Disclaimer: Fuu, Jin, and Mugen belong to the anime/manga Samurai Champloo. I have no rights to these characters, but the storyline and new characters are my own.
This was something different indeed. Jin didn't expect he would ever be training Fuu in the art of the samurai, but he had no other choice. The Samurai here was powerful, and he had more men than Jin and Mugen could have imagined. " Alright. Thrust your right arm forward." He commanded, Fuu did as she was instructed, but instead of holding Mugen's sword. She was holding a wooden stick. Jin thought it would be better if she started out with something simple and he also had a wooden stick to help Fuu learn. Fuu felt quite happy to be spending this time with Jin and learning how to swordfight. " Now, show me the moves that you have learned." Fuu did as she was told, slicing her stick forward and then to the side. Running forward, she spun around on her right foot. Toes slid along the dirt while she spread either arm out, sending two slashes in a circular motion to the right. Jin nodded and seemed pleased from Fuu's progression. They had started training since he found out that Mugen was captured, he just hoped that Mugen wasn't already dead. He wanted the pleasure in killing Mugen.
" Are you fucking crazy?" Mugen asked the woman that was putting on his clothes. " I can put my own damn clothes on." – " It is customary." The woman said in a small voice, Mugen immediately stopped. He knew she didn't want to be here as much as him, and it seemed that these men had had their fun with the meek young woman. A few were whispering amongst themselves while watching the female. " Fine." He complied. This was just bizarre, he figured he would be dead but no. He was alive and getting dressed in fine garments. Why? What did this Kaza want with him. After getting dressed, the samurai's led him to a small room in the compound where Kaza sat. Pushing him forward and closing the door behind him, he frowned and looked at his captor. " Thanks for the gear." He said as Kaza smiled and nodded. " Why you are welcome, Mugen." Mugen quirked a brow. He didn't tell Kaza his real name. " How did you?" – " I run this village. Of course I have random people stationed to find out the information that I want. I watched you and your friends the night before I captured you…mainly your Fuu." Mugen frowned and Kaza merely smirked.
" She is quite beautiful. I could have taken her right there when she was alone and you and Jin would have never found her. But I like a challenge." Looking at Mugen and then towards the food upon his table.
" Please
join me." Mugen folded his arms but walked towards the table,
sitting down as Kaza laughed.
" You're not getting anywhere
near her." He said flatly and Kaza nodded his head. " Oh, and who
are you to make threats to me?" – " It's not a threat, it's
a promise." Mugen was quite entertaining, Kaza would have to admit
to that. " We'll see about that." He said simply.
" You're doing good." Jin said as Fuu practiced her moves with the wooden stick, he had no idea how intelligent this girl was at swordplay. She seemed to be a natural, and he quickly gave her Mugen's sword to try out the moves with a real sword. She didn't falter for a second and her expression was calm yet determined. Jin didn't know what to think. " Thanks." Fuu said after completing the succession of attacks. He nodded his head. " I think I should be getting my outfit together…" – " The talent show isn't for a few more days." She looked at Jin. " I thought you would want time alone." He watched her and remained silent. " Is that how it's going to be Jin? I talk to you and you respond with silence?" Jin sighed and put his sword away. " I don't wish to make it seem like that." He said and she rolled her eyes. " Well it does seem like that Jin. How are we going to solve anything if you don't speak to me?" She questioned. He looked up towards the sky. " I'll try harder in the future." – " That's all I ask." He nodded and returned his gaze to her. " You don't have to leave if you don't wish to." She thought for a moment as she sheathed Mugen's sword. " I don't wish to." Now it was her turn to be silent and Jin was left to wonder what her intentions were. " We need to get this resolved." He said as she looked at him. " Yes, getting Mugen free. The talent show is too long away. Who knows what can happen to him during that time?" Jin nodded but he had a feeling that Mugen had found a way to keep himself out of harm's way.
