Mugen

Finally I’m far away from that damn place. Now I can do whatever I want. I’m finally free, free as the wind. No more of those damn idiots always getting in my way. Now where the hell am I gonna get some food.

“Hey you boy,” said a man. I turn an come face to face with a man, who had a sword on his side.

“What do you want,” I say taking a step back.

“Are you alright, you look like your starving,” he said.

“I’m fine, now just leave me alone,” As I turn to walk away he grabs my sword.

“Hey,” I yell.

“This is a nice sword, I take it you know how to wield it,”

“Of course I do,”

“How old are you,” he asked.

“15,”

“Here,” he gave me back my sword and said his name was Jinsai.

“Mugen,” I told him.

“Mugen, infinite” he said. “My guesses are your homeless and judging by your appearance and tattoos I’d say your from the Ryukyu Islands.”

“Yea, so what,”

“You look tired, why don’t you come with me,”

“Your not some kind of police officer are you,”

He laughed. “No, a samurai yes but an officer no, come on,” he said. He started walking away but I didn’t follow. Can I really trust this guy…my gut says yea but who knows, he could be a cop, he could try an take me back to the Ryukyu. “

“Are you going to stand there until you pass out, or come with me” he said not looking back. Oh well, what the hell. I run to catch up with him and we walk down the road.

Jin

“Fuu is your father back yet,” I ask.

“I don’t think so Jin. Why did you need something,”

“No, I’m just waiting on my daishō,”

“Oh yea, you get your new sword today,” said Fuu. Jin nodded.

“Fuu, Jin the foods almost ready,” called Shino.

“Coming,” yelled Fuu. “Come on Jin, lets go see if fathers come back yet,” said Fuu. She pulled my arm and ran out to the front.

“Fuu, Jin,” called Jinsai.

“Father,” said Fuu running to him.

“Hold on little one, first let me give Jin his new sword.” said Jinsai handing me my daisho.

“Arigato Sensei, its perfect,” I said looking at my sword.

“Dad, who’s he,” asked Fuu.

“Oh let me introduce you to my new friend, Mugen this is my daughter Fuu and my pupil Jin,”

He looked at us but said nothing. I too did the same but Fuu spoke out and asked if he was going to stay with us.

“As a matter of fact he is,”

“He is,” I say surprised.

“I am,” said Mugen looking at Jinsai.

“He’s going to be my new novice,” said Jinsai.

“Your what,” said Mugen.

“Novice means student, or somebody who is beginning or learning an activity and has acquired little skill in it,” explained Jinsai.

Fuu

“Come now let us all go inside,” said Father. We all went in and Jin closed the gate and father went on ahead inside the house.

“So, where are you from,” I ask.

“The Ryukyu Islands,” said Mugen.

“Are you an orphan,”

“Yea, so what,”

“How old are you,” I asked.

“15,” he said.

“Your only a year older than me and a year younger than my sister Shino,”

“Your 14, you look younger,”

“No I don’t, I look my age right Jin,”

“Of course Fuu,” said Jin.

“Your just tall for a 15 year old, that’s why I seem so young to you,” I said.

“So how old are you,” he asks Jin.

“16,” replies Jin. Shino comes out and I call for her to come meet Mugen.

“He’s going to be staying with us,” I say.

“Hello,” says Shino.

“Hey,”

“Let me take a look at him,” says mother coming out of the house.

“Mugen this is my mother Shiori,” said Jinsai.

“You’re very filthy,” she says. “He needs a bath, Fuu take him to the washroom,”

“Yes, mother, come on,” I say to Mugen. I take him over to the washroom and get him a wash cloth, soap, and a towel.

“Leave your cloths and I’ll wash them,” I tell him.

“Then what am I suppose to wear,”

“I’ll get you something don’t worry,” I say.

He goes in and slides the door closed.

“Your welcome,” I shout.

“Whatever,” he says. ‘Uh, how rude.’

Mugen

After my bath Fuu gave me a black and gray kimono that belonged to Jin, then she took me inside where everyone was sitting down eating shrimp fried rice.

“Come Mugen sit,” said Jinsai.

I sat next to Fuu, who was all proper, taking small bites and eating delicately. Her sister and Jin were sitting across from us, eating as if food were nothing. Jinsai sat at the end of the table and the old woman was at the other end close to me. She set her pipe next to her bowl, took one bite of her food then continued reading her paper.

“Mugen, I’ve told my mother that I’m going to take you in, but she doesn’t believe you want to be here,” said Jinsai. Fuu looked at me but I said nothing.

