Disclaimer: I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight... I wish Saiyuki was owned by me... Nope. Didn't work. Still belongs to Minekura.

Reviews: I didn't get all the reviews I wished for, but I decided it would be better to let you guys have the chapter regardless. It's been a while since I updated and I must admit I haven't been very inspired and life kept getting in the way. I did, however, sit down and figure out how to arrange all the stuff that was said to be within a year in a year and became rather shocked... There's a lot of dead space in there that I get to mess with if I want to. But don't take any of my timeline seriously. I don't know if it is even close to what happened in 'reality'.

Now, to the reviews. Risu-san, yes, he can, can't he? It's a part of my evil sub-plot, so Sanzo's going to have more problems with her in the future. Chik-A-Doom, again apologies about mispelling your name. I was trying to hurry, just as I am now, but at least I was paying more attention this go round, eh? And glad you liked my 'Bug Zapper' technique. Spellcaster Hikaru, I am sorry to say they won't be training her in the story. I can't write that out too well, but she is going to be trained behind the scenes so to speak. And Hakkai is my favorite, but I love all the guys so I try to give them all equal shares of the spotlight. LIA, keep guessing, it's more fun that way. And I'm glad you liked the chapter. Twilight-to-Nightfall, glad you reviewed. I had wondered where you had gone. FcS, no problem. It also helps others that are interested in reading Saiyuki as well. Sanzo4ever, that had to be one of the loveliest reviews I have ever recieved. I try hard enough to make her a part of them rather than the main part. Youko579, thank you for the review! The only problem with Hakkai teaching her how to use lightning is that while it is similar to chi in some cases, it is incredibly different. Ana's controlling a natural element that was gifted to her through a god. Hakkai wouldn't know how to train that part. However, martial arts are a different story. And Ana is supposed to remain generally unsuited to battle. It adds to her charm. So she won't be getting a sword. ViscountessKiera, welcome to the review list! XD And I know how hard it is to find an OC with flaws. I'm desperately trying to make her seem human, but it is very hard. Tsuki, that was my entire goal. Anonymous, I'm glad you enjoy my story and I started the manga chapter list because it helped me keep track of everything. How else can I keep up with what I have and haven't done?

Chapter IX: Pandora I

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've skipped the chapters 25, 26, 27, and 28 as Roxanna isn't involved in them and if you have read the manga, you know what happens. If you don't, go to your bookstore (preferably Borders) and pick up volume 5. While these are my favorite chapters of the first series, I don't think it's that cool to go through and retype something that isn't in the time where Ana is. Please do not be angry with me.

"Kanzeon Bosatsu," Jiroushin said as Kannon put her tile down with a clack.

"What?" asked the god-dess, fanning hi-rself. "No take-backs?"

"About Sanzo and his company," Jiroushin said, perking Kannon's interest away from the game for a bit. "Just now, I think I realized why you chose those four in the beginning and made that girl to go with them. They certainly imply they'd break all commandments without a second thought. But beings like that… they're sometimes more eloquent than any doctrine. I do stand by that notion."

Kanzeon Bosatsu laughed. "You're digging way too deep. It's nothing that fancy. Those guys just happened to be there. And the girl… she's just a bonus."

Far away from games of gods in Heaven, two words that conveyed the exact feelings of all the company were uttered into the air. "Too… hot…" bemoaned Goku under the intense rays of the sun. The company was now in a desert, much to their displeasure, a week after the last episode. In that short time, Ana had received some rudimentary fighting lessons and had practiced them against two troupes of youkai that wanted to 'play'.

However, in order to go west, they had to traverse the arid area. The desert wasn't exactly the most inviting of places, really.

"An' what's with th' blankets in this sun? Blah!" complained Goku.

"Ditch it if you want to be covered in sand, monkey," bit out Gojyo before spitting out silicate. "Goddamit! You made me get sand in my mouth!" He continued to spit, trying to avoid getting more sand piled up in his mouth at the same time.

Ana sat in the middle, feeling like she could fry an egg on her face. "Can I get a refund on this all-expenses paid vacation to the Middle East?" she whined. "I wanna go to Cancun instead!"

"Scoot over," Goku said, trying to cram up against the side of the Jeep to provide more room for them not to bake. "It's too hot for your crampin'!" He was aiming it at Gojyo more than Ana as Ana had no choice to be stuck in the middle.

Gojyo, much with the brain-fried, snarled back, "There's no room to scoot, you fried monkey!"

"Wha?" Goku searched fast for a comeback. "Then you're a… dried-out kappa!"

"Will you two shut up, 'cause—" She was interrupted by Sanzo standing and turning in his seat to glare down at the lot of them.

"The grave is pleasantly cool," he 'offered'.

