After planning to go to Solara, the group decided to go to sleep. Since Elsie looked really sleepy, Garnet had to carry her to bed. Garnet now shared a room with Elsie in order to conserve space. Tantalus couldn't come personally, but Baku told them they would relay information. Zidane still shared a room with Vivi which he was happy about, but he still had that subconscious fear that this blissful reunion couldn't last. He decided to ignore it for now. If he kept worrying about it, then his secret would surely come out.

...

Zidane was racing out of Castle Pandemonium in a mindless frenzy. His body screamed for him to stop and heal his wounds, but Zidane didn't want to stop in fear that would mean getting caught. If there was one thing he was good at, it was escaping. Baku taught all of Tantalus how to make clean and quick getaways. Before he could go any further, he heard a nightmarish scream of agony. Zidane quickly turned to see Mikoto brutally murdered by Garland's magic. He turned to run another direction only to see Vivi, Beatrix, and Steiner's dead bodies. When Zidane turned to run forward, he saw the worst of it all. Garnet was covered in her own blood and Elsie was burned beyond repair.

Zidane: Oh...please...no...

Garland: See what happens?

Zidane: How could you?

Before Zidane could say another word, the corpses suddenly rose up and surrounded him so he couldn't run.

Vivi: Do you see now, Zidane?

Elsie: If you keep running away from the truth, it will surround and break you to pieces just as we are right now.

Garnet: Why not...*giggles*...join us? You don't want to be alone. Come with us and you'll never be alone again.

Just as that was said, the corpses began to fade away. Zidane couldn't let them leave, the very thought of losing them scaring him to death.

Zidane: No...don't do this!

Elsie: Join us. Die...and you'll never be alone.

Zidane: Dagger! Vivi! Elsie!

Garnet: *giggles* Be honest about yourself. Your wish is a selfish one...You don't want to be alone.

Vivi: You try to seem like an optimist in the face of your friends, but you hide the truth and leave everyone in the dark.

Elsie: You fear them dying, so you put up a brave face. Don't you realize that's gonna kill us anyway.

They began to fade even further after triggering even more of Zidane's fears. Zidane fell to his knees and fell silent hearing the mocking laughter of his friends. He was alone, terrified, and lost.

Zidane: Don't...

Garland: What shall you do? Are you going to keep fighting, my Angel of Death?

Zidane: Please...

Garland: Or is this where your sanity meets its end?

Zidane: *sobs* Don't leave me alone! I...can't...do a damn thing...not without...

Garland: Regrettable, but perhaps this will make you more willing to fight.

Zidane: All alone...*mumbles incoherent nonsense*

Garland: Now, come. Fighting will bring you the salvation you desire. Fighting will bring the death you crave.

Zidane: ...

...

Zidane woke from that terrible nightmare in a cold sweat. He quickly looked beside him to see Vivi still sleeping soundly. Zidane ran into the bathroom and gave himself a moment to calm down from his dream when he remembered something in the dream.

Zidane: Running from the truth...did they mean...my captivity?

As he pondered some more, he heard a knock at the door.

Vivi: Are you okay? I thought I heard you crying.

Zidane: Y-Yeah...give me a minute.

After he left the bathroom, he went to meet with Vivi in their room.

Vivi: Why were you crying? We're all back together again. You're okay.

Zidane: I had another awful dream...you guys...*whimpers*

Vivi: Zidane?

Zidane: Garland killed all of you guys in ways that kids should never see.

Vivi: Oh...

Zidane: Then you guys somehow woke up and began taunting me about my mistakes...

Vivi: That sounds so scary...I'm sorry.

Zidane: Nothing for you to be sorry about. Just my stupid mind...cooking up these awful dreams.

Vivi: I'll stay with you okay?

Zidane: Thanks buddy.

As they were going back to bed, they heard crying in Garnet and Elsie's room. Zidane out of curiosity, decided to see what was going on. He saw Garnet singing to a crying Elsie while hugging her. Zidane decided to knock on the door suspecting that Elsie had a bad dream too.

Garnet: Oh, it's okay.

Zidane quietly entered the room to see what was up.

Elsie: Sorry...*sniff*...Did we wake you up?

Zidane: Nah, I woke myself up with a horrid dream.

Elsie: I had a bad dream too.

Zidane: If you don't mind, what was it about?

Elsie: Everyone was dead. Everyone except for me and you, but you looked so sad. I tried to make you feel better, but nothing was working. Before I knew it, that Garland jerk came along and took you with him.

Garnet: That won't happen.

Zidane: Hey, I'm not leaving you anytime soon. We're all gonna stick together.

He wasn't sure, but it was a comforting lie he could use to keep his sanity intact. Then, Garnet seemed to have another bright idea.

Garnet: You know what guys, cuddle close. Mother used to do this when I had a bad dream.

Zidane and Elsie complied and Garnet began to sing their song. It gave Zidane a sense of peace and serenity that he wished could last, but he didn't dwell on his darker thoughts. He wanted to enjoy the beautiful moment before him. Elsie was already looking sleepy as she sang her song. Zidane lost himself to the song for a while and began to go through memories of his previous journey. He remembered the kidnapping, blasting into Lindblum through the South Gate, and even his reunion with Garnet after the journey. Before he knew it, he snapped back to reality to see that Elsie had all but fallen asleep.

Garnet: Lost in a thought?

Zidane: Couldn't help but remember our previous journey.

Garnet: To think it's been so long since then, yet it feels like only yesterday since I met you.

Zidane: I was such a dope...

Garnet: Well, I was too.

The two continued to reminisce on their previous journey. After the two sat on Garnet's bed, Garnet proceeded to kiss him. Once again, those maddening fingers were dancing on the back of his neck. As a result, his neck moved into her touch. They parted only to breathe before starting up again. Zidane's hand moved to her leg and began to stroke it lightly. Garnet and Zidane continued like this for a while before they decided to go to bed.

Zidane: Let's...not take this too far.

Garnet: Yeah...not yet.

Zidane: Sometime after this journey?

Garnet: Sometime after.

Zidane walked back to his room and was already feeling sleepy. He noticed Vivi had already fallen back to sleep. Even if Garland tried to kill his friends, at least he couldn't take this away.

A/N:

I really need to get off my lazy crack and write. Don't worry, To Pay for Freedom is not dead. I just haven't got the motivation. I refuse to write if I'm not motivated, because that's when the crappy stories surface. I looked at this story's stats and found out it was one of my most popular stories. You guys have no idea how much this means to me as a writer. This makes me even more determined to finish this story. Stay happy and healthy and thanks for coming this far in the story.