Samurai Champloo Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Black-Eyed ❯ Paid-back Promise ( Chapter 1 )

Credit goes to the song `Black-Eyed' by Placebo! :D

 

Note: This chapter isn't revised yet. No beta so far. But I'd like to check out if someone likes it at all. So please review!

 

 

 

Forever Black-Eyed

 

 

 

Chapter One

 

Paid-back Promise

 

 

 

Cross-legged, Mugen sat leaning against the wooden surface of a tree trunk and let the sun bath his worn skin. He opened his eyes and blinked, feeling a lot better today. His wounds had healed quite well and he slowly began to feel a little nervous. Impatience ran through his veins, he considered as he watched Fuu kneel down in front of her father's grave.

 

Fuu put three yellow flowers onto the grave and folded her small hands to say a silent player. With a quiet snort Mugen wondered what Fuu would pray for. The man was dead. Would she try telling him something with her prayer?

 

As ridiculous as Mugen found the idea as much he actually wondered what it was good for. He had never said a prayer, not only for once in his entire life. He had seen many people praying, to Kami or Buddha or whoever, even if they were heathen. When faced with death, each one of them prayed for their pathetic lives.

 

Not Mugen.

 

To him, life had never meant much. It was either to kill or been killed. He only survived. But had he ever lived?

 

Ironically, yes, he had but that had been during the latest few weeks with the glasses-wearing samurai and the nagging sunflower girl. She would probably just pray to tell her father something he wouldn't even want to know. Mugen smirked at the thought and darted his gaze upon the sea.

 

Unconsciously Mugen dismissed the fact that his nervousness not only resulted from impatience but also a little gloom. From tomorrow on he would be rid of these two. These two had proven more faithful to him than his own parents—whoever they were. One thing Mugen was sure of. He needed a goal, a destination. Fuu had reached her destination and achieved her goal. She had made it to Itsuke Island and met her sunflower samurai.

 

What would be Mugen's goal to achieve?

 

Even as night came the former pirate was still sitting there at the tree. The air wasn't cool, it was rather comfortable and in the distance he could hear the voices of Jin and Fuu. Well, it was mostly Fuu who did the talking but Mugen could swear that he heard the ronin's usual `hm's and `uh's as well sometimes.

 

These two freaks, Mugen snorted. These two freaks had become family—whatever that meant. If this was family; if family meant to have faith and trust in someone; if there actually cared someone for you, then he knew now what kind of goal he would set for himself.

 

Slowly he staggered to his feet and made his way inside the hut. It was—finally—their last night together and Mugen hoped that Fuu wouldn't become sentimental again. He did not care about anyone's past when all that mattered was what happened here and now. Shit, Mugen felt wise today!

 

…

 

“Well, then. Let's meet again.” Fuu walked down the path, not even looking back at Jin or Mugen.

 

Mugen nearly smiled and turned wordlessly to walk his own way. They had parted after coming back to Nagasaki and considering that they had been traveling along Japan's south borders most of the time, Mugen decided that his very own journey should follow the north-west borders now.

 

His first destination would be Fukuoka to where he should make it fine all by himself. There was no Fuu who contemplated the world and there was no Jin who—what did he usually do?—Mugen quirked an eyebrow upwards and thought until he came to a conclusion. Jin did nothing at all. Satisfied with his wrapping up of Jin's character he whistled a tune and kicked a stone. Hell, Mugen wanted to live and this definitely was life at its best!

 

There was a loud growl coming from Mugen's stomach.

 

Well, maybe life could get better with something to eat. And drink he mentally added quickly. Rule number one on Mugen's list of `how to live': one had to survive in order to live.

 

The luck of the dumb let Mugen reach his destination quite soon but still he needed to hurry up if he wanted to spend the night stuffed and hopefully drunk because it was getting late and the sun was about to go down. He considered entering a teahouse but his bad experiences with women from teahouses let him stay outside.

 

Fate meant it good with him as he spotted a window to the kitchen. Gazing inside the open window Mugen immediately saw a plate with steaming beef. It was almost too easy. He drew his sword and spiked up all that was on the plate before he pulled the sword back and grinned at his prey. Slowly he began walking away, picking off the food from the blade with his fingers and stuffing it delightfully into his mouth.

