And under the boughs unbowed
All clothed in a snowy shroud
She had no heart so hardened
All under the boughs unbowed
She was young, so young.
That was the first thought that Mugen woke with, that and a discontent girl with a belly too big for her frame curled into a tiny ball at his side. He studied her face for a moment. She still had traces of baby fat in her face, a plumpness in her cheeks that held a certain innocence that broke his heart at that moment. She was so young, what had he done to her?
He slid out of bed silently and put on his geta, grabbing the list and stalking down to the dock to wait for the next ferry.
Fuu slept through it all.
--
When he arrived four days later, he found Fuu remarkably calm, docile and submissive. She accepted him inside without a word, her eyes empty and her voice cool and slow, like a lazy summer tide. She pulled off the straw hat he'd bought to keep the wind out of his eyes, set it neatly next to his geta on the floor of their shack. A wordlessly handed her the sack of provisions, which she accepted with only sigh when she saw what was inside. He had somehow gotten everything on the list for her, and she didn't want to think about where the money had come from. She bowed in front of him and turned to their homely pot over a tiny fire.
He exited the building and returned with three good sized fish, which he cleaned and speared and cooked for himself, letting her eat the meager vegetable soup she'd prepared. They sat in near silence, his crunching and her gentle slurping the only sounds to accompany the crackle of the fire.
When he reached over and pulled the sticks out of her hair, she only bent her head forward so that they would untangle slightly. He brought her chin up and she gave him a faint smile. He pulled her close and mouthed a silent apology into her hair.
When they were in bed later, back to back, she rolled over and placed a tiny hand on his back. He looked behind him to see the moon reflecting off her wet eyes. "I'm so happy Mugen." He rolled towards her and she bent her head into his shoulder, sobbing helplessly. "I'm so happy you came back." He placed a rough hand on her back, wincing when he noticed he could span almost all of it, from shoulder to shoulder, if he spread his fingers. She hiccuped herself to sleep as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. He would place kisses with his eyelashes on her ear and rub his rough face against her soft cheek.
--
When their baby was born, it was barely alive. Fuu was exhausted, barely breathing from the labor, and the midwife was rubbing the little thing on it's chest, holding up it's limp form to pat at it's back until it took a deep breath and gave a thin wail. Fuu was too weak to hold it in her arms, so Mugen sat behind her and held their son up to his mother's bosom.
Mugen couldn't tear his eyes away from the little bundle, all of his attention focused on their son's mouth and the shallow breaths of Fuu.
--
She was still half asleep and half dead when she gave the name for their son. "Yukimaru." was the biggest breath Mugen had seen her take in days. He would hold the baby up to her chest to feed, and he would prop Fuu's head up to pour vegetable broth down her throat. Her breathing and pulse remained weak, and her little hands and toes were always cold.
He didn't know he had this much patience in him, this much focus. He couldn't get angry, that would upset Fuu, and it would drive him off to those cliffs that whistled to him at night. He had to be there, he had to take care of her. She had to live so she could raise their son. Mugen sat through the dreary work of changing diapers and making food, cleaning the small hut and chopping firewood every day, just to get Fuu well enough to take care of their son. He learned fear through this, that every little rise of her delicate birdbone chest would be her last, that he would be left parent to a son when he had no memories of what a parent was to fall back on. He needed Fuu to tell him what not to do as a father, and he swore to dieties he was sure didn't exist that he would buy them a good house to live in, he would stop wandering and settle down with Fuu. He would keep her happy if the gods would keep her alive.
--
When Jin arrived, Mugen almost wept.
Things got better with a steadier pair of hands to chop the vegetables.
--
Fuu's health came back rapidly after Jin arrived. Mugen took constant care of her while Jin took care of everything else. The strong samurai had come into the little hut with a line of fish over his shoulder to see Fuu with her eyes open, staring up at Mugen, who had long streaks over overdue tears running down his face. He pulled her up and clutched her to him, and it was the most expressive Jin had seen the man since he arrived.
Jin came back hours later to find the couple sweetly nestled together, their son nestled at Fuu's breast.
She looked up and smiled at him, and Jin felt like every sin he'd ever commited had just been forgiven.
--
Yukimaru's health also improved as his mother held him more, played with his chubby fingers and ran her hands through his soft black hair. It already stood up in every direction, a testament to his father. Fuu's laughter echoed off the cliffs more than the wind's wailing did. She pressed her nose to his and when he slept she held him close. Mugen would only watch them and kiss her on the mouth when their son wasn't looking.
--
Mugen and Jin had taken to sparing still, so Mugen could regain his lean muscle that would make him fit to be a bodyguard once more.
The clash of swords and the happy cries of mother and child rang on the northern cape, and everyone was content, if not happy.
But while the leanest and most hungry of assassins had been killed, the government had not forgotten.
Kasumi Seizou's little girl was still at the top of their To Do list.
-----
Crappy update, I know, but I wanted everything to seem as bleak as that situation would feel. I don't think Mugen would feel much of anything at that point, I think he'd just pour all of his energy into keeping Fuu alive. And I was just thinking about that. Didn't the government want Fuu dead? They killed a handful of assassins, not the government. I wanted to bring them back in just to shake things up again a little bit. Anyone up for a trip to Ryukyu:)
Sorry this took so long. I'll be better, I promise.
Lyrics are from The Crane Wife 3 by The Decemberists.
