A/N: This is my first Saiyuki fic. I know that Sanzo is totally OOC later on, but he even says he is, so it's ok. It's all for a reason. Please review.

Legal Stuffiness: I don't own Saiyuki.

I Know You In Dreams
"Huh?"

"You heard me, you chibi-monkey!"

"No, I'm sure I didn't hear you…freaky kappa. What did you say? I thought for half a second that you said you wanted to take her with us." Gojyo's eyes seemed to glow in the dim light, showing his anger more so than usual, but it didn't really seem to phase Goku. "Ugh. Am I going to have to guard her from you if we take her for a while?"

That odd smile crossed the older man's lips. He was considering, and Goku knew it. Man, is he ever a perv…poor girl. She's been out cold for a while it seems like. And now Gojyo's staring at her like she was a steak…mmm. Steak. "You listening monkey?" Goku's thoughts were interrupted just as he was planning how to cook the next steak they got. Rude…teme.

"Sorry. I was thinking. What did you say again?"

Gojyo rolled his eyes. "I said that as long as she's asleep, everything should be fine. I'm virtuous enough to leave her alone while she's unconscious." Goku wanted to laugh. At least the pervert is an honest pervert. But he's still a pervert. If it was possible, both he and Gojyo were smacked hard in unison with a paper fan, signaling Sanzo's return. Gojyo turned, a wry smile on his face. "What was that for, baka?"

The monk stared at Gojyo, purple eyes flashing. "Because, yaro. You two are slowing us down, again. Now, it's over a woman! When are you going to learn that our little quest is priority, not any of your stupid good deeds…" He didn't really finish, he just sighed in exasperation at the look on Goku's face, and raked his fingers through his shaggy blond hair.

Suddenly, Hakkai appeared from around the back of the tree that the girl was propped against. "You know, you could at least wait until she wakes up to see if she wants to come with us. I mean, for all we know, she could live around here, and have family that could take care of her." The others agreed, except for Sanzo, who was caressing his fan, and waiting for another opportunity. Hakkai merely smiled innocently. "It would be the gentlemanly thing to do, Sanzo. You don't exercise that part of your personality very often, so why not just this once?" Finally, Sanzo huffed in an irritated manner and put the fan away.

Goku was actually surprised that Sanzo relented so easily. He usually fought tooth and nail to get his way, especially since he was the "leader" of their little expedition. It was a relief, though, not to have him yelling at them for this as well as all of the other things he had earlier in the day. "Maybe she needs food?" He asked, unfortunately, his motives were revealed when his stomach made a whining growl. The rest of them chuckled, even Sanzo.

Hakkai sat at the fire, cooking something in a small pot. It wasn't much, but it would be enough for them, if Goku didn't like it too much. It had vegetables in it, so there wasn't much chance that he would like it. After the soup was finished, he set it aside to cool for a few moments. He looked over at the tree, where the woman they'd found was still propped, unconscious as she had been when they came across her earlier in the day. He frowned. She had been out for a while. He was pretty sure of it, and it made him worried for her. Rising, he moved over to where she was.

He removed his monocle and rubbed it on his shirt, not enjoying the lack of sight in his right eye when he took it off. When it was replaced, he studied her. Her breathing was even, so she merely seemed to be asleep. He wondered briefly if she might be ill. She seemed healthy enough, though. Her skin, while pale, had a rosy color to it. Her hair was just as dark as his, and was pulled back into a braid that was draped over her shoulder. Placing a hand on her forehead, he felt for fever, and found none. "Hmm." After finding no fever, he felt her pulse. Normal.

"I guess there's only one real conclusion. She's asleep. Time to wake her up, then." Hakkai smiled. She wasn't going to like it.

The smoke from Gojyo's cigarette curled around his head, creating a haze around him as he sat on a large, flat rock near a bend in the shallow stream they camped next to. He watched the moon begin to rise, wondering about the woman they'd found today. She was really something. Long legs, nice curves…just the way he liked a woman. Except that she was out cold. That was no good. He leaned back on his elbows. He wondered briefly what her name was. Or what color her eyes were. Any number of things about her wandered through his mind. Then, he saw something that he never thought he would see in his entire life.

