Wow, I was scared my writing had become too stiff, I'm happy you guys still like it. =] I'm past the hardest part so far I've had to write, so if I keep my mind to it, I might be able to update a little more.

By the time they decided to shelter from the bitter wind into the car, the sun was still peaking at twilight, the orange rays of warmth pouring over Albuquerque like a wreath of liquid copper, almost making Troy forget about the cold air as his eyes absorbed the beauty. But Sharpay couldn't in the least see the sunset, and so she started shivering as a gust passed through the stony cold cemetery, prompting her brother to lead them all to safety.

Ryan silently went ahead to the car first, both to bring the engine back to life as well as give Troy some time with Sharpay, something that was slowly running out, he knew. Huffing as the cold air scrapped at his throat, Ryan hastily ran to the car door and pulled open the icy handle and sat down inside. Nonchalantly turning his key in the ignition, his eyes watched the two lonely figures in the graveyard in the distance. Even from here, Ryan felt the sadness in Troy's heart as he helped Sharpay stand up.

Kneeling on the grass, her entire weigh pressing down on the flesh of her kneecaps, Sharpay knew with little strength she had these days that her legs would no doubt fall asleep. Struggling, Sharpay firmly held onto Troy's arm as he pulled her up quickly, then with the swift movement of his hands, he caught her in midair with his arms around her waist to hold her up on her feet. Sharpay hung from around Troy's neck as he led her towards the car, her temporarily useless legs dragging on the ground like that of a rag doll. Sharpay pulled Troy close and pressed her face into his shoulder, groaning softly as the blood painfully flowed back into her thighs. Troy himself was exhausted, but he said nothing and gathered all his strength to reassure Sharpay of his secure embrace.

Step after step, they slowly arrived at the car, both of them with sealed lips. Ryan reached over and unlocked the door for Troy. Releasing Sharpay from one arm, Troy quickly opened the car door and plopped Sharpay into her seat. She was tired, really tired. Her eyes were half open and blankly staring at whatever was in front of her whereas her body had become limp from all her energy being used up. She laid back on her seat with her head rested against the back while Troy did her seatbelt. Once done, Troy slammed shut the door to seal in the warmth of the car heater and rushed around to the other side to let himself in. A gush of cool air consequently came in with Troy's entrance, Sharpay felt it, and she felt the rustling material of his jacket around her shoulders, pulling her over to rest against him once more.

She smiled to herself, snuggling into his warm chest, despite the coldness of his clothes and exposed skin. She touched her locket fondly, hearing Ryan's hand pull up the brake and sway the car back onto the road. The road smoothly paced down the open road where it was in its usual peace and quiet, away from the city's busy lifestyle. Sharpay could barely keep her blind eyes from opening, but she knew she must.

"Ryan," she murmured. Her voice was thick. "How much time is left until we go?"

"About two hours," Ryan replied, his eyes shifting from the clock in front of him to Sharpay's reflection in the car mirror. Sharpay smiled again, the dreamy look once again misting her auburn eyes.

"Okay," she said. "That's all we'll need."

Troy looked down at her, then at Ryan's eyes reflected in the mirror, then back. Whatever Sharpay had requested, Ryan knew about it and was not questioning her or slowly the car down. It seemed that Ryan was already driving towards that direction as soon as he inserted the key. Troy leaned over and caressed his lips gently against Sharpay's temple.

"Where are we going?" he asked. Sharpay's gaze lingered out the window.

"The park," she said softly. She leaned heavily against Troy, her hand resting comfortably on his chest while his arm was securely around her shoulders. Troy looked down at her again when she didn't continue to talk and tell him more.

It looked like she was swimming through a memory. Her eyes were misted with an emotion Troy didn't understand, but her lips were curved in a serene smile. A ray of light streaked across her face, shining into her eyes that did not blink or wince. The light was broken apart as the car slithered under the skeletal shadows of the evergreen trees on the side of the road. Sharpay smiled to herself again, a sad aura forming around her soul as she reminisced to answer Troy's question.

