Chapter Four: Reluctant

Chapter Four: Reluctant

Jiya showed the four of them two different rooms that the four of them could split and relax in until the party that night.

"Very well then." Hakkai smiled as he inspected the rooms, "Sanzo and Goku, you two may have the room on the right, and Gojyo and I-"

"Naw, Hakkai, that's all right. Goku and I will take this one." Gojyo said from his place against the wall.

Hakkai gave him a questioning look, and even Goku could see that he wanted to question the decision, but at last he just shrugged at the Kappa with ill-concealed irritation, "If that's the way you want it."

"It is. C'mon, monkey," Gojyo went for the room on the left, taking his stuff with him, "let's fight over who get's what side of the room."

"Wha? Hakkai, I don't wanna' share a room with the cockroach! He's always callin' me names an' stealin' my food!"

"Look who's calling names now, you little punk!"

"Gojyo, if Goku would rather stay in a room with Sanzo, then perhaps-"

"It'll be fine. The monkey can't always have what he wants."

"Well, suppose I shared a room with Goku, and you and Sanzo took this one."

Sanzo and Gojyo looked at one another with evident disgust.

"I can't believe we're arguing over rooms." Sanzo mumbled. "I just want tonight to be over so we can leave."

"It is rather childish. Gojyo, why are you so set on sharing a room with Goku."

Gojyo looked at them with his poker face, "Dunno', just haven't done it in a while. Change of face."

Goku watched Hakkai and Sanzo exchange glances. Something weird was going on, but he couldn't really put his finger on it. From the looks on his companions' faces though, they all knew what it was, even if they weren't saying. "Fine," he snorted, "I'll stay in this crappy room with this lechy kappa. Ev'rybody happy?"

It was obvious that no one but Gojyo was happy with that arrangement, but Hakkai just nodded, and Sanzo lit a cigarette. Goku grabbed his bag and stomped into the room. He didn't really mind sharing a room with Gojyo so much. Maybe if he did, he could figure out what was going on for himself.

Inside it was a little shabby, but it smelled clean and the sun came through brightly. Goku sighed and grabbed the bed nearest to the door, sinking into it and clutching the pillow to his chest. He watched Gojyo flop down on his own bed and puff on a cigarette, immediately poisoning the air with nicotine. Goku had gotten used to that smell, and the brownish look it gave everything, but even though the scent was gross to him, it had come to be something of a comfort. It was always trapped in Sanzo and Gojyo's hair and clothes, surrounding them in a thin cloud, even when they weren't smoking. Somehow, it was a good smell.

"Man, I'm hungry again." Goku whined, "when d'ya' think they'll give us lunch?"

"I dunno'. Few hours maybe."

"What are we gonna' do until then?"

"It's a small town; there's really not much to do."

"Is that why you don' wanna' stay here?"

Gojyo glanced at him, and Goku studied his face the best he could, but it was totally emotionless. "What do you mean? I don't care."

"But ya' told Jiya ya' didn't think we could stay."

"Well, it is a boring town." The kappa sat up on his bed and fished a deck of cards out of his bag, "Tell ya' what, monkey, we'll play black jack for a while."

Goku frowned, "But ya' always beat me at that!"

"I always beat ya' at everything."

"Do not!"

"Fine. We'll play poker."

"Ya' beat me at that too!"

Gojyo laughed, "Then you could use the practice, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Goku mumbled, watching as Gojyo started to deal the cards, "Ya' sure you're not gonna' go an' hunt for girls instead?"

"Naw, not tonight. I've seen most of the girls in this town anyway. None of them really meet the standard, you know?"

"Standard?"

"No one's good enough."

"Ya' mean like pretty enough?"

"No. Well. Maybe. I guess so."

"Wha' about Jiya? She's kinda' pretty."

Gojyo looked away and flicked ashes into the tray, "Mm-hm."

"Whassamatta? Don' ya' think so? Do ya'…not like her or somethin'?"

"She's nice. Her boyfriend's got her pretty tied up though."

"Yeah, he didn't seem very nice." Goku took the cards Gojyo had dealt him and looked at them. A pair of fours, one queen and a ten. Not a good hand at all, unless he thought he could beat Gojyo with the pair.

"Dick."

"Wha was he pushin' ya' around for? Did ya' try t' do somethin' with Jiya?"

Automatically, Gojyo's face turned bright red, something Goku didn't see very often, "No. Of course not! I'm not so low that I go after women who already have a man in their life! Geez, Goku, let's just play the damn game!"

