Title: Ghost Knight (2/?)
Author: Anne Khushrenada
Email: cray@syix.com
Disclaimer: I don't *sniff* own *sniff* Gundam Wing.
Warnings: Angst, Sap, and L-E-M-O-N. NC-17,
yadayadayada...
AC 199
Summer
Life was, all things considered, going well enough
for Lady Une. In the wake of the Eve Wars, when
everyone else had been perfectly willing to forsake
the orphaned child of Treize Khushrenada, Une had
taken Mariemaia in, at first only because of her
undying love for the girl's father, but she quickly
grew to love the child as if Mariemaia were her own.
At times her adopted daughter could still be
amazingly difficult, and Une knew that her
experiences during the events leading up to the Eve
Wars had left the nine-year-old quite troubled. But
Une herself had not emerged from the Wars unscathed,
and so she and the girl had quite a bit in common.
Une worked now with the former Gundam pilots and
their allies of old, Sally Po, Lucrezia Noin, and, at
last completing what until then had seemed to be
missing something, Milliardo Peacecraft. Together
they formed the organization known as the Preventers,
and worked to keep conflicts in the world from
escalating into wars.
Many of the others had married, started families.
Une, of course, had not, nor did any of them expect
her to. She had Mariemaia and she had her work, and
if it was not enough, it would simply have to do, for
there existed nothing else that could be hers.
Une went to bed each night exhausted, between the
usual trials of her workday and the rather
unpredictable ones involving Mariemaia. On this
particular night, however, the child had gone to bed
without any problems, although as always Une never
knew when one of Mariemaia's nightmares would wake
her from a sound sleep.
As she often did once Mariemaia was asleep and the
house had grown quiet, Une sat upon her bed, facing
the nightstand and the framed photograph of Treize
which rested there. Some nights she simply looked at
him and wept; others she told him of her day, of how
Mariemaia had grown, of the lovely young woman she
was sure his daughter was fated to become.
Tonight she told him of her own troubles, of the way
things simply /were/ /not/ /right/, and the way those
around her looked at her as if they thought she'd
lost her mind.
"There is something missing here, my love, something
crucial. It is not just the fact that you are gone.
It is that, and everything else. Oh, Treize, why did
you have to leave me? Why?"
Lady Une wept that night as she had not done in
years, sorrow washing over her in waves, leaving her
alone, desolate and cold.
* * *
The Place Between Worlds
He sat beside the Well of Souls, legs folded beneath
him, gazing downward into the crystal waters of the
pool as he had time and time again. The world grew
and changed, and he saw it all from this cruel
window- able to look, but not to touch. And though
his child grew, and the years took their toll upon
the woman he loved, he did not know how long it had
truly been. That knowledge, like so much more, was
forbidden him here.
"You must not dwell upon the past," spoke a voice
from behind him. He did not bother to turn to face
the cloaked specter, but his gaze upon the pool
turned defiant.
"What else have I but my past?" he countered.
"They go on without you, Ghost Knight."
He rose to his feet then, reaching out a hand to
grasp the ice-cold arm of Death, and draw the specter
to the edge of the pool. "Look upon her. She does not
go on without me; she cannot. And she is right; there
/is/ something missing."
"I could have brought her to you all the sooner, but
you would not have it," Death rasped.
The man Death called Ghost Knight shook his head.
"Deny her life, for my own pleasure? She wanted to
die, but it was not her time, and I told you so. Her
work is not yet done; she knows it, as do I. But
there must be something that can be done..."
"No," said Death. "The spirits of the dead may not
touch the worlds of the living."
"I have done it." The Ghost Knight's tone was quite
defiant, as defiant as anyone might ever be to the
specter of Death. And it was true that he had
managed, in the past, to affect the physical world.
In small ways only, but he had done it. Though he had
failed to do that which he desired most- to enable
his daughter and the woman he loved to sense his
presence, to know that he looked in upon them, to
feel his love and admiration for them both.
"You have taken foolish risks, Ghost Knight, risks
that could have-"
"Could have, what? Damned me? I am already damned.
Unable to move forward, unable to go back."
"Refusing to move forward," Death corrected. "If you
would only do as the other souls did, you would
remember naught of this pain you feel."
"I will die again before I forget her," the Ghost
Knight, Treize Khushrenada, replied.
"Treize..." sobbed Lady Une. "Treize... I was never
able to say good-bye. If only I could have..."
As if those words had shocked him into action, he
turned towards Death, one hand upraised. "I ask a
boon of you, old friend."
"What is it?" asked the specter.
"You can make me flesh and blood again."
