Hello again! Here's the first actual chapter; I really hope that you enjoy it!

Here's a note: When there are passages of Japanese and English, words in /TEXT/ are in English.

Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING from Samurai Champloo.

Chapter 1: A Friend in Need

Ecclesiastes 4:10

For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.

The young woman walked down the gangplank, and paused before she reached the beach. Her eyes roved the seashore, taking in the sand and the coastline. Land. Finally, finally they had finished their journey. Finally there would be no more rolling decks, no more seasickness, and no more captivity. For a few minutes, she was free.

The sounds of shouts and laughter filled the air. Two children ran by, giggling and splashing in the shallows. The young woman smiled. This was their chance for a new life, a chance to begin again, away from war and hate.

The Reverend was calling. The young woman turned and walked swiftly across the sand, and came to a stop by his side. She bowed her head silently as he began to speak. His words flowed over her, but she didn't listen. She didn't listen to him speak about finding the nearest village. She didn't listen to his plans for taking over power and establishing a church. She didn't listen as he encouraged the settlers to show no mercy to the natives, or how he told them it was best to take the rod to the wayward child.

Instead, she was daydreaming. She was imagining a life without violence. The new opportunity they had in this new land. Inwardly, she sighed. It would never happen.

xxxXXXxxx

A few weeks had passed. In those few weeks, she had learned the name of the island on which they had landed: Ikitski. The captain of the ship had told them that this was a prominent place for the hidden followers of Christ: the Kakure Christians. The captain had cautioned them about the dangers of preaching Christianity in a country that would prosecute and kill Christians. The Reverend, however, didn't see the need for secrecy. He had planned on storming into a village, preaching high hell and holy fire. What a foolish man.

Instead, they had built huts and shelters along the coastline in a number of caves below the cliffs. The ship had sailed as soon as the colonists had disembarked; the captain did not wish to be found ferrying illegal immigrants into the country. So, they were stranded in a foreign land, with barely any means of survival.

Their supplies would last for a month or so, but the colonists had planned on farming. While forced to remain hidden though, there was not much opportunity for cultivating the land. Although the colonists were frightened, the Reverend told them it was trial from God Himself – and the Reverend's flock would meet it.

xxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxx

Fuu dashed down the street as people jumped out of her way. 'Late late late late LATE!' she mentally screamed at herself as she skidded around the corner to the teashop. Flying through the doorway, she slid to a stop at the sight in front of her.

A few men from the local gang were crowded around Megumi, leering at her cruelly. One of them was stretching her arm almost to the breaking point, forcing her to stand on her tiptoes. The old woman's face was twisted in both pain and humiliation as the leader of the gang spoke to her.

"So here's the deal old lady. You give us this food for free, or my friend's here hand might just slip…" the leering man nodded to another gang member that Fuu hadn't seen; he was holding burning match by one of the curtains. "You wouldn't want that, now would you?" the gang leader sneered.

"Hey!" Fuu shouted, stepping forward. "Leave her alone!"

"Fuu…" Megumi groaned, raising her head painfully. Fuu saw that they had beaten the old woman; blood trickled from a split lip, and one of her eyes was turning black and swelling shut. "Fuu, you shouldn't say anything. Just please, leave."

Fuu's huge, doe-brown eyes widened. "I can't just leave you here!"

The man holding Megumi nodded to one of his cronies. Grinning at her lecherously, he pulled out a knife and stepped forward. "Well you're awful pretty now, ain't ya?"

The leader smirked. "How about this, I got an idea for a new deal. How about we take this pretty little lady with us, and forget all about eating." His eyes roved over her body, noting every curve under her kimono. "I think there are other things we could be doing."

Fuu instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, and began to back away. Megumi gasped in pain as she was thrown to the floor, and the four men began advancing towards Fuu. She backed away towards the door, her eyes flicking from Megumi to the gang members.

"Fuu, run!" Megumi cried out as the leader lunged forward, grabbing at Fuu.

