(no subject)
Apple Hill House Chronicles: The Earth’s Pain
Fuu stood outside practicing her sword techniques. Her lessons with Kimiki are hard and she practices daily very hard too, but she loves it. Since she passed her Time Travel test (with flying colors btw...) study, sleep and training have been easy to manage, and soon, she hopes to try her luck in the spring tournaments in the United Courts. She just could not believe how happy her life has been lately.
Jiro watched her from his room window and smiled. He knew that her training is going well, and that she loves being the Lady Shiba in the court. He was asked by Apple to watch over her, and knows most of her comings and goings, so he knows that she loves the new life that she was so afraid of the past month.
He turned from the window sadly and went on packing a bag that he had on his bed. He knew that his next job would be very hard for Fuu to accept, despite her somewhat silent treatment she had been giving him.
“Captain,” Apple’s voice said startling him, “Breakfast is ready.”
“Ma’am,” Jiro said turning to her, “I thank you for the invitation, however, I ask, with all respect, that you not use my rank when I am here.”
Apple smiled.
“Learn your place, Captain and you shall at least be called Captain Yazagawa.”
Apple left and Jiro looked after her with a very unhappy face.
“Master was right...” He mumbled as he went back to packing.
Apple went back to the kitchen and finished making the pancakes that she was to serve for breakfast. As she was cooking she herd the door to the back shut and Fuu coming in from her practice.
“Hello Apple.” Fuu said wiping her face with a towel, and caring her swords in one hand, “How much longer till breakfast?”
“Not long.” Apple said pouring some more batter on to the pan, “You have time to wash up and get dressed for classes.”
Fuu bows and leaves Apple alone.
Apple smiles and chuckles.
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Later Fuu comes back down and finds that the others are just sitting down to breakfast, but Jiro was just sipping some tea from the cup that has become his, in the recognizable brown robes he wore. But today, he seemed a little more “nicer looking” than normal.
Fuu sat down and accepted her plate or pancakes and scrambled eggs. She loved it when Apple cooked breakfast.
“Well,” Said Jiro setting his cup down, “That’s about it for me.”
Fuu turned her eyes his way and watched as Apple gave him a basket with a checkered handkerchief covering something.
“Here’s some lunch for you and your Lutenant.” Apple said handing it to him, “I hope you find it well. Camp food is horrid.”
“I believe I will Ma’am.” Jiro said, “As long as the others do not steal it.”
He stood strait and looked Apple in the eye for a moment, and then turned. He walked slowly up the stairs, and dissappred.
“Where is he going Mama?” Eric said sadly.
“He’s been called into active duty dear.” Apple smiled, “His Company has a special job to do.”
“War?” Said Eric worriedly.
Apple smiled softly and patted his head.
“No. But what he has to do is even more dangerous.”
Fuu rose from the table screeching the chair along the floor.
“I forgot my bag.”
Apple grinned and watched her go upstairs.
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Fuu hurried past her room, ending in the doorway of Jiro’s room.
There he was packing the last of his things.
Fuu stole a glance around the room and saw the familiar things gone. The Disho empty, most of the things off of his dressers gone.
“Jiro.” Fuu said clenching her fists.
“Apple did a wonderful job of getting you up here.” Jiro said smiling, but not looking up from his work. He finally pulled the string tight and clicked the bag shut, “What’s wrong?”
Fuu didn’t say anything at first but then she looked up at him.
“I...”she said slowly, “I want you to return.”
Jiro’s smile changed and he took a hold of Fuu’s arms.
“It’s not a big deal.” He said looking into her face, “Just some recon.”
“Even recon has its dangers.” Fuu said looking away.
Jiro sighed, and let go of her hands.
Fuu looked back as he placed his hands at a distance form one another and a green light formed in between them. He said some words and an object formed inside it.
As the light faded, a necklace appeared draped over his hands. A golden chain draped on one hand and his other supporting a white gem that was set into a gold plate.
Jiro looked at it for a moment, a sad look on his face, and then looked up at Fuu.
“You do not have to put this on right away, but I would be deeply honored if you wore this.” Jiro hands it to her and she takes it away from him, “Just place it on, and you will know I am with you.”
Fuu clutched the necklace to stop herself from crying.
“When will you be back?” she said silently
Jiro’s grin returned and she saw the old Jiro return.
"May I write you?" he said softly.
Fuu nodded.
“Oh! I shall be done around Thanksgiving.” He said happily, “Would you like to join me in
England for your break?”
“How the Hell am I to get there?” Fuu said rather loudly.
Jiro grinned and said, “You can fly of course.”
“I have to go now Fuu. My commander is waiting.” Jiro said picking up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
With that he clapped his hands twice and disappeared.
Fuu stood there bewildered, and turned to leave.
