Dedication this chapter for Neverlost, Final Heaven Discord member, for elements of Clack/Zackura within. WARNING: I think I broke my OWN heart writing this chapter. Extra thank you to Tifaleah for a last-minute beta read, while I was wondering "does this chapter hurt ENOUGH yet?"

Chapter 21. December 9, εуλ0006-July εуλ0007

Clear.

Zack couldn't remember clear. Green. It had all been green inside his head for so long. How long, exactly, had that been? Days, weeks even, lost in that anesthetic dreamworld, his last real image of liquid burbling up before the dubious bliss of oblivion took over.

He recognized the green spilling across the floor for what it was. Mako, the feeling resonated within, his own cells primed with the stuff. It splashed over shattered remains of glass, squirming as if alive. Stumbling forward in to the breakage, Zack forced himself to standing, turning shocked at what he saw. A TUBE? Shinra had stuck him in a TUBE?!

Was THIS the repayment for all he had done for them?

His vision sharpened as his body rapidly mended and strengthened, bringing the room into view. He tramped through the river of mako glubbing in puddles - the green disgusted him, but at least hit couldn't hurt him. He spied a second tube. More green, this one still full. Inside…

CLOUD. Oh, Cloud!

He was a SOLDIER. He was meant to be tough, to withstand whatever came his way – whatever had happened here, he'd leave it behind unscathed. But Cloud – FUCK, Cloud why did they do this to you! Cloud was just an ordinary grunt, unenhanced. Exposed to mako this strong…

Muscles long unused, weak and gelatinous, he fumbled with the buttons on the second column, relief washing over him as the green liquid drained away. Another button opened the sliding glass capsule, and Cloud's body tumbled forward into his arms. Zack caught the smaller man easily, checking instinctively for a pulse, the sound of short, quiet breaths letting him know Cloud wasn't dead.

Alive was at least a small blessing. "Cloud?" he asked, the first sound of his voice croaking in the gloom. "No response. His friend, purely catatonic – eyes far away, drifting deep in distant mako pools – but those same eyes now SHONE, the distinctive mako glow, an inevitable outcome of the immersion.

It might have been only the mako keeping Cloud alive. Zack couldn't be sure. But even so, there was no question of leaving Cloud there – whatever mako had entered his bloodstream and cells would have to be enough to sustain him.

Poisoning. Addiction. Call it what you would – either way, Zack knew what it meant. Overdose, saturating Cloud into incoherency. Barely in this world at all. Trapped in a river of voices and souls, his own ego crushed under the weight of all those others. Cloud might or might not recover – Zack could only hope for the best, but expect the – No, fuck that. Zack would keep hoping, for both their sakes.

He's my friend, Zack thought. I won't let another friend die. Not on my watch. Then and there, he made his silent promise. He had thought to be a hero, and look where it had got him and Cloud both. No more.

Now, he'd do what he knew to be right.

Besides, he certainly didn't plan to leave him for whatever Shinra – no, Hojo, this had his mark all over it, people nothing but specimens and experiments instead of human beings – intended. But regardless, Shinra had allowed it, even after Cloud had taken out Sephiroth for them - Cloud should have been lauded as a hero. He had to get Cloud out of here – maybe the other man wouldn't survive, but being in this lab was nothing that could be called a life.

Zack looked around at the machines, the implements, and shuddered. Amnesia was doing him a favor – if anything had been done other than just shoving them into sample tubes and pickling them in vinegared mako – he didn't want to know. The only thing he remembered with any solidity was a dream of sky and water, images of freedom while his body was confined, his mind reaching out through those rivulets of the Lifestream.

Angeal, he remembered. A faint vision of his mentor… Could Angeal have somehow helped to release him? Zack, the man who had been his pupil – the man who had killed him. It was Zack's turn to pay it forward.

The Buster Sword lay right across the room, standing propped against the wall – had it been there already, or it had Angeal somehow placed it for him there, waiting? Irrational though that sounded, Zack hoped it was true, suddenly disgusted by the idea of anyone – worst of all Hojo! – handling his blade. Carefully setting Cloud down against the table, he strode to his weapon, hefting its familiar weight; he could still swing it comfortably, though not quite with the force he remembered.