"W-we'll shut up," Goku and Gojyo said in unison, not wanting to irk Sanzo further. "Damn…"

Ana looked up hopefully at the pissed priest. "Could you make sure my grave is in Antarctica?" She was muffled a moment later by the two terrified men on either side. Neither of them wanted her to encourage Sanzo into shooting at them.

"Ah ha ha!" laughed Hakkai. "Please sit down, Sanzo. I'm afraid they would rot before they could enjoy it."

"Ruin my fun, Hakkai," muttered Ana.

"Hakkai, is this desert really a shortcut?" asked Sanzo as he settled down in his seat again.

"The map says it isn't as big as it seems. Though it does interfere with one's sense of direction," admitted the once-human.

"Sand, sand, sand, bah," muttered Gojyo.

"Just looking at the heat waves is making me hotter," grumbled Ana.

Hakkai then spoke to the three in the back. "Would you like a scary story to cool you off? I know plenty."

"Uh, no," Gojyo refused, freaked out by the idea alone. "The last person I want freaking me out is you, Hakkai."

"'Sides,' Ana said then. "After the sweat burns off, then we're salt-dipped. And I dun wanna be sandy and salty when we ain't even near the ocean."

Goku looked at her in awe. "You've seen the ocean?" he asked, having never seen such a thing.

"Um…" She gave him an odd look. "Yeah. You haven't?"

"No, 'cause it's too far," Goku said. "How far was the beach from your home?"

"Forty-five minutes away…" She shrugged. "Didn't go that often. It lost its charm after I hit sixteen and had my license. Too many other places to go…"

Goku was, as per usual, distracted fairly easily. He had caught sight of something out in the sand. "Huh? Check it out," he said to the others.

Walking through the desert was a guy draped in his own cloak and hood heading purposefully in some pre-determined direction.

The chimp immediately took action much to an embarrassed and irked Sanzo-ikkou. Standing, he hollered at the kid. "Hey! Guy in th' blankets!" was his way of greeting and gaining the kid's attention. "Do ya live near here?"

"And do you know how much farther this desert extends, please?" called Hakkai, taking advantage of Goku's exuberance.

Minutes later, the two met in the middle and Hakkai handed the map over Sanzo and to the kid. "Sure," he said. "Your map's a little outdated. The desert's bigger now. You should be through in another night."

"For real?! ARRGH!" bemoaned Goku.

"That does cause some problems," mused Hakkai.

"You're travelers, right?" asked the kid cheerfully with a bright grin by way of encouragement and pointing over the dunes roughly ahead of them. "My village isn't far from here. Come on—I'll show you a place to stay."

With that, Goku levered the kid up into the Jeep and they began driving towards the as-of-yet unseen village. Roxanna was happy to see this unknown person and even more happily berated him with questions.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Ah. It's Keigo," offered the teen with a smile. It wasn't often a pretty girl wanted to talk to him that wasn't from his village.

"Keigo, huh? Mine's Roxanna, but you can call me 'Ana' 'cuz it's easier to say. Anyway…" The two continued to chatter, much to the irritation of Sanzo and Goku. She was pissing Sanzo off for obvious reasons. Goku, on the other hand, felt that he should be the only one to get that open, friendly smile that she was offering Keigo. The golden-eyed teen knew he was being irrational, but he couldn't stop the feelings. However, his irritation was soothed when Ana-chan gave him a bright smile and had asked a question.

"Huh?" he asked brightly.

Roxanna gave him a look of confusion before repeating the question. "I asked if you were glad that there was a place where we can eat and sleep tonight…"

"Oh!" Goku said in sudden revelation, trying to hide his lack of attentiveness. "Yeah, I'm glad."

"What's wrong with you, tiny?" asked Gojyo, leaning on the monkey.

"Get th' hell offa me, butt munch!" hollered Goku, pushing at the kappa.

Thankfully, for all other people in the Jeep, it didn't take any longer to get to the town. They pulled within the confines of the walled village and stepped inside Keigo's home. His father, apparently, welcomed them inside with open arms.

"Thank you for all your help, the both of you," Hakkai said gratefully as he began to pull off his cloak. Goku and Ana took the easy way out and just threw back their hoods. Gojyo was mimicking them for a moment.

"Travelers get lost in these parts a lot," laughed Keigo's father. "Lucky this fella bumped into you."

Curiosity getting the better of him, the Sanzo-party social liaison better known as Cho Hakkai spoke again. "Pardon me for asking, but why is there a village out here?"

"Hm. Right," the man was sober of his amusement suddenly. "This place used to be a decent sized town. A year ago, the desert suddenly expanded and swallowed the village up. We're just the ones who can't leave…"

"Is that right?" murmured Sanzo. 'I guess that's another form of the spreading chaos.' Shifting, he dropped his cloak off his shoulders, getting startled and somewhat horrified looks from the two occupants of the house.

