Born to Run

Summary: A deal is struck. The Shogunate enlists Mugen and Jin to fight a formidable enemy in exchange for their freedoms and for Fuu's life. Fuugen and some Jino. About a year after the end of series. A dash of the supernatural, a ounce of angst, a sprinkle of political intrigue, a dab of romance and a whole lot of swordfights and blood-soaked drama.

The story is named after Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run.

Let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims
And strap your hands 'cross my engines
Together we could break this trap
- Born To Run

One

One year. One long and uneventful year since they parted ways on that sunny afternoon.

Fuu blew bubbles into the cup of tea she was sipping. Her legs ached from a busy of waitressing and all she wanted was to curl up into a ball and sleep forever. Normally she had the morning shift, but Shu-san had become heavily pregnant and Fuu was forced to fill in until her boss could get a new waitress for nights. It hadn't mattered to her; it wasn't like she had much to do at night either, sad as it was.

One year—300 and something days—yet not one of them had sought to visit her or check up on her. She wondered if they even missed her at all like she missed them.

It was true they didn't know where she was, but if they were able to find a man who didn't want to be found on her threadbare clue of a nonexistent scent, then they could definitely find her.

If they had wanted to.

Fuu shut her eyes and built the picture of the two men in her mind—one reserved and blue and the other wild and red. One lacking expression and the other scowling. They came into her life like a whirlwind of opposites. And burned everything down.

Eventually, she knew she had to come to term with the fact that they probably didn't want to find her. After all, their travels with her left them more than half dead, and who wanted to see the object of all their troubles again so soon?

"Fuu-chan, customer!" her boss shouted at her. Fuu snapped out of her day dream and jumped up her seat to welcome their late night customer.

"Fuu-chan," the customer greeted warmly.

"Akemi-chan!" Fuu exclaimed happily, forgetting her previous fatigue, "Are you done with work already?"

"Yup," Akemi answered brightly, "I'm here to see you!"

Gukuro, Fuu's boss, glared at the two girls disapprovingly, but said nothing to stop Fuu from sitting down across from her friend. The place was empty anyways.

Akemi and Fuu had become friends almost instantly when they met a little under a year ago. Fuu was drawn to Akemi's bright personality and forthrightness. It was a nice change after having sour male companionship for most of the previous year. She had forgotten how sweet and soft and fun the company of other girls was. Akemi was cute and pretty and popular among men with her elegant features and silky black hair. She had reminded Fuu of someone she knew, but Fuu couldn't quite figure out who it was. She had met so many people and seen so many faces in her travels that they all blurred together into a convoluted mess in her mind. Even then, something about Akemi stood out to her.

"Seen your samurai bodyguards lately?" Akemi asked, a little playfully. When Fuu first arrived in town, she could not stop talking about the samurai and the vagrant swordsman who protected her on her journey to find her father. Akemi and the other girls had taken up to teasing Fuu, some playfully and others less playfully, about her tall and mysterious bodyguards.

Fuu pouted. "They probably forgot about me those stupid jerks," she complained, "And only Jin is the samurai. Mugen is…well…Mugen."

Akemi giggles. "Oh yes, the handsome vagrant pirate."

Fuu blushed furiously. "I never said he was handsome!" she said hotly, "Where did you get that idea? Mugen is a perverted piggish jerk. Nothing handsome about that stupid vagrant!"

Akemi laughed. "Oh Fuu-chan, you're so fun to tease," she said, "But I'm sure they haven't forgotten about you. And if you see them again I want to be the first to know."

"Jin maybe," Fuu murmured, "I don't want to subject you to Mugen."

"I want to meet Mugen the most," Akemi said with a dreamy smile, "All handsome pirate vagrant of him."

"Ew Akemi-chan, don't make him out to some romantic hero!" Fuu protested stubbornly, "He's seriously vulgar and gross. You'd hate him."

