"Men like you do not die honorable deaths." A constable said that a few years ago. And then he'd sliced him and his squad to pieces. Mugen preferred to worry about death when it came.
It seemed that day was today.
He dragged his injured body along the heavy sand. The salt water stung the trio of gashes along his cheek. Pale skin and fierce eyes flash before him.
"Go. Save her." Jin and his God damn gentleman-ness. Always had to find a way to look all noble and shit. And as soon as the death-pale samurai returned, as soon as their loud mouthed companion was safe and the bastards who took her were dead, Mugen was gonna settle it. Kill four-eyes real good. Just to prove that bein' a gentleman ain't winnin' a fight.
Except, there are a lot of 'ifs' in between him and his year long feud.
A few feet from the demolished church, he paused.
There were noises, dull thumps and the sharp resonance of moist skin connecting. A cough here. The tiniest of whimpers there. But no screams. And he knew then that she was stronger, a hell of a lot stronger than she looked.
Through the cracks he saw the blood she spit up. He urged his bruised body to move faster, urged his arms to hold his weight better. He stood there in the doorway, sizing up his options and how to get Fuu out of there safely.
It wasn't honor that directed his blade. Just plain friendship and something too close to love for Mugen to accept. But he aimed and he cut and she was free. They didn't come all this way too fail. They haven't failed at anything yet and this can't be any different. She was gonna see that damn Sunflower Samurai and then they were gettin' out of here. It was as simple as that. Except that when he tells her to go, to run, she doesn't want to. Her feet were moving much too slow but then she was gone, off to find her father. All Mugen had to do was buy her the time.
They didn't come here to fail.
But the bastard was pretty good with that damn blade and chain and things weren't looking as good as he'd hoped. Still, the island was small, she must have gained some ground. Even if he didn't make it, even if he loses to this crazy freak show of a family, Jin will be there to take care of her.
The thought angered him. Not because the uptight samurai was gonna get to continue on with Fuu, but because if Mugen died and Jin lived, it'd mean that Jin was stronger, a better fighter and he'd be damned if he let some loser kill him before he killed Jin.
As the blade followed him, he formulated a plan.
Like he said, he didn't come here to fail.