 

Stuffed he was now but not drunk. Mugen scratched his unruly hair and walked down the main street of Fukuoka. His eyes lit up at the sight of cages. Annoyed, his eyes narrowed when it crossed his mind that he did not have any money for a woman. Too bad but he would risk a glance anyways. Maybe he would see the whore again who tricked him. Then he would certainly give her what she really deserved!

 

“That bitch,” he muttered under his breath and kept his pace slow, so to check upon the women inside the cages.

 

Suddenly the vagrant stopped as he saw a familiar pink kimono in one of the cages. He rubbed his eyes to be sure as his jaw dropped and he emitted an annoyed groan. The little woman turned and gaped at him with huge eyes.

 

“You!” They both suddenly said at the same time.

 

Fuu gasped for breath, watching Mugen cross his arms in front of his chest. “Mugen! Help me out of here!”

 

“I don't take orders from a whore,” he replied and allowed himself a little mean smirk.

 

“But… Mugen! Please!” She tried to make puppy eyes and shoved her bottom lip out.

 

Grinning he shrugged. “Don't give me that shit cause it won't function.”

 

“Mugen!” Anger rose within the girl as she pressed her face close to the metal bars of the cage. “I'd do anything!”

 

“Anything?”

 

“Well, apart from that. Please Mugen, help me out of here!” She began to whine. “Mugeeeeen…”

 

“I don't know, I don't know,” he uttered acting as if he had to think exactly about it. An idea crossed his mind. “I'll help you but you must promise me something.”

 

“Huh?” Fuu was visibly irritated. “Don't joke around, Mugen.”

 

“I don't joke. Promise me,” he demanded sternly.

 

“Okay, okay, I promise. Just help me,” she uttered quickly before another thought hit her. “Hey, wait! What exactly did I promise?”

 

Taking a deep breath he was about to explain the details of their deal when suddenly two guards interrupted him. They were probably working for the brothel Mugen stood in front of.

 

“Hey you! Do you see a woman you like?” the first one said with raised brows.

 

“Or are you just lurking?” the other one asked.

 

Mugen snorted at them. “No, I don't see any woman I'd want. Look at them. This one here hasn't even breasts!”

 

Fuu growled but was dismissed by the three men.

 

One turned and gave her a disapproving look after checking her out visually. “Well, he has a point.”

 

The other gazed at Fuu as well before he spoke. “That doesn't matter. She's young. Many men wish to be with virgins.”

 

“Well,” the vagrant butted in nonchalantly, “I don't care about virgins. I want one with really large breasts, you know?” To support his explanations Mugen made big half-circles with his hands in front of his chest.

 

Fuu started to bang her head against the metal bars.

 

“Oh, we have other women too,” nodding the first one assured.

 

“Yeah, wanna see them? We'll show you,” the second men replied.

 

Mugen shrugged and started to walk off with them. Fuu growled inside her cage and cursed the former pirate with every disease she knew of, crawling back at the far end of her prison. She hugged her knees to her chest and hid her face in her kimono, silently praying that Mugen had a heart after all. He was only joking, right?

 

With no clue how much time had passed Fuu snapped out of her daze when the door to the cage suddenly opened.

 

“Get out, girl. You have a customer,” an old woman said to her and grabbed for the girl's wrist, forcefully pulling her out.

 

Fuu didn't even struggle because she was sure that the customer could only be Mugen who was here to save her. No other man had been checking her out so far. Following the old lady Fuu was guided into a room where she was left alone. Quickly she sent a prayer that Mugen would hurry and get her out of here.

 

When the door opened all of a sudden Fuu smiled.

 

But her smile faded quickly. There stood a man with a sly grin who wasn't looking nearly similar to Mugen. This man was probably more than twice as old as Mugen and he rather looked like a sleeping pill on drugs. Fuu swallowed the lump in her throat.

 

…

 

Taking a deep breath Mugen contemplated his possibilities once he was finally rid of the two men—and he hadn't even killed them. He could leave the girl to the fates or he could save her ass. He wasn't quite sure why he had made her promise him to go with him. He wasn't lonely all by himself but there was just this feeling in the pit of his stomach that he'd rather want her with him in case he actually found what he was looking for.