Fuu wasn't sure why she adamant about disgracing Mugen in her friend's eyes. Mugen was more than just a vagrant pirate—Fuu had seen there was core goodness to him underneath all of those scars and grit of life. She had seen the opposite in other men: culture and manners hiding rotten souls. Mugen was no heroic prince but in Fuu's mind they were overrated anyways. Anyone can be heroic if they had all the princely advantages in the world, but Mugen—Mugen only seemed simple.

Perhaps it was the ironic hand of fate or the puzzling happenstance of chance, because at that moment heavy, clacking footsteps brought a tall, tanned and wild haired man through the teahouse entrance. Fuu heard him first—that heavy footstep she had long memorized—and then his brash irritated voice breaking the silence, asking if the teahouse was still serving food.

Fuu froze for a split second. Her heart beat excitedly as she jumped out of her seat and whipped around. There Mugen was, taking a seat at one of the table with a scowl on his face, looking literally unchanged since she last saw him. She couldn't believe it. A part of her didn't and swore up and down that she was hallucinating. When he spotted her, he looked momentarily surprised, then a sly smile slipped on his face and Fuu just knew he was thinking about mooching off her. She remembered that expression—the Mugen I'm-gonna-steal-your-food-right-outta-yer-mouth expression. If Fuu hadn't been feeling so nostalgic and absolutely thrilled to see her old friend, she would have smacked him.

"Mugen!" she greeted happily, almost scrambling to his table. Her boss seemed surprised at her new acquaintance, and became leery when he saw the tattoo bands on man's arms and legs. Akemi looked suddenly excited.

"That's Mugen?" she asked, "Wow, he is much more handsome then you described!"

Fuu felt a jab of annoyance at Akemi's words, especially when she saw Mugen lap it up smugly.

"Who's your hot little friend, Fuu?" Mugen asked with a lewd, wolfish grin. He looked Akemi up and down; Fuu felt suddenly sick and panicked.

"Mugen!" she snapped at him, "You couldn't even say hello to me before you hit on my friends?!"

"Yo," Mugen offered to her uninterestedly, and then turned his attention to Akemi. "You work here too with flatchest?"

Akemi giggled. "No, I work at a shop down the road."

"Oh yeah, uh, sake and ramen," Mugen ordered, "Bring some dango for this babe right here."

Fuu didn't move. She stared daggers at him, and then felt a sharp pain of betrayal with Akemi happily sat down at Mugen's side. The man bent down and whispered something into her ears that made Akemi laugh and blush.

"Oi, waitress," Mugen barked at her, though with no real malice in his expression. There was a gleeful playfulness in his eyes, as if he was doing everything just to get a rise out Fuu. Unfortunately for both of them, Fuu didn't pick up on anything but anger and humiliation. "You wanna get my order?"

"I know you, Mugen," Fuu told him stubbornly, crossing her arms defiantly, "Not serving you until I know you have money."

Mugen smirked, reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of coins with several ryos clanging inside it.

Fuu frowned. "So who did you steal from this time?"

"Watch your mouth, girly! I worked for that money fair and square."

"Fair and square? You?" Fuu muttered, picking at the coins, wondering if she would find body parts or splatters of blood on them.

"Now I've got money, bring me my food, woman," he ordered with a dismissive wave of his hand. His interest was back on Akemi. Fuu sighed in defeat. All daydreams of her tearful and poignant reunion shattered right before her. She hadn't expect the fuzzy feel good story book moment, but even with Mugen she didn't think that he'd be this much of a giant imbecile.

But it was Akemi who surprised her the most. She seemed to have completely forgotten Fuu and stuck by Mugen's side like she was some sort of leech. Akemi, who had been so kind and friendly to her, now didn't even acknowledge her existence.

At first Fuu fumed with rage. She stomped back to the kitchen and gave the order to the cook and refused to go back out to see her best friend and Mugen canoodling. It wasn't just being ignored that angered her; it was Mugen with another woman, again. Mugen with her friend, no less. How could Akemi do this to her? Not that she had any special claim on Mugen but…

Then the rage settled on self-doubt. Everyone around her seemed happy to forget her and leave her, and Akemi and Mugen wouldn't be the first or the last. Jin had not shown his face at all. She wondered if there was something repellant about her that made people wanted to get far away from and even forget her. Or was she just merely forgettable? A small, unexceptional flatchested mousy nothing?

