Author: NightSprite

Summary: At the end of the Journey Fuu, Jin, and Mugen all seperated. However...as Mugen once said "No matter how hard we try, fates just gonna keep onthrowing us together"

Disclaimer: Now matter how much I wish I did I will never own Samurai Champloo or any of it's characters. They belong to Geneon so there are you happy now!

Chapter one

Hitsuzen

He walked carefully, each step precise, calculated and perfectly balanced though he had not conscious thought of this. His steps were careless and wide, his body held a stance of "Yeh I'm a little odd, whatcha gonna do about it huh?". She was the one who had changed the most. Though her face was light-hearted and she smiled, her footsteps were heavy as if she wanted to turn right back around an run.

It had been a week since they departed, her journey over, their task done. Each had discovered what the were searching for. For Fuu the samurai, for Jin friendship, and for Mugen a sense of calm. Then they had departed from each other's company with the new knowledge and experience of their journey. Fuu wondered behind her pretty smile if their steps were heavy too. If Mugen missed her plank figure and if Jin missed her chatter.

Momo poked out from between the folds of her kimono and let out a little "Ee!" It looked around as if half expecting the others to be there. But they weren't and Fuu patted Momo's head with a sigh "No, their not here Momo….don't worry we can get on just fine without them." If the small flying squirrel could sigh it would have as it retreated back into it's warm cozy den. It snuggled between her breasts and rested there.

She stopped in an inn as she arrived the at town she had been walking towards. The inn keeper smiled at her and ushered her in. She smiled back a little hesitantly before asking "Excuse me sir, but would you mind if I worked here for a little while. I could really use the money so pretty please?" The innkeeper held his whiskered chin in thought "I guess I could….just serve food and pick up plates and send them to the back to be washed. Just a few days mind you." Fuu's eyes glittered "Oh thank you! I'll work really hard I promise!" The innkeeper couldn't help but smile as he handed her a waist-apron and a strip of cloth to tie her sleeves back.

Fuu began immediately and the innkeeper couldn't help but notice that his business immediately picked up with all the young men in the village wanting to order things only from her. It wasn't often a foreign girl appeared in their village, so far out in the middle of no where. Fuu unwittingly did all that she was asked without a clue of the boys' true intentions. She just smiled and said "Coming right up sir."

The innkeeper held his chin again in thought and smiled wondering if he could convince her to stay a week or two. He then looked to his right and noticed the growing pile of dirty dishes. He yelled into the back room "Hey buddy, c'mon we got a lotta dishes and cups up here so speed it up"

Jin stepped out of the back with his sleeves tied and carrying a basket of clean dishes, cups, and bowls. He set it down and looked at the innkeeper questioningly "Why is it that business has suddenly picked up…is there an official coming through?" The innkeeper waved away the suggestion "Nah, nah…it's the new girl that just dropped in today….all the guys in town are emptying their wallets, not many girls come through here ya know"

Jin took the basket of dirty dishes without a glance to the front of the inn where Fuu was currently serving a group of young men who were asking where she came from. He simply nodded and went back into the back room, and to his buckets of soapy and clear water. His face was solemn as he thought of the girl he had left behind at those crossroads. He missed her he wasn't going to lie, and he missed the friend and rival he had left there too and wondered about him. Did they wonder about him? Were they in different towns doing similar jobs to what he was doing now? He over the dishes carefully. He still wasn't wearing glasses having lost them in the battle with the shogunite's assassin and he still wasn't quite used to not having them.

He heard a commotion in the plum orchard that was across the small stream that ran behind the inn. It sounded like who ever had been picking the plums (no doubt newly hired) had done damage to the trees. He looked up for a moment before hearing the inn-keeper's call to hurry and he went back to the dishes.

Mugen yelled at the top of his lungs brandishing his new sword. "DAMN IT I DID THE JOB NOW PAY ME!" The other man who was unarmed and quite a bit less tall and more round yelled back just as loud "NO WAY YOU DESTROYED MY TREES! YOU CHOPPED THEM TO BITS!" Mugen growled and picked a plum off the ground "But you have the plums off the trees!" He casually pointed his sword at the man and bit into the plum "They're pretty good too…" The short man grinded his teeth and then took out a plain purse and took ¾'s of the money out of it and then threw the purse to Mugen. "There but you only get a fourth, the rest goes to the damages you caused!"

Mugen glared at him but then pocketed the purse and began to walk off. What he needed after such a hard job was some sake. He walked around to the little bridge and then back down the street to the little inn (everything in this village was seemed little) that he had smelled food coming from. He stepped in and Fuu looked back. It was almost exactly like the first time she had seen him back at the tea house. She stared "I've gotta be dreaming…." Her eyes began to water and she dropped the tray she was holding and took a tentive step closer. "Mugen?" He stared at her and then suddenly she had rushed at him and her arms were around him and he could feel her tears starting to soak through his shirt. "Oh Mugen, I missed you so much!" He stood there for a moment looking down at her "Hey Fuu…..get me some sake"

Jin nearly dropped a plate as he heard a familiar "YOU JERK!" He rushed out of the back room with his hands still covered in suds and found Mugen holding his head in pain and Fuu holding her shoe in fury. Then Mugen looked up just as Fuu was about to release another torrent "Jin?" Fuu turned instantly and now she really couldn't believe her eyes. She smiled, with new tears, and rushed to him put her arms around him as she had Mugen but maybe squeezing him a little tighter "Jin….oh my gods Jin" He gently laid his wet hands on her shoulders and she looked up at him crying. She smiled a little "I can't believe….that we're all together again."

Mugen came up next to them with a smile "Remember I told you back when we were on our journey…..after we tried to ditch you and we all ended up in the same place." He grinned and clapped both his companions on the back "Fates just gonna keep throwing us back together!" Jin glared at Mugen for his physical contact and then turned back to Fuu and let her go.

She smiled at them both and took both their hands. "It's hitsuzen, it has to be! There was no other possible outcome…no matter what we would end up back together"

A ghost of a smile passed over Jin's features and a grin appeared on Mugen's rough tanned face. The destined trio, together again…