Hello!

First of all, thanks to those of you who have reviewed so far! I really appreciate your input and suggestions, and I'll try to take them to heart.

Special thanks for reviewing to:

seven samcham

TheSecretSpot

SayonaraAoiSora

Second, quick Author's Note:

I wanted to make my colonists who land on Ikitsuki Island Puritan to better fit the gist of my story. Since Samurai Champloo seems to take place not too long after the Shimabara Rebellion which was in the late 1630's, about the time the Puritans were busy killing and trying to convert the American Indians, I decided to have mine travel east instead of west. I admit, this is a little pretty unrealistic, so here's where the reader's imagination comes in… The first protestant missionary didn't actually arrive in Japan until the 1860's. So, I'm off by about 200 years. (Heh, oops. But since there's a Sam Cham episode involving baseball which became super popular in the late 1850's and there's another episode involving graffiti… we'll just pretend this is normal.) Anyways, I wanted to make a note of this since seven samcham made some really good points in their review. Hmm. I guess this note wasn't so short after all, was it?

BUT! On to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai Champloo or its characters.

Chapter 2: Do Unto Others

Matthew 7:12

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

The woman awoke to the sounds of the Reverend moving about the room. She didn't move a muscle; she kept her breathing even and her eyes closed. She had had the most wonderful dream…

She had been home, back with her parents and sisters. She hadn't been married yet; she still had her future ahead of her and a head full of dreams. She saw her father and he smiled at her, green eyes twinkling as he pulled up a stool. He reached for his fiddle and began to play, and her mother sang while her sisters began to dance. The fire had been crackling in the hearth, the room smelled of cedar. But then the door had opened and a man had entered. She saw him reach for her hand, but right before she saw his face… she had woken up. And the dream had disappeared. But, as long as she stayed still, the Reverend might not notice that she was no longer asleep. She might be able to bask in the warm feelings just a little bit longer. It wasn't to be.

"Wife." The Reverend's voice was cold. "Are you still sleeping, woman? Does thee think that the whole day is thine own for wasting? Sloth does not become thee, wife." He turned towards her, eyes darkening, mouth frowning. "Get up."

The woman flinched inwardly. "Yes, husband. Forgive me; my mistake shall not happen again." She pushed back the covers of the bed and swung her legs over the side. Her long, braided hair fell over her shoulder as she leaned forward and stood up. Turning around, she methodically made their bed – white sheets first, wool blanket next, quilt folded over the end. She paused ever so briefly as she ran her hand over the quilt; it had been a wedding present from her mother. It was a chain quilt, in deep green and blue. The panels that crisscrossed it were connected by tiny, perfect stitches, and it was lined with the softest wool. The Reverend had only let her bring it after days of pleading, coercing, and flattering. It was a tiny piece of home in a foreign land.

The Reverend ignored her and left their hut, heading out into the caves. The morning service would begin soon; she had to hurry and tidy up before she was needed at the chapel.

Their hut was small, consisting of a tiny bedroom, and a living room/kitchen. She quickly dressed, folding her white nightgown and placing it in the wooden chest of drawers that was against the opposite wall of the room that she shared with the Reverend. She cleaned the bedroom first, dusting off the simple table that held the white washbowl and tin pitcher, and above it the small sheet of glass that was their mirror. The bed was in the middle of the room against the wall, and she also dusted off the wooden headboard and footboard – the wood was gray and looked weathered; it was simple and rectangular with no decoration or carving at all. The bare minimum. There were no windows to break the monotony of the white walls. While the colonists had built the huts of wood, they had painted the insides with a mixture of crushed clamshells and water. The result was a white paste that served as paint, leaving a faint salt-water smell behind it. The smell of the sea permeated everything around them. At times it was stifling.

The woman moved on to the living room. She dusted off the chairs, the table (carefully moving the Bible resting on it), the windowsills, and the single shelf. She took down the curtains (they were made of a thick, dark blue fabric. They were practical, durable. Simple.), and shook them outside. Quickly hanging them back up, she surveyed that half of the room. Everything was in its place.

