do y'all still remember this fic? *blush* i really hope so, tho i wouldn't blame ya if you'd forgotten.
I apologize so much for the late, late, late update!! at least this chapter's a decent length ^^;;
and, happy holidays =) that said...
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"I hope you know what you're doing, Bosatsu-sama."
She smiled. It wasn't, he felt, the properly inscrutable, ineffable smile of a divine being. But then again, there wasn't much She did that was proper. The position of an immortal, even one of the five revered Buddhas, didn't entitle you to as many liberties as you might think. It was only because She was so good at getting things done, that She could keep on doing them.
Kanzeon Bonsatsu smiled again. It was something like the smug look of a cat with a mouse under its paw, and something like the victorious face of a general, but altogether more like the smile of a five-year old who refuses to tell you where he put Mommy's diamond engagement ring after "pwaying" with it.
"Oh, I always know what I'm doing. It's only they who get confused sometimes."
He looked down. It had been so many centuries. His eyes were no longer what they had been. But if he squinted, he could see the threads pulling together, converging in a tangle, somewhere north of Chengdu.
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There was something wrong with this town. He was sure of it. People stared at them, but then, they always stared; that was part of having the golden crown. You couldn't bloody well hide the chakra all the time, no matter how you grew your hair. It got into you, somehow, and came out in other ways, like having thr--two companions who never knew when to shut up and stop asking questions. Although, if he were scrupulously honest with himself, he would perhaps have to admit that walking away wasn't his strong point, either.
For whatever reasons, going undercover rarely managed to save them time. Still, it might mean seeing one less smug-faced dignitary, so he didn't argue when Hakkai politely reminded him that they were about to enter town and wouldn't he like to perhaps make them a little less conspicuous? He considered saying something about the anonymity of traveling with a halfbreed and a white dragon, but the words died in his throat. Gojyo had been quiet the whole day, and now was not the time. He wasn't sure when the time would be, but it would have to wait until his head stopped splitting.
Frankly he'd never liked the whole get-up anyway; it reminded him of someone whom he couldn't be.
If he were being scrupulously honest with himself, he would perhaps he to admit that that was why he wore it.
Maybe it was a good thing that he was too busy studying how people stared.
******************
There was something wrong with this town. For one thing, it was far, far too big. It could hardly be called a town, really, it was pushing the upper limits of the word city. If its suburbs had gone any further out, it might've been more properly called a county.
He tried to reason it out. Perhaps the map was too old. It was hard to get updated charts; information didn't exactly travel at the speed of light, and travelers were such an oddity in some of the places where they stopped that there weren't even any actual inns, only a few rooms above the local tavern that were sometimes rented out to lodgers for a small fee and a share of the hard work. This one, however, had to have been made within the past five years. He'd purchased it in a fairly busy trade town along the Yangtze, and it had been mostly accurate for the past three hundred miles. However, where a small town named LuoHu was supposed to be, to the north of Chengdu, there was...this.
LuoHu was a dense, sprawling mess of buildings and street signs which showed little planning. But for a city which seemed to have sprung from the mud in the past few years, it was remarkably complete. It had markets filled with vendors hawking their wares with varying degrees of honesty but absolutely no shame. It had streets of ramshackle dwellings, firetraps where families of eight or ten crowded in every room. It had gaudy red-roofed residences guarded by white stone lions that screamed of new money. It even was beginning to have a separate section of the city, fenced off and well-kept, that smacked of old money. And it had people, throngs of them, hurrying with their heads down as if bracing against some imaginary wind.
They walked in straight lines, for the most part, over paving stones not yet worn smooth. No loitering for LuoHu, although every now and then they passed men with yellow who seemed to have nothing better to do than stand on the corner and let their gazes range over the crowds. People walked with their heads a little lower and their feet a little quicker on those corners. Hakkai caught more than one looking at them oddly, the curious light of menace in their eyes. Certainly they weren't doing a very good job of blending, casual clothing or no. It made him glad that he didn't need to carry a weapon to be armed.
It also made him think of a body in tattered blue rags, twisting slowly on a rope.
**************************
There was definitely something very far wrong with the town.
There were no whores.
No shrill calls for honored guests to come in and have a cup of wine, no eager hands plucking at his sleeve. No women wearing worn-out dresses, thick make-up and a cynical brand of hope on the street corners. In fact, the only people standing on street corners were the kind that smart girls stayed away from. They looked like the kind that were pally with the local officers, knew it, and knew that you knew it. They never paid. He'd had to bounce a few in his day. Sometimes he did it for free, because hells, they just pissed him off. Sometimes a whore would slip you something that would knock you out while she stripped your pockets, but it was all part of the game, and the rules were caveat emptor. That didn't make it right to threaten her livelihood.
There were a few whorehouses, but you had to look for them. Closely. Even the bars were amazingly quiet; from what he could see, patrons huddled over their drinks. Dice clinked quietly, without a chorus of cheers or swears. That couldn't be good for business, he reflected. You made your money off of the loud ones, the ones who pounded their fists, then went for one more round. There was laughter, sometimes, high-pitched and loud, cutting off abruptly.
Something was wrong with this town. Gojyo attracted whores the way a dead body attracted flies. He liked to believe it was his sex appeal--he did believe it was his sex appeal, most of the time. It just didn't hurt that he won more often than he lost and was a big tipper. But it looked like it would take a pretty big tip to pry this town out from behind the shutters.
