I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!

Chapter Sixteen

Evanescent Encounter, Part Two

"If you lay another hand on her, I'll kill you myself. You won't have to wait for Mugen."

Ryu's threat made the man before Fuu look up. His name was Umanosuke and the man had used some kind of gas to catch Ryu off guard and weaken him. Ryu was ashamed, but more pissed off at the turn of events this had taken.

Apparently, this bastard, and his brother that sat in a wheelchair, had some unfinished business with the vagabond that they had been traveling with and were now using him and Fuu to lure the said man to an old, burnt down church on the island.

Ryu had been tied and bound on the ground, Fuu to a broken cross. Every time that bastard laid a hand on Fuu, Ryu made a mental count in his head of all that he was going to do to this man when he got loose.

If there was one thing he remembered from Liza and Reiko, it was how to get loose from ropes. He had a hidden knife always folded into the back layers on his outer kimono just for situations like this. Liza had taught him that. He was currently trying to work his way thought cutting the rope but he had to be careful with the second brother so close to him. He wanted nothing more than to just spring right up and save Fuu, but he knew that anything he did now would warrant her another face beating.

Instead he had set his task to annoying the bastard and it seemed to be working. Sadly, he had taken it out of Fuu instead of him.

A shadow fell over the doorway f the church, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Mugen." Fuu stared at him in disbelief. The man looked like he had swam all the way here.

"Sorry, buddy," Mugen sighed. "Time to give her back now.

Umanosuke laughed. "Oh, I'm so happy now. We finally meet at last." He glanced over Mugen's shoulder. "Where's your little friend? Surely you don't think you can launch a surprise on me, do you?" He watched as anger lit up Mugen's eyes and his hands squeezed into fists. "Or…did your little princess take a tumble into the water? It's such a shame when you don't know how to swim in a country like Japan, don't you think?"

Ryu stared at Mugen, waiting for the man's refusal at Liza's death, but he received none. Mugen couldn't even meet his eyes before he reached over his shoulder and brushed his hand over the naginata that he now carried.

"No," Fuu's eyes watered up. "Not Liza!"

Mugen gave the man another glare. "Just who the hell are you people?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Umanosuke replied. "If you have forgotten us, fine, but the three of us will remember you until the end of our miserable lives."

"What the hell did you do to give this guy his major hate boner?" Ryu called over to the other man.

"Beats me. I'm sure there's many people I've pissed off over the years."

"Allow us to jog your memory," Umanosuke cut it. "Before we met, my brothers and I were well known around the Satsuma area. But that all changed. We happened to be in charge of a raw sugar ship. Maybe you remember that night, when you and Mukuro robbed it. My oldest brother ended up like this thanks to you," He motioned towards the man in the wheelchair beside Ryu. "When we returned to Satsuma, they blamed us for the raid and drove us out of town. And that wiped out our chances of working for the government. The only thing that keeps us going now is the desire to hunt you down and kill you, you worthless piece of shit."

"So…let me get this straight," Ryu called out, making the man turn. "You had a whole crew…that got their asses beat by four pirates…" He gave a frown at Mugen. "Just what god did you pray to to be so badass?"

Mugen gave him half a smile, not really in the mood for jokes at the moment. "You know, about that ugly brother of yours…I just sent his ass to the bottom of the ocean."

Umanosuke gave a roar, placing his kusarigama at Fuu's neck. "You bastard! You don't get it, do you? Whether this little girl lives or dies doesn't mean a damn thing to either one of us."

"Shut up," Mugen sighed, drawing his sword. "Look, I'll put down my sword, but in return you gotta let go of the girl."

"Deal."

"Don't be dumb, Mugen," Ryu told him, trying to bide more time. The ropes around his feet were off but he still had a little bit to go with his hands. "They'll just kill us anyway."

"Such a mouthy brat, aren't you?" Umanosuke grinned. "Let the man make his choice. Surely he doesn't want another death of his friends caused by his own stupidity, right Mugen?"

The pirate glared at the man before tossing his blade at Fuu, freeing her.

"Get out of here," Mugen told her. "You gotta go meet your sunflower dude. Ryu, you keep close to her and try not to fuck it up this time."

