Well, another day, another sack of crap. I'm trying to catch up, so bear with me. As I've said before, Mixed Fellings started off as poems, but that didn't work out too good, but I have kind of changed my thinking. I'm including a few of the other poems I wrote that weren't too bad to kind of run parallel to the story. So, those of you who, y'know, liked the other thing and may not be happy with me now can kind of get a continuation of what I started out with. Here we go!

Disclaimer: Okay, I'm getting really tired of this crap. Why can't I own Samurai Champloo? I mean, c'mon, I pratically worship the show and everything, but it doesn't belong to me. What the crap?

Words

Many of your words were harsh and cruel,

and so were most of mine.

Can we take them back?

Or turn time backwards to fix our mistakes?

I wish I could.. to something nice.

So that you might think better of me.

It hurts to know that it's my fault that you and I are so different.

It stabs my heart deeper than any knife.

Now I'm all alone without you.

And I can't tell you now...

What reason would I have to look for you as hard as I looked for my samurai?

It's easier to lie than tell the truth.

Or hurt than to apologize.

But I've grown up.

And I will look for you.

To change my words.

Chapter 2

(Fuu's POV)

My encounter with my old comrade left a strange feeling inside me. I felt happy at his arrival and that he was still alive, though the scars of the past four years stained his tan body, and half were the ones he had gotten from my journey. For once in a long while, I didn't know what to say or how to act, but when he spoke to me, I knew instantly that everything...was okay. The years had been rough for me as well, but I had been fortunate enough to stubble across the monks now sheltering me.

I had grown into a routine over the months of living at the temple: wake, pray at the statue, cook if it was my turn, and clean after breakfast. Sometimes I was granted trips to the outside world to purchase supplies for everyone here, and rarely I would pick up and bring home a straggler like myself to stay with us at the temple.

Today it was my turn to cook, much to my delight. Previous jobs at the teahouses proved useful, and I was especially excited to demonstrate my newly developed talent to my found comrade. The kitchen was already busy and steaming with the food of our labor, mainly women providing such. My aquantance, Mai-chan, stood over a pot of rice cakes boiling to perfection. I quickly jumped to her aid, tying back my sleeves and setting down to work on balling the rice.

"Gomen nassai, Mai-chan, I'll take over now, "I blushed, thinking back to how this was her third time on taking over my job. "I was checking on Mugen."

She shrugged, "Oh, is that the man who followed you home last night?" I nodded happily. "So, how did you two meet?"

As I told her, a smile crept over my face."He and another friend helped me to locate my father. We traveled all over the country and ended up seperating at Nagasaki. If it wasn't for those two, I wouldn't have been able to avenge my mother." Sadness swept away the smile, but it hung there as I thought about the adventures Mugen, Jin, and I had together.

"Are you going to catch up on everything?"

I sighed, "I have too much work to do for right now, so maybe later. I just hope by then he hasn't left."

"Tell you what then, Fuu-chan, you and your friend go ahead and go out today and I'll take over for you. Chances like these only come once in a lifetime, and I know this is one of those where it would hurt if you missed it."

I was totally shocked, "Are you sure?" She nodded vigorously, and I almost dropped the breakfast on the floor. "Domo Arigato, Mai-chan! I really appeciate this!"

Twenty minutes later the monks and visitors filed out for breakfast, Mugen one of the last. He looked exhausted and ravennous, but perked up as I sat down beside him. Not long afterwords, the head preist took his seat at the front for prayer. There was shuffling beside me as everyone else bow their head, and I looked over to see Mugen shifting somewhat uncomfortably. I gave him my best look of comfort, and he seemed to be all right afterwords.

As soon as the preist was done, Mugen attacked to food before him, the monks staring in amazement at his hunger; when I had first showed up on their doorstep, I turned their heads at my appetite as well! I laughed silently to myself, waiting for him to come up from a bowl to tell him the news.

"Guess what, Mugen? Later on, we can go around town and stuff if it's okay. Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"Mmphf," he grunted in reply, and was unsure whether he had actually heard me. I left him alone, and it wasn't until the table was cleared when he finally approached me. "Where you goin exactly?"

"Oh, just for the sights. You can't really say you've been through this town until you've been given the proper tour."

His brow creased as he thought, and his jaw jutted out in the familiar manner it had done before. It only took a minute,"Whatever."

I was ecstatic. Waving him goodbye for the moment, I went to the preist's room to tell him of my absence for the day. He looked up as I entered. "Ah, Fuu-chan, I was just looking for you. Mai-chan has just informed me that you and the young man that came here last night plan to spend the day out. Is this correct?"

"Hai, Father, if it's fine with you."

He smiled warmly,"I have the feeling you would go even if this were not the case. I know how you have missed both the men from your travels. You need this, so by all means go. Take your time, and be safe."

I bowed in great appreciation, knowing he spoke the truth. After packing us a lunch in my pack of my kimono, I found Mugen standing tall out near the front doors. I was surprised to see that his sword lay untouched by the steps as it was from last night, but I suspected that the concealed knife from the bottom of his sheath was missing and hidden somewhere in his ghee. He looked up from a stick in his mouth as I approached. "You ready?" He nodded, and we set off.