"Alright, alright, sorry." Goku surveyed his hand again, "I'll take three cards."

Silently, Gojyo handed him the three and put his discards in a pile.

Now he had the pair, a jack and a king. "Crap." He muttered under his breath.

"You're not supposed to say stuff like that," Gojyo told him, taking a card for himself, "Now I know you've got shit for a hand."

Goku scowled. He couldn't believe he'd given up the wrong cards.

The two of them played for a few hours; Goku won a couple of hands, but Gojyo won most. The Kappa seemed to be his normal self the whole time, laughing and teasing, bragging when he won, bitching when he lost, cheating until he got caught and they were in an argument for a full thirty minutes before Goku got hungry and whined about that for another ten. Eventually the game resumed, until, finally, Goku had lost ten times in a row and threw his guards down angrily. Gojyo ribbed him about that for a while, and then Jiya brought up their lunch and he was silent immediately.

"I'm not the best cook in the world," she apologized, "but I did my best, so I hope you like it."

"It all looks awesome!" Goku shouted, looking the food over, hardly knowing what to start on.

"I'm glad you think so." She giggled, and then stood watching them quietly for a moment, "So, you're both comfortable up here, aren't you? Can I get you anything?"

Gojyo simply shook his head.

Goku shoved a mouthful of rice in his mouth and studied his friend uncertainly. It was so weird that he wasn't totally flirting with her.

"Well, as long as there's nothing else, I'll leave you to your privacy."

"Thanks!" Goku said again, and then fell to devouring his food once she had left, watching Gojyo out of the corner of his eye.

Hakkai excused himself a little bit after Jiya brought the food and went across the hall to visit Goku and Gojyo. He felt frustrated and confused by what was going on, because, on the outside, it looked like nothing was going on, and yet he and Sanzo had both been able to sense something on the inside of the whole matter. Maybe it was just his imagination and nothing was wrong, but it was rare for Gojyo to not want to stay in a town, and it was even rarer for him to act so stiffly around a woman; the way he had acted to Jiya had been almost…shy…if that was even possible. Hakkai really couldn't imagine what that meant.

He knocked politely on the door, even though he really just wanted to storm right in, "Goku, Gojyo, I'm coming in." Silently he prepared himself for the gloom and dissention he might encounter inside.

Goku and Gojyo were sprawled on their separate beds, Goku shoving food in his mouth so fast he couldn't tell what it was, and Gojyo sipping a beer. Already empty cans, a deck of cards and licked-clean plates were scattered on the floor. The ashtray was almost full.

Gojyo grinned and toasted his beer to Hakkai, "Hey, 'sup, Hakkai? Got sick of that stingy monk?"

"No, actually, Sanzo has been relatively tolerable the last few hours."

"That so? Well, I'll be. What's up? He takin' a nap?"

Hakkai laughed, because he knew he was supposed to, but he was quietly trying to make sense of Gojyo's mood. Was he wrong and everything was fine, or was this an act?

"Anyway, Gojyo, I wanted to have a word with you. Goku, would you mind very much excusing us?"

"Awe! I'm eatin', Hakkai!"

"'Sall right," Gojyo stood up and stretched so he was standing at his full six feet, "whatever you've got to say to me, Hakkai, you can say it in front of the monkey."

Hakkai didn't like to hear that. It only confirmed his theory. At first he'd been offended when Gojyo had declined to sharing a room with him, but the more he'd thought about it the more he had thought maybe there was an intelligent motive behind it. His friend wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had good instincts, and every now and then his intellect caught Hakkai off guard. He certainly wasn't an idiot. Hakkai theorized that Gojyo had only wanted to share a room with Goku because the boy wasn't as perceptive as Sanzo or himself. He probably knew that both of them had noticed an anomaly in his behavior and that they were going to question him about it if they got the chance to catch him alone. Even if Goku asked questions, he didn't know the right questions to ask, so it was unlikely that he'd learn very much, where as Hakkai felt he or Sanzo could deduce quite a bit if they probed for a moment. Sanzo might not bother, so not rooming with him might have been just due to their natural aversion for one another. They never shared a room.

At any rate, if Gojyo was saying Hakkai could say whatever he had to say, even with Goku in the room, it suggested that he was confident that Hakkai wasn't going to ask him everything he wanted to as long as they weren't totally alone. And he was right.

