Hi everyone! Here comes Chap 3!
I know there's not much action in my stories but I think it's refreshing to see them in a more domesticated setting… ^_^
But, no worries. There will be some light action somewhere along the way.
Anyway, I hope you like it and let me know what you think! – thebeastwithin0016
After enjoying a sumptuous feast, they were escorted by Midori to their room in the palace as per Kurenai's orders.
"This is your room." The green-haired attendant said.
Gojyo whistled, "Calling this a room is an understatement. This a freaking house!" the redhead said of the separate building they're in.
Midori giggled at the remark, "If you need anything, just call for us. Feel free to look around the palace and use all of the amenities, it might be a good idea to take a dip at the hot springs and relax a bit before sleeping. Well then I'll leave you to get settled." she bowed.
Hakkai bowed back, "Thank you, Midori."
Goku went and checked out the room as soon as the attendant left while Sanzo, Gojyo and Hakkai decided to sit around the table and digest the events that unfolded earlier.
"Wow! It has its own living room!" the golden eyed teenager said excitedly.
"Weird day." Gojyo commented.
"Yeah. Those siblings are something else." Hakkai seconded.
"Who would've thought that the person we're looking for is actually an extremely hot babe?" Gojyo grinned. "And she's not your ordinary girl either, makes her even hotter. Finally a hottie will be traveling with us!" he gushed.
"There're four separate rooms!" they heard Goku yell from the corridor.
"I don't think she's someone you can make a move on Gojyo. Aside from her brothers, she has quite a strong personality, your usual sweet talking will not work on her." Hakkai teased.
"That's the fun part." he grinned, "And I have to hand it to that woman; she was able to hold her ground against Master Sanzo here."
He got the wrath of Sanzo's fan, "When my gun gets fixed I'll give you unlimited shots you perverted water sprite."
The redhead held onto his throbbing head, "Damn stinking monk! You just can't take the truth that there's a woman who will not cower in the face of your bitchiness."
"Well, for a woman to specialize on the art of making weapons and be able to rule a city alongside her brothers, she has to have an incredible level of toughness." The green-eyed pointed, "But we seem to have upset the brothers by giving a tight schedule on the weapons."
"Hakkai." Sanzo looked at Hakkai intently, "You yourself know that we can't afford to wait three weeks for the weapons to be done. Despite Homura saying that he will be waiting for Goku, I don't think he also meant that we can take our sweet time."
"I know, but it we also cannot just snatch her away from this city. It seems she has a very important role in here."
"Hmph! It's not like we decided to take her with us. If you want to blame anyone, blame that old hag upstairs." The monk snapped.
"Well for once, I like her idea!" Gojyo declared.
"This is great! Everything is here! Even a mini bar and snack drawer! This room is amazing!" Goku yelled energetically as he approached them.
"So damn noisy!" Sanzo hit him with his fan in the head.
"Ouch! Oh, Sanzo! Let's go to the hot spring!" Goku pressed.
"Go on your own, persistent monkey!"
"Why don't we go? Like Midori said, it's great to take a dip after a long journey." Hakkai encouraged.
"It'll make you sleep better too, old geezer Sanzo." Gojyo mocked.
"I'll drown you, red haired cockroach." he threatened but he still went with them.
After a quick dip at the hot spring, they headed back to their room...
"This palace is crazy big!" Gojyo gushed.
"Yeah. It even has its own ceremony hall, but that's how most palaces are I guess." Hakkai said.
"Hey monkey, don't wander around too much. You'll definitely get lost." The redhead teased Goku.
"What did you—"
"Did you even consider the consequences Kurenai?!" Luca's infuriated voice stopped Goku from talking back at Gojyo.
On reflex, they moved to the side of the corridor and continued to listen.
"Here we go again." Kurenai complained.
"To make those weapons you need one month at best! I was willing to overlook three weeks but one week?! Are you forgetting that your body isn't immortal anymore? If you use your tremendous powers all at once, what do you think will happen to that mortal body of yours?"
They winced upon imagining what Luca said. Massive powers rampaging inside a mortal body is certainly not a pretty scenario.
