A/N Hey everyone!! I'm so sorry it took so long, but here's the next chapter!! Excitement! Love me! ; anyhow, I do hope things aren't taken too much out of character- I try to keep consistent with the story. This chapter might be a little longer than usual because of flashbacks- you'll see as you go along.

Just to make things clear- the flashbacks are italicized and additional thoughts that hadn't been in the scene originally are italicized and bolded.

OH yeah!! New thing! Omakes! Omake is the Japanese term for "extra" – there's a bunch of them on Saiyuki: Reload, after each episode- a short clip of the Sanzo-ikkou doing weird things I had an idea to add script like omakes at the end of each new chapter, starting in this one. DON'T SKIP AHEAD! PLEASE! . they might not be that funny anyhow XD

Now, without much further ado (Ok- wait- I have to thank those who reviewed chapter 12 for me- THANK YOU EVERYONE!! I'm sorry, I just don't much feel like responding to individual reviews, it's so late right now…but thank you, thank you, thank you!)- onto the story!!

Disclaimer(s): Saiyuki and its characters all © Kazuya Minekura, all original characters belong to their respected owners

Chapter Thirteen

Magical DVD- A New Destiny

BerkeleyIL

"…And then you showed up as I was trying to call you…" Mandi drew a long breath before exhaling loudly, her almond gaze dropping to her hands. "Don't be too mad, Erin, huh? There was just so much going on, I didn't have a lot of time to try and tell you this over the phone."

Erin's blue eyes stared between Mandi, Katie, and Ashley as she attempted to comprehend the tale just told. Finally, words managed to sound from her mouth.

"Y'know, if I hadn't seen them with my own eyes, I'd say ya were all bullshitting me. So I believe you…but this is freaking weird!" She held up a hand. "Totally awesome, but still freaking weird."

"We've established this already…" Ashley spoke, shrugging. "We kind of got used to it, though."

Katie nodded vigorously. "It's been so much damn fun having them here, but we've really got to crack down on finding the elementals that they're here for. Sanzo doesn't want to waste any more time, and even though I love annoying him, this is for Shangri La."

"Who are the girls that they're looking for?" Erin inquired, pushing a hand through her dyed bright blue hair.

Mandi leaned forward on her bed, holding her chin up in her palms as she rested her elbows on the covers. "If we knew that I think we'd have a better lead by now."

"Well…what if they're the four of us? Wouldn't that make sense?" The willowy girl suggested. "Ya said y'all had those weird dreams, right? All at the same time?"

The others remained quiet. The subject had been discussed a few times, but briefly. Otherwise, the thought was dismissed.

"Sanzo doesn't seem to think it's possible." Mandi responded quietly, chewing the inside of her cheek. "Although, it would make perfect sense, taking into consideration the dreams we've had and then putting it against his reason for being here of all places."

"I agree it does make perfect sense."

All eyes turned to the bedroom door in surprise. Hakkai stood there, his black shirt damp from dishwater, a smile locked into place. His hand rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Undoubtedly he'd been standing there for quite sometime.

"May I come in?" He motioned to the room, remaining in the doorway.

Erin caught herself staring at him. She hadn't noticed Hakkai when she first came in, but realized it was he who'd been doing the dishes in the kitchen.

"We'd be nuts not to let ya in." She laughed, still beside herself about the situation. How did her friends not go absolutely insane when first coming across the guys?

Sitting straight, Mandi smiled toward the emerald-eyed youth. "Yeah, you can come in. Sit anywhere."

Katie sniggered at the dreamy expression that'd flickered over her younger brunette friend's face. Oh she was totally enthralled with the guy, that much was clear.

Still holding his pleasant visage, Hakkai moved to sit on the other side of the bed, back straight, hands flat on his thighs.

"The only way your theory would be off is due to the aspect of there are four of you here now, and not three." He began to discuss his thoughts on the matter. "However, the last I was aware, elements usually fall into a group of four or more- just because we've been assigned to find three doesn't mean that there aren't more of them. It's just how many we need."

Ashley tapped her chin lightly, hazel orbs fixed on the young man. "What exactly are you trying to say then?"

"That you, Mandi, and I are the avatars they need." Katie speculated, the wheels of her mind churning. "Which means the fourth element is either unneeded or has already been obtained." She let her azure gaze dart over her friends. "I take it you heard about the dreams we had, Hakkai?"

Laughing nervously, he nodded. "I did, please forgive me for eavesdropping. I'd planned on asking about dinner tonight and overheard the conversation…it intrigued me, I couldn't help myself."

"Don't worry about it…" Mandi replied, sure to keep her gaze from him now. She wondered just how much of the conversation he had heard then- some of her words had been pretty tell-tale and…well, fan girl-ish.

Katie continued to speak what was going through her mind. "Between us all, Erin is the only one who hasn't had a dream similar to the rest of us. It'd rule her out as an elemental, wouldn't it?"

"As far as we know, anyhow." Erin piped up no sooner than Katie finished her last sentence. There was no way she wanted to be left behind if her friends were these elementals. The four of them were so close; it'd feel too much like separating from sisters. "Maybe there's still time. You never know- the way things are going, judging by what you've said…maybe I just needed to have some kind of contact with the rest of you before I have a dream like yours."

The youngest of the four cast a sympathetic glance in Erin's direction. "Perhaps that's possible, but none of us should get our hopes up. There's a good chance that we're taking this completely out of context and we won't get to go with them to Shangri La."

Hakkai stood from the bed, his smile faltering only momentarily. "Yes, what Ashley said is true. It could only be a coincidence after all. I'm sure stranger things have happened."

Noticing his change in attitude, Mandi stared up at Hakkai as he moved for the hallway. "When you first came in you said you agreed with our theory. Why the change of heart?"

"I may only have been being hopeful my…" he trailed off and plastered his smile back into place, correcting his near-blunder. "…Mandi. While it does make sense, it does not mean it's true. We all have to consider other options as well."

Frowning, Erin sat back against the bed heavily, crossing her arms. "Those options suck monkey-ass."

"Now, now…" Hakkai laughed, lifting his palms, "…we'll eventually get to the bottom of this, but until then, I think it's up in the air. But if you'd like to know my wishes…" he gazed to each girl pointedly. "…I really do hope it's all of you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've some inquisitions to make about dinner."

Dinner proved rather interesting among the eight people forced to share one table, rather than the previous number of seven. Erin had been asking questions enthusiastically and Goku seemed fascinated by the energy she gave off. In fact, he was almost feeding off of it.

"So, where are your power limiters?" Erin questioned, gazing from Goku to Hakkai.

"We don't know," Goku shrugged, grinning as he bit into a Big Mac from McDonald's. "When we got here they just...disappeared."

