Thanks to Stayhooper and Tigerfeet for reviewing!
Bill heard the baby easily as he pulled close to the house. Christmas was around a week away and Bill's 22nd birthday had been the previous week. He followed the wailing noise to a back room where Bella bounced the infant, trying to make it shut up.
"Where's mom?"
"Out getting formula, here," she said, thrusting the baby into his arms. The baby just stopped and stared at him. Bill stared back. The hair was dark, almost black, and incredibly thick for three months old, but its eyes were what Bill were drawn to. They were old and cranky, but curious. They were also hazel.
"What's its name?"
"Mom named him Methuselah."
Bill groaned.
"She shouldn't be allowed to name children."
"She named me Bella."
"No, she wanted to name you Gertrude until I intervened."
"What's your name then? William?"
"If only, Billeus."
The baby punched out his hand and tried to grab for Bill.
"Nah, not Methuselah."
He studied the boy carefully.
"Budd."
"What?"
"Yep, Budd's more like it."
He drew Budd's head to his face and kissed his forehead. Then wetness spread down his shirt front. Bill's smile grew opposite and Budd laughed.
"He likes to do that," Bella and Bill gave her a look for the lack of warning.
"Budd, you should really stay on my good side."
Budd just laughed again and Bella took him to the changing table. Bill took his shirt off and cleaned up the remaining pee while Bella changed Budd's diaper.
"It's just so great that you're back."
Bill caught the tone in her voice.
"What happened? Did Paul come back?"
Bella shook her head as she pinned up Budd. She tossed the old diaper in the pail, picked up Budd and turned back to Bill.
"I really needed you. I was so scared. We almost…lost them."
"What do you mean?"
"When he was born, he had gotten the cord wrapped around his neck. He was blue."
Bella clutched her younger brother tightly as Bill listened.
"They unwrapped the cord off him and cut it, but he still wasn't breathing. The doctor had to blow air into his mouth and then he finally screamed. He was such a little thing, five pounds, but then mom was still bleeding and they made me leave the room. They told me that she had lost a lot of blood and that they had to give her more."
Bill hugged both of them.
"Well, I'm here now."
"And you'll stay?"
"Bella, I have college…and other things to attend to."
"Like what?"
"Fang knows a monk in China that he wants me to train under."
"Ah, Lana Turner," remarked Bill as he and Bella lay on the couch watching a Victor Fleming movie.
"Did I ever tell you about when I saw this for the first time?"
"And I knew that he was a fool for blondes," said Bella, imitating Esteban.
Bill laughed and said, "Pretty good."
"He took Budd once when they showed it as a cheapie matinee. He wasn't so enamored though. Esteban said that Budd seemed to hate Lana Turner, grew fidgety and talked every time she was on."
"Who did he like then?"
"Ingrid Bergman."
"Ivy the Bartender?"
Bella nodded and smiled.
"Of course, she couldn't hold a candle to his childhood flame."
Bella and Bill immediately said together, "Mary Poppins."
Then they both laughed. Bill inhaled his marijuana cigarette and passed it to Bella.
"How do you think he's coping with Hanzo?" she asked, after inhaling and handing it back.
"He should do all right."
"This is good," complimented Hattori to Budd. He inhaled deeply on the cigarette.
"Keep it, I'll roll another."
Budd took out another of his rolling papers and started to make another.
"Do you ever get sad?"
"Sad? About what?"
"Your whole purpose in life is to make weapons of death. Your skill is to make it easier to kill people…that never bothers you?"
Hattori dragged on his cigarette long and hard before answering.
"I never thought of it that way."
Budd smiled. He had been able to screw with the Jap and it was fun. He decided to read some of those Buddha books for more ideas.
Budd leaned his ear against the thin walls. Hattori and his brother were on the other side and there was arguing.
"You cannot make me undo this decision. I will make this sword you request of me, but it will be my last and I will not accept payment. It will be my honor to make this sword for such a man."
"I suppose he is a man now," conceded Bill.
They started walking to the door and Budd hurried to his room.
Moments later, Bill entered. He paced a bit before starting.
"Hattori Hanzo has stopped making swords."
"Eh, so he got tired of making them."
"He said that it was thanks to your influence. Why?"
Budd shrugged and said, "Because I could."
"I brought you here to grow up, to lose some of that attitude."
"I'm grateful for that, really," said Budd and then he got a look in his eyes, "There's a few Japanese women who are grateful, too, but I never was much of a people person."
Bill nodded and said, "I'll be returning in a month to take you back"
Budd and Bill sat on the floor of Hattori's workshop. Hattori held up Budd's sword and Budd noticed that there was writing on it, but he couldn't make it out.
"There is just one thing I must do," said Hattori and he took out a sheet of paper with Kanji all over it.
"This sword will be the last made with these hands," said Hattori and he cut his hand, "I swear it."
He spread the blood onto his right hand and pressed the crimson print onto the paper. Hattori wiped the blade with a hankerchief, resheathed it and presented it to Budd. It was only then that he bandaged his own hand. Budd bowed and took the sword out.
To My Brother Budd, The Only Man I Ever Loved, from Bill.
Budd read silently, but his lips moved. Then his lips moved into a smile and tears started to form in his eyes as he resheathed it. He hugged his brother.
"Thank you."
"Now there's no need to get mushy however beautiful a sword it may be."
It was more than a sword to Budd though. It was the first time that Bill had ever told him that he loved him.
"I wish Bella was here."
"You know she hates to fly."
"That's an impressive sword you have there, little brother," complimented Bella a few days later in California, "but mine's better."
"You can't compare Hanzo swords."
"What did they do to him over there?" she half-complained. Then she took a baggie out of her pocket.
"I got you a little something to celebrate."
"What I told you about that?"
Bill snatched it out of her hands despite her objections.
"If you're going to do that stuff, let me get it for you so I know it's okay."
"It is okay. I don't buy from cabrons and only cabrons would fuck you over."
Bill pocketed it anyway.
"You could help me test out my sword," offered Budd.
"Or you could help me in the lab," said Bill.
"Ooh, what are you making?"
"Still working on my holy grail, a truth serum."
"I'll go with Budd," she said.
"I think it's time, in light of recent events, that I taught you how to defend yourselves," said Bill, holding a wooden object in his hands and speaking to his siblings in the hot California sun. He opened the wooden object to reveal a sword.
"This is the finest sword in the world," said Bill as if he were stating a fact. He gave it to Budd to hold. Budd took the handle with both hands, but underestimated the weight.
"Whoa, it's heavy," said the seven year old and he ended up dropping it. Bill had to smile as he picked it up.
"Bella will use the sword. You can use…"
Bill looked around and spotted a branch. He picked it up and gave it to Budd.
"This branch."
Bill looked at his brother and sister and gave them a brave smile.
"No one's going to mess with a member of this family ever again…at least not without consequences."