People of Principle

Lightning wasn't quite sure what to make of Rikku. The young woman – more of a girl really, given that she was all of fifteen or sixteen – seemed easy going enough. However, the way she'd handled those daggers of hers earlier had been no joke. Nor had the look in her eyes been anything less than deadly serious when she'd had one of those daggers pressed up against Fang's throat. For one horrible moment, Lightning's mind had been filled with the image of Fang on her knees, eyes wide with horror as clutched at her ruined throat. It had taken everything Lightning had to keep her voice and arm steady as she'd pressed her gun up to the back of Rikku's head.

Still, their initial meeting aside, Fang seemed to trust Rikku and Lightning had learned to trust Fang's judgement when it came to things like this. The other woman might sometimes seem to take things a little easy, but Fang wouldn't have survived as long as she had if she was a bad judge of character. Of course, it didn't hurt Rikku's cause that the Al Bhed were pretty distinctive with those eyes of theirs. Besides, if Rikku had wanted to get them caught, she could easily have called for the hired guns while they were still near the village. She hadn't and Lightning was pretty sure now that Rikku was someone they could trust.

Still, even though Lightning had decided that it was all right to trust Rikku, that didn't mean she necessarily liked the girl. On the way back to their camp, Rikku had switched between speaking a language that Lightning could understand and speaking in Al Bhed. It was the bits in Al Bhed that had Lightning worried. Rikku would look at her and then at Fang and then gesture animatedly with both hands as she waggled her eyebrows in Lighting's direction. The silly grin on her face didn't help matters, either.

"All right," Lightning said as she stopped for a moment and glared at Rikku. The girl gave a little squeak and immediately stepped behind Fang, even going so far as to sort of clutch at the other woman's coat like she was some kind of shield. It reminded Lightning a great deal of Vanille and she could only hope that Rikku wouldn't prove quite as mischievous as the red head. She probably would though, if Lightning's previous luck was anything to go by. "I thought we agreed that we'd stick to a language we can all understand." Her gaze flicked over to Fang who looked decidedly nervous. "What's she been saying?"

Fang grimaced and Lightning had a feeling that her suspicions were dead on. "Well, not all of what Rikku's been saying translates that easily." She laughed nervously. "Al Bhed has a lot of words in it that don't really make sense in other languages and…"

Lightning's eyes narrowed. "Just cut to the chase, Fang."

"She was kind of saying that you're really pretty," Fang said as Rikku did her best to disappear behind her. "They don't really have anyone with hair or eyes like yours in the village and she said that you'd probably get lots of offers if you were interested." Fang didn't exactly feel the need to point out that the phrase Rikku had used didn't necessarily translate into offers of marriage, per se. "But she was also saying that it was kind of a shame since you were already taken and everything."

"Taken?" Lightning arched one eyebrow and stepped around Fang to stare down at Rikku. "What makes you think that?"

Rikku paled. "Well… I kind of thought you and Fang were…"

Lightning's cheeks reddened just a little. "It's not like that right now, okay." She turned on her heel. "And stop at me looking like I'm going to kill you." Rikku breathed a sigh of relief. "I can't until you tell us what we want to know."

"She's scary," Rikku whispered softly to Fang as they got going again. Then she grinned. "But I can see why you like her." She giggled. "And did you notice that she said that 'it's not like that right now' so maybe… later…" she waved her hands about for emphasis.

Fang chuckled and patted Rikku on the head. "Maybe, but trust me, Rikku, if you want to live, I wouldn't bring it up again."

Up ahead, Lightning could only frown as she heard Rikku giggle again before whispering something else to Fang. Wonderful, they'd gone from speaking in Al Bhed to whispering behind her back. There was no longer any doubt about it in her mind. Vanille and Rikku would get along just fine.

By the time they got back to camp, Quistis and Fujin were already there. However, before Lightning could even thinking of talking to them about what they'd seen over at the dam, the others spotted Rikku.

"You found an Al Bhed?" Vanille cried as she darted over to grab Rikku's hands. "Nice to meet you." She smiled sunnily. "I'm Vanille."

"Are you Oerban too?" Rikku asked curiously.

Vanille nodded and said something quickly in what Lightning assumed was Al Bhed. "Sure am," she added, this time for everyone's benefit. "And I'm guessing that you're on our side, since you're not dead or beat up or anything."

Rikku looked at Lightning and then smiled weakly. "Yet."

Vanille followed Rikku's gaze and laughed. "Don't worry, the sheriff there is really just a big softie once you get right down to it." She ducked her head a little as Lightning tossed a glare her way. "All bark and no bite… except when it comes to Fang."

Lightning stifled the urge to cover her face with her hands as Rikku nodded and then fired off a couple of quick sentences in Al Bhed that had Vanille in stitches. The red head managed to get herself back under control and then pointed at Lightning before she said something in Al Bhed that made even Fang blush and reach out to cuff her over the back of the head.

"WHO?" Fujin asked Lightning, the one eyed woman's gaze showing just a hint of sympathy for Lightning's plight as Rikku and Vanille continued to, quite obviously, discuss things about her.

"We found her right near the village," Fang said as she stepped between Rikku and Vanille. She frowned at both of them. It was a not very subtle suggestion to settle down before Lightning settled them down. "Her name's Rikku and like Vanille said, she's on our side."

Quistis nodded. "I don't suppose she can tell us what's been going on around here the last few days?" She frowned. "Because things up at the dam aren't exactly looking good."

Lightning looked at Quistis. "That so? Well, you can tell us about that later. For now though, I think it might be best to have Rikku fill us in on things." She gestured at Rikku. "So, you going to tell us what's been going on around here?"

Rikku nodded eagerly. "Sure, sure, but maybe you could all introduce yourselves first?" Her stomach grumbled noisily and she winced. "And… um… maybe I could eat first? I've been hiding out for a few days now, and in between keeping an eye on the village and dodging all the patrols, I haven't exactly been eating all that much."

Serah smiled and reached over to hand Rikku a canteen of water and some bread. "Here, why don't you have these? I'm Serah by the way. Lightning is my sister."

Rikku tilted her head to one side. "Really? You seem a lot friendlier than her."

That provoked a quick spell of laughter from everyone and Rikku was quick to get up and move so that she was sitting between Vanille and Fang. She was already pretty sure that Lightning wasn't going to really do anything to her, but it was better safe than sorry.

"What are the rest of you waiting for? Go on, introduce yourselves," Lightning said gruffly as she gave Rikku a stern look. The message was clear: if she kept pushing, Lightning just might push back. Rikku waved a hand weakly in Lightning's direction. Apparently, Rikku had got the message just fine.

After a quick round of introductions, Rikku got stuck straight into her story. She ate as she talked, the canteen of water propped against her leg, the bread in her lap.

"They came four days ago," Rikku said. "There were a lot of them, but that didn't worry us too much at first since they were from Cocoon." She frowned faintly. "For as long as I can remember, Cocoon's been good to us. Just recently, they even helped get a proper school built and they paid for Miss Lulu to come out and teach us, but that's not all. A few years ago, when the rains were a bit worse than usual, they actually helped get some of the houses that got damage fixed up again. Lately though, they've been giving us a bit of a hand getting a proper bridge over the river built, one that won't wash away if the rains get really bad." Her green eyes narrowed. "They were always really good about it. They said they wanted to do their bit for the West, help make things better between the Al Bhed and the people back east. They really seemed like they cared. A couple of us thought it was too good to be true, but after all those years of help, we started believing that they really did want to look out for us."

Lightning saw a sad but knowing look flash across Fang's face. What Rikku was saying sounded just like Cocoon and after all the help they'd given, no wonder the Al Bhed hadn't minded too much when some men working for Cocoon had turned up. "What happened then, Rikku?"

The girl took a sip of water. "Like I was saying, they arrived four days ago with a whole lot of men. They said that they were there to get the bridge over the river finished, see if maybe they couldn't get it done before the rainy season cut us off from the other side. That was the reason we got the bridge started in the first place, you see, since when the rains get bad, it's almost impossible to get across the river." Rikku's lips tightened. "That night, I was feeling a bit restless, thought I might drop in on Miss Lulu and bother her a little." She grinned, but the expression dropped a moment later. "I was halfway there when I heard some of those men from Cocoon talking. They were saying all these really strange things about how they were going to get all of us locked up and keep us there until something big happened." She paused and swallowed thickly. "They must have spotted me somehow, because the next thing I know, there's bullets headed my way. I got out of there as fast as I could and hid outside the village in the hills."

Lightning was not looking forward to explaining to Rikku just what those Cocoon hired guns meant by 'something big'. "What happened then?"

Rikku looked down at her bread and took a small bite out of it before she continued. "I spent the night hiding out in the hills and when morning came, I tried to head back to the village." Her hands clenched into fists. "But by the time I got back there, they'd already locked everyone up in their houses and they were swarming all over the place with guns." She smiled weakly and looked at the others. "Since then, I've been hiding out in the hills and keeping an eye out on them, hoping that maybe I might be able to bust some of my people out. The problem was, there were just too many of those hired guns of theirs around, but I figure you lot just might be able to help me with that."

