Author's Note: This will probably be the last chapter until I finish moving to my new place... I say that now, but just watch me post another one before that happens. Oh, procrastination! It keeps me from doing everything I actually need to do, yet lets me do everything I want to do. Such a horrible, horrible thing! XD

A lot of Zack's confusion in this chapter. This was really interesting to write, and somewhat difficult at the same time, trying to get it to come out just right, and stay realistic. There are also a lot of little details to remember with the characters and this story, and I'm finding that it's a bit of a challenge to remember them all to include when necessary. Hope it came out alright! The next chapter will need to be handled rather delicately.

Chapter Seven

Lost at Sea

Zack awoke slowly, feeling like he was at the bottom of a great, black ocean, weighing him down. He became aware of a familiar, steady beeping, somewhere upon the surface, and as he struggled upward, his nose was assaulted by the anti-septic smell of a sterile room.

These sensations recalled images of cold, hard tables, razor sharp scalpels, bubbling tubes of green, and long, pointed needles. His heart jumped, accelerating the beeping sound to keep pace with it, and he frantically clawed his way back to wakefulness.

No! I can't be back here, this can't be happening…

His eyes flew open with a gasp, rolling around the room, but the shapes and colors were smeared to a blur. Feeling a sheet tucked tightly around him, he struggled to free an arm, but they were clumsy and not moving the way they should. His panic mounted. Finally, he ripped an arm loose and managed to control it enough to shove the sheet away; it felt like his limbs were made of lead. Levering himself up, he slid roughly back against the headboard, breathing rapidly, and blinked, trying to clear his vision.

Come on, come on, let me see… His arms and legs weren't bound down; he prayed that Hojo would not enter the room to discover that he was awake and able to escape, and take him back instead, he didn't want to go back…

Finally, the blurriness was forced away, and he beheld his surroundings. He lay on a raised bed set on one side of a small, metal room. There was shelving and a door on the wall nearest him to his right; the other side of the room was clear, with a single chair in the middle of it, and a metal counter running along the left wall and around the corner. Cabinets were bolted to the wall above the counter, and Zack spied various jars, tools, and other medical items inside. Directly across from him past the foot of the bed was a strange station that he couldn't identify – it must have had some kind of unknown medical purpose.

He shuddered. It was a lab, but not one he recognized. Had Hojo brought him somewhere else? Where were the lab assistants? The room was empty.

He became aware of a deep ache in his left shoulder, and a discomfort along his side, and glanced down to see the bandages covering his torso. So that was why he was unable to move his left arm very much… The upper part of it was bandaged to his side. He raised his other hand to his chest, running it along the coarse fabric, frowning. What had Hojo done to him this time? He couldn't remember.

Suddenly, an image flashed across his mind: a blur of black and a stab of pain, and dark red eyes that tried to suck out his soul… He winced, rubbing his shoulder. Not Hojo, then, but Jenova. Not that she was any better, but, as his memories returned, at least it meant he wasn't back in the lab. He heaved a sigh of relief, the surge of adrenaline dissipating and leaving him feeling drained and lightheaded. He was also feeling slightly queasy, now that he thought about it.

Where was he? The last thing he remembered was… Oh, that's right, he was climbing up through the tunnels and leaving some kind of giant building, and it was a desolate wasteland outside… and then nothing. Where was Sephiroth?

The thought of the General jump-started his heart again, and his gaze flashed about the room, just to make sure he wasn't lurking in a dark corner. No… no, he wasn't. Good. Zack sighed again.

…But… if he wasn't here… where was he? Was he sane? Zack hoped that the fact that he was still alive would indicate that, but what if he was wrong? What had happened? Had someone found them, brought them here, wherever 'here' was? Was Sephiroth still around somewhere, or had he gone some place else? These unknowns worried him, and suddenly he was no longer content to wait here for someone to come for him.

He hated labs, anyway.

Carefully, the discomfort spiking when he moved, Zack slowly slid off the side of the bed. His bare feet hit the cold floor, and his knees buckled. He managed to grab onto the side of the bed, though, to keep from collapsing completely, and supported himself with it until his legs found their strength. Then he slowly stepped away.

