Slowly the people came, enticed by the food. They glanced toward the wrapped corpses warily, but the relief quickly came when firmly secure in their hands was a loaf of bread. They tended to retreat back to their homes after that, just as the first woman had. But after a time, they ventured further out, testing the waters.
The young woman neared the platform, glancing from Gengyo toward a rice sack with urgency, struggling to swallow her saliva.
"…Can I really take that bag of rice?"
She asked hesitantly.
The young man nodded reassuringly.
"Of course. That's the only reason they're here – we have no other use for them."
He hefted the bag up, and handed it to her.
"Be careful, it's rather heavy."
The weight was no issue, as she cradled it in her arms almost disbelievingly.
"Ah, before you go, do you recognise any of these bodies? We found them when we were raiding Toda's mansion."
She grew a degree warier now that she had been made to turn back around, but she still did as he said, hoping that there truly was no hidden strings attached.
She glanced at them from a distance, her eyes widening in surprise.
"I do… They were taken away a long time ago."
Her eyes grew even more sad as she looked upon the body of the young boy whom they had put out of his misery.
"Do you know him?"
Gengyo prodded.
"Yes. He was my little brother's friend."
She responded, looking toward the young man expectantly as if to ask: "is there anything else?"
He nodded at her unspoken question.
"You can leave now if you wish."
With hurried footsteps, she stepped back into her home. There was an audible cry of surprise from her younger brother as he caught sight of her cargo.
It caused them to smile lightly, and Gengyo turned toward Nakatane.
"Aye lad. I'm pleased we decided to do this."
"As am I."
Jikouji murmured with a faraway look in his eye, as though he was remembering something from his youth.
Many of the villagers were watching them, even if they could not see them all. They spied out through cracks in the wood of their houses, wondering whether this really was what they claimed it to be, as a more suspicious event would be hard to imagine.
The young woman's successful claiming of a bag of rice and bread brought them hope, as they came closer, looking upon the bodies of the dead as Gengyo had asked.
"That's… That's Kayade! My sister!"
A man screamed, looking toward the skinless corpse that had once been his sister. He was rather surprised that someone could still recognise the body, even with its condition, but the young man still nodded.
"I see. Would you like to take her with you? Or perhaps you might like to wait. In a day or two, a funeral will be held for the men of Tobishima who died fighting for Toda."
The man bit his lip, as tears started to fall down.
"Kayade… Poor Kayade."
He groaned. It took him a few moments to register Gengyo's question.
"Ah… I should take her home… So that we can mourn her properly – and then… a funeral?"
"That sounds fine. You could bring her back for the funeral, and there would be no problem."
He nodded once, twice, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his tattered kimono. He looked from the body, back to the sack of rice he held in his hand. His thoughts were obvious.
"I'll help you carry her, if you like?"
"Ah… ok. Yes… okay."
"Alright, I'll just get rid of this so it doesn't get in the way."
He purposefully removed his sword and scabbard, laying them down on the platform. He had passed it off as something else, but in truth, it was done so that he might pose less of a threat.
Being the astute minds that they were, Nakatane and Jikouji fully understood his actions, and they had to physically stop themselves from shaking their heads. His ability to handle people was frightening.
He moved toward the legs of the body, preparing to lift it as he waited for the other man to get in position. He had to struggle with the bag of rice that he was holding, but apparently, he was unwilling to let it go. They managed anyway, as he cradled her shoulders, whilst Gengyo heaved the legs.
The man directed them, leading him towards a certain house.
As they neared, the door was pushed open, apparently of its own accord. Their step did not falter, and they promptly walked inside.
Their reception consisted of a middle-aged woman, who Gengyo assumed to be that man's mother, and an older couple, who he assumed to be his grandparents. He had wondered why the man – given his age – was still around. Presumably, he should have been drafted for the war? But as he watched him walk, this answer soon became apparent, as he had a rather vicious limp.
They set the body down, and the tears began almost immediately.
"Oh… Kayade… Kayade-chan!"
The mother threw herself at the skeletal remains of her daughter, clutching them tight.
It was then that Gengyo judged it to be a good time to leave. Not saying a word, he bowed lightly, and moved toward the door.
The elderly gentleman – who was likely the man's grandfather – stopped him.
"Thank you, young man. Thank you very much."
His words were composed, but his voice was choked, and it seemed he too was in the midst of grief. The younger man nodded deeply in reply, attempting to convey his feelings, and then he truly did leave.
By the time he neared the platform, other people were already on their way to secure some food. They inspected the bodies too. Most people recognised them, as the village was a closely nit community – only driven apart by Toda's cruel reign. And so the number of corpses soon became zero, and their food stock started to dwindle, but it appeared everyone had taken their fill, and were now back in the safety of their own home.
