Though much had happened, and the house blazed with all the light of a midday sun, it was still the dead of night.
The euphoria that came with them overcoming the most extreme peril that they had ever faced began to wear off, and none knew how to proceed from here.
Though they kept quiet, in their hearts, they were hoping to hear from one man.
He understood his responsibilities, and spoke on their behalf, lending direction to his dear kin.
"We need to fetch the village guard. It's better to let the landholder know of this straight away, so we show we have nothing to hide."
Morohira played with the stubble that had begun to decorate his chin before nodding.
"Aye, that seems like a good idea."
Masaatsu was of the same opinion, and volunteered up his services.
"If that's the case, shall I go and bring them here?"
Grateful for his volunteering – as Gengyo had no idea where he might find the patrolling guards – he agreed.
"If you would brother, thank you."
His brother smiled lightly at the unnecessary thanks, before setting off on the path toward the village at a light jog.
…
…
Ten minutes later a pair of disgruntled guards stumbled over the many of obstacles of the forest, before arriving to see the charred remains and the last flickering embers of the Miura house.
One made a disinterested comment as he casually observed the pitiable sight.
"Hoh, been a while since we've seen a house burn."
"Yeah, who did you say burned it down kid?"
The young man had to hold back a sigh, as he'd already told them the story multiple times, though they had not paid much attention.
"Kyougoku, from the village over."
"Mm, is that right? And where is that Kyougoku now?"
"He's de- Ah! Watch where you're stepping!"
One of the guardsmen had neglected to check his footing, and his foot hit the corpse of the deceased spear wielder, sending him hurtling on top of it.
"Eh… What the fuc-"
He stumbled up from the ground, recognising the object that was hidden in the shadows to be humanoid, before seeing the axe sticking out of the back of his head and freezing.
"Boy… What the f.u.c.k is this?"
The other guard came around to look, and fixed Masaatsu with a similarly aggressive gaze.
"It's like I told you, they burned down our house and tried to kill us, so we fought back."
"'They'? You mean there's more like this?"
Masaatsu was frowning, unhappy with their attitudes.
"Well, yes."
"Bring us to them."
The family were watching from a distance away as the young man glanced toward them. Gengyo caught his gaze, understanding the situation before nodding for him to continue.
Irritated by his hesitation, the guards grew increasingly aggressive and one pushed his shoulder, urging him forward.
"Hurry up kid, we don't have all night."
He relented, and began to walk them toward what had once been the rear of the building, and closer to where the rest of his family stood.
He pointed toward the four corpses that were rather close in proximity.
The guards moved forward, sharing a glance.
They turned over the corpse of Kyougoku, and gasped.
"F.u.c.k me… That's brutal."
They moved off, inspecting different corpses, noticing the accuracy of the marksmanship and single obvious blow used to kill them.
They straightened up, turning to family, hands fiddling with the hilts of their sheathed swords.
"So, who killed them?"
The family looked confused at the rather unexpected question. Did it matter who killed them? The point was that these men had tried to murder them, and they had acted in self-defence, managing to live.
But Gengyo knew as to the reason for this question. It was why he had made certain to claim all the men's lives himself, rather than letting his kin bloody their hands.
He stepped forward, revealing the bow that he held – for it had been relatively hidden behind Rin who stood by his side – and announced himself.
"It was I."
It was enough evidence for the guards who preferred to keep things simple. All the men had been slain by an arrow, and the man before them was holding a bow. In their minds it added up.
They nodded as though good-naturedly, before drawing their swords almost in unison.
"You've committed the crime of murder numerous times this evening. You will have come with us, as our prisoner, and it will be up to the master to decide what punishment you deserve."
There was a certain glee in the guard's voice as he announced the sentencing, possibly due to the excitement he felt at finally being able to make a non-trivial arrest in this rather peaceful village.
Gengyo handed his bow and quiver to a baffled Masaatsu, before walking forwards and showing the guards his empty hands.
The guard who had announced his arrest grinned, and forced his hands behind his back, tying them tightly with a length of twine.
"Wait wait wait! What the hell!? These people tried to kill us! And you're arresting Nii-san?"
Rin burst out, infuriated by the guard's lack of recourse or understanding, and the delight they felt in putting her brother – who had saved their lives – under arrest.
Morohira picked up a discarded bludgeon, toying with it threateningly.
"Are you sure you want to do that now?"
The guards were put off by his n.a.k.e.d aggression, and when Masaatsu drew his katana and stood to join him they started to feel the first chills of fear.
They were but guards to the master. Children of servant families that stood slightly higher than that of the peasantry. Though slightly older than Gengyo and Masaatsu, they still had yet to witness their first battle.
