(a/n: I couldn't wait to post this, I'm still on my little vacation. Everyone say hi to my cousin, a fellow fanfic addict. Not much else to say but enjoy and thanks for reading!!!)

Vol. 19 Rainy Day Revival

-Fuu-

"Mugen, why do you think that Jin needs to see Shino?" I asked as we trudged along through the cold. Thunder rumbled overhead, the dark grey clouds threatening to empty on us. The day at the beach was the last sunny one we'd had. It had been almost a week, and there was no improvement to Jin's attitude; if anything it was getting worse. Tsuki had also started to separate herself from the group, proven true by the fact that she was now trailing a good twenty feet behind us.

"Are you really that stupid?" he questioned quietly. I glared up at him. "Jin feels guilty because he's getting' the hotts for Tsuki, and he feels like he's two-timin' Shino."

"I guess that makes sense…" I thought aloud. "But why is she acting funny too? Don't tell me she had feelings for Jin back!"

"Shut up dumbass!" he growled, looking around. Finally, he laced his fingers together behind his head and shifted his eyes to me again. "She says she doesn't, but I think she's full of shit. I'll bet she feels like a bitch for gettin between them."

"No wonder she was asking about Shino so much," I mused. It was all starting to come together now. I couldn't believe I didn't see it before.

"Don't open your big mouth about this either, ya hear me? It's their problem not ours," he added in warning. I did like to meddle a lot, but it usually-sometimes came out okay. Maybe if I just told both of them how the other felt…Tsuki's life was so sad, wouldn't a boyfriend make her feel better? And how could Jin make the right choice when he didn't have all of the angles? 'What I'm doing is for the best,' I told myself.

"Don't even think about it," Mugen grumbled. "What did I just tell you?"

"What?" I asked; the picture of innocence. He didn't buy it.

"I know that look. It's your 'I'm about to get into some shit that ain't my business' look."

"Honestly Mugen, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bullshit," he laughed, clearly entertained by my poor acting skills. "I'm keeping my eye on you."

"Make sure that's all you keep on me," I shot back jokingly. His eyes widened a bit, he looked a little surprised.

"That was sorta dirty. I think that some of me is rubbing off on you."

"Then, also much like you, I am in desperate need of a bath."

Still gaping and confused, I left Mugen and moved ahead, quickening my pace to catch up with Jin's slender form. Because he had such long legs, it was hard to keep pace with him. Usually he would slow down for me, but not today. He didn't even acknowledge my presence when I said hello.

I pursed my lips, trying to think of something else to say. "So, are you getting tired?"

"No."

I searched my mind again.

"Well, it's about to start raining, and I think we're all beat."

"Very well, where do you propose we take shelter?" he questioned, finally stopping. I was caught off guard by this so that I had to force my legs to stop moving from their rapid pace. He looked colder than usual, his dark eyes distant as I'd ever seen them. I surveyed the landscape, realizing only now that we were in the middle of nowhere. Oh.

"Maybe we could…sort of…build something?" I suggested weakly.

"You can try," Mugen said, catching up with the two of us standing in the middle of the road. "I don't mind sleeping in the rain."

I looked for Tsukiko and found that she had stopped on the path a ways back. Probably when Jin and I had stopped. She was standing like a stone, still despite the wind that blew furiously at her back. It looked like it was trying to push her over or break her, but she refused to move. I sighed and turned back to Jin who had also been staring at her. His eyes held just the slightest bit of guilt. For once I admitted to myself that Mugen had been right. How could he tell what those two were feeling before I could? He was supposed to be an insensitive jackass. Scary.

"So what do you suggest?" Jin asked, rewording his earlier query.

"I guess we should just find some trees to sleep under…" I groaned, depressed by the thought. Jin nodded and headed for the cover of the nearby woods as the first drops of the storm spotted the dirt. Mugen rose and eyebrow and scratched his head, further messing his scraggly hair. With a look I didn't understand, he brushed roughly past me and disappeared into the darkness where Jin had.

-Tsukiko-

I picked a piece of bark off of the fairly straight branch I had found, cleaning it off completely. I took out my knife and began shaving it down. I was almost out of arrows and it would be a while before we reached any kind of armory where I could buy some. The green wood fell into little curls on my lap as I kept at it. I was in no way a proficient arrow-maker, but I could make due with some homemade ones.

The wind howled as it cut its way through the openings between trees. The leaves rustled…no, they crunched. Someone was coming up behind me.

"Jin," I said, not asking. I was ninety percent sure I was right.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Well, you're the one who came to me. What do you want?"

He emerged from behind the tree I was sitting under, damp from the rain. He didn't sit, he didn't make himself more comfortable, he didn't plan to stay long. He was staring out into the forest, his eyes searching the darkness. "I thought I might check on you. You didn't join us for dinner."

"You think that'd be a good idea?" I asked, only letting a little anger into my voice. Was I mad? Yes, but what could I do about it?

"You have to understand that I am not good with things like this." Jin sounded like he was asking for understanding. I would give it to him, but admit it, I would not.

"I get it."

"Do you?"

I nodded.

"Then explain it to me, because I haven't the slightest clue of what to do."

-Fuu-

I shivered violently, my body chilled to the bone. I had woken up in the pitch black night with everyone gone. I had thought that everyone had left me, which would be just like those asses, until I heard a familiar loud and obnoxious snoring. The clouds broke, momentarily letting the blue glow of moonlight through. I used to opportunity to go and find someone. As I slipped around in the wet undergrowth, the snoring got louder. My teeth chattered uncontrollably and I hugged my chest to try and keep warm. Then I found him.

Mugen was sleeping under a makeshift lean-to. He was completely dry and sleeping quite comfortably. Lying bastard. I specifically remembered something about him saying he didn't mind rain, and building shelters was stupid. The dark began to press in again as a cloud drifted over my only light source. There was no way I was going to find Jin or Tsuki, so I did the only thing that I could think of. I slid in carefully beside Mugen and huddled on the opposite side. When I was a little warmer, and a little more at ease, I stretched out. A hand reached out and rested firmly…on my butt.

"Mugen!" I screeched, slapping it away viciously. His eyes opened halfway for about a second and he muttered something that sounded like "sorry". Then, closing them again, he placed his hand right back where it was.

"I said quit it!" I yelled. This time he woke up.

"Then what the hell are you doing in here!?!"

"I was cold you jerk. I thought that maybe, for once you could avoid being a pervert!"

"Like I'd want anything to do with your flat-chested, little girl body!" he scoffed, trying to insult me.

"Well tell that to my butt!" I shouted. "You seemed to be really friendly with it a second ago."

"It was a reflex!"

"Yeah right Mugen."

"Will you shut your freakin' mouth if I let you stay? God damn, I want to get some sleep!" He said the last few words with an angry yawn.

"Whatever, just keep your grimy hands on your side, got it?"

He turned over, showing me his back. He grumbled furiously for a few seconds, unintelligibly. All I caught were the words "it's my fuckin' shelter".

I rolled my eyes in annoyance and then closed them, happy to have a decent place to rest. A cold wind blew right through, winding its way between our bodies. I shivered, the small hairs at the back of my neck standing up. Ready to take whatever criticism or teasing I was about to get, I scooted over and snuggled against Mugen's warm body. Maybe he was already asleep or maybe he was actually being nice for once, but he didn't say anything.

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(a/n: You know how much I love it when you guys reveiw, so do it. It takes like five seconds. If you don't, I'll just sick Mugen on you. And no fangirls, it won't be in the sexy way...)