Lightning nodded. "We'll help you get your people out of the mess they're in, Rikku, but there's something you should know first." She met Fang's gaze and nodded. "You want to be the one to tell her, Fang?"

"I guess it'd be best if I was the one," Fang said quietly. "Look, Rikku, Cocoon doesn't just want your people locked up, they want them dead."

Rikku dropped her bread and the canteen of water clattered to the ground as she shot to her feet. "What do you mean?"

Fang sighed. "It's like this…"

By the time Fang was done explaining, Rikku's face had gone really pale. For a few moments, she just stood there, jaw clenched and hands balled up into fists. The others backed away, a little unsure of what she'd do now that she knew how things were. That turned out to be a good idea. Slowly, Rikku forced her hands to unclench and then she bent down to pick up the bread and right the canteen of water. Then she took a deep breath and let loose a string of words in Al Bhed that made both Fang and Vanille's eyes widen.

"What is she saying?" Lightning asked as Rikku continued to speak in Al Bhed.

"Wait a second," Vanille said as she frowned faintly in concentration. A moment later, she grinned. "Wow, I didn't know that one."

"Fang?" Lightning asked. "What's she saying?"

Fang winced as Rikku spat something that sounded particularly horrible. "She's swearing, Lightning, and I have to tell you, it's probably better that you don't understand what she's saying." She winced again. "Can't really say that I blame her though."

After at least a couple more minutes of insults hurled Cocoon's way, Rikku finally simmered down. She sank back onto the ground and looked at the rest of them, looking every bit as young as she really was.

"So… when are we going to bust my people out?"

"It'll be tricky, Rikku," Lightning said. "But we'll do it as soon as we can. But you're going to need to tell us as much as you can about how they're set up in the village. Don't leave anything out, even if it doesn't seem like it'll matter. The more we know, the better off we'll be." Her gaze shifted to Quistis and Fujin. "And we're going to need to know about the dam, as well. The odds are that we'll have to deal with the village and the dam at the same time. Otherwise, if just we take back the village, Cocoon might just blow the dam anyway and drown the lot of us. Likewise, if we take the dam first, there's no telling what those hired guns in the village might get up to." She looked at Fang. "That sound about right?"

Fang nodded grimly. "I'd bet everything I own that Cocoon's got plans in place if they lose the dam or the village. The only way we'll come out of this okay is we take both of them together." She frowned and glanced up at the sky. The clouds had begun to gather again and it had already started to drizzle a bit. "And we'll probably have to do it in the rain too."

"Can't say I'm surprised," Lightning said with a faint smile. "Given how our luck has been so far. Now, come on, Rikku, tell us everything. Quistis, Fujin, once she's done, you two can fill us in on how things are at the dam."

By the time Rikku, Quistis, and Fujin had gotten them up to date, Lightning couldn't help but wonder just how they'd pull this off. According to Rikku, there were something like a hundred hired guns in the village, maybe more, and all of them were armed to the teeth. It looked like Cocoon had learned a thing or two from their encounters in Eden City and they weren't about to take any chances. That wasn't all of it either. The hired guns in the village were led by a fellow called Cid Raines, and Lighting had heard enough about him to know that he was no pushover.

The story over at the dam was much the same. Cocoon had a stack of hired guns there and they'd set up some scaffolding to help them rig the dam with explosives. There were some makeshift fortifications set up, as well, which would only add to the trouble. Still, at least both Hojo and Barthandelus appeared to be there, which meant that if things did go right, they could end things right here. However, Lightning very much doubted that those two would show up without some of their own protection, protection that was certain to be better than the run of the mill hired guns they'd faced so far. No, if anything, they'd be hiring people like that Rosso woman from the train to look after them.

"You mentioned someone that you saw at the dam, Quistis," Lightning said. "Said you recognised him right away."

Quistis nodded. "Yes, and you'd have recognised him too." She paused. "It looks like Orphan is working for Barthandelus."

Lightning's eyes narrowed. "You mean… that Orphan?"

Quistis smiled grimly. "Yes, Lightning, that Orphan."

"Well, isn't that just peachy," Fang drawled. "Cocoon really does like to scrape the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the hired help."

"Wait, who is this Orphan?" Serah asked. "You're acting like he's some kind of monster."

"Monster is about the right way to put it," Fang said as Lightning shot her a warning look. However, Fang ignored it and pressed on. "He was something of a legend back when Vanille and I first started, but he kind of fell off the face of the earth a few years back. According to what I'd heard, he was a real piece of work. He must have killed more than twenty marshals before he disappeared and just as many sheriffs." She paused. "And I won't even begin to tell you how many civilians he's gunned down. Some people are into banditry for the money, I always figured a man like him was in it for the killing."

"Twenty-three marshal," Quistis said stiffly. "And twenty one sheriffs, more if you include their deputies."

Lightning pursed her lips. "They were good men and women, skilled too, but that didn't help them in the end. Amodar had a run in with him once, barely got out alive."

"That's why they call him Orphan," Fang said with shake of her head. "They say he was so bad even his parents didn't want him, that and everywhere he goes he leaves orphans in his wake." She shuddered. "He's a real piece of work, all right."

"But how the heck did Cocoon get someone like that?" Lightning asked. "How'd they even find him?"

"There were always rumours that he had help busting out before he could be tried and hanged," Quistis said. "Some of my higher ups thought he might have had backing from some powerful people, people who used him to do any killing that they needed. After everything Cocoon's done, I wouldn't put it past Barthandelus to be the one who has been backing Orphan up all this time. It seems just like his style, and Hojo's too, for that matter."

"Sounds reasonable enough." Lightning looked around. It was nearing on sunset and she could see that they were a little anxious. "Look, we'll work this out. We've just got to get a plan together, figure out what our options are."

Fang nodded. "Seems like a start."

"Hold up!" Sazh shouted. He'd been on watch during the last part of the discussion and now he was waving them over as he pointed to something not too far off. "I think we might have company."

Lightning and the others went over to take a look. There was a lone rider on a chocobo headed their way through the rain.

"Your recognise him, Rikku?" Lightning asked.

Rikku nodded. "I think he was one of the hired guns in the village."

Fang smirked. "That so?" She looked at the others. "How about we go invite him over for dinner?"

X X X

Zack Fair knew that he wasn't a good man. Good men would never have done some of the things he'd done back when he'd worked for Shinra. However, he did like to think that he was a decent man. Sure, he was a hired gun, and if someone took a shot at him, he wouldn't think twice about shooting back. But unlike a lot of hired guns, there were things he wouldn't do and murdering a whole village full of innocent people was one of them. It didn't matter how much money he was getting paid – and Cocoon paid an awful lot – that sort of thing just wasn't right.

That's why when Cid had told him all about Cocoon's damn plans for the village, he'd hightailed it right out of there. He might not be able to stop Cid and all the other hired guns, but he sure as hell wasn't about to help. All the same though, he couldn't understand why Cid was just going along with things. Sure, Cid was a little odd sometimes, but he was a pretty decent fellow. This kind of thing was something he'd expect out of Hojo, not Cid. Hell, he'd bet everything he owned that Hojo had come up with the plan because it was right up that monster's alley.

Cursing as the rain started to pick up, Zack pulled his hat down to shield his face a little better. Another thing he couldn't understand was why Cid had told him about the plan in the first place. The other hired guns hadn't known a thing. All they knew was that they had to keep the Al Bhed locked up until Cid said otherwise. But Cid had told him everything. Maybe it was because Cid trusted him, they'd certainly worked together long enough for that. More likely though, Cid didn't like the plan either and he'd wanted someone else to shoulder some of the burden. It was a hard thing knowing you'd be responsible for so many people ending up dead, especially when they hadn't done anything to you to deserve it.

Damn, Cid should have listened to him and called the whole thing off. Sure, Barthandelus would be angry, but Cid was almost like a son to him. Zack was sure that with a bit of smooth talk, they might have been able to turn things around. But Cid hadn't called it off, instead he'd given Zack a pretty simple choice: he could either go along with the plan, or he could leave. For Zack the choice had been pretty easy. He'd left Shinra because he couldn't stand some of the things they were doing. He'd hoped that Cocoon would be better, and at first it had been. All he'd ever had to do was put on a nice front for anyone who got curious and take out the occasional spy or bandit. Easy money, and pretty clean too, compared to what he'd done in the past to make a living. And then this had happened. What a damn mess.

Still, he was kind of surprised that Cid had kept his word and let him go. He'd kind of expected to get shot in the back as he rode off – it's what most people would have done. Then again, Cid really was an honourable man. If Cid ever came after him, it would be face to face in a straight up fight. So, Cid had just let him ride off, looking very much like he wanted to do the same. Nevertheless, Zack knew that he was done with Cocoon. If he ever showed his face again then friends or not, Cid would shoot him. In fact, Zack was pretty sure that by the time he made it back to civilisation, there'd be a pretty nice bounty on his head. After all, he knew just a little too much for Hojo and Barthandelus to be comfortable with letting him go.

The wind kicked up and Zack had to reach up to steady his hat. The rain was almost horizontal now and he gave his worried chocobo a pat on the heady. "It's just you and me, boy," he said. "Like old times."

