"Hello, any one home?" Sanzo pounded on the door of the small inn. "Anyone
there?"
An old woman opened the door. She was tall and limber, and blonde streaks showed her natural hair color that was once there. Her eyes were a deep brown, almost black. She smiled sweetly. "Why, travelers! Three demons, a human, and a dragon, my my! Come right in!" She hustled them in without another thought, and had to push a stunned Goku through the door.
"How can you- but we don't-"
She laughed softly. "My dear boy, when you've a gift as I do, you can be very sharp at times. My name is Takari, and this is the Qui Ma Inn, named after the Qui Ma Spring. It's been the family business for almost three hundred years, you know," she added, eyes dancing. "Make yourself at home." She looked at Hakkai and pursed her lips. "My dear boy, what is wrong? You are looking dreadfully pale." Hakkai began to speak, but instead started to cough. Takari's eyebrows snapped together. "Oh dear. The plague."
"WHAT?" chorused the confused Goku and Gojyo. "We just came from there- the thing can't work that fast! You must be joking!"
Takari frowned and led Hakkai to a chair. "I'm afraid it can. You see, there was a physician who worked in the town, and-"
"Yes, we've heard," said an impatient Sanzo. "A man by the name of Kintse told us before he died."
"Kintse?" the old woman gasped and placed her hand on her heart. "Oh dear. My poor grandson. At least he is with his beloved wife and children." She shook her head and began to mutter to herself. "This was not expected. I must talk to Yazmin about it. Yes, Yazmin will know what to do." She turned back to the other three. "This is not a joke, understand?" She said softly. "The plague has been known to kill in a time of twenty-four hours, sometimes less." She turned to a quiet Gojyo and fixed a stern stare at him. "Go to the river and fetch me a pail of water. Mind you, don't go past the boulders. It tends to be a bit dangerous by the spring."
"Hey now, lady, send monkey boy here to do it-"
"I want none of your arguing young man; you go get me that water!" She said in a reprimanding tone.
Hakkai managed to chuckle. His monocle had fallen off, and his eyes were an electric green, set off by his abnormally pale face. "Gojyo, you look like you've just been scolded by your dear grandmother."
Goku began to laugh. "Haha, kappa got told by an old lady!"
"As for you, go with him. I want some good fish for dinner, you hear?" Takari pointed at Goku. He snapped into attention.
"Yes Ma'am! Food is what I love best!!" He ran off after a sulking Gojyo. "Hey, cockroach, wait for me! Oww, don't put a dent in the bucket just because you have a short temper. Hey, that-youch- hurt stop-oww! - it!"
Takari turned and inspected Sanzo. "Well, monk, what are you waiting for? Take your friend to a room- I'm much too old to carry him. I'll get out some of my herbs."
"Wouldn't they be used up from the plague?" questioned Sanzo.
The old woman sighed, and suddenly she looked a lot older than she had first appeared. "By the time I received news of the plague, it was too late. I couldn't make the journey back to the village, and the messenger died as soon as he got here."
"From the plague?" Sanzo persisted.
Takari walked towards the kitchen, ignoring him. "Take your friend to his room. I'll be there in a minute." Sanzo watched her go, and as he picked up Hakkai he thought of what Takari and Kintse had said.
"And others were killed trying to get to the spring..."
"Qui Ma Inn, named after the Qui Ma Springs."
"It tends to be a bit dangerous by the spring..."
"Yazmin will know what to do."
'Who is Yazmin, and what's so dangerous about these springs. Qui Ma, Qui Ma...why does that sound so familiar?' Sanzo shrugged to himself and took Hakkai to the room Takari had indicated. He opened the door, and then stopped dead, more in shock than in anything. The white walls were decorated all over with lavender, baby blue, and soft pink lilacs and lilies. The furniture and bed frame were a smooth, light mahogany, and the bed cover and pillows were lavender and white, with a lacy fringe. Many delicate, beautiful herbs were planted in the window sill and a vase of lilacs next to the bed. The window was open, and a gentle breeze fluttered the light blue curtains. The, well, cuteness of the room was strange, 'But not unbelievable for an inn run by an old lady,' Sanzo decided.
"This room was mine, and used to be my mother's when she was a girl." Takari stood behind him, a slight smile on her wrinkled face. "And, my grandmother's, and her mother's, and her mother's. It seems to be a trait that the women of my family love this room." She placed the bowl she had been carrying on the nightstand, and helped Sanzo place Hakkai in the bed. As she took a piece of cloth out of the bowl, wrung it out, and began to dab at Hakkai's forehead, she continued to reminisce.
"I remember waking up in the morning, the light filtering through the curtains and lighting up the room. I could hear my brothers out in the courtyard, laughing and playing. The smell of dumplings, eggs, and rice would float through the room, mixing with the sweet smells of lilac." She smiled sadly, and her eyes dimmed. "It's been a long time. My brothers and family have long since passed away, and now, I am the only one left." She closed her eyes. "Ah, but what should I expect, what with me being the age I am. I know I should bless Rhaiha for the age I have been given, but I still can't help but think it's more of a curse than a blessing."
"Who's Rhaiha?" Sanzo asked, curious.
