Samurai Champloo Fan Fiction ❯ Bottomless Pit ❯ Bottomless Pit ( Chapter 1 )

Written in response to the Makin' Lemonaide Week 29 challenge:
Hungry? A few of the greatest characters have bottomless pits instead of stomaches! What would any one of these characters DO for a scrumptious snack?

DISC: I do not own Samurai Champloo or it’s intriguing characters. They are the property of Director Shinichiro Watanabe and Studio manglove Inc. I am making no monetary profit from the writing of this or any other of my fanfiction- unless you count being able to sleep because it's no longer banging around in my brain.. Please don’t sue me. I’m very poor.

NOTE: Correct English usage requires that thoughts be within single quotation marks. 'Like this?' Yes. Spoken words are within double quotation marks. "Like this." However, *I* have more than one mode of thinking. And I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one like that. There are the thoughts that are clear - like you're hearing the words inside your head (which are the ones in the single quotation marks), and then there are those thoughts that aren't so solid. Oftentimes, those are the thoughts that you don't admit you're really having. Impressions, ideas, anything that doesn't become a solid, acknowledged thought. For these, I've written them from the 3rd party, or author's point of view. But I think you'll be able to tell what's there for exposition and what's there because the characters are soaking things in or mulling them over.




"Oi. Quit poutin'. It's time to get a room at the inn."

From where he stood, all he could see was the back of her pink kimono, and her dark hair, twisted into a knot on the back of her head, held in place by sticks with fake berries on them. But it was obvious from her pose, elbows on knees, head resting in her hands, that her palms would be pushing against her cheeks to make her mouth form a pouty moue, and that she was looking down at the ground dejectedly. 'Probably either couldn't find a job, or found one and got fired.' Like usual.

He didn't want to feel bad for her. But he'd spent pretty much his whole life disappointing someone. The key was to just not care about anyone. Then the disappointment didn't matter to you.

She straightened and put on a haughty face. "I wasn't pouting. I was... contemplating the best strategy for finding a job."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just get off that scrawny ass of yours and get moving." He turned and headed back toward the town. She stood and took two steps to follow him, then stopped short.

"Hey, wait. We have to wait for Jin."

'Figures. It's always about Jin.' He called over his shoulder without stopping, "Ol' fish-face is at his job. He gave me the moneybag. Said to eat and get a room. So stop dawdlin'."

She ran after him, muttering under her breath, "Why is it that Jin's the only one who can ever hold down a job?"

'See? If the guy is so perfect, why doesn't she just marry him and be done with it.' It would serve her right. A life of boring sameness - no ups or downs. The guy had as much personality as a rock. "Hey, you're the only one around here who doesn't bring in her share of the coin. *I* just got off my shift guardin' the brothel. Jin's on night shift."

'Figures. Always with the brothel. Sheesh!' "Yeah, tough job, guarding a brothel in broad daylight. They probably only hired you cuz they thought you'd just spend whatever you earned there as soon as you were done with your shift."

He shot her a dirty look. Just exactly what kind of asshole did she think he was? 'I walked all the way back here just to bring her to dinner...' He smiled and pulled out the moneybag and shook it. It made a satisfying jingle. "You know, I AM the one with the money. You might want to be a little nicer to me. Otherwise, maybe you won't eat tonight."

Her jaw dropped. "You wouldn't!"

He just smiled at her. This was going to be fun. She was incredibly easy to tease. He started walking a little faster. "I'm the one with the money. And if you don't stop being such a whiny bitch, I might not even let you share the room at the inn." His smile got broader. "It's going to be cold out tonight. I think it's going to rain, too."

"OOOOOOOOOOOOh! HMPH!" She stomped after him without saying anything else, and he couldn't help but chuckle.

Leave it to Mugen to take her bad day and make it worse. 'Damn him. It just isn't fair. I tried to get a job, I really did. I'm just... not good at anything.' Not anything. 'He can fight, he's lucky when he gambles. And he's really good at reading people. Okay, so he's not as smart as me, but he's got street smarts and that almost always counts for more.'

Her eyes slid over his form walking just slightly ahead of her. His muscles rippled under his skin the way a mountain cat's did while stalking its prey. His dark skin made him appear more devious than he really was, and his angular face... 'Yeah, and okay, so he's not what you'd call classically beautiful. But he's strong, and even with his screw-everyone-who-isn't-me attitude, he still manages to have that roguish charm that makes him seem better looking than he is.

'It's not fair. What do I have? I've got nothing. I'm not even that pretty - I don't have big boobs, and my face is too round - like a doll's face, not like a woman's. It's useless...' Nothing to offer anyone. Why even bother to look for the sunflower samurai anyway? Useless people never accomplish what they set out to do.

She'd walked quite a ways in silence, and he watched her face out of the corner of his eye. What started out as anger was melting into sadness and despair. This did not bode well. 'What's with her?' She's with me, on the way to a meal and a nice room at an inn. Oh. Him. 'She's just miserable that her precious Jin won't be back for her to make goo-goo eyes at over dinner.'

She always treated that jackass like he was a god, true, but she'd never seemed upset when it was just the two of them before. Of course, he'd never threatened to not share the room before either. 'She can't really be thinking I'd leave her out in the rain, can she?' God, why does everyone always believe the worst? Everyone. 'Yeah, stupid bitch probably is thinking just that.'

"Stop your worrying. As much as I'd like to see you all wet, I'm not gonna make you sleep in the rain." Startled out of her thoughts, she just looked at him with wide eyes and said nothing. "You'd just get all sick and slow us down. And *I'd* probably get stuck carryin' your heavy ass."

It didn't matter how hard she tried to banish the thought, the image of him carrying her over his shoulder like a prize he'd won clarified itself in her mind. There was no way that that thought could possibly be exciting, could it? 'Why does he always put weird images like that in my head, anyway? Darn him.'

She kept quiet for another minute, contemplating a witty retort. 'Oh!' She muttered in a stage whisper, "Just my luck the brothel owner was smart enough to realize that this one'd be too busy screwing all his whores to guard the place if he let him work the night shift. Otherwise, Jin'd be here and *he'd* be working."

He twitched as if someone had slapped him. She wanted Jin there and not him? He was not that much of a philanderer! Okay, maybe a little, but still... "Just because I'm letting you sleep in the room doesn't mean I have to spend my coin to buy food for a total bitch."

She humphed at him, and he warned, "No fuckin' way I'm feeding a spoiled brat like you."

X

The innkeeper showed them their room, explaining that the bath was down the hall, a warm tub would be prepared for them immediately, and kept warm for them, so that they could refresh themselves from their journey at their leisure. After all, the inn was almost completely empty - it was the off season for tourists.

"Excuse me," Fuu questioned, "where's the dining room?"

Bowing graciously, he replied, "We prefer to serve dinner to our guests in their rooms. It keeps out unwanted rabble, allows the guests an added measure of privacy, AND by doing so, we were able to make three more rooms in the space that used to be our dining room."

"Oh. That makes sense," the girl replied, and ducked into the room to start setting out the bedding for the night.

Turning to Mugen, the innkeeper inquired, "So shall I bring up dinner for two then?"

"Better make it three - I'm really hungry tonight. But only one place setting. She's not eating tonight. Something about trying to keep her figure. Women!"

Nodding in commiseration, the innkeeper promised that dinner would be up shortly. Apparently the innkeeper's wife was known to do the diet thing herself on occassion. Mugen entered the room to see Fuu flopped out on the futon.

"So when's dinner gonna be here?" she inquired, sitting up to look at him.

"MY dinner'll be here in just a bit. YOU aren't getting any." 'Bitch. This'll teach ya!' Not that he'd really follow through with the threat. But she didn't need to know that. She could go whinin' to Jin when he showed up, and the two of them could eat dinner together. Just like she wanted. Bitch. "You want any, you're gonna have to earn it." By not shovin' that damn asshole in front of my face every two seconds. That'd be a nice start.

