Chapter 21-

Abandoned Hope

"The old are forgotten

The children are forsaken

In this world we live in

Is it right they savor it?"

~Better Place, Faith Hill

The sun was just coming up, sending its sparkling rays through the living room window to shine on the sleeping man's pale face. He groaned and sat up on the couch, wincing at the sharp, stabbing pain in his shoulder. He looked and saw that someone had removed his shirt to allow for a now blood-soaked bandage. How had that happened…?

It all came back in a rush. Sufur…Tifa… Zack put a hand over his face and garbled something, a cross between a curse and a groan. He'd been unable to help her. And just like that, she was gone…

"Hey."

Zack looked up to see Reno, leaning against the framepost of the entryway to the living room. "Reno!" A small bubble of hope struggled to the surface. "Did you find…anything?"

Reno shook his head, looking grim. "Not a damn thing. Rude and Elena are still out looking. Cloud took a party and went, too."

The bubble of hope evaporated. Zack sighed. "I don't think we're gonna find that bastard unless he wants to be found."

Reno gave a sigh of his own and came over to sit beside him on the couch. "Yeah." Suddenly looking frustrated, he slammed his fist into the palm of his other hand. "I can't believe it! He as good as showed us he was a traitor, and we still let him come along like the stupid imbeciles we are." He scowled. "We got too cocky."

Zack blanched. As good as showed them…? Reno was right. That time when Sufur had attacked Aeris, he should've known the bastard was up to no good. He should've eliminated the threat. But now it was too late. Tifa was gone.

With new resolution, he leaned over and grabbed his shirt off the floor. Clenching his teeth against the pain in his shoulder, he carefully pulled it on. Reno said nothing, but when Zack started to stand up the Turk shoved him back down.

"The hell you doing!" Strange as it sounded, this was Reno's way of acting concerned. "You can't try to walk yet."

"Screw that." Zack shoved Reno's restraining hand aside. "I'm going after them myself."

"No, you're not," Reno scowled. "You're staying here, if I have to shoot you again myself."

"Hm, never knew you to be so protective, Reno," Zack said sarcastically. He found his shoes on the floor near the couch and began pulling them on. "Come on. What would you do if you were in my place?"

"Use common sense and know I'd be more hassle than help," Reno retorted. "And maybe drink a beer."

Zack's eyes narrowed. "And if it was Aeris?"

Reno looked uncomfortable. "Aw, come on…"

"I'm serious." Zack held his gaze. "If Sufur had taken Aeris, would you be lying here on this couch?"

Reno blew out of the side of his mouth, looking up at the ceiling. At last he ran a hand through his hair and said, rather gruffly, "Fine. But you'll need my help. You'll have a hell of a time walking on that busted knee."

Zack braced himself. "Okay. Just don't slow me down."

As if to remind him how stupid that sentence, that very sentiment was, the world exploded in a haze of pain as he tried to stand. Reno helped lower him back onto the couch. "Take it easy," the Turk cautioned him. "Wait for me to help you. You're depending on me, buddy, like it or not."

Zack groaned. "That's a definite 'not'."

"Thanks. Most people feel that way about me." Reno grabbed Zack's arm and looped it around his shoulders, peering into the other's face to make sure he hadn't passed out. "Okay, ready?"

Zack nodded, his face a mask of pain. "Let's just get this over with."

With Reno supporting most of his weight, he was somehow able to stand. Thankfully the redhead was a lot stronger than he looked. Zack wasn't sure how he managed those first few steps…he just kept thinking, Hang in there…I'm coming for you, Tifa…

By the time they'd reached the hall, Zack thought he'd collapse. "Let's rest a minute," he begged, clutching the wall. Reno gave him a cold stare.

"I told you this was stupid."

"Shut up!" Mr. Know-it-All really wasn't helping right now. "Damn…don't you have any materia?"

Reno gave him a mirthless smirk. "Tifa was the only one with any materia that'll help you. Ironic, huh?"