"Fuu-chan, food is ready."

With a heavy sigh, Fuu took the ramen, dango and sake and set them at their table. Mugen glanced at her at the corner of his eyes, lingering just long enough on her tense expression and her downcast eyes.

"Ain't ya gonna join us?" he asked. Fuu looked at him sharply and glared at him.

"What? And be the weird third wheel?" she asked angrily, "No way."

"Ah, well, it ain't bad seein' you anyways," said Mugen, his tone softening just a bit, or perhaps it was just Fuu's imagination. "Glad you haven't end up dead in a ditch or trapped in a brothel, knowin' your luck."

"What would it matter to you anyways?"

"I didn't almost die to keep you alive so you could kill yourself doin' somethin' stupid, idiot," he told her petulantly, "Plus it'd be real annoyin' to have to bust your ass outta trouble again."

This earned a small smile from Fuu. Mugen smirked, as if claiming it a small victory.

"Fuu-chan," said Akemi, "You sure you don't want to join us? You've been talking about how much you want to see these two again, haven't you? You talked all year about how much you missed them."

"You missed me, huh?"

Fuu snorted and shook her head. "Pffft, no way. What world would I miss a perverted jerk like you?"

Mugen narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Well I didn't miss you one bit either, dumbass."

"Come eat with us Fuu-chan! You two must have so much to talk about!" Akemi offered, smiling innocently. Fuu almost felt bad for hating Akemi for a few seconds in the kitchen.

"Okay, just a while," she said, sitting across from them, "I still have to do work."

But it didn't turn out to be much of a reunion or conversation anyways. When the sake hit Mugen, his sole attention was on suggesting vulgar things to Akemi. Any other time Fuu would have angrily put a stop to Mugen's gross flirting, but something inside her just froze. She was hurt like she never thought she could be.

So awkwardly Fuu excused herself, cleaned their plates and tables and took Mugen's payments. Akemi suggested that she and Mugen find a nice private place to go afterwards. She winked at Fuu and left the restaurant after whispering something into Mugen's ear that made him giggle like a dork. Fuu pursed her lips angrily.

Mugen seemed more than excited to follow her. Fuu took her sweet time to process the bill and give him his change, which irritated a drunk and impatient Mugen. Fuu shoved the money back into his hands after skimming a few coins for herself.

He owes me that much, idiot.

"So where are you meeting her?" she asked offhandedly.

"A private place near the river," he said with dreamy look of a drunkard. Fuu scoffed and turned away from him as he left.

Fuu felt each stab of hurt and jealousy with every one of his unsteady footprints travelling away from her. She didn't even have the strength to scream and screech at Mugen like she used to do.

Where did it go wrong? Was their separation that cold? Did it all not have any meaning for him? Was she just another stranger just passing through his life, not even warranting a proper hello?

The only answers to her question came with angry claims of his stupidity and idiocy and vulgarity and other words she couldn't remember. What did she expect from some low life ruffian like him?

"No way," she growled to herself, "He's not gonna insult me like that and do pervy stuff to my friend! Akemi doesn't know him like I do!"

She had to save Akemi from Mugen, she was sure of it.

So Fuu took off her apron and ran out of the teahouse, despite her boss's protest. She knew the location of their meeting place and she was going to give Mugen a piece of her mind even if it killed her. When Fuu arrived at the small picnic spot near the river, she was surprised to see the lone figure of the pirate looking around in drunken confusion. Akemi was nowhere to be found.

"Mugen?"

He turned and looked at her, grunting in disappointment when he saw it was merely Fuu. "Oh it's you. Where the hell is your friend? I have the right place, don't I?"

