Chapter 6
After Amperica left, Ronin sat down in the desk chair with a whoosh of escaping air as the days' events finally caught up with him. From mortal to god in a day! So much to learn! So much to absorb! Ronin doubted he would get much sleep tonight. There was a knock on the door as Spark came in and said: "Lord Raiden, dinner will be served shortly." Before Spark could close the door, Ronin called out: "Spark! Will you please show me around? Other than my study, I have no idea where anything is." He answered: "Of course Lord. Follow me."
Ronin followed as the majordomo showed him the house. Despite the outside appearance of a temple, in reality, it was comprised of two levels. The second floor held the bedrooms. Here Spark and the housekeeper, Mariko, had their rooms. Next was the master bedroom that Ronin would sleep in with an adjoining doorway to Amperica's room. There were also two guest rooms, one on either side of the second floor rooms. The main floor had the dining room and living room where guests could be entertained, Ronin's study and finally, the dojo room.
The dojo room instantly became Ronin's favorite. The room was at least 18' by 18', had the finest tatami that Ronin had ever felt under his feet and on the walls, was every melee weapon known to mortal kind. Swords, spears, knives, and staffs of every length imaginable, to name but a few. Ronin also recognized nunchaku, tonfa and sai. There were still more weapons but Ronin couldn't even begin to name them all. Ronin stared with undisguised awe at the selection of weaponry and asked: "My predecessor could use all of these?"
Spark said: "Yes Lord. He was proficient in 750 different fighting systems, armed and unarmed both not to mention his own powers, which were considerable. Many of these weapons he acquired as gifts in his travels. Some he received as proof of defeating a specific foe. If you wish it Lord Raiden, you too can learn these things. You have at your disposal masters of the fighting arts of uncountable realms and disciplines. The master, Bo Rai Cho has been a regular guest off and on for centuries. In fact, many of the fighting systems of the Earth Realm can be traced directly to him. I'm sure he would train you if you asked.
At that moment, a soft gong sounded and Spark said: "Someone is at the door; I'll go see who it is." Spark was gone five minutes while Ronin looked around the dojo when Amperica entered the room and said: "Ronin, it is the God of Wind and Storm, Fujin who stands at the door, should I relay to Spark to send him away?" Ronin's pulse increased at the way she pronounced his name. He was glad that she had used it instead of his title. Ronin said: "No Amperica, show him here and then have Mariko set another place for him in the dining room. My predecessor said that I should get to know Fujin as that he had been good friends with him." She said: "Yes Ronin, at once."
It was the wait of only a minute or so before Fujin, entered the room. As this was Ronin's first meeting with the Wind God, he looked him over. About six feet tall, wearing light green pants and tunic with matching boots, his hair was long, to his shoulders and the color of mother-of-pearl as were his eyes. Unsure what to do in a case like this, Ronin simply bowed to him and said: "Lord Fujin? A pleasure to meet you, to what do I owe the honor of your visit?"
Fujin returned the bow and said: "It is I that am honored to meet you Lord Raiden. I helped your predecessor find you and I thought I would see how you were settling in." Ronin said: "I was just about to have dinner, would you care to join me?" Fujin said: "Thank you, I would be honored. Besides, I love Jiro's cooking."
Dinner was held in the dining room that was large yet somehow cozy. The table was large enough for twenty peopleand Ronin didn't know if his predecessor kept himself aloof from the household staff or not but silently promised to himself not to do so. Tonight though, there were only settings for two, Ronin and Fujin. Dinner came in courses that were filling without overindulgence as Fujin related to Ronin some of his misadventures both alone and with the previous Raiden. Dessert came and talk shifted to their respective duties. Fujin, as the God of Wind and Storm, had his own staff after a fashion but could, at his discretion personally oversee any of the hundred or so storms around the earth at any one time. Fujin said that Raiden could do the same if he so chose but in times past, had focused on his own training as well as looking for the next champion of Mortal Kombat. The two spoke for two hours more when Fujin made to leave. "Thank you for a wonderful dinner, Lord Raiden. Perhaps we can do so again in the future?" Ronin said: "Absolutely Lord Fujin. Count on it."
After Fujin left, Ronin decided on a bath and massage before bed. The house, being the creation of cosmic eternity, could take any form and have any amenity within its walls. The previous Raiden had liked the temple look and kept the interior theme simple which would explain the large Japanese style wooden bathtub. Ronin knew the cycle of events in a proper Japanese bath, the undressing in a separate room so that one's clothes could be taken away for cleaning. The prewash, with the soap and shampoo and finally, the soaking phase. Evidently the previous Raiden followed the whole process. Ronin let the heat soak away the tension of the day when there was a knock at the shoji, or sliding door. The door opened at Ronin's permission when he saw both to his delight and momentary fear, Amperica glide in.
"My Lord, may I share your bath with you?" she asked. Ronin knew that men and women usually bathed apart but considering Amperica's intended function in the house, he nodded his acceptance. Amperica had already gone through the prewash in another room. Ronin closed his eyes until he both heard and felt the water shift with her entrance into the tub. He opened his eyes to see Amperica sitting across from him with her hair in a simple bun on top of her head and a towel wrapped around her upper torso to cover her breasts which he could just see the tops of over the towel and saw that they were (in his estimation) perfectly sized. Naturally pert and firm, they added a subtle dimension to Amperica that reminded him again of her intended function in the house.
They sat and soaked for a time when Ronin asked: "Please tell me about yourself Amperica." She smiled at the phrasing, inwardly pleased at the request when she knew he could order her but chose not to. She said: "In this form, I am 26 years old, unmarried and not very experienced in the ways of man and woman." When Ronin blushed at the depth of information, Amperica's heart did a little flip in her chest as she continued to explain: "I say in this form, because in reality I am a newly freed soul. I was a living, breathing college student studying to become a dancer for large-scale productions, with my life before me when a car accident freed my soul. Spark found me at the behest of his former master and offered me my life back in return for becoming your concubine. My family history is that of Japanese American but I am descended of feudal Japanese. My father believed in a mixture of old and new and raised me with an appreciation of the old ways and the old history of my people but I'm still a modern day girl at heart. What of you, Ronin?"
Ronin said: "I can't claim any real sense of personal history like yours. I was born the youngest of three children; my father was fascinated by the stories of the Samurai which is why he named me Ronin. The only claim of genealogy that I can say is that we came from the Scandinavian peoples with a smattering of German and Slavic. My mother worked in the school district of the city we lived in, andmy father was a guidance counselor and then a substitute teacher for many years and then went into business for himself as a clock repair man before retiring. Both of my parents are deceased, my older brother is a devoted bachelor and my sister has her own family. I have been many things but I found something of a place as a martial arts instructor which is one of the reasons I was chosen for this office I guess. Not much more to tell really."
They soaked awhile longer and then got out separately. Jiro was an accomplished masseuse and put his skills to work helping to relax Ronin. That night, Ronin slept deeper and longer than he ever had before in his life.