As Red fought amongst the group of rampaging sahagins, Vincent stood very still, the only movement coming from his right arm as he fired Cerberus into the fray. Knowing full well that sahagins had incredibly tough shells, Vincent took his time and aimed carefully for headshots. Once he had gotten his range and aim, it became all one motion: shoot, kill, reload…shoot, kill, reload…

"Vincent!" Red shouted after ripping out the throat of a sahagin with his powerful jaws. "The chief! Kill him and the rest will flee!"

Just as Red said that, a much larger sahagin appeared over the horizon. Vincent figured that it had to be the Chief Sahagin as he finished reloading Cerberus and started to aim. Before Vincent could get a clear shot at its head, the Chief Sahagin started to push through the ranks of his minion and charged towards Vincent. Surprisingly, the large monster was incredibly quick…too quick to get a clean shot at, Vincent immediately realized. After waiting a few more seconds to let the monster close the gap, Vincent leapt into the air and vaulted over the Chief Sahagin as he pulled Cerberus's trigger. The round hit the Chief Sahagin on the top of his head, killing him before he had a chance to fall down. Once it did, the remaining sahagins screeched what Vincent interpreted as a cry of mourning as they retreated back into the valley, away from Cosmo Canyon.

As Vincent holstered Cerberus and shook the dust off his cloak, Red walked up to him, his face and paws stained in sahagin blood. His tail glowed like fire in the setting sun as he commented, "Well, glad that's over it. Thank you for your help, Vincent."

"It's nothing…" Vincent said before something caught his eye. He walked over to the Chief Sahagin's corpse and knelt down near his head. There, on the back of the monster's neck, was a small, metal circular disk of Shinra-make. He stood up and showed the disk to Red. "Any idea what this is?"

Red shook his head. "You're asking me about a piece of Shinra technology? If you don't know what it is, how can I be expected to?"

"Fair enough. You said that this sahagin commands the others?"

"Yes. Sahagin fight for control of the pack, and typically the largest and strongest among them emerge the victor. However, the sahagin have no real command structure, so once their leader falls, they panic and flee."

"So, if someone controlled the Chief Sahagin, they'd control all of them?" Vincent asked as he studied the disk more intently.

"Well yes…" Red said as he suddenly realized what Vincent was alluding to. Vincent, as stoic as always, slipped the disk into a pocket and said, "Let's go back to the village. I need to talk to Reeve."

Red nodded in agreement as the two made their way up the stairs and back to Cosmo Canyon. Neither said a word, but Vincent's mind was pondering this new development and what it all meant. He decided that until he had more information, worrying about it wouldn't do any good.

Vincent would know more after talking to Reeve and, more importantly, what his response was going to be.

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"Yeesh! Why do I have to fight? I HATE FIGHTING!" Cait Sith thought as he and his partner Mog were staring down one of the Green Dragons that had decided to invade Rocket Town.

Even though he took his commands from his creator Reeve, Cait Sith had a mind of his own and was not above letting others know it. Cait had made it known more times than anyone could count that he was a spy, not a fighter. Even with the additional muscle Mog's robotic skeleton provided, Cait Sith hated battles and loathed that all his friends were so much more comfortable with it. Heck, both Cid and Yuffie were looking right at home confronting the other two dragons, whereas he just looked like a small appetizer on top of a giant blob of cotton candy.

"Knock it off, Cait!" the robotic cat shouted to himself, "You can do this. It's just like riding a bike…a really big and fluffy bike with a giant fire-breathing lizard chasing you down and trying to kill you! No big deal!"

Cait's train of thought was interrupted by the roar of the dragon he was paired off with. The dragon suddenly lunged at the robotic duo and would have crushed them had Cait not managed to shout out, "Mog! Sidestep left!"

Mog followed his passenger's orders quickly and dodged the dragon's attack. Unlike Cait Sith, Mog had a very limited AI program and was generally unable to function without Cait shouting orders. Fortunately, in most cases, Cait's computer brain was quick enough to issue the orders fast enough for Mog to act. So long as Cait didn't get distracted by his own thoughts…

The dragon turned to face them again and made a distinct noise. Cait Sith quickly realized that the beast was preparing its Flamethrower attack. The cat realized what he needed to do and immediately stood up on Mog's head.

Normal humans were able to use materia by simply focusing their own spirit energy on the materia orb and calling forth the magic that way. Since Cait Sith was a machine and had no spirit energy, he had to "trick" the materia to get it to work for him. He managed that by linking the materia to a slot on top of his paw and running an electrical current through the orb. It drained Cait Sith's own power reserves, but it allowed him to use magic. Besides, he could always recharge after a battle, so as long as he didn't overdue it.

