"Promise me you'll come back home to me! I'll be waiting . . . always . . ."
"I will," was his instant response, a smile on his features, Lorelei's key in hand. "I'll come back for you."
Eldrant shook beneath them as the support system failed, making the scaffolding break off, crashing heavily into the ground underfoot. Dust rose up from the impact, making the six occupants left on the structure no more then dim shadows.
As the structure shook, the Melodist couldn't help but stumble as she attempted to catch her balance. Her teal eyes didn't miss the red head's actions as he stretched his hand out in an attempt to grab her, steady her.
She couldn't explain it, but when her eyes met his, it was like the world paused indefinitely. She took in the way his red hair fell across his face, the way his eyes started intently at her as the raging wind whipped around them, effectively drowning out everything else.
"You've got to get out of here, Tear," he said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "I don't want you caught up in this – I'll come back to you before you even know it."
Tear nodded slowly, the wind whipping his spoken words away from her as she tried in vain to hold onto his final words. With the dust settling and the shaking increasing she sighed, finding herself standing alone on the platform, the red head a couple feet before her.
"Luke . . ." she mumbled.
Smiling fleetingly at him, she turned on her heel, turning away from him. She shook her head, her eyes closing momentarily as she turned her back on him. Biting down on her lip, she curled her hands into fists as her footsteps echoed in her mind; a stab to her heart.
She was leaving him.
She was walking away from him . . .
Leaving him here amid all the destruction . . . the worse still yet to come . . .
She was a horrible person, wasn't she?
"Tear, we've got to hurry, c'mon!" Guy called, stopping at the top of the stairwell.
"Coming," she mumbled, noticing a similar look etched on the blonde's face.
Clenching her fingers tighter together as she moved forward, she told herself that she wasn't going to look back. She knew that her will would cave. But, before she knew it, her footsteps slowed to a stop, glancing over her shoulder.
. . . One Last Time . . .
Standing in the middle of the crumbling scaffolding was Luke, the Sword of Lorelei before him, and a determined look on his face. She had to remember everything from this moment and, try as Tear might, her eyes connected with his, freezing her in place, her heartbeat picking up.
She couldn't leave him there.
There was still so much . . .
Eldrant's shaking seemed to increase as she stood there, making its way up her legs as if trying to knock the brunette down. But, she didn't notice that as she tried to fight down her desire to run back for the red head.
"Tear . . ." Guy's voice sounded again, cutting through her concentration. "Luke will be fine . . ."
"But . . ."
Guy shook his head, the howling wind cutting off any reply as he stretched his arm out, to usher Tear away. She wanted to shake her head, to refuse when she vaguely managed to catch Luke's words; "Guy, I'm counting on you" that she agreed.
That was the last time she heard him.
She allowed herself to be pulled away, the stairs soon blocking the replica from view. Natalia was waiting half way down the stairs, squeezing the brunette's hand lightly as she tried to smile reassuringly.
Natalia believed in Luke, she knew he'd survive this.
Numbly, Tear followed the group through the collapsing ruins, trying to keep her focus on the small group before her. However, she couldn't help but look over her shoulders now and again, hoping to see the red head rushing to keep up.
He'd come . . . Luke wouldn't let her down . . .
As they broke free of the crumbling structure, the cool midday breeze rustling its way through the tall grass as five fleeing people rushed through. Behind them, a thunderous crash sounded, the remains of Eldrant collapsing heavily into the ground. The impact made the five stumble, pausing in their tracks.
Half way up the hill, Tear steadied herself, her eyes widening from the sound as she whipped around. Her heart hammered loudly against her ribcage as she saw the sight before her; the remains had settled for the most part, creaking now and again as the dust and debris tried to settle.
"Lu . . . Luke!" she shouted, her mind frantic as she started down the slope.
"Tear," Jade said, his voice stopping her midstep. "Luke made his choice; do him the decency of honoring his last wish."
A million expressions ran across the Melodist's face, her mouth opening and closing. "But Jade . . ."
The Colonel just shook his head at the protest, glancing over Tear's shoulders at the outline of Eldrant's remains through the cloud of dust. Natalia, on the other hand, rolled her eyes, pushing her way past Jade. She cast a glance over at the Necromancer, narrowing her eyes at him.
"That was smooth," she hissed, her lips in a harsh line as she looked back at Tear, still halfway down the slope. "Come on Tear, you know how Luke is. If he promised to come back then he will. I'm sure of it."