Zack didn't laugh. "What about Yuffie?" Maybe he was a little delirious, but one thought stuck in his mind: Yuffie's got every materia in the rainbow.

Reno shrugged. "She got rid of hers a while back. Y'know, now that I think about it, she hasn't mentioned materia since then. She doesn't seem to care as much about it, now." He looked at Zack. "Well? Shall we get this pitiful show on the road?"

Zack wanted to punch him, but in his state it might not be a good idea. "Yeah."

As they made their way through the kitchen, Reno made a slashing motion with his hand in a gesture to be silent. Aeris sat at the kitchen table, seemingly staring at nothing. On closer inspection, however, it became apparent she was praying.

"She'll never let you go after them," Reno breathed in a barely audible whisper. "And she'll kill me for helping you. So we're not going to make a sound until we're out of the house."

Zack knew this already, of course, having known Aeris for many years. But it felt…strange to hear Reno say it. Obviously Reno had gotten to know Aeris quite well –he'd had the pleasure of watching them bond up close. An unexpected thought occurred to him: Was it sort of like…the way he'd cozied up to Tifa right under Cloud's nose? But it wasn't the same, was it? And he couldn't help the way he felt –how his heart just completely filled with her. It had just hit him one day. Heck, it had probably felt like the world's worst hangover for Reno, too, the day he realized he'd fallen for Aeris, right? On that note…maybe Reno hadn't even realized how painfully obvious his feelings for Aeris were…or maybe the Turk had yet to realize them himself.

Zack was musing over this when he abruptly grinned. He didn't think of Reno as a girl-thieving asshole anymore. More like…just an asshole. A plain, ordinary asshole.

"What are you smirking at?" Reno growled as they left the kitchen undetected.

"I'm just smiling because you're such a nice guy to be helping me, Reno," Zack replied innocently. Even he was surprised at how sincere he sounded.

"Shut up and save your breath." Still, Reno sounded pleased. Probably was the first time anyone had said something that nice to him, sarcastic or not.

At last they reached the door leading outside. Zack leaned weakly against the wall as Reno creaked open the door, trying to be quiet.

"Reno?" It was Aeris, calling from the kitchen. "You leaving?"

The Turk froze with the door halfway open. "Uh…yeah!" he called back. "Just…going to catch up with the others."

"Good luck."

Reno wiped sweat off his brow and continued trying to open the door when she spoke again.

"How's Zack?"

"Zack?" Reno stared at the former SOLDIER while the latter swore under his breath. "He's…he's doing fine. Still asleep, though," he added frantically. "Don't disturb him."

"Really?" Aeris sounded doubtful. "Okay. Maybe I'll bring him some hot tea later."

"Yeah. You do that. Later." Reno swung the door open, nearly hitting Zack in the face. "C'mon, let's hurry," he whispered, flinging Zack's arm around his shoulders again. To Aeris he said, "Well, I'm leaving now! Bye!"

Aeris bid him a farewell, then Reno practically dragged the wounded man outside, slamming the door shut behind them. As they stumbled down the walk Zack noted with amusement that Reno looked to be in more pain than he was himself.

"Can't lie very well, huh?"

Reno shook his head. "No, I lie very well." He ignored the snort of derision from the other. "It's just Aeris. No matter how good you are-"

"-she just seems to know," Zack finished for him. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"You would, wouldn't you?" Reno gave him an odd glance. "Listen, I don't mean to pry, but…you…her…"

"Don't worry about it. Aeris and I are just friends now," Zack said, glad that it was true.

"Oh. Good." Reno's relief was so obvious it was funny. "Not that it's any big deal or anything, I was just curious-"

Zack gave a knowing nod and bit back a grin, out of respect for Reno's masculine pride. "Yeah, I gotcha, man."

They rounded the well and were about to continue on their way when a figure suddenly leaped in front of them. "Well, well. What have we here?"

"Yuffie!" Reno groaned. As if things weren't bad enough… "Go torment someone else, kid. We're busy."

