Gojyo

This was turning out to be the shittiest week ever. Sanzo with a rod up his ass, bitch with a thing for Hakkai, now the killer army of youkai heading this way, especially to kill us.

It was hard to picture anything else going wrong.

"What do you make of these rumors?" Hakkai asked Sanzo. We were gathered in one of the inn rooms we'd rented, discussing Hazel's warning. Hazel was somewhere else, at a no doubt classier hotel. Good for him. I didn't think I could stand to be in a room with Sanzo and Hazel at the same time right now.

His holiness barely looked at Hakkai. I could tell something was bothering him, but did I care? Hell no. I just wish the pretentious bastard wouldn't take whatever it was out on me. "We won't know how strong he is until we actually run into this maniac."

"Obviously. What I'm asking is, do you really think this Ryptcore and his DethBreed are a group of assassins from Houtou Castle?"

"Wait a minute!" Goku interrupted, "Why would Kougaji do that? He's never done anythin' like this before!"

"We're enemies, remember?" I snorted. I was feeling a little impatient myself, and for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about my brother.

Hakkai looked at me seriously, like I was the one asking the dumb question, "It doesn't necessarily have to be Kougaji. We've talked before about the possibility of there being someone else in Houtou Castle, controlling Kougaji. I have no doubt that it's that person who might have sent this DethBreed to kill us."

"Kougaji or some other psycho. Who cares? Either way, those people out there want us all dead, thanks to our god-given little mission. Why do we even need to debate about it?"

"I take it then that you believe this rumor Hazel told us."

"Hell." I ground my cigarette into the ashtray, "Why not? Everything else is going wrong. Why wouldn't there be some supernaturally powerful, synthetic youkai coming out here to put us all in the ground?"

"Just because he was artificially inseminated doesn't make him synthetic, Gojyo. It's likely that this Ryptcore is one hundred percent flesh and blood. He simply didn't have a natural conception between two youkai."

I didn't mean to snap at him, but Sanzo's insult was still ringing in my ears, "Well not everyone does, Hakkai."

Hakkai glared daggers at me, "I'm well aware of that."

Way to make me look like the asshole.

"Flesh an' blood or not," Goku spoke up. I could tell the kid was a little nervous. "Dya' think he's strong enough ta' get the job done?"

"As I said before." Sanzo said, "We won't know until we fight him. So I suggest we give up this pointless little debate and get some sleep."

"I agree." Hakkai said a little scornfully. "Before we all kill one another."

I couldn't agree more with that myself. I was really tired of Sanzo, and Hakkai was starting to grate on my nerves too.

But Goku wasn't done with the insightful questions. "Wait. What about th' other youkai? Y'know. The girl."

"The Asahara." Hakkai looked out the window, "Somehow I doubt having a new enemy to face will make her simply disappear. However, if these rumors about Ryptcore are true, she may just be the least of our problems."

I didn't want to say anything, but I'd seen that damn bitch twice now, once when she was about to take Sanzo apart, and once when she was on the verge of making Hakkai a brand new man, and somehow I got the feeling she was anything but the least of our problems.

Either way, I headed for the other room. No one was in the mood to listen to me anyway, and I wasn't really in the mood to talk to them. Time would tell if the Asahara bitch was a problem or not. I wanted to think she wouldn't be, but I couldn't help thinking she would. Just the pessimist in me.

Hakkai came with me, not saying anything. Usually he was so cheerful, it was sort of hard to see him this way, especially when I wasn't sure why. As soon as the door was shut, he went straight to the window and looked out at the moon. It was just starting to rise on the eastern horizon. I thought again of home.

"You mad at me, Hakkai?"

"Mad at you? No. Why should I be?"

"Dunno." I sank onto one of the beds, "Lotta' reasons, I guess."

"Do enlighten me."

"Just the fight with Sanzo and everything."

"I don't fully understand what you and Sanzo are fighting about, but I think it goes without saying that it hardly matters at the moment."

