Nine: Stick around

Chapter theme music: Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John & Everlong (acoustic) by Foo Fighters


"I am so freaking hungry, Sanzo! Come on! I wanna eat!" Goku flopped on one of the cabin's beds. Directing his puppy eyes at Sanzo, he whined some more.

"Shut it, you ravenous dependent," Sanzo nearly growled, letting fly with his fan.

"You know," Melinda said, leaning against Gojyo on the couch. "I'm pretty hungry myself. Hey, Savannah." The golden-eyed child paused while ruffling through her bag, eyes brightening. "Cook something."

"Okay! Whaddaya guys want?" Savannah asked, skipping backward toward the pre-stocked kitchen, bag in hand.

"Mexican!" Melinda screamed.

"Oooooo! Yeah!" Chris and Anna chimed in.

"I want a cheese enchilada!"

"Tostadas! Tostadas!"

"Chimichanga sounds good..."

"Mexican?" Hakkai asked, intrigued by the sudden surge of enthusiasm.

"Oh, you haven't any before, have you?" Savannah mumbled absently, producing an absurdly frilly apron from her pack.

"It's foreign food," Chris explained, sitting across from Goku on the bed. "Oh, and don't worry Goku," she added, causing him to spring to a sitting position, legs crossed. "Unlike Chinese food, it sticks with you for a long time."

"Yes!" Goku shouted, doing a victory dance on the bed. "FOOD!" Another solid hit from Sanzo's fan ended that.

The moment Savannah started cooking, the girls made a point of staying far away. They had learned from a number of rather painful experiences that Savannah took cooking very seriously and would bite off the head of any who entered the kitchen. While Savannah was cooking, the kitchen was her domain, a place very close to her heart.

Also, when Savannah was cooking, it seemed like she had a sixth sense.

"Go away, Melinda," Savannah said, perfectly chopping a full head of lettuce in under seven seconds. "I'd be done sooner if you'd just get freaking far away from my kitchen." Without looking up, she then proceeded to throw a wooden spoon with supreme accuracy, hitting Melinda in the head as she reached for a pile of grated cheese. Anna looked over at her as she held her injured nose, trying her best to refrain from smearing Savannah into the kitchen floor. She really wanted to eat though, so she managed.

Anna scoffed. She averted her gaze from the 'pathetic sight' that was Melinda to a much more welcoming one.

Sanzo leaned against the far wall of the room with his eyes closed. Anna smiled slightly, content, which was very rare in her life. She watched as Sanzo absently brushed some of his short blond hair from his face. She inhaled sharply when he suddenly opened his eyes and looked straight into hers.

Anna had a bad habit of staring at people. Usually, whenever she was caught gazing at a boy in high school, she would look away quickly, but with Sanzo, it was different. As long as his gaze held hers, she couldn't look away.

Goku slowly peeked his head around the door frame, watching Savannah cook. It smelled so good that the poor little boy couldn't stay away.

"Hey, Savannah?" Goku said slowly, remembering the spoon to the face Melinda had received. "Can I come in?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Sure thing, Goku," Savannah said, turning from the stove momentarily to smile at him. "Have a seat at the table." He came in and sat down quietly, drooling a little puddle onto the floor.

"You're hungry, right?" Savannah asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Uh-huh," Goku managed.

"Well, if you promise not to tell anyone," Savannah said, as she walked over to Goku holding a plate. "Here." She handed him an enchilada. The wonderful smell was almost too much for the small boy. He practically inhaled the food. Every now and then Savannah would hear a grunt of gratitude between swallows. She smiled at Goku and finished cooking.

Chris, who was exhausted from her strenuous training with Hakkai, had fallen asleep before Goku sneaked from his place at her feet. Melinda lay on the bed beside her, leaning back against the wall with her eyes closed. Gojyo sat on the other bed in the room looking passively at Melinda, who twitched slightly and shifted to a more comfortable position. Gojyo raised an eyebrow and smirked, seeing as Melinda had lounged out on the bed with one arm behind her neck and the other laying across her stomach. Her black undershirt was pulled down a little more than usual and- "Ow," Gojyo said.

