Hey all! Many thanks for those who read my story and reviewed! This is a redone version of the second chapter, because I thought that the earlier posted one was kind of stilted…
Spinereader: Hello! LOL you thought she resembled Cordelia too, huh? I didn't know anyone else thought so! Many thanks for your kind review, anyway! Grr, I think I need a beta reader.
Setine: I'm glad you liked it!
Esthered: Hey there! I'm glad you liked this story. Oh, the real pain comes in much later. I wonder what being subjected to more than ten hours of Qing is like? Hmmm…
Kris: Hee, thanks for your review, I shall do better!
As it was, Sanzo and Qing had the two single beds in the room—Qing being a lady and therefore had the priority, and no one was really up for an up close and personal meeting with the business end of Sanzo's gun—Goku slept on the makeshift mattress, and Hakkai and Gojyo slept on the floor. The blonde priest had been in a very bad mood ever since they returned and had turned in almost immediately, threatening to kill anyone who disturbed him. Of course, Gojyo and Goku ignored him and played a rowdy round of poker before the annoyed priest threatened to put entire rounds of bullet holes into them if they didn't go to sleep.
Qing had been flitting in and out of the room—having borrowed one of Gojyo's spare shirts and pants, both of which were loose enough for sleeping in—searching for teabags, tea leaves that were wrapped in very thin paper, and putting them on her eyes. Hakkai supposed it was some kind of bizarre ritual, though she said that it was to soothe puffy eyes. Sanzo had made a sarcastic comment at that, and off they went until he threatened to shoot her if she didn't shut up.
It was very entertaining.
But now, deep in the night, the youkai could not get to sleep. Now that there were six of them instead of five, a lot of adjustments had to be made. Once again, he wondered if this was a test Kanzeon Bosatsu had given to them. If so, what kind of a test was it? Maybe for Sanzo, it was to test his patience, but what about the rest of them? And what had Qing done to warrant such a thing? The Goddess had mentioned something about a 'patron goddess' being Her friend…who was it? It was all very puzzling, and it seemed like the self-centered young lady was not interested in giving them any details. And then there was that fact that there would actually be yet another person to protect.
He heard the faintest creak of the bedsprings and soft footsteps. A few seconds later, the balcony door slid open. Sitting up, Hakkai made out Qing's form as she slipped past the door.
Maybe there's more to her than we think, he thought as he followed her. Well, there was only one way to find out.
She was seated on the chair, the large book the Goddess had thrown to her earlier was on her lap, fingers tracing the ornate patterns on the cover.
"You shouldn't be out here, Miss Qing. It gets awfully chilly at night."
Qing jumped; she hadn't heard him enter. "Hakkai?"
He smiled as he shut the door behind him. "Can't sleep?" Of course, it was a gently prying question as to what was bugging her, but of course, Qing did not get it, being very much deprived in the subtle hints department, amongst others.
"When they are snoring like bears back there?" she sneered, looking at him as if he was stupid. "I'd rather freeze out here in silence." Then she glanced at him. "What are you doing here?"
"Do pardon my forwardness. I was just wondering about you." The best way to get answers out of her was to be straightforward, he realized. Unlike the rest of her gender, she didn't seem to see the need for subtlety. Or tact, for that matter.
"About what?"
He smiled slightly and gestured to the book. "You seem to be very attached to this."
Her brilliant blue eyes darkened. "Excuse me, for your information, I really don't care about it. I would really prefer it if it got burnt to cinders so I won't have to bother, but since it's here I might as well. Who knows what that crazy Goddess would do to me if I set fire to it?" she shot a scathing look at the heavens.
Hakkai watched her a moment. Despite her cavalier tone, he sensed that there was something deeper than that.
"I don't believe this," she went on. "One day I'm just enjoying the best manicure session of my life and planning to drop by Louis Vuitton to see their latest shipment of handbags, and the next I'm here in a land with strange people and demons. Don't forget the almost dying." She held out her hands disgustedly. "And my manicure. I mean, I had to remove the nail polish because the disgusting goo just won't come off, and now I'm back at square one. I'm not even at square one now; I'm at square minus a million. I've got no clothes, I'm stuck in here for no reason other than pissing my goddess off, and nothing is working out!"
