Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai Champloo or any of its characters.

Chapter 14

The journey from the cherry blossom grove to Sekisuiji took longer than usual; Jin and Fuu had emotions to express that had been bottled up for many years. They expressed them mainly in the form of kisses and caresses, but there were also some of the playful conversations that lovers typically indulge in.

Fuu said, "You were not so averse to playing the role of my husband in front of Mayumi-san. Does this mean that you have reconsidered my plan for the kitsunetsuki case?"

"No, I have not. If I recall correctly you wanted me to play the role of a 'bored and irritated' husband who wants his wife dead. The role I played in front of Mayumi-san was that of a loving husband," said Jin. "Which I might add, is a great deal more enjoyable," he remarked, after a pause in which he had kissed her again.

"We will never get back to the inn at this rate. Oji-san and Oba-san must be worried," said Fuu, releasing herself from Jin's embrace, only to be pulled back into his arms for another round of kissing.

"Jin, seriously, they will be worrying about me," said Fuu.

"Well, we will have to tell them about us. It should be a good enough reason to cancel your miai."

Fuu looked worried. "It is complicated. I can't just – mph-"

She had been interrupted with a kiss before she could finish, but she persisted. "I can't just tell them, 'By the way, Jin and I kissed, so please cancel the miai.'"

"You will not have to tell them anything," said Jin gently. He cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes with a searching gaze. "I shall ask them for your hand in marriage."

Her eyes widened. "What? Are you, do you mean - "

"They might not think that I am a 'suitable' prospect for you, given that I have led a nomadic life in the past seven years or so. But I could open up a school – there is always a demand for education among the chonin. I could also earn some additional income through running martial arts classes. We will not be rich, but we will have enough."

Fuu had been mesmerized by Jin's gaze as he said this. She felt an emotion welling up inside her that was overwhelming. However, while she correctly identified it as a sense of immense happiness, she was afraid to experience it to its fullest extent. She needed to be sure of Jin's feelings.

So she asked, "Are you doing this just so you can save me from the miai?"

"No, I am doing this because I love you. I had, in fact, thought about asking you to marry me three years ago. I almost did, the day before you went to Ikitsuki island, near that river bank. But you were too young, and I think you would have refused me at that time."

"You loved me three years ago?"

"Yes, although it was a different kind of love. But I had known that once you grew up I would love you the way I do now."

"It is said that a marriage is a spiritual connection between souls; one is pledged together for seven existences. But I would want to be with you forever, not just for seven existences."

He says such terribly old fashioned things, but he is so adorable, thought Fuu. Jin's little speech reminded her of the dialogues one came across in love stories of hundreds of years ago.[1] She had wanted to laugh, but didn't have the heart to, knowing that he had said everything he did in complete seriousness.

Fuu remembered how she and Mugen used to laugh when Jin said things like "The sword is the soul of a warrior," or "Fishing is a life and death struggle between man and fish". But she knew that the things he said were very Jin-like things to say, and she loved him for it.

So she ran her fingers through his hair and said very gently, "I too would want to be with you forever, not just for seven existences. But I think we need to prepare my uncle and aunt for this. I don't know how they will react if you were to propose today."

"But it would be dishonourable not to do so," said Jin. "Besides, Kofu is a small town; by now I am sure everyone in it knows we are romantically involved. Your aunt and uncle are bound to hear of it sooner or later. It would be better to hear it from us."

Fuu looked uncertain. "Yes, but I am not sure how they are going to react. And it would be difficult for them to cancel the miai without offending the Tanaka family. After all, they went out of the way to arrange for the miai to coincide with our trip back from Fuji-san."

"Fuu-chan," said Jin in a stern but gentle tone, "You can't possibly be thinking of going through with the miai. Especially when you have no intention of accepting their marriage proposal."

"Yes, but they may not send a proposal if they don't like me. It happened with my previous miai."

"You had a miai before, and the groom's family cancelled the negotiations?" queried Jin, looking very surprised.

"Yes, I managed to make the groom dislike me," said Fuu, which, of course, did nothing to clear Jin's confusion.

She looked nervous as they approached the Sekisuiji Onsen Inn. "I'll tell you about it later. For now let us focus on what to say to Oji-san and Oba-san."

"It is quite simple, Fuu-chan," said Jin. "I will tell them that I want to marry you."

They heard footsteps approaching as a voice behind them said, "Fish-Face is getting married?"

---xxx---

Needless to say the reunion of Jin, Mugen and Fuu was a happy one. Fuu had run forward to embrace Mugen, who returned the embrace rather reluctantly, and patted her gingerly on her shoulder. But he was obviously pleased – he had smiled and said, "Hi brat, nice to see you all grown up."

Jin had been pleased to see Mugen, and the fact that Fuu was happy pleased him as well. The three of them being together had felt right – it had been like a family reunion.

Mugen had said, "So you found her."

Fuu chattering nineteen to the dozen excitedly described their meeting at the shrine, and how they had been helping Manzou with a criminal investigation.

Mugen had said, "Hey, slow down. I forgot how talkative you used to be."

