CM: Ah, a new day, a new chapter! Enjoy!

Fun with Friends-Weaknesses Revealed

For the next couple weeks Karin and Ran spent as much free time as they had training in the forest with Hakkai and Gojyo. Ran got quite a bit farther along despite Gojyo's constant perverted comments. Karin made some real headway, by the end of the two weeks she was able to make small barriers and heal minor wounds. Plus, she started learning the basics for combat.

One morning, Hakkai had gotten up later than everyone else and was getting dressed when the door opened. Hakkai looked up and froze when he saw who it was. Karin stood there with a cleaning rag and furniture polish clutched in her left hand. She must have come in to do cleaning and thought that the room was empty.

He saw her eyes slowly move to the scar on his belly and his insides twisted. What must she think of him now? He was even further discomforted when Karin began to slowly move towards him and he stood like a statue, unable to back away. She stared at the section of scored flesh, knowing just by sight alone that it must have been leftover from a terrible and fatal wound.

And then he watched as she reached out and gently touched the mark of his sins and the reminder of his failure. He stiffened as her cool fingers traced the pale, tortured skin. He had thought about stopping her, but for some reason he found he couldn't. Then she looked up at him with tender eyes. "Does it hurt?"

Hakkai gazed down at her wordlessly. He had always thought of the scar to be unpleasant both to the eye and to the touch, yet here she was accepting it along with the rest of him. It was rather gratifying, this blatant disregard of his flaws. A small smile found its way to his lips and he gently laid a hand on the hand touching his scar. "Not today," he murmured softly.

"Well, well…" Both Hakkai and Karin looked up to see Gojyo grinning at them in amusement. "Having fun? I don't suppose I could join in could I?"

"You're timing is nothing short of impeccable," Hakkai noted, a smile on his face but an underline of warning in his voice.

"Well, I just thought I'd let you know, there's someone here to see Karin. Apparently someone's got poisoning."

Karin's face suddenly turned solemn. "I better hurry then. Hakkai, I don't suppose you could come help me?"

"Of course," Hakkai said pulling a shirt on.

"Mind if I tag along?"

"You're that bored?" Hakkai asked him in disbelief.

"Well, Ran's busy and it's no fun without her around," Gojyo replied innocently.

"You can come along if you want," Karin said with a smile. Hakkai sighed a bit but didn't argue and together the three of them went to attend to the injured man.

This same morning Ran was called over to the inn by Yuzuna to help out while Karin was gone. So saying goodbye to her father she rushed off to the inn only to find that Sanzo was the only one present besides Yuzuna. "Oy Yuzuna I'm here. Is there something you wanted?" Ran asked.

"Sorry to have to call you here on such short notice," Yuzuna told her apologetically. "But Karin needed to go tend to a man who's got a dreadful fever from mountain rose poisoning. I need you to clean around the inn and remake the beds. You'll be paid of course."

"Sure thing, Yuzuna. I'll get started then," Ran said going over to the supply closet and grabbing what she needed.

She decided to get started on the front room where Sanzo was sitting so that she only had to deal with him at the beginning. She managed to get halfway through the room before Goku came running through the door.

"Hey Ran, is it time for lunch yet?" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Ran reached up and smacked him upside the head stopping him in his tracks. "Don't go around demanding food whenever you feel like it. We'll call you when lunch is ready okay," she said rubbing the top of his head. "Until then go out and have fun…explore the town and stay away from the forest."

"Okay," Goku mumbled before heading for the door.

'Wow, she actually got him to settle down,' Sanzo thought, glancing from the paper he was reading.

Ran had the feeling of being watched but when she looked over at Sanzo he was still reading his paper and drinking coffee. "So, not to be pressuring you or anything but, you have a vendetta against Kusuma, right? So why haven't you tried going after the guy?" Goku stopped at her words and waited for Sanzo's answer.

"It's none of your business," Sanzo said uncaringly. "If you want him gone so badly why don't YOU go hunt him down?"

"I've tried," Ran admitted. "I figured out a way I could follow him but lost the trail part way through and only just managed to get home without being killed."

"Really, what did you do?" Goku asked curiously.

"I found that I could follow the energy from the victim instead of his energy…but I still lost it somehow."

"That's because he's turned the entire surrounding forest area into his personal haven. His demonic aura is practically everywhere," Sanzo said taking a sip from his mug. "And if what you say is true, then we don't have a choice but to wait until the next time he comes."

"So what, you're intending to use me as bait or something?" Ran asked incredulously.

"If that's what it takes."

"If that's what it takes to save all those people then fine, just leave Karin out of it," Ran declared determinedly.

"Whatever, just make sure you don't get in my way."

Ran couldn't help but grin, "We've got a plan," she thought happily.

"What are you doing in here Ran?" Yuzuna asked coming into the room.

