Disclaimer: I would like to say that Gensoumaden Saiyuki does not belong to me at all. All characters honorably belong to Kazuya Minekura-san Sensei except for the storyline and the original characters that rightfully belong to me. The title "Love Potion No.9" is not mine too. I'm just borrowing it from a Hollywood movie.
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Ayie: Ah! I can't believe it… I finally succeeded in drawing a picture of Hakkai and Aiko. I loved the picture and I want to share it with dear readers especially those who were fond of Aiko and Hakkai pairing. I was planning to scan it and publish it on the net. Any idea on where should I publish it?
Hakkai: Why don't you just e-mail it to those who really want to see how Aiko looked like? I don't mind sharing Aiko's lovely face with those who really love her… but not to any guys!
Aiko: o__O"… Hai hai! Hakkai surely know how to get jealous.
Goku: Ayie-nee-chan would like to say thanks to all reviewers and readers…she said that she could not believe that there's still someone willing to read Surviving Life…thanks Thowra-chan. Kazo: She also said that this fic is going to be a fic with pure love… no *cough * scene….
Ayie: I loved torturing Hakkai and Aiko, and I loved torturing that crazy monk too….HAHAHA! Bad bad me!
Sanzo: threw the harisen to ayie's head Dameru!! Start writing chapter 3 already!
Aiko: @___@()
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Love Potion no.9
Chapter 3
"There's a way for the ikkou to enter the town unnoticed" Kei said as he leant back to the couch. "But it needs a little sacrifice from you boys…" he studied every faces of the young men before him.
The ikkou exchanged glances and turned their gaze to Kei, who smiled meaningfully. That youkai definitely had something playing in his mind.
Judging by the look in his eyes, the ikkou didn't like it much. They could sense something fishy hovering that elder youkai's head. Even Aiko didn't like the look on her uncle's face. She just feared that the plan would cost the ikkou to do something terrible. Deep in her heart, she's praying that the plan would not scratch the men's egos.
Hakkai looked at Sanzo, waiting for the blonde monk to give a signal that said 'go on with the plan'. Sanzo's eyes met his a moment later and the monk just looked away with a soft humph. Hakkai smiled. That's a yes! If the answer were a no, the blonde wouldn't turn away but glared at him instead.
"What is it Kei-san? We're willing to make that sacrifice if it can save the kids life" Hakkai said, coaxing the bold youkai to spit out his plan.
Kei's lips curled slightly as he glanced at the younger men and the girl. The young ones waited anxiously for him to give out the idea. Actually it's a simple idea, anyone could think of it. What an absurd fact that neither of the youngsters came out with the idea? 'May be they were too occupied with their egos and young blood that this kind of idea didn't pop out in their mind'. He laughed silently.
Sanzo was getting rather impatient with the waiting task. If Kei were someone much younger, he would surely whack him on the head with the harisen. He shifted uneasily on the couch.
Kei sensed the uneasiness in the atmosphere that hovered over his head that he smiled. Young bloods were so anxious and impetuous. They didn't have what the elders had, wisdom and patience. Kei only saw the patience in the dark haired man with the ear-cuff. Hakkai had a lot of patience and wisdom and they were clearly shown from the gleam in his emerald eyes.
"Well…it's nothing much to do" Kei finally spat his thought. He sneered and suddenly smirked. Aiko's eyes narrowed. She studied the old man's face and snorted. 'He must be kidding'. "You boys just need to dress up as a woman" Kei added and the idea made the ikkou gave out different reactions.
Gojyo jaw hung loosely, dropping till it met his chest. Goku on the other hand blinked continuously and looked at Sanzo, who's digging his ear furiously, as if to make sure he's hearing the old man right.
"Arara…" Hakkai's eyes widened with disbelief. 'Wonder why we didn't come out with the idea before?'
"Aww man! That's ridiculous…!!!" Gojyo opened his mouth and protested. 'I loved woman, but me…as a woman? Argh!!!'
Aiko sweat dropped and shook her head. She sighed heavily. 'Now here we go again… the typical Sanzo ikkou'
"I don't want to wear a skirt" Goku mumbled and stuffed a nikuman into his wide opened mouth. "Eet wo wissii [it's too sissy]" he muttered with his mouth full. Seconds after that, the familiar paper fan thwacked him right at the back of his head. He jerked forcefully forward.
"Baka saru… how many times do I have to tell you not to talk with your mouth full?" roared Sanzo, his face as red as Gojyo's jaunty crimson locks. Goku hurriedly seek for help from Aiko and the latter offered him her back for his hiding place.