Hakkai lifted his green gaze from the California Cobb salad before him. "My guess is the same as it was before- because there are no demons here and little magic, they aren't necessary; not to mention we do want to fit in. A boy with a golden coronet would be looked at strangely, though my own limiters could've passed as fashionable."

From the other end of the table, Sanzo grunted around a bite of Crispy Chicken sandwich. "No demons my ass. There's more war here than in Shangri la."

Everyone's attention went to Sanzo- it was rare that he'd speak openly...and unprovoked. He continued, shifting in his seat a little, scowling.

"They may not be the same as youkai from Shangri la, but from what I've seen on TV, they might as well be. I don't see how people carry on as though they're oblivious to the warring, famine, disease, and chaos happening all around them."

Sanzo sniffed, gazing generally to the four girls. "Your world is worse off than ours."

Katie chewed on a french fry thoughtfully. "Do you see now why we want to leave it?"

"Hoo-boy..." Ashley shook her head, gazing down at her Chicken McNuggets and ranch dressing. She felt an argument coming on.

Sanzo shook his head. "I'm sure you're not the only person who has had that thought cross her mind. It's not going to happen, so get over it."

Gojyo flashed a warning glance to the oldest brunette girl. Sanzo had just given the 'end of discussion' signal; Katie would do best just to leave it be.

Of course, that didn't happen.

"You don't think it's possible?" Katie challenged, blue eyes dancing.

Mandi and Erin drew their chairs back to the wall, ready to jump over Hakkai to run away if they had to. Ashley continued to eat, calm as could be- she sat on the outside of the table and could get away easily enough. The other three guys merely watched, anticipating a skirmish of sorts.

"No, I don't." Sanzo replied curtly, violet eyes narrowing. Hadn't she figured out that he didn't want to talk about it anymore?

"Why not?" Katie wore a smug smirk, leaning over the table. "Apparently the four of you could come here so why can't it work both ways?"

The twitching in the monk's jaw commenced and Gojyo, who took notice, chuckled and leaned toward Ashley's ear.

"Are ya thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"It depends- is it perverted?" the blond girl quipped flatly.

"Ha...this time, no." Gojyo grinned.

She shrugged. "Severe fan beating ahead?"

The hanyou winked, sitting back. "Oooh yeah..."

Erin whispered to Mandi. "Ya took Sanzo's gun away, right?"

The brown eyed girl nodded solemnly. "Damn straight I did."

"Good...then at least we know we won't be shot." Erin muttered.

"Forgive me for intruding, but I believe you only had him hide it in a drawer, Mandi." Hakkai interrupted quietly, smiling nervously toward her.

Mandi thought and then dropped her jaw. "Oh crap...you're right."

"Oh good goin' Mandi! He could be packin' a piece right now for all we know." Erin groaned, thwacking her friend's shoulder. "If I die, I'll kill you."

"Now, now, please..." Hakkai laughed, lifting his palms from the tabletop. "Nobody is going to get shot, so there's no need for bloodshed."

"Who said anything about bloodshed?" the petite blue haired girl asked sweetly, glancing to Hakkai. "I just said I'll kill her. There doesn't have to be blood involved."

Hakkai's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh...well..."

Mandi huffed. "She's kidding, Hakkai, don't worry about it."

The young man glanced between the girls and when Erin smiled he did too, albeit out of relief. "Oh, good...I wasn't too sure..."

"So, no answer Sanzo?" Katie pressed on after the monk paid her no reply.

Sanzo grumbled beneath his breath and brought his gaze to her. "Even if it could happen, there is no way I'd let you four go with us."

"Oh, like it's really up to you." The blue eyed brunette retorted. "If whatever portal, gate, or tunnel you came through is open for us too, how will you stop us from going through it?"

"You don't belong there." His gaze snapped to her and then to the other three girls. "None of you do."

His tone stung the young women before him- they knew Shangri La wasn't their home, but it would be nice to see it. He didn't have to be so brash about it and Katie wouldn't hear of it.

"You don't belong here but you don't see any of us complaining about it, do you?" she glared sharply at him. "You've all been perfect guests- everyone but you anyhow."

Mandi laughed nervously. "Honestly, it's not that big of a deal…"

Katie still glowered. "No. I think it is. We've been more than helpful to them, even if we haven't gotten very far, and they've all been gracious with the exception of Sanzo."

"Were you expecting him to act any different than how we've seen him?" Ashley asked quietly from her place at the table.

Erin nodded her agreement. "Really, ya should've known Sanzo would be grumpy and difficult all the time. That's just how he is."

The monk seethed. "Don't talk about me as if I'm not here."

Mandi sunk down in her chair- this was not going too well at all. It'd be wonderful if the four of them could go along to Shangri La, but it didn't mean it'd happen. There was no use in arguing- Sanzo had a gun and he knew how to use it. Not that the monk would really shoot any of them; he'd just threaten to shoot if anyone attempted to go with him and his companions.

She sighed heavily, resting a palm to her forehead, trying to drown out the sound of the arguing continuing around the table. Katie still bickering with Sanzo about whether or not he retained the right to forbid them from going to Shangri La; Gojyo starting up with Goku and Erin about who got the last bunch of extra French fries in the middle of the table; Ashley trying to calm everyone down by using a high pitch whistle but only succeeded in receiving a collective glare.

Hakkai turned his gaze from his finished meal to the young brunette woman sitting between Erin and Katie, smiling lightly to her when she looked up.

"It's awfully noisy in here, isn't it?"

Mandi nodded, returning the faint smile. "Just a bit; pardon me." She sighed, looking between everyone who was arguing, and then abruptly stood, slamming her palms on the table so hard that it shook. "SHUT UP!"

Startled by the outburst, things did quiet down considerably, save for Goku's content munches on the remaining fries; the others simply stared at her.

Flushing at her own shouting, Mandi laughed quietly. "Err…thank you." Without much more to say, she slipped behind Erin's chair and Hakkai's as well before retreating outside to the backyard.

Sanzo crumpled his napkin and left it on his paper plate, standing from his chair as well. He was glad someone had quieted things down, though perhaps he hadn't been so keen on how it was done. Turning, the monk made his way to the bathroom to wash his hands before returning to lounge on the sofa for more CNN. Even though he hadn't found anything out to help on the situation he'd been placed in, learning about the goings on in this world seemed to make Shangri La duller than ever. No matter where Sanzo went, his destiny was bound to be the same- boring.

Erin glanced to the others as everyone else began to move from the table. "What's wrong with my Mandi-Pandi? That was weird…I've never heard her yell like that, except for at her brothers, but they're not even here."

Goku looked at her funnily. "Mandi-Pandi?"

She shrugged, grinning impishly. "That's just what I call her, sometimes. It's a nickname."

Gojyo piped up, unable to resist the moment. "Yeah, ya know, kinda like how we call you "monkey", monkey."

