Disclaimer: I own nothing of importance.

Chapter 4

The white powder crunched softly underneath Sanzo's boots, his breath misting in the frigid air. His arms were folded tightly across his chest, trying to preserve what little body heat he hadn't lost already. His jaw was starting to ache from clamping it shut to keep his teeth from chattering. He stumbled again over an unseen branch, barely managing to keep himself from falling. Time for another break.

He brushed the snow off of a nearby rock, sitting down and resting his tired and partially numb legs. He took a moment to catch his breath before pulling out a pack of cigarettes and his lighter. He took a long drag, holding it in his lungs for a few seconds before exhaling. A thin stream of smoke drifted lazily into the air from the burning tip of the rolled up tobacco.

How many hours have I been walking? the priest wondered idly, holding the cigarette to his mouth. His hand shook from the cold. It must be well after noon, by now. I'm not sure how many more hours of daylight are left, or if I'll find Goku before then. Finding shelter tonight is going to be a problem as well, since I am obviously not going to make it back to town. Baka saru. He switched the cigarette to his other hand as his exposed fingers were starting to go numb. It seems like he got so turned around out here that he was heading away from the town rather than towards it. At least the wind has finally stopped, even if it is still snowing, he thought, tilting his head back to look at the sky. The sight of the falling flakes would have been beautiful if it wasn't for the cold. And, still no sign of our most recent assassin. Taking one last drag, he crushed the tip on the rock, dropping the butt into the snow. Sighing, he pulled himself back to his feet, heading towards the insistent voice only he could hear.

Time seemed to slip away as he continued putting one foot in front of the other, telling himself that he would just go a little farther before working on a make-shift shelter to spend the night in. He wasn't quite ready to stop looking just yet. He was very happy, however, when he stumbled upon a cave. And the dark-haired form of the saru sitting outside of it.

The brunette was sitting against a tree, his arms curled tightly around his legs while his face was buried in his knees. It was obvious from the snow that had gathered on his shaking form that he hadn't moved from that position in quite a while. He didn't even react as the monk approached him.

Sanzo stopped in front of his charge, looking down at the shivering boy and then over to the mouth of the cave. He's obviously freezing, but refuses to go into the cave, he noted, guessing the reason for the saru's reluctance. Sighing, he reached forward, tousling the brown hair to dislodge the snow gathered there as he put his hand on the teen's head.

The effect was instantaneous, Goku's head snapping up at the unexpected touch, eyes wide with disbelief. "S-Sanz-zo," he breathed, teeth chattering almost loudly enough to drown out the stammered name. Slowly, as if to keep from startling the mirage, he reached out one violently shaking hand, lightly brushing against and then grasping the monk's robe. When he didn't disappear, the saru leapt to his feet, throwing his arms around the startled priest and embraced him tightly.

The blonde didn't pull away, resting his hand again on the short boy's head. He allowed the golden-eyed child to cling to him for a few seconds more before gently pushing him away. "That's e-enough of that. S-since when h-have I let y-you hug me, b-baka saru?" he asked, mentally cursing his shuddering jaw.

The monkey looked up at him, tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Baka saru," the priest repeated, looking away. It would never do to let the teen know that he had been concerned about him. How desperately the golden-eyed child had clung to him was worrisome, as well as the fact he still seemed rather depressed. Turning, he headed into the cave. The brunette followed behind him, pausing ever so briefly in the mouth of the crevasse before entering in, his eyes never leaving the monk's form. The blonde moved back into the cave a ways, shrugging off the overstuffed pack he had been carrying and leaned it against the wall. He looked over what was visible of the inside of the tunnel, turning back to his companion. "It's t-too late to head b-back to town today. We need t-to get enough f-firewood to make it through the night. I'll sh-show you where to find it," he said.

They left the cave, moving over to one of the many pine trees around them. The gunman ducked under the lowest hanging branches, his charge right on his heels. "The lower b-branches are all d-dead," he explained, snapping one of the brittle limbs off and tossing it on the ground. "The p-pine needles on the h-higher branches keep them dry. We c-can use these for the f-fire."

