The young farmgirl - who's name they later learned was Sanada – stayed up till late in the night, helping them to treat their injuries. But the going was tough and one had to be delicate and patient, else it was all too easy to make the wound worse. And so, by the time they turned in to sleep, only three people had their injuries cleaned and dressed. Alongside Kitajo there was Ii – who had been rather insistent – and Morohira who had been in extremely poor shape.
Sanada's grandmother provided them with enough food and drink to satisfy them, helping them out with their recovery. And now they lay upon the hay, with a fire roaring nearby, feeling a lot less hopeless than they when they had first woken up.
"Miura?"
Kitajo called out tentatively, testing to see where he was still awake.
"Yeah?"
"We said a lot of things on that hill… I… I don't know how to feel about it now. Will the road we have taken mean we'll end up hurting people like Sanada-san?"
It was a difficult question, and Gengyo felt no impatience in answering it.
"We'll do what we wish to do, Kitajo. We can protect those who deserve protecting, and crush those who do not. That's all there is to it."
"Oh… So, we just do what we want?"
"Exactly. That's what it means to be truly free."
"Hah…"
He let out a sigh of relief. Clearly, the thought of harming people like Sanada had been tough for him to bear.
But it was tough for Gengyo too. Good people – or atleast, those he saw to be good – those were the people who created meaning in his path.
Within a few days time, all of them had their injuries seen too, and they were well on their way to making a full recovery. And then, it came time to bid farewell.
"So, you're off eh?"
Granny Sanada had asked.
"That we are."
Gengyo had responded, smiling.
"The path of a soldier is a rough one. Who will you be rejoining now, Oda or Imagawa?"
The men shared a glance at her question, recalling what they had spoken the previous night.
"None. We are men of the Red Feather, and it's time for us to go home."
"The Red Feather?" she raised an eyebrow, repeating the name. "Mmm, never heard of it."
"You will, in time. And should there ever come a time when you're in need, you can send for us, and we will come to your aid. We will never forget the kindness that you've shown us."
"That's right…"
The men murmured in agreement. From the darkness of the battlefield, they had been bathed within the two's warm light.
"Yeah, yeah. You just look after yourselves now."
She waved aside their thanks with haste.
"Mhmm, make sure you stop playing with guns!"
Sanada said sweetly, as though their injuries had been a result of their own foolishness.
As they walked away, and waved. As they left, they felt rather odd, and some felt a degree of homesickness. They had been at that cozy little farm a matter of days, and had been rendered so attached. On their backs, they left with more than they had come with. Each shouldering enough food for ten days – more than enough for them to make it back home.
But before they took to the road, there was one final stop they had to make.
"It's time, Niwa-san."
They constructed a funeral pyre for their fallen comrades – the few who had made it out of the forest. And as they lit those few bodies in flames, giving them back to the gods.
They remembered all who they had fought alongside, and made a promise. A promise that they would be avenged.
'Goodbye, brother.'
He thought sadly, sending his best wishes to all of the fallen. They stared up at the towering flames, watching the smoke fly upwards, imagining the spirits of their comrades to be part of it.
"Watch over us. We will provide you with all the entertainment you could wish for! On your names, we swear that Imagawa will fall!"
Gengyo called out, as the rest seconded his cry.
"We swear it!"
Kitajo called out, tears streaming down his face.
"I promise, Yoritomo! We're going to kill that f.u.c.ker!"
Aritada seconded, in a similar state.
"Masaatsu… I'll give them hell for ya."
Morohira said, a little more reserved.
"Niwa, my master. I hope you are able to reunite with your beloved."
Jikouji said sadly, recalling the tragedy that befell Nakatane's wife.
They spent the evening sitting vigil for the fallen warriors, reaffirming their resolve, letting their imagination run wild as they pictured the events of the future, and demanded justice from themselves, rather from the powers above.
And then, when morning came, and the sun peaked its head above the horizon, they set foot upon the road, and began the long march home.
They were able to cover the distance more quickly than they had on the way there, as now they did not have a massive army to slow them down. But they had to remain as inconspicuous as possible. They disposed of their battered armour, and had hidden their swords, posturing as merchants. But still, whenever they saw an Imagawa flag, they steered well clear.
As they walked, he worried about how he would speak to the people. They had left as 150 men, and had returned as 11. There would be many saddened faces left for him to see to. And there was Akiko too.
The dread of sharing the news with them almost made him not wish to return. But he did not slow his step in the least. It was something he could not avoid. Toyone and Tobishima would become their first step. They had to secure those two positions, and muster all that coin that they could manage, before they began on their path.
They did not push themselves too hard as they walked, and as a result, their condition improved with each passing day. By the time they ascended the final hill – behind which Toyone was hidden – they were almost back to their old selves.