The girl tried to run, but she wasn't quick enough. She felt his hand close around her arm and opened her mouth to scream, when she caught a glimpse of movement out of her eye, saw the flash of a blade, and then the warm spray of blood on her wrist. Looking down, she gagged. While there was still a hand around her wrist, it was no longer connected to an arm. Instead, there was a bleeding stump, and the man started screaming.

She let out a shriek and shook the severed member off. Looking up she saw another flash of red that looked suspiciously like… No. It wasn't possible. Mugen?

The wild-haired, feral-eyed man stood in front of her, grinning dangerously at the gang members. "Well, just what the fuck do you think that you're doing?" He pointed his sword at the men. Fuu noticed that while the sheath and the hilt of the sword were the same, the blade had been replaced.

"Who the hell are you?" the leader snarled, drawing his own blade. "Don't you know not to mess with the Raion gang? What are you, stupid?"

"Raion gang?" Mugen blinked. "Never heard of 'em. But I don't give a shit about who you are anyways. You just pissed me off."

The leader's retort was cut off as Mugen charged. In a matter of moments, he had wiped out the four men and was wiping his sword on the back of one of the corpses.

Fuu ran over to Megumi and tried to help her up, but the old woman wasn't moving. Fuu stared at her in horror, and at the gash in her head where she had slammed into a table leg. Feeling for a pulse, Fuu relaxed a little. Megumi was just unconscious, not dead. But she needed medical attention immediately.

"Mugen!" The girl whirled around, focusing on the wiry man behind her

"Huh?" he turned around and blinked at Fuu in surprise. "Oh, it's you. I shoulda known it would be you in here. Why the hell is it you can't seem to stay out of trouble?"

"Wait…" Fuu stared at him. "You mean you didn't just save me because it was me?"

Mugen sheathed his sword, and put his arms behind his head. "Nope. Those guys just pissed me off earlier, so I decided to interrupt whatever they were doing. Just happened to be you they wanted to do."

"Me they- hey!" Fuu shouted, blushing. "You are so vulgar Mugen. You haven't changed a bit!" After she said that, she paused. Her face softened a little, and she gave a small smile. "Still… it's good to see you Mugen."

Mugen saw Fuu smile at him, and he couldn't help wanting to smile in return. (Not that he ever would.) He never would have thought it possible, but seeing her reminded him that he had missed her smile and laugh, and he had even missed her incessant talking and getting into trouble. She looked like he remembered, maybe a little curvier. She had to be about 17 by now, and she was finally starting to look a little more like a woman. He smirked inwardly. Too bad that he still thought about her as a sister; she might actually turn out to be hot.

"Yeah, whatever. At least if you're around again things won't be boring anymore." Mugen raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Hey, is that old broad breathing?" he asked, jerking his head towards Megumi.

"Oh my gosh, Megumi!" Fuu's hands flew to her mouth. "I can't believe I almost forgot! I have to go find the doctor." Getting to her feet, she grabbed Mugen's arm and dragged him out the door. "Come on! We have to go now!"

"Crazy bitch," Mugen muttered as he allowed himself to be unceremoniously pulled down the street.

xxxXXXxxx

Megumi remained unconscious for hours. Although Fuu stayed in the doctor's clinic waiting for her employer and friend to wake, Mugen left after a short while. Fuu didn't mind terribly; she knew that he wasn't the type to wait around for long. She just hoped that he wouldn't leave town without saying goodbye…

"Fuu… Fuu, is that you?" the old woman's voice broke through Fuu's thoughts. The girl leaned forward eagerly.

"Megumi! Oh Megumi, I was afraid that you weren't going to wake up," Fuu said, her eyes filling with tears of relief.

The old woman gave a weak smile. "I may be old, but I'm not ready to die that easily." The smile suddenly disappeared. "But Fuu, listen to me. You must get away from here."

"What?" Fuu looked confusedly at Megumi.

