Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I have any rights whatsoever to owning Samurai Champloo.
Alone in the Dark
Chapter 4: Cruel Fate
Jin walked in his normal pace, seeming somewhat oblivious to the scenery that passed him by. He had left hours ago, leaving his fishing pole on the river bank. The only possessions he had were his swords and a minuscule amount of savings. These things were always kept on his person, made traveling easier. The sun was high in the sky, letting it be known that it was midday. His mind worried about Fuu. He knew how prone she was to getting kidnapped and things of that sort. If any man dared hurt her, he knew exactly how he'd make them pay. In flesh.
This made him shift his thoughts from Fuu to Shino. He had went back to her after the journey was over, like he'd promised. Things weren't the same, he couldn't blame her. He had only returned because he felt he had to. After he parted from Mugen and Fuu, he felt depressed about not being able to tell Fuu his feelings. He thought that if he returned to Shino...the guilt would wash away. However she wasn't the same Shino that he had rescued from the brothel, nor was she the Shino that had taught him how to cook eel...she had changed. When he arrived at the temple that was supposedly a safe house for battered women, he found out the truth.
"I am here to see Shino." Jin said in his usual calm voice.
"Shino huh? Gimme a minute..."the door keeper grunted. For Jin, this was the first red flag. The door keeper disappeared behind the doors of the temple. Jin stood there, his exterior calm but his insides were churning. The door keeper returned in about ten minutes, "Oh, you mean Lady Hana..." he said with a toothy grin, "Straight through these doors, second corridor on your left, third room on the right."
"Thank you," Jin murmured. It was as if he were swallowing sand. He knew all too well that "Lady Hana" was the name given to Shino at the brothel she was sold to. He felt his stomach sink as he traveled down the dimly lit corridor. He could hear women shrieking and the lecherous laughs of men. Smoke was like a translucent canopy hanging from the ceiling. A woman with a tray of food passed him and kneeled at one of the doorways. He quickened his steps to reach his destination. He entered, not bothering to knock. When the door shut, that's when he saw her. Her figure was shadowed, due to the poor lighting of the room, and her back was to him.
"Hello, my name is Lady Hana, and I will be your..." her words stopped when her eyes met his.
"Shino..." it was the only thing he could say at the time. He stared into her eyes, but they weren't the ones he had remembered staring back at him while she drifted away into the night on the boat. These eyes were cold, and empty. They were lifeless, as if someone had snatched out the sparkles that had once shone there. He reached out to her, gently stroking her cheek. She showed no reaction to his touch. She simply turned her head away from his hand.
"My name is Lady Hana." she repeated, the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
"Shino," he refused to call her Lady Hana, "I'll get you out of here, take you somewhere safe-"
"Stop it, Jin!" she spat, "Just stop it! This is my life now, this is who I am. There's no need trying to deny it..."
"...but, Shino..." he pleaded, which was very unlike him. He couldn't stand watching her die slowly in front of his eyes. No. She wasn't dying, she was already dead, but there had to be someway he could revive her. He had to make her see that this wasn't the life suited for her.
"Shino is dead." she replied in a barely audible whisper, "She died the moment she stepped foot in this damned temple."
"Please allow me to help you..."he said, gently embracing her and pulling her into his chest. The soft scent of her hair tickling his nose.
"You know, at first, you were all I could think about. I always thought that I wouldn't have to endure this because you promised me you would come for me, and I believed it."
She pulled herself from his embrace, "but that was just make believe. The samurai will come and save his woman and then whisk her away...That's nothing but a fairy tale! And I'm too damn old to believe in fairy tales any more, Jin." she turned from him and gazed into the mirror.
"Let me tell you what my reality was and still is like. Everyday I have to turn tricks to earn my keep in this hell hole. When I resist, I take a beating. When I give in, I take a beating. When I'm really good, I earn some repeat customers who put in a good word for me to Mother. Now, months later, I'm the shit here. The men come here for me, and ask for me by name. I'm Mother's favorite now because I'm the one who's bringing in the money. I blow every man's mind who steps foot into my bedroom because no other bitch can fuck like me. And do you know why?"
