The chirping of the birds above him woke the young man sleeping against the trunk of the tree. He yawned and stretched, luxuriating in a nice peaceful moment before the day started.
What an odd dream he had... something about a... magic ball of some kind and a lot of things he wasn't sure he wanted to think about. He shuddered slightly, clutching his stomach - it was probably the sushi and fried-banana-and-chile burritos.
He looked up at the birds and squinted. The world looked kinda blurry today, as if... Ah, of course.
The boy fumbled around for a moment in a pocket before taking out a pair of glasses and putting them on, and the world came back into focus. Much better.
For a moment, he had the momentary impulse to just take off - forget work, forget Saotome and his harem, and forget Shampoo. Just go somewhere else, start a new life.
It wasn't as if life in the village was any great prize, to be honest. While men weren't technically slaves, they were definitely second-class citizens... and there were other, more ominous things. Any man who got too strong, or who displayed too much pride had an 'accident' of some kind. Almost never fatal, but bones might be broken in sparring, or a tree might fall, or any of a number of things... and things never quite healed right, leaving the man (or boy) in question weakened, unable to fight, or suffering head-troubles.
The problem was that once one was in (either by birth or by trap) one stayed until one died. Very few got even the chance to leave the village, and those few were watched closely to make sure they came back. He knew he had only been allowed to leave because he was useful to the old ghoul's purpose - to ensnare Saotome - and she doubted he would ever leave Shampoo. She considered him a challenge (especially in regards to Shampoo), but not a threat, to her 'son-in-law', and thus he was allowed to stay here, in Nerima.
So why didn't he take off? Eventually Saotome would be caught, and then they would all go back to the village. After a couple of weeks, he had little doubt that Saotome, too, would have an accident - perhaps several, maybe even involving limited amnesia - and would soon become accustomed to his new life. Meanwhile, Mousse himself would doubtlessly find himself married off soon - his mother had been talking about marriage right before he left - and if he did not please his future wife, he too would suffer the same fate.
He knew all this, yet he could bear to leave - not just yet. He sighed and smiled sadly. He said that to himself every morning he was here. He knew that his time in Japan was limited, but...
Mousse flipped himself upright and started his morning exercises. He knew he didn't quite have the courage to defy the village, but he hoped that soon - maybe today, maybe tomorrow - he would be strong enough, brave enough, to flee.
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(Posted Thu, 17 Jul 2003 07:01)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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