Moving to the other side, she removed the few tin plates and cups they had. One by one, she dusted each of them, and the shelves that held them. The hutch they rested on was cobbled together of more gray wood and iron nails, and contained three shelves and a small cupboard on the bottom with two doors. Moving to the other set of table and chairs, the one that she and the Reverend dined at, she dusted those off as well.

A bell sounded outside, calling all the parishioners to worship. Hurrying, she tossed her dust rag in a basket by the door along with other laundry that needed to be washed, and hurried out of the hut into the caves. The caves had been carved by seawater into the cliffs; there were multiple entrances that all led back into a series of larger caverns, which culminated in a massive cavern. It was in this final cavern that the Reverend had constructed his chapel.

The woman followed the lines of people heading back towards the chapel, all of them walking silently. Obediently. She saw the faces of Japanese villagers mixed in with those of the white colonists. As she slid into line, another woman slid in behind her. Reaching out every so slightly, their fingers touched and the Reverend's wife felt the note slip into her fingers. As the other woman disappeared, the Reverend's wife slid the note into a pocket. She already knew what it would say.

Tonight, 8:00.

Prison cave.

The woman quietly knelt on the cold stone floor among the other worshipers. The Reverend stood at the head of the cavern on a raised rock in front of the altar, his head tilted back and his dark eyes coolly surveying his followers. He looked like some master, some god, his hair and beard black as coal, as black as the garments he wore. His eyes, as cold as the heart that beat in his chest and the hands that beat his wife. He was confident, because he believed he acted on behalf of divine power. He thought he knew.

What he didn't know was that at 8:00 that evening, the woman would slip away. And she would be taking warm bread, water, and bandages with her. She would be doing for the prisoners what she secretly wished someone would do for her.

xxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxx

"Mugen!" Fuu's shrill voice cut through the air. "You've gotten us lost, AGAIN!"

The ex-pirate calmly paused, looked back at her, and flipped her off before continuing down the same path. The color rose in Fuu's cheeks as her temper spiked.

"You JERK! Don't you care that we've been walking around in circles for hours? Ugh, we're completely lost, and you're just making it worse!" She stamped her foot and clenched her fists, glaring at the back of the figure in front of her.

'Darn that Mugen…' she thought in frustration. 'Why is he so impossible to deal with sometimes?'

However, Fuu knew that she should have expected it. Mugen was never the type of person to take orders well, or to second-guess himself. Once he had decided something, he went for it. Just like he had gone for the path that led off from the main road and into the forest, because some old man had told them it was a shortcut to the nearest city. It was that path that had led them into the heart of this old forest amongst towering trees that barely let any light in, even during midday.

Fuu looked around her. The massive pines stretched above her head, obscuring the late afternoon sunlight, and making everything seem like twilight. Ferns and other plants grew thickly among the tree trunks, making any attempt to stray from the path virtually impossible, and looming over it menacingly. Over their heads crows cawed and fluttered through the branches, taking off in bursts of feathers and noise, sending down a slight shower of pine needles every time they moved. Other than the crows the forest was mostly silent. Eerily silent. Already there were more shadows than light, and the trees were casting more and more as the sun set. Fuu didn't like the forest at all. There was something… sinister about it.

"Hey! Hey, wait up!" she yelled after Mugen, who had gotten quite a bit ahead of her while she was looking around. She started to run, trying to catch up. For some reason she was starting to panic; she just couldn't stand being by herself in that place. She was scared.

Mugen heard the girl yell, and rolled his eyes. She could be so dramatic sometimes… but he should have expected that. After all, it was Fuu he was talking about. So, it didn't come as much of a surprise for him when he heard her trip and crash to the ground.

Turning around, he saw her sprawled across some tree roots a few feet behind him, her brown eyes filling with tears.