The golden eyed youth glowered at the hanyou. "Kinda like how I call ya stupid water sprite, ero-kappa, water wimp, and H2O asshole?"

"Ch, smartass chimp," Gojyo muttered under his breath, handing off his empty paper plate to Hakkai who seemed rather intent on getting the table cleared.

Ashley sighed, glancing to the bit of bread left on the redhead's plate. "What did you have, anyway?"

"A fish sandwich," he replied simply which immediately drew sniggers from the girls. "What?"

"I see you've resorted to cannibalism, Gojyo." Katie mused, trying to take the plates from Hakkai now, smirking at her own joke.

"Oh you're real cute." The kappa retorted dryly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He turned his crimson gaze over the girls, shook his head, and then looped an arm around Goku's neck, rubbing his knuckles into the youth's chestnut hair. "C'mon monkey, how 'bout a round of video games? I think I'll kick your ass this time."

"Lemme go!!" Goku squirmed free but grinned widely at Gojyo. "You're on!" Without another word, he darted down for the basement, ducking between Hakkai and Katie as they continued to tug at the plates, each insisting on cleaning up.

Gojyo started after Goku, stopping at the basement door, his gaze lingering on the girls. "Ya know, I think it'd be nice if all of ya could go along with us, but…for once, I think I'm gonna agree with Sanzo in sayin' that this is where ya belong. I'm not so sure that you'd get along fine in Shangri La. Especially not at a time like this." A light smile replaced his usual smirk as he shrugged a shoulder. "But hey, if ya do wind up being the elementals we're looking for, then there won't be so much of a disappointment. Just don't get your hopes too far up; I'd hate to see any of ya upset coz ya can't go along."

"Well look at that…the pervert can say something normal after all." Erin teased, glancing to Ashley who cracked a smile at the comment. "By the way- is anyone up for a Mario-Kart tournament?" She grinned to Gojyo who shrugged before he went downstairs.

The blue-haired girl grabbed the blond girl's wrist, tugging her along. Ashley knitted her brows. "What're you doing?"

"Don't think you're getting out of it, c'mon!" Erin insisted, pulling her younger friend down the steps behind her. "We can so take them on- after all, we've lived in this world longer, right?"

"I suppose that's true, but I don't play a lot of video games…" Ashley murmured, but followed nonetheless. Quite honestly, she didn't mind it if it meant spending a little more time with any of the guys- though, had she had her choice, any of the guys would've been just Gojyo. Not that Ash truly wanted to get attached to anyone, although, perhaps it was too late to avoid attachments…

Upstairs, Katie finally managed to snatch away all the paper plates from Hakkai's hands, her blue eyes wide.

"Just let me do it, ok? You've been cleaning Mandi's house since you got here!"

Hakkai let on a smile of embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I just feel like I ought to do something since we've stayed for so long. Judging by how dinner went tonight, I'm beginning to believe we're wearing out our welcome."

Katie shook her head, casting a wary glance to the blond monk sprawled on the couch in the other room. "No, don't worry, you're not. Beside, we love having you guys here…even Sanzo, to some extent." She grinned to Hakkai slyly. "And I know Mandi definitely likes having you around."

The brunette young man laughed uneasily. "You mean she likes having all of us around, terrorizing her home like this?"

"I said what I said," Katie stated, moving on into the kitchen, glancing over her shoulder. "Why don't you go outside and see if she's alright? I don't think I've ever heard her shout like that. The poor thing is probably frazzled." A light laugh escaped the oldest of the young women.

Puzzled, Hakkai moved after her. "Why are you suggesting that I do it? I'm sure she'd prefer to be alone, or else have someone else she's known for a longer time try and console her, right?"

Katie returned to the dining room to clear the rest of the table, turning to offer the young man another small and secretive smile. "Believe me I'm sure that she'd talk to you. Tell you what- you go on outside and if it seems as though she wants to be left alone, then just come right back in."

Giving in, Hakkai opened the screen door and stepped out onto the porch. From his place, he could see the almond eyed brunette girl standing beside the large maple tree which grew to the right of the swing set. Letting the door shut quietly, Hakkai moved to the fence and stopped there, watching her curiously.

Mandi hadn't taken notice of the vigil she was under; she remained next to the tree, gazing up to the sky, watching the sun fade away in the west to cast a sherbet array of colors across the horizon. Her breath fell evenly, though it began to feel as though the soft breeze drew across the yard in time with each exhalation. It had a calming effect and the anxiety she'd felt inside gradually wore away.

Arguments, no matter how minute or how big, always managed to fray her nerves.

A tingle ran along the back of the young woman's neck and the awareness of someone nearby set in. Quickly, Mandi looked over her shoulder and found Hakkai at the fence.

"Is there something you needed?" She asked, more tersely than she meant to sound.

The green eyed young man blinked a few times, his smile locking back into place. "Ah, actually…Katie asked me to come out and make sure you were alright. You ran out rather suddenly."

A frown marred Mandi's lips- she probably looked ridiculous running off like that, on top of it. "I'm fine I just…needed some fresh air is all. That place is turning into a madhouse."

Hakkai made his way toward the gate, the smile on his face faltering only for a second at seeing her expression. See? Hadn't he been right then about overstaying their welcome after all?

"If it's truly that bad, we can work to find somewhere else to stay, Mandi."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, no way, I won't hear of that!" She took a few steps from the tree and folded her arms, the corners of her lips turning up, but just barely. "I enjoy having you all here, but at times I just need to go off by myself and do my own thing. It's nothing personal and it's a lot better than my blowing up at people because I'm losing patience, like I did at the table. By the way, I'm sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," Hakkai replied kindly, tentatively taking a step past the gate, resting his hand on the metal post. "Everyone needs to have a fit now and again, though I think Sanzo has just about worn out his lifetime allowance." He chuckled to himself. "There isn't anything you'd like to talk about, is there?"

Mandi gazed to him, taking notice of how casually he had snuck up into the backyard from his place at the fence. She never realized just how sly Hakkai could be. It nearly caused her to laugh, but the action was stifled.

"What do you mean by anything I want to talk about?"

"Since I'm out here, I thought perhaps if there was anything on your mind…" Hakkai trailed off and kept smiling at her. "…I've said before, I'm more than willing to listen. It's the least I could do for you in return for being so patient with us."

Her cheeks flushed and she shook her head. "I…thank you, but you don't have to do that. Beside, I don't want to trouble you with nothing but dredged up memories."

"Ah, but you see, you owe at least that." Hakkai prompted, taking another step into the yard, now standing in the grass instead of the cement block at the gate. He smiled a little more, offering a hand to her, and motioned toward the bench-swing behind the garage. "Since you know so much about us, it's only fair isn't it? Besides, talking about it…might make you feel a little better. You've got a pair of willing ears, and a friendly face…" He pointed to himself, "…so why not?"

