"'That? You want that?'
She continues to point, blinking at me with close-set eyes. Her features are concave, her face a wide platter fringed with red hair. She's the most outrageous and beautiful thing I've ever seen.
"Here," I say, handing her the orange. 'You can have it.'
She takes it and sets it on the floor. Then she reaches out again. After several seconds of serious misgivings, I hold out my hand. She wraps her long fingers around it, then lets go. She sits on her haunches and peels her orange.
I stare in amazement. She was thanking me."
- Sara Gruen, "Water for Elephants"
The carriage trundled along in silence. Fuu tilted her head down, staring sadly at the space between her feet. They hit a particularly rough snag and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mugen twitch.
She snuck a glance at him; his eyes closed, squinting gently against the sunlight that flashed like slats through the bamboo walls. She could've sworn he'd been awake a minute ago. Maybe he'd finally gotten tired from their trip, or maybe he just didn't want to talk about what happened-
-about how they'd left Jin behind.
Fuu stifled a squeaky cry, biting down on her lower lip until it tasted like a tarnished coin. She tried ignoring the fleeting stares of the other passengers- who in the warm, narrowed space of the carriage were no more than arm's length away.
The rain had been cold as they'd travelled, falling down evenly like icy linen sheets as they trudged along the empty road. Not as bad as last night, Fuu had thought. They'd spent the night under a thicket of hollowed-out trees, the cool mud and bramble worsening their chill as she and Mugen crawled underneath a loose shingle of bark. The sky crackled on and the thunder cursed, and somewhere during the middle of the night she had slipped into his arms. She'd stopped shivering immediately, soothed by his warmth- and he let her bury her face in the crook of his neck without as much as a groan. The next morning, they got up as if nothing had happened, and Fuu watched somewhat wistfully as Mugen rinsed his face off in the stream.
"Sleep well?" she asked. He glanced over.
"Tch. Maybe," He scraped a leaf out of his hair and bent down. "If you hadn't been diggin' your clammy little foot into my ass all night!"
Fuu smirked, watching in silence as he kneeled. His shirt was off, drying in the sun as hers had earlier, and she walked up behind him as quietly as she could- slipping her hands around his middle.
"I think you liked it," she teased, feeling Mugen jolt in surprise as she leaned down against his back. "You were even drooling a little."
He said nothing and she smiled, relishing her victory, but she let out a sudden shriek as Mugen grabbed her wrist. He turned her over and spun her around, pulling her even closer to him as her heart missed a beat.
"Fuu…" he said into her ear.
"Y-yes?"
"The next time ya try sumptin' sly like that… ya know what I'm gonna do?"
Fuu sucked in a breath. "What?"
"I'm gonna… THROW YA INTO THE RIVER!" He let out a barking laugh, picking her up easily as he pretended to toss her in. She smashed her hands up against his cheek.
"MUGEN!"
A few hours later, they'd started back on their journey. Another few after that however, and they'd fallen into an uneasy kind of silence; tensions high from either a lack of food or something else...Fuu couldn't quite be sure. They began talking quietly about a shape in the distance, hidden under a wave of cool rain and sun as it came nearer down the road. Fuu saw one horse, then three, and she perked up at the sight with a hard tug at Mugen's sleeve. The rattling carriage appeared before them like some bizarre mirage and they both waited as it slowed, rolling to a stop with a rickety "krrtcha" as the door slid open.
A man with a capped head and a flashing smile appeared from inside, waving at them and telling them eagerly to, "Get on!".
They did so cautiously and Fuu gasped. As she stepped up into the musty cab she was met by three pairs of eyes, each one stranger and more exotic than the last. Her gaze caught the woman's first— bronzed, craggled skin like the bark of an old oak tree, watching them sharply beneath a hooded robe. Her milky eyes lingered on for just a moment too long, and Fuu switched her gaze back to the man who'd welcomed them. His clothes were unusual to say the least, made with a thick black fabric that clung to his frame. Though he looked strange and foreign, Fuu was much more preoccupied with the creature in his lap, who was fidgeting in his arms to get a closer look.
