Chapter 10: Lovely Sound

So please don't forget to call me

Just to let me know, you're doing okay,

Miles away from me

So please tell me darling

Why you're so far away

When I need you beside me tonight

Chase Coy – Summer's Song

Aerith stared at the most recent picture Zack had sent her, deep in thought as her fingertip traced along the edge of his face. He looked so happy, one arm slung around Tifa, the other trying to pull an unwilling Cloud into the picture. Cloud appeared to be putting up a good fight, but one that had lost in the end, as he was still in the frame, caught rolling his eyes.

This is the best one we got of Cloud, Zack had written. He'll make a great model one day, don't you think?

Aerith laughed to herself at his joke. They still wrote letters to each other occasionally, usually when they exchanged pictures to show how they were doing. Half a year had already flown by, and Christmas was drawing nearer.

When he had first exited her life, it had been more painful than she liked to admit. She wore the loneliness like a tattered coat that did nothing to keep the cold out, and misery haunted her every step. For nearly all her life, Zack had been there, and in his absence, she realized how few friends she had. For the first few weeks, though, she'd turned down any company anyway. She wanted to be alone as she nursed her wounds.

Of course, time, as they say, heals all wounds. Not that she would consider herself healed, exactly. The pain was just...dulled. She wasn't happy, she was just...content.

From his numerous photos, Aerith could tell Zack was happy, though, and for that she was glad. Zack didn't do well with misery. It hadn't taken him very long after moving to Nibelheim to befriend Cloud, too, and from what Aerith could see, Zack had a fairly tight knit friendship with Cloud and Tifa. Seeing them in pictures together made Aerith glad, but it also stirred up longing and an insufferable ache. Once upon a time, it had been her and Zack with the tight knit friendship. Even though he'd promised to be best friends with her forever, the distance strained things. They still spoke regularly, but there was no way to be close anymore. She often worried about the day when they'd both realize they didn't really know each other anymore.

Which was part of the reason she was staring down at the picture in her hands with a frown on her face. Aerith had no idea what to get Zack for Christmas, something that always used to be so easy for her. She had no idea what he needed, or what he wanted, and it was really depressing her. To make matters worse, even if she could find something to get him, would it be good enough? Could she even afford to send it across the world?

She sighed and dropped the picture down on her bed, closing her eyes as she rubbed her temples. There was a light knock on her door, followed by her mom entering her room, looking weary and worn.

"Hey mom," Aerith said with a wan smile.

"Hello dear," her mom said with a sigh of her own, sitting down on the bed next to her daughter. She glanced down at the picture, picking it up and holding it between her fingers with a fond smile. "Look at that. He's gotten so grown up, hasn't he?"

"He has," Aerith agreed. Zack had lost nearly all the vestiges of boyishness in his face, except for the mischievous smile and the playfulness in his eyes. Her mom chuckled softly.

"Who would have thought that hyperactive little boy from so many years ago would have turned out so normal?" she said jokingly, and Aerith cracked a smile.

"I don't know if I would call Zack normal," she played along.

"Maybe you're right...but I find myself missing him a little. It's very quiet without him around."

"You don't have to tell me," Aerith said glumly. "I miss him more than I can even put to words," she said, flopping back onto her bed, covering her eyes with her arm. "And to top it off, I have no idea what to get him for Christmas."

"I've been thinking about Christmas, too," her mom said lightly. "I know I haven't always been able to...afford the things you would have liked over the years-"

"Mom, no. Don't say that," Aerith interrupted, but her mom held her hand up, the lines in her face creasing as she smiled.

"You don't have to try and reassure me. We've always done our best getting by, and I know it's felt like it's been harder as of late. But the truth is, I've been saving up for a long time, and I think I know what to get you for Christmas this year."

"What?" Aerith asked, bewildered. She'd never once thought that her mother had been putting money aside. She'd always assumed they were barely scraping by.

But her mom just shook her head again, looking more mischievous than Aerith could ever recall. "I can't tell you yet, but trust me when I say you're going to like it," she said, standing up slowly, groaning as her back complained. She leaned over and kissed the top of Aerith's head. "It'll be a good Christmas," she promised.

"I...I know, Mom. They're always good," she said sincerely.

"Oh. And don't worry too much about what to get Zack. It'll come to you," her mom said with another smile before she left the room.

