"Oh... my God, I feel it in the air,
telephone wires above are sizzling like a snare.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere...
nothing scares me anymore."
- Lana Del Ray "Summertime Sadness"
The night crooned with misery as the unlikely trio trudged down a long and beaten path. They hadn't eaten anything in almost three days, and after having to endure a passing storm and several other random hardships, tensions were high and conversation was little to none. Even Fuu was quiet, feeling as though her mind were an empty shell, and she wondered if starving to death was simply like walking out of your own body, whose heaviness she longed to be free from. In the midst of her delirium, she even found herself starting to wonder if death was all that bad.
The three wanderers plodded up a tall, grassy hill. They had been walking through a dense forest for what felt like several years, and each of them searched desperately for signs of villages or of life in general. Fuu found herself praying in angst.
"Pleeaase..." she thought, squeezing her eyes tightly. "Let us find food."
"I am almost certain that there is a town over this hill." said Jin suddenly, and Fuu realized she had spoken aloud. "We will be sure to find something there."
"How the hell do you know, fishface?" growled Mugen, and he looked their way for the first time in hours. "You didn't say nothin' before!"
"That's because..." Jin said softly, closing his eyes. "We were not there yet. It would have only worsened our suffering."
Mugen only scowled in response, muttering something cruel under his breath.
But as it turned out, Jin was right, for as the trio reached the top of the hill, a small village was barely visible under the wide, starry sky. Fuu felt a renewed sense of strength, and shrieked with delight as she ran down the hill. Somewhere in the middle, she tripped over a stone and went toppling down the muddy mound. She landed with a hard thud at the bottom and, body smarting, found she had little strength to get up.
"C'mon, you..." said a voice, and strong hands wrapped around her waist and yanked her to her feet. Blushing madly at the contact, she busied herself with dusting her yukata so that he would not glimpse her face.
"Why are you always so goddamn clumsy?" Mugen growled.
"Shut up!" Was Fuu's response, her face now red with anger and frustration. "Nobody asked you for your opinion anyway!"
"Tch" said Mugen impatiently. "If you want my opinion... it's that I wish we'd been stuck with a more graceful broad insteada you, and maybe one with a bigger rack!"
Fuu said nothing, feeling more hurt than usual at his comment. Maybe it was the hunger, or the lack of sleep, but she felt tears welling in her eyes that she prayed wouldn't come. How much more pride could she afford to lose in front of them?
"Come..." Jin interrupted softly, more to her than the other. "Let's go find some shelter."
Fuu smiled at him, grateful for his almost-always unexpected kindnesses, and after discreetly wiping her eyes with her sleeve, followed the two men into town.
Upon their arrival, the trio walked past several small restaurants and tea-houses, each of them wondering how they would come up with the money to go inside. Stomach turning sharply upon smelling the delicious aromas, Fuu prayed again silently, and found her prayers to be answered in the form of an angel.
"Hey there, wanna lend me your pretty girl there for awhile?"
A dirty, scumbag angel.
A putrid man in tattered clothes gestured towards them, making his way towards the brunette with surprising quickness. He smiled lecherously at her, revealing a toothless and decaying mouth, and Fuu backed away- disgusted.
"I said..." he snarled, as he was met by three similar scowls. "LEND ME YOUR WHORE!" He made a quick jump for the front of Fuu's robes and, before she could let out a scream, both men sprung into action. Mugen flung forward brutishly and sliced off the hand that was reaching for her, while Jin meleed him with the hilt of his sword. The man fell to the ground with a piercing scream and continue to lay there, nursing his bleeding appendage.
"Jagoff..." Mugen muttered, sheathing his tanto back on his side. "I'm too hungry for this kinda crap!"
"Excuse me!" a voice shouted, and all three heads turned towards a tall slender man with graying hair, beckoning to them from the mouth of a small pub.
"What is it?" Mugen snapped, hand back on his sword as they walked in his direction.
