That's the last one, people! Hope you all enjoy! Please, review!

This one was inspires on The Little Mermaid's "Kiss the Girl"!

Disclaimer: FFVII belongs to Square Enix.

Love In Four Acts

Act Four: Tell him/her

Marlene was sat in her bed, watching carefully as Denzel organized all of his stuff in a pack. Bit by bit, she saw their room be emptied of everything that belonged to him. His portrait was no longer at the nightstand, half of the drawers were empty, as was half of the closet. He had also already removed his chocobo's race poster of the wall. Marlene always hated the damn thing, but now that wall seemed lifeless without it.

"Are you sure you want to go, Denzel?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice firm.

Denzel smiled and nodded.

"Reeve finally allowed me to begin my training!"

She knew going to the WRO was his dream since he was 10. He wanted to learn how to fight and wanted to help reconstruct Midgard and all the other cities destroyed by Shinra and the Meteor.

"I thought that maybe working with Cloud would make you change your mind."

Once again, he stopped what he was doing to look at her.

"Delivering is fun, but I want to be able to do more than this."

Marlene closed her hands in tight fists, her nails almost breaking her skin. Her perspective was so different! All she ever wanted was to see the people she loved gathered in one place, living happily and having fun with one another. That was the reason why Seventh Heaven had always been an especial place to her.

But Denzel had another way of facing life. He had started as a spoiled boy but ended up as an abandoned child until he got sick and found another family. That is, at least Marlene thought he considered them as family.

She was so immerse in these thoughts that didn't even notice the blond hurricane that passed running through her to be glued to Denzel.

"Denzel onii-chan can't go away!" the little girl stated, her brown eyes filled with tears. "I won't let you go, onii-chan!"

Denzel smiled and Sat, placing the girl on his lap.

"I promise I'll be back whenever I can, Aerith- chan."

"You can't, even like this!" she turned to stare at Marlene. "Marlene onee-chan, tell him! Tell him he can't go!"

Marlene faced the floor, her bangs covering her eyes only added to the melancholy on her disturbed face.

"We can't ask him that, Aerith-chan. We can't."

Incapable of keep holding her tears, Marlene got up and left the room, paying attention not to go too fast and announce her pain was just too big to be kept in her heart. But just as she crossed the door and was out of Denzel and Aerith sight reach, she ran down the stairs and out of the bar.

"Marlene!" Cloud, who was just coming in, called her but with no success.

He walked to Tifa. She was finishing delivering the food to the few clients that were still at the bar.

"Cloud! Do you mind replacing me? I'll go after Marlene."

He didn't even have to see the worry in Tifa's eyes to agree.

The sun was already setting in a beautiful explosion of colours, however, the girl crying beneath it didn't give a damn about all its appeal. She was sitting next to the rebuilt Memorial of the Meteor's tragedy, her face buried on her knees, tears running freely down her cheeks.

Knowing he would live and only come back home in some rare occasions hurt in the core of her soul. Knowing he wouldn't be sleeping at her arms reach every night hurt in her heart.

"Marlene." Tifa's voice called, but she didn't rise her head, ashamed of the tears that now soaked it.

Tifa sighed lightly and sat beside the girl, embracing her. Marlene accepted the gesture and got closer, hiding her face now on Tifa's shoulder.

"I know I'm not the person you wanted to come and pick you up, but you can talk to me if you want. Or you can only cry, if it suits you better."

Marlene cried even harder, and before she could stop herself, she was sobbing. Tifa only passed a hand through her head, aware that nothing she could say would make the girl feel better.

"I don't understand why he needs to go." She finally complained after several minutes of sobs-filled silence.

"To be honest, me neither." The Strife admitted. "Personally, I don't think he needs to, but I can't tell him to stay."

"I know. I can't ask him to stay! It wouldn't mean anything if he stayed because one of us asked him to. I wanted him to want to stay with us."

