Fathers and Sons

The streetlamps were fading in and out as the wind whipped past. Their amber hues barely making a difference on the dismal avenue as the bums and whores walked past. Trash can fires heating small alleys as the last bits of edible food were salvaged from the garbage and fought over. Even a clerical collar could not protect a man in this quarter, the bordello girls calling and flaunting their bodies at him, pouting as he only waved them off in disinterest. Jin was not the type to give in to temptation; at least he liked to think so.

At the corner of Perdition and 17th he stood facing the window of the Brass Horse. One of the many bars in town that had gone sour with the city's own sordid manner and served as a breeding ground for illegalities and local hot spot for miscreants. Stepping past the chipping wood frame and into the dim lighting, he walked past the mumbling regulars and jaded waitresses to a corner where a man with short gray hair and jasper eyes sat calmly sipping his whiskey. His face shaven, but showing hints of stubble once handsome now merely aging at the tender age of sixty-two. Muscles struggling to keep fit beneath leathery skin, in his heyday he was a strong limber man.

Pulling out a chair at his table, Jin sat and took of his glasses rubbing away the marks on the lenses a smile, though slight snuck onto his lips. "Evening Julian."

"You're late." Came the gruff response as the man looked up at him. "Did you forget? Chicken out maybe?"

"I'm here aren't I, that's what you asked and I did agree."

"Like you couldn't. Drink?"

"No Julian not tonight."

He leaned back in his chair a gloved hand waving for another shot. "Just some for sipping not for drunken debauchery."

"I'm not in the mood Julian." Jin insisted placing his glasses back on his nose. "Did you come here to drink and bond with me or is there something I need to know?"

Handing the woman with the serving tray money as he took his drink he sighed. "Jin you have aged for a young man. I swear you could pass for older than me sometimes."

"Except for the gray hair and wrinkles."

"Insolent."

"Elderly."

Julian paused smiling at the quip. Jin had always been like a son to him. Ever since Dorian's demise he'd been the closest thing to a father the boy ever had. Furrowing his brow as he shot down the drink he forced out a name. "Lemier."

"What?"

"He's out again. Something planned, all I know is he's mobilizing a lot of people and doing it carefully. Coming in right under the radar. I thought it wouldn't be an issue, but it appears time's been much kinder to him than I." He called for another couple whiskeys setting one in front of Jin.

"Demon?"

"Perhaps, either that or he's got the fountain of youth hidden in his basement."

"I suppose I'm to take care of this?"

"You have to Jin." Julian said cracking his neck and glancing at the door. "I'm risking a lot just contacting you again you know. Don't make this last ditch effort in vain."

"Julian, I'm not my father." Jin said eyeing the whisky with contempt. "As long as there are others…"

"There are none."

Jin stirred following Julian's eyes as he swept them over the room again. "What do you mean, Father Alaster, Father Will, Father Marco…"

"Gone." Julian said a bit more forceful than intended. "Forgive my curtness, but there is only you and I in this game. The rest are gone. Killed like nothing I've ever seen. Pinned to walls and eviscerated with their own swords. Their crosses, rosaries, bibles burned to ash and painted on their flesh. Jin," He leaned forward grasping the young priest's hands. "There is only you. I am far too old to keep fighting."

His brow lowered Jin felt eyes upon them watching. Julian seemed more nervous than usual his downed glasses of ferment lined up five to count. He never drank like that, and the untouched glass between them somehow found itself wrapped in Jin's fingers as the burning liquid seared down his throat. "We need to go." Jin choked.

"You, they'll suspect if we both go."

"You'll be in touch?"

"As long as I can."

At the door Jin looked back as Julian nodded for him to go. His brusque voice called for another shot while the underlying tones said, 'get the hell out you young punk.' Abiding his elder's warning Jin left a smooth pace as he headed back to his home. Saying his prayers as he left he only hoped that Julian would contact him again.

"Where is he?" Fuu paced the floor talking to the still passed out Mugen. He offered no reply as he had for the past day. She prayed nightly for him to wake, she had to return to work tomorrow evening. She feared leaving him with Jin would only result in him leaving. "Better yet when are you waking up?"

Muttering something incoherent Mugen shifted on the couch and jabbed his fisted hand into the pillow. He's been doing nothing but thrashing about since that day he tried to go. Concerned, Fuu had been giving him water whenever it looked as though he were more awake. Although he only spoke in riddles and his eyes didn't distinguish anyone. He seemed to be speaking to dreams or hallucinations and not to her or Jin. Now was one of those times. Mumbling words and phrases he opened his eyes from time to time looking past her to something else.

Kneeling beside him she soothed his brow with her hands, "Please Mugen. You gotta wake up." Her soft voice ignored as his glassy look drifted and his eyelids shut. "Stubborn." She cast her eyes over to his jacket on the floor. They'd placed whatever was in his pockets in a pile atop it. The thing that caught her attention was the wallet. "Well," She said picking up the tri-folded leather. "If you can't talk to me I'll find out about you on my own."

