A Gamble of Heart
-(Chapter One Part One: Reunion)-
The sun beat down on my back as I just continued to lay there, splayed out in the middle of the dirt road, defeated by the hungry pains of my stomach. It had been about three days since I had last come across a town or any traveling food merchants. Although even if I did, I would not be able to get anything worth eating considering I had spent the last of my money on a bath in the last place I had gone through. At this rate, I was sure to be getting a check up from a shinigami sometime soon.
Sweat slid down the side of my forehead and slowed to a stop as it reached my cheek. I nuzzled the soft, cold earth with the grounded side of my face and ran my fingers in the soil. It felt a whole lot nicer than the cruel rays emitting from the sky above and since nobody was around for miles, I didn't feel the need to present myself with any manner of grace or, really, anything in terms of "ladylike etiquette".
"If you don't get your ass out of the way, I'm going to step on you," I heard a voice speak but I didn't really care to see who it was so I just stayed in my comfortable position, stomach-side-down against the cool earth, ignoring their demand. "I have metal plates on the bottom of my geta, so I suggest you listen to me, bitch and move." The voice became more familiar with that last phrase. It took a few moments for it to register, but it took even less time for me to jump to my feet after it did.
"Mugen?" I exclaimed; a bit startled since I hadn't seen or heard from him in over three years. He hadn't changed much at all though. The only difference I thought I saw was that he seemed about an inch taller, but besides that, nothing else. Even his aura still held that same feel to it.
"Nice." He said eyeing me up and down once. I followed his line of sight and looked down to see my kimono and half my face covered in dirt. Damnit! I franticly started patting down my kimono to get rid of the dust and rubbed it off my face. Mugen failed at trying to hide a laugh. Once his moment finished, he pushed passed me and began to go on forward. What was with him? We hadn't seen each other for years and finally when we meet up by chance, he just laughs at me and walks away?
"Hey, wait a minute!" I called after him. "We don't see or even hear from each other in over three years and this is all you have to say to me?" My hands clenched into fists at my sides and I could feel my arms almost begin to shake from the muscle tension. I traveled, shared meals, drank, and practically lived with him for the longest time and now he wants to pretend that we're strangers? I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it.
"Oh shut up will yah and quit your bitchin' already. The next town isn't for another mile and a half so hurry up and move your ass or I'll leave you behind." He replied without stopping or turning around to look at me. I immediately released the balled fists and looked up at him. For a moment, I was speechless and felt completely stunned. As I watched the back of his head walk ahead of me, I felt some warm tears well up. Mugen really hadn't changed at all. He was still the same old loud mouthed, rude, and reckless guy I once traveled with.
"I said hurry up already! The babes at the brothel won't wait forever yah know, and I aint' gettin' stuck with some old bag!" He shouted, stopping to whip his head around to face me. Yep, he really is the same old pig-minded asshole that I had come to know.
-(Part Two: The Bet)-
The sky was a darkened shade of a pale pink with red streaked through it and plastered with grey clouds by the time we finally arrived in a small town. About a mile of rice fields lined down the road from which we'd came and the dirt throughout the town wasn't dry like it was a long ways down and In fact, was actually quite dark and mossy. The look in the sky gave me the idea that this place must get a lot of rain in the hot season for it to keep the dirt that moist. At first, I wondered why there was not a lot of vegetation around for so much rain, but then Mugen, in that "kindly" charm he'd always had, informed me that they probably kept the place weeded so that it won't interfere with the rice growth.