Fuu scowled at him. The nerve of him to ask her where their stupid meeting was supposed to be! Why she coulda smacked that stupid face of his! But Fuu wondered as well where Akemi was, as she should have been here already. After all, Akemi did take off first and she knew the area around here like the back of her hand. There was no way she'd get lost.

"Um…I dunno…" she muttered, becoming increasingly worried. What if someone snatched her way in the dark? Akemi was pretty and young and would probably fetch a good price at a brothel.

That was when Fuu saw the flash of metal in the moonlight out of the corner of her eyes. Out of pure instinct, she let out a yelp of warning. Mugen drew his sword and met the incoming blade of a naginata just in time to stop it from swiping his head off.

Both Fuu and Mugen stared at the assailant in shock. It was Akemi who held the other side of the naginata. Her usually cheerful expression was transformed into an intense look full of murderous intent.

"Akemi-chan?!"

"What the fuck are you doing, bitch?" Mugen roared angrily as he shoved the blade of the naginata away. He cartwheeled backwards and placed himself a few feet in front of Fuu, spreading himself out protectively in front of her.

"Isn't it obvious?" Akemi asked coolly, "I'm gonna kill you Mugen, then I'm gonna kill her."

Fuu felt her knees go weak. "B-but, why? Akemi-chan, what's going on?"

"Think, you dumb broad," Mugen growled at her, "She's from the Shogunate. They sent another assassin." Mugen smirked gleefully. "Must be running out of good warriors if they sent someone like you."

"But how could she be an assassin?" Fuu asked weakly, unable to accept the one person she connected to over the year was there to kill her. "You were with me for a whole year! You could have killed me any time!"

"True," Akemi conceded with a nod, "I was sent to finish you, Fuu-chan, but the person I really wanted to kill is him." She pointed the blade of the naginata at him. "I knew eventually I'd find him if I stuck with you long enough—and here you are. After I kill Mugen, I finish my mission to kill you."

"Why'd ya wanna kill me?" Mugen asked, scratching his chin, "Not that I'm innocent or nothin' but…"

"Because one year ago you killed my sister," Akemi replied coldly.

"Your sister?"

Fuu's eyes widened as the realization hit her. Sara! That's why Akemi looked so familiar; she looked like Sara!

"Who's your sister?" Mugen was still clueless.

"It's Sara, Mugen!" Fuu told him furiously. Mugen's entire countenance changed instantly. The air around him became heavier, and the darkness that just floated around him before now intensified with the memory of Sara.

His eyes hardened into a cold and ruthless glare.

"So you're her brat sister," he said darkly, "Guess I won't hafta hold back if you're anythin' like her."

"I didn't know she had a sister," Fuu said quietly, "She told me she had no one."

Akemi glowered at the both of them. "I'm not here to talk about Sara! I'm here to kill her murderer! Prepare to die, Mugen!"

Mugen's grin was mad and wild. "I'm prepared for that every second of my life you crazy bitch."

Akemi lunged at Mugen, and the two exchanged a few blows. Mugen expertly avoided the long reach of her naginata with the practiced ease of an acrobat. Fuu, despite herself, watched in awe. She had forgotten how impressive and even beautiful it was to watch him move.

Mugen flipped over and parried the blow with the metal of his geta, then pushed off the ground, slashing upwards. Akemi avoided it by an inch.

"Hey you ain't too bad," Mugen commented, "But not as good as your sister." Mugen dashed forward, kicking up sand into her face and then slashing at her. She blocked, though too weakly, and fell over from the force of his blow. Mugen kicked the weapon out of her hands and swung the sword down. Akemi rolled out of the way.

Fuu's heart leapt when she realized how close Mugen came to killing Akemi. She was hesitant; even if Akemi was trying to kill her, she had been her friend for so long and kept her company in her loneliest moments. She was also Sara's sister. These weren't things Fuu could forget so quickly.

Mugen rushed at Akemi again, springing up into the air like an excited frog, and brought his blade down towards her. She evaded it again, but not before Mugen grabbed the sleeve of her kimono and pulled her to the ground, pinning her down with one foot. A bloodthirsty grin flashed across his face as he swung his sword down on her for a sure kill.

