(no subject)
Okay, I was mulling over the events at the end of ToA, and it started to turn into a story. This in itself is not unusual; I do this for all sorts of stories I read/play/watch.
Except this time I actually wrote it down. Yikes. Cut for SPOILERS OF DOOM and runon sentences. This isn't edited, and as a result the beginning is rather better written than the ending, though whether any of it is any good at all I couldn't tell you. Skip it, my friends, please.
Guy first became suspicious of the one who had returned a month later. After the jubilant (but obviously perplexed) King Ingolbert VI presented his nephew to the populace of Kimuelasca, in a ceremony only rivaled in pomp and grandeur by his daughter's wedding the year before, a raucous gathering of the world's notables had met to celebrate the hero's miraculous return. It had been a somewhat eclectic gathering, as it included not only the Kimuelascan royal family, the Emperor of Markt (whose beloved pig-rabbits terrorized the palace maids), the leaders of the Lorelai Order from Daath, and their cabinets, but also representatives from the scientists of Sheridan and Velkende, and the small rural towns of Engave and St. Bynah. Even some replicas had come, and a few Cheagles from their home forest. Some had looked down their well-bred noses at the farmers and engineers and muddy pig-rabbits mingling with the highest and greatest, but the king's nephew had insisted, and objections had melted in the face of the hero of the Second Hod War. The result had been a party to remember; Guy had found it hard not to laugh out loud as the newly proclaimed Hierarch of the Lorelai Order shamelessly extorted millions and millions of Gald out of the wealthiest and most loudly pious citizens of Bachicul and Grankokuma. It had been a wonderful time, and Guy had been happier than he remembered being in years. The worries had come later, and now he was left with a prickling sense of unease that refused to go away no matter how hard he stamped on it...
It had started while they waited for the elevator to come back to street level; Luke had been goaded into trying the Emperor Peony's very favorite beverage, and had needed a walk to clear his head afterwards. Luke had leaned against the steel girders, listening to the wind and the city's endless thrumming, and smiled softly to himself. Guy had smiled in return, even knowing that the smile wasn't directed at him (somehow Luke's bright grin always had that effect on him) and said jokingly, "Give you a Gald for your thoughts."
Luke looked briefly panicked. "Uh, it's okay, I don't need money, I have upstairs-" and Guy had snorted, interrupting the apology. "Don't worry, it's just an expression. I'm not carrying any at the moment, anyway, I was just wondering what you were thinking about."
Luke's expression had cleared. "Oh, yeah. You see that place?" He pointed towards the platform where Tear, Jade, Anise, and Natalia (his wife! he still couldn't believe it) stood, watching the stars. "I was just remembering the time when you and me and Natalia ran away from the house to go check out those machines you found. We got into so much trouble for that stunt, but it was worth it."
"Yes, it was," Guy had said, after a brief moment. Fortunately Luke hadn't seen his shock, because the elevator had arrived, and Luke had gone off, hollering, to collect the rest of his friends. Guy had been grateful for the commotion, and had been able to leave without saying much to his former companions.
It was true that Guy and Natalia and Luke had escaped from the royal compound to look at some interesting Tone Machinery in the city. But the Luke fone Fabre who had accompanied the others on the expedition had not been the one Guy loved like a brother, but the original of whom 'Luke' was only the replica. The one who had changed his name and identity to join the Oracle Knighthood. 'Fresh Blood' Asch.
***
Guy had been reluctant to confront Luke and have his worst fears confirmed, but he was unable to set his worries aside, either. Instead, he found himself studying this Luke, analyzing him, and comparing him with his memories of both Luke and Asch. He couldn't help but smile a little to himself; Luke might have achieved the Second Level of the Great Resonance, might be able to annihilate an entire city (if not a whole continent) at whim, but Guy had seventeen years of experience as his close friend, and besides, Luke had always been a dreadful liar.
He spoke of his suspicions to no one; the one whose advice he would have most appreciated, Jade, had already left on the Tartaros for some military exercises. Even if Anise hadn't left as well, Guy was still unwilling to ask that frighteningly sharp young lady's opinion. Besides, he realized now, both were masters at reading people, far better than Guy. They must have come to their own conclusions; and Guy still couldn't bear to have his hope, finally realized after two long and painful years, snatched away. Just the thought that his best friend might have been lost after all made his heart ache.