"I guess." I flopped back, still thinking. The room was dumpy, like always—there were cracks in the walls and the mattress was creaky. I saw a cockroach run across the ceiling, couldn't help noticing the long antennae it had. Then before I knew it, I was picturing it bright red. I lit a cigarette to get my mind off it.

"You worried about that Asahara chick?"

"Should I be?"

It was a stupid thing to do, trying to pretend I didn't know. Hakkai confused the hell out of me all the time—he was a complicated guy, and I doubted I'd ever know his every in and out—but I knew him a helluva lot better than Sanzo or Goku did. That's what happened when you lived with somebody for three years. I had him pegged down to his last neat-freak, OCD habit. And he had me pegged for all mine. I had noticed right away that there was a change in his attitude after his weirdo encounter with that bitch, and it wasn't going away. I didn't know if it was just because he hadn't kissed a woman since Kanan, or if it was something deeper, but either way, I couldn't help worrying about it. If I was worried, why shouldn't he be?

"She's after you, 'Kai." I said sort of quietly. "You know that—I know you know that. She wants Sanzo dead, and she wants you for somethin' else. That scares the shit outta' me." I was overdue for a little friendly honesty.

At last he turned his head to look at me over his shoulder. For a moment, our eyes met, and I could see that he was worried. Then he just smiled, the same smile he always had on when we talked about this kind of shit. "Ah, Gojyo, don't be scared for me."

"It's not…" I couldn't look at him anymore, "It's not like I don't think you can take care of yourself, you know. I know you can. But…that bitch is playing head games with you. That's not cool."

"Could it perhaps be that you're simply jealous that I have the attention of a beautiful woman while she simply ignores the very fact that you're alive?"

Normally, I'd be all up for some friendly banter, just to get past the serious conversation we were having, and I knew that's what he was trying to do. But not tonight. "I mean it, Hakkai. Women can tear you up and leave you bloody just lookin' at you."

Hakkai's smile faded and he sighed, "Yes. I'm afraid I'm acquainted with that feeling just like you are."

I turned onto my side and looked at the wall. It was dirty and it looked like someone had smeared a bloody handprint on it. "I think she's a problem." I said at last.

"I think you're right."

That was it for our meaningful conversation. What the hell else could I say now? I'd told Hakkai what I thought, and there was nothing else I could do, unless I wanted to become his personal bodyguard and follow him absolutely everywhere. If I didn't get annoyed with that right out of the gate I knew he would. Now it was just up to him to watch himself.

After a while, I got up and grabbed my jacket and cigarettes, "I'm goin' out a while."

"Ah, I thought you might."

"Wanna' come?"

"No." he laughed, "I'm afraid I'd only cramp your style. But have fun for me." He added a little quieter, "Be careful."

"Always." I swung the door open and lingered there. Part of me hated to leave him. Part of me couldn't quite wrap around the idea of skipping getting laid just to hang out with a dude. "Hakkai."

He didn't face me. "Yes."

"I got your back, Hakkai."

"All the way from the bar."

I bit back a smile. "All the way from anywhere."

The bar was just as skuzzy as the inn. The town was big and classy, like Sanzo had noted, but we had wound up on the wrong side of the tracks, and everywhere I went I saw rundown buildings, gutterpunks and whores. I thought bitterly that there had to be at least one trashy enough to sleep with a half-blood slut.

Shouldn't let that bother me. Sanzo tossed insults and threats everywhere he went, but he only meant half of them.

Of course the insults and threats he tossed at me were probably the half he actually meant.

Still, shouldn't let that bother me. What the hell did I care what Sanzo thought of me? Fuck that guy. He was just jealous because no one anywhere was crazy enough to do it with a cranky-ass monk.

Anyway, I wound up at the bar, and it was sort of disappointing. I sat there alone for a pretty long time and was actually starting to wish I'd stayed with Hakkai by the time some guys came in and started to gamble.

That was definitely my scene, and I was there in a heartbeat. Most of the guys were quite a bit older than me, and I could tell that they didn't like some flashy, red-headed young guy with a devilish smile asking to join their poker game. They liked it even less when I took them for everything they had. I guess they weren't pros like me. I almost felt a little bad for cleaning them out.

