Wind Blows And Water Flows
By Windy McDohl
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Konami CE. The law prohibits stealing. Thanks for reading this warning.
Warning: SPOILERS!
_______________________
Chapter 4: Healing Winds
The rain poured down mercilessly, matching his gloomy mood to its own.
He lashed out violently at the stone walls of the castle, his wet bangs stuck fast to his face - he was in rage.
But he uttered not a sound throughout the ordeal.
It pained everyone to see him like that. It had gone on for days now. No one had the power to stop him; he was devastated.
All that happened right after his sister's demise.
Oddly enough, Young Master McDohl hadn't stepped forward to help him out of his misery. In fact, none of the stars had seen him after the siege. He was believed to be dead -- but could he really be dead? It was a fact unbelievable, yet they chose not to keep their hopes too high.
As the rain pattered down in heavy drops, they could only peer out of the windows at their grief-stricken leader.
But not Luc. No, he would not have any of this. Death happened in wars, and as a leader, no matter how young one was, he had to keep his emotions in check… Not that he was unfeeling or unforgiving, but the fact that this young man had agreed to take the post as the head of the Liberation Army -- the day he had accepted the post was the day when he had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for the safety of his people -- yes, it was a sacrifice, and there was no turning back. It was either to die or to fight on -- everyone knew that.
And now, here he was, angry and hopelessly inconsolable, just at the death of one person.
Although this person was indeed significant in his life, her death would be the teacher everyone was hoping would not be tardy to teach him about the pains of war and strife - it would make him ready to take over the world… to prevent further bloodshed - yes, war was a cruel thing, but a handy tool to educate the inexperienced about its horrors.
The Young Master McDohl had learnt it the hard way. He had lost a many of his loved ones, but he hardly complained. It was only after the war when he started showing true human feeling - and even that he chose to keep from the others. Luc never really knew what happened to McDohl in that time span. But he knew how to account and reflect the future from McDohl's past… and that past will recur again to their leader now, if this goes on.
Luc, on compassionate grounds, decided to put his foot down on this.
_________________
"It's raining hard. You should come in."
The brunette youth jerked to a halt at the unfamiliar voice. So far, the only people daring enough to weather this storm to console him were the people who really cared for him… Eillie, Shu, Flik and Viktor… not to mention the kindly Kinnison and his loyal dog/wolf. In fact, Viktor had nearly dragged him in, screaming and kicking, if not for the fact that he was too drunk and collapsed before he reached the castle doors. Of course, Flik had to help drag him in, and it was such a tough job, that even with the two knights' help, Viktor was too much a handful that Flik had forgotten to drag their leader in too.
Ah, beautiful were the ways of the castle.
Now, another person who would weather such a storm to console him at times like this was his bosom friend, Jowy. He remembered that when he was a little younger; his best friend had weathered the storm just to bring him his lost teddy… Jowy had weathered the storm to hunt it down for him.
But gone were those days of childlike innocence - the little boy was no longer a child. He was a grown up young man.
And he had betrayed him in the tide of an uncertain destiny.
But Luc?
He stopped short and stared at Luc in amazement. "What are you doing here?" his tone was more of a surprised one than a cold one. Luc was not astonished. He knew that he hardly ever showed much emotion, and most of the time just passed catty remarks to the other stars who dared to disturb him.
But this was different. The sadness he saw in those eyes… it struck a chord in his heart.
However cold and standoffish Luc was, he never really harbored malice, at least not for their leader. He still felt for him. And as much as he hated to admit it, he had found himself getting used to the busy antics of the brown-haired teenager, and now missed not seeing his old ways.
"Look now, this is silly," he began grimly. "You've an entire army to lead! And what are they with an angry, insane leader, one as insane as the opposing one? Do you have any idea how they feel?"
The youth shot him a cold stare. "The one who wouldn't know how they feel is you."
Luc swallowed hard. He was getting very unnerved.
"Maybe, but I'm not the one with the responsibility. You're the one in charge of all this stupidity. Besides, that's only one person…"
"She's my sister!" he finally exploded. Grabbing Luc by his collar and shaking him hard, he continued to yell. "You don't know how much she meant to me! She was the only person to stay by my side, even after my one true friend deserted me in this war! Even McDohl had left! What do I have now?"
"You have the stars -- they're your family right now. And they need you to guide them… Please, listen to me, if you will not listen to them - We were all here for you, in the first place. They followed your orders blindly; I served you even knowing that you're so much younger than I. But why did we stay in spite of that? Why?"
He paused and shifted his emerald gaze to his leader. "I believe you know the answer."
Luc started walking off. He then turned to glance back at his leader.
"Well, I'll be in the bar if you need me. Those tablets give me an eyesore, having seen it for years in a row!" And with that, Luc disappeared.
The youth stood still on the same spot, reflecting on Luc's words of advice. Yes, he was right. Nanami's sacrifice was one in vain should he continue mourning in this manner. And the others… He looked up at the direction of the castle windows, and saw many faces peering back at him, almost hopefully…
And he smiled.
Around him, the rain had begun to cease into a gentle shower. A small breeze swirled by him, carrying the faint scent of forest green and dew. Still smiling, the youth walked back into the castle to find a certain friend whom he had forgotten in his grief.