The woman struggled to sit up. "Fuu, the Raion gang is dangerous. They'll come after you for revenge, I know they will."

Fuu smiled at her softly. "Listen Megumi, I'll be fine. I have a friend here, someone who's really strong. I mean, he can be a real jerk, but I'll be safe with him. You don't need to worry."

Megumi's lined face didn't relax. "Fuu, please understand. It doesn't matter how strong your friend is; he won't be here forever. And when he leaves, the gang will come after you. It would be safer for you if you'd just leave."

"But…" Fuu hesitated. "How can I leave you? Especially if the Raions are so dangerous? Won't they come after you too?"

Megumi shook her head slowly. "I'll be here for a while, recovering. After that I think that I may go stay with my nephew for a little while. I haven't seen him and his wife in years…" her voice drifted off as she lost herself in thought for a moment.

Fuu looked at Megumi. The woman had given her a job, friendship, and had started to become like a grandmother to her. Her kindness to Fuu had revealed itself in numerous ways, and the girl thought herself indebted to the woman. But perhaps Megumi was right. Fuu didn't want to bring any more trouble to her friend by staying in town, even if that meant leaving and moving on. She sighed. At least Mugen was there… Maybe he would let her travel with him for a while. It would be just like old times. Fuu felt her heart warm. The thought made her smile.

"All right," Fuu said softly. "I'll gather my things and leave tonight." She bent down and kissed Megumi on the cheek. "Thank you so much for everything Megumi. If I ever can, I'll pay you back for everything you've done for me."

Megumi smiled back, her wrinkled face warming. "You've done so much already Fuu. I was lonely before you came, and you've filled my life with light and quite a bit of excitement. You have nothing to repay. Now, quickly, you should go." She reached up and squeezed Fuu's hand. "Good luck, Fuu."

Fuu squeezed back. "Thanks Megumi. Good luck to you too."

The girl turned, and ran out the door, waving behind her as she went. Megumi smiled. She would be all right; she could feel it.

Fuu ran through the town, searching for Mugen. He wasn't hard to find. The second place she looked told her about a loud-mouthed, disrespectful young man who had been eyeing up the menu with no intention of paying for anything. Fuu sighed; that was Mugen, all right. She set off in the direction the man said Mugen had gone.

She found him sitting in front of a shop, chatting up a couple of young ladies. They were too busy batting their eyelashes at him, to notice his hand slipping close and closer to their waists… Fuu saw them jump up, look scandalized, and throw their onigiri at him. Mugen shamelessly caught the food in midair, and proceeded to wolf it down.

"You should have seen that coming," she remarked dryly, coming up behind him.

Mugen grunted in reply. Fuu supposed that she should be thankful that he hadn't tried to respond with words, as his mouth was still full.

"Mugen…" her tone became more serious, and the man turned his eyes to her. Wild eyes, the eyes of a stray dog.

"Mugen, I need to leave town. Megumi has asked me to go to avoid any gang members seeking revenge. I was wondering… could I travel with you?" she looked at him through dark lashes.

"Travel with me? What makes you think I want ya around, girly?" he stretched. "You'll cramp my style."

Fuu sighed. She wasn't above playing dirty. "I have money, Mugen. If you take me with you, I'll buy you food."

"And women?" Mugen asked hopefully.

"We'll see…" Fuu rolled her eyes. "One track mind…"

"Ah, what the hell. Got nothing better to do anyways. And like I said before, you'll make it interesting." Mugen jumped to his feet. "Well, let's find someplace to stay."

She was surprised he had taken the news so well and agreed to it so quickly. "We're leaving tonight."

He stared at her. "What the fuck? Tonight? But I haven't even-"

So much for taking it well… "Tonight!" Fuu cut him off. She turned around and strutted off. "Come on, you jerk. I have to stop by my house and grab a few things before we leave."

"You have a house?" Mugen asked curiously. He followed after the slim figure in front of him. He had always figured that she'd find someone to settle down with, but it looked like she was still by herself. Weird broad.

