"That was a mistake," Mugen said bluntly.

"Definitely," Fuu responded.

The two sat in awkward silence for a few moments. Fuu finally broke the tension by getting up and gathering her clothing. They were strewn about the floor, mixed in with Mugen's. She hastily got dressed, keeping her back turned to Mugen the entire time.

Instead of watching her dress, like any self-respecting lecher would do, Mugen just yawned and scratched his head. He didn't bother getting dressed, because he figured she'd already seen it all last night.

Finally finished getting dress, Fuu looked over at Mugen awkwardly. "Umm, I need to go. I got to go to work… sometime." With that, she rushed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Mugen just stared into space for a few seconds, never being the one to wake up quickly. When the events of last night settled upon his brain, he thought one thing, and one thing only: I hope I was good.

After finally finding her father, Fuu had parted from her two companions and went her own way, as she had thought was what she should do. She ended up in a nice little town, and managed to find herself another job as a waitress. This time, though, the tea house didn't burn down. Everything was quite normal and calm. Which Fuu couldn't stand, for some reason.

She made a few friends, but nobody significant. Her day usually consisted of work, chores, and eating. She was bored, but didn't know how to fix it. The only interesting place in the town after she was done with work was the bar. She became a regular there after she'd been in town for two months.

Of course, that would have to be where Mugen would show up, unexpected, five months later.

After yet another long, boring day at work, Fuu was excited to head to the bar. She was really starting to meet interesting people there, and it seemed that's what she had been missing. She hoped there were new travelers tonight.

She didn't spot him as she walked in. She went to join a table with a friend from work sitting at it. She ordered her usual, watered down sake, and started talking to her friend. She only noticed him when she went to get another weak sake.

Fuu stopped dead in her tracks, and stared at him in amazement. "Mugen?" She said it before her eyes even believed themselves.

"Yeah, what?" Mugen said, turning around. Fuu could tell that he was already tipsy from the way his movements were a little wobbly.

"Mugen," she said again, not sure if a hug now would be proper or not. She had missed Jin and Mugen so much since they had all parted. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you," Mugen said and smiled. If he were honest with himself, he kinda missed the little brat. "C'mon, sit down. Have a drink. On me." He laughed at her shocked look.

Fuu sat down, and was about to order her weak sake when Mugen pushed a full sake container at her. To be polite, she sipped at it. Pretty good, actually, she thought. "What are you doing here?" she asked again, hoping he'd answer this time.

"Got a job." Mugen never did overstate things, Fuu recalled.

"What kind of job?" Fuu asked, sipping at the sake more. Men were so annoying sometimes.

"Guard. The guy's paying me to watch his house. Free money for watching some stupid house," Mugen smiled. He raised his cup of sake to Fuu in a toast.

Fuu toasted, and poured herself another cup. Sake tasted a lot better when it wasn't watered down.

On her second container already, Fuu looked at Mugen, bleary-eyed. Mugen looked back, equally as bleary (even though he was on his fourth). "You know," Fuu said, speaking slowly so as not to lose her place. "You know, I always liked your hair. It looks so… interesting." Isn't what she had planned on saying, but it worked.

Mugen chuckled, and took another drink. "I like your face. It's so tiny," he said. Fuu sure did look really cute tonight. Or did she always look like that? Mugen didn't care, and took another drink.

An hour later, the two friends were plastered. Fuu giggled for no reason, and Mugen joined her. "You know," Mugen said, "I got a room close."

"Oooh, a room," Fuu slurred, impressed that he had a room for some reason. The sake tasted so good.

"Here it is," Mugen said. Fuu stumbled in, laughing. Mugen caught her before she fell, having better reflexes drunk than her, because it wasn't his first time.

"Hi," she said as he kept holding her.

Mugen thought about putting her down on the futon, but decided to kiss her instead. Their lips met, and Fuu moaned slightly. The kiss was sloppy, due to them being drunk, but it was still the best kiss Fuu could ever remember having. She slid her hands up Mugen's back, underneath his shirt.

Clothing strewn all over the floor, Mugen looked down at Fuu's naked body in appraisal. He didn't know how he could've missed her being this sexy.

Fuu giggled. "C'mere," she said, and pulled him down on top of her by his neck.

Sheets tangled, bodies moving. Sweat. A loud moan, followed by a softer sigh. Heavy breathing. The smell of sex hanging heavily in the air.

Fuu curled up to Mugen's body, ready to fall asleep. She sighed happily, and snuggled in closer. Mugen wrapped his arm around her small body, and kissed her on top of her head. They both fell asleep with a smile on their faces.

Fuu still couldn't believe that she woke up this morning, curled up against Mugen. There was a lot of alcohol involved, but still.

She finger-brushed her hair as she walked towards the place she was staying. An image of fingers sliding down her stomach made her almost shiver. She closed her eyes and tried to will the image away, but it was only replaced with one of Mugen holding himself above her on his hands, and her reaching up to stroke his face.

"But why did it have to be him for my first time?" She said softly. She was only sixteen, after all. Why did it have to be him?

She shook her head as she unlocked the door and let herself in. Thankfully, she had the day off. She flopped down on her futon and sighed. The headache making itself known with the power of a rock slide didn't help matters either. She drew the curtains and closed her eyes, in hopes that it would make it go away. All of it.

She fell asleep. She dreamt of Mugen, and of soft caresses and murmurings of sweet nothings. She dreamt that he looked in her eyes, that he kissed her neck, that he was as gentle as possible.

