corner of his mouth and trailed a thin line of smoke into the air. The sun was beginning to set now, meaning it would be easier to travel undetected.

"Kuja-ta," he called mockingly over his shoulder before turning and facing the twin brothers who stood there. Kuja and Kuta were identical in every way and could not be told apart by anyone except for this twenty-two-year-old. Kuja-ta was what most people called them, but this man called them by it rarely and only ever for his own amusement. "Go get Sergei."

Turning, they both walked back to the tent which had been pitched and ducked inside to find the other man. It wasn't very long before Sergei exited the tent and stepped up beside his companion, also staring out at the landscape.

"Yes, Lee?"

"We need to start moving out. That way by the time the sun has set we'll be in their midst and able to use the darkness to our advantage." Lee said, spitting out his cigarette and grounding it into the dirt with his shoe. Their plan for that night was to attack the nearby group of ShinRa Infantrymen who were camped at the bottom of the hill.

Ever since Wutai had been conquered, ShinRa felt the need to have a constant presence in the country.

The Wutai rebellion armies had a different view point.

"I'll gather everyone together, then." Sergei was about to go back to the tent when Lee turned and fixed his gaze on him, a crazed glint making itself known.

"Tell Yakov to prepare his extra bag." The words were spoken softly, but the intentions behind them were clear combined with the look in Lee's eyes. Sergei also knew what was contained in Yakov's extra bag, so there was no question of what Lee was planning.

With a nod, he left and entered the tent.

Kuja and Kuta were sitting to one side and there was a pack of cigarettes lying on the ground in front of them. One of the twins had a cigarette between his lips, but Sergei had no idea which one it was. He only ever saw one smoking at a time and assumed if he found out which one did, he'd be able to tell them apart from then on. Unfortunately they never told.

"Yakov," Sergei said, moving to where the other man was holding a wire between his teeth as he clicked two other things together. He was their bombs expert. Spitting the wire into his lap, Yakov looked up.

"We leaving now?" he asked.

"Soon. Grab your extra bag, but swap the extravagant for the flash."

Sergei then moved over to Tarou, the groups gambler, who was studying the cards he held as though they held the secret of the universe.

"Tarou, put them away. We're going to need you." Sergei knelt down and grabbed the man's bag, pulling a map out and then shoving it into the man's lap.

"I already told you where their camp was," Tarou grumbled, shoving his cards into his bag and then picking up the map. "The foot of the hill."

"Is there another close by? One that might hear or see some fireworks from here?" Sergei asked. As well as being a gambler, Tarou was incredibly good with maps and had somehow gotten his hands on one which showed all of the ShinRa camps within Wutai. There were hundreds, but the ones which had already been taken out had crosses through them.

"Ah," Tarou said, realising what Sergei wanted to happen. "Depending how high the fireworks shoot, the camp on the other side of this hill might see. Probably wouldn't hear it, though. I think these ones might hear it and come running." Tarou pointed at a camp not far from the one they were planning on attacking and Sergei nodded thoughtfully.

"We'll need to be ready for them, then." he said before standing again and heading back out of the tent.

Lee was standing in the same spot he had been when Sergei had left, but now he had his gun out and was examining it. There was a blood stain on the end of it where he had knocked someone unconscious once, but other than that it was mostly just dirt which covered it.

"Everyone's ready to go." Sergei said quietly.

"Good. Tell Yakov I want him up the front with me." Lee shoved his gun back in his belt and stretched. "Tell everyone we've got five minutes to take the tent down."

Sergei left again and Lee reached into his pocket for another cigarette. Scowling when he realised he'd run out, he then followed after Sergei and entered the tent, looking for Kuja and Kuta, who still sat at the side, only one smoking. It was Kuta who was smoking, but only Lee knew that they both did and simply took turns. Right now, Kuja's pinky and ring-finger of his left hand were twitching with need.

"Kuta, pass me one." Lee said, squatting and putting a hand out. The twin in question chuckled and grabbed one from the box at his feet before placing it in his superior's hand.