He sat quietly, listening. He didn't understand half the things she said, but it seemed to have a lot to do with her clothes and outward appearance. How anyone can spend so much energy and time on their appearance baffled him. Nevertheless, he ventured. "It's not so bad, Miss Qing. I'm sure there will be many things you will be able to do here."
"What, besides being afraid and dying?"
So she can feel fear, after all. He had really been beginning to wonder if she ever thought of anything besides herself. Still smiling serenely, he looked up at the sky. "You won't die, Miss Qing, not while we're here. Your Goddess sent you here for a reason, didn't she? I don't think she wanted you to die if she sent you to us. I believe that there is something that your Goddess wanted you to learn, nonetheless."
Qing thought about that for a moment. She was not feeling better, but it was a start. A very tiny start. "Did you come out here just to make me feel better?"
"It seems like you are going to be travelling with us for a period of time. I believe it would be better if we knew more about you."
"What am I, some kind of experiment?"
He laughed softly. "No, of course not. It just seems to be the…socially polite thing to do."
She took that in, then stared at him. "Do you ever stop smiling?"
It was one question he had never expected her to ask. At least not so soon, anyway. "I beg your pardon?"
"You. With the smiling. It's just unnatural. I mean, you guys are just so weird. One is a pervert, the other is a homicidal psycho who has all the emotional intelligence of a dinosaur, one behaves like a kid, and you're like the Jolly Green Giant, only you're not green or giant-sized. It's like crossing over Barney with Angel or something." She tilted her head and surveyed him critically. The bonds between the four of them were obvious even to her, and it was puzzling as to how four very, very different people managed to tolerate each other. Well, there was technically five, since she just found out that the Jeep was a small white dragon. She had never seen dragons in her life before, but he was cute, if only a little on the scrawny side. She supposed these people never fed him very well or something, judging from his size.
He smiled patiently, vaguely amused that Qing had found him…unnatural and had said it straight to his face. If she knew about him, maybe she would understand, but now was not the time for tales, and he wasn't sure if she would care, anyway. "We all have our stories, Miss Qing, and we have been through a lot together." If only she knew about some of the adventures they had…
Stories, huh? She vaguely remembered the not-her-patron-goddess telling her something about them. It seemed like they all had pretty tragic pasts and all. There even were elaborations, a getting-to-know them Cliff Notes version, but she hadn't been paying attention; she had been more focused on majorly wigging out and trying to get out of there. All she pretty much knew was that with the exception of Sanzo, the rest were not fully human. It didn't matter anyway, they all looked like they were in a desperate need of a fashion consultant, so they were all pretty much equally distressing.
I guess that's what makes people come together, geeks, nerds, weirdos, cool people. People gravitate towards the people who are similar to them. The thought made her freeze. Wait, does that mean I have something in common with them? Okay, now that is just way freaky. There is NO way I am like them. There's my fashion style, for example; at least I'm not chronically mismatched. I'm not crazy, either. Or a pervert, or totally immature.
Nonetheless, there was just something about them that she automatically felt comfortable with, and she chalked it up to the fact that they were the ones who would get her through this entire ordeal whole, healthy, and sane. And everything she loved about herself.
When there was no response from her, he glanced down at the object of his curiosity and asked the question that had been bugging him for hours now. "Pardon me for asking this, but what book is that?"
"A guidebook." She said shortly.
"Guidebook?"
"Yeah. Idiot's guide on how to become a freak." She didn't understand why Hecate was so touchy. Heck, said goddess mostly ignored her for 18 years, and it was now that she had to make an appearance and be all offended about the fact that she would rather be in Hell than become a type of freak she'd spent most of her junior high and high school years actively alienating? She did not claw her way to the top of the social ladder for nothing, thank you very much. Furthermore, her foster parents would surely spaz if they found out. It was not like she owed anything to her real family, anyway.
Hakkai frowned, and she flipped open the book to show him, careful not to touch the old pages any more than necessary. She had enough dirt on her hands as it was.
He stared down at the unfamiliar writing, perplexed. "These are…guides?"
"Yeah."
"This is why your goddess threw you in here? You refused to become a freak?" He was beginning to think that her goddess was probably in the wrong. Who would throw their followers into another dimension just to turn them into a…freak? He wasn't sure what a freak was in her context, but judging from her attitude it definitely was not good.