"Very well then," he'd just have to do his best with the opportunity he'd been given, "I was wondering if something might have happened between you and Jiya…"

Gojyo looked annoyed, "Is everyone gonna' ask me that today? No. Nothing happened between us."

"But-"

"I know Shen's being an ass to me, but it's just 'cause he knows what I am."

Hakkai almost opened his mouth to reprimand Gojyo for cutting him off, since that hadn't been what he intended to ask, but he stopped himself when he heard that. "Oh." That could certainly explain a lot. Not everyone knew what red hair and eyes signified, but the people who did were particularly prejudice. It was possible that Shen had been reacting with hostility towards Gojyo only because of his heritage. The possibility of this completely distracted Hakkai from his initial question.

"In that case, is that why you didn't want to stay another night here?"

"Don't get me wrong, that asshole's no threat, but he did threaten me, and I'd rather not get into a fight. I get the feeling he's pretty influential here, has more money than the other people in the town and stuff."

"Indeed, a fight with him could turn into a fight with the town." Hakkai thought about the story concerning the last hybrid who had come to this place.

"That was all."

"If you don't mind me asking, what did he threaten you for? You didn't try something with his woman, did you?" Hakkai frowned at the thought. That would be unlike Gojyo, but he'd acted so strangely to Jiya that he couldn't help thinking it was a possibility.

"Naw. He's just a jealous guy. I mean, look how he makes her dress."

"I see. You mean to say that she has no interest in you?"

Goku looked up from his meal but didn't say anything, and Gojyo took a moment to answer, "Not that I know of. She was just grateful for what I did."

"It was unusual. You don't normally throw yourself out there that way."

"No one else was doing anything."

"Yes, but we would have handled it, eventually."

"Hakkai, you're looking for dirt where there isn't any, all right?" Gojyo sat down again, starting to pick at his food.

"Am I? In that case, you'll be more polite to her tonight, won't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah," Goku chimed, "ya've been sorta' rude to her. An' her cookin's really good an' ev'rythin'."

"I don't know what you two are talking about. I haven't been rude."

"Oh, so you ignoring a woman is completely natural now."

"I told you, Hakkai, she's taken. I don't mess with what's taken—it's a waste of time. Now, if you don't mind, I'm trying to eat lunch."

Hakkai hesitated; that was as close to the questions he really wanted to ask as long as Goku was in the room. If he went at the issue directly and demanded why Gojyo was acting so shy around Jiya, or why he'd blushed when she'd thanked him, he'd definitely not answer, if only because Goku was there listening. He'd barely touched the question and the hybrid was balking already. He certainly wasn't going to get any answers right now.

"Very well then. I'll leave you alone." Hakkai smiled slightly and left the room, feeling even more annoyed.

"What did you find out?" Sanzo demanded, almost the very instant their own door was closed.

"Not very much, I'm afraid, although, I do believe he requested to share a room with Goku to keep us from asking questions; tonight we'll be the guests of honor at a party," Hakkai paced the room and patted Jeep on the head as he went, "there'll be no time to bring it up there. And by tomorrow, when we're on the road, it will hardly matter anymore."

"Guess the kappa's got us then."

"So it would seem. Sanzo, I did learn something, but I'm not sure how serious it is, so I'd like your opinion."

"Well, what is it?" The Priest looked up at him.

"According to Gojyo, Shen, Jiya's fiancé, knows what he is and even threatened him. He seems to be a very jealous man."

"Don't tell me you're thinking about that story about the other half-blood; you shouldn't trust so much in village rumors, Hakkai."

"I suppose you could be right, but then, if Shen is the same man, and he feels like Gojyo is after his woman, it might create a problem for us."

"That damn kappa can fight his own battles. I won't fight them for him."

Hakkai sighed and sat down, "I didn't exactly expect you to."

The town meeting hall was a large building with several stories, and that night it was lit up with hundreds of differently colored lights that illuminated the entire town. The town elder sent an escort to lead the foursome to the place and inside a huge table had been set up and filled with food. The whole town seemed to be there, men, women and children included. People were already laughing and drinking, making merry and eating. The noise only escalated when the four of them arrived and were shown to their seats. Sanzo was seated at the head of the table with Goku and Hakkai on either side of him, while Gojyo wound up on the other side of Goku, with Hazel across from him. At the other end of the table was the village elder, who immediately stood up to give a toast.

