The Chimera Squad: Part I, Chapter 1 - Reintegration. (613 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 2 on 3 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by a_little_more_time (View user info) at 2005-07-18 01:53:27 EDT
Previous Chapters:
Prologue - Homecoming: http://www.ubersite.com/m/70750
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Min reached out quickly, offering to take his haversack. Lucas paused for a minute then handed it over. She slung it over her shoulders with a huff and started into town. He followed behind.
The silence that pervaded the air around them made Luc's ears ring. He had felt more at ease during the first day of basic. Tillman's Village had hardly changed at all; one dirt path run straight through it with homes and the occasional store on either side. Everything was just as he remembered it, and yet it all carried a distinct quality of unfamiliarity. He wasn't sure whether to chalk it up to a prolonged absence in anything but a base camp, or if it was something deeper. Whatever the case, Luc did not belong here any more; of that, he was certain.
Min cleared her throat loudly. "So...you're looking well."
So lost in thought was he that the sudden sound of her voice made him jump. He was grateful that she didn't see him. "And you."
She turned and started walking backwards to regard him. Her head tilted somewhat and a strange little smile appeared on her face. Luc's eyes narrowed in confusion. He had known Min since they were children and he had never seen her smile like that. "You've gotten big. The Nanten Army must feed its boys well."
The mention of the military, even in such an innocent remark, put him on the defensive. It was the last thing he wanted to talk about. Change the subject. "What about you? Your family still feeding you broth three times a day? You're as much a beanpole as you were the day I left."
For as long as Luc could recollect, Min had been two things above all others: tall and lean. Her family was well off, and she never wanted for food, but she had kept her boyish figure even into adolescence. The last half decade had softened her somewhat; she had filled out a bit and her freckled face was more rounded. Had this occurred before he departed, she might have been called, dare he admit it, cute. Her hair had darkened as well, from a dawn sunburst of red to a more subdued hue between auburn and straight brown. He wondered absently if time had changed him as much.
Min flushed at the precise moment Luc realized he was staring. "What?"
He shook his head quickly and turned his eyes to the homes to his right. "Nothing."
They halted outside a rather large home on the south edge of town, the Maeda manor. Min took a deep breath and let it out. "Home sweet home. Would you care for some tea?"
Luc blinked. He wasn't thrilled at the prospect of more conversation; he'd had his heart set on simply going home and resting, but at the same time didn't feel comfortable simply turning her down. He couldn't think of a decent excuse. "I'd like that."
They stepped inside. Min's family home was fairly spacious next to the rest of the dwellings in Tillman's Village, and boasted modest furnishings. Another familiar face greeted them in the thickly carpeted parlor.
Lenneth Maeda was the spitting image of her daughter, albeit with a darker shade of locks. Given her already prolonged stay in middle age, her earthly beauty made her almost paradoxically ethereal. She looked warmly at him. "Welcome home, Lucas. It's been too long."
The old customs started to come back to him, and he had the sense to unbuckle the sheath from his back and lay his weapon upon the floor. He bowed. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Mistress Summoner."
She laughed lightly with her hand over her mouth. "There's no need for formalities here, Luc." She approached him and gently embraced him. Her voice was laced with relief. "Thank goodness you've returned."
She released him and stepped to the side, leading them into the sitting room to the right. Luc and Min occupied the two chairs nearest a roaring fire while Lenneth left to prepare their tea.
The Maeda family owed its prosperity to their female line, which was blessed with a singular gift: the ability to harness the elements of nature and bend them to their will, commonly known as Magic. In the cities, their kind was not at all unusual, but for a small farming town they were both a rare sight and an invaluable asset. Apart from the obvious position of encouraging crop survival, in the Nanten territories they also acted as Summoners, intermediaries between the laity and the object of their worship: the world itself. Nanten was characterized by its regional religious differences, but the vast majority of its citizens professed some kind of nature reverence.
As a result, the Maedas were highly respected and commanded a good deal of both wealth and influence in the town. Lenneth had held the position of Summoner for over thirty years, and her husband Simon was viewed as both teacher and counselor for the locals.
Lucas heaved a sigh and leaned forward, warming his hands and making a point to avoid his hostess' gaze. Ages ago he might have felt comfortable here. Now all he could think of was getting home. He knew the subject of conversation that was coming, and he would give anything to avoid the inevitable.
"The war is finally over," Min breathed. "I never thought we'd see an end."
"You and your mother both sound relieved." Luc's voice, despite himself, dripped with bitterness.
