Recap: A piece of Miana's past is revealed to the guys, whether she wanted it or not. Her father is dead, along with, it seems, her mother and friend. What's going on? Find out in this suspenseful chapter of Saiyuki: Remedy.

Remedy for My Tainted Blood

Miana loves Gojyo, Miana n Gojyo sitting in a tree . . .

Tyka . . . shut up. You've been chanting that since we left town . . . that was THREE WEEKS AGO!

Yea . . . but it's soooo funny!

Tyka, I'm never speaking to you again.

Yea right, Miana. You'll talk to me.

. . .

Miana?

. . .

Oopsie. . .

Tyka looked over at Miana with an innocent look on her face. Miana had her head turned the other way and began walking faster than Tyka.

"Miana! Please come back! I didn't mean it! Please!" Tyka called out after Miana as she walked away.

The guys turned around and looked at the girls with puzzled expressions on their faces. Miana stood with her back to Tyka for a few minutes then sighed and turned around.

" Why should I forgive you?" Miana asked with her hand on her hip.

" I. . . umm. . . I'm really, really sorry!" Tyka said falling to her knees begging Miana.

Miana looked up and to the side as if considering Tyka's plead for forgiveness. She then shrugged her shoulders and giggled.

" Whatever . . . God . . . you . . . you look so hilarious begging." Miana laughed, holding a hand over her mouth to try and stifle it.

" Shut up." Tyka grumbled turning red under the stares of the guys. " What are you looking at!"

The guys quickly turned back around and kept walking. Miana was still laughing as Tyka tinged a shade darker of red.

" Miana . . . I hate you." Tyka grumbled, glaring at Miana.

" Whatever Tyka. I hate you too." Miana laughed, looking at Tyka, then turning around and running off to join the guys.

" Hey! Wait up, guys!" Tyka called out running to catch up with the group.

" Before you two get into another random argument . . . can we please stop and eat? I'm hungry!" Goku said looking up at Miana through big brown eyes.

" Umm. . . ask Hakkai and Sanzo . . . they're the bosses of that." Miana said half smiling down at Goku.

" It's almost twilight. We do need to get a camp set up for tonight. We can stop now." Hakkai said giving a side glance at Sanzo who seemed impartial.

" Miana can you cook now?" Goku asked while attaching himself to Miana's arm.

" Umm. . . Goku, hon . . . we have to stop first." Miana giggled looking down at Goku.

" Clearing . . . right here . . . we can stop. Now." Goku said pulling Miana into a clearing created by a gap in the dense forest that surrounded them.

" Yes sir." Miana said, saluting Goku as she sat down her bag.

Miana rummaged through her bag and pulled out a cooking pan. She then rummaged through it again and pulled out some fresh ingredients for stir fried vegetables. She walked over to the fire that Tyka had started and began chopping vegetables and laying them in the pan with vegetable oil. Around twenty minutes later, the smell of stir fry had the guys drooling and crowding around Miana. Miana just sighed and laid out five plates. The guys attacked the plates and the food. After the guys had finished their assault on the food, Tyka picked up her plate and calmly got her share out of the pan. She then sat between two oak tree roots and guarded her food while eating it. After they had all finished, Miana picked up the plates and took them down to the stream to wash. The guys then turned and looked at Tyka.

" Hey Tyka . . . why did Miana act funny at that last village?" Goku asked looking up at Tyka through his huge hazel eyes.

" Act funny? What do you mean?" Tyka asked raising an eyebrow at Goku.

" Well, she kept leaving without telling us . . . then she said she was visiting friends in the graveyard . . . and she came back to the hotel late at night all beat up . . . what was going on?" Goku asked turning his head to the side as he looked at Tyka.

" That's something you need to ask her. I have no right to say anything about her past." Tyka said just as Miana came walking into the clearing.

Goku turned his head to Miana and stared for a bit. Miana kept her head down and put the dishes away in her bag, along with the now clean cooking pan. She then walked over beside the fire and sat with one of her knees drawn up to her chest, staring into the fire. Goku came over and sat down beside her, still looking at her.

" Miana. . . Where'd you come from?" Goku asked startling Miana out of her trance.

" What?" Miana asked in a quiet voice looking up at Goku.

" Well . . . I just want to know where you were born and why you and Tyka have been traveling together." Goku said looking at Miana inquisitively.

Miana dropped her head again and sighed. She then stood up and walked over to a tree, where she stood, staring into the fire. Goku sat on the ground, staring up at her with same inquisitive look.

" Fine . . . I'll tell you. Just . . . don't hate me for anything . . . please . . ." Miana said quietly as she looked around at the guys, " I know you all want to know. No need to pretend you're not interested."

Gojyo, Hakkai, and Sanzo all jumped at Miana's last comment. They then turned their heads to her, in interest. Tyka looked up at Miana and nodded when Miana looked at her with nervousness written all over her face. Miana sighed then sat down on the only free spot, beside Gojyo.

