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Episode 24: Interstitial Interchange (Part 4)

The next morning, the walk into the bay town of *Kasuga was a somber one. All three had the previous evening’s events in mind and had barely spoken more than a few words and rudimentary phrases to one another when they broke camp in the morning, which primarily consisted of Fuu proclaiming her intense hunger. By the time they had reached town and entered the first restaurant, Jin and Mugen were intent on appeasing their audibly empty stomachs as well.
As they were seated, waiting for the house special to be served, Fuu realized that this would be their last meal together. Her eyes became hot and the familiar lump caught in her throat. She clamped down and willed her emotions to stop surfacing any further. Whatever happened in the next few hours would be the last memories she could create with Jin and Mugen and she was determined to make them pleasant ones, rather than sully them with sadness. More than anything, she just wanted this last day to be as any other day. Then it wouldn’t be remarkable for any reason and just be another meal they shared together in their travels as if they hadn’t yet reached the end.

When the meal finally came, they were surprised to find the main entrée to be unfamiliar to them. Once the waiter explained how the thinly sliced meat was to be cooked and eaten, Fuu decided to lighten the mood by laying down some rules by which to eat this new dish. Of course, Mugen completely ignored her, as she knew he would, and even Jin proceeded to enjoy the food without so much as a pause or adherence to her newly announced eating regulations. She bickered with Mugen, he and Jin resumed their duel on a smaller level over the pot using chopsticks instead of swords, and Fuu was elated.

With at least their stomachs satisfied, they slowly walked towards the ferry that the waiter had advised them to take. And with each step forward, Fuu told herself that she was beginning a journey, not ending one. She would find her father, say all the things she had ever hoped to say, and then begin her life anew—for the first time not carrying an obligation she had owned ever since she could remember. Jin and Mugen would be free to live their lives, go wherever they pleased, without her getting in the way. She knew this was the way it should be; that she needed to be on her own and allow herself to grow up and bloom under this new sun. And as wonderful and ideal as that was, if she didn’t act soon, she could very easily keep her mouth shut and just let Jin and Mugen climb onto the ferry along with her.

“There! There’s a boat!” she said, as they approached the small dock.

Ikitsuki Island was shimmering in the distance, beckoning her like a treasure at long last found.

While the guys had broke camp that morning, Fuu had taken some time to write a short note after she had excused herself briefly to freshen up. Having wrapped the note around a small, smooth pebble found near the riverbed, she slipped the note into her money purse. At the time, she wasn’t quite sure how she was going to execute her little farewell but being certain that the only person getting a ferry ride to Ikitsuki Island that day would be her, she knew what had to be done.

“Oh! I forgot to buy souvenirs!” she cried as she turned to Jin and Mugen, who were following closely behind her.

“What?!” Mugen uttered in disbelief.

“Souvenirs?” asked Jin evenly, his eyes steadily on Fuu.

“Will you two go buy some for me?” she asked as she shoved her money purse into Mugen’s face.

“Now look…” started Mugen.

“Don’t worry, the money’s all in there. Stop complaining and just do me a favor, okay? I’ll take care of the negotiations for our boat fare in the meantime.”

With that, she turned them promptly around and pushed them back towards the town proper, all nonchalance. Mugen went reluctantly, just barely able to shake off the notion of being an errand boy for anybody. Jin went reluctantly, knowing that when they returned, she’d be gone. As much as he wanted to accompany her to the very end, she had tormented herself all night to come to this decision and he would not demean it by protesting now. With his head slightly bowed, he walked slowly and quietly, absentmindedly taking the money purse when Mugen abruptly foisted it over to him. The further Jin walked away, the more he wanted to look back with the smallest hope of seeing her actually standing there arguing with the ferryman for a better fare for all three of them. His rational mind battled for dominance and eventually won. No, if he were to turn around now, he would only see her stepping into the ferry. As he and Mugen were about to round the corner back toward the shops, his rational mind lost its grip for a crucial moment and he stole a sidelong glance back to ferry landing. What he saw made him stop in his tracks and lift his head.