"Yes," said Death dryly. "That is a part of what your
kind terms reincarnation. If you would simply follow
the Path as everyone else..."
"I," said Treize, "am not everyone else. And I'm
quite serious." Death's sense of humor had never
failed to send chills down his spine; some things
simply should not be joked about, in his opinion. Of
course, who was he to argue with Death?
"Yes, you would be." Death spoke again, seriously
this time. "What you say is true. I can make you
flesh and blood- but only for a short time."
"How short a time?"
"From sunrise to sunset, or vice versa. In between,
you could do as you would. But when the time comes,
you /must/ return- you /will/ return, no matter what
you might do to prevent it."
"I will return," Treize said. "Willingly, I shall
even go forward from this point. But I /must/ see her
again. I must touch her, one last time."
"As you wish. But know that nothing I offer you comes
without a price."
"Name it; it is yours. Only grant me this."
"You must hear what I would ask, then make your
choice," Death said. "I am the past as well as the
future; do not think I know not what you plan. I take
nothing before its time, but know that if you go to
her, one which is dear to you will be mine."
"All souls return to you in time. I accept your
terms."
"So be it, then." Death raised the scythe he carried,
and gestured towards the Well, which rippled now,
where before it had been perfectly still. "Go, now.
Sunrise, and I will see you again. Use your time
wisely."
"Oh, I intend to," Treize said, over his shoulder, as
he waded out into the crystalline waters of the Well,
and, with a deep breath, dove under. The waters
closed over his head, and he drifted.
* * *
Treize came to, as he had been when he'd first come
into the world, chilled to the bone and clearly
formed only of spirit no longer. He lay upon the
sandy beach of the lake near his family's old
estates, which were now inhabited by Lady Une and
Mariemaia.
The summer air was warm, and quickly drew the chill
from his body. He glanced about the area, clearly
illuminated by moonlight, and was more than a bit
surprised to catch sight of a robe hanging upon a low
branch of a nearby tree. Even more surprising, he saw
as he reached for the garment with hands that shook,
for he was not used to having them, the robe was his-
the stylized monogram of his initials done in silver
thread upon the blue cloth of the left breast, over
his heart.
Treize tied the robe's sash and slowly walked up the
gently sloping hill to the main grounds, which he was
grateful to see were deserted. The last thing he
wanted to do was frighten one of the estate's
servants with the sight of their years-dead master
living and breathing again.
A cautious glance at the sky told him that he had
plenty of time yet; the moon was not even fully
risen. True, he had not as much time as he would have
liked, but it would be enough; it would have to be.
"Lady, I heard your call and I came," he said,
softly. "I pray only that what I can give you is
enough."
He entered the house silently, and, intimately
familiar as he was with every inch of this place,
needed no light to see as he made his way towards the
stairs to the second floor.
A bemused smile crossed his face as the third step
from the top of the staircase creaked beneath his
bare foot. No one, not his father, not him, and,
apparently, not Lady Une, either, had ever desired to
repair that step, and he was just as glad of it now.
To have such tangible evidence of his physical
presence affecting the world again was wonderful.
That alone was euphoric. What was to come... His
heartbeat quickened at the very thought.
On his way along the hall he paused long enough to
look in upon his daughter, who slept soundly, her
arms wrapped loosely around a small stuffed turtle.
Careful not to wake her, Treize approached
Mariemaia's bed and dropped a kiss upon her forehead.
"I love you, my child," he whispered. "Sleep,
Mariemaia." Treize departed her room as silently as
he had entered it, and continued along the hall.
She sat upon the bed, with her back to him, and he
eased the door open, the motion not making a sound as
it slid along on well-oiled hinges. His footsteps
upon the floorboards, however, caused a soft creak,
and he could see Lady Une's shoulders straighten, as
if she had made a forced effort to regain her
composure.
"What is it, Mariemaia?" she asked, and her voice was
raw, pained in a way he had not heard it for what
seemed like years. Not since she had given the orders
immediately following his death. Few had heard the
anguish in her voice then, but Treize had, and he
heard it now as well.
"Lady," Treize said softly, and at the sound of his
voice she turned- and gasped, hands flying to her
face. "Mariemaia sleeps, as she will until morning."
"What...?" Une asked quietly, clearly shocked. "I
must be dreaming..."
"No, Lady," Treize replied, reaching out to take her
hands in both of his. "No dreams, not tonight."
"But you- you're dead."
"Yes," Treize said quite sadly. "I am."
"I don't understand," Une told him, her fingers
wrapping around his and holding tight, as if she
meant to hold him to this world by that touch alone.
