Author's Note: Started writing this one and for some reason even if I have a plan of direction, once I get into the flow of things it just turns out differently. Hopefully you all enjoy it anyway. There is finally more Fuu x Mugen in this one. :)

-Kogalover0809

9

Ignorance

I'm not sure when it happened. I'm not exactly sure where either, but I don't even think that matters. Something inside me has changed and I just don't know what word I can use to pinpoint what I'm feeling. Renewed? Energized? Reborn? I just don't think that those words cut it for what's happening to me. Empowered? Stronger? Hmm. I'm just not sure. Even if I wanted to tell Mugen these things I really doubt he would know the right word, he's just not that savvy. If only Jin were here.

Speaking of Jin, I really hope that what that jerk yakuza boss said wasn't true. That doesn't sound like Jin at all. Plus, does he really have a family? I would've loved to have meet her…his wife I mean. She must've been a real looker, kind, and smart. What am I saying? Wife! I don't know if anything that guy said was true. I can only hope he was wrong.

So far, it's been a few days since we escaped that hell hole of a village. Mugen somehow managed to find an abandoned home. I'm not even sure I can call it someone's home, it's so deteriorated. There's a hole in the roof, no door, some of the windows are broken, it's a mess. Luckily, it's a bit away from the next town and right by the water so we can fish. Ah fishing…it was something I used to do with Jin when Mugen was gone chasing women.

Anyways, I'm hoping we don't get caught up here too long. Because besides the change in me that I mentioned, there's also something else… Something that stirs my chest when I look at Mugen. It makes my heart race and my palms get sweaty. I don't think that's normal. I'm not too sure I want to find out what it is. But then again maybe I'm just catching a cold. Who knows?

Fuu sat outside the small home the two had been staying at, on a large log, a small fire cackling in front of her, the smell of burning wood lingering in the air. The sun was already setting in the sky, it's red, orange, and pink hues igniting the sky in bright vibrant flames. Just a distance away she could see Mugen already making his way back from the river bank, both arms by his side, fish tail fins gripped tightly in his hands. She stared at him for a bit while she gathered the items she needed to cook their dinner. By the looks of it, she could tell he had trouble catching them. She reminded herself that he wasn't always the best at catching fish, his soaked shorts and shirt were clear evidence of that. 'The little bastards are slippery ya know,' she could already hear him say.

Looking beyond that, she could see the roughness engraved in his hands and the firmness in his forearms. She could see the tautness of his abs through his slightly wet shirt. Closing her eyes briefly, she imagined the prickly feeling of his stubble against her skin, and for a short moment Fuu slipped into her feelings. Mugen was a man. She had always known this, but this whatever feeling it was that she felt, wanted to make itself known that he was a man indeed.

"Whatchya thinkin' bout?" She immediately snapped open her eyes and remained speechless in Mugen's presence, embarrassed of the thoughts she was having. "Well here's some fish that we can have for dinner. I'm gunna say I'm getting real sick of fish." Mugen continued to complain of their lack of food choices as Fuu shuffled through their supplies seemingly wanting to appear busy. "What are ya doing?" he asked quizzically lifting up his eyebrows as he watched Fuu fumble through pieces of twigs and leaves. She didn't seem to notice what she was doing either until she looked down, furthering her embarassment.

"Uh, oh the um fire was dying out, so here," she said as she picked up the pile of debris and threw them in the fire, "see that helped." Close one Fuu she thought. "What else do you want me to do for food?" she pouted as she started to clean the fish he just caught. In all truthfulness she was sick of it too. She really wanted any other meal besides the tasteless fish they had been eating. She could also go for some sake too! "It's not like I'm super thrilled to eat this either. Gyoza sounds good right now or tonkatsu mmm' or even yakiniku," she said, her mouth starting to water. She picked the fish up it's eyeball staring right at her. "Ugh."

She continued to clean and scrape some of the scales off as she started to resume her chatter. "Mugen do you really think what that guy said back there, you know about Jin, was true?" She looked up at him from where she was his, muscly thin stature towering over her.

