Chapter 8

Seasons

A/N: I am bringing you this Author's Note to tell you I SURVIVED AN EARTHQUAKE! Lol

As we spend time together and watch the seasons change, we do not realize time is running out and that our trivial musings will no longer mean as much as they once did.

"Master, why is it that we have to clean up all the leaves?"

Komyou Sanzo removed his pipe from his mouth and smiled at his pupil, his son, "That's a good question Kouryu."

"Well, why do we do it? It just doesn't make any sense. It's going to benefit the ground one-day right? Are we taking away something good for the earth by cleaning up the leaves?"

The Sanzo sighed, "Well, the same can be said for human life. Bad people benefit good people by allowing them to be seen as good. But if we take away all the bad people, what's left?"

Kouryu was confused, "Good?"

"But without the bad, is the good really good?"

"Dammit Gojyo! Get out of my pile!"

The redhead lit a cigarette and reclined in the crisp leaves, "Nothing like tobacco and freshly raked leaves."

Nai seethed, "I hope they catch on fire."

Hakkai laughed gently, "Come on now. You know Gojyo can be a child sometimes."

"Hey!"

"This is really fun!"

Nai cooed at Goku as he jumped into his own pile a little ways across the courtyard, "He's so cute!"

Gojyo struggled off the woman's pile, "Of course it's cute when he does it."

She slapped him on the shoulder, "Duh. He's a child. You're just… and idiot."

Sanzo closed his eyes as he too lit a cigarette and tuned back in in time to hear Hakkai say, "I guess we'll just have to clean up all the leaves again."

The blond turned his back to them, "Leave them."

Gojyo growled, "What? You order us up here to clean them then you want us to leave them on the ground?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Why I aughta…!"

Goku wandered over to the adults, "So we can play in the leaves Sanzo?"

The blond looked down at his nose at the child, took a drag of cigarette, and shrugged, "Whatever you want."

Komyou smiled at the boy after a while, "Aren't you going to play in the piles Kouryu?"

"No way. That's for children."

"And yet another holy quest is completed." Nai fell into her usual spot on the couch in Sanzo's office.

Gojyo put the tiny wooden monk statue on Sanzo's desk, "Here."

Sanzo looked at the three, "You made good time."

Nai scoffed from the couch as Gojyo put his hands on his hips, "Is that a wisecrack asshole?"

"I'll have you know we had a terrible time trying to get that." Hakkai managed to show his mild frustration politely while Nai shivered on the couch.

"Yeah. It's cold as shit outside."

Gojyo put his nose in the ear, "Yeah monk. I wouldn't mind some hot tea."

Sanzo rolled his eyes, "Vending machine is outside."

Nai giggled, "Is that where our boy is?"

Sanzo turned his gaze down to his lap for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose, "No. He's been hold up in his room since the day before yesterday."

The woman frowned. She felt bad, she was usually always here but with the cold weather business was different and she spent most of her time wrapping barrels and storing bottles. "Have you checked on him?"

"Once or twice." The monk answered, "He says he's scared."

"Scared! Ha! That little twit."

Gojyo left the office and Nai was hot on his heels, "Gojyo wait!"

"What the hell does that little brat think he's doing?" they found Goku on the floor in his room, the blankets pulled from his bed and tossed over his head. Gojyo tugged them off, "I thought little brats were supposed to get all excited whenever it snowed!"

Goku swatted at the man, "Stop it!"

Gojyo grabbed at the boy, "C'mon."

"No! I don't want to! Quit it dammit!"

Nai put a hand on Gojyo's arm, "Goku is it really that bad?"

He watched her hazel gaze before nodding, "I just can't."

Hakkai was standing in the door by now, "Why do you hate the snow that badly?"

"Because it's icy and cold and just…. Really really cold okay?"

"You can just wear more clothes." Gojyo commented.

"That's not the point. I just don't like snow."

Nai, who was still knelt down in front of the boy felt tears burning her eyes as Goku's sincere fear settled in her heart. She gently moved his hands from his face, "Okay. We'll leave you be."

Nai walked with her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her heavy winter jacket. And her long thick skirt picked up snow as she walked. Both she and Hakkai stopped however when Gojyo ran in the direction of the window to Sanzo's office…Goku's bedroom only a few rooms down.

"Gojyo what are you doing?" she questioned.

"Just watch." He cleared his throat, "Bum bum bum bum. Paging the following two people; Mr. Stupid Monkey and Mr. Stinking Monk of Chang An, the tall, handsome, and super cool Mr. Sha Gojyo, is requesting your presence."

Sanzo's window burst open just as Nai tried hard to cover her giggles, "No one I know matches that description."

Goku shuffled up next to the blond, "What are you three doing out there?"

Gojyo smirked, "Going to eat sukiyaki. C'mon."

"You mean right now?"

