Chapter 3: Guns and Fans

"WAS THAT A GUNFIRE I HEARD JUST THEN!" Goku stopped eating, the rice falling from his mouth. "Uh-oh" he said, fear in his eyes. "Hell hath no fury..." murmured Gojyo with a sly smile. Ebony stormed into the room and examined her wall and turned to Sanzo. Her face flushed with anger. "Did you put those bullet holes in my wall!" She demanded. He sat back in his chair "yes" a cool reply. She reached out and pulled the giant fan from Sanzo's robes. The others were frozen with an eager fear of what might happen next. She slapped him hard across the back of the head and returned to her room.

"Is everything…alright" Kerri asked trying to stop her sobs as Ebony frowned and shook her head.

"That stupid stick up his ass priest just put 2 holes in our wall…I'm going to wring that pretty little neck of his, then after that I'm going to-" Ebony was interrupted by a giggle as she looked at Kerri in shock as she giggled at her reaction before she suddenly stopped and looked down.

"Sorry" she whispered as Ebony shook her head

"No, laugh more, let me hear you laugh more Kerri" she said a Kerri couldn't find it in herself to laugh again, she had just thought it was so funny, Ebony never reacted this way to anyone...let alone someone…male.

"Sorry" Kerri said again as Ebony sighed shaking her head as she hugged her friend again.

"No…don't be…you didn't do anything wrong" she said as Kerri nodded and shivered in fear as memories assaulted her

"How can you be so strong?" she whispered as Ebony frowned.

"I'm not…I'm just better at pretending then you are" she said as Kerri wrapped her arms around her friend and they just stood there hugging one another trying desperately to forget what had happened to them.

Hakkai looked to the door as it opened and Ebony exited with Kerri close by as they sat again and Ebony set some food before her friend, she ate this time as Hakkai smiled in relief, it wasn't good to not eat, especially since he didn't know how long they had been there without food.

"Hakkai…when are you leaving again?" Ebony asked as silence fell over the table, nothing moved for a few long moments.

"Soon" Hakkai said as he looked at the table sullenly, he didn't want to leave again, not now that he had finally come home…

"We're going with you" Ebony said her voice leaving no room for discussion.

"No you are NOT' Sanzo interjected as she glared at him as Hakkai gaped at her

"Yes we are"

"No you're not"

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"She did save your ass after all Sanzo, she could probably be of help…OUCH" Gojyo clutched his head as the evil fan descended on it as he rubbed at the forming bump.

"You bring that up one more time and I'll-"

"We're going and that's final, I don't know where you're going, or even why, but you are not leaving us here am I understood" Ebony shouted cutting off Sanzo as Gojyo continued rubbing his head, Goku was hiding under the table and Kerri was trying to be invisible.

"We're on a dangerous journey-"

"You think that line's going to change my mind?"

"To destroy the evil youkai lord and stop this plague of madness that has taken the minds of youkai the world over-"

"Whoopdie fricking doo, like I care what you're doing, I'm coming, and so is Kerri"

"We can't have burdens, or useless females-"

"USELESS, who saved you ass again?"

"And the other one?"

"She cooks 10X better then Hakkai…No offence to your cooking Bro, but it's true…so she'll cook"

"You're not coming, she doesn't know any fighting"

"I'll teach her" everyone stopped and looked at Goku as the youngest of them smiled sweetly to them all having come out of hiding

"You'll what?" Sanzo demanded

"I'll teach her to fight, she can come if she can cook, then I'll teach her to fight as we go…as long as she cooks…good food…yum…" Goku said as he began to drool as Sanzo rolled his eyes.

"Always thinking with his stomach" he muttered

"There, he'll teach her, and we're coming, just try and stop us" Ebony said as Sanzo grumbled but didn't argue any further as Ebony smiled and looked at Kerri whom was staring at the table as she placed a gentle hand on her shoulder

"Trust me" she whispered in her ear as Kerri nodded, she hoped to god that Ebony knew what she was doing.

