Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Champloo and never will! I am merely a humble fan of the series (probably just like you) so please bear with me! Feel free to read and review and tell me what you think afterwards, as well! Enjoy! =)

Chapter 1: First Night

The summer air breezed quickly through her lengthy brown hair, swaying it gently away from the nape of her neck. Her hair was longer now, but she never abandoned the cute, messy ponytail style she always wore it in, even as a child. Embracing her graceful curves was a yukata, a pale yellow color with sunflower prints, mild design, but bold in color. She had outgrown her pink one, and this newer yellow one seemed to perfectly embrace her sunshine expression wherever she went.

Amidst the grassy fields, Fuu waved and greeted to the townspeople she passed. Since her departure with her previous travel partners almost four years ago, Fuu had traveled on her own for the time being and settled down alongside the city lights of Kyoto, working at a teahouse. The streets were often quite crowded, as she was near the main district. Teahouses, fabric stores, restaurants, bars, brothels were everywhere, as this is one of the more populated cities. Her employers were a nice old man and his wife, with no children of their own, and Fuu grew quite close to the elderly couple. She never thought about settling down and raising a family, as it usually was expected for young women around her age to get married, in hopes of continuing on her travels when the time was right. She still had a lingering hope in her heart that one day, some day, she could see the samurais that, four years ago, had travelled with her and been her bodyguards, given sometimes they weren't helpful at all – again. She especially had a longing to see the hazelnut-skinned, dark chocolate-colored messy-haired one with the attitude problem and temper.

Just as the day blossomed, the teahouse became busier and busier. Running in and out of the kitchen to the tables, Fuu managed to try her best to balance trays on top of tea sets, on top of plates and towels. However, her energetic nature always kept her going strong. She was still very clumsy, but became one of the best servers in the teahouse throughout her employment, granted that the teahouse wasn't much to look at – just a humble, dim-lit, spacey place for people to come and enjoy their afternoons.

"Oi, can I get a plate of dangos, here?"

"Yes! I'll be right with you!" She would exclaim in a cheery, happy tone.

"I need a refill, lady."

"Yes sir!" And sure enough, she'd be there in a jiffy with a filled teapot in her hand, and several plates in another.

"Gimme some dumplings."

She smiled and headed over.

Once the sun set, the place finally cleared out, as Fuu began to clear the tables of trash and leftovers. "Fuu," a familiar and gentle voice spoke at her as she spun her head around, her big chocolate-colored eyes looked at the shop owner, "Excellent work today," the old lady began, and started to hand to her a somewhat raggedy small bag tied at the neck. Fuu grinned widely, as today was her payday. She walked over, and nodded, thanking the old lady and taking the small bag with her, slipping it into her kimono.

After finishing up the cleaning, Fuu was exhausted. The busy work day had taken a toll on her, but she decided she needed a little treat for her hard work. As she exited the teahouse and waved goodnight to her employers and coworkers, she headed off to the active festivities that only a night filled with lanterns and music Kyoto could bring. Fuu lived a few miles down the outskirts of Kyoto, completely distant from the crowded city. She looked up at the blood-red sky glowing with tints of orange and purple and knew she should be heading back to her home soon. But instead, she lingered in the city and submerged herself in the crowds.

Fuu almost always headed straight back home after work; there really was nothing that kept her in the city besides her job. But lately, she began to feel quite lonesome, and felt like she needed to be around people to keep her from being sad. She didn't know why, but a bothersome feeling that never quite went away started to tug at her heart again. She thought back to four years ago, when she had probably the most fun, and most thrilling adventures of her life. Every day came unexpected, with new promises of exploration and an unclear future except for one mission. When that was completed, she felt a bit of emptiness inside; she secretly wanted to expect more, but didn't really know how to ask, or how to get there. In fact, she really didn't know what she wanted; just that she didn't want to live alone again.

At the time of her and her samurai bodyguard's departure, Fuu felt obligated to let them go, as she finally completed her life mission, to find her father – the samurai that smelled like sunflowers. She realized she quickly became saddened because of this, but there was no way she could ask them to do more for her. What'd she expect? Her two friends to live her life with her? Impossible. It would have been especially difficult since she started to develop, what seemed unnecessary, feelings for one of them. 'It's out of the question and completely illogical to ever be with someone like him,' she would think back then, in an attempt to reassure herself. He was a destructive, at times hostile, wild man that she would be impressed by whoever could tame him. She knew better, though. While being reckless, senseless, clueless, and arrogant, Mugen wasn't a bad person. She never thought he was a bad person, but she knew that logically, nothing would ever come out of liking someone like him. Nonetheless, on lonely nights and rainy days when she sat at home, he couldn't help but to cross her mind.

