A/N: Well…from here on out I might abandon the playful author's notes that I had practiced as a beginner fanfiction writer. I'm sorry, for those who bother to read them for entertainment. But I feel that it's time to really get serious. That includes perfectly talking to you readers properly. The first chapters of this fanfic, as I have seen now that I am older, are disappointments to the writing skills I want to improve. I want to modify them, really, but time isn't allowing me to do so anymore.

Nevertheless, I promise to make the rest of the story with as much effort as I can give.

Change/s made in previous chapter:

- Naoru leaves the group as a human, not as a dog.

- Changed chapter title.

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Chapter 14: Rain Part 2 – Rain Turned to Snow

The pouring rain soaked her to her skin. Her vision was blinded by her bangs. She was submerged in the forest, in the darkness; she was going deeper and deeper. The branches that were once just pulling her back by the hair and clothes were now scratching her. At first she had tried to push them away, aside, but as the smell of the stranger grew stronger, as she got nearer to wherever the scent came from, her desire for vengeance got stronger and stronger, too, and she let go of the wounds being inflicted upon her, believing she deserved the stinging pain. She was slowly going into a rampage. On herself.

After what seemed like eternity, she reached it, and froze at the edges of the site, leaning on a tree, panting, her sweat mixing with the rain drops rolling down her body.

A tree, as huge and as tall as a building, loomed out before her from the darkness. Naoru looked up with an open mouth at the sight before her. The tree extended into the darkness. She couldn't even see its leaves, or the horizons of its trunk. And yet the trees around her were dwarfs compared to this one. Not to mention these trees were dead.

Dead.

Naoru spun around, her eyes wide in shock. She hadn't noticed the change. Just earlier she was passing living ones. She knew it. Up to now the scent of leaves was coming faintly in from the direction she had come from. Yet, even with squinted demon eyes, she couldn't see past the darkness anymore. Had he done something to her? Had she once again fallen into a trap?

No…not again…

The female demon sank to the ground, her hunger for revenge being eaten up by her awareness of failure. She stared at the soil, water dripping from her bangs, the rain still pouring down on her. She should have known better than to think that she could kill him.

"What, demon? Giving up already?"

Her head shot up. Nobody was around, but the voice was echoing from everywhere.

"And here I thought I was going to have fun killing you and your friends."

All hesitation stopped.

"You shall not hurt anyone else…" Naoru growled with gritted teeth. "I won't let you hurt them!" She clawed the ground, lunging at the trunk of the tree, on which a large hole had just appeared, large enough for her to fit in. Surprised, she disappeared in the darkness, and the hole shrank back to nothing.

oOo

Sanzo jerked awake to the sound of the rain pounding on the walls and roof of the inn. He felt cold, but when he tried to move, he realized he was drenched in sweat. Guessing his condition, he felt his forehead and clicked his tongue.

He was sick. Again.

Weakling, was his thought to himself, as he sat up to the opening of the door. Hakkai appeared, carrying two paper bags of supplies with Goku and Gojyo behind him, each carrying a similar object and both miraculously behaved. That is, until they saw him.

"You're awake, Sanzo?" Hakkai greeted as he entered the room, laying the paper bags on the table. Goku energetically jumped into the room at Hakkai's statement, practically throwing the grocers onto the table as he bounced to Sanzo, wearing a happy face. "Sanzo! You're awake!" the monkey chuckled with sparkling eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Sanzo muttered a, "Don't bother me, monkey," but Gojyo interrupted Goku's hearing.

"Oi, oi, stupid monkey," the redhead drawled, closing the door with a backward push from his foot. "Try taking care of the supplies, will you?" he settled his own burden on the table together with the first three bags and leaned on the table. "Or we won't have anything to fill that black hole belly of yours." Goku glared at him but decided to ignore the statement and looked back at Sanzo expectantly, pressing his hands on the edge of the bed like a kid waiting for a story to be told.

Without speaking, the monk opened his eyes again and scanned the room. He really wanted to ask where she was, but stubbornness overrode him. So, instead, he took out his pack of cigarettes, shook a cigarette out, and lit it. In a flash, it was gone from his hands. He blinked, and growled at Hakkai who was not only holding the lit cigarette but also the pack. The smiling man chuckled, his monocle flashing, "You should know better than to smoke when sick, Sanzo-sama." Then he walked back to the table.

Damn it. This guy's really becoming meaner by the day. Damn weather.

Sanzo just grunted in annoyance and stood up. At the same moment, an invisible force hit the village and the temperature dropped to below zero.

"What the-?!" Gojyo muttered.

Hakkai hurried to the window and froze. "Oh dear." The other three, Sanzo swaying a bit, joined him, and paralyzed at the sight before them.