"You have a plan then, Liam?" Kuja asked with a raised eyebrow, brushing some of his hair out of his eye. The twins' black hair which reached just below their shoulders was streaked red and blue on the ends in a random order.

Lee smirked and stood up properly again, lighting his cigarette and then putting it in his mouth and breathing deeply. Then he nodded and walked out of the tent again, leaving them to pack up their things and take down the tent.

When Davis showed up at ShinRa a week later, Roy couldn't stop the girlish scream that came out of his mouth before he ran across the cafeteria room and hugged his friend tightly.

"How?" Roy blurted out.

"Zack and Reno." Davis laughed, pushing Roy off him. "But please don't do that again."

"Davis!" Rex came running up, dragging Alec behind him. "Meet Alec! The guy who stole your spot in our room! Sorry, you'll have to find somewhere else now."

"Don't be stupid," Cloud said. "There are two extra beds at the back."

"Yeah, nice try Rex." Davis laughed.

"Whoa!" Roy said, eyes widening as he looked down at his watch. "We have exactly five minutes to get to our next class! And it's all the way over in the other training block!"

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Rex gasped in horror.

"I didn't notice until just then! But come on, if we don't start going now we won't make it in time. And if it's Brawn taking the class, we'll be skinned alive!"

Everyone nodded in agreement with Roy before moving out as one to try and reach the training block quickly. Brawn already did his best to make their lives miserable, so they didn't need to help him at all!

But who knew, maybe Brawn wouldn't even be taking their class that day. Maybe it would be someone else. Someone nicer.

Entering the training block two minutes late, they all groaned. Brawn was standing in front of the rest of the grunts who had actually gotten there on time and had his hands on his hips angrily, staring them down.

"Let's see," Brawn growled. "What would be a suitable punishment for someone who has been late a total of five times to my classes already?"

The group shifted nervously, wondering which one of them he was talking about.

"Rance, ten laps now."

Rex had known it was coming. Something about facing class with Brawn had settled a subconscious fear in his mind which made him try, without realising, to be late so he wouldn't have to spend as much time there.

"Have fun." Davis murmured teasingly, smirking at his friend. Rex poked his tongue out and then took off running around the edges of the large room.

"Now," Brawn snapped. "As I was saying. Today you will be undergoing a simulation of a real mission against Wutai soldiers. There are already Infantrymen there as we speak, but one day some of you might be sent all the way over there as well, so you need to be able to learn how to handle yourself. Plus, teamwork is a necessary skill to learn."

Roy had frozen as soon as he heard 'Wutai soldier' and now could not bring himself to move again. He should have known it would happen, but now that it had he wasn't sure if he would be able to do this.

"Through that door is where you'll be going. Since you're grunts you don't get the simulation machine, but we've got other things set up for you. You will be fighting against real people. Any questions before I send you to your death?" Brawn's lips twisted up in a sick smile as he looked around at all the grunts who were practically wetting themselves already.

When no one spoke, Brawn only looked happier.

"Alright. Get a move on then! Grab a gun or sword from the side of the room and then move as a team through the door." Brawn instructed, pointing to where some guns and swords were propped against the wall beside the door.

As Davis walked past, Roy managed to reach out and grab onto him tightly.

"Uh, wait for me!" Roy said quickly when Davis turned to him with a frown. Davis didn't seem convinced that that was the reason he had grabbed hold in the first place, but they continued on anyway.

Roy took a sword from the stand, but Davis picked up a gun. No surprise there. Looking around, Roy noticed that Cloud and Jensen had also picked up swords, but that Alec, Jinx and the majority of everyone else had chosen guns.

Wimps.

The whole group then slowed down and looked at each other, before they all seemed to take a deep breath and began moving through the door into whatever waited for them on the other side.

Knowing it wasn't possible, Roy still couldn't help but fear what would happen if Liam showed up in there.

Liam, why couldn't you have died, too?

