A/N: Ok, this chapter may not be the weak-of-heart. I've given you my warning. Enjoy.

Screams of Fate

Jin had just unfolded his new ivory gi, placing it fondly and carefully onto the bed. It was midday and Jin had forgone going into town today. He wouldn't go into town at all this week, for work anyway. He wanted this day to himself, to isolate himself in his chambers and center himself- to clear his mind and prepare himself for the next day- his Wedding Day.

Though he barely showed it, Jin couldn't have been happier. He'd waited for years to propose to Fuu, secretly wishing he had the courage to do it. The only thing he had ever wanted was to have Fuu with him, always by his side. He had always wanted nothing but her happiness, and he knew that he could give that to her. He never thought he would be brave enough to do it. He could kill without flinching; meddle in gangs and political affairs and just about anything else you can imagine. But he finally had the courage to propose.

Jin smiled and smoothes out the non-existent wrinkles in his already perfect gi. A habit, he supposed. He could only imagine how beautiful Fuu must look in her wedding kimono. He knew, in the deepest part of his heart that tomorrow would be absolutely…perfect. How could it not be? He's waited for this for years. Nothing could ruin it, not even cynical Mugen or anything else. He just knew it would be perfect.

Jin heard the door open and turned to glance- Fuu was standing in the doorframe, looking rigid and frozen. She was clutching something in both of her hands, clasped against her chest, and her face was contorted into some emotion Jin couldn't place. He knew, though, that is wasn't good. She looked terrified almost, her face white and eyes fearful.

"Fuu, what's wrong?" he said, his face and voice full of concern, and he stood to take a step towards her. She began to shake, to quiver; her mouth was open, but no words came out. Jin grew more concerned, and afraid, by the second.

"Jin…I've…got to tell you something," she forced each word out of her mouth, and looked on the verge of vomiting. He furrowed his eye brows, "What happened Fuu? Did something happen to you? Did someone hurt you?" His voice was stern, but in the pit of his stomach, fear began to grow, like a vine that slowly made its way up his throat. He didn't like seeing Fuu like this. Tear began to form in the corners of her eyes, as she forced more words out of her mouth,

"I...I'm pregnant, Jin…"

For a moment the samurai's face lit up, and a wondrous feeling like none other he'd felt before washed over his body. This was wonderful! He was going to be a father, and have a child with the one woman he loved! He wanted to rush at her, to gather her in his arms and kiss her all over her body, to swing her around in the air and praise her with joy. He opened his mouth to speak, but whatever he was going to say was lost forever. Realization began to take over and his smile wavered. Because of many different factors, Fuu and he hadn't been together for a few months now, and she would have surely told him before now…would have found out sooner than this….His eyes began to cloud over as he stared at Fuu, realizing that her actions were slowly revealing the truth.

And then he saw it.

She was clutching the ivory dagger in her shaking hands, clasped between her breasts, the engagement dagger he had given her ages ago, it seemed. She was slowly moving it away from her body. He watched as her fingers began to loosen, watch as she let go of the handle. Time slowed and it was an eternity until it hit, clanking against the hard wood floor in front of her feet. When the knife hit, something ripped through Jin, somewhere around his chest and sternum. Something was slowly seeping out of him and he began to breath heavily as an immense pain overwhelmed and consumed him. He couldn't feel his legs or arms, for they had gone numb. He didn't know why but he felt like he'd been ripped open, or his body or mind torn in half.

The only woman he'd ever loved….

Life suddenly rushed back into his eyes, and as it did, it brought hatred with it- black, searing hatred. He couldn't think, or see, or feel anymore .It was as if the source to every thing he had ever felt before had been shut off. Everything had been blocked out of his head, except for one thing; in the tunnel vision of his mind's eye, he could see but one person, the source of his rage and his pain.

Mugen.

Though he couldn't feel he body or his motions, Jin rushed forward amazingly fast, sweeping up the dagger and shoving Fuu aside as he ran through the doorway and down the hall, his body flowing as if it was not flesh but spirit. He spotted Him, walking and of the kitchen into the living room, and the samurai charged.

Mugen spotted Jin right before he could react, and gave a yell before the samurai was upon him. There was a blink and Mugen was shoved up against the wall, his feet dangling off the ground, Jin's bare hand around his throat supporting him, not too comfortably, in the air. Mugen struggled to breath and his eyes were wide and slightly out of focus. Jin was like stone, all of his weight pressing into his throat, wanting to hurt and kill Mugen like he had killed Jin…

"Jin..! Please, you gotta listen..!" stammered Mugen, his voice sounding strangely labored and painful, even to himself. He could feel something trickled out of the corner of his mouth, and tasted something coppery in his mouth--blood? Why was he bleeding?