She tossed her hair and shut the book. "She's not my goddess, but yeah, she did. Like I will ever want to become one, anyway." She snorted. "A witch. Would you look at that."
She thinks being a witch is a freak? He thought in surprise. He hadn't seen many witches along the way, but he knew what they were, powerful beings who worked within the framework of the world, part of the cosmic stream of magic.
Qing, however, was having very different thoughts. Hecate had also said something about self-actualizing, but she had suspected that all the goddess wanted to do was to get rid of her. I mean, look at me, how much more self-actualized can I get?
She was stunningly beautiful, and she knew it. She also knew how to use it to get what she wanted, and that was all that mattered, wasn't it? That was the way the world worked, not some crap fairytale fight of good versus evil and blah, blah, blah. Who cared about good or evil anymore? It was all about knowing the right people, looking good, and getting what you wanted. Magic? Oh, please. Like that would solve anything.
She was confused and angry and off-balance, and all she wanted was to go home, back to the home she knew. She knew nothing here, and she almost got killed, for God's sake. She was frightened, and she hated that feeling. Back in her home, she was the queen, her friends listened to her every word, the guys scurried around to do her bidding; she was the one who set the trends, but here, now…it was like she was nothing.
It was a horrible thought.
She was stuck in this awful place, and it was all Hecate's fault, who just had to turn her glamorously perfect life upside down and expect her to take it in stride.
She sighed. "I want to go home, Hakkai. This place is just so weird. I mean, I've never killed anything in my life before, and suddenly I've got to kill demons to survive? What is wrong with this picture?"
Briefly, Hakkai wondered what it was like for Qing, who lived in a world without demons. If things had been different, if there were no demons in this world…
Stop thinking that way. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. "We'll get you home." He promised.
"You'd better. I'll keep bugging you if you don't." She paused and gave him a rare smile that, for once, was not a prelude to a grimace or a sneer. "Oh, and um…thanks."
He was pleasantly surprised. Somehow she did not strike him as a girl who would mind her P's and Q's. "Whatever for?"
"For listening. No one ever does that here." She thought about it for a moment. "Actually, it never really happens from where I come from, either. Nevermind."
"You're welcome." Hakkai had to suppress a smile. Finally, he was getting somewhere. And it seemed like he had been correct, there was more to her than she'd let on.
"Oh no!" she jumped up in horror, hands flying to her cheeks. The weather here, unlike back home, was dreadfully dry, and she'd forgotten to do one crucial thing. "I forgot to moisturize!" Dropping the heavy book on her chair, she raced into the room, muttering woefully about premature aging and dehydration.
Hakkai sighed. Maybe not. He glanced at the cover of the book. A witch, huh? That should be interesting.
…
It was just past midday, and the group were on their way to the next town. Qing had finally gotten all the things she'd needed, and had even acquired a bow and a large quiver of arrows as a weapon. Guns were out of the question because she didn't want to turn all homicidal—and frankly, they scared her—and she would never hear of a sword or anything that would bring her within a one mile radius of a disgusting demon, which she openly announced that she hated, and that the only good demon was a dead one, present company excluded.
Also, a bow and arrow was the only thing she knew how to use, thanks to the countless grueling practice sessions her foster father had put her through a few years ago.
To her annoyance, there weren't any makeup shops in that dump, and so she had settled down in the Jeep to file her nails. She was knew she was a vision in a crop top and pants, and looked for all the world like she was on a vacation to Paris than anything with her Oakley sunglasses perching comfortably on her hair.
And at least she wasn't as irritable as yesterday, although her earlier incessant nattering about shopping, fashion, and her responsibility to less fashion-conscious individuals almost drove Sanzo over the bend—Hakkai had an incredible amount of tolerance for her, Gojyo had been too busy planning his next strategy to pay any more than perfunctory attention to her; Goku simply ignored her, his attention fixated on the surroundings—it was only after he threatened to really shoot her that she finally shut up and concentrated on the task at hand.
Literally.
But now it seemed like Gojyo and Goku were about to start yet another inane quarrel.
"It's just a meatbun, you stupid cockroach! Why are you so stingy?" Goku whined, having already finished his own considerable amount of meatbuns. He was still hungry, though, and it was not like Gojyo was that big an eater.
"Because I'm hungry too, dammit!" The kappa snapped. "You just ate two of mine! Stupid, greedy monkey!"