"There is no one else," she pouted. "Cloud took Barret and Red with him, and Cid was sitting in the bar. Practically speared me when I asked if I could try a drink."

Zack shuddered. Yuffie and alcohol would be a scary mixture.

"What about Vincent?" Reno sighed impatiently. "Go bother him."

Yuffie actually seemed a little frightened by the thought. "No," she said quickly. "Vinnie's not someone you want to annoy."

That was true. Reno shifted under Zack's weight. "Whatever. Look, we have to get going."

Yuffie suddenly looked suspicious. "Hey, Zack. Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"No, I'm fine," Zack grated. "Fit as a fiddle." The truth was, he thought he'd fall over.

"I don't believe you!" Yuffie proclaimed. "Does Aeris know you're out here?"

"Of course she does!" Reno snapped. "Now get lost!"

Yuffie shrugged. "Fine. I'll just go tell Aeris that you and Zack are being mean to me."

"Wait!" Reno scowled. "Yuffie, look. He's not supposed to be out here. Don't tell Aeris, she'll worry."

Yuffie grinned, scuffing a toe in the dirt. "Well, for the right price, it might slip my mind…"

"No! No bribes!"

"Oh, just give her some gil." Zack wanted to get going. "We need to hurry."

Reno swore, digging in his pocket. "How's ten?" he asked, fishing the money out.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "You kidding?"

"Fifty, then!"

Yuffie folded her arms. "Give me a hundred, and I'll distract Aeris, too."

"What!"

She held out a hand. "C'mon. You don't want her peeking in on Zack, do ya?"

Reno growled and finally shoved the money in her hand. "Hurry up."

She smiled and skipped off, waving merrily over her shoulder. "Thanks!"

Reno shook his head and they resumed the slow trek across town. At Zack's direction, the two of them headed north, toward the valley in between the Nibel mountains.

"Why?" Reno wanted to know.

Zack shrugged, as well as he could, with his wounded shoulder. "Think about it. If Sufur wanted to run, where would he go? Not back to civilization, as a fugitive. And definitely not with a captured member of AVALANCHE on his hands. He didn't take Tifa just so he could spend his time running from us. He's waiting for something." He paused. "Maybe waiting for us to make the next move."

Reno nodded in understanding. "So he's hiding out from us until we make our move."

"Exactly."

Reno's eyes were cold. "And the best way to hide is to stick close to your enemy. That way you can track their moves."

"So he can't be far."

"Right."

Despite all of their strategic talk, Zack had the feeling neither of them had the slightest clue as to what Sufur thought he was doing. It just didn't make sense. The guy was outnumbered and on the run. He and Reno had to be missing something, something important.

The pain wasn't as bad now. Zack's world had diminished to simply trudging onward, one limping step at a time. He knew he had to be weighing Reno down, but the latter made no complaint. Zack wasn't sure, exactly, how he could hope to help Tifa in his condition. All he knew was he had to try. He kept thinking back to that night…how lost and broken she had looked. The quiet sob in her voice as she sang to Adine. The scalding heat and tremble of her lips…

The same tightness in his chest…he'd blame that on his leg this time. It wasn't until Reno spoke that he realized he'd grounded to a stop.

"Zack…" Reno paused and looked at him, as though he wanted to say something more. They were some distance from Nibelheim, and somewhere in the back of his mind, Zack was surprised at how far they'd traveled. He hadn't been aware of making any progress at all. But now that he'd stopped moving, his leg was beginning to throb.

Reno seemed to understand. "C'mon, let's take a break over here." He helped Zack over to a decrepit little tree off the side of the beaten path. Several autumn leaves littered the ground, creating a thick blanket of faded colors and dormant life. Broken dreams…false hope. Reno kicked some aside before lowering Zack against the trunk of the tree.

"Well?" Zack stretched out his leg, wincing at the pain. Dried blood crusted around the bandage, tinting it a dull red. "Whaddya have to say?"

