Author's Note: This is not romance. For God's sake, believe me!

Summary: Marlene and Loz bond on the way to meet the others.

Rating: K, I think. Maybe K plus.

Gone

By: Mazzie May

Marlene looked up, down, left, right, then to Loz. Then up, down, left, right again. She'd never been to such a lovely place. Everything was glowing softly, and snow-like fire flies were floating around the air. It was beautiful.

And Marlene really wished she had the chance to enjoy it more, maybe do a little bit of exploring. But she didn't dare let go of the man, Loz. He hadn't done any harm to her since they left Sister's church, but she didn't want to push it.

Though very mature and smart for her age, Marlene was still only six and a half. She was tired. All this traveling wore her out. She wished that Loz would've let them ride his motorcycle all the way to where ever they were going. It was pretty cool to Marlene, though she'd never voice it.

She yawned. Loudly. Loz stopped, but she walked forward a bit before he pulled her back quickly. Before she realized what was happening, he had her up in the air. And before she could scream, she was being held against something tough, and warm.

Loz had picked her up. He looked at her with a very large grin. She swallowed, rewarding him with a timid smile. He began walking again, still smiling. Marlene didn't really want to be held by him, but she was so tired. She ended up resting her head on his shoulder as they continued. He ran a hand over the top of her head. She flinched.

That was when Loz began to speak.

"We have to help each other out, you know." Marlene didn't move. "Because we're family." He paused, making a bit of a face. "Well, you're not really family, but I'm sure Mother will accept you."

"'Mother'?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. "Yes, Mother. She'll help unit the whole family, so we can fight the others!"

"….that can't be right."

Loz stopped and looked over at her, a face of bewilderment. Marlene leaned back, her hands on his shoulder. "What mother would want her children to fight?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She continued. "Mother's want their children to avoid violence, and live happy lives."

"We can't be happy until the traitors are all dead!"

Marlene frowned. "How can that be?"

Loz held his chin high, stating proudly, "When we find Mother, she'll choose either Kadaj or Sephiroth to lead us-"

"She'll choose!" Marlene looked at him, horrified.

Loz set her down, looking at her curiously. "…what?"

"What do you mean she'll choose? That's, that's terrible!" Her small hands were drawn together at her chest. "A mother loves all over her children! There isn't one that is more important than the others!"

He continued to look down at her, as if he didn't believe her.

She reached out and took his hand. "You don't think that you're less than…" It took her a moment to remember his name. "…Kadaj? Or Sephiroth? Or, uhm-"

"Yazoo" he informed her.

She nodded. "Yeah, Yazoo. You think they're better than you?"

"….No, we're brothers" But he sounded uncertain.

Marlene dropped his hand, and turned away from him. "…I don't have a mother, either, you know."

Loz looked sad a moment, but quickly perked up. "See? You can be with us, and have a mother!" He was talking quickly, excitedly. But Marlene shook her head.

"I don't know anything about her. She died when I was a baby, so I don't have any memories. I don't have any pictures. Papa doesn't even remember much about her…" She was looking down when she turned to him. "But…" she looked up, her eyes shiny with tears. "But I look at all the kids who do have mothers, or who have memories of their mothers. All the kind and gentle things a mother says. All the ways a mother makes you feel better. A mother will hold her child's hand no matter what."

Loz slowly sat on the ground, understanding what she was saying. All those wonderful, motherly things. Would Mother really do those things? He wanted to believe that she would.

"Can you picture your mother doing that?"

Loz closed his eyes, determined to envision Mother doing all of those wonderful things. But he couldn't. He couldn't imagine any of it. He looked at the girl, now angry. He stood.

"Why! Why can't I see those things?"

Marlene reached out for his hand again. "You can't because you've never seen her. You have nothing to work with." She was sniffling. "When you see mother's with their children, you just feel the want to have it. Nothing else." Loz began to protest, but she pressed on. "But I get jealous!" She looked up at him with angry eyes. "I was raised around mothers who loved their children! I know how it feels to be loved by a mother, but I don't get that love!" She was sobbing now. "You never felt it, so you can't miss it. But I've felt it!"

My name's Aeris, Tifa asked me to take care of you.

"She showed me that kind of love!"

You'll be safe with me. You'll stay with me until your Papa comes for you.

"But she's gone now! All gone now!" She pounded on Loz's abdomen. "Gone!" She hit him harder with every word.

Would you like a flower, Honey?

"Gone!"

Good night, honey.

"Gone!"

When I have a daughter, I hope she's just like you!

"Gone!"

Marlene, honey, I love you.

"GONE!"

She slid to the ground crying. All he could do was watch her, try and understand. He had no right to speak of emptiness when it came to this. He stood there for a while, thinking, as she hugged his leg, crying. Crying for what had come and gone, and will never come back again.

They stayed like that for a while. The man with the understanding of a child. The child, with heartache of an adult. It was a terrible feeling, this kind of alone. He's lucky, Marlene thought angrily. It's not hard being alone when you don't have to watch people be together!

Over the last two years Marlene did not cry. Not about her loses. And here, it all came out. She felt heaviness on shoulders. She looked up, and found Loz, squatting down. He pulled her into a tight hug.

And the two cried together.

For what he never had.

For what she lost.

An hour past. They calmed down, little by little, as they watched each fire fly float by, and felt the glow of the trees. The place was calming.

She wiped at her face with her tiny hands, still trapped against his chest. "I don't like not having a mother, either, you know." Her small voice was horse from all her hollering and sobbing. "And I want a mother, too."

"But you don't try and destroy the world to get one," Loz muttered. He nodded to himself, having finally decided. He stood, still holding her. Loz was going to have a talk with Kadaj and Yazoo.

He resumed walking towards the meeting point, running his gloved hand over her hair. She didn't flinch this time, simply remained curled against him, hiccupping softly.

Yes, he thought more seriously, reaching the meeting point. He set her down, nodding to his bothers. She clung to his waist, her head at his hip. He didn't remove his hand from her shoulder.

A VERY important talk about Mother.

Author's Note: …for some reason I don't quite like how it came out. But I've sat here for two hours, and can't think of how to change it. Regardless. This is dedicated to TheDonutMistress who talked with me about this fic.

R&R if you're up to it!