"Huh?"

"Whatsa matter?" asked Gojyo with his own cloak in his hands, wondering about the startled and upset reactions.

"Those robes you're wearing!" exclaimed the man in horror. "Don't tell me… Are you a Sanzo priest?!"

"Who wants to know?" Sanzo said flatly, not appreciating the commotion.

"I'm sorry, but you can't stay here," the man said hurriedly. "Find some other place to sleep!"

Two seconds later, the five members of the Ikkou and Keigo were standing on the street. All of the ikkou were befuddled by what had happened. The door to the house slammed shut in their faces.

"Whaa? Why the hell—" Gojyo kept trying to start on his confusion, but couldn't seem to find the proper words.

A long moment of silence occurred as each individual tried to comprehend what had happened. Naturally, it was Hakkai that realized that there was a way to find out that didn't involve the strenuous task of overtaxing Goku's or Gojyo's brain with unnecessary thought. It also helped that Keigo had that look on his face of sadness and understanding.

"Do you know something of this, little one?" asked the youkai, turning to face Keigo fully. "We'd appreciate you sharing."

Keigo stayed silent, ducking his head as he thought over what to tell them. Finally he spoke, earning everyone's attention. "…About a y-year ago, when this place was still part of the town… a Sanzo priest came through." That brought Sanzo's rapt attention to the subject. "He was just resting from a trip—like you guys. The whole town heard about it and wanted to come see. But a youkai from the desert heard about him, too. She came to eat the Sanzo priest."

At that point, Goku decided to speak up with the mention of 'eating'. "Wow! She came all th' way here to eat a Sanzo? Sanzos must taste awesome."

Gojyo gave him a look of 'you've got to be kidding me' as Ana shifted away from him at such a comment. "I wish it sounded like you were kidding," Gojyo said.

Sanzo pulled out his pack of Marlboros and took a cigarette from the pack. "The spider we fought said something like that," he mused. He stuck the cigarette in his mouth as he found his lighter. "'Eating a priest will extend your lifespan.' She said it's a sort of youkai legend."

Hakkai thoughtfully began to speak. "Ah… That would make a Sanzo, the highest priest, like the best medicine in the world."

Gojyo's head snapped around to look at Sanzo. "Shit. Is that really true?"

"Hell if I know. Having never been eaten, I wouldn't know."

"But that doesn't even make sense!" exclaimed Ana suddenly. "In fact, it makes as much sense as saying 'eating saturated fats will make you skinny'! How can you be made to have a longer life except for the part of where you aren't starving to death from eating something?"

When the group looked over at Sanzo again, he gave them all an annoyed look. "I already answered the damn question!" he snarled somewhat.

Back to the subject at hand…

"So?" asked Goku, looking at Keigo, curious despite his earlier misgivings. "What happened to th' Sanzo?"

"The monks with him tried to fight the youkai. They didn't stand much of a chance, so the Sanzo ended up taken. Though the youkai left us alone after that… the desert's gotten wider since then."

"The nimrod let himself get eaten?" Gojyo said in disbelief. "But he was a frickin' Sanzo."

"A Sanzo isn't necessarily offensively powerful," Hakkai told him. "I'm sure he was a proper, upright, normal Sanzo."

The other two men looked on in sudden revelation. "Ooooh. So that's why," they spoke in unison.

"Y'mean Sanzo's not a normal Sanzo?" asked Ana, having never met a Sanzo other than this one and not having any bases with the Buddhist religion.

"Are you implying something?" Sanzo asked, a tic on his cheek just below his eye.

Ana grinned at him. "S'okay, Sanzo! I'm on your side. How was I supposed to know you weren't average?"

Sanzo gave her a flat look, daring her to try and continue to 'comfort' him. She got the hint and shut up.

"That'd make us being here a danger to the villagers," Gojyo said, glancing around the town. "Makes sense. I don't blame 'em for being dodgy."

"I'm sorry," apologized Keigo. "The people here are nice, really."

"Nah—Ya can't help bein' scared. 'S okay!" Goku felt bad about having been surly towards the kid before and was at least trying to make it up.

Hakkai sighed, his hands on his hips. "We should probably leave soon, then."

Sanzo remained still for a second before coming to a decision. Hakkai noticed.

"Is something wrong, Sanzo?"

"Sort of." He turned to Keigo. "Hey, kid."

"Yes?" Keigo's head snapped up at the sudden addressing of the Sanzo priest.

"Do you know where that desert youkai's base is?" asked Sanzo.

"Um, I have an idea."

"Then take us there," Sanzo ordered him.

"Hey, wait a second!" protested Gojyo. "You wanna kill that thing? Since when are we heroes?"

"That thing's probably out of they way," cautioned Hakkai.

