Wayfinded

(Aqua's losing faith in the magic of star-shaped charms. Zack wants to believe it's real.)

Whoa. This is the first time I'll be writing a sequel for anything. :D

Would've written (and finished) it sooner, but school happened. "- -,

Red Angel XIII: -.- Liar. You were playing Tales of Eternia.

MayukoMorita: Shut up. They don't need know that.

Thankfully, summer break's here. I finally have time to write. I just hope I don't run out of inspiration. X)

Oooh! And I finally have Dissidia Duodecim! *Victory Fanfare* Thank you to one of my best friends! He always knows how to make me happy! XD

About the fic, Aqua may be a little OOC. Okay, a lot OOC. But it's going to be worth it, promise.

PS – I don't know who Chuck is either. When I was thinking of names for news anchors, I don't know why, but the first name that literally instantly came to my mind was "Chuck."

PPS - I would probably still revise this...

"Well, Chuck, It's been raining like crazy for the past 24 hours, and it doesn't seem like it's going to stop soon," the anchor on TV said.

Aqua watched the watery bullets that have been hitting her window prove the forecast true. There's really not much else to do when you're in bed with fever.

That, and sleep, and (be forced to) eat.

And remembering things. Things that always slap her when they invade her memory. Like her Master. Her friends. The people she failed…

… And the people who failed her.

He set Cloud down, propped up on a tree. Zack was exhausted. Being a fugitive is hard.

After he got the fire going, he laid down and let his body feel the fatigue of that day. Every single one of his muscles ached.

Yet all of that seemed to dissipate when looked up at the stars and remembered the beautiful girl who had a certain fondness for them. "Hey, Cloud," he called to his lethargic friend. But it was more like he was telling himself when he said "we have to get to Midgar fast."

He fished something out of his pocket. It was a star-shaped hairclip studded with rhinestones.

It was always like this, every single night, ever since that day at the Sector 7 playground…

He would look at the trinket with so much reverence. And every single time, it would make his heart ache, like an open throbbing wound.

When you think about it, it wasn't really his fault. He thought he would never see Aqua again. So he moved on, met Aerith, thought he was in love with the flower girl.

But when he saw the blue maiden again… It was like being under a spell. He just forgot about everything. All the years of suppressing feelings and memories, convincing himself to move on. Perhaps the thread he used to coil in his feelings—the girl by the name of Aerith—had been too thin. Because, at that moment, when he stared into those gorgeous cerulean eyes, the thread broke and he found himself plummeting in love with her again.

But, asshole that he is, all he did was break her heart.

Now, he wants nothing more but to see her again. He needed to tell her how much he loves her, how devastated he is, how sorry he is. He would crawl on his knees if he had to.

"We have to get to Midgar fast."

He kissed his little star before putting it back in his pocket.

He closed his eyes and wished for the day when he could wake up beside her, like he's always have since the very first day...

It seemed like a side-effect of the fever, but Aqua was always in this half-dreaming state. And it was there that the memories liked to attack her. And in those memories/dreams, it was almost surreal. Like, Aqua was watching it happen, yet at the same time, she was in it.

Then, slowly, sleep would set in, and the half-dream would turn into a real dream. And this was where the memories were at their worst, where she's helpless.

Aqua comes out from the kitchen, coffee in one hand, and a plate of toast in the other. It's a Sunday and she's enjoying her day-off with her roomies, who were also her co-workers at a café on LOVELESS Avenue.

Waitressing, a boarding house, coffee, toast. It's been six months since she's arrived in Midgar (since she's seen Zack), and she's managed to create a semblance of a peaceful life. It was not the life of a Keyblade Master. But she doesn't have a Keyblade so she's not exactly a Keyblade Master anymore. She was just another normal person now.

And, just like any other normal Midgar citizen on a Sunday morning, she's watching Shin-Ra News. The anchor droned on and on about current city developments, ordinances, blah, blah blah, yadda, yadda, yadda, President Shinra's statement about the power problems in some parts of the city, blah, blah, blah.

But this isn't just another same-old, same-old Shin-Ra News episode. Because this one has a special personnel report.

"And in personnel report," the anchor somberly started, "it doesn't seem to look good for the SOLDIER Department. They have just recently lost two of their best operatives, SOLDIER First Class Genesis Rhapsodos and SOLDIER First Class Angeal Hewley, after being K.I.A."

The screen flashes pictures of the said operatives. One is a dashing man with dark hair and sparkling blue eyes, much like Zack's. The other is this handsome, younger-looking, brown-haired beau who had the same eyes.

"And now, they suffer another big blow as they lose two more of SOLDIER's finest," the anchor continues.

Aqua started at the report. She remembers hearing some of those terms from Zack. And she's pretty sure K.I.A. means Killed in Action. She's careful not to let her companions notice, but she's hoping against hope, wishing against wish that Zack was not involved, that he was far away from all this SOLDIER fiasco.

"SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth and…"

Aqua's grip tightens on her coffee mug's stem.

"… SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair have reportedly been K.I.A. while in a mission on Mt. Nibel."

The screen then flashes the faces that corresponded to those names. The first is a man with silver hair. This is apparently Sephiroth, because Aqua knew the other one only too well.

She knew that chiseled jaw, that adorably mischievous smile, that beautiful face, and those brilliant blue eyes.

Underneath the image are the three words that stabbed Aqua, pierced her heart and shattered it into a million pieces. Killed in Action.

The anchor says something more and mentions the name Lazard Deusericus, but it's nothing but pointless chatter to Aqua.

It took all of her to not drop what she's holding. If she reacted, her roommates might take it the wrong way and think she's one of those Zack Fair fangirls, which she was clearly not. But her knees seem to be failing her, she can feel them turn to jelly. Eventually, the realization sets in, and everything becomes too heavy for her jelly-knees. She falls to a mess of porcelain shards. She probably even cut herself, but she doesn't really care.

Her roomies rush to her, questions like "What happened?" and "Are you okay?" and worried sounds fill the room. But everything is lost to Aqua. It's just a mass of faces and noise to her.

A cold biting wind froze her inside as she realized what had just happened.

The man she loves has died. And she never even got to tell him. The worst part is, it took him dying for her to realize how much she really loves him.

Zack would really never know, but somehow, Aerith forgave him. Like, one month later, she was suddenly talking to him again. He never even tried. He just saw her in the slums one day and she walked up to him and showed him a flower. As if nothing happened.

And Zack, well, he could only play the part. Badly, at times. He actually felt sorry for the girl whenever he did. Sometimes he felt like the flowers provided better conversation for Aerith. And she literally talks to them. Good thing too, he would think, because he would space out, more than sometimes, just… thinking… remembering… Not a day passed by that he wouldn't.

He would remember the legend about the star-shaped fruit and the Wayfinder. And he wished, desired—prayed—that the legend was true.

And when Angeal died, when Aerith put her arms around him, he hated ever second of it. Because, at that moment, he didn't want to be touched by anyone if it wasn't Angeal… or Aqua.

So, he was almost ecstatic when he got this Nibelheim mission. He didn't need to see Aerith every single day. Not because he was sick of her. His conscience just couldn't stand doing what he's doing to her every day.

All he wanted was to see her again. He'd comb every inch of Midgar, hell, of Gaia just to find her.

But, well, he never counted on Sephiroth going crazy…

Terra charged at her, ferocity in his eyes. Aqua, equally intense, rushed to accept his invitation. Their Keyblades glowed as they prepared to strike each other with Fire Edge.

Time seemed to slow down for their final swing.

Then, sparks and flames everywhere, their Blades met with the loud crash of metal on exploding metal…

… that jolted Aqua awake. Under heavy eyelids, she looked for the source of the rude interruption. A nurse, clearly new on the job, had dropped the metal clipboard that held Aqua's files.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized nervously.

Aqua gave her the most pleasant smile she could manage. "It's quite alright."

The nurse hurried to pick up the scattered papers and carelessly placed it on a nearby table. "I'm terribly sorry. I just came in to check your vitals."

Aqua responded with another little smile.

After Zack's alleged death, Aqua lost the life in her as well. She went about her days like a wind-up toy that was slowly unwinding.

She ate less and less until she only ate two to three times a week. She spent more time working, barely took breaks. She didn't want time to think. She feared the guilt brought by memories of him. Of course, this was to no avail. He fills all of her waking moments, living or dead.

She developed insomnia. There were times when she would just cry the whole night. By the time she stops, it's almost morning. And in the rare nights where she was able to sleep, she would have nightmares—different versions of how Zack could've died—that would frighten her awake, and she'd cry for the rest of the night.

She remembered something their neighbor, a kindly old lady who was fond of birds, told her. She said that when a lovebird dies, the one left behind gives up living so it can join its mate.*

Aqua was eventually in and out of the hospital. She developed ulcer. The sleepless nights gave her migraines. She came down with the flu dozens of times.

On one of those times, Mrs. Merrill—the neighbor who was fond of birds—came to visit her. When the old lady asked her how she was doing, the bluebird replied "I think I know how that poor lovebird must've felt."

After the nurse left, she closed her eyes again.

She's been in the hospital for two weeks now, diagnosed with pneumonia. After five years of abuse, her body could offer little resistance to the disease. So, since the diagnosis, her condition hasn't changed. If it did, only for the worse.

She reached for something in her hair. It was the clip Zack gave her. She stopped wearing it after the day she ran away. But after she found out about his death, she started wearing it every day. She felt like such a hypocrite.

How she wished she never found out about the legend of the Wayfinder.

After Zack could only guess how long, he could finally see Midgar. It was only a day's walk away.

He felt for the star in his pocket.

