Just Another Day in the Life

A/N: I'm sick. Wah. So to alleviate some of the stresses of a freaking sore throat/ear-something combo, I decided to use my waning strength to write this little do-dad. I know I said in the beginning that all these drabbles would be inspired by lyrics/quotes/prompts; but now that I really think about it, I lied. I feel like my better drabbles are the ones that don't have any sort of prompt…the ones that just are.

Okay, I'm ending this now because I think my medication is making me loopy…Enjoy Fuu's torment and eventual revenge on – who else? – Mugen. If you squint and tilt your head, you can see some MxF flirting, which will make you start to foam at the mouth at the ending. Probably…

This was justice? She scoffed. This wasn't justice. What sort of omnipotent being in the sky saw fit to make courteous little Fuu sick after she sacrificed her own and her two bodyguards' comfort for someone more in need of it?

It was about three days ago. They'd managed to find a cozy little inn at a cozy little village. But the okami-san informed them that she only had one room available. And before Mugen, Jin, or Fuu could sigh with relief at their luck, a feeble-looking old couple turned up right behind them. The okami-san had coldly turned them away, saying she'd already given her last room to the handsome samurai and his questionable brood.

And that's when Fuu had sealed her miserable fate. She told the okami-san that they would find another place to stay because this old couple obviously needed to be out of the rain more than they did. Mugen had protested. Loudly. Crudely. But Fuu had managed to drag him away, miraculously, and the trio settled underneath a decently sized overhang behind another building.

Jin sat down and fell asleep almost immediately. Fuu settled herself in uneasily beside him, as Mugen took the final spot on her left. He glared daggers and spit hellfire her way, promising he'd make her regret giving up their room. Fuu had merely turned her nose into the air and said that she could only be rewarded with good karma, something Mugen knew little about.

And that's when Mugen shoved her. It wasn't a brutal shove or anything. More like a shoulder bump to make her shut up already. But, being Fuu – tiny, light, clumsy, she was sent flying into the rain. Mugen's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock, which then turned into hearty laughter – "There's some good karma for your preachin' ass, girly!" – and Jin stared curiously on, awake now from the pirate's mirth.

Fuu scrambled back into her spot between her two bodyguards, but was given an uneasy reception. She was wet and cold and the trio was quite literally shoulder-to-shoulder. They didn't want to get wet or cold, either. But, to Fuu's shock and appreciation, neither man said anything about it. It was plain as day in their faces and in the way they tried to scoot away as far as possible without falling into the rain themselves, but they didn't say anything to her about it. And for that, she was grateful.

She'd awoken the next morning with a tingly little scratch at the back of her throat and a stuffy nose. Mugen told her, what felt like a million times, to quit snifflin' and clearin' her throat – drink somethin' if her throat was botherin' her so much. So she did. She'd cleaned out her canteen within an hour and they kept having to stop (as they were following a river, thankfully) so she could refill it.

Jin was the one who declared her sick, feeling her tonsils at the back of her chin and tickling her. She ignored Mugen's taunts – "Why're ya blushin' Fuu? You want me to leave so you two can play some real doctor?" – and stared anywhere but into Jin's scrutinizing gaze. The samurai nodded and said it was a simple sore throat. Green tea and honey would be her best friend until it went away.

But that was three days ago. Now, not only was she sick of green tea and honey, but her throat was aching and her ears made everything sound faraway. She was forced to breath out of her mouth because her nose was packed with cement for all she knew, which made her throat dry out faster. Nothing worked the way it was supposed to and whenever she thought she had found a way to alleviate one symptom, another appeared to take its place.

"Find your voice yet?"

She scowled at Mugen.

"Good. 'Cause this has been the best two damn days of my life, right Four-Eyes?"

Jin turned to give Fuu, who was trailing behind the two, a concerned glance. He readjusted his glasses. "Would you like to rest?" He paused to allow her to catch up.

"Again?" Mugen was incredulous, walking ahead. "At this rate, we're gonna be older than that stupid couple at the inn by the time we reach Edo!"

Fuu gave the back of his head another venomous look before shaking her head negatively at Jin. The pirate was right, albeit a bit exaggerated. It was nearing sunset and they needed a place to stay. They wouldn't be able to find one if they kept stopping to rest.

Jin touched the back of his hand to Fuu's forehead, and the tiny teen almost fell backwards. "You're dizzy, then?"

She nodded, shaping her fingers into a gesture that indicated, "A little."

"You do feel somewhat warmer than usual." Jin placed the hand that was on her forehead to his chin in thought. "Perhaps we should have a physician take a look at you. Whenever we reach the next town –"

"Hey!"

They turned to Mugen, who was so far off in the distance he appeared smaller than Fuu's pinky finger.

He jutted his thumb behind him. "Lights!"

"Yo, girly."

Fuu removed her face from her hands to look across the table.

"Ya hungry?"

She nodded, taking in the restaurant. It smelled delicious, but was a bit foggy due to pipe smoke. It was pretty loud, too, fueling her headache and doing nothing to help her appetite.

"Whaddya want?"

She lowered a brow and shrugged. Mugen was being nice? This wouldn't end well.