"Fuck you, you bastard," Ryu jumped to his feet and rubbed his wrists, happy to be free. He stared at the other man. "For Liza."

Mugen closed his eyes. "For Liza."

"Let's go." Ryu grabbed Fuu's wrist and dragged her from the destroyed church, leaving Mugen with the two brothers.

"We can't just leave him, Ryu!" Fuu struggled to go back but he held a strong grip to her. "Ryu, he's going to die! We can't! We can't let him die like Liza!"

"If you go back you'll be wasting everything the rest of us have done to get you here to see your father again," Ryu's voice was strained. He, himself, was struggling not to turn back around. "You're getting what you wanted from them. Don't disappoint them and make this trip for nothing."

Fuu opened her mouth to reply but stopped herself, fighting the tears. ~Liza…~

Mugen didn't really comprehend what happened as he fought. It was all like a haze to him, the pain feeling dull as he was beaten and stabbed. All he could see was Liza. He had tried to retrieve his sword but couldn't. In the end, he had to use the naginata he had brought with him from the water. The said weapon was soon flung from his hands, though and Umanosuke was dragging him around by his chain like a dog, his mouth running about teaching him disgrace and revenge and other stupid shit. Again, it wasn't the man's voice he heard; only Liza's.

"You're letting this guy beat your ass? Really? Hurry up and kill this guy so we can leave."

Mugen gave a chuckle. ~If that's what you want…~

"What a load of crap." He groaned, looking at the man that had him pinned. "You dumb dickhead, when it comes to livin' with disgrace, I wrote the book." He spat blood out of his mouth. There ain't a damn thing a loser like you could ever teach me. You want me to have a taste of how you feel? Then quit talkin' like a pussy. When you point a sword at someone, either you kill them or they kill you. There ain't no in between. Now I'm tired of all your pissin' and moanin', so why don't you shut up and get over it!"

Umanosuke gave a growl and hit with a great force, braking the beam that he held Mugen pinned against. As he fell, Mugen retrieved the small knife he had hidden as part of his sheath on his back and flung it at the other man, catching him off guard long enough for him to retrieve his sword form the broken cross.

"Ah, now that was dirty. Keeping that little dagger hidden away like that wasn't fair, was it?"

"I don't know," Mugen looked up with a grin. "See, I've always thought of it as my ace in the hole."

Using the church as much as he could to dodge Umanosuke's attacks, Mugen got a bit worried as it began to crumble around them. Standing up from the wreckage, he had to use his brain. Now that there wasn't a structure to help him against that chain, he had to be fast and smart to not die.

Umanosuke had fallen into a craze, attacking at random in a hurried pace, just waiting for his weapon to make contact. Kariya's words sounded through Mugen's ears.

"Interesting," Kariya smiled after dodging Mugen's attack through the coffee beans. "You utilize erratic movements that prevent anyone from predicting them. But you must learn to make use of your intellect in the martial arts. By relying solely upon instinct and reflex, you involuntarily reveal your limitations to your enemy."

~All right you bastard, try this on for size!~

With a roar, Mugen ran forward, tossing his sword behind Umanosuke's back. He gave a wince and his left shoulder throbbed but he ignored it, using his legs to bring the other man down into some kind of leg lock. The chain was locked around his blade just like he wanted so the moment Umanosuke flipped the tide, Mugen grabbed his weapon and gave it a sharp tug. Umanosuke had no time to react as his own blade decapitated him.

With a relieved sigh, Mugen struggled to his feet. He was losing blood; fast. He had to do something about it or else-

Pain hit his right side as a loud bang sounded behind him. Turning slowly, clutching the bullet wound that was now making him bleed even more, he found the elder brother in his wheelchair, staring at him with a psychotic grin.

"You…son of a bitch!" Mugen stumbled towards him. "You…bastard!" He wasn't going to die here, not like this and surely not to this bastard in a wheelchair. He watched as he got ready to fire another shot from the other side of his chair. Mugen tried to make it to him, to knock him out of his chair, but his legs gave out from beneath him.

~No, I can't…I refuse to~

"No you don't, you bastard!"

