"How?" was all Jin could say. He did not want to cause a ruckus nor start a fight.
Mugen stood proudly on the landing of the dilapidated building with his hands on his hips. "How do you think?" he said noting Jin's subtle irritation. Mugen liked to see Jin irked, but this was a rare treat. Jin was furious.
"I'm assuming you either did away with the current tenants or used some other highly ignominious method to attain it" said Jin evenly. Shiroko put a hand on his arm to remind him not only to keep his cool, but that he now had to be there for her. 'That's right. Shiroko' thought Jin. 'I'll have to keep my sword in its scabbard for now.'
"Eh. Close enough" said Mugen. "I gambled and won it."
Shiroko was surprised. 'What do they own that could possibly be worth betting against property like this?' Shiroko said "That's amazing! What did you risk, Mugen?"
"Fuu" he said as if she wasn't standing right next to him.
"WhaaaaaAAAAT?" screeched Fuu embarrassed she didn't know she was that close to being hauled away as property over a lost bet. She pulled off her shoe and smacked him in the head "HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU BET ME!"
"IT WAS A SURE THING!" retorted the ruffian apparently nonplussed at the idea of losing Fuu to some sketchy gambler he met in the middle of a dark alley.
"I COULD'VE, I, HOW COULD YOU?" stammered Fuu.
Jin was not amused either, but Shiroko's gentle hand held him where he stood. Instead Jin satisfied himself with picturing a heated exchange between himself and Mugen in his mind.
Jin pictured himself saying 'How could you do something so despicable, you filthy gutless cretin!'
Jin pictured Mugen ceasing his exchange with Fuu and saying 'I ain't gutless!''
Jin could almost feel the weight of his katana in hand as he pictured slashing across Mugen's belly and saying 'There' he would say 'You are indeed gutless now.''
The imaginary sight of Mugen's intestines spilling out onto the dusty ground amused Jin and he smirked. Shiroko leaned on Jin enough to snap him out of his fantasy. His slender hands caught her and Fuu and Mugen ceased their arguing. They looked down at Jin and Shiroko, as if they had forgotten they were there.
Shiroko was unconscious and Jin was awkwardly trying to settle her down on the ground. Fuu rushed down to help. "Oh Jin! I'm sorry! We should have invited you in sooner!"
"Mmn" Jin's mind was racing about his wife and her weakness.
The dojo consisted of two main buildings. One in which Mugen and the others lived, and the other was the training hall which had a couple of side rooms, and was where the students were to sleep.
The main entrance to the house opened to an impressively large room that went straight back and opened to the courtyard between the house and the training hall. There was another large room on one side that Mugen planned to use for meetings and lectures. On the opposite side were three smaller rooms and a kitchen beyond that. Walking down the hallway gave you access to the room in which the residents of the house would eat and spend their leisure time. Across the hall were two rooms suitable as bedrooms.
Jin and Shiroko were currently in their designated room.
"I guess my condition is to blame and perhaps that was why I fainted" Shiroko explained to Jin. 'In truth I could almost see the anger in your eyes, Jin, and if I hadn't done something I know you or Mugen would be missing a limb right about now' she thought.
Jin sat Indian style while Shiroko kneeled in front of him. She recovered quickly after they laid her down inside the house.
"I'm glad you're okay" he said. He looked at her hands folded neatly on her lap. 'Her hands are so small. How does she ever manage to do any kind of housework?'
He looked up at her face and said "Your condition does not suit you. We can prevent this from happening again. There are herbs you can take…" His words trailed off when he realized she was upset by what he was saying.
Shiroko did her best to hide her feelings, but they bled through and she knew that Jin could read her like an open book. She was going to tell him what a brute he was, then for some reason she stopped herself and said "Please go on." The words she swallowed were bitter.
Jin narrowed his eyes and said "No. I think I've said enough." Jin then nodded, dismissing her.
Shiroko left the room and found Fuu in the kitchen stirring a large wooden spoon in a big black pot. Fuu stopped stirring when Shiroko arrived. "Man, these guys sure can eat! I have to make so much!"
Fuu took a double take when she looked at Shiroko. "What's the matter?"
Shiroko tried to hide her disappointment and smiled lamely.
Jin, still in the other room, recalled when Shiroko told him of her suspicions of a child during their journey. It was a quiet day, sunny, with a slight cool breeze. Jin walked with his arms in his sleeves and his wife walking dutifully behind him. He knew the road was straight for miles and he closed his eyes to think knowing he would not bump into anything.
"Jin-chan, I have something to tell you" peeped Shiroko, hesitantly. 'I am excited to mother Jin-chan's child, but he'll scold me for not mentioning this before the journey.'