He noticed that he was wearing loosely fitted white pants made out of some lightweight fabric, and that was it. And, now that he was no longer under the sheets, it was cold. Rubbing his arms, he spied a white shirt lying over the back of the chair. Assuming it was for him, he snatched it up and shrugged it on as best he could, leaving his left arm out of the sleeve. Then he fumbled with the buttons on the front, trying to do them up one-handed. He gave up after two.

Well. That was marginally better, but it was still chilly. There wasn't much he could do about it, however, so he decided to get out before someone came and told him to get back into bed.

He shuffled toward the door, feeling the world reel slightly around him. He reached it, about to set a hand against the wall to steady himself before he opened it, only to have it slide open of its own accord. He started. That was interesting.

He leaned out, looking both ways, rather paranoid at the thought of running into anyone just yet. But the hallway was clear, so he picked a direction – his left – and started down it. He didn't know where he was going, and had even less of an idea of where he wanted to end up, but any place was better than here.

Zack followed the hallway, initially trailing a hand along the white, metal wall, but soon feeling like he was able to travel well enough without the aid, and let the hand drop. After a few short minutes and turning a corner, he heard the sound of voices.

Halting and glancing quickly around him, his first instinct was to find somewhere to hide, but there was nothing – this portion of the hallway was bare. There were a few doors further down, but the voices would arrive before then, and he didn't know who might be behind the doors anyway.

A quick impulse brought his hand up over his right shoulder, only to have him grasping for thin air; his beloved sword was gone. Idiot! Of course it is! You've been in a medical bay – they aren't going to leave it with you. The footsteps grew closer. What to do, what to do… It was insane, but a paranoid feeling was giving him the urge to bolt the other way. What is wrong with me? Obviously, he'd be safe here, since someone had been kind enough to treat his injuries.

…Unless it was ShinRa.

ShinRa! Oh, Gaia. Dread stole over him. What if it was ShinRa? What if they wanted to finish what they'd started and kill him? Or worse, what if they sent him back to Hojo?

Nonononono, not that, not Hojo, not ever…!

He had to find a way to get out of here! But no, now it was too late, and two figures were rounding the corner and heading toward him. Automatically he tensed, sending a twinge through his shoulder, and kept his head down. Maybe if he just kept walking, acting like he belonged here, they wouldn't notice!

Too late, he forgot about the medical garb he was currently wearing.

The two people, a man and a woman, glanced at him curiously as they approached. They wore a simple blue-gray uniform with a strange insignia on the arm, which Zack didn't quite catch as they passed. He caught a snippet of whispered words behind him.

"-one of the men the Captain brought aboard?"

"Probably. Looks like they released him from Sick Bay."

Relief swept over Zack when he realized they weren't going to stop and question him. They couldn't be ShinRa troops – the uniform was wrong. It sounded like he was on a ship of some kind, and that there was at least one other person also brought on board… Could that have been Sephiroth? He had to find him! Though he had no idea what to expect from the man, and it frightened him.

He paused, as a thought occurred to him. If they weren't ShinRa troops, maybe he'd be okay with asking them a few questions…

Pivoting, he called down the hallway. "H-hey!" His voice came out broken and scratchy, having been unused for a while, and he coughed. "…Uh… can you tell me where I am?" He donned a sheepish grin. "I'm a bit lost."

They stopped, turning back in mild surprise, then took a few steps back toward him.

"Yeah, you're on the ship, the Kolidere, captained by Yori Xan-Markos," replied the man. "…You're one of the guys he rescued, aren't you?"

Zack shrugged. "…I guess. I don't really know. I just woke up."

The woman's gaze scanned over him, taking in the bandages visible through the open gap in the shirt, and pausing at the sight of his bare feet. "…Are you sure you should be out of Sick Bay?"

Zack nodded. "As sure as I've ever been!" He gave her a charming smile. "Gave me a clean bill of health and said some exercise would do me some good." He had absolutely no intention of going back there.

"…Right…"

Zack decided to change the subject to prevent her from questioning him further. "Hey, I overheard you say there was another guy brought on board. Have you seen him? Can you tell me where he is?"

