Disclaimer(s) - I don't own Saiyuki or ANY of the Saiyuki Characters nor am I affiliated and therefore I am not making any profit from this story whatsoever. Saiyuki and its characters belong solely to Kazuya Minekura and all other respective creators/owners. I am just a fan. A BIG fan. A HUGE fan. A... well, you get the idea. I don't own anything but the 4 girls' characters in the story.
***
"Well, now that that's sorted, what are we going to do about sleeping arrangements?" Suki asked innocently, wiping away imaginary tears.
"I can think of something." Gojyo replied, eyeing each of the girls lecherously, before sending Tryst his best "bad boy" look. She eyed him back from under her lashes.
"You know, I think your right." She purred seductively.
The other girls all rolled their eyes as Tryst stood up from the bed. Gojyo's eyebrows had shot up to his hairline at this comment, and his jeans began to strain as she stood with her back to him. Slowly bending over, displaying her shapely ass in his direction, she released something from her boot. Hakkai had dashed to Goku as soon as Tryst had moved, and was covering his eyes while he cried out, "What?! What's going on?" Suki and Daja giggled at this – these boys were JUST like the anime!
Tryst had just finished fishing out what was in her boot, and stood up with a satisfied smile to reveal...an ATM card!
"Huh, when the Goddess gave us this, she said interest had been accumulating for 500 years, thanks to the last 'us's'..." Bella frowned at that, Tryst continued "So, we should be able to at least get lodgings for the night!" She flashed an overly innocent grin at Gojyo, who looked disappointed and in pain. "That wasn't what I had in mind..." he grumbled.
Goku had escaped from Hakkai's grasp yelling "Sanzo is gonna be SO pissed!" and laughed uproarously. Everyone else joined in, picturing Sanzo's annoyed visage, bar Isabella, who leaned out the window she was still sitting by and whistled sharply.
"Kit!" She called loudly, her voice noticeably smoother the louder she spoke. There was a bright flash of light surrounding the Bug, and then *POP!* - a small black cat appeared exactly where the car had been.
The cat jumped to the windowsill and looked around the room before leaping into Daja's lap and mewling softly. It had bright red eye. The same ay Hakuryuu, Hakkai thought.
"Oh, WOW!" Goku choked "Sanzo is gonna be TOTALLY pissed now!" And a new bout of laughter racked hi body, causing him to fall off his chair.
Suki grinned. "I know! When the Goddess told us that the car would meet us here, and would transform like Hakuryuu, AND that it would be a cat – well, we thought it was her personal vendetta against the poor, dear monk!" She fluttered her eye lids dramatically, then fell back on the bed, laughing.
"That's right," Hakkai said suddenly, "You never did explain hot it is you know so MUCH about us." He smiled politely.
"Um...yeah...let's save THAT story for another time, I need to go get rooms." Tryst replied evasively and left the room as quickly as possible.
"I'll go too." Isabella said, catching everyone off guard as she hurried after her friend.
"Well, Monkey, you want some dinner?" Gojyo asked lightly, still a bit miffed that Tryst had turned him down. Girls just didn't turn him down that easily! But then, this was no ordinary girl; Tryst presented a real challenge – and Gojyo was not one to give up so easily.
"Yeah!" Goku yelled as Suki cried "Can I come too?" Gojyo eyed her. She was very cute – if a bit young for him.
"Sure sweetie." He replies, giving her a sultry look. Goku missed this exchange, and was already at the door, yelling "Come ON! I'm HUUUUNGRY!" Before bolting out the door and down the stairs. Not to be outdone, Suki pounced after him, leaving Goku to bring up the...ahem...rear.
As the door closed Daja heaved a sigh, which was echoed by Hakkai. They glanced at each other questioningly, before Daja's cheeks began to burn.
"Are you alright, Miss Daja?" Hakkai queried in concern.
"Oh, I'm fine, just fine." She replied, and stood too quickly, stumbling over her own feet. As she tried to get her balance, her feet tripped over kit, who was weaving her way around Daja's legs, and she tumbled forward. Expecting to hit the ground, she raised her arms to protect her face...and was caught.