"Ma…ma…Sanzo, you don't have to go if you opposed to the idea" Hakkai said, flailing his hands frantically in front of his face and smiled sarcastically. He looked like as if he's persuading Sanzo to calm down and relax. "I'm sure Kei-san would need a help to look after the sick kids" he continued cynically and looked away from Sanzo.
The monk dumbfounded. Sanzo's red face changed into rosy color and finally ceased into his usual typical color of the sun. He grunted. It looks like he has no choice from the beginning. He's not fond of dressing up as a woman but it's not his liking either to look after wailing sick kids. 'What's the heck? It's better than sitting all day keeping a sick kid to his bed'. Sanzo sank into the comfy couch and drowned himself into a serious thinking state.
"Ch!" Sanzo gave a forceful answer. "No make-ups" he warned as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and hung his head low.
"Why not? You'll look great with proper touch-up" Aiko jested the young monk. Abruptly, without she even had the chance to blink, Sanzo lifted up his face and pointed out his shoureijuu into her direction. He pulled the trigger and a bullet came dashing toward her. The silvery bullet missed her cheek by inches and penetrated the mahogany wall behind her. A deep smoky hole appeared on the wall as soon as the bullet made its way into the solid wood.
Aiko sweat dropped. "Hai…hai…I get the idea" she hissed nervously. Her voice shook.
"Nani?!" Gojyo gawked at hearing Sanzo's reply. "Sanzo-sama… what had happened to you? Are you sick?" he put a hand onto Sanzo's forehead, checking that the monk was not sick.
Sanzo's forehead displayed numerous fierce looking veins. He glared at the kappa from the corner of his eyes and reached into his robe. In a fraction of a second, the legendary harisen made its way to Gojyo's temple and the hanyou yelped alarmingly at receiving the brutal bash.
Gojyo pouted as he rubbed his aching temple. A nasty lump emerged under his tanned skin. "I refused of having to dress as a woman" he said stubbornly. He turned around to the door and clamped his mouth at seeing a figure staggering by the door. The red headed man narrowed his crimson eyes and studied the stumbling figure.
"Kazo?" Gojyo rushed to get the mentioned boy as soon as he realized that it was Kazo stood by the door, staggering and stumbling on his feet. He reached the boy just in time, right before Kazo collapsed to the wooden floor beneath his feet. The young half-breed fell limply into his protective arms. "Daijoubu desuka Kazo?" the elder man asked with concern flickering upon his solemn eyes.
"Kazo!!!" Aiko, Hakkai and Goku darted to the hanyous. Aiko bent down on her knees and put a hand on Kazo's face. Her brother's face was fiery hot.
Gojyo slapped Kazo's cheek softly, dragging the boy back into consciousness. Kazo forced himself to open his eyes and rolled his eyes over to his side. The crimson orbs were fixed on the worried face looking down to his face, calling out his name continuously. He smiled and uttered "Gojyo…" the smile lasted even until he closed his eyes and fell into an unwilling slumber.
"Kazo?!" Goku called out worriedly. A soft pat landed on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder and found Hakkai smiling to him. The smile made his heart relaxed. Hakkai would only smile if he thinks the situation can be handled. "Is he okay?" he asked.
Hakkai shook his head back and forth and gave an assuring smile. "He's sleeping" he explained softly and then looked at Gojyo out of the corner of his eyes. The red haired friend of his still held Kazo in his arms and looking down to the latter's face, Gojyo didn't say a word. The crimson locks covered the view of his face.
"I'll do it… I'll do whatever it takes to save him" Gojyo whispered softly as he gathered Kazo in his cradle and lifted the boy up. Silently, he walked out of the door and made his way to the staircase.
Aiko was about to tail Gojyo if not had Hakkai stopped her. The girl turned the other way around and glanced at Hakkai. "Let him be" was the reason from the dark haired man. Aiko heaved a deep breath and turned her gaze to Gojyo, who mounted the staircase with Kazo sleeping in his arms.
Hakkai smiled. 'Gojyo… the boy reminded you of yourself…am I right my friend?'
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Aiko stood silently in front of a dusty closet. She stared at the white closet embedded with pink flowery design and a slight curl appeared on her peachy lips. The sapphire-eyed girl reached out a hand and swiped the cobweb on the board of the closet. Her hand touched the knob and she carefully twisted it. The tarnished knob creaked noisily as she twisted the handle. Aiko pulled the closet's door and slowly opened it.
As soon as she opened the door, a strange image hovered around her. She was no more standing in front of a dusty closet but before a new closet instead and she was Reika once more. New clothes hung in the closet and she happily picked out one dress, which she thought would fit her right.