To Be Continued…
By Windy McDohl
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Konami CE. The law prohibits stealing. Thanks for reading this warning.
Warning: SPOILERS!
_______________________
Chapter 4: Healing Winds
The rain poured down mercilessly, matching his gloomy mood to its own.
He lashed out violently at the stone walls of the castle, his wet bangs stuck fast to his face - he was in rage.
But he uttered not a sound throughout the ordeal.
It pained everyone to see him like that. It had gone on for days now. No one had the power to stop him; he was devastated.
All that happened right after his sister's demise.
Oddly enough, Young Master McDohl hadn't stepped forward to help him out of his misery. In fact, none of the stars had seen him after the siege. He was believed to be dead -- but could he really be dead? It was a fact unbelievable, yet they chose not to keep their hopes too high.
As the rain pattered down in heavy drops, they could only peer out of the windows at their grief-stricken leader.
But not Luc. No, he would not have any of this. Death happened in wars, and as a leader, no matter how young one was, he had to keep his emotions in check… Not that he was unfeeling or unforgiving, but the fact that this young man had agreed to take the post as the head of the Liberation Army -- the day he had accepted the post was the day when he had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for the safety of his people -- yes, it was a sacrifice, and there was no turning back. It was either to die or to fight on -- everyone knew that.
And now, here he was, angry and hopelessly inconsolable, just at the death of one person.
Although this person was indeed significant in his life, her death would be the teacher everyone was hoping would not be tardy to teach him about the pains of war and strife - it would make him ready to take over the world… to prevent further bloodshed - yes, war was a cruel thing, but a handy tool to educate the inexperienced about its horrors.
The Young Master McDohl had learnt it the hard way. He had lost a many of his loved ones, but he hardly complained. It was only after the war when he started showing true human feeling - and even that he chose to keep from the others. Luc never really knew what happened to McDohl in that time span. But he knew how to account and reflect the future from McDohl's past… and that past will recur again to their leader now, if this goes on.
Luc, on compassionate grounds, decided to put his foot down on this.
_________________
"It's raining hard. You should come in."
The brunette youth jerked to a halt at the unfamiliar voice. So far, the only people daring enough to weather this storm to console him were the people who really cared for him… Eillie, Shu, Flik and Viktor… not to mention the kindly Kinnison and his loyal dog/wolf. In fact, Viktor had nearly dragged him in, screaming and kicking, if not for the fact that he was too drunk and collapsed before he reached the castle doors. Of course, Flik had to help drag him in, and it was such a tough job, that even with the two knights' help, Viktor was too much a handful that Flik had forgotten to drag their leader in too.
Ah, beautiful were the ways of the castle.
Now, another person who would weather such a storm to console him at times like this was his bosom friend, Jowy. He remembered that when he was a little younger; his best friend had weathered the storm just to bring him his lost teddy… Jowy had weathered the storm to hunt it down for him.
But gone were those days of childlike innocence - the little boy was no longer a child. He was a grown up young man.
And he had betrayed him in the tide of an uncertain destiny.
But Luc?
He stopped short and stared at Luc in amazement. "What are you doing here?" his tone was more of a surprised one than a cold one. Luc was not astonished. He knew that he hardly ever showed much emotion, and most of the time just passed catty remarks to the other stars who dared to disturb him.
But this was different. The sadness he saw in those eyes… it struck a chord in his heart.
However cold and standoffish Luc was, he never really harbored malice, at least not for their leader. He still felt for him. And as much as he hated to admit it, he had found himself getting used to the busy antics of the brown-haired teenager, and now missed not seeing his old ways.
"Look now, this is silly," he began grimly. "You've an entire army to lead! And what are they with an angry, insane leader, one as insane as the opposing one? Do you have any idea how they feel?"
The youth shot him a cold stare. "The one who wouldn't know how they feel is you."
Luc swallowed hard. He was getting very unnerved.
"Maybe, but I'm not the one with the responsibility. You're the one in charge of all this stupidity. Besides, that's only one person…"
"She's my sister!" he finally exploded. Grabbing Luc by his collar and shaking him hard, he continued to yell. "You don't know how much she meant to me! She was the only person to stay by my side, even after my one true friend deserted me in this war! Even McDohl had left! What do I have now?"
"You have the stars -- they're your family right now. And they need you to guide them… Please, listen to me, if you will not listen to them - We were all here for you, in the first place. They followed your orders blindly; I served you even knowing that you're so much younger than I. But why did we stay in spite of that? Why?"
He paused and shifted his emerald gaze to his leader. "I believe you know the answer."
Luc started walking off. He then turned to glance back at his leader.
"Well, I'll be in the bar if you need me. Those tablets give me an eyesore, having seen it for years in a row!" And with that, Luc disappeared.
The youth stood still on the same spot, reflecting on Luc's words of advice. Yes, he was right. Nanami's sacrifice was one in vain should he continue mourning in this manner. And the others… He looked up at the direction of the castle windows, and saw many faces peering back at him, almost hopefully…
And he smiled.
Around him, the rain had begun to cease into a gentle shower. A small breeze swirled by him, carrying the faint scent of forest green and dew. Still smiling, the youth walked back into the castle to find a certain friend whom he had forgotten in his grief.
To Be Continued…