M2000: The day I own Saiyuki is the day Firnheledien becomes a Saiyuki fan!
Firn: M2000, look at my Sanzo piccie! Eeeeeee, SANZO-SAMAAAAAAA!!!
M2000: ...OK, OK...so the day I own Saiyuki is the day my friend Kdasher develops a passion for Gojyo.
Kdasher: Gojyo...he's so attractive *happy hearts*
M2000: Why do I even bother?! And forgive the unusual mix of Japanese and Chinese used throughout the fiction. At least I'm not breaking Gojyo's wrist like I said I would at the end of 'Smile Of The Father'.
Gojyo: So why do I still get this creepy feeling I'm not going to make it through the fic ALIVE?!

PART TWO
SUNSET
Yuuyake

When Sha Gojyo came home from school that day, he never expected the sudden change about to occur. Dropping his schoolbag on the floor with a dull 'clump', he pulled out a notebook and two squashy, soggy sandwiches. Sitting cross-legged on one of the wooden chairs around the dining table, he arranged the items a little and went on with his homework. Occasional bits of tuna and breadcrumbs floated down onto his book and he brushed them away, leaving traces of oil on the pages. He would tell the teacher they were candle-wax stains.

Silent. TOO silent. Gojyo put down his pencil somewhere between a numerator and denominator and looked about. Where WAS kaasan, anyway? His gaze flitted idly round the room and rested finally, unusually, on an object he had been told never to touch, never to even go near: the piano in the corner of the room.

Lord knows what possessed the child that day to get up and walk towards the piano, against everything his mind was screaming at him. He pushed the keyboard cover up, black and white keys staring back up at him in simple beauty. Tentatively, as if they would break or scream an alarm if he touched them, he plinked out a simple scale. Emboldened, he did it again. Nice!

Gojyo abandoned all fear and climbed upon the piano stool. He thought for a while and decided to play one of his kaasan's favourite songs. A quick scale to decide which note to start with, and he started pressing keys. It was crude, with no background or embellishment, but the notes were uncannily right. Not bad for a first-timer, not bad at all...

Mi do' ti mi mi so mi la...

The sudden shadow that fell across Gojyo's line of sight stilled him, and his fingers died upon the keys. Sha Kouka was looming over her stepson like a shadow of death. Gojyo's pulse multiplied exponentially and the colour drained from his face, crimson hair and eyes contrasting even more with his complexion.

He expected to be sent flying off the stool any moment now. Kouka was tall and sturdy, even for a female youkai, and Gojyo had felt her blows more than once. They hurt, and always accompanied tears. Here was this shame to her reputation playing her precious piano; he could expect no less than death.

The blow never came, and much to Gojyo's surprise, her eyes were dry.

"That is no way to play such a beautiful song," she said slowly, softly. "If you are going to be a disobedient little bastard and play my piano, you had better do it right. I will teach you how, if you wish to learn."

++++++++++

The sun was dipping slowly under the horizon as Jeep chugged along. Birds fluttered across the expanse of sky, chirping as they headed home to their nests. The cool wind whipped Hakkai's fringe about in the wind and he smiled to himself. It felt really good. The sutras about Sanzo's shoulders made a pleasant flappy sound in the breeze.

Yes, it would be a perfect little picture if not for the sounds of squabbling coming from the back.

"A­-h! Oi, baka no erogappa! (You stupid horny kappa) What did you do?"

"I can't stand seeing you sleep so peacefully when I have a splitting headache from your snores!"

"That doesn't mean you can draw all over my face!"

"You don't like it? I think the beard and warts suit you, no?"

"Oh yeah? Give me back my marker pen!"

"Uh? Hey, what?! Oi! Don't touch my hair! Uwaaargh! Kono bakazaru! (You idiot monkey)"

Sanzo had just about had enough and almost launched himself into the back seat(s), his harisen singing across the duo's heads. "Will you all SHUT UP?! Or must I hammer holes into your stuffy little skulls?"

"Hey, Hakkai, when are we going to reach the next town?" a voice piped up from the back after 15 (blessedly silent) minutes.

"Don't worry, Goku. The map here says there's a town called Weishan some distance away, so please hold back your appetite until then," Hakkai replied.

"Aren't you asking for the moon on this one?" snickered Gojyo, which prompted another round of squabbling between the two backseat passengers to be silenced by several shots from Sanzo's Smith and Wesson.