He was even more unwilling to ask Natalia and Tear. His wife (his wife! just the the thought of this inexplicable and undeserved happiness made his mood lift) was both expecting their child and ferociously engaged in reshaping the Kimuelascan government to allow more input from the common people. The idea of disturbing her efforts with his half-formed suspicions didn't sit well with him. And, well, Guy trusted his wife, but who better than the friend of her childhood to know of her long and fierce love for Asch...?
As for Tear, she was both gingerly adjusting to life above ground and unspeakably, inexpressibly happy. He couldn't bear to destroy her joy, not after the long years of grief. So he watched, and he waited, and he found himself unable to make up his mind.
It was true that Luke shouldn't have remembered that escapade - he shouldn't even have made an error in remembering, for 'Luke' had never left his house in seven years, until that one day when Tear slipped into the fone Fabre residence. But it was also true that this Luke carried himself the same way, slung Lorelai's Key carelessly on his back the same way, had the same naivete that so endeared him to Guy. (He still hated carrots, too, but this was true of both Luke and Asch.) He had the same often-rude honesty, the same poorly-controlled temper (also true of both) and, when he felt inadequate, the hangdog expression peculiar to the Luke he'd waited for at Aramis Well. This last seemed to appear on his face more and more as he looked at Guy, recently...
In short, this Luke was to all appearances the same as his best friend, and Guy would have been willing to shrug off that incident (perhaps he'd misheard?) if not for the other evidence his paranoid survey had amassed. A closed expression at the grim news of a military accident, a hassled look in his eyes when finding a stray pig-rabbit in his room, a sudden interest in books he shouldn't have been able to read, a sharp reprimand to a young Oracle recruit who'd slipped up on guard duty... All, now that he thought about it, characteristic of Asch, and completely out-of-character for Luke.
So Guy found himself retreading the same terrain in his mind, arguing first one position and then another to himself, until he felt frankly sick with it. It was ridiculous; no one should suspect their best friend in this way, and he had his own projects in mind (in between petitioning Ingolbert and Peony for land and funds for a new settlement for the survivors of Hod, he was working on a flying machine, as the engineers in Sheridan were perfectly willing to lend out their Alviors for flights but flatly refused to share their blueprints) and he had a lovely wife to kidnap from government meetings every now and then. He had many better things to do than sit in his room and sulk like a little boy. So-
A tap on the door made Guy look up, and Luke peeked in. There stood the one he'd been worrying about for days, scratching his head with nervousness (it was amazing how such a tall young man could look like a puppy afraid of getting hit.) "Guy, do you have a few minutes? I have something I'd like to talk to you about- oh, wait." Luke blinked. "You're working on your plane, I'll come back later."
"No, it's fine, I wasn't getting anywhere anyway," Guy said, putting down the gears he'd been fiddling with. "Come in and sit down."
Luke surveyed the room. "Where?" Perplexed, Guy followed his friend's gaze, and did a double-take; it was true, his plans and books and interesting machines were strewn on every available surface, including the chairs. Guy was usually neat (a messy servant was quickly fired), but he'd been so distracted lately...
"You're right," Guy said, laughing. With a swift gesture he cleared the tools off of a chair and set it behind Luke. "Your lordship's seat."
Luke sat down, awkwardly avoiding some of the piles on the floor. "I'm not your lordship any more," he pointed out.
"No, but you were, and old habits die hard," Guy said, grinning. "So what can I do for you today?"
"Well... it's actually more about you," Luke said, giving Guy an indecipherable expression through his hair (which needed cutting, Guy noticed.) "You've been kind of unhappy lately, and I wanted to ask you how you were doing."
Guy sighed, ruefully. Congratulating himself for his accuracy at reading Luke, he'd forgotten that his friend would have the some ability to read him. "Yes, I have been... thinking something over lately," Guy said carefully. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Luke gave a compulsive nod, and then the corners of his mouth twitched up in an involuntary smile. "I was scared to, actually," Luke said shyly. "But both Tear and then Natalia told me to hurry up and go talk to you, so... Oh, congratulations, by the way."
