Disclaimer(s) - I don't own Saiyuki or ANY of the Saiyuki Characters nor am I affiliated and therefore I am not making any profit from this story whatsoever. Saiyuki and its characters belong solely to Kazuya Minekura and all other respective creators/owners. I am just a fan. A BIG fan. A HUGE fan. A... well, you get the idea. I don't own anything but the 4 girls' characters in the story.
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Gojyo was finally enjoying a quiet ride for once. The monkey was obviously captivated by Suki – even his lametations of hunger had dropped to half their usual frequency. Hakkai was concentrating on driving and whatever it was Hakkai thought of during that time. And Sanzo was...well, Sanzo. Always silent, contemplating Sanzo type things. He turned his attention to the girls riding in the Bug about 25 feet behind them, his eyes drifting over each of their faces before settling on Tryst.
The woman was a mystery. Was she just living up to her name as Temptation and simply being a cocktease? Or did she actually like him, and was just playing had to get? One moment she was warm, almost friendly, the next, icy cold. But then straight after that she was scorching, teasing him with glimpses of just how hot she could make him should she choose. Was she doing it on purpose? She was driving him insane!
It was after one of these particularly heated moments, in which he had received not much more than a smouldering look and body language, that he always needed either an ice pack or a cold shower. Not just that, but usually, Gojyo didn;t need to work so hard, or, if he did, he gave up soon after, labelling the woman as a cocktease. But... there was something ... different about her. Something that spoke to him.
He came back to reality and realised he had been staring straight at the object of his thoughts. Luckily, she apparently had not noticed, as she was drinking out of her water bottle when the bug went over a large hump. "Dammit! Shit!" He heard her yell, as water splashed over her chin, and down to her chest, dripping into her cleavage. The girls all laughed at her, and she scowled in reply, reaching for the tissues.
Gojyo couldn't help it – the image in his mind of him on his knees before her, licking the drops of water from between her ample breasts just filled him with desire. He continued to watch the southbound H2O avidly.
Tryst felt the emotion first. Her annoyance at being wet disappeared as she looked up to see Gojyo's crimson eyes locked on her cleavage. She smirked, seeing the opportunity to torture the lecherous Kappa as too good to pass up.
Removing a tissue from the box beside her, she began to dab at her breasts lightly – temptingly. She then slowly traced her collar bone with the fingers of her right hand, letting them make their way down to the crease between her breasts. As they disappeared below the lip of her top, she chanced a quick look at Gojyo, who (to her great and evil amusement) was practically video taping the event with his eyes, such was his concentration.
She lifted her fingers out of her top, and with slow sensuality, (making sure Gojyo could see everything), placed her digits in her mouth and laboriously sucked them free of moisture, paying special attention to her index finger. She then proceeded to let the tip of her tounge out to gently (and very slowly) lick her lips free of water.
After this process was completed, she lifted her hand to her sunglasses, shifting them up slightly so she could look Gojyo in the eye. Giving him a knowing wink, she returned her glasses to normal, and sat back, looking forward as though nothing had happened.
Gojyo was dying. He was sure. The woman was EVIL. She knew what she did to him – and she enjoyed it. Dammit – Temptation or not, the fire in his groin was going to burn him alive in a very short amount of time. He latest 'Temptation' had made his already inflamed libido ignite wildly out of control.
God, her thought, that's going to go down well on my sexual resume` - "The man who came in his pants because of spilled water." He needed a pit stop – NOW.
"Hey Hakkai, can we make a stop? I need ta pee."
"Why don't you just aim it out the back like you usually do?" Goku asked, confused.
"Well, usually, I like to wait a bit before I flash the goods at the ladies, but…" He answered, a wicked grin forming on his features as he fingered his zipper.
Hakkai hit the brakes with a jerk. At the same time Sanzo was saying "Hakkai – stop the jeep." The moment the wheels halted, Gojyo vaulted out of the car, and headed quickly into the trees. The bug stopped close behind them.
