Inamorata
by Eternal Angel

Inamorata (n) - a woman with whom one is in love or has an intimate relationship.

6.

The next day came with the clinkering of pots and pans from the kitchen. With a bit of a groan, he found himself sprawled in the middle of a room he barely remembered settling into after drinking himself senseless. Subaru was able to drink him under the table and so forth and he wondered if he was slipping due to age.

He scrambled up. He found his clothing, dried and folded, near the door of the room. It sat there waiting for him to change into. The familiar set hung onto him comfortably, lighter and much more unconventional to his previously borrowed outfit. Stretching, he worked out some of the knots that he had on his shoulder and back. The newly washed clothing smelt sweet and clean. Although his clothing did sport a pleasant smell to it, something else in the house smelt great.

Fuu smiled up at him from the pot she was boiling when he found that the result to his escapade to find where that scent came from resulted to her. He was standing right behind her, some of the loose strands of hair escaping the knot she had pulled up was tickling at him slightly.

"You've missed breakfast. I ate your portion of it. Right now I'm making us lunch."

He muttered something that sounded like 'pig'. He looked around then, he started to notice that the house lacked the presence of a certain drinking buddy.

"Your husband?"

"He's at work." She replied. She starts to extinguish the flame under the pot. "He said to tell you that he had fun knowing you. He enjoyed drinking with you last night."

"When are you leaving?" There was a moment of pause before she said that, as if she had contemplated if she wanted to ask him or not. Mugen stepped away to let her push the food onto some plates.

"After lunch. I want to get to the next town before sunset."

They both know that he doesn't know what the next town is or even how far it really is. However, she doesn't say too much in reply. She was just happy that she had managed to get him to stay the night. Any longer than a night would really be asking too much of him.

"Jin lives North of here." Fuu told him. "About a day and a half of walking."

"Maybe," Mugen responded, noncommittally.

- - - - -

She chatted all throughout lunch. The both of them ate at a pace that wasn't too fast and not too slow. It was a painfully calculated pace. She would look at him often, her eyes staring down at his every feature as to commit every scare and line into her memory.

He watched as the food slowly disappeared before sitting back with an expression most lazy. It would be too easy for him to stay another day there where food, room, and a familiar face would be present. It would just be too easy to get used to this, get used to being with her – it would be just too easy to stop wandering around all day and stay.

However, he wasn't the type to stay. He had to go on, to find someplace he didn't even know existed. He knows this very much because it's written in his spirit, in his blood.

She knew this all too well. The food is all gone, the conversation has grown sparce and she is picking up the plates and bowls on the table. Her eyes stared at him with an expression of sadness and understanding.

Mugen doesn't say anything. He doesn't know words too well and mostly doesn't know how to make her feel better. Nothing that he could say would possibly be able to make her feel better. What he does instead was pick up his stuff and gets ready for his next journey.

- - - - -

Their farewell was short. She had exhausted every thing she might have wanted to tell him in the past two days that she was loss for words other than good bye and take care. She was clinging onto him, her arms wrapped tightly around him and she kisses him on the cheek. When he gets her to let go of him, he ruffled her hair a bit and ignores lonely expression on her face.

He was leaving and they both knew that he probably won't ever find his way back again. He had made no promises to her about coming back and she has not asked him of it. They have always left it to fate to decide how their future was to unfold and fate was a funny thing. Fuu was having problems fighting back the tears but gave him a push away.

He had to go on. So he does, he left the girl who he had meet through fate behind him. He was walking in the path that was his own. After going a few meters, he stops, remembering something. There was still a question that needed to be addressed. It was a question that Subaru insisted that Mugen asked Fuu before he had left for good.

"What are you naming the child?" Mugen doesn't turn around to ask her this – though he did stop to wait for her answer. He's prepared to leave the moment he hears the answer she has to give him. With his back facing her, he doesn't see the surprised expression that crossed her face sparked by the question.

"If it's a girl, I'm naming her after my mother."

There was a bit of silence after her words. Mugen prepares to walk on when he heard the gentle voice continue from behind him. "If it's a boy, I'm naming him Mugen."

He whipped himself around fast, surprised at her words. He looked at the woman and the child that will be. A child that would have his namesake if fate should ever so happen allowed that to be. She was crying and smiling at the same time. A pleased expression on her face - her eyes amazingly bright.

It was in that moment that he knew that this will always be the woman that he will love and that this woman shall always be the woman that also loves him. No matter what has happened or will happen, no matter whom she loves and who he will love, this love will always be.

He gave her a final kiss, whispered thanks you, and then left her behind to a world he could never give her.

- - - - -

End

- - - - -

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful FB that I have been getting for Inamorata. I know my tenses have been an utter mess in this fic, mostly because I was trying to write in present tense but it failed. I instead am in the middle of revision chapters so that they are changed to past tense. I think I have done chapter 1 and 5 already. Now all that is left is the ones in the middle.

As for the ending, yes, they don't get together in the end. I just wanted to play with the idea of an 'ever lasting love' instead of a 'meant to be' love. Moving on and finding a new love does not mean that the old love is gone.

And did Fuu have a boy or girl? Obviously, the answer is that she had a boy. Fate always works in favor for us hopeless romantics.

Completed: 7/21/05