Samurai Champloo Fan Fiction ❯ Dancing Cherry Blossoms ❯ Point ( Chapter 9 )

Dancing Cherry Blossoms

 

Chapter 9: Point

 

 

 

 

“You said she was helping them?” Hinome asked and she popped a cherry in her mouth. Ajisai and Ayame sat before her. Hoshi sat next to her. Ayame nodded slowly. Hinome studied her for a moment. She honestly could not stand Ayame's guts, but then again, Ayame was not her problem.

 

“Hai, okusama,” Ayame said. Hinome nodded.

 

“I see,” she said. Hoshi looked at Ayame.

 

“You two, out. Hinome and I have something to talk about,” she said. Ayame and Ajisai nodded. They stood, bowed, and left the room silently. Hoshi turned and looked at Hinome once she was sure Ajisai and Ayame had cleared off. Hinome was staring down at her bowl of cherries. She sighed.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that, Hoshi?” Hinome asked. Hoshi just smirked.

 

“What do you plan to do about Sakura? She does not look like she is going to complete her job. I think she has let other factors block her. I think she has become attached,” Hoshi said. Hinome sighed and took a sip of her tea.

 

“I do not believe that.”

 

“You do and you know you do. I think we should test where her loyalties lay, Hinome,” Hoshi said. Hinome shook her head.

 

“Sakura is loyal to the Hanafusa Shikyakus, Hoshi. She will get the job done. Give her time.”

 

“Hinome, are you really that dense? I'm sending someone to make sure she gets the job done, whether you want to or not. We will see where her loyalties lie. Ichi!” Hoshi said. Hinome closed her eyes and took another sip of her tea. There was no point in arguing with Hoshi. It would just go on until she got her way.

 

Ichi came in the room. He walked around to face the two women.

 

“Hai, Hoshi-sama?” He said. Hoshi smiled at him.

 

“Ichi, send the Suisen to Sugiyama. Tell her to complete Sakura's assignment. Tell Ayame to tail her but to not make her presence known. I want a report back,” Hoshi said. Ichi looked at Hinome. Hinome looked up at him and sighed deeply. She sat her cup down.

 

“Do as she says, Ichi,” she mumbled. Ichi nodded and left the room to find Suisen, the Daffodil Assassin. Hoshi looked at Hinome. “She will kill Suisen and you know it, Hoshi.”

 

“That may be, Hinome. But, at least we'll know where her loyalties lie,” Hoshi said. Hinome sighed. She did not like the way this situation was looking. Suisen ranked up there with Ayame in sheer callousness that came with being a trained assassin.

 

Mugen was cleaning the floor in Ai's house. It was his punishment for breaking some plates earlier that day. Normally, he was not one to take orders, especially from a woman. But, Ai and Sakura had ganged up on him and said that if he did not do as he was told, they would go to any lengths to make sure he received no food from anyone in the town. So, Mugen was forced to clean her floor.

 

Sakura sat across the room, watching Mugen intently. She knew she was wasting in an insane amount of time doing absolutely nothing. Instead of completing her assignment, she was prolonging the ultimately inevitable. She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not hear Sayuri calling to her until a sandal hit her in the head. She turned her head so fast that she felt her neck crack. Sayuri was standing there with her arms crossed.

 

“What the fuck is your problem? Why the hell did you just lob a sandal at me?” Sakura said loudly. Mugen turned and looked at Sayuri and Sakura. Sayuri walked over to Sakura and picked up the sandal. She put it back on her foot.

 

“I've been calling you for that past five minutes. Are you hard of hearing?” Sayuri looked a little miffed. Sakura raised an eyebrow. This was highly unusual. Sayuri rarely ever looked angry.

 

“Iie. Sorry about that. What is it?”

 

“I need to speak to you outside,” Sayuri said. Sakura nodded and stood up to follow her out. Outside, Sayuri rounded on her.

 

“What's the problem?”

