Guardian

Moon Gazing

Gojyo watched her out the corner of his eye, his gaze not shifting from her lone form. How her silver hair fell down her back, tied back into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck. How the two white canine ears twitched in the twilight breeze. How her white tail wrapped around her legs, glistening in a lunar glow. With light cocoa colored skin, her lonely silhouette stood at the edge pier as the radiance of the moon beaming down on her. An ethreal brightness surrounded her as if she were a divine treasure of the gods.

There was something strange about this girl, but he couldn't seem to place it. He felt attracted to her, compelled to go towards her.

She turned and their eyes locked, his breath caught in his throat.

Amber. Bright, golden amber that held a deep wisdom gained from a lifetime of pain and solitude. He could learn so much just by her eyes, the many battles they've witnessed and the many challenges they've faced.

"Gojyo, whatcha'ya lookin' at?" asked Goku, grabbing onto his shoulders and looking in the girl's direction. The girl blushed and dashed off into the shadows, vanishing into the darkness in a pale, silver glow.

"Huh? What Goku?" aske Gojyo.

"That girl, she was pretty. I want to meet her. Think we'll see her again?" asked Goku, looking up at Gojyo witha silent hope in his eyes.

"Feh! I doubt it," said Gojyo. He placed a hand on Goku's head and herded him towards Sanzo and Hakkai.

"What took you two idiots so long?" asked Sanzo impatiently.

"Just moon gazing. Don't go bald worrying, priest," said Gojyo, shrugging it off.

"Death is seemingly enjoying for you," said Sanzo, fingering the Wesson & Smith hidden in his robes. Gojyo could only smirk as they entered the restaurant, his thoughts slowly meandering back to the strange girl.

'I wonder if I'll see her again...,' he thought.

The four took their seats and ordered their dinner as Goku gleefully chattered on about the different meats in his food. Sanzo read his paper and Hakkai was resting his eyes from the trip, all the while, Gojyo was was still lost in his thoughts.

"Hey Gojyo, look!" said Goku, grabbing Gojyo's face and pointing in the direction of the corner of the restaurant.

It was the girl again. She was sitting alone at a table, a glass of water on the counter and her arms crossed over her chest. She had her eyes closed and her ears twitched every so often, plagued by some sound or motion. Her tail was tucked neatly under her chair to keep the fluffy appendage from being stepped on.

Caught once more, he couldn't help but watch her. She sat unmoving as people stared and whispered around her.

'It must be because she's youkai,' thought Gojyo, 'Humans are becoming more unnerved just at the sight of one. But she doesn't look very dangerous.'

She was alone. He could talk to her. All he had to do was get up, walk over, say one of his usually lame pick-up lines, and she'd be falling at his feet. It was that simple and it always worked

'Yeah... that's about it,' he thought sadly as he stood up and walked towards her.

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I got this strange shiver, as if someone was watching me. Not like it's unusual, people usually stare if you're not like them. But this stare was different, more like a heated gaze; a good heated gaze.

I openned my eyes and a guy with scarlet hair and eyes was watching me. The kid next to him was looking at me too. Why? I don't know. I felt like I'd seen him somewhere before.

...Wait! He was looking at me when I was at the pier.

I watched him stand and walk towards me. He's coming over here. If he's coming over here, then he's going to want to talk.

I don't want to talk.

Nope. Gotta run!

I waved over one of the waiters and paid for my dinner that had yet to come before rushing out the door, back out into the night.

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Gojyo stopped walking and stared at the door. The girl had taken off like she was scared of him. He sighed and walked back to his seat, slouching down into the chair.

"Aw, she ran off again," whined Goku with a frown on his face. However, that was soon lifted as his food was placed before him and he dug into with renewed vigor.

"What was that all about, Gojyo?" asked Hakkai.

"...I don't know," said Gojyo as his food was placed in front of him. He stared down at his plate, but didn't see it; he was still wondering why the girl run away again.

"I don't want to know. It's probably a good thing that the girl ran off," said Sanzo, " She won't have to hear your lame-ass pick-ups. Looks like your luck with the ladies is running out."

"That girl's new here," said a voice behind them, turning around to face a middle-aged man.

He had dark, curly hair and a short beard. His ebon eyes had a strange glow behind them, resembling the dieing embers of a flame. A heavy, leather coat was draped over his shoulders and a rugged, old hat sat lopsided on his head. Scares marred his bare arms and a patch covered his left eye. He wore a pair of tattered jeans and muddy boots, wet earth still clung to the soles of the shoes.

"She's new here? When'd she show up?" asked Hakkai. The man nodded, picking up his coffee and taking a drink before setting the empty mug back on the table.

"Yup, started showing up in town when the White Mononoke came to this area," said the man.

"White Mononoke?" they asked.

"The White Mononoke is a wolf that guards the forest that surrounds this village. She protects something that's in that forest. Some say it's a large horse-like creature," said the man, looking into his empty coffee cup, "She might have run since your red headed friend of yours looks like one of the top notch bounty hunters from the West."

"Hey! That's were we're--! OW!" whined Goku, nursing the bump on his head that Sanzo gave him.

"What do you mean?" asked Sanzo, looking over at Gojyo then back to the man.

"Just sayin' that your friend looks like the bounty hunter that comes here often," said the man. He stood up and left his payment on the table, " You want more answers, go to the Hunter's Tavern at the end of the street. I'm sure they'll provide you with the proper information."

Sanzo and the others watched the man leave the restaurant before turning back to their meal. Once the meal was complete and stacks of dishes left in Goku's wake, they paid for it and returned to the inn, planning on spending one more day in the village before leaving.

'That's where I'll go... The Hunter's Tavern. They'll have some answers for me,' thought Gojyo as he drifted off to sleep.

End Chapter

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Author's Notes

Okay, this will be my second attempt at writing a SaiYuki story. I don't know if it will have yaoi in it or not, but give it a chance. There may be some tid-bits of it, but no full throttle guy/guy stuff. I'm just a minor, so don't expect it. Anyways, I'm gonna add some of my own characters. Some may seem familiar, that's because it is my trademark person. So please, stick with me. Thanks.

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All characters used in Guardian that are used in the manga/anime/legend of SaiYuki belong to the original author. All other characters, such as Kishin, Aislin, and Hiroshi, belong to Fushigi Aoi Tenshi. Please ask before using those three characters.