After a couple of hours, they got sick of it all and left, trying to salvage what little they had left, and I went to the bar and had some drinks by myself, girlscouting at the same time. Most of the ladies I saw were either with a man or nowhere near the Gojyo standard, so I was alone for a pretty long time.

It was past midnight when she came in. God she was gorgeous—fantastic blue eyes, shiny blonde hair, long legs, a trim waist, wearing just enough clothes to keep from getting arrested for indecent exposure. That was my girl. Now the only problem would be taking her back to the room without waking Hakkai up.

Maybe we could go to her place.

I caught her eye right away, and she smiled and started to walk in my direction.

Hell yeah. He scores. It had been just about forever since I'd gotten laid, and I didn't think I could go even one more night without getting some.

"Hey there." God, even her voice was hot. Just that perfect blend of husky and feminine that I liked. Of course, she could talk like a man and I wouldn't give a damn.

"Well hello, Gorgeous. Don't tell me you came all the way over here just to make me buy you a drink."

She giggled and tucked some hair behind her ear, "You look pretty lonely over here by yourself. I actually came to see if I could buy you one, but as long as you're offering…" She sat down with all the grace of a princess looking for a good fuck.

"Sure thing, pretty eyes. Pick your poison, it's on me."

She ordered something typical I didn't catch the name of, and then smiled at me. Her teeth were perfect, white pearls.

"So what's your name, sexy?"

"Gojyo. Just Gojyo."

"Gojyo. I like it. It sort of pops."

"That's not the only thing about me that pops."

I felt her hand sweep up my inner thigh, not quite far enough, "You don't say."

"And your name is?"

"Kei. Just Kei."

"Pretty name for a pretty girl."

That made her giggle more. Then her drink came and she had to hesitate to try it. "What do you do for a living, Gojyo?"

"Gamble mostly."

"Ooh, I love a man who gambles. You're not from around here, are you?"

"Naw, I'm a traveler."

Her lips were centimeters from mine, "How perfect."

I spent a good hour or two sitting there with Kei just talking and laughing, trying to get drunk enough to go back to her place. Not that we really needed to. There was a perfect chemistry between us—both of us wanted to get laid, and we were just happy we'd found someone we were attracted to to do it with.

By two thirty, Kei was drunk and horny enough to do it with some old bum in an alley, and she was perched on my lap, threading her fingers through my hair and whispering in my ear about all the stuff she wanted to do to me when we got back to her place. That should have been my cue to take her and go, but I made the mistake of staying an extra five minutes to finish my beer.

The next thing I knew, she was there. It took me a moment to realize she was next to me—I was pretty loaded too, but I was aware of the fact that someone was standing over my shoulder. I was shocked as hell to see who it was.

"What the fuck?"

She didn't waste a second shoving Kei off me and spinning my stool around so she could grab my collar and jerk me halfway to my feet. She was wearing a limiter so her markings were gone and her ears were round, but her eyes were that same demonic green, and she looked pissed. With good reason. From the look of things—the bruises on her cheeks and around her mouth—someone had roughed her up a little.

"All right, slut-boy, where is he?" She snarled. Her fangs were gone, but her teeth still looked dangerous.

"Where's who?"

"Don't play games with me." She slapped my face. "Genjyo Sanzo. Where is he?"

It was pretty humbling to be bitch-slapped by a woman, and I was just sort of stunned for a second.

Then, even if I could have reacted, Kei got up screaming. She was hammered out of her mind, and she had no idea what she was getting into. "Hey, bitch! Who th' fuck dya' think ya' are? Ya' can't just barge in 'ere an' steal another gal's boy! I saw 'im first!"

Jade Asahara glared at Kei, "Shut up, bar trash. This has nothing to do with you."

"Bar trash? Bar trash! Ya' filthy lil' slut—c'mere an' I'll rip yer pretty lil' head righ' offa' yer shoul'ers!"