 

“When are you going to complete this job? I know that Ayame and Ajisai probably told Hoshi, Kin-Kin, and Hinome all about what happened at the festival. Aren't you worried?” Sayuri asked. Sakura sighed and looked down.

 

Inside, two men walked past Mugen.

 

“I see that the girl already has you doing her chores, Mugen,” one of the men said. Mugen's eye twitched. He turned his head slowly to look at the two men.

 

“What was that?” He grumbled. The two men laughed.

 

“That Sakura girl has you wrapped around her finger, doesn't she? I never thought I'd see the day when Mugen was whipped,” the man said. Mugen stood up.

 

“Listen, Kamaru, no bitch has me wrapped around her finger; especially not Sakura,” Mugen said on the defensive side.

 

“Oh, so you mean to tell me that she's just another one of your fuck buddies?” Kamaru asked, sounding exceedingly cynical. For a moment, Mugen faltered. Neither Kamaru nor his friend caught it. Mugen crossed his arms.

 

“Maybe she is,” he said coolly. Kamaru and his friend laughed even harder. They walked around him in search of Ai. Mugen turned around to sit back down. He stopped when he saw the one person he wished had not heard his last sentence.

 

Sayuri and Sakura were standing at the door. Sayuri looked shocked while Sakura's face portrayed no emotion at all. Before anyone could say anything, Sakura had stormed off in anger. Sayuri watched her go then looked back at Mugen.

 

“Are you trying to die?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Mugen sat down roughly and put his head in his hands.

 

`Good job, Mugen. Now she'll really hate you,' he thought drearily.

 

Sakura walked into Ai's little office. Kamaru and his friend were talking with the brothel's owner. They paused when they saw the look on Sakura's face. They parted so that Sakura could see Ai. Ai raised an eyebrow when she saw Sakura.

 

“How can I help you, Sakura?” She asked, unsure of what the answer will be.

 

“Iwanttoworkhere,” Sakura said quickly. Ai blinked. She was not sure that she had heard her correctly.

 

“Nani?”

 

“I want to work here temporarily,” Sakura repeated. Ai nearly dropped her tea all over her. She put the cup down and looked at Sakura again. The girl was obviously pissed off.

 

`Most likely at Mugen,' she thought.

 

“I can't let you work here, Sakura.”

 

“Why?” Sakura asked. Ai could see that the young girl was not going to back down. She was going to pursue this until Ai gave in.

 

“You're not...experienced...enough,” Ai lied. She knew anyone who had been sleeping with Mugen for even a week could easily hang among the best. If you could handle Mugen, you could handle anything. Sakura knew this as well.

 

“Try me out. Aren't you having a party of some sort?” Sakura said. Ai sighed.

 

“They want m to provide girls for a party. Sakura, I'm not going to let you...”

 

“Hai, you will,” Sakura said. Ai sighed. She was definitely not going to win this battle. She threw her hands up in defeat.

 

“Fine. He party is tomorrow. Be here early in the morning,” Ai said. Sakura nodded and left the room.

 

That night, Fuu, Jin, and Sayuri watched and Sakura was determined not to even acknowledge that Mugen was in the room, let alone the house. Neither would look the other in the face. They stared unwaveringly on their plates. Fuu and Jin had not yet been informed what the problem was between the two. Sakura was the first one to finish eating.

 

“Domo arigatou, Fuu. It was very good. Oyasumi,” she said as she stood. Fuu nodded and watched her leave. Once they all heard the door to Sakura and Sayuri's room shut, everyone glared at Mugen maliciously.

 

“What the hell did you do to her?” Fuu demanded. Mugen looked at her.

 

“Me? What makes you think I did something?”

 

“Because you always do,” Jin said almost inaudibly. Mugen looked at him, his right eye twitching.

 

“You little...”

 

“Mugen said something that Sakura might've taken offense to,” Sayuri said quietly. Fuu turned to face Sayuri.

