Chapter 3
Goku was still sitting stiffly behind Iyame and she twisted to catch a glimpse of his face. "Goku, if you are that uncomfortable, you can ride in the jeep."
"No, it's just that I've never-" he broke off as a blush climbed up his cheeks.
Iyame studied him for a moment before realizing what he was saying, "It is just being so close to me?"
He blushed even more and nodded mutely.
"If you want, we can swap spots after lunch." she offered.
He considered that before realizing that if they did she would be pressed against him and would have her arms wrapped around him with her hands resting on his stomach . . . . what if they slipped lower?
"N-no. I'm fine." he stuttered.
"Let me know if you change your mind." she replied.
"Okay. Can you tell me about when we were growing up?" he asked tentatively.
"Of course. Let me see, once upon a time there were two very powerful beings born. One from a place deep in the earth and the other from a place high in the sky . . ." she began.
Gojyo had been watching the pair for quite a while and was happy to see Goku finally relax. He could tell the close proximity to the pretty girl had been making him uncomfortable, but he seemed recovered now that Iyame was chatting brightly about who-knows-what. He turned forward and studied the back of Sanzo's head. Looks like it's time for a little monk baiting.
"I'm hungry. When are we going to stop?" he demanded in his best little monkey impression.
"I will kill you if you start pretending to be the monkey." came the tart reply.
"But I'm bored. And I really am hungry. It's been a long time since breakfast." Gojyo complained.
"I was thinking we should stop up there in that group of trees." Hakkai indicated to a small group of trees that offered a little bit of shade.
"Sounds good to me." Gojyo replied and lit another cigarette.
A few minutes later they pulled over and hopped out of the Jeep so Hakuryuu could transform. They watched as the two tigers walked up and crouched so their riders and supplies could be removed.
Goku jumped off and reached up to help Iyame down. He set her on her feet and realized she was only a couple of inches away. They gazed into each others eyes for several moments before Gojyo cleared his throat. The pair blushed and stepped away from each other. Iyame went to get supplies out for a quick lunch and Goku removed the harness so Dana could stretch a bit. She nuzzled him gently on her way over to Virya.
"Quick lunch, you two. Do not stray too far, please." The cats bumped her in acknowledgement on their way out of the temporary camp.
"I'm so glad we finally stopped for lunch. I'm so hungry!" Goku complained.
Sanzo tapped his harisen against his hand threateningly.
"I'm going to help Iyame make lunch." Gojyo said and wandered over to the girl to offer his assistance.
"How much further is the next town, Sanzo?" Goku asked cheerfully.
"Do I look like a map?" he asked irritably.
"Come on, Sanzo. Why are you so mad?" he asked.
"I'm not mad. I just don't want to listen to annoying little monkeys chatter about nothing." he growled.
"Sanzo!" Goku cried.
"Leave me alone, monkey." he replied and thwacked Goku with his fan for good measure.
Goku's shoulders slumped and he turned away from Sanzo and wandered a little ways away from everyone. Across the camp Iyame's eyes narrowed in anger, but no one noticed. Lunch was finished and she called everyone over.
"Iyame, where did you get those tigers?" Hakkai asked.
"They were a gift from Merciful Goddess when I turned eighteen. She said as long as I treated them like family they would stay by my side." she explained.
"So, they are almost five hundred years old?" he asked curiously.
"Yes. They are virtually immortal. She said once we became close our families would always be linked. They and their children will watch after me and mine for all time."
"Can anyone talk to them or just you and Goku?"
"Anyone can speak with them if they approach with a sincere desire to know them. Why do you ask?" she replied.
He gave a small chuckle, "I would like to speak with them."
"Dana is easier to speak with than Virya, but if you approach him right he will consent to speak with you."
They finished eating and got back on the road. Goku sat behind her, lost in thought. She rested her hand on his and stroked it gently with her thumb. After a while the combination of sun, quiet, food, the nearness of her mate, and the rhythmic motion of Virya beneath them lulled her to sleep.
