A Thought...

The embers had long died down, how many days, months had it been since that fateful day? The young man surveyed the area, seated on his bay-coated mount. Scorched stone, earth and stains of dried blood, all life had been taken from this land, even after so long, it seemed as though it hadn't changed. behind him, guards in gleaming armour stood a respectful distance away. Always watching, after all, he is their general.

Listen to my heart
Sorrowful, alas
I am lost without you

Only to watch him, his heart and mind, lost in a sea of thoughts so vast, he might as well have not been there at all. The children on the streets, laughing, playing. He remembers the smiling faces, the friendly people, so willing they were to simply accept him.

And your wife
The great love in your life
She guided me
Be with me always
Day and night

She was one of them, the woman who had been more of a mother to him in three days than his had been in sixteen years. Gentle hands that washed his wounds and face, fed him when he was too weak to move. Warm smile that gave him the sense of security he never had.

"Jowy! Jowy!"

He stopped, turning to the sound of her voice, she had come running, Pilika following as closely behind as her little legs would allow. He smiled but said nothing, waiting patiently for the woman to catch up. She reached him in no time, panting slightly from the exertion but still she looked him over intensely for any sign of discomfort.

"Are you sure you're alright, Jowy? You've only just recovered, it might not be good if you try to rescue your friend…"

"I'm fine Joanna, I have to go, I'm worried about Riou… Thank you, for everything you and Marx have done for me."

"You're welcome Jowy, but please, be careful and come back safely."

"I will."

Slowly, she drew him into a warm embrace, short brief seconds of soft loving warmth that only a mother could give. The kind of warmth that he had never felt, not even with Riou, his best friend. Before, it had only been Riou and Nanami. But not anymore, he had Marx, Joanna, and…

"Be careful Uncle Jowy, Pilika will miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Pilika. Be a good girl okay?"

"O-kay…"

"Take care Jowy."

"You too, Joanna."

Lamenting the great loneliness
The sorrowful tears
Asleep in the quiet green grave
In a deep peace

Carefully, he dismounts, making sure not to let them see the tears that sparkle in his cobalt eyes. Holding back the sobs that lay heavy on his bosom, he walks down that same dirt path, to the place where their hearts had begun to truly diverge, where their fates were truly revealed to their eyes.

There was happiness
But that departed
It was he who followed you

The sight was horrific. Charred corpses, men, women, children, no one was spared. Amidst the destruction, a lone child wailed, crying for the friends she had lost, and the family. There he found her, grieving. His heart ached for them, for her, at the same time, the disgust and contempt for the rabid wolf that was Luca Blight welled up within. She knelt by the bodies of his two friends. Cold, lifeless bodies.

Your husband
The great love in your life
He guided me
Be with me always
Day and night

In his hand was a dagger, but the blade had tasted no blood. The gash in his chest proved that it had been a broad sword that pierced through his flesh. Even without Pilika's sob ridden tale, he could tell what had happened. A wife who shielded her husband, even at risk of death, and a husband whose grief led to his demise. He gritted his teeth, jaw trembling with the effort, as he mourned the man who had given him hope, and taught him to be strong as he spent his days waiting for news that Riou was alive.

Lamenting the great loneliness
The sorrowful tears
Asleep in the quiet green grave
In a deep peace

Now, away from prying eyes, he let the tears flow, sinking to his knees, Jowy sits against a wall, crying, thinking of the things that were and the things that could have been. At that time, he had almost done the same thing, but he had not, he was not given the time to grieve. Around them, war was brewing, people who rushed around, killing others, killing innocents. And in another village, in another time, a lonely child sat among the dead, wailing.