He had nowhere to go now. Once he got back to the train line, he would probably head further West. There were towns out there that even Cocoon didn't really know about. He could lay low for a while, see if maybe he could wait things out. Of course, he could also try Eden City again. Reeve had helped him get out of Shinra and he still owed Zack a couple of favours. It would be risky – Shinra would definitely be after him once they knew that he couldn't hide behind Cocoon's skirts any longer – but Reeve was someone he trusted. Reeve might be able to give him a better idea of how much people wanted him dead. Reeve could probably also find him a place to hide, maybe even find some way for him to trade information for safety.

However, Zack knew better than to get his hopes up. The odds were he'd be on the run again, probably for years, maybe even his whole life, which probably wouldn't be all that long. That was a mightily depressing thought and so he nearly missed the blur of movement off to one side of him as he rode past some rocks. Had they gone after him already?

He reached down for his gun, a curse on his lips at the rain that made it so hard to make anything out. But before he could even clear the holster, something hit him from the side and he tumbled out of the saddle. He landed in the mud and rolled back on to his feet as his chocobo let out a couple of high-pitched squawks. His gun was on the ground next to him, but as he bent to pick it up, he found himself staring down the barrel of someone else's gun.

"It's been a while, Zack."

He looked up. Aw, hell. "I could say the same, Fran." He grinned. "Although I guess, that isn't your real name."

She grinned back. "The name's Fang. I'm glad that you remember me." She gestured with her gun and he grimaced as he noticed that there were other people there and that all of them had guns pointed at him. "Mind coming with us? We just want to have a nice friendly chat."

Zack looked back at his chocobo who seemed to grasp the trouble they were in. The big bird gave a quiet caw. Really, could his day get any worse?

X X X

Lightning looked down at Zack. They'd taken the man back to their camp and tied him up good and proper. Then they'd asked him a couple of questions to try and work just what exactly he was doing riding out in the rain away from all the other Cocoon hired guns. The story he'd told had been quite the tale.

"So, let me get this straight," Lightning said as she rubbed at her temple with one hand. "You didn't like what Cocoon was up to, so you just up and left." There wasn't a smidgen of doubt in her voice about how much she believed his story. That was to say, not very much at all. "And they just let you go? Just like that?"

Zack grinned, which probably wasn't the best thing to do, seeing as how most of the people there looked like they'd be happy enough to fill him full of lead. "That's about right."

"That doesn't sound right," Quistis said. "You know too much. There's no way they'd just let you go."

Zack nodded. "If it had been anyone but Cid in charge, they'd probably have shot me the moment I turned my back on them, but Cid's not like that." He fidgeted a little and sighed. They'd done an awfully good job on the ropes. There wasn't any slack at all that he could use to try and get free. It didn't help either, that they had the big man, Snow, right next to him and ready to clout him over the head if he so much as looked at someone funny. "So, mind telling me what you're going to do now?"

"We could shoot him?" Vanille said a tad too cheerfully. "One less hired gun to worry about."

"Now, wait a second," Zack said quickly before the others could agree. "I know things and I wouldn't mind sharing them one bit if you didn't shoot me. You wouldn't even have to untie me until you were finished settling up with Cocoon."

"That so?" Lightning's eyes narrowed. "Well, how about you tell us what you know and we'll see if we can't make a deal." Her voice hardened. "But don't even think of lying to us. We've had a look around and if anything you say doesn't match up with what we already know, you'll find yourself in real trouble."

Zack nodded. "Fair enough." Quickly he gave them a run down of the general layout of the village along with where the hired guns were set up. "There," he said. "That enough to show you I'm not lying?"

Lightning glanced quickly at the others. Everything Zack had said so far matched up with what they already knew. Fang nodded a fraction. "All right, it looks like you're not lying but if you want to get free, you're going to have to give us a little more, tell us something we don't already know."

"Look," Zack said. "You've got plenty of reason not to trust me, but believe me, I've got even better reasons not to lie to you."

"Oh?" Fang smirked. "And what would those be?"

Zack tilted his head to one side. "You've met me before, Fang, and I figure you're a decent judge of character. Do I seem anywhere near like the kind of man who'd be happy with what Cocoon's doing?" Fang shook her head and Zack pressed on. "Besides, now that I've decided to pull up stakes, Cocoon will be gunning for me too. It's like you said. I know too much, and while Cid might have let me go, I doubt Barthandelus or Hojo are going to look the other way. It's just a matter of time before they come after me." He sighed heavily. "You know, I used to work for Shinra. It was easy money, but there were some things going on there I didn't like, so I headed over to Cocoon because I thought it would be different and because I needed someone to keep Shinra off my back. Now, I'll have Cocoon and Shinra after me." He laughed softly. "Heck, it might be kinder if you did shoot me. It'd certainly be kinder than what either Shinra or Cocoon would do to me."

Fang pursed her lips and Lightning shot her a questioning look. "Zack," Fang said. "How'd you get out of Shinra in one piece? Last I heard they don't exactly just let people leave."

"I got some help," Zack said. "There was a man I knew who was pretty good at moving information around. He got me a deal with Cocoon and organised it so that I could get away without getting caught."

"Really?" Fang's eyes narrowed. "What was that man's name?"

Zack looked nervous for a moment, but when Vanille started loading her shotgun, he got back to talking pretty quickly. "Tuesti, his name was Reeve Tuesti."

Now that, Lightning thought, was definitely a surprise. Reeve had been the one to help all of them out with information and if he'd helped Zack out too, then maybe they could trust him. If Zack knew who Reeve was and hadn't sold him out to Cocoon, then he couldn't be all that loyal to the company. No, if she had to make her guess, she'd say that Zack was a survivor and that was something she understood just fine.

"We happen to know Reeve," Lightning said. "Care to describe him?"

"Describe him?" Zack laughed. "He's a decent looking fellow, has a moustache, and likes to dress in a suit." He paused. "Really loves his damn cat too, spoils him rotten." He laughed. "Though I can't blame him too much. I swear Cait Sith's smarter than most people."

"Well, looks like you really do know Reeve." Fang bent down so that they were eye to eye. "I don't think we will kill you, but you'd better tell us everything you know about what's going on and I mean everything."

Zack nodded. "Sure."

Lightning inclined her head and Fang untied the ropes. "Zack, how'd you feel about joining us?" The looks of surprise on the faces of the others were almost comical, but she pressed on. For his part, Zack didn't look so much surprised as he did curious. "Going by what we know, we could definitely use any help we can get."

"Now, don't take this the wrong way," Zack said. "But why should I? It looks like you're all planning to go down there and pick a fight and that seems a lot like a suicide mission." He grimaced at the glare Vanille shot him. "No offence."

"Think about it," Lightning said. "Cocoon's going to be gunning for you and so is Shinra. If you help us out here, then Cocoon will be finished. If nothing else, that's one less thing to worry about, but consider this: Cocoon and Shinra are rivals, big rivals."

Zack's lips curled into a grin. "And you're thinking maybe if I help then that might settle things with Shinra, maybe get them off my back too?" He shook his head. "That's crazy."

"But it might work," Fang said. "I've dealt with Reeve plenty of times and if you bring something like that to him, I don't doubt he'll be able to cut you a deal with Shinra." Her eyes twinkled. "You'd be able to take what you've got and head out West, get a place of your own without having to look over your shoulder the whole way."

"That sounds mighty tempting," Zack said slowly as he weighed the idea in his mind. "Really tempting now that I think about it." He laughed. "Hell, why not? I'm dead for sure if I just run, at least with you guys I just might make out in one piece."

"Good," Lightning said. "Now, if we're going to do this, we need you to start talking. Tell us everything."

Zack nodded. "There's no point in keeping anything back now." He frowned. "First up, we don't have that much time. Cid said they were planning on blowing the dam some time around noon tomorrow."

"That soon?" Fang's look was grim.

"That soon," Zack replied. "The rain has got the dam just about full so there really isn't all that much point in waiting." He sighed. "It won't be easy stopping them either. Hojo's got a couple of his own handpicked men up there and Barthandelus has a fellow named Orphan on the payroll. He's a real piece of work that one."

"And in the village?" Lightning asked. "Other than Cid, is there anyone we really need to worry about?"

"Not too long ago, I'd have said that you'd have to worry about me," Zack said. "But other than Cid, pretty much all of the people down there are run of the mill hired guns. The only other man you have worry about would be Yaag Rosch." Zack's lip curled in distaste. "I heard he used to be a marshal before he got sick of the job and the pay. Now, he works for Cocoon and let me tell you, he's not half bad with a gun or a sabre."

"I think I remember him," Quistis said softly. "He used to work with Jihl Nabaat, if I remember right."

"We'll have to keep an eye out for him then." Lightning glanced around. They all looked tired and hungry. "All right, let's get dinner started. We can keep talking while we eat and it'll give me time to come up with a plan." If there was one thing that Amodar had drilled into her head, it was how important it was to come up with a plan when she was going up against superior numbers. One person running in with guns blazing wasn't too hard to take out. One person with a lot of information who put that information to good use? Well, that was another story.