For some odd reason, I had worked it into my head that Mugen and I would actually be thinking the same thing when we had arrived: To get a place to sleep, eat, and bathe in for the night. Either it was absence of him for over three years, or I had somehow suffered some sort of memory loss during the time of our separation. Nevertheless, whatever case that made me forget, I was soon reminded, bluntly of course, of the one thing that made Mugen who he was. The one reason why he would ever even bother to go in search of any sort civilization. The one thing that made more sense to him than food and shelter, and that was-
"Brothels! I need a damn brothel!" He screamed to the sky in an utter burst of frustration. A few people from the town surrounding us raised their heads to look our way and I put my head down, facing the ground while hiding my face with my left hand. Honestly, sometimes I wished he'd have a little more self-control and some decency for God's sake. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see two plump women staring at us, one tall, the other a few inches shorter, both with round, disgusted scowling faces directed at Mugen.
"Could you please be a little more civil?" I hissed, trying not to notice the mother to my right hurrying her little boy away into the opposite direction of us. It was embarrassing enough that we were blotched with dirt and were drenched in an odor of sweat from the ruthless summer heat, but directing negative judgments on us by the residence of the town was definitely not going to help us find a place to stay for the night.
"I can't help it; I haven't even seen a brothel or any decent women for about two straight weeks." Mugen grumbled under his breath, sporting a childish pout on his face and crossed his arms with childish posture. I was about to mention the fact that we'd seen plenty of women in this town so far, but then I realized that the only women here were either elderly, overweight, or surrounded by their own children. None of which appealed to Mugen apparently. Then it hit me.
"What are you talking about? You have so seen a woman today!" I protested. "And a delicately matured one at that!" He looked confused for a moment, and then grunted with an Hmph sound.
"Well I sure as hell don't remember seeing any. Unless you've been checkin' em' out and spotted one." He stated confidently. My temper rose but remained under a level of control (for the most part) and I decided the only way to get this through to him was to be terse about it.
"Um, hello!" I yelled, raising my hands up in a what-the-hell sort of position. "God, Mugen, I knew you weren't the most observant one, but sometimes it's just ridiculous!" I shouted. He snorted, then his face suddenly twisted into an annoyed expression and he went up close to mine.
"Women," He said in a low breath that, for some reason, almost made me quiver, yet not in a fearful sort of way. "Who are delicately mature, should have the proof to show for it."
"Sexist pig." I huffed at him, crossing my arms. Now I'm quite well aware my own womanly physique isn't exactly above average, but it isn't as if I have the appearance of a child either. In fact, I actually thought I'd improved in the last few years. I don't know why Mugen seems to have it fixed in his head that you're only counted as a "true women" if you have a large, heavy chest and sex appeal to prove it. Actually, come to think of it, I believed I had plenty of appeal! So what was his problem?
"I'm just being truthful." He said with a shrug and backed away from me, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I consider a woman with a full set of soft, round hooters to be a true picture of maturity." He said, moving his hands up to his chest and holding them as if to show an example. I felt furious. It wasn't that Mugen didn't find me sexually appealing, because honestly I couldn't care less about impressing him of all people; it was just how he explained it that really set me off. I felt determined to prove him wrong.
"You know, you may think that way, but there are plenty of other men around who would whole heartedly disagree with that." I said confidently. And it was true. I'd been hit on before during these past few years and a few I remember to be quite persistent even, so I knew I wasn't unappealing in the least. Mugen didn't seem to agree so much though, as he snorted at this.
"Please, I don't believe for one second that any guy in this entire town would even consider you attractive!" He huffed in such a cocky tone that it almost made me grind my teeth. His confidence pissed me off. A lot. If I had one less ounce of control over myself, I would bet I'd have slugged him straight in the lip by now. However, just as that thought came to mind, another idea popped up as well. I felt my face soften a bit and a smile spread across my mouth once the plan webbed itself together in my head. He could spout his ridiculous ideals all he wanted, but I'll be damned before I let him have the satisfaction of thinking he's in the right. At that moment, I felt like a true genius.
"Well," I began. "Say you're wrong and I do find a man in this town who falls swoon for me, huh? What then?" At first, he looked at me with a look of disbelief. Almost like, he was unsure of whether or not he had heard me right. He blinked and started laughing to himself.