"Leya-nee-chan… how do you think about this?" Reika turned around and lifted the dress before her. She posed with the white dress embedded with blue flowers in front of her and waited for her sister's respond.
Leya narrowed her eyes and studied her sister, imagining that the girl was wearing the dress. "Nope! It's not suitable" she answered a moment later.
"Is it so? Then I'll wear it" Reika replied as she happily put the dress on. Her sister pouted.
"Then, there's no point of you asking my opinion" Her sister mumbled, quite annoyed of the trouble she had to went through for a couple of hours of helping Reika picking up the right dress for her first date with Leon. Leya smiled. "Hai hai… I never expected my sister would fall in love with any man… alas that man is my brother-in-law" Leya shook her head in amusement. She let out a small cynical laugh.
"Ch! You are so mean" Reika blushed severely, causing her sister to laugh hysterically at her.
"Now turn around and let me have a look at you" Leya ordered and she swirled around swiftly as Leya studied her from head to toe.
Aiko smiled. Her hand brushed the white dress with the blue flowers hanging limply in the closet. That dress gave her sweet memories. But all those memories fled away three months ago with the death of her family. Kei brought the closet and the clothes in it from their house in Tougenkyo. She had sworn not to open the closet or wears any of the clothes in it but Kei refused to throw them away, saying that probably one day she would start a new life and might as well needed the closet and all the clothes once again. Her uncle insisted on keeping the clothes, hoping that one day she would wear it again and bring back the sweet, adorable and beautiful young lady she was before.
"Aiko?" a soft pat landed on her slender shoulder. Aiko was being snapped away from her imagination. She turned around and found Hakkai smiling down to her. "Anything that we can wear?" the emerald eyes seemed to gleam magnificently under the showering of the evening sunbeams. Aiko smiled. 'Kei-jisan was right… I would one day start a new life and I did'
She turned back and studied the closet. "Let's see what we have in here" she said as she picked out a dress and stared on it quietly. Then she shook her head in disgust and tossed it to her back randomly. The dress landed on the floor. Aiko took out another cloth and again she was not happy with it. The cloth joined the latter dress on the floor a moment later. Aiko kept on picking out dresses and clothes, shook her head and then tossed it aimlessly all around the room.
Hakkai bewildered at seeing the mess around the room. The room was totally turned upside down, with mountains of cloth gathering here and there on every corner of the room. There were clothes on the bed, on the floor, on the table lamp, on the small table next to the bed, leaving no empty place except for the floor beneath his feet. Hakkai sweat dropped as Aiko still tossing the clothes away.
"Yukata!!!" she finally stopped and turned around to Hakkai with a woolen turquoise hand-weaved sweater and a khaki pants held before her. "This will suits you just fine" she smiled merrily and looked up to Hakkai. The man gave neither positive nor negative respond on her suggestion but he stared at the room blankly.
"Hakkai?" Aiko called out curiously.
"Unh…?" the man was jerked away into reality at hearing the girl's voice. "Nanda?" he asked with a silly tone. It was obvious he wasn't listening to Aiko.
Aiko stammered. "What's wrong with you? Are you sick?" she asked worriedly. Aiko stepped over to Hakkai and put one hand on the dark-haired man's forehead. The man was not having a fever.
Hakkai held out a hand and pointed his finger all over the room. "Do you often make this kind of mess while picking the right cloth to wear?" Hakkai asked. Aiko looked around and chuckled nervously.
The room was an absolute mess.
Aiko looked back to Hakkai and smiled innocently as the latter shook his head in disbelief.
"Usually Leya-nee-chan picked up the cloth for me… I'm suck at choosing the right cloth to wear" Aiko lowered her lids and looked down to her feet. Her sweet smile slowly changed into a faint curl. "I'm not a fashionable girl" she whispered softly.
Hakkai smiled with sympathy. Kei told him that the clothes in the old closet belonged to Reika when she was still a little girl until she was finally a young lady of twenty. Aiko tried to get rid of the clothes from her sight but was not able to do it since the clothes brought her sweet memories back to her. Hakkai looked down to the girl stood before him.
"You know what…?" Hakkai uttered softly as he reached a hand and picked the aqua green sweater and the khaki pants Aiko held in her grip. He put the sweater on his body. "I think you are quite a fashionable girl since this outfit that you chose for me was kind of okay" Hakkai smiled cheerfully.
Aiko smiled faintly. Deep inside she knew well that Hakkai tried to cheer her up. "Honto ni?" she asked in a merry tone, trying to be as cheerful as she could so not to make the man worried.
