CM: Okay, so you thought it was over did you? Well it's not over. Not by a long shot. There WILL be MORE action, adventure, fluff, humor, and lots of angst. We present to you....
Fire and Blood
Disclaimer: We don't own this anime or its characters. We only wish. Sigh....
Prelude: Love was something I could never win. Even my own mother never gave it to me. Not that it was something I ever actually wanted. As far as women went, they were more for entertainment than anything else. I never thought there would be one that I would actually fear to lose. I try to speak with her, but my words don't seem to reach her. She wants to kill me. I can see it in her eyes. She has the same frenzied eyes that my mother bore when she wrapped her hands around my neck in an attempt to take my life so many years ago. I was willing to die back then, just to stop her tears. Right now, I feel the same. …I feel like dying.
Reunification – A Chance Meeting
In a small town completely surrounded by mountains and forest, a strange man appeared with unnatural beauty and deep set, blue eyes. He headed for the inn upon his arrival saying hi to those he passed.
"Setsuna...is that you?" one of the villagers asked in surprise.
"It sure has been awhile hasn't it," another one said with a smile.
"Welcome back Setsuna."
He nodded his head at their greetings and continued to walk toward the inn. Once he reached it he spotted a doctor coming out of a room and sigh. "Is there something wrong?" Setsuna asked curiously.
"Ah...Setsuna," the doctor exclaimed spying the man. "Unfortunately yes there is. Yuzuna is in bad shape...I'm afraid there's not much more I can do."
"How's she taking this?" Setsuna asked.
"Not very well I'm afraid," the doctor told him seriously. "The two of them took off about a month ago."
"They both left?!" Setsuna exclaimed. The doctor nodded sadly before walking past Setsuna patting him on the shoulder as he went. "Why did you two take off now...of all times?" Setsuna asked to the empty space. "With both of you reaching that point...now is the most dangerous time for you. If you had stayed I would have been able to help you both before they found you. Now there's no question...you two will be hunted."
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A few thousand miles away.....
It was a windy afternoon as two hooded figures walked down a busy street drawing stares as they went. "Okay so we have enough money for some supplies and a room for the night…other than that we really don't have much," one of the new people spoke. "Here why don't you take the largest chunk and see about our supplies. I'll go acquire a room for the night." The second one nodded and took the offered money then they split and went in separate directions.
The first hooded figure went into the only inn in town and walked up to the front desk. "I don't suppose you have a room for two available do you?" the stranger asked the innkeeper.
"As a matter of fact, we do," the woman said in an overly cheerful manner. "How long will you be staying for?"
"Just for tonight," the stranger replied.
"Alright, your room shall be upstairs, the second on the right," the woman said handing the person a key.
"Thank you," the stranger said politely. "Would it be possible to get two glasses of water while I'm here?"
"Of course I'll have someone bring it out," the woman replied.
"Thanks again," the stranger said before taking a seat at a lone table. The stranger sat at the table for some time after a waitress brought the waters. When the stranger started feeling a bit antsy a loud voice floated over the inn to his seat.
"Hey there where are you sleeping tonight?"
"Um…I don't think I should tell you that."
"Why not I'm a nice gu…OUCH!!"
The red-headed half demon stood up and looked around angrily. "Alright, who's the wise guy who threw that?" He glanced around and spotted the cloaked figure that had just come in and strode over to him. "Hey buddy, you got a problem with me or something?"
The stranger stood up slowly not wanting to put the half demon on edge. "Yeah as a matter of fact I do, Sha Gojyo," she said pulling her hood off her head. "You really should learn how to leave women alone when they don't want to have anything to do with your pervertedness."
Gojyo gaped at the person. "The hell? No way…"
The other cloaked person wandered about town looking for good produce. So far they had managed to by a big bag's worth of fruits and bread. "I wonder if they have a sweets shop anywhere," they thought as they rounded a corner.
*Oomph* "Oh I'm terribly sorry," a soft voice said as a young man with green eyes bent down to help pick up the fallen produce.
"It's alright I should have been paying attention," the stranger quickly said grabbing for the food. Once it was all packed up the two stood up and the strangers hood fell off. "Thanks for the help," she said smiling.
"Well, I'll be," the young man said stunned.
"Cho Hakkai!" The girl exclaimed seeing his face. "I never would have expected to find you here."
"Nor I you," he admitted, though he couldn't say that he wasn't overjoyed by the encounter. "Honestly, I didn't expect to see you out here at all." She nodded.
"Understandable. It's been a while hasn't it?"
"At least a couple months."
"Care to do some catching up? I was just doing some shopping."
"I would love to. It just so happens I'm also in need of supplies." And with that, the two happily made their way down the market place.