Cait did just that with the Time materia he had equipped and quickly cast a Slow spell on the dragon. Just like that, the normally swift Green Dragon became sluggish, and it was now child's play to dodge the stream of flame the dragon spewed. Cait Sith then decided to take advantage of this and shouted, "All right, Mog! Jump up and hit that dragon with a Skull-Crush!"

Mog quickly leapt into the air and descended onto the dragon as Cait Sith held on for dear life. With one axe-handle smash, Mog's steel orb-like hands shattered the dragon's skull, killing the beast instantly. As the dragon fell like a rock, Mog landed and stood still, completely incapable of appreciating what just transpired. Cait Sith, on the other hand, was exhilarated at the end result of his battle, and was jumping up and down like he had just beaten Sephiroth single-handedly.

"Oh, yeah! That's right! How do ya like that, ya big gecko!" Cait Sith shouted. He continued gloating in a sing-song tune, "I-Still-Got-It! I-Still-Got-It! I-Still-Got…"

"Hey, you damn cat! What the hell took ya so damn long?"

Cait's reverie was shattered as he looked over towards Cid. Apparently, he had not only finished off his dragon well before Cait Sith, but also had enough time to enjoy a cigarette on top of his fallen foe's corpse. As he turned to look at how Yuffie had managed, Cait was shocked to see that Yuffie had made relatively quick work of the last dragon, severing its head from the rest of its body with a toss of her shuriken. She stood with her hands on her hips, slightly amused by the cat's display of enthusiasm.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Cait Sith shouted as he ordered Mog to head towards Cid. "You know full well I can't fight as well as you two, so why can't you just let me have my moment. It's not my fault I wasn't built like the Proud Clod, so cut me some slack!"

"Why don't you shut up for one goddamned second and take a look at this?" Cid said as he jumped down and handed Cait Sith a small metal disk. Cait looked at the disk intently for a few seconds.

"Hmm, look's like Shinra tech."

"I gathered that much, Cait! I'm more interested in what that piece of shit does!"

Cait shot Cid a glare as he answered, "I can't say for sure. From what I can tell, it looks like some sort of transceiver, but I won't be able to tell ya what kind until I get this thing to Reeve. Where'd ya find it?"

Cid finished his cigarette as he replied, "Found in on that dragon's neck. Hard to spot 'cause the scales had grown over it a bit, but the light reflected off it and caught my eye."

"Think it has something to do with these dragons attacking Rocket Town?" Yuffie chirped as she leaned in to get a better look at the device.

"Has to. Green Dragon's are territorial bastards. They rarely leave Mount Nibel, and they sure as hell never travel together. Something or someone's fuckin' around with us. I feel it in my gut."

At that moment, Shera walked outside the house and noticed the carnage for the first time. Even so, Shera never lost her composure as she calmly walked over to Cid and asked, "Are you okay?"

Cid laughed. "Didn't I tell ya to stay in the house? Women, I tell ya…"

Shera ignored him as she explained, "When I heard Cait Sith's little victory shout, I figured it was safe to come out. None of you look hurt, so let's be grateful for small mercies. Tea's still hot, if you'd like a cup."

"Sounds good," Cid said as he gave Shera a small kiss on the forehead. "Listen, about my vacation…"

"No need to explain. I'll have the crew prepare the airship."

Cid smiled as he, Yuffie, and Cait Sith followed Shera back to their house. "Damn, I love that woman," he thought as he entered the door and inhaled the familiar scent of his favorite brand of tea.

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"That's seven! You two can pick up the slack anytime!"

"Real funny Barret," Tifa said as she planted her fist into the beak of a cockatrice, shattering it instantly and dropping the giant bird. "I thought we were fighting to protect the miners, not seeing who the best monster slayer was. Besides, I'm already at ten."

"Eight! Nine!" Barret shouted as the gun that used to be his right hand hammered rounds through monsters left and right. "Hey Spiky! How many you up to?"

Cloud was silence as he used his Braver technique on a lone bomb, slicing the elemental monster in two. "Twelve."

Barret looked shocked as he reloaded his gun-arm. "Ain't no way I'ma let either of ya beat me! Come on, you sumbitches! Get some!"

