das erste Kapitel … chapter one

Lui,

I don't know how soon this will reach you, as I'm rather afraid that my correspondence is traveling with me, or if you would even acknowledge something from me after our fairly heated parting before I left for Japan, but I sincerely hope that you do because this is one circumstance in which I would greatly prefer my news to precede my arrival. Well, here it is: I'm coming home. I'm coming back to Kuchen… and though during our years at school I always considered Japan my home, the decision to return to this country leaves me feeling lighter than I have since I first aspired to leave it. I have missed you, and Camus, and the others all more than I could say. Perhaps you were right, and it was my destiny all along to walk beside you there in Kuchen, in the Strahl, wherever else you needed, wanted to go…

I don't know. I don't regret my return; I needed to return; but I know now that my place is no longer in Japan, at least. Though I will and do sorely miss my family, things are no longer the same. The army continues to grow while each day brings with it further talk of war, and unlike Kuchen our leaders seem eager to choose a side – whether the right or wrong one I cannot say, and honestly care not to think, but all are greatly afraid and I finding myself missing even the tenuous peace of Kuchen. I myself, and by extension my family, have come under suspicion due to the years I spent abroad, and though nothing significant has yet come to pass from this I fear for their safety should I remain in Japan. I have written to my grandmother's family in Kuchen and requested to board there upon my arrival, at least until something more permanent can be arranged.

I hope you will see me.

Naoji

When, after an absence of nearly ten months, Ishizuki Naoji once again stepped onto the shores of the modestly sized island country of Kuchen, he heaved a quiet sigh and smiled a little to himself. The spotless state of his clothing and neatly tied long, dark hair belied the fatigue and anxiety of the series of tiny airplanes, trains, and cramped, smelly ships he had taken in his trip from Japan to Western Europe. After all, he couldn't possibly arrive looking tired and crumpled, not when there was any chance that Ludwig could be there to greet him.

Lui had never approved of anyone appearing less than his best, no matter what the excuse.

They hadn't parted on the best of terms, though Naoji thought of him often – how could he not? – and Ludwig had insisted that he wanted Naoji to choose his own path for himself, and that whatever would make Naoji happiest would make him happy as well; though really, he just wanted Naoji to choose him, and Kuchen, and to stay because that was what he wanted and not just what Lui wanted for him. Lui had been decidedly cold when he left, though he had even 

accompanied Naoji to the airport, and he thought that Lui might have been hoping up to the last minute that Naoji would change his mind and decide not to go after all.

Naoji brushed a few stray bangs from his face and glanced around, noting that his bags had been carried from the ship, and joined the other passengers in wandering toward them. However, the sound of a familiar voice calling his name made him pause and he turned, his face lighting up when he caught sight of the speaker.

"Naoji! Naoji, you're back!" A small, slender male raced towards him, not bothering to brush away wayward strands of fair hair that fell into his wide, red-tinted eyes.

"Camus?" Naoji asked, disbelieving, as the shorter male wrapped arms around his waist in a crushing hug. "What are you doing here?"

The other laughed and took a moment to adjust his clothes, which had rumpled a little during the impromptu embrace, and Naoji noticed that Camus still wore the same style shorts and knee socks that he had during their school days – when they weren't in uniform, of course. Naoji had always thought the outfit made him look younger, yet somehow it never seemed out of place on the other. "I've been coming to meet all the ships, lately. As soon as Lui told me you were coming home I made sure I checked each one; wouldn't want you to come all the way back here just to be stuck by yourself, would I?"

He beamed at Naoji and the Japanese youth smiled back – it was impossible not to smile around Camus – though something the other said had sparked his attention. "Lui told you I was coming back? Did… Did he come today?"

Camus sighed. "No. He says he's too busy. I know it's true; Orphe and Ed came a few times, but they're busy too. Only Elmunt will come with me anymore." He nodded to the left and for the first time Naoji noticed the brown-haired male who had approached them much more sedately than his companion.

"Elmunt. It's good to see you," he greeted, and the other nodded in response.

"Naoji. How was your trip?"

"Frankly, it was exhausting. It'll be a relief to finally get a chance to rest; and of course I'll be happy to see Mr. Foster again. You two wouldn't mind taking me to his house, would you? I had been planning on hiring a carriage, but it's so much trouble to…" He trailed off when he saw Camus and Elmunt exchange glances. "What is it?"

"Naoji…" Camus sighed softly, resting a hand on his arm before looking over at Elmunt once again.

"Naoji, things have changed somewhat since you left. Some of the people are becoming… cautious… when it comes to foreigners, especially those from openly, ah, active countries like 

Japan." Elmunt tugged on his high collar in an uncomfortable sort of way. "Your previous host feels that it might not be in his best interests to accommodate you. I'm sorry."

Naoji blinked. "I see…"

"It's alright!" Camus cried, grabbing his arm in obvious distress. "It's okay, Naoji, come stay with me! I want you to, really! Niisama already prepared the guest suite for you; you can stay as long as you like."

Keeping up a steady stream of chatter, Camus led him by the arm to the waiting carriage, but Naoji barely noticed his words or the brief, reassuring pat on the shoulder from Elmunt as the brown-haired male left to retrieve Naoji's luggage. He merely followed Camus silently and rested his head against the plush leather seats in the back of the carriage. His grandmother's family wouldn't take him? After they had told him repeatedly to consider their home his home? What exactly had changed in the past ten months? Surely Kuchen hadn't fallen into the same madness affecting the rest of the world… it couldn't. His Majesty would never let that happen.

And Lui hadn't come to meet him.

Oblivious to Camus worriedly calling his name, Naoji sighed once, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

"Ah, Naoji, I've missed your tea," Ed sighed, inhaling the scent of his steaming cup before setting it back in the saucer with an audible clink. Beside him, Orpherus nodded and smiled. Not even twenty-four hours had passed since his arrival before the two blondes had shown up at Camus' family estate demanding to see him. (In fact, he'd heard from Elmunt that the two of them had shown up just after dawn, as soon as they'd gotten the letters Camus sent them notifying them of Naoji's return, but the guards at the front gate turned them away and told them to "come back at a decent hour.")

"Mm. It always tastes so much better when you make it," Camus agreed, nudging Elmunt, who sat beside him reading important-looking documents he had spread across the table. "Do you have to do that now? You're always working."

"You're right. I'm sorry," the other replied absently, continuing to read. Ed snickered and Camus rolled his eyes.

"Elmunt is on the wait list for Strahl membership," Camus informed Naoji. "He's being trained by one of the senior members so Elmunt can take his place when he retires."

"I see. Congratulations." Elmunt glanced up and nodded briefly in acknowledgement before returning to his reading. "What have the rest of you been doing?" Naoji asked. "Are you in training too, Camus?"

The blond reddened. "No… Actually, Ed and I are already Strahl members. Daniel, too, though Nicholas is still trying. Ed was accepted right out of school – just after you left, Naoji – and I've been a member for a couple of months now."

"And Orphe and Lui are king's councilors!" Ed piped up, winking cheekily at the lighter-skinned boy beside him. "Never doubted those two'd make it all the way to the top."

Orphe frowned a little. "A councilor is no better than a Strahl member. You should be proud of yourself, Ed—"

"Yeah, yeah." Ed slung an arm around his friend's shoulders. "We've had this conversation before. Many times," he told Naoji. "I think Orphe's still a little upset that we aren't getting to work together anymore."

Naoji's thoughts immediately turned to Lui. "Separation can be painful," he replied. "But I'm certainly pleased to hear of your success. Though… now that I'm here, I'm beginning to wonder what to do next. I had hoped that… Lui…" He trailed off, glancing out the window and pretending not to notice the meaningful looks exchanged between the others at the table.

"You'll do fine, I'm sure!" Camus earnestly insisted, drawing Naoji's gaze back to those shining red eyes as his friend beamed up at him. "You should apply for the Strahl, too; or try to work for His Majesty like Orphe. Or maybe the military! You're such a good fighter, Naoji; I bet you could teach the others an awful lot."

"I'd like to avoid the military, thanks," Naoji answered with a sardonic little smile. "But otherwise, you're probably right."

Dressed in his traditional loose, Japanese robe, with his hair down and free from the ribbon that usually held it tightly back from his face, Naoji felt more relaxed and comfortable than he had since before his long journey from Japan. He bent down and grabbed the smooth, straight stick he had brought outside with him and, closing his eyes, slowly began to go through the motions of his kendo. It seemed he hadn't practiced in ages.

Around him the sun had begun to set, and the masses of roses in Camus' garden wafted their mingled scents toward him in the warm breeze as Naoji spun, leapt and kicked, swinging the stick in a blur that created a breeze of its own. He had just struck the ground with one particularly forceful swipe when the sound of a person applauding made him pause. Turning, he saw Orphe approach, clapping slowly.

"You've improved since I last saw you," he observed.

Naoji bowed his head. "I have had the benefit of superior instructors."

"Still, you're very talented," Orphe replied slowly, as if pondering something. "You know, perhaps Camus wasn't far wrong in saying that you could teach us a lot, with your skills in fighting." He stared at the other intently.

In the fading light Orphe's eyes seemed to turn a deeper blue, almost black. It made Naoji shift a bit in discomfort – he had forgotten how intense Orpherus could be at times. "Perhaps. I don't know if I'm quite skilled enough yet to instruct others, though," the dark-haired male answered. "I thought you and Ed had already left."

"Camus is walking Elmunt to the gate and Ed wandered off in search of a piano. And don't belittle yourself so much, Naoji; you're a truly excellent fighter."

Naoji merely nodded and wondered when the blond would bring up the real reason he had followed him out here, since unlike Lui, Orphe never sported that severe expression unless he had a specific goal in mind. The other didn't keep him waiting long.

"So, Naoji…"

"Yes?"

"Why did you really leave Japan? All I've heard are third-hand accounts from Camus saying that you'd decided to come back to Kuchen and stay with your grandmother's family, until this morning when I got a notice that you were back and living with Camus. Why didn't you write me, or Ed? Are things really as bad in Japan as they say?"

Naoji gave a shuddering sigh and smiled a little. "Well, I don't know what 'they've' been saying, but the situation certainly isn't good. The military's grown preposterously and all anyone talks about is the invasion of China and sovereignty in Asia, and when I didn't sign up for the army the moment I got back the local government got suspicious. We heard from a friend about the rumors spreading about me – how I'd spent too much time abroad and come back with 'strange ideas,' and that my family was 'on the road to treason,' etcetera. The friend warned me to get out of the country while I still could, so here I am. And things aren't much better here – as soon as I stepped off the ship Elmunt informed me that foreigners aren't trusted anymore, and Mr. Foster didn't think it was safe to take me in."

"So you're staying with Camus," Orphe concluded slowly. "I see. Well, it's not that big a surprise, really; I was worried even before you left about how safe Japan would be when you got home."

"I know," Naoji admitted. "My father sent me away in the first place to keep me away from all the 'chaos,' as he called it. But I had to come here so suddenly, against my will to a country I'd barely even heard of, that I always resented it, I suppose. All I could think about was getting to go home, even though I was never completely sure I should… Do you know the first thing my father said to me when I arrived?"

Orphe shook his head.

"He said, 'Why did you come back?' I couldn't believe it; all I could think was, I had spent so many months wanting to come home, and that was how he greeted me? He wanted me to stay overseas? And I could have… I could have stayed in Kuchen with Lui and all of you, but I gave that up because I missed my family, my home, my country…"

"Naoji…"

The dark-haired male held up a hand, stopping whatever comment Orphe was going to make. "But it wasn't until I'd been home for a few days that I realized how bad it had gotten. My father was only trying to keep me safe. What was worse, my return put them in danger, too, and I worry that me coming back here won't be enough to keep them from suspicion. In fact, I might have just made things worse."

Orphe shook his head again, reaching out to clap a comforting hand on the other's shoulder. "No, you—"

"Oi! Orphe!"

At the sound of his name Orphe turned, and he and Naoji saw Ed approaching, scratching at the back of his head and ruffling his dark blond hair. He grinned at the two of them and dropped his hand just enough to curl it into a fist and jerk his thumb back over his shoulder. "I'm heading out. Want to check on the horses before it gets too dark. You coming?"

Orpherus gave Naoji one last studious glance from the corner of his eye before looking back at Ed and nodding. "Sure. Goodbye, Naoji; I'm glad you've returned."

"Yeah, me too," Ed agreed as Naoji bowed slightly in acknowledgement. Then the tanned blond propped an elbow on his friend's shoulder, leaning close and chattering to him about something while they walked away, and Naoji was left alone.