AN: The unbelievable has happened! I'm back! I haven't updated this story in 6 years! Wow. I hope I haven't lost all of its followers. I'm watching SS again, and I've been inspired. I've seen it so many times before, but this time I realized I need to finish this story. Thanks to all of you who have stuck it out over the years, wondering if I would ever be back. I'll try to finish!

Mugen crouched over Jin. When he'd seen him flat on his back in the grove, surrounded by the clan (of children!) he'd grinned from ear to ear. Taken down by a blow dart. This was just too good. But then he realized why he was here. Fuu. It had to be for her. His amusement was chased away by a slow flush of anger and a deeper wave of fear. He was right when he felt something was wrong. He'd been connected to Fuu for longer than he cared to admit. Maybe that story about that damn red string of fate was a real thing. If it were, he was cosmically screwed.

"Hey." He leaned toward Tira. She stood above Jin with her arms crossed. There were about five other children lagging about, most of them wearing wry smiles. They were pretty damn confident for kids living out on their own. But he was sure they weren't like that when the sun went down. When they realized, night after night, that no one was looking for them. No one that cared, anyway.

"Hey," he said again, looking the girl in the eye.

"What?" Her brows were raised.

"Was there any poison in that dart?"

She gave him an incredulous look.

"No shit, there was. Why do you think he's out?"

Mugen's heart squeezed in his chest. Shit, shit, SHIT. Jin. This can't happen to him. All the way out here, looking for me, and what does he get? Poisoned by some group of Ryukyus kids. He's got his own kid. My brush with the past CANNOT be the damn reason that boy loses his father. SHIT.
"Dammit, kid, he better be alive." He leaned over, plucking the dart from Jin's neck. Right in the damn artery too. Son of a bitch.

"What the hell are you talking about, Mugen!" Toka stepped forward, angrily brushing hair out of his dark eyes. God, they really did look just like his eyes. How many kids was he gonna make?

"He was on our turf! This is what we do to any adult that shows up here. He could be looking for us. He could be from-"

"Does he look like someone from Ryukyus? And why the hell didn't you blow one of those things in my neck then? I am from the damn island."

"Well," Toka shuffled his feet in the dirt, his confidence waning at Mugen's sudden anger. "You were already out...and bleeding. And...we wanted information about you."

"Whatever! Is he gonna die or not!?" Mugen's voice was strained, and his hand shook as he placed two fingers on Jin's neck. Come on, dammit. Be alive. His own heart fluttered when he felt a pulse. It was slow, but it was there. He expelled the breath he'd been holding with a loud blast through his nose.

"Shit. You kids…" He looked up, and Tira's face was close to him.

"You know him, don't you?"

"Hell yeah, I know him. This is one of my… His name is Jin. The bastard was probably looking for me." He stood up suddenly. "I'm gonna take him into that cave. And if any of you little shits tries to stop me…" His eyes flashed around the crowd. They had all lost their smiles, but they didn't look scared of him either. Their eyes held a sort of respect. He bent over Jin and his stomach squeezed with that pain again. Fuu. Dammit, what the hell was going on with her? Could it be the baby? He shook his head fiercely, the jade earring swinging. Jin first. When he put an arm under Jin and tried to pull him up, he suddenly forgot how to breathe. Blood spilled down his side again. Oh yeah. I'm still bleeding. Darkness closed in on him, and his head spun. Before he knew it, he was falling. Falling on Jin. Great. So this is my life now… Taken down in front of a bunch of snot-nosed kids. And dragging Jin down with me. Fuck my life.

Fuu's eyes slowly blinked open. The first thing she saw was a pair of sad, dark eyes, herself reflected in them. Jin? But no, it was Shino. She was scrubbing at something. And there was a clay bowl sitting on the washstand that hadn't been there before. There was something ominous about it. She thought she saw a streak of blood running down the side. She tried to sit up, but her whole body ached. Then she remembered the cramping. She's gotten them every moon for quite a long time, but they had never been as bad as this… There was something she needed to remember. The first thing she could think of was eyes. Not Jin's. Not Shino's. These were brown. And warm. A pain lanced through her heart. Mugen. And then the pain intensified. The baby. Our baby.

"Shino…?" She whispered.

"Shh...it'll be alright now…" She replied. But her voice sounded so sad.

"What do you mean? Is the baby…? Is it still…?" She tried to catch Shino's eye, but she looked away.

"Look at me! Please…" Finally she looked at her. There was an all too familiar sadness there. She knew. This had happened to her as well.

"Oh no… Please no…"

"I'm so sorry, Fuu." Her black eyes cut over to the clay jar for just a moment...then snapped back.

"Is he…? In there?" Fuu wasn't sure why she had thought it was a boy, but it just made more sense that way. She liked to think about a little Mugen with fluffy hair and big brown eyes.

"Oh, Fuu. Sweet Fuu…" Shino's eyes were shining. "There's nothing much. You were only about four moons along. It's just...a lot of...well...not much, love." Fuu blinked. Shino had always been kind to her, but this was different. She could feel both of their hearts aching.

"I didn't even have a name picked out for him…" She whispered. "How...how did I lose…?"

"It was the stress. After Mugen left, you… Well, you weren't yourself. You went somewhere else. Jin and I were afraid we wouldn't be able to get you back."

"Jin… Where is he?" But Fuu already knew.

"He went after him, Fuu." The look on her face showed she knew Fuu knew the answer as well.

"Mugen…" she whispered. "I lost our baby… I can't lose him too."

Shino was quiet. She finished wrapping Fuu up in the the clean blankets. Then she went over to the jar.

"What will happen to him? I mean...what will you do?" Fuu whispered.

"If you like, I can bury him in the garden. There are a few small trees that I've been meaning to plant. I can plant one over him. His spirit will always be here, in this garden." She smiled faintly, and it broke Fuu's heart further. She watched as Shino gazed out the window. She was looking at a pair of young trees.

"You...you have some too, don't you? Child trees?" That wasn't really what she'd meant to say, but it made sense.

"Yes." Shino smiled softly again. "Jin and I have been trying, but for some reason… Maybe it's not our fate to have more." She pointed to the trees. "That one is Suki, and that is Yumi".

"Two girls? Oh, Shino…" Fuu felt her eyes burn with tears.

"Yes. Daughters. Jin waters them before anything else, every morning. And he says a prayer for their spirits. He even leaves offerings…" Fuu buried her head in the pillow. Shino left the window and sat on the bed. She brushed her hand through Fuu's hair.

"Shh…Oh, Fuu… He will do this same for your little one. I promise you. You can still name him, too." Fuu sat up and fell into Shino's arms.

"Thank you…" She whispered. "I want to call him...Gen…I know, it's not really a name, but it's part of Mugen...and it's all I can…"

"Gen is fine. After all, he's such a small, young spirit. He should have a small name. I will bury him myself, if you want."

"No…not yet…" Fuu shook her head. "Wait, just a little longer." She kept the thought alive in her heart, like a small flame. He would come back to her. She knew it. And when he did, Mugen would bury his own son.