Disclaimer: I do not... I repeat DO NOT own any of Samurai Champloo's story lines or characters. I just like to fantasize about what I'd like to see happen. Is that a crime?... anyway please don't sue me...

Chapter One: Memories

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By: LorelaiRaye

Mugen sat by the waters edge, thinking about her again. It pissed him off, because he hated being attached to anything or anyone. He'd tried everything to rid himself of her memory. He killed, he stole, he pillaged, but still she would come to him, when he was alone in the darkness.

"Damn it…." He sighed and let himself fall backwards into the sand. "It's been what, five years, since I last saw that bitch? Why am I still thinkin' about her? She should be outa my head by now! What the fuck is wrong with me?" He asked, in a surprisingly calm whispered tone, to the night sky.

He was right. It had been five years. Usually, with women he'd meet, he'd forget their names before they were done fucking. But, with her… with her it was different. He not only remembered her name, but he remembered everything about her.

He could still hear her. The annoying voice of a childish girl. The whining tone she got when she wanted something. The funny way her voice would crack when she was yelling at him.

He could still smell her intoxicating scent. The smell of sakura blossoms and sweat, from hours of walking in the hot sun. No one else had that smell. Out of all the women he'd been with since her, no matter how much a likeness they were… none of them smelled like her.

He could still feel her. The way her skin felt downy soft under his hardened hands. The way her lips felt on his when he kissed her for the first time. The way she felt moving under him as he pinned her to the cool ground.

He could still picture her face. Her beautiful doe brown eyes. And the way they glittered with excitement when they found cheap food. The way they reflected nothing but understanding for him, and his hard upbringing. He could still see her soft pink tinted lips. The way they parted to say his name just above a whisper. The way they beckoned to him on that last night they were together.

Yes, he could still remember every detail. But it was her eyes that haunted him every night as he tried to sleep. It wasn't the glittering excitement or the peaceful understanding in her eyes that haunted him. And this was his current dilemma. "Shit…." He cursed the memories and closed his eyes.

It was the last time he saw her. The day they parted ways forever. The look in her eyes made him wince, and even now the memory had the same affect. The watery sadness in them tugged at his heart. The look of the broken hearted. The ever flowing tears that streaked her cheeks and made her eyes look like the glassy water of the ocean.

With this memory came guilt. And he hated that feeling more then anything. The way his stomach would churn and tighten up. He opened his eyes and stared at the stars. Then he sat up and looked over the ocean towards Edo and as he brought his hand up to his right ear to fiddle with the red ball that dangled there, he sighed her name. "Fuu…."