The brunette's expression fell for a moment. She was suddenly stuck between a rock and a hard place. How the hell could she say no to that face? Her eyes dropped to his extended hand and she debated on taking it before reluctantly doing so.

"Alright, but know from the start, I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm not the only person in the world who has had it bad…not in this world, and not in any other one."

"If it's not sympathy you're searching for, but just for someone who will listen, unbiased, then I think you're safe with me." Hakkai replied, half joking. Unbiased? Who was he trying to kid? This was someone he now considered a friend, but he'd listen all the same.

"Alright then," Mandi murmured, following him to the bench swing after he curled his fingers around her hand. A lump formed in her throat, and whether it was because she found herself liking the feel of her hand in his, or if it was because she was about to reveal things about her past that nobody but her closest friends knew.

The following few days brought nothing new on the search for the elemental avatars. If the girls had thought Sanzo was grumpy to begin with, they were really feeling the heat from him now. The monk didn't even want to watch television anymore. He'd gotten just plain sick of watching this world fall apart, knowing that Togenkyo was crumbling as well, and there was nothing at the moment that he could do about it.

Not that any of it was his problem- he just held responsibility of an important mission, and so far his luck had been close to nonexistent. His companions weren't being much of a help either.

Goku seemed rather infatuated with the strange blue-haired girl who shared the same enthusiasm and high-metabolism as he did. Not to mention the same passion for good food and video games.

Gojyo, as per usual, drowned himself in lust for the ladies- for one in particular, being Ashley, who continued to confuse the hanyou. Did she like him or not? It was so hard to tell, because her expression said one thing while some of her actions spoke another.

Hakkai perhaps remained the only one to still be of any use. At least his brain wasn't fogged up over some pretty face or another. The only time Sanzo could manage to squeeze in a word, however, was between the housework that the emerald eyed youth insisted on continuing to do. Vacuuming, dishes, laundry, sweeping, and dusting all were on his list, and then if nobody else needed consoling of any type, he was free to discuss the whereabouts of the avatars.

"Like he's much of a help anyway," Sanzo grumbled aloud, taking a drag from his cigarette as he stood on the front porch. Hakkai still lingered on the belief that the young women they were staying with were who the Merciful Goddess sought.

"There's no way in hell, it has to be someone else."

He lifted his violet gaze to the bright blue May sky- April had gone just two days ago, and an entire week and a half had passed. That was ten days too long in Sanzo's book, and he began to wonder if this supposed goddess had proper credentials to be sending people off into other worlds on wild goose chases.

A startled shriek from a window opened upstairs brought the blond monk out of his silent brooding. What the hell was wrong now? Stomping out his cigarette butt, he returned inside and trudged up the stairs toward the master bedroom. He despised that room- the pictures of the entire group along with all the others were annoying and distracting. Nevertheless, Sanzo found himself with growing curiosity to see what these feather-brained girls were screaming about.

"Sanzo! Sanzo, ya gotta come see!" Goku called from the green carpeted room, motioning frantically the moment he noticed the monk approaching.

"What is it?" he muttered, clearly irked as he stepped inside from the narrow passage way.

The television was on, and on the screen there were displayed a couple of animated young women who could have passed off as pixilated versions of those before him, sitting on the bed.

"What are you watching now?"

Gojyo quirked a brow. "It's the damnedest thing…"

Hakkai let out a quiet chuckle. "Apparently there is a…DVD which features our new friends, here, Sanzo, though none of us can seem to figure out how it got here."

Sanzo moved to watch for a few seconds and then glanced to the girls. "Is this some kind of joke? Are they supposed to be you?"

Shrugging, Katie replied absently, unable to take her gaze from the screen. "We think so, but like Hakkai said…"

"…we have no idea how it got here." Erin finished, unblinking in her disbelief.

The young blond woman turned her attention away from the TV toward Mandi. "Where did you find it, anyway?"

"Under my bed, while I was cleaning…here's the case." She handed it off to Sanzo.

Studying it with scrutiny, Sanzo turned the plastic case over in his hands. The front depicted no one person's picture, but rather a lotus pond with a cherry blossom tree at the edge with the wind blowing the petals and leaves across the surface of the water. In the same lettering found on the other DVDs there was written, sketchily, 'A New Destiny- Revelations, Truth, and Hope…'

"A new destiny?" Sanzo murmured, returning the case to Mandi, turning his violet gaze to the television again. It was quite obvious that the animated females onscreen were the girls he and his companions initially came across. Their names, for one, were the same, their features, though not as detailed, were similar, and the setting was down to a T. Why something like this existed, however, puzzled him. More than likely, it had something to do with Kanzeon Bosatsu.

"…damn meddling hag…" The monk muttered under his breath, crossing his arms.

"Hey! This is when you three met us!" Goku cried, pointing urgently to the screen before Gojyo's hand clamped over his mouth.

"Quiet, monkey, we can hear them thinking." The hanyou grinned widely, hearing the thoughts that were running through the animated character's heads.

'That asshole could've killed us!' Ashley glowered still at the black jeep that had skid to a halt in the middle of the street.

As the girls moved to the sidewalk, a young man exited the driver's side, apologizing profusely.

Mandi halted in her steps. 'That voice…I know that voice…'

'At least he's sorry.' Katie shrugged a bit, turning to stare in absolute disbelief.

The quartet of girls gazed to the screen, bewildered that this was even possible. If not for the events that'd already occurred, they'd have thought this to be too far-fetched.

"Oh my god…" Mandi murmured at hearing her own thoughts coming from her anime self's mind. She did recall thinking she recognized Hakkai's voice without knowing who was speaking- even though he sounded nothing like the actor who spoke his role on the DVD. It'd been the tone of voice, the softness of it…

Hakkai first looked to Ashley and the blond younger woman seemed quite embarrassed. "I'm sorry I thought you were an asshole." She spoke quickly and he laughed.

"No, no, it's alright. To be honest, I had…still have, no business driving on unfamiliar streets."

His gaze then moved to Mandi, twinkling in amusement. "I see you knew who I was right away. It was a good guess."

"Sure…" she replied, wanting to sink into her pillows and vanish. She wasn't about to let him know that she hadn't guessed.

"Wait a second…" Katie smirked, ignoring the scowl coming from Sanzo at her prompt. "If we're on a DVD which magically appeared here, wouldn't that just be more proof toward the fact that we are the elementals?"

Ashley took note of the wary expression the monk wore and shrugged innocently. "She does kind of have a point. I mean, why else would there be a DVD like this?"

The hanyou managed to tear his gaze from the screen, giving a slow grin. "Ya might've been wrong about these lovely ladies being out elemental avatars after all, monk."