Cloud laughed a little as he continued to slash through wave after wave of monsters rushing out of the Corel Reactor. His sword, with First Tsurugi as its base and the rest of his swords forming its shape, was similar in shape to the Buster Sword Zack Fair gave him upon his death on the outskirts of Midgar. Even though the Buster Sword would always remain his sentimental favorite as it represented his friend Zack's legacy and honor, he had to admit that his new sword was superior in almost everyway, being lighter and more versatile in combat. Of course, the monsters in this area were not nearly as tough as they were when Cloud and his friends first passed through four years ago.

"Experience will do that for you," Cloud thought after slicing through a pair of bloatfloats. After dealing with another bomb in similar fashion, his attention turned to Tifa as she deftly eliminated a bagnadrana with a Somersault Kick. Not a second after killing the beast, she spun about and grabbed a needle kiss, spun in the air as she jumped, and drove it into the ground, ending the winged monster's life in record time.

Tifa…Cloud found himself entranced watching Tifa fight. He had seen her fight many times in the past, but something felt different this time. Back then, she was just another comrade fighting alongside him...but today, as her black skirt flitted in concert with her long brown hair, she was a valkyrie, both beautiful and dangerous at the same time.

Cloud had for the most part come to terms with his past and the guilt he felt for the lives of Zack and Aeris. However, he still had not been able to pin down exactly how he felt about his old childhood friend. As a result, he wasn't sure if he should move forward with an actual relationship with Tifa, or even if she wanted him to. It was one of those conundrums that kept him up nights, and he wasn't any closer to finding the answer…

"Cloud!" Tifa shouted, breaking Cloud musings. "Behind you!"

Cloud spun around and saw something he hadn't expected: a giant zuu swooping down, dive bombing itself directly at him. Cloud had little time to analyze the situation as the zuu flapped its wings and generated a huge gust, which blew many of the smaller monsters off the side of the mountain. In an instant, Cloud removed one of his weapon's smaller blades and rushed towards the black-winged monstrosity. The zuu lashed out at the warrior with its beak, only to be met by Cloud's offhand sword. Cloud took the opportunity to slash at the bird's exposed neck with First Tsurugi. The zuu screeched in agony as the blade sliced flesh and drew blood, forcing the monster to retreat into the skies. Cloud had anticipated that, and took advantage by first adding his extra blade to First Tsurugi and then focusing his energy into his sword, releasing it in the form of a Blade Beam. The energy blade hit the zuu in its chest, severing the lungs and heart. The zuu shrieked its last as it plummeted onto the Corel Reactor. The old Shinra construct had been left unattended for four years; as such, it was unable handle the extra weight of a giant monster and collapsed right in front of the three fighters.

Barret stood in shock as Cloud sheathed his sword and walked over to Tifa. He finally blurted out, "Yeah, well…that still only counts as one, dammit!"

Cloud nodded as he looked over Tifa. She had a few scratches, but nothing serious. Still, he asked, "Are you okay?"

Tifa nodded. "No problem. But it's weird. You never see zuus in these mountains. In fact, the only place you see them is…"

Tifa voice trailed off as Cloud finished. "Nibelheim."

"We a long ways off from Nibelheim," Barret stated. "Think birdie was just lookin' for a new nestin' ground?"

"Maybe, but…"

"Cloud!" Tifa interrupted. "Look up there! Is someone there?"

Cloud followed Tifa's gaze towards the top of the cliff that surrounded the reactor. It was hard to make it out due to the sun's glare, but it did look like there was somebody up there. Then, in an instant, the mysterious shape was gone.

"Was it an illusion? Or was somebody really up there?" Cloud thought as his cell phone rang. He quickly grabbed it and answered it.

After several seconds, Cloud hung up and said to his allies, "That was Reeve. He wants us to meet him at WRO Headquarters. Says he has new information for us."

"Nibelheim?" Tifa asked.

Cloud nodded. "Let's head back to camp. We've got a long trip to Fort Condor."

"Yeah, we do!" Barret spoke up. "I'll get one of my boys to handle things here, so don't think you two gonna leave me hangin' on this."

Cloud smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it. Thanks."

Barret nodded as the trio made their way back to Barret's truck and headed back to the mining camp. It was getting late, so Barret offered them lodging in their makeshift crew quarters. After getting a shower and something to eat, Cloud settled onto a cot and tried to fall asleep. But his thoughts kept him awake as one question continued to haunt his mind:

"What's going on in Nibelheim?"

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Author's Notes: Another sleepless night, another chapter...Truth, I hope this is still good enough to read.

As always, keep the reviews coming

"The Exile" Cyrus Truth