Okay, I'm back. I said I'd come back if I got good reviews, didn't I? Well, I'm true to my word, I suppose, even though one is singular. That, and I wanted to keep writing this. Call it an addiction, if you will.
As some of you (who have read the manga or seen the anime) may have noticed, the title of this fic is directly linked to a quote from the first book.
"It's ironic. The scars from their pasts...will be the spider's thread that binds you all together."
(Rabid lawyers slowly materialize)
Umm...that quote up there is full property of Kazuya Minekura, by the way.
Rabid Lawyer 1: (glares)
Rabid Lawyer 2: We really need to work on appearing faster.
(Rabid Lawyers melt into the floor)
START CHAPTER
Hakkai had busied himself with tending to the woman's wounds while the others played cards, and when he was finished they headed away from Solla, taking a detour. Their progress had been slowed considerably by the rescue of the nameless woman and the blocked roadways, but nonetheless they remained in fairly good spirits. They would have brought the sword they assumed belonged to her, but when Gojyo touched it, the blade shattered from overuse.
"Toss me a beer, would ya?" Gojyo shot at Goku suddenly. Their female companion was in the back seat of the jeep between Gojyo and Goku, which made it next to impossible for the pair to exchange blows, but Gojyo was the one she was leaned against, and his arm was around her waist. He had taken to watching over her and appraising her looks at the same time in his typical fashion.
Truth be told, she wasn't exactly bad looking. Her hair was cut unevenly from a sword, probably her own doing, and it framed her face. Despite the burns and scratches, which were healing rapidly thanks to the salves Hakkai had put on the bandages, she was pleasing to look at. Not the type he would usually go for (her chest was a bit too small for his liking, and she wasn't wearing revealing clothes), but she would do anyway. Her eyes...he paused in his thoughts, realizing he wouldn't know until she awoke. It was something to ponder until that time came.
Several times in the course of the last hour, she had stirred slightly, but never woken up. The blow to the head had knocked her unconscious, and that coupled with her injuries kept her that way.
"Get it yourself," Goku replied dully, not really in the mood for an argument. He had been, as always, hungry when they had come into Solla, and planning on having a nice lunch at a local inn. Of course, considering that the inn had been burned down and his meal denied, his hunger had only intensified. Being a Youkai, he could never starve to death, but constantly complained of the lack of food nonetheless. Missing a meal was like a mortal wound to Goku.
"I asked you to get it for me!" Gojyo shot back. "Now do it, you stupid little monkey!"
Experienced in the ways of aggravating Goku, he touched a nerve. "Get it yourself, you pervy kappa!" he shot back.
Sanzo sighed irritably. "Can you both shut the hell up?" Even that was abnormally calm for Sanzo; usually he would have hit someone by now.
His temper recoiling only slightly, Gojyo reached backwards into the cooler himself with his free arm, already plotting his revenge for later. He popped the top on the beer he had grabbed, and took a gulp. "That's better."
Goku leaned his elbow on the side of the door, and rested his chin in his cupped hand. "When are we gonna get there? I'm hungry!"
Sanzo gritted his teeth in annoyance, but Hakkai supplied the answer, eyes never once wavering from the road. "Around an hour, I should think."
Goku groaned loudly. "But I'm hungry!" he repeated.
This time, Sanzo turned in his seat to hit Goku in the head with his notorious paper fan. "Shut the hell up, would you? Your stupid babbling is giving me a headache."
Goku rubbed his head, sending parts of his brown hair astray. A distinctly grumpy look was frozen on his face, but he didn't dare hit back.
Gojyo shifted slightly in his seat (his legs had started to fall asleep), and the girl again stirred. He watched her carefully for any sign of her awakening, but she sank back into an unconscious stupor in a matter of minutes. To disguise his disappointment, he crushed his now empty can in his hands and rummaged for a cigarette. Although he never denied his love for the ladies, he had some honor. An unconscious woman, he would never touch.
"Careful you don't drop ashes on her face," Goku commented quietly as Gojyo lit up, hoping maybe Sanzo wouldn't hear the latest argument starter he was about to launch. "That'd be a great way to start a relationship. 'Hi, my name's Gojyo and that burn there is my fault.' Priceless."
Gojyo's crimson eyes, the color of blood, flickered from the woman to Goku, and narrowed on his face. "Shut up, or I'll put it out on your face." Goku didn't counter that remark, but smirked slightly when he noticed how careful the half-youkai was being.
Hakkai asked suddenly, "Did anyone else feel that?"
Gojyo dropped the cigarette out the window, disagreements forgotten, where it was flattened and extinguished by the wheels of the jeep. "A rippling of energy."
They said no more, but all understood the unspoken warning; a youkai was near.
Despite the telltale signs of a demon presence, they entered into another small town without a problem. The growing unease between the four was apparent. Sanzo kept putting his hand into his robes to where the others knew he kept his banishing gun, and Hakkai's usual smile had become tight.
