Autumn Leaving Chapter 3
Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2002 1:39 pm
Everyone still confused? *looks at the mass of questions marks floating over peoples heads* Ah....Good! ^_^
?Quatre,? he repeated flatly, a simple pronunciation holding no remembrance. There was nothing to remember. Lying!
If the blonde man was disappointed by his lack of reaction he didn?t show it. Instead, Quatre leaned down and offered him his hand, the gesture so full of simple kindness that Adin took it before thinking about it. In an instant he was on his feet and Quatre was smiling at him with that smile made of pure sunshine. How could he be so happy? Everything was all wrong.
?It?s not wrong, Heero,? Quatre said, his blue gaze very gentle. Platinum locks brushed across his nose in a sudden burst of fragrant wind. ?Just unexpected. You weren?t likely to be here for awhile, you know.?
The soft words pouring from this strange man?s mouth were too much.
?I?m not Heero,? he snapped, unrepentant even in the face of Quatre?s sudden frown. ?And I don?t even know where here is!?
There was a moment of pure silence that was filled with wind and petals and confusion. Adin?s head suddenly hurt and he lifted a hand to press his palm against his temple. What was happening? Was he dreaming? This couldn?t be real. She was lying. She had to be.
Everything was a lie.
?It hurts,? Quatre said knowingly, sympathy written clearly across his face. ?It doesn?t usually, but this isn?t your time. Everything will be different.?
Adin glanced at him. ?A minute ago, there was a woman?? He trailed off, finding no words to describe her. Luckily, it didn?t seem to matter, this Quatre seemed to know exactly who he was talking about.
?You?ve seen Relena,? he replied, nodding as if it was something so anticipated he had barely given it thought. ?That?s why you?re here then, with me.?
Adin frowned, a line appearing in the middle of his forehead. ?What??
?You felt incredible pain, didn?t you? It?s because you were ripped away and dropped here. You can?t be with her yet. It?s not the right time.?
A flash of something, something old overtook him and for a moment he did not see a pale-haired stranger before him. He saw a comrade, someone he had fought beside and respected. ?When, Quatre? When will it be the right time?? His voice came out deeper, with an air of darkness and mystery that surprised him. He felt very odd, as if he wasn?t quite aligned within himself, as if part of him was out.
Quatre?s eyes filled with tears at the sound of the familiar voice and he looked almost heartbroken. ?I don?t know, Heero. No one does. We can only wait and see.? Adin felt himself nod and the action brought him back to himself, the otherworldly presence vanishing for the moment. He blinked rapidly and took deep breaths to slow his suddenly racing heart. He didn?t bother to correct Quatre?s misuse of his name. For a moment, he had been Heero.
She?s lying! his inner voice yelled, but there was definitely a desperate tone to it now.
He closed his eyes, tired of feeling confused, tired of not knowing what was happening to him. Just tired. Quatre, with the infinite kindness he had come to see in the other man, let him stand there a moment, wind tangling in his hair, petals brushing against his cheeks. Only after a few minutes of calming silence did the other man speak again.
?It?s not easy to explain,? he said quietly, his voice no louder than the wind rushing around them. Adin opened his eyes. ?There are so many lives, it?s hard to remember them separately.? Bright blue eyes met dark cobalt. ?Some lives mean more than others, in terms of the soul. Some lives make us, and some break us. It is a cycle.? Quatre paused and pain flared briefly across his face. It made Adin wonder to see it. ?You see, I?m here now, as Relena is, but the others?they are gone and they will not be back until it is time.?
?The?others?? There was something familiar about the implied group. The other Adin, the darker Adin, seemed to be able to conjure images of the people Quatre spoke of.
?Yes,? Quatre replied, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He was barefoot too, Adin noticed absently. ?Trowa, Catherine, Duo, Hilde, Wufei, Sally and Ms. Noin. They are all out there, in the place you were. The place called Life. Different now, of course, but still there.?
Adin stiffened, the breeze seeming suddenly chill. Quatre watched him with large eyes though he sported no readable expression.
?If?I was in Life,? he said slowly, holding Quatre?s gaze. ?Then, does that mean I?m?dead?? The very thought threatened to dissolve everything he was. Even if it were true, his mind would not comprehend it. There was nothing after death. Nothing.
