Violence Warning: This chapter contains violence (a little done to the good guys, a lot done to the bad guys). There is blood and loss of assorted body parts.
Attention: This is now a six-part instead of a five-part, the last chapter was lengthened and split into two. So this is not the end…
See previous chapters for disclaimer and other warnings:
Chapter Five: Some Faith
"Excuse me sir," Koto's sultry voice seeped through the rice paper door, awakening Fuu from her slumber, "Your time is finished. It is morning. We hoped you enjoyed our Kura's first night. Please return and visit us again soon." From Fuu's place on the futon, she was surprised to hear Mugen up and moving around already. When had he woken up? Her body felt chilled where he had been pressed against her and she dreamily trailed her hand over the place where Mugen had recently been, still warm from the heat of his skin.
Rolling over, Fuu saw that he was already dressed and tossing on his red gi. "Hold your horses," Mugen yawned, sliding open the door to reveal Koto, who immediately bowed to him. Behind him, Fuu wrapped the blankets over her body and sat up. She watched the back of Mugen with growing anxiety.
"Good morning sir," Koto said, eyes half-lidded and sultry, "I trust all needs were satisfied?"
"Hellz yeah," grinning, Mugen stretched and popped his sore muscles and bones while walking out of his rented room, "Best five ryo I ever spent." An elderly maid offered to escort Mugen downstairs and he followed her, hands clasped behind his head. Over his shoulder, he half-heartedly twiddled his fingers, "See ya, Kura." And without one look at Fuu, Mugen was gone.
That's when it rudely hit Fuu that she was still trapped inside a brothel and thanks to Mugen, she had completely forgotten about escaping. How could he just leave her like that? After last night, after what they shared…but like cold, ice water to the face, Fuu realized that the only thing they had shared was what every prostitute shares with her john every night. It's not like there had been any promises or even soft words between them. He got what he'd come for.
Mugen had come to her expecting a lay for five ryo and that's exactly what Fuu delivered. Jeez, she really was a whore…
Now not only did she have to escape, but it was also critical that she hunt down Mugen and kick him in the balls! Really hard!
"Let's have a look at you, kid," noticing the pale pallor of Fuu's face, Koto approached her and lowered the blanket that Fuu had been holding to her body. Fuu sat shamefaced and embarrassed while the senior prostitute examined her. "Men are like dogs," Koto snorted, tapping her tobacco-stained teeth, "they mark their territory even though another dog is waiting around the corner to piss on the same post." She was referring to the half dozen hickeys that graced Fuu's breasts and neck, "Next time, don't let them mark you up unless they agree to pay extra. It's not house policy, but it's an easy way to get more tips. Besides, your next customers won't like it." Back to business as usual, Koto threw Fuu's yellow nagajuban over her shoulders and tugged her up by the elbow, "Alright kid, I'll show you the routine. It's bath time and you'll wanna get a head start. They boil the water only once to save fuel and by the time the last girl's washed the water's freezing. Make sure to scrub your crotch twice, some of these guys have the clap."
Gross! Fuu hadn't even thought of that. It would be just like Mugen to give her crabs or something else equally disgusting! She was going to kick him so hard…
"Breakfast is in an hour," Koto glided out to the hallway with Fuu in tow, "Again, don't be late. The girls keep eating till everything's gone. After that, chores, it's nothing too backbreaking. The maids do most of the hard work. We just need to help keep things tidy. Once chores are done, we get to nap, best part of the day. This is when you'll get your primary sleeping done, so don't waste it, kid." Following dutifully downstairs, Fuu peered into vacant rooms and saw several scenes of spilled sake and rice with messy futons and stained sheets. Many girls were dressing into their wrinkled kimonos of the night before. They watched suspiciously out of the corner of their eye, until they could identify the footsteps as another working girl. Some didn't look at all, just staring with empty gazes at the ground as they tied their front obis. "You'll get used to sleeping during the day," added Koto, "and if you're tipped, find a good hiding place. We're whores here, not your sisters. Never forget that, no matter how friendly we get. There isn't one of us that wouldn't steal the gold out of her mother's teeth and that includes me."