Just as Fuu was drifting in and out of thoughts, she was hit on the shoulder by someone running, though she couldn't make out whom, but a woman probably, of her size and age. She glanced back, and realized that a mob of angry men were chasing after that woman, and fretted until to her surprise, they caught a firm grip onto her shoulder, "Gotcha." Angered, Fuu turned around, "Excuse me?" she started, "But you have the wrong person!" She exclaimed, trying her best to make the man let go of her, "The woman you were chasing went that way!" She pointed in front of her, into a crowd of walking people.

"Yeah, yeah. Save the excuses for someone who cares." The head man spoke. The men engulfed around her, forcing her to go back with them, tugging and pulling at her in all directions.

"What the hell!? I didn't do anything!" She was getting furious, "I TOLD YOU, THE WOMAN YOU GUYS WERE AFTER ISN'T ME!" She proceeded to yell, but it got nowhere. This wasn't new to Fuu. During her travels, she had always gotten herself into pointless trouble. However, back then, she always had two bodyguards that would come to her rescue, if late, but they always did. She began to become really irritated, 'The one time I decide to stay late in the city, and look at where it gets me…" She thought to herself in the dark, empty room.

She had been dragged into a room by herself by those men, who told her to stay put or she'd get hurt. She was tied up, her arms folded behind her, and her mouth wrapped shut with white cloth.

Finally, after sitting for what seemed like hours, the paper door finally slid open and an older woman, with way too much makeup on her wrinkly face stepped into the room, followed by five men. Fuu felt threatened, as she was backed into a corner even while tied up.

The woman, kneeled in front of her, and ripped the cloth off of her mouth, "I'm going to make this simple and easy. Where'd you hide the money?" Fuu was shocked.

"If your goons had listened to me like before, then you would probably know that you GOT THE WRONG PERSON!" She screamed in her face.

"What a rude young lady you are," the woman huffed, "Hasn't anyone ever told you that if you lie, then your tongue gets cut off?"

She scooted back, and the five men that was behind her stepped forward, the front one with a pocket knife in his hand, grinning at the misfortune of what was to become of the young woman.

Fuu tried her best to maintain calm under the circumstances, but it didn't help much that she was defenseless and completely submissive under their authority.

"Listen, lady! The woman your men were after ran in front of me and escaped, but your men were too stupid to even acknowledge that and got the wrong person! You hear me?" She was beyond furious in the face of this injustice. Just how the hell was she supposed to explain something that was obviously not her fault?

The woman looked at Fuu and smirked. "Search her", she ordered, and two of the men forced her down, while the other two began to unravel her clothing.

Fuu cried out, screamed, and panicked, trying to shove her arms against them, blocking them from tearing apart her yukata, but it was no use. The men were too strong for her, and she couldn't help but to just scream and yell.

"Ah, Miss, we found it!" One of the men exclaimed as he lifted up the dirty small bag tucked inside of her yukata. "But, it seems to be missing a lot."

Fuu eyed the bag, "HEY! That's my wages from the teahouse! Give it back!" She yelled, but stopped after one of the men forced his hand on her mouth.

The woman looked disappointed and angry, grabbed the bag, gave it a few bounces, and threw it back to her. "Who the hell do you think you're screwing with?! Where's the rest of the money?" The woman stepped on Fuu's chest, pressing down harder as she yelled.

Suddenly, a loud crash from the back wall was heard, wood, paper and the fixtures of the wall was smashed into smithereens in the room, leaving a heavy cloud of dust on top of everything.

"OI! Some people are tryin' to have a good time here, what the fuck is all this noisy shit?!" A loud, husky voice screamed in the room.

Fuu immediately recognized the voice. To her disbelief, her eyes widened as she stared in the direction of the silhouette which had emerged from the other side of the wall.

Sure enough, what stood amidst all the ruckus and debris was a tall, skinny man with hazelnut-colored skin, messy, dark hair, and blue ring tattoos around his wrists and ankles. He was shirtless, but had a pair of black shorts on, and barefoot. Clutched in his hand was a katana, one that Fuu knew all the designs to. That katana had saved her life more times than she could count.

"Hey man, you can't just go and break down…" one of the men exclaimed, but was sliced from his shoulder to his stomach before he could finish the sentence.

Without even a glance, the five men were finished, moaning, groaning on the floor, some piled on top of another.

As the man made his way towards the older woman and Fuu, he stopped and looked at the younger woman. She glanced back; her large eyes became even wider, as tears emerged from them.

"Fuu…?" He said, surprised.

"Mu…Mu…Mugen…" Fuu whispered, making the attempt to get up, but all the strength in her body had left her.