"An' she's gonna wanna eatcha, Sanzo!"

"And I definitely want to get out of this desert asap, Sanzo," begged Ana.

"Wait," Hakkai said as he took another look at Sanzo's expression of resolve. "That's your 'ulterior motive' face."

"…Maybe," Sanzo said simply.

Keigo hesitated for a long minute before telling them the direction and distance. "It's pretty much that way…" He pointed towards a direction, though the buildings hampered the view. "North by north east. And it's five kilometers out into the sand. There isn't anything you can see, though. The base is underground. But I'm absolutely sure it's there."

"Thanks," Sanzo said tersely. "Let's get going."

"This is so stupid," muttered Ana. "Can I go back to not understanding Chinese?"

Sanzo had a thought. 'Weren't you were on my side?' Naturally… he didn't voice it.

With the directions firmly in mind, Hakkai implored Hakuryuu to transform once again into his Jeep form. They drove out into the desert, hoping to find the subterranean castle that Keigo spoke of.

It took them about twenty minutes to go the five kilometers, sand not being the best of surfaces to drive on. And the desert was as hot as it had been the moment they had met Keigo, if not hotter.

But when they arrived at the spot, they realized, much to Goku's confusion, that there was no castle that they could see. "Is this really th' place?" asked the second youngest in the group. "It's just a whole lotta nothin'."

"The boy said five kilometers north by northeast—that's here," reassured Hakkai as they exited the Jeep and Hakuryuu went back to his adorable dragon form to settle on Hakkai's shoulder.

"It's supposed to be in the sand, right?" asked Gojyo. "The youkai castle, I mean."

"For real?" demanded Goku, looking more and more discouraged. "How th' heck're we supposed to get in?"

"One… gigantic… catbox…" muttered Roxanna looking around, shaking the sand out of her hair. This damn hair was getting more and more in her way, it seemed. It'll take forever for the sand to wash out. She turned. "Sanzo! Why the hell are we wasting our time here?! I'm getting sand in my eyes and hair thanks to all this."

"The kid," informed Sanzo, "said a Sanzo priest was taken here. If he really was killed by that youkai, his belongings should still be in that castle. Including the Tenchi Kaigen Sutra every Sanzo carries."

"Um… whazza Tenchi Kaigen Sutra?"

"The sutra that rests on Sanzo's shoulders is an example of one," Hakkai said, pointing at the strip of paper adorning the oldest member's shoulders. "He holds the Maten Scripture." He looked at Sanzo even as comprehension flooded Ana's face with a soft 'ooohh' leaving her mouth. "It seems that Gyumaoh's force is gathering sutras."

"Right," confirmed Sanzo. "Which is why we need to find it first."

With that, they began to trudge through the sand, sending up flurries of the silicate behind them.

Goku glanced back over his shoulder when he realized the sand was pulling at his feet a little too much. "Nn?" What he saw made him gasp in shock. "What the—" Rapidly falling downwards, he released a yelp, attracting the others' attention. He slowed, but didn't stop a second later, the sand almost up to his hips. "Hey! M-my body's skinkin'!"

"Goku!" It was undetermined who said Goku's name, but the point was gotten across. They were alarmed that he was sinking into the sands.

Naturally, Gojyo moved to help the chimp, but was forced to stop in his tracks as he, too, began to be pulled down. "What the hell—Dammit! You're shittin' me!" He slid down past his ankles to mid-calf.

"Watch it, Gojyo!" warned Goku an instant too late.

"Dammit," Sanzo swore as he got hold of Goku and began to try and pull him out by the wrist he had caught. However…

"Nngh!" He too fell prey to the sand.

By this time, the quicksand had spread far enough to catch both Ana and Hakkai. Hakuryuu had took to the air, unsure of what was happening as the group fought to get loose.

"Oh, my freaking god!" spazzed Ana, trying to remember every damn Discovery Channel program that had quicksand in it to try and get loose. She was coming up woefully short on ideas, though.

"Great," snarled Sanzo, his eyes flat with rage and fear. "Is this a trap?"

"I'd say that's a reasonable guess."

"Gojyo! Goku!" squealed Ana, attracting the men's attention to see Goku having completely vanished under the sand and the last bit of Gojyo's hair sliding under the sand. Three seconds later, the sand was sliding up over Ana's chin, the girl fighting her panicking instincts to keep from hyperventilating and allowing sand into her mouth.

"Close your damn mouth!" snarled Sanzo to the girl, seeing her panic attack. Ana apparently feared Sanzo more than sand, for she closed her mouth and eyes tightly just before her mouth was covered in sand. Sanzo himself found the sand up to his chin and followed his own advice. As they disappeared beneath the sand, Hakkai called their names, worried to death. He was the last to remain head and shoulders above sand, having been caught last.

