Chapter 3: Vagrancy

"Hah?" asked Mugen biting into one of the fish they had caught and cooked as he tried to chew and speak at the same time. A spray of food and saliva came forth. The glow of the campfire felt somewhat nostalgic to them all, camping in the outskirts of Nagasaki. Jin took a stick and flipped another fish on the spit. As he had no talent for fishing, he offered to cook their meal. Fuu, having taken off her sandals to warm her feet by the fire stared up at the sky, lost in thought.
The three felt at ease on this mild spring day. A comfortable breeze roaming through the trees blew away the day's humidity leaving only the ease of a dry evening.

"Speak or eat. Choose one," said Jin.

Mugen hastily swallowed his food. "But why would they be after a girl who had nothing to do with her rebel father ten years after the fact? It doesn't seem worth the trouble."

"It's a matter of pride, I suppose, for the Councilor who couldn't carry out the task the Shogun had asked of him," answered Jin, maintaining his stony composure.

"Will I never be rid of my father?" asked Fuu quietly, not really expecting an answer. Here eyes continued to scan the heavens for some sign of what was to come. Her two companions glanced at her sympathetically, and then at each other.

"We could kill this councilor who is trying to carry out the warrant on your head," suggested Mugen, reaching for another fish.

"That would mean first killing the four samurai who were hired to track you," said Jin quietly contemplating the possibilities.

"All this talk of killing," sighed Fuu. "I thought we were over this stuff after Kariya and those brothers from the Shogunate." She took stock of the situation and looked at her two companions.

"We could split up to be less conspicuous," she suggested. "I mean, I've hid from them these three years without incident, right?"

"I'm not sure they were actively looking for you," replied Jin. "But for whatever reason, this Councilor has taken a new interest in finding you. Can you live comfortably knowing that they're out there right now looking for you? Can you be certain they won't find you? That route seems a little precarious."

"You wouldn't be able to fend them off, that's for sure," sighed Mugen, finishing off the rest of his share and leaning back to laid on the floor as he chewed absently at the fish bone sticking out of his mouth, hands laced behind his head for support against the soft grass that was to be his bed for the evening.

"I thought your swords were broken?" asked Fuu, putting her chin on her knees and tucking in her legs.

"I found a new one just like my old one," said Mugen. "Can't fight for food with gangsters without a sword."

"I had mind re-forged," said Jin. "It is inconvenient for a samurai to go unarmed when defense is necessary."

Fuu sighed again. "Don't you two have anything better to do?" She thought of Yatsuha and Kohana. "People to see?"

"Probably, but I'm too tired to think of it right now," was Mugen's lazy response.

"No," said Jin simply. Fuu looked up at Jin only to find him starting back intently at her.

"I don't want you two to get hurt again because of me," she said, almost in a whisper, averting her eyes. The last time Mugen defended her, he tossed his sword aside in exchange for her freedom and was severely injured. Jin had prepared to offer up his life to protect her against Kariya and nearly died. The sudden image of Jin taking one last stand with Kariya for her made Fuu clench her fists. She hadn't realized how cool her friends were until that day. Fuu didn't think of how lucky she was to have their friendship until then. She looked up at Jin again, who had already looked away.

When she last parted with these two she had resolved to start a life on her own, knowing she was blessed with such friends who supported her up to that point. She didn't expect to see Mugen again, as he was as free as a wild monkey, bound to happily wreak havoc wherever he went. Nor did she expect to see Jin again, though she later often wondered what would have happened had she accepted his offer to go with him. From time to time she would think about their conversation by the river that one night when Jin had asked her what her plans were after she met her father. As she grew older, and perhaps a little more mature, these thoughts were also tinged with regret. She had never thought of Jin, or Mugen for that matter, in a seriously romantic way. It wasn't until she found herself working or eating alone, or sleeping alone at night that Jin's figure appeared before her, with his doufuku slashed in half revealing a bare and wounded torso, sans glasses, hair unbound and trailing in the wind. She would not forget the look in his eyes of sheer determination and force of will with saving her his only goal in that moment. As he told Kariya before they fought one last time, he no longer fought for himself and would fight for something worth protecting.

Something awoke in her in that moment that could not be quelled in the three years they spent apart.

A younger Fuu fancied herself in love with the wild and carefree Mugen, as he was easy to get along with and open in his feelings through his actions. An older Fuu was unable to stop her glances at Jin, or quell the anxiousness in her heart when she thought of that woman who as with him at the inn. She finally shook her feelings off with a quick exhale of breath. She would only live in the moment, she decided, and at the moment, the fire needed tending.

"I'm gonna get more firewood. We can talk about this more in the morning. For now, let's just head towards Nagasaki. Until we have a solid plan, I don't want them catching up with us so I think we should keep moving," she said finally.

"Whatever," said Mugen, eyes closed and already n the verge of falling asleep. Jin was silent.

