I was about to leave the cemetery when a startled voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Shinn? Shinn Asuka?"

I turned around and stared at the person suspiciously. He was quite tall, and had green-grayish hair. He had a bewildered expression on his face, almost bordering on comical. I felt my eyes widen when realization finally sank in.

It was the Executive Officer!

Arthur Trine laughed and clapped me in the back. I never really knew what happened to him after the Fall of Messiah. It was enough that I knew that he was alive, along with most of my friends from the Minerva crew.

"How are you, Shinn?" he asked happily. Then, without waiting for my answer, he plunged in. "So, is Lunamaria with you? Ha! I always thought you'd end up together! Oh, we really should have a reunion!"

I let a small smile form in my face at the thought of a reunion. "That would be…nice. I never knew I'd see you here. If I did, I'd have brought Luna along."

He smiled kindly and I supposed it was one of his very rare moments of wisdom, "Well, no one really knows what will happen in the future!"

Behind him, I caught a glimpse of the three epitaphs once more.

Maybe…

"Practically speaking, I don't really have a future."

But if one knows that he has no future, wouldn't it imply that he -knew- something about the future?

-

Chapter Five – Soothsaying

-

It was as if the Fates were waiting for the day when Rey had finally become aware of his unusual condition. After that, it seemed as if he aged much faster, the effects even more visible. Whence a year ago, he looked like a nine year-old, he now looked two years older. He had seemed to grow much more withdrawn and spent his days either playing the piano or reading books.

Rau glanced at him at the corner of his eyes. They were in the piano room which had now turned into something akin to an office, what with the oak desk that was placed in the corner and shelves and shelves of books lined along the walls. He was skimming through various reports and Rey was playing the piano as was normal.

The music suddenly stopped and Rau, by instinct, turned to look at Rey with a raised eyebrow. Rey had his back to him, but when he spoke, it was addressed directly to him. "I've always wondered… why you never play the piano. The only time you've touched it was when you taught me."

Rau let out a short, derisive laugh. "I'm a soldier, not a pianist."

"When I grow up, will I become like you?" Rey had asked in such a small voice that Rau had to strain his ears to hear it.

"Let's hope not," Rau answered in an inaudible voice, not quite sure whether he wanted Rey to hear him or not.

-

The darkness was consuming him. He could feel it. Each and every night that he went to sleep, he could hear it laughing tauntingly at him at the back of his head. And at day, he could feel it somewhere at the edge of his thoughts, waiting for nighttime to strike, when he was vulnerable.

He felt his chest twist painfully, and as he lifted up his hands to eye-level, he could see that they were shaking violently. His breathing was labored; it seemed that no matter how much he inhaled, air didn't seem to be filling up his lungs.

Beneath all the pain was an underlying question.

Was this one of his seizures?

Or was it fear?

Pure, primal fear.

He curled up on his bed. He bit his lip, so hard that he drew blood. He should be used to this by now. He should be. From the moment that he realized what it meant, he should have known that having them was as normal as breathing.

Breathing…

Who knew that breathing could be so hard?

But, nevertheless, he had never gotten used to it. There were times that he thought the pills were mere distractions. Sometimes, he entertained the idea that maybe it was a purely psychosomatic reaction. That, taking them would keep him busy and make him think that the pain was going away. But this time, it wasn't.

The pain seemed to strike back at him with a passion, and he could hear the derisive laughter coming from the darkness. His vision darkened, the pain intensified and the mocking laughter grew louder – he was back at that wretched room once more.

But this time, he was the one locked up in the room.

Rau Le Creuset was the one locked up and the darkness was all too consuming, with no one to open the door for him.

-

Throughout the course of their meal, silence had reigned supreme, with nothing but the gentle clink of their utensils on the porcelain plates. Life had changed considerably inside the house for the past months, subtle as it was.

Rey had noticed something different about Rau the past few days. No, not noticed – but, rather, he -felt- it. It baffled him as to why he was aware of what Rau was feeling, but chose to ignore it. He concluded that it must be somehow one of the 'effects' of having the same condition as him.

