dragonlady

Will You Follow Me Into Fire?

By: DragonLady

While I personally don't believe in the immortality of the soul, it is an interesting and effective literary tool. I don't mean to offend anyone, truly. If I do offend you or your religious beliefs, I'm sorry. Please don't flame me.
Hope you like it.
All standard disclaimers apply.

"Hey! Watch out!" Lady Une heard the baker scream, but it was too late. The two ton Mack truck couldn't stop in time. In a breath of air breaks and car horns, Lady Middie Une was gone.
"Where the Hell am I?" Une wondered aloud. "I was on the street, but now..." Une was in what looked to be Southern Arizona in a trailer park. There were silver trailers parked in a circle. One was marked The World, another Training, Costume, Quarters, Judgement and the last was marked Offices. Off to the side was a white staircase with a button marked Up. Next to it was a black elevator. The button next to it was marked Down. The band sitting nearby was practicing the funeral march. Une did not find that reassuring.
"You're in Purgatory." A small black man came over. He was wearing a mechanic's suit, with a blue baseball cap worn sideways. "You're dead. Now, if you'll come this way, to Heaven you go."
Oh, that makes sense. Une thought, alowing herself to be led to the staircase. I got hit by a truck, of course I'm dead. A thought struck her. Treize! If I'm going to Heaven, then I'll get to see Treize again!
"Push the button," The black man said cheerfully. Une did so. Harp music began to play. "Now just walk on up." The man said.
"Thank you for your help." Une grinned. Treize! Treize was waiting for her.
"No problem." Said the man. Une ran up the stairs. Treize, I'm coming! Une thought.
~*~
"Name? Last position held?" Saint Peter demanded.
"Lady Middie Une. Head of Preventers Intelligence Agency." Une responded.
"Your lifescore is 83%. Congradulations - You can enter Heaven. Welcome home." Peter said with a kind, peacefull smile. A glowing pair of wings appeared on her back. In a flash of golden light a halo appeared, and her uniform changed into a flowing white robe.
"Can you answer quesions?" Une asked.
"Yes, I can, Child." Peter responded.
"Is Treize inside?" Une asked.
"I can't tell you that. I'm sorry. You'll have to see for yourself." Peter said, and waved the Pearly Gates open. Une went inside.
It was like a family reunion. Her father, mother, her brother Otto, her uncles, aunts, grandparents, all the dead loved ones she'd missed. Une spent hours just catching up on old times. It was her mother who showed Une her quarters.
"Here's your TV, dear. All you do is turn it on and think about the person you want to see, and the TV will show you what they are doing now." Her mother explained.
"Like the ultimate spycam?" Une asked. Her mother nodded. "Where can it look?"
"Everywhere. Earth, other planets, inside suns - even though you could just as easily visit those places. The TV even shows Hell, though you'd never want to look there. The only thing it won't show is other people in Heaven - privacy, you understand." Une's mother explained. "In a week you'll recieve your duty - knowing your character as I do, you'll probably get Gaurdian Angel duty."
"Like a Celestial Bodygaurd." Une stated. Again, Une's mother nodded. "Mother, I'd love to stay, but I have to find Treize - I know I have all eternity to spend with him, but I don't want to wait- What?" Her mother's face had fallen at the mention of Treize's name.
"Middie, if you want to see Treize..." Une watched in shock as her mother picked up the remote. If he's not here, he must be alive- or- no! It can't be! Not Treize! He's so gentle, kind... there's no way! Une thought desperately. Une's mother turned on the TV.
On the screen appeared Treize. There was fire and boiling water all around him, along with suffering, emaciated people. Some screamed, some cried. Some souls just sat there, having experienced so much torture they no longer screamed. Treize screamed. He was being beaten with a metal-tipped lash by a daemon. Each hit brought a new stream of blood across his perfect back. Not perfect anymore, for Treize muscular health was gone, leaving only an thin, starved shell of the man Une knew. Good God, I can see his ribs! Une thought. No, not good God. No good creature would allow something like this to exist!