The older woman fled the room, as Mugen made his way and knelt down. She lay there, was stripped, and completely discarded of clothing from her waist up, and tears were welling up in her glassy eyes.

"Can you get up, girlie?" He asked, as she looked into those wild, silver orbs. She hadn't seen those piercing eyes in what seemed like forever, but the feeling she got from them was always still there. She could never look at those eyes and feel comfortable. They always pinned her down, as if they knew what she was thinking and doing. And at times, those eyes really scared her.

"Ahh…" She nodded, trying to force her body weight on her arms so she could get up. Suddenly, the gravity of what she must've looked like to him finally caught onto her. Her chest was completely exposed as she felt his eyes staring hotly at them; as if that was the only thing he had his attention towards. When she realized this, she clutched her yukata upward, to cover the indecent exposure, and folded the fabric over, tidying herself up. When he was still staring at her, she turned around, realizing that her own cheeks matched the same crimson shade as Mugen's.

"Damn. You've grown." He said, grinning widely.

Angrily, she slapped his face, "PERVERT!" And got up, brushing off her yukata.

Mugen retreated, "What the hell, woman?! Is that any way to treat your savior?! This ain't the first time, either! Whenever I'd save your sorry ass, you'd do nothing but hit me! Bitch." He turned around, getting ready to leave. Suddenly, she grabbed onto his waist, digging her cold, soft face into his warm back.

"Thank you." She whispered. Fuu pressed her nose into the muscles of his back, feeling the heat of his body emerging onto her cold, wet cheeks. She was extremely thankful that he had been in that room, at that time, and of all coincidences and happenings – she had to have thought it was destiny or something that they'd meet again. She always knew that they would, but her longing for him to show up increased every day, and when he finally did, she felt her utmost happiest. She didn't want to let him go.

"Feh. I didn't do it cause' I wanted to, those mother fuckin' bitches were screwin' up my mojo with all that loud shit."

"Your…" Fuu trailed off, staring at him.

He turned around, "This is a brothel, ya know."

She stepped away, unraveling her arms around him. "Mugen will always be Mugen, huh?" She slightly smiled, looking down. He hadn't changed at all since the last time they spoke. He was still rowdy, reckless and always looking to get laid. He smelled like sake, she realized, but it wasn't very strong. She could tell he was getting extra pissed off because he had just started, and was interrupted.

His stomach growled. "Damn, I'm hungry." He grabbed his clothing from the other room, and started to dress. It seemed like the women that were accompanying him in the room had fled, after being scared off by his anger. Fuu chuckled; Mugen never knew what holding back meant.

She reached for the small bag that left untouched on the floor, turned back and smiled, "I'll treat today. Let's go and eat something."

The two sat down at a kabayaki stand, and spent an hour or so devouring all the food that Fuu could possibly afford. They exchanged drinks, and by the end of the hour, both were full and satisfied. "It's great to eat grilled eel on a night like this, huh?" Fuu smiled, looking up at the sky. (Author's Note: Traditionally, grilled eel is eaten during one of the hottest days of summer to provide strength and vitality for the rest of the year.)

"Guess' so." Mugen half-heartedly answered, his eyes half-way shut, picking at his teeth with a toothpick.

Fuu took a sip of her tea.

"What have you been up to, Mugen?"

"Nothin' much. Went back to sea, did some business, traveled, worked here and there, gettin' laid when I can." He glanced at Fuu, "I saw Jin a while ago while I was coming here."

Fuu looked up, her eyes attentive and big.

"Really? What is he up to?"

"Looks like he settled down. He has his own dojo now, that Fish face."

Fuu grinned, "That's good to hear. He'd be a wonderful teacher." She happily sipped on her tea, concentrating on the brim of the teacup.

Irritated, he spoke again, "If you're so fuckin' worried about him, why don't you just go see him? And stay with him, too."

Fuu looked surprised at his hostility. What was up with him? "What's that supposed to mean?" She raised her tone, angry.

"You know what the hell I mean. You always liked that Fish face better, right?"

"Where'd you come up with that conclusion?" She asked, setting down her cup.

"Feh." And with that, a pissed Mugen started to walk away.

"Hey, wait…" Fuu set her money down, and walked after him, "You're just going to walk away without saying anything? Moody jerk."

"I'm tired, kay'? I need a place to crash." He said sheepishly, walking with his arms on the back of his head, a toothpick still hanging from his lower mouth.

Sighing, Fuu walked ahead of Mugen, leading towards the direction of her home.

'When will he ever mature…' she thought to herself, 'Reckless, moody, irritating, getting on my nerves…' but she still glanced back at him, he was maintain a good pace behind her. She smiled, 'I've really missed him, huh?'

