Disclaimer: Don't own anybody in Saiyuki!
Author's note: Thanks to all those who reviewed! Specifically Princess of the Shadow Land! Here's chapter 8! Hope you like it! Please read and review!
Chapter 8: Powers have gone
The next day, they continued their journey westward. They had rested for 5 days and they were all missing the action. With the exception of Shiey. "You think we'll run into demons today?" Gojyo asked. "I sure hope so!" Goku strongly agreed. "Now, now. Be careful what you wish for." Hakkai warned. "Tch." Sanzo groaned. Shiey managed to giggle at their remarks.
It wasn't such a lovely day. The breeze was cold and the sky was starting to get dark. It was strange, since the day before, the weather was absolutely remarkable. "We better find somewhere to rest." Sanzo demanded. "I think that's impossible, Sanzo. According to this map, we won't be reaching a town in at least 2 days." Hakkai informed. "What!" Gojyo and Goku exclaimed in unison. "What about food?" Goku asked. "Yeah, and what about pretty girls?" Gojyo asked. "Well, that'll have to wait." Hakkai said as he continued driving. "Um, guys, we better hurry up finding that place we can rest in because it's starting to rain." Shiey informed. "I guess we'll be camping out tonight." Hakkai remarked as he turned and entered a forest.
It was only noon, but the sky sure was dark. It had already started raining and Sanzo wasn't in such a good mood. They had set up 3 tents and Hakkai started cooking their lunch. Goku and Gojyo were in their tent, keeping each other busy with a card game, Sanzo was in a tent, together with Hakkai who was cooking. And Shiey was in her tent, alone.
"I wonder how the other's are doing. Especially Sanzo. Hakkai said he hates the rain and it takes him back to a memory in his past that he can't forget. I hope he's okay." Shiey thought as she looked outside the tent. It was too foggy to see the distance. All she could manage to see was the fire of Hakkai's cooking and all she could hear was Gojyo and Goku's shouting. Then, her thoughts went back to the rain. She and Sanzo were not the same when it came to rain. She loved the rain. She loved how it cleansed everything. She had spent years being soaked by the rain. It was the rain that had given her comfort. It made her feel cleansed. But, Sanzo didn't think the same. Everything about the rain made Sanzo feel moody and uneasy. She held out her hand outside the tent, feeling the raindrops hit her hand made her feel at ease. She didn't know why Sanzo hated the rain. She didn't know what past deeply troubled him the most. All she knew was that Sanzo hated the rain. That was it. She knew he was her brother. But she felt like she didn't know much about him anymore. Well, compared to when they were still young. She missed those days… When they would just lay under the stars, sharing their thoughts with each other. The days when they would go to the park together and play. The days when life was easier… for both of them. Suddenly, her thoughts went back to yesterday. When she summoned Kanan, all she remembered was being trapped in darkness. She remembered being there for a long time. There was not even a ray of light. But she was happy that she summoned Kanan, for Hakkai's sake. She knew that only Kanan could help Hakkai lessen the guilt he carried on his own for all these years. Then, she remembered what Hakkai told her before he left that night.
"I love you…"These three words echoed inside her mind. She loved him… she admitted it to herself. But, when she heard Hakkai tell her that he loved her as well, she felt all warm inside. Could this really be love? How would she know? She had only experienced love once. And it didn't even work out. Her eyes started becoming teary as she remembered Homura. "Homura…" she whispered. Just then, Hakkai called her from his tent. "Shiey! Goku! Gojyo! It's time to eat!" Hakkai called. Shiey wiped away the tears and got out of the tent to go and eat.
"Hakkai, what about Sanzo?" Shiey asked as she looked over at Sanzo, who was looking outside the tent, at the rain. "She'll be alright Shiey. I left some food for him just in case he might want to eat." Hakkai said. Gojyo and Goku didn't seem to mind them because they were busy eating. After a while, they finished eating. Gojyo and Goku went to go and explore the woods. It stopped raining, but the fog was too thick to travel in. So, they decided to stay there until the next day.
