Author's Notes: Yah!!! People like my story. It makes me so happy. ^_____^
Review Replies:
Mara202: I'm so glad you like this story considering I threw this story plot together in math class while doing my social studies homework. ^_~
Tint-angel: Thank you for telling me about my spelling error. I think the whole reason this plot appealed to me more than my other story plots was because I can allow the GW cast to keep their characters, since the Civil War was similar to the wars in Gundam Wing.
Die Spitze: I think I'll take your advice. Trying to give Duo an accent was a pain. I'll try and make it longer. Thanks for reading!!!
~*~*~
Shadows of the Rising Sun
Chapter 1
Sleet
Quatre's POV
"Duo, please hold him still while I administer [1] chloroform."
Duo held down the tall young man's shoulder delicately, afraid to disturb the gaping [2] bayonet wound at his side, as I carefully applied the chloroform. Once my patient was numbed, I prepared my needle and unwrapped the linen that Duo had wrapped around the soldier's wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. I bit my lip as I gazed upon the wound. It was a bloody mess that I believed was infected.
"Duo, why don't you take care of the other patient? He has a fever and his only physical wound is a minor bullet graze on his shoulder, which you did a clean job dressing. All you have to do is keep the wet linen on his forehead cool by dipping it in cold water when it warms up and give him some [3] willow bark tea once he wakes up."
After giving Duo these instructions, I returned to the gruesome task of stitching up this nameless soldier's wound. I admit that the whole reason that I gave him the task of taking care of the other soldier, because he seemed really anxious and he was fidgeting quite a bit. I had always thought that I would never see the day when Duo Maxwell would have nothing to say, but I suppose that Duo must have felt anguished upon seeing his countrymen in such a state and guilty that he had not fought alongside them. Poor Duo. I hope he realizes soon that this had nothing to do with whether or not he should have joined the Confederate army.
I really wished there was some way to disinfect my hands, but in times of war proper disinfectants, such as [4] alcohol, are hard to come by. I consider myself lucky on being able to get my hands on some chloroform. For now, I guess I shall have to rely on my knowledge of medicinal herbs.
I sewed the soldier's wound up meticulously. I remembered a time when I found this particular task utterly unbearable. Back then, I absolutely detested the site of blood, sickness, and pain. Yet, what I hated more was the sight of any creature suffering from blood lose, sickness, or pain. I suppose that was what fueled my desire to become a doctor. Fortunately, I had a sister, Iria, who had studied medicine in America to instruct me on the basics. I was quite eager to learn all that Iria had to offer and even more eager to study medicine at a university. Thus, I began to study with my tutors more vigorously, in hopes of completing my fundamental studies earlier. This urgency to learn surprised all of my tutors, save my violin tutor. They had always seen me as finicky little brat with no appreciation for the fine arts of the intellect. I was not quite fourteen when I completed my basic education and decided to approach my father on attending a university to study and become a doctor. My father was a stern lawyer whose policy on every element of life was to be [5] fair, consistent, and honest, and to deal with matters [6] quickly, efficiently, and accurately. It was these policies of his that made him one of the most reputable and successful lawyers in all of Great Britain. Before I approached my father on my this topic, I had already applied for [7] Cambridge University, and just in case he didn't support me financially, I had secretly used my allowance to bet on horse races in order to collect money for the sake of my future. When the Day of Judgment finally dawned, I was apprehensive, but my father put all my troubles at ease and told me that a father's role was merely to guide, not dictate. My father and I have never been particularly close, since we were both constantly bossed by our different tasks. Whenever we did converse, the conversation would always evolve into a negative argument, so I ever saw in him was his dissatisfaction with me. Naturally, his agreement to let me go to Cambridge, rather than [8] Oxford, to pursue my dreams surprised me, but it made me realize that my father truly loved me despite his brusque manner of showing it.
I gently snipped and knotted the thread. I applied a thin layer of [9] chickweed ointment before bandaging the wound up firmly.
"Please feel free to call on me if their condition changes in any way."
With that said, I gathered my materials and left. I paused just before I exited to watch Duo dubiously stroke the stranger's cheek. I couldn't help but smile at the site. It seemed so sweet that Duo would care about a soldier he had never met before. Duo is a better youth than the town believes. I think that the townspeople ought to give Duo a chance to prove himself, but I suppose [10] "ignotum per ignotius" refers to my fellow ignorant human townspeople.
~*~*~
Yay!!! I finished the first chapter. The next chapter may be longer. This chapter says tells a lot about the characters. I presume you've figured out which soldier is which. The rest of Quat's history will be explained later. I have tweaked Quatre and Heero's nationalities to fit the historic context of this story. Quat's British and Heero's an American with German and Japanese backgournd. Oh, I gave Trowa a nice family too. He has a sister and an aunt, but now I'm giving too much away. Midii Une has a role in this story too, but Trowa didn't, doesn't, and will not love her in any way.
Notes:
[1] Chloroform was a popular anesthetic of the time. The other anesthetics were ether, morphine, and opium. Take your pick.
[2] A bayonet is the part of those old battle rifles that you attach on the muzzle of the gun. It was used to stab your opponent once you get close to them. I didn't really want Trowa to get shot in the arm and then the limb amputated, so I got him stabbed by a bayonet instead.
[3] Willow bark tea is a common and usually effective folk remedy for fever.
[4] Alcohol was available as a disinfectant back then.
[5] My humanities teacher's policy and he is, bluntly so.
[6] What my math teacher wants all her students to be, fast, efficient, and accurate.
[7] Cambridge is a university in London that is famous for its science department.
[8] Oxford is another university in London, but it's famous for its humanities department. One thing they came up with is the Oxford dictionary.
[9] Chickweed is an herbal remedy used by Native Americans to treat wounds, infections, and other illnesses. It can also be found in Europe too.
[10] Latin meaning "explaining the unknown by means of the more unknown."
Well, that's that.
I want to start another story since I have so many ideas in my head, but I need to know which idea below you like best.
[1] A crossover with the Trojan War with Trowa as some Greek prince and Quatre as a Trojan prince he enslaves, or something along those lines.
[2] A crossover with the myth about Adonis with Trowa as some Greek prince (again) and Quatre, aka Adonis, a slave due to circumstance. Maybe I'll make Quatre half god or Trowa a god, don't know.
[3] A sci-fi fic with Quatre and Duo as Preventer agents that get dragged back in time, where they meet Trowa and Heero.
[4] A fic with Quatre and Trowa growing up together then going their separate ways after a heart break and meeting up years later.
[5] A fic where Quatre is orphaned and takes care of himself and Trowa comes from a wealthy family.
[6] A fic where Quatre is a slave from Athens after the Peloponnesian War and Trowa is a Spartan war chieftain.
[7] A Post-EW fic where Wufei goes to his homeland of China to rediscover the history of his people and himself.
Please tell me what you think.
Oh, and please review.
^_^