Prologue
"Ah, I remember you! You're the traveler who ran my eel stand for an evening!" The merchant smiled, showing what few teeth he had left upon his festering gums. Jin nodded, slowly, as he slurped up another freshly butchered eel. Watching his long-lost business associate feast, the merchant continued to smile, setting his knife down and wiping his sweaty brow with his water-slicked hands. "You know, ever since you ran my stand, people have been complaining that my eel doesn't taste as good as it used to," the man's smile turned into a grin, and soon, a hearty chuckle spilled from his lips while his hands slowly rested upon his hips, "you've ruined me! But I'll forgive you if you tell me your secret!"
"Her name was Kohana." Jin said, quietly, setting down his chopsticks, gazing into the remnants of his eel stew. For a few moments, the merchant's smile faltered, and was replaced by a puzzled expression, but those moments passed and the smile returned, followed by a dutiful chuckle.
"Ah, a woman. I should have known! No man can cut and cook eel better than I!" When Jin stood, the merchant looked up at him, smile faltering once more. The somber samurai extended his hand to the merchant, and, reflexively, the merchant held out his hand to the samurai. A few coins fell from Jin's palm to the merchant's, and then, slowly, the samurai took his leave of the small eel stand, unfurling an umbrella over his head as he stepped out from beneath its protective canopy. For a moment he stood, in the rain, eyes slowly closing, lips quirked in a small smile.
Eel are like women, the more forcibly you try to hold them down, the more likely they are to run away. As the thought slid through his mind, the image of her face, the scent of her presence, and gentle warmth of her hand as it had held his in those final moments that he had spent with her upon the lakeshore, beneath an overcast sky. Revisiting those memories that he had tried so hard to suppress for the past three years was a very bittersweet experience; on one hand, it was very pleasant to see her once more, if only in his mind, but on the other hand, it was very painful. Jin had never been a slave to his emotions, and most likely would never truly be, but he knew that, unless he saw her once more, or at least, heard of her, he would be forever shackled to this sleepy lakeside town . . . he would be forever shackled to her.