Tear nodded slowly, glanced from Natalia to Jade then Anise and Guy before casting a long glance at Eldrant. "You're right," she said at length. "He'll come back . . ."
Luke had always kept his word.
. . . . . . .
Three months later, another 'X' on the calendar.
After Noelle had picked them up, she had returned the small group back to Baticul; a gloomy expression on everyone's face. Anise had taken to holding Tokunaga, her face buried in the stuffed animal now and again. As they climbed the stairs leading to the Baticul Castle, Natalia took a deep breath, running a gloved hand underneath her eyes. Squaring her shoulders, her eyes intent, she took the lead from Jade as she led them towards the Fon Fabre house.
Lady Suzanne hadn't been the same after she received the news of Luke and Asch's death. She had retreated to her quarters; the Rugnica Death Cap medication no longer working. Lord Fabre, on the other hand had kept a straight face, but he had become more reclusive, especially after the funeral service.
From the windows of the main room, in the flower garden out back, there stood two empty graves. The service for the two redheads had been grand, the large garden full, not an empty chair in the area. Natalia had managed to compose herself together enough to give a small speech, followed by Luke's father and uncle and then Emperor Peony.
Tear, on the other hand, sat in the front row, hands clenched, telling herself not to cry.
Soon after that, everyone ended up moving their separate ways. Anise boarded a ship for Daath, wishing to reform the Order of Lorelei – for Ion, she had said. Peony and Jade had returned to Grand Chokmah, stating that with the destruction of Eldrant, there was much to do.
A week later, Guy left, needing to take care of some business in Malkuth, leaving only Natalia and Tear with the thoughts of the two redheads. The two usually found themselves lying on Natalia's four poster bed, candy wrappers littering the ground, reminiscing the past until Natalia's father barged in one afternoon.
"Enough of this," he'd commanded as Natalia looked up from her magazine. "You've spent long enough sitting around here. This isn't what Luke or Asch would want you do. You're wasting what they died for."
Natalia blinked, looking from her father to her messy room. "Wasting their deaths . . . maybe you're right father . . ."
Natalia soon went back to her usual self; after running a brush through her hair, she'd returned to the Audience Hall, attending the council's meeting and getting her people what they needed.
Tear sighed, noticing that everyone had tried to move on in their lives; that thought leading her to the beautiful flower garden. She closed her eyes as she stopped in the midst of the flowers, a light breeze moving through the open area, pushing her hair back. With the sun shining down on her, she blinked, focusing in on the two unmoving stones before her, names etched deeply into it.
"Oh Luke," she mumbled, reaching the bottom of the stone, announcing his birth and death. "You said you'd come back . . . to me . . ."
Shaking her head lightly, she bent down, dropping the Selenia bloom she held onto the top of the stone. Natalia would understand if she didn't turn up at dinner. She'd leaned on the blonde princess long enough.
It was time to stand on her own, just like Luke's tomb said . . .
'Looking back won't lead you to tomorrow'
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
She tried to move on, to push the redhead out of her thoughts.
Upon returning to Yulia City, she managed to get Teodoro to sign a leave of absence paper. She couldn't see how she could perform her job at the present time and with Mohs gone and the Order in disarray, it hadn't been hard.
She saw Natalia on television now and again for doing this and that for Baticul or signing this treaty. Usually Peony was there on those occasions as well, Jade somewhere in the background.
On her odd pass through Grand Chokmah – she tried to avoid the place after her first couple trips – she found she had little to say to the Colonel anymore and after finding Noelle at Guy's Manor, she tried to avoid the place.
There were too many memories.
Baticul was where they met.
Yulia City was where his past came to light and she promised to watch him.
When Ion past away, he'd shown his compassion, trying to find a way to save the Fon Master and console Anise afterwards.
Then, he'd shown guilt as his sword took the final strike at Van . . . her brother . . .
It was then she knew she was done watching him.
She didn't know why the thought made her feel hollow.
Time seemed to grind by.
One day melded into the next and before she knew it . . . one week had past. In the blink of an eye, it was a month, and to her horror, a year . . .
That was when she turned to Anise in Daath; helping to reform the Order would get her mind off things. Luke wouldn't want her moping around . . . he didn't die for her to be like this.
Working under Anise was hard, the brunette having a constant flow of ideas, but it was what Luke would have done, the redhead slowly leaving her thoughts. She ran this way and that with messages or dealing with the ever present civilian still trying to cling to Yulia's score. Tear found herself with mountains of paperwork that never seemed to diminish.
