M.B.C.R says:: Sorry guys, I wasn't able to read through it yet to get all the major errors, so I'll most likely get to that when I'm not really sick (pssst, I may or may not have written a lot of this while under the influence of cold medicine and feverish... so I'm apologizing now)

She stopped, dropping to the grass with a heavy sigh. "I'm done," Fuu groaned massaging her feet. She blew her hair from her face as her companions turned back to face her. "My feet are killing me," she moaned clutching at her ankles.

Mugen huffed, "could you not bitch and complain for a minute?" The sun was at it's highest peak, the heat baring down on the trio. They were all tried, hungry, and annoyed. They haven't seen a village, or town at that, for nearly a week. It was safe to say that they were all in need of cozy little shelter and some flavoured food, enough of this sleeping on grass and catching their own food business. Jin joined Fuu to sit in the shade.

Fuu sighed, calming herself down, "just for awhile, please Mugen." She tucked her side bangs behind her ear, smiling when the scruffy man joined her and Jin in the shade. No wind blew to provide them with relief, but as the minutes trickled on Fuu sighed slipping on her sandals again. "Should we keep going?" She inquired, standing up slowly with a large and tired grin. Her companions grunted their responses and they continued on.

They had jumped into the bath water together, his hands brushing against her neck, jaw and into her hair. He pulled on the locks, caressing her scalp as she leaned against his chest with a sigh on her lips. Mugen kissed the ivory skin behind her ear, his stubble tickling her as he pressed little kisses against her skin. "Is this a sorry for being an asshole earlier? 'Cause if so you're forgiven," she smiled turning to press a kiss to his lips.

"Shut your trap," he muttered burring his nose against her neck. His hands dropping back into the water, rubbing circles against the skin of her thigh, than hipbone stopping to rest a hand against her stomach. His thumb rubbing soothing circles against the skin, "we should get out." Fuu shook her head turning on her knees to face him. Mugen leaned away from her as she straddled his waist, "I don't—" his voice cracked as he glanced down to her stomach.

She kissed him, her hands holding either side of his face, "I'll be fine—the baby will be fine too." She kissed him again, than again, and again. Until he gripped her waist and he was inside her. They had groaned together, not having done this in a long, long while. She buried her hands in his wet mess of hair, her hands gripping at the locks as she panted. "Right there Mugen!" she cried out, throwing her head back. Nails digging into his shoulder as he pushed her hips down in time to meet his thrusts upwards.

The baby hated it when she slept on her side, and she hated sleeping on her back—and with her growing belly there was no way that she could sleep on her stomach. This baby was seriously annoying her. First the nausea, then the cravings, and the sleeping positions. Now her feet were soar more often than not, and she couldn't travel without her sandals. At first she was tossed around the idea of making Mugen carry her, but she quickly scrapped that idea when her stomach began to protrude from her body.

She felt so fat now!

The only good thing so far was the increase in breast size—and even then it didn't help her feel any less like a blimp. His fingers twitched in her hair, she really need to get it cut. Maybe after the baby was born she'd cut it back to it's normal length. "Can't sleep?" he mumbled against her cheek. She smiled at him sleepily.

"It's hard to get to sleep sometimes," she told him rolling slightly to the side. She ran a hand over his naked chest, "I don't know how much longer I could travel like this," she gestured to her stomach. Any day now Jin would leave, continuing on with his life—leaving Mugen and her alone. She didn't want him to go; they were a team... a trio.

They were her family.

He set a tanned hand on her waist, thumb rubbing over the fabric numbly. "Next town," he yawned out, eyes closing with each second. The next town was only a day's walk away, a fishing village if the information that they (being Jin and Fuu) had gathered were correct. Almost a city by the sounds of it. A big enough place to find work, to settle down for a bit; Mugen had always been pretty damn decent at fishing. Knew his way around a boat too—years of pirating and all that.

With the promise of the next town, Fuu fell into a light sleep.