Aerith stared at the picture her mom had left lying on the blanket, feeling a little bewildered. She picked the picture up once more, holding it up to her face. "What was that about, Zack?" she asked the photo.

He didn't respond of course.

Zack stamped his feet as he came into the house, shivering through his coat and hat, his fingers stiff from the cold. He'd spent the last half an hour or so shoveling walkways through the town to make some extra cash for Aerith's gift. Not that it looked it anymore, the snow was coming down so steadily. That, and he had no idea what to get Aerith for Christmas. Overall, the experience mostly just made him cold.

"How is it out there?" his mom asked from the kitchen, the smell of baking wafting through the house pleasantly.

"Like Modeoheim," he joked, tugging off his gloves with his teeth. "Is it even possible for one place to have so much snow?"

"It's more than I'm used to," his mom agreed, and he heard the clink of blinds as she peered through the kitchen window. "By Gaia, you can barely see where you shoveled anymore!"

"Yeah, but I got paid before everyone else realized that," Zack chuckled. "I'm sure I'll be out there in another hour or so. You'd think some other lazy bums could come help me," he said.

"Speaking of Cloud, he came over while you were out. I sent him up to your room. He's still waiting. Well, unless he jumped out your window. Although, with the amount of snow on the ground, I think he would have a soft landing."

"I see how it is. He's warm in toasty in my room while I'm out freezing my buns off," Zack complained good-naturedly as he hung up his coat.

"I made you hot chocolate," his mom smiled, handing him a steaming mug.

"Half marshmallows, half hot chocolate?" Zack grinned. His mom just shook her head with a laugh, pressing another mug into his hands. "Go see your friend," she told him with mock sternness.

Zack made his way up to his room, hot chocolates in hand, and as he swung open his bedroom door, he almost expected to see Aerith sitting on his bed waiting for him. The situation just seemed to call for it. He was almost disappointed when he was greeted with Cloud instead, but he managed to get over it quickly enough.

"Hey lazy bum," Zack said, handing Cloud some hot chocolate. "For whatever reason, you're being rewarded for doing nothing." Cloud's eyebrow twitched, which Zack took to be amusement. Cloud wasn't the most expressive guy, but Zack appreciated his stoic personality. It felt like when Cloud said something, it was more important than if he just spoke all the time.

Cloud's focus was on Zack's wall, which was plastered with numerous pictures Aerith had sent him, and pressed flowers she'd slipped into her letters, all pinned to his wall.

"This one's new," Cloud said in his somber voice, fingering the edge of Aerith's most recent picture. In this picture, Aerith was in her room, surrounded by all the Christmas decorations she planned to hang up, an endearing smile on her face.

"Yeah. Aerith's always excited for Christmas. Not for the presents so much...she just likes the atmosphere."

Cloud merely nodded, staring at the picture until Zack became unnerved. "What are you looking at? It's not going to change if you stare at it longer," he joked.

"You never dated her?" Cloud asked, surprising Zack. Cloud wasn't much for relationship talk, which made getting him and Tifa together difficult. Cloud seemed to avoid the topic like the plague.

"No..." he said slowly, wondering where Cloud was going with this.

"Hmm," Cloud hummed in response. "I think I would have," he said after a long moment. Zack spat a mouthful of hot chocolate back into his cup, staring at Cloud in shock.

"What? You're not Aerith's type," he said more sharply than he intended. "She doesn't think much of angst-ridden guys."

Cloud just gave him an odd look, as if to say, "Really?"

"Besides," Zack continued. "You can't even ask Tifa out, what makes you think you'd date Aerith?"

"I only meant I'd date her if I were you. I don't want to date her." Cloud didn't even acknowledge the Tifa comment.

"Why not? Aerith's gorgeous, and she's probably the nicest person you'll ever meet!" Zack said heatedly.

"First you say I'm not her type, now you're mad I don't want to date her. Are you okay?" Cloud asked, and Zack could hear a hint of laughter in his tone.

Zack sighed. "I'm just saying...well, you're not her type, but you'd be lucky to date her. She's amazing. Now stop being so weird and drink your hot chocolate."

"I'm not being weird," Cloud said, a little defensively. "I'm just saying. I don't know why you haven't gone out with her."

Zack sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Because...Cloud, she's my best friend."

"So? Friends can date."

"By that logic I should be dating Tifa," Zack shot back, and Cloud gave him a dark scowl. "But I won't because we're friends," Zack said slowly.

"So that's the only reason? Because you're friends?"

