Chapter 4

The next morning she woke up and saw that Goku had reached out and was holding her hand in his sleep. She smiled and gave it a small squeeze. He woke up, blinking his beautiful golden eyes at her sleepily.

"Good morning." she said softly.

"G'morning." he rumbled back before realizing he was holding her hand. He let it go with a blush and hurried away.

Iyame watched him quizzically before she pulled something out of the bundle she had brought back the night before and walked purposefully over to Sanzo. She sat down across from him and waited for him to acknowledge her.

The other three tried to pretend they weren't watching, waiting for another explosion.

After several minutes of Sanzo ignoring her and her not going away he finally looked over to see what she wanted. "Yes?" he asked indifferently.

She held out a cloth covered bundle without saying a word.

He narrowed his eyes but took the bundle. He opened it and, if you were looking very carefully and knew him very well, you could see the tiny smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Goku saw it and was happy. He had no idea what she had given him, but it had worked as an apology.

"Where did you find one?" he asked flatly.

She smirked at him, "I make them. I made your last one, and it hurt my heart to destroy it."

"You made that fan?"

"That is part of what made me so angry. Try to refrain with this one if you would. It will annoy me if I have to keep replacing your fans because you are hitting my husband with them." she replied tartly before getting up to make breakfast.

Sanzo watched her walk away and realized that she was the part of Goku he could never quite see. He watched as the monkey blushed when she walked over to him and spoke shyly when she asked him a question. Maybe she isn't so bad after all.

He turned his attention to the fan and opened it thoughtfully. He stared in surprise at the beautiful painting that adorned it. It showed a temple in the clouds surrounded by a field of flowers. There were five people sitting together on the steps and they looked a lot like his friends – companions – and her, but with small differences. The detail was exquisite and he could see why she was gone for so long last night if this is what she had been doing.

A while later he looked up as Goku handed him a steaming bowl. "Breakfast." was all he said as he took a seat nearby and started eating. The others joined them and soon were chatting quietly.

Goku looked over at Iyame as something from the previous day drifted across his mind, "Hey, Iyame, can you explain more about Pancha Mahabhuta?"

She glanced over at him, "What do you want to know?"

"What is it?" he asked as the others looked at her curiously.

"Pancha Mahabhuta are the five great elements: bhumi is earth, vayu is air, agni is fire, ap is water, and akasha is aether. All things are created from them."

"What does that have to do with us?" Gojyo asked.

"The five of us are representations of those elements and can be a powerful force when we work in concert for a specific goal."

Hakkai studied her thoughtfully for a moment, "And you believe we have a specific goal?"

She shrugged, "Goku mentioned something about fixing the minus wave. If that is not it, then you have another task or soon will."

Sanzo gave Goku a dark look, "You should not share that information with strangers."

"She's not a stranger, Sanzo. Don't you remember her at all?"

"No." he replied irritably.

Goku turned to the other two, "Don't you?"

Iyame was watching them closely, "Remember, incarnations do not usually have access to their previous memories. Even though I knew Sanzo as a baby, he was too young to remember me. You know me because this is the same life. They have lived several lives between then and now. I have not been able to find them every time."

"What do you mean?" Gojyo asked.

"For five hundred years, I have traveled over Shangri-La. I have run into the three of you at various times and we have stuck together whenever that has happened. Sometimes I only find one of you, sometimes two, once I found all three of you, but the five of us have not been together in a very long time. I have helped bring a few of your incarnations into this world, and they have not always been male. The picture on Sanzo's fan is of the last time all of us were in the same place at the same time."

"What picture?" Goku asked brightly.

"Yes, what picture is that?" Hakkai asked.

"Let us see it, monk." Gojyo demanded.

Sanzo glared at them before pulling out the fan and opening it so they could see the painting.

"Where are we?" Hakkai asked.

"In heaven."

Rounded eyes greeted her response.

"We were in heaven?"

"Yes. Goku and I were taken before Merciful Goddess and she put us under her nephew Konzen's – Sanzo's – care. I am afraid his temperament was similar to what it is now and we drove him rather mad. Although Hakkai was kind enough to try to keep us out of his hair at least some of the time by teaching us how to read and various other things once we mastered that."