 

“What did he say?”

 

“None of your damn business,” Mugen said as he stood up. He started to walk towards Sayuri and Sakura's room. Jin shook his head.

 

“Not the best of ideas,” he said, sipping his tea. Mugen gave him the finger as he continued to walk.

 

Sakura was sliding her kimono off her shoulders as Mugen slid the door open forcefully. Sakura immediately pulled it up and whirled on him. Mugen took a second to take in her appearance. She was apparently trying to hold her kimono closed. The one thing that was different about her was that her hair was already unbraided.

 

“Get the fuck out,” Sakura said. Mugen flinched at the amount of contempt that was in her voice.

 

“Would you just calm down for a sec...” Mugen was cut off when Sakura kicked him in the gut. He fell backwards. Before he could sit up, Sakura had her foot on his neck, pressing against his windpipe. Mugen knew that if she pushed hard enough, she could easily kill him.

 

“I am calm,” she whispered in a deadly tone. Mugen took hold of her ankle and twisted. Sakura gave a little yelp as she fell back on the futon.

 

Fuu and Sayuri sighed as they heard the wrestling going on in the room. Jin just shook his head and continued eating slowly.

 

“Why is it that whenever they get angry with each other, they have to beat each other senseless to settle it?” Fuu sighed out. Sayuri shrugged.

 

“No clue. What happened to just kissing and making up?”

 

“Neither wants to admit that they are wrong. So, neither will give up until they have had their say,” Jin said. Fuu looked at him.

 

“Most of the time...wait, no...ALL of the time, Mugen is the one in the wrong, not Sakura. So, why does he doesn't he just admit that he's wrong?” Fuu asked, popping a dumpling into her mouth. Sayuri shrugged again.

 

“Because he's a stubborn ass. Sakura's just as stubborn. She wouldn't listen to him if he did admit that he was wrong. They'd fight it out anyway,” she said.

 

Sakura yelped again as Mugen grabbed her hair to keep from falling. He already had a busted lip and probably a black eye. Sakura had a cut on her arm. Mugen was not trying to hit her. She reached out to hit him. Mugen grabbed her arm and turned her around. He held her tightly.

 

“Let me go,” she said.

 

“Not until you calm down. Listen to me for a second,” Mugen said. Sakura continued to struggle under his grasp. Mugen was starting to hurt her. His nails dug into her skin.

 

“Iie. What do you have to ay that I don't know already?” Sakura stamped on his foot. Mugen released her and bent down to look at his foot. Sakura backed away from him. While he was mourning his foot, she moved across the room quickly. Mugen looked up to see that he was staring down the business end of Sakura's sword. He looked up into her gaze.

 

“Sakura...”

 

“Get out,” she said. Mugen stood up straight. They glared at each other for a moment. Finally, Mugen turned and left, black eye and all. Once the door slid shut, Sakura dropped the sword and sat down hard on the futon.

 

Fuu and Sayuri watched as Mugen stormed down to his own room and slammed the door shut. They looked at each other and smirked.

 

“I wonder how long it will take for them to kiss and make up.” Fuu mused. Sayuri shrugged.

 

“Who knows? I'd say Mugen really dug himself in deep this time,” Sayuri said. Fuu and Jin nodded slowly.

 

Sakura sat in front of Ai the next day. Ai stared long and hard at her. Sakura stared back. Ai noticed how puffy Sakura's eyes were. Her face was pretty red and if anything she looked miserable.

 

“Your eyes are extremely puffy. Your face is incredibly red. What have you been doing?” Ai asked, although she probably already knew the answer to that question. Sakura rubbed her eyes.

 

“Nothing,” she lied. Ai raised an eyebrow and nodded.

 

“Well, let's get you ready.” She stood up. Sakura followed suit.