It was just then that Hakkai spotted the youth walking down the road in front of them. Although the dust of the road covered him from head to foot, he walked with a sure and easy grace, humming softly. Which meant he at least knew where he was going.

"Excuse me," Hakkai called out to the youth, slowing Hakuryuu down. "How far to Weishan from here?"

"Weishan?" the youth repeated, almost as if in disbelief. As he turned, the ikkou noticed two small scars ran down one side of his face, puckering the otherwise flawless skin. He recovered quickly, though, and replied politely "About twenty miles away, but based on the current situation, aniki (brother), it's not a good idea for you to go there."

"Huh? But why?" Goku asked, startled.

"There's something you should know about the town of Weishan. Even afore the Minus Wave hit Tougenkyou, the folk of Weishan have had a passionate distaste for demons and their kind. I daresay they'd feel contaminated sharing breathing space with anything other than their pure-blooded human selves."

"You are a demon, then, based on your tone?" Sanzo asked in his usual straightforward fashion.

"No, I am not--but I do believe that human and youkai can coexist. In any case," he continued, recognising the blonde demon-killing monk, "if Genjo Sanzo-sama still insists on going there, it could prove dangerous to his companions..."

"Oi, you. When was I ever supposed to feel concerned about these three?"

"Wouldn't expect to hear anything less from you," came a threefold reply.

The young man didn't quite know what to make of the situation. "Lord Buddha have mercy on us all," he breathed. "Look here, I still think it's not the best idea. Urban life is overrated. I live in Feiyan Village about five miles from here. Why not stop over at my folks' place for a while?"

"That's very kind of you, but we couldn't possibly impose on you like that. Besides, we need to buy provisions," Hakkai replied politely.

"Some of us also want to explore the nightlife," muttered Gojyo. Sanzo notched up a mental I.O.U. for a harisen swat later.

"Erhm. You WILL have to enter Weishan, then. Well, I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." He studied all of them closely for a while, appearing to be in deep thought. "Yes, I think I can arrange a solution, though. How about it? My offer appeal to you lot?"

"You seem pretty insistent about this. What's the catch?" asked Sanzo.

"What catch? No such thing. Here, think about it, bouzu," he replied, eliciting a choked exclamation from the 'bouzu' (monk) and stifled gargles of mirth from the back seat, "there ain't no-one who's going to give you free board and room in Weishan. They're all pretty much a bunch of penny-pinchers. One sen is like a car tyre to them. Besides..." He leant over Sanzo and grinned a grin very familiar to the monk, because it was usually visible when Gojyo had plans of an indeterminate nature up his sleeve. "...If you go to Weishan, they're sure to ask for a sermon. It's been a long time since a holy man of your *prestigious* standing deigned to stop by there...I'm sure they'll want to keep you for a nice loooong time..."

Never mind the fact that THIS Sanzo was anything but 'holy' or 'prestigious', that did it; the youth had somehow managed to push one of Sanzo's rare and few buttons. The monk gave a curt nod and jerked his head towards the back. "Get in, show us the way and keep those two nuts with you quiet. Try anything silly and I'll blow your brains out."

"Not on the upholstery please, Sanzo," Hakkai interrupted as he shifted Hakuryuu's gears, and there was a frantic squeak of agreement somewhere under the viridian vehicle's bonnet.

"Naa, namae nante iu no?" Goku piped up.

"Oh, me? The name's Hong Lang Ying, but folks round here call me Ah Ying. Yoroshiku, bouya (Please to meet ya, kid)." In a rather unorthodox greeting, he touched the tips of the first two fingers of his hand to his temple in a swift salute.

"Hey! My name's Goku, Son Goku! I'm no bouya!"

++++++++++

Ah Ying directed them off the main road onto a smaller lane barely wide enough for a car to travel on, and they arrived at Feiyan Village in twenty minutes, around dusk. It was a small village with a small population, one of those places where everyone is your neighbour. One or two people stopped to chat with Ah Ying and ask about his guest. Surprisingly, the name 'Genjou Sanzou' did not raise as big a fuss as you might think; they merely wished him good luck on his journey and did not stop to drool, kowtow or ask for a sermon.

_I think I could get to *like* it here,_ thought Sanzo.