The world was cruel.
?Not yet,? Quatre corrected, ?If you were, you would be here fully, with all your memories and?you would be able to be with Relena without tearing the fabric of space and time.? At Adin?s unbelieving look, Quatre tried to clarify. ?There is a law, Heero, one as old as the galaxy itself. It does not fade and it does not change though we would wish it so. You?ve been born apart from your soul mate, something that happens to all of us. For what reason, I can?t say. To learn something, perhaps. While you still live, you can?t be with Relena until your life has ended and you have learned the lesson you were born to learn.? Quatre searched for the words. ?Every soul needs experiences, it?s what helps us to grow. It?s why we live.?
?I see,? Adin said flatly, ?I?m suppose to learn something from my life. What it is, no one seems to know, but I have to learn it.? He paused, a thought occurring to him. ?What if I don?t??
Quatre?s boyish face became dead serious. ?Don?t say that, Heero. Do you want Relena to hear??
Adin blinked. ?She can hear us??
?If she wants.? Quatre looked at him steadily, his hidden strength coming to the surface. ?It will kill her, you know, if you are separated again. I suggest you learn whatever it is you are suppose to and return to us.?
Adin could not even fathom a reply.
And as it was, he didn?t have to. Quatre took a step back and the wind abruptly roared into the flower field between them, whipping up a flurry of petals and full blossoms, the gale tugging at the hem of Adin?s shirt and his dark hair. Quatre, his hands still in his pockets began speaking but the steady gusts blew his words away as soon as they left his lips. Adin tried to take a step forward to close the space between them so they could hear but the air had become a wall and he was unable to move. He struggled to understand the other man?s words.
?Quatre!? he shouted, shielding his face with his hands as the rain of petals became a torrent, a hurricane of flowers. The boyish face he could barely see smiled at him.
?Remember.?
Everything was flowers.
And then it was not.
The world gave a lurch before shimmering back into existence around him. The field was gone and, instead, he stood in the middle of the ocean. That, of course, was strange all on its own but what was more, the water only came up to his knees.
Adin gazed incredulously down at his feet, watching with amazement at the ripples that floated away with his every movement. He could see his toes.
There were no waves.
An endless expanse of deep blue water and he stood in the middle of it. The sky above so bright a color it almost hurt his eyes.
?Is this Death?? he questioned quietly, not knowing why he voiced the question aloud. He rarely allowed himself to question his own mind. It bothered him when he didn?t have the answers.
?No, it?s not, but then again, you always were obsessed with it. It?s no wonder you see it everywhere.?
Adin spun as quickly as he could, submerged as he was. Water rushed around his feet and he felt himself still as he took in the figure before him. The man was magnificent and daunting, though Adin felt no fear of him. He was wearing a uniform of some sort, a splendid white that set off the color of his white-blonde hair. Icy blue eyes gazed out of a face that was not used to showing emotion but seemed chiseled out of stone. This soldier, for that was what he must be, held a naked sword in his hand, his unusually long hair drifting around him in a wind Adin nether heard nor felt.
The warrior was standing on the water?s surface.
Adin looked down at his own feet, his quick mind deducing the reason even as the other man spoke it.
?You?re only half here.?
Adin raised his eyes and felt, for the second time, a heaviness that settled over him like a blanket, a part of himself reawakening to the world. For the moment, Adin was lost.
Heero was found.
?Zechs,? he greeted flatly.
The other man raised his sword briefly in a salute. ?Heero, it has been a long time.?
?It will be longer still.?
?Yes.?
Heero looked away for a moment, out over the expanse of silent water to the horizon far in the distance. His gaze, when it returned to Zechs, was troubled.
?I can?t remember yet.?
Zechs nodded, his deep voice reverberating in the very air. ?I know. It?s why I came.?
Heero smirked. ?Good. If I am to be beaten, I want it to be you.? He shivered suddenly and squinted, as if the day were too bright for him. ?I must go, I?m not strong enough.?
The heaviness lifted and Adin returned, blinking. Zechs regarded him for a moment, almost curiously. Adin was only confused.
?Who are you??