"Mind if I join you?" Hakkai asked, looking at Shiey who was sitting by a clearing. "Sure." Shiey smiled at him. Hakkai sat down beside her. "How's Sanzo?" Shiey asked. "He's fine. The rain stopped so I guess he'll be feeling much better." Hakkai declared. "Okay." Shiey said. Silence took over for a while, but was broken by Hakkai. "Thank you Shiey. Thank you for giving me a chance to see Kanan one more time." Hakkai said. "Well, it was the least I could do for you. You saved my life a couple of times already. I can't thank you enough. And you're always there to help me with my problems. Thank you." Shiey replied. Hakkai smiled at her. Shiey blushed at his charming smile and returned it with another smile. Just then, Shiey started rubbing her hands together. "What's the matter, Shiey?" Hakkai asked. "I-I'm just cold. It is getting pretty cold, right?" Shiey answered as she hugged herself. Just then, she felt two strong arms wrap around her. She was surprised to see Hakkai hugging her. "Hakkai…" Shiey said, blushing. Hakkai didn't respond for a while, but he did. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just lost myself there." Hakkai said, pulling away. "No," Shiey said, her bangs covering her eyes. "It's okay. I kinda like it." She said, taking Hakkai's arms and wrapping it around her. Hakkai blushed, but smiled. They were in that position for quite some time. They were enjoying each other's company. And they surely felt warm, together like that. Shiey closed her eyes and smiled. She might just get another chance in love. Just then, her eyes flew open and Hakkai let go of her. "What is it, Shiey?" Hakkai asked. "I smell blood. Where exactly did Gojyo and Goku go?" Shiey replied. "They went in that direction." Hakkai pointed to somewhere to the right. "We have to go find them. I'm afraid there's trouble." Shiey said as she stood up and ran to where Sanzo was. "Sanzo, we'll just be looking for Gojyo and Goku, okay?" she said. Sanzo didn't even look up from the paper he was reading. Shiey smiled and joined Hakkai as they went in the forest.
Several moments ago…
"Hey Goku! Look! It's some kind of fruit! Wanna eat it?" Gojyo asked. "Yeah! Yeah!" Goku exclaimed, taking the fruit from Gojyo's hand. "How does it taste?" Gojyo asked. "Bleck! It tastes awful!" Goku replied, sticking out his tongue. Just then, they heard rustling in the bushes. Goku and Gojyo got ready to fight and brought out their weapons. Just then, demons started attacking from everywhere. But of course, they were no match for Goku and Gojyo. They all died. "No chance!" Gojyo yelled as he killed the last one. "You got that right!" Goku agreed. "But that made me hungry. Gojyo! I'm hungry!" Goku said. "Shut up, monkey." Gojyo said as he hit Goku on the head. "Hey! What was that for!" Goku yelled. "For being a stupid monkey. Oh, I'm sorry I hit you! It's not your fault that you are a stupid monkey!" Gojyo teased. "Stop calling me a stupid monkey, you pervy water sprite!" Goku yelled back. "Why you!" Gojyo said. And thus, a quarrel began. Just then, a demon came from behind Goku and took of his coronet. Gojyo saw the demon, but it was too late, he had already taken off Goku's coronet. Goku kneeled on the ground and began screaming and holding his head. Then, his ears started to grow long and so did his fingernails. He also grew claws and fangs appeared. "Oh no." Gojyo remarked as Goku turned into his demon form.
"Gojyo!" Hakkai yelled as they started looking for their two companions. Suddenly, they heard a loud scream. "Over there." Shiey pointed. She and Hakkai ran to where the scream came from and they saw Gojyo and Goku. "Gojyo, are you alright?" Shiey asked. "I'm fine. But maybe that'll change for all of us." Gojyo said as he pointed to Goku who was smirking at all of them. "What happened!" Hakkai asked. "A demon took off his coronet." Gojyo explained. "What? I don't get it." Shiey asked. "You see, Goku has to wear a coronet or a power limiter to prevent him from reverting back to his demon form." Hakkai narrated. "Oh." Shiey answered. "We have to get Sanzo!" Gojyo said, "And fast. He's starting to make his move." He added as Goku started attacking them. Gojyo and Hakkai were managing to dodge his moves. "Shiey! Go and get Sanzo! Tell him that Goku's in trouble!" Hakkai yelled. Shiey looked at him and Gojyo, worry in her eyes, "Okay! But promise that you two will be okay until I come back with Sanzo." Shiey said. "Okay. Now go!" Hakkai yelled as he blocked Goku's kick. With that, Shiey ran off to go and get Sanzo. "Goku! Stop this nonsense right now. You might hurt yourself." Hakkai said. "Don't you mean he might hurt us?" Gojyo asked. "That too." Hakkai replied as they dodged Goku's moves. Just then, Gojyo didn't manage to block Goku's kick so it sent him flying to the ground. "Gojyo!" Hakkai yelled, looking at Gojyo on the ground. And since Hakkai wasn't paying attention to Goku, he got hit too. And was also sent flying to the ground. "Shiey better hurry up!" Gojyo remarked.
