Saiyuki: Blooming Reassurance
~Chapter Three~

Hakkai woke the next morning with the bright warm sunshine shining through the barely opened curtains. He saw that he was alone. Amerie wasn't there. Her clothes were gone, as well. He still laid there, however. All that covered him was the blanket that he and Amerie were wrapped up in the night before. He sat up and looked around the room. He could hear Sanzo, Goku, and Gojyo talking in the dining room. He almost dreaded waking up. He was sleeping peacefully, dreaming about Amerie. He wondered where she was. He stood up and put his clothes on. He walked over to the door and placed his hand on the doorknob. He paused as the gentlemens' conversation turned to Amerie.

"Where's Amerie? She's normally up by now." Goku asked.
"I don't know." Sanzo answered.
"Where's Hakkai?" Gojyo asked.
"He's sleeping, for once. That's why we haven't left yet. We are just going to let him sleep for as long as he will."

Hakkai slowly turned the knob and slowly opened the door, trying not to let them know that he was awake. He walked out and slowly down the hall to his room. On his bed, laid Hakuryu, his dragon that turns into a jeep. Hakuryu was sleeping. He took off his clothes and washed himself off with the washcloth and bowl of water that sat on the dresser. He put on a fresh set of clothes and put the dirty ones in his bag. He looked down at the floor and saw a piece of paper lying there. He bent down and picked it up. He opened it and read it to himself.

"Dearest Hakkai, the past couple of weeks have been completely wonderful. I'm sorry I wasn't there in your arms when you woke up. I hope that you can forgive me. Don't worry about the owner being mad about all the food, beer, and sake being gone. She won't care because I am the owner. Tell Sanzo, Gojyo, and Goku I'm sorry for not saying goodbye to them. We'll meet again. I know we will. I love you, dear Hakkai. Amerie."

He looked down at the floor and quietly sighed. He felt Hakuryu land on his left shoulder. He gently petted the dragon on the head. He grabbed his bag and walked out of his room. He walked down the hall and into the dining room, where the others sat.

"Morning, Hakkai." Goku said.
"Morning." Hakkai said, with a smile. He didn't want to show them he was sadden.
"We'll leave as soon as Amerie wakes up." Sanzo said, looking at Hakkai.
"She won't be going with us." Hakkai said, walking past them and outside.
"What?!" Goku and Gojyo exclaimed at the same time.
"You heard him. Let's go." Sanzo said, standing up and walking out. Goku and Gojyo quickly followed. They hopped into the jeep and left. Hakkai didn't look back because if he did, it would make him feel worse than he already did.

******

Amerie walked slowly through the desert. She felt bad about leaving them, especially Hakkai, the way she did. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Hakkai. He wasn't smiling, he was quite sad. "It's better this way." She whispered. She stopped and turned her head towards the direction she came from. It might have been better that way, but she was doubting her decision.

"You'll have to make a decision... Make sure you choose the right one."

Gojyo's words kept echoing in her mind. She sighed and began walking again. She strongly believed that she would see Hakkai and the others again. She hoped that Hakkai wasn't upset at her. As she walked, the events of last night flooded her thoughts. The feel of his body against hers, his soft lips gently kissing her. "Please, don't cry. You're safe with me." She remembered him saying. There was a reason why she just up and left without saying a word to anyone. She knew if she stayed with them one more day, there was a great possibility something would happen. She didn't want anything to happen to Hakkai, Goku, Sanzo, or Gojyo. She figured they would have a somewhat safer journey, if she wasn't anywhere near them. (I'm sorry, guys. I really am.) She thought to herself.

******

After a few hours of going through the desert, Goku began getting restless. He was bugging the hell out of Gojyo. Sanzo turned around and whacked Goku on the head with his fan. Sanzo turned back around and closed his eyes. Hakkai hasn't said anything since they left hours before. He hadn't stopped thinking about Amerie.

"Hey Sanzo?" Goku said.
"What?"
"I'm hungry." The boy whined "Live with it."
"But--"
"Shut up!" Sanzo said, whacking Goku on the head with his fan.
"Damn! That hurt."
"Stupid monkey." Gojyo murmured.
"Asshole!" Goku exclaimed.

Sanzo tried his best to ignore the two arguing in the back. Hakkai didn't even hear Gojyo and Goku fussing. He just looked ahead thinking. He couldn't stop thinking about Amerie.

"You're awfully quiet." Sanzo said, breaking Hakkai's thoughts.
"I'm just thinking about something." Hakkai said, still facing forward.
"About Amerie?" The monk asked, looking at Hakkai.
"Yeah. It's strange, Sanzo. I can't get her off my mind. I'm not sure if it's a good thing. I don't know what it is about her. She made me feel happy. I haven't felt like this in a long time."
"I don't know what to tell you really, Hakkai. But it's clear she felt the same towards you. She might not have said anything about it, but it was evident in her eyes." Sanzo replied.
"I don't understand why she just up and left." Hakkai said, looking at Sanzo.
"When I told her that we were leaving, I told her that she could either go with us or take her own path. She took her own path, Hakkai. You wouldn't have been able to change her mind about it. It was her decision to make."
"You're right. It was her decision." Hakkai whispered, looking forward.

Hakkai knew there was some truth in what Sanzo told him. It was her decision, her decision alone. His mind wandered back to what happened the night before. He remembered seeing the scars on her body. They looked like they were extremely painful injuries. He hoped that they would meet again. He just wanted to feel her against him again. He wanted to feel the small movements of her chest when she breathed as she slept. (Amerie...)

******

"Lord Kougaiji, Amerie still hasn't contacted us." Yaone said, running into the room Kougaiji was standing in.
"Damnit! Where is she?" Kougaiji exclaimed, looking away from this mother, still in the stone pillar.
"We don't know. She could be anywhere. Perhaps it was a bad idea to send her."
"She wanted to go and I was fool enough to let her go. Damnit."
"You don't think..." Yaone said, standing beside Kougaiji.
"No. She's too strong and too smart to give in to stuff like that." He said, walking out of the room. Yaone followed him. "Send Hyakka. Tell her to find Amerie and bring her back here."
"Yes, Lord Kougaiji." Yaone said, running off to find Hyakka. (Amerie, what are you doing?)

******

Amerie sat on the cold stone floor of a cave that she found. She forgot about packing a blanket or an extra jacket. It was nighttime and the air had an unusual chill to it. She wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes, drifting off into the land of sleep.

******

Rain poured from the dark sky. The ground was already saturated from the shower earlier that day. But there was something different about this rain. It didn't feel cool when it hit skin. It was hot and it stung. A young woman staggered, holding her midsection with her right arm. The right arm was covered with blood. She wasn't sure if it was from the gashes on her arms or the deep wound across the midsection. Blood also dripped from their left arm, to the ground. Her vision began to blur as she walked. She stumbled and fell face first to the ground. As darkness began to overtake her, there was a silhouette of a person hovering over her. Before her eyes could focus on the person, darkness covered her. She accepted it, whether it be a state of unconsciousness or death.

******

Hakkai sat straight up in his bed. It was still nighttime. He laid his head on his right hand. His fingers covering half of his face. (What was that dream? Who was that?) Across the room, slept Sanzo. Hakkai got up and walked over to the window, making sure not to make a sound. He stared out at the sky. The moon was full and the stars twinkled beautifully. But there was something wrong. The dream felt so real, but how? It was obvious it was someone's past. It wasn't his or any of his companions. It was strange. (Who was that?)