TITLE: Underneath It All
AUTHOR: Kichi
PAIRING (if applicable): Fuugen
RATING: M
WARNINGS: Plenty - swearing, violence, lemon (het) you know, that old chestnut
NOTES: IU haven't seen all the eps. Of Samurai Champloo, but I saw the last 3! And this is post-series anyway
ARCHIVE: Fuu finds Mugen after her escapes days of torture and abuse
DISCLAIMER: I wish I owned Mugen, but I don't, or anyone else in Samurai Champloo - Manglobe has the copyrights

1.0 - The Mark has been made

She was finally free for the rest of the night! She closed the door behind her as she left, saying her goodbyes to the owners of the current tea house she was working at. She had decided to stay in Echizen for the past month, and had yet to find a reason to leave.
A huge castle was being built at the edge of town and hundreds of workers were employed there. There was plenty of work in a town suddenly needing to feed so many men and their families. It was growing rapidly and many other restaurant, teahouses, and brothels had sprung up to supply the demand. If her boss gave her any more attitude, she could easily quit and get a job elsewhere. And Echizen was safe! No one caused trouble, everyone seemed happy in the thriving town. And Fuu even had her own place! She was renting of course, but she didn't have to share her little hut with anyone. She made enough to feed and clothe herself and even had some to spare which she usually spent on sake on the weekends. She didn't have to work the next day. She was already headed to one of the many shops that sold sake. Then she was headed home. The next day her friend Eri would be paying her a visit. She had met the girl at her new favorite restaurant working as a waitress and had quickly become friends. Fuu had told her all about Mugen and Jin. Eri had fallen in love with Jin based on Fuu's description, and seemed to not think much of Mugen at all. But if the truth must be known, Fuu really missed Mugen the most. Sure he was violent and rude, but there was something about him she was drawn to. Jin seemed like a God come to Earth, as far out of her league as the sun itself. That had never stopped her from dreaming of course, but those dreams had shattered when he'd left with Shino. She wondered if Jin was with her now...
Mugen, on the other hand, had driven her crazy with his insults and comments, but he had also never failed to appear when she'd needed saving. She'd always suspected he cared, but couldn't be forced to admit it on pain of death. But she'd known it on Ikitsuki island, he'd stood there drenched, bleeding, out of breath. He'd fought to get to her. Her heart had bled to see him like that. The horror of what had befallen her had momentarily fled as she watched him bleed for her.
And afterwards, after Kasumi and her father were dead and she'd heard that awful explosion (and just after watching Jin get stabbed) she'd nearly killed herself running down to the beach.
She had screamed when she saw him lying there his shirt soaked in blood, it was still seeping as she fell on her knees at his side. She'd cried his name and he'd jerked, groaning in pain and she'd sobbed in relief. She and Jerome had bandaged them both quickly before moving them to her father's house.
And it had tore her heart to leave them, but their mission was accomplished, what reason did she have to keep them at her side? In her eyes, there was none. So she let them go, as much as it ached.
She sighed as she always did when she thought of them. It had been three years since last they had parted. Right after the events on Ikitsuki, she had wandered, not really knowing where to go or what to do. She couldn't stay in Nagasaki - Ikitsuki and all the horrible memories associated with it would always be too near. She had stayed only long enough to make enough money to reach the next town. The next town had been Echizen. She had been there ever since.
It was terrible, sometimes, how badly she missed Mugen and Jin. She thought of them often, wondered how they were, wondered if they were well and if they missed her at all. She sometimes grew afraid on her walks home at night, even though Echizen was peaceful. She just knew that if Jin and Mugen were with her she would have nothing to fear, ever. Perhaps it was that sense of safety that she missed. It seemed she was always being abandoned by those she'd grown to depend on. She was learning to depend on herself though, she had to.

The wind blew and rattled the branches above her. The clouds were racing across the sky and she was catching fleeting glimpses of moonlight every so often. It was beautiful, but the lack of other sounds unnerved her a bit. It always did the closer she got to her home which was on the far outskirts of the village. She was rather close to the surrounding forest of bamboo and there were plenty of wild boars and other animals that could attack her.