At first as we went out into the town, he remained silent, his eyes remaining to sweep the ground in front of him, but slowly they rose up to level at my own eyes. He probably felt as strange as I did, since before we had never spent too much time alone without arguing or Jin being there with us. However, as we continued, he started to talk a little as I told him about what I had been up to for the four years we had been apart. He seemed impressed that I had been able to travel safely by myself, and it sparked life back into his eyes. He spoke of his own adventures, mainly of fights, which were the reason there were so many new scars.

Around lunchtime, we sat under a large sakura tree late in bloom, the pink petals giving everything a peaceful atmosphere, a bridge resting only a few feet away over a small gurgling stream. I finally got him to talk in full sentences when I started up a conversation about our travels.

"Remember when we played baseball against those American dudes? I kicked some serious ass that day," he remarked smartly.

"If I remember correctly, you ended up with a swollen jaw after their last player threw the bat at your face."

" ...oh, yeah...That European dude was pretty freaky."

"He wasn't freaky! He was just...different, that's all."

"Yeah, sure. Different. Just like those zombies were different."

I shivered and quickly changed the subject, "I'll never forget when you learned how to read and write. It took me weeks to get the ink out of my clothes."

There was a snicker, and he got up to leave. We set off again, this time not feeling as awkward around each other. At least I was, but he remained to be like his old self and leave the talkng to me. We visited several food stands for sweets, and I showed him the bookstores and shops that I thought he might be interested in. He didn't really pay any mind, except for the art section with the pictures of women models. I pulled him away by the scruff of his neck, only playfully, and we stayed out for several more hours just looking at various other pieces of scenery.

As the night approached, rainclouds leftover from the night before filled the sky and thunder rumbled. We were close to the bridge on just the other side of the tree where we had had our lunch. I looked up as a raindrop splattered onto my nose. "It's raining..."

Rain quickly started to pour, and a childish joy swelled in my chest, "It's raining!" I laughed and stomped in the puddles forming in the dirt. Mugen stood off to the side under the shingles to the back of a restaurant, arms folded across his chest. "And here I was thinkin you'd grown up."

"Oh please, Mr. Toughguy," I shot back, coming up to punch his arm.

"Hey, you'll get me wet!" he said defensively, and I was surprised that he cared.

"What, do you melt?" I teased, sticking my tongue out. I had no idea why I was so playful that night, but I wanted to test him. Just like I wanted, the competitive look crossed his hard face, "Oh, so you think you're better than me?"

"Maaaybe..."

He growled and lunged out, almost grabbing me to pull me down. I dodged and ran for my life, unsure if he was playing or not. Either way, he was rough and I wasn't taking a chance. I ran off for the bridge, calling out before I could stop myself, "Can't catch me!!!!"

BIG mistake. Just as I set foot on the planks of the bridge, Mugen's arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back. "I win." he said triumphantly.

His embrace was strong and comfortable, and I felt as though I was protected with unpeircable armor. Against his chest, I could feel his tough muscles and hear his steady heartbeat. A secret yearning feeling evaporated as he held onto me, and I couldn't help but loosen in his arms. He felt me do so and Mugen suddenly let go. I almost fell over and looked back to see him turned away from me.

"What's wrong?"

He didn't reply. "Did I do something wrong?" I asked him. He shook his head, but I knew that somehow I did. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Would you just drop it?" he barked suddenly, turning on me.

I staggered back, surprised by his hostility."But.. "

"Just. Drop. It. For once in your life, leave it alone."

I felt anger run up my spine,"What was that about? I was just asking if you were okay! "

Once again Mugen said nothing, and we stood silent for several minutes without speaking. I broke the silence,"Look, there's no point in acting this way. We've spent the whole day without any arguments or anything, and I don't want it to start now."

"Then leave it alone."

"Oh, so it's my fault? I'm not the one who got all avoident and everything after we were running and you caught me."

Before I had even finished my sentence, he turned around and walked off the bridge towards the temple.

"Mugen, stop!" I yelled, "Please, don't go! Not again."

He stopped dead in his tracks, and my mouth hung open as I realized what exactly I had said. Every word was fueled by my fear of having to say goodbye again, and I panicked at seeing his back to me. When he turned back to me, his eyebrows were arched high onto his forehead. "Why're you so freaked out?"

I sighed, "I hated saying goodbye to you and Jin. You two...I owe you so much." Tears rolled down my cheeks and I couldn't stop them. I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn't tell what he was feeling." I didn't want to lose the feeling I got around you guys. I was home." I looked up and made eye contact with him, "Is that so bad?"

He said nothing, and it ripped my heart to pieces. I wanted him to know... how important he was to me, but as I saw the hard, unfeeling face looking back, my voice caught in my throat.

"You don't need me around, Fuu. Don't make that mistake," his voice had the most serious tone in it. He turned around and walked, leaving me to stand there as the rain dripped down the silk of my kimono. Everything was going horribly wrong.

I watched his figure disappear into the drops, and the cries held back in my chest cut across the city like a knife.

A/N Okay, I am getting really bad at this cliffhanger stuff. At least it makes you want more! I apologize if the plot in this chapter was a little rough, since I was trying to make it all angsty and stuff and keep it close to the original poems. I guess here also you would kind of see where the whole "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" thing I was telling you about earlier. But, anyway, Review please! Sayonara!