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Title: Instinct

By: Scarlet

Rated: PG

Theme #2: The subconscious.

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Standard Disclaimers Apply

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Fuu had many bad habits.

She had a surprising fondness for gambling, especially for a girl of her age. There was something she loved far more then gambling though and that of course was her love of food. Devouring mass quantities of food that would lead to a massive expansion of her body. Fuu often claimed that she just couldn't resist free food, her two traveling companions, though, agreed she was a bit of a monster. She also seemed to be in the bad habit of acting before thinking. This would often lead her into dangerous situations where her hired bodyguards would then go to work…at least when they realized she had gone and put herself at risk again.

There was one habit in particular though that endangered her life the most. The worst part of it was that she never seemed to notice her actions. Thus continuing on obliviously, blind to the numerous times she had come face to face with death.

Only one person saw the precarious situation she constantly placed herself in, and for once in his life he wasn't sure how to deal with it.

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Jin didn't hate people…he just preferred them at a safe distance.

With his cold eyes and emotionless features, most people wanted to stay away. To Jin when a person got too close it was a signal that they were looking for a fight. With this in mind his instinct was to release his blade and cut whoever neared him before they had the chance to return the favor.

As a wandering ronin with a large bounty on his head, the speed at which he killed was essential to his survival. As a bodyguard for a girl like Fuu, it was a dangerous skill that more often then not was a danger to her rather then her enemies.

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The first time she did, Jin had his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike before he suddenly realized who it was.

Why did she feel the need to stand right behind him, grasp the loose fabric on his back and whimper in fear right in his ear when there was danger? Didn't she know she was more at risk in that position then the one she feared?

Apparently Fuu was ignorant to it all, since she not only continued to do it but made it a frequent occurrence. Even in times of peace Fuu would stand close to his side and hold on to his sleeve while she talked to him, all the time looking up at him with a bright smile.

It was unnerving.

Every time she did this Jin should have jerked away and told her to stop. Explain to her the reasons why it wasn't a good idea to stick so close to him. Not only could he hurt her, but in a fight he would not be able to attack the enemy properly with her hanging on to him. And yet he kept silent and allowed Fuu to continue.

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Jin wondered when it had changed. It seemed that Fuu had somehow changed his natural feelings. Instead of wanting to jerk away from her grip Jin found himself taking a step back, forming a defensive stance in front of her smaller body. The feel of her body behind him no longer alarmed him. Jin no longer felt the need to kill but instead his mind urged him to protect.

The samurai still preferred for people to keep away, but he made an exception for one small girl. He wanted Fuu to stay close to him—it was the best way to keep her safe.

Jin needed to protect her. It went beyond just doing it because he was supposed to do it as her bodyguard. The need to do so was so strong that his reason for protecting her seemed lacking. There were many reasons that his sharp mind came up with, but none of them seemed to suffice

In the end it didn't matter. Deep down he knew his body would move forward to save her from harm before his mind could even process the thought. It was an odd thing to find himself putting another's life before his own. Yet as they continued their journey, it was becoming surprisingly easy.

Especially when Fuu stood close to him, gripping his sleeve and smiling up at him.

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Anyone else notice how often Fuu does that? She does it quite often and it just sort of surprised me that Jin would let her. Also there was a point in the series where Jin not only allowed Fuu to hang on to him but he would actually follow after her…something he didn't do at the beginning. :squish:

Thank you to Alicia as always for editing.

And Thank you for those who reviewed. Yay! I'm happy to see a good number of Jin and Fuu fans. I hope you guys liked this one too. Wow Jin is difficult to write. Anyway I responded to some of the reviews below scroll down if you feel like it.

Till next time!

-Scarlet

Elementary Magpie:

Yeah…while I was re-reading it I realized that I had called Mugen a samurai when technically he isn't. I tried to find a word to replace it but all I could come up with were so negative. And I felt bad…and I was like… forget it and just put it in. Now with this one I feel worse because I didn't even mention him at all! Poor Mugen.

PRoyalAngel:

MugenXFuu? OO Haha…actually the next one might be a bit MugenXFuuXJin since at moments I see the triangle of sorts happening. So we'll see how that goes.

Umm..I think that was all that had questions or comments that I needed to respond to. If anything feel free to e-mail me and you'll probably get a quicker response.

Thank you again for all those who reviewed!