Ashi No Suki
by Fandomme

Author's Note: "This was inspired by a scene in which it seems that Jin has asked a brothel girl to massage him with her feet. This led to me thinking of Jin as a possible foot fetishist, so I wrote a fic wherein Fuu's foot is bitten by a snake, and Jin sucks out the poison."

Fuu was trailing behind them when it happened. It was yet another shortcut. Mugen promised a path, and produced one— with the aid of his machete. They were slogging through dank, brackish swamp-land. Jin now understood the wisdom of horses: their long tails flicked away flies. His own long hair was not so useful. Fuu had long since ceased complaining of insect bites. There was a splash, and a sharp cry of pain. Jin and Mugen turned. The girl held her foot. Two tiny, bloody points showed up on the flesh.

"Snake," Mugen said. His machete flashed in the air. "I'll kill it."

"Don't touch it!" Jin ordered. "It's probably a yamakagoshi. They live in the water. They have a poisonous sac on their backs—if you touch it, you'll release more venom."

"What do you know about snakes?" Mugen asked.

"More than you do," Jin said. "If-"

"It hurts…" Fuu said. She stood crane-like, on one foot. Her sandal had fallen into the mud. The flesh on the injured extremity was already beginning to swell. It bubbled up purple and green, dotted with red. "Jin, is it really poisonous?" She blanched. "Am I going to die...?"

Jin's eyes narrowed. He turned to their companion. "Mugen. Find firewood. Now."

"It's a fucking swamp-"

"Do it! I'm taking care of this." Jin stepped forward, and looped Fuu's arm over his shoulder.

"Who elected you our fearless leader? I don't-"

Jin's face came up. He stared at the other man. Mugen shut up. Flies hummed around them. He felt Fuu's nervous heat radiating into him. Their sandals squelched in the heavy mud. "Is your sword sharp enough to cut off her foot?"

The mop-head took off without a word, scrabbling like a monkey among the verdant hills.

Jin maneuvered her to a dead, moss-covered log. Fuu sat and clutched her white-knuckled hands. Her voice was thin and reedy. "What is the firewood for?"

"We're going to cauterize your wound, after I remove the venom." Jin knelt and inspected the foot. Already it had swelled, and now felt hot to the touch. "Give me your hair-ribbon."

Reluctantly, Fuu pulled out the crimson silk and let her hair fall down. The sticks holding it in place fell behind her unnoticed. She handed him the ribbon. Jin began sliding her kimono up along her leg. "Hey!" Fuu gripped the edge of the fabric. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I have to tie this to your leg," Jin said. "It will stop the venom's progression." He smiled cheerlessly. "I've seen your legs before, at the ocean." He blinked. "Do you not trust me?"

Fuu colored. "It's not that." She folded her arms. "Just… ask me, next time."

"I'll tell you everything I'm doing, first. Now I'm tying the ribbon to your leg. I have to do it very tightly, like this." He cinched the knot shut. Fuu winced. Jin cradled Fuu's injured foot in his hands. It jerked there like a caught fish.

"Tickles," Fuu said.

"Usually I'm more skillful than that." He surveyed the injury. He looked at Fuu's other foot, to compare. It was surprisingly white and slender, for all the walking they did. He would have expected corns and calluses, or toenails black with grime. But no, Fuu's feet were as pretty as they were the day he'd first seen them.

He knew about feet. They were more than modes of transportation. Feet could be used as weapons. If a man's hands were injured, he could still mold a pot with the soles of his feet, or hold a calligraphy brush between his toes. The shape of a foot told the way a person walked—heavily, nervously, in great long strides or tiny mincing steps. He never understood dirty or unkempt feet—feet were so important to daily life. They were also unimaginably sensitive. An injury to the foot was crippling. One tiny broken bone could throw someone's entire stride, could alter their speed and response. Well-loved feet were cooperative and supple. Like Fuu's.

"What's wrong with my feet?" she asked.

"Absolutely nothing." He held the injured foot. "I'm going to suck out the poison, now."

"Suck it out?" Her eyes were wide.

Jin nodded. "Otherwise, the flesh will die. Then we would have to take your foot."

Fuu's lower lip trembled. "You mean… amputate it?"

"Yes." His face bent closer to the skin. "May I?" She nodded mutely. "This may feel…unpleasant."

Jin closed his eyes, and sealed his lips over the wound. She flinched under him, but he held her fast. Gently, his tongue probed over the skin. He licked, further opening the tiny holes. He sucked, and Fuu whimpered. He tasted venom, and broke to spit it out. It spattered on the grass and mud below. When Jin's face came up, Fuu was watching him. It occurred to him that he'd never seen her hair down, before. She looked older.

