"Beware the demon of the Diablo Desert!"
Tien sighed as what had to be the seventh person that day warned him.
"Thank you for your concern but I can handle it." he assured the most recent prophet of doom as he continued on his way. He was glad to be leaving town. It was a small thing, on the edge of the desert, and while the people were mainly kind Tien could tell he was starting to wear out his welcome.
"A lot of people seem to know about the spirit..." Chiaotzu observed, floating at shoulder height next to Tien. Tien turned slightly to pat Chiaotzu's head.
"Don't worry about it. We've dealt with a few well known spirits before." he said. Chiaotzu smiled and floated on ahead. Tien kept a close eye on him. Ever since he had taken in the little half spirit as his brother there was always someone who tried to attack them, without fail. He had fully expected the same from their current location but strangely the villagers seemed to only be wary of Chiaotzu.
"Are you a demon?"
A young child had walked up to Chiaotzu and was staring at him wide eyed. Chiaotzu floated down to be at head height with the boy.
"No, but you're close. I'm a half spirit. I'm what happens when a weak spirit possesses an unwanted human body." he explained. The kid looked confused for a moment but shook it off rather quickly.
"Does that mean you're gonna take stuff too?" he asked. Tien walked over to the two, curious, and knelt down to speak to the child.
"Why would he take things?" he asked. The boy shrugged.
"That's what the desert demon does. He takes things but he gives most of them back." he said. Tien took a moment to think. He had encountered spirits in the past that stole but never any that returned what they took.
"How long has this been happening?" Tien asked. The boy shrugged again.
"Mama says it started before I was born. She also said if you leave the demon food he'll give you shiny things so I think he's a good spirit." the child concluded with a grin. He proceeded to wander off, joining a group of others his age, leaving Tien with even more questions unanswered.
"Well at least you won't have to fight this one." said Chiaotzu. Tien sighed and stood up.
"The reports said that the spirit is a violent one. I don't think the one that kid was talking about is the same one we're looking for." he said. The subject was dropped as they made their way into the desert. When night began to fall they set up camp underneath a large rock formation. Chiaotzu fell asleep rather quickly but Tien opted to keep watch. Something felt off. They were alone, as far as he knew, but he could faintly sense another presence. He eventually shrugged it off as being a weaker spirit that was roaming about. Nothing to worry about.
At least that's what he believed until he was woken up by something trying to take his satchel.
He bolted up and swung a fist in the general direction of the shadow that had just been hovering over him. The punch connected and sent the would be burglar tumbling backwards. Tien sent a quick energy wave at the embers of the fire. The flames flared back to life and revealed the stranger who was currently rubbing their nose in pain. It was easy to see that their late night visitor wasn't a human, despite its form, as it had two large ears and a tail. Tien could sense that this was the same spirit he had felt earlier that day. The energy was the same but stronger.
"I don't suggest fighting back." Tien attempted to sound intimidating despite the nagging thought that such a weak spirit was probably scared out of its wits already. The spirit sat up and stared at him.
"You can see me?" Wait – You can touch me?" it exclaimed, shocked. Once it spoke it was easy to pinpoint as a male spirit. A rather nice looking one too... Tien shook his head slightly, trying to ignore that last thought, and sat up strait.
"I am a medium. I am able to communicate and interact with spirits." he said. The spirit nodded slowly, accepting Tiens answer, and then started to smirk.
"You're a medium? At your size I would have taken you for at least a large." he said with a wink. Tien fought to keep down a blush. He had dealt with angry spirits, sad spirits, and even crazy ones. Never had he encountered a spirit that flirted with him.
"Why were you trying to steal my bag?" he said in an attempt to change the subject. The spirit, however, was having none of it.
"C'mon man. You're the first actual person I've talked to in years. Let's have some fun." he said. He moved in a little closer and leaned towards Tien. "Or are you afraid I'm gonna try to steal your heart?"
"That's besides the point." Tien said while firmly ignoring the fact that his face was quickly approaching the same shade of red as the fire beside him. "Are you the spirit that the townsfolk call the demon of the Diablo desert?"
"Demon is a bit harsh." the spirit pouted. "I'm a wolf spirit."
"You do steal their things." Tien pointed out. The spirit shrugged.
"It's the only way I can touch stuff. Not sure why but that's just the way it is." he said. Tien furrowed his brow. He hadn't heard of a spirit needing to steal things before either. Perhaps this one had been a thief during his life.
"Uh., hello? Earth to medium?" the spirit said, derailing Tien's train of thought. He reached out a hand in greeting. "You could at least introduce yourself."
"Of course. I'm Tenshinhan, but most people just call me Tien." Tien replied, shaking hands briefly. The spirit grinned.
"Well , I am indeed the demon of the diablo desert but my name is Yamcha. It's a pleasure to meet you." he said. Tien gave him a cautious smile back.
