“I think this village is in deeper trouble than you believe,” Tadayoshi said to the chief. “Whoever made theses swords knew what they were doing. The balance, the sharpness, the weigh, everything has it quality. Though the metal isn’t the best, it’s unlikely commons bandits would possess swords like these. Probably made in a castle forge… or a fortress.”

His words were a final blow. If some still had any hope, it was gone, replaced by the growing terror. Even Bandages’ face tightened. “Why should we listen to you? You could be with them!” he screamed. A few mutters joined him and it made Bandages more confident. “You’re trying to make us give up without a fight!” A few more voices joined him now, and some villagers even moved to stand side by side with him.

Tadayoshi ignored them again and turned to the chief. The old man’s face didn’t change, his eyes clear as before. Almost as if my words just confirmed something he already knew…

“We should talk in private,” said the chief, ignoring the pleas and protests.

Tadayoshi followed the old man, focusing on his back. Soon they were back to the same house the villagers were before the lone rider arrived. The chief took off his sandals, walked to the same place he was before and sat down.

The swordsman took off his sandals as well, taking his time to not ruin the rest of it. He was about to sit down when he stopped himself. Damn… it’s hard to remember all those idiot etiquette, master. Even though you never care much yourself, he complained in his head, waiting until the chief invited him to sit.

Now close enough, Tadayoshi could see the chief seemed near his fifties, perhaps more. And the fear for the village’s future makes him look older. His hair was almost all gray, the black disappearing in the little he had left. Though he had no visible scars, the fatigue of someone who had worked hard all his life showed in his wrinkled face.

“I’m Daisuke and I’m this village chief.” Just talking seemed to tire him. He took a deep breath and stared into Tadayoshi’s eyes.

The brown eyes had a familiar deepness that bothered Tadayoshi. This old man’s reminds my master too much. The swordsman moved a little, pretending to adjust his position. It was uncomfortable be under that stare for so long. He’s looking for lies…

“Excuse this old man, but who are you?” the chief asked bluntly. “I don’t think you’re someone dangerous, since Ei-chan knows how to judge people. Are you a samurai?”

Even though he brought a complete stranger to his home, he’s suspicious. Maybe this village still has a chance. “I’m not a samurai.” It was the first thing he said after considering his words. Sometimes it surprised him how much he hated the misunderstanding. His master and his sons were. He wasn’t. “After eating some peaches, that kid called me a thief saying the fruits belonged to this village and I should repay,” Tadayoshi said. After a moment, he decided to tell the truth. “I only went along because I need some decent rest.”

The chief kept quiet. Tadayoshi opened his mouth, but bit his lips the next instant, holding his impulse to say anything else. I… can’t risk my life. Not now, not here. Not for people who means nothing to me. Against his will, his master’s voice echoed in his mind, using the same tone when he was serious. ‘Do what you think is right, live how you believe is right! You learn with mistakes. Regrets you carry.’

Shut up… you’re not here anymore…

Tadayoshi closed his eyes and breathed slowly, regaining control of his emotions. It took some time for the voice to go away. “Daisuke… dono” he added, remembering the etiquette, “I’m afraid I cannot offer any help. I’m only one man.” A thin smile appeared on his lips. Master would never say he’s only one man.

The old man stared back, his expression the same. The only change was in his eyes. For a brief moment, there was a light in them, but it soon vanished, as if never existed. Daisuke-dono wouldn’t cling to any false hope.

“It is better this way,” the old man finally spoke. “If they believed you might help us, it would stir them to fight… and die…”

“I’m… sorry…” Tadayoshi said, looking away. I must keep my mouth shut, he told himself. “All I ask is for some food and shelter. And all I can pay is this, but I’m not sure you want…” He took the knife from inside his clothes and held the blade by the tip, offering the handle to the chief.

The old man held his breath and stared the weapon, his eyes shining again. For a moment, Daisuke-dono’ hand trembled and went for the blade, but then he pulled back before he touched it. “We can offer some food and shelter, but put that away… please,” the chief said, looking away.

Tadayoshi did as bid, putting the blade back to where it was. What a tremendous willpower… he wants to fight, he wants to protect his home, and yet he choose the path of survival, and not as a coward. Guess that kid’s determination isn’t so surprising…

Daisuke-dono gestured and Tadayoshi stood up. The chief took his time to do the same. The swordsman thought of offering a hand for an instant, but dismissed the idea. He’s too much like my master.