He dared to comment on it quietly, when they'd found a place to eat. The food was better than he'd expected, and spicier--this close to Szechuan they were liberal with the chili sauce. He was surprised at the amount of meat in the dishes; clearly, it wasn't hunger that pinched people's faces. Sanzo had ordered too much for three people. He'd been on the point of ordering more when he'd caught the server giving him funny look, then snapped his jaw shut. It had stayed that way for the rest of the meal, which killed Gojyo's appetite. The server was keeping a wary eye on them from a distance, and reappeared with more tea and nervous flicks of the towel a bit more frequently than was necessary.
"S'a nice town," he said when they'd cleared the first dish wordlessly, tracing the grooves in the table. It was, too, in a way. The streets were clean of garbage, human and otherwise. The stores were well-stocked and well-lit, and if the black market was large, it was also very well hidden. Everyone looked clothed and well-fed. They'd only stepped into a small tavern, but there was no grit in the food, and the tea was good enough for even Hakkai.
"Mmm," Hakkai made a small noncommittal noise, looking at him over the top of his teacup. With his left hand, he rolled a pair of lacquered chopsticks back and forth.
"Good food," he added, sneaking a look at Sanzo. The latter might have been made of stone, if stone chewed mechanically.
"Spicy," said Hakkai, "but the tofu, I thought, was very flavorful. The black tea duck, too. It's always a pleasure to taste the regional specialities. Shame we couldn't try any more."
Sanzo was still studiously ignoring them. He stared off towards the kitchens, watching the two waiters dashing in and out. Even in the heavens and hells, Gojyo reflected, cooks yelled and waiters probably dashed. "You suppose there's food in the heavens?" The words slipped out before he was aware of them.
Hakkai looked slightly startled, then laughed. "I hope so. I know some people who wouldn't be happy there, otherwise."
He smirked. "You're right."
Sanzo made a sudden movement and he braced himself, but the monk was only turning his head to say, "Is that girl coming towards us?"
They both looked back. There was indeed a girl, weaving her way through the half-empty tables, her eyes fixed on the three of them.
She wasn't bad-looking, with a lean oval face, but her symmetric features were too strong to be called pretty. He wouldn't have looked at her twice in the street, even before he'd joined the group. She looked like the type who wouldn't stand for it, anyway, at least at first. Quietly dressed, hair in two plain braids, nothing gauzy or flowing, just the tight-sleeved jacket and long pants that looked clean and practical. Face pale, no make-up. Just his luck, not a whore, although honestly he wasn't sure what he would've done if she had been; there was something about having a monk and Hakkai in the next room. Besides, he liked them a little older and lusher. Sixteen or seventeen, he guessed, then revised it to eighteen or nineteen when she came closer. She was long-limbed, flat and thin as a colt, but the expression in her eyes was sober and resolute.
She came to a stop a few feet from their table, and her eyes moved from one face to another with a trace of hesitation before fixing on Sanzo's. She opened her mouth, closed it and cleared her throat, and tried again. In a low, quiet voice, she asked, "You are Genjyo Sanzo?"
Sanzo glared at her, and she shrank back slightly. Hakkai interposed gently, "What's the matter, miss?"
Here it comes, he thought.
And it did. The girl took a step forward, clenching her fists. "Please, sir, we need your help."
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It was thoroughly dark by the time they reached her home, which wound up being a small cabin in a stand of pines. The smell made him dodgy, remembering the attack by the river, but she moved confidently, and what was more surprising, silently. He followed stiffly and tried not to feel too much like Jeep, crashing through the undergrowth. He wondered how it was done. It was a handy trick, alright.
Half-hidden in the shadow of the trees, the cabin was almost invisible until they were close enough to see the firelight shining from its windows. No matter what the girl said, he thought, this was definitely the middle of nowhere. They'd walked a good mile off the road to get here, and there wasn't another building in sight, not even a woodshed. The cabin itself wasn't much larger than a shack; the stables he'd stolen the horse out of had been larger. He wondered whether anyone other than the girl and the friend she'd mentioned lived there. A few more and there wouldn't be elbow room, unless the cabin was like a magician's hat.
He felt nervous suddenly at the thought of barging in, until he remembered that he had money and could pay for anything he ate. That was a good thing, because all the walking had made him hungry again. At least, he thought it was hunger that was making him dizzy. It could have also been related to the tearing pain in his muscles. The cold night air had turned his body into one big cramp. It was an effort not to wince with every step. She walked way too fast for such a short little kid; what was the deal with that? With the same quick steps she flitted to the door and pulled it open. Before he could even shuffle his feet, she'd tugged him inside.
The room was small and warm, but vaguely smoky. To his left was another doorway, blocked off by a length of thick red woolen cloth. There was little but a table, the fire, and a bed made up in the corner. He blinked a bit as his eyes adjusted, then sniffed at the smell of something cooking. His mouth watered, and he looked longingly at the round-bellied pot that hung over the fire, suspended by its handles and a thin pole.
"Hey, Ol' Du*! I'm home," his guide called out.
A voice responded from behind the red cloth partition, "Ah, Jinling, dinner's ready." He hadn't, he realized, known her name. Within moments the fabric was pushed aside, and a thin old man came out, stopping with surprise when he saw Goku.
