At about nine that evening, Hakkai had just finished closing the opening in Nanashi's back when her eyes fluttered open. Kaname grinned wearily and rubbed her eyes.

"Back in the land of the living I see?"

"How do you feel?" asked Hakkai sympathetically.

Nanashi sat up stiffly and accepted the warm water that Kaname offered her.

"Shitty. But less shitty than I would be, thanks to you."

Kaname was genuinely surprised at this open display of trust and felt Nanashi's forehead absent-midedly before returning to her own hot water. Hakkai kept on that same smile.

"That's very kind. Thank you."

She turned to Kaname.

"I didn't mean what I said about you not caring..."

Kaname shrugged.

"I know. You're excused. Now get some rest."

Nanashi nodded and closed her eyes, her face illuminated in the moonlight. Hakkai and Kaname stepped outside the room and entered the one next door where Gojyo, Sanzo, and Goku were sitting. Kaname took a seat on the floor and reached into her pocket to withdraw a box of cigarettes. She lit one with her blue lighter and looked around at the others who were staring at her. She blew out a wreath of smoke and looked at them with a sort of teasing amusement.

"Am I really that interesting?"

Hakkai explained.

"You said that you know a lot about the Sanzo party. How exactly?"

Kaname's eyes flickered.

"Word of mouth."

Sanzo snorted.

"How else."

She savored the cigarette as she debated within herself, finally breaking when Hakkai pulled out his most friendly smile. She tapped her temple.

"Up here.'

Gojyo raised his eyebrows.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Kaname answered mysteriously.

"Powers that you could never understand."

He smirked and took a drag on his own cigarette.

"Try me."

The room was quiet for a mere five seconds until Gojyo jumped unexpectantly from his seat and looked at Kaname in terror.

"You're a fucking telepath!"

She chuckled darkly and looked over at Hakkai.

"And a wastelander."

The smile disappeared from Hakkai's face and was replaced with a look of pure shock. Goku seemed not to understand.

"Hakkai, what is a...'wastelander?'"

Still looking shaken, he replied, "One who can control the five elements, water, fire, wind, earth, and ice. They're extremely powerful and said to inherit their gifts from the gods."

Kaname nodded and pretended that she didn't hear the next words that escaped Gojyo's lips.

"Bull-shit."

Goku seemed to agree.

"Yeah, why don't you prove it."

Without even looking up, Kaname lifted her hand and floating a few inched above her hand was a flame, very small as if it could be the end of a candle. In a second it changed into a small cube of ice, and the next into a hardened piece of earth. For her last demonstration, she snapped her fingers and water seemed to materialize over Goku's head, levitating there in a shapeless glob. With a mere flick of Kaname's wrist, Goku found himself all wet. While Gojyo was splitting his sides in helpless laughter, Sanzo posed the meritable question.

"And the wind?"

The mere thought made Kaname wince and she shook her head.

"No. While I can control it, the power it possesses is very dangerous."

Hakkai turned the subject.

"Why are you and Nanashi heading west?"

Kaname paused slightly and then began their tale.

"Nanashi was young when I found her, hurt, alone. She naturally became part of the family. She was especially attached to my brother Hiko, another demon like myself. My family was very highly ranked in our village until the word got out that we were demons. The angry town's people managed to kill my mother and father before my brother took off his power limited to protect us. From then on, Hiko disappeared and left us, wild and ravaging like an unruly beast. Nanashi and I have been searching for him ever since for eight years now. We began heading west about two years ago and recently decided to pursue this further since all the demon's have been heading that way."

She paused.

"And why are you going west, Sanzo party?"

Gojyo snorted.

"I thought you knew a lot about the Sanzo party."

Kaname flushed.

"Do not press my affections half bre...Excuse me, I don't know what came over me. My apologies Gojyo."

He smirked.

"No problem."

Sanzo interrupted.

"We are trying to stop the resurrection of the demon Gumoe."

Kaname seemed alarmed.

"The Gumoe? Jesus..."

Hakkai nodded.

Indeed."

Goku broke in.

"Who was that guy today?"

Kaname's eyes hardened.

"Oh, him, Shango Damaksa, king demon of the western lands, no doubt working for Kugachi and the others."

Goku jumped.

"How do you know about them?"

She simply tapped her forehead and took another drag on her cifaretted. The monkey demon scowled at her.

"Don't do that."

She shrugged.

"Fine."

Sanzo still looked impassive.

"So you know quite a bit about our purpose then."

Kaname nodded and looked out the window.

"Good luck with that task," she murmured ironically.

Gojyo spoke from his position next to Goku and the smoke spilled from his lips.

"What about Nanashi?"

Kaname's cigarette was slowly removed from her mouth.

"What about her?"

"What can she do?"

The wastelander's eyes grew muddy in the moonlight.

"Terrible things, great, but terrible. She cannot control them yet, the powers she holds. While her mother is unknown, her father is still alive and reeking havoc."

Goku posed the dangerous question.

"Who is her dad?"

There was a heavy silence in the room before the answer fought its way to the surface.

"They call him Saitou of the North."

All eyes turned to the doorway where there stood a figure silhouetted against the darkness, hands clenched at their sides and eyes, glowing crimson in the reflecting light, staring forwards through the window. Nanashi stepped inside the room and sat next to Nanashi in a placid yet dangerously over the edge stance.