All in all, it was a rather honest thing for Koto to say.
"And one more thing kid, the most important advice I could ever teach you," abruptly, the senior prostitute stopped and Fuu barely avoided crashing into her. Koto spun about and spoke very precisely, looking Fuu straight in the eye, "Never-fall-in-love. Go that? There isn't a customer here worth pining over. Johns do not good lovers make. Every now and then, some stupid, naïve girl gets taken in and it's nothing but drama when her crush starts paying for some other ass. Love has caused more suicides here then bushido does at the Shogun's palace. You got all that?"
Fuu nodded.
Smirking, Koto quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "Good. Then you'll stop with the puppy-dog eyes and sighing?"
"I'm sorry?" Fuu's brow scrunched in bewilderment.
"Look kid," the senior whore pinched the bridge of her nose and tsk-ed, "I'm not judging you. It's only natural for a girl to fall in love with her first time. He paid hard cash for you, not too much, but five ryo is five ryo. To top it off, he was good-looking too. So I can understand how you might think you're in love."
"Love?" Fuu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"C'mon," Koto continued her route to the bathhouse, "I saw how you were staring at him. I can tell by the expression on your face right now. You're positively broken hearted."
And that's when the truth finally hit Fuu like a shovel to the face.
'Holy crap,' she stopped in her tracks, hand to her gaping mouth, 'I do love Mugen!' Of all the stupid epiphanies to have about one's self! To have fallen in love with that crazy, dirty, womanizing, rude, immature, foreign devil without even knowing it…well just because it was factual didn't make it obvious or easy to take. "YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" she shouted out loud. Several whores stuck their heads outside their rooms to see what all the fuss was about. Fuu didn't care. There were far more important things to freak out about.
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'I love Mugen. I love Mugen. I love Mugen,' no matter how many times she went over her feelings in her head, the same statement kept replaying itself over and over. She hoped that maybe it wouldn't be true anymore. That if she kept obsessing over it, sooner or later there would be some fault or flaw in her thinking, kind of like how a word doesn't sound like a word anymore if it's repeated over and over.
But it wasn't working! 'I love Mugen. Mugen whom I love. Love I have for Mugen,' her head was aching from all the pressure her heart was making. Not only was it apparent that she did, in fact, love Mugen, but it was also obvious that she had loved him for a long while. Suddenly, all the times she had watched him sleep, all the times she had tended him, all the times she had ranted at him for attention, all the tears she had shed for him (or because of him) were all evident and unavoidable proof that she loved him! Not to mention the fact that sometimes she had missed Mugen so acutely it was like a physical pain in her gut. How could she have been so blind? It was so obvious!
Jin probably knew too, that sneaky, tight-mouthed, four-eyed bastard! Would it have killed him to clue her in to the fact that she was in love with Mugen?
This was quite possibly the worst headache Fuu had ever had.
"Never would've guessed it," Koto interrupted her thoughts.
"Mm?" Fuu stood up from with rag in hand, wiping her brow. After a chilly sponge bath and an even colder breakfast, Fuu had been assigned to floor duty. She dashed up and down the corridors, rag mopping up the floorboards and leaving the other girls in her dust. Fuu didn't mind. She was actually rather fond of housework. Her best thinking was done while she was doing her chores. It was a very meditative time for her.
And saints knew, she had a lot to think about!
"I never would've guessed that you were the daughter of a samurai," smiled Koto. The senior prostitute during the day was barely recognizable as the voluptuous courtesan she was at night. For one thing, her age was more noticeable in the sunlight then by lamplight. No cosmetics masked her face and her skin was naturally tan and rosy with a few freckles dotting her cheeks. Koto dressed in her nagajuban like all the other whores did during the day and the simple clothing made her plainer, almost ordinary. Fuu was reminded of an old neighbor that was a close friend of her mother. The neighbor was a middle-aged widow who laughed harder then any other adult Fuu knew as if to spite her sorrow. If Fuu had met Koto on the street, she would've seemed like any other Japanese woman with a family to feed and a home to take care of. "You work your ass off," she explained, "Didn't think the samurai class knew the value of a good day's work."