At least, he looked old at first: he had stooped shoulders and sparse hair, and although the eyes were kind as they rested on him, they also seemed tired, somehow. It was a look that made the face older. He'd seen it on the rest of the Ikkou at times. Jinling said quickly, "His name's Goku. He's not a stranger."
"I'm sure he isn't," smiled the old man, but the gentle curiosity did not leave his eyes. "Goku, would you care to have dinner with us? Our fare is rough, but you are welcome to it."
He looked at the pot again, and nodded so quickly that the girl laughed.
The meal was good, and comfortable. He ate and talked less than he was used to, because even though they weren't strangers, they weren't friends. He was happy when the old man asked no questions. He wasn't sure how to explain, and when he tried it inside his head, it didn't sound terribly good. "I'm going after my friends, because they left me behind," wasn't convincing, even to him. So he kept his head low and listened as Jinling told Old Du, as she called him, about the things she'd seen in the fields and forest. Apparently she'd been looking for birds. He found himself drifting out of the conversation, thinking about the others and wondering how far they were now. Surely, he figured, they'd stopped for the night.
He came back with a start as she mentioned his name, describing how she'd found him. Old Du looked at him carefully, as if he could see straight through his clothes and the bandages underneath. He looked right back, staring at the man openly, chewing slowly while she talked. The thick hotpot with rice noodles was delicious, but by now even his jaws felt tired, and besides, it wouldn't have been polite to eat all of their dinner. After all, he had gotten through a good portion of his pack earlier, even though it had been almost two hours ago.
After dinner Jinling began to yawn. The old man drew a pail of water from somewhere outside, and she washed her face and went to bed on the pallet in the corner. She fell asleep almost instantly.
Goku stood uncertainly in the middle of the room, watching the old man clear the table. He'd offered to pay, and been refused, then offered to help, and been refused again. "This will only take a minute, then I'll make up a bed for you," Old Du said, poking at the fire, which collapses with a cloud of sparks.
"Thanks," he replied awkwardly, twisting one foot around the other. "M'sorry for the trouble." He couldn't help feeling abashed. He'd never had to rely on someone other than Sanzo for food and shelter before, and it was an odd feeling. Old Du didn't seem much like the monks who'd resented him under their roof.
"No need for thanks. You are tired, and--" glancing up, "--possibly wounded." Goku immediately straightened up and tried to look healthy. "Do you need any care? I have some practice--"
"No, I'm fine," he said hastily. He could still feel the throbbing of his wounds over the general cacophony of his nerves, but he had a sneaking feeling gunshot wounds and claw marks would probably lead to more questions.
He didn't want questions. He just wanted to collapse until it was time for breakfast.
Old Du emerged from behind the red curtain carrying a thick sheepskin and a pile of blankets. "I'm sorry, this is this best we can do right now. I'll set it up by the fire, so you won't get too cold in the night."
"It's great!" he hastened to say. "And your cooking rocks, too."
The old man smiled, then, as his hands smoothed the pile into a neat shape on the floor, asked, "You're looking for someone, aren't you." It wasn't really a question.
Goku felt a surge of hope, followed by one of fear. Could it be that Sanzo had passed through here already? Had he told the old man to turn Goku back? He opened his mouth to reply, then jumped.
Jinling was screaming.
* In the previous chapter she refers to him as "Lao Du." In Chinese, "lao" means old, so she's basically using a tremendously disrespectful way of referring to him, but there's something of a reason for it. I just figured not enough people would know what I meant if I kept using the Chinese.
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For a moment, no one responded. Then Sanzo's fist crashed onto the table, making the plates (and everyone in the tavern) jump. He threw his other hand into the air. "What is it? Do I have 'Let me come to your aid' written on my forehead? It's a chakra, not a goddamned emergency button!"
The girl looked more shocked than terrified, Gojyo noted, giving her points for not turning tail. It took a very long time to figure out that Sanzo was more bark than bite, and the fact that the man got trigger-happy every time his temper was up didn't help.
Apparently, he wasn't done barking yet. "Give me one good reason why I should help you!"
"Sanzo, please! We don't even know what she wants yet!" Hakkai, ever the voice of reason.
"Bouzu, shut up and let the girl talk. How can it hurt to just hear her out?" He didn't understand why Sanzo felt that being a prick was a holy prerogative.
The monk folded his arms and glared at him. "We're leaving this town tomorrow, and I do. Not. Want. Complications. Bad enough that we lost time at that last town. We've spent three years already on a journey that was supposed to take no more than four, and we're not even halfway there. Is it too much to ask that you all just TRY to go west?"
He stood up so fast his chair shot backwards and crashed over. "Far be it from us, O Mighty Leader, to question the wisdom of your decisions! Please, feel free to make them without informing us! After all, we're nothing to the mission, or to you!" Images were building up behind his eyes: Goku's unconscious face, screwed up in pain, the hanging body, the averted eyes of the townspeople. The dry-lipped desperation of the girl beside their table. He wanted to keep shouting.
"You're exactly right. Exactly." Sanzo's voice could have frozen alcohol, filled with a rage like dry ice. He glared right back into those arrogant narrow eyes, jaw clenched so tightly he couldn't speak. He didn't even realize he'd drawn back his fist until he felt Hakkai clutching it desparately.
