Chapter Text
Chapter 1
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The faint sound of a laser gun was enough to fill the dead air. At least, for Ledo that is.
It had been a few days since the confrontation with Striker and his return to Gargantia, although it felt like months with Chamber no longer by his side. This was the first time in his life that he felt alone, exposed to the world, with nobody but him and his mind as a guide for his decisions. It was scary, and admittedly, he was taking shelter from it, at least for a little while.
Ridget and the rest of the Commanders thankfully allowed him to be a hermit for the next few days since they didn't need him for anything eventful, so it's not like he was stressed by his responsibility.
It was just…
Overwhelming.
Overwhelming that without any technology at his disposal aside from the remaining (now permanently disabled) communicator and aforementioned laser gun, he had basically no ties to his old life anymore. Here he was on Earth, a new world disconnected from the war, from the Galactic Alliance, from Kugel, from his cult and quest for imperialism…
He was free.
And it was intense.
For now, he can push that intensity aside and concentrate on finishing that flute. As a tribute to one of the few things from his old life that he could cherish, even if it was short lived. One day, he'll be able to play it. Maybe he'll take on being a musician. Who knows.
"Ledo~! Hanging in there?"
One thing did manage to snap him out of his focus, though it wasn't unpleasant in the slightest, was the sound of Amy calling his name.
The two had grown incredibly close to each other after the fight, with her being the only person that he didn't feel extremely socially awkward with. While everyone on the rest of the fleet had been kind to Ledo since then, talking with them - especially since his contacts were still very limited - was hard with his still emerging emotions. Having Amy around let him relax if he didn't exactly know what to say.
Which happened a lot.
The one thing that Chamber helped the most with was translation. By a long shot. And with him now destroyed, Ledo could feel the gap in his understanding now more than ever. Before he could get by with basic conversational skills, and he never had to read anything due to the AI's scanning and translations in real time. Now, everything was worse - since when did people speak so fast? Why are there so many words that don't have a clear translation?
And why was everything so hard to pronounce?
Either way, there was yet another reason why he appreciated Amy so much. Without her, he would've holed himself up in here for who knows how long.
Speaking of Amy, she walked up close to Ledo, with what looked like Seaweed Mustard Bread in her hands. That bread almost felt like a comfort food to him, considering how much he tended to eat it when he had no idea what else to eat.
"I got this for you! I was at the stalls and I didn't know what you wanted, so I got your backup." She beamed, her smile shining as warmly as her gently tanned skin.
Ledo, giving a small, but still very visible and earnest smile, took the bread and said a calm, yet firm, "Thank you."
"No problem!" Amy continued. "By the way, Ledo! I was allowed to ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ as the dance teacher for the ~~~~~~~~~~ I ~~~~~ dance at! You know, the one that we were at when you first came here? I was just ~~~~~~~ shocked, like how could I take such a ~~~~~~~~~~? I hope I can ~~~~ up to everyone's ~~~~~~~~~~~~..."
Ledo tried to hide his embarrassment. He didn't tell anyone with his difficulties in language, not even Amy, partially due to pride and partially due to shyness. But it always led to moments like this, where he felt clueless as to what a conversation was actually about.
'Ledo? You okay?"
Unfortunately, it looks like he failed to cover up that fact.
"...sorry." Ledo managed to squeak out. "I… when Chamber was destroyed, my translator is now offline. I… do not know this language very well. Not your fault."
The boy's face was about as red as the rust on the Gargantia itself. That was the first time he'd ever admitted his shortcomings that felt like his and his alone. Looking down at the flute, he was expecting a laugh or another rapid fire response, something to drag him down this route of shame.
But when he looked up, all he saw was an understanding smile. "Would you like me to speak slowly?" Amy inquired.
Ledo gave a swift nod.
Amy soon chuckled. "I noticed something was off. That's why you wanted to hide in here." Sitting down next to him on the ledge, she placed her hand over his own. "I don't think you're a bad person because of it. If anything, I'd like to help you."
"H-help me?"
"Yeah! I ~~~ that Bevel and I could teach you, even without your Yunboro I think you still have a good ~~~~~ on our language! And…"
Amy started to blush, as her face gently turned towards Ledo's.
"I want to learn yours as well."
Ledo's eyes lit up like the night sky. Was Amy being serious? The Standard language of the Galactic Alliance was nowhere close phonologically nor structurally to the language used on Earth, and yet…
He could tell from that look alone meant that she was completely committed.