The house had a window and three doors. Daisuke-dono went to the door opposite to the window. Standing a respectful distance from the chief, Tadayoshi spied the woman cooking inside the kitchen. She fill two wooden bowl with the food, but when the picked up a third one, she stopped. Suddenly she trembled, dropped the bowl and covered her face with both hands.

Daisuke-dono said nothing as waited until the woman finished crying. She cleaned her face and turned around. More tears threatened to fall when she looked at the chief, but then her eyes widened when she saw the stranger standing behind the old man. “Sumire, don’t worry. This is our guest, Tadayoshi-sama, and he’s gonna eat with us,” he said in a low voice. The woman nodded her head, but the fear never left her eyes.

That’s more like it, Tadayoshi thought, holding back an awkward smile. Someone using honorific with me is weird enough, let alone ‘sama’. Even when he was younger and travelled with his master, everyone treated him as a servant, never as disciple. The way Sumire-dono glanced at him while filling another bowl with millet actually made him more comfort. But when the silent tears fell again, the swordsman looked away and pressed his lips.

Tadayoshi helped moving a table crammed in the kitchen to the main room. Sumire-dono brought the bowls and three plates with a fish each. Soon the only sound was them eating. This is awkward… this must be one of the most silent meals I ever had. Might as well be eating in the woods again… At least the nature’s sounds are better than this.

They finished without saying a word. Sumire-dono left the house as quickly as she could after taking the bowl and plates to the kitchen, never looking at the swordsman. Daisuke-dono said Tadayoshi could sleep in the main room and said if he wanted, he could get some straw so he wouldn’t need to sleep directly on the floor. Then the chief was gone to check the village.

Tadayoshi gathered some straw and after an instant wondering where to put it, he choose the corner opposite to the main entrance. And I thought I had lost this habit, he thought, a meager smile appearing on his lips. When he was a kid, whenever he slept inside a house or a stable or anywhere with walls, he always chose one of the corners, as to never let his back opened. It took some time for me to grow out of that, even after master found me…

With his eyes becoming heavier, the straw pile seemed too tempting to postpone, but even after he laid down his head, something at the back of his mind bothered him. When he heard the chief and his wife outside, Tadayoshi stood up and stepped out.

For a moment the old man narrowed his eyes as he stared the man blocking their path to their own house. He moved as to stand between the swordsman and Sumire-dono and she grabbed her husband’s sleeve.

“I know it’s not my business, but could you please tell me what happened here?” he asked in a low voice. “And also… to that kid…” Tadayoshi voiced what he truly wanted to know.

Daisuke-dono’ face froze under the torch light. He looked at his wife and nodded, his neck so stiff if barely moved. She gulped and walked past the swordsman, her eyes crying again.

When they were alone, the old man looked back to Tadayoshi. His eyes lost focus, but soon any trace of emotion disappeared, his face unreadable. No, it’s not unreadable… Though he’s hiding his pain, it hurts him the most, the swordsman realized. I don’t think he wants to share anything with a complete stranger. Tadayoshi knew that, but waited in silence anyway.

“Two days ago… we were preparing for the rice-planting ritual,” he started speaking in a heavy voice. “Six bandits came and said the village was theirs now and… and if we still wanted to live, we had to leave…” Daisuke-dono couldn’t hold anymore and the tears fell. He never tried hiding with his hand nor looking away.

Tadayoshi noticed one thing. Despite the tears, the old man never let out a cry. This man’s already beyond his limits but he’s still trying everything he can to make sure his friends and families survives, realized Tadayoshi.

It took some time for Daisuke-dono’ tears stopped. He cleaned his face and went on. “No one accepted, but some raced to the toolshed looking for anything to fight back. The bandits set nearby houses in fire before anyone could do anything.” He closed his eyes and took many deep breaths. “Ei-chan was helping with the ritual and raced home, but one of the bandit grabbed that kid by the hair and threatened with a sword the moment Aiko got out of the burning house. When she saw her kid in danger, she jump at the bandit’s back. His companion pulled her and killed her. My grandkid was the first back from the shed and attacked right away.” He started crying again, but didn’t stop this time. “Others followed and they managed to kill three, but we had already lost too many. The bandits set more houses on fire to scare us, but we were beyond fear at the time. We threw rocks and they gave up, running away, but they said they’d be back. We ran to put out the fire, but it had grown too big. If it wasn’t for the rain…”