"Good to meet you too." Tien said formally before turning his attention to the fire. He needed some time to process things. It didn't take long for Yamcha to place himself right beside Tien.
"I am trying to focus." Tien grumbled.
"What a coincidence, so am I." Yamcha said. He smirked again at Tiens confused look. "I'm focusing on you."
"Could you do it from further away?" Tien muttered with a sigh as it became obvious that Yamcha wasn't giving up. Yamcha smiled wider and leaned in again.
"What do you think I was doing all day? I didn't just pick you to steal from at random." he said. Tien glared at him.
"Wow, that sounds a lot creepier when I say it out loud." Yamcha observed. A small blush rose on his face. "Uh... sorry."
"Don't worry about it." Tien said. He tried not to smile as he watched Yamcha backpedaling. As much as he hated to admit to himself Yamcha was one good looking spirit, if an annoying one.
"So... what are you and little halfie over there doing in the desert?" Yamcha pointed at the sleeping Chiaotzu.
"We were informed there was a violent spirit wreaking havoc in the desert and we were asked to get rid of it." Tien said. Then something Yamcha had said fully registered. "Why did you call Chiaotzu a "halfie?"
"Well they're a half spirit, aren't they?" Yamcha said. "Plus, I didn't know their name. Chiaotzu, huh? I'm guessing they're a friend of yours?"
"More like a little brother." Tien said. "I've been looking after him for a few years now."
"Wow. Must be tough by yourself." Yamcha said. Tien shrugged.
"I can handle it." he said.
"Well you do seem to be mister tough guy. Don't think I haven't noticed. You are BUILT." Yamcha remarked. Tien jabbed him with his elbow. He wasn't insulted, really, but he felt the statement warrented some sort of retaliation. Yamcha rubbed his side and laughed.
"Y'know, just because you're able to hurt me doesn't mean I like it." he joked. Then he thought for a moment. "But to be honest it's better than nothing. Especially after nearly twenty years."
"Twenty years? How long have you been a spirit?" Tien asked, a little surprised. He knew that animal spirits came from humans that had died in the wilderness but many of them were short lived and only lasted a few years at most before they faded away.
"Well I was killed when I was about sixteen and it's been around twenty years since then. I could be off by a few years. I feel like I'm in my thirties at the moment but spirits sometimes age differently than humans. After a while time sort of just... blurs together." Yamcha explained. He fell silent for a few moments. Tien was taken aback a little. Most spirits didn't remember when they died. Yamcha really was full of surprises and for the first time that night it seemed he was out of words as well. Tien didn't feel right doing nothing. Eventually he reached out his arm to give Yamcha a light pat on the back and the most comforting smile he could muster. Yamcha smiled back weakly.
"Thanks for your grand gesture of kindness." he said sarcastically.
"Tien, who's that?"
Tien quickly removed his hand and spun around to see Chiaotzu rubbing his eyes as he woke up.
"It's a spirit. His name is Yamcha." Tien stated. Chiaotzu looked over at Yamcha, intrigued.
"Is he the demon?" he asked.
"The locals may call him that but I don't think he's the one we're looking for." Tien admitted. Yamcha's smirk returned.
"Even if you weren't looking for me you still found me. It must be destiny." he said dramatically.
"I doubt that." Tien grumbled. He ignored the wink Yamcha sent his way.
"I think he really likes you Tien." Chiaotzu said with a giggle. Yamcha grinned at the little half spirit.
"Finally, someone noticed. Here I was thinking I'd be stuck flirting forever." he said, earning another giggle from Chiaotzu. Tien blushed and crossed his arms.
"Get some sleep Chiaotzu. We've got a long way to travel tomorrow." he said. Chiaotzu whined.
"Aww, but I wanna talk to ! We never get to talk to the spirits we meet. You've told me about human stuff but I don't know a lot about spirits, even though I'm half one!" he complained. He had a point, Tien realized. Chiaotzu really hadn't learned much about spirits despite all the interactions he and Tien had with them. It did seem that Yamcha was the only chance he'd have for a while to learn.
"We'll take him with us, okay? You can talk to him tomorrow." Tien decided, shooting a glare at Yamcha that conveyed the "I swear to god if you don't do this I'll kill you" vibe quite well.
"Really? You will?" Chiaotzu excitedly asked Yamcha.
"Of course I will lil' man, don't worry, I'll teach you everything you wanna know. Besides..." Yamcha said, turning to smirk at Tien, "I wasn't planning on leaving in the morning anyways."
"Thanks !" said Chiaotzu. He yawned and curled back up in his sleeping bag. Yamcha grinned and stretched out on a nearby rock.
"You should probably do the same as your little brother there and get some rest. I'll keep an eye out for evil spirits." he said. Tien rolled his eyes.
"You mean besides yourself?" he grumbled. Yamcha laughed softly and smiled.