"Quiet!! If you don't want to get us all killed, be quiet!!" He looked over. He'd almost forgotten about the girl. She was now making frantic gestures with her hands, but not quite those of humble supplication. "Shhh!" she said in a fierce undertone, "Please, you're drawing attention!" Glancing over her shoulder, the girl moaned under her breath. "Too late, idiots, they're here already!"
"What? Who's here?" As one their eyes followed hers. A crowd of men was coming in the front door, the servers backing up respectfully to let them in. The owner was gesturing at them and explaining over and over, "Newcomers...don't know them, completely unconnected, just a bit of a quarrel--" One of the men lifted a hand and his high-pitched prattling was cut off as suddenly as if he'd been struck.
"Conspirers, do you think?" one of the men asked.
"Disturbing the public peace, I should think," replied another as they advanced.
"Lock-ups for them, then?"
"It'd only be fair and just," and they were halfway across the room.
"Shit," Gojyo said under his breath, and he could see that a similar sentiment was on everyone else's mind. This didn't sound like the thing you could talk your way out of.
"Well," Sanzo said, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly. "I think they picked a bad day to run into us."
"No, please, not in the store!" It was the girl again, shaking her head. "You'll get Mr. Wang in trouble."
They exchanged glances. Without a word, Sanzo reached into his robes, raised his arm, and fired his gun at the feet of the encroaching men. With a yelp the lead few scattered. "Now!" the monk barked, but it was hardly necessary; Gojyo was headed for the door already, leaping over tables as he went, and he could tell Hakkai was right behind. A forcefield seemed to be pushing out ahead of them, clearing scattered men and chairs in their path. He wondered when Hakkai had learned that particular trick.
To his surprise, he saw the girl ahead of him, calling "Follow me!" as she dashed through the doors. Sanzo cursed and went down with a crash as one of the men clutched at his robes. Clubbing at the attacker's hand with the butt of his gun, he scrambled to his feet.
"What are you waiting for, you stupid kappa, go!"
He went. As the angry voices rang out behind him, he put his long legs to use, speeding after his friends and the amazingly quick girl in the blue jacket. The people in the street parted as if by imperial command. He was impressed by how quickly they melted back, as if being chased were contagious. It made it easier to run, but also easier to be pursued. He didn't waste time looking behind to see how close his pursuers were, just concentrated on not putting a foot wrong. Behind him, he heard Sanzo fire his gun. The bullet ricocheted off of something that clanged. Someone howled, and loud swearing burst out behind them.
Ahead of him, Hakkai skidded and disappeared around a corner, following their fleet-footed guide. He followed suit, then nearly had his arm wrenched out of his socket as the girl appeared behind a small fruit stand and grabbed him by the wrist. "Over here!" she hissed, pulling him behind the stand, into the narrow doorway of what looked like an old tea store. Hakkai was already moving into the room at the back. The withered old man at the counter continued sorting through jars calmly, as if nothing was happening, as Sanzo stumbled in and the four of them went out through a back door and into a small alley. They crouched behind the shadows of rubbish heaps, waiting for things to go quiet. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, heard Sanzo trying to breathe quietly. Thank gods he'd cut down on the cigs. Had to thank Hakkai for that. In his mind he felt the old rhythm of fear-- they'regonnacatchmegonnacatchme-- humming along the rush of adrenaline.
He stifled his gasps with an arm, and smiled into his sleeve.
Felt just like old times again.
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FIRST OFF: to all my lovely, wunnerful reviewers! thank you so much for your support =)
Nightfall Rising, that was the best review i've gotten, pretty much ever. it's nice to know people appreciate the details *grin* i confess i'm totally guilty of making hakkai a bit too xellos-y (i know exactly what you're talking about, and i haven't even seen slayers before *grin*), but i'll try to even them all out a bit as the story rolls on. the sign does come back ^^ i hope you won't be disappointed in the development!
Emerald Phoenix, hope this one was long enough for ya!
yoong, as you see, i have NOT abandoned this fic, and have no intention of doing so! this is my first RL (ridiculously long) story, and i am going to finish it, dammit.
Angel Baby, i am so flattered that you check this fic to see if it's been updated. i do that too, but only for the ones that REALLY keep me on the edge of my seat! i'm so glad to know it's keeping your interest =) and wahaha, the new characters are flooding in. you haven't even met the baddies yet!
Blades of Ice, yes, we authors are lazy ^^;; we're also lousy at time management, and alas! stuck with rl responsibilities *sigh* however, i'm not totally blocked in terms of plot/inspiration, so we'll see how fast i can roll these suckers out. maybe i can manage another chappie before break ends =)
X-parrot, darlin', i have yet another 58 short futurefic in the works *grin* having found the problem of 30 to be a knotty one, i relieve myself by jamming red-hair and green-eyes together in as many 'happily ever after's as i can ^^
D-chan, congrats on outwriting us all lately =) it's good to see more of your work, even though i'm super-busy and haven't actually read anyone's fic in a long while *hangs head*
Kat, i hit ya back on lj =) if you want a half-assed beta again, i'm your man...
UltraM2000, thanks for the welcome back ^^
NekoMagami, i never did thank you for liking "Clean." i have the feeling you're one of few who did!