Reno picked up a yellow-orange leaf and picked at it, pulling the little thing apart. "What happened between you and Tifa?" he asked suddenly, not looking at Zack. "Before Adine died."

Zack felt his anger – and shame – flare. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

Reno threw the skeleton of the leaf aside. "It is my business. It's everyone's business." He gave Zack a cold stare. "You think we don't see what's going on between you and her? And Cloud? You think he doesn't see?"

Zack didn't reply.

"Okay, it is your personal concern," Reno admitted. "But you have to understand that what happens between two people in a group affects the whole. If it involves Cloud especially. He's our leader. If he's distracted, it's gonna cost us. We have a right to know what's going on."

Zack was silent for so long that Reno looked over to see if he'd heard. And what he saw shocked him. Zack was shaking with suppressed emotion –his fists were clenched so tightly the knuckles were dead white, matching the pallor of his face. He was on the verge of exploding with rage or breaking down in tears.

But to Reno's surprise, Zack did neither. After a long moment, in a low tense voice, he told Reno everything. Told him how he'd fallen for a beauty with leaden feet and a broken heart. Told him about her dashed hopes, her shattering grief. The song from her childhood. How worn out she'd seemed, at wit's end with nowhere to run. And how she'd clung to him, desperately, when he'd kissed her…then pushed him away, begging for more time. How he'd told her she didn't have to handle everything alone.

"I should've been with her…that night…when Adine died. I should have been there for her." Zack's voice became hollow, strangled. In that moment, Reno saw his soul break.

When Zack's clenched-shut eyes reopened, they seemed to be gazing at something beyond Reno. The glow in them had softened, diffused, and Reno had a sudden vision of a woman singing her song…A cherished image caressed by warm eyes.

But then Zack blinked, and the image shattered. Reno studied his feet. The other man hung his head, visibly wracked by emotion.

The oppressive silence bothered Reno. "Look, you can't blame yourself, man. She asked you to leave, right?"

"But maybe…if I hadn't kissed her…" Zack looked up at Reno, a rare show of anguish and confusion clouding his eyes.

Reno tried to tell Zack that Tifa would've kicked him out anyway, but the words refused to come out. He knew Tifa too well –he could imagine her panic when Zack had kissed her.

"Dammit, kicking yourself isn't gonna help her! You sound as stupid as Cloud right now!" Reno's frayed nerves finally snapped. And Zack's whirlwind thoughts screeched to a stop.

What had Reno just said to him?

It took a few minutes for realization to dawn, but sure enough, he was doing what he'd always told Cloud not to do. He had to snap out of it, if he wanted to help Tifa. And God, did he ever want to. But first, he'd have to thank Reno….by choking the living daylights out of him…later.

"Geez, Reno, I never figured ya for the sensitive type." Zack pushed the words past the vicious lump in his throat.

"So you're ready to quit being stupid," Reno snorted.

"Yup. I'm gonna get her back from Sufur." Zack bared his teeth. "That bastard took advantage of how broken up she was about Adine."

Something about the muted anger in Zack's voice…it startled Reno. Hell, everything about the sheer ferocity of the man's feelings took him aback. He knew Zack was attracted to Tifa, but he didn't know of this desperate, anguished love for her, or the turbulent rage he possessed. And the lurking, imminent grief…it was as though he'd already begun mourning for her. What sort of a life had he led, to respond to losing her this way? But maybe it had nothing to do with Hojo. Maybe he was just a hot-headed fool, who fell hard and fast and took everything to heart. Wouldn't let go of love though it burned him up inside.

Maybe Zack and Tifa had something in common after all. It took Tifa years to give up on Strife, and Zack would limp to hell and back, scrabbling for any trace of the woman he loved.

What could he say to a man who'd lost something so precious? False hope wouldn't comfort Zack and blame was the last thing he needed. Reno had never known a man who'd lost everything, yet was willing to fight with all he had to get it back. Reno himself hadn't had the luxury of fighting when his world had fallen apart. Unless revenge counted as "fighting".

