A Banana A Day
Chapter 3: Dreams
By pink neon
Giggles.
More giggles.
Sighs.
Drools.
Hades smoothed out the crumples on her white skirt and imperturbably fanned herself with the large fan she had "borrowed" from the inn staff. But no matter how hard she tried, the sweltering heat of the morning sun just wouldn't go off. One day I will just have to steal that monk's paper fan. She glanced at the village girls sitting beside her. She had stumbled upon them first thing in the morning and she had found out that they quite filled out her need for girl companionship and they had really interesting stories and gossips to tell, that Hades gladly complied to listen to them all morning. But these girls are blind. So blind that I pity them so much! Unfortunately, they had somehow taken a crush on one of the men Hades was with. And you could easily guess which one it is…
"Are you absolutely sure he's not gay?" a woman with chestnut colored hair asked apprehensively.
Hades sighed. "No, for the last time, Mei, he isn't. Although no one would notice the difference anyway," she muttered.
"Oh! Why must you be so harsh on him? I swear, he's the best looking man I've ever seen!" a girl named Yan said.
"That only means you haven't looked hard enough," Hades told her matter-of-factly as she took a sip of her tea.
Another one with short black hair laughed. "Normally, I would've disapproved of Yan's taste in men, but this time, however, she is right. That guy is super cute! He must be an angel! Ohhhh…how I love his golden locks sparkling like the sun, the way he holds his cigarette, oh, it's so sexy! And have you ever seen anything more wonderful and exquisite than his eyes?" she said dreamily.
Hades rolled her eyes. "Sanzo? An angel? An angel from hell, maybe," she said. She shook her head.
"So, tell us Hades, have you ever seen him topless before?"
"Is he still single? Does he like anyone?"
"What are his hobbies?"
"What do you think are his favorite foods? Do you think he likes sushi?"
"Do you think you could introduce him to me?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down! Girls, I am not his personal assistant! How am I supposed to know anything about the bastard?" Hades interrupted, not liking being asked questions, much less about her least favorite person on earth.
The girls looked at her.
"But you're traveling with him! Surely, you should know!" Yan said.
"And not to mention, he talks to you a lot!"
"He's always glancing at you during meals!"
How on earth did I get stuck up on this mess? "Correction: He doesn't talk with me, but argue! And the only reason why he looks at me during meals is to send me death glares for all the things I tell him while eating, which I think, he's not too pleased about!" Hades told them.
The girls sighed. "Whatever. But you can't possibly deny that he is cute, for he really is."
Hades shuddered. "You are all going delusional. Please, for the sake of my sanity, let's not talk about Droopy eyes. Talk about other things that doesn't concern evil people," she said.
Yan broke into a grin. "Alright," she said. "So if you don't like the handsome Sanzo, then who do you like? Surely, with all four gorgeous boys traveling with you, you would have at least fallen for one of them?"
Now Hades wasn't too sure if she did the right thing to talk to these girls. "No, I don't like any one of them. Not in that way," she told them.
"But you have been spending a lot of time with the brown haired boy," Mei said slyly.
Hades' eyes bulged. "Are you talking about Goku?"
"Who else?"
"You are truly crazy! Sure, I like Goku a lot. He's very funny, charming and incredibly cute. But-"
A familiar shadow made his presence known as a hand inched on her shoulder. "Why, Hades…" he slurred. "Fancy seeing you here."
Hades grinned. She loved the way steam was rising out of his ears and his face matched the color of his now short hair. Annoying him feels so good, but not as good as annoying Sanzo. "Hello, Gojyo. Admiring your new hair?" she said sweetly.
Gojyo resisted the urge to cut her hair too. Instead, he settled for a glare. "Never mind my hair. I was hoping I could borrow that…so-called diary of yours," he said.
"My diary? How are you aware I have one?" Hades narrowed her eyes. Just yesterday, along with the purchase of clothes, she also bought a worn leather notebook. And last night she had jutted down most of her feelings in that tiny thing and then hid it inside the pockets of one of her pants.
Gojyo grinned. "Intuition?" he said.