Zechs smiled, the only smile he could remember since his last lifetime when she had still been with him.
?I?ve come to kill you.?
TBC?
?Quatre,? he repeated flatly, a simple pronunciation holding no remembrance. There was nothing to remember. Lying!
If the blonde man was disappointed by his lack of reaction he didn?t show it. Instead, Quatre leaned down and offered him his hand, the gesture so full of simple kindness that Adin took it before thinking about it. In an instant he was on his feet and Quatre was smiling at him with that smile made of pure sunshine. How could he be so happy? Everything was all wrong.
?It?s not wrong, Heero,? Quatre said, his blue gaze very gentle. Platinum locks brushed across his nose in a sudden burst of fragrant wind. ?Just unexpected. You weren?t likely to be here for awhile, you know.?
The soft words pouring from this strange man?s mouth were too much.
?I?m not Heero,? he snapped, unrepentant even in the face of Quatre?s sudden frown. ?And I don?t even know where here is!?
There was a moment of pure silence that was filled with wind and petals and confusion. Adin?s head suddenly hurt and he lifted a hand to press his palm against his temple. What was happening? Was he dreaming? This couldn?t be real. She was lying. She had to be.
Everything was a lie.
?It hurts,? Quatre said knowingly, sympathy written clearly across his face. ?It doesn?t usually, but this isn?t your time. Everything will be different.?
Adin glanced at him. ?A minute ago, there was a woman?? He trailed off, finding no words to describe her. Luckily, it didn?t seem to matter, this Quatre seemed to know exactly who he was talking about.
?You?ve seen Relena,? he replied, nodding as if it was something so anticipated he had barely given it thought. ?That?s why you?re here then, with me.?
Adin frowned, a line appearing in the middle of his forehead. ?What??
?You felt incredible pain, didn?t you? It?s because you were ripped away and dropped here. You can?t be with her yet. It?s not the right time.?
A flash of something, something old overtook him and for a moment he did not see a pale-haired stranger before him. He saw a comrade, someone he had fought beside and respected. ?When, Quatre? When will it be the right time?? His voice came out deeper, with an air of darkness and mystery that surprised him. He felt very odd, as if he wasn?t quite aligned within himself, as if part of him was out.
Quatre?s eyes filled with tears at the sound of the familiar voice and he looked almost heartbroken. ?I don?t know, Heero. No one does. We can only wait and see.? Adin felt himself nod and the action brought him back to himself, the otherworldly presence vanishing for the moment. He blinked rapidly and took deep breaths to slow his suddenly racing heart. He didn?t bother to correct Quatre?s misuse of his name. For a moment, he had been Heero.
She?s lying! his inner voice yelled, but there was definitely a desperate tone to it now.
He closed his eyes, tired of feeling confused, tired of not knowing what was happening to him. Just tired. Quatre, with the infinite kindness he had come to see in the other man, let him stand there a moment, wind tangling in his hair, petals brushing against his cheeks. Only after a few minutes of calming silence did the other man speak again.
?It?s not easy to explain,? he said quietly, his voice no louder than the wind rushing around them. Adin opened his eyes. ?There are so many lives, it?s hard to remember them separately.? Bright blue eyes met dark cobalt. ?Some lives mean more than others, in terms of the soul. Some lives make us, and some break us. It is a cycle.? Quatre paused and pain flared briefly across his face. It made Adin wonder to see it. ?You see, I?m here now, as Relena is, but the others?they are gone and they will not be back until it is time.?
?The?others?? There was something familiar about the implied group. The other Adin, the darker Adin, seemed to be able to conjure images of the people Quatre spoke of.
?Yes,? Quatre replied, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He was barefoot too, Adin noticed absently. ?Trowa, Catherine, Duo, Hilde, Wufei, Sally and Ms. Noin. They are all out there, in the place you were. The place called Life. Different now, of course, but still there.?
Adin stiffened, the breeze seeming suddenly chill. Quatre watched him with large eyes though he sported no readable expression.
?If?I was in Life,? he said slowly, holding Quatre?s gaze. ?Then, does that mean I?m?dead?? The very thought threatened to dissolve everything he was. Even if it were true, his mind would not comprehend it. There was nothing after death. Nothing.
The world was cruel.
