Eieno

Part I

1821 Koku
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Splinters pricked through the sole of his sandal just as he stepped on a sharp stone, jolting him into the moment. The crunch of gravel was sharp, biting at the hush of the dusk, scattered louder than the whisper of the weeds and brittle, swaying branches. A soldier was coming home.
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Or, a once-soldier. It's what it feels like.
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A fallen sigh came from dry lips, but undeniable optimism carried through the group of men clad in cotton coats with slumped shoulders, crooning their heads to talk. Eieno walked among them, not just as one of their own, but as their leader and returning captain, his presence half a comfort and half a reminder of battles past. These were men he had fought beside, protected, and even scolded on occasion, and underneath their casual chatter, there lingered the shared weight of survival and brotherhood.
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'Really? You call yourself a warrior?'
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He held his tongue, but really, what does it matter anyway? None of them is a soldier.
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Marching in front was the Thorned Samurai legend, Eieno Rekubo.
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The men coming home after 8 months have been called by Narimori to accompany him on his journey overseas to Ehime; the only thrill within those 8 months being an attempted assassination on the sleeping lord, but it was handled quickly through simple intimidation that left the posse running out once an open door was offered.
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'Damn, it would have been more fun if they put up a fight.' Eieno thought, playing with his long, unkept hair between his fingers, of the past time, surging images in his mind he neither wished to give nor keep, when an arm grabbed the samurai.
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"What's gotten you so quiet, Bucho? We're no longer on duty, it'll be fine!" a clan member said almost giddily. Eieno opened his mouth, just about to respond, when someone behind him spoke for him more maturely.
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"Bucho is just sad we didn't fight. Right Rekubo-san?"
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"Ah, shut up, Iji, but yeah. I really don't like how peaceful things have been, honestly." Eieno responded gruffly, catching Iji's attention again to giggle, "Only you would think that way. Such an old samurai."
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The men laughed, everyone except Eieno, who simply smirked at the men, "Well, I can't help it. It's in the blood after all."
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The group neared the clan territory, passing familiar landmarks, signs of civilization like an abandoned axe digging its metal into the dry bark, shoe-engraved marks on the light dirt, and, far within the forest, a clothesline with clothes that moved featherly in the soft wind today.
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"Uhmp!" someone said, looking down to pick up a common doll that had been unknowingly kicked with his step. "A doll," he simply said.
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"Probably been left by one of the kids. Take it with you, Satou," a clan member said from the back. He nodded and kept the doll in his fist.
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The men walked a little more, and about now, Eieno gave in and talked to some of the men besides him, laughing unruly now and completely off guard as home's feeling arose when he saw Old Man Kuroki with his cow behind him, the black wood clan gates now shown.
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"Eieno!"
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The old man's face crinkled more with emotion, rushing toward the men, "God bless! You guys are okay! 15 dear faces!
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"Ah, nothing happened! Just a bunch of stupid travel!" Eieno's face tightened to a scowl, walking past the old man to continue grumbling. "Seriously, I hate it when people think I'm some kind of bodyguard or something. But the payment was good." He grabbed the bag of coins in his pocket, giving it a shake to hear the clinging clashes of coins.
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"Ah! They returned!" Someone else from the gate announced, "The men returned everyone!"
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It didn't take too long before the whole residence went to see for themselves the random commotion, nosy workers trailing, and the little children peeked their heads to see the familiar faces of 10 men.
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Soon, the whole clan residence gathered, cries of tears and joy mingling with the words many spoke upon their blessed return. Really, Eieno is blessed as many have said, but those words felt more like proof of how useless that trip was, how useless he was–
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"Eieno!" Someone yelled.
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Eieno turned his attention away from someone, craning his neck beyond the array of people, observing how, straight ahead, some people began to shuffle to their sides to leave a gap. Eieno could recognize that voice anywhere, and his face lit up genuinely. "Big-sis Tamayo!?"
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