Fuu's house was on the outskirts of town. It was rather small, but clean. There was a small garden of wildflowers in the front, which was attracting beautiful butterflies, and filled the air with sweet fragrances. Mugen waited inside the door while Fuu rushed around gathering up things and rearranging others. Although the home was neat, he was surprised at how bare it was. He had assumed that Fuu would want more… color? She seemed to love pink.

After a few minutes of gathering up all her money and spare change and grabbing a satchel with a few belongings, she was ready to leave. The two of them walked out of the door, and down the path to the road. As they set off away from her house and town, Fuu looked back for a moment. She was surprised that she didn't feel sad at all. Instead, she was a little excited. She was finally starting another journey with one of the friends she had missed so much. Although the journey probably wouldn't be long, and it wasn't to anywhere in particular, she was still excited. Life with Mugen was always exciting. Now if only they could run into Jin somewhere… She missed the quiet samurai. She wondered if he ever thought about them.

xxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxx

Jin had found lodging for the night at a small inn. As he lay in his room staring at the ceiling his mind wandered, inevitably of course, to Mugen and Fuu. He found it strange that he was dwelling on the two so often; it was not in his nature to spend time living in memories. However, he couldn't help wondering about them, especially Fuu. Of course he wondered if Mugen had gotten himself arrested or executed yet, it wouldn't be surprising either way, but he was especially concerned about Fuu. The girl had an uncanny knack for getting into trouble. That night, a year and a half ago by the river… he had been about to offer to go with her, to continue to protect her, but she had interrupted him. She hadn't wanted to think about it. And he had let it go.

Jin sighed. He knew in his heart that he would see his two friends again. He just wondered when. Although he would never say it out loud… he was lonely.

xxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxx

Lonely. The woman was lonely. They had been on Ikitski Island for a few months now, and the Reverend had managed to make the entire village into churchgoers. The ones who didn't fear him worshipped him; they listened to his impassioned words with awe, and fell down before him. His fervor, and the way that he glowed with zealousness drew them to him. He was the mighty hand of God, and he smote those who did not listen or refused to believe. Often the lower caves echoed with the sounds of whiplashes and screams. The woman hated it.

The woman could speak Japanese. She had learned with the Reverend and some of the other travelers. It was necessary, to bring their message to the heathens. They had to speak the same language. But the woman didn't see heathens when she looked at the villagers wearing threadbare clothing, and walking by with their heads bowed. She saw pain, and her heart ached. She heard the screams of the villagers being punished, and her heart ached. At night when she lay on the bed and the Reverend called upon her to uphold her duty as a wife, and he moved over and within her, grunting and sweating, cursing her, her heart ached. When would it stop?

But when the others saw her, when the Reverend saw her, she was calm, quiet, obedient, subservient, hard working, and efficient. She cooked and cleaned, she organized the women, she helped watch the children, and she supported the Reverend. She did her duty as the wife of a minister, the leader of a flock. No one knew her thoughts and how she suffered, but behind the scenes? Behind the scenes she treated the wounds of the whipped. She gave food to the hungry. She helped the women who were beaten by their husbands, and comforted the children beaten by their fathers. She followed her own code of conduct. She did what she believed was right.

The Reverend would have punished her if he found her. He preached discipline, punishment, and no mercy. Suffering saved the soul, and the word of the Reverend was absolute. But the woman worked quietly to help, and to try to counteract the hurt. She treated violence with love. She stayed with the Reverend and the colonists because there were others who needed her. But at night when the Reverend slapped her, when he painfully held her down with his wet mouth on her neck as he took her, when he fell asleep beside her, leaving her feel empty and used, she wished for another life. Her heart ached. And she was lonely.

To be continued…

Well, here's Chapter 1! I'm soo sorry it took me so long to write and post it; life intervened. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, and I will definitely be posting more regularly now, I promise!

PLEASE review! I would love to know your thoughts.