"You really are a fun guy, aren't you Tenshinhan?" he said, turning his attention to the stars. Tien didn't answer. He put out the fire and lay down staring at the sky. The constellations that stretched the horizon provided a soft glow, or at least that's what it felt like to Tien. Eventually he managed to drift off, keeping a tight grip on his bag, hoping he hadn't made a mistake by inviting Yamcha to travel with them.
The morning came much too soon for Tien's liking. He sat up slowly, rubbing at his eyes, adjusting to the sunlight. Chiaotzu was still asleep, curled into a ball outside of his sleeping bag for some reason. Yamcha was nowhere to be seen. Tien could still sense him, however, like the day before.
"I know you're up there." he said loudly.
"Just can't get me out of your mind, huh?" Yamcha said as he jumped down from the nearby cliff he had been sitting on. Tien glared at him.
"If you're going to be coming with us you need to help clean up the campsite." he stated as he stood up and stretched.
"You're the one who insisted I tag along." Yamcha pointed out while walking over. "You're lucky I'm so nice."
"A regular saint." Tien replied as he rolled his eyes and tossed his bag at Yamcha. He sighed as the bag passed right through the spirit. He walked over to pick it up again only to have Yamcha snatch it away and sling it over his shoulder with a smile.
"Gotta steal, remember?" Yamcha said.
"I guess you aren't worthless after all." Tien said with a smirk of his own. Yamcha pretended to look offended.
"Worthless? And here I thought mediums were supposed to help spirits with their problems." he said. Tien laughed slightly.
"I'm not like many other mediums." he said.
"I've noticed." Yamcha said. He tapped his forehead in the same spot Tien's third eye was located. Tien grinned a little wider.
"Oh no, you don't get to hear that story yet." he said.
"Yet? So you're going to tell me later?" Yamcha said. Tien shrugged.
"That depends." he said. Yamcha looked interested and walked closer to Tien.
"Depends on what?" he asked.
"On how useful you make yourself during this trip. If you're lucky I might give you my story before Chiaotzu and I leave." Tien said while finishing packing up the rest of his things.
"Speaking of that... what route were you guys gonna take? Not that it matters, I know the quickest one already, but if we're gonna pass any cool rocks I thought I could let you know in advance." Yamcha said sarcastically. Tien raised an eyebrow.
"We were going to use one that takes a few weeks but if you know a better way feel free to share." he said. Yamcha grinned at him.
"I can take you to the spirit you're looking for in one week." he proclaimed proudly.
"A week?" Tien said as he turned to look properly at Yamcha, surprised to say the least. Yamcha's smile grew wider.
"Exactly. Then it's just over a hill and boom! The biggest baddest spirit in all of the Diablo Desert. I'd guess they're the one you're looking for. They're pretty notorious around here for causing a mess." he explained. His smiled faded into a scowl. "They've taken out most of my pack too."
"Your pack?" said Chiaotzu. He floated over slowly, yawning. Yamcha flicked one of his rather fluffy ears.
"Wolf spirit. We move in packs. I've always been a bit of a loner but at least I had a choice about it until a few years ago." he said. Chiaotzu looked concerned.
"What happened?" he asked.
"The spirit you two were sent to take out got most of 'em. My pack used up all their energy fighting the thing and then they faded away. If it makes you feel any better I wasn't really close with any of them." he said with a sad smile. Chiaotzu still looked upset, floating a little lower than before, and stared at the ground.
"Still..." he mumbled. Yamcha patted his head lightly.
"Don't feel down lil' man. I've got you and triclops now. I don't need anyone else." he reassured the half spirit. Chiaotzu looked up again with a small grin.
"I'm flattered. Now, if you're going to stay true to your promise, we should probably get going." Tien said. Chiaotzu floated back to his side of the campfire to finish packing his bag as Tien and Yamcha waited.
"You don't have to stay with us once we get there if you don't want to." Tien said quietly. Yamcha shrugged.
"I figure I've done enough running from that thing in my time here. You're going to need the help, trust me, so I'll fight with you." he replied. He gave Tien another smirk but he seemed less confident than before.
"You said that spirit took out most of your pack. What about you? Won't the same thing happen?" Tien asked.
"It might. I've stuck around past my time anyways." Yamcha mumbled. Before Tien could say anything more Chiaotzu came over, ready to leave. Yamcha immediately perked up and started chatting with him as the group began to travel.
It seemed he had been telling the truth about getting them there fast as he took them through many shortcuts that Tien never would have seen. Sliding down dunes, constantly shifting tunnels under the sand, and old ruins dotted their journey. After around a week Yamcha led the group to a large rock formation with a hole in the base that connected to a large cave system inside. A hole in the top of the biggest cavern allowed the moonlight to enter, illuminating the area softly, and hundreds of stars were visible if one looked up. They had just about settled down for the night, Chiaotzu already asleep, when Tien noticed Yamcha sneaking off into a side tunnel. He followed, being careful not to wake Chiaotzu. His curiosity drove him down the same pathway until he emerged in a cave much smaller that the previous one. This one also had a hole in the ceiling and the sky was reflected in a pool of water that took up most of the floor, the liquid sparkling with the stars above.