In the back of Fuu's mind, she saw Jin quirk an irritated eyebrow.
Jin…
If Jin had been the one to stumble onto her in a brothel, you could've bet your bottom ryo that he would've rescued her! No questions asked. She was the closest thing the ronin samurai had to a 'master' and though it probably wasn't specifically mentioned in the laws of bushido, Fuu was certain that allowing your master to rot in a whorehouse was definitely against the rules! For crying out loud, Jin had rescued Shino from that cathouse and he had only known her for a few days! Jin would've performed some daring and remarkably brave escape scenario (in his cool and calculating manner of course) and he would've done it without seducing her. He wouldn't have spent five ryo and expected her to put out. He wouldn't have exhausted the night making love to her and driving her to insane heights of pleasure. Then he sure as hell wouldn't have waved goodbye and said, "See ya, Kura," in that obnoxious Ryu-kuuian, bad boy accent of his-
Wait a second…who was she talking about again?
Oh yeah, Mugen…I love him…Damn it! Would she ever be able to control her mind again or would her heart forever add 'I love Mugen' to every sentence she thought of like some elongated, mental period? Why was she doing this? Mugen abandoned her, he left her to a life of prostitution. What kind of man could be so heartless? It was too cruel; it was unforgivable! How could she love him after he had forsaken her?
It was a completely depressing thought and a tad melodramatic, which sadly made her think of her father, the Persecuted-Sunflower-Christian-Samurai. Yep, that was Fuu all right, forever tied to that cross in the church, abandoned and beaten, hopeless and doubting.
It was the image of the cross that reminded her…
Have some faith in me, would ya? she could hear Mugen's voice echo in the ruins of the charred church. She remembered him, how he was that day…the blood and water, the rage and she remembered the bittersweet guilt she felt when she realized that he had come for her. She had doubted him!
Uh-oh…like she was doubting him now…
Wait a minute…"See ya Kura," Mugen had said to her before he left. See ya…
It hit her with all the grace of a ton of bricks. "He's coming back for me," suddenly, Fuu whispered fiercely under her breath and Koto quirked her head, wondering if she had heard Fuu correctly. 'See ya'! What else could it mean? Mugen was coming back for her! It was like some sort of code; after all, Koto had been right there and he wouldn't have wanted to give them away. That's why he called her Kura, instead of Fuu. He couldn't tip off Koto that he knew Fuu personally. Because that's what Mugen did, he rescued her, he protected her, when all her chips were down, he'd go right on playing! This time he wasn't even obligated to save her. And the only reason Mugen would have for rescuing Fuu this time is if he felt some sort of genuine affection for her.
There was a solid certainty to this fact. If Mugen came for her, then he must care for her. And Mugen was most definitely coming to rescue her, on this point she would never doubt him again. She had faith in him, even if no one else did; she had learned her lesson well.
Hope is the most inspiring of all feelings and Fuu felt wonderfully giddy and drunk from it. It was a fantastic sensation-
-followed abruptly by stark terror as a hand swiftly seized Fuu's collar from around the corner and dragged her with unarguable strength down the hall.
"What the-?" disoriented, her head whipping around violently, Fuu finally caught sight of her attacker. It was the yakuza guard from last night, the one she had cut with her tanto while trying to escape! Immediately, she dug her heels into the wooden floorboards and started screaming for help, "Koto! Koto, help me! Help somebody!"