Shiey ran through the forest as fast as she could. After a while, she reached their camp. She ran to Sanzo's tent. "Sanzo! Gojyo and Hakkai need your help. They said something about Goku's coronet falling off. So now he's in his demon form. You better hurry! They might get hurt!" Shiey said, panting as she told Sanzo everything. Sanzo furrowed his brows. "Show me." Sanzo said as he and Shiey ran to where the other three were.
"Hey, stop this now!" Gojyo demanded. He already had wounds on his arms. "Goku, please stop!" Hakkai said. He was hurt as well. The bad part was… both he and Gojyo were already tired. And it didn't seem like Sanzo and Shiey were coming anytime soon. Goku made another attempt to bruise Gojyo and Hakkai. He jumped high and landed back on Gojyo and Hakkai, who both fell on the ground. Then, Hakkai made a power blast go straight to Goku. Giving them a chance to stand up. "Man, I'm getting tired." Gojyo said. "Just a little more, Gojyo." Hakkai said. Just then, Goku disappeared in front of them and appeared behind them. Giving them a kick in the stomach. Gojyo was the one who took the hit. It looked like he broke some of his ribs. Goku smiled and looked at Hakkai. Hakkai's eyes widened, "Goku, stop this now." Hakkai said. Goku just smiled at him and vanished, appearing behind him. Hakkai turned around and saw Goku behind him, "I was too slow." Hakkai thought as Goku punched him in the stomach. Blood escaped form his mouth and he fell to the ground. Goku smiled and was about to start punching him non-stop when he suddenly heard a gun shot. He looked up and saw Sanzo and Shiey standing in front of him. "Stupid monkey." Sanzo said as he placed his hand on Goku's forehead and began chanting. After chanting, Goku had a new coronet placed on his head and he fell to Sanzo, sleeping. Shiey was kneeling beside Hakkai and Gojyo, trying to heal their wounds. "Hurry up and heal them. Then, we'll have to carry them back to camp." Sanzo said. "You go ahead." Shiey said, looking at him. Sanzo carried Goku back to camp, leaving Gojyo and Hakkai to Shiey. Shiey placed her hands on Hakkai's wounds and was about to heal it. After she successfully healed Hakkai, she went to Gojyo and healed his wounds. Gojyo and Hakkai woke up, "Thanks, Shiey." They both said in unison. Shiey smiled and closed her hand so that the yellow light from her hand would go back in, since she finished healing both of them. But when she did, she suddenly felt weak. Like a huge source of energy was drained from her. "Shiey! What's the matter!" Hakkai asked. Shiey closed her eyes and fell to the ground, unconscious.
Shiey woke up inside her tent. It was already dark outside. "What happened?" she asked. "Well, after healing us, you fainted. I'd like to ask you the same question." Hakkai said, smiling. "All I remember after healing you and Gojyo was that everything went black. I felt so weak and it was like I lost a lot of energy." Shiey explained. "Maybe it's just because of stress." Hakkai answered. "Yes, maybe." Shiey replied. "Come, join us for dinner." Hakkai offered as he took her hand and led her outside the tent and to where the others were.
The night sky was a pretty sight. There were so many stars and the moon was shining at it's brightest. Under the stars, there was a bonfire. And around the fire were five people. Sanzo, Hakkai, Shiey, Gojyo and Goku. They were eating their dinner in silence. Just then, "Hey guys, I'm sorry about today." Goku said, looking at Hakkai and Gojyo. Hakkai smiled at him. Gojyo looked at him, one eyebrow raised. "You're such a stupid monkey." "Don't call me that, you red cockroach head!" Goku teased. "What did you call me!" Gojyo yelled. "If you're not a cockroach, then why do you have antennas?" Goku asked. And so, Goku and Gojyo started fighting. "Will you shut up!" Sanzo yelled, firing his gun in the air. Gojyo and Goku stopped fighting and continued eating. Shiey and Hakkai looked at each other and laughed.