Mugen's eyes widened, the voice ringing like bells in his ears. There was the sound of something being knocked over and them a squish, like a blade piercing skin. Struggling, the man lifted his head to the scene before him.

There she stood, like an angel, soaked head to foot in water, her hair hanging free from it's tie and clinging to her wet skin and her soaked kimono hung around her waist, leaving nothing but that white cloth to cover her breasts. Her chest heaved, as if she had run all the way here to see him. Her Naginata was back in her hands, currently stabbed through the chest of the man that she had knocked to the ground. The fire was put out, leaving no more threat from the strange bullets that he held stocked in his wheelchair.

"Cheating bastard," Liza growled, stepping on his face, using it to hold his body down as she pulled her naginata out of him.

Mugen wanted to call her name but forced his body up instead, almost not believing what he was in front of him. He wasn't just dying and seeing things now, was he. He stumbled forward, one hand holding the gunshot wound and the other reaching for the woman.

Liza turned to face him, a smile on her face as she moved towards him. "Mugen." His fingers could almost graze her face now. "You asshole!" She then roared, smashing her fist into his shoulder, careful of his wounds. "I can't believe you left me there!"

No, this was definitely not a hallucination. Liza was really here; she was still alive!

Mugen stared at her in shock. "I…I couldn't find you! Where were you!?"

"Inside the boat!" She told him. "After dropping the naginata and its extra weight, I managed to grab the side of it and pull my head up out of the water underneath it. I couldn't flip it over on my own though, resulting in my waiting for you. When you didn't show up, I realized you left me." She punched him again. "What the hell!? Why would you leave me like that?! I-" Her words were cut off when Mugen cupped her face him his hands and kissed her.

The relief that passed through his body now made him want to cry. He wasn't going to let go of her ever again!"

Liza gave a smile as she placed her forehead against his. She was so relieved that she got there in time to save him. If he had died…she didn't want to think about what would happen afterwards. It might have been a whole island on fire this time, not just a castle.

"Mugen," She finally gasped, forcing him to sit on the ground. She had grabbed his red shirt that he had removed early, getting ready to try and wrap his wounds as best as she could with it. "I want swimming lessons after this is all over."

Mugen gave a laugh before placing a kiss on her forehead. "You got it, princess." He leaned back a bit and took in her form. "How did you get to the island? There was no tide to carry you here."

"That would be my doing."

The voice made Mugen look past Liza as she worked on him and had to do a doubletake. Reiko stood there, looking beat to hell and her right arm…it was either hurt or broken as it was held in a sling. He recognized the pattern of the material she was using for the sling; it was Jin's kimono.

"Jin and Reiko found me on their own way over." Liza explained.

"So, does that mean you two killed that asshole?" Mugen asked her.

"I'm afraid not," Reiko shook her head before taking a spot close to the duo, glancing around the ruined area. "Kariya is most likely after Fuu and Ryu as we speak. Jin went to go help. There's not much I can do with a broken arm right now." She hung her head and Mugen took in her features. She looked exhausted; beaten. He felt…sympathy.

"I say that we take a long vacation after all this shit is done with," He winced a bit as Liza tightened the bandage on his arm. "No more fighting for a little while, got it?"

"You? No more fighting?" Liza laughed at him. "Has hell frozen over?"

Mugen chuckled. "Maybe it has." He shot Reiko a smirk. "Your boyfriend cane even come along."

Reiko glared at him. "Just because my right arm is useless right now does not mean the same for my left."

~Don't want to hear about it

Every single one's got a story to tell

Everyone knows about it

From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell~

"Jin," Ryu kept himself between Fuu and Kariya. "Take Fuu and get back to the others. You and Mugen both need medical attention."

They had found Kasumi, the older man already one foot in the grave from everything that had happened to him over the years. Ryu had stayed outside of the shack as Fuu said her final words to her father, just to have the tearful moment turn into something frightful when Kariya arrived and killed him.