"Can you walk, Cloud?" he asked to silence. Reaching down and pulling the other man up, he slung Cloud's arm over his shoulder. Cloud's legs stumbled forward with jerky, robotic steps, mindlessly moving in the direction Zack pushed, but at least supporting some of Cloud's own weight. It was something. SOLDIER strength would let Zack carry Cloud for short distances, but how far was it to a place of safety?

If there WAS one anywhere to be had. Away from Shinra, that was for sure. But he didn't know where they were NOW, much less how far they might have to go. All he could do was brace for the start of what might be a long road ahead.

There was no one to be seen, no life apparent other than themselves in the dank laboratory. He swung open the door to find another empty hall, as hollow as the tomb it resembled. Zack poised for confrontation, ready to protect both his life and Cloud's - anything better than going back to that green prison – but there was no soul to be found here, either, just a smattering of bats that Zack dismissed with a contemptuous flick of the sword.

Relaxing his guard somewhat, he wondered why. Had Shinra no fear of Zack and Cloud escaping, to leave no researchers or guards? It suggested more and more to him some unanticipated intervention in their escape. Angeal, was it really you after all?

But another, more morbid thought followed. Could it be Shinra no longer cared? Could they have been left down here, even forgotten? Maybe they would have lived out the rest of their lives in green-suspended animation – or even beyond, doomed never to truly die, a living mako-preserved corpse left hidden for eternity.

The thought gave Zack chills.

Abruptly, Zack stumbled a step in the pitch-black hallway – even with his luminescent mako vision, he could barely make out the staircase spiraling above. And all at once, he realized where he was. The Shinra mansion - he'd never left Nibelheim at all. The place where he'd awoken had been rearranged just enough that he hadn't recognized it earlier.

He tripped on another stair, nearly dropping Cloud – the man did not so much as grunt. Slowly, painstaking time drawing out, he forged his way to the top.

Supplies. They would be upstairs. Still no sign of human habitation, though there were traces of monsters wisely shrinking back from the sudden mako-radiant presence among them. How long had this place been abandoned that MONSTERS were able to infect the interior? Zack had no idea how long they would have needed to take over the place like this.

He wondered even more how long that might be, after he dragged Cloud upstairs, plopping his inert form on one of the musty beds, sending a cloud of ash-gray dust into the stagnant air. Looking out the windows, a greater shock than any since he had woken up greeted him – Nibelheim – just as he remembered it. BEFORE.

Those last views of it, burning flames everywhere – could those memories possibly be WRONG? They couldn't be… he remembered the rest all too well, the reactor, Sephiroth… clear in his mind like it was yesterday. Which to his memory, it really was.

He looked at Cloud with compassion. Nibelheim was not Zack's hometown. But in that brutal day, Cloud's entire life burned away, his past swept over the mountainside in charred carbon sparks. Followed by Shinra stealing his mind and soul. For a moment, Zack was perhaps grateful Cloud was not yet alert… how would he handle that crushing blow of loss? How could anyone handle the brunt of that knowledge and keep himself whole? What kind of strength of character would that entail?

Zack didn't have that answer.

Nibelheim couldn't have been REBUILT already, could it? How much time would THAT have taken? Shinra had the efficiency, the resources, to rebuild for whomever survived – how many people had lived through the mass destruction he'd witnessed? He'd thought the town burned to nothing, but if there was enough structure remaining – he couldn't be certain what things looked like after he'd went to the reactor, after all –

The reactor. Tifa bleeding her life away. She was dead now, Zack knew, grateful he didn't have to break the news to Cloud – QUITE yet. He turned to the man in question, stretched out just as Zack had left him, head dangling forward, half-closed eyes dropped down to the faded bedspread.

