The Days Before Battle

The march back home was gruesome. He did not push them quite as hard as he had on the way there, but the accumulated exhaustions of the day meant that all the men found it to be rather difficult.

When they finally arrived in Toyone, it was only a few hours before dawn, so most of them had trouble keeping their eyes open. Gengyo jogged on ahead, and could not find evidence of any housing facilities for them to stay. But the men were so tired as to not be fussy, and the night had remained dry, so many of them were happy to sleep where they lay.

And so, with their last of their energy, they helped to construct a large bonfire, and with that roaring mightily, they gathered around and took some well deserved hours sleep. Of their own accord, the Special Forces veterans stayed and slept outside as well, which helped to keep things in order.

Their leader caught a couple of hours sleep himself, but with the breaking of dawn, he went in search of Jikouji.