Summer Snow

curiouzkatt: I made a few revisions in the previous chapter… if you get confused in this chapter, reread the previous chappie…

Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki. T-T I'm tired… okay? And tortured! (M.K. laughs in the background)

Chapter Seven: Answers

Flashback

Kanzeon smiled at the dazed girl in front of her as she began to take in the familiar place of Tenkai. "Welcome back, Zennen Kazei, but I'm afraid your visit here this time will be quite short." The girl with chocolate brown hair and golden eyes stared at her, confused, but somehow in its depths, she knew what Kanzeon was saying. "Because of a certain... mishap that my pet has done..." she said, glaring at Ryoko who was still wearing the ridiculous musical Doraemon collar and who glared back at her. "I need someone to replace her position as one of Linlin's friends on Earth."

Zeia stared at her, a bit lost. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

Kanzeon smiled. The way the girl had asked the question, there was little hesitation in doing the task. "Be friends with them and find your own answers." she waved her hand at the lotus pond and showed her the life which she will be put in, and the memories and knowledge that she must have on Earth. "It's an easy enough task, granted that you won't get killed off somewhere along the line..." the goddess muttered nonchalantly.

"You really have a knack for making things sound so easy." Ryoko muttered under her breath, flicking a stray lotus petal from her kimono.

"Ah, but things are only difficult if you make them seem so." Kanzeon answered and watched as Zeia touch her temples as an apparent headache came to her with all the information she suddenly had. "Do you want to know anything else?"

"Will I die there?"

Kanzeon grinned and waved her hand to bring Zeia to Earth. "If you choose to."

With a snap, Tenkai slowly vanished, and Zeia found herself in a huge tree house in the middle of a park. It was still dark, but she felt that morning was coming. She forgot to ask what to do when she got there, but she had the feeling that all she had to do was wait.

End of Flashback


Genjo's reading glasses slightly slid off his nose as he peered closely at his computer screen. They were in their tree house hideout that morning and he wasn't sure if it was a nightmare. Rikku had left him in charge of current events and visual information gathering that day, and he was tasked to look for the Computer Quiz Bee results. It wasn't a problem at all, but the one who won was something of an enigma to him. He glanced at his friends who were all busy at their posts. Rikku with financial matters and hacking into heavily guarded police files and Blue with machine programming and security surveillance. He cleared his throat. "Quiz Bee results!" he announced, using their messengers to relay the information on his screen. His friends were all quiet and looked at each other. But before anyone could say anything, the platform they used to get there opened, carrying a man who was about in his mid-fifties and used a walking stick.

"Master Splinter!" Blue exclaimed imitating Michelangelo and was awarded with a bump on his head.

"For the last time, Benedict…" he said, glowering at Blue. "I am not a giant rat who knows martial arts!"

"But Uncle Stuart, you sound like him…" Blue muttered, holding the bump on his head.

The man ignored him and glanced at the others. "Anyway boys…" he began. "Am I, or am I not your landlord? Today is Sunday… give your work a rest or a while… we have church duties."

"Aww, man!" Genjo whined. "Can't we skip this Sunday? Uncle… We have an enigma here!"

"No my nephew…" Uncle Stuart said sternly. "A day of rest is a day of rest Gabriel, you should know that by now…" He started his way onto the platform. "And besides, something tells me that your enigma will soon be solved."

"So let me get this straight..." Mayumi started, twirling her spoon in her hand. They had settled on eating breakfast in Linlin's room so this new girl, Zeia could explain what was happening. They were having some salad, sunny side ups and some toast plus hot choco on the side. It was a strange breakfast combination for her, but she liked it. "...you're from Togenkyo and you were sent here to replace Ryoko? That's crazy, no one can just play with Fate just like that!" And as those words left her mouth, she realized that she was someone whom Fate had played on, too. She fell silent for a time and was only prompted by Linlin to talk again by asking what was wrong. She was hesitant, but everything that started that morning wasn't something she could handle by herself anymore.

"Actually.. I'm sort of from Togenkyo, too..." the silence that followed her words were both of surprise and confusion. Well, that was how she felt as well.

"Okay, so now we're all faced with people who have some sort of magical powers? I feel out of place now..." Mili muttered.

"You can hear animals, I believe that's something magical." Linlin muttered absentmindedly, chewing on a a mouthful of toast and egg and noting to herself to add more salt on her cooking. She looked at her curly-haired friend who stared at her dumbfoundedly. She shrugged and just gave that look that said: 'What?' She had seen her friend with animals, and what happened at Aqua World did not escape her attention. "Anyway, what's this about being from Togenkyo?"

