Jin recognized it for what it was when he heard it, that fateful ‘snap
Jin recognized it for what it was when he heard it, that
fateful ‘snap.’ He knew it had to
happen; had actually anticipated it.
Much like a Noh performer who understands his soul will become prisoner
to the art when he puts on the mask.
He’d known it was going to happen, had watched the precursor
to it in slow motion. It was just as
he’d always imagined his death, his life flashing before his eyes just before
the blade severs the nerves in his neck.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t his death he’d watched in such excruciating
detail. He’d live through this pain, he
always did.
Before he could dwell much longer on that sound, the
swordsman rushed him again. Yukimaru
was out for Jin’s head and unfortunately, Jin had suddenly ceased to care. It was the noise that now had his focus,
like the sound of a bow-string breaking as the archer most desperately needs
the arrow to fly. Watching dispassionately
as he instinctively avoided the blade, he decided that Yukimaru no more
deserved to die than his dreams.
Stopping on the edge of the cliff, white foam churning below
him, he waited for his adversary to catch him.
After a brief discussion, which sounded like the garbled noise of a busy
market, Jin did the only thing left to him.
He let go.
As the rock wall passed in mobius increments, his mind
raced. The first time he saw her
smile. That instant when he realized
that his heart had yet again fallen for an impossible girl. He wasn’t sure exactly when it happened, but
he realized it the night Mugen died.
The next morning, he’d made a decision. He’d do whatever it took to get even with
Mugen’s murderer, because that bastard had broken the heart of the woman he
loved. At the time it had caused him to
pause, that instantaneous knowledge that he’d just thought those words. However, upon further examination, he
decided it felt right. Even after
learning he’d been tricked into a false murder, he still felt justice for
visiting death upon the man who had hurt her.
As the roar of the rapids below him grew, he thought back
over the last few months. He’d been in
love before. Shino had been easy to
love. With her already broken heart and
married status, she’d been no threat to him.
However, this woman was different.
She’d snuck in quietly while he wasn’t looking. He chuckled to himself, trying to figure out
how she’d been either sneaky or quiet, they weren’t her forte.
Hitting the water from that height didn’t hurt nearly as bad
as hearing her scream just a few short breaths ago. He’d known exactly what it meant, the death of yet another
dream. As the scream had changed, he’d
realized it was the result of her falling a great distance. The only place around here that would elicit
such a reverb would have been the ravine above the river he currently occupied.
Fuu couldn’t swim, had confessed that to him weeks ago. Most women couldn’t. One night, after the barrel heist, she’d
admitted she was more afraid of drowning than of being sold into slavery. After that night, Jin had always been
careful to protect her from deep water while shielding her secret fear from the
other person in their entourage.
Breaking the surface, panting for breath and water streaming
into his mouth, Jin started for shore.
He had to live, at least long enough to tell Mugen of Fuu’s demise. The same Mugen who supposedly died weeks
ago. The Mugen that held the one object
that had allowed Jin to fall hopelessly in love with Fuu, her heart.
Once that task was over, he had no more reason to draw
breath. Pulling his swords out of their
sheaths to dry, he smiled. If he
couldn’t have who he wanted, than he could give Mugen what he wanted. A man who lived by the sword shouldn’t die
of a broken heart. Resolve
strengthening him, he headed in the direction that he’d last seen the Rooster.