She made it to the outskirts of the town without incident, she only had a mile to go. Her Landlord lived even farther still, but they had horses. In fact, her little home was old servants quarters. They had built a newer, larger place for the servants, closer to their main house. But they weren't too rich to just let the old place rot. Or to take money from Fuu in return. And when a huge storm had blown a hole in Fuu's roof they had sent men to fix it, and any other time she'd needed a repair, she'd never even had to ask. And they didn't ask for much in rent, nothing she couldn't handle anyway. All in all she was very grateful. She had a home, a job, enough to eat, nice clothes, what more could she want?
Again she thought of Mugen and Jin, and she sighed. Then a faint rustling had her freezing in her tracks and quickly crouching down to hide herself. Just then the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, and illuminated her hiding place. She kept still anyway as the rustling grew louder. Suddenly a tall, thin man staggered out into the clearing she huddled at the edge of. He swayed as if he was drunk and she pursed her lips in annoyance. The last thing she wanted was to be accosted by some lush. She ducked down lower. The man suddenly stiffened and gave a low moan that sounded more like pain than alcohol-induced nausea. She perked up a bit, wondering if this was someone in trouble.
"Those fuckers.. Look what they did to me.." he cursed in a familiar voice.
"Mugen?" she gasped before she could stop herself. The man's head jerked in her direction.
"Whose there?" he said, his voice rough with pain but, it was him, it had to be! That deep, rich voice was unlike any other, there could be no mistaking it.
"Mugen?" she called louder and stepped into the moonlight. She saw his tattoos, those wild, chocolate locks, his clicking, steel-lined geta.
"Fuu?" he gasped.
"Hai, it's me, Mugen!" she cried, sprinting forward. He staggered back a step or two as she came near and she frowned at his reluctance. Then she gasped as she saw that half of his face was caked with blood, along with his clothing. "Your hurt!" she gasped and took another step forward, wincing in dismay as he flinched and tripped over his own feet, apparently, falling on his ass. A cry tore from his lips at the impact and he was immediately scrambling to his feet again. His breath was coming in ragged gasps and pained groans. His eyes were clenched tightly shut. "Mugen!" she gasped, gently taking his arm. "Please, I have a house close by, come with me, I beg you! Your hurt, you need to rest!" The pain in his face was astonishing, he was hiding it as well as he could, but he was only wasting what little energy he had. He nodded weakly, and she gingerly draped his arm over her shoulder and clasped his waist.

Perhaps the gods were taking pity on him at last. Fuu had found him. He was losing a lot of blood, he knew he had at least one broken rib, and that was the least of his problems. He also suspected that the trauma he'd endured had driven away his resilience against the common sicknesses that were always floating around. Not only had he been beaten, starved, and tortured for weeks, but he was shivering one moment and sweating the next.
But everything would be alright now that Fuu had found him. He'd been looking for a town, a barn, a shed, any place he could find to heal for a few days. He was starting to think he would die, he had never imagined his Fuu would find him. The gods must really feel sorry for what they'd done to him this time.
He felt almost dead inside after what had happened. Like his heart had been torn out and replaced with a stone. He could feel himself changing. He didn't really know how to act anymore, he felt too- different. Like emotions were something he would never have again. Unless those emotions were anger and hatred. He felt numb, yet he could feel the pain even as he did everything to block it, forget it, make it go away. He wanted to scream and rage and kill and kill and kill. He wanted to hurt like he had been hurt so badly. Fuu was speaking quietly to him as they staggered forward, urging him along, doing her best to soothe him. It almost made him want to smile, but somehow that seemed too difficult.

He was getting weaker by the second, placing more and more weight on her. She couldn't bear much more. When her house came into view she nearly sobbed in relief. Both their breathing was coming in harsh, pained gasps. They made it to the house and she slid the door open with her foot, nearly collapsing in the entryway.
"Come on," she urged, panting and sweating. His entire body shook violently beside her and she could hear him groan behind clenched teeth. "Just a few more feet.." He took a few more trembling steps before his knees buckled and he collapsed. She didn't have the strength to hold him up, but tried anyway and was pulled to the ground. She fell at his side, just barely managing not to fall on top of him.
She lay gasping for breath, desperate to regain her strength. Mugen lay beside her, features tight with pain. He was drawing slow, shaky breaths and trying to remain conscious. Fuu slowly crawled to her knees and stood, and made her way to her futon. She unfolded it and lay it out, still panting slightly.
"Mugen.." she said as she came back to his side. She grabbed his wrists and gently pulled him upright. He bit back a groan and did his best to make his body obey his commands. He sat still, pain tearing through him, his wounds had re-opened. His face twisted in agony and he bit his lip to stifle a cry of torment. He suddenly felt her hands gently taking one of his and squeezing it. "I will make it better, Mugen, I promise." she whispered with such heartfelt sincerity, that it made a wholly different type of pain slice right through his chest. His eyes snapped shut and he nodded slowly. But she could see the agony on his face, it was tearing her apart. "Come on." she urged and helped him stumble to the futon.
"But Fuu," he said, swaying on his feet, "This is your bed."
"Mugen." she snapped, and slowly pulled his haori off. "I have a spare futon, now sit down." He complied without further resistance, too exhausted to argue further. She slowly peeled off his shirt, careful to not pull at his wounds, she met some resistance, and he sucked in a breath. "I'll be right back." she said and was gone before he could protest.
He blinked slowly, his mind slowly becoming unfocused. How had he let this happen? Had there been anything he could have done differently? He wasn't sure there was. He had been alone which was not uncommon, thieves had attempted to rob him. He'd hacked them to pieces. But not before the last one standing had called for help. And help had come by the dozens. He'd killed many more before he'd begun to grow tired. One misstep was all it took and he was on his back and they were all on top of him, beating the life out of him.
Fuu hurried back into the room and he shook his head to banish the memories. He focused on her as much as he was able. She had water and a bundle of white cloth she set it down and urged him off the futon. He slowly scooted close to her, trying not to aggravate anything bleeding, but failed and hissed when a lance of pain drove into his side. He gasped as she pressed a wet cloth to his back, trying to get the sticky, blood-soaked shirt off of him without pulling at anything that might be healing. It took awhile and she accidentally hurt Mugen a few times, but she finally got it loose and gently pulled it off him.
She couldn't hold back her horrified gasp at the sight of his naked flesh.
"Oh, Mugen.." she felt her throat close up and her eyes fill with tears.
Who had done this to him?
His entire torso was littered with angry, ugly bruises and terrible bleeding lashes criss-crossed his back. Some had begun to bleed anew, some were scabbing over. It didn't take a genius to realize he'd been whipped, but who had done it, and why? She knew he'd probably done something to deserve it- hell she knew he had. She'd seen him kill again and again, and yet so had Jin, and yet she could never imagine anyone even thinking of doing something like that to the quiet ronin. She felt shame suddenly, Mugen was always judged by his appearance, and he didn't help things with his terrible attitude and manners. She slowly began to clean his wounds, doing everything in her power to be gentle and not hurt him further. She felt him stiffen and thought she'd injured him further, but he turned slightly to face her.
He said nothing, merely stretched out a shaking hand and wiped something from her face.
"No, Fuu." he said, his face sharpening with torment. "Not for me?" she hadn't realized she'd been crying.
"Mugen who hurt you? And why?" she said softly. He closed his eyes and drew away, the mere memory hurting him.
"I couldn't stop them, maybe I deserved it. I was weak." he snapped, his eyes hollow.
"No!" she gasped, her head shaking in negation. "Never." She dipped the cloth into the water basin and brought it to his abused flesh. He shivered under her gentle touch.
They were quiet for a long while. Mugen was trying not to fall face-first to the floor, Fuu was concentrating on cleaning the terrible injuries. When she was satisfied, she left him while she found her wound-salve. Fuu returned moments later and he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt her fingers carefully apply the salve.
"Sorry," she murmured, thinking she'd hurt him. He would have laughed if his chest didn't ache so bad. Her touch had not injured him, quite the opposite, it began to calm him after the initial shock wore off. But it was difficult to be calm and stay awake at the same time. He had to warn her before he could no longer stay conscious.
"Fuu." he began and paused.
"Yeah?" she murmured, not really paying attention, it seemed. "Listen to me." he ordered, an edge in his tone. She perked up a bit and he knew he had her full attention. "Someone might come looking for me. I- " he paused again, and although she couldn't see his face, she could read the tension in his body easily. "I wasn't allowed to leave." he said quietly, but she still heard him clearly. "I can't stay awake for very long. If you hear anything and I don't wake up from it, then you have to wake me up."
"Mugen, I hate to break this to you, but you have a pretty nasty head wound here. I can't let you sleep for awhile yet. I'm making you some tea now."
"Shit." he sighed. "Go figure." She saw his shoulders slump in resignation.
"It'll be all right. We haven't seen each other in three years- we'll have time to talk." she said. He shivered at the thought. He would never, never, ever, tell anyone what had happened to him- especially not a sweet little innocent like Fuu.
Fuu, blind to his inner turmoil, went to prepare the tea and find something suitable to bandage his back with. What he said had worried her, but if someone did come for him she would defend herself and him if he couldn't. She had learned a few things over the years. She had found it necessary after Ikitsuki island. She didn't want that to happen ever again. Mugen and Jin had nearly died for her, and Mugen had come to late to save her from being raped anyway. She shivered in disgust at the memory. She didn't blame Mugen at all, she never had. That he had shown up at all was a miracle, that he had bled most of his life out onto the sand for her was... It was the reason she still lived in more ways then one. She had missed him so badly over the years, but she always had that memory of him dripping water and blood, telling her to have some faith in him. And the very fact that he had saved her life had kept her from ending it. Although shame and misery and hatred had nearly consumed her from over her violent and unwanted deflowering, she could not repay Mugen's gift of life by ending it in despair. She had to be strong like they both were.
So she had found an outlet for her fury. Her pink lacquered tanto was too beautiful to practice with so she got a few small throwing knives and hurled them at trees every chance she got. And she was pretty good at it. She had been at it since a month or so after Jin and Mugen left her. She had even begun to see progress in her attempts to run and throw at the same time. If anyone came in to her home she would do what she had done the last time a man had tried to break in and hurt her.
When she had finished those tasks and returned to the room he was staring at the floor, but she could see the pain in his expression. He was so lost in his misery he didn't even notice her watching him. For Fuu it was terrible. Her heart was cleaving in two. She had never seen him like this, he almost looked ready to cry. Her eyes filled with tears instantly. She drew close and noticed how he tensed up and kept his eyes down.
'What has happened to him?' she wondered again. She knelt in front of him and placed the tea and bandages to her right. She offered him his cup.
"Please drink this, Mugen." she said, relieved her voice didn't give her emotions away. He took it with a nod and blew the steam away before taking a small sip. He seemed to like it well enough and drank the rest. She poured him more and then rose to sit at his other side. She had cut a linen sheet into long thin strips and began to wind them around his torso. When she finished she returned to face him and pulled the towel she had cleaned him with from the bloody water. "Look up, please." she said, softly. He did as she asked, but his eyes never met hers. She began to clean the wound at his hair line. It was above his right eye and the dark red blood coated the side of his face still. Some had already dried and flaked away. It took little effort to wash it off and she saw a bruise forming around the half-inch cut. It had swelled as well and she did her best to be gentle. She cut a small section off one of the unused linen strips and covered it with the salve and pressed it to the cut, allowing a small smile of accomplishment when it stuck with no trouble. She stood and carefully circled him, appraising her work when she saw it.
His cut-off hakama was pulling low in the back, she'd been about to laugh at the sight of his butt-crack peeking out when she saw a burn as well. The blisters had popped, and had soaked the fabric.
"You were burned." it wasn't a question. She saw him stiffen.
"It's fine." he murmured.
"No. It isn't. I have to treat it." his shoulders hunched.
"Fuu-" he began.