"Owww…" she groaned, sitting up and pulling her legs out from under her. She looked down at her left foot. The sandal strap was broken, and there was a deep scratch stretching from her foot up to her ankle.

"Why the hell did you do that, you little brat?" Mugen asked her in annoyance. That was all they needed, something to slow them down. He was hungry and wanted to get to the next town soon. And he really needed to get laid.

"Like it's my fault! If you hadn't walked off and LEFT me, then I wouldn't have had to catch up to you in the first place!" Fuu was angry again, and in pain on top of that. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn? This is all your fault."

"My fault?" now Mugen was getting angry. "How the hell is you being clumsy my fault? You're such a pain in the ass!"

The two of them glared at each other, sparks flying from both of their eyes. Fuu was the first to look away.

"Fine…" she muttered sullenly. "I was clumsy. Now can you help me up? I just want to get out of here as soon as possible…"

Mugen almost stepped back in surprise. Since when was the girl so easy to shut up? He groaned inwardly. She was right though, he wanted to get out of this damn forest as much as she did. He didn't like it either.

Reaching forward, he grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. Fuu winced as she put weight on her injured foot. It was starting to swell; she might have sprained it. And her sandal was basically useless now. She would have to buy a new pair when they reached the next town.

Mugen turned around, and before Fuu knew what was happening, slung her over his shoulder. She turned pink with surprise that quickly turned to outrage, as he planted his hand firmly on her behind. However, she couldn't do much except beat her fists uselessly against his back as Mugen set off down the trail with Fuu's head and torso hanging down his back.

"I really hate you sometimes, you know that?" she grumbled to him as he walked along.

"Shut up, will ya?" was Mugen's only response.

The shadows lengthened around them as the little light filtering through the trees faded. The two figures' silhouettes receded down the path towards town, making their way through the giant trees, which watched their progress like some sort of sinister sentinels.

xxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxx

Jin's footsteps were soft as he walked down the path. Looking around him, he noted the trees and the dimming light. It was going to be night soon, and he didn't want to be stranded in the forest after dark.

He sighed to himself. He wouldn't even have bothered venturing into this place, except for the reward money. The forest was rumored to be haunted by three spirits, and there was a cash reward for anyone that could "remove the spirits permanently." Jin, being low on money, had decided to take the job. He figured that the "spirits" were most likely bandits using the myth to rob and murder innocent travelers. So, he had set off into the forest that morning, taken a wrong turn, and gotten himself hopelessly lost.

The silence around him was suffocating. It was heavy, oppressive, and put him on edge. Even the birds had stopped calling to each other.

As the light continued to dim, his visibility decreased even more. A thin fog began making its way among the bases of the trees, slipping around them sinuously and silently. It moved like it was alive, twining through the leaves and tree trunks, gently touching and then shying away from the plants. Jin didn't like the forest. There was too much room for an ambush amongst the pines, and he could barely see 5 feet in front of him.

Shapes began looming out from the mist and the darkness, taking on twisted and mutated appearances. Some looked like people, or animals, others looked like demons. However, Jin's footsteps remained even; it would do no good to rush forward or panic when he couldn't see anything, but his senses were strained to their limit. He listened as closely as he could, trying to catch the slightest sound. That was when he heard the footsteps.

Freezing, he peered through the darkness in front of him. He didn't move a muscle, as the sounds approached. He guessed that whatever it was, was heavy… The feet were thudding down onto the ground with extra force.

Barely breathing, Jin's hand crept to his sword. He kept it there, hovering over the hilt, until he saw the outline – and wondered if there actually were evil spirits in the forest. Because, although he would never have believed it, the thing in front of him had two heads… and what looked like six arms. Jin stared, frozen for a moment, as the misshapen blob approached, stomping towards him. Grabbing his sword, he struck.