"If you haven't noticed, there are four of them here." Sanzo snapped, setting his jaw. "I might not excel in mathematics, but we only came here looking for three last time I checked."

"That doesn't mean too much, Sanzo." Hakkai spoke quietly, a far-off glint coming to his eyes. "Have you ever heard of a Triqueta? They are made up of only three forces of nature- Earth, Air, and Water…for some reason, Fire is excluded. And, must I remind you, that when we first arrived, there were only just the three young ladies? Their friend, Erin, didn't come until later."

Erin arched a brow at him, skeptical of his words. "This is comin' from the one who said 'elements usually fall in groups of four'; whatever happened to that pretty boy?"

The emerald eyed youth flushed, laughing quietly. "Ah…ha, ha…I did say that, didn't I?" Rubbing the back of his neck, Hakkai shrugged. "It was only a theory I brought under very recent speculation…and it's only a theory, it doesn't mean it's true. Though, it'd explain why there is a lack of a fourth element, ne?"

Katie nodded, answering in place of the blue haired girl, slowly. "Ye-e-es, but I was under the preconception of Fire being a force of nature."

Goku continued keeping vigil of the sequences on the television, absolutely enthralled by the images. He'd been captivated the first time he saw himself and the others captured in such fluid animation, and again, the same hold had come over him. Not noticing that the room had fallen silent once more as everyone resumed watching the unfolding events, the golden eyed youth made mental notes.

Sure, he wasn't as smart as Hakkai, but he'd always been the observational type. If Goku took an interest in a subject, he almost always strode to learn everything he could. A few times he laughed- mainly at the over exaggerated expressions slapped onto the girls' faces and the sound effects playing in the background.

"Oh, here's a great part!" Katie grinned, pointing enthusiastically to the television.

The screen depicted Ashley applying an ice pack to Gojyo's head after Sanzo had thrown a water glass at Goku and missed the target.

Ashley slunk down a bit, watching, feeling slightly nervous. Just what was this going to reveal?

Without another word, Sanzo retreated down to the dining room, where Gojyo, Ashley, and Goku sat at the table. An ice pack was being applied to the kappa's forehead by Ashley since he couldn't be bothered to do it himself. Frankly, he just liked the attention.

Goku sat on the other end, wolfing down a rather large sandwich, laughing every time Gojyo winced at the ice.

"You're such a wimp, water roach!"

Gojyo growled, ready to reach over the table and lay into the younger youkai. "It's your fault I got whacked in the first place, monkey! Keep it up and I'll…"

"…If you don't shut up I'm going to give you bother something to whine about." Ashley muttered, shaking her head. 'Then again, would I really hurt him?' she wondered silently to herself. 'Maybe not…'

"My sentiments exactly." Sanzo spoke crossly, sitting down at the table. He found Ashley the easiest to not despise of the three girls. She had a mind similar to his own, it seemed. Most of the time, anyway.

Goku and Gojyo immediately quieted, but after minutes of awkward silence, Goku felt the need to break it.

"Ne, Sanzo?"

An agitated grunt escaped the high monk. "What?"

"How long are we gonna stay here? Shouldn't we be looking for the…" his golden eyes shifted to Ashley fleetingly. "…ya know?"

"Don't ask stupid questions, Goku. We'll leave when we leave." Sanzo sniffed, his eyes also dancing over Ash's form.

The young woman realized they wouldn't speak freely with her in the room. "Tch, fine, I know when I'm not wanted here." Not that she was really offended anyway- it was fun to give the irate monk an attitude sometimes.

As she got up, Gojyo stood up quickly as well. "Don't chase my nurse away, Sanzo, my head is pounding."

Ashley rolled her eyes at the remark, dropping the ice pack into Gojyo's palm. "Sorry, kappa, but the nurse is now off-duty." She turned, walking towards the basement for an unknown reason. Her cheeks were flushed- Ash did really like Gojyo, she just wished he'd let some of his true personality shine through all that flirtation. She knew how sweet he could really be, so why did he hide it?

He followed her down the blue wooden steps, catching her by the wrist as they reached the concrete bottom.

"What?" Ash demanded, turning to find Gojyo hovering very near to her. She stepped back in surprise to find herself pressed against a wooden post. 'Oh my god…he's so close…' she found her mind spinning. Just how many times did she fantasize or role-play a moment like this out? Hopefully she wouldn't turn into a messy pile of Ashley-goop.

Gojyo winked to her, letting go of her wrist and leaned forward, his palm against the post for support. "I never got to thank ya honey…Ashley." He corrected himself, not wanting to get beaned again for using an annoying pet name. When she didn't make a move, Gojyo leaned in closer to fill the gap between them, brushing his lips gently over hers. The kiss didn't last long enough by his terms, but he grinned as he pulled back. "So thanks."

Ashley stood, stunned beyond words. Did that actually just happen? Her cheeks crimsoned to match Gojyo's hair as she struggled to find her voice, managing to sound somewhat cool and collected.

"You're welcome. I don't usually take that form of payment, though. I guess I'll let it slide."

When Gojyo left her alone, a soft sigh escaped her lips and she touched her fingers to her mouth. 'Wow…that…wow.'

Ashley wished Sanzo had his gun on him so she could shoot the television screen. How awful!! She couldn't believe that it just let everyone in the room, Gojyo included, hear what she really had been thinking. Not to mention…

"Holy shit, Gojyo kissed you?!" Katie and Erin cried at the same time.

The kappa wore a smug smile, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the bed. So, the girl liked him after all. He thought so…he was damn good at figuring out women…

The blond young woman sat stiffly, eyeing her friends. "Apparently so, if that's what they just showed, right?"

Mandi pat her shoulder gingerly in an attempt of comfort. "Ha, well, apparently so- come off it guys, don't give her such a hard time. I'm sure there's incriminating evidence against all of us here…"

Goku blinked. "What's incriminating mean?"

Hakkai laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It means something that can be used against a person…in more or less words, anyway."

"Oh…then saying that Gojyo is an ero-kappa and perverted and stupid is incriminating evidence?" Goku inquired innocently.

Sanzo snorted. "It would be except that everyone of us here knows it already."

Gojyo glowered. "Hey, back off would ya? I'm not stupid…" He smirked.

The girls laughed at his lack of denying the other two accusations before Katie pointed out that the DVD had come to another interesting part, coming from the same day.

What nobody could see, though, was Katie's bare foot creeping along Sanzo's leg under the table. 'Oh this is going to be a riot…' she mused silently, keeping up her antics. She knew Sanzo would freak out eventually…

The monk frowned, turning his gaze over the girls as he fidgeted. Who the hell was touching him? Ashley seemed too concerned about staving Gojyo's roaming eyes and flirtatious words, and Hakkai had Mandi's undivided attention as he explained the chicken teriyaki recipe to her.

