Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki.

Note: I own Tara Belle.

Naked Soul

~ Episode One ~

Gojyo Sha repetitively poked the young woman in the back of the neck with his right index finger. "Poke. Poke."

Tara Belle burned with rage and she screamed at the read-head. "Gojyo, quit it! I know it's you!"

"Poke. Poke."

She reached behind her to slap his hands. "Knock it off!"

Hakkai Cho sighed. "Gojyo. Please, stop picking. It's mean."

Sanzo Genjyo slept in the front seat beside Tara. When she saw this, her expression turned kind. "Sanzo." He looks so peaceful.

Goku Son whined. "I'm hungry! When do we eat?"

Tara abruptly felt intense cold chills chase through her and her flesh prickled as goose bumps appeared. She shuddered as she lightly placed her hands over her lips. Ugh. I feel sick. Goku, don't talk about food. No offense. Please, Goku. I'm begging you.

"What about pickles and hamburgers?"

Tara spoke through her hands. "Goku…"

Hakkai stopped the jeep. Those two…

Sanzo woke. Huh? "Why'd we stop?"

Hakkai looked at Tara and Sanzo. "It's a pretty day. Why don't you two go for a walk? I need to speak to Gojyo and Goku."

Sanzo took Tara by the hand and they walked together. "Stay close."

She smiled and laughed. "Okay, Sanzo!"

As Sanzo and Tara set out for a walk, Hakkai turned around and glared at Gojyo and Goku. "Keep your hands to yourself, Gojyo. Food isn't an appropriate topic all the time, Goku. Realize, a young woman has joined the team of four men. Be considerate gentlemen."

Tara and Sanzo approached woodland not far from the jeep and Tara noticed a trail. Her mouth turned into a gape smile and she pointed at the trail as she gasped and her eyes widened. "Oh, Sanzo, look! A trail!"

Sanzo stared at her with soft eyes and a kind smile. She's like an excited child. It's cute.

She stepped forward and gently tugged him toward her. "Come on, silly."

He blinked. "Huh? Oh. Sorry."

She laughed. "You're funny, Sanzo."

Sanzo and Tara walked along the trail until the hours of sunshine turned into an abrupt, rainy downpour. They walked back to the jeep.

"You two look like a couple of wet dogs."

"Shut up, Gojyo!" Ouuuu! He makes me soooo mad! This is soooo frustrating and soooooo embarrassing!

The team set up camp for the night.

Tara went behind a bunch of bushes and trees and changed. She put on a pink robe and a pair of pink slippers. Darn! My bra is drenched! She dropped to her knees and her silk white bra dangled from her hands. I swear. I'm hopeless. I give young women an awful name. There's nowhere to wash and dry my bra, is there? I lack the knowledge of how to care for my top undergarment. Shame on me. She sighed.

"What the heck are you moping about? I bet it's something ridiculous."

She quickly tried to hide her bra. Play dumb and pretend all is fine. "Nothing! I'm fine! Hahahahahaha!"

Suspicious. "You're acting suspicious."

"Oh! It's hopeless!" She threw her bra at him and stomped off.

He stood with a bra on the top of his head and his eyes wide as he blinked. "She seems to have more of a temper this evening." She seemed fine earlier.

Tara approached a random tree away from the set up camp, sat on the ground beside the tree, laid out on her right side, and closed her eyes. Her head throbbed. The continuous, pain in her lower stomach felt like agony. Her eyelids felt heavy and her body felt weak and heavy. She felt tired. She yawned.

She heard someone lay behind her. Then, she heard a voice. "Tara. Why did you throw your bra at me?"

The blonde kept her back to the other blonde. "Sanzo. It's complicated." She slid her right arm from under her head and placed it over her the side of her face and head, her head still supported by her left arm. My head.

Sanzo noticed. "What are you doing?"

The pain's getting worse. Relax the muscles. Breathe. Tense muscles cause the pain to intensify.

He gave her a confused look. "Tara?"

"I'm fine."

His confused look turned into a blunt look. "You're going to tell me what's wrong, now. If you don't, I'm going to have to find some way to get it out of you."

"Touch me and you're a dead Buddhist priest."

"Whatever."

"You're pure torture." You're about to get slapped. Shut up and go away.