Mayumi shifted in her seated position on the floor. "I don't know how it happened, but by just merely thinking it, I changed my room into something I really wanted. It was like magic. I got scared but my father had coincidentally gone back home today as a surprise for my birthday. When he saw my room, I explained to him and without even batting an eyelash, he told me that he was originally from Togenkyo, but he liked living here better... I didn't get to ask him further questions because you called for an emergenct meeting here..." she glanced at the three other girls listening to her and looked at Zeia. "My family may not have the same reasons for being here, but there may be more to why you are here. Maybe we can even help each other in some way."

Zeia nodded. "Thank you for your kindness. I hope to be able to help you in return." As she finished her statement, there was a light tap on the door and it opened to reveal Shun's face, a little bit not surprised with the company in his sister's room.

"Lin, it's time to leave for church. Are you girls coming with?" Shun asked. "We'd look like one big extended family." he joked and got chuckles in return. "Well, it's up to you guys. Those who are coming, be down in ten minutes."

Once the door closed again, Mili stood up. "Well, I for one want to make things less awkward between you and your mom, so I'm coming." she said proudly, as if she was some hero. "And I don't think we're done talking about things either."

Linlin nodded. "Agreed. We'll have to meet again for this, and probably when you two would start your training."

Genjo sighed as he took his post in the confession box and placed the voice changer around his neck. How come Rikku and Blue won for the sacristan duties? They were so lucky… they just had to follow the priest, hand him things and ring the bell. He, on the other hand had to deal with people who ask for God's forgiveness of their sins. It was boring! Hardly anyone goes to the box these days anyway. Even if they did, he might tell them to just tell their problems to God, or jump off a cliff...

The door to the box opened, then closed. The other side was silent…. Usually, people made lots of unnecessary noises when they come to the box.

"Okay… are you one of the three?" the person on the other side said quite calmly. He recognized it as the girl from the day before – Linlin Kazuya. "Or are you really a priest named Gabriel?"

He removed the voice changer. "Hey! No real name calling!' he hissed, opening the small window dividing his side from the other and hazel eyes met sapphire. "If you don't want to be called by yours."

Linlin leaned back on her chair. "Fair enough…"

"How did you know we were here?" Genjo asked, looking at Linlin in a confused way. "What gave us away?"

"First of all, I saw Blue and Rikku with the priest." Linlin explained, then continued. "Secondly, the name on the box gave you away."

"You sound like a detective…" mumbled Genjo and listened outside. The mass wasn't going to be over for at least fifteen more minutes. He then remembered his Uncle's words.


"Something tells me that your enigma will soon be solved…"

He then remembered the information they were counting on about Kusanagi Hitome. "Hey, we have information on your… erm… 'enemy'." When he saw the guarded look on the girl's face he continued. "Meet us with your friends at the old tree house in Neri Park at three later… at least one of us will be there…"

Linlin hesitated. "Why should I trust you?"

"Do I look like someone who would fool another being?"

"Yes."

Genjo groaned. "Come on… just be there… okay?"

"You might not even show up."

"I'll bet you my week's allowance we'll all be there way before then…" Genjo drawled and was about to explain that it was their hideout, but Linlin was already gone. "Gee… it wasn't in her profile that she was trained like a ninja!"

"Where are we going?" Goku asked for the umpteenth time as they walked to Neri Park. "A restaurant?"

TONK!

"You idiot!" Linlin scolded. "For the last time, we're going to Neri Park and it has nothing to do with food!" she groaned inwardly. She shouldn't have agreed when the boy asked to come along. But those stupid, pleading big golden eyes were hard to say no to. Those eyes were so innocent – it was hard to believe that someone who was as innocent as him existed. It was quite unnerving at times.

"Maa, maa!" Zeia intervened, probably hoping that she wouldn't hurt the poor monkey anymore, having hit by Sanzo's fan profusely the day before. "When we get home, I promise I'll cook for you… alright, Goku?"

"Hai!!" Goku cheered, jumping around in pure genkiness, ignoring the path they took to get to wherever they were going.

Linlin leaned to her friend. "You know how to cook?"

"Nope!"

"Then, why did you say you would?"

Zeia smiled at her. "Which do you prefer: a happy Goku or a hungry, whining Goku?

"I'll take the former please."

Mili and Mayumi were behind the entourage to the tree house, and they couldn't help but be amazed at the closeness Linlin and Zeia had developed in such a short span of time. They were supposed to meet with the Rainbow Brothers about some additional information regarding that Kusanagi person. Whatever it was going to be, they wanted to know more why it gave Linlin so much rage.

"I'm worried for Linlin..." Mayumi muttered in her soft-spoken voice.

"Hm?" Mili muttered, watching Goku bounce back and forth Zeia at the thought of having a meal later.

"I mean, when she finds out more about that person, what would she do?" It was an earnest concern, and Mili was sad to know that she didn't have answers for her either.

