Been trying to upload this for two days, but I digress: Here's the next chapter for you all! I hope that you enjoy this next portion, and thank-you so much for reading!

Chapter 6. Cheer.

"So how's my favorite mutt doing?" Gojyo plopped down next to Sanzo in the dirt. Hakkai was busy making dinner and Goku was off somewhere getting firewood, so he finally had a chance to sit down and chat. "You still look good in that bandana, by the way."

Oh go drown yourself. Sanzo stared out at the river next to their campsite. Hakkai had been right, they hadn't made it to the next town so camping out seemed to be their only option. He didn't mind so much, but it meant no bed for a while. His friends weren't too keep on sharing blankets. But while you're here, make yourself useful and scratch behind my ears, I can't reach.

"So demanding." Gojyo laughed but complied anyway. "I'll never understand how you get us to do everything you ask. Human, dog or otherwise."

You're my servants, it comes naturally. Sanzo smiled. Scratch lower, that feels really good.

"Dude, that is the freakiest thing I've ever heard you say." Gojyo smirked but adjusted his hand to reach lower down Sanzo's back. This could get addicting, it was a fun way to relieve stress.

I can't help it. Sanzo looked up at Gojyo. I have all these dog instincts and I don't know what to do with them.

"Ah, but you were always a dog. Fetching sutras like a good little pet and doing what your masters told you to do."

I am going to kill you when this is over with.

"Then no scratching." Gojyo stood up and put his hands in his pockets. He smirked and pulled out his lighter to give some attention to the lonely cigarette hanging from his lips. "Only good dogs get treats."

Hey! Get back here! Sanzo leaped up to nip at Gojyo's legs.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Gojyo laughed and jumped out of the way. "Dumb mutt."

"I see someone's having fun playing." Hakkai walked over to his smiling companion and tapped him on the shoulder. "But if you could go find Goku, that would be great. Dinner's ready."

"Sure, I'll go find him." Gojyo ruffled the fur on Sanzo's head before heading off to find the kid.

Sanzo followed Gojyo for lack of anything better to do. Hakkai always shooed him away if he got too close to the food anyway. He figured it had something to do with sneaking a snack that one time when no one was looking. Or when he thought no one was looking, who know a guy with one eye could be so perceptive?

"Aw, you must really love my company, baldy." Gojyo blew smoke. "Didn't know you cared so much."

How the hell do you call something covered in hair 'baldy?' Sanzo yanked on Gojyo's pants with his teeth.

"Hey, hey. Watch the merchandise." Gojyo yanked his leg back out of Sanzo's teeth.

Then shut the hell up. Sanzo looked up to spy Goku staring into space. The kid wasn't moving and had a somber expression. Hey Gojyo, why don't you go back to camp.

"Huh?" Gojyo looked at Goku and then back down at Sanzo and sighed. "Sure, whatever, o' exalted one."

Thanks. Sanzo looked up and assessed the situation. The monkey was moping around and he would not stand for it. Sanzo took a peak down at the pile of sticks Goku had gathered for the cooking fire and put a plan into action. He exhaled a breath and prepared himself for what he was about to do. It was about time he got some exercise anyway.

Goku had tried to keep his spirits up for everyone, but it just wasn't working like he had hoped. It had been more than three weeks since they buried him, but Goku still couldn't seem to get the pictures of him out of his head. The dirt covering his face, the blast, Gojyo's chain, the fall, the fight, and the memories kept playing backwards until it was just him and Sanzo sitting together under a tree. Goku's shoulder's shook and he felt as if he'd let Sanzo down in some way. His last moments with Sanzo hadn't been special or bad and Goku didn't know how he should feel about that. It was just all so normal and then it had been ripped away. He could still see Sanzo's irritated face after declaring his own hunger.

Goku's inner thoughts were shattered at the sound of barking. He looked up to see Sable wagging his tail in front of the pile of sticks. As soon as he caught Sable's eyes the dog barked again. "Sable?"

Sanzo was relieved he finally had caught the monkey's attention. He'd been barking at him for at least two minutes. Well, time to get this over with.

