Disclaimer: All characters belong to Kazuya Minekura.

This is thesecond chapter of the five part series.

The sun was shining brightly that late autumn morning. His breath came out in little white clouds as he bounded down one of the wooden walkways surrounding the large hall in the Keiunin Temple grounds. Behind him were the sounds of two out-of-shape bodies trying to keep up. Looking around him and quickly weighing options in his head, his only way to escape from there would be across the pavilion.

But the monks would see him.

But what if he hid?

If he hid, they'd run right past him and never know.

Then he'd be free to go anywhere.

And maybe that anywhere would have lots of food.

Coming to an abrupt stop, he jumped down to the ground and squeezed underneath the wooden walkway. Overhead, he could hear the thunderous steps of the monks trying to get him.

"Master Sa—Sanzo is not going to be happy—when we report this to him!" yelled one of the monks.

"That little troublemaker!" hissed the second one loudly. "He should've been kicked out months ago!"

Their steps slowed as they neared where he was on the ground. He gasped and held his breath until they were past his hiding spot.

"Now where did he go…" grumbled the second monk as he breathed heavily.

"He's…he's eaten most of our…winter stores too!" whined the first monk. From the sound of his voice, this monk was in even worse shape than the other one.

The second monk sighed. "Well, hopefully we'll get enough donations to make up for the losses…"

"We have to, or else how'll we survive the winter with that kid around?"

"Oh no! He's probably on his way to the food stores now. Come on!"

And the footsteps started running again. Slowly, he let out his breath and crawled out. Peeking up over the edge, he watched the two bald monks turn the corner. He grinned and giggled mischievously. The two monks would be so mad and yell at him later, but he had been cooped up in that stuffy monastery for days now. The three floating head thingies sent Sanzo on a mission that the man had said would be too dangerous for an annoyance like him to have around. Or something like that. So he was left with explicit orders to not leave his room.

Honestly though, it was so boring, there was no one to talk to, and he was constantly hungry! What was Sanzo thinking? The least he could have done was leave him with enough food.

Once the monks were out of sight, he made a break for the next building in the pavilion. He raced across the open courtyard, his steamy breath trailing behind him, until he reached the building. His eyes darted around to see if anyone was watching, then he sprinted over to the temple wall.

Oh, he could smell the food from there…

Mouth beginning to water, he gave the wall a good look over for any cracks or anything he could possibly use to climb the wall. However, the wall seemed to be in pretty good shape and probably would be for a long time, unfortunately.

There had to be another way. Any moment, those monks would reach the food storage, discover that he's not there, and come back even angrier.

He sighed heavily, leaning back against the wall. Well, if I'm gonna get caught, he thought, resignedly tilting his head backwards, I might as well—wait a minute! His eyes widened as he laughed, the sight above him glorious.

Deftly, he leaped up and grabbed at the low hanging branch, quickly hoisting himself up before it had a chance to snap. The branch, however, seemed to be made of tougher stuff. Lucky for him too—the branch was conveniently attached to a much larger branch growing from a tree just beyond the wall. He'd have to remember where this tree was in the future.

Down and down he went, scrambling and winding his way to the ground. He smiled, his grin almost cocky from his achievement when he felt the cold dirt beneath his barefoot. If it were later in the year, he wouldn't have dared venturing out in fear of—well, it wasn't there yet, so he had nothing to worry about!

Breathing in deeply, he caught the scent of something sweet not too far from where he was. His feet started to move automatically, toes wriggling in the long grasses as he walked. Past bushes and low branches, he made his way through the woods. Birds chirped softly above him, smaller animals scampering away as he came crashing through.

Finally, he came upon a peach tree, most littering the ground and bruised and partially eaten. He was rather disappointed. He had kinda hoped for something more, like lots of really good fruit or even something better! But, he soon found out from picking up one of the better looking peaches and taking a bite from it, that he had better start looking for something else to eat. He wasn't a picky eater, but when the food was past being edible, even he had to pass it by.

Forlornly, he kicked at the gross fruit and stalked away. Perhaps there was a stray berry bush, or maybe a yakitori bush or harumaki bush hiding out somewhere. It was worth a shot.

Ahead of him, something small and vaguely whitish slowly staggered out from behind an old mossy stump. He stopped and peered at the creature curiously, wondering what it could possibly be doing out in the middle of the woods. Slowly, he took a step towards it, and it didn't dart away. So, he took another, with the same results. And then another and another until he was within arm's reach of the little animal.

"Mew…" it said weakly. It edged towards him cautiously, its ears back.