"Well the least we can do is be there for her. And didn't she say she'd train us? I think that's something to look forward to." Mili grinned with enthusiasm, patting Mayumi on the back. The red-haired girl was forced forward by the strength of the pat, but said nothing.

"We're here," Zeia announced as they stood in front of the tree house. "They seem to be here already." A small machine hovered toward them and stopped in front of the nearest one – Goku. The screen on it blinked on, revealing Rikku's face.

"Wow…" Goku stared at the gadget, and poked it several times. It reminded him of a burger Shun once made for him.

"Hey! Cut that out!" Rikku cried, looking a little motion sick. "Anyway, come on up guys.." as soon as he said that, Goku took the machine out of the air and put it in his mouth. "HEY! SPIT IT OUT MAN!"

Linlin hit the back of Goku's head, forcing the saru to spit it out, sending it crashing onto the trunk of the tree. Some of its circuit sparked, and it soon produced smoke – it was out of commission. A flash of blue landed in front of it and picked it up. Blue looked at them teary eyed. "How could you do this to my baby!" he said, his voice breaking, hugging the machine protectively. "How could you?!" Linlin shrugged then said: "Hey, I'm sorry… okay?"

"Enough with the drama Blue!"

"Get up here already!" Linlin, Zeia, and Goku followed Blue up the tree house, to find it almost not a tree house at all. Blue waved one hand towards their "base". "Welcome to our humble "home".."

"You live here?" Goku asked, looking around, taking in the six computers and the giant CPU the totally blended with the tree house's design. "Not exactly homely."

"Stupid…" Blue muttered, taking out his repair kit. "I meant that we spend too much time here that it's almost like a home!" When he saw that Goku was unfazed with the intended insult, he thought of another approach. "Baka saru!"

"I'm not a stupid monkey!" Goku cried, choking the other boy.

"Hey! I was only teasing!" Blue managed to say while Linlin and Zeia grabbed Goku away. "Don't take it personally!"

"Have Gojyo around twenty-four seven and you'll know why I take it personally," Goku muttered as Linlin finally cleared her throat.

"Alright… let's get down to business…" she said, sounding like an announcer. She looked at Blue. "Since Genjo's not here… "

"I'm right here!" Genjo's voice called out, coming from another one of Blue's contraptions. Another flying monitor hovered nearby, and it was Rikku again. They seemed to be busy cleaning somewhere. "We called you guys here because we want to know what's the deal with her." He pointed at Zeia. "She doesn't belong here. Where's Ryoko?"

"How come you remember Ryoko? No one's supposed to remember her… - except us." When the boys only looked as confused as she felt, she sighed. "It looks like another explanation is in order…" Linlin muttered, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Zeia…. The floor is yours."

Haku sighed as he and Jei walked through the park, looking for a place that could be a hideout. They had discovered everything there is to be known about Kusanagi Hitome and Jei wanted to have a "talk" with a few people. Haku shifted his hold on the thick files he carried just as a strong gust of wind blew, lifting off a few papers from the file. He ran after them and found himself near a small creek – and felt Goku's presence.

"Jei!" he called out, looking across and saw a giant tree house.

"What is it?" Jei called back, running to where he was, and saw the tree house as well. "Shall we drop in?"

Haku nodded and followed Jei who had already crossed the small bridge. He waited for Jei to climb up and jumped to the balcony, finding himself face to face with Goku's nyoibo. When the boy recognized him, he lowered it down.

"You're the guy from yesterday!" he exclaimed, the guarded eyes fading, replaced by relieved, cheerful ones. He made his weapon disappear then asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Good thing this place is huge…" Rikku drawled from his monitor before glaring at Genjo who laughed sheepishly. "What happened to our security cameras and alarm?"

"I, er, turned them off 'coz we expected company?" Genjo tried, but only found glaring eyes and received a few flying cleaning materials his way. He saw that Jei was starting to poke around. "Hey! Don't touch anything!"

Jei quickly pulled back his hand and smiled at him. "Sorry, Gabriel…"

"NO…. REAL… NAME…. CALLING!!" he yelled, acting like a little kid who was deeply insulted. "Why is everyone calling me that today??"

"ENOUGH!" Linlin cried. "We aren't getting anywhere!" she looked at the junior detective. "What are you doing here? They said they were waiting for someone to explain about Feared Children."

"Because someone had brought something to my attention," Jei explained, glancing at Blue who coughed. Jei cleared his throat. "Feared Children…" he began. "Chosen ones with enormous power to stop the rising of Kusanagi Hitome, the evil spirit who feeds on man's greed, anger, hatred, and all those negative energies. Right now, she's bent on revenge on whoever had sealed her two centuries ago…" he paused and as Haku handed Linlin the file. "She also needs that enormous power to finally gain a body of her own to destroy the ones who sealed her."

