Seven

Sally straightened Zechs' outfit in silence and finished putting up his hair. She gazed at the reflection of the young man in the mirror, sighing quietly at seeing the dead expression on his face. “You'll be wonderful,” she told him softly.

“Thank you,” Zechs replied, voice devoid of feeling. He stood and exited the dressing room, heading towards the stage. The curtains were closed and the orchestra was warming up. The audience was ready for the musical to begin. Sally followed Zechs and stood offstage while the actors and dancers took their places on the covered stage. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a strongly built man slowly pacing the corridor slowly, keeping an eye on all areas. She frowned, realizing that the man was the Duchess's bodyguard.

Treize had completed his packing and was prepared to leave, to vanish without saying any goodbyes. But Duo's words from that afternoon nagged at him, and he walked to his window, staring in the direction of the Moulin Rouge. He knew that the musical was being preformed tonight. The theater was all decorated. Everyone was ready...

Before he left he had to find out for sure if Zechs had meant his words. He had to know if the pale-haired beauty truly hated him. With that goal in mind, he braced himself and headed out into the calm evening air. The storm had passed through during the early afternoon, leaving the sun to start drying up the wetness that covered the city. Now that the sun had set again, the air held a noticeable bit of dampness.

In his pocket he had stuffed the money he had received after turning in his typewriter. If Zechs truly was ending their relationship, he would make sure it would end properly. Feeling bitter, Treize hardened his gaze.

Once he managed to get into the building and slip backstage Treize looked around, creeping behind the scenery and taking peeks at the performance going on onstage. What he did not know was that the Duchess's bodyguard had spotted him and was following just a few feet behind. A run-in with a backstage crewmember delayed the bodyguard, and as Treize headed into the maze of the scenery the other man lost sight of him.

Duo headed up the scenery stairs. Getting into place, he muttered to himself about what had happened between Zechs and Treize. Heero was following behind but, timing as perfect as always, he stiffened, then keeled over and fell backwards down the stairs.

Treize was startled when Heero suddenly fell next to him. Taking a moment to consider, Treize hurriedly began removed the costume coat from Heero's form and slipped it on over his clothes. He made his way onstage and looked for Zechs. He had to speak with the man before he left.

A curtain still cloaked the back part of the stage even as the main curtain opened and the scene began to play. Treize looked to the side when he heard footsteps.

“I want you to answer me,” Treize told him, gripping Zechs' wrist tightly. Zechs winced at the pain but didn't protest. “Why did you pretend to love me, then, why?”

Angry, Treize threw Zechs' arm down hard, causing the pale-haired man to loose his balance and trip. Zechs looked up at him, hurt apparent in his eyes along with fear. But Treize ignored the emotions, still feeling too much pain himself.

In the first row Noin stiffened, glaring angrily as she spotted Treize onstage next to Zechs. She noticed her bodyguard just ducking offstage. When he looked at her, she nodded.

Dorothy blinked for a few moments, before she gathered herself together. “Ah! Even though he has donned a clever disguise I know who he is!” Dorothy hurried on, “It is that sneaking man driven mad by jealousy, the sitar-player!”

Treize glared one more time at Zechs and then walked forward across the stage, pulling the other along with him. From the corner of his eyes Zechs caught sight of light reflecting off of metal. “She's going to kill you!” he hissed at Treize. The writer didn't acknowledge him, pushing Zechs so that the man fell to his hands and knees. Duo, up above the stage on one of the beams, frowned, and then spotted the bodyguard taking aim at Treize with a gun.

“I get it now!” he exclaimed to himself. “He said he didn't love him to save him!” He blinked, confusing himself with that sentence. “Oh damn... my line... my line! What's my line?”

“Why? Everyone else did? Why shouldn't I?” Treize snapped at him. Face twisted in pain and anger, he bit out, “Thanks for curing me with my ridiculous obsession with love!” He walked backwards to the end of the stage. He stood tensely and stared icily at Noin. “I've paid my whore! He's yours now!” he shouted, taking off down the steps leading off the stage. Treize removed the costume coat and tossed it in the aisle as he walked. The audience watched with intense interest, still believing it some bizarre part of the play.

Suddenly, Duo fell from his perch and went swinging across the stage on a rope. Clinging on for dear life, he muttered, “Hey I know what it is!” He shouted after Treize, “The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return!” It was the first time that Duo had ever remembered the line correctly on his own.

