Written: August 19 2004

A/N: I think this is the longest chapter so far... By the way, extra special thanks to D-chan for the great tips/advice. And of course thank you to all reviewers!

Chapter 5

It was hot. So hot and sticky that Sanzo hadn't even bothered to try sleep. Not that he wanted to, anyway. He'd decided to stay up and see if he could discover what was happening to Goku.

He was sitting on a window sill, looking out at the little he could see of the surrounding town. Fog shrouded most of the buildings from sight, and Sanzo cursed the gods that had managed to create a hot and foggy night.

He heard some rustling coming from the room he was sharing with Goku and glanced over sharply. As much as he'd tried to stay in the room, as it was easier to keep an eye on Goku that way, it was impossible for him to relax and have a peaceful smoke while listening to Goku snore.

At least, that's the excuse he was going to use if anyone asked him. In reality, he knew Goku wouldn't do anything if he was awake, and had decided that the only way to find out what was happening was to let it happen once more.

He heard more rustling coming from his room, and leant back slowly to try blend a bit more into the shadows. He extinguished his cigarette and kept his eyes trained on the door, waiting.

It was only pure luck that Sanzo managed to see Goku as the boy left the building. He'd heard a strange noise outside the window, and had looked out just as Goku had landed on his feet.

The stupid twit had jumped out the window. Maybe he'd felt Sanzo's presence outside of the door, or maybe he just didn't want to risk being seen by anyone.

Sanzo watched as Goku headed out of the town, walking swiftly and yet confidently. Where in the world was he going?

He looked down the corridor, but heard nothing from Hakkai and Gojyo's room. His best bet was to slip down the stairs and follow Goku.

He rose to his feet and hurried out, walking in the direction he'd seen Goku go. Sanzo was sure he was headed for the forest, but why?

Sanzo cursed when he got to the edge of the town. He had no clue where Goku was, and heading into the woods blindly was a sure way to get lost. What with the fog and the darkness, he could end up walking circles without knowing any better.

"Looking for something?" someone called out, stumbling out of the shadows.

Sanzo stepped back, prepared for an attack. Great, he thought. Just great.

It was a man. A very drunk man. A very drunk man who was eyeing him up and down and licking his lips in anticipation. "I think I have what you're looking for."

Sanzo barely understood what the man was saying, but his intention was clear. Sanzo cursed; he did not want to deal with any shit, especially as he was already at the point of strangling a certain heretic. He could always strangle this man, he mused.

The man came forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Come with me," he slurred, his breath reeking of beer.

Sanzo pulled out his gun and placed it right against the man's temple. "Don't touch me."

The man backed off, raising his hands and mumbling about touchy blonds. Sanzo ignored most of it, but when he heard the comment "he's got a stick right up his--" he interrupted the man by shooting in his general vicinity.

That's right, run away, he thought, glaring as he put away his gun.

He turned around to head back to the inn, seething at the whole situation. What a waste of time. He should've just threatened to beat Goku up if he didn't tell him what was going on.

That's when he saw Goku. The boy was coming right towards him, swinging a small shopping bag in his hand.

Sanzo checked to see if Goku had seen him, and tried to melt into the shadows when he realized Goku hadn't. Goku walked past him, whistling softly, completely oblivious to his surroundings.

Sanzo began to trail after the boy, eyeing the shopping bag. What in the world was Goku doing? A nighttime picnic in the woods? No, it didn't seem like food. Clothes? Just a bunch of material? A blanket? Bandages?

He gave up guessing and just concentrated on following Goku through the mist. Tall pine trees surrounded them, but moonlight filtered through, reflecting every now and then off of Goku's diadem and pinpointing his position.

Goku walked around a large bush and moved out of Sanzo's line of sight. He cursed softly, speeding up so as to not loose track of the boy. When he reached the bush, however, Goku was gone.

It was as if the night had swallowed Goku up completely. Or maybe the bush had, Sanzo thought sarcastically. He closed his eyes and listened, trying to catch the snapping of a twig or even just the sensation that someone was nearby. There was nothing.

"Shit," he cursed. Goku couldn't just vanish from sight like that! But where had he gone?

There was no use hunting for Goku, Sanzo decided. It would be better if he waited back at the inn.

With that decision made, Sanzo retraced his steps and returned to the inn. He sat down in his room and stared at Goku's empty bed, wondering where the boy was. Had Goku done this before? Well he couldn't know, could he, as he normally shared a room with Hakkai.

"Just great," Sanzo muttered to himself. He had no clue where Goku was, and he didn't know whether or not Hakkai and Gojyo were both in their room. He had to check.

He got up and padded down the corridor. He paused outside of Hakkai and Gojyo's room, listening for any sounds.

He picked up Gojyo's snoring easily enough, but that same snoring drowned out everything else. For all he knew, Hakkai could have been out as well. He briefly considered waking Gojyo, then decided against it. He had no intention of putting up with another pervert.

The door opened before him and Sanzo blinked in surprise when he found himself staring at Hakkai.

"Couldn't sleep, Sanzo?"

Perhaps his suspicions were wrong. If both Hakkai and Gojyo were in their room, then they could not be the ones hurting Goku. Unless Goku had decided to escape from it all tonight and avoid them. For surely he wouldn't be whistling to himself if he was going to meet up with someone who'd beat him up, right?

"It's too hot," he responded.

"I think so too, but Gojyo appears to be dead to the world."

Hakkai stepped out of the room and closed the door softly behind him. He headed over to the window and Sanzo followed him.

"Goku's not in the room," he said bluntly.

Hakkai glanced over at him in shock. "Where has he gone? Did you see him leave? Is he all right?"

He felt the reaction was a bit too panicked and narrowed his eyes before raising an eyebrow inquiringly. "Do you know where he is?"

Hakkai sighed, understanding what he was implying. "No, I don't."

Perhaps he'd been wrong to concentrate on Hakkai and Gojyo so much. It was obvious that the only person he had to watch was Goku, as the boy had to know who was beating him up. Had he been too quick to accuse his companions?

"I'm worried, Sanzo," Hakkai admitted quietly. "He hasn't been himself for a while now."

"Hn."

"I didn't notice at first because it wasn't a drastic change. It was only in the small things. He complained less to you. He doesn't seem to talk about you as much. And several times I've caught him just thinking and staring out into space. Whenever I've interrupted him, he's turned red. But you've probably noticed that."

The last comment hurt. He always claimed to be the one who knew Goku the best, and yet he hadn't noticed any of the things Hakkai had mentioned. Though maybe that was because he tended to block out most of Goku's babbling.

"Should I wait up?"

"Ch'." It wasn't like he needed company.

Hakkai nodded. "Good night then, Sanzo."

He didn't respond, simply lightened up a cigarette and sat on the window sill, determined to wait.

To Be Continued...