Psycho-CJ: Hey everyone. I'm finally back. I know I said I was going to post this earlier but I've had a very stressful week then was down for a couple of days. And to top off this "wonderful" week, I messed up wrist, so it is a little painful to type for long periods of time.

Evan: I didn't know someone's wrist could swell that much.

Psycho-CJ: (glares) Thanks for noticing.

Evan: Scary.

Psycho-CJ: But it did make me happy when I saw all your wonderful reviews.

Raven: It looks like the end is finally here.

Psycho-CJ: As you all know, I don't own Saiyuki, but I am the proud (cough) owner of the Daycarthro characters.

Warner: If I didn't know any better, I would say she just insulted us.

Psycho-CJ: On with the fic!

XxxXxxX

Chapter 25: Diverging Paths

Evan quickly throws his stuff into a bag, while Goku sits on his bed, staring at the floor.

"Evan?" Goku asks. "Am I ever going to see you again?" Evan pauses before turning to the curious youkai.

"Maybe," Evan replies.

"Oh," Goku's shoulders lower slightly. "I'm going to miss you," Goku admits.

"Hey, don't get all sentimental on me. I said maybe, that still means there is a chance we will meet again. Things are too complicated for the both of us at the moment. You have to look out for Sanzo, Hakkai and Gojyo, while I have to make sure Warner, Cassandra and Raven stay out of trouble, but when this is all over I'll come visit you sometime."

"Do you really mean it?" Goku asks, hopefully.

"I...promise," Evan finally says. I won't break this promise, not like I did with Pandora. Evan eyes widen slightly when Goku holds something out to him.

"What's this?" Evan asks, cautiously taking the small gift, wrapped in a blue handkerchief.

"It's some food I saved for you."

"You saved me food?" Evan repeats. Goku has a bottomless pit for a stomach and the fact that he managed to save food makes the gift more precious than Goku could ever understand. A smile forms on the demon's lips. "Thank you."

XxxXxxX

In Raven's and Cassandra's room, the sorceress is still packing while Raven is waiting in commoner's room. Cassandra carefully lays out the clothes she bought while in Sanzo's world and of course a few souvenirs. A knock on her the door catches her attention.

"Come in," she announces. The door quietly clicks open and Hakkai walks in. "Hey, Hakkai," Cassandra smiles.

"Hello Cassandra," Hakkai presents a bundle of clothes that have been cleaned and sewn. "I fix the clothes you were wearing from when you first came here."

"Thank you," Cassandra picks up the shirt and is shocked that the blood stains are no longer present and the hole on the shoulder has been neatly mended to the point where is looks brand new. "You did a great job." Cassandra quickly hugs Hakkai. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too," Hakkai replies with his usual smile.

"Take care of yourself and always remember, it can't rain forever." Hakkai nods his head, recalling the conversation they had the night Raven found them.

"As long as you remember the snow will eventually melt," Hakkai counters.

"Deal," Cassandra finishes packing, swinging the bag over her shoulder. "The others are probably waiting for me." She smiles weakly, never one for good-byes, this one being the worse since chances are they will never see each other again. But she finds some comfort in knowing she has met someone who she can relate too, even if misfortune is what they have in common.

XxxXxxX

"Okay, if you are ever in my world, look me up," Warner tells Gojyo as he sits at the table. Sanzo is doing his best to ignore everyone, still being angry about the mornings events. Raven is perched on the windowsill petting Hakuryuu, while Daycarthro has his back leaned against the wall, lost in his own thoughts and regrets. "I know some great places where we can pick up chicks."

"But you have to buy the drinks this time," Gojyo punches Warner's shoulder, causing the Vaerire to flinch.

"Ow, don't hit so hard," Warner whines as he rubs his shoulder. Gojyo shakes his head, not believing what a wimp Warner can be.

"Hey Raven, aren't you going to say goodbye?" Gojyo taunts the Hybrid who is petting Hakuryuu.

The little white dragon purrs at Raven, causing the Hybrid to smile. He misses Fiery and soon he will be reunited with his wolf guardian. Fiery is the first summoning creature he has allowed himself to think of as a friend. It seems like lately Raven has been making a lot of friends. Even if Gojyo, Hakkai, Sanzo and Goku are a little eccentric.

"It was nice working with you," the Hybrid finally answers. "You're a pretty good fighter." Raven leans his chin against his hand. "But don't expect a hug from me," Raven smirks.

"That's what women are for. You take care of yourself. I don't want to hear about your punk ass getting killed for being stupid."

"I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

"And Raven," Gojyo whispers. "Take care of Cassandra. She's a nice girl, if you know what I mean," Gojyo pats him on the back.

"I thought I told you not to talk about her in that way," Raven stands up from the window sill, cracking his knuckles.

"It was just a joke," Gojyo waves his hands in front of him.

"I didn't think it was funny," but before Raven can retaliate, Cassandra enters the room.