Sanzo broke off all the branches he could reach, directing the saru to climb into some of the lower limbs and do the same. It did not escape the priest's notice that the brown-haired boy didn't use his left arm to climb, nor that he was careful to always keep the gunman in sight. It wasn't long before they had amassed a large pile of wood. The monk picked up the portion he would carry back, allowing Goku to do the same. He watched as the boy carefully gathered a stack, supporting its weight with his right arm while using his left to keep it in place. He grimaced slightly when moving the limb, but did not complain. So, his arm is injured but not too badly, the blonde noted, leading the way back to the cave. It took several more trips to different trees before the monk was satisfied.

"Th-that should get us through the n-night, at least," he said, dropping the sticks in his arms onto the large pile further back in the cave. Just in time, too, he thought, looking outside. The world of white had turned to gray, signaling the end of the day. Picking out a few limbs, he moved a ways away from the stack of wood, breaking off the smaller twigs and pine cones to use for kindling. Setting these to the side, he found three stones about the same size, placing them in a triangle. He arranged the wood around them, taking out his lighter and setting the kindling on fire. The golden-eyed child sat off to the side, out of the way as he watched the blonde's every move like a hawk. It was almost as if he thought the priest would disappear if he took his eyes off him.

After the fire was burning steadily, Sanzo took off his traveling cloak and removed the obi, letting the blankets wrapped around him fall to the ground. Picking up one of the quilts, he moved over to the entrance of the cave, using rocks to wedge the top two corners of the bedspread into the higher cracks to create a door to keep the heat in, while leaving a space at the top for the smoke to escape out of. Finding two larger rocks, he weighted down the bottom corners as well. Once he was satisfied the wind wouldn't blow it down, he moved back over to his pack, opening the large pocket. "Figures," he muttered, removing a plate and filling it with the now-frozen meat buns. He set it near the fire to thaw, half expecting his oddly silent companion to pounce on the defenseless food. The monkey didn't even spare the plate a glance, focusing solely on the priest.

Mentally shrugging, the monk moved a little ways back from the fire, gently untying the laces on his boots. My feet have been practically numb for most of the day, he thought, his face betraying none of the apprehension he felt as he carefully removed one shoe. He took off his sock just as painstakingly, trying to keep from rubbing the material against his skin more than necessary. When his foot was exposed, he examined it closely, looking for any sign of frostbite. Not much in the way of discoloration, he noted, relieved none of the skin was turning black. A bit red, but that's to be expected. Some of the feeling is even starting to come back, he thought, feeling the stinging sensation spread across his foot as it began to warm up in the heated room. Satisfied, he gently removed his other boot, also examining the other foot and finding it in a similar state. It would seem that because I was walking all day, circulation to my feet wasn't cut to the point of severe frostbite. Goku, on the other hand, had been sitting in that same position for quite some time… "Goku, come here."

The short boy obeyed without question, taking a seat next to the gunman. With the same care and regard the he used on himself, he gently removed the boy's shoe, noting that both it and the sock inside were soaking wet. Why would his shoes and socks be-- Oh, right. He was sitting in the snow, letting it melt into his clothes for who knows how long. It's likely that he's completely drenched, he thought, only now noticing how heavily Goku's clothing sat upon his lithe frame, clinging to his body more than the loose material should. With a slight shake of his head, he carefully removed the sock, studying the skin beneath it. It was a bit pink from the cold, but that was it. Sanzo's brow furrowed in confusion. "Can you feel your toes?" he asked.

"Yeah," the brunette replied, looking at the priest a little oddly as he wiggled the toes in question. "They're really cold, but I can feel them."

The monk sat back, shaking his head. Well, I suppose if Goku were capable of getting frostbite, he would have done so the first winter of his imprisonment on Mt. Gogyou. What exactly is his body made of anyway…? he wondered, leaning over to grab the blanket that was still lying on the floor. "Here," he said, handing the quilt to his charge. "Take off your wet clothes and lay them out by the fire so they'll dry."