Goku blinked as the dog shoved his muzzle in the pile of sticks and yanked one out. The dog trotted over and dropped it at Goku's feet before barking again and wagging his tail harder. Goku had to laugh. "Want to play fetch?"

Sanzo smiled as Goku picked up the stick and threw it about twenty feet away. Instinct took over from there and he tackled it the moment it hit the ground. It was fairly exhilarating.

Goku laughed as Sable ran back the with the stick and continued to bark and move around excitedly. He was jumping back and forth and watching the stick closely when Goku would shift it from one hand to the other. He stood up from his perch and laughed harder while waving the stick. "Let's see how far you can get it!"

A challenge, eh? Sanzo dashed after the stick during the second throw, but this time he caught it before it hit the ground. Still got it.

"Wow! You're really good." Goku wrestled the stick back a bit before getting it out of Sable's iron grip. "Let's see you get this one then!"

If Sanzo could he'd be laughing. He had no idea how much fun this could be and all he was doing was chasing a stick. Whether it was the dog instincts or his own fun at actually playing a game he didn't know and couldn't care less. All that mattered was getting that stick and hearing Goku laugh like he usually does instead of being such a stick in the mud. He'd berate himself for the bad pun later.

Gojyo smiled as he watched from behind a tree nearby. That Sanzo was really something else, but despite how out of character it may be, Gojyo was happy for him. He watched the monkey play fetch with his master for a bit before walking back to camp. He threw his cigarette on the ground and smashed it out while lighting up a second. He'd just go keep Hakkai company for a bit and let him know that his firewood wouldn't be appearing for a bit.

"Where's Goku and Sable?" Hakkai looked up from petting Jeep and dishing out some stew into a bowl.

"Playing." Gojyo snatched up the bowl from Hakkai and snitched a spoon. "Didn't have the heart to break it up, even for food."

"Playing?" Hakkai blinked. "I didn't think Sable was the type, he sure hadn't made any notions of wanting to in the past few weeks."

Gojyo shrugged and took his eyes off Hakkai. "Dog's smart, probably picked up on Goku's mood and tried to cheer him up."

"If only that was so." Hakkai smiled and dished himself some stew. "Well, maybe it's possible. Animals are good at picking up emotions and feelings. Right Jeep?"

Jeep chirped happily as Hakkai fed him a spoon of stew. Sanzo and Goku would regret their play when they came back to cold food later. That was for sure.

Hakkai and Gojyo enjoyed their stew for about twenty minutes before Hakkai started cleaning up. He left the pot on the fire of course for Goku and Sable whenever they decided the make their appearance for food. Which apparently wasn't for sometime later. It had been over an hour before Hakkai looked up to see Goku staggering back into camp, arms full of sticks and kindling. Sable was panting heavily beside him and they book looked pleasantly exhausted. "Have fun?"

"Yeah! You should have seen Sable go!" Goku dropped all the sticks down before taking the cup of stew Hakkai had dished out. "He's really good and he can catch stuff in midair too! We should get him a Frisbee or something to play with."

"I'm glad that you two had such a good time." Hakkai smiled as the dog collapsed next to Goku. "And here's some for you, too."

Sanzo had just gotten settled and Hakkai was making him stand up again to eat. The cruel bastard, he just wanted to see him suffer. The smell of stew made him change his mind as he forced himself on his feet to lap up the food in front of him. It was good and Hakkai was forgiven.

Hakkai laughed at the dog's efforts to find the energy to eat and held back a yawn. "Why don't we all go to bed after you two finish?"

Goku dropped the bowl of soup at his feet after diminishing it. "Yum! Yeah, I'm totally beat. Sable wore me out."

Sanzo spilled a little of his stew at the sudden rubbing of his head but just yawned. After cleaning his plate he watched Hakkai pick it up and put it with the other dishes to be washed in the morning. Sanzo prepared to head after Goku and curl up with the others but he was grabbed by the collar.

