Shelke stirred as she awoke, she opened her eyes, and then turned to her right to see Zack sitting unarmed on a cot next to her.

"Zackary Fair. Why are you here?" Shelke asked the SOLDIER.

"Because I need to know…I need to know if…" Zack said but he just couldn't finish the sentence, "…if my friend from ten years ago is still in there?"

"We are not friends Zackary Fair…you are SOLDIER, I am Deepground, we are enemies." Shelke replied emotionless as she sat up.

"Don't you even remember what we went through together Shelke? The pranks we tried to pull on Angeal? The plastic spiders we would put in your sister's chair? The whoopee cushions we would put in our drill instructor's chair and be forced to do fifty pushups for as a result and laughing all the while?" Zack asked with a laugh and a tear running down his face, "Don't you remember any of it?"

"I remember Zackary Fair…but those memories are no longer relevant…Shelke Rui is no longer, Shelke the Transparent is all that remains." Shelke replied.

"You can't just forget things like this! You can't just turn your back on your friends! I still consider you as my sister…your real sister, Shalua and I have never stopped searching for you…even when all hope of finding you seemed lost, we never gave up." Zack said angrily.

"Then your efforts in finding me were in vain Zackary Fair…I did not want to be found…I had no reason to return to you." Shelke replied.

"Then what in the hell is in Deepground that makes you want to stay with them? Are they your family? Are they even friends? Are you even happy with them? I rather doubt it Shelke…tell me I'm wrong…show me that Deepground isn't some group of homicidal maniacs bent on consuming the worlds in darkness!" Zack said angrily as he stood up.

Shelke remained silent as Zack walked out the door and slammed it behind him. As he took a deep breath, whirled around and punched the metal wall, leaving a fair sized dent in it. He stood there breathing heavily as Namine approached from down the hall.

"You need any help?" Namine asked with her drawing pad in hand.

"No…I'm fine…I just need some time alone." Zack said as Namine watched him walk past and she closed her eyes as she started using her powers.

In her room Shelke started feeling emotions of sadness, grief, then determination, resolve, and finally shock, as Zack's memories were shown to her and for the first time in ten years she felt something she thought she had forgotten…the love of a true friendship.

Zack walked silently away with Namine at his side as he passed out of the corridor and into a waiting room where Reeve, Shalua, Genesis, Cloud, Tifa, Rikku, Riku, Fuu, Mune, and Aqua were waiting for him.

"Well?" Shalua asked hopefully as Zack lowered his head.

"She is Shelke…but she's no longer the Shelke we knew." Zack said as Shalua looked stunned for a moment before she started crying, putting her good hand to her face as Zack put his arms around her as he comforted her.

"What should we do with her?" Reeve asked.

"Nothing I suggest." Namine said as everyone gave her a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" Reeve asked.

"I'm a witch…I have the ability to manipulate memories…even show people the memories of others…I have shown Shelke the memories Zack possesses of their time together, his reaction to learning that she was missing, and his and Shalua's ten years worth of searching before finally finding her in the corridor." Namine explained.

"Wait? You can do that?" Reeve asked surprised as Namine nodded.

"If it wasn't for Namine, neither Sora nor Roxas would be here now in the state they are." Riku said with a nod.

"Can you help some people forget the past?" Cloud asked as Tifa punched him in the arm, "I was referring to two nights ago."

"Oh." Tifa replied with a giggle.

"I don't even want to know." Zack mumbled.

"Can her memories be restored?" Reeve asked.

"They are still there, only she's learned to block out the emotional attachment to those memories…in essence she's like a nobody…she has no emotions but at the same time she has a heart…it's difficult to understand exactly what happened." Namine said as Mune shook his head.

"Not entirely." He said, "Remember I spent time in the Deepground facility…I even remember seeing Cloud slinking around inside but never did I reveal him…I prevented Sanzun from doing so…so your welcome Cloud."

"Thanks…I feel so responsible for this." Cloud said as Zack sighed.

"Hey…you had to make hard decisions…it was either save her life and blow your cover in which case you could have both been fried, or do as you were instructed and rescue Aqua and Kairi instead." Zack replied.

"I just…wish I could have found a way to save both at the same time." Cloud said.

"Cloud I don't blame you for what happened to her…I blame Deepground…you never tried to harm her…you tried to save her…but you knew you couldn't without sacrificing Aqua and Kairi's lives." Shalua replied as Cloud nodded.

"So what do we do now?" Zack asked.