"I am as alive as ever I was, until the sun rises."
"And after?" she asked softly.
He reached out a hand to caress her cheek. "With the
sunrise, I must return to the realm where I now
reside. I'm sorry."
"No," she whispered, her arms wrapping about him and
holding tight. "I won't have you returned to me only
to leave again."
"Dear one, I must. I only live and breathe as a
mortal man until the dawn."
Her fingers stroked the monogram over his heart,
tracing the intertwined letters, then lay still upon
his breast, feeling the miracle of his heartbeat
beneath her hand. "Then I will hold you near me until
then, and be grateful for what time we have," she
whispered.
"Une, I love you. My love for you reaches beyond
death, and that is why I am here, why I've come."
"Treize," she said, as he bent to kiss her. Gently he
pushed her down upon the bed, the weight of his body
atop hers holding her there. "Treize... there's so
much I want to tell you."
"You needn't, Lady," Treize said. "Let it suffice to
say that every time you have spoken my name, I have
heard your calls. I know that my daughter grows as
beautiful as the woman who should have been her
mother." He touched the first two fingers of his hand
to her heart, and she brought them to her lips and
kissed them.
"Do you know that I-?" she began.
"Love me? Yes. That much I have always known. And oh,
Lady, how I wish that I could offer you more than
this night."
"I know you can't," she replied. "And it is enough,
more than enough, to touch you, to be held by you who
I never thought to see again." Her hands reached
beneath the material of his robe to stroke his bare
skin, and the hard muscle underneath. "Love me,
Treize."
"I intend to," he said, allowing her to cast his robe
aside, laying bare his flesh before her. "As flesh or
spirit, Une, I will love you always."
Her hands traced their way along his bare back,
savoring the feel of the smoothness of his skin, the
way every inch of him seemed perfectly formed- and
exactly as she had remembered it. However it was he
had come to live again this night, the spirit had
formed the body exactly as it had been, precise in
every detail.
His fingers worked slowly, gently, at the buttons of
the thin summer gown she wore, teasing downward. He
parted the gown and pushed it aside, where it slid
from the edge of the bed down onto the floor.
"I have always wanted this," Une said softly, with a
little gasp as he bent his head to her breast and
took it between his lips. Her fingers worked through
ginger hair soft as silk as she spoke again. "I love
you, Treize. I love you as I will never love
another."
He raised his head to look at her, sapphire eyes
gazing into chocolate brown ones. "I would hate to
see you live the rest of your days without anyone to
love, my dear."
She smiled, and brushed the back of her hand against
his cheek. "I have someone," Une said softly.
"I am a ghost, Lady, and but a shadow of what I once
was."
"You are real enough for me."
"After tonight, I will not be able to remain. How
could you possibly endure such a separation?" he
asked, seeking not her rejection, as it might seem,
but the assurance that she understood what this would
mean.
"I'll see you again," she replied. "I know it."
"It will be years, decades-"
"I know." She paused. "Do you- truly love me?"
"With all of my heart and soul, Lady Une."
"Then there is nothing else that matters, not now."
They both fell silent then, each savoring the feel of
the other's warmth upon their skin. Treize's hands
moved across her body, sliding down one hip, and with
gentle fingers, parted her legs and teased at the
softness of her womanhood. That simple, slight touch
sent shivers all through her body, and a quiet moan
escaped her lips.
"Is that the best you can do?" she asked in a light,
teasing tone.
He raised one elegant eyebrow at her. "Hardly."
* * *
When at last they fell into the cool sheets together,
energies spent but both sharing in the warm feeling
of the afterglow, Une began to weep, and Treize drew
her up against him, holding her as if he never meant
to let her go. "What is it, dear one?" he asked. "Did
I hurt you?"
"No," she whispered. "No more than I expected. I- I
don't want you to go, Treize..."
"Nor do I have any desire to leave your side, Une,"
he replied, blinking back his own tears, ones of
sadness rather than joy now. "I would stay forever if
I could. But it is not within my power. Forgive me,
my love..."
"I do," she said, "and yet... I cannot bear the
thought of being apart from you. Can't I...go with
you?"
Vehemently he shook his head. "Nay, beloved. You
cannot. Your tasks in this world are not yet done.
You must live, for yourself, for Mariemaia...and for
our children." One hand rested upon the soft curve of
her womb, and she drew a sharp breath.
"Our...children?" Une asked softly.
