Disclaimer : I highly doubt that I can fool any of you into thinking that I own Saiyuki.

Note : This fic was born when I realized how morbid some nursery rhymes/stories are. Think about it very well. The nursery rhyme I used for this was Five Little Ducks. They disappear one by one without any reason. Tell me that's not morbid.

Bet you can't guess who's guilty XD


FIVE LITTLE DUCKS

CHAPTER ONE: GOJYO

Five little ducks went swimming one day
Over the hills and over the bay

They had escaped from yet another attack from Gyokumen Koushou's assassins. The Sanzo-ikkou easily won the encounter and killed most of the youkai. However, there were some who were lucky enough to escape.

They should have been feeling lighthearted and happy as they rode Hakuryuu into the next town but there was tension in the air. They had seen a human along with the attackers; his hair as black as midnight and his eyes the color of coals.

For the most part, he had stayed away from the fight, choosing to watch from the sidelines and holding his bunny rabbit. Though when the fighting had approached his area, he took out a ring from his lab coat pocket and put it on. The large purple-black stone set in it flashed and made Hakuryuu dizzy for a while but other than that, it had no effect on the Sanzo-ikkou whatsoever.

They stopped for the night at the nearest inn and managed to book four rooms. Four doors were locked and four windows were left open to let in the cold night air since the day had been nothing but sweltering heat.

Gojyo lay on his bed, unable to sleep. It was almost midnight and he wanted his much deserved rest. Angry that it simply wouldn't come to him, he rolled over and buried his face in his pillow.

xxx

The next morning, Hakkai went up the stairs to knock on Gojyo's door and wake him up for breakfast. Sanzo was already getting irritated at the delay and was near his boiling point. When there was no answer to the insistent knocking, Hakkai grew worried.

The healer ran back downstairs to fetch Sanzo and Goku. When their shouting and pounding went unnoticed, Hakkai handed Hakuryuu to the itan and blasted down the door using his chi.

Gojyo lay facedown on his bed, hair splayed across the pillow. One arm dangled off the edge of the bed and they would have thought that the redhead was simply asleep if it weren't for two things; the fact that he was missing a finger and the blood dripping from the bedspread to the floor.

xxx

Name : Sha Gojyo
Race : hanyou
Age : 22
Height : 184 cm
Weight : 75 kg
Description of injuries : throat was ripped out; jugular torn resulting in massive blood loss. Claw marks on shoulders and chest. Half of the face was burnt. Index finger on the left hand apparently bitten off.

xxx

There didn't seem to be any forced entry in the room. The remaining members of the ikkou couldn't find anything to at least hint at whoever was responsible for the hanyou's death.

There would be no revenge on the culprit since they had no idea who it was. All they could do was to bury the body, chant a sutra for the dead, and continue on their journey to the west.

Mother duck called, "Quack, quack, quack."
But only four little ducks came back