by Moonstone 04
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Rennes le Chateau
"There you are. I don't blame you for wanting some fresh air, but I wish you would tell me before wandering off."
"You were sleeping. I didn't want to bother you."
"That never stopped you before. How many Christmases did you kick me out of bed before dawn?"
Yeshua smiled at his 'father.' "Sorry about that."
Beneath the wide starry sky, wind ruffled through the tall grasses surrounding them. It was a remote place of vast rolling hills and scattered copses. For the most part, it still looked exactly the same as it had thousands of years ago. To Yeshua, it was a sacred place. Standing on the same ground, and beneath the same sky, caused him pain.
"Just try to be careful, okay?" Masuda said gently. "Master Wilhelm was really concerned the last time you disappeared. I barely convinced him I could handle looking after you and the research at the same time."
Yeshua's mouth set into a grim line. "Don't worry. No matter what he thinks, he doesn't own me."
Unfortunately, this did nothing to assure the anxiety on Masuda's face.
"Hey, one of the lab techs told me I have a surprise coming tomorrow." Yeshua said, changing the subject. "You know anything about that? Hopefully nothing involving more tests."
Not that those tests had lasted very long. Any sensitive equipment they brought near him had overloaded and broken down. Then when Wilhelm heard about it, he had warned them to halt all further testing on him. Since then, Yeshua had regained more of his memory, as well as his ability to control his waveform, so he no longer caused as much of a disturbance. But as he did not wish to share these details, he was still restricted from entering certain sensitive areas.
"You're kidding? I swear, for a secret research facility, this place is filled with gossips. It's a wonder the castle doesn't have a sign telling everyone where we are." Masuda sighed, rubbing his head.
Yeshua laughed. "So, does that mean you know what the surprise is?"
"Yeah... But a surprise isn't a surprise if you already know about it." Masuda crossed his arms. "You'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see what it is. But I can promise, it has nothing to do with tests."
"That's a relief. I don't mind waiting for nice surprises."
"You've been more patient about all this than I thought you would be. I expected you'd want to get back to home and school. Although, I really don't know if you'll ever be able to go back there."
"It's okay. In a way, this place is like a home away from home."
"Is that a crack at my housekeeping skills?"
"Not at all." Yeshua smiled.
"This place has the most unorganized library I've ever seen. And you know I'd never let my books get that filthy! There must be at least a millenia of dust layered in there!"
"No doubt of that. People forget things very easily over time."
"True. It's such a shame. There's a wealth of wisdom that humanity possessed in the past, that we chose to forget. A part of ourselves that we lost long ago. I think that's why we continue to suffer...if we could only unlock that lost secret, the world would finally be at peace. Maybe that object we found...the Zohar, is the key."
"You really think so?" Yeshua wrapped his arms around himself. The rigid fabric of the yellow jumpsuit he wore crinkled loudly. It was the basic uniform that identified those that worked within the facility. "Why is it that people always look for the answers to their problems in the beyond? When the power to ease their suffering lies within?" He paused uneasily. "At least, that's what I believe."
Masuda gave him a fond look. "You sound so much like your mother, you know that?"
The wind whispered a long, high note. Then rushing through their hair and clothing, it flew away over the hills. Yeshua turned to watch it.
"It's a wonderful ideal." Masuda said. "But people are very slow to change, and I don't think our world has much time left."
"I don't think the world is as fragile as that. At least, no more than people themselves are. Even if it becomes very bad, we'll grow and recover with time. And gain strength and understanding from our experiences."
"You're still young, so you still haven't seen the kind of situation the world is in. Our resources are running out. The planet can barely support us anymore. The Zohar offers the potential for limitless power. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, just what we've learned in a few weeks of studying it. It could literally change our world forever. No more wars, no more hunger, the possibilities are endless. If it brought you back...maybe it could also be the key to defeating death itself."
Yeshua's arms tightened around himself with a sinking feeling. "A child who plays with fire will be burned."
His brow furrowing with concern, Masuda put a hand on his shoulder. "Joshua...I mean, Yeshua-"
"Call me whatever you like." Yeshua smiled comfortingly. "It's all the same to me."
This only seemed to cause Masuda's face to worry further, but he didn't have a chance to say anything more. Because suddenly, a high-pitched voice came calling out across the hill, causing them both to turn around.