"I am not a monkey, you greedy cockroach!" Goku shoved at Gojyo, who was the one now sitting in the middle.
"Who's greedy now?" the other man demanded hotly, shoving back. "Just because I don't give you my meatbun doesn't mean I'm greedy! It just means I'm hungry, you stupid monkey!"
"I'm NOT stupid!"
"So you admit you're a monkey, huh?"
"GRRRRR—" Goku moved to try to bite the obnoxious kappa, but the harisen came out from nowhere and smacked them both upside the head.
"Hey!"
"Ow! That HURT, dammit!"
"Shut up, you nincompoops!" The blonde monk bellowed furiously, brandishing his gun at the two of them, who immediately cowered at his death glare. This time, Qing tossed her paper bag of meatbuns to Goku.
"Here. It's not like I'm eating it, anyway. The calories in there can kill a whale."
The heretic grabbed at it eagerly, looking at Qing as if she was his goddess or something. He would've reached over and glomped her, but Gojyo was in the way, and he really didn't suppose she would appreciate the gesture, so an enthusiastic show of gratitude would have to do. "Thank you so much!"
"Whatever. Now kindly stop quarreling before you two push me over the jeep. I really don't want to wreck this outfit."
Frowning, she leaned forward and checked herself in the rearview mirror. Satisfied with what she saw, she smiled happily and leaned back, preening like a little peacock. "Boy, you guys are lucky."
"Huh?" Goku asked quizzically through a mouthful of meatbun. "Why?"
"Because I still look perfect, of course." She said brightly. "Which means I don't have to kill you."
"Huh?" The monkey was confused.
Really. Just when Sanzo had thought that the deeply narcissistic little wench had just a little bit of depth, she had to go and prove him wrong. "Do you ever think of anything but yourself?"
"Why should I?" She scoffed. "I've got enough on my plate just worrying about myself, thank you very much."
"Good point. While you're at it, you should also try thinking up of ways to defend yourself without ruining our reputation."
"Don't start with me, Monk Boy." Qing narrowed her eyes. She had had just about enough of his insults for one day, thank you very much, although inwardly she found it oddly refreshing. Sanzo was the only one so far who had spoken his mind about her to her face without any tact whatsoever, and there was just something about that that made her almost…respect him. Although she would rather suffer a chronic case of acne than admit it outright.
"Don't call me that, wench." he growled at the hated nickname. What was it about her that got under his skin so much? He decided that it was because he had no choice in the matter of taking her in, and the way the old hag had put it grated on his nerves very much. Yes, that was it.
"You started it." She snapped. "And I am not a harlot or a loose woman, so don't call me a wench."
"You deserved it." he said coldly.
She was not impressed; conveniently forgetting the fact that she was the one who had started off on the whole immature argument 'you-started-it' thing. "That is such a Twinkie defense. Think up of a better comeback, please."
What the hell is a twinkie? Sanzo thought fiercely. She talked in a very strange manner; half the things she said were just plain incomprehensible, and the other half was just so annoyingly self-absorbed. Instead, he refrained from snapping at her, settling for a calmly cold, "I would, if I thought you were worth it."
She narrowed her eyes. Worth it? Of course she was worth it! It was other people who were not worthy of her. Like him, for example. "Impaired judgement much?"
"No, just a lot of common sense. Which you seem to be sorely lacking in."
"Oh, we all have our delusions. Yours might border on extreme hallucination."
"Doesn't say much for you."
"Why, you…" Qing glared at him, resisting the urge to reach out and throttle that infuriatingly calm expression off his face.
Gojyo surveyed the both of them curiously, then decided to finally say it. There was definitely something weird between the two of them, some kind of strange animosity that really wasn't what it seemed, although it didn't seem very much like anything in the Like department, either. "What is up with the two of you? You're both bickering like little old couples!"
Qing was disgusted. "Ewww much?"
Sanzo simply glared at him, in one of his patented mess-with-me-and-die molten glares of doom. "Unless you want to die young, kappa, I suggest you shut your trap." And of course, nothing reinforced that threat more than a Smith and Wesson to the face.
"Okay, okay!" Gojyo replied hurriedly, backing away. "Jeez, it was just a remark."