"Indeed." He paused, and kissed her forehead,
overwhelmed with the need to touch her, while he was
still able. "Know this- no matter what happens, I
will always be with you. If you call me, I will hear
you. Know the stars as my gaze upon you, for it
always will be so, and that much stronger in the
night. Know the gentle wind as my touch, and the
scent of roses as my love for you."
She rested her head against his shoulder, soft sobs
shaking her body only slightly now. "Will you be
waiting for me?" she asked.
"At the end of you life's road, you will find me. And
we will have eternity to make up for lost time."
"I'll hold you to that promise," she said.
"Good." He sighed, brushed a strand of hair back
behind her ear. "I am so sorry I cannot give you more
than this. You deserve far better."
"No," Une replied. "You've given me more than enough.
The gift of your love, and the knowledge that I will
always have it. Knowing I will see you again, I can
face anything, endure anything. Only wait for me."
"I swear to you I will," he whispered, and smoothed
back her hair. "My heart, my soul, my love. I am
thine. Forever."
"I am thine," she whispered, echoing his words. She
brushed his lips lightly with hers, and his arms
locked around her, holding her fast to him. "Treize,
don't let go. Please..."
"Not until I must," he said. "Not until I must, Une."
For a moment she said nothing. Then: "Why did you
never tell me, before you died...?"
"I was afraid. Of your not sharing my feelings or, if
you did, of your being hurt because of me. Of those
who couldn't get at me, going after you instead."
She propped herself up on one arm and looked at him.
"Oh, Treize. Really. As if I couldn't take care of
myself..."
"Stubborn, foolish woman," he said quietly, dropping
a kiss to the hollow of her throat. "Tubarov didn't
shoot you because you got in his way, Lady. He shot
you because somehow he knew that you meant more to me
than life itself. Because he knew your death would
shatter me."
"Did you...weep for me?" Une asked.
In answer he drew her closer, tugged the sheets up
under her chin and encircled her in his arms. "For
days and nights, Lady, I wept. I thought there could
not be a tear left in all the world when I was done.
I thought none could ever know sorrow as I knew it."
"No," she said. "I know it."
"Of course you do," Treize said. "Can you ever
forgive me?"
"What is there to forgive?" she asked.
"Forgive me for loving you but never speaking of it.
Forgive me for dying and leaving you alone, when you
needed me most. And forgive me, too, for only having
this one night to be with you, before I will leave
you again."
"Shh, Treize," she said. "Don't speak of it. Please,
don't." She wept still, her tears falling softer now.
"My Une," he whispered, and even through her tears
she felt a thrill at being called his. "I can't bear
to see you like this. What can I do-?" Out of the
corner of his eye he saw the moon dip below the
horizon, and the sky grow ever darker, as it did only
in the moments before dawn. "No," he whispered,
raining kisses upon her, upon lips and forehead,
cheeks, shoulders, and, very gently, breasts.
She sobbed softly into her pillow, and he brushed her
hair to the side of her neck, kissing the nape laid
bare. She turned her head to look up at him, her eyes
not meeting his.
"Une, look at me," he said, tipping her chin up with
one hand. She did so, and threw herself into his
arms, her tears falling upon his bare chest. "Shhh,
shhh, I know, I know. But there are things you must
know, Lady. Hear me, please."
She gave a shaky nod, and he smiled. "Now, darling...
My love is eternal. Not even Death could stop it, and
that is a thing which I would have you remember
always. I defied Death to come to you, because I
needed you as you needed me."
"Oh, Treize..."
"Don't speak, love. I will always hear you, but you
may only hear my voice a few moments longer." He
paused, drew a deep breath. "You will know sorrow
again before you know joy. You mustn't ask me how I
know that, for there are things I cannot tell you.
Can you bear it, Une?"
"What choice have I?" she asked softly. Then: "I can.
Somehow, I can."
"The children, Une... Don't let them become bitter
old soldiers like their father. Let them know the
peace we fought for. And Mariemaia... You /are/ her
mother, no matter who gave her birth. Never forget
that."
"I- I won't," she said.
He kissed her once more, a searing kiss which burned
across her lips, and though she held him tightly as
she could, she felt his body slipping from her grasp,
fading, becoming less and less solid.
"Lady," he said, voice thick with unshed tears. "I
love you. Only you. Remember..."
"I could never forget. I love you, Treize... oh,
Treize, no!" She reached for him even as he continued
to fade. "Treize...I am thine."
"As I am thine, Lady," he replied, as he was lifted
from her arms and set upon the floor beside her bed.
As he faded from view, becoming ever more transparent
until he could not be seen at all, a single red rose
appeared where he had once stood. "I am thine, Lady,"
his voice echoed. And then there was nothing.