Takari smiled. "Ah yes, I continue to forget that you are not a local of this area. Rhaiha is the goddess of the Qui Ma Springs, springs that are not that far from here." She shook her head. "She is a cruel goddess at times, but she protects those who are faithful to her. I only wonder what Kinste's village did to invoke her wrath..."
-------------------------------------- -----
"Ha-ha! I beat you!" Goku taunted Gojyo, grinning. He jumped up onto a rock that was over the small river. "See! The river!"
Gojyo's eyes narrowed. "Hey, when that wrinkled-monster told me that the river was near there, I wasn't thinking that it would be a mile away. No wonder the buckets are so huge. You wouldn't want to do a second trip."
Goku scratched his head. "I don't get it. I would swear I saw a pump next to the inn, but the lady told us to go to the river. Weird. I mean-" Gojyo's bucket swung around and hit Goku in the head.
"Less yapping, more working. I don't know why, but I want to get the hell away from this place."
Goku frowned, rubbed his head, and crouched on a large boulder over the river, a fishing pole in his hand. "Well, I can't catch fish that fast it takes ti- what the hell??" His pole bent and was almost pulled out of his hands. After five minutes a large, shining fish was flopping on the riverbank. "That's gotta be the fastest I've ever caught a fish. But I still need mo-"In less than ten minutes Goku had two large fish lying next to the first one. Gojyo scratched his head.
"This place is weird. No assassins, peaceful, and yet there's something strange about it." He leaned down to get a drink of water out of the river, but he quickly leaned back and let the water run through his fingers as a small bolt of lightning left a burned circle on the ground where his head had been. He sighed. "So much for no assassins."
"And to think I almost gave up patrolling this section of the forest," a feminine voice drawled. "Yazmin would have been furious." Out of the forest stepped a woman with curly, pink hair. Her stormy gray eyes flashed, and she held up one hand casually. Sparks danced from finger to finger on her hand, like miniature lightning bolts.
"Take it from me, boys, you wanna leave within two days. Let Takari help your friend, but after he's well you'd better leave." She smiled coldly. "And do what she says. A 150-year-old lady gains a lot of wisdom. You don't want to invoke the wrath of Rhaiha." She vanished into the background of the forest, and Goku sweated.
"Um, what just happened here? And who the hell is Rhaiha?"
Gojyo shrugged. "I have absolutely no clue." Picking up the buckets and fish, they walked away, not seeing a dark blue-and-black water snake slither off a rock and into the water soundlessly.
AN- I'm sooooooo sorry it took me so long to finish this! I tried to make it extra long, just for all of my faithful readers (if I have any faithful readers...)
An old woman opened the door. She was tall and limber, and blonde streaks showed her natural hair color that was once there. Her eyes were a deep brown, almost black. She smiled sweetly. "Why, travelers! Three demons, a human, and a dragon, my my! Come right in!" She hustled them in without another thought, and had to push a stunned Goku through the door.
"How can you- but we don't-"
She laughed softly. "My dear boy, when you've a gift as I do, you can be very sharp at times. My name is Takari, and this is the Qui Ma Inn, named after the Qui Ma Spring. It's been the family business for almost three hundred years, you know," she added, eyes dancing. "Make yourself at home." She looked at Hakkai and pursed her lips. "My dear boy, what is wrong? You are looking dreadfully pale." Hakkai began to speak, but instead started to cough. Takari's eyebrows snapped together. "Oh dear. The plague."
"WHAT?" chorused the confused Goku and Gojyo. "We just came from there- the thing can't work that fast! You must be joking!"
Takari frowned and led Hakkai to a chair. "I'm afraid it can. You see, there was a physician who worked in the town, and-"
"Yes, we've heard," said an impatient Sanzo. "A man by the name of Kintse told us before he died."
"Kintse?" the old woman gasped and placed her hand on her heart. "Oh dear. My poor grandson. At least he is with his beloved wife and children." She shook her head and began to mutter to herself. "This was not expected. I must talk to Yazmin about it. Yes, Yazmin will know what to do." She turned back to the other three. "This is not a joke, understand?" She said softly. "The plague has been known to kill in a time of twenty-four hours, sometimes less." She turned to a quiet Gojyo and fixed a stern stare at him. "Go to the river and fetch me a pail of water. Mind you, don't go past the boulders. It tends to be a bit dangerous by the spring."
"Hey now, lady, send monkey boy here to do it-"
"I want none of your arguing young man; you go get me that water!" She said in a reprimanding tone.
Hakkai managed to chuckle. His monocle had fallen off, and his eyes were an electric green, set off by his abnormally pale face. "Gojyo, you look like you've just been scolded by your dear grandmother."
Goku began to laugh. "Haha, kappa got told by an old lady!"
"As for you, go with him. I want some good fish for dinner, you hear?" Takari pointed at Goku. He snapped into attention.
"Yes Ma'am! Food is what I love best!!" He ran off after a sulking Gojyo. "Hey, cockroach, wait for me! Oww, don't put a dent in the bucket just because you have a short temper. Hey, that-youch- hurt stop-oww! - it!"