Hakkai had surged forward the moment she stumbled, and with lithe, yet surprisingly strong arms, had caught her by the biceps. Daja fell onto his chest, nose squashed flat. Stupid cat, she thought.
"Ow." She mumbled. Then realised the position she was in. She looked up to see surprised green eyes staring back down at her. She gasped and scrambled to her feet, bowing apologetically.
"Ah, Hakkai-san!! I'm... so sorry! Please forgive me!" She kept her eyes on the floor as she bolted from the room.
Hakkai stood frozen to the spot as Daja left the room like a frightened deer. His left hand slowly reached up to his chest, as though with a mind of it's own, and brushed the spot where she had pressed her nose to his chest.
"Are you?" He quietly asked no one.
***
Sanzo had returned to his room, slamming the door in his anger. Dammit! Why did that Merciful hag have to do this to him? His current situation was complicated enough! He lit a cigarette and chugged on it angrily as he stripped off his top layer of clothing. Dammit! Women are nothing but trouble!
He had barely finished his thought when there was a loud knock on his door. He stalked over to it, and yanked it open. In his doorway stood the blonde one... Isabella, his brain supplied. "What do you want, woman?"
She looked up at him, her fringe parting slightly, enough for him to look her in the eye. So her eyes ARE fuscia, I thought so...Wait, why do I even care? She's just a disrespectful, little...
"You would do well to be a bit more tolerant, Monk," She replied "We have obtained rooms of our own and require none of your supplies. I thought you should know that, as I understand you hate complications." She peered deep into his violet eyes, daring him to argue.
He glared at her. "I never asked for your help, nor do I need it, muse." He said nastily.
"That may be so." She turned to leave, and had a small smile on her lips as she looked back over her shoulder at him, eyes now hidden. "But I know you're lying."
She left, walking down the hall at a steady pace, once again leaving the monk at a loss for words.
Dammit! He still didn't trust her! "I hate complications." He growled, closing the door to his room and sitting back at the table. It was at that point, he realised something…
Sanzo had always been attractive. He had accepted that, even without speaking he would unwillingly attract most females, and quite a few males. He had learned to be disgusted by people touching him, or leering at him, and so he travelled covered in looser than required priests robes, ignores the masses, and kept a tab for revenge on anyone who saw him as just a pretty face, or a piece of ass.
He realised that this girl had just come to his room, and had seen him in his form fitting under clothes, which were like a second skin over his chiselled chest and washboard stomach, the armguards accentuating his toned biceps. She had seen him, and yet, had looked only into his eyes. Not his body. Not his face. His eyes.
Hmph. He was...impressed? Disappointed? No, nothing like that. He was beginning to feel the lightest traces of trust. Feather light, he convinced himself, not even that. Feeling a bit steadier, he slipped back into his robes, stubbed his cigarette and made his way down to the dining area.
***
Daja barged into the dining room, looking wildly for her friends among the lightly crowded area. Spotting Suki over with Gojyo and Goku scoffing their faces, she headed in that direction, until she noticed Tryst.
The taller girl was at the bar, calmly getting drinks, when she was approached my two (obviously intoxicated) men. When they refused to let her pass, an annoyed look passed over her features. Before Daja or Tryst could do anything, and ashtray came flying out of nowhere and hit the left man in the head, knocking him out cold.
As his partner stood shocked, Tryst calmly stepped over the unconscious man, holding a six pack of beer in one hand, and a six pack of soda in the other. She continued back to the table, and slid onto the seat beside Gojyo, giving him a quick nod in thanks.
He, in return gave her a wide grin, his thoughts on appropriate thanks obviously differing from hers. She huffed, and turned her head away, to find Daja in the door to the dining room looking at her, flushed and out of breath. Tryst excused herself, and made her way over to Daja, as Isabella also came in.
"Hey – what's up?" Tryst asked, as Isabella looked at them both questioningly.
"I...umm...Hakkai...I mean....he..." Daja babbled. The girls smiled gently, they knew their shy friend had the hugest crush on Hakkai. Hell, she was even obsessed with him when she still believed he was just anime.
She continued to babble as the girls walked her over to the table. Gojyo looked up curiously, while Suki and Goku continued to scoff.