"It's their punnishment." Une's mother said, sensing her daughter's thoughts.
"And what did Treize ever do to deserve this?!" Une exploded. "He was always so kind, gentle... he loved humanity so much... What did he do to deserve to burn in Hell for all eternity?!"
"He manipulated people, killed without remorse, and started a war. He killed Noventa, a kind, good man, and ordered you to kill Dorlan, also a good soul."
"And I killed Dorlan! But I'm here and he's not!" Une yelled.
"But you showed remorse. Mariemaia, Saint Une... the Preventers... they were your redemption! Treize had none of these, and he did not repent. Not only that, he blasphemed God by saying He supported Oz's bloodbath. He earned his punnishment." Une's mother responded. "I'll leave you to think it over. St. Paul is expecting me at the Choir." With that Une's mother left.
Treize screamed again. The daemon was through beating him and had thrown him into a pit to be raped repeatedly by other men. For Treize, that was almost the worst torture possible. The worst torture for Treize, Une knew, was to watch it happening to one of his freinds and not be able to help. Though I sound like Wufei, there has been an injustice done here. And I'll set it right. Treize should be in Heaven. Peter's judgement be damned.
~*~
Getting weapons was simple. Angelic weapons were kept in the store in case they were needed. Getting out was another matter. Peter never left the Gates. He kept a strict watch on who went in and who went out. No angel was permitted to go to Hell without express permission from the Archangel. Seeing as ther was no way to sneak out, Une donned her glasses once more and decided upon the direct approach.
Une opened the Pearly Gates with a kick.
"Where are you going?" Peter demanded.
"I'm going to Hell, what does it look like?" Une snarled.
"That is-" Peter began.
"T.S., Pete. I'm going, and you aren't going to stop me." With a kick, Une sent Peter sprawling into Heaven. Une then chained the Pearly Gates shut.
"Is this Heaven?" A little man squeaked.
"Yeah. Take a number and shut up." Une snapped, and charged into Purgatory.
Une didn't even stop when she ran Rodgers down. She plowed through everyone and anyone who tried to stop her. Une went strait to the Hellevator.
"Push the button or I take you down with me." Une ordered. One of the band members hurried to oblige her. With a nod, the heavily-armed Une headed off to Hell. I've just ruined my chances of getting back into Heaven, I'll bet. But it doesn't matter. This is for His Excellency. Une thought.
Hell was locked when Une got there.
"Let me in or I'll blast down the door." Une yelled in her best drill-sergeant manner.
"N-n-no!" A demon stammered. "You'll take over."
"I'll do more than take over if you don't open the door, Sunshine. Now let me in, give me Treize and no one gets hurt. No?" With a thought, Une blasted down the recaltraint doors. "Now, take me to Treize Khushrenada!" Une ordered, holding her blade up to one demon's throat. Her wings flared in anger. "Or I'll see what demon anatomy looks like."
The demon took Une to Treize immediately.
Treize was being roasted alive when Une got there. Every once in a while, the flame would spout, brushing Treize's skin, leaving a nasty burn. When this happened, the tears in Treize's eyes would fall.
"Lady!" Treize gasped. "What are you doing here?" He screamed as the flame gushed higher, surrounding his torso.
"Your Excellency!" Une gasped, eyes filling at the sight of him. The heat, sulphur and screams Une had ignored took on a new meaning when Une saw Treize's nude, scarred body. "Let him down." Une demanded. The demon's paused. "Let him down!" Une commanded, choking on tears. Her sword blazed with light. The demons released Treize under the law of self-preservation. "I swore I'd follow you into fire." Une whispered to Treize, cradling him to her body. "How could I not save you from it? I love you." Une sobbed, in happiness that Treize was safe now, in pain for all that Treize had gone through these past five years.
"Now, now." A smooth voice purred. "You can't just barge in and start calling the shots, can you?"
"Satan." Treize gasped.