Goku snapped out of his thoughts when he felt her slump against him. He instinctively tightened his grip and held her securely against his chest. He smiled shyly when she snuggled into him and decided being married wasn't such a bad thing. At least he didn't have to worry about telling her about his other form. He shifted his grip so that he could hold her with one arm and Virya with the other.
He looked around and realized it had gotten dark while they were riding. Goku watched as the jeep pulled into a cluster of trees and waited until Virya crouched down before waking Iyame up.
"Iyame?" he said quietly.
She murmured and snuggled closer to him.
He tried again a little louder and she shifted a bit then opened her eyes.
"Hi. Did I fall asleep?" she asked in a low voice that sent tingles down his spine.
Goku smiled at her, "Yeah, but now you gotta wake up."
She straightened up slowly and stretched extravagantly before turning to him and smiling. "Thanks for letting me nap on you."
"Any time." he replied before dismounting and reaching up for her. "I'll get everything off of Dana if you want to start dinner." he grinned charmingly. He was very hungry.
"Okay." She followed him over and picked out what she wanted to use for dinner. They turned at the sound of Gojyo and Hakkai returning to camp with an armload of wood each.
Hakkai tended the fire and Gojyo offered to help with the prep work. They worked companionably together chatting about this and that. Goku came over to check on Iyame after he had taken the harness off of Dana and given her and Virya a good ear scratching. He saw she was fine and wandered over to Sanzo.
Goku tried to start a conversation with him several times but the priest just brushed him off. Finally, annoyed beyond endurance, he took out the harisen yet again and smacked the monkey on the head.
As Sanzo brought it up for a second swipe it was yanked abruptly out of his hand and suddenly he was the one being swatted. Hard and repeatedly.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, woman?" he roared. "I will kill you!" he pulled his gun out of his robes and tried to point it at her.
Unfortunately for him, she was very fast and was still hitting him with the damn fan while growling angrily.
"You want me smacking you upside the head with that next? You better put it away." she growled at him, still swinging the paper fan.
The other three shook off their surprise and tried to figure out what was going on and how they could help without anyone accidentally getting shot.
"Maybe if we can restrain them both at the same time?" Gojyo suggested.
"But how? She's as strong as Goku and Sanzo's no push over. And there's the gun . . ." Hakkai returned.
"I can handle Iyame. You two get Sanzo." Goku said.
The three shared a look then separated and quickly moved towards the fighting pair. Goku latched his arms around Iyame at the same time Gojyo and Hakkai grabbed Sanzo's arms. The three pulled the pair apart and they tried to get back at each other.
"I am not done teaching that brat some manners. Let go of me!" she cried while fighting hard against Goku.
"Iyame, stop it. He's my sun, why are you hurting him?" Goku cried. She went limp so abruptly that he almost dropped her.
"He is your sun? Why? He is so cruel to you, Goku. I have known him for a day and he has hit you over two dozen times with this fan," here she paused to give Sanzo a venomous look while ripping it into pieces, "has insulted you every time you have tried to start a civil conversation, and has hurt your feelings at least three times – not counting the fan incidents."
Goku gaped at her in surprise. No one had ever kept such close watch on him or worried about his feelings so much. "You noticed all that?" he asked, stunned.
"Of course I did." she replied with a glare. "What kind of wife would I be if I were oblivious to your feelings?"
"He saved me from my prison and helped me into the light. I know he doesn't act very nice, but he does care about me." Goku pointed out.
"Are you asking me to turn a blind eye to someone who hurts you repeatedly?" she asked quietly.
"Not exactly. I'm asking you to look again and see that he does care, he's just not willing to show it." he said.
She studied him closely for a long moment. "I will trust your judgment and look again, Goku." she finally said.
"Will you apologize to him?"
She looked deeply offended at the suggestion, "I am going to finish preparing dinner now."
Goku followed her over and watched her and the others worriedly. He wanted everyone to get along and be happy. This was not a good start. What if Sanzo made her leave? He fretted while he helped her finish preparing their meal. He stole bites from the pan while she wasn't looking until she laughed and told him to knock it off or he'd spoil his dinner.
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Meanwhile on the other side of the clearing, Gojyo was doing his best to hold in his mirth at the priest being beaten up with his own damn fan. Hakkai was trying to talk Sanzo down and get him to put the gun back in his robes.