"Shut up, little cunt," grinning with mad yellow teeth, the goon wrapped his hand around Fuu's arm and roughly tossed her into the open courtyard. Her arms flailed about trying to keep balance, but then she felt a hand ruthlessly push her back. She attempted to keep her bare feet under her, but she tripped and slid to a halt on her side in pebbles and dirt. Around her, the four other yakuza from the night before stood smirking down at her, especially the one she had kicked in the balls. Behind them, two more thugs nudged each other and maliciously pointed at Fuu. Apparently, they were just two yakuza rubberneckers.
"What the fuck?" Koto followed, storming into the courtyard and Fuu instantly tried to crawl towards her for protection, but a badass kicked at her until she held still. Hand on hips, the senior prostitute grinded her teeth in agitation, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Boss says to teach this one a lesson about escaping," one of the men spat on the ground next to Fuu's head, "Seems like he won't tolerate no shit from you whores since the ex-Madam jacked so much cash from him."
"Yeah, he thinks maybe he's been too easy on you bitches."
"Gotta keep you hoes in line."
Her finger tapping her stained teeth, Koto glanced quickly at Fuu. She made up her mind. "Then I'll whip her myself," attempting to march forward and claim Fuu, she was blocked by one of the yakuza guards.
"We ain't whipping her," another thug snorted and laughed.
Slowly, Koto glared at each man, each terrible grin, each spiteful eye. There were five filthy faces before her and two in the background. Each one had the same cruel sneer. It was quite evident to a seasoned hooker like Koto what their intentions were. "No," she finally glanced down at Fuu and the worry and panic Fuu saw on her face frightened her, "there's too many of you."
"She should've thought of that before she took off."
"Or shanked up my arm."
"Or jacked me in the jewels!"
"You'll break her," Koto suddenly leapt forward, her hands frantically reaching for Fuu, "There's too many of you!"
"Back off!" a guard backhanded Koto hard enough to leave her staggering with a red print upon her freckled cheek. Crying out, Fuu unthinkingly moved towards Koto, but the ringleader, the bastard she had cut with her tanto, hit her in the face with the unforgiving palm of his hand. Her little head whipped back and immediately, Fuu tasted red copper on her lip. Clasping her mouth and feeling warm blood seep through her fingers, she stared pleadingly at Koto to do something.
Koto held her stinging cheek in her hand, staring apologetically at Fuu. Hastily, the senior prostitute spun about and ran away. Her heart sinking, Fuu watched the back of Koto disappear into the brothel. She heard the bare footsteps fade away. Above her, the yakuza guard she had kicked in the groin the night before was kneeling down and reaching for her throat, his hand already unfastening his hakama-.
'I'll go to the Boss myself!' swiftly sprinting towards the entrance of the cathouse, Koto was thinking desperately to herself, 'Boss Yutaka's always liked me. Maybe I can beg him; maybe I can change his mind. I have to try to convince him!' Normally, Koto was a practical and distant woman who didn't stick her neck out for anybody. Deep down she knew that the odds of changing Boss Yutaka's mind about anything were virtually nada, but there were just too many of them! That sort of thing wasn't prostitution, that sort of thing was…unspeakable. This girl, what was it about her that reminded Koto of a name she no longer went by and a life that disappeared twenty years ago?
She had to try, for that girl who had to die so the woman today could survive.
Dashing out the curtained entryway, Koto slid to a halt as a long, thin shadow fell over her. Suddenly, it was very cold and she shivered, almost forgetting her panicked task as she stared at the wild man before her. She unconsciously blew a few strands of her loose hair from her face, while they glared at each other warily.
He was giving her a 'very-expressive-look'.
"Hurry, this way," before she knew it, Koto was turned around and motioning him to follow, "She needs you."
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"Stop fighting it, girly," gradually, the man getting on top of her started to squeeze his fingers around her throat. Fuu thrashed and kicked until spots danced before her eyes. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs for Mugen, but the thug hovering over her was choking the very air out of her. Callused and dirty hands were running up her legs, forcing her trembling thighs apart. Someone stepped on her right wrist to stop her from striking her attacker. Someone else grabbed her left hand and threatened to break it, if she didn't hold still. Fear became a tangible stab in her gut and Fuu shivered uncontrollably.
