Chapter Seven

"We've got to ditch her."

"No, Jin."

"Look at the facts. She's dangerous. She's a thief. She's got probably the entire world out looking for her. They'll think we're accomplices. Mugen's already killed those men, which means they'll send out more, and—"

Fuu clapped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.

The two were sitting on a low stone wall. Close to the horizon, a low full moon was rising. Fuu had been content to watch the fireflies and wait for Mugen and Leiko to return from where ever they'd slipped off to, but Jin was having none of it. He had been doing it all day, even since Leiko had revealed her stolen wealth: cornering Fuu and trying to convince her to talk to Mugen for him. Well, Fuu was sick of it, and she was not going to listen to one more word!

Jin grabbed her wrists and pried her hands away.

"—and the sooner we confront Mugen, the better," he said.

"It's his mom."

"No! She's not!"

"Go away, Jin!" cried Fuu, trying to put her hands back over her ears. Jin wrestled with her, not wanting to hurt her but unable to get a good grip without being forceful. Fuu gave a particularly forceful twist, and before either could untangle themselves, they fell backwards over the wall. Jin landed on top of Fuu.

As quietly as shadows, Mugen and Leiko came loping up the street.

"Oh, gross!" said Mugen gleefully as Jin rolled off Fuu. "Can't you two cool it for two seconds?"

"It wasn't what it looked like!" protested Jin, straightening his kimono. "We—we fell."

"Sure," said Leiko, rolling her eyes. "You fell." She and Mugen slung their arms around each other and cackled.

Jin's eyes narrowed. Mugen and Leiko gestured and were already walking down the street, automatically keeping in the shadows. Fuu followed innocently after them.

Jin cleared his throat loudly. Mugen didn't look back. "Hurry up!" he demanded.

With a sigh, Jin followed.

"So, here's the plan…" began Mugen when he was sure Fuu and Jin were close by. "I sort of caused a mess, killing those guys, and Mom doesn't need me to call attention to us. So we're gonna go on to the next city, and try to keep a low profile…"

"I'm not sure that's possible," said Fuu doubtfully.

"Yeah, well, I mean…" Mugen scratched the back of his neck. "I had to kill them. No one's gonna mess with my mom! But it'd probably be better if we didn't, you know, get cops after her in the first place. Anyways," he added hastily. "You don't have to worry anymore, Mom! Me and Jin'll take good care of you. We're the best bodyguards in Japan!"

"Then how come I keep getting kidnapped?" asked Fuu.

"Shut up."

Jin cleared his throat loudly again. "Mugen, may I talk to you?"

"Sure, go ahead," said Mugen.

"Privately?"

"Since when did you care about privacy?" asked Mugen, hopping over a puddle that shimmered silver in the moonlight. "You and Fuu are like flirting all over the place."

"We are not!"

"She's not protesting," pointed out Leiko with a backward nod towards Fuu.

"Huh?" asked Fuu, distracted by a firefly. "Oh! Yeah. No, we're not like that."

"I'm not convinced," said Leiko with a malicious little smile. She paused to observe a wind chime hanging from some eaves. She poked them; they tinkled quietly.

"Mugen," said Jin gravely. He jerked his head.

"Oh… fine. You're so stupid," griped Mugen. "I'll be right back, okay Mom? Mom?"

"Okay, sweetheart," said Leiko absent-mindedly, untying the silver jangles from the ends of the wind chimes. "Dear, can you help me?" she asked Fuu.

"What? Oh… I don't know…" said Fuu worriedly. "That looks illegal."

"I'm not doing anything wrong," said Leiko. "I'm doing them a favor. It's unlucky to have wind chimes facing the north side of the house. So I'm taking off these little rattly bits. They'll thank me when their fortune suddenly improves."

"But that house is facing west…"

"They're obviously wealthy," continued Leiko. "They hung silver wind chimes out! I bet they won't even notice. I bet they hung them out because they were hoping they'd get stolen, so they could buy even better ones. Now, help me!"

Meekly, Fuu stepped forward and began to help Leiko dissemble the chimes.


Across the street, Jin had bowed his head and was talking in a low voice to Mugen.

"I know you don't want to hear this," began Jin, "but I think someone needs to tell you. That woman—Leiko—" He hesitated.

Mugen looked at him blankly in the moonlight.

"I don't think she's actually your mother," said Jin finally.

"WHAT!" shouted Mugen. His voice echoed in the empty streets.

"Listen! She arrived under very suspicious circumstances, and there are some serious character flaws that I think—"

Mugen grabbed Jin's shoulders and slammed him against the wall of the nearest building.

"Of course she's my mom!"

"I don't trust her," hissed Jin. "She's obviously a con artist!"

"No she's not! Look at her!"

They turned their heads and looked at Leiko. She was standing innocently across the street, while Fuu dismantled the chimes for her. Leiko waved sweetly. Fuu was too distracted to notice.