Her mouth fell open and only sputtering sounds came out. "Wha- what do you mean, EARN it?" 'He wouldn't be wanting THAT, would he?' She tried to ignore how her heart was clenching.

He tried not to think about how when Jin got back and found out she hadn't eaten anything, he'd come in like some frikin' savior. Again. 'Hm. Maybe I can play this out a bit more. Earn it... Hm... What do you think I could get her to do... No. Not that. She'd NEVER agree to that! Ain't no way in hell.' Mugen didn't understand the concept of double negatives.

"Hey, I know, I'll let you have some dinner if... Hm...." He began tapping his finger on his lips. "Hm... I don't know. It's not like you're good for anything."

She folded her arms across her chest, belatedly trying to prevent the stabbing sensation she felt at his words, and her face tightened into an angry knot. Damn if she didn't look cute when she was angry.

'It's got to be something good, though. Something I can remind her of when she gets bratty in the future. Something she'd really HATE, too, because if Jin hears that *I'm* the one who kept her from eating, he's gonna be pissed at me, and then I'd have to fight him, and she'd bitch some more... Last time he got really upset, I ended up falling into a stream and he walked away muttering to her about how I needed a good bath anyway, and she just giggled-'

"Oh! I know. I'll let you have some of my dinner IF! You bathe me like a good little servant girl."

"What! Like I'd ever agree to THAT!" She rolled her eyes at him like she thought he must be the stupidest person she'd ever met. A mental image of her tiny hands holding a sponge and rubbing his naked flesh appeared, bringing with it a blush to one face and a lazy smile to the other.

"Whatever. Just means I get dinner all to myself." 'Take that!' She turned her back on him to pout some more and he chuckled.

A knock on the frame of the door sounded softly and then the door slid open to reveal a cartload of steaming hot dishes. The aroma of roast chicken, steamed dumplings, steamed yams, grilled fish, as well as many other dishes began to permeate the room. Mugen paid the porter, then sat down to eat.

Sliding up to the table, Fuu exclaimed, "MMMMMmmmmm. Let's eat!" as she reached for a dumpling. Mugen slapped the hand away.

"You don't get any. I already told you that. Did I stutter?" She stared at him with wide, unbelieving eyes as he set up thev one and only place-setting and began to eat. For once, he was eating with slow deliberation. Taking a bite out of a dumpling, he exclaimed, "Oh man, are you missing out. That cook really knows what he's doing. This food is amazing!" Yummy MMMMMM and OOOOOOO noises followed every bite.

She looked up at him with pleading eyes, putting on her best cute and vulnerable look as he continued to feast.

Apparently cute and vulnerable had no effect on him.

Finally, she decided to try to be sneaky. With eyes still wide and sad, she slowly inched one hand toward the bowl of dumplings. But even with his eyes closed in delight, he still managed to slap her hand with the flat side of a knife and say, "Nohb! Nuh fuh Yuuuu!"

She snatched her hand back and examined it. The swipe with the knife hurt, but there was no damage done. "But Mugen, I'm really hungry!" As if to help support her statement, her stomach growled loudly.

He looked at her as if he was truly concentrating on her. "Yeah. I bet you are. It's been like, what? Three days since your last full meal? All you've had have been nuts and berries from the trail, huh?" He shook his head sadly at her. "Oh well. Too bad. If you want any food, you know what you have to do." He laughed internally as he watched her squirm. His thoughts about her squirming, though, for some reason made him uncomfortable.

He forced himself not to think about it. He took a bite of chicken and juice dribbled down his chin. "Mmmmm." Her stomach protested loudly.

Her brain was fluttering around like a trapped bug. 'Sure, he'll let me eat if I... What am I worrying about? He doesn't even see me as female - let alone a woman. Still... I'd have to touch... Oh my god, I'd have to touch him. Why would he even WANT that? He doesn't want that. He just wants to humiliate me. And this is not the way I wanted to see him naked. NOT that I wanted to see him naked. Oh, jeez. What am I even thinking?' She didn't picture her hands running along the flat planes of his chest. Even if she had, she wouldn't have admitted it.

The pirate smacked his lips as he bit into the chicken leg again, and drool began to drip down one side of her mouth. She wiped it away surreptitiously, then glared at him again.

He really had that whole... barbarian warlord feasting on the spoils of war thing down. It was NOT attractive. Because if it was then there had to be something wrong with her.

A simple bath. It could have been worse. The smell of juicy spiced pork was driving her crazy. 'It's just a bath. I... don't even have to look. And... It's not like *I'd* be naked...'

A resounding clap from the flat of her palms striking the floor to either side of her snapped his head to her attention. "OKAY! All right? Okay. I'll give you your damned bath. Now can I eat?"

He smiled lazily at her and began putting covers over the food. Her hand reaching toward the dumpling bowl again almost got snapped shut in the bowl. "Not yet. You eat AFTER the bath."

"What? The food will be cold then."

"Too bad. You eat after. Otherwise, you'll just eat your fill now and refuse to live up to it later."

Eyes narrowing to slits, she hissed, "I wouldn't do something like that!"

"Ri-ight. So where are those 100 dumplings you promised me?"

She shook her head at him. She was planning on getting him those dumplings. Just as soon as she got a job that made enough money for her to buy them. Why did he have to be such a jerk? With as much vitriol as she could muster she seethed, "If I have to witness your naked ass on an empty stomach, I'll probably pass out and die."

"Hm..." He appeared to be contemplating whether this would be a good thing or a bad thing. But what he was really thinking was, 'I can't believe she's agreeing to this! What an idiot! If she had a brain in her head, she'd realize I'm totally full of shit. All she'd have to do is call my bluff. What is she thinking? That I'd tie her up and spank her if she took some of my food? Although, that IS an idea... Nah, not worth the trouble. But still. It'd be pretty damn funny.

'Seriously though, she's actually agreeing.' His mind visualized her soft fingers touching his bare skin underwater and was surprised by the way his pulse reacted. She would be touching him. 'Wet. I'm gonna make her touch as much of me as I can. I can't believe I was actually angry that Jin got the night shift.' As he concluded that maybe the night now held the potential to take him places he'd never truly thought possible, he declared, "Three dumplings now. But nothing more until after the bath. Deal?"

She glared at him one more time for good measure and then said grudgingly, "Deal."

He handed her three dumplings and she popped them into her mouth, chewing with a sensual moan of delight. He was right. The cook here truly was good. So grateful to have a bite to eat finally, she didn't notice that his eyes got wide and then darkened at her sounds of pleasure. But when she finished and stood up saying, "Okay, let's go scrape the stink off you. Or at least try!" she was confused by the blank look on his face. Surely he should be gloating right now.

'Whatever,' she thought as she stood up and walked out the door, not looking back to see if he was following. 'Grrr. Man, they don't call 'em appetizers for nothing. I'm even hungrier now than I was before. I can't believe he's making me do this. He just wants to humiliate me. What was I thinking?

'It's not even like he wants my hands on him - he's made it ABUNDANTLY clear that I don't have anything that interests him at all. As far as he's concerned, I'm only female in that I'm annoying. And I'll be touching him. God. I can't do this. Not like this. I just can't-'

Her thoughts cut off as she entered the bathing room and saw the set up. The tub was large. Large enough for Jin and Mugen to both lay down in without fear that they'd even touch. And deep. Sitting in it, the water would most likely go all the way up to Mugen's armpits. But more interestingly, was the way it was supported. With a fireplace on one end and what looked like a drain on the other. Inside the fireplace, coals were glowing hot.

She walked over to the tub, and pulling back the sleeve of her kimono, gently tested the water with her fingertips. It was hot. Not scalding - just about the perfect bath temperature. So innovative.

She spun around to see Mugen enter behind her. "Isn't this amazing? The fireplace should keep the water warm throughout the whole..." remembering what she was there to do, her cheery face melted into an irritated snarl, "humiliating experience."