He laughed softly, holding both hands out eagerly to the animal. "Come here, kitty! I won't eat ya!"

The kitten stopped when he spoke, its tail growing puffy and its back arching as though it were afraid of him.

"Aww, please? I promise I won't do anything kitty." His hands gravitated closer towards the kitten, the smile on his face encouraging.

The kitten didn't move from its spot. Finally, he just grabbed it up, surprising the small animal.

"Mew, mew!" it cried, scratching at his hands and anything else it could sink its claws into.

"Ow, ow, ow! Stop it!" He held the kitten tightly, shushing it and petting it to calm it down. "Kitty, it's a good thing I don't wanna eat ya. There's hardly any meat on your bones."

He looked around to see if there were any other kittens nearby. The little guy's mom must be around somewhere, else how'd it get out by the temple? But there weren't any other kitties around. He frowned, petting the defeated animal, and felt sad for it.

He couldn't very well leave it behind now, he reasoned. Well, he could try to, but he probably wouldn't get more chances to escape the monks again, at least for another month or so, so he could go and visit it. This time he had gone too far and knew it very well. Especially since Sanzo would be even madder at them once he got back, and they in turn would yell at him more. It was a never-ending cycle. He didn't even know why they got so mad in the first place. They probably just didn't like having someone else around who had hair. Their heads must get awfully cold which may explain why they were so irritable. He suspected he would be too if he had a bald head.

Turning around, he headed back past the rotten peach tree, following the path he made on his way through. Right now, feeding the kitty was more important than feeding his own stomach.

If he realized the brevity of his decision, he would have been rightly surprised.

Besides, he could easily get more food from the monks.

Springing upwards, he caught onto one of the lower branches with a free hand. The kitten mewed in protest, digging its pinprick claws into his shoulder as it tried to wriggle out of his grasp. He frowned, trying to ignore the pain as he climbed towards the large branch hanging out over the temple wall.

"Owie, I'm going to feed ya so ya won't be so angry anymore so stop trying to get away!" he said, pausing on one of the branches. The kitten stopped mewing, but maintained its hold on his shoulder.

It was a start, at least. Without further interruption, he made it up to the branch. Slowly, his arm holding onto another branch for balance, he sat down and flung one leg over the branch. From there, he proceeded to scoot the rest of the way down until it dipped past the wall and into the temple grounds.

And snap when it passed its limit, sending both him and kitten plummeting down to the ground.

"Ah crap!" he yelled in shock. Instinctively, he sheltered the kitten against him, covering its head and most of its body with his hands. The blow from the fall went fully to his back, making him cry out from the pain. Slowly he rolled over, the broken branch splintered beneath him.

"Ugh…" he groaned. "Kitty, are ya okay?"

"Mew…" it said weakly. Now that it had been startled, the little animal strangely seemed to have calmed down. Maybe holding and protecting it made it feel safer. In any case, it was nice to have the claws out of his shoulder.

"Hmm, gotta hide ya before those monks find me…"

Getting to his feet, he staggered for a few steps and stopped, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. That fall really smarted! Once he gained equal footing again, he ran back to his room, thankfully uncaught by the monks.

The rest of the day and the next passed by uneventfully—helped in part by the monks making sure he stayed in his room. And he was just as happy to do so. The kitten was there to keep him company now. While it wasn't the most playful thing in the world, it was something he could talk to and become friends with. And he was sure to save a bit of food for the kitten when he got his meals.

But it didn't seem to like what he had to offer. He just couldn't see how something so thin and tiny could refuse food. It would sniff it, then do nothing.

However, he was determined to get something it'd like. When the monks' vigil over his room lulled again during dinnertime, he slipped out of the window after eating his own food and escaped to the building where they kept all the food. He grabbed up small bits and pieces of things he didn't get with his past few meals and some extra things for himself, and went straight back to his room. Even with the different food though, it didn't seem to want to eat.

"Come on, you've gotta eat!" he said, watching it sit lazily on his bed. But the kitten just mewed and stayed where it was. "Okay," he sighed. "I'll leave it right here. I promise I won't touch it. Ya need your strength too."

That night, he picked up the kitten from its spot and plopped it down on his pillow. Gently, he held it near his face as he slept. Not once did he hear it purr, not before he fell asleep or even since he found it. He thought cats were supposed to purr.

He woke up once during the night and found the kitten sleeping down by his feet. Smiling, he pet it nicely and curled up next to it. His hand moved lazily, stroking the soft fur until he drifted off to sleep.

There were some loud noises disturbing his early morning slumber.