"The monkey can read?" Gojyo snarked.

"Hey! I can read, ero kappa."

"What happened?" Sanzo asked.

"The five of us spent much of our time together until you found out I had the ability to heal others and sent me to train with my Master."

"How did he find out?" Goku asked, upset that she had been sent away.

"Your friend, Prince Nataku, came home seriously injured. He was the war prince and fought Heaven's battles at the Jade Emperor's command. You brought me to meet him and when I saw him I felt so sorry for his suffering that I took his hands in mine to offer comfort. They started to glow and his injuries healed in front of our eyes. You dragged us over to see Konzen and the others and the very next day they sent me away to study."

"Why would you do something like that?" Goku demanded of Sanzo, forgetting for a moment that the monk had no idea.

"I found out later that it was to protect me. Nataku's father went directly to the Jade Emperor and told him what I did. They decided I should join Nataku on all of his campaigns so I could heal him immediately and he would never have to stop fighting. By the time the official order came, I was gone and no one knew how to find me."

"How long were you gone?" Gojyo questioned.

"I think it was the equivalent of one hundred years on earth. By the time I had found my way back, Nataku was catatonic, Goku had been locked away somewhere and the rest of you were back in the reincarnation cycle. Merciful Goddess met me as soon as I stepped foot on the grounds and told me what had happened. Later on when my grief became apparent enough for others to start noticing I was back, she locked my powers and told me I would stop aging and then when we found each other I would start again. She had one of her aides help me hide until I was old enough to take care of myself and then gave me the tigers and sent me out into the world to find you."

"What caused everything to go wrong?" Hakkai queried.

"I cannot say."

"Cannot or will not?" Sanzo demanded.

"It is forbidden. Ask Merciful Goddess next time you meet if you wish." she replied.

They grumbled a bit but let it go and spent the rest of breakfast considering what she had told them.

----------

The next several days passed quietly and miserably. They were travelling through a huge expanse of desert and it had been five days since the last town. Everyone was hot and tired and sick of sand. There were hardly any trees or shrubs to be found and shade was a luxury they did not get much of. There was one upside though, Iyame was able to heal their sunburns on the spot so at least they didn't have that to worry about as well.

"What did we do while we were in heaven?" Goku asked quietly, looking for any distraction from her nearness.

"We learned and explored and saw many beautiful things. Is there anything specific you would like to know?"

He shrugged, "Can you tell me why I had shackles on when Sanzo found me?"

Her eyes darkened as her jaw tightened, "I can."

He looked at her expectantly for a moment before he realized she was not going to elaborate. "Well?"

"When they found us they tried to take me away because they thought I would make a pretty pet for the goddess. When you defended me they took you for a heretic and bound you with shackles that weighed a few hundred pounds apiece to slow you down. After they limited you they were not necessary but they would not remove them anyway. They were afraid. Fools." she replied darkly.

"What did I do?" he asked nervously.

"You killed their best warrior protecting me. They thought you killed the other but that was my doing."

He looked at her in surprise, "You killed someone?"

"Certainly. They were trying to take me away from my mate. Of course they thought you did it so you were blamed for both. Once they decided to take you instead I convinced them to take me as well. After all, I was small and cute, hardly a threat but I could get you to go quietly."

"You made me go?" he asked in disappointment.

"We were young but I could tell we had no choice. We could go willingly or fight but either way you were going."

"So what happened once we got there?"

"Merciful Goddess took a liking to us and gave us to her nephew."

"You make us sound like pets."

"It began that way." she agreed.

"Then what?"

"He couldn't help it. We really were too much for him."

"What?" Goku demanded in high suspense.

"He came to love us as his own quasi children."

"Sanzo? How long did that take?"

"Quite awhile, but we're very adorable when we wish to be. Eventually he had no choice but to succumb to us."

"And then we were a family." he said blissfully.

She smiled, "More or less."

"So what did we do when we weren't bugging Sanzo?" he asked.