"Dad! Dad!"
A small boy was running up the slope towards them. He was wearing jeans and a green hooded sweater, so that he gave the impression of two huge amber eyes charging at them. Tiny tufts of dark brown hair stuck out from beneath the hood. Seeing a child outside this late at night was unexpected, but even more surprising was the intense aura of light surrounding him. His presence almost made it seem like daylight. Yeshua felt his waveform rumble in response to the boy, and he stepped back in shock.
"Abel?" Masuda looked just about as shocked as Yeshua, although he certainly couldn't see the light. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't arriving until tomorrow morning!"
"I was, but..." The boy, Abel, stopped talking when he saw Yeshua, and stared blankly.
"...I had been meaning to drop by, so I thought I'd give him a ride. I think I got more than I bargained for, I can barely keep up with him." Wilhelm came walking over the hill from the same direction Abel had come. "He's so full of energy. Wouldn't you say, Yeshua?"
"Joshua?" Abel looked heartbreakingly confused.
Yeshua glanced away for a moment, at Wilhelm. The man had an insufferable smirk on his face. With long practiced control, Yeshua looked away, and smiled gently down at Abel. "Yeah... It's me." Once again, he felt loathing for Wilhelm rise within him.
When the boy practically flew into him, Yeshua's knees buckled, and he collapsed. He hoped it looked like he had done it on purpose. He embraced the ecstatic boy, feeling very overwhelmed himself. He had never come across a human with a will that bright... He had not encountered such powerful animus since...
"...your hair? And your eyes are funny. Was it because of the accident?"
"Something like that." Yeshua said. "It's good to see you again."
"Yeah..." About to break into tears, Abel threw himself at Yeshua again. "I missed you! Don't go away again!"
Over Abel's shoulder as he comforted him, Yeshua glared coldly at Wilhelm. Neither Abel or Masuda could see, and Wilhelm just smiled with an equal coldness in return. 'We need to talk.' Yeshua demanded telepathically.
'Yes, we do.' Wilhelm tucked a hand into one pocket. "Don't worry," he assured Abel, "we'll be taking very good care of your brother. But I think, Dr. Masuda, that you should show Abel to bed. It's been a long day, and he needs rest. Tomorrow you'll have plenty of time to catch up."
"I'll be there in a little while." Yeshua told them.
"Don't stay out too late." Masuda looked back with a hint of worry, looking between Yeshua and Wilhelm.
Minutes later, Masuda and Abel had disappeared into the dark cave that led into the complex deep beneath the castle. Still, neither Yeshua or Wilhelm spoke for a long while. The stars watched them with bated breath.
"Is it absolutely necessary for you to be such a cruel bastard?"
Wilhelm broke into loud laughter. "Oh, please. You're the one playing along with it. There's nothing stopping you from telling them the truth. Spare me your hypocrisy, Yeshua."
"Damn you. I either destroy them a second time by telling them their son and brother is truly gone, or continue to mislead them into a false happiness. You would use me to inflict cruelty and pain...!"
"Yes, that is reality, isn't it?"
"Why did you bring me back?" Yeshua nearly snapped. "After all you did...!"
"There's that hypocrisy again." Wilhelm's voice rose momentarily, a sharp edge to his otherwise calm voice. "Let's just call us even, now, shall we? In fact, the reason you're here now is so I can finally make amends for what occurred in the past."
"Amends?"
"Yes. For all the wrongs I have committed."
There was a short silence, while Yeshua stared at Wilhelm uncertainly. He honestly did want to believe it. He really did. But...
"The last time you tried to make amends, you killed me."
"Don't be overly dramatic. I didn't kill you."
"I died." Yeshua frowned. "Because I trusted you."
"Stop complaining." Wilhelm said with a punctuation of anger. Then his voice lightened again. "It was necessary. For what is happening now, it was necessary."
"I can't listen to this." Yeshua turned away in disgust. He couldn't deal with this now. Without excusing himself, he started towards the castle.
"It was the only way," Wilhelm's voice called after him. "In exchange for your life, they agreed to give me the Prima Materia."
Yeshua jerked to a halt.
"Now do you understand why you are needed, Yeshua?" Wilhelm smiled smugly.
"W-Where...?" Wide-eyed, Yeshua turned back around.