When they arrived, it was just before dawn on a foggy morning. They had walked throughout the night, wanting to get home as quickly as possible, and knowing it to be near.
As they walked through the village streets, the only ones there to greet them were some chickens. They squawked loudly, announcing the return of the valiant.
Rokkaku, Kitajo and Aritada left quietly to pay a visit to their families. The rest continued on towards the Niwa mansion.
Two women stood guard, and stiffened at their approach. But they immediately lowered their weapons as they recognized the faces of Gengyo and Joukiji.
They briefly wondered where master Niwa was, but upon seeing the expression on the rest of the group's faces, they dared no ask, realizing something was very wrong.
Another female guard patrolled the interior, and hers was a face that many of them recognized. She paused midstride, looking their way, making out the faces of her father and brother.
A wild smile broke out on her face, as she forgot all about her position as head-guard, and cared not what the rest of the women thought of her. She rushed up, barrelling into them with her arms wide, crushing them in a tight hug.
"We're home, Rin."
Gengyo said softly, pleased to see her.
"Mmhmm! Welcome home Nii-san! Welcome home dad!"
Morohira shot a glance toward Gengyo, which Rin happened to catch sight of, wondering what was wrong. And then she glanced past them, looking amongst the men that had followed them here.
"Masaatsu…? Where's Masaatsu?"
She felt a dread within her heart as she asked that question, feeling as though she already knew the answer. When she saw the sad expression on their faces it was confirmed to true.
She held his gaze for a few seconds, searching for any signs of deceit, but when he did not reply, the dam broke, and the tears came forth.
"Masaaaatsssu!!"
She wailed in his chest.
"Masaaaatsssuuuu!!"
He attempted to comfort her as he rubbed her back. But in truth, he felt just the same as she. The loss of their brother was too painful to put into words. He was a good man. Too good a man to have fallen the way that he did – as a discarded dog. It was because of this that he dared not tell her how he died, at least not yet. He knew it would only make her pain worse, and cause her to feel as he did.
"He fought bravely, little sister. The enemy dared no approach even his corpse for fear of his wrath."
"*Sniff* I d-don't care… I don't care about *Sniff* about that… I just want my brother!"
He understood her words all too well. As did the rest of them. They looked around, uncomfortable at having to watch such an emotional scene. Yet there would only be more to come. And if they did not rid the world of Imagawa, there would be more still.
"Come on lass. Let's go see your mother."
Morohira unravelled her arms from around Gengyo, as he put his own arm around his shoulder, and nodded to his son, before leading her inside their house.
It was a wise move on his father's part, as he knew the lad had other matters to attend to. He was more than just her brother now. He was more than just his son. He was the master of two villages, and the sword that would cut down Imagawa. And on his shoulders, all that weight was placed. And so, he had to deal with his people first, before he was allowed to be a simple man once more, and before he was allowed to mourn alongside his family.
It was a cruel responsibility, but it was one that Nakatane had born for years without complaint. He would do the same, and more still.
He steeled himself, and took a step forward, nearing the main building. He had to pause before he opened the door, as he turned around to look at the men that followed behind him.
They nodded, reassuring him. Grateful for their support, he took a deep breath, and made his way inside. It looked just the same as he remembered it, but there was something unwelcoming about it now. As though the house was demanding the return of its master, and was insulted that someone of such low birth dared to step inside.
They removed their sandals, and stepped on the floor barefoot. He glanced around. In his mind the only direction he had given himself was to enter the main building. And now that he was here, he had no goal to speak of. He had merely wished to experience how he felt.
But as he looked upwards, he saw a swan staring down at them from the second floor.
Their eyes met, and she smiled warmly, ridding his heart of all apprehension.
'Oh, little swan, if you knew what news I bear then you would not dare to smile at me so sweetly.'
He lamented, not daring to speak out.
"Welcome home, Miura. Welcome home, Jikouji."
She said, as though truly happy to see them. Only Togashi and Jikouji knew of whom they were looking at, whilst the rest remained in a still silence, awed by her breathtaking beauty.
//Author's Note
Thank you all for your support. The novel ended up going premium today, and I imagine that's quite out of the blue for some of you. It feels cruel asking you to spend spirit stones on a chapter, but it will enable me to keep releasing consistently. I hope you understand
These next few chapters might be a little slow for some of your tastes. But it's to build up for something exciting later on. Really looking forward to seeing how this volume will turn out, and I hope you guys are too! c:
There's something else I want to add as well, to give you some idea of how I intend to develop Gengyo as a person. I don't wish for him to go back to being the good man he was, nor do I wish for him to become an evil emperor. I want to explore the question of a morality a little more as I write it, and we'll see what happens. It should prove interesting.