Hades glared at him. "Yeah right. Well, no matter. You won't be seeing my diary anytime soon, not if I can help it," she told him.
"Really? Interesting," Gojyo replied. "You know, I didn't think you'd be the kind of lady to trip down the street yesterday…"
Hades' eyes bulged as she digested this information and came to a sudden realization. "Oh my Lord! I didn't knew how you managed but…but you stole my bloody diary!" she exclaimed.
Gojyo pretended as if she hadn't said anything, but his red eyes were dancing with mirth. "Sanzo must be right, you are clumsy," he remarked.
Hades blushed red. "You-you!" she spat. "Oh, I'll kill you for this! You'll see, you damn water sprite!"
"But it's only fair. You cut my hair, after all. Or have you forgotten? Maybe you're suffering from short term memory loss too," Gojyo said, pretending to look thoughtful.
The village girls, who had been watching the fight with amusement and confusion, stared at the angry form of Hades.
"Ugh! No, it's most definitely not fair! I'm outnumbered! I'm only supposed to deal with Sanzo's insults, not yours too!" she said.
"You mean you can't handle it?"
"Ye-no! I mean-argh! Gods, I hate you people," Hades said, putting her face in her hands.
"Took you too long to finally say that out loud," Gojyo said, still grinning.
"Oh, shut up!"
"Now, now, Hades. You shouldn't be imitating the bald monk's phrases. That's a crime," Gojyo teased, but suddenly froze when he felt the recognizable feeling of a gun pushed on his head. He stared and was met by the violet eyes of Sanzo.
"Now who were you calling a bald monk?" he said dangerously, as the girls "Ooohed" and "Ahhhed' at his sudden arrival.
"Nobody?" Gojyo said.
Hades laughed. "Now who's in trouble with Mr. Grumpy face, eh?" she said.
Sanzo turned to her. "You'd better stop calling me that if you want to live to see tomorrow," he snarled.
Hades feigned innocence. "And who's calling you what?" she said in a voice too angelic to believe.
Sanzo gritted his teeth. "For five minutes, stupid woman, for only five minutes, can you not be yourself?"
"Hey! That's Shrek's line! You are such an imitator!" Hades said.
"Shrek?" Gojyo said in confusion. "Who is that? Your ex?"
Hades slapped her forehead. "Sorry, I forgot you guys are living in the Stone Age! You don't have TVs and Movie houses like we do."
"I'm perfectly sure that whatever those are, I wouldn't want to have one, seeing as that probably made you the stupid person that you are," Sanzo remarked blithely.
Hades glared daggers at Sanzo. "Are you picking a fight with me, Ice Monk?"
Sanzo felt like wasting all his bullets on this girl. She was too much trouble, and was truly annoying, even more annoying than Goku. Everything he said, she contradicted. And the grueling part of it is that she never ran out of names to call him.
"Ice Monk? That's new!" Gojyo said, snickering. "And it suits-" He immediately stopped at the death glare Sanzo was giving him.
"Hmph! At least I know what a TV is, unlike some ignorant people here who do nothing but read newspapers!" Hades said.
"At least I can read, not like some people who probably couldn't."
"Ha! You said 'probably'. That means you're not exactly sure if I can or cannot read!"
"So I'm assuming now that you can't, stupid ditz?"
"Ditz? No one calls me that and gets away with it!"
"I will."
"And what makes you think that, Mr. B-A-N-A-N-A!"
"Your insults are getting quite old."
"That's nothing compared to your 'ancient' insults. You call almost everyone stupid."
"At least I speak the truth."
"Truth my ass! You're just so old you can't think of good insults!"
"You know nothing about my age."
"Oh, I don't need to know. Forget I even asked you before. Even a person with half a brain can figure out that you're as old as your lame insults!"
Gojyo grinned. "You two are really amazing! Bravo!" he said.
"Shut up!" Hades and Sanzo both exclaimed at exactly the same time.
Hades covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh my gosh! I said something together with Sanzo! I just didn't! Oh, this is really bad! It could be the signal of the end of the world! Everyone, please flee! We're gonna die! We're-"
Hakkai conveniently chose that time to show up, with an eating Goku in tow.
"How are things going?" he asked Gojyo.
"Glad you came now. I was beginning to feel very left out. These two did nothing but bicker," Gojyo replied.
Hakkai smiled. "Well, they stopped now," he said.
Hades just "Hmph-ed" and moved as farther away from Sanzo as possible.
"Sanzo, are we going to leave tonight?" Hakkai asked as he put the groceries on the table.
"Yes," Sanzo replied stonily.
"Good," Gojyo said. "I still have time."
"To seduce poor unsuspecting victims?" Hades guessed.
Gojyo smirked. "No," he said. "To buy ear plugs."
"For what?"
"To put it on when you next go on a screaming rant."
"GOJYO!"
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
The cool night air was a refreshing change from the super hot temperature a few hours ago. The group had just left the village and was now riding back on the jeep, continuing to the West.
Hades curled herself into a comfortable position beside Goku, looking at the sky as black as her eyes. She loved gazing at the stars. Back at LA, when she couldn't sleep during nights like these, she'd go sneak out of her room and go climb her favorite tree near the house entrance gates. And then she'll lose herself in the world of astrology, trying to predict meanings of certain star positions etc.
"They're pretty, aren't they?" Goku said beside her.
Hades was startled for a minute. She had thought Goku was already asleep. But it seems he isn't, along with Gojyo who was unusually quiet and Sanzo who hadn't bothered to pester her ever since they got out of the village.
"Oh, yes," Hades agreed. "See that cluster of stars over there?" She pointed towards some place. "That's the Big Dipper. And the other one you see there is the Small Dipper."
"Wow." Goku said. "They have names?"
Hades smiled. "Yes. And I'll tell you all of them, if you want."
Goku's eyes shone as brilliant as the stars they were watching. "Really? What's your favorite?" he asked.
Hades bit her lip. "That's a tough question. I like all of them. But I guess what I really like the most is that one," she said.
"Which one?" Goku asked.
"The one that looks like a horse with wings. It's called Pegasus. Now I wish I had a pet like that," Hades said.
"You know, that's my favorite too," Hakkai said.
"I didn't know you know astrology, Hakkai," Hades told him.
Hakkai chuckled. "But I don't. I just like that thing. It reminds me of Hakkuryu," he admitted.
"Whoa. Now that you mention it, you're right. It's a smaller version of Hakkuryu, except that he's not a horse. Maybe they're related?" Hades said thoughtfully.
"You mean, Hakkuryu is related to something in the sky? That's so cool!" Goku said brightly.
"That's a nice thought."
Suddenly, Hakkai stopped the jeep, sending them reeling.
"Ow! Hakkai! Damn you! You should really improve your driving," Gojyo muttered as he massaged the back of his head.
"For once, I agree," Hades said.
"Why did we stop anyway?" Goku was the one who asked this.
Sanzo chose to answer for Hakkai. "Demons," he said simply.
In a matter of seconds, they had successfully leapt out of the jeep and attacked the hordes of demons blocking their way. Sanzo looked merely bored, much to Hades' displeasure. Goku, on the other hand, was eagerly fighting with the utmost ease, saying something along the lines of "Just what I needed! Some exercise".
"Eww! Battling demons is one thing I wouldn't mind skipping!" Hades said as she fended off another attack from one particularly nasty looking demon. "This is worse than dissecting frogs!"
"What does dissecting mean, Sanzo?" Goku asked curiously.
"Shut up and just fight, stupid monkey," was the only reply Goku got from Sanzo.
"But Sanzo!"
"I said shut up!"
Goku pouted. "Alright." Then after a few seconds… "Sanzo, what's dissecting mean?"
"Argh! Do you want me to shoot you!"
"Won't you allow me to do the honors?" Gojyo said, busy with his shakujou.
"No one asked you of your opinion, you perverted water sprite!" Goku retorted.
"Hades must be right. You people definitely need new insults, especially you, monkey boy," Gojyo said.
