An Offer He Can't Refuse...

Fuu sat beside Mugen, watching the simple shinto ceremony binding together Shino and Jin. She looked radiant in her white and red wedding kimono and Jin, though reserved as always, was plainly happy. She looked down into her lap and sighed. She was trying to be happy for them, really she was, but it was hard to celebrate someone else’s joy when the one she loved was totally out of reach. Mugen glanced at her, his eyebrow cocked and an odd expresion on his face, but, being Mugen, he quickly lost interest and went back to staring up at the clouds. From beneath her lashes she saw the irritated tick of his eye and hung her head a little lower. He can’t even stand sitting next to me. The thought was depressing. Why am I so offputting to him? I mean, I know I’m not exactly his type but come on! I’m not a complete troll… She toyed with the ends of her obi-jime, completely out of her surroundings. Ever since they had found her father and decided to settle in one place for good, she had begun to notice an attraction to the strange man. He wasn’t conventionally handsome, but he had a pleasing ruggedness about him and regular features that combined well, making him the classic “bad boy”. But he looked his best when he smiled. She loved to see him when he was happy. Not when he smirked at some snarky comment he found funny or something along those lines, but when he was truly happy. A small smile quirked her lips when she thought of the transformation that came over his face. His eyes would soften, and his brow would uncrease, and his sword hand would come up to rub the back of his neck. Once he had spoken to her when he was like that; his voice was so soft and transformed, that more than anything else cemented her crush into something more. Her heart still flipped in her chest when she thought about it. Quick as lightening, his hand shot out to still her own.

“You’re buggin' me.”

She colored, her hands freezing instantly, then they droped to her lap. She looked back up at Jin and Shino as they were blessed and after a bit started jiggling her foot. His hand settled heavily on her leg and she stopped. Mugen’s hand didn’t leave her leg the rest of the ceremony; she tried not to become too elated. Finally they said their good byes to the happy couple and Fuu watched Mugen walk away to wherever he was staying. She gathered her courage within herself and called out to him.

“Oy, Mugen! Come have dinner with me, my treat!”

He looked over his shoulder and shrugged, swinging around to saunter back to her.

“Weeeell, guess I can’t pass up free food, even if the company’s a little-”

“Stop right there or I’ll eat by myself.”

“Hookay.”

They walked to her favourite restaurant in an easy silence-or so Fuu thought. She was walking ahead of him, leading the way, so she didn’t see the expression on his face. Mugen watched her walk ahead trying to figure out just why he was so bothered to see her pining after Jin like that. He should feel annoyed at her, lusting after a guy who was already taken and unavailable. But really, his exasperation was aimed at Jin for passing up the girl right under his nose. If Fuu was sighing after me like that, I wouldn’t pass her up for a million Ryou. He colored when he thought that. Where the Hell did THAT come from?! I don’t want Fuu, she’s a flat chested little busy body who can’t even look after herself! She’s bossy and annoying and argumentative and clever and brave and kind and beautiful- GAH!!! Internal monologue aside, it really had bothered him to see her so uncomfortable throughout the wedding. He had kinda wanted to comfort her, but he was clueless when it came to these things, and his frustration at not being able to help her compacted with his jealousy to make him annoyed. He really hoped she wasn’t going to try and use him as a shoulder to cry on. He sweat dropped, What the Hell do I do if she does?! He didn’t want to see her hurting, but neither did he want to deal with all that bull shit “there’s other fish in the sea” crap. Before he could stop it he thought, here’s one fish that wouldn’t mind being caught. GAH!!! Why’m I being so damned sentimental!!!

He was saved from a mental fist fight when they reached the restaurant. They sat together sipping tea as they waited for their orders.

“Annou, what part of town are you staying in?”

Mugen, who had been brooding into his tea, glanced up then looked away and cleared his throat.

“Well… Most places see the prison tatts and shut the door. So, I haven’t really gotten around to gettin' a solid job, and you can’t pay rent with charisma and good looks so…”

He leaned back crossing his arms behind his head.

“I just rob punks and use the money to pay for an inn an' some sake, when I can.”

“Say-I got a steady job at another tea house, and the owner had a hut nobody’d used in a couple of years. He said if I could fix it up I could live there with only a few yen coming out of my pay every week, but there’s too much work for me to do by myself. How ‘bout you help me clean it and we share! He said it was big enough for a few people to sleep in, we split the work and you can stay with me; just chip in for groceries and do the heavy lifting.”

Mugen crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head away.

“Tsk, count me out. I wouldn’t stay with you if you paid me.”

His eyes flew open and he brought both hands down on the table to lean up and glare at her.

“Heh-hey! You brought me here so you could pitch that shit, didn’t you! You didn’t think I could find a place on my own! Is your opinion really that low of me?!”

Fuu knelt calmly sipping her tea.

“Well I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Oo-”

He pointed a finger at her and tried to say something, but then let out his breath and sagged, sitting down again on the cushion. He laughed weakly.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

He turned to look for the waitress.

“Let’s just get the food so I can scram.”

He sat there dejected, waiting for supper. Actually, he wasn’t really that interested in the food anymore. Why does it bother me so damn much that she didn’t just want to eat with me for the pleasure of my company? I mean, I haven’t seen her in months and the first day we see each other she’s pitching home improvement opportunities! The food came and while he ate he turned his thoughts over in his head. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad living with her. I mean, roof over my head, food every day… and Fuu. For once he didn’t fight the thoughts in his head. I really do want to be near Fuu, much as it pisses me off. He sighed and made up his mind, never one for drawing out descisions.

“When’s your next day off?” he groused.

“Huh?”

Never taking his eyes of the bowl of food before him, he said, “I’m not doin' all the work myself, you gotta be there to help.”

Fuu was lost for a second then brightened.

“Two days. I’ll bring the cleaning stuff.”

He nodded and went back to his rice. Maybe… That thought was going to turn into something dangerous so Mugen cut it off before he could finish. When he glanced back up at her, she looked happy. The tight feeling he’d had in his chest went away a little and the corner of his mouth flicked up to match her smile. Oh Kami, what have I gotten myself into.