"Hold up, boy." Hakkai walked Sable over to a tree a few yards away from where the others were sleeping. "Sorry, but we have to tie you up tonight, I don't want you wandering around where it might not be safe."

Gojyo looked up to see Sanzo being tied to the tree, he imagined the look on his face would be priceless if he was still human. "Is that really necessary, Hakkai? I doubt it's going anywhere."

"Yes, he might wander off and get lost. This isn't a hotel room, Gojyo." Hakkai secured the knot and pat Sable on the head. "It's just for tonight though."

"Why's he have to be so far away, Hakkai?" Goku sat down on his little batch of blankets.

"In case he wants to move around a bit, he won't trample us." Hakkai stood and brushed off his pants.

"Poor Sable." Goku ducked under the covers laid out for the night. "We'll have to play again tomorrow to make up for it."

Sanzo watched as the others slowly fell asleep next to the fire. He sighed and dropped to the ground to attempt to get some sleep. It couldn't be helped after all. The only one who actually knew Sanzo had no intent of leaving was Gojyo and it's not like he could explain why. He watched the fire instead to try and put himself to sleep. And what do you want?

To keep you company way over here, what else? Jeep yawned a bit and snuggled down next to Sanzo.

Do as you like. Sanzo yawned one final time with a slight whine and let himself be lulled to sleep.

The next morning was surprisingly nice for spending the night in the dirt yards away from the fire. Sanzo shook himself off as he woke up and waited for someone to come untie him and give him food. He briefly wondered if there was any way Gojyo could slip him a cigarette. Going through the trouble of trying to figure out some possible way to smoke one as a dog might be worth it.

"Good morning Sable!" Goku bounced over to the dog tied to the tree and happily released him. "There! All better."

Sanzo showed his appreciation by licking Goku on the cheek when he ducked down to pet him.

"Ah! Sable, down!" Goku laughed and scrubbed at the dog's head. "Good boy."

"Goku, come get some breakfast." Hakkai shouted. "Bring Jeep and Sable as well, I finally found his dog food."

Great. Sanzo sighed. He had tried so hard to find a good place to stash it this time since there wasn't a dumpster available.

"I bet he missed it tons while it was missing." Gojyo snickered as he watched the chunks of food fall into the bowl.

Do you want to die? Sanzo stared at his food and braced himself. It was either this or nothing. Hakkai wasn't as nice to dish out human food if he had dog food around. Maybe I could throw it in the lake.

Fat chance. Jeep munched his own bits of food off of Hakkai's plate happily. They're watching you too closely since you could run off.

Remind me to forbid you from eating off the plates when I turn back since I had to suffer. Sanzo munched down his own food with a smile. After all, it's only fair. I'm sure bird food could double as dragon food.

Hakkai was startled by Jeep's sudden cries at Sable. "Calm down, Sable didn't do anything."

Yeah, Sable didn't do anything. Sanzo snickered.

Hakkai watched as Jeep huffed and flew off in a corner to sulk. "I wonder what's gotten into Jeep."

Only hearing one half of the conversation, Gojyo just took a guess that Sanzo and the bird had an argument. "Sure it's nothing, Hakkai."

"I guess." Hakkai cleaned up the dishes and packed everything up. "We should get going now that breakfast is over."

The group was packed into Jeep within the hour and yet again on their way west. They had been driving for the majority of the day and were expecting to spend the night out in the wilderness yet again, however, luck seemed to be on their side for a change.

"Hey, Hakkai." Goku started leaning over the edge of Jeep. "I thought you said we wouldn't make it to the next town. There's one over there!"

"Really?" Hakkai stopped Jeep to check the map. "That town isn't on the map, so it's either new or just very small."

"In any case, it's better than sleeping outside." Gojyo sipped a beer. "And we can restock at the very least."

"Yes, I guess you're right."

Sanzo watched as Hakkai changed directions and headed towards the smaller town on the horizon. As they approached it appeared as if it was indeed just a town too small to be included on a map. The buildings were old and various shop stands littered the streets in a market fashion. He yawned and hoped the buildings were animal friendly instead of strictly 'animals outside.' He stared at pens of sheep and livestock as they passed and saw other dogs outside on ropes. He dropped into the seat and realized luck probably wouldn't be on his side.