Jin sat there in utter shock to here Shino talk this way. Bile rose in his throat as he thought about what type of repulsive men frequented this place and what type of repulsive acts Shino must have endured. What had happened to the kind, gentle hearted Shino...? She lit her pipe and turned from the mirror to face him. She took a deep inhalation, her face was now a hair's width away from his own.
"It's simple,"she exhaled smoke into his face, "I accepted my fate, and now I'm the number fucking one queen bitch of this temple." With that being said, she stood up and walked out of the room. He listened to her footsteps until they faded down the corridor.
He left the so called temple and never looked back. He should've never left Shino, there had to have been some other way. He could've taken her on the journey with Fuu and Mugen. Now look at what she has become, because he left her when she needed him. After leaving that place he was surprised to hear about her a few weeks later. In a few towns over he overheard a group of men talking about Shino, or "Lady Hana" as they called her. They were sitting a few tables behind Jin in a local tea house. He strained his ears to hear their conversation.
"Hey, you hear what happened to Lady Hana in the Monji temple?" one repulsively ugly man questioned. Jin wasn't usually one to judge, but this man had to have committed an atrocious act in a past life because he was paying for it now.
"Lady Hana? She's the best whore 'round these parts. I heard men fought to the death just to get in bed with her, not to mention payed out of their asses."
"Yeah, well I heard that the temple had to close down..."
"Why is that, weren't they highest paid brothel in the seven cities?"
"Well thats just it. Lady Hana was pullin' in all the dough for that place. I heard that after having some strange man call for her she was one onigiri short of a bento."
"Yeah, I heard she stood on the temple roof with fried eel and called for some dude to come back and take her away with'm. Then she jumped."
"Well after losin' her, the temple had to shut down. She was the main bread winner for that place..."
Jin nearly lost hold of his cup of tea. Shino, she had killed herself? As if Jin wasn't feeling guilty enough. He had wanted to rescue her from that temple, but she made it seem like she didn't want to be rescued. He thought of the first day he'd met her, she was going to jump from the bridge...Had he only prolonged the inevitable? Had she known her own destiny from the start?
Jin was brought back to reality by the giggling of a group of girls that he had just passed on the road. They were whispering things about his ponytail, and his glasses. Then he heard one girl whisper that he had a nice butt and the girls erupted in giggles again. A touch of pink graced his cheeks. He never heard girls being so forward before, more and more the world was becoming like Mugen. He chuckled to himself and looked up to the sky, the sun was beginning to set and he decided that he should find shelter for the night.
The two girls walked down a winding dirt path. The valley they had just traveled through was far behind them. The sun had settled behind the mountain tops and cast off beautiful crimsons, oranges and purples. The girls continued walking, enjoying the nature surrounding them. Grasshoppers began to chirp and sing that night fall was soon to come. Several rodents scurried on the branches and trunks of trees, settling down for the night. The grass was lush and all different colored flowers sprinkled the sea of green.
"We should look for somewhere to spend the night," Fuu said drowsily while gently rubbing Momo's chin.
"I hope there is something close by, night will be here far before we reach the next town." Himiko commented.
A good ways up the road there was a little hut. It was quaint, but was falling apart. As long as it stayed up for the night was the only thing either girl really cared about. When they reached it they batted away the cobwebs and slid open the door. It wasn't too bad inside, the wood was old but was holding up. The girls sat down their belongings and began to tidy the place up. After about an hour or so of dusting, sweeping and gathering wood for the fire, the girls sat to rest. Fuu had the fire crackling, warming the small hut in no time.
"Himiko, I was wondering..."Fuu spoke while finishing off her skewered dumplings, "what happened that day with the officials and your dad?"