"Well, remark about something else!" Qing replied crabbily. Sanzo and her? It was the stuff of nightmares. They were so different, and then there was that fact that he hated her on sight, and she happily returned the pleasure. To think of anything else was just plain unnatural. Sure, he was hot and all, but he seemed to have a perpetual stick up his butt about something. So not what she was looking for in a potential boyfriend.
Gojyo grinned, leaning towards her suggestively. "How about proving me wrong by spending the night with me?"
She sneered at him. "How about not? I like a Casanova as much as the next girl, but you're just not my type."
"What is your type, then? Air-headed and annoying?" Sanzo muttered unpleasantly.
She bared a poisonous smile. "If that was the case, you'll be the first on my list."
"Touché," Hakkai chortled from the front, very much amused with the verbal jousting. Normally it just consisted of very creative death threats, and a man could definitely get used to this spectator sport. After all, it was rare to see someone other than Goku or Gojyo rile him up like that.
Sanzo shot him a murderous look. "Don't make me shoot you, too."
…
"We're going to sleep out here? Without a bathroom? Or a bed?" Qing asked incredulously as she stared at the expanse of grassland all around her. There was a river nearby, but she would be damned if she was going to bathe in there, especially when there were four guys not too far away. Shopping in a dump was one thing, but this…this was a total nightmare.
I swear, when I get back home, I'm going to be atheist. She thought angrily.
"It's only for a few days, I assure you." Hakkai said, his tone placating. Goku and Gojyo had gone off to find wood for the fire, and Sanzo was nowhere in sight—probably not wanting to hang around for another one of the girl's temper tantrums. "And there's a river over there for you to bathe in, if you like."
"If you think I'm going to bathe in that, you've got another thing coming." She snapped acrimoniously as she launched into a furious tirade. "This place majorly stinks, there's no roof, and what if it rains? I really, really don't want to be sleeping here! I mean, things were bad enough at that crap quality-deficient inn, and now this? Hello? Cruelty to people much? I don't know about you bums, but I refuse to sleep here! The grass stinks! I mean, if I wanted to rough it out, I'd go to summer camp or something equally pathetic!"
Hakkai, to his credit, was still smiling, though it looked a little strained. "Well, nothing can be done about it now, can it? Just put up with it for a little while, Miss Qing. It really isn't as bad as it looks." He looked up at the sky happily. "And it looks like we would be having fine weather tonight."
She glared at him accusingly, as if he was the one who was responsible for the mess somehow. Which he is. "Whatever." Qing was not stupid; what was the point of throwing a full-fledged temper tantrum in the middle of nowhere? All it would accomplish would be a death threat from Sanzo or something, which she currently was not up for. She was tired and cranky and in sore need of a nice, long soak. And heck, if she was going to sleep in such crappy conditions, she was so going to grab the other little pleasures whenever it came along, even if it meant taking a bath in a river.
I am never going to take my bed for granted again, she thought, thinking longingly of her satin sheets and soft, downy pillows. And the Jacuzzi tub. When I get out of this hellhole, that will be the first place I'll hit.
But now she had to get back to reality. She was stuck here, and she would have to make the best of it. Nothing, not even this, was going to get the better of Rong Zi Qing. She was made of stronger stuff than that.
Stalking over to where her bag was, she pulled out a towel—one of the things she'd bought—and a bottle of shampoo. Then she paused and surveyed the clothes she'd bought. "Hey, Hakkai?"
He looked up from where he was preparing the food. "Yes?"
"Can I borrow your clothes or something? Mine are not exactly suited for sleeping in."
"Of course."
She regarded the clothes critically as she took them out. "Are they clean?"
"Yes. They've never been used."
"Thanks." She turned to head off, then she paused and turned back to him. "And I'm not going to the river to bathe because I want to, okay? If any of you guys as much as even glance in the general direction of the river, I'll hurt you all in ways that would make even the most hardy masochist say 'ouch', got it?"
Hakkai suppressed a chuckle. "Don't worry, Miss Qing. We're not that perverted."
"Oh, I wouldn't know."
…
Thunk.
Thunk.
The sound was annoying the hell out of him.
Being a light sleeper, Sanzo had awoken the minute he heard it. It sounded a good distance away from their campsite, but in the silence of dawn, every sound seemed to be amplified tenfold. It was irritating.
Sitting up, he glanced around the site. The fire had long since died, a mess of charred wood in the centre of the rough circle they'd formed, and everyone was still fast asleep.