"You need it too," Hades muttered as she passed by him to kick a demon in the face.
Gojyo smirked. "Better stay away. Who ever knows when another accident might happen," he said, brandishing his weapon in front of Hades.
Hades wrinkled her nose. "No thanks," she said as she moved farther away from Gojyo, only to bump into Sanzo's back.
"Can't you be anymore clumsy?" Sanzo said.
"What? You're the one who isn't getting out of the way!" Hades retorted.
"Oh right, forgive me. I forgot I'm a fortuneteller who can predict when people are supposed to bump into me," Sanzo said, voice thick with sarcasm.
"Oh, and you also failed to mention that you're an arrogant, insufferable, nefarious, inconsiderate monk who doesn't know what the meaning of 'awareness' is!" Hades exclaimed, wishing Sanzo would die with the glares she was giving him, but as expected, he only returned it with his famous glares.
"Foolish girl," Sanzo muttered.
"Old man," Hades snapped.
"Oh, boy. Here we go again," Hakkai said, smiling as if he doesn't have two bickering teammates who are after each other's necks.
After a few minutes, all of the demons were gone, while some had the wits to flee. Hades massaged her tiring limbs as she made her way back to the jeep. "These ugly faced creatures should really know when to attack. Maybe they should discuss a schedule for us, don't you think? I mean, I really don't fancy the idea of demons hogging off my beauty sleep," she said tiredly.
"Save your complaints for tomorrow," Sanzo said irritably, having angry enough to deal with Goku's questioning about "dissection" while shooting demons.
"Fine," Hades mumbled. "But only because I'm sleepy."
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Darkness, growing into nothingness…
An evil, eerie laughter, sending shivers down her spine…
A powerful energy that when touched brings the life out of every man…
The sky was a mass of black clouds …
A mysterious castle…
Corpses and the stench of death, all present in that dreaded place that had been transformed into a battlefield…
Chaos was everywhere…
Amidst the terror, the screams, she saw It. A giant being that walks the Earth. Indestructible and strong, as though it just ascended from Hell. It clutched a giant sword, glinting and reflecting the moonlight, blood dripping from it. The heavy armor surrounding its body was marred by a few scratches.
She shivered. No one would be able to defeat such a creature. No one could be crazy enough to. Yet her eyes did not deceive her. Four men were approaching the gigantic creature, each ready to fight. Fight to the death.
She wanted to scream, to tell them, to warn them, but it was too late. They had made the first attack.
Slash.
Punch.
Kick.
Shoot.
Blow.
Though attacking at an inhuman speed, the four were simply no match for It. It stood unscathed, protected, deadly. It seemed what they did had triggered something in that brain of it. Somehow, the beast was angered. And it chose to show it off by attacking those four who dared stop him.
She could only watched in horrification as they were physically trampled and tortured. The scene vaguely reminded her of a spoiled brat, tossing aside the useless toys, playing around with it.
She could feel their agony, their pain, their suffering, yet she stood there, unable to do nothing.
At the same time she fell to the ground on her knees, the four men also fell, limp and dead, a shadow of what they were.
She cried.
And the rain seemed to sympathize with her as it started to pour, washing away blood, blood of different people.
Then a shadow loomed over her. IT. It was coming for her, she knew. It wanted to kill her, like the others..
She would be dead in a matter of seconds.
One…
It pulled out the sword from its sheath.
Two…
The sword was raised, prepared to strike.
Three…
The blade was getting close to her skin.
Four…
Closer! Closer it is!
Five…
"Oi! Wake up! Hades! Hades! Can you hear me!"
Hades wearily opened her eyes. When she did, she saw the figures of Goku and Gojyo looking at her worriedly. She was still in the jeep and it was still evening. Probably midnight.
"Guys?" she said. Somehow, it seemed like she had difficulties with the ability to speak Her voice came out squeaky and scratchy. "What happened?"
Sanzo scowled. "Shouldn't we be the ones asking you that?" he said.
"What do you mean?" Hades asked.
"Don't you remember anything?" Hakkai asked. "You were screaming, tossing and turning in your sleep. We tried to wake you up but to no avail."