Author: Anne Khushrenada
Email: cray@syix.com
Disclaimer: I don't *sniff* own *sniff* Gundam Wing.
Warnings: Angst, Sap, and L-E-M-O-N. NC-17,
yadayadayada...
AC 199
Summer
Life was, all things considered, going well enough
for Lady Une. In the wake of the Eve Wars, when
everyone else had been perfectly willing to forsake
the orphaned child of Treize Khushrenada, Une had
taken Mariemaia in, at first only because of her
undying love for the girl's father, but she quickly
grew to love the child as if Mariemaia were her own.
At times her adopted daughter could still be
amazingly difficult, and Une knew that her
experiences during the events leading up to the Eve
Wars had left the nine-year-old quite troubled. But
Une herself had not emerged from the Wars unscathed,
and so she and the girl had quite a bit in common.
Une worked now with the former Gundam pilots and
their allies of old, Sally Po, Lucrezia Noin, and, at
last completing what until then had seemed to be
missing something, Milliardo Peacecraft. Together
they formed the organization known as the Preventers,
and worked to keep conflicts in the world from
escalating into wars.
Many of the others had married, started families.
Une, of course, had not, nor did any of them expect
her to. She had Mariemaia and she had her work, and
if it was not enough, it would simply have to do, for
there existed nothing else that could be hers.
Une went to bed each night exhausted, between the
usual trials of her workday and the rather
unpredictable ones involving Mariemaia. On this
particular night, however, the child had gone to bed
without any problems, although as always Une never
knew when one of Mariemaia's nightmares would wake
her from a sound sleep.
As she often did once Mariemaia was asleep and the
house had grown quiet, Une sat upon her bed, facing
the nightstand and the framed photograph of Treize
which rested there. Some nights she simply looked at
him and wept; others she told him of her day, of how
Mariemaia had grown, of the lovely young woman she
was sure his daughter was fated to become.
Tonight she told him of her own troubles, of the way
things simply /were/ /not/ /right/, and the way those
around her looked at her as if they thought she'd
lost her mind.
"There is something missing here, my love, something
crucial. It is not just the fact that you are gone.
It is that, and everything else. Oh, Treize, why did
you have to leave me? Why?"
Lady Une wept that night as she had not done in
years, sorrow washing over her in waves, leaving her
alone, desolate and cold.
* * *
The Place Between Worlds
He sat beside the Well of Souls, legs folded beneath
him, gazing downward into the crystal waters of the
pool as he had time and time again. The world grew
and changed, and he saw it all from this cruel
window- able to look, but not to touch. And though
his child grew, and the years took their toll upon
the woman he loved, he did not know how long it had
truly been. That knowledge, like so much more, was
forbidden him here.
"You must not dwell upon the past," spoke a voice
from behind him. He did not bother to turn to face
the cloaked specter, but his gaze upon the pool
turned defiant.
"What else have I but my past?" he countered.
"They go on without you, Ghost Knight."
He rose to his feet then, reaching out a hand to
grasp the ice-cold arm of Death, and draw the specter
to the edge of the pool. "Look upon her. She does not
go on without me; she cannot. And she is right; there
/is/ something missing."
"I could have brought her to you all the sooner, but
you would not have it," Death rasped.
The man Death called Ghost Knight shook his head.
"Deny her life, for my own pleasure? She wanted to
die, but it was not her time, and I told you so. Her
work is not yet done; she knows it, as do I. But
there must be something that can be done..."
"No," said Death. "The spirits of the dead may not
touch the worlds of the living."
"I have done it." The Ghost Knight's tone was quite
defiant, as defiant as anyone might ever be to the
specter of Death. And it was true that he had
managed, in the past, to affect the physical world.
In small ways only, but he had done it. Though he had
failed to do that which he desired most- to enable
his daughter and the woman he loved to sense his
presence, to know that he looked in upon them, to
feel his love and admiration for them both.
"You have taken foolish risks, Ghost Knight, risks
that could have-"
"Could have, what? Damned me? I am already damned.
Unable to move forward, unable to go back."
"Refusing to move forward," Death corrected. "If you
would only do as the other souls did, you would
remember naught of this pain you feel."
"I will die again before I forget her," the Ghost
Knight, Treize Khushrenada, replied.
"Treize..." sobbed Lady Une. "Treize... I was never
able to say good-bye. If only I could have..."
As if those words had shocked him into action, he
turned towards Death, one hand upraised. "I ask a
boon of you, old friend."
"What is it?" asked the specter.
"You can make me flesh and blood again."