Gojyo was distressed to see that he'd been seated next to Jiya. That would definitely cause more problems with Shen, who was sitting on the other side of her, and he could already feel his three friends watching him subtly. She looked truly beautiful in the night, with her hair down for once and her face painted. Her jewelry sparkled, and she was wearing a dress that only went half-way down her thighs. He doubted Shen had agreed to let her wear that.

All night she kept staring a him and speaking to him, her gaze making his face hot, her sultry voice making his hair stand on end. He tried not to look at her, did his best to act normal, teasing Goku vehemently and even forcing himself to listen to Hazel, all the while feeling her right at his shoulder, smelling the fresh, flowery scent of her, eyes drawn to her cleavage and bare arms. He counted the minutes and forced himself to eat, nearly losing what he had eaten when she reached over to touch his hand and whispered in his ear, "Are you having a good time?"

"Uh, yeah, it's great." He took a gulp of booze and forced himself to not look at her.

The evening dragged on and some performers came out; a second course was served. Hours passed and still it seemed like the party was never going to end. Finally, when Gojyo couldn't stand to sit next to her for a moment longer, he looked at Hakkai, "Hey man, I'm goin' out to smoke for a while." He added loudly, "And we should probably leave soon, right? Gotta' get moving tomorrow." Hopefully Sanzo would realize that was true and give the order to move out.

"All right, Gojyo. Perhaps I'll accompany you."

That was the last thing he needed, "Nah, you stay here and enjoy yourself." He got up and left the room before his friend could follow. Instead of going outside though, he wound his way back to the empty, back rooms of the building, passing curious people and looking for some solitude. His heart was drumming in a way it hadn't for a long time, and his clammy hands were shaking. He kept picturing Jiya's beautiful face and flowing body, not sure why he couldn't forget it. What was it about that girl? He'd never wanted a woman he couldn't have so badly before. It was maddening. His hand itched where she had touched him.

"Get a hold of yourself, Gojyo. Tomorrow we're leaving, then you can forget all about her."

The hybrid found himself out in the cool, night air, the rich scent of a garden engulfing him as he walked a narrow walkway that took him through a cherry orchard. Effortlessly, he lifted himself up onto the railing and lit a cigarette, dragged on it slowly to calm his nerves, but his hands were still shaking violently.

Gojyo sat there for several minutes, watching the stars above and listening to the din of the crowd inside, hoping that at any moment the party would end and everyone, Jiya included, would go home.

He heard gentle footsteps on the walkway, took a deep breath of clear air, "Hakkai, I told you not to follow me, dammit."

"I'm not Hakkai." Her hands swept up his back to his shoulders and he went totally stiff, almost crushed the cigarette in his hand.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "he usually follows me, even when I tell him not to."

"He's a good friend, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess. Not like he has a choice—we all kinda' have to be together."

"You care about him though, I can tell."

Gojyo snorted, but he didn't feel confident at all with her hand resting so softly on his arm, "I'm not really the caring type to tell the truth."

"I don't believe that." Her breath was hot in his ear. "I believe you're a good person, one of the best I've met."

He couldn't contain a bitter laugh, "Honey, you have no idea."

"Anyway, you've been good to me and my town. You remind me of my father," she laughed quietly, "he was a rogue too, wandered for most of his childhood and some of his adult years, until he found my mother. She lived here all her life, and he was passing through. They fell in love. Just like that. The wandering stopped. But, he was willing to give it all up for her. Even when he'd known nothing else."

Gojyo wanted to say that it sounded like he was an idiot and that no man should ever give up freedom for a woman, but something stopped him, and he looked at her. Jiya's eyes were glowing in the darkness, her mouth smiling sadly. "I…I'm sorry he's gone…" he mumbled at last.

"Me too. That horrible fire…"

"It doesn't sound like Shen's like him at all."

"He's not. Shen is selfish and cruel. I'm sure he's never thought of anyone but himself ever since the day he was born."
He heard hatred in her words and wondered how he had missed it before. "Why do you stay with him? You obviously hate him. Do you really think that you wouldn't be able to find somewhere else to go if you left him?"

Jiya hesitated, "I'm not sure."

"You're afraid of him." He accused her softly. "That's all right, you know. He's an intimidating guy."

"But you're not."

"I'm not afraid of very much."

"You must be afraid of something. Everyone is."

Gojyo sighed and looked at the stars again, his mind traveling invariably back to the day his mother had tried to kill him, and then to the night Hakkai had died. "Maybe."