She shut his door.
“So he gave you that did he.” Apple said.
“What is it?” Fuu said
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“Jiro? Jiro?” said a voice. “We’re almost there Ji.”
Jiro opened his eyes and saw that the sky had turned dark, and that the lanterns on the side of the carriage were lit. The carriage then jolted, and Jiro hit his head on the luggage rack just above his head.
“HAHAHAHAHA!” came the laugh of his subordinate and dear friend James Sturart.
Jiro glared at him and rubbed his head and just as he was about to say something, the carriage stopped.
Jiro jumped out of the carriage and took a look around. Just as he remembered from training, Diver’s Cliff.
“Nostalgia ‘eh?” James said as he jumped down behind Jiro, “The Prisoners are coming soon....hella big carriage for them....”
Jiro said nothing but looked around.
“Move the carriages out.” Jiro said unsheathing his sword. He pointed near the sharp cliff that created a ceiling around the wall of the cliff, “Place the command tent in the security of the cliff, and the officer’s tents around that...classic command formation 10. We want the most lax formation we can come up with.”
“You’re the boss.” James said. He turned to face the others, “OY, Caption want’s the command by the cliff!”
“Baka...” Jiro said to James as he sheathed his sword, “Find me some herbs for my headache.”
Later that night....
Jiro sat up against a rock near a fire with a patch of parchment nursing a cup of tea. James sat next to him droning on and on about some mundane configurations for his strategies with a dagger.
Fuu,
I am glad to say that the first night here will be the best time to start my letters to you. It’s kind of nice to have something to do before bed. We start out late tomorrow, and I don’t know when I’ll get some free time.
I have two good friends here...James Sturart, an idiot by nature, but a good man...
“Three new ways around Dagger Rock.” James said twisting his knife in the ground, “Not bad.”
Jiro looked onto the drawings in the dirt and smiled.
“~JIIIIIIIIIRO~” cried a happy voice from behind, “~JAAAAAAAAMES~”
Before he could do anything, James was pulled back as someone wrapped their arms around his neck.
“What?!” cried James in surprise. He turned to see a redheaded woman back smiling at him, he frowned, “GOD Renee!”
Jiro burst out laughing and James shot him a dirty look.
Jiro continued writhing:
The other is my good friend Renee Smith....she's so young, yet strangely very mature...and a brilliant strategist....pity....I don’t think she will ever take any rank higher than her brother....
“That is wrong Jamie....” Renee said letting go of James and placing a finger on one of the diagrams in the dirt. “In fact, they are all wrong.”
“How?!” James said placing his dagger into her face.
Renee backed away from the dagger, and then moved around to his vulnerable side scratching him with her own dagger.
“You leave the flank to be attacked on each diagram,” she said taking a pebble. She dropped it onto the marks representing the rear flanks, “Dagger Rock has several caves at the top. Many can ambush from above.”
Jiro smiled, “Nothing less from Renee.”
James looked at him and then to Renee.
“I gotta clean this.” He said leaving.
“~Wait for me Jaaaaames!~” Renee said running after him.
Jiro chuckled.
Renee and James were his two most treasured friends, and also his most trusted men under him. Both were well taught, and have very high potential, but they stayed behind with Jiro for some reason or another, rejecting whatever position offered to them by command. All he knew, and was pleased to just know, was that they stayed to be with him.
Jiro looked into the fire and his smile softened as he thought about those two...whenever he thought about Renee...he just had to think about her brother...
“No.” Jiro said looking into the fire, and placing Fuu’s letter in his pocket, “It was no one’s fault.”
Jiro got up and went to James’ tent and found Renee tending to his cut. He smiled as he silently watched from outside and left them alone.
As Jiro stepped up to his tent, he heard running behind him.
“Sir!” a man yelled, “Sir!”
Jiro turned around and saw a secondary standing at attention.
“Commander Drake wants to see you right away Sir.”
Jiro looked away for a second, then looked back.
“Tell him I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
The man saluted and then turned away running back to the command tent.
Jiro went into his tent, dropped Fuu’s letter on his cot and then grabbed his swords. He placed them on and as he left he turned and looked back at Fuu’s letter.
“How can I love you, after you have declared yourself to him?” he said silently to it.
He left the tent.
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“What that is Fuu,” Apple said, “Is called an ‘Amulet of Protection.’. Inside it rests the ability to call upon the familiar of the person who gave it to you. It was used, in days long ago, to show how much one cared for another, given only to those whom the giver wanted to protect if they could never be there in a physical form. If the wearer was in trouble, the familiar of the giver would come, and be at the receiver’s command.”
Fuu looked at the amulet silently.
Apple smiled and began to walk away.
“In the immortal realm...” she said slowly, “It is one way for us to show our love to those we love the most without words.”