Inside the barroom of The Drunken Dragon Inn sat Fuu, who was looking at Mugen with an uncomfortable expression. However, he didn't look to happy at the moment either. She tapped her fingertips on the wooden table gently,
"Y-You don't think…someone's after us…do you?" She asked, trying to break the icy, silent, tension that hung vividly between them. Mugen leaned back in his chair and examined his sword,
"I don't know…I don't care…but one thing that really pisses me off is someone who can't come out and confront me like a man…" He snarled, ramming his sword back into it's sheath. Fuu rolled her eyes,
"Two innocent people are injured, and all you can think about, is how someone threw you a low-blow from the back. How typical of you, Mugen…" She sighed. Mugen shook his head,
"Give me the paper with Jin's death on it." He said. Fuu reached into her sleeve, and, after fishing around for a moment, spread it out on the table in front of him. He glanced over it, and then sighed,
"It IS anonymous…I was hoping my memory had been off…" He said, rolling it up,and handing it back to her. Fuu put a hand to her forehead in exasperation,
"Well….I could have told you that…" She said. Mugen shrugged,
"I didn't think about asking…Listen….we're hitting the road tonight….maybe if we're lucky, the ass will attack us again, but this time he'll grow enough balls to show his face…" He said. Fuu looked up at him,
"Mugen…what made you change your mind?" She asked softly. Mugen leaned in close, beside her cheeks, letting his breath wash down her cheek, sending goosebumps on her arms, and shivers up her spine. His lips brushed against her ear,
"If I thought that was any of your business, I'd tell you…" He said, and then leaned back, chuckling. Fuu's eyebrow twitched, and she balled her hands into fists,
"You JERK!" She exclaimed angrily. Mugen shrugged and stood, stretching,
"Come on…we're going now." He said. Fuu looked around,
"N-now? Mugen! We can't just leave!" She said. Mugen shrugged,
"Why the hell not? You got somethin' else you wanna do here?" He asked. Fuu folded her ams across her chest,
"No…let's go I suppose….The journey should be much shorter this time, granted the fact that we know the way this time…" She said. Mugen shrugged,
"I dunno…half the time that was wasted, was getting YOU out of scrapes." He said. Fuu slapped him as she stood up beside him,
"If I recall correctly, ALL of those scrapes I got into, we're yours, and Jin's fault." She said, and moved out the door. Mugen put a hand to his cheek tenderly,
"Bitch…" He whispered, but followed after her. The two of them, casting death glares at each other from across a 6 foot space that was between them, moved towards the edge of the city in this way, into the setting sun that lay on the horizon before them. They walked this way for about an hour, moving into the low underbrush of the forest, the sun finally disappearing and the sky turning pitch, before either of them said a word. Fuu glanced over to her left, where she could barely make out the silhouette of Mugen,
"Should we make camp now?" She asked. Mugen scratched his nose and shrugged,
"I guess so. Let's head off of the path a little ways and find a clearing." He said. Fuu nodded, and followed him, a little closer this time. It wasn't too long before they came upon a small clearing in the forest, with a stream running directly through the center of it. Mugen tossed some dry leaves and twigs into a pile, and Fuu bent down with a tinder box, getting it to light after a few attempts. Mugen flopped down beside it, and closed his eyes, just as he was. Fuu stood up and put her hands on her hips,
"How barbaric…" She said, and then proceeded to making herself a bed of dry leaves. When she was complete, she curled up, and also fell asleep. The pair continued this way, for a total of four days, before one night, their routine was interrupted drastically by an unexpected visitor.
