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.

***

"Dr. Nii! Please focus on the task at hand!" Dr Huang said in exasperation, her already thin patience with the depraved scientist snapping at his laid back attitude, and perverted comments.

"Relax. Everything is under control." Nii replied, his hands moving the familiar toy bunny animatedly, as he turned his attention to the female doctor. Huang faltered, caught between further harassing the impossible man, or believing him. Both were hard to achieve.

" The barrier we created using the Sutra protects us from any ... disturbances. – this leaves us ample time to continue ... other pursuits." His intelligent eyes flashed at the intended double meaning. Huang gritted her teeth, her hands clenching her ever present clipboard tightly.

"Besides," Nii turned back to his bunny, "Nobody other than those of Gyumaohs' direct line can pass through – which leaves all but Lady Lirin and our dear Prince stuck in India together – doesn't it?" His finger forced the bunny to nod in answer.

"That doesn't mean Lady Gyokumen Koshou is going to allow delays or any kind of slacking in the revival experiment – That is still our first priority, in case you've forgotten." Huang said, overly patient.

"Who cares?" Nii replied, loving Huangs' gasp of shock. "She sent out her entire army - other than the personal guard – to search for the remaining scriptures. She knew she was she doing. But, being that no one else can pass the shield, she is also not going to get news of the outside world, which will affect her sense of time – especially the progress of the monk and his little friends." The smirk on his raggedly shaven face dropped, revealing a serious, yet mysterious facade.

Huang nodded, far more on edge when the doctor was serious, than when he was perverted. She suddenly felt a pang of fear at his possible reaction to her 'other' experiments, which she had given over to the Lady only an hour ago. Did he know about those? No, he assumed that the Lady was not intelligent enough to make alternate arrangements for information gathering, nor that she would as Huang rather than himself.

Nii was staring at the computer screen intently, his mind obviously elsewhere.

Huang would let him continue to assume, her own vindictive nature emerging at the thought of finally getting one over the supposedly omnipotent doctor. She cleared her throat. "Well, if that's the case, would not the Lady become aware of your own experiments, simply due to boredom?"

Nii smirked, leaning his head on his shoulder to look back at her, a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth. "I don't think boredom will be an issue." He crooned. "I am more than capable of keeping women ... all women, Huang ... very entertained."

Huang blushed several shades of crimson before screaming back at him "Keep your mind HERE where it belongs – THEN you can worry about whether or not you NEED to entertain anyone!" She turned on her heel, stalking angrily out of the lab, but not before Nii got in one last parting shot."

"It's not about NEED, Huang, it's about DESIRE."

***

Kougaiji strode through the corridors angrily, heading towards the revival chamber, thanks to the summons of his so called 'mother'. He clenched his fists in rage. Why? Why had they done it? This barrier. Hrmph. More like the defense of a scared child. They were ready, Goddammit! Read y for any kind of invasion, attack or espionage. And this barrier was testament to her disbelief in their strength!

10 days. 10 DAYS! And already he was feeling trapped – as trapped as he had been before that bitch had released him. The only positive aspect was that he could pass the barrier, yet he felt compelled to stay, to protect his comrades within the confines of the shield.

A jingling sound from behind him had him stopping in his tracks, an exasperated expression taking over his features. The prince turned around, his eyes leveling on his younger sister, who had her hands clasped tightly behind her back, a sheepish look on her face. Kougaiji sighed.

"What is it?"

Lirin pouted. "Where are ya goin', Onii-Chan?" The older youkai paused, not wanting to worry the little demon.

"I'm going to see your mother; she... has a task for me to do."

Lirins eyes doubled in size, her excitement evident "Can Lirin come too? Oh, Pleeeeease! Please, Onii-Chan??"

"I don't know what it is yet! So you go back to the others and wait – when I find out what's going to happen, then MAYBE you can come." Kou snapped back, having every intention of taking Lirin with him – wherever he went it was much safer than here. The young girl bounced, jumping to hug her half brother around the waist before sprinting off to find Yaone and Dokugakuji. "See you soon Onii-chan, Ok? NNhn!"

Kou sighed again and continued on his way to the chamber, his anger beginning to stoke once more. His strides became shorter, and steam began to drift in slow waves of his chest as he struggled to control his temper. It was just lucky there were none of the other Youkai around – Kou was ready to snap. His footsteps finally brought him to the already open doorway and continued to take him towards the 'throne' at the back of the highly arched room.

