Chapter 8: Misunderstandings

"Please, just let me explain everything..." Owen pleaded.

"I've heard enough." Mai informed, her tone reverting back to anger, her eyes like daggers upon him.

"You haven't heard him speak." Jin added.

"He took away my life that day, and now he intends to do it again. The same shall be done unto him."

"This isn't you." Jin abruptly stated.

"Isn't it? I don't even know what I am. How can you possibly know?" Without a word, Jin stepped from behind her and placed his hand on her clenched fist. He felt the bones in her hand tense even greater and he said nothing as he looked down upon her. He could see them now, the tears she had so struggled to hold back much like a dam so futilely attempting to conceal the wrath of a tsunami. The intense force of the water was inevitable. Falling, the katana clanged a horrible relief onto the ground below and Mai dropped to her knees. Owen closed his eyes as his lungs fought for air. Jin turned to him and Owen felt the samurai's eyes on him. He exchanged with him a quick glance before proceeding to kneel down in front of Mai only to have Jin stop him in the process. The tall warrior only shook his head slowly in response. Owen hesitated, wanting to deny what Jin had clearly advised against but relented and stepped back, allowing Mai space. Several moments passed until Jin announced his exit.

"No." Mai called out firmly, bringing her head up but not looking to him. "Stay. Please." Jin accepted and did as asked. Inhaling deeply, Mai looked up at Owen. "I'm listening."

"Before your father passed, he gave me something." Owen's voice came hushed as he sat down across from her.

My father's dead... Mai's head began to ache.

She watched intently as he reached into his vest and pulled out a tiny scrap of what appeared to be a scroll. A scraggly looking piece of black ribbon was tied around it to keep it in place. He proceeded in untying it and when finished, Owen continued, his gaze focused on the withered paper below him. "He lied to me. He told me you were dead. And like a fool I believed him. And in the midst of his final breaths, he took my hand and placed this within it." Owen slowly raised his hand, offering Mai the small scroll. Everything about her screamed hesitation as she struggled to bring her hand up to take it, as though she were accepting a curse. When her fingers did finally grasp it, she unrolled it carefully and her eyes locked onto the words. Jin peered down curiously at the tiny parchment but the odd print was strange to him and all there was for him to do was wait patiently for explanation. Mai bit down on her bottom lip, her eyes steadily swaying back and forth as the words slowly sunk into her. She looked away and took a hand to her eyes to wipe away the tears, a few drops meeting the paper down below.

"A contract." Mai muttered. Jin raised an eyebrow and then shot a glance to Owen who offered none in return. His gaze, as it so frequently was, intently lingered on Mai's face. "He sold me as though I meant nothing to him, to make up for his own selfishness. Nothing..." Mai's voice trailed off.

"I'm so sorry." Owen said. "I didn't know..." Silence hung for several agonizing minutes, the three floundering in their own thoughts, lost and disoriented.

"I remember my mother. But she died a long time ago." Mai's voice cracked. "And now...he's dead as well, as I was to him." Jin sensed the feeling of despair radiating from her tone. There was no one for her now, she felt utterly alone. More so if it was possible.

"You are your father's last living relative." Owen added. "Which makes you the heir to his estate, to his fortune. Much awaits you back home." Mai looked away."And...there is someone who cares for you. He cares for you deeply and his feelings will never change." Jin narrowed his eyes, his cheeks slightly flushed. Owen smiled gently and slowly hovered his hand over Mai's and when she did not resist he rested it upon hers. "I would not of come all this way to find you, to lie to you. I love you too much. " Mai said nothing and only stared at Owen. His eyes matched his tone, they were genuine. Jin closed his eyes.

"Excuse me." He stated simply and then swiftly exited the tiny room. Mai shot up her head at him and watched as his form disappeared behind the sliding door. Owen's hand remained resting on her's, waiting.

"They've even taken the ring I gave to you." Owen noticed her bare hand under his. "But they can never take away our love for one another." Her eyes searched his and found what she could not return.

"Jin!" Mai called, running up through the grassy hill to reach him. His back was turned toward her and he said nothing. Instead, he remained still as he so often did just staring contently at the horizon. Mai swallowed and stopped several feet behind him, just waiting for some sort of reaction, but then, she knew it would not come. "Jin..." She repeated, softly, quieter. "I'm not leaving."

