Time to Go- The Journeying Onward
Mitsu collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. He had traveled miles away from the village in a panicked state, as quickly as his strength would allow. They would know for sure by now. They wouldn't trust him anymore. Not that any of the guys had trusted him in the first place. He couldn't chance staying there anymore. They would surely tell them everything. No one would help him. Not even she would help him now. No… she wouldn't trust him anymore. Why had he been so careless? Now he was left with nothing.
"It's been a long time…Mitsu Bishi," a deep voice said from behind him.
Mitsu spun around and saw Homura standing there with the same smile he had when catching him in the flower field. "Homura-san…I had heard you were down here but didn't know whether or not to believe it," Mitsu fumbled as the shock of seeing the God faded away.
"I was wondering when I was going to have the opportunity of seeing you while I was down here on business," Homura told him conversationally. "Though I never expected to find you looking so miserable."
"Just what business does the new war prince have down here on earth?" Mitsu asked suspiciously.
"Not for the reasons I know you're thinking of," Homura said knowingly. "Believe me I have no intention of harming you or any of your other angel companions."
"Then what?"
"I simply have the desire to destroy the heavens to make room for a new one where love will not be forced to only come between two people of the same species," Homura explained. "I could use your help Mitsu…I know how much the current higher ups have angered you."
"I made an oath never to ally myself with a god ever again," Mitsu declared. "Even if it is you, Homura-san."
"I can understand your sorrow," Homura said sympathetically. "The heavens have caused you to lose two people very dear to you… your object of adoration, and before that, your lovely little sister."
"Shut up!" Mitsu shouted. "Don't you dare speak so casually of them."
"I didn't mean any disrespect…but you weren't the only one who cared for Hotaru," Homura told him casually. "Even some of the Gods were sad to see her leave."
"I said don't talk about them so casually," Mitsu shouted angrily.
"I offer you my help…I can help you get the revenge you desire," Homura continued.
"I don't need your help," Mitsu said turning away from him and began to walk off. "I'll find my own way."
"Will you not even see Shien?" Homura asked him suddenly.
Mitsu froze. "Master Shien?"
"I'm sure he would very much like to see how his young apprentice was doing," Homura continued gently.
Mitsu covered his face. "No… I could not face him. Not like this."
Homura bowed his head and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Mitsu…if you wish to except our help then come to the Tower of Conran and we'll accept you with open arms," Homura said turning around. "I do hope everything works out well for you."
With that he left and Mitsu heaved a sigh not sure whether he should have refused the offer or not. "Well that was certainly interesting. I never thought I'd see a God speak on such even terms with an angel," a deep creepy voice said behind him.
Mitsu turned to see a man in a lab coat with dark hair and glasses holding a small stuff bunny rabbit. "You… how do you know about angels? Humans aren't supposed to know about them," Mitsu asked with suspicion.
"I know about a lot that most don't understand," the man replied smirking. "I understand that the Gods forced all the angels out of heaven and that you hate them for it. I can help you get your revenge…release your anger…but I need a little help from you in return."
"Why would you help me?" Mitsu asked him, thinking that accepting help from a human almost sounded as bad as accepting help from a god.
"I'd like to think of myself as a sentimental man who hates to see people bottling up so much," he answered with a small laugh.
Mitsu stared at the ground for quite some time without a word. "I know there is something that you desire…more than revenge if possible. I can help you achieve that goal as well," the man continued seeing Mitsu hesitate.
Mitsu looked up at him and searched his eyes for a couple seconds…then, "What is it you want me to do?"
An evil leer slowly spread over the man's face.
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"Tell me, Karin," Hakkai said as Karin walked out of the bathroom, having just showered and gotten changed into clean clothes. "Do you enjoy seeing me as a nervous wreck?"
"What makes you think that?" Karin asked him confused.
"Because you seem to have this incredible talent of getting yourself into trouble. Not just that but you've nearly shaken hands with death three times."
"You've kept count?"
"Yes…and I'd really hate to see it happen a fourth time," Hakkai sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. "I really don't want to lose you." He bent down a little bit and lovingly kissed her neck. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you for good," he breathed into her ear.
Karin's heart was beating rather quickly and she sighed in contentment. "I'm sorry if I've been a source of constant worry… that's kind of why I didn't want you to be there when I did that."
"You really intended to die back there, didn't you?" Hakkai asked her.
"Well… yes," Karin admitted, shamefaced, "but only because I didn't want to end up hurting anyone else…. Especially not you."
"I assure you Karin…you wouldn't have hurt me. Seeing you suffer like that hurt me more than any blade ever could," Hakkai told her as he nuzzled her neck.
Karin's breathing became a little heavier as her skin tingled with delight. "I'll try not to have any more brushes with death for your sake," Karin murmured, wrapping her arms around his torso. "I'm kind of going to miss that scar though. It was something to remember you by," Karin said a little jokingly.
"Don't worry, I'll make up for it," Hakkai said with a breathy chuckle. Karin's heart leapt into her throat as his lips caressed and sampled the crevice of her neck.
Karin's breathing increased and her heart sped up, but her grip on him slackened a little. "Is there something wrong?" Hakkai asked pulling back to look at her face.
"Is this really okay…I mean we've only been officially dating for a week," Karin asked biting her lip.
"We don't have to do this so soon if you don't want to," Hakkai told her. "Or if you want we could just say it's been year."
Karin laughed. "It sure feels like it's been longer than what it has been. I guess I'm just a little nervous. I am painfully shy after all."
"Really? Last night you seemed pretty daring," Hakkai reminded her smiling.
"I know, I kind of contradict myself. One moment I'll be gung-ho and the next I start blushing at every little thing," Karin said sheepishly. "It's embarrassing really."
"No, it's one of those aspect about you that I adore," Hakkai told her, rubbing his nose against hers, causing her to turn pink. "But if you want to take it slower, then I'll understand."
"Well… it's not like I'm saying I want to slow down," Karin mumbled turning red. "I mean… gah…"
Hakkai had grabbed her hand and pulled her back with him onto the bed. "Haha…I hope you don't mind," he said holding onto her tightly.
"Uh-uh…" Karin mumbled feeling very happy.
"Good," Hakkai whispered into her ear before nuzzling the back of her neck.
Karin's eyes fluttered closed as Hakkai began placing butterfly kisses all along her neck. There couldn't possibly be anything wrong with this, Karin thought. She loved him, more than anything, and right now she was infinitely grateful that she remembered who he was. That had probably been the scariest part of those two days… thinking that she would wake up and not even know this beautiful person beside her. She trusted him with her innocence.
"Hakkai…" she whispered.
"Yes?"
"Don't stop."
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Meanwhile Ran and Goku were still celebrating Karin's success. The two kept cheering and dancing around like complete idiots. "Will you two pipe down!" Sanzo shouted hitting them both with his fan. "It's bad enough when there's only ONE monkey to take care of!"
"Sorry Sanzo…but I can't help but feel happy about Karin making it through," Ran apologized smiling widely. "I guess the only thing that could make this better would be if I found a limiter." The mood dimmed slightly but almost immediately Ran laughed and did a cartwheel through the room.
"Hey calm down there…I really don't want anything broken," Isamu said chuckling at their celebratory moves.
"Sorry Isamu," Ran said sitting back down embarrassed.
Setsuna sighed from his sitting position at the table. The angel healers had managed to patch up the worst of his wounds. "Isamu, I think it's about time we told them about Mitsu."
"Yes, you're probably right," Isamu agreed. "But it seems we have two people missing."
"You mean Hakkai and Karin….they went upstairs about…fifteen minutes ago," Goku answered grinning widely.
"Well we need them back down here for a few minutes," Setsuna muttered.
"Sanzo…could you let them know that we need them down here?" Isamu asked cordially.
"Why me?" Sanzo replied annoyed.
"Because you're the closest to the door and you're standing," Etsuko replied with a chuckle. "That's how dad likes to pick people some times."
