7A/N: This is the third and final installment to my story, Birthdays. I hope you've enjoyed this journey with me! I'm sad to see this short story has come to a close, but it may one day have another beginning. Who knows? We'll see when the time comes. I've really enjoyed writing this and I hope you've enjoyed reading it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Champloo. But I applaud the makers and writers of it, as they did a fantastic job. I just hope I can contribute to the show in this small way.
This will be Fuu's, then Mugen's POV.
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Chapter Three
Fuu was up into the late night. She'd snuck off into the trees, close enough to still see the dying fire, but far enough away to remain unseen.
The young girl fiddled with something in her hands. The loose hair around her shoulders fell into her face and she cursed softly before blowing it away with a puff of air. Jin didn't know it, or maybe he did, but he had saved this day, her day. He had kept it from being nothing but a collection of melancholy memories. She'd been greatly missing her mother and lamenting her lack of family. There had been no one to celebrate this day with. That was, until Jin surprised her. After his unanticipated present, she'd felt relatively content and happy with how the day and how the year had panned out. If nothing else, she had earned a friend. A person who cared enough for her to see her happy if for only a moment in the day.
Still, something left Fuu feeling unsettled and without really thinking about it she knew what it was. As grateful as she was towards Jin's act of kindness, she was even more so towards her memories. They had crafted this day to be more than a simple passage of time. Her mother had worked to make this day special and she was truly thankful for that. Because of it, her mother's presence carried on in Fuu's memory and in the chi chi dango candy that lingered on her tongue.
Yet, Mugen had no such memories. There were no happy moments crafted from honoring one's day on this earth. No one had cared enough for him to memorialize day. Perhaps no one thought him capable of living to an age old enough to appreciate a day such as his birthday. To miss a memory of happiness was far greater than to not have one at all. Mugen deserved to look back on his life and remember at least one moment of enjoyment - one that was not borne from lust or violence or drink.
And if her gesture meant nothing to him, then at least she tried. At least she tried to bring some goodness into his soul - a soul that had been blackened by the cruel world it'd been forced into. At least she had tried to bring happiness to a man who had never even displayed a genuine smile.
For a birthday was not about selfishness or self-centeredness, but rather the willingness to bring another person happiness and to share that happiness with those around you. Jin had done that for her, so perhaps she could do that for Mugen as well.
Fuu held the object up in the moonlight, nodding to herself.
It would have to do.
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Mugen hadn't returned to his slumber. Contrary, he'd been awake awaiting his silent samurai companion to fall asleep.
He had watched as Fuu walked away from their campsite, into the darkness. He wondered what she could possibly be doing out there for so long, but knew it was nothing sinister. She was far too young and innocent for anything as such. So he settled in, waiting for her to return, and decided to be patient - just this once.
He had something for Fuu.
It wasn't much, but perhaps it might bring a smile to her face. Mugen might even earn one of those hugs he already knew he would pretend to hate. He might even shove her off him in an act of carelessness, despite wanting the embrace to linger. She couldn't go around thinking he cared for her in any capacity, because he didn't. He just… well, he just didn't like that Jin had the upper hand on him. The samurai had something that the pirate didn't - which just so happened to be Fuu's favor. She didn't actually mean anything to him. Mugen just wanted to regain equal footing with the fishface swordsman. He didn't actually care about her well-being or happiness at all. Did he?
Light footsteps indicated the return of their female traveling companion. To his surprise, they didn't stop at where she had been laying down previous, but rather kept onward to him.
"Psst, Mugen!" she whispered. He found it surprising that she had made her way to him. What could she possibly want?
He rolled over, eyes snapping open.
Fuu startled at his sudden alertness, probably realizing that he hadn't actually been asleep. She only shook her head in response and kneeled down beside him. He sat up, appearing lackadaisical as to her presence.
"What do you want, brat?" he questioned, genuinely curious as to what she had been doing in the dead of night and why she now needed his attention.
Fuu seemed nervous, her cheeks their telltale red even in the dying firelight. She fumbled around with something in her hands.