Sanzo glowered in Katie's direction. This woman was out to get him, and that wasn't paranoia talking. His purple eyes narrowed with vehemence none could rival as he watched her carry on, oblivious of his gaze. Katie continued her charade, sliding her foot yet farther along the monk's leg, her toes wriggling against the fabric of his jeans. In an attempt to shake her off, Sanzo moved his legs to one side, but only succeeded in bringing the wandering foot closer to his thigh.

"That's enough!" Sanzo leapt to his feet with such energy that his chair toppled over onto the floor.

All eyes went to the seething monk, wondering what had gotten into him.

"My goodness…Sanzo, what's wrong?" Hakkai asked, worry lacing his words.

Katie's lips were dressed with the barest of smirks. "Gee, Sanzo, was there a bug up your leg, or something" It was the most difficult task, not to burst out in laughter. 'He is so hot when he's pissed off. Then again, he's damn hot all the time…That was so worth it.'

A finger pointed accusingly at the oldest of the young women. "Don't toy with me; you know perfectly well what was crawling up my leg!"

Sanzo took his gaze from the screen to glare at Katie. He knew it'd been her all along, but apparently nobody wanted to give him the satisfaction of the fact. Katie grinned sheepishly. She guessed she didn't mind too much that she had a crush on the monk- it wasn't that big of a secret- not to her friends anyway.

'Wonderful.' Sanzo shook his head to himself. 'Miss busy-body has a silly crush on me. Doesn't she know who I am? Hn…not like anything is going to happen anyway. She'll get over it.' He did remain mildly amused, though, at the prospect of someone actually choosing him over Gojyo.

Mandi kept her eyes glued to the TV. This was the same night that she and Hakkai had "escaped" the madness inside her house and went out to the backyard. The same night he had explained to her why the Sanzo-ikkou was in this world instead of in their own. She felt her stomach knotting up. 'No…don't let them hear what I was thinking that night…'

In a matter of moments, Hakkai found himself in the lush green backyard, Mandi closing the chain link gate behind them quietly. He'd found some solitude behind the house in the later hours of evening a few times out of the last five days. It reminded him…reminded him of everything he had hoped to one day share with his precious Kanan. They would have worked so hard to have this- a nice home, a garden of colorful flowers, and a peaceful place to relax the day away behind the privacy of a tall fence. There was a swing set in this backyard…he imagined his home would have had one too, had they ever gotten the chance to have children. Hakkai grimaced as the memory of losing Kanan flooded back to him- he couldn't have those things now…he couldn't have them ever.

Mandi stood patiently, hands clasped in front of her, waiting as Hakkai seemed to drown in his own thoughts. She had a good idea of what he might be thinking about, just from the pained expression he wore upon his face. 'My god…that look on his face. I know that look. I know what he's thinking of- no, who he's thinking of. What a heartbreaking expression…I'd take it away if I could, but I can't, not in that way. Not in the way he needs.'

"Hakkai? Are you alright?" She called softly but then winced at the inquisition. Of course he wasn't alright, what a dumb question.

However, the young man snapped his smiling mask back in place flawlessly. "I'm just fine, I was only thinking. Sorry about that."

Not really wanting to push the issue, knowing it was rather touchy; Mandi nodded and made her way to the swinging bench behind the garage. She sat down on it, offering him a seat and he complied, his gaze still somewhat far away. When no words were spoken for a few minutes, she rested a hand on his shoulder. 'He's so warm. Ah…fan girl moment…I can't believe I'm touching him! Fan girl moment aside, I can hardly believe he's real…'

Hakkai rolled his gaze to her curiously as she spoke quietly. "I'm sorry."

He kept his smile. "Whatever for? You haven't done anything wrong."

"It doesn't seem right that we know so much about all of you and you know so little about us. I feel like a snoop…I mean aside from the joking, we saw some pretty horrific things happen to you. But you know, it really affected us…we'd get worried about what was to come for all of you, wondering what the next volume held, hoping that none of you would have to continue hurting." She paused, dropping her hand into her lap. "Somewhere deep down we wished so much that you four were real. There's so much life put into that animation that it didn't seem too impossible. It might sound strange, but we really got attached to the characters we watched so ardently on that screen. And now…"

As her voice trailed off, Hakkai's expression faltered a bit. No, it didn't seem fair that they knew so much. "It isn't your fault because you had no way of knowing. Just like we had no way of knowing a world like yours exists. If it's any consolation though, if there's anything you'd like to share about your own past I'd be more than willing to listen." He meant that too; he had an interest in learning about the young women.

Mandi sighed, her eyes to the sky, and as she let the breath escape her, the wind seemed to pick up at that precise moment. Hakkai noted it, but for the time being would disregard it.

Sinking her head into a nearby pillow, Mandi managed to stifle a groan before it reached everyone else's ears. This damn stupid DVD was going to give away everything! She supposed it was only fair, considering she and the other three knew just about every aspect of the Sanzo party's lives…but how did they know the guys were real? At least this was a good way for the monk to see the girls weren't plotting against him…

Erin poked her friend in the shoulder, smirking knowingly. "Why are ya hiding Mandi? Let's see the face, c'mon."

Mandi shook her head into the pillow, her reply coming out muffled. "Unh, no, that's okay."

"Why not? C'mon, let's see!!" Erin pressed, trying to pry the pillow away from her struggling friend. She loved teasing her like this…

Hakkai sat quietly, making no move to defend Mandi from Erin's teasing, nor speaking about what had just played on the screen. In fact, if it weren't for the pink tinge to his ears, it'd seem like he hadn't witnessed the scene at all. He did feel…somewhat awkward, however. Suddenly, Hakkai felt somewhat guilty for making the young woman feel such sympathy toward him. She didn't have to care so much…

Goku squinted a bit. "Ah…Sanzo, did you see that?"

"See what?" The reply came tersely. "I am watching, you know."

"This. It's kinda weird." The youth held up the control and backtracked the disc a few frames. "Watch…when Mandi sighs, the wind picks up in the trees."

Indeed, the screen depicted and proved Goku's claim right.

"What do ya know, the monkey is right." Gojyo murmured and smirked. "Elements…wouldn't that be considered Air, Sanzo?"

Sanzo narrowed his eyes. "It's coincidental- so it was windy, so what?"

"Yeah, but watch this too." Goku went forward a couple of days to a part where Ashley was washing dishes alongside Katie after dinner. The 'camera' zoomed into Ashley's fingers beneath the spout of the faucet, moving as the warm water flowed over her skin. She seemed to rather enjoy the feel of it.

"And I think that could be counted as Water." Gojyo mused, arching a thin red brow. "Ya think that maybe this thing is trying to hint at somethin', Sanzo?"

