Broken.
Three.

He stood before the massive oak doors of the abandoned church, doubt lacing his thoughts.

It was more difficult than he thought it would be, coming here, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on the package he held, as if for courage.

I can't do this.

But he had promised, his last words to a dying man, and that was what had kept him going, the one reason that had him struggle through four years of the never-ending nightmare that was Wutai.

He couldn't go back on that.

Steeling himself, he pressed the palm of his glove on the rotten wood and slipped inside.


It was as if he had entered into another time, another place, as he stood there intently just inside the door and listened to the sounds of traffic outside fade away.

Sunlight streamed through the broken rafters, catching tiny specks of dust that swirled lazily in fascinating, miniscule galaxies. The floorboards had been torn up in the center, where the altar had been, and a large patch of grass had flourished. A slender woman, dressed in various shades of pink, was kneeling by the vegetation, back to him as she tended to the brilliantly yellow flowers that had sprung up amongst the grass.

Pink and yellow on green.

A picture of serenity in the madness of his world.

He ghosted noiselessly through the ruined pews and stopped a few paces behind the girl.

She was still unaware of his presence, humming a tune softly as she worked and a slight breeze blew a few wisps of brunette hair out of the loose braid she wore.

'..Aeris.'

She jumped a little in shock, whirling around to face her unexpected guest and clasping a hand to her breast. He was a SOLDIER, she saw immediately, from the way he stood and the cold, hard lines around his mouth. And, of course, the unnaturally bright, mako infused eyes that were tell-tale signs of Shinra's special forces.

Just like..

'I'm sorry,' she laughed a little. 'You scared me there.'

He said nothing.

'..Well? Can I help you with something..?' she asked uncertainly, a sudden fear and unease gripping her heart.

Wordlessly, he held the small package out to her.

She reached out slowly and took it from his gloved fingers, unable to keep her hand from quivering slightly.

'..He's..he's gone..isn't he?' she whispered.

He didn't say anything.

He didn't need to.

She fumbled with the frayed, red ribbon holding the package together, numb fingers scrabbling at the stubborn knot, before finally getting it undone and spilling the contents onto the cool floor.

Letters.

Letters that smelled of gunpowder and sweat and the rich, earthy smell of Wutai together with just the faintest hint of blood.

The smell of death and love and heartbreak.

She turned away from him then, her shoulders shaking as wrenching sobs escaped from her pale lips.

It was the hardest thing he had ever watched.


Sometime later, when the crying had gradually died down, he found himself sitting opposite her, him with his back against the side of a destroyed pew, and her facing him, hugging her knees to her chest.

'..Thank you..' she began softly, voice slightly hoarse.

He looked up at her, eyes questioning.

'For bringing these to me, I mean. I'll treasure them.'

'..I'm..sorry.. I couldn't..bring him back,' he said, looking away, throat dry.

'Don't be. It isn't your fault..' she replied, quietly.

'I.. I think..I always knew he wasn't coming back. I..felt it, sort of, when he left.'

And so they sat in companionable silence, uninterrupted save for the calming rustle of grass and faint, distant sounds of the outside world.

He watched as she reached for the letters, smoothing the creased and battered paper over her lap and began to read.

He wasn't surprised to see silent tears sliding down her pale cheeks, where they ended up as dark splotches on the cheap stationery they had to make do with on duty.

He was surprised, however, when she broke into a soft giggle, looking up at him with a barely contained twinkle in her green eyes.

'You must be Cloud. He mentioned you, you know. Called you a Chocobo head, amongst other things. Mostly good. I'm sure I can see the resemblance.'

Cloud found a smile tugging at the corner of his lips despite the melancholic mood. Zack had, indeed, found more ways than one to keep things interesting, even in the middle of a war.

'He always was such a happy person..' she choked, trailing off as the tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

'..He loved you, Aeris. To the very end. He never forgot you,' he said suddenly.

'..I know. I've missed him..' she murmured, giving him a small, half-smile through her long lashes, still glistening with tears.

She took a moment to draw in a deep breath, before continuing.

'Thanks. I'm all better now. Zack.. he wouldn't have wanted us to remember him like this..'

No, he wouldn't.

But he shoved the thought into the back of his head just as quickly as it had come.

What was done was done.

There was nothing he could do to change that now.


A/N: Can't believe I managed to put out another chapter in the middle of my papers. Must be looking for just about any reason I can come up with to put off studying. Just some character development in this chapter, and hopefully you people will keep reading because (I promise) that the really good parts are coming soon.

Just a quick note on the last chapter. I was reading through it again to check for mistakes and I realise I might have written Cid as being too much of a wimp. Without spoiling too much, let's just say that that definitely isn't the case. I'm still undecided as to his exact role in the plot, but in the previous update he was meant to be a kind of foil to Cloud that shows just how terrifying Cloud's supposed to be. Not sure if I managed to capture that kind of feeling though, so comments, anyone?

On a completely unrelated note, Diablo is damn addictive and I'm probably going to fail my papers.

Irish-Brigid; Yeah it's weird how your head can be bursting with ideas on how to develop the story but when it comes to actually writing it you take ages to get anything done. Or that's how it is for me, at least.