Chasing The Sun - Act 21
Disclaimer: Mature Content and Graphic Violence
"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."
- The Dark Tower
Chang 'An, The Wei River, and Xianyang, May 2-3
When I awoke the next morning, Genjyo was already dressed in his robes with the Maten Sutra over his shoulders. He was wearing his crown and veil, but I could see his hair was still damp from the shower he must have taken a few minutes earlier. I hurried into the bathroom and took a quick shower. I dried off with a towel, scooped up my belongings, and carried them into the main room where I stuffed them in my backpack. Genjyo helped me put my formal dress back on. He braided my hair in a single tail and fastened the dragonfly clip at the top of the braid. Then, he helped me put my veil and crown on. Once that was done, Genjyo helped me gather the rest of Grimmy's and my stuff and packed it all in my backpack. I strapped the backback on and assembled my bow, which Genjyo told me I would probably need to keep handy. I slipped the switchblade inside my bra - figuring that, too, would be needed. When I was ready, I summoned Grimmy, and we went downstairs.
In the lobby, the entire staff was waiting. I said goodbye to everyone and followed Genjyo out to the street. I felt like I would never see the Red Lion Inn or Chang 'An again.
We walked to Keiun Palace. The peach tree in the courtyard was surrounded by agitated monks. One of the senior monks was shouting at someone up in the tree.
"These peaches are for the Merciful Goddess, not for the likes of you," the monk ranted.
"Aww, c'mon. A peach is a peach is a peach," Goku shouted down.
I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from laughing out loud. Genjyo glared at me.
"This is not funny," he snapped and threw open the temple's gate.
"Sorry," I said - still fighting back the giggles. Grimmy and I followed Genjyo inside. The dog and I stopped just inside the courtyard as I did not want to annoy the monks further.
"All right. What is it? What has he done now?" Genjyo barked at the monks.
The senior monk turned to Genjyo and told him that they had caught Goku stealing the sacred peaches. Genjyo sighed and shouted, "Goku, get down now! Dinner's over!"
Goku jumped out of the tree with an arm full of stolen peaches. The monks around the tree went livid. Genjyo pulled his harisen out of his sleeve and whacked Goku upside the head with it. I could hear a cracking sound as the giant white paper fan smacked Goku. Goku shied as the blow hit him, but managed to hold onto the peaches.
"Come on. Go get changed. We're going," Genjyo ordered.
"Where are we going?" Goku asked. He had stopped because he had dropped a peach. I stooped to pick up the peach for him. I handed the peach to Goku.
"Move your ass, or I'm leaving you behind," Genjyo snapped and shoved Goku in the direction of a mansion. This was the first time I had ever seen Genjyo's house. It was a long single-storey house with a pair of wings that formed a square horseshoe. A pair of stone elephants stood in the courtyard on either side of the central porch. The outside walls of the house were beige with brown trimming. The columns along the roofed patio were also brown. The tiles on the gracefully sweeping roof were slate grey. There were signs with gold Chinese characters above the steps of the central porch and on either side of the porch's entrance. I was sorry that I would not get a chance to explore the house.
Goku lead the way up the steps of the central porch and went inside. Genjyo told Goku to go pack all of his stuff. I put my bow and backpack beside the door in the foyer and followed Genjyo to his bedroom. Grimmy followed Goku into the interior of the house.
Inside Genjyo's room, I sat on his bed and waited while he stuffed whatever belongings he intended to take on the journey into a dufflebag. When he was done packing, Genjyo locked the door.
"Goku will probably take his ever loving time getting ready," Genjyo said and pushed me back on the bed. He kissed me on the mouth and pulled my skirts up over my waist. He was about to pull my thong underwear off when Goku pounded on the door.
"Dammit!" Genjyo growled and stood up. He grabbed the dufflebag and waited by the door while I put my clothes back in place. When I was decent, Genjyo threw open the door and shoved the dufflebag in Goku's already laden arms. Goku juggled the dufflebag and a potato sack that now contained the stolen peaches. He had a backpack strapped to his back. Genjyo pushed past Goku and lead the way out of the house.
We left Chang 'An on foot. It would have been faster to go to Xianyang by coach or horse, but Genjyo did not want to waste