Gojyo's traveling eyes were stopped when Hakkai poked him gently in the side of the head. "That's not very nice, Gojyo," he said, sitting down beside him. "Leering while she's asleep." Hakkai smiled at Chris's resting frame. He nudged Gojyo and led him to a different room so the girls could have some peace.

It had been two minutes since their eyes locked, and Anna stilled couldn't pull away. Is he sleeping with his eyes open? Anna wondered. She was seriously considering this option when Sanzo raised an eyebrow and leaned away from the wall as Savannah stepped out of the kitchen, a perky Goku right behind her.

"Dinner's done, everybody!" she called loudly, hoping that Gojyo and Hakkai would hear her in the other room. Anna finally tore her eyes from Sanzo's and looked at Melinda and Chris who were slowly getting up. Gojyo and Hakkai appeared from the back room.

"That's why I hate playing poker with you, Hakkai," Gojyo ranted. "You always just barely win."

"I'm sorry." Hakkai smiled sheepishly.

Melinda, who had just woken up, blinked a few times and said, "By just barely, do you mean by an incredible margin?"

Gojyo sneered. "That's exactly what I meant, love."

They all walked into the small kitchen and crammed themselves around the even smaller table.

"You know," Chris said, slowly. "It might be easier if we eat in the other rooms."

"Good idea," Melinda said, squeezing out from between Hakkai and Anna.

They all grabbed a plate, filling them from various dishes on the stove and counter. The girls sat on one bed in the room just outside the kitchen, and the guys sat on the other.

Anna had trouble not looking at Sanzo during her meal. Every time she looked up from her plate, he seemed to loom right in front of her. Not to mention, every time she glanced at him, her thoughts went back to their morning training and she would blush slightly.

Savannah wolfed down her food and rushed back into the kitchen. Goku followed her so he could get fifths. She stood at the counter, busily working away at a bunch of strawberries she'd found in the fridge. Goku watched her with interest as he slowly gnawed on a chimichanga. "Finished!" Savannah called happily as she carried a tray full of strawberries and a bowl of white sugar out to the guys and girls.

"Aw-right!" Melinda exclaimed, grabbing a few of the berries and munching on them after applying a thorough coating of sugar. She held one out to Gojyo who audaciously ate it from her hand.

"Thanks, Angel," he purred. She openly laughed at him and grabbed several more.

"I love your simple things as much as your gourmet food, Savannah," Chris stated, smiling. Anna nodded in agreement.

"My, isn't this nice?" Hakkai said as he took a few strawberries from Savannah. "Thank you. The meal was delicious."

Savannah's smile grew larger. "I'm so glad you liked it!" she squealed.

After they finished eating and all the dishes were clean, Savannah spun around to face the girls and proclaimed, "Okay, chicky-boos! We're going for a walk!"

Without a single objection, all four girls promptly left the cabin. They were quite used to Savannah announcing this sort of thing out of the blue and found it simplest to just cooperate. A whining half-pint wasn't worth the trouble.

"What was that about?" Gojyo asked, finding the room pheromone-less.

Hakkai smiled contentedly. "Now, that's what I call a meal."

Sanzo walked back over to his favorite place in the room and leaned against the wall.

Flinging himself back on the bed, Goku quickly drifted off, snuggling a pillow, his stomach full at last. A not hungry Goku is a happy Goku.


This really is strange, Hakkai thought, folding his hands in his lap. And wonderful. From his perch on the front steps, he heard the distant cackles of Melinda's maniacal laughter punctuated by a single high pitched squeal from her sister.

