Fuu stood at the entrance of the restaurant, a smile plastered on her face. She was just glad it wasn't light out anymore; the sun had burned on her for hours before it finally decided to cut her some slack and finally set.
"Welcome, sir!" She greeted an old man as he hobbled his way in the building. She was surprised as he returned her polite grin, as most tended ignored her altogether. After the elder man had finally disappeared behind the flaps of cloth hanging in the doorway, she sighed, allowing her face to relax. Fuu listened to the buzz of business that was happening on the other side of the wall she stood leaning against, breathing in the different scents of the dishes that were being brought out, when she smelled it. That scent…
It was the scent of dumplings.
All of a sudden, she wasn't the girl who was working for an eatery, standing outside for hours on end to earn her living.
She was holding a stick of dumplings, and as she was about to bring it to her face, the stick was suddenly gone. She looked up to see a tanned face with a halo of wild hair above her, holding the stick between his teeth triumphantly.
"Hey! That was mine!" she yelled angrily, her stomach grumbling in protest.
"You were taking too long." He sucked down the dumplings, and flung the stick they had been on at her.
"Grrrr… MUGEN!" she grabbed him by the fro, and brought his head down hard against the wooden bench she had sat on.
"Ow! You bitch, that hurt!" He screamed, holding his throbbing forehead.
"Well, that's what you get!" Fuu pouted. She turned to the other figure that was seated next to her, quietly observing throughout all of this.
"Jiiii~n…" she whined, staring at the last stick of dumplings that the quiet samurai had been currently holding. He glanced down at her through his glasses, and sighed, wordlessly handing her his food.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed with a genuine smile, which Jin returned slightly after a moment's hesitation.
It was over; her vision of the past. She opened her eyes to look up at the moon, which was now glowing brightly above her. It had seemed as if it were just yesterday that they had all been together, still looking for the sunflower samurai.
In reality, it had already been a month since she last saw them. She had wandered around for a while, going from town to town, when she decided she needed to settle down for a time to replenish her diminishing source of money.
I bet Mugen doesn't even have any money… she thought, annoyed for a second. How that idiot kept getting away with all of that stealing and killing he does is beyond her. Sure he'd gotten arrested quite a few times, but he'd always gotten out of it.
And Jin… well, she wasn't worried about him. He was much more honorable than that idiot anyways, and she knew he didn't like to pull unnecessary stunts like Mugen did.
Still, she couldn't help to stare at the moon, and wonder just where they were now. What were they doing now? Where are they going? I wonder if they're looking at the moon right now, too…
Just like that, the nostalgic feeling passed. The scent of dumplings disappeared, taking her visions of the past along with it. Still, a pang of longing hit her, but was soon overpowered by a wave of euphoria at the thought of her friends. She missed them, but she was glad she got to know them. And besides, wherever they were now, she was sure they were thinking of her, too.
Her mouth once again curved up at the edges. It wasn't forced this time.
Meanwhile, in a nearby forest…
I wonder when I'll meet a nice babe…thought one afro-haired man as he walked down the dirt road, arms crossed behind his head as he trudged on. Yeaaah…one with a nice rack… unlike that bitch…at the thought, he grimaced. That girl was not a piece of eye candy.
Still, at the thought of her, the silence around him became more noticeable. He remembered her smile, as he made a sarcastic remark she found amusing. That time they went fishing, and their stifled laughter as Jin tried to catch a fish. Oh that's right…that glasses freak…
Was Mugen feeling…lonely?
Mugen pushed those thoughts out of his head. "Pah! Me, lonely?" He laughed out loud. For years, he had travelled alone, and not once had he felt lonely. He could do what he liked without others to keep him.
But, still, he couldn't help to feel a slight pang when he thought of those days together. Regardless, he felt a grin splay across his face as he remembered fighting together; and all that bickering, that laughter, running for their lives. Even the memories of all of those times they had gone for days without food added to his fondness.
Maybe he wouldn't mind seeing those two again someday.
Again, not too far away from that…
He finally made it, setting foot into the light. The town seemed to glow, and was alive with activity. Jin internally sighed, the light grating on him after being in the dark for a couple of hours. He felt exhausted, and all he wanted was to rest. He walked on for a few more minutes, before finally finding a tiny inn near the heart of town. He entered the building and paid for a room, and was pleased to find the prices were agreeable for a place like this one.
After he was finally in his room, he blew out the lamp that had been lit at his arrival, and was now sitting beneath the window, staring into the night sky. Soon after their separation, he had noticed just how quiet it was without those two. Now, it seemed almost too quiet.
It was…boring without them.
He felt alone now, and didn't know what to do. He had no destination. The only thing he had to look forwards to now was meeting them again. After all, Fuu said they would see each other again someday.
He leaned his head against the edge of the window, allowing the cool breeze to push his long hair out of his face, and closed his eyes.
He certainly would be waiting for that day.
The next day
A certain hostess, described as "flat as a board, but not bad" has been attacked by an old drunkard, only to be saved by a (quote) "Handsome glasses samurai". The drunk was beaten harshly, and suffers from bruises and a broken hand. Eye witnesses say that the girl then "attacked the glasses samurai, holding onto him and yelling loudly", while he muttered "guess that idiot rubbed off on me…" and pat her on the head. Another man, described as having "insane hair" had been reported to have literally run into these two, and the three then promptly escaped.
This incident is thought to be related to another incident from earlier in the day. A man, reported to have been involved in the incident above, had eaten several expensive dishes of food, only to escape before paying for his meal. One of the staff at the restaurant had attempted to stop him, only to be slashed by the man's sword. The man is described as "crazy looking". He is armed and dangerous.
If you have any information on any of the three mentioned, please contact the local authorities. The three are said to be comrades, and it has been reported that they are now on the run together.
So, I tried. I liked the ending of Samurai Champloo, but only because I thought they'd meet up again like a week later or something like they always did in the show. I'm sorry if they're OOC. criticism? review?