"But you are brave. I can see that. Brave and strong…a true man…"

Her lips were close to his now, her hands touching him softly, and there was such a sharp, brilliant yearning that he couldn't tell if it was hers for him, or his for her. "I'm no good for you: not any better than Shen is."

"Don't try to tell me what's good for me, Gojyo. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of people telling me what's right and what's wrong and how I should live my life. Just once I want to follow what my own heart is telling me and find out where it takes me."

Gojyo snorted again, "I don't think people who follow their hearts are very smart… after all, the heart is blind."

Her hand snaked up his side and rested at the center of his chest where that wild drum was slamming against his sternum over and over, but she didn't answer him. Instead she wrapped her free hand around his neck and pressed her lips to his mouth. They were hot and smooth and soft, gentle and fierce at the same time, attacking with a tender jealousy, pushing away the rational thoughts in his head, replacing them with her own, bringing the desires to the surface and forcing him to forget.

Out of instinct, Gojyo wrapped his arms around her back and crushed her against him, reveling in the heat of her body against his, loving the texture of her silken flesh beneath his fingers. He couldn't help it; he kissed her back, eyes closed, mouth open, drinking in the smells and shapes of her, letting that maddening drum in his chest take over all sights and sounds.

Over the years, ever since he was a kid, he'd been with so many women, and he'd looked at them in different ways, seeing value in some, and a cheap screw in others. Enjoying the company of some more than the rest. But never had he longed for a woman the way he did for Jiya. Never had he felt so satisfied and so full. He'd never wanted to be with someone the way he wanted to be with her. It was something his mind couldn't explain. Something he didn't really want an explanation for.

A sudden bang yanked them away from each other, and Gojyo whirled around to see Shen standing there, his face drawn by utter fury.

"Shen!" Jiya gasped. "Shen, it wasn't what it looked like. Nothing happened." Even as she spoke the words, she was placing herself between the two men.

"Jiya…" Shen's angry voice was laced with pain, his fists bunched like he was preparing to attack, and Gojyo got ready to face him, stepping down easily from the railing and glaring at him.

To his surprise though, Shen spun around and ran back the way he'd come, just as Sanzo and the other two appeared. They looked questioningly at Shen and then at Gojyo and Jiya.

"Goddammit." Sanzo hissed.

"Gojyo? What are you doing?"

The hybrid moved away from Jiya, swiping his hand back through his hair, "Nothin', I came out to smoke, remember? We were just talking."

"Well Shen followed you; we were afraid he'd be angry if he found that you two were together. I suppose we were right in thinking so."

"No, because nothing happened."

"We're leaving." Sanzo snapped. "Thanks to your idiocy, there's going to be trouble now."

"My idiocy? Nothing happened—there was nothin' idiotic going on!"

"Just go." Jiya whispered, "I don't know what Shen will do if he saw us…you've got to be ready to leave tomorrow."

Gojyo stared at her, the racing in his heart only getting faster and faster, pounding so hard that it hurt. He didn't like being told to leave. He didn't like this woman who'd just kissed him so fiercely to tell him that he needed to leave now.

With a sigh, he stepped around her to follow the others. Jiya held onto his hand, delaying him a moment, "Am I ever going to see you again?"

The hybrid shrugged, "I don't know."

Then he pulled away.

Gojyo lay awake for hours, unable to sleep, watching the night end and the day begin, until the pale, gray dawn was stretching through the windows at last. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been. Kissing her like that. Allowing her to kiss him. He remembered the taste and feel of her lips and her velvety tongue and longed for her, even as he kicked himself for what had happened. Now who knew what would happen? Who knew what Shen would do to her? He was leaving with Sanzo and the others in the morning, and he wasn't afraid of Shen anyway, but that didn't help Jiya at all. She was already afraid of him, with good reason. Would he punish her for what she had done? Gojyo closed his eyes, doing his best not to think of her face, covered in cuts and bruises from a beating, but the image of her haunted him, and sleep escaped.

When the sun had only been up a few hours, and he was just beginning to fall asleep, their was a sharp banging on the door of the room, and then Hakkai came in quickly, "Wake up, both of you!"

Gojyo sat up slowly, blinking and mumbling, "What?"

"Goku, wake up. There's no time to explain! We must leave at once."

"Wha?" The monkey sat up even slower, rubbing his eyes, "What about breakfast?"

"There's no time!" Hakkai said again, "we have to go, right now!"