Suddenly, Hakuryuu swooped down and snagged the man's sleeve, tugging as hard as he could to try and keep Hakkai from going completely under.

"Jeep?!" exclaimed Hakkai in shock. Jeep's wings were beating furiously as he brought his claws to bear on the sleeve as well. "No!" gasped Hakkai, as his shoulders finally lost the battle with the sand. "Don't! Let go before you're pulled in with us!" Sliding under the sand, the last thing to descend was his arm and hand, it automatically lashing out to loose Jiipu from his sleeve, startling the tiny dragon.

Instants later, the hand vanished beneath the sand, leaving one tiny white dragon to wheel in the air above the place where his friends had vanished, calling out in vain for someone… anyone… to hear him and come and help.

But the desert was wide and empty. There was no one…

Far away from mortal concerns…

"Shit… Hang on," Kanzeon Bosatsu said as s-he folded hi-r arms over hi-r chest as s-he studied the board. "What the hell?"

Jiroushin offered one piece of advice.

"No take-backs."

…Obviously our lovely god-dess has made a very bad move…

Consciousness returned to him slowly. Touch came first, then taste. He was laying on something soft… a bed? His mouth tasted of sand and was nastily dry and gritty. Smell came. The air smelled of… well, it smelled dry. Hearing came to him and all he heard was silence save for the faint high-pitched white noise one hears when you can't hear anything else. Sight soon followed once he opened his eyes. There was a ceiling above him. A fairly bare room… Shit.

'Where the hell… am I?' he wondered to himself. 'I guess that youkai's looking for company.'

He tried to shift his arms so he could pick himself up, but all he could manage was his fingertips and a bit of his hand.

'…And my arms won't move. Great.'

Instinctively, the priest tried to move the rest of his body. It didn't move at all. Dropping his hand back onto the mattress the youkai had so 'obligingly' allowed him to use, he thought, 'Come to think of it, I can't move a thing.' He sighed and closed his eyes. 'Drugs, maybe.'

His eyes snapped back open when he heard the faint creee of a door opening. He looked as far as he could in that direction, but could only make out the vaguest of shapes. "Are we awake already?" came the voice of his apparent capturer. "It's all right; there's no rush." The person came in and approached the bed. Indeed, it was a youkai… just not the she-youkai Sanzo had heard so much about. "If you're stuck in that bed, you might as well enjoy it." He had a chance to observe the youkai dressed in drag when he came over to hover near the bed. "I'm Lian Li, master of this castle," 'she' said in 'her' most seductive, feminine voice. "And how are we feeling, dear priest Sanzo?"

"Like… shit," he told her. 'Damn. Even my mouth barely moves.'

Like he gave a damn, the queenie put a finger to his lip and frowned. "That's too bad."

"Where… are they?" managed Sanzo.

"Your friends? Being entertained elsewhere. But forget about them," advised the youkai. He sat down on the bed and leaned towards Sanzo a bit more, enjoying the priest's looks. "I admit I'm surprised. You're the second Sanzo to wander to my home."

"…You ate the other one," forced out Sanzo.

"With relish," confirmed the fag. "He tasted better than he looked." He paused, glancing a bit more closely at Sanzo's face. "You don't seem afraid. Why?"

"N-no reason," Sanzo said.

"The other Sanzo chanted a sutra and almost wet himself," informed the youkai, standing abruptly. "I thought all high priests were straight-laced old men. A pretty young thing like you's a treat." Leaning back down so he would give a full cleavage shot had he had the cut of dress and the breasts for it, the youkai's face hovering mere centimeters above Sanzo's face, he spoke. "I think I like you."

"So you're already… immortal." That damn pause wasn't intentional, just like the break when he tried to say 'no' earlier. Damn drugs… "Why bother eating me?" He needed all the information he could get.

"After you came all the way here? Not eating you would be rude," chastised the demon as he levered himself up over Sanzo so he was straddling him like the little dominatrix he wanted to be.

"T-tell me." Damn hitch. "What's the draw of being ageless?"

"I see you're not an expert on women. We want to stay beautiful forever, Sanzo."

"G-great. Heh. I know a girl that would probably disagree." The smirk on his face grew, and his eyes mocked the demon above him. "But you're not fooling anyone, faggot."

The demon backed up and away slightly in surprise. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"Your makeup's pretty… thick." Oh, he could have said so many other things about the makeup, buuuut… "But not thick enough. You're absolutely vomit-worthy." …That was exactly the reason why he had chosen that particular word.

His cheek was smarting an instant later as the wannabe-she-youkai slapped him.

"Take that back, priest," hissed the youkai. "You're in no position to throw around insults. I can kill you whenever I want!"

The threats didn't take, for Sanzo is the ultimate intimidator.

"Just g-get going," responded Sanzo. "You're stuck in that ugly body for all eternity. I'm not the loser here."

