Ok, I never thought I'd say this, but is beginning 2 piss me off just the smidgests of bits Not the old aff, I luved that one, the new one though, I hate the new set up! All the stories looked like a pre-schooler's 'count by numbers' book up when u try 2 read them now! I mean, b4, it was giving me a hard time w uploading my fics, and now they're looking better than the ones of AFF! I dunno, its fucking crazy.
"URGENT: PLS READ! REWARD INVOLVED!"
N.E.wayz, again w the 'Abandon' Soundtrack. I can do w/out downloading the whole soundtrack. I can do the 1 by 1 thing, no problem. I really want the song that has Katie Holmes' voice in it, I mean all she does is ' la la la' but still. I have been playing the 12 second sample sound byte the 'abandon' site gives u, non stop since I uploaded chap:6. I have gotten so desperate for that song that I am now offering a commission fic. Yes, a commission fic. Whoever can get me some songs from that soundtrack I will be only 2 happy 2 do a commission fic on anything they want. U want Gilmore girls? Ok I'll write about that. U want Harry Potter? Tell me the pairing or wut u want it 2 b about and its yours. Hell I'll even do freakin' Sponge Bob! Just tell me wut u want the fic 2 b about and I'll write it. It doesn't even half 2 b a series, movie, or book that I've seen or read, I'm excellent with research. Samurai Chaploo is the only series I've seen entirely and yet I've written about plenty of different things.
The Deni Pie
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T h e E l e c t r a C o m p l e x
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You're afraid of flying
Afraid of losing your mind
But I don't want to know you
Now there's no time
It's both a lovely and a fearful thing
To be captured by all of your feelings
I breathe into you
Into you
You run to me and
Don't even know my name
Desire's slowly becoming
Your great escape
You let me wonder
Now I'll let you burn
I promise nothing
But still you return to me
I breathe into you
I breathe into you
You are real
I am walking through the morning
Dandelion stares in my eyes
I wish you were caught by now
I'm afraid of what they'll find
Take the box of magic
Lay it in the back of your mind
Can we wash in the morphine
After we eat we'll be fine
You're the lonely lovers
I've only known a few
Take me within and you'll know what love is...easy
Let me watch you dance
Let me watch you sleep
Kiss her with your tongue
And you'll crawl to me again
Can you feel it ?
Can you feel it ?
Can you feel it ?
Can you feel it ?
I breathe into you
I breathe into you
You are real
I breathe into you
I breathe into you
You are real
'I Want to Kill You' – Darling Violetta
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Three months passed slowly after the announcement of the impending birth of the newest addition to their little group. It would be hard to believe that after being put through so much that they could ever go back to normal, but somehow, over time that is, it happened. Somewhat anyway. The news of pregnancy was eventually accepted by all, and things grew less awkward and strained between the three. Mugen wasn't quite as hateful and intentionally spiteful towards Jin after the night Fuu had come to him, not that he wouldn't run his blade through the samurai's back given the faintest hint of chance, and Fuu was beginning to let her grudge against the pirate go as well. Other than still refusing to sleep near them at night, Jin seemed undaunted by it all. He spoke little more than he had to and without Fuu's attempts to drag him into conversation he spoke even less.
Fuu would be lying if she said she respected the samurai's choice and only wanted him to be happy, even if it wasn't with her. She did, however, accept the fact that she would have to move beyond him. He was no longer an option to picture in her life, and she would have to choose another future to plan. That didn't mean she wasn't feeling vengeful, hurt, and angry. She'd offered him everything, and still, in his eyes it wasn't enough. She wasn't enough. In light of it all, she believed it to be completely in her right to feel bitter towards him, now. While she worked to forget the pain he caused her, he continued to walk beside them, head held high, completely unaffected. And she would learn to do the same. There would be no more crying, no more pining, no more wishing. The best thing to do now would be to ignore her heart and put her pride first.
It would appear that Mugen was the one who benefited from it all in the end. He wasn't exactly positive what had gone between Jin and Fuu but her sudden coldness towards the other man didn't slip under his notice. And with that in mind the familiar Victor's Pride that he had so been waiting for finally came. Over the next few months he would walk with a cocky sway in his step, his chest puffed out like an obnoxious rooster, and every now and then nonchalantly twirling his blade threw his fingers like he had won a contest nobody knew about. It wasn't the same as lashing his sword through the asshole's neck as he defeated him in combat, but it was pretty damn close given his options. With Jin being the only real competition in his eyes, he had a feeling that he wouldn't have to concern himself with Fuu straying any longer. Everything looked to be falling into place for him, piece by piece. The placid bastard was thoroughly obliterated from the picture, Fuu was knocked up and vulnerable, and better yet she knew it. She knew that she couldn't do this on her own and was admitting her dependence on him. She was like a lamb with a broken leg, straggling behind the heard for him to pick up in his jaws. The power struggle in this little thing between them had promptly shifted. And it was fucking sweet.
Every day, every week, every month the roundness of her belly grew and Fuu was no longer able to hide the tell-tale bulge beneath her kimono. It was disturbing the first time her obi wouldn't wrap around her midsection properly, though she hadn't had to suffer the brunt of any of Mugen's 'fat jokes' just yet. That was the last thing she needed right now. It never occurred to her until recently that the bigger she became the more she would have to rely on the senseless barbarian for support and protection. As long she was in her current state, she doubted her looks would be able to win over any new potential body guards, plus it was no secret that the greater deal of the population did not gaze fondly upon unwed, expecting, young girls. At the moment, he was her only real means of taking care of herself. But she would sooner throw herself in front of a passing bullet than ever admit it. She hadn't realized how much change this would bring to her life, and none of these changes were of the desirable variety. What were all these other mothers talking about? It was as though they had simply slept through their 6-10 months of this. Pregnancy was not beautiful, it was not wondrous, and it was certainly no miracle. You got fat, you got tired, you ached all over, you couldn't see your feet anymore, and what was worse is you became insanely aroused for no apparent reason and your only remaining options for relief was a cold, unfeeling, man who you were angry with and a dirty, unattractive, brute of a man that got on every last nerve in your entire body. And where was this magical 'maternal glow' she kept hearing about? If anything, she was beginning to look pale, sickly, and she was sure she wasn't 'radiating' with happiness.