"I think your girlfriend's the one we need to watch out for," mumbled Mugen darkly.

"She's not my girlfriend, and Leiko's not your mom!"

"She is too! I know my own mom, you stupid son of a—"

"HEY!" barked a third voice. "What're you doing to my chimes!"

Fuu's head snapped up guilty as a man still in his bedclothes came out of the house. Leiko's eyes widened; she gave Fuu a shove that sent her falling to the ground and, quick as a fox, disappeared around the corner. Mugen let go of Jin.

"THIEF!" yelled the man while Fuu scrambled up. Jin and Mugen ran across the street, hauled her up, and went running after Leiko while the shouting man pursued him.

They didn't stop until they had made it to the edge of the town; they crashed down the ditch of a bank and emerged on the other side, muddy, wet, and cold. Leiko, who'd been far ahead and had time to cross the bridge, picked her nails contentedly. When she saw the three, muddy and panting, she began sniggering.

"You three look so funny," she cackled.

"Oh, shut up," mumbled Jin under his breath, trying to wring out his sleeves.

"Did you get the chimes?"

"What?" asked Fuu tearfully. "No! I dropped them."

Leiko scowled and Fuu sniffled. "Why'd you push me down?"

"I pushed you down?" asked Leiko, sounding surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure I didn't mean it. I was just so scared… all those big men after me… besides, you're so young and cute, you could get out of anything! But I'm just a little old woman. I'm not half as beautiful as you…"

"You know what you are?" asked Jin crankily. He was sitting in the grass, stripping off his socks to wring them out. "You're manipulative."

Leiko didn't look ashamed. In fact, she looked flattered.

"Hey!" cried Fuu, who, while drying her kimono, noticed some money had gone. "You took my money, didn't you?"

"Me?" said Leiko. "No! Of course not!"

"You probably just dropped it when you fell," added Mugen.

"I didn't fall! She pushed me!"

"Do you see what I mean now?" Jin asked Fuu. Fuu was silent. She wanted to like Leiko but—well. She couldn't believe Leiko had been willing to sacrifice her like that.

"Hey, Romeo and Juliet!" snapped Mugen. "No one's making you stay! I can protect my own mom just fine, but I'm not leaving her! If you wanna go, just go and leave us the hell alone! I'm sick of you bitching constantly!"

"You tell 'em, son!"

"She's not your mother!" yelled Jin as loudly as he dared.

Leiko's eyes immediately watered up. "Of course I'm his mother! He's my son and I love him!"

"She's using you because she's wanted by every shogunate official in the world, and probably some other people too!"

"You're just jealous!" shouted Mugen. "Jealous cause I have a mom, and your mom is dead, and she was probably a bitch anyway!"

Jin jumped up and pulled his sword. "How dare you!" he shouted furiously.

"At least my mom cares enough about me to be here now! At least my mom's not a whore like yours probably—"

Jin and Mugen tumbled to the ground, squalling and clawing at each other, occasionally locking swords, shouting insults about each other's mothers. Fuu hollered and began to try to pry them apart.

"Leiko, help me!" she cried.

Leiko shrugged. "They'll get tired," she said dismissively.

"They'll kill each other!" shrieked Fuu, jumped back as Mugen's sword almost caught her.

Leiko watched the fight with an amused look "Money on Mugen," she said.

Fuu let out a frustrated growl and grabbed her hair, pulling it because she couldn't pull Mugen and Jin apart. Both were so incensed they'd stopped yelled words and were instead simply making noises; their swords were forgotten and they were strangling each other instead. Finally, Mugen gave Jin a sharp knee in the groin. It gave him just enough time to get off Jin, stand, and kick him;Jin went rolling down the ditch and landed in the muddy water.

"Don't mess with my mom!" yelled Mugen triumphantly.

Jin stood, dripping. "Fine," he murmured. "Fine! I'll go! That's what you want, and that's what I'll do! You can play your fool's game and pretend she's your mother, but she's not, and she'll probably end up stabbing you in the back for a couple of momne! Have a good life, Mugen!"

"I will!" shouted Mugen as Jin turned his back and began climbing up the other side of the bank. Fuu watched him, wringing her hands.

"Jin!" she called. "Please don't go! Jin! Come back! Jin!"

"Let him go. He's a dick, anyway," muttered Mugen, panting.

Leiko sidled up behind Mugen and put her hands on his shoulders soothingly. "You did good, Mugen," she purred. "We don't need him. He was just getting in our way. We'll be better off without him—if you want to follow your boyfriend, you can," she added as Fuu glared at her. "We won't hold it against you. I know how love is." She fingered a lock of Mugen's hair and smirked at Fuu, as she clenched her fists and watched Jin's receding back. "I'd be careful if I were you, though, girly. Ronins make the worst husbands…"