Ok, this story is starting to really get good and will only get better! School is slowly coming to an end, which means much more time working on the stories! Yay! I'm so happy! Anyway, gotta thank reviewers!

Doublelynn- Yeah,I get too lazy to log in sometimes too. Lol! I know! Poor Hakkai! cuddles Hakkai But he's better now! Though still haunted by his past, but then again who isn't, ne?

Devil-Angel- Oh I know! Julin and Goku are so cute together! I hope you like this chapter!

Ok, I've babbled on enough. Time for the chapter!

Chapter 9

After a couple of days, they had finally reached another town. Sanzo and Hitachi both had gotten a couple of rooms, allowing the girls to sleep in a separate room for once. Ever since that day the old man attacked, the guys had kept close watch on the girls, but that began to annoy Hitachi and them after the first week or so. So, the girls decided they needed a bit of space.

The town was quite large, with a fairly big market place with a lot of food. The girls waned to do some trading while the guys needed supplies. So they all headed into town, taking Jeep with them this time.

"Sanzo, I'm hungry!" Goku whined as they walked down the street.

"I'm hungry too, Hitachi! Let's go eat!" Julin said, tugging on Hitachi's shirt like a small child. This had been going on since they arrived at the town, Goku and Julin both bugging Sanzo and Hitachi for food.

"You just ate an hour ago, Julin! How can you already be hungry?" Hitachi said, eye twitching from annoyance.

"Well what do you expect? That I only eat three times a day?" Julin replied, crossing her arms as they walked.

"That's the normal way people eat," Kirashi said from behind them as she followed with Maki.

"But then again, Julin ain't really normal, now is she?" Gojyo said, watching as Goku and Julin continued to bug the youkai woman and the priest.

"That's very true. Sanzo, why don't we leave Goku and Julin at one of the restaurants? I'm sure you could use some time away from them," Hakkai suggested, having the idea of satisfying Julin and Goku's appetites while at the same time making sure Sanzo doesn't loose his temper.

"Fine, whatever. Just get out of my sight," Sanzo said as he handed him the credit card.

"Yes!" Goku yelled, jumping in the air with joy.

"Yay!" Julin yelled as she glomped Hitachi, nearly knocking the poor woman over. Julin then turned to Goku, grinning. "I bet I can eat more meatballs than you can!"

Goku grinned back. "You're on!" This was routine for them. It became a habit that when both of them ate together, it would be a competition between the two on who ate more food. It was interesting to watch, but usually Goku won.

And this time was no different. People stopped and stared as the two both chowed down on meatballs, but Goku won, yet again having eaten the most food. Goku and Julin sat, their stomachs both full, but Goku had eaten the most meatballs out of both of them. For now, they sat there, drinking some of the soda they had ordered.

"It's no fair. I never win," Julin said, pouting with the straw in her mouth.

Goku grinned a bit. "You'll catch up to me one day. Don't give up."

Julin sighed as she continued to drink her soda. Goku watched her and couldn't help but wonder. How was it that Julin had begun to travel with Hitachi and the others? With him, it was that Sanzo had came and saved him. Sanzo may not seem like a good guy, but he was. He just had a strange way to show it. Taking him in and putting up with him was one way of showing his good side. But what about Julin? Hitachi didn't seem like a person who would come across someone like Julin by chance. There must be a reason.

"Hey, Julin." Julin blinked and looked up at Goku. Goku looked at her, unsure of whether or not to even ask her. "How…how did you and the others meet?"

Julin blinked and had to think a moment. It had been so long ago. "Well, my family and I lived on the outskirts of a small village. They weren't my real family though, just a human couple who found me, but I loved them anyway." Julin looked out the window watching the people walk by. "One day, a bad storm broke out and lightening stuck our home. The house was made out of wood and the roof was bound hay, so it all caught fire. I was able to get out because of my youkai abilities, but my parents, they died in the fire. After that, I started to wonder around the village, looking for food and stealing money when I needed it. Well, I picked the wrong pocket one day. It was Hitachi's, and she caught me good."

Julin smiled when she remembered how Hitachi wasn't mad even though she looked it. She just understood why Julin had done it. "When the other villagers found out she had caught me, they all gathered around and tried to figure out how to punish me for all the stealing I had done over the years. Hitachi told them all to fuck off. She walked through the crowd taking me by the arm; everyone let her by, knowing not to get in her way just by the look on her face. When we got outside the city, I expected her to just leave me there, but she didn't."

Julin stared off into space as she remembered what had happened. "Hitachi had looked at me and said 'Do you want to stay like this? Living off stealing and one day paying for those crimes? Do you want to live like this for the rest of your life?' I told her that I didn't want to anymore. She said 'Then follow me North. Leave everything behind and don't let those around you get to you because of what and who you are. Always stay standing on your own two feet and don't be dependant another, because more than likely they'll fall too. When you fail, just get back up and try again on your own.' From then on, I followed Hitachi wherever she went. She became my family, and my friend."

Goku blinked at her. He had no idea what type of life Julin had. All he ever really knew was what she had told him about her life WITH Hitachi, not without her. It sort of reminded him of when Sanzo had met him so long ago.

Julin looked back at Goku, that childish smile placed on her face again. "After that, we ran into Kirashi and Yukio and then Maki. From then on, we were all inseparable. Now, what about you guys? How did you all meet?"

"Well, let's see," Goku said, thinking about how he had met the others. "Well, I was imprisoned for about 500 years. I didn't know what I had even done. Then Sanzo came. He said I was calling him. He took me out of that place and brought me to the temple. After a while, we left to find a person named Cho Gonou." He then looked at Julin. "Cho Gonou was Hakkai just so you know."

"O…h," Julin replied, listening to Goku's story.

"When we found him, he was with Gojyo, who wasn't gonna let Sanzo near Hakkai. Hakkai escaped and took off. We found him again gouging out his eyes for a youkai. I kinda tackled him before he gouged out his left eye, but he had already taken out his right one, which explains why he wears that thing over his eye. Anyway, once we caught him we had to bring him to these gods or whatever. We thought he was dead. Then he came back with Gojyo, only this time his name was Hakkai. From that point on we became friends," Goku said, remembering how silly Gojyo looked with his haircut. (He did look pretty bad with it.)

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Julin said, bouncing in her seat a bit. Now she was excited. "So that's how you guys all met. I had no idea considering you guys fight so much all the time."

"Yeah, but all in all we're still friends," Goku grinned. It was true. No matter how badly they fought or how different they were, they were and always would be friends.

Yay! They're so cute! Next chapter will be Kirashi and Gojyo. I just had to save Hitachi and Sanzo for last!! They'll be so funny! Please review!