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.

***

Tryst awoke with a groan, her entire body aching from the workout she had the night before, with Bella. She lay in bed, one hand over her eyes, as she took a mental tally of her aching muscles – specifically in her face. Deciding that, like yoga, aching muscles needed to be stretched, she got out of bed, and began limbering up. At least the rain's finally stopped, Tryst thought as she squatted, stretched and pulled. A loud yawn from Suki's bed indicated the younger girl was awake.

"Morning…" Suki mumbled, as she slumped out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom. Tryst just smiled – that girl was always peaches after breakfast, but before that – she made even Sanzo look cheerful! Bella groaned in her bed and rolled over, refusing to leave her warm bed.

A devilish glint came onto Tryst's eye as she stood up from her stretch and tiptoed over to Bella's bed. She quietly picked up her pillow as she went, and just as silently hurled it back, and whacked Bella straight in the midriff. "Pillow FIIIIIIGHT!" She crowed. The blonde muse was instantly on her knees, her own pillow swiping sideways through the air to whack Tryst in her midsection. "Gaah!" The taller girl gulped as she stumbled backwards; suddenly a little bit frightened by the evil look Bella was giving her.

Before another blow could be had by either of the two, a pillow whacked Bella in the head, sending her flying back onto the bed. Suki had joined the fight – still yawning monstrously. Tryst cackled at her appearance and the three girls began to clobber each other senseless, feathers flying as the pillows tore themselves apart. Twenty minutes later, the three exhausted muses had fallen back onto their beds, panting. Moments passed, accentuated here and there by a giggle or two from Tryst.

"Hey Bella," Suki said as she struggled up into a sitting position to face her cousin, "Why are you clothes all wet? I saw them hanging in the bathroom." Bella jerked, right! Last night! She had forgotten about that! "Uhhh…" she replied hesitantly, "about that – we'll need to wait for Daja – something happened last night that I gotta tell you all." Tryst sighed as she got up and headed to the shower. "Alright then," she replied, "tell us in the car, after breakfast. I'm going to have a shower, and then we'll go down, ok?" Without waiting for a reply, the taller girl closed the bathroom door behind her. Suki's belly growled.

"I know! I know! You're hungry." Bella said dramatically, as she began straightening the room. Suki grinned, batting her eyelashes for effect. "Why, however did you guess?" She said coquettishly, in a refined southern accent. Bella snorted at Suki's poor imitation of Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind. "C'mon, Scarlett, let's clean this room so we can go down and meet Daja for breakfast." Suki's eyes gleamed in anticipation, and she replied in kind. "Oh, Rhett, Rhett – whatever shall I eat?"

A pillow went flying across the room, whacking her solidly in the face.

***

The boys – minus Hakkai - were already at breakfast, when the three girls arrived to sit at their table cautiously. Surprisingly, there were no objections or randomly appearing fans of terror. In fact, the young men looked... normal. Goku and Gojyo were stuffing their faces, and Sanzo was reading the newspaper, cigarette in hand. He looked up when they sat, then continued to read, as though nothing was wrong. Bella observed all this with a raised brow; something had obviously changed throughout the night.

The girls ordered as Gojyo looked at Tryst, "there was an accident last night." He made it sound airy – like a joke. Sanzo snorted. Goku, mouth full of food, sprayed out "Yeah! It was this places' manager!"

THWACK!

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Sanzo muttered, the fan disappearing once again. The girls would all have paid good money to find out where he kept that thing. "Yeah, well we heard you guys yelling this morning through the woodwork – having fun?" Gojyo asked with a smirk as the girls laughed, remembering their pillow fight.

"So, what about this 'accident?'..." Suki asked. Gojyo looked at her mischievously, "well, when Sanzo went to get Hakkai this morning, he saw -" THWACK. "Quiet." Sanzo growled, he noticed Bella watching him closely and pulled his paper up higher. Gojyo smirked, "Well, I'm sure she'll tell you." He said mysteriously. Tryst frowned – had something happened to Daja. She knew her friend was more than able to protect herself, but still... if someone had hurt her...

About to excuse herself, Tryst was stopped by Sanzo. "Don't worry about it. Hakka's taking care of her. They'll be down a bit later." He paused for a moment, then continued, lifting his newspaper higher, "besides, we'll be heading out after lunch."

