Trades Chapter 1
Homecoming...?
By Minmei
Shu's features tensed as he continued crossing the grassy plain on horseback. Actually, it felt as though every inch of his body was tensing up at the moment. It was most likely because of the tremendous weight of the responsibilities he knew he was leaving behind...which led him to ask himself the same question for the umpteenth time. Why was he doing this?
Of course, every time he came back to that same question, he would remember the answer as clear as day. He had been working so hard, which is what they all told him. He needed a break from all the responsibilities. Perhaps it was true, at least the part of him having worked so hard. But what did one expect from a leader of a new country? There were a great many tasks to be done.
Too many to count, in fact, he thought to himself, going over the highlights of the month...or actually, just over what he could remember, since there had been so much. Even from what he could recall...
He had been very reluctant to depart, with so much still left to be done. In fact, it had taken nearly every leader from within the army just to convince him that he needed to leave. Only he still wasn't quite convinced, and even now...
Not a day went by when he wasn't dreaming of a quiet life back in Radat. But being a substitute for leader...that was something he knew was the better path for the moment. Not just for him, but for everyone...
Klaus, the bright, young pupil whom Shu had tutored several days out of the week, or whenever he could find the time, had been the first to make the suggestion. Before Shu could respond to this, the army's leader Hauser, accompanied by several generals, had entered the room to show their support for Klaus' idea...which Shu would soon find out, had been in the making for quite a while. The agreement of the other men would be evidence of that.
But Shu had still been unwilling to accept the idea. For the first time in his life, he felt as though he was truly accomplishing something without a selfish motive. There was no way he would stop at it now. Why on earth would they attempt to disrupt this good thing? If he were to leave for the month, surely things were to fall apart. After all, who else could possibly fill the position for that time?
His reluctance, Shu noted, was somewhat of an insult to the people that had gathered in his room, and all the others involved in this decision. In response to his question, the soldiers pleaded with the temporary leader to shift the weight of the responsibilities unto them, and everyone else that had been working with the young man. They requested that for the time being, he place his faith in them, the same way they had placed their faith in him for the past year. Besides, they argued, everything had been put into perfect order because of him. Thus, he had nothing to worry about...
Realizing then all the trouble they had gone through in order to provide him with the resting period, he finally agreed. After all, not much could happen in a month.
...Or could there possibly...?
Shu had a quiet laugh to himself as he approached a town.
This will undoubtedly be the most boring month of my life...
...His life...
Well...of course he's gotten on with his life...
Probably doesn't have time to worry about the little details of his own life, much less little insignificant me...
He certainly doesn't have the time to just stand around while precious moments of his young life unnoticeably slip by...not a moment to waste for watching the seasons change...
The leaves of the trees slowly dried and crumbled, one by one, breaking away in hesitancy from their hosts, only to inevitably find their desiccated, fragile forms lost forever in the blustering rhythms of the dying summer.
Unlike me...
Apple, who was standing on the deck protruding from the second floor of a building, watched as the finely-shaped multicolored pieces were blown off to her right, using the very breeze which carried them as their fated guide. They interlarded with one another as they headed toward the horizon, which was also a current home to the setting sun. As if in one last desperate attempt to not be forgotten, the sun thrust its blinding light through the corners of her glasses, causing her to flinch from time to time. The combination of light and lens also produced several amber orbs within her specs, each projecting downward at an angle in translucent layers.
The wind picked up once more, and she folded her arms, shivering. Autumn was only setting in, but being up north made it feel as though it had been there for some time. And despite the thickness of her yellow overcoat, she could easily feel the chill of the early night air seeping through.
"Oh, excuse me, miss," called the female voice behind her, "you must come back inside."
"In a little while," Apple answered back, still looking to the horizon.
"We lock the doors just after sunset," the woman, a middle-aged maid, informed Apple, walking up to her. "You really should return to the inn now."