Both their uniforms were undamaged, perfectly preserved by the mako, the cloth completely soaked in the stuff. Zack didn't want Cloud wrapped in it any longer than he had to be. Searching the neighboring rooms he found a cabinet stocked with uniforms, including those of SOLDIER – third, second, first classes all. Rummaging instinctively through the first class uniform, he found first his own size, then Cloud's. "Well, buddy, guess you're getting a promotion," he joked, tossing the smaller uniform onto the bed to his unresponsive friend.

Laughter felt so hollow when it wasn't shared.

He hauled Cloud first to the bathroom, reassured to find out Cloud could perform at least that most basic of bodily functions, though Zack had to hold his penis for him – He was mortified. Not for himself – he had no hesitation helping a comrade out this way, if that's what was needed – but because Cloud would be so embarrassed if he knew. The other man was nothing more than a helpless invalid; Zack would have to play nurse to him, feeding him and cleaning him – and though it broke his heart to see his buddy – his FRIEND – reduced to this, he would perform the necessary duties with pride. Small things were all he could do for Cloud now – it would have to be enough.

He manhandled Cloud into the shower, taps whining from lack of use, but water rushing out, rust brown at first but then clearing. Awkwardly, Zack shed his own drenched attire – not like there was anyone to see, anyway – and got in to rinse as well. Gently letting Cloud slump to the floor, he let soothing warm water run over him, removing grime and filth that was far more emotional soil than any real dirt. An ancient bar of soap, hardened and cracked, served its purpose – Zack' lathered himself lightly, then turned to Cloud to scrub the hell out of him, determined to get every last drop of mako off his skin.

Pity he could not do anything to clear out whatever had seeped inside Cloud's body. Rinsing the suds and green into the drain, Zack tenderly dried his unresponsive friend, pulling on the new clothes and kicking the old off to the side scornfully, before dressing himself as well. The new uniforms smelled as stale as the rest of the room, but they would air out soon enough. If only they had something to wear besides Shinra's rags – but beggars couldn't be choosers.

He found provisions. Canned goods, dried meat. He shoved them all in a pillowcase torn from the bed, glancing furtively out of the window, wondering if anyone would come for them. He wasn't planning to stick around until someone did. Not like they needed any sleep first, and Zack planned to put as much distance as he could between them and this cursed town before they rested. With his enhancements he could probably keep going for two or three days straight – he wasn't sure how much distance he could cover with Cloud at his side, but he never considered leaving him behind. Not even an option.

Where would they go? He walked around the room, hands in his pockets, when his fingertips brushed a slip of paper buried in the folds. Immediately, he knew what it was, but he took it out anyway, wanting just to stare at her handwriting, the words clear and vibrant on the page. I want to spend more time with you. And with that heartfelt memory… he realized… he knew where he would go.

"Cloud," he said gently, "we're going to go to Midgar. I… I just have to." He knew it was a risk, but… would life be worth living without her? He glanced from Aerith's note to Cloud, contemplating. The two people left in this world who meant the most to me.

How could he protect both?

He wanted to leave after nightfall; in the meantime, he busied himself with trying to get Cloud to eat. He could spoon in small morsels, as the empty shell of Cloud went mindlessly thorough cursory motions of chewing and swallowing, dribbling slightly.

Preparations ceased, he tensing as he watched the sun disappear over the Nibel range to the west, night settling over this strangely reconstituted town. He slung Cloud's arm over his sturdy shoulders as before, hugging him around the waist, dragging him with nerve-wracking slowness down the stairs and out the doors of the mansion. Following the trail down to the village, he found the square around the water tower deserted, barley a light on in the houses to indicate any sign of habitation. Zack didn't dare find out who might be home, willing them to stay indoors, grateful for yet another small blessing as step by step they moved.

Forward. Only forward.

They would NEVER go back.

He'd die first.

Trudging forward, always forward.

Zack had lost track of time and distance. They were lucky to make a couple miles a day. Cloud could barely stumble, growing no better, but at least he wasn't getting worse. It filled Zack with rage at Shinra all over again, every day. Cloud – he was just an innocent kid! He found himself far angrier for what had been done to Cloud than anything that had been done to himself.