The Asahara shook me again, "Better tell your girlfriend to back off, Gojyo—I'm in a really, really shitty mood, and I'd loove to rip my claws through that lovely body of hers."

I wasn't as drunk as I could have been, and that was a good thing. I didn't know how tough this bitch was, but I definitely didn't want to be in a fight with her if I was four sheets to the wind. Besides, I needed some judgment. I couldn't let her kill Kei, but I wasn't sure I should lead her back to Sanzo either. The fact that she was wearing a limiter instead of just ransacking the town until she found him made me think something must have been up.

"Alright, alright. Chill out, I'll take care of her." I pried out of her grip and turned to Kei, "Uunh…listen babe."

"Gojyo, who is that? I though' ya' said you don' gotta' girl."

"I don't. Believe me, this is not my girl."

Kei didn't look impressed. "Then who is she?"

"Friend of a friend of a friend. Don't matter. Look-"

"Oh, I don' buy that bullshit for a second, liar!"

"It doesn't matter who she is!" I snapped. "Look, I gotta' handle her real quick, then I'll be back."
"An' what am I s'posed ta' do, smart guy?"

I could see that my golden opportunity to get fucked was disappearing fast, and I had to do something to save it. "Hang tight here, order a drink—put it on my tab—and when I get back I promise we'll—"

"Wait? Ya' want me ta' wait here? Wait so ya' can go fuck some other girl an' then come back an' do me too? Well ya' can forget that idea, mister! Jus' forget all 'bout it! There's no way I'ma' wait 'ere for ya' to run off an'-"

"This isn't about you!" The Asahara smacked her suddenly, so hard she stumbled back into a table and knocked a bunch of glasses and a pitcher onto the floor. "For the last time, beat it, before I tear you limb from limb!"

"Hey!"

They both ignored me.

Kei stared at us a moment, cheek starting to bruise already, then she grabbed her purse and stormed for the door, almost falling on her face on the way out.

"Great." I sighed. There went my date. If I didn't hate this youkai bitch before, I definitely hated her now. I glanced at the bartender, who was just standing there, silent as the grave, watching us, and then back at her. "What the hell do you want that could be so important that you had to totally fuck my fun night out?"

"Believe me, Red, I did you a favor chasing that skank off. Now for the last time, where is Genjyo Sanzo?"

I didn't owe Sanzo anything, but I couldn't think of one good reason I should give this bitch what she wanted when she'd just ruined my date. "Nuh-unh. Why would I tell you somethin' like that?" I drew on my cigarette.

She grabbed both my shoulders, digging her nails in so deep, it didn't matter if she had claws at the moment or not. "Because if you don't, I'll shove that cigarette down your throat and you'll spend the rest of your life blowing smoke rings out your ass."

"Ooo tough girl. I like that." I grinned, then I shoved her off. "Alright. You wanna' play games with Gojyo? Fine. I'm warnin' you though." I summoned my shakujou, "I like it rough."

She just looked at it, then tossed her head back, laughing. "I suggest you put that away, halfling, unless you want to find it somewhere uncomfortable."

"'Gonna' shove this up there', 'gonna' shove that down here', quit with your pathetic threats and lets get it on."

The Asahara shook her head like she was disappointed, "If you insist."

Damn she was strong. The moment she leapt at me and swung at me, I could tell she was way damn strong. As strong as Goku maybe. Strong enough to put my lights out forever if I didn't watch it.

I braced myself and caught her attack on the shaft of my shakujou, swung around and knocked her back, tried to slice her open with my weapon.

She danced to one side and threw a table at me. A whole table.

I barely managed to cut it in two before the whole damn thing hit me in the head. Then I was after her again, taking another swipe at her.

But she was already behind me, closing in to kick me in the back.

I ducked. She flew over me. Immediately, I was after her, blade singing. She hit the wall hard and sprang off right away, coming back at me. Her green eyes sparkled.

We met in the middle of the room and stumbled backward, knocking over more tables and chairs. People screamed and ran to get out of the way. The barkeeper shouted obscenities at us.