"Where's your home, Ah Ying?" asked Goku.

"End of the road," Ah Ying replied, and motioned for them to follow him. They eventually reached a humble wooden dwelling, clean and neat despite its small size with vegetables and flowering plants planted in neat rows in the garden around it. Round the back, they could hear the sound of chickens and what sounded like a sheep bleating. A woman with hair dark and glossy as a raven's wing was kneeling in a row of carrots, pulling up weeds, but looked up when Ah Ying appeared.

"Welcome back, Lang Ying," she said with a warm smile, pushing her hair from her face. "And who are these people with you?"

Ah Ying introduced his mother, Sheng Wei, and told her about the day's events. She nodded and smiled at the four. "You must all be hungry. Please, do come in. I'm preparing dinner as we speak."

"Wa! Sankyuu!" beamed Goku.

Gojyo grinned. "Lady, if you cook as good as you look, it's going to be a VERY good night."

Ying casually flung his arm out in such a way as to jab Gojyo in the ribs. "Ah ma, where're ah ba and Ji?" he asked innocently as his guest wheezed painfully.

"Ji's round the back. Your father is inside the house. I'll come in when I'm done weeding the vegetables."

"You sure you wouldn't like some help with those carrots?" Gojyo asked, turning on his famed kappa charm. Sheng Wei giggled, Ah Ying gaped at Gojyo's audacity and Sanzo massaged his forehead.

"I couldn't possibly impose on you like that," she said with a warm smile. "Go inside and make yourselves comfortable, Sanzo-san, Gojyo-san, Hakkai-san, Goku-kun."

They did. Ying's abode was simply but tastefully furnished, showing signs of a frugal existence. A man with hair greying at the temples was snoozing in a well-worn armchair, his glasses slipping off his nose. Ah Ying sighed and shook his shoulder.

"Hey, ah ba, wake up, we have visitors," he said loudly. Mr. Hong woke with a start and stared up at his son and the four very strange guests he had brought in.

"Forgive my rudeness, gentlemen," the old man greeted them, adjusting his glasses. As he struggled to his feet, the ikkou noticed that one of his legs was bent in a decidedly unnatural direction and he needed the assistance of a cane to stand and walk. "My name is Hong Wu. Please, make yourselves at home. Ji! Hong Zhen Ji! Come and greet our guests!"

A young boy of not more than seven or eight emerged from the kitchen, and his face brightened when he saw his brother was home. "Oniisan!" he cried, and tackled Ah Ying's leg. The youth hefted his brother up and ruffled his hair.

"Zhen Ji! All right, you little scamp, now behave and greet our guests properly. This is Genjou Sanzou-houshi-sama and his companions."

"Hello Sanzo-sama! Hello Sanzo-sama's friends!"

It took some time for Gojyo to realise what was bugging him. Zhen Ji's short, messily ruffled mop of hair was bright crimson, just like his, and although his eyes did not have so much of the sharp, angular quality of Gojyo's (yet), they possessed the same heavy lashes and scarlet irises. He was a demon-hybrid.

"Ah Ying...er..." Gojyo began, wondering how to phrase his question. Whatever words had come to mind, though, fled at the sight of what happened next.

Ah Ying removed his bandanna, letting long, lustrous black hair fall over his shoulders. Then, however, he removed a ring on his finger and shuddered as it relinquished its power over him. The youth's dark, thick mane seemed to be becoming lighter and lighter to Gojyo, shifting across the spectrum of colour until it was as red fire dancing across his back.

_I don't believe this..._

"Ying, you're a hanyou too?!" spluttered Gojyo.

++++++++++

And now, review thanks...

real-circus--Yes, I have a major thing for pianos. No, I don't play although I'd like to learn. Thanxers for reviewing!

ayie--Don't worry, I like your stories too! Keep writing! :)

H. Mauvecloud -- Let me guess, YOU'RE a B-type Scorpio? ;)

Krimson -- IC? In Character? Whew, thanx!

L.L. Artemisan -- The error's been corrected. A nikuman is a char siew pow. Yes, I wish my Sejarah teacher was Cho Gonou...at least he'd COME INTO CLASS...

Azzie--O...well, I'm an A-Aries, and I can play the recorder and compose Saiyuki ringtones on my own ;) Tell Sanzo I'll send him something that will really put him to sleep in, oh...chapter four onwards...