"What in the world are you doing out here?" Gojyo shouted pointing a finger at the strawberry blond in shock. "Didn't you live in that hole of a village?"
"It's good to see you too," Ran replied shaking her head. "Just because I lived there doesn't mean I'm not allowed to leave."
"Ran, I thought that was you," Goku exclaimed running up and giving her a hug. "Here's your hammer."
"Thanks Goku I was just about to go and get it."
"So, you just couldn't get enough of me the first time, is that it?" Gojyo said recovering from his surprise and putting on his usual cocky grin.
"Hardly," Ran said rolling her eyes.
"Does that mean Karin's with you too?" Goku asked excitedly, looking around as if to see the dark haired girl appear any second.
"Well, she's out doing shopping right now, but she shouldn't be gone for too long."
"So how the heck did you two manage to get out here?" Gojyo asked her.
"Pardon my asking," Hakkai asked Karin as they looked at the display of fish. "But I'm curious as to the reason why I've been graced with the opportunity to see you again."
"Well I suppose I should start at the beginning," Karin said scratching her cheek.
*Flashback*
~After you all left, the village was doing rather well. Even though the cold season was moving in, we had enough harvest from the last several months to last us. But with the bad weather, came bad news.~
"I'm afraid your condition is worsening Yuzuna," the doctor told the inn keeper as Karin stood outside listening in.
"How bad are we talking?" Yuzuna said impatiently.
"The build up in your lungs has accumulated drastically over this past year," the doctor explained. "And your smoking hasn't helped matters."
"Yeah, yeah, you still haven't told me how bad it is," Yuzuna said with annoyance.
"To be honest you only have 3-4 months left before this disease fully engulfs your lungs and ultimately kills you," the doctor said using as blunt a tone as she could to get the meaning fully across.
"Is there a cure?" Yuzuna asked.
"None that we know of…I'm sorry."
"I see… thank you doctor."
Meanwhile, Karin sat outside the room, tears streaming down her cheeks.
~I didn't know what to do. But then I remembered something that Kusuma had told me.~
"There's a fruit that can save your aunt. It only grows in the far reaches of India."
~It was then I decided, that I would leave the village and find the cure for myself.~
*End Flashback*
Karin looked up at Hakkai with sad but unwavering eyes. "So you're headed for India to save your aunt?" Hakkai verified.
"Yeah, Ran came too. She said she really wanted to help but I think part of it was she was bored."
"Kyou!" Hakuryuu chirruped.
Karin's eyes widened and she huggled Hakuryuu affectionately. "I missed you too!" Hakkai smiled warmly as he watched her. He hadn't realized it until now… but he truly had missed her company.
"All in all I left because I was bored," Ran shrugged as she finished telling them why she left.
"So Auntie is really sick?" Goku asked saddened.
"Yeah but no worries, Karin knows of a cure and that's where we're headed."
"Okay so how did you guys get here so fast?" Gojyo asked confused.
"We walked," Ran answered. She saw the dubious look on Gojyo's face so she added,
"Okay so after about a week we rented a car. Until then we were walking though. In fact we had the jeep right up until we got here."
"What happened?" Goku asked curiously.
*Flashback*
~Well we were doing just fine until we reached that large canyon right before this town~ Ran began laughing slightly as she spoke.
"According to the map we should reach a town after a large canyon with a small bridge that runs across," Karin said looking at the map they had purchased while Ran drove.
"Okay, so how much farther is this canyon? We don't have much gas left and once it runs out we'll be in trouble," Ran said looking down at the gage.
"It should be just up ahead, give or take ten more miles," Karin provided. Ten minutes later they caught sight of the canyon but that wasn't the only thing they saw. "What is THAT?" Karin asked.
"Great, JUST what we need," Ran groaned.
A hoard of at least 300 demons was standing at the edge of the canyon. "Well I've got an idea...I'm going to keep driving. Think you can pick off the ones that grab a hold of the car?" Ran asked placing one hand on the stick.
"I suppose there is no other alternative. We could always ask them to let us by," Karin suggested.
"Judging by the looks on their faces…I'd say that's not going to happen," Ran replied flooring the gas pedal.
The dirt kicked up and they shot forward at full speed. When the demons saw what was headed their way, many scramble to get out of their path. Others were stupid enough to try to attack them but Karin kept them at bay. They managed to soar over the canyon edge…. Only to find there was no bridge.
"Hey Karin?" Ran asked calmly. "I thought you said there was supposed to be a bridge."
"Hold on, let me double check," Karin said unfolding the map and glancing through it. "According to this there should be one."
"Oh wait, I think I see it hanging off the opposite edge there."
"Well then, shall we make the jump?" They talked as if they were discussing something as dull as the weather.