He tried to struggle against Jin, but the samurai was dead set. And then, that's when Mugen felt it. Something warm was running down his leg, thick and hot. Shit, I've gone and pissed myself he thought, until he felt it rush down his front. Mugen glanced down and his eyes widened.

Jin's hand moved from Mugen's waist. The ivory dagger, Fuu's engagement piece, was lodged deep into Mugen's stomach, all the way to where the handle began. He then felt pain, radiating out from the handle, spreading throughout his body like a virus until everything raged with pain- every inch of him hurt. He looked back up at Jin, his eye's locking with the samurai's, beholding his incredulous face in the reflection of the ronin's glasses. Jin's eyes held no hint of remorse or guilt. Just murder. Only murder. To kill Mugen.

The vagrant's eyes and face lit up and grew angry, furious, enraged, and he lifted up his hips. With a roar he planted his feet on Jin's chest and kicked him hard away from him. Jin went crashing into the wall and Mugen fell hard onto the floor, landing on his back, crying out as his head snapped back onto the hard wood.

"Mugen!"

They suddenly heard Fuu's scream and she came dashing into the room. The two ronin had been so immersed into one another that they could barely tell that she had been screaming the entire time. Jin snatched his katana from the inside foyer and took steps towards Mugen's panting figure, who could not rise up. As he lifted his sword to perform the death-strike, Fuu rushed forward and threw herself ont top of Mugen, "Jin, NO!"

The samurai froze, staring at Fuu who was protecting this vermin, this filth that was bleeding onto the floor.

"Get away Fuu," his voice was low, and strangely calm., yet she could feel death on it's edges. She shook her head furiously, not moving an inch, "No, Jin," her voice was just as deadly, "If you want to kill Mugen, then you kill me."

Jin winced at her words but still remained frozen. He didn't move after a few moments, even when Fuu had sat up, crying, crying over him.

Mugen was bleeding profusely onto the floor, and the wound was terribly deep. Fuu began to sob softly, hanging over Mugen's body, holding his face in her hands, staring into his unfocused eyes, "Look Fuu…"he said hoarsely, "Jin's killed me. He's finally killed me…"

She shook her head, "No Mugen…" she whispered, "No, you're not dead, you're here with me, see?"

She cupped his face in her hands and smiled despite her tears, using her thumb to wipe away the bit of blood that stained the corner of his mouth. Mugen looked at her now, his eyes full of pain, eyes pleading to her, "Fuu…I never told you…I..I've always.."

"Shh, it's ok Mugen," she interrupted, "I know. I love you too…"

At these words, hearing them for the first time, Mugen smiled. Fuu laughed, half sobbed, "When we fix you up, we're going away together, ok? We're going to go and live by the ocean and have our baby there. And when they're old enough, you can teach them how to fight, and you'll be the best dad in the world, I promise…" each word became harder and harder to say, since her tears and sorrow had now completely overtaken her. Mugen, still smiling, his eye growing more and more out of focus, though he managed to make the words come out,

"Fuu…marry me…" he whispered. She nodded, "Yes," tears dripping onto his shirt, "Yes…"

He smiled again, but then his body jolted, eyes growing wide in fear. He could see "them" again. He'd seen them, now, for four times. Once while he was on Ryukyu. Another when he and his companions had been traveling, and he was drowning in the sea. Then again when he got his scar. Now they were staring at him from the ceiling, hovering above Fuu, waiting to take him away. They were getting familiar with him, he thought morbidly in his wavering consciousness. His eyes began to fog over, "Fuu.." he grabbed her hand, squeezing it to the point of breaking,

"…Don't leave me…"

She closed her eyes, face contorted, "Never," she whispered, "I'll never leave you…Don't ever think otherwise…"

Fuu wanted to wrench the dagger right out of him now, to make him stop this hurt and pain and suffering, but she knew if she did he would bleed to death. She didn't have the right tools to help, and she was afraid to move him much more than she had. The dagger, strangely, ironically, she thought, was the only thing keeping him alive, even if it was just barely. When he tightened his grip even more and stifled against a scream of pain, she let out a sob,

"Please don't go," she said, pleading to him, "Mugen, I love you…"

There was a long pause, before she heard metal suddenly clang to the floor. If Fuu would have moved, she would have seen that Jin had dropped his sword, frozen, staring at the tow with an almost horrified look.

"What have I done…?" he said, his voice breaking.

Without pause, Jin rushed forward and moved Fuu aside, gathering Mugen in his arms and flying out the door in one swift, smooth motion, like gliding through the air. He ran, faster than he'd ever run before, carrying his dying best friend in his arms who was bleeding Life onto the street.