"Hai!" Hakkai kindly replied with a frantic nod. Aiko's lips curled up wide. She almost looked like a sweet little girl smiling to her guardian. Hakkai hung the clothes limply on his shoulder and walked to the closet. He looked into the closet and suddenly picked out a cream colored cheongsam. The cheongsam was knee-leveled and was paired up with matching colored pants. "Aiko…can you do me a favor?" he looked at the girl with a smile.
"Nanda?" she asked, rather perplexed.
"I want you to wear this" Hakkai said as he held out the cheongsam to Aiko. Aiko stood dumbfounded as she stared blankly at the dress then she looked at Hakkai with wonders. "You've said that Leya always helped you picked up the right dress…ongoing from now on I'm going to help you with the dress and for a start, let me see you in this cheongsam" Hakkai explained.
Aiko smiled slightly and quietly took the cheongsam. "I'll wear it but first I have to choose the right outfit for the kappa, that o-nii-chan of mine and Goku too" she explained and started choosing the clothes that would suit Sanzo, Goku and Gojyo just fine.
"I'll help you" Hakkai offered as he peeked into the closet and fixed his eyes on several clothes hung in it. "These kind of appealing" he said as his hand reached farther into depth of the closet.
"Wow!" Aiko shrieked with amaze at seeing the clothes Hakkai had picked up for Sanzo, Gojyo and Goku. "You've got taste" she exclaimed, fascinated at her lover's choice.
Hakkai grinned grimly.
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"Shit! Why do I have to wear this… this thing?" Gojyo tossed away a bra and the undergarment fell on Goku's head. The saru flailed his hands frantically before his face and smacked away the bra.
Hakkai picked it up and fave it back to Gojyo. "Anou… I know this might sound ridiculous but as a woman, we have to have bigger breasts and this bra was the only solution" he explained as he chuckled nervously. He had spent hours at the shopping mall in the small town near the settlement with Aiko looking for the undergarments. Aiko was not fond of letting the guys wear her undergarments and they have to look for a new one. Hakkai's hair at the back of his neck stood upright at remembering the sarcastic smile thrown upon him by the salesgirl and the customers of the mall when Aiko measured his chest to find the right size of the bra. He almost think of shrinking himself into a pocket sized doll and hide in Aiko's pocket.
"Ah right! Now you were ordering me to wear a bra and the next thing is what? I have to put apples into it to enhance the size of my breasts?" Gojyo asked with a sneer. He smirked and turned around.
"Hai!" Hakkai nodded in approval. "I was just going to say that" he pointed to a pack filled with apples.
Gojyo jaw dropped. "Hakkai… you must be kidding" he said, almost thinking of turning back.
Hakkai chuckled edgily with one hand behind his head. "Unfortunately… I was not" Hakkai answered. Gojyo hollered in disbelief.
"And what's this?" Gojyo held out a maroon cheongsam. The skirt of the cheongsam was split at the side from the thigh to the ankle. "Are you going to make me wear this outfit?" he asked, annoyed at the outfit Hakkai had chosen for him.
"I thought you have beautiful thighs, almost as slender as a lady's… and since you like being horny, I've chosen this outfit for you" Hakkai explained and smiled stupidly.
"Nani?!" Gojyo shouted with rage. He blushed and Hakkai could not tell if the red flushes flickered due to anger or embarrassment. The hanyou sent Hakkai a deadly glare that caused the dark haired man to retreat to the bed, clearing up the bed from the groceries packs. "Baka!" Gojyo stared at Hakkai and then turned to the cheongsam.
"Ch!" Sanzo held the pale yellow sleeveless gown before him and matched it with a tanned colored camisole. "Do I really have to wear this?" he asked, brows twitched and face distorted. His face was blue pale and his voice shook.
"What's the problem bouzu? You had always wore a skirt all over the time" Gojyo teased the blonde guy and smirked devilishly. Seconds later, he was dodging for rain of bullets from the monk's shoureijuu.
"Ma…ma…minna-san, let's settled down and have a rest…we have a long day to go tomorrow" Hakkai stood in the middle of the cat and dog chasing and calmed the situation down. He struggled hard to block Sanzo from reaching Gojyo as the red headed ducked alarmingly before the harisen could connect to his skull.
"Hakkai… I don't like the color of this cloth" Goku complaint as he held up a brown knee-leveled jumpsuit before his face. Hakkai had given him a cream colored shirt to wear with the jumpsuit. "Don't you have an orange one?" he asked naively.
The elders of the ikkou sweat dropped.
"Che… baka!" Sanzo grumbled as he tried really hard to hold back the laughter that emerged at hearing Goku's remark.
