Ten years since it happenedAmid the high winds and rapidly falling snow laying drops of white upon a burnt and decayed
village-like settlement that contrasts the white with dark brown and coal black, two figures stand on the top of a foothill staring at it. One, hair as black as the midnight sky and another, hair as violet as an amethyst. The latter looked on with an empty despair. The wind shifted directions from against the two figures to behind them. The amethyst-colored hair flew over the man’s eyes. A simple hand stroke made his hair go back behind his ears, but it didn’t do much in the long run as the wind blew it back to where it was, so the man just did nothing. He simply looked on.
”It’s the same as it was last year -- empty, hollow, and a constant reminder of that night. Tanko said, his voice emotionless and distant.
Seisui looked out upon the ruined village, a small crease in his brow, his lips turned down slightly. Tanko was right, it really was an unpleasant reminder. That day had been the day when many of the people he cared for had simply been wiped from the world. He closed his eyes, but the smell of burnt and rotting wood became stronger, so he opened them again, turning them to the sky instead of the ruin before them.
"We honor their memory, by coming," he said, his voice sounding calmer than he felt.
He turned away,
"Perhaps one day you and your offspring might rebuild...if you choose to take that path." He gave the younger man a sidelong glance, guaging his reaction, before his eyes turned back to the sky, his mouth closed, the only sound the passing of the wind through their surroundings. It was too bad that such a beautiful day was the anniversary to the Kokaganken Masacre.
It was truly a sad thing, even to one such as he and especially to his nephew.
"Maybe, Tanko said, his head drifting away from the sight of his former home. He couldn't bare to look at what had become of it any longer. Tanko turned away completely, his body moving in the opposite direction of the burnt village, but he stopped about one foot behind Seisui
I will return here after I find those responsible and make them pay," Tanko said as he simply started off in a calm-like walk. It was anything but that.
Seisui did not turn his head as Tanko spoke, and then turned and began his retreat from the place. He could read his nephew, he knew the boy well, like family even though they weren't actually related by blood. His eyes grazed over the ruined settlement and he shook his head, sighing lightly before he too turned from it, following his fellow swordsman, and in some ways, pupil. He noticed the tension in the boy's stride, even though he tried to give off a relaxed, or at least calm, air. Seisui knew what true
calm was, he lived it, it was the very core to who he was, what he was. The Mayonaka clan had practiced the Shizukana-ryuu-ji no(
静かな-龍-字の 'Style of the Tranquil Path') for decades, no generations. They knew serenity, peace, and tranquility better than most ever would. For this reason it was effortless for him to pick up on Tanko's emotions by his body language. It was second nature.
"Revenge will not bring them back," Seisui said, his voice clear even with the swift breeze blowing through the tall grass, ruffling their hair and clothes,
"...but you deserve the closure," he finished. There was a deep understanding in Seisui, and while Tanko may not have entirely understood his uncle, he would know it was genuine. If the boy lashed out, Seisui could handle it, it still happened even after all of their travels. He still felt the need to remind him that revenge was something for the living, rather than a homage to the dead.
He caught up to Tanko, walking alongside him for a long while before he spoke again, breaking the peace that was so unfitting to this sad, forgotten place.
"Where now, Tanko?" He looked to the boy. He had long ago decided to let him lead, even if he might have been able to better do so. It was a learning experience for the boy. Perhaps it would help him feel in control of his life, or at least as if he were doing something. At least, he could hope it did. It might have only been a distraction, or it might have been Seisui's way of allowing Tanko to grieve. Regardless, it was needed...or that was what he thought at least.
Tankoishi didn’t respond immediately. He kept his silence for a single minute. His eyes were solely focused on the solemn road that was paved white with snow, but in his eyes, every single road that he and his Uncle Seisui traveled on were all paved with blood of the Kokaganken. It didn’t matter if the roads were soaked with rain from the sky or if they were green from the grass — in his eyes, Tanko only saw the blood of his brethren.
“I’ve been hearing whispers around about those responsible,” Tanko said, breaking the silence between him and his uncle,
“these whispers supposedly place them in the Land of Wind. Supposedly, in Sunagakure,” Tanko informed Seisui.
"I see," Seisui replied,
"That is a long journey from here, especially on foot. It will take quite some time." Despite his words he made no complaint or mention that their efforts would be fruitless if they arrived and the trail had gone cold, or worse, had never existed at all.
