By: Neko-chan
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. I also do not own Phantom of the Opera. Both belong to their respective owners. Ja ne!
In a grand theater in Paris, a lone girl sat in the middle of a stage, gazing about her in curiosity. She was about 14 and had long red-orange hair; it came to about her waist. A pair of storm-cloud gray eyes observed everything they saw, never missing a detail. Finally, they stopped at one of the balconies; where the rich sat whenever they went to see a theater or opera.
A shudder wracked her body and she curled in on herself, small whimpers leaking past her clenched teeth. Abruptly they stopped when a cool hand touched her shoulder, offering her silent support. She looked up, and gray met green, Prussian blue, black, violet, and blue. They were the Gundam pilots in disguise, they were disguised as caretakers to the theater.
"Are you all right?" Quatre asked, concern lacing his voice.
The girl took a shuddering breath, then nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm fine now. My name is Rowan O'Donnel. What's yours?"
Quatre smiled warmly. "You're the Scottish ambassador's daughter, aren't you?"
Rowan looked away. "Yes, I am. I was tired of following my father's bodyguards, so I snuck away. That was a big mistake," she said bitterly. Looking up at them again, she asked, "Please......what are your names?"
Quatre blinked at her forwardness. "Oh, my name is Quatre, this is Duo, Trowa, Heero, and Wufei. Why were you shaking like that a minute ago? Are you on medication? Should we go get an ambulance?"
Rowan smiled bitterly. "No, I am quite all right. I just forgot about my family's curse, that's all."
"Curse? What curse?" Duo asked, suddenly interested. "You have a curse??"
Rowan looked away from the boys and once again stared at the balcony. "Yes.....my family was put under a curse, many centuries ago. We have the ability to see ghosts. Echoes of the past. There was a murder here........something terrible happened here."
Heero snorted, while Wufei smirked. "You call that a curse? You probably had this all planned out, didn't you? You knew that this is the theater where the legend of the Phantom of the Opera started. You're just trying to trick us, for some reason, am I right?"
Rowan slowly shook her head. "No......I'm not lying. I can truly see and hear ghosts....among other things. I never knew about the legend, until now. I just wanted someplace to hide. Please believe me."
Trowa looked at her thoughtfully. Finally, he said, "We'll believe you only until you give us proof."
Rowan laughed bitterly. "Ahhhh.....the one thing everyone demands once I tell them of my family's curse. 'We want proof,' they always say. You want proof? Well, then, here's your proof."
And then she concentrated, then air around her beginning to shiver and bend. A soft glow surrounded her and made her look even paler. Finally, she opened her eyes, and the boys were shocked to see that they looked like they were glowing with a silver fire.
"Now......"she whispered. "Listen!!"
And then they heard it, soft melodies of a dark and dangerous song. An echo from the past. And then the words came.
"In sleep he sang to me.........in dreams he came.....that voice which calls to me........and speaks my name.........."
Rowan gasped and doubled over, and slowly, the music died away. She looked up at the five boys and asked, "Now do you believe me??"
Mutely, they nodded, still too stunned to say a word.