 

Later, Mugen and Jin walked in Kamaru's home. The place was packed with people. It was amazing how people could just forget events within a week and go back to partying like nothing ever happened. Many of the men in the house were already drunk. Mugen glanced around the room looking for Fuu or Sayuri. He found them sitting at a table laughing with some men. Jin immediately headed over to them.

 

“Hi, Jin,” Fuu said with a little too much verve. Jin raised an eyebrow. She was already slightly tipsy. She even had the sake in her hand. Jin sat down next to her. Mugen took a seat next to Sayuri. He looked around the room for the one person he did not see: Sakura.

 

“Where is she?” He asked. Sayuri looked up from her food.

 

“What was that?”

 

“Where is Sakura?” Mugen asked. Sayuri nodded.

 

“Oh, she's around,” she said slyly. Mugen looked at her. He was confused by her answer.

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“You'll see,” Fuu said after she swallowed. It was then that Sakura walked out from the back of the house. “Aw, isn't she pwetty?” Fuu said loudly. Mugen turned his head and saw her.

 

Sakura wore a red kimono. Unlike the other girls, she wore her hair down and around her face. Ai walked beside her, smiling. She looked proud of her creation. Mugen could not believe what he was seeing. Sakura was beautiful but the way she looked now made it even more pronounce. She almost didn't look human. He immediately stood up.

 

“Mugen ,wait!” Sayuri yelled. Mugen ignored her and continued to stalk over to Sakura.

 

Sakura looked up just as Mugen grabbed her arm. She was torn from Ai's side. He pulled her back into a wall and cornered her.

 

“What the hell is this?” He asked. Sakura stared up at him.

 

“I'm working. Now, unless you're going to pay, get the hell out of my way,” she said. Mugen blinked at her bluntness.

 

“You work for Ai?” He croaked. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

 

“And if I do? What the hell are you going to do about it? Nothing, that's what. Now, get the fuck out of my way,” Sakura said. Mugen did not budge. Sakura tried to push past him. He grabbed her arm. They stood in silence right next to each other. Each was staring directly in front of them.

 

“Why are you doing this?” Mugen whispered.

 

“Since you consider me nothing more than a whore you fuck for fun, I guess that leaves me to do whatever the hell I want, right?” Sakura asked in a cold tone. Mugen frowned at her words. He released her arm. Sakura let it fall to her side, but she did not move.

 

“Do what you want. See if I give a damn,” Mugen walked away. Sakura shook her head and walked off in the opposite direction. Mugen flopped down next to Sayuri. The whole table was watching him.

 

“Smooth, Mugen,” Sayuri said.

 

“Hai, real smooth,” Fuu said. Mugen looked up at them. The look in his eyes told them that maybe they really should have left it alone.

 

“Shut the fuck up.”

 

Two hours later, everyone was drunk, but no one was as drunk as Mugen. He was holding the pitcher of sake and drinking straight from it. While everyone was talking jovially, he was glaring at Sakura. Sakura sat across the room, laughing with some men. Every now and then, she would meet his eyes and just hold them for a moment. Then, she would return laughing and playing with the drunken men. Fuu noticed Mugen's staring. She leaned over to Jin.

 

“Jin, make sure Mugen doesn't do anything rash,” she whispered. Jin looked at Mugen. He looked like he was ready to pounce on any girl that passed him.

 

“Hn,” Jin mumbled. Fuu nodded and went back to her conversation with Sayuri and some other guy.

 

Mugen watched the way Kamaru was touching her playfully. Sakura would just slap his hand away and laugh. Mugen started mumbling a few choice words under his breath. Sakura picked up a cherry from the bowl. She deliberately looked at Mugen and put it in her mouth very slowly. Mugen's breath caught for a moment. He thought he saw her smirk before she bit down on the cherry. Then it occurred to him.

 

“That bitch is fuckin' teasin' me,” he slurred. Jin looked up at him. He looked over at Sakura. She was indeed trying to get some point across. Even he knew that much.

