TWO
(Jin's PoV)
We had only been in town for a few minutes before strange things began to happen. Fuu, Mugen, and I had been wandering around aimlessly for about a half an hour. We were attempting to get a feel for the village, and to find the cheapest food and board. It was slow going. No one wished to speak with us, and they huddled in corners, whispering, not even trying to hide their ill will toward us.
"Jeeze, what's with this town? The people are so unfriendly." Fuu said.
"Naw, they're just scared. I can smell it on 'em. Yea, damn straight you're scared!" Mugen replied as he sneered noticeably at the nearest man on the street. Fuu promptly hit him in the nose and began to scold him in a loud voice. I made a disapproving noise and walked on a few steps ahead of my squabbling companions. Just as I was beginning to feel truly unease with the town and it's inhabitants, a frantic girl, twin katanas drawn, came barreling around the corner, apparently being chased by someone. Or many someone's. Her head was turned to look behind her and she did not see me. I could have dodged her and avoided the collision, but I was distracted as well, caught off guard by the sudden disturbance in the nervous calm that seemed to affect the whole town.
After she ran into me, she stepped back and shook her head. Then she looked at me. That was when I became truly certain of her gender. Before, she could have passed for a young boy, but her face confirmed that she was indeed a female. Her eyebrows knit together with concern as she straightened, bowed, and spoke.
"Forgive me sir, I meant no offence." She rambled quickly before she ran off again, very fast for a girl. Her pursuers darted past soon after, and Fuu began to shout. It seemed that she really didn't know who to shout at: the girl for knocking into me, the men for chasing her, or Mugen for being Mugen. She just shouted.
I actually wanted to tag along, find out why she was wanted, aid her perhaps, I don't know. But I didn't. I knew somehow that she could handle herself. If she were in true peril, she would have been using her swords. I knew that much.
As we walked, we decided to get something to eat. Fuu's stomach had been making noises for miles. We ducked into a small restaurant and found a table in the corner. My two companions had stopped their bickering, but the tension on the air suggested that it would start up again at any moment. They were incorrigible.
"Hello! Hi! How may I help you? Would you like something to eat or drink? Or are you just resting for a while? That sun can get pretty warm around here, huh?" A small girl about the age of thirteen twirled her way out of the kitchen in back, greeting us as she danced around serving the other customers with large trays of food. Finally, she arrived at the end of our table, empty handed but for a small book and pen that she had pulled out from her pocket.
"Uh…No offence girlie, but is your mommie here?" Mugen questioned glibly, looking past for an adult. Fuu flicked him in the ear. "Yooow! Stupid broad, wha'd ya do that for? Ya know one of these days I oughta…!" He continued his obtrusive shouting and undignified flailing about, but for some reason, it just faded into a pleasant background noise as Fuu addressed our waitress.
"Um, you see, we don't really have that much money, so we'd like to share an order of rice and fish. If that's not too much, that is…Mmmm…" She started fretting over the menu, her face scrunching, and her voice "mmm'ing". Mugen was still grumbling in his corner, obviously still sore about getting punched in the nose earlier. Suddenly, the young waitress reached for the menu, and pulled it gently out of Fuu's grasp.
"I'll tell you what I'll do. This place never gets any new business. We have about five regulars that come in once a day. Business is never really booming, and we usually order too much food. It never gets eaten, and we have to get rid of it. So I'll feed you all nice and good for free, how's that?" She said kindly. The way that she spoke at that particular moment caused her to seem quite a bit older than she was. As if she had truly grown up years ago. And now Mugen spoke.
"Yea, sure, sounds good to me, we'll have three orders of that, four orders of the number five, a gallon or two of sake, and-" Fuu cut him off with a teary eyed speech of appreciation and assurance that we were forever in her debt and such and such. I'm not sure but I think she hugged her.
"No, that's alright, really. We've got some really good stuff this week, so how about I just bring you whatever's almost done, ok?" By this time, the girl had a decent blush going, and practically tripped over a weeping Fuu as she tried to return to the kitchen.
"Boy, sometimes I can hardly believe it when we run across nice people these days. It seems like someone does something nice for us just as I start to lose faith in the human race." Fuu said, returning to her seat. She had gained an air of composure considerably fast.
"Well I know for damn sure that nobody else in this town is just gonna throw charity at us, so we'd better find a friggin way to make some cash. Unless the two of you wanna be on the streets tonight. Personally I don't give a shit." Mugen quipped from his corner of the table, glum and pouting, chin resting on a fist. He yawned and scratched himself, settling back in his chair with his hands behind his head.
"You know, he's right." Fuu admitted reluctantly. "Maybe we should ask that waitress when she gets back. As if we haven't taken advantage of her kindness enough, jeeze."
"She seemed very young." I mentioned, wondering if anyone else had noticed.
"Well, we don't know that, maybe she's just short." She said.
"No, you're short. She's young. Hell, she's just a kid. Wonder if her parents kicked it and left her with a business to run." Mugen muttered.
"WHAT? I-" Fuu began to shout, but sighed heavily and thought better of it. "I am not that short, and besides, is it even legal for a girl her age to run a restaurant?"
"Perhaps. But it would depend on the circumstances. Or perhaps no one has thought to blow the whistle." I thought out loud. I was really beginning to wonder about that town. There was definitely something sinister in all of it. It was beginning to make my skin crawl.
