Bad Blood- A Startling Similarity

"Another beautiful day," Karin said allowing the warm morning breeze hit her.

"It certainly is, "Hakkai agreed from beside her.

"ACHOO!" Sanzo sneezed and wiped his noise. "Why aren't you riding that mangy fur ball?"

"Chihiro's not feeling very well today, so she's taking a break," Karin told him.

It was a week after their little entanglement with their worst fears and everything was back to normal. "Ah…so when's the next town Hakkai? My back is aching," Ran said sitting up and rubbing her back.

"I believe we should be there in another hour or so," Hakkai answered smiling.

"Okay. I think I can last that long."

"I can't…my stomach's going to shrivel up into nothing," Goku complained.

"Now if only the same thing would happen with your mouth," Gojyo said whimsically.

"What was that? Like you're one to talk," Goku shot at him.

"Can you guys just shut up for an hour please?" Ran asked already feeling a head ache coming on. "Then you can fight all you want."

"I wouldn't tell them that, or they might take you up on that offer," Hakkai warned her good-naturedly.

"Better back at town where I can leave if needed than stuck in the car," Ran replied holding her head.

"Well since you're stuck back here…maybe I can provide a little distraction," Gojyo said placing his hands on her shoulders and starting to rub them.

"Move your hands now or I'll remove them for you," Ran muttered, though secretly she had been enjoying it.

"Hey Karin, how are your shoulder's feeling?" Hakkai asked her casually.

"A little stiff," Karin admitted.

"How about when we get into town I ease some of that tension?"

"That sounds delightful."

"Are you trying to start something, Hakkai?" Gojyo asked him in annoyance.

"I might be," Hakkai replied provokingly.

"Shut up all of you…sneeze….I'm having enough…sneeze…problems with that cat…sneeze," Sanzo said angrily pointing his gun at them all.

Everyone quieted down after that. Once they reached the next town all of them were grateful to get out of the car, especially Sanzo.

Ran leaped out of the jeep and headed into the inn first hoping for some water and maybe some headache medicine. "Welcome. I'll be with you in a moment," a young male voice called from the room to the right.

"Wow, this is a very nice inn," Hakkai said coming in behind her.

"I'll bet I can get all sorts of good food here," Goku exclaimed looking around.

"Alright so what can I…" a young man walked into the room and stopped when he saw who was in there.

He had light brown hair and bright green eyes that had gone from happy and helpful to searching and hateful in seconds. "Umi nii-san," Karin exclaimed happily.

Ran stared at him a small smile spreading across her face. "Umi…it's good to see you again," she said stepping forward wearily.

"Get out," he said shortly.

"You're not still…" Ran started trying to speak to him.

"I said get out…now," he repeated anger flaring in his voice.

"Hey, buddy, where do you get off--" Gojyo began but Ran stopped him.

"Gojyo, its fine. I'll leave." She turned to look at him. "They can stay can't they?"

"Depends, are they friends of yours?" He asked.

"They gave me a ride here, that's all," Ran replied before backing out the door. "Later."

She vanished through the door and into the streets…and Gojyo could have sworn he spotted some tears in her eyes. "So about our rooms," Sanzo said bringing attention back to them.

"Sanzo," Goku exclaimed surprised.

"She chose what she wanted already. I am not sleeping outside."

"Make yourselves at home," Umi told them.

"Ran, wait up!" Karin called after her friend.

"Go back, Karin, he didn't tell YOU to get out."

"He might as well have. And what about you? Where were you planning to go?"

"I'd probably find a roof top or something…I might just camp out like we always do on the road," Ran replied.

"But what if you get attacked or something?" Karin asked worried.

"Karin…I've been fighting demons as long as you have. I think I can take care of myself," Ran replied shaking her head.

"But what if…" Karin started.

"Karin, I know you're worried…but I just want to be alone for awhile. You really should go back to the inn…I'm sure the others are waiting for you."

Karin looked at her reproachfully but decided not to argue about it anymore. "If that's what you want," she said before heading back, though reluctantly.

"So you came back after all," Hakkai said looking somewhat surprised but pleased all the same.

"Unfortunately there are only four rooms left that are available and I'm not sharing mine," Sanzo said putting his foot down.

"That's okay…Goku can stay in Gojyo's room," Hakkai said making the decision right there.

"Oh heck no…the monkey is not staying in my room," Gojyo stated matter of factly. "I don't want him in there…it'll make it difficult to pick up chicks."

"So you would rather have another female sleep out in the cold?" Hakkai asked with surprise. "And here I thought you were a ladies man, Gojyo."

"I don't mind," Karin spoke up, not that anyone heard of course.

"Well…she could always stay with me if you're worried," Gojyo said smiling.

"How do you expect her to get any sleep if she's sleeping with you?" Hakkai asked his smile disappearing slightly.

"I don't," Gojyo replied smirking.

"You're lucky Ran isn't around to hear you say that…she'd probably plow her hammer through your skull," Hakkai reminded him.

"Guys, really I don't mind sleeping outside," Karin spoke out again…but still no one was listening.

