Chapter Two
The small group reached the entrance to cave and paused, the two Dragon Priests blinking in the sunlight. San'zo had dismissed the second guardian beast before they had left the sealed chamber, giving the giant beast a much needed rest. After all, the guardians had been sealed in stone for the 1000 plus years that the Priests had been entombed in the cave. Hakkai had apologized profusely for the fact that one of the beasts had been destroyed, but San had assured them all that the guardians couldn't be killed, only sent back to the Otherplane. After a suitable time of rest they could be re-summoned to the material plane.
"Hmm. I think we have a problem. There's no way that all of us can fit in Jeep." Hakkai gave the Dragon Priests an apologetic look.
"That's not a problem" D'Challya growled. "We have our own transportation. Azhi, come to me my friend." The wind picked up slightly, fluttering the 'sutra' on her shoulders. A huge black dragon appeared in the clearing. He looked like the dragon on the doors, minus the amethyst in his forehead.
"Woowww! You're dragon is soo cool!" Goku piped up, bouncing around. The black dragon seemed to grin at the antics, while kneeling down to allow D'Challya to climb onto his back.
WHACK! A paper fan materialized out of nowhere to smack Goku on the head.
"Oww! Sanzo! What was that for?" Goku favored Sanzo with a wounded look.
"Shut up and get in the car, you stupid monkey." Sanzo tucked the fan away and climbed into the jeep. The others climbed in behind him.
"Lilin, Lilin. Come to me, little one." San'zo called out to his dragon. He knew he couldn't ride her(she was too small) but he wanted to see her again. More wind, and yet another dragon appeared. This one was roughly the same size as the black one, but covered in emerald green scales, with a black mane running down her back. San'zo blinked. "Lilin! My little one, you've grown up!" The last time he had seen his dragon spirit she had been no larger than a wolf in size. A mere youngling as far as the dragon spirits were concerned. Seeing her fully grown only emphasized how long they had slumbered. The green dragon knelt down to accept a hug from the Dragon Priest and to let him clamber up onto her back.
"Hah! I guess it has been long enough for you to mature, Lilin. You look good." D'Challya reached out and scratched the dragon behind the ear. Lilin leaned into it, purring happily. The four guys looked dumbfounded.
"No, I guess travel won't be a problem for you after all." Hakkai grinned. "Well, welcome along!"
The small group traveled thus for the rest of the day. The dragons proved more than capable of keeping up with the jeep. Darkness approached, finding them far away from the nearest town.
"Hey, Sanzo! Your little detour means that we get to camp out tonight." Gojyo couldn't resist taunting the priest, even though the weather was nice and camping wouldn't be a problem.
"Do you want to die?" Sanzo growled angrily. Nearby the two Dragon Priests chuckled from their mounts. They had quickly learned that the small group had a very confrontational, argumentative nature. "That goes for you too!" The pair quieted, grinning at one another.
A short time later found the small group settled comfortably around a campfire. San'zo and D'Challya had taken over the task of fixing dinner, fixing a supper the likes of which they had never had. The Dragon Priests had retrieved small packs, and San'zo's quarterstaff before leaving the cavern. The packs had been sealed with the Priests and were charmed to be able to store all kinds of random stuff in them. All the Priest had to do was think about what they wanted and they could reach in and pull it out, so long as they had put it in the pack at some point. And food stored in such a way didn't spoil, so they had all kinds of good stuff to fix.
"Wow, that was great! You'll have to fix dinner again sometime soon!" Goku's enthusiasm made San'zo smile, and even D'Challya twitched a smirk.
"I think we can arrange that, Goku. Probably for many more times in the future. I'm guessing that we'll be companions for some time yet." San'zo's smile faded away, replaced by a contemplative look. He sighed. Goku reminded him of his adopted son Galen. All enthusiasm and energy. Always full happiness, with a smile for everyone. Galen, who, along with Ro'Garak the pair's other adopted son, had long since passed away. As had Dart'aan, Tani'mar, Tragget and so many others. They were truly the last of their kind. His sadness had filtered to D'Challya and she huffed unhappily. She turned to Sanzo.
"May I see your weapon, please? It is a very rare thing indeed to tear down the protective shields with only one hit. I am curious to see what can do such a thing." Sanzo scowled skeptically but turned the weapon over to her with a minimal fuss.
"It's just a gun. Be careful with it. Not that it would bother me too much if you shot yourself with it." D'Challya growled softly in response but made no other reply as she turned the weapon over in her hands. She held it gingerly, fingers dancing along every edge. Without warning she suddenly opened the bullet chamber, deftly emptying them out. The Dragon Priest proceeded to break the weapon down, inspecting every inch of it thoroughly, ignoring the priest's outraged threats. San'zo made a placating gesture.
"Just watch. It is a gift of the Priest of Grael to know how to use any weapon just after handling it once. She will not harm your weapon." Even as the Dragon Priest finished speaking, D'Challya was putting the gun back together and reloading the bullets. An unspoken communication passed between the two Dunne'kaa and golden haired Priest hissed something softly and snapped his fingers. An illuminated target the height of a man appeared, hovering slightly off the ground. Without seeming to aim, D'Challya fired all six shots at the target in rapid succession.
"What the hell are you doing!" the amethyst eyed monk yelled. This was followed by a low whistle of appreciation from Gojyo and a yelp of surprise from Goku. Not only had the raven haired Priest managed to hit the target with all six shots, but three were squarely in the chest while the remaining three had pegged the center of the forehead.
"Wow, you were kidding were you? Remind me to never piss her off." The red haired kappa paused. "…Again…." San chuckled and snapped his fingers again, dismissing the target.
"Let me have replacements, please." D'Challya gestured impatiently. She had already emptied the casings from the gun and waited to reload it. Sanzo grudgingly handed the bullets over and she quickly replaced them. The Dragon Priest cradled the weapon in her hands a bit longer, whispering under her breath. A faint blue nimbus coalesced around the gun and dissipated. D'Challya spun and fired the weapon again, six times, then six more. Sanzo's look of outrage faded into stunned disbelief as she handed the weapon back to him.
"Very nice. My thanks. The weapon is divinely blessed, which explains how it could take down the shield. Now it has been charmed to never lose ammunition. Such a charm was applied to almost all Dun'marran bow and crossbow quivers. This is a little bit easier to manipulate." D'Challya turned without another word and went to the pair's bedding. San'zo shrugged and went to join his mate, leaving the others to themselves.