Days of Exile

Chapter 24 – Living Life to the Fullest

31 December 0007

Walking through the corridors and barely acknowledging the bows and greetings from his family servants, Jasper made a quick route to his bedroom. His coat was shrugged out and set over his chair. He stood in front of the mirror and tussled his hair a bit, but decided in the end to take a shower.

After his ablutions, he felt much better. Jasper sat on his bed and pondered on the exchange between his father and himself. It wasn't that he disliked what he was doing; a jeweller's business was busy and fulfilling, not to mention prosperous. After all, most of the accessories that the people use for combat purposes have gemstones on it, so there was constant demand in this industry. He knew that his father was glad to see him taking over what he had built. Jasper had no intentions of going against his father's plans. Nevertheless, that decision did not dissolve the emptiness in his heart.

Is this the life that I really want? Jasper thought, lying back against his bed. To do my father's will so… willingly? His eyes swept across the room but eventually fell on the red nunchakus on his bedside table. Will I never be able to fight with my nunchakus again?

You made a deal with him. Another voice inside him answered. What kind of businessman are you if you go against your word?

… Indeed.

Jasper picked up his nunchakus and walked towards his chest of drawers. His heart was heavy and something was nagging inside, but he pushed it all out of his mind. He thought that he could forget about it once he's back but it surely wasn't the case. However, Jasper could not afford to disappoint his father. If he didn't take over the business, no one could because there was no one else in his lineage. He was the only son in the entire generation. Jasper gripped his nunchakus and smiled grimly at the worn out handles. It's time to bury them inside the drawer and never think about them anymore.

As he drew out the drawer, his gaze fell on a brand new PHS. When Haato and Leia passed it to him on their way to Icicle Inn, he immediately kept it under the drawer. He knew the slightest article of relation to his previous life as a Turk will distract him from what he had set his heart on doing. Looking at the PHS again, a quiet voice spoke at the back of his mind. This time, he didn't fight it. He knew that he'll be bothered by the thought if he didn't take a look. He picked it up and after a few moments of fiddling with the device, he switched it on.

"Gosh, look at the messages…" He murmured. Most of them were short messages from Meia and his colleagues, wishing him the best in his family business.

Then, he received a new message. It was from Leia. Jasper clicked on it, not thinking much until he saw the message: Jade WEAPON approaching Icicle Inn. Haato and I preparing and need help. Will you join us?

Trust Leia to keep her message so concise that it's devoid of emotion. Jasper groaned and immediately felt for the power button… but stopped. In the last few weeks, this was the first time someone had contacted him for work. There was a sense of excitement that bubbled within him – he could fight Jade WEAPON and get it over and done with. Besides, the Jade WEAPON seemed to be targeting everyone in the Turks, sans Tseng, Reno and Rude. Wouldn't it be better if he had joined Leia and Haato, rather than wait for Jade WEAPON to come for him?

It is wiser to get this thing over and done with. He thought. But… the party…

By leaving now, what would his family say? It wasn't like they would buy his explanation about the Jade WEAPON – an incredible lack of foresight given their nature. Jasper could imagine the look of utter disappointment on his father's face. He could also see the sneering looks of his uncles, the faces reflecting 'I-told-you-so'… Can he afford that?

21 February 0000

Jasper, aged 16, was peering out from his window. "Who are those people, father?" He asked a middle-aged man sitting on an armchair.

The man lowered his pipe and stared at the people outside the window, but obviously could not see anything. However, he knew who his son was talking about. "Just some archaeologists from the south coming here to do their research." He answered lightly.

"Sounds wonderful!" Jasper grinned. He leapt from his chair and ran towards the door. "I'm heading out!"

Jasper's father looked up in displeasure. "You can't! There will be-" But the door was already closed. Jasper's father sighed. At the rate his son was becoming, he would never be the mature and insightful man that he needed to continue his business. Not that Jasper was the least bit interested, it's just that he still enjoyed doing things that little boys like to do. He is nowhere near ready to take over, yet I don't have the patience to wait for him to grow up. He sighed.