Fuu couldn't help but cry for him to stop but it was too late—then seemingly out of a nowhere, a gray-clad figure appeared out of the dark and blocked Mugen's sword. There was a loud clang as the blades met signaled the new arrival.

A middle aged samurai held the other end of the defensive katana. He was a tall man of imposing stature, and he loomed over Mugen's wiry build. His small eyes were dark and confident. Mugen withdrew instantly, jumping back to size up the samurai.

"Shunkuro-sama!" Akemi gasped.

The samurai Shunkuro straightened and sheathed his weapon without a glance in the girl's direction.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Mugen demanded.

"Vagrant Mugen?" the samurai asked. His voice was deep and authoritative.

"Who wants to know?"

"I am Mitsuharu Shunkuro."

"And? Am I s'posed to be impressed, baldy?"

If Mistuharu Shunkuro was offended he did not show it. He merely continued in that same monotone voice, "I am a Retainer of the Hotta Clan of the Shimosa Domain. I serve Hotta Masatoshi-dono, an advisor to the Shogun."

From the tone of his voice, the Samurai meant the declaration to strike awe and fear in Mugen and Fuu. While Fuu looked heartily impresses and scared, Mugen frowned and scratched his head.

"And?"

"Mugen!" Fuu hissed, "You're gonna get us killed!"

"You are vagrant Mugen who defeated Sara and Kariya, are you not?" the samurai asked.

"Kariya was four-eye's kill," Mugen said lazily, "And yeah…I killed Sara." His eyes flickered to Akemi, whose face was twisted with anger. "So, you here to kill us then?"

The samurai sighed. "As the daughter of a samurai involved in the Shimabara Rebellion, Kasumi Fuu has been sentenced to death. She is also allowed the honor of jigaki."

"The hell she ain't," Mugen growled.

"And you, vagrant, along with the ronin Jin, have been sentenced to death for reasons too many to list, including protecting Kasumi Fuu."

"Tch." Mugen spat. "Fuck you. Me an' four-eyes killed every one of your men. Don't think I can't take anythin' you bastards throw at me."

The samurai looked amused now. "Yes I know. You took out our top warriors. Even Kariya fell to your swords. Which is why we have repealed the sentences—for now."

"Sir?!" Akemi exclaimed in shock, "But—"

"That is enough from you Akemi," the samurai chastised sharply, "You have failed your mission of killing Kasumi Fuu because of your personal vengeance. The only reason I have not punished you is because Kasumi Fuu is worth more alive than dead."

Mugen frowned suspiciously. "Why's that?"

The samurai returned his attention to the swordsman. "Let me explain from the beginning. Since you and that ronin have taken out our top warriors, we lack the skill and power to complete an order from the Shogun himself. We need certain skills and great abilities for this particular mission, a mission that could decide that fate of this proud country. As such, I believe the two warriors who bested our top agents would be great assets to us."

It took a moment for Mugen to make sense of the Samurai formal speech, and even longer to really process what the grim retainer was trying to say. When he did, Mugen burst out laughing, agonizing both the samurai and Fuu.

"What's so funny?" Fuu asked.

"You yellow bastards have the guts to ask me—a branded criminal—" Mugen held out his two tattooed wrists. "—To work for you and your prissy lords? After you sent all those crazy fuckers to kill me?" He laughed some more, slapping his thigh to emphasize just how amusing he found the whole thing. "Fuck off, you assholes."

"Mugen!" Fuu chastised, fearfully.

"If you complete this mission," the samurai continued, "Your freedom will be given to you."

Mugen stopped laughing, but there was still a ludicrous grin still etched across his narrow face. "You can't give what you ain't got in the first place. You think the hit scares me? I lived my whole life this way. This ain't any different to me."

The samurai remained preternaturally calm in the face of Mugen's ridicule. "Your freedom," he repeated, "And…Kasumi Fuu's life as well."