Asahara threw a punch that would probably knock the wall right over if she hit it, and I caught it, twisted her wrist in an attempt to break it. She spun around so fast, she actually lifted me right off my feet and I found myself flying back. I hit the wall hard myself, slid to the ground as pain shot through me.

No time to worry about that. I scrambled to my feet and jumped to the side, just as she landed right where I'd been seconds before. She was fast. Goddamn was she fast. And she came right after me, swinging blow after blow that could take my whole head right off. Once she actually clipped my jaw with her knuckles, and my whole head snapped back.

I staggered, righted myself, and twirled my shakujou around, nearly decapitating a bar patron as my blade and chain flew right for Jade.

She jumped straight up in the air so my attack missed completely, and the next thing I knew, she was on the ceiling, just like the cockroach I'd seen earlier, and she was crawling right toward me.

"Goddammit." I caught the chain on my wrist and it wrapped around my forearm. As soon as I was in control of it again, I threw it, hoping to sever her at the waist.

Fucking girl reached out and caught it like it was just a stupid Frisbee. Then she jerked, twisted it around, and threw it right back at me.

I yelped, but there was nothing I could do. This was it. The end of my life—killed by two of my favorite things: a woman and my own fucking shakujou.

To my surprise, it didn't cut through me like butter. Instead I found myself wrapped from waist to bicep in the chain of my own weapon.

She dropped down in front of me. "Oh no. Who has who?"

Damn bitch. She thought she was pretty clever. No way.

I let go of the shaft of my shakujou and it disappeared, leaving me free again. Then I took advantage of her shock and kicked her as hard as I could under the chin. She flew up and back, fell flat on her back on a table. The table legs buckled and broke and the whole stupid thing collapse.

Moments later, I was on her. I grabbed her collar and dragged her up and hit her as hard as I possibly could in the face. I'd never hated a woman so much in my whole life.

Jade took it for a second, then she got her bearings and kicked me right where it counts.

Strangling a cry of pain, I staggered back.

She backhanded me and I felt like she'd broken the whole right side of my face.

Damn this was such a shitty week.

To steady myself, I gripped at a table, found the familiar shape of a glass ashtray. "God…damn…bitch." I threw it, twisting my wrist to give it a deadly spin, and reveled in the sound of the thick glass hitting her thick skull.

She half-way screamed, and when she looked at me again, blood was oozing from her forehead. "All right, pretty boy, that's it!"

Jade ran full tilt at me, but I stood my ground. One of us was going down, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be me. I got ready to defend.

She flung her arms around my chest.

I buried my fist in her gut.

We both crashed back through the window, out into the cool, night air, skidded a few feet across the gravelly side walk, and lay there.

When the dust cleared, I could feel the cold pinch of something sharp against my throat, and then I saw that she had a knife.

Weird. If she'd had a weapon the whole time why hadn't she used it?

She was shaking all over, and her face was furious. I just wanted to laugh. I'd gotten her pretty good before she killed me.

"Dammit you!" She screamed in my face. "I just want to know where Sanzo is!"

"So go ahead and kill me. Then you'll never know."

"I don't want to kill you, you idiot!"

"Right. You wanna' kill Sanzo. I know. Sorry, can't let ya' do that either."

"I don't want to kill him either. I just want to talk."

"What? Hopin' he'll give you Hakkai in marriage or something?"

She grinned suddenly, and I could see she was really a youkai woman. There was something so cold and animalistic in her face, even with the limiter on. Something that reminded me of Mom. "Half-breed. You certainly are outrageous for a half-breed, Sha Gojyo. Your kind should go through life with your eyes to the ground and your heads bowed, but you walk like a cocky little rooster, just waiting for all the fat, stupid hens to flock to you. You should be ashamed of that disgusting hair of yours—wear it like a flag of shame—but you grow it out like it's something to be proud of. Of all the things I've ever had to be, I thank the gods I was not born one of you. Not born a curse to all peoples. An abomination to friends and family and the very human and youkai races."

I wasn't sure what to say next. It was a wordy spiel, and I was annoyed by it, but most of it was true, so there was nothing for me to say.

