Authoress here.

It feels nice to be on the 8th chapter of a story...but this one is drawing ever closer to the end! No! (cries)

Perhaps someone I know would like to claim one of the men from this story and then I could write about them? It would be something to the extent of PenPusherM's lovely Yu Yu Hakusho-based Yujo Chronicles. But different.

Just a thought... I know Kiamo said she thinks that Sanzo is the cutest, but I don't know how well a relationship between them would work. Can you even imagine Sanzo being sensitive and telling someone that he loved them?

(laughs, wipes eyes) It's a funny image.

START CHAPTER

As the four men and one woman headed downstairs for breakfast, one of them kept their eyes on the ground the whole way.

Machira, her face still red from what had almost happened, walked along with her gaze glued to the ground and her mind elsewhere. It wasn't until Gojyo placed a hand on her shoulder because she had been walking towards a solid wall instead of the door that she decided to look up.

He also said nothing as he steered the young woman into a chair at the breakfast table, and heaved an inward sigh. There were a few things he wanted explained as of right now. What about Machira had made him want to kiss her like that? He had seduced women before, but none of them had made him feel like Machira did. She was different to him.

"How did everyone sleep?" Hakkai asked, attempting to start a polite conversation with the others at the table.

"Fine, except Sanzo snores," Goku commented happily, surveying the food on the table before grabbing a little bit of everything and piling it on his plate.

Click.

Goku eyed the banishing gun that Sanzo had pointed at his forehead nervously. "Or...I was just dreaming the whole time?"

Sanzo gave him a brisk nod, put his gun away, and took a bite of a miscellaneous pastry.

The conversation carried on, but neither Machira nor Gojyo said anything to contribute to it. Both were in deep states of thought.

Gojyo was utterly confused. He had won over women before with his charm, and had too many one night stands to count, but something was strange here. The only woman who he had been around for so long without sleeping with was the one he had fallen for.

Machira stirred the oatmeal in front of her absently, her mouth set in a frown. Hakkai, who noticed her unusually quiet demeanor, smiled kindly at her, his emerald green eyes closing. "Did you sleep well?"

"Huh? Oh! Yes, I did. And you?" Machira snapped her attention from her lumpy breakfast to the smiling demon talking to her.

"Just fine," he replied, still smiling. "It's a nice day," he added, casting his gaze out the open window.

She nodded in reply, and set her spoon down beside her untouched meal. "Yeah, I guess."

Hakkai cast a curious look at Machira before he turned to talk to Sanzo and Goku.

After breakfast, everyone busied themselves somehow. Checkout wasn't for another hour, and Sanzo wanted to find someone who had a map for sale. Goku wanted to find something to eat, even though breakfast had just finished. Hakkai and Gojyo both disappeared to somewhere, and Machira stayed in her room to take a bath.

The steaming bath water stung the cuts that hadn't fully healed yet, but Machira ignored the pain as she scrubbed the dirt from her body. Leaning back in the bathtub, she heaved a sigh. After she dubbed herself to be clean, she climbed from the bathtub and dried off. The gouges on her back were the only ones that she needed to wrap again, but in order to do that she had to enlist the help of someone she trusted. She could (and did) wrap bandages around everything important on the front, upper half of her body, but actually covering the wounds was another matter entirely.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Machira heard a knock at the door, and opened it to find a smiling Hakkai.

"I heard the water running, so I figured you'd need some help with the bandages," he explained kindly.

Machira smiled and replied with a nod, "I do need some help." She had already put bandages on to cover her chest when she removed her shirt, but that didn't keep her from feeling self-conscious as Hakkai appraised the injury and wrapped it up tightly.

"You and Gojyo were very quiet this morning at breakfast," Hakkai commented as he tied the ends of the cloth together.

Machira didn't reply, so he continued.

"Did something happen between you?"

Machira flinched slightly at his words. "No. Nothing."

Hakkai chuckled lightly as she tugged her shirt back on over her head. "It's not really helpful to lie to me. I can see through it fairly well. However, if you choose not to share what's been bothering you, I understand that."

Machira looked at him, startled. "You mean-"

Hakkai nodded, and interrupted her. "You've changed all of us, Machira. Goku has finally met a girl who doesn't hate demons, and you've proven to him that not everyone is going to hate him just because of what he is. For Sanzo, you're a new sparring partner. For myself, a person that I can talk to. Gojyo, however, you've changed the most thus far."

"What do you mean by that?' Machira asked curiously, examining an almost-healed burn on her right hand.

Hakkai smiled at her, and stood up to leave. "That's something I think you've already noticed. He's never really fallen in love before."

Machira gaped at the door as it swung shut behind Hakkai for a few seconds before she sprang up to follow him. She dashed out the door and smashed into Gojyo in her attempts to pursue Hakkai, toppling unceremoniously to the ground.

"Hold on, kiddo. Where's the fire?" he asked good-naturedly, grabbing her hand to pull her up.

"I was just trying to...never mind," she said with a sigh. As an afterthought, she added, "Don't call me kiddo."

He chuckled and released her. "Be careful when you go running around, okay?"

With a nod, she turned to head back into her room, but to her surprise Gojyo followed her in. "I was headed here anyway," he explained.

He looked at her closely for a moment, then a smile crossed his face.

He crossed to the double bed, clutching her arm and dragging her with him. He pulled her onto the bed beside him, and ran his fingers through her hair, offering no explanation for his actions and leaving her bewildered.

"Gojyo, I-"Pink faced and overwhelmed, Machira couldn't even string a sentence together.

Pressing two fingers to her lips to silence her, Gojyo whispered gently, "Let's continue where we left off."

Gojyo leaned in towards her, his lips inches away. They were about to claim Machira's when she turned away and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

He moved towards her, concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"I tried so hard to tell myself not to love you," Machira whispered, and tear sliding from her cheek and splashing onto the floor. "Now, I don't know what to think."

His arms slipped around her waist, and her rested his chin on her shoulder, careful so his chest didn't press against her wounded back. "What do you mean?"

"What is all of this about?" she asked, her eyes focusing on the teardrops that had fallen to the floor. "Why are you doing this?"

He smiled, and laughed softly. "Why? Because I think I'm in love with you." He removed his arms from her waist. "If you feel the same, tell me tomorrow. I'll give you some time to think about it." Standing up and using one hand to shove clumps of rebellious hair from his face, he exited the room.

END CHAPTER

Aren't I evil? Cliffhanger ending again!

Stay tuned for the next chapter, where two or possibly more of my female friends enter as (hehehehe...) hookers! Also, what will Machira choose? Will she trust the womanizing man she loves, or leave him forever? You won't want to miss it!

Rabid Lawyers: (attack for stealing lines from Rurouni Kenshin)

I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Saiyuki! (Rabid Lawyers melt into the ground)

Authoress out.