"She's a feisty, little bitch. Isn't she?" the ringleader stepped forward and he lewdly grabbed his crotch, suggestively stroking himself, "She can handle a suck and a fuck at the same time." Others cheered him while he knelt down at Fuu's head, groin perched precariously above her face.
'No!' Fuu couldn't speak it, but her whole mind screamed it. She renewed her struggle, turning her face away from the hand that was trying to pry her mouth open-.
Clip…Clang…Clip…Clang…
Fuu listened, her heart hammering in her chest. Well it was about damn time!
One by one, each yakuza guard stopped their advances and turned their heads towards the strange, metallic noise. The brothel was officially closed until twilight, but sometimes johns would pay extra for services during the day, though it wasn't common. They stayed quiet as the clips drew closer. It sounded almost like footsteps, but who would be so rude as to wear geta in the brothel?
"'Sup," Mugen strolled into the courtyard, hands nonchalantly in his pockets. Behind him, the senior prostitute watched anxiously over his shoulder. The vagrant didn't seem half as concerned as he should be and she wondered if she just made a horrendous miscalculation in bringing him here.
Actually, Mugen had never felt so unstable in his entire life. The image of those five dickheads manhandling Fuu was burnt into his mind like scar tissue. If he closed his eyes, he'd still see those yakuza dead men on top of her, forcing and hurting her, only he'd see it in bright red. Leave it to Fuu to get into this kind of trouble in only a few hours. He should have never left her alone.
In all truth, it's not like he had a lot of choice in the matter. That morning, Mugen had awoken an hour before sunup, intending to make a hasty exist before Fuu could start whining about 'escaping' (or worse yet, she might want to talk), well that was the plan at least. Instead, Mugen sat up in the futon, watching the first light of day turn from dusky grey to pale orange against Fuu's hair and skin. She slept like a child, lips parted and legs tangled in the blankets. Unconsciously, she snuggled into his warmth with her little fist clenched under her chin. All the while, Mugen kept hearing her voice playing over and over in his head. Several times he rose to get dressed, only to return to watch her some more. Damn, he wanted her. He just…wanted her and it almost made him want to strangle her in frustration, because he didn't know why. Imagining what it would be like if he just got up and left, he discovered that the very idea of someone else paying and screwing her made his teeth grind with hatred. There was no way he could leave her here.
And since he wanted Fuu anyway, Mugen decided to take her with him. Why the hell not? It's not like there weren't several practical reasons to travel with Fuu; she was thoroughly fuckable, she was good company when she wasn't complaining (in fact, Mugen and Fuu had often laughed themselves silly, mostly at Jin's expense), she was handy around a campfire, and she apparently had the power to keep the crow men away. Not to mention that he missed her, in his own bitter regard, and Mugen was all about immediate gratification. If he wanted her, then what else was there to think about?
So he left that morning on a mission, to locate a safe house where Fuu and him could shack up until the heat died down. Stealing a whore from the Yutaka gang was no small matter; there'd be a hunt for them. If Mugen were by himself he'd march brazenly around town until they found him, but since Fuu would be depending on him too, they'd have to lay low for a while (as much as it pissed him off to have to hide from a fight). Luckily, he remembered the roadside bandits he had killed on his way into town. An hour of poking around the nearby forest, he discovered their hideout, a small hut hidden on the leeside of a cave. It was perfect. After using his last ryo to stock the safe house with food and supplies, Mugen headed back to the brothel and not a moment too soon. If he'd been a few minutes later…he blanched at the thought, the very idea nauseating him.
"Koto," one of the observing guards, motioned his head at the intruder, "who the hell is this bum?" Said bum was cracking his fingers with vigor.
