Of Gunshots and Sorrow

Chapter 12

Boy vs. Man Part II

AN:/

Moody1656: Not wasting time this time. On with the story!

Turquoise eyes blinked up at the vagabond, her body frail from exhaustion. "I love you, Mugen," she broke down holding on tightly to his pant's leg. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Jin's voice calmly replied. "I noticed when you brought her in. They both look alike, not to mention the girl is also in the same condition as Hino before she—"

As he started to close the door behind him he heard Shino's soft voice, "Please take care of her, Mugen."

"Mugen, I just—I don't want you to die because of me."

Mugen's eyes snapped open in fright. He could feel his heart hammering against his chest. Taking calming breaths he took notice of the weight on his arms and legs. Noticing with amusement that it was the first night neither of them seemed to move in their sleep, Mugen took a moment to watch Fuu as she slept.

She was serious the night before. Uncertain, obviously; but the girl did mean it when she said she could stay here. It kinda set him off.

Which made it official. Everyone was right. He had become attached to the small girl in his arms. It wasn't like he was suddenly in love with the girl or wanted to shag her or anything like that but he did know he was attached. For the first time since Hino, he actually cared about another person's safety. Albeit, in a way completely different from Hino.

"Mu...gen..." she mumbled lightly in her sleep, causing him to tense. That was the worst part about getting attached to someone, it usually worked vice versa too. "Get a...job..." He smirked contently, glad that she wasn't having some stupid childish crush fantasies about him or anything. Yet at the same time it was kinda disappointing. Mugen was after all Mugen.

He closed his eyes momentarily, trying to wash away all the tension and nerves he had about what would happen today and after.

Fuu's eyes slipped open just as he closed his. She sighed and slipped out of his arms. She climbed around him to get off the bed. "You should shower," he dryly stated, startling her off the bed.

She glared up at his still back while rubbing her now sore behind. "Jerk, I thought you were asleep." He stayed quiet so she stood up quickly and shoved him. "And you should be the one taking a shower. Seriously, when was the last time you did?"

He smirked to himself, Don't remember. Mugen decided to ignore her though. He needed to clear his head, and starting a conversation with the girl wasn't going to help his situation.

Click

Fuu sighed on the other side of the door. Smiling slightly at the fact that she didn't slam doors like Mugen. Just that tiny fact brought her a sense of pride.

Looking down at her arms, Fuu shot that thought out of her mind though. I can't believe I'm actually listening to him of all people about hygiene. Her shoulders hunched a bit as she, defeated by her own mind, walked down the hall to where she knew the bathroom was.

Right when she started to open the door she noticed the door to Shinsuke's mom's room was open. She seemed so different from the last time they saw each other, even through just the door. She was paler and thinner for one. Just from looking at her Fuu could tell the reason why she hadn't seen her until now was probably because she couldn't get up anymore.

She's going to die soon. Fuu shut her eyes tightly and turned her head to the door, trying to erase the image from her mind. Shinsuke... That's why he seemed more worn out. He didn't fight with me once. Not even with Mugen. I should've known things were this bad.

She opened her eyes after she felt the door of the bathroom click behind her. Maybe I should have asked Shinsuke if I could take a shower here? Fuu looked around the bathroom, taking slight note that it looked exactly the same as it had been before, and placed her clothes down on the closed toilet seat decisively. He did say I was always at home here before. I'm sure he won't mind.

With a deep breath, Fuu turned to face the mirror, ready to see how crappy she looked. The last time she showered was three days ago in the hotel they were last at, before the shootings. Which reminds me I never actually did get a paycheck, just tips. Damn assholes took away my salary.

A sigh passed her lips as she robotically started the water in the shower and then proceeded to slip out of the jeans she'd fallen asleep in. So I'm down to what? Ten dollars? Her shirt came off next. No. I gave that dumbass Mugen some money for liquor. The last remaining articles of clothing slipped off her body as she let steam coat her face.

Great idea, Fuu. Tell Mugen you can start over on your own without any money in your wallet! Smartest idea I've had in some time. Fuu ignored the fact that she felt her facial expression fall into sadness and stepped into the shower.

I don't have to stay here, though. I guess I could go with Mugen for a bit more and then settle down somewhere. The idea seemed ridiculous. Ok, well then I could ask Shinsuke if I could stay here for a while. Offer to do housework and even get a part time job to pay him rent or something. I'm sure he'd say yes if I just bat my eyes or something.

