The evening was just getting started and for the first time in quite awhile, Mugen was put off by brothels idea of a show. He had been coereced inside due to the cheaper rates and pretty faces on display. Getting out of the pouring rain was a mild benefit as well. But now he was seriously thinking about bailing before his turn...

Thing is, this cathouse was quite different from the usual... instead of private rooms there was one big chamber with a girl tied up in the center. Everyone paid a small fee to rent a whip or a club or some rocks and the whole room just... pelted on the girl for awhile. Then apparently she was taken down and passed around the room so everyone got a turn.

Lets be clear. Mugen had 0 issue with kinky shit. And fucksake knew he even enjoyed a little roughin every once in awhile... but this all felt... off to him. The girl in question was having 0 fun in all this and kept begging them all to stop. Mugen himself wasn't actively using the whip he rented, but felt he wasn't THAT invested to do anything about this. For all he knew, this was part of the bit. But that wasn't something that got him off. For starters, if he was gonna hurt somebody it was to prove he was stronger than they were. He already knew he was stronger than some naked bimbo with her hands tied behind her back. Secondly, Mugen didn't need to rape anybody. Most women threw themselves at him and begged him for more. Fuck, he usually could just lay there and let them do all the work there was too much... effort in rape.

Soon, the girl was taken down and she screamed as she was handed off to the first guy who whipped it out and started going on her right there. A few other dudes started jacking off as they watched. Mugen curled his nose. Yeah. This definitely wasn't his thing. He started to make the motions to find the sonofabitch who took his money when a familiar wail rang out through the room.

The host announced the new girl up for the beatings, apparently it was her third night so he encouraged the audience to be patient with her, as she was still learning not to attack when touched.

Mugen felt a chill as his blood ran cold when he heard her, "Get your hands OFF me!"

He turned around, and sure as day, there she was. Fuu. She was dressed in a torn kimono. No shoes, no makeup, her hair was a dirty mess, with strands clinging to her face. She was covered head to toe with bruises and scratches and scrapes. Her eyes were desperate and frantic as she struggled with her captors.

For the first time in his entire fucking life, Mugen was frozen. It had been 4 long years since they parted ways... 3 of them were spent trying to forget her stupid face... and here she was again, in danger, in trouble, out numbered tenfold but not giving up. He just watched, silently, waiting to see any kind of sign that he should just let this happen. Maybe... maybe this was just her job now...? This could still be just a weird kinky brothel show or...

The host ripped off her kimono and she screamed, "Please, not again, please," she she was kicked to the ground. Instantly the mob went at her, whipping her and pelting her with the rocks and clubs.

Her screaches pierced Mugens ears as memories flooded back to him. He felt his knuckles go numb by how hard his fist was balled. His eyes quaked and his stomach was doing backflips over and over. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe. He was starting to see red as his self control was slipping.

Fuu, despite being tortued and humiliated, had the strangest notion to look up, so, she mustered what little strength she had and craned her neck forward and opened one eye. Through the haze she could see him... watching her, motionless, stern... she saw Mugen...

"M-mugen...?" she whimpered. Finally the tears started to pool from her face as she took a rock to the face, she called out to him,"Mugen!? Mugen! Help me! Please, Mugen, please!"

Snap.

The entire room went quiet at the sound of a man's neck being broken. Mugen was standing over the lifeless body of an assaulter who he had wrapped his whip around.

What happened next... was equally as horrific as what Mugen had witnessed happening to Fuu... he cut down every single of the patrons of the brothel, including the host and the workers. He left only the "prostitutes," alive, but didn't go out of his way for any of them. His goal was Fuu and he didn't even know why.

When the dust had settled and the smell of blood was thick in the air, Mugen waded over to the girl he once knew who was still bound by the ropes and suspended from the ceiling. As carefully as possible he cut her down and caught her before she fell. Her body felt weak and frail in his arms and she was shivering. He noted the blue hint to her features and realized she was freezing. He removed his haroi and draped it over her shoulders. The poor girl was in a daze, her eyes glassed over, clearly drugged and haggard.

"M-Mugen?"

"Hey, Fuu,"

She finally blinked her eyes enough to get a good look at him again and she whispered, "Are... are you really here?"

He steadied her shaking form and nodded, "Yeah, I'm really here,"

Her lip pouted out and her entire face scrunched into a deep sob. She clinged tightly to his chest and balled like a giant baby, and for the first time, Mugen didn't mind. He sat down, minding her not to fall, and let her curl into his lap. Her cries reached new decibles as she wailed into his chest, her tears soaking his stained shirt.

He wanted to tell her to shut up because she was safe now. He wanted to boast about how he killed them all. Every single prick who hurt her. They each breathed their last breath feeling just as scared as she had been... he had done all this for her. He wanted to tell her everything was ok now.

But he couldn't. Because he wasn't.

Because he was too late... when she needed him most... he was too late.

So he let her wail and sob as loudly as she wanted, while Mugen kept his gaze to the ceiling. For 3 days she endured this madness. For 3 days she was tortured and beaten and raped by a room full of disgusting perverts. So he would let her cling to him until she had no more tears left in her. It was the least he could do... Though it didn't last as long as he anticipated. She actually cried herself to sleep rather quickly, yet Mugen didn't have the heart to move her. Though in sleep, he knew she didn't need him... but he simply didnt want to move her from his lap. In fact, he took the oppertunity to wrap his arms around her dozing form. So small, so cold...

He learned from one of the other slaves that they were all kidnapped from the neighboring villages. Fuu had been walking home late one night after her shift at work ended when she was snatched up. They weren't fed and were kept awake for hours. They had force fed them some white powder to keep them weak and they were being all kept in a tiny room downstairs...

He told the girls that he couldn't help them anymore, but there were plenty of clothes and money from the bodies they could pick from. He wouldn't stop them. They all tearfully thanked him, but he couldn't bring himself to accept it. He didn't do anything for them.

Fuu woke up with the sun tickling her nose. She was moving... riding on someone's back... there was something draped over her. She touched the fabric before realizing it was Mugen's haroi... and It took a solid 3 seconds to remember what happened.

Mugen was walking a steady pace, his gaze downcast when he felt her start to awaken on his back. She had slept longer than he had expected. They had left the brother hours ago.

"...Thanks Mugen," Fuu whispered against his shoulder.

There was a long silence before Mugen finally spoke.

"Don't mention it," ever.

"I missed you," She said as she snuggled her face into his back and Mugen inhaled deeply.

"yeah,"