"Somewhere safe."
"Please, let me see-"
"In time." Wilhelm said firmly. "Between the two of us, I believe I have more reason to be cautious. When the time is right, you will have it."
Yeshua swallowed, feeling as though a leash had been tightened about his neck.
"I have waited over two thousand years," Wilhelm said, almost to himself. "If I can wait that long, you can wait just a little while longer."
"Why so long? If you've had it since then..."
Wilhelm smiled condescendingly. "There's little room for mistakes. I had to plan carefully. So, what do you think of young Abel? A fitting name for one of your bastards."
"The boy?" Yeshua restrained the heat of anger that rose at Wilhelm's words. "I haven't seen a human with animus like that since..."
"...Yes, his will shines like none other. Even though the light of your Descendants has weakened since the early days, the old blood has emerged once more. Both the mother and the father were direct lineage. I knew from the moment I first saw Joshua...he looks exactly as you did back then. Remarkable, is it not?"
"You're going to try harnessing its power again. You're going to use Abel..."
Wilhelm laughed softly. "You are correct."
"...Why? You saw what happened last time."
"That was over ten thousand years ago. I am no longer a naive child, Yeshua." His eyes narrowed slightly. "I will not make the same mistake twice."
Yeshua's unease was growing. Something was very wrong.
"For all our differences," Wilhelm continued, "we are not so unalike. You know what it is to remember...to remember just enough, to know just how much we have forgotten. Don't you want more than this? Don't you want the truth?"
"You have what I want."
Wilhelm's eyes flashed crimson. "Indeed." He paused, before taking his hand from his pocket. "Now, I'm afraid I can't stay any longer. There are important matters I must see to in the village. Good night, Yeshua, it was good to speak to you again."
"Good night." The lone boy on the hill watched the figure in the black suit walk away. Eventually, Wilhelm seemed to melt into the darkness.
What did Wilhelm mean... The truth? Yeshua's feeling of unease was turning to nausea. He could feel the power in the other's wake. Wilhelm was bending fate around himself, into something unspeakable. A horrible calamity, unlike anything he had felt before.
What was he planning? What was he going to do with Abel?
Closing his eyes, Yeshua turned his face skyward. The night breeze played through his silvery hair, and caressed his face. It whispered too quietly for him to hear.
"Miriam..." he whispered back.
A train rattled noisily somewhere in the distance. Other than that, and Abel ambling beside him, Yeshua felt he might as well be walking back through time. The countryside had hardly changed at since the last time he'd seen it. As they strolled down the grassy fields, birds that had lived there for countless generations twittered through the wide blue skies. Further down, church bells tolled, echoing throughout the little village of Rennes le Chateau.
"I've never been to France before," Abel chatted merrily. "Aunt Hikari says she and Dad grew up here, you know that? Mom too."
"Is that so? I didn't know that." Yeshua smiled. "I really like it here."
"Me too. Mr. Wilhelm would have brought along Fatima, but she has a bad flu. So she's still staying with Aunt Hikari. Wait 'til she sees you!"
"Um...who's Fatima?"
"Uh, our sister..." Abel gave him a strange look.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I guess my memory still isn't entirely there."
"Oh... Dad told me about that." Abel nodded. "I don't blame you, I'd probably forget about her too. She can be a real pain."
Yeshua laughed.
Abel ran a little ahead, as they started down a steep slope. Stopping near the bottom, he looked back up as Yeshua was still approaching the half-way point. "Man, you take forever. And you look like a garbage man. Everyone in town is probably going to expect you to take out their trash."
"Hey, I can't help it. This is what everyone wears."
"Sure, if they're a garbage man."
When Yeshua finally reached the bottom, Abel grabbed the top of his yellow jumpsuit and pulled him down. This was so he could reach the yellow cap. Masuda had only agreed to let Yeshua go out into town if he wore it. His shoulder-length silver hair was tucked up into it with bobby pins. It wasn't perfect, since his bangs still stuck out defiantly, but it made him a little less conspicuous. At least, as much as someone wearing a blinding yellow jumpsuit could be.
Abel twisted the cap brim to the side, so it sat on Yeshua's head at a skewed angle. The younger boy raised an eyebrow skeptically, then shook his head with a sigh. "It's not much of an improvement, but it's better than nothing."
Continuing along, they found a small dirt road. It looked well-trodden, if only by few people. He gradually recognized exactly where they were. Sure enough, within moments, a solitary little cottage appeared as they passed a tall thicket. Even if it wasn't the same cottage, it was standing in the same spot. He paused in the road and stared at it. Almost as if, by waiting long enough, she would come out the front door the way she always did...
"What is it?"
Spell broken by Abel's voice, he looked away down the road. "Nothing. Let's keep going." Passing by the little picket fence, he went on, Abel trailing after him. He didn't look around again until they were well past it.
When they came to a fork in the road, Abel decided to stray from the main path. Yeshua followed, knowing where it led. Sure enough, they were soon wandering through a very old cemetery. The grass was sparse here and there, while sprouting up wildly in patches elsewhere. Especially around the tombstones that Abel peered at as he walked through them.
"You're looking for someone." Yeshua said matter-of-factly, noting how carefully Abel looked at each stone he came across.
"Yeah. Mom is supposed to be buried here."
"Oh..." He looked over the gravestones, looking for a Masuda. "I'm afraid I don't remember her. What was she like?"
Abel grimaced for a moment. "I don't know. She died when I was little."
"Was her name Elhaym?"
"Yeah, are you starting to remember?"
"No, but there's an Elhaym Masuda here." Yeshua gestured to the gravestone he was standing beside. Abel quickly hurried to his side.
As if to prove to himself that it was really there, Abel reached out and touched his fingertips to the stone. After watching a few moments, Yeshua did the same. This was something he understood. The confirmation of something you couldn't truly touch, but knew to be a part of yourself.
"I wish she was still alive. Things would be better if she was."
"You think so?" Yeshua crouched down beside the gravestone and looked up at Abel.
"I know so. You used to tell me that before Mom died, Dad was around all the time. Now, he's almost never around. Like after what happened to you, he went to Africa. This is the first time I've seen him since then. Me and Fatima are always left behind with Aunt Hikari. If Mom was still alive, we could be a real family again."
A deep sadness resonated in Yeshua' heart. "Abel, your father loves you."
"I guess. But..." His voice trembled.
Yeshua gathered him in his arms and held him. Abel hugged onto him. As much as he wanted to tell him everything would be alright... Yeshua couldn't bring himself to lie to him about that. All he could do was comfort him.
"You're such a wuss." Abel finally said, in a small voice.
Yeshua smiled to himself.
When he pulled back, Abel reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, faded photograph. "Maybe this'll help you remember too." He handed it to Yeshua.
The picture was old, faded, and yellowed. It looked well-loved and long pocket-carried. The image was of a young girl with long red hair. She was wearing a flowing dress and a cross necklace. She looked so much like...
His heart clenched.
"That look on your face...you remember!" Abel exclaimed.
Yeshua forced a smile. "Yeah, I guess a little bit." He gave the picture back. "Hey, you wanna go on a little adventure? There's a great place I know of. It's kinda a long walk, but I think you'd like it."
"Sure!"
Leaving the cemetery, they went further down the road. Yeshua led them through a path that circled them around to another backroad. After crossing the railroad tracks, they came onto a stretch of gravelly pavement that went nowhere. This place rarely saw people, if the old deserted gas station by the road was any indication. This was what drew Abel's attention, but Yeshua was more interested in a trail that was hidden just a few feet away from the road.
"Is this the place?" Abel asked, as they came across a little wooden shed. Like so many things, the flimsy structure stood forgotten in a meadow, its original purpose and origin lost to the passing of time.
"No, that's not it." Yeshua smiled. "We still have a long way to go."
The trail through the woods was long and winding. The lush scenery was still as beautiful as he remembered it, and he was glad to share it with Abel. How many times had he walked this same path and crossed the same babbling waters with his own children? How many times did he come here with her...to be alone? This had been his joyful place, during a time when he had believed the worst days to be far behind them. Or maybe he had been so happy, he'd wanted to believe it would never end.
"You okay?" Abel asked worriedly. "You look kinda sad."
"Hmm? My shoes are a little soggy from when I slipped in the creek, but other than that, I'm fine. I probably just need a little nap."
"Already? You always sleep too much." Abel grinned, apparently satisfied with this answer.
