New Job-Picking Wild Flowers

The next morning Goku was jumping up and down and annoying Gojyo and Sanzo with his hyper activeness. "I'm telling you she actually laughed yesterday. You should have seen her over at the bee place. Then today she showed me the whole town and introduced me to certain people…she's so much fun," he shouted.

"Speaking of spending time with people," Hakkai threw in jovially. "Karin tells me that you helped her with her herb gathering, Sanzo. I must admit I never would have imagined you would be so thoughtful."

"Can it. The crazy innkeeper made me do it," Sanzo grumbled.

"Sounds like she got you by the balls," Gojyo commented with a smirk.

A gun went off and Gojyo froze as the bullet whizzed past his head. "Say that again and next time I won't miss," Sanzo threatened.

"Really now, Sanzo," Hakkai admonished. "I doubt Karin or her aunt would appreciate shooting holes in the wood work."

"You're next if you don't shut it," Sanzo warned.

"Oh yeah, Ran wanted me to tell you she was sorry Gojyo…whenever I saw you next," Goku added ignoring the fight going on between him and Sanzo.

"Huh?" Gojyo said blinking in surprise.

"The other day she said that she was supposed to meet you but her dad caught her," Goku explained.

"Stupid monkey," Gojyo shouted and went to strangle the small boy. "Why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I forgot!" Goku cried.

He rushed out the door without another word leaving everyone surprised by his reaction. "I can't believe that stupid monkey, if I knew that I would have met her last night," Gojyo muttered to himself. As he ran down the street he spotted Ran walking leisurely with her hands in her pockets staring up at the clouds oblivious to the world around her.

"Hey, Ran!" Gojyo called out to her.

"Huh?" Ran looked in the direction she heard he name being called and saw the half demon heading towards her. "Oh, hey Gojyo. What's up?"

"Goku just delivered your message to me," He said, stopping a few feet in front of her.

"Just now? I was wondering why I hadn't heard back from you," Ran said scratching her head.

"I tried looking for you yesterday but you weren't at your house or the blacksmith shop."

"I left early to see if I couldn't catch you…then I took a driving lesson with Hakkai. It was a lot of fun…but pretty hard actually," Ran explained with a shrug. "Well sorry about the other night at any rate. If my dad catches me sneaking out at night again he won't let me leave again for the entire month."

"Well, that certainly throws a wrench in our training plans," Gojyo said blowing out a puff of smoke. "We might just have to settle for what free time you have during the day."

"Yeah probably…" Ran agreed with a shrug.

"Hey Ran could you do me a favor," Karin called out as she ran up to the two of them with Hakkai next to her.

"Sure thing, what is it?" Ran asked turning from Gojyo.

"Well there are a few things that I need for my shop and I was wondering if you could get them for me," Karin explained.

"Okay. Just give me the list and I'll find them," Ran said holding out her hand.

Karin pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her friend. 'Thank goodness it isn't as long as last time,' Ran thought as she took the list and looked it over.

"Just remember to watch for some of those plants I warned you about," Karin reminded.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to tell me that."

"I know, why don't you take Mr. Gojyo along with you just in case?" Karin suggested.

"Karin, I've gone into this forest to get you your plants several times. I know what plants to avoid and how to make it through without getting myself hurt. I really don't need his help," Ran said exasperated.

"Just like you don't need my help with training right?" Gojyo asked with a smirk.

"This is different, I've done this plenty of times without help and I don't need it now."

"I'm just saying… I've been hearing from several people that some of the plants in the forest have been acting much more aggressive these past few days," Karin explained.

"You don't seem to have too much of a problem," Ran replied darkly.

Karin looked down. "I don't understand that myself, but I still think you should take Mr. Gojyo with you. And that way the two of you can spend some of the time doing this 'training' that you were talking about."

Ran stopped for a moment to think. "Well I guess it would be a good excuse to keep dad from worrying," she murmured thoughtfully. "Okay, let's go." Ran said leading the way grudgingly into the forest.

"Well you're certainly the little trickster, aren't you?" Hakkai asked her as they continued their way to the herb and flower shop.

"What do you mean?" Karin asked innocently.