Everyone except Qing, who was currently missing.
Which meant that the one making that noise was…
Stupid wench. She has to irritate me when I'm sleeping, too!
Growling under his breath, he got to his feet and moved towards the direction of the sound. It was not hard, since there was a faint glow of light pinpointing the wench's exact location. He was a little surprised, though. She didn't look like she was an early riser, much less someone who would wake up early to practice archery.
Maybe she just sucks at it, he thought idly. And she's trying to make last minute improvements before we see her in action. The conclusion wasn't that much of a stretch, considering the kind of person she was. She probably didn't know the bow from the arrow. Barely able to hide a smirk, he moved quickly. If she really didn't know jack shit about archery, well, it was going to be amusing.
He was wrong, though. He knew it from the way she stood. There was a small fire a little way away from her, illuminating the clearing and the target.
The poor tree was already home to seven arrows.
She pulled the string taut and released it, and the arrow whispered through the air, hitting the bark of the tree with a solid thunk. She never even heard him even as she reached down to the quiver that lay on the ground beside her for another arrow. Muttering darkly to herself about stupid, offensive and totally EQ-deficient monks, she positioned the arrow and pulled the string of the bow back, ready for the next shot.
By now Sanzo was already right behind her, but she was too absorbed in what she was doing—and muttering—to notice.
"Wench." He said in her ear, not above giving her a good scare. It was payback for the sleep she caused him to lose.
With a startled scream, Qing almost dropped her bow. Spinning around, he suddenly saw the tip of a very sharp arrow in his immediate vision, followed by the ugliest thing he'd ever seen. What the hell?
Honestly.
It's face was full of a kind of substance that seemed to be from some kind of swamp, and it was disgusting. His S&W was already in his hand, and leveled point-blank at the…thing, ready to blow it's brains out. It was dressed in what Qing had been wearing earlier, though it looked nothing like her. In the dim light, there was only one thing to describe it.
Hideous.
"What the hell are you?" He demanded the same time as the thing screamed at him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
It was Qing's enraged voice. And it didn't look like it was going to lower the bow anytime soon. It was a stalemate.
"Excuse me, Monk Boy?" she asked after a few seconds of glaring at him. "Are you going to put the gun down anytime soon? My arms are tired. The bow isn't exactly light, you know. I might develop a cramp or something."
It was her.
"Damn, you are one ugly wench." He remarked, lowering his gun as she lowered her own weapon. Maybe she was a demon who only showed her true form when the sun went down or something, which would explain her narcissism.
"Excuse me?"
"Your face. No wonder you're so obsessed with your looks. Are you some kind of swamp demon?"
He could almost see her bristle, though he couldn't tell much by way of expression. "Excuse me, Mr. Ignoramus, this is a facial mask. I am currently exfoliating. You know, deep-cleansing pores, sloughing off dead skin cells, and starting the new day with my skin all hydrated and glistening, because moisturizing is simply not enough." She threw her hands in the air, deeply offended. "God, how weird can you get?"
"I should be asking you that question," he snapped. Which person does all that she just yapped about while practicing archery? He decided that he really didn't want to know. "And another thing. Why are you practicing archery at this ungodly hour? There are people who need sleep!" It was unnerving looking at a face that was covered with muck, but he endeavored.
"What do you mean weird?" Her voice rose, conveniently forgetting that she'd just used that question on him. "A face mask is NOT weird! And if you have a problem with me practicing, live with it." She hated that she was actually up at this hour doing it, but if she didn't, she would never get to sleep. That little nagging voice in the back of her brain would ensure that. It was simply too irksome. Besides, she had to find some way to protect herself.
The sarcasm in her voice was dripping. "Also, I'm trying not to ruin your precious demon fighting reputation. It's already pretty darned generous, considering the damage you people are doing to my rep. Thank God there's no one I know here, or else I am seriously going to die of shame."
"Do it somewhere else, then. You're damned noisy here."
"I'll practice wherever I want to. So bite me."
"I'd rather just shoot you," he said darkly. She was being such a nuisance; that would be a welcome relief.
She shot him a withering look. "Can you get over yourself? God, is everything kill, kill, kill with you?"
"Wouldn't you like to know."
