And so, just before sunset, the villagers were gathered in the market square. It was the first time everyone had gathered together since before the battle, and now their numbers had been thinned quite substantially.
A large pyre had been constructed in the centre of the square as almost 70 bodies were placed individually on burnable beds, with their arms crossed peacefully. It was an impressive architectural feat, as every single body was visible to the mourners, creating a glorious pyramid of twigs and sticks.
"He's over here."
Masaatsu directed Gengyo, leading him toward the body of their comrade.
The body was dressed in a simple black kimono – possibly of higher quality than any he had worn in life, a testament to the respect Nakatane was showing toward the dead – and sat upon a bed of twigs, raising him up to the height of the young man's waist.
Just as his older brother had said, the man had died with a smile. His face looked so peaceful – so relaxed – that it was hard to believe that he was dead at all. If not for the chilling shade of white his face had gone, then it would be easy to mistake it for a man who was enjoying the warm evening sun.
Seeing him like that, Gengyo felt a deep guilt. He had led Suganuma, and in return, the man had died. Had he been a more competent leader, would he still be alive?
It was also true, though, that he had not expected any of them to survive, so that only one man dying should fill him with joy. And it did. Just not enough to overpower the regret he felt at losing this man's life.
"Suganuma-san," he spoke, bowing deeply, "thank you… thank you very much. It was my honour to fight alongside you. Please enjoy the warm land of Takamagahara without any more worries."
He stood still for a while, only moving due to his brother's urgings.
"Come brother. We should leave."
A women marched up behind them, with her son's hand in her own.
"Are you Miura Tadakata?"
She asked aggressively.
Gengyo turned around to address her.
"You bastard you kill-"
Upon seeing the tears that stained the young man's face, her rage dwindled as quickly it had come, and her face softened. A second later she found herself struggling to hold back her own tears, sniffing wildly, and blinking furiously as her eyes started to water.
She could not stop the torrent of emotions that were so fresh in her heart, and the tears came forth quickly.
"Why… Why did he have to die for you?!"
She sobbed, hitting his chest with weakened punches.
He did not avoid a single one as his guilt intensified.
"How are we going to manage without him..? My boy is too young to work! We'll starve! And for what!?"
"Oh! Dear, how cruel you are..! And for you to die with a smile… as though… as though it had all been worth it. But what of us!? What of me, and your sweet son? Were we not deserving of such loyalty?"
Gengyo grasped her shoulders firmly, overcome by passion at hearing her lament her husband's passing.
"Please Suganuma-san! Do not blame your husband. He is the bravest of men. Please feel proud that you were his wife!"
She stiffened at his touch, sending a slap toward his cheek at his words.
"Pride!? You can only say that because you are not us… We won't be able to survive the winter!"
Ignoring the stinging pain that stabbed at his cheek, the young man hastily tried to dispel her worries.
"No! No, that won't happen. The master is an honourable man. You will receive a good amount of coin to reward Suganuma-san for his courage… And… And I'll take care of your finances too… What I have is not much, but I will make sure that Suganuma-san's family do not experience any problems."
She froze in shock hearing the young man's declaration. Even her young boy - who had watched their interacting with a resigned expression – had his eyes widened as he stared up at the man in front of him, wondering whether such words were true.
"Is that… Is that really true? Young man!? Is that true?"
She clawed at his shoulder urgently, physically searching for a trace of hope.
"It is true. I swear upon my honour, that I, Miura Tadakata will take care of your finances for as long as you need me to."
He said solemnly.
She collapsed to her knees in relief, her tears flowing even more violently before as her body convulsed aggressively with each sniff. She prostrated herself at his feet.
"Thank you… Oh thank you so much! Come, son, thank the kind young man!"
She dragged her son down towards her by the hand.
With haste Gengy brought her to her feet, helping her son up as well. It alarmed him to see her go so far in thanking him, when it is he who should be thanking her.
"No, please, Suganuma-san, this is my honour. I owe it to your husband."
He bowed deeply towards them.
"Please accept my thanks. If you ever need anything, call for me, and I will do my best to take of it in Suganuma-san's place."
Masaatsu watched on, relieved. He had worried that his brother might change, even a little, due to the glory he had gained in battle. But it appeared his worries were for nought, as his brother turned out to be an even greater man than he had thought.
Suganuma-san could say nothing in response, as tears choked her voice, so instead Gengyo turned to her son.
"Be strong, lad. Eat as much as you can, so that you can grow into a fine man, just like your father."
The boy, for his part, smiled a determined smile that contained a hint of sadness as he nodded at Gengyo's encouragements.
At that, the young man took his leave, and walked away, struggling to regulate the intense emotions that were raging through him. He felt a deal of relief that he was able to meet with Suganuma-san's wife, and say what he had intended. Granted, he did not manage to do it in the most respectable manner, but he decided not to criticise himself too heavily.