"Hey, there."

When the two people turned, Jasper had a good look at them. The two visitors are definitely not local. The woman had short black hair and blue eyes. She was not particularly thin, but she definitely looked agile. The man was blond and slender. He even had blue eyes like Jasper. Except that instead of Jasper's curly hair, the man had side swept bangs that covered almost half his face.

The man immediately had a slight wariness on his face, but the woman grinned at him. "Hello, who are you?" She asked.

"Um… Jasper." Jasper replied. "I heard you guys came from the South?"

"Yup!" The woman smiled. "I'm Patricia, and this is Marshall. We're just some researchers looking for some rest in this town."

"Totally wicked!" Jasper exclaimed, finally sliding down a small slope and standing with them.

The man who was called Marshall dropped his wariness (a little) and smiled shyly. "Hello, I'm Marshall. Pleased to meet you."

"I really want to know about the South!" Jasper grinned.

Patricia looked surprised. "You've never been south?"

"Well, just to Costa del Sol. My father said that in the future, when I'm older, I'll be able to travel more with him."

"Then I guess you'll have to make do with our silly stories-"

Patricia quickly stopped and spun around. A large lizard-looking dragon roared and appeared among the trees.

"Vlakorados!" Jasper cried fearfully. Bone Village had been considered free of monsters, except for this extremely dangerous monster. "Stay back! I'll go get help from…"

Jasper stopped and watched in amazement as Patricia and Marshall sprang into action. Patricia drew an EMR while Marshall brandished a pair of nunchakus.

"You stay back, boy!" Patricia barked.

Jasper didn't need telling twice. He quickly hid behind a tree and watched the two people battle against the giant dragon with awe. The battle was long, but it was clear that Marshall and Patricia were winning. Patricia attacked with viciousness while Marshall was strong but graceful. Never had Jasper seen such skilled fighters. At long last, the dragon fell with a deadly roar, leaving nothing but a small Carob nut.

Marshall picked it up gently. "Not very worth fighting such a difficult monster, but it'll do…" He remarked softly.

Jasper stepped out of the tree that he was hiding behind. "You're Turks!"

Instantly, Patricia and Marshall lifted their weapons. Patricia swore softly to herself as she saw her EMR. Only Shinra employees used EMRs. "He spotted my EMR." She said to Marshall. "Should've used melee."

"No, you're right to use the EMR." Marshall murmured back. "We wouldn't have been able to finish that thing quickly."

Jasper grinned at the knowledge of it all. "I can't believe it! You two are Turks!"

"This knowledge is not something to be happy about, boy." Marshall growled with an unseen note of danger in his voice. Where had the soft-spoken and shy man gone to? "Now…" Marshall's blue eyes trailed to the young boy who had just identified them. Jasper felt a flicker of fear as he watched Marshall grip onto his nunchakus tighter. Surely they aren't intending to…?

Patricia sighed and put down her weapon. "Forget this, Marshall." She said. "So much for our holiday. We should just go back to Midgar."

"No, no!" Jasper quickly cut in. "Please stay! I promise I won't tell anyone!" The two Turks made a move to walk away but Jasper dashed in front of them, placing his hands wide so that he could stop them. "Please!"

Patricia's eyes narrowed. "We have no intention of staying anywhere with people knowing who we are."

"No one will know!" Jasper exclaimed. "I've always wanted to meet the Turks, I want to learn how to use that badass looking weapon over there!" He pointed at Marshall's nunchaku. "Anything… Anything but the life I've got to live here."

There was probably something in what he said, because Marshall dropped his fighting stance and asked quietly, "Don't like the life you live here?"

"… Not that. Just that my dad wants me to continue his business. But I… I don't want a life having no say to what I should do and all…" Jasper felt oddly naked revealing the truth. He had never confided this with anyone, not even his family nor close friends. Now, he was spilling it all with two people whom he had barely met. "Please… don't leave just because of what I found out. Not when I… Not when I…"

"Enough."