Zechs stood onstage. Tears came to his eyes and fell quietly as a smile graced his face. Staring after Treize, he sang, “Never knew I could feel like this, like I've never seen the sky before. Want to vanish inside your kiss. Everyday I love you more and more. Listen to my heart, can't you hear it sing, to come back and forgive everything!” Zechs paused, breathing carefully as he stared at Treize's retreating form. “Seasons may change winter to spring, but I love you until the end of time. Come what may, come what may, I will love you until my dying day!”

Treize turned slowly, still unsure why Zechs had said what he had before, yet finding that it didn't matter. The words to their song, passing from Zechs' lips, was a plea for forgiveness. “Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place, suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace...”

“Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste...It all revolves around you...” Zechs responded, taking one step forward.

Breathing carefully, Treize began walking back towards the stage. Then he was running back onto the stage, slowing only as he neared Zechs. “And there's no mountain too high, no river too wide. Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side. Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide; but I love you until the end of time...”

“I'm so sorry...” Zechs whispered as they embraced one another tightly. The audience clapped loudly, and Treize kissed Zechs' cheek gently.

Zechs nodded as they parted. The dancers began the final number. Zechs and Treize kept one hand entwined with the other's.

Noin's expression was furious as she glared at the performance. She noted with pleasure, however, that her bodyguard was making his way across the stage behind the dancers. The man took aim but Duo knocked into him purposefully, sending the gun skidding across the stage. As the man followed it, another dancer kicked it away to prolong the chase.

Zechs began to sing his part but Noin's attention was focused on her bodyguard as he grabbed the gun again, this time aiming and firing. However Hilde, one of the front dancers, kicked his arm, sending the shot harmlessly into a piece of scenery. In the orchestra pit, Wufei stood up and crept towards the bodyguard. He punched the man in the face. The gun went flying across the stage, to land near the front.

“Diamonds are a, diamonds are a, diamonds are a... girl's best...” Zechs gasped, hand rising to his throat. There was an endless moment when all cast members looked at him in horror. Treize turned his head, a frown forming as he looked at his lover in confusion. But Zechs found his breath and finished, “friend....”

Noin stopped and turned around. “He is mine...” she hissed softly, rushing back towards the stage and grabbing the gun laying near the edge. She lifted it, beginning to aim, when she was gifted with a hard punch from Heero, who had just come on the stage. Noin fell back unconscious as the crowd cheered and clapped, even though they were clueless as to what really had occurred. The curtains closed.

Behind the curtain the lights had been dimmed, and everyone seemed to let out a sigh of relief. Zechs fell back. Treize caught him just before he hit the floor. “What's wrong?” Treize asked, worried by the extreme pallor of his lover's face and the heaving breaths that the man was taking.

Everyone seemed to step in just a bit more, staring at the two. Zechs began coughing and his hand rested over his chest as the pain continued. He gasped, then coughed again. This time blood appearing on his lips.

Attempting to smile, Zechs looked up at him with a pained gaze. “Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place... suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace...” He smiled, starting another coughing fit. Treize gripped Zechs closer to him, brushing his lips over the pale-haired man's forehead.

“I'm sorry... Treize...” Zechs breathed, still gasping for air. “I didn't mean... anything... this morning...” He coughed again.

“Shh... shh... stop it. Mirialdo, hold on...” He looked up. “Someone call a doctor!” he demanded. No one moved, making him furious, but Zechs tugged at his sleeve.

“No, Treize...” he whispered, smiling despite the pain showing on his face as he looked up at his lover. “Treize... I'm dying...”

Treize stared at him, disbelieving. He shook his head, making sounds of objection. Zechs eyes were filling with tears, even as his smile remained in place. The wetness trailed down his face as he looked into Treize's sapphire eyes.

“Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen,” he sang softly, laughing lightly. It sent him into another fit of coughing, more blood trickling near the end of his lip. Treize was watching him in pained horror, still shaking his head, not wanting to believe. “Promise me... Treize... you must... promise...” He gasped in pain, more coughs wracking his body.

Zechs smiled softly at him, shaking his head. “I'm sorry... I can't promise... that.” His lips trembled as he continued, “Promise... to live, Treize... live to tell our... our story...” He raised his hand up to touch his lover's cheek. Treize held his hand over Zechs' and stared down into the beautiful eyes that were slowly dimming. He nodded, throat too clogged for words.