?Not yet,? Quatre corrected, ?If you were, you would be here fully, with all your memories and?you would be able to be with Relena without tearing the fabric of space and time.? At Adin?s unbelieving look, Quatre tried to clarify. ?There is a law, Heero, one as old as the galaxy itself. It does not fade and it does not change though we would wish it so. You?ve been born apart from your soul mate, something that happens to all of us. For what reason, I can?t say. To learn something, perhaps. While you still live, you can?t be with Relena until your life has ended and you have learned the lesson you were born to learn.? Quatre searched for the words. ?Every soul needs experiences, it?s what helps us to grow. It?s why we live.?
?I see,? Adin said flatly, ?I?m suppose to learn something from my life. What it is, no one seems to know, but I have to learn it.? He paused, a thought occurring to him. ?What if I don?t??
Quatre?s boyish face became dead serious. ?Don?t say that, Heero. Do you want Relena to hear??
Adin blinked. ?She can hear us??
?If she wants.? Quatre looked at him steadily, his hidden strength coming to the surface. ?It will kill her, you know, if you are separated again. I suggest you learn whatever it is you are suppose to and return to us.?
Adin could not even fathom a reply.
And as it was, he didn?t have to. Quatre took a step back and the wind abruptly roared into the flower field between them, whipping up a flurry of petals and full blossoms, the gale tugging at the hem of Adin?s shirt and his dark hair. Quatre, his hands still in his pockets began speaking but the steady gusts blew his words away as soon as they left his lips. Adin tried to take a step forward to close the space between them so they could hear but the air had become a wall and he was unable to move. He struggled to understand the other man?s words.
?Quatre!? he shouted, shielding his face with his hands as the rain of petals became a torrent, a hurricane of flowers. The boyish face he could barely see smiled at him.
?Remember.?
Everything was flowers.
And then it was not.
The world gave a lurch before shimmering back into existence around him. The field was gone and, instead, he stood in the middle of the ocean. That, of course, was strange all on its own but what was more, the water only came up to his knees.
Adin gazed incredulously down at his feet, watching with amazement at the ripples that floated away with his every movement. He could see his toes.
There were no waves.
An endless expanse of deep blue water and he stood in the middle of it. The sky above so bright a color it almost hurt his eyes.
?Is this Death?? he questioned quietly, not knowing why he voiced the question aloud. He rarely allowed himself to question his own mind. It bothered him when he didn?t have the answers.
?No, it?s not, but then again, you always were obsessed with it. It?s no wonder you see it everywhere.?
Adin spun as quickly as he could, submerged as he was. Water rushed around his feet and he felt himself still as he took in the figure before him. The man was magnificent and daunting, though Adin felt no fear of him. He was wearing a uniform of some sort, a splendid white that set off the color of his white-blonde hair. Icy blue eyes gazed out of a face that was not used to showing emotion but seemed chiseled out of stone. This soldier, for that was what he must be, held a naked sword in his hand, his unusually long hair drifting around him in a wind Adin nether heard nor felt.
The warrior was standing on the water?s surface.
Adin looked down at his own feet, his quick mind deducing the reason even as the other man spoke it.
?You?re only half here.?
Adin raised his eyes and felt, for the second time, a heaviness that settled over him like a blanket, a part of himself reawakening to the world. For the moment, Adin was lost.
Heero was found.
?Zechs,? he greeted flatly.
The other man raised his sword briefly in a salute. ?Heero, it has been a long time.?
?It will be longer still.?
?Yes.?
Heero looked away for a moment, out over the expanse of silent water to the horizon far in the distance. His gaze, when it returned to Zechs, was troubled.
?I can?t remember yet.?
Zechs nodded, his deep voice reverberating in the very air. ?I know. It?s why I came.?
Heero smirked. ?Good. If I am to be beaten, I want it to be you.? He shivered suddenly and squinted, as if the day were too bright for him. ?I must go, I?m not strong enough.?
The heaviness lifted and Adin returned, blinking. Zechs regarded him for a moment, almost curiously. Adin was only confused.
?Who are you??
Zechs smiled, the only smile he could remember since his last lifetime when she had still been with him.
?I?ve come to kill you.?
TBC?