Hero For Hire
Cap'n Coree
Disclaimer: I own not the Samurai Champloo,
Chapter One: Applications
Fuu had to face it. Mugen, even Jin, were not very reliable when it came to being bodyguards. Sure, they always saved her after she was kidnapped and beaten, but she wasn't sure adept bodyguards would let it get as far as that. Not only that, but they were constantly leaving her alone to go chase ...whores! She just couldn't trust either of them, and it pained her to say that about Jin, but it was the truth. He had tried to run away from her several times as well, forget her and his promise. There was just no trusting them. Especially now.
They had just arrived in town that evening. 'It shouldn't really be called a town,' Fuu thought,'it's more like a giant red light district.'Indeed, it was like a giant red light district. It seemed the streets had atleast two brothels and any number of bars and gambling facilities, and the roads themselves were swamped with flesh peddlers, drug dealers, thieves and whores. As Fuu had squirmed her way through the crowd, holding onto Jins shirt like a frightened baby kitten she and her fellow companions had been asked a good number of dirty questions..."Is that girl for sale?" "If I paid you enough could I watch you three go at it?" "Hey, you wanna see girl fuck a monkey?" Mugen, of course, found it all very amusing. Fuu imagined Mugen would settle down in a place like this if he could. At one point, he had been arguing with a pimp about Fuu's price, as if he were ready to sell her, and once more, he was telling the pimp he had offered too much money. "Fuu, nah she isn't worth ten at all, maybe five, six at most."
At the first hotel they found they dumped Fuu, telling her to wait for them there, they'd be back in the morning. They tossed Fuu a few coins as if she were no better than the whores leering at them from across the street, and they were gone. Fuu was hurt, but most of all she was afraid, and she found several shady men had begun to circle around her. Fuu ran into the hotel, where, by the door a young, but very large man stood. He was solid looking, but Mugen would have called him fat. Everything about him, even his facial features, were thick. He smilled at her, his smile was naive, kind. Right away, she felt save. "My name is Akoto, I'm the hotel bodyguard," he said, knocking a large finger against the hilt of his sword, "if you wish to buy a room, please approach the front desk." He was very formal, buisness like, but he suddenly his buisness tone falltered, and he grinned at Fuu, "If you came inside to escape, I can take care of those men for you."
Fuu smilled, and bowed. "I'm here for a room, but thank you for the offer. It's nice to meet a decent person in..eh..this 'town'. My name is Fuu." Akoto bowed back, and Fuu approached the 'front desk' as he had called it. Behind it an elderly woman sat, legs crossed. Her gray hair was tied into a messy bun, and she has small spectacles perched on her shrivled-like-a-raisin nose.
"Welcome dearie." the old women said, "You're here for a room?"
"Oh yes," Fuu said, handing over the little money she had, "is this enough?"
"Yes, this will be more than enough. If you want we can send you up a dinner later this evening?"
"That sounds great." She was relieved that they had atleast left her at a very nice inn. She looked over her shoulder at big, thick Akoto and compared him to Jin and Mugen. He was so kind, and once more, sane. Why couldn't Mugen or Jin be more like him? Why couldn't Mugen laugh out of kindness instead of out of spite? Why couldn't Jin just laugh.
"In the harshest dessert, the most beautiful flowers grow." the old woman said.
"Huh?" Fuu asked, confused.
"I noticed you looking at our Akoto. He's my grandson you know. Such a sweet boy, and he grew up right here, you know? His mother was a brothel worker, and our son had gotten her pregant. They gave the child to us, but our son wasn't content just having the child. He wanted his love too. One night he had tried to break her out, and they got caught, and killed.. Akoto hates this place, but he never complains. There is nothing for his kind here. He doesn't drink or gamble, and he'll die before entering a brothel. He stays here because he is needed here. Any girl he sees being harassed, or hurt, he protects. Any child he sees being beaten, he cares for. He is like a guardian angel here." The old woman sighed. "His grandfather, now thats another story. Total lush, gets drunk everynight and falls asleep smoking his pipe. I keep telling him he's going to set the house on fire, but does he listen? No. Now about you.. whats a young girl like you doing all alone?"
"Well, I'm not exactly alone. I had two friends. Male. They're suppose to be my bodyguards but they left me outside to pursue...well...you know." Fuu didn't feel like talking about brothel women after hearing poor Akoto's story. Fuu was rather awe'd by Akoto's devotion to protecting the weak. 'He doesn't even want anything out of it.' Fuu thought amazed.
"Sounds like you need new bodyguards." the old woman laughed.