"Thank you," Guy said automatically, and then choked. "Wait. Tear and Natalia?! Seriously?"
"Yeah, they said you were worried about me and I should hurry up and explain, they said," Luke said, meekly.
Guy shook his head and gave a short laugh. "I guess you're not the only one who's bad at lying, then," he said, ruefully.
"Hey!" Luke protested, turning nearly as red as his hair. "I am not bad at lying! Why does everybody say that? Jade and Anise, too- Stop laughing!"
"I'm laughing at both of us, you idiot," Guy said gently. "Me that thought I was so clever! Now then, I'm going to ask you straight out. Are you ready?"
Luke gave a quick nod, and returned his gaze to the floor.
"Are you Luke or are you Asch?"
Luke winced, but didn't answer right away. Instead, and still staring at the floor, he asked, "Are you mad at me?"
Guy's stomach twisted, but he kept his expression calm. "I'm not angry, but I do need to know," Guy said gently. "Either way, we're still friends, I promise. Can you trust me to handle your answer?"
"Yes... Guy, I'm so sorry!" Luke said, imploringly, and nerved himself to speak. Guy waited as Luke, never eloquent at the best of times (and often tongue-tied at the worst), sorted through his words, took a deep breath (and then another) and started to explain. "I'm not Luke... but I'm also not Asch. I'm kind of neither, but also both... I know that doesn't make sense..."
"It's alright, you can keep going," Guy said quietly. Whatever he had expected, it wasn't this; but here was the answer he had struggled for, and he was going to listen.
"Yeah.. thank you. Um, you know when you guys left, and I stayed behind?"
"When you were going to release Lorelai? Yes."
"Uh huh... so, I did that, and I met him. He was nice," Luke added, irrelevantly. "He brought down Asch's body to where I was, in the core. Because when I- when he died, his spirit already came to me before we fought Sync, you remember? So then we were together, and I sort of fell asleep."
"You what?!" said Guy, in disbelief. In response, Luke ran his hand through his hair and smiled sheepishly. "I'm really bad at explaining this... even though I've had practice now..."
"I still can't believe you told Anise before me," Guy said in annoyance, and Luke ducked his head. "I'm sorry. But you never liked Asch all that much, and now that he's part of me, I thought you might be mad... That's all."
Guy reached out and patted Luke on the shoulder. "It's all right. I told you, you freed me from my anger. But keep talking, man, you've made me curious! It's always crazy stories with you. Either you're at the center of the planet, or you've magically flown away to the boondocks in enemy territory..."
Luke grinned. "That part wasn't my fault! I didn't know anything about Seventh Fonim interactions or stuff like that back then, how was I supposed to know I'd wake up in the middle of nowhere? I didn't know our relations with Markt were that bad, either!"
"From what Tear told me, you didn't even know you needed to pay for food," said Guy, wryly. "As your friend, I owe you an apology for letting you grow up that clueless. Now. Story."
Luke gave a mock-salute. "Yessir. So like I said, me and Asch started to merge... It hurt," Luke added, and Guy winced. "But Ion and Lorelai and Yuria were there, and they helped. ...What? Why are you staring at me like that?"
Guy stared at him. "Luke, uh... Ion? Yuria?! Ion I can almost believe, but Yuria's been dead for two thousand years!"
"Oh, that. They're still around," Luke said quietly. "In the planet's memories, those who have passed on are still there. Death isn't the end of everything... I met Iemon and the others, too. They're okay, they're working on inventions, but I couldn't understand what they were. And also, my memory is kind of fuzzy. Not only I can't really tell the difference between what happened to 'Luke' and what happened to 'Asch' - you noticed that -"
Guy nodded, and Luke continued.
"Yeah, so... Ion and Lorelai and Yuria explained a lot of things to me, while I was there. Things I'm going to have to know from now on... But I forgot a lot of it. Jut like it's hard to explain what it's like there when you're here, it's hard to remember everything they said. So I've been looking stuff up in old texts. Tear's been helping me, and Jade and Anise said they would send books, too. It's just kind of awful boring," Luke complained, and Guy put his head in his hands and started laughing.