" So, why am I being treated to these nice clothes and food Kaza?" Mugen questioned as Kaza bit into the apple that was in his right hand. " Well. You are merely a bargaining chip. I don't want to take Fuu by force and have her hate me… but trading your life for her own… well that is more interesting." Mugen quirked a brow as he wondered if this nut job was really serious. Like Fuu would ever trade her life for him, maybe Jin but Mugen knew that Fuu hated his guts as much as he disliked hers. " You're dreaming." Mugen said gingerly eating some shrimp. " I don't plan to poison you with food. I'm not some random female." Mugen looked at him and ate his food more vigorously. " Well. There are others ways to win her. I do hope she's still planning on performing at my talent show…" Mugen had stopped eating for a second. Did Jin and Fuu know they would be walking into a trap? He hoped that superior brain of Jin had some use instead of correcting him all the time. " We'll see." Mugen muttered. " We'll see…"
" Remember that talent show could be far more than what it is." Jin reminded Fuu as she practiced her moves against a tree in the back garden of the hotel. " Yeah, I wonder what this Kaza has in store for everyone…" She said as she smacked her blade against the tree causing chunks to fly through the air.
" I have no idea but the people in this town are quite frightened of him. It's like he's got this invisible stranglehold on them." Fuu nodded at Jin's words and spun around to slice at the tree again. " Well, we'll have to deal with that when the time comes. I know someone in this town wants him gone." – " We need some information on him anything to figure out his motives." Fuu smiled and shook her head. " Someone has got to want to say something." – " Yes, and who will we find to tell us this?" He questioned. " Me." A voice replied and at that Fuu and Jin turned around to see who the speaker was.
" Why do you want Fuu anyway?" Mugen asked Kaza as he leaned back in his seat and smiled. " She's just what I have been looking for." – " There are tons of broads in this village. I've seen them, they're all not that hard on the eyes." Did Mugen care about Fuu, yes. Even though she was an annoying nuisance, she made an effort to save his hide and it seemed she wasn't too keen on playing him like most of the girls he had encountered on their journey. But he knew that Fuu would never understand him and he would never understand her. " That's the thing. There are so many broads here. I want a real woman. I have watched Fuu and she seems to be the first real thing that has entered this town." Mugen rolled his eyes for a moment. " You don't believe your friend is worthy of my affections." – " I don't believe you're worthy of hers." He shot back and that caused a small scowl on Kaza's normally unchangeable façade. " Well, it's not you who will decide your fate."
" Who are you?" Jin questioned the speaker as the figure came through from the shadows. " I am Miko. And I want Kaza gone." – " Why?" Fuu questioned. " Kaza killed my sister when she refused to marry him. I don't want her death to have gone in vain." Miko looked to be around Fuu's age, or slightly older. Her dark hair was styled in a simple ponytail and her kimono was black. " If you have any information on Kaza, we would like to hear it." Miko nodded and sat down on a large rock where Mugen had once washed his shirt. " Well here goes… Kaza was never the real samurai of this village. There was only one, Ken… Ken was an honorable man and he was engaged to my sister, Myori. Myori was so happy to have found a man that truly loved her and we were all happy. But then a storm blew in and with that storm came Kaza. Kaza pretended to be an honorable man and befriended Ken quickly, they were both samurai's so their kinship wasn't too hard to form. Kaza soon developed feelings and then obsession for my sister." Fuu and Jin looked at one another and allowed Myori to finish her tale. " He tried to seduce my sister over the few months that he stayed but Myori refused every advance. This drove Kaza insane, he wanted her but he could not accept the fact that she did not want him. Ken heard about this, you see he was gone for a few months on this journey to finding spiritual peace. But that was shattered when he learned that Kaza was trying to take his bride. They fought, and Kaza surprised us all. He had gathered followers from within the village and they overtook Ken and killed him.." Sighing, she rested her right hand against her cheek.
" Myori was distraught but she would not give into Kaza. She would have rather died than to be forced to be his wife. So we made our escape. I wasn't going to let her go and face this world alone and she thanked for me for my courage. We set out to leave, the same night. But we were quickly found by Kaza and his men. I managed to escape thanks to Myori. But." Miko couldn't finish her tale and Jin and Fuu could only guess that her sister was murdered. Looking at one another, they knew they had more on their hands than some random psycho, he actually infiltrated the lives of these people and destroyed them from within.