Again, the boy obeyed without complaint, undressing and spreading out the garments on the ground. Sanzo said nothing as he saw the make-shift bandages wrapped around his charge's left arm. I need to check his injuries, he thought, rifling through his pack as the brunette pulled the blanket around himself, sitting across the fire. He probably didn't clean it very well, if at all. I hope it's not infected.

The dancing flames were reflected in the golden eyes as the boy watched the blonde pull out a kettle and a small jar, setting the latter near the fire. The monk carefully pulled his socks and boots back onto his now sensitive feet, not bothering with the laces. He stood, stepping a bit gingerly as he headed towards the entrance of the cave. He moved one of the rocks off the bottom corner of the blanket, pushing the curtain aside as he stepped outside. The blackness of the night was a stark contrast to the brightness of the cave and he waited for his eyes to adjust. There was a scrambling sound from behind him, smaller pebbles skittering across the floor as bare feet knocked them aside. Light spilled out of the cave as the blanket was roughly pushed aside. Sanzo glanced at the boy over his shoulder. He was clutching the quilt around his chest with one hand, his breathing a little heavier than normal.

"I'm just getting some snow," the monk said. The saru didn't reply. Sanzo sighed, bending down and scooping the fresh powder into the pot, compacting it to fit more in. When he was finished, he turned back to his charge, gesturing for him to go back inside. The teen stepped back, allowing the priest to walk past him before letting the curtain fall over the entrance.

Sanzo moved back over to the fire, carefully placing the kettle on the stones in the middle of the fire so it would melt the snow and heat the water. Sitting down again, he took off his cold boots before picking up the plate of meat buns, lightly squeezing them to see if they were still frozen. Satisfied they were thawed, the gunman took two for himself, handing the other three to his companion. Goku accepted the plate, picking up one of the rolls and eating it quietly.

The monk took a bite of the meat bun, chewing pensively. I thought that food would bring him out of this stupor for sure. He should be starving, yet he's eating almost mechanically, more out of habit than actual hunger. He's uncharacteristically quiet and seems content to just sit there staring at me. Did something else happen to him out here? he wondered, discreetly observing the teen.

After the priest had finished, he motioned Goku over to him again. The saru complied, kneeling next to the blonde and allowing him to removed the bandages. Sanzo studied the boy's arm in the flickering light of the fire, gently probing the inflamed skin around the jagged wounds. He seems to only have a minor infection, he thought, carefully examining the injuries. Quite surprising, considering these probably came from the wolf's teeth. He's lucky he's not missing a chunk out of his arm. He shook his head slightly, gathering up the excess material of his sleeve and holding it out of the flames as he pulled the kettle from the fire. Retrieving a bowl from his bag, he poured some of the warm water into it, replacing the pot back on the make-shift stove. Taking a cloth and a roll of bandages from the travel pack, he began to clean the gashes on the boy's arm. When he was satisfied, he picked up the jar next to the fire, spreading the ointment liberally over the wounds before dressing them. The monkey didn't make a sound the entire time, his gaze never leaving the blonde.

After he had finished, he gestured for the boy to move back to his spot. The brunette did so, pulling the blanket back around his still-shivering form as the blonde retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his robes and lit one up. He took a long drag, allowing his eyes to close as he felt the nicotine rush into his system. We need to get an early start in the morning. It took me half the night and most of the day to get this far from the town, but we should make better time without the blizzard. I traveled in a straight line for the most part, so it shouldn't be too difficult to head back in that direction. Even if the demon doesn't know we're out here right now, he'll probably find us when we head back. Wolves are, unfortunately, good at tracking. Depending on where he's having them search, they may have already picked up my scent and could be heading here right now. Or, perhaps he's having them attack the town. Whatever the case, we need to be alert. And unless the monkey snaps out of this daze, he's going to be less than useless, he thought. He could feel Goku's gaze on him as he listened to the saru settle down across the fire. It was starting to annoy him. "If you've got something to say," he said, violet meeting gold, "then let's hear it. You haven't stopped staring at me since I got here."

