Outside the Mujushin dojo, a young master, twenty eight years old at best, rested his hand on the hilt of his katana as he squinted into the distance. Over the rise of a hill, a small train of horses appeared, plodding through the heat and dust. No banners flew, but Mariya Enshirou was well-aware of who the visitors were. He had received the letter weeks ago, and had sent his reply a little hesitantly. Now, it would seem, there was no turning back from the path he had accepted.
He called several students to aid with the reception of their guests as the dozen or so riders trotted into the courtyard, the young samurai-in-training looking at their master with puzzlement as they held the heads of the riders' mounts. Mariya himself helped a woman, easily eighty if she was a day, down from the small black horse with a graying muzzle and eyes, sporting a tail hacked off at the hocks. A young boy, five or six maybe, sat on the back of his bay pony quietly, the little horse stamping angrily at flies, pinning his ears at a student who approached it.
As he turned to escort the women out of the sun and into the dojo, she gestured silently for the boy to follow. He dismounted smoothly, handing his reins with a polite nod to the young man the pony had threatened. He followed without a word, taking the elderly woman's hand in assistance. The rest of the contingent, aging samurai and nervous servants, remained mounted, politely refusing hospitality as their masters entered the dojo.
As Enshirou settled in the shade, he eyed his guests closely. The woman's hair was bone white but thick in its formal gather on the top of her head, her eyes shining intelligence from the folds of her wrinkled skin. Her kimono was olive green, but she wore gray hakama over it, no doubt to ride in. The boy settled next to her, his hair sable and his eyes black streaked with foggy grey, but Enshirou could make out a family resemblance in the cheekbones and mouth. He sat quietly with his head bowed, a half step behind the woman. His kimono was a dark red accented with black, the four white diamonds stitched strategically on one of his cuffs betraying his lineage.
"Lady Takeda," Enshirou began with a bow of his head, acknowledging the wife of the great Takeda Nobushige and great-grandmother of the young boy sitting next to her. As pleasantries were exchanged and the boy to her right was introduced as Takeda Nobukazu, Tomoe quickly got to the point, eyeing Enshirou with a frighteningly powerful gaze that had seen the rise and fall of her husband's family's clan.
"Mariya, I was relieved to receive your response to my letter. Are you certain you can uphold the task I wish to charge you with?" He hadn't been challenged in such a personal way for more years than he could count, but Enshirou had to admit that he liked the woman's spirit. Her delicate white hands, bent and pulled from arthritis, were gracefully stacked on her lap, and though her shoulders were bowed from age, her spine was hard as steel.
"I can, Lady Takeda. In fact, it would be my honor." As Tomoe nodded, little Nobukazu finally peeked up from under his forelocks, his cool, dark eyes striking Enshirou as entirely too adult and empty. She nodded, and in a surprising gesture of affection, ran her hand over her great-grandson's smooth hair.
"I fear for Nobukazu's safety, even with Oda's extermination dying down. His father, uncles, and cousins have all been wiped out or cower in court. I do not wish this for my great-grandson. So," she said with a heavy breath, bringing her eyes back to Enshirou. "You agree to adopt Nobukazu under your family name, and train him at your dojo. He is a strong, obedient boy, and I think he will be a credit to your school." The boy remained silent, glancing briefly up at the old woman when she touched his hair. "He is the only heir left to the Takeda clan name who has the honor to wear it. That is something I doubt he can ever claim."
The master murmured his understanding, watching the pair with close eyes. Tomoe sighed again, and creakily stood, Nobukazu leaping to his feet to help her. Enshirou followed them outside, helping Lady Tomoe mount her little black horse. Reaching over, she worked a blue bead bracelet off her left hand, handing it to the boy. He took it reverently, slipping it on his own wrist where it slid back to the elbow, too big for his slim limb. Wordlessly, she nodded, then tugged on the reins, turning her horse back down the road. Her contingent turned and followed, every rider bobbing their head to the young master before plodding away, the boy's grumpy pony in tow. Mariya's students eyed the pair left standing curiously, but one silent glare from the master sent them scurrying on their way.
When they were alone, Enshirou laid his hand on the boy's thin shoulder, guiding them back inside out of the sun. Nobukazu's skin was almost ethereally pale, all the more contrast against his dark hair and eyes. It seemed even more so now that the blood had leeched from his cheeks with his great-grandmother's departure. Veering off from the room they had sat in previously, the master led his newest pupil into the garden, a cherry tree bare of blossoms struggling to hold its green in the heat. Sitting down on the edge of the walkway, he gestured for the boy to sit next to him. After several beats of silence, the man spoke.