They glanced at each other, than shrugged. "Sorry," she apologized. "I don't know where he is. You might check with the Captain, though. He's on the bridge." She pointed in the direction he'd been going. "It's that way."

Zack nodded. "Alrighty! Thanks!" He started to turn, then paused as something else occurred to him. "Hey… this is a private ship, right?"

The man blinked in confusion. "Yeah, why?"

"Not ShinRa?"

His confusion deepened. What was ShinRa? "…No…"

"Great!" Zack beamed. "Thanks for the help!" And he left them standing there, looking bewildered.

Thank Gaia, he was not on a ShinRa vessel! It must be some kind of cruise ship or freighter. Maybe things were actually starting to go right for a change. Maybe they'd be able to take him and Sephiroth to a port somewhere far from ShinRa… if not Costa del Sol, then perhaps Mideel, or maybe he could go home…

…Wait a minute. Zack brought a hand to his forehead. Dang, waking up in the lab had made him completely forget that ShinRa was all but gone, and Hojo was dead. He shook his head. What was he thinking? He didn't need to hide from ShinRa anymore.

He took a moment to let that thought sink in. He didn't need to hide from ShinRa. He was no longer running from them with Cloud; Cloud and Avalanche had brought them down – he'd watched it himself from the Lifestream. He was alive, and he was well and truly free.

A slow grin spread across his face. Gaia… it felt wonderful! If he hadn't still been injured, he'd be bouncing down the hallway! He was totally gonna go visit Cloud, and they were going to throw the biggest party ever. And he was going to invite everyone he knew, even fly his parents in from Gongaga. And he'd finally be surrounded by everyone he loved, and things would be perfect.

…Except… what about Aerith? And Angeal? He no longer had them anymore. The smile faded as he thought. Funny how he'd been with them just a short time ago, and now that he was back among the living, he felt their loss as keenly as if it had happened just yesterday. Why did the world have to be so unfair? Couldn't he ever have everyone he cared about all at the same time?

Why couldn't they have come back too?

He sighed forlornly, as he winded his way through the halls, not really paying much attention to who he passed or where he was going.

And then there was the whole issue with Sephiroth, too. Though that should be settled just as soon as he found the man, or ran into this captain. He tried to ignore the uneasy lurch his stomach gave at the thought of the former General.

Continuing down the hallway, Zack eventually arrived at a large, dim room that opened up on either side of him. It was a dead-end; he'd come through the only doorway leading into the room. He frowned. This didn't look like the bridge… hadn't he been coming the right way?

The room was filled with round tables and chairs. Before him was a wall of large, dark windows, gently curving with the hull of the ship; along the side he'd come through, to the left of the entryway, was some kind of counter or bar. It appeared to be vacant at the moment, as was the rest of the room, which must have been the ship's cafeteria or lounge.

Zack approached the windows, whistling at the view. It was a starry night, thousands of brilliantly twinkling points of light speckling the dark sky, as if someone had strewn tiny diamonds across a velvet fabric. They were so clear and bright, much more so than any night sky Zack had seen in a long time. He almost felt as if he could reach out and touch them.

The black water below reflected the stars flawlessly, a perfect mirror. In fact, it was so still and calm that Zack was unable to tell the sea from the sky. He pressed a hand against the cold glass. It was like he was drifting amongst the stars themselves.

"It's beautiful," he whispered.

He stared for several minutes, entranced by the view. Then a faint rumbling was felt beneath his feet, and he had the slight sensation that the ship was turning. As he watched, the hazy curve of a very large, blue crescent slid into view in the water. He frowned, staring at it.

What was it? There was no way it could be the moon. Aside from the fact that it looked nothing like it, wasn't even close to the right size, the moon wasn't even out tonight. Was it something in the water, or some other kind of strange reflection? He watched, increasingly puzzled.

Haha, if I was floating in space, I'd almost say it looked like a planet! Zack grinned to himself, amused at entertaining the idea that maybe he was riding on a spaceship, like in the movies. Pretty neat illusion!

He watched the strange object slowly grow even larger, and as it did, his grin faded. They were right above it, it seemed, and he could make out patterns that, if he let his imagination loose, really did look a lot like clouds, oceans, and continents. He watched for the ripples in the water below to mar the surface of the object and the starry reflection, but couldn't distinguish any.