Shihoshi Ryu, Adorable Dormouse, thanks for hopping onto this crazy bus. hope you continue to enjoy the ride! it's gonna be a long one =)
I apologize so much for the late, late, late update!! at least this chapter's a decent length ^^;;
and, happy holidays =) that said...
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"I hope you know what you're doing, Bosatsu-sama."
She smiled. It wasn't, he felt, the properly inscrutable, ineffable smile of a divine being. But then again, there wasn't much She did that was proper. The position of an immortal, even one of the five revered Buddhas, didn't entitle you to as many liberties as you might think. It was only because She was so good at getting things done, that She could keep on doing them.
Kanzeon Bonsatsu smiled again. It was something like the smug look of a cat with a mouse under its paw, and something like the victorious face of a general, but altogether more like the smile of a five-year old who refuses to tell you where he put Mommy's diamond engagement ring after "pwaying" with it.
"Oh, I always know what I'm doing. It's only they who get confused sometimes."
He looked down. It had been so many centuries. His eyes were no longer what they had been. But if he squinted, he could see the threads pulling together, converging in a tangle, somewhere north of Chengdu.
**********************
There was something wrong with this town. He was sure of it. People stared at them, but then, they always stared; that was part of having the golden crown. You couldn't bloody well hide the chakra all the time, no matter how you grew your hair. It got into you, somehow, and came out in other ways, like having thr--two companions who never knew when to shut up and stop asking questions. Although, if he were scrupulously honest with himself, he would perhaps have to admit that walking away wasn't his strong point, either.
For whatever reasons, going undercover rarely managed to save them time. Still, it might mean seeing one less smug-faced dignitary, so he didn't argue when Hakkai politely reminded him that they were about to enter town and wouldn't he like to perhaps make them a little less conspicuous? He considered saying something about the anonymity of traveling with a halfbreed and a white dragon, but the words died in his throat. Gojyo had been quiet the whole day, and now was not the time. He wasn't sure when the time would be, but it would have to wait until his head stopped splitting.
Frankly he'd never liked the whole get-up anyway; it reminded him of someone whom he couldn't be.
If he were being scrupulously honest with himself, he would perhaps he to admit that that was why he wore it.
Maybe it was a good thing that he was too busy studying how people stared.
******************
There was something wrong with this town. For one thing, it was far, far too big. It could hardly be called a town, really, it was pushing the upper limits of the word city. If its suburbs had gone any further out, it might've been more properly called a county.
He tried to reason it out. Perhaps the map was too old. It was hard to get updated charts; information didn't exactly travel at the speed of light, and travelers were such an oddity in some of the places where they stopped that there weren't even any actual inns, only a few rooms above the local tavern that were sometimes rented out to lodgers for a small fee and a share of the hard work. This one, however, had to have been made within the past five years. He'd purchased it in a fairly busy trade town along the Yangtze, and it had been mostly accurate for the past three hundred miles. However, where a small town named LuoHu was supposed to be, to the north of Chengdu, there was...this.
LuoHu was a dense, sprawling mess of buildings and street signs which showed little planning. But for a city which seemed to have sprung from the mud in the past few years, it was remarkably complete. It had markets filled with vendors hawking their wares with varying degrees of honesty but absolutely no shame. It had streets of ramshackle dwellings, firetraps where families of eight or ten crowded in every room. It had gaudy red-roofed residences guarded by white stone lions that screamed of new money. It even was beginning to have a separate section of the city, fenced off and well-kept, that smacked of old money. And it had people, throngs of them, hurrying with their heads down as if bracing against some imaginary wind.
They walked in straight lines, for the most part, over paving stones not yet worn smooth. No loitering for LuoHu, although every now and then they passed men with yellow who seemed to have nothing better to do than stand on the corner and let their gazes range over the crowds. People walked with their heads a little lower and their feet a little quicker on those corners. Hakkai caught more than one looking at them oddly, the curious light of menace in their eyes. Certainly they weren't doing a very good job of blending, casual clothing or no. It made him glad that he didn't need to carry a weapon to be armed.
It also made him think of a body in tattered blue rags, twisting slowly on a rope.
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There was definitely something very far wrong with the town.
There were no whores.
No shrill calls for honored guests to come in and have a cup of wine, no eager hands plucking at his sleeve. No women wearing worn-out dresses, thick make-up and a cynical brand of hope on the street corners. In fact, the only people standing on street corners were the kind that smart girls stayed away from. They looked like the kind that were pally with the local officers, knew it, and knew that you knew it. They never paid. He'd had to bounce a few in his day. Sometimes he did it for free, because hells, they just pissed him off. Sometimes a whore would slip you something that would knock you out while she stripped your pockets, but it was all part of the game, and the rules were caveat emptor. That didn't make it right to threaten her livelihood.
There were a few whorehouses, but you had to look for them. Closely. Even the bars were amazingly quiet; from what he could see, patrons huddled over their drinks. Dice clinked quietly, without a chorus of cheers or swears. That couldn't be good for business, he reflected. You made your money off of the loud ones, the ones who pounded their fists, then went for one more round. There was laughter, sometimes, high-pitched and loud, cutting off abruptly.
Something was wrong with this town. Gojyo attracted whores the way a dead body attracted flies. He liked to believe it was his sex appeal--he did believe it was his sex appeal, most of the time. It just didn't hurt that he won more often than he lost and was a big tipper. But it looked like it would take a pretty big tip to pry this town out from behind the shutters.