"Wha? Really! Why?" Goku cried, mouth still full. THWACK. "Because I said so!" Sanzo yelled him. Bella smiled, and unexpectedly bowed her head slightly in deference. "Thankyou, Sanzo-sama." She said softly, her voice husky. Gojyo snorted. Goku, Tryst and Suki all goggled in shock. Bella NEVER used honorifics! Let alone to Sanzo!

Sanzo was slightly taken aback by her open deference. His mouth opened slightly, and his head jerked as he nodded in reply. Then he shook his head slightly, and lifted his paper to hide his steadily reddening face – but not before Bella caught a glimpse. She smiled shyly to herself, pleased with his reaction – maybe he DIDN'T hate her after all!

A minute later, the food arrived, turning everything back to normal - Suki and Goku scoffed, Tryst was laughing at another of Gojyo's jokes, Sanzo smoked, and Bella nibbled daintily on her toast. Everyone was finishing when they finally saw Daja at the dining room entrance. Hakkai was directly at her side, flanking her, a very protective aura around him.

Daja's eyes scanned the room. Spotting her friends, she gracefully made her way over to them, Hakkai following behind. She sat down next to Bella, as a startled gasp fell from Suki's lips. Tryst stared and Bella's eyes flashed in anger as they all noticed the large yellowing bruise spreading across Daja's jaw – which was already fading due to Hakkai's treatment. Gojyo growled fiercely and Goku frowned, eyes serious. "Who did that?" The graveyard voice whispering across the table came surprisingly from Tryst. She looked livid, her eyes such a deep black as to be carved from ebony.

"It's been taken care of." Daja replied gently, aware of Trysts' reactions to such injuries. "Hakkai..." She stuttered eyebrows twitching as she fought against using the cliché phrase: "He rescued me" which was exactly what he did. "It was the manager – the man from the front desk last night – he's gone now." Daja finished lamely, looking to Hakkai for support. Still standing behind her, he squeezed her shoulder gently - the act was not lost on Sanzo.

"Did he hurt you?" Bella asked too quietly, her fringe parting to stare one fuscia coloured eye at her friend. "I don't mean that." She amended, pointing to the bruise. Daja flushed in shame at the memory. "No, Hakkai got to me before anything serious happened." Her hand reached up and covered Hakkai's in a comforting gesture. Tryst breathed out in a huff, Gojyo watching her reactions with raised brows – there was something more gong on here than what was being said.

Goku suddenly looked at Suki. "Are YOU ok?" he asked suddenly, "You can sleep with us tonight if you want" he said, indicating himself and Gojyo. All eyes turned to him as he stared back at the confused girl. Then it clicked. Goku thought the man had attacked them all in the same room! Suki smiled at him, a bubble of laughter in her throat. "Silly saru!" She giggled, earning a surprised look from the monkey. "We weren't in the same room!" She laughed out loud, letting the tension drain out of her body.

Tryst smiled, eyes returning to a more normal chocolate brown at the sound of Suki's laughter. "Somehow, Goku, I don't know if she'd be much safer – not with that ero-kappa in the room!" She trilled, the laughed uproariously at her own wit, as Gojyo turned to her, scowling. "Oh yeah! Well... well... yeah!" He thought about it for a second, then sat back chuckling. "Yeah, you're probably right." He said as he lit another cigarette.

"What did you do with the body?" Sanzo broke through the good mood, his question directed at Hakkai. "I told the girl at reception that the room needed to be serviced, and to be sure to remove the trash. She seemed, relieved, if anything. I take it the beast had been playing his game for quite a while – and not just with the guests." He let the comment drift, each of the group understanding that the receptionist was not to be implicated.

They finished up at the table and decided to go their own ways until lunch, when it would be time to leave – Sanzo, of course, going straight to his room. Hakkai gently suggested that Daja go with her friends to get new clothes, and the girls' bundles her off upstairs, ignoring her protests.

Goku whined, "I'm booored! Can we go outside? Huh? Can we? Huh? I smell fried noodles and corn and soybeans and..."

"I swear to GOD! You're nothing but a walking stomach! DO you EVER think about anything besides food?" Gojyo asked dramatically, a hand to his forehead. "It's better than being a stupid cockroach pervert!" Goku parried back. Hakkai sat still, sipping his tea and smiling, "Ah, the sweet bliss of silence" he murmured to himself.