"Does it hurt?" he asked. She shook her head.

Jin applied his mouth to the wound, again. He sucked steadily and slowly. Pebbles and twigs made impressions on his knees. With his nose so close to her skin he could smell her sweat, tangy and young. Her firm little foot and calf pressed into his hands. He massaged the leg and muscle sprang up under his palm, hard and round like an unripe peach. He spat venom and found the wound again. He sucked harder, this time.

"Jin…" Fuu's hand found his topknot. She clutched with an iron grip. Her fingernails scratched his scalp. Jin ran his tongue over the wounds and suckled, taking more of the flesh into his mouth. He imagined the venom like ink inside her veins; saw it draining down in his mind's eye. He rocked forward on his knees. Fuu's toes curled under his fingers. He tasted blood, salty and warm. It filled his mouth.

Jin spat. He still held Fuu's foot in his hands. They regarded one another. Her blush was bright, and her eyes were dark. "Jin, your mouth…" Her hand came down from his hair, and her thumb swept slowly over his lips. When it came away, it was smeared with her blood. Still staring, he licked away the rest, and swallowed.

"I'll take the ribbon off now."

Fuu nodded. Jin's fingers slid up her leg, and carefully undid the knot with a single, expert tug. He drew the silk down over her foot. It fluttered there, crimson on white. Jin was still kneeling when he offered it back to her, neatly folded. "Cauterizing the wound will be painful," he said.

Their fingers brushed. "I'm sure you'll be gentle," she said. Her smile was quiet.

Twigs snapped under Mugen's sandals as he crashed his way back to them. Leaves poked from in his hair. His hands sprouted knotty old branches. He was panting. "Is this enough?"

"That's enough," Jin said. He stood, and collected the wood.

Mugen squinted at Fuu. "Why is your hair down?"

"I needed to tourniquet the leg briefly, while I removed the poison," Jin answered.

"Removed the poison?" Mugen frowned. "With what?"

Jin merely stared at him by way of answer. Mugen's eyes bugged. He pointed between the other two. "He sucked on your foot?! That's so disgusting! Ugh! I can't believe you two! You primitive-"

"Fuu's a big girl," Jin said. "I knew she could handle it." He opened the tinder-box.

"Really, Mugen, it didn't hurt at all," Fuu said. She re-arranged her hair. "Jin is a very nice-"

"-Bloodsucking vampire pervert…" Mugen huffed and sat cross-legged, hunched over. "I can't believe you let him touch you."

"Fuu was very brave," Jin added. He unsheathed his sword, and let it rest over the new fire. He watched the tip begin to glow. He turned to her. The sword was warm in his hand. "Can you be brave for me again?"

"Of course!"

"You're sick, both of you." Mugen shut his eyes, and plugged his ears.

Jin crossed to the seated girl and knelt. "Are you prepared?"

Fuu nodded. Her hand found his shoulder, and squeezed lightly. "Let's count to three, together."

"Fucking get on with it!" Mugen shouted. "One!"

"Two," Jin murmured.

Fuu drew breath. "Three…"

Hot steel met soft skin, and Fuu's fingers curled deeply into Jin's shoulder. She whimpered. Mugen crouched in a tight ball, his fingers firmly planted in his ears. Jin watched her eyes. They were filling with tears. He counted off the seconds until he smelled seared flesh. Then he brought the sword away.

"Very good," he said. "You're quite strong."

Fuu smiled, and sniffled, and looked down ruefully at her foot. It was going to scar. "It's so ugly, now…"

Jin carefully removed his glasses, and looked at the foot anew.  The wound seemed like a teenage boy's fervent kiss-bruise on Fuu's young flesh. He slipped the glasses back on. "Ugly is the wrong word."

"He and I are both covered in scars," Mugen said. He was staring at the fire. "It's about time you got one, too." He twisted, and pointed at Fuu. "Knowing you, you'll be a princess about it, and demand to be carried everywhere for the next two weeks."

Fuu's hands met her hips. "Is that really so much to ask?"

"I'll get a wrap for the foot," Jin said, and began rummaging for bandages.

"I'm going fishing," Mugen said, and rolled up to his feet. "You can stay here with the vampire, princess." He stretched, and began strolling away. He paused mid-step and looked into a nearby puddle. The others watched him. Mugen's sword sheared the air, and the snake's two halves landed neatly on the fire. They crackled wetly. He left without a word.

end