AUTHOR NOTES: HELLO THERE! In celebration of 'Saiyuki Blast' anime that will be airing in Japan this coming July, as a long time fan of the series, I dedicate this chapter to all fans out there.
About this story; I have been wanting to write a good SanzoxOC fic for a really long time. Obviously because I am a Sanzo fangirl (hahaha), and I think it would be very interesting to see our Monk be interested in someone else.
There might be OOC moments later on, but I am doing my best based on the many anime episodes I have watched to make sure the boys stayed in characters. Please feel free to point out my mistakes if it gets too OOC. No flames please!
Disclaimers: I owe nothing except the plot of this fic. All credits goes to Kazuya Minekura.
Synopsis: When the guys meet with a young interesting female yōkai taijiya, everything changes.A SanzoxOC fic.
Chapter 2: The Yokai Taijiya.
SOON after the Sanzo ikkou had a brief encounter with a mysteriously young woman who had disappeared under their noses, before arriving at the nearby town just before the sunset. Wasting no time, they checked into an inn before they went ahead to feed off their hunger at a nearby restaurant downstairs to their hearts' content.
"Ne, what do you think to happen to the oneesan who kicked Gojyo's butt?" Goku said, between munching a piece of dim sum and a large bowl of rice.
"Are we still talking about that? Let it go already, stupid monkey!" Gojyo retorted. He was no better at stuffing his face with food than the monkey beside him.
Sitting on the opposite side, Sanzo ate his dishes silently, but annoyingly at the loud sound of those two munching loudly. Meanwhile, Hakkai had expertly tuned out any noises and was in the middle of feeding Hakuryuu a piece of red meat, when the front door of the restaurant suddenly opened.
A young woman wearing what seems to be traditional foreign clothes, a kimono, on top of a long green skirt known as mobakama and a pair of black travelling boots, shut the door gently. She waved a hand at the owner who immediately noticed her and smiled broadly.
"Ah, Yuri-sama! Welcome back. I heard you caught a big fish today. Well done!" The owner said warmly with a big smile. " Now, I am positively sure you must be terribly hungry by now. Please choose whichever seat that you like. I'll bring over your food later. It's my special treat!"
"Thank you, Tenzhi-san," Yuri smiled politely. Her soft brown eyes scanned for an empty table when they caught one particular table with a loud crowd. Within a heartbeat, she approached them.
Soft footsteps approaching their table caused the Sanzo ikkou to stop munching on their food.
"Do you mind if I join you, boys?"
Gojyo looked up. His mouth hung slightly. He was having a fun time twisting with the little monkey's mind when a rather familiar voice addressed them.
Not waiting for their replies, Yuri pulled a chair and sat down in between Goku and Hakkai. Soon after she had taken her seat, a waiter came serving her a glass of oolong tea. Thanked the man, Yuri gulped on the drink calmly.
Eight pairs of eyes watched her every move without blinking. Finally, one of them snapped out from their stupor and broke the ice.
"Oneesan!" One accused finger pointed at her. Golden eyes sparkled in happiness. " I knew it!You're the neesan, aren't you?"
"What? No way!" Gojyo shouted, nearly spilt the alcohol in the cup he's holding in his hand. He had one finger pointing accusingly at her appearance. "You looked so different from just a few moments ago!"
Yuri repeatedly blinking her eyes. Glancing her accused 'new' look, she frowned slightly as not know to feel offended by the odd accusation.
"I just lowered down my hair and tie it loosely. And I changed my attires. Do I really look that much different from back then?" Yuri asked, sincerely. Curiosity got the best of her, that she needed to know how drastically she changed without her hair hanging behind her back.
Before Gojyo could answer her question, Tenzhi arrived carrying a big plate with a luxurious dish that made Goku drooled with sparkling eyes.
"Yuri-sama! Your dinner awaits you. I hereby serving you my restaurant's ultimate dish: 'The Taijiya Special: honey lemon roasted chicken'! Please help yourself, Yuri-sama!"
"Thank you so much, Tenzhi-san. It is very kind of you. I see you even named the dish after my namesake, but, this is just too much! I couldn't possibly finish that amount-"
"Nonsense! Take your time consuming them. You'll be staying here for a while to talk, right? Besides, starting tomorrow morning, Yuri-sama will be leaving us after being here for three months... I've heard it from the Chief earlier today. Please, accept this humble dish of mine as a token of my gratitudes for all that you have done for this town."
"Taijiya? What's that?" Goku asked, pointing at the kanji letter of 'taijiya', carefully and delicately arranged slices of roasted chicken on the blinked his eyes innocently.
"'Yōkai Slayer', in Japanese," Sanzo replied, in a deadpanned tone. The tension in the air suddenly increased between them, with an exceptional of the oblivious Tenzhi.
"That's right! Yuri-sama is from a well-known Taijiya Village in Japan. She's one of the best of the best over there!" His endless compliments caused Yuri to turn deep shades of red.
"You're giving me way too many credits, Tenzhi-san!"