"I guess it would be bad if she stayed with me anyway…after all I'm sure you'd prefer her to stay with you," Gojyo shot back. Karin's face turned as red as Ran's hair and Hakkai smile was slowly turning rather baleful.

BANG! "Now I don't care for your little lovers quarrel, so choose a room already monkey," Sanzo commanded pointing his gun at them all.

"I want to stay with you Sanzo," Goku answered immediately.

"No."

"But you said I could pick a room."

"Any room but mine."

"Fine then, I'll stay with Hakkai…he at least let's me eat."

"Fine. If any of you have any further objections, keep them to yourselves," Sanzo said before heading up to his room.

"Hey Karin, any idea where Ran headed off to?" Gojyo inquired.

"Probably to look for a nice rooftop, but I don't think now is a great time," Karin warned.

"Why not?" Gojyo asked surprised.

"She says she wants to be alone…when she gets like that its best not to bother her," Karin explained.

"Does it have to do with that jerk downstairs?" Gojyo asked angrily.

"That jerk happens to be her big brother," Karin explained once more.

"You're kidding…that guy's her brother?" Gojyo asked flabbergasted.

"I didn't even know Ran had a brother," Goku exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Why is it he told her to leave if she is his younger sister?" Hakkai asked confused.

"I'm not even clear on all of the details," Karin admitted. "All I know is that he left shortly after her sister died."

"I wonder what reason he'd have to hate her," Goku wondered aloud.

"I honestly don't think he hates her. It's hard to hate someone who shares your blood. It's that whole kinship concept. But if you really want to know, you'd have to ask her directly," Karin said.

"Thanks for the advice," Gojyo said heading downstairs.

"Is there something I can get for you?" Umi asked as Gojyo passed by on his way out.

"No, I think you've done enough," Gojyo replied coldly before heading out the door.

Karin sat beside the window with her arms resting on the window sill, looking out at the stars. She still could hardly believe that they ran into Umi nii-san like this. It made her wonder if her own brothers were still alive or not. And maybe even…

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, pulling her out of her thoughts. "It's unlocked," she called.

She heard the door open and heard Hakkai tell her, "I brought you some left over dinner. I wasn't sure if you were hungry or not but I figured you should at least eat something."

"Sorry, I guess I lost track of time," Karin apologized.

Hakkai stepped in and set the food on the bedside table. "Something on your mind?" he asked sitting down next to her.

"I'm just really worried about Ran," Karin replied.

"I'm sure she's fine. She's a tough one and right now Gojyo's probably trying to help out but only making it worse," Hakkai told her with a smile.

Karin laughed. "I dunno, I think that he should be able to do something."

"Gojyo can be an insightful person if he feels inclined to be," Hakkai agreed. Then he asked in light curiosity, "Do you by any chance have any siblings of your own?"

Karin looked at him. "Well… I did. I'm not sure where they are now, but I have three older brothers."

"What happened to them?"

"They all left, one by one, until it was me and mom."

"Did they leave on bad notes?" Hakkai asked curiously.

"Not particularly…they just wanted to get out and get away. I guess they figured I'd be fine on my own," Karin explained looking at a time only she could see.

"I see. Well that's a good thing," Hakkai said watching her.

"What about you, Hakkai? Did you have any siblings?"

"I was raised in an orphanage, so I can't really say. I did manage to find one of my siblings… but she's gone now."

"Oh… I'm sorry," Karin said apologetically.

He shook his head. "It's alright." Then on a lighter note, he asked her, "So, are your shoulders still sore?"

"A little," Karin replied not catching on to the implication of his question.

"Would you still like a massage?" he asked softly.

"I thought you were joking about that," Karin replied surprised.

"Only half way," Hakkai admitted. "I am a man of my word after all." He moved forward a little and placed his hands on her shoulders and started rubbing them. "Is this alright…or should I stop?"

Karin had tensed at first with introversion, but as his fingers gently kneaded into her tense muscles she immediately relaxed. "No… it's fine. That feels… really nice," Karin whispered as her eyes closed.

Hakkai chuckled a little bit and continued to rub her shoulders kneading all the knots out of them. "I'm glad. Just tell me when you want me to stop."

Karin laughed softly, "If that's the case then you'll be at it for some time."

Hakkai let out another light chuckle. "That's just fine with me."

"There you are…I've been looking all over for you," Gojyo said climbing onto the last building in town.

"Gojyo…what do you want?" Ran retorted staring at the star filled sky.

"Come on, would I really be a gentleman if I just let a pretty girl sit out here by herself?"

"Oh, you're supposed to be a gentleman?" Ran asked in false surprise.

"Well, you're supposed to be a lady so I guess we're even," Gojyo said sitting down nearby.

"Toushe," Ran said with a laugh. "Alright then I guess I won't hit you if you join me."

Gojyo smiled and climbed up the rest of the way before moving to lie down close to her. "So that guy in there was that brother of yours, huh? Awesome that you actually found him way out here," Gojyo said making light conversation.

"Yeah I was a little surprised at first. It makes me happy to see that he's doing well for himself though. That inn looked huge," Ran said smiling. "I'm happy for him…and his new family."