"Well. Lemme think..."the grey eyed girl contemplated while tapping her lip with the empty skewer. Light and shadow danced across her face, "Hmm. I was about five and a half. And we usually moved around a lot because of papa, but we had been staying in that village for a little more than a year. That was a record."
"Ah." Fuu absent mindedly commented while remembering the first time ever meeting Himiko.
The little brown eyed Fuu ran through the woods, tears in her eyes. She sat upon a the remaining trunk of a chopped down tree. She rubbed her teary eyes with her pudgy little fists while she silently sobbed, her body trembling.
"Hey, don't cry..."a small whisper of a voice said to her.
Fuu looked up to see two round, grey eyes looking into her own. It was strange to her, the girls eyes weren't Japanese like everyone else's but at the same time they kind of looked like they were.
"Who are you?" Fuu's curiosity always won her over.
"My name is Himiko. What's your name?"
"My name is Fuu. Are you an outsider...? Fuu was sorry she said it as soon as she saw the look of pain and fear cross the little girls face.
"Well, no. My dad is kind of Japanese..."Himiko whispered while staring at the ground. Every time she heard 'outsider' she knew that someone wanted to hurt her, or her parents.
"Well how is he kinda Japanese?" Fuu asked, utterly confused.
"Papa says that cuz he's from Ryuukyu he won't ever really be a Japanese. They call my mama an outsider cuz she's not from Japan. She was a slave in a place called America, but her masters brought her here and left her on Ryuukyu."
"Ryuukyu? Mama told me that was a bad place for bad people...Is your dad a bad man?" Fuu asked, her curiosity at its peak.
"I don't think so. He tells me he wants me and mama to be happy and safe, and that he'll never let anyone hurt us. Thats why he left Ryuukyu when I was still in my mama's tummy..." Himiko giggled at the last part. Fuu giggled too.
"Well, he sounds good to me." The smile faded from Fuu's lips, "Maybe my dad should hafta stay in Ryuukyu..."
"Why?"
"Because!" Fuu raised her voice, "He left mama and me here all alone, my mama said he died...but, I know he's not! She cries every night when she thinks I'm sleep for him to come home."
Himiko frowned as tears started to form in Fuu's eyes once more, "Well, maybe its good that he left or I would've never been able to meet you." a smiled formed on the grey eyed girls lips.
"Yeah," Fuu murmured, "Let's be friends! But promise you won't leave me, and I'll promise I won't leave you..."
"Okay, I promise!" Himiko pledged while crossing her heart.
"Me too! I promise too!" Fuu shouted doing the same.
From that day on the girls were inseparable. They met at their dubbed spot everyday, the tree trunk in the woods. Sometimes Fuu would even venture to Himiko's home. It wasn't very big, but it was homey and full of love. She remembered seeing Himiko's father for the first time. He was tall and dark-skinned, his hair was dark and long and he had a go tee that fell from his chin. His eyes were two different colors, one was brown and one was grey. He also had strange bands painted on his legs and wrists, it was the first time Fuu had ever seen them. She remembered him catching her staring at them and telling her that these bands would remind him forever about who he was and where he came from.
When Fuu saw Himiko's mother she was in even greater shock. She didn't look anything like a Japanese person. She had big round eyes, just like Himiko's except hers were black. Her hair looked to be coarse and was always braided back out of her face. One time she let Fuu touch it, it was soft...sort of like a sponge. Her skin was dark, but not like Himiko's father, it was a little bit darker than that. Fuu could only compare it to the way the floor boards looked after being polished. She always sang songs while cooking or combing Himiko's hair. They sounded sweet but sad at the same time. They weren't in Japanese so Fuu didn't really understand them. Fuu thought that overall Himiko's mother was beautiful and kind. She always fed Fuu and treated her as if she were her own daughter. Fuu also noticed that Himiko's parents looked young, younger than Fuu's own mother and father.
