Faithless Memories

Breaking the News

Chapter 9

The next day was a stressful one for both Zack and Kris. Neither of them said anything that morning before they headed to their respective tasks, but they both noticed that Sarah wore an expression that was a little pinched. After Zack made it almost to the small school, he stopped and closed his eyes with a sigh. He knew Kris had been right about his parents knowing already, and it made the prospect of talking to them both later daunting. Finally, he shook his head and walked into the small building. His decision was already made, so he was going to have to figure it out.

That afternoon was just as bad as the morning had been, but Sarah didn't ask. Neither Kris nor Zack even thought about practice, and that alone was enough to set Sarah on edge, but if it was what she felt it was, she knew they were probably waiting for Zeke to get home so they could talk to them both at the same time. Besides, she was in no hurry to rush them.

When they all sat for dinner, finally, Zack gave Kris a frustrated look. She tried to give him a reassuring smile. He shook his head and took a deep breath before he spoke up. "Mom, dad, there is something we need to talk about."

Both his parents looked up with frowns. Zack paused at the look but took another deep breath before he continued. "I have decided that I will be headed to Midgar soon, and I wanted to let you know."

At his words, Sarah had to fight back her tears. She had expected it, but it was still hard to hear. Zeke was the one to speak. "Thank you for letting us know, but when you say soon, when do you think?"

At that point, Zack looked to Kris, so she decided to step in and help. She needed to tell them that she was planning on going with him anyway. "I'll be going with him. We plan on taking as long as we need to figure out a solid plan on how to get there and make sure we have all we need first. It will most likely be between three to six months."

They both stared at her in shock at her words. They obviously had not expected her to be leaving as well. The looks they gave her were killing her, so she had to continue before the moment broke. "I really don't want to leave you both alone, but Zack made the point that being in the city might help me. Besides, I have no doubt that he could take care of himself, but I would feel better if he weren't alone."

At those words, Sarah finally did break down and start crying. Neither Kris nor Zack had the chance to get up. Sarah stood and gave Kris a tight hug. It only lasted a moment before she turned and pulled Zack in as well. It went on for several minutes before she pulled away and wiped at her face. She patted Kris' cheek before she spoke. "Neither of you need to worry about us. We can take care of ourselves. Honestly, as much as I don't want to think of either of you leaving, I'm glad you'll be together. Just promise you'll write often."

Zack was still trying not to let his worry show, so Kris spoke up. "We won't be leaving right away, but when we do, I'll make sure we both write home every chance we get."

Sarah gave her a teary smile before she went back to her seat. Once that was done, they managed to turn the subject to lighter things as they all finished their meal. Kris could tell Zack was still torn, as he hardly spoke, but she knew he would be alright. The worst part was over.

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Over the next several weeks, Zack and Kris only practiced every other day. They took the rest of the time to go over the maps they had just purchased. When Mr. Thomas found out why they needed global maps, he instantly told them to think about heading out with one of the traders' caravans. He reminded them that they came through every few weeks, and the last one for the season wouldn't be until late fall, so they had plenty of time. It was something neither of them had considered, but it was a great idea.

They still hadn't decided when to leave, but they started planning around the idea that they would leave sometime in the fall. That gave them a few months, at least since it was still midsummer. Kris relented on the waiting six months when she realized that would put them starting out in midwinter. That would make the whole trip much harder.

When the east-west caravan next came through, they made a point of finding the head merchant and asking him if they could travel with him during their last trip. He was wary at first since it was a young boy and a girl. However, all it took was a conversation with Mr. Thomas to convince the man that the two of them could look after themselves. They also agreed that they could hunt to help out during their travels. The merchant finally agreed with the stipulation that they were on their own for supplies, and if anything happened, they would have to look out for themselves.

It was after that conversation that they both realized they would need chocobos. If nothing else, they would need to rent a pair until they got to Costa del Sol. That was an expense neither of them had thought of, but again Mr. Thomas reminded them they could probably rent from the merchant. They often had spares that would be sold as they traveled. It was convenient, but they would still have to pay for them.

After their conversations, they did a complete inventory of what they had already and what they would still need. They had plenty of things like phoenix downs, as those could be found. They had also learned how to make their own potions, so as long as they had the ingredients they needed, they would be set. They didn't have a lot of money, though. The odd jobs they found in town barely paid enough to help around the house, so saving was difficult.

Kris reminded Zack that if they were going to be hunting during their travels, they would probably be alright. Whatever game they captured, they could sell what they didn't need to the merchant they were traveling with. If they could catch any monsters on the way, those would be even better. Still, she gave him a warning to remember the man was not likely to be as generous as Mr. Thomas.

Over the last month of summer, they had a working list of the things they would need before they left, the things they already had, and the things they could get while they traveled. The hardest part was going to be making sure they had the money to rent the chocobos for the trip to Costa del Sol. To accommodate that need, they took the days they had been using for planning and turned them to hunting in the forests around the village. There usually weren't monsters, but they were still able to gather small animals. Some of them they helped Sarah prep for storage to use after they left, but the rest were all sold. By the time the last caravan came through, they had just enough for the two chocobos they had needed, although Kris had a sneaky suspicion that Mr. Thomas had done a little dealing on the side to help lower the price for them.

When they got ready to set out, they found that several east-west caravans came through, that was how they were able to stop every few weeks, but they all worked for the same company. That meant that the man in charge already knew about the arrangement. The day before they were to leave, Zack and Kris met with him and reaffirmed everything. They also brought up them hunting to sell, and the man was impressed that they had brought it up. He agreed that if they hunted excess, he would be happy to buy it from them. It would make it cheaper on him, in the long run, to provide for the rest of his team.

He also reminded them that they stopped in every village on the way, so if they wanted to stay at the inns during the stops, they would have to provide for that as well. They had assumed that would be the case, once they figured out the route and told him they had it under control. They had already decided that the majority of the time, they would camp to save their money. It would also give them a couple of extra days to hunt and gather up anything they needed to be restocked. They felt ready, although Kris had to remind Zack several times that no matter how well planned it was, they needed to expect the unexpected. It was one of the reasons she insisted they were better prepared then they thought they would need to be.