"That's the last time I listened to either of your plans," Goku groused. He was covered with scratches and cuts, and winced painfully when Hakkai swiped over a long laceration with a scrap of cloth.
Gojyo grunted as he popped his left shoulder back in place. "How was I to know that crazy harem would be able to toss us off the side of the mountain?"
"Hush, both of you," said Hakkai. He looked unusually serious. "They may be listening for us."
"Why didn't you use your chi attacks fully, Hakkai?" asked Gojyo while Goku pulled on his shirt. "Coulda blown 'em all away easy."
The healer frowned. "Sanzo isn't inside. I didn't want to fight them since there's no real reason, but there was no way they would let us out without one."
"So you opted for us to be thrown down the side of a hill," said Gojyo drily. He shook his mane and tried to tie it at the nape of his neck, hissing as his injured shoulder complained loudly.
Hakkai took over, digging out a strip of fabric out of a pocket and tying the long, silky hair for his friend. His fingers spread over Gojyo's left shoulder, gently indenting the skin, before a flare of chi surrounded the area and numbed it with healing power.
"Thanks." The redhead threw a grateful smirk at Hakkai and covered the slender hand. "But I know you used chi to brace our descent. Don't burn out."
"That little bit?" Hakkai grinned. Gojyo looked much the worse for wear, and the bruise that was forming on his right cheek would be spectacularly dark the next day. "Come on. Sanzo's not inside, but from the sound of things he hadn't been gone long. He has to be around here somewhere."
Goku was perched on a boulder, as if he was listening for something on the night air. When they first met, Gojyo thought Goku was just a noisy, violent brat, but he had learned over the course of the journey that where Sanzo was concerned, Goku was about as mature as mature could get.
The athletic youth tilted his head. "I'm hungry."
Of course, the moment of maturity was always so fleeting. Gojyo sighed and stood up. Damn, his knees were giving him problems; he heard the creaks as he straightened. He felt the old man now. Suddenly he wondered darkly if they would all make it through to the West. And if they would all make it back.
He glanced at Hakkai. The dark-haired healer seemed to sense the scrutiny and turned his head, before he bestowed a gracious smile at Gojyo. Even at these times – stuck on a hillside, injured, scratched up and missing a prissy blond monk – Hakkai still resembled a relaxed professor out for a stroll on a balmy evening. Natural grace exuded from his every pore; the hanyou watched for a moment, mesmerized, and then shook himself out of his trance.
"Come on, we gotta get to Sanzo." Goku stretched and then led the way down the gravelly slope. His natural agility was somewhat hampered by the slippery road, but he managed to eke out a path downwards towards the road. Their vision was slightly blurred by the darkness and a soft drizzle was soaking into their clothes. A sudden curse from the young man in front alerted the healer and the hanyou: Goku had lost his footing and tumbled down the slope.
"Goku!" To hell with discretion; Gojyo lengthened his stride, letting his instinct for self-preservation dictate where his feet landed. Rushing down the rocky ground, he almost toppled at the same spot Goku did but righted his balance just in time. He bent down next to the prone figure. Hakkai followed at a more sensible pace, though no less hurried, and caught up to the two. The redhead was checking Goku's eyes for response.
Gojyo shook his head. "Out cold," he said. "I can try to carry him down but we can't find Sanzo without his Sanzo-dar. What are we to do?"
"Find shelter, I suppose, and wait. If he has escaped from the clutches of that shrieking female he'll find his way to us very soon. I hope." Hakkai sighed. "We will have to get to Hakuryuu as quietly as we can though. The demons would still be searching."
They trudged down the ground, each step an exercise in caution. Loose rocks skittered down the slope and every now and then a muttered curse would emerge from Gojyo. Eventually they found Hakuryuu, which was fluttering above them in lazy figure eights, and it swooped down happily with soft chirrups when it saw Hakkai. Once the jeep was ready, Goku was deposited in the backseat and they drove into a sheltered copse off road.
"I don't know if you felt it," said Hakkai thoughtfully as he drove, "but there's something odd about those demons up there."
"You mean the part where they tried to kill us? No, that felt exactly the same."
The brunet smiled. "I meant the part where they didn't try to eat us."
Gojyo shrugged. "We're part demon."
"And they didn't try to eat Sanzo," continued Hakkai. The vehicle purred to a stop and the two men alighted from the jeep, carrying Goku with them and setting him down in a comfortable spot. Hakkai found a dry spot under a large, leafy tree, and Gojyo sprawled right next to him.
The redhead made himself comfortable against the trunk. "I think these demons haven't been affected by the minus wave. They seemed quite... I don't know. Civil?"