"The way you were so insistent like that, it makes me think you just wanted to two of them to spend time together."

"Well, I suppose that's partly the truth," Karin admitted sheepishly.

"Why's that?" Hakkai asked intrigued.

"Well, Ran had a bad experience awhile back and I'm sure that spending time with Mr. Gojyo will help her get over it," Karin explained.

"I see. That's very kind of you."

"It's nothing," Karin said modestly.

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"So do you know where these plants are?" Gojyo asked after awhile.

"Some of them I've had to get several times so I know the best place to find them…but these others are somewhat new so…no not really."

Gojyo snatched the list out of her hands and took a gander at it. "Well, it looks like she was kind enough to write a description for each one so we shouldn't have too many problems."

She snatched it back from him irritably. "Quit acting like you're the leader of this trip."

"Why can't I be the leader? After all I am the one that has the most fighting experience," Gojyo said giving her a look.

"Fighting experience has nothing to do with this you idiot. Unless you know this forest better than I do and unless you know what plants to stay away from your little fighting skills will be pretty much useless," Ran told him bluntly. Just then she noticed one of the plants she was looking for and reached down to grab it only to have Gojyo stop her. "What?"

"I don't think you want to grab that," he said lifting one of the leaves to reveal some thorns.

"Oh yeah…I forgot this thing needed to be cut and had the thorns removed first. How did you know there were thorns?" she asked suspiciously.

"Easy, I have an eye for these sorts of things," Gojyo said with a shrug. "When you've been traveling long enough you learn to always keep your guard up. Of course, that's something Goku still hasn't learned."

Ran shook her head and grabbed the plant behind it which looked exactly the same, except it didn't have the thorns. "So what was that about knowing the plants?" Gojyo asked mockingly.

"Oh shut it," Ran retorted continuing through the forest picking up the plants she needed as they went.

By the time they reached a clearing she had found all but one of the plants and took a second to take a deep breath of the mountain air…because of how high up they were at this point. She smiled with her eyes closed loving the beautifully clean air and sat down on the open ground leaning back to stare at the sky.

She heard movement behind her and opened her eyes to find Gojyo's face hovering inches above hers, his hair practically brushing her cheeks. "Hel-lo," he said smiling.

"Gah!" She yelled, her eyes widening in a comical manner and she fell backwards onto her back. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"Seeing if you'd fall for me," he laughed. "It would seem I was right."

"Don't do that," Ran hissed rolling onto her stomach and pushing herself up. "Don't make me get my hammer out, cause I'm not afraid to use it."

"It would only work if you can manage to hit me," Gojyo said smirking.

"Should we test that theory?"

"Sure, and while we're at it we can test the ground," He returned.

Ran snorted with disgust. "You must have an insatiable thirst for punishment."

Gojyo got out a cigarette, lighting it before taking a long drag. "Yeah… maybe you're right." And then he began to walk off.

Ran blinked several times in surprise before calling after him. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

"Weren't you the one who wanted to get this over with?" Gojyo asked looking back at her.

Ran's fist twitched and she seriously considered throwing her hammer at that guy. She managed to keep control of herself though and instead she replied, "Well this would be a perfect opportunity to train considering where we are and my dad will have no reason to be suspicious."

Gojyo smirked. "Well, if you're so insistent." He brought out his weapon and sank into a fighting stance. "Ready for fighting lessons 101?"

"Ready," Ran said pulling out the stoker she had brought with her and taking a stance.

"Not like that you're not," Gojyo muttered shaking his head.

"What? What's wrong?"

"You're stance, you're never going to hit anything with that stance."

"Okay then, oh 'teacher', what should I do?"

"Well for starters," Gojyo said walking over to her and taking hold of her arms. "You need to keep your elbows as close to your body as possible. Also you need to keep your feet firmly planted so that people can't easily pull you off your feet." He placed his hands on her waist and shifted her body a little. "And be sure to keep your weight centered."

Ran's face turned a bright red and she did everything she could to keep her head in check. "Why don't you just show me…you don't have to touch me to fix the kinks in my fighting ability," she said angrily.