 

It was silly, really, but Mugen considered the girl as slightly more human than he might ever be. That could prove profitable and even if not, he could sell her any time later. He snickered at the thought and jumped onto the roof of the brothel. These guards were so stupid. They wouldn't see it even if an elephant were on their roof!

 

Mugen scratched his head. What the hell was an elephant? He mentally shrugged and climbed along to roof's sides to check inside all the rooms of the brothel. There somewhere had to be Fuu. She wasn't in the cage anymore.

 

“Uh,” he stopped at one window and nearly drooled, “they're doing it.”

 

All thoughts of the girl vanished like she had never existed.

 

With glee Mugen watched what was going on inside of the room when he was forcefully pulled away from viewing the show by a loud scream coming from the next room.

 

“Shit!” He knew that voice even if temporarily forgotten who it belonged to.

 

Climbing as fast as he could on top of the roof he stopped at exactly that place where the scream had come from. He checked the window on the side of the wall and feet-first he swung from the roof-border to jump inside the room. The sight made him gape. There was Fuu lying on her back with an unconscious man upon her, surrounded by pieces of pottery.

 

“Mugen!” Her eyes lit up visibly. “Help me. I think I killed him!”

 

Seeing that the man groaned Mugen snorted. “Doesn't seem like it. Let's get out of here before they'll look what's going on! Why did you have to scream so loud anyway?”

 

“He tried to touch me.” Fuu pouted once she had crawled from underneath the man and stood on her feet, dusting off her kimono.

 

The man stirred and Mugen forcefully pulled Fuu to the window. “Jump.”

 

“I…I can't. It's too high,” she said shaking her head several times before she actually checked the height. “There are guards outside too.”

 

Mugen poked his head out. “Shit, then I'll go first.”

 

Wasting no time he jumped out, right onto their heads, hitting them with his geta instantly unconscious. He turned and glared at Fuu. “Jump!”

 

“I…” It really was high. But there was no time to waste when suddenly the man stood up and the door burst open with even more guards. Fuu swallowed and counted to three before she made a dive right into Mugen's direction.

 

The bird flew right on top of the dog.

 

“Ow.” Mugen spit out some dirt he was forced to eat when he found himself flat on his stomach with Fuu sitting on his back. “Get your scrawny ass off me.”

 

Spotting two other guards Mugen acted quickly and jumped to stand, drawing his sword. The girl stumbled to her feet as she was nearly thrown off by him. He aimed for the guards and honestly, they didn't even had a chance to say a last prayer when he sliced them like butter. But paradoxically Fuu was used to it and just ran after her companion as quick as she was able to.

 

And so they ran and never looked back until they stopped outside Fukuoka at a small clearing and Fuu pressed a hand to a tree, panting and trying to catch her breath back. “Thank you, Mugen.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved her off and slumped down against the tree trunk. The wound where he was shot was stinging again. “Why is it that you always end up like this anyway?”

 

She shrugged innocently before she started to explain. “I didn't do anything wrong I swear. I was just following the path that leads back to Edo when I stopped to eat because the chef offered me food for free but then he suddenly said I'd have to pay and I had no money.”

 

Mugen took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Hadn't he missed this babbling brat?

 

“Then these men came and put me in bag! Can you image this? They just stuffed me inside but I screamed and screamed until I was kicked rather cruelly. So I shut up but when they opened the bag and I was let out I was in a brothel and I didn't even know that I was in Fukuoka.” She plopped down next to Mugen and blew an imaginary strand of brown hair from out of her face. “I was really scared but luckily you came along. What were you doing in Fukuoka anyway?”

 

The man sighed. “Fool. I always have to save your ass.”

 

“Didn't I thank you already?”

 

“That doesn't take me anywhere,” he uttered more to himself than Fuu. “Well, I guess I'll have to take you with me then.”

 

“Huh?” Fuu gaped at him but Mugen just yawned and turned away from her. It was dark by now and he was tired. Luckily the girl didn't question him any more.

 

 

 

End of chapter one

 

 

TBC…

 

Wanna know about Fuu's promise? Stay tuned. ^___^ Please review!