Fuu opened the wallet seeing the usual ID card. Turning it to read properly she smiled. "Mugen Raffaello Fanelli. Italian just as I thought." She flipped through the panels finding various worn slips of paper with numbers and addresses, some of them with lipstick prints and a first name. "Figures." She said looking in the money flap. "Empty. Probably spent it all on drugs and whores." She smiled resting on her knees. "What's a handsome guy like you need to buy women for? Weird-o. Hmm? What's this?" Her slim fingers pulled a tattered picture from the lining. A small boy sat on a stoop with a woman and a man. The woman was smiling sweetly her honey blonde hair hanging loosely just past her shoulders. The man wasn't looking at the camera. Instead, he was taking a drink of his beer and gazing off to the side. What caught her eye most was the striking resemblance between the boy the man and the sleeping Mugen on the couch. "I wonder…" She whispered as she glanced at Mugen again. "His father."

A hand suddenly ripped the wallet away from her making her jump with fright. Standing before her was the "passed out" man staring at her as though she'd just killed his brother. Gripping her shirt by the collar he jerked her up. "What the fuck do you think you were doing?" He shook her holding her off the ground so only her tiptoes touched. "Hmm? What huh? Snooping for extra cash?"

"N-n-n-no. I-I was just…" He dropped her watching as she lost her balance landing like a rag doll on the floor.

"Shut up!" He leaned against the wall balancing himself and gritting his teeth in frustration.

"I'm sorry, I was only curious. I wasn't going to take anything." She said standing and backing up. She searched the room while Mugen had his back turned. He seemed to be collecting his thoughts. Silently she cursed Jin for not having any weapons.

"Bull shit." He spat turning. "You come off all righteous and good, but you're just two bit cheat. Some kind of dog and pony show you and that priest."

"No! It's not like that. Jin is…is my friend."

Smirking he staggered toward her. "Friend eh? Tell me Fuu, what kind of friend?"

She backed her way behind a chair trying to keep distance between herself and the obviously disturbed man in front of her. "Best friends. We've known each other for years. Grew up in the same neighborhood."

Mugen lazily tossed the chair aside and lunged pinning Fuu to the wood paneling. "Well then you must be quite accustomed to each other. You know, close. Real close."

The look in his eyes frightened her. She'd seen it a thousand times on men at the club. She couldn't outrun him, but maybe she could outsmart him. After all he was recovering from whatever had poisoned his veins and she was afraid enough to do whatever she had to. "Mugen please not here." She said coyly turning her head as she tried to control her temper. She hoped he'd follow along till she could think of a way to stop him..

He smiled and backed up a bit. "I knew you were a whore. So where do you wanna go then?"

She sighed inwardly. He had taken the bait. "Jin's room. He'll be gone a while and besides there's a bed there." Ducking under his arm she walked to Jin's room turning to look over her shoulder she smiled when Mugen started to follow. "Okay Fuu now just like at Azure. Just get him to play along…then what?" She thought. Leaning in the doorframe she tugged at the bottom of her shirt pulling it up over her head. Shaking her hair loose she beckoned Mugen with her finger and stepped through the door. "I know he's got something in here." She thought as she felt Mugen behind her, his calloused hands running up her arms his lips on her neck. Opening her eyes she caught a glint of metal, in the corner of the dark closet. "Oh, please be a knife, a sword a base ball bat anything." She thought. Turning to face Mugen she backed up to the wall by the closet pulling him with her. Mustering all the courage she had, she kissed him. Deeply as passionately as though her very life depended on it, since at the time it did. Reaching behind her she fished her hand around while the other held Mugen to her lips her fingers tangling in the messy locks of his hair. Finally her hand wrapped around whatever it was she saw glinting in the dark. Whispering a prayer for forgiveness she swung the object at her assaulter.

Shaking she felt his body fall back a thump heard as he hit the floor. Breathing heavily she looked to her hand shaking as she realized a sword was what she had grabbed. It's polished blade shining in the dim light strange markings adorned the blade as well as a strange script. She suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to drop it. The clang drew her attention to the sheath sitting idly on the floor. Eyes growing wide as she knew she'd hit him with it sans scabbard. The slight trickle of red made her lip quiver as she slunk to his side. Gathering him into her arms she gripped the rosary around her neck and prayed. She'd only wanted to defend herself. "There was no other way."

"Fuu?"

Through her tears she saw Jin standing in the doorway his expression full of concern. She tried to explain through gasps and sobs what exactly had happened. Ever the calm one, Jin pulled his blanket off the bed, covering Fuu's exposed body. Carefully inspecting Mugen he placed him on the mattress.

"It's fine, it's fine." He said trying to keep Fuu calm. "Hardly a scratch. You've only knocked him out."

"Th-th-the sword." She sobbed. "Where…why do you have it? What are the words? Why did it hurt?"

He knelt by her holding her close as he smoothed her wild hair. "Shhh. We'll talk in a moment. Go and make yourself some tea and calm down a bit. I need to dress this wound lest it get worse."

She nodded and stood. Her body still shaking as she walked she pulled the blanket tighter. Outside of the room she looked back watching Jin as he cleaned the cut. Biting her lip she held back her tears as she breathed deeply. It wasn't till after she went to the kitchen that she noticed the burn on her hand and the taste on her lips.