The Origin Stories of the Shichinintai
Mukotsu: Mother Knows Best
A family a family of three sat around a dinner table ready to eat the delicious meal the mother had prepared for them. With bruises and black eyes, the mother and son sat quietly as the father gulped down his sake. "Can't believe I have to come home from a hard day's work, just to see your ugly faces." He spat at them hatefully.
As he went to take a bite of his food he suddenly began to choke. He grabbed at his throat trying to gasp for air. The boy's eyes widened at the sight of his father's face go from red to blue and his eyes that looked like they could pop out of his skull at any second. The woman held her frightened son close to her chest to comfort him. Sounds of glass breaking pierced the young boy's ears as cups and plates were knocked from the table in consequence of the man's desperate state. All grew quiet. It was over. "Finally, Ichirou, he can't hurt us anymore." The woman said relieved, hugging her son.
That night Ichirou helped his mother hide the body of his father. It would be a lie to say that was the end of the woman's abusive counterparts. Her financial stability (due to an inheritance) left her very well off, and was a fatal attraction to the greedy. However, both her and her son lacked the physical attraction to please any man. Both were very stout, and most would say they had the face of a toad. Over time, her counterfeit lovers would always engage in affairs with other women, and always became abusive. She had a perfect solution to problems such as these.
She had the most unusual garden. Instead of growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs; she grew ingredients to make poisons. She had them all; poisonous herbs, shrubs, flowers, mushrooms, and berries. What was even more unusual was what was underneath the surface of her garden. There lay all her victims buried underneath left to become nothing more than fertilizer. Feeding her garden, to create more victims. She claimed this made her poisons that much more potent.
The mother and son found much contentment in one another. Even though the aging woman for love one day, her son was enough to keep her happy. It took nearly decades for anyone to catch on. You could say the two had gotten overly confident in their ways. Instead of the victims including her abusive lovers; it was now young women that denied Ichirou, and people who had gotten too carried away with making fun of the two's looks.
The woman now in her 80's laid in her bed. She was close to death. Ichirou knelt beside her. At this time, he was into his 60's. He could hear the guards and their horses approaching. "Don't leave me now mother; I am afraid." He pleaded, tears streaming down his face.
"Do not fear my Ichirou; the poison gas that we created is more than enough to take out those guards." She wheezed.
She weakly grabbed his hand. "Ichirou, you have brought me so much happiness in this pitiful world. You never once left my side. Now, go! If you live I can rest in peace." She said with a faint smile, as she let go of his hand.
Ichirou hurriedly grabbed the canister of poison gas they concocted. He rigged up a trap, that way when the guards open the door it would trigger the canister to open. He evaluated from a safe distance in the woods, as the guards beat down the door. Fumes engulfed the house and surrounding area. He watched as the guards screamed in pain. It seemed to burn their skin and eyes, you could almost hear them sizzling. Ichirou watched with interest. "Hm… What a horrible way to die" He said to himself, slightly amused.
After the smog cleared, he reentered his home. Although, he was not sure where he was going. He gathered supplies he would need for his long journey. He gathered canisters of premade poisons, along with spare ingredients to make more. As he was outside picking fresh ingredients he heard people approach from behind him. He spun around quickly to face him, a canister in hand. "More soldiers, eh?" He hissed.
"We've come in search of a skilled poison master." A young man with black braided hair said stepping forward.
"Have you come to kill me?" Ichirou said defensively.
"No, someone with your skill could prove quite useful to us." The young man stated.
Ichirou was shocked this group of five young men wanted him to join them. They had use for an old man like him? He graciously accepted the offer. The leader smirked quite pleased with the outcome. "From now on, you will be called 'Mukotsu', our brother."