A hand was placed on his shoulder. Jasper looked up and saw Patricia's grim face. "… Patricia?" He looked at her, puzzled.

Patricia sighed and looked serious. "You look like you need a life." Her face then broke into a grin. "Then a life you shall learn how to live!"

"Patricia…" Marshall said wearily, as if it was something he faced almost every day.

"Marshall, I've changed my mind!" She beamed and patted Jasper's back enthusiastically. "Let us stay in Bone Village! We gotta teach this boy how to live a proper life!"

With that, Patricia and Marshall stayed in Bone Village, trusting that Jasper will not reveal their identities. Jasper had kept his word, in return Patricia and Marshall allowed Jasper around their archaeology façade.

1 March 0000

Patricia's stark black hair seemed to shine under the sunlight. "Don't worry, rich kid," she laughed. Jasper had always liked her laugh. "It's just a blazer. I can always get another one from the company when I'm back."

Jasper flipped his curly hair behind his face in vain. "Don't call me 'rich kid'," he mumbled. "You know I detest that."

From behind him, Marshall sat with a book in his hand. "Don't go overboard, Patricia," he advised. "Wouldn't want to see you two sliding the muddy slopes all the way down to the front of the town. And…" He glanced over at Jasper's silk shirt and pants. "And his family will be angry to hear that we've ruined their clothes. That looks expensive." Jasper flushed in embarrassment, but did not answer.

"We have NOT ruined their clothes yet!"

"You will after this ride."

"But that's the whole point!" Patricia insisted, placing her hands on her hips. "The idea is to be as dirty as you can! I bet you," She grabbed Jasper by the shoulders and shoved it at Marshall as if holding out a parcel. "This child has probably never done anything wilder than styling his own hair!"

Jasper laughed. "You know, Patricia, you aren't that far from the truth."

The nunchaku Turk narrowed his eyes at Patricia. "If you insist, Patricia." He said with quiet resignation. "I've said my piece. You do yours and stay out of trouble."

"We will, we will." Patricia answered with a wave of her hand. Sometimes Jasper found it hard to believe that Patricia was the older of the two. "Are you ready?" She nudged the younger boy.

Jasper grinned. "You really have the wackiest ideas, Patricia! Sometimes I find it hard to think that you're 13 years older tha-"

"Don't go around revealing my age!" Patricia exclaimed, swinging a slap too heavy on his back. Jasper choked on his saliva and she quickly continued, "Alright, let's get you onto the blazer…" Jasper gingerly stepped and sat on Patricia's Turk blazer while Patricia was still talking. "Don't worry, I won't let you go until you're ready… opps." Patricia said, releasing the blazer on purpose.

Her only response was the screams of Jasper as he skidded down the muddy slopes of Bone Village.

10 March 0000

"I know that you're excited, Jasper," said Marshall in a cool voice. "But could you just let me finish?"

Jasper stopped bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Sorry," replied he sheepishly. "It's just that I can't believe you're teaching me nunchakus!" He scratched the inside of his linen pants, obviously not used to the rough material. "Am I going to be as cool looking as that Wutaian martial artist, Truce Wee?" Jasper paused to mimick a signature Truce Wee nose nudge. "How do I even hold this thing? Are you really trusting me with your nunchakus?" He asked, with eyes shining.

"Yes, I am." Marshall said. "Aren't you holding my weapons?" Jasper grinned sheepishly. "Nunchakus are not easy to handle. Be ready for a long period of bruises, made mainly by yourself. As any fighter, you need strong willpower and determination to excel." Jasper nodded quickly, eager to begin. Marshall sighed and shook his head. "Let's begin. Hold one of the handles and have a feel of the weapon." He watched and nodded approvingly at Jasper's attempts to swing them. "Okay… Swing slowly… don't waste all that energy turning your shoulders, you only need your forearm strength."

"Am I doing okay?" Jasper asked.