Gojyo laughed hysterically to the saru's face. "Oi saru… you really have a bad taste in matching up colors" he jested as he squeezed his stomach, lessening the pain in it as he laughed his heart out. His thighs turned stiff as he slapped it hard while laughing at Goku.
"At least I don't have to wear a cheongsam like certain kappa" Goku returned the kappa's favor with a tease. Gojyo fell dumbfounded at the tease and glared at Goku before dashing toward the itan in full speed. He poked the boy right on the head and the latter kicked his leg. He yelled painfully and then stroked again, this time aiming for Goku's cheek.
"Yare yare desune…" Hakkai sighed in disappointment. 'Here we go again'
Gojyo and Goku's bickering lasted for a couple of minute before they disengaged abruptly at the sound of a gunshot from Sanzo's shoureijuu. And it took another minute for them to run out of the room, rescuing themselves from the bullets that dashed out of the deadly weapon's mouth.
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Aiko stripped away the band she's tying her hair with. She unfolded the plait and shook her head, causing her hair to be swayed freely to a shoulder length. Her wavy dark hair fell limply on her shoulders and dark fringes bounced up and down at each sides of her face. She brushed the bangs on one side of her forehead to the back and studied the image of her face in the mirror.
The sapphire-eyed girl glanced to the image of the cream colored cheongsam hung on the wall at her back and fixed her eyes on it. She never wears the cheongsam before. Aiko planned to wear the cheongsam for her special man and during that time the special man was Leon. Less she expected that Leon would never get the chance to see her wearing cheongsam, instead she would still wears it for her special man. But in this case it's not Leon but Hakkai.
Aiko smiled. She looked back to her image in the mirror and blinked. Tomorrow is not going to be a hard task only to the ikkou but also to her. It's been long since she last dressed up as a proper lady… now she has to start all over again. 'Wonder if I had already lost that sense and that touch of femininity in me?'
"Well…guess I'll find out tomorrow," she whispered as she combed her hair softly and then blew off the candle on the chandelier.
The night went deeper as the earth muffled into silence and serenity. Some heavy clouds, swept from the sky by rising wind, had left the moon bare; and her light, streaming in through a window next to her bed, shone full on her.
Aiko's sapphire eyes that gleamed equally bright to the stars gazed up to the night sky. The howling of the wind put her mind at serene and her heart at rest. She rose up to her feet and walked gracefully to the bed. Her nightgown flailed gently as the night breeze swept her softly. She sank onto the bed and laid herself down to one side.
The mutant girl was about to close her eyes when the door of her room creaked softly. Aiko's heart jumped at sudden. 'Who was that?' she wanted to ask the question but was stopped by her inner voice.
The figure approached her with a tiptoed gait. Its shadow towered her slender body as it bent down. She squeezed her eyes tightly, pretending to be asleep. Peeping through a slight opened lid, Aiko could see a hand reaching out for her head, yet she still could not identify the figure at her back.
The hand brushed her hair tenderly and at connecting flesh to flesh with the hand, Aiko fell at calm. She knew to whom that touch had belonged to. She could tell it by heart. The figure suddenly bent down and drew his face to hers. His face now came into view under the gleam of the moonlight that showered upon her. She could see the monocle on his right eyes as he planted a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Oyasumi nasai koi" the man whispered softly to her ear and retreated to the door. He closed the door softly behind him and left the girl alone with a smile flickered upon her lips. Now she knew she'll be having the sweetest of dream that night.
"Oyasumi…" she breathed out and almost immediately fell into a silent slumber.
The night drew its curtain down.
To be continue…
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Ayie: yare…yare… sorry for the delay of this chap. I barely had time to continue, alas the server at our computer lab had a severe problem…Argh!!! What a trouble….? Never mind…what do you think about this fic, do tell me if it bores you to death okay?
Goku: GS-chan…you said that you think ayie-nee-chan was a magician… you must be a magician yourself since you guessed what Kei was thinking and your guess was right… Are you a magician just like Ayie-nee-chan? Kazo: We know…you are a magician.Yay yay!
Hakkai: Ma…ma…we're really flattered and honored that this fic made you stepped out of the TMNT fandom Arista Niara-san. It was an honor to have a reader and reviewer like you…Arigatou. Hope you enjoy the rest of this fic.
Sanzo: Ayie! Have you started your assignment?
Ayie: Yada! I will start later…
Sanzo: you'll start now…don't put off your work until the last minutes pointed the shoureijuu to ayie's temple
Ayie: Hai hai! started scribbling the draft for her assignment
Gojyo: Ow! Careful ne Aiko? it hurts let Aiko bandaged his arm, injured from being twisted by Ami Aiko: Served you right kappa…you know you shouldn't mess up with Ami.