The young waitress came back after a good ten minutes of silence at our table, and she was absolutely laden with trays of food. We all jumped up to help her, even Mugen, and soon, our mouths were full. Our stomachs as well. As usual, I attempted to eat in a polite fashion, famished though I was, and couldn't help but shake my head at my companions. Mugen just shoveled food straight into his face. The way he ate reminded me of the way he fought. Haphazard and reckless, but in a continuous, smooth motion. A chain that never ended. Food, food in hand, food in mouth, swallow, food, food in hand…
Fuu, on the other hand, ate efficiently, though rapidly, never missing a bite, never dropping a crumb. After a while, I gave in and increased my rate of consumption until all of us had had our fill, even Fuu, and the empty trays were taken to the kitchen for washing. We had learned that her named was Kichi, and that she was actually fourteen. Her parents were killed in an unexplained accident, and she had decided that she would keep the family business going. By then, we had all had a decent amount of sake, and heads were wobbling. Questions were slightly slurred, and laughter too ready. Mugen was a heavier drinker than I, with a stronger tolerance, but it seemed that he'd had more than his fill. I'd had about half a drink to every three that he'd ingested. I was tipsy, but he was running at the mouth. Things he normally didn't talk about. He and I were involved in a discussion on our own just outside the door, but I overheard bits and pieces of what the girls were talking about.
"Wow, that must have taken some courage. I'm sorry about your parents. Mine are dead too. Well, my mother is, anyway. Hey…we were wondering, do you know where we can get some temporary work in this town? We need to make at least enough for a room somewhere, and maybe enough for a few meals in the next town." Fuu asked her. I waited for Kichi's answer, but Mugen wasn't having any of it.
"Hey, four-eyes, are you even listening to me? I'm talkin to ya. Don't know why, but I am…" He took another healthy gulp straight from the pitcher.
"I'm sorry. I was eavesdropping on the girls. Fuu just asked about finding some damn work in this skittish town." I answered a little more harsh than usual.
"Woah, wait a minute. Did the almighty Jin just swear? Didja? Coulda sworn ya didn't do stuff like that. Maybe I was mistaken…eh?" He looked at me hard with the one eye that he kept open.
"I despise cowards and cowardly behavior alike. This whole town is made up of nothing but cowards. I can taste it. And besides, I believe I have had too much to drink. It usually brings out the worst in me." I said quietly as I stood, "Perhaps I should go inside now."
"Wait. Tell me somethin." He requested quietly.
"What is it?" I asked with my back still to him.
"Whydja kill your master? It doesn't seem ta suit ya." His tone was serious. Perhaps Mugen became a different person when drinking. Perhaps not. I still have no explanation for this sudden interest in my past, but I brushed him off with an easy answer.
"He left me no choice. Come, let us find out if there's to be any work for us tomorrow." And with that I disappeared into the building, leaving him in the darkness.
"Jin! Guess what? Kichi just filled me in on the way things work here. We'll have a job in no time!" She was elated, and flushed in the face. She giggled, reaching for the sake jug. I got to it before she did, pulling it out of her reach, and after an extremely delayed swipe of her hand, she gave up, slumping happily to the floor. I looked at Kichi and thanked her profusely for the dinner and drink. I asked her to tell me what she had told Fuu, but she told me that she'd fill me in the next morning. I asked her if she knew of any where we might be able to sleep, but she just laughed.
"Come on, I've got a room in the back. You can all stay here tonight. Grab Fuu and tell Mugen. I think he's still out there. I think he might be retching."
"Perhaps. I'll go see." I investigated, and he was indeed retching. "Mugen, Kichi has given us a place to stay for the night, and apparently work for tomorrow."
"Yea, yea, I'm comin already." He sneered in his usual fashion as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked up at me from the ground and his eyes were feirce. He was angry and dangerous. He was also drunk. I looked away quickly.
"Alright." I turned and went back inside. I threw Fuu over my shoulder and followed Kichi into the back of the building, Mugen trailing not far behind.
"Here, this was my room, but now it's a guest room I suppose. I've been sleeping in my parent's room for months anyway. It's all your's." She walked off to her own room. "Goodnight fellas."
"We are in your debt, thank you." It was difficult for me to bow with Fuu over my shoulder, but I managed.
"Yea, thanks. Much appreciated." Mugen tipped an imaginary hat and entered our room.
Looked like this was to be a long night. I set Fuu down on a bed, and began to remove my outer clothing and swords. My glasses came off last. I was nearly asleep when Mugen began to growl in his sleep like a dog who's had something too rich to eat. I ignored it, but soon it turned into a flailing and screaming that one simply couldn't brush off.
Somehow, Fuu slept through it, though he was right next to her. I rose, and crossed the room to wake him. When I did, I took him by the shoulders and shook. His eyes flew open in a rage and his fist nearly broke my nose. I managed to dodge the worst of the blow, but his knuckle still clipped my cheek bone. Neither of us knew what to do. It was too awkward a situation, so I stood and returned to my bed while he turned on his mat angrily, scowling at my back.
Once again, I was almost asleep when he spoke.
"Sorry 'bout your face. I was…havin a bad dream. Ya can't sneak up on a guy havin a bad dream ya know. But thanks. I wanted to wake up pretty bad anyway."
"Good night Mugen."
"'Night."
