Afternoon Sun

A/N: Just an experiment.

Tromping down the mounds and rough trails, the trio made their way down a zigzagged path. Bouncy brown hair, swung from one side to the other, a young girl placed her hand to her belly irritated of its constant grumblings. Her face was etched with annoyance and she sighed lagging behind two serious faced men unconcerned with her problem. Fuu frowned as she tried to avoid the pebbles that were sprinkled about the ground.

"Are we nearing the town yet? Ooh, I'm so hungry…" She whined and Mugen turned his annoyed face towards the young girl, with the typical scowl and the raise of an eyebrow.

"Gawd'm it! Quit yer whining! We'll get there when we'll get there!" Mugen barked turning away from her muttering incoherently. Barely a few miles away from the last town they were at, and already the she was hungry.

Jin continued down the trail with an unaffected expression on his pale face. Though his frozen expression remained, the man was hunger-stricken. He also couldn't withstand Mugen and Fuu's arguments. Day in and day out, the two would squabble. Whether it would be about the pirate's reckless spending, or the girl's lack of food, there was no end to these arguments. The roads were now deaf to the constant yammering of their feuds; Jin envied the same roads for their luck of lacking hearing.

She pouted clutching her sash glaring daggers at Mugen. She was so hungry she couldn't think of a good comeback. The most she could do was excite Mugen so that they'd hurry up and make it to the next town so she could eat.

Unfortunately, Fuu was struck dizzied; she walked wobbly with a tired expression getting hungrier and hungrier by the second. Fuu mindlessly began to stagger, swerving from side to side as her stomach grumbled.

Fuu dodged a tree that was headed her way and began sliding through the grasslands of the land that framed their path. Unaware of the nearby river, Fuu continued forward sliding head-first into the crystal clear water.

"Gyah!" She sputtered, sliding to her butt in the shallow waters. Coughing as she sat up, a sneeze greeted her while she looked up the steep land and at the men blankly staring at her situation.

"Clumsy idiot," scoffed the raggedy haired swordsman. He continued the path bringing his arms around his head looking up at the cerulean sky. Jin, on the other hand, slid down the steep grasslands to retrieve the young girl out of the river. He eyed the pout that was plastered on her face and frowned.

"Fuu, I suggest you be careful next time. We wouldn't want you to be —" He was then interrupted with a loud sneeze. "…Sick." Breathing out, he plucked her small, trembling body out of the water and brought her down to the dry land. Her body was freezing, was the water that cold?She sat there shivering, with a grumbling stomach, and a small pout. Fuu was still a little shaken by the abruptness of her fall. With her bottom sore, she would have to wait a while before standing up again. Fuu's legs were gelatin, disabling her from standing, so there was actually no way for her to leave her spot at the moment.

She blinked as she felt warmth encircle her being. Fuu looked down to see two pale arms wound around her wet kimono. With wide curious eyes, she stared up at the expressionless eyes, feeling herself flush.

Jin showed no emotion. As if he was tending to a wounded animal, Jin looked down at his capture, breathing softly. "The water you had fallen into was freezing wasn't it?" He looked up towards the position and the sun and continued, "The morning still has yet to end, so the water couldn't have been lukewarm."

Fuu cocked her head to the side at his observation. Glancing down, she felt a smile spread across her lips feeling his protective and apprehensive embrace.

Not so far from where Fuu had fallen, Mugen stared like a hawk at the couple in an embrace. He saw the both of them looking in one direction as if they were watching the river. For some eerie reason, he could not understand why this annoyed him so much. With a scowl on his face, he resisted the growl in his throat. Though, nothing could stop from what he was about to say.

"If ya guys wanna do it, do it somewhere else. You guys doing it in broad daylight is something I sure as hell don't wanna see, understand?" Mugen crossed his arms, squatting at atop the grassland.

Fuu heard what the annoyed pirate had said and frowned deeply. Staring up at Jin, with a blush, she blinked as Jin didn't look back at her. Sighing, she blamed the ruined moment on Mugen. "Mugen's a jackass."