"Okay, all our stuff is pack," Raven quickly steps away from Gojyo, not wanting Cassandra to know what they were talking about a second ago. "What's wrong?" she asks, seeing how scared Gojyo looks.

"Just the usual overprotective boyfriend routine," Warner yawns.

"While you're pulling the I'm a Womanizing A..." Cassandra begins, but Evan appears next to her with Goku.

"Oh, I love it when you swear," Evan sighs. Raven wraps his arm around Cassandra, glaring at his brother. "What? You think I'm going to put the moves on her?" Evan smirks.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Raven growls. Evan laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That was a long time ago," Evan replies.

"Um, Raven, do you think you can let go of me?" Cassandra blushes, a little uncomfortable about being shoved against his body.

"She looks cute when she blushes," Gojyo adds. Cassandra slips out of Raven's arms.

"That ain't the only thing cute," Warner winks at Cassandra. The Daerenh sorceress glares at him, then smacks him and Gojyo upside the head.

"Perverts," Cassandra crosses her arms in front of her.

"Idiots," Sanzo mutters.

"Aw, do you feel left out?" Evan asks, appearing next to the monk.

"Shut up."

"Sanzo, don't worry," Evan smiles ear to ear.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sanzo asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Evan inches towards the monk who wearily watches him.

"What are you…" Before he can finish, Evan hugs Sanzo. Everyone gapes at the two, Sanzo's face turns into an incredible shade of red from anger.

"You're sure sensitive about your personal space, eh Sanzo?' Evan whispers. In response, Sanzo puts a gun in his face. "I guess so." Evan lets go and quickly ducks out of the way of Sanzo's fan.

"Don't mind him, I can tell he is going to miss you," Hakkai comments to Evan.

"That'll be the day," Sanzo mutters.

"I'll miss him too. It's not everyday you meet someone who will shove a gun in your face." Evan leans over to Sanzo. "Now take care of your adopted son," Evan ends up face forward on the floor from Sanzo whacking him upside the head with his fan.

"How many times do I have to tell you Goku is not my son?!" Sanzo yells.

"Okay Father Sanzo," Evan smirks. Sanzo is about to smack him again when Daycarthro finally intervenes.

"Is everyone ready?" the god asks.

"Ready as they will ever be," Raven stands up from his spot and Hakuryuu flutters off his shoulder onto Hakkai's.

"Thank you for your help," Daycarthro tells Sanzo, Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku.

"Hm," Sanzo grunts.

"It was nothing," Hakkai reassures him.

"Bye Evan, Raven, Cassandra and leech," Goku waves goodbye. Evan laughs, while Warner glares at the demon.

"Take care of yourselves," Cassandra waves back. Raven waves his hand once, then looks back at Daycarthro.

"Okay," Daycarthro closes his teal eyes, the sphere on his hands glowing a faint blue. He raises the staff, power building around him as he twirls it.

"Bye stupid monk!" Evan yells. Before Sanzo can reply, Daycarthro brings the staff down and light wraps around the four of them, then they are gone.

"Well, that's that," Gojyo announces.

"Let's go. We wasted enough time here," Sanzo announces.

"Always to the west," Gojyo sighs.

"Shut up, or you'll get left behind," Sanzo replies.

"Better than being around your moody ass."

"Do you wanna die?"

"Maa, maa," Hakkai tries to calm the two.

"Eh, Sanzo, I'm hungry," Goku whines.

"You just ate!"

"But that was an hour ago!" The monk doesn't reply, hoping Goku will eventually give up—not likely. "Sanzo! Sanzoooo!"

"Urusai!"

Things are already back to normal, Hakkai forces a smile on when Sanzo proceeds to beat Goku upside the head.

XxxXxxX

Light bursts into life at Raven's house. Five people appeared in the living room.

"Yeah, there's no place like home," Warner sighs, flinging himself onto the couch.

"I kind of liked it there," Evan replies, sitting on the floor.

"Maybe, but I prefer to be here," Raven places his fingers to his lips, whistling. Within seconds a large wolf runs up to his him and nuzzles Raven's hand. "Hey Fiery," Raven greets. "I missed you too."

"Oh, the boy and his dog!" Warner whimpers. Evan and Warner then act like they are crying. Raven glares at them, feeling like bashing their heads in.

"Must you always mock me?" Raven asks.

"Yes!" Warner and Evan answer.

"Fiery, I bet you're hungry, how about some fresh meat?" Raven glances at Warner and Evan.

"You wouldn't, would you?" Warner asks, nervously.

"Help yourself," Raven whispers in the wolf's ear. Fiery's yellow eyes gleam at his victims. The wolf leaps at the two, who make a run for it. "A couple hours of Fiery chasing them should teach them to keep their mouths shut."

Those three will never change, Cassandra sighs.

"Oh, Daycarthro, I was wondering if you could answer something for me," Cassandra turns to the god. "Ever since we got to Sanzo's world, my connection with Raven has been severed."