"Why?" Gojyo got out of bed and started dressing, "What happened?"
"Apparently," Hakkai gave him a somewhat cold look, "there's an angry mob headed this way: they're out for blood."

"What, more youkai?" Goku was getting up too.

"No. Humans."

"Isit the people Hazel brought back again?"

"I'm afraid not. These people are perfectly in control of themselves: according to the neighbor boy, they're going through the village, recruiting as many young men as will follow."

"But why? Didn't we just save 'em yesterday? They gave us that great banquet an' ev'rything."

Hakkai didn't answer, but he didn't have to. Gojyo knew already. "This is about me, huh? Me and that stupid girl."

His friend didn't look at him as he answered, "I'm afraid Gojyo, what you did was very foolish…"

Goku turned on him, "Wait. It's your fault we can't have breakfast?"

"If the boot fits."

"And in this case, I dare say it does, Gojyo."

The hybrid smiled in spite of himself. "Guess it does."

Ten minutes later, they were out the door, cramming luggage into Jeep, only half-awake, frantic to get moving. Goku was dragging his feet and complaining so much, Sanzo eventually let him have it with the fan.

"I don't get why we hafta' run away," Goku whined, "we can handle a buncha' humans."

"That's true," Hakkai climbed into the driver's seat, "however, we're not out to pick a fight with humans, and I think we should avoid fighting them at all costs, even if it does chaff the ego a little."

Jiya brought a basket of food to the car and handed it to Goku, "Here, take this for the road. It's not much, but it will last until tomorrow at least."

The boy's face brightened considerably, "Thanks! You're awesome!"

She smiled, but then looked gravely at Hakkai, "Drive fast, Hakkai."

"Don't worry, Miss, even if they do catch up to us, I'm confident that the four of us will be enough to hold them off."

Jiya shook her head, "You don't understand. You don't understand what you're really up against. Shen has done this before. It's not just him and a few of his friends from the bar or anything like that. Shen is the head of a racist organization that he started even before all the youkai went crazy. They specialize in killing youkai: they have weapons, terrible weapons, and they're willing to murder. You three may be human," Hakkai's smile widened slightly and Goku looked away, "but that doesn't mean he won't kill you. He's a very cruel man, and the men he has with him are almost as bad."

"Thank-you for your concern, Jiya."

The girl smiled gently at Gojyo, and for some reason he felt like something inside of him was breaking, "Good luck."

The hybrid didn't dare to speak, afraid that his emotions might be obvious in his voice if they weren't in his face; he barely touched her hand, looked deep into her eyes, torn by the tears he saw there, not really understanding them. Jeep's engine roared.

Goku held the basket on his lap possessively, "But it's just Gojyo they want, right? Why don't we just give 'im to 'em?"

"I like that idea," Sanzo mumbled as they started rolling.

"Now, now, you two."

Gojyo watched over his shoulder as Jiya got further and further away, not bothering to defend himself as the other three began tossing half-joking insults in his direction. He couldn't understand what had gone wrong. It had seemed like the very moment he'd seen her in the road he'd completely lost control of everything, including himself, and it was just like falling off that cliff, over and over again, freefalling down and down into a river, watching everyone else get farther away. Now they were on the run. Shen would probably follow them everywhere until they had caught them. No. Just him. He'd chase him until he was dead. Gojyo had no intention of dying, so that could be a very long time. But it didn't seem right to drag the other three into this mess. He didn't like the idea of one of them getting in the way and taking a bullet for him. He'd been that route before, and it wasn't any good.

And what about Jiya? Was it really okay to leave her there? Would Shen hurt her? Would he take all that anger and frustration that had been on his face out on her? Gojyo hated that thought, but he couldn't put his finger on the reason. A woman was only a woman, after all; there were more out there. She had kissed him.

But he had kissed her back, even when he knew the dangers of it. He stared out the back of the jeep until he couldn't see her anymore.

When he turned around, Hakkai was looking at him in the rearview mirror, his eyes alive with knowledge.

Gojyo lit a cigarette and turned his head to watch the landscape go by, and to think his problems over.

The day passed slowly, but they didn't stop for anything. Goku got into the basket after a few hours and ate most of the food Jiya had sent with them. That earned him a few good knocks with the fan. Sanzo and Hakkai discussed the best route to take and the distance of the next town.

"Apparently, if we follow this road we'll come to a fork. There's a longer route and sort of a difficult shortcut."