"At least we know she's alive," he said at last. "Sufur has no reason to kill her, he could've done so that night. Hell, he's had plenty of perfect opportunities to kill us all. He wants her alive."

Zack nodded, a bit of relief flickering in his eyes. "Yeah." Then he looked up. "And, Reno…about Cloud…"

"He won't hear a word from me."

"Okay," he murmured. Cloud didn't need to know about this, not yet. Shaking off the nagging fear and doubt, he grabbed the trunk of the tree to help himself stand. "Let's get go-"

His hand encountered something soft and somehow familiar-feeling. Zack looked at the object attached to the tree, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him. His shaking hand reached out and touched the worn object tenderly, as if Tifa's hand was still enclosed in the leather glove.

"It's hers," he whispered, pulling it from the tree. As he did so, the knife pinning it to the trunk fell to the ground, a glitter of silver among the leaves. Reno bent and picked it up.

"Did Sufur have a knife?" he asked, inspecting it closely.

Zack swallowed. "Yes. He kept it in his boot." His hand curled around the glove, making the soft leather creak.

Reno's eyes met his. "It's a message," he whispered. "A dare."

Zack nodded, unable to speak. Reno was right. Sufur was daring them to come after him. Daring them to find him before he decided Tifa wasn't useful anymore.

"We've got to find her." Zack's voice did not sound like his own. "Right away."

* * * * * * When Reno and Zack stumbled back to Nibelheim, they were relieved to find that Cloud's party hadn't returned yet. Zack was exhausted by this time, his face strained and pale. Reno himself thought he'd fall over; he had just enough strength left to drag Zack back to the couch in Tifa's house. Yuffie, chatting at the table with Aeris (who had her back to them) gave him a thumbs-up as they passed. Reno could only manage a weak nod in return. Finally managing to dump Zack on the couch, Reno all but fell over on the floor, drained.

"We're going after them," Zack said with finality. Reno wondered how the hell the guy could work up the strength to talk. It wasn't normal for someone's skin to look all pasty like that, but he still seemed deadset on finding Tifa.

"We are," he replied, "after Cloud gets back. We can't just leave without him." He somehow got to his feet. "You get some rest. I'll go tell Aeris what you found."

"I wasn't there, remember?"

Reno rolled his eyes and staggered to the door. "Fine. What 'I' found."

As he stumbled into the kitchen, Yuffie flashed him a grin and jumped to her feet. "Well, I'd better be going!" As she shoved by him, she whispered, "I'm charging you another fifty gil."

"Why you-!" Reno made a lunge for her, but she was too fast and ran out the door, probably to torture someone else. He let out a curse and collapsed at the table. "Damn kid."

Aeris sipped her tea, looking at him with her elegant eyebrows raised. "You look like you've just got through running a marathon."

Shit. "I, uh, ran all the way back here," he said quickly, then flashed a dazzling smile. "Just couldn't wait to see you again."

"I bet." She shoved the teacup inside, folding her hands in front of her. "So? Did you and Zack find anything?"

The dazzling smile crashed to the floor. "How…how did you…?" Reno sputtered. Then it came to him. "Yuffie!" He jumped up, nearly knocking over his chair. "I'm gonna make her wish she'd never been born!"

"Sit down, Reno," Aeris said firmly. Maybe he was imagining things, but he thought she was smirking slightly. "Yuffie didn't tell me. I knew all along."

Reno sat abruptly. "You knew?" he asked, feeling stupid.

Aeris laughed, a delicate, melodic sound. "Of course I knew. I can always tell when you're lying."

Maybe his skills needed work. Reno cleared his throat, thinking an apology would clear his name. "I'm sorry I lied to you," he said sincerely, then added, "It was Zack's idea."

"That's a lie. It was your idea and you know it."

Reno rubbed the back of his neck. "Damn, you're good."