"Wow, I guess he REALLY needed to go." Daja said sarcastically as she gave the evilly smirking Tryst a shifty glance from the corner of her eye.
"Guess so." Tryst said, her eyes a pure sparkling royal blue – the girl had mischief written all over her.
Goku still didn't quit get it, but the Jeep had stopped and that meant…
"FOOOOOOOD!" Goku bounced in his seat. "Sanzo, in HUUUUUUNG..."
THWACK.
"Shuttup, monkey." Sanzo growled
"OW! Hey what was that for?" Goku yelled
"Jus be quiet!" The monk commanded.
"Whatever, I'm going to go see in the girls have any food." The irate monkey mumbled as he jumped out of the jeep and ran over to the idling Volkswagon.
The group had stopped together in the middle of the road through a particularly dense piece of forrest. The tree's were very tall, and very close together, their olive coloured leaves almost blocking out the sun, causing a dappled effect on the cars below. Goku was halfway to the Bug when he heard it.
The snarling of feral Youkai.
Everyone was on instant alert. Sanzo, stepping slowly out of the Jeep, already had his gun locked, and aimed into the trees. Hakkai had one foot out of the jeep, eyes on the undergrowth. Goku had skidded to a halt, a reckless smile on his face, as his nyoibou materialised in his hand.
The girls had also heard the sound, and a gut deep sense of recognition filled them at seeing the boys reactions. They quickly assembled their own arsenal. Suki removed her glaive from its holster at her feet, hopping fully out of the car at the same time. She stood in a loose fighting stance as Tryst also jumped out, palming two of her longer daggers. Daja calmly stepped out of the drivers seat, her hands rubbing her shoulders as though she were cold.
Hakkai glanced at her, as she let her arms drop to her sides. His eyes widened when he saw each of her hands now held four of her deadly shuriken needles spread between her fingers. She noticed his attention, and grinned, then turned her eyes back to the trees, scanning them intently. Hakkai smiled to himself. At least now he knew where some of her weapons were kept – he was beginning to wonder if she wore them at all. Bella was the last to move, stepping one foot out of the car, as though simply stretching her leg.
Though they stood strong, and looked calm, each of the girls were quietly handling their own fear. Though they knew their own strengths and weaknesses, there was no guarantee that everything would 'be ok.' This wasn't just another episode in the show anymore – this was real. Not to mention, if it WAS an episode in the show, surely they would be one shot characters, or better yet, comic reliefs. Daja shuddered at that particular thought, knowing what always happened to those who weren't the heroes.
Suddenly, the Youkai appeared – a larger group than usual. They had split to completely surround the group, being perhaps forty or so in total. The leader (or so Sanzo supposed) stepped up to the monk and growled in a menacing voice.
"Sanzi Ikkou! We are the personal army of Lady Gyokumen Koshou and Lord Gyumaoh - and we will take that scripture you hold, and your lives…uh... and your concubines." He finished, leering at the girls. Tryst made a disgusted face and snorted derisively. Suki's face was slack, and Daja just smiled with polite interest. Bella said nothing.
Goku's eyes blanked. "Are these guys EVER gonna become more original?" He whined. The head Youkai sputtered.
"No Goku, one can't blame the unoriginal for their words – One must educate them to new ideas." Hakkai said in a very teacherly way, his fingers making an L that pointed to the sky.
"Wee, let's educate these assholes." Sanzo added firecly, raising his gun and firing it at point blank range into the 'unimaginative' Youkai leaders' forehead. The Youkai charged with howls as their 'leader' hit the ground, a foul soup of blood and brains leaking out of the hole in his head.
A swift movement from the tree's followed by an elaborate chain display turned out to be Gojyo – obviously having finished his 'business'. He grinned as he walked over the three Youkai he had just slain, his shakujo reeling in. "Has class already begun? Sorry I'm late, teacher."
