A/N: Wooo all of the reviews! I can't believe my eyes! Here's a shout out to Vandetta500, GoWaitInTheCar, SkorpionQueen012, Toxic Panda, obsdnbttrfly, Sheena, crimsoneyes419, CallingNightSky, ElizabethBathog, and guest readers, thank you guys so much for your wonderful reviews! They made my day when I read them, I loooove getting feedback! I'm looking forward to writing this, the plot bunnies are coming out of the woodwork! This is a short one, and that's my bad, but I will be updating ASAP (much sooner than this last time hopefully)! Happy Readings!

I do not own any of the characters from Samurai Champloo

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Searing pain sliced through her unconsciousness and Fuu opened her eyes. It was dark where ever she was; she could barely make out the ceiling above her and the wooden slats it was made of. The realization that she was moving came to her when her body was jostled, making her bump her elbow into the wooden floor and eliciting a pained hiss. Where am I?

Her noise must have alerted whoever else was in the moving room of her consciousness because in an instant there was a girl hovering over her. Fuu blinked, the girl before her coming into focus and making her eyes widen. The person above her was pale as the moon, every inch of her face and neck covered in a light powder. Her face was painted to perfection and the scant kimono she was wearing accented her body, the curve of her hips making up for her lack of breast. She looked just like a younger Fuu with the exception of the makeup, and her elbow length hair that reminded her of a raven's wing. So black it almost shown purple.

Fuu tried to sit up but was stopped by the mysterious girl, an apologetic look on her face as Fuu winced in pain. She looked around from her place on the floor to see three other women in the corner; they too dressed and made up as if in a brothel. Brothel… Fuu gasped.

"Where am I?" She tried, her voice coming out raspy and week. The women in the corner just looked at her and turned away, but the one above her smiled with a sympathetic quirk in the lip.

"You are in a carriage headed south to the next village. I'm so sorry you're here. You must have made them pretty angry, you have been asleep for a couple of days."

"I'm in a carriage? For what? And who are you all?" This time Fuu sat up despite the girl's protest and her throbbing head to look around the large enclosure. There were a few mats on the floor, most of which Fuu was laying on as a make-shift bed, but not much else.

"My name is Kira, I was taken from my home in Edo two months ago and have been here ever since. You've become a part of a traveling brothel for lack of a better word. We are rented out nightly by men for money and are returned in the mornings. We travel from town to town during the days." The girl explained; her voice was hollowed and melancholy. Fuu knew the sound well.

"I'm so sorry, did you have family there?"

"Yes. My mother, father and two brothers." Kira started to sniffle a bit, and Fuu placed a hand on her shoulder, eyebrows knitting together in question.

"How old are you Kira?"

"I just turned thirteen" She hung her head low in sorrow and Fuu felt her heart crumble. "All of the other women are much older than I am and cast me out, I haven't talked in over a month. I'm so sorry you have to suffer here too."

Fuu pulled the younger girl into a light embrace, surprising her and the teen equally. "It's alright Kira, I wont cast you away. Thank you for helping me while I was unconscious, my name is Fuu." The young girl smiled as Fuu let her go, wiping away at her eyes.

"I'm glad to meet you."

XxXxXxXxX

"Rise and shine babes! Time ta go make me some money!" The doors to the carriage were swung open, revealing Riku and Katashi's grinning faces. They were as spiffed up as when Fuu had seen them in the teahouse, and yet she couldn't help but think that they were the dirtiest things she'd ever laid eyes on. And that was saying something after traveling with Mugen for so long. Katashi looked at her.

"Hey! She's finally awake! Lookin good pumpkin, ready for your first night on the town?" Riku bumped his shoulder harshly.

"Don't listen to him, we wouldn't be that cruel on your opening night sweet cheeks, "He cooed, "Yer going to watch for tonight. Just to get the jist of how things work around here ya dig?" He sent a wink her way and she glared at him, venom dripping from her eyes. A sharp slap rang through the air. Fuu's eyes were wide as she touched the red handprint on her face, looking back at the suddenly seething man before her.

"You little bitch, you better learn some respect or I'll have to learn ya the hard way!" He shouted in her face, turning and slamming the doors behind him after throwing a: "hurry up and get ready" over his shoulder. Fuu sat in shock for a moment before Kira came bustling over to her, checking her face with concerned eyes.

"Wow, no wonder they hit you so hard the other night. You'd better cool it."

"Psh, or what? I've seen much worse than those two pig heads, what could they possibly do-" she was cut off as Kira's hand covered her mouth.

"SHH! Keep your voice down you dimwit! Do you wanna get killed?! Maybe you haven't heard but these guys mean business. They wont hesitate to kill you if you step out of line. Believe me, I've seen it happen too many times to count. Just please, try to keep your head down and things will go better, I promise Fuu."