And so, Gengyo cleared his throat for one final announcement, happy with the day's outcome.
"WE HOPE THAT EACH OF YOU HAS TAKEN THEIR FILL. WE WILL BE HERE A FEW MOMENTS LONGER IN CASE YOU HAVE NOT. A FUNERAL SERVICE WILL BE HELD IN TWO DAYS TIME ON THE FIELD THAT CONNECTS TOBISHIMA AND TOYONE FOR YOUR MEN WHO FELL UNDER TODA'S HAND…"
He paused a second, collecting his breath, and looking toward a certain individual behind him.
"AND, JUSTICE WILL BE DELIVERED, AT YOUR HANDS. THIS GROTESQUE LITTLE CREATURE BEHIND ME WAS ONE OF TODA'S DOGS. HE TORTURED YOUR FRIENDS, AND HE TORTURED YOUR FAMILY. THOSE IN TODA'S DUNGEONS SUFFERED GREATLY FROM HIS CRUELTY. ON THAT DAY, TWO DAYS HENCE, HIS FATE WILL BE DECIDED BY YOU."
He finished strongly, coughing slightly from straining his voice so heavily. He could not remember the last time had to shout, but he knew for a certainty it was not something he enjoyed.
"How's that?"
He asked of Nakatane.
"Good. We will see whether you manage to win these people round. If you do though, there will be a reward in store."
A reward? Gengyo raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had already been rewarded the day prior with this new position.
"What kind of reward, Niwa-san?"
"Coin. So that you might recruit more men."
He held back a groan. Was that truly a reward? He had hoped that would have been something that he was guaranteed, especially since Nakatane expected him to raise a full unit before Imagawa came knocking.
Still, having his own coin could prove beneficial, he supposed. It would allow him more freedom in cultivating what he wished to, as if there was ever a thing that annoyed him most it would be restriction. For creativity to be held back by material resources was a great tragedy.
"Very well. I'll do my best."
An appropriate response. The master nodded his head without complaint.
Though Jikouji had been tasked with overseeing their relations with Tobishima, it seemed to have fallen to Gengyo to kickstart the project. But that was of no consequence to the younger man, as such motions did not feel taxing in the least.
The young man turned to his men, judging their mood. Of the two live men who they had found in the dungeon, only one remained.
"So, you decided to stay after all, Togashi-kun?"
He asked of the skinny man.
"I did… I did. Seeing my people after so long – it was heartwarming. But I have changed too much to return to that simple life. I have a feeling that under you, I will be able to grow stronger, so that the likes of Toda will never best me again."
He admired the man's honesty and straightforwardness. His understanding of his own feelings was remarkable, and his expression of them even more so. Despite his trauma, he appeared to be rather level headed, and his choices were rational. It was an exciting man that he had encountered, and he judged himself lucky to have him as one of his men.
"I hope you find what you're looking for, Togashi-kun. But I have a feeling you will."
"Aye bud! Welcome to Miura's Special Forces unit under Niwa-sama the landholder of Toyone."
Rokkaku seconded cheerfully, poking at an already open wound.
"Again with this Rokkaku-san… We don't need to choose a name."
Gengyo complained wearily.
"Maybe… But what happens when we do something amazing? What will people call us? The winged dragons? The demon soldiers?"
"Ok… Please, neither of those two."
Niiro grumbled, thoroughly disliking such cheesy titles.
"We'll think of something, in time."
The young man assured them.
"What about The Immortals? Even with the odds stacked against us, we're still alive, ain't we?"
Rokkaku called out enthusiastically.
"That does sound pretty cool…"
Kitajo said in a quiet voice.
"It's fitting for someone as powerful as me."
Morohira agreed.
"I'd rather not jinx my life like that, thank you very much."
Gengyo waved the idea out of the window. The subject of titles was the last thing on his mind. He wondered whether his men would still have time to think about such trivial things after he subjected them to their new training routine?
He grinned at the thought.
Rokkaku visibly shuddered.
"Man… that look. I think our boss has thought of something evil! Better watch yourselves in future."
The young man did not rush to dispel their fears, and merely continued smiling as an ominous chill washed over his men.
A few more villagers came to collect their foodstuffs as the men continued with their idle conversation. And then, with the setting of the sun, they took the remaining food with them and left toward home.
As they passed the bodies, the topic of the funeral was discussed more thoroughly, and through the medium of Jikouji, arrangements were made to have it prepared for the date that Gengyo had promised. The work would be rather laborious, as it had been the previous time, but now that they had discussed the rewards for doing so, not a single complaint was to be had.
//Author's Note
Last chapter for today. I hope you all enjoyed the bonus chapters. Thanks for reading c: