A pair of sleepy gray eyes stared at a bare white ceiling with a slight gleam of boredom. The fusilade of gunfire filled her ears and the area outside of my apartment then it was absolute silence. I sighed and rolled over onto my side trying to sleep but it was very hard to sleep when you lived in a rough neighborhood. I was fifteen living with my grandmother in my new home. I had moved here only a few nights ago with such dismay. I had been tooken away from my mother who lived about ten miles from here. My grandmother said that I was living in a bad enviroment with my mother... oh like this place was any better. I really loved my grandmother but sometimes wished that she would butt out at times. My mother and I were doing just fine... well not exactly... In the house I used to lived in there wasn't much food and mom had always been sickly. The deadbeat of a father of mine had ran off a long time ago when I was seven and I didn't mind it... I did everything I was told when my mother asked me to do favors. Those favors consisted of running out to get food by stealing and trying to get some money by working at a mini mart. If I didn't do the favors or forgotten about them mom would lash out at her and sometimes hurt me but mom would always end up crying and ask for forgiveness. This place... I hated it more than anything... the girls at school had been patronizing me and the teachers were worse. With a fluid motion I pulled a book out from under my pillow and flipped it open to the first page. My eyes gazed at the book and started to dart left to right as I began to read. This book always helped me when I couldn't sleep or was upset. I could read it and instantly fall into this fantasy world and long for the dream of being in it. The book was called Saiyuki Reload and I would often be reading it at school which earned some insults from my classmates. The book's story follows the adventures of Priest Genjyo Sanzo, Son Goku, Cho Hakkai and Sha Gojyo as they maintain their westward journey to stop the resurrection of the demon Gyumaoh. As the reputation of the Sanzo party precedes them, they continue to fight demon assassins at every turn, but they must also deal with increasing tensions within their group in order to defeat a powerful enemy. A smile appeared on my lips and I softly laughed while reading the book. 'I would love to be there... fighting demons, and having fun' I thought. A crash from outside tore my attention from the book and I looked outside to see two cars that had smashed into each other, the drivers of the vehicle got out unharmed and started to throw words at each other. I shook her head silently and went back to reading... 'So you want to go there'? said a strange voice. I shot my head up and looked around the room with a fear and suprise stricken face.

"Wh-who, what"? I muttered.

I shrugged figuring that it was my imgaination and then suddenly something burned my hands which made me quickly drop the book onto the bed. I gasped loudly when my eyes saw the book again. It was glowing yellow with a bright light that filled my dark room. 'It would be fun to see a girl on their little group... and you do want to go there' said the voice once again. I gasped again at hearing the voice another time but this time it was louder, then everything around me went black...

'Mnnhm... wh...wha'. My eyes slowly opened and then adjusted to the light. I looked around my surroundings and then quickly sat up finding myself in a unframilar place. I could see only sand... just miles and miles of sand. The situation I was in... I didn't like it. Having no idea where I was or how I got there... wait! That voice, I heard a strange unframilar voice before um... before I passed out I guess. 'Holy crap I was kidnapped and probably dropped off here'! I thought. My eyes drifted over to a small black backpack on the ground lying next to me. I didn't know who's it was but I picked it up and looked at it before unzipping it and looking inside. It was filled with clothes, some food, a mirror, a silver locket, a dagger, and a note. I blinked and reached inside and snatched the note out of it. I unfolded it before starting to read the letter... "If you are reading this then you are awake... be happy I gave you your wish. Ashurri Fostuua you are now in Shangri-la the place you know very well. In the backpack you shall find a mirror and after reading this note look into the mirror and I guess you will be suprised. That dagger is to protect yourself and I've done the act of giving you clothes as well... watch over those four they might need a bit of help" -Kanzeon Bosatsu. My eyes got wide at that name... okay so I had been given a letter and had been sent here by the merciful goddess? Dropping the note and letting it be blown away by the wind I pulled out the mirror and looked into it. My jaw dropped and my eyes grew even more big at my appearance. I was older and I looked pretty for once... I was now the age of eighteen. My grey eyes sparkled with a gleam of blithe. I had always wanted to be eighteen and to be old enough to make my own decisions. My hair was a little bit passed my shoulders and my skin was pale but not a sick looking pale. I then put the mirror away in the bag and jumped up with a smile before brushing the sand off my clothing... 'Wait.. these aren't my pajamas'! I thought. Instead of my purple silky pajama shorts and shirt I know wore a totally different attire. I wore a red tanktop that ended just above my belly button and a pair of black cargo pants, my bunny slippers replaced with black boots. I smiled in delight and started to dance a bit on the account of being so happy but then clumsily tripping over the backpack and falling on the ground. It was then that I noticed two bright lights were heading straight toward me on instinct I put my arms over my head and waited for impact. It never happend but the sound of a loud screech on the brakes told me that it was a vehicle of some sort. I put down my arms and blinked a bit at seeing a green jeep right in front of me. 'It.. it can't be them' I thought.

"What the hell Hakkai"?! yelled a voice from the jeep.

Hakkai?! Cho Hakkai? I blinked more feeling stunned. The door of the driver side of the jeep shut and I looked up with wide eyes and gasped at who I saw. The man looked the age of twenty two and he smiled kindly at me and walked over quickly. He had dark brown neat hair that was still spiky, though. Bangs covered his eyes, but mostly on the right side of his friend where a monocle also covered one his emerald eyes. It was indeed Cho Hakkai. He extended a hand out to me and I grabbed my backpack before standing up with his help.

"Are you alright miss"? he asked in caring tone.

I nodded in reply and looked in the jeep, blinking at seeing his other compainions. In the passanger seat sat a man the age of twenty three. He was tall and was skinney looking. He wore the attire of a monk with a scripture over his shoulders and a red chakra on his forehead. The strange thing was that his head wasn't shaved like regular monks. He had golden locks that shimmered like the sun above covered his pale head and reached a ways down his neck. His eyes... they were droopy and the stunning color of violet. This monk was known as the famous Genjyo Sanzo. In the back of the jeep were two others. A boy the age of eighteen stared at me with innocent and bright golden eyes. He had messy light brown hair that appeared to never had been brushed and he had a golden diadem on his forehead. I blushed lightly of seeing him because he was my favorite character Son Goku. The guy that sat next to him was the age of twenty two and I knew him as Sha Gojyo.He had long crimson red hair to his shoulders and with little antenna's, his eyes were crimson red and matched his hair. His skin color was tan and he was the tallest out of all of them, he had two thin scars were on his left cheek. You may call me crazy but... I was in Saiyuki reload...