" How are you liking your accommodations?" Kaza asked as Mugen watched him from the room that he was kept in. " Give me a sword and I'll show my thanks." He replied and that caused Kaza to laugh for a moment. " Do you think everything is funny?" Mugen pondered aloud and Kaza shook his head. " Only you samurai. I admire your fighting style. I have never seen that before." Mugen smirked and leaned back against the wall. " Well I have heard that a lot." – " But do you really want to be just some strange anomaly or a great fighter?" Kaza questioned. " As long as blood spills. I'm satisfied." – " That's all it is isn't it? Blood…" Mugen quirked a brow but he didn't know what to say. He wasn't about to upset this nut job and ruin his chances for getting out clean, and he had no sword. He was as good as helpless but whenever did that fact stop him? " How about you let me out for good behavior?" Kaza looked at Mugen and shook his head. " Not until I have Fuu." – " You sound obsessed. Fuu doesn't want anyone who stalks her, you ever wonder why stalkers never have a happy ending with their victims?" – " No, enlighten me." Mugen laughed. " It's because they're fucking crazy. That's why." He said and Kaza nodded, he had almost had Myori. If she hadn't tried to escape his advances, but her death allowed a more worthier to enter his life. Fuu, he was determined to rectify his mistake and make this female his bride. " I am just a man. No more crazier than you." – " Yeah, and sane men spend their time kidnapping and jailing innocent strangers." Mugen knew he was no where near innocent, but the principle applied.
" How did you escape?" Jin questioned Miko after they had gotten her something to eat, which was quite hard considering they didn't have enough to feed themselves. " Myori hid me in a forest surrounding. Kaza didn't want me so he had no reason to search for me. He only wanted Myori, she was the object of his desire." – " Do you think we can take him on Jin?" Fuu asked and Jin merely remained silent, training Fuu was going well considering how fast of a learner she was. But she was no great samurai, it seemed if he could get Mugen his sword. They might have a chance in leaving this town in one piece, and even that wasn't likely after hearing Miko's tale. " We will try our best. That is all we can give." Fuu nodded and sat down upon her small bed. " Let's just hope that Mugen is holding out." Jin nodded. " And hopefully his big mouth helps me out instead of hurts him." Fuu added with a grin. " We can only hope." – " I'm going with you two." Miko said suddenly which caused both surprised expressions from Fuu and Jin. " But Kaza will have you killed before you set foot in that house. I don't think he would have forgotten your face." Fuu pointed out and Miko shook her head. " Kaza only saw me a few times. I am much older now. He was more focused on my sister than anything, he will not have remembered me." Jin didn't know what to say, could he risk their lives to help this girl get her revenge on this man? " Well it's settled." Fuu said interrupting his thought and decided the manner. " We only have a day to go… let's make the most of it."
" I am doing what I can to insure that the one I love is mine." – " You don't even know Fuu, she's annoying." Kaza smirked and shrugged his shoulders. " Traits that can be changed, that is not a problem." Mugen rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. " Have you ever considered taking a woman that actually wanted you instead of making women who don't want you, yours? I mean, is your dick that small man?" Mugen questioned and Kaza frowned towards him. " My girth is none of your business and the chase is quite fun especially the capture." – " Like a cat and a mouse?" Kaza nodded. " The very same. I don't want a woman that I can win with my money and looks. It shows me what she wants and I am not willing to share with some greedy person." – " How do you know if she's genuine enough if you don't try the old fashion way?" Shaking his head, Kaza walked towards the door. " The old ways are gone. But don't worry, you won't have to worry about arguing for Fuu any longer. She will be mine and you and Jin will be gone. I would think you would be pleased, since you have said she is so annoying." – " She won't love you, Kaza. She will never love you." – " Do you want her feelings reflected upon yourself?" Kaza asked turning around to look at Mugen. " No, but I don't want someone forced to love some evil bastard like you." –
" It's amazing how our wants become our needs, and vice versa." Mugen moved his head back against the wall. " Don't turn this into Riddles motherfucker." – " Such language." Kaza commented softly. " Let's try a blade fight again and I'll throw my language out of the door and replace it with the vision of your blood." – "Tempting… but I'll pass." Mugen shook his head and waved Kaza off. " Go and jack off somewhere dreaming about a woman that won't be yours." Kaza nodded and left the room. Mugen sighed and looked towards the enclosed window. " You guys better hurry up. I can't stand being around shit head here…" Mugen nodded and closed his eyes.
