Thank you very much to all those who read this fic up to the end, reviewed my first fic here in added my story (and me) to their favorites list and alerts list! I am really very happy to receive positive comments about my work; you guys have kept me smiling all day!

You know what, maybe I shouldn't have written about Hakkai getting that cold. I think he got mad and passed it onto me.

Hakkai: Serves you right.

me: Shaddup, Hakkai. (sniff)

Anyway, this is the final chapter of my story, part one. It was too long to fit in just one part, so I had to split it into two separate chapters. Hope you guys like it as much as I liked writing it. Enjoy and thank you!

DISCLAIMER: I do not –and unfortunately, never will- own Gensomaden Saiyuki, Saiyuki Reload, Saiyuki Reload Gunlock, Cho Hakkai, Genjyo Sanzo, Son Goku, Sha Gojyo, and any other stuff related to them, just as I would never own a Pentium 4 computer (sigh). I think I should stop now before I burst into tears.

Chapter Seven: To the West Part I

Hakkai stirred. Where am I? He could hear the sound of birds chirping from a faraway distance. The wind gently blew past him, ruffling his brown hair as it came. He slowly opened his eyes.

He was lying down on a grassy meadow, with the sun shining bright above him. He looked around. It seemed oddly familiar, and at the same time, different to him. There was something comfortable about the place, and strangely, something foreboding.

He slowly stood up and observed his surroundings. If this is Heaven, it looks like a very nice place. He closed his eyes again and felt the rush of the cold wind against his face. How peaceful. If only she was with me, then this would be my paradise…He smiled slightly at the thought of her and relived his past once again…

Suddenly Hakkai heard footsteps coming toward him. The green-eyed youkai slowly turned around.

"Cho…Cho Gono?"

It was a woman, wearing a white gown and with her brown hair blowing in the wind, standing not far away from him. She was looking at Hakkai with a confused expression on her face that quickly turned into a smile.

Hakkai blinked. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Kanan?"

The woman nodded, staring at him.

At once Hakkai ran towards her, smiling happily, at the same time with tears flowing nonstop down his face. Kanan was crying too as they hugged each other under that bright and shining sun. The wind gently passed by them, quietly rustling the leaves as it came.

"It's been a long time," Hakkai managed to say in between tears. She's finally here with me.

"I know," Kanan replied, smiling happily at him, her eyes still wet with tears. "It's been a very long time."

They stood there for quite some time, smiling happily in each other's arms.

"How are you doing?" Kanan asked. They were sitting under the shade of a large tree nearby.

"I'm fine," Hakkai replied. He was looking out at the field. "How about you?"

"I'm okay," Kanan said.

Silence.

The wind blew strong against their faces. The sun, still shining brightly above them, continued to bask them in its rays. Hakkai looked contentedly at Kanan, and was surprised to see Kanan looking at him.

"What's the matter?"

Kanan smiled. "Nothing. I was just wondering if you're alright."

Hakkai looked taken aback. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Kanan stayed quiet, avoiding his gaze. Then she spoke up. "Hakkai…are you sure about this?"

Hakkai was confused. "About what?"

"About you staying here with me."

Hakkai leaned back down, looking over at her. "I guess…it's the best decision I ever made."

Kanan smiled at him.

"Maybe."

Gojyo closed the door behind him and walked towards the kitchen. Sanzo and Goku were already there. They looked up at Gojyo as he entered.

"How's Hakkai?" Sanzo asked, lighting up another cigarette. He looked tired.

"Same." Gojyo sat down on a chair and stared. "Nothing changed."

They were all quiet for some time, before Goku broke the silence.

"But didn't the doctor say he'll be alright by now?"

Gojyo sighed deeply. "Yes. But he wasn't sure if Hakkai's…going to be alright at all."

Goku's face fell. "Oh. So that means…" He hesitated. Gojyo was avoiding his gaze. Sanzo was not his usual cold self either.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Sanzo said quietly. He pulled another stick and started to light it. "And he's been in a coma for three days already."

"If he doesn't come out of it by tomorrow," Gojyo said slowly. He paused. It was too early to predict the outcome.

Gojyo stopped and stood up. "I'll be in my room," he said, leaving the kitchen as quickly as he came. Goku didn't even look up. Everyone was acting this way since they came back from the forest…

The rain was closing all around them. Goku saw Hakkai falling, blood spurting out from his wound, down on the cold hard earth.

"Hakkai!"

Sanzo wasted no more time and turned around, squinting into the clearing. He heard movement behind the trees. He stared at it. Youkai was all around them. .

Why didn't we sense it earlier?

They were coming out from the shadows now. The Sanzo-ikkou were outnumbered, and with a comrade down and an even more urgent situation, time was something they couldn't afford to waste.

Immediately Gojyo's shakujyo sliced the air and started taking down the youkai. His eyes were cast downward, not even bothering to look where he was aiming at. Goku was busily fighting youkai that was closing in on Hakkai. The shourejyu barked into the air, sending a couple down on the ground. No words were spoken, and if there were, they were carried by the wind into nothingness…

How they got back from the forest Gojyo didn't know. Nor any one of them for that matter. When they finally regained consciousness they placed Hakkai back in his room and waited for the darkness to pass.