Rey felt something gnawing at his insides – telling him that something unsettling was happening – to him, to Rau, to everything. Sometimes, it was all too much for him to handle, all too much for his childlike perception to deal with.

Rau's voice broke into his thoughts. "Something bothering you?"

Rey lifted his head and stared at the person in front of him. Without hesitation, he nodded slowly. "I have this feeling… like something bad is going to happen."

Rau scrutinized him with a poker-face. Then, he shrugged casually. "Don't think about it too much." With that, he resumed eating.

But that was the thing, wasn't it? No matter how much Rey ignored the feeling, it still remained and was persistently knocking on the door to his thoughts. After much contemplation, he followed suit and resumed eating as well.

And for the rest of their meal, nothing else could be heard except for the gentle clink of their utensils on the porcelain plates.

-

Neither a hint of worry nor a trace of concern could be seen in Gilbert's features as he told Rau his observations for the past weeks, but they both knew otherwise. They had an unusual friendship – the two of them. At times it bordered on casual acquaintance, but oftentimes, it consisted of a deeper understanding of each other.

"He's worried," Gilbert noted after a quick glance at the lone child sitting on the swing in the middle of his garden.

Rau shrugged as he reached for his coffee mug. "So he is."

"Are the rumors true? About the Earth Forces declaring war against the PLANTs?" Gilbert asked as a little frown made its way into his forehead.

"They're just that: rumors," Rau answered matter-of-factly, with a sardonic expression on his face. "But judging from the current situation, I think that PLANT should be the one declaring war against the Earth."

Gilbert nodded reflectively. He knew of the 'situation' that Rau was talking about. In fact, the whole Coordinator population knew.

During a meeting with the representatives of the sponsor nations about the PLANTs' demand for complete autonomy and trade equality, the Supreme Council members were targeted by a terror attack, and one council member was slain. Blue Cosmos had claimed responsibility, but it then became clear that the sponsor nations were behind the attack.

"You should be more knowledgeable in the area," Rau commented with a pointed look. "You work for Patrick Zala, don't you?"

"As a genetic engineering scientist. Not as an army advisor," Gilbert answered with a chuckle. "But I suppose working directly under Zala could prove to be useful someday. Most especially when I need to put in a good word for someone…" he trailed off meaningfully, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Rau rolled his eyes. "All good that's going to bring you is that you get first-hand information."

"First-hand information, indeed. I suppose this situation that you speak of is driving you on edge," Gilbert commented with a sigh.

Rau smirked. "It's the beginning of the end for mankind."

"And that's what you wish for?" Gilbert asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No…" Rau lifted his trembling hands for his companion to see. "It's what -they- wish for."

-

At the sound of the familiar voice calling his name, Rey's head shot up. He immediately got off the swing and ran towards the two figures standing at the glass doors that led to Gilbert's living room.

"Are we leaving?" he asked Rau.

The man shook his head. "No, you'll be staying here." Rau knelt down in front of him and smiled. "Don't worry too much. I'll fetch you soon." Then he stood up and with a final smile, exited the room.

Rey felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. The nagging feeling was there again, telling him that something bad was going to happen. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

But it wasn't the usual blue eyes that met his gaze. It was Gilbert.

"He'll be back soon," Gilbert assured him, with that comforting smile of his.

Rey nodded. "May I play the piano?"

"I don't see why not," Gilbert answered amiably. He made his way to the shelves, picked out a book and settled on one of the couches.

As Rey placed his small fingers on top of the ivory keys, he couldn't help but feel a little relaxed – that particular activity never ceased to serve its purpose. It kept him busy and prevented his mind from straying towards adverse topics.

-

Soon.

The word had such a vague meaning, Rey realized. He had thought that he would only be spending a very short time at Gilbert's house. But already one month had passed, and Rau still hadn't fetched him.

Rey sighed and buried his head on his knees.

Maybe Rau's definition of 'soon' differed greatly from his.

He sighed once more.