"Tch… whatever," Sanzo grumbled before going up the stairs. A few minutes passed until Sanzo came back down again with a supremely agitated look on his face.
"So…where are they?" Ran asked him. Sanzo didn't say anything but instead lit up a cigarette and took a huge drag on it.
"So…are they coming down?" Goku asked blinking in confusion.
"They're currently unavailable," Sanzo replied blowing out a puff of smoke.
"No way…did you walk in on…" Gojyo started trying to hold back his laughter.
"Wow…I knew they were close but…well good for them," Ran said happily. Setsuna had his face in his hands and was shaking his head.
"What's going on? What did he walk in on?" Goku asked confused by the others reactions.
"So how much did you see?" Gojyo asked now thoroughly interested.
"I didn't see anything," Sanzo growled.
"Didn't you knock?" Ran asked in disbelief.
"So from now on I have to knock for fear of what's going on inside?" Sanzo asked aggravated.
"Its common courtesy," Ran told him.
"He probably killed the mood," Gojyo snickered. "Maybe you should have joined them. Then maybe you wouldn't be such a tight-ass."
Sanzo reached inside his robes and Ran immediately jumped up and held his arm. "Come on…just for one more night keep that thing hidden. I don't want to get thrown out because of something like this," Ran whispered urgently.
"Fine…but shut that boyfriend of yours up," Sanzo muttered angrily.
"He's not my boyfriend but yes I'll keep him quiet," Ran replied sighing. She then sat back down and angels gave her strange looks. "So should we interrupt him and get them down here?" she asked diverting attention from her sudden movement.
"There's no need," Karin's voice drifted down from the stairs. The group watched as the pair walked into the room. Karin's cheeks were still a little flushed and Hakkai with his usual smile that barely managed to hide his currant annoyance. "Well third times a charm… right?" Karin whispered jokingly, trying to lighten his mood.
Hakkai sighed but sat down and motioned for Karin to join him, so she sat on his lap. "So what did we need to come down here for?" Hakkai asked courteously.
"I feel that it's necessary to explain Mitsu's story and account for what happened to Ran," Setsuna said rubbing his temple.
"Alright, so maybe you should start from the beginning of his aggression," Karin suggested.
Thankful that she was taking this seriously, Setsuna began his story. "When the erasing of the angels began, it was a bloody affair. So many were killed. One of them happened to be Mitsu's little sister, Midori."
"Mitsu lost his sister?" Ran asked surprised.
"Yes…unfortunately he got separated from her during the escape and because she doesn't like fighting she could do little to defend herself. That was only the beginning, however, as many years later he thought he lost Hotaru when she married a human," Setsuna explained. Ran looked at the ground starting to feel really sorry for Mitsu. "He continued to get news about how she was living and found great pleasure in hearing she had a child. Ten years later though…we all had to make a run for it and Mitsu volunteered to help Hotaru reach this village. Unfortunately we never made it together as the Erasers caught up to us."
The group all listened with rapped interest now. "Mitsu was injured very badly in the struggle. I myself suffered a crippling wound. Hotaru sacrificed herself to save us both. Mitsu did all he could to stop her, but in the end, nothing he said made a difference. He went into hysteria for the next week. I brought him here to the village of the angels and left shortly afterwards."
"So then…the two deaths are what changed him?" Ran asked softly staring at the ground.
"I believe they were the biggest causes…though I think that me leaving just made the whole thing worse," Setsuna said shaking his head. "He always had a tendency to get attached to people…but was never good at letting them go."
"So he's the type who'd stalk you even after being dumped…got it," Gojyo thought making a mental note.
"Anyway after that his wings went from their golden brown color to the pale yellow they are now," Setsuna continued sadly. "I'm sure that when you two met with him he told you that light wings were pure and dark wings were tainted." Ran nodded her head as anger that she fell for it burned inside her throat. "As for you, Ran…" He began, not looking at the young woman.
"Hey, dad… would it be alright if I took over from here?" Karin volunteered. "You explained it enough to me, so I should be able to give her the gist of it."