Lee nodded in approval at the bag Yakov had slung over his right shoulder, glad to see that his orders were being carried out. The tent had been packed up in the set time also, and now the rest of their small army were standing around waiting to be told to start moving.

"Are we waiting for something?" Qurt, who Lee often just called 'Q' despite the fact that his name was pronounced 'Kurt', spoke up from towards the back of the group. He had no defining skills like Yakov or Tarou, but he was an excellent fighter.

"No, not any more." Lee said. Then he began walking off, knowing that everyone else would follow without having to be told. Thankfully Yakov had managed to keep up with his stride and was still beside him, so Lee wouldn't have to yell at him.

"Are we going in by surprise?" Yakov asked after a moment.

"They're only Infantrymen," Lee scoffed. "Whether we surprise them or not they won't stand a chance."

"Yes, but am I throwing or planting?" Yakov continued.

"Throwing. Take out the one on watch first and then aim through a window. I want them to have time to feel the fear before they die."

Yakov fell silent then and Lee was proud of himself. He enjoyed testing the others limits to see how much they could stand before they began to think he was sick and twisted. Weren't they all sick and twisted, though? In their own ways of course. But Lee knew they all were.

Some even more than himself.

When they were finally almost at the bottom of the hill, Lee signalled for everyone to stop and turned to face them.

"Get into position and remember what I said before. Keep quiet, then await my orders."

Crouching down, the Wutai army successfully blended in with their surroundings until they couldn't be seen any more. But they could see the house being used by the ShinRa Infantrymen quite clearly.

Sergei turned and caught Yakov's eye, giving a hand signal and then moving his head to emphasise his point. Yakov understood what was being said and nodded, holding his bag tightly and waiting.

Then Sergei turned to Tarou, who was just behind him, and gave a nod.

Lee glanced over as he saw movement from the corner of his eye and frowned. Tarou had just stood up and cocked his gun, closing one eye as he aimed. It would be pointless to try and tell him to stop now, and beside, this would be a much more effective way of getting the job done. Lee would never admit that, but it was true.

Tarou fired one shot. One loud shot. The Infantryman on guard outside the house didn't even have time to cry out as he crumpled onto the ground.

Then Sergei signalled to Yakov and he was up and running, getting closer to the house before pulling something out of his bag and throwing it with all of his might. Just as the small bomb flew through one of the windows, another Infantryman was seen coming around the side of the house.

Yakov turned and fled back up the hill, covering his head and diving behind a thick bush.

The building blew up, sending wood and flames into the air as everything was engulfed. The one Infantryman who had come outside, however, was thrown sideways.

Lee looked up from where he had shielded himself and smirked, watching his favourite kind of fireworks slowly falling back to the ground.

"Qurt, get down there and finish off the stray!" Sergei yelled over his shoulder. Qurt quickly leapt up and pulled his gun out, running past them all and making it to the Infantryman who was lying on the ground gasping for air.

After the next gunshot, the rest of the group picked themselves up and walked down the rest of the hill to join Qurt. It had been a success.

"Tarou, which direction is the other camp?" Lee asked.

"It's over there." Tarou pointed.

"We'd better start heading out to meet them. They're probably already on their way as well, having seen the fireworks." Sergei said.

It wasn't long before they all started walking off again, tense and with their guns out in preparation.

It wouldn't be hard, though. Infantrymen were easy to kill.

The training room had been constructed to look like a forest, with actual trees all over the place. It was impossible to see the other side of the room and Roy found himself panicking slightly, moving closer to Davis for comfort.

One of the other Infantrymen who Roy didn't know very well turned and signalled to everyone, trying to act as a leader. Roy and Davis found themselves moving out to one side with another Infantryman they didn't know, keeping silent as they kept an ear out for an enemy.

He's in Wutai. He's not here. Relax.

For some reason, Roy's own reassuring words weren't working very well and he found his breathing speeding up despite his efforts to slow them down again. He tried so hard to concentrate and breathe evenly, but his nerves were playing up and his mind wouldn't stop reminding him of his past, torturing him.