Hakkai was carrying the woman to the stream. Nani? What is he doing? He watched as his best friend in the world waded into the stream up to his waist. He isn't…There was a loud splash as he dunked her under the water, and when she came back up, she was standing on her own two feet, sputtering and uttering obscenities that he'd never even heard Sanzo use. Hakkai was backing off, hands raised in a defensive gesture. Sighing, Gojyo jumped down from the rock to come to the harassed young man's defense.

"Oi. Hakkai, what did you do that for? She'd have woken up on her own eventually." He stood there next to the stream, watching as the woman and Hakkai both turned to gape at him. He, in turn gaped at her, because she was soaking wet, and her white dress had gone translucent and was clinging to her in a way that was definitely not making him feel virtuous. "Hmn. Now she's all wet. Come on, lady, we'll get you dry." He started walking back to camp.

"You really expect me to just go with you? He threw me in the water, and I don't even know your name." Gojyo turned back to her, trying and not quite succeeding at keeping his eyes on her face. He smiled.

"Sha Gojyo. He's Cho Hakkai. Now, come with me?" He walked back to the stream, removing his jacket. After putting it over her shoulders, he led her out of the stream.

"A-arigato, Gojyo-san. Where is this place?"

"Not sure myself. All I know is we're somewhere on the way to India." The woman had pulled the jacket tighter around herself, so that now he couldn't see the most distracting parts of her. He did notice, however, that her eyes were a very light blue. "What's your name?" The question seemed to take her by surprise.

"Ah…I can't remember."

Hakkai had caught up to them by now, and was listening. "Do you remember anything?"

"I remember…light. A bright light. The next thing I know, you'd dunked me." Her frown formed slowly, and she was obviously trying to think very hard. "That's all I remember, sorry. Do either of you have some spare clothes I could change into? I'm fucking cold!" Hakkai's eyes widened at her language. Gojyo smiled. She seemed more and more like his type of woman by the minute.

"We could probably scrounge something up."

Sanzo sat by the fire, tasting the soup. It was good. "Must be Hakkai's cooking." Goku would have eaten everything, and Gojyo wasn't good with anything that wasn't fish-related. Stupid water sprite. Now that woman was gone. That was a relief to him. Maybe she'd gotten up and gone…His eyes widened as he saw Gojyo and Hakkai walking into the clearing with the woman in question, and she was soaking wet. He blinked. He had had no idea that dress was so thin. Wait. What was he thinking?

"What did you do, Gojyo?"

Smirking, the red-haired man laughed. "It wasn't me. Ask Hakkai." All was explained in a moment, and Sanzo was tempted to take out his fan again. "She needs to get dry, Sanzo. Can she borrow some of your clothes?"

"Why my clothes? Why not yours, or Goku's?" he was still having a hard time dealing with the way the wet cloth was clinging to her legs. The thought of those legs (and everything else that was attatched to them) in his robes was making him uncomfortable, though not in a way that even Gojyo would suspect.

"Because, your clothes are the most like a dress." Hakkai stated this as a plain fact, and got a smack on the head with the fan for it. It seemed that it was getting a lot of exercise today.

"Fine. She can wear some of my clothes." He sighed, rummaging through his bag. He found a spare set of robes and thrust them at her. She took them gratefully, then shrugged out of Gojyo's jacket. Again, Sanzo blinked. She certainly wasn't shy. How can that dress possibly be so thin? It had suddenly gotten quite warm, and he was glad for the dim light.

The woman disappeared behind a large tree, and came back a few minutes later, wearing his robes. She had the black undershirt on, as well as his arm guards, and the kimono was draped loosely around her shoulders. She reminded him of something, he just couldn't figure out what it was. After she put her dress to dry on a low-slung branch, she walked over to him, and sat directly in front of him. "Arigato, houshi-sama. For the clothing, many thanks." He could see a thin line of skin where the kimono had fallen open on her right leg. Concentrating, he pulled his eyes away from this bit of skin and up to her face.