"Oh." Suddenly, it all came back to her. The giant man. The darkness. The dead people. Relief flashed on her face. It was all a dream, nothing but a dream. "I dreamt."
"That's good. I thought you were possessed," Gojyo said, earning a smack from Hades.
"What did you dream about?" Goku asked.
"It was a nightmare, actually. Darkness, dead bodies, castle and…and…" Hades closed her eyes for a second, but when she did, the memory of that dream only became more vivid.
"And what?"
"And…and dead men."
"Dead men?"
"Yes," Hades whispered. She carefully avoided looking at any of them in the eye, but it was hard, seeing as their attention was all on her. "Dead men who looked exactly like you."
"What?"
"That's-that's absurd!" Gojyo exclaimed.
Hades sighed. "I know. I shouldn't really be worrying about it…but…" she paused. "It felt…it felt so real!"
"We don't die that easily," Gojyo said.
Sanzo's guts were telling him there was something about this dream. "Did you just say a giant man?" he asked Hades, who was still pale and trembling.
Hades nodded.
"Describe him."
And Hades did. When she was finished, Sanzo's violet eyes became blocks of ice. It confirmed Hakkai's suspicion as well. "Gyumaoh."
"Uh, excuse me?" Hades said, frowning.
"Gyumaoh? You mean…" Gojyo said.
"You're saying I got killed by Kougaiji's father?" Goku said incredulously, unable to believe it.
"Relax, Goku, it's just a dream," Hades assured him, not bothering to ask who Kougaiji might be.
"I think not," Hakkai said. He had been quiet until now, thinking about what happened in Hades' dream.
Everyone looked at him in surprise, except Sanzo.
"Are you telling me we're going to die?" Gojyo said skeptically.
Sanzo looked at him as if he is a mere five year old kid. "Don't you see? The castle, Houtou castle. Gyumaoh. Us. The battle. It makes perfect sense. That is what is going to happen in the end, if we don't succeed."
"You mean, like a premonition?"
"So we are going to die!" Goku exclaimed.
"I don't think you get it, Goku," Hakkai said and proceeded to explain, "This doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to die. It may or may not happen. That depends on the path that we are to take and the decisions we make."
"Geez, Hakkai, you sound like my old English teacher," Hades added.
"So we may die and Hades won't?" Gojyo said.
"Hey! I was about to die too, but then I woke up. Or rather, you woke me up," Hades said.
"Sure, sure, the blame's always on me. Why do you always break my heart, babe?" Gojyo said, mock hurt.
"Oh, shut up," Hades said, rolling her eyes.
"Ne, Sanzo," Goku whined, holding his stomach. "I'm huuuuuungry!"
"You just ate a few hours ago, so shut up!" Sanzo said moodily.
"But Sanzo, that was ages ago! I can't stand it! I want meat buns!"
"Go starve yourself to death."
"Aww! Sanzo!"
"Anyway, the real question is," Gojyo said, switching into serious mode, "Is this all a coincidence? I mean, that Hades just dreamt about it by chance?"
Sanzo glanced at Hades. "What do you think?"
Hades fidgeted under their stares. "Well…" she started, unsure of how to begin. "I honestly don't know…"
"Do you dream of things that happen?" Hakkai inquired.
Hades bit her lip. "Sometimes…" she trailed off. "But that don't happen very often. Well, one time I dreamt that my grandmother would die, and a few weeks later, she did. Then I dreamt of the answers to my Math exam and…I ended up getting an A! Uh, that means I got a perfect score," she added at the confused looks directed at her. "And then…"
"Then?"
"Then I also dreamt of you four, the night before I was whisked here."
"Why didn't you say so before?" Sanzo said, annoyed.
Hades looked fiercely at him. "Why? Did you bother to ask?" she said sardonically.
Sanzo didn't reply.
"So…" Hades said, seeing as everybody was getting quiet. "What do we do?"
"Nothing," Sanzo said simply.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I know, I know, this chapter is totally pointless. But what can I do? I love bickering scenes…Haha…
