Walk. Walk till you can no more. That's what I kept telling myself. It didn't make much difference though, whether I walked or stayed still. I had nowhere to turn to, not a place to return. So, I held on to that thought. What else was there to hope upon? Walk till you drop dead? Ha! As if I were that lucky.

"Clear and clean as water." I radioed.

"Roger that." Was sent from the other end. "Same here. Geez man, someone did a pretty good wipe out on this place." The voice kept on. "Not a living soul was left."

"At least they did the dirty work for us. Got to give them that." I replied scratching a few dust samples from one of the surviving pillars of this carcass of a hideout. My partner was right. Whoever managed to leave this place in ruins had done a decent work. Not even the base pillars or the roofs for that matter remained untouched. Anywhere I turned I saw remains of a hungry fire and consequences of what appeared had been the razing of an army. To that I add the foul smells of scorched meat and some sort of chemicals that permeated the area. "Damn." I stated unconsciously.

"Everything alright over there?" The voice asked concerned. "Yeah. I just hate how it smells down here." For unknown reasons, wait maybe I do know them, just hate to admit, I was assigned to check the basement and lower areas of the post-hideout, while my good-for-nothing superior was checking the upper areas and the ex-roof. That's my luck. Fortunately, for my superior, I knew him well enough to forgive his lack of determination to finish early and his leave-for-tomorrow-what-is-for-today spirit. But, still, his taunting my goodwill and patience limits. Someday, he will receive a severe lecture from the higher commands thanks to the rumors a tiny bird divulged. "Hey!" My heart jumped. "Do you want to kill me?" I yelled at my device, grasping at the my shirt. "I can't say I am scarce on motives to commit your murder." The voice joked.

"I could have destroyed a crime scene because of you silly comical outcomes you know."

"Don't blame that on me bud. I have being calling you for the past five minutes with no success until now." The voice came back pissed.

"So what do you need to tell me now that you can't resist the urge to tell me when our shift is over." A few moths passed by leaving a trail of dust floating before me.

"I…I was just wondering if…" The voice echoed cut.

"Wondering…" I urged. I disliked, no scratch that, I loathed, when people talked but then stopped to reconsidering the idea of unveiling an ugly or perturbing truth. If you are half way into hell…keep going for the love of Gaia. I don't bite…yet. "Tell me before I seriously consider the idea of punching your face when I see you."

"I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU WOULD ASSIST TO AERITH'S DINNER?" I was taken aback. I was wishing that he wouldn't bring the subject so early. In fact, I was hoping he wouldn't bring it at all. My plan was to ditch, as I usually did, Aerith's dinner invitation. It's not that I can't stand the girl, not at all. I like her a lot; ever since I saw her walking in Midgar's market I fell for her, harder than what I've fallen for any other woman. I don't know why, but there was something about her, something that maybe I'll never come to understand, that drew me to her. The aura that she emanates soothes even the most hideously-hatred-filled beings. Her voice travels soft through the wind as a petal does and is as relaxing and enchanting as summer rain; something that you welcome with wide-open arms. Her chocolate hair is shiny and velvet-soft, and it flows perfectly along her shoulders and back when she lets it loose. A cascade of caramel upon her marble being. And the eyes! Oh, those emerald green eyes! Nothing compares to them. The shiniest jewels are shunned away by them. They hide in shame when they come into view. Priceless. Simply priceless. The blind men recover their eyesight by only looking their way. So, if you guessed that I love her then you are right. Yes. I am madly in love with the young lady. She is precious to me, to my existence and to everything I find worth going on for. But…I've been avoiding her lately. It may sound quite irrational that you stay away from someone you love more than your own life. It's hard to comprehend even for me, the perpetrator of such acts. Yet…I find it hard to be around her. She looks so delicate; so fragile. I feel like if I ever get too close, she'll shatter. Seeing her from afar and avoiding her is the best thing I could think of; just watching her brightens my day. "So…" I heard.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'll go." I was lying. A sigh answered back. "What?"

"I don't know anymore." The voice responded depressed.

"What is it that you don't know?"

"Whether to hope for you to show up or just accept the fact that you are ditching again." Another sigh. I couldn't blame him. He was in his right to doubt, and sadly the last part was true. I always ditched her dinner invites. I am an asshole. "You always answer that you will go and there she is waiting for you to appear, only to end in bitter disappointment and a fake smile while we eat. I don't know why you do it, but whatever it's your problem you should at least decline properly the invitation. Seriously dude, you are worst than a shitty girl giving high hopes to a shy guy. And…"

"Hey I gotta go." And saying that I turned the device off. Cutting him was a bad idea; he surely will get me when I return. But hearing him ramble his prepared lecture was even more brain killing. He was right though. He always was. I put the communicator in one of my pockets. Thank god the building was like a maze. It would take time for him to find me. Too bad for him. I was already running for the exit. I wasn't going.

I won't show up tonight as well.

Sun. Air. Dryness. Dessert. Me.

Me.

Me.

And only me.

But I'm here too.

Yeah. I guess that reassuring and comforting.

It should be. I'm after all…always here.

Someone…

Anyone help me.