Chapter 4: Interphase

Days have passed since the gang heading towards the west left the previous town. They stopped by many towns to spend the nights. However the jeep's occupants were now getting restless. "Genjo, when are we going to reach our destination??" Yuuki, who was sitting between Hakkai and Sanzo whined. "I Don`t know," was all he answered. "Awww, Sanzo, I'm underfed. Lets stop at a town," Goku begged. "URUSAI!" Genjo whipped out his tessen and hit Goku on the head. "Yeah, stupid monkey shut up, "Gojou looked bored as he smoked a cigarette. Goku held his head, looking downcast, but the next moment, he jumped up again. "TOWN! Hakkai, lets stop there please!!" Hakkai smiled "Okay, okay, we've been on the road for two nights now. Hakuryuu needs a rest too." They stopped at the outskirts of town as usual, and prepared to go. Yuuki and Goku ran up ahead eagerly.

" That Ai. What does she think she's doing, " Homura snarled out. " Hanging around Sanzo-tachi , and helping them!" He balled his fists up angrily.

" Homura-sama, Don`t get angry. Maybe Ai no Megami-sama just wants to have some fun with them," commented Shien. " Yeah, she'll leave them soon, she's got no business with them anyway," said Zeon. Homura glared into the darkness, "Konzen, you can't steal Ai from me. She`s mine."

********************FLASHBACK*********************************

"Homura-sama.... so you found Rinrei`s tomb." Ai stood some distance away from Homura, who was bending over a stone. Homura looked up. "Go away." he ordered. "No, I can`t," she smiled. "I have something here for you. Before Kami-sama banished Rinrei down here, she passed me a letter, to be given to you after you found her." Ai took out a white letter from her robe and held it out. Homura looked up, surprised and took the letter, then went off some distance to read it.

" Homura, I know I promised you we would live together forever, (giggles) I shouldn`t have been so stupid, to believe that chasing a dream like this would be fruitful. I`m sorry I can`t fulfill my promise. Kami-sama forbid me to see you for a last goodbye. I`m just glad I was the one banished instead of you. However I heard some news from Ai. Kami-sama would`ve made you Homura Taishi by now, successor from Nataku. I just want you to know, no matter how selfish the gods in Heaven are, thinking only for themselves, and passing you an unclean task, that as long as you believe in it, no task is unclean. You have just got to believe, with your heart. With your true self. I believe in you, Homura. I`m happy that I met you, and I don`t regret it, I`ll live my life happily down there and you too, promise that you won`t grieve over me. I don`t want to see that because even though I`m gone, I`ll still watch over you. Trust yourself Homura, and you can win them all.

Your beloved,

Rinrei

P.S: Be Ai`s companion will you, for I know she`ll be lonely when I`m not there. "

Homura folded the letter and kept it in his robe. "Thank you.... Ai." he mumbled huskily. " "Aah, it was nothing at all," Ai shook her hand at him. "But we should wipe that sad sneer off your face for a while, I know! Lets go, I want to show you something!" Then she pulled Homura and they disappeared.

"Where are we?" Homura looked around. " Outside Earth. Look at it, it`s so beautiful!" Ai exclaimed. "Yeah, it is." " Homura-sama, see how the Earth turns endlessly on its axis, and never cease orbitting around the Sun. No matter what happens, " She pointed out to a meteorite which hit Earth with an explosion. "No matter how many meteorites batter it up, it still continues to orbit. Earth will never give up till the end. Neither should you." Homura looked silently at Earth. Yes, it was beautiful. A perfect balance of green and blue, with a misty veil hanging around it. And it never gave up.

"Homura, look! The asteroids orbit ! How beautiful!" At that time, a bunch of ice had came off Saturn, and travelling through space, turned it into magnificent shooting stars, and comets. "It`s just like snow. Beautiful snow. See, if you stay in heaven all the time, you don`t get to see all these." Ai clasped her hands together, watching the magnificent show. Homura looked at her. A veil of misty honey blonde hair enveloped her heart-shaped face which hosted her beautiful mysterious gray eyes. Ai turned and caught him looking at her. She smiled happily. Homura started, then smiled too. I`ll never be lonely now.

**********************END FLASHBACK*******************************

" I need you Ai. Don`t go running to Konzen now." Homura covered his face with his hands. "I need you"

Yuuki looked carefully at the remaining six balls on the pool table. Then she aimed her stick at the white ball. "Watch me !" She cried, and hit the ball. The six balls rolled all over the table, and each one dropped into the holes by the side of the table. "Yahoooo!" Yuuki cheered. "Che, that was nothing," said Sanzo, "You just didn`t give us a chance to show who`s boss."

"Anyway, you all lost. Winner gets to enjoy as many sake as she can take right! Bring it on mister!" She told the bartender. "Ya-re, ya-re, Sanzo, we shouldn`t have betted with her. Now we have to use the card again, " said Hakkai. "I don`t care, it`s not mine." Meanwhile, Gojou and Goku were fighting over a stolen piece of chicken. "Give it back! It`s mine! "No way, you stupid monkey, it`s mine!" "Aah, Sanzo, that water-monster took my chicken!" Goku suddenly clamped his hand over his mouth. Sanzo turned with a murderous look. "Now you`ve done it, stupid monkey!" Gojou said. Sanzo took out his gun and with three shots, destroyed the chicken, entirely.

"AAAH, the only piece of chicken!!!" Gojou and Goku whined. " Haven`t I said no meat allowed? Do you want to die?!" Sanzo yelled. " Now we`re as good as dead anyway, we had had no protein for 5 days, " Gojou whispered to Goku, who nodded sadly. A shot flying past their heads made them hug each other in fright again.