"Huh…?" he mumbled in a half awake state. "Is it time for breakfast already?"

The noises grew louder and sounded like a bunch of large things or bodies stomping past his room.

"Master Sanzo! Master Sanzo!" came the loud cries a second later. He sat up quickly, listening to the monks run.

He laughed joyously and scrambled off his bed. "Sanzo's back! I can show ya to Sanzo now and I just know he'll be able to get ya to eat!" he said eagerly as he fought with a pair of pants. He couldn't help grinning broadly.

The kitten wasn't there when he turned around to give it another pet before he left. He frowned, looking all over his bed, and said, "Okay kitty. I'll be right back! Maybe Sanzo brought us some really good food!"

Throwing the door open and slamming it, he ran past a few of the monks lagging behind, laughing as he went and ignoring their calls for him to slowdown. They were running too, so why should he be the only one to not go so fast?

"Sanzo! Sanzooooo!" he cried, pushing through the dozens of monks. Finally, he caught sight of the blond haired man, his eyes going wide with delight. "Sanzo! Over here! San—!"

"Shut up, stupid monkey!" growled the man, the paper fan smashed instantly over his head.

"Owie, that hurt!" he pouted, rubbing the wounded spot.

"What's this I hear about you eating almost all of the food, you idiot? I thought I had these morons give you enough!"

"I—I can explain! But I have something to show ya first!" He took off at a run, bounding through the monks and back across the courtyard to his room. Turning around, he saw the man stomping reluctantly after him. He grinned and went into his room, knowing the man would be there any second.

"Hey kitty! Sanzo's coming!" He listened for a reply but got none. Puzzled, he searched his sheets and threw the pillow across the room, and like he thought before, it wasn't there. "Kitty? Where'd ya go, kitty?"

Glancing around, he couldn't see the kitten sitting in any corner, or under the table and chairs or anything. His heart began to beat fast, his palms sweating. Something was wrong.

Kneeling down, he shoved at the overhanging sheets and threw them back on top of the bed. "Kitty, where are—?" His voice caught in the back of his throat.

No…

His hand shot out as far as it could go, chest pressed to the ground, but it fell just short of the motionless kitten.

Suddenly he pulled away, letting out an anguished cry.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" came the voice of the man. "Oi, answer me, you—What happened?" He heard the man and saw him out of the corner of his eye, but made no attempt to answer him.

"No, this isn't like before," he muttered hoarsely, wiping at the hot tears in his eyes. "There're no bars holding me back this time!"

Again he dived under the bed, scraping his back on the bottom of the bed frame as he pushed under. "No chains, no talisman things, no nothing!"

His fingers grazed the soft fur on the kitten's back. Just a little more! He braced his bare feet against the wooden floor and pushed. His teeth clenched, fingers splayed and reaching until they wrapped around the kitten's body. It didn't fight as he pulled it back towards him. The frame scratched hi back as he came out from under the bed.

"Sanzo, do something!" he said, sitting up with the kitten clutched against his chest.

"Is that what you—"

"Please!" he interrupted, his voice cracking. "He's hurt!"

The man sighed and plucked the little animal from his hands. He held it up, fingers touching and prodding it.

"Is this why you stole all that food?" he said after a few minutes.

He didn't answer. He couldn't even bring himself to look up. The kitten still felt warm when he had it in his hands, so it couldn't be hurt too badly. It hadn't eaten at all since he found it, so maybe that could've been the problem.

But his gut told him otherwise.

"Goku…" the man said in a softer tone.

"It's…it's not okay, is it?" he said quietly. He already knew the answer. Why'd he have to ask?

"…No."

The word, as simple as it was, held so much weight. And from the man's tone, he just knew. It hurt so much, but he knew. He just didn't want it to be true.

He closed his eyes as his heart sank in his chest. His fists tightened and his teeth clenched, and soon his entire body tensed to keep the tears from escaping. Inside, every fiber of his being was telling him just to let it all out, that it'd be okay to cry over this kitten like he did the bird.

But he couldn't. He knew he had tried his best to feed it and to get it to eat. And as much as it had fought him, it still let him play with it and pet it. He was even able to hold it in the end.

The kitten had been a nice little visitor to have.

That's all that it was—a visitor.

And now he had to say goodbye.

Slowly he stood, relaxing his body enough to be able to look up into the blond-haired man's eyes. "Can we go bury it?"

The man gave just one nod of his head and handed the kitten to him before leaving the room. He cradled it against his chest and kissed it softly.

A lone tear escaped his eye.

He wished he knew why goodbyes had to hurt so much.