"In thanks for getting rid of our loathsome vagrant, I'd like to offer you our services." said the man, whose eyes reminded Fuu of dark, misty caves. He smiled oddly and gestured inside.
Fuu shook her head at her bodyguards, particularly Jin. "What services?" she whispered. "This place looks pretty seedy. Let's get out of here!"
"Niguchi here is always scaring away good business..." said the older man. "And attracting the wrong kind." He gestured towards the vagrant, who was now sprinting in the direction of a run-down hospice. "Please come inside... you may eat and drink all you like."
No sooner were the words eat and drink out the man's mouth, the two men and their female companion had barreled inside the bar without further question. It seemed a seedy place indeed, with its smoky aura and dim lighting, yet it was none like the trio had seen before. There were a few small tables across from the bar, but there was also a stage, and on it a dirty-haired man sang in a loud mournful voice. A group of vagrants behind him played a climatic melody, and the music was strange to their ears.
"Ah...I see you've noticed our entertainment." said the dark-eyed man, who had introduced himself as Izanagi. "These men here are from the Philippines, and they bring their instruments with them. For many of our regulars they are an enjoyment, and any conflict between our nations is not of interest here. We deal with a lot of foreign trade, you see."
"I see." said Jin lowly. "And what exactly is it that you trade?"
Izanagi simply chuckled, and tapped his nose in an oddly Western gesture. "At a later time. For now, let's get you three fed!"
Several full-course meals later, the trio leaned back into their chairs, no longer on the brink of death. In fact, Fuu had never felt more energized, and took fervent interest in everything that was going on around them. Some people were eating and drinking, but most were either dancing to the music or nodding off in corners. Upon further observation, Fuu noticed that most of the customers were acting rather strangely, heads moving side to side and muttering strange things. A couple near the bar were kissing each other wildly, and Fuu felt herself flush a deep shade of pink. She had never seen such passion out in the open before, or really at all. She watched with renewed interest as the man's hand wandered underneath the woman's robes, where she moaned without restraint. A strange tingling began to settle in her stomach, one that had lately become familiar.
"What's up with you?" Mugen said through a mouth full of dumpling. "You sick or somethin'?"
Fuu looked up and noticed that both men were staring at her. Jin's expression was one of mild curiosity, where Mugen's was something dark and unfamiliar. She suddenly felt very aware of herself, and blushed even harder.
"My stomach just hurts a little." she stammered, rising up out of her chair. "I'll be right back."
Jin said nothing and Mugen shrugged, turning his attention to a bottle of sake. "Shouldn'tve eaten so much then..."
Face burning, Fuu found an outhouse and relieved herself, grateful to have something to expel for once. She sat down for several minutes until her legs tingled, and when her unwelcome thoughts had finally ceased she walked back into the bar with her shoulders high. Her mood was short-lived however when she noticed an unfamiliar woman across the room, sitting in her place. She was beautiful and tall in her red kimono, and she was chatting up both the men with obvious confidence. What bothered Fuu the most, however, was that she had both the males' attention. Mugen, who was smiling wryly and Jin, whose body language was more attentive than usual...were hanging on her every word and smile. Fuu felt something like hurt explode inside of her and she turned away, entirely unnoticed by her companions. She plopped down near the edge of the bar and huffed loudly.
"Hello, beautiful." said a voice, and Fuu whirled around, body tensed for trouble.
A tall and surprisingly handsome young man was standing in front of her and, chuckling gently at her reaction, he held out his hand. Fuu couldn't help but notice his lovely, long fingers.
"I'm sorry." he said, voice airy and calm. "I think I came on too strongly. My name is Sen. And you are...?"
"Fuu..." she said, blushing lightly as he took her hand. "My name is Fuu."
"Well Fuu, I'm sorry once again, but you are shockingly beautiful, and I don't say those things too often. Although you look very sad, and it's ruining your aura. May I ask what's wrong?"