Fuu opened up the front door of the hut, a very small and old but sturdy place she had stumbled upon. She knew the previous owner, was a mother and her son. The mother had fallen extremely ill when Fuu came along, and took care of the household while she could not. About a few months after staying with them, the mother passed on, but the son, who was grateful for Fuu's care and nursing up until his mother died, humbly offered the hut to her, as he said he would journey to the capital to become a scholar and make his family name known. Fuu agreed, and promised to take care of the hut. He promised to come back for her, but she just smiled and wished him a safe journey.

Fuu went into the back corner and dug out another futon, one that looked like it hadn't been used in a while, and wanted to air it out outside. "Wait here." She said as she ran out the door.

When she came back, Mugen was already knocked out on her futon, his arms and legs stretched widely that he touched the hard wooden floor.

Fuu sat next to him, with her chin resting on her elbow, examining Mugen. She hadn't seen him for four years, and felt the need to look at him, taking in that this was really him that was lying, sleeping in front of her. His dark eyebrows were still narrow, depicting a forever angry look that became the signature of his expression. His tousled, dark hair was wherever it felt like being, covering bits of his face and the entire pillow section of the bed. His hair had grown a bit longer, Fuu noticed. Sure could use a good wash, though. His face was still narrow, and the gruff that he had grown slightly darker and fuller, giving him a more mature look than she remembered.

Fuu was almost enjoying herself too much and decided on impulse to scoot closer to him. He snored softly, and before she knew what she was doing, her index finger and middle finger had made their way to touch his lips. To her surprise, they weren't as chapped or rough as she thought they'd be. 'It's probably all that sake he drinks", she thought of someone telling her that sake is supposed to make flesh softer. She ran her fingers across his lips, and gently cupped his chin. Fuu knew deep inside that she was probably going to regret whatever the hell it was she was going to do, but she couldn't stop herself. It was almost as if a tug from something inside her was pulling her towards him magnetically, wanting to hold him, wanting to touch, and feel how soft, rough, or hard he is. She couldn't control her body movements, and for once, she felt like she didn't really want to. Fuu knew in her heart she always held a place for him, but never tended to that love garden that had been shyly blossoming in her heart all this time. Quietly, she bowed her head down to match his, and slowly closed her eyes. Her soft, gently puckered lips gently brushed against Mugen's, and she pressed down slightly harder until two arms slithered up her back, embracing her petite figure, and pressing her down, until she felt they were kissing teeth-to-teeth.

Fuu mumbled under her lips, and when the kiss finally broke, she saw Mugen's wide eyes staring back at her. He wore a smirk on his face, "So, you want me to fuck ya that badly, huh?" He grinned. That devilish smile.

Embarrassed, Fuu could feel a hot streak of pink scurry across her pale cheeks; she immediately tried standing up, but Mugen's arms had made a barrier around her, and she sure wasn't strong enough to deny. Nonetheless, Fuu's petite figure easily slid under his grip, and gave him a slap on the cheek. "Jerk!" She said, and ran out of the hut.

'Why did he have to say it like that?' She thought to herself, and started to choke up tears. She had lost all of her dignity as a woman just by something he said, she never felt so angry and insulted.

"What the fuck, bitch?! What're you gettin' so damn angry about? YOU came onto ME!" She turned around, and realized that he was quickly walking behind her.

Fuu turned to run, but realized she was too slow for his movements. He grabbed her shoulder, and demanded an answer, "Ain't that what you wanted to do?!" He exclaimed, the hand mark still very visible on his right cheek.

"Don't treat me like one of your whores from some brothel," Fuu said, almost inaudible, and looked down. She couldn't possibly make eye contact with him again, at least not tonight. She knew that it was her fault to begin with, but she knew that his insensitivity and choice of words also did not help.

Fuu bit her lip, "I was just giving you a thank you kiss for saving me today," she defended, even though she knew that her intentions weren't at all that innocent, but had to protect whatever pride was left in her for the time being.

"Keh," Mugen started, "So that's what it is." He shook it off, and walked back to the hut.

"Women are such asses, getting all emotional and dramatic. Like I'd give a fuck," Mugen murmured under his breath, irritated, and went back to sleep. While being somewhat thick-headed, however, Mugen started to think that that really wasn't all there was to it. Fuu had already paid him back by treating him to food, right? And why would she have kissed him when she thought he was asleep? Mugen asked these questions for a split second, but fatigue caught up with him, and he quickly indulged himself in a dreamless sleep. Meanwhile, Fuu came back into the hut with her eyes red and tired. She too, climbed into the extra futon and drifted off into sleep.

-End of First Night -

Author's Note: Hello! Thank you for reading, please review if you will. ;)