"Still, it really bugs me that he'd treat his own sister that way," Gojyo stated his thoughts.

"Half-sister actually," Ran revealed.

"That shouldn't matter. Kougaiji may be a prick but even he has a sense of brotherly affection."

"So does your brother," Ran noted glancing over at him.

"Okay…so why's he so angry with you?" Gojyo asked brushing off her comment.

"Well…he didn't leave with the best of terms," Ran said trying to avoid the topic.

"So what happened between you?"

"It's nothing…we're having a family issue and we'll sort it out…though it'll probably take some time."

"Just don't let it fester too long," Gojyo warned her. "Sometimes even time isn't enough to help matters like these."

"I know…but just walking in there and trying to talk to him isn't the best idea. I…need to talk to him alone so he won't have a reason to tell me to leave," Ran said closing her eyes and trying to picture how she was going to do this.

"Well, I'm sure you'll think of something," Gojyo said putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Just remember I'll be behind you all the way."

"Thanks…it's nice to know someone's got my back," Ran replied smiling.

"Of course…after all, my brother left without a word," Gojyo told her understandingly.

"He did? I thought you two just had a falling out," Ran said turning slightly to get a better look at his face.

"Nah…. He left after he killed our mom." Ran's eyes widened but she said nothing, merely waited for him to continue. She wasn't disappointed. "My mother was particularly upset that day, and she tried to kill me. My brother killed her in order to stop her. He didn't stay long after that."

"He left you alone?" Ran asked saddened.

"Yeah…but I kind of needed it. After he was gone I was finally able to start living," Gojyo chuckled.

"How long did it take for you to get over your mother's death and your brother leaving?" Ran asked hoping for some sort of advice.

"Well…" Gojyo thought for a while. Then said, "I guess you could say I'm still working on it."

"I guess those wounds never go away do they?" Ran asked staring up at the sky again. "I was afraid of that."

"They might not ever fully disappear but at least they do get better," Gojyo reassured her.

"That's good. I was wondering if I'd ever be able to get over what he told me," Ran muttered before freezing and turning her back on him.

Gojyo saw her self induced reaction and lay back down. "Look, if you don't want to tell me anything, then I'm not about to force it out of you. We each have our own skeleton in the cupboard. Don't fool yourself into thinking you have some sort of obligation to tell people."

"Then why did you tell me about your mother and brother if not to find out about mine?" Ran asked slowly turning onto her back.

"You looked so depressed so I figured that if you realized that you aren't the only one who has problems like this you might be able to get over it easier," Gojyo replied glancing over at her.

"It did give me a few ideas," Ran admitted. "You really didn't have to tell me about your past though…not that I'm not grateful but…"

"I don't mind," Gojyo said with a mild shrug. "Just don't dwell too much on it. As long as you try then that's worth something. And if he still doesn't come around, then he doesn't deserve to have you as a little sister," he told her reaching up and ruffling her hair a bit.

Ran pushed his hand off her head but smiled all the same. "Thanks Gojyo…I needed that. Say does voicing something that's been sitting on your shoulders make the incident worse or does it relieve the stress?"

"I guess that all depends on what's being held inside. There are some things that shouldn't be bottled up but at the same time you shouldn't just go spouting whatever is bothering you because it might make those around you feel like you're dragging them down. At least that's what I've been told," Gojyo said after a few minutes pause.

Ran sat there for several moments staring up at the stars in silence. Then she made her decision. "Before he left… my brother said some things to me. Things I could never forget no matter how hard I tried. I guess one of the reasons why I never told anyone was because it was something I never could figure out myself." Gojyo said nothing but glanced over at her, letting her know that he was listening. "One of the things was… he called me a child of taboo."

"What…but weren't both your parents human?" Gojyo asked blown away.

"That's what I thought…until he said that. I tried to ask dad about it but he wouldn't tell me anything," Ran explained. "I know neither of my parents were demons though which is what really confused me." She took a deep breath feeling the tears trying to burst forth but she forced them to stay in place as she continued recklessly forward. "He accused me of being the reason for all our problems. Said it was my fault mom left, said that I caused my sister's death, he even said that if I hadn't been born then we wouldn't have moved to that backwater town and dad would have been happier," she explained and the tears started coming by the end of it.

Suddenly she felt a strong arm wrap around her and pull her against a solid chest. Her nose was suddenly filled with the scent of smoke and aftershave. "I know it's not very clean but… there's my shoulder."

Ran didn't know whether to pull back or to just let it go but her tears kept coming and here was someone warm. Instinctively she wrapped her own arms around him and started bawling the tears flowing freely as the realization of how much her brother must hate her finally hit home.

"I would never have the heart to tell you this, Ran," Gojyo thought to himself as he gently rubbed his hand up and down her back in a comforting manner. "But your brother is a bastard for making you cry like this."

CM: Next time on Saiyuki.....

Goku: What? Demons again?

Hakkai: My, this is troublesome.

Ran: I won't let you touch my family!

CM: Stay tuned for the next instillation of Fire and Blood!