Disclaimer: I do not own Gensomaiden Saiyuki.

Okay, I'm trying something new. Don't worry 'Mind tricks' is not on hold I'm just getting rid of a distraction which in this case happens to be a story idea.

Anyhow this is supposed to be non-yaoi but I will be concentrating on the relationships(Meaning family relationship).

Adult themes are in this one.

" This is all your fault!"

" My fault? Well excuse me, oh great Sanzo-sama, but I can't be everywhere at once. Maybe it's about time you hauled your lazy ass up and helped once in awhile. "

"Stop yelling at each other! Why are you so mad anyway?"

" Shut up, stupid ape!", both yelled loudly in unison.

"ENOUGH!"

The room fell into awkward silence for Cho Hakkai was not known to yell.

" Yes, it was a bad day. Yes, we can't continue for a few days because Jeep is injured and yes, today we all screwed up." His voice was neither very loud nor his usual polite tone but sent a shiver down his companions spine nevertheless.

" As everything has been settled and there is nothing left to argue about would you kindly leave my room!"

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Gojyo sat lazily on the porch of the inn they were currently staying at and was on his fifth cigarette. Things were going badly, very badly if you asked him.

The journey was too long, there were too many they had already killed weighing on everyone's conscious and their time away from each other was too little.

More shouting could be heard coming from within the inn. The voice sounded like Sanzo's.

Gojyo grunted to himself. The monkey should know better than to pester his holiness at a time like this.

A few minutes later a rejected looking Goku came along and sat next to him on the small porch.

Gojyo didn't really feel like company especially not the clueless monkey's company but didn't feel like telling the boy to buzz off either.

For a long time they just sat in silence. To Gojyo's dismay Goku opened his mouth to start a conversation.

" I don't like it when you guys fight like that. It hurts, deep inside, it hurts really bad."

" Get over it, monkey. Life's like that."

" But life doesn't have to be like that."

Gojyo snorted disapprovingly. "What the hell do you know about life, stupid monkey!"

He ignored the hurt look in Goku's eyes and tried to ignore the monkey but the baka just had to open his mouth again.

" I'm hung.." Enough was enough.

" I don't care, monkey. I don't care if you're about to drop dead. I don't care if Sanzo decides to shoot himself tonight because it's raining and I don't care if Hakkai's guilt one day eats him alive. None of us care anymore, okay. The sooner you get that into your thick skull the better for you." He got up and left not wanting to see Goku's expression, knowing he had gone too far but unwilling to apologize.

………

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That had been the last conversation the two had shared. After ignoring everyone for the next few days and probably being ignored back ( Gojyo didn't know he was ignoring them) Gojyo had found no monkey in sight on the day of their departure.

He and Hakkai had searched the town, persuaded Sanzo to stay a day longer so they could continue their search and when there was still no sign of the boy Sanzo had left to fetch a newspaper and taken three hours to do a maximum ten minute job.

Three months later Gojyo once again sat lazily on the porch of the inn they were currently staying at and was enjoying a quiet smoke. As the sun was setting Hakkai came along and joined him on the small porch.

" It's a nice evening." Gojyo nodded his agreement.

" It will rain later."

" I forgot when you became such an optimist.", Gojyo said sarcastically.

They fell into an awkward silence.

" What are you thinking about?"

" The same thing I've been thinking about for the last three months and the same thing you and Sanzo have been thinking about.", Gojyo answered softly.

There was an emptiness in all of them. Tearing up the bonds between them and taking away their will to continue.

" I snapped at him."

Gojyo looked up surprised at his friends' statement.

" The first night at that inn I snapped at him. I can't even remember what it was about but I was obviously too harsh on him.", Hakkai explained his voice dripping with guilt.

" Don't think too high of yourself. I snapped at him, too, just five minutes after Sanzo had had a go at him."

" Then we all drove him away.", Hakkai muttered more to himself than to his companion.

Gojyo stubbed his cigarette out and immediately lit another one.

" How long are we staying?"

" God knows. Probably a week again maybe longer. I'm not really in a rush to get there and Sanzo has lost the will to go anywhere.", Hakkai answered solemnly. For information about their journey Gojyo asked Hakkai, he being the only one who could interpret the monk's annoyed grunts.

" Has he eaten today?"

Hakkai shook his head. " It looks like he's determined to starve to death before we reach the west."

Out of all of them Sanzo was suffering the most. At first Gojyo thought this was a good thing because the arrogant monk had taken Goku for granted for years but as his pain continued Gojyo actually pitied him.

" This sucks. I'm going for a drink. Wanna come?"

Hakkai glanced at the dark rain clouds approaching. " No thanks. I'll be in my room."

………..

………..

The bar was full and lively. The good hearted atmosphere contrasted greatly with the threatening thunder from outside and with a certain kappa's mood.

Half drunk Gojyo tiredly hung his head over another beer. He didn't know why he bothered doing this every time they came to a town. It was always the same. He'd get whammed, Sanzo would sulk and try to smoke himself to death while Hakkai sat quietly in his room with Jeep doing absolutely nothing. Their little fate bonding thing hadn't been as strong as they'd thought.

Yes, the brat had been annoying but he had a way of seeing things sometimes that just washed away all of their doubts.

" Goddamn stupid monkey.", Gojyo cursed earning some weird stares.

Just then the door swung open. A figure in a brown travelling cloak covered in claw marks and blood stood in the doorway. Lightning struck illuminating the person in a murderous glow.

The good hearted mood of the people had disappeared as they worriedly stared at the stranger.

His wet boots thumped on the wooden floorboards as he headed straight for the bar ignoring all the stares.

