AN: I'll be using some names that you probably wouldn't remember from the show (Heck, I didn't! I had to look them up!) Still experimenting with the fic by the way. Sooo…No complaining about it, please! Also, I'm writing first names first, last names last. If anyone cared…And forgive me for OOCness. But it happens. -shrug-

Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai Champloo.

On the Edge of All Reason

Chapter One: The Rundown

It had been a few hours since Fuu almost made her escape. Apparently she underestimated Mugen, something he kept bringing up just to spite her. It was as if his whole goal was to kidnap her to annoy her to no end. If somebody didn't restrain her now, she might go crazy.

The worst part was not knowing what he truly wanted out of her. He didn't offer to shed light on the situation either—rather he preferred to kick back and watch her almost suffer a stroke from over thinking.

Deciding that right now he wasn't going to be of any help, she began to explore the small apartment. There was a decent-sized kitchen, along with a refrigerator that was almost bare, save for the few beer bottles that littered the shelves and some tubs containing unknown food. She noticed the whole apartment looked a bit dull, with only two windows in the whole area, plus one that she figured would be in a bedroom. The walls were a dull beige, with cracks running through them like veins, or the branches of a tree during the winter. She could've sworn she heard the chattering of squirrels somewhere in the walls…

She ventured upstairs, where there was only one bedroom and a small bathroom.

All in all, about the only interesting thing she'd seen today was Mugen gulp five bottles of sake nonstop. An impressive feat, for a bum anyways.

"God, are you done poking through my whole home?" He asked, watching her trudge down the stairs. "I swear if you did anything funny…" She merely held up her hand to silence him.

"Trust me, there's nothing I could possibly do. This whole place is a joke itself."

Mugen rolled his eyes before finally turning off the TV to direct all his attention (or what was left of it from the sake) to her. "So, let's talk about why you're here."

Fuu gave a gigantic mock grin and hustled over to sit next to him, in an irritating sort of manner, which proved to be successful. She pulled the hem of her skirt down as she watched him expectantly. He gave her a strange look out of the corner of his eye, but dismissed her annoying behavior.

"So brat…Your father's a pretty interesting guy…"

"My father is dead," Fuu interjected, the mock grin suddenly disappearing from her face. Mugen smirked at that. A touchy subject, eh?

"Regardless of his status—He was an interesting like I said earlier. Interesting enough that he was causing problems." Fuu raised a brow at this. "He worked with the government, taking the steps that helped it get to where it is today: a regular shit hole. Except, of course, he also had ties with us."

"What's this supposed to lead up to? I mean, what the hell do you need me for?"

Mugen grinned. "Glad you asked! You see, you're the daughter of the late Seizou Kasumi." Fuu gave him a 'duh' look while crossing her arms tightly across her chest. "The government found out about Seizou's involvement with us. Naturally this caused some uproar and controversy. But they couldn't do anything about it, since he died a few days later after being found out. Problem is, he has a debt to pay with us. Now, he can't really pay us if he's dead. That's where you come in."

"Me?" She gave him a dubious look, not really wanting to know where this was going. "Is this some sort of illegal organization…?"

Mugen leaned back, a look of indifference on his face. "What does it matter? But yeah, sure. If it makes you feel better or whatever."

"So, explain. How am I supposed to help you freaks out?"

"Money. Simple as that."

Fuu gave a rather undignified snort. "Money? Money is supposed to help you guys? I don't think so. Plus, I don't even have the type of money you're looking for!"

"I figured you'd say that. But listen here, girl. Money is power. Even we know it. That, and I could really use some of it now," he said, scanning his apartment with a look of contempt. "Anyways, you do have the type of money we're looking for. Clever, old Seizou hid it of course, before he was found out."

"And how did my father even get a hold of this money?"

Mugen gave her an irritated look. "Don't you know anything about him?"

Fuu merely shook her head. "Nope. Nada. So just tell me while we're on the subject of him."

"He's a rich man. The government provided him with this money. I would think you'd know that. Anyways, he gets involved with us…He's supposed to give some money, but turns out he can't. Because he's dead and all." He yawned, noting that it was getting late now, and he had to get up pretty early tomorrow.