Her condition also managed to completely throw off their entire journey. They were forced to stop almost constantly for her. They had to take an impractical amount of detours to wherever the nearest village or town happened to reside, for food and the occasional doctor's visit, and this of course led to becoming irreconcilably lost seemingly every other day. Fuu looked to be the only one truly frustrated with herself and their predicament. Granted Mugen continued to add his two cents and gripe and grumble at her but she saw no real anger in him. And Jin must have been blessed with Kami's patience.
"That's it, we're stopping. We have no idea where the fuck we are."
"The next town is supposed to be just a little further." Jin calmly protested.
"The next town was supposed to be 'just a little further' four hours ago!" Mugen snapped, throwing himself down as if staging a sit-in.
Saying nothing to this, Jin took out the crude map they had purchased at the last village. They were so relieved at the cheap price they hadn't really given second thought to the cheap quality. Plopping down where she stood, Fuu couldn't help feeling guilty for being the one mostly responsible for their dilemma. They had taken yet another deviation because she started to complain of hunger pains and when they came back onto the road they must've made a wrong turn somewhere.
"We were supposed to turn right when we reached the last intersection between roads."
Mugen glanced up at the samurai studying the shabby looking piece of paper. "And where was that?"
"I am not even sure we came to an intersection at all." Jin confessed.
"So then where the hell are we?" He asked, quickly becoming agitated.
"He could probably figure that out if you'd keep quiet." Fuu reproached.
"We probably wouldn't have to figure it out if you could've just waited a little longer to stuff your face!" Mugen bit back.
"Shut up! If you don't like it then let me starve next time!" She snapped.
"Don't think I wouldn't!"
"This is not a map to Nagasaki."
The two abruptly stopped bickering at the admission, both turning to Jin in shock.
"What?" Mugen reared up, coming to look over his shoulder at the false guide.
"This is not a map to Nagasaki. It is a map from Edo to Nagashino." Jin confirmed, his eyes roving over the unrecognizable landmarks on the chart.
Fuu gaped unbelievingly. How long had they been going in the wrong direction? How much further from Nagasaki were they now? Where were they, period? "Ow!" Her panicked thoughts were cut off by a sudden odd pang in her abdomen, but just as quickly as it came it was gone, leaving her to look at her swollen stomach with suspicion and bewilderment.
"That sneaky, two-timing little shit!" Mugen snarled, ripping the map away from Jin and twisting it and tearing it furiously, imitating what he probably intended to do with the boy who'd pawned the guide off on them in the first place. "I knew something wasn't right with that fucking kid!"
Opening her mouth to voice her own concerns, her rants were interrupted by yet another strange 'thumping' feeling in her gut. "Ow!" She yelped, her hand darting to her stomach in surprise.
This time she was loud enough to catch the other men's attention. Mugen paused his tirade long enough to let his attention flicker down to her, Jin following in suit. "What's up with you?"
She ran her fingers cautiously up and down the swell of her belly, wondering if the bizarre sensation would return. "I don't know…" The second those words were out the same strange spasm came back ten fold. "Wah!" She started back. The hand that was resting on her stomach jerked away at the sudden nudge it received against its palm. "Oh Kami, what was that!"
"Don't even tell me you're hungry again." Mugen grumbled.
"No, I'm not hungry again you jer-Ah! There it goes again!" She jumped. Her body was trembling slightly when Jin kneeled down to her, inspecting her runaway stomach.
"You cannot be ready to give birth, it is still too soon." He said, though it sounded like observational notes to himself than to anyone else.
At the mention of birth, Mugen, too, knelt down in front of her; still for a moment before grudgingly giving Jin a rough nudge to back off. The samurai gave the other male more room but refused to move completely out of the way.
"Then what's going on?" Fuu fretted, staring at her belly, half expecting some horrific troll creature to explode out of it.
Placing a hand on said abdomen, Jin began to feel around, pressing here and there, his eyes concentrated and focused.
Mugen glowered at the roaming fingers before angrily shoving them back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He growled.
Glaring back at his childishness, Jin instinctually flexed his fingers as though preparing to unsheathe his sword. "I am trying to find the problem with your child. Do you want to let your own idiocy get in the way of that?"
The other man said nothing but didn't put up a fight when the samurai went to inspect Fuu again. It didn't show but it always sent a little jolt of surprise through him the few times someone actually referred to the little being inside the girl in front of him as 'His child.' He had never thought those words would ever be said to him, and it felt unsettling to hear it. Fuu looked visibly shaken as well, refusing to make eye contact with anything but the swollen abdomen below her. He tensed when she jumped again, looking like a jolt of electricity had gone through her.
"It's moving." Jin informed, taking his hands away from her stomach.
"What?" Mugen questioned, never removing his eyes from Fuu's belly.
"The child. It's moving." He clarified.
"It moves?" Fuu sounded astonished to hear the new diagnosis.
The dark haired man nodded, adjusting his glasses which had slipped down during his examination. "Children gain life long before exiting the womb." He added.
"What's it moving for?" Mugen asked poking at her belly.
"I am not sure. Perhaps you should ask it in another 4 to 5 months." Came Jin's clipped response as he pinched the bridge of his nose like one would when feeling a headache coming on.
Snorting at the samurai's abrupt cynical attitude, Mugen mused at his attempt at sarcasm. "Testy, testy." He goaded.
"Stop it. Both of you." She commanded almost absentmindedly. Her voice sounded vague, as though she weren't really paying attention. These pangs in her belly, they felt like sharp kicks from the inside out. "Lets just go." She urged trying to wobble to her feet. This thing inside her, was growing, moving, becoming a little person in her body. And it was simply too overwhelming to handle at the moment.
Mugen grabbed Fuu's wrist, easily pulling her up when her moment shifted, almost toppling her backwards. "And where, exactly, are we supposed to go if we don't know where we are? If we leave now we'll only end up with our heads even further up our asses."
"Or we may find someone to ask directions." Jin reasoned.
"And who the hell, but us, is going to be wandering around in the middle of nowhere?"
