Okay, last chapter! To conclude everything off! *sob* Why so soon..? Okay, if you (yes, you!) want me to do a sequel, R&R! Then, I'll consider. Enjoy, and cheers!

Chapter 7

"Minna-san, there's a town ahead!" Hakkai pointed at a border off the horizon. "Ah.. I can see it!!!! Whoah, it's big.. I wonder if there's lots of food there." Goku patted his growling stomach. "A town that big should have some restaurants that we can choose from and some good inns for us to stay in!" Akita smiled. "Sou sou! We should stay in a good inn. We have been camping out for the past few days." Hakkai smiled back. "Also, I bet there's got to be some pretty women in that big town. I'll have lots of women to choose from.." Gojyo rubbed his palms together. "We're reaching the town!" Hakkai said.

"Suuge!!!! There're so many restaurants!!!!" Goku walked around. "Aha ha. We should go into a restaurant inn. That way, we get food and lodging at the same time." Hakkai suggested, stroking Hakuryu who was on his right shoulder.

"Right. Saves me the trouble to go out and get the baka zaru food in the middle of the night when he's hungry." Sanzo puffed on his cigarette. "He heh. Our old Sanzo-sama is lazy to take care of his pet." Gojyo teased. "Urusai or I'll kill you." A nerve twitched.

"Minna! What about this restaurant inn? It looks big enough to give us a room each!" Goku pointed at a relatively large restaurant inn. "Hmm. That sure looks like a good restaurant inn!" Hakkai followed Goku.

"Ok. We'll stay here for the night." Sanzo walked into the restaurant inn and asked for five separate rooms for one night.

"Sommenmasen, we only have one room with five beds. It's pretty big and spacious and you get a free dinner if you take that room. Our restaurant inn is the most famous in this town, so many people have taken the other rooms." The lady at the counter said.

"Nani?! One room with five beds in it?! Hey, girl, how am I supposed to lure you into my bed then? It's uncomfortable with four pairs of eyes watching, you know." Gojyo flirted. "Ow!!!" Akita had smacked Gojyo. "Thank you, miss. We'll take the room and please do tell us when the free dinner is ready."

"I'll get the room and beds ready for you!" the lady smiled.

"Grr. That was my chance to go to bed with her in her room!" Gojyo grumbled. "And you're going to make us pay for an extra bed? No way." Akita said firmly. "It's trouble having a little sister." "What did you say?" "Nothing! Nothing at all."

"She calls this spacious." Sanzo looked at the room with five bulky beds placed side by side and a little table on the other side of the room. "Ha ha. She must have meant the beds were spacious.

"But they're placed side by side. How are we supposed to sleep?" Gojyo looked at the beds. "I suppose we have to take it. We paid for this already and we're getting a free dinner." Hakkai shrugged.

"And, at least the beds are spacious. We won't feel that stuffy." Akita implied. "I suppose Akita's right." Gojyo sighed.

"I'm taking the bed beside Akita's and Hakkai's! I'll feel safer that way when I sleep." Goku said. "Okay." Akita smiled at Goku. "That would mean Hakkai takes the edge - " "I'm taking the edge bed. It's sickening to have somebody sleep on both sides." Sanzo said.

"Okay. Hakkai take this edge, Goku's next, then me and Gojyo and last is Sanzo." Akita said. "You're putting me and the monk side by side?!!?" Gojyo exclaimed. "Well, the monk won't want to be beside me." Akita implied. "Akita's right." Sanzo said.

Gojyo looked at Akita disbelievingly and plopped down on his bed.

"I can't wait for the free dinner! Wonder what they will be serving.." Goku sat at his bed and rubbed his palms together. "I'm guessing a nice full course meal with lots of liquor on the house!" Hakkai said. "Hm. Don't forget the beer." "I guess we'll find out soon enough." Akita said.

Night fell and a knock came on the door of Sanzo's party's room. Akita opened it. "Hello, the dinner's ready and served! Would you come this way, please?" the lady smiled and gestured.

"Oh sure! Minna! Dinner's ready!" Akita called. "Oh, good!!! I can't wait to eat!" Goku ran after Akita. "Wow! There's so much food! Itatakimasu!" Goku immediately dug in.

"Oi, baka zaru, shouldn't you wait for us to sit down?" Gojyo sat and started to eat. "Ha ha. Goku's waited all day for this. He should enjoy himself." Hakkai said and took some food for Hakuryu. ("Kyuu!")

"This was worth it, anyway. We got a dinner that's free and delicious for a five bed room." Akita said. "Definitely!" Goku said through a full mouth.

