Chapter 16

Attitude Adjustment

A/N: Long chapter, hold on tight. Poll on my profile, go vote please! BTW, I love you guys!

Nai knew that no matter how many times she glanced at the bed he wasn't going to move. Gojyo's form was almost like a corpse on the bed, seemingly unmoving save the very shallow rise and fall of his chest.

She roughly pushed back her hair and stubbed out her unfinished cigarette in the bowl in the window and approached the bed.

She stared down at him before sighing in defeat and walking into the hall. "You need to change that bloody shirt."

"The fuck is it to a murderer?"

Sanzo glared at her, "He's not dead."

Nai scoffed, "Might as well be."

The blonde waited for her to start crying but he figured that after two days of it she'd be all dried up. "So I should have let him kill you?"

"Non-fatal wounds for the other two, but a kill shot for the one you obviously can't stand." She picked up the roll of fresh bandages on the table, "Hakkai could have killed me too."

Sanzo turned and exited the large room. Nai watched after him then walked into one of the smaller adjoining rooms. Hakkai wheezed softly on the bed, "Did I really almost kill you?"

"Eavesdropping doesn't seem like your thing."

"I was going to come out and get the bandages myself."

Nai helped him sit up in the bed, "I thought that qui ball in your hand would be the last thing I remembered seeing."

Hakkai smiled at her, "You could have shot me."

"Fatally or no, I can't stomach shooting any of you. Of course that's not the thought pattern of our other gun holder."

Hakkai frowned at the woman as she started to unroll his bandages, "You've been smoking."

"So?"

"You haven't since the god incident."

The woman smiled at him, "Gojyo's on the bed in the other room and I don't know if he's coming back…"

The man nodded, "Sanzo just wanted to save you."

Nai finished up and stood, "Your best friend might be dying... is that really the reasoning you want to stick with?"

Goku was easy enough to patch since he was sleeping. They had to pump him with pain meds to get him to stop screaming and now he was out of it. Propping the snoring boy against her was simple and she bandaged him quickly. Being out of Gojyo's room for too long made her nervous.

Her whole demeanor dropped when she entered the room to find no change. "Still out huh?" of course he didn't answer her and she lit another cigarette, if he ever did wake up he'd be pissed to find half his pack missing.

"I'm aware of Sanzo's attempt to save me you know… I get it." She glanced at him before looking back to the floor, "I would have made the same decision. But I'm just so… mad at him."

Nai felt a bit of her heavy emotions lift away so she kept talking. "Do you know what he did before all this too? He ordered one room and shared a bed with me. Sanzo, shared with someone." She chuckled and finished off the cigarette, "And it was the best sleep I'd had in forever."

The room went quiet again and she shook her head. She was losing her mind, talking to a half dead kappa. She moved the chair in the room next to his bed and sat down.

"If you die on me. I don't know what I'll do…" she paused and laughed, "Who will I drink with? Joke with? Sleep on in the car?" She waited for and answer and brushed back his hair, "Gojyo, what do I tell Goku or Hakkai if you don't make it? How am I supposed to continue this journey hating Sanzo? I have to forgive him, but I can't if you don't pull through."

Gojyo's only answer was the rise and fall of his chest and Nai put her forehead on the sheets in defeat. She then put her chin on her folded arms, "Please don't hate him ok? I think my strong feelings are enough."

"Right now there isn't a whole lot we can do…" Hakkai smiled at Nai as she exited Gojyo's room. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged, "Could be better." She glanced at Sanzo and back to Hakkai, "Why are you out of bed?"

His smile was bright, "I felt like I needed a walk. Unfortunately I could only make it to this outside room so I took a seat."

Nai sat next to him and chuckled, "Well I would wrestle you back into the bed but…"

Hakkai chuckled also and glanced at Sanzo too. Just a minute ago he was able to get the man to confide in him. Nai's anger towards him, it actually unnerved the usually steely monk.

"Would you like some tea?"

Sanzo shifted in his seat and Nai stood, "I'll get it."

Sanzo watched her walk away and Hakkai touched his arm, "What the fuck are you touching me for?"

"Sanzo…"

"Don't Sanzo me. If she wants to be mad so be it."

Nai walked carefully across the room with the three cups and the teapot but stopped dead in her tracks when a roll of thunder shook the room. Her gaze locked on the two men at the table and she seemed almost panicked.

