Chapter Three
She was begging him, pleading with him and he wondered if he should be listening. "Please, Sanzo-sama...Help me."
"Why?" She looked up at him with pleading gray eyes. "What happens to you is none of my business."
"Sanzo..." Hakkai started, obviously concerned about the situation.
"This isn't for me..." the woman started. "She's just a little girl. Take her to the next town with you! Just keep her away from here. They'll kill her if she stays. Maybe I deserve to die but she can't help it...Mei can't help it that she was born only half human."
"What makes you think she's better off anywhere else?" Sanzo replied. "This town is no different than the rest of the world. She has the same chance of living here as anywhere else."
"Maybe so but I can't sit by and do nothing. I have to try."
"I don't care about your problem." Sanzo said and turned away.
"Sanzo!" Hakkai called after him as he began to walk in the opposite direction of the woman. "At least consider..."
"Don't you have a heart at all?" the female yokai yelled. Sanzo kept walking. "You have no idea how it feels to have just one thing in the world...and to have that one thing slip through your hands like sand!"
Sanzo stopped suddenly and turned his head slightly to the right. There was an awkward silence for a moment as Sanzo debated what to say next. He knew all too well what she meant. "To the next town," he said. "And no further."
Sanzo Opened his eyes slowly to Gojyo's living room, filled from wall to wall with visitors. Hakkai and Makoto were playing a game of chess; Gojyo was sitting beside the phone in the corner, looking as if he was awaiting some sort of call. Mei was watching the game of chess intently. All of them were silent.
He wondered how long he'd been asleep and decided that it didn't matter. It didn't appear he'd missed much. After only a few minutes, the silence was driving the priest insane. "Gojyo," he said and Gojyo looked away from the phone. "Ever heard the saying, 'a watched pot never boils'?"
"He's waiting on mom to call back." Makoto said and moved a piece, calling, "Check." Then he continued, "Even though she probably never will. She never does."
"Play your game, Makoto." Gojyo said frowning. The phone rang and Gojyo picked it up quickly. "Hello...Yeah. What? What the...?" he looked up. "Hold on. I'm gonna go get the other phone." Then quietly he said, "If you hang up on me I swear," before hastily exiting the room.
Hakkai moved another piece and Sanzo heard Makoto sigh in frustration. "Where did you learn to play this game, Hakkai?" the younger man asked.
"To tell the truth, I really don't remember."
"I taught you." Mei said with a frown. "Remember?"
"So you did...I'm sorry."
"It's fine."
Everyone's attention left the chess game and was drawn to the kitchen from which a lengthy string of curses was coming.
"No..." Gojyo's voice echoed. "How the hell did you find that out? What do you mean he called you? Don't get smart...Sorry but it isn't all my fault. Yeah. There's such a word as 'no', you know. Don't give me that bullshit...you were one hundred percent sober. Hey...don't you hang up on me! Yuki! Damn..." Gojyo appeared in the doorway. "Your mom's coming for a visit. She'll be here within the hour...What a pleasant surprise." He turned to go but paused. "And you're grounded from the phone, too."
Makoto sighed and turned back to the game. Casually, he moved one of the pieces. "Checkmate," he said and Hakkai agreed.
"Makoto! Help me clean the place up a bit!" Gojyo called. "In here. I wanna talk to you."
"I'll put the board and pieces away." Hakkai said. Hakuryu tugged at Hakkai's collar. "As soon as I take care of whatever Hakuryu wants..."
"I'll do it." Mei offered and Hakkai nodded, exiting with the insistent dragon.
One by one, Mei began placing the pieces back in the box and then stood to move the table back into place. Sanzo watched her in silence. To the next town and no further...
"Sanzo-sama...can you help me?" He said nothing and did not move. "Please, Sanzo-sama...Help me?"
Her mother had said that ten years ago with the same look in her eyes. But Mei always looked that way. She was one of those women no one could ever love, only feel sorry for because she felt so sorry for herself. It would be different if she smiled a little. "Mei..."he started. He wanted to ask her how much she remembered from that night, how much Hakkai had told her and how much she had guessed. Surely over the years she'd discovered something about her past and the odd connection between them, the reason he'd made an honest effort not to keep in contact with her. Could she really have no idea whatsoever? He wanted to ask her a dozen things at once but all he could think to say was, "What the hell are you asking me for? Goku, get off your ass and help her move the table back."