"In the forest, there's a hill with a tree that looks like a turtle shell whenever the sun sets," she told him. Troy nodded, automatically looking out the window as well at the orange sky. Sharpay's smile faded a little, her figure saddening.

"It's the tree my dad planted for my mom the day me and Ryan were born. I haven't had the chance to visit it in a long time."

Troy frowned, trying to remember what hill where a tree shaped like a turtle shell would grow. Even though he had lived all his life in this town, it was very rare where he, or anyone else he knew, would go into the forest near the park. It was a popular place for tourists, but besides that fact, he never thought there was anything interesting or worthwhile about it.

But he did recently go there. A few years ago with Chad. It was during the time when the park was being constructed and the old playground was knocked down to be replaced by a new one. To avoid the loud machinery, the two best friends fled into the forest in a mini-marathon. Even until now, Troy could recall how hauntingly beautiful the forest was in the summertime. Trees twice a man's height stood side by side like soldiers, casting ominous shadows upon anyone who stepped away from the tourist path. Chad and Troy had scurried a few feet away from the safety of the path deeper into the forest where they became lost for several hours, so long that their parents initiated a police search party.

Troy recalled them trying to walk towards the fading sun in a vain attempt to stay in the light, despite it leaving them behind. He remembered walking down a corridor of trees that almost screeched when the wind blew past them. He remembered, as the last bit of light sank down, the image of a turtle appeared in the horizon, just before it fell dark entirely.

"That tree?" Troy gave out, finally understanding which tree she was talking about. "The one that's right in front of the sun before it goes down?" Sharpay nodded. Ryan's brown eyes shifted up to the car mirror again to see Sharpay's smile return.

"I want to go there," she muttered feebly. "Before I die."

Troy again froze, his lower body numb at the words that plunged into him like pieces of broken glass. His eyes darted to meet with Ryan in the mirror, but Ryan quickly moved his gaze back to the road, saying nothing. Sharpay continued to smile faintly, like a woman accepting her fate. Troy wouldn't allow it.

"Hey, why would you die?!" he exclaimed, frustrated. He glared at her with stern eyes. "If I hear you say that one more time, I'm going to kiss you." Sharpay managed a laugh.

"Okay," she replied softly, burying herself deeper into his embrace. She chuckled again.

Troy knew the only way he would survive this was to play. He had cried too much already, he had felt the pain that he had inflicted on himself by allowing himself to be consumed in his sorrow. He needed to be strong and be the person who could be by Sharpay's side until the end. He thought about Jenny's words to him; Sharpay was an actress who could hide behind a mask of confidence, who could cover up her tears with smiles. Troy needed to be there to make her feel better and happy. He needed to stop spilling useless tears. He needed to block out the doctor's words in order to be able to live in the moment.

In order to be able to live.

He couldn't be a useless fool.

The car jolted as they drove off the smooth highway road onto the gravel path that led out of the city towards the park on the other side of town. It had already been 10 minutes, and Sharpay was tired yet again from the heaters. She closed her eyes and cushioned herself on Troy, her head still on his shoulder where he could feel her soft breath brush onto his jacket. Troy smiled fondly, feeling sorry for her. She was so determined to do so much before having to leave for the hospital, and her body could only take so much. He gently stroked her head with his free hand, running his fingers through her hair.

Golden locks started to come away with his hand.

Troy sat in silent shock as he withdrew his hand, taking a handful of Sharpay's beautiful hair with it. He stared at it, unable to move or breathe, bitter sadness overwhelming him as Sharpay continued to sleep on his shoulder, not knowing anything. Holding it in, Troy bit into his lip as a single tear trickled down his cheek unknowingly, his hand trembling uncontrollably. He lowered his hand and shook off the hair onto the floor of the car and closed his eyes for a moment to calm himself.

This had to stop. This had to stop.

His neck suddenly stiffening, Troy painfully tore his eyes away from the girl he loved and forced himself to look out the window, away from the truth that he so desperately wanted to purge.