Fuu was watching him and Mugen as they walked away, her hands folded together respectfully. Just with that side glance, his eyes saw too much: her chestnut hair rising and falling with the sea breeze, the slight curve of her sad and pretty smile, her eyes brimming with fondness as well as regret. At that moment, he realized that she had matured much in the short time they had traveled together. For all of her suffering and loneliness before they had met, the struggles and loss she endured during their journey only added to her strength. It culminated in this moment where she could let go…for her and for them. Unlike himself, she had a duty to fulfill and a clear direction to follow and he could not help but admire her determination towards that end. He would, for the second time, have to let a spirited woman cross the waters without him.

**Mugen had already turned the corner but when Jin stopped for a moment and then fully turned his face to her, she focused on him. He knew. Of course he would.

Please, Jin. Please don’t make this harder than it already is, she thought to herself. More than anything, she wished she were back at the riverbank the night before, leaning her weary head on his chest, drawing comfort from him. She could still feel his resonating voice as he spoke while she pressed against him. It is what made her decision concrete; her realization that she relied on Jin and Mugen too much. So much so that she felt impotent in her own life. How could she look at her father in the face and confront him with any confidence when she couldn’t even make the last few miles on her own? Especially as she was able to lean so much on Jin that night, the strength he was sharing so heady, she knew she could become lost in his calm, in him. It was only near the end that she was able to recount the times he had been there for her in his quiet way, whether it was chasing after her when she was troubled or making sure to stop and rest when she was falling behind. Even though he must have wanted to go with that Kohana lady so very badly, he returned to her and kept his promise. But he didn’t have to sacrifice anything for her anymore, she had decided.

When Jin stopped in his tracks and turned his face toward her, Fuu’s expression changed. Her eyes locked with his and they pleaded with him as clear as any words would convey. She was asking him to go on…move on. And for her courage and resolve, he could not deny her. He gave her what little he could now: His lips barely pressed into a small smile, he kept his eyes steadily on hers as he bowed his head slightly. In that one small, almost imperceptible gesture, he showed acceptance as well as his regard for her. With that, he turned to follow Mugen and disappeared behind the row of shops, out of her sight.

Fuu didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until she let out a long exhale. She closed her eyes, unclasped her hands and silently thanked Jin for seeing far enough ahead and Mugen for living in the moment; both freeing her, in their own way, to see her decision all the way through.

Turning around at last to the ferry dock, she was surprised to see a man in plain garb standing there, looking out toward Ikitsuki Island. A small white butterfly entered her field of sight and alighted onto his shoulder, almost as if from a vision. She felt compelled to address the stranger but he turned to her first.

“Is there something the matter?” asked the gentleman.

To Be Continued in Episode 25…

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*Town of Kasuga on Hirado Island and Tachiura on Ikitsuki Island rationalization: This is a total assumption on my part but, going by the series, you are apparently able to see Ikitsuki Island from the ferry point where Fuu sends the boys off to buy her souvenir castella cakes. So, I chose whatever the shortest points were between Ikitsuki and Hirado by just purely eyeballing a map of both islands. The two areas where it seems feasible that both points may be visible to each other are Tachiura on Ikitsuki and Kasuga on Hirado. I know Tachiura existed during the hidden Christian ordeal but not sure about Kasuga. The Ikitsuki-Ohashi Toll Road/Bridge that connects Ikitsuki and Hirado Islands is about 1,312 feet long from end to end (about 0.25 miles). However, about 40% of the Hirado side toll road stands further inland connecting at the highway so am guesstimating the actual distance of the bridge, shore to shore, may be about 787 feet (60% of 1,312 feet) which is about 0.15 miles. Not too long a distance for Jin to haul his smexy (but wounded) self onto another ferry and getting to the island in the time allotted. Seems Kariya took the ferry that returned from dropping Fuu off originally (had two ferrymen). Seemed like Mugen’s ferry was carrying supplies and only had one ferryman so maybe they had to get another one going to replace Mugen’s capsized ferry (thanks a lot, Denkibou) so maybe Jin got on that one. Unnecessary ferry availability analysis but it had always bugged me so, yeah. 