"He goes only because he knows he can always come back. Because he knows we'll always be waiting for him, so he isn't afraid to leave."

Marlene held a sob.

"I didn't want him to go."

"I know, honey, I understand. I can say I've been on this situation before and it wasn't less painful."

Marlene nodded. Although it didn't come to her mind earlier, she knew Cloud had left Tifa on their town and went to join SOLDIER in Midgard.

For Tifa, seeing Marlene suffering brought to her mind all the emotions which invaded her when Cloud left Nibelheim, so long ago. Not knowing when he would come back, or if he would come back had been excruciating. She had been even younger then Marlene back then, and long seven years passed by until she saw his face again.

"Did you cry a lot?" Marlene asked, still feeling ashamed of her break down.

"For three whole days."

"Three days?!"

Tifa smiled and nodded.

"I only noticed my feelings for him when he left. It only made it even more painful."

"Tifa?"

"Yes?"

"You already knew I liked Denzel?"

The Strife laughed.

"Of course I did. You are exactly like me when I was your age."

Marlene smiled.

"What should I do?"

"In my opinion, you should tell him."

"But, and if I'm a little sister to him, just like Aerith-chan?"

"He will tell you that and you will have time to heal until you have to face him again."

"You're right."

Tifa smiled and wiped the tears away from Marlene's beautiful face.

"Let's head back? They are probably worried about us."

Marlene nodded and they got up. She immediately took Tifa's hand on hers, seeking for comfort and support on that walk. She felt when Tifa lightly squeezed her hand, assuring everything would be just fine.

Denzel was pacing on the room he shared with Marlene. One hour had passed since she disappeared and he couldn't help but worry about her.

"It's your fault, onii-chan!" little Aerith grimaced. "It's because you're going that Marlene onee-chan got sad and disappeared!"

Denzel, as a matter of fact, was blaming himself for this exact reason. Since he made that decision, Marlene kept asking him if he was sure he wanted to go. And he always answered with a "yes".

"Aerith-chan, apologize for what you just said." Cloud's voice sounded harsher than he meant, but he wouldn't back down.

"But, otou-san, it's true!"

"Aerith."

"I'm sorry, onii-chan." She said, making a face.

"Don't worry about that." He smiled weakly and gave her a hug.

Aertih took the chance to whisper on her brother's ear without her father's knowledge.

"You know, onii-chan, you should tell Marlene onee-chan.

Denzel raised an eyebrow to her when Aerith untangled herself from his arms and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

He sighed watching father and daughter leave the room. Even a six year old knew how he felt. If it was that obvious, did Marlene know too? And if she knew, did that mean she only saw him as a brother?

The noise of the door opening downstairs woke him from his sad thoughts. Not much after, Marlene entered the room once more, with an ashamed smile and red eyes. Had she been crying?

"Sorry for worrying you, Denzel."

He ran to her and smashed her on a hug.

"It took me half an hour to notice you weren't downstairs with Tifa, but that you had left. I'm so sorry, Marlene."

She smiled and hugged him back.

"Don't you worry about that. Reeve is coming early in the morning, right? Do you need help with anything?"

He didn't let go of the hug, so she couldn't see his face.

"Marlene, would you rather if I stayed?"

Her eyes went wide with shock.

"If it's your dream, Denzel, you should go."

He held her by the shoulders and pushed her a bit, so they could look into each other's eyes.

"Marlene, I… Want you to know that…"

Not managing to wait, Marlene said before he could finish his sentence:

"I like you."

Now he was the one shocked.

"I've always liked you." Her cheeks burned as if in fire, and she got her eyes away from his. "I really wish you had choose to stay, but if it really is your dream, you should go, but promise you'll always come back home!"

Denzel smiled to her.

"I'll come back. And I like you too, Marlene."

She got her eyes back to him.

"Really?"

"Yes."

With that said, he brushed his lips lightly against hers and she responded with all her heart.