The bath was pretty interesting, but his attention was on the girl in front of him. If she was going to act snotty, he'd make sure to make it as tough as possible. Besides, it just wasn't possible that this was really going to happen. Any second now she'd realize that all she had to do was wait for Jin. For some reason, looking at her, and thinking of her waiting for Jin to save the day was really starting to piss him off.

He held his arms out to the side and looked at her impatiently.

"What?"

He sighed. "A good servant disrobes her master so that he doesn't have to bother." 'There's no way she'll follow through with this. But what a way to make her squirm.'

Her eyes widened to the size of pie plates. 'He can't possibly think...' She looked the rugged pirate up and down. He didn't show signs of dropping his arms anytime soon. 'Oh, God. I think he really expects me to...' She swallowed hard. 'He wants me to strip him.' She flushed redder than his haori. 'I can't do this! But if I don't, he'll say I reneged. He'll never let me live it down. Or worse! He might say that if I break my promise that it means he doesn't have to keep his and leave.' NO! He can't leave!

'God, why does he want me to do this, anyway?' She stomped over to him angrily and untied his haori, then pulled it off him, muttering, "stanky ass pirate meanie," so softly under her breath that he couldn't be certain that was what she'd actually said. Without looking, she tossed it into the bath.

"Hey!"

"It stinks almost as bad as you do, you big jerk. I'll wash it while you're soaking."

Next her hands went to the ties of his white under shirt. Undoing the ties, she tried to slide it off his shoulders, and her hands brushed up against them. They both gasped at the contact. She quickly pulled the shirt off him the rest of the way and practically ran over to the tub to wash it.

'What on earth is up with her,' he thought as she stalked like an angry wildcat to bring his shirt over to the bath. 'I told her to wash me, not my clothes. Still... I can't believe she's taking it this seriously. Okay, yeah, she kind is an all or nothing girl. But... What was that look she gave me?'

Her cheeks burned as she closed in on the tub. 'What on earth is wrong with me? It's not like I've never seen him without his shirt on. And it's Mugen. It's just Mugen.' Her heart rate wouldn't seem to slow down though. 'Concentrate on getting it clean.' She began to scrub with abandon. There were surpisingly few food stains. Using a bar of cheap soap, she scrubbed the underarm areas exceptionally well - the stains there might never come out, but at least it could smell better.

Why was she taking so much time on his shirt? 'I don't stink so bad she has to scrub it that hard. OH!'

Putting her back into it, she'd finally finished washing, rinsing, and wringing it out, and had turned around happily. "There, now you'll have something clean to wear-" her voice dropped off as she saw him still standing there, staring at her.

His muscles were lean and ropy - like whipcords under the skin just waiting to snap out at her. It made her heart race looking at him. With an effort, she tried to calm herself. 'Why is he staring at me like that. Oh, I get it. He's pissed that I haven't started bathing him yet. He probably thinks I'm going to claim that washing his clothes is good enough to conclude our bargain and that I'm going to try to cheat out of it now. Well, I won't do it. He'll never get to call ME a cheater.' Her anger redirected her rapid heartbeat quite effectively.

She hung the undershirt from a chair near the fireplace to dry off, then stalked back to her degenerate bodyguard. Once in front of him, she looked him square in the eyes to say, 'I can take anything you throw at me - I KEEP my word, you ass!' Silently, she nodded in satisfaction and kneeled before him.

He'd watched her hips sway as she took his shirt - his shirt that she'd laundered for him - and carefully hung it on a chair to dry. There was fire in her eyes as she stalked back to him. 'What!? What was that look for? Is she...' As she knelt in front of him, he found it hard to keep track of his own thoughts. 'If she sat up on her knees, she'd be at just the right height... This is FUU! She'd never... Even if she did find me attractive - which she doesn't - Fuu is a good girl. They don't-"

"Foot!" She tapped on his foot, and he unthinkingly lifted it. She slid off his geta and set it to the side. Her hands were cradling the bottom of his sole, and she gently set it back down on the ground. "Other one!" He lifted, and she repeated the process.

Staring at her in disbelief, he saw her head rise, and her wide eyes met his. God, but her eyes were beautiful. So trusting and sweet. She sat up on her knees. All he'd have to do is put his hands on the back of her head and pull it towards him, and his quietly growing problem would have a solution. Her eyes were wide and pure. And all he could think was, 'No. Not like that.'

His problem began to recede. Even as her hands undid the ties at his waist, the problem didn't come back. And then, her tiny fingers brushed against the sides of his waist as she tugged the pants down. He noticed that her head had lowered. She looked so tiny. He'd never noticed how small and delicate she was before. But as she knelt at his feet, directing him to step out of his pants, he could see it. She was like a tiny flower that grows on the side of the road. It might be a weed, might be hard to kill, but it still crushed easily.

Standing before her in only his wrappings, he warred with himself. Should he really make her go through with this? Yeah, she constantly nagged him and told him he didn't measure up to Jin. And yeah, she always reminded him over and over again when he'd done something wrong... 'Yeah. You bet your ass I'm gonna make her bathe me.' But he wouldn't purposely try to embarass her during it. Well... Not much.

She saw him standing there in his wrappings and waited to see what he'd do. 'He doesn't really expect me to strip him completely naked, does he? He isn't moving. God, I think he does. I can't do this. Yes. Yes, I can. Just... don't look.'

One quick glance showed where the end of the wrap was, she then averted her eyes and let her hands pull out the end of the wrapping. He stared down at her in shock. He'd been lost in his thoughts and hadn't expected this. But... she wasn't blushing. And she didn't look pissed. Just... She looked like she was concentrating very hard. Her hands almost never touched his skin as they reached around him to pass the edge of unwrapped cloth from one side to the other. But as she leaned forward to do the pass around, he could feel her warm breath through the wrap. As it finally came free, he barely stifled a moan, and turned slightly away from her. His problem was back.

Without looking at him, she stood and walked to the tub. The wrapping was thrust in, and she began to clean it. The water was losing its crystal clear quality - the soap from washing the garments was making the water slightly opaque. Softly, like a proper servant, she spoke, "Please get in and soak while I finish with your clothes. That way the dirt will have time to loosen up for an easier bath."

Unthinking, he walked up close behind her and she could feel his heat burning into her back. "What makes you think I want to make this easier on you?"

She swallowed hard and responded quietly, "The soaking will make it easier on *you*. I won't have to scrub your skin so hard. And it will give your clothes time to dry while I... While I bathe you. That... WAS what you said I needed to do, right?" God, the feeling of him, so hot behind her. For some reason it made her want to shift her weight so that her thighs could rub against each other a bit. Why was that?

"Un," he replied, gutterally, then moved away from her. 'Right. She's only doing this for food. Not because...'

Cool air against her back replacing his heat made her shiver in response. As he climbed into the tub, she averted her eyes. Then, went back to scrubbing his wrappings - wrappings that pressed against his most intimate parts. The part that he shared with whores in every town he could. The part that he'd never... 'Okay. This is stupid. I refuse to even think about that.'

She wrung the cloth out, then hung it up to dry. On her way back to the tub, she quickly bent down and scooped up his pants. Those were next to be cleaned. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it even better than he had imagined. Then he wouldn't be able to make fun of her later. 'I bet none of those whores ever washed his clothes for him.' She thrust them into the water and began applying the soap.

The heat of the water was soothing away tenseness in his muscles. He'd immersed everything below his mouth, and his eyes were closed. The water had stilled when she'd finished washing his wrappings. Then it stirred again - must be his pants.

'Why is she washing all my clothes? All she agreed to do for the stinkin' food was give me a bath. Feh. She's just dawdlin'. If she thinks that by washing my clothes I'll let her off the hook for bathin' me, she's got another think coming.'

His mind began to wander and he pictured him sitting up, her behind him, scrubbing his back. He'd make her use the sponge to massage the muscles there as she washed him. It would feel so good. He noticed the water stop moving again. 'She must be done with the pants.' The water remained still. He waited. It would have been plenty of time for her to hang up the pants. Why wasn't the water moving again yet. 'That bitch better not be trying to sneak outta here!'