His eyes instantly met with Sharpay's sleeping reflection in the window as the car passed by the dark trees of the forest, an agonizing pain stabbing into the pit of his stomach. Troy sadly touched Sharpay's reflection, ignoring the cold feel of the glass under his fingers, staring at her beautiful face while her body was still sleeping against him.

It was as if she was unreachable even when she was right beside him. He kept staring wistfully at her reflection throughout the trip, daring only to look at her that way. For as long as possible, he had to feel happy, no matter what. He had to be happy that he was with her, he was happy being with her and that their love was still so free.

He had to be happy for Sharpay's sake as well. Troy sighed and gathered up his strength again as the car slowed down. He shook off his thoughts and gently pressed his forehead against Sharpay's temple. He inhaled the sweet fragrance of her skin, and she stirred.

Ryan stayed in the car as the other two went out. Again, no words were exchanged, as everyone knew their place. Sharpay had pins and needles from sitting for too long, but she refused to take a minute for the sensation to fade. Instead, Troy pulled her onto his back, carrying her with ease towards the mysterious forest. Sharpay grinned like a child as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek onto the back of his head. It was incredibly comfortable. The sun was going down and the winds had ceased, ready for a quiet evening to steadily approach.

Troy heaved Sharpay up playfully on his back, and shot one last look at Ryan. He gave a meaningful stare and an acknowledged nod, knowing his sister was in safe hands. Troy then smiled and tilted his head upward.

"Ready?" he asked. Sharpay chuckled and nodded, tightening her arms. Troy turned at his heel away from Ryan and then began walking, step by step, towards the entrance of the forest, the weight of Sharpay on his back covering as a shield not only from the pink sunset rays, but giving him courage. He puffed with effort and smiled to himself.

Ryan sat still in the warm car watching them gradually disappear through the glass window. Sharpay's dull red jacket grew dimmer and dimmer until it faded out completely into the darkness.

They were together, even after Troy found out everything, even after he knew everything, they were still together. Was that what love was? Was that why Troy had the devotion to stay by her side? Was that why his father never looked at another woman again even after all these years?

Ryan sighed and leaned back completely against his seat, his head tilted towards the roof. Troy's words echoed again through his mind.

Don't leave with regrets.

He had never really understood at all why his father never loved again. Even though he loved his mother, he had always felt the loneliness of his father's heart in her absence. There were beautiful, kind-hearted women in the world could help soothe his pain, replace the love that had left his heart without replacing her memory. Ryan had naively thought it was foolish that his father was forcing himself to go through all this pain of choosing to not having a person to love.

Ryan honestly never understood what love was at all. Even from all the movies and even seeing his friends, he never truly knew what it was like to love someone. He had thought that with all the beautiful and kind women in the world, love would simply continue and mend a broken heart.

Only now, he knew he was wrong.

Love wasn't a just a feeling. Feelings would come and go, rise and fall, become messy and disorientated. Love… it was clear, it was like air. It was so much more than what was in romance films; something inside of him just knew. The missing part of one's soul.

He saw it in Troy's eyes that he knew. Ryan hardly knew it himself, but one thing was for sure; he had never been so certain of something before in his entire life. It was the first time he had ever felt something like this, but somehow he just knew it was real.

His seatbelt still intact, Ryan hastily unbuckled it to reach into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He held it in front of him in both hands, just staring at it. His thumb shuffled on and off the Unlock button, to summon up the guts to do something he had been trying to do, but always cowardly failed.

In one day, he called a phone in the hospital that he already knew was turned off. He called dozens of times, only to hang up, knowing it wouldn't be answered at that time of day. He wasted many hours doing this, yet he kept doing it.

But Troy was right. Ryan took a deep breath and pocketed his phone again. He laid back again and his eyes lingered at the spot where Troy and Sharpay disappeared, resuming his wait until they'd come back and he'd take them to the hospital. There… he would do it in person.

He couldn't leave with regrets.