"Well, I think Tifa's interested in someone else, you know," Zack said, waggling his eyebrows. It was Cloud's turn to sigh.

"I meant with Aerith."

"Oh. Well, I...uh..." he fumbled. "I mean. Yeah, I guess. Friends don't date."

"That's stupid."

"Yeah, well, so is being a neighbors with a girl all your life and not being friends with her," Zack grumbled. Much to Zack's relief, Cloud finally dropped the subject and drank his hot chocolate.

While school was still in session, Zack was mostly able to forget about his conversation with Cloud. But when Christmas break finally started, Zack had nothing to distract him from his own thoughts, and consequentially, he spent a lot of time pondering Cloud's words. Was it really such a bad thing to date a friend? After all, Cloud and Tifa were friends (kind of), but that hadn't stopped Zack from trying to get them together. It wasn't so absurd to think that he could date Aerith.

Not that it mattered. They were only thousands of miles apart now, which made any dating prospect with her improbable. He wondered what she'd think of long distance...

Stop daydreaming, Zack, he scolded himself. She had never given him any indication over their many years of friendship that she wanted to date him. In fact, more often than not, she'd roll her eyes at him when he'd inadvertently flirted with her. It was clear she wasn't interested in him that way.

Zack frowned. That was kind of a bummer. It had never bothered him before. He'd never really put a whole lot of thought into it before. Damn you, Cloud.

With a shake of his head, Zack refocused on what he was doing – plotting the perfect plan to finally get Cloud to ask Tifa out. Heck, maybe he could get her to ask him. Some guys liked that in a girl, the confidence. It was kind of gutsy for a girl to ask a guy out, wasn't it? And Tifa was all sorts of independent, which Zack figured Cloud liked about Tifa, unless Zack had completely misjudged Cloud. But Cloud didn't seem like the kind of guy to like a girl only for her looks. Underneath his grumpy, brooding exterior, Cloud was thoughtful and nice...

Blech, now you're thinking like a girl, Zack.

But those were the things Aerith would have liked about Cloud. The fact that he was secretly nice, that is, not that he seemed like a jerk at first. Aerith had little tolerance for mean people – she mostly just ignored them.

And somehow, Zack was back to thinking about Aerith.

No! Focus.

Right, the perfect plan. Maybe the Christmas holiday would bring them together. All of that cheer and strategically placed mistletoe, followed up with a fantastic gift. On the other hand, Zack thought he might have a difficult time tricking either of them under mistletoe. They weren't stupid. Pity.

Okay, new plan. Maybe something with snow...the cold...getting all snuggly to warm up. He grinned a little, remembering his first snow, and how cold it had been. He also remembered Aerith, back pressed against the wall, paralyzed by the sight of the great, open sky, followed by their own brief snowball fight. She'd retaliated by shoving a fistful of snow into his coat, and then he'd pressed his cold hands to her neck and she'd squirmed. Then she'd reached over and fixed his hat, and they'd gone back to his house where he'd given her the flower wagon.

"Agh!" he yelled out loud, flailing his hands in the air. No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts kept circling back to Aerith.

"Problem?" his mom asked from the doorway, looking wary.

"I'm...it's nothing. Just going crazy," he said casually, grinning.

"You've got another letter," his mom said, holding up the envelope in between two of her fingers.

It was as if his thoughts had summoned the letter from her. He fought down an insane grin and held out his hand for it, trying to look like he was only mildly excited when he was actually doing a jig inside. His mom was watching him shrewdly, though, like she could tell that he was about to burst in excitement.

"Thanks," he said, quickly snatching the letter from her fingers. He stared at her until she left, and then he ripped the letter open with trembling fingers.

Seriously, take a chill pill, Zack.

He took a deep breath to calm his sudden nervousness – honestly, what was the deal? - and he finished opening the envelope, plucking the letter out and unfolding it, Aerith's familiar handwriting greeting him.

Happy Christmas break!

At least, I hope it is. From your last letter, it sounds like it's pretty cold up there. Is it anything like Modeoheim, you think?

Zack smiled and laughed at this. Apparently he wasn't the only one reminiscing.

I think my Christmas is going to be great. My mom has a surprise for me this year – she hasn't said what yet, but I'm really excited for it. You'll never believe it, but my mom's been putting aside money all these years, saving up! I hope she gets something nice for herself, too. I'd feel bad if she spent it all on my gift. I really don't need anything special, but she won't listen to me when I bring it up.