"You cannot stay here."

"I told Owen I couldn't return with him."

"He loves you." Mai furrowed her brow, allowing her gaze to drop from his form.

"He's told me as much..." She replied, attempting to brush it off as if it were not true.

"He means it."

"That doesn't make the feeling mutual." Mai paused. "I remember being with him. Bits and pieces." This definitely caught Jin's attention and he turned around to finally face her. "But that woman no longer exists."

"You told him you remembered him?" Mai looked away and it was all the answer Jin needed and he approached her. "He deserves to know."

"Does he?"

"When he first made himself known to us, I too doubted what he said. But he speaks the truth to you. Return to him that favor."

"I won't leave with him, Jin."

"That's no reason to remain here. Leave with him not for his sake but for your own."

"You don't get it do you?" Jin locked his eyes with her own. "For a while now...I've been dreading just this, I've been dreading leaving you."

"You have to go back." He responded sternly and Mai had hoped for a different response, but that was all it was: hope. She had expected Jin to reply to that admittance with firm resolve. Her heart fell when he turned away from her. "Leave with him." And Jin began walking off. Mai brought up her hand as if to stop him but she held back, letting it drop to her side.

"But you can't possibly stay here!" Fuu exclaimed when Mai had returned to the abandoned shack to make her decision known. "It's suicide if you stay!" Mai smiled gently and Fuu was taken aback.

"If I leave it is."

"I don't get it..." Fuu said, struggling to make sense of Mai's decision. "You've finally found where you belong, don't you want to go home?"

"I'm already home."

"Yo, that Owen guy is bitchin' out there...go outside and shut him up before I do." Mugen interrupted lazily. Mai got to her feet and Fuu watched as she exited the tiny room. Fuu sighed deeply and Mugen plunked down across from her, scratching furiously at the inch inside his ear.

"Mai doesn't want to leave." Fuu finally said and Mugen extracted his finger to fold his arms.

"What a crazy bitch."

"She isn't crazy!" Fuu argued defensively. "She's just..." Mugen looked on, awaiting her to finish but his bored expression suggested he could care less what Fuu had to say.

"Insane? Stupid? Loony? A few sunflowers short of a bouquet?" Fuu scowled at him.

"NO...she's...in love." Mugen huffed,

"What's the difference?"

"I don't understand your reasoning, Diana." Owen argued.

"My name is Ma-"

"NO..." He shouted, afterwards realizing he had done so a bit too loudly, a tad too harshly. Mai blinked and quickly averted her eyes. "Listen...you have to realize that Mai is just some name those bastards threw upon you. Nothing more than some false, cheap idenity. Diana is who you truly are." She tightened her fists but she was exhausted in every way possible.

"I'm sorry. I am. But I cannot help the situation and how it came to be. This is where I stand. This is where we are right now. Here and now is not the past, nor the future. We have only the present. I am who I am now. I remember who I was, but she-" Mai paused and Owen looked on, listening intently, his eyes wide with immense hope and Mai recognized she must have looked the exact way when she spoke to Jin. "Diana no longer exists. Owen-I'm sorry." Owen then looked away. Mai saw his body tense even greater.

"I know." He replied simply." But there remains a part of me that believes you're the you I know. I know you remember what it was that we had. And we could still have it...if we try. The two of us. Please, you cannot seriously entertain the thought of remaining in this place. England is where you belong. It's where you were born. It's your home."

"I entertain nothing. I've given you the truth as you have to me. And I am forever grateful to you, Owen. Try to understand things have changed; deep down your heart must recognize this. The time for illusion has come to an end."

"You love him..." Owen replied bitterly. Mai's eyes grew larger as she watched him. "I could see it in the way you looked at him. In the way I gazed at you, hoping for you to return that same adoration but nothing. You gave it all to him." Mai looked down.

"And for that I cannot apologize. I cannot betray my emotions."

"As I cannot." Mai remained silent, knowing it was true but lacking the words to answer. "Which is why I cannot allow such a union without a proper duel. I underestimated that wild man but no longer." Mai frowned up at him.