Mugen became serious instantly. "Say what?"

"My life?" Fuu repeated, stunned.

"The sentence on her life will be lifted forever," the samurai continued, "As part of the deal. She will be given full immunity from the crimes of her father."

The samurai knew from Mugen's intensely still and serious expression that he had finally gotten the swordsman's attention. He smirked, knowing he caught the vagrant hook, line and sinker. And Kasumi Fuu's life was the bait. The man was unpredictable and wild, but in this respect he was as predictable as any man.

"So do you accept?"

Mugen snarled, "Now I gotta, don't I?"

"Mugen!" Fuu cried, "You can't trust them. Besides, I can take care of myself!"

"Shut it you dumbass!" Mugen barked at her, "You can't even walk straight without trippin' and hittin' your head!"

"That's not true you jerk!"

"You think you can fight off the Shogunate by yourself, dumb bitch?!"

"Shut up! I don't want you fighting for me anymore!"

"Well I can walk away right now and have that stupid idiot over there slice you in half!"

"Two days," the samurai's voice boomed over their squabbling, "Come to the Imakumo House in Nagaku, a three hour walk from here. Come or your lives will be forfeit."

Without further ado, the samurai turned and walked away. Akemi followed her master, casting one hateful glance at Mugen that promised more bloodshed when the time is right. At Fuu, however, she looked conflicted, but eventually turned away.

For a long while after the two Shogunate agents left, neither Fuu nor Mugen spoke. A bubble of tension grew between them, growing larger and heavier with every second that passed. Finally, Mugen let out a loud, guttural growl, flailing his arms about angrily, making Fuu jump.

"I'm back in your life for less than an hour an' I'm mixed up in all this shit again!" he shouted into the night, "What are you, cursed?! Didya piss off some stupid bad luck god or somethin'?"

Fuu bowed her head and bit her lips. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, okay!" she shouted at him, "Plus I didn't ask you to help like last time and I'm not going to anymore. If it's so much trouble then just leave! It's my problem, and it doesn't concern you!"

Mugen's face twisted grimly. "If it concerns you," he said, "It fucking concerns me, girly." He seemed suddenly horrified at the words that slipped out of his mouth, but Fuu was too angry to notice him or the significance of those words.

"Yeah right! Don't lie to me you asshole! You couldn't wait to get rid of me! And before, you forgot me the instant Akemi threw herself at you! Don't say stupid stuff like that when you don't mean it!"

"Th-that's not—" he spluttered lividly, "That wasn't—" But he admitted partial defeat with a heavy sigh. "Look, it ain't you. That girl Akemi, that stupid bitch, attackin' me like that and plyin' me with sake. I have a bone to pick with her."

Fuu frowned and shook her head. "You're impossible, Mugen."

Mugen smirked. "So what say you? We take up on that prissy ass samurai and work for the Shogun?"

"If you don't…" Fuu said quietly, "Then they'll kill me for sure this time."

Mugen closed his eyes and agreed silently.

"But I can't ask you to do that Mugen," she continued in a small quiet voice, "After everything you've done for me, I can't have you—"

"Didn't ya hear?" he interrupted brusquely, "It's my ass on the line too. It's not just for you, idiot."

"But you just said—"

"I know what I said. But now I think about it, it'd be way too annoying to have a bunch o' samurai shitheads coming after me all the time. Besides, any job I get to cut down more of'em arrogant pricks is right by me."

Mugen flashed her toothy grin, and it was enough to relax the girl and elicit a smile.

"But you don't even know what they want you to do," Fuu murmured, worriedly.

Mugen scratched his head and muttered, "Does it matter? The point is you—er—we stop gettin' chased around all the time by them government types."

"You think they got to Jin, too?"

"Probably."

"I hope he's okay."

Mugen shrugged nonchalantly. "So, where are you stayin' for the night? I gotta get some shut-eye before I start savin' your ass again."

I would really love some feedback on this! Really! It's been a while since I've written anything and anything will help me continue and improve my writing.