"Yes," said Death dryly. "That is a part of what your
kind terms reincarnation. If you would simply follow
the Path as everyone else..."
"I," said Treize, "am not everyone else. And I'm
quite serious." Death's sense of humor had never
failed to send chills down his spine; some things
simply should not be joked about, in his opinion. Of
course, who was he to argue with Death?
"Yes, you would be." Death spoke again, seriously
this time. "What you say is true. I can make you
flesh and blood- but only for a short time."
"How short a time?"
"From sunrise to sunset, or vice versa. In between,
you could do as you would. But when the time comes,
you /must/ return- you /will/ return, no matter what
you might do to prevent it."
"I will return," Treize said. "Willingly, I shall
even go forward from this point. But I /must/ see her
again. I must touch her, one last time."
"As you wish. But know that nothing I offer you comes
without a price."
"Name it; it is yours. Only grant me this."
"You must hear what I would ask, then make your
choice," Death said. "I am the past as well as the
future; do not think I know not what you plan. I take
nothing before its time, but know that if you go to
her, one which is dear to you will be mine."
"All souls return to you in time. I accept your
terms."
"So be it, then." Death raised the scythe he carried,
and gestured towards the Well, which rippled now,
where before it had been perfectly still. "Go, now.
Sunrise, and I will see you again. Use your time
wisely."
"Oh, I intend to," Treize said, over his shoulder, as
he waded out into the crystalline waters of the Well,
and, with a deep breath, dove under. The waters
closed over his head, and he drifted.
* * *
Treize came to, as he had been when he'd first come
into the world, chilled to the bone and clearly
formed only of spirit no longer. He lay upon the
sandy beach of the lake near his family's old
estates, which were now inhabited by Lady Une and
Mariemaia.
The summer air was warm, and quickly drew the chill
from his body. He glanced about the area, clearly
illuminated by moonlight, and was more than a bit
surprised to catch sight of a robe hanging upon a low
branch of a nearby tree. Even more surprising, he saw
as he reached for the garment with hands that shook,
for he was not used to having them, the robe was his-
the stylized monogram of his initials done in silver
thread upon the blue cloth of the left breast, over
his heart.
Treize tied the robe's sash and slowly walked up the
gently sloping hill to the main grounds, which he was
grateful to see were deserted. The last thing he
wanted to do was frighten one of the estate's
servants with the sight of their years-dead master
living and breathing again.
A cautious glance at the sky told him that he had
plenty of time yet; the moon was not even fully
risen. True, he had not as much time as he would have
liked, but it would be enough; it would have to be.
"Lady, I heard your call and I came," he said,
softly. "I pray only that what I can give you is
enough."
He entered the house silently, and, intimately
familiar as he was with every inch of this place,
needed no light to see as he made his way towards the
stairs to the second floor.
A bemused smile crossed his face as the third step
from the top of the staircase creaked beneath his
bare foot. No one, not his father, not him, and,
apparently, not Lady Une, either, had ever desired to
repair that step, and he was just as glad of it now.
To have such tangible evidence of his physical
presence affecting the world again was wonderful.
That alone was euphoric. What was to come... His
heartbeat quickened at the very thought.
On his way along the hall he paused long enough to
look in upon his daughter, who slept soundly, her
arms wrapped loosely around a small stuffed turtle.
Careful not to wake her, Treize approached
Mariemaia's bed and dropped a kiss upon her forehead.
"I love you, my child," he whispered. "Sleep,
Mariemaia." Treize departed her room as silently as
he had entered it, and continued along the hall.
She sat upon the bed, with her back to him, and he
eased the door open, the motion not making a sound as
it slid along on well-oiled hinges. His footsteps
upon the floorboards, however, caused a soft creak,
and he could see Lady Une's shoulders straighten, as
if she had made a forced effort to regain her
composure.
"What is it, Mariemaia?" she asked, and her voice was
raw, pained in a way he had not heard it for what
seemed like years. Not since she had given the orders
immediately following his death. Few had heard the
anguish in her voice then, but Treize had, and he
heard it now as well.
"Lady," Treize said softly, and at the sound of his
voice she turned- and gasped, hands flying to her
face. "Mariemaia sleeps, as she will until morning."
"What...?" Une asked quietly, clearly shocked. "I
must be dreaming..."
"No, Lady," Treize replied, reaching out to take her
hands in both of his. "No dreams, not tonight."
"But you- you're dead."
"Yes," Treize said quite sadly. "I am."
"I don't understand," Une told him, her fingers
wrapping around his and holding tight, as if she
meant to hold him to this world by that touch alone.