As they ate dinner, Lightning listened closely as Zack continued to talk about how Cocoon had things set up. At the same time, the others were quick to ask questions and toss around a few of their own ideas and by the time that they'd finished eating, Lightning was pretty sure she had something that might work. It would be risky, but anything that involved so few people going up against so many was bound to be a little tricky.

"We're going to need to hit the village and the dam at the same time," Lightning said. "From what we've heard, they've got themselves dug in pretty nicely at the dam. That's why Fang, Vanille, Sazh, and I are going to be the ones to head on over there." Of course, there was another reason that she'd chosen Vanille and Fang for the dam. Hojo and Barthandelus were there and the two Oerbans had plenty of unfinished business to settle with those two. "I want the rest of you to hit the village." She nodded at Quistis and Fujin. "I'll put you in charge of that Quistis, but talk to Zack, make sure you know exactly what you're in for. The way I see it, the best thing might be for you and Fujin to run in there and make some noise. While you're doing that, Rikku and Zack can sneak around and bust as many people free as they can. Anyone they free can either fight or run, but either way, it's better than just letting them stay there." She looked at Snow. "They've got a lot of their weapons stored in a couple of wagons. You look just like a hired gun and I figure you might be the best person to sneak in there and make sure they can't get to those wagons."

"What about me?" Serah asked softly. "I don't want to stay behind. I can help, Lightning, you know I can."

Lightning took a deep breath and did her best to ignore the way that all the others had stopped what they were doing to watch how she'd react. "I know, Serah, but I need you to answer me right here and now, can I count on you tomorrow? I'm not going to lie to you, if you go along tomorrow, there'll be shooting and you're going to have to take part in it."

Serah took a deep breath and gulped. "You can count on me," she said at last. "If I need to shoot, I guess I'll shoot. I won't like it much, but I'll get it done."

"Good," Lightning said. "Then tomorrow you'll take a rifle and get yourself nice and comfortable on one of those hills outside the village. You should be able to see just about everything from there and you'll be able to pick people off no problem." Her eyes softened a fraction. "You've always been a good shot with a rifle, Serah, ever since I first taught you. Just keep calm and you'll be fine."

"I know," Serah said before adding, in an attempt to lighten the mood, "I don't suppose I could bring some whiskey though? Just in case."

Lightning reached over to one side and tossed a bottle of whiskey into Serah's lap. "There you go."

"I figure she was joking, sheriff," Sazh said as he shot Serah a comforting look. "Still, it looks like we've got a plan."

"Yes, we do, now rest up, we move out at dawn." Lightning turned to Rikku. "I figure we can trust Zack, but keep an eye on him. If he tries anything funny, put those daggers of yours to use."

Rikku grinned happily. "Sure thing."

X X X

Serah watched the others getting ready and tried very hard to put on a smile. The last time she could ever remember feeling this scared was right after she and Lightning had lost their parents. Serah hadn't known what was going to happen then, and she didn't know what was going to happen now, either. Part of her wanted to just grab Lightning and never let go, but she knew that her sister would never allow that. All the same though, she couldn't help but wonder if they'd all make it through this okay. Lightning was strong, really strong, but she'd listened like everyone else the night before. There were a lot of hired guns waiting for them, not too mention the more dangerous folks that Hojo and Barthandelus had hired personally.

"Settle down, Serah. It'll be okay," Lightning said quietly.

Serah turned to look at Lightning. Lightning stood there cool and calm and utterly magnificent in the simple readiness that flowed through every line of her being. From the tips of her toes to the top of her head, Lightning seemed filled with a kind of carefully controlled intensity, like a spring just waiting to uncoil. It didn't matter one bit that it had begun to rain and that drops of water dotted Lightning's coat and her hat – the kind of fire inside Lightning now wasn't the kind that any amount of water could quench. This, Serah realised, was the woman the rest of the West saw, the woman who'd earned the name 'lightning' by being the fastest draw in the West. And with that realisation, any doubt that Serah felt about them getting through things okay fell away. They'd get through things okay because Lightning had said they would and when Lightning said something, Serah just knew it would be so.

Right next to Lightning was Fang, and Serah couldn't help but compare the two. If Lightning was all cool, deadly calm, Fang was almost the opposite. Fang's hands were shaking as she holstered her guns and checked her ammunition, but the wild grin on her face told Serah that it wasn't fear making her hands shake, it was anticipation. One way or another, Fang was going to settle things, things she'd been waiting a long, long time to deal with. Seeing Fang and Lightning standing side by side, Serah almost pitied the Cocoon folks fool enough to get in their way.

A little ways off, Rikku and Vanille were talking, the two of them all animated like they'd been born sisters. The red head was checking her shotgun and looking over some of her explosives – and she had a lot of explosives on her. Rikku seemed pretty keen on the explosives too, and Serah had a feeling that once everything was over, the Al Bhed girl would definitely be sure to get the recipe for those explosives off Vanille. That thought made her smile. It would be just their luck if they saved the village from Cocoon only for Vanille and Rikku to blow it to bits.

Further off were Quistis and Fujin. The two marshals were pretty quiet, most likely because Fujin had never really been one to talk, but they seemed relaxed enough, though the look in their eyes was all business. Beside them were Zack and Snow, and Serah felt her heart warm a little when Snow sent her a reassuring smile. He seemed to know just how she felt, and she smiled back, only to blush when Zack looked first at her then at Snow before he laughed and slapped Snow over the back with a few words of encouragement.

"You're looking a little shaky there," Sazh said as he walked up and settled down beside her. Kind as the words were, Serah could hear a little steel behind them, steel that hadn't been there yesterday. Sazh might be retired now, but he had been a bounty hunter once, quite a good one too, apparently.

Serah smiled weakly. "I guess… I guess I'm just a little scared is all."

Sazh chuckled softly and patted her on the back. "They don't show it, but I bet all of them are scared. Going up against as many hired guns as we're about to, you'd have to be crazy not to be at least a little bit scared." Serah nodded slowly. He was talking to her nice and easy, probably just the same way he talked to the son he had. "Do you want to know what I think about to settle down?"

Serah nodded. "If you wouldn't mind telling me."

"It's no problem." Sazh pointed at the end of her rifle. "Make sure you point that end at them."

Serah laughed. She couldn't help herself. It was such a poor joke that she couldn't help but find it funny. As everyone turned to stare, she managed to get a hold of herself. "That's some very insightful advice, Sazh. I'll be sure to keep it in mind."

He grinned. "See that you do." He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Lightning wanted to speak to Serah. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Serah," Lightning murmured. "I want you to listen closely okay?" She picked up the rifle and draped it over Serah's lap. Quickly, she checked it over. "Remember what I taught you, okay? This is a repeating rifle, so you don't need to reload after each shot. Make sure you count the shots though, that way you don't get caught off guard."

Serah nodded. "I'll remember that." Lightning had never been too good with dealing with emotions. Teaching Serah how to keep safe was Lightning's way of telling her the things she'd never been comfortable saying out loud.

"Now, remember, Serah, you don't shoot right away." Lightning's voice shook just a little and Serah reached out to put one hand over her sister's. "You've got to lead your target on just a little, take a breath, and then shoot. Okay? If you miss, don't panic. Take your time, line up the second shot and then fire." Lightning looked away and Serah smiled softly. "Also, you don't have to aim for the head. This rifle is power enough that anything in the chest ought to be good enough to either kill who you're shooting at, or hurt them so bad they won't be much use in a fight."

Serah put the rifle aside and wrapped her arms around Lightning's waist. "I'll remember all that." Lightning turned away, but Serah refused to let go. Instead, she pressed her face into Lightning's back. "I love you, Claire, make sure you come back safe."

Lightning nodded slowly. "I will." And then she eased Serah's arms off and came back with a dark grey cloth. "Tie this around the barrel of the gun, Serah. It's raining now, so the cloth will make you harder to see." She paused. "And try to get a position where you've got the sun at your back, that way, even if they do spot you, they'll be hard-pressed to aim."

"Okay," Serah said as she took the cloth and tied it quickly around the barrel of the rifle. "Now, how about you make sure you remember what I said? You've got to come back, Lightning, and don't do anything crazy."

Lightning smiled softly. "Don't worry, I said I'd come back, and I will. As for crazy." She glanced over at Vanille and Fang. "I figure those two can handle that part of things just fine."

Serah giggled. "I sure bet they can."

"All right," Lightning said as she took a quick look around at the group. "Everyone ready?" They all nodded. "In that case, let's get a move on."

With that, the two groups went their separate ways. Lightning, Fang, Vanille, and Sazh headed upriver toward the dam while the rest of them headed for the village. The last sight Serah had of Lightning was of the dawn light as it hit her sister's hair, a single patch of pink amidst all the grey and brown around them. Then Serah and the others were walking, the sound of their footsteps swallowed up by the rain as it poured down on them.

Serah stayed quiet the whole way to the village. There were patrols about that they needed to watch out for and she wasn't really in the mood to talk. Fortunately, it looked like Zack was telling the truth about where all the patrols were, because they didn't catch a glimpse of a single one until they were right in sight of the village.

"Can you set up there?" Quistis murmured as she pointed Serah to a spot on the hill where Serah could lie down flat on her stomach with her rifle propped up on a rock in front of her. The spot also had a good view of the village and, just like Lightning had suggested, it would put Serah's back to what little sun there was. "Well?"