 

`I don't think that she planned on Mugen being drunk when he realized that she was toying with him,' Jin thought. He shook his head. `This could get ugly,' she said.

 

Mugen was now concentrating on how Kamaru traced Sakura's neckline. She seemed to be letting him do it, too. This infuriated Mugen. Sakura looked back up at him, a sensual smirk on her face. Mugen nearly dropped the pitcher. He saw her laugh and stand up.

 

Sakura looked down at Kamaru.

 

“I'll go get more sake. I will be right back. I promise, Kamaru,” she said happily. Kamaru smiled and nodded.

 

“Don't take too long,” he said. Sakura smiled and walked off. She hurried off to the storage room.

 

Mugen's eyes followed Sakura as she disappeared to the storage room.

 

`She wants to play dirty,' he thought evilly, `so can I.' Mugen took another swig of sake and stood up, alerting Jin, Sayuri, and Fuu. Mugen started to walk off.

 

“Where do you think you a...”

 

“Fuck off,” Mugen said, silencing Jin. Sayuri and Fuu blinked at his curtness. Jin decided to ignore him.

 

Sakura sighed as she heard the door to the storage room close and lock. She stood up straight and turned around.

 

“I said I'll be ba...” Sakura stopped. Mugen stood in front of her. He looked very and angry and also very drunk. Sakura took a step back. “Mugen?” Mugen stalked towards her. Sakura backed up into the wall. Before she could protest, he pulled her into a deep kiss. Sakura pushed him off of her. Mugen looked hungrily at her. “Mugen, you're dru...” Sakura was cut off by Mugen's lips again, pinning her against the wall.

 

Sakura gave in as he left her lips and went to her bared neck. She pulled at his shirt, trying desperately to regain control over herself. Seeing that nothing was going to work, she let herself go again. All coherent and responsible thought went out of the window. She shivered when she felt his hot breath against her ear. In his drunkenness, he managed to get her kimono open faster than any time before that.

 

“Tell me that you want me,” he whispered as he touched her. Sakura jumped as she felt his finger in her.

 

“Mugen...” She breathed out. Mugen kissed her neck again.

 

“Say it. Say you want me to fuck you,” he said. Another finger went her. Sakura gasped as she tried to answer him. Mugen kissed her neck again. “Say it, damnit!” He said aggressively. Sakura arched her back towards him. Mugen groaned at her body's response. Sakura grabbed him by his hair and brought his face to hers.

 

“Fuck me,” she whispered hotly.

 

Sayuri stared at the storage room's door. Both Sakura and Mugen had disappeared in there about fifteen minutes ago. Neither had made an appearance since then, though. She looked over at Fuu. Fuu shrugged.

 

“I wonder what they're doing in there...” She said wistfully.

 

“Knowing Mugen and Sakura, they're either fucking against the wall or beating each other to death,” Sayuri said. Fuu giggled girlishly. Jin just shook his head.

 

Mugen and Sakura looked at each other. Mugen was sitting on the floor, out of breath. Sakura was still against the floor. She was also breathing hard. Mugen got up, fixed his clothes. He stepped up towards her and kissed her again. Sakura bit his lip and pulled away from him.

 

“Just remember that no one can fuck you like me,” Mugen said.

 

“Fuck you,” Sakura said.

 

“You already did,” Mugen retorted. He smirked and left the room. Sakura stared at the door after it closed.

 

“Asshole...” She whispered. She fixed her kimono and tried to calm herself down.

 

Mugen sat back down next to Sayuri and took another drink of his sake. Jin, Sayuri, and Fuu all looked at each other. Sayuri and Fuu broke down into wild giggles. Jin noticed Mugen's slightly swollen lip. He looked really satisfied with himself. That's when Sakura came out of the storage room. She glared over in Mugen's direction and continued over to Kamaru. For the rest of the night, she fidgeted nervously. Mugen watched her and smirked in his drunken state.

 

`Point made,' he thought viciously.