Disclaimer: We don't own Saiyuki, but we will one day, All characters belong to Kazuya Minekura.

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The Second Less Painful Encounter

The Sanzo party were sat at a dinner table, it was late in the afternoon and they were taking a break after the interesting encounter a couple of hours ago. Sanzo turned the pages of his newspaper with a cigarette hanging in his mouth, Goku was to busy inhaling half of the food of the table to pay attention and Hakkai and Gojyo were deep in conversation. Hakkai looked up, picked up his tea and cleared his throat.

"Sanzo?" He asked, Sanzo looked up over the top of the paper, which meant that he was listening.

"Did you know that other priest?" He asked, Sanzo stared back down at the newspaper and grabbed for his tea.

"I know that there are 5 but I don't know who they are, let alone what they look like." Sanzo said, Hakkai smiled and placed his tea back onto the table. He turned and faced Gojyo who was to busy looking at his beer to pay attention to anything else.

"I still feel really bad about the girl I hit with jeep, I hope that she is ok." Hakkai said. Gojyo smirked as he remembered the girls they had meet earlier.

"Yeah and the one you hit was hot... damn you, Hakkai" Gojyo said as he took a sip of this beer, Sanzo smirked.

"Do you only think of girls you perverted Kappa?" Sanzo asked, his attention was still on the newspaper, Gojyo choked on the beer that he was trying to drink.

"I was drinking then you asshole!"

"Really?" Sanzo glared over the top of the newspaper.

"Erm…no…don't kill me" Gojyo stammered, Hakkai laughed to himself. They sat in silence for a moment before Hakkai raised an interesting question.

"Why do you think they were travelling? I mean we have our journey to the west, surely they're not going also?" He asked, Goku, Gojyo and Sanzo all looked at him.

"Maybe they came for the food?" A loud smack was heard and Goku's head collided with the table, Sanzo stood over him, tapping his fan in his hands.

"And all is well with the world…again." Sanzo stated as he re-took his seat.

"Maybe they heard about me and-" Once more aloud smack filled the room, Goku and Gojyo were both holding their heads in pain and staring at Sanzo whose fan had once more appeared in his hands.

"Where the hell do you keep that?"

"Silence!"

"Anyway, maybe it's the 3 prospects will." Hakkai said, the only sensible voice in the conversation. "Maybe they thought we needed some help and sent them?" They all sat there in silence once more and pondered on the thought of having help sent after them.

The door of the inn then slammed open and a familiar voice was heard.

"BEER!"

"Oh God!" Sanzo cursed under his breath.

Itsuko, Aya and Hatsuka then entered the inn, Aya still singing about the joys of beer and all that is wonderful with it. Hatsuka was still on Aya's shoulder covering her ears with one hand and holding her leg with the other and Itsuko was walking ahead telling them that Kiyoko had gone to reserve rooms for them. They reached a table, which was conveniently behind the Sanzo party. Aya dropped Hatsuka roughly onto a chair and grabbed a menu and sat on the chair opposite Hatsuka, who was moaning at her loudly.

"My leg!! Did you once ever think that you singing and dancing with me on your shoulder was giving me a headache and making my leg worse?!" Hatsuka snarled at Aya.

"Nope…BEER!" Aya called the waitress over and the three of them all placed a order. Itsuko made sure she ordered something for Kiyoko and then she paid the waitress who bowed at them and left to retrieve their drink orders. They sat there in silence until the waitress came back with their drinks.

"BEER!" Aya and Hatsuka cried as they snatched them off the waitress's tray, Itsuko stared at them opened mouth for a moment before looking at the waitress, who looked rather offended.

"They mean thank you." She smiled as she took hers and Kiyoko's sparkling waters. The waitress once more bowed and left the table. They sat there and enjoyed their drinks until they broke into idle chatter.

"I swear, if I see the jerk who hit me with the jeep..." Hatsuka stopped as she saw that Kiyoko had entered the bar and was looking around for them. Kiyoko took a seat at the table and smiled at them.

"Thanks you for waiting…Itsuko."

"Well deserved!" Called Aya and Hatsuka cried cheerfully as they raised their glasses. Kiyoko looked at them for a moment before her eyes fell on the group sitting behind them, she smiled and waved and Itsuko looked at her.

"Who are you smiling at, Sanzo?" Itsuko asked, Kiyoko waved a hand over her shoulder in a dismissive way.

"Just the Sanzo priest that we met today, why?" Hatsuka spat her drink out and slowly got up, leaning on the table for support. She locked eyes with Hakkai and waved her finger at him.

"YOU!" Hakkai smiled and waved at her, nervously.

"Hello? How is your leg?" Hatsuka sat back down and yelled in no particular direction.

"Oh it feels like someone hit me with a jeep, or am I just exaggerating?"

"Well I did heal it to the best of my ability, so I would appreciate it if you didn't move around on it so much and rested it for a while."

Kiyoko then turned and faced the other group, and for the first time since their meeting hours ago she spoke directly to Sanzo.

"Title please?" She asked him in a polite tone, Goku stared at her in disbelief.

"Wait...she's a Sanzo… but she has manners?" He said as he looked from one to the other, this resulted in a slap from the ever-famous fan. Kiyoko smiled weakly and asked Sanzo the question again, he sighed and folded the newspaper and placed it on the table.

"Genjyo Sanzo... and you?"

"Kiyoko Sanzo" She said pleasantly, Sanzo nodded in a very bloke like way. Kiyoko bowed at him.

"It is an honour to meet you, Genjyo Sanzo," Sanzo looked at her in embarrassment,

"Yeah, right…whatever." Kiyoko looked at him in a rather offended way.

"Is that anyway to speak to a fellow Sanzo? Did your Sensei not teach you manners? This is the first time that we have met and yet you treat me like dirt? What would Bhudda say?"