"That isn't what I came for. Treize doesn't belong here." Une stated, standing between Treize and the King of Hell.
"Saint Peter disagrees with you. He is mine to toy with. And such a pretty toy." Satan's voice rumbled, thick with evilness.
Une didn't hesitate. She attacked.
"I'll fight you for him!" Une yelled.
"Fair enough. If you loose, though, I get your soul as well. If you win, you both go free." The Devil drawled.
"Agreed." Une said.
"Carefull, Lady." Treize warned. "He cheats."
"So do I." Une responded.
The battle began slow, each swordsman sizing the other up. Then Satan lashed out with his rapier, slicing Une's wrist.
"First blood." Satan cooed. Reminds me of Tsubarov. Une thought.
The swordfight continued for three hours, blades clashing, ringing like bells. The movements were too fast for the eye to follow, giving no clue as to the victor. Then, without warning, the ground heaved beneath Lady Une at Satan's command. Une fell hard, the wind knocked out of her. Une's sword fell some distace away with a ridiculously cheerful tinkle.
"Welcome to Hellllllll!" Satan roared, lunging for Une, sword upraised, preparing to skewer Une to the ground.
"I'm sorry, Treize." Une whispered. It was over, she had lost.
"You tried, my dear Lady. I love you. At least we'll be together forever." Treize whispered, in that endless second before the end.
"You love me?" Une whispered. Treize nodded. Treize loves me. Treize loves me. And I love him... and Satan knows that. He's afraid. Une thought. Because... Love is the only thing that can defeat him.
Une lunged with all her might, Satan's sword cutting her leg from knee to ankle. Silver blood poured from the wound, staining the ground white.
"Everyone! Think of those you love! Don't let the demons frighten you! They have no power that you don't give them." Une shouted. The tormented souls stared.
"Come on! You want to be free, don't you?" Treize joined Une, thinking about Zechs and Une as hard and fully as he could.
"It's useless, my pets won't turn on me!" Satan growled smugly. "They are too weak, too cowardly! To docile! They have no spine."
"Yes we do!" Lt. Otto yelled. "I'm an Oz soldier. I won't be ordered by you! Only His Excellency and Zechs Merquise!" Otto focused on his wife, daughter and Zechs. Une thougt of Noin, Sally, Nicol, and, of course, Treize.
"Useless!" Satan bellowed. "Useless."
"If it's useless," Une said, "Than how come you aren't glowing anymore?"
"Yeah, he isn't glowing!" One man said. "No kidding!" Said another.
"Think of your loved ones!" Une yelled. "Think of how much you love them and want to see them. Think of them!"
One by one, each tormented soul thought of their family, their freinds. Slowly, person by person, thought by thought, a white glow began. It expanded, filling Hell with crystal music and light. The glow extingushed the flames and stilled the water. Each demon enveloped in the light dissapeared. At last the light encroached upon the Devil himself.
"Goodbye." Une said.
"Noooooo! I cannot be defeated! I am invincible! I am-" Satan bellowed. But the light overcame him and he too disappeared.
"Where have I heard that?" Treize muttered. "Lady." He said, turning to Une, "He wasn't glowing to begin with. How could he have stopped?"
"I know he wasn't glowing." Une responded, throwing her arms around Treize's healed torso. "But the others needed a reason to fight, to believe in themselves."
"Lady, you are something else." Treize chuckled.

"What an odd dream." Une remarked, head pounding.
"Hold still." Quatre ordered. "The paramedics are on their way. We thought we'd lost you for a minute there."
"Treize!" Une started, trying to sit up.
"Shhhhh. Treize is dead, Lady. You know that. Now sit still." Quatre ordered firmly, pushing Une down.
"Of course. He's dead." Une murmured, sinking to the ground. Her heart sank as well. He's still dead. It was all a dream. Hell, Satan, all of it. It was all a dream.
The EMTs rushed her to the hospital. There was no significant damage, just a few broked bones. After two hours, Une was ready to leave.
"Can I go now?" Une demanded of the technician that walked in.
"Of course," Treize responded, sapphire eyes shining, "Just as soon as you sign thses papers and put your clothes on."

Cool? Yes? No? Want to burn me at the stake? Tell me!