"Tear!" Anise called, waltzing into the Melodist's office, waving a letter in hand. "Look what Natalia sent us. It's to acknowledge the two years of freedom and . . . well, Luke and Asch's coming of age ceremony is taking place as well. You know Natalia," Anise said, shrugging. "Everyone's been invited. Just think, this is the first time we'll all be together since that day."
They never spoke of the funeral.
"Yeah," Tear mumbled, glancing down at her paperwork. "It's been a while . . . "
Maybe Luke really had died . . . maybe he wasn't coming back.
His promise was a lie, she thought idly.
"So, you're going too, right?" Anise said, leaning against the desk. "I won't take any other answer, you know," she paused for a moment, and then shrugged. "I already sent our answer back to Natalia."
"What?! Anise, why would you –"
"Because you wouldn't go otherwise," Anise interjected. "I've seen you; you're almost as mopey as Mieu's been. You're going to the party; you're going to see your friends – end of discussion." Anise chirped, pushing herself away from the desk. "We're leaving in the morning."
"Ani –"
The door closed behind her, making Tear sigh and flop back into her chair, cursing the brunette. As well as she knew Anise – she should have seen this coming.
---
"I can't believe it," Anise grumbled, her footsteps heavy, hands on her hips. "Checking into the inn . . . oh that Tear!" she stomped her foot for good measure.
After noticing the Melodist wasn't present in the immense flower garden – which she had expected anyway – Anise had wandered through the Fon Fabre house, asking the guard at the front door if anyone had left. When he'd said no, Anise couldn't help but scowl.
"Anise, you look troubled. Are you alright?"
Anise sighed, glancing over at the blonde princess. "I'm trying to find Tear . . . I know she didn't –"
"I haven't seen her at all. I had to welcome all the guests . . ." Natalia trailed off, glancing up at the sky. "But . . . where would she go?"
"She said she was going to the inn to check in," Anise shook her head. "But I don't think she wanted to come to Baticul originally."
"Tear's still thinking about Luke, isn't she?"
Anise nodded with a sigh. "I know she misses him, but if he was still alive, he'd be back by now . . ."
"But, you still think of Ion, do you not? And Asch . . ." Natalia trailed off, shaking her head as her gaze stopped on the graves ahead.
Anise blinked, a frown appearing on her features as she glanced from the two graves to Natalia and back again. "You don't think Tear would have . . . gone to Eldrant's ruins . . . do you?"
"It's a possibility," Natalia said slowly, biting down on her bottom lip. "Do you think we should go after her?"
Anise blinked, glancing at the cement underfoot, idly kicking a stone. "I think so . . ." she shook her head. "No, we should go after her. We're all . . . we're all still here. We should all be here . . ."
"I agree," Natalia said, nodding. "We should find Jade and Guy then."
"Mieu too!" Anise chirped, grinning. "It's got to be more fun this then this somber group . . ." She laughed awkwardly at the glance Natalia shot at her. "Come on, you were thinking it too; this isn't how you want to remember them, is it? They wouldn't want this."
". . . You're right," Natalia said at length as the brunette grabbed her arm, pulling her though the garden. "Let's get going."
---
"I can't believe it's been . . . two years . . ." Natalia said, following behind Guy as they wound their way through Tataroo Valley. "It feels like a lifetime ago."
"For the busy Princess, it would," Guy said, shaking his head. "But for the rest of us – especially Tear – I can just imagine . . ."
"I didn't mean it like that!" Natalia chided, pushing back her blonde hair. "If he was alive, he'd have returned already."
"Maybe he wasn't able to," Anise responded, Tokunaga bouncing against her back. "Maybe he's been cornered by some phantom of Van or maybe he's fighting with Asch and losing and then there was this evil face appearing in the wall with a –"
"Someone's been watching horror movies again," Guy grumbled, cutting off the teenager. "I thought Florian was taking those away from you."
"Hah," Anise glared, smirking when Guy shuffled away from her. "He can't do anything; he's out of the room before I even hit play. I see you haven't gotten over your fear yet."
"Nah, it's just you," Guy said, suppressing a laugh.
"Toue rei zue kura ryou toue zue,"
"You've gotten mean – someone's been hanging out with the Colonel too much," Anise grumbled, throwing her hands up. "Hey . . . is that Tear's song?"
"Kuroa ryou zue toue ryou rei neu ryou zue,"
"It's been a while since I've heard that," Natalia said, her pace slowing. "It sounds so . . . lonely in a place like this."