"Oh, there's no need for you to be so humble, Taijiya-san. I've seen you fight those yōkais on the battlefield. When you first came here three months ago, you were like the mighty fèng huáng who wiped the yōkais that threatened to ruin this town to ashes! If it wasn't for you, none of us would be sitting here enjoying good and healthy meals right now..." His loud voice softened at the last sentences. Everyone sitting around the table could feel his gratitudes toward the young taijiya.
"I see. That certainly explained the lack of yōkai besides the one had taken out today," Hakkai nodded, mostly to himself.
"Thank you again, Tenzhi-san. I'm sure these chickens will taste heavenly, " Yuri gave a sincere smile. Nodded, Tenzhi quickly excused himself and went to the counter table where a customer was waiting to pay.
"Man, I'd thought he would never leave!" Gojyo sighed. Eyeing their new companion, a devious smirk broke his lips."Soo, a Japanese taijiya, huh. That explained the bruise on my ego and damage to my skin."
"You caught me at a wrong moment while I was dealing with those annoying yōkais. I'd thought you were simply one of them."
"Technically, you're not wrong about that, Missy," Gojyo's smirk faded when he raised his cup and took a long sip.
"I know," Yuri replied coolly. "After all, who wouldn't recognise the infamous Sanzo Ikkou? Then again, people here are a bit dense. They wouldn't know who you are unless you introduce yourselves to them."
"Cut the crap," Sanzo, who had been silence this whole time, glared sharply at Yuri. "You approached us so boldly means you must have something that you want from us. Sorry to disappoint you lady, but we're not interested to hear anything that you have to offer." He stood up and prepared to leave.
"I see. I guess not even the blueprints of the Hontou Castle won't be tempting enough for you to listen to what I have to say, huh?"
Sanzo stopped. Turning around very slowly, he glared at the young woman through his long bangs.
"Blueprints of the Hontou Castle?"
Yuri pulled out a piece of neatly folded paper from her chest pocket and slammed it lightly on the table. Her eyes matched with Sanzo's sharp glare.
"Is that really the blueprints of the Hontou Castle? Why do you have it in your possession, Yuri-san?" Hakkai enquired.
"That depends on Sanzo-sama's next move. Until then, I won't say another word." Yuri picked a piece of the now cold chicken using her chopsticks and put it on the empty plate. Saying her prayers, she began to nibble on the chicken in silence.
Goku drooled while watching her slowly consumed the slices of chicken. Gojyo lit up his cigarette and Hakkai resumed by finishing his drink.
"Tch," Sanzo dragged his feet begrudgingly to the table, sat down. Hands searching for his cigarette box, he found it and popped one into his mouth.
Meanwhile, Yuri grinned victoriously and mentally patted herself on the back for successfully bringing Sanzo back to his chair. Looking down at her half-empty roasted chicken, she gently pushed the plate away to Goku, who gladly and happily accepted the dish before devouring it in an instant.
After Sanzo has seated, Yuri handed the blueprint to Hakkai who shared it with the others.
"This is," Hakkai suddenly gasped.
"What? You saw something, Hakkai?" Goku looked over Hakkai's shoulders.
"The gigantic figure over there, is that Gyumao?" He pointed at a tall figure.
"Eeeehhh?!" Gojyo and Goku exchanged looks. "THAT'S Gyumao?! That's the yōkai we're supposed to fight against?!"
Ignored the two men's hassles over Gyumao, Yuri cleared her voice. "To answer your question of where I got it from is simple: I stole it from my homeplace in the Northern continent."
"Stole it from your home place? In Japan?"
"No. The Taijiya Village where I am from is divided into two parts; the Main House, which is based in Japan where the origin of the Taijiya was founded, and the Branch House, here on the Northern Continent. I am from the Branch House, but I'd often travelled a lot with the Main House family. Anyhow, the village was co-founded by two people; a Samurai man and a Buddhist Monk from China. We may be yōkai Taijiyas, but we have our strict codes in what we do for a living. That is not to kill the innocence, women or children."
Her eyes glanced down on the empty plates. Gone all the cheerfulness and liveliness on her face when she said the next words.
"That is, until a few months ago, something has changed. I'd left China to visit my relative, my oneesama, in Japan. She had just given birth to a healthy baby boy. I haven't seen her in years, so it was a good opportunity to go there. I'd ended up staying for a year and a half at her place before I received a notification that the Elder and the Okashira of the Branch House had passed away."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Hakkai said gently.
Yuri smiled a bit and nodded. "Thank you. I came back home as fast as I could for the funeral ceremony, only to find everything has changed while I was gone. The man who took over as the Head of the Village is a lunatic. He had committed the most unholy thing as a taijiya which none of his predecessors has ever done before: he'd raided few of the yōkai's village and brutally murdered everyone, including women and children."
"What did you say?" Goku gulped, golden eyes widened.
"When I'd found out what he had been doing, I confronted him and he confessed, saying yōkai and humans would never be able to live in harmony, especially now that the 'Minus Waves' has been affecting the yōkai and causing them attack the humans. He'd urgently said he did he thought was best for everyone, for Mankind."