"Sorry, Auntie I just got distracted a bit."

"Well, try not to let it happen too often," Yuzuna told her strictly. "I'm not paying you to stand around."

"Hai!" Ran said before continuing her cleaning.

As Ran was finishing up her cleaning spree she ran into Gojyo who was headed downstairs for a game of Mahjong with Sanzo, Hakkai, and Yuzuna. "How about you join us," Gojyo invited.

"I don't know. I've never played Mahjong before and I really don't know any of the rules," Ran told him as she headed for the supply closet to put the cleaning supplies away.

"Well, what better time to learn?" Gojyo asked her. "Karin's downstairs with the others. I think she'd like it if you were there."

Ran sighed not really wanting to join but she agreed anyway and followed him downstairs. "Well we've got ourselves another player," he announced as they reached the group. "Ran wants to play as well."

Ran sat down without a word and listened carefully as Hakkai explained the rules. "Think you've got it?" Hakkai asked kindly.

"Yeah I think I got it," Ran responded in the same voice she used when he was teaching her how to drive. Once that was through the game began.

Karin wasn't half bad. Her ability to pick up things fairly quickly got her a few high points. Even Ran managed to get some. But no one at that table could match that skill of Karin's aunt. She won every single game. After the fifth game, tension was running high and Ran and Karin were both starting to feel uneasy from it.

"I must say, I'm impressed at your skill, miss Yuzuna," Hakkai said, his voice managing to maintain it's politeness.

"My aunt does this sort of thing for a living," Karin explained.

"I've been playing this game before I learned to crawl," Yuzuna said setting 1 tile down triumphantly. "That's 20,000 points."

"I can't believe I'm losing to this hag," Sanzo muttered viciously.

"What did you say Blondie?" Yuzuna demanded.

"I thought this was supposed to be a peaceful game," Karin sighed nervously.

"This game is supposed to be for fun, why don't you two just calm down," Ran said glancing between the two.

"It would be best if you stayed out of this Ran. This little spout is between me and Blondie over here," Yuzuna told her dangerously glaring across the table at Sanzo.

"You want to make something of it?" Sanzo challenged.

"Yeah, I'm gonna drag your ass outside and teach you the respect that--" She stopped and suddenly began coughing violently. Everyone at the table froze. Even Sanzo paused in perplexity.

"Auntie!" Karin said jumping up and rushing to her aunt's aid. "Come on, you need to lie down."

"Not until this punk gets what he deserves," Yuzuna panted, blood trickling from her mouth.

"Auntie, please!" Karin pleaded. "You know you're not supposed to get worked up like this."

Ran had stood up suddenly and rushed to the kitchen for a glass of water. When she got back she handed the glass to Yuzuna who saw the worry in both girls' faces and she smiled at them before sitting down and drinking deeply from the glass.

"You're lucky these two don't want me fighting you Blondie cause I would beat you to a pulp," Yuzuna declared.

"Well I guess that's game," Ran cut in and she started putting the pieces away.

No one argued with her. After the game was cleared away, Karin thought about skipping work to stay with her aunt but Yuzuna wouldn't hear of it. So after Karin left for work Yuzuna retired to her room for the evening.

When she was gone, Ran shot Sanzo a frown. "Look I know that you and Yuzuna don't get along all that well, but could you guys keep your spats down to a minimum?"

"It's her own fault," Sanzo replied uncaringly.

"Yes I know she has quite a temper on her but, and this isn't well known, she's coming down with an illness that could kill her if she get's too excited or something. She's the only family Karin has left and I don't plan on seeing her lose that last member of her family. So if you could keep you opinions to yourself and your temper down we would all appreciate it," Ran shot back at him.

Sanzo glared at her for a moment before rising out of his chair and heading off to his room. "Cold hearted jerk," Ran muttered.

"Don't be fooled," Hakkai told her. "The fact that he backed down so easily is a sign that he does feel somewhat penitent about it."

"Or not," Gojyo commented.

"Well, it's a thought if nothing else," Hakkai said.

"Whatever, I'm going home," Ran said getting up.

"Want me to walk you?" Gojyo offered.

"I know the way, thanks," Ran replied and before he could say anything more she was out the door.

"She's still rather cold…I wonder what keeps her from becoming friends with the rest of us as easily as she did Goku?" Hakkai wondered out loud.

"Beats me. I kind of wish she would get off her high horse though," Gojyo added truthfully.

"Well, as the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink," Hakkai stated.

"You really know how to bring about encouragement, you know that?" Gojyo stated sarcastically, watching Ran through the window. "I wonder what ticks her off so easily," he thought to himself.

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CM: Aw.... bummer. Next chapter, a rainstorm hits. Oh noes... what could possibly happen? Stay tuned!