Wild man?

Mugen hadn't been out of the tiny shack for more than several moments when he found a blade directed toward him. He was always up for a fight but he couldn't say he cared much for the opponent. Mai froze, observing from afar, completely bewildered.

"I challenge you! For the hand of Diana." Mai could have fell face forward just then. Mugen raised an eyebrow,

"Eh?" Hearing the booming voice, Fuu came stumbling from the shack, catching the door frame and looking on curiously.

"Hey what's going on?" She demanded. As usual, she went ignored. Mugen scratched his mess of bushy hair and continued staring at Owen.

"What the hell you goin' on 'bout?"

"Refrain from playing stupid, even though you do as such ever so well." Mugen's features collided together into a great heap of a scowl and he growled,

"You want me to kick your sorry ass that bad? Again? My pleasure..." And he wasted no time in charging for Owen, sweeping his katana effortlessly at the man but missing. It wasn't long before the great clanging of swords caught Jin's ear and he immediately headed toward the sounds. Mai, meanwhile, was doing her best to stop them.

"Owen WAIT! NO! MUGEN...STOP!" She feverishly ran back and forth, trailing their moves, flailing her arms and shouting but neither man heeded her pleading. Fuu remained off to the side, watching in befuddled awe.

What in the heck is going on!

"That's it!" Mai proclaimed out loud, for too long she stood by hopelessly. It was time to take action and just as Mugen found an opening in which to strike a blow on Owen, Mai stepped in and blocked his attack with a simple garden hoe. She was knocked backward and she tumbled several feet, the garden hoe broke in two and went flying, landing yards away. After finally realizing what had occurred, Owen rushed to her side where she assured him she was fine.

"Bastard!" Owen spat at Mugen.

"WHAT THE HELL!" He raged. "Why the fuck didja do that for? You really are outta your mind." Mai ignored him and instead turned her attention to Owen.

"Owen, you have it all wrong...Mugen's not-" But she was cut off by Jin's voice.

"What's going on here?" Her deep eyes immediately shot toward him. Mai got to her feet with Owen supporting her arms.

"Just a misunderstanding..." Mai replied calmly. Mugen rolled his eyes.

"We were in the middle of a fight. A fight he started!" His finger pointing accusingly toward the pale English man. "A fight I'm finishin'."

"One would inquire to know why you're fighting in the first place..." Jin said.

"He intends to take Diana from me and in turn I intend to prevent that from ever happening." Owen sneered, shooting a glare Mugen's way.

"WHAT?" Mugen exclaimed, flabbergasted. "You're more messed up than I thought pal."

"You are no 'pal' of mine." Owen shot back and Mugen shook with fury.

"Enough..." Jin stated.

"Owen listen." Mai began, breaking free of his grasp. "Mugen has no intention of keeping me here. On the contrary, I'm rather certain he wants me back in England. Far, far away from here. I've been more trouble than I'm worth." And she gave Mugen a gentle smile, which he only half returned.

"But he loves you..." Owen argued.

"Bull shit." Mugen contradicted. Fuu folded her arms,

"The only one Mugen loves is himself."

"Hey shut up!" He barked to the tiny girl behind him. And thus spawned another fight, a verbal match between the fifteen year old and the older boy.

"So I was wrong?" Owen questioned Mai. "How could I have made such a mistake?"

"Cause you're-" Mugen's voice turned muffled after Fuu slapped both her hands over his mouth, which he then quickly pried off of him.

"Both of us are guilty of jumping to conclusions..." Mai assured Owen gently.

"I'm afraid further explanation will have to wait. They're coming." Jin informed abruptly.

"Who is?" Mugen asked gruffly, stopping midway in keeping Fuu's hands away from his face.

"The men who are after Mai."

thanks again everyone for your very kind reviews! They were a big surprise and made me smile on a rather crappy day, so thank you!

as for Owen, he's now fought Mugen twice, which honestly wasn't anything planned but I thought it funny that I wrote Owen surviving BOTH encounters...had this been an episode in the show I highly doubt he would still be alive. lol Mugen definitely would have kicked his ass. ;)

so um, yeah, whisper sorry, Mugen.

only a few more chapters left!