"No but I always prefer the hands on approach," Gojyo replied smirking.

Ran lost it and smacked him upside the head with her hammer, "Touch me again and I'll make you a woman."

"That's supposed to be my line," Gojyo said, rubbing his head where she had hit him. Seeing Ran getting even more hot and bothered, he raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Have it your way. Now hurry up and do what I told you. And I'll tell you if there's anything else you need to work on."

"Fine," Ran muttered. Trying to focus on what he said, she kept remembering the feel of his hand on her arm and shook her head to clear it. Then finally she was sure she had done everything he told her to and looked up at him for approval. "So how is this?" she asked with a hint of anger.

"Not bad. Now, I'm going to come at you. Your goal is to not get knocked on that cute little butt of yours," Gojyo said with a wink. "Think you can handle that?"

Ran gritted her teeth biting back the comment she really wanted to make. "Yeah, I think I can," she muttered.

"Great, here I come." He rushed her holding his weapon at the ready and Ran held her position determined to not let him win. He swung his weapon hard into her own but somehow she managed to keep her footing.

"I'm not going down," she growled using all her strength to keep him at bay.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Gojyo said smiling and before she realized what he was doing he side-stepped her and got her from behind.

"That was cheep," Ran grumbled getting up off the ground and dusting herself off.

"All's fair in love and war babe," Gojyo chuckled as he put his staff on his shoulder in some sort of victory pose.

"Don't call me babe. Why not teach me how to defend myself instead of showing me up all the time?"

"One step at a time doll, and believe me, you and I have plenty of it," Gojyo told her. "You gotta learn to crawl before you can walk."

Ran glared at him but bit her tongue and allowed him to train her however he was going to. They trained for almost an hour before Gojyo said it was a good idea to stop, much to Ran's disappointment. Then they headed back to town together with the plants and over to Karin's flower shop. "Hey Karin we're back," Ran called out walking through the door.

"You two certainly took your time," Hakkai said with an underline of implication.

"Did you manage to find everything alright?" Karin asked.

"Yep, here you go," Ran said, handing her the bag filled with the herbs she had requested. "Now if there's nothing else you need me for, I gotta head home."

"Alright, have a good day, and thanks again, both of you," Karin said warmly.

"Sure, let me know if you need anything okay," Ran called out as she ran toward home.

"Oh I will," Gojyo smiled. Ran didn't hear him but continued on home.

"Really Gojyo must you be so persistent with that one?" Hakkai asked from behind. "She really doesn't seem all that interested if you ask me."

"Well, the way I see it, she's the only AVAILABLE girl left to hit on." He glanced over at Karin as he said this. "Besides, I like a challenge every now and then. I was wondering though…why does she seem so…determined not to get close to people?" Gojyo asked curiously.

"Because…I guess you could say it was a second hand experience. She watched her sister get destroyed," Karin answered sadly.

"What happened?" Goyjo asked.

Karin hesitated. "I don't want to offend you."

"Sweetheart, there are very few things if not none that you could say to me that would cause me to take offense," Gojyo assured her.

Karin looked off to the side. "She… met a man… similar to you."

Gojyo sat there stunned. "What does meeting a guy like me have to do with any of this?" he asked frowning.

"I'm sorry, I can't say any more," Karin murmured. "It's time for me to close up shop so if you'd step outside that would really help."

Gojyo and Hakkai obliged both thinking about their own thing. Before Karin came outside herself Gojyo said his farewells and headed over to the tavern for a drink.

After Karin locked the door to the shop she turned to Hakkai with a smile. "All done. Thanks again for helping me out. I was really impressed at how quickly you learned where everything was."

"It was easy with your help. I take back what I said about you being a bad teacher," Hakkai replied smiling.

Karin blushed. "I'm not really… I can't even teach myself how to throw a punch."

"It's hard to teach yourself something you don't have the proper knowledge for," Hakkai said knowingly.

"Well, I have the evening off so I'm ready for your teachings, sensei," Karin told him with eagerness.

Hakkai smiled and nodded. "Then let's head out. Back to the field of flowers right?" he asked smiling.

"Yep," Karin acknowledged.

