Note: I know it took me a while to get this one up. Work was driving me insane, plus another story that I'm not sure I'll be putting up. That will depend on how it turns out in my opinion. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I'm not sure I do, but my thoughts are always that it could be better. So I'll let you decide. Enjoy.

Sanzo calmly started toward his room when he noticed the door to Elena's room was open. Though he didn't really care as to why, he wanted to make sure Gojyo hadn't gone in. It would be up to Elena as to whether she let him stay with her for the night, but they could at least close and lock the door. When he looked in and found no one there, he wondered if she had left them. It would have been awfully quick, then again who could blame her, with a pervert always trying to get her attention when he wasn't arguing with the pain-in-the-ass monkey. He then heard the sound of something moving in water. Was she bathing? He didn't know why he was so curious, only that he was.

Noticing that the bathroom door was open a little, he wondered if this was an old habit of hers. Or did she just happen to forget she had let two doors stand open when Gojyo was probably still looking for a girl for the night?

Walking over to close the door for her, Sanzo suddenly paused as he looked in through the open space between the door and jam. What his eyes had focused on wasn't her; he wasn't interested in looking at her body no matter how beautiful she might have been. It wasn't like he could see much of her anyway. What had caught his attention were some scars on her back. They weren't scars from being beaten, these were symbols that looked like they had been carved into her flesh. If he could get a closer look, he might have been able to figure out what they meant. Yet something told him they didn't mean anything good. He had the feeling it was more like they meant danger.

Watching her a moment longer, he realized something wasn't right. Not about what was going on, that seemed normal. What he felt wasn't right was the fact that he was still watching her. Why would he do this? She meant nothing to him. Why hadn't he gone?

The answer to his question wasn't going to be unanswered for long. A man that Sanzo subconsciously recognized, walked past him and over to Elena, gently caressing her cheek before whispering something to her.

Sanzo started to wonder why he couldn't hear anything they were saying. He could hear the water, their footsteps, everything, except their voices. What was going on? And the look in Elena's eyes; was she afraid of this man?

Seeing her eyes, something took over in Sanzo, making him lunge forward to get this strange man away from her. All he hit, though, was air. Everything had disappeared and he was left in darkness. "What the hell's going on?" He asked, wanting an answer. His hand went for his gun instinctively, only to find nothing was there. He wasn't even wearing his robes any more, just the black clothing he wore beneath it.

Searching around for something that resembled anything familiar and only finding blackness, a voice softly whispered to him, "Help me."

He whipped around to find Elena lying on the ground, face down. It was the same as when he had scared away her boyfriend, only now she was in a pool of blood, her own blood. A wave of grief washed over him, making him fall to his knees though he didn't understand why. Why did this bother him so much? She was just a stupid girl who fell for the wrong guy, probably a habit of hers. Why should he care what happened to her when he had stopped caring about anyone? This was all too much, even if he didn't know why. He had to get away from the body in front of him. He had to return to who he was, to who he is.

Turning around again, he saw himself standing with Elena, an arm around her waist while he held his gun in his other hand, aiming it at some enemy. What did this mean?

Sanzo awoke, immediately sitting up and looking around to make sure everything was as it should have been. He was in a forest. They had been forced to camp out for the night since it was going to be a while before they reached the next town. Goku, Hakkai and Gojyo were all sleeping close to the fire. Where was Elena? Why wasn't she there? He then remembered she had chosen to make herself a small tent so she'd be separated from the guys.

As silent as a ghost, Sanzo got up and walked to the makeshift tent, it mostly being made up of blankets and whatever else was long enough to reach the ground from a short height. There was no roof since it was a clear night, making it easy to look in to see her. What he wanted, though, wasn't just to see her. There was something he had to confirm. He walked above her and knelt down, seeing that she was sleeping on her stomach. Moving a hand to her hair, over her neck, he gently brushed her dark-brown locks away from her skin to reveal smooth skin free of any marks. Had it only been a dream? Or was there something more to all of this? He shook his head. This was all stupid, that was what it was.

