Note: I'm going to include the generals here but I'm going to give them different names. Malachite is now Michael, Jadeite is Jacob, Zoicite is Zackary and Nephrite is Nathan
Chapter 1: The Homecoming
It was a bright sunny day with just a smidgen of clouds. Anybody who was anybody in Calhoun was at the town park waiting at the town park for two Greyhound buses carrying home the young men coming back from the war. The waiting families laid out a picnic lunches to be eaten with neighbors under the stern yet caring gaze of the statue of John C. Calhoun, the senator the town was named after; on the pedestal of the statue a quote many of the townsfolk took to heart "Learn from your mistakes and build on your successes." The mayor stood in a gazebo preparing a speech. Everyone became silent when the two buses rolled up next to the park.
"They're here!" a girl called out.
Everyone then crowed the buses as the troops walked out, the local high school marching band playing Stars and Stripes Forever. The troops were practically mobbed by their families. Darien Shields came out of the bus and was almost smothered by his blonde haired, green eyed mother. "My baby is home!"
"Mama…" he said. "Not in front of the guys."
"I'm just so glad you're here." she missed her Black haired, blue eyed son.
"Hey Dare!" said Esther. She had black hair and green eyes.
"How many Commies did you shoot?" asked Will. He had Brown hair and Blue eyes.
"Hey, he just came halfway around the world; let him rest up a little." said Peter.
Then a young Japanese woman came out of the bus right behind Darien. She had blue eyes and blonde hair done in an unusual fashion, she wore it two round buns on either side of her head that each started a long noodle-like stand that went down to her knees. She was wearing a beautiful kimono.
"Mama, Pop, Esther, Will; I'd like you all to meet Usagi, my wife."
"Hello." said Will.
"Nice to meet you." said Esther.
"Welcome to the family." said Peter. Anne remained silent as she glared at Usagi.
"Konnichiwa." Usagi said. "I am honored to be a part of your family." She continued in rusty English.
"She still has a few problems with English. We mostly spoke in her language."
Anna looked in Darien's eyes. "We're going to talk about this later but tell me now; did you marry that Jap because she's carrying your baby?" she whispered.
"Mama, I remember everything they taught me in Sunday school…"
"Did you?"
"No, Mama." He sighed.
"Darien Isaiah Shields!" yelled a young woman with flowing black hair and Violet eyes. She stormed up to him.
"Raye." He said.
She then gave him a hard slap across the face. "Now we're even!"
"Um, Usagi can you give us a minute?"
"Hai." Usagi said.
Darien then turned to Raye. "I'm sorry about this but I really love her."
"Oh, I understand. While you were gone I met this nice young man Jacob, I realized down in my heart that he was the one for me and I was going to tell you it was over between us. But then I heard from your family that you had already gotten married without even telling me. Why didn't you have the decency to write me a letter?"
"I'm sorry, I do love Usagi and nothing will change that, but you're right I should have told you and I hope that we can still be friends."
"I'll try, but if you think she can join me and the other girls then you can kiss our grits."
On the other side of the park a tall black man with brown eyes and a single arm was greeting his family. His name was Caleb Thomas; he was Darien's buddy during a few months he spent in combat duty. During the war he lost his left arm to an artillery shell, but now it was just good to be home. "I'm glad your back." said his girlfriend Ruth.
"Me too, how about I introduce you to my buddy?" as they were heading over to the table where Darien's family and friends were sitting a deputy stopped them.
"I'm sorry, but I think your table's over there."
"But I want to introduce my girl to a war buddy."
"You got no buddies over yonder, now in Korea Uncle Sam may have burnt the toast but 'round here you best stick around your own, boy."
"Let's go." said Ruth. "We shouldn't make any trouble."
Caleb sighed. "Sometimes I don't know what I was fighting for."
Darien sat down at a picnic table with a few friends of the family; among them were a group of four young women who were close friends since they were little girls and their boyfriends. They called their group the "Sisterhood of Serenity" or S.O.S.
