A Banana A Day

Chapter 4: Crushes and Misunderstandings

By: pink neon

"I'm hungry!"

"…"

"I'm hot!"

"…"

"I'm hungry!"

"…"

"I'm hot!"

Gritting of teeth.

"Ne, I'm huuuuungry!"

More gritting.

"And hooooottttt!"

"I'm-"

"IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP RIGHT THIS INSTANT I'M GOING TO SHOVE A BULLET DOWN YOUR THROAT!"

Goku pouted and slumped on his seat, arms crossed and perspiration gracing his young face. His poor tummy could only survive a little much longer. If the heat and his hunger keep up, he'd faint. "Hakkaaaaaaaaiiiiii, how much longer till we reach the next town?" he bleated.

Hakkai's ever present chuckle did little to comfort him. "Hang on just a little longer, Goku. We're almost there," was the only thing he said.

"You've been saying that for the past two hours, you know," Gojyo told him as he, too, could be seen with sweat all over his body.

Hakkai smiled. "I didn't know you're keeping count," he said.

Gojyo shrugged. "There's nothing else to do," he replied. "The bouzo's not in the mood for a fight and Miss Beautiful is still asleep."

"Is she now?" Hakkai asked.

Gojyo glanced at the sleeping form of Hades. Her head was lying at an unnatural angle ('That's got to hurt when she wakes up," he thought) and her hands were wrapped around her knees.

"Now, now, Gojyo. Don't wake her up," Hakkai told him as he noticed where his redhead friend's looking at.

Gojyo smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it," he muttered.

"Sanzooooooooo-" Goku's complaint was interrupted when they saw the approaching town before them. The boy leapt out of his seat, shouting "Yay!" but then his body came in contact with the jeep floor as Hakkai's foot pressed the clutch a little too hard.

"Ouch!" Goku exclaimed, one hand pressed to his red forehead. Beside him, Gojyo was howling with laughter.

"I wish I had a camera!" Gojyo said, grinning.

"That's not funny, water sprite!"

"Who're you calling a water sprite, huh, stupid monkey!"

"I'm not a monkey!"

"And I'm not a water sprite!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

It was too late before the two bickering pair saw an annoyed twitch and the sudden withdrawal of a gun.

"Would you shut the hell up!"

From her comfortable position, Hades stirred. The jeep isn't moving any longer, she realized. Before she even opened her eyes, she knew the one who spoke, or rather, yelled, was none other than Sanzo. She groaned. Too early to make some noise…Getting up with a little difficulty, she found herself looking at a scene she had been too familiar with.

"Really, guys…You started without me?" she joked.

The three ignored them as Sanzo continued to fire more bullets at Goku and Gojyo, who were trying their best to duck.

"It would be best to leave them alone for a while," Hakkai told her as he guided her out of the jeep and away from the "murder" Sanzo was about to commit.

"Now, do you mind if you help me shop for supplies, Miss Hades?" Hakkai asked her politely once they were on safe zone.

Hades smiled. "My pleasure," she said.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Hades looked around the village they were in. It was a little bigger than the last one they visited, and they had more shops. She and Hakkai had already finished buying all their necessities while the rest of the group was dining in a bar. So with nothing left to do, (she couldn't bother Sanzo since he had just finished with a fight, leaving him in a worse than usual sour mood), she took herself exploring.

After the long stroll wore her down, she stopped by near a fountain to rest. Didn't know they had one here…Seems like this village is richer than I thought…Sighing about nothing in particular, she stared up at the sky. Could Kanzeon Bosatsu see her? She did come from Heaven, after all. Well, if she does, she thought bitterly, I hope she gets this message clear… "Damn you!"

Hades then heard her own stomach grumble. Ugh, now I'm starting to act like Goku! She brought out the meat buns the monkey had graciously given her a few hours ago and started to eat.

Just then, out of nowhere, a girl came hopping off next to her seat. Hades noticed the flaming red, wavy hair that's almost orange, big bright eyes, tanned complexion and…wait…She's a demon! Frowning, she finally concluded that she didn't seem harmful enough. Oddly enough, the girl was staring at her food. By the looks of her, she looked really hungry.

"Oh, hey. Here, you want some?" Hades asked, handing her one of the meat buns.

The girl's eyes brightened. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she said before leaping and hugging the life out of her. Wow! This kid's strong!

Hades watched her consume the meat bun in one swallow.

"Hey, are you all here by yourself?" Hades asked out of curiosity.