Fuu headed into the forest towards a stream they had passed earlier. She started to gather the dead branches along one bank silently. How was she supposed to run from the Shogunate? Fuu had two undefeated ronin by her side, but didn't the government have hundreds, if not thousands of samurai sworn to serve it? If only she had not decided to go find her father. If only she had sworn off revenge for her mother who died so miserably of a broken heart and tuberculosis. If only she had a different father who valued duty over idealism. If only…

Before she knew it, she had an armful of firewood overflowing. There was enough for two campfires. Without any conscious effort she cursed her father under her breath. She still had no idea what Christianity was or what its foreign god preached, but surely there was something in its tenets that did not condone his actions. She cursed him again.

"Damn you," she said a third time, louder.

Fuu recalled the day her mother died. The previous night she and Fuu had spoken of the coming spring and what they were going to eat at the next festival. Her mother had suddenly had such a wakeful, lucid day just prior to her death that Fuu had thought she was on the mend. When her mother did not wake up the prior morning, she told her neighbor, who then sent for the doctor immediately. Fuu was sent to play outside with the neighborhood children and when she returned, her mother was dead. Her still form looked as though her mother was still sleeping but for the ominous white cloth the doctor had placed over her face. This was Fuu's first encounter with death and she suffered more shock than grief. She was almost fourteen at the time, and the neighbors took her in until she could find some decent employment for her livelihood. Through some distant relative, Fuu found work at tea house away from her hometown and she never returned.

So much for being a samurai's daughter. Her class status did not prepare her for the odd jobs she had to do while her mother was still alive just to give them some extra pocket change, nor did it ready her for the actual labor market. After standing for hours day after day, burning her fingers countless times, waiting upon the rich and the poor alike, she was still only a sub par waitress making enough to cover her extra expenses. Being an orphan was lonely work.

As the breeze picked up, Fuu lost herself further in her own thoughts and in the reflection of the stream she imagined the modest koi pond in their back yard and the plum tree on whose branches she used to swing.

"I wonder if the house is still standing…?" she asked the night. Momo came out of hiding and perched on Fuu's shoulder. Both of them looked to the eternal sky. As Momo sniffed the evening breeze Fuu wondered if there was any deeper meaning to her life, however long or short it would be from here on.

"Fuu?" asked Jin gently from behind her. The sudden intrusion of another person into her quiet reverie made her start and drop all the dry wood she still clung to.

"Ah!" she exclaimed in bewilderment as her work lay at her feet.

"Geez, Jin, don't sneak up on people like that," she smiled ruefully as he came closer to assist.

"I walked as loudly as I could," he said honestly. Her smile broadened and she laughed a little. Jin was never intentionally funny, but when he said things like that Fuu found it refreshing.

"You were taking so long, I thought I'd check on you," said Jin quietly. "Are you all right?" He looked at her with a slightly worried expression on a usually expressionless visage.

"Was it that obvious?" she asked. He said nothing and helped her pick up the rest of the firewood. Fuu realized this was probably the longest conversation they had ever had.

"I was thinking about my house and the day my mother died. I hadn't thought of her much these three years, but recent developments in my life seem to have filtered these memories up to the surface." Fuu got up and gave the rest of the firewood to Jin, since he was there. "I had almost forgotten her face."

"I don't recall the faces of either of my parents," said Jin. Fuu looked at him sympathetically. Birds of a feather really did flock together as these three orphans were proof. Perhaps they needed the moral support derived from such a friendship.

"Were you ever lonely, Jin?" she asked softly.

"I didn't realize that I had been until I started traveling with you two," he replied.

"What an odd little group we make," she mused. "Are you sure that you and Mugen should come with me? It may be the last thing you do."

"The world would be a dark place without duty," quoted Jin. The expression on his face was quite endearing.

Before Fuu could stop herself, she asked, "But what about that woman? I don't know her real name but I think they called her 'Kohana.' Won't she miss you? I mean, won't you miss her? You did make a lot of effort last time to free her from that place." Her heart started picking up its pace and her mind was lamenting the fact that she had brought the topic up. Since he was quiet, Fuu looked up and studied his expression. It had softened a little, but otherwise did not give away any indication of pleasure or pain.

"Did you love her?" she asked in a trepid voice. What was this insistence on having to know? her mind admonished. He looked up at her thoughtfully as if asking the same question. Before either one could explain themselves further the sound of a cracking twig instantaneously sent Jin's hand to his blade. Fuu caught the glint of steel against the moonlight as he prepared to draw forth his weapon.

She turned to see a shifting shadow, or what she thought was a shifting shadow to her left. Had they already caught up with her? Fuu held her breath as Jin positioned himself in front of her. Suddenly in the direction of their camp, they heard the clashing of swords and Mugen cursing. Jin's opponent came forth from the forest without further adieu.

An older samurai, whom Jin met only once and at the time wasn't sure he was able to defeat, stepped out of the forest. Inuyaka drew his blade as he smiled politely.

"I told you we'd meet again," he said simply.

"Jin, do you know him?" whispered Fuu.

"We met when you were kidnapped by the ogre," he answered. "Move away from here, Fuu." She was a little surprised that Jin wanted her to run. Was he unable to defeat this old man? Fuu looked again at her assailant who was moving ever closer. There was meekness in his expression but she was shocked to find the razor sharp look in his eyes. He was a professional assassin and the realization came to her that he had been killing people since a very young age, if not since birth. She was afraid.