"Bhuddey!" Aya called from across the table, arms raised in the air and beer sloshing everywhere, Kiyoko shot her a look of disgust.

"Aya! He is not called Bhuddey, it is Bhudda! How many times have I told you this?"

"47" Itsuko said from the corner. Aya turned and looked at her.

"How do you memorize all those stupid numbers?" She exclaimed.

"Just go back to your beer, Aya" Kiyoko sighed out.

"BEER!" Aya cried. The four boys sat there, staring open mouthed at this very random group of travelling companions.

"And I thought our group was weird…" Goku muttered to himself.

"You're not even close," stated Hatsuka leaning back on her chair and glaring daggers at Hakkai, who was trying desperately to look anywhere but the pissed off expression on her face.

"Seeing as Sanzo is currently unavailable to offer any information I will gladly introduce myself, my name is Cho Hakkai, and this is Sha Gojyo and Son Goku." He indicated the respective individuals who offered a raised arm in answer.

Gojyo's long crimson hair fell just below his shoulders and his crimson eyes sparkled with perverted ideas.

"So … my room tonight or yours?" asked Gojyo looking at each women separately.

"Not interested" they said in unison causing Gojyo to fall backwards off his chair in surprise.

"My … animal … magnetism … GONE" he wailed before recovering quickly and righting his chair, sitting back on it and downing his beer in depression.

The boy that looked much like a monkey laughed spraying the table with food. Goku's short spiky hair was covered in food crumbs and his diadem glittered in the reflection of the setting sun, which was casting its last rays of the day through the nearby window.

"Shot down three times in a row! Unlucky you perverted Kappa"

"Shut up you stupid little monkey!"

"Don't call me stupid!"

"Then don't act it!"

"Enough you two." Hakkai said sweetly, the two young boys stared at him for a moment before they re-taking their seats. Hakkai then turned to the three girls, who had just watched this small argument unfold. Itsuko looked over her shoulder and saw that Kiyoko and Sanzo were still arguing over the values, meanings and morals of being a Sanzo priest. Itsuko smirked and re-directed her attention back to the group in front of her.

"How long do you think Kiyoko is going to be?" Itsuko asked Hatsuka who was staring into the bottom of her empty glass.

"I have no idea, but if she is talking about rules and regulations we better be prepared to sleep on the tables for the night." Hatsuka said. Gojyo turned and gave them all a sleazy smile.

"You could share with me tonight!"

"Still not interested" They all said. Hakkai looked at Aya's left arm and quirked an eyebrow.

"You're a Youkai?" He said to her, Aya looked up at him and smiled.

"Gots a problems with Youkais?" She slurred, Hakkai indicated to his left ear.

"If I did do you think I'd still be standing here?"

"That was cryptic" Aya said as she stared at the man with growing interest. Gojyo took this as a opportunity to get one last attempt of flirting in.

"And what's the pretty little Youkai's name?"

"Aya…that's my name…my name is Aya…" She continued on this rant for a moment before she put her head down on the table, Hakkai gave her a look but Itsuko shrugged.

"Nah…just let her sleep it off…this is normal Aya behaviour." Itsuko explained.

"I see…and what about you?"

"What about me?" Itsuko asked gently.

"Are you a Youkai…I don't see a limiter" Hakkai asked, Itsuko frowned at him.

"Do you really think that a Sanzo in training is allowed to be a Youkai?" She smiled at him. They all looked at her.

"Sanzo in training? Do they actually do that?" Gojyo asked glancing over at his Sanzo who was still be lectured by Kiyoko, this time on how to greet other Sanzo's respectfully.

"Yes they do. My name is Itsuko and I want to follow in Kiyoko's footsteps as a Sanzo priestess." She bowed low and to her surprise Hakkai followed suit.

"It's nice to meet you." They all turned their attention to Hatsuka, who was still staring into the bottom of her beer glass, muttering to herself about how they should make glasses that refill when you wanted it to. She looked up and saw them all staring at her.

"Yes?" She asked as she put the glass down on the table, she then noticed Aya.

"What happened to her?"

"Not important…" Itsuko said. Goku was staring at Hatsuka.

"What are you?"

"What do you mean 'what'?" Hatsuka said taking offence to the monkeys comment.

"You know….a what!" He said this like it was the most common expression in the world, Hatsuka stared at him.

"You're a freak, aren't you?"

"Not as much as you are!" Gojyo interrupted, Hatsuka turned her attention to him.

"And you think you have a right to talk?"

"Well, half-breed to half-breed …how you doin?"

"Fine…despite the limp…how you doin?"

"Never better"

"Good…cause you still ain't getting some." Gojyo hung his head in defeat. Itsuko rose to her feet.

"Well I think it's time to call it a night…who's going to carry Aya?" At the sound of her name Aya's head shot up and she smiled dimly.

"BED!!! YAY!" Aya then jumped to her feet, badly and grabbed Hatsuka by the neck. "Carry me…Carry me!"

"Are you crazy!?"

"Yes! Carry me!" and with that Aya jumped bodily onto Hatsuka, whose leg began to give way.

"I hate you…" Hatsuka grumbled as she headed towards the stairs, wobbling slightly as the weight of Aya was throwing her off balance. The other four stared at them for a moment before heading towards their rooms. Itsuko paused slightly as if to grab Kiyoko but went against it.

"And that leads me to article 5.67/B of the Sanzo handbook…" Kiyoko carried on, Sanzo sighed.

"Kill me and kill me now!"

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FS: Wait…did you write another chapter without me?

CD: Yes, Yes we did!

FS: But…but…

JT: Hehehehehehe…Bhuddey.

CD: Anyway chapter 3 is on the way.

JT: We have nothing against Bhudda, honest!