"If you insist," Setsuna said, not all that disappointed.
"Okay," Karin said turning to Ran. "So… since Mitsu was in love with your mom, I have theorized that he is seeing her in you and longs to recapture those memories. But he realized that you and Gojyo were really close, so he used his angel voice to integrate himself into your thoughts and cause you to fall in love with him. Isn't it just romantic?"
Ran gave Karin this look like "you've got to be kidding me" and sighed heavily. "No it really isn't romantic. I've always seen him as a friend and nothing more….I was wondering why I couldn't tell him to stop or talk to anyone else while he was around," Ran said rubbing his head. "What did he want with me?"
"We can't say for sure," Setsuna admitted. "I haven't seen Mitsu for several years so he has changed in ways I can't even conceive."
"Mitsu has always been a hard working and courteous young man," Isamu told them all. "He was always kind and helpful to anyone he met, and he had many admirers, both male and female. Many people speculated why he never took a mate."
"So the reason he liked me was because I looked like my mom," Ran said sadly.
"If I ever see that guy again I'll show him how much I appreciated him taking Ran around the town," Gojyo said smirking.
"Don't…Gojyo…he's had enough," Ran said standing up. "Don't wait for me…I'm going to bed."
Once she left, Setsuna stood up as well. "I'm leaving as well."
"Where?" Karin asked.
"I'm going to see an old friend. Perhaps I can find a few answers there," Setsuna told her.
Karin smiled. "Please say 'hi' for me."
Setsuna nodded and left as well. "All this talking is making me hungry," Goku complained.
"Would you like me to make you something darling," Reira asked fawning over him.
"Yeah that would be great," Goku shouted.
"Great…at least there's someone who can shut that mouth of his," Sanzo muttered taking another drag on his cigarette.
"Well should we adjourn for the night?" Hakkai asked Karin smiling.
"Yeah…I think I'm ready for bed now," Karin replied sounding tired.
"I'm sure he is too," Gojyo said chuckling.
"Well, have a nice night Gojyo," Hakkai said with a dangerous look in his eye.
"Just a sec, you might want this," Gojyo said, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to Hakkai.
"Dear god," Hakkai muttered staring at it with disbelief that one, Gojyo would be carrying them around, and two, that he would be so daring as to give Hakkai one.
"Trust me, I'm doing you a favor," Gojyo said patting him on the back. "Have fun."
"What was that about?" Karin asked Hakkai as she watched Gojyo leave.
"You don't want to know," Hakkai muttered shaking his head.
"Well at least maybe now we'll have a chance to finally be alone," Karin grinned.
"Third times a charm right," Hakkai chuckled.
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Once Setsuna had finally reached the Tower of Konran, he landed on the topmost balcony before withdrawing his wings. He sincerely hoped that Homura wasn't out on some sort of business. Stepping inside, he saw the war prince sitting on his throne.
"I was hoping I would find you here," Setsuna told him. "You're a nuisance to track down when you're on the move."
"Setsuna…to what do I owe this pleasure?" Homura asked spotting Setsuna and smiled. "Did you enjoy your time with you daughter?"
"It was enjoyable but that is not why I'm here. I want to know if you've had any contact with Mitsu since coming down here," Setsuna said getting straight to the point.
"Why yes I did run into him just yesterday," Homura replied thoughtfully. "He seemed to be in a state of depression…what happened to make him so worrisome?"
"It's complicated," Setsuna replied, rubbing his forehead. "I don't suppose you managed to stop him?"
"I asked him to come with me, but he declined the offer," Homura told him apologetically. "I wasn't about to try and force him to come."
"So he could be anywhere by now," Setsuna muttered.
"Did he do something wrong?" Homura asked raising an eyebrow.
"It was just as I feared. He took to Ran well…but got really attached and started seeing her as Hotaru. He used his singing to gain access to her heart," Setsuna explained shaking his head.
"What a romantic tragedy," Homura stated thoughtfully. "So then why would he suddenly leave his dearly beloved?"