"Hakkai spent as much time as he could teaching us to read and write and then our numbers as well. When he wasn't teaching us we would explore the grounds and surrounding area. We chased butterflies so beautiful they would make your heart ache to see. We picked lovely flowers and put them in vases on Sanzo's desk. We watched the clouds make beautiful shapes in the sky as we lay in the meadow. We met many gods, goddesses, and other beings." her eyes clouded slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Sometimes I worry about a friend I had to leave behind. I hope he's all right."

"He's in heaven, he should be fine, right?" he asked.

"I hope so." she replied softly. "He didn't belong there any more than we did and he didn't have the benefit of Sanzo watching out for him."

"Can you get him?"

"Probably, but it would be risky so I'll work on it after we take care of the minus wave. That is most urgent at this time."

"Can I help?"

She smiled, "Of course you can. I won't be able to do it without you."

He looked away from her and realized the others had come to a stop. It must be time to camp. They followed suit and were soon stopped next to them. Goku helped Iyame down from Virya and misjudged how much space was between him and the big cat. Iyame ended up pressed against him by the time her feet reached the ground. He blushed fiercely and stuttered as he hurried away. Iyame followed him with her gaze, slightly hurt that he was so uncomfortable around her. She sighed and started preparing dinner.

Gojyo and Hakkai had been watching the pair and saw that Goku was getting more and more uncomfortable around his mate. They had a fair idea as to why but were unsure if they should interfere or not. It was not their place, but anyone could see the couple was unhappy.

Goku had gone to sit quietly next to Sanzo so Gojyo decided to help Iyame prepare dinner. He had gotten spoiled by her cooking and was happy to lend a hand if it meant he got to eat well.

Sanzo looked down as he heard Goku sigh for the fourth time in as many minutes. "What?" he asked abruptly.

Goku pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them. "I don't know what to do." he finally said.

"About what?" Sanzo asked, dreading the answer.

"Iyame."

Sanzo looked over and saw the girl cooking dinner. She looked more subdued than usual, but that was the only thing he saw out of place.

"If you had a fight with her, go talk to Hakkai. He's good at making peace with people."

"We didn't fight."

"Then what?" Sanzo asked, thoroughly exasperated with the conversation.

"I feel drawn to her. Like I can't stay away and I need to touch her all the time. I wake up every morning holding her hand. I've been trying to sleep away from her but I can't sleep until I moved my blankets next to her. She got angry with me this morning and I don't understand why. And she's very pretty, you know. I keep thinking I want to-"

"Stop!" Sanzo said desperately. Goku was probably the only one that could tell he was desperate but that was fine since that's who he was talking to. "You need to talk to Gojyo. He can tell you everything you need to know and plenty you don't."

"But I don't want to talk to Gojyo about it. He'll just tease me." Goku protested.

"No, he won't. Tell him I'll shoot him if he does." Sanzo argued.

"Sanzo! I would rather talk about it with you. Please?"

"I'm a monk. What advice can I give you about these things?"

"I don't know. Anything? Please, Sanzo?" he pleaded.

"Fine. She is your mate. It's natural to have those feelings and there is nothing wrong with acting on them as long as she's willing. But don't act unless you're very far away from wherever I'm sleeping." Sanzo explained. "Any practical advice you need will have to come from someone else."

Goku smiled at him, "So it's okay?"

"Yes." Sanzo growled and pointedly pulled out his fan.

"You better not be thinking about what I think you're thinking about Genjo Sanzo." came Iyame's sing-song voice.

Sanzo glared at her but put the fan away.

"Thank you, Sanzo." Goku said before scampering off to try to steal a bit of food while Iyame cooked.

It had become something of a game between them. He would sneak bites of food and she would pretend she didn't notice for a while and then she would swat his hand and scold him about spoiling his dinner while he laughed.

Sanzo had watched the pair closely over the last week and had noticed the tension growing between them without realizing the cause – selective observation. He had wondered why the monkey had set up his blankets away from her for the last few nights even though he was next to her in the morning. It was nothing he wanted to know about so he pretended it didn't exist.