Jin opened his mouth to object when a sudden low noise of rustling foliage and muffled voices filtered through the forest, steadily growing louder.
"What's that?" Fuu inquired, her interest peaked.
All three stared off expectantly into the brush in time to see the form of a wiry man in rags race past only a few yards away. Moments after him the thundering of stampeding feet and the low chorus of orders and commands echoed through the forest as four heavily armed men chased after the first.
"Don't say a fucking word." Mugen growled, glaring bitterly at Jin.
The stoic man didn't bother to answer, opting to disregard him and take off after the other five.
"C'mon!" Mugen snapped, snatching Fuu up and dashing off in the direction Jin had taken.
Fuu grunted and hung on to the pirate for dear life as he bobbed and weaved through the woods, jerking and jostling her about all the way. Her arms tightened around his neck, imagining all the painful horrors that would befall her should he drop her. A low groan tore through her throat at the feeling of her breakfast sloshing around in her own stomach. "Put me down, Mugen! I'm gonna throw up, I swear!" She cried.
But he was oblivious to her distress and continued to leap over roots and dart through the trees, keeping up with the man in front of him. That is, he was oblivious until a loud gagging sound reverberated in his ear and a sudden flood of a sickening, putrid, chunky goo exploded onto his shirt.
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"I told you."
"You whine every five minutes! How was I supposed to know you were actually serious this time!" Mugen tugged the soiled haori over his shoulders and tossed it to the ground, staying close as Fuu continued to retch behind a nearby tree.
Her shoulders shook with one last dry heave before slumping to her butt on the grass. She breathed a deep sigh of relief, the nausea starting to take its leave of her poor, abused stomach. "Did Jin catch up with those guys, yet?" She asked, closing her eyes tiredly.
"The one they were chasing got away. I think he's just getting directions from them." He said, reminded of having to run after the other man to catch up, all the while enduring Fuu's vomit dripping down his front.
"Are we going to follow them back or get directions from them now?" She didn't want to voice it to him, but a good night's sleep in a comfy bed didn't sound half bad.
"What's the point? Its not like we have any money for rooms, anyway." To tell the truth he was getting sick of unnecessary stops at neighboring towns. If he could by some booze and sex it would all be well and good, but now a days leaving her alone for long periods of time put him on a bit of an edge. Therefore, passing visits to villages and the like had somewhat lost their appeal for now.
"Then we should earn some while we're there. Get some supplies and some sleep. Kill two birds with one stone." She pressed eagerly. "And then we'll leave in the morning, I promise." Her eyes implored. "Plus, I haven't been feeling well, obviously." She added, gesturing to the mucky haori.
"Bullshit, you're feeling fine." Mugen replied, slipping on his outer shirt, his naked chest open to the air.
Fuu scoffed. "How would you know?"
"If you can breathe, and you can bitch, you're fine." He answered.
"Maybe Jin wants to go back with them too?" She protested.
"Who's stopping him?"
Glowering impudently at him she crossed her arms over her chest angrily. "Could you at least go ask them if they know where any rivers, or springs are? I'm thirsty."
"We'll find some on the way." He wasn't sure what good shoving anything more down her throat did if it all came back up anyway.
"Mugen!" She objected righteously.
"Fine!" He conceded irritably, grunting in annoyance. "Don't move. And that means stay put, don't wander, don't go looking for furry little rabbits and squirrels to pet, and don't go off picking flowers and shit." He ordered.
Fuu had to bite down the urge to stick her tongue out at him as he gave her one last scathing look before going off to find Jin. "I already have a furry little squirrel to pet, Jerk." She mumbled, feeling said squirrel scurry around her midsection, more than a little put off by the downsize in space caused by her ballooning abdomen. "Its okay, Momo-san. A few more months of this and its over." She reassured the frazzled creature slipping out her sleeve.
It was an odd place she and Mugen found themselves in these days. It was like neither of them knew exactly who held the power with them. Mugen was fairly sure Fuu was too incapacitated to stray from him but there was always that little inkling of doubt that was never too sure. She did have the habit of staying loyal to her friends. But he wasn't her friend, so that didn't mean she wouldn't leave him as a lover, fuck buddy, or the one who knocked her up.
As for Fuu she dealt with similar concerns. Mugen was ever the vengeful soul and she never knew when exactly he was going to pay her back for her injuries against him. She never knew whether or not he was going to up and leave her when she was most desperate. And their doubts and suspicions only served to produce a paradox effect, tying them together yet keeping them apart at the same time.
In spite of her own mistrusts, she wasn't too sure Mugen was entirely off in his uncertainties. She had no idea what she planned to do once her time was up and the kid was born. In her head she wanted nothing more than to squat, drop, and run. Leave it all behind and pretend it never happened, move on with her life. But she couldn't say what life had in store for her, so she could never foretell what she would and wouldn't do. Right now it was best to take it one day at a time. She would deal when it was time to deal.
And those were the last thoughts to slip through her head before the rusted, jagged edge of a dagger was rudely shoved against her jugular.
"Don't even breath."
Fuu instantly froze, she could feel the warm breath of someone panting against her cheek as the voice hissed his command in her ear. The razor sharpness of the blade scratched uncomfortably against her tender skin. Her own breath quickened, her muscles tensed when an arm grabbed her from behind, hauling her against a sturdy chest. "What do you want?" She whispered fearfully. Why did she have to send Mugen off for water? She wasn't even that thirsty!
"I said-!I said…….Fuu?"
The voice trailed off and she could feel, rather than see, his eyes on her, though in her precarious position she was unable to turn her head to look at him. Before she knew what was happing she was spun around and slammed against the same tree she had thrown up behind, the dagger still at her throat. She could see the man clearly now, and his eyes did indeed look to be scanning her over. Inspecting her, somewhat. He was tall, lanky, and young, maybe Jin's age. His skin was dirty and dark, and his hair unkempt and unclean. There was a scar crossing over his jaw, and he was missing his left eye; a bandana slanting over the disfigurement and tying at the back of his head. His clothes were torn and ragged with knife cuts and rips, hanging off his body like Spanish moss.
