D-I-S...bah, I know y'all can spell it fine.

*****

Yuen knocked first before she opened the door. Sanzo was sitting on the bed, a lighted cigarette dangling from his mouth, violet eyes watching her. Sunlight from the window at his back glinted off his golden hair and – though his robe was bunched around his waist, showing the black undershirt and arm-warmers he wore underneath – gave him an almost ethereal appearance, almost like a god come down to the world.

Yuen dropped her gaze and approached him silently, sinking to her knees in front of him.

"What do you want?" his voice was deep, emotionless. Yuen felt the tears spring to her eyes again.

"Onegai, Sanzo houshi-sama," she managed to keep her voice still. "My mother listens to you. Perhaps you could..."

Cloth shifted against cloth. His deep voice spoke again. "Your mother wouldn't listen. You know that."

She kept her gaze lowered, knowing that that was going to be his answer. "Hai...I know. Demo," she reached into the bosom of her dress, her hand shaking, and pulled out the parchment, feeling her heart sinking into her belly. "I-I want you to keep this. Onegai."

Cloth shifting again. The parchment left her fingers. "Nanda?"

"For what you said. About true freedom." Her eyes were brimming with tears. She blinked – and two crimson drops fell onto her apron. "My mother may not understand. But I do." Yuen looked up then, pleading to the emotionless violet eyes as blood-tears trickled down her cheeks. "Onegai. I don't want this to be thrown even when..." She trailed off, dropping her gaze to the floor again. She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Even when you're dead." He finished for her, making her flinch at his emotionless voice. "I will keep this."

She glanced up. But his face remained the same. Yuen nodded then and rose shakily to her feet. "A-arigatou, Sanzo houshi-sama."

"Oi."

She met his violet gaze.

"Don't involve others in your personal affairs."

Yuen nodded again and left his room, heading back towards hers as she used a handkerchief to wipe her blood-tears away.

Shouts and clanking metal came from her window. Yuen crossed the room to the window with a sort of detached curiosity and glanced down.

Townspeople were gathering together with rakes, shovels, and other tools in their hands. In one large mass, they began to march outside the town's entrance, carrying their tools as though they were weapons...

Yuen felt the tears come again. The whole town had finally started their public crusade against the youkai. Against Xia.

She was near to collapsing against the window at that thought; knowing that the townspeople, people she and Xia had grown up with, were now marching to kill their own. Xia...

Yuen had promised herself she would stop them. When she went to talk with Sanzo, she was all set into going to stop them...or at least stop them from killing Xia. But now-

A flutter of movement caught her attention. There was a butterfly floating past her window, multi-coloured wings flashing in the sunlight. But there was no flowering plant growing nearby, nor a single flower. How-?

Sanzo's deep voice flowed in her mind. True freedom...may be having somewhere to return to.

She was running out the door and down the stairs in the next minute, before anyone could stop her; running past the inn, past the trailing crowd of townspeople wielding weapons, past the officials arming them. Nothing existed for her in that moment. Nothing but her purpose.

She was outside the town's entrance when she stopped, startled out of her mad dash by the scene that greeted her.

Humans...and youkai...fighting...

She hadn't expected the chaotic scene before her, had never prepared to hear the shouting and clashing of weapons that barrelled into her ears. Dirt and blood flew everywhere amidst the glinting of claws and metal. A heady mix of blood, sweat, and earth filled her nose.

Then a figure rose above the battle, unruly hair hovering like a black cloud behind his head.

Yuen knew that stance in an instant, that ungovernable black hair.

She ran to him without thinking. A shout, and someone else was running beside her. Luen – with a spear in his hands.

Yuen increased her pace.

Xia never moved from his spot, waiting.

She rushed onto him, clutching fistfuls of his worn tunic, not minding if he raised his clawed hand to strike at her, not minding if her back prickled from the spear that was coming.

She shut her eyes against the tears when searing pain flared all over her body, quickly followed by a numbing sensation that spread throughout. A dull crack and wind blew past her, stopping short a second later. She realized she had fallen.

Yuen opened her eyes. Shocked blue eyes stared down at her, at the red stain on his stomach. Her blood.

Gunshots echoed from a distance. More blood spurted from Xia's body to join her own. He opened his fanged mouth but only blood came out, trickling down the corners.

But Yuen was beyond caring. She stretched out her arm weakly as he collapsed beside her, their fingers touching. Dark blue eyes stared back at her, flaring with intelligence once more. But it faded soon enough to leave glassy blue eyes.

And then, she was drifting away.

*****

A/N: As I've been hinting at, I based this fic very loosely on the Chinese Romeo and Juliet, "The Butterfly Lovers." I just added the folks from Saiyuki into the mix. Epilogue up next! So If you would excuse me, I will go and calm my best friend.

Onna: Who said this fic was a Mary Sue?! Yuen is nothing like Bluejay, dammit!!! She's not even named after her or is even paired off with any of the canon characters!!!

Bluj: *pats Onna*