"Please, just give me a few minutes," Apple softly insisted. "I...I just want to stay a bit longer..."
The older woman's expression turned blank, but she reluctantly nodded. "Well, all right. But I'll stay out here with you until it's time."
"You don't have to do that."
"You're a paying customer. Of course I do."
"Heh." Apple slowly leaned forward, resting her arms on the wooden railing before her. "Sorry about that."
"It's my job, so don't worry," she assured her, smiling. "So what are you doing? A little reminiscing?"
"I guess you could say that..."
"Well, you seemed a million miles away." She paused. "Thinking about a boyfriend?"
The light instantly faded from the young woman's eyes. Boyfriend? she repeated silently in her mind. Not quite...
It wasn't that she could help thinking of him, however. The series of destinations she would have to reach just happened to include the town he once lived in...she was just thankful he would not be there when she passed through.
"...sorry," the maid finally said. "If I'm being rude, then--"
"No," Apple cut in. "It's not that at all. There's just...not much to say."
Not much to say at all, she continued indifferently in her mind, since nothing ever happened. And it's probably for the best that nothing should happen...
Yes, thank goodness she would not have to see him in her travels. Her flaws always became apparent whenever she found herself in the presence of that man.
That...man...
Once again, she prepared herself for the never-ending task of pushing him from her mind. She would later scold herself for the upcoming moment of weakness.
Radat.
Why Shu felt compelled to return to the town, he knew not. There weren't any special feelings about the place, or any important memories made there...save the business he had been involved in...
Yet he found himself at the gate of his mansion as the sun began to disappear from view. Though it held a history of servants, friends, trades, reunions, the house seemed so empty now...
He stood there for a few moments, observing the building as though it were his first visit.
It was a big house, and it would have been inviting to many, many people...many women especially, but...
But, no. Shu had to be honest. There hadn't been many women. Perhaps a lady friend or two, but he never had them "lined up" or waiting on him. Being swarmed was not his thing, particularly not by those whose interest lay solely in his wealth.
Perhaps that was another reason he wasn't like most bachelors. Anyone in the world could be paired off with another person in a hollow instant. There was absolutely no genius to be found in that. The two people wouldn't even have to care about one another, yet they could share a physically intimate moment the way passionate lovers did. But with nothing preceding and following the moment, where would any of the meaning lie? When it came down to what truly mattered, it seemed that lifelong relationships of any kind were the most important with him. But he hadn't had many of those, either.
Is that why I hesitate? he wondered. Because the moment I open that door...
Having repeated that thought, he slowly brought his head down. Even the guests he had entertained, his friends...nothing he did could make the place seem warm. Perhaps it just never held any meaning for him. Not a shred of pride within his soul existed in having owned the house, even when he had first moved in. That was most likely due to the fact that he had managed the purchase through such easy means...
Predicting the patterns and shifts in the world's economy had become second nature to him, but soon afterward, the big accomplishments he had made no longer seemed like such big accomplishments. Yet he vainly remained in tedium. He didn't have the mental strength for anything else...or perhaps, just to admit that he was capable of doing anything else...
And night after night, with that lack of fortitude, he would return to the place that held no dreams for him, to the house that seemed as empty as his own life...
The house he had no one to share with...
He let out a small laugh. 'No one to share with'? That's a peculiar thought coming from me.
...Shu.........
He raised his head as if to greet the person. However, as he looked around, he found no one to be there. No one at all...
How even more peculiar, he thought uneasily. I could have sworn I heard someone call out my name.
And...perhaps...the soul of that...person...
Shu stopped, realizing how ludicrous every last one of his thoughts had been during the last few moments. This wasn't the time to be pondering life, or his concern for people, reflecting back on his accomplishments. He was finally home. And, given that the thieves hadn't targeted the place in his absence, it could very well be a pleasant stay. And so, without another thought, he decided to approach the entrance of the mansion.
The former trader would only be stunned by what awaited him inside...