"No later… yes now!"

Hakkai smiled, "Having a one pot dish with only three people would be boring."

Nai smiled also, "C'mon Goku."

The adults watched as Goku considered it and Nai threw a glance at Hakkai as Goku stuck his hand out the window. A pure white flake dissolved in his palm and he disappeared behind the ledge, "Ah! I can't! I just can't!"

Sanzo looked down at him before putting his foot on the ledge and jumping out the window. He turned and looked at the shocked child, "You're on your own."

Goku watched as the four adults stared at him, expecting something. "Don't gang up on me like that."

Gojyo started to recite the ingredients in the dish, Hakkai chiming in a bit too. When Goku started to bite his lip the half-breed chuckled, "C'mon you stupid monkey."

The boy put his food on the ledge, mimicking his savior and jumped, "Don't call me a stupid monkey!"

When he landed on one knee Nai walked over to him, neatly plopping a snowball on his head, "See. That wasn't so bad." She squeaked when something cold hit her in the back.

Gojyo pointed at Sanzo who shouted, "You idiot! I didn't do it!"

Goku watched as snowballs were exchanged between the adults and smiled. He had almost forgotten that he wasn't locked away, or shut out by the never-ending white. He was no longer alone…

"It smells amazing in here Hakkai!"

Goku bounded from the other room and jumped in the woman's arms. Gojyo rolled his eyes, "Don't you think you're getting a bit old for that monkey?"

"It's none of your business kappa!"

"It's my house!"

"It's Hakkai's house too!"

Nai rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around the teen to keep from dropping him. He was getting heavier than she remembered. When she entered the kitchen Sanzo glared at her, "Put him down."

"I would like to baby him for as long as possible. Thank you very much your holiness."

The blonde seethed in his seat and Hakkai stepped away from the stove with a steaming pan. Goku bounced from Nai's lap to his chair, "Dumplings dumplings dumplings!"

Hakkai smiled at the boy's chanting, "I'm glad to see you're excited." He served up the dish and took a seat, "So how was work?"

"Good." Nai and Gojyo answered together, before chuckling.

Sanzo narrowed his gaze and Nai noticed. She tilted her head to the side in confusion and frowned. "You ok?" she mouthed the question and Sanzo shook his head dismissively. Like he cared about what happened between her and that damned kappa.

When dinner was over Goku was left snoring on Hakkai's bed while the adults talked at the table. Nothing extremely engaging, just small talk. The blonde and redhead bickering a bit, Nai and Gojyo poking fun at people who showed up in the bar.

"So how is Gojyo doing anyway?"

"Jeez Kai are you checking up on me know?"

Nai punched him playfully on the shoulder, "He's working hard. Still flirting instead of cleaning most of the time but he gets the job done."

Gojyo chuckled, "Yeah, but its springtime, a time for love. And I only really mean it when I flirt with you."

She blushed and Hakkai threw a worried glance at Sanzo. The monk was positively boiling in his seat. The healer waved his hands, "Gojyo maybe your advances are a little…much…"

"Agreed. The kappa should learn to keep his dick in his pants."

Hakkai chuckled while Gojyo muttered about tight ass monks. The healer stood with the dishes, "I'll get started on the dishes."

Gojyo stood too, "I'm going out for a smoke."

Nai moved over a seat to be next to Sanzo, "What was that about?"

Sanzo glared at her, "What was what about?"

"Do you want me to point out the spike of jealousy or should I play the idiot?"

The blonde scoffed and adjusted himself in his seat. He knew Nai was smiling at him so he didn't look up into her teasing face. They stayed like that for a minute, the sounds of Hakkai clanking dishes in the kitchen and Goku snoring in the other room were the only sounds.

Nai slid back to her seat as the front door signaled Gojyo's return into the house, "No need for jealousy Sanzo. I'm not going anywhere."

"Ew these taste nasty."

Gojyo put down his beer to laugh, "The monkey ate a bug! I knew he was a real chimp."

"Shut up kappa!"

Nai giggled behind her hand as Gojyo glared at the boy. Hakkai smiled, "This is nice. Is it okay for you to just close the bar like this Nai?"

The woman looked up at the building, the light still on in her room on the second floor, "Yeah. I just wanted to spend a summer evening with you four. This place brings in enough money, the customers will live without booze for a night."

They fell silent for a moment; drinking peach wine and beer, watching Goku chase the fireflies. Nai pushed her chair back on two legs and sighed, "How long do you think we can stay like this?"

Hakkai chuckled, "Probably until Goku falls asleep."

She smiled, "That's not how I meant it Hakkai."

"Well then go on."

"I mean. How long will it be just the five of us? I like this, having a family, it's nice."

"Tch. Don't go getting all touchy. None of us are going anywhere."

Nai reached over and pilfered Gojyo's beer, "You're right."

"Girly give that back!"