"For a start-"

"OW!" Jasper interrupted Marshall's words as the nunchaku swung right into his face. A volley of curses came after that. Jasper clutched his nose and tried to stop the blood running from his nose. Marshall too, swore and rushed to help Jasper. It would take a few more weeks of bruises and sniggering from Patricia before Jasper can use the weapon expertly.

28 April 0000

The skies are always a dusty blue in Bone Village, so it is no surprise to take a break from the constant training and playing. Jasper sat with his hands propped behind him, taking deep breaths but grinning profusely. His cotton shirt and pants were damp with perspiration, but he didn't care. These were clothes that were meant specially for Patricia and Marshall, for they were the only ones who didn't care if his trousers were made of fine Wutai silk or whether he bathed in oats or lemongrass.

"Not too bad with the handstands, Jasper," grinned Patricia. "See what I told you?" She nudged Marshall, saying. "Age is not a big factor with combat training."

"What, what?" Jasper stared at the two of them. "You two didn't think that I could do it?"

"No offence, rich kid. You can't deny it anyway – you don't spend your earlier years fighting and training, do you?" When Jasper shook his head, Patricia continued. "Most of us started fighting and combat training when we were young. It helped that Modeoheim was so full of nasties. 16 years old is a little old to begin training, but you are doing a really good job!"

From a short distance, Marshall yawned, covering his mouth as he did so. "But interest alone is not enough for you to improve, Jasper." Marshall said quietly. One thing that Jasper quickly learnt about Marshall was that he was mild mannered. The most emotional issues will not even sway Marshall to give anything more than an exclamation of surprise. "You need a deeper motivation to propel yourself to better skillfulness." The nunchaku Turk said thoughtfully.

The younger boy nodded awkwardly, which prompted Patricia to ask, "What is it that you want to do with your nunchaku skills?"

"Um…" Jasper mumbled. "There's really nothing else I can do with my nunchaku skills. Interest, I suppose."

"That's not enough." Marshall remarked. Patricia scratched her head and asked why. "Well, interest can maintain the passion for the skill for a long time," said Marshall with a low voice. "But interest alone will not improve you."

Jasper felt his heart plummet at Marshall's disapproving tone. "There is really nothing I can do with my nunchakus… Unless you're expecting a businessman to swing his nunchakus at customers or something." Jasper laughed weakly at his own joke. "If not I don't know how else I can use that nunchakus." He glanced at Marshall, who was drinking his soda bottle calmly. "I know you often tell me during training that I need a deeper motivation to improve my fighting skills, but I'm being honest here. These things," he smiled and lifted the weapon. "Are just nice to pass the time by."

"Pass the time by?" Marshall questioned. "Do you know how many lives are at stake out there?"

"The hell you talking about?" Jasper frowned, his confusion slowly morphing into irritation. "Whose lives?"

Marshall regarded Jasper with disappointment and… was that disgust? "There is no point in training you harder then, Jasper." He said. "Since you're more than happy to be where you are now."

The boy flushed with anger and Patricia immediately noticed his discomfort. "Marshall…" She said. "I doubt the rich kid-"

"Don't call me rich kid!" roared Jasper at the woman.

Marshall immediately flung out his nunchakus. "You do not show disrespect to her while I'm around." He warned lethally.

"I'm not saying that I'm happy the way I am!" explained Jasper. "I'm merely saying that I don't have any reason to use my nunchakus apart from a leisure activity! Truth is, I'm just impressed with how you took down the Vlakorados that time and wanted…" Jasper clenched his fists. "I wanted to be like you! But all you've been doing since day 1 is to tell me that my motivation is not enough. So… just get off my case already!" Jasper yelled back.

"This is pointless," fumed Marshall. He stood from where he was and dusted the grass and dirt off his clothes. "I'll be back."

"Marshall!" Patricia exclaimed, but Marshall was already walking away. "Oh man…" She sighed.

Jasper sat down with a huff. "What's his problem?" He grumbled.

Patricia looked at Jasper and gave a wry smile. "Marshall was just being a little emotional."