Her eyes were an icy blue. Cold and warm all at once. They reminded him of a lake he had once seen that was frozen over. Yes, that was the exact color. He shook himself slightly, coming back to reality. "Not a problem. Just don't get too used to them, ok?" She nodded, and stood. He watched as she walked back to the tree she'd been found at. There was something so…familiar about her...

Sanzo finished his soup, and watched as Hakkai offered a small bowl to the woman. The demon-slayer smiled kindly, and said to her, "You know, we can't just keep calling you 'Miss,' or 'Lady.' What would you like us to call you?" She looked up from her bowl. Sanzo frowned. What was Hakkai talking about?

"Ano…I don't know." She seemed to think for a moment, and then looked around. Her eye met Sanzo's for an instant, then looked away very quickly. "What do you think, houshi-sama?" Sanzo raised a questioning eyebrow at Hakkai. He mouthed the word amnesia. Sanzo was unsurprised for some reason. He thought for a few minutes. All the while, he tried unsuccessfully not to look at the woman who wore his robes.

"Takara." He said firmly, and Hakkai's eyes widened momentarily. He knew that the other man had a good idea of the meaning behind the name, but at the moment, he did not care. The woman smiled.

"Arigato, houshi-sama. May I know the name of the man who has given me my name?" He realized all too late that he hadn't told her what his name was. Sanzo wasn't the apologizing type, though.

He merely said, "Genjyo Sanzo." She nodded her thanks. "I'm going to sleep now. Hakkai, tell the other two not to make too much noise. With that, he lay down, throwing an arm over his eyes. It was not long before he was asleep, but he woke up late in the night, by something he couldn't identify.

The fire had died to dully glowing embers, and he turned onto his side, watching their small, wavering light. He heard movement, and looked around. There was a shadow behind one of the trees, and he drew his pistol from a fold in his robes. Rising, he swiftly walked to the shadow, taking it by the throat and pushing it against a tree. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that it was Takara. "What are you doing?" He hissed, removing his hand and feeling her neck for any damage.

She was angry. "What did you do that for?" she hissed back. "I was just stretching my legs. For crying out fucking loud." Her exasperation was plain. He could not look away from her eyes. They seemed to pull any light into them and throw it back out as a dull glow. "Well?"

He was speechless, which was not like him. "I…we get attacked a lot. I was just making sure it wasn't someone coming to do just that." He realized that his hand was still resting gently on her neck. Takara simply looked at him. She seemed unaware of the contact, or simply unmindful of it. He still couldn't look away. Why the hell does she seem so familiar? He searched her face for something, anything that would give him a clue as to where he had seen her before. Nothing. "Who are you?"

Her face softened, and she broke eye contact. "I don't know. I don't remember anything, except for a very bright light, and then getting dunked in the stream. I don't even know my own name, as you found out earlier." She looked back up at him. There was an oddly pained look in her eyes. He felt…sympathy? Compassion? Both were pretty alien to him. In any case, whatever it was, it was strong. His hand was still where it had been.

"Sanzo-sama?" She quietly broke his introspection.

"What?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" The question was also in those icy blue eyes, and he'd be damned if it didn't seem as though he was being pulled into them.

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore." Finally, he removed his hand from where it had been resting on her throat, and turned away. He lay down next to the fire again, waiting for Takara to enter the clearing. It was a few minutes before she did. What the hell was going on in his head? Aw, fuck. This chick is bad news. I can't be losing focus like this… his thoughts began to haze over as he fell asleep, still wondering why he was feeling the way he was.

Takara was lying on the ground, the kimono pulled down so that she could get some air on her skin. Gojyo watched her with lidded eyes. Sanzo's robes looked good on her, especially the shirt and arm guards. She had one arm behind her head, and the other rested on her stomach. What was that business with Sanzo earlier, anyway? Was he going totally insane, or did he hear humanity in the monk's voice as they talked near the tree? He wasn't going to ask, that was sure. If there was one thing Gojyo had in spades, it was a good instinct for self-preservation.

