Sorry it took me so long to update...I guess I've been kinda busy. .;; But here's the next chapter! I hope you guys like it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! And if you have any ideas, they're always welcome. R&R!
"Hey! That's my pancake, you stupid monkey!"
"Stop calling me that! And it's MINE, nymphao kappa!"
Sanzo laid awake, one arm sprawled lazily across his eyes, listening to the commotion in the next room. He had drifted into an uneasy sleep after the visit from the merciful goddess, and surprisingly it had been dreamless. But even with the little bit of rest he had gotten, the noise from his companions was not at all pleasing.
A soft knock came at the door. "Sanzo? You awake?"
The priest let his arm fall away from his face onto the pillow. "How could I NOT be?" He muttered. "Come on in, Hakkai."
The brunette opened the door and shut it softly behind him. "I'm sorry; Goku and Gojyo wanted breakfast, and I didn't want to take them down to the main lobby this early in the morning-"
"So you decided to order room service and have the noise closer to where people are actually sleeping, huh?"
Hakkai's hand lingered on the doorknob. "Well, I suppose I didn't think of that..."
Sanzo laughed. "It's alright, old friend. I'll beat the shit outta them later."
"Go easy on them; they can't help it." Hakkai walked over and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "At any rate, I stocked up on supplies last night while you all were sleeping. We're all set to head out any time you're ready."
"The sooner the better. I have a feeling the other guests at this inn aren't going to be very happy with us."
"When did you start caring about that?"
"I don't. I'd just rather not have to put up with any whining until AFTER we're on the road." Sanzo stretched and pulled himself into a sitting position, shrugging into the white robes that hung limply around his waist.
"Alright then, I'll go get Hakuryu ready to go." The demon got to his feet and headed for the door.
The priest's amethyst eyes followed his friend, his brow furrowed in contemplation. The goddess's words rang clear in his head. "He has been reborn far to the north of this place. However, this presents a problem, as your quest leads you to the west. Your friends are trusting you to take them to the one who is trying to resurrect Lord Gyumaoh. Each of them has something very important riding on this journey."
...Koumyou...
"Hakkai!" he called.
The man turned to face his companion. "Yes?"
Somehow the lie came harder than usual as he pushed the words past his lips; "I...I have been informed that Kougaiji and his band of misfits have moved Gyumaoh up North. So as of now, we shall be heading North."
Hakkai regarded him curiously. "Alright then," he said after a while. "To the North." Then he turned and walked through the door.
Sanzo stared after his friend long after the door had closed behind him. A disbelieving expression graced his face. "...He believed me...that easily..." he murmured. His hands moved absently, pulling the wrinkles out of his robe. "Perhaps they have gone soft...Perhaps they have forgotten what every man should know..." His eyes turned heavenward as he repeated the lines that were forever engraved in his memory; "Embrace nothing...if you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. If you meet your father, kill your father. For in the end, the only one you can save is yourself." He reached to the bedside table and picked up the golden crown, setting it gently over his equally yellow hair. "You taught me that piece of wisdom, Master...and yet you are the only one whose sake I cannot follow it for. Very well...to the North."
A few hundred miles later, the little group rode peacefully toward their new destination.
...well...almost peacefully.
"You stupid jackass! Gimme back my gameboy!"
"It's mine too, moron! Hakkai only bought one!"
Gojyo and Goku sat in the backseat of the jeep, as per usual. But this time they had a new toy; a gameboy. Hakkai had picked it up for them before their departure, hoping it would keep them quiet for a while.
"You know what?!" Sanzo reached around back and grabbed the device. "You two are acting like a couple of three year olds! If you don't shut up, I'm chucking this thing!"
Gojyo promptly flicked him off. "You wouldn't do that. That thing cost us a hundred bucks, you know."
"Wanna bet?" Sanzo turned and tossed the gameboy into the distance. "It wasn't my money, so why should I care?!"
"Not the gameboy!" Goku catapulted over the back of the jeep and scrambled after the gadget.
"IDIOT!" Sanzo stood up in his seat. "GET BACK HERE! Hakkai, stop the jeep!"
Hakkai hit the brakes and came to a skidding halt. Sanzo braced himself against the dashboard, but Gojyo...wasn't so lucky. The redheaded water sprite found himself with his head through the windshield.
"GODDAMMIT HAKKAI WHY DID YOU HAVE TO STOP SO FAST?!"
"Why did you put a hole in my dragon's windshield? You should have been wearing your seatbelt," Hakkai retorted, commanding Hakuryu to transform back into dragon form to recuperate.
The little group trotted after their 'fallen' friend, who now sat in the middle of the road, the gameboy clutched in his hand. When they approached, the boy didn't turn around.
"GAY LITTLE MONKEY! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE--"
Goku turned around, and the haunted look on his face stopped Gojyo in mid-sentence. "Guys..."
Sanzo stepped forward and knelt beside his companion. "What is it, Goku?"
Goku slowly pointed off to their left. Every head turned.
"Shit..." Gojyo said softly.
Across from them lay a barren wasteland, littered with bodies of the dead.