Goku didn't react to the sharp tone, holding Sanzo's gaze. After a moment his eyes dropped to the fire as he unconsciously pulled the quilt more tightly around himself. "You left me behind," he said, his voice small and slightly muffled by the blanket. "I-I tried to find you, I tried to get back up to the trail, tried to catch up, but I couldn't and I got lost. I was calling for you, but you didn't answer. I was alone," he said, huddling deeper into the quilt, the firelight reflecting off the tears shining in his eyes. "You said, when you found me on Mt. Gogyou, that you heard my voice, calling to you and it was driving you insane. You only came to make me be quiet." He paused, taking a deep breath before bringing his gaze back up to meet the monk's, his eyes pleading to know the truth. "Is that why you came back this time, too? Was it only to make me be quiet because I'm nothing more than an annoyance? Do you--" His voice caught in his throat, but he forced himself to continue. "Do you not want me to be here?"

Sanzo was caught off guard by the question, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. He quickly recovered, composing his features into an indifferent mask. "Baka saru," he muttered, flicking the butt of his cigarette into the fire. "The only reason you're here is because the Three Aspects commanded me to take you, Gojyo and Hakkai with me on this mission," he stated, watching the golden eyes disappear as Goku buried his face in his knees. "But, it's useful to have your enhanced senses around, particularly when you discover a group of demons lying in wait before we walk into the trap. It's also nice to have a strong fighter at my back in battle," he continued, pulling another cigarette from his robe.

Goku's eyes had reappeared, begging the priest for an answer. "Then, why?" he asked softly.

"I left you behind," Sanzo replied, his eyes closed as he took a drag off his cigarette, "because you are the only one in our group that can survive the night without shelter in the middle of a blizzard. I didn't come to find you sooner because blizzards are very disorientating. The likelihood of finding you was about the same as you finding the next town. So, we were waiting for you at the inn."

"You…were waiting for me?"

"Yes. And you were certainly taking your sweet time."

"You waited for me," Goku repeated, smiling for the first time in the last several days.

"Don't get all sentimental about it. It's not like we could go on with the blizzard raging, anyway," the blonde said, feigning indifference. He allowed himself a mental smile as he pulled the kettle out of the fire, relieved the boy seemed to coming out of his depression.

"You waited for me, and then came to find me!" the teen said, grinning broadly.

"I only came to preserve my sanity. Listening to your shrill voice for hours on end is enough to drive anyone mad," Sanzo said, pulling a few dried tea leaves from his pack. He crushed them up, dropping them into the boiling water. When there was no reply to his comment, he glanced at his charge. The saru was just sitting there staring at him, that silly grin still plastered across his face. The monk could tell that Goku didn't believe a word he said. "Go to sleep," he said moodily, retrieving a cup from the bag. "We're going to be heading out early in the morning. It'll probably take us all day to reach the town, with how slow you walk."

"Hey, Sanzo?"

The priest quirked an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I'm hungry."

. . .

"Man, it's freezing out there!" Gojyo said, walking over and holding his hands near the fire. He shivered, rubbing the numb digits together in an effort to warm them faster.

Hakkai was sitting at a table near the fireplace, his hands cupped around a steaming mug of tea. "So, you didn't have any luck finding them either, I take it?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Nope. Nothing," the redhead replied, taking a seat next to his friend. "Not too surprising, though. It's not all that easy to follow someone in the snow when the blizzard covered his tracks. For all I know, he could have gotten turned around and headed out of town in the other direction."

The green-eyed man remained silent, sipping the hot mixture.

"So, how long have you been here?" the half-demon asked.

"I only arrived a few minutes ago," the brunette replied, staring into the green liquid. "I was hoping they might have made it back before us, but…"

"No such luck," Gojyo finished.

"No, I'm afraid not."

The water sprite leaned back in his chair, seemingly relaxed. "Ah, don't worry about it, man. I'm sure they'll turn up sooner or later. And that crabby monk will yell at us for wasting our time looking for him, saying that he didn't ask us to help and complaining about how it's our fault he's been delayed in the first place."