Fuu wasn't sure what to make of the situation. She had already learned the hard way not to trust every sly-talking man who came her way, but this boy seemed different, genuine-and he was very attractive.
"He thinks I'm beautiful." she thought, and her heart gave an unwanted flutter.
"Oh nothing important, I'm just on a long journey with some ungrateful people; and now I'm stuck here with them until it's all over and done."
"I see." he said, flicking his head lightly to shake the bronze hair from his eyes. "Well this is a place where people come to have fun. Would you like to dance with me?" He gestured towards the floor where people were dancing and moving their limbs strangely. Fuu blanched.
"W-well I would but...I'm not sure how good I-"
"Ssh. Here." he interrupted, holding out his hand to reveal a small, purplish sweet. He dropped it in her waiting hand. "Just eat this, and then come dance with me."
"But why...?" she began, distrustful of his strange request, but then she glanced over in the direction of their table. The woman in red was now sitting directly in between the two men, her hand was ever-so-casually resting on Mugen's knee.
"Alright." Fuu said bravely, grabbing the small sweet with a sudden urgency and chewing it hard. Sen smiled wildly at her, as though in awe.
"You really are amazing." he shook his head. "Most women prefer to take half!"
But all Fuu heard was amazing, and she stopped her rushing thoughts to take in his wide and beautiful smile that was all for her. His brown eyes sparkled in a way she'd never seen before, and she found herself breathless in his gaze. He held out his hand once more, and this time she reached for it without hesitation.
Back at the table, Jin was getting bored with the situation. The woman in red, who had once had his attention, was now getting on his nerves. She had at first come off as a reserved and classy woman, but as time passed, the more obvious her crudeness became. She had twice complained about the state of the food, and continually made comments that were based off of her own beauty. More importantly however, was that Fuu was nowhere to be found... and Jin silently cursed himself for letting it go this long.
"I hate to interrupt..." he said, as Mugen and the woman on his lap looked at him in irritation. "But it appears that Fuu has gone missing."
Mugen seemed to tense for a moment, and Jin saw his eyes do a quick dance over the area before he shrugged and leaned back once more.
"I'm sure she's fine. Probably workin' out all that food she put away." But he ever so slightly moved the giggling woman off of his lap, gaze aiming towards the bar.
"Are you looking for your pretty companion?" said a familiar voice. It was Izanagi, the owner, and he walked up to their table with a fresh bottle of sake. "You don't need to worry about her too much- unless she's one of yours that is." He chuckled a little too loudly. "But that doesn't seem the case." He gestured towards the woman in red and winked slyly at Mugen.
"Whaddya mean?" he asked.
Izanagi's composure changed slightly, and he looked down at the men with a sudden intensity. "You asked me earlier what it is we trade. Well the answer is a little bit of everything. But mainly we trade and sell, shall we say... good feelings?"
"Eh?" Mugen said, but Jin's face fell cold.
"Do you mean to tell me that this is an opium den?" he asked. Mugen raised his eyebrows.
"Well, yes and no. There are much more...pleasurable things than your commonplace opium, which is why we trade with other countries; and this is also what brings me such good business."
Jin stood up suddenly and unsheathed his sword. Izanagi visibly tensed but did not back away.
"Thank you for your hospitality and your food. But we will be taking our leave. Mugen-" he stared squarely at his vagrant friend, who looked shocked to hear his name. "Find Fuu and let's go."
"With all due respect, my aggressive friend." said Izanagi slowly. "At this point in time, I think the best place for your young female friend is here."
"What the hell are you tryna say?" Mugen growled, advancing towards the hollow-eyed man in obvious threat. "Enough with the riddle talk. Spit the shit out already!"
