Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Champloo or the movies listed above.
Shino watched him sleep why she drank her tea. His breathing was ragged and his skin pale. She wondered how much time the samurai had left in his life. She hoped his friends would get here before the end. It didn't seem fair for this man to die when he was so young. He had saved her from a life of prostitution and expected nothing in return. The gods had sent her a gift.
As she covered him with a blanket as her thoughts drifted to her family. Her new husband, Okita, was so understanding about her secrets. He knew about her past and still he let her go. She felt guilty for wanting to get back to him and her children. I What did I ever do to deserve the two of them/I She wondered.
Shino also felt a guilty about asking Fuu to come without telling her everything. She was afraid the girl would say no. But she had no other choice; Okita had sent word for her to return soon. He had been sympathetic up to now. There weren't too many men that would allow their wives to leave their homes and care for a stranger.
The young boy she had sent to deliver the message came to knock on the door. "Shino-san. I did as you asked." He waited quietly at the doorway for her.
Shino smiled at him. "Come in, Saito-kun. Would you like a drink?" She asked him. Saito was only 12 years old but acted like an adult.
"Only if it is sake," he kidded her. "A glass of water would be fine."
Shino poured him a cup of water and put some rice in a small sack for Okita, his payment for delivering the note. She handed both to him. "Are you sure she got it?" Shino asked.
The boy nodded as he drank the water. "Yes. I watched the lady pick it up. How is Jin?"
Shino tried to smile. Jin had become a surrogate to Saito. "He's about the same. Jin is sleeping now. Maybe when he wakes up, he can give you a sword lesson."
The boy smiled at her but Shino could tell, even he knew Jin's time on earth was short. Please hurry, Fuu.
Fuu was getting worried. They had just passed the same tree for the third time in the last hour. They were going around in circles. "Are we lost?" She asked him.
"No," Mugen replied as he looked around.
"I think we are," Fuu told him.
"Shh. I'm thinking." Mugen's stomach growled.
"Mugen?" Fuu looked at him. His stomach was loud.
"What?" Mugen inquired.
"I'm hungry," Fuu told him as she looked around. She was just about to lose hope when a young lady walked by. Naturally, Mugen looked her up and down. Fuu kicked him before he got any ideas. They didn't have time for his games. They needed to get to Jin.
Fuu asked the girl for directions. She didn't know how to get to Jin's village but offered to take them to her village. As hungry as she was, Fuu took the girl up on her offer and they walked with her to the village.
Mugen and Fin had stopped at teahouse for something to eat. They had been walking all day and were only halfway their journey to Funo. Mugen was taking his time eating and Fuu was getting madder with each moment that passed. He tried to ignore her glare. "What?" He asked her with a mouthful of rice.
"How much more you got to eat? Appetites aren't as big as your nose, huh?
We need to get there. That letter…it didn't sound good." Fuu's voice trailed off.
Mugen felt guilty now but it didn't stop him from eating. He couldn't let Fuu know that he actually cared for that bastard and something in his gut told him that Jin was not well. They still had a long way to go and this might be his last meal until they reached Funo. It just didn't seem possible Jin could be weak. "I'm almost done." He told her as he shoveled more of the rice into his mouth. He wondered if he was taking his time because he really didn't want to see Jin any other way except for how he remembered him: strong, calm, and one hell of a good fighter.
Fuu grinned at Mugen's words. He wasn't the jerk he pretended to be. She was sure that no matter what how much he denied it, he was worried too. Fuu ate a little more rice herself. They still had almost a day left of walking and she wasn't sure when they would come across an inn or teahouse.
The sound of his own cough woke Jin up. The samurai knew that he should be used to it by now. Most mornings it was his cough that woke him up. Today it took him awhile to catch his breath. Jin hoped Shino didn't hear him, he hated the idea of anyone seeing him so weak. The guilt was starting to get to him as well. Shino had a family now, a husband and children who needed her and she was here caring for him. Some days he wished Shino would just leave him here to die. Dragging his life on when he was seemed pointless. Everyone would be better off if he were dead.
Jin thought often about taking his own life and it was not unheard of in his world. But, something inside of him wouldn't let him give up and so he carried on with his struggle to live. Everyday he went through the motions of just surviving. Jin got up, put on his kimono, and tied his hair. Even if he was a samurai in name only, Jin could look the part. He walked out into the dining area. Shino was drinking a cup of tea.
She turned and smiled when she saw him. "Jin-chan, you are awake. Are you hungry?" Shino asked him.
"Yes, Shino-chan, I am." Jin lied to her. She would only worry if he told her no.
"One of the boys from the village brought me some fish. Believe it or not, he caught too many. Can you get some vegetables from the garden?"
Jin smiled at her. He knew she only asked to make him feel useful but he played along with it. "I'll go now. What should we have? Perhaps some beans and tomatoes?"
"Yes, that sounds good." Shino replied. She watched him walk to the garden. To look at him, you might not know he was even sick. She knew that was only because he worked so hard to hide it.
Jin picked the vegetables for dinner. He wondered how long he would live like this. He felt as if he was already dead. What he had was certainly not life: Sleeping most of the time, the pain in his chest, and being so weak he could no longer fulfill his duties as a samurai. What in the hell do I go on living for? He wondered. Just as he asked himself that question, the strangest vision crossed his mind. It was them? Mugen and Fuu. What did they have to do with his will to live?
Mugen and Fuu got directions to Jin's village from the teahouse's owner who was a kind old woman. Fuu could hardly wait to leave. The waitress obviously had a thing for Mugen. And well he…chased anything in a kimono. Sometimes he drove her crazy.
They walked for the rest of the day. Mugen wanted to stop to eat dinner but Fuu wouldn't let him. She wanted to reach the village by nightfall. Mugen complained but let Fuu win this argument. He knew how stubborn the woman was once she made up her mind. Just as the sky started to get dark, they arrived at the village. They were both so exhausted that they could hardly walk. Fuu sighed, they still had to find Jin's home.
Mugen spotted a teahouse. "Fuu, lets get some tea first. Maybe we can get directions to Jin's."
Although she didn't want to wait, Fuu relented. It was dark now and they'd never be able to find Jin's home without some help. She was also tired and hoped the tea would give her some energy. "Okay Mugen, but just tea."
They finally had made it and Fuu wondered if she should have been happier. She was going to see Jin for the first time in 10 years. Part of her didn't want to leave the teahouse. She would have to face Jin and it wouldn't be the same man that she had known. The letter had said Jin was sick, and dying. She couldn't imagine Jin any other way then how he had been when they parted: strong, honorable, and solitary. She wondered what he was like now.