Forming Bonds- There Not So Bad

The next day Ran was given half of the day off from her dad who just needed some time alone so she decided to go pay Karin a visit and see how things were going with the group of four. She knew that after noon she'd be over at the flower shop so she headed over there.

On the way she ran into Goku who was running through the streets with some of the children. "How's it going Goku?" she asked ruffling his hair.

"Great, lunch was awesome and Sanzo said I could go wherever today," Goku exclaimed excitedly. "Know any good places?"

"Well you could go check out Granny's honey patch…I'm sure you'd enjoy seeing how honey is made," Ran suggested.

"Cool where is that?"

"It's just over there," Ran answered pointing toward a house with a lot of ground behind it and was set apart from the village.

"Thanks," he said running off in that direction.

"He really is a kid isn't he?"

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Karin knocked on the door to see if anyone was in the room. "What is it?" An annoyed voice answered.

She recognized it to be Sanzo's. She cracked open the door. "Excuse me Mr. Sanzo, but I came to clean the room. Is that alright?"

"Do what you want," was the answer.

She came in and saw that he was smoking a cigarette and enjoying a beer. "You know…" she said as she began making the beds, which were messy and wrinkled. "You're lungs and liver are going to give out one of these days."

"Maybe, but I'll enjoy my pleasures long before that happens," Sanzo replied taking a swig from his beer glass.

"I guess that's true," Karin laughed.

After she was done straightening the beds, she tended to the plants in the window sill. "Are those really necessary?" Sanzo asked.

"I feel they brighten up the room," Karin told him. "Like this one." She showed him a pot that held blue and orange flowers. "The contrast of the blue and the orange against each other seems to enhance their color. Even though they're completely opposite, they compliment one another."

Sanzo stared at the flowers for a moment as the memory of his former master saying almost the same thing washed over him. When Karin looked over at him again she saw a very thoughtful look cross over his face as his eyes lingered on hers. It only lasted a moment and when it was over he went back to his smoke and drink. "Yeah, I guess they do."

Karin didn't know what to make of the expression he had given her, but she took it for what it was and set the flowers in the warm sunlight of the window.

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In the meantime Ran had followed Goku over to Granny's honey patch because she heard something shatter and went to find out what happened. "Don't worry dear, he just startled me that's all," Granny Tsuyo said with a smile.

"Here let me help you with that," Ran offered bending down to clean up the broken dishes.

"I'm really sorry about that…I just wanted to see how you get honey," Goku explained sadly.

"That's alright, how about I show you," Tsuyo suggested.

"Alright," Goku shouted following her out the door. Ran shook her head in amazement at how childish he was but followed them all the same.

"First you need to put this on, young man," Granny Tsuyo told Goku, pulling out a weird looking suit with a screen face.

"Huh, what for?" Goku asked staring at the bizarre suit.

"It's to protect you from bee stings in case anything goes wrong," she explained patiently.

"Yeah, if you go into a bee's home and try to take the honey they're going to attack and those stingers hurt," Ran added with a shrug.

"Wow, do they really?" Goku asked happily.

Ran snickered and led the way out to the bee's home and waited for Granny Tsuyo to open the bee's cage. The moment she did honey bees started flying everywhere and Goku exclaimed his awe and started trying to catch them.

"Hey Goku knock it off and take a look at this," Ran said annoyed.

Goku turned around and saw a large hexagonal piece of something cream colored. "What's that?"

"That would be the honey comb where you harvest the honey," Ran answered trying hard not to laugh at the curiosity in his voice.

"Wow! So this is where honey comes from, huh?"

"Yeah, Karin explained it to me once. Apparently bees collect pollen from flowers, eat it and regurgitate it as honey… or something like that. I wasn't paying too much attention to be honest. But she also said something about bees being the world's greatest pollinators and them being good for flowers. But as far as I'm concerned they're just—Hey what do you think you're doing?" Ran's speech was interrupted where Goku tore off a piece of the honeycomb, lifted up the screen over his face, and put it in his mouth.