"No," the girl said, shaking her head. "I'm hiding from Yaone and my big brother."

Hades quirked an eye brow, not bothering to ask who Yaone is. "And why is that?"

The girl wrinkled her nose in disgust. "My mother wants me to go back home and have another experiment with Nii."

"Experiment?" Hades asked. "Tell me, what's your name? Do you want me to just call you 'Cute'?"

The stranger grinned at her. "I'm Lirin! What's your name, pretty lady?" she said cheerfully.

Hades smiled at being called pretty. "That's a nice name," she said. "My name's H-"

Suddenly, footsteps moving towards their direction as well as a clear, masculine voice interrupted Hades.

"Lirin!"

Hades turned around and wished she just didn't. Her breathe caught in her throat at the sight of a tall, well built man with dark red hair and stunning purple eyes. He was wearing black clothes and bangles on his wrists. Something about his aura just spelled "Danger!" yet Hades couldn't help but think that he was very, very handsome.

"Onii-chan!" That came from Lirin.

"This is your brother?" Hades said, eyes still on the man. She couldn't see any family resemblance.

Lirin nodded happily. "Onii-ch-"

She was immediately silenced by the look her brother gave her. "What did I tell you about sneaking away? We were all so worried about you!" he scolded.

Lirin pouted. "I'm sorry, onii-chan," she said. "But I was soooooo hungry and I thought I smelled San-"

Hades couldn't help but giggle. She ruffled Lirin's hair and smiled. "You kind of remind of somebody," she said. Maybe she's Goku's long lost sister? This sent her into more fits of giggles.

Lirin's brother finally noticed her and glared at her. "Who are you and what are you doing with my sister?" he questioned.

Hades shrugged and fought the sudden urge to blush as the man stared at her like a hawk. "Actually, she was the one who stumbled into me," she said truthfully.

"Yeah, and most importantly, she gave me food, onii-chan!" Lirin piped in.

The strange man gave Hades a curt nod. "Thank you for taking care of my little sister," he said, this time, managing to make Hades blush. "Now come along, Lirin. Let's go back home."

Lirin waved at Hades as she followed her brother. "Bye, Pretty lady!" she shouted. "I'll see you next time!"

"Bye Lirin! Take care of yourself!" Hades said. And as sudden as they appeared, they were gone, leaving the still blushing Hades all alone to contemplate on the events that happened.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

That evening, when Hades got back to the nearby bar where she last saw Sanzo and the rest of the gang, she was wearing a goofy grin. The unusually hyper-active saying of "I'm back!" made the others stare and wonder what exactly triggered her to not act like her usual self. She, however, paid them no mind and sat on a stool next to Sanzo.

"How did your day go?" Hakkai asked, smiling.

Hades didn't answer. Or more likely, she did not hear them. She was staring off into space, little hearts appearing on her eyes.

"Hades?"

"HADES!"

Hades jumped. "What? What? Where's the fire?" she exclaimed.

Gojyo and Goku guffawed, Hakkai chuckled and even Sanzo snorted.

"Huh? Wha-Oh." Hades said as she realized what happened. She glared at Sanzo who was trying to suppress his laughter.

"Stop making fun of me, you old monk," she said irritably, her good mood immediately vanishing.

Sanzo didn't even flinch. "Well, then, stop acting like an idiot," was his icy reply.

Hades stuck out her tongue at him and said nothing more, which further surprised them, since it was as ordinary for her to say something back just as it was ordinary for a cat to chase a mouse. "Sorry, Bald monk. I'm not in the mood today," she said.

Sanzo merely looked at her. "Oh, really? Why is that?"

Hades smiled. "I dunno," she said, shrugging.

Gojyo gave her one of his smirks. "A change in the air, eh?" he said looking at Hades knowingly. "I've seen and been with a lot of girls to know what I wittingly call 'The Cupid Syndrome'."

"Cupid Syndrome?" Hades repeated. "What the hell is that?"

Gojyo smirked. "I think you know what I mean," he said.

"I do?" Hades said, looking confused for a second. "Oh, whatever." She waved her hand in the air and went back into La-la land.

Goku looked at Hades. Why's she acting weird all of a sudden? His innocent, little mind couldn't find the answer to that one, even though he knew Gojyo and the others did.

"Tch." Sanzo took another drag of his cigarette and inhaled deeply. He turned to the bartender and gestured for him to get him some more sake.