"Davis, I can't do this." Roy whispered quickly, grabbing onto Davis' arm and trying not to collapse. He had been doing so well up until now! Gemma's text message had scared him, yes, but Wutai had seemed like such a long way away. It felt so much closer now.

"What are you talking about? R-Roy? You look like you're gonna faint!" Davis hissed back, eyes wide in fear for his best friend and disguised girlfriend.

"Feel like it too." Was all Roy managed to say before the small black dots in front of his vision that he hadn't been quite aware of before completely covered his sight and he fell against Davis, who cried out and quickly held on tightly to keep him up. The sword Roy had been holding now lay on the ground.

The other Infantryman turned at the sound and gasped, rushing over.

"What happened? Was he attacked?" he asked.

"No. Look, I'm sorry but I have to get him out of here. He just panicked." Davis explained quickly, already beginning to drag Roy back through the trees. The other Infantryman frowned before nodding and squaring his shoulders, turning back around to continue with the mission.

When Davis reached the door and pushed it open, Brawn instantly stood and came striding over. He wasn't impressed to see that two Infantrymen were coming back already and was ready to give them a good yelling to make them understand that they couldn't just abandon a mission like that.

Then he noticed one of them was unconscious.

"What happened, Davis?"

"He just collapsed! I'm not sure, Sir, but he looked like he was having a panic attack and then just passed out." Davis explained, fear clear in his eyes as he continued to hold Roy up.

"Lean him against the wall and head back in, Cadet. I'll wait for him to wake up and ask him what happened. You need to get back to your mission." Brawn said, leaving no room for argument.

"Yes, Sir." Davis said before gently sitting Roy against the wall and then moving back over to the door, about to step through again.

"If anyone else faints, leave them where they are." Brawn said gruffly just as the door closed behind Davis.

Focusing his eyes on Roy again, Brawn folded his arms. He'd always thought there was something weird about the Peters boy, but hadn't thought about it much because every Infantryman had their own differences. But passing out after not even a full minute of being in there? He couldn't have even encountered a fake enemy, yet.

Brawn sighed and moved back to his seat where he had been doing some paperwork. He'd wait for the boy to wake up and then question him until he got an answer.

Just as they had predicted, the Infantrymen from the nearby camp had heard the explosion and set out to see what had happened. Lee could see one inching forward, seemingly hidden, amongst the trees from where he stood.

Turning, Lee searched until he found where Kuja and Kuta were standing and then caught their eyes, giving a hand signal and waiting for them to respond. Synchronised, they gave affirmative signals and then began moving forward, overtaking Lee as they went.

The Infantryman Lee had spotted was quickly eliminated, but he had given a cry in his last moments and Lee knew the rest of the Infantrymen would now be aware that the enemy was close.

Stepping out of the shadows, a figure in red caught Lee's eyes and he gasped in horror.

There was a SOLDIER there.

Hurriedly, Lee whistled for Kuja and Kuta, glad to see them returning quickly at his call. Neither he nor his comrades had expected a SOLDIER to be amongst the Infantrymen, so the situation called for a quick plan B. Or an evacuation.

Sergei moved up beside Lee and shook his head slightly.

"I'm not backing down." Lee hissed quietly.

"We have to. We don't stand a chance against a 1st Class SOLDIER." Sergei murmured, keeping his eyes fixed on the figure who had obviously stepped into view deliberately to create fear.

Lee curled his lip in anger and suddenly had his gun up, focusing on his target before letting the bullets fire in an attempt at hitting the SOLDIER.

The red-coated SOLDIER easily dodged them by using his sword and smirked, his eyes fixed on Lee's position as he had been able to see where the bullets came from.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Sergei snapped angrily before grabbing his shoulder and forcefully dragging him away. Lee snarled but allowed himself to be dragged back into the trees, knowing he couldn't argue with Sergei right now.

Unfortunately, the other man was right. They weren't prepared enough to take down a SOLDIER just yet.

But in time, they would be.