Now, Gojyo watched her, as her perfectly rounded chest rose and fell. He watched as she sat up. Her eyes were closed. She stood, and began to walk. Sleepwalking? He waited until she was out of the clearing, and then got up to follow her. The last thing they needed was her wandering around unsupervised in her sleep. She was walking toward the stream. Following as close as he could, he walked right behind her. The moon was out, so he had no trouble seeing her. She stopped at the edge of the stream. Gojyo's eyes widened.

Takara was singing softly, wordlessly, in her sleep. Her fingers plucked at the sash on the borrowed robes. When it was too difficult for her sleepy fingers to deal with, she instead began pulling off the arm guards. Those being dropped on the ground, she tried for the sash again, and failed a second time. Gojyo wondered what it was she was dreaming about. Takara's fingers wriggled under the bottom edge of the shirt, and shucked it off, over her head. Man, I need a cigarette. Where are they? He realized he left them in his jacket, but he couldn't just leave her. Especially since she was trying to get the sash off again…

This time, her fingers closed on the correct part of the knot, and he watched helplessly as Sanzo's robes fell away from her. She stepped into the stream. Unlike when she was thrown in by Hakkai, she didn't wake up. Wading in up to her waist, she dunked herself under the water, coming up a moment later, water pouring over her perfect pale skin, and Gojyo blinked. I could really use a smoke right about now. She was floating now, only her head really above the water. He wondered when she was going to wake up. Of course, he was wanting to wake her up, but he figured that it would be a better idea to let her sleep. If you wake up a sleepwalker, there was no telling what could happen.

Just as he wondered about her waking up, she stood, walking back to the grassy bank of the stream. He had never heard of such a thing happening, but she walked directly over to him and lay her head on his chest. If he touched her, would she wake up? He bit his lip, deciding against it. Contrary to popular belief, he did have some morals, though he had to admit, they were seriously being tested at the moment. He swallowed hard. Why were her hands…under his shirt?

He craned his neck down to check, and found that she was still asleep. Damn it to hell. Why won't she wake up and realize what she's aaaah…Takara's hands had moved from his stomach to his back, still under his shirt, and were now raking nails down his back. Oh, hell. Damned morals. He started to breathe rather raggedly, and felt the water from her hair soak through his shirt. Gojyo's eyes darted around the small clearing around the stream. He had to think of something other than her. But when he looked around, all he saw were trees and a pile of clothes. Clothes she was no longer wearing, which made him look down at her again, and as he did, he saw her face getting closer to his. She was singing wordlessly again. He didn't know what to do. Obviously, he wanted to kiss her. But he didn't want to do it while she was asleep, and her not knowing what she was doing.

Just before her lips touched his, he thought he heard her speak. The word that issued from her mouth kept him from enjoying what was otherwise the most erotic kiss he'd ever received. Reason being, it wasn't meant for him. That one word kept echoing in his head, over and over. After a very long moment, she pulled away from him and put her clothes back on, leaving him blinking in surprise and not a little fustration.

Sanzo…

She'd said the monk's name. He no longer had any questions about her dreams. Too bad that Sanzo was about as asexual as a man could get…the teme didn't care about anything that didn't involve their quest, unless it involved killing youkai. Well, that seemed to be part and parcel to their quest, so it fit.

Sanzo…

Takara's voice had held so much…passion when she said his name. He wondered if Sanzo even knew that this woman seemed to have the hots for him. Then, as she walked back to the camp, with him following, he snorted quietly. There was no way that he knew a damned thing. Too fucking focused. He's got a one-track mind. And it isn't even a fun track…He wasn't going to tell the damned monk about it, either. Let him figure it out on his own.

