Chapter 3
Chapter 3 Whack goes the fan
Aki watched the nervy looking (but pretty always pretty) girl opposite her with fascination. When the girl (who said her name was Jumi) had offered to buy her a drink her initial impression was that the woman was hitting on her but something about the way her eyes shifted uneasily quickly made her change her mind.
So there they were and four shots of tequila later Jumi seemed a little more willing (if a little drunk) to confess what was on her mind.
"I suppose you want to know what this is all about eh?" said Jumi as she signaled the waiter for another shot.
Aki Shrugged non-commitedly.
"I'm just enjoying my drink…but yeah" She said as she took a sip of her rum.
"The thought crossed my mind".
Jumi smiled, taking a rather timid glance back at Aki.
"Its just that, Well, is…is it true…what they say about you?" she stuttered the last part, her words coming out in nothing but a whisper as she gazed at Aki with hopeful eyes.
Aki cupped her chin in her hand, her eyes fixed amusingly on Jumi.
"And what do they say about me?"
This time Jumi did not bother to be timid with her stare.
"That you can kill demons" she blurted out.
Her eyes searching for any evidence to strengthen her belief but all she could see was a short delicate looking girl gazing calmly back at her.
(Too calmly) she thought. (And those eyes) They unnerved her.
She watched Aki take another sip, lifting her gaze of her to stare thoughtfully down at her drink.
"What If I can?" she said after what seemed like an eternity to Jumi.
"Then you can help me" her voice was louder now, the usual effects of alcohol and desperation.
Just then the waiter chose to turn up with Jumi's drink eyeing her suspiciously due to her audible outburst.
"Thank you" she said preferring to look anywhere else but in the waiter's general direction.
The waiter nodded then raised an enquiring eyebrow at Aki who waved him off with a flip of her hand.
"You can help me?" She said again making the statement into a question.
The pleading in her voice made Aki twitch which she covered by reaching absently for her cigarette packet. She had never been good at dealing with emotion no matter how much she was exposed to it.
"Maybe" she said as she lit herself a cigarette then pushed the pack towards Jumi.
"Now…talk to me" she said as she exhaled the smoke into twirls of grey.
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"Finally" Goku said as he hopped out of the Jeep to stretch.
"You said it" replied Gojyo, these rides were killer on his legs and the monkey did not help matters with his constant whining.
"Sanzo, I'm hungry" whined the monkey, repeating the very same thing he had been whining about for the past four hours.
"Quiet Saru" shot back Sanzo in that DON'T PISS ME OFF tone of his as he lit a cigarette, wishing desperately that Goku would just shut the fuck up for two goddamn minutes.
"Now, Goku be patient" said Hakkai soothingly as he petted a very tired looking Hakuryuu who had just transformed back in to his old dragon self.
"All we have to do is find a place to stay and then you can eat as much as you want"
Gojyo snorted.
"There's not enough food in the entire world to satisfy that monkey"
Goku was on him like a fat kid on candy.
"Shut the hell you horny cockroach"
"Make me you bottomless pit of a Sar-"
BANG! Went Sanzo's gun in their general direction making them both cower behind Hakkai whose gigantic sweat drop could be seen from miles away.
"Let's go there" he said his voice becoming slightly high pitched as he pointed to the first random inn he could see.
And so they did.
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"So that's the story" said Jumi tearfully as she inhaled the smoke from her third cigarette.
Aki had listened in silence, her eyes not betraying the anger that was burning her up that very moment. For a second she had wondered why. Jumi's story was nothing new to her; she had heard every version known to man and then some. Youkaii sees girl, Youkaii wants girl. That was about it. Except in this version Jumi was the girl and the Youkaii (who was in fact a Youkaii) was also the leader of a whole band of Youkaii.
A whole band of Youkaii who would mercilessly tear Jumi's entire family (Mom, Dad, two brothers and three sisters) into shreds if she dare not comply with the leader's vulgar demands. To make it more interesting this Youkaii liked to play games, his favorite, poker. Which was the mother of all coincidences because Jumi's family owned a gambling parlor/Bar/raveClub(A/N if you can imagine a dragon turning into a jeep then this really shouldn't be such a stretch for you) and if that wasn't interesting enough for you thrill seekers he had decided to make a little bet.
One hand of poker, the winner gets Jumi, the club and everyone in it.
While marveling at the fairness of it all Aki was busy constructing a plan. She couldn't fight them in the club there were too many people (she was not good at hostage situations). She would have to lure them out, but how?
(Hmmn…if the Youkaii was to say lose his perverted little game, he would most definitely be pissed…he would probably try take revenge on the Idiot who got in the way of his usual raping and plundering…hmm he might even follow the Idiot out of the club… where the Idiot could turn around AND KICK HIS UGLY ASS ALL THE WAY TO HELL!)
WHACK!!!
She was brought back to reality by a sound similar to what an elephant might sound like if it hit the earth's atmosphere at ten billion miles per hour.
She turned around to watch a golden eyed boy being beaten to death by a Blond monk.
(A Monk? who smoked?) She thought eyeing the cigarette that drooped from his tightened lips.
She shook her head. (What's the world coming to?) and with that she turned her attention back to Jumi, who seemed transfixed with the odd spectacle, along with about a dozen other people who were eating in the inn she was staying at.
"Jumi?" she said trying to get her attention.
"huh?" Jumi she said as she turned to Aki but kept her eyes glued to
the fan wielding monk and what seemed like the world's strongest kid.
"Who's playing for you?"
"My fiancée" she said before wincing at what Aki could only guess to be a champion hit.
"Tell him to stay at home"
That got her attention.
"Wha- Why?" she asked her eyes turning back to Aki in confused surprise.
"You just found yourself a new player"
"Who?"
"Me"
"You!" she said trying to hide her disbelief.
"Yup"
She looked at Aki nervously.
"Are you any good?"
Aki smiled.
"No but I'm one hell of a cheater".