"Well hello, prince. Thank you for FINALLY gracing us with your presence." As always that voice was polished, cold, and completely condescending.

Kougaiji allowed his eyes to travel up the fully revealed crossed legs, plunging cleavage and sharply pointed face to the pair of empty eyes that held as much warmth as a glacier.

"Mother" he muttered in reply, adding as much scorn as possible to the word.

"You look tired darling, is that why you took so long? You were having a little nap?" she laughed merrily at her own excuse for wit. Kou gritted his teeth, his fists tightly clenched, riding out the embarrassment he felt by imagining the day he could finally put this witch in her grave. The laughter died slowly as Gyokumen Koshou enjoyed her toying with the young prince's ego. She eyed him thoughtfully, taking in his bare, toned chest, finely featured face and long legs. He really is quite handsome she caught herself thinking before pushing those kinds of notions away with an undignified snort. God, she already had enough entertainment to keep her blood pumping- with that yummy and insatiable doctor hanging about. The demon woman let the strained silence continue for a moment longer before crisply placing an order on her 'son'.

"Kougaiji, you know this barrier is a protection which none but the blood of Gyumaoh may cross, as it was made with his marbled blood to begin with. As such you may enter and exit at will. You will be my eyes and ears, gathering for me all the information that I have –until recently- been able to gather by alternate means" she paused, not liking the way Kougaiji's eyes shifted in thought at this statement. No matter, she had already thought far ahead of anything he could come up with "I will need accurate and visible proof of each of your findings. As such you are required to wear this."

She held up a chain link necklace. The individual links were slim- delicate, yet very strong. Hanging from the necklace was a large faceted red stone, though unlike a ruby, it was not clarified what-so-ever. The red was completely dense- as thick a colour as blood.

Kougaiji took an involuntary step back. There was something very wrong with that stone- something unnatural though he supposed anything coming from that bitch is unnatural. Lady Gyokumen Koshou's eyes gleamed in malicious pleasure at his reluctance to take the necklace. The boy was more in tune with his instincts than she thought. "You will wear this" she repeated, dangling the chain in her claws like a cat with a new toy "because it captures images of what YOU see, these can then be relayed back to me via the crystal I wear" as she said this, she slipped her hand down her exposed cleavage to reveal an identical red stone. This one however, rather than being free-hanging, was set onto the back of a piece of mirror and hung from a fine-linked gold chain. Each of the stones she held was about the size of her palm.

"Come here and get this" she said suddenly to the less-than-thrilled prince. He took it cautiously, avoiding contact with her hands, and under her watchful gaze slipped it over his head. He felt instant revulsion when the stone touched his bare chest just below his collarbone. It felt luke-warm and slimy, yet when he reached up to touch it with his fingers it was nothing but a cool, clean crystal.

"What is it" he asked the demon woman. The second the words left his mouth he dreaded the answer. Her white teeth gleamed like those of an animal in the darkness.

"Why, the remaining blood from making the barrier of course. You, being his son, the blood in the crystal connects to your eyes when it is in contact with your skin. No part of my beloved Gyumaoh should ever be wasted."

***

An hour after the battle in the forest the camp was set. Daja was fast asleep in the pop-up tent when the remaining girls finally sat down around the fire. The young men sat together in a semi-circle facing the three as Bella asked "so what did you want to know?"

Sanzo looked at them seriously, and in a flat voice asked "how do you know so much about us?"

Tryst took a deep breath. Damn. She knew they'd come back to that sooner or later. Suki looked nervously at each of the boys, her eyes flicking to each before staring at the ground in apparent embarrassment.

"You need to understand, our world is very different to yours. In our world you are all imaginary- a story to watch on TV, or a book to read. Your lives- your specific lives- are but an entertainment, and unfortunately very few take them as anything more than that" Bella said slowly.

The men looked stricken. "What do you mean by entertainment" Sanzo asked as Hakkai added, "what - if any - part of our lives was ENTERTAINING?" His gaze darkened, sending a chill up Tryst's spine.

"It's not like that." A quiet voice said, as Daja extricated herself from the confines of the tent. "In our world, Youkai do not exist as they do here. Technology is abundant, and there is no almighty evil out there to get us. In our world, your journey is a story, your trials, conversations… and your pasts." She added, sliding over to sit next to Isabella.