For his part, Sanzo was having dreams the like of which he had never seen. When he woke up just before dawn and looked over at where Takara lay, he found that his pulse was very fast, and his face was flushed. The night had been warm, and she had removed the top part of the white kimono. Her hair wasn't in its braid anymore, but was spread out over the ground, much like in his dream.

Why had he named her Takara? It was the first thing that popped into his head when they found her, really. The name means "precious thing," or "treasure." To his annoyance, his dream kept coming back to him. It was so vivid. Like it had already happened, and it was a recent memory. That was impossible. The monk's face turned red just thinking about his dream. Damn, I need a drink.

Looking around, he found that the others were still asleep. His head cocked to one side, staring at her. She seemed so familiar, and it was bugging the hell out of him. He had to know her from somewhere. Even if he asked her, she wouldn't know. Takara couldn't remember anything. He'd nearly killed her last night. It was lucky he didn't have Hakkai's eyesight, or he would have. For some reason, the thought of killing her horrified him beyond reason. Usually he wasn't exactly one to want to kill innocent people, but if it happened by accident, he didn't beat himself up about it. This was different. When he thought of how he'd nearly strangled Takara, he felt sick to his stomach. He didn't want to hurt her. In fact, he didn't want anyone to hurt her. Sanzo found himself wanting to protect her. He also found himself inching over to where she was laying.

Remaining as he was for a long time, he watched her sleeping until the first rays of the sun came through the nearby trees and fell on her. Her eyes fluttered open, and seemed out of focus for a moment. Then, they found him, and she smiled up at him. "Ohayo, Sanzo-sama. Did you sleep well?" He nodded.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll be back later." He stood, and took off in no particular direction. I've got to clear my head. This is ridiculous. She was very distracting, especially in his robes. Why had he let her borrow them? Fucking hell. He grumbled to himself as he walked almost blindly through the trees. Sanzo really didn't care where he was going, as long as it was away from her. Why did he find himself caring for her? He hadn't cared this much since…well, he wasn't going to think about that.

Why had he walked to the stream? Maybe it had been his dream. In his dream, he was by the stream, with Takara. Damn it. I can't stand this shit. Why do I have to start feeling this all of a sudden? He stared at a spot of trampled grass. That was exactly the spot where…in his dream…it was a dream, right? A twig snapped behind him, and he spun around, to find the person he'd been trying to get away from. "Takara?"

She stood there, with the kimono still halfway hanging off of her, black hair shining in the morning sun, and her eyes that still seemed intent on drawing him nearer. "Are you alright, Sanzo-sama? You look pale." It was no wonder he looked pale. He wanted to back away from her, to put distance between them. She was getting under his skin, and he didn't like that in the slightest, but there was nothing he could do about it that didn't involve getting the hell away from her as quickly as possible.

"I'm fine, Takara. Please, I would like to be alone."

She kept walking toward him, in spite of his request. "Are you sure? You seem out of sorts. I'm not sure it would be a good idea to leave you just now." She came to a stop a little too close to him for his comfort, but he couldn't back away, or he'd fall into the stream. She smiled up at him, and said, "You know, I had a very nice dream last night." His eyes widened at her words. They couldn't have had the same dream? He swallowed audibly. "Do you dream?"

"Usually, I just have nightmares."

She didn't seem to get the fact that he was evading her question. "What about last night, houshi-sama?" Her eyes were pulling him again. Damn it. He was leaning down toward her. Damn her eyes, and damn how I know her even if I never met her before in my life. And for that matter, damn the way his heart was beating so fast. He could feel her breath on his face, and her hands on his chest. Drawing ever nearer, his brain kept screaming for him to stop. Then another part of his brain piped up, saying "Why?" and other things that were similar.

Sanzo felt himself putting his arms around her. What the hell was he doing? Do you need to ask that question, baka? You're being a very bad monk, that's what you're doing. But then again, has it ever stopped you in the past? He thought about it for a moment. Not really. He was a drinking, smoking, gambling, swearing, and ass-kicking monk. None of that really fit into the Buddhist monk way of life. One thing he was not was a womanizer. That's why this was freaking him out to no end. Other than the fact that he seemed to know this woman.