The crimson headed man took his place within the group of young men as the fight began in earnest. Sanzo shot, continually hitting demons between the eyes as they came in, one after another. Hakkai was blasting away, hi energy balls wiping out five Youkai at once. Goku was everywhere, Nyoibou swiftly knocking out one demon, then another – a fierce grin on his face.
The Youkai, realising the danger of the group near the Jeep, thought to find easier prey over by the Bug. They leered suggestively at the girls, licking their lips with grossly elongated tounges as they closed in.
Daja moved quickly – almost too quickly to follow as her pins flew from her hands, stabbing one Youkai in the shoulder, the others all missing miserably. Daja chuckled nervously, "I guess I need more practice!" She said as the other girls groaned in response. Two knives came flying out from behind Daja, burying themselves in the chests of two approaching Youkai, dropping them instantly.
"Girl, you just need to focus – you know – killing intent and all that shit." Tryst said as she engaged a large green skinned opponent, dispatching him neatly with a slice across his neck. "That's what the Goddess told us anyway."
"Or just pretend." Suki yelled, as she jumped and spun, wacking one youkais head soudly as she impaled another, her eyes serious.
Daja smiled at her friends, "Yeah, I suppose you're right." She started, as a large ball of light swept past her right shoulder, disintegrating a large attacker who had thought to get her while her attention was diverted. The muse twirled on her toes, eyes locking onto a heavily beset Hakkai. He had protected her. She gasped as he went down on one knee, blocking from a particularly heavy blow.
Without thinking, she pulled a needle from her arm band and threw it in one fluid motion. Her shuriken flew across the distance, burying itself in the Youkai's throat, killing him instantly. Daja felt warm all over, as though she was having a hot slush. Where had THAT come from? She wondered. I had felt so …familiar. Tryst was grinning at Daja's first successful move, as Suki whooped in support. Feeling more confident, she turned and continued to defend against the oncoming enemies.
Isabella had been watching the enemy approach, her eyes cold and calculating – she had purposefully been avoiding the confrontation, allowing the rest of the gang to take up the fight. She sensed a movement to her left, and ducked as an especially large Youkai burst out of the tree's swinging his sword through where her neck had just been.
Bella jumped onto her seat, then continued the movement by vaulting over the head of her opponent, till her feet hit the dirt behind him. She ducked as he swung back, sweeping her leg behind his in a practised move. The Youkai hit the ground heavily, raising a large cloud of dust. While it was still settling, Bella straddled the demon, moving almost too fast for the eye to follow.
Her hand reached up and grasped the handle of one of her weapons from the back of her black bonds singlet. Whipping it out and twirling it, she watched terror enter the eyes of the doomed Youkai. She punched down into his forehead in a stabbing motion, her hand still grasped tightly on the handle. The Youkai jerked one, legs kicking, before finally being still.
By the time the dust had settled around her, Bella's weapon had disappeared, and she stood, breathing heavily. The others were cleaning up the last remaining Youkai as she retook her seat in the bug.
A female scream rent the air, as Suki yelled "Tryst!" One of the fallen demons had not wanted to die so easily, and had slashed his sword at Tryst, causing a deep gash from knee to thigh on her right leg. As she fell, a single gunshot sounded, finishing off the dying demon.
Daja was already at her friends' side, her hands desperately trying to stop the bleeding. Trysts' face was a mask of pain, pale and sweating as she grimaced. Hakkai dashed over, his battle weakened Chi gathering around his hands as he prepared to heal the injured girl. Gojyo, Goku & Suki looked stricken. Sanzo's mouth was in a frown as Bella rushed over to see how she could help.
A low humming filled the clearing; Hakkai ignored this as he pushed his Chi out to Tryst. The humming rose in pitch as Hakkai sat back on his haunches.