"Close your mouth when you're eating!" Sanzo smacked Goku. "Ite. Okay, okay!" Goku said. He continued on his dinner.

"Enjoying your dinner?" the lady asked. "Oh yes! Thank you very much! But, do you serve liquor?" "Or beer?" "Yes, we do, but that's in the bar and you will have to go there to get them." The lady smiled.

"Can't you get some beer for me? Or you could get some for me and serve me in your room." Gojyo started to flirt again. Akita smacked Gojyo. "Pardon his behavior, miss. You may go. Thanks for your help!" Akita smiled. "Okay!" the lady smiled and left.

Why do you always prevent me from getting a woman?!" "Because you're not serious about them. How are you going to get a girlfriend that way?" "Hmph."

It was late at night and Akita couldn't sleep. "I think I'll go to the bar and get some liquor." Akita stole a glance around the room. Goku was sound asleep, so was Hakkai, Sanzo and Gojyo. "No better chance than now." Akita tiptoed across to the door and went out of the room. After that, she walked straight to the bar.

"What can I get for you, miss?" the bartender asked. "What do you recommend?" "Hm. For girls, maybe mild alcohol? But you don't look like the sort who gets drunk easily, so you name what you want." The bartender smiled.

"Okay, then the best liquor you have." Akita said. "Coming right up!" "Sigh. It's been some time since I had a good drink." Akita waited for her drink to come.

"Here's your drink, miss! Enjoy!" the bartender handed Akita a bottle of liquor and a glass. "Thank you!" Akita poured the liquor into her glass and took a sip. "Hm. not bad."

"Hm. I can't sleep." Sanzo sat in his bed. "Hm? Where's Akita?" he got up and walked to the door. "I'll just go to the bar and have some beer." Sanzo headed for the bar. He saw Akita there. "What is she doing here?" he asked himself. "Yo." He sat beside Akita. (Okay, weird for Sanzo-sama to go 'Yo', but heck. -_-v)

"Oh, hello, Sanzo. Here for some beer?" Akita asked, not quite thrilled to see him. "Yes. You drink?" he asked, looking at the bottle of liquor.

"Yes, can't I?"

"Just asking. It's not strange for a girl to drink." Sanzo said and ordered beer.

"You think so? But it's strange not to get drunk."

"You don't?"

"I have been drinking since I was young with my god parents, they taught me. but they said not to drink too much as it's not advisable for a girl to drink a lot, but advisable for her to be able to handle her drink well, or she'll be easily taken advantage of." Akita said.

"How often do you drink now?"

"Not as often. Before I found you guys, I drink usually when I feel lonely and depressed, but I never get to drown my sorrows."

"I see. so you intend to drown your sorrows tonight?" Sanzo said, sipping his beer.

"Yes. That day, when I cried, it felt good, but not good enough. Everything that happened was my fault, and I can't do anything to make up for it." Akita said, glancing at her almost empty bottle.

"How many bottles have you drunk?"

"Erm, this is my third bottle."

"Nani?!" Sanzo was already on his second bottle and he was starting to feel tipsy. "You don't have to blame yourself for what happened. You didn't mean it to." Sanzo said again.

"Hm. Wise words from the corrupted monk again. To tell you the truth, I only get drunk when I want to. And I feel a bit tipsy and tired now." Akita smiled.

"Hmph. I won't lend you my shoulder to lean on and neither will I carry you back to the room." Sanzo said coldly. Suddenly, he felt a bump on his shoulder. He looked and discovered a sleeping Akita. "I just told her." a nerve twitched, but soon disappeared. He looked at the sleeping Akita for some time. "Oh well." He shrugged and carried her. Akita snuggled up to him. He walked to the room and met Gojyo standing at the doorway and smoking.

"Hm, if you bring a drunk girl home, shouldn't you get another room for some privacy?" Gojyo teased.

"Urusai!"

"Shh! Don't wake her up!" Gojyo said. Akita stirred, but slept. Sanzo carried he to her bed and placed her down. He was about to go back to his bed when Akita tugged at him. "Don't go. Don't go." Akita mumbled.

"Hehe. You better sleep beside her. She needs your company." Gojyo said and slept at the edge bed. "Good night!"

"Grr.. Sanzo looked at the sleeping Akita. "I guess I have no choice." He smiled (SMILED?!?!) and lay down beside Akita. "I always wanted something which I didn't need to protect. And I got Goku. Now, I have something to protect. Akita." Sanzo sighed and fell asleep.

~ END! ~