"What? Why are you laughing? I'm sorry for being lazy..." Luke said anxiously, but Guy kept laughing. He leaned on Luke for support, shaking back and forth and laughing so hard tears came to his eyes. When he could finally stop, he leaned back in his chair, but caught sight of Luke's worried face and started laughing again. "Guy, are you all right? I'll go get Tear or Natalia, they can heal you if you're feeling sick.."
"No, I'm fine," Guy said, trying to catch his breath. "I'm better than fine. Really," Guy added, as Luke still looked ready to dash for the door. "You don't understand, I was so worried that you were gone... and then you come in and give me this preposterous explanation- 'I'm not Luke', man, you almost gave me a heart attack there! But even while you're telling me all this, you're still yourself. Stay lazy, Luke!" Guy said vehemently. "Those faults are part of you, and I'm honestly grateful for them. And for you, for coming back."
Luke still looked confused, but he started to smile, and that familiar-but-somewhat-different light came back into his eyes. "Thank you, Guy," Luke said, and the relief in Luke's voice hurt to hear. "I hope you don't mean that about being too lazy, though, or I'm going to turn into a spoiled brat again," he added mischievously.
Guy shook his head. "No, Luke, I do mean it. I don't mean that you should make Tear's life a living hell, or start to break things when you don't get what you want, like you used to. But everyone has faults, and they're what make us human, even those of us who have.. who have..."
"Crazy stories?" Luke asked, grinning.
"Yes, exactly. Even those of us who have completely messed-up pasts that nobody can understand, we're still fallible, and that's what makes us human. Nobody never does anything wrong or goes through their whole life with their hands entirely clean. People who seem to be perfect are like wearing masks... It might look wonderful, but it's not true," Guy said soberly.
Luke nodded. "I always... both of me... thought Van was perfect," he volunteered. "But he wasn't at all..."
"No, but we're not here to talk about Van, we're here to talk about what happened with you," Guy said, recalling himself from his easy habit of giving lessons to Luke. "So Asch is in there too? And what was that about being neither?"
Luke nodded. "I'm both, but I'm more 'Luke' than 'Asch', I think. Asch was so tired... and I lost a lot of strength when they made my replica. So 'Luke' is in command for now, but I haven't gone either."
"I can see that," Guy said softly, watching Asch sit straighter in his chair and fix him with his sharp eyes. "Do you mind... about Natalia?"
Asch shook his head, but Guy could see the faint crease around his eyes that belied the movement - or was it only regret? "No. As I said before, I threw my past away. But if you hurt her, I'll kill you."
"Understood," Guy said simply. "And thank you. I'll take care of her with my life, I swear. Could you keep explaining, though...?"
Asch snorted with disgust. "How annoying... but very well," and Luke leaned on the table and rolled his eyes. "Sorry about that. I'm not the only lazy one around here. So yeah, about the 'neither'... Well, Asch was dead, and Luke was dying. What happened at the Tower of Rem really took it out of both of us. So Lorelai helped. He made a new body for us, I mean for me, and sent me back to the world of the living. That's why it took me a while to get here; I remembered how to walk, but this body hadn't figured it out yet, if you know what I mean."
"You bet I do, I helped you learn the first time," Guy said in alarm, half-getting up. "Were you okay? You didn't get attacked on the way or fall down any holes or anything-"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay, I'm okay!" Luke said hastily. "Sheesh, man, I'm nineteen, I can tie my own shoelaces without you to do them for me!"
"The way you tie them now, I'm not convinced," Guy said, grinning, and dodged Luke's answering punch. "Welcome back, you big dumb ass, you."
"It's nice to be home, you twerp," said Luke, smiling quietly. "And thank you for understanding, Guy."
"No problem, that's what I'm here for. Ooof!" Guy said, stretching. "Let's go back and reassure Tear and Natalia that we're okay, shall we, since they seem to be smarter than both of us. And then I'll see how good this new Luke is at swordfighting."