Hakkai followed Karin through the trees without any troubles all the way to the field of flowers that they were in the night before. "This is strange. Why aren't any of the flowers in bloom?" Hakkai asked curiously.

"They're selenium flowers," Karin explained to him. "They only bloom during the night." (1)

"Really? That's quite the wonder," Hakkai said rather impressed.

"Yeah, my mother really loved them. I think they were her favorite." Karin said almost wistfully.

"Do you have a favorite?" Hakkai asked her curiously.

"Hmmm," Karin thought long and hard. "To be honest, I don't think I could choose one, because each one is beautiful and unique in its own way. I love them all. Silly I know but…"

"No I think it's rather…cute," Hakkai told her smiling. "So shall we begin?"

"S-sure," Karin replied a little bashfully.

"Alright, before I teach you anything about actual combat, I think it would be best if you knew how to focus your chi first. That way you will be able to apply it to your fighting," Hakkai said sitting down in a meditating position. Karin mimicked him.

"Alright so what you do is make yourself completely calm, then find your center and draw the chi out. Like this," Hakkai explained demonstrating it as he spoke and Karin stared at the glowing orb he held in his hands until he let it dissipate. "You see? Now you try it." (2)

Karin nodded before placing her hands in front of her. She concentrated with all her might, willing there to be the same glowing light that Hakkai had performed just now. After a few minutes, however, she was focusing so hard that without realizing it her entire body had become tensed up.

"You need to relax your muscles, otherwise you'll never be able to do it," Hakkai told her placing a hand gently on her hands. "You must be calm and relaxed to do it right."

Karin stopped and relaxed her body before looking up at him with a desperate look in her eyes that startled him. "I really want to learn this."

"You will, I have no doubt about it," Hakkai said confidently. "Now try it again but make sure you stay relaxed."

"Okay," Karin said and tried again. Hakkai watched her for a while, until he rose to his feet.

"Here," he said walking around her until he was almost behind her. He crouched down next to her. "Do you trust me?"

Karin didn't even have to think about it. "Yes."

Hakkai smiled softly before telling her, "Close your eyes." She did so. A few moments later, she felt Hakkai's hand on her abdomen, just barely touching. Instantly she could feel her stomach filled with butterflies. "Imagine your energy building up here. Then, allow it to slowly run up through your body like a river," he trailed his fingers up to her shoulders. "Then it splits down into your arms and then finally into your hands." When he finished he let her go and sat back down where he was in front of her. "Now that you have that visual try it again."

Trying to keep her mind focused on the lesson at hand, Karin relaxed herself and tried again. Her skin burned a hot trail where Hakkai's fingers had touched her, making it easy to imagine the energy building up and flowing outwards. Then she felt something stir within, slowly accumulating. Keeping herself in check, she willed the energy to follow the same path that Hakkai's gentle fingers had traced.

Hakkai watched as a small ball of light started to appear between her fingers and smiled his satisfaction. "Good job, how did it feel?"

"It felt… incredible," Karin said staring at her hands in amazement. "But at the same time so natural."

Hakkai nodded, understanding what she meant. "I think this would be a good place to stop for the day."

"Do we have to?" Karin said in disappointment.

"It is getting late, and rest is essential," Hakkai told her. "But don't look so disappointed. You seem to be a rather fast learner, so I have a feeling that you shouldn't have too much trouble picking up on the basics. Just be sure to practice that whenever you have spare time, that way it will come more naturally to you."

"I will," Karin promised. "But… one thing?"

"Yes?" He asked.

"Could we at least stay until the flowers bloom?" She requested.

Hakkai looked over at her face and found that he couldn't tell her 'no'. "Alright, we'll stay," he said getting closer to her and placing an arm around her shoulder holding her close.

As the dusk gave way to night, slowly, the flowers began to open and they glowed brilliantly, as if attempting to rival the stars in heaven itself.

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(1) That was a reference I took from Tales of the Abyss. Good game.

(2) Another reference, this time from DBZ. Don't worry I paraphrased it.

CM: Yay! Another chapter done! Next time... a game of mahjong... what will it reveal? Stay tuned!