She's sitting next to Jin again, so close that they're almost touching. She always sits next to Jin. Mugen throws back another shot of sake, watching them through the firelight. Why is she so obsessed with Jin? He's a rigid, boring ass. Sleeping with him would be like bedding a corpse. Doesn't she realize that? Especially with her personality - so chipper and damn upbeat. Opposites are all well and good, but you need someone who understands what makes you tick for a really good fuck. Fuu needs someone warm, alive, fiery. Someone like…

Well, Mugen can't think of anyone at the moment, and it scares him slightly that he's contemplating who would be the best person to fuck Fuu. Time for more sake. He abandons his glass and grabs the bottle. The others don't care that he's hogging the alcohol; in fact they don't even notice. They're talking quietly next to the fire, completely ignoring Mugen huddled in the corner.

What are they talking about? From the concerned look on Jin's face, it's something serious. Why isn't he included in this serious discussion? Fuck. Fuu is probably confessing her undying love for Jin, or something. Mugen snorts loudly, and his two companions glance at him before returning to their conversation. He must be drunker than he thought; he hadn't meant to do that out loud.

Jin reaches out and lays a hand on Fuu's shoulder and gently caresses her arm. Mugen's eyes narrow to slits. That hand is making him angry, and he doesn't know why. That cold hand exploring where it doesn't belong…it was just wrong. It shouldn't be Jin's hand, and Fuu should realize this.

But she's not looking at Jin. She's staring at the ground, sadness and disappointment plain on her face. Jin removes his hand, and Mugen relaxes a little. To his surprise, Jin rises to his feet and quietly exits the hut, letting the curtain door fall shut behind him.

So he turned her down. Mugen silently watches Fuu, expecting tears, shouts, fists, whatever it is girls do to fight the pain of heartbreak. But she does none of these things, only sits, quietly staring into the fire.

Perhaps he is mistaken. Maybe she's more like Jin than he realizes. Maybe she too keeps pain bottled up inside her, letting it eat away at her soul. Or maybe she's just mourning her loss. After all, Jin is educated, kicks major ass, and has all that fucking integrity…

Mugen stands unsteadily and plops down next to Fuu. She's looking at him, slightly confused. He'll show her. Jin isn't the only one with big words and annoyingly confusing analogies. He'll tell her something meaningful, something deep, something profound. He'll impress her; make her forget about being sad over Jin.

She's watching him expectantly, eyebrows raised in question. Mugen looks in her eyes, takes a deep breath…and lets out a long and loud belch.

Shit.

Fuu's eyebrow twitches, and Mugen can see that familiar fire burst back to life in her eyes. At least he accomplished that much.

"You came all the way over here just to burp in my face?"

"I didn't mean to. It snuck up on me."

She sniffs the air and examines his face. "Are you drunk?"

"Yes."

"Figures. You're such a lush." She sighs and hugs her knees.

Mugen feels his own fire blaze brighter. This is good; this is familiar. Anger is a safe and healthy emotion. "Screw you! To think I came over here to make you feel better about Jin refusing your ugly ass!"

"I am not ugly!" Fuu immediately shoots back. She draws a breath to let Mugen have it, then pauses, shakes her head a little. "Jin refusing me? What are you talking about?"

Mugen is confused. Jin didn't reject her? Then what…his mind is foggy and he can't seem to get a firm grip on the situation. "You and Jin were talking. You looked sad. I figured he turned you down."

Fuu turns a brilliant shade of pink. "That's not what we were talking about! I'm not interested in…" her voice dies away, her eyes soften. "You came to comfort me?"

Mugen can't seem to find an answer to this. That hadn't been his reason for coming over here, had it? He'd just wanted to…Fuu is looking at him strangely. Why the hell had he though this was a good idea? He doubts he's ever been so embarrassed in his life. He silently swears never to attempt kindness again. Fuu's waiting for him to speak. Must speak…"Yeah, so what of it?" he says gruffly. "I can be nice every once in a while."

Fuu is speechless, for once. She stares fixedly at her lap, still blushing. Mugen is about to suffocate in the awkwardness. This is the weirdest moment of his life. He's so tense that he jumps when he feels a small hand touch his own. He looks at Fuu, who is looking at him, smiling softly.

"Thank you." She whispers. She moves a bit closer to him, and Mugen sees the apprehension in her face. He doesn't say anything, and Fuu moves a bit closer, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Mugen silently panics. His heart is pounding and his skin is tingling. He itches to move away, to move closer, to laugh, to moan, to…to…oh, God, what the hell is wrong with him? He's acting like a woman. This isn't good. Not good at all. Too weird, too girly, too…good. He opens his mouth.

"Don't get all mushy. I just didn't want to hear you whining and crying again."

Fuck. He hadn't meant to say that. Why did he say that?

Fuu jerks away from him like she's been burned. She's blushing, humiliation evident on her face. "I…I…OH, GO FUCK YOURSELF, MUGEN!"

She gets up in a huff and retreats to a separate corner of the room. Mugen is left sitting alone next to the fire, dazed, and pondering what the hell had just happened to him.