Scene 21: Caution, Dragon Tears

(May Cause Madness)

Now back in the inn, the Sanzo Party mulled over the most recent bit of information and the latest failure. So, Rinze had never been eaten, and there had been no intent to eat her in the first place. That irked Sanzo, and he was the last person that anyone ever wanted to irk. How dare they make him think she had been eaten?! It was too late to extract any real revenge on them, though death could be considered some type of payback. Sanzo concluded he would just have to do Karma's job for a little longer.

The strange dreams had not stopped, and had become even more cryptic. He turned over the latest one as he stared intently out of the window of their room. Everything was black, but a single beam of light shined down in front of him, like a spotlight. Slumped in the circle of light was the form of Rinze, there was no mistaking that large skirt and pale skin. Her head was dropped so he couldn't see her face; she did not look alive. As the monk had moved to her, strings had become visible, attached to her joints. With each step, the strings jerked her body into movement, and as he got closer the yanks became much more violent until the first step Sanzo took into the light. A pain rattled cry seized his heart; it was coming from the Wiccan's limp body, only held upright by the strings. That had been the end of the dream when Sanzo had wrenched himself awake.

"Damnit, Rinze." He whispered, "You're causing so much trouble for us--"

"But she's worth it." Hakkai's voice interrupted from the doorway. The chi-wielder smiled when he saw the blonde's shoulders hunch. "We've been travelling for a long time now, day-in and day-out, being attacked and killing anything that stands against us. Rinze was a change from that; she's different from most people we meet."

Sanzo made a non-committed noise in his throat, folding his arms jerkily over his chest. Hakkai always had to say out loud what he was thinking privately, putting actual substance in to things he would normally brush under a mental rug. Damn bumps in his mental rugs. Lifting a cancer stick to his lips, the monk flicked a lighter open and passed his thumb over the wheel.

Something in the back of his head told him that Hakkai was still standing there, waiting for some kind of real answer. Blowing out a puff of smoke, along with a silent sigh, Sanzo turned to face the other occupant of the room, expression closed off.

"If these people involved with the revival want her so badly," he said, balancing his cigarette delicately between his lips. "Then her power, what ever it is, may be an asset to helping them get their demented wish. Since our job is to stop the revival, we have no choice but to get her back."

"Quite true," Hakkai answered, that conjured smile still dominating his features, "but that wasn't your reasoning when we charged out of the inn the night she was taken." Hit! The tension in Sanzo's shoulders returned as his lips pursed over the cigarette and his teeth clenched into it.

"They targeted her specifically," he growled barely moving his mouth. After that he said no more, not one to just spill his guts when confronted by his own feelings and problems.

Hakkai simply gazed at the wayward holy man, emerald eyes glistening in the dim light. Although they both knew they wanted Rinze safe, neither of them could find a reason for why so much effort was being put in to finding her. The chi-wielder enjoyed the energy she gave off; it was very intense, but all most timid at the same time. Sanzo just liked the fact that she wasn't insane, loud or a drunkard… although he couldn't say the same for himself. He always hated himself anyway.

Both of them started when the silent air was suddenly broken by a low, mournful note. It was coming from inside the room, more specifically from Sanzo's bed. The covers jostled a little before the note sounded again. The monk walked over to the bed and drew the blankets back, exposing a small ball of black scales and purple fluff. Meian's body was shaking slightly as she lifted her head and blinked tear filled eyes up at the two in the room. Sanzo didn't know how long the mini-dragon had been curled up there, and he all most hoped it had not been for long.

"She must be blaming herself," Hakkai said softly as the blond took a seat on the bed. He scooped up the dragon in one arm, resting his hand on her back when she hid her face away into his robes. A vein in Sanzo's temple was pulsing slightly, anger starting to drown out any other emotions as he listened to Meian's soft sobs.

If for no other reason, they had to reunite Meian with her closest friend.

Gravel crunched under Goku's feet as he walked out into the backyard of the inn. While relieved to know that Rinze wasn't dead, that didn't change the fact that she wasn't with them. She still wasn't safe. Sleep was the last thing on the monkey's mind, and he found himself day dreaming as his fingers traced the delicate carvings in the blue stone hanging around his neck. A single blink activated a startling scene shift, though the youth didn't even bat an eyelash.

The forest swiftly grew around him and the grass below him grew much more lush and soft. Gray mist rolled in, surrounding Goku completely, but still he did not seem alarmed. Golden eyes instantly recognized the scene and the fresh scent of the earth filled his nostrils. Moving a hand through the air, he could all most feel the water suspended in mid-air. The silvery-white color of the mist vividly reminded him of Rinze's eyes: like the glowing quality of a full moon on a clear night.

"It's really quiet out here," Goku said to no one, blinking several times and clearing his head. "Whoa… where am I?" He recognized it as the place in his dream, but he wasn't sleeping… was he? A soft chiming noise zipped past his ear just as the soft drops of water from a gently shower tapped against his face. His breath escaped him for a moment, and the constant gnawing emptiness in his stomach vanished.

Another blink, and the monkey was standing back behind the inn, and it was raining. Rubbing his head it took him a moment to notice a ball of blue light darting back and forth between the trees. What was that? When it flitted back the other way, he could see a tiny figure encased in the light. It looked like a very, very small lady.

Suddenly, the tiny figure stopped zooming back and forth and hovered there, staring in Goku's direction. He could see her little, waif-like form and long, slightly wild blond hair, with little gems that looked all most like water droplets woven into the golden waves. Its tips were cast a shimmering blue, and her eyes sparkled like sapphires. The thing that was most interesting about her tiny stature was that she had rather large, swallow-tail butterfly wings. They glistened with different shades of blue, giving the effect of being underwater.

"Hello?"

The human-butterfly instantly shot right up to him, gazing him full in the face with a very open expression on her features. It was obvious that she was looking for something… or one, and was very intent on finding it. What could it be?

"Hi!" The butterfly said happily, "you could see me?"