Huh. That's pretty… weird…

Again, the ship swung slightly to the left, and suddenly a very bright light appeared from the edge of the windows to blind him. He winced, stepping back and raising a hand against it, even as the windows darkened to compensate. What the heck? A spotlight from some kind of helicopter? It was incredibly bright!

Slowly dropping his hand, he stared outside again, completely baffled. His mind was refusing to make sense of the image. The spotlight wasn't moving, he couldn't hear the blades of the helicopter, and, for the life of him, it really did look like he was staring at a sun and planet from an orbit in space!

No way! He'd lifted both hands to rest on the window, nose almost touching the glass as he stared downward in disbelief.

"Ahh, there you are. So you've finally woken."

Startled, Zack whirled toward the unexpected voice. In the doorway stood a tall figure dressed in mostly black, but with red designs on his tunic. He strode towards Zack, causing his cloak to flutter out behind him. Zack stared, glanced back once at the impossible view behind him, then returned his attention to the older man. He stepped to the side, not wanting to be cornered against the window with no escape route.

"Who are you?" Zack demanded. He was a bit shaken by things, and the man having been able to sneak up on him had not helped.

The man stopped shy, respecting the space Zack wanted. "Yori Markos. I heard you were looking for me." So, this was Sephiroth's friend – Zack Fair, he had been told his name was. He was young; he must have been barely into his twenties. A shock of ridiculously spiky black hair framed his face and fell into his eyes in an unruly manner, also adding several inches to his height. His skin was pale, likely from his injury and blood loss, and the white medical outfit did not help his appearance. With some surprise, Yori noted that his eyes were purple. They were incredible, as Sephiroth's were, flecked with light. His pupils, however, were normal; Yori wondered at the difference.

Zack regarded him warily, eyes flicking over his appearance. He seemed alright, and not wearing a ShinRa uniform was definitely a plus. "Yeah…" The view was nagging at him, drawing his attention back to it. "…Where are we?"

"I assume you know by now that you're on my ship, the Kolidere. She's a Corellian corvette." Yori stepped toward the window, gesturing out at the blue object Zack refused to believe was a planet. "We've just arrived at Rakos V." He paused, gazing out. "Quite the view, don't you think?"

Zack followed his gaze. "…It's… We're… That's not…" He struggled for the words. "That's not a planet, is it?" Even as he asked, Zack felt foolish. Of course it wasn't a planet! There was just no way. It was impossible. They were on a boat in the ocean!

Yori gave him a strange look, which Zack missed. "…What did you expect it to be? You're staring right at it." Honestly, these two travelers continued to make no sense to him.

There was a long moment of silence. "…You're serious."

"Quite."

Flicking a doubtful glance at Yori, Zack returned his attention to the planet. It couldn't be true. Yet, as Zack observed the sight before him, he found that he had no other explanation, for they were clearly not floating upon an ocean, no matter how smooth Zack tried to believe the water was. Little by little, the doubt drained out of him, and he came to the realization that, yes, he truly was floating above a planet in some kind of spacecraft.

The wonder of the situation returned to him. "No way…" Zack breathed, once again pressed up against the glass. "…So we're on a spaceship?"

"…A starship, yes…" Yori frowned. If he didn't know any better, he'd almost say that this boy had never… "…Haven't you ever… been on a starship before?"

Zack shook his head. "You're kidding, right? I must be dreaming! Spaceships don't exist! Well, aside from the giant rocket at Rocket Town, but ShinRa cancelled the space program, so there's no way…!" He turned to Yori. "How did you build something like this without ShinRa knowing? Or have I just been out of the loop so long that…?" He trailed off, catching sight of Yori's incredulous expression. "…Um… What?"

"You mean to tell me that you have never flown in space before? Never left your home planet?"

Zack's brow furrowed in puzzlement. "…No… What do you mean, 'home planet'? Wait…" Zack grinned, finding the absurdity of the idea amusing. "You're not saying you're from another planet, are you?"