"Look, I know that you think this whole birthday thing is, erm, "bullshit". And I know that you probably won't appreciate this. But look, well… I just really wanted to do this. So, even if you don't like it, it's yours and even if - "
"Just spit it out," Mugen interrupted her. She was rambling. He hated that.
Fuu took a deep breath. "I made you this." She thrust something rather suddenly in his direction and his eyes had to work to focus on it in the dark. Mugen squinted, his face twisting up in confusion.
It was a singular piece of brown cord, thin and clearly repurposed from something else. From it hung a solitary decoration - a bead. More specifically, her bead. His eyes strayed to her hair, sloppily held in place by chopsticks. Sure enough, two beads were now missing from where only one had previously been absent. At least she had taken it from the opposite chopstick, so that they were both now identical.
Mugen went back to staring at the necklace. It was extremely simplistic and as far as value went, it had none. At least, not in money. Still, as he eyed the trinket dangling from her fingers, he knew it meant something significant to Fuu for her to be giving him this.
And maybe it meant something to him too.
He'd never been given a gift before, after all.
The pirate didn't say any of that, deciding to simply snatch the item from her hand and stuff it roughly in his pocket without a thank you.
"Do you like it?" Fuu questioned expectantly. Man, she was sure was asking a lot of him. To not only accept a gift without insulting her, but then proceed to give her praise for it? He simply wasn't that type of person. He wasn't someone who did these sort of things. How was he supposed to know how they went? All Mugen knew was that she wasn't getting anything out of him other than a quick nod and she better be satisfied with that.
Instead of whining that he hadn't given her a round of applause or a standing ovation for the present she'd bestowed upon him, she somberly said, "I know it's not much. And you don't have to wear if you don't want to. But I'd like you to keep it."
Mugen cleared his throat.
It wasn't lost on him that she was giving him a gift for her birthday. He wondered exactly what went on in that crazy, little head of Fuu's that persuaded her to do such a deed. It was pretty straightforward and simple though, if he wanted to look the answer square in the face: she was a nice person.
And he was not.
Mugen wasn't one for theatrics so he decided to give her his gift without any to-do about it. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a bag even smaller than a coin purse.
It had been given to him by a random patron. One of the few times he'd asked around about a man that smelled of sunflowers, an old lady had given him the item as soon as the query had left his lips. With almost no teeth and a crooked smile, she'd curled the cloth bag into his hand. Mugen hadn't known why he had kept it. It meant nothing to him; it had no monetary value.
But maybe it held value for someone else. Maybe that was why he'd kept it.
He dropped the gift into Fuu's hand with an unceremonious, "here."
She took it into her palm with curious eyes, carefully weighing the small brown sack in her hands. Obviously, she had no idea what it was. Mugen hadn't either when it'd been handed to him.
She cocked her head at him with a small smile.
"A present, Mugen. For me?"
Of course it was for her, the idiot. Who else could it be for? Fishface?
He almost laughed, imagining giving the uptight samurai anything other than his katana.
"Just open it already," Mugen said gruffly.
Fuu slowly, way too slowly, undid the drawstrings. She handled it if it was the most delicate thing in the world and he couldn't help but snort as he watched her gentle movements.
The young girl peeked inside the bag, but furrowed her brows, apparently not spotting the contents. She glanced to him uncertainly, probably wondering if this was some kind of cruel trick.
He didn't enlighten her. Simply watched.
Hesitantly, Fuu dumped what was inside the bag into her flat palm. She observed the objects curiously as they slowly descended, almost one by one, from the bag. After they'd all been emptied, she simply stared at them, an extremely focused look on her face.
Fuu didn't light up like when Jin had given her his gift. In fact, she didn't say or do anything, simply settled her eyes on the seeds in her hand.
Seeds. Sunflower seeds.
After a moment of silence, nothing but the embers of the fire crackling and hissing in a last protest to going out, Fuu carefully maneuvered the seeds back into their storage. When it was done, she pulled the drawstring tight, then tucked the item into her chest.
Mugen didn't say anything. He knew she wasn't amazed by his gift. It wasn't something to be awestruck by, sure, but at least he'd given her anything at all. She probably didn't even appreciate it. But fuck her. This was what he got for trying. For trying to -
He was startled as something flew into his lap and tackled him to the ground. He laid there with a groan, wondering how Fuu had managed to switch moods so quickly and also coordinate her affectious attack.
