--Sojourn--
The wind whipped through his hair with a wicked fury, billowing through the thin, worn material of his gi, chilling him despite the warmth of the cloak tucked close around his thin shoulders.
The cold surrounded his body, numbing his skin and seeping even deeper, a chill he felt down to his very bones, but he paid it no mind as his steps picked up pace, less steady now in their frantic quickness. The sight of the slender figure wrapped up in a thick kimono and shawl, waiting patiently at the front gate at the end of the road, that was what drew him so magnetically to his destination.
She greeted him with love and warmth so beautifully evident in her eyes, hovering over him like a concerned mother hen as she bundled him up in spare blankets and made him tea. She sat across from him and watching with pleasure as his complexion brightened with color, his face relaxing as it let go of some unknown tension.
He reached out and grasped her hand, her touch so wonderfully warm, and he quietly thanked the long, rambling road that had finally led him home.