"I really wouldn't." she snapped, turning back to where she had been practicing, totally dismissing him. She adjusted her arrow and fired with an aggression that had not been present earlier. Obviously he had majorly pissed her off, which was good, since she always seemed to be able to provoke him without much effort, which was very annoying.
"Your aiming stinks." He glanced critically at the tree, which was currently resembling a pincushion, what with all the arrows haphazardly being stuck onto it.
"I'm pretending it's you. Getting a bullseye so soon wouldn't be fun." She smiled with cruel charm and gestured to the 'X' that had been carved into the wood. None of the arrows were even remotely near it.
He smirked. "If that's that was really me, I don't think I'll have anything to worry about."
She made no response. Instead, she simply reached for another arrow. With surprising swiftness, she loaded the bow and released it.
The arrow hit the 'X' with a loud thunk.
She smiled smugly at the monk. She was good at this, and she knew it. It was time the jerk knew it, too. "Daddy thought that archery was the new golf, and so he made me learn it for years. Maybe it's time you started worrying, hmm?"
"Tch," he dismissed, looking unimpressed. "Let's see how well you do against a moving target first."
"I can shoot you, for one." She sounded entirely too happy at the prospect. His completely repugnant remarks was the chief reason that she was sacrificing her beauty sleep for this, and plus the fact that he just had his gun pointed in her face yet again made for good incentives to stick an arrow or two in him.
"Save the trouble," he shot back lazily as he left. "You'll never hit me in a million years."
She scowled, then realized she still had her facial mask on and resisted the urge to scream. There was another thing the jerk had ruined.
…
It was a very peaceful day, one of those days where the demons who were hot after their trail seemed to take a day off, and everything was right with the universe and all. Namely because Qing was currently fast asleep on Gojyo's shoulder, and—much to the latter's disappointment—she wasn't interested in doing anything else. Well, it was either this or get poked in the eye with Goku's really sharp shoulder pads. Besides, he was short, and she would get an unpleasant crick in her neck if she slept on him.
Of course, it hadn't been peaceful in the morning. Sanzo and Qing had been at each other's throats during breakfast, and Hakkai had to placate the seething young woman, who was saying something about the blonde priest ruining her sleep and her exfoliating session—generally something he wasn't sure he wanted to know about.
Sanzo, for one, was irritable—from having his sleep disrupted, possibly. Hakkai had woken up to see both Qing's and Sanzo's places empty. He had been worried for awhile and wondered what the pair were possibly doing, then decided he really, REALLY didn't want to know and had gone back to sleep.
There were some things that were better left alone.
And speaking of things that were better left alone, the blonde monk beside him was currently dozing. Gojyo was being quiet—possibly not wanting to wake the sleeping woman at his side, and Goku seemed to have no interest in engaging the half-breed in yet another round of asinine quarrels, entertaining himself by admiring the landscape.
It was, generally, a lazy, boring day.
"Looks like it's just you and me, Jeep." He said quietly, not wanting to break the tranquil spell that came upon them oh-so-rarely. The Jeep made a sound of approval, happy that none of the occupants were shooting and wrecking his paint job, and no damage was done to his seats for once.
This was not bad, not bad at all.
…
Five days later:
Qing was having a hell of a headache. She had not slept well, and to add to that, she was currently watching the guys putting the kibosh on the newest bunch of demons.
Three days in a row. You'd think that those demons would've developed some form of common sense and STOPPED coming, she thought sourly, rubbing her temple in order to ease the pain. She had earlier stated that under no circumstances was she joining the fight and dirtying her clothes. She was already filthy enough, on account of the days she had to spend bathing in a river. And what if she was killed or worse, horribly mutilated? No, thank you.
Also, she was very much afraid of those demons, although she would rather die than say it outright. A girl had her pride, you know.
So here she was, just a little way away from the fight with Jeep, the quiver of arrows at her feet and a bow in her hand. Of course, she was no freaking hero. It was more like self-protection, in case any demons decide to head in her general direction with her imminent demise in mind.
So far she had already shot down one. It had narrowly missed Gojyo, though, who yelped and jumped out of the way, then reminded her loudly to remember which side she was on. For all his macho-ness, he sure was wimpy around an arrow.
Nothing like a dose of abject terror to jolt the system, she thought even as she watched them. Her sleepiness was gone, but the migraine was still there, buzzing around in her head like a particularly irksome insect.