They had not seen a single youkai since she had joined them and Sanzo was a little worried about how she would do in battle. However, she had been on her own for a long time so she should have picked something up that would help them. Or at least keep her out of trouble. Tomorrow they would reach a large town and he would probably find out then.

He watched the four work together to get dinner ready and saw that she was blending into their dysfunctional family unit very well. She mothered Gojyo, discussed books with Hakkai endlessly, adored her husband, and sassed him at every turn. Well, that's what happens when you distance yourself from people, a traitorous voice spoke in the back of his mind. He shut it up and watched her bring a steaming bowl towards him.

"I made your favorite." she said quietly.

He looked into the bowl in surprise, "What makes you think this is my favorite?"

She winked at him – winked – if you can believe it. "That's my secret."

He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. It was his favorite thing that she had cooked so far. Flavorful noodles with vegetables and a spicy sauce he couldn't quite place. He might have brought her along if all she could do was cook. All of them had managed to put on a couple of much needed pounds in the last week.

That night Goku looked at Iyame shyly as he took her blankets and added them to his to make one pallet for them both. "You said we slept together every night growing up." he offered in explanation.

She smiled and hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

They climbed under the covers and Goku felt awkward for a moment before Iyame put her head on his chest and curled against him.

"Good night." she whispered as she rested a hand on his heart.

"G'night." he replied as he ran a hand down her back.

The other three men looked at each other and snickered before turning in for the night.

----------

They entered the town around midday and Iyame moved up so she could call down to Hakkai.

"I know the lady that runs the inn across town. Follow me, please."

He smiled and waved for her to lead the way. The three men in the jeep looked around warily as they saw children start following them, chattering brightly among themselves.

Finally, they arrived at a large and attractive inn and pulled to a stop as Goku helped Iyame down. The children came up tentatively, staring at the big cats.

Iyame addressed her friends, "Dana, Virya play nicely with the children, please." She turned towards the children, "Children, please be kind to my friends."

"Iyame-chan! How wonderful to see you again!" cried a large, motherly woman standing in the doorway of the inn.

"Kensi-chan! It is good to see you again. I brought my husband and friends this time. Let me introduce you." Iyame walked over to the woman and embraced her before reaching for Goku and pulling him forward.

"Goku, this is Kensi. Kensi, this is Goku, my husband."

Kensi grabbed Goku into a bear hug that left the young man gasping for breath and blushing furiously. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Goku-san. You are staying with me, ne? I'll put you in my best room." She called her daughter over and sent her to stock the room for them.

"All right, dear, who are your other friends?"

Iyame gestured to each in turn, "This is my family: Sanzo, Hakkai, and Gojyo. Do you have enough room for all of us?"

"I have two additional rooms available, so two of them will need to bunk together. Will that be all right?" Kensi asked.

"Of course. Thank you so much, Kensi. How much do I owe you for the rooms for a couple of days?"

"No charge, dear. You know that. If you have any fans, I wouldn't say no to one. You make the loveliest ones I've ever seen. Oh, look." she said as she pointed towards the courtyard outside the front doors, "Your first customers are here. You can set up in the usual place. Boys, if you would follow me, I'll show you to your rooms."

"Thank you, Kensi." Iyame turned towards her group. "I will be in the lobby for a few hours. I will catch up with you by dinner, all right?"

"Customers? What do you do?" Goku asked curiously.

"Heal the sick and sell fans. Kensi is kind enough to let me use her lobby and I give her a commission for the space. I have been through here several times and her family and I worked out this arrangement a very long time ago."

"Can I stay with you?" Goku asked.

"If you like." she replied with a smile before heading over to Dana to unload her goods.

She and Goku set up her display case in an empty corner of the lobby and he watched as more and more people came in. Many of the older people greeted her warmly and she smiled and asked after their families. Most of them had come for help with arthritis and other age related illnesses and injuries. It seemed she was well known and liked among the town's people.

"Excuse me? How much for this fan please?"

Goku looked over at the source of the voice and saw a woman holding a fan. "Oh, um, let me check."