The creature in front of him leapt backwards, and promptly fell over, eliciting a shriek and a stream of cursing that would have curdled milk. Jin stood there, clutching his sword, wondering if he was dreaming, or if the forest had bewitched him in some way. The voices that he was hearing sounded suspiciously like…

"Mugen! How could you drop me like that!" Fuu yelled, clutching her injured foot.

"Because someone just tried to fucking kill us!" Mugen shouted back, unsheathing his blade. Stepping forward, he glared through the mist, trying to burn it away with the sheer anger in his gaze.

"Come on out, you son of a bitch! Let's see you try to hit me now!" Mugen snarled, tensed and ready for action.

Jin straightened up. Still holding his blade at the ready, he replied, "I guess that I didn't manage to kill you this time after all. But I'm glad to see that you've survived long enough since the last time we met for me to try again."

Fuu's mouth dropped open, and Mugen froze. "No way… Fish-face?" he asked incredulously.

Jin stepped forward out of the fog, and into their line of sight. "I would appreciate it, if you would stop calling me that," he said calmly, surveying the two of them. "I'm going to assume that you both are just as lost in here as I am. Am I correct?"

Any answer that he might have received was delayed by Fuu throwing her arms around him, and burying her face in his kimono.

"Jin!" she squealed, a huge smile lighting her face and making her eyes sparkle. "I was hoping that we would somehow run into you!"

Jin almost smiled. The sight of her sweet face looking at him like that… He stopped that thought short, before he could even consider how it might be finished. It was just Fuu. Granted… he had been worried about her, and it was good to see her again.

He brought one hand up, and lightly clasped her slim shoulder before gently disengaging her from his clothes.

Mugen put his arms behind his head, and surveyed Jin. The ronin looked pretty much like he had when they left, maybe a little less thin. Mugen would never admit it, but he was rather glad that old Fish-face was back with them. There would be another man in the group (it was weird complaining to a woman that he needed to get laid), and he still was itching to fight Jin. Maybe not kill him, just… see who was the better fighter.

Fuu was ecstatic. Finally there was someone who was a little more reasonable than Mugen and who would listen to her without complaining. She had missed Jin more than she had thought she would. Besides, now there were three of them lost in the forest. Fuu felt just a little more secure with both of her previous bodyguards with her. She supposed it was because it just felt… right.

It was about that moment that Fuu remembered her foot was sprained, and collapsed to the ground with a thud. Jin's questioning look turned to one of worry, as he saw Fuu's injury. Mugen briefly explained that he had been carrying Fuu over his shoulder but had moved her to his back when she had complained of all the blood rushing to her head. Smirking, he noted that she had been roughly the color of a tomato when he had finally given in to her complaining.

Jin quickly allayed Fuu's fears of being thrown around by Mugen again by volunteering to carry the girl, and gently allowed her to climb onto his back.

Once she was secured, she looked over Jin's shoulder at his face. "So Jin, do you have any idea how to get out of here?"

He looked ahead through the fog at the path he had just come down. "I'm afraid I don't."

"Ah, what the hell? You're not any use anyways." Mugen spat to the side. "Let's just go the way you came. Can't be any more screwed up than we are now." With that, the ex-pirate set off and Jin and Fuu followed after a moment.

Jin smiled to himself, ever so slightly. Things were just like old times. He finally had his friends back with him, and they were setting off together. He just hoped that they could make it out of the forest soon.

xxxXXXxxx

A few hours of walking, many wrong turns, and much arguing on the part of Mugen and Fuu brought the trio out of the forest into a field by a lake.

"Finally!" Fuu sighed, as Jin deposited her softly on the grass. She fell back into the field, and stared up at the myriad stars twinkling softly above them. "I was beginning to think that we'd never make it out of there."

"Hn." Jin remained standing, and surveyed the land around them. A few hundred feet behind them, the wall of the forest stretched in a straight, dark line under the stars, and then curved around to the sides, surrounding them. They were standing in a large field covered with soft grass and dotted with white flowers. In front of them, the field turned into the banks of a lake, which stretched a few hundred feet long and wide. The forest reached down to the opposite side of the lakeshore, enclosing everything in a wide oval. Although he was relieved to be out of the trees, he still had no idea where they were.