It's been a while since any of us had so much fun

"Hey!" Gojyo shouted, grabbing Hakkai by the shoulders, causing him to start. "What you thinkin' so hard about, old man? If I didn't know better," he began, moving to sit beside him, one arm across his shoulders, "I'd think you were plannin' your next move with Chris." Hakkai kept his eyes focused on the trees before him. "She is quite the looker…" Gojyo continued, peeking over to catch even the slightest reaction from Hakkai. He didn't get one. "Sweet, calm…naïve. Might be a pretty easy conquest, if you know what I mean."

"Who knows…" Hakkai replied absently. But, despite his placid expression, that devious nature of his decided to show itself. "All I've really been able to notice is Melinda. She's a very strong and intelligent woman, one that really knows what she wants in life."

"You've got that right." Gojyo stared into the trees, struggling to locate what his friend found so fascinating.

Hakkai let out a long breath. "Someone like that can be very…" Against his back, Hakkai felt Gojyo's arm twitch and then it dropped slightly. Hakkai barely suppressed a smirk. "I wonder what kind of man she prefers…" Hakkai waited for Gojyo's inevitable self-serving reply.

"That's easy. She wants someone just as confident, someone that sees the goal…and takes it."

"I don't know," Hakkai replied, skeptically, wanting to tease his friend even more. "I figure her rough exterior is her way of asking to be softened. I think she's more drawn to calm, mature, level-headed men, someone who will support her and cherish her, someone…" Hakkai paused, "well, I guess someone like me."

Gojyo's arm most definitely dropped now. "You think she'd go for you? Yeah right. I'll have her dancin' in my hand by the weekend."

This is going perfectly, Hakkai thought. "You seem pretty sure of yourself. You mean, she hasn't turned your advances down yet?" Hakkai could almost swear he felt Gojyo's ego shrivel.

"Well…" Gojyo trailed off, clearing his throat. "I haven't been tryin' that hard."

"Really? I figured you had one seduction setting, and that was perpetually set to 'On'."

"Well, I, uh…" Gojyo stammered.

Hakkai couldn't keep the façade up any longer. Letting out a giggle, the jig was up. "I'm just playing with you, Gojyo. I won't mess with her. She's all yours – your shot at the long game."

This simply flustered Gojyo even more. "Hey, she's not 'mine'. We're not 'together' or somethin' like that… And what's this about the long game? I mean, one girl? Psshh. Come on. Does that sound like me? No way…"

Hakkai broke down. Gojyo's back-pedaling was too much for him to handle. His laughter was deep and genuine, tears coming to his eyes. "You're wonderful, Gojyo. You never fail to amuse me."

Gojyo was just about to get angry when Goku's head popped between them. "What's got your tummy muscles all up in knots, Hakkai? What's happenin'? Spread the funny."

Hakkai rubbed the tears from his eyes. "I'm just reminded why being around you guys isn't such a bad life, that's all."

Goku smiled wide. "Great," he half-squealed, hugging Hakkai around the neck.

Yeah, Hakkai thought. This might just be okay.


Savannah loved taking night walks with the girls. It gave her a chance to unwind and let out all the energy she'd built up through the course of the day. Back home she would usually hound Anna every night until she finally agreed, and then she would go across the hall of their apartment building and ask Chris. She made sure to always ask Chris because if she asked Melinda all she'd get was a swift kick in the head. The air tonight was crisp and Savannah inhaled deeply. "Hm-boy! This is the life, I tell ya," she said, stretching her arms high above her head.

"Sure it is," Melinda agreed. "If you enjoy risking your life while being attacked by sweaty youkai every day."

"Ah, but you're forgetting the most intriguing part, Melinda," Savannah said, holding her nose high in the air, trying to imitate her sister by using what she liked to call "I have my head shoved up my butt" language. "We are constantly surrounded by four ungodly attractive men. Surely you don't think life can get better than this."

"Shove it," Melinda mock-snarled, whacking her sister with a pine cone.