Ran and Karin both unbuckled their seat belts, climbed onto their seats and leapt out of the car into the air. They landed on the wall on the opposite end of the canyon. "How you doin' Karin?" Ran asked clinging onto the wall with everything she had.
"Oh you know, just hanging out," Karin said with a laugh.
Ran scowled at Karin's joke. "Oh haha, now come on." And the two began to climb up the canyon wall.
"So, who do you think destroyed the bridge?" Karin asked conversationally.
"I dunno, but whoever it is, they are so going to be dead when I find them," Ran replied through gritted teeth.
*End Flashback*
Gojyo and Goku exchanged a couple nervous glances that Ran caught quite easily. "You guys wouldn't happen to know what happened to the bridge do you?" Ran asked lacing her fingers together persuasively.
"Uh…no what would make you think we know?" Gojyo asked shooting a 'shut up' glance at Goku.
"So we destroyed the bridge, what of it?" a ticked off voice said from behind Gojyo.
"Oh hey Sanzo I didn't see you there," Ran greeted warmly.
"I thought we got rid of you two in that back water town."
"You can't get rid of us that easily," Ran declared grinning.
"Well, it seems that you all found Ran already," Hakkai stated amiably as he and Karin walked through the door burdened with groceries.
"Karin!" Goku exclaimed happily and glomped the girl.
"It's good to see you too, Goku," Karin laughed after she had managed to keep the goods from tumbling to the floor with Hakkai's help.
"I was wondering what was taking you so long," Ran said standing up to greet her. She helped Karin put some of the food on the table and handed her the other glass of water. "Good to see you again Hakkai…I hope you've been well."
"And the same to you," Hakkai said with a nod and a smile.
They all sat down and had a pleasant meal with each other, Gojyo and Goku fighting over the food as per usual and Sanzo getting angered enough to fire a bullet at them. "Be careful how much you feed Hakuryuu," Hakkai playfully warned Karin after the third time that she slipped the dragon some of her food. "If you're not careful you might spoil him."
"I can't say no to him though," she said holding up a piece of cake in front of Hakuryuu. "He's just too cute."
"I really missed having her around," Hakkai thought chuckling at her fawning over Hakuryuu.
"Don't be too surprised Hakkai," Ran whispered noticing his expression. "She's a major sucker for cute things."
"Did I just hear you say that I'm cute?" Gojyo asked breaking off his fight with Goku and sliding in closer. "I thank you for the complement."
"No Gojyo you must have been hearing Karin talking about Hakuryuu," Ran answered rolling her eyes.
"Hey Ran, didn't you say you guys lost your car in the canyon?" Goku asked through a mouthful of food.
Sanzo hit him over the head with a fan. "Swallow first and then talk. Do you really think I want to see your half chewed food flying all over the place?"
"That's right," Ran said taking another bite. "Which reminds me…we need to find another mode of transportation Karin," she said turning to her friend.
"I know but where are we going to find something out here?" Karin asked realistically.
"Well you could always come with us," Gojyo suggested hopefully.
"That's right you guys do have Hakuryuu," Ran agreed thoughtfully. "And we are going in the same direction."
"Not a chance," Sanzo muttered lighting up a cigarette.
"Why not, Sanzo?" Goku asked.
"I said 'no'," Sanzo replied unwaveringly. "I don't need extra luggage to haul across the country."
"Hey who are you calling luggage?" Ran asked slightly offended. "You aren't suggesting that we're going to get in your way are you?"
"Well the two of you weren't exactly expert fighters the last time we saw you," Gojyo said thinking back.
"Yeah, you guys kind of did stink," Goku added.
"Yeah but that was about…2 months ago. If you saw us fight now you'd be blown away."
All the guys looked completely dubious. Even Hakkai didn't seem all that convinced. "Although I'm sure you both are… adequate, we usually fight demons on a daily basis."
"In other words, it might be a tad bit too difficult for you two to handle," Gojyo finished.
Ran frowned seeing that they weren't going to buy it unless they saw it first hand. "Whatever…just wait until the next time we fight and you'll see what I'm talking about. Right Karin?" Ran declared grinning.
"Um…yeah whatever you say Ran," Karin stated all her focus on the dragon.
Ran shook her head before standing up, "Well I'm done. I'll be up in the room if you need me Karin." With that she handed Karin the key to the room and whispered what number it was so Gojyo wouldn't catch it and then headed up the stairs.
Karin stayed downstairs for a while, listening to Goku tell stories about all the adventures the group had after leaving the village. As she reached for the sake bottle, her hand ran into Hakkai's and they both exchanged embarrassed smiles. "Would you like a drink?" he offered.
She nodded. "Yes, please."