"So," he concluded, sending a sideways glance at the girl. "You're supposed to help us find that money, or else you die in his place by our hands. Got it? Great." He drawled before rising to his feet and stretching. As he neared the steps, Fuu suddenly found her voice again.

"I don't believe any of that bullshit. What makes you think I'd honestly believe that? And why take my life for something I would have no idea about? It's not fair at all!"

Mugen turned around with a loud sigh as he rested his hand on the old banister. "Never said we were fair, princess." He sneered before turning around to continue ascending the stairs. "We'll discuss this more in the morning."

"Hey! Wait!"

"ARGH—What?!"

"Why do you get the bed? It's sort of rude of you to kidnap me, lie to me, and then not even offer the freaking bed!"

"First off, if I had the choice, I wouldn't come within a fifty foot radius of you. Second, I'm not lying! You're being stupid and naïve. Third…The only way you're getting into my bed is if you were an actual woman. Which you're not." He smirked before opening and slamming the door to his room.

Fuu let out an aggravated scream loud enough to almost shatter windows.

Mugen merely cackled while he dropped himself onto the bed.


Thunderstorms were approaching the area as a light drizzle slowly began to change pace into a more uproarious way. Lightning streaked the skies and made energetic displays. However, Fuu couldn't be distracted by this. Not even the roaring of thunder clouds could clear her mind.

What the hell is going on? I mean, I didn't even know my father all that well! Sure, I knew he was somehow involved with the government…But that's it. And now I'm stuck paying the price? That's just crazy and stupid. She turned on her side, trying to adjust her position on the creaky couch. She swore one of the springs was digging into her skin. I wonder why he'd even get involved with an organization like that. Judging by the looks of 'Mugen' or whatever, it looks pretty risky. A loud sigh escaped her lips as she finally pushed herself into an upright position.

Looking at the clock that hung on the wall, she discovered it was 2:30 in the morning. The thought that no one would recognize she was gone till Monday dawned on her. And even then it was a stretch. Most people paid no attention to her to begin with. I'll have to get out of this one on my own…

Carefully pacing around the bottom floor of the apartment (so she wouldn't wake up Mugen…Who knew whether or not he had a temper) her thoughts drifted to plans of escape. Right now, he was leaving her alone and unguarded. She could potentially escape and never look back. With a smile now present on her face, she headed towards the door confidently. As she grasped the door handle, she noticed a small piece of paper taped to the door.

Don't even think of opening this door. People I know are patrolling the streets. I'd hate for you to get hurt.

-Mugen

So that must've been the creaking noises she had heard earlier. She had to admit…it looked as if he couldn't even write. Was this note supposed to intimidate her? He could be bluffing about the people outside. Deciding to take a look for herself, she strolled over to the window and looked down below at the streets. Sure enough, a man stood there, a sword at his hip. She scrunched her nose up in a little bit of annoyance, but mainly curiosity. Why did they carry around swords like it was the 1800s?

Drawing in a deep breath, she plopped back down on the couch, wincing as a spring dug into the bottom part of her thigh. She figured she'd just wait until morning. There wasn't much she could do, she reasoned, unless she planned on dying early. But there had to be a loophole. She'd find it for sure.


Fuu awoke to the scent of something burning. Immediately her mind went into emergency mode before realizing it was just Mugen 'cooking'.

Mugen looked up just in time to see her get off the couch. "About time you woke up, lazy ass."

Fuu did a quick mock search around his house before folding her arms in an expectant manner. "Looks like you've been even lazier. Ever heard of a vacuum? A duster?"

Satisfied with his blank response, she sauntered over to the kitchen, peering over his shoulder. A look of disgust and horror came upon her face as the smell of burnt batter came to nose. Clasping her hands over her face to keep the smell out, she gave an inquiring look at Mugen.