Jin bore no response to her childish comment. He had predicted Mugen's return as he already knew the pirate also worried about the defenseless yet naïve young girl. The evident frown on his lips only deepened when he heard that all-to-familiar growl.

"Just leave her there!" Mugen hollered crouching from the top of the steep hill. His eyes were burning holes into Fuu as demon eyes replaced her innocent ones.

"Shut up Mugen! Achoo!" Sniffling, she stood up and pursed her lips annoyed at his rudeness. "There's no way you guys are leaving me here!"

She didn't notice Jin's warmth disappear as something else was more important. Jin merely sighed as he just stood up and walked over to the river, watching the ripples of the water flow downstream.

Mugen smirked, "Actually, there is Fuu. We'll just leave ya by the river and forget we ever met ya. Does that sound good?"

"You idiot, that's not what I meant! You can't leave me! You guys promised." Her voice was borderline plead.

Mugen only shrugged at her comeback, "Promises are meant to be broken." His voice only sounded sincere, but Fuu could not analyze whether or not he was being true.

Snarling, Fuu clenched her fists and gritted her teeth at the pirate's attitude. She bit her bottom lip with built up frustration. How could Mugen say that? She had believed Mugen, even though sometimes he's not reliable, that he wouldn't even say things that would break a promise. Cold tears were forming in her acorn-brown eyes and Fuu did not wipe them away.

"You heartless jerk! I hate you so much!" She screamed. Blinking some tears away, she clamped her teeth down harder on her bottom lip. She sniffled as she turned the direction they were coming from and started running.

After the storm had passed, Jin turned his head to look at the baffled swordsman.
"Honestly Mugen, is there no limit to the foolish words you say?"

"Shut the hell up." Mugen turned away from the stoic samurai. He grumbled and sat right where he was crouching. "Che, stupid kid."

Fuu was running as fast as her tired legs could take her. She was grateful for Jin's concern, especially his warmth. Without it, she feared that she would've had to deal with Mugen and his rude comments. Finally, her short legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground attempting to catch her breath.

Sitting under a nearby tree, Fuu looked to the ground, observing every tiny rock that surrounded her. Her mind was clouded and she couldn't fathom why Mugen upset her so much. Normally, she could deal with the things he said, but this time, he attacked the glue that held the trio together.

Does Mugen even understand why his words had hurt her so much?

She shook her head. There was no way that reckless man could stop and think about a girl's feelings. Sake, whores, and fights were probably at the top of his priorities. A girl's feelings, especially Fuu's in particular were not even existent in his thoughts.

She gathered her knees close to her face, and rested her chin on them. Crossing her arms around her legs, she sighed. Fuu began to reflect on her journey with the two separate, yet somehow similar swordsmen. Without a doubt, she cared for both of them. Her concern for Mugen was questionable, but she still cared. Sometimes, she would find herself absorbed in the things he would say to her. Even now, that little retort sent her running.

Fuu enjoys their company but after what Mugen said, she doubts that they, any less Mugen, would feel the same way. She can't lose them. Their protection is highly valued in her eyes.
She then wondered: if she was in danger after the little scene, would they still come to her rescue?

Jin: yes, Mugen…I don't count on it. She thought. Jin was true to his word. He would protect her, which is one of the reasons why she had fallen for him. Mugen, on the other hand, was blurred. Few times had Mugen been the one to save her; she recently believes that Mugen would save a whore over saving her. Things like that made Fuu sad.

Was her existence worth so little to Mugen? She was thinking that he couldn't care less about Fuu's well being. If the guy couldn't care about her feelings, would he really even care about her safety?

Sighing, she closed her eyes, thinking a lot more. Her thoughts went farther back in her brain to her little adoration of the wild samurai. There was a little part in her that found Mugen attractive, which she thinks is making her think, like this.

If I think that I think something is because I think it so, than I think I think way too much.

"Oh, forget this!" She growled burying her face in her knees more. Her thoughts were getting more and more bizarre by the second. She had just thought that she cared about Mugen's opinion because she liked him more than she thought. "Stop thinking!" She commanded herself out loud.