"What in the hell is so funny?" I asked sharply, biting off my vowels, quite offended that he hadn't taken me seriously. In fact, him making a joke out of it made me even more serious about it. "I bet you dinner and a bath that I can bring at least three men to fall for me. By the end of tomorrow, even." Mugen slowed his laugh to a chuckle so that he could respond clearly.
"Actually," He started, beginning to laugh again but quickly suppressing the urge. "I bet," He cleared his throat a bit. "That not even one guy will be foolish enough to crawl after you." He made it quite clear in the tone of his voice that he was serious about his statement and completely doubtless. Asshole.
"Really?" I replied. "Well then let's bet on it, shall we?" I loved making bets. In addition, I loved it even more that I had a chance to throw Mugen's words right back into his pig-mouthed face. "If I can bring you a man who'll admit to finding me being appealing, then you get to pay for my dinner tomorrow night and a long, hot bath to match." I was feeling excited about this all of a sudden. I truly did want that bath since I hadn't gotten the opportunity to take one in so long. That, along with the satisfaction of proving Mugen wrong? It was like killing two birds with one rock-hard stone.
"Alright, you're on," He agreed, and then added. "But, it has to sexual appeal," Pig. "And when I win, you get to do the honors of buying me a full night at the brothel." He sounded so confident it almost seemed sarcastic. However, that only fueled my determination to win this. For the sake of my personal hygiene, and my pride.
"Agreed. Therefore, by sunset tomorrow, if I don't succeed in finding someone, you'll get your winnings. However if I do succeed, then I get dinner and a bath," I wanted to make it clear that a bath was part of my prize. Mugen had been known to cheat. "Deal?" I said and stuck out my hand to make it official. Mugen clasped it and shook it once.
"Deal." He said, spreading his lips into a large, smug grin.
-(Part Three: Winner)-
For the fourth time in the past hour, I swiped my forehead with the hanging sleeve of my kimono. I had been walking around aimlessly through the town since morning and by now; I could swear I had walked past the same teahouse three times. The sun, showing no mercy whatsoever as it relentlessly beat down rays in an otherwise cloudless sky, was not helping me forget the sore pain of my back and shoulders from last night when Mugen and I had to sleep on the hard dirt floor of a farmer's shack that was littered with broken glass. We had to leave early before sunrise to make sure we weren't discovered, or, for that matter, cut to pieces in our sleep.
A headache throbbing in my forehead finally convinced me to stop and rest in the shade of the teahouse. Since this town was not exactly rolling in riches though, you could only stop in and rest if you were a paying customer. I counted the remaining yen I had with me and it added up to be just enough for one cup so I pushed the hanging cloth draping over the entrance aside and felt the temperature lower a bit as I stepped inside, although barely noticeable. Inside there were a few tables along with three men sitting up at a counter. A heavyset pair was arguing, while the other loner sat with his hands folded under his chin with half eaten dango resting on a plate beside his elbow. What a waste.
I kneeled down to one of the tables and a woman at least forty-five came out from the back towards me. At least they had good service, I thought to myself. She had frizzy dark brunette hair tied into a neat bun and a small tray clutched in one hand against her hip. Beads of sweat lingered around her hairline and you could tell she was tired, but most likely it was from the heat rather than work.
"My apologies, but we've run out of dough for dango." She said in a kind yet tired voice. "But you're welcome to have some tea, although because of the heat that comes around this time of year, we've had to chilled it."
"That's fine," I said. "I actually only have enough for tea anyway and something cold would be nice." She gave me a soft smile and small wrinkles became visible in her cheeks as she bowed then turned around and shuffled back to the back room without another word. When she disappeared around the corner, I reached up, pulled my own hair out of its messy do, and let it fall down my back. Thank God, I thought as I ran my fingers through it once to check for frizz and found it was still straight and silky with, as expected, the exception of my hairline bordering my forehead being slightly damped from sweat. I was also surprised to notice that it now reached a little passed the middle of my back. I suppose I never thought to cut it during those years following my separation from Mugen and Jin.