First there was Amy Anderson, a woman with short light blue hair and blue eyes. Her mother was the local doctor and her father was an artist, her goals were mostly to follow in her mother's footsteps. She was the quite and shy type who almost always had her nose in a book. Her boyfriend was Zachary Green a man with blonde hair done in a ponytail and green eyes; he was the town intellectual who worked at the library.
Next was Raye Canebridge, Darien's old girlfriend. She was the preacher's daughter and had quite the temper but she also had a quite passion about her. Her dream was to one day become a school teacher. Her boyfriend was Jacob Wallace, a man with Blue eyes and short blond hair. He was an assistant pastor at Raye's church.
The third member of the group was Lita Logan; she had brown hair done in a ponytail and green eyes. Her family ran the Red Rose Grill, one of the town's restaurants. She was kind, but she was also known for throwing a punch or two when she was mad. She worked as a waitress in the restaurant. Her love was Nathan Maxwell; he had brown hair down to his back and brown eyes. He ran a small store and made a few trips up to Atlanta once in a while.
The last member of the group was Mina Oliver, a young woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She had dreams of making it big in Hollywood but was content to work at the local beauty parlor and being the local matchmaker. Her boyfriend's name was Michael Thomas; he had long sliver hair and blue eyes. He worked as a mechanic at one of the local gas stations.
The four of them were chatting away. "I can't believe he dumped you for her." Lita said to Raye.
"It's happened before." said Amy her nose in a book. "I have a pen pal who has a cousin whose parents met that way."
"But he dumped Raye. That must have been tough on you; you had a crush on him since you were in first grade."
"I'm seeing someone else now." said Raye. "God probably didn't mean for us to be together."
"I think its wonderful." said Mina. "He's married, soon we'll be married then we'll start having babies…"
"Don't you think about anything other than romance?" said Amy.
"Yes, I think about movies, our friendship… Hey I had an idea, why don't we ask Darien's wife, what was her name, Usagi to join our little sisterhood?"
"Are you nuts?" said Raye. "It's always been just the four of us and we're not going to change now!"
They quieted down as the mayor tapped the microphone on the podium. "Now ya'll just listen to me for a minute. I'm sure a lot of you are glad that your son or daughter is home just take a minute to look around; you'll probably notice some empty seats. The sad truth is that some of the children we sent there were left behind, so why don't we take a few moments to just think about them, you know a moment of silence." Everyone was quite for about five minutes. "Well, let's say grace and to lead us in prayer here's pastor Canebridge.
Raye's father then started. "Lord Father, we thank you gathering us here today to celebrate the return of your children. Bless this food, that it may give us strength, and bless this peace so that our grandchildren won't have to leave as well. We ask this in the name of the father the son and the holy ghost, Amen."
"Amen." Those present echoed.
"Well let's dig in!"
"I bet you're hungry for some of my fried chicken." said Anna.
"It's been almost three years." said Darien.
"Then you have to have some!" said Esther.
Usagi had trouble using a knife and fork on a drumstick. "Just use your fingers!" said Will.
"But Westerners use knives and forks to eat." said Usagi.
"Not for everything."
"I'll help you out Usagi." said Darien. "It's not a big deal, just like when I was having dinner at your parent's house and I started eating my soup before I was urged to do so three times."
"And what can you tell us about our new in-laws?" asked Anne.
"I'm curious too son." said Peter. "I like to know a little more about the couple who made my boy's wife."
"My mother and father called Tuskino Ikuko and Tuskino Kenji."
"Excuse me?" asked Esther confused.
"In far eastern countries the family name goes before the personal name." said Darien.
Usagi continued. "My mother stay at home, father worked as accountant."
"What did he do during the war before the one that just ended?" asked Anne.
"Same thing, he could not be a soldier because he wore glasses."
"Any brothers or sisters?" asked Peter.
"One brother Shingo, he's younger then me so he's still in school. Mother and Father always wanted to go to America and saved money for us all to go, when I married Darien I could come here. Soon they will come too."
"Just what we need." said Anna. "More Japs!"
"Mama!" said Darien.
"Anna calm down." said Peter.
"I'm sorry." said Anna. "I need to freshen up."
"Don't worry about Anna, she'll come around eventually."
After the picnic the Shields left for home so Usagi would settle in. Darien just hoped nothing else would happen.