No way, she wasn't letting her brother abandon her again. She looked to Kerri, who appeared to be rather nervous. Goku glanced at Kerri and back to Ebony "Don't you guys wanna change or somethin'?" He asked innocently. Gojyo slapped him on the back of the head "shutup!" Sanzo took out his fan and whacked Gojyo on the back of the head. He returned to eating his food without another word. "Thankyou Goku," Said Ebony, ignoring Gojyo's crude stare.

She led Kerri into their bathroom and ran a bath for her. "You can have the first one" she smiled. "Are you sure..?" She nodded and closed the door behind her. Hakkai entered the room and smiled at her wearily "Ebony...are you mad at me?" Sounding very much like Goku and he knew it. "Well, I don't know what you expected." She said quietly "You just left Hakkai, without a word. I waited for you, needed you. You didn't tell me where you were going..." He touched her arm "I am so sorry Ebony. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.." She turned to him. "Of course I will, but right now I am too angry with you." He nodded, understood and backed out of the room.

"She's a wild one huh?" Said Gojyo to Sanzo. "Want me to shoot you?" threatened Sanzo "You'd better not, she'll hit you again." Chuckled Gojyo. /Great, I'll never live this down/ He thought to himself dismally. Hakkai re-entered the dining room and quietly took his seat.

"Seating, can Jeep provide more seats for them?" Sanzo said gruffly as Hakkai shook his head

"No…that size is all he can do" Hakkai said as Sanzo frowned

"Then how do you expect them to-"

"We'll have to have them on laps…Sanzo and Goku I believe" Hakkai said as Sanzo's glare strengthened

"Why me?"

"Do you really want to seat a lady on the lap of Gojyo, and I have to drive" Hakkai said with a smile as Sanzo looked thoughtful

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gojyo demanded as Hakkai laughed lightly going back to his old self much to Goku's relief

"Nothing at all Gojyo, I just don't trust you to be able to keep your hands of a girl if she was to be in your lap." Hakkai said as Gojyo growled something about people ganging up on him but didn't protest, he knew it was true too.

"So who is going in the front and who shall be in the back then?" Goku asked as Hakkai seemed to be thinking as he glanced at Sanzo.

"Ebony should go in the front, Kerri in the back" he said as Sanzo stood his chair falling as he glared at Hakkai.

"No. Way. In. Hell" he hissed as Hakkai sighed

"Sanzo please listen to my reasoning" he sighed as Sanzo glared at him refusing to sit, much easier to kill Hakkai if he was standing.

"Kerri is much more timid, and you personality is…somewhat rough, you would traumatise her more then she already is…Goku would be a much better seat for her…and Ebony would be able to while using you as a seat keep Gojyo and Goku under control, so you could spend all your time reading your paper" Hakkai said as Sanzo still glared at him, but he saw the sense in what the green eyed man had said.

"Fine" he growled out as he pulled his seat back up and sat down again playing with his gun while sending dirty looks at both Hakkai and Gojyo.

About an hour later the girl finally emerged again, dressed in clean – covering – clothes and washed clean of all that youkai scent.

"How about I heal you both now?" Hakkai said as Ebony nodded as Kerri looked at her in confusion.

"Hakkai here can heal wounds, it's ok, it doesn't hurt, to like the doctor, he uses other ways to heal" Ebony explained as Kerri nodded as she stood behind her friend and watched as Hakkai healed Ebony, his hands were held a cm from her as he moved them all over, healing cuts and bruises.

"See Kerri, now you're turn" Ebony said as the shaking Kerri stood as Hakkai began to heal her before finally he stepped back as Kerri quickly darted back behind Ebony.

"She's shy" Ebony said as Hakkai nodded

"Now…sleeping arrangements. We're leaving in the morning I presume" Ebony said as Hakkai nodded looking over at Sanzo whom also nodded.

"Well then, we have two spare rooms and both have two beds, what good luck. You can use them both, the second and third doors on the right down that hall. The one down the very end is the communal bathroom, me and Kerri have our own bathrooms of course, but you guys can share right? Good, well, G'night" Ebony said as she tugged Kerri off and they went to get some more rest as Hakkai cleaned up while the others went to bed before he too joined them.

Elendur – Another chapter…they just don't stop do they?

Shy-Phantom – Nope, we can't stop writing.

Both – R&R