"I'm not sure, possibly for fear of being discovered," Setsuna speculated. "I don't suppose you could guess where he might go?"
"I'm afraid I was never that acquainted with the boy. Shien would know better than I."
"Do you know where he might be?" Setsuna asked sighing.
"He should be down on the second floor staring out the window like always," Homura answered with a shrug.
"Thank you…I do hope his disappearance doesn't cause difficulties for the Sanzo group. They've already gone through enough," Setsuna said bowing. He then left to find Shien.
Sure enough, Setsuna found him exactly where Homura had said he would be. Before he could even open his mouth to greet Shien, the man spoke. "You came to ask me about Mitsu, haven't you?" Shien asked knowingly.
"Yes…you always did seem to know exactly what I wanted before I said anything," Setsuna replied in low tones.
"How is he doing?" Shien asked without turning around.
"His wings are a pale yellow and he seems to have taken a liking to Ran," Setsuna explained.
"I see…so I was right," Shien stated. "I take it you don't know where he is now…do you?"
"That's right…I was hoping you could give me some information that might help me locate him," Setsuna stated respectfully.
"Mitsu desires to destroy heaven, yet refused Homura's offer to join him in a similar goal," Shien told him. "What do you suppose that means?"
"That he's stubborn," Setsuna surmised. "That, and he was probably afraid to face you. He did idolize you after all. He might become desperate, but not enough to accept help from gods. And I doubt he'll manage to convince any of the angels to rise up against heaven."
"So who do you suppose he would turn to next for help?" Shien asked him.
Setsuna faltered. "No… surely he wouldn't turn to humans… or possibly even demons for help?"
"The possibility is there…no matter how small. If they gave him a promising enough offer he might just take it…especially if they knew of his feelings for Ran," Shien pointed out.
"Do you think he'd go that far to have her?" Setsuna asked worriedly.
"If someone is desperate enough for another's love they might be willing to do almost anything," Shien replied shortly.
"I see…thank you for your time…Shien-san," Setsuna said worry rising up in his body. "I just hope you're wrong…for their sake."
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"Achoo!" Ran rubbed her nose.
"Uh oh, you're not getting sick are you?" a voice said from her door.
She looked to see it was Gojyo leaning casually against her door frame. "Heck no, I can't afford to get sick when we're leaving today," Ran said with a grin, happy to see that she and Gojyo were back on regular terms. Still… she couldn't help but be irritated at herself for having feelings of yearning every time she saw him.
*Yawn* Ran opened her mouth wide as she let lose an involuntary yawn. "Have a rough night again?" Gojyo asked jokingly.
"Yeah…no worries though. I'm just fine," she said getting off her bed and stretching. "Is breakfast ready?"
"Yeah…it was about an hour ago. You really know how to sleep through anything don't you," Gojyo chuckled.
"Oh haha…did Goku eat all of it already?" Ran asked rubbing her eyes.
"No…there's still some left…but it'll be gone pretty soon if you don't get down there," Gojyo answered amused.
"Okay," Ran muttered reaching for her clothes next to her bed. "Do you mind…I'm trying to get dressed here?"
"I don't mind at all," Gojyo said with a smirk, not moving from his spot.
Ran took a deep breath before calmly walking over to him and giving him a hard shove out the door. "Just get out," she sniped before slamming the door shut. Geez, she was even starting to enjoy THAT. 'This isn't good,' Ran thought. 'Not good at all.'
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Karin couldn't remember when she had ever felt more at peace. She opened her eyes to see Hakkai's beautiful sleeping face. He looked even more peaceful than she felt. She gently took one of his hands and gently ran her fingers over it. His hands were so incredibly soft… and godlike.
"You're awake?" Hakkai mumbled softly. "I was wondering when you were going to wake…I didn't want to leave until then." He leaned over enough to give her a warm, loving kiss and then opened his eyes. "Did you sleep well?"
Karin nodded before returning the kiss in earnest. "To be honest, I've been awake on and off. You look really angelic when you're sleeping."
Hakkai laughed. "I find it rather ironic that the angel should say that to the demon."