"Did you want to go swimming too?"
Tien jumped a little when he realized Yamcha had spotted him. The wolf spirit was already halfway undressed and staring at him with one ear flipped up, curious.
"I wasn't planning to." Tien said, trying to regain his composure. "If I may ask... why are you?"
"I like it." Yamcha stated with a shrug. "Water is one of the few things I can actually interact with. Besides, after tomorrow, I probably won't have too many other chances."
"You really don't have to fight with me. I can handle myself just fine." Tien said. Yamcha laughed but there was no joy in it.
"That monster took out many spirits much stronger than whatever power you posses. I'd say it's my time to go anyways. I've been around way longer than I should." Yamcha explained, finishing getting undressed and leaping into the water, splashing Tien in the progress. Tien hastily took off most of his clothes and went in after him.
As much as he acted like he didn't care about Yamcha, he had grown fond of the spirit over the course of the last week. Sure the flirting was embarrassing but he'd be lying if he said he didn't like it. Heck he'd even flirted back a few times even though he knew he wasn't very good at it. After everything Yamcha had done for him and Chiaotzu he didn't want to see the spirit disappear so easily.
"Maybe you stayed here for a reason." Tien said while he swam over to where Yamcha was leaning against the poolside.
"And what reason do you think that is?" Yamcha said.
"Well... like you said a few days ago. It must be destiny." Tien said weakly. His attempt at humor wasn't in vain, however, as Yamcha let out a genuine laugh.
"Using my own pick up lines against me. You must be desperate." he said sarcastically. Tien glared at him.
"I mean it you dumbass." he snapped. "You've done so much for Chiaotzu and I and you're just going to get yourself killed? I'm going to let that happen."
"I reeeaaalllyyy doubt I mean that much to you." Yamcha said. Tien grabbed him by the shoulders and leaned in.
"Listen to me. I hate to say it but all of your dumb flirting worked, okay? And I can't lose you so soon. I haven't even sorted out all of my feelings yet. I don't know if I'm going to let you steal my heart or if I'm going to give it to you."
The following silence seemed to stretch the next few seconds much longer than they should have been. Both of them were still close to each other, faces red, with no idea what to say next.
"Which one?"
"What?" Tien asked, confused. Yamcha looked at him with his signature smirk faintly returning.
"Which line did it?" he said. Tien let his hands drop to his sides, embarrassed.
"The "medium large" one." he admitted. It took a few more moments before Yamcha stopped laughing.
"Are you serious? That was literally the first one." he managed to say, slightly out of breath.
"Dead serious." Tien said, flicking one of Yamcha's ears. He was pretty tempted to laugh himself but he couldn't get what Yamcha had said earlier to leave his head, about being past his time. Yamcha finally calmed down enough to put together a coherent sentence.
"Very funny. Really." he said. If Tien knew how to kiss he would have done that and let his actions speak for him. Alas he had no idea how to properly kiss someone so instead he pulled Yamcha into a hug.
"I mean it." he said. Yamcha returned the hug after a few seconds and pulled himself closer.
"You're the first person who has." he mumbled. Tien cracked a weak smile.
"Well you're the first one to make me feel like this. How could I not mean it?" he replied quietly. Yamcha pulled back from the hug with his smirk growing wider on his features.
"Does that mean I get to be your first kiss too?" he asked. Tien smirked back at him.
"I don't see why not. Although I'd guess that it'd be your first kiss as well?" he said. Yamcha laughed nervously.
"Yeah, guess so, I never thought I'd get this far." he said. Tien laughed at the obvious panic on Yamcha's face.
"Nether did I. We'll just have to learn from each other." he said. He closed his eyes and waited. "Whenever you're ready."
"Uh... okay. If you're sure." Yamcha said. Tien nodded. After a few more seconds of waiting he felt a light touch on his lips, something barely there, and then it was gone. He opened his eyes to see a very nervous Yamcha staring back at him.
"Was that it?" he asked with a suppressed laugh. Yamcha scowled.
"Why don't you try to do better?" he challenged. Tien took a second to consider it. Then with as much courage as he could muster he leaned in and gave it his best shot. It was short, a little sloppy, and awkward. Neither man cared.
"So, how that that?" Tien asked once they parted. Yamcha smiled.
"Best kiss I've ever had." he replied. Tien laughed quietly.
"Well, practice makes perfect." he said as he leaned in again. Things continued in this manner for quite some time, with the two swapping corny lines and amateur kisses.
"Are you still gonna fight tomorrow?" Tien mumbled after a while. Yamcha took a few seconds to consider it.
"I'm not going to let you fight alone but I'll try to conserve energy." he concluded. He hugged Tien closer. 'Don't worry about it, okay?"