"We wait." Reeve replied, "We wait and see if her reactions to Zack's memories have any effect…though I wonder…Namine, would you be willing to show Shelke Shalua's memories?"

"I already have actually." Namine replied.

"I gather the range of your powers is much longer than I first expected." Reeve said as Namine shrugged with a smile.

"Try enough to encompass an entire castle." Riku said as Namine frowned at the memories of Castle Oblivion.

"Please don't remind me of that." Namine begged.

"Oh…sorry." Riku said as Namine smiled in forgiveness.

"So…we just…wait?" Reeve asked.

"Well obviously keep a guard nearby…and make sure those rods of hers are locked away." Zack said as Reeve nodded.

"I'll make sure of it." Reeve said.

"President Tuesti if you would like I can brief your general staff on what I know about Deepground." Mune offered as Reeve nodded.

"I would greatly appreciate that Mr. Mune." Reeve replied.

"It's Mune sir…just plain simple Mune." Mune corrected with a smile.

"Darn I thought it was squiggums." Aqua replied as Mune laughed.

"No that's your name for me." He replied as he put his arm around her as they walked off.

"Odd couple aren't they?" Cloud asked as Zack laughed.

"You don't even know the half of it." He replied as he and Rikku walked out of the room.

"Cu fryd tu oui fyhd du tu vun huf?" Rikku asked as Zack smirked. (So what do you want to do for now?)

"Ur E tuh'd ghuf...fryd ypuid oui?" He replied as a delighted smirk crept across her face (Oh I don't know...what about you?)

"Ur E ryja yh etay...pid ehjumjac ehdesyda bnejylo." She said as Zack stopped dead in his tracks with a smile on his face. (Put that through a translator site and you'll see what she said.)

"Oui'na uh!" Zack said as they ran off towards the Fahrenheit. (You're on!)


On the Shera…

Terra finished shaving after having finally recovered from his hangover and fixing himself back up…starting with disposing of all the rum by giving it to Jack Sparrow…he has just made like five million brownie points with the latter.

"Terra, the last time I helped you dress was when we were kids!" Aeris razzed.

"Shut up Aeris!" Terra replied.

"Oh come on can't I just enjoy this for a little while?" she replied making puppy dog eyes.

"No." Terra replied.

"Grouchy gus." Aeris mumbled.

"I've still got a mild hangover Aeris…don't make me hurt you." Terra grumbled.

"You couldn't hit the broad side of Midgar." Aeris taunted.

"Oh yeah?" he asked as he emerged from the bathroom.

"Yeah." She taunted.

"Oh yeah?!" he replied.

"What ya gonna do about it rocky?" Aeris argued as Terra smirked. Seconds later they were wrestling each other to the ground, neither gaining the upper hand.

Finally Aeris pinned him to the ground with her sitting on top of him. Then Terra started laughing with Aeris not far behind.

"Ah look at us…we've picked up right where we left off." Terra laughed as Aeris fell on top of him and rolled over to his side.

"Yeah…we're just a couple of loons aren't we?" she asked with a laugh.

"Major loons…I'm glad we brought you back…I'd forgotten just how much of a pain you were." Terra said as Aeris elbowed him.

"You remember that one time when mom and dad thought that we would have done the unspeakable and slept with each other?" Aeris asked as Terra's eyes widened while he chuckled.

"Oh-ho yeah…man were they worried when they kept finding us coming out of one another's rooms all messed up and bruised…too bad they didn't know we were just fighting like brothers and sisters do." Terra replied as Aeris laughed.

"Hey mom and dad were just a couple of old fuddy duddys…you were incorrigible when we were younger." Aeris said as Terra elbowed her.

"Hey you were no prize either." Terra replied as he sighed.

"So…what are you going to do?" Aeris asked.

"I know who I'm in love with…and who I have to let go." Terra replied solemnly.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes…I've done some thinking…I know now what I must do…I know now where my heart belongs…and it's with the one person who's stuck by me whenever I was going through hard times." Terra replied.

"You're not talking about me are you?" Aeris asked as Terra laughed.

"A: you've been dead for fifteen years, B: you're my sister and that would be ten or twenty different kinds of wrong, and C: you're not my type." Terra replied as she elbowed him again.

"Besides Angeal's taken quite a shine to you." Terra added as Aeris smiled.

"Yeah…he's got a cute butt." Aeris replied as Terra rolled his eyes.

"I don't need to know that." Terra groaned.

"Yeah you do." Aeris replied with a smirk.

"But seriously, you know who?" Aeris asked.

