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.

" I think not." Kaza said after a moment of considering Mugen's proposition. " I do not wish to fight you. I just want Fuu and that is it." Mugen shook his head and sneered towards Kaza. " Have you ever thought of not being a total asshole?" Mugen questioned, lifting up his shoulders for a moment. Who was he to talk, he had been an asshole for their entire journey but even Mugen knew that holding a woman against their will was wrong. " I am done with your tedious questions." Kaza said simply and departed from the room, closing the door behind him before Mugen could follow him out. Stopping at the door, Mugen slammed his fists against the door and turned around. He just hoped that Myori's little plan was going to work. If not, he would have to go back to digging out that hole in the wall. On second thought, walking towards his deconstruction work, he bent down near the wall and pulled the vase away. " Well, since I'll be here for a while."

Miko spun around on her right foot and sent her blade towards Jin's stomach, moving back and holding the hilt of his sword in both hands. He moved to the right and successfully cut the right sleeve of Miko's kimono. Making her cry out softly from the sensation of the cut that he inflicted upon her. He was good, she didn't suspect that he was a trained fighter. All her life, she cut through her competition. Literally. And she did not like the feeling of being second place to some man. " Is that all you got?" She questioned in a slightly hoarse whisper, slashing Jin's arm which made a painful expression appear on his face. But he would not utter a sound, it wasn't that much of an injury.

Fuu during this time was looking at Mugen's sword. She had surprised herself, she was the least likely to be able to handle a sword since she was so clumsy at times. But when she had a sword, she felt that it was her support. She was graceful and she was something that she dreamed of being, a real lady and a warrior to boot. Maybe, now she could beat some sense in the weirdo's that seemed to flock around her. Moving her bang away from her eyes, she lay upon her back and looked at the ceiling. She wondered what was taking Miko and Jin so long out there, she wasn't sure if she should go out and check on them. She might be interrupting something and she wasn't sure what more secrets she wanted to stumble upon Jin revealing.

Coughing for a second after the dust settled from the large effort, he put forth. Mugen waved his hand left to right and bent down to see if he could see anything through the hole. There was nothing for a moment, except a single eye that looked red from non rest and a high cackle. " What the fuck!" Mugen yelled and scrambled back as fingers tried to pry through the small hole. Immediately slamming the vase upon the fingers, the person yelled and Mugen was now more annoyed. Putting the vase back before the hole, he wouldn't be escaping to the outside, he would be paying some lunatic a visit. And he wasn't in the mood to slaughter some unfortunate soul. Walking near the door, he could smell Myori's scent. He didn't know what it was, but it smelled wonderful. Might have been one of those flowers that Fuu was speaking about, they did smell nice well some of them. Stepping back, he just hoped that whomever it was would be someone he wanted to see.

" Come on you are making this easy!" Miko yelled, blocking Jin's blade with her own and throwing her arms up. Jin frowned and slid back from the force, she was strong and he would not give her any less of a compliment. But he was not going to die by the hands of some jealous child. " I am sorry but your time here is gone." Rushing towards her, he sent a blade towards her stomach. He knew she would try to jump back and slash out at him, but turning around. He sent his right arm out and the blade pierced through the female's back. Her eyes widened in surprise as the new signs of blood trickled from her mouth. " You have won." She said as she fell to her knees. Jin resheated his sword and looked away from the female as she died upon the dirt floor. " A waste of life…" He said simply, he would have to tell Fuu about Miko's treason, but he didn't have to walk too far. Fuu was standing frozen by the wall as she looked at Miko's lifeless body and then to Jin. " She was a traitor." He said simply and Fuu nodded. She didn't condone the killings, but she knew that some were necessary for their survival. Even though they were quite brutal. Walking towards her, he sighed and adjusted his glasses. " I think we still have a chance without her." –
" Let's get you cleaned up, you can tell me what happened." Fuu said immediately and they both went back into the hotel room.

" Mugen." A voice whispered as he stopped his pacing and looked back towards the door. " Myori?" He questioned, his fingers resting against the wood. " It's me." She whispered, looking down at the door handle, he stepped back as she opened the door and walked inside. She looked more tired than usual, as she hurried inside. " I know Kaza's plan." He said immediately, looking at Mugen. She nodded and folded her arms. " He wishes to get rid of me. I have stopped fighting against him." – " Why have you stopped?" She sighed and shrugged. " I have nothing to live for. Ken is gone and any chance of happiness I had has long since gone. My family has left this village, after my sister Miko turned spy for Kaza." Mugen's eyes widened. " Why?" She shrugged her shoulders and looked down to her sandaled feet. " I have no idea. I thought she wanted to make sure this village was safe from the likes of him, instead…she fights alongside of him." Sitting down upon Mugen's temporary bed, she looked up to him. " I want something from you before I go." – " What's that?" He asked with a slightly heavy heart. " I want you to take me to the Osaki Pond one last time." She whispered. " Osaki Pond?" – " It is right outside of town, I met Ken there and it is the last place I want to go before I leave this place." Mugen nodded as he watched her. " I will make sure of it." What did Myori have that made Mugen want to do something honorable for once in his life, shaking his head. " You should go before your idiot husband catches you." – " I'm not worried about him. He's of no concern." Mugen blinked for a moment. " Why do you say that?" – " He does not need to bed me anymore and I have no desire to bed him. He will let any man have me, so I am allowed to come here anytime I wish." Putting two and two together, he pointed at her and then scratched his head. " You mean, he's letting you score with anyone you want?" He questioned and she nodded. " You planning on doing something with me?" She smiled for a moment and looked at him. " No. I lost the only man I wanted to give myself to. I don't know if anyone could take his place." Sitting next to her on the bed, he rested his right fist against his cheek.

