Just my own thoughts on Jin's life after the seperation. I'll be doing ones on Mugen and Fuu as well, so it'll be a complete circle.

Jin

When Jin and his two friends parted ways that day, he had expected to be relieved. No more chaotic happenstances coming his way, no more having to put up with her complaining and his uncouth ways. But fate was an amusing and interesting things, changing things at a whim. The solitary samurai would never have believed that they would be friends, close, close friends at the end, but so they were. He felt strange and alone after they parted ways. He was so used to being with them, so used to having them close now. He had grown to enjoy their companionship greatly, despite their differences. It would have been hard to leave them had he not another purpose afterwards.

Shino.

He got over his sorrow at leaving with the thoughts that it would only be two more short years until he could see her again. He could easily take his time getting back to the temple where he left her in that time, and enjoy himself along the way. Meditation and the occasional job as a bodyguard would more than pay for his way. At first it was odd to him that he didn't have to figure in the cost of two others in the equation, but it was certainly easier.

Not that that made it better. He missed having voices around. But he counted on the fact that he and Shino would be able to start a new life together that kept him going. If Jin were allowed to have his way, he would return to Shino immediately and take her away to a new town, a new place where they could marry, raise children, be happy together. He thought he'd like children with Shino. Not a large houseful of course, because he and Shino were both quiet and tidy, but perhaps two, maybe three would be good.

Jin would sometimes chuckle to himself as he traveled, thinking about how Mugan and Fuu would have reacted if they'd known he wanted a family. He could almost see Mugan's disgusted but oh-so-slightly envious looks, and Fuu's surprised but happy face, although perhaps jealousy would have a small part of it. He thought of them sometimes, as he worked for various people to earn his keep, as he ate his meals in restaurants, as he walked for days at a time. He missed them, but it was not so bad. He had Shino.

...

Two years passed both quickly and slowly for Jin. Some days seemed agonizingly long, and he felt like it would never end. Other times they seemed to fly by, as though everyone was flying past him and he couldn't keep up. He made his way back faster than he thought he would, and he had plenty of money left over to keep him and Shino comfortable as they searched for a home. Since the bespeckled warrior was wary of going back into the city nearby (after all, he'd had his fill of old grudges coming back to bite him ages ago) he stayed in the area outside the temple, camping and hunting to sustain himself. He'd intended to wait exactly until the three years were up, but he was almost two months early.

On the one hand, Jin hated to break a rule which said three years. On the other, it was nearly three years. If she couldn't come just yet, then he might still be able to see her. There was no harm in asking at least. So after a week of trying to stay patient, Jin threw in the towel and went to the temple.

...

He knocked on the Temple doors and respectfully inquired after Shino to the elderly man who opened came to greet him. He was courteously brought inside and asked to wait in the courtyard while the man when to ask the priest there if this was acceptable. After a few minutes, Jin was invited inside the temple and let to a room where tea and some light refreshments were provided. Jin was surprised at this. He hadn't expected to be stoned of course, but he hadn't expected this kind of treatment either.

He didn't like it.

Jin remained seated as the priest came in and introduced himself as the head of the temple. He sat across from Jin and they exchanged a few pleasantries while sipping the tea before the priest moved to the heart of the matter.

He set his cup down and took a breath before looking Jin in the eye. "I understand you wished to see Shino."

Jin nodded. "Yes. I helped her to escape the brothel and come here, and I was hoping that perhaps, if has been three years of course, that she may leave and come with me. I apologize in advance if I am a little early or a little late. I have been traveling, and it is somewhat difficult to keep a strict track of days in mind."

The priest looked solemn as Jin spoke, and when he answered his voice was grave and sorrowful. "I am so sorry, Jin. There is no kind or gentle way to say this… Shino has been dead for more than two years."

...

Jin was numb as he stood in front of the grave of the woman he loved. He felt frozen, not in the way he used to be, but frozen as though he couldn't move. He couldn't stop shivering. Over two years. He'd been wandering around for two years expecting her to greet him smiling and happy, and she'd been dead for two years. It wasn't illness that killed her. Jin had been expecting that to be the case when he finally managed to choke out a "How?" after getting over the initial shock. Or perhaps an accident where she'd injured herself. But no. It was no sickness or disaster that had killed her.

It was the two children, the two infants lying in the graves on either side of hers.

The priest had said they discovered she was pregnant two months after she arrived. She had admitted to missing her cycle a few times, but she had told them that she was always somewhat irregular, so she didn't notice anything really amiss until she got the morning sickness. Then the sudden weight gain, although she ate like a bird. It wasn't long before they figured out what it was. They had expected Shino to be upset, but she was ecstatic, the told Jin. The baby could have been anyone's child, really; her former husband's, some other customer's perhaps. But no, she said she knew it was Jin's. She could feel it.

"She always spoke to highly of you," the priest had said softly. "We knew you were a good man just by your actions alone, but for a woman like Shino to love you that much, we had no doubts about it."

They had, of course, expected a difficult pregnancy. Shino was so delicate, so soft and fragile. She was a strong woman, but it had taken a toll on her. She grew so big they were afraid that she'd be too small to give birth, and that was one of the factors that led to her death. There were other things too of course. The fact that there were twins, which was unexpected put a strain on her. The first child was a son. He was too large though, and she was so small. He suffocated before they could manage to get him out. The second child was a daughter. She, too, did not survive the birth. And Shino… Shino was in labor for more than two days. It was a miracle that she survived that long, a testament to her strong will that she had. But it didn't matter in the end.

She was dead, and so were their babies.

Jin knew they were his. His father had been a twin. His mother had been one as well, and he'd heard before that twins skipped a generation. And it was true, Shino was so tiny, so delicate and beautiful, so sweet and kind. He couldn't stop the tears coming to his eyes as he thought about what she must have gone through.

There were other complications too, they told him. The child was turned the wrong way, Shino had been ill earlier, so many things that contributed to her death. They told him that she had been so eager to have the children, his children, for them to start their lives together. It was all empty words. They only added to the hurt.

...

Jin wasn't sure what he was going to do now.

He had counted on Shino. She was gone.

He had nothing now. He was a samurai with only one opponent left that could best him, and he would not kill Mugen. He had no lord to serve, defeating the purpose of being a samurai at all. He had no lands, no home, no family, and since he discovered Shino's death, very little money since he spent most of it drinking.

At the end of it all, he was a broken and booze-soaked fool who was trying to think of one good reason why he shouldn't kill himself. The only thing he could think of was that Fuu and Mugen would kill him if they found out.

He realized later once he wasn't in a drunken stupor that this wasn't the most logical of thoughts, but it kept him going when all he really wanted to do was impale himself on his katana.

Of course, once the thoughts of Fuu and Mugen came up, he used them to keep himself from going off the deep end, so to speak. Thoughts of how they kept him on track kept flooding his mind, remembering how they'd kept him sane and at least somewhat high spirited after they left Shino. Somehow in his mind it worked out that if he found them again, it would work out. He'd be sane. And if he didn't find them, he'd have an excuse to live.

He thought about it later as he walked along. Perhaps it was some sort of fate that was making him do this. But he preferred to think that it was just random hapenstance. Then he wouldn't blame himself as much.

After all, their lives were surrounded by chance, which was a nice way of saying shit happened to them a lot. And if was happening to him, it was happening to them too. It was only right that the shit happened to them together.

He also made a note to himself to drink more as he set out. He thought much less when he drank.

I know, I know, it's dark and sad and sucky, but this is what came out when I sat down to write. Please review if you like it enough.