"You should listen to him, musume-san," said the old man politely. "We will be needing a bit of space."

Fuu didn't want to leave. It came to her that she should say something like, "Don't fight him, Jin," because she didn't want Jin to walk that thin line between life and death again, at least not for her. The conflict came from her not wanting to die, either. Yet she did not want to run. She wanted to have faith that her friends would somehow come through for her. It made her hesitate.

"Fuu!" said Jin, more firmly this time. She snapped back to the present situation and turned to run. Fuu took one glace back before she stumbled forth into the darkness. Momo immediately flew out and scurried and leapt through the branches above.

"Tell me which way to go, Momo," panted Fuu as they continued. In the distance she heard Jin's blade meet his opponents with a sharp, distinctive "clink."

After their swords met, both Jin and Inuyaka seemed to be assessing their opponent's strength. The key was to figure a weakness before the other did. With great force the two came together again. Jin's moves were lightning quick, slashing and blocking as his opponent returned the favor. After ten sword strokes Jin assessed that they were almost evenly matched, but for the fact that Inuyaka had more years than Jin to perfect his craft. Inuyaka charged again very suddenly, and Jin marveled that the old man had such stamina. Jin dodged the attack but the blade still came in contact with his sleeve, by the fraction of a hair. He was surprised.

"Divine Hand Kariya was a friend of mine. We used to go flower gazing together," said Inuyaka. "It's a pity I won't be able to do that with him any longer. But I am surprised that you defeated him at your level. How did you do it?" he asked. Jin did not respond. As his master once told him, a clever samurai who is outmatched will use his surroundings to his advantage. Jin made a dash into the forest where the trees grew thick and the lighting was shallow. A smile came to Inuyaka's lips as he readily followed.

With the denseness of the forest, Jin used the trees as shields while Inuyaka slashed. This gave Jin the opportunity to attack simultaneously as he was blocked. Still, Inuyaka dodged. The disadvantage was that Jin could not get a clear slice, as he had further to move with a tree to his back. He was contemplating his next strategy but stopped short when he heard a scream deep in the forest.

"It seems my counterparts actually listened to my plan. I actually thought they were a little too drunk to understand it," said Inuyaka calmly. "All I have to do now is make sure she's dead and I can collect my pay." He sheathed his katana and ran towards the direction of Fuu's voice. Jin also sheathed his katana and raced after him. Mugen suddenly jumped out of the shrubbery and ran alongside him.

"Where's Fuu and her flying rat?" asked Mugen.

"Somewhere in this direction," replied Jin as he continued to run. Up ahead, he could still see Inuyaka's figure.

"Who's the old geezer?"

"A very strong opponent and a hired assassin. Be careful of his left swing. It's difficult to block because he's actually left handed," added Jin.

"Noted," said Mugen. They came to a clearing where Inuyaka stopped. Beyond they could see a sheer cliff side but no one else was in sight.

"It appears we may have nothing more to fight about," said the old samurai as he peered over the cliff. "There's no sign of anyone here." Jin noted a hairpin glistening in the moonlight and recognized it as Fuu's.

"You bastard," said Mugen drawing his sword. Inuyaka was unmoving.

"You can take your time and fight me here, or you can go down and look for your friend. I need to regroup with my assistants to assess the situation. She may be still alive, caught in a tree or something. Maybe she made it far enough to clear the rocks and fell into the river by some fluke, if she's lucky. Either way, she'll probably need some help fast, even if it's just to collect her body before the wild beasts get to her." Inuyaka smiled with a grin that was angelic on the surface but devilish underneath. "If you fight me, I'm going to take my time," he volunteered. Both Mugen and Jin knew that Inuyaka was merely toying with them. They were certain that he would enjoy hunting them again.

"Shit," said Mugen, re-sheathing his sword and backtracking to find the fastest way downhill.

"We may yet meet again, since I still need to confirm her death," said Inuyaka calmly to Jin.

"If she's dead, I'll make certain we'll meet again. You'll be my offering to her," said Jin, glaring at his opponent before he followed after Mugen.

Author's notes:

1. musume-san means "girl" or "miss" in a polite way, referring to a young girl. (Though Fuu isn't really all that young in this story, Inuyaka is sort of disrespecting her and categorizing her as a child.)

2. Why would Fuu choose Jin? Well, she's all growed up now, and that means the girl's gots needs…. In the words of another fangirl on one of many Samurai Champloo's fansites (AMALGAM), he IS heartbreakingly beautiful. But he's also a little more…let's say "mature" than Mugen. Sorry Mugen fangirls/guys (if he's your preference, more power to you. Stop reading).

3. "Vagrancy," the title of this chapter is one of my favorite tracks in the Champloo CDs by artist Tsutchie. The title of the story "FLY – Small Circle of Friends" is another favorite track of mine by Tsutchie and rapped by fat jon.

P.s. I realize I love writing fanfiction only after I watch a series, so maybe after I watch the new Slayers series coming out, I'll get a handle on finishing that story (sigh)…

-K (7/28/08)