"I'm sorry," He said "my Chi cannot heal this completely. I have stopped the infection, but for some unknown reason I don't have the energy to knit the muscle right now – it is too deep. I suggest we bandage it, and I can continue the healing tomorrow."
Tryst's eyes snapped open at the prospect of having to bear with the pain for that long. "But your Chi's never been weak before!" She cried out to him.
Sanzo and Hakkai locked eyes for a moment, the hidden meaning in Tryst's words once again raising their suspicions. How did she know that…? Before Sanzo could ask the question that had been bothering him since the girls had arrived, the humming that was filling the clearing finally reached its peak.
As one, the group stared at Daja, even the injured Tryst and the suspicious monk were amazed as the Muses' mouth opened and the humming turned into an ethereal song.
Her eyes were closed as the lilting melody spilled from her lips, the words that accompanied were alien and beautiful. Sanzo's eyes widened as he heard the music, Gojyos cigarette fell out of his mouth. The rest of the group stared in awe as Trysts' injury began to heal – veins sealed, muscle knit together and skin closed over, until finally, only a thin white was running across her leg, which also disappeared, leaving not even a scar.
Hakkai felt an itching on his hand, and noticed his own minimal cuts and bruises were healing. In fact, each of the group was experiencing the same effect – even their own minor muscle aches disappeared and strength returning as the music continued to swirl around them like liquid air.
Daja's voice began to dim, then finished entirely as everyone's injuries disappeared without a trace. Her eyelids fluttered, and her breath came in short gasps as she looked around to each of the stunned faces surrounding her kneeling form. Bringing her gaze back to Tryst, a trembling smile formed on her features.
"Not quite like the show, huh?" Her eyes closed. Hakkai lunged forward to catch her as she fell into a dead faint.
Everyone was quiet in shock, still amazed by the power in Daja's song. Bella's intense eyes rested on Daja, noting how Hakkai was gently holding her – protecting her. Gojyo's eyes were on Tryst, searching her face in worry, Goku and Suki stood close to each other as they watched the entire scene, eyes open in identical looks of shock. Hakkai had his eyes on Daja, his worry obvious in the way leaned into her, searching for a sign of consciousness.
Sanzo was the first to move, his shock meter obviously set at a much higher level than everyone else. What had she meant by 'show?' He clenched his fists as his patience finally snapped. He turned to Bella.
"We are going to set up camp. And then I want some answers. Hakkai – get the girl in her car. You can drive that thing, can't you?" He asked, directing his question at Bella. She nodded slowly, not liking the tone of his voice.
"Good. Hakkai, Goku, Gojyo, let's go. Now." Everyone stiffly moved to their vehicles in silence, Hakkai gently lifting Daja in his arms and heading towards the Bug. Bella was in the drivers seat, Suki on the passengers' side and Tryst in the back. With a strength that seemed unnatural, Hakkai slowly lifted out Dajas limp form to place her in Trysts' lap.
Letting her go, he couldn't help but gaze upon her closed eyes one last time, his concern for her well being overriding his usually laid back demeanor. Before he could think to stop himself, his hand reached out to gently brush across her forehead, sweeping her hair back from her eyes. He winced at his action – it had been a habitual practice of his once upon a time. He turned away, returning to the Jeep.
Tryst, watching this gesture quietly, allowed Hakkai to live the moment without embarrassment, turning her head away. Because of this, her eyes missed his hesitation, but she felt the break of emotion in the air like a knife. She could feel his turmoil of emotions, and realised he was truly and utterly confused in regards to her friend. Yet, beneath that, was a deep and caring emotion – to the point of being almost fiercely protective.
Tryst smiled in silent support as Hakkai turned away and walked back to the jeep. She knew the emotions Hakkai were feeling were at the same time wanted, and not wanted. Despised, yet desired. Hated, yet loved. She knew that particular blend of emotions, having vaguely perceived it from another member of the group. She smiled again, this time directed at the limp girl on her lap – she would let Daja find out on her own.
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