He dared to comment on it quietly, when they'd found a place to eat. The food was better than he'd expected, and spicier--this close to Szechuan they were liberal with the chili sauce. He was surprised at the amount of meat in the dishes; clearly, it wasn't hunger that pinched people's faces. Sanzo had ordered too much for three people. He'd been on the point of ordering more when he'd caught the server giving him funny look, then snapped his jaw shut. It had stayed that way for the rest of the meal, which killed Gojyo's appetite. The server was keeping a wary eye on them from a distance, and reappeared with more tea and nervous flicks of the towel a bit more frequently than was necessary.
"S'a nice town," he said when they'd cleared the first dish wordlessly, tracing the grooves in the table. It was, too, in a way. The streets were clean of garbage, human and otherwise. The stores were well-stocked and well-lit, and if the black market was large, it was also very well hidden. Everyone looked clothed and well-fed. They'd only stepped into a small tavern, but there was no grit in the food, and the tea was good enough for even Hakkai.
"Mmm," Hakkai made a small noncommittal noise, looking at him over the top of his teacup. With his left hand, he rolled a pair of lacquered chopsticks back and forth.
"Good food," he added, sneaking a look at Sanzo. The latter might have been made of stone, if stone chewed mechanically.
"Spicy," said Hakkai, "but the tofu, I thought, was very flavorful. The black tea duck, too. It's always a pleasure to taste the regional specialities. Shame we couldn't try any more."
Sanzo was still studiously ignoring them. He stared off towards the kitchens, watching the two waiters dashing in and out. Even in the heavens and hells, Gojyo reflected, cooks yelled and waiters probably dashed. "You suppose there's food in the heavens?" The words slipped out before he was aware of them.
Hakkai looked slightly startled, then laughed. "I hope so. I know some people who wouldn't be happy there, otherwise."
He smirked. "You're right."
Sanzo made a sudden movement and he braced himself, but the monk was only turning his head to say, "Is that girl coming towards us?"
They both looked back. There was indeed a girl, weaving her way through the half-empty tables, her eyes fixed on the three of them.
She wasn't bad-looking, with a lean oval face, but her symmetric features were too strong to be called pretty. He wouldn't have looked at her twice in the street, even before he'd joined the group. She looked like the type who wouldn't stand for it, anyway, at least at first. Quietly dressed, hair in two plain braids, nothing gauzy or flowing, just the tight-sleeved jacket and long pants that looked clean and practical. Face pale, no make-up. Just his luck, not a whore, although honestly he wasn't sure what he would've done if she had been; there was something about having a monk and Hakkai in the next room. Besides, he liked them a little older and lusher. Sixteen or seventeen, he guessed, then revised it to eighteen or nineteen when she came closer. She was long-limbed, flat and thin as a colt, but the expression in her eyes was sober and resolute.
She came to a stop a few feet from their table, and her eyes moved from one face to another with a trace of hesitation before fixing on Sanzo's. She opened her mouth, closed it and cleared her throat, and tried again. In a low, quiet voice, she asked, "You are Genjyo Sanzo?"
Sanzo glared at her, and she shrank back slightly. Hakkai interposed gently, "What's the matter, miss?"
Here it comes, he thought.
And it did. The girl took a step forward, clenching her fists. "Please, sir, we need your help."
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It was thoroughly dark by the time they reached her home, which wound up being a small cabin in a stand of pines. The smell made him dodgy, remembering the attack by the river, but she moved confidently, and what was more surprising, silently. He followed stiffly and tried not to feel too much like Jeep, crashing through the undergrowth. He wondered how it was done. It was a handy trick, alright.
Half-hidden in the shadow of the trees, the cabin was almost invisible until they were close enough to see the firelight shining from its windows. No matter what the girl said, he thought, this was definitely the middle of nowhere. They'd walked a good mile off the road to get here, and there wasn't another building in sight, not even a woodshed. The cabin itself wasn't much larger than a shack; the stables he'd stolen the horse out of had been larger. He wondered whether anyone other than the girl and the friend she'd mentioned lived there. A few more and there wouldn't be elbow room, unless the cabin was like a magician's hat.
He felt nervous suddenly at the thought of barging in, until he remembered that he had money and could pay for anything he ate. That was a good thing, because all the walking had made him hungry again. At least, he thought it was hunger that was making him dizzy. It could have also been related to the tearing pain in his muscles. The cold night air had turned his body into one big cramp. It was an effort not to wince with every step. She walked way too fast for such a short little kid; what was the deal with that? With the same quick steps she flitted to the door and pulled it open. Before he could even shuffle his feet, she'd tugged him inside.
The room was small and warm, but vaguely smoky. To his left was another doorway, blocked off by a length of thick red woolen cloth. There was little but a table, the fire, and a bed made up in the corner. He blinked a bit as his eyes adjusted, then sniffed at the smell of something cooking. His mouth watered, and he looked longingly at the round-bellied pot that hung over the fire, suspended by its handles and a thin pole.
"Hey, Ol' Du*! I'm home," his guide called out.
A voice responded from behind the red cloth partition, "Ah, Jinling, dinner's ready." He hadn't, he realized, known her name. Within moments the fabric was pushed aside, and a thin old man came out, stopping with surprise when he saw Goku.