Aeris got up and moved around the table to stand near him. "I didn't say anything because I was concerned for Zack, after last night," she said softly, and from her tone it was clear she wasn't talking about his injuries. "I trusted you to take care of him."

It had been against his better judgment to bring Zack along in the first place. Of course, if he hadn't, they might have never found that glove. He suddenly wondered if Aeris' staying silent had been due to her Cetra-instinct, always making her do the right things at the right times. She'd mentioned it once, and it had creeped him out then like it creeped him out now. Still, it had been handy this time.

"…We found something, out there." He didn't look at her. "Sufur left us a little message." He stood up and handed her the knife. "It was pinning one of Tifa's gloves to a tree."

Aeris leaned against the table, turning the knife over in her hands. After a moment, she looked up at Reno with fear in her eyes. "What does he want?" she asked, almost pleadingly, as though hoping he could provide a logical explanation that would end this nightmare. "Why is he doing this?"

Reno took the knife back, feeling a sudden flame of longing rise up within him as his fingers brushed hers. He put the feeling aside. "I don't know." He felt so helpless. They were losing the game piece by piece, and he was a pawn, unable to even see what was going on around him, let alone make a winning move. "I don't know," he repeated. His own voice sounded lost and defeated, convinced it couldn't win.

Aeris' tearful gaze caught his and held. "It's really hard to keep hoping, in times like these," she whispered tremulously.

"I know." He swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat. "But we have to. Without hope, what do we have left?" The words sounded good.

She blinked back tears and smiled a little. "That's so unlike you."

It was. Personally, he would have been about ready to give up hope himself, if it wasn't for Aeris. For her, he would pretend to keep hoping. Just to see her smile again.

The door suddenly burst open, admitting the weary party of Cloud, Barret, and Nanaki. Cid, Rude and Elena trooped in behind them, Elena mumbling something about being dragged around in sub-zero weather. She quieted when Rude shushed her.

"Nothing." Cloud sank down at the table, massaging his temples. "We didn't find a thing."

He looked lost and broken, sitting at the table like that. His furious drive to succeed had suddenly vanished. He seemed like he merely wanted to bury his head in his arms and sob. It was strange, the way Cloud hadn't been able to put up a show of strength since Sufur took Tifa.

Reno came around him and slammed the knife into the table. The blade bit two inches into the wood, standing straight up. "We did."

Cloud jumped up and grabbed the knife. "What is it?" he demanded, even though it was perfectly obvious.

Elena leaned across the table for a better look. "A knife." She looked at Reno questioningly. "What's the meaning of this?"

"A little farewell gift from Sufur."

Heads turned. The speaker was Zack, leaning heavily against the wall for support. Cloud stepped over and half-dragged, half-carried him to the table, where Zack sank awkwardly into a chair, muttering a weak, "thanks".

"He just doesn't want to stay in bed," Reno observed. Zack fixed him with a stony glare, then extracted the leather glove from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"Through the overpass in Nibel Mountains," he said quietly. "That's where he took her."

Cloud seemed to regain some of his fire at the new information. He slammed a hand on the table. "I'll kill him myself."

Zack smiled cynically. "You'll have to wait in line."

Reno was struck by how alike they seemed in that moment. Not only in appearance, but also in character. They both had that determination, that drive to triumph against all odds. That same thirst for revenge. The same fierce longing for Tifa.

Reno shook his head. They were in a serious bind. Whether Cloud knew of Zack's feelings for Tifa or not, the issue would have to wait. But as similar as they had seemed a moment ago, they were opposites when it came to Tifa. Cloud depended on her, whereas Zack wanted her to lean on him.

For the first time, Reno felt just a bit guilty about his own feelings for Aeris. She'd been the one Zack loved, for all that time. It wasn't Zack's fault he'd been Hojo's puppet for all those years…yet, when he'd returned, Aeris had drifted away from him. But it couldn't be helped.

Although Cloud hadn't announced it, it was obvious they were about to pick up and go. With that in mind, Cid went to the base of the stairs outside of the kitchen. "Shera!" he yelled. "You still up there?"