Serah nodded. It was about seventy odd yards to the village, not the furthest she'd ever shot from, but with the rain and the fact that her targets would be moving it would be tricky, all the same. "I think so."

"Good, then get set up." Quistis looked at the others. "Fujin and I are going to go around to that side of the village. Zack and Rikku, I want you two to go to the other side of the village and wait for our signal. Snow, you head for the weapons wagons and hold up for our signal, as well." She met each of their gazes evenly. "Once you start freeing the Al Bhed, you need to tell them that they either stay and help, or they get out and get to higher ground."

"And me?" Serah asked. "What do I do?"

Quistis glanced at Snow. "Snow will have the trickiest job, since he's on his own. Those weapons wagons are going to be looked after pretty decently and if they realise that he's not one of them, there will be trouble." She smiled. "You're his guardian angel, Serah. If they shoot at him, you take them out."

Serah looked at Snow and wrapped her hands around the stock of her rifle. His life would be in her hands. "I won't miss."

"I know." Quistis looked at Rikku who had her hand up. "You got a question, Rikku?"

The Al Bhed girl nodded. "What's the signal going to be?"

Quitis grinned and waved around one of Vanille's explosives. "Fujin and I are carrying around a fair number of these – they make quite a bang. Trust me, Rikku, there's no way you'll miss us getting started."

Rikku tilted her head to one side and stretched one hand out toward Quistis. "I don't suppose you could give me a couple of those?"

Quistis thought it over for a moment and then handed a couple of explosives over. "There, but don't use these to try and bust people out of their houses. The way these things go off, you're more likely to blow them and their house up."

"I'll remember that." Rikku smirked. "Is that it then?"

"Yes, unless anyone else has anymore questions." Quistis nodded to each of them. "Then good. Now, get moving and remember, wait till you hear me and Fujin get things started."

As the others ran off to get into position, Serah could only settle down and wait. Each moment made her more and more nervous and to try and pass the time, she checked that all her spare ammunition was in order and that her pistol was loaded and ready. If worse came to worse and someone did get up close, the pistol would definitely come in handy. That done, she turned back to the village. Her breath came in short gasps and she had to reach up to wipe some rain off her brow.

Finally, ten minutes after the others had left, the first explosion rocked the village.

X X X

Fujin glanced ahead and then motioned for Quistis to stop. Her partner was a good marshal, but unlike Fujin, Quistis had always been on the right side of the law. Fujin hadn't, and there were things that she was good at that no regular marshal would be. Up ahead, the first of the patrols was headed their way, just like Zack had said it would be. Any gunfire now would give them away and make their life a whole lot harder than it already was. With one last firm glance at Quistis to make sure that the other woman knew not to move, Fujin palmed two knives, one from her belt, and the other from her boot.

She waited until the two hired guns on patrol were right on top of them before she moved. With a flick of her wrist, she threw one of her knives. The rain covered the hiss of the weapon as it streaked through the air and caught the first hired gun right in the throat. He gurgled and grasped at his ruined windpipe and then toppled into the mud with a wet thump. The sound drew the second hired gun's attention and he whipped around in panic. It was just the opening Fujin had been waiting for. As he opened his mouth to scream an alarm, she darted forward and clamped her hand over his mouth. His body tensed to try and throw her off but she slipped her second knife right in between his ribs. He thrashed for a moment and then went limp.

"TAKE," Fujin said as she stripped the men of their weapons and ammunition, and handed them to Quistis. Ignoring the startled look on the blonde's face, she gestured for Quistis to follow her.

"Where'd you learn how to do that?" Quistis asked quietly. "That's not something most marshals know how to do."

Fujin shrugged. "NOT ALWAYS MARSHAL." Her gaze flicked ahead to the next pair of hired guns on patrol. "TELL LATER."

As the next pair of hired guns closed in, Fujin pressed herself against one of the trees. The rain was getting louder; loud enough that there was no way that anyone would hear her moving around unless they knew to listen. She held back until the pair passed her and then burst into motion. She caught the first one by the neck and a sharp twist was all it took to put him down. The other hired gun turned, eyes wide with disbelief, and she drove the breath out of him with a solid kick to the gut. He doubled over and she stabbed down into the back of his neck with her knife. It was dirty fighting, all right, but this wasn't the kind of fight that she and the others could win fighting fair. Besides, she wasn't willing to risk Quistis getting all shot up because of some unwritten rules of fighting, rules that she just knew the hired guns wouldn't follow, anyway.

She wiped her knife clean and then waved Quistis forward. They were just outside the village now and she could make out a group of hired guns camped out under some makeshift gazebo. There were some tables set up and they looked to be enjoying some pretty lively games of cards.

"BOOM." Fujin pointed at the gazebo.

Quistis nodded and reached into her coat for an explosive. "You ready? Once I throw this, there's no backing out."

Fujin nodded. "READY."

Quistis lit the explosive and tossed it into the gazebo. It landed right at the feet of one of the hired guns and it him took a good, long moment to understand what it was. Then panic spread across his face and he opened his mouth to shout a warning but it was far, far too late. The explosive went off with a roar. Rain exploded outward and hired guns went flying every which way. Bits of burnt and broken timber rained down and hired guns came running in from all directions to see what had happened.

That was when Quistis and Fujin burst out of cover, guns blazing and throwing explosives like there was no tomorrow. The next round of explosions drowned out the sounds of their pistols as they gunned down any hired gun in sight that hadn't been tossed about by one of the explosives. Mud and water flew through the air along with bodies and bullets as they picked their way through all the craters and carnage that they'd left. Yet even with all of the ruckus, the hired guns had started to get themselves together and it wasn't long before they found themselves driven back as a deluge of gunfire headed their way. They took shelter behind an upturned wagon, but it wasn't long before they had to move on, the wagon's heavy wooden frame no match at all for the sheer number of bullets headed their way.

"You know," Quistis muttered as they dove out from behind the wagon and sprinted out onto one of the smaller village streets, "I think our distraction might have been a little too successful."

Fujin laughed and wiped some water off her face. Her hat was long gone, shot to bits along with the wagon. "YES."

They managed to make it halfway down the street before they ran into a whole swarm of hired guns. For a split-second, the two of them and the hired guns stared at each other before all hell broke lose. The hired guns fired first and suddenly it was all the pair of them could do to stay alive as they leapt for whatever cover they could find. They ended up behind a half-finished wall.

"You okay?" Quistis asked.

Fujin grit her teeth and reached down to her side. "FINE."

Quistis's eyes narrowed and she looked down to where Fujin's hand was. There was red there. "They got you."

Fujin made a disgusted sound. "NOTHING." She holstered her pistols and hefted her shotgun. "CAN FIGHT."

Quistis chuckled softly. "Never said otherwise." She glanced back over the wall and winced as more bullets nearly took her head off. "We'll go on the count of three, and Fujin, that better be the last time you get hit."

"DEFINITELY."

Quistis counted to three and then the two of darted away from the wall in separate directions. As half of the hired guns looked to put Quistis down, Fujin zigzagged forward through the gunfire headed in her direction and then opened fire. The jolt of the shot sent a ripple of pain down her side, but she forced it down. She could worry about pain later. A couple of hired guns hurtled back, blown to bits, and she lined up her next shot. The shotgun roared again and another couple of hired guns went down before she went back to her pistols. She fired until her pistols came up empty, but between her and Quistis they'd been able to take this batch of hired guns down.

"How's your side?" Quistis asked as they looked for cover in the shadows of what looked to be the village's only saloon.

Fujin winced. The wound wasn't much, just a flesh wound, really, but it pulled something fierce every time she moved too much in one direction. "FINE."

Quistis nodded. "It won't be long before they find us again, and we'd best be ready when they do." She got to work on reloading all her weapons and Fujin was quick to do the same. The heavy tromp of boots stomping through the mud grew closer and closer. "Looks like they're here. Let's go say hello."

Fujin nodded and they dashed across the street, firing as they went. They caught the crowd of hired guns off guard and with so many of them there, it wasn't like either of them had to aim – they could hardly miss. The first row of hired guns went down, but those behind were quick to fire back and the porch of the general store they ran to for cover went up in a shower of splintered wood and lead. As they crouched behind whatever they could find for cover – a metal table in Fujin's case and a couple of barrels for Quistis – Quistis reached into her coat for the last of Vanille's explosives.

"Wish we had more of these," Quistis said. "Really would have come in handy." With that she lit the explosive and then tossed at the hired guns.

However, the hired guns weren't completely witless. Most of them made a pretty good effort to get clear and only a couple got caught in the blast. Still, they were forced to back off and that was just the chance that Quistis and Fujin were waiting for. They darted back onto the street and blazed away at the hired guns. A few more hired guns went down before the two of them were forced to beat a pretty quick retreat down the street as more hired guns turned up with murder in their eyes.

They didn't get far though. At the other end of the street there was another group of hired guns with Cid at the front. His eyes met theirs for just a second before he lifted his pistol and fired three times, the shots so fast and close together that the sound of it was a single sustained roar. Quistis and Fujin flinched away, and the first two shots went wide, but the third caught Quistis in the left shoulder. The bullet went straight through and Quistis tumbled back onto the railing of one of the houses. As the other hired guns lined their shots up to take her down, Fujin grabbed Quistis and dove for cover.