Jeep and Sanzo sulked together as they sat outside of the local inn. It was more of a common room with beds though. One large room with twenty or so beds for rent didn't leave room for animals to sneak in unnoticed. Sanzo sighed and wondered what he could do since he wasn't allowed inside. Jeep was malleable and sitting on his shoulders, just as bored. Jeep had been given the task of watching the dog and keeping it from running away. Sanzo was going to maim Gojyo for snickering when Hakkai gave the order.

Want to look around town? Jeep suggested. The others are eating and we've been fed. That means we've been forgotten until tomorrow.

Might as well. Sanzo stood and shook himself off. He winced when Jeep's claws dug into his skin to hold on. Sorry.

Yeah, yeah. Jeep huffed. Let's go look over there. Something smells good.

Sanzo walked in the direction of the delightful odor. He did have to admit that it smelled good, maybe someone was cooking and could spare a scrap to the cute puppy. Pink bandanas could serve their purpose in that fashion. He turned the corner and saw a small noodle shop serving customers. He could smell the beef for the toppings from here.

We're not getting a scrap from them. Jeep stood up on Sanzo's back.

How can you tell? Sanzo looked up at Jeep when his head came into view.

Instinct. Jeep yawned. Just trust me.

Your friend has good instincts. Old man Jerry hates dogs.

Sanzo turned to greet the new voice and jumped up when he came face to face with another dog about two inches from his face. She was short-haired dog with a mix of red and brown fur with white trimmings. Her short ears stuck straight up on her head. Who are you?

You're a jumpy one. The newcomer laughed. My name's Mei, but I thought it was more polite to introduce yourself first before asking?

Sable. Sanzo thought it was best to use his new name, just in case. And the white fur ball is Jeep.

Jerk. Jeep put in his own two cents before returning his attention to Mei.

You're new in town, aren't you, Sable? Mei laughed. Traveling with your owners I take it? If I'm to judge anything from the collar and fashion statement.

Something like that. Sanzo took a seat next to Mei. He couldn't remember the last time he had a conversation with someone other than the four idiots he hung around with. We'll be gone by tomorrow.

That so, what are you doing tonight? Mei leaned over. She hadn't seen such a good looking dog before. Maybe they could have a little fun before he left. Pets were such naïve pushovers, anyway.

Something clicked in Sanzo's brain that spending the night with Mei doing anything would be a bad idea. Probably sleeping.

All alone? She leaned in closer.

The company's better that way. Sanzo stood up and walked back towards the inn. He was getting seriously bad vibes from that dog.

Good choice, that dog was creeping me out. Jeep took a peak back at her. She wanted something.

And I could take a good guess at what it was. Sanzo huffed. Why can't I ever catch a break.

You're just that attractive. Jeep snickered.

Hey you! A new deeper voice barked.

Sanzo turned to face a very large white dog with mid-length fur and very sharp teeth, currently exposed. Jeep clung a bit tighter to his back.

What the hell did you say to Mei? Jack had come back to find his girl upset and a total wreck. Something about a mean Golden Retriever in a pink bandana with a dragon trying to pick her up and when she told him 'no' he snapped at her.

Sanzo took a peak behind this newcomer to see Mei smirking. Apparently a woman's scorn was a vicious thing indeed. I didn't do a thing to your little bitch. She just couldn't take no for an answer.

Picking a fight is a bad idea, Sable. He's bigger than you. Jeep hissed. Stop being yourself and remember you're only a year old!

Sanzo stopped for a minute. He had indeed forgotten about that. Oh shit.

Shit's right you mangy mutt. Jack growled louder and took a few steps closer. I'm going to rip you apart you little house pet.

Sanzo barely saw the attack coming and did the only thing he saw fit: fight back. He was suddenly very thankful for instincts as he dodged and bit back against his larger opponent. His size was the only thing helping him at the moment, getting out of the way seemed to be the only thing working. His bites were nothing compared to the other dog and it started to worry him a bit. This new guy had more experience.