Hakkai had to laugh. He had no word for that situation either, but to have described that shrieking, murderous female as 'civil' was just hilarious. He buried his face in his hands, smothering the chuckles that threatened to burst into guffaws. His entire frame shook with restrained mirth and that set Gojyo off; the taller male covered his mouth and laughed. The entire day had been ludicrous, from purchasing wedding gifts – wedding gifts! - for Sanzo, to the hair dye, to being thrown out of a demon brothel down a hillside. When he woke up that morning he had only thought of saving the monk from the clutches of demonesses. Now he was badly scratched up, his shoulder was burning with pain, and he was curled up next to his best friend under a tree waiting for either a troop of deadly demons or a pissed-off monk. He wasn't sure which would be worse.
The duo leaned against the trunk, their shoulders touching in an unspoken accord. Perhaps the exhaustion of the day was taking its toll; Hakkai had been tensed for battle since lunch, and he could feel his lids growing heavy. His head lolled back and slowly sank to his left, resting against Gojyo's shoulder.
"Kai?"
"Yes?"
"Mind if I smoke?"
Hakkai smiled. It was considerate of Gojyo to ask. "Go ahead. Do you mind if I rest a little?"
"Go on, Kai. I'll take first watch." Gojyo lit up and the familiar smell of burning nicotine and tar soon overtook Hakkai's nose. The green-eyed man dropped hi head a little lower, leaning into Gojyo's shoulder to avoid the smoke curling from the cigarette.
The half-breed inhaled slowly, savoring the poison drawn into his lungs and then pushing it out. Sometimes he wondered why he smoked: was it a subconscious desire to end his unwanted existence, or a denial of his humanity? He smirked around the lit stick. That wasn't him. He picked up a bad habit, and was just too lazy to break it. Keeping his eyes lidded made sure that his night vision wasn't too impaired by the glow of his cigarette.
Hakuryuu chirped in a whisper and settled itself in Hakkai's lap. Gojyo stroked the long white tail that draped over his lean thighs, enjoying the purr that rumbled from the tiny white dragon. That creature was obsessively protective of Hakkai. Such a rabid pet could be dangerous, but Gojyo had always been able to play with Hakuryuu without any harm being inflicted on the lanky male. Goku was always being bitten – possibly because Goku would always think about food while playing with the dragon.
The drizzle petered out and the clouds parted slightly. The sickly white light of the moon drifted past the canopy. Goku's sleeping face was lit up by the weak glow, and somehow Gojyo saw the centuries-old Seiten Taisei in the boyish features. It was not malevolent, but there was a dangerous intensity that came from the core of Goku's being. The half-breed speculated that, if he hadn't seen Goku at his most vulnerable and fearful, he would have underestimated the extent of Goku's emotions. The youthful exterior hid a heart that was old as the hills and yet fresh as morning dew; the monkey felt things deeply and immediately.
A sudden rustle alerted Gojyo. He tensed, not shifting, but Hakkai woke up anyway. The healer blinked and subtly altered position.
Gojyo plucked the cigarette from his mouth and stubbed it out. "We got company."
"I'll watch Goku," said Hakkai. The unspoken assumption was that Gojyo could and would take on all the attackers single-handedly.
Gojyo tossed his hair over his shoulder and called out his weapon. He waited until there was yet another flicker of movement – too fast to be Sanzo – and sent his crescent blade spiraling through the foliage.
Something screamed and then five demons, male and female, dropped into view. Hakkai stayed seated, though he had shifted to Goku, watching his best friend take a confident stance before them.
The chain withdrew with a loud metallic rattle. In the moonlight, Gojyo's dark hair seemed almost black. It flowed almost sinuously as Gojyo lunged forward for the battle.
Hakkai felt an unexpected nostalgia sweep over him at the sight of Gojyo in battle. He had seen his friend fight for years by now, but that black hair... something tugged at the back of his mind, urging him to remember, but like the words of a long-forgotten tune the recollection was determinedly vague.
Dark hair, like ink, cut short but still stubbornly silky and soft. A wicked smirk, but a respectful if adoring gaze. Confidence bordering on arrogance, but with a warm and welcoming presence.
Shaking the thought from his head, Hakkai focused on the fight. There were three left now facing Gojyo, the more skilled fighters. None had called out the usual threats and that concerned the healer slightly. Why weren't these demons affected by the minus wave? Or have they accepted the changes already?
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
Sanzo could almost feel himself becoming more complete with the addition of his gun and his sutra. It was ridiculous to feel that way, of course, because as any self-respecting monk understood, the self is a mere shell.
But now the shell was now complete. He felt protected and safe, much unlike the past two days.
