CHAPTER TWO: THIS VISION SHALL BE
January 19, 198 AC: LaGrange Point Five Colony
They sat silently as the priest performed the funeral ceremony, wearing mourning upon their shoulders, as another one they had loved was laid to rest. Noin sat trembling; thankful her dark veil shrouded her face so well, hiding the tears she shed as her husband's casket was lowered slowly into the ground. Lady could do nothing but think about the dream that had haunted her only a few nights ago. She had never believed in the afterlife before, but now, she found herself hoping, praying, for the sake of Treize and Zechs, that there really was one. A pleasant one. With that thought, she folded her hands and prayed silently, as now, before her, Zechs too lay forever entombed beneath a cold, grey stone.
"He's gone." Noin whispered the first words she had spoken since Zechs's funeral earlier that day. "All the hope I had, the dreams that now I would be happy. They're gone with him." Her voice broke at the final word. Lady could do nothing but try quietly to comfort her friend, knowing just how hard it was to lose the man you loved. Noin looked up, through tears she gave a sad attempt to smile. "I suppose, it was bound to be," she said, looking Lady straight in the eye. "He managed to escape death the first time, remember?" Lady smiled weakly, remembering the shock she had felt when the "dead" Zechs Merquise had walked into her office with the request that he become part of the Preventers Organization. Before she could let her mind wander further, Noin spoke again.
"I had always believed that he was alive somewhere. And I never gave up hope. And when he came back." she paused "I thought I'd be happy forever."
Lady saw the devastation in Noin's eyes, but she knew not how to comfort her, because there had been no one to comfort her when Treize had died. Noin spoke once more before her tears broke again. "I guess you just can't cheat fate twice."
"It'll be alright, Lucy," she said quietly. "Just have hope. You'll make it."
*******************************************************************
"LADY!" came a scream from down the hall. "LADY, HELP ME!!!!" It was Noin. She jumped up from her bed and flew across the hall, already half- afraid of what might have happened. Treize! Zechs! Une's mind was racing. Had they come to take Noin, too? Madness. There was no such place as the shadows. No ghosts existed. It's such a foolish conception, but - "LADY, PLEASE!" The scream tore her from her thoughts again. Lady, without a second of hesitation, burst into Noin's room.
There they stood. Treize. Zechs. Noin. "Too late, my Lady." Treize whispered and Noin stepped out of the shadows. Her image was distorted, like a broken doll, flesh torn like silk. Again, like so many times before, bile rose in Lady's throat as she tried to control a scream. Noin's voice was raspy, chilling.
"Lady, this is happiness, this is peace. I am here. Zechs is here. Treize is waiting for you. Come with us into the shadows, please." Lady was horrified, knowing of nothing else to do, she turned and fled the room, her pulse pounding beneath her skin.
"Lady, please don't run from me."
*******************************************************************
She awoke with a jolt. Another dream, she thought, shaking her head, but she had to make sure. "Make sure of what?" she asked herself. Great, she thought, realizing she spoke out loud. I am truly insane. Pulling on her robe, she left the guest bedroom Noin had prepared, making sure not to wake Mariemaia. Quietly, she slipped across the hall, to Lucy's room. Nothing. She was asleep, like most normal people at this hour of night. Lady went back to her room, wondering if she really had gone insane.
*******************************************************************
May 27, 199 AC
The phone was ringing impatiently, waking Lady from a well-needed afternoon nap. She had worked all morning without breaks, without breakfast or lunch, to make sure the office work got done before the June holidays. "Hello?" Lady answered groggily, just a bit irritable after being awakened from such peace. It was Sally on the other end, and what she told Lady almost made her drop the receiver.
"She's dead." Lady stumbled backwards onto the sofa, stunned with disbelief.
"What?"
"Lucrezia Noin Merquise is dead, Lady."
"How?" Sally sighed, clearly just as dismayed by the situation, and regretful that she had to be the one to deliver such bad news.
"It was an accident. An explosion after one of the tech labs on L5 leaked the new hydrogen based P-32 formula they had been working on. A spark blew half the building into. nothing." Lady had only one thought going through her head. The one she saw most important.
"Leah!"
"The baby girl is alive and well, Lady.We need you to take her in, you know, raise her, like you did Mariemaia. I'm sure Lucy would have wanted that." Lady hated having to use videophones because her emotions were always visible. Tears sprang before she had a chance to control them. Sally could do little to comfort her. "She's being taken care of by the Preventers on L5, could you go and pick her up as soon as you can?" Lady nodded and hung up. Suddenly, the terrible, unwavering feeling that she would be the next to fall into the shadows crept over her, causing her to tremble slightly. No, she wouldn't let that happen, she vowed silently. If fate wanted to take her, it would have to put up a fight, because she had Marie and Leah to take care of now.
*******************************************************************
Marie pushed the stroller with Leah in it slowly from the shuttle terminal. Her tears for losing her favourite Aunt had passed, and now she only wondered if Leah would ever be able to remember her real mother, because she, herself, remembered little of her own mother, the woman named Leia Barton. Lady saw the rush of thoughts in Marie's eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder, if only to reassure her that it would be okay. Life changed so quickly, but Lady always passed it off as something that happened, something that came by accident. At this moment, she found herself believing that this was no accident. Fate dealt the cards now, and she could only play her hand. No more, no less.
*******************************************************************
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
What did I tell you? Random, unnecessary death. . And what's the
deal with this whole fate thing? YURUSHITE KUDASAI!!! I know it makes
almost no sense, but trust me, it gets worse. Brave soul. if you read
any farther.