"I will not allow it to happen again…"

The thought that echoed in his mind over and over, as he witnessed Ryube's sacking, the empty promise. But now he promises himself again, strengthening his resolve. A world where children may play freely without fear of the wolf in white armour, where men and women may look forward to each day without worry of war. The gentle, peaceful, world he dreamed of. But in order for that to happen…

I think of the day
That you were beside ne
Telling a story
Of the old life

The stars were bright tonight, as Jowy sat alone outside the house, a cup of rapidly cooling tea in his hand. Worry was written all over his face, brow furrowed in thought as he wondered where his friend could be. He gingerly ran his calloused fingertips over his bandaged ribs covered by his blue top. Somewhere during the involuntary trip down the river, he had slammed into a protruding slab of rock, inadvertently halting his journey as he clutched half-consciously to the wet surface till Pilika had found him.

"Nice night huh?"

Breaking out of his reverie, Jowy turned to face Marx, wincing pain caused by at the sudden movement.

"Woah, easy there. Just thought I'd bring you some hot tea. Yours must have cooled by now, you barely touched it."

Jowy nodded, embarrassed that he had been dreaming for that long, shifting a little more to the side to make space for the older man to sit. As he settled down, taking the new mug in hand, the silence resumed, only the melody of the crickets and the distant song of the nightingale lingering in the air. He swirled the cup, watching bits of herb float and spin within the dark liquid. Marx on the other hand kept his gaze on the shrine just adjacent to the house. Jowy had learned that Marx was in charge of the shrine, but what was kept within it was a secret.

"Hey…"

The blonde youth glanced askance at the man.

"Hmm?"

"Wanna hear a story?"

"…Okay…?"

"Haha, don't look so worried! It isn't some parable with a preachy moral. Well, not really anyway. It's about these two friends…"

I remember the day
Without want and without gloom

She had tried to put up a struggle, taking him by surprise and attempting to overpower him, but… The knife plunged into her stomach, blood spilling out, baptising his hand. The grip on his arm seized even tighter than ever, and then she let go, falling sideways to the tiled floor. In his mind, the voice screamed 'Murderer'. Behind him, he heard the doors swing open, his two friends charging in. With only a few passing words, he fled. He had no regrets… or did he?

"Sometimes, the things you do might seem bad, but it isn't necessarily wrong."

Raising his head, Jowy's blurry gaze met a pair of brown leather shoes. He draws a shaking hand to his eyes, wiping away the salty liquid. Some strange feeling of déjà vu coming over him as he shifts to make space for his new companion. The middle-aged man sits alongside him, handing the disconcerted young man a flask of warm, soothing liquid. He tastes the curious fluid a few times, unable to identify the drink.

"Lemon tea with red wine." He says, answering the unasked question. "Keeps you warm but keeps you sober."

"…Thank you…"

"… Don't. I don't need any thanks. I only need you to be focussed."

Jowy nods, keeping his eyes on his black boots. Next to him, Leon Silverberg runs his gaze over the destruction, face unreadable.

"When I came up with the Kalekka Incident, I never expected that the same strategy would be used by Luca Blight…"

"Did you find it an honour?"

"…Quite frankly, I've never been more insulted."

A smile tugs at his lips, tickled by the strategist's joke even though the man remained stone-faced.

"My focus in war is to win quickly with minimal casualties on both sides. I strive towards your goal with that intention in mind. That is my role as your strategist."

"…Th…"

"I told you not to thank me." He snaps a little harshly, "I only want to end this war and the sad thing about it is that neither side will be happy till one has been obliterated off the face of the earth and Luca Blight won't be happy till the earth has been obliterated off its own face."

"That's why… I…we have to stop him."

The man nods, satisfied that his task has been accomplished. Brushing his coat off as he stands, he signals that Jowy should do the same.

"We should return to camp, the Harmonian forces are arriving soon."

"Yes."

He pulls himself to his feet, casting a glance towards the ruins of the old shrine. The story from long ago, the two friends. Han Cunningham and Master Genkaku. The inevitable battle between Sword and Shield. He prayed for the strength to follow through with the plan that he had set to carry out.

Be with me always
Day and night