A/N: I can't believe the response this story has been getting! Thanks so much to all of my Favorites, Follows, and Reviewers; I wouldn't be able to keep on this if I didn't have you guys! A big shout out to Luv4Uncas, thank you for your PM's, they've really kept me going . I'm sorry it's taken a while, but chapters are going to be a bit slow going on this fic, so please bear with me :/ I'll pump them out as fast as I can! Happy Readings!
I do not own any of the characters from Samurai Champloo
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"Okay, line 'em up!"
"Step right up here gentlemen, step right up! We'll be starting the bids now so please keep your eyes and ears open as we present our first lady of the evening…"
Seven demure, pretty, painted ladies were trotted onto the stage, the first in line taken to the center of the stage by a dapper looking man and splayed before hungry eyes. Just another night. So many had she seen paraded about on that stage, and then told later on that they would not be returning to the "family".
'An unfortunate turn of events' they would call it, as they shucked the husk of another beaten and raped woman off of the carriage. But not to worry, they would soon be replaced, after all, what's a walking brothel without the women?
Kira was now the only one remaining from the first group Fuu had met when she was first captured. That was months ago. Now she looked to her friend last in the line up from a crack in the caravan door, still the hot young commodity saved for last, and smiled weakly. Fuu had had a pretty hard time the last couple of nights, and was getting a 'night off to relax' as Katashi had so nicely called it, meaning that she was to sit in the cart until the women were returned at dawn and help change and wash them. She had another woman with her, but her name was still a mystery to her. It wasn't going to be a very interesting night.
The newest addition to their caravan, Yuuki, had just been escorted onto the shabby platform, receiving a sharp squeeze from Riku due to her relentless shaking. It was still the girls first month and she hadn't quite gotten used to how things worked, but her hefty bosom fetched a hefty price, so she wouldn't be broken in too quickly. Not like Fuu was all those months ago. She watched as she was quickly auctioned, tied, and blinded, the girls' terrified form trying to hold composure as it was practically pushed off the stage into her lovers awaiting arms. His black beetle eyes held no warmth and she could only hope he was not as heartless as he looked, but the women from this cart were almost never that lucky.
She averted her eyes and was about to go and try to converse with her lone companion, when she heard the last auction of the night being introduced. Men hooted and hollered as the petite young woman with raven hair was shown, the racy scarlet of her tight kimono clashing with her alabaster skin and demure expression. Fuu hated when Kira went out there, when all the men got riled up over her just because she was so young. All she could do was hope for an uneventful night for her friend.
"SOLD! To the man in the grey tunic!" Cried Katashi as the crowd cursed and groaned, dispersing almost immediately knowing that was it for the night.
A roguish looking middle aged man stepped forward, a sadistic grin was plastered on his face as he eyed Kiras' adolescent body. She was tossed over the mans shoulder like a four sack as he paid Riku the large sum, and Fuu could see Kiras' fingers twitch back a forth slightly as the man hurried her away. She smiled at her friends little goodbye for the night and left her crack to sit with the quiet woman in the corner. All they could do was wait.
XxXxXxXxX
Fuu awoke in the early morning to the sound of a struggle outside of the caravan and quickly stumbled over the quiet woman's sleeping body to the crack in the door.
"You little bitch! You think you can treat a customer of ours with such disrespect and get away with it!?"
Fuu got to the crack just in time to see Katashi's fist make contact with Kira's cheek, sending her reeling backwards and falling into the dirt. When she landed the man who bought her the night before kicked her on all fours and started to kick repeatedly at our ribs. She screamed for them to stop but Riku and Katashi merely chuckled darkly.
"Oh ho no, you got yourself into this one brat. This is his refund, and we wouldn't want to be bad business men now would we?" Riku sneered.
The three men gathered around Kira and started beating her screaming form. Fuu watched in awestruck horror with her hand pressed firmly to her mouth. They stopped when her screams did, realizing that Kira had passed out fro the torture and Katashi picked her up, heading to put her back into the cart. Fuu clambered away from the door just in time for Katashi to open them and throw her friends body onto the mats. He looked at Fuu and gave her a wicked sneer before shutting the door again and locking it.
Fuu quickly rushed to the young girls side and turned her onto her back, her eyes darting around the room looking for some water. She moved Kira to a mat further from the doors and tended to her unconscious friend while the other women trickled in. The quiet woman silently obliged to take care of them and let Fuu treat Kira, which she was grateful for and would have to thank her for later. But all that Fuu could manage to do right now was think about her beaten friend. Her shallow breath like icy wheezes burned in Fuu's ears and she knew that with just her help, Kira would not last long. She needed a doctor.
