A/N: My new story didn't get much of a warm reception, but I'm not so concerned about that with this one since it's a ONE-SHOT series. I hope all who courteous enough to read it like it.

A/N: I have no OCs (yet), so I am not doing a disclaimer nor am I doing a claimer, except for the originality of each drabble.

Enjoy!


Verdurous Seas, Cerulean Skies

Promise

"The vast seas and sky of this world will surely provide you with many opportunities. Survive. Explore. I expect you to achieve great things and live your life to its fullest."

That was the last thing Chamber said to his pilot, Ensign Ledo, before ejecting his cockpit outside the authority of said pilot. And as he watched his Machine Caliber sacrifice himself to stop Striker once and for all and save the people of Earth, Ledo took his words to heart.

Ledo was once considered one of the most elite soldiers of the Galactic Alliance of Humankind not only because he was an outstanding pilot, but he was also very intelligent and could pick up on things faster than most people (his fast grasp of the Earth language proved that he was nearly as adaptable as his Machine Caliber), but ever since he'd come out of his cryogenic stasis there were many strange things that he was having a hard time wrapping his head around, even with Chamber's assistance.

The people of Gargantia, the morals of their society, their peaceful lifestyle, the whalesquid that had a frightening resemblance to the Hideauze, Amy—it was all alien to him. There were still many things that confused him, many things he had yet to learn, and there were people who had been willing to help him understand. People like Amy. And after encountering the vessel filled with vapid souls who thought their purpose in life was to throw it away in order to survive and placate fictitious gods, he was… enlightened.

It was a waste. It was all a waste—and he wasn't just talking about Commander Kugel's totalitarian regime. The countless lives of those whalesquid—Hideauze that were bred from human bio-engineering—his years in the Galactic Alliance because they knew about those deplorable experiments and their origin—it was all a waste because in the end, they were all human, and if humans couldn't tolerate being amongst each other, if they couldn't find a way to live, then the war would never end and there would be no reason to survive other than to fight, and Ledo didn't see the point in fighting anymore because it was just pointless.

He knew there was a difference between surviving and living; it was the way he was brought up from the moment he was born. Unfortunately for him, Ledo couldn't remember much about his life before he became a soldier, so most of what he could recall from his latent memory was that he was conditioned to fight in order to protect humanity. To survive. There was no point in pondering hypotheticals when, presently, the potential end of humanity was eminent. The Hideauze were a constant threat and there was no way to coexist unless they were all exterminated.

But Amy and her people had found a way to live peacefully with these creatures, and they didn't have to use force or subjugation or violence in order to do so. The whalesquid were still dangerous, but only if they had to be; they were just as provocative as humans because, genetically, they were humans, or at least diluted versions. And like any living being, they felt something, whether it was pain or sadness or even just content. It was proof enough to Ledo that the lives of the Hideauze—the lives of the whalesquid were just as expendable and fragile as the lives of the people of Gargantia.

But beyond that, there were other lives too. From creatures of the seas to the creatures of the skies, there was life everywhere, precious life, and each one of those beings, human or not, had purpose, as effortless or mundane it had seemed at first, but Ledo couldn't even begin to describe how incredible it all was. Sure, there was occasional conflict, but they had ways of making things work out so everyone was somewhat satisfied and that also amazed him. They didn't waste a single day because life was too short and too extraordinary. In other words, they survived by living.

For most of his life, Chamber had been his main support system. Chamber taught him, protected him, led him back on his path whenever he fell astray, and the AI had made the ultimate sacrifice to keep him on that path. Now Ledo had a choice. He had a chance to embrace everything life had to offer, thanks to Chamber, who seemed to understand humanity more than he had led on, and he was not going to waste this opportunity. Ledo would make sure his comrade's—no, his friend's—sacrifice would not be in vain.

"Ledo!" Relieved by the reprieve of his existential thoughts, Ledo finally looked away from the falling shrapnel that was Chamber and Striker and over at the surf-kites that belonged to Amy and her friends. She flew down and aimed to land next to the cockpit. Although the sky was dark, the borealis glow resulting from the blast shed enough light for Ledo to see Amy's worried expression, and it was enough for Amy to see the tears that hadn't stopped flowing since he had lost his friend.

Once Amy saw those tears, her first reaction was to go to him. When they first met, Ledo barely showed any emotions. He was so high-strung and skeptical of this new world she and her friends practically had to drag him out of his cold, hard shell, but after a while, he began to open up, taking baby steps and exploring the depths of Gargantia on his own. And now, seeing the young man cry for his friend, an intellectual machine who willingly sacrificed his life for the people of Gargantia, Amy didn't want to leave him alone.

Before the kite landed in the water, Amy leapt into the cockpit dauntlessly and brought her arms around Ledo, whispering soft reassurances as she did so. Accepting her tender words and loving embrace, Ledo brought his arms around her tight and continued to cry, nuzzling his face into her neck. He couldn't remember ever being in the loving embrace of someone who cared about him, not even when he was in pain. When he tried, the only person he could think of was Amy. The warm elation of being with her always brought out this desire to be close to those he cared for dearly, and he regretted ever letting it go by leaving Gargantia.

He was not going to make that same mistake twice.

From this day forth, Ledo made a solemn promise: he would make Gargantia his home, explore this world and all its mysteries, and he would no longer be led astray by blind edicts because he would follow his own path.

"Ledo," Amy murmured. She released him, finally allowing him to see her tears as well. "I know Chamber was important to you."

"He was," Ledo said. "But he knew the stakes, and he sacrificed himself for the people of Gargantia, and for me. He wanted me to live." Lifting her chin, Ledo smiled. "I promised Chamber I would live my life to the fullest, and I want to do that with you, Amy. I want to live with you and on the fleet with the people of Gargantia."

Amy's cheeks turned a little pink and her smile increased. "I wish there was a way to thank Chamber for what he's done. We owe him our lives."

Smiling, Ledo hugged her once more, thankful to have someone as understanding and heartfelt as Amy. And as he held her in his arms, renewed with this sense of hope for the future, Ledo looked out at the dark verdurous sea, the calm surface reflecting the beauteous cerulean sky.


Short drabble, I know. They'll get longer, I promise.

R&R!