Ryu had thought that this was all over with now, but Kariya instead turned to them, claiming that another mission of his was to kill Kasumi's daughter and his remaining retainers. Ryu had grabbed Fuu and ran but, unfortunately, he followed faster than was anticipated. He had placed Fuu behind him and readied his blade, ready to defend themselves when a wounded Jin showed up. Kariya claimed to have left a deadly wound on him. Ryu took in the gash on his right side, his right side of his kimono completely torn off, his hair free in the wind and his glasses nowhere to be seen.

With how wounded this man was, Ryu wasn't going to let him fight again. Right now, he needed both him and Fuu out of the way to fight freely. With either of them there, he was going to be too preoccupied in worrying about their safety.

"You can't fight him, Ryu!" Fuu argued. "He'll kill you! We have to run!"

"Running will do you no good anymore. I will not let any of you escape from me." Kariya told them.

"Jin, get her out of here!"

Jin stared at the other man for a moment before nodding his head. "Fuu, let's go."

"But, Jin-"

"Listen to me, Fuu," Ryu turned and gave her a smile. "You have to trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"But do you, Ryu? Do you?!" She cried.

"Of course I do." He continued to smile. "I'm protecting the life of the woman I love," She froze, staring at him in surprise. "I can't call myself a samurai if I can't even do that right, can I?"

"Ryu, I-"

He cut her off, turning back to the man that stood before him. "You can have you turn at confessing after this is all over. For now, just take care of the others."

"Just…just come back to me, Ryu. Come back to us all!" Fuu told him before turning and hurrying after Jin.

Ryu gave a silent sigh before steeling himself. "All right, let's get this done with, shall we?"

Kariya gave a smile. "I commend your bravery. Though you give her time to escape, I will find her and the rest of your friends."

"You'll have to get through me first, old man, and you might not know this, but I'm not one to beat easily."

Kariya stared at him for a moment before closing his eyes. "Who is your teacher, boy?"

"Seizo Kasumi," Ryu answered him, regripping his sword. "He taught me everything I know before he left home."

"Is that so," Kariya smiled. "Then I shall get what I wanted in the end after all. The student of the leader of the rebellion is better than just a dying man in bed."

Ryu took a breath. Kasumi had trained him years ago, yes, but over the years he had perfected the practice, becoming a master of a martial art known as Iai, or Iaido.

"Kasumi took me in when my parents both died, giving me a home that I was afraid that I could never have again. There, I met and fell in love with his daughter. I can forgive you for killing Kasumi but threatening her is something that I won't forgive. If this leaves us both dead, then so be it. At least I was able to protect her in the end."

Kariya smiled, drawing his own blade again. "It's a shame you were involved." He told him. "You would have brought such power to the Shogunate."

~And if I catch it coming back my way

I'm gonna serve it to you.

And that ain't what you want to hear

But that's what I'll do

And the feeling coming from my bones

Says find a home~

"And he's alive!"

Liza's voice dragged everyone out of the silence that bombarded them on the beach. The ruined church sat a little ways away from them, the bodies of the two brothers happily left to rot until the end. The moment that Jin and Fuu rejoined them, Fuu tossed herself at the blonde woman, crying about losing his her and how happy she was that she was still alive. Mugen had made a comment about Fuu trying to steal his woman before Fuu hugged him too, thanking him for coming after her and Ryu.

Jin's wounds were taken care of as Reiko announced that it would be smart to stay here on the island and heal before setting off again. No one objected, but none of them moved either to do just that, instead choosing to wait on the outcome of Ryu's battle. If he failed, then…

Liza's voice was the one to break the silence, her hand stopping from running her fingers through Mugen's hair as his head rested in her lap. Mugen sat up and took in the sight of Ryu's form moving towards them.

Ryu was bleeding profusely from his left side, his right hand wrapped in the sleeve of the shirt her ripped free. The left side of his face was bleeding as well and there was a limp in his step.

"Damn, poor bastard looks dead."

"Like you can talk." Liza scolded him with a large smile.

"I take it that he won." Jin commented.

"It appears so." Reiko gave a soft smile, relief playing across her face.

"Ryu!" Fuu jumped up from Liza's side and ran to him, worry gracing her face at the sight of all the blood pouring out of him.