Ran smacked him over the head, but only after Goku managed to get the honeycomb in his mouth. "GWACK, that's not honey," he complained holding it up.

"OUCH." One of the bees had managed to get into his mask and stung him.

"I warned you Goku," Ran told him snickering. Then she dragged him inside with the honeycomb where she took off his mask and allowed the bee to drop to the ground.

"You have to get the honey out of it first, Goku," Ran laughed.

She retrieved a knife and slowly sliced off the layer covering the hexagonal shapes revealing golden brown liquid inside. "Sweet!" Goku said sticking his finger in one and scooping up the honey and sticking it on his tongue. "Tasty!"

Ran snorted and placed a hand over her mouth, "Oh man…Goku acts just like my brother used to," she thought before bursting out laughing.

"What did I do?" Goku asked surprised.

Ran couldn't answer because she was laughing so hard and Tsuyo smiled. "I'm glad to see her laughing again. It's been far too long," she thought happily.

Karin glanced over nervously at the irate man walking beside her. She had needed to gather some herbs and flowers for her shop, but her aunt would not allow her to go unattended, and since everyone else was gone at the time, she told Sanzo to do it.

At first the priest blatantly refused while Karin insisted that Sanzo shouldn't have to go through the trouble, but you don't say 'NO' to aunt Yuzuna. And so, Sanzo was accompanying her through the forest. "I really am sorry about this," she apologized.

"Whatever," Sanzo muttered. "Just hurry up and get what you need so I can go back to the inn."

Karin nodded and kept searching for the plants that she needed. "Be sure to watch your step, you never know what could pop up out here," she said leading the way.

Just then a large carnivorous plant jumped out behind Sanzo who pulled out his gun and blasted the thing away. "No kidding."

"Just curious…how did you, as strong as your group is, get caught in that poison?" she asked casually.

"You can blame Goku for that one," Sanzo muttered putting his gun away.

"What do you mean?" Karin said now genuinely curious.

"Because the idiot couldn't keep his hands off of things," Sanzo grumbled.

*FLASHBACK*

"I'm so hungry," Goku moaned as they trudged through the forest.

"I'm sick of trudging through this place," Gojyo muttered.

"If I'm correct in thinking, there should be a village somewhere nearby, "Hakkai said not sounding at all winded.

"Great maybe we can get some food there," Goku shouted happily.

"Is food all that you think about you damn monkey," Gojyo asked knocking Goku on the head.

"Shut up you stupid water sprite," Goku shouted back.

"Shut up both of you or I'll kill you," Sanzo said pulling out his gun.

Goku stopped and looked away and in his moment of avoidance he spotted a plant a few feet away. "Woah, that plant looks delicious," he said bending down to pick it up.

"Goku, don't touch it!" Hakkai shouted, but his warning came too late.

Just as Goku's fingers touched the plant, it came to life and sprang at him. Hakkai instinctively shoved Goku out of the way taking the brunt of the plant's attack. It wrapped itself around his arm and he gave a yell as its venomous thorns dug into his skin. Several plants of the same kind began to sprout up out of the ground surrounding the party.

Sanzo pulled out his gun and started shooting the plants but all that did was release a mist of poison that surrounded them. "Nice work genius," Sanzo said before passing out.

"You're the one that shot them," Gojyo muttered pulling out his weapon and trying to fight them off. At that point Goku had passed out along with Hakkai.

He glanced around seeing them all lying there and then fell because one of the plants grabbed a hold of his legs making a huge gash. He felt his head start to get all woozy and just before he lost consciousness he spotted a young woman with long dark auburn hair.

*End Flashback*

"And that's when you found us," Sanzo finished. Karin stared at him for several moments before letting out a giggle. "What's so funny?" He asked dangerously.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be laughing, it's just… you make it sound as if things like this happen on a regular basis for you guys."

"With Goku around that's all that happens," Sanzo replied with a scowl.

"Well at least you never get bored," Karin laughed.

"It's not funny," Sanzo said dangerously. Karin just kept laughing anyway and soon Sanzo just rolled his eyes and continued through the brush. "Let's just get this thing finished already."

