"And it takes all my strength,
Not to dig you up from the ground in which you lay.
The biggest part of me,
You were the greatest thing,
But now you're just a memory to let go of."
-Paramore, "In the Mourning"
Elliot came home that day. It was sunny, with wisps of white cloud like fairy floss strewn across that vast sky. Too happy, Leo thought.
Too happy, considering it had been his fault.
Too happy, for the kind of day it was.
Elliot came home that day, in a coffin.
Oz walked through the main corridor of the Nightray mansion, Gil guiding the way in-front of him. Apparently, it had its own small graveyard for members of the dukedom. Alice walked next to him, oddly quiet for once, the lacy hem of her black dress brushing the floor. His sister Ada trailed behind.
Gil approached a dark set of double doors and pushed them open, stepping into sunlight so bright everyone was blinded for a few seconds. Even though it was at the very far end of the manor, it was surrounded by a small shaded walkway. The graveyard itself was the most beautiful Oz had seen. A huge old oak tree stood in the centre, its roots clutching at the ground like a hand holding onto the last threads of life. The graves were arranged in neat rows, although avoiding the tree, the older generations toward the back.
Oz looked around to see who was here. Apart from his companions, there was no-one he knew. Gil had mentioned on the way here that the mansion had been very quiet recently, with so many being killed and Vincent disappearing. Half the servants had left in fear of their lives. He tried to convince them, he said, that there was no danger, but few of them believed him. There were no other Nightrays gathered there. All the others seemed to be students from Lutwidge Academy or lower noblemen. I really didn't know anything about him, did I? A priest from a small church nearby walked up and called everyone over to a freshly dug hole.
The cliff looked over the Nightray manor. It wasn't too high, so sometimes the wind would snatch fragments of conversation and sweep them up to the boy standing on that lonely cliff. The wind rustled his hair, and Leo relished the feeling of it on his face, after hiding for so long. He watched as an old priest called everyone to him, and they gathered around a deep hole, the freshly turned earth gleaming in the sun. It was quiet for a few moments, nothing but the wind stirring the peace. A blonde girl, Ada Vessalius, if he remembered correctly, stepped out of the group and drew out a piece of paper. The first few lines floated on the air.
'Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone.'
Leo knew exactly what poem she was reading. His dark red eyes clouded over as he whispered the rest.
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling in the sky the message He is Dead,
Put crêpe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
A single tear slid down the cheek of the pale boy.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever, I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun.
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
Oz looked up at his little sister. For all that Elliot had pretended to hate her, she had told him that they were really friends, in a mildly roundabout way. He didn't think the poem really suited her, although there was someone else who really should have read it. However, he had just escaped from Pandora, so it wasn't as if he was going to come straight back to where he could be interrogated again.
The rest of the ceremony was quiet. The oak tree made a surprising amount of noise, but no-one really wanted to disrupt the little peace that there was. The coffin was sealed, as they all saw when Gil and three other servants carried it out on their shoulders. It was made of beautiful dark wood, with the Nightray crest carved out and inlaid with gold leaf. As they laid it beside the hole, a haunting voice was carried down from somewhere.
Leo felt their presence behind him as the coffin was carried out. "Vincent" he acknowledged. Vincent smiled evilly, "Leo-sama. I have a surprise for you." He said as he inclined his head toward Echo. Then she began to sing. It was a simple song, one that Leo had heard many times. He used to sing it while wandering the corridors of the House of Fianna, but the matrons had scolded him for it, saying that the younger children didn't need to hear it. Echo's voice carried, and he knew by the bewildered expression of the people below that they could hear it too.
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man
They say murdered three
Strange Things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight
In the hanging tree...
The song hummed all around Oz. It echoed... it seemed to reverberate everywhere, and from what he could understand, the lyrics were horribly sad. Suddenly, he knew where it was coming from. Oz looked up to the cliff, and saw three figures standing there. One was tall, blonde and dressed in black. Vincent...Another was smaller, very pale, and dressed in blue. That could only be Echo...it explains how her voice is everywhere. The third figure was dressed all in black, with dark hair and pale skin. Leo! He met eyes with the other boy as Echo finished the last verse, and Gil and the others lowered the coffin down, trying to ignore the music.
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of rope
Side by side with me
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met up at midnight
In the hanging tree...
Oz tore his eyes from Leo's face as the coffin dropped the last few inches with a thump. He looked back at the cliff, but there was no sign of the boy who had just been there.
Walking away, Leo let the last tear fall. I'm sorry Elliot... the world has collapsed, so I will destroy her. For you... My friend
Wow, that was...tiring. I'll honestly admit that I sobbed when Elliot died. He was such an amazing character, and I feel so sorry for poor Leo. To start with, I thought that the poem perfectly suited this fic. Elliot was Leo's whole world, and it's no surprise he turned evil after that. I still love him though 3 The Hanging Tree is from Mockingjay, and I also thought that was perfect. Elliot, though unwillingly, killed so many people, and Leo wants to destroy himself (corresponding to the last verse) as a result of his death, and his belief that it was his fault.
The song at the top is an amazing new song by Paramore, and the whole song is beautifully sad, and about letting someone who's dead go. Please listen to it! They deserve so much more recognition for In the Mourning. The name, Necrofantasia, comes from a Touhou character song, and the fact that it was made up of the words 'dead' (necro) and 'fantasy' (fantasia) made it perfect as the title. It's not that good, but this story has a lot of meaning to me.
This is a one-shot, I guess. I'm happy to continue it if I get anyone wanting that, but they'd need to give me some suggestions, although I would like to do some Elliot/ Leo stuff. Thanks for reading!
Please review!