Sanzo stood abruptly, "I'm going to bed."

Hakkai frowned at the retreating blonde, "I'll still take my tea."

Nai couldn't help her shaking hands and she knew Hakkai could hear the cups rattling. She poured him his tea and started to pour her own but stopped, "He's a pain in the ass."

"Nai…"

"I think I hate him so much because for a while…he was all I had. Whenever he fucks up I just-"

"It's natural to feel that way." Hakkai sighed and listened to the rain, "You don't want to see him mess up."

She nodded and stood from the table, "Hm, I'm going to check on Gojyo. Shout if you need me ok?"

"Of course."

"Hey girly."

There were no more tears to cry but she wished there were, she stomped across the room and snatched the cigarettes out of his hand and raised her hand to slap him.

Gojyo just smirked at her, bringing her hand to a halt. "Can you tell me why half my smokes are gone?"

Nai dropped her hand, "I can't fucking believe you."

"What? Why? Look in the pack yourself."

She shook her head and sat on the edge of the bed, "How long have you been up? Have you been listening to me?"

Gojyo's demeanor became serious, "I heard you Nai and I wanted to answer but I couldn't."

"Well you can now. Out with it!"

He smiled a bit, "I don't hate him. I think I could only hate him if he hadn't of shot me. Then you would be dead."

Nai frowned, "Well, I guess that's what I wanted to hear. But not really."

"There is no win to the situation."

"I guess not."

"Go apologize to him girly."

Nai snapped up from the bed, "No! He's the one who's wrong!"

"Is he really?"

The woman eyed him, "Your near death experience made you wise…sort of. I don't like it."

Gojyo shrugged, "I think it'll only happen this once. But you and I both know you don't want to be mad at him. You said so yourself."

She walked to the door, "I don't know what or who I want anymore."

The man nodded, "You won't know if you don't go find out." He motioned to the bed, "Good news, I'm not going anywhere."

She slipped into the outside room, "You better not."

"Sanzo."

Sanzo's head snapped up and he glared at Nai. He wasn't very fond of her ability to get in a room without him hearing, "What the hell do you want?"

She walked to the window and stood next to him, "Gojyo's awake."

"Then why aren't you bothering him?"

She chuckled, "I already did. We talked for a bit." Sanzo eyed her but stayed quiet and she sighed, "I know better than anyone what it's like to feel a strong feeling, especially when it's from someone you care about."

He chuckled, "I care about you?"

She smirked, "Don't deny it. Why else would you keep me around?" Sanzo finally looked at her, right in her hazel eyes and she smiled, "Did you know violet is my favorite color?"

"Get on with it woman."

"Thank you for saving me."

He let her see his smirk, "Whatever."

She laughed and turned back to the window, "It's raining. Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No."

"Well I'm staying anyway. I don't think you want to be alone."

Sanzo sighed and reached out for her, grabbing her wrist and puling her over to him, "This doesn't leave this room."

She put her forehead on his shoulder as he put his arms around her waist, "It won't."

"C'mon Goku." Nai huffed as she helped the boy into the car and he whined.

"But it hurts and I'm hungry."

"Oh shove it monkey. Stop complaining."

Goku glared at Gojyo, "Shut up! She helped you in first and you whined way more than I did! 'Be gentle girly, I bruise easily'."

Gojyo blushed, "I would knock you out if it wouldn't hurt me to do so."

The boy stuck his tongue out at him. Sanzo sighed and climbed into the car, "How about I shove a bottle of aspirin down your throat."

Gojyo hung his head back, "That would actually be nice."

Nai laughed as she helped Hakkai sit in the driver's seat, "I don't think he's gonna take them out the bottle first Gojyo."

Nai settled Hakkai, "Are you sure you're ok to drive?"

"I'm fine. Just needed help getting in, but I can handle it from here."

The woman climbed into the back of the jeep and reclined in between the two males, "Let's just go and act like this never happened."

They all looked at her and Goku broke into a huge grin, "Good idea! I don't think Sanzo shooting me is something I want to think about."

Sanzo scoffed, "Just be glad I didn't kill yah."

Gojyo chuckled and lit a cigarette, "Yeah man."

Hakkai smiled, "Agreed. Let's go."

A/N: Mixed feelings about this chapter...