Chapter Four

When she left she thought she'd never see him again. She'd gotten Tseng to give her the most unlikely-to-run-into-Zack assignment she could think of: his hometown of Gongaga. There were rumors of an Angeal sighting plus the off-chance that Zack would show up. Not that he would. Zack wasn't an idiot.

She'd only met Angeal once or twice, but Zack always spoke highly of him. She hoped she'd get a chance to run into the fugitive SOLDIER. She'd tell him about Zack and ask him to make a big disturbance to take the heat off his prodigy.

Of course, when she saw him walk into town, all her hopes shattered like glass. The frail schemes she built up in her head – the ways she could help him avoid detection – maybe by reporting his presence in his hometown even though he wasn't actually there – all of them were dashed. And unlike the beach, there were plenty of other operatives floating around. She had most of them scouting the hills, but eventually someone would come back.

And Zack was just wandering around, opening boxes, fighting monsters. His blond companion was sitting listlessly in the sidecar of her motorcycle, and Zack was trying to work up the courage to go home. That was really too bad. She needed to scare him away.

"Behind you," she says.

He stiffens in surprise. This time he hadn't detected her approach. Probably because this time she already knew what she was going to do: let him go. No. Make him go. He couldn't stay here. Her arms cross, and she tosses a casual barb: "So predictable. Couldn't you guess your hometown would be the first place we'd look?"

He looks sheepish, but tries to mask it. "Hmmh."

"Here to see your parents?"

"Yeah, so?" He places his hands on his hips. "What's wrong with that?" He jerks his chin at her. In the daylight, his skin still looks sickly, a hint of mako green in the pores. But the circles under his eyes are a little less dark. And his body appears a little less shaky. No doubt the elevated levels of mako, mixed with the combat he is putting himself through are starting to tone his body again.

"I see." She says, moving closer, arms still crossed.

He flinches, not from fear, but from embarrassment. "Yeah, well . . . I guess you're right. It was pretty careless." He turns. "We'll be going."

That's what she wants, even if she didn't want it. "Be careful," she whispers, the warning escaping before she can reign it in. "Security is very tight right now. Apparently, another target it in the area." Why had she said that? Zack wasn't going anywhere if he thought his mentor was here. Stupid, stupid. She wishes she can take it back. She'd just wanted to delay their parting for a few seconds.

"Who?"

Some lie springs to her lips, but she swallows it back down. "Angeal."

"I see."

That's not the response she is expecting. "'I see'? He died by your hand. You're not surprised?"

Zack shakes his head slightly. "I think he may have helped us. Escape ShinRa manor."

That's not what Cissnei expects. "Interesting." The part of her that's good at being a Turk is in high gear now, working through the possibilities. ShinRa is a puzzle, with pieces scattered everywhere. She's always prided herself on seeing the pieces – knowing she's being moved at the whim of power hungry, greedy, immoral men. But she's never looked closer. Maybe she should. Maybe that's what she'll do after Zack escapes.

"The sighting reports were true," she muses, more to herself than to Zack.

"But why would he come to a place like Gongaga?" Zack asks. He's not really talking to her either. They're both disconnected, bouncing ideas off each other. She takes comfort in their conversation, even as she half tunes him out. She turns Angeal's possible motives around and finds the only one that makes sense.

"He came here to see you. What other reason could there be?"

Zack comes alive at that, looking around frantically. "Run away if you can, Angeal. The Turks are watching."

She thinks that's funny. How one member of the Turks is suddenly 'the Turks.' But her amusement quickly sours as she remembers she's supposed to be driving him out of town. "I'll give you ten minutes. After that . . . I return to the Turks."

"Return?"

Her lips quick upwards. "Right now, I'm not in the mood." She sounds like Reno, and that makes her smile a bit more. Who would have thought she'd feel so alive after so much has gone wrong in her life? Being with Zack does that to her. Liberates her. "I can't bring bad news to yours parents," she says, deciding to let him know his family is okay. It is the least she can do, and maybe, just maybe, it'll keep him moving.

Zack takes her invitation. "My mom . . . how is she?"

"She's worried. She thinks that after all this you won't be able to find a wife." Cissnei knows he already found a wife, he just hasn't asked her to marry him yet. She wonders where they'll have the wedding, and if she'll be brave enough to go. If she'll even be invited in the first place.

Zack flushes pink. "What's up with that?"

"They're nice people. And they're doing fine."

"Good. That's all I need to know."

Silence falls heavy for a minute. She knows he'll be able to leave without seeing them now. Instead he asks about her parents. That's the thing about Zack. She never knows what he'll do next. She tries to picture the woman that gave birth to her, struggles for any little memory. But there's nothing. Nothing at all. She remembers ShinRa. The training. Always training. And then the Turks. They gave her the first and last home she'll ever have. Before them, she had no one. After them there will be no one.

"I was raised by ShinRa," she says softly.

The silence is awkward this time, not laced with goodbye. Zack breaks it finally with some lighthearted comment about her talking to his mother for him. "Just don't say anything that would make them think you're my bride to be," he adds.

Cissnei feels that stab through the heart. He isn't meant for her. He's meant for the Ancient. But she doesn't want to leave on a bitter note. She wants this memory for eternity to be untarnished. "I've . . . already told them I was," she lies, liking the look of surprise on his face.

"How could you tell them something like that!"

She keeps walking, waving casually over her shoulder.

"Cissnei!"

"That isn't my real name, you know," she says. She smiles, imagining the look on his face. He must be so scandalized.

"Eh?" He takes a step toward her, booted feet striking the earth.

"Come on now! Only 5 minutes left," she says. She doesn't look back. If that's to be her last memory, then so be it. She'll figure out how to keep him safe. She'll do anything for him.