Eventually they came out of the forest, as the trail reopened onto gently rolling hills. There had been some changes to the landscape since the first time Yeshua had walked down this path. Tall wind turbines dotted the horizon, like bizarre sentries. They disturbed the feeling of walking through the past that he had been experiencing, a stern reminder of where he really was.
"We've been walking a long time. Are you sure you know where we're going?"
Yeshua smiled at the boy. "Yeah, I'm sure. It's not much further now."
There were no more winding trails. This path was as straight as it was long. Towards the end, a thicket disguised what lay ahead, but it soon became clear as the grass gave way to sand. They felt the salty breeze gusting past them and heard the rolling waves long before reaching the end of the path. Upon realizing where they were, Abel laughed and ran ahead, kicking up sand as he went. Yeshua followed the excited boy towards the surf.
The beach.
Sinking to one knee, Yeshua sat in the sand. This place had once been a new beginning. The starting point of a new life. He closed his eyes as memories flooded over him, a flood as turquoise blue as the waters...as blue as her eyes...
"After all this time, they still..." "Yeshua. They don't understand us. Not even he really did. No matter what Ormus does, they'll never be able to take this away from us." "Please don't talk like that. I won't let anything happen to you." Behind her footsteps, silver light trailed back through the black waters. She finally came to sit beside him on the sands. "I like it here...this place. The quiet and the waves. It's..." "Yeah...uh, hey...?" He looked down as the button on his tunic was undone. "We just got here. Shouldn't we look for a place to stay?" "I don't want to run anymore." She said quietly. "No more hurrying from place to place. No more hiding and living in fear. All I want..." No more words had been needed. The look in her eyes was enough. Yeshua had held her and loved her that night, the way he had done since...since...
"They'll never find us here. Never." Her arms outstretched, she danced in circles, a beautiful vision in the moonlight. Silver rings of water rippled around her.
"There you go again with the face!"
Abel's high-pitched voice jolted Yeshua back into the present. He blinked in surprise to see the boy standing there holding what appeared to be a huge clump of wet sand with both hands. Sand with two stalked eyes peering out of it.
Yeshua smiled weakly. "Sorry, I went to bed really late last night."
Although he seemed more skeptical than before, Abel seemed to accept it. He held the sand clump out to Yeshua. "Joshua, check it out! It's a crab!" Sure enough, some of the sand fell away, revealing the bewildered crustacean.
"Nice catch. You're probably the first person to visit him."
"You think so?"
"Absolutely. So you'd better be kind to him, because everything he knows and feels about the outside world will be based almost entirely on what he sees in you."
"You're so weird lately." Abel laughed and put the crab down between them. Thin little legs appeared from beneath its shell, and it slowly moved across the sand.
A strong gust of wind knocked the hood off Abel's head, causing his dark brown hair to blow around wildly, despite being pulled back in a tight ponytail. Long, loose locks of hair whipped around his face. Again, the resemblance was staggering. Abel could easily be one of their children.
"At least you don't look mopey anymore, but what's up now?" Abel asked, his eyes bright and cheerful. "You aren't going to play a trick, are you?"
"No trick." Yeshua smiled fondly.
Abel eyed his 'older brother' suspiciously. "I've heard that before... But you were right, this is a great place." He doodled in the wet sand with his finger. "Y'know, I wish we could live here. It's so much cooler than back home."
"It's certainly special." He watched with concentrated curiosity as Abel started building a small sand pyramid for the crab. "Sitting here on the ocean... It's like being at the end of the world."
"Nah. More like the beginning." Abel smiled, taking no notice of the newly intrigued look on Yeshua's face. The boy dusted his hands off after setting the crab inside its new home. "We should build a boat."
"I don't think our Father would like that very much." Yeshua laughed.
"Aww, like he would care." He stuck a little leaf into the top of the sand pyramid. "It should just be me and you. We can sail out and see the whole world. Then we'll come back and live here forever."
"That's a nice dream."
"Yeah, and we can call the boat, Abel's Ark!"
"You intending on this being a floating zoo?" Yeshua teased gently. "I suppose our crab friend here will be our first passenger."
"Very funny. Nah, it just sounds cool. And it's going to be huge."
"Even if we built a boat, I don't think it could be much more than a raft..."
"The biggest!" Abel put his arms out to make his point.
"...Alright." Yeshua laughed. "We'll see."