The woman then appeared in the doorway to the back room, now balancing a cup filled to the rim on the tray. For a moment she reminded me of myself from all those years back when I worked at the old teahouse that now lay in ashes. "Here you are, dear." She said, placing the cup slowly and cautiously in front of me so as not to spill any. "That'll be 700¥." I swiftly put my hair back into its usual do and pulled out the money for her. Just barely enough. She gave another kind smile and turned around towards the back room again, through the doorway and disappearing around the corner once more.
The tea was cold and felt soothing when I sipped the rim of the cup. Once I drank the excess amount enough to hold it without worry of spill, I gripped my hands around the cool exterior of the cup and brought it to my cheek. Until now, with the cold glaze of clay cup pressed against the heat of my face, I hadn't realized just how hot I was. The cup felt nice and refreshing as I moved it to the other side to treat my left cheek as well.
When I finally started sipping the tea, for fear that it might warm up from the heat if I didn't do so soon, the cloth hanging in the entrance was moved aside as a tall man stepped inside. He had a straw hat on so I didn't get a look at his face, but then again, even if he weren't I probably wouldn't have noticed anyway. What caught my attention most were the two katanas swaying on each of his hips. A dark ponytail dangled from the back of his neck as well. Silently, he took a spot at the counter next to the arguing men who had by now quieted down to whispered bickering.
The woman then appeared as if on cue, coming up beside the man, her back to the quarrel. She talked quietly and he nodded, then after delivering that soft smile she was off to the back. However, before she made it there, one of the heavy men stopped her and whispered something gruffly then practically coughed in her face. She just nodded and smiled kindly again with no trace of annoyance or aggravation then vanished through the doorway. I felt a little bad for her, having to be nice to rude and repulsive people such as those two.
I took another drink of my tea and glanced toward the counter again to get a look at the man with the swords. He sat straight with a mannered posture and didn't seem to notice the two gorillas beside him. Actually, he seemed quite attractive with his stoic attitude and would make an excellent trophy for the bet between Mugen and me. And so I gulped down the rest of my tea and began to head for the exit to wait for him outside. However, before I could even stand, the woman returned with a cup of tea and a plate of fresh dango on her tray. She placed the tea in front of the man with swords then headed toward me. She smiled at me as she lowered the plate in front of me onto the table.
I was about to protest that I never ordered any food, but I guess my face said enough because she opened her mouth to speak first. "From the young man over there," she said, pointing toward the counter. "I believe you've struck his fancy, dear."
I looked over to where she was pointing and it was toward the one with swords. My luck has finally turned! I thought. Aloud I asked,"I thought you didn't have anymore dough for these?"
She smiled and replied, "His father owns this teahouse, you see. He asked I use their own dough to make you some, dear." Before I could thank her, she was already on her way back to the doorway. I looked down to the dango sitting neatly on the plate and decided a free meal was never to be passed up, so I picked up the skewer and dug in. When I was swallowing down my last dango, the man in the straw hat stood up, leaving his cup finished and empty on the counter, came over to my table, and took a seat across from me.
At first, I felt a bit nervous and wondered how I was going to ask him about the bet, but that feeling went away as he removed his hat, revealing himself. Jin adjusted his glasses then placed the hat on the table. My mouth opened but nothing came out as I stared at the familiar face sitting before me.
"How have you been, Fuu?" He asked in the voice that was all too familiar to my ears. I regained myself enough to relax slightly and give him a verbal reply instead of just a stare.
"I've been well, what about you, Jin?" It felt unrealistic to be saying his name again after all this time. Of course, sitting at the same table in the same building felt more supernatural than anything else I could think of at that moment. Despite my obvious shock though, he seemed completely at ease. Either that or he was just really good at hiding it.
