The Way You Do
Chapter 3: Infectious
"Hey babe, I was starting to think I'd have to pay to see you again," Mugen remarked as the brunette slowly emerged from the shadows.
"Your smell ignites me," Allona murmured, inhaling his scent as she came to stand behind him, "The animal in me hungers for you."
"Did you kill him?" he turned to face the woman, her eyes level with his own. They were striking, seeming to glow with their own life.
Allona frowned, running her hands underneath the vagrant's shirt.
"I killed one man," She replied.
"Just one?" Mugen teased.
Allona laughed, a deep and rich sound, "So bloodthirsty, my muse?"
"Your muse?" Mugen suddenly withdrew, forehead creased.
"What would you have me call you?" The woman asked, a guarded expression crossing her face.
Mugen looked towards the sky as he contemplated her question. Finally, he huffed a sigh and met her gaze, "Co-worker, maybe."
"Co-worker?" Allona was intrigued. This strange man was offering her an opportunity, but for what purpose? Was it possible that he lacked one?
Children's laughter drifted towards the two, then the bridge vibrated under feet large and small. The sellswords moved out of the way as the children joked, wondering about the weapons they carried. The parents acted with fear and suspicion, not daring to turn their faces towards the couple.
Allona sighed with irritation as Mugen waved two figures over to the bridge.
"Hiya! My name is Fuu, you must be Allona. Mugen says you can fight as good as any samurai," The girl stated, watching the older woman's reaction carefully.
Allona cast an amused glance at Mugen before returning to Fuu, "I'm still alive, aren't I?"
"Have you ever heard of the Samurai who smells of sunflowers?" she questioned.
"Do you know him?" Allona was suddenly tense.
"He was my father. Please, if you know anything about where he is, tell me. I really need to find him," The girl pleaded.
"When I was very young, a fried of mine took a fancy to an older samurai. He would give her sunflowers all the time, except for the day he left. Walked out on her without so much as a goodbye, probably just using her. A real ass," Allona's eyes seemed distant.
"Can you remember what he looked like?" Fuu seemed hopeful, standing on tip toes to hang on every word Allona spoke.
The woman laughed, "Of course I do. He was particularly short, and so skinny a rain would wash him away. His eyes were a peculiar color, a vivid green like the first spring leaves."
"Oh. That's not him," Fuu deflated, hefting herself onto the railing. Fireworks exploded behind her, casting her sullen features in shadow.
"I'm sorry, Fuu," Allona soothed, putting an arm on the girl's shoulder.
"It's okay, I think I might be able to find him in Nagasaki." It seemed as if she wanted to say more, but was interrupted by her growling stomach.
"I'm hungry too. If I buy, will you bring the food back for me?" Allona asked, taking out a small coin purse. Fuu looked at it eagerly, holding her hands out to receive it.
"Lets go!" The young girl exclaimed, taking a mysterious dark haired samurai by the arm. She made to grab Mugen, but Allona interfered.
"I would like some assurances," Her eyes were warm and casual, but her face was hard as stone.
Fuu's face broke into understanding, nodding to emphasize that she caught on.
"You really want to spend all of this on food?" She asked, jerking the pouch to produce a sharp jangle.
"Yes," the woman answered with a Cheshire grin, "I'm very hungry tonight."
Truth to be told, Allona was eager to speak alone with Mugen. She now understood what he wanted to ask of her, but was uncertain of how she felt about his companions. She was very much entranced by the vagabond, the way his touch left a white hot trail across her skin. The very thought made her shiver, and also made his offer all the more enticing.
"You mean to ask me to travel with you, and your companions," Allona stated, letting her words hang in the humid air.
"Yeah. Got a problem with that?" Mugen asked, tone nonchalant.
"What's in it for me?" Allona asked, eyes flashing in amusement.
