(Author's Note: I'm aware that there are actually two chapter sevens. Cut me some slack; I have dyscalculia and I almost always mess up the numbering. Sorry!)
Chapter 11
Jin's hair disappeared underneath his official shogun helmet once more, and his natural authoritative scowl completed the look. With a hand on Fuu's shoulder, and a hand on Mugen's, he marched the two up a narrow and ricketly wooden staircase, out of their prison and into a narrow but well-lit hall, where officials in foral kimonoes hurried past on clean tatami mats, some dictating letters to assistants as they walked. A few gave Jin strange looks, but Jin calmly locked the prison door behind him and continued to escort Mugen and Fuu out.
"This seem really easy," whispered Fuu nervously.
"Shh! You'll jinx us!" hissed Mugen.
"You don't really believe in jinxes, do you?" asked Fuu. She started to roll her eyes, but it was too late; someone was already calling, "Hey! You!"
Jin turned. "Yes?"
"Where do you think you're taking those two?" demanded another guard, walking up to them. Fuu shook; beside her, Mugen stiffened.
"To be interrogated," said Jin without batting an eyelash. "The third one escaped. As her consorts, they probably know the location of her whereabouts. I'm acting on the orders of the captain."
"What captain is that?" asked the other guard suspiciously. "And where's the other guard? You know it takes two people to escort prisoners to interrogation. What did you say your name was?"
"Er…" began Jin. Without further ado, he and Mugen yanked out their swords and sliced at the man. Jin's sword sank into the base of his neck and shoulder from the right; Mugen's sank into the base of his neck and shoulder from the left. The swords met somewhere in his chest, and the guard only managed to open his mouth and exhale once before his head, neck, and most of his shoulder fell away from his body.
All the unaramed officials in the hall screamed. Their assistants dropped their papers and brushes and began running.
"Let's go!" yelled Jin and Mugen in unison. Fuu didn't need telling twice. The three pelted through the halls, jumping over cowering bureaucrats and slicing through shoji screens. They had just turned left down a corridor and could see a door leading out into a little garden when four guards stepped out in front of them.
All three stopped in their tracks.
"You just never get tired of causing trouble, do you, boy?" asked one of them.
"No," sneered Mugen. "I don't." He leaped for the guards, cutting one across the stomach, spinning, and thrusting his sword through a second one's neck. Fuu squealed at the sound of Mugen's sword meeting another, and buried her face into Jin's chest. Jin patted her back.
Meanwhile, Mugen had just managed to throw one of them through a shoji screen when he froze, the sword of the last man pressed firmly against his throat.
"We have no need for murderers in Japan," he growled, pulling back slightly and preparing to kill Mugen.
Jin yanked off his helmet and threw it. It hit the guard squarely in the head; he let out a confused groan, swayed, and fell to the ground in a heap.
"Ronin have no need for helmets," retorted Jin.
Mugen sheathed his sword. "C'mon," he said dismissively, not bothering to thank Jin.
The three squeezed out the door at the same time and ran across the terrance towards the garden. On patrol, guards everywhere ran after them, some shouting at them to stop, others savin their breath in an attempt to catch up. But they were too late; Mugen, Jin, and Fuu had already cut across a half-dozen flower beds, several neatly raked Zen gardens, and jumped into the moat that was the only thing seperating them from their freedom. They emerged on the other side soaking wet and still running.
Fuu dared to glance back. The building they'd been in, she had to admit, was lovely. It was a castle, with beautiful red and gold eaves and torii gates at all of the entrances.
As soon as they had run a safe distance, they stopped, panting. Mugen kneeled over, hands on his knees, panting. Jin began pulling off his wet, stolen clothes.
"That sure was a pretty castle," Fuu decided to share. "It was too bad we only saw the basement."
"Fuu… did you get hit in the head?" asked Mugen. A long string of drool escaped from his mouth. He spat it on the ground.
"Ew! Mugen!"
"Vulgar!" muttered Jin.
Mugen straightened up and wiped his mouth. He looked critically from Jin to Fuu. "Well," he said, cramming his hands in his pockets. "I guess that sucked, huh?"
"Yes, it did suck, and it was all your fault!" yelled Fuu.
Mugen scratched the back of his neck. "That fucking woman said she was my mother," he said unhappily. Fuu's anger ebbed, replaced with pity for Mugen.
"Oh… Mugen, I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I know you really wanted to find her."
"Aw… whatever, it doesn't matter," said Mugen, looking up at the sky. "I bet that Mom's probably doing some conning too. So I guess I sort of got what I wanted… sort of... I dunno."
"I'm sure she'd be proud of you, Mugen," said Jin. He said it sarcastically, but Mugen looked pleased.
"Yeah. Yeah, I bet so," said Mugen.
"So what do we do now?" wondered Fuu.
"Well, we're not done with my quest, that's what!" said Mugen. "We've still got to find her, don't we?"
"Oh, Mugen…" groaned Jin. "No! Absolutely not, that's simply… it's ridiculous!"
"Hey, shut up, pretty-boy!" snapped Mugen. "You're gonna help me, too! You have to!"
"What possible reason could obligate me to help you?" demanded Jin, wringing out his ponytail.
"Because Fuu's gonna help me, and you won't leave your girlfriend!" cried Mugen victoriously.
Fuu and Jin both blushed. "We're not dating!" they shouted together.
"Yeah, right," said Mugen, rolling his eyes. Cheerfully twirling his sword, he began to saunter down the street. "Come on, love muffins! I haven't got all day! We've got to go find my mom!"
"Aww," said Fuu. She tugged Jin's arm. "You have to admit… it's sort of sweet."
"…SO I CAN PUNCH HER IN THE FACE!" yelled Mugen ahead of them.
THE END