The girls continued in silence. Savannah would sigh every so often and get a punch in the back for it. The stars shone brightly over head and Chris found herself thinking back to the events of that morning. She blushed slightly remembering Hakkai's kiss. It had only been on her forehead, but it was so sweet that she couldn't help but smile about it.

Little rain drops began to fall and the girls stopped.

"Aw, crap," Melinda growled, removing her outer shirt and using it as a shield for her 'luscious' hair.

Anna and Savannah on the other hand, smiled at each other and, tilting their heads back with eyes closed, laughed into the rain as it got harder. They'd observed this tradition every time it rained since the day they first met.


It was an extremely cloudy day. The kind that makes people think about depressing things from their pasts. The kind of day that makes people cry.

It had been like this for five days straight, with no rain.

Savannah came running out of her foster home, closely followed by a highly irritated Melinda. The girls were nine and ten and had been with this family for only three weeks. They got kicked out of every home they had after only a few months at most because Savannah drove all of them crazy. They had already been in five homes over the eight months since they were put into the system.

"Give it back, Savannah!" Melinda called after the much smaller girl. "I need that for my science project tomorrow!" Melinda was far taller than Savannah, but always had trouble catching her since her younger sister's endless energy caused her to run around like a complete psycho.

"Nuh-uh! I'll never give you Mr. Snuffles!" she said, crouching while holding a stuffed orange cat close to her chest.

"Come on! I won't hurt 'im," Melinda assured her. "I'm just going to, uh, vivisect him."

"That's hurting, you stupid fairy!" Savannah called over her shoulder. She turned her head forward just in time to see the person she was about to crash into. "Ow..." she moaned, rubbing her head which had slammed into the other girl's stomach. She looked over at the small girl beside her. "Hey, I didn't hurt ya too bad, did I?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine," the blond girl answered. Savannah wasn't so sure about that, seeing as how the other girl looked to be on the edge of tears.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" Savannah asked. "You're a mess." She noticed the bruises all over the girl's left cheek and arm. She reached out to touch them but the girl stood up and backed away.

"Hey, you're hurt," Melinda stated, bringing a concerned hand to the girl's face. She was about Savannah's age, only much thinner. Roughly the same height as Savannah, there must have been at least a twenty pound difference. She looked ill.

The girl inched farther away with a look in her eyes that pained Melinda. It was as if she did this often, trying her best to get away from someone, but Melinda had a feeling she never succeeded.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Savannah said, a pained expression on her face. "I'm Savannah and this is my sister, Melinda. Tell me, what's your name?" she asked, her tone gentle.

"Anna," the girl said quietly, sinking down onto the brown grass. She started crying and Savannah hurried over to her.

"Come on, don't cry," Savannah begged. She hated seeing people cry. She touched Anna's shoulder and the smaller girl turned, clutching her shirt as she cried harder into Savannah's shoulder. Savannah didn't know what to do, so she just sat there. Melinda watched in amazement as Anna clung to her sister. She was always awed by Savannah's effortless way of comforting people and inevitably becoming friends with them.

Anna eventually stopped crying. Rubbing her eyes free of tears, she looked up at Savannah and tried to smile. Savannah grinned at her brightly, then the rain that had been waiting for days to fall, finally did.

"Cool!" Savannah said, standing up and tilting her head back, smiling into the rain. "Come on, Anna. Try it! It's really fun."

Anna stood up slowly, and copied Savannah. After a few minutes, her smile became genuine and she began to laugh. Savannah soon followed suit. They laughed for a good five minutes. Anna was glad for the rain. It hid the tears that were flowing freely down her face. She was happy, but she could not stop the tears.


"Ugh! You! The queen of slime! The queen of filth! The queen of putrescence!" Savannah screamed at Melinda. "I can't believe you just did that!"

"What?" Melinda asked, innocently. "I only ate some muffin."

"But it was the last bite!" Savannah bellowed. "No one gets the last bite but me!"

"And Chouji," Chris added.