"It is you…." He breathed reverently, the dagger casually falling from her throat to her collarbone.
"What're you talking about? Who are you?" She gasped, pressing herself into the tree as far from him as physics would allow.
He almost looked hurt by her questions and lifted a hand to touch her face worshipfully, ignoring her flinch at his fingers skimming over her cheekbone. "Its me, Tatsuko. Don't you remember?"
Fuu's eyes grew to the size of saucers, her mouth agape. "Tatsuko?" She squawked.
His face visibly brightened, a haughty grin full of masculine pride taking over his features. "I knew you couldn't forget me." His voice was virile and husky, his weaponless arm wrapping around her, pulling her to him. There was an unfamiliar roundness pressing against his hips, drawing his attention down between them. "What the hell?"
But the roundness pressing against his gut was nothing compared to the sharpness digging into his back, threatening to skewer him through.
"Your little police friends want you brought in alive, but I think I want you dead a whole lot more. Why don't you try to sway me by dropping your knife?"
It was practically morbid how that vicious tone of voice that once sent dread through her heart now made her sigh in relief. Unfortunately the relief was short lived when the tip of the rusted rapier began to dig and jab into her neck again.
"They're going to kill me anyway so what's the difference? Besides, I like my plan much better." Tatsuko replied, gazing at the smaller girl in his arms.
"And what would that be?" Mugen's fists worked at the hilt of his sword, heatedly watching the tip of the knife dip and dent into the vital area of Fuu's skin.
"You getting that thing out of my back before I slit her fucking throat." Fuu winced when the dagger was pushed deeper into her jugular to punctuate his point.
Gritting his teeth, Mugen tensed, but finally stepped back from the other man, giving him enough room to spin around to face him, Fuu and knife in hand.
Slender fingers shot up to grip the forearm of the hand currently holding the dagger to her trachea. Fuu swallowed the nervous lump in her throat, carefully walking backwards with him as Tatsuko slowly backed away from the pirate.
Mugen kept his eyes on him, examining him, skimming over for any weak point, any opening. He was going to rip this bastard's innards out and make him slurp them down like noodles before he was through with him. His attention finally settled on a spot over the other man's shoulder, a malicious grin working its way over his features. "So what're you going to do with your master plan now?" He sneered.
"I'm going to get the hell out of here and you're going to back off and watch me do it." He answered, pointedly holding the blade closer to her esophagus.
His bite did nothing to wipe the smirk off Mugen face. "Yeah? And how far do you think you're going to get?"
"Far enough." He hissed just before his whole world went black.
Fuu cried out as Tatsuko suddenly went limp behind her, Mugen lunging forward, yanking her away before the armed man had the chance to drop on top of her. Her adrenalin raced through her veins, and she was breathing heavily when she turned to see Jin standing right behind a now unconscious Tatsuko, the four men they had seen before at his back.
"Well that's not very far." Mugen remarked, musing at the motionless body.
"Is his neck broken?" One of the men questioned, moving over to kneel near their captive.
"No, he is only unconscious." Jin replied, stepping back, allowing the others to come and bind up the cataleptic young man, tying his hands behind his back and slinging a noose-like robe around his neck.
"Do you have to tie him up? I mean, look at him! How much of a fight can he put up?" Fuu exclaimed.
A few of the men glanced up at her from their position, as if noticing her for the first time. "We've been hunting this one down for little over a year. We're not going to risk jeopardizing anything." One answered before going back to his work, heaving the wiry criminal, with the help of his companions, onto a horse.
"What do you care if he's tied or not?" Mugen commented.
"I'm just saying. I don't see what good it does." It was eerie to see him now. She could feel her skin crawl to see what had become of him. But somehow, she'd known something like this would be the only future someone like Tatsuko would be capable of attaining.
Mugen grunted, his eyes skimming her over. "What is it with you and getting attached to guys who try to kill you?"
"I have been told that they have a map at their base that could be of some use to us." Jin informed, moving over to them.
"So we've got to follow them back? Is that what your saying? How many fucking detours are we going to take? I'm getting sick of this." Mugen griped but began to walk with Jin after the other guards none the less.
Well, she got what she wanted. Fuu rubbed her hands up and down her arms comfortingly; her attention straying to the soiled shirt still strewn a few feet away from the tree she'd been held up against. Picking it up, it dripped with odorous bile but she hardly noticed and wrung it out, folding it to her chest. It was like her body was on autopilot and her mind millions of miles away. What was going to happen? Should she try to speak with Tatsuko? Why would she, now of all times?
"What're you standing there for? Lets go!" Mugen called back at her. "You're precious town is waiting!" He jeered.
Fuu nodded dispassionately, moving on the path they were taking but making no effort to keep up. "He wouldn't have killed me." She whispered, more to herself than aloud. Yes they were going to another village, she would be able to eat, bathe, and if they earned enough money, sleep in an actual room.
She had gotten what she wanted. It just wasn't what she expected.
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They were going to kill him. Fuu hadn't moved from her spot directly outside the jailhouse since she finally managed to coerce Mugen into leaving her alone for the day and taking the body-guarding job. She stood there, still holding the vomit soaked shirt in her arms as if she didn't even notice it. He was sentenced to death, effective tomorrow morning.
'Go talk to him, Fuu.' Her mind urged her. But what was she supposed to say to him? They'd never involved themselves in an actual conversation with one another before. In all reality, his name was practically the only thing she knew about him. He was the first boy she'd seen unclothed. She'd let him touch her chest, she impaled herself on his hardness, she let him climax inside of her, and yet she didn't know his favorite color. She didn't know which season he liked best, or any of his hobbies other than pick-pocketing and stealing. She knew nothing of his past, his parents, or if he had any siblings. She didn't even know what he had done to gain the death sentence, though she could certainly imagine.
They'd been chasing him for more than a year. She doubted they would be treating him with home-style hospitality now that they'd caught him. Then again, he wasn't exactly the poster child of piety and goodness himself. Judging by what she remembered of him she was sure if this was the sentence he was given it was more than likely the sentence he deserved.