He sat bolt upright, displacing a giant wave of water, and was rewarded with a shriek. "Mugen! What the heck are you doing? You got me totally wet, you big jerk!"

She was indeed completely soaked. Her hair was plastered to her head, and her bangs were dripping down onto her face. Angrily, she pushed them back so that she didn't have to keep blinking as gravity worked its magic. The water had soaked her kimono on the top half, the color was a darker, angrier shade of pink, and the weight of the wet fabric was making it pull off her shoulders. The thing was simply just too big for her.

He yanked his eyes off of her glistening white, slender shoulder that sloped so gracefully down from her neck, not allowing his eyes to wander down the front where the top of her wrappings were just visible. "What the heck were you doin'?"

Giving him her best glare, "I was trying to see where your haori was in the tub so that I could WASH it for YOU!" She would have had to lean over the tub to look, and when he sat up, the wave had completely immersed her for a moment as it passed.

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that. ...But you might as well take that thing off and wash it, too. I mean, you're always complaining about not being clean. Now's your chance to clean it."

As she began sputtering about how it wouldn't be right, he interrupted, "You've got your wrappings, and it ain't like you've got anything I haven't seen before."

She looked down at where the weight of one sleeve pulled the kimono off her shoulder, revealing the tops of her wraps. Even if she left it on, he'd probably get a show. Not that he cared. 'Oh, no. He probably wouldn't even look twice. Not for a stupid, flat, bitch like me.' Sighing heavily, she removed the kimono and began to clean it despondently.

Through slitted eyes, he saw that she'd actually removed the kimono as he had recommended. 'Since when has she ever listened to anything I've said? She... She must be loopy from hunger. Or maybe she's gettin' sick.' Guilt began to gnaw at his middle, and ruthlessly he stomped it down. Then the guilt turned into anger that she was only doing this for food, not for any other reason, not because she wanted to be there with him. He knew it was stupid to be angry about that. But somehow he didn't care.

He heard her finish with her kimono and hang it up, felt her reaching into the water and begin working on his red haori. Risking another peek at the source of his frustration, he saw her diligently scrubbing away at his haori - like getting it clean was the most important thing in the world. The sight of her working so hard at something - JUST for him - made him feel like he'd swallowed a butterfly. 'I just don't get it. She coulda just given me a quick bath and I'da let her have food. Why is she working so hard?' Confusion replaced his anger and he lay back in the water, hoping that the heat of the water would soothe away his questions.

Finally, he heard her steps take her back to the fire, and he heard her pull another chair close to it - to hang things on to dry. What would she do next?

Her footsteps took him toward the end of the tub where his head was resting, and there she stopped.

'This tub is so deep. How'm I s'posed to wash him? I... won't be able to reach unless...' She gulped. 'Unless I get in with him.'

She looked at him in the tub. His face was relaxed, and he looked... 'He does NOT look handsome!' His muscles promised strength with control - great control. 'What on earth would I possibly want him to control?' She swallowed deeply and tried not to think about that.

But... that aside... she was supposed to be cleaning him. 'Right. Pay attention to the task at hand. How... There's only one way.' Resolution firm in mind, she forced her nerves under control and tried to not think about anything other than accomplishing her task. She was doing this for the food. That was all. Really. No ulterior motives here. Nope. Nosiree!

"Sit up and scoot forward, please."

He was a little startled by her demand, but the quiet in her voice was so unusually controlled that he obeyed without thought. He didn't turn around to look at her. She'd be in just her wraps and would be embarassed. And... there was plenty of time to sneak a peek if she pissed him off later.

The water level began to rise. "What - What are you doing?" His voice was tight - almost panicky. She was NOT getting into the tub with him, was she? He felt his problem come back yet again. This was getting ridiculous. He was not built to react like a yo-yo.

Her voice was tight, controlled, almost patient as she explained quietly, "This tub is too deep. If you want me to bathe you, I need to be in the tub as well. Otherwise, I'd never be able to reach." 'Who's voice was that?'

"Oh." His voice was small and strangled.

Her breath sighed behind him, and he had a difficult time smothering his moan. "Please lie back. I will support your head, and wash your hair."

How was he to hide this problem? The soap in the water would help only if his length stayed beneath the water. He folded his hands in his lap to help block it from her view - just in case.

She'd crossed her ankles in front of her, her knees elevated, so that when he leaned back, his head rested against the middle of her calves.

He was so close... so close...

She began by rubbing at the ends of his hair, smoothing the hair out under the water, gently removing any snarls. He sighed contentedly. Soon, her fingers had worked their way up to the roots. Tiny fingertips massaged his scalp, working out any built-up dirt. The tingling feeling was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Muscles he hadn't even known were tense began to relax under her ministrations, and he couldn't help but release a sigh of pleasure.

Fuu blushed at the sound. 'That... didn't mean anything. I'm sure of it.' Her eyes were trained on his face. When it was relaxed like this, when he didn't look so defensive and angry, he really was more handsome. His jaw was very chiseled - he had quite remarkable features. His lips were thick and would be so incredibly soft...

'I am not thinking this.'

With one hand on the center of his back, she lifted him a bit out of the water, propping his back up with her knees. Using the bar of soap between her hands, she got a good lather going, then applied it to his head. As she was massaging the soap into his hair and scalp, he sighed again.

Her heart was beating very rapidly. With trembling hands, she lowered him back into the water and worked all the soap out. He was so relaxed, he didn't notice her shaking.

"Si - Sit up, please," she stuttered.

He sighed in disappointment even as he complied. 'That felt... wow.' Almost as good as sex. Maybe better. This he didn't have to pay for.

The sound of something rubbing behind him, as Fuu lathered up a sponge was all the warning he had. Then, the soft sponge was running up and down his back. Smooth, slippery, soft. Her touch was delicate - more gentle than anyone had ever been with him in his entire life.

Her tiny hand reached around to grasp his left arm as she concluded the washing of his back. She pulled his arm out to the side, and scrubbed his arm clean. Then, lifting his arm up, she took great care to clean under his arm - even relathering the sponge for a second go.

This was the most exhilarating bath ever. 'Why is this turning me on so much?'

The sponge working down his side hit a nerve and he gritted his teeth to not let it show.

She switched to the other side, and spent as much care on his right arm as his left. His biceps were so toned. Feeling the muscles under her hand, with no clothing to hide their shape, was making her light-headed. He could so easily turn on her, hold her in place and... do anything.

This time, when the sponge worked down his side, he jumped. It tickled. Or... maybe that wasn't really a tickle he was feeling.

'Okay. I've washed everything that's facing me. Now...' She swallowed hard.

He could feel her breath in pants behind him. Part of him was chuckling at her dilemma. She'd washed all the safe parts, now what was next? But part of him was in panic mode. She was so delicate. And her touch was affecting him very strongly. He felt like he might burst. Did he... want her?

'Ridiculous. She's just a kid-'

His thoughts cut off abruptly. She'd slid her legs around his hips, pulling him back against her chest. He could feel her wrapping-clad breasts pressing into his back. Oh, no. She wasn't completely flat - although she hid her curves well. She was... soft and warm. Was he getting even harder? Was that possible?

She wrapped her arms around him, and began to soap up his chest. To do so, she had to really press up against his back. 'But it's no big deal. He's had to carry me over his back before. It's nothing.' She tried hard to convince herself, but her breath was coming so rapidly.

He could feel her breath against his shoulder blades. She was panting. 'She's not...' His mind stumbled over the possibility. Was she... excited? He felt his own pulse quicken in response. The sponge brushed up against one of his nipples and he couldn't suppress the moan that ripped out of him.

"Mu- Mugen?" Why was her voice behaving so oddly? "Are... you okay?" She had stopped cleansing him at the sound of his moan, her hands ceasing their movement but oddly reluctant to relinquish their touch.

Could he even respond to her question? His brain was sending signals to his mouth to speak, but they were getting lost somewhere. All that came out was another moan.

