Chapter 5: Fourteen Days Prior

Jin and Mugen stood back to back as fourteen foes encircled them in the clearing by the river's edge. Only the sound of rushing water flowed through the air as the two glared at the fourteen and the fourteen glared back. Mugen and Jin both wondered how it was every time that girl was in the picture, they ended up drawing their swords—a lot. How could one girl possibly be this much trouble? But before they could think of an answer to this old question, a rustling in the bushes interrupted them. One of the samurai hired to hunt Fuu down, Soujirou, came out from the bushes. He was seriously wounded, but alive, and curiously enough missing an arm.

Jin cocked his head to one side. What was Mugen's fascination with taking off people's arms? Or was it that his fighting style just dispatched people recklessly and beyond his control? He concluded that it was probably the latter. Mysteriously enough, no one who had fought Mugen and lost an arm died immediately. The wild pirate's fighting style needed some revision, as it was defective.

"Back for more?" asked Mugen, quite proud of the fact that Soujirou had involuntarily donated an arm to him. "So incredibly pissed that you want to hang me by my balls?"

"No, not really," shrugged Soujirou. "I would be more angry if I didn't have a rich wife and a vested retirement plan with the Shougunate. I know when I'm beat," he shrugged carelessly. "But I had the foresight of hiring these Oniwabanshu to help me, just in case." As he said this, all fourteen ninja, like well-trained puppets, drew a gleaming kunai, each aimed at one of the two ronin in the center of their formation.

"I'll check back in a little while to see in how many pieces they left you," he smiled and walked away.

With that as their cue, the ninja rained sharpened steel at Jin and Mugen. Several slashes left and right by both ronin cleared the air but in such close quarters Jin was cut in the arm and Mugen in the leg. All fourteen men in black then charged with various weapons drawn. Jin and Mugen drew their opponent's blood at the same time, but even as the first of the ninja went down, the other's continued to attack relentlessly.

Mugen's sword was yanked out of his hands by one metal ball and chain so he resorted to blocking and fighting wildly with his feet. He twisted and spun quickly on his hands and shoulders. No blade got passed his steel plated, wooden Geta sandals. His opponents didn't know what to think about his unorthodox style.

Jin's quick and exact strokes were a direct contrast to his undisciplined friend's style. Before they could effectively block, two more ninja went down with a single arc stroke by Jin. He moved like a fish in water.

A few more minutes and all the ninjas were taken care of. Those who could still flee disappeared in the shadows. A total of nine lay dead on the floor.

Jin wiped his blade with the white cloth he always carried with him while Mugen flung the remaining blood and tissue from his sword with a wide swing.

"Now what?" asked Mugen, spitting on the floor and checking with his tongue that all his teeth were still intact.

"We look for Fuu," replied Jin.

"Ah," grunted Mugen in agreement as they began traipsing the downstream riverbank. "I wonder if she'll puff up if she drinks too much water, just like she does when she eats too much?" Jin was only silent.

"What's with you?" asked Mugen, noticing that Jin didn't look like the usual cold fish he was known to be.

"It'll be fine," he continued. "That girl has more lives than cats. With her luck, she'll be saved by some kind passerby and eat him out of house and home, before she meets up with us lively as ever in Nagasaki," said Mugen, hands laced behind his head as he walked. "She just needs to make sure she stays clear of the old guy and his samurai friends."

"Mm," replied Jin, which was his typical unfathomable response.

"Ah, I'm so hungry," sighed Mugen, which was his typical unrelenting complaint.

CUT SCENE: Fast Forward Days 2 – 5

A lot of searching for Fuu continued for four days downstream along the riverbank with intermittent camping and occasional questioning of passersby if they've seen a girl in a pink kimono or a flying squirrel. They asked fourteen people who responded that they had not seen either girl or squirrel. As a way to pass the time, the two would occasionally exchange words in conversation. Jin did happen to tell Mugen about what he had been up to until then.