Takari turned and inspected Sanzo. "Well, monk, what are you waiting for? Take your friend to a room- I'm much too old to carry him. I'll get out some of my herbs."
"Wouldn't they be used up from the plague?" questioned Sanzo.
The old woman sighed, and suddenly she looked a lot older than she had first appeared. "By the time I received news of the plague, it was too late. I couldn't make the journey back to the village, and the messenger died as soon as he got here."
"From the plague?" Sanzo persisted.
Takari walked towards the kitchen, ignoring him. "Take your friend to his room. I'll be there in a minute." Sanzo watched her go, and as he picked up Hakkai he thought of what Takari and Kintse had said.
"And others were killed trying to get to the spring..."
"Qui Ma Inn, named after the Qui Ma Springs."
"It tends to be a bit dangerous by the spring..."
"Yazmin will know what to do."
'Who is Yazmin, and what's so dangerous about these springs. Qui Ma, Qui Ma...why does that sound so familiar?' Sanzo shrugged to himself and took Hakkai to the room Takari had indicated. He opened the door, and then stopped dead, more in shock than in anything. The white walls were decorated all over with lavender, baby blue, and soft pink lilacs and lilies. The furniture and bed frame were a smooth, light mahogany, and the bed cover and pillows were lavender and white, with a lacy fringe. Many delicate, beautiful herbs were planted in the window sill and a vase of lilacs next to the bed. The window was open, and a gentle breeze fluttered the light blue curtains. The, well, cuteness of the room was strange, 'But not unbelievable for an inn run by an old lady,' Sanzo decided.
"This room was mine, and used to be my mother's when she was a girl." Takari stood behind him, a slight smile on her wrinkled face. "And, my grandmother's, and her mother's, and her mother's. It seems to be a trait that the women of my family love this room." She placed the bowl she had been carrying on the nightstand, and helped Sanzo place Hakkai in the bed. As she took a piece of cloth out of the bowl, wrung it out, and began to dab at Hakkai's forehead, she continued to reminisce.
"I remember waking up in the morning, the light filtering through the curtains and lighting up the room. I could hear my brothers out in the courtyard, laughing and playing. The smell of dumplings, eggs, and rice would float through the room, mixing with the sweet smells of lilac." She smiled sadly, and her eyes dimmed. "It's been a long time. My brothers and family have long since passed away, and now, I am the only one left." She closed her eyes. "Ah, but what should I expect, what with me being the age I am. I know I should bless Rhaiha for the age I have been given, but I still can't help but think it's more of a curse than a blessing."
"Who's Rhaiha?" Sanzo asked, curious.
Takari smiled. "Ah yes, I continue to forget that you are not a local of this area. Rhaiha is the goddess of the Qui Ma Springs, springs that are not that far from here." She shook her head. "She is a cruel goddess at times, but she protects those who are faithful to her. I only wonder what Kinste's village did to invoke her wrath..."
-------------------------------------- -----
"Ha-ha! I beat you!" Goku taunted Gojyo, grinning. He jumped up onto a rock that was over the small river. "See! The river!"
Gojyo's eyes narrowed. "Hey, when that wrinkled-monster told me that the river was near there, I wasn't thinking that it would be a mile away. No wonder the buckets are so huge. You wouldn't want to do a second trip."
Goku scratched his head. "I don't get it. I would swear I saw a pump next to the inn, but the lady told us to go to the river. Weird. I mean-" Gojyo's bucket swung around and hit Goku in the head.
"Less yapping, more working. I don't know why, but I want to get the hell away from this place."
Goku frowned, rubbed his head, and crouched on a large boulder over the river, a fishing pole in his hand. "Well, I can't catch fish that fast it takes ti- what the hell??" His pole bent and was almost pulled out of his hands. After five minutes a large, shining fish was flopping on the riverbank. "That's gotta be the fastest I've ever caught a fish. But I still need mo-"In less than ten minutes Goku had two large fish lying next to the first one. Gojyo scratched his head.
"This place is weird. No assassins, peaceful, and yet there's something strange about it." He leaned down to get a drink of water out of the river, but he quickly leaned back and let the water run through his fingers as a small bolt of lightning left a burned circle on the ground where his head had been. He sighed. "So much for no assassins."
"And to think I almost gave up patrolling this section of the forest," a feminine voice drawled. "Yazmin would have been furious." Out of the forest stepped a woman with curly, pink hair. Her stormy gray eyes flashed, and she held up one hand casually. Sparks danced from finger to finger on her hand, like miniature lightning bolts.
"Take it from me, boys, you wanna leave within two days. Let Takari help your friend, but after he's well you'd better leave." She smiled coldly. "And do what she says. A 150-year-old lady gains a lot of wisdom. You don't want to invoke the wrath of Rhaiha." She vanished into the background of the forest, and Goku sweated.
"Um, what just happened here? And who the hell is Rhaiha?"
Gojyo shrugged. "I have absolutely no clue." Picking up the buckets and fish, they walked away, not seeing a dark blue-and-black water snake slither off a rock and into the water soundlessly.
AN- I'm sooooooo sorry it took me so long to finish this! I tried to make it extra long, just for all of my faithful readers (if I have any faithful readers...)