Vision 1: Waiting… for a Hero to come home

For as long as he could remember, Lag dreamed. Many of the dreams that he had had early in his life were nightmares centered on his mother's kidnapping, forcing him to relive his most terrible memories. Such trauma in his childhood caused him to yearn for his mother. He both simultaneously waited for her return and wanted to search for her. However, waiting and wanting were not the same as actually accomplishing anything, and after some time, he realized he possessed little hope in his heart of seeing his mother again.

Then, when he was seven, he had an experience that changed his life: being delivered as a letter by Gauche Suede. There was something about the young man – his strong focus, his unwavering confidence, and his kind heart – that shook Lag's outlook on life down to its core and made him feel a stir of hope deep within him. Suddenly, his dream to see his mother again didn't seem impossible anymore, and he knew he owed his ability to hope and dream to Gauche.

After being delivered to his aunt in Campbell Litus, Lag's memories of the young man who had touched his life and his soul in such a profound manner solidified into admiration. Gauche became the ideal he aspired to be like. He, too, wanted to deliver letters and to aid others in sharing their heart and pure emotions with their loved ones; he wanted to be able to give others happiness and comfort, just like he had received from Gauche. Deep down inside, he yearned for the opportunity and ability to save others' heart, the way that Gauche had saved his. So he dreamed of becoming a Letter Bee and of meeting his hero, Gauche, once more.

However, things hadn't gone quite as Lag had planned when he arrived at the Bee Hive. He had been anxious to see Gauche. He wanted to show Gauche how he had matured from the cry-baby boy he had been years ago; his heart and determination was partly a tribute to the other Letter Bee. After learning about Gauche's disappearance, he felt devastated, deflated, and crushed. But somehow, unlike his initial reaction to the loss of his mother, disbelief that his hero was lost to him forever resounded inside him. He still possessed hope in his heart that his Gauche wasn't gone forever. As long as he had hope, he had heart, and he could move forward.

Lag's new dream was of bringing Gauche home, not only for himself, but also for the many others who loved and missed Gauche as much as he did. He wanted to put an end to Sylvette's pain and tears over losing her only family member (a feeling he was all too familiar with). He wanted Aria to look like she had in the glimpse of Gauche's memories he had seen, a bright young woman with a lively spark, rather than the collected young woman he had met at the Bee Hive, whose green eyes held the unfortunate wisdom of loss. He wanted all of the others at the Bee Hive to get a chance to express their true feelings for Gauche, just as badly as he wanted the same opportunity for himself.

Through his own pain and anguish, Lag still held the unwavering belief that if he was just patient enough, he'd be given the opportunity to save Gauche's heart. So, Lag dreamed of a day he'd be able to bring the real Gauche back to his loved ones. He was waiting for the day he would be able to live up to his promise to do just that… for the day that he'd be able to see his hero again.

Author's Notes: The end…for this particular short. As stated in the summary, I may continue with this theme using other characters' points of view. (I really want to, but my time has been limited. And my muse has been temperamental.) I hope it was enjoyable. ^.^