It was only when she saw none of the demons getting past the four of them that she started to relax, though she still kept an eye on the situation.
"When do you think I can get a decent bath and a good night's sleep, Jeep?" she asked unhappily, running a hand through her hair and wincing at the slightly roughened texture. Five days without a good conditioner and already her hair was going to pieces. This was horrible. "I'm going to look like a total bum if this keeps up, you know."
She leaned gingerly against the hood of the jeep, trying not to get her dress dirty. It was not an easy feat, considering the shortness of the dress and her pounding headache.
The menfolk looked like they were having the time of their lives, what with all the killing and the exploding demons and stuff, and she watched with a kind of sick fascination normally reserved for when one sees a cockroach crawling across the floor dragging it's entrails along. What was it with them and killing things? Okay, so Gojyo was right when he said that trouble always found them instead of the other way round, but did they have to be so happy while they were killing things? What was wrong with them?
Honestly speaking, she hated that she could feel so much fear while they seemed to be entirely relaxed with the entire thing. How did one get used to demons?
"I am never going to recover from this trauma," she told the Jeep petulantly, shaking her head. "If I become a psycho and go all Goth, I'm definitely sending you guys the psychiatrist's bill. You know how much—" she stopped, catching sight of a stray demon leaping her way. Abandoning her thought for the moment, she hurriedly scrambled for an arrow. Pulling it back, she aimed and fired—
—and missed.
This time, the demon was very much closer very much faster, and she beat down a wave of panic as she reached for another arrow. God, she should've paid more attention! She could see it's hideous face now, and those sharp, sharp teeth as it leered at her in anticipation of an easy kill. It looked strangely like a cross between an iguana and a fish that had been affected with jaundice or something. And God it stank, especially when it snarled. Why did all the fish-type ones just HAVE to come for her?
"No, no…" she muttered, almost panicking as her fingers shook and she almost dropped the arrow. She didn't want to die here, not like this!
Ohmygod, ohmygod, it's coming closer…come on, come on!
Finally, she managed to load the bow, but even before she took aim, the demon's head exploded like a ripe watermelon.
She stared, stunned, and Sanzo scowled at her before turning away to put another few bullets into the next dozen demons.
Qing sighed, sagging. That was a close one. The thing almost ate her! Her heart was still pounding in her ribs like a jackhammer, and she fought to calm it down, suddenly annoyed that the crazy monk had caught her at a very bad time and had even saved her bacon. Oh, she was never going to hear the end of it from him.
"I hate demons. Can't they just go hit on some other group? And talk about the embarrassment. I know that crazy monk is so going to rub this in the first time he gets the chance to. I mean, what is his problem? It's not like I want to be here, anyway!" She muttered angrily to the listening Jeep. "Why does my life have to suck so much suddenly? What did I do to deserve this?"
"Kyuu?" The Jeep chirped, way past being confused.
Qing sighed, and ran a hand through her hair again, frustrated. "And look at me! Definite sign of insanity: I'm currently talking to a car. Wait till the girls hear about this. If they ever get past their hangups and pay attention to me, for one. Heather is so totally obsessed over her new boyfriend, you know, the one with the multiple piercings? But he is such a dud; I mean, the guy was so totally checking me out that time at Nightshade. And Adrienne, when will she get it into her head that bulimia is so not?" She paused. "I wonder what she's going to wear for the graduation party." Then she scowled. "It better not be anything from Versace; I hate people who wear the same things I am. She's such a wannabe. That time at the Winter Dance, she copied my—"
But then something in the 'battlefield' caught her attention, cutting off her rant. There was a bright light, and suddenly there was something resembling toilet paper—only larger and with some kind of wording—flooding the entire place. Sanzo was chanting something, and she realized that the toilet paper thingy had been on his shoulders, albeit much shorter when she had noticed it. And now by some strange reason it was strangely long, and enveloping all the demons with it.
The power. There was so much power…She felt it as keenly as if it had been pressed against her skin.
And then all the demons exploded.
Qing stared, impressed. "Well, that was pretty much a climax."
Upon seeing that those demons were gone, she tossed her bow and quiver of arrows into the Jeep, climbing into the driver's seat. "Come on, let's go get them."
…
What do you think? I made a lot of changes to this chapter…Hope you guys like it!