Tears ran down his face as he embraced her in a hug, hoping that his gratitude would come without words. He wasn't sure how much the words 'Thank you' expressed such emotions, but his body felt like it could finally release its suppressed emotions.
After 16 years of war.
Amy gave a chuckle and a smile. Patting his back, she gently soothed him as he silently wept. It was ironic, how much in the beginning he planned to manipulate her and everyone else into making them be indebted to him, and how the tables have completely turned. Frankly, he felt like it was him who was truly relying on Gargantia the whole time, even from the beginning. Without them finding Chamber and giving them a place to stay, the two of them would've been flying around for as long as their power supply lasted.
Chamber…
'I hereby relieve you of your duties as a soldier.'
His words still echoed in Ledo's mind, giving him that sense to always try to do something with his new life, however insignificant. Though he recognized that he can't do much alone. He wasn’t above anyone on Earth, he was on the same level as the people here. By himself, he’s powerless.
That's why he's asking for help.
When he finally felt like he'd released everything that had been building in his system for over a decade and a half, he pulled himself away from Amy and smiled. "Thank you. I…" He paused, wishing he had the vocabulary to tell her even a fraction of what was running through his head. "I am very happy that you want to help. I… need more words. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it." Amy replied, cheerful as ever. "That's why we practice, right? Just like how I practice dancing, and you practice with your flute."
"Yeah…" The flute, the one tie to a 'family' that he never had the chance to connect with. "Practice… together. When will we practice together?"
"Hmm…" she looked lost in thought. "Does ~~~~~~ sound good to you? That's around the time when I'm finished with work and Bevel is still awake."
"Hmm? What was that word?"
"Eh?” The brunette blinked. “Which one?"
“Suu… sun-seet?” Ledo tried to sound out. ‘Please tell me that was enough,’ he thought to himself.
Thankfully, Amy looked like she got what he was trying to say. “Sunset,” she corrected. “It’s when the sky starts to turn orange, when the sun is to the ~~~~, erhm,” pointing with her right hand, she turned eastward, “that direction. You’ve seen it, right?”
Ledo nodded. “I am aware of it, there is no word in Standard Alliance - i-in my language.” His mind casted back to when he first arrived on Earth, the ever changing vibrant skies bewildering him when they graced his eyes for the first time. “Avalon does not have a sun, I have only seen… sun-set… on other planets.” He noticed Amy listening intently; was she curious about his past life too? He assumed that only Bevel, her brother, had a fascination with the stars above. Honestly, he didn’t even know that she was interested in learning about him beyond communication purposes alone.
“You want me to tell you more?” He inquired. Amy nodded vigorously, “Of course!” …and then proceeded to rattle off into an excited string of words that Ledo had no chance of keeping up with. However, he could still sense her excitement and curiosity. It felt warm. Inviting. Like the kind of relationship that he could’ve had with his own brother.
“Oh!” Amy caught herself. “Sorry, I kinda got carried away… I was saying that I’d love to learn more about you, Ledo. Your world is harsh, but…” She placed her hand in his. “Maybe you don’t have to be alone in it.”
The silver haired boy was silent. Before, his entire goal was to assimilate into the culture of Earth, of Gargantia. To leave his old life behind, and to start anew. In a way, he almost grew ashamed of himself, and only allowed himself to exist as whatever the people of Gargantia wanted him to be.
And yet here was Amy, a girl that he’d only known for a little over half a year, wanting to see him as himself. No matter how much they differed. No matter how much he and his people tried to destroy their way of life.
Cooperation and Coexistence. Give water to those who catches the fish.
“Tomorrow is okay?” He blurted out.
“Huh? Oh, ~~~~~~~!” She replied, thankfully with a nod as he didn’t understand the specific word, but could fathom it was a confirmation. Standing up, she stood proudly. “Meet me in my quarters, I’ll bring ~~~~~ and ~~~~ so we can write and take notes!” Running off, she waved in his direction, her smile ever present. “See you tomorrow!”
“S-see you tomorrow!” Ledo responded, slightly stumbling over the phrase. He’d heard it many times, but never truly used it due to it feeling awkward for him to say. However, if Amy was willing to try this hard for him, at the very least he’d return the favor as best as he could. A smile stayed on his face well after Amy left. For the first time in his life, he felt like he could be fully accepted. Fully himself.
Free.
Alive.
Happy.
As he laid down on his makeshift bed - really, a crate - and held his flute to the sky, staring at it… he made a note to himself.
“The first chapter of my life will now begin.”
=End of Chapter 1=