"Good, although I had become ill a month ago, I'm recovering well." He said.
"Well, I'm glad you're recovering. It's almost strange to think someone like yourself could fall ill in the first place though." I said with a nervous laugh. After a little while of small talk though, my nerves calmed down and it started to feel like the old times again. Although, Jin did seem a little different. Even with the time I hadn't seen or spoke with him, I could tell something had changed, even if only slightly. Something about the way he spoke. Softer? Kinder? I couldn't place it exactly.
"So have you heard anything from, Mugen?" He asked. That's when I suddenly remembered about the bet. The day was not going to last forever, and although meeting Jin was a pleasant surprise, it was not going to win me dinner.
"Actually yes, I crossed paths with him before I came into this town," I said. "And speaking of Mugen, I just remembered I had to do something, so thanks for the dango." He looked a little surprised as I was talking my way into escape, but at the mention of the dango, he looked confused.
"What dango?" He asked. Had he already forgotten about it?
"Well, the dango you bought for me today, of course." I said.
"Fuu, I don't have much money to spend, and besides, this teahouse is out of dango dough." Now I was confused. I could have sworn the waitress told me Jin bought me that plate of dango. Hadn't she? She said the man at the counter whose father owned the tea- oops. Jin's face then perked up with realization.
"Oh, I think you mean the man over there, at the counter." He said, pointing to the gruff, heavy, piggish man sitting at the end of the counter. When I turned my head to see, he waved and gave me a wide, yellow-toothed grin. I grimaced in disgust and Jin chuckled.
"That's not funny." I said, suddenly feeling embarrassed and queasy. Jin didn't wait to finish his little moment of humor to reply.
"Sorry, it's just I guess you haven't changed, even after these past few years." He smiled at me, but I was not smiling back. What did he mean I haven't changed? Of course I had changed! I was much more mature than when he'd first met me! At least I thought so.
"What does that mean? I think I've grown very well, actually." I said, crossing my arms.
"Fuu, your personality doesn't gr-" He must have realized what I meant because his cheeks flushed slightly and he quickly became quiet in sudden embarrassment. I felt my face grow warm as I blushed too; just realizing that he was talking about personality at first. An awkward silence fell over us for a moment that felt entirely too long.
My curiosity got the better of me though, and I found myself blurting out the question that should have stayed in my mouth. "Well, what do you think of ….." I didn't even bother to finish. I was hoping he wasn't going to answer and just let that one drop, but after another fall of silence, he did.
"Well, uhm," He started. "I think…." He seemed to be searching for the correct words, taking a minute to ponder how he was going to answer. When he finished thinking he closed his eyes and seemed to relax a little as he bowed his head only slightly toward me. "I think you've grown into a mature young woman, Fuu." He said smoothly, without any trace of doubt in his tone. For some reason, the lack of hesitation in his voice made my heart kick a little bit. Not pounding, but noticeably faster in pace.
Then a golden idea sparked in my mind. I could not believe I hadn't thought of it before! My excitement leaked into a smile as I said, "Hey Jin, does that mean you find me… attractive?"
At first, he looked a little taken aback, but then he answered, "Well, yes I suppose so." Then he added, "Why do you ask?"
Ignoring the last question, I asked him, "Sexually attractive, even?"
"What are you getting at?" He asked, the red hue in his cheeks beginning to show once more. My smile widened and I pulled on his arm to follow me. He didn't pull back and began to walk along with me, a confused look tacked on his face. He seemed suspicious of me.
Of course, it didn't take long to find Mugen sound asleep on a rock wall that went as high as my knees. Typical. I let go of Jin, went over to Mugen, and leaned over him, looking straight at his face. He looked a little younger and his face was softened as he slept, making him look like an innocent child. It almost made me not want to, but I pinched both his cheeks and tugged them in opposite directions, making his mouth stretch out. Instantly, his eyes flickered open and he lifted one hand over his face to shield the glaring rays of the sun from his eyes.