When his lips finally touched hers, he felt a sort of jolt, like being shocked by static electricity. Then he felt dizzy, and he held onto her tighter. His breathing became labored as the kiss continued, Takara's arms encircling his neck. This was exactly like his dream. Oh, shit. Why did I have to have a prophetic dream about this sort of thing? She must have had the same dream he had, because she was smiling against his mouth. It was a strange feeling. Why couldn't he pull away from her? The answer to that was simple enough. He didn't want to. But he had to do something…or the entire dream would repeat itself.

The source of his agitation was that he was always in such control of his emotions, except for now, that is. He hated not being in control, even if he was enjoying himself thoroughly. And he was enjoying himself. Perhaps a bit too much. He tried to summon the strength to pull away from her, but he could not. Instead, it was she who pulled away. "Sanzo…" Oh, holy hell. Just like his dream. "I know you, don't I, Sanzo?"

"I—" He was not allowed to finish saying that he wasn't sure. Instead, he was being pulled bodily toward a very large, very flat rock. That was different from his dream, but who was counting?

Hakkai's eyes grew wide. Gojyo was laughing quietly, and Goku had his eye clamped shut, and was humming. None of them believed that what was happening was actually happening. Hakkai had to admit, of all of the members of their party, he could sooner see Goku putting the moves on someone than Sanzo. But then, it didn't look like anyone was having moves put on them. This looked like a meeting between old lovers.

Sanzo had still not recovered from that first kiss. He was speechless, and was allowing himself to be guided over to the rock, and he didn't even protest when he was pushed onto his back. Takara straddled his hips and put a hand on either side of his head. He stared up at her. She was smiling widely. "You did dream, didn't you, Sanzo?"

"I…I did. How do I know you?" he asked as he sat up, causing her to be sitting in his lap. "This makes no sense, Takara. Do I know you from another life?" He was confused. His head was spinning. None of this made sense. He was a man, so a certain amount of attraction to a beautiful woman was understandable. But why did it feel so right? He had never met this woman before. Damn it!

"I know you in dreams. That's how I know you. Have you never dreamt of me? I don't even remember my own name, but somehow, I remember that I dreamt of you." Her voice was low, and very close to his ear. He felt his eyes wanting to close. Dreams. Yes. He had dreamt of her, long ago. But he had thought that's all it was. Now she was here with him, real and sitting in his lap. For another moment, he debated with himself. Then, he just gave up. Who cares? Everything happens for a reason.

"Takara…"

"Sanzo?"

"I have dreamt of you. I don't understand it, but I have." With that, he took her in his arms, holding her as if she was trying to get away. Somewhere, buried under all of his anger, there it was: his heart. He loosened his hold on her, and looked at her face. Those ice-colored eyes looked pleadingly at him. Though he knew he should not, he took hold of her face, pressing his mouth against hers, and as the kiss deepened, he heard a small whimper come from Takara.

Her hands ran down the front of his robes, to his sash. Fingers fumbled for a moment, and then she had it untied. With a snap of cloth, the sash was pulled away, and tossed aside.

"He's doing well, Hakkai. You sure he's never done that before?" Gojyo said, leaning on a tree.

Hakkai could only nod. He was flabbergasted.

Goku was still humming to himself with his eyes closed.

Takara opened his robes, and started to fiddle with the button on his pants. She was still kissing him, which distracted him greatly from what it was that she was doing. Had she not been kissing him, he would have tried to swallow in apprehension. This was scarier that facing fifty youkai by himself with only a single bullet. As he held her to him, and the two became one, he closed his eyes. They moved together, and it seemed as if time stood still. Genjyo Sanzo, monk, and an unknown woman with no memory. These people were erased, and all that was left were two people with a deep connection that neither one could explain.