Gojyo looked up from his drink to see what all the fuss was about. The guy was kind of short but had a strong youkai aura on him. Another assassin perhaps? Couldn't they afford the full size ones anymore.

The guy placed a bloodied yen note on the counter.

" Food and water.", the voice was surprisingly young but had a dark roughness to it.

" Oi, squirt! Are you a youkai? We don't like youkai around here.", a cocky looking lad surrounded by his tough acting friends asked. Gojyo had been lucky. The people around here didn't know much about half breeds.

" No.", was the simple but firm reply.

" You sure smell like youkai."

" I had a run in with a few of them in the forest."

That sparked Gojyo's interest even more. In the last village they had been warned about a band of ruthless youkai living in the forest on the route to this town but there had been no sign of them.

" You trying to be smart with me?", the cocky brat asked approaching the stranger and taking a swing at him. The short guy ducked and punched him in the stomach then turned to the bar keeper again.

" Food and water.", his tone was more demanding.

The barkeeper cowered in fear. " I'm sorry sir but I must ask you to leave."

The guy's fist clenched up for a moment before he turned on his heels and left without a word.

" Yo, Red. You gonna let that punk get away with this?", one of the cocky guy's bulky friends asked. " Hell no.", Red grunted scrambling to his feet. " After him."

With a wide grin on his face Gojyo followed. This was going to be interesting.

Outside the stranger was surrounded by the punks. Rain beating heavily on them.

At some invisible signal they attacked and fell one by one. Gojyo cringed at a particularly painful looking fall. The guy was good. Precise punches and skilful movements but he seemed a little run down. The fight was wearing him out more than it should such an experienced fighter. One of the guys got back on his wobbly legs and drew a knife.

The cloaked stranger had his back to him and his shoulders were heaving heavily.

Deciding to lend a hand Gojyo picked up a lonely looking stone the size of his palm and threw it at the back at the knife yielding fool.

" Hey kid!", Gojo called approaching the stranger who was still trying to catch his breath.

" You okay?" Just as those words had left his mouth the guy's legs gave way. Dashing forwards Gojyo caught him by the waist keeping him upright.

" A simple 'No' would have done it, too, y'know.", Gojyo grunted pulling an arm over his shoulders to better support the guy. He was surprisingly light.

Gojyo's next jokey comment was gulped down by his shock at finally seeing the guy's face.

Clutching his forehead the stranger managed to shake the dizziness off. Gold eyes turned to his helper.

" Gojyo?"

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Back in the warm and dry bar Gojyo watched with an open mouth as the monkey stuffed his face. He remembered Goku's eating habits always making a scene but he thought he was immune to it by now. Boy was he glad he had Sanzo's credit card with him.

" You want some more?"

" That would be great.", Goku answered around mouthfuls.

" When was the last time you ate?"

Goku slowed down for a moment trying to recall. " About a week."

" A week?", Gojyo screeched out of character. Goku nodded.

" I've gone without food for longer 'cause I found out I don't starve."

" Excuse me?", Gojyo asked with a confused look on his face.

" Y'know when you haven't eaten in ages and feel so weak you know you're going to die any minute, I just don't do the dying part."

He looked at Gojyo's pale face for a moment. " Forget I said anything."

Gojyo took a better and longer look at his companion's appearance. Goku's hands were bandaged up and his eyes tinged with red showing his exhaustion. To put it Gojyo style the monkey looked worse than shit.

When they hadn't been able to find Goku they'd decided he must have left to start a better life. By the looks of it things hadn't gone as planned.

" Would you please stop looking at me like that. If you have something to say then say it."

Gojyo blinked. The monkey never used to be this observant.

" Do you survive without sleep now too 'cause you're getting kind of snappy?"

Goku sighed. " Sorry. It's just…", Goku paused. " Never mind."

" Okay, next question. Why are your hands bandaged?"

" Burnt them." Gojyo continued to stare at him.

" What?", Goku asked eyebrow raised.

" Am I gonna get such lame answers for all my questions?"

" Depends on the question, cockroach."

Gojyo shook his head. "If you're going to start calling me cockroach again then I need another beer!"

While Gojyo drank his beer and Goku had five more meals they sat in silence. It was getting late and only a few people were left in the bar. Once Goku's hunger had finally been satisfied, at least for now, he gave out a loud yawn.

" Gods, I'm tired." He looked over to the cockroach. "You're acting weird, far too quiet."

"I'm acting no weirder than you.", Gojyo answered casually.

Goku looked disappointed by the way Gojyo had dodged his comment.

This look no matter how brief it was made Gojyo feel even more guilty than he did already.

Checking no one he knew was looking their way Gojyo reached over and took a hold of Goku's wrist.

" I'm sorry." He ignored Goku's stunned look and pulled away but soon found his own wrist in the monkey's grip. Gold eyes were swirling with exhaustion and confusion.

" Stop being so cryptic! What are you apologizing for?"

" For the last conversation we had and I know so are Hakkai and Sanzo. None of us meant what we said and none of us wanted you to leave. Now let go before someone sees."

Goku placed his head in his hands and sighed.

" I didn't leave." Before Gojyo could start an 'Oh yes, you did' retort Goku clarified his statement.

" I mean I didn't leave voluntarily." He had a pained expression on his face.

" Can we just leave it as I got into more trouble than I could handle for now? I really need some sleep so I'm crashing in your room."

" Not before saying hello to Hakkai and his holiness.", Gojyo smirked as they headed for the inn. Maybe their group could finally start acting normal again. Well, as close to normal as they ever could act.

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TBC

Mysteries!

Well, it's meant to be.

I would like to thank all the reviewers of mind tricks and hope that some of you also feel like reviewing this one.

Till then, bye-bye.