(a/n: Hey there. Fun stuff in this chapter. Psych! No…It's all sad and depressing. Generally it'll bring you down faster than a cinderblock tied to your ankles in the ocean. Imagery is awesome. R&R loves.)
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Vol. 26 Jin's Junction
-Fuu-
As I walked home from the fish stand tonight, going back over the odd events, I couldn't help but still think I was lucky. I mean, Mugen had sort of nearly ruined everything, but it all turned out fine. Kazu let it go when Mugen walked away, not that I thought he'd have won in the fight anyway. My theory on me finally being lucky though was that Kazu had even come back around today. I was such a fool the first time we met that I never thought he'd come back. And how he stood up for me, like a real guy should. I was used to Mugen.
His idea of treating a woman right was actually paying her afterward.
Don't even get me started on Jin. I used to think he'd be a guy who'd know the value of a woman, but now I wasn't convinced. He got a girl pregnant and lead another on when he knew perfectly well that he was in love with the first. Then he doesn't even go after the other one when he's clearly in love with her too. I didn't think he knew that just yet though. Or maybe he did and he just kept telling himself he wasn't. Maybe it made it easier for him. I had to give it to him though; he did take care of his responsibilities.
I was at the inn before I even knew it. I was startled when the man at the door greeted me. "Hello young miss."
I nodded a quick response and bustled up to the room.
The bundle of fish in my hand that I had wrapped up before the stand closed weighed heavily in my hands. I had picked the best of the remainders for our dinner. I knew the boys would be happy. I was thinking of trying to do something special with them, but I couldn't think of anything to make with just the stuff we had. We didn't have the money to buy anything else either.
Mugen was sitting next to the window when I slid the door open. The toothpick in his mouth was barely between his lips, about to fall. His eyes were drifting lazily around; taking in whatever caught his eye. His left hand was curled up under his chin and the other was propping him up behind his back. He didn't even look at me when I came in. It was usual, especially when he was feeling annoyed with me.
"You seen four-eyes?" he suddenly asked. I was already unwrapping the fish and pulling out a pot to put them in with some vegetables. Looked like I was going to be stewing them.
"No," I answered with a sigh. "I haven't. He's probably still over with Shino."
"Whatever. When's dinner?"
"When Jin gets back."
I could see his eyes roll even from across the room. He knew that could be anytime. We sat in the silence for a while more, me making dinner and him not doing anything.
"So what was that all about today? That whole thing with Kazu could have gotten me fired, you know." I voiced, breaking the silence. He shrugged. "You could at least give me an explanation. He didn't even do anything to you Mugen. You just started being rude to him right off the bat."
"I don't like his face."
I glared daggers at his back. He never had a good reason for anything he did. Sometimes I just didn't believe he thought about the things he did or said beforehand. "Well jeeze Mugen, if I had known then I wouldn't have ever bothered." The acidy sarcasm was satisfying as it spilled out of my lips. I was sure a fight was coming, but I didn't really care. I was on the edge from all the bad stuff that had been going on and the one good thing was being ruined by Mugen.
"Fine, do what you want Fuu." He was calm and passive. What was going on? Mugen never ever didn't fight, not even if he knew he was wrong.
I was about to ask him if he was alright when Jin came in looking just as off as Mugen. For the first time since I met him, his face was vacant. It looked like absolutely nothing was going on behind his usually intelligent eyes. This was frightening.
Dinner was just as uncomfortable. No one was talking really, and that wasn't all that odd, but no one was interested in the food. Now that, that was definitely weird.
"This is the last dinner we will be having together," Jin told us halfway through. The food had long since gone cold, but we were still picking at it.
I looked up from my bowl, confused. "What?"
"He's going away tomorrow, genius," Mugen clarified.
"With Shino?" I asked. I didn't think it'd be this quick. "Jin, you hardly just got back together with her. And-"
"Fuu, I understand that you are worried about your fate, but Shino needs me. She is due in the next few weeks, and I have to have things ready. You and Mugen can continue to travel together, and I'm sure that Tsukiko will come back and resume her place."
"Jin," I helplessly said. My voice was barely above a whisper. I looked at Mugen. "What about you? Are you going to go too? Are you both just going to leave me? First it was Tsuki and now Jin- how long are you going to stay Mugen, a week?" I fought back the tears that blurred the edge of my vision. "Just go you idiots!" I stood up and slammed the partition between our sleeping areas. I knew I was being immature, but I just couldn't take the thought of us breaking up again. I blinked back the tears even though I was alone and free to cry all I wanted. I was sick of being the cry-baby little kid of the group. No one took me serious around here or thought I could do anything, and maybe it was because I acted like a kid. I wasn't going to cry anymore.
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I woke up to the sound of a frustrated grunt. My eyes were heavy and swollen. I might have been crying while I slept. Dang it. Mugen was fiddling with a hole in his shirt; sticking his long, bony, calloused finger through the hole in the red cloth. I raised my head up and noticed no one else was there. By no one, I meant Jin.
"He's gone already," Mugen supplied. He knew that was the first thing I'd look for. "Left around sunset. He told me to tell you that he didn't say goodbye because he knew it'd just make it all harder for you."
"Oh…" was all I could say. It was done and I'd slept right through it. Jin was gone. Two down, one to go.
"Do you have work today?" Mugen asked. He was being kind of pleasant at least.
I nodded. "Yeah. Every day this week."
-Mugen-
"You know man, I never thought you'd be the one to leave with a girl first," I said to Jin.
"Shh," he hissed with a finger on his lips. He jabbed thumb at Fuu. She was curled up under the blankets, still asleep. It was before sunrise even, and Jin was getting out early. He was packing up all his shit, stuffing it all in a bag he'd got from wherever. "I don't want to bother Fuu. It'll be easier if we don't have to say goodbye. She tends to get extremely emotional."
I nodded. "Yeah."
"Would you tell her something for me?"
"What?" I asked. I picked something out from under my fingernail. I was a little curious about what old Jin's last words to Fuu would be, and here I would be the one to deliver them.
"Tell her that I was just doing what I thought was right and that I didn't say goodbye to ease her pain."
I laughed. Jin looked mad when I shook my head. "Yeah, easier for her. Whatever you have to tell yourself buddy."
He sighed. "Just do it."
He went for the door, putting the sack over his shoulder. So this was it; the big goodbye. "Do me a favor and don't fuck that kid up by making him turn like you."
Jin actually got a big grin on his face. "That's a scary thought."
"You know, if I ever get a chick to pop out one of mine, and Fuu ever has one of her own; then I think that our little curse is so bad it might carry on over to them and they'll end up stuck together too."
"Our three kids you mean?" He thought about that for a second. "You're probably right."
"Well, see ya. Too bad I never got to kill you."
"I couldn't agree more."
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(a/n: sad face. )