"What a silly angel," Karin said grinning.
"And a masochistic demon," Hakkai added smiling.
*Knock, Knock* "Oy…if you two don't wake up soon Goku will have eaten everything," Gojyo shouted through the door.
"The world is against our happiness," Karin groaned.
"That may be…but we'll still find some every now and then," Hakkai whispered in her ear. "Now we'd better go…you know how much Goku eats."
"Yeah about that…um…it kind of hurts to move," Karin said sheepishly.
"Well in that case, I guess I'll just have to carry you down to your meal," Hakkai chuckled lightly.
No one decided to question the pair when they finally came down with Karin being half carried by Hakkai down the stairs. Well, Goku being the exception. "What's wrong, Karin? Are you feeling sick?" Goku asked her.
"No, just a little sore," Karin told Goku with a reassuring smile.
"Well at least she's awake," Ran said with a shrug.
"It would have been a problem if we had to wait another day for her," Sanzo agreed lighting up.
"Oh hey Karin…can I have my knife back now?" Ran asked holding out her hand.
"What if I need to stab myself again?" Karin asked jokingly.
"You are never doing that again," Hakkai declared looking down at her.
"Yes sir," Karin conformed.
"So…where's my knife?" Ran asked again.
"Um…I don't have it anymore. I think Setsuna had it last," Karin answered as Hakkai helped her into a seat.
"Great…he left to go see Homura. What am I going to do until we run into him again?" she asked scratching her head.
"Just get another knife," Sanzo told her.
"I can't do that," Ran protested. "That was a special gift from my dad."
"Sorry," Karin said contritely.
"Geez…" Ran sighed.
"Well, we're not waiting around," Sanzo told her not caring. "We're leaving as soon as we're finished eating."
"Fine…maybe I'll make one later…if I can," Ran muttered finishing off the last of her food. The rest of the breakfast went along fairly well and Hakkai helped Karin finish off her food…as she was still having trouble moving.
"Let's get moving already," Sanzo said annoyed by their slowness.
"Yeah yeah, just hold your horses Sanzo," Ran said getting up from the table.
"Hey Sanzo…where's the next town? I can't wait to try the food there," Goku asked excitedly.
"So you're leaving already?" Isamu asked seeing the group walk out the door to the inn.
"Yeah…we need to get going," Karin said smiling.
"Oh…can I come with you Goku? I'll make sure that I cook you all sorts of good food," Reira asked grabbing onto his arm.
"Can she come with us Sanzo?" Goku asked.
"No," Sanzo immediately replied.
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"NO!"
"Reira, let go of the monkey," Etsuko sighed.
"Never!" Reira declared.
"Reira…the outside world has no place for us. If you went with them you would only bring them more hardship than they already have," Isamu said to his daughter. "It is time for us to let them leave."
Reira looked at her dad and looked back at Goku. "Goku…you want me to come with you right?" she asked hopefully.
"You're the only one who has ever made me food whenever I wanted," Goku said, his eyes starting to water at the thought of how hungry he knew he was going to be very soon. "I never went hungry with you around."
"These two have issues," Etsuko sighed.
"You don't need to tell ME that," Sanzo muttered.
"Still… I'm kind of sort of going to miss you guys being here too," Etsuko mumbled. When Sanzo looked at her curiously she quickly added. "I was so close to kicking your butt at Majhong."
"Heh…that's never going to happen," Sanzo muttered.
"Well you guys take care…and be sure to send us post cards," Jinichi said waving his hands in farewell.
"Right…we'll try," Ran said smiling.
"Hey…if you ever need those clothes fixed again or if you want something special drop me a line and I'll prepare it no problem," Kogaru said placing a hand on Ran's head.
"I'll keep that in mind," Ran laughed pushing his huge hand off of her.
"Take care all of you…and Karin, Ran be sure to keep an eye out for those Erasers. You don't want one of those on your tails," Isamu said shaking their hands.
Karin and Ran nodded their understanding and together the Sanzo party left the angel village and headed for the barrier. Once there Ran went through first and waited for Karin to help the others through…once again. On the other side she saw to her surprise Setsuna waiting for them.
