He knew the way to Ichinomiya, the way home. The short stop he'd taken to pull up his hair into a tight style had made his face more acceptable. People didn't avoid his eye-line now, he was able to meet their eyes without shame, even a few bowed as he passed by them quietly. The young were hurrying by and the elderly were being brushed aside, Logan helped a couple to remember their elders by tripping them on purpose. He did help them up again, apologising in perfect Japanese and giving his respects as he did so, but the message had been given and understood. They allowed their elders to pass first before themselves and finally Logan, his place at the back where all gaijin were. But here he could blend in, it was like putting on an old coat again, the habits returned to him easily and you'd have thought he was a seasoned traveller through the vast city of Tokyo. That was because at one point he had been, smiling as he walked through the thronging masses Logan could let himself remember.
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“Yuriko, do we have to go now?” The small woman who sat across from him in the office just looked through him, a half smile on her face. Her eyes twinkled in delight to see him squirming, he didn't do religion but the temple had to bless the small shrine they had in the garden once very three years. To gather a sacred branch and bring it back to their own Shinboku an offering of life to instil peace in their own space. Yuriko was a believer, and as such she wouldn't be comfortable with her prayers unless it was done. Logan for his part was the only spare body they had around, the temples could get crowded and a little volatile when the celebrations were under way. So he'd gone with her, be a protector for her, there were some who didn't like the presence of Americans on their soil and as such didn't like the people who worked for them either.
The colours and life of the temple were an eye-opener for Logan, everyone and everything had a purpose, people were happy, joyous even. No raised voices, just a murmur of life and prayers, as they approached Yuriko told him what to do. Removing shoes to enter the sacred ground, washing his hands and mouth before following the paths to the main temple. The huge tree that stood behind the temple, adorned with ropes and twisted fibres, not held to the ground but decorated, honoured. Yuriko had to pinch him to get his attention, the tree had captured his mind, the peace of it, the large gentle strength it had and the force it was pulsing out into the compound. It was like opening your eyes after being in the darkness, things were seen clearly for the first time. He let Yuriko move him around the temple and he prayed like everyone else there, he planted his wishes for healing, burned incense to the Kami. Left a donation and joined the waiting line for the blessed pieces of the sacred tree, the priests nodded, bowed to them both and handed over the small twig that had come from the Shinboku. Logan had been given the job of holding the piece and Yuriko was all smiles. They'd been close over the last few months, a few nights out together, nothing serious but they'd found a space within each other that was appreciated by the other. Whatever it was they'd become friends and as such Yuriko didn't deserve the fate the gods handed to her.
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“Watch where you're going you idiot,” the man was dressed in an expensive suit, his face screwed up with anger and hatred. The briefcase he carried was worth more than Logan's entire outfit, smiling he moved aside for the company man, dropping his hand to the leather of the briefcase and sliding a claw out just enough to slice through the surface of the shiny black leather. It held for a few steps, then it disgorged it's contents onto the ground, the man who had been all anger and hate suddenly swore. People tried to help him but he just pushed them away, leaving him sat in a puddle of his own making, tears streaming down his face and his cries echoing through the station. Logan found his train, showed his ticket and took his seat, aisle as usual, he closed his eyes and let the past flow away behind him like a pennant in the wind, taking him back to a time when he'd been happy or at least at peace. But things had changed and he'd been called away at the wrong time, leaving when the one person who'd mattered to him had needed him the most, Yuriko. Time to put the past to bed at last, to finish the debt and step clean into the new life he had waiting for him, into the arms of the now woman Marie. That is if she'd have him.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
He's come back to end a debt but what debt was it?
Chapter End Notes:
If you like it please tell me, it helps the ideas to flow. Thanks for reading.