SC - Quiet Companionship
Title: Quiet Companionship
Author: MsCongeniality
Genre: Samurai Champloo
Character(s): Fuu/Jin
Words: 420
Notes: This was written as a stocking stuffer for niamh_sama in the 2006 yuletide challenge. It was done very quickly, and there are some aspects I'm definitely not happy with, but I figured I'd post it here, as-is. (At least for now.)
Fuu poked at the fire with a long stick, watching the log pop and spit as it cracked lengthwise. To her right, Mugen stirred briefly, grunting and scratching himself in his sleep before apparently settling once again. She chanced a quick glance at him before her gaze crept back to Jin's figure, dark against the moonlit surface of the lake they had camped by.
He was sitting some distance away, back to the fire and their small encampment. Fuu had watched one or the other of them do this at various times on their journey. Somehow, the only one who didn't tire of the others' presence was her. Sure, they could be infuriating at times, but not so much that she couldn't stand to be around them. Not really, anyway. Unable to take the silence or his tacit refusal to share their hearth any longer, she stood and, squaring her shoulders, set out to cross the small distance that separated them.
“Fuu.”
Jin’s quiet voice cut through the darkness, stopping her in her tracks. She paused awkwardly, unsure whether or not to continue walking then, realized that the pause was getting really awkward and she hadn’t actually said anything. Finally she opted just to call back to him, perhaps a bit more tentatively than she’d intended.
“Yes, Jin?”
“You should get some sleep. We’ll probably reach the town tomorrow.”
“But I...” she started, then looked down at the fire embarrassed. He was right and she really didn’t have any call to be going over to him but she wasn’t tired yet and she was tired of sitting alone.
“Jin,” she continued in a small voice. “Can I come and sit with you. You know, just for a while?”
He didn’t respond immediately and the question just sort of hung there as she stared at the dark, immovable shadow against the lake. Her face felt like it was burning as brightly as the fire at her feet, but she continued staring and waited for his answer.
“You should,” he said, then paused, somewhat characteristically weighing his words. “Bring your blanket. It is a good deal colder over here.”
Fuu smiled. The warmth in her face seemed to have spread through her whole body, and she felt she could do just fine without the blanket, but instead she just nodded and bent to pick it up off the ground. Then, realizing he couldn’t see her nod, she called back, “Yes, of course.”
Tonight, Fuu thought, would not be so lonely after all.
Author: MsCongeniality
Genre: Samurai Champloo
Character(s): Fuu/Jin
Words: 420
Notes: This was written as a stocking stuffer for niamh_sama in the 2006 yuletide challenge. It was done very quickly, and there are some aspects I'm definitely not happy with, but I figured I'd post it here, as-is. (At least for now.)
Fuu poked at the fire with a long stick, watching the log pop and spit as it cracked lengthwise. To her right, Mugen stirred briefly, grunting and scratching himself in his sleep before apparently settling once again. She chanced a quick glance at him before her gaze crept back to Jin's figure, dark against the moonlit surface of the lake they had camped by.
He was sitting some distance away, back to the fire and their small encampment. Fuu had watched one or the other of them do this at various times on their journey. Somehow, the only one who didn't tire of the others' presence was her. Sure, they could be infuriating at times, but not so much that she couldn't stand to be around them. Not really, anyway. Unable to take the silence or his tacit refusal to share their hearth any longer, she stood and, squaring her shoulders, set out to cross the small distance that separated them.
“Fuu.”
Jin’s quiet voice cut through the darkness, stopping her in her tracks. She paused awkwardly, unsure whether or not to continue walking then, realized that the pause was getting really awkward and she hadn’t actually said anything. Finally she opted just to call back to him, perhaps a bit more tentatively than she’d intended.
“Yes, Jin?”
“You should get some sleep. We’ll probably reach the town tomorrow.”
“But I...” she started, then looked down at the fire embarrassed. He was right and she really didn’t have any call to be going over to him but she wasn’t tired yet and she was tired of sitting alone.
“Jin,” she continued in a small voice. “Can I come and sit with you. You know, just for a while?”
He didn’t respond immediately and the question just sort of hung there as she stared at the dark, immovable shadow against the lake. Her face felt like it was burning as brightly as the fire at her feet, but she continued staring and waited for his answer.
“You should,” he said, then paused, somewhat characteristically weighing his words. “Bring your blanket. It is a good deal colder over here.”
Fuu smiled. The warmth in her face seemed to have spread through her whole body, and she felt she could do just fine without the blanket, but instead she just nodded and bent to pick it up off the ground. Then, realizing he couldn’t see her nod, she called back, “Yes, of course.”
Tonight, Fuu thought, would not be so lonely after all.