"I do…she's the woman of my dreams…which reminds me…" he said as he started to get up, "…I need to make a quick shopping run."

"You? Shop?" Aeris asked surprised.

"Yes. Me. Shop. You. Shut it. You. Help." Terra replied as he threw a shirt on and Aeris pulled herself up.

"Oh I really put my foot in it this time." Aeris grumbled.

"You're the only woman I know who has ever gotten athlete's tongue." Terra replied as Aeris glared at him with a smirk.

"Shut up rock head." Aeris retorted as they entered the hallway.

"Hey Cid! Mind if I borrow two hundred?" Terra asked as Cid paused.

"You ain't buyin' more booze are ya?" he asked as Terra and Aeris both shook their head.

"No…look I'll pay you back, just don't ask any questions ok?" Terra replied as Cid sighed and forked over two hundred munny.

"I'm holding you to your word Terra." Cid said as Terra nodded.

"I'm a man of my word Cid…you should know that by now." Terra replied as he and Aeris walked off.


Later…

Sora and Roxas were walking down the hallway on the Fahrenheit, as they stopped suddenly as they heard a thumping noise from Zack's room.

"What the?" Sora asked confused as he knocked on the door.

"Zack are you in there?!" Roxas asked as he heard a female voice reply in another language…

"Ur (Hyikrdo funt) Zack fa'na picdat!!" (Oh (Naughty word) Zack we're busted!!)

"Ev oui gaab dymgehk drah fa sucd landyhmo yna huf cricr!" Zack's voice replied. (If you keep talking then we most certainly are now shush!)

"Fryd tu fa tu drah?" the female voice asked. (What do we do then?)

"kad tnaccat yht reta eh rana!" Zack replied as the sound of things shuffling around was heard inside as Sora and Roxas looked at each other knowingly. (Get dressed and hide in here!)

"E hajan ghaf oui fana dryd pek Zack." The voice said with a giggle. (I'm not even translating this one.)

"Crid ib, crid ib" Zack said frantically as the sound of a door closing was heard inside. (Shut up, shut up)

"Hey guys what's up?" Zack asked nonchalantly as he opened the door, he was half dressed with only his pants on and he had what looked suspiciously like a hickey on the side of his cheek.

"Who's the lucky girl who gave you the hickey?" Roxas asked with his arms crossed.

"Damn." Zack said as he lowered his head…busted.

"Well? Who is she?" Sora asked as Zack grumbled something incoherent in Al Bhed.

"Fa'ja paah syta! Yna oui tnaccat?!" Zack shouted as he leaned back. (We've been made! Are you dressed?!)

"Yc silr yc E ajan ys!" the female voice replied from within a stand up foot locker. (As much as I ever am!)

The door on the footlocker opened and out walked Rikku as she threw her scarf over her shoulder and kissed Zack on the cheek.

"Thanks again Zack." She said as she skipped down the hall. Sora and Roxas stood partially stunned as they then turned back to Zack who was blushing a deep shade of crimson.

"So…Rikku huh?" Sora asked.

"We've been friends for ten years…before she got transformed into that fairy thing we were very close…needless to say she was my first…ditto for her with me." Zack explained.

"Just curious, how old were you?" Sora asked.

"Fifteen…she was twenty…now we're the same age thanks to that aging spell master Yen Sid put on her." Zack replied as the other two boys glared at him in surprise.

"You did the deed with Rikku when you were fifteen and she was twenty?!" Roxas asked.

"Yes…she's an Al Bhed, it's not unheard of for fifteen year old Al Bhed people to get married at that age." Zack replied.

"Wait…are you saying that you and Rikku are married?" Sora asked as Zack thought for a moment.

"Well usually according to Al Bhed customs…technically…yes actually." Zack replied as it occurred to him.

"Dude you need to tell her that!" Roxas said as Zack signaled to wait a moment.

"3…2…1…now." Zack said as he looked at his watch, and Rikku bolted out from around the corner and tackled him.

"Ec ed dnia? Yna fa naymmo synneat?!" she asked excitedly. (Is it true? Are we really married?!)

"Fa'mm dymg." Zack replied as Rikku started kissing on the lips. (We'll talk.)

"We'll give you two some privacy." Sora said as he pulled the door shut with a snicker.

"I wonder what his mom's going to say." Roxas thought out loud.

"Want to tell her?" Sora asked as Roxas gave him a sinister grin and the two ran off in search of Aeris.


End Chapter 29

I'm leaving it up to you guys to decide whether or not Zack and Rikku are meant for each other or not…no it's not a lost bet.