The top of the leafless forest trees rustled loudly as the crows glided past them carelessly to their nests. The wind grew weaker, but the air grew colder as everything was bathed in orange. The gravel under Troy's feet crumbled delicately, taking care in keeping Sharpay comfortable without the jolt of his steps.

Her arms were still wrapped around him, his neck. He could feel her breath against his skin, her body still warm and soft. Troy huffed, Sharpay's hands on his chest rising and falling along with it. They had been walking for a while without a word. Sharpay moved her head in towards him, brushing her nose against his hair.

"Aren't I heavy?" she asked softly. Troy laughed.

"No," he said in a carefree voice, heaving her up again without any effort. He let out a content sigh. "Ah, my Paypay's so light. In fact, I think you need to gain some weight." He laughed again. "I'll make you eat ribs, bacon and even an enormous steak." Sharpay smiled to herself.

"I can't eat steak," she said matter of factly. Troy merely shrugged.

"Then I'll eat it and get strong so I can piggyback you every day."

"What if I get so fat that you can't carry me?" Sharpay teased. Troy stopped walked and mocked a thoughtful look up at the sky.

"Hmmm," he murmured with a smile. He looked up at her. "Then I can get just as fat, and we can just roll around together." Sharpay laughed again.

"You're so strange," she told him, shaking her head. Troy laughed as well; it felt so good hearing her laugh again. She released her arms and cupped his face in her hands, playfully rubbing his cheeks.

But her left hand was incredibly cold, while her right hand was still warm. Troy's smile faltered again at the feel, once again being brought back to the reality. He continued to carry her again to the direction of the tree, sealing his lips again and just thinking about reaching the tree. Sharpay wouldn't see the ominous expression on his face. She felt even heavier than before as she rested more heavily onto his shoulders, wrapping her arms around him again. Troy bit his lip and walked and walked.

Closer and closer, they finally reached the clearing of the forest a few feet off the tourist path, only having the row of soldier-like trees guiding him as he retraced his memory. It was colder now even though the rays of orange sunlight became clearer from behind the trees. Sharpay felt Troy halt a few times before continuing.

"You're tired, aren't you?" she said softly. "Put me down. I want to walk." Troy stopped and heaved her up again, exhaling silently as he tried to sound okay.

"No, just stay still," he told her, his voice wearier than before. He began walking again. "I get more tired watching you walk." He heaved her up one last time as he saw the turtle shell tree at the top of the hill. "We're almost there."

The plain was as he remembered, only that he had only ever seen the tree from a distance. It was much taller than he remembered. Even now that it was autumn, the leaves were gone and it looked less like a turtle shell, Troy knew it was definitely the one Sharpay was talking about. Even in the autumn it looked so vigorous and strong, holding up the world. Each step became heavier but Troy kept going until he reached it.

At the top, the ground descended back evenly, and Troy saw what a truly perfect place it was. A sanctuary for anyone to sit for hours watching the sun without a worry in the world. It was more beautiful and serene than any other place he had ever been. It was almost impossible to believe this peaceful place had been hidden from the world like this.

Troy stopped right in front of the tree and bent over for Sharpay to get off. She slowly and carefully placed her feet onto the ground and in a swift movement, Troy caught her in his arms and led her towards the tree. He guided her down onto the soft dry patch of grass, and her hand traced down the rugged bark of the turtle shell tree. Her face lift up and she beamed.

"Yes, this is my tree," she said proudly. She smiled and touched the tree affectionately, running her hand up its trunk until she couldn't reach anymore. She chuckled. "It's grown a lot, hasn't it? It's even taller than me now." Troy gazed up as well, emitting a sigh.

"Next year it'll be even bigger," he said wistfully. He drew away his gaze onto the forest they had come out of, then at Sharpay. "Let's come back next year, huh?" She smiled sadly.

"Alright," she whispered.

"Let's promise," Troy said, taking her hand. He extended his pinky finger and entwined it with hers. Sharpay chuckled.

