Interlude

Jin was brought hastily back to the present by the slamming of the front door. He quickly replaced the knife and put it back in its place under the floor. He stood just as Fuu walked into the door.

"Oh, you're awake!" she said, smiling widely and kissing him on the cheek, "How're you feeling?"

"Better," he said, smiling and returning her kiss, "How was the lake?"

"Beautiful, as usual. Mugen was being an idiot and tossed me into the water."
"I'm not surprised," Jin replied, rolling his eyes.

"We brought back some dinner. I got you double-shrimp tempura; just how you like," she said, her eyes twinkling. Jin smiled and nodded his thanks, and the two went to join Mugen at the table, who was already stuffing his face and starting his second bowl of tempura noodles. They ate dinner and held a pleasant conversation that lasted late into the night. The two men talked about the village's state of affairs- poverty, businesses, gangs who held supremacy over the area. After a few bottles and a smoke, Mugen yawned widely and rubbed his face.

"Well, I'm hittin' the sack. Still want my room, Jin?"

The samurai shook his head, "No. I believe I'll sleep in our bed tonight," he said, indicating himself and Fuu.

"Suit yourself. See ya," and he walked off towards the room, shutting the door behind himself. Fuu was about to say something about his loudness when Jin suddenly stood up.

"Wait here, Fuu," he said before disappearing down the hallway in one graceful swoop. Fuu cast an odd look after him but remained seated. He returned after a moment, looking normal as ever, yet his face held a strange tinge of something Fuu couldn't really put her finger on. Was he...nervous? No, of course not. Jin was never nervous about ANYTHING. That was one thing that always had set him apart- no matter how much Fuu freaked out, Jin was always the one to calm her, simply by his presence. Mugen had a similar affect, but was not nearly as much as the samurai. It was one of the things about him that Fuu loved and then absolutely hated.

He sat down in front of her, his eyes more intense then usual, gleaming behind his glasses. He looked full of anxiety and quiet determination, almost like he looked when he was concentrating very hard.

"What's wrong Jin?"

He shook his head, "Nothing. Nothing at all. I've..been meaning to do something...for a very long time."

Fuu placed her hand on his arm. She knew Jin was hard for words- not because of lack of intelligence, but because they came so infrequently to him. Expressing things in vocal language was difficult for him, so Fuu tried her best to help,

"Just say it Jin. Or do it. Don't worry."

He looked into her reassuring eyes and felt inexplicably better. Without another word he reached inside his gi and pulled out the wooden box from under the floorboard. Fuu looked at it, her expression filled with bewilderment and curiosity. And then, before she could realize what it was, Jin began,

"Fuu...I know we don't have families, and it would be unorthodox. It wouldn't be much different then how we live now, but..."

She was about to ask what he was talking about when he opened the box. She took one look at the knife lying gingerly on the crimson cushion, and gasped. She felt tears well in her eyes, just moments away from spilling down her cheeks, as she stared at the innocent trinket.

"...Will you marry me?"

Mugen kicked back on his bed, crossing his arms over his chest and deeply breathing in the night. He went over the day's events again fondly in his mind. He felt like a great weight and burden had been lifted from his chest, though he hadn't said all that he wanted to say that day...

...But that certain phrase would take a LONG time to get out.

He smiled widely, still going over the memories and detail of him and Fuu being together. He didn't know why, but he loved being with her. Well sure, he had been with a ton of women- very GOOD women- but none like Fuu. She had something about her; a clear, fresh, deliciously good quality about her. And it lingered. He could still feel her, feel every part of her. For all those years, since they had left and even sometimes on their journey together, he had dreamed about her; about her skin and her body, her dark hair curled around and tangled in his fingers as she lay beneath him. Her scent tickled at his senses, her eyes haunting him in his sleep. Even after they had split up and he took his time and scarce money to the brothels, as he slept and fucked the whores he would find his thoughts drifting to her, and instead of the slut he saw Fuu. It infuriated him, and yet he couldn't stop- something inside him desperately craved it, like a guilty pleasure that infiltrated his skull and refused to leave.

But physical attraction wasn't the only thing that Mugen felt towards Fuu. Far from it. Mugen cared, almost desperately, about her and her safety. It had taken an ungodly amount of time to realize it, but he did, and he had finally come to terms with it. Mugen wanted Fuu to have everything in the world- riches, luxury, houses, land, anything and everything that would make her happy. He didn't know why, but he wanted to shower her with gifts and everything her heart desired. Just to see her smile...When she grinned, chills would run through his body and he would have such a swell of emotion that he craved it almost like a drug, to the point where he thought he would do anything just to make her smile, just to make her happy. In the back of his mind, he knew he would do just about anything. Part of him hated this fact. The other part loved it, and was content. He grinned, closing his eyes, "I might just marry her someday," he thought in amusement.

"If i can ever get her away from Jin. Damn, that's gonna take some doing."

He rolled over and felt something wrench through him, around his sternum, and it immediately took all his good feelings away. Jin...

How was he going to do this? Fuu didn't love Jin like she loved him, but how would Jin take this?

'He'll get over it, that's what,' said a hateful voice inside his head. He shook away the thought and stared at the floor with discontent in his face. He groaned. Oh god...

He was feeling guilty.

Fuu fought back the tears that threatened to fall and drip onto her kimono. Jin still held the box out to her, his face blank but his eyes reflecting off the light. She was frozen to the spot- none of her muscles could function, and even her voice had given. All that issued from her mouth were pathetic noises. Neither of them had moved for a long time, and had simply sat and stared at each other. Jin couldn't read the look on Fuu's face- it seemed, to him, to be a cross between joy and utter despair. He prayed to whatever was holy that it wasn't the latter. And then finally, Fuu shifted from her position.

Time seemed to slow- seconds turned to minutes, minutes to days- as she reached out and wrapped her fingers around the handle, accepting the blade out of the box. Jin smiled and dropped the container, bringing Fuu into a gentle yet firm embrace. Even though Fuu had accepted Jin's proposal, which would have been one of the happiest days in any woman's life, the tears wouldn't stop falling. And she didn't think they ever would.

That night, Mugen dreamt of Her. He dreamt they lived near the ocean, and everyday they'd go to the beach and play in the water. There was no pain, no hurt, and no tears. And no one ever had to say goodbye.

Jin held Fuu close to him in bed. She had fallen asleep quickly, probably from the shock and exhaustion. He smiled, cradling her close and wiping the last remnants of her tears. Stroking her hair gently he took in her scent deeply and settled down for sleep. He remembered the first night he cradled he like this, and though how far they had come along since then. Moments like this, not when they made love, but when he held her close like now where the moments he cherished most.