Awesome. Maybe then I could also start dating him again and soon offer my body as compensation for staying here.

Okay, that may be an exaggeration but still. In no time Fuu slipped out of the shower clean and dried herself off with a nearby towel.

She redressed into a jean skirt and a white tank top with an open button up flower patterned shirt she bought herself a week ago with some extra money. Mugen's choices in clothes were so plain that she felt out of sorts.

Fuu blinked at her reflection in thought before shaking off a weird feeling she got and slipped her flip flops on. She made sure to grab all of her stuff and leave the bathroom as it was when she came in before she left back to the room where Mugen was still sleeping in.

She quickly got in quietly and put her dirty clothes away in her backpack before she dared a peek over at Mugen. He was sprawled out around the bed as usual and it took her a lot of effort not to laugh or throw something at his drooling face. I swear this is the best part about mornings with that idiot.

Fuu smiled lightly and walked over closer to the bed. This might be the last time I see him like this. Her smile turned into a frown as it had in the bathroom before. This might be the last time I see him period.

She turned away quickly and decided to head downstairs to not wake anyone and not start crying again. It's stupid for me to act like this. Damn it Fuu, get a hold of yourself. You're better than that.

Her mind didn't want to cooperate though and she thought back to how he held her last night when she was crying. Those rare moments that no one ever saw of Mugen were going to disappear if she stayed with her choice. Getting to yell at him would be gone. Seeing him care about Momo when he thought she wasn't paying attention would be gone. Him trying to calm her down when she thought she would soon die would be gone. Kissing him... No. That would be gone no matter what she chose.

"Hey," Shinsuke's voice carried out through the kitchen, snapping Fuu out of her reverie.

She turned from the stove and smiled shyly when she realized she'd unintentionally started to cook breakfast in her ex's home without asking while she was absorbed in thought. She really was too comfortable here. "Hey."

He smirked, mistaking her shyness for something else unbeknownst to her. She blushed even deeper, realizing her hair was a dead give away that she'd taken a shower without asking beforehand and shoved her hand in her pocket as she kept her eyes to the ground; "Sorry. I just went ahead and took a shower without asking." She sighed and peeked up, "I hope breakfast makes up for it." Okay that hadn't been her intention in the first place but why tell him now?

Shinsuke just shrugged, "Don't worry about it. You've been here so much you really don't need to ask permission anymore."

"Never nights though," she mumbled to herself. "Besides that was a long time ago."

His expression remained unfazed by her negativity. "Not that long," he argued taking a step further into the kitchen and closer to her.

Fuu shrugged, "I guess. But it was before we broke up." He nodded, looking a bit somber at remembering the day.

Her eyes bugged out suddenly, noticing water boil over the edge of the pot she'd been using, "Shit!" In her rush to turn off the heat the backside of her hand accidentally hit the side of the metal and some of the burning water. "Ah! Damn it!" She jerked back quickly and before she knew it Shinsuke has her hand in his carefully and pushed her toward the sink.

"Here," he said calmly before he placed her hand under cold water.

The water instantly cooled down her hand but there was still the odd sensation of pain where she'd been burned. "Thanks," Fuu muttered in relief and then turned off the water. She looked up to meet his eyes and noticed how close he'd gotten. Mugen did say Shinsuke still seemed to have feelings for me.

"Fuu," his voice was low and quiet. She knew she should probably stop him but she was brought back to memories of what it was like when they were together. "I'm really sorry." That sprung the memory that pulled her back to reality.

She shook her head and swallowed some saliva to stop the burning in her throat. "Just forget about it."

"Have you forgiven me?" he insisted. Fuu didn't respond immediately causing him to sigh, "I can't just forget about it if you still can't. I know I hurt you, but I honestly hadn't meant to."

Fuu smiled, "Shinsuke, stop." Her arms moved instinctively around her torso as she spoke, "I know it wasn't all your fault.." She looked at him seriously, "I can forgive you but I can't trust you like I did before anymore."

He nodded, understanding her reasoning. "But you trust him, right?" A gesture from his hand wasn't even necessary for Fuu to know who she meant. "He must be a pretty good guy under all that pervert then."

Fuu genuinely laughed, "Trust me, if there is much good in Mugen it's buried really really deep." Shinsuke joined her light mood by smiling. "But yeah I do trust him. He thinks I shouldn't but he's literally saved my life."

He stopped smiling when he noticed that her hair was loose. Shinsuke leaned forward and pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Bastard must be pretty lucky to do that," he whispered.