He walked over to where Iyame was and waited until she was finished with her customer. "Iyame, how much are the fans?" he asked.

"Whatever they think they are worth or can afford." she replied carelessly.

Goku frowned at her for a moment before returning to the lady with the fan. "She said they cost as much as you think they should or can afford."

The woman looked at the fan for a few moments before handing Goku a pile of coins. "Thanks!" he said as he put them into the money bag Iyame had given him to use.

Several hours later the last customer walked out the door and Iyame turned towards him and smiled when she saw the mostly empty display case. "I see your pretty face has done wonders for my fan sales." she teased as they packed everything up and carried it up to their room.

He blushed and changed the subject, "Can we eat? I'm so hungry!"

She smiled. "Sure. Let us see if we can find the others."

He twined his fingers with hers as they headed over to the dining room and she smiled happily. They walked in and looked around for a moment before spotting the others sitting at a table against the wall drinking.

"Hello." Iyame said cheerfully as she slid into a seat next to Goku.

"How did it go?" Gojyo asked around his perpetual cigarette.

Iyame happily placed the bulging bag of coins down on the table before answering, "Very well. I need to take out Kensi's commission, but I made enough to keep me fed and in supplies for quite a while. Goku was a great help."

Gojyo smirked, "I saw the monkey was a hit with the ladies."

"Shut up, water sprite!" Goku replied with a blush. "And quit callin' me monkey!"

"Why is she allowed to but I'm not?" Gojyo demanded.

"Cuz when you say it, it's an insult!"

"Che, monkey. Whatever." Gojyo sneered.

Iyame handed Goku the bag to hold onto as the waitress came over. They placed their orders and she left.

"So, how many times have you been here?" Hakkai asked.

"I usually make it through about once every ten to twenty years. It is the only town in this desert and functions as a major hub for travel in all directions."

"So that's why they know you so well?"

"Yes." she replied.

"Will Dana and Virya be all right out there?" he asked.

"They will be fine. Dana likes to play with the children and Virya will not stray far from her side as long as there are so many people around. Every now and then someone gets the bright idea that tiger pelt will make them rich. There usually is not enough of them left for me to heal." she finished quietly.

Gojyo looked at her in surprise, "Does that happen often?"

"Not anymore. All three of us have reputations in most of the civilized world now."

"Several years ago a town near my temple had a healer and two tigers come to town. A group of people tried to shoot the tigers and the ones that survived the tiger's attack died of some mysterious illness that no doctor could figure out. They said the men were in agony and it took weeks for them to finally die. Was that you?" Sanzo asked.

Iyame looked away guiltily and did not speak for a long moment. When she finally answered her voice was very soft and only the fact that Sanzo was sitting right next to her allowed him to hear it. "It was."

"I remember that. It was right after you brought me to the temple." Goku said.

Iyame's gaze found his. "That would explain a lot." she said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"You are deadly when pushed the right way. I am a calming influence on you and you are an aggressive influence on me. If we were that close to each other it could be that I tapped into that unknowingly and that is what fueled my desire to punish them for what they attempted to do. I did not understand why it happened only that I wanted them to suffer until they died for trying to take away my family."

"Che, remind me not to piss you off." Gojyo joked.

She smiled slightly. "Do not shoot at my family."

The waitress brought over their food and they started eating. Goku stole a meat bun from Gojyo's plate and that started a round of fighting. Iyame picked at her food, lost in thought.

"Goku." Hakkai said quietly.

Goku stopped mid-yell and looked over at him. The older demon tilted his head towards Iyame with a pointed look. Goku followed his gaze and sat down abruptly. He reached over and touched her shoulder gently.

"Iyame? What's wrong?"

She was quiet for so long that he thought she wasn't going to answer. "I regret what I did. I should have just killed them outright if I wanted them dead, rather than make them suffer for so long. I really should not have killed them at all."

"They were going to kill your family. It makes sense that you would want to kill them back." Goku consoled her.

"True, but I spend so much time healing others that it feels wrong to kill." she replied.