Hakkai chuckled softly. "I'm sure those will be the first words out of his mouth."

"And the monkey, of course," Gojyo continued, "will be starving."

"Yes. If there's one thing you can count on, it's Goku's appetite," he agreed. The smile fell from his face. "I am a little worried about that demon, though."

The redhead reached into his jacket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one up. "I wouldn't, if I were you," he said, blowing the smoke into the air. "As much as I hate to admit it, the corrupt monk can take care of himself. He just gets other people to do the work for him, whenever he can."

"That's true, but Goku doesn't know he's out there. And if he was injured in the fall…"

Gojyo took a long drag off his cigarette, closing his eyes as he exhaled. "You worry too much, Hakkai. They'll be fine, you'll see."

The demon's lips quirked in a small smile, easily reading the uneasiness in his friend's relaxed posture. You're just as worried about them as I am, he thought, letting his gaze wander to the window. The darkness hid what lay beyond it. "I hope you're right."

. . .

Goku sat up, breathing heavily as his eyes darted around the cave. The tension in his shoulders seemed to ease slightly as he spotted the dark form sitting against the wall opposite him. He sighed, bringing one shaky hand up to cover his eyes. It was just a dream, he told himself silently. It was just a dream.

As his heart rate returned to normal he shivered, only then realizing how cold it was. The fire had died down during the long night, only a few dimly glowing embers remaining. Pulling the blanket back around his shoulders, he moved to where he had spread out his clothes, feeling along the ground for the garments. It didn't take too long before he was fully dressed, trembling slightly in his cold, but dry, clothing.

Leaving the blanket on the ground, he carefully made his way over to the pile of wood they had stocked up the night before. Although he tried to be quiet, he accidentally kicked a couple rocks, sending them skittering loudly across the cave floor. He cringed, looking at his blonde companion who was still sleeping. Sanzo didn't even flinch.

Taking this for a good sign, Goku continued on, snapping several twigs underfoot as he neared the firewood. Still no reaction from the priest. Reaching the pile, he wrapped his hands around a large limb and tugged. It was stuck. He tried pulling harder. The entire pile moved, the smaller twigs scraping along the rock floor emitting a sound similar to that of nails on a chalkboard. Not to be deterred, the brunette put one foot against the other branches, getting ready to try again when a familiar click made him freeze.

"Are you quite finished?"

Goku slowly turned his head to face the monk. He absently noticed that it was getting lighter as he could make out the priest's features quite clearly in the poor lighting, as well as the silver gun trained on him. "But, Sanzo, I was just--"

"Trying to wake me up and you succeeded. Congratulations," the blonde finished, sourly. "You could wake the dead with the racket you make, Goku."

"I was just trying to build a fire," the boy said defensively.

Sanzo raised an eyebrow. "Build a fire? More like set yourself on fire. Remember what happened the last time?"

"Yeah, but I've gotten a lot better since then!" Goku protested. "Hakkai's been teaching me!"

The priest snorted. "He uses the dragon."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't know how," the boy replied.

"Whatever." The gunman looked towards the entrance, noting the not-quite-dark sky outside. "Don't worry about the fire. We're leaving," he said, moving over to the pack.

"What? Right now? But, what about breakfast?" The saru hadn't even finished the question before three meat buns were lobbed at his head. He grabbed one with each hand, catching the last in his mouth. " 'ank 'ou, 'an'o," he said around the roll clutched in his teeth.

It didn't take long to pack and they were soon standing outside the cave, the sun peaking up over the horizon. Sanzo noted where it was, looking around the clearing to figure out which way he had come from. Goku was sitting next to that tree when I first saw him, so I came from over there. That means we need to head northwest to reach the town, he thought, heading in that direction. "Come, Goku."

The boy followed him, squirming a little bit to make the pack sit more comfortably on his shoulders. "Hey, Sanzo, how come I have to carry this?"

"Because I drug it all the way out here, so you get to carry it back."

"This thing weighs a ton! What'd you do, pack the entire inn inside there?!"