"I've been working as a bodyguard for various people these past three years. Government insiders, gangsters, and people traveling long distances have an unending need for protection."

"Oh. That's nice," replied Mugen. It did cross his mind that Jin most likely made a lot of money and he could probably foot the bill for their next meal.

CUT SCENE: Fast Forward Days 6 – 13

The dynamic duo then trekked the side roads towards Nagasaki, stopping by the occasional tea stand for dango, all the while still looking for Fuu, watching for spies, ninja or Shogunate samurai but finding themselves awkwardly alone. Mugen had a conversation with Jin about what he had been up to in the past years.

"I've been making a living gambling and training large dung beetles to fight," he said proudly. "I came to Nagasaki to scout the prospects of opening my own gambling hall. My prized pet beetle is named Pinky." Jin had no comment to make.

CUT SCENE: Day 14…finally…

When the pair finally made it to their pre-appointed destination, Mugen yawned and released the cricks in his neck. Nagasaki looked a bit more expansive since the last time he stopped by. He was eager to get something decent to eat and flirt with some real women. Thirteen days of searching for one girl was taking a toll on his patience. He wondered if wild animals had already eaten her, or if they should have been looking for her in a tree.

"Ah man, I'm hungry," he said as he stretched. "I wonder where the special district is."

"You have such a one-tracked mind," commented Jin.

"No," denied Mugen. "Food first, then women. My mind has at least two tracks." Jin gave no response. They continued walking and searching for a place to eat.

"Crab?" suggested Mugen passing by a wooden menu plaque outside one restaurant.

Jin considered it, but shook his head. "Too expensive."

They went on past the next corner.

"Shabu-shabu?" asked Jin as they passed an especially fancy, two storied building with a line going out the door.

"Too crowded," said Mugen.

"Maybe we should just find someplace quick and cheap," suggested Jin. The two ambled on in silence past the next block.

"Do you think we should hunt down this Gouroujuu and kill him?" asked Mugen thoughtfully.

"Wouldn't that provoke the attention of the Shogun even more?" asked Jin. They came to stop at a noodle stand and stayed for a bite to eat. Jin ordered cold somen with eel and egg, while Mugen had hot, spicy yakisoba with meat.

"Oi, Ojisan, gimme some pickled daikon," demanded Mugen.

"Okay," said the chef, sprinkling some chopped daikon over the dish.

"More," suggested Mugen. The chef complied.

"More," said Mugen again.

"Yeah, yeah," said the chef, clearly agitated, but adding an entire pile on top before presenting Mugen with the plate. After finishing the first, he had five more bowls.

"I can take on the Shogun," smiled Mugen wryly. "You can take the old dude."

"Naturally. After you take on the hundreds if not thousands of samurai waiting on him in Edo. Pragmatically speaking, if we take on and kill the samurai hired by Goroujuu, he may give up after that," contemplated Jin.

"Yeah but if we kill Goroujuu, the old guy will stop hunting us since he won't get paid, right?" asked Mugen, slurping down his wheat noodles.

"Until someone else hires him to hunt us. We have to deal with him first," answered Jin, politely sipping his flour noodles.

"Should we just take him together?" asked Mugen before letting out a belch.

"That might be one way," agreed Jin, placing his chopsticks neatly across the rim of the empty bowl.

"That'll be fourteen ryo, two per bowl. Maido," grumbled the chef as he handed them their bill. Mugen looked at Jin.

"Do you have any money?" he asked.

"Do you?" asked Jin in return.

"I asked first," insisted Mugen.

"Yes, why?" asked Jin.

"Can you get this one? I want to visit the red light district after this," replied Mugen. Jin couldn't help letting out a sigh of exasperation. Without another word, he paid the bill.

"I owe you one," chimed Mugen.

"Mm," answered Jin.