**Re: Mugen – Okay, sorry, I didn’t write anything introspective about/for Mugen, I just left him doing what he did in the series. Though this story is more Fuu/Jin oriented, I still wanted to try and be fair to Mugen also (he deserves as much) but I just couldn’t do it here without interrupting whatever was going on between Jin and Fuu. Sorry, folks. I’ll try to be better about being chickenpoop about him


Episode 25: Interstitial Interchange (Part 5)

“We just need to buy any one of them, right?” asked Mugen as Jin caught up with him inside. Mugen had walked into the cake shop and noticed there were several different types of the same cake from which to choose; it was already giving him a headache. Jin slowed to a halt next to Mugen and eyed the prices. Squatting to look at the bottom row of cakes in the bin, Mugen gave Jin a sidelong glance, noting how long it had taken him to catch up to him inside the shop.
“Yes, but these are rather expensive,” replied Jin after a quick perusal. The proprietor of the shop looked at them from across the counter, wondering if they had any real intention of buying anything. The one in the red shirt looked rather shifty to her. She waited patiently.
“How much is in her purse,” asked Mugen.

As Jin reached into the purse, he felt and counted several coins and then stopped when he came across an oddly shaped object. He pulled it out. “Hn.”

“What’s that?” inquired Mugen, craning his neck up to see what it was that Jin had “Hn’ed” about.

Jin immediately began unfolding the tiny object he knew was a note from Fuu, folded a multitude of times. It would be like her not to let them go without parting words, Jin thought, amusedly. But he was glad of it. This way, they had not truly said goodbye yet; she had not finished talking with them. He was anxious to read her words but he was careful in unfolding the delicate paper, not wanting to rush this last connection with her. He turned and started walking outside as he continued slowly unfolding.

“Hey! Where do ya think you’re goin’?” Mugen looked after Jin for a few moments before following him outside. It was as if he was in a trance the way he walked away looking intently at whatever he had found in the purse. He was unfolding something. A note? Outside of the bakery, Mugen halted next to Jin who was holding a now fully opened letter. He'd had quite enough now with whatever was going on right under his nose. First the quiet conversation last night near the river, then whatever it was that kept Jin behind a few moments ago, and now this. Something was brewing and he didn’t like it. Usually he didn’t care about things as long as it didn’t involve him directly; even then, he didn’t really give a crap. But this one didn’t sit right with him.

Jin was staring at the letter, not saying a word.

“What’s the deal?” asked Mugen, prompting him to either read the letter or hand it over.

“It’s Fuu,” Jin said flatly.

Tell me something I don’t know, thought Mugen. Then Jin started to read…

It would have been too hard to say goodbye, so I’m going by myself…

“Huh?” grunted Mugen, looking at Jin’s face for his reaction. Of all the things, that dumb broad…

Jin continued reading…

I really enjoyed the talk we had around the campfire last night. I thought to myself, “I wish that this could go on forever.” But then I got scared all of a sudden. If something happened and we were split up, then what would I do? Maybe I’d been relying on you guys too much this whole time. Would I be able to make it on my own, once this journey ended and I was on my own? I gave that a lot of thought. And that’s why I’m going by myself. And one last thing…I know you said you’d put off your duel until this journey ended but I don’t want you two to kill each other. The souvenir castella cakes are a farewell gift from me. Please eat these and enjoy them while reconsidering your plan. Bye, I hope we will meet again someday.

As Jin was reading the note aloud, he heard the words as if Fuu were reading it herself and her feather-light voice brushed against his mind and then finally echoed away into nothingness. He closed his eyes, folded the note neatly into fourths and tucked it carefully into his haori. Was their journey really over if she was still making requests of them? Was he against the idea of reconsidering his duel with Mugen for her sake? Was he against the notion of meeting up again? With these questions in mind, he turned around and went back inside the bakery. He could feel Mugen following closely behind him.

“You knew she was gonna do this, didn’t ya?” Mugen snorted as he stopped and leaned against the doorframe of the bakery, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Hn,” said Jin, barely audibly, as he picked out three pieces of the regular flavor castella cake. Three. Just in case.

