Not Dead?

Gunpei saw nothing but darkness, he was floating in the what seemed to be the infinite void.

Far away, he saw that warm and radiating light. He felt so conformable when he looked at it, it warmed his heart and whole body.

The light only grew bigger, no, he was approaching the light at a very fast pace.

Gunpei entered the light and it felt like he was falling from far above. He was yelling from fright while he was falling to nothingness.

"AAAHHH UH! .. PANT.. PANT... UH... shit."

He jumped from his bed, he was panting and his heart was beating so fast, so fast that he could feel it beating against his chest.

Gunpei had an shocked and confused expression on his face, wasn't he killed by those farmers moments ago?

Gunpei touched his face, arms, legs, everything, he couldn't believe it.

"How come... I'm still alive?"

He stood up from the wooden bed and looked around the place. There was a little wooden table and two chairs, nothing extravagant, very simple.

Gunpei walked around this little room, there were two rats playing with each other in the furthest corner to the left.

"This place..."

Gunpei slowly remembered the past, this place was were he lived with his older sister.

He lived here when he was 15, but when he died he was 37. It made no sense when he thought about it.

Gunpei looked around to find an object that could allow him to see himself, there wasn't anything in here.

Gunpei opened the door and got out of the house. He saw how dark the clouds were, it was gonna rain.

He took ten steps further from the door and looked back, the wooden house was old and in ruins.

"This house is really in a bad state. I should do something about it."

Gunpei felt cold drops on his skin, rain was falling. He entered back inside and sat on one of the wooden chairs.

The raindrops made a sound when they fell, this sound, Gunpei loved it. It made his mind and spirit serene.

He closed his eyes and thought about his current situation, was he really back in the past? Had the gods given him a second chance?

Suddenly, the wooden door opened. A woman not older than 20 entered the house. Her clothes were all wet.

Gunpei looked at here intently, he was sure of it now. He had really returned to the past.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Here, I worked hard today for this. It's for you."

The woman placed a big ball of rice on the table. Gunpei's eyes became teary, she was his older sister Saorou.

Gunpei took the ball of rice, stood up and shoved it in Saorou's hand.

"Saorou, you need it more than I do. Please, eat it."

Saorou was surprised by Gunpei's action. Normally, he would not even thank her and eat the whole rice ball without giving her a piece.

"Come on, eat it."

Gunpei put on a large smile and returned back to his seat, He looked at Saorou eating the rice ball.

He noticed that she had bruises on her legs and arms, her lower lip had a slight cut.

Saorou never told him what she did as a work to feed him. With the passing of time and reflection, he knew what she did, his sister was a prostitute.

"Can you turn around, Gunpei?"

Saorou's question snapped him back to reality. She wanted to undress herself, Gunpei turned around and waited for her to wear dry clothes.

"It's OK now, you can turn back."

Gunpei turned back and looked at the clothes she was wearing. Those were ripped and filthy clothes, in the winter, she would die with such clothes.

"Saorou, from today onwards, you don't have to work anymore."

Saorou had a neutral expression, but she asked herself many questions. When had her little brother change so much? If it was yesterday, he wouldn't have cared about her.

"What do you me-"

"What I mean is that you need not sell your body anymore. I will take care of everything from now on."

Saorou had done everything to hide this from Gunpei. How come he was able to discover? She was embarrassed and didn't dare to look straight in his eyes.

"Give me two, three days and I'll take care of your boss. You have a boss, right?"

Saorou didn't answer the question, but she felt the persistent gaze of Gunpei and gave up, she told him what he wanted to know.

"Yes, I work for the Minami gang. They stay at the greatest brothel of the city. Do not be stupid Gunpei, if you go there, you'll be death in a minute."

Gunpei shook his head and crossed his arms, he looked at the ceiling and back at her.

"Saorou, do not worry for me. Little thugs can't hurt me."

"They are no ordinary thugs, they have rōnins at their service."

rōnin, this word, he didn't want to hear it at all. If what she said was true, then, it would be difficult to take them down. Difficult, but not impossible.

"Leave everything to me, Saorou. Stay here and have some rest, I'm going to find some wood, a hamer and nails."

"Why?"

Gunpei pointed to the ceiling, Saorou looked to where he pointed and saw many drops passing through the roof and fall down to the ground.

"That's why I need all that, I have to fix this urgently. We must have respect for the place we live in, otherwise, we'll attract unwanted company."

Gunpei looked at the two rats while saying that, Saorou knew that he was telling the truth.

When their conversation ended, the rain stopped. It was time to go outside and look around the city to find a hammer and nails.

Gunpei stood up and put on his wooden sandals.

"Be careful, Okay Gunpei?"

Gunpei looked into his sister's eyes and gave a confident nod. He left the house and was welcomed by the cold wind and the wet dirtground.

Where they lived was the outskirts of the city, here all the people of the low classes would live.

They would live together with the rats and insects. People shat and pissed outside for everybody to see, this place was truly disgusting.

Gunpei found the dirt road that led to the city and followed it. He walked for 10 minutes, in the center of the road was a large puddle of water.

'Let's see what I look like right now.'

Gunpei walked near the puddle of water and squatted down, he looked at himself for 1 minute straight.

His eyes were sharp and light brown, his black hair was semi-long and disheveled. His face was both handsome and threatening, he was one kind of a 15 year old.

Gunpei stood back up and jumped over the puddle of water, he resumed to his destination.

From far away he could see it, the city of Yamaguchi, The city was the seat of the Ouchi clan. The Ouchi clan ruled on the Nagato province and Suo province.

The city of Yamaguchi was in the Suo province.

The crest of the Ouchi clan stood high up above the entry of the city. Gunpei entered and looked forward to discover the insides.

The streets where bustling with noise and activity. Vendors shouted on top of their lungs to take the people's attention.

Gunpei walked through the crowd of people, he looked for a wood carver's shop.

Finally he stumbled upon one, The Green Cicada. He entered and saw a middle aged man at the counter.

"Hello, young man. What can I do for you?"

The man looked friendly, Gunpei looked around and noticed that every piece of wood had a cicada carved in it.

"I'm here because I need materials and tools. I need a hammer, nails and a piece of wood."

The middle aged man didn't laugh nor ridicule Gunpei for his absurd request.

"You know, boy, my tools are my living. What if you lose them or sell them to make some money?"

Gunpei understood the vendor's worries, he had to win his trust no matter what.

"So, what can I do to get the tools and the wood?"

The middle aged man sported an almost evil smile and rubbed his hands together, he looked at Gunpei expectentionlly.

"Boy, you see the wood carver next door? I need you to....sabotage his business."

Things had escalated quickly, but to Gunpei, it didn't matter. He had to get the tools to repair the roof.

"Very well, I shall kill him."

The middle aged man placed his hand under the counter and shoved a fairly large hunting knife in Gunpei's hands.

"Use this to kill him. If you get caught, you don't know me, got it!?"

"I won't get caught, so no need to tell me all that nonesense."

Gunpei took a look at the knife and consealed it under his clothes, It was time to get serious.

Gunpei walked until he was in front of the other wood carver's shop, he looked at it for a couple of seconds and entered.