In a cell some distance away so that the occupants couldn't interfere with the youkai's fun, one monkey was rattling the bars of his cage. "Oi!" he shouted, trying to shake the bars of the cell loose, "Oi oi oi oi! Let us out of here!" He shook the bars some more. "Are ya listenin', uglies?! Oi!"

Gojyo laid on the cool floor, his back to Goku. "Give it a rest, Goku," sighed the kappa.

"I don't think asking is enough to get out," Hakkai told him.

Roxanna didn't offer anything to the conversation. She was too busy laying on her back and staring up at the ceiling. That, and worrying about Sanzo. Frankly, she didn't understand it. Why should she be worried about the biggest ass in the world? But she was, and she had to think about why she was.

"But Sanzo's gone!" protested Goku, turning to look accusingly at the three other people in the cell with him. "That youkai's gonna try an' eat 'im!"

"She's welcome to frickin' try," ground out Gojyo, sitting up and violently clutching a cigarette between his teeth.

"Although I don't envy Sanzo during that," laughed Hakkai, trying to cover up his own worry.

"Yo, get up," Gojyo said, pushing his foot out and nudging Ana in the side.

Ana looked over at him, a flat look on her face. "You do realize this is the first time… Okay, I take that back. It's the second time I've been in a cell. The first time that it isn't owned by the cops."

They all paused for a second. "And why, exactly, were you arrested?" asked Hakkai, warily.

"I decided it would be fun to see how much I could harass a police officer…" Ana said blandly. "Naw, it was more like I was caught driving without my license and Mom had to come pick me up… I was also about… fifteen. No license to even leave at home."

"And why did you do that?" asked Hakkai.

"Because I needed something from the store and my mom told me that if I wanted it so much, I had to go get it. So I did." She shrugged and sat up. "So… what's the plan?"

"Yes…" Hakkai looked around the cell. "We do need to think of a plan to escape and save Sanzo."

"Mmm…" moaned Goku, before sliding down to rest his head on the bars. "I'm so huuuungry…" whined the chimp.

"I told you to quit it," Gojyo said in a non-apologetic manner.

Ana stared at him and rolled her eyes. "Idiot for using all your energy on the damn bars…" she sighed.

"Hm," Hakkai said in a slightly sympathetic tone. "Hm. Before Sanzo can be eaten, our Goku just may starve."

Goku, however, really didn't hear their comments. He had heard something else. "What's that sound?" he asked, looking around the dim cell.

"Great… You're hearing things now?" asked Gojyo, not believing this at all.

"Am not!" protested Goku, settling back so he could rest a hand on the floor. "It's like… paper movin'. Some sort of 'fwappy fwappy' sound like—" His words were cut off at the sudden presence of a moving object on his hand. Startled, he looked down to see a shiny black scorpion crawling over his hand, making the very 'fwappy fwappy' noise he had described. "Nyaaaa!" he shouted in fright, sending Ana off the floor in a second.

"Goku?" asked a concerned Hakkai even as Ana scowled from her now-standing position and bit out, "You gave me a heart attack!"

"A scorpion!" shouted Goku, waving his hand though there was no longer a scorpion present on his hand and fully explaining why he was flipping out at the same time. "Get it off! Get it off!"

The scorpion hit the floor and brought its stinger to bear at the sudden violent acts. It wasn't close enough to strike, but it was ready to sting.

Ana expressed strangely similar reactions to the news. "Wha?!" She immediately decided Gojyo's shoulders would be the best place to hang out. "I hate bugs!"

Obviously she was remembering Chin Yisou's kind attack.

"Okay," Gojyo said, struggling slightly under the sudden weight. "Don't move, okay, or else we might fall on it."

"Come now, you two. This is the desert," admonished Hakkai. "A scorpion or two isn't…" He trailed off when he saw what lay outside the bars.

"Uh, huh," responded Ana. "I can deal with one or two. That many's crushable… but… what about…?"

"What does a million mean?" asked Gojyo, popping the cigarette from his mouth. Goku had shrunk up against Hakkai, wishing it didn't look so bad for a guy to be held up by another. Lucky Ana.

As the incoming scorpions drew closer, totaling over three dozen, the four of them worried not just for their friend out of sight, but also themselves.

As for that friend… His blood had stained the covers beneath him from his rough encounter with the youkai's fists. Gasping for breath, he listened to the youkai prattle after having beaten him, an immobile person who's only weapon was his wit.

"Hunh. You're a cocky little bastard, aren't you?" sneered the queenie, glad to have hurt him for his 'impertinence'. He grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up so that Sanzo was sitting, more or less. "You're all the same in the end. There's no power in stupid humans reading sutras!" he insulted.