She misses you, though. She says it's too quiet without you. Personally, I'm glad for the peace and quiet. (I'm only kidding. I miss you, of course!)

Give me a call on Christmas, okay? I'll be home all day, and you can tell me about all the presents you got, and vice versa. I'm still trying to get you something, though. Are you sure there isn't anything you need? I know you said last time you couldn't think of anything, but I have no idea what to get for you. It sort of makes me feel like a terrible best friend – shouldn't I just know what to get you, instinctively?

Anyway, I miss you, and I hope you're doing well.

Love,

Aerith

P.S. Good luck with Cloud and Tifa!

Zack stared down at her letter to him, his eyes tracing over each letter slowly, soaking it in. It wasn't a particularly long letter, but it was enough. He could almost hear how curious she was about her Christmas present, coupled with the concern for her mom. Aerith was always thinking of others that way. Zack didn't think she had a selfish bone in her body.

His eyes lingered on the word love. She'd always signed her letters with love, and he'd never given it any thought. That was just Aerith. But now, for whatever reason, it made his heart beat a little bit faster, and it made his chest a little tight. Love.

Although Zack had had similar troubles finding something suitable for Aerith, he'd eventually settled on buying her a cell phone. He knew she couldn't afford one herself (although he seriously hoped that Aerith's mom wasn't getting one for her with that extra dough she'd saved), and it would be nice to reach her when she wasn't at home. He kept missing her the past few days, and he wondered what she could be doing that she wasn't home.

He'd sent her present early so it would get there either before or on Christmas – he didn't want it to arrive late, and he wasn't sure how great the postal service would be around the holidays.

In other news, Zack had decided to combine the only two plans he'd come up with to get Cloud and Tifa to share some smooches, figuring if one didn't work, then the other one would, or even better, both plans combined would be better than one.

Which was why he was currently hurling snowballs as hard as he could at Cloud.

"Damnit!" Cloud cursed as another snowball hit in him in the rear. "Zack why are you throwing so hard? I'm right HERE."

"Come on, betcha can't hit me," Zack taunted, sticking his tongue out and dodging another pitiful throw by Cloud. "Come on, Tifa's doing better than you." This was followed by a wet smack as one of Tifa's snowballs hit him in the chest. "See?"

"Leave him alone, Zack," Tifa said with an exasperated noise.

"Just some friendly competition," Zack shrugged and grinned back at her. While his face was turned, Cloud threw another snowball that hit him right in the face.

"Ack!" Zack yelped, the cold stinging bitterly on his skin.

"Ha!" Cloud cheered. "Got you that time, Zack!"

As Zack wiped snow off his face, he wondered how he could get the two of them together other than throwing them both into the snow next to each other. Actually, that might not be such a bad plan. No, Tifa wouldn't take kindly to being thrown, and she studied martial arts, so she'd undoubtedly kick his ass for it. He sighed internally. His matchmaking efforts were going completely unappreciated.

"Let's make Cloud into a snowman," Zack suggested to Tifa, who raised a brow at him in confusion.

"I don't want to be a snowman," Cloud grunted.

"We could make snow angels," Zack offered.

"No," Cloud responded flatly.

"You guys have no imagination. What do you want to do then?" he asked, forming another snowball and tossing it in the air and catching it repeatedly.

"Go inside, where it's warm."

"Again, you are no fun," Zack groaned. "Tifa, you'll make snow angels with me, right?" he asked, beaming at her.

"Actually, I have a few more presents to wrap. I should get back inside, too."

"But, uh...don't you guys want to hang mistletoe with me?" Zack asked, realizing how stupid he sounded after the words left his mouth.

"Uh, sounds like a solitary job, Zack. No offense," Cloud said hastily.

Tifa laughed softly. "Maybe later, Zack. Like I said, I have presents to wrap! Bye guys," she said with a little wave, and Zack watched her skip off. Well, as well as anyone could skip off through knee-high snow.

"Why in the world did you want to hang mistletoe with us?" Cloud asked in bewilderment.

"I'm trying to do you two a favor, but you're two blind to see it!" Zack huffed in frustration.

"What? You mean...me and Tifa?" Cloud blushed.

"Duh, dummy. Can't you see it? She's totally got it for you."

"What is it, exactly?"
"I dunno, the hots? She likes you, I can tell. And I know you like her. Why don't you just ask her out already?" Zack sighed.