The driver; a stocky, rust-skinned man, slid the door shut behind them, locking them all in slated shadows. Fuu looked unsurely over at Mugen, who ignored her, silently positioning himself into the seat by the window.
Fuu harrumphed, sliding down next to the man. His eyes followed her movements beneath a soft, rounded hat, and Fuu allowed herself to peer at the creature in his arms. Its long limbs were akimbo, flailing gently as it pushed itself off the man's chest. It blinked slowly at her inquisitive stare.
"His name's Bobo," the man said, startling her. He had a smooth, lilting accent- reminding her of something she'd once heard by the docks. "Don't you worry. He will not hurt you."
"Er-" said Fuu, shooting Mugen another glance. He was watching them beneath lowered eyes. "What is it?"
"Why 'e is a chimpanzee, of course!" The man chuckled, looking down at the creature as it patted his head. Fuu sucked in a breath. "And a delightful one also. I am bringing him back to his home in Senkaku. He is part of an act there, and I am sure everyone else misses him."
The man smiled at her, a crinkly thing that caused his tanned skin to roll up beneath his eyes- but before Fuu could say anything else he'd pulled out a tiny glass bottle, sliding it near Bobo's mouth, who accepted it gratefully. He grasped it into his large, furry hands- carefully suckling the milk as he closed his eyes in content. Fuu watched them in silence until she caught the woman's eyes, and she focused down at the floor instead.
Minutes trickled into an hour, and the rain faded to sun. The carriage warmed considerably and Fuu looked over at Mugen's sleeping form, silently willing him to wake, to look at her, to bestow her some sort of comfort at the absence of their closest friend- but he was still. She breathed a sigh that no one else heard, staring down at her feet as fresh tears sprang to her eyes. In the flashing shadows of the carriage, she felt a crushing kind of loneliness that she thought she'd long ago buried.
Suddenly, a warm wave of fingers brushed like feathers against her jaw, leaving a trail of gooseflesh where they made contact. They cupped her face and turned it away, moving Fuu's gaze from the floor and into a pair of warm, yellow eyes. She gasped loudly; lips parting like caverns as the creature stared, watching her eyes as they misted over with dew. He reached gently into the man's pocket, who had also dozed, pulling from its fabric a small purple flower. He reached out his other arm, fingers still tickling her jaw, and gave it to her.
Fuu had to try her voice twice. She could hardly speak. "Is this…for me?"
Bobo nostrils flared and he gave her a large-toothed grin. It lit up his face like the sun through foliage and he stuck out his arm further, crushing the flower in clumsy leather fingers as he urged her to take it.
"Thank you." Fuu whispered, taking it from his hands. They held onto hers for a moment longer after she took it, and the animal cooed.
Fuu let her tears fall freely then, silent and clear as Bobo suddenly frowned. He furrowed his brow and blinked his wild eyes, but Fuu shook her head.
"Happy." she told the animal slowly, to be sure he understood. Bobo's frown twisted upwards and he patted her head.
"Ah he likes you," the man said. Fuu wondered how long he'd been awake. "He enjoys 'aving his belly rubbed," He lowered his voice and leaned over to her, indicating she do the same, whispering, "We like to encourage him when 'e does something nice. Go on! I will move him over-"
And before Fuu could protest, the large mammal was being transferred over to her lap, his long arms wrapping around her shoulders with startling strength. Fuu welcomed the embrace though and, with an encouraging nod from his owner, placed a cool hand on his belly and began to rub.
She felt the animal immediately relax- heard its warm, round stomach gurgling as she curled her fingers through its fur. Finding great happiness in this, Fuu giggled softly and smiled.
She heard a rustling noise from across, and was surprised to find Mugen watching her intently. She blushed hard at his gaze which was strangely inquisitive, too personal, and she glanced away from her companion only to look right back. His storm-grey eyes were alight with something, something real and strangely soft, and it made her stomach pool with warmth as her smile grew slowly wider.
"Do you wanna hold him, Mugen?"
The vagrant blinked, looking away and muttering something. Fuu asked what it was, but he simply shrugged.
"Oh," She sighed as the animal nuzzled against her neck. His lips were wet and cold. "Well then, I guess we should be getting off soon. We're almost in Edo now, and it looks like the rain's stopped."