There was no light bar the anemic glow of strange fungus on the slimy walls of the cavern. Sanzo stared at the female demon who was still following him.
"You can go back now," he said. "I'm sure I can find my way out."
"If I go back I will be killed," argued Hari. "They know I let you escape."
Sanzo raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does that mean you want to betray your Big Sister?"
Hari opened her mouth, but no words came. Grimly she pushed past the monk and continued into the heart of the hill along twisting paths, ducking stalactites and going around stalagmites. There were no markers that distinguished the exits from dead-ends, and Sanzo wondered how often Hari had explored these dark places, and why.
He wasn't about to ask. Asking sometimes got you answers.
"We're being followed," Hari commented suddenly, stopping in her tracks. Her eyes narrowed as she sniffed the air. "Ame is in the group. We'll be in trouble if she catches us."
"Then we'd better move, hadn't we?" the monk murmured. His golden hair was sticking to his brow and irritating him; he brushed the strands from his face. The first thing after he got out of here was to get Hakkai to trim his hair.
Wait. That would be the second thing. The first thing would be to shoot all three of them for leaving him here the other day. Then, assuming Hakkai survived, the healer would get to trim Sanzo's hair.
A crash above and a tumble of rocks sent Hari pulling Sanzo after her and they ducked into a low-roofed room past a thick column. The monk swore soundlessly; he hated the dampness and the tight space was getting on his nerves. The demoness tugged the blond man until he was on the inside, away from the main passage. Her soft curves pressed against him while she maneuvered her way past him, and Sanzo scowled as the fragrance of ambergris and cinnamon wafted by his nose. Her grip on his arm abruptly tightened when the wind rose and she withdrew, her frame right up against Sanzo's.
"Fuck," she muttered, and for some reason she sounded scared.
Sanzo tried to peer out. "What's wrong?"
"Big Sister's joined the hunt. That wind was her mapping out the caverns." On Sanzo's deepening frown, Hari rolled her eyes. "Echolocation. Go read it up, human."
Seemingly aware that the Big Sister would not be put off much longer, Hari scurried out of the hiding place and the monk followed.
"I know where you are!" someone screamed from above. "I'll have you as my husband whether you want it or not, Genjo Sanzo!"
Briefly Sanzo considered firing his Smith & Wesson in reply, but decided against the impulse. He would only be wasting ammunition. Hari never even looked back, navigating around the speleotherms with measured ease. There was water ahead – the rushing sound grew louder, if slightly hollow, as if there was a river right under their feet. Sanzo trailed after cautiously, one ear straining for any sign of attack from above or behind, when suddenly his wrist was gripped and he lost his footing. Then it was a half-uttered shout before he was pulled through a hole and landed with a splash. Then it was a roar of water about his ears, a pounding like he was being hit by twenty expert boxers all over his body, and a complete disorienting blackness. Sanzo's mouth had opened with the surprise drop and it was with great effort of will that he clamped it shut. He could not tell which way was up and the buffeting of the water on his body made it impossible to even try.
It was yet another rough yank on his forearms that directed him towards calmer water and with a shove, something pushed Sanzo out of the water and onto what felt like a sandy bank. It was still completely dark so the monk did not sit up. Coughing violently, he could only try to get his bearings again as a person settled next to him. It was Hari.
"That was the way out," she said, not even a hint of apology in her voice. "I almost lost you in the water."
"You could have warned me," Sanzo grumbled. He rolled over. Despite the darkness, he was able to sense emptiness above him. Tentatively stretching his hand in front of his face, Sanzo was unsurprised that he was unable to see a damn thing. "Are we away from the hill yet?"
"We're very near the town. One more dive would see us out under the sky, but I'd recommend waiting till morning. They'll definitely be out searching right now and by day they'd be further afield... I hope."
"How long is this 'one more' dive?" asked the monk wearily.
"About ten minutes."
"I can't hold my breath that long."
"Then die. I've returned your belongings already." Hari lay down next to him. To Sanzo surprise, the demoness snuggled up. "Before you drown tomorrow, keep me warm."
Though Sanzo had had people sleeping next to him before – it wasn't that long ago when Goku was afraid of sleeping by himself, and traveling from east to west meant that sometimes you had to rough it – he had never had a female sleeping this close to him before. Contrary to the pervert kappa's beliefs, not every one was subject to desires of the flesh, and Sanzo had long forsworn that aspect of himself. Yet there was something almost familiarly, if scarily, primal about the scenario: darkness, the clinging chill of his wet clothes, the sensuous yet unseen curves of the warm body beside him, and the claustrophobia.
Sanzo closed his eyes. It didn't make any difference.