"Shinsuke?"

Shinsuke gently held Fuu's face in his hand, "I never really got over you, Fuu." Her eyes widened. "I'm too late now though, aren't I?"

Fuu's eyes warmed in compassion. She couldn't say she didn't miss him, because that would be a lie but she broke up with him for a reason. A sudden change of heart didn't change anything. Even if it did, she'd changed too much since they last saw each other.

A loud thud in the background caused both teens to jerk back in surprise. "Sup?" Mugen asked casually rubbing his index finger under his nose with his backpack by his feet.

One look at either guy was enough to tell Fuu things weren't going to go well if she made a wrong move, but she shook it off and walked right up to the ex-drug dealer. He glared at Shinsuke before looking back down at her worried eyes, "You can't leave yet."

He glared at her now, "Don't give me that crap, kid. There's nothing to make me stay longer."

"What about breakfast?" She asked quirking a brow.

He blinked down at her in shock. His stomach growled. Mugen pouted and clenched his stomach, "Damn it."

Fuu laughed in triumph and grabbed his wrist pulling him over to the table. She ignored the look Shinsuke was obviously giving her and smiled at Mugen, "It might take a little, but it's better than waiting another day I guess."

He smirked, "Here I was thinkin' you'd give me some extra cash as a farewell present."

She rolled her eyes, "What? So you could get wasted on cheap liquor and prostitutes?"

"Sounds about right," He chuckled deeply.

"Stupid."

The food took a while to make and both guys stayed quietly staring off as Fuu finished cooking. The tension was thick but she decided to ignore it and make the best of the morning. "There." She said sitting down and serving them.

Mugen glared at her plate, "Why the hell do you get the most?"

She glared back, "Cause I made it, duh." With that she plopped some toast in her mouth greedily and continued on to the sausages. Other than those two items all she could really manage to make was boiled eggs, which she managed to overcook in the pot, but the meal was pretty good. Realizing something she forgot, Fuu quickly shoveled the rest of her food in her mouth before standing up. The guys were only half way through their own meals, and at the rate they were eating it wasn't a surprise that her mouth was filled like a chipmunk's.

Fuu went over to the cabinets and pulled out another plate before placing what remained of the food on it. "If you're so greedy you can at least use the same plate."

She rolled her eyes and tried to swallow all the food in her mouth, causing an irritation in her throat from the amount but at least it was good. "It's not for me, asshole."

Shinsuke looked over at her briefly in gratitude and with that she left to go upstairs.

Mugen rolled his eyes and scoffed at her plate. "Geez, dumb broad might as well have licked the thing clean." There literally was nothing left on her plate with the exception of a piece of sausage. He shrugged and took it off her plate anyways as he tried to fill his gut up with food.

"She's not leaving with you?" Shinsuke asked abruptly to his annoyance.

He raised a brow at the younger kid. "Ask her," he replied simply before returning to his meal. Definitely a tool. Mugen made sure to ignore the boy's inquiring eyes.

There was a silence in the kitchen. Shinsuke still didn't like the guy in front of him, unaware that the feeling was mutual, but he figured he might as well figure out what kind of guy Fuu's been hanging around. "How'd you meet her anyways?"

He sighed and put his fork down, annoyed, "I shot a guy in an alley and she was hiding from a rapist. Good enough fer ya?" Shinsuke's eyes widened for a second, making Mugen smirk in amusement and shake his head.

Instead of scaring the boy, like he thought, Mugen actually made him believe that he was joking around so he continued to talk. "That wasn't funny."

"If you were there it was," He chuckled. Mugen sunk down in his chair and crossed his arms casually, "What about you, kid? What's yer deal?"

Shinsuke rolled his eyes, "I lifted her purse."

Mugen nodded with a highly amused look, "Nice way to start a relationship."

It was his turn to smirk, "It worked, didn't it."

Mugen laughed loudly at that, "Yeah, sure, before she dumped you."

His black eyes narrowed. Shinsuke leaned forward in his chair and kept a steady glare on the man, "Look, you can drop the act. I already know you two aren't together."

He yawned spontaneously and shrugged, "At least yer not as stupid as you look." They stared off for a pause and kept going when Mugen spoke again. "Relax, kid. She's not coming with me anymore. I held up my end of our deal, as far I'm concerned."

"Deal?" Hostility still did not leave his voice.

Mugen was tired of the subject and went back to what was left of his food. He distracted himself from the conversation that just took place and any thoughts that would link to it by wondering where the mutt would be. He always turns up. I ain't about to track him down when the dumb thing tracks me all the time.