Over the course of a year Fuu and Himiko had formed a strong bond. A bond that was stronger than that of friendship, it was like they were sisters. It was an evening Fuu could never forget. The evening her only true friend was stolen away from her. She sat on the porch of Himiko's house, letting Himiko plait her hair. Wind chimes sang gently as the wind passed around them. Himiko's mother sat in a rocking chair, humming and peeling some type of vegetables and placing them in a bowl of water. Himiko's father was in the front yard chopping firewood.
He had stopped to take a rest, wiping the sweat from his face and walking towards the porch. He bent over and kissed the top of his wife's head as he gently caressed her swollen stomach. Himiko was so excited, her mother had told her that soon her baby brother or sister would be here. That's when they came. Fuu watched Himiko's mother drop her cutting knife when she saw them. They were outsiders. She stood from her rocking chair and told Himiko and Fuu to play inside. Himiko and Fuu inside a closet in Himiko's parents room. All they could hear were shouts, and the broken Japanese spoken by the outsiders. As far as the two girls could understand, they had come for Himiko's mother. Himiko's father denied them of course, his voice raised in anger. It was the first time for both of the girls to hear him like this, then they heard the sound of thunder. Someone had fallen to the floor of the porch. Himiko began to cry silently, Fuu believed that she knew right then and there her mother had been massacred with her unborn child still in her womb. Fuu embraced the shaking girl in a tight hug.
"I won't let them take you. I won't let them Himiko." Fuu whispered harshly, her own hot tears stinging her cheeks.
The next thing the girls heard was a howl of rage from Himiko's father. The outsider's screamed their last breaths as he freed their spirits from their bodies, one by one. The girls crawled out from the closet and stepped outside onto the porch. Himiko's father sat with his wife's lifeless body in his arms, rocking back and forth. His katana abandoned in the grass.
"Eden..." he whispered into her bloodied hair, "You're the only woman who saw me for me..." his body trembled as he continued to pet her hair, " You gave me a chance when no one would even look twice at me. You showed me what love is...you gave me my first and only family...why? Why like this? It should've been me..."
"Papa...?" Himiko whispered, when her eyes fell upon her mother she sank to floor. Her father reached for her and pulled her next his side. Fuu stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move or speak.
"Fuu..." Himiko's father held out a calloused hand. Fuu accepted it and he pulled her close, embracing the both of them.
"You're all Himiko has now." his voice was raspy, "Take care of each other, you're family now, you always have been. Himi, they'll come and take me away, but your mother and I will always be with you...Do you understand? Don't take each other for granted, you are all you have now...I can't protect you now, you have to protect each other...Be strong Himi, remember you are Ryuukyu and therefore you are forever strong."
The officials came to the crime scene and arrested Himiko's father. While they were taking him away, Himiko didn't cry out, not even once. As they mounted him on the horse he smiled, "Thats my girl, strong just like your mother..."
The officials took Himiko as well. Fuu couldn't just stand there and hold in how she felt. As they mounted young Himiko on the horse Fuu overheard the officials conversation.
"No orphanage is gonna take her. Look at her, she's not even Japanese..."
"Well what are we gonna do with her?"
"Take her with her dog of a father and leave them on Ryuukyu since he's so damn proud..."
"Poor kid, Ryuukyu scum for a father and a slave for a mother. Fate is cruel..."
Just as they were about to ride off with Himiko, Fuu ran to catch up, "Himiko! Himiko! I'll find you someday, I promise!" she shouted as her legs began to burn.
"Me too, Fuu! I'll find you too! I promise! Take care of Momo until I get back!" Himiko hollered back.
Fuu stopped just outside of the yard, breathing hard, tears dripping down her chin. There was no justice for Himiko and her family. This was the second time Fuu had lost someone she loved. Fate was cruel...
Hey guys chewbecky here! What'cha think? Love it Hate it? I wanted to have more Jin in this chapter since the last one seemed all about Mugen and Fuu. I hope you liked it.
A/N: onigiri is a rice ball, common in japanese meals, a bento is like a lunch box. I was goin for something to the effect of "a few fries short of a happy meal."