"That's right, girl, don't think…feel." A seductive, yet unfamiliar voice was approaching Fuu in the midst of her internal struggle.

Bolting her head upright, she was staring straight into the midnight eyes of a stranger. He had already gotten so close and she could not feel his presence. Had the man been there without her being aware?

She felt his calloused fingertips slide up her bare arm and she shivered instinctively. He breathed into her face and she could smell rotten fish with the touch of sake, presumably that stench was his breakfast.

"What a pretty thing…you seem lost, were you from a brothel? You look familiar, I think I've had you once before." He growled in her ear. She felt herself move away from his breath. She closed her eyes and hoped this isn't really happening.

Courage reared and appeared as she shouted, "Get away from me, you pervert!" She raised her hand and was about to slap him before he caught her tiny wrist and positioned her chin with his free hand so she would face him.

"Go ahead and try that again, bitch. Though, it'd be a pity for me to ruin that pretty face of yours." He hissed in her face. Fish-breath began laughing at her cowering expression.

Fuu felt herself shiver as he used one hand to grab both of her wrists and put it to the ground. She was struggling in his grasp and began screaming. Tears were burning in her eyes as she remembered Jin and Mugen were still at the spot she left them at, so there was no chance of them saving her now.

"Scream all you want, cutie, it'll only make the experience better." He purred. As his face got closer to her, she felt herself go into an invisible corner as she could not move.

Shiiing!

That sounded like a sword.

Opening her autumn brown eyes, she was relieved to know she was right. The thick familiar blade was lowering itself to the ground. Droplets of red distinctively scented of blood dripped from the tip of the blade.

Fuu remembered what she feared at the moment and saw the man fall to the ground. Just before he fell, she scooted away from the spot he was about to fall on, with a squeal. She looked up, but the sun was in the way of her savior's head, but she knew too well who was responsible.

"Dumbass, I can't stand bastards who go after the underage." Mugen's rough voice stated to no one in particular as he brought his weapon up and placed it in the sheath behind him. Turning away, he said clearly, "Are ya okay, Fuu?"

She nodded dumbly with her mouth gaping open. She scanned behind him looking for the other swordsman but found no one.

Jin didn't come with? She thought curiously. Fuu frowned at the back of Mugen and raised her eyebrow. The young girl then looked down and began speaking softly.

"Why did you save me?" In the corner of her eye, she could see his back stiffen.

Gruffly, he responded still not looking at her, "'Cuz I had to." Right after he spoke, she retorted, "No you didn't. You said it yourself, 'promises are meant to be broken,' and protecting me was apart of the promise, so you could've just walked away...so tell me the truth: why?" With that she looked up with her eyes uncertain.

Mugen breathed out and had his hands on his hips. "I just had to. What, that's not enough for ya?" Her eyes widened and she couldn't shake the shocked expression on her face.

He's being stubborn! Fuu crossed her arms and pouted. "That's not a good enough reason, Mugen! Why-did-you-save-me?" She said every word with a great amount of emphasis.

She heard him make some sort of growl at her. "Just forget it and let's go okay?" Fuu wouldn't want to let it go, as the time she would find out his reasons for saving her, she would find out whether or not he could actually like her and not hate her as she used to think.

"…Why?" She saw his shoulders twitch and he growled once more.

"I don't know, alright? Is that a better reason for you? Are you satisfied!" He turned glaring at her. Fuu blinked and held back a giggle at his frustration. She really got to him with such a simple question. Saying he didn't know made her feel a little happy in some twisted way.

As they walked back to where they had left the spectacle-wearing samurai, Mugen had sped walked to deepen the gap he had with the trailing-behind Fuu. She noticed this and said nothing, but she was surprised as she saw Mugen stop as she kept her pace. When she was a foot away from him, he started walking again. A giddy smile graced the young girl's lips as the two continued their path with the afternoon sun high in the sky.

End

A/N: Was it good? Bad? A 'wth' type of story? Do tell!