Mugen threw himself down on the grass a few yards away. "At least we're out of that damned place. He laced his fingers behind his head and stared up at the sky. "Well, nothin' for it. Let's just sleep here till the morning."

Fuu murmured her assent, she was already dozing in the soft grass.

Jin also turned his eyes to the sky. Although there was no moon, the stars shone in velvet blackness, reminding him of Shino's dark eyes. Shino… The ronin frowned. Somehow, returning for her didn't seem as important as it had for the past few months, or even as important as it had seemed yesterday. Perhaps it was his loneliness that had made finding her again so important. He decided to file those thoughts away until a later time. Now he needed to get some sleep and worry about finding the way back to town.

Jin lay down on the grass on the other side of Fuu, who was already curled up in a ball with her head pillowed on her arm. Mugen was snoring uproariously on the other side of her. As his eyes drifted shut slowly, Jin didn't notice the three pairs of eyes watching them from the trees, and the smiles that revealed sharp teeth, gleaming in the soft light of the stars.

xxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxx

The woman stood by the mouth of the cave, eyes fixed on the sky. She had just returned from the prison caves, and her heart was aching. Seeing the wounds of the prisoners, the haunted eyes that stared back at her through the bars was enough to make her sick. The caves were dark and damp, raising the risk of infection. The prisoners were treated like dogs. Perhaps even worse.

She sighed. Although there was no moon, the stars were beautiful. However, everything was in the wrong place. On the opposite side of the world, even the sky was different. Leaning against the cave mouth softly, she reached under her chin and undid her bonnet strings. As she pulled it from her head, her hair tumbled down her back, catching the light and gleaming a dull red. She wished that she could be up there amongst the stars; she was sure that the earth must look beautiful from up there. And that far away… She wouldn't be able to see the imperfections. Among the stars, everything would be light.

The woman didn't hear the footsteps behind her, or hear the quiet breathing. Her mind was lost in fantasy, until the cold hand gripped her wrist and dragged her back inside the cave. She whirled around the see the face of her husband, and just in time to see his hand fly at her. The blow caught her on the cheek and she fell to the stone floor, scratching her hands on the rocks.

"Wife." The Reverend's voice was seething, harsh. "What is this? How dare thee unbind thy hair where any might see. And why art thou standing dreaming, when it is thy duty to join me in my home? Foolish girl." He eyes were burning, but there was more than simple rage in their depths. There was another kind of fire.

The woman trembled. "Forgive me, husband. Thou art right, as always. But the night is so beautiful… I couldn't help, but-" she was cut off by the firm grip that latched on to her shoulder and dragged her to her feet.

The Reverend pulled her through the caves, yanking her into their hut. As soon as the door was shut and latched, he pulled her to their bedroom and threw her to the bed. Her hair spilled over the white sheets, dark red, wine red, dark blood red. The Reverend reached out and ran his fingers through it, while his other hand fumbled with her dress.

The woman was shivering. She didn't want this. She didn't want this. She didn't want this. The thought was like a chant in her head, a desperate attempt to keep sane, to hold on to something while it happened.

As soon as her clothes were off, the Reverend didn't waste any time. He slammed into her dry, ignoring her scream as he ripped through her. He clamped his hand over her mouth and took her, eyes livid with lust and anger. He hated her while he wanted her, but he would take her again, and again that night until his lust was sated.

Tears fell from the woman's eyes, and in desperation she sent a prayer skyward, hoping that it would fall on someone's, anyone's ears. "Please. Remember me. Remember me."

To Be Continued…

So, here's Chapter 2! I was planning on posting it earlier this week, but camping isn't exactly conducive to fanfic writing. Anyways, as always, R&R!

I love feedback. =)

Chapter 3, coming soon!

-Aeilyn