"Mugen, no! I have to take care of it. Burns can easily get infected, and your getting sick already! I can tell. I won't hear excuses, I'm taking care of this." He turned suddenly, facing her, his eyes dark with a swirl of painful emotions.
"No, Fuu." he said, his eyes finally meeting hers.
"Yes." she replied, her eyes growing hard with anger. She saw his features tighten and knew an outburst was coming. But the anger melted and his gaze dropped to the floor again and he shivered. Again that haunted look crossed his face and he shook his head. She wanted to give in to him, to let him have his way. She was hurting him somehow and she knew it, but she had to win this argument. He was growing ill, she wasn't lying. His cheeks were unnaturally flushed, but he was constantly shivering. Any and all wounds had to be treated, he was going to need his strength to fight off whatever sickness he was developing. "Either let me do this now, or I wait till you pass out. Either way, it will happen." she said, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance. She heard the breath leave his body in a soft sigh.
"Fine." he snapped and raised himself to his knees and tugged the top of his shorts down just enough for her to see it. She wanted to cry out in her grief. Now she understood his reluctance. Someone had branded him like an animal. The characters for 'slave' was an angry red and bubbly welt seared into his flesh.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw tears pouring down her face. She stared at it, her face marred by an emotion he couldn't quite describe, but he didn't like the way it made her look. He did not like seeing her cry, it made his chest ache in a terrible way. A part pf him also felt warm, she was crying for him- no one but Fuu had ever shed tears on his behalf. It made some of the pain fade, something he was desperate for.
She raised her cloth with a shaking hand and he braced himself for the pain. But she was so gentle- as she had been the whole time- that he was able to relax immediately. She cut another piece of linen and coated the brand with the salve. It felt cool against the burn and he sighed in relief. She pressed the linen bandage in place and it finally dawned on him. Fuu's hand was on his bare ass. He couldn't help but smirk a little, and he suddenly marveled at how she helped to ease his pain without even knowing it, just by being her sweet self.
"Lie on your stomach, please." she said softly. He obeyed. Had she been this polite before? He wondered, he didn't think so. Was it because of his injuries, was she deliberately trying to do nothing to anger him unduly (not counting the earlier argument)? He yawned as he lay there. "No sleeping, yet, Mugen." she cautioned. She poured him more tea. "I'm going to start dinner."
His stomach growled immediately. He gulped his tea down, determined to stay awake for dinner.

Tears began to fall from her eyes in earnest as she headed to the fire. She added a few logs and some kindling with numb fingers. All she could think of was that terrible mark on his smooth flesh. He had been enslaved! She had heard rumors of people being kidnaped, starved, abused, and sold to anyone with enough gold ryo. The stories she'd heard had made her sick. Women and even sometimes men were raped in those terrible prisons or sold to rich perverts as personal whores. Some were forced to work in the jade mines in life-threatening conditions. Every story she'd overheard waitressing had instances of violent beatings, starvation, and being locked in filthy cages. Some were taken to the mainland and sold for Buddha-knew what. Most women were sold to brothels, and many of the very pretty men as well. It all seemed to be nothing but a horrible crime to Fuu, but not many people shared her sentiment.
She had no clue as to what Mugen's destination had been, but she could tell the whole ordeal had affected him greatly, changed him even. She hoped it was only an effect of his pain and once he was well he would snap out of his misery. But that had not happened to her. She was still recovering from what happened on Ikitsuki. But he had always been stronger than her... She prayed she was right.

He was asleep when she went to check on him. She sat beside him and reached a soft hand out to caress his cheek. He looked younger than his age when he was sleeping, and she always secretly enjoyed touching him. His eyes flew open and he gasped: "Oh no!" but when she assured him that it was just harmless, little Fuu he relaxed instantly and his eyes shut again. It made her smile that she had his complete trust, anyone else would be trying to fight him off at the moment. She began to rub his scalp, and was faintly surprised to find his locks were silky and sweet-smelling. His hair had almost always been slightly tangled and dirty. He groaned at her touch.
"Wake up, Mugen. Dinner will be ready soon." He mumbled something unintelligible and continued to doze. She leaned down and blew gently on his face. He shivered awake and his gray eyes rose to meet hers. The confusion on his face was adorable to her. She smiled sweetly.