Shiroko's face reflected her deep consternation. Jin let her catch up to him and they continued on walking side by side. He asked "What is on your mind, Piggy?"
Shiroko scowled at the use of her childhood nick name. She knew he did it just to get her attention and she was touched by his concern. 'I should tell him. I must be honest.' "The moon has not been clouded for a second month." In other words, Shiroko suspected she was pregnant. Shiroko hoped Jin understood her meaning.
Jin stopped walking. He understood perfectly. Shiroko didn't think it possible for Jin to lose anymore color in his face, but he did. Shiroko smiled, but that smile faded when Jin's shock did not fade away to joy. "You fool" he said "Why did you not tell me before we began this journey? We still have two weeks of walking ahead of us."
Jin looked down their road and sighed. "I wasn't sure" she said. "I didn't want to delay our journey on a mere hunch." 'I thought perhaps it could have been my exertions from planting that herb garden last month, but this month I don't know what else it could be.'
"That mere hunch makes you a lot more delicate." He looked back at her "It would have been worth waiting to see." Shiroko knew he would be upset about the timing, but she hoped he would be happy for a child.
Shiroko began to ask "Jin-chan, aren't you…" Jin knew what she was going to ask and he looked away back down the road. "…happy?"
Jin just continued to walk. 'How do I explain what this means? It's not that I wouldn't like to have children.' He pictured Shiroko holding an infant and smiling. He heard the sounds of her cooing and the child's laughing and thought of his own mother…and his father. Jin got lost in his thoughts and continued down the road, forgetting to answer his wife.
Shiroko was worried by Jin's non-response but followed him down the road.
Looking back on it Jin realized he had fumbled. He never did tell her that her child would have been welcome, if so many did not seek his life.
Two weeks had passed and the group had fallen into a comfortable routine. Except Fuu who was working over time trying to keep her guests happy and except for Jin and Shiroko who wanted to show their gratitude, but whose offers to help were rejected. Basically Mugen was the only one who was comfortable.
Jin was faced with a dilemma. Their welcome at the dojo as guests was wearing thin on their hosts. Actually it was wearing thin on Fuu who did all the cooking and cleaning. Shiroko even in her condition, offered to help, but Fuu refused "You guys are guests! Don't be silly!"
One evening as all four of them ate dinner Jin abruptly said "Shiroko and I will be leaving the day after tomorrow."
Shiroko slowed her chewing but did not challenge Jin's decision. Fuu, with her mouth full, did challenge Jin "Are you nuts? Shiroko can't make that trip! You're staying Mister!"
Mugen dropped a few skewers on the table and swallowed his food. "Shut it woman. They're working you ragged. You should be glad to get 'em out of your hair!"
Fuu was terribly embarrassed and sputtered "N-n-n-O! That's not true you idiot!" She thought for a moment then said "If you did your share of the work it wouldn't be half as tough!"
"Well how 'bout this idea; they can stay if they work" said Mugen before he crammed more food into his mouth.
Jin and Shiroko exchanged a glace of quiet confusion.
Jin said "We are leaving out of our own free will—" Jin was cut off when Fuu continued yelling at Mugen.
"MU-GEEEEN! How can you say that to Shiroko? She's going to have a baby!"
Fuu's continual reminder throughout their stay to the group that Shiroko was with child was very embarrassing and Shiroko slumped her shoulders. 'I wish I could crawl under the table' she thought.
Mugen replied "She could still stand to loose a few pounds. Shit when that baby starts growing we ain't gonna be able to fit her in the fucking house!"
As Fuu screamed in Shiroko's defense Shiroko pictured herself as big as the house and too fat to stand. She pictured herself round with child. So round, in fact, she would have to be rolled from room to room, busting the shoji screens as she went. Shiroko began to giggle at the imagery. She pictured Fuu trying to roll her somewhere and losing control of Shiroko's bulbous pregnant body and allowing her to crash through a wall.
Shiroko began to laugh louder. Her laughter was near uncontrollable when she pictured herself rolling towards Jin. His narrow worried face was being shadowed and finally eclipsed by Shiroko's enormous form before she rolled over him and squashed his thin frame.
Her three dinner mates were staring at her, uncomprehending. She found she was laughing so hard she couldn't catch her breath. 'Damn obi, maybe I tied it too tight?' Shiroko thought. Her laughing slowed and finally stopped when she began to see spots. Shiroko began to fall back. She felt Jin's arms bring her to his chest then she passed out.
Author's Note: This is a sequel to Memories Lost & Found andwas a long time in the making. I was working on my Sesshomaru saga. I hope you enjoy it! Please leave me a review!