"Ha ha," Savannah sneered. "It was my last muffin, too!" She searched her pack pulling out various things. "Let's see. Nail file...cheese wiz...Oh! A volume of DNAngel manga! This one is so cute! Daisuke tries to get up the nerve to hold Riku's hand and Dark kisses-"

"Stop!" Melinda screamed. "Don't tell me! I haven't read it yet!" She snatched the book away from Savannah, breathing rapidly, trying to calm down.

After Melinda had succeeded in getting her breathing rate back to normal, she gasped as if remembering something direly important. "Hey, stupid," she said, smacking Savannah in the back of the head. "Gimme Kakashi."

"Gee, ya don't gotta hit me for him," Savannah said, rummaging in her Ginji pack. "Here ya go, oh evil one," she said, handing Melinda her iPod. Melinda took it, holding it close to her face and nuzzling it.

"Don't worry, Kakashi, I haven't forgotten you," she cooed.

"Hey," Anna said. "Gimme an ear." Melinda handed her one of the two ear pieces and both girls bobbed their heads as H.T. from Trigun began to play. "Best OP of all time," Melinda remarked.

"You did remember to charge him at the hotel before we fell off that cliff, right?" Chris asked.

"Of course I did!" Melinda sounded indignant. "I love my Kakashi and if he should die, there I would die also."

"Quoting Ruth now are we?" Anna smirked.

"Shut it."

"Speaking of that cliff," Chris said. "Have any of you given any thought to how exactly we managed to get here?" All the girls looked at each other.

"Maybe it was some weird warp in that space-time continuum thingy," Savannah suggested.

"And you would know this how?" Melinda snorted. "You failed every science class you were ever in."

"Anyway," Chris said, seeing that Savannah had death in her eyes and Melinda was up for a fight. "I still hold to the 'dream' theory, as disappointing as that would be."

"Nooo!" Savannah whined, forgetting her fight with her sister. "I don't want Goku to be a dream. Nuh-uh. Ain't happenin'. I won't have it." She crossed her arms, pouting.

"Ooo-kay," Chris said, slowly. "Maybe I'm wrong. But, anyway, it's starting to get dark. We should head back to the cabin."


Omake - Tales of Midnight Relief

Goku woke up suddenly. He had to pee. Bad.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Goku screamed as he ran through the bedroom reaching the bathroom door.

It was locked. He knocked. Loudly.

"Go away," Gojyo said.

"Come on, man! I could pee a river! You know that real long one in Egypt?" Goku nearly screamed at the bathroom door. "Come on, Gojyo! I really hafta goooo! Can't you just sit in the shower for a bit?"

"I could shit in the shower."

"Oh God, Gojyo. That's gross!" Goku said, disgusted.

"You know," Hakkai said, walking by. "There is another bathroom in Savannah and Anna's room."

"Thank god!" Goku shouted.

"On second thought, I wouldn't use that one if I were-". Goku didn't hear the rest of Hakkai's sentence because he had already rushed through the rooms and was at the bathroom. "- you. Savannah's in the shower," Hakkai finished, calling after Goku. He was too late however. Goku had already opened the door.

"Hey, Anna," Savannah said from the shower. "Could you hand me my razor?"

Oh, crap, Goku thought. If I tell her I'm in here, she'll either freak out, or be really embarrassed. Oh well, here goes nothing. "Um...Where is it?" he asked, trying his best to imitate Anna's voice.

"Goku?" Savannah said, plastering herself against the wall of shower. "Why are you in here?" Oh, God. This is sooooo embarrassing, she thought. I just asked the Son Goku if he could hand me my razor. Please, Lord, kill me now.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I really gotta pee and Gojyo's in the other bathroom," Goku mumbled.

"Oh. Okay."

The water momentarily ran cold and then the door shut again.

"Dang." Savannah let out, alone again. "He peed a river."

"I asked him for my razor! Waaahhhh!"


End chapter

Chapter theme music: Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John & Everlong (acoustic) by Foo Fighters