CHAPTER TWO: THE INTERFERANCE
"Damn," Gojyo cursed, "It's raining real heavily outside."
Sanzo glared at him, massively irritated. "I don't need you to remind me!"
Gojyo looked at Sanzo, his eyebrows raised in askance. "I'm not reminding you, you stupid Blondie! I am worried about Shimara!"
"Who are you calling stupid Blondie, Redhead?" Sanzo asked, his voice dark and dangerous.
"Who are you calling Redhead, you stupid Blondie?" Gojyo challenged, imitating Sanzo's voice but failing miserably.
"You really wanna die?" Sanzo snarled, pulling out his spirit-ascending gun and aiming at Gojyo.
Gojyo grinned and put his hands up in mock surrender. "Not now. Not here. Chill, okay?"
Sanzo cursed and put his gun away. "Irritate me one more time and I won't hesitate to blow your brains outta your head."
"Yes, your highness," Gojyo teased, only to stop when Sanzo gave him a killer glare.
"Is Shimara going to be okay?" Goku asked, reaching for a chocolate cookie while looking at them with huge golden eyes. "I mean, it's raining so heavily outside and she didn't even have an umbrella with her."
"She'll be fine," Hakkai replied reassuringly, "She is probably waiting in a shelter right now for the rain to die down."
"I don't think so," Gojyo said, furrowing his brow in thought, "She's not the type of woman who can wait. I bet she is running through the rain."
Goku scrutinized Gojyo quizzically. "How do you know, Gojyo?"
Gojyo looked at Goku in amusement. "I know a woman when I saw one, Monkey-boy."
"There's no need to call me 'Monkey'!" Goku said angrily.
"Maa... maa... don't start it now, guys," Hakkai intervened before Goku and Gojyo started their usual bickering. "I won't save you if Sanzo really wants to shoot you."
"Okay, okay, quieting now, "Gojyo relented, glaring at Goku, who glared back.
"Ne, Sanzo..." Goku began hesitantly, then trailed off.
"What?" Sanzo snapped, glaring at the boy.
"Aren't you drinking your coffee?" Goku asked timidly, "You haven't touched it since the waitress served it half an hour ago."
"Why? You want it?" Sanzo leered.
Goku looked up at him with hopeful golden eyes, tipping his own cup over to show him how empty it was.
"Fine, take it," Sanzo said irritably.
"Sankyu, Sanzo!" Goku chirped happily, taking Sanzo's still full cup of coffee and raising it to his lips. He frowned inwardly.
Strange, Goku thought, it's still lukewarm. It's supposed to be cold by now, considering the weather... Ah, to heck with it all! I'm still thirsty!
No sooner he had taken three sips, Shimara burst into the inn, looking really wet. Her sapphire blue eyes instantly fixed on him, and all color drained from her face.
"Goku, no!" She screamed, "Don't drink that!"
Goku raised his eyebrows questioningly, not understanding. That's when Shimara leaped, covering the distance between them and landed beside Goku. She quickly knocked the cup out of Goku's hand and lips.
"Hey, whaddaya do that for?" Goku complained.
"Don't drink that," She repeated, panting. "It's been tampered with."
Gojyo stared at her. "How do you know?"
As if on cue, Goku's eyes rolled back and he slumped backwards. If Shimara wasn't behind him to catch him, he would have fallen from his chair and injured himself pretty badly.
"Goku!" Hakkai cried out, pushing back his chair and ran around the table towards Goku. Sanzo looked as if he was horrified and wanted to curse at the same time.
"Dammit!" Sanzo finally decided on cursing.
Gojyo suddenly froze, his senses highly attuned. "The culprit... He's hiding somewhere outside. Let's go get him!"
"I'll go with you," Shimara said, brushing her wet hair off her brow.
"No," Sanzo spat vehemently. "You and Hakkai stay and guard Goku and find out what's wrong with him. I and Gojyo will drag the culprit here."
As Sanzo and Gojyo turned to leave, Hakkai called out, "Be careful!"
Gojyo gave him a thumbs-up before he and Sanzo disappeared into the rain.
There was a moment of tense silence.
"Let's bring Goku inside," Shimara suggested, her voice betraying how weary she was.
Hakkai nodded, standing up and carrying the comatose Goku in his arms. "I'll bring him inside. Shi, in the meantime you have a warm shower and change into clean and dry clothes before you fall sick. I'll look after Goku."
Shimara flashed Hakkai a smile. "Thank you for the concern, Hakkai-kun. But that can wait. I have to analyze what's in the drinfirfirst before Sanzo and Gojyo return."
"But what if you fall sick?" Hakkai asked, worried.
Shimara smiled. "Don't worry. I can get well really fast. Besides, I don't get sick easily."
"Whatever you say, Shimara-san," Hakkai said in defeat. He walked towards the stairs and disappeared in one of the rooms. Shimara looked on, a small smile playing on her lips.
Shaking her head in amusement, Shimara went back to the table where the Sanzo-ikkou once dined in. Her face became grim as she set on to business.