Then, softly, Zechs began singing, “Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place... come what may... come what may... I will love you...” His voice grew softer with each word, and his eyes slowly closed. “Until my dying... day...”

Absolute silence covered the stage. No one even moved. Then Treize blinked, tears still falling slowly. “Mirialdo...?” he whispered. “Mirialdo?” He spoke louder. “Mirialdo!”

He shook the body in his arms. “...God... open... open your eyes!” he sobbed. He gripped the man to him, crying softly, biting back his sobs. Small noises of pain escaped his throat as he bit his lip, and held the cooling body tightly against his chest.

The next moment he was sobbing loudly, shouting wordlessly as he clutched his lover's dead body, pleading that it was all an act, that everything was an act. He cursed in every language he knew and cursed himself for ever doubting...

Treize continued to cry, continued to clutch Zechs' body, and remained that way for what seemed like decades. He knelt there, rocking back and forth with the body in his arms, tears streaming down his cheeks. He stayed there until exhaustion hit him and his throat was dry, and his tears were all cried out...

Treize stared at the final paragraph and at the final words. He leaned back, staring up at the ceiling as he fought tears yet again. A year had passed before he could begin the story he had promised Zechs. And in that year he had gone through hellish times with no end and cried until he thought he could never shed another tear. While life continued around him.