Mugen was taken aback, and chose not to reply right away. Instead, he ran a hand through his unruly hair and surveyed the stars. Why did he so strongly desire this woman's companionship? She was a lot like himself, in all the ways most people were not. Being able to explore those traits with another person excited him, and perhaps that was the root of his feelings. He was unsure, and decided not to linger over the matter.
"Whatever you make of it," Mugen finally broke the silence.
"How do you go about earning your money?" Allona questioned smartly, having been solicited many times.
Mugen shrugged and gave no verbal response. For Allona, that was all she needed.
"Interesting. Who is the other fellow, by the way," she asked.
"Oh, Jin? Hes nobody. Just another wandering samurai, I guess," Mugen's face was crossed with some unknown trouble.
"Does Fuu employ both of you?" Allona continued her line of questioning.
"Tricked us, more like," Mugen grumbled, kicking at some dirt on the ground. He refused to meet the woman's gaze, unaccustomed to her intensity.
"How?" she continued.
"We flipped a coin, she won. Are you an officer or somethin'?" Mugen jutted his lip out in a petulant expression.
"If I am to travel with you three, shouldn't I be curious about these things?" Allona patiently explained.
"I guess, nothin' to know, really." Mugen would not give up his grumpy stance. He was expecting more entertaining, sexual banter. The intensity and capability he sensed from her attitude now shocked him, and left him awash in a daze of swirling emotions. He could not begin to separate one from the other, let alone hang names on them.
"Hey! Don't just stand around, help us!" Fuu called from a distance.
The two turned to see her returning with the samurai, both sets of arms laden with steaming delicacies.
Allona wasted no time in claiming her prize. She bounded over to the younger woman and helped her with her load, laying everything out on the railing in a neat row. Fuu assisted her in this endeavor, and soon they had a vast buffet spread before them.
Fireworks erupted over the water, lighting the faces of the three wanderers.
The two girls, though different in age, were of the same mind-this was perfect. Fuu and Allona sighed in union as they eagerly stuffed their faces, happy that the night ended better than expected.
"Thank you so much Allona! I know you worked hard to earn that money," Fuu said earnestly.
Allona let out a wild cackle, almost dropping her tempura, "You think I actually toiled for it?"
Fuu looked taken aback as she watched Allona swallow large bites of food. Then she turned, facing Mugen with dismay, "You lied to me you big jerk!"
"What did he tell you?" Allona intervened.
The young woman's face grew red as she struggled to formulate a reply.
"I told her that you were a prostitute, and that you were going to escape tonight," Mugen interrupted.
"Neither are false. I took the money on my way out," Allona confirmed, finishing up her last bite of food with a contented sigh. She felt completely satisfied, warm even. It had been about a week since she had been able to eat the amount she wanted.
"So, how long have you been a prostitute? Were you there to pay off a debt?" Fuu pressed, though she tried to keep her tone delicate. She could not contain the burning curiosity for her would-be companion, though the manners taught by her mother curbed her enthusiasm.
"Ha! Thank you for giving me the benefit of the doubt, but no. Some slavers snagged me unawares in the forest about a week ago," Allona explained, an irritated expression crossing her face at the memory. Though, as she looked back upon it, she had nobody to blame but herself. It was definitely a bad idea to go out bathing, with her senses inhibited, alone in the woods at night. Having built a fire close by, she hadn't been hard to track.
"That sounds so terrible, I'm sorry that you had to go through that," Fuu said sympathetically.
"Thank you, Fuu," She replied, shocked at the young woman's kindness. Was she this way with every vagrant that crossed her path? For the girl's own sake, Allona hoped not.
"You know, at first I didn't want you to join us at all. Especially because Mugen suggested it! But I really do like you, Allona. Will you travel with us to Nagasaki, to look for the samurai that smells like sunflowers?" Fuu asked.
"I admire your honesty, Fuu. Yes, I would be pleased to join you."
A/N: Okay, now that Allona is with the gang, the real fun can begin! Stay tuned for their first adventure in the next chapter!