Chapter Two
"I'm worried I'm crazy," said Mugen. He was lying on his back, hands clasped over his chest, confessing everything. "Ever since Fuu and Jin left, I've been feeling… empty. But I didn't even like them! They annoyed me! They held me down! I keep thinking, over and over, about Fuu's little quest. It seemed so stupid at the time, you know? But now I'm thinking, maybe it wasn't stupid at all. Maybe… maybe I sort of felt like I was a part of something. That's what the whole stupid quest was about, right? Fuu wanting to find her dad? I never knew my family… you know, my mom just sorta ended up with me, and had me at this workhouse and left that same night… all I ever knew was her name… am I crazy?"
"Don't ask me. I'm just a rice paddy worker," said the man Mugen had been talking to. "Sounds like you have some issues with your mom, though."
"I never even thought about her, until stupid Fuu came along with her stupid quest! I never wanted a family! Then, I don't know, I had to hang out with those two losers and now I feel… I don't know. Alone or something. I keep fucking girls but it doesn't help."
"Hmm," said the rice paddy worker. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and took a seat on a crate that was sitting outside the entrance of the storefront. (Mugen was lying across several barrels like a couch, glaring at anyone who came too close. The owner of the store had complained that Mugen was driving away business, but Mugen had refused to leave. Besides, Bill's Squid Emporium never got very much business, anyway. What kind of name was "Bill?")
"Well…" said the rice paddy worker slowly. "Maybe you don't want the girls. Maybe… maybe you want your mom."
"YOU THINK I WANNA SLEEP WITH MY MOM?" shrieked Mugen, jumping up and grabbing his sword. "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU DAMN PERV!"
"No!" cried the rice paddy worker, cringing. "No, no, no! Not at all! I—I meant, maybe the reason you feel lonely is—is because you never knew her. Please don't kill me."
Mugen's shoulders relaxed and his sword fell to his side. "Oh. Sorry." He climbed back onto the barrels, crossed his legs, clasped his hands over his chest, and closed his eyes. "How can I miss someone I never knew, though?"
"I—I don't know," said the rice paddy worker. He was still shaking. "It's just—just that, most people rely a lot of their mothers… and maybe you just need someone to lean against… and now that Fuu and Jin are gone… well… you're all alone."
"But I'm not crazy, right?" pressed Mugen. He turned his head and glared. His eyes were dark, lined with more dark from his pirate days; his hair was a wild mane of tangled, spiked hair. He looked like the devil incarnate.
"No. No, I—I don't think you're crazy at all," said the shaking paddy worker.
"So what should I do? Go find my mom?"
"I didn't say—"
"Yeah! So I can punch her in the face! Just like Fuu! That's a great idea! Thanks!" He jumped off the barrels and sauntered off, leaving the rice paddy worker fixed to the ground like a scared rabbit.
"…and he has metal soles on his shoes," finished Fuu. She had been describing Mugen to everyone she came across, with two different reactions: confusion, and rage. Now in a busy intersection, she was talking with a woman who was sweeping her front walk, and Fuu was surprised to see this woman was neither confused or enraged. Instead, the woman was nodding like she understood, and seemed fairly serene. A little boy kept running in and out of the house, occasionally grabbing her around her leg.
"I saw that guy a day ago," said the woman.
"Really?" exclaimed Fuu, clasping her hands together hopefully and leaning forward. A small breeze blew; the wind chimes hanging from the eaves of the woman's house tingled quietly.
"Yeah. He was in this square right here, asking for information about a girl…"
"Mugen?" repeated Fuu, recoiling and scrunching up her nose. "You mean, he was asking about a prostitute or something, right?"
"Nope, a girl. He said she'd probably be from the south…"
"I'm from the south!"
"…and be wearing bright colors…"
"I'm wearing bright colors!"
"…and have brown hair…"
"I have brown hair!"
"…and that he wanted to punch her in the face."
"He wants to punch me in the face?" cried Fuu, her voice echoing over the square. A flock of birds who'd been napping on the eaves took flight. "Why?"
"Oh, something about abandonment."
"I didn't abandon him!" protested Fuu. "We left when my quest was over, just like he wanted! What a jerk! Maybe I don't want to find him after all."
The woman shrugged. "Well, he seemed to be making his way south, which is that way. And you'll probably find him even if you don't want to, since he's looking for you. So you might as well."