"Emotional?" Jasper stared at the empty space where Marshall was sitting earlier. "That didn't look like emotional, just a plain sarcastic jab at my ability."

"I'm afraid you don't understand." Patricia said, pulling a blade of leaf and twisting it around her fingers. "Marshall may look really mild and emotion-limited, but he's more than that." She sighed and ran a hand through her dark hair. "He used to be so happy and cheerful – much like you now."

Jasper could not imagine Marshall being cheerful. He was definitely not grumpy, but chirpy was not exactly the best description either.

"He was engaged to my sister, Alicia." Patricia continued. "I couldn't believe that at such a young age, they wanted to marry each other. Marshall was only 20 and Alicia just a few years younger. Marshall's family loved my sister and myself, knowing that we had no one else but ourselves to depend on. In those times that I return to Modeoheim from Midgar (for I was already a Turk when this happened), Marshall and Alicia would always plead me to give my consent." Patricia chuckled. "They didn't really have to go through all that effort, honestly. I wanted Alicia's happiness as much as mine."

"Then the war happened… is that it?" Jasper said quietly. He didn't need Patricia to repeat herself. He was eight when the Wutai Wars happened in 1992. The Wutai troops stormed to Modeoheim to destroy the Mako Reactor that was planted there.

Patricia nodded. "Alicia was only 18… I really felt like my heart was torn into two. Many a time, I asked myself why it couldn't be me who died…" She did not speak for some time and Jasper did not offer any words. Finally, Patricia said, "Marshall had it just as bad. He lost his entire family and his fiancé in a single night. I suppose… when you have nothing else to fight for, being a Turk doesn't matter, does it?"

"So that's how he became a Turk…" Jasper murmured. "What about you, Pat?"

The woman chuckled. "Me? My story isn't that glamorous. Both my parents died when Alicia and I were young. Coming to Midgar to be a Turk earns the most money for Alicia." Patricia shrugged. "But you know what? I'm happy to be here. Everyone is so dedicated to their job and their comrades." She grinned. "Even when Alicia died and there wasn't anyone else I can support, I decided that I didn't want to quit anyway. I will be a Turk until the day this job takes my life away."

Jasper listened with awe. In his town, people disliked the Turks and their jobs. Yet there is someone who loved the job that everyone hates. "Patricia… I'm really sorry for being rude just now."

"Don't worry about it, kid. It's my fault anyway." Patricia grinned. "Marshall really felt the impact of the war. That's probably why he acted up just now… He cannot understand how people can live with their lives so unfulfilled. Losing Alicia and his family only reminds Marshall that he has to continue to live for their sake's… to live his own life to his best means, as a sign that he is not treating his life flippantly." Patricia placed a hand on Jasper's shoulder. "I too, want the same for you. Living life to the fullest is the best way to show your gratitude of what you have."

The younger boy nodded. "Thanks for the advice, Patricia. I… I shall go and find Marshall now." The woman smiled and shooed him away.

Jasper ran and soon found Marshall standing by a forest clearing, staring into thin air. "Marshall!" He ran towards the nunchaku Turk. Marshall turned his head ever so slightly, but that was enough for Jasper to continue. The Bone Village native bowed his head and apologized. "I was tactless and did not understand your meaning behind your words."

"… Have you found out what you are fighting for?" Marshall asked softly.

"Yes." Jasper looked up and stared at Marshall in the eye. "I know that I'm condemned to take my father's business when I grow up… but I… but I…"

For the first time, Marshall looked at Jasper with some surprise. "… Jasper… Do you actually want to take over your family business?"

Jasper sniffed. "NO!" He declared. "I want to have adventures and be an explorer! I want to travel around the world! Yet I can't escape my fate to be a businessman! So… So… I will do the things that I have to do, that I desire to do… So that when I eventually take over my family business I'll have no regrets because… because I've lived my life to the fullest!