"If you're from this 'Gaia,' as your friend is, then yes. I am." Yori's mind worked furiously. Sephiroth had been able to keep it from him, but clearly these two had never known of starships and space travel before Yori's arrival. From the sound of things, their planet was still in the so-called Dark Ages, not yet having discovered the technology… So if that was the case, and the two had never left their planet, and their planet could not be the same as Dak'tar IV because there was no civilization upon that planet, then how in the Galaxy had they arrived upon Dak'tar IV in the first place?

Zack stared at him. "You're joking."

"No. I am quite serious."

Zack stepped back, his mind reeling. What…? How…? When…? He had to be dreaming! "So… you're an alien? I'm on an alien spaceship?"

Yori scowled, offended. "No, I am not an alien. I am human, as you are, I presume."

Zack was at a loss. "But then how…? We don't have the technology…!" He was having trouble absorbing everything that this man was telling him. "You're from Gaia, then…?"

Yori sighed in irritation. "No, I am not. Look, I picked you and your friend up from Dak'tar IV and brought you to my ship. If you've never flown before, then you must have gotten to Dak'tar IV some other way. How did you get there?" Finally, he would get the answers he wanted.

"Dak'tar…?" Zack shook his head. "No, we were on Gaia, at the Forgotten City…" No… no, that wasn't right. Zack frowned. He'd been somewhere completely different when he'd emerged with Sephiroth from the underground tunnels.

"No. You were on Dak'tar IV. How did you get there?" Yori demanded.

"I… I…" Slowly, Zack shook his head, stumbling back to sit in a nearby chair, as the full weight of the situation dawned on him. "I don't know. That's just where I woke up; I've been thinking it was Gaia the whole time…" They were brought to another planet? How could that be? Desperately, he glanced up at Yori. "You've gotta believe me. I had no idea we were on another planet! Another planet…" Wow. Was he sure he wasn't still asleep? "…That's just where the Lifestream dumped us…"

Oh? "The 'Lifestream'?" That wasn't a term Yori was familiar with. Maybe they were getting somewhere.

Zack nodded, absently. "Yeah…" He didn't elaborate, not realizing that Yori had no idea what it was.

Yori gritted his teeth, willing himself to have patience with the boy. "What exactly is the Lifestream?"

Zack blinked. "Oh… You don't know? It's the…" He cast about for a way to describe it. "The river of spirit energy inside the Planet. …Don't you have one?"

"Hmm. You mean the Force?"

"The Force?" Zack shrugged. "Sure, I guess. I dunno. Is that what you call it?" He looked back toward the window, trying to let everything sink in. It was a lot to process. Spaceships, aliens, other planets… He gradually became aware of the chill of the vacuum outside seeping through the window, and began to shiver.

A frown. "You don't know what the Force is? I take it you are not Jedi, then?"

"…Jedi? No, I dunno what that is, either." He rubbed his arms. "Look… This is a lot to take in all at once, you know?" He was overwhelmed, cold, and now that he thought about it, very hungry. His stomach grumbled at him. "Do you… Do you have anything to eat around here?"

Yori regarded him impassively for a moment. He made a rather sorry sight, sitting there, trembling, in the thin clothes. Perhaps if he relented and allowed the boy to eat, he'd be more agreeable to Yori's questioning. It would be quite a shock after all, he supposed, to wake up and suddenly find you were light years from home, injured, on a strange starship.

"Of course." Yori nodded, once. "I'll send for something. I'm sure you have plenty of questions…" As do I. "…But they can wait until you've eaten."

Zack managed a tentative smile. "Thanks."

Yori waved a hand in dismissal, then, as the thought occurred to him, unclasped his cloak and stepped forward to drape it over Zack's shoulders. "Here. It's chilly on board." And it wouldn't hurt to gain the boy's trust.

Surprised, Zack pulled the heavy cloak tight around him, grateful for the warmth. "Thanks!"

With a nod, Yori left to seek out some food.

Zack watched him leave, bundling into the cloak. He didn't know what to think of the man, let alone this entire predicament. It was still hard to accept. He turned to the planet outside the window.

"Rakos V, huh?"

Where was Gaia? Where was home?

Zack was left to his thoughts, which tumbled around in his mind like Moogles in a maze. So many questions, so many unknowns. He had no idea where to begin making sense of it all.