Hakkai's face was beet red. Gojyo blinked. He said quietly, "He never met her before?" Hakkai shook his head. "Ever?" Another shake of the head. "I don't know. That sure looks like they know each other." Gojyo wasn't blushing, but he had picked up Sanzo's fan, and was using it for its intended purpose.

"Can I borrow that?" Hakkai's stunned voice came from the other side of the tree.

"Nope. Come stand next to me, and we can both use it." Hakkai complied, but in spite of the breeze created by the fan, they both found the air to be uncomfortably hot. But neither one was looking away.

Strangely enough, as Sanzo and Takara were entwined, there was no sound other than their breathing. This had happened before, so many times. In dreams, they had been together for a very long time. In dreams, they were what each other was destined for. Now, as their bodies stilled, and they sat holding one another, they wept. There would not be a repeat of this in the waking world, both of them knew.

Sanzo's expedition into the west may take him a long time, and he may not even live through it. Takara needed to find her memory. She may be someone's wife, someone's mother. At the thought that he would not hold her like this again, Sanzo refused to let go. He refused, even when the youkai attacked. Gojyo, Hakkai, and Goku fought around them, but when one of the demons tried to touch Takara, Sanzo released her, quickly adjusting his clothing while reaching for his pistol.

There wasn't much left of the demon's head after Sanzo shot him. He stood over her, taking aim when they came within range, and taking them down, one by one. In less than a minute, the youkai were dead. He bent low, and saw that she was not conscious. Confused, he shook her. She didn't wake up. He felt for her pulse. It was steady, and she was asleep. Only one thing to do. He took her to the stream, and waded in with her. He submerged both himself and Takara in the water, then they came up, out of breath.

"Why is it that you people insist on dunking me every time I pass out?" She smiled at Sanzo. He smirked back.

"Sorry."

"Not necessary." She stood, trying to pull away from him. He looked into her eyes, shaking his head. "Sanzo, you know we can't."

He swallowed back the lump in his throat. He leaned down, near her ear. "When my trip to the west is over, I will find you." She gripped the front of his sodden robes. She seemed to think it was more than she could hope for that he would come back to her. "I didn't tell you about my dream, did I?" She shook her head. "Take care of yourself, Takara. And take care of our daughter. I will return, in dreams until I can be with you." Prophetic dreams were not what he was really gifted with, but he knew the one he had the night before was real. There would be a child, a girl. She would have her mother's hair, and her father's eyes.

With a choking sob, she buried her face in his chest one last time. "Sanzo…" He knew how she felt. He still didn't understand why, but he knew. "I will wait until the end of time if need be." His smile was soft, and awkward. It was clearly an expression he was not used to. His hand brushed her cheek, and he drew her in for the last kiss before he had to leave. It was a small, chaste kiss. The kind he had never thought he would give. It was his promise to her. Someday, he would return.

The ride was silent. Goku didn't say anything about being hungry. Sanzo merely stared at the desert. Hakkai concentrated on driving. When they got to the next town, Sanzo had an audience with the Three Aspects, and had a lot to answer for. He entered the common room of the inn, chastened.

When he sat down at the table with the others, he lit a cigarette. Goku was the first to speak. "Sanzo? Are you alright?"

He stared off into space. "I'm fine, Goku. I'm just fine."

"So, you gonna quit being a monk, Sanzo?" Goku ventured, receiving a hefty smack with the previously concealed paper fan. "Itai!" Any question that even approached the issue of his plan to be with Takara once their journey was over was, then and there, silently decided to be off-limits.

Gojyo smiled. "I know you don't want to talk about her, Sanzo, but let me say this: she's worth it." That got Sanzo's attention. The monk stared at him, and he merely smiled. Gojyo didn't want to seem as if he'd gone soft, but he thought he should say something.

Hakkai watched it all with his usual unreadable good-natured expression. He agreed with Gojyo. Sanzo looked to Hakkai, and he nodded. "She's a good woman, Sanzo."

"Yes, she is." Sanzo put out his cigarette, and the conversation. That was the end of the discussion, and the beginning of everything else.

End.