When she woke up, she decided to never have the dream again. Her stomach growled, and she decided to get some lunch at the tea house where she worked.

Half an hour after Fuu left, Mugen was still waking himself up. He finally put some pants on, and grabbed something to drink. His hangover was pulsing with his heartbeat, and he still felt a little dizzy. He couldn't completely recall the events of last night, but he could remember that he had finished off five things of sake. "No wonder my damn head hurts so much," he muttered as he finished dressing.

He strapped his sword to his back, and went to check on the house that he had been hired to guard. The guy was paranoid, no doubt about it. He thought that the Yakuza was after his collection of scrolls. Just plain stupid, as far as Mugen was concerned.

"Least it pays well," Mugen again muttered to himself. His stomach reminded him that it was about lunchtime, so he headed towards a tea house he'd seen on his way into town last night. Almost looks like that one where Fuu worked, he thought, before entering.

Fuu's friend from the bar last night was the one that greeted her when she went in. "I saw you with that cute guy last night," she said, hoping to get all the juicy details.

"I used to know him," Fuu said, really not wanting to get into it at the moment. Her head was yelling, and her mouth was dry.

"Really? Where'd you guys go when you left? You both looked pretty drunk," she said, as if expecting Fuu to tell her all the secrets of the universe, just because she asked.

"Nowhere. Don't wanna talk about it." Fuu grabbed the first available seat and sat down. "My head hurts, my mouth is dry, and I just want tea and a lunch."

"You sure are grumpy when you're hung over. The usual?" Fuu nodded, and was then left alone.

"More dumplings! These are good," a loud voice called from the corner opposite of where Fuu was sitting. She didn't even have to look to know who was doing the yelling. Maybe if she just ate quickly and left…

"Hey Fuu," her friend called. "It's your friend from last night. You guys should eat together."

"No, no, I really don't," Fuu started.

"Nonsense. I'll put your food over there for you," her friend fluttered her eyes in that 'he's cute, go after him you dunce' sort of way. Fuu trudged her way over to the table of her embarrassing doom.

"Hey," Mugen said, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened last night. Fuu just sat silent until her friend left them alone.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"I was hungry." Fuu wanted to strangle him right now, but it would be bad to do in front of the other customers. Instead, she just stared at him as if he were insane. Which he probably was, now that Fuu thought about it.

"I meant, why are you here at my work?" Fuu started to drink her tea, if just to moisten her mouth.

"Didn't know you worked here," Mugen said. Fuu just stared down at her tea.

After a few minutes of silence and the sounds of eating, and the noises made by the other patrons, Mugen grinned. Then he started to chuckle a little.

"What?" Fuu asked, afraid he might be laughing at her in the light of day, without sake to muddle his vision.

"You're embarrassed," he answered, continuing to chuckle lightly.

"Am not," Fuu said, blushing bright red to show how big of a lie that was.

"Shouldn't be. It's a natural act and all that. Great way to get the tension out." Mugen stretched his arms up, trying to get the crick out of his neck.

Fuu mumbled something, but Mugen couldn't quite make out what she had said.

"Can't hear you," he said. He was starting to enjoy this just a little.

"I said," She all but whispered, "that it was… my first time." She turned a darker shade of red, and ducked her head so that no one could see.

"Oh, is that all?" Mugen laughed. He'd dealt with this before. "It's not that big of a deal."

"It is to me," Fuu shot back.

"Maybe we could try again sometime. You know, sober and all. Make things all better." He laughed at his own joke. He wouldn't complain if she took him up on his offer, but he wasn't going to let her know he was actually a little hopeful. Her skin had been so smooth beneath his rough hands.

"Pervert!" Fuu smacked Mugen on the arm, before stalking out of the tea house, most of her meal untouched. The patrons all stared at Mugen. He just shrugged, and started to eat the dumplings Fuu had left.

"I can't believe he would say such a thing," Fuu said to herself. She didn't care how she looked to everybody, talking to herself like this, because she was just that angry. "In a public place, no less." She let out a sound of discontent, and continued stalking off towards her home.

Then again, from what she could remember, it was pretty fun… No. No thoughts like that. It's Mugen. Mugen. He's the wrong sort to get tangled up with in that way. Jin had been a lot more dependable than Mugen. A lot less lewd, too. But she had never really felt anything other than sisterly affection for Jin, while Mugen…

No. She refused to think those thoughts. Last night was a one-time-only mistake. She once again unlocked her door and flopped down on her futon. Only this time, her mind was racing too much to fall asleep.

Do I really have feelings for Mugen? She thought. I mean, I did think he looked good when I was traveling with him. Fuu shook her head. That was a long time ago, she continued. I have no idea what he's been doing since then. Who he's been sleeping with.

That last thought gave her pause. Was she actually jealous? She laughed out loud. "Of course I'm not jealous," she told herself. "Why would I be interested in a jerk like him? I could do so much better!" The last statement didn't sound as convincing as it would have yesterday. "Damn it," she whispered.

Mugen finished his meal, as well as Fuu's, and paid both checks. Inconsiderate girl, leaving him to pay the bill. What he ever saw in her, he would never understand. Even though she was a lot prettier than she was the last time he saw her. She had matured in those seven months. Not just in the chest, but in the face, the waist, the hips. Mugen smiled, remembering those hips.

Walking back to the house he was supposed to guard, Mugen shook his head. Getting all sentimental over some kid. Stupid.