At least, he looked old at first: he had stooped shoulders and sparse hair, and although the eyes were kind as they rested on him, they also seemed tired, somehow. It was a look that made the face older. He'd seen it on the rest of the Ikkou at times. Jinling said quickly, "His name's Goku. He's not a stranger."
"I'm sure he isn't," smiled the old man, but the gentle curiosity did not leave his eyes. "Goku, would you care to have dinner with us? Our fare is rough, but you are welcome to it."
He looked at the pot again, and nodded so quickly that the girl laughed.
The meal was good, and comfortable. He ate and talked less than he was used to, because even though they weren't strangers, they weren't friends. He was happy when the old man asked no questions. He wasn't sure how to explain, and when he tried it inside his head, it didn't sound terribly good. "I'm going after my friends, because they left me behind," wasn't convincing, even to him. So he kept his head low and listened as Jinling told Old Du, as she called him, about the things she'd seen in the fields and forest. Apparently she'd been looking for birds. He found himself drifting out of the conversation, thinking about the others and wondering how far they were now. Surely, he figured, they'd stopped for the night.
He came back with a start as she mentioned his name, describing how she'd found him. Old Du looked at him carefully, as if he could see straight through his clothes and the bandages underneath. He looked right back, staring at the man openly, chewing slowly while she talked. The thick hotpot with rice noodles was delicious, but by now even his jaws felt tired, and besides, it wouldn't have been polite to eat all of their dinner. After all, he had gotten through a good portion of his pack earlier, even though it had been almost two hours ago.
After dinner Jinling began to yawn. The old man drew a pail of water from somewhere outside, and she washed her face and went to bed on the pallet in the corner. She fell asleep almost instantly.
Goku stood uncertainly in the middle of the room, watching the old man clear the table. He'd offered to pay, and been refused, then offered to help, and been refused again. "This will only take a minute, then I'll make up a bed for you," Old Du said, poking at the fire, which collapses with a cloud of sparks.
"Thanks," he replied awkwardly, twisting one foot around the other. "M'sorry for the trouble." He couldn't help feeling abashed. He'd never had to rely on someone other than Sanzo for food and shelter before, and it was an odd feeling. Old Du didn't seem much like the monks who'd resented him under their roof.
"No need for thanks. You are tired, and--" glancing up, "--possibly wounded." Goku immediately straightened up and tried to look healthy. "Do you need any care? I have some practice--"
"No, I'm fine," he said hastily. He could still feel the throbbing of his wounds over the general cacophony of his nerves, but he had a sneaking feeling gunshot wounds and claw marks would probably lead to more questions.
He didn't want questions. He just wanted to collapse until it was time for breakfast.
Old Du emerged from behind the red curtain carrying a thick sheepskin and a pile of blankets. "I'm sorry, this is this best we can do right now. I'll set it up by the fire, so you won't get too cold in the night."
"It's great!" he hastened to say. "And your cooking rocks, too."
The old man smiled, then, as his hands smoothed the pile into a neat shape on the floor, asked, "You're looking for someone, aren't you." It wasn't really a question.
Goku felt a surge of hope, followed by one of fear. Could it be that Sanzo had passed through here already? Had he told the old man to turn Goku back? He opened his mouth to reply, then jumped.
Jinling was screaming.
* In the previous chapter she refers to him as "Lao Du." In Chinese, "lao" means old, so she's basically using a tremendously disrespectful way of referring to him, but there's something of a reason for it. I just figured not enough people would know what I meant if I kept using the Chinese.
****************************
For a moment, no one responded. Then Sanzo's fist crashed onto the table, making the plates (and everyone in the tavern) jump. He threw his other hand into the air. "What is it? Do I have 'Let me come to your aid' written on my forehead? It's a chakra, not a goddamned emergency button!"
The girl looked more shocked than terrified, Gojyo noted, giving her points for not turning tail. It took a very long time to figure out that Sanzo was more bark than bite, and the fact that the man got trigger-happy every time his temper was up didn't help.
Apparently, he wasn't done barking yet. "Give me one good reason why I should help you!"
"Sanzo, please! We don't even know what she wants yet!" Hakkai, ever the voice of reason.
"Bouzu, shut up and let the girl talk. How can it hurt to just hear her out?" He didn't understand why Sanzo felt that being a prick was a holy prerogative.
The monk folded his arms and glared at him. "We're leaving this town tomorrow, and I do. Not. Want. Complications. Bad enough that we lost time at that last town. We've spent three years already on a journey that was supposed to take no more than four, and we're not even halfway there. Is it too much to ask that you all just TRY to go west?"
He stood up so fast his chair shot backwards and crashed over. "Far be it from us, O Mighty Leader, to question the wisdom of your decisions! Please, feel free to make them without informing us! After all, we're nothing to the mission, or to you!" Images were building up behind his eyes: Goku's unconscious face, screwed up in pain, the hanging body, the averted eyes of the townspeople. The dry-lipped desperation of the girl beside their table. He wanted to keep shouting.
"You're exactly right. Exactly." Sanzo's voice could have frozen alcohol, filled with a rage like dry ice. He glared right back into those arrogant narrow eyes, jaw clenched so tightly he couldn't speak. He didn't even realize he'd drawn back his fist until he felt Hakkai clutching it desparately.