"Point to somethin'." He held the menu out for her to peruse, staring dumbly at the item she selected. He turned to Jin. "…She wants this one."

Jin sighed at the illiterate man and nodded, turning to Fuu. "Only dango?"

She nodded, returning to cradling her head just as a waitress. She heard her bodyguards give the woman their order and listened as Jin ordered her dango for her.

"Also, miso and green tea…with honey."

Fuu groaned and dropped her head onto the table.

"Suck it up, brat."

Too weary to lift her head and give the pirate a vehement look, Fuu instead settled on lifting her hand and using Mugen's favorite finger against him. His laughter shook the table.

The waitress returned quickly, pausing with Fuu's soup and tea. Mugen rolled his eyes and pushed Fuu's head out of the way so the other girl could give her the food. Fuu was too exhausted to stop herself from sliding, even though Mugen had let go of her a long time ago, and she found herself resting atop the empty spot next to her.

The waitress and Mugen turned uneasy glances Jin's way, the latter of which stared at the sleeping teen and squeezed the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses.

"I gave her ginger tea with a bit of lemon instead." The waitress announced anxiously. "She looks pretty bad, if you don't mind me saying."

"Is there a doctor nearby?"

The girl bit her lip. "He's not really official…but he's the closest thing we've got without heading to the next town."

Jin sighed; worried she'd say something like that.

"Where's he at?" Mugen questioned, eyeing the slumbering Fuu. He'd be damned if they had to put up with these antics any longer.

The doctor chuckled and sat down in front of Fuu, who sat nervously next to Jin. Mugen had been forced to wait outside.

"You have quite a nasty case of influenza, my dear."

She balled her tiny hands into fists upon her lap.

"It is another word for the common cold." Jin elucidated, keen to her anxiousness.

"A common misconception, samurai." The doctor countered. "Influenza is much more severe. Highly contagious."

Fuu closed her eyes tightly to conquer a dizzy spell.

"It can lead to pneumonia if not detected soon enough."

"And in Fuu's case?"

"She is not there yet."

Phew!

"But…"

Of course…

"Since it is a virus, I cannot give her any medication to help." He sighed. "Her best bet of beating it is to get lots of rest and to drink plenty of fluids."

"I see."

"Green tea with honey is my personal prescription."

Fuu fell forward and clutched her head, releasing a silent scream.

The doctor eyed her but Jin held his hand up in a pacifying way. "She does not react kindly to green tea and honey…"

"So what's the verdict?" Mugen stood up when Jin and Fuu exited the doctor's house.

"Influenza."

The pirate arched a brow and looked at the green-in-the-face teen. "You're gonna die."

Fuu stuck her tongue out at him and folded her arms across her chest, mouthing, "Screw you."

"I can read lips y'know."

"But you can't read words?.!" She was dying to scream back at him. Damn this stupid virus. She could deal with the sore throat, the stuffy-and-then-runny nose, the muscle aches, the dizziness…but she could not deal with the loss of her voice. Especially when she had to constantly contend someone like Mugen.

It was entirely his fault anyway. If he hadn't given her that shove three nights ago, she would have never landed in the rain and gone to sleep wet and cold. Stupid jerk.

"The doctor said she needs rest. Lots of it."

Mugen sighed heavily. "You ain't never gonna find that sunflower dude at this rate, girly." He ignored the figurative steam rising from her ears. "You gotta suck it up. Toughen up – it's just some sniffles."

Just some sniffles? JUST SOME SNIFFLES?.!

Fuu growled and tackled Mugen to the ground, smacking and punching and scratching at anything she could get her hands on. Jin pinched the bridge of his nose and sat with his back against the doctor's door, watching the two idiots quarrel. It didn't last very long, as Mugen easily overpowered the frail and sickly girl. He clasped her hands behind her back and sat up with her in his lap, staring amusedly into her face.

"Damn, Fuu." He chuckled. "I never knew you were such a scrapper! I might have a few bruises now!"

Fuu scowled deeper, not satisfied yet. He was still mocking her. She needed to win. She needed a surefire way to shut him up for good. Something drastic and insane that he could never top. Something that would be sure to put him in his place and show him who's boss.

She leaned her head in and slammed her mouth to his, parting his lips and swirling her tongue against his. Both their eyes were open and wide as they stared back at each other, a mixture of shock and bewilderment. Behind them, Jin sat frozen with a highly quirked brow. But after a moment, things made sense and his lips curved up into an appreciative smile. Fuu really was too clever.

"What the hell was that?.!" Mugen demanded, releasing her hands and shooting to his feet. He wiped the back of his hand against his mouth and spit onto the ground, glaring at the smirking Fuu beneath him.

Jin cleared his throat, catching the pirate's attention and not bothering to conceal his mirth. "Influenza is highly contagious."

A/N: Oi vei…I didn't plan for this to be so long. 1,871 words, not including the title or A/N's. Yikes. I hope it was enjoyable despite it's length. Once I started I just couldn't stop. And I'm thinking about writing a sequel to this, about how well Mugen fares with a cold. Let me know what you think!

Also, for some odd reason FFN doesn't publish an exclamation point when it's next to a question mark, and vice-versa. So I put a period between them in the hopes that both would show up that way.