"First of all, I can't image ol'four-eyes gettin' himself hitched and settling down. Burning up a village yeah I can see that," he trailed off as he realized her big brown eyes were only getting bigger. "That guy was just bullshitting us. He was all talk cause he couldn't do none of the fighting himself." In his small attempt to be kind he sat on the log next to her and started to help her with the fish. She gave him a quick glance. "What? I'm just really hungry, and you're going real slow."

Fuu decided to just appreciated the gesture and changed the subject. They tried to figure out exactly where they were in their journey, and their discussion took them in many directions. They discussed where to go from there, the different animals she'd seen, and the old sword he'd found on the edge of the water, the number of bugs she had to deal with when she went to sleep, and the lack of sake in the area. By the time they were done their bellies were full and they both had shared a good laugh. The amount of time they had been spending together felt unusual to both, but at the same time it was comforting that they at least had each other.

"Should we try the town up ahead? We can stock up on a few things and then head out the day after tomorrow?" Fuu suggested. Mugen nodded silently, slid off the log and laid on the ground. He moved his arms behind his head and stared up at the sky. The sun had already dipped below the horizon and the stars were already brightly peeking through the bleak night sky. He closed his eyes listening to the all the sounds around him. Geez, even with his eyes closed he looks god-like, Fuu thought. He's not even trying. Fuu began to wonder if Mugen even recognized her as a woman, not that she cared or anything. Or did she?

"Ya know we might only have a night just like this once?" he turned to stare at her his small dark eyes eating away at her. She gulped.

"What do you mean?" she said as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and unconsciously pulled the edges of her kimono closer together.

"Oh, ya know what I mean." The long pause lingered between them, the tension growing. "So just give it up already girlie, show me the goods!" he gave her a hard grin. She stood up quickly and so assertively that it almost startled him.

"In your dreams you jerk." She said as she walked towards the water, "I'm going to go wash up and don't follow me!" She could hear him mumble profanities under his breath as she left before hearing him yell out to her.

"Alright but ya don't know what you're missin'!" She rolled her eyes as she walked away her mind saying one thing but her body screaming another. There was no way she was falling for it. Another one of his tricks. His teasing was growing old, but her urges were something new and enticing. Fuu didn't know how to handle them.

"I think I'm just spending too much time with him. Or maybe it's because he's the only one who's constantly with me. Yeah that has to be why I'm imagining him like that. I mean come on Fuu, it's Mugen for God's sake!" She continued to scold herself all the way down to the river bank.

She made it back to the small hut after cooling herself off. The smell of the fire that once was lingered as smoke continued to rise in the air. At least he put the fire out. She prepared herself mentally for whatever Mugen was going to throw her way and took a deep breath as she stepped inside, only to hear the loud sounds of his slumber.

"Good he's sleeping already. Honestly what a jerk!" she whispered to herself. She prepped her side of the hay trying to make it fluffy, but who was she kidding it was one of the most uncomfortable things to sleep on. Fuu ran her fingers through her damp hair a couple more times to dry it out and laid down staring at the hole in the roof. At least she had a nice glimpse of the stars. Her thoughts like falling leaves started to rustle and fall on her mind, keeping her awake a little longer. She made a mental note of all the things they might need on their trip, she made mental notes of how much money they had left, and even added a small bottle of sake to her list. God knew that being with Mugen was a full day's work and not even one bottle of sake could help her out with that, but it would have to suffice. She sighed. Jin's face flashed before her again. She missed him. His wittiness. His mannerisms. His advice. She could really use that right now with this buffoon sleeping right next to her. The things she was feeling, she wanted to share with him very badly. Fuu turned over to her right side and prepared to get some sleep only to see Mugen staring intently at her. She inhaled sharply at the sight of him just inches from her face.

He was close. Too close.

Mugen stared at her his lips slightly parted. She noticed his eyes trailing from her eyes to her lips. His hand reaching up to her face, his thumb caressing her cheek. Rough meeting tender for the very first time. She didn't know what was happening. All her thoughts had scattered in the midst of his actions, and her mind was blank. The only feeling she had was that of her heart pounding hard in her chest.

He moved his hand behind her head and pulled her close to him. Teasing her he trailed his nose and mouth just above hers. She could feel his breath on her as it ran down her and past her neck. Her eyes fell to his lips, temptation swiftly taking over her. She was losing. He was winning this battle. And she knew she was going to lose it.