"You know what happened?" The boy nodded. "And why?" He nodded again. "Then you know that the boy you were can no longer be. Even your name can't be allowed to live anymore." Dark eyes tipped up to the sky as cicadas hummed and lulled, his chin bobbing in understanding. Mariya couldn't help the smile at the boy's bravery.
"I'm not taking you in out of pity. This is mercy, charity, as my code dictates. In fact," Enshirou continued, suddenly inspired. "That is who you are. You are now Mariya Jin. A samurai is benevolent, Jin. When you become a samurai, you will twice become yourself." He withdrew the spectacles that he had purchased a few days before at the market on a whim from the folds of his kimono. "Now no one will know who you are," he said as he slipped the too-big glasses on the boy's slim nose. "You are free to make yourself." Jin reached up to pushed the glasses back up his nose, the white diamonds on his sleeve sparking in the sun while the lenses of his spectacles flashed in the light…
Jin slowly opened his eyes, rubbing his brow as the memory faded. It had been a long time since he'd thought about his life as a Takeda, or how that had ceased to be. No doubt all the talk of family recently had spurred it on. He glanced over to where Mugen lay sprawled on the floor, snoring with an open-mouthed abandon. The man's wedding was in two days, and he was so nervous, he drank himself into oblivion every night with enough sake to drown a horse. Ridiculous.
Gathering his katana and wakizashi, Jin shrugged into his indigo gi, the blatant diamonds of his family's symbol winking in the morning dim. Jin stepped out into the cool air, and lifted his eyes to the fog drifting over the mountains as he carefully slid his swords into his obi. The low light flashed over his glasses, hiding his expression as he ran his fingers over the strips of linen still around his abdomen. Mugen had recently rid himself of the last of his bandages. Jin's injuries, however, were taking longer to heal, and his muscles still wrenched and cried when he attempted more complicated maneuvers.
It was infuriating, this constant check on his normally superb abilities. That was what he deserved, Jin supposed, since he had cheated death. And now, he thought with a small smile as he glanced over his shoulder at the unconscious prospective groom, he had been called back from his wanderings to stand as witness and family for his friend/rival's marriage. To think, Mugen would be the first of their trio to settle down with a woman for the rest of his days. It was so bizarre, it was unthinkable. Slowly running a contemplative hand over his jet-black tail of hair, the samurai sighed, then made his way to the hot springs nearby, only limping slightly. Today would be another round of preparations and ceremonies Jin would have to drag Mugen through. If he didn't know better, he would guess that the groom was reluctant. Then again, he'd seen the way the groom couldn't take his eyes off his prospective bride. Yatsuha was certainly a lovely woman.
This has been living in my head for ages. Ever since I found out that Jin's diamonds were practically identical to a real noble family's crest, my imagination took the bit between its teeth and ran away with it. Which meant I had to research the hell out of it. Combined with the possibility that Mariya had adopted Jin, and this thing practically wrote itself.
The Takeda clan was once a powerful warring family that reached its peak right before the Edo period began under one Takeda Shingen. It is his younger brother, Nobushige, that I postulated to be Jin's (Nobukazu) great-grandfather. Shingen's son was defeated by Oda Nobunaga, who then hunted down most of the family to wipe out the heirs. Makes a convenient backstory, doesn't it? Takeda Tomoe, my version of Nobushige's wife as none of the wives/moms are ever named, is named after Tomoe Gozen, a badass female samurai, since unless they were totally awesome, women were typically not allowed to ride horses.
The family for several generations before the end favored names beginning with Nabu or Katsu. I chose a name that combined the spirit of those two. Nabe means flexible, and kazu means first or only son, as he is an only child. If I have no idea what I'm talking about, please tell me, and I will correct it if I feel it necessary.
I tried to stay true to as much Japanese culture as I could without losing the Samurai Champloo specifics/spirit and confusing myself. So things like name order and clothing are true to the culture. If you're confused, Wikipedia is a great help. If I'm blatantly wrong about something that isn't canon, please let me know. At that point, it's up to my discretion as storyteller.
How many of you were surprised that Mugen was marrying Yatsuha instead of Fuu? I know that a lot of people see them together, but the three have always had more of a platonic sibling relationship as opposed to a possible romantic one in my opinion. And Yatsuha did say she'd marry Mugen someday. Who else could keep him in line? To answer your question, I do have people also lined up for Fuu, and especially Jin. He is my favorite character. Obviously. Why else would I spend such a ridiculous amount of time on his back story?
Hope you like it!
Love, Tango.