Of Arrows and Men (Ghost of Tsushima prequel)

8) Confessions of the heart

【心の告白】

After he left the pelts in the entryway, Jin headed to the kitchen to pick up some rice and salt as an offering to the shrine. Yuriko wasn't there, but he found a note saying that she went for a walk, and to meditate under her favorite tree. Next to the piece of paper were two rice balls carefully wrapped in bamboo leaves.

Whatever she told Lord Shimura, she certainly knew Jin was coming home today.

Rin was already waiting for him at the village gate when he showed up. Her hair was previously tied back with a band, but it was now loose and falling freely over her ears and shoulders. She also seemed to have left her bow behind; instead she had a small gourd in which she usually carried water, tied to her obi.

They followed the path east and soon they were crossing the bridge over the river, entering the Serene Forest. All of the orange and red leaves were now on the ground creating a thick carpet, so solid that the sound of the horses' hooves were soft and quiet, certainly not louder than the breeze in the air. The sky cleared up a little, with large sections of blue showing through the scattered heavy clouds.

They spoke casually, catching up on all the events since they saw each other last. Rin told him about her hunting, which brought yet another pang of guilt to Jin, but she was also curious about his lessons with the Adachi brothers. Soon he found himself telling her about their quarrel over Shigenori.

Even though he didn't show it much, Rin could tell he was excited about teaching them. So far she hasn't met a samurai that wouldn't be obsessed with sword practice. When her brothers first took up bokken training, all of their previous games were suddenly left behind and their life changed from the ground up, as if they matured and became adults overnight.

And as much as she knew Jin, he probably spent most of his waking hours training, or at least thinking about it.

Riding up the hill, they entered the first two torii gates, then got off the horses, setting them free. They didn't have to be hitched; Kaito was a samurai horse, trained to come when whistled for, and Koyami wouldn't stray too far away from him. Just like their riders, the animals also seemed to enjoy each other's company.

The first bridge leading to the shrine was intact and they had no difficulty going over it. However, reaching the second crossing, there were only a few wooden planks connecting the two ridges. Numerous stacks of long cut bamboo were laying on the side, indicating that most of the work was yet to be finished.

"This isn't so bad," Jin stated and walked over, not giving it much thought.

Rin followed him, seeing that he turned around on the other side to wait for her. However, somewhere in the middle she unconsciously looked down at her feet and the deep ravine below her, which made her stop in her tracks. Her heart seemed to stop for a moment as well. Unable to move a single muscle in her body, she was frozen to the spot. Becoming aware of the light breeze pushing against her side, it felt as if it was trying to make her lean into the depth below.

Terrified, she slowly, carefully looked up, making sure not to lose her balance.

"What's wrong?" Jin asked, not knowing how to read the expression on her face.

"I can't...," she trailed off, lowering her head again, but this time looking at her feet, trying to command them to move forward. Building up courage, she looked ahead on the ground on the other side and steadily lifted her hand, reaching in his direction.

"A little help?" she pleaded, unable to look up.

Jin at last realized her paralyzed state and carefully approached the bridge, hand stretched out towards her. His fingers brushed against hers softly, and she slowly grasped them, afraid to make any quick movements that would threaten her balance. He started backing up and she followed, eyes glued to her feet. When they reached the other side she finally looked up at him, half in shock, half in disbelief.