He had to believe that somewhere, somehow, there was still the essence of Cloud, trapped somewhere in that in-between state. Somewhere to where Zack couldn't travel, limited to the plane of the real world and what was right in front of him.

How long would it take Cloud to find a way out?

Over day after day, even while Cloud remained unchanged, Zack felt the mako in his OWN veins rebuilding him strong, at the accelerated rate he had come to expect. It was welcome to see, since he had two people to care for – he'd need every ounce of strength to get Cloud safely away.

He shouldered that responsibility, literally and figuratively, Cloud the embodiment of all his honor in the flesh. A representation of Angeal's final lesson to him, dreams of Cloud's recovery small but solid and real, keeping Zack going when on his own he might have wanted to give up.

Their journey was short hops, step by excruciating step until danger drew near, when Zack would temporarily abandon Cloud somewhere he deemed safe while he scouted ahead to clear the trail; weaving a backstitching route as he returned to his friend, to begin the whole arduous process all over again. Monsters were bad enough, manageable at least, dispatching them with a few strong swings of his sword; but he kept encountering Shinra's army forces as well, clearly spread out to widen the search net. For him. A bitter pill that he was forced to face the entity he'd once idolized, having to butcher fellow men whose only crime was being as dumb as he had been in believing Shinra.

He'd been looking forward to returning back to Midgar, getting Cloud into SOLDIER, sponsoring him forward on his path, passing on Angeal's wisdom and paying back his debt to his mentor. But now that happy dream faded in face of imminent need to survive. Desperate to fill up the time, Zack found himself talking to Cloud one-sided, telling stories, jokes, advice, anything, wondering if any of it was filtering into Cloud's mind. Filling in his ideals and goals, what he had wanted to be, coming to Midgar as a SOLDIER hopeful, before those dreams were crushed into powder. Every day perhaps the last chance he might have to pass on what he learned the meaning of being a hero. And along the way, Zack started asking the same question of himself.

What was he? A hero? Not at all. He was just a survivor. Was that maybe the same thing? He certainly wasn't doing any of the things he once thought of as heroic, running, hiding, barely one step ahead of death and holding Cloud right at that edge with him. What had made him ever THINK he could be a hero? Not if it meant what Shinra used for its standards.

Look at who his role models had been. Genesis, Sephiroth, even Angeal, dear as the man had been to him. None of them had ever had it right. Genesis had talked of the duel in LOVELESS, dedicating himself to finding the answer; Zack had never learned how it turned out.

Now, he wondered why there had been a duel at all. Gaining heroism in the embers of the war instead of looking for it in the comfort of a woman – he thought of Aerith and all the things she meant to him, peace and love and home and everything worth fighting for. What was SOLDIER strength anyway? To keep promises, to protect. Hell, in some ways Tseng was more of a hero than any of them. Consistent. Loyal.

Then there was Cloud - the lesson incarnate of all he had been taught. Cloud in his desperate, needy state, who was finally teaching him what it meant to be a hero. That sometimes you did it for only one person. Cloud's innocence didn't deserve to be destroyed – to die - that would shatter him far more than seeing his mentor die – if there was one thing he achieved in his life, this would be it.

He looked over Cloud's unaware form. Days drawing long, identical, sun glinting on Cloud's pale hair, sky matching eyes that hung heavy, a bare slit revealing the tang of mako exposure. Cloud, you always wanted to be a SOLDIER… but now he was a faded, poisoned replica, a waste of a body and soul that had been full of happiness and hope. If Zack didn't do everything he could – how could he ever look at himself in a mirror? He'd be worse than any enemy, he'd ever fought, the lowest of the low. Even if leaving Cloud would better his chances, could he then say his life would even be worth keeping?

So Zack began another sunrise, hauling Cloud to unsteady feet, faltering excruciatingly forwards. SOLDIER strength a crutch for Cloud's dead weight. Slogging through another day. Surviving.

A darkened beach so different in its lonesomeness from another so long ago. The near-summer moon hung low and full, barely over the water's surface, framing a silhouette she'd nearly given up hope of ever seeing again.

Zack Fair.

Cissnei thought of Zack back in Costa del Sol, so eager and joyful, grilling her for ideas on how he should propose. Not knowing what was happening with Aerith at that very moment, a secret she couldn't tell him still, a burden more than she could bring him to bear while he was still on the run. She considered the joyful future he'd hoped was waiting for him back home, cut short by an incident she was still sickened to have been part of.

She'd had an inkling – that and her own hibernating hope – when Tseng had given her this assignment, shrouded in technical terms and vague instructions. Fugitive samples. Ominous words for what she had seen that day in Nibelheim, angry and helpless.

"They are believed to be armed and dangerous," Tseng had told her. "It's going to be a very difficult assignment. It would be very easy to – " here he paused significantly – "lose the targets."

She hadn't understood his cryptic wording at the time, but now, it was all becoming clear. The army would have already been mobilized to search for them, but Zack would know how to deal with that. Tseng had apparently had other motives than racing the grunts to make the capture.

It was the OTHER man – the other "fugitive sample", she snorted with disgust – who really wrung her heart out. Last time, she'd seen Cloud, he'd been bright smiles, boyish charm, and that edge of burgeoning arrogance, and now –

Mako poisoning, Zack told her. So that's what they had done. Taken a promising young man and simply WASTED him, flooding him full of Mako until he was this – this – She could only hope he'd come out of it with time, but the chances were slim. Most likely, he'd be a brain-damaged vegetable for the rest of his life, Zack dragging along his rag-doll body out of a dogged loyalty that Cissnei had always admired, even when she found it misplaced.

But even with that morbid prognosis – there had been so much raw potential in Cloud. She'd seen that from the start. If he could recover – what might he be like then?

She didn't need to ask to know that Zack was going to Aerith, as stupid as that might be. Should she possibly direct him to Tifa instead? Briefly, she weighed the options. Might be safer for the men – Tifa could probably help them, given her recent… associations. But that would put Tifa herself in more danger, and that was something Cissnei couldn't bring herself to do to the only survivor of Nibelheim. Truthfully, she didn't understand why Tifa, offered a chance at real freedom, would snatch the option of danger? Why would she tie herself to servitude when she could live out of Shinra's sight forever?

She'd never seen the fury in Zack's eyes that she found at the point of his sword, and she realized he had no fear for himself. Only for Cloud. Her eyes darting back and forth from the SOLDIER she'd considered a friend to the grunt she'd hoped to see rise. Her responsibilities to her job as a Turk warred with the heart she'd been forced to suppress so many times; but remembering back to Tseng's loaded words finalized the decision she already knew she wanted to make.

She felt the weight fall from her shoulders when she spoke the understood lie into the phone – targets lost. Handing them the contraband set of keys, she watched Zack zoom away on the Shinra motorcycle, comatose friend headed into the sidecar.

She sent them her best wishes and silent affection. How she hoped that Zack would someday find himself reunited with Aerith, that they could would have a chance to let their love and happiness blossom the same way as Aerith's flowers. Unlikely while Aerith was under Shinra surveillance; she found herself hoping dearly Tseng had some backup plan some way they could both escape to be together, forever.

Zack, please get away safely…

Kunsel had never truly given up.

He knew Shinra well, and he smelled a wererat. Had from the start, but the years dragged on, and he was left with a nagging sixth sense and absolutely nothing new to go on. Still, it just didn't fit. What had they done with Zack? Killed in Action, had been the official word – he wouldn't believe that, not without some real convincing explanation for WHAT, exactly, had taken out Zack and Sephiroth in the same day.

He'd taken advantage of his new position as First Class to probe just a little deeper, but to no avail at first. SOLDIER didn't quite have the prestige it once did, but it was something to get him started. He learned to be clever, figuring out ways to intercept some of the information that ran by the Turks. The same information that let him know Aerith was alright; she had never called him, but he could remain reassured she was not in any trouble. Zack would appreciate that if – WHEN – he came back.

But this announcement was made to all. Fugitive samples escaped. SOLDIER had not been brought in yet, only the army, but Kunsel wondered if it was only a matter of time. His sources trickled more information to him, enough to convince Kunsel it had finally happened – Zack was alive and on the run.

The only thing that left him stumped - how could he help?

He tapped out the email on a secured frequency, wondering if it was actually going anywhere but the ether. Hesitant to transmit too much, he couched his message in vague questions, finishing with a few short words of encouragement. He clapped the phone shut, wondering and wishing.

A bare second later, the phone beeped it him, and he flipped it back open to find a beacon of hope.

Message received.

He blazed down the highway, relishing the sensation of movement and speed after long months of snail's-pace going, eating up the miles that separated him from Midgar.

Cosmo Canyon, 80 km, read the highway sign above. He considered turning to the exit – perhaps there they could find some safety, sanctuary. Not much love for Shinra there – Zack vaguely recalled that AVALANCHE had their start there, finding the roots of their mission among the study of planet life there – but under the circumstances, he figured they would be welcome. Maybe they'd even know of a way to help Cloud.

But sheer emotion pressed him forward, bypassing the delay in favor of getting to Midgar that much sooner. Still, even with proper transportation, the journey was not as fast as he might have hoped. Fearful of Shinra pursuers that he knew were out there, he only traveled near dusk and dawn, hiding to sleep in the night like a furtive animal, staying off the main path for most of the day. Taking backroads whenever possible, braving the highway full sped head when it was not.

Distracted by thoughts of his ultimate destination, fantasies of being welcomed by Aerith's gentle arms, he'd barely paid attention to the route, only realizing when he was nearly on top of it. "Hey Cloud," he shouted, excited and eager to share even if his friend wasn't listening. "It's my home! Gongaga!" Heedless, he let out a whoop to the open sky above. "I didn't even know we'd come this far!"

He was conflicted. So long since he had seen his parents, and he missed them. Now that they were practically close enough to touch… but taking in his surroundings, surveying with a more strategic eye, he suddenly grew worried. Wreckage everywhere, steel tubes and panels.

The Gongaga reactor, he realized. Had there been an accident? Certainly hadn't happened before Nibelheim, or he would have known about it – this looked sudden, destructive. Could have happened on any single day since. Idly, he realized he'd heard no rumors of Nibelheim, either, in his months on the run. Didn't mean much, though - Not like he'd been going out of his way to seek out news.

Suddenly, he was gripped by fear for his parents. Were they okay? Were they even alive? Pangs of homesickness hit him. He'd wanted his first trip back home… to be when he brought Aerith with him. Wanting to introduce her, to be able to present her as his wife-to-be… Out of habit, he reached into his pocket, fingering the frayed paper that had driven him forward all this time.

He was about to run carelessly into the village, only realizing his mistake when out of nowhere, Cissnei appeared. Turks. Never really out of nowhere at all. She'd probably been poised and waiting for him.

He knew. She was here to stop him going in; ashamed, he realized he could have easily risked both his parents and Cloud. He couldn't afford the luxury of letting down his guard. Had she been tracking him since he saw her last? What a dumb question – of course she was. Bike probably had a tracker all built in. But she seemed to be abetting his escape for whatever reason - simple friendship was what he would like to believe, or another he wasn't privy to – either way, he was grateful.

"Cissnei," he greeted her. "Guess I'm not really surprised to see you here. What's going on?"

"Zack…" she began, uncertain. Long months since she had seen him last, only the barest of information reassuring her he was still alive and free. "Don't you think you should be a little more circumspect? Didn't you case the area before you came barging in?"

He hadn't; he felt abashed, disappointed in himself. "I got overexcited," he admitted.

Cissnei eyed him, compassionate. "You're worried about your parents, I'm sure."

"Not too hard to guess, is it?" laughed Zack, nervous.

"They're alive and doing well." She gave him a long, sad look. "I know you miss them, but… Zack… I mean, you gotta realize it... It's just not possible."