Hades, finally having snapped from her dreamy state, looked at the sake the bartender handed Sanzo. "Eww. I don't understand how come you guys can actually find that drink very nice," she said.

"That's alright. It's comprehensible that you don't understand anything," Sanzo told her.

Hades gritted her teeth. "Are you calling me stupid, stupid?"

"Hey, Sanzooooo," Goku whined, immediately ending their fight.

"What? You're gonna say you're hungry?" Gojyo guessed without even looking at him as he dropped the cards on the table and glanced at Hakkai. He grinned. "Straight flush."

Hakkai chuckled and showed his cards. "I'm sorry, my friend."

Gojyo groaned once he saw Hakkai's cards. Darn it. He lost again.

Goku stuck out his tongue at Gojyo. "No, you perverted water sprite. I wasn't about to say I'm hungry," he said. "Sanzo, can I taste that wine?" He looked pleadingly at the monk.

"No," Sanzo snapped.

"But Sanzo!"
"It's ok, Goku. You know how your grumpy friend is," Hades said as she glared at Sanzo. "Don't worry, that stuff tastes bad anyway."

"Why? Have you tried it, Hades?" Goku asked.

"Nope, but I'm sure it is," Hades replied.

Sanzo smirked. "Now here's a woman, insulting a man's favorite liquor, when she herself haven't even tasted it yet. What's more pathetic than that?"

Hades felt her blood boil. "Is that a challenge I'm hearing, newspaper boy?"

Sanzo took another sip of his sake. "Maybe," he said.

"Well, fine!" Hades hissed, slamming her hands on the table and standing up. "You!" she pointed at the nearby waiter. "Bring me your biggest bottle of sake." She glared at Sanzo. "You'll be eating my dust once I've proven I'm no weakling. In fact, I bet I won't pass out before you do."

"Oh?" Sanzo said mockingly. "You really want to bet on that?"

Hades' eyes hardened. "Bring it on."

Gojyo looked up from his game of cards. "I think we better save this game for later. Their contest looks more interesting," he told Hakkai. "I was losing anyway."

Goku counted to three. "Ready, set…GO!"

The two started drinking. Hades grimaced at the taste of sake, but still kept on drinking. No way was she going to lose to Sanzo.

A few minutes have passed and Sanzo was already on his 20th cup, while Hades was on her 13th. It was very obvious that Sanzo was about to win, seeing as it was Hades' first time and she appeared like she wanted to vomit every time she downed one glass. Pretty soon, her head hit the table and the glass she was holding fell to the floor with a clatter.

"And the winner is…Sanzo!" Goku shouted.

Sanzo simply stared at Hades. "Seems like she can't handle it after all," he said, his voice a little slurred from all the drinking.

"She's grateful she didn't have to fight with you," Gojyo told Hakkai, who only smile in return.

Goku nudged Hades. "Hey, Hades. Are you alright? Hades?"

Hades groaned and touched her forehead. "No. I feel like shit," she mumbled.

"I think it would be best if you go up to your room now and rest," Hakkai told her. "Goku, why don't you help her?"

"Ok," Goku said and lifted Hades' left arm so that it was resting on his shoulder. "Ow. You're very heavy, Hades."

Hades giggled as she twirled a strand of her hair with her free hand. "That's coz I weigh a gazillion pounds. Coz I eat lots of chocolate every day and-and dessert and ice cream and…" she trailed on, her voice becoming high pitched like a banshee.

Gojyo shook his head and grinned. "She's lost it. For once I pity the monkey," he said.

Hades stumbled on her way to the stairs as she continued to sing "Mary had a Little Lamb" over and over again. Luckily, Goku caught her. He seemed like he was really starting to get freaked out by her drunken state.

When they got to her room, he helped her on the bed, only to be pushed back by her arms. "Hey, Hades, stop that!"

Hades giggled yet again and wagged a finger at Goku. "That's very bad. Hades don't wanna sleep but you don't want Hades to. You're a bad boy!"

Goku could only attempt to stop her flailing arms and wondered about her sudden desire for third name basis of herself. "Uhhh…"

Hades, on the other hand, hasn't felt so much better in her entire life. It was as if someone lit out a spark on her and it skyrocketed, causing these several reactions on her state of mind. Plus, her head felt light, so so light and at the same time, it hurt so much. She didn't even particular care about whoever it was she was talking to. The next thing she remembered before darkness finally overtook her was a pair of bright, golden eyes.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Hades Greich awoke to the sun's rays shining brightly on her face. She covered it with her hands to block it off, but it was useless. And she regretted even opening her eyes, for it brought her a whole shock of pain traveling all over her body. She groaned. It had been awhile since she last had a headache. How the hell did she get one anyway? And how come it's morning already?