"Damn it," Quistis groaned as the crouched down behind some upturned furniture. "Zack was right, Cid really is a good shot." She reached up to touch her shoulder and her hand came back red. On the upside though, she'd gotten lucky. The bullet had ripped through the flesh of her arm, but it had missed the bone, if only just. "Give me a second, Fujin. I'll see if I can move my arm." A hiss left Quistis's lips as she barely managed to get her arm up. "Or maybe not." She swallowed thickly. "I don't suppose you've got a plan, do you?"

Fujin peeked out from behind the furniture. The hired guns were holed up nice and pretty all around them. There were a lot of them too, and Cid had a patient on his face that told her he'd be more than happy to just wait to break them down nice and slow. "NO."

Quistis laughed and exchanged her pistol for the shotgun she was carrying. It would be pretty hard to use one-handed, but it wasn't like she couldn't miss when there were so many hired guns this close. "Well, let's hope that the others are getting things done on their end, otherwise, we really will end up dead." She pointed the shotgun out over the furniture and fired. An agonised scream and the sounds of boots looking for cover told her that she hadn't missed. "In the mean time, let's see if we can't mess these fellows up a little."

Fujin grinned and peeked over the furniture, her shotgun at the ready. "SURE."

X X X

On the other side of the village, Rikku and Zack were doing their best not to be noticed. Once all of the explosions and shooting had started, most of the hired guns had headed off the other way. The few that were left, they could deal with easily enough. After all, she was pretty handy with her daggers, and unlike guns, they didn't make all that much noise. To his credit though, Zack had helped a little too, with one hired gun taken out by a pretty accurately thrown stool.

"All right," Rikku said as she knelt down by the door of the first house. "Let's get started." Quickly, she went to on the door, fishing into the pouch she kept at her side for the tools she needed to get lock picked.

"You know," Zack said. "There are easier ways to get that door open."

"What?" Rikku growled. "I doubt you could pick the lock any faster."

Zack shrugged. "Never said I could." And then he shooed her out of the way. A second later, the door flew backward as he all but kicked it off its hinges. "Ladies first," he said with a grin as he flashed a quick bow in Rikku's direction.

Rikku rolled her eyes, but sketched a curtsy in return. No sooner was she through the door before the house's occupants ran up to her. They looked from her to Zack in obvious surprise. "Hey, how are you doing?" she asked.

The villager shook his head slowly. "Rikku? What are you doing here? What's going on?"

She grinned. "Long story shot, Cocoon's trying to kill us all and Zack and I here, along with a couple of friends, are seeing if maybe we can't kill them first." She handed the villager a gun she'd pilfered from one of the downed hired guns. "You can either help fight, or you can head for the hills, but either way, don't just stand there looking all surprised."

The villager took the gun and took a step toward the door. "Wait, how will I know who's on our side?"

Rikku chuckled. "If they're shooting at Cocoon, they're on our side, if they're shooting at you, they're not." She patted him on the shoulder. "Now get going and see if you can't bust some more of us out, okay?"

After that they went from house to house in a hurry. She didn't know long Quistis and Fujin could keep all those hired guns occupied, and she'd rather not have to explain to Lightning how they ended up dead on her watch. Most of the villagers they freed were pretty happy to help – being locked up for four days with guns pointed at them tended to do that people – but she was pretty quick to tell those with children to just get out and hide in the hills.

"You're in a pretty big rush," Zack said as they darted along one of the village streets. A hired gun popped up, but Zack fire twice and the man went down. In all of the ruckus, a couple of gunshots probably wouldn't be noticed. "You looking for someone?"

Rikku scowled. "What if I am?"

"Nothing," Zack said. "Just asking is all."

"Well, I am." Rikku's hands tightened around her daggers. "I'm looking for Lulu. She runs the school at the end of this street. She's a really good friend of mine and they locked a lot of the kids up with her too." She looked at Zack out of the corner of her eye. "Now, hurry up."

They reached the end of a street in a hurry and then had to scramble for some place to hide. There were a fair number of hired guns still in position there and they shared a quick look before they decided to go for it. They burst out of cover together and Zack opened fire as Rikku closed in. A few bullets dropped two of the hired guns and had the others looking for cover. Rikku caught one of them out in the open and he barely had enough time to scream before she had one dagger across his throat and the other in his side. He tumbled to the ground and Rikku got stuck into the next man. He managed to block her daggers with the rifle he was carrying and he used his size to shove her to the ground. Still, Rikku was used to fighting people bigger than her and she was used to fighting dirty too. She scooped up a clod of mud and flung it into the hired gun's face. He let loose a cry and his shot went wide as Rikku leapt to her feet and lashed out at his chest with her daggers. With a growl, she shoved the hired gun away and turned to deal with the last of them only to find that he was already dead, a hole right in the middle of his forehead.

Zack patted some of the mud off her back. "How about we head inside?"

It was quiet inside the school, much too quiet for Rikku's liking and she put one finger up to her lips and looked at Zack. "There must be more of them inside. Keep quiet."

They snuck past the first room of the school and then into the second room out the back, but there was still no sign of anyone. Finally, in the third room, Rikku caught sight of Lulu and the kids, all of them tied up and gagged. She grinned. Lulu had a pretty sharp tongue on her and if she had to guess, they'd gagged her just to put a stop to it. However, the grin fell off her face as she saw Lulu's eyes go wide and then focus on something behind her.

Rikku ducked just in time to dodge the bullet that would have taken her head off as someone crashed into Zack and knocked him back into the wall. Blindly, she kicked up and back and she heard the hired gun behind her grunt as her kick caught him in the stomach. She cursed and looked back before she swiped at his wrist with one of her daggers. The blade of the weapon caught him across the wrist and the gun clattered to the ground. But before she could press her advantage, he lunged forward and caught her with a sound blow right across the jaw. Stars exploded across her vision and she skidded back along the floor.

"Damn that hurt," the hired gun muttered as he stalked toward her. Blood dripped down his wrist and onto the ground and Rikku saw his lips curl into a snarl. "I'll pay you back good and proper for that little cut of yours."

He lunged forward again and with her head still hurting something fierce, she was scarcely able to avoid another punch that would have had her out for good. As it was, the blow caught her across the shoulder with enough force to spin her around. One of her daggers dropped, the arm that the hired gun had hit almost completely numb. Shaking her head to clear it, she backed away from another punch and then sidestepped a kick. For all his size, the hired gun was fast, and she had to scramble to keep up as he continued to lay into her with punches and kicks. The fight carried them across the room right next to Lulu and the others and as Rikku back away again, Lulu stuck one leg out. The hired gun tripped over Lulu's outstretched leg and Rikku seized her chance. She leapt forward and rammed her dagger into the hired gun's gut. He gave a low groan and she twisted the blade before she yanked it up and across. A wet gurgle left his lips and then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the floor.

"Well, that could have gone better," Rikku murmured as she looked over to where Zack was. He'd just finished up with his own hired gun and from the looks of things, he hadn't had an easy time of it either. "Come on, Zack, we need to get everyone free."

Once they'd gotten all the kids and Lulu freed up, the first thing Rikku did was throw herself at the older woman.

"Lulu!" Rikku squealed. "You're okay!"

Lulu smiled indulgently and ran one hand through Rikku's hair. "I'm fine, although I can't say the same for you." She pulled away and ran one hand over Rikku's jaw. "He hit you pretty hard there, Rikku."

Rikku shrugged. "Well, he's dead, so I guess that means I win."

Lulu chuckled. "Yes, I suppose it does." She drew back and eyed the mess that Rikku had left on her dress. "You're also covered in blood."

"Oh." Rikku glanced down at her top, which was covered in blood and then at the matching stain all over Lulu's black and grey dress. "I am so sorry about that, Lulu."

"It can't be helped, I suppose." Lulu looked over at the downed man's pistol and picked it up before she turned to Zack. "Am I to understand that you're on our side now, Mister Fair?"

Rikku's eyes narrowed and she looked from Zack to Lulu. "You two know each other?"

"Oh, yes," Lulu said dryly. "He attempted to be quite charming while he was here."

Zack grimaced. "You can't really blame a man for trying, now can you?"

Rikku stomped over to Zack and punched him in the arm. He gave a wince and gave her a shocked look. "Don't give me that look!" Rikku growled. "I can't believe you were flirting while you were locking people up!"

Zack sighed. "Look, never mind that. We've got more people to free, right?" Rikku nodded. "So, let's get on to that then."

"Right." Rikku looked at Lulu. "There's a lot of fighting go on outside, Lulu, so you should probably take the kids and just get out of the village. Head for the hills and don't come down until one of us comes up to tell you it's safe."

Lulu nodded. "All right."

Zack looked at her and grinned. "You know, I could always escort you out to the hills…" He trailed off as a hired gun stumbled into the room only to be dropped a second later.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Mister Fair." Lulu lowered her pistol, the barrel still smoking. "I can look after myself just fine."