He must be in pain, yet... his moan made her heart skip a beat. But he had to be in pain - she must have done something wrong. He never made sounds like that. Ever. Not even when he almost died. With a gasp at this realization, she released her hold on him and pulled back.

She was letting him go. She'd embraced him, and he'd never felt anything like that before, and now she was letting go. Without thought, he grabbed her wrists and pulled them tight, forcing her to embrace him again.

Deep and dark, full of despair and hope and want greater than he'd known possible, he breathed one syllable - "Fuu."

Her heart started fluttering. Somehow she must have swallowed a bird and it wanted out of her chest. She needed to run. She needed to stay. She didn't know.

Her heart beat a tattoo against his back. "Mu-"

Turning quickly, still holding on to her wrists, he turned to face her, and in one movement had captured her lips.

Soft, so soft.

She gasped and his tongue quickly took advantage of the opening, exploring her deeply.

Someone moaned softly.

He'd released her wrists and he was pulling her to him, his lips on hers, his tongue now battling hers for dominance. His arms pulled her so tightly to his chest, crushing her as if afraid she'd disappear if he let her go.

Finally, they separated, his arms still tightly looped around her waist. She was now, somehow, sitting on his lap, straddling him, and she could feel the proof of his desire against her lower belly, almost against where she'd developed an ache that she instinctively knew there would only be one way to relieve.

She looked up at him with wide eyes and saw the surprise she was feeling reflected in his own. What did this mean? Did this mean anything?

Did he really want her? Was this just frustration at not being able to visit the brothel?
Did she really want him? Was she just caught up in the moment?

The thought that he might just be using her as a poor substitution made her feel like her heart was breaking, and she knew - could no longer deny. Every time he'd jumped into danger, she'd felt as if she would die right along with him. It wasn't like that with Jin. She worried for him, but... she understood now.

She glanced away from him, biting her lower lip in confusion. "Mugen, I..."

She was pulling away from him again. 'I knew it!' He felt his anger rising. She didn't care about him. He was just a substitute, she was caught up in the moment. With his back to her, she'd been pretending he was... Or maybe she was just lonely. But regardless, the truth was that she didn't care for him like-

It hit him like an anvil on the head.

'Like I care for her. Dammit. She's always on my nerves!' But that's because deep down, it never felt as if she'd ever... ever...

"Fuck," he breathed softly. Then he pushed her off his lap and turned away from her. Then he angrily grabbed the sponge and started scrubbing his face with it.

"Mugen, wha-?"

Without looking at her, he growled, "Just go back to the room and eat. You've got to be starving by now." Then he submerged his face underwater, blowing bubbles, to rinse. Once he surfaced, she tentatively reached toward his shoulder, then pulled back.

"But I..." She was hugging her knees up to her chest. He really didn't want her at all. God, why did he do this to her? Why? She lowered her chin to her chest, forehead to knees, and began to cry.

It started silently. He was waiting for her to leave so he could break something. Something big and loud, preferably. But she didn't move. Why wasn't she moving. And then, he heard it. The stuttered breath that comes only when someone is crying quietly. Why was she crying?

'God, I'm such an ass! She's never... And I make her get almost naked and then... I've never taken anyone who wasn't willing. But I thought she was willing. GOD! I'm such an idiot!'

"I'm... sorry, Fuu. I... And you..." He paused and mentally used a few choice words to describe himself - like fucking bastard and useless piece of shit, along with several others that he'd heard applied to himself many times in his past. Then in a voice quieter than she'd ever heard from him, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

How to answer that? Her heart was broken. Did that count as hurt?

'Wait a second... Did... Did he actually just... apologize?' She stopped crying and stared at him with red, wide eyes. She sniffed back her tears and looked at him. He was hunched over himself.

'What the hell, it couldn't hurt any worse than a second ago, right?' Your heart can't break twice in two minutes.

She gulped down her fear and went boldly forward. "Mugen, do you... do-you-want-me-to-wash-your-front-now?" She quickly blurted it all out. Her eyes had squeezed tightly shut - like someone awaiting a heavy blow.

Slowly he turned to look at her in astonishment. She couldn't have just said... Her face was beet red, and she looked horribly embarassed. But as he watched, she opened one eye hopefully, then the other when she saw him looking at her. Then she began to chew her bottom lip, while her sweet eyes - dear god, she had the most trusting eyes - pleaded with him not to break her heart again.

He was frozen in the moment. It couldn't possibly be real.

She saw him looking at her - like an abandoned puppy who was offered a bite of food for the first time and couldn't believe this wasn't just another sick trick being played by mean kids out to taunt it - and her smile made her face gleam at him.

Then, she took the sponge out of his hand. Softly, she spoke as she reached out and took hold of one foot. "I think I'll start at your feet and work up. Because... I'm not 100% sure what to do in the middle. But maybe by the time I'm there..."

"Fuu. Do... Do you...?" His voice trailed off as his eyes searched hers.

Holding his firmly, and speaking with great certainty, all she said was, "Yes."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sponge tickled his toes. She made certain to clean very carefully. He found her attractive. HER! He wanted her like... that. 'I am not going to blow this. I just... I just need to figure out what to do.' Her eyes got wider. She'd just offered. What HAD she just offered? To wash his front. But... what did HE think that meant? 'Oh, dear god. I... I don't know what to do!'

Okay. This was okay. She had time to figure it out. Or he'd take over, maybe. That thought didn't help to calm her down. She was just finishing up with his first foot. Next was his leg. She'd move up his leg. 'Don't think about where it leads. Just wash. And if you don't have a plan by the time you finish his other leg... ?' Just wash.

'She just... Did she just tell me that she loves me? She's washing your feet. Do you honestly think she'd wash your feet for fun and laughs?' It was getting difficult to not pull his foot away. The stupid sponge tickled terribly. But. Fuu was washing his foot.

Okay, it would be really wrong if a pirate giggled. So, there's no way that he had the urge to giggle.

She'd begun washing up one leg. Idly, he wondered how far she'd go before she chickened out and switched to the other foot. But that didn't matter. Wherever she stopped tonight was okay with him. There would be plenty more nights ahead. He'd make sure of it. She loved him.

About mid-thigh, she snuck a glance and almost gasped out loud. 'Okay, I know that the women I've met in brothels always say that the bigger he is, the more pleasure, but... that thing's as big around as my wrist! What'm I...?' What the heck did he expect to do with that? Inside her? In her mouth? She'd heard the talk, but...

'I... I can't deal with this. I wouldn't even know where to start.' Panic fully setting in, she put his leg down and scooted back to work on the other foot. 'Just don't think about that thing. Just wash.' She set to work on the other foot with fervor.

He looked down at her. She was so determined. An all or nothing girl. And she loved him. Her face...

Looked scared. 'Why does she look scared?' "Fuu." His voice was soft, but she still jumped and squeaked. He jumped in response. She'd startled him. "What the fuck's your problem, wench?" The words were out before he could calm himself down. But that was nothing new. That was how he usually worked.

How he usually worked - his response was usual. It was familiar. And that was, oddly enough, soothing. Because she knew how to react to THAT! Mugen yells at her, she yells back whatever's on her mind at that particular second with absolutely no filter to keep her from saying things she didn't really mean - or things she didn't really want to admit. Ah! Familiar ground! Hooray!

"Well excuse me for never having done anything like this before! Not everyone has years of experience in pleasing a man! So what if I don't know what to do to make you happy! Who even said I wanted to anyway?"

'I didn't just say that. I didn't just say that. I didn't just say that. I didn't just say that.'

Her mouth was open like a freshly caught fish, and she was changing colors like a chameleon on Christmas wrapping paper. First red, then white, then green, then red again.

He was faring little better. 'What did she just say?' She loved him, AND she wanted to... please him? This had to be the best day of his life. No. The best moment of his life.

The grin he now sported made her want to curl up and hide. 'No. no no no no no. This could only be bad.'

