11A/N: Hello, fans of Samurai Champloo. In honor of my birthday a few days ago, I wrote this short story. The idea struck me on my birthday and I couldn't help but feel it was appropriate for this show and it's set of characters. So I banged this out in a couple days and I'm quite proud of how it turned out. It lays the ground work for future expansion one day, but right now it's only a three chapter fic. There's no clear romantic line, but it's definitely implied MugenxFuu. In my opinion, I'm incredibly glad they didn't make any romantic ties between Fuu and her bodyguards in the actual show. She was too young and I think that still stands true in this fic, but it does give way to the beginning of something that could have been. Anyway, I'll let you be the judge of all that! Please, read, I hope you enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Champloo, but I hope this work at least does the show some justice.
This one is Jin's POV!
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Chapter One
Jin sensed that something was wrong.
At first, he couldn't really put his finger on it. It was just the fact that their whole group felt some sort of combined, restless discontent. It stretched over all of them and settled into an uneasy tension.
Irritation prickled at the back of his head. This unknown source of discomfort, this curse that had disrupted the glue that held their ragtag group together, was well and truly getting on Jin's nerves. Which was saying something, because Jin prided himself on his ability to maintain calm and in control, even in the face of someone as brash and irritating as Mugen. Yet, Mugen, with all of his ill mannerisms and rude words, had not caused this strain on their group.
But what had?
They each coin in their pocket and food in their bellies. They'd scavenged fruit and nuts aplenty earlier this morning. There had been no enemies on this path they were walking. Neither he nor the pirate had picked up the slightest hint of a lurking adversary or thieving stalker. Jin knew if his senses failed him, though unlikely, then Mugen's would no doubt have made up for whatever his lacked. He could only deduce that there were no immediate threats, and as such, that was not the cause of their unease.
The sun shone down beautifully, warming up the crisp air to such a comfortable degree it was as if Mother Nature had put forth extra effort in crafting this day specifically for their travels. The birds chattered innocently in the trees and the wind whispered its secrets every so often in their ears. Altogether, an exceptionally pleasant day to be walking down this path that led straight to the next town, no detours or road bumps in sight.
Jin glanced to Mugen who walked at the head of their formed line. His shoulders were so tense and rigid it was if he was walking with a stick down his back. One wrong word, one wrong move, and the vagrant would raise his sword without a second thought to whoever lay in its path. If the pent up tension was almost too much for Jin too bear, then it was no doubt too much for Mugen, who held little to no restraint under such pressure.
The samurai peered down his glasses at Fuu, who was walking in between the two swordsman. Her feet were light in their steps, wandering forth with only the Ryukyuan ahead to guide them. Her mind was not present in this journey. He caught a glimpse of her blank face, turned towards the sky. It was preoccupied, her eyes unseeing, as she lost herself in whatever thoughts lingered in her head. It was then that Jin was struck with the realization of the reason to their shared distress.
It was Fuu's silence. Rarely did the girl go without speaking or making noise, even if it was only to complain of her weariness or to hum a simple tune. No stretch of time could be completed without the accompaniment of her voice. One would think it would be a reprieve then, to finally be allowed silence after weeks on end of traveling without it. Silence brought with it peace, after all. One would not be able to meditate deeply enough to soothe the soul without it. Yet, here they were, with that silence handed to them on a silver platter, and it brought with it no peace whatsoever. In fact, with their regular dynamic broken, stress had begun to weigh down on them quite heavily. There was no incessant chatter or distracting noise to break it up, so it could only continue to build until it reached its boiling point.
Mugen was the first to say anything; to keep that boil down at a simmer.
"Okay, what gives?"
Fuu had slowed down in her walk, coming beside Jin. Her eyes focused in and out before finally blinking clear as Mugen became the focal point of her vision. He had whirled around, a snarl on his face, accusing stare pointed at the young girl.
"Huh?" Fuu responded simply.
"What's up with you? Why aren't you running your bitch mouth like usual?" the pirate demanded.
Jin wondered when Mugen had come to pinpoint the reason of their combined discontent. Had it been before him? Could Mugen, with little room left in his brain for anything other than violence and sex, had come to this conclusion before even Jin had?
This only furthered Jin's irritation.
"Honestly, Mugen, you complain when I'm talking, you complain when I don't, what do you want from me?" Fuu bit back, though it lacked her normal fire. Hearing her speak without vindication was startling to Jin, causing him to feel off balance. Who knew that one tiny girl's emotions could have such a strong hold on their own?
"Ever thought that maybe you're just so fucking annoying that even when you're not talking, it's still as goddamn annoying as when you are?"
"Ooh! You!"
"Bitch!"
"Moron!"
"Fat ass!"
"Idiot!"
Jin stepped in between them. "Please, children, enough, already."
His calm tone was in stark contrast to their heated ones. Mugen continued to glare at Fuu over Jin's shoulder and, Fuu, as short as she was, could only try to glower at the vagrant through the samurai's chest.
She pouted. "He started it. I've been minding my own business all day," Fuu grumbled, trying to defend her actions. The small girl folded her arms over her chest, jutting out her chin.
Jin gave a simple, "hmm," in neither agreement or disagreement, before gesturing onward down their path. "We should continue on in order to reach civilization before nightfall," he suggested.
Fuu nodded her head, regaining traction in her steps. Mugen reluctantly, with a few swears and insults tossed at both Jin and Fuu, also began moving.
It was only a few moments before Fuu's eyes glazed over. She disappeared from the present world to the one that was housed inside her mind. Therefore, it was only a few moments before the tense atmosphere returned, almost tenfold. It was not in Jin's nature to make unnecessary noise, but he suddenly wanted to say something, anything, in order to fill the stiff silence that lingered between them all.