"So… you saying you're not the only ones that know about us? That there are others out there who find us entertaining?" Gojyo spat.

Tryst nodded sadly, "Until Kanzeon Bosatsu arrived, we were large fans … uh… 'Supporters' of your story. We collected every bit of information about you, and discussed your lives in a serious manner – comparing your experiences to our own!" She said earnestly, trying to convince the Kappa of their naivety. Gojyo turned his head away.

"Collected information about us? Discussed our lives?" Sanzo growled, his finders practically itching to pull out his banishing gun.

"We didn't know!" Suki stood up suddenly, tears swimming in her eyes, "We didn't know any of this was real! We needed something to hold on to in our lives, and your journey – " she waved her arms wildly around the campfire " – was something REAL for us! It's not fair for you to be mad at us when we didn't do it on purpose! Not like you think we did! For fucks' sake! You're supposed to be the heroes!" With a loud sob, she bolted off into the trees.

Isabella glared at the boys through her fringe. "I don't CARE if you're mad at us, but Suki is innocent - Don't you DARE play the guilt trip with her!" She said, her menacing tone stoking Sanzo's anger. Before her could say anything, Goku stood up and ran in the forest after Suki, leaving him at a loss for words.

Hakkai leaned forward with a sigh. His heart felt heavy, and it burned strangely, he looked into Daja's earnest eyes with disappointment and distrust. She accepted his silent criticism gracefully, and lowered her head as tears filled her eyes. Sanzo was furious – these rude girls had invaded their privacy – it was beyond rude… it was… voyeurism! His gut clenched at the thought of them knowing his past, hi innermost thoughts. Gods, how was he supposed to trust these creatures NOW?

Gojyo stared into the fire, purposefully avoiding Tryst's gaze. How much of it had been real? Was she just playing him? Were all her little speeches just lies? Were these girls even sent by the Goddess, or were they sent by Gyomaoh? "Why didn't you tell us before?" He asked eyes still on the fire.

"Well, at first, we wanted to earn your trust enough to be allowed to come along. It would have been kinda counterproductive if we had said we'd been watching you so intently. After that, we just kinda… forgot." Tryst finished lamely. Gojyo stood up suddenly, eyes downcast. "I'm going to sleep." Hakkai stood immediately, "I think I'll join you/" The two of them went straight into their tent's without looking back. Sanzo stood slowly a few moments later, his gaze wandering over the silently crying Daja, and the dejected Tryst. His eyes came to rest on Bella, whose gaze seemed directed straight ahead. Without another word, he turned on his heel and marched straight into his tent.

The girls waited for a bit longer before moving. Tryst helped Daja up, as they climbed into the poptent, Daja still being exhausted from earlier. Bella stood after the two had left, then walked slowly over to Sanzo's tent. She knelt in front of the entrance and put her lips against the door.

"I'm truly sorry, Kouryuu." She whispered her voice full of emotion for the first time in many years. She had not apologized sincerely for over a decade, and she felt her throat close at the words. Without waiting for a reply, she rose and entered her tent, knowing Suki would be able to find her way back – after all, she had Goku with her by now.

***

Goku crashed through the leaves following the sounds of Suki's crying. He slowed to a stop as he entered a small clearing drenched in moonlight. Suki was in the centre on her hands and knees, as though she had just collapsed while running. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, her long plait hanging over her left shoulder.

Goku approached her cautiously, like a wounded animal. "Suki?" He called quietly, as she continues to sob. He walked closer, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Suki…" Before he could move, she had her arms around him, as she sobbed into his chest. "I'm s…sorry!" She cried "I'm s…so sorry!" Goku stood stunned, not knowing what to do. Her shoulders were shaking, like she was cold – that wasn't good – and he couldn't give her his cape with her arms wrapped around him…

With a red face, he cautiously placed his arms around her, holding her lightly. To warm her, her thought to himself. After a short time, her shoulders stopped quivering, and she began to breathe normally. His shirt was soaking wet from her tears. He sighed with relief and willed his arms to remove themselves. His arms, however, seemed to have developed a mind of their own, tightening around her smaller frame in a protective gesture. He felt a movement at his chest, and looked down to see her mouth slightly open, and her reddened indigo eyes staring up at him. They're beautiful, he thought innocently. He had the strangest idea at that moment…

Not one to play it safe, he went with his newfound notion, and bent his head down slightly to press his lips to hers in a light, almost chaste kiss. He leaned back warily, to gauge her reaction, wondering why he had done such a strange thing.