Hakkai gently poured her some sake and then poured some for himself. "So now you know what's happened to us…I assume that you and Ran had some interesting adventures since leaving your home," Hakkai guessed wanting to hear more about them.
"We've certainly had some… experiences," Karin said with a soft laugh. "We've run into our share of demons, both human and non. After all, two traveling women of completely separate trades attracts quite a bit of attention."
"I'm not surprised," Hakkai commented with a laugh. "I just find it absolutely amazing that you two have traveled this far."
"Yeah really…especially with Ran and her tendency to say exactly what she thinks," Gojyo agreed shaking his head. "I'll bet she got the two of you into so much trouble on the way."
"Hehe, well, that's not entirely untrue. Though I've gotten us in a few jams myself," Karin admitted.
"You are pretty naïve," Gojyo agreed with a nod.
Karin blushed. "Gomen."
"I can't take this anymore," Sanzo muttered getting up from the table. He then went up the stairs to his room.
"I was wondering something…that Ran didn't explain very well," Gojyo said ignoring Sanzo completely. "How did you catch up with us so fast?"
"Well," Karin began."
*Flashback*
"Come on Ran!" Karin called back from behind her.
"Where do you get all your energy," Ran asked wanting to take a break. Normally she had good stamina, but they had been walking for days ever since they left the village.
"The next town is only four more miles!" Karin said bouncing on the balls of her feet to keep herself moving. "Let's go."
"That's what you said 5 miles ago," Ran muttered as sweat beaded her face. They hadn't had water in three hours and Ran was starting to feel the effects of dehydration. "Are you sure you're reading that map right?"
"Um…" Karin glanced at the map and her face fell slightly. "Whoops."
"What?" Ran asked.
"It seems we took a wrong turn somewhere," Karin said with a nervous laugh. "We might have to do a bit of back tracking."
"How much backtracking are we talking?" Ran inquired, dread filling her voice.
"Um, 10 miles… give or take two."
"10…miles?" Ran stammered feeling very irritated at this point.
"Oh it's not quite that far," an old man cut in as he landed nearby with a dragon. "It's only about 5 miles if you head directly south."
"Really? Thanks buddy," Ran said her irritation fading away.
"You two look tired," The man said noticing there weary faces and there low provisions. "Why don't I give you two a ride?"
"Really?" Karin asked excited at the prospect of riding a dragon.
The man nodded. "Where is it you're headed?"
"West."
"We're trying to reach India," Ran clarified.
"Oh that's a lot farther than where I'm headed…but I will be stopping somewhere farther to the west. If you don't mind a ride only part of the way I'd be glad to take you two ladies," the old man said smiling.
"Thanks a lot…you just saved us a ton of time."
*Flashback ends*
"And that's pretty much how it went," Karin wrapped up. "Once we reached the town, we managed to get lucky enough to get a vehicle that was owned by a demon who went berserk and he gave it to us as thanks for stopping him from hurting his family."
"And where was that town?" Hakkai asked.
"Oh it was the town just before this one," Karin explained.
"So you guys lost your car…with just one drive?" Gojyo asked snickering. "I thought you taught her how to drive Hakkai."
"Well, it was only one lesson," he said in his defense. "And I honestly never thought she would end up putting it to use anytime in the near future."
Karin yawned. "Well, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. It was great talking to you guys. See you in the morning."
"Would the lady like an escort to her room?" Gojyo offered suavely.
"Well, I wasn't planning on it but… that doesn't sound like a bad idea. Hey Goku, want to be my escort?" Karin asked innocently.
Gojyo's mouth dropped open in shock as Goku happily excepted and Hakkai held back his laughter. As soon as Karin and Goku disappeared upstairs Hakkai shook his head and chuckled, "You really got shot down there didn't you, Gojyo."
"The sad part is… she wasn't even aiming," Gojyo muttered sitting back in his chair with his drink.
"Well, I think it's a good thing," Hakkai continued. "I'm sure that if you went up to their room Ran might not take to you being there all too kindly."
"Heh, you're probably right," Gojyo said with a private smile.
"You seem in an awful good mood tonight," Hakkai commented.
"I could say the same for you," Gojyo returned.
"You think so?" Hakkai asked smiling. "I think it's the appearance of our lovely ladies that has brightened our moods," Hakkai added with a smile.
"Yeah…it is nice to have a woman around at this time of night," Gojyo stated grinning. "Well I think I'll head to bed too…who knows maybe I'll have more luck tomorrow."
"That's a bet not even I would make," Hakkai laughed.
"You know, sometimes you can be pretty cold," Gojyo remarked.
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CM: Yay! They're reunited! But how long will it last? And just HOW MUCH has changed? Stay tuned!