"Is that supposed to be breakfast?" She asked, though it was somewhat muffled by her hands. In reply, he grunted and shoved her aside lightly with his shoulder. From the looks of it, he seemed grumpy and tired, not that Fuu could begin to understand that, considering she got the bumpy couch. It was almost a death trap too, with all those springs threatening to devour her.

Ten minutes later Mugen slapped a plate of black pancakes in front of Fuu before hastily grabbing a chair opposite her and plopping down on it with a bowl of cereal. Fuu looked from her plate to his bowl. "Is there a reason you gave me the crap food? Some sort of subtle message I'm missing?"

"Just eat the goddamned food." He bit back harshly, before picking up a newspaper that lay on the table. From what Fuu could see, it was about two weeks old. Not that she'd even bother to tell him.

"So…" She began, picking at her 'food' with a fork. "Why exactly did my father have 'ties' with you?" She looked up at him as innocently as possible. "I mean, I should at least know what he did."

Mugen sighed in defeat, letting the thin pieces of paper drop in his lap. He drummed his fingers on the table, before making eye contact with her. "Assassination," was his blunt reply.

Fuu almost laughed at the thought. "Assassination? You've got to be joking. It's about the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"From the looks of it, you don't even know your own father that well. Now that's the funny part," he said, waving his spoon around, carelessly letting droplets of milk fly across the table (and on Fuu).

"I still don't believe you," she whispered.

"Ah well…When the truth hits home, it'll hit home hard. Good luck, and don't say I didn't warn you."

Fuu took the bait.

"Who did he despise so badly that he'd hire someone to kill them?"

Mugen shrugged. "Someone who must've been interfering. In this world today, those you hate, you eliminate. Simple as that."

"But…But that's just wrong. It doesn't make sense." She said, trying to force some justice into this mess. "I didn't think he was capable of harboring such…Intense feelings." Then again, she barely knew him, for he had died when she was seven years old.

Mugen snorted. "People aren't black and white. There's lots of grey in between."

"You're quite the philosopher." She retorted dryly.

"I have spare time."

A few hours later, Fuu was draped on the couch, clicking the remote rather mindlessly. Her thoughts kept wandering all over the place. Nothing made sense right now, but she figured if she just stayed numb to it for a little while, the feeling would pass. Inside though, she felt her stomach tying up into triple knots, threatening to squeeze the air out of her. Somehow, she believed Mugen, and she didn't know why. People had always told her she was a bit too trustful, but she did have some sense of good judgment.

Mugen suddenly came down the stairs, each foot releasing a heavy thunk noise from the boots he was wearing. Fuu lifted a brow in mild curiosity at this sudden improved look. Well…Better than what she had seen previously. He was wearing a simple button-down shirt with black pants. His hair, however, was still a wild mess. He strode past her into the kitchen, searching the refrigerator in a rather hurried manner.

"What's the rush?"

He looked up momentarily, stunned. It was as if for a moment he had forgotten she was in his home. Shaking his head, he muttered curses to himself, quickly gulping down what was presumably beer.

Fuu rolled her eyes before returning her attention to the TV. Apparently this was a very climactic episode on whatever soap opera she was watching.

"I'm going to be gone for a few hours," Mugen suddenly stated, grabbing a jacket strewn across one of the chairs at the table. "Don't miss me too much," he winked before heading towards the door.

Alone? For a few hours? Perfect! I can escape and then everything will be just fine…

"Oh, and before I forget," he said, pulling out a key from his jacket pocket. "I've got the key. Don't bother to try and leave." With that, he slid out the door, locking it behind him.

"Bastard." She mumbled.

Suddenly, an idea popped to her head. Surely she could phone the police? In that instant, she began to scour the apartment for a phone of some sort—anything that could get her in contact with the outside world. However, she soon found that this plan wasn't working out to the fullest. She had been searching for almost half an hour for the phone, and with that, her resolve was fading. The police wouldn't give a damn anyways. They'd merely write it off as some sort of prank or cry for attention. As it bas as it was, the police didn't really care anymore these days. It was too much to put up with, so they simply eliminated those sorts of problems from their agenda.

After searching relentlessly for a phone, she figured he probably just used a cell phone. The only phone she found was one with a broken chord anyways. It was as if he was made for housing hostages.

