Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy.

-The conversation-

The sun crept down below the horizon and darkness slowly spread over the land.

The team of travellers, Zidane, Vivi, Freya, and Quina stopped for the night in a small tree-clad depression near the entrance to Gizamaluke's Grotto. Zidane and Vivi set up a tent, and Freya took to sharpening her javelin.

"I tired, sleep now!" said Quina, as it crawled into the tent.

"Vivi, you tired? Asked Zidane.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning."

"You coming into the tent?"

"Not just yet."

"Okay, goodnight Zidane."

"'Night, Vivi."

Vivi entered the tent.

Zidane wasn't going to sleep yet. He had something on his mind, which he wanted to clear. He strolled over to Freya, who was sitting on the grass a-sharpening.

"Hey, Freya? Can I ask you about something?"

"Well, it depends what." replied Freya, "May I have your dagger for a moment?"

"Okay." He unsheathed his dagger and handed it to her. Freya began using it to sharpen further.

"Anyway," continued Zidane, "I need a little...err.... romantic advice..."

"Oh?" Said Freya, still sharpening, "I thought you were popular with all the girls around?"

"Yeah, well, I'm having a little trouble."

"Why do you wish to ask me?"

"You're a woman, she's a woman. I just don't understand you people sometimes."

"Very well. Who is it?"

"Princess Garnet." Announced Zidane, taking a seat on the grass beside Freya.

She stopped sharpening, and looked her spear up and down.

"Go on."

"Well, I was travelling with her from Alexandria for a while before we met you."

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, I've been kinda...dropping hints, being courteous, et cetera..."

"Well, I doubt that is enough."

"Well, what else can I do?"

Freya paused.

"...Have you asked her out?"

"I sorta did. She agreed she'd go out on a date with me if I won the Lindblum hunt."

"I apologise for that."

"That's ok, you won fair and square."

There was a short pause.
"Well?" nagged Zidane.
"Zidane, I don't know much about her or what she likes, so it is difficult to come up with an answer."

"Well, what would you like someone to do to show their love for you?"

"Me?" She paused "I...I don't know..."

"Oh, come on. Surely you must know something."

"Zidane, this is just like three years ago."

"What?"

"When I came to Lindblum."

"Oh yeah...what do you mean?"

"When I was staying with Tantalus for that short period, one night you visited me to ask how to impress a girl you were in love with. Somebody called Ruby, I believe."

"Oh? Oh yes, I remember now. You told me to just be charming and polite, and to give her flowers or something."

"Indeed. Did you have any luck?"

"We were going together for a little while."

"Why did you break up?"

"I can't really remember. Some differences, I guess. Besides, I was only 13."

There was a short silence.

"So Freya, can you think of anything? I'm really eager, here!"

"I don't really know, Zidane."

"What about that old boyfriend of yours? What romantic gestures did he come up with?"

Freya put down her spear and looked down at the ground.

"Oh...sorry, Freya. Is this a bad matter for you?"

But Freya answered his question.

"He just did everything so naturally. He was charming and strong. He didn't say much, but his eyes did. He had the most wonderful eyes."

Freya seemed to be on a tangent.

"I see..."

"He gave me my first spear. He fashioned it and designed it himself and gave it to me on my birthday. And when we had free nights, sometimes we would dance in the rain in Burmecia."

"Wow. He sounds like quite a guy."

"Yeah." Freya's voice broke slightly. "He was amazing."

She looked up at the sky, and the moonlight glistened upon her face. Zidane noticed her watery eyes, and spoke out of concern.

"Freya?" He asked, "Freya, are you okay?"

She immediately looked back down again, and picked up her spear into her hand.

"I am fine, Zidane." She said, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"No you're not, Freya. Come on, you can talk to me."

"It's just...I have a lot on my mind."

"Keep going."

Freya paused.

"I'm alright, Zidane, let me not trouble you with my concerns."

She tried to get up, but Zidane took her arm and made her sit back down.

"Freya, if you go back now you'll cry yourself to sleep like I've heard you doing for most of the time we've been travelling together. Just let it all out. Come on, we care about you."

Freya spoke.
"My utmost gratitude, Zidane." She started, her voice breaking as she tried to swallow her tears.

At that moment, the tears began dripping down Freya's cheeks.

"What if I never find him, what if he never comes back...?" She whispered, wisftfully.

Zidane slipped his arm around her shoulder and held her close to him. She was tense at first, but soon relaxed into his shoulder. To Zidane, it was odd seeing her like this. Her calm, cool exterior had collapsed into this troubled enigma of sorrow and remorse.

"I've never thought of giving up on him," She continued, wiping some tears from under her eyes. "The High Priest in Cleyra gave his counsel, advising me to halt my search, but I just couldn't do that."

Zidane remained embracing her, stroking her silver hair with his hand.

"Um, tell me about this boyfriend. Any fond memories you have?"

Freya straightened up a bit, and the tears seemed to have stopped.

"Well, we were on our way to Treno to attend a training session when I was seventeen. It was a three-day journey and we didn't have a tent. One night it was raining most heavily, and he tore apart his sleeping roll and wrapped us up in it. It was a soaking wet starry night, but it was just the two of us under the stars wrapped up in his blanket."

Zidane smiled warmly.

"Don't give up on him, Freya. Lose your dream and you could lose your mind. You'll find him, I know it."

"Thank you, Zidane. But alas, Sir Fratley, my one love, isn't my only problem in this land." She continued.

"Hm?" Zidane inquired.

"This war that has broken out. The travesties that have befallen my people."

"Queen Brahne is going to pay, bigtime." Said Zidane.

"And that General Beatrix. My hatred for her shall be ceased only by my spear."

"To be honest, I thought she was pretty sexy." Zidane announced, accidentally speaking his mind. Freya stopped speaking, and for the first time in a long time, she smiled.

"You're the as always, Zidane."

Zidane smiled back.

"So are you doing okay?" He asked her, seeking closure for the night.

"I think so." She replied.

"Let's just stay here for a while, if you want."

"That would be nice."

They stayed awake for a while; talking and conversing about various things they never got to talk about any more. Freya and Zidane fell asleep against each other's shoulders that night. They didn't say anything about their conversation to anyone for a time, until Freya and Fratley at last found each other.

-END-