Jeep in the meantime had flown off to find Hakkai and the others. Sanzo was a tough guy and could take on demons as human, but he had no experience fighting like a dog. If he wasn't scared of flattening Sanzo at the same time, he would have considered transforming. But as it stands, that white dog could rip him apart in an instant if he got a hold of Sanzo. Jeep flew faster.

Sanzo yelped loudly when the dog got a good grip on his leg and bit deep. He could feel the blood pouring down his limb and tried to do his best to get out of the way. It was harder than he thought to manage on three legs on the fly and was hit again but this time in the chest. He retaliated back by biting the neck of the larger dog and just holding on as hard as he could. Sanzo broke skin eventually and felt the blood run down his throat. It was intoxicating and he took a second bite aiming for the spinal cord.

Jack released the mutt's ribs when he felt the jolt clamp down on his neck. He shook as hard as he could but the other dog just wouldn't let go. Mei!

Sanzo released his grip when he felt the bite on his own neck. That bitch had joined in the fight as well and it was suddenly two on one. The fur flew and the growling and biting could be heard a few streets down but everyone seemed to ignore the dogfight. Sanzo was in trouble.

"Sable!" Goku screamed as he bust into the middle of the dog fight. Those two mutts were nothing compared to demons and were flung off easily. "Sable, hold on!"

Sanzo felt the other dogs get ripped away and could hear Goku yelling for him. It hurt to breathe and he could have sworn he could hear Hakkai and Gojyo as well.

"Oh shit!" Gojyo knew something had happened when Jeep had flown into the inn in such a frenzy. Sanzo!

"Goku get out of the way, I need to see the wounds." Hakkai leaned down immediately and used his chi to heal the neck first. "Just clam down, Sable."

Sanzo could feel the chi working but it itched and burned and he couldn't help but fidget as Hakkai worked. Off in the corner of his vision he could see Goku yelling at the other two dogs. Gojyo was leaning next to Hakkai and after that all Sanzo could remember is watching everything turn black.

"You gave us quite a scare, Sable."

Sanzo opened his eyes and jumped up with a start when he heard Hakkai's voice. How long had he been out for?

"Yeah, Sable." Goku pet him on the head around the bandages. Hakkai's chi healing only did so much. "You've been out for a few hours."

I guess some things never change. Sanzo sighed and looked down at himself. Being covered in bandages was nothing new.

"Getting in fights over ladies, man. You're such trouble." Gojyo inhaled a Hi-Lite and leaned on the arm hanging over the back of the chair.

I'm not even talking to you. Sanzo shook himself out a bit and tried to make the bandages sit more comfortably. They were messing with his fur.

"Ah, ah." Hakkai put a hand to Sable's chest and forced him to sit still. "You'll mess up the bandages if you keep moving."

"Please don't do that again, Sable." Goku hugged the dog. "I know you probably didn't start it, but don't run off again."

Sanzo sighed and just leaned into the hug, and yesterday had been going so well too!

"Does he still have to sleep outside?" Gojyo casually intercepted. He had a feeling if it was a fight with Sanzo, then there were grudges.

"No, I had a delightful conversation with our host and he's allowing Sable to stay as long as he's on the floor and tied to the bed." Hakkai smiled.

Gojyo took that for Hakkai speech for "I threatened the host and if he didn't agree he'd find out just how much damage I can do if I'm pissed." Gojyo smirked and blew smoke towards Goku. "Sounds good."

"Well then, let's all go to bed, shall we?"

Sanzo yawned as he was led over to Goku's bed and after securely being tied down he watched the others climb into bed and turn off the lights. He was about to lie down himself when he felt a pair of arms encircle the undamaged portion of his torso. He looked up to see Goku lifting him onto the bed.

"I don't care what that guy says, you're sleeping with me after all that." Goku smiled and sat Sable down near his feet. "You're a good dog."

Sanzo huffed and snuggled into the covers after seeing Goku's relieved, smiling face. Sometimes things just work out okay in the end.