"You know, all ya hadda do was tell me. I can teach you anything you want to know." He'd reclined back against the edge of the tub, and put his hands behind his head in a lazy pose. The tip of his manhood just peeked out of the water. "So. What do you want to know?"

What did she want to know? Did she want to know anything? He was smiling at her. And it wasn't even condescending. Okay. It was a little condescending. But this was Mugen. For him, this was... He was actually being kinda sweet. "Wha -" she looked down at the sponge in her hands, and asked very quietly, "What do I do next?"

He smiled softly at her. "Come closer." He waited as she made her way to him. Once she was close enough, he took the hand that had the sponge in it, and placed it against his chest.

"Use the sponge on my chest. Then work down to the stomach."

'He just wants me to wash him?' She continued with the task, relaxing a bit. But then, he reached out and grabbed her other hand, pulling her toward him.

"You don't have to sit so far away." He wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her into him. Like two lovers lying side by side in a tub. His hand started stroking up and down her back, lazily.

'God that feels good,' she thought. Her body was relaxing into his as she continued her washing of his front.

Her hand kept getting closer to his erection. Now, more than just the tip was poking out of the water. But each time her hand drooped near, she brought it back up. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was teasing him on purpose. But she - 'She really doesn't know anything about this.' She loved him, and wanted her first time to be with him. This stuff never happened to him. 'Why on earth would a good girl like her fall for a criminal like me?' It would have felt wrong if she hadn't felt so right in his arm.

His hand was drawing circles on her back and she sighed, snuggling in more to his shoulder. The movement made his smile grow wider. The sponge was barely touching him now - lightly tracing along as she became almost hypnotized from his relaxing touch. Why did he feel so good? Why was he being so sweet?

It was difficult to imagine him being sweet toward the whores he visited. Every time she and Jin had to interrupt him and save his butt at one of the brothels, it always seemed like he didn't care at all what the girl felt - he was just in it for his own pleasure. But now, he was taking time to make her feel relaxed and warm and gooey.

Distracted by her thoughts, she didn't notice that her hand reached lower than it had for this swipe. But the feeling of his length brushing against the sponge and her fingertips along with his moan brought her back to attention.

"EEP!" Before she could stop herself, the exclamation burst from her lips, and she jumped a bit away from him. 'Damn it! Why the hell did I jump? Isn't this... Isn't this what I... I mean, I wanted him to want me and now... But it's so big and hard and what if I do it wrong - then he'll never want me again. GOD! I don't think I could handle that.' Her thoughts piled up on top of each other, and she barely registered him looking at her with amusement.

The feeling of her fingers brushing against him had sent a shock of electricity through his system. And he wasn't at all surprised by her exclamation. God, she was so cute. Part of his brain registered that he'd always made sure that the women he was with were experienced - that he'd never had to explain everything to anyone before. It had always seemed like too much of a burden when all he wanted to do was get off.

But this time... it made it even better. She'd never had anyone other than him. She'd never wanted anyone else enough to have had anyone else. Just him. She loved him.

It didn't make sense. It didn't. But... when things are going your way, questioning them is a sure-fire way to make your good fortune cease.

And now, she would be having him instruct her on how to please him - exactly the way he wanted to be pleased.

He didn't want to scare her off, though. He'd have to make sure she enjoyed it too - otherwise, maybe she wouldn't want to repeat it. And if this could become a regular occurrence...

Broad strokes on her back brought her out of her tizzy. "You're doing good, Fuu." He coaxed her back into his shoulder. "Try touching it again." He stroked the arm with the sponge, and she felt tingles in her arm. Dreamily, her hand drifted toward that... that part of him.

Her eyes had closed as he drew her in. But she opened them again and deliberately looked down. It was jutting out of the water, cockily. 'Cock. That's what it's called. A cock.' The jaunty way it was saluting her was kinda cute. Even if the thing was kinda daunting when she thought about all the extraneous things that went along with it. But just looking at it, it... made her want to... how would it...

The sponge brushed up against it lightly, and it twitched. "Oh!"

She was getting more daring, relaxing into it. Encouragement right now was probably appropriate. "It's best when you stroke it."

The sponge went up and down the length, and he moaned. She turned her head to look at his face, which was relaxed in pleasure. She smiled. 'I put that look there.' And then turned back toward her hand.

The sponge, though. It didn't seem satisfying to her. SHE wasn't the one really touching him. 'If I...' She dropped the sponge, and her hand took over the motions.

He moaned, "Yes. Wrap your hand around it. I want to feel more of you."

'He wants to feel more of me!' She didn't hesitate to comply with his direction. Her hand had ceased moving, though, as she wrapped around him - nervous that she might squeeze too tight and hurt him. After all, she really had no idea how it worked except that eventually it would probably go in her mouth or... And then, he'd be happy. Why? She didn't know. But she'd been told so many times that men loved this - and some women did, too - that it must be true.

His hips bucked against her hand, and she began using her fist, running up and down him. Up and down. Up and down. She could feel veins pulsing beneath her palm, and as they did, he moaned again.

"Yes. God, yes. Just like that!" She was bringing him pleasure. The thought made her happy, but her mind kept running. She was touching him. She was touching him the way that married couples touched - or guests at brothels touched whores. And he liked it. He liked her touching him.

His breathing was becoming heavier. Her touches were a little lighter than he'd want normally, but it seemed so her that it was making him even more excited.

The sounds he was making were making her stomach twist, and her lower wrappings felt wet - which was stupid, because of course they were wet. Hello? Sitting in a tub? But hot and wet - hotter than the bath water, and wetter somehow.

He reached up and grasped her wrist, holding it in place, and it felt like his entire rod pulsed in her hand once - twice, then grudgingly settled down.

She turned to look at him, and with dark, groggy eyes, he said, "Too much." The darkness in his eyes made the area between her legs clench. And she felt a bit faint. But why did he stop her?

He could see she didn't understand. Why had he stopped her? He'd liked it hadn't he? "If you kept going, I would have come, and then it'd be all over." 'And I don't want it to be over so soon.'

Come? She didn't really know what that meant, although she'd heard the term. "Wha..." She blushed, embarassed at her lack of knowledge, and at the subject matter in general. "What happens when you... come?" The last word sounded foreign from her and he chuckled.

"When I come, cream comes out." God, she was adorable - and only his. She was with him. She wanted to be with him. Not Jin. And not just because she thought it was the only way to eat. Yes, he was going to make this last long - make her scream in pleasure. That way, she wouldn't change her mind when the asshole came back. And she wouldn't be disappointed that she'd chosen him. She'd chosen him.

Her brow scrunched with thought. 'Cream.' So that's why so many women took it into their mouths? 'It must be safe to eat, right?' Vaguely she recalled a couple of jerks at a cafe where she worked commenting on whether a woman swallowed or spit. That hadn't made sense then, but with this new information, it made more sense.

'Would it taste like cream from a cow?' Probably not. That would explain why some women spit - obviously some women didn't like the taste. But the men had seemed to think it was better to find a woman who swallows.

"So..." He'd probably like it if she did that. If she took him into her mouth. And swallowed when he gave her cream.

She imagined his look of pleasant disbelief he'd have if she was the one to suggest it, and picturing that look made a shiver run down her spine in excitement. She'd spent the entire time so far looking like a child, not knowing anything. Knowing him, he'd probably get bored with her if she didn't start to show him SOME initiative.

And if he rejected her later just because she didn't know what he wanted, she'd feel worse than if he'd never been attracted to her at all. It wasn't like... 'It's not like he'll ever love me, not really. I'm too much of a pain in his ass.' And even if someday he ever did feel that strongly about her, she knew that he would always be a wandering loner - he didn't like letting people in. That's why the most she could hope for would be that, for a while at least, he'd want her - he'd want to spend time with her instead of disappearing into the brothels. She'd take him for as long as she could, and let him go when he needed to go. She'd keep him happy for as long as she could.