Letting out a soft sigh, he stood and started back for his bed when he heard her ask, "What are you doing?" She still sounded tired, though conscious enough to know he had touched her. She didn't even sound angry, only curious.

"Going to bed." He answered after he had paused at the sound of her voice. His statement done with, he walked on, leaving her sight, and lying down once he had reached the empty space by the fire. It still seemed empty after he had gotten comfortable. Something seemed to be missing and it wasn't a concept he was all that sure he wanted to change.

­­­­­­­The next day everything was normal. Hakkai had cooked breakfast, Goku and Gojyo were fighting over the best parts of the meal while Sanzo was getting maybe a little too close to his gun, at least for Elena's comfort he was. During all of this, Hakkai only ate quietly as though nothing was wrong, his smile still the same even if it did seem a little irritated at the moment.

"Would you like some more?" He asked Elena, offering her some of the food that had been sitting in front of Goku. He noticed she wasn't eating much and thought it would be a good idea to try to get her to eat more.

"Hey! That's mine." Goku exclaimed as he tried to grab it back.

"You already have most of what was cooked." Gojyo growled as he held onto Goku's hands as best he could.

Elena giggled a little before accepting some of the food offered. "Thank you." She said softly to Hakkai.

He smiled in return and commented, "You should smile more. You're too pretty to look depressed." It wasn't that he was flirting or anything; he was just being his honest self, and maybe a little too kind as well.

Sanzo looked over at him and scoffed. Why was he treating her like an injured kitten? It wasn't that she was weak, though she kind of was. There was still strength in her that just needed to be brought out so they could get rid of her, send her on her way so she wouldn't be another irritant. Is that what she was to him? Having this question come to his mind, Sanzo got up to walk; ignoring whatever questions he might be asked. It was none of their business like so many other things. He needed to get away and think, and maybe even smoke in peace.

Elena watched him curiously, wondering why he was leaving.

Hakkai noticed and lightly touched her shoulder. "Don't worry." He said softly. "He just needs some time to himself." He smiled and took a bite of his breakfast. His green eyes stayed focused on Elena. She seemed so innocent to him, but there was something more to her than what met the eye. He knew this as easily as he knew how to beat Gojyo in a game of poker. The question of what it was, though, was what he couldn't figure out. Did she even know what it was?

"It's going to be a long day of driving." Hakkai started when Hakuryu suddenly flew to him, squeaking his own little statements to add onto what Hakkai was saying. No matter that Elena hadn't seen Hakuryu until now. "You might want to walk or something before we start out again."

Gojyo, hearing this suggestion being directed at Elena, smirked. "And if you need someone to walk with, I'd be happy to walk with you."

She smiled and shook her head. "I just want to get as far from my home town as I can." She said softly, looking down at her food. "I don't mind riding in the jeep for so long." Whether that was true or not was anyone's guess.

Hours later, the five of them were in the jeep with Elena sitting behind Hakkai this time and Goku sitting between her and Gojyo. Goku had fallen asleep, his head on Elena's shoulder as he snored softly. He wasn't the only one sleeping, though. Gojyo, who's head was tilted back in what looked to be the most uncomfortable position, was nearly catching bugs in his open mouth. Sanzo, on the other hand, was sitting as he always did with his head bowed slightly forward.

Thinking the silence might be a little uncomfortable for her, Hakkai calmly asked Elena, "Tonight, if you'd like to join me, I was thinking of going for a midnight drive. We'll be passing through some beautiful country soon. I thought it would be nice to see it under a full moon."

She smiled and looked toward him before answering, "I'd like that."

He smiled. "It'll be just the two of us then, so you can get some time to relax."

Maybe she'd stay with them a little longer than she had planned. She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she actually felt welcome by almost everyone in this group, just not Sanzo. Yet why did that matter to her? After what had happened with her boyfriend, how did she know she could trust any of them? Or any men for that matter, especially a man with a temper like Sanzo.

If this was the life she was meant to have, why did it seem like there was something more that was meant to happen? Why did she feel like there was something coming, something she couldn't stop or slow down? It scared her, even though she didn't know why. The future was never terrifying, not until now.

What would come? Who would it affect? No one knew. Not yet, anyway.