" Well . . . you all know I'm a half youkai. My father was a wind youkai, Mother was a human. As a child Mother tried to hide my lineage by dying my hair black and making me wear blue contacts. To make me look more like her, than my father. Even though she tried so hard, Mother couldn't hide my lineage from those that knew my family. From those who knew about my youkai father. And from those who knew what youkai power limiters were. When I was six years old . . . . . . my . . . my father came home drunk . . . so drunk he became extremely abusive, well more abusive than usual . . . That night, Mother, trying to protect me from my father . . . she . . . she . . . died. My father had beat her to death . . . right . . . right . . . in front of me." Miana 's voice cracked as she told of how her mother had died.

Hot tears began running down Miana's face and her eyes closed in pain as the memory of that night became prominent in her mind. She opened her eyes again to find Gojyo's arms wrapped around her shoulders. She leaned away from him and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She then looked at the guys and half smiled.

" Sorry . . . it's just extremely painful to remember that . . . anyway . . . From that day on I hated my father so much. The hate just grew each day that I was around him. He drank constantly and never had so much as a hello to say to me. He cussed me and beat me every day. When I was eight, a neighborhood boy, Shuuichi Kobaya saw the cuts and bruises on my arms and legs, though I tried my best to hide them. He befriended me and wanted to know where I had gotten them. I told him out in the woods where I played, near the graveyard. He believed me for a little while, until he actually saw my father beat me . . . Shuuichi . . . that afternoon . . . he confronted my father on his own. My father, actually sober for once, just laughed in Shuuichi's face and told him he could do what he liked with me . . . because I belonged to him. Shuuichi argued with him. Being only a ten-year old boy, Shuuichi didn't fathom that my father would attack him . . . one swift kick to the stomach and hard blow to the back of the head and . . . Shuuichi . . . Shuuichi . . . he . . . he died a few days later bleeding from the ears and mouth . . . crushed skull . . . a year after that I ran away . . . though I didn't run far enough away nor fast enough . . . my father caught up with me and drug me back home . . . the next day he got extremely drunk again and gave me the worst beating I had ever received til this day from him. After beating me he . . . he then . . . he then raped me . . ." Miana trailed off, her eyes misting over with more tears.

Gojyo reached over and put his arm around her shoulders. He then pulled her close to him, this time she didn't pull away.

Mia . . . it's okay . . . continue . . . he can't get you any more. . . Gojyo's beside you . . . and we're all here . . . you're with friends . . .

Miana looked at Tyka and half smiled in thanks. She then turned her misty eyes to the guys again.

" Seven years after that I ran away from home again . . . that time he didn't catch me. After sixteen years of beatings and hate . . . I was finally free of his restraints and on my own. I began traveling around, not caring where was I was going, just finding somewhere to go. Two years after that, when I was eighteen I ran into Tyka on the road. We began traveling together, fighting together, and supporting each other. Then three years after meeting Tyka we ran into you guys . . . then . . . three weeks ago in town . . . I ran into my father again . . . that was my hometown . . . he's dead now . . . he won't be coming back . . . I made sure of that . . ." Miana managed to choke out the last words before becoming completely dissolved in her tears.

Goku's mouth dropped open when Miana finished her story. Sanzo, Hakkai, and Tyka sat looking at each other, Tyka explaining and filling in the blanks as best she could. Gojyo had both arms around a sobbing Miana who had her face buried in his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair and laid his head on top of hers. After a few minutes, Miana's sobbing ceased and her chest fell into rhythmic breathing. Gojyo looked down at Miana and then looked over at Tyka.

It's okay. Keep her with you tonight. Don't try anything funny though. I'm watching.

Umm . . . okay . . .

I mean it, kappa.

Yes ma'am.

Don't forget.

I won't.

Tyka glared at Gojyo then curled up in her spot between the tree roots. She swiftly fell asleep, leaving Hakkai, Sanzo, Goku, and Gojyo still awake.

" That's awful. Why would someone do that to Miana?" Goku asked at a low whisper, looking up at Hakkai.

" Someone who has an extremely twisted mind." Hakkai said glancing to the side at Miana in Gojyo's arms.

" You trust her now Sanzo?" Gojyo asked looking over at Sanzo who was staring at Miana.

" No. Pasts can be made up, just as easily as stories." Sanzo said before laying down and falling asleep.

Hakkai looked at Sanzo and sighed. He then laid down and fell asleep himself. Goku walked over to Miana and Gojyo and looked down at Miana.

" Gojyo . . . can I sleep over here with you and Miana?" Goku asked looking at Gojyo.

Gojyo just shrugged then adjusted Miana in his arms as he leaned back against a tree. Goku curled up next to Gojyo and Miana and fell asleep. Gojyo looked down at Miana and leaned toward her. He then pressed his lips over hers in a light kiss, not waking her. He then leaned back against the tree and fell asleep. Miana opened one eye and looked at Gojyo. She half smiled then leaned up and lightly kissed Gojyo on the cheek.

" I love you." Miana whispered quietly before laying her head on Gojyo's chest and falling back asleep.

The End

In the next chapter of Remedy:

Miana has revealed everything about herself. Including a confession of a little crush on Gojyo. It's Tyka's turn to tell the tales in the next chapter of Remedy:

Remedy for Our Bloody End