But as much as she hated to admit it, he was a part of her life. He was a part of her childhood. The only remaining part she knew of. She hadn't any friends back then, so committed to taking care of her mother and keeping what was left of her little family afloat she was never left with any time to make them. She wasn't going to kid herself and say she liked Tatsuko. She didn't. He was a bully, a thief, and an ungrateful cad that would sooner run a knife through your heart than look at you. And she involved herself with him.
She'd unknowingly turned a small part of herself over to him. At the time she was too young to know what that actually meant. And now she knew. At first she thought it funny that she had never forgotten him whereas she couldn't even remember her boss of three years' name. It was funny that she could remember someone she didn't even like just as well as she could remember her mother, father, and almost groom. It was funny that she still occasionally compared other men to him, of course the comparisons where always the negative ones involving how much better the other man was to him, but still.
In doing what she did she'd ensured that she would always have his memory with her. She would always remember how she was feeling that day, that moment, in the rice field. How angry, curious, and excited she had been. There was no love, there wasn't even like. But there it was. And there it always would be. In her mind and with her forever. And what really was there left to say? Everything that needed to be said was pretty much said in that alley way.
---flashback---
"You don't get it do you? I have to leave tonight, and I'm taking you with me, Fuu!" He growled at her, gripping her shoulders, giving her a hard shake. She could hear a bit of pleading in his angry, desperate voice, but no pity chord in her heart was struck for the grave he'd dug himself into.
A tapered eyebrow rose in disbelief at his urgent proposal. "Have you lost your mind, completely? I'm not leaving my life, my job, my mother here just to go running off to starve with you." Fuu scoffed, shoving him away from her.
For a moment he let himself be pushed back, standing there and staring at her incredulously, as though Tatsuko truly didn't think she would refuse him when he needed her most. Then he became cold, an icy fury working its way into his face.
Fuu squeaked in surprise when he grabbed her harshly, jerking her to him and getting in her face. "I'll tell her everything, Fuu. If you don't meet me here tonight I'll come to you precious little home and tell your mother everything." He threatened.
---end flashback---
She wasn't stupid. She'd known he would never hurt her. So she left him there and never saw him again until now. Fuu never once regretted her decision, but at this moment she knew how right it had been. Fuu wondered if she'd gone with him if she would be kneeling right there next to him on that death podium tomorrow.
He looked different than when she last saw him. He was taller, more worn and rugged looking, and he'd lost his eye probably in one scuffle or another he somehow managed to get himself into. More than likely he had finally met a man that could put him in his place. Fuu sighed nostalgically. In a way, to her, he would always be the tall, older boy with the dark skin and the dirty, calloused hands. The boy who stole women's market money, the boy who beat up the other boys for fun, the boy she knew would never amount to much. She knew he was nothing more than a runaway carriage, fast and furious and soon to crash. She was just glad she'd gotten off when she did. Her mother told her often enough that boys like that were not for girls like her. Boys of his kind should stick with their own. Fuu was meant for better, her mother would tell her. And she was glad Tatsuko never confessed to her what had gone one between them.
Now, though, he would never get the chance to tell anybody. She felt a chill go through her, peppering her skin with goose-pimples. He was the last link to her past, the last link to her other life. A life where her mother still kissed her cheek every morning, a life where she still dealt with annoying customers at the local teashop, a life that seemed simpler in comparison. And tomorrow that link would be severed. It sent a disturbing tingle straight to her stomach every time.
"What are you doing?"
Fuu jerked out of her reverie, twisting around to look at him when he came up behind her. She hadn't even heard his approach. "Nothing."
"You have been standing here for a very long time."
"Why, were you watching me?" Fuu remarked, half joking.
The samurai's attention went to the jailhouse as well, probably trying to see what it was that fixated her so. "Yes."
She wasn't sure how to respond to the blatant admission, so she simply resumed her task of watching the prison before her. The silence stretched out for longer than she would prefer, but she didn't know what to say, and Jin didn't appear to mind the endless oblivion of stillness. She wondered if he could read her, if he'd made some sort of connection between her and Tatsuko. She was grateful when he finally decided to break the quiet.
"Did you know him?" He queried coolly.
His question caught her off guard and her gaze flickered to him, slightly nervous. "Why?"
"When we were taking him back he mentioned your name while he was still unconscious." His said staring ahead.
"Oh." What was she supposed to say? She didn't dare tell him the truth. Why couldn't he ever quiz her about the good things she did in her life? She would love to tell him all about that. "I did know him, just not much about him, I guess." She answered truthfully.
"I see." Jin nodded.
Again it seemed the entire town was hushed and all noise drained from the area. The two stood together, staring at the jailhouse and Fuu accepted the quiet between them. She was grateful he didn't inquire more about her relationship to Tatsuko, she wasn't so sure she could continue to give him such honest answers. She usually didn't give such confessions regarding things she wasn't exactly proud of.
"Do you want us to break him out?"
Fuu started at that, her eyes going to him to see if he had gone insane but he didn't even look at her, his focus remaining on the prison like he'd said nothing out of the ordinary. A sad little smile lifted her lips and she too turned back to the jail. He wasn't joking, he really would help Tatsuko escape if she asked him to. And she didn't delude herself into thinking there would be an 'us' doing the breaking out. Mugen would never help. Gazing at the holding area she could see bars lining some of the windows. Tatsuko was more than likely in a deeper cell, something in the cellar probably. Something small, deep, dark, and dank. She mused at what he would do once he was out, and Jin would get him out. The samurai left no task half completed. And how long would it be until all their efforts were made in vain and he ended up right back where he started. "No." She all but whispered. "No, don't do that." Tatsuko lived his life for himself, and apparently he would end it that way too. She wasn't going to pretend this was all one big misunderstanding and he was given such a grave sentence simply because nobody liked him. No, he hadn't changed, and he would have had to pay for his misdeeds one day or another.
She felt Jin nod at her request. "I take it your shift is over?" She asked and again received a curt 'Hn' in response. "Have you found a place to sleep?"
"Yes. I've also purchased another map, though it is a map one of the guards recommended himself." He replied.
"Good idea." She chuckled at their recent misadventures with a map of a more questionable quality. "Well, if you're all set then I should probably be going. I lost track of time and I still have to clean this up." She said holding up the reeking haori. "But we'll meet back here tomorrow, right?"