"I can't promise not to worry but I won't stop you from helping." Tien said. Yamcha pulled away from him and smiled.
"Thanks. I thought you would've been harder to convince than that." he admitted. His smile quickly morphed into a smirk. "I guess I really did steal your heart after all."
The next morning...
"We're almost there. You two ready?" Yamcha called back to the rest of the group.
"How close?" Tien asked. Yamcha pointed to a nearby hill.
"Just over the top." he said. Tien placed his bag on the ground and stretched.
"Alright. You stay here Chiaotzu. I don't want you getting hurt. Yamcha and I will go fight the spirit." he said.
"Okay." Chiaotzu replied, floating down to sit next to the bag. "You two shouldn't get hurt either."
"We'll be careful, don't worry." Tien assured him. He looked over to Yamcha. "Lead the way."
"Can do Triclops." Yamcha replied with with a smirk. Tien rolled his eyes at the nickname and walked with Yamcha over the hill. A vast sea of sand sat before them, set aglow my the sun, with no sign of a spirit anywhere.
"It can hide it's energy." Yamcha said before Tien had a chance to ask. "I'll draw it out, act as bait, and then you catch it by surprise."
"If you insist. Be careful." Tien said. Yamcha gave a confident smile and a small salute before sliding down the hill. He landed at the bottom and walked into the flat area until he was quite a few feet into it. He stopped for a moment, twitched his ears, and gave Tien a thumbs up. The sand around him rippled with spiritual energy, sending dust into the air, and converged in the center of the area. A loud shriek pierced the air as the energy took shape. A hulking green spirit as large as the cave Tien had slept in the night before rose from the ground. He couldn't decide if it looked more like a cabbage or a gnome. Either way it was ugly. Unfortunately it was as powerful as it was unappealing. Tien could feel the energy built up inside of it, almost like a bomb, and wasn't surprised this demon had taken out the rest of Yamcha's pack.
"Hey! Veggie head! Down here!" Yamcha yelled. The demon turned to look down at him. It hissed and lunged forwards. Before it could land a hit Yamcha was already gone. He lept to the right with inhuman speed and was soon shouting more insults from a different angle. Tien watched in amazement. He hadn't thought that Yamcha was strong enough to do much more than a few hits. Yet there he was, smirk ever present, raining down blows of energy on the Demon with ease. Despite its size it seemed that the demon was going down easy. That didn't sit right with Tien. After all the reports about the demon and the stories he had heard from Yamcha he thought the fight would be much harder than this.
"You gonna help or what?" Yamcha called out on his way past. Tien snapped to attention and immediately sent an energy rune into the air above the demon.
"That will keep it contained to this area. It can't run away." he shouted over to Yamcha as he made his way down the hill to join the battle. Yamcha's only response was to use a quick wave of energy to expose several dozen discarded weapons beneath the sand from previous fights. Tien knew he wouldn't be able to use any of them efficiently but a quick wink from Yamcha clued him into the plan. He rushed forwards and picked up a curved sword. As soon as he got a good grip on the thing it was gone. Yamcha laughed as he sprinted away with the now stolen sword in hand. Tien returned the laugh as adrenaline rushed through him. This was by far the most fun he'd ever had fighting a spirit. He sent a volley of small energy attacks at the demon to distract it as Yamcha slashed at it with a sword now covered in spiritual energy. The creature dropped to its belly with an almighty roar as the barrage overtook it. Before Tien could celebrate in any way he felt something grab him by the waist. One blur of his vision later he found himself back on top of the hill. He blinked in surprise as he tried to figure out what happened. Yamcha appeared in front of him for a brief moment and said two words before going back to the fight.
"I'm sorry."
A huge flash of light suddenly filled the area. Tien covered his face and cried out as he was temporarily blinded. He could feel the demon expending all of it's power at once in an explosion of energy. He was thrown backwards and landed on the sand with a heavy thud. As soon as he returned to consciousness he felt a shiver down his spine. Something wasn't right.
He stood up, ignoring the headache that accompanied the movement, and looked down the hill. Residual energy made it hard to sense anything and the sand tossed up by the explosion obscured his vision. Never the less he made his way into the dust cloud. He squinted as he tried to see it there was anything nearby. The dust settled slowly and he gradually could make out a couple of blurry shapes.
One was the demon slowly fading away into nothingness. The other was Yamcha. Tien tired to ignore the sickly feeling in his gut as he rushed towards Yamcha. He was fine. He had to be.
"Hey." Yamcha mumbled weakly as Tien knelt down next to him. "Before you ask, no, I am not okay."
"What happened?" Tien asked. Yamcha winced as he sat up.
"It blew itself up. I though I could finish it off before it did but turns out I was mistaken." he explained. He tried to stand but failed. Tien put an arm around him and helped him up.
"Let's talk about this after we get out of here." Tien said. Yamcha laughed quietly.
"If I make it out of here." he muttered. Tien felt his blood run cold.