Cleaning off his sword, Jin looked at Fuu as she sat quietly holding the blade upon her lap. " You know we couldn't have allowed her to reveal our plans." – " I know. I just can't understand why she would want to help a man that just tore her family apart." Jin nodded. " I told you her story, she was jealous of Myori. Instead of bringing honor to her family she brought disgrace. I suppose she figured that was the best that she could do." – " That's so horrible." Fuu whispered and put the sword next to her. " I just wish she did something worthwhile in her life." – " As I wished but sometimes our wishes are wasted on some individuals." Fuu nodded in agreement, but she still didn't feel right. " Jin, I need to ask you something." She said finally, she needed to confront this before it ate her up inside. " What is it?" He questioned, wondering what was on her mind. " Do you love me?" She asked in a whisper.

" Well I'm not debating that." He said and Myori smiled. " I don't mean to offend you if I have. But my heart has not had the proper time and space to heal." Mugen nodded and lay back upon the mat. " Of course not, stuck in here with this maniac." She smiled again, she couldn't help but smile in his presence. He put her at ease and she appreciated that to the fullest. " Well that much is true. I'm glad to have met you Mugen. You are someone that I could close to my heart even though I know nothing about you." – " Well you can get to know me." He said with a shrug. Turning around to look at his face, " What do you mean by that?" She questioned. He smirked for a moment. " Just ask me some questions and you'll find your answers."

Jin's eyes widened suddenly then returned to normal after hearing her question. " You overheard me and Miko?" He questioned and Fuu nodded confessing her nosiness. " I did not mean for you to hear that." He said simply. " Just answer my question Jin. Do you have any feelings for me?" He looked away. " I don't want to discuss this." – " You're going to have to Jin. Because I have…" Stopping herself, Jin looked back to her and quirked a brow." You have what?" He questioned, Fuu couldn't believe she almost gave herself away to him. If he didn't want to admit to his feelings, then she wouldn't either. Why put her heart out for him to slice it open and leave it for dead. " Nothing. You answer on your own time. I need some fresh air." Getting up from the bed, she hurried out of the room and left Jin sitting there. He sighed and shook his head.

" Okay. Where are you from?" – " Next question." Mugen said and she had to laugh. " You said I could ask you questions." She reproached playfully and he nodded. " Questions that I ask you and in turn. You can ask the same questions to me. No trick questions or nothing." Smiling she nodded and waited for his question. " What was your dream to be in life?" He questioned. " To be a wife and mother." – " That was quick." Laughing, she shook her head and rested her hands on her lap. " It is a simple wish and dream. Now, same question." He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. " To be a Samurai. I never went to a real school to learn. But I always watched the students from my hometown train and I just mimicked their techniques and added my own style to it." – " Yes, Kaza said you had a very unique fighting style." Mugen smirked and nodded. " Well the idiot has something right." – " How did you get so good?" She questioned. " It's all about practice and finding anyone who would want to challenge me. And that wasn't too hard." He said with a smile. She nodded and looked at her fingers. " I know some sword fighting techniques but I have no sword. For obvious reasons." She added.

Standing up from his sitting position, he didn't know what he was supposed to say to her. How could he words his feelings without looking foolish. He knew they couldn't have anything. It was too dangerous to have their minds on each other instead of the task at hand. And what was it that Fuu was about to reveal. Walking out of the room and searching for Fuu, he found her sitting by the pond looking into the water. Miko's body was removed by the hotel owner without questions. " Fuu." He said as she continued to look at the water. " I don't want to start something we cannot finish." There was silence for a moment, and Jin made to turn around. " How do you know I would want to finish it?" She questioned and they both looked at one another. " What do you mean?" Jin questioned. " I mean… I know there is something brewing between us. And I know that you know it too." Jin nodded slowly and sat down next to her. " You know we're always too busy finding ends meet to worry about some romance." – " Some romance? Is that how you view it?" Jin shook his head. " I view it as one of the milestones in my life. I just don't want it to end suddenly without warning on both sides."