Disclaimers: I don't own Saiyuki. Or any Chinese movie. The only things here that I own are the characters nobody's ever heard of.

Warning: This story is more focused on the original characters and not on the cannon Saiyuki folks. If you want Saiyuki folks-centered fics, go look somewhere else. However, this is not a Mary Sue (I hope not.). There'll be romance, yes, but I'm not pairing my creations with cannon characters.

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"They look so beautiful," Yuen Lan murmured as she traced the coloured wings. "Almost like they're flying."

"Together," rumbled Xia Liang's deep voice as he peered over her shoulder, his neck hovering above her tunic. "We made them together. So it only fits that they should fly together."

"Hai," she carefully replaced the parchment into the neckline of her tunic and turned to smile at Xia. "Together."

He gave her a smile of his own, his dark blue eyes twinkling in merriment. "Like us."

She leaned back against his chest as his arms circled her. "Like us."

The low roar of a metal vehicle cut through Yuen's daydream, replacing the warm embrace with the heat of the kitchen. A burning smell reached her nose. Yuen glanced down to find her strips of beef had turned mud-brown as it simmered in too little sauce.

"No!" she yanked the pan off the stovetop but the burned meat was beyond saving. "Oh no…"

"Yuen!" Wen Lan stalked into the kitchen, dark eyes smouldering with anger. "Look at what you've done with all your daydreaming! Don't you know how much meat costs these days?"

"Gomen, okaasan."

"Stop your sorry's and throw it before you smell up the entire kitchen and drive away our guests!"

"Hai." Yuen practically ran to the back where the smoke wouldn't enter the rest of the inn.

"What a waste…" Wen muttered as she passed.

Yuen sighed as she dumped the burnt meat along with the rest of the garbage and went back, where one of the other cooks took the empty pan from her.

"Your mother wants you up front." He told her as he retreated into the kitchen. "A group of four just came in."

"Hai." Yuen half-turned and entered the inn proper. She went straight to the receiving desk where four men stood waiting; one of whom wore a monk's robe. "Ohayo gozaimasu."

"Ohayo," one of them greeted politely, a monocle on his right eye. "We'd like to check in for a few days. Do you have rooms available?"

"Hai." She returned his smile with a polite one of her own, remembering her mother's lesson on being courteous to their guests. She opened the logbook that lay on the desk and quickly scanned it for unused rooms. "You're in luck. Another group had just left and we have four rooms vacant."

"We'll take them."

Yuen turned the logbook around for them to sign, taking the gold card that was handed to her. She kept her face passive at the sight of the card though inwardly she felt fearful of any group who held a credit account given by the Sanbutsushin themselves. "The rooms will be ready in a few. Would you like to have something to eat first while you wait?"

"Hai, that would be-"

"Food?" another of the group leaped forward eagerly, and Yuen realized that it was a boy. "Did someone mention food? Haraheta…!"

Then the boy had to hunch down when the tallest of the group dropped his hand on his head. "Bakasaru. Can't even wait for a few minutes." The tall man turned to Yuen, his crimson eyes glinting. "Ignore him. There's nothing but food inside that head."

"Ah…Hai…"

"And he doesn't even know the difference between lunch and breakfast."

"Teme!"

Yuen stifled her giggle, thinking it would be rude to laugh at a guest. But she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from lifting.

The tall man continued, ignoring the boy's protests. "Nani mo da?"

"Yuen Lan,"

"'Yuen Lan.' It's a pretty name for a pretty lady…"

"Watch your manners, kappa." The tall man suddenly hunched forward as well when what looked like a white fan connected with his head.

He rose just as quickly to glare at the monk behind him. "You just mind your own business, namagusa bouzu!"

"Maa maa," The one with the monocle held a hand up as he tried to placate them. His deep green eyes were mirthful crescents when he turned back to her. "Don't mind them. They're like this everyday."

"Hai," She closed the logbook and tucked it into a drawer, quickly writing down the card number in another book as well as the two receipts Wen wanted. When she was done, she returned the card and raised her other hand to indicate the organized row of tables beyond the front desk, most being used while a handful remained empty. "Choose a table for yourselves. I'll get someone with you soon."

"Arigato gozaimasu."

Yuen watched the four of them move towards a table at the far end of the room, where the rest of the inn could be seen easily. Because of the placing of the tables, the ones near the wall were usually a short distance farther from the rest, making its occupants seem aloof from the others. She and Xia used to occupy one of those tables back then.

Yuen sighed and went back to the kitchen, pushing the image of Xia away in her mind.

"Did you invite them to eat?" Wen's voice was the first thing that reached her as soon as she entered.

"Hai, okaasan." She kept her voice low and respectful as she met her mother's dark eyes. "They reserved the four rooms the other group left."

"Good." Wen nodded, a small, proud smile tinged her coarse lips. She nodded again, towards the small pad Yuen kept in her apron's pocket. "You take care of their orders. The others have guests of their own."

"Hai."

Wen moved off to watch over one of the cooks as he tossed the yellowed rice into the air, expertly mixing with it the bowl of green peas beside the stove. He bent to adjust the leaping flames as Yuen turned to the door again.

Someone had already given the group four menus, to which she was thankful. It'll save her time and energy not having to go back and forth from the table and the menu rack. She pulled the small pad from her pocket and proceeded to the group as they scanned the menu.

"Konnichiwa. Would you like to order now?"

"Ah, hai-"

"I want fried noodles and shrimp dumplings and," the youngest of the group interrupted, his strange golden eyes jumping back and forth as he recited from the menu. Yuen had to frantically write three words per second just to keep up. "…and pork buns and fried rice and steamed chicken."

"We'll have some beer and sake as well." added the gentle, green-eyed one when the boy was finished.

"Hai. I'll bring them over in a bit." She bowed politely and took the menus from them, sighing in relief as she turned back to the kitchen. Her hand was cramping from the speed-writing she had to do. As she stepped through the doors, hoping that the cook would recognize her scrawls and not bring it to the attention of her mother, she never expected the yelling that greeted her.

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A/N: I suppose this is what happens when you mix a business course with creative writing. Any mistakes? Tell me!