"Hmph," said Fuu. She leaned against the side of the house and sulked until the woman went inside and closed the shoji screen behind her… then she went sprinting down the street in the direction Mugen had gone.
"I thought I told you to leave me alone!" snapped Jin. He had been walking down the street, minding his own business, when Kana popped out of an alleyway. He'd nearly lopped her head off with his sword.
"Where're you going?" she asked.
"That way! Now, please, go away!"
Kana fell into step behind him. Jin stopped walking and bowed his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Don't you know how dangerous it is for a woman to be out at night?" he asked, voice muffled by his hand, which was in front of his face.
"You'll protect me, won't you, big guy?" she purred.
Jin clenched his teeth. He wanted to say no, but that was a lie. He would protect her, because he couldn't help himself. Women in distress always struck a chord with his noble side. "I have no interest in you," he hissed as reasonably as he could.
"Yeah? Why not?" asked Kana. She'd pulled out a knife from her zigzag skirt and was picking dirt out from under her nails.
"For one thing, I saw you pick-pocket about eight people in that bar."
Kana's face fell so dramatically that, even with only the light of the half-moon, Jin saw it. "Really? You saw me rip them off? Shoot. I must be losing my edge."
Jin ground his teeth together. "I have no desire to be acquainted with a thief."
"Really? That's a funny thing for a ronin to say. How do you earn your money, Jin?"
Jin's fists clenched, but he couldn't do anything. She was, after all, a woman. Kana smirked, pleased that she'd got his goat.
Jin began walking again. Kana followed, hands clasped behind her back. "Know what?" she asked, breaking the thick silence. "I actually sorta like you. I don't know what makes you tick, see? Normally I can read people like books. Not that I can read. But if I could, that's how good I read people, see? But you… you're something else!"
Jin rubbed his temples. He wished for Mugen. Mugen would knock this annoying woman out with no qualms at all. Sometimes, it was helpful to have a friend without any morals.
"Going out of town?" pressed Kana, as Jin began stalking down the main road that led into the countryside. "Didn't you come from here?"
"Can't I go whenever I want?" snapped Jin.
"Sure! I guess so. Free country, right? Actually, it isn't. Shogunate bastards, you know." She made a horrible hawking noise and spat on the ground. Jin cringed. "But I guess I can go anywhere, too. Looks like I'm going the same way, huh? Wanna be partners?"
"No."
"Hey, come on. We'd make a great team. We gotta eat, right? I've got the smarts and you've got the swords. 'Team Kana and Jin,' has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
"No." Jin turned off the road and began wading through the grass, hoping that the long, spiky blades would impede her, since she was wearing only her thin little skirt. But she hopped after him like some sort of demon rabbit.
"Going off the beaten path, huh, Jin? I respect that. Yeah, I respect that a lot. I do it too. Actually, I'm just a sweet little country girl, at heart…"
"Yeah, right," grumbled Jin sarcastically, rolling his eyes towards the star-filled sky. "And astrology is just a bunch of nonsense."
"…and I want to punch her in the face," finished Mugen. He was describing what he hoped was his mother to a group of several people in the street. Most looked incredulous.
"If you're from Ryuukuu, how can you be sure she's not still in Ryuukuu?" asked one.
"I dunno, I guess I just assumed she'd be here."
"How do you know she's not dead?" asked another person.
"Well… because… she's probably not."
"How do you know what she looks like?" asked a third person.
"Because… HEY! I'm the one asking the questions here! Have you seen her or haven't you?" demanded Mugen.
"Of course we haven't seen her, you nutjob. We don't get Ryuukuuians up here."
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A NUTJOB?" yelled Mugen. He yanked out his sword. The group scattered, but Mugen went pelting after the offending man. They dashed down several alleyways; the man finally turned, and Mugen, blind with rage, made a sharp turn after him. He smashed into someone and went sprawling on the ground, slightly dazed and still angry.
"What gives!" he shouted, trying to blink away the little burst of red that were exploding in front of his eyes. "What the hell's the matter with you? Doesn't anyone look where they're going anymore?"
"Oww…" replied the person he'd smashed into. That voice sounded very, very familiar…
Mugen's vision cleared, and he recoiled in horror at the person lying on the ground, clothed in a pink kimono. Dizzily, Fuu sat up.
"Fuu?"
"Mugen?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Mugen, unable to keep the disbelief out of his voice.