The banter continued for a bit longer, until Gojyo threw a jovial arm around the monkey, leading him out to the marketplace a few streets over. Hakkai removed himself from his chair and headed to Sanzo's room, knocking quietly, before entering unanswered. He was met with the sight of a gun barrel pointed at his forehead.

Hakkai chuckled nervously, "you know, I really should get permission before barging in like this, but-" his tone turned serious as Sanzo grunted and uncocked the gun, "- I really should fill you in on last nights incident." Sanzo took a seat on the bed, indicating for Hakkai to find himself a chair. He then pulled out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling slowly. He waited a few minutes, before finally asking.

"So tell me what happened."

Hakkai leaned forward on his knees as he told Sanzo of how he had heard a thump against Daja's side of the interconnecting door, then a muffled scream. He had snapped the door open, finding the manager straddling an unconscious Daja, his pants already undone. Kit was out on the floor near the door. The story proceeded, Hakkai neatly stepping over the obstacle of his new feelings for Daja, and the kiss they had shared. "...And then you came in." Hakkai said finally.

"Sounds like there are some gaps there I don't want to know about." Sanzo replied, lighting another cigarette. Hakkai blushed slightly as Sanzo continued, "But I DO want to know why you're holding back on something else. Out with is Hakkai – what else happened?" Hakkai sighed. "Remember, what I am about to tell you is extremely sensitive. To bring it up with her again could cause serious emotional damage – you understand." He gave a dark look, to which the monk nodded.

"In her world, Daja had an identical twin sister, named Dani. They shared a… special bond… almost like telepathy." Sanzo nodded again – this was not uncommon. "Dani was the more creative one, in a way. Daja said she learnt more about herself from Dani than she did her own heart." He stuttered here, and Sanzo looked at him sharply. "Dani was also a musician, and the pair would sing duets together, performing for their family and friends – it was clear they had real talent. On the day of their first official audition, they pulled off a marvellously complex piece, and the academy immediately signed them up, promising big things."

"On the way home, their car was hit by a drunk driver." Hakkai could see Sanzo was a bit confused by this term, but understood the meaning. He continued, "Daja's mother was killed instantly, and Dani was severely injured. Daja also had internal injuries." His teeth clenched, but he continued. "In the ambulance on the way home, it was revealed that a rib had punctured Daja's heart. Unfortunately, Dani's spinal injuries were even more severe, and she died on the way to the hospital. The only way to save Daja, was to give her a heart transplant." Sanzo's eyes widened, his mouth opening in shock.

"Her father, while conscious, gave permission, and Dani's heart was given to Daja, of course, being an exact match. When Daja woke up, her father tried to explain what had happened, but she kept screaming for Dani, asking them to rip out the heart and give it back to her sister. Even though there was no other way – she blamed herself."

They sat in silence, Sanzo taking this latest travesty well – considering. "What about now?" He asked suddenly. Hakkai looked up, confused. "Does she still blame herself?" Hakkai smiled softly, understanding Sanzo underlying meaning. "No, not anymore. She says she feels lucky. She said 'if I ever want to hear her, all I have to do is listen with my heart – and I know she is right there with me'." Sanzo raised an eyebrow, impressed, despite himself – the girl was wiser than he thought.

"He dad remarried six years later. She says the woman is alright, but for some reason the new wife always feels like she is competing against two." Hakkai smiled at the small joke Daja had made earlier.

Sanzo huffed, "Well, that's one we know a bit more about. The other two I'm not concerned over. Though that Tryst is a pain in the ass, and the small one keeps asking me how I don the 'Magic Fan' trick – is freakin' annoying!" Hakkai hid a wide grin behind his hand at this, coughing to mask his laugh. Sanzo growled, "And then there's that other one, Isabella – I don't trust her." He puffed on his cigarette, considering the mysterious girl.

"Why not?"