The four girls exchanged glances. Within the next few moments, Katie had been shown tending to the plants that had been inexplicably dying in the front of the house- Gojyo had murmured "Earth" at that- and then Erin sitting at the dining room table, playing with her lighter, swishing her fingers through a candle flame. "Fire" was the next vocalization from the hanyou.

Setting his jaw, Sanzo tilted his chin up and sighed heavily. "I don't care what you think; I refuse to acknowledge these…childish girls as the elementals we're supposed to find." His violet orbs narrowed. "The way I understand it, these are ancient beings- their souls, I imagine, are more than a few hundred centuries old. Their hosts would be refined and mature. Not a bunch of silly little wishful girls."

"Sanzo…" Hakkai frowned, shaking his head. That'd been too harsh- the young ladies weren't at all silly- they had their moments, but he knew that the four weren't always in such a mood.

The monk sniffed, turning his attention back to the screen. He wouldn't speak of it anymore. Case closed. End of discussion.

Katie's gaze darkened. Hot or not, that monk was such an asshole sometimes. Instead of arguing, however, she took the remote away from Goku, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey, what're you doing?!" The golden eyed chestnut haired boy cried in dismay. Up until this point he had played the "control man".

"Typical guy…" Ashley prompted, glancing to Erin.

Snickering, the blue-haired, blue-eyed young woman replied. "I guess it doesn't really matter what world you're from- the guy is always gonna want the remote control."

Katie laughed and Mandi sniggered, both nodding in agreement. The older brunette skipped ahead on the DVD to a part a couple of days after Erin had arrived. This was all just for amusement's sake. She needed something to get her mind off of blowing up at the arrogant monk standing by the closet.

"Here we go!" she put the control down, letting the track play normally. The scene unfolding consisted of an absolutely beautiful May day when Sanzo didn't much feel like going out to search for the elementals. Thus, Hakkai suggested a picnic…

"It's like a field trip!" Goku exclaimed brightly as everyone filed out of the back door toward the backyard.

Sanzo sniffed. "We're not going anywhere…"

"Sure we are!" the youth argued. "We're not staying inside, are we?"

"We're just goin' to the backyard, baka saru." Gojyo retorted, putting Goku into a headlock, rubbing his knuckles harshly into the spiky chestnut hair.

Hakkai laughed, carrying in one hand a large bowl of watermelon, a covered plate of assorted sandwiches in the other, and a blanket draped over one shoulder. "Even if we're not really going anywhere, at least we're not staying inside. It's such a wonderful day out- it'd be a shame to waste it indoors."

"I'll drink to that." Katie followed behind the emerald eyed youth, a second blanket in tow, a six pack in each hand- one of beer, the other of soda. She figured it'd be best to favor both parties.

Ashley and Erin emerged next, carting along potato salad, coleslaw, ranch flavored pasta salad, and Hawaiian Bread with spinach dip. Mandi held fast to the oriental food- a carton of chicken fried rice, spring rolls, egg fu young, and crab Rangoon

"Gee, think we've got enough food?" Mandi remarked sarcastically. "There are only eight of us."

"Uh, chica, did you happen to forget that Goku counts as like four people?" Erin inquired rather matter-of-factly as they began to set up the blankets and food in the open area in front of the bench swing.

"Four people? Are you insane?" Gojyo asked incredulously.

Goku began to grin- was the hanyou actually sticking up for him? See, he knew that Gojyo wasn't all bad after all. The moment was short lived.

"It's more like six people, hon." Gojyo finished, plopping down as he opened a can of beer, bringing it toward his mouth.

"Ch, six?! You damn liar! I eat a lot but not that much! AUGH!" Goku protested then cried out as he tripped over a corner of the blanket, knocking into the hanyou, causing the beer to spill onto Gojyo's shirt.

The girls sat at their own blanket and stifled their laughter. They so lived for such Gojyo/Goku arguments.

The red head's antennae twitched atop his head, his eyes widened impossibly and his face became half blue. "You goddamned chimp, look at what ya did!"

"It isn't my fault- I just tripped, you big purple haired stupid head!" Goku insulted, drawing back on his knees.

"What the hell kind of insult is that?!" Gojyo snorted. "What are you, five? Besides, it isn't my fault that you don't have enough brains in that monkey head to walk and talk at the same time!"

"Enough!" Sanzo growled, moving to take out his fan but remembering soon after that he didn't have it on hand anymore, per Mandi's house rules. That wench.

Begrudgingly, Gojyo removed his beer-sodden shirt and tossed it aside to the grass.

"Oh my…" Ashley caught sight first and turned bright red, averting her gaze quickly.

"What?" Erin glanced over her shoulder at the topless kappa, taking in his well muscled torso before widening her eyes and turning forward again, hissing. "Holy shit. Maybe it's a good thing Goku tripped, eh?"

Katie grinned with a resounding "Hell yeah!" and Mandi turned pink in the ears, coughing behind her small smile.

Sanzo glared to Gojyo. "You're making the natives restless- go put a new shirt on."

The hanyou took a gander at the four giggling young women and shook his head. "What, and ruin their fun? It's too nice out for a shirt anyway, and do I really need one anyway? Something this good looking doesn't need the restriction of clothing anyway." He chuckled low, opening a new beer to take a swig.

Hakkai chortled in reply. "They do seem to be enjoying it Sanzo. Maybe we should all follow Gojyo's example?" he let on a teasing smile and the monk grunted.

"Ugh, why anyone wants to look at you, water wimp, is somethin' I'll never understand." Goku made a face, opening a can of soda.

"Oh, but we understand…" Katie whispered among the other girls. "Don't we?"

Ashley took a helping of potato salad and grinned, keeping her voice soft as well, hazel eyes gleaming. "I can't speak for these two, but I sure do get it. That's some hot stuff right there."

"The most delicious thing on the menu, ne?" Erin speculated, looking to Mandi expectantly to keep the flow going.

"Ah. I guess so, but I have different tastes." She shrugged, giving a sheepish laugh.

The other three groaned, slapping their hands over their faces.

"I know what she wants." Katie prompted devilishly. "A certain green eyed…"

"OK! Who's hungry?!" Mandi shouted, standing from the bed, remote in hand as the TV shut off. That was enough- nobody needed to see this part…

A collective moan moved through the room and Erin pried the remote away from her friend. "We were watching that!"

"C'mon Mandi, it's just for entertainment's sake." Katie argued.

Ashley shrugged as the TV was turned back on. "What harm can it do anyway? I think the cat is outta the bag for all of us anyway…"

Dejected, Mandi hid her face from everyone and only listened to the rest…

"I know what she wants." Katie prompted devilishly. "A certain green eyed young man with soft, silky dark hair that falls over his forehead, with a voice like a kitten's soft purr, and the hands of a piano player- long, elegant fingers…I know what she wants from those fingers too…"

Mandi's face turned bright red and to display her utter embarrassment, she flopped backward and waved her limbs in the air, shouting loudly before regaining her composure. Of course, none of the Sanzo-ikkou took any notice. It had only happened in her head.