She went on. "You deserve to die, not just for the outrage of fighting the Asahara in a common, human bar, but for having the audacity to be born a hybrid and yet to still walk with your head held high. But." She licked her lips. "I like you. You're like a small, burning flame. The world will blow you out some day—that's the way the world is—but I can't bear to finish such a pathetically impudent thing by my own hand."

I closed my eyes, wishing she'd just shut up now. I was insulted enough already, and I couldn't stand to hear her say anything else.

"Now I'll ask one more time, Flaming Heart." She all but whispered. "Where is the Sanzo?"

"If you're not gonna' kill him then what do you want?"

"I need to speak to him." She pulled the knife away at last, obviously assuming I'd cooperate now that she'd bashed every bit of pride I had.

"What about?"

"About Ryptcore and the DethBreed. I want to make a deal with Sanzo—and if he doesn't accept it, you and your friends won't live another day."

When I heard that I did cooperate. I didn't know what this crazy whore had to do with that mess, but it seemed worthwhile to find out.

Maybe it was stupid to take her back to the inn we were staying at, but I'd just fought her on my own and survived. If anything, it would be to her disadvantage to be there with all four of us. I just had to trust my instincts.

I banged hard on Sanzo's door. My fist was already bruised, and it hurt a little, but I ignored it. "Sanzo! C'mon man, wake up!"

From deep inside I heard a muffled, "Go away."

"No. This's important!"

"Go away or I'll kill you, Gojyo!"

"So come out here and kill me!" It was such a shitty night. All these death threats, and no sex to make it better.

"Goddamn you, Kappa."

Behind me, I heard the door to Hakkai's room open. "Gojyo, it's three o'clock in the morning, what on earth are you—" he stopped.

I looked at him.

"What is she doing here?" His voice had gone deathly still, and he had that scary-ass look on his face that made me want to run and hide.

"Only one person she'll tell. Sanzo! Get your ass out here! I'm bleeding like a stuck pig and I'd like to know why!"

Hakkai drifted closer to me, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, just great, Hakkai."

"Maybe I should have gone with you after all—I thought you'd be chasing women, not getting into bar fights."

"Very funny, 'Kai. Dammit, for the last time, San-"

The door swung open and he was standing there looking tired and pissed as hell, his gun out. Goku was right behind him.

"-Zo. Hey. It's about time you opened the door." I eyed the gun warily, hoping he wouldn't decide to shoot the messenger. Getting shot would be the icing on the shitty cake of a day I'd been having.

He glared at me, "This had better be important, Gojyo, and not just one of your drunk ravings."

"I couldn't agree more." I glared at Jade. "All right, hot stuff. I got ya' to Sanzo, now start talking."

Sanzo and Goku noticed her for the first time. "Holy shit! Gojyo!" Sanzo aimed his gun. It had been a while since I'd seen him flustered like this, and it almost made me want to laugh. The girl was good at masking her youkai energy. Maybe if the situation had been different I would have laughed; the only thing was that if this crazy girl was here to kill us all then I was the idiot who'd messed up and brought her back to the home base.

Jade stepped out of the shadows. She still had the limiter on, but that didn't make her look any less dangerous. Her eyes seemed to glow in the dark.

"Hello, Sanzo." She smiled that icy grin. "Nice to see you again." Then she glanced at Hakkai, "You too, darling."

"What the heck do you want?" Goku demanded. He had his bo out. I wondered if he'd do better against her than I had. Probably. He wasn't drunk.

Actually, I was probably really lucky she'd let me live.

"What I want is to warn you and the rest of your ragged little team about a youkai who wants you all dead."

"Ryptcore." Sanzo yawned. "We've already heard about him and the DethBreed, so give me one good reason why we should leave you alive."

"Ah, so I see you've been listening to the rumors. Very good—that saves me a lot of breath."

"Please. You can't tell me you came here to warn us after you swore to kill me."