Sanzo's face felt sore. So did the rest of him for that matter. Especially his head where that bitch of a man was clenching his hair. Life was coming back to his limbs. Yes… that damn fag didn't even know that his little drugs were almost done for.

"What's so great about a Sanzo priest?!" he crowed, shaking Sanzo by the scalp slightly.

"…Maybe your right," Sanzo said, wishing to reach up and wipe the blood from his face and check tender bruises, but considering the situation, he'd have to wait on that.

"You're nothing but food to me!" the youkai said, clearly thinking he was in control of the situation. Gods above, his ranting was tiring. "Dinner's all you are—"

He was suddenly cut off by Sanzo's fist being planted in his face. Releasing Sanzo's hair in shock and pain, the youkai fell back and landed on the floor. The tables, much to the youkai's confusion, had been turned.

"HGCK!" choked out the youkai. He snapped his head up to look at the suddenly mobile priest. "Wh-what?" he gasped, confused beyond belief. "But you shouldn't be able to move!"

"Your bitch slaps were enough to wear the drugs down," Sanzo informed him. He was beyond pissed. This damn youkai had beaten him up, belittled him, and otherwise was a sad waste of air and time. "You're right, by the way. A Sanzo's nothing but a human. And humans are good at killing," he blatantly informed the youkai.

Away in the cell, the quartet had figured out the best way to smash out of the cell… or rather, Goku and Gojyo had decided upon a course and Hakkai was trying to keep them from doing it as he feared the wall they wished to destroy was one that might bring the roof down upon their heads.

"That isn't a good idea," insisted Hakkai as Goku summoned Nyoi-Bo. "It may be a load bearing wall—"

"Whatever that means!" Goku said as he ran at the wall and smashed it with one blow.

"Oh, dear," Hakkai said worriedly. Ana looked at the scorpions from her perch on Gojyo, who was kind enough not to throw her off.

"Think we can leave now? I'd rather be gone if it means that we're gonna bring down the house… and away from the scorpions…" She gave a shudder and clutched at Gojyo's neck, for she was riding piggy back style when Gojyo had demanded she get down from up that high.

"Yes, let's move," agreed Hakkai as they began to run out of the prison cell and towards where they hoped Sanzo was. There were a few crunching sounds when they stomped some of the scorpions, making Ana flinch and whimper every time.

"Easy, there," Gojyo said to her, trying to calm her down for her arms had tensed about his neck.

"I hate 'em, I hate 'em, I hate 'em," she chanted.

"I figured," muttered the kappa, though he didn't slow his pace.

"Ha ha ha!" laughed the youkai. Whether it was in triumph or fear, that was debatable. "I'm immortal, Sanzo. You can't kill me!"

"Give me a break. You actually believe that stupid rumor?" Sanzo said, his eyes flat and chilling, freezing the youkai in place. "Anyone who thinks eating a human will make you ageless is a moron."

The words shocked the youkai, the emotion coloring his face as his pupils contracted.

"I'm guessing you've never had proof of your immortality," Sanzo went on, pulling out the gun that the youkai had never thought to look for on a holy man, having assumed he was like the last one. "Care to test that theory out?" he continued, leveling the Smith & Wesson M .10 at him.

"N-no!" shouted the youkai in horror, not liking this at all, trying to get away. But he didn't have much of a choice, for Sanzo pulled the trigger and a bullet pierced his shoulder, spraying blood from the hole. "Ow!" he yelled in pain, grabbing the wound two seconds after it had appeared. "Aaaaaagh!" he bemoaned, the pain flaring harshly through his system.

"Look at that," mused Sanzo, pissed beyond all belief. "I guess immortals can feel pain like the rest of us…" He hated this situation. He hated this room. He hated this youkai. "If I hit your head or heart…" he mused, "…I bet it'd hurt like hell."

"N-no! Please, don't!" begged the youkai, terrified of this priest that had violet eyes and an evil disposition when angered.

'This is stupid.' The thought echoed in his head even as the youkai screamed in pain as he fired a shot. Then another. The screams echoed about the room.

'This is really stupid.' The thought was more persistent, but he ignored it. His lips curled upwards into a smile at the youkai's scream of pain as he fired yet another round. But before he could fire a fourth time…

They had heard the screams, unknowing of who was the one that was doing it. But they did know it wasn't good. Racing to the door where they could hear the screams originating from behind, they flung open the obstacle and saw…

"What are you doin', Sanzo?!" Goku cried out in horror. Sanzo froze, and the youkai looked up from his agony, trying to figure out if he was in bigger shit than before.

Ana couldn't help but slide down off of Gojyo's back at the scene, the kappa letting her go. There was so much blood and the smell of iron and gunpowder was in the air. "Oh…" she said softly, her eyes wide.

Gojyo came forward and grabbed Sanzo by the shoulder and half spun him around. "Shit, man!" swore the kappa, confused and pissed. "Torture? This isn't like you!"

