Davis laughed.
"So, where do you come from? Why did you decide to train?" Takeru asked
curiously.
Davis then became
solemn. Takeru then frowned. "Is it a touchy subject? If you want me to-"
But Davis held up
his hand and shook his head. "It's all right. I have to warn you though; it's a
long story. I come from a small village not too far from here. I lived with my
parents and sister for a while in a different town. But when I turned around
six, invaders came into the village. My parents were warriors and helped
protect the town. My sister Jun was also trained and was formidable. They hid
me in the cellar in a secret room, so I wouldn't get hurt. My mother had given
me a small package and warned me not to open it until later. But before he
left, my father gave me a bag and told me to take good care of it. I was of
course a bit too young and wondered, but then my father gave me a hug and said
he would always be with me and watch me no matter what. Then he left. That was
the last time I ever saw him alive again."
"Oh," Takeru
started, but Davis cut him off.
"There's more. It
was a long time, but finally I silently crept out of the room. When I got
upstairs, I was shocked. Our home was practically destroyed. Portraits and
pillows were ripped, ornaments were shattered. I remember seeing my mother's
favorite china figurine on the ground, broken. I still have it. But the worst
was outside. When I stepped outside, the reek of burned flesh, ash, and blood
struck me all at once. Nearly all of the houses were burnt down or still on
fire. I still can smell everything like it was yesterday. Bodies littered the
streets. Men, women, animals, even children! Finally I saw two particular ones,
side by side. They were my parents. Their clothes were torn, and spattered with
blood. I saw what had killed them. Arrows stuck out directly from their chests.
But strangely, they both had smiles on their faces. I couldn't find my sister
anywhere; her hair was unique in the whole village. Then something broke inside
of me. I started howling and laughing in grief, tears pouring out of my eyes.
The worst part was that no one could truly hear me, no one to comfort me. It
was just I, alone in a whole village. Afterwards, I managed to somehow bury my
parents and give them a proper burial. Since I couldn't find my sister's body,
I found one of her toys and used it as a memorial. I went back to our home and
gathered a few things. My parents had charms to protect the house so I found some
things that the invaders hadn't manage to loot or destroy. Then I just set off.
I must have gone partially insane at that point. I just wandered around, and
now that I think about it, everything at that point is fuzzy in my mind. Then a
few months later, a group of villagers found me, half-dead, in a field. Luckily
they brought me in and nursed me back to health. I then lived there for the
last few years."
His eyes just
drifted off as he was lost in memories. Those memories still haunted him in his
nightmares. His parents' bodies. The destruction. All the things he had lost.
He had almost a haunted look; as if he didn't notice the warmth in that room.
"I'm sorry,"
Takeru said quietly. Davis just sat on one of the beds, staring. A few tears
trickled down. He could still smell ash and burnt flesh. He looked down at his
hands. There were scars and remains of blisters from when he slowly struggled
to bury his parents. Takeru walked over and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Davis started feeling better as a warmth filled him that didn't account for the
fire. It came more from inside, like a gold light. Davis raised his head and
shrugged.
"Enough about me,
tell me a little about you," he said curiously to Takeru.
Takeru just
shrugged. "My life wasn't as sad as yours. Yamato and I lived with my parents
for a while. But eventually they couldn't take care of us so they left us with
some friends, Sora's family. They had owned this place for quite a few
generations, training heroes. Sora eventually became the heiress of the school,
she is really impressive when she wants to. Yamato trained with Sora for quite
a while. He beats her time to time with knife fighting, but she's way better
with staff work and fencing. They both give me a few pointers here and there,
but I'm still an amateur."
Davis looked
thoughtful. "But we better get some sleep," Takeru said. "We have a long day
tomorrow."
Davis just rolled over on his bed and started to drift off to sleep. But before he closed his eyes completely, he said, "Thank you, Takeru." Takeru just chuckled softly and put out the lamps before going to sleep himself.