"She's too freaking mysterious – always hiding her face. Not to mention, we STILL don't know what kind of weapon she carried." Sanzo grumbled, running out of reasons. "Well, her weapon is effective, no matter what it is – we've seen the proof of that. As for her face, well, maybe she is ashamed of her looks, or disfigured…"

"She's not. She couldn't be." Sanzo cut in. Hakkai stayed silent, wisely allowing this comment to pass as Sanzo's eyebrows gathered, and her realised his mistake. "Whatever. Why don't you go find Gojyo and Goku – and while you're at it, get me some smokes." He turned away, grabbing his paper and glasses as he stripped off the top layer of his priests robes.

Hakkai stood in silence and left, still surprised that the incorruptible and great monk, Sanzo, could make himself embarrassed.

***

The girls were twittering and fluttering around Daja as they got her washed, clothed and fed. Daja let them, knowing it was their way of worrying. Bella just stood to the side, leaning against the wall. "You wanna talk about it?" She asked quietly. "No," Daja replied, "I feel much better after talking with Hakkai."

"Who said I was talking about what happened in YOUR room? I know that look, Daj' – I wan to know what happened in Hakkai's room." Bella grinned toothily, her gleaming whites, and slightly elongated canines forming a purely evil grin. Daja flushed pink. Tryst and Suki dropped what they were doing and bolted to kneel at Daja's feet. "You DIDN'T!" Suki practically cried, her eyes wide and excited.

"Well, yeah – nothing heavy!" she amended, to Trysts great disappointment. "We kissed… and it was… amazing." Her eyes misted over as everyone made 'oooh' noises and squealed in excitement. Daja blushed a deeper shade of red, yelling, "God! You guys are SUCH children!" Her huge grin betraying her loud tone.

Tryst counted on her fingers, "So… that's Goku and Suki down, now Hakkai and Daja…" she said thoughtfully, as Suki cried, "I am NOT a statistic!" Tryst ignored her as she continued, "that just leaves us two, Bella." She grinned evilly at the sweating blonde. "Uh… I think you've got that covered for the both of us." Bella replied shakily, sweat dropping. "Well, in that case, I've got my eyes set firmly on that hunky half breed, although, I do give the moody monk points for having a great ass." Tryst replied, finger to her lip in thought. "Great alliteration." Bella growled, secretly pleased Tryst had chosen not to pursue Sanzo, though she didn't think there would be much action that way, anyway.

Suddenly, Bella remembered her 'meeting' last night. "Hey, guys, something else happened last night…" The girls stopped giggling with each other, and turned to Bella curiously. "I met Kougaiji last night." Somewhere in the next room, Bella was sure she heard a pin drop.

"WHAT?!" Came three equally shocked screams.

The blonde sighed, wondering how she was going to explain this one. "Well, I went outside for some fresh air…" She told her story, neatly skipping over what she was doing out in the rain. The girls face switched from shocked to concerned as they realised the implications of Kougaiji seeing Bella, and if the boys happened to find out about that.

"Should I tell them?" Bella asked finally. "No!" Tryst cried, "Yes!" Said Suki, "I think so" Daja replied quietly. Tryst panicked, " But what if they all start hating on us again?" Gojyo had finally lost most of that suspicious glint in his eye whenever he spoke to her – she didn't want to bring it back. "But what if this comes back to bite us in the ass – like 2 days ago?" Suki asked, trying to convince the others. "I can't lie to Hakkai anymore." Daja said, still quiet, "I told him about Dani." She added. The other girls were a bit taken aback, but they knew Daja had already made up her mind about that.

Bella sighed again, "Ok – so, we tell them. BUT, we tell them when we make camp tonight – that way, they can sleep it off, rather than mull over it in the car for hours. Agreed?" She gave each of the girls a firm look. Suki nodded eagerly, excited. Daja inclined her head, relief in her eyes. Tryst looked fearful, but resigned. Decisions made, the girls decided to pack their things and get ready to head out.

It was midday when Suki's stomach started growling. "Listen!" She said seriously. The girls all quietened, listening to the groans and grumbles of her stomach. "It's saying fooooood!" They all groaned in laughter, and Bella slung and arm around the young fire head. "Alright you guys, you hungry? – let's go meet the boys for lunch."

"Yeah yeah yeah yeah!" Suki squealed, grabbing her bag and her glaive in anticipation. "We know YOU'RE hungry! She was asking US, knucklehead!" Laughed Tryst, as Daja nodded in agreement. Joking about what kinds of new foods they were going to try today, the girls headed downstairs.

***

END CHAPTER 11