Title: Stay

By: Scarlet

Pairing: Jin x Fuu

Rating: PG-13

Theme: # 19 Stay

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Standard Disclaimers Apply

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A random but strong urge to write a little JinxFuu Fluff resulted in this short drabble.

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She had asked him to stay.

The floor was littered with dirty plates and empty sake bottles. Mugen had earned enough money to pay for everything. Jin grimaced inwardly at his choice of word… Earned was probably not the way Mugen had acquired the money. He imagined that somewhere in the city a gang lay bruised and beaten in a dark alley, their pockets emptied.

It wasn't the most graceful method but since it was Mugen, being graceful wasn't something that Jin had come to expect from the wild samurai. Technically the people who were being robbed were criminals themselves, so Jin never protested when Mugen would arrive with a money purse full of gold coins.

When Jin tried to shift his position, the warm bundle in his arms moaned in protest. Moving into a more comfortable position, Jin pulled the body closer. Pale arms immediately wrapped themselves around him and a head moved into the crook of his neck. She was surprisingly heavy, he thought as he felt her breathing softly. Witnessing the ridiculous amount of food she was able to consume, though, it shouldn't have been much of a surprise. And yet she remained so small and seemingly fragile, he thought as Jin closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep.

With their small fortune, the trio had ordered all the food Fuu could eat and all the sake Mugen could drink. Unlike the others, Jin could take only a moderate amount of both…especially the sake. The times when Jin would indulge in the drink, he would only have a small amount. Too much alcohol fogged the mind, distorted the senses, and slowed the movements. Being in that state during a fight was dangerous, so Jin preferred avoiding alcohol altogether.

Mugen, on the other hand, did not share this philosophy. As the quiet samurai was slowly sipping his cup of sake, Mugen was busy chugging his own bottle down. Jin thought it was impossible but apparently, with enough alcohol inside, Mugen could become louder and ruder then he usually was.

When Fuu refused the bottle Mugen handed her, the drunken man immediately started mocking the younger girl with the continuous taunting about how she was nothing but a brat and would never be a woman… since a real woman could handle a few drinks.

Jin looked on emotionlessly as Fuu fell for the bait the other man had set out for her. Her tolerance snapping, the girl grabbed the bottle from Mugen's hands and started chugging it like an expert.

The two men stared in amazement. It was a pretty impressive sight… That is until, without warning, Fuu collapsed, making a loud thump as she hit the floor. Mugen broke out in loud, obnoxious laughter as Jin went to make sure Fuu was all right. He sighed when he saw that she was just sleeping…. Every time she drank the stuff she ended up face down and snoring without a care in the world.

Drinking the last of his sake, Mugen awkwardly brought himself to his feet. Declaring that he was off to find some entertainment for the night he made his way to the door. Seeing the money that the wobbling warrior held, Jin knew exactly the kind of entertainment Mugen was looking for.

As he opened the door, Mugen looked back at the stoic samurai who was sitting by the unconscious girl. Feeling generous at the moment, Mugen issued an invitation since there was more then enough money and the brat was out cold.

Before he could respond, though, a small hand grabbed on to his. Looking at the owner of the hand, Jin was taken aback to see Fuu looking up at him, her eyes clear and pleading. "I don't want you go." That softly spoken statement seemed to echo through the room. Jin was so surprised that he was not able to hide his reaction on his usually emotionless face.

A disgusted noise came from the door. "Do whatever you want." And with that Mugen slammed the door shut and his footsteps could be heard walking farther away.

"Jin… please stay."

Unable to refuse her, he nodded. Her dark brown eyes were once again hazy as she pulled herself up to sit in his lap. She managed a soft "Arigato" before falling back asleep with her head lying on his shoulder.

That was how Jin found himself in a room littered with empty bottles and plates. He was sitting in a corner with his back to a wall and a warm, lightly snoring bundle in his arms. She had asked him to stay and as he too fell asleep, Jin couldn't help but think about how oddly content he felt.

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The first story I wrote for my new theme community. I finished watching Samurai Champloo about 2 weeks ago. I've actually watched it a number of times because I enjoy taking in every single detail and analyzing it…The result is: I love Jin and Fuu… they make me go all squishy inside. I love Mugen too but I prefer him paired with somebody else.

Hmm… this was my first attempt at a Champloo Fic so I hope it came out okay. I actually rewrote it three times. Originally it was double the length but every time I felt that it was out of character. So I ended up cutting out a lot of stuff until I was only left with the basics.

Quick thanks to Miss. Blade for editing this.

-Scarlet