"I guess so." Zack's grin widened. "I guess so."

As Zack and Rikku left the school and headed back out into the village, they were pretty pleased to see that a fair number of villagers had joined the fight. Most of them had armed themselves with guns taken from fallen hired guns, but there were others who were simply charging into the fray with planks of wood or bits of furniture. It was a drop down, drag out brawl, and the rain only added to the chaos as villagers and hired guns alike started to slip in it. However, as they were headed to the next house, Zack stopped and stared down another street.

"What's the hold up, Zack, come on!" Rikku said.

Zack shook his head and pointed down the street. There were a whole lot of hired guns there along with Cid. "Look at that," Zack said, eyes narrowed. "I'll bet they've got Quistis and Fujin boxed in there, that's the only reason there'd be so many of them in one spot." He glanced sideways at Rikku. "You keep on freeing your people, Rikku. I'll deal with this."

Rikku nodded slowly and then reached over to hand Zack the explosives that Quistis had given her earlier. "Here," she said. "Take these. I figure you'll need them more than me."

Zack inclined his head. "That's pretty nice of you."

Rikku shrugged. "What can I say? You're not that bad a man, I guess." She turned and headed back down the street. "Try not to die, Zack."

He chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it." And with the explosives in hand, he stalked toward Cid and the clump of hired guns. Time to settle things.

X X X

Snow got pretty close to the weapons wagons without all that much effort. Like Lightning had said, he looked just like one of the hired guns. It didn't hurt either that Quistis and Fujin were running around blowing everything up and that the Al Bhed had started to join the battle. In fact, he couldn't have been more than twenty yards from the weapons wagons before one of the hired guns finally realised that he didn't fit.

"Stop right there!" the hired gun growled as he and the three others beside him reached for their guns.

Snow beat the first hired gun to the draw and dropped him with a shot that hit him just under the collar of his shirt. The second hired gun fired and Snow had to back off, a curse on his lips as the bullet blew a hole in his coat. The third and fourth fired a second later, and Snow was forced back behind some cover. He peered out for a moment and then fired as the hired guns scrambled to get clear. He hit two of them and the third tripped in the mud. Before he could find his feet again, Snow put a bullet in him.

Taking a quick look around to make sure that there weren't any more hired guns, Snow went over to the wagons. Just like he'd expected, they were jammed full of weapons. He grimaced. If the hired guns could get their hands on these, they'd definitely be able to make things harder for the Al Bhed. Still, now that he was here, that wasn't too likely.

Click.

Snow's eyes widened and he turned slowly to find himself staring right down the barrel of a gun. He must not have looked closely enough earlier, because there was a hired gun in front of him right now.

"You got any last words?" the hired gun asked, his lips curled into a grin.

Snow looked up at the cloudy sky as the rain gathered on his face and then opened his mouth to speak –

Bang.

The hired gun flew backward, a hole blown right through his heart. Startled, Snow could only look around and around to try and work out what had happened. And then he remembered. His eyes darted up to the hill behind him where, if he really squinted, he could just make out a rifle propped up on a rock, its barrel wrapped in a grey cloth. That's right, he thought with a steadily widening grin. He had his own guardian angel up there, one with one heck of a smile and the prettiest blue eyes he'd ever seen.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted two more hired guns headed his way and he lifted his gun to take them down. He needn't have bothered. Two shots rang out, crisp and clear through all the rain and muck, and the two hired guns dropped. Guardian angel? Who was he kidding? Inside that little frame of hers, Serah had the heart of a valkyrie.

He shot a grateful glance up at the hill and then quickly spoke up as two Al Bhed appeared.

"Hold up!" he shouted as the pair of them raised their makeshift weapons at him. "I'm on your side." He took out a pair of shotguns and tossed them toward the Al Bhed along with some ammunition. "You know how to use those?"

The Al Bhed looked at him for a moment and then scooped the weapons up. "Of course."

"Good," Snow said. "Then get in there and let your friends now that I've got weapons here that they could be using."

X X X

Up on the hill, Serah had to force herself to breathe. Pulling the trigger just a few minutes ago had been just about the scariest thing she'd ever done. When Snow had first gone after the weapons wagons, she'd frozen up, too scared to do anything. But when that man had gotten behind Snow and pointed his gun at him, something inside of her had just snapped. She liked Snow, really liked him, and maybe it was too early to be talking about things like love, but somehow the word just felt right to her. Well, she'd never shot anyone before, but she was a Farron and no Farron worth her salt would ever let the man she loved get shot while she could do something about it.

So she'd fired and she'd gotten that hired gun right through the heart. As he'd hurtled backward, tossed off his feet by the power of the rifle, she'd gone numb, totally, and utterly numb. And then she'd felt sick, like her stomach was twisting in on itself and there was a hammer pounding away on the inside of her skull. She'd killed someone, she realised, not just shot at them – she'd actually killed them. But then she'd seen those two other hired guns coming up on Snow and before she knew it, she'd knocked them off, as well.

Did that make her a monster?

No, she thought. She hadn't wanted this, hadn't enjoyed killing one bit. She just… she just wanted all the people she cared about to go back home together and if… if she had to kill these hired guns to do it, then she supposed she would, even if it made her feel worse than anything she'd ever done. So as more Al Bhed came up to Snow for weapons, she kept a close eye on the area around him. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it the way she did everything – the right way.

Still, she thought as she glanced down at the bottle of whiskey beside her, once this was all over, she'd probably a drink or two… or ten.

X X X

Zack lobbed the explosives and watched as the hired guns scrambled to get clear. Some of them made it, but just like he'd thought, Quistis and Fujin were holed up right there and they took care of most of them. As the dust settled and the rain began to pick up, he peered down the street. Cid was there as calm as ever, his tall frame ready to move at a moment's notice.

"I figured it was you," Cid said so softly that Zack had to struggle to pick the words up over the rain. "After all, they knew just how to hit us."

Zack glanced sideways at the houses around them. Somehow, it looked like it was just the two of them. "Actually, I wasn't the only one." He let his hands drop to just above his holsters. "We missed one of the Al Bhed. She watched for quite a spell, knew almost as much as I did. I just helped them along a little."

Cid reached down for his own guns, his fingers just shy of the handles. "Why'd you do it, Zack? It didn't have to be this way."

"Why?" Zack chuckled. "I think you know why, Cid." He looked around. Even if things turned out all right, it'd take a fair spell to fix up all the damage they'd done to the village. "What you're doing… it's not right, and you know it."

"This isn't about right or wrong, Zack. We have a job to do." Cid's eyes narrowed. "You knew how things would be like when you signed up."

"Maybe I did," Zack said. "But a man's got to stand for something if he's going to be worth a damn." He sighed. "But you know that, Cid, you're a good man, not the kind of man who'd murder a whole bunch of innocent people – women and children too."

Cid shifted slightly and widened his stance. "Progress, Zack. Cocoon means progress and progress never comes without sacrifice."

"You don't believe that," Zack growled. "That sounds like something Yaag would say. So, what's the reason, Cid? You owe me that much before we settle this."

Cid closed his eyes for a moment and when they opened they were hard, all steel. "You ever wonder how somebody like me could end up where I am, Zack?" His voice barely carried across the distance between them, each word nearly swallowed up by the rain. "I didn't have anybody growing up, Zack, not a damn person to call friend or family but now… now I earn more money in a year than most people earn in their lives. More than that, I know to handle myself. I can use a gun and I can run a business. How do you think all that happened, Zack? I'll tell you. Barthandelus took me in, Zack, took me in when I was some no good dumb kid. He taught me everything I know and good or bad, he's the closest thing I've got to a father so even if I don't like how this is going, Zack, I owe him."

Zack nodded slowly. He'd suspected as much. "Maybe you do owe him, but that doesn't mean that he owns you. You do this, Cid, and you'll never be able to live with yourself."

"Maybe." Cid shrugged. "But that's my choice to make."

"I guess it is." Zack smiled sadly. "No turning back then?"

Cid shook his head. "No."

For a long moment, neither of them moved, and then, almost as one, they went for their guns. The roar of their gunshots filled the street and as it faded away like sunshine on a cloudy day, Cid staggered back, blood all over his right arm. His gun slipped from suddenly numb fingers and he reached with his left hand for his other gun only for Zack to fire again. That shot was a mirror of the first and as Cid dropped to his knees in the mud, he could only stare up at Zack and shake his head.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Cid asked.

Zack grinned and did his best not to double over. Cid had gotten him good, a nice shot a couple of inches above his belt. It probably wouldn't be fatal – and Zack had been shot enough times to know – but damn if it didn't hurt. As quickly as he could, he walked over to Cid.

"I figure it's only fair, seeing as how you let me go the other day," Zack said. Cid's eyes widened and then Zack whipped his gun around to clip him on the side of the head. Cid dropped to the ground unconscious. "Damn," Zack muttered as he considered his friend's large frame. "I probably shouldn't have done that. Now, I'm going to have drag you around, damn it." He sighed and then dragged Cid over to a clump of bushes to hide him. "Now, stay here. Once this whole thing is over, I'll come back and get you, that should make us even." He chuckled. "Hell, it might even turn out okay, seeing as how if Cocoon ends up surviving all of this, you'll probably end up running the damn thing."