"I...no way! I can't. It's Tifa! She...she does not like me that way."

"You're crazy. She does."

"Even if she did...I can't just ask her! I need...the right moment," Cloud mumbled.

"Hence the mistletoe."

"Oh," Cloud said, looking flustered. Then a look of comprehension dawned on his face. "Is that what you've been trying to do all this time? Is that why you always get so weird when we're all together?"

"I do not get weird! I'm just dropping some subtle hints."

"...Yeah, you're not very subtle," Cloud said with a laugh, shaking his head as he started to head back to his house.

"Subtle enough that you didn't realize what I was doing until right now," Zack shot back.

Cloud didn't respond, though. He just walked back to his house, looking deep in thought. He'd probably be sulking for hours, or just being all around melancholy. That was what Cloud did, after all.

Christmas Eve brought along something terrible. His mom brought in the mail, along with a flurry of snow as the door was opened and the wind howled inside their house. She was also carrying a small package under her arm, one that looked very familiar to Zack.

"Why is that here?" Zack asked in alarm, eyes glued to the present he'd sent to Aerith's house. On it was 'Return to Sender' was stamped in big, red letters. "Return to Sender? Why? There was enough postage!"

"Maybe there was just a mistake with the address," his mother said, trying to console him.

"I know Aerith's address, Mom, I've been sending her letters for months. Something's wrong."

"Why don't you give Aerith a call and see if she knows what's going on?" his mom said.

"Yeah, okay," Zack agreed, taking a deep breath. He was overreacting a little bit. His mom was probably right, it was just a mix up at the post office. Zack dialed Aerith's number and held the phone to his ear. Instead of the expected ringing, a recorded message came through the phone.

"We apologize, the number you are trying to call has been disconnected."

Zack's heart lodged in his throat and he slammed the phone down. "No one's there," he said, the words thick in his mouth. "Something's wrong. Their number's been disconnected."

"What? Zack, slow down," his mom said, looking confused and concerned.

"There's no one there. The number doesn't even exist anymore, it doesn't work!" Zack said breathlessly. "I...I've gotta go to Midgar, Mom. What if something's happened to Aerith and her mom? What if they got robbed, or their house burned down...or...or...they don't have enough money to live anywhere anymore?"

"Zack, you can't just go to Midgar," his mom said, a pained expression on her face.

"Like hell I can't!" he said fiercely. "Sorry," he added quickly for his rudeness. "But I have to. I can't have a good Christmas if I'm worried about Aerith. I just can't."

"Zack, I think you're overreacting. Maybe they're just getting a new phone number."

"Mom," Zack said in frustration, gritting his teeth.

"I think you should just go take a walk, calm down a little bit, and think this through."

Zack opened his mouth to argue, but he knew it was going to be no use. His mom wouldn't agree to let him take off to Midgar, especially not right before Christmas. With a weak smile that was more like a grimace, he nodded in agreement and tugged his winter things on, then stepped outside into the cold, the dry air snapping at his exposed skin. The snow had lessened somewhat, but it was going to be dark soon, and then it would get even colder. He'd have to take a short walk while he planned.

Because no matter what his mom said, he was going to catch the first plane to Midgar and make sure that Aerith was okay. He had to.

Muttering under his breath, he paced furiously through the snow, not watching where he was going, which was why not long into his walk, he ran right into somebody, sending them both tumbling into the snow.

"Eep!" the person squeaked, voice muffled underneath him.

"Sorry, sorry," Zack apologized hastily, flushing with embarrassment. "My fault, I wasn't watching where I was..." he trailed off as he picked himself up and took a look at the person.

"Well, aren't you going to help me up, or are you just going to stand there and gape?" the girl asked with a crooked smile, green eyes sparkling with unconcealed happiness.

It was Aerith.

THE END.

...

...

...

Just kidding. I'm not trollin' that much. Sorry for the wait on this, I've been working a lot more lately, which leaves me feeling rather drained when I get home. Then I do other things, like play Zelda: Ocarina of Time, or watch Buffy, or play the new DLC for DAII, or watch all of the web series The Guild. Oh Felicia Day Y U MAKE ME LAFF? :D

So yeah...hence the lack of update from me. :x But we are even closer to the end, omfg. I'm thinking two more chapters, three at most. XD Also, I kind of feel meh about this chapter...but whatever. It's finally out. I just want to get to the good stuff. :P