"Hey, what do you think I am, a fucking toy?" Mugen shouted, swatting away my hands. He let out a long yawn before swinging his legs around to sit up and scratched his head as he stretched. His wake-up process as usual.
"I win." I said simply, trying to hold back a smug smile that was well deserved. Mugen just looked at me for a moment without blinking before he replied.
"What?"
"I. Win." I said again. Mugen continued to just look at me with a dumbfounded stare plastered on his face so I motioned my hand back towards Jin, as if I were presenting a prize. Mugen's eyes followed to where my hand was directing and he and Jin just looked at each other for a moment.
"Jin?" He finally said, although he didn't seem entirely surprised like I had been back at the teahouse.
"Hello, Mugen." Jin replied in the casual way he'd greeted me only a short while ago, as if we'd never left each other. I suddenly felt a little strange; being with the two of them again like this was giving me a strong sense of déjà vu.
"Well, looks like we get to have a re-match after all." Mugen said, tightening the rope that went over his shoulder, holding his ever-present katana to his side.
"Hey, hey!" I said, standing between them defensively. I did not bring my trophy here so that Mugen could kill him the second he saw him. "You are not fighting each other when I've just won us dinner!" Mugen just looked at me oddly. His face revealed then that he'd finally got it.
"He's the one?" He said, pointing to Jin with slight disbelief in his face. I nodded proudly, crossing my arms. I could already feel myself in that warm bath. Mugen just looked from me to Jin and a moment of silence passed over.
"Have you lowered your standards that much?" Mugen finally asked Jin, making me tighten my jaw a bit, trying to keep my temper under a controlled level. Jin just blinked and he seemed entirely confused. He looked to me then back to Mugen and scratched his neck.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, looking back to me for an explanation.
"Well you see, Jin," I began, suddenly regretting that I hadn't explained this to him earlier. "Mugen and I had made a bet yesterday that if I could show him one man from this town that was attracted to me, he would buy me dinner and a bath tonight." Jin didn't seem to look any less confused, so I went on. "And well, you said you were attracted to me, so I brought you." The light finally clicked and Jin opened his mouth to say something, but he had barely even separated his lips before Mugen chimed in.
"The only problem here is that I said it had to be sexual attraction. So actually, you've lost, cheater." He said, crossing his arms. I shot dagger eyes back at Mugen.
"How in the hell am I cheating?" I asked, annoyed that he was really being this much of a sore loser. Cheating? As if I'd need to do something so low.
"Bribing someone is considered cheating, idiot." Mugen said sharply. Did he honestly think I was that desperate? The thought of it made me grit my teeth and the muscles in my arms tensed up as I balled my hands into fists.
"I don't even have anything to bribe him with! Honestly, you're unbelievable, Mugen!" I shouted.
"You got that right!" Mugen yelled back in reply. "No man would be stupid enough to deceive himself into thinking you've got anything worth offering!" I was ready to pull back and punch him straight in the mouth, but I knew better than to try that with someone as experience in fighting as Mugen was, no matter how moronic he is.
Finally I just took in a deep breath and tried to relax. "Well I didn't cheat. That's for certain." Mugen just huffed and I sent another dagger glare his way. "What now?" I asked pointedly. He was acting like a spoiled kid who was refusing to admit he'd lost a game or something and it was not only getting old, but starting to weigh down on my nerves and patience.
"Either way, you still lose because Jin doesn't even find you appealing in the slightest." Mugen said in an annoyingly cocky tone. I was so frustrated I couldn't speak for a moment. I kept opening and closing my mouth but the words kept getting caught in my throat.
"I've already told you tha-"
"And your word doesn't mean anything 'cause all you want is your food and bath." Mugen said, poking a finger a little below my collarbone. There he went again, treating me like some insignificant kid getting scolded. Dealing with Mugen's pig-headed arrogance was one thing, but being looked down on like that was a whole different story.