Seemingly as soon as this realization hit her, the cart gave an unceremonious lurch and they started moving. The next town was a days travel from this one and wouldn't come soon enough for Kira to see a doctor. Another realization hit Fuu like a freezing gust of wind that took her breath away. Her friend wasn't going to make it.
Through all her travels with Mugen and Jin, Fuu had learned how to judge wounds and decipher which were fatal and which were not, and in her friends' malnourished and already frail state, she would not live out the rest of the day.
As if reading her thoughts, Kiras hand folded over her own and Fuu came to meet the teens half open eyes. She could see the pain coursing through them and felt hot tears start to prickle her own. Fuu gripped her friends' hand and tried to give her a watery smile, but a sob betrayed her and she let the tears fall. Kira smiled sadly, knowing full and well what was happening and that she was leaving her friend behind in this miserable place.
"Fuu…"
"No Kira," Fuu cut her off, " you need to stay silent, or else they might hear you." She looked hesitantly with teary eyes over her shoulder at the door, waiting for it to burst open though they were still jostling down the road.
"I... don't care Fuu. Let those bastards hear. You need to get out of here. Fast."
"But Kira…"
"No buts, you need to try and escape, like I tried. But you're smarter than me so it might work." Kira half smiled, causing her split lip to ooze a bit. Fuu dabbed at it fretingly.
"Kira, what did you do?"
"I tried to run away. I knocked out the man who bought me and ran, but they caught me when I got near the cart. I was going to try and wake you up so we could run together Fuu."
Fuu was trying to talk through the sobs now as they tore through her lips. "Kira you idiot you should have just ran! I will be fine but now you're going to die because you tried to come back for me you Idiot!"
"You would have done the same, but now you can run and not worry about me. Promise me you'll get away from here Fuu."
"Kira, I can't just…"
"Promise!"
"What the fuck is going on back here!"
The caravan doors flung open and women half clothed shielded themselves from the intrusive light. Fuu hadn't even realized the cart had stopped and now Riku was stomping towards them with daggers in his eyes. He grabbed Kira from the mat by her arms and she let out a yelp. Fuu tried to grab her but was struck down by his free hand and he dragged Kira from the room. Fuu watched as he took her outside and threw her onto the ground, muttering about her staying quiet for good. Lifting his foot up, Riku slammed it down with all his might, silencing her cries with a sickening crack. Fuu was in shock as the man who had just killed her friend pointed to her in the midst of all the wailing women.
"And if you so much as step a single toe out of line, this exact same thing will happen to you."
With that he slammed that caravan doors shut and the noises of him dragging Kira's body off the side of the road were left ringing in Fuu's ears as her head hit the mat. A couple faces swam in her vision before it all turned black.
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The pungent odor of alcohol, sweat, and salt wafted through the small bar by the ocean, filled to capacity with the weekly haul of sea goers and dockworkers. Men blathered on in drunken stupor at the tables while the waitresses scurried about filling orders and sake cups, most avoiding a particularly silent and dangerous looking fellow at the back table. After a glare from her boss though, one unlucky lady was sent trudging in his direction. Coming upon the table, the lanky man was sprawled in the booth with his eyes shut and mouth set in a firm line, making the waitress gulp. Surely he wasn't asleep?
"C-can I interest you all in another bottle of sake sir? Otherwise you will need to leave…" her voice coming out barely loud enough to hear.
Steel grey eyes snapped open and slid like nails on a chalk board up to hers, glaring at her slightly. Chills ran up her spine. Tilting his head down and looking at her from under his brow the shabby man glanced over to his table, resting on the four empty bottles long since drained. With a grunt he righted himself and dug around in his pocket, producing a fist full on money and dropping it on the table loudly before standing to leave. Mugen smirked and gave the small woman one last look before he left to venture the streets of his shore-side home.
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His steel-souled geta scraped along the rocks as Mugen made his way through the town streets, booze making his head kind of swimmy and itching him to find something to do. Coins clinked together in his pocket, bringing a smirk to his lips. This town may have been kind of lame at night, but at least it paid him well. He had come across this little village some time after he separated with Jin and Fuu, getting wasted every night and finding sleep only when he ran out of money or got his ass kicked out. He ended up shacking up in a hut by the docks, finding out short after that it was the storage shed for the maintenance crew that worked there. But low and behold he talked his way into getting the paranoid owner to let him work there, the bargain being that he kept unwanted people away from the cargo and ships in return for full pay and residence of the shed. That had been a while ago, and while his services were practically unneeded in this slip of a town, he couldn't complain.