"Yeah," Fuu sighed.
"There are several capable, and even some honest men here looking for a job. Maybe, perhaps, this is the time to look for new friends." Fuu shook her head and sighed.
"I'm not sure, I mean, they have saved me a few times...I just wish they cared a little more..." Fuu suddenly felt out of place, telling all her problems to this kind, but still strange, woman. "Well, I'm going to go to bed, if my friends show up, please tell them what room I'm in. One is really dirty with scraggly hair, and the other wears glasses. They both carry swords, and the dirty one is very rude. The other doesn't talk much." With that Fuu bowed and found her way to her room. Slipping beneath the covers, she began to think of the old woman and what she said, and how dependable Akoto seemed, and how she felt she couldn't trust her own bodyguards like that old woman trusted Akoto. Before she fell asleep she decided that in the morning, she would ask the old woman for a few things...
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When Mugen and Jin finally found their way back to the street they had left Fuu on it was midday. Outside of the hotel was a rather large crowd of people, talking excitedly. Mugen and Jin assumed, almost instantly that something had happened to the ever unfortunate Fuu, and pushed their way to the front of the line.
They didn't see the makings of a crime scene. They didn't see any devestation, except, perhaps on the faces of the many being sent away from the tiny cardboard box that read in bold letters "BODYGUARD WANTED". Behind it, Fuu was seated, a pen in hand and a stack of paper infront of her. Next to her a very large looking man sat, gazing at the large crowd of applicants infront of them. Mugen roughly pushed a man out of the way, and approached the box, fuming.
"FUU!" he hollared, "what the hell is all this?"
"Sir," the large man seated next to her said, "If you are here for an interview, please wait your turn, we will be calling you by name if you put in an application, if you haven't there are some inside the hotel."
"APPLICATION?"
"Oh, Mugen" Fuu said casually, "This is Akoto." She turned and smilled at the large fellow, putting a hand on his massive shoulder. "He's helping me look for another Bodyguard."
"Another bodyguard?" Mugen shouted, "Whats wrong with the ones you have?"
"Besides the fact that they left her alone in the middle of a very seedy town, with no protection and very little money?" a squeaky voice said from behind Mugen. Mugen spun around, ready to attack, but the little old woman pushed right past him, carrying a tray with two bowls of rice porriadge and glasses of water. "Here dearies, I thought you must be very hungry and thirsty, all the work your doing."
"Fine, Fuu, you want new bodyguards, go and get 'em. I should thank you for cutting me loose." Mugen snorted, but didn't budge.
"Okay, good."
"Fine then, I'll leave."
"Alright then, go."
"Im going."
"Okay then, bye, get going"
"Oh I'm already gone."
"Well, Mugen?"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, I'll LEAVE WHEN I WANT!" Mugen hollared. "Bitch."
Jin had now made his way to Mugen's side, and looked into the crowd of people behind them. "Are we really this unsatisfactory, Fuu?"
Fuu huffed. Was Jin trying to make her feel guilty? It had almost worked for a moment before she realized they were the ones that should feel bad. "Well I kind of just want something to back myself up incase you two ever decide to try and leave me again. I mean, each time you two run off all willy-nilly it leaves me kind of helpless and I'm sick of it." Jin changed his stare, which had been focused on Fuu's face, to the ground.
"I apologize if I haven't behaved as well as I should."
"You're right you should apologize!" the old woman said, swatting Jin with a napkin, "why, if I didn't need him so dearly, I would have sent Akoto with Fuu and had them leave in the morning, but she doesn't want to leave you two and I can't see why."
"So you're not replacing us?" Jin asked carefully. Fuu shrugged and shook her head. She wasn't sure if anyone could match up to Jin and Mugen in the brawn department.
"Well, I want some say in who we travel with."
"Fine, I guess that's agreeable, but I get overall say, agreed?"
"Feh. Fine."
"Agreed."
"Well, Fuu," Akoto said, "shall we continue with the interviews?" He was ignoring Mugen's obvious attempts to squeeze himself between Akoto's massive bulk, and Fuu's tiny frame, Jin having already taken the free seat next to Fuu.
"Hey, Fattie, make some fucking room will ya?"
"Mugen, shut up and sit down."
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A.N. There it is. My first multi-chapter SC fic, and general fic in years. I think I'm rusty. Flames welcome, if they come with some advice. Any just abusive abuse will be stored away and taken out later to giggle at, especially if you call me names. Oh, please come up with good ones. Good reviews are welcome, as well, but try to tell me what I'm doing right, or wrong. I'll never learn otherwise.