Suddenly, the door burst open and the scent of chicken soup teased her nose. She felt her stomach growling. "Hakkai?" she said sleepily, recognizing the bespectacled brunette standing before her.

Hakkai smiled. "I was about to wake you up but it seems like you already did on your own," he said. "How're you feeling?"

Hades placed a hand on her head. "As if I just rose from my grave. Any idea if I've been to hell?" she muttered.

"No, I'm sure you haven't. Though having a hangover is pretty close," was Hakkai's reply.

"How would you know? You've never gotten drunk before," Hades said and gladly accepted the soup he handed her.

"Ah. I presume Gojyo told you that?"

"Yup. Who else?" Hades said, smiling weakly. Last night's events replayed on her head. She remembered getting drunk because of Sanzo, and Goku carrying her up the stairs. "So where's the Almighty one who beat me last night?"

"In his room. He's not particularly happy that we have to leave this afternoon instead of this morning because of your hangover," Hakkai told her.

Hades laughed, although her throat wasn't cooperating very well. "Serves him right for putting me into this situation…" she said.

Hakkai chuckled. "Well, I'd best leave you alone now so you can rest," he said and precisely a few seconds after he left, Goku came bouncing in.

"Hey ya, Hades!" he greeted as cheerfully as ever. "Does your head still hurt?"

Hades managed a weak smile. "A little," she confessed. Then she frowned when she noticed a small bruise on Goku's lips. She didn't remember seeing that before. "What happened to your lips?"

"You don't remember?" Goku asked. Hades shook her head. "You did this to me last night when I went to place you in bed. You have no idea how drunk you were last night." Goku was a little embarrassed that someone, much less a girl, had managed to smack him on the face. Hades should really trim her nails.

"WHAT!"

Hades' eyes went as wide as saucers and her hands went to her lips. She couldn't believe she did that. Poor, kind Goku who helped her get up the stairs…And this is what she did! It was unbelievable. She must've been really drunk to have done such a thing. I really can't believe I kissed him! Of all people! He's younger than I am, for goodness' sake! Oh, my! And it's my first kiss too! Ugh! I am such a wreck.

Goku looked worriedly at Hades, whose face had gone as pale as the moon. "Uh, Hades? Are you feeling ok?"

To his dismay, her eyes went even wider and it seemed as if she was trying hard not to cry. "Oh, Goku! You are so kind! After what I…I did…you still has the right to ask if I am ok!" she shrieked. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have instilled such violence and emotional turmoil in an innocent person such as you! Oh, I'm really sorry! I can understand if you won't forgive me and if you won't talk to me anymore…"

Goku's eyebrows met in bewilderment. Why is Hades being so upset over hitting him? "I think you're overreacting, Hades. You don't need to be so worked up over this. You were drunk, and I understand that," he said. "Why on earth would I not forgive you?"

Oh! He really is so innocent! "This is the first time someone did that to you, Goku! And I'm really sorry! I have tainted your innocence!"

Goku scratched his head. He was getting more and more confused by the second. Maybe Hades is still drunk? "This isn't the first time, Hades. Sanzo and Gojyo do this all the time. I'm used to it, so don't worry," he assured her. Haven't she been witness to all those fights with Gojyo?

Right then and there, Hades was about to faint. Those words Goku said…She didn't even want to think about it. Sanzo and Gojyo doing stuff like this to Goku! It was unthinkable! Yes, she figured those two are on the crazy and wild line, but for even one second, she didn't actually think that they could do such a thing, much less to a friend like Goku!

"Oh, and speaking of Sanzo, you also did that to him. That's part of the reason why this morning his face gets all red at the mere mention of your name," Goku added. I probably should take note not to irritate Sanzo. He's mad enough to shoot anyone.

This time Hades couldn't take it any longer. I kissed Sanzo! Her head was bursting with all these sudden revelations. It was too much for her poor brain to handle. So she did the unthinkable. She fainted.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It took awhile before Hades finally recovered from the trauma of what Goku told her. She was still shell shocked and the only thing that kept her from ripping her hair in frustration was to pretend it never happened. Works fine by me. But she doubted she could ever look at Sanzo, Gojyo and Goku the same way again.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?"