“I of course spoke on your behalf and she has agreed to let you stay. You will of course start lessons with Fuu, I’m assuming you don’t know how to read or write.

“What makes you say that,” I said angrily.

“Just by looking at you anyone can tell,” said Shiori.

“Don’t get upset Mugen, its nothing to be ashamed of, lots of people don’t know how to read or write,” said Fuu. “So Mugen, do you wish to stay,” asked Jinsai. Everyone stopped eating and looked at me. I shrugged.

“Since I’m getting fed I’ll stay,” I said.

“Don’t get to comfortable, if you don’t do well in your lessons and you don’t train hard you are out,” said Shiori.

“Lessons are every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we’ll have your training on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays,” said Jinsai.

“And Sundays,” I ask.

“You have the whole day to yourself,” he said.

“Which means today, because tomorrow is Monday,” said Shiori.

Oh great, I just got off that damn island, I get taken to this place and now I have school the very next day. I was thought I’d get a few days to relax before I start any work or anything. God, what did I get myself into.

Fuu

After lunch I took Mugen with me to the lake. “So, why do you call the old woman mother if she’s your grandma,”

“Don’t call her old woman,” I say. “She doesn’t like to be called grandma, it makes her feel old, so she has everyone call her mother,”

“What happened to your mom,” asked Mugen.

“She died three years ago, she was very sick…what about your parents,”

“Never met my father, I don’t even think my mom knew who he was even though she said she did, she was a prostitute,”

“Oh, how do you know she didn’t know who your father was,” I ask.

“Cause every time I asked her about him she’d change her story, there was a time I asked her about him and she said he was Japanese, tall, slim with black eyes and brown hair, then there was this other time when she said he was Korean, with black hair and brown eyes, so I knew she didn’t know,”

“Is she dead,” I ask.

“Last time I checked I heard she moved away to China, I heard cause the owner of the brothel she worked at was mad that he lost his best whore. Even though he got paid a lot for her he knew once the money was gone he’d have nothing,” said Mugen.

“She must have been pretty if she was his best…employee,” I said.

“Yea she was pretty all right, pretty good in bed” said Mugen. We sat down on the grass looking out onto the horizon. Up ahead Jin was sitting down by the water with Shino.

“That Jin guy, is he your cousin or something,”

“No, he’s a family friend, his father and my father were real close, almost like brothers, we took Jin in after he died five years ago. He’s a really good fighter, quiet but not afraid to speak out every now and then, and he likes Shino and of course she likes him to. Don’t tell I told you but she’s saving herself for him,”

“So there together,” he said.

“Yep, and its about time to, they’ve liked each other since forever and now they’re finally together,” I said.

“If she’s a virgin no doubt you are to,” said Mugen.

“Well duh, I’m only fourteen, I’m too young to be doing you know what,”

“Well girls younger than twelve on the island aren’t virgins,”

“Well this isn’t the Ryukyu Island, people here have dignity, so I take it your not a virgin” I said.

“Nope,” he said.

“Number one that’s disgusting, and number two that sin. Your two young”

“So what I should wait till marriage,” he said teasing.

“No, you should do it at a mature age, at least over sixteen and with someone you really like. I bet you did it because everyone else was doing it,”

“Yea so what,” he said.

“You shouldn’t let people influence you to do things, and you shouldn’t care what people think of you,” I said.

“Yea yea,” he said laying down.

“Are you paying attention,”

“yea yea I get it you don’t want me to sleep with just any girl,”

“Especially a girl at the brothel,”

“I got it, I got it,” he said.

“You better, cause if mother ever found out you went to a brothel she’d kick you out. Believe me mother will not have that type of behavior in this house, since your staying with us we are responsible for you and if you do anything bad your tarnishing our reputation, and mother won’t have that, her reputation is everything to her along with us, so you better not do anything stupid.” I said.

“As if I would, I’m not trying to get kicked out of here,”

“Well good, I want you to stay. Since Shino’s always with Jin I have no other friend to hang out with,”

“Friend, I’ve never had a friend before,” said Mugen.

“Well now you do,” I said. He looked at me and I smiled. He smiled to, then we both sat in silence, looking out onto the lake.

Mugen

A friend and a home, that’s two good things in one day, my luck must be changing.

“You’ll get to meet Kitskai tomorrow, he just moved here from Nagasaki, he’s another one of father students. He’s been here for about two weeks now, you’ll like him, he’s really nice and he’s the same age as you. Oh and he has lessons with us and trains on the same days as you.”

“Great,” I said plainly.