"What does that mean?" he said, afraid of the answer he knew was coming. Yamcha turned to look at him with a sad smile.
"I didn't exactly make it out of that fight with energy to spare." he said. His body flickered out of visibility for a moment as if to illustrate his point.
"Can't you recover somehow?" Tien asked with hope he knew was false. Yamcha shook his head.
"I can't get back what I used up. You're the spirit expert here Ten. You should know this." he said with a small smirk. Tien pushed all of his emotions to the back of his mind as he focused of carrying Yamcha up the hill. They quickly switched from their first position into more of a piggyback formation when it became clear that Yamcha couldn't walk on his own. Once they finally made it to the other side Tien placed Yamcha down gently.
"What happened? Did you win?" Chiaotzu floated over with a grin that faded once he noticed their condition. "Didn't you beat it?"
"We beat it alright. It just took a lot out of me. I'll be fine in a few days." Yamcha said with an attempted smile. Chiaotzu looked at Tien to find that he wasn't happy.
"You're lying." Chiaotzu stated. He tried to hold back tears. "You're lying because something's wrong and you don't want me to know."
"You're a bright kid." Yamcha said with a sigh. "You're right. I used up too much energy in the fight. I probably won't be around much longer."
"No... you can't!" Chiaotzu said. He sniffed and wiped at his eyes as he started to cry. "You can't go..."
"Sorry lil' man. Nothing short of miracle can keep me here now." Yamcha said. He paused for a second and then beamed. "Hey Tien, crazy question, do you believe in miracles?"
...
"Are you sure your friend lives here?" Tien asked anxiously as he looked around at the seemingly endless horizon of sand.
"Absolutely. My memory might be a bit off but I know Puar is around here somewhere." Yamcha assured him. Tien nodded and kept walking despite his hope dimming with every step. They had been traveling for almost a day and they hadn't found anything. Tien was carrying Yamcha on his back again and refused to let the spirit exert himself more than necessary. He was already starting to flicker in and out of view more frequently. If his friend Puar really could save him then they were running out of time to find him.
"C'mon Ten. Cheer up. It's not like we're guaranteed anything if we find him anyways." Yamcha said. Tien would have glared at him if he could. Instead he just kept walking. Chiaotzu was exploring the area a little ways in front of them in advance but still hadn't found anything.
"Well at least I'm in high spirits." Yamcha mumbled. Tien paused.
"Really? You're making jokes? Now?" he said.
"What other time am I going to make them?" Yamcha said.
"After we save you." Tien replied. He adjusted his grip and continued onward.
Everything was quiet for the rest of the day. They stopped and set up camp for the night under a small rock formation. Chiaotzu fell asleep nearly right away. Tien refused to let himself drift off and stayed awake by thinking of other things he could try to help Yamcha.
"Would a sigil work?" he asked. Yamcha shook his head.
"All that would do is bond my spirit to yours. It wouldn't help me stay any longer." he said.
"It's better than nothing. Right?" Tien said quietly. Yamcha thought for a second and then grinned up at Tien from his place on the ground.
"What you're offering is the spirit equivalent of marriage. You know that?" Yamcha said. Tien smiled back at him.
"If we don't have much time left anyways then what's the harm? It wouldn't make losing you hurt any less." he said. Yamcha laughed weakly.
"I never thought I'd get a husband like this. I'd hate to make you a widow." he teased.
"Doesn't matter to me." Tien said. He reached down to hold hands with Yamcha. "So. Will you marry me?"
"I'd be a fool to say no." Yamcha said. "Can't wait to brag to my pack about my husband when I see them again."
"You'd better." Tien said. He started whispering a short incantation while he grabbed one of the cooking knives. A few seconds later his right forearm had a simple symbol carved into it that was glowing with energy. He wrapped a spare cloth around it to stop the bleeding.
"There. Feel married yet?" he asked. Yamcha laughed louder than before.
" 'course I do. You can't get rid of me now." he said.
"Not until the scars fade." Tien pointed out"You'd better hope I still love you by then."
"You will. I stole your heart, remember?" Yamcha said. Tien smiled despite the sob that was threatening to escape him. He leaned down and lightly kissed Yamcha on the forehead.
"That you did. Now get some rest." he whispered.
By the time dawn broke Tien had managed to get a few hours of sleep. He quickly packed up camp and picked up Yamcha again.
"Quick request from your new husband. Could you carry me a different way? This one is bit uncomfortable." Yamcha said. Tien placed him back down gently.
"What way should I carry you?" he asked. Yamcha grinned.
"Well we did just get married so what about bridal style?" he suggested. Tien rolled his eyes and obliged.
"You're walking on your own two feet when we go home." Tien said. Yamcha laughed.
"Maybe I'll carry you." he said with a smirk. Tien smiled in return. The group set out again in the same fashion as the day before. Once again their search yielded nothing. By the noon it was getting harder to stay optimistic. Tien had settled into a routine. Carry Yamcha. Search for this "Puar" person. Keep moving.