That caught Gojyo's attention, "There are two different ways into the next town?"

"Yes. That's what the map indicates." Hakkai looked at him in the mirror again, but Gojyo didn't look back at him. With a sigh, Hakkai turned to Sanzo again, "Which do you want to take, Sanzo?"

"The shortcut of course. We don't have any time to waste."

"I wonder if it's even safe to stop in a town, or if it might be better to hide out in the woods."

Sanzo glanced in the mirror as well, "Who knows. We might have to split up when we get to the next town."

"Yes, I suppose that isn't a bad idea." They were whispering now. As if he couldn't hear them. "If the three of us stay in a separate inn perhaps they won't be able to find him."

Gojyo ground his teeth together, but he simply tossed his cigarette into the wind and started another. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about Jiya.

An hour later, the fork appeared in the road; on the left, the road got considerably narrower, like a foot path, and darker, leading deep into a thick branch of the woods. It looked dark and scary. On the right the road remained the same and led out of the forest into a bright, green plain that looked like it went for a few miles. The sky was blue with puffy, white clouds.

"I suppose it would stand to reason that the forest path is the shortcut, since it looks somewhat treacherous."

"Good. Take the left road then."

Hakkai nodded and began to turn the wheel to the left, but Gojyo stood up suddenly. He hadn't spoken in hours, so when he suddenly snapped, "Stop the car, Hakkai," it startled the other three.

"Whatever for?"

"Just do it."

Hakkai's eyes narrowed in the mirror, "Gojyo, I'm not sure that-"

"I said stop the goddamn car, Hakkai!"

With a faint sigh, Hakkai slammed on the brake and the car came to a sudden stop.

Gojyo grabbed his rucksack and jumped out of the Jeep, looked back at them, "You guys take that short cut, I'm going this way, and we'll meet in the next town."

"Of all the idiotic, moronic ideas." Sanzo mumbled.

Goku stared at him with wide eyes. "Wait a minute, you're not comin' with us?"

"Nah, I'll catch up. I'm just takin' a little detour, that's all."

"But those crazies are after ya'! An' if that's the long way then they'll prol'ly catch up!"

"Yeah, but at least if they do it won't matter to you guys."

"Won't matter?" Hakkai gave him a fierce glare, "Have you lost your mind?"

"Look, I can handle them. They're just a bunch of humans. But I can't expect you guys to fight a fight that's mine. I made a mistake, and I'll deal with the consequences."

Hakkai still frowned at him, "I forbid you to do this."

"Forbid all you want."

"Let him go, Hakkai. If that's what he wants…"

Hakkai ignored Sanzo, "Gojyo, you're not going alone. Jiya said that those men have weapons, and we don't exactly understand what she meant. If it's something you can't handle by yourself-"

"If I'm not to the next town in two days just go without me."

"Two days?" Sanzo growled, "You expect us to wait around for two whole days?"

"Sanzo, please." Hakkai didn't sound as polite as his words. "Gojyo, I don't think you fully understand what you're getting into. None of us do."

"It's my mistake to make." He turned away, "See you guys later."

"Wait just a minute," Hakkai got out of the jeep too and walked after him, grabbing his friend's arm.

Gojyo glared at him, "Don't you dare try to stop me, Hakkai."

"I'm not trying to stop you. I'm going with you."

"What?" Goku shrieked.

Sanzo seemed startled as well, "Hakkai!"

"Don't worry, Sanzo; I'm sure that the two of us together will be able to resolve this. At the very least, I have better communication skills than Gojyo does. We may be able to come to an agreement."

The Priest looked annoyed but didn't object anymore. Gojyo got a little satisfaction out of seeing him displeased.

"If you like, Sanzo, you can try to take Jeep through the woods, although, that road does look a bit too narrow."

With a snort, Sanzo got out, and Goku followed him. "If you two miscreants are so set on this pathetic farce of a plan, then fine, go ahead; but remember, I can't wait for you for forever, so try to hurry this along."

"Very well. We'll see you in the next town. I'd say it will only take us a day to walk there."

"And if you're not there by tomorrow night, we're leaving without you."

"Of course, of course. Well, Gojyo, let's be on our way then."

"Hakkai, I don't think-"

The youkai gave him a dark look, "I've already given you this much; don't expect me to compromise anymore."

That look was sharp enough to make Gojyo think twice, and then he shrugged and waved to the others, "See ya' later."