"Oh, nice." Erin laughed, taking a bite out of the Hawaiian bread. "Damn, look at how red she is!"

The almond eyed girl glanced between everyone. "Hn- well…if that's the way you want to play…Katie." She let on a smirk nothing short of evil. "You torture the monk just because you want to get into his pants. You know you want his sexy body- that golden blond hair, the way those violet eyes could penetrate your own- you wanna lick his tummy."

It was Katie's turn to blush but she held her head up proudly. "Damn straight." She coughed and slunk down, picking at the pasta salad a bit. Her gaze danced toward Erin

The blue haired girl shrugged. "Y'all got nothin' on me. I'd do Goku in a second." She grinned widely.

Ashley sputtered, trying not to choke on her pop, laughing. "That's rich!" she noted the awaiting expressions on her friends' faces. "Oh no, no. I'm not going to say a damn thing about Gojyo. I think you all know as much as there needs to be known anyway."

"What's that?" Erin giggled. "That if you had the chance, you'd hop into bed with him? Not like he'd complain anyway, right?"

Laughing, Ashley nodded vigorously. "There you go- I didn't have to say anything after all, did I?"

Everyone in the room sat there slack-jawed. Even Sanzo was simply…taken aback by the exchange between the girls at their picnic. He had no idea that they'd be so brash. He knew they were odd, and annoying, but that forward?!

Gojyo turned his crimson gaze over them, slowly curling his lips up. That was so entertaining. So that had been the conversation to cause the four to go down in a fit of giggles for ten minutes.

Goku gazed innocently at Erin. Did this mean she liked him or something? It was kind of weird to know that a girl wanted to…he blushed fiercely.

Hakkai let out a nervous laugh, letting his emerald gaze flicker toward Mandi and then to Katie. Had that really been fair, to put the poor girl on the spot like that? He felt quite uncomfortable now, knowing that Katie had described him in such a way that glorified his appearance, and then made an innuendo about his fingers.

Erin stood up, smiling. "I think it's time for me to go. Anyone wanna go with me?"

Ashley rose, followed by Katie. "We do!!"

Mandi whimpered, moving away from her bed again. "Me too!"

"You can't, this is your house!" Erin grinned to her, sidling toward the door. "You can't leave your lovely guests unattended!"

Nodding, Ashley agreed. "That's just not hospitable!" she'd already reached the hallway.

Katie added, "Anyway- what if something happened when you were gone?!" she too had moved out after the other two.

"I'm willing to take that risk!" Mandi shouted, face crimson as she hurried after her friends, down the stairs, racing through the living room and out of the front door.

Bewildered, the four guys exchanged glances. Had they missed something?

"Apparently they were a bit more than embarrassed about what we just saw." Hakkai voiced quietly.

Gojyo sniggered. "Do ya think they actually left?"

Goku nodded. "Probably…they looked like they wanted to go really far from here. Did ya see their faces? They were all red!"

Sanzo snorted, stepping out of the room. "I suppose there's only one way to find out whether or not we'll have the house to ourselves today, isn't there?"

As he made way downstairs, the three remaining Saiyuki-Sanzo-ikkou obligingly followed, curious as to what was going on.

The door in the living room was wide open and through it, they could see the four girls lying on top of Erin's car, looking quite defeated.

"What's wrong with 'em? Why didn't they go anywhere?" Goku asked, not taking his gaze from the window in the screen door.

Hakkai turned his attention to the dining room table, noting that Erin's purse still sat on top of it. He smiled lightly at the observation- there was a perfectly good explanation for that…

…Outside, Katie grumbled to Erin. "So tell me why we haven't left yet?"

"Is there really even a point? We're humiliated now, we'll be humiliated when we come back." Ashley pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, big deal, but we won't have to be here right now, at least!" Mandi cried, flopping an arm over her eyes. "Why aren't we in the car?!"

Erin wailed. "Because I forgot my keys in the house!"

"Oh…damnit." The other three muttered in unison.

It'd be quite some time before their courage was gathered up enough to return inside. At least they knew one thing, however…more than likely the elemental avatars in question had been them all along.

OMAKE!!!

Question: During the couple of days that the Sanzo-ikkou and the four girls weren't searching for the elemental avatars, what were they doing?

Answer: Well, we know that they had a backyard picnic on the first day, so the second day…BOWLING!

Setting: Lombard Lanes Bowling Alley

The group of eight approach the cashier's counter at the front of twenty-four lanes, the sound of heavy bowling balls crashing into pins resonates throughout the establishment. After gathering their shoes and getting assigned their own two lanes, the party goes to find suitable balls for each player. When they are all found, the group sits down to prepare for a game…

Hakkai: (holding up the bowling shoes) ; oh my- are you sure this is sanitary?

Mandi: (shakes her head) Nope- it's pretty gross, actually, but that's just part of the game.

Goku: (sniffs the shoe and bites at the leather) UGH! Gross! These stink!

Sanzo: -.- Baka saru, you don't eat them, put them on your feet. (slips his own on) My sandals are more comfortable.

Gojyo: (holds up a size fourteen shoe) -.- hey Ashley- ya know what they say about guys who have big shoes?

Ashley: . They're more susceptible of falling over their own feet and looking like idiots. (stands up) I'm going first.

Mandi: (looks at Goku who is holding up a bowling ball, sniffing at it) ; Goku, what are you doing?

Erin: (whispers) it looks like he's sniffing it.

Goku: (mumbles, turning the ball over in his hands) Looks like one…except there's holes drilled into it…

Sanzo: -.- what the hell are you talking about?

Gojyo: (looks away innocently) ….hmm…

Katie: (eyes Gojyo and then Goku) What did you tell him?

Ashley: (bowls a strike) o.o! that was awesome! Who's next- er…(turns around) .- What the hell is Goku doing?

Goku: (sniffs the bowling ball again then licks it, making a face) Ugh- Gojyo! Are you sure?

Gojyo: (sniggering) Yep, I'm sure monkey- go on, trust me…(grin)

Erin: Oh boy…

Goku: (opens mouth wide and bites down on the bowling ball) O.O ITAI!! Baka ero-kappa!! You lied to me!!! Bowling Balls aren't like jawbreakers!

(Collective glare at Gojyo)

Gojyo: -.- hey now, it was just a joke…he was dumb enough to believe it, wasn't he? Right? Guys?

Hakkai: Hm. I don't know. (looks to everyone else )

(Collective thwack against Gojyo's head )

Gojyo: (twitching on the ground) …naa…itai…

Hakkai: (leans over Gojyo) maybe next time you'll not be so quick to play a trick on poor Goku, my friend.