Big Top Blues
cap'n coree
Chapter Nine:
The next day he could barely find it in his heart to leave his pathetic excuse for a tent. When ever he would work himself up to crawling out he'd see a flash of pink, a head of brown hair, or hear someone laughing. He was sure they were all laughing at him while celebrating the coming together of two bright young stars. He could just hear the start of the joke, "So a dirty convict walks into the circus-"
How could he be such a dumbass? He was tempted to quit right then and there. Throw down his spandex and leave. He'd have to be crazy to do that. This was the first legal job he'd done that he could stand. They fed him, housed him, and once more it was almost fun swinging from those bars, and it sure earned him quite a bit of graditude. He recalled several smoking bodies in the audience giving him the eye, after all he was the lead in an epic romance. So what if Fuu couldn't appreciate him? Some bitch would, and then she'd see what it felt like to be thrown aside.
So eventually he did manage to wiggle his way out of bed just in time to grab something to eat before the show, and managed to spit in Valjean's drink with noone noticing. Horray! This day was looking up.
The actual performance wasn't nearly as exciting as the first. Fuu treated him to her patent glares, and he returned them happilly. Every time he touched her it felt like there was a fire beneath his fingers and the desire to hurt her swelled in his chest. Sadly alongside that desire was another, and he felt himself growing more and more feverish at the idea of pinning Fuu down against her will. So much so that at the end he didn't hesitate to kiss Fuu, but only paused long enough to throw a scalding look in Valjean's direction before assaulting her mouth with his own, going so far as to wrap an arm around his waist and cup he behind in his hand. This, of course, earned him another lip grinding bite from Fuu, who realized all too late that it wasn't Mugen's wooden sword she felt pressed against her hip. Mugen held her there, helpless while the audience left, stuck to wave and smile as if it were all part of the act and nothing was wrong at all.
"I'm. Going. To. Kill. You." she hissed through clenced teeth, trying to look away from his smug face.
"Two down, plenty more to go, sweetie." Mugen said sadistically, brushing against her once more before releasing her and strolling nonchanlantly out of the tent. Valjean, of course, rushed over right away to see what was the matter with his beloved, and Mugen personally hoped that the little twerp would come after him. He really needed to blow off some steam.
Sure enough, Mugen wasn't half way down the street when he head the furious beat of feet behind him. He turned in time to see the fist flying. Although Mugen had dodged it, he had done so a little too late, and Valjean came crashing into him, knocking them both down to the ground. They began to roll ontop of one another, both fighting to gain control, and it wasn't long before Mugen had it, and his fist, as if by its own will, was moving mechanically up and down, hammering Valjean in every open spot. Valjean was weakly trying to block the punches Mugen was throwing, but by the time the large, dumb twins dragged Mugen off the smaller boy, he was sporting a brand new black eye, and a bloody nose. Fuu wasn't far behind the muscle men, and the moment she saw Valjean's face she threw herself on Mugen and began to wail on him with her own tiny fists.
"Mugen" thumpthump "you're such" thump "a bastard! How," thump thumpthump "could you!" Mugen was dazed from the events and looked from Valjean to Fuu.
"He came after me," Mugen concluded lamely. Fuu let out a growl of frustration and backed off of him, shaking her head in dispair. She bowed her head, staring at the ground before letting out what might have been a chuckle, or perhaps a sob. She looked Mugen in the eyes, her own watering slightly.
"Just leave." She whimpered, and Mugen stared at her dumbly for a few seconds.
"I said go!" She shouted aiming a well placed kick at his shin, but Mugen had already broke free and he was running towards the horizon, where the moon was just peeking its silver head over the hill. Eventually the camp site faded into a blur of lights and colors and Mugen stood on top of the hill, rooted there, watching it from afar. He could just make out the blur of elephant backs as they hauled them back to their own tent. The distance allowed him some measure of peace as he watched the torches blaze. He couldn't understand why Fuu was so angry. Sure he had mauled the guy, but thats just what he was best at. She knew this, and she should be glad that he hadn't killed him.
But then again thats her fiance. Mugen rolled the word around his mouth bitterly before spitting it out onto the ground.
"Fuu's fiance Valjean."