"Man, you're on. Okay, let's go, then!"
Except this time I actually wrote it down. Yikes. Cut for SPOILERS OF DOOM and runon sentences. This isn't edited, and as a result the beginning is rather better written than the ending, though whether any of it is any good at all I couldn't tell you. Skip it, my friends, please.
Guy first became suspicious of the one who had returned a month later. After the jubilant (but obviously perplexed) King Ingolbert VI presented his nephew to the populace of Kimuelasca, in a ceremony only rivaled in pomp and grandeur by his daughter's wedding the year before, a raucous gathering of the world's notables had met to celebrate the hero's miraculous return. It had been a somewhat eclectic gathering, as it included not only the Kimuelascan royal family, the Emperor of Markt (whose beloved pig-rabbits terrorized the palace maids), the leaders of the Lorelai Order from Daath, and their cabinets, but also representatives from the scientists of Sheridan and Velkende, and the small rural towns of Engave and St. Bynah. Even some replicas had come, and a few Cheagles from their home forest. Some had looked down their well-bred noses at the farmers and engineers and muddy pig-rabbits mingling with the highest and greatest, but the king's nephew had insisted, and objections had melted in the face of the hero of the Second Hod War. The result had been a party to remember; Guy had found it hard not to laugh out loud as the newly proclaimed Hierarch of the Lorelai Order shamelessly extorted millions and millions of Gald out of the wealthiest and most loudly pious citizens of Bachicul and Grankokuma. It had been a wonderful time, and Guy had been happier than he remembered being in years. The worries had come later, and now he was left with a prickling sense of unease that refused to go away no matter how hard he stamped on it...
It had started while they waited for the elevator to come back to street level; Luke had been goaded into trying the Emperor Peony's very favorite beverage, and had needed a walk to clear his head afterwards. Luke had leaned against the steel girders, listening to the wind and the city's endless thrumming, and smiled softly to himself. Guy had smiled in return, even knowing that the smile wasn't directed at him (somehow Luke's bright grin always had that effect on him) and said jokingly, "Give you a Gald for your thoughts."
Luke looked briefly panicked. "Uh, it's okay, I don't need money, I have upstairs-" and Guy had snorted, interrupting the apology. "Don't worry, it's just an expression. I'm not carrying any at the moment, anyway, I was just wondering what you were thinking about."
Luke's expression had cleared. "Oh, yeah. You see that place?" He pointed towards the platform where Tear, Jade, Anise, and Natalia (his wife! he still couldn't believe it) stood, watching the stars. "I was just remembering the time when you and me and Natalia ran away from the house to go check out those machines you found. We got into so much trouble for that stunt, but it was worth it."
"Yes, it was," Guy had said, after a brief moment. Fortunately Luke hadn't seen his shock, because the elevator had arrived, and Luke had gone off, hollering, to collect the rest of his friends. Guy had been grateful for the commotion, and had been able to leave without saying much to his former companions.
It was true that Guy and Natalia and Luke had escaped from the royal compound to look at some interesting Tone Machinery in the city. But the Luke fone Fabre who had accompanied the others on the expedition had not been the one Guy loved like a brother, but the original of whom 'Luke' was only the replica. The one who had changed his name and identity to join the Oracle Knighthood. 'Fresh Blood' Asch.
***
Guy had been reluctant to confront Luke and have his worst fears confirmed, but he was unable to set his worries aside, either. Instead, he found himself studying this Luke, analyzing him, and comparing him with his memories of both Luke and Asch. He couldn't help but smile a little to himself; Luke might have achieved the Second Level of the Great Resonance, might be able to annihilate an entire city (if not a whole continent) at whim, but Guy had seventeen years of experience as his close friend, and besides, Luke had always been a dreadful liar.
He spoke of his suspicions to no one; the one whose advice he would have most appreciated, Jade, had already left on the Tartaros for some military exercises. Even if Anise hadn't left as well, Guy was still unwilling to ask that frighteningly sharp young lady's opinion. Besides, he realized now, both were masters at reading people, far better than Guy. They must have come to their own conclusions; and Guy still couldn't bear to have his hope, finally realized after two long and painful years, snatched away. Just the thought that his best friend might have been lost after all made his heart ache.
