Fic: War in Heaven
Title: War in Heaven
Summary: Doctor Who/Umineko no Naku Koro ni crossover. It involves Romana. There are probably spoilers for ‘The End of Time’ and potentially the later arcs of Umineko. Continuation of ‘Chain’.
Rated: PG, I guess?
Word count: 789
Warnings: As I said, spoilers. Also potential sapphic subtext.
Notes: Because this was one of the few things about ‘The End of Time’ that I consistently liked all the way through.
War in Heaven
The sky and sea were grey on this morning. A storm was whipping up along the Sea of Japan and in the Straits of Shimonoseki.
In the mansions on Rokkenjima Beatrice stood brooding. It had been so long since that time, since the Ushiromiyas…where was Battler now? -where was Ange? Burned into the oblivion of the centuries. The whole of the island was hers now, hers and her demons’, the empire of the bream and the seagull.
‘Good morning, my Lady Beatrice,’ said Ronove.
‘Ah, Ronove,’ said Beatrice. ‘It’s good to see you. Did you see if Romana was awake yet?’
Ronove nodded. ‘Yes, Lady Beatrice. Lady Romana is out in the rose garden by the cliffs.’
‘I see. Thank you, Ronove.’
Beatrice went out into the gardens and came to the place along the cliff tops. Romana stood looking out over rose-bushes, out at the great dark sea.
‘They fell, you know.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Beatrice said.
‘My people,’ said Romana. ‘The Time Lords.’ She sighed. ‘You have had your embarrassments and degradations, Beatrice, but you cannot imagine what it was like on that day…’ She spun round and clung to Beatrice’s shoulder. ‘Listen,’ she said. ‘Just…see if you can even imagine.’
‘All right,’ Beatrice said in some confusion, unused to Romana’s emotional baggage and occasional verbal tirades. Romana was like a millennia-old Maria, or a Natsuhi who could do real damage. Beatrice liked her a lot. ‘Tell me.’
‘Imagine Hell,’ said Romana. ‘Imagine…imagine a First Twilight that never ends. One that covers the whole of time and space. Now imagine that you are in the centre of that, that you are serving in a war with the founder of your civilisation…and imagine that he shows himself to be evil, evil beyond imagining.’
‘Oh, believe me,’ said Beatrice, ‘I know all about evil benefactors from Lambda. She…’
‘Now imagine,’ interrupted Romana, ‘that you try to escape from the end of that…that he tries to bring you out…but that the only way out involves destroying the whole of the universe, again. And imagine getting sent back to Hell, because that’s the only way to save it all from happening, eternally, over and over…’
‘And that’s what you did?’
Romana shook her head. ‘That’s what I escaped. In the last moment of this last history I threw myself out of the slaughter. I just…’ She shook her head and shrugged. ‘I just jumped.’
‘Where to?’
‘I don’t know. An art gallery somewhere, belonging to a friend of mine, and then here.’ Romana swept her hand out over Japan’s Inland Sea. ‘The sea.’ She took a breath. ‘Gallifrey didn’t have oceans, you know.’
‘Really?’ said Beatrice.
‘No, more sort of just…marshes. Huge marshes.’ Romana spread her arms wide. ‘Like from here to Los Angeles, one just big…marsh. A bit like Delta Magna, actually.’
‘What?’
‘Never mind.’ Romana clapped her hands together. ‘So that’s me!’
‘You’ll be happy to know,’ said Beatrice, carefully dodging the subject of Romana’s traumas, ‘that I have visited London recently.’
‘Oh?’
‘Donna Temple-Noble has her memories back.’
‘Oh!’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘I didn’t know the woman,’ said Romana. ‘Now, the Doctor likely would thank you…if I knew where he…’ She flopped down on her back and looked up at the grey sky.
‘Missing him?’ asked Beatrice.
Romana did not answer. Beatrice saw that she was crying a little. The Golden Witch knelt down and took Romana’s hand in hers. ‘Hey,’ said Beatrice. ‘You’re alive. It’ll be all right. Where there is…’
‘Oh, don’t say something trite,’ snapped Romana. ‘You know, it was awkward when I regenerated into a form that looked so much like his mother! I mean…you can understand how it would be.’
‘You said you had a history of regenerating into other people’s forms,’ said Ronove.
‘Ronove?’ said Romana. ‘When did you get here? -how long have you been standing there?’
Ronove shrugged. ‘Oh, about…ten minutes.’ He extended a hand to help Romana to her feet.
Once back upright, Romana flung herself into Beatrice’s arms.
‘R-Romana?’ asked Beatrice. ‘Is there something…uh…could you just, er…what’s wrong?’
‘Beatrice,’ said Romana, ‘I’m…so sad.’
‘I know,’ said Beatrice. ‘I understand. I…I’m sad too. And I feel so guilty for so much.’
‘Don’t.’ Romana’s nails clenched into Beatrice’s exposed shoulder blades. ‘Don’t, Beatrice, you did those things, but…there are reasons.’ She squeezed Beatrice to her. ‘People…we have our reasons, Beatrice. I used to think that some things were unforgivable-I still think they might be. -But right now, I feel as if I could forgive anyone for anything.’
‘You’re a good person, Romana,’ said Beatrice.
‘Beatrice…’ said Romana. ‘You’re a good person, too…helping us, helping me with all this, getting through all this…Beatrice, I’m so glad I met you.’
