Heritage

Death

Yeesh. One month from the last update. Sorry about that guys; had electronic problems and then an emergency move so, yeah... Not much time to edit and publish anything. Again; sorry. Anywho, enjoy!

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Tenka stared at the stone grave marker. There was no crest and only one name; Hideyoshi Risa. There weren't even any indications that anyone had recently visited the grave. Even so, it stood next to the grave of the Kumo's that resided in the temple. Separate, but still next to them. It was a very lonely sight.

Strangely, in the hours since finding out about her death he had found that he couldn't seem to cry. As soon as her passing had started to fully sink in he just went numb.

Shock. He realized, I'm in shock.

He had buried so many people over the course of his life that he could identify what state he was in even as he was experiencing it. Tenka wondered, not for the first time, why he let himself get close enough to people that their death's hurt. He should have learnt his lessen after WWII when almost every friend and family member died for one reason or another. People often said that he was unlucky, or that he was cursed.

He was glad that no one but himself and Soramaru remembered those years, though he wished Soramaru could forget.

I need to get home.

"Ten-nii?"

For a moment he heard his youngest brother's voice, but then he turned his head and found Mari kneeling at his elbow. She looked worried.

"An old friend." He explained, then turned to look at the grave again, adding, "She died. I just found out."

Oh. The tears were finally coming.

"I just-" He tried, but was unable to talk as his throat constricted and clogged, eyes stinging and watering.

Mari's eyes went wide. She had never seen Tenka cry, but there he was, just barely restraining himself from outright sobs. She didn't know what to do except let him get it out and wait. It was late - almost midnight - but the Kumo Shrines remained opened 24/7 to anyone. She was just glad that she had overheard his conversation with those two women. It did take her awhile to find the shrine though...

Wait. The buses don't run all night and there's no wheelchair ramp.

It seemed that she couldn't wait him out afterall and would have to coax him into returning home. Coaxing Tenka into anything was no easy task.

"Ten-nii... The buses won't run for much longer. I'm sorry, but we need to go home..."

He nodded, much to her relief, then he took a shuddering breath, got himself (mostly) under control and wheeled himself away from the grave. Mari followed.

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They hauled him along, a bag over his head that - blessedly - didn't reek and his hands tied behind his back. He didn't know where they were taking him, just that they had somehow snuck up on him, despite all of his training.

Something like that hadn't happened to him in awhile.

Finally, a door very quietly opened and he was thrown to a (wood?) floor. The bag was pulled from his head and he found himself in a windowless, dark room. He was able to make out vague shapes, but nothing more. However, it was still enough for him to discern when someone approached. The figure stopped a few feet away from where he was prone. He waited, wondering what the figure standing before him intended.