I'll be sure to find you.

Now…

… if he could just figure out a way through the Shin-Ra army…

It's been raining nonstop the whole week. That night, the watery onslaught was at its worst.

And the weather is not helping Aqua's condition. Earlier that day, her temperature shot up to 43C and it hasn't gone down since. She was shivering under the layer upon layer of blankets. The cold seeped into her bones. She was curled into the tightest ball she could make, but even her blood felt cold.

She reached for her star clip and pulled it off her hair. She put it near her heart, and held on tight, as if she was taking strength from it.

Her eyes had been closed. But then she felt something warm touch her cheek. She opened her eyes and found Master Eraqus sitting on her bed. He was smiling. But it was a smile Aqua's never seen before. At least not on Master Eraqus. It was unbelievably peaceful, untainted, blissful, happy, content.

"Hold on, Aqua," he seemed to encourage, "just a little bit more." Then she felt his warm hands close her eyes. When she opened them again, he wasn't there anymore.

Was that a dream just now?

She continued to shiver in the cold. Now, even her teeth were chattering.

It should be. Because the Master's dead. But, it also couldn't be. Because he felt undeniably real.

Sleep.

Aqua wanted it so badly, but the biting cold kept her from having any. She held her body close, and her star closer. But even her own body could provide no warmth. It almost felt painful. As if her blood had frozen and sharp icicles now coursed through her veins.

Aqua, oh, so wanted to sleep. "Just a little bit more," the Master had said. How much more?

Then, just as she felt like the fever had gotten the better of her, she started falling into what could be a deep, deep sleep.

The last thing that registered to her before she went unconscious was a rattling sound from somewhere far. It sounded either like a drum roll or gunfire

Then she was out.

Something warm on her cheek woke Aqua up. She expected Master Eraqus. He'd probably say "You made it, Aqua. It's over," because that's how she felt. She felt a hundred percent better. No cold, no fever, no pneumonia, no nothing. Sunlight penetrated her eyelids. She'd made it through the storm. It's a beautiful day and her Master would welcome her.

But when she opened her eyes, it wasn't Eraqus.

"Zack…!"

Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open. But, immediately, the former started to well up and the latter curved to a beautiful smile. Surprise, then relief, then ecstatic joy washed over Aqua.

"Hey, Bluebird." He smiled the most beautiful smile she's ever seen. He looked so peaceful, angelic. And his hand on her cheek felt so good. She held it to keep it there.

Her eyes, which had been staring intently into his, drifted to her other hand, which was curled to a fist. It was where she held so tightly to a certain little star. She opened her hand and silently thanked their Wayfinder.

"I told you I'd find you," he said, and had her full attention once again. He showed her his Wayfinder.

"Zack…"

"What," he asked, that adorable laughter in his voice, "are you doing in a hospital? As a patient?"

She managed a little laugh. "Well, I was sick."

Aqua had barely finished the word "sick" when Zack said "No, you're not," perfectly convinced that the love of his life was virtually indestructible.

She laughed again. Seeing Zack again, and being with him, felt so right. None of the bitterness or guilt could pierce the air of blissful content around them. They both knew this was where they belonged. It was as if not a day had gone by. As if no Aerith existed. As if nothing happened. As if this was how they already were since the beginning of time.

And this was how Aqua wanted to be 'til the end of time.

"Let's get outta here," he sounded mischievous and serious at the same time.

More laughter. She missed this. And it was the kind only Zack could get out of her. "What are you talking about. I can't."

"Of course you can." He carried her, like the way he did on their first date.

"Zack!" But, of course, she wouldn't fight it. So she let him take her. She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart, knowing every single beat was for her, the same way hers beats for him. In his arms, there was nothing but warmth and safety.

They walked out the door to Minerva-knows-where, Aqua couldn't care less. She was much too happy. She was finally with Zack. She'd go anywhere with him.

Anywhere with Zack would be paradise…

The nurse walked in for the routine check on Aqua's vitals. She found her patient peacefully asleep. In her hand was a simple star-shaped hair clip. She was probably having a nice dream because she had a little smile on.

Except…

She was no longer breathing and she had no pulse.

It seemed Aqua had died in her sleep.

First of all, I know what you're thinking. "How could Zack not find her? She was in Midgar the whole time."

To answer that, we have a saying in Filipino: "Mahirap mahanap ang ayaw magpahanap."

Translation: "It's hard to look for someone who doesn't want to be found."

Besides, Aerith was always breathing down his neck. Seriously, that girl is just too damn clingy… -.- (sorry, Aerith).

And Midgar's a really big city you know.

*That line is an allusion to Final Fantasy X, spoken by my dearly beloved Tidus 3.

Was it raining at the ending of Crisis Core? Well, just for the sake of this story, let's assume it was. '^^

Does anyone know where I can download FMV's without subs?

*Ahem*

Thanks for reading! :)