"You have too many responsibilities now Kurenai, especially with the transition, the people of this town still depend on you. That time's too short for everything that you're handling."
"Luca, if Bambina says she can handle it then it's fine." Gareas joined the conversation, "Even though we're just starting to get involved with the economic and medical side of the city, that's enough to support her."
"Do you not even care about what will happen to her?" Luca growled at his youngest brother.
"Argh! You and your sister complex! Stop acting like the brother of the year! Of course I'm concerned about her but she's headstrong Luca! She hates being treated like a little sister."
"Luca, she must have a reason for agreeing to rush it so stop being overprotective of her. She's as tough as she looks, you of all people should know that." Raul pointed, "All of us feel guilty for putting big responsibilities on her shoulders and only focusing on the military side, but she's strong and all she wants is to know that we have her back."
"Aniki, I know those three Gods that they fought, they can wait for a month at most. Do you want them to pay us a visit? You know what will happen then right? I don't want the town to get caught up in this."
Silence filled the room for a while, then they heard a deep sigh, "I just can't win with you, not with that argument. But make sure that you'll be just fine." The eldest Hatori said in defeat.
"How about this? After I finish the weapons, we'll have a picnic by the river just like when we were kids. Good enough?"
"Sounds good."
The listeners outside are impressed with the incredible relationship that the siblings have and the love the brothers have for their only sister.
They heard footsteps heading out the room and they went to hide on the first corridor they found.
"Gareas! Don't try pulling pranks like that ever again, deadbeat brother!" she shouted.
"Can't promise you that, Bambina!" Gareas' hearty laugh echoed in the corridors.
"The mood here changes quite quickly." Hakkai observed.
"Freaking bipolars." The monk commented.
When they got to their room, the exhaustion from their three-day journey finally took its toll and they fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.
Knock knock!
Soft knocks on the door pulled Hakkai away from his sleep, he went out and opened the door to Maya, "Hakkai-san, I came to inform you that the food will be ready in an hour at the dining hall downstairs."
Hakkai groggily scratched his head, "Uhm, I don't think we can make it to lunch just yet Maya, but we'll surely come down for dinner. I apologize."
Maya stared at him, "It's actually already dinnertime."
"Eh?" That's when Hakkai noticed the palace is coated in the warm, orange glow of the setting sun.
"We decided to let you sleep through lunch because no one was answering the door. And as much as we hate to interrupt you now, Lady Kurenai is a little worried because you haven't eaten yet. But if you're still not ready, we'll just bring you food later."
Hakkai waved his hands, "Oh no, we'll go down for dinner. Thank you Maya."
She handed him a pile clothes, "Also, here are a change of clothes for you to wear. We'll be expecting you at the dining hall then." she smiled and left.
"Thank you Maya." he closed the door, "Sanzo! Goku! Gojyo! Dinner time!"
As they entered the dining hall, they thought there's a banquet because of the number of people that gathered inside. All eyes were on them as they stood by the entrance and people's whispering filled the room.
"Hey, that's THE Sanzo Party that's been a famous talk recently."
"They're thinly built for people who defeated hundreds of demons."
"Wow! They're really handsome!"
A smiling Nuriko walked up to them, "My, my, you guys are a hot topic huh?" she teased, "Good evening to all of you. Come, I'll lead you to our table." she offered.
The hall was lively filled with chatter and laughter and kids playing.
"Is this a normal scenario during dinner?" Gojyo wondered.
"Uh-huh. During dinner, most of the workers in the palace eat together with the siblings except for those assigned at night duty security which rotates regularly." The head attendant explained, "This is why Kurenai really wishes that you join us for dinner because it's a tradition that everybody eats together like a family."
They arrived at a long vacant table in the middle of the room, "Those four will be arriving soon, meanwhile, enjoy the soup and bread for appetizers. Ah, Gareas, good evening, aren't you early? Did you get kicked out again?" Nuriko greeted Gareas who just arrived. One of the things they noticed quickly is the casual way she deals with the siblings, more like a friend than one of the palace's attendants.