Mugen rounded a corner, bored expression set firmly into his face when a loud shout caught his attention. Looking with his eyes across the street he noticed a platform he'd never noticed before, with two men shouting over a group of rambunctious looking townsmen. A line of women stood on the stage, each in a tight scarlet kimono, a sapphire ribbon tied around their eyes waiting for their turn to be auctioned.
Rubbing his stubbled chin Mugen couldn't help himself as he walked over, eyeing a particularly curvy specimen towards the end of the line. He took in her neatly done chocolate hair and how it clashed with the white of her skin and ruby lips. She wasn't the most curvaceous by far, but she had caught his eye and that was worth something. Clinking the coins in his pocket one more time, a wolfish grin split his face as he waited, he'd get paid next week, why not have a little fun now right? He watched her long legs move gracefully while being drug across the stage by the slick looking man, the other shouting her price. Mugen huffed a bit, but kept his grin at the hefty sum, he wouldn't be getting the bottom of the barrel for that price. He knew she had to be something.
Waiving his hand in the air he moved forward, glaring savagely at the men who also bid, making a few lower their hands a scurry off in his wake. As he made his way to the stage, he made eye contact with the announcer, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a large sack of coins. Riku nearly drooled.
"Sold! To the man in red!" He piped, hurrying over as Katashi bound the girl. "Thank you for your business sir! Now, this is a one-night bid, she is to be back here before noon tomorrow in the same attire but other than that there are no 'restrictions'," he winked and smirked, "Will you be bidding again or is this your only purchase today?"
Mugen eyed his plastic smile and wanted to puke. He knew this type of bastard, cheap and fake. Glancing over to his girl he shook his head.
"No, just her."
"Great! The I'll let you two get to it, thank you for your business!"
Riku turned away to auction the next girl and Mugen looked to Katashi, the girl standing precariously next to him with her ankles and wrists tied. Odd.
"Here you go," he said as he practically pushed the girl from the stage, Mugen stepping forward so she landed over his shoulder. Turning and walking away, he couldn't help but feel slightly relieved to get on his way home after talking to the salesmen and peered at the girls unresponsive form slung over his shoulder. Never seen one of those before. Traveling, take home brothel… Genius!
Nearing the docks Mugen swiftly hopped onto the catwalk, the girl squeaking slightly and making him roll his eyes. He entered the hut, shoving her in the way of his futon, forgetting about her bound ankles. She made another surprised peep before falling over completely, meeting the ground wit a harsh thud and bringing a cry of pain up her throat. Cringing at the shrill noise Mugen turned, irritation all over his face.
"You're not very good at keeping that in are ya?" he mused, crouching to the floor in front of her before a grin slid over his lips and he stretched up to peel off his shirt, "but maybe that isn't such a bad thing."
He crawled to her, placing one hand on the mat by her side as the other slid up her kimono to rest on her leg, leaning forward. He gripped her thigh, about to kiss her when another large yelp emerged from her, making his growl lowly and sit back with a huff.
"Okay, now that's going a lit-tle too far, what's your problem lady?"
He moved his hand from her leg and sat backwards, putting his elbows on his knees as he assessed his cringing, horrible purchase. Some hooker, wonder if I can get a refund.
"Please continue," she mumbled through her gag, making Mugens eyebrow quirk. He quickly recovered however and started forward again with a grunt, only to stop short when his hand caught his eye.
Bringing it up to his face, he inspected the white, powdery film on the palm he had snaked up her skirt and looked back at her. Anger rising in him, he lurched forward, ripping the sash that tied her kimono and spread the red fabric wide. He was met with her slightly quivering naked body, alabaster and immaculate, but he took his hand back to her thigh and rubbed down it brazenly, making her squirm but not scream. Bringing his hand away, more of the powder clung to his hand, her thigh showing a deep, angry burn mark on it where he had rubbed off the make-up. Taking her in once more he can now see the concealed bruises and marks peppering her body through the makeup and hissed a curse. Reaching for the blade under his mat he sliced off her gag, throwing it across the room, glaring at her.
"What the fuck is-"
"P-please," her voice was hoarse and hollow as it cut him off, "I wont scream anymore, just… please be gentle."
Mugen was about to retort full force when his voice caught in his throat. Why did he know that voice? It couldn't be. He furrowed his brows together and reached forward, slowly slipping the blindfold from the girls face and immediately stumbled backwards.
There, lying on his mat, beaten, covered in makeup from head to toe, and staring at him, was Fuu.