He was even more unwilling to ask Natalia and Tear. His wife (his wife! just the the thought of this inexplicable and undeserved happiness made his mood lift) was both expecting their child and ferociously engaged in reshaping the Kimuelascan government to allow more input from the common people. The idea of disturbing her efforts with his half-formed suspicions didn't sit well with him. And, well, Guy trusted his wife, but who better than the friend of her childhood to know of her long and fierce love for Asch...?
As for Tear, she was both gingerly adjusting to life above ground and unspeakably, inexpressibly happy. He couldn't bear to destroy her joy, not after the long years of grief. So he watched, and he waited, and he found himself unable to make up his mind.
It was true that Luke shouldn't have remembered that escapade - he shouldn't even have made an error in remembering, for 'Luke' had never left his house in seven years, until that one day when Tear slipped into the fone Fabre residence. But it was also true that this Luke carried himself the same way, slung Lorelai's Key carelessly on his back the same way, had the same naivete that so endeared him to Guy. (He still hated carrots, too, but this was true of both Luke and Asch.) He had the same often-rude honesty, the same poorly-controlled temper (also true of both) and, when he felt inadequate, the hangdog expression peculiar to the Luke he'd waited for at Aramis Well. This last seemed to appear on his face more and more as he looked at Guy, recently...
In short, this Luke was to all appearances the same as his best friend, and Guy would have been willing to shrug off that incident (perhaps he'd misheard?) if not for the other evidence his paranoid survey had amassed. A closed expression at the grim news of a military accident, a hassled look in his eyes when finding a stray pig-rabbit in his room, a sudden interest in books he shouldn't have been able to read, a sharp reprimand to a young Oracle recruit who'd slipped up on guard duty... All, now that he thought about it, characteristic of Asch, and completely out-of-character for Luke.
So Guy found himself retreading the same terrain in his mind, arguing first one position and then another to himself, until he felt frankly sick with it. It was ridiculous; no one should suspect their best friend in this way, and he had his own projects in mind (in between petitioning Ingolbert and Peony for land and funds for a new settlement for the survivors of Hod, he was working on a flying machine, as the engineers in Sheridan were perfectly willing to lend out their Alviors for flights but flatly refused to share their blueprints) and he had a lovely wife to kidnap from government meetings every now and then. He had many better things to do than sit in his room and sulk like a little boy. So-
A tap on the door made Guy look up, and Luke peeked in. There stood the one he'd been worrying about for days, scratching his head with nervousness (it was amazing how such a tall young man could look like a puppy afraid of getting hit.) "Guy, do you have a few minutes? I have something I'd like to talk to you about- oh, wait." Luke blinked. "You're working on your plane, I'll come back later."
"No, it's fine, I wasn't getting anywhere anyway," Guy said, putting down the gears he'd been fiddling with. "Come in and sit down."
Luke surveyed the room. "Where?" Perplexed, Guy followed his friend's gaze, and did a double-take; it was true, his plans and books and interesting machines were strewn on every available surface, including the chairs. Guy was usually neat (a messy servant was quickly fired), but he'd been so distracted lately...
"You're right," Guy said, laughing. With a swift gesture he cleared the tools off of a chair and set it behind Luke. "Your lordship's seat."
Luke sat down, awkwardly avoiding some of the piles on the floor. "I'm not your lordship any more," he pointed out.
"No, but you were, and old habits die hard," Guy said, grinning. "So what can I do for you today?"
"Well... it's actually more about you," Luke said, giving Guy an indecipherable expression through his hair (which needed cutting, Guy noticed.) "You've been kind of unhappy lately, and I wanted to ask you how you were doing."
Guy sighed, ruefully. Congratulating himself for his accuracy at reading Luke, he'd forgotten that his friend would have the some ability to read him. "Yes, I have been... thinking something over lately," Guy said carefully. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Luke gave a compulsive nod, and then the corners of his mouth twitched up in an involuntary smile. "I was scared to, actually," Luke said shyly. "But both Tear and then Natalia told me to hurry up and go talk to you, so... Oh, congratulations, by the way."