A faint but affirmative response was heard.

"Then get your ass down here!" Cid ordered. "We're leaving!"

She appeared at the head of the stairs, looking tired and wan. "There's one thing we have to do before that."

Cid, who immediately understood, looked to Cloud for permission. Their spiky-haired leader nodded.

"Okay." He reached out and touched the glove absently, as though speaking to its owner." Before we leave, we'll bury Adine."

Cloud's hand lingered o the worn leather, and Zack fought the urge to snatch the glove back. It was stupid, but Zack couldn't help it. It was all he had left of her.

Zack waited until Cloud had clasped his hands together and returned to studying the kitchen table before reaching out to retrieve the glove, tucking it back in his pocket with a quiet, tender possessiveness. When Cloud's eyes suddenly pinned him, he met his gaze, squared his injured shoulder the best he could. Reno sighed heavily. For better or for worse, it seemed Cloud already knew.

* * * * * *

The child was laid to rest at the foot of the Nibelheim well. Everyone helped with the grave. Zack helped too, as well as he could. Adine now lay under a thick layer of gravel and dirt, with a small makeshift marker decorated by a wreath of flowers Aeris had made.

They all were circled around it, silent. Aeris was weeping silently. Cloud, nearest to the grave, seemed at a loss for words.

"It doesn't seem enough, somehow," he said finally. "But it's all we can do for her."

Aeris whispered a soft prayer under her breath. Shera hid her face under Cid's arm. Nanaki hung his noble head. None of them had anything left to offer the child only Tifa had known very well.

At last, Zack limped forward with the aid of a wooden branch he used as a crutch. He bent a little and set Tifa's leather glove next to the wreath of flowers. She would've wanted to be here, to say goodbye one last time. His eyes blurred, at the thought of the love she'd bled for this little girl. The comforts she'd whispered. The song she'd sung…

Tifa... this is as close as I can bring you to her... I'm sorry... I wish you could be here right now...

I know Adine's... gone now... but... she knew how much you loved her.

You're hurting so much right now... but...I'll find you...It'll be ok, you'll see... love won't always hurt like this...

I'm going to say goodbye to her for you. Don't mind me butchering your song, ok?

Then, so softly the others could scarcely hear, he sang a verse of Tifa's song.

Dance as to not forget

The love of a child at night,

Smiling softly to a mother's song,

Smiling softly of a sweet day yet to come.

When Zack's clear tenor had faded, he stepped back and took his place among the others. Silence reigned once again, but it was a different kind of silence, peaceful, the kind that occurs after a good long cry. The tears are fresh on your cheeks, but they dry. The pain is still there, inside, but it's no longer as unbearable. You feel you can go on. The silence literally helps you to gather your resolve.

Cloud was the first to turn away. "Let's go," he said quietly, bending to pick up his load of equipment. The others followed suit, slowly walking away. As he passed, Reno put a hand on Aeris' shoulder, a fleeting, comforting touch. She wiped away her tears and followed, leaving the grave behind.

Zack started to leave too, but suddenly looked back.

"Goodbye, Adine. You'll always be here." He swallowed hard. "Watch out for Tifa, okay? She doesn't always think…" He shook his head, a little ruefully. "You take care of her, and I'll bring her back to see you. Deal?"

"Zack!" Reno called from up ahead. "You need help or something?"

"I'm all right," he yelled back. With a last look at the forlorn little marker, he turned and made his way over to where the others were waiting.

~Author's Note~

Woo! Took a while! I sorrie, I hate editing.

Reno and Zack being friends? Well, I like them both…so I threw that in. ^^ Who dares question my whims! *pause* Whimes? S/p?

Anyways…oh, and Zack's "clear tenor"? Don't look at me like that, I think Zack seems very much a tenor…although Zelda argues that he's a bass. What do YOU think? (it's a vain attempt to get people to review. LOL!)

Byeeeee!

~Lila