"Okay, thank you," she said smiling.

"For what?"

"Just for talking with me," she replied.

Sanzo closed his eyes. "Whatever."

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Later that night, Ran attempted to sneak out, only to end up running into her father. "Where do you think you're going at this time of night, Ran?"

"I couldn't sleep so I was going for a walk," Ran replied with a smile.

Tetsuo narrowed his eyes and just stared at her…the stare always was formidable enough to ware her down to confessions before but she refused to be defeated this time. "I'm serious dad I just wanted to go for a walk."

"Then why is the stoker in your hands and the hammer in your belt?" he asked disappointed.

"That's uh…just in case Kusuma decides to break his normal habit."

"I'd rather you not be outside this time of night, it's not safe."

"Come on dad, I know the forest as well as Karin does. It's not like I'm going to get hurt or anything."

"You don't know that. And what business would you possibly have in the forest?" He asked suddenly very suspicious.

'Crap,' Ran thought wanting to kick herself for letting her tongue slip.

"It's nothing I promise dad," Ran said trying to convince him she was fine.

"You're going to try to go after him aren't you?"

"What? Come on dad even I'm not that stupid. I don't know where his place is and I'm sure that I'd probably be attacked by his plants before I made it."

"Every time you go out there you risk that…and I don't want to lose you too."

"You won't dad…I'm not going anywhere," Ran said reassuringly.

"You're darn right you're not," He dad replied sternly, pointing to her room. "To bed, now. And if I catch you sneaking out again I'll put a chain around your neck."

"Me and my big mouth," Ran muttered to herself once she was in her room. She sighed. "Sorry… Gojyo."x

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Meanwhile at the appointed meeting place. "Where is she?" Gojyo asked himself looking around. "Ah man she isn't standing me up is she? Nah she's probably just having a hard time getting out without her father seeing her."

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Karin hummed to herself as she cleaned the eating area of the inn. Suddenly she heard a small sound and looked over to see Hakuryuu staring up at her. "Kyou!"

Karin's eyes grew wide. "So cute..."

"Kyou!" the dragon cried again.

"What's wrong little fella?" She asked kneeling down and stroking the dragon's head. "Are you hungry?"

"Kyou!"

"Well then we best fix that."

As Karin went to go get Hakuryuu some food Hakkai walked in and stopped when he saw her. He watched as she caringly gave him some food and was about to say something but thought better of it and retreated a ways so she wouldn't spot him.

"Such a beautiful creature," Karin murmured, lovingly stroking Hakuryuu's back as he ate. "Just like his master." She gave a soft laugh. "Tell me, Hakuryuu... is it weird to think of a guy as beautiful?" Hakkai's eyes widened as very similar words to him rang out in his memory.

"Kyou!" Hakuryuu called out closing his eyes.

"You're so cute!" Karin squealed losing herself and glomping the poor dragon.

Hakkai decided that he had heard enough for now and silently left, going back to his room. On the way he encountered a rather disappointed looking Gojyo who surprisingly didn't have a cigarette in his mouth.

'He looks almost as bad as I feel,' Hakkai thought. Then out loud he said, with a smile, "Judging by the look on your face, I'd say your date got cancelled."

"Shut it, Hakkai," Gojyo muttered.

"Didn't you say that you had it 'in the bag'?" Hakkai asked nonchalantly.

"I said shut up Hakkai, unless you want me to shut it for you," Gojyo retorted. "At least I'm making a move."

"You have your way of doings things, and I have mine," was Hakkai's smart reply.

"Whatever, I'm going to bed…tomorrow I'll get another chance," Gojyo added before walking through his door.

"Sometimes I wish I had his determination," Hakkai thought with a sigh, then he too went to bed.

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CM: Yeah, I know... that was a pretty pointless chapter wasn't it? Don't worry it wasn't supposed to have much of one anyways. :P Next time, Ran learns how to drive, and Goyjo finds Karin all by herself. What could come of this? Stay tuned!