"I am as alive as ever I was, until the sun rises."
"And after?" she asked softly.
He reached out a hand to caress her cheek. "With the
sunrise, I must return to the realm where I now
reside. I'm sorry."
"No," she whispered, her arms wrapping about him and
holding tight. "I won't have you returned to me only
to leave again."
"Dear one, I must. I only live and breathe as a
mortal man until the dawn."
Her fingers stroked the monogram over his heart,
tracing the intertwined letters, then lay still upon
his breast, feeling the miracle of his heartbeat
beneath her hand. "Then I will hold you near me until
then, and be grateful for what time we have," she
whispered.
"Une, I love you. My love for you reaches beyond
death, and that is why I am here, why I've come."
"Treize," she said, as he bent to kiss her. Gently he
pushed her down upon the bed, the weight of his body
atop hers holding her there. "Treize... there's so
much I want to tell you."
"You needn't, Lady," Treize said. "Let it suffice to
say that every time you have spoken my name, I have
heard your calls. I know that my daughter grows as
beautiful as the woman who should have been her
mother." He touched the first two fingers of his hand
to her heart, and she brought them to her lips and
kissed them.
"Do you know that I-?" she began.
"Love me? Yes. That much I have always known. And oh,
Lady, how I wish that I could offer you more than
this night."
"I know you can't," she replied. "And it is enough,
more than enough, to touch you, to be held by you who
I never thought to see again." Her hands reached
beneath the material of his robe to stroke his bare
skin, and the hard muscle underneath. "Love me,
Treize."
"I intend to," he said, allowing her to cast his robe
aside, laying bare his flesh before her. "As flesh or
spirit, Une, I will love you always."
Her hands traced their way along his bare back,
savoring the feel of the smoothness of his skin, the
way every inch of him seemed perfectly formed- and
exactly as she had remembered it. However it was he
had come to live again this night, the spirit had
formed the body exactly as it had been, precise in
every detail.
His fingers worked slowly, gently, at the buttons of
the thin summer gown she wore, teasing downward. He
parted the gown and pushed it aside, where it slid
from the edge of the bed down onto the floor.
"I have always wanted this," Une said softly, with a
little gasp as he bent his head to her breast and
took it between his lips. Her fingers worked through
ginger hair soft as silk as she spoke again. "I love
you, Treize. I love you as I will never love
another."
He raised his head to look at her, sapphire eyes
gazing into chocolate brown ones. "I would hate to
see you live the rest of your days without anyone to
love, my dear."
She smiled, and brushed the back of her hand against
his cheek. "I have someone," Une said softly.
"I am a ghost, Lady, and but a shadow of what I once
was."
"You are real enough for me."
"After tonight, I will not be able to remain. How
could you possibly endure such a separation?" he
asked, seeking not her rejection, as it might seem,
but the assurance that she understood what this would
mean.
"I'll see you again," she replied. "I know it."
"It will be years, decades-"
"I know." She paused. "Do you- truly love me?"
"With all of my heart and soul, Lady Une."
"Then there is nothing else that matters, not now."
They both fell silent then, each savoring the feel of
the other's warmth upon their skin. Treize's hands
moved across her body, sliding down one hip, and with
gentle fingers, parted her legs and teased at the
softness of her womanhood. That simple, slight touch
sent shivers all through her body, and a quiet moan
escaped her lips.
"Is that the best you can do?" she asked in a light,
teasing tone.
He raised one elegant eyebrow at her. "Hardly."
* * *
When at last they fell into the cool sheets together,
energies spent but both sharing in the warm feeling
of the afterglow, Une began to weep, and Treize drew
her up against him, holding her as if he never meant
to let her go. "What is it, dear one?" he asked. "Did
I hurt you?"
"No," she whispered. "No more than I expected. I- I
don't want you to go, Treize..."
"Nor do I have any desire to leave your side, Une,"
he replied, blinking back his own tears, ones of
sadness rather than joy now. "I would stay forever if
I could. But it is not within my power. Forgive me,
my love..."
"I do," she said, "and yet... I cannot bear the
thought of being apart from you. Can't I...go with
you?"
Vehemently he shook his head. "Nay, beloved. You
cannot. Your tasks in this world are not yet done.
You must live, for yourself, for Mariemaia...and for
our children." One hand rested upon the soft curve of
her womb, and she drew a sharp breath.
"Our...children?" Une asked softly.