Summary: Doctor Who/Umineko no Naku Koro ni crossover. It involves Romana. There are probably spoilers for ‘The End of Time’ and potentially the later arcs of Umineko. Continuation of ‘Chain’.
Rated: PG, I guess?
Word count: 789
Warnings: As I said, spoilers. Also potential sapphic subtext.
Notes: Because this was one of the few things about ‘The End of Time’ that I consistently liked all the way through.
War in Heaven
The sky and sea were grey on this morning. A storm was whipping up along the Sea of Japan and in the Straits of Shimonoseki.
In the mansions on Rokkenjima Beatrice stood brooding. It had been so long since that time, since the Ushiromiyas…where was Battler now? -where was Ange? Burned into the oblivion of the centuries. The whole of the island was hers now, hers and her demons’, the empire of the bream and the seagull.
‘Good morning, my Lady Beatrice,’ said Ronove.
‘Ah, Ronove,’ said Beatrice. ‘It’s good to see you. Did you see if Romana was awake yet?’
Ronove nodded. ‘Yes, Lady Beatrice. Lady Romana is out in the rose garden by the cliffs.’
‘I see. Thank you, Ronove.’
Beatrice went out into the gardens and came to the place along the cliff tops. Romana stood looking out over rose-bushes, out at the great dark sea.
‘They fell, you know.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Beatrice said.
‘My people,’ said Romana. ‘The Time Lords.’ She sighed. ‘You have had your embarrassments and degradations, Beatrice, but you cannot imagine what it was like on that day…’ She spun round and clung to Beatrice’s shoulder. ‘Listen,’ she said. ‘Just…see if you can even imagine.’
‘All right,’ Beatrice said in some confusion, unused to Romana’s emotional baggage and occasional verbal tirades. Romana was like a millennia-old Maria, or a Natsuhi who could do real damage. Beatrice liked her a lot. ‘Tell me.’
‘Imagine Hell,’ said Romana. ‘Imagine…imagine a First Twilight that never ends. One that covers the whole of time and space. Now imagine that you are in the centre of that, that you are serving in a war with the founder of your civilisation…and imagine that he shows himself to be evil, evil beyond imagining.’
‘Oh, believe me,’ said Beatrice, ‘I know all about evil benefactors from Lambda. She…’
‘Now imagine,’ interrupted Romana, ‘that you try to escape from the end of that…that he tries to bring you out…but that the only way out involves destroying the whole of the universe, again. And imagine getting sent back to Hell, because that’s the only way to save it all from happening, eternally, over and over…’
‘And that’s what you did?’
Romana shook her head. ‘That’s what I escaped. In the last moment of this last history I threw myself out of the slaughter. I just…’ She shook her head and shrugged. ‘I just jumped.’
‘Where to?’
‘I don’t know. An art gallery somewhere, belonging to a friend of mine, and then here.’ Romana swept her hand out over Japan’s Inland Sea. ‘The sea.’ She took a breath. ‘Gallifrey didn’t have oceans, you know.’
‘Really?’ said Beatrice.
‘No, more sort of just…marshes. Huge marshes.’ Romana spread her arms wide. ‘Like from here to Los Angeles, one just big…marsh. A bit like Delta Magna, actually.’
‘What?’
‘Never mind.’ Romana clapped her hands together. ‘So that’s me!’
‘You’ll be happy to know,’ said Beatrice, carefully dodging the subject of Romana’s traumas, ‘that I have visited London recently.’
‘Oh?’
‘Donna Temple-Noble has her memories back.’
‘Oh!’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘I didn’t know the woman,’ said Romana. ‘Now, the Doctor likely would thank you…if I knew where he…’ She flopped down on her back and looked up at the grey sky.
‘Missing him?’ asked Beatrice.
Romana did not answer. Beatrice saw that she was crying a little. The Golden Witch knelt down and took Romana’s hand in hers. ‘Hey,’ said Beatrice. ‘You’re alive. It’ll be all right. Where there is…’
‘Oh, don’t say something trite,’ snapped Romana. ‘You know, it was awkward when I regenerated into a form that looked so much like his mother! I mean…you can understand how it would be.’
‘You said you had a history of regenerating into other people’s forms,’ said Ronove.
‘Ronove?’ said Romana. ‘When did you get here? -how long have you been standing there?’
Ronove shrugged. ‘Oh, about…ten minutes.’ He extended a hand to help Romana to her feet.
Once back upright, Romana flung herself into Beatrice’s arms.
‘R-Romana?’ asked Beatrice. ‘Is there something…uh…could you just, er…what’s wrong?’
‘Beatrice,’ said Romana, ‘I’m…so sad.’
‘I know,’ said Beatrice. ‘I understand. I…I’m sad too. And I feel so guilty for so much.’
‘Don’t.’ Romana’s nails clenched into Beatrice’s exposed shoulder blades. ‘Don’t, Beatrice, you did those things, but…there are reasons.’ She squeezed Beatrice to her. ‘People…we have our reasons, Beatrice. I used to think that some things were unforgivable-I still think they might be. -But right now, I feel as if I could forgive anyone for anything.’
‘You’re a good person, Romana,’ said Beatrice.
‘Beatrice…’ said Romana. ‘You’re a good person, too…helping us, helping me with all this, getting through all this…Beatrice, I’m so glad I met you.’