"Thank you," Guy said automatically, and then choked. "Wait. Tear and Natalia?! Seriously?"
"Yeah, they said you were worried about me and I should hurry up and explain, they said," Luke said, meekly.
Guy shook his head and gave a short laugh. "I guess you're not the only one who's bad at lying, then," he said, ruefully.
"Hey!" Luke protested, turning nearly as red as his hair. "I am not bad at lying! Why does everybody say that? Jade and Anise, too- Stop laughing!"
"I'm laughing at both of us, you idiot," Guy said gently. "Me that thought I was so clever! Now then, I'm going to ask you straight out. Are you ready?"
Luke gave a quick nod, and returned his gaze to the floor.
"Are you Luke or are you Asch?"
Luke winced, but didn't answer right away. Instead, and still staring at the floor, he asked, "Are you mad at me?"
Guy's stomach twisted, but he kept his expression calm. "I'm not angry, but I do need to know," Guy said gently. "Either way, we're still friends, I promise. Can you trust me to handle your answer?"
"Yes... Guy, I'm so sorry!" Luke said, imploringly, and nerved himself to speak. Guy waited as Luke, never eloquent at the best of times (and often tongue-tied at the worst), sorted through his words, took a deep breath (and then another) and started to explain. "I'm not Luke... but I'm also not Asch. I'm kind of neither, but also both... I know that doesn't make sense..."
"It's alright, you can keep going," Guy said quietly. Whatever he had expected, it wasn't this; but here was the answer he had struggled for, and he was going to listen.
"Yeah.. thank you. Um, you know when you guys left, and I stayed behind?"
"When you were going to release Lorelai? Yes."
"Uh huh... so, I did that, and I met him. He was nice," Luke added, irrelevantly. "He brought down Asch's body to where I was, in the core. Because when I- when he died, his spirit already came to me before we fought Sync, you remember? So then we were together, and I sort of fell asleep."
"You what?!" said Guy, in disbelief. In response, Luke ran his hand through his hair and smiled sheepishly. "I'm really bad at explaining this... even though I've had practice now..."
"I still can't believe you told Anise before me," Guy said in annoyance, and Luke ducked his head. "I'm sorry. But you never liked Asch all that much, and now that he's part of me, I thought you might be mad... That's all."
Guy reached out and patted Luke on the shoulder. "It's all right. I told you, you freed me from my anger. But keep talking, man, you've made me curious! It's always crazy stories with you. Either you're at the center of the planet, or you've magically flown away to the boondocks in enemy territory..."
Luke grinned. "That part wasn't my fault! I didn't know anything about Seventh Fonim interactions or stuff like that back then, how was I supposed to know I'd wake up in the middle of nowhere? I didn't know our relations with Markt were that bad, either!"
"From what Tear told me, you didn't even know you needed to pay for food," said Guy, wryly. "As your friend, I owe you an apology for letting you grow up that clueless. Now. Story."
Luke gave a mock-salute. "Yessir. So like I said, me and Asch started to merge... It hurt," Luke added, and Guy winced. "But Ion and Lorelai and Yuria were there, and they helped. ...What? Why are you staring at me like that?"
Guy stared at him. "Luke, uh... Ion? Yuria?! Ion I can almost believe, but Yuria's been dead for two thousand years!"
"Oh, that. They're still around," Luke said quietly. "In the planet's memories, those who have passed on are still there. Death isn't the end of everything... I met Iemon and the others, too. They're okay, they're working on inventions, but I couldn't understand what they were. And also, my memory is kind of fuzzy. Not only I can't really tell the difference between what happened to 'Luke' and what happened to 'Asch' - you noticed that -"
Guy nodded, and Luke continued.
"Yeah, so... Ion and Lorelai and Yuria explained a lot of things to me, while I was there. Things I'm going to have to know from now on... But I forgot a lot of it. Jut like it's hard to explain what it's like there when you're here, it's hard to remember everything they said. So I've been looking stuff up in old texts. Tear's been helping me, and Jade and Anise said they would send books, too. It's just kind of awful boring," Luke complained, and Guy put his head in his hands and started laughing.
