Chapter One: Homecoming

Anubis is waking up from his dreams...

--

"Wasabi water sake," an elderly voice said above his head.

Anubis sputtered the alcohol all over his neck and chin. He opened his eyes slowly, painfully. He'd cracked a few ribs before, but now he felt that the whole ribcage was shattered. He could barely breathe but still managed to cough, "My lord Uncle…"

Lord Koma grinned. "Well done. The Miyanmari were defeated. I think another Bronze Medal of Honor is in order…"

Anubis forced a smile. "It is my honor, sir." By now I should have been well promoted and not receive a piece of watered down trinkets!

"You've been in my service since you were fourteen." Lord Koma laughed. "Feh. I didn't think you'd be much then. You were so slight of a man you could have been a woman." He gave a laugh that eventually became a cough. "But now you are a warrior…a true example of Bushido, a true hero of our honorable clan, the Koma. That is why I am discharging you from service for a year."

The news came out of his uncle's mouth so unexpectedly, so suddenly, for a moment Anubis's pain went a little numb and he forced himself to sit up. "Sir—please—I can—still—serve...the army..."

"There has been a ceasefire in the civil war," Lord Koma told his great-nephew. "The shogun's orders. You've been of great service to me and Lord Taira. I suggest you use this time to your advantage. How old are you know?"

"Twenty-one, sir," Anubis groaned.

"Hmmm. I should find a wife for you. You're not getting younger."

"Sir—"

"Not another word, you need your recovery. Your commanding officer said you took quite a hit in Yoaiko. But with your...mixed blood I'm sure you'll be up and about in a few days."

He was referring to Anubis' demon blood. Anubis could barely remember his mother Korin, except that she gave him her red hair and blue eyes, though these features weren't the only thing that made Anubis an outcast in his childhood. His father, Koma Hideki, had taken a serious breach in his clan's customs by refusing to marry his cousin and instead choosing a "creature". It was a mistake. Not only was he shunned, Korin eventually left, and for all Anubis knew besides the fact that she-demons make poor mothers was that she could be dead or alive.

His tainted blood made him something of an outcast as well. That was why Anubis choose to fight at such an early age, and for so long. He figured that if he served his clan as best as he could he would bring them honor and in turn they would accept him, but all they had done so far was throw him a few bronze medals and no promotion.

If I have a year, he thought, I might as well enjoy it.

--

Notes:

In feudal Japan, you were considered mature at twenty. It was like our thirty.

A wasabi is a pea that is really spicey...haha :) So the sake Anubis drinks is spicy.

Pay attention to rank!! It will be VERY important later. Anubis is a samurai. His great-uncle is a low-ranking daimyo (retainer), who controls a tiny part of the province--just a few villages. Above him is a higher-ranking daimyo, briefly mentioned as Lord Taira. You'll see...