He just couldn't go back to sleep after that dream – or nightmare. The memory was hazy and fuzzy but he remembered hearing Rau's voice. But it didn't sound like the voice that he was used to. Rau didn't laugh like that. And the things that man said, Rau didn't think like that.

Because…

…Rau was the first person to ever treat him like a human being, like an equal.

And all that he could do for the moment was to trust the one person that mattered…

…Even if that person changed.

-

"Gil, when someone tells you 'soon', what does it mean?"

"It means 'after a short time'."

"A short time?"

"Yes."

"Does Rau know it, too?"

"Of course."

"Then why isn't he here yet?"

"Maybe… he just has a lot on his mind."

"What about Talia? Will she be back 'soon'?"

"I…don't know."

"Gil?"

"You don't really know what 'soon' means, do you?"

"No, Rey. I guess not."

-

One month had passed since Rey moved in temporarily into Gilbert's house. Rau wasn't the sort to make calls for amiable chit-chat and so, Rey had settled for Gilbert's updates – news which he heard from his countless sources.

It was quite normal for Rey to feel worried; after all, Rau's work bordered on the life-threatening kind. Because of his curious nature, he had learned the subtle art of eavesdropping. He often heard Gilbert and Rau talking about some sort of 'plan', but it was vague and as such, didn't hold as much impact on him as one would expect.

However, there was still that nagging feeling that won't go away.

It was getting irksome, to say the least. It invaded his thoughts, wouldn't go away, wouldn't leave him alone. Rey tried his best to shake off the feeling, doing the one thing that he knew would keep himself from thinking those thoughts.

"Why did you stop playing, Rey?"

Rey blinked. It was only then that he noticed his still fingers resting on the ivory and ebony keys. "Oh, I'm sorry."

But for some reason, playing the piano didn't seem so distracting anymore.

-

Rau was currently spending a day off from his military duties and, as was expected, had opted to spend it at Gilbert's house. He didn't see the point of bringing Rey back into his house only to drag him back to Gilbert's house later.

Rare occasion as it was, Rey had been understandably excited and had spent the whole day with Rau, talking to him and telling him everything that crossed his child-like mind. And after dinner, he asked Rau to listen to one of the tunes that he composed. The music was very appealing, and yet, somewhat sad… kind of like Rey, himself.

And now, Gilbert and Rau were watching the late-evening news. Rey had fallen asleep on the other couch. It had been a long day and the child looked tired, but happy. If it weren't for Rau telling him to go to sleep, Rey would have stayed up even later.

Gilbert stared at the grim expression on the news anchor's face.

"Today, the Earth Alliance had formally declared war against the PLANTs…"

Beside him, Rau's smirk became wider.

"Is this what you meant when you asked me?" Gilbert asked quietly.

Rau only shrugged his shoulders in response.

The black-haired man sighed. "I don't think this is right."

"What is right, anyway?" Rau scoffed. "Don't tell me that you didn't know what I intended to do from the beginning."

Gilbert frowned. "I had my suspicions, yes. But don't you think this is too…radical?"

"Drastic measures must be made to ensure change."

"What about Rey?"

Rau closed his eyes for a moment and stood up. He approached the sleeping child, knelt beside him and stroked his hair. A pained expression appeared on his face for a moment. The apparent hopelessness and despondency was unnerving.

"This is all for him…

…For his future."

-

-

Author's Notes: First, a word of THANKS to the following people who read and reviewed: koyuki-san, elvengirl-10, and Yzak-Freak, in particular

And a big THANK YOU to my best friend/critic/beta-reader: Lia lostsmile.

If you're up for something thought-provoking and unusual, go read her fic, 'That Summer'.

So… now, where moving forward! I watched Destiny again and I thought that, Gilbert knew of Rau's plan… or most of it. Hehe. You'll see soon enough what I have planned for them both and how their respective 'evil schemes' fall into place.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would leave a review. After all, how the heck am I supposed to know if I'm doing this right or if someone's reading this? Comments and constructive criticisms are highly appreciated and regarded. I like the idea that I am managing to fill in the plot-holes that the writer/s of Destiny had so conveniently left gaping.

Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year!