"I will be a Turk! You and Patricia have been my greatest role models and friends. It will be my greatest desire to work with the both of you and learn even more. I know that to be a Turk, I have to be stronger than this! So I will continue to work hard! Therefore, I'm asking you as humbly as I can… Will you be able to teach me nunchakus again?"

For a moment, there was silence and Jasper felt his heart sink at the lack of a response. Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow for training." Marshall said mildly, a small smile returning.

Jasper grinned. "Yes, teacher!"

14 August 0000

Patricia laughed good-naturedly at Jasper's face. "You look ridiculous, Jasper! Wipe your tears and snot off your face!"

Jasper sobbed. "But… but you're leaving!"

"It's inevitable." Marshall replied softly. "We have been away from work too long. The company calls us."

"Yup! Even before we came to Bone Village, we were travelling around the Planet." Patricia patted Jasper's back comfortingly. "It has been too long for us, I too, have a bunch of kids to mother back in Midgar!"

"Jasper," Marshall placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Don't forget us, and what we've talked about."

The young boy nodded, his eyes red with tears and his body heaving from all that sobbing. "I will go to Midgar someday and be a Turk!" He yelled as Patricia and Marshall walked away. "We will be Turks together!" He cried, not caring if anyone heard him. "And we will live our lives to the fullest!"

For a moment, he thought the two Turks did not hear him. Then, they turned around and gave him a thumbs-up… a promise that they will be Turks together.

A sudden contact made Jasper jerk into focus. In his nostalgic stupor, he dropped the PHS and it hit his thigh.

Why am I still hesitating? He thought. Fighting alongside the Turks is still part of living my life to the fullest… It is probably now or never.

Sorry, father.

It amazed Jasper to see that he was ready for combat within 5 minutes. A simple shrug on in his shirt and pants… Accessories, Materia equipped and nunchaku in his hand didn't take too long. It was as though his equipment had always been ready for Jasper's usage.

As he stepped out of his room, he spotted his father. His father's eyes swept across his getup and Jasper felt the blush of shame creeping up his cheeks. "Father…" he said. "I…"

In response, his father walked past him. His disappointment was as tangible as the smell of the cigar in his mouth. Jasper turned to face his father and called him again. Slowly, Mr. Gemsworth turned around and looked at Jasper steely. "An indecisive man is like an excavator who wants to dig both parts of the ground at the same time."

Jasper stared at his father incredulously. His father hardly lectured him, but the parables (usually mining or jeweler related) that he told were enough to bore Jasper. Although he usually found no purpose in his father's words, out of respect for his father (and also the shame that he was sneaking out of the house in combat attire), Jasper listened obediently.

"He only has two hands and he wants to dig two holes. Can he do that efficiently?"

"No, father."

"Indeed. He can only reap the goodness of his excavation by digging up the marked areas one by one." His father drew a deep breath. "So it is for you. Do what you need to do, for I do not want an indecisive man taking over my legacy. I want a man who knew that everything he does is making sure his life is not wasted."

A wave of gratefulness washed over Jasper. Just how much did he show his ambivalence at taking over the family business, such that his father could pick it up? To think Jasper thought he had moved on very well from his Turk life. "Father… I…" He stumbled upon his own words. "I never want to go against… I still am determined to take over your business…. I…" Finally, he knew that words were not sufficient. So he dipped his head low and with a heart full of gratitude, Jasper exclaimed. "Thank you, father! I will not let you down the next time!"

"… Be home for dinner. Your uncles will want to see you." His father said lightly and walked off as if nothing happened. Jasper was still expected for the party, that would mean no chit chat with Haato and Leia after fighting the Jade WEAPON, but that was more than enough for the young man.

Jasper clutched his nunchakus tighter and ran out of the house, in the direction of Icicle Inn.

Hello! Happy April!

I like this chapter a lot more than I thought. It's very nice to bring back and tie in Patricia and Marshall's backstories. This chapter sort of ties up everything with the two dead Turks together. I've been meaning to write their pasts as a whole new story. Thank goodness that didn't happen, I'm happy focusing on Days of Exile.

Please read and review!