"Fuu?" he murmured as if he'd forgotten that he was with her.
"Aren't you hungry?" He nodded and sat up slowly, pain flashing across his face as his movements pulled his abused flesh. "I made you oden."
"Yeah?" he murmured, perking up. Fuu hid a smile. She knew he loved oden and she had made him some dumplings as well. But she hid the sake. She wasn't going to let him have a drop until he got a full nights sleep. He rose unsteadily to his knees but a sudden, sharp pain kept him from getting to his feet.
"Wait!" she said, seeing him wince. "I can bring it in here." But before she could run off he grabbed her wrist and used her to pull himself up. It felt like her arm was going to be torn from the socket, but he was up before the pain became unbearable.
He took a few stumbling steps toward the kitchen before she grabbed his elbow.
"I'm not crippled, damn it." he muttered.
"That last thing I need is for you to fall. I'll have to re-wrap all your bandages, 'cause you'll bleed all over! So deal with it." He sighed and put up no more resistance.
He nearly lost his balance when he knelt at the table. Fuu used every ounce of strength she had to keep him steady. She panted a bit as she served him and sat opposite. When she had filled her own bowl she noticed how flushed his face was. When he went for his chopsticks she saw him shaking like a leaf. But once he started eating his face lit up despite his pain and fatigue. She smiled with pleasure.
"Damn, Fuu, I didn't know you could cook!" he said through a mouthful of oden. Her smile turned to a grin. Mugen vary rarely gave compliments.
"Thank you." she said as she watched him scarf his food down. After two more helpings he finally sighed and sat back. She was glad he had eaten his fill, and it seemed that his head-injury was not as serious as she'd thought. She had worked with a girl who had slipped and hit her head in the kitchen and when they had bandaged her up and offered her tea she had promptly vomited it everywhere. Surely even Mugen's appetite would be reduced under the same circumstances. Besides, she thought, I'll never keep him awake now. As if he read her thoughts he gave a jaw-splitting yawn and rubbed his eyes.
"Alright." she announced, standing quickly. "Bed time." he rolled his eyes and she smiled. Before he could protest, she grabbed his hands and hauled him to his feet. He belched loudly as he rose and sighed. She snorted in amusement, she had missed him all right, even his rudeness. She dropped one hand but clutched the other tighter as she led him back to his futon. She was relieved he didn't try to pull away. He lowered himself onto the futon with little grace and then tugged Fuu down with him by the hand that still held him. Before he could do anything else she wrenched her hand from his and slid them carefully around him, pulling him into a gentle hug. He stiffened and felt awkward, unused to the kind of contact she was giving him. But he couldn't help but admit, it felt nice. He allowed one hand to pull her closer and he rested his chin on her shoulder with a sigh.
"I always felt like a jerk for not thanking you for saving me all those times. I also wanted to thank you for killing that man with the eye patch." she was silent for a moment. "I missed you, a lot." He knew it was not right that she thank him for killing a man. It was not like her. But the thoughts were drowned out by the soft pressure of her against him, of the smell of her. She slowly released him and he yawned again, unable to help himself. She giggled softly. "Please rest now. I will stay awake. If anyone comes for you, I will kill him." He blinked and stared hard at her for the first time. She had changed more than he'd first noticed.
Of course she had grown up, and grown lovely. But there was a hardness to her eyes that he hadn't seen before. It was downright cold at the moment and her earlier words replayed themselves. '. ..I also wanted to thank you for killing that man..' he frowned as he stared at her.
"How?" he asked, not really disbelieving her entirely. Her arm moved like a blur and he head a 'thunk' and turned to see a throwing knife sticking out of the door frame. He smiled.
"Good girl." he said as she retrieved the knife. He lay down with the smile still on his face.

I'm hoping to write more of this but I still have other fics to finish that I have been working on (or not working on I should say) for like, ever, but this is going to be one or 2 more chapters at the most. I figure the longer I make them the less chapters I have to write. - Kichi 5-21-2007