H2O

Sanzo ikkou drove on to the west. After a tiring day's work, which included a lot of youkai being deported out of the planet, they arrived at a town and went to the nearest inn. It looked very nice, being surrounded by large gardens with big, beautiful trees.

Hakkai parked Jeep and said, "I think pets are allowed to be taken in here, don't you think so, Sanzo?"

"Hn," was the only reply Sanzo gave, but Jeep understood it and changed himself into a dragon. Kyuuing happily, he beat his wings just long enough to take himself to Hakkai's shoulder and rested there with a content sigh.

"I'm hungry, I'm hungry," Goku said, as the four of them went inside the building. The next word he said was "WOW!"

All of them, not only Goku, could see a big dining room behind the receptionist, who welcomed them with a very friendly manner. The floor was carpeted with red and the lights were splendid. The inn was a very big one, and definitely looked expensive.

Gojyo whistled admiringly as he looked at the neat, smiling female staffs of the inn. "This will cost you a lot of money, my friend," he said to Sanzo, who didn't look impressed by his surroundings (unlike Goku, who was capering around with all interest and making people look at him).

Hakkai looked at Sanzo doubtfully and smiled, "I suppose it's quite all right?"

"It's not my money," Sanzo said. "Get on with it, Hakkai. I can't take the smell of these two any longer." He waved his hand briefly towards Gojyo and Goku.

Both Gojyo and Goku went ballistic at once. "What do you mean by that?!" "Maybe you should smell yourself too, monk!"

"Ma, ma, minna-san," Hakkai tried to calm both of them. "Both of you have been doing more activities that produce sweat and also attract more dust and dirt than we." It was true, since Goku and Gojyo had bickered very often that day and fallen out of the car more than once.

"I don't smell anything funny," Goku said obstinately, even if he was all red in the face. "And I'm the one with the keenest sense of smell!"

"Yeah!" Gojyo said, agreeing with Goku just this once.

"Whatever," Sanzo said, eager to stay away from the two. "Come on, Hakkai."

Sanzo and Hakkai spoke to the receptionist and got rooms for them, while Gojyo and Goku whispered to each other some distance away.

"Do I really smell?" Gojyo asked Goku doubtfully.

Goku sniffed around him and made a face, exclaiming, "Baaaahh!"

"What do you mean, baah? You said just now you didn't smell anything!" Gojyo grabbed Goku's collar.

"I just smelled it now. You stink!" Goku said.

"Oh yeah? Try smell yourself!" Gojyo thrust Goku's shirt to his nose.

"Urrgl!" Goku cried out. "We got to get a bath!"

When the "grown-ups" had finished with their business, Hakkai called to them, "Goku, Gojyo, this way, please!" Sanzo was already on his way to the rooms. Goku and Gojyo lost no time in going after them and finding their way to the bathroom.

Like the rest of the inn, the bathroom was well taken care of. The floor and the wall were clean and the mirrors were shining. The whole room had a sweet scent of flowers too.

The bathroom was western like, with no bathtubs, but showers instead. There were two cubicles in this one bathroom at the end of the corridor connecting Sanzo and the gang's rooms. In each cubicle there was a shower connected to a long hose, so you could dance around while taking a bath and bring the shower along with you.

These two cubicles were separated with a board with little openings at the top and bottom. You could ask for your bathing neighbour's soap if you forgot yours and he or she could throw it in from above, or slide it from below. But you can't peep on the others while they're bathing (so forget it!).

Goku went inside the first cubicle while Gojyo the second. Whistling merrily to himself, Goku put down all his stuff and realized that he had forgotten his towel. The youth went back to his room and fetched his towel. When he came back, he saw a swish of a golden robe passing through the door and went inside his cubicle. Slam. Click.

"Hey! Sanzo!" Goku erupted. "I was there first!"

"How was I supposed to know that?"

"Heeeeeey, no fair! Get out of there!" Goku banged on Sanzo's door.

Instead of Sanzo, Gojyo opened his door (still dressed, so don't think anything funny!) and looked at Goku with sanguine curiosity. "What is it?"

"He took my shower!" Goku said, pouting. "Sanzoooooo!"

Gojyo grinned, looking at his own shower, and turned the water on. Strong.

"I'm just washing my sandal," Sanzo said, which was the truth. He unlocked the door and was about to get out when a jet of cold water hit him from the upper side of the separation. From Gojyo.

Goku laughed as the opened door revealed a wet, darkly glowering monk with water dripping from his hair and robe. From the second cubicle they could hear Gojyo's laughter clearly, too.

Sanzo's frown changed into a cynical smile as he, too, took the shower, went outside his cubicle, and made his way inside Gojyo's shower to avenge his watery condition. A laughing Gojyo was soon turned into an aghast one as Sanzo burst inside his shower and sprayed him with ice cold water.

"UAAAH!!! Hey I'm still dressed!!!" Gojyo screamed, apparently forgetting that he had also "baptized" Sanzo, robe and all. "Just wait, you-! Brrgll!" It took Gojyo some time to realize that he could also water Sanzo conveniently as his opponent stood very near to him. "Eat this!"

Sanzo tried to dodge, but dodging meant losing his nice offensive position, so he stayed and braved all the water that was poured on him, while of course he kept on spraying Gojyo. It was a lose-lose situation and both of them turned very cold and wet in the shortest time.

Goku was having the time of his life. He laughed and laughed and laughed and thought he would die laughing, when suddenly both showers were directed at him. Yes, both Sanzo and Gojyo were now attacking him together with cold water!

"Aaaargh! Urgl! Blah! H-hey, stop it!" Goku tried to defend himself in vain. With one hand Sanzo held the shower over Goku's head, as if he were watering some plant. His other hand rested conveniently on Goku's back of shirt to keep him where it's wet. Gojyo showered Goku from some distance away with a very pleased grin on his face.

"Grlpl! It's not - it's not fair!" Goku yelled between the sound of water splattering on the floor. It wasn't very easy to speak because Sanzo seemed to feel responsible for filling his mouth with water.

Goku jumped up and tried to reach for the shower but failed since Sanzo held it high.

Gojyo laughed, "You should grow up quickly – That's why we're watering you!"

Sanzo finally loosened his grasp on Goku and the youth ran as fast as he could from danger and towards safety. "HAKKAAAAAAAAAI!"

A very surprised Hakkai with a book in one hand opened the door, and became even more astonished to see Goku sopping wet, but with all clothes on him. "What happened to you? Did you fall in the bathtub, Goku?" Hakkai asked.

"No, it's Sanzo and Gojyo!"

Before Goku could say anything else, out came Sanzo in black shirt and jeans, holding his drenched robe in one hand and flooding the carpet on his way. He passed Hakkai silently, while Goku jumped inside the room, behind Hakkai, just in case.

Hakkai relaxed and asked, smiling, "What happened? Did a water monster attack you?"

Sanzo stopped and turned to Hakkai, saying, "Thanks for the reminder. The water monster sends his love for you, too," and squeezed his robe over Hakkai's head.

Hakkai became as wet as if a whole bucket of water had been poured on him. Goku was convulsed with laughter again and even Sanzo wore a slight grin.

"Oh." Hakkai looked down at his lovely book. It was unharmed, luckily. "I see we are becoming friends with water, aren't we? Yare yare desu ne………"

End of H.