Mugen panicked when Fuu had suddenly burst out in tears, she was just smiling and laughing moments ago! Both Jin and Mugen froze, food nearly to their mouths to throw the woman who was crying into her food a worried look. "You can have the last one if you really want it," Mugen's voice strained as he continued to stare at his girl.

Fuu shook her head, sobbing, "why won't I stop crying?" she wailed gathering the attention of other costumers and staff currently in the little shop.

The woman who had dropped off their food returned to their table, her hand resting against Fuu's shoulder. "I'm guessing this is your first pregnancy," the woman's hair was beginning to grey around the temples. Fuu nodded, wiping at her eyes and cheek with the sleeves of her kimono. The woman ignored the two men still sitting shock still as she sat down beside Fuu. "It's just the hormones, dear. Is this the first time this happened?"

Fuu shook her head, "no, but it was never like this." Her tears had stopped, much to her companions relief. Just perfect, Fuu thought, now my hormones are acting up!

"How many months left do you have?"

Fuu counted the months passed on her fingers, "I think a little less then three months." The switch in her emotions from laughing, to crying, to cheerful again confused the two males at the table who slowly continued to eat as the two ladies conversed. Both nodding to each other before the continued their 'mission' in stuffing their gob.

The woman tsked, eyes dropping to Fuu's large (and still growing) stomach, "my husband and I are renting out a little shack down near the harbour. It could use a good fixing, but you seem to have two strapping young lads following you around—put them to work and we'll rent the place out for you," the woman leaned forward, "I'll even look into helping you find a little bed. The ground is no place for a pregnant woman to sleep."

Fuu's face lit up, "oh thank you!" she grinned, setting her bowl down and taking the woman into her arms for a large, tight embrace. Maybe I should've gotten pregnant earlier if people were so nice when you were. Would've saved me so many tough nights! Fuu thought in passing.

For once Jin visibly panicked, it was just too much blood. How could one body produce that much blood and still be living and cursing!? And why was he here? He had honestly tried to leave—multiple times, often involving taking the route that Mugen was known for too. Violence—the whole pushing his way out of the situation.

It didn't work.

Those women had planted him right back in his little corner along with Mugen to witness the most horrifying (and slightly magical) thing he had, and most likely will ever see. "If I have to see this, so do you," Mugen had voiced, nose scrunched up and face white.

In the eight months and twenty-six days (or so) that Fuu had been pregnant, the two men were still not prepared for the horror that was happening right now. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" both men grimaced at the outcry. "MUGEN, YOU GET YOUR FUCKING ASS OVER HERE I NEED TO SCREAM AT YOU!"

Jin patted the summed man's shoulder, "be strong," in another time he might have cracked a small and rare smile. But this was not one of those times—look at all that blood. Is that normal?

"Fuck you, four-eyes," Mugen hissed back but slowly moved to kneel beside his girl. Fuu's hand latched onto the tattooed wrist and clenched. The man could feel his bone creak under her grasp, and he winced. He wasn't prepared for that—didn't think she had that strength in her.

Jin had zoned out from then, eyes wide and face white—was it just him or was the room beginning to spin? Because the next thing the glasses wearing samurai had heard was, "congratulations, it's a girl!" Jin blinked back into focus, he was sitting on the floor.

Did he really faint?

No.

A samurai doesn't faint.

The elder woman, the one that had rented the place out to them bundled the babe up before handing it to her mother. Fuu's chest was heaving, forehead soaked in sweat as she tried to regain her breath. Mugen was the one who ended up holding the baby first, the ex-pirate's hands had a slight shake in them as he tucked the babe into his arms—Fuu had drilled it into their brains (both of them) on how to properly hold a child (and baby) months ago.

Mugen's eyes were wide; nervous, confused, grateful, shock—bliss. He had never thought about having brats (as he called them) of his own.

Jin couldn't help but let a small smile grace his features—yeah, this was one of those times where one was able to smile about. Those two idiots will do just fine; at least if Jin had anything to do or say about it.