Jin nodded in affirmation still not moving his attention from the building before him.
Fuu smiled at him acceptingly, motioning to be on her way. "Good night, then." She replied beginning to make her way back to where she and Mugen parted.
"I would like to apologize."
Her feet stopped in their tracks and Fuu pivoted to look at him, puzzled. "What?"
"There has been ill-will between us, and I believe my words to be cause of it. And for that I apologize." He answered, now facing her.
"What are you talking about?" She asked confusedly.
"You came searching for me only out of concern, and in return I called you childish. I am sorry."
"Oh, that." She fidgeted now uneasy with the topic, remembering that day in the forest. Yes, there had been some bad blood between them since. But she'd let it slip her mind in light of recent events.
"My reaction was inappropriate and I ask your forgiveness." He requested calmly and coolly.
Fuu shook her head negatively. "No, I came on too strong. I understand why you said what you did." She admitted uncomfortably.
"When you found me, I was not in the most collected states of mind. Because of this I believe some words came out more severe than they were meant." He explained.
Her eyes met his for the first time in a long time and she was reassured by the sincerity she saw there. "Well, thank you for telling me. And I forgive you." She smiled. "But, I meant what I said back then; and I understand that nothing's ever going to come of it. So its ok." She said a smile still at her lips though her eyes had taken on a sadder hue. Jin said nothing and she shuffled about awkwardly. "I do have to go, though, and you should get some rest. Goodnight, Jin." Fuu gave him a final wave before rounding on her heel and taking a short cut to where Mugen would surely be getting off his job.
Unwashed haori in hand she never saw the samurai's eyes follow her steadily into the night.
----------------------------------------------------------
It didn't take her long to arrive at the feudal lord's house. The home wasn't that far from the village itself but the farm and fields behind it stretched for miles. This one family could very well own most, if not all, of the town land itself. Her eyes scanned around the vast estate, hoping to find a rain barrel she could snag and dunk the odorous shirt in. Strolling around the home she eyed the construction and decorations. It vaguely reminded her of Muharu's house. She was curious to what bride he was given after her dismissal. Her mother commented on it once, 'Probably some dull, lifeless thing' she remarked flippantly, 'They have traded a prized swan for a headless chicken' she mocked, pinching little Fuu's cheeks lovingly.
"I thought we were going to meet back at the guard base?"
Fuu looked over her shoulder to see Mugen standing a little ways behind her, obviously recently exiting the home himself. He looked tired but was trying not to show it, though she could see the lines around his eyes deepened with fatigue. "I thought it'd be easier if I just met you here." She replied.
The pirate yawned, either accepting her answer or deciding it simply wasn't worth questioning over. "Fine, lets go then." He said wrapping a hand around her wrist.
"Do you think they have a rain barrel anywhere that I could borrow?" She asked, letting him pull her along as he tracked through the field behind the home.
"What for?" He yawned again, and his pace was sluggish and lazy.
"I thought I'd clean this up a bit." She said raising the shirt in her arms. "I can't believe you went to work practically half naked."
"I was dressed." He protested. "I can't believe you've been walking around with that shit-rag all day."
Fuu scowled at him, wanting to yank her hand away but knowing it wasn't worth the fight. "Instead of making fun of me you should be thanking me, you ingrate." She bit out.
Mugen snorted obnoxiously and chuckled. "I got enough money for food tomorrow, but-"
"But not enough for a room." Fuu finished with a sigh of disappointment. It was always one or the other, never both.
"Can't always get what you want." Mugen observed.
"Of course not." She countered bitterly. "Where are we going anyway?" She inquired curiously, coughing when a stray piece of sugar cane batted into her mouth.
"I found a place or us to stay." He responded brushing flailing canes and overgrown wheat-grass out of the way.
"Where-oh." It was then that a large barn came into view over the field. "Won't they notice?"
"This place is too far behind their house to go to regularly. Plus they're all too fucking lazy to do a chore like this." He retorted.
"Hey, they have a rain barrel!" Fuu exclaimed rushing up to the side of the barn, and sure enough the large cask was almost full to the lid with clear water.
Walking up to the front, Mugen pushed the doors open, glad for the little resistance they gave against the grass.
"Mugen, think we can get this inside?" She asked, examining her reflection in the water.
" 'We'? You mean can I drag that thing in here?" Mugen corrected moving over to the tub.
"It sounded a lot nicer the way I said it." Fuu retorted as Mugen grunted, hefting the wide container up and hauling it into the barn.
She followed him into the hangar, frowning when he dropped the barrel in the middle of the room, water sloshing off the sides of it. "Watch it! You're gonna spill it!" She scolded hurrying over to make sure not too much had slipped out.
"I can haul it back out there if you think you can get off your ass and do it better." Mugen snapped.
"Why don't you just go to sleep if you going to be all moody." She remarked testily, dipping the smelling haori in the water.
"Me? You're the one who's been flying of the handle every five minutes for no fucking reason!" He exclaimed.
Abruptly throwing her hands up in the air, Fuu gave a dramatic sigh. "Fine! You did an awesome job, thank you, Mugen, for bringing the tub in here so I can clean your clothes!"
"Whatever." Mugen grumbled, throwing himself exhaustedly into the hay.
Shaking her head at his trigger temper, she let it go and continued to wring the filth out of the shirt. Sometimes she wished there was sort of 'stop' lever she could pull on him. If there was one stupid thing or another they would somehow find a way to fight over it, no subject was too small or too pointless.
"Did you know they're giving that guy death?" He drawled sleepily.
Her eyes flitted to him for a moment, he was laying back in the hay, one hand resting on his stomach while the other was strewn carelessly over his eyes. It was a wonder he didn't pass out the minute his back touched the ground. "I heard."
His chest rumbled with an amused chuckle. "He's got a nice track record on him. Theft, assault, rape, murder, sodomy, and a whole lot of others I can't remember."
Tensing uncomfortably, her hands fisted in and out of the water. It seemed she was right yet again. So why didn't that make it any easier? "Can we not talk about this?"
Mugen idly lifted his elbow, peeking out from underneath his arm at her. "What's your problem?"