January 19, 198 AC: LaGrange Point Five Colony
They sat silently as the priest performed the funeral ceremony, wearing mourning upon their shoulders, as another one they had loved was laid to rest. Noin sat trembling; thankful her dark veil shrouded her face so well, hiding the tears she shed as her husband's casket was lowered slowly into the ground. Lady could do nothing but think about the dream that had haunted her only a few nights ago. She had never believed in the afterlife before, but now, she found herself hoping, praying, for the sake of Treize and Zechs, that there really was one. A pleasant one. With that thought, she folded her hands and prayed silently, as now, before her, Zechs too lay forever entombed beneath a cold, grey stone.
"He's gone." Noin whispered the first words she had spoken since Zechs's funeral earlier that day. "All the hope I had, the dreams that now I would be happy. They're gone with him." Her voice broke at the final word. Lady could do nothing but try quietly to comfort her friend, knowing just how hard it was to lose the man you loved. Noin looked up, through tears she gave a sad attempt to smile. "I suppose, it was bound to be," she said, looking Lady straight in the eye. "He managed to escape death the first time, remember?" Lady smiled weakly, remembering the shock she had felt when the "dead" Zechs Merquise had walked into her office with the request that he become part of the Preventers Organization. Before she could let her mind wander further, Noin spoke again.
"I had always believed that he was alive somewhere. And I never gave up hope. And when he came back." she paused "I thought I'd be happy forever."
Lady saw the devastation in Noin's eyes, but she knew not how to comfort her, because there had been no one to comfort her when Treize had died. Noin spoke once more before her tears broke again. "I guess you just can't cheat fate twice."
"It'll be alright, Lucy," she said quietly. "Just have hope. You'll make it."
*******************************************************************
"LADY!" came a scream from down the hall. "LADY, HELP ME!!!!" It was Noin. She jumped up from her bed and flew across the hall, already half- afraid of what might have happened. Treize! Zechs! Une's mind was racing. Had they come to take Noin, too? Madness. There was no such place as the shadows. No ghosts existed. It's such a foolish conception, but - "LADY, PLEASE!" The scream tore her from her thoughts again. Lady, without a second of hesitation, burst into Noin's room.
There they stood. Treize. Zechs. Noin. "Too late, my Lady." Treize whispered and Noin stepped out of the shadows. Her image was distorted, like a broken doll, flesh torn like silk. Again, like so many times before, bile rose in Lady's throat as she tried to control a scream. Noin's voice was raspy, chilling.
"Lady, this is happiness, this is peace. I am here. Zechs is here. Treize is waiting for you. Come with us into the shadows, please." Lady was horrified, knowing of nothing else to do, she turned and fled the room, her pulse pounding beneath her skin.
"Lady, please don't run from me."
*******************************************************************
She awoke with a jolt. Another dream, she thought, shaking her head, but she had to make sure. "Make sure of what?" she asked herself. Great, she thought, realizing she spoke out loud. I am truly insane. Pulling on her robe, she left the guest bedroom Noin had prepared, making sure not to wake Mariemaia. Quietly, she slipped across the hall, to Lucy's room. Nothing. She was asleep, like most normal people at this hour of night. Lady went back to her room, wondering if she really had gone insane.
*******************************************************************
May 27, 199 AC
The phone was ringing impatiently, waking Lady from a well-needed afternoon nap. She had worked all morning without breaks, without breakfast or lunch, to make sure the office work got done before the June holidays. "Hello?" Lady answered groggily, just a bit irritable after being awakened from such peace. It was Sally on the other end, and what she told Lady almost made her drop the receiver.
"She's dead." Lady stumbled backwards onto the sofa, stunned with disbelief.
"What?"
"Lucrezia Noin Merquise is dead, Lady."
"How?" Sally sighed, clearly just as dismayed by the situation, and regretful that she had to be the one to deliver such bad news.
"It was an accident. An explosion after one of the tech labs on L5 leaked the new hydrogen based P-32 formula they had been working on. A spark blew half the building into. nothing." Lady had only one thought going through her head. The one she saw most important.
"Leah!"
"The baby girl is alive and well, Lady.We need you to take her in, you know, raise her, like you did Mariemaia. I'm sure Lucy would have wanted that." Lady hated having to use videophones because her emotions were always visible. Tears sprang before she had a chance to control them. Sally could do little to comfort her. "She's being taken care of by the Preventers on L5, could you go and pick her up as soon as you can?" Lady nodded and hung up. Suddenly, the terrible, unwavering feeling that she would be the next to fall into the shadows crept over her, causing her to tremble slightly. No, she wouldn't let that happen, she vowed silently. If fate wanted to take her, it would have to put up a fight, because she had Marie and Leah to take care of now.
*******************************************************************
Marie pushed the stroller with Leah in it slowly from the shuttle terminal. Her tears for losing her favourite Aunt had passed, and now she only wondered if Leah would ever be able to remember her real mother, because she, herself, remembered little of her own mother, the woman named Leia Barton. Lady saw the rush of thoughts in Marie's eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder, if only to reassure her that it would be okay. Life changed so quickly, but Lady always passed it off as something that happened, something that came by accident. At this moment, she found herself believing that this was no accident. Fate dealt the cards now, and she could only play her hand. No more, no less.
*******************************************************************
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
What did I tell you? Random, unnecessary death. . And what's the
deal with this whole fate thing? YURUSHITE KUDASAI!!! I know it makes
almost no sense, but trust me, it gets worse. Brave soul. if you read
any farther.