"Well to put it simply..." Izanagi eyed the pirate warily. "She has been given our very popular 'love drug'. That's its official name here in Japan, and I'm sure it's obvious as to why. There are very few places you can find it, which is why our business does so well. We only get it pure, so just one small taste is all you need. And I'll say this," he chuckled, glancing away. "Your young friend over there is really in need of a good f-"
There was a loud crash, and Izanagi lay groaning against the broken remains of the table. He was held down by the pirate as Jin rested his sword against the man's pale throat. He cursed.
"I'm not the one who's given it to her!" he squawked, squirming against the tabletop. "She took it out of her own free will. I'm not the only supplier here, so I suggest you rest your blame on someone else!"
"WHERE IS SHE, GODDAMMIT?" Mugen shouted, digging his blade into the wood right beside the man's jaw. With a trembling hand he gestured towards the stage.
The music from the band bellowed on, while a large cluster of people danced loosely and without any restraint. Their sweaty, gleaming bodies showed too much skin for what was the norm, and many were embracing. It seemed as though they were desperate for one another, hands touching and grazing, and they moved in sync with the whinnying rhythm like reeds in the wind. Dead in the center of it all, a young couple had stolen the attention. Everyone dancing around them struggled to be closer, to feel them, and they reached their fingers out towards them as they danced in perfect rhythm. The woman was mesmerizing as she twirled about, her dark hair spinning around her like petals in a breeze, and she threw her head back sharply as the melody quickened. Someone somewhere began to beat on a drum, and she thrashed and moaned in her partner's roaming hands as the eager crowd watched. Her glistening body seemed to glow in the candlelight, and she moved her able hips to the beat in slow, pulsing circles.
"Fuu...?" the two men said in unison, and in their shock they loosened their grip on the barkeep.
It was Fuu indeed, and as she moved and pivoted her arms, she realized that she had never felt more alive...more beautiful. Her body was humming with a strange electrical current, one that was white-hot, and it flowed through her fingers and down to her toes. She flexed them and they tingled, while her body followed suit. She could feel everything and everyone around her, as though they were all one and the same person, and every breath she took was in sync with her partner's. Sen's warm hands roamed hungrily over every inch of her body, in places she'd never been touched, and when he reached underneath her clothes she did not ask him to stop. The tips of his fingers on her skin made her feel like she was on fire, and she could feel their bodies melting together with an indescribable rapture. She hummed loudly in his ear as his breath grazed her neck, smiling against his chest. She was beautiful... they were beautiful. How could she have ever thought otherwise?
Mugen and Jin watched the scene before them in utmost horror. Fuu's robe was slipping off of her body at an alarming rate, though she did not care to adjust it. In fact, it looked as though she were slowly shrugging out of it, and the two men watched as she grinded her body shamelessly against the strange man. As she moved with the steady rhythm she looked fearless, and when the light caught her eyes she did not resemble Fuu at all, but a wild and sexual stranger.
"We have to do something." Jin muttered, though his voice caught slightly as the man holding Fuu slid his hands up her thigh.
"Yeah..." Mugen said, so softly that Jin tore his gaze away from the scene to look over. There was an emotion there he had never seen on the pirate before. He turned his gaze back just in time to find Fuu moaning loudly, mouth open wide as the boy's hand disappeared beneath her kimono.
"Ooohhh..." she mouthed.
It all happened in an instant. Mugen, eyes wild, tore towards the floor with his sword in the air, but Jin caught his attack just in time. He slammed him to the floor with all of his force as the people dancing fell and tripped over themselves in confusing slowness.
"GET THE FUCK OFFA ME, FOUR EYES!" Mugen bellowed, and Jin concentrated hard to hold him down.
"Killing him is useless! He's just-" but his words were lost as the pair saw him sink his mouth onto Fuu's neck, tongue sliding quickly down her pale chest. Fuu squirmed and moaned in his grasp just as he took her now-naked breast into his mouth.
"I'll take Fuu!" Jin yelled suddenly as he ran towards the pair. He grabbed Fuu by the waist and tossed her over his shoulder with ease, half-tying her obi in the process, while Mugen grabbed the young man by his collar and threw him hard against the wall, sword at the ready.