The sudden urge to fall asleep overcame Fuu. She hadn't really slumbered well on that couch. It did a number to her back anyways. Since Mugen wasn't home, she figured it'd be okay to sleep temporarily on his bed. The thought somewhat disgusted her, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. She was in sore need of sleep, and right now wasn't the time to be choosy.

As she slid on the covers, she prayed that inspiration would hit, and she'd be blessed with an idea that could guarantee her safe return to home.


Mugen tapped his foot impatiently against the elevator floor, cursing the thing to go faster. Right now, he wasn't in the mood to take things patiently. When the ding sounded, Mugen all but raced out the elevator, prompting him to run into someone. Stumbling back, he grinned when he recognized the person.

"Well if it isn't Yatsuha…" He grinned in such a way that one would be reminded of a wolf.

The woman, Yatsuha, merely rolled her eyes before shoving him back playfully. "Mugen, Mugen, Mugen…I can't believe I'm actually seeing you come to work for once…Looking decent." She gave a once-over on his appearance, smiling slightly.

He grinned before leaning in to kiss her. Yatsuha simply held a hand up to his chest to stop him midway. "I wouldn't advise doing that right here. Save it for later," she grinned before walking, adding an extra sway in her saunter.

A lopsided, odd smile took over his face before he turned and walked down the corridor. She is smokin'.

Mugen entered a small office, not bothering to knock or show any signs of entering. A man in the chair behind a desk slowly swiveled to face him, talking on a phone. He held up a finger in a gesture to silence him.

"Ah…Yes…Of course. Sure, everything's going fine. Yes, I'll keep you updated. Alright…Bye then." He quickly hung up, returning his attention to the unruly man before him.

"So Nagatomi," Mugen drawled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Next case. I'm running low on cash you know."

Rikiei Nagatomi grinned, his glasses giving an eerie shade to his eyes. He stroked his goatee, as if in deep thought. A few moments of silence passed, before he looked up at Mugen once more.

Finally, he sighed and broke the eye contact, shuffling some papers into the drawers of his desk. Without looking back up at him, he spoke. "Matsunosuke Shibui needs to be eliminated. I assure you it'll pay well. Bonus if you can get his son as well, Tomonoshin. They're pests just waiting to be taken care of. I assume you'll be just fine without backup?"

Mugen snorted in response. "Of course."


When he entered his bedroom, the last thing he expected to see was Fuu sprawled out on it. Not only that, but the snoring noises she emitted were just terrible. He gingerly tapped her, not sure of how she'd react to a sudden wakeup call. A string of mumbled words escaped her lips before she turned her back to him. He groaned before reaching for his sword that lay at the foot of his bed.

Careful not to actually hurt her, he lightly poked Fuu in the backside area with the tip of the sword. He saw her shoulder twitch in which he responded to with a smirk. Deciding to be a bit bolder, he poked her harder, until she jolted out of bed. Rubbing her backside, she turned to glare at him.

Suddenly she realized just where she was, and the urge to blush overcame her. She quickly scrambled off the bed, keeping her distance from him. He looked quite deadly with that sword in his hands.

"I just didn't want to sleep on that couch again! You should consider getting a new one by the way," she added hotly.

"If I had the money. And you living here isn't helping either, but of course I get stuck with the crap jobs."

Fuu placed her hands on her hips, daring him to say it again. "Yeah, because I was begging for some jerk, psycho, killer to kidnap me!"

He merely shrugged in response. Looking up at the clock that hung in his room, a slow smile spread on his face.

"How'd you like to help me with something…?"


AN: Hmm…Still experimenting? Yes. OH, just a quick note…The unfamiliar (maybe?) names like Yatsuha and Shibui and Nagatomi etc. are all taken off of the anime. Just go to wikipedia and look them up there. Or use a search engine. I'm not sure how much I am being true to their character as represented in the show, but whatever. It's a fanfiction, and they're not TOO big of a deal…In the grand scheme of things…Well. I don't know. Just thought you should know that.