"Oh shut it! Aren't you going to help bring the food?" he snapped at her and Nuriko walked away laughing. Gareas looks different in casual clothes than when they met him earlier. He's in a simple black and gray striped shirt, khaki pants and slippers.
They're wearing the clothes given by Midori; Sanzo wore a red shirt and blue jogging pants, Gojyo's is a black muscle shirt and brown jogging pants, Hakkai wore a yellow t-shirt and black jogging pants, and Goku wore a purple t-shirt and gray cargo shorts.
Nuriko just laughed at him then left.
"Good evening to you." Gareas greeted them as he occupied a seat across them.
"Good evening Master Gareas." Hakkai greeted back.
The tension in the air is apparent because of the naughty stunt he pulled earlier.
"Hey, Kurenai said don't be formal, that includes us too. As you can see, we're not high and mighty royalties. I was also told to apologize for my mischief earlier, so let's start over okay? So, did you rest well? You must've been pretty tired; you weren't able to eat lunch with us."
"Yeah. Now I'm really hungry. When will the real food come?" Goku complained while eating bread and soup and he got whacked by Sanzo's fan.
"Shameless monkey!"
Gareas chuckled, "It won't be long now."
"We did sleep very well. The mattress on the bed is the most comfortable one I ever lied on in a long time." Gojyo commented, "It would be better if I woman is beside me though." he got the harisen hit next.
"You're no different than the monkey! You stupid perverted cockroach!"
"That hurt you arrogant monk!"
"Well you know..." Gareas joined in the commotion as he smiled mischievously, "Firm mattresses are better when you're with a woman rather than the fluffy ones here."
They blinked at him in disbelief; this man is just like if not worse than Gojyo!
The redhead grinned, "Ohhh! You do have a point perverted brother!"
"It's hard to gain foothold with fluffy mattresses." he continued to 'preach'.
"This situation." Hakkai smiled nervously.
"It's bad enough that we have to deal with this cockroach, now here's a photocopy." Sanzo put his palm on his forehead.
A hand forcefully landed on Gareas' head in a hand chop, "That's enough, you." it's Luca, wearing a plain black t-shirt, white jogging pants and slippers but still has the authoritative air around him.
"You can't have that kind of talk at the dining table." Raul, who's standing behind Luca, scolded. He's wearing a blue t-shirt and black pants and tied his hair to the side in a loose ponytail.
"Good evening to you. This table seems lively as well." Luca greeted their guests.
"You just killed the fun, cheapskate." Gareas grumbled.
Luca's vein throbbed, "What's that?" he poked his brother's head. The eldest brother sat beside Gareas while Raul left a vacant seat between him and Luca which is definitely for meant Kurenai.
"Where's Kurenai?" Goku asked.
Gareas took a bread from the basket and dipped it in the soup, "In the kitchen, finishing up with cooking."
"Eh?!" they were surprised; all of these servants in the palace and she opts to cook herself? They thought.
"Our sister loves to cook, whenever she's not busy, she prepares the meals. It's her hobby and also, our parents raised us to not just rely on our status and wealth, so we can basically do a lot of normal stuff ourselves." Luca explained.
"She can cook for this many?" Gojyo said with amazement.
"Of course we have a team of cooks but it's her recipe and she cooks and watches over everything. Sometimes we help but there are instances like today that somebody just messes around the kitchen and got kicked out." he said pointedly.
Gareas faced him, "Hey Luca! You know I'm good at cooking!"
"I didn't say you're not. You just get in the way instead of helping, if you remained there, it will be midnight by the time she's done cooking." he scolded.
"Hmph!" the younger brother pouted in his seat then a couple of kids suddenly tackled him, "Waaah! You little—!"
"Gareas, old man! Ya got scolded again?!" one of them mocked.
"What old man?! Raul's silver haired too!" he pointed at his brother.
"But yours is gray, like an old man's! Hahahaha!" they continued to mock him.
"You got guts you pipsqueaks!" he grinded one kid's head playfully and pulled the cheek of the other.
"He seems to be having fun." Hakkai observed.
"They're the children of our workers; they're very fond of him. Gareas may be twisted but he's got a soft spot for kids. He's good with handling them." Luca pointed.