The rain had stopped. No, rather, it was replaced by snow. Villagers were already walking outside to find out what happened, but all they could do was stare bewilderingly at what was happening.

The group of four stared for a good minute before Goku broke the ice. "Hakkai, what's happening?"

"Hakkai."

The man with the monocle jumped and turned to Sanzo. The monk was staring at him with a piercing gaze.

"Well…Sanzo…" Hakkai started, scratching his cheek with a finger and smiling nervously.

"Foolish lady must have decided to do a show," Gojyo remarked. Goku confusedly turned to him and he, in turn, slapped his forehead exasperatedly. "Stupid monkey, Naoru is an ice demon! She must have released her limiter! Figured it out already?"

"But, Gojyo…"

Hakkai had begun to talk. But Sanzo had already blocked all voices around him and looked back at the world outside. He hated the rain. Every time it did, he would always be reminded of that little boy named Koryuu who couldn't save his guardian. The rain reminded him of his whole past.

Earlier, he had been dreaming of the same dream he would always get on rainy days. His waking was a sanity savior; but when he was standing up, he doubted he'd feel any much lighter if he looked at the outside—all he would see was falling water, anyway.

And then, although unintentionally, she turned them into snow.

Sanzo had to admit, snow was a bit annoying, especially since their journey had been hindered several times before by the said weather. Not to mention the numerous battles they fought that were made harder by the white material. But hell, he'd prefer it over rain if it meant ending all these reminisces of the past. It was just now someone actually heeded this preference and rescued him out of the gutter albeit without any choice.

The door opened and Sanzo turned around to see Goku standing at the doorway.

"Goku," Gojyo and Hakkai simultaneously called in alarm.

"I'm going to help her," the boy answered. "I'm gonna follow her scent then I'll help her beat up that guy who killed her family. I don't care if the enemy is a sorcerer and if Naoru-san's gone rabid. I'm sure she won't come at me, will she?"

Then Gojyo approached Goku and pushed him out of the room, following and making the latter exclaim in alarm, "Oi, Gojyo!"

The older man just smirked at him and replied, "Why don't you stop blocking the way and just hurry along? I told her we didn't want anyone sulking in the jeep if she died. I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen. Damn it, I'm not up for gloomy days with three other men."

Goku grinned. Gojyo gave him a thumb's up and nodded to the last two. "Well, then. You guys just go and prepare for dinner, all right? Saru here will be hungry when we come back. ("Oi!")"

"Goku, Gojyo…" Hakkai muttered solemnly, knowing Naoru might get upset if they mixed in with her problem. But then…they didn't want her to wreak havoc anywhere near or in the village, either. She would regret it once she comes back to her senses. And yes, Hakkai himself didn't want her to be harmed. He smiled. "Well, I guess she won't be angry." Arranging the last objects he had taken out of the first paper bag and leaving the others for later, he joined the two clowns and turned back to Sanzo. "Sanzo, we're going out for awhile, ne? Stay here and rest."

"Don't worry, master," Gojyo added. "We'll make sure your baby will get back safe and sound." And he hurriedly closed the door before the fearful harisen hit him.

A vein had already popped in Sanzo's forehead but as he glared at the door, a fist raised before him, he slowly calmed down. He turned back to the window and stared at the sky. He was still sick, damn it.

"Help…"

He gritted his teeth. She should have known better than to dive into a fight she would surely die in.

"Someone…"

Stupid girl…

oOo

A large wolf with bluish silver fur growled back at a chuckling man with silver hair and green eyes. "I didn't think you'd actually release your limiter again, demon," the man chuckled, his eyes sliding to the open armlet located by the entrance to the cave. "It makes it a lot easier to kill you, since you don't look and think like a human anymore."

The wolf just growled and glowed, large icicles forming around it and shooting at the man. They crashed into something before even hitting their target and collapsed into a million pieces, not even accomplishing their goal. It made the man laugh now. "Really, now. You don't think you can actually kill me?" He waved his arm and the ground below the wolf crumbled, sharp earth shooting from below and hitting the wolf if it had not jumped out of the way. The canine landed on the ground and disappeared, appearing right in front of the man and lunging, but only succeeding in tearing off a chunk of his right sleeve.

The man scowled as he realized his unsuccessful complete evasion, but he smiled as he faced the wolf again, who seemed to not realize the piece of cloth in its mouth. "Your dirty mouth reached me again, demon," he said. "Now I assure you," his facial expression darkened, "it will never happen again."

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A/N: Yeah…there you go. I know it's a big disappointment, but I'm trying the best I can do. I'm sorry for updating after such a long, long, time, but life and time had their hands on me and I had no choice but to follow it. So…yeah…please review.