Her eyes were wide in shock, and he suddenly realized he may have done something very wrong. Releasing her like a hot iron, he jumped back, wondering if she was going to attack – she was a reasonable fighter, even without her glaive. She still had those same shocked eyes as she looked at him from across the clearing, only now, she had one hand to her lips, which was trembling slightly.

"Goku…" she spoke quietly, "Why did you just…?" She blushed furiously, and then continued with something that shocked him. "Don't you want to kiss me?" She asked, indicating his distance from her with a shy wave. He stood pole axed, wondering if she was for real – she had practically asked him to kiss her! She stood silent, waiting for a response. Time moved slowly, as her body began to feel cold at his silence. She was just about to give up on him – and her heart – when he spoke. "I do… but…" he paused. She looked at him queryingly. His face was beet red as he continued, "…I'm... not... very good at this kind of thing." He mumbled the last sentence in embarrassment, glad the moonlight didn't illuminate his blushing face too brightly.

Suki smiled shyly back at him, "Me neither."

He jerked, his eyes meeting hers in an embarrassed glance, as the moonlight brightened around them. He made a hesitant step towards her, his movements short, and nervous. She stepped forward, her eyes locked on his, her hands slowly reaching out grab his own. Goku's hands were as hot and sticky as hers as they stood toe to toe in the light filled clearing.

"Um… maybe we should close our eyes?" Suki suggested lightly, as Goku was staring at her in his nervousness. "Oh… Ok." He replied. The two closed their lids and leaned towards each other, noses rubbing as they each concentrated on the feeling of their own skin touching the other.

Suki's lips brushed against his, and the monkey was lost. He pulled his hands out of hers gently, and let them wrap around her waist, as her own reached up to wrap around his neck. Their kiss deepened, and her lips parted slightly, allowing her tongue to flick out and lick his upper lip, tasting him. He tastes so sweet! Suki thought, right before she lost the ability to think as he pushed himself closer against her.

Goku's mind was reeling. He finally understood why Gojyo liked chasing women so much, if this was one of the things they could do together! He shivered in pleasure as he felt her tongue dart out, pulling her closer, and replied in kind, letting his own tongue hesitantly lick her lower lip. She tastes like peaches! He thought giddily, as he felt her moan against him. He quickly pulled himself away, worried eyes on the girl in his arms. Did I hurt her? He thought, panicking. Her eyes opened at his absence, and she licked her swollen lips, blushing slightly. He sighed and looked up to the sky in relief – she was OK.

Goku suddenly noticed how high the moon was, and cursed viciously. "Uhh… I think we should get back – Sanzo gets mad if I'm gone for too long." Goku said nervously, his face still flushed. Suki looked at him questioningly – she didn't want to leave yet – she wanted to stay here with him! But Goku was persistent, as her grabbed her hand and began to jog lightly back through the trees. As they neared the sleeping camp, Suki looked down at their still joined hands, and pulled Goku to a stop. He turned quickly to look at her in question.

Her head was down as she quietly asked, "Why aren't you mad at us? You know – about us knowing you all? About HOW we know about you?" She cringed, waiting for his answer and his rejection when the memory of the conversation earlier resurfaced. Goku stared at her, before an understanding and happy grin spread across his face. "Because – like you said – it wasn't like you knew everything was really true. Besides, I can't be mad at you all for knowing about us – otherwise I never would have met you." He gave her hand a comforting squeeze as he turned back to lead her to her tent.

Sukis mind calmed. Of course, Goku was the most kind and forgiving person she had had the opportunity to meet – he could understand. She let her eyes wander over the rest of the camp – it was the other members of the Sanzo Ikkou they had to worry about. Suki entered the pop up, and before Goku could leave, she grabbed his hand again. "Thank you, Goku." She said, before her head disappeared inside the tent.

Goku stood, a small smile gracing his features as he settled down by the fire to keep watch. Things were really becoming strange these days. He put his hands behind his head as he flopped back into the leaves, staring out at the thousands of stars spread across the velvet sky.

Strange, but amazing.

END CHAPTER 8