Samurai Champloo Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful Thing ❯ Promises. ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Title: Beautiful Thing
Series: Samurai Champloo
Chapter: 2
Rated: R
Warnings: Sex, death, morbidness, and yaoi!
Note: Must read chapter 1 to not be confused!


Fuu stared intimately at a rock. She gripped it tightly in her nimble fingers, as if impatiently waiting for it to confess an awful truth. Dawn was approaching, and she hadn’t slept a wink. She sat at a lake’s edge, kneeling by the water, starring down into the ground despite the beautiful sky that gazed upon her.

‘Then why are you here?’

Earlier in the day, Jin asked that question to Mugen, but Mugen had not responded. Instead, he had viciously attacked. The battle had gone on for almost twenty minutes before Fuu had jumped between the two temperamental warriors.

Now, she couldn’t recall what had started the fight. It seemed that in the last few days, Jin’s fuse had grown short. He wasn’t able to tolerate Mugen as much, and Mugen loved every moment of it. For some reason, getting beneath Jin’s skin had almost become a game.

The fight had gotten heated – as most fights between them did. This one seemed… different. They got tense and began arguing, snipping at each other, insulting each other with aggressive words… like two stray dogs sniffing each other before they bit.

Out of nowhere, Mugen said something about promises. Something about loyalty, honor, and friendship being worthless in the harsh reality that was the world. It was something that Fuu and Jin would expect Mugen to say. It was something neither of them believed.

In response, Jin asked Mugen, “Then why are you here?”

Mugen had not responded, and his lack of an answer was haunting Fuu. Why was Mugen here? Why didn’t he just tell them both to fuck off and vanish back into his own world? Why did he follow them, if he was so unhappy? Was he planning something? Was he simply curious about the Sunflower Samurai? Was he hiding something? Was he hiding from someone?

The questions were driving her mad, but so was her sadness. Mugen didn’t care. He didn’t care about her or Jin. They were not friends, they were not traveling companions; they were merely strangers tied together by a twist of fate.

It wasn’t fair to them, she realized. She wiped at her eyes, realizing that they were slightly moist. Anger washed over her, anger at herself for being so naïve and foolish for so long. She stood quickly and threw the rock into the lake, throwing away all her childish ideals.

It made a splash. Jin awoke sharply from his resting point near the fire, sword drawn.

The sound of metal against blade caused Fuu to jump. She blushed in embarrassment, angry again with herself for not realizing even the quietest and out of place noise would awake the samurai.

Why didn’t Mugen wake? She wondered.

Jin stood and walked over to her, his head tilted. The end of his ponytail fell across his shoulders. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

“Just thinking,” she whispered, her eyes avoiding Jin.

Strangely, Fuu saw the faint hint of what appeared to be realization flash across Jin’s face. She paused and looked at him, watching the expression vanish just as quickly as it had appeared. “What is it?” she asked.

Jin smiled faintly, a very strange sight for Fuu. “You’re a very passionate person. After all, what’s life without passion?”

Fuu was caught off guard by the comment. It was unlike Jin, and filled with such… emotion. “Is… is everything okay, Jin?”

Jin nodded slowly, eyes moving just slightly towards Mugen. It was such a strange motion that Fuu couldn’t help but notice, and she suddenly realized… maybe there was something about Mugen that she couldn’t quite understand.

“Jin, do you… do you know why Mugen is with us?”

Jin paused, but his eyes returned to Fuu. “What do you mean?”

“Why does Mugen keep his promise to me? Why is he helping me search for the Sunflower Samurai?”

Jin paused for a very long moment. “Fuu, I… believe Mugen always has his own motivations.”

**

Fuu trembled by the sidelines, watching a small cabin burn to the ground nearby. People were inside. People were dying.

They were bad people but they were still human beings.

Fuu still wasn’t quite sure what happened. She assumed that the man who had attacked Mugen was a bounty hunger. The mystery man had not anticipated facing both Mugen and Jin, and quickly ran for his life.

They had chased him to this tiny village, where by some means of fate, he and his friends ended up in a small inn… which by accident or intently had been set ablaze.

She heard the screams of the dying men. They were inside, trapped, possibly burning to death. Fuu cried for them, for their lives, for their souls.

She rushed over to Mugen and Jin. Although they were the most talented of swordsmen, the battle had not been a simple victory. Their clothes were torn; Mugen was bleeding from a flesh wound on his shoulder. “You have to save them!” she screamed. There were tears in her big brown eyes.

Mugen spat on the ground. “Are you psycho, bitch? That fucking ass tried to kill me!”

Jin glared. “I’m sure there are many who want you dead, for various and valid reasons.”

Instead of responding quickly with a witty or crude insult, Mugen simply paused. He tilted his head slightly, strands of hair falling over his eyes. He gazed at Jin. “And you’re one of them?”

Fuu blinked. What the hell was going on?!

Jin glared, but didn’t respond. “We have to save those men.”

“WHAT?!” Mugen stormed over and grabbed Jin’s kimono. In a blink of the eye, Jin was shoved against a wall of a nearby building, Mugen leaning over him.

Fuu’s eyes grew wide. “Mugen’s gonna get himself killed…”

Neither of them moved. No swords were drawn. They were frozen, inches apart, Mugen’s sweaty body pressed up against Jin to keep the paler samurai motionless.

Unbeknownst to Fuu, Jin was in shock. His eyes were locked in the crazed warrior’s. He could almost taste the sweat dripping off Mugen. “Get… get off of me.”

“You’re a murderer, jackass.”

Jin couldn’t find the words to respond. Why did Mugen always render him speechless?

“Those men are killers.” Mugen’s hand gripped Jin’s shoulder tightly, almost bruising the flesh. “They’ll kill us both. This isn’t the flowery world that the girl thinks it is, you bitch. Kill or be killed.” Mugen grinned, almost knowingly. “It’s our passion.”

Jin shook his head. “You’re insane.”

“Admit it! You know it’s true.” He shoved, causing Jin – for a split second – to lose balance. In that small moment, Mugen drew his blade and lunged. Jin allowed himself to fall, bringing up his feet to meet with his opponent’s stomach.

Mugen was launched over Jin’s head, but landed semi-gracefully in his strange and almost artistic moves.

The house continued to burn. The screams grew louder.

“You know you love this!” Mugen shouted. Their blades met. Their eyes met. Their bodies pressed together, leaning into the blades, struggling for dominance. “Controlling life, controlling death…” Mugen sounded aroused by the thought of such power.

Jin struggled to ignore his pounding heart.

In a quick flow, Jin was on the ground. His leg struck Mugen’s, causing his wild opponent to fall. Mugen managed to twist himself into an upright position, but not before having a blade pressed to his throat.

Fuu screamed at them. Their promise. Those dying men.

Jin eyed Mugen, who sat on one ankle, just waiting for the right moment, waiting for Jin to make one mistake, one wrong movement in his hand, one shift in his eyes. “Why are you here?” Jin pressed the point of the blade closer to Mugen’s throat, scraping the rough, dark skin. Sweat drops stained the blade.

“Why are you keeping your promise?” Jin demanded, his tone angry. “Why are you following along with this search for the Sunflower Samurai?”

Mugen smirked. “You know why.”

The screams for help had faded.




End.