***
Sanzo met Hakkai at the bottom of the stairs, Hakkai almost knocking the monk over, his mind obviously elsewhere.
"Oh, Sanzo! My apologies – I was thinking…well, I don't know…" Hakkai stopped, plastering on a huge overly cheerful grin. Sanzo grunted and led them both into the dining room.
***
Daja's babbling stopped as she notices Hakkai enter the room with Sanzo. She locked her eyes down on the table and didn't look up until the food was served, her face a steady pink. Conversation swirled over her head as she purposefully didn't join in, eating lightly and only answering 'yes' or 'no' the direct questions.
She did laugh lightly at Gojyo's continued attempts at Tryst, and Sanzo's continuous death threats hung through the air, only being taken seriously when a few shots were fired off, successfully scaring the shit out of the other patrons. Daja breathed a huge sigh of relief when dinner was finally over.
She carefully got up from her chair (remembering NOT to trip) and turned, walking smack into a solid object, her nose squashed flat yet again.
"Ow." Daja mumbled. She looked up into surprised scarlet eyes.
"Well," Gojyo remarked slyly, "You're not usually my type, but if you insist…"
Before he could wrap his arms around her, there was a loud THWACK as the harisen cracked across his head, followed by a fuming Tryst making the sound of a boiling tea kettle. "You perverted Kappa!" Goku spouted in chorus.
Daja ducked out from under Gojyo's arms and grabbed her friends by theirs. Together they bolted from the area, heading straight for their four bedroom suite giggling loudly in mischief, as Gojyo continued to be harassed by Goku and Sanzo, and Daja blushed.
Entering the room, she shut the door, leaning against it as she breathed a sigh of relief. Tryst, Suki and Bella laughed as she locked it, each of them falling onto a bed to claim it as theirs. Suki rolled onto her stomach and watched as each of the girls composed themselves and headed for the bathroom.
Upon entering, they realised, having no pyjama's, no toothbrushes and no change of clothes, they would just have to make do with have a shower and sleeping in their underwear. That way, they could wash their clothes in the sink, and let them dry overnight. Each of the girls hung their clothes out after their showers, and settled into a bed.
"So…" Tryst began, positive she was still in some kind of bizarre dream, like in a coma.
"This is actually happening." Bella stated in her blunt way.
"Yeah… it is. But, I don't know, it still seems so unreal. I mean, usually, if we were like, kidnapped or something back there, we would be scared about something, like what we were leaving behind, and if it was OK." Suki said seriously.
"But now, it doesn't seem to matter. It's like everything is just waiting for us back there. Like we are just living this moment, and it's OK not to doubt." Bella finished.
The others nodded in agreement. Though they still had feelings of worry for their families, friends, homes and pets, there was absolutely no doubt that this was all real, and that everything they had left behind was somehow, still OK. It was strange, as though they had received some kind of unspoken assurance from a higher power.
"And they're real – the Sanzo Ikkou, Youkai, Kanzeon Bosatsu – everything! It's totally blowing my mind!" Tryst broke the silence in an excited squeal.
"I still can't believe we've actually met them, talked to them! I mean, we've even touched th…." Daja cut herself off as the girls all sat up in their beds, eyes gleaming in anticipation.
"Whaddaya mean, 'touched them'?" Tryst crooned
"You never did actually say what happened with you and Hakkai. What was it? You already…" Suki queried, leaving the question open.
"No! Nothing like that!" Daja protested hastily. "I just stumbled, and he caught me, and there was this… like… moment. That's all" She had a confused look in her eye. What had it meant? It was over so quickly.
"So…basically, you had a Titanic moment?" Bella asked, her teeth gleaming.
"Ugh, you guys are impossible. It was nothing, so just drop it. I'm going to sleep." She rolled over facing the ceiling, and closed her eyes. The girls booed her, and laughing lay back themselves as they drifted off, exhausted after their absolutely emotionally draining day .
Before sleep claimed her, Daja felt a light pressure on her chest, then a steady purring. She smiled sleepily, and petted her feminine little cat. She couldn't be too angry at Kit. After all, she HAD gotten her into Hakkai's arms…
END CHAPTER 4