Mugen said nothing as he looked out the window, a rounded hole in the wicker that caused the sun to flicker across his eyes. Fuu wished she could've captured him in that moment, soft-edged and casual, as he dangled a hand over his knee.
"Yea but after that," he said. "We still gotta long way to go."
Fuu blinked. "Uhh, whaddyou mean? Edo is where we wanted to go, remember?"
"Nah. I was thinking maybe we could head over to Kitsuki… er somethin'."
"Kitsuki?" Fuu shook her head, still not understanding. "But that's right by where Jin-"
"Tch!" He cut in. "Don't think I'm goin' back cuz'a that bastard! I just changed my mind, that's all." He leaned his arms back behind his head. "Besides, the bitches in Edo are too expensive." He smirked. "Gonna get me a nice, cheap whore!"
Fuu ignored the comment. Instead, she beamed his way as he pretended not to see.
"Thank you, Mugen," She flicked away a stubborn tear as both he and the animal fidgeted. "But-" She frowned. They were so far from there now. "How are we gonna get back?"
The old woman across from them stood up suddenly, causing all three to jump and Mugen to draw his sword like a flash of summer lightning. She ignored him though as he watched with flashing eyes, reaching into her robe and pulling out three crumpled slips of paper. She handed them to Fuu and she hesitated, taking them only after a moment.
"They're tickets to the ferry!" Fuu gasped, unfurling them as the woman nodded. "We could take the river there!"
Mugen looked annoyed. "Listen lady," he groused. "We ain't got no money for this sorta thing, so either hand 'em over or get lost!"
"Mugen!"
The lady chuckled in a way that Fuu almost mistook for a sneeze, but she reached over and grasped Fuu's hand with an encouraging push. Fuu stared in amazement, thanking her. She turned around to Mugen with starry eyes, and Bobo's caretaker smiled.
"Grazie, Cookie." He told the woman. She bowed her head. "Cookie is 'ze former owner of the Sette Meraviglie Circus Show. I am Nicolo." He paused, waiting for a reaction. When there was none, he continued with a furrowed brow. "You 'ave never heard? We were once famous 'ere in Japan- we of course 'ave also been throughout Europe. We started out there as a horse-trick show but, by 'se grace of God, we have become something more!" He looked over at Bobo, who was watching them intently, and laughed.
"Bobo here is out main attraction," he said. "If it not for him, we would not be privileged enough to travel across 'se country!"
As if on cue, Bobo wriggled free from Fuu's arms and slipped onto the floor. He stood upright, while Fuu gasped, and proceeded to flip backward into a graceful, one-armed handstand.
Fuu clapped loudly. Mugen looked unimpressed.
"Tch, whatever. I can do that."
Fuu rolled her eyes but Bobo stood back up, walking over to Mugen and grabbing his hand.
"'Ey! Get offa me, monkey!"
Nicolo chuckled loudly. "It looks like 'e's taken a shine to both of you!" He looked down at Fuu. "So what do we say, bella? Are we taking you back to the river?"
Fuu looked over at Mugen, his hand still resting in the monkey's as he seemed to be fighting some inner turmoil. She met his eyes expectantly.
"Well what the hell are ya waitin' for?" he said. "Let's go, already!"
Fuu jumped up, hugging him tightly as Bobo seemed pleased. Nicolo stuck his head through the cab and ordered the driver to turn, and Fuu looked out the window as the sun poked through.
Maybe there was still time, she thought, maybe there always would be.
Author's Note: Just a random, cutesy one-shot that was inspired by me finishing "Water for Elephants". I picture it taking place sometime after the show, with Fuu a little older, and I purposefully meant for Jin's backstory to be up to the reader :p I didn't spend too much time editing this one (at least not like I usually do!) so any reviews or feedback of any kind is definitely appreciated :#)
For those of you who are still following my other story "Though the Heaven's Fall", I PROMISE you that I'm still working on it! I've just been scatterbrained and trying to get my thoughts (and life) together haha...so please be patient as I hope to have the next chapter up by August :) :)
Thanks as always for reading!
CNS