For 30_kisses theme at LJ
Title: Home
Theme: #20. かえり道 (the road home)
Wordcount: 657
Setting: AU, "Tomo to Kimi to Senjou de" GBA game universe.
Summary: Being with the military, he was transfered from place to place, so 'home' for him was wherever his bed was at the time.
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Mwu La Flaga sat down on the bed in the Captain's room, and leaned back against the wall.
"Is everything done?" he asked.
She laughed and ruffled his hair before sitting down beside him. "Yes, the peacetalks and negotiations should be more or less done by now."
"Finally!" he sighed and blew the bangs out of his eyes.
They hadn't had a chance to spend much time together lately. Murrue, being the Captain of the Archangel, had been busy meeting people and making arrangements for the ship and its crew. He had been pretty busy himself as well, helping with the repairs to his damaged Strike and to the ship itself.
The war was over with the destruction of the Genesis, and thanks to a warning from Natarle Badgiruel, the Archangel had destroyed the Dominion along with the leader of Blue Cosmos. But their work was not over yet; there was a lot of cleaning up to do.
"So, have we decided where to go?" he asked, pulling her towards him.
"Yeah," she rested her head on his shoulder, "Orb. They're letting us dock there, and is giving everyone a choice to stay and become its citizen."
She sighed happily and closed her eyes. "We can finally go home now," she murmured.
"Home..." he repeated. The word felt foreign in his mouth.
The only memory of 'home' he had was a cold and lonely one. All he could remember were those condescending and disapproving eyes, the stuffiness of strict tutors, and finally, those bright flames and smoke as his first and only real home was destroyed. After that, he didn't really have a place he could call 'home' anymore. He grew up being passed around from relative to relative, and living in the dormantories of boarding schools.
Then, being with the military, he was transfered from place to place, so 'home' for him was wherever his bed was at the time. But there was no warmth, no attachment to it, it was simply a temporary place to rest and recharge.
Ever since he came to the Archangel however, he had felt different.
At first, it was just like any other place of residence he'd been in. He was given a room, a bed, a place to rest and recharge. Just like any other places he'd been on assignments.
But something changed. he grew attached to this ship. Or perhaps he grew attached to its crew, something he rarely, if ever, allowed himself to do. He had learned long ago the pains of getting too attached to people, and then seeing them slip away.
Whatever the reason was, he felt a need to protect this ship that went beyond duty and responsibility. And when he was told he had to leave, he had felt such reluctance, and a need to return.
Was this what 'home' feels like?
Well, he did remember hearing someone say that "home is where the heart is". And his heart was...
He drew her closer to him. He knew the reason why the Archangel felt like home to him.
But they couldn't stay on the Archangel forever. Soon, he'd have to find a new home.
He was heading into unknown territory. He was no longer a soldier; the army he had been with and was part of for the most of his adult life had betrayed him, and he in turn, had burned down the bridges behind him.
To be honest, he was a little.. nervous. Civilian life was somewhat foreign to him. What will he do from now on? How can he survive without the adrenaline rush of flying? And what was his purpose in life now?
He stole a glance at the woman beside him and smiled. Well, there's one question answered.
He kissed her hair, making her smile, and shrugged mentally.
Thing would be different from now on, but he was fine with that, because he was on the road home.
Endnotes: I always seem to write from Murrue's perspective XD Maybe it's 'cause I'm female and can relate better or something. So I'm trying to write more from Mwu's perspective.
And Tomo to Kimi ending FTW!! =D