"Well, you're not so bad yourself." Gojyo commented.
A kid is already on Luca's lap eating bread. "Well, not anywhere near as popular as Raul."
"Prince Raul! You look dreamy today too!"
"Ah, Prince! Let's go on a date!"
Little girls gathered around him with sparkling eyes. "Now, now. It's too early for that don't you girls think?" Raul said in a panic.
"Hey, little kittens!" Gareas who is pinned by the little boys called out, "Don't waste your time with Raul, I'll definitely go out with you in 10 years—" a foot stomped on his face before he can finish.
"That will be the biggest mistake of their life you cradle snatcher!" Kurenai said through her gritted teeth, then turned to the children with a smile, "Now, kids! We'll play later so go back to your tables!" she urged, "Dinner is served!" A number of attendants rolled the food in while the kids ran around looking for their tables.
"B-bam... bina... your... ffffoot..." Gareas struggled.
"Oh sorry. I thought I was stepping on a new doormat. Good evening little devil." she moved her foot, "Luca-aniki, Raul-nii, good evening and to my hibernating guests. Looks like you slept well." she greeted happily. She's holding large plates of chicken wings and spring rolls on both hands.
Their eyes fixed on the newcomer's form; clothed in a pale yellow oversized bull jacket, and maroon leggings with her hair tied up in a messy bun, she still looked stunning despite the rather boyish appearance. What caught their attention the most though are her wrists and ankles bound by shackles with broken chains. Her clothing might have concealed them earlier but now they're in plain sight.
Their stare did not go unnoticed by the siblings.
"Is there something wrong?" Kurenai asked.
They blinked, "Ah, nothing at all." Hakkai said, deciding that it's not a good time to ask about the shackles.
She smiled and place the plates on the table, "Okay then. Dig in everyone."
"Yay! Food!" Goku exclaimed and started digging in as well as the others.
As she walked towards her seat, Kurenai met Sanzo's eyes. His purple eyes were piercing as if it's trying to see through her, she only smiled in reply and took her place between her brothers.
"Sanzo, those shackles." Hakkai whispered.
"Yeah, those are a little bizarre for accessories." He took a bite of the braised beef vegetable stir-fry and his eyes widened slightly, the dish tasted great.
"Amazing! This food is amazing!" Goku voiced his delight.
"You're a great cook Kurenai, to actually get a reaction like this from Sanzo." Hakkai pointed as he noticed the monk's favorable response in the food.
"Why thank you, I had tons of practice and I love doing it." Kurenai smiled. Looking at the woman's plate, they can't help but notice the mountain of food on the plate and aside from that, Gareas eats in the same manner that Goku does.
"Gotta love a girl with a big appetite." Gojyo commented of his fellow red-eyed, soon-to-be journey companion.
"Seriously, you never learn do you?" it irritated Sanzo how Gojyo never stops yapping about the lady blacksmith.
"Goku! Looks like they can beat you to it!" The redhead told the golden eyed boy.
"We're a family that loves food so this is the usual scenario." Raul told them.
"Oh! That's music to the monkey's ears!" the Gojyo ruffled Goku's hair.
"By the way, I started the preparations for the repairs earlier today. I'll start the procedure tomorrow." she informed them, "It's a good thing that you were able to make it to dinner as we might not be seeing each very often with me working on the repairs and making sure that things are in order when I leave home."
"Oh don't worry Bambina, we will make sure to keep them entertained." Gareas jumped in enthusiastically.
"Why do I get a bad feeling when you said that hm?" she raised an eyebrow at her brother.
"That aside, you are free to check out the town while you're here. There're a ton of places where you can have fun and unwind night and day."
Gojyo's face brightened, "We'll definitely check it out!"
"Kurenai, if you don't mind us asking, we were told that you were a former God. How long have you been here in the Lower World?" Goku asked.
"It's been over twenty years since I was reborn." she answered.
"It's actually her twenty-first birthday five days from tomorrow." Luca declared happily.
"Really?! Will there be a celebration?! A banquet with tons of food?!" Goku asked overexcitedly, which received a hit from Sanzo's fan.