'I... God, I really want him! But, I'll have to show him that I'm not just some scared girl who doesn't know anything.' Mind made up, she smiled slyly at him.

This was a new face. She didn't look scared anymore. That was good, but... Now she looked devious. 'Uh. oh.'

"Cream, huh?" Her smile was sultry. "Mmmmmmm. Yummy." She licked her lips, and began a slow movement out of his arms and down his body.

'What the HELL?!' What did she mean yummy? Part of his mind envisioned her as a woman from a brothel - one of them might say something like that. And get a tip from their customer for being enthusiastic, too. But this was Fuu. So that statement couldn't mean anything like that!

And then her stomach growled.

She had the grace to look embarassed, but his mind harped on still unassuaged guilt. Food = yummy. Fuu wanted food. That's why she was bathing him. For food. But this wasn't about food, was it?

Because she'd told him that she loved him, right? Didn't she? His mind played over the what had happened earlier. He'd kissed her. She'd pulled away. He'd pulled further away and told her to go back to the room to eat. She'd cried. He'd apologized for taking advantage - okay. No. He'd just apologized. He hadn't said what for. She'd looked up at him and asked if he wanted her to wash his front.

And he'd seen her face and asked her if she loved him. He'd said, "Fuu... Do you..." 'DAMMIT!' He hadn't asked the whole question. 'GOD DAMMIT!' She'd said yes, but what had she been saying yes to?

It could've been "Fuu, do you know that I'm not going to let you eat unless you wash every inch of me?"
Or "Do you know that I'm going to give you hell for not finishing up what you agreed to?"
Or "Do you have the guts to complete what you started, bitch?"
Or even "Fuu, do you wish that it was Jin here instead of me?"

So what HAD she said yes to?

Fuu's sultry smile seemed evil now. She winked at him - actually winked! - as she stopped by his hips. "So... Can I eat your cream?"

'God, that sounded stupid even to me! What the hell am I doing?! He's gonna think I'm a total retard! Crap, crap, crap, crap! I wanted to sound sexy for him.'

To make matters worse, her stomach let out another rumble.

He stared at her blankly. "You... want to EAT..."

Chewing on her lip again, she nodded coquettishly. Maybe it hadn't sounded dumb to him...

"Get the fuck outta here and just go back to the room." His eyes were closed, and his face tight. His words were quiet and angry. Mugen's words. Quiet and angry. He was rarely quiet, and even more rarely quiet while angry - unless he was falling upon murderous rage.

'I...' "You want me to leave?" she squeaked. 'I blew it. Why'm I such a useless idiot? Of course. He doesn't want me. I'm too useless. I must've reminded him by opening my stupid mouth. Or my stupid stomach growling reminded him how much of a brat I was earlier tonight.' Certainty that he only wanted her because he couldn't visit a brothel and she was the only alternative began to war in her consciousness with the thought that somehow, she'd not only disappointed him, but now she'd also upset him, disappointed him. Maybe even disgusted him. Now... would he leave now?

Why hadn't she left yet? Why was she still there? God, he just wanted to break something. But he wouldn't do it in front of her. She made him more frustrated than he'd ever felt in his entire life.

Of course she just was doing it for the food. No. She wasn't a whore, but she knew how to survive, and survival sometimes called for compromises.

But not like that. Fuu was all or nothing. Didn't he say that before? Fuu wouldn't give that part of herself up just for food. She was tougher than that. That's one of the things he loved about her. She was tougher than she appeared.

Is that why she had agreed to bathe him for food?

No. Just 'cause she agreed didn't mean that she had to look at him, or even really touch him - there'd've been a sponge. She'd never sell herself.

Still, she offered to wash his front. Okay, this just doesn't add up unless she did care for him - right? His mind was swirling and he didn't know what to think. This was all too tiring.

Anger drained, all he was left with was emptiness. "If all you want is food, you can have it all. All the food back in the room. Okay? You said you'd bathe me. You did. You don't owe me anything."

"Mugen, I... I'm sorry if I-"

"You don't have to be sorry. Just-" he took a breath. "Just go get dressed before I do something stupid, okay?" He began to mutter to himself, "Getting into a bath with a pirate. What was she thinkin'?"

Very softly, "I'm sorry I made you mad, Mugen. I... I really didn't mean to. I just wanted to..." She couldn't control it any more. She'd ruined everything. She'd taken a shot and lost and now she'd lost everything. He wouldn't stay any more. He wouldn't. He followed his heart and now that he hated her, he'd leave and she'd never see him again. She'd never see him again!

She wailed and began sobbing into her hands.

He'd been trying to protect her. She didn't love him. He'd misinterpreted what she'd said and was about to take her purity, and he'd stopped himself. So why was she so upset. Oh, dear god! She was sobbing hysterically. He didn't have any idea why.

"Stop it. Stop it. Why're you bawlin? Just... stop." His word were those of a man with no experience in comfort trying and failing to offer support. "All you did was touch it. You didn't do anything else. You're still a good girl. It's okay, Fuu. I won't try to make you do anything. Okay? Stop cryin'. Please."

He closed in on her and touched her on the shoulder. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "You... won't leave?"

"Leave? What the hell are you talkin' about?" His voice would have sounded angry to an outsider, but she knew he was just confused. And then, "You want me to leave?" Panic now laced through his confusion.

"NO!" She grabbed his hand in both of hers. "Please. Please don't leave. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I wanted to be good enough for you - so you'd want me and so you wouldn't have to teach me and I wouldn't be such an idiot to not know what you wanted, but I did it wrong or something and made you mad, but I don't want you to leave. Please don't leave me Mugen." She'd lowered her forehead to the back of his hand and her tears were bathing it. "I'm sorry. Please."

His heart hurt. It wasn't built to act like a yo-yo either.

Hesitantly he spoke, "Fuu, what are you talking about? Why would I leave? Why would you WANT me to stay?" She just continued to sob over his hand. "You don't think you're good enough for me?" His voice espoused his complete disbelief.

Through her sobs, she responded, "I'm not pretty or smart, and I don't know what to do. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Mugen."

He stared at her. She didn't think she was pretty or smart? What alternate universe was she living in? Hadn't she ever seen her reflection? Okay, so he called her ugly all the time, yeah, but that was because he didn't want her to know...

Reaching forward, he cupped one hand over a wrapping covered breast. She EEEPed and looked up at him, startled. "Yeah, you've got some room to grow up here. Still... I bet without the wrappings on, they'd be pretty soft and kissable." He ran a hand down from her breast down her side and she shivered. "And you are kinda scrawny. You eat like a pig and never gain any weight. And you hike down mile after mile of road with two guys who're much bigger than you and you never gain any muscles so you're always lagging behind. But!" He flicked her chin and looked at her like he was proud of her. "You never stop. You're just too friggin' stubborn. You just don't quit. And you catch up eventually."

He was saying nice things about her. Nice things. And he'd touched her breast. His hand down her side refreshed her desire and she shivered. 'My breasts are kissable? He thinks I'm stubborn?' He was saying nice things!

He gave her a questioning look. "About you being an idiot - I'm not gonna argue that. I mean, how stupid does a girl have to be to climb into a tub with a criminal? Any moron would know that. Climb into a hot tub with someone like me, and you've either got to be the stupidest person alive, or you've got to - oh, I don't know -" he tried to keep hope out of his voice, sound like he didn't care one way or the other, "love the guy or something."

'Love the guy? Oh, no! He knew!' She blushed. He knew that she cared about him.

Okay. He knew. It was time to stop lying. Stop using euphemisms. 'He knows I love him.' She looked up at him. "So do you think I'm stupid? Or do you think that," she put all her emotion into it, almost saying it as if it were not part of a question, "I love you, Mugen."

She'd said it. Kind of. It sounded like it. But still... 'To hell with not knowing for sure.' "You tell me, Fuu. Could a good, beautiful, smart, stubborn, pain-in-the-ass, frustrating woman like you ever fall in love with an asshole criminal like me?" His eyes held hers. As much as he wanted to pretend that he didn't care what her answer was, his eyes were searching hers for a foretelling of the answer to come.