"I'm a repeat customer," Mugen said proudly, his thumb cocked at Fuu, "of hers." Fuu's tear-filled eyes fell on Mugen, shining with hope not only because he had come for her (yet again), but also because now that she realized she loved him, she felt her soul soar simply by looking at him. They had only been parted for a few hours; still Fuu stared at Mugen as if she was desperate to memorize him. All too briefly, his gaze flickered over her. His smile was friendly, his posture was relaxed, no outward signs of his homicidal intent, but Fuu saw clearly the rage in his eyes. Mugen wanted blood and lots of it.
The man squeezing Fuu's throat relented a little and Fuu literally choked on her own breaths as she struggled to fill her starved lungs with oxygen. He had managed to pry her thighs apart and was kneeling between her knees. "As you can see, pal," he said, friendly enough, "she's busy now. You'll have to wait your turn."
"We promise they'll be some pussy left over," another thug suggestively slapped Fuu's hip, "and she's got a big mouth."
"Believe me, I know," his smirk disappeared briefly as he watched a few blood droplets run down Fuu's chin and stain her bright yellow nagajuban, but it returned moments later as a sadistic grin, "The problem is I don't do sloppy seconds." Mugen paused to count on his fingers, "Or sloppy eighths."
The two observing yakuza warily stood up.
"Koto," the guy Fuu had kicked, the one between her legs, yelled over his shoulder, turning back around to tear at the sash holding Fuu's nagajuban closed, "throw this asshole out and tell him to come back later tonight! Son of a bitch," distracted and swearing at Fuu's complicated butterfly-knot, he grabbed Fuu's collar and tried to rip it open-.
The swift sound of steel-lined geta sprang over rocks and grass.
A few flecks of blood abruptly struck Fuu's forehead, making her flinch. She heard the collective gasp of her tormentors and a telltale gurgling noise. When she reluctantly opened her eyes again, a sword was protruding grotesquely through the yakuza guard's throat. The red and silver caught the sunlight in the strangest way, so that for a second, Fuu thought the blade was crudely winking at her.
Mugen had stabbed the bastard straight through the neck. True to his bloodthirsty frenzies, he remained smiling, even when he propped his foot on the dead man's shoulder so he could wrench his sword out the other side, almost decapitating the body. "You badasses wanna fight me or are ya gonna piss yourselves?" holding his weapon at ready, Mugen beckoned them forward.
Snapped out of their shock, the four yakuza still holding Fuu down awkwardly jumped up and grabbed for their katanas. However, Fuu knew better then to leap up into kicking range. Instead, she rolled over and covered her head in her hands. Good thing too, because Mugen instantly fell to the ground next to her, his legs in the air. One swift jerk of his hips and Mugen was spinning on his back like a demented top. With jaw-cracking accuracy his steel-lined geta socked two thugs in the face and another in the gut. The ringleader backed away, narrowly missing the flying feet.
By now, the two yakuza bystanders surged forward, blades coming down at Mugen. His left geta caught the first katana with anticlimactic ease, while he leapt up into a one-armed handstand. He literally 'walked' up the guy's body, until he reached the throat where he kicked the Adam's apple with merciless force. There was a terrible crack as something broke in the man's neck and he fell to the ground limply. Wielding his sword with his free hand, Mugen then struck out like a cobra at the second thug's shin. "Ah man," disappointed, he sighed, flipping up to stand on his feet again. He had intended to completely hack the foot off, but instead, he managed to slice a vertical hunk of calf. It was just as effective, but losing a limb is always more dramatic in Mugen's opinion.
He barely registered the bozo's screams as he tried to clasp his leg back together.
Two dead, one lame, and four to go.
Nose broken, the goon that had been threatening to break Fuu's wrist seized a pistol from inside his kimono. True to the code of 'rescued heroines', Fuu screamed a warning at Mugen, gracefully clutching her hands to her heart. Trembling and sweating, the thug attempted to cock the weapon and ready it for fire, but Mugen was inches from his face in a blinding instant. "Shame about guns," he quirked his head like he was genuinely giving a good bit of advice while ramming his blade between the man's ribcage, "prep time's too damn long. Swords on the other hand," and here Mugen jerked his weapon out of his chest, never minding the horrible sucking sound or the splatter of blood at his feet, "nothin' faster then steel, I always say."