"Hey! I found a cat!" Chiaotzu shouted. He floated over with the animal. It was a small cat with strange blue fur. Before Tien could ask anything Yamcha laughed.
"Letting a kid catch you. You've gone soft."
"Yamcha!" The cat exclaimed in a squeaky voice. He wiggled his way out of Chiaotzu's arms and flew over to Tien and Yamcha. "I knew I sensed you! What happened? Why are you so weak?"
"Nice to see you again too Puar. It's a long story. I need your help." Yamcha said.
"I can see that!" Puar said, arms crossed. He noticed Tien staring at him. "Who is this?"
"That's Tien. He's a medium. He's also my husband." Yamcha explained with a grin.
"Your husband?" Puar repeated. He looked rather confused until he noticed the bandage around Tien's arm. His expression softened. "A sigil. Never thought I'd see the day."
"Neither did I." Yamcha admitted. "I got lucky."
"Lucky in love but not combat. What the hell did you do?" Puar said after noticing the scratches all over Yamcha and Tien. Yamcha looked sheepish.
"Remember that huge demon in the middle of the desert? We may have beaten it."
"About time." Puar muttered. A look of dawning realization slowly grew on his face. "Is that why you're so weak? You're fading?"
"Yeah." Yamcha said. "You're my only chance at sticking around in this world any longer."
"You should have told me right away!" Puar said as he raised a paw. The sand a few feet to his left rippled and fell away as a large rock formation rose from the ground. He floated to a hole in the front and gestured for the rest of the group to follow him inside and up a flight of stairs. Chiaotzu was right behind him with Tien and Yamcha pulling up the rear.
"You didn't tell me your friend is a cat." Tien commented.
"I thought you'd be less likely to look for him if I brought it up." Yamcha mumbled. Tien sighed and pressed a light kiss on Yamcha's forehead.
"I would have looked for him if he were an ant if it meant saving you." he said.
He finished climbing the stairs and looked around. There was a small table in the middle of the room with a few pillows thrown around it. Other than that it was pure rock. Puar floated a few feet above the table and turned to face the others.
"Alright. I'll send a signal to the Seven. In the meantime you are going to explain everything." he said while pointing at Yamcha.
"Who are the Seven?" Chiaotzu asked. Puar turned to him.
"They're very special spirits. If you can convince all of them that what you're trying to do is worth their energy then they'll summon the great dragon spirit Shenron to fulfill your wish." he said.
"That's the miracle I was talking about earlier." Yamcha said. "In my case I'm probably going to be asking to be resurrected. With my memories intact, of course."
"And if the Seven don't agree with that?" Tien said. Yamcha smiled sadly.
"Then there's nothing we can do." he said quietly.
"I'll send the message to them. Be right back." Puar said before disappearing. Chiaotzu floated over to Tien and Yamcha and sat next to them.
"You're not gonna disappear, right? You're gonna stay with us?" he asked Yamcha.
"I will if I can lil' man. All I can do now is wait." Yamcha said. He reached up to pat Chiaotzu on the head. "Promise to wait with me?"
Chiaotzu nodded and curled up on the ground beside Yamcha. He looked up at Tien. "You're gonna wait too, right Tien?"
"Yeah, of course I am." Tien said quietly, trying to not let his voice crack. He considered lying down to join them but concluded that it was better to stay put. After what seemed like hours, though it was only a few minutes, Puar reappeared.
"Okay, I have good news and bad news." he said, floating over to the group. "The good news is - The Seven agreed to help us."
"They did!?" said everyone else in unison. Puar laughed slightly.
"Yeah, they did. But..." he continued, his expression darkening, "It's going to take a while to gather the others and summon Shenron. Maybe a full day."
The room fell silent. Everyone knew Yamcha was fading already. If he waited any longer it could be too late.
"Well, it's better than nothing, right?" Yamcha said after a while.
"It is, so you wait here and don't move, you can't afford to waste any energy." Puar said sternly. He sighed and floated over to Chiaotzu. "Hey, kid, do you wanna meet a dragon spirit?"
"Really?" Chiaotzu said with wide eyes. He sat up and turned to Tien. "Can I go see the dragon?"
"Sure. Maybe they can answer some of your questions about spirits." Tien said with a weak smile. Chiaotzu grinned for a moment and looked at Yamcha.
"Go ahead lil' man. I'm not going anywhere." Yamcha said. Chiaotzu beamed and flew over to Puar.
"They said it's okay!" he proclaimed happily. Puar laughed a little.
"I heard. I'll warp us to the summoning spot. We'll come back for Tien and Yamcha later." he said. He took Chiaotzu's hand and they both vanished.
"I thought he wanted an explanation." Tien remarked.
"He does. He'll be asking about it later, if there is a later, but for now he just wanted to get the kid out of the room. A spirit fighting against their fading isn't the nicest view." Yamcha said, his point punctuated with another flicker. Tien grabbed his hand and squeezed gently.