There was a sudden noise from behind that boomed like a clap of hard thunder, and Mugen turned his head sharply to find a large hole in the wall, where his head had previously been, smoking and crumbling slightly.
The owner, Izanagi, stood at the bar with a large firearm and pointed it towards their heads in careful succession. If Mugen hadn't grown up in a partial Chinese province, he wouldn't have recognized the shining weapon.
"You three get the hell out of my bar..." Izanagi shouted, all formalities gone. "Before I blow your heads right off of your necks!"
Turning away in nonchalance, Mugen glared down at Sen mutinously as he lay upon the floor, glassy eyes welling up with fear, and he fought a carnal desire to kill the boy. He couldn't burn the images of he and Fuu out of his brain, the way she'd smiled and sighed as he touched her, and at these thoughts his stomach twinged unpleasantly. The two men lingered there for a long moment, each one debating their move; but to prove his previous point, Izanagi shot his weapon once more... this time dangerously close to Fuu's head as it rested on Jin's shoulder.
"I said...GET THE HELL OUT!" He moved quickly from behind the bar, and the trio was gone before he had the chance to reload.
It began to rain once more as they searched to find shelter, however fate had smiled down that night, for they came across a small stable only a few miles from town. It creaked and groaned from disuse, but was more than enough for what they needed, and surprisingly warm.
Fuu was incapacitated almost the entire way, spewed against Jin's broad shoulders and struggling to hold on to her sanity. Her mood in the bar had entirely left her, and she was now enveloped in a world of dizzying faces and colors. She struggled hard to focus on her companions, to tell herself that this would wear away, but her eyes refused to focus on anything, and her body was still on fire.
"The colors..." she moaned, as a fresh wave of heat rolled through her. "Make them stop spinning."
"Shit." said a familiar voice, though to Fuu it sounded miles away. "She's really fucked up."
"And she's burning with fever." said Jin sternly. "We need to lay her down."
Fuu could barely focus on their words, but as she felt herself being laid down on a cool wooden floor, she snuck in a calming breath. Her mind settled slightly at this, but her world still resembled a melting merry-go-round.
As she lay down, she felt cool hands propping up her head, and her eyed focused in on a sharp, handsome face. He looked into her eyes and she gazed into his, realizing she had never looked into them like this before. They were dark, like deep pools of water, and she suddenly felt the urge to dip herself in. She needed it, the coolness and the heat, she needed it desperately...
Jin stared hard at Fuu as her eyes focused in and out. Her face was flushed with fever and he was growing increasingly concerned. Mugen leaned against the wall, watching the scene intently with a dark aura.
"How long you think this shit lasts?" he muttered.
"I've no idea." said Jin. "We didn't exactly have the chance to inquire. Most likely the night... we'll have to stay awake and watch her."
Mugen groaned in irritation. "Can't this bitch ever stay outta trouble?"
Jin said nothing, and after a long silence Mugen spoke.
"Where the hell did that guy get a gun from anyway? Shit like that ain't around here."
"Apparently," said Jin thoughtfully. "He also trades with the west."
Mugen grunted and said nothing more, and they watched Fuu for several long minutes as she groaned and writhed on the cool stable floor. She muttered something inaudible, raising her hands up and running them through her hair, and as the samurai leaned closer to listen, she grabbed him by his head suddenly.
"Jin…" she breathed, and time seemed to freeze for the ronin as her very hot tongue ran itself along his left ear. She sucked on it gently and moaned.
Time unfroze as a sharp pain exploded in his right side, and Mugen stood over him with a look of raw fury. He had kicked him hard in the side.
"The fuck kinda shit are you tryin' to pull! You bitch at me to protect her and next thing I know she's lyin' underneath your scrawny ass!"
Jin opened his mouth, cheeks flushing pink as he attempted to protest his involvement, but both men turned around sharply as Fuu yelled out.