Zack knew. Really, he did, but somehow hearing Cissnei tell him… it made it all so much worse, realizing this was his fate, now. He swallowed, thinking of everything he had missed, Aerith springing to the front of his mind. Could they pick up where they left off? Maybe even start anew? He couldn't know for certain, only hope.

"You're right," he said softly, reluctant. "Cissnei... is there any way… you guys could keep an eye on them? You know… make sure they're okay and stuff?"

Cissnei nodded, her heart going out to Zack. What was Tseng planning? Where did he think Zack could go? "I'll see to it myself," She told him. "But for now… There's other targets in the area, so there's already a Shinra presence looking for them. So you need to be extra careful right now. And on top of that… the targets might be looking for you."

"Other… targets?" Zack questioned. "What would they want with ME?"

"Not you – the company you're keeping." She nodded back to the bike, and Cloud. "He's got… Cells. From Sephiroth. You guys both do. That's what they were doing in Nibelheim. We've been researching, and we don't know everything, but we've been able to put together a few things. Your body is strong enough to hold them at bay. He's being overtaken by them. It's Genesis and Angeal... they are trying to get the cells to stop the degradation."

"Angeal?" Zack asked, genuinely shocked. "But…" He couldn't bear to end the question.

"We're not sure," Cissnei told him hurriedly. "I mean… there's a resemblance. Maybe a clone." Zack thought back to the strange griffon hybrid that had protected he and Aerith that day; could Angeal have copied his traits, just as Genesis did? Onto who?

His feelings were… mixed. Muddled. He didn't know what this development meant, or how he should feel about it. But one thing was for certain: Now more than ever, he needed to protect Cloud.

Answers. He needed answers. Where should he go?

The flowers are selling so well…

Aerith absent-mindedly chewed the back of her pen. The flowers had indeed been a marked success, her primary target being the Sector Eight theater district above the plate. As much as she'd wanted to fill the slums first, there was little money below to be had for such luxuries; instead, the ones she spread underside were only the ones she gave away, more and more generously. The garden at her house had flourished, and as it grew, all kinds of different types appearing, ones she hadn't even planted, as she whispered to them about her days and dreams.

Still, the money was to be had, topside, and that was lonely, the nights peddling them on her own only serving to remind her that Zack was supposed to be there with her. That, more than anything, symbolized to her that Zack was truly gone.

Why, then, did her heart not feel it?

This is the final letter, she looped out the script across the page. I don't even know where to send these anymore… She knew full well that Tseng would take this one if she asked, the same way he had taken eighty-eight before with noncommittal promises. This time, she had something else in mind.

The strange creature with Angeal's face continued to make its residence in the church, coming and going sometimes, but it would always return to its perch high above, a silent sentinel watching over her well-being. At least that's what Aerith surmised; the thought gave her comfort.

Folding the envelope closed, she looked up to where it sat, wings curled around itself. She waved the scented pink envelope upwards. "Yoo-hoo!" she called, wondering if she should have given it a name; it just didn't seem right to call it "Angeal", but she hadn't thought of anything better. "Come down a minute, well you?"

It cocked his head, seeming... pensive… for a moment; then, spreading its wings fully, it gracefully glided to the church floor.

"Hello there. You would know where to find Zack, wouldn't you?" she asked. It leaned its neck, seeming to understand. "Please… if he's out there anywhere in the world… can you get this to him?"

She waited a long moment; it seemed to be thinking. Finally, as if in acknowledgement, it leaned forward, taking her envelope in its jaws. Rising to full height, it flapped its generous wings, and rose up and out of the hole in the roof…

Author's Note: Because I feel strongly about this. I choose to believe that Zack and Cloud remember nothing and/or had nothing but Mako immersion happen to them in Hojo's lab. Crisis Core canon seems to confirm this. I've seen a number of fairly graphic takes on the procedures that happened to them in the Shinra Mansion, and all I can think is, "That's torture!"

Given that torture CAN and DOES happen in the real world, I feel it's profoundly disrespectful to portray it in a story like this.

So yeah, Cloud and Zack got plunged into Mako, and Shinra just called it a day.