“Look, I don’t know who you think you’re talking to but that shit don’t fly with me. You think I’m stupid or somethin’?” demanded Mugen.

“No. I don’t think that at all,” replied Jin as he walked by Mugen on his way out, “but don’t get me wrong. I used to.”

Mugen chased after him and, though he walked beside Jin, he made sure to get up in his face as much as he could. Nothing would give him more pleasure right now than to wipe that smug, meditative look off his face.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Poindexter?! And what did I tell ya about turning your back to me, huh?! Don’t go try and change the subject either!”

Watching Mugen and Jin walk down the street was a study in juxtaposition. Jin; all minimal effort, practically gliding down the path with his eyes closed and arms tucked inside his haori. Mugen; bobbing and weaving wildly, every gesture too imposing and close for comfort.

“What was that whole thing about last night, huh?” demanded Mugen, and off of Jin’s slight twitch, “Yeah, I was awake, buddy. I didn’t hear everything but I heard enough. You two decide to chat behind my back some more before you finally decided to come in to the cake shop just now? Have your last inside joke? Why didn’t you try to stop her? You know this is a stupid mistake, right? She shouldn’t go alone. Don’t you think she’s gonna need us to bail her out yet again? Are you going to answer me or am I gonna have to make you?”

“And which question is it that you want me to answer exactly? I’ve lost track.”

“Oh ho, the smart ass is comin’ out to play. All of them. Answer all of them. Or you think I don’t deserve to know?”

“It isn’t that. I don’t want to speak on her behalf.”

“Who the hell asked you to? Speak on your own.”

“She had already made her decision last night. You heard her in her letter. She feels useless and doesn’t want to continue feeling that way. She wants to do something on her own and who am I to stop her? Or you, for that matter.”

“We’re supposed to protect her, right? Or was this whole thing just a joke? Idiot can’t walk down the street without getting snatched or taken advantage of and you think letting her go onto an island on her own to find some guy she doesn’t even know is alive is going to work out all nice and pretty?”

“We have taken her as far as she is willing for us to go. For her young age, she has a remarkable sense of duty and responsibility and, as you know, stubbornness. Whether I was willing or no, do you think this could have turned out any other way? And would you dishonor her wishes now, after all this time?”

“You’re talking to the wrong guy about duty and honor. Means nothing to me.”

“If that were so, you wouldn’t be here berating me for letting her go.”

Mugen couldn’t quite wrap his head around the notion and he didn’t particular want to admit anything like that to himself. “Whatever…”

“I don’t know why I have to convince you as well as Fuu.”

“Convince her of what?!”

“That you care.”

“What?! And what about you, pal? You’re the one who’s always talking about duty and honor. You’re the one she runs behind when things get hairy. You just gonna give her up that easy?”
Jin noted that Mugen didn’t really bother denying it. “I may talk about honor and duty because they are very familiar concepts to me. But Fuu lives it. She understands it. If I had her convictions, nothing would stop me either. I was delayed back at the bakery because I wanted her to know that I understood that. She needed to know that we were okay with it.”

“Do I look okay with it?”

“No.”

“You’re not okay with it either, you know. You’re not fooling anybody.”

“I never said I was. Merely that I understand it.”

“So you care.”

“That is why I let her go.”

"..."

They had reached the dock where they had left Fuu and, as they expected, she was long gone. The only sound was of the water lapping onto the breach and the cry of seagulls mingling in the breeze. Jin opened the wrapped castella cakes as Mugen squatted down next to Jin. He took a slice and offered the bundle to Mugen who also took one. They didn’t say another word; they just slowly partook of Fuu’s farewell gift with solemnity, chewing every bite as many times as they could, lingering on. Looking upon Ikitsuki Island, they began to think about Fuu’s last wish for them. They were lost in that thought as they gave up their companion to the island in hopes that she truly was safe in its isolated bosom.

Jin heard the footsteps.

“Only hope can give rise to the emotion we call despair,” said the stranger.

To Be Continued in Part 6