Make that three dead, one lame, and three to go.
However, the lame one was trying, rather pathetically, to crawl away. "Sonavabitch," frowning dispassionately, Mugen threw his sleeved tanto into the man's back. The blade whirled through the air, whispering as it spun until it embedded into the sleazebag's flesh with a dull thud. "Not one of you bastards leaves here alive! Got that?" Mugen kicked the limp body over, until it turned dead eyes to the sky.
Four dead, still three to go.
"Got just one question for you pussies," he propped his sword on his shoulder, the smile vanishing into a straight-lipped expression that was ten times more disconcerting, because of its blank demeanor. Strolling up to Fuu, who was still sitting on the ground (she'd witnessed enough Mugen-massacres to know that the safest course of action was to hold still and avoid getting within striking distance), he grasped her chin and squeezed her cheeks in a morbidly comical way. Her busted lip was already swelling and purple, the blood was caking around her mouth, "Who did this?"
Needless to say, no answer was immediately forthcoming.
"If I have to ask her," Mugen shook Fuu's head for emphasis, "things are gonna go really freakin' bad for all three of you pricks."
Still no response, but they did glance nervously at each other.
"Who touched her FUCKING FACE?" he shouted, skin bright red and spit flying from his mouth. Mugen's temper was finally showing itself in all its manic glory. He didn't just want these guys dead, he wanted them hurt, he wanted them bleeding, he wanted pain. No one touched Fuu, but him.
Mutely, the two yakuza goons pointed at the ringleader, his arm still bandaged from where Fuu had cut him the night before. The ringleader leapt back, sputtering inaudibly and waving his katana around. He shot hateful glares at his two treacherous companions, before backing up into a wall where he promptly broke out in a cold sweat.
"Good, I was kinda worried I already killed the motherfucker," the smirk returned in full malicious might, "You two dudes can die fast!" Rushing at them, Mugen slid under their defensive parries and slashed upward into a complete circle, his sword shooting sparks while it traveled over cobblestones. The sharp blade caught both guys in the stomach. He came to a stop a few feet in front of the ringleader, who gawked in terror when the two swordsmen silently fell behind Mugen as he stood up.
Six dead…
"You," Mugen pointed with his sword, "can die slow."
"Fuu!" and Fuu nearly leapt out of her skin when Koto clasped her by the elbow. She had completely forgotten Koto was still there! "C'mon kid. We gotta get out of here. Move!" Keeping a wary eye on Mugen while he gradually cornered the last yakuza guard, Koto pulled roughly on Fuu's arm. Her face was ashen and perspiring. Senior prostitute or not, Koto had never seen the likes of Mugen before and in her strong opinion, the further they could got from this ballistic psycho the better! "I know where our things are kept, we gotta get some street clothes and disappear for awhile," she whispered to Fuu.
Deciding that she most definitely didn't want to witness exactly what Mugen was planning to do to this creep (however justified she felt), Fuu let herself be lead away by Koto. Besides, she needed her tanto and her clothes back!
The samurai's daughter and senior hooker entered the left wing of the brothel, running down the corridor hand in hand. Behind them, the yakuza ringleader gave a sharp, inhuman scream, followed by the hoarse laughter of the Ryu-kuuian.
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This chapter's original draft needed a lot of reconstruction. Luckily, I realized why I was so dissatisfied with it: I had a Samurai Champloo fic without a decent sword fight! I mean c'mon, Mugen has to have a proper kick-ass-scene. So I re-wrote the action sequence, giving Mugen his dues and the fifth chapter became way too long, hence the creation of a sixth chapter. I'm really happy with the final result.
Next chapter, last chapter: Haven't titled it yet, but I'm sure it will be snazzy!
Thank you all! Reviews are like chocolate, gimme some! (Please:)