"Indeed." He paused, and kissed her forehead,
overwhelmed with the need to touch her, while he was
still able. "Know this- no matter what happens, I
will always be with you. If you call me, I will hear
you. Know the stars as my gaze upon you, for it
always will be so, and that much stronger in the
night. Know the gentle wind as my touch, and the
scent of roses as my love for you."
She rested her head against his shoulder, soft sobs
shaking her body only slightly now. "Will you be
waiting for me?" she asked.
"At the end of you life's road, you will find me. And
we will have eternity to make up for lost time."
"I'll hold you to that promise," she said.
"Good." He sighed, brushed a strand of hair back
behind her ear. "I am so sorry I cannot give you more
than this. You deserve far better."
"No," Une replied. "You've given me more than enough.
The gift of your love, and the knowledge that I will
always have it. Knowing I will see you again, I can
face anything, endure anything. Only wait for me."
"I swear to you I will," he whispered, and smoothed
back her hair. "My heart, my soul, my love. I am
thine. Forever."
"I am thine," she whispered, echoing his words. She
brushed his lips lightly with hers, and his arms
locked around her, holding her fast to him. "Treize,
don't let go. Please..."
"Not until I must," he said. "Not until I must, Une."
For a moment she said nothing. Then: "Why did you
never tell me, before you died...?"
"I was afraid. Of your not sharing my feelings or, if
you did, of your being hurt because of me. Of those
who couldn't get at me, going after you instead."
She propped herself up on one arm and looked at him.
"Oh, Treize. Really. As if I couldn't take care of
myself..."
"Stubborn, foolish woman," he said quietly, dropping
a kiss to the hollow of her throat. "Tubarov didn't
shoot you because you got in his way, Lady. He shot
you because somehow he knew that you meant more to me
than life itself. Because he knew your death would
shatter me."
"Did you...weep for me?" Une asked.
In answer he drew her closer, tugged the sheets up
under her chin and encircled her in his arms. "For
days and nights, Lady, I wept. I thought there could
not be a tear left in all the world when I was done.
I thought none could ever know sorrow as I knew it."
"No," she said. "I know it."
"Of course you do," Treize said. "Can you ever
forgive me?"
"What is there to forgive?" she asked.
"Forgive me for loving you but never speaking of it.
Forgive me for dying and leaving you alone, when you
needed me most. And forgive me, too, for only having
this one night to be with you, before I will leave
you again."
"Shh, Treize," she said. "Don't speak of it. Please,
don't." She wept still, her tears falling softer now.
"My Une," he whispered, and even through her tears
she felt a thrill at being called his. "I can't bear
to see you like this. What can I do-?" Out of the
corner of his eye he saw the moon dip below the
horizon, and the sky grow ever darker, as it did only
in the moments before dawn. "No," he whispered,
raining kisses upon her, upon lips and forehead,
cheeks, shoulders, and, very gently, breasts.
She sobbed softly into her pillow, and he brushed her
hair to the side of her neck, kissing the nape laid
bare. She turned her head to look up at him, her eyes
not meeting his.
"Une, look at me," he said, tipping her chin up with
one hand. She did so, and threw herself into his
arms, her tears falling upon his bare chest. "Shhh,
shhh, I know, I know. But there are things you must
know, Lady. Hear me, please."
She gave a shaky nod, and he smiled. "Now, darling...
My love is eternal. Not even Death could stop it, and
that is a thing which I would have you remember
always. I defied Death to come to you, because I
needed you as you needed me."
"Oh, Treize..."
"Don't speak, love. I will always hear you, but you
may only hear my voice a few moments longer." He
paused, drew a deep breath. "You will know sorrow
again before you know joy. You mustn't ask me how I
know that, for there are things I cannot tell you.
Can you bear it, Une?"
"What choice have I?" she asked softly. Then: "I can.
Somehow, I can."
"The children, Une... Don't let them become bitter
old soldiers like their father. Let them know the
peace we fought for. And Mariemaia... You /are/ her
mother, no matter who gave her birth. Never forget
that."
"I- I won't," she said.
He kissed her once more, a searing kiss which burned
across her lips, and though she held him tightly as
she could, she felt his body slipping from her grasp,
fading, becoming less and less solid.
"Lady," he said, voice thick with unshed tears. "I
love you. Only you. Remember..."
"I could never forget. I love you, Treize... oh,
Treize, no!" She reached for him even as he continued
to fade. "Treize...I am thine."
"As I am thine, Lady," he replied, as he was lifted
from her arms and set upon the floor beside her bed.
As he faded from view, becoming ever more transparent
until he could not be seen at all, a single red rose
appeared where he had once stood. "I am thine, Lady,"
his voice echoed. And then there was nothing.