"You're going to be okay. You just have to stay strong." Tien mumbled, half to himself. Yamcha attempted a laugh.
"I'm literally dying and all you have is some bullshit about being strong? Give me some credit, Tien, I'm not an idiot. I know I'm probably not going to make it through today so don't sugarcoat things." he said. Tien took a deep breath and nodded. Yamcha laughed again.
"You're so damn stone faced. Don't you have anything to say?"
"I do." Tien said curtly. Yamcha raised an eyebrow and waited. Tien sighed.
"I'm scared. I don't want to lose you, I can't, not after everything you've done for Chiaotzu and I. You became such an important part of my life so quickly... a part of our lives... I don't want to think about going back to how I was when I first met you." he admitted. Yamcha smiled up at him despite the tears starting to form in his eyes.
"See? Feels better to talk about this kind of stuff, doesn't it?" he said. Tien nodded shakily. Yamcha's form flickered again. He tried to smile nonetheless. "You'll be okay. I probably won't but you will."
"I will fight that dragon if I have to." Tien said. Yamcha laughed weakly.
"Best of luck with that. I've seen Shenron before. Trust me. You don't want to get him angry at you." he said. A few more moments of silence.
"Y'know you never did tell me how you got that third eye." Yamcha said. "What's the story?"
"Not much of a story. I was born with it. Sorry to disappoint." Tien said.
"The way you phrased things when we first met I thought you'd have some epic tale. Were you being coy?" Yamcha said with a tiny smirk.
"I guess so." Tien admitted. Yamcha's smirk grew wider.
"You really are full of surprises." he murmured. Tien brushed some hair out of the spirits face. He gave the most confident smile he could muster.
"I could say the same for you." he said. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Yamcha's forehead. There really wasn't too much to talk about after that. The rest of the day passed by in relative silence. Yamcha continued to flicker in and out of view more and more frequently.
"Tien?" he said quietly after the latest flicker. "I can't feel my legs."
Tien didn't say anything. He just squeezed Yamcha's hand tighter and pulled him closer. He couldn't think of anything else to say. He felt helpless. All he could do was wait. He didn't even know what he was waiting for. A miracle or the end. Puar popped back into view momentarily.
"Two minutes left." he warned before leaving again. Tien felt his heartbeat pick up the pace by a few kicks. Such a short time. He tried to think of something to say to Yamcha other than "I love you" when the spirit in his grasp started flickering again. This time, however, it was different. Instead of fading away Yamcha's image was growing stronger.
"What's happening?" Tien asked. Yamcha grit his teeth as the flickers intensified.
"If I've only got two minutes left..." he growled, " I'm not going to spend them doing nothing." Before Tien could say anymore the flickers ended and Yamcha threw his arms around the medium. "I'm spending them with you. I love you."
"I love you too." Tien whispered as he returned the embrace. Within seconds Yamcha had pulled him into a kiss. They all but forgot the time limit as they focused entirely on each other. They committed each moment to memory. If this was the last bit of time they had together they weren't going to let it go to waste.
It ended too soon. It felt like only a few seconds had passed when Yamcha started to flicker again. He broke off the kiss and pulled himself as close to Tien as he could.
"Wherever happens I swear I'll see you again. I promise."
Tien barely had time to return the promise before Yamcha started to glow. Soon the light was too bright to look at. Tien covered his eyes and struggled to keep his hold on Yamcha. Tears flowed freely as he reached out and felt nothing. Anyone watching from a distance would have seen a giant beam of yellow light shooting up into the darkened sky. When the light faded Tien blinked a few times and things slowly came into focus. He could have sworn his heart stopped entirely when he saw the body on the floor in front of him.
He reached out a shaking hand and gently pushed some hair out of the persons face. The wolf ears were gone but his scars were the same. His eyes slowly fluttered open. He looked up at Tien and his mouth shifted into a small, familiar, smirk.
"So... are we both dead or did the plan work?" he said quietly. Tien barely choked back a sob as he drew the newly human Yamcha into his arms. He mentally thanked every deity he could think of and then some. It had worked and Yamcha was alive and things were going to be okay. Multiple emotions were pushed aside in favor of relief. Tien couldn't remember the last time he felt like this.
"It worked." he said once he caught his breath. "It worked."
"You sure you aren't an angel?" Yamcha quipped through his tears with a shaky laugh. They stayed in the same spot for a while, hugging each other close and crying, barely noticing when Puar and Chiaotzu returned. It took a good while longer for everyone to calm down entirely.
"Now that that's all sorted out, I believe you two have some explaining to do." said Puar. Yamcha laughed softly.
"I guess so." he admitted. He looked over to Tien with a soft smile. "How about you start?"
"Alright." Tien said, returning the smile and starting his story.
"Beware the demon of the Diablo Desert..."