"Valjean, Fuu's fiance."
"The fiance of Fuu is Valjean." He said it every possiable way he could, just like he had went through the alphabet when that crazy kook was trying to teach him how to write. He had only shown Jin and Fuu his name, but the truth was he had learned how to spell something else that session too. He had learned how to spell Fuu's name. After all it was easy enough, it didn't mean anything. He was so proud of himself he went back to camp and marked all his territory, never stopping to notice he marked more things of Fuu's then Jin's, including her bindings. She was certianly sore after that ordeal, the stains had never come out. Sometimes he liked to think that they were still there. Mugen entertained the idea of Valjean finding Mugen's name plastered across Fuu's underthings on their honey moon, but the thought of Valjean seeing Fuu naked didn't help his mood much.
Mugen was unsure of how long he stood there, staring at the horizon interupted by the buzzing camp, before his feet began to lead him back. He was sure Fuu would cool down. She always did. She couldn't possiablly stay mad at him.
Not after what they had been through. Not when she was the only home he could come back to. She'd have to understand.
Yet there was a gripping doubt seizing him. What if her feelings for Valjean were stronger then her loyalty to Mugen? What if she wouldn't take him back?
He weaved his way through camp to Fuu's tent and peaked inside. It was empty. The fear carved itself a deeper pocket as visions of Fuu in Valjean's tent wormed her way into his imagination.
"Yeh looking fer Fuu?" Mugen whirled around to see one of the dumb brute twins looking as if he were about to slit his own throat. Tears dripped from the squinty blue eyes, and a dribble of snot ran from his nose. He took out a piece of paper Mugen barely recognized as the love poem he had recited just a day ago and blew his nose on it.
"I commend yeh for kicking that weasly punks ass," he blubbered, "stealin' Fuu right out from unda' me nose."
"So you heard the news." Mugen scowled.
"Right after I pulled yeh offa him, I finally built up enough courage teh read Fuu me poem, and when I pulled out the paper he lead me away and says all quiet like 'It's no use trying to that now.' Then he grinned, all cocky, and said 'because Fuu is going to be my bride.' I bout punched him in the face right then and there, cept I figure if it's Fuu's choice, there t'aint nothing I can do about it." He let out another long blow into the makeshift hankey and gave Mugen a pitiful look.
"Is she with him now?" Mugen asked nonchalantly.
"No, last I seen her she was heading t'wards the lake fer a bath." Mugen shrugged, pretending to be indiffrent, and strolled away until he was out of sight. After checking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed, he began to dash like a mad man towards Fuu's last known whereabouts.
Fuu was sitting on the bank of the lake, clutching one of the bath robes around her shoulders. She turned slightly, looking up at the noisy intruder, and frowned.
"Oh it's you," she sighed, turning back towards the lake to watch the ripples her toes created in the water.
"Oh I see, thought I was your little lover boy did'ja?" he sneered.
"Mugen, what are you talking about!" She snapped, swinging her head around to face him with such force, he was suprised it didn't fly off.
"Don't play dumb Fuu! You can't pretend to be something you already are!"
"Mugen! First you assualt Valjea-"
"Ohh Valjean this, Valjean that! Fucking Valjean, is that all you talk about Fuu?"
Fuu's face shifted from rage, to confusion, to rage again.
"Mugen, are you completely retarded?"
"Everyone knows Fuu. Everyon knows you're getting married. And you couldn't even tell me?"
"Ok, fine, you are completely retarded."
"Am I not good enough to know? Huh?" He asked, stomping his foot.
"A. I still don't know what you're talking about, B. Even if I were getting married to Valjean, it'd be none of my buisness.C. You don't have a right to be upset after Isabella."
"That's completely different!" he shouted.
"How?" Fuu retoreted, glaring.
"Well, obviously I'm not marrying her, so I don't care do I?"
"What- Mugen! You sounder dumber every second!"
"Can you blame me for going after some easy piece of ass when you're parading yourself in the nude infront of me in the bath one night, but get all offended when I try to touch you?"
"Parading- Mugen, just- just shut up before you make this worse." Fuu scowled, then stood and stormed past him, taking care to stomp on one of his toes as she went.
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