	Lionna's Corner of Anime Fanfiction \| home Gundam Wing fanfics The Moulin Rouge One \| Two \| Three \| Four \| Five \| Six \| Seven Seven ~ * ~ * ~ * Sally straightened Zechs' outfit in silence and finished putting up his hair. She gazed at the reflection of the young man in the mirror, sighing quietly at seeing the dead expression on his face. “You'll be wonderful,” she told him softly. “Thank you,” Zechs replied, voice devoid of feeling. He stood and exited the dressing room, heading towards the stage. The curtains were closed and the orchestra was warming up. The audience was ready for the musical to begin. Sally followed Zechs and stood offstage while the actors and dancers took their places on the covered stage. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a strongly built man slowly pacing the corridor slowly, keeping an eye on all areas. She frowned, realizing that the man was the Duchess's bodyguard. Treize had completed his packing and was prepared to leave, to vanish without saying any goodbyes. But Duo's words from that afternoon nagged at him, and he walked to his window, staring in the direction of the Moulin Rouge. He knew that the musical was being preformed tonight. The theater was all decorated. Everyone was ready... Before he left he had to find out for sure if Zechs had meant his words. He had to know if the pale-haired beauty truly hated him. With that goal in mind, he braced himself and headed out into the calm evening air. The storm had passed through during the early afternoon, leaving the sun to start drying up the wetness that covered the city. Now that the sun had set again, the air held a noticeable bit of dampness. In his pocket he had stuffed the money he had received after turning in his typewriter. If Zechs truly was ending their relationship, he would make sure it would end properly. Feeling bitter, Treize hardened his gaze. Once he managed to get into the building and slip backstage Treize looked around, creeping behind the scenery and taking peeks at the performance going on onstage. What he did not know was that the Duchess's bodyguard had spotted him and was following just a few feet behind. A run-in with a backstage crewmember delayed the bodyguard, and as Treize headed into the maze of the scenery the other man lost sight of him. The curtains closed as a break came so that crewmembers could quickly set up for the final scene. Duo headed up the scenery stairs. Getting into place, he muttered to himself about what had happened between Zechs and Treize. Heero was following behind but, timing as perfect as always, he stiffened, then keeled over and fell backwards down the stairs. Treize was startled when Heero suddenly fell next to him. Taking a moment to consider, Treize hurriedly began removed the costume coat from Heero's form and slipped it on over his clothes. He made his way onstage and looked for Zechs. He had to speak with the man before he left. A curtain still cloaked the back part of the stage even as the main curtain opened and the scene began to play. Treize looked to the side when he heard footsteps. Zechs stared at him, gasping. “What are you doing here?” “I want you to answer me,” Treize told him, gripping Zechs' wrist tightly. Zechs winced at the pain but didn't protest. “Why did you pretend to love me, then, why?” “Don't ask me about that!” Zechs pleaded, eyes pained. Angry, Treize threw Zechs' arm down hard, causing the pale-haired man to loose his balance and trip. Zechs looked up at him, hurt apparent in his eyes along with fear. But Treize ignored the emotions, still feeling too much pain himself. Suddenly the two were exposed onstage and bright lights glared over them. In the first row Noin stiffened, glaring angrily as she spotted Treize onstage next to Zechs. She noticed her bodyguard just ducking offstage. When he looked at her, she nodded. Dorothy blinked for a few moments, before she gathered herself together. “Ah! Even though he has donned a clever disguise I know who he is!” Dorothy hurried on, “It is that sneaking man driven mad by jealousy, the sitar-player!” The audience gave a few little laughs, finally understanding. Treize glared one more time at Zechs and then walked forward across the stage, pulling the other along with him. From the corner of his eyes Zechs caught sight of light reflecting off of metal. “She's going to kill you!” he hissed at Treize. The writer didn't acknowledge him, pushing Zechs so that the man fell to his hands and knees. Duo, up above the stage on one of the beams, frowned, and then spotted the bodyguard taking aim at Treize with a gun. “I get it now!” he exclaimed to himself. “He said he didn't love him to save him!” He blinked, confusing himself with that sentence. “Oh damn... my line... my line! What's my line?” “Here!” Treize shouted, flinging the money over Zechs. “Don't... you don't...” “Why? Everyone else did? Why shouldn't I?” Treize snapped at him. Face twisted in pain and anger, he bit out, “Thanks for curing me with my ridiculous obsession with love!” He walked backwards to the end of the stage. He stood tensely and stared icily at Noin. “I've paid my whore! He's yours now!” he shouted, taking off down the steps leading off the stage. Treize removed the costume coat and tossed it in the aisle as he walked. The audience watched with intense interest, still believing it some bizarre part of the play. Suddenly, Duo fell from his perch and went swinging across the stage on a rope. Clinging on for dear life, he muttered, “Hey I know what it is!” He shouted after Treize, “The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return!” It was the first time that Duo had ever remembered the line correctly on his own. The line made Treize stop. Zechs stood onstage. Tears came to his eyes and fell quietly as a smile graced his face. Staring after Treize, he sang, “Never knew I could feel like this, like I've never seen the sky before. Want to vanish inside your kiss. Everyday I love you more and more. Listen to my heart, can't you hear it sing, to come back and forgive everything!” Zechs paused, breathing carefully as he stared at Treize's retreating form. “Seasons may change winter to spring, but I love you until the end of time. Come what may, come what may, I will love you until my dying day!” Treize turned slowly, still unsure why Zechs had said what he had before, yet finding that it didn't matter. The words to their song, passing from Zechs' lips, was a plea for forgiveness. “Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place, suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace...” “Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste...It all revolves around you...” Zechs responded, taking one step forward. Breathing carefully, Treize began walking back towards the stage. Then he was running back onto the stage, slowing only as he neared Zechs. “And there's no mountain too high, no river too wide. Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side. Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide; but I love you until the end of time...” “I'm so sorry...” Zechs whispered as they embraced one another tightly. The audience clapped loudly, and Treize kissed Zechs' cheek gently. “Just explain to me later...” he whispered. Zechs nodded as they parted. The dancers began the final number. Zechs and Treize kept one hand entwined with the other's. Noin's expression was furious as she glared at the performance. She noted with pleasure, however, that her bodyguard was making his way across the stage behind the dancers. The man took aim but Duo knocked into him purposefully, sending the gun skidding across the stage. As the man followed it, another dancer kicked it away to prolong the chase. Zechs began to sing his part but Noin's attention was focused on her bodyguard as he grabbed the gun again, this time aiming and firing. However Hilde, one of the front dancers, kicked his arm, sending the shot harmlessly into a piece of scenery. In the orchestra pit, Wufei stood up and crept towards the bodyguard. He punched the man in the face. The gun went flying across the stage, to land near the front. Angered with the failure, Noin stormed out. “Diamonds are a, diamonds are a, diamonds are a... girl's best...” Zechs gasped, hand rising to his throat. There was an endless moment when all cast members looked at him in horror. Treize turned his head, a frown forming as he looked at his lover in confusion. But Zechs found his breath and finished, “friend....” Dorothy moved forward, ending with, “He is mine...” Noin stopped and turned around. “He is mine...” she hissed softly, rushing back towards the stage and grabbing the gun laying near the edge. She lifted it, beginning to aim, when she was gifted with a hard punch from Heero, who had just come on the stage. Noin fell back unconscious as the crowd cheered and clapped, even though they were clueless as to what really had occurred. The curtains closed. Behind the curtain the lights had been dimmed, and everyone seemed to let out a sigh of relief. Zechs fell back. Treize caught him just before he hit the floor. “What's wrong?” Treize asked, worried by the extreme pallor of his lover's face and the heaving breaths that the man was taking. Everyone seemed to step in just a bit more, staring at the two. Zechs began coughing and his hand rested over his chest as the pain continued. He gasped, then coughed again. This time blood appearing on his lips. “Someone call a doctor!” Treize shouted, panicked as he wiped the blood away. Zechs gripped his hand, shaking his head. “No... Treize,” he choked again, wincing. “Oh God, what's wrong? Mirialdo...?” He ran a hand over his lover's hair. Sally had come onto the stage and moved closer with Dorothy and Une. “Mirialdo...?” Treize's terror was leaking into his voice. Attempting to smile, Zechs looked up at him with a pained gaze. “Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place... suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace...” He smiled, starting another coughing fit. Treize gripped Zechs closer to him, brushing his lips over the pale-haired man's forehead. “What's going on...?” he whispered. “I'm sorry... Treize...” Zechs breathed, still gasping for air. “I didn't mean... anything... this morning...” He coughed again. “Shh... shh... stop it. Mirialdo, hold on...” He looked up. “Someone call a doctor!” he demanded. No one moved, making him furious, but Zechs tugged at his sleeve. “No, Treize...” he whispered, smiling despite the pain showing on his face as he looked up at his lover. “Treize... I'm dying...” Treize stared at him, disbelieving. He shook his head, making sounds of objection. Zechs eyes were filling with tears, even as his smile remained in place. The wetness trailed down his face as he looked into Treize's sapphire eyes. “Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen,” he sang softly, laughing lightly. It sent him into another fit of coughing, more blood trickling near the end of his lip. Treize was watching him in pained horror, still shaking his head, not wanting to believe. “Promise me... Treize... you must... promise...” He gasped in pain, more coughs wracking his body. “No! You're not dying!” Treize denied. Tears ran down his face as he stared down at the man he loved. “Stop... just promise me...” “What is it? I'll promise anything! Oh God, just don't die!” Zechs smiled softly at him, shaking his head. “I'm sorry... I can't promise... that.” His lips trembled as he continued, “Promise... to live, Treize... live to tell our... our story...” He raised his hand up to touch his lover's cheek. Treize held his hand over Zechs' and stared down into the beautiful eyes that were slowly dimming. He nodded, throat too clogged for words. Then, softly, Zechs began singing, “Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place... come what may... come what may... I will love you...” His voice grew softer with each word, and his eyes slowly closed. “Until my dying... day...” For a long time there was only silence. Absolute silence covered the stage. No one even moved. Then Treize blinked, tears still falling slowly. “Mirialdo...?” he whispered. “Mirialdo?” He spoke louder. “Mirialdo!” He shook the body in his arms. “...God... open... open your eyes!” he sobbed. He gripped the man to him, crying softly, biting back his sobs. Small noises of pain escaped his throat as he bit his lip, and held the cooling body tightly against his chest. The next moment he was sobbing loudly, shouting wordlessly as he clutched his lover's dead body, pleading that it was all an act, that everything was an act. He cursed in every language he knew and cursed himself for ever doubting... Treize continued to cry, continued to clutch Zechs' body, and remained that way for what seemed like decades. He knelt there, rocking back and forth with the body in his arms, tears streaming down his cheeks. He stayed there until exhaustion hit him and his throat was dry, and his tears were all cried out... ~ * ~ * ~ * Treize stared at the final paragraph and at the final words. He leaned back, staring up at the ceiling as he fought tears yet again. A year had passed before he could begin the story he had promised Zechs. And in that year he had gone through hellish times with no end and cried until he thought he could never shed another tear. While life continued around him. Time passed. Looking out the window, he could see the old sign for the Moulin Rouge. Treize typed slowly with trembling fingers. The last two words appeared on the paper: The End The Moulin Rouge Gundam Wing fanfics