True to his word, Yori Markos returned with food. It had been a simple fare of crackers and cheese, with some meat – apparently Zack had been unconscious for almost two days, so it would have been unwise to consume anything heavier than that.

Despite that, it had been delicious. With some wry amusement, Zack realized that he had eaten nothing for at least four years, having been a spirit in the Lifestream, and before that only the meager rations he'd been able to scrounge up on the run, or the tasteless stuff he'd choked down for the four years in the lab.

Food was truly a miracle.

Zack had eaten in silence at first, slowly, still overwhelmed by the magnitude of everything that had happened, and trying to wrap his mind around it. Then Yori had asked him to describe where he was from. Zack had begun haltingly, finding it difficult to explain, knowing that it was another planet and he was currently sitting somewhere in the stars between one world and the next. But then he'd narrowed it down to his hometown, and, cheered by the food in his stomach, things took off from there.

He'd described Gongaga, couldn't resist laughing at the incredulous look Yori gave him when he'd told about the frogs that would turn you to one of them if you let them touch you, and went on to speak of Midgar and the two cities separated by the plate. When he grew more reserved at approaching the idea of SOLDIER, Yori broke in to speak of his own home planet.

It was a world of farms and grassland, mild, temperate weather during most of the year, but grand thunderstorms during the winter. There were babbling brooks and smooth, winding rivers where the orchards grew, and rolling hills were the livestock grazed. It was a peaceful world with just a single starport, a beautiful oasis in a galaxy that could be all too harsh.

Here, Zack's questions began. Were they – really – on a spaceship? Were there a lot of other planets out there? How many were there? Did everyone own a spaceship? Could Zack get one? How long did it take to travel to another planet? Would they get to land on them and see what they looked like? Did space chocobos really exist, or was that just a myth?

…What kind of planet was Dak'tar IV and what exactly happened after Zack fell unconscious? This question marked a turning point in their conversation. Zack, finally ready to accept what he was being told, needed to address the other question prodding the back of his mind.

Where was Sephiroth?

"…Wait, you mean he's here? He's been here the whole time?"

"Yes. I believe I mentioned I picked both of you up from the planet," Yori replied, calmly.

"Well why didn't you…" Frustrated, Zack ran his hands through his hair. How could he have missed that? He must have been so distracted by everything else… "Where is he? I gotta see him. Is he…?" He trailed off, unsure if he should ask the next question. He shot an assessing gaze toward Yori. Could he ask whether Sephiroth was sane?

Yori raised an eyebrow. "Is he… what?"

Zack swallowed. "Is he… alright? I mean, he's okay and everything, right?"

Yori considered the question for a moment, sure that Zack had been about to ask something else. "…Yes. Well, aside from a handful of minor lacerations along his back, he was just fine."

"Lacerations? Huh." Zack pondered, then continued, quietly, to himself. "Must've been from Jenova… So he really did face her…"

"Jenova?" Sephiroth had neglected to mention this part. In fact, he hadn't said at all how they'd received any of their injuries. "Someone else with you down on the planet?"

"Uh… yeah…" For the first time since they'd begun talking, Zack regarded Yori with just a hint of wariness. He didn't feel comfortable discussing Jenova with him, or with anyone for that matter. That would open up a whole pen of chocobos that he just didn't want to mess with. He shrugged further into the cloak, examining the folds of the fabric. "Look, can you just take me to see him? I really… I really need to see if he's okay." His heart quickened in apprehension at the thought of finally meeting him face-to-face.

Yori watched Zack thoughtfully. "…He left you, you know."

Puzzled, Zack's gaze flew back to Yori. "Um… What?"

"He left." And Yori recounted the events that had occurred when Zack first awoke and tried to flee Sephiroth in a panic.

Zack stared at him in shock, horrified at his own actions. "I… I did? I don't remember…"

A nod. "You did. Sephiroth left after that, and has not been back to see you, except once."

"…For what?"

"That, I do not know."

Troubled, Zack bit his lip. Had he really gone nuts like that, trying to run away? How could he have done that? After all, he'd been wanting to save Sephiroth since the beginning of things, and to just lose it like he had… Guilt assailed his heart. If Sephiroth truly had been sane, if he'd been the old Seph, then… he must've been awfully hurt by that. Zack ducked his head, allowing his hair to fall forward and hide his eyes.