Finally, he settled on a question. He typically didn't strike up conversation without purpose or meaning, but this question held both of those. At least, for their combined wellbeing, it would be prudent to ask.
"Fuu, why are you being so quiet today?"
It was nonetheless the same question Mugen had poised earlier, albeit with more sincerity and politeness. Still, it got right to the point of inquiring why a mouth that made nothing but noise had all of sudden stopped.
This time, Fuu responded somewhat more positively than from Mugen's previous attempt.
She took a deep breath, hesitant in her reply. The young girl's mouth delicately formed to make the words necessary for her response. Jin almost leaned in, he was so expectant on her answer. He noticed Mugen keeping an ear turned their way as well.
"Well... it's just that today is kind of special to me. I guess I'm just a little caught up in the past," she explained slowly. It was quiet for a moment, Jin wondering if she would continue to expand on that statement. Fuu seemed to be pondering whether or not to do just that, but ultimately didn't add anything else, a blank silence following her words.
Jin took it upon himself to interrogate her further. He was unsatisfied with her response. It offered no chance at resolution and also no real explanation.
"Why is that?"
The small girl ran her hands behind her ears, tucking in stray hairs. She looked up at the sky and sighed. "This day, every year, my mother would make me chi chi dango candy. Even if we didn't have the money, she would scrape enough together to be able to buy the ingredients from the market. It was the most delicious thing I'd ever eaten. It still reminds me of her. I haven't had any in, well, a long time..."
Mugen snorted.
"That's why you're all spacey and mopey today, you want some damn candy?" he commented, disbelief thick in his tone. The Ryukyuan shook his head. "Fat ass," he added under his breath.
Fuu glared at Mugen, who was walking on the other side of Jin. The samurai remained a barrier between the two, leaning forward to block Fuu's view of the pirate.
"No," the young girl said pointedly. She looked onwards, her mouth twisted up in a frown. "And I'm not spacey. Or mopey. Or fat."
Jin decided to speak before Mugen added anything more volatile to the conversation.
"What else is special about this day, Fuu?" he prodded gently.
It came to his sudden surprise that he'd never quite asked one person so many inquiries in succession. He supposed it was for a good cause. Though, perhaps it was selfish that he had been perturbed enough by her silence to prod her about it. He vowed that this would be his last question.
"Well, like I said, we didn't have much money. So my mother would make the candy and that would be my present for the year. After that, I would get to spend the whole day how I liked. No chores, no learning. I always chose to run through the sunflowers, all day, until it got dark. Even when I got older. That's what I wanted to do. I guess that, well, today just reminds me of that. She's gone. Those days are just memories."
Jin was glad when Mugen asked the final question, because he had vowed not to voice any others. Though, if the pirate hadn't inquired, Jin would have been rather tempted to break his previous vow so that he could.
"What makes this day is so much more fucking special than any other?" Mugen interrogated crassly.
"Because today is my birthday."
And with that, Fuu marched on ahead of them, not caring to look back. They allowed her to return to her solitude, no other words spoken. Jin, and Mugen, with his befuddled expression, were stuck on her declaration.
Jin suddenly understood exactly what Fuu was feeling. Not only had her mother and her childhood vanished into the past, but so had the idea of someone caring enough for her to make this day special enough to remember. There was no one left who truly desired to celebrate her birth as a momentous occasion. He doubted it was the candy that had her in bad spirits about the date, but rather the abscence of anyone who cared enough to honor another day of her simply being alive. Fuu lacked someone who could voice aloud that they truly cared for her and also demonstrated acts to prove it.
Still, who were they to tackle the task of performing any celebratory measures? Certainly, bodyguards couldn't be bothered to uphold any customs for something as trivial as a birthday?
Yet, they weren't simply Fuu's bodyguards. Jin was honorbound to remain by the young girl's side by his words, but moreso, he had come to realize, by his connection with Fuu. And Mugen, who had no honor, not even in his promises, had stuck around as well. And for what? Truly, nothing. The bandit would have as much luck, if not more, traveling on his own. The only thing keeping him with them on this journey would have to be some sort of choice he'd made. But why? Why had Mugen made the choice to stay? And why had Jin?
Because Jin could tell himself it was for the honor of their bodyguard agreement until he was blue in the face, but inner reflection and meditation spoke of something deeper.
Fuu was their friend.
Jin could admit that, perhaps even aloud if he had too. Though he probably wouldn't. Mugen could not and would not admit the same, however. There was nothing self-preserving about declaring to someone that you cared for them. And Mugen's life was nothing but a series of choices made in selfishness and self-preservation. Should the vagrant ever choose to cop to the truth of their situation, it would put his very well-being at stake. Caring for someone was a weakness, and if someone struck at that weakness, there would be pain.
The continued on in their silence. It was less tense than before, but without any sound from their female companion, it remained uncomfortable. Their rhythm was off, each beat awkward and out of time.
Once they'd reached the next town, made a makeshift campsite close to the outskirts, Jin set off with a task in mind.
A birthday present.
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Andddd that's the first chapter! I hope you liked it. I'm sad to know that a lot of readers probably don't visit the Samurai Champloo fanfiction section anymore, but that's okay. For those of you who still do, this story is for you. It's for those of us who hold a burning candle for the show and continue to seek out works that flesh out the show in different creative ways.
I love you all and I hope you enjoyed everything so far! I did my best to stay in Jin's character and though my knowledge of Japanese culture and history lacks, I did try my best. Until next time! XOXO