"Well, you better get over that in a hurry if you're going to travel with us." Sanzo snapped.

"They are the only humans I have killed and it was not necessary." she replied.

"How have you managed to survive the last few years?" he asked in disbelief.

"Intimate knowledge of the body and its systems. Gojyo can attest to my ability to defend myself." she replied.

The kappa in question grimaced as he remembered how she had dropped him without even touching him and the misery he had been in until she lifted it. "Yeah. Her way isn't the same as ours, but it works well enough." was all he said.

They continued with their meal. Goku and Gojyo bickered over the food periodically but Sanzo put a stop to it when they started getting on his nerves. Suddenly the doors slammed open and a group of youkai walked in. Everyone in the dining area froze except for the Sanzo party.

"Sanzo party, we are here to take the Maiten Scripture." said the large, dark haired demon in the front of the group.

Goku whooped. "All right! A fight! Let's go!" He summoned his weapon and the rest of the patrons started running out the back door of the inn.

The rest of the party stood up and Gojyo jumped forward into the fight at the same time as Goku. Iyame looked at Hakkai for guidance and he smiled a little. "This won't take long at all."

She stood back a bit and watched them all fight. Goku and Gojyo seemed to enjoy themselves. They had even made something of a game of it. Keeping count and comparing numbers. She wasn't sure how she felt about that and she made a note to ask Goku about it later. Hakkai seemed to be very skilled with chi and was taking out any that the other two missed. Her eyes landed on Sanzo and she watched as he shot three demons in quick succession. Her gaze returned to Goku and she paused to admire his form and skill as he fought.

She was so involved in what was going on in front of her that she wasn't paying attention to what happened behind her. A small group of demons had come through the back door and one grabbed her with a laugh. She screamed as he swung her up and that caught the attention of her companions.

"Iyame!" Goku cried as he finished off the demon he had been fighting.

"Shit." murmured Gojyo as he took in the scene and started making his way towards her.

"Put me down!" Iyame demanded angrily. She couldn't believe he had caught her so off guard. That's what you get for ogling Goku instead of paying attention to your surroundings. she chided herself.

The youkai laughed, "You look too tasty to put down, little girl."

She gripped his arm tightly and suddenly he collapsed as he violently expelled his most recent meal. She stepped quickly out of the way and spun around to see several of them advancing on her. She raised her hands and hit them with a wave of glowing energy that dropped them all to their knees, suffering the same fate as the first.

"That is just disgusting." Gojyo said in utter distaste.

"That's how you defend yourself?" Sanzo asked with revulsion showing clearly on his face.

"Haha. Well it seems to be effective." Hakkai said. "And now we know why she wears such big boots."

"I'm with Gojyo. That's gross and unfair." Goku said looking vaguely disturbed.

"If you're going to continue travelling with us, you are going to have to learn to fight properly. I refuse to deal with anything this disgusting again. Would you make them stop so we can finish killing them?" Sanzo demanded.

Iyame shrugged and sent another wave of light at them. The vomiting stopped but none of them made a move to get up.

Goku and Gojyo frowned at each other. "I'm not going over there." Goku said.

"Me either." Gojyo said.

"I'll take care of them." Sanzo growled before shooting them quickly.

"I don't think I feel like dessert anymore." Goku lamented.

"So your appetite can be ruined. I had no idea." Gojyo sneered.

"Shut up, water sprite." Goku said. "I was looking forward to some of that pie."

"Monkey." Sanzo said to get his attention.

"Yeah, Sanzo?"

"You're going to start teaching her tomorrow morning."

"Teaching her what?" the monkey asked.

Sanzo gave him an exasperated look, "To fight. Unless you want to slog through messes like this every time she has to defend herself?"

Goku grimaced, "Not really."

Kensi came into the dining room at that moment. "Iyame-chan. Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

"No, Kensi-chan. I am fine. I will help you clean up." she said as she headed over to the kitchen with the matron for cleaning supplies.

Sanzo gave the dining room one last disgusted look before leaving to go to the quiet of his room.

"He's got the right idea." Gojyo said and left with one last shudder.