"The entire kitchen, at any rate," the priest muttered.

"The kitchen? You mean, this thing is filled with food?!" Goku asked, his eyes shining.

"If you sit down and start eating, I'll put a bullet between your eyes."

"But, Sanzo! I'm sooooo hungry!"

The monk clenched his teeth, feeling a vein start to bulge on his forehead. "We're not stopping until we reach the town. I'm not spending another night out here."

The boy was silent for a few seconds, pondering. "Well, can I eat while we walk, then?" he asked, hopefully.

"Tch. Do what you want."

Goku howled in delight, punching his fist in the air. "Alright! Thanks, Sanzo!"

The blonde turned to him. "Just don't slow me down."

The brunette had already shifted the bag so it rested against his chest and the large pocket was open. He had a meat bun in each hand and was fervently chewing something in his mouth. He paused when he noticed the gunman staring at him. " 'id 'ou 'ay ''omet'ing, 'an'o?" he asked around the food in his mouth.

The priest resisted the urge to rest his forehead in his hands, opting to take out a cigarette instead. "I don't know why I bother."

. . .

Gojyo walked through the deep drift, keeping an eye on the position of the rising sun as he made his way deeper into the mountains. Every few steps he raised his hands to his mouth, trying to make his voice louder as he called for his missing friends.

"I'm tired of having to come and rescue you all the time, you corrupt monk!" he yelled to the white forest. The abundant snow seemed to swallow his words, giving only silence as its reply. He stuck his hands back in his pockets, and continued walking down his chosen path. His foot found an unseen hole buried beneath the white powder, but he managed to catch himself before he fell. His toes were already starting to go numb from the cold.

"Oi, baka saru! Why don't you start pulling your weight around here instead of making us come and look for you!" he called out. There was a soft plop as a branch off to his right lost some of the snow weighing it down. The shakujou was in his hand before he had even fully turned towards the noise, his eyes carefully scanning the trees. After a few tense seconds he relaxed, banishing his weapon and continuing on through the frozen powder.

"Hey, Sanzo! If you wanted some time along with the monkey, you could have just said so!" he shouted. He paused, ears pricked for the sound of a gunshot that would indicate his missing companions had heard him, as well as hopefully give him enough warning to dodge said bullet. Again, silence was his only reply. Sighing, he kept moving forward.

Man, I can't believe it's taking us this long to find them, he thought, pulling a cigarette from his pocket. I know there's a lot of area to cover, but they would both be heading back to the town, right? Well, unless his holiness is still out here looking for the chimp. What was he thinking…? The kappa retrieved his lighter, flipping it open with a practiced flick of his thumb. Was he really that worried about Goku? That's not really his style, though. He's colder and more practical than Hakkai. Not to mention he hates doing more than he absolutely has to. So, maybe Hakkai was right and Sanzo had some sort of lead on Goku's whereabouts. But how? It's not like anyone knew where the monkey was…

The kappa blew a small cloud of smoke into the air. "Hey, Goku! I've got some nice, hot meat buns!" he yelled. Still no response. "Funny, I thought that one would work. Maybe I should have brought some along and let monkey-boy sniff them out. After all, he's got a nose like a--" The redhead paused, his eyes widening slightly. That's right. There was one other who knew the monkey was out here. Could the demon have captured Goku and used him to lure Sanzo out? But, how could he have gotten into the inn without me and Hakkai sensing his demonic aura? Not to mention Blondie isn't exactly the type to let a hostage affect his decisions in that type of situation… But, then again, Goku has never been the one whose life is on the line. What if… The half-youkai shook his head firmly, not letting that line of thought continue.

"You stupid, trigger-happy monk! I'm gonna beat the crap out of you for making me come all the way out here to find you! I could be sitting back at the inn with some hot babe, but instead I'm out here freezing my butt off looking for you and your pet monkey!" he shouted. He sighed when there was no retort from a firearm or indignant whine about being referred to as an animal. He checked the position of the sun again, continually putting one partially numb foot in front of the other. This is going to be a long day.

. . .

To Be Continued

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