A Friend To All Is A Friend To None

If this is your first chapter opening this series, please look to Chapter 0 - Why Do I Wanna Fly? to start properly.

Snow swallowed Shirakawa-go whole. The gasshō-zukuri roofs, steep and stoic, bowed under a heavy white silence.

Jinko tugged on Saru’s reins, boots sinking deep into the powder. His breath hung in the air like smoke.

“Ahh... this air,” he muttered, slapping the horse’s flank. “Never thought I’d miss it. Cain't rightly forget these gasshō-zukuri."

"Shirakawa-go, it’s been a mighty long while, ain't it? Right then, to the matter at hand. Where might Ma and Pa b—"

The wind hissed—then broke.

A flash of steel cut through the quiet. Jinko’s heart lurched; his body moved before thought could catch up.

CLANG!

The Scarlet Hilt (Tsuka-ito) met Black, sparks scattering like fireflies.

(The clash echoed off the snow-covered houses. The second katana, with its Black Hilt wrapping, was an exact opposite to Jinko's own.)

Your edge hasn't dulled one bit yet, Pinco.

Jinko: Yo... You-all are... DANJIKI!!

Danjiki: To stammer out yer greeting just as ye begin yer address, what poor timing that is, I must say. It utterly bores me.

Jinko: That ain't the point. Ye still talk like a character from yer favorite caricature, don't ye, ye blockhead.

Danjiki: Oh, have I been seen through? Your memory is as sharp as the wound I left on your shoulder, it seems. (Danjiki gives a small, condescending nod.)

Jinko: Stop with the sarcastic act, ye oughta plainly know what I mean. Now then, what're you-all doin' here, Danjiki?

Danjiki: What are you suggesting? I have taken up residence here, I assure you.

Jinko: Ye were livin' in Ainokura, wa'n't ye?

Danjiki: Ah, there is a proper reason I departed that half-assed village.

Jinko: Huh? Ye must be jokin'! Ainokura is beautiful and a hidden gem! A place where even the Meiji officials don't bother to come lookin'!

Danjiki: I must beg your pardon, but refrain from analyzing my birthplace, if you would. It is quite unpleasant.

Jinko: Then if ye admit the good points of Ainokura, why do ye treat it like that kinda garbage, then? Now, why?

Danjiki: The reason is personal.

Jinko: Danjiki... who died..?

Danjiki: Nobody died.

Of course, that's the first thing you'd assume. To speak of it to one such as yourself, a lowly fellow who's a vagabond 'cause his family threw themselves into the jaws o' death for a revolution, would be a severe waste of my time.

(Jinko falls silent, his jaw tightening as he locks his gaze on Danjiki, his anger barely contained.)

Danjiki: I left the village because... it was different. It was selfish, but it was a necessary decision, it was.

Jinko: Danjiki...

Danjiki: The reason I left was...

"CAUSE THEY STOPPED SELLING MABU SODAS!!"

A moment of silence goes by, the wind whistles across.

Jinko: HUH?! WHAT DID YE SAY?! HAVE YE GONE MAD, YE FOOL?! ARE YE SERIOUS?!

Danjiki: YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND!!! THAT HEAVENLY DRINK WITH ITS CARBONATION AND LEMON FLAVOUR IS A BLISS FOR ONLY THE ELITE TASTEBUDS!! (Danjiki’s voice rose to a mocking, frantic pitch.)

Jinko: YE GOTTA BE KIDDIN' ME! YE BE ABSOLUTELY MOCKIN' ME!

Danjiki: OH I'M AS SERIOUS AS EVER!! DO YOU WANT ME TO PROVE IT BY SLASHING THIS SWORD THROUGH YOUR NECK??!! (Danjiki shifts his weight, the Black Hilt blade trembling slightly.)

Jinko: YE COULDN'T DO IT, YE SCOUNDREL! NOT HARDLY!

Danjiki: THEN COME AT ME.

Jinko: I AIN'T GOT THE TIME TO PRIORITIZE A FOOL WHO LEFT HIS VILLAGE JUST FOR SOME FRIZZY WATER!

Danjiki: I CALL IT A REFINED BEVERAGE, NOT WATER, YOU ILLITERATE OX!

(The commotion had drawn the attention of newly arrived villagers, who were organizing their belongings nearby. They watched the confrontation, their whispers muted by the deep snow.)

Jinko: Right then, I gotta find Ma and Pa and sort out my baggage, I'm headin' on. (Jinko sharply sheaths his sword.)

Danjiki: Humph. Do as ye please. (Danjiki follows suit, his black katana sliding back into its scabbard with a cold click.)

(The two turn their backs and start walking away in opposite directions. Jinko takes three steps, then stops abruptly. Hearing the crunch of Jinko's boots cease in the snow, Danjiki also freezes.)

Jinko: Say, you-all, ye still like Marumaru Chinbun?

Danjiki: Hah! If necessary, I shall show you the new pages, you mop-head.

(A rare, genuine grin breaks through the weariness on Jinko's face at the familiar retort, and he proceeds to walk off, his long shadow stretching across the snow. Danjiki continues in the opposite direction, his aristocratic posture never faltering.)

As their paths split, the snowfall thickened, swallowing their footprints.

Jinko stopped once more, glancing back.

“Well... he’s still alive,” he muttered, smiling faintly.

The wind carried away his words before they could reach anyone — as if Shirakawa-go itself wanted silence more than reunion.

"...Speaking of which, I wonder how the others are gettin' on."