"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" She added irritably.
Deciding not to push the subject he merely eyed her suspiciously. He'd gotten there soon enough and was sure the guy hadn't done anything to her. Not anything to get her so worked up over. His train of thought stopped at muffled noises coming from outside.
"I don't think I can get this much cleaner." Fuu stated, holding the dripping haori up for inspection.
"Sshh!" Mugen hushed, holding his hand up, signaling her to remain quiet.
She didn't argue, instead decide to be still and listen for whatever it was he heard. The noise came again, this time louder and she froze in panic, eyes wide and staring at the doors like they were going to burst open any minute.
Carefully moving himself into a crouched position he motioned for Fuu to come, grabbing her when she drew near enough and sneaking quickly over to one of the ladders leading to the hay rafters above. "C'mon." He instructed, his voice almost inaudiable, his hand on her backside pushing her up the steps.
Fuu climbed quickly and cautiously, pulling herself onto the rafters, Mugen at her heels. Hay, grass, and compacted haystacks littered the wooden ledges, taking up most of the space. The voices outside became clearer and Fuu dove behind one of the bigger walls of hay, tugging Mugen with her just as the doors opened. The sound of footsteps and clopping hooves reverberated off the walls, followed by the clicking of a locked stall.
"Naughty animal, I should have left you for the wolves." Came a feminine voice.
Peeking over the edge, Fuu watched a servant girl with braided hair lead a large, dark colored yak into one of the pens, taking the rope from its neck and shutting the door after it. She appeared to see nothing amiss as she hung up the leash and left, re-closing the barn opening behind her.
Fuu exhaled sharply, her body going lax with relief. "Maybe we should stay up here. It might be safer in case somebody gets up before us in the morning." She advised, crawling out of their hiding space. The rafters were very close to the ceiling, which made it too difficult to try standing up.
Finding the ladder again she placed the soaked shirt on the edge, hanging it to dry for tomorrow. A light pitter pattering against the roof announced the beginning of a storm coming. She felt bad for the servant who had to walk back in it and hoped Jin found better shelter than camping outside. Reaching up, she tugged out her chopsticks and pins, tucking them in her robes for safe keeping.
Mugen shrugged out of his red outer shirt, throwing it carelessly behind him. He lazily scratched at his chest before letting himself fall back into the hay and wheat, rolling onto his back and making himself at home.
She ran a hand through her tousled locks, leaning back against the wall to listen to the rain. It was relaxing, like a rocking chair gently swaying you to sleep. This must be the calm before the storm everyone was always warning about. "Mugen?"
The pirate grunted, shifting about trying to find a snug position. "Hn? What?" He grumbled tiredly.
Indolently twisting a piece of hair around her pinky finger she pondered at the unease coming into her gut. "Do you think the Shogunate will ever catch you? Or if you'll ever be taken back to prison?" She whispered softly.
His eyes opened at this and he looked at her fixedly through his narrowed gaze.
Fuu glanced away awkwardly at his stare. "I'm just saying, your bounty's probably pretty high by now." She rambled.
Mugen chuckled, raising a scarred eyebrow at her. "Why? You gonna turn me in?" He jeered.
She laughed amusedly, the mood lightening. "I wasn't going to. But I should. I definitely wouldn't turn down that kind of money."
Relaxing back into his bedding he snorted humorously. "Yeah, I bet."
Rubbing a kink out of her shoulder, she was still giggling slightly, watching him out of her peripheral vision. What would happen if he were caught? He had been caught before so it wasn't like he was invincible. Was he destined for the chopping block like Tatsuko? Both men were idiots that lived recklessly, so how much longer until they died recklessly too? For Tatsuko it was tomorrow, when would it be for Mugen?
He started at the sudden weight settling onto his stomach. Glimpsing down, Mugen found a head of chocolate hair splayed across his torso, Fuu using his abdomen as a pillow while the rest of her body nestled itself in the hay to the side of him. "They wouldn't just put you in prison this time, you know." She murmured.
"What the hell's bringing all this on?" He questioned, unsure of what to do with her new attention. She hadn't willingly touched him this intimately since their twisted fuck-and-go relationship ended shortly after Mukuro tried to kill him.
She breathed sadly at the strange regret weighing her down. "I don't know. All this death is depressing, I guess."
"What's 'all this death'? One asshole is being executed tomorrow." He balked.
"Because he had people after him, Mugen! You and Jin are doing the same thing, you don't think you're going to get caught someday?" Fuu retorted.
"Well you can calm down because I'd have killed Jin before anyone got to the bounty on his head."
Fuu rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."
"Me too." Mugen countered.
"And you? What happens to you? You don't think somebody will come after you too?"
"What do I care? Its their grave." He groused, shifting his shoulder away from an upturned nail poking into him.
"Maybe now, but they're going to keep sending stronger assassins. What happens when they finally send one that's too strong?" She pressed, looking up at him.
"Then I'll get stronger too, stop asking stupid questions." He yawned, throwing his arm back over his eyes.
She sighed and laid back down on his stomach, accepting his answer for now. Maybe he was right. It was dumb to compare him to Tatsuko. Mugen wouldn't have let himself get caught like that. Granted he was no genius mastermind but his instincts had served him well so far. Perhaps they would serve him for a little longer.
"Besides, if I ever did get caught I'd be taking your ass down with me. So we don't even have to worry about that." He added exhaustedly.
----------------------------------------------------------
In the morning they snuck back out of the barn, though Mugen decided to be hard to wake for once. They traveled back to the front of the jailhouse were Fuu told him they were to meet Jin. Upon arrival she stopped, frozen in her tracks at the podium moved in front of the jail. She lipped her lips anxiously, her throat promptly going desert dry. "Where's Jin? Its time to go." She urged.
Mugen threw a sidelong glance at her. She certainly seemed antsy this morning. He yawned, stretching his shoulders out, still trying to wake up. He would have to remember to pick up some food on their way out.
A crowd was beginning to gather around them and Fuu was becoming strangely claustrophobic. Growling frustratedly, she hopped up to see over heads when she caught a glimmer of navy robes and inky hair. "Is that him?" She exclaimed, tugging at Mugen's sleeve to get his attention.