As they pulled up to a small inn, the ripple of energy faded. "Wherever it was, it's gone now," Hakkai informed the rest. His grip on the wheel loosened.
The others nodded, but again didn't say more. Keeping a low profile was always important, though it was made difficult by Hakuryu's sudden transformation back into a small dragon as soon as the passengers had exited, and the unconscious woman that Gojyo was carrying.
Fortunately the innkeeper, a feeble looking old man, had not seen either, and granted them a room. Naturally, a problem was discovered as soon as they set foot in said room. There were only four beds, and there were five people.
"Uh...guys? I don't know about you, but I'm not sleeping on the floor tonight."
"Neither am I," Sanzo said icily. "It wasn't my decision to bring her along."
"Which means," Hakkai said, sinking on to the nearest bed. "That she should get Gojyo's bed while he spends the night on the floor."
"I agree." Goku sat on one of the other beds quickly, and Sanzo followed suit.
Sighing, he laid the woman on the bed. Hakkai was the one who had spoken the actual decision-making words, but it had been obvious by Gojyo's expression that he had been about to as well. Hakkai only thought to bring her along for information, and Gojyo wanted a little meaningful, overnight female relationship. That was before he knew, of course, that it meant he had to spend the night sleeping on a hardwood floor.
"Betcha wish she wasn't here now!" taunted Goku rudely. Changing tracks at the speed of a hungry demon, he asked, "So how 'bout we go get some lunch?"
"It would be dinner by now," Hakkai corrected gently. "But I for one must agree."
Sanzo arose, straightening his robe. "As much as it pains me to agree with Goku about something, I could go for a meal, too."
Gojyo cast a look back at the girl occupying his bed before following the others out the door.
Around an hour later, they banged back into their room, Goku yawning widely.
A second later, they froze. Sitting upright in one of the beds was a very confused looking young woman who jumped at the sight of them.
'Hazel,' Gojyo thought vaguely. 'Her eyes are hazel.'
END CHAPTER
I'm pleased I got a review on the first chapter of this story already, so here's the promised thanks.
PenPusherM: Thanks for your review; it brightened my spirits a little. Glad you liked it, even though you've never heard of the series before. Now, about those deadly tulips...
I'll try and have the next chapter up quickly, but that could be a problem considering that I'll be gone for another week. Oh, cruel world! Well, I'm quite sure I don't have any addicted readers who'd absolutely die if they couldn't read the third chapter, so no worries.
Send in those reviews! One final thing. No flames. I'm getting sick of reading those. If you don't like the story, tell me without saying I'm a stupid girl who doesn't understand anything about anything, okay? That'd be nice for a change.
Authoress out.
As some of you (who have read the manga or seen the anime) may have noticed, the title of this fic is directly linked to a quote from the first book.
"It's ironic. The scars from their pasts...will be the spider's thread that binds you all together."
(Rabid lawyers slowly materialize)
Umm...that quote up there is full property of Kazuya Minekura, by the way.
Rabid Lawyer 1: (glares)
Rabid Lawyer 2: We really need to work on appearing faster.
(Rabid Lawyers melt into the floor)
START CHAPTER
Hakkai had busied himself with tending to the woman's wounds while the others played cards, and when he was finished they headed away from Solla, taking a detour. Their progress had been slowed considerably by the rescue of the nameless woman and the blocked roadways, but nonetheless they remained in fairly good spirits. They would have brought the sword they assumed belonged to her, but when Gojyo touched it, the blade shattered from overuse.
"Toss me a beer, would ya?" Gojyo shot at Goku suddenly. Their female companion was in the back seat of the jeep between Gojyo and Goku, which made it next to impossible for the pair to exchange blows, but Gojyo was the one she was leaned against, and his arm was around her waist. He had taken to watching over her and appraising her looks at the same time in his typical fashion.
Truth be told, she wasn't exactly bad looking. Her hair was cut unevenly from a sword, probably her own doing, and it framed her face. Despite the burns and scratches, which were healing rapidly thanks to the salves Hakkai had put on the bandages, she was pleasing to look at. Not the type he would usually go for (her chest was a bit too small for his liking, and she wasn't wearing revealing clothes), but she would do anyway. Her eyes...he paused in his thoughts, realizing he wouldn't know until she awoke. It was something to ponder until that time came.
Several times in the course of the last hour, she had stirred slightly, but never woken up. The blow to the head had knocked her unconscious, and that coupled with her injuries kept her that way.
"Get it yourself," Goku replied dully, not really in the mood for an argument. He had been, as always, hungry when they had come into Solla, and planning on having a nice lunch at a local inn. Of course, considering that the inn had been burned down and his meal denied, his hunger had only intensified. Being a Youkai, he could never starve to death, but constantly complained of the lack of food nonetheless. Missing a meal was like a mortal wound to Goku.
"I asked you to get it for me!" Gojyo shot back. "Now do it, you stupid little monkey!"
Experienced in the ways of aggravating Goku, he touched a nerve. "Get it yourself, you pervy kappa!" he shot back.
