Alright, here we go with another chapter...I find it funny that when I finally get a computer back...I get writer's block...hehe

Valena and Reno walked back to the bar hand in hand, each making a point to jump into as many mud puddles as possible. Even though Valena was a bit nervous about the situation with Reno, his boisterous personality made it possible to behave normally around him.

Upon entering 7th Heaven, they noticed everyone huddled around one of the larger of the tables. As they walked up, they saw a map laid out in the middle, red pins stuck in various places. Valena leaned down between Cid and Tifa to reach the notes Yuki held in her direction before she moved across from the two and sat in one of the empty seats, Reno taking up purchase next to her. Valena smiled at her friend, silently thanking her. Yuki never ceased to keep Valena informed, whether it be the many rules or regulations she broke, or just keeping her in the know when they were on the field. Valena glanced down at the notes in her hands:

"Enemy – Loz; Yazoo
Weapons – Gun; Sword; Possible Materia

Both brothers have the ability to channel Sephiroth.

Nothing else known.

Solutions:
Find and guard possible remnants of Mother.
Locate brothers and destroy them before we are ambushed.
Wait out their attack and try and compensate for their advantages."

She swallowed thickly. If this was all they knew, they were in serious trouble. Valena glanced around at all of the faces, noting their nervous, and briefly scared, expressions. Apparently Yuki's calls to the office were fruitless and the team had to resort to planning from scratch. Tifa had gathered up all memos and letters involving the sightings and Cloud had pegged them all on the map. The locations were completely sporadic, leaving the group guessing about where the next one might occur.

"They will most likely come here." Yuki said. Vincent's arm snaked around her waist and her hand found his in a comforting gesture. This did not go unnoticed by Reno, who jabbed Valena in the side with his elbow and motioned at the two. Valena gave Yuki two thumbs up and a huge grin. Yuki only rolled her eyes and continued. "Our best option is to decide on the 'how.' I'm afraid without knowing an attack pattern or knowing exactly where they are, the 'when' and 'where' will be of their choosing."

"Well, we already know that the girls can take Yazoo and Loz." Reno said with an affirmative nod from Rude.

"Yes but that isn't helpful." Tifa said coldly, earning a heated glare from Valena. Reno placed a calming hand on the small of her back, instantly relaxing her. "Fighting Yazoo and Loz wasn't what had us so worried." She finished.

"Their materia is gone, their power exceptionally less and most likely notably weaker from the explosion. If they get their hands on better weapons, materia or Mother, knowing the girls can take them won't be helpful at all." The blond explained.

"Our concern is Sephiroth." Tifa added.

"An' two of'em." Cid pitched in.

Yuki shook her head. "I've been thinking about that." (Valena's "big surprise" comment was clearly heard during Yuki's pause) Yuki glared at her friend before continuing. "The brothers could never channel Sephiroth at the same time."

"It would cause a paradox." Vincent said. He'd removed his arm from around Yuki, instead leaning his elbows on the table, his hands bridged before his face. "Two Sephiroth's couldn't coexist. One would be the real Sephiroth, the other, only a shell. One that wouldn't stand a chance against even the weakest child." Vincent shook his head as well. "No, the brothers won't channel him together. They wouldn't ruin their chances at winning."

"But would the brothers know that?" Tifa asked.

Valena scoffed and glared at her new enemy. "Maybe not 'know' it, but they would suspect it."

"So, worst case scenario?" Cloud asked, trying to ease the tension between the two girls. The room fell silent. Everyone was thinking the same thing, but only Cid voiced it.

"They kill us." The slow laughter grew among the people in the room, a good release of the bottled fears and worries about the upcoming fight.

"Worst case scenario: They use one to weaken us, and then the other to finish us off." Yuki stated once the laughter had died down.

"So they kill us." Cid said again.

"Yeah but what if we kill the first Sephiroth?" Reno asked. "Wouldn't that stop the second brother from channeling him?"

Everyone began to mumble, either to themselves or to their neighbor. Wasn't Reno's idea viable? Cloud slightly raised his hand, waiting for the murmuring to stop. "I don't think that would work. The last time I fought him, he said he'd 'see me around.' Surely that was a sign that he knew he still had ways to get back."

"Basically as long as Sephiroth has a host body, he can continue to plague us." Vincent said, drawing on the knowledge he learned from Elena and Tseng. Everyone fell silent again.

"The only possible host bodies are the brothers...right?" Tifa asked, suddenly afraid of the answer. Vincent nodded and everyone sighed.

Yuki leaned back and stretched a bit, bending backwards over the back of the chair, her arms over her head. "Basically." She started, while still staring at the ceiling. "All of his planning is meaningless." She returned to her original position only to be met by heated glares. She raised her hands in mock defeat. "I only mean that since we don't know where they are, when they'll show up again or how much more strength they will have…there is no point to planning."

"So you just want us to laze around like her?" Tifa asked, motioning to Valena. Said girl had fallen asleep at some point during their discussion, her head so far to the side, it seemed her neck was broken. She wore a silly expression and mumbled something that made Reno blush which he quickly tried to cover up.

"So let's just chill, daze to. The most we can do is get supplies and such, so let's get that done." Reno said after his blush receded. Tifa, Cloud, Cid and Rude nodded and slowly stood, each off to their own devices.

Reno lifted Valena up and carried her in the direction of the stairs, tossing a "see ya" over his shoulder as he went, leaving Vincent and Yuki at the table. The silence fell around them quickly, both enjoying it's embrace. Vincent placed his arm around the girl's shoulders and she slumped into his side.

"What are we going to do..." She mumbled, her eyes shut. The weariness of the day was finally catching up to her. So much had happened and so much had yet to process. "Why didn't anyone answer?" She asked, more to herself than the man holding her. He gave her a squeeze on the shoulder and rested his cheek on her temple. She sounded like a child who was just told there was no Santa Claus.

"Don't think too much on it. You'll only worry yourself and you won't be able to focus on the job at hand." He knew as he said it that she would have a rebuttal about 'how could she focus on the job if there was nothing to focus on' but instead, she remained quiet. Too quiet.

Yuki had fallen asleep just after she voiced her worry, Vincent's body heat seeping into her usually chilly skin. With a slight squeeze of the girl's shoulders and a sigh, Vincent dropped a chaste kiss to her hairline.

"I'm here, there's no more need for you to worry."

Yes yes I know, a bit short...but I didn't want this one to go on farther, otherwise I was afraid of reader overload....hehe

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