"Hm?" Mugen started, seeing what she wanted and following her eagerly pointing finger over the crowd. "Yeah, that's fish face." He clarified, going back to picking at the wax in his ear.
"JIN! Over here!" She called, waving her hands wildly.
Rolling his eyes, he sent her resentful glare. "Knock it off, you're not his fucking fan-dancer." He bit out.
"Mind your own business." She retaliated, though stopping her flapping around once she saw that Jin noticed where they were. "Ok, he's coming over."
"No kidding." He replied cynically.
Fuu ignored his childish grudges and silently hurried Jin along, faster towards them. "letsgoletsoletsgo." She chanted under her breath.
"What?" Mugen asked, not hearing her.
The sudden beating of drums cut off her mantra and she felt her heart turn to ice. Her breath quickened and her palms grew wet and clammy. Everyone turned to the stand, their attention on the thudding sound of percussion. 'Dum..Dum..Dum..' Fuu could hear it blaring in her ears as if there were a million of them. The whole town was devoid of sound and the only thing that could be heard now was that terrible beating; like a giant pulse. Turning slowly away from Jin she, too, looked to the platform.
Several guards were leading a man with ropes up the steps and onto the stand. She didn't want to look in the first place and now she couldn't turn away. The drumming thumped in time with her heart, so much so that she almost thought it were her heart beating so loudly and not the maniacal instruments. As they lead Tatsuko to kneel on the stage she began to sweat in rivets. He looked bloody, beaten, and battered. His missing eye no longer covered, the socket bare and naked to the air, his only good eye was now blackened and badly swollen, blood dripped from random cuts on his body and head, mixing with the dirt and sweat on his skin. His hands were tied at the wrist behind his back and blood crusted around the rope.
There wasn't a sound in the crowd, no one could speak, no one could breath, just the steady pounding of the drums. 'Dum...Dum...Dum…', unstoppable and relentless. Fuu's lungs refused to work and there appeared to be no air left in the world. What was she supposed to do? What could she do! He did this to himself! There was nothing she could do to stop it!
Then why did she feel like her intestines were twisting themselves into bows and knots? A man, she could only guess to be the executioner, came onto the stage behind Tatsuko, sharpened sword firm in hand. Tatsuko finally raised his head, cringing with the effor, and glanced into the crowd.
And their eyes met instantly. Fuu's lip quivered and her hands wouldn't stop shaking as he stared at her. He looked like he wanted to call out to her but thought better of it at the last second, instead straightening his spine and lifting his chin in defiance. No mercy pleas, no tears, no screams of terror at what he knew was going to happen. Her heart dropped to her feet, watching the executioner come closer. 'Dum…Dum…Dum…'
---flashback---
Tatsuko came ambling through the doorway with no money to pay. This time her eyes followed him with something other than annoyance and exasperation. They strayed to him when she knew her mother wasn't looking, this man, this boy that her father would never approve of. This boy that her father would supposedly turn over in his grave were she ever to associate herself with.
---end flashback---
No! There was no reason for her to feel like this! He was nothing but a pathetic bully and thug then and he hadn't changed at all! He'd gotten himself into this! He deserved this for what he'd done! Why was it so quiet? Why wasn't anybody talking? Would they stop it with that stupid drumming! The ruthless beating sucked all the oxygen out of the area, making it hard to breath, hard to think! Bile rose in her belly, her eyes going wider when the swordsman stopped behind Tatsuko. 'Dum…Dum…Dum…'
---flashback---
Dirty, calloused hands rose, gently moving over the flatness of her chest, taking her attention away from the swaying gold of the pasture. For the first time, Fuu actually observed his face. It was as bronze as the rest of his skin…
---end flashback---
The executioner gripped the hilt, raising his arms. Fuu's eyes followed the sword up into the air with a sense of horror and morbid fascination. This criminal was nothing more than a boy! A stupid little boy! He'd come into her teahouse, he'd known her mother, he'd beaten up the other village boys! She didn't like him but he was the minute stain on her life, ugly and shameful but there, and cutting it out meant cutting into that life as well. Why was she feeling like this, she shouldn't, there was no reason, but Kami, THAT STUPID DRUM! 'Dum…Dum…Dum' Fuu clenched her eyes shut impossibly tight as the sword came down, cutting through the air like butter.
---flashback---
"I've never had a woman on top before, I like it. I like you." He confessed, watching her with worship in his eyes.
"You don't get it do you? I have to leave tonight, and I'm taking you with me, Fuu!" He growled, gripping her shoulders, giving her a hard shake.
"Why'd you stop?" He breathed out, his voice husky and virile.
---end flashback---
SSHHLINKK!
'Dum…Dum.'
A heavy, sickening thud followed the slick sound of steel slicing through muscle, skin, and bone. The drumming stopped, something in her was severed, all at once the air flooded back into the world, and everyone regained their ability to move and speak. She opened her eyes and it seemed Fuu was the only one still left unable to breath. Her eyes stayed on the dirt ground, unable to move to anything else for fear of looking ahead. And that was simply not an option.
People shifted and moved by her, the spectacle over and now uninteresting. Fuu swallowed the bile back down to her stomach, her lip still trembling. People were talking, moving, gossiping, and yet all she could hear was a horrible silence. The drums stopped and left a hushed quiet in her ears.
"I spent my money on supplies. Save your wages until we need more food."
She hadn't even noticed Jin's approach until he began speaking to Mugen. She instantly whipped around, turning to her companions and keeping her back to the stage. This whole village felt unclean and left her with an ugly taste in her mouth.
"I bet its pretty damn easy to spend that money when you still owe me a ryu, asshole." Mugen commented.
"I do no-"
"Jin, have you looked at the map? Do you know where we're supposed to go next?" Fuu interrupted.
The samurai stopped at her curious outburst before giving a curt nod. "Yes-"
"Then lets go!" She growled, snatching their sleeves and yanking them along, out of the town.
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U kno wut I just noticed? This fic has the most reviews on You guys r the greatest u make me very very happy and I wanted 2 thank you for it
Much luv
The Deni Pie