Chapter 9

Five Is a Crowd

"My lady, do you think it's wise to let someone else get so close to them?"

The goddess looked over the cards in her hand towards her servant, "Are you nervous Jiroshin?"

"Maybe a bit. I mean, she isn't supposed to be a part of the equation. What do we do if she throws off the balance?"

"It's been almost five years for them now, she would have thrown it off already."

The goddess rearranged her hand and tapped her finger on the table. Jiroshin eyed her nervously, "You don't plan to include her do you?"

"No, I don't. I want them to handle that themselves. I want to see how good Konzen has gotten with people." She smirked as she laid down her hand, "Maybe he's become a pro."

"Of all times for me to let Gojyo have a vacation…" Nai mumbled to herself as she huffed about the bar putting up the chairs and wiping the tables.

She was putting away the glasses when she realized she was struggling for the top shelf, as always. Usually Gojyo put the glasses way up there. "Shit…damn five feet four inches…"

"You idiot." She had never felt him so close before, at least not that she remembered. He smelled like Marlboro cigarettes and sake…cherries too. His hand covered hers and the glass was placed on the shelf.

Nai stepped away from him, "Hey Sanzo." She glanced over his shoulder, "You don't usually visit alone. Where's Goku?"

"At the temple."

"Oh, so what's up your holiness?" she giggled.

Sanzo's demeanor seemed to be colder than usual, like something was eating at him. He sighed, not his usual irritated sigh, but a deep tired sigh, "I went to see the sanbutshin today."

"Genjyo Sanzo, do you know why we have called you here?"

Sanzo watched the three aspects with a slightly worried gaze, "No…"

"Do you know of Gyuumaou?"

He nodded and the gods looked at each other. "Someone is trying to resurrect this demon, using science and dark magic."

"This is a problem because a negative aura is sweeping across Shangri-la. Demons are reacting in violence."

"They are loosing their sense of self Sanzo."

Sanzo adjusted his kneeling a position slightly, "What do you want me to do?"

"You shall join with Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojyo, and Son Goku to travel west and stop this mishap."

The blonde was waiting for a fourth name but it never came. He clenched a fist behind his back and stood. "As you wish. When do we leave?"

"Immediately."

"What do you mean you're leaving? All four of you are just going to up and go?"

Sanzo could hear the panic in her voice. But the sanbutshin, they hadn't told him to take her. Her hazel eyes searched his face and got wetter with every second, "Sanzo please say something to me."

He turned his violet gaze away, "We have to travel west under order of the sanbutshin. Goku and I will meet with Gojyo and Hakkai, they didn't tell me to take you."

She threw her hands up, "Now you follow orders? You really are just going to leave me here!"

"You speak like we won't come back!"

"And what if you don't? What if I stay awake at night, wondering, for years, when all of you will come back to me."

Sanzo stayed rooted to his spot as she continued to watch him, biting her lip. "Why?"

He sighed, "I don't want you to get hurt."

Nai chuckled through her tears, "And losing you wouldn't hurt me?"

His eyes widened just the slightest when she addressed only him. This wasn't supposed to be a discussion.

Sanzo didn't budge as she wrapped her arms around his waist and fisted his robe. It was oddly comfortable to have her so close. "Please Sanzo."

He gently pushed her off and turned to leave, "No."

Enraged she grabbed a glass from the shelf behind her and threw it in his direction. It shattered on the wall in front of him. "Look at me."

Nothing happened and she screamed, "SANZO!"

He tucked his arms into his sleeves and stared at her, "What do you want me to do?"

"Take me with you."

"There is a reason why the gods didn't include you! There has to be a reason! I will not go against them!"

Nai wiped away the tears with the back of her hand but they kept coming, "I was first, the first one in your life. It was me! How dare you leave me behind?"

Sanzo narrowed his gaze on her and turned around again, "No you weren't."

"Sanzo…Sanzo!"

Goku walked quietly beside Sanzo, watching the older man cautiously. "Hey Sanzo, are we meeting Hakkai and Gojyo?"

"Yes."

The boy looked over his shoulder at the rapidly disappearing town, "Where's Nai?"

"Where she's supposed to be."

Goku frowned, "But Sanzo, isn't she supposed to be with us?"

Sanzo stopped and Goku almost bumped into him. His broad shoulders heaved with a heavy sighed and he tiredly rubbed his face. He didn't know how to answer the boy. He didn't want to admit that telling her no, watching her cry, and watching her scream was so hard.

"Keep moving Goku."

Goku looked at the town again, sadly. He didn't feel right, and something told him they wouldn't be coming back for a long time, Maybe they wouldn't come back at all.

"Well hey their monkey." Gojyo smirked at Goku as he approached him and rubbed his head, "It's been a while huh?"

"Gah! Get off!"

Sanzo rolled his eyes, "It's only been two weeks."

The redhead smirked, "Ah, vacation vacation."

Hakkai absently pet his little white dragon and glanced around the clearing, "Where is Miss Nai?"

"In the village."

Gojyo scoffed, "Why the hell is she there?"

"Because she doesn't need to be involved."

"You know something Sanzo, telling me 'no' isn't going to make me stay like a good little girl."

Sanzo turned to see the barrel of her shotgun in his face. He growled low, "What the fuck are you doing woman?"

Nai glared at him, her eyes red and puffy. "I have nothing to go back to Sanzo. Nothing to live for… my parents…and you…" she motioned to the others with the end of her gun, "Them."

"Don't be so dramatic."

"I'll show you dramatic." She cocked the gun and stepped closer to him.

Hakkai put up his hands and attempted to step between them, "Come now you two. This is just a simple matter, we can finish this."

"This isn't simple Hakkai and you know it."

Gojyo approached the woman, "C'mon girly calm down."

"No. Did Sanzo tell you what your mission was?" they all shook their heads and she smirked, "The demons are going crazy. Travel east and stop the madness. Sounds simple enough except you're going all the way to India! Fighting the whole way there and getting into anything and everything. None of you will come back and I will not be left behind."

"Sanzo…"

The blonde glared over his shoulder, "Shut up Hakkai."

Goku tugged on Sanzo's robes, "Sanzo, we can't leave her here. That's just not right. She's family."

"Shut up! Dammit will any of you be able to handle watching her die?"

The three males stared at Sanzo in shock then looked at Nai sadly. Goku shook his head first, followed by Hakkai and Gojyo. The half-breed sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "But still. Isn't that just as bad as leaving her here? I mean, never being able to see her again is almost the same as her dying."

Hakkai sighed too, "I have to agree with Gojyo. I vote she goes."

Goku wrapped his arms around the woman's waist and she finally set the gun down. Sanzo approached her and lent in extremely close to her ear, "You better not die."

A/N: I felt like this could have been longer but my brain was like, "That's it." This is the last chapter in the first part so from here it jumps all the way to their arrival in India, the last leg of the journey. Thanks for reading so far!