Jin and Mugen parted ways for the time being in front of the colorful and red lantern street of the notorious district. Mugen was reminded not to kill anyone to avoid detection as Inuyaka and his cohorts were still looking for them. Mugen gave him a peculiar incomprehensible response in assent and disappeared around the corner.

The sun was nearer to the horizon and the stars were peeping out from the misty pale blue sky. Jin looked up and wondered which were the stars that shaped his destiny and that of his friends. Would they be three stars in a row? A sudden pang of worry tightened his chest. Jin wondered if she was all right. It was unusual for her to make such a long, delayed appearance. As he turned onto the main avenue still lost in thought an old hag with a face painted white and dressed all in black suddenly accosted him. Even for his calm and stoutly trained heart it was quite the shock. He raised an eyebrow.

"Fourteen!" she said mysteriously.

"Pardon?" asked Jin puzzled.

"The number fourteen looms about you. It is your auspicious number," she said. Jin assessed that she was a clairvoyant of sorts and therefore did not draw his blade. The old woman continued, "You will have fourteen children! Wait, no, no that's not right." She peered into his face again. "You have fourteen blisters on your feet? No!" Her face contorted to an expression of either extreme concentration or constipation. You are looking for someone. A squirrel? No, a girl."

A crusty finger pointed at him, "You are looking for a girl," she affirmed loudly. A girl to his right and a girl to his left just passing by were suddenly interested in this conversation and declared that they were both fourteen and very available, but the old woman shooed them away.

"If you pay me fourteen ryo, I will tell you more," she suggested.

"If what you tell me turns out to be false, do I get a refund?" he asked. The old woman scowled.

"I am never wrong," she insisted.

"Obaa-chan! There you are!" shouted a young girl from behind him. Jin turned to see a girl dressed in a smart kimono with long hair done up in braids run up to the old clairvoyant. "Mama will scold me again if I lose you." The girl looked at Jin.

"Sorry, sir. My grandmother isn't in her right mind. She keeps telling people that she's psychic and can see the future." She bowed apologetically and led the old woman away.

The only word that came to mind was, "Bizarre."

He continued down the avenue deep in thought. The sun had not yet fallen behind the horizon but it set the sky ablaze with hues of pink, orange, red and purple amid the blue. The streets were getting less crowded as the evening approached. This was the end of the fourteenth day of searching for Fuu. Jin wondered if the old woman's words had any power. If history proved true, they would run into her again, whether they were looking for her or not. His heart was enveloped with a sensation that he could only define as hope.

Jin continued walking in search of a place to stay for the night when he paused. A familiar voice was hurling insults at someone in the distance. No, now it was closer. Almost instinctively, he removed his katana from his belt. Jin turned just in time to see Fuu chasing a young man at full speed, telling him to return her purse. The faster the thief ran the faster Fuu chased after him until she finally tackled him to the ground. She grinned triumphantly as she wedged her knee between his shoulder blades.

Fuu was just as wild as her namesake, and perhaps it was her spontaneity that drew him to her. His worry melted and gave way to the happiness of seeing her alive. He called out her name and in a moment he could not control, much to his own surprise, he embraced her.

Jin smiled and shook his head, surrendering to the fate that bound him to this girl. Fourteen was a good number.

Author's notes: Please read and review! (There aren't a lot of you, are there? LOL that's OK; we don't need numbers when we've got loyalty! Champloo fans rock!)

1. "Maido" is a traditional polite utterance meaning "welcome" or "greeting" used in service industries. Obaa-chan means grandmother. Sorry, I watch anime in Japanese so the more common words and phrases have stuck after fourteen years. LOL! Wait, I just aged myself, didn't I?

2. This was a filler chapter. It's part apology to Mugen since I've been snubbing him these past chapters. Besides, you never see Mugen and Jin talking, do you? I've always wondered at what they would talk about when they weren't looking to kill each other. I know the fortuneteller was random, but she's one of my favorite side characters. I mean, she could just pop up anywhere!

-Kero (7/30/08)