"Mugen!" she howled, hands running over her body "Jin! Oh my God I can't take this...I really can't!" They gasped in shock as her hands dipped underneath her robes, and, realizing her intent, Jin's face flushed and Mugen groaned loudly.
"I'm so hot! It's hurting me! Someone needs to-please Mugen! Please!"
"The bitch is beggin' for it..." Mugen said incredulously, but Jin grabbed him roughly by his collar.
"This is Fuu!" he hissed, with more vehemence than the vagrant had ever yet to see. "Control yourself!"
"Just come on and touch me!" she moaned, breath ragged in her chest as she turned her head towards them. "Please! I-I need someone..." She began tearing off her robe in a heated frenzy and both Mugen and Jin instinctively moved to cover her. Time seemed to slow down for Fuu, and as their familiar faces and hands hovered over her she felt a strange calm, and she mentally grasped onto before it could escape. She could feel their body heat as though it were her own and her heart, which had previously pounded in her throat, began to beat more regularly. She forced herself to catch her breath as she closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they slowly clashed with another.
"Mugen." she whispered, and for a long moment he simply stared back. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her body glistened with sweat, and as her breasts heaved before him he realized with a pang that she was beautiful. She had always been pretty, though he would never admit it, but as she lay down before him with her brown eyes cloaked in passion he realized that she was enthralling. He knew a girl like her could have anyone, though he also knew these mawkish thoughts of his would pass, like the sun beneath dark clouds.
Through her waves of confusing heat and desire, Fuu felt a small moment of clarity reach the forefront of her mind. Staring dead into chocolate-colored eyes, which gleamed and whirled unnaturally, she felt another ripple of calm.
"Please, you guys," she croaked. "Just-just stay with me. Please."
She closed her eyes and took several more deep breaths, and as she did so the room stopped spinning slightly. Her head lolled to the side in exhaustion, and Jin took note of her cooling skin.
"I think the peak is over." he said simply, though he fought with himself to breathe normally.
"Yeah." the vagrant muttered in response, and he leaned down suddenly to lay at her side.
Jin shot him a piercing glare.
"What?" he snapped. "She just asked us to stay. Can't you see she's calmin' down now?"
Jin watched Fuu breathe a small sigh as her body visibly relaxed, though her fists were still clenched at her sides.
"Hnn." was all Jin said in response, and with no more strength to protest he lay down on her opposite side, sandwiching Fuu in between their bodies. She gave a loud hum and pushed herself closer to Mugen's chest, who smiled inwardly, though the feeling disappeared quickly as she wrapped her hand on Jin's wrist to do the same, and he scooted slightly closer from behind.
"Welp," Mugen sighed. "Looks like we got our hands full tonight." But something buried in his tone seemed almost...content, and Jin begrudgingly did not press the matter. They lay that way for a long while, and each man listened casually as her groans grew softer. When her waves of bright light and sickness finally abated, Fuu felt that she could breathe, and with that she let herself fall.
Somewhere in the middle of the night a young woman groaned, and upon opening her eyes, found another pair staring straight back at her.
"You alright?" he asked, and Fuu realized she was sober enough to find this strange.
"I think so." she whispered back. "But there are still these colors spinning everywhere they shouldn't."
There was a long silence before he said, "It'll be fine. Just go back to sleep, will ya?" and to Fuu's utter amazement, he rested his hand gently on her arm, gazing directly into her surprised face. She felt her heart skip a hard beat, and convinced herself that she was still asleep.
"Thank you, Mugen." she breathed slowly, inching herself towards his body. When he didn't move his hand, she sighed gently and closed her eyes; readily awaiting a steady, normal morning... where the colors didn't shine so brightly.
Author's Note: This fic was recently deleted by the FF Admin, due to a too-low age rating (oops!) So if you've just read this story and wondered why it seems familiar, that's the reason why ;p So please feel free to re-follow and re-favorite and of course...review! Thanks as always for reading!
CNS