"It's nothing to concern yourself with. The talisman's power probably knocked your connection off balance. Give it some time, I'm sure it will correct itself." The god frowns. "Speaking of which, where is the talisman I gave you?" Raven suddenly freezes. He did have it before, what happened to it? The fight with Kougaiji! I must have dropped it!

"I lost it," Raven admits.

"I'm sure it doesn't matter now," Daycarthro cuts in before Raven has a guilt trip. "The talisman lost most of its power, so if someone were to find it, they won't be able to activate it. A vast amount of energy would have to come in direct contact with the talisman and what are the chances of that happening."

"If you say so," Raven finally says, not liking the situation one bit. He's right, but why can't I shake this feeling of foreboding?

XxxXxxX

"Hmm hm hmmmm," Lirin hums as she skips through the forest. "I wonder where oniisan is?" For the past three days Lirin, Yaone and Dokugakuji have been searching for Kougaiji, but the youkai prince has disappeared completely.

"Lirin, please slow down," Yaone calls, running after the carrot-haired girl.

"Yeah, kid, we don't want to lose you too," Dokugakuji says, pausing for a second to get a breather.

"But I want to find oniisan," Lirin pouts.

"If he's around here, we'll find him," Dokugakuji reassures her.

"He's right Lirin," Yaone smiles as she places a gentle hand on the girl's head.

"What was that?" Dokugakuji whispers to Yaone.

"I-I'm not sure," Yaone replies, her pink-violet eyes searching the forest. Suddenly a pile of leaves move.

"M-monster!" Lirin points at the mass of leaves.

"Lirin...?" a voice grumbles. The leaves drift to the ground revealing Kougaiji.

"Oniisan?" Lirin gapes. "You look so...pretty!" Lirin's eyes light up as she looks at her brother.

"Huh?" Kougaiji whispers, not knowing what his step-sister is talking about. Lirin takes a mirror out of her pocket and shows Kougaiji's his reflection. His lips are now a cherry red with a faint rouge on his cheeks and light blue eye shadow that seems to bring out the purple of his eyes. What the-?!

"You look pretty, just like Yaone!" Lirin laughs. Kougaiji quickly wipes the makeup off, planning to kill whoever dared mock him.

"Not one word," Kougaiji growls, his eyes darting to Dokugakuji who looks like he is going to burst with laughter.

"N-nice scarf," Dokugakuji voice trembles, taking everything in his self-control to not laugh. Kou quickly takes the pink handkerchief off his head, then throws it to the ground.

"Kougaiji–sama. I'm so glad you are all right. We were so worried about you"

"Where is he?" Kougaiji asks, looking for the teal-eyed man.

"Who?" Dokugakuji asks. Kougaiji closes his eyes, trying to sense the man he met before he blacked out, but the guy is no where to be found.

"No one," the prince finally says.

"I heard baldie monk is around here, we should pay him a visit," Lirin informs her step brother.

"Some other time," Kougaiji replies, still light headed from what ever happened to him. "Let's go home." Everyone nods their head.

Aw, I was hoping we would have some fun with Sanzo, Lirin thinks as she walks besides Kougaiji. At least I found this, Lirin takes out a crystal-like ball from her pocket, which she found on the river shore not too far from where they found Kougaiji.

"Come on Lirin," Kou calls.

"Coming!"

XxxXxxX

Psycho-CJ: Well, that's the end of that.

Evan: And a couple quick questions. Since my creator is always striving to improve her writing, let her know if there anything you think she needs to work on.

Psycho-CJ: Like more description, but I tend to add that kind of stuff during the third revision process. And I know Warner is kind of lacking, but he is still a character in development since I'm changing the story he is in.

Sanzo: Next, the baka writer is curious about who actually read this, since she knows not everyone reviews.

Psycho-CJ: Think of it as a way to get me to write the sequel faster. Expect to see that sometime in March. The sequel will probably be more plot driven and looks like it will take place in Raven's world. I was thinking of having Lamya as one of the villains (the person who killed Evan).

Evan: (glares) You would bring her back.

Psycho-CJ: And if you have any suggestions let me know.

Goku: Thanks you to everyone who ever reviewed: Psycho-Pumpkin, Mei Cera a.k.a Gensui Meia, Louise, vermillian, Dreamless-Sleep, baka_neko, Shumea.

Evan: And a special thank you Curiouzkatt, Ali, Sumitra.

Psycho-CJ: And an even more special thank you to Rook, without you might not have finished this. And of course thanks to MystiquePixie, who always lets me bounce my ideas off of her, even if she doesn't want me to ^_^.

Evan: I'm glad I'm not your brother.

Psycho-CJ: I hope everyone has enjoyed this fic and gained some entertainment out of it. I was kind of scared when I first posted this, thinking no one would like it, but I guess I was wrong. Thanks for all the support.

Hakkai: Till next time.