"Promise," she said gently. She gripped his pinky with hers and stamped her thumb onto his, sealing their childish promise. Troy kissed her head and pulled her close as they both leaned onto the tree and faced the sunset, forgetting all their troubles, forgetting the whole world, just taking a moment to be with each other. Sharpay snuggled her head on his shoulder, her sleepy eyes fixed on the ground.

"How's the sunset?" she asked. Troy didn't answer straight away, holding her closer.

"It's perfect," he muttered. He moved his hand down onto hers on her lap, giving it a squeeze. "I just wish you could see it with me."

Sharpay said nothing, she just kept staring at the ground with half-closed eyes, still smiling dreamily to herself, absorbing Troy's touch and the musty scent of the turtle shell tree. Troy didn't once release his hand as the minute passed by, her chest pressed up against him so he could feel her heart beat, knowing that any moment if she would fall asleep, she might never wake up. He was so scared that she would fade away right in his arms today.

"Rainbows," she said suddenly. Her auburn eyes were hazy, her pale lips still in its faintly smile. She screwed up her forehead in a frown. "It's been a long time since I saw one. I think I've almost forgotten what it looks like. I think… I've forgotten what colours look like as well." She played with his hand, poking at each of his fingers. Troy chuckled at her ticklish touch.

"How about we play a game to help you remember?" he suggested. His brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "You tell me a colour, and I'll name something you can think of to remember."

"Okay," she said. Her eyes lifted up to the sky and became vacant again for a moment as she swam through her memories. "Hmmm… red."

"Red," Troy repeated, leaning back onto the tree. "Let's see… it was the colour of your lipstick when you played Lola in the Autumn play. And I played Tony."

"Pink."

"Pink was the colour of your bag you left in the theatre room where you came back to look for, right before we kissed for the first time. Remember?" Sharpay smiled.

"Yeah." She sighed sleepily and took another moment. "Ummm… violet."

"Violet… uh, the colour of the wig Ryan wore for the Razzle Dazzle musical." They both laughed at the memory.

"And he won an award for," Sharpay chuckled.

"Yeah."

"How about… orange."

"Orange was the colour of the dress you were wearing that day on our second date. The one with the strap only on one shoulder and bared your entire back. But it was so cold that you didn't take your jacket off until we got back."

"Green." "

Green is the colour of your favourite snack, the horrible coconut-flavored sponge cakes they sell at Fate's Gate. You know I still wonder why it's green sometimes."

"Yellow."

"Y-yellow…" Troy stuttered. His hand flinched away from her head, scared the fragile golden hair would come away like it did before. His lips curved into a heartbroken smile.

"Yellow is the colour of your hair. Ryan's hair, your mom's hair."

"Blue."

"Blue… is the colour of the sky, of the ocean—"

"Of your eyes too?" Sharpay added. Troy sadly smiled again.

"Yeah," he muttered. "You remembered."

"That's one of the things I'd never forget."

The sky became darker and darker, the orange slowly turning into pink. Troy held Sharpay in his arms, sitting still so nothing would trigger him to cry yet again. He didn't notice that by keeping Sharpay warm, he himself was shivering. He didn't notice it at all. He blinked his eyes rapidly and sat up, looking over at Sharpay, but of course she couldn't see him, causing another stab of pain in his heart. Troy cleared his throat loudly.

"It's late," he said, glancing at his watch. "We should head back." He carefully stood up and took both of Sharpay's hand, both of them were cold now. She was conscious, but didn't say a word as he pulled her to her feet and onto his back.

Troy started piggybacking Sharpay down the exact same path they had come up from, back towards Ryan. Sharpay stayed quiet, Troy knew she was dreading having to go back to the hospital even though she had to. He could tell she was sleepy as well, it was best for her to get some rest at the hospital before her treatment started again. Sharpay's arms wrapped warmly around Troy's neck.

But she was happy today, nonetheless. She had no regrets, and she now had the courage to fight for the little time she had left.

She was happy.