"King of the wolf demon clan and great ruler of all Northern demon territories. He is all powerful, the size of forty men with 100 sharpened fangs that can pierce souls with one bite. He was mate to the vicious Morgana who he slew due to her impertinence, but he was a sleep around, so for all I know I'm the daughter of a lowly slave. "

Kaname lit another smoke off the butt of the previous one and shut her eyes tightly. Gojyo looked at her intently.

"So that means that you could be..."

Nanashi nodded gravely.

"Princess of half-breed."

Goku didn't like the tension in the room.

"So what powers do you have?"

Nanashi held up her hand and with a distinct metallic sound, five elongated claws grew from her fingers, gleaming magnificently at their sharpened points.

"That and..."

In the blink of an eye she seemed to materialize next to Goku.

"I'm pretty fast."

Goku snorted.

"That it?"

Nanashi scowled and appeared next to Kaname again.

"With my power limiter on, yeah."

Kaname whirled to face her.

"No, don't take that off or I will kill you."

Nanashi smirked and withdrew a large cigar from her bra, snatching Kaname's lighter and puffing leisurely.

"Don't be such a joy kill..."

"Kill joy ditwad," muttered Kaname.

"So," broke in Hakkai. "Where are you headed next?"

Kaname turned to him.

"Jiniashi then on to Norako."

Sanzo looked over at Hakkai.

"Are you thinking what I think your thinking?" he asked sourly.

He motioned Hakkai outside where they talked in low whispers.

"Their powers could be useful. Besides, I think that they might play a part in this whole thing," said Hakkai.

Sanzo snorted.

"That or be in the way. One Goku and one Gojyo is all I can stand besides."

"I think Kaname is less of a Gojyo and more of a me."

Sanzo rolled his e8yes.

"Great."

"Besides, they have an uncanny amount of money to help alon the way."

Sanzo was exhausted and saw no point in arguing.

"Have it your way. But you're 100 percent responsible for them."

"You make them sound like pets," chuckled Hakkai.

The two men entered the room and Hakkai smiled brightly at Kaname.

"Could you please join me outside for a moment?"

With a brief glance at Nanashi she rose and followed him outside.

"Would you like to join us on our way west?" he asked immediately, realizing that she could read his mind anyway.

Kaname paused a moment and weighed the pros and cons realizing that there were many.

"On one hand, they're slower. On the other hand, more people to council with. On the other hand, Nanashi will most definitely object. On the other hand, Hakkai will be there..."

Her thoughts broke and she blushed furiously.

"That sounds fine, but don't get in our way and we won't get in yours."

He nodded in agreement and the two reentered the room.

"Kaname and Nanashi are going to travel with us," announced Hakkai.

Gojyo and Goku didn't mind, Sanzo just sowled up against the wall, and Nanashi leapt from her seat, wincing and leaning against the wall for support.

"No, Kaname," she though fervently. "They'll only slow us down."

Kaname looked Nanashi straight in the eyes.

"If you don't want to go, then you can travel alone. Nan, they may have the answers we need."

As the words sounded telepathically through Nanashi's mind she shuddered.

"Fine, only because I don't want to leave you. I'm going back to my room."

With that the wolf demon hobbled slowly out of the room to the next door encasement. Hakkai looked over at Kaname's expressionless face.

"That went well."

The girl sighed and lit another cigarette.

"Bad week to quit drinking."

That night in the second morning hour, a huddled figure could be seen atop the roof of the inn, hugging their knees tightly while their long mane of hair whirled out behind them in a wind-blown mass. Nanashi shut her eyes tightly, tears flowing forlornly down her cheeks.

"Hiko," she though bitterly. "The one who taught me the only useful things I ever learned, how to fight, how to drink, and how to love your brother. He was my brother more so than Kaname's. She seemed somewhat jealous of him. She only came with me because she didn't want me to go alone. Hiko loved her though, dearly. If only she'd known..."

A voice behind her broke her train of thought.

"You sit on roofs in the middle of the night often?"

There stood the one Gojyo, hair whipping about his face in the wind as his hands slid into his pockets. He looked almost...kind, if Nanashi could've put a word to it. She hurriedly wiped away her tears and smirked.

"Only when I'm about to go on a long road trip with four strangers."

He chuckled and took a seat next to her.

"They're pretty decent guys if you can look past the quirks."

Nanashi half-hooded her eyes slyly.

"We'll see."

Gojyo rolled his.

"You don't trust easily do you?"

She remained silent as she gazed upon the night. The wind had died down to a gentle summer's breeze. Gojyo shrugged and sat with his elbows on his knees.

"My own father left me to die in the streets, who would you trust," muttered Nanashi.

The red-headed water sprite shrugged again.

"My mother tried to kill me with her bare hands. I know where you're coming from."

Nanashi glanced over at him.

"I don't see how you can trust one damn person after that."

Gojyo used on finger to tip her chin up and grinned.

"Just try to let it go."

The wolf demon mulled over these words as they echoed in her mind. How could she? It was her life, you don't just forget a part of your life, its impossible. But to let it go...Possibly he meant so in a different sense. Nanashi winced slightly as a lance of pain shot up her spine and Gojyo rose.

"I've done my counseling for the night. Now come on inside, you aren't even well yet."

She accepted the hand he offered her and slowly climbed in through her window, waving good night to Gojyo with a half smile. She yawned widely and climbed under her covers, looking over where Kaname was sitting up against the wall. One eye open and glazed over with sleep. Nanashi closed her eyes and chuckled inwardly. Some habits die hard