Rikku clapped his hands, the sound slightly alien in nature coming from a distance.. "Excellent work! Excellent work detective!" he said, as Blue and Genjo clapped with him. "We were right to tip you off about Kusanagi!"

"Tip? Isn't that the one you give to waiters?" Goku asked Zeia who just smiled and sweatdropped.

Jei scoffed. "You guys used me…" he said, tossing to Blue a small mechanical bug. "And bugged my house, too." He scowled at the boys one at a time. "For rich kids, you guys aren't that bad… but it doesn't mean that I like you guys for doing what you did."

"Okay, the Feared Children part is explained… but where does the Sanzo-ikko come in?" Blue asked, using his anime terminology to use. "They aren't here by accident… I'm sure of that."

"I might be able to explain that…" Goku said, not entirely having his full attention on the subject. "There's this Prophecy Kanzeon told us about…" he could sense that everyone in the room hung on to his every word. "But I can't remember."

"You're weird…" the majority of them said, while Haku laughed quietly and recited the Great Prophecy.

"Twin stars that shine equally bright will be born on the year of peace although their sign, as other say, means war. A smaller star, a kin, will follow them, whose sign resembles peace but the year is the start of chaos. When the blue planet has circled seventeen times around the twins and sixteen for the other, sorrow will follow one after the other, for the twin closer to the to the small one will fade, only to reappear after the blue planet has circled the remaining two once more. When the time has come, their powers will be revealed to perform a task no one else can accomplish but them. Four are destined to help, each with very different characters but their past binds them strongly together. Challenges will come the stars' way but these are tests to prove if they are worthy of their name as a legendary star. One long gone will soon return and a new star will be born."

"Where the heck do you get those things??" Genjo cried in disbelief, wiping a bookshelf with a vengeance. "I've been trying to research on that stuff for over a year now!" he glanced at everyone in the room. "But the prophecy doesn't seem to apply anymore…"

"What do you mean?" Goku asked, his eyes filling with curiosity.

"He means that the prophecy no longer speak of the Kazuya siblings alone," Zeia answered, not looking away from the view outside.

"Okay, I got that part… but what do you mean the Kazuya siblings?" Goku asked again. This was more confusing than the last.

"The only reason that Kusanagi has been targeting Linlin and her brothers was because she and her men have thought they were the only Feared Children…" Jei explained. "And that was why she's been sending clues as to who she was going to kill… that Sapphire jewel from the bank.. the color of the siblings' eyes… the mechanical parts… meaning that she had divided, and would soon conquer."

"And they knew this too because?" Linlin asked in behalf of Goku whose head seemed too full to process anymore. "What do you mean had divided?"

"The boys were the ones tipping me off in all my cases… what I know, they know," Jei answered then hesitated to answer the other question. "Had, because Kusanagi had. " It was a finished sentence.

"Can't this thing go any faster?!" Gojyo demanded, as Hakkai drove the BMW downtown. "We have to get to them before these whack jocks following us get to them!" He said, pointing at the ninjas chasing the car, while Sanzo shot them one by one.

"I'm sorry, Gojyo! But this is the fastest it can go!' Hakkai replied, hitting the ninjas blocking the way. "Don't worry about them too much! Goku's with them!"

"True, but they're too many!" Gojyo replied then saw Linlin and the rest several feet away. "STOP!" he yelled and held on when Hakkai hit the brakes. He quickly jumped out of the car and immediately started taking out the ninjas. Linlin and Zeia were busy protecting Mayumi and Mili while Goku fended off most of the attackers.

"What took you guys so long?" Goku called out to him. "I'm hungry already!"

"You're always hungry baka saru!" Gojyo yelled back and avoided the ninja Goku threw at him. He struck his shaku-jo thru the ninja's heart and aimed for another at a distance. He looked around for Linlin and that Zeia girl and found them fighting the ninjas with their bare hands. The ninjas seemed to just keep on coming. "Hey Sanzo! Isn't it about time you used that thing?" He glanced at the monk to find him starting to chant. Funny, the sutra seemed out of place without his priestly robes.

"MAKAI TENJOU!!"

The ninjas were wrapped by the spreading sutra and soon, all were gone, as if they weren't even there. Gojyo sighed and sat on the ground.

"Tired already, ero kappa?" Goku teased, and avoided his blow. "You might think of cutting down on smoking…"

"Shut up.." he mumbled, taking out one of his Hi-Lites. "I'm just relieved you guys are okay!"

"Whatever…"

"Maa, maa!" Hakkai said, raising his arms, as if stopping the fight. "With all this excitement over, shall we get going and escort Zeia home?"

In the shadows, lurked a being, and had witnessed everything. He slowly shrank back to the darkness…. the masters must know!