"Not necessarily, but maybe if you'd listen to what I have to say you'd hear something interesting. You see, Sanzo I have met General Ryptcore face to face, and I have looked into his cold eyes."

"What?" Goku squawked, looking at me like I could tell him if that were true or not. "Really? Why?"

She barely glanced at him, "Ryptcore is roaming the countryside from west to east, destroying villages and towns, slaughtering humans without eating them, taking whatever he wants and killing any youkai who refuse to join his army. He is a ruthless monster, and he'll stop at nothing to kill you, Sanzo."

"Wait a minute." The news was surprising to me, "He's recruiting youkai to his army?"

"That's right—that's how I met him. He found me and tried to force me to join him, but I refused and escaped. He wants the strongest youkai he finds to join him, and he's killing the weak ones."

"Why'd you say no?" Goku asked. I could hear suspicion in his voice. "If ya' joined him ya' could kill Sanzo."

"Two reasons, boy. Firstly, Jade the Asahara belongs to no one—this is my land. If you look out from the rooftop of this very building then all you see is mine. My land to roam as I please with my clan, my humans to hunt as I will, to spare as I will. It's a lot of territory for a single youkai, and many men have tried to take it from me, but I've fought them off one after another. I refuse to relinquish what is mine to anyone, even if it this monster and his hellish army."

So maybe she really wasn't berserk. She didn't seem berserk.

"And the second reason?" Sanzo demanded, but he sounded bored.

"Secondly, Sanzo, you four destroyed my entire clan—my brothers and my husband, all of my friends—and so vengeance on you belongs to me as well. I won't have this Ryptcore get in the way of that either."

Sanzo snorted, "What the hell do you want from me then? So you didn't join that guy. What do you want, a badge?"

"No." She spoke slowly. Finally we were going to figure out what she wanted, and then maybe flying through the window at the bar would be worthwhile. "I wish to join your party."

All of us were quiet—I don't think anyone was expecting anything like that. I sure as hell wasn't. "What?"

"Temporarily, of course. When this is over, I'll still be set on hunting you, Sanzo, but in the meantime, you might consider me a powerful ally. I know this region better than anyone, and I'm a brave and apt warrior, even for a woman. Together we will destroy Ryptcore, and he'll suffer for the crimes he's committed against both humans and youkai."

That was weird too. I just couldn't figure this tart out, but the more I heard from her the less I knew what to think. I sure as hell didn't trust her.

"No." Sanzo said simply.

Jade twisted her mouth into a displeased frown, "You might at least consider the offer before declining, Sanzo."

"I don't need to. The answer is no. Why would I join forces with you, even if you weren't going to try to kill me when it's over? We don't need your help to kill that bastard."

"You think not? Then perhaps you don't fully understand who you're dealing with. Ryptcore is twice as strong as I am. Twice as strong as anyone in your party. A million times more powerful than you, Sanzo. When he comes, you won't be able to hide behind your friends, or your pert attitude."

I couldn't help laughing at that.

Hakkai nudged me with his elbow.

Sanzo sounded pissed, "I don't need to hide behind these bastards or anyone else, especially not some incapable, little girl youkai. So the answer is no. We're going west. Ryptcore can do whatever the fuck he wants. If we happen to run into him, I'll kill him. Now get lost."

Jade's eyes shone bright green, and she stomped her foot a little, but her voice stayed calm and her mouth smiled, "Very well, I'll leave."

"Hn. Good. And for future reference, it's rude to visit someone at three in the morning."

The smile didn't fade, "Don't misunderstand me, Sanzo. I may be leaving for now, but the Asahara doesn't take no for an answer. I will join your party, and I will help you defeat Ryptcore. And when that's over, I will rip out your arrogant heart."

Then she turned around and marched back down the hall.

"Wow." I whistled. "What a crazy bitch."

"You." Sanzo turned on me, all but backing me into the wall. "What the fuck were you thinking, Gojyo? Why the hell did you bring her here?"

"Hey, hey, ease up man." I raised my hands a little, "It's not like I just bumped into her and was like 'let me take you to see Sanzo', alright?"