"Is Karin helping the others through?" he asked slowly. Ran nodded unable to find any words and Setsuna went through the barrier to help out as well.
Karin was already in the process of helping Gojyo and Goku through the barrier when Setsuna passed her. "Good morning, sir," Hakkai greeted him politely. "Were you able to find, Mitsu?"
"Unfortunately no," Setsuna replied. "I'll explain a few things once you all are through the barrier." With that he grabbed hold of Hakkai's arm and Sanzo's arm. "It's best if we don't leave anyone alone on the other side for very long," Setsuna thought as he marched the two through the barrier.
"Oh you just missed Karin…she went back for Hakuryuu and Chihiro," Ran said once the three had made it through. "I told her you were here and she went in to help bring them through…she should be back in a minute or two." She was leaning against a tree while Gojyo stood nearby and Goku was chasing a bird.
"We'll wait then," Setsuna said letting go of Hakkai and Sanzo and taking a seat on the ground to wait. As soon as Karin made it back with Hakuryuu and Chihiro, Setsuna stood up with a serious look on his face and greeted his daughter. "I'm glad I was able to make it back before you all left. There are a few things that I need to tell you before you continue on," Setsuna announced.
They all waited expectantly. "First, I think for the time being, it would be best if both Ran and Karin refrained from using their angelic powers. It will only make you easier to track."
"We can handle that," Karin and Ran said together.
"Secondly, if you come in contact with Mitsu, do not take any chances with him."
"Why…is something wrong?" Ran asked worriedly.
"Unfortunately he's in an even worse state now than he was before. He may be desperate enough to get help from humans or demons at this point," Setsuna explained sadly.
Ran grimaced and Gojyo scoffed, "Figures…he can't do anything by himself so he's willing to sell himself to reach his goals."
"The poor guy…I can't help but feel for him," Karin murmured sadly. "Isn't there anything we can do?"
"I'm not sure if he's within the realms of help anymore," Setsuna replied with a sigh.
"Is that it?" Sanzo grumbled.
"I believe this belongs to you," he said pulling out Ran's pocket knife.
"Thanks…I use this thing for just about everything," Ran said taking it from him and smiling gratefully.
"Hakuryuu…I think it's time we get on our way," Hakkai said petting the small dragon.
"Kyou!" Hakuryuu turned into a jeep in response and Chihro transformed into her larger state.
Then the Sanzo party piled on except for Sanzo who was momentarily stopped by Setsuna. "One more thing…if things get out of hand…use these," Setsuna said pulling out a box of bullets. "They're made especially for killing angels, gods, and erasers."
"Why do you have these?" Sanzo asked in low tones.
"I got them off of some Erasers a while back and held onto them for future use," Setsuna explained. "I no longer have any use for them, however, but you just might."
"Are you asking me to shoot your friend, the daughter of your friend, or even your own daughter?" Sanzo asked him cryptically.
"Only if you feel you need to," Setsuna replied gravely.
Sanzo stowed the bullets safely away into his robes. "You're quite the father figure."
"And you're quite the monk," Setsuna returned smartly.
"Hey Sanzo come on…I'm getting hungry over here," Goku shouted from the back of Hakuryuu.
"I really don't care about all this…but if they hinder my mission then I won't hesitate to shoot. Whether or not they die is up to them," Sanzo muttered before walking over to Hakuryuu and smacking Goku upside the head.
"I hope you don't have to use them…Genjo Sanzo…but if it does come to that please use your judgment. It may be the only thing that stands between those girls and death's cold fingers," Setsuna thought as he watched the Sanzo party leave with many laughs and the sound of Sanzo firing off several rounds.
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CM: Haha, things will never change. Next time on Saiyuki Fire and Blood....
Gojyo: Why does this all seem so familiar?
Goku: Ran seems to be acting really weird.
Dr. Ni: You seem to want something very badly. Perhaps I can help you.
Sanzo: If I have to, I will kill her.
CM: Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!