"Fuu..." Shinsuke's voice speaking up a minute later snapped Mugen out of a daze—he unwittingly ended up staring down at the empty plate.

When he looked up, Mugen noticed why the guy in front of him had sounded so pleading. She was standing at the entrance of the kitchen, one hand on her waist and the other on the strap of her backpack. He'd learned that the action was a nervous habit of hers. "Going out to find a new place so soon?" He knew the answer already, but Mugen felt the need to confirm that this really wasn't part of what she'd said the night before.

She turned her eyes from Shinsuke to him and smirked; "I figured you'll need somebody to make sure you actually eat and sleep in a bed if you want to be up to kicking Mukuro's ass."

He chuckled, "Hell, girly, you should know by now you're not fooling anyone. If you want me so bad all ya gotta do is say so."

She stuck her tongue out at him, before turning back to Shinsuke. There was an awkward silence in the room when they both stared at each other. "Are you sure about this, Fuu? You know you're always welcome here." It didn't take a genius to know there was an added part to that phrase he didn't say aloud: with me.

She smiled warmly. "I know," That said they both took steps towards one another until they were face to face. Fuu took a deep breath and began to fidget, "Shinsuke, look, there's somethings I'm not telling you. But I don't want you to think—"

His hand on her shoulder stopped her. He smirked down at her, "When you have everything figured out, I'm here."

"Thanks," She swung her arms around him in a quick hug before she felt a tug on the back of her shirt.

"C'mon, I don't wanna waste anymore time here." Mugen said calmly with his back to both of them as he pulled her along to the door.

He let his senses go numb to what went on around him at that moment. All he knew was he wanted out of the place and he wanted out now. Before, he knew it he was already walking away from the place. There was no senseless goodbye, no thank you, no see you later, no crying, no looking back. He was going to drag them both out of the poor little house even if she hit him and whined because she'd chosen him instead of some twerp from her past. He was going to make sure he didn't give her the chance to back out.

He only stopped moving when he felt the fabric of her shirt start slipping from his fingers. Mugen turned around quickly and stared down at her with a calm face, panicking inside. Maybe he had acted too late. "What?"

Fuu looked up at him nervously, "I need you to make me a promise." He waited as she shifted. It was upsetting to say the least. He didn't want to make her any promises, he wasn't good at sticking to them. "I know I was pretty much ready to just leave you alone—"

Mugen's eyes narrowed, "I don't need—"

"I know!" She snapped and turned her head to the side to not look at him directly. "I know..." He sighed when she whispered. He softened his edges, if only a little, just so she wouldn't be intimidated at the moment. To be honest he didn't really need her around, but he wasn't comfortable with the idea of her not. "Just—it's just...Last night, you told me that I shouldn't regret what I did. I don't want to."

She finally turned to face him and watched his waiting face carefully. "So just promise not to leave."

He chuckled and dropped his hand on top of her head. "That it?" She remained serious and nodded her head, moving his hand along with it. Mugen leaned forward and placed his forehead on hers, "Tell me when ya regret those words."

Moody1656: Yay! Done! Finito! Finally! I've been working on this chapter since I posted the last and I can honestly say I'm happy with it! It not only sets up for a lot of stuff I want later on but also gave all you guys a good dose of Fuugen and ShinFuuGen (I totally just made that up).

Mugen: Too mushy if ya ask me.

Fuu: Hm...

Moody1656 glares: You guys suck.

Fuu shrugs: Here's next chapter's preview.

Preview for next chapter:

His laugh was dark and throaty as he grabbed Fuu's burning hand and brought it up to his mouth. "Still stubborn, huh Mugen?" Mugen glared harder at the man as he stroked her hand with his cheek.

"Fuck, just leave her out of this." He spoke through tight teeth.

Mukuro raised an eyebrow, "As soon as you say yes I will."

Images of what would happen to her if she said yes passed through his mind and Mugen shook his head turning his eyes to the ground to avoid her crying gaze. She just couldn't understand.

This didn't go over well with Mukuro and he snapped his fingers. Out of the shadows two men came out and pulled Fuu over to the table in the middle of the place. "Fine. Then let me give you a preview of what will happen as long as you keep saying no."

Moody1656: Dun dun dun! If you wanna know what happens now that Mukuro finally shows review! Like now! Stop reading this! What are you doing? Review NOW! You know you wanna! :D