X X X

Quistis and Fujin staggered down one of the village streets together. Most of the hired guns had either been killed or run for it, but there were still a fair number of them fighting. The Al Bhed seemed to be doing okay though, so Quistis figured it would be fine if she and Fujin took things a bit easier.

"How are you doing?" Quistis asked. Her shoulder was still a mess and she'd picked up a whole host of lesser wounds to go with it too.

Fujin made a face. "FINE."

Quistis grinned. Fujin had done her best to look out for her when they'd pinned down by Cid and his hired guns, but even if the silver haired woman looked like she was about to collapse, Quistis knew she'd never admit it. Heck, Fujin would probably say she was fine even if she was missing a limb or two.

"Well, just hold on a little longer," Quistis said. "I figure we've got this just about won."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that."

Quistis looked up and frowned. Yaag Rosch was right there and from the looks of things, the silver haired man wasn't too happy. His coat had a fair few holes in it along with a couple of scorch marks. There was blood on his face from a cut on his brow and his shirt was a little redder than it should be too.

"It's been a while, Yaag," Quistis said. "Haven't seen you since you parted ways with Nabaat."

His lips curled into a snarl. "You've got a lot of nerve talking like that, Quistis." He pointed his gun at her and Fujin. "Look at you two, you can barely stand."

Quistis pushed Fujin away and steadied herself. There were two of them, so if they split up then even if he got one of them, then the other could put him down. "You're just like Nabaat, Yaag, way to quick to pull the trigger and not a single scrap of brains between your ears."

That was all it took. With a growl, Yaag levelled his pistol at Quistis and fired. She threw herself to the side and the bullet grazed her arm. In the same moment, Fujin had her gun up only for Yaag to blow it right out of her hands. Disbelief flashed in Fujin's eye before she gathered up what strength she had and hurled herself at Yaag.

The pair of them tumbled to the ground in a tangle of fists and feet. Fujin ended up on top and drove one fist into Yaag's face with enough force to break his nose and slam his head back into the mud. However, before she could land another blow, Yaag lashed out blindly and caught Fujin with a sharp hit across her wounded side. The crimson-eyed woman doubled over and Yaag shoved her back.

"Stay down!" Yaag growled as he landed a savage kick to Fujin's gut that lifted her off the ground and tossed her out of the way.

"You leave her alone!" Quistis spat as she stumbled over at Yaag to try and cut him off before he land anything else on Fujin.

"You're all beat, marshal," Yaag sneered. "Why don't you just quit?"

Quistis grit her teeth as he blocked her attacks with ease and then elbowed her in the face. She spun away and barely managed to keep on her feet. If only she wasn't so banged up she could take him and she knew for a fact that Fujin would have made short work of him if she hadn't been so injured too. But there was no point in thinking about 'what ifs'. Shaking her head, Quistis waded forward again, cursing the fact the fact that she only one good arm, only for Yaag to slam one fist into her chin before he drove one boot into her chest with enough force to throw her onto the porch of the house beside them. She landed heavily on her wounded shoulder and gave an agonised wail.

For a second, Quistis was sure she would pass out, but she managed to drag enough air into her lungs to keep awake. As she fumbled for something to help her stand, her hand closed around something familiar. It was a whip. Long before she'd used a gun, she'd learned how to use a whip and as Yaag closed in on Fujin again, Quistis forced herself to stand and draw the whip back.

"You about done?" Yaag asked as he kicked Fujin again. Blood bubbled up from the wound in her side and he smirked. Easy. "Well?"

He was about to kick Fujin again when something lashed out and coiled around his neck. His hands dropped to his neck and his eyes widened as he followed the whip back to Quistis. The blonde had a savage grin on her face.

"Yaag, I've got one thing to say to you," Quistis pointed in front of him. "Eyes front."

He looked back and took a slow step back. Somehow, Fujin was back on her feet. The woman's lone eye was narrowed ominously and as he tried to get his hands up to defend himself, Quistis gave the whip a sharp yank. The breath rushed out of him and he managed to get out a strangled gasp before Fujin's fist rammed into his gut.

Barely conscious, Fujin laid into Yaag with everything she had left. As he doubled over, she kneed him in the face and then shoved him away so that she could hit him flush on the chin with a pair of punches. As the whip around his neck loosened and fell away, she took several big steps forward and hurled herself at him in a kick. The blow knocked him up and back through the front window of the house behind him. Glass went everywhere and she took an unsteady step backward, only to stop dead as Quistis hobbled over to catch her.

"You've got to teach me how to do that," Quistis muttered as she helped Fujin right herself.

Fujin nodded. "LATER." She glanced at the whip still in Quistis's hand and grinned shakily. "NICE."

"Well, I'm a bit rusty," Quistis said. "I was kind of hoping to break his neck." She glanced at the broken window. "Let's go take a look."

However, when they looked inside there was no sign of Yaag. He hadn't gotten away unscathed though. He must have cut himself something awful on the glass because there was a thick trail of blood that led across the floor and out the backdoor of the house.

"Let him run," Quistis said. "We can catch up to him later."

Fujin nodded. "DEFINITELY."

Just then cheers began to ring out through the village, cheers that were most definitely in Al Bhed.

Quistis looked at Fujin. "Can you believe it? It looks like we won." She groaned. "Come on then, we need to get out of here and head for the hills just in case things at the dam don't work out well."

The two of them managed to get to the end of the street before they caught sight of the others. Quistis had always thought that Snow was a pretty decent fellow, but when her offered to help both her and Fujin along, he went from decent to downright excellent.

"You're a real gentleman, Snow," Quistis said.

Snow shrugged and then winced as he noticed just beat up the two of them really were. "Well, I figured it was the least I could do, seeing as how you and Fujin decided to play decoy for us." He frowned. "You two going to be okay?"

Fujin nodded. "FINE."

Quistis rolled her eyes. "We're not fine, but with a bit of rest and plenty of stitches, we probably will be." She looked down at her shoulder. "Definitely plenty stitches."

"I guess." Snow looked at the hill to where Serah was. "Just hold on, it won't be too long now." But Quistis never heard his words. She'd passed out. "Aw, damn." He looked at Zack. "Could you help, Fujin? I've got to carry Quistis."

Zack grinned. "Why, I'd love to…" he trailed off at the dark look Fujin gave him. "Or maybe not." He looked back at the village. "Actually, you all head on ahead. There's something I have to take care of." He turned and headed back into the village. "Don't worry, I'll meet you up there on the hill."

Rikku cackled as he walked away. "You're about the least popular person I've ever met, Zack." She waved happily at Fujin, which was a mite disturbing considering how much blood was on her. "Come on over here, Fujin, I'll help you along."

X X X

Author's Notes

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off this.

Well, this chapter came out a little bit later than expected, but in exchange, it's also the longest chapter so far, so I guess that makes it even. This chapter was definitely a great deal of fun to write. There's nothing like one big, non-stop fight scene to round a chapter out, and it's been something I've been itching to do for a while.

A couple of things are probably worth mentioning. Zack is a character that I've always found pretty interesting. He's very loyal to his friends, but at the same time, he's also willing to stand up for the things that he believes are right. That's why he's willing to side with Lightning and the others (of course, it's also his only reasonable chance of settling things with Cocoon and Shinra), but that also why he didn't kill Cid.

As for Cid, I thought it would be appropriate to have him owe everything he was to Cocoon and to Barthandelus, in particular. It fits very nicely with how the people of Cocoon, and Cid especially, are essentially forced to become the pawns of Barthandelus and the other fal'Cie in the game. The sense of duty and loyalty that make Cid a good man are the very things that allow others to take advantage of him.

With regards to Lulu, I cannot even begin to describe how tempting it was to have her throwing lightning at everybody. However, this is a Western and given that no one else seems to have overtly magical powers, I had to scrap that idea. Still, I can easily imagine her as a teacher – the scary one that you listen to due to a combination of awe and terror. I always thought that she and Rikku got along pretty nicely in FF X (once Rikku had kind of worked out that Lulu wasn't actually that scary) and I wanted to keep it that way in this story.

Finally, I couldn't resist adding a teensy, squint if you want to see it, bit of Serah and Snow fluff. I have, perhaps, been a bit remiss in that regard and I thought it would be nice to slip a little bit in. It didn't hurt either that I got to have Serah be awesome for a couple of paragraphs. After seeing the trailer for FF XIII-2 I briefly considered letting her use a bow, but after a bit of reflection, I concluded that was probably not a good idea. That she knows how to shoot is perfectly plausible – Lightning did teach her – but a bow is not something she would really have come across before. In any case, it was nice to have her actually do something rather than use Snow as human shield again (however humorous Lightning might find that).

As usual, here is a round up of where some of the characters are from. Zack and Hojo are from FF VII, Rikku and Lulu are from FF X, Quistis and Fujin and from FF VIII, and Snow, Serah, Lightning, Fang, Vanille, Sazh, Barthandelus, Jihl, Cid, and Yaag are all from FF XIII.

Oh, and if you're wondering where Lightning, Fang, Vanille, and Sazh are, don't worry. That's the next chapter.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.