He gave her a huge smile. "Don't worry; this is nothing compared to what Reiko did to me the first time we met." He stared down at her face. "Aww, don't cry, Fuu. Everything's fine now. You-" He was cut off as the young woman hugged him, snuggling her face into his chest, ignoring all the blood she was getting on herself. Ryu was surprised for a moment before giving in with a smile and hugging her back.

"So, I nearly drowned," Liza began with her large smile. "Mugen was shot. Reiko's got a broken arm, and Jin's got a hole in his side that nearly killed him. What are your spoils of battle?"

Ryu's answer was unwrapping his right hand and lifting it for them all to see. Fuu gasped in shock as and 'Ooh' and a wince came from Mugen.

"That is quite unfortunate," Jin commented.

"It is, but at least I'm alive," Ryu chuckled. "I don't think I can wield a sword with only three fingers," He sighed, staring at his ruined hand. His ring and pinky finger were both missing. "But we'll see what happens."

"If not, you'll just have to train with your other hand," Liza told him with a grin. "It can't be that hard, can it?"

"Your optimism is contagious sometimes," Ryu told her. "Just like your refusal to die."

"Please, if I were to drown then I'd be more ashamed than anything. I'm gonna die bathed in some dickhead's blood; remember that."

"Well, from the look of your boy-toy there, it's his blood with how bad he's hurt."

"I'm okay with that," She giggled, running her fingers through the pirate's hair again. "Just as long as he goes with me to help me take over Hell."

Mugen gave a laugh. "Sounds like a date to me."

Silence fell over the group again, each of them enjoying that fact that, after everything that had happened today, that they were all still alive.

This, however, also marked that their journey to find the Sunflower Samurai was over, which meant…

"What…what happens now?" Fuu squeezed Ryu's unhurt hand as she stared at the ground. "It's…we've been together for so long. What happens now?"

"Well, I suppose we go our separate ways…or…"

Fuu looked up at Liza's words. "Or what?"

"Sweetheart, the Shogunate had been chasing you from the beginning. Because of your father, you were on the death list and you were, albeit not on purpose, the reason that Kariya Kagetoki is now dead," Liza grinned. "Welcome to being an outlaw like the rest of us."

"B-but!"

"I'm afraid she's right," Reiko commented from beside Jin. "Kariya's death will soon be announced and a bounty will more than likely be placed on your head. You'll never go back to a normal life after this."

"Fuck a normal life anyway," Liza giggled. "Just happily ditch all that normal shit and stay with us. You're puny, but still young. We can teach you how to be a Terror Sister!" She then pulled a face at the name. "Still a bad choice, in my opinion. Whoever thought of it needs to get some damn brains."

"Wait, wait, wait," Mugen sat up, wincing at the pain from the sudden movement. "Now I agreed to still traveling with that bastard because of Reiko," He pointed at Jin. "But I never signed up for the other two, too! We're not some traveling family, dammit!"

"But aren't we?" Liza giggled. "Besides, it'll be fun."

"Ryu's sword hand is damaged, meaning he won't be able to fight should more come after him and Fuu," Reiko cut in. "They should stay with us until he can wield a sword again. Setting them off on their own is asking for death. Besides, Elizabeth and I owe him a debt for saving us all those years ago."

Ryu stared at the older woman, his mouth hanging open. "What the hell are you and where is Reiko?"

"We can argue about what happens later," Jin commented. "Right now, I suggest we find shelter and help in the village."

"I agree," Liza stood to her feet and held a hand out for Mugen. "Let's go get you fixed up."

Mugen stared at her for a moment. Across the way, Jin was helping Reiko stand, Fuu beside them helping support Ryu and his shaky step. If, when this journey first started, you had told him that things would end up like this, then he would have killed you on the spot, but now, he found himself wishing it wouldn't change.

"Food and sleep," He took her hand and draped an arm around her shoulders. "That's the first thing we need. We'll talk later about everything else," He placed his lips against her ear. "And I mean everything."

Liza giggled. "I'm sure that's a conversation none of them want to hear."

"Who cares?"

Reiko sighed, shaking her head as she and Jin both fought the grins that wanted to appear on their faces.

Was this weirdness ever going to end?

I hope you guys like it. Review! :)