"Thank you, Mugen," she whispered into his neck. Fuu clung tighter to him as he did nothing to respond to her embrace. Though he offered no visible reaction to her emotional hold, he also didn't push her away like he had planned to earlier.
It was strange, being held so closely and intimately in a manner that wasn't intended to either kill him or get him laid. "Thank you so much," she said again, her voice raspy. Small arms squeezed around his neck, nearly cutting off his air. He tolerated this for a bit. However, once he felt moisture at the skin on his neck, he pushed her away.
"You crying?" Mugen asked. He hadn't needed to though. He could see them - the tear tracks making their obnoxious way down her cheeks. Fuu nodded, a sweet smile on her lips, in answer to his question. "Well, stop that," he commanded.
The young girl desperately wiped at the tears falling from her eyes. "You jerk." She sniffed and grinned broadly at him. "I'm just so happy. I can't help it."
"It's not anything," he shrugged, commenting on his practically worthless gift.
"It's everything. I love it."
Her eyes shone brightly as she gazed adoringly at him.
Mugen was strangely uncomfortable. He was getting a taste of what fishface felt after Fuu's similar exclamation of thanks earlier. Only this time around, there were tears involved too. He really didn't know how to handle a crying woman, or a happy one. Actually, the pirate didn't know how to handle a woman at all unless he was fucking her or trying to do so.
Perhaps, Fuu sensed this because she turned her face downwards, a smile still playing at her lips.
"I should go to bed. Thank you. You and Jin made this one of the best birthdays yet."
With that, she leaned in. Mugen panicked, unsure of what she was doing. Was the broad trying to kiss him? Because he wasn't going to let that happen. He could wait until the next red light district to kiss a girl who wouldn't have expectations the next day. He tried to pull away.
But Fuu wasn't aiming for his mouth. She'd gone for his cheek. She pressed her lips lightly against his skin, for the briefest of moments, before slowly pulling away.
"Thank you, Mugen. Goodnight."
Fuu then curled up in the grass, scooting a little further away so that she lay perfectly equidistant from both he and Jin.
Mugen laid down as well, staying stiff and still, not bothering to close his eyes. He waited to hear Fuu's breathing even out as a sign she'd gone to bed.
It was only a few moments before that happened. The young girl even began lightly snoring, proving that she was indeed asleep.
Mugen reached into the pocket of his shorts, pulling out the necklace she had given him. He studied it briefly, taking in the brightness and shininess of the red bead, before lifting it up and over his neck.
It hung low enough to be obscured by his shirt and the strap managed to disappear completely under his wild hair. Though it couldn't be seen, Mugen could feel its weight, currently resting against his chest, reminding him it was there.
It didn't mean anything, he told himself. He just knew she would throw a fit if he didnt wear the damn thing. Besides, it could too easily fall out his pocket and be lost, so better to hang it around his neck for safekeeping.
The pirate laid back down, arms crossed under his head, staring into the night sky. He guessed for all intents and purposes, today was his birthday as much as it was Fuu's. However, tomorrow would they would return to their same dynamic and routine. This day would be nothing but a memory one might call upon faintly in the desolate future.
And maybe, just maybe, this would be one of the few memories he would think of somewhat fondly. If nothing else, when the time came that Fuu and Jin faded far from his memory, he would still have this trinket at his neck to remember them by. To remember a girl with large eyes and a large heart who crudely crafted the one and only gift he'd ever received. To remember the feel of tiny arms holding him tight. To remember the feel of soft lips on his rough cheek.
All in all, he supposed Fuu had been given a decent birthday. And his wasn't too bad either.
Fin
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And that is is for this story. Like I said, it lays the groundwork for some future expansion, but as of now this is a finished work. Just a little, sweet short story that I hope does some justice to Samurai Champloo.
Please review and let me know if you enjoyed this! I hope to return one day to this fanfiction sections and contribute more, so let me know if I should. Goodbye for now, I love you all!