Goku snapped back to reality. He realized that Gojyo's footsteps were gone. He turned to Sanzo.

"Sanzo?"

Sanzo didn't look up. His violet eyes were trying hard to concentrate on the newspaper he was now reading, but they weren't moving at all.

"If Hakkai goes…will we go on with our journey?"

Sanzo looked out the window, exhaling deeply. The bright morning sun didn't look at all inviting. Rather, it looked cold and dark.

He was quiet for a few minutes. Goku was about to turn away when Sanzo spoke.

"Yes. He… has already gone on his own."

Hakkai couldn't be better. Kanan was with him, and he felt at peace, a thing that he was denied of back in the past. He couldn't see how anyone would be so sad.

But for some reason, Kanan was looking sadder than before.

"What's the matter, Kanan?" Hakkai's clear green eyes shone out at Kanan. He had a look of concern on his face.

Kanan looked out at the fields. "Hakkai…you must go back."

Hakkai was surprised. "What? But I thought I already died…"

Kanan shook her head. "No. You're only unconscious. Your friends have been taking care of you." She stared hard at him. "You need to go back."

Hakkai stood up. "Why?" He was avoiding her gaze, and his voice had a pained tone to it. "Don't you want me here?"

Kanan was taken aback. "No! It's not that! It's---"

"Then what's the matter?" Hakkai said, rounding on her with tears in his eyes. "I tried to be with you again…"

"I know," Kanan said. She was crying too. "But you must understand. It's not your time yet. Your friends are waiting for you. You need to go back."

Hakkai was silent. The wind blew past the two of them, gently rustling the leaves as it came. The wind, that felt so warm and comforting to him, suddenly felt cold and painful. The sun that for a moment seemed cheerful and warm turned black and filled him with dread. The sun…

Finally Hakkai turned around.

"Kanan…" he whispered, pain lingering in his voice. "I'll miss you."

Kanan smiled, eyes wet with tears. "I'll always be there for you, Hakkai. Just remember that."

Hakkai smiled at her, tears filling his emerald green eyes. "I will. I promise."

He hugged her for the last time, and with a final smile at her, a final wave, he took a deep breath and stepped out back into the sun…

Hakkai suddenly woke up. It was already midnight, and he thought the rest were already asleep. The rain was still pouring silently outside. He looked around. He was lying on a bed, bandages streaked with red hurriedly tied around his midsection. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes again. Kanan. I'll never forget.

Inside his room Sanzo was sitting by the window, watching the rain fall down from the sky. He was in an extremely bad mood, and Hakkai's condition didn't help. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, and if they will ever finish this journey with him.

Gojyo was sitting down on his bed, smoking yet again. Everything seemed so abrupt and sudden. It didn't occur to him that he would be losing his best friend in such a short time.

What are you talking about?

He shook his head. It was stupid of him to think that way. He hasn't given up yet. There's still a chance that he'll recover tomorrow. He sighed deeply, trying to calm down. The rain was pouring harder still.

But what if he does?

Goku lay down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He knew that Gojyo and Sanzo were still awake. Thinking about Hakkai's condition. He was like a parent to him, always smiling, always kind. And he, Goku, being the naïve and stupid monkey that he is, always thought that Hakkai is okay.

Dead wrong.

He pulled up the sheets and tried to sleep, the rain pounding on his window as the night wore on.

Finally the morning sun dawned, taking with it the rain and but not the pain of the past. Goku slowly trudged towards the kitchen, yawning widely. "What's for breakfast?"

"Here. Oatmeal."

Gojyo pushed a small bowl of what looked like a thick lump of paste to Goku. Sanzo was sitting beside him, reading the papers, his own bowl untouched. Goku stared at it disgustingly.

"This is supposed to be oatmeal? I'm not touching that! Remember what happened to Hakkai last time you tried to cook?"

He realized, too late, that this was not the right thing to say. Gojyo fell silent. Sanzo avoided their gaze and stared hard at his newspaper. They had remembered Hakkai again.

Gojyo cleared his throat and waved the spoon in front of Goku's face. "Well, get used to it, baka, until Hak—everything's fine you have to eat this stuff!" Gojyo paused, aware of his own mistake that he tried ever so hard to correct without the others noticing. "And no, there aren't any restaurants here!" He stomped towards the stove and tried to unstick all the oatmeal that was beginning to harden. For a couple of minutes there was silence. Finally Gojyo spoke up.

"Goku, check on Hakkai, will you?" he said quietly this time, his voice betraying no emotion.

"Okay." Goku rose up quickly and headed towards Hakkai's room. When he turned round the hallway Sanzo spoke.

"Today's the day."

"I know."

Gojyo was staring hard at the stove, not moving. Sanzo was looking down at the floor. They both knew that today may become the undoing of it all. Or the start of a new journey. Either way, everything will change…

Their thinking was cut short by the sound of footsteps running toward them. Sanzo glanced up, and was surprised to see Goku standing there, his hair a mess, looking very out of breath.

"What's the matter, saru?" Gojyo asked quietly, dreading the answer.

"It's Hakkai." Goku said urgently, gasping for air. "He's…"

A/N: Cliffhanger time! Part Two of this chap's coming next week, and hit the review button while you're at it! You know what, my birthday's next week (not kidding) and if it's not too much to ask please review! Thanks very much!