"Not like me…?" Sanzo said softly. He looked up at the taller man, his eyes somewhat amused… somewhat… sad… and… somewhat… confused. "Then what is like me?"

The confusion was more blatant on Gojyo's face when asked that question. "What's that supposed to …"

Goku marched forward in a determined manner, earning a startled 'Goku?' from two different voices. However, he ignored them and came right up to Sanzo. A second later, he kicked the priest in the shin.

"Ow!" yelped Sanzo, backing up a step. "That hurt!" snarled the priest. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Hit me." It made everyone, even the youkai on the floor, pause. "Hit me with th' fan and call me stupid monkey. Okay?" Sanzo looked at the monkey before him, the towering anger dissolving within him. "That's what Sanzo's like." That was it; the anger… the unnatural anger… was gone.

Sanzo turned away from the monkey. In part because he couldn't face Goku, in part because he needed the information from the youkai.

'How very sudden,' mused Hakkai. 'That cruelty in Sanzo just vanished completely. I suppose it couldn't stand up to Goku.' He smiled.

Ana was still transfixed upon the remnants of Sanzo's anger, her voice lost. Sanzo… She couldn't wrap her mind around it. The very person that pissed her off, the very person she worried about… He had done this. And it made her sad. Why?

"You," Sanzo said shortly to the bleeding youkai. "Answer me something." He knelt down onto the floor before the youkai. "Where are you hiding the sutras? I want mine and I want the other Sanzo's. So get talking."

"Th-the sutras?" asked the youkai, fearing another gunshot. "The old one's s-somewhere around the castle. Yours is in the chest. The one right behind you."

'There?' Decisively, he turned to get his sutra, not wanting it out of his hands any longer.

The youkai released his wound on his arm and the nails on his and suddenly lengthened. Gojyo saw the movement and his breath hitched as he gathered it to shout a warning, but it happened so fast for the nails shot out even longer than feasibly possible and pierced Sanzo's back and came out through his abdomen.

"Gahah!" gasped Sanzo, in sudden pain, his back arching from the force the nail that had caught had caused.

"Sanzo!" shrieked the onlookers. They ran forward, Ana and Goku barely catching the priest as he fell to the floor the moment the claws were retracted. Ana was holding him moreso than Goku, the monkey clutching at Sanzo's shoulders.

"Hakkai, fix him!" begged Goku, turning to the older man.

Hakkai was already on it, muttering the reassurance of, "Calm down, Gok—" He gasped in shock when he realized his chi did no good. "What?"

"Heh heh. Do you l-like my scorpion claws?" asked the youkai. "The poison in them is fatal."

The color drained from Ana's face and there was horror etched in the other's visages as well.

"You… You stupid creep!" shouted Goku, not sure what to do as Ana cradled a good portion of Sanzo's upper body in her arms.

Up on the surface, two youkai were wandering the desert, trying to figure out exactly where the demon's castle was.

"Damn," swore Doku. "Hot enough for ya?"

"Mm," murmured Kougaiji distractedly, plucking at the cloak about his shoulders. "But that's strange. According to the report, the castle should be here."

They had no clue what was going on beneath their feet.

Doku saw something white in the tan sand and started towards it. Seeing the movement, Kougaiji turned and looked at him. "Something wrong, Dokugaku?"

"Uh, no," Doku said. "There's just some white thing buried over there."

As he got closer, he gasped in shock. "Hey, look at that!" It was Jiipu, partially buried in the sand. "Isn't that the, uh…"

Kou lifted up the tiny beast as he examined it, Jeep so weak from the sun, barely noticing the movement. "It sure looks like Sanzo's jeep. What's it doing here?"

Jiipu finally registered someone nearby and touching him. He lifted his head, surprising Kou and began to plaintively 'cheep' at him, begging him to help and save his friends.

"I don't believe this," Kou said in awe and shock. Sanzo and the others are here!"

The book Pandora, is by Anne Rice and is a part of her Vampire stories. Pandora, by Greek definition, is a woman who had a box with all the wonderful and terrible things in the world. And when she opened the box, everything save for one last emotion fled the box and spread all over the world. Pandora, in this story, is a vampire who was from Greece and opened the lid on the darkest part of human lore back when she was human… the vampires.
MANGA CHAPTERS SKIPPED

Volume 5: Chapter 24: Be There, 1

Volume 5: Chapter 25: Be There, 2

Volume 5: Chapter 26: Be There, 3

Volume 5: Chapter 27: Be There, 4

MANGA CHAPTERS COMPLETED

Volume 5: Chapter 28: Sandstorm

Again I request eight signed reviews for my own greedy purposes.

It also gives me time to write out another chapter, which I've been really slow at doing lately.

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