"We aren't the only ones. The whole village celebrated when we heard the news."
He turned quickly. "You celebrated our nation's loss?" he asked incredulously. His face burned with indignation.
Min regarded him almost serenely. "No, we celebrated an end to the bloodshed. A return of Nanten's sons to their mothers and sisters and wives."
"What few of them remain, you mean." He looked back into the flames. "Rejoicing in the homecoming of a minority after the death of so many is a ludicrous notion."
Min's silence told him precisely how shocked she was at his words. Her own voice found purchase only after a moment. "What...happened to you, Lucas? You never spoke this way before."
Then he had been right. He HAD changed. He had not been blessed with much opportunity to think on the subject, but as he began to muse upon it, his thoughts flowed out into speech. "War...is not simply a creation of man. It begins with man, but soon it grows into something else, and takes on a life and consciousness of its own."
Min's voice had grown subdued. "I don't understand."
"War consumes everything it touches. Resources, land, men...hopes and dreams. Everything disappears into its maw, never to be seen again, like an insatiable predator." He took a breath. "Those precious few who see its true nature and survive are...irrevocably changed. There is no good in celebrating the return of the survivors, for when you do, you welcome home only strangers."
Once again, Min was struck dumb for a moment. "Are you implying that the Lucas Eric Hawthorne that left this town of his own accord seven years ago to enlist in the Nanten Army of his own accord, filled with ideals and beliefs, is no longer the man I'm speaking to right now?"
To this, Lucas had no response.
She looked away. "I'm sorry, but I simply don't believe that. Nothing can simply remake a human being."
"No?" He stared at her. "Imagine spending your formative years learning that life is precious and worth protecting, only to be suddenly confronted with the notion that other people, other humans deserve death simply because they worship a different god, or because their ruler is gluttonous for more territory. It seems logical enough on the surface, but everything changes when you look a man in the eyes when you kill him, or when someone you've served with for five years dies at your feet." He took a deep, shuddering breath. His chest was getting tight. "War requires that something fundamental is changed in you, so that you can kill and ignore the implications."
"Why didn't you mention any of this in your letters, Lucas? We were the only family you wrote, and there was never a hint of unhappiness."
"I told you, they train you to ignore the implications. If you're not on the battlefield or resting, they drill you to exhaustion. There's never a moment to consider your actions."
Lenneth suddenly interrupted them when she returned with the tea. Luc didn't need to wonder exactly how much she had heard, as she served them and left without a word. He took a deep breath and a long drink. The tea was subtle, almost undetectable by his taste buds, which had been dulled by years of Army food. He leaned back in his chair. He was exhausted.
"Min, I'm very tired...I think it might be best if I just went home for the night."
She looked up from her own cup, wide-eyed as though something forgotten had just dawned on her once again. "Oh...Luc, I'm sorry...the war ended so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to let you know..."
He sat forward again. "Know what?"
"About a week ago...the supports in your home finally gave in. I know you'd asked Gareth Adams to help keep it in good repair after your parents died, but he caught a terrible cough a year ago and never really recovered. He was never in good enough condition after that."
Lucas rested his head in his hands, setting his cup aside. This was nearly too much; he was right, he didn't have a place anymore. He'd returned to the only home he knew, only to discover it didn't exist.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Luc...don't worry. We have plenty of room here."
Lucas looked up quickly. "What...?"
She smiled again, the new smile. As though everything he had said was already forgotten. "I've already spoken to my parents about it. We decided to invite you after we got the announcement that you were returning."
His head spun. He couldn't decide whether or not he actually wanted to accept or if he would simply do so out of necessity and manners. He was fatigued beyond all words. "A...Alright. Thank you."
Min rose and quickly gathered his haversack. Luc followed her out and retrieved his sword, then walked upstairs and down the west hall to a small room. She opened the door. "It's already made up for you. Please, get some rest. I'll wake you for dinner."
He stepped inside, placed his belongings by the door, and Min shut it behind her. The space was small, but it had a bed, which was all he was concerned with. He undressed slowly, turned down the blanket and climbed in, laying his head heavily upon the pillow. The last thought that passed through his mind before slipping into unconsciousness was how intensely he desired to leave this place behind, to make a new start somewhere else.
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He would not need to wait long.
[To be continued...]
User Reviews
Submitted by Ducky (user info) at 2005-07-19 08:38:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Chinaski (user info) at 2005-07-18 13:08:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Quite good, I look forward to the continuation.
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2005-07-18 03:35:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
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