The shimmer of hope in the young teens eyes made Fuu melt, nodding her head in compliance, though she doubted the two greasy men could do anything so drastic as to kill one of them.

XxXxXxX

Hell. Pure hell was what this was. As promised by Riku and Katashi, she got to watch as her foreseeable future unfolded before her eyes, and it was terrifying. There was a process. First, the two would bathe the women, scrubbing their skin with bristled brushes that left their flesh red and raw. Fuu watched on as they were drug from the bathhouse to the carriage in seclusion, their cuts, bruises and scars standing out against their skin from months of abuse.

Next they would be covered form head to toe in the fine cream and white powders, hiding all of their flaws and making them look absolutely radiant; Fuu wanted to cry. Then the women went to work on each other, painting each other's faces with practiced ease. All accept for Kira, who was exiled to a corner to put on her own makeup with a shabby mirror. Then they would be squeezed into the tightest, most revealing kimono's Fuu had ever laid eyes on, the scarlet and ruby fabrics piercing through the dark. One by one she watched as they were trotted out, fans poised perfectly in hands and brought up onto the makeshift stage one by one. Just like cattle on parade. The men would hoot and holler as Katashi auctioned the girls away, Riku leading the girls around like prize stallions.

But by far the most revolting aspect to Fuu, was when she watched as Kira was pulled onto the stage, the crowd erupting in boisterous noise and Katashi boasting her young age. She was bought for an astounding sum of money. She watched her new friend be dragged from the platform and bound tightly by Riku. He tied her wrists, gaged her mouth, and blindfolded her in sapphire silk as Katashi accepted the bid. She could only gape in open-mouthed horror as the girl was dragged away by a man who was at least thirty years her senior. She had to get out of here.

After the women had been bid off, Fuu sat alone in the darkness of the carriage. She could feel her thin new kimono scratching against her soft skin, chapping the flesh with its stiff fabric. Fuu tried not to imagine what the men had done to Michiko's expensive gift, shaking her head in anger. With a low breath she shut her eyes to the darkness and started thinking of a way out. What would Mugen do?

She immediately imagined herself in steal-bottomed geta kicking through the back of the carriage and pulling out a hidden sword, slicing the bastards who imprisoned her to pieces within the blink of an eye, then picking her nose nonchalantly and heading to the nearest bar. She stifled a giggle.

Only he would be able to make her laugh in a predicament like this, and he wasn't even there. Breathing, she got to her feet and crept towards the door, peeking outside through a crack. The street was empty.

Summing up all her courage Fuu leaned on the door, pushing it soundlessly open and looking around. When no one was in sight she stepped out, eyes alert and ready to run. She took one step.

Stars filled her vision as something made contact with the back of her head. She fell to the ground, looking up to find Katashi above her, grinning and reeking of sake. The man lifted a finger and waved it back and forth. He was mocking her.

"Ah ah ah, lil mousy. We mustn't run away from the cart. We wouldn't want you gettin hurt out here now would we?" His face contorted to one of rage and he kicked her swiftly in the stomach, sending her rolling across the dirt. She let out a scream of pain as he kicked her again, laughing and snorting.

"Oh, I like the sound of your screamin'. I want ya ta do it more." He hissed, grabbing her by the hair and tossing her to the side. He proceeded to kneel over her, pulling out his katana and dragging the tip of the blade across her stomach just hard enough to break the top few layers of skin. She cringed as little dots of blood seeped through her thin kimono, but she did not scream. She vowed never to scream again.

XxXxXxX

It felt like an eternity of pain. Cut, kick, cut, punch, pull, punch, kick, cut. It was a merciless pattern that lasted for what seemed like ever, when in reality it was a mere five minutes. After feeling like a limp, blood soaked fish in the middle of the road; she was tossed back into the cart, the doors slamming behind her and Riku's final words echoing in her mind.

"Sleep tight mousy, yer ours now."

Fuu pushed herself up to a sitting position against the wall. Tears started falling from her face as she assessed the damage in the foggy mirror. Her face was clear of cuts but she could easily see where thin likes of blood seeping cuts all over her torso. He had made them shallow enough to heal, but deep enough for the crimson liquid to splotch her once off-white garment with a vengeful pattern. Pushing away from the looking glass she slumped over a floor mat, gritting her teeth and willing herself not to sob. How did she always get herself into these fucked up situations anyhow? But this time was different; no one knew she needed to be rescued.

She felt her throat close up, burning for the sob to be released. Michiko would be the first to notice she was missing, and would probably mourn her for weeks, but she couldn't help. Jin would notice that the letters had stopped coming back, but that was not enough for him to come investigate. At least not until it was too late. And Mugen, her dear Mugen who had ran away with her heart was nowhere to be found. Hell, he probably didn't even remember her name.

Fuu let her body sag, willing the pain to ebb and for her to feel nothing. She couldn't help but feel helpless. She needed someone. Anyone.

"Help Me…"