"Seriously. Tara. I understand if you feel uncomfortable telling me what's wrong because of the impression I make on you and because we barely know each other and because I'm a guy and you're a young woman and I understand if you feel uncomfortable telling the others what's wrong because they may have made a strange impression on you and you barely know them and because they're guys and you're a young woman. However, we're a team. I know these words are strange because they come from my lips."

Is he lecturing me?

"There's something I want you to know. You're special to all of us. You change us all for the better. I know I seem not to be the type of guy to say these things. You would notice by your experience with me so far. It seems you're the cause of my words."

On the edge of sleep, she whispered, "Sanzo." as her arm dropped from the side of her face and head to the ground and her body felt too heavy to move. She felt slight, random pangs throughout her body and it felt as if the pain would worsen if she moved. I must stay awake! She forced her eyelids open. Abrupt, intense pain shot through her head. She began to sit up. The slight, random pangs quickly became intense.

Sanzo quickly prevented her from a fall on her face. "What is with you?"

She grimaced and laid back down. "Ow. Sanzo. Stop yelling."

He laid back down beside her. He began to gently twirl her thick hair around his fingers. "You haven't told me why you're behaving this way. You were fine earlier."

She stared at him with pale, blue-green colored eyes. "I have a confession." She paused.

He stared back at her. "What is it?"

"I feel it deep within my heart. I'm able to trust you, Hakkai and Goku. I feel uncertain about Gojyo." Tears entered her eyes. "A guy touched my breasts. He also wanted sex and a blow drive. I don't portray myself as that type of a young woman."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "You're the only young woman I've met so far who isn't offering herself."

"I don't trust a lot of men. I don't want to end up kidnapped and raped and I don't want to end up having to bare the child of the one who raped me. I don't want to end up murdered. I don't want to end up tortured."

Hakkai approached, sat on the other side of Tara, then, laid on his back. "Are you two bonding?"

Sanzo stared at Hakkai as if he were insane. Hakkai! "Hakkai. Stop making awkward comments."

"You're men and I'm a young woman. It would be a turnoff for you all if I told."

I think I understand what's wrong, now. "Tell us when something's wrong. Don't hide it."

I think I understand what's wrong. I think Sanzo does as well. "He's right. It's not healthy to push yourself. It's deadly at times."

That night, Sanzo and Hakkai slept beside Tara. Hakkai and Sanzo had strength, skill, flexibility and smarts. Tara had skill, flexibility, smarts, and a special ability of the mind and heart. She could barely do damage to the enemy until trained more.

Early in the morning, Tara jerked awake with a gasp. She laid between Sanzo and Hakkai and panted, eyes wide, hand over the spot where her heart pounded. She sat up, got on her hands and knees, and crawled out from between Sanzo and Hakkai. Cursed nightmare!

An abrupt, continuous, soft, high-pitched ring brought Tara to the ground in severe pain. Eyes squeezed shut, she pressed her hands against her ears and tears began to roll along her cheeks. What is that awful noise? It hurts!

A quick buzz worsened the pain and it took everything not to scream and kick in painful agony. She didn't want to wake anyone and she didn't want to scare anyone and she didn't want to kick Sanzo and Hakkai. She bit her bottom lip so hard and her lips were dry and they peeled and she bit off some of the skin from her bottom lip and it bled and burned.

Where is that noise coming from? I have to pinpoint that noise! It could be trouble!

"Tara. Tara Belle. What's wrong?" Hakkai, now, sat beside her. It looks like she's in a lot of pain.

She struggled against the pain. "Noise."

He stared at her with confusion. "I don't hear anything."

Like long, thin nails on a chalkboard! My head!

She struggled to speak. "Hurts." She struggled as she opened her eyes a little and her vision blurred as she stared up at him.

She looks weak.

Her eyelids closed and her mind faded from white to black.

Hikari Maiden: The name I gave this series of short stories means something deep. Don't review that any of my work makes no sense. That makes me believe you want me to give you the answer and you don't want to ponder any of my work. There's no fun that. I enjoy a good ponder. I enjoy it when words and phrases practically drive me and I ask one person after another. I get told, 'I don't know.' over and over. I get told to ask someone else over and over. I eventually give up and figure it out on my own. I ask people when I've already figured it out. I want to know what words and phrases mean to them and I tell them what they mean to me. Words and phrases mean something deep and special to people. Don't take that for granted. Think of what it would be like if all answers were given to you. I would cry and command all answers to stop be given to me right then and there. I want to journey. I don't want to be told.