"Quiet!! If you don't want to get us all killed, be quiet!!" He looked over. He'd almost forgotten about the girl. She was now making frantic gestures with her hands, but not quite those of humble supplication. "Shhh!" she said in a fierce undertone, "Please, you're drawing attention!" Glancing over her shoulder, the girl moaned under her breath. "Too late, idiots, they're here already!"
"What? Who's here?" As one their eyes followed hers. A crowd of men was coming in the front door, the servers backing up respectfully to let them in. The owner was gesturing at them and explaining over and over, "Newcomers...don't know them, completely unconnected, just a bit of a quarrel--" One of the men lifted a hand and his high-pitched prattling was cut off as suddenly as if he'd been struck.
"Conspirers, do you think?" one of the men asked.
"Disturbing the public peace, I should think," replied another as they advanced.
"Lock-ups for them, then?"
"It'd only be fair and just," and they were halfway across the room.
"Shit," Gojyo said under his breath, and he could see that a similar sentiment was on everyone else's mind. This didn't sound like the thing you could talk your way out of.
"Well," Sanzo said, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly. "I think they picked a bad day to run into us."
"No, please, not in the store!" It was the girl again, shaking her head. "You'll get Mr. Wang in trouble."
They exchanged glances. Without a word, Sanzo reached into his robes, raised his arm, and fired his gun at the feet of the encroaching men. With a yelp the lead few scattered. "Now!" the monk barked, but it was hardly necessary; Gojyo was headed for the door already, leaping over tables as he went, and he could tell Hakkai was right behind. A forcefield seemed to be pushing out ahead of them, clearing scattered men and chairs in their path. He wondered when Hakkai had learned that particular trick.
To his surprise, he saw the girl ahead of him, calling "Follow me!" as she dashed through the doors. Sanzo cursed and went down with a crash as one of the men clutched at his robes. Clubbing at the attacker's hand with the butt of his gun, he scrambled to his feet.
"What are you waiting for, you stupid kappa, go!"
He went. As the angry voices rang out behind him, he put his long legs to use, speeding after his friends and the amazingly quick girl in the blue jacket. The people in the street parted as if by imperial command. He was impressed by how quickly they melted back, as if being chased were contagious. It made it easier to run, but also easier to be pursued. He didn't waste time looking behind to see how close his pursuers were, just concentrated on not putting a foot wrong. Behind him, he heard Sanzo fire his gun. The bullet ricocheted off of something that clanged. Someone howled, and loud swearing burst out behind them.
Ahead of him, Hakkai skidded and disappeared around a corner, following their fleet-footed guide. He followed suit, then nearly had his arm wrenched out of his socket as the girl appeared behind a small fruit stand and grabbed him by the wrist. "Over here!" she hissed, pulling him behind the stand, into the narrow doorway of what looked like an old tea store. Hakkai was already moving into the room at the back. The withered old man at the counter continued sorting through jars calmly, as if nothing was happening, as Sanzo stumbled in and the four of them went out through a back door and into a small alley. They crouched behind the shadows of rubbish heaps, waiting for things to go quiet. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, heard Sanzo trying to breathe quietly. Thank gods he'd cut down on the cigs. Had to thank Hakkai for that. In his mind he felt the old rhythm of fear-- they'regonnacatchmegonnacatchme-- humming along the rush of adrenaline.
He stifled his gasps with an arm, and smiled into his sleeve.
Felt just like old times again.
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FIRST OFF: to all my lovely, wunnerful reviewers! thank you so much for your support =)
Nightfall Rising, that was the best review i've gotten, pretty much ever. it's nice to know people appreciate the details *grin* i confess i'm totally guilty of making hakkai a bit too xellos-y (i know exactly what you're talking about, and i haven't even seen slayers before *grin*), but i'll try to even them all out a bit as the story rolls on. the sign does come back ^^ i hope you won't be disappointed in the development!
Emerald Phoenix, hope this one was long enough for ya!
yoong, as you see, i have NOT abandoned this fic, and have no intention of doing so! this is my first RL (ridiculously long) story, and i am going to finish it, dammit.
Angel Baby, i am so flattered that you check this fic to see if it's been updated. i do that too, but only for the ones that REALLY keep me on the edge of my seat! i'm so glad to know it's keeping your interest =) and wahaha, the new characters are flooding in. you haven't even met the baddies yet!
Blades of Ice, yes, we authors are lazy ^^;; we're also lousy at time management, and alas! stuck with rl responsibilities *sigh* however, i'm not totally blocked in terms of plot/inspiration, so we'll see how fast i can roll these suckers out. maybe i can manage another chappie before break ends =)
X-parrot, darlin', i have yet another 58 short futurefic in the works *grin* having found the problem of 30 to be a knotty one, i relieve myself by jamming red-hair and green-eyes together in as many 'happily ever after's as i can ^^
D-chan, congrats on outwriting us all lately =) it's good to see more of your work, even though i'm super-busy and haven't actually read anyone's fic in a long while *hangs head*
Kat, i hit ya back on lj =) if you want a half-assed beta again, i'm your man...
UltraM2000, thanks for the welcome back ^^
NekoMagami, i never did thank you for liking "Clean." i have the feeling you're one of few who did!
Shihoshi Ryu, Adorable Dormouse, thanks for hopping onto this crazy bus. hope you continue to enjoy the ride! it's gonna be a long one =)