Yet the other men present had taken part in a most grisly and threatening situation, comparable to that of any battle. Such was the difference in the aura's they now put out, and the guards realized just how precarious their position would be if they were to engage in battle with such bloodthirsty individuals.
But despite their efforts, Gengyo shook his head sternly.
"I will be back soon enough. This is merely a formality."
They looked dissatisfied at that, Rin most of all, as a frown began to crease her forehead.
To her, he offered a smile.
"You'll ruin your pretty face doing that, little sister. Don't worry – I'll be fine."
The guards fear started to subside, having been given back their authority by the very man they had captured.
"A wise choice."
One of them uttered conceitedly.
But a vicious glare from Morohira soon shut him up.
"Eh!?"
At that the guard hastened to leave, motioning to his comrade, and pushing Gengyo forward.
…
…
He was marched into town under the cloak of silence, as not even the guards spoke. An odd tension hung in the air. Though they were arrogant and felt they were very much in charge, there was something about the man that they pushed in front of them that made them wary of saying something foolish.
The few villagers that were still up shot him curious glances. Some conversed with one another, trying to guess what crime he had committed.
"That's Miura's boy innit?"
"Aye lad."
"What do you suppose he's done?"
"I wouldn't dare to suppose nothing. The Miuras have proven to be an unpredictable bunch, but I don't think they'd do something dishonourable enough to get them arrested."
"Hoh… The other day you were calling that lad's old man worse than rotten, and now you're sticking up for them?"
His friend shrugged.
"Aye, I'm not the smartest, but I do learn from my mistakes. That lad spoke up for his father at work, in front of all us farmers. I reckon that's a good lad."
"Did he? Aye? How come I'm only hearing of this now?"
"Mmm, I dunno. I thought you'd already known."
The bickering of the two buddies grew quieter as they walking deeper into the heart of town.
They soon arrived at the market square, and went off down a path that ran between two houses.
Ahead, Gengyo could see a bamboo cage that looked more fitting for a beast than a man, for at most it stood but a metre high.
He glanced toward the guards, his gaze asking whether that was truly his final destination.
"Yeah, you're going to spend the night in there. The master will decide what to do with you in the morning."
That same gleeful smile emerged on his face as though he took pleasure in the suffering that Gengyo was about to endure.
But the youth calmed himself with a breath, and as they opened the door of his new prison, he stepped in freely, stooping over, before sitting cross-legged in the centre with is hands still firmly tied behind his back.
"It's a good look for him."
The other guard commented, sharing a laugh with his partner.
And so the door was tied shut with a thick strand of twine, and Gengyo was left to deal with the discomfort alone.
...
…
The hours passed slowly. Having been around midnight when he was placed in the cage, dawn took almost 6 hours to come.
Just before the first morning light could be seen, his uncomfortable sleep was interrupted by a set of whisperings from rather nearby.
"Miura-san… Miura-san…"
He opened his eyes to see Aritada and Yoritomo standing in front of his bars.
He smiled, a little happy to see them.
"Hello."
Yoritomo looked relieved at seeing him wake up so quickly, and hastened to say what he intended.
"I don't know why you're in here, but I definitely know it wasn't your fault. The villagers feel the same."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that."
Aritada - irritated by the indirectness of Yoritomo - took over.
"Yeah, what he said. Anyway, we thought you could use something to eat."
He shoved his hand through the bars, revealing at palm that held a single rice ball.
"That does look rather delicious, but there's a bit of a problem you see."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Well, they tied my hands up."
"Hoh…"
Aritada slowly slid his hand back out the bars, a little embarrassed, feeling as though he had overlooked something obvious.
But he was saved by the habits of Yoritomo.
"I can cut you free – I always carry a small blade just in case. It's pretty useful."
Gengyo was pleased to hear that, having had the flow of blood in his hands severely restricted he was suffering from a vicious case of pins and needles.
He moved himself around, so that his hands were closer to the bar, and allowed Yoritomo to cut through his bindings.
He flexed his freed hands with a satisfied smile, offering his thanks.
"Thanks for this you two, it seems I owe you a favour."
Aritada waved away his thanks, simply saying one thing.
"Just make sure to tell us what happened when you come and see our sword training on rest day."
His smile widened, and he nodded in agreement.
"That, I can do."
…
…
The two men hurried away before they were caught, and Gengyo stealthily feasted on the rice ball, before positioning his hands as though they were bound and closing his eyes to another round of poor quality sleep.
He was awoken once more a few hours after dawn had broken, with the clopping of hooves tickling his ears.
He caught sight of a refined kimono swinging past the end of one of the houses, and cracked his neck, readying himself for what lay ahead.
'So, part two eh?'