Zack had been horrible to him, but even so… a small part of him felt betrayed by Sephiroth's leaving. Shouldn't he have been there when his friend woke up? Had he really hurt Sephiroth that much that the General no longer wanted anything to do with him? Gaia, almost two days he'd been out, surely Sephiroth would have forgiven him and returned?

Or maybe he wasn't the same Sephiroth he had been.

"…Zack?"

Yori's voice broke into Zack's thoughts, and he looked up. "…Yeah?"

"If you wish to see your friend, I will send for him. Perhaps you'd like me to show you to your temporary quarters, while you wait?"

"…Yeah. Sure." Zack stood, stiff muscles groaning in protest. A wave of tiredness washed over him. Man, all he wanted was to sleep – all this was just too much. First the whole spaceship thing, and then Sephiroth… and now his injuries were starting to ache more than they had been. He wondered if whatever painkiller they may have given him was beginning to wear off.

"This way." Yori indicated for him to go ahead, causing Zack to miss the satisfied smirk he wore for just a moment.

Zack was left standing in a very plain set of rooms. Similar to the halls in the ship, the walls were metal, painted white, though the lighting was dimmed, supposedly for comfort. The room he was in now was a small lounge of some kind – there was a couch built into the wall, and a small table to the side, near what he guessed was some type of miniature kitchenette. Branching off were two other rooms, each equipped with a bed and small, metal trunk, from what he could see of them. A third, narrow doorway led to what he supposed must be the bathroom.

Though small, the quarters were actually larger than he'd expected for a ship. He supposed that, being a private vessel, Yori could customize the rooms to fit his needs. Maybe he was used to having visitors on a regular basis. Or maybe these were the type of rooms everyone got.

Right now, however, he was staring at a very distinctive object sitting on the table, which sent butterflies fluttering through his stomach.

The Masamune. Or what was left of it.

So, Sephiroth shared these quarters too.

Slowly, he approached the weapon. All it consisted of was the blue-wrapped hilt and about the bottom third of the blade. He could see where the end was a jagged line, the rest of the blade having been splintered off by the blow Zack had given it. Fine, hairline cracks marred the polished surface. The blade had been rendered completely unusable.

Zack stared down at it. He reached out to touch, but hesitated. The sight of the blade made him feel cold. He was all too familiar with the way it was capable of sliding through skin and muscle and bone and spirit as if they were nothing, having been on the receiving end of it more times than he could count. Yet… there was something inherently wrong with it now being reduced to this sorry state. Ridiculously, he felt shame for being the one responsible.

Add that to the fact that he'd deliberately ignored the other shards of the weapon, leaving them to rust inside a cave on some derelict old planet, ensuring that the blade could never be whole again… It was unforgivable. Zack knew how much his own Buster Sword meant to him. The Masamune was Sephiroth's heart and soul.

Zack was utterly disgusted with himself. He could only imagine how Sephiroth felt upon discovering all that was left.

Abruptly, he turned away. There was nothing he could do for it now. He wouldn't even ask Sephiroth to forgive him; Zack knew he'd be hard pressed to expect it from himself had his own blade been the one broken.

At least Sephiroth sounded like he was sane. But why didn't that reassure Zack as much as it should have? This uneasiness was literally making him sick. He desperately needed something to take his mind off it.

Deliberating for a moment or two, and examining the room for the fifth time, he finally grew tired of waiting there and padded to one of the bedrooms, intent on rifling through the trunk, if there was anything to rifle through.

There wasn't. The trunk was empty. Now that he was here, however, he spied a dresser built into one corner… but that was empty too. Figures.

Fully expecting the containers in the second bedroom to be empty as well, he was surprised to find them otherwise. He stared into the open trunk, slowly sitting beside it on the bed. The items that were in it were his.

Against one side, beneath his heavy steel pauldrons, sword harness, and gloves, was his belt from SOLDIER. He gazed at the symbol, unable to quite identify the feelings that warred within him at the sight of it.