She could feel the urge to let go. Her eyes wanted to close, and her body wanted to be taken by him, she wanted to give her all to this man. Their eyes locked once again before she felt the softness of his mouth pressed roughly against hers in a kiss she never could've imagined. He eased her down against the floor on her back, his forearm supporting the weight of his upper body. He was rough yet gentle. His mouth enveloping hers. His tongue exploring hers with a ferocious passion that seemed un-quelled and un-quenched with just one kiss. His stubble brushed up roughly against her skin. His breath, heavy against her lips.

Their long intense kiss was over as soon as it had started, and he pulled away with an enormous grin. Staring down at her Mugen thought Fuu looked like a lost deer, her eyes were huge, and her lips were swollen, and God could he do some dirty things with her, but he wasn't. He couldn't. Not yet.

"Told ya you didn't know what you were missin'," he said as he laid back down and turned on to his side. "That's payback. There ain't no chicks out here and the one that's with me ain't puttin' out. Serves ya right."

Fuu was stunned. Her mind was blank. She had no words. 'What the heck just happened,' she thought to herself. 'Did Mugen really just…did I really just…no. I'm dreaming. There is no way that I could've wanted to. Or did I want to?' She rubbed her lips together still feeling the roughness from his kiss. It was lingering. That was her first kiss! Mugen of all people. She moved her hand to her heart which was still pounding. She couldn't even find the words to yell at him. Biting her lip she closed her eyes and savored their moment. Her body ached for more, but she couldn't. There was no way she was going to sleep tonight she thought as she flipped over on her side away from Mugen. There was just no way.

Fuu jolted up from her slumber. Hay straw stuck in her long brown locks of hair. She lifted her fingers to touch her lips and immediately looked to her right, but Mugen was gone. Great now how was she going to act around him. The light from the day brightly poked it's way into the home, as Fuu quickly pinned her hair up and began to get ready for the day. As she stepped out Mugen was already waiting for her. She tried not to act awkward around him.

"Well well look who's up," he said. Fuu noticed that Mugen had a small sack with him and tied around it dangling were two sake bottles.

"Where did you get those? Did you go out without me?" she pointed at the bottles. "Mugen I had a list, I knew exactly what I wanted."

"Listen here, do ya even know what time of the day it is?" Fuu shook her head in response and looked around her. Gasping in astonishment.

"I slept in this late? No! I couldn't have!"

Mugen walked up to her and bumped her with his elbow, giving her a small wink. "You're welcome, girlie." Fuu shoved him.

"What I got everything we usually get. I think you should be thanking me. Now we can take off a day early. What'dya say?" Fuu looked at him fight hard to hide her embarrassment. Flash backs of their kiss were currently bombarding her mind. But he was right. Saving time and heading out early was a good plan, she was really surprised he even thought about it. "Plus," he continued, "I got two sake bottles." He held up two fingers in her face.

"Ugh. Alright. You're right, let me just get my stuff together." She started to look around at their small campfire, but all her stuff was gone. He smugly held out the bag in front of her.

"Already packed it. Damn I'm good!"

"If you're so good, which way are we headed?" She asked hands on her hips.

"Actually, this old dude said we were in Honshu, I don't remember the name of the town. But all he said was we gotta head north," he said pointing in the direction they needed to head towards. She hesitated but agreed with him.

As they started to make their trek, normalcy between the two resumed. "Let's find something to eat, I'm starving," she said.

"What do ya got? An endless stomach or something you're always hungry." Mugen took a quick jab in the arm as Fuu continued to quarrel with him. 'Damn girlie,' he thought to himself, 'What have I got myself into?'

His mind roamed through his memory of her lips against his, and the sweet taste that had lingered there. He wasn't sure when it happened or when he started to feel something for her. What he did wasn't like him at all, and for the first time ever last night he felt fear. The fear of losing her, and it felt like a thousand swords piercing his entire being. He was still in denial. There was no way he could care that deeply for her. His thoughts jumbled in his mind. He just had to sort through them, and he knew he had plenty of time until they reached their next destination to do so.

Stay tuned for the next chapter!