Back on the other side of Corel, the silence begged the question.

"So," asked Reno, "where is he?"

Elena was a tough nut to crack. He'd been working on getting her to tell him where their only missing partner was for a little over an hour, now, and the former cadet had yet to be impressed.

"Look," said Reno, "there's safety in numbers."

"No," Tseng insisted, "there isn't."

Reno turned to him. "So you're all right just leaving Rude there, alone, while the rest of us make an almighty break for it?"

"A break for what?" Tseng asked resignedly. "Besides, no one knows where he is. Rude can take care of himself."

Elena glared at him. "And I guess I can't, is that right?"

"Apparently." Tseng looked her in the eye. "Considering how easy it was for us to find you, I'd say you did need our help."

The lack of real sleep and the nocturnal trudges were taking their toll on the assembled vagrants, and tension was palpable as they sat around the remnants of Reno's fire. Elena sighed.

"I'll take you to where I think he is," she said. Reno made a triumphant noise, but Elena shook her head. "I don't know how much good we can do him," she said, "but if we're screwed, we're screwed together." Pausing, she looked at Tseng. "Right?"

Tseng stared at the ground. "Of course."

Elena gave up on him. "None of this changes the fact that we don't have a plan," she continued. "We can't run forever. They burned down part of Kalm, they burned the bar in Midgar…"

Reno sat up, suddenly disturbed. "They burned the bar?" he asked, biting his lip.

Elena nodded. "Two days ago. They ransacked Midgar looking for us, and they burned the Cetra." She paused, uncertain. "Was that you? Were they right?"

Reno nodded silently. "We've been fucking idiots," he muttered. "We're all fucking celebrities."

Tseng closed his eyes. "All right," he said. "We'll get Rude. Then we're leaving."

"Leaving where?" Elena asked.

"The continent, at least," Tseng decided. "From there, I don't know, but the longer we spend deciding, the easier we are to be found." He glanced over at Elena's suitcases. "And we'll have to get rid of those, too," he noted. "They're bulking and a hassle. You'll be fine with what you have."

Elena nodded. "Fine." She opened one of the suitcases, and pulled out her chocobo jockey uniform, balling it up and throwing it to Tseng.

"What's this for?" he asked, eyeing it.

"Beats rocks for pillows," she replied, rifling through the rest of her clothing. "Reno, you want a dress, or a couple of shirts?"

Reno grinned. "Got any lingerie?"

Elena made the decision for him, and a nightgown hit him in the face. Reno shrugged.

"Close enough," he approved, leaning back and settling in for the night.

All three were silent for a moment, either feigning or attempting sleep. After a minute of this, Elena stood up and carried her pillow over next to Tseng, stretching out beside him on the grass. Reno followed suit, rolling over on his back next to Elena.

"I hope you don't snore like you used to," she mumbled, resting her head on the ground.

Reno glanced over at her. "You'd never be lucky enough to know if I snored," he shot with a laugh.

"That's not what you said that night," Elena retorted.

Tseng opened one eye. "Shut up," he said, "and get some sleep." But all around them, the air seemed warmer.

The next morning, they awoke and packed a few of Elena's most preferable pillows into Reno and Tseng's backpacks.

"Wherever Rude's been hiding," Reno said as they set off in Elena's recommended direction, "he'd better have some food on him, or we won't make it long enough to be satisfactory POWs."

Elena was having her doubts. "After all these years, gods know if he's even there anymore."

Reno shook his head. "Rude's a stoic," he said. "He's been waiting for us all this time, I'll bet. That'd be like him."

The backpacks were heavier, but the trip was faster, or at least it seemed so, with Elena leading, and all of them eager to reach the spot where they hoped to find the last piece of the motivation to keep running. They camped another hungry night in the middle of a field, but woke unrested and anxious.

Halfway through the second day, they reached Fort Condor.

Reno whistled appreciatively. "An old enemy's deserted military fort. Rude, I'm proud of you."

Elena started forward. "I'll go in first," she said.

"We'll go in together," replied Tseng, holding her back with one hand. "We don't want you getting accidentally shot."

"He won't shoot me," Elena protested. She grabbed the rope at the entrance and began to haul herself up into the overgrown structure that had once been a condor's protective reserve, as well as a frustratingly belligerent outpost against Shinra control. Tseng remembered this place well, as the place where he'd lost a lot of blood and significantly more dignity as a Shinra trainee.

"Rude?" Elena called. "Rude, it's us. I know this is strange, but I swear it's not a trick. Where are you?"

There was a pause. Elena tried again.

"Rude, it's Elena. It's important, please, or I'd never have come. Hello?"

Silence echoed around them. Elena turned to the others in frustration. "He's gone," she said, "he must be."

Just then, the shots broke out overhead.