Fuu blinked and blushed violently. "Looking for you," she mumbled, embarrassed.
Mugen jerked back in disgust. "You were looking for me?" he repeated. "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard! Don't you know how annoying you are! Sheesh! I don't want to have anything else to do with you, girly! Leave me alone! I'm a free man now!"
"Oh, yeah right!" said Fuu, standing up and dusting herself off while Mugen sheathed his sword. "I know you were looking for me too!"
"What? No I wasn't! Did you hit your head or something?"
"Oh, Mugen," sighed Fuu condescendingly. "I know all about it. You were asking people about a girl from the south with brown hair, wearing bright colors."
Mugen blinked, then looked embarrassed. He scuffed the ground with his foot. "I wasn't looking for you," he mumbled.
"Oh, yeah, right," repeated Fuu. "Who were you looking for, then? Huh?"
Mugen looked even more embarrassed. He reached behind his head and scratched the back of his neck. "Uhh… don't laugh, okay?"
"I won't."
"I was looking… well… I was looking for my mom." Mugen braced himself for laughter, but Fuu just stared.
"Your mom? Why?"
"I don't know. Because… you were always talking about how great yours was, sort of… and… well, I guess I never knew mine. So I'm gonna go find her. And punch her in the face!"
"But… but I thought you were looking for me."
"Nope. I meant the south islands, you know, Ryuukuu? And everyone there wears bright colors. And she probably had brown hair like me. My hair is really a mahogonyish color, and yours is more of an auburn…"
Fuu's shoulders sagged. "Oh. So… you didn't miss me?"
"Not really."
"Oh," repeated Fuu. She frowned, then brightened. "Oh! But I think it's great that you're looking for your mom, Mugen! Really, I think it's wonderful! And… and I can help!"
"Aw, I dunno," mumbled Mugen. "Those guys were probably right. She's probably dead in Ryuukuu."
"Naw," said Fuu, grabbing his arm. "If you think she's here, well, she probably is! I mean, you're related, right? Call it son's intuition! You'd know! And I bet she'll be really easy to find, since she's a foreigner and everything! Come on!"
Mugen shifted his weight to his other foot. "I don't need your help."
"That's okay. I want to help."
"I guess… I guess I wouldn't be totally annoyed. But I don't like you or anything."
"That's okay. I don't like you either."
"Then why were you looking for me?"
"So I could hug you."
"Oh. Well, as long as you don't like me."
"Don't worry, I don't."
I think I lost her, thought Jin. He slowly, silently let out his breath, which he'd been holding. He was pressed against the side of a building, after over two days of walking in circles, doubling back, running, hiding, and general ditching. Kana was like a swarm of mosquitoes. Right when Jin though the worst was over, she was back with renewed vigor. He couldn't seem to ditch her. And what's worse, he'd just found out she'd stolen the last bit of money he'd had.
"Hey, big guy!"
Jin cringed and looked up. Kana was lying on the edge of the roof on the building, her head propped up on her hands. She held out a hand filled with coins. "Lose this?" she asked.
Jin swiped back his money. "Give me that! Leave me alone, you horrible woman!"
"Aw, come on, give me a chance! You need the money and I need… the protection."
"Protection from what?" snapped Jin.
"Oh, you know, big mean guys," she said furtively, rolling over and staring at him upside-down. "The world's a dangerous place for a little country girl like me."
"You ripped them off, didn't you?" demanded Jin. "And by the way, you're not a girl, you're old enough to be my mother. And furthermore, I very much doubt you're from the country."
Kana gave him a big, upside-down grin. "See! I knew you were smart!"
"That's it!" cried Jin. He turned on his heel and began sweeping down the street. Kana followed, stalking him from the rooftops.
"Where're you going, Jin?" she asked.
"To find Mugen!" snapped Jin.
"Who's Mugen?"
"He's someone who's so completely and utterly despicable that he'll be able to deal with you!"
"Yeah? Sounds like my kind of guy!" said Kana, rubbing her hands together. She dropped down from the roof and walked past Jin with a little smirk, disappearing down a street, no doubt to prey off of unsuspecting people who had the misfortune of walking by. Jin was glad for his temporary respite from Kana's presence, but he knew she'd be back. So he kept walking in the direction he hoped Mugen was in, aware that his kimono felt much lighter since Kana had walked by.