Anise nodded, coming to a stop as she waited for the blonde to catch up. Smiling slightly, she fell into step beside her, Jade and Guy walking ahead. It had been so long since they had trudged through the dark valley, but not much had changed. The stream trickled somewhere off to their left, a stream of water falling from the cliff's overhead. As the ground sloped up underfoot, Anise couldn't help but shoot a glance at Natalia, knowing what was ahead.
"Va rei zue toue new toue ryou toue kuroa. Ryou rei kuroa ryuo zue rei va zue rei. "
"It's Tear; she looks so sad," Mieu said, his ears dropping slightly.
Across the valley, the Selenia Blooms were in bloom, their bright colours lighting up the dark night. It illuminated the silhouette of Tear; sitting on the outcrop of rock she had blown herself and Luke to years previous, the wreckage of Eldrant before her.
After the collapse, it had been decided in the following months to leave the ruins the way they were. To show future generations, it had been said. The wreckage still remained the way they had last seen it; the steel and rubble embedded in the edge of the Valley, a plaque set before it.
Tourists had fled to the area in the months after the event, wanting to see the rubble of the fight that had finally broken the Score – an idea people embrace at first. But the novelty of the ruins had worn off, people moving on with their lives.
"Va neu va rei va neu va zue rei."
"Tear . . ." Anise mumbled, falling silent as she stopped beside Guy.
It seemed her song still had the magic to keep them still, waiting for the Melodist to finish.
"Kuroa ryou kuroa neu toue rei kuroa ryuo zue rei va. Rei va neu kuroa toue rei rei . . . "
". . . you didn't come," Natalia said minutes later, breaking the silence in the Valley. "I believe your presence was requested at Luke's coming of age ceremony at the Duke's Manor."
Anise sighed, shaking her head slightly as she rolled her eyes. It was just like Natalia to ruin the moment.
"I'm not interested in some ceremony in front of Luke's grave," Tear said, her voice quiet.
Anise smiled slightly as Tear glanced briefly back at Natalia before returning her attention to the ruins across the flower bed. "That's why the both of you came here, isn't it?" Anise said, glancing between the two, feeling a slight tension.
When she had spoken to Natalia in the Fon Fabre courtyard, it was obvious in the blonde's eyes that she didn't want to be there. It hadn't surprised Anise in the least when Natalia had agreed to leave the warmth of the party to trudge through the Tataroo Valley, four hours away.
"He said he'd be back," Guy said, breaking through Anise's thoughts. "So let the others sit around and tell stories at his grave. But, I won't be joining them." Guy shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets, glancing at the full moon overhead.
Tear nodded at Guy's words, agreeing with him. She had no interest in looking at that empty grave again, it wasn't real to her. Luke was still out there . . . she just had to wait. He wouldn't break his promise . . .
"We should be heading back soon," Jade said eventually, a cool breeze rustling through the field. "The Valley is dangerous at night."
Against her will, Tear found herself agreeing with the Malkuth Colonel. With the decrease of Fonon's – her song no longer holding the power of Holy Song – wandering through the Valley without a sword wasn't smart. Closing her eyes, Tear let out a sigh, slowly picking herself up off the cold surface.
It had been two years . . . maybe Guy was wrong . . .
Goodbye, she thought idly as her feet touched the grass, glancing back at the ruins.
And just like that, she felt her world stop.
In the midst of the Selenia Blooms, she could see the outline of a silhouette. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the figure, her companions not noticing it yet. Her heart hammered in her chest, beating against her ribcage as her mind got the better of her. She shook her head, there was no way . . .
Halfway across the Valley, the figure slowed to a stop, glancing at the five frozen figures ahead. Tear shook her head, her mind blank as she tried to take in everything before her. The breeze rustled through the Valley, catching the edges of their cloak, their long hair catching the moonlight.
Her breath caught, her heart hammering against her ribcage.
Luke, her mind screamed at her.
Then, before she could stop herself, she was walking towards the figure. She ignored the sputters from her friends, the four having just realized Tear wasn't following them, a silhouette in the blooms. Her steps slowly turned into a run, rushing through the Selenia Blooms, her long hair falling across her face as she stopped, feet before the figure.
She shook her head, words failing her.
. . . You appear just like a dream to me . . .
---
A/N: After buying Miley Cyrus's new CD, The Time of our Lives, I was listening to the song "When I Look at You" and, having just played through Abyss, thought it screamed Luke and Tear to me.
&&
I hate having to do this, but it seems I must. Lately, my Tales of the Abyss stories have been plagiarized and used on this site, under a different category. It is not me and I write only under this name.