He did not even manage to walk 10 steps before a body jumped out in front of him.
"Miura-san! Sir! I did not expect to see you here, especially up and walking about! I'm glad to see you alive."
The man patted him on the shoulder aggressively whilst laughing deeply, clearly pleased to see him.
Upon seeing Gengyo's baffled expression, he slowed down.
"Could it be… You don't remember me?"
"Uhm… Rokkaku-san..?"
His smile widened upon hearing his name, and he patted his shoulder even more, evidently excited.
"You remember me? Hahaha! That was a glorious battle, sir, you're a crazy one!"
"It was a little difficult to recognise you without the guard's uniform on… But it seems you're all just as crazy as me. Masaatsu told me what happened after I passed out."
He laughed even more.
"Hahaha, maybe… When I think back on it – I can't believe I'm alive. Did you do a deal with the gods perhaps? Hahaha!"
Another man hobbled over on a crutch, his leg raised up.
"My god! It really is you, Miura-san! I thought I heard someone say your name… but to think you're actually here!"
A peasant man hobbled over, exclaiming loudly in surprise when he confirmed that it really was his commander.
Gengyo turned to greet him, looking toward his leg in worry.
"Nishina-san! It's good to see you well… What's wrong with your leg?"
"Ah, 'tis nothing. Just some sc.u.mbag jabbed me in the upper thigh, so feels a bit stiff. I'll be ready to fight under you again very soon, commander!"
The young man paused at that, before responding hesitantly.
"Ah… I don't know that I will be leading again in future. It was just because Ishiyama-san had to leave in the middle of battle."
Nishina frowned at that, confused.
"Why wouldn't you? We won the battle because of you! It would be madness on their part if they didn't let you lead again."
Rokkaku seconded that, speaking passionately.
"Yeah! I'll be damned if I fight under anyone but Miura again! I want to feel that feeling again. It was f.u.c.k.i.n.g intense!"
Nishina couldn't agree more as he turned to the guard.
"Right!? I haven't been able to drink any saké since then… It just wouldn't be the same. Nothing can compare to it."
Rokkaku slapped his back hard, evidently more than pleased to have found someone who shared his opinion.
"It's the same for me! It's been so boring… I just can't bring myself to touch the stuff. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm f.u.c.k.i.n.g excited for the next battle!"
The young man looked at them, a little baffled. He had experienced a feeling of intensity as he rode toward the yari wall – it was as though his blood was boiling from the relentless roaring of a lion. But he did not expect the men under him to feel like that… and especially to such a degree that they would forsake other means of pleasure just so that they would not sully it.
A few more bodies detached themselves from the crowd. Amongst them, Gengyo recognised Niiro and Kitajo.
They reacted with a similar amount of surprise as Rokkaku and Nishina did, but they were more than glad to see each other. Gengyo was especially glad to see that Kitajo was okay. He even felt that the boy appeared to be a degree more confident than he was previously.
'It's probably my imagination though.'
Niiro's tired face seemed to have a new energy about it, and there was certainly a vigour to his speech that had not been present previously.
More and more people came from the crowd, and each of them greeted their commander excitedly, sharing similar sentiments. The young man was surprised to see that some unusual friendsh.i.p.s had formed between the members of the group. Rokkaku talked excitedly to a peasant, who, from the snippets of conversation that Gengyo overheard, had fought directly by Rokkaku's side in the battle.
Before long, the entire unit was back together, aside from the recently departed Suganuma. The spirit amongst the group was strong. In the morbid setting of the funerals, their cheerfulness stood out, and their words were heard all over the square.
Even then, Rokkaku appeared to be the loudest, and his words rang loud and clear, heard by every person present.
"Hahaha, I tell you what, after that battle I had the best s.e.x of my life! My wife didn't know what hit her!"
There was a silence as the entire square went quiet – even Gengyo's unit – as they processed just what had been said. Rokkaku's wife - who had heard such a declaration as she was talking to a group of friends – blushed intensely.
The guard stared around wondering what all the fuss was about. The rest of the unit watched him, intrigued by his boldness, before his peasant friend burst out laughing, and soon the rest of the unit followed. Before long the entire market square shared a chuckle at expense of Rokkaku – who for his part merely shrugged, still wearing a wide grin.
Nakatane shook his head, a light smile playing on his lips as he watched the excitement with which the men that Gengyo had led carried themselves. Even Jikouji beside him – though he had been numbed to such things a little with age – had his curiosity captured.
The commander was not separated from their antics in the least. He shared conversation as though he were talking to a group of old friends, as his initial reserved attitude soon faded, and he learned to laugh alongside them. Masaatsu was a degree quieter, but not because he held distaste for their attitudes, simply because he did not know quite how to join in.
That was of no problem though, as young Kitajo felt much the same, and the two soon struck up conversation, and the foundations of an unlikely friendship started to be laid.