Sanzo sighed irritably. "Can you both shut the hell up?" Even that was abnormally calm for Sanzo; usually he would have hit someone by now.
His temper recoiling only slightly, Gojyo reached backwards into the cooler himself with his free arm, already plotting his revenge for later. He popped the top on the beer he had grabbed, and took a gulp. "That's better."
Goku leaned his elbow on the side of the door, and rested his chin in his cupped hand. "When are we gonna get there? I'm hungry!"
Sanzo gritted his teeth in annoyance, but Hakkai supplied the answer, eyes never once wavering from the road. "Around an hour, I should think."
Goku groaned loudly. "But I'm hungry!" he repeated.
This time, Sanzo turned in his seat to hit Goku in the head with his notorious paper fan. "Shut the hell up, would you? Your stupid babbling is giving me a headache."
Goku rubbed his head, sending parts of his brown hair astray. A distinctly grumpy look was frozen on his face, but he didn't dare hit back.
Gojyo shifted slightly in his seat (his legs had started to fall asleep), and the girl again stirred. He watched her carefully for any sign of her awakening, but she sank back into an unconscious stupor in a matter of minutes. To disguise his disappointment, he crushed his now empty can in his hands and rummaged for a cigarette. Although he never denied his love for the ladies, he had some honor. An unconscious woman, he would never touch.
"Careful you don't drop ashes on her face," Goku commented quietly as Gojyo lit up, hoping maybe Sanzo wouldn't hear the latest argument starter he was about to launch. "That'd be a great way to start a relationship. 'Hi, my name's Gojyo and that burn there is my fault.' Priceless."
Gojyo's crimson eyes, the color of blood, flickered from the woman to Goku, and narrowed on his face. "Shut up, or I'll put it out on your face." Goku didn't counter that remark, but smirked slightly when he noticed how careful the half-youkai was being.
Hakkai asked suddenly, "Did anyone else feel that?"
Gojyo dropped the cigarette out the window, disagreements forgotten, where it was flattened and extinguished by the wheels of the jeep. "A rippling of energy."
They said no more, but all understood the unspoken warning; a youkai was near.
Despite the telltale signs of a demon presence, they entered into another small town without a problem. The growing unease between the four was apparent. Sanzo kept putting his hand into his robes to where the others knew he kept his banishing gun, and Hakkai's usual smile had become tight.
As they pulled up to a small inn, the ripple of energy faded. "Wherever it was, it's gone now," Hakkai informed the rest. His grip on the wheel loosened.
The others nodded, but again didn't say more. Keeping a low profile was always important, though it was made difficult by Hakuryu's sudden transformation back into a small dragon as soon as the passengers had exited, and the unconscious woman that Gojyo was carrying.
Fortunately the innkeeper, a feeble looking old man, had not seen either, and granted them a room. Naturally, a problem was discovered as soon as they set foot in said room. There were only four beds, and there were five people.
"Uh...guys? I don't know about you, but I'm not sleeping on the floor tonight."
"Neither am I," Sanzo said icily. "It wasn't my decision to bring her along."
"Which means," Hakkai said, sinking on to the nearest bed. "That she should get Gojyo's bed while he spends the night on the floor."
"I agree." Goku sat on one of the other beds quickly, and Sanzo followed suit.
Sighing, he laid the woman on the bed. Hakkai was the one who had spoken the actual decision-making words, but it had been obvious by Gojyo's expression that he had been about to as well. Hakkai only thought to bring her along for information, and Gojyo wanted a little meaningful, overnight female relationship. That was before he knew, of course, that it meant he had to spend the night sleeping on a hardwood floor.
"Betcha wish she wasn't here now!" taunted Goku rudely. Changing tracks at the speed of a hungry demon, he asked, "So how 'bout we go get some lunch?"
"It would be dinner by now," Hakkai corrected gently. "But I for one must agree."
Sanzo arose, straightening his robe. "As much as it pains me to agree with Goku about something, I could go for a meal, too."
Gojyo cast a look back at the girl occupying his bed before following the others out the door.
Around an hour later, they banged back into their room, Goku yawning widely.
A second later, they froze. Sitting upright in one of the beds was a very confused looking young woman who jumped at the sight of them.
'Hazel,' Gojyo thought vaguely. 'Her eyes are hazel.'
END CHAPTER
I'm pleased I got a review on the first chapter of this story already, so here's the promised thanks.
PenPusherM: Thanks for your review; it brightened my spirits a little. Glad you liked it, even though you've never heard of the series before. Now, about those deadly tulips...
I'll try and have the next chapter up quickly, but that could be a problem considering that I'll be gone for another week. Oh, cruel world! Well, I'm quite sure I don't have any addicted readers who'd absolutely die if they couldn't read the third chapter, so no worries.
Send in those reviews! One final thing. No flames. I'm getting sick of reading those. If you don't like the story, tell me without saying I'm a stupid girl who doesn't understand anything about anything, okay? That'd be nice for a change.
Authoress out.