"Then how do you explain this?"

Was he serious? It wasn't like she'd beat it out of me, but anyone could see I'd at least put up a fight. I swiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, "What can I say? She was very convincing."

"So what? You brought her back here to save your own ass?"

Now that was insulting. I couldn't believe he thought I was that pathetic. "No." I snapped, feeling the anger from earlier surge to the surface again. "I brought her back here because she said she knew something about that psycho and his army—I thought it might be worth hearing."

"Well surprise, surprise, it wasn't."

"That's not my fault, you selfish dick!"

"Never bother me with something like this again, you waste of time."

"Hey, I was just trying to help the team, Master Sanzo! Besides, everyone's alive, so what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you're actually idiotic enough to bring an enemy back to where we're staying the night!"

I took a sharp breath and got ready to shoot off my next biting comment, but Hakkai cut in with a sigh, "Honestly, you two, it's three o'clock in the morning. Look where we are. Are you really going to start this right here and now?"

I glared at Sanzo, totally ready to throw down if I had to.

Sanzo just snorted, then turned to go back into his room, "Stay out of my way from now on, Gojyo."

"I ain't in your way."

He slammed the door in my face.

"Pieca' shit priest."

"Perhaps Sanzo's got a point this time, Gojyo."

I spun around, barely believing what I was hearing, "You're on his side?"

"You just might have considered the consequences before bringing her back here. Now she knows where were are."

Unfuckingbelievable. I guess I should have just let that bitch kill me rather than risking leading her anywhere near my goddamn teammates.

Hakkai casually rested a hand on my shoulder and I felt my wounds burning as they closed; then when I licked my lip the taste of blood was gone.

"I wish you'd be more careful from no on." He said. "Your carelessness is going to get you killed some day."

"Right. Now you're gettin' on me for my lifestyle, Hakkai?"

"Of course not—I know better." He finished healing me, and then headed back to our room, "I'd do better talking sense into a wall, I'm sure."

"Damn straight."

"Try not to stay out too long. We have to get moving early tomorrow."

The door closed and I leaned back against the wall with a sigh. "What a shitty day."

After a minute or two, I lit a cigarette and stood there thinking. Talk about being unappreciated. Here I'd gone and risked life and limb fighting that bitch, and for what? For the others to shake their heads at me and treat me like I was just some idiot they'd brought along for grunt work? No thanks. If there was anything about this suckfest of a journey that I was sick of it was taking orders from everyone and being treated like a low grade moron by everyone but Goku. I didn't ask to come on this stupid trip.

Maybe it was just because of what I was, something to do with being cursed.

Half-breed…your kind should go through life with your eyes to the ground…but you walk like a cocky rooster…

That bitch actually thought I had some self-respect. That I was impudent for even daring to go out in public. Maybe I was. But if there was even a shred of self-respect in me, it was something I'd fought long and hard to get, something I'd struggled with ever since I was a kid. Ever since the first day my mother told me I was a worthless half-breed son-of-a-bitch and that no one would ever find any value in my existence, I'd been fighting to prove her wrong, and failing for as long as I could remember. If I really had any self-esteem to speak of I'd go find some woman to love me the way Kanan had loved Hakkai, not give myself away to any slut that would have me.

You're like a small, burning flame. The world will blow you out some day…

That was me. If I'd learned anything from having this hair and these eyes it was that the world wasn't gonna' cut me any slack, and the only thing I could do was to say 'fuck you' and keep fighting. Whether or not I had any right to live had nothing to do with it.

Damn. I hated thinking about this shit, and I hated that bitch for bringing it up. She really knew how to get under a guy's skin.

Suddenly I wished more than anything that I was at home, in my own town playing cards with the guys I knew from the bar and chasing the local girls. I didn't want to be on this stupid trip anymore. I didn't want to die fighting Sanzo's holy war.

So what was there to keep me from leaving? What was to stop me from walking right out the door and into the east, toward the sunrise?

I already knew though. I already knew why I could never do that.

"Shit. I'm probably destined to die on this goddamn quest."