"Sit down, idiot!"
"Oh dear, we seem to have come in a bad time. You'll be exhausted on such a special day." the green-eyed healer said with concern.
"Yeah." Gojyo agreed.
Special? "Hey brat! Out of the way!" she shook the unpleasant memory away, "Oh, don't sweat it. Being incredibly busy is not new for me and besides, despite my refusal, it's my brothers who take care of the celebrations so I will not be lifting a finger."
"That's because if we don't, there will absolutely be no celebration taking place." Raul pointed.
"This lady here has no interest in big, fancy gatherings." Luca chuckled.
"That's why I said, enough with these kinds of gatherings." she said with irritation.
"Well, I want to see you in a dress. You seldom wear really fancy ones." The eldest Hatori answered in excitement.
Her eyebrows twitched, "Idiot brother!"
"Well, lots of women attend these types of gatherings that bodes well for me, Bambina." Gareas added.
"You selfish womanizer!" she pulled his ear.
"I feel bad for her, these guys are somewhat idiotic." Gojyo commented as they watch the youngest sibling scold her brothers.
"Must be tough." Hakkai smiled.
"The day when we are born into the world is always something to celebrate so why wouldn't we celebrate our precious sister's?" Raul as usual gave the most sensible answer.
"Keh. Suit yourselves."
"I'll greet you now Kurenai! Happy Birthday!" Goku greeted with happily.
She's surprised, "Oh, thank you little monkey! That's really sweet!" she ruffled his hair.
"Don't call me monkey!" the golden eyed-boy objected as the raven-haired laughed.
As Sanzo watched Kurenai and Goku make a racket, for a split second, he saw sadness in her eyes. That woman, there's something... "This sake is exquisite right Sanzo?" Hakkai shook him away from his thoughts.
"Hmm? Ah yes." Well, it doesn't concern me anyway.
"It seems those two are getting along just fine and she knows how to handle Gojyo. She'll fit right in to the group." The green-eyed added.
"Hmph! It's too early to decide on that." He snapped.
Hakkai chuckled, "Well, you're right."
"You damn cockroach! You ate the last spring rolls! Don't we have a rule that the last piece on the plate is always mine?!" Goku whined.
"And when did we agree to that? Hmmm?!" Gojyo shouted back. Sanzo's irritation on the argument beside him rose steadily.
"Raul-nii, can you please pass the shrimp." Kurenai asked.
"The siomai is mine okay?!" The golden eyed boy continued to bark.
"You already ate almost all of it, monkey with a stomach for a brain!" the redhead scolded back.
Sanzo stood to hit the two, "Be qui—"
"AH! Gareas! I asked for that first! Wait 'til I'm done before you take it!"
They turned to the other side of the table. Gareas' left hand held the plate of shrimp while his other hand restrains Kurenai who charges towards him, flailing her hands. Raul continued to eat quietly while Luca shook his head at the bickering of his siblings.
"You snooze you lose! You're not acting so lady-like now sis." Gareas chuckled.
"You idiots... There's so much food, why fight over it? Kurenai, you of all people should know that." Luca scolded.
"Stop making such a racket in front of guests." Raul added.
Goku blinked, "Uhh... Is this how we look when we eat?"
"Yes. Now you know." Hakkai smiled.
Gojyo snickered, "It's quite entertaining I should say."
"Entertaining my ass!" Sanzo barked.
The dinner continued to be lively, and then…
"Kurenai-neechan! We're finished eating! Where is it?!" A young boy called out, other kids stood with him.
"Yeah! Where is it?! Where is it?!" they said in unison, eyes sparkling in anticipation while some are even bouncing.
"What is IT?" Goku asked, still eating.
"You're still not done?" Gojyo asked in disbelief.
The kids started pulling Kurenai, "Yes, yes!" she giggled. "Nuriko!" she called out.
"Here!" Nuriko arrived with Midori, pushing a trolley with a huge three-tiered chocolate cake.
"Whoa!" they gasped.
"Aside from cooking savory dishes, Kurenai bakes desserts as well." Gareas told them.