Hakkai turned to the innkeeper who rushed out to see what was the noise about. "Excuse me, can we have two rooms to put up for the night?" For Yuuki insisted on sleeping with them. "I hate to be alone," she had said.

"I HAVE ONLY ONE! ONE ROOM! NO MORE!" the innkeeper said. He thrust them the key. " Take it and clear out tomorrow! My customers have all gone because of your gang." He huffed back. " AAh, what manners that innkeeper has," drawled Gojou. " Yeah, and it was all because of you, stupid water-monster!" Goku said innocently. " MEE??! If you hadn`t shouted to Sanzo about the chicken we could have eaten it and not make so much noise!" Gojou shouted. " If you didn`t fight with me for MY piece of chicken, there wouldn`t be any trouble at all!" Goku fought back.

" IF THAT CORRUPT MONK HADN`T FIRED A SHOT, WE COULD HAVE EATEN THAT CHICKEN!" they both chorused, pointing accusing fingers at Sanzo.

" Do you want to die??!" Sanzo aimed his gun at them.

"Ma ma, Genjo, you`re getting old before your time. Don`t waste your breath over the kids," Yuuki said drinking her sake happily. Gojou and Goku both glared at her about to retort back when she jumped up, and pulled Hakkai towards the stairs. "Lets go see our room Hakkai, and leave these old misers here." "Aah...right..." Hakkai smiled apologetically.

"How long does this stairway go?" Gojou groaned. "Hurry up, you corrupt monk." "Just shut up!" Sanzo snapped. After about 5 minutes climbing up the winding stairway (you can imagine how high that is), they reached the top. Hakkai opened the door to the room, and Yuuki hopped in. Suddenly, she screamed " OHHHH NOOOOO!" and it could be heard ringing around town (again!). Hakkai shut his ears with his hands, and tripped back into Sanzo. Sanzo, unprepared for that and also to the vibration, nearly fell off top of the stairs, but managed to regain his balance. Unfortunately, he pushed Gojou and both Gojou and Goku rolled all the way to the bottom of the stairs (Oooops!).

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sanzo burst out. Yuuki turned to him, with sad eyes. "THERE`S ONLY ONE BED !" Both Hakkai and Sanzo fell upside-down.

"That wasn`t anything to scream of," Sanzo snarled back. "Of course there is, it means we have to play again to see who gets the bed." Yuuki pouted. (Earlier on, while on the jeep, they had promised that if there was only one bed provided, they would have to play a game, where the winner would get the bed.)

"Huh, my turn to be a winner now. I say Black jack, " Sanzo cracked his knuckles. "Ma, ma this is tiring. Where are Gojou and Goku?" Hakkai asked as he dealt the cards. "Who cares, " Yuuki and Sanzo answered.

"Grrr, that, stupid, monk... is going to... get it ...from me," Gojou panted as he climbed up the stairs slowly, the top of the stairs coming in view.. "Aah, Gojou, I can`t climb anymore," Goku whined grabbing at Gojou`s heels. "So get off me!" In an attempt to kick off Goku, Gojou lost his balance, and they both rolled all the way down again.

"I got a Heart King and Heart Queen. 20," Sanzo said, slapping down his cards.

" Aah, I got a Diamond King and a Heart Ace," Hakkai smiled. "Damn!" Sanzo cursed. " I `m sure your cards nothing to look at, Hakkai wins, " he sighed. " Don`t jump to conclusions, Genjo," Yuuki grinned happily as she laid down her cards. "Spade King and Ace... masaka!!" they both stared at her in disbelief.

"Goodnight!" she chirped.

The next morning, after a refreshing sleep and a triumphant win, Yuuki woke up energized. "Get up Genjo, Hakkai!" she said, jumping on both of them. Genjo reached for his gun, but couldn`t find it and so had to get up. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Yuuki," Hakkai greeted her. "Yep, ohhaaaaa!" she replied in Sanzo`s ear, then ran off chuckling. "I`m seeing what`s for breakfast!" On the way down, she suddenly realized that she didn`t see Goku and Gojou. Where are they? she wondered. Oh who cares, she skipped the last of the stairs down. She didn`t see two huge shadows at the bottom of the stairs, one emitting snores loudly. And tripped over them.

"What the hell....!" she got up rubbing her chin. Then she saw. "Gojou, Goku, what are you doing there? Blocking public access!" " Goku rubbed his head. "Yuuki, I`m hungry!" "I`m getting something to eat," she replied heading off. "Yahoo! I`m coming too!"

Gojou rubbed his head and thought, that girl is really troublesome. Anyway, thanks to Sanzo, they had to spend the night on the floor...- Someone, no two people tripped over him and they both fell with a sickening splat, their legs entangled around Gojou`s head. Yuuki suddenly popped back, " I forgot to warn you Genjo, Gojou spent the night on the floor and was still there... YIKES!" She dodged the bullets that cam flying towards her with immense speed. The bullets also barely shot passed the innkeeper`s head, causing his toupee (fake hair) to fall off. The innkeeper now had huge veins bursting out of his head......

The five of them got thrown out of the inn by the innkeeper who shouted, " GET OUT YOU DEVILS AND NEVER COME BACK!"

"Mataku, that was one hell of an innkeeper!" Gojou said, rubbing his head. The jeep was headed again, towards the west. "Yeah, and we hadn`t finished dinner!" piped Goku. "Yeah selfish Master Sanzo, see what you`ve done!" Yuuki added in.

"URUSAI!!!"