Fuu came back to the little house loaded with all the ingredients for her favorite dishes. She would have liked to make something special for Mugen and Jin but there was nothing they wouldn't eat, although the Ryukyuan did have a weakness for castella cake. She had bought a good big one and was looking forward to the evening.
She heard the two men going at it as she put the food down in her little kitchen and she smiled. Jin had been so exhausted, first from his long trip, then from the hours of preparing medicine, that when he finally got to lie down he hadn't moved for a day and a night. Mugen had also fallen into such a deep sleep that it was an effort to rouse him to take the medicine, which he still had trouble holding down. Now that they were both rested it was good to hear them getting back to normal and she went out to the yard. "Hey, you two! I'm fixing supper."
"So?" Mugen waved his hand as if shooing a fly. "Tell us when it's ready."
"Honestly…." The girl fumed as she stomped back to the kitchen. "You'd think even Mugen could show a little gratitude...or at least not be so obnoxious!" She measured and stirred and chopped and fried and an hour later shrieked out the window, "It's ready!"
"That girl is shrill." Mugen got to his feet, holding onto the tree trunk, and took a hesitant step, then his head spun. Jin had been watching without seeming to watch and he moved with his usual speed and caught his friend as he pitched forward. The Ryukyuan shook his head to clear it, nodded at Jin, and let the samurai help him back to the house.
Mugen sat against the wall and watched as Jin helped Fuu with the food. She really was a good cook-something she had not had much opportunity to demonstrate on their travels, and the three of them ate in a companionable silence, enjoying each other's company without the need for words. The two men were delighted when she brought out the castella cake, making short work of it, then Jin helped Mugen over to the futon while Fuu started to clean up.
"Fuu." Jin sat by Mugen and beckoned to her. "There is something the three of us need to talk about."
"Can't it wait?" The Ryukyuan yawned. "I'm really beat."
"I've been waiting." Jin was silent for a moment, arranging his thoughts as Fuu sat across from him and Mugen. "It's about your health, Mugen."
"What?" The Ryukyuan had been sprawled comfortably, but now he sat up, scowling. "I've been taking that nasty stuff three times a day, just like you said. What more do you want?"
"Mugen." Jin sounded like a parent talking to a fractious child. "The foreign doctor I got the medicine from had some more information about your illness." He took a deep breath. Both Mugen and Fuu were staring at him now. "He had several patients with malaria and he said it doesn't go away."
A chill ran down Fuu's spine. "Doesn't go away….but Mugen's not sick anymore! He's getting stronger every day! He's…."
"Sitting right here." Mugen leaned forward. "Well, go on, pretty boy. If you got more bad news, just spit it out."
Jin sighed. "It's not all bad news. The doctor said malaria never goes away, but with the medicine his patients are living normal lives."
Mugen's eyes widened. "You mean I got to drink that stuff for the rest of my life?" He started swearing and Fuu cut him off.
"Be quiet! Let Jin tell us everything the doctor said."
The samurai bowed to her slightly. "Thank you, Fuu. Mugen, the doctor said you would know what it feels like when an attack is coming on-you need to use the medicine when you feel that, and just until you feel better. There are no guarantees, but he said if you responded well to it, it would probably keep working for you and you shouldn't get very sick again."
Mugen digested this, then asked coldly, "And just how often am I going to get these attacks?"
"That's impossible to say. The doctor had one patient who needed to use the medicine at least once a year, and another patient who went many years between attacks."
"But I'm still sick and I'm never going to get better," said Mugen bitterly.
"In between attacks you'll be as strong as ever. You'll be able to do everything you've always done."
"I wondered why you got so much of that bark," said Fuu. "There must still be a couple of pounds of it."
Jin nodded. "You should always have a good supply, Mugen. There's enough for now, but…."
The Ryukyuan threw himself down on the futon, rolling over to face the wall, and the samurai fell silent. He looked at Fuu and she got to her feet and went out to the porch. Jin hesitated, then followed her.
"It'll be all right, Jin," she whispered. "Why don't you go home now and I'll see you tomorrow."