Fuu had laughed and punched his arm playfully. "And I forgot how rude you used to be."

With pleasantries out of the way, the conversation now moved to what Mugen had overheard.

"So what's this marriage business I heard you guys talk about? You two are getting hitched?"

Fuu blushed and stammered, "I, er, we,-"

Jin, on the other hand, said very calmly, "Yes, Fuu and I intend to get married. But there are some obstacles we have to contend with."

"Such as?"

Jin explained the situation to Mugen. Mugen said to Fuu, "Fish-Face is right. Just tell your aunt and uncle."

Fuu said, "Of course we have to tell them. But from their point of view, it is going to be a shock. We haven't been in touch for three years, and if Jin proposed two days after seeing me again it will appear very strange to them."

Mugen said, "Yeah, but what else can he do."

Fuu said, "I was just telling him about a plan I had."

"And what is that?"

Fuu said, "I can sabotage the miai by acting in a way that doesn't please either the groom or his family. I did that in my previous miai and it worked."

Jin and Mugen exchanged perplexed glances. "And what exactly did you do?" asked Jin.

"Well, I am kind of good at making faces. Remember that time the two of you were involved with those yakuza, and I got stuck in a brothel with Osuzu? I made an 'ugly face' when customers came to view us and scared off most of them. It would have worked very well except that there was a pervert who liked me, but I managed to stun him with a vase and escaped."

Jin and Mugen were somewhat amused by this. She is still very innocent, thought Jin, feeling a surge of affection for Fuu.

He said, "Fuu-chan, I hope you are not proposing to make an, ah, 'ugly face' during your miai. And you can't manage to do that without your aunt and uncle observing it. It would embarrass them. Did you do something of that kind in your previous miai?"

"Of course not! I found out that the groom was kind of prudish and liked the traditional, demure type of girls. So I acted as forward as possible without being too obvious. But there was an opportunity when everyone else was looking at some scroll at the shrine where the miai took place, but the groom happened to be looking at me. I used that moment to, well, give him an amorous sort of look. You know, the sort of look some women used to give the two of you during our trip to Nagasaki. That woman, Budou Kiba, for example, who got the two of you drunk and stole your money."

"Of course, I don't mean to say that I am going to do the same thing for the forthcoming miai, but you get the point. If I could find out what they dislike, it is a matter of acting accordingly."

Mugen stroked his chin thoughtfully. He had a straight face, but a very mischievous look in his eyes. Jin, on the other hand, was smiling.

Mugen said, "Show us this 'amorous look.'"

Jin gave him a warning glance; he knew Mugen was planning to tease Fuu, and he was worried about Fuu's reaction. They might end up fighting, and then he would have to try and calm them down.

Fuu blushed and said, "I am not sure I can demonstrate it to the two of you."

Mugen said, "Why not? You are going to marry Fish-Face aren't you?"

Fuu said, "Well, maybe I can use that statue over there." She pointed towards an ornamental statue of a warrior at the corner of the inn's garden.

Facing the statue, Fuu did her best 'Budou Kiba' imitation. Jin managed to suppress his smile, but Mugen was on the ground, collapsing in a fit of laughter.

Jin said, in a warning tone, "Mugen!" He hoped Mugen would stop laughing soon or the situation could turn into a potentially explosive one.

Fortunately, Fuu didn't react as Fuu of three years ago might have. She just kicked Mugen in the shins and said, "Jerk! What's so funny?" But she didn't look angry, only slightly peeved.

Jin went to her and put an arm around her waist in a light embrace. "Fuu-chan, that was not an 'amorous look'. I doubt that the groom could have cancelled marriage negotiations if a beautiful girl such as you were to look, uh, amorously at him."

Mugen said, bluntly, "He obviously thought you were a retard. If you want to stay engaged to Fish-Face, you should definitely avoid looking at him that way."

Seeing Fuu looking embarrassed and more than a little annoyed, Jin said, "The way she looks at me is none of your business."

Mugen said, "Whatever."

Jin tightened his embrace of Fuu, and surprised her with a passionate kiss. She was initially a little conscious of being kissed in the presence of Mugen, but soon got lost in the moment. After a pause, Jin looked down at her and said gently, "Now that, Fuu-chan, is an amorous look."

Mugen said, "Ew, that is gross. You guys should get a room."

[1] The 'Story of O-Tei' that appears in Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan, refers to the Buddhist belief that marriage is a spiritual connection that could last up to seven incarnations. This is also a Hindu belief.

Author's note: I want to thank all the reviewers for their kind comments and encouragement. However, I am not sure the above chapter will be to your liking. I am just not good with romantic stuff.

Also I think that some readers might think that the marriage proposal was too sudden. It might be, if this was set in the 21st century, but I think it is plausible for 17th century Japan. And Jin is the type who goes all the way, once he has taken the plunge, so to speak. He is also capable of making romantic speeches, as we know from Episode 11, Gamblers and Gallantry. (I am referring to the Geneon/Madman Entertainment Volumes of Samurai Champloo. Alternatively, Paula O'Keefe's AMALGAM site has excellent episode guides.)