"So what happened next?" Gojyo asked, twisting his bangs with his long finger.
Yuri wrapped both hands on her half-empty glass. "I wasn't satisfied with the answer he'd given me, of course. But I couldn't argue with him any further since that would make me looked like I was rebelling against our Okashira. We taijiya are very devoted to each other. Going against the Okashira is an unforgivable act that could cause one's own life. Nevertheless, I'd made my own investigation about what has been going on since the day I'd left the village. It all pointed out to that blueprint you have on your hands. Apparently, the village has been struggling for some time now to the point of losing our lands. Then one day, a 'saviour' came to the village known by many as the 'black raven', made a pact with the current Okashira: if we agreed to become allies with him and his employer, in return, he would gladly help us out with our land problems. But that was all a lie. A big stupid lie."
The glass she gripped on her hands made a small crack. Goku was about to point it out but he was immediately silenced by Sanzo's sharp glare.
"I soon found out the terrible truth about it: without even consulting anyone, not even the Elders, the Okashira signed the deal. Not long after he'd signed the deal, yōkai began attacking the village. They were unlike anything we've ever encountered before with strengths of ten men. Many of our brave men died protecting the village and people. I was no better. With few broken bones, ribs, I'd stumbled upon the Okashira's private chamber by accident and discovered the blueprint on his desk. Without thinking twice, I grabbed it and made a hasty escape from the village. I didn't look back since then."
"What makes you so sure it's a blueprint for the Hontou's Castle?" Sanzo asked.
"To be really honest with you, I didn't know what I had stolen until I had the time to look into the details properly. At that time, it seemed as if it was the one thing could lead me to find out more about the truth. It took a lot of efforts on my part from doing a lot of reading and researching to finally realise this is actually the blueprint of the Hontou Castle."
"So you're a fugitive now?"
"More or less," Yuri nodded. Finishing up her drink, and then she got up. "I'd love to stay and chat more, boys, unfortunately, duty calls," she pointed at a large muscular figure with a heavy moustache and a long scar across his left standing at the entrance.
The man gave a short but firm nod at her and crossed his arms, waiting for her to come.
"Who's that big muscle-man over there?" Gojyo asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"That's Lian Nong. He's Chief's personal bodyguard. Since he made an effort to come all the way here just to fetch me, it must mean that I'm already late to meet with the Chief. You boys will be staying at the inn tonight, right?"
"Yes. We'll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Right, Sanzo?" Hakkai asked the blonde monk to which he replied with a 'hn'.
Yuri smiled. "Then, I'll be seeing you around. I'm staying at the inn too. Nice to meet with you, Sanzo ikkou!"
Waving a hand at them, Yuri quickly made her way to Lian Nong. They exchanged a few words before exiting the restaurant.
"Well, that was interesting," Gojyo lit another cigarette, probably his fifth.
"Oh, oneesan forgets to take back the blueprint," Goku stated.
"What do you think, Sanzo?" Hakkai glanced sideway at their leader who had remained silence, staring into the air.
WHILE the evening conversation that they had with Yuri was an interesting one indeed, none of them could deny the wariness they felt from travelling the whole day. Wary as they may be, Hakkai, being the 'Mother' of the group, had insisted they do the groceries shopping tonight before the store closed, fearing they might not be able to buy the supplies should anything unexpected were to happen tonight.
Usually, the one who would prefer to be left alone in their given room while the rest went to buy their supplies, Sanzo decided for once, he would stretch his aching legs from the lack of walking or action. Walking down the town with his companions in front of them, his eyes caught a familiar sight of figures standing in front of based from the exterior, was the Chief's house. He watched as the Chief handed the young woman a small yet heavy bag in her hands: gold tokens, no doubt.
Yuri felt a familiar presence approaching them. Turning around, she broke into a small smile and waved at Sanzo, who glared and narrowed his eyes at her.
"I'd thought you went straight ahead to bed after dinner. What are you doing out here?"
"Hn. None of your damn business," Looking at the Chief, a chubby and rounded face man in his early thirties, Sanzo gave a short nod before passing by them.
Watching as his back swayed in a strange kind of way, Yuri shrugged and continued her conversation with Chief. All the while, she kept a close tab on the High Priest's whereabouts. Morning came in early the next day when someone knocked softly on the Sanzo Ikkou's door.
The door opened slightly before a sight of Hakkai was revealed.
"Yuri-san, good morning. What brings you here first thing in the morning? Is something the matter?"
"Yes," Yuri, dressed in her battle outfit. Brown eyes stared back at him in serious, she breathed in deeply and exhaled. "Please, take me with you on your journey."
A/N: Soo, what do you all think about this chapter? Please leave a comment or two. Hope you enjoy reading this chapter! :D
Yuri- Lily
Taijiya - Slayer
Yōkai - Demon
Fèng Huáng - Phoenix, in Mandarin
Oneesan/ Oneesama - Big Sister / Big sister (formal)