Next to it were a variety of items. His ShinRa-issued Beta armlet, still equipped with materia, was against the side, near a handful of other free materia, which Zack had carried in his pockets to quickly switch out when needed, and his small bag of Summons. In the corner, the lab key from the hated ShinRa mansion, half a Remedy, and an empty Potion bottle rested – he was disappointed to find that that was all there was, but he'd used up nearly everything else during that last battle against the ShinRa army. He shuddered, not wanting to think about it. In the other corner lay his good-luck charm – a cobbled-together mess of sting, colored beads, and a 'dragon's' claw, which had been with him since he was a boy in Gongaga – and a small amulet he'd gotten from a Moogle. A small, pale silver-blue stone – the earring he wore in his left ear – set beside it. He frowned, reaching up to tug on that ear, not having realized that it had been taken out.

The last two items gave him pause. One was a folded piece of paper, crumpled at the edges. The other was a large, white feather. Slowly he reached in to take them out, handling them almost reverently.

He took a moment to carefully smooth the edges of the feather, then, gripping it tightly, unfolded the paper. A second scrap of paper fell out into his lap. Frowning, unable to remember what it was, he set it to the side for the moment, and looked at the first one.

Zack,
How are you? I wish I knew where you were… It's already been four years now.
This is the 89th letter that I've sent to you. But… I don't even know where to send
them anymore. I really hope that this final letter that I am writing gets to you.
By the way, the flowers are selling very well. They make everyone so happy—
thanks to you, Zack!
~Aerith

It was the letter that the last Angeal copy, the winged, wolf-like creature that had watched over Aerith while Zack was gone, had left behind when it vanished into the Lifestream. The letter Aerith had given to the creature, hoping that it might be able to find Zack, when no one else could say where he was. It was the first indication that he'd been gone from the world for so long, and he'd kept it in the hopes that she would wait for him and that he'd make it back.

He never did.

Now he knew what the second scrap of paper would say, but pulled it open to read anyway.

I have twenty-three tiny wishes, but you probably won't remember them all,
so I put them all together into one… I'd like to spend more time with you.

No name, but Zack knew who it was from. And now he'd never be able to spend more time with her.

His eyes stung, but he scowled and blinked the feeling away, flopping back onto the bed. He held the letters and the feather close. This is stupid… Sure, Aerith and Angeal were dead, but it wasn't like they were gone forever. They were in the Lifestream, Zack knew that; he'd just been there. It wasn't a big deal.

But if it wasn't a big deal, why did his throat feel like it wanted to close up? Why did the hot tears refuse to stay gone? If he wasn't supposed to feel this way, how exactly was he supposed to feel about it all, about being sent back to life and leaving his friends behind?

What were you supposed to do in that situation? Zack wished he knew.

But he couldn't afford to get all emotional over it, not right now, not with Sephiroth supposed to show up here any minute. So he shoved the emotions away and rolled to his feet, groaning with the ache in his now throbbing shoulder and side, and hid the items safely back in his trunk. He guessed that Sephiroth himself had put them there, the last of the things he owned. He glanced around for anything else, but, aside from the Buster Sword and his boots set against one wall, there was nothing, not even the pack he'd carried that held the numerous other items and materia he'd picked up.

Guess I was only sent back with whatever it was I had directly on me at the time. I should be grateful for even that much, I suppose… ShinRa grunts probably looted the pack, anyway.

Rubbing his eyes, Zack returned to the small living room to wait. He tested out the couch, but that only lasted for a moment before he was back on his feet and pacing the length of the room. Where the heck was Sephiroth? How long could it possibly take to find the man? It wasn't like he was inconspicuous. Couldn't they just shout something over the intercom, or something? Did the ship even have an intercom?

All this waiting was doing nothing for Zack's nerves. Finally, frustrated and edgy beyond his ability to stand, he decided he'd had enough. If they couldn't find Sephiroth on their own, Zack would find him himself.

Stalking to the door, he keyed it open as he slapped the panel for the lights. But while he was occupied with that, he failed to notice the person standing just outside the door, and so smacked right into him.

Zack stumbled back with a grunt, the unexpected impact having sent a painful spasm through his shoulder.

"Sorry, I…" The words died on his lips as he finally saw who was standing there, and he froze in shock.

It was Sephiroth.

to be continued…