She nodded to Hakkai, the only sane person in the group that she could think of. She didn't really know what he was telling her, because her mind would drift to what she thought had happened last night whenever Hakkai mentioned their names.

"You aren't really listening, are you?" Hakkai said with a smile.

Hades looked at him sheepishly. "Sorry. I was kind of…thinking of something else," she said.

"It's alright," Hakkai told her.

"Where's Hakkuryu, by the way?" Hades asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"Oh, he's still upstairs in his room. Could you excuse me? He still hasn't eaten breakfast yet and I think he's already hungry," Hakkai said. With an "Ok, sure" from Hades, he stood up and walked up to his room.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Gojyo coolly flicked his lighter, cigarette in one hand. He had just finished taking a stroll around the village and had already made his usual flirting with the women.

"Damn," he said when the lighter didn't work. He tossed it on the ground and went in search for the monk.

"Oy, corrupt monk," he called as he spotted him reading the daily newspaper over a cup of tea.

"Shove off," Sanzo said, eyes still glued to the article he was reading.

"Can I borrow your lighter?" Gojyo asked, hands on his pockets.

"What's the magic word?" Sanzo said, enjoying Gojyo's reaction.

"Damn you! Can I please borrow your lighter, oh crazy one?" Gojyo snarled.

Sanzo smirked. "No. Now leave me the hell alone," he said.

"Why you…!" Gojyo said angrily. Instead of pummeling him to the ground, he opted to look in search for Hades. Hakkai told him she fainted a while ago and he wanted to know precisely why she did. She must have been the worst drunkard he had ever met.

When he passed by her room though, he heard her voice, along with Goku's. He listened, but his eyes widened in surprised at what they were talking about.

"He's the most handsome man in the entire universe, I'm telling you, Goku!"

"I didn't know you love someone, Hades."

"Oh, I don't love him, silly. It's just a crush. It'll go away in a few days. Besides, I honestly don't think he like me. I mean, I hardly know him and all…But still, he's got the most amazing violet eyes I had ever seen! You could drown forever in them!"

"Uhhh…right…"

"And my, when he looked, or rather, glared at me for the first time, oh, I thought I'd melt! He's just so…so handsome!"

"You've been telling that a gazillion times, Hades. Can't we go get food now?"

"Later, Goku, later. Just let me dream about him for a few more seconds…"

Gojyo quietly walked away, unable to believe it. Violet eyes, glares…He almost had a heart attack. Hades has a crush on Sanzo!

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

"I'm telling you, you bald monk, its true!" Gojyo told him for the fifth time that day. "I heard it with my own ears!"

Sanzo glared at him. "I really don't appreciate you talking about shit, hoping I'd make a fool out of myself," he snapped.

"Are you calling me a liar? Here I am, foolishly convincing someone as stubborn as a mule! What did she ever see in you?"

Before Sanzo could reply, they heard footsteps coming in their direction. Hades stuck her head out. "Hey, mind if I come in?" she asked, something akin to nervousness present in her voice.

"Did you even have to ask?" Gojyo said, grinning as he saw the way Hades eyed Sanzo.

Hades coughed. "Ugh. This place stinks. Would you guys stop smoking for a sec!" she said. She had come here to apologize, yes, apologize to Sanzo about what she did to him last night. It actually took her almost a decade before she finally decided to do it and sacrifice her pride. She hoped against hope that Sanzo happen to forget about it. Of course, now that she saw him with Gojyo, Goku's words came coming back to her.

"This isn't the first time, Hades. Sanzo and Gojyo do this all the time. I'm used to it, so there's no need to worry."

She couldn't help but look at them in disgust, shock and fear.

"Are you just going to stand there? What do you want?" Sanzo asked.

Hades tried to look at his face more closely to see if she did any damage to him when she was drunk, but she couldn't see anything. "I…uh…" She was unusually nervous. I have every right to be, seeing that I'm suffering from brain shock.

"Well?" Sanzo looked at her expectantly.

Hades bit her lip. She willed the words to flow out of her tongue, but it didn't. After a final debate with herself, she figured she really couldn't do it. "I…er…never mind! Just…forget it," she stammered and went out of the room feeling like a complete idiot.

Gojyo smirked at Sanzo. "See? I told you she likes you," he said quite smugly.

Sanzo simply raised his eyebrows.

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Gomen for the late update…This chapter is really weird, don't you think?