"That's not for you to decide." Jin said cooly from behind me. My argument with Mugen had made me almost forget he was there. Mugen narrowed his eyes at Jin and crossed his arms over his chest.
"What's not for me to decide?" He asked sternly. Jin took a few steps closer to Mugen and I.
"Whether or not I find Fuu appealing." He said calmly. Leave it to Jin to be completely relaxed in an argumentative situation. I had to admire him for a moment though; being able to keep calm around Mugen's hard-headed attitude was a skill I had yet to achieve.
"There's nothing to decide. She's not appealing and that's that." Mugen spat. I narrowed my glare at him. Was he honestly acting like I wasn't standing right there? Rude little son of a-
"On the contrary actually, she's better looking than most of the women in the brothels." Besides Jin's open admittance to having gone to brothels, it made me happy that unlike Mugen, he placed me above the bordello women, rather than beneath. Of course, Mugen didn't feel the same as he started laughing hysterically after a moment. Jin and I exchanged looks and then we both looked at Mugen holding his stomach. Some people around us stopped to see what was all the noise was about but then continued on once they saw it was just Mugen making a fool of himself. Again.
"Oh that was rich," He said after a few minutes of laughter. "With that face of yours I almost thought you were seri-"
"I was serious." Jin said, cutting him off. I wanted to give him a high-five for that.
"Really," Mugen said, the laughter gone from his voice. "That is the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard." I was about to flame up again, but I was cut off when he continued with, "I'm gonna need some proof." Jin just looked at him for a moment, wondering what he'd meant.
"What?" He finally asked.
"Did I stutter? I said I want proof." Another moment passed by as Jin and Mugen just stared at each other. I myself didn't quite understand what he meant either.
"Proof of what exactly?" I asked him. Mugen turned his head to look at me.
"Proof that he's bein' truthful when he says he somehow thinks you are attractive." He said, then turned his direction back towards Jin. "So how 'bout it? You prove to me that for some unknown reason you think she's somehow appealing, and I'll pay for the dinner."
"And the bath." I knew he'd try to get around that. He shot me a look and I returned it.
"And how am I supposed to go about proving this to you?" Jin asked.
"I dunno, you tell me. You're the one who's misguided mind thinks she's attractive." Mugen replied, backing up and sitting himself down on the stone wall with his arms crossed over his chest once more.
"Alright then, fine." Jin said a little more quietly than usual and pushed his glasses up with his middle finger.
"Mugen, this is ridiculous, he doesn't have to prove anythi-" Jin moved closer to me and stared down directly at my face. I looked up at him, stunned, and felt a jolt run up my spine as his hands took in my waist, pressing me against his chest. Suddenly everything seemed to be moving slowly and in one swift motion, his lips were pressed to mine. I couldn't hear much of anything past the pounding in my ears from the rapid beating of my heart. I almost started to haze back in, but then Jin tightened his hold on me and tilted his head with mine, deepening the kiss, making me lose feeling in my knees. I could feel my legs shaking a little and my hands were clamming. And just like that, as fast as it began it ended all the same. Before I knew it I was just standing there, my face completely scarlet and Mugen and Jin were staring directly at each other.
"Is that enough proof for you?" Jin asked, although it didn't come out as much of question. Mugen's mouth was hanging open a bit and after a moment, he realized it and shut it immediately. His eyes were fixed on Jin, yet they seemed somewhere else in thought. He swallowed then after a long silent moment he shifted his gaze to the ground and shook his head.
"No," He said under his breath then lifted his arms over and behind his head as he turned and started to walk away. "I don't want anymore proof."
A/N: It took a really long time to finish this! Thank you for reading all the way through! Reviews would be greatly appreciated and I must apologize in advance because I feel like it will be a while until chapter two is ready because of school ;3; Forgive me! It will be worked on though as fast as I can so please stay tuned and check back!