The kids' and Kurenai's eyes were sparkling as they await the chocolatey treat coming their way.
"Why are her eyes sparkling too? She made that right?" Gojyo pointed towards the raven-head.
"She has a sweet tooth. A big one at that." Luca explained.
Sanzo looked at her, bewildered by how she's just as excited as the children around her, very different from the authoritative and composed leader they saw earlier.
"Talk about a gap in her character." The redhead smirked.
"Well, that's a surprise." Hakkai smiled.
"CAAAAKE!" Kurenai and the kids dashed towards Nuriko and Midori to get their share of the dessert. Of course everyone in the hall got their share as well.
"Mmmm! This is really good!" Goku said happily.
"Yeah. It's not too sweet and texture is exquisite." Hakkai commented.
"Not bad for a brazen woman like her." Gojyo added.
Goku noticed the cake slice just sitting in front of Sanzo without a single bite, "Eh Sanzo? You're not going to eat it?"
"When did you see me eat sweets?" he grumbled.
"But it's not so sweet that it hurts your throat."
"Why don't you just eat it?"
"No, it's too good for you not to try. Come on Sanzo, at least one bite." Goku pressed.
His vein throbbed, "I said, I'm not eating—" a forkful of cake was suddenly shoved in his mouth, which gave a shock to everyone and the monk had no choice but to grudgingly eat it. "Mmm-mmm" he had to admit that it was really good but still, purple eyes glared at red as he swallowed the cake, "Why, you."
The raven haired raised a brow at him, "What? I told you I won't be cooking for a while, you should at least try everything. It's not as sweet as you think, I made it to suit even those who are not fond of sweets." she smiled. "You'll miss out on a lot of good stuff if you're too uptight, Sanzo."
Ba-thump
What the? The monk felt his heart throb at the way his name came out from her lips; he glanced at her as she heads back to where the kids are eating cake, She's just so...
"I'm liking her even more." Gojyo is pretty entertained by the events that happened, "It's good right?"
"Shut it!" he snapped and looked down at the slice in front of him, Well, it is good. He went ahead and ate it, much to his companions' surprise.
"Kyaa!" they heard the kids screaming and as they look over, the kids were running around smearing and throwing icing on each other. Even Kurenai and Gareas joined the kids and everyone in the hall is laughing.
"You runts! How dare you do that to me!" the youngest Hatori brother yelled as he chased the kids around. On the other hand, his sister is laughing while being chased, already having icing on her face and arms.
"They're having fun huh?" the former teacher of the Sanzo party felt nostalgic at the scene.
"What's so fun about having sticky icing smeared all over your face and body?" the monk grumbled.
"Well, I can think of a few reasons." the redheaded, self-proclaimed womanizer smiled mischievously.
"Another word out of you and I'll kill you."
"That looks like fun! I wanna join too!" Goku ran towards the scrambling kids.
"There he goes." Hakkai said as he followed the golden-eyed boy with his eyes.
"Let him do what he wants." Sanzo snapped.
"But your sister openly laughing like that, it's miles away from the autocratic leader she was earlier." Gojyo observed.
"As one of this town's pillar, she needs to command authority in order to lead our people, she's extra tough and hated being estimated because of the stigma towards female leaders. But in reality, she's compassionate and a kid at heart; mischievous, impatient but easy to please." Luca stated before having a cup of sake.
A kid at heart huh? Seems more like a pain in the butt, Sanzo thought as he watched her having fun with the kids, her brother, and Goku. Her hearty laugh was contagious. Refreshing. It seem to cause an unfamiliar feeling to simmer within him, it's pleasant, but he does not welcome it, whatever it might be.
Everyone had fun drinking and eating through the night and time flew by, it was almost midnight by the time the Sanzo party got to their rooms. And as they lay quietly on their beds, a soothing melody from a flute filled the air; like a cool and gentle breeze blowing through the fields that seem to carry away the awful memories that occasionally plague their sleep. They wondered for a moment who might be playing the music, but their bodies that are still a bit worn out from their three-day weaponless journey, succumbed to the relaxing pull of the melody and they fell into the most peaceful sleep they've had in a long while.