They all slept early that night, since they were all tired. Sanzo, Hakkai, Goku and Gojyo were already asleep. They thought Shiey was too, but she wasn't. She was sitting by the clearing, looking up at the night sky. She remembered what happened to her when she healed Hakkai and Gojyo. "Why did I faint?" Shiey asked herself. "It's just stress." Shiey convinced herself. Then, she went back to looking at the sky. She pulled her knees close to her chest and laid her forehead on her knees. Just then, she remembered the inscription she had on her arm. It was only half way to completion. She didn't know when it would be complete. And she didn't want to. Because she knew that if it were already complete, she would lose herself and end up hurting those she cared for. She didn't want that to happen. She didn't want to hurt Hakkai, or Sanzo or Goku or Gojyo. They all meant so much to her.
Just then, somebody tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, it's getting late. Don't you want to go to sleep yet?" Hakkai asked, sitting beside her. Shiey shook her head. "Well, I guess I'll have to stay with you." Hakkai said. "No, you can go to sleep already. You don't have to wait for me." Shiey said. "It's okay. I couldn't let you stay out here all alone." Hakkai insisted. Shiey smiled and went back to looking at the stars. "The stars are so pretty." Shiey said. "Yeah." Hakkai replied. Just then, something bright appeared behind them. Shiey and Hakkai looked behind them and saw a beautiful woman. She was glowing all over, her hair was purple and her eyes were blue. Shiey looked at her in shock. "Hello Shiey." The voice said. "Ciara?" Shiey asked. Hakkai looked at her. "Shiey, who is she?" he asked. "She's the celestial maiden I saw in the forest." Shiey explained. Then, she looked back at Ciara. "Ciara, what are you doing here?" she asked. "Shiey, I'm here because I thought you might want to know why you fainted earlier. When you tried to heal these men's wounds." Ciara said. "Yes. Why did I faint, Ciara?" Shiey asked. "I'm afraid to say, but Shiey, your celestial powers are weakening for some sort of reason. I'm sorry, but as of now, you do not have your celestial powers." Ciara said. "But Ciara, why? Why are my powers weakening?" Shiey asked, clearly confused. "I'm sorry, Shiey. But you have to find that out for yourself." Ciara said as she vanished once more, leaving Hakkai and Shiey alone. "My celestial powers are w-weakening?" Shiey kept telling herself over and over. "Shiey, it's okay." Hakkai reassured. "Hakkai," Shiey said, "How will I be able to help you guys now?" Shiey asked. "I feel so useless. I won't be able to help you guys fight anymore." Shiey said, tears forming in her eyes. "Shiey," Hakkai said, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "It's okay, Shiey. Don't worry about it. Everything will turn out fine." Hakkai said, hugging Shiey tightly in his arms. Shiey hugged him back. Suddenly, Shiey felt Hakkai lean down and kiss her. Her eyes widened in surprise. Then, she returned his kiss. After a while, Hakkai pulled away. "I love you, Shiey. I want you to know that." Hakkai said, hoping it might make Shiey feel better. "Hakkai…" Shiey started, as she hugged him once more, "I love you, too." Hakkai smiled down at her. "Everything will be okay… I promise." Hakkai said, placing his hand on her left cheek. Shiey closed her eyes once more and hugged him again. "I got another chance in love because of you… thank you, Hakkai." She thought. Just then, she fell to the ground, clutching her left arm. And then, she remembered the inscription that the demon gave her. Then her eyes suddenly widened in shock. Hakkai knelt beside her, "Shiey, what is it?" he asked. "Hakkai, I already know why my powers are weakening." Shiey said. "Why?" Hakkai asked. "It's because of this." Shiey said, pulling up the left sleeve so that Hakkai could see the inscription. "It's halfway through." Hakkai said. "That must be it. Since the power of this inscription is getting stronger, my celestial powers are weakening." Shiey said. Hakkai's eyes widened in surprise, "Yes. That must be why." He said. "Then that means I'm nearing the stage of turning into a demon…" Shiey said, looking at Hakkai who looked back at her. Then, silence took over.
Author's note: Halo There! What did you guys think? Well, that was chapter eight! I'm working on chapter nine! Please read and review! Please and Thank You:)