"Maybe she reacted that way because of the link between her and Goku? We don't know anything about it but it seems to make them very protective of each other. Perhaps she perceived you as a threat to her mate and reacted accordingly." Hakkai consoled the irate priest.
"How dare she use my fan against me?" he glared across the camp in time to see her glare at him and rip his fan into pieces. "How am I supposed to get another of that quality?"
"We'll find a new fan in one of the next towns. I'll help you look." Hakkai offered.
"I could kill her for this." he stormed as he remembered hearing her call him a brat. That was the second time that day she had said that.
"And then have to deal with Goku all on your own again? Think about how peaceful it was today." Hakkai reminded him.
Sanzo took a deep breath and let it go. He'd get back at her later. He put the gun back in his robes and tugged free of their grasp. "I'm fine." He went over and sat down as far away from her as possible while still being near the fire and lit a cigarette.
Iyame finished cooking dinner and served it to everyone before settling down as far away from Sanzo as possible to eat. The other three tried to make conversation with the pair but they were not in the mood to cooperate. They finally gave up and spoke among themselves instead, leaving them to brood.
After dinner Iyame gathered the dishes and scoured them clean with sand. She then dug around in her bags for several moments before pulling out a small bundle. She started to leave the camp but was stopped by a hand on her arm. She followed it up to Goku's worried face.
"I will be back in a little while, Goku. Go spend some time with your friends." she told him quietly.
"But Iyame, it's not safe." he argued.
"Goku, I have been on my own for a long time. I can take care of myself and right now I need some time alone. Please do not worry, I will be back in a while." she gave the hand on her arm a gentle squeeze and then let go.
"Be careful." he admonished before releasing her arm and watching her walk away. He returned to the fire and sat down between Gojyo and Hakkai.
"And where has your harridan gone, monkey?" Sanzo asked.
Goku shrugged. "She said she would be back in a while."
"You aren't worried about her?" he asked snidely.
"She's been taking care of herself for longer than any of us have." Goku replied before leaning over towards Gojyo and whispering, "And she did get the drop on him after all."
Gojyo burst out laughing and Goku joined him, thinking it was nice to be able to spend time with his friends in front of the fire, talking and laughing. They passed the time playing cards until late and everyone decided it was time to turn in.
Goku made up his pallet and wished for a moment that he was unconscious again so he could sleep next to Iyame. He cast a worried look at where she had disappeared but did not see her heading back. He could find her if he wanted to, but was afraid that would make her think he didn't trust her to be able to take care of herself. But what if something happened to her and she's hurt?
He debated for a moment more before creeping stealthily in the direction she had gone. He wouldn't talk to her; he just wanted to make sure she was okay. He followed her scent for a few minutes and found her not too far from camp, just barely within hearing distance. He hid behind the leaves and watched her bend over something she was working on. She was sitting with her back to him so he couldn't tell what she was doing. Everything appeared fine and he didn't detect anyone else nearby. Goku watched her for a moment more before withdrawing as silently as he had arrived.
Once back at camp, he sighed and sat down with his knees drawn up against his chest and his arms wrapped around them. He did not want to go to sleep until she had safely returned to camp. He gazed up at the stars as his eyes grew heavy, and eventually he fell asleep waiting for her to come back.
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Iyame studied her handiwork carefully before deciding it was perfect. She stretched and heard several cracks. She gathered up her tools and bundled them all together. The walk back to camp didn't take but a few minutes at her ground eating pace and she was ready to get some rest.
She crept silently into the camp and gathered her blankets. She looked around and spotted Goku on her side of the fire. He was sitting up, but his head was resting on his knees and he hadn't responded to any of the small noises she made. She walked stealthily over to him and rolled out her blankets right next to his. She smiled as she remembered him checking in on her a while ago. She had not let him know that she knew he was there, but she thought it quite sweet that he wanted to make sure she was safe.
Iyame knelt next to him and eased him down into a lying position before covering him up so he would not catch cold. She climbed into her blankets and was asleep quickly. She never noticed the amethyst eyes that watched her every move or the apprising look they gave her.
