Fuu felt pieces of her dream fading away, and finally realized that she was awake. "Damnit..." she cursed, then rolled over, only to see her 'roommate' sprawled out on the expansive other side of her futon. She sighed, then brought both of her feet to his back and pushed him off her bed. He landed onto the floor with a 'thump'.

She sat up and looked over her bed to see him still snoring obliviously. "Jurrien, you stupid foreigner." She looked down at her rumpled green kimono and sighed. She had come home to her tiny home destroyed, and Jurrien asleep with Aki in his arms. Her fat little hands had been fisted in his black hoari and her long, wild brown hair was mixed with Jurrien's startling crimson hair; though his intent had been to seduce her and rob her house, he'd grown fond of her daughter; realizing she was in love with another man and growing tired of the thug life, he decided to quit the gang, then become Fuu's roommate/babysitter.

She put on her slippers shuffled over to the screen door a few feet from her futon; opening it, she let her eyes adjust and walked in to her daughter.

Aki was sitting up in her bed and staring at her mom; she had always been an unusually light sleeper. She felt her heart clinch at her hair, the hair she had inherited from her vagabond father. Aki slid down off of her futon and walked over to Fuu and wrapped her fingers around her thumb.

Fuu returned the three-year olds smiled and let her daughter lead her out of the room. Her daughter stopped at the heap that was Jurrien and walked over him to pull his eye-lids apart. The back of his eyes disappeared underneath his lower eye-lid and two green eyes her staring up at her. "Mmm... There's more in the oven..." he mumbled in his heavily-accented Japanese before rolling over. Fuu snorted loudly, causing her daughter to let out a peal of laughter. Fuu had been the one to perfect his Japanese, while he had taught her 'The right type of English, Lassie. The Scots are the only EnglishMEN.'

Fuu started on some rice, then, reaching into her cabinet, searched for the right veggie to go with it. Her pantry was her way of living (that, and the money she got at the bar). After she had parted with Mugen and Jin, she had come here, and then found out she was pregnant with Aki. She had gotten mostly pity from the villagers, causing her to remain independent and withdrawn. She had fixed up this drafty home on her OWN, started and tended to her garden on her OWN, made money at the tea house, and eventually, when she gained her figure back, the bar on her OWN, and raised her child on her OWN (well, Jin and Jurrien had helped out a little).

She searched the cacophony of her pantry until she found saffron. She pulled out a few stigmas and threw them in. Jurrien was awake when it was done, and they all sat around the small board propped up with bricks (ahem- her dining table). She changed into another plain kimono, a navy blue one- she had to wear dark colors because they made her look 'pale and mysterious'. Turning around, she looked around for Aki. "Aki-"

"Right here," Jurrien replied lazily, pointing behind his back. She poked her head out from behind him and smiled her big, heart-melting smile. Too bad the other kids couldn't look past what their parents said, and found reason to torment. She large, hazel eyes glittered as she silently beamed at her. Fuu picked her up and kissed her face over and over, then looked at Jurrien. "Remember, don't-"

"I know, don't let her outside, lest she 'attacks' the other little shits." Fuu flinched; last time she had been outside and Jurrien had left her for a minute to get her shoes. He came back outside, and Aki had taken down one kid and was pummeling his head; two kids stood behind her, grabbing her hair and her kimono until they had pulled her off. Jurrien had run over there, scaring them away, and held the quiet child while she shed silent tears.

Fuu shot him an annoyed and worried look, and then waved to her daughter before sliding the screen door open and snapping it shut with her hip.

...

She opened the door to the bar, and then recoiled as a blast of heat surged at her face. The one place she had actually been able to forget him, hoping to start a new chapter in her life, was destroyed with a little fire and deja vu.

"What the-"

"Hey!" She turned to face two men, both wearing royal samurai robes. 'What could they want with Mrs. Atiyoshi?' She was just about to voice her concerns about the bar owner whenever the bigger thug narrowed his eyes at her. "You wouldn't happen to be Fuu, would you?"

She felt her heart skip a beat, but she played it off by keeping her face at a nonchalant bluff. "That skinny little board? Hell no!" She puffed out her chest, and her already busty chest verified the statement.

"Well…" They seemed to lose their steam ofter this. "If you do see her, tell her that, unless she wants this city burned to the ground, she'll turn herself and her daughter in for aiding in the escape of a fugitive wh-"

He stopped and his eyes shot to his subordinate's face. They bowed to Fuu, who returned it. "Arigato, I'll tell her."

She turned around, only to see Mugen's eying her appraisingly. "Fuu, what was-" She turned around to see if the thugs heard, and, sure enough, they turned around and ran toward her, swords drawn. She ran behind Mugen and pushed him forward. "Take care of them!" She pleaded.

"Not that I don't like it when you beg, but what's goin-" He ducked the blow from the tinier thug and sliced his stomech, grinning as the bigger one watched in horror as his blood sprayed a crimson mist across Mugen's face. "You wanna join your buddy? I don't think you can live without those purple thingys," he said, motioning to the intestins that were falling out of his ex-subordinate. He backed up, and then eyed his blue tattoos. "Mugen…" he whispered. "Your father wants her. But mostly, the kid." Mugen turned around to see who he was pointing at, and felt his stomech drop as he put two and two together. "Over my dead fucking body," he growled as he slowly started towards the lone guard. He turned to run, and Mugen almost ran after him, but stopped when he felt a smal hand wrap around his wrist.

He looked down at Fuu, and was surprised to see her looking up at him with a bitter smile.

"So, do you wanna meet your daughter?"