SD. And no, that does not stand for Super-Deformed.

***

Sanzo watched as Chen Ming stoked the fire dancing on the stack of logs she had piled earlier. It flared up to reach the pot set above it and the woman straightened to stir its contents. He was still watching when she went to a cupboard and picked out two jars filled with what looked like dried herbs.

Sanzo couldn't be sure though. His vision had blurred at that moment and he had to blink several times to clear it. It was getting harder to keep his eyes open too.

Goku was seated across him, face fighting between drooling over the smells coming from the pot and casting worried glances his way. Sanzo drew on his irritation and kept awake.

He still didn't trust the woman. Not when it was obvious she was lying.

He had seen two open doors leading to two different bedrooms when he entered. And there were four chairs set beside the table, two of which he and Goku were occupying. A workbench stood to one side, laden with tools placed in neat piles. There was definitely something about the woman that shouldn't be trusted.

A shiver ran down his back and he couldn't suppress it. Goku's expression turned all the more worried.

Hakkai came in at that moment wearing one of the spare clothing they had kept in the jeep, just as he and Goku were. Chen Ming didn't keep men's clothing. That, he could understand.

He gripped the table hard as another shiver racked him, this one taking longer to fade. His vision was blurring again and his hearing came and went.

"Sanzo!" Goku and Hakkai sprang to his side immediately. He had to grit his teeth and wave them away with a shaking arm.

"Chen Ming-san!" yelled Hakkai.

"I need a few more seconds!"

"We don't-!"

Stinging fire flared throughout his body. Sanzo felt himself falling. Blood ran on his tongue where he bit his lower lip to keep from crying out. His muscles were cramping with the pain.

Hands restrained him. Voices shouted around him but he couldn't understand them. And then, he felt himself sinking.

***

Goku wrapped his arms tightly around Sanzo's shoulders, trying to keep the monk from smashing his head on the floor as he convulsed. Gojyo had entered at the shouting and quickly took hold of Sanzo's ankles while Hakkai held his wrists, calling for Chen Ming to hurry.

"Keep him there! I'm almost done!"

"Damn bouzu," Gojyo muttered. "He had to get himself poisoned."

"It wasn't his fault!" Goku protested, wincing at the blood that welled up on Sanzo's lip. "It was that youkai that got him in the first place!"

"This isn't the time for that!" Hakkai's tone brooked no arguments as he glanced down at the monk. "I think he's calming down."

Goku followed his gaze downward and realized that Sanzo's convulsions were growing weaker. He loosened his grip slowly, wondering briefly if it was a trick. But it wasn't. Sanzo's movement was calming, the pained expression easing into sleep.

"It's ready!" Chen Ming called from her work.

"It's about time." Gojyo huffed as he let up.

Hakkai moved to take the cup from her, bending down to press it against Sanzo's lips. A small portion of the brew trickled from a corner of his mouth, tinged red with the bit of blood that had welled up.

"I only added herbs that would draw out the poison and help him sleep." Chen Ming crouched beside them. "It's worked for the two humans that I've helped before. He should be fine in a couple of days."

"Arigato for your help, Chen Ming-san." Hakkai handed the now empty cup back to her.

She nodded, smoothing her worn apron as she stood. "I've a spare bedroom you can use." She jerked her head towards one of the open doors in the cabin. "If you don't mind…"

"I'll carry him." Goku slipped his arms beneath the monk and lifted him, not minding the weight. Sanzo's skin still felt unnaturally warm though there were slight shivers every couple of steps.

And then he was at the doorway, frozen in place. There were two simple-made beds in the room, a small dresser made of unpolished wood stood in between. The thin bed-sheets were plain and somewhat worn at the edges but it looked clean. The twin pillows that were positioned below the wooden headboards were in the same condition as the sheets.

A rectangular window was set above one of the beds with its shutters open. But that wasn't what made him pause.

The breeze that came in through the open window carried the moist smell of the forest outside – but it wasn't strong enough to mask the faint traces of blood.

***

A/N: *twitches* Somehow, this fic isn't turning out as good as I wanted it to be...