”I do not care.” Tanko retorted,
“I’d go to the far reaches of the globe if it meant finding those who slaughtered my clan.” Seisui did not respond, merely walking alongside his nephew. He hoped that one day Tanko would be freed of this, or perhaps that he himself could help the boy open his eyes again. He knew his nephew, since the massacre, had developed a sort of tunnel vision. In his world it was him, the enemy, and the path to them. There was nothing else, Tanko had no one aside from him, but Seisui wasn't sure how long he could continue to accompany the boy. He wasn't sure if it would be better for Tanko's enemy to appear before them and be ended, or for Tanko to never find him and have to work through the trauma and grief on his own.
Probably the latter. Aterall, revenge did not truly bring closure.
"Very well," Seisui finally said, a minute having passed,
"We will go to Sunagakure, but it would be best if we went to a nearby town and bought some mounts. It would be faster on horseback, and easier on us. If nothing else it will save our energy for the true encounter." He put his hand on Tanko's shoulder, whether the boy liked it or not. He gripped it so he couldn't simply shrug him off. One day, Seisui hoped he could broaden Tankoishi's tunnel vision so he could see the world again. So that he could see that there was hope, even if his past was drowned in blood. So he could see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Most of all he hoped that attempting to do so was not a false light at the end of the tunnel....
Not saying anything, Tankoishi simply gave his uncle a nod. The journey to Sunagakure was indeed a long one. Just going to Suna from even the beginning of the desert was a long one, so for two samurai to go from The Land of Iron to the Land of Wind was quite the journey. Most wouldn’t even make it out of the snowy lands of the Land of Iron or even past the grueling desert. They’d either have to be accustomed to the cold or hot lands of the snow and desert respectively or they’d have to be extremely stubborn and determined. Tanko fell into the latter category. His rage was enough to fuel any determination limit that was required of the mind.
As they marched on forward at a silent walk, Tanko and Seisui would eventually pace five-hundred times which would bring them to a decently-sized settlement. It looked very similar to that of the Kokaganken Ruins except it wasn’t burnt down. There were people walking about. There were probably about only ten people who were out and about. The rest either asleep as the sun’s position in the sky hinted towards late-evening or that there were fewer people than Tanko had guessed. The purple-haired samurai walked with his raven-haired companion, looking around for where the stables were. Eventually, they found it near the edges of the village. It was a small setup as there was a small area where the horses were kept and beside it a shed-like house. However, they weren’t the only ones there.
”Hand them over old man! Both of them!” There were three individuals, though only one of them spoke. They all were close in appearance and build. They stood around six feet tall, a muscular tone was shown through their clothing. Their clothes were simply miner outfits. All of them had the same color hair of black and eyes yellow as the sun. Each of them smelled of coal and fire, most likely miners of sorts. And they each had a single katana-like weapon in their hands. They were harassing the staples owner, most likely wanting the horses.
“I can’t. These are my only two horses. If I don’t sell them, my kids won’t eat this week....” The stables owner said, explaining his situation to the thugs that were harassing him.
”I don’t think you understand,” One of the other two thugs stepped forward,
“We aren’t asking. We’re demanding.” He said, raising up his sword, poising to strike.
Tanko gritted his teeth. If there was one thing he hated above everything else it was a bully. He viewed them as poor excuses for human beings. Just as quickly as it had unfolded before him, Tanko had rushed in, his katana unsheathed and blocking the thug’s strike. Shocked, the thug tried to push Tanko’s sword down or away from him, but he was clearly outclassed. Tanko’s skill reached further beyond anything what this simpleton’s abilities were.
A light frown on his features as they approached the scene, Seisui watched it unfold, but even before his nephew drew his blade, he had already slipped his own sheath from the sash at his waist Gripping the sheath just beneath where it met the hilt at which point the man strode forth. He was silent and his frown faded, becoming an expression of incredible calm. Tanko rushed forwards before Seisui had reached the thugs. He didn't flinch or make any sudden movements even as the second thug raised a club and slashed it through the air at the old man's head. The thug blinked and his club was suddenly in tatters, cut so cleanly and so many times that only its handle remained. Seisui hadn't closed the distance.
The thug's eyes widened as he stared at his hand, backing away even while his eyes fell on Seisui, darting between the swordsman and the man engaging his comrade.
Seisui smiled.
In that moment the thug recognized him and called out to his friend,
"Let's get out of here man! That guy's the Tranquil Lotus. The other one's his nephew." At that the thug whose blade was quickly being pushed towards him, jumped back and away, causing Tanko's weapon to slide across his chest leaving a shallow gash. They both ran.
Seisui tied his weapon back into his sash, glancing to Tanko, then the man.
"We'll buy them, how much?" He hadn't even faltered, switching between situations with no pause whatsoever. It was all natural for him, almost as if combat and normal interaction were the same in his mind.
In a sense they were.
