rain
Never got to use Kinnison much until this last game where I decided to raise every single one of the 108 Stars to level 56… hehehe, yes I am insane. You wouldn't be reading this if I wasn't, now would you? ^_^v
Timeline-wise, this takes place anytime after Riou/Syujinkou gets his castle.
I never realized until now how beautiful civilization can look in the rain.
Misty shrouds against pine trees. Wet turf beneath my feet. A trace of spring eternal in mountain air. The taste of clarity in a secret creek.
The only world I let myself know, left behind for a world I wanted so much to forget.
"...'scuse me, mister..."
"What is it?"
"Um, doncha wanna go inside with your doggie? It's rainin' real hard."
"No, it's alright. I'll be fine here... you should worry more about yourself and your playmates."
Laughter tinkling, against the pouring rain. The children run off, splashing through the puddles, seeking each other out, soaking up what happiness they had in being naughty before their parents shooed them back indoors.
I wish I could have been that way, so long ago.
Was I ever young...?
I don't remember.
"Kids, how many times have I told the lot of you not to play out in the rain like this?!"
"Sorry, mom..."
Sigh. "It's alright... just come inside right away..."
Mothers. Predisposed to caring for those which they gave birth to. Bearing the pain of labor, with nothing but innocent eyes and a guileless smile as their rewards.
My mother was never like that. I don't even remember her face.
I remember her eyes.
They hated me, even as they left me in the only place I call home.
Father?
I had no father.
I had a man who beat me just because I had his face.
"Geezus, it's cold out here... whoa. Kinnison, what the heck are you doing out here?"
"Getting soaked to the bone."
"You don't mean that."
"I do."
I'm not feeling very humorous anymore, and I'm glad he realizes it. I watch the bear-like man as he shakes out his mop of black hair, mussing it up even more. A curse touches the air, only to be swallowed up by the pouring rain.
Rain. Always the rain.
It was raining when the world abandoned me.
"Come on, let's get inside and get some beers. My treat."
"...I don't drink."
"Well, now is the time to learn."
"..."
I follow him inside, into a warmth I cannot feel.
I always did want to learn how soldiers manage to drown themselves in beer-induced, stupid dreams.