"What? Why are you laughing? I'm sorry for being lazy..." Luke said anxiously, but Guy kept laughing. He leaned on Luke for support, shaking back and forth and laughing so hard tears came to his eyes. When he could finally stop, he leaned back in his chair, but caught sight of Luke's worried face and started laughing again. "Guy, are you all right? I'll go get Tear or Natalia, they can heal you if you're feeling sick.."
"No, I'm fine," Guy said, trying to catch his breath. "I'm better than fine. Really," Guy added, as Luke still looked ready to dash for the door. "You don't understand, I was so worried that you were gone... and then you come in and give me this preposterous explanation- 'I'm not Luke', man, you almost gave me a heart attack there! But even while you're telling me all this, you're still yourself. Stay lazy, Luke!" Guy said vehemently. "Those faults are part of you, and I'm honestly grateful for them. And for you, for coming back."
Luke still looked confused, but he started to smile, and that familiar-but-somewhat-different light came back into his eyes. "Thank you, Guy," Luke said, and the relief in Luke's voice hurt to hear. "I hope you don't mean that about being too lazy, though, or I'm going to turn into a spoiled brat again," he added mischievously.
Guy shook his head. "No, Luke, I do mean it. I don't mean that you should make Tear's life a living hell, or start to break things when you don't get what you want, like you used to. But everyone has faults, and they're what make us human, even those of us who have.. who have..."
"Crazy stories?" Luke asked, grinning.
"Yes, exactly. Even those of us who have completely messed-up pasts that nobody can understand, we're still fallible, and that's what makes us human. Nobody never does anything wrong or goes through their whole life with their hands entirely clean. People who seem to be perfect are like wearing masks... It might look wonderful, but it's not true," Guy said soberly.
Luke nodded. "I always... both of me... thought Van was perfect," he volunteered. "But he wasn't at all..."
"No, but we're not here to talk about Van, we're here to talk about what happened with you," Guy said, recalling himself from his easy habit of giving lessons to Luke. "So Asch is in there too? And what was that about being neither?"
Luke nodded. "I'm both, but I'm more 'Luke' than 'Asch', I think. Asch was so tired... and I lost a lot of strength when they made my replica. So 'Luke' is in command for now, but I haven't gone either."
"I can see that," Guy said softly, watching Asch sit straighter in his chair and fix him with his sharp eyes. "Do you mind... about Natalia?"
Asch shook his head, but Guy could see the faint crease around his eyes that belied the movement - or was it only regret? "No. As I said before, I threw my past away. But if you hurt her, I'll kill you."
"Understood," Guy said simply. "And thank you. I'll take care of her with my life, I swear. Could you keep explaining, though...?"
Asch snorted with disgust. "How annoying... but very well," and Luke leaned on the table and rolled his eyes. "Sorry about that. I'm not the only lazy one around here. So yeah, about the 'neither'... Well, Asch was dead, and Luke was dying. What happened at the Tower of Rem really took it out of both of us. So Lorelai helped. He made a new body for us, I mean for me, and sent me back to the world of the living. That's why it took me a while to get here; I remembered how to walk, but this body hadn't figured it out yet, if you know what I mean."
"You bet I do, I helped you learn the first time," Guy said in alarm, half-getting up. "Were you okay? You didn't get attacked on the way or fall down any holes or anything-"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay, I'm okay!" Luke said hastily. "Sheesh, man, I'm nineteen, I can tie my own shoelaces without you to do them for me!"
"The way you tie them now, I'm not convinced," Guy said, grinning, and dodged Luke's answering punch. "Welcome back, you big dumb ass, you."
"It's nice to be home, you twerp," said Luke, smiling quietly. "And thank you for understanding, Guy."
"No problem, that's what I'm here for. Ooof!" Guy said, stretching. "Let's go back and reassure Tear and Natalia that we're okay, shall we, since they seem to be smarter than both of us. And then I'll see how good this new Luke is at swordfighting."
"Man, you're on. Okay, let's go, then!"