Staring into his eyes, she felt tears escape her own. Without blinking, she replied, "Yes."

What else was there for her to say?

His hardened heart wasn't satisfied. The answer she'd given was that a woman like her COULD fall in love with a creep like him - but it didn't mean that she DID love him. He needed more. His eyes flashed, and he said, "Tell me."

Her heart rose to her throat. There was heat and passion. "I do, Mugen. I love you."

He sat still for a moment. She'd said the exact words. There was no way he could misinterpret this, could he? His mind roved for substitute meanings that could be used - just to be safe. "You love me like a brother? Like a friend? Or like I love you?"

He hadn't even realized he'd admitted it. He was just trying to get to the truth.

'He... LOVES me?' It was hard to breathe. He loved her? He just said he loved her. 'He LOVES me!'

She stood up in the tub in front of him. "I love you like this, Mugen." She began unwrapping her breasts. As the cloth became unwound, she made her final query. "Is this the way that you love me?"

He stared at her as she stood. He didn't know what was coming and certainly did not expect it. but her breasts were inch by inch becoming exposed. He couldn't pull his eyes off her. Her own eyes were still slightly pink from her tears. She did love him. She loved him and was going to give herself to him.

He reached out and stopped her hands from unwrapping any further.

"Fuu. I... Do you really want to do this with ME?"

She held his eyes and smiled. "I ONLY want to do this with you, Mugen."

His hands, holding hers, pulled her down to him. She slipped and fell into his arms, and he caught her.

Oh, he caught her, caught her lips with his. Caught her hair, his hands running through it. Caught her wrappings, ripping them off of her. Caught her breasts, cupping them, breaking from their kiss to nibble down her neck, her shoulder, her collarbone, licking a trail to her breasts whre he took turns catching them in his mouth, suckling and teasing them with his teeth. Caught her hips, lifting her up so that she was sitting on his lap, legs wrapping around him, rubbing up against his erection.

He moaned and looked up at her, her head thrown back from his ministrations. He smiled and his hands stroked down her sides, tickling and exciting. Her core flooded heat at him. She wanted him. She loved him. He began unwrapping her on the bottom.

Placing her hands on his shoulders - they were firm, ropey, so hot, and she was touching them - she lifted herself up to allow him room to completely remove anything that could keep them separated.

His hand was lightly tugging at her curls, and she blushed. No one had ever touched her there before. And then his fingers spread her, so that one could flick at a place she didn't know existed, but where his touch was making her see sparkles. "Oh!" she gasped.

And then, quickly, he inserted a single finger. She moaned and relaxed her arms, bringing her weight down on his arms. He was supporting her, and his fingers were playing her. She was strung tight, and he was playing her like a sitar. "God, Mugen!"

His name sounded so good when she was moaning it. He began laving her breasts with affection. And to reassure her, mumbled, "I was right. Very kissable."

His hand had set up a rhythm and she was unconsciously matching it, giving little "Oh, oh"s with each thrust. He'd worked in two, then three fingers, stretching her wide. As she built higher and higher, one thought kept circling her brain. Finally, she gaspingly gave it voice.

"Is this how you love me, Mugen? Do you love me like this?"

She was a goddess. An angel. Someone up there finally decided he'd had enough shit in his life, and this was his karmic payback. 'I'd live all that shit over again for this,' he thought.

She exploded into light.

He felt her clamp around his hand, and his dick throbbed in response.

Slowly, she lifted her head from where it had been thrown back and gazed at him deeply. "Do you?"

She was going to draw blood if she kept worrying at her lip like that. But he kinda understood. He smiled.

She didn't wait for an answer. She positioned herself over him, drawing his head inside her. "Um... I'm not going to give up wanting you, even if it's no, you know. So you can tell me. Anything." She eased down on him just a bit and he moaned. "Either way-"

He cut her off with a gravelly reply: "Baka. Like this. Like that. Like everything. Yes."

Turn-about is fair play. "Tell me," she said smiling. And then she impaled herself on his shaft, gasping at the sensation - it hurt and yet didn't. It was too wonderful to really be painful. Because as she'd moved, he'd moaned, "Yesssssss." And after she'd taken him in entirely, he'd continued, his voice almost a whisper. "I love you, Fuu."

And then he'd leaned back and began to lift her. She forced herself back down on him, and soon, her petite breasts were bouncing in front of his face. How had he ever thought they were small?

God, they were perfect. She was perfect. She was so tight around him. No one was ever that tight. Like a custom tailored glove. Hot. Perfect. Her voice calling out her ohs. He could tell she was controlling her volume - if he ever got her somewhere alone, she'd be screaming his name. He leaned back a bit more, changing his angle, and she thrust a fist in her tiny mouth to silence the volume that would have ripped out of her. Even muffled, he could tell she was chanting his name.

She screamed into her fist as she clamped down on him like a vise. A soft, wet, hot vise that felt so good it hurt. He knew it was all done. Two more thrusts and her name "FUUUUUU!" was called in a breathless scream.

She collapsed onto him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, burying her face into his neck. She breathed softly into his ear, "Wow."

He smiled and wrapped his own arms around her waist.

"Wow," she breathed again. "Is it always like... Is that why you always go to brothels?"

He pulled back and looked at her in surprise. "It's never like that. Never."

"Oh." She didn't know what to make of that. "Um... Does that mean you won't want to do it again?" She tried not to appear disappointed at the thought.

Smirking, he replied, "What are you referring to? Doing you? Or the brothel?"

"Mugen!" She play slapped his shoulder.

"Let's get you back to the room and get some food in you before ol' fish-face gets off work." He stood up and lifted her off him in one movement. She was climbing out of the tub, so she didn't see him smiling possessively at her as she reached for a towel and began drying off.

He reached down into the tub and grasped her wrappings - both her unruined bottom and shredded top. 'I'll have to get her a new top one,' he thought as he sat on the edge of the tub and cleaned the one that was still re-useable.

He finished washing, rinsing, and wringing it, and then climbed out of the tub for a towel of his own.

She gasped as she sensed him nearing. "Mugen!" she exclaimed, covering herself with the towel.

He chuckled. "What're YOU getting all flustered about. Not like I haven't seen it before."

She blushed again and turned away from him. He still hadn't answered her. Was this a once only? Were the brothels better? Frowning slightly, she realized she had no dry wrappings.

"Oh no!" she gasped as she pulled her now dry kimono off the chair.

He handed the bottom wrappings toward her - still wet. "Yeah. Well, it's clean now, and it'll dry in the room. Until then, you'll just have to," he smiled broadly at the thought, "go without for a bit. Tomorrow, we'll get you a new top."

She spun to look at him. He'd cleaned her wrappings? He was gonna buy her new ones?

"And if I leave mine off til tomorrow, maybe once we're back in the room..." His smirk really should be patented. "You think you'll be up for an encore?"

Eyes wide she asked, "Are we going to have a lot more money for sake and rooms now?" She knew that he'd understand she was asking, 'now that you won't need a brothel at every other town". She was so happy, she could burst.

Ignoring her question, he smiled and said, "Food's probably cold back in the room. We should get you fed."

Shaking her head - he really didn't like to give a straight answer. Two could play at that game. "Mmmm. Yeah. You know, I really could go for some cream..." His face faulted and she continued, "ed corn. Or some cream... cake. OH. Cream and peaches!"

Pulling her in for a kiss, one hand grasped her breast and he said, "I think we could manage that." She missed the double entendre, but he was kissing her so he didn't care.

They remained touching as they dressed and walked back to the room.

"You know, Mugen, Jin once told me how much he loves cream of brocolli soup..."

"That is a picture I really didn't need."

She giggled.

"I do love you, Mugen."

"Yeah. I know."

She sighed and shook her head. He'd said it once. It was enough. And now, it was time to eat. At last.

She'd been hungry for far too long.


- FIN -