Hakkai looked over at the two women and Goku before approaching carefully. "Would you like some help cleaning up?" he asked.

Kensi looked at him gratefully, "I wouldn't say no to another set of hands." She handed him a mop and went to get another. Goku and Iyame already had scrub brushes and buckets in hand.

"So this has happened before?" he asked conversationally as he began cleaning.

"Once or twice. If a woman travels alone long enough someone will take it into their head that they should be the one to remedy that." she replied.

"Ah. So it's happened all along and not just since the minus wave?"

"Correct. It's been humans, youkai, or groups of both."

"I see." he replied thoughtfully. "What about Dana and Virya? Do they help you?"

"If they can. The problem is when I am inside and they cannot get to me and I cannot get to them." she replied.

"What's with the throwing up? Can't you do that paralyzing thing like you did with Sanzo instead? It would be less messy." Goku chimed in.

Iyame shrugged. "I am not sure why. The first time I was attacked that is what I did and it worked so well I continued to use it."

Goku shook his head sadly. How could anyone want to fight without hitting their opponent?

Quite a while later they put away the cleaning supplies and Kensi bid them good night.

"Man, I'm hungry." Goku complained.

Hakkai looked at him before shaking his head. How anyone could have an appetite after what they had just finished cleaning up was beyond him. "Good night."

"Night, Hakkai." Goku said brightly.

"Good night Hakkai. Thank you for helping clean up." Iyame said with a smile.

"You're welcome. See you in the morning." he replied before heading up to his room.

"Do you think there's anything left to eat?" Goku asked Iyame.

"We can check to see if there is some pie left." she said.

He nodded and they headed over to the cold box. Iyame opened it and saw a neat stack of pies. She pulled one out and left some coins on the counter to cover the cost. She grabbed some forks and smiled at Goku.

"Shall we eat in our room?" she asked happily.

"Okay." he said as he followed her upstairs to their room and unlocked the door to let her in.

"I need to clean up before I can even think about eating." Iyame said as she placed the pie and forks on the little table.

"Yeah. Me too." Goku agreed.

They grabbed their pajamas and headed for the bathrooms. Goku saw Hakkai exiting as he entered and they smiled before going their separate ways.

Once clean they sat down at the table and munched on pie while they chatted about this and that. When the pie had been demolished they moved onto the bed and sat leaning against the headboard while they continued talking.

A light knock sounded on the door.

"Come in." Iyame called.

Gojyo poked his head in. "The monk said it's time for lights out."

"Okay. Good night, Gojyo." Iyame said.

"Night, kappa."

"Good night you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do on that nice soft bed." he smirked before he closed the door.

Iyame felt Goku stiffen beside her and turned to look at him. "What is wrong, Goku?"

"N-nothing." he said uncomfortably.

She reached over and took his hand. "Goku?"

After a few false starts he finally asked, "What do you expect from me?"

"To be yourself, of course."

"I mean right now? Tonight? In this r-room?" he asked without looking at her.

She looked at him as understanding dawned and reached out to touch his cheek. "Goku, I expect to sleep next to you in a nice soft bed. Nothing more, nothing less. I am not going to ask you to do anything you do not want to do."

He relaxed and smiled at her. "Okay. I'll get the lights then." He went around turning out the lights before climbing under the blankets with her.

Iyame kissed him on the cheek before snuggling into his chest. She rested her hand over his heart and he reached up and rested a hand gently on top of hers while he tangled his other in her hair.

"Iyame?"

"Yes?"

"Why did it bother you to see us killing the youkai?"

She sighed, "They used to be normal people doing normal things before someone did something to destroy their minds. I feel sorry for them and each one we kill is another that will not be able to go home to their family when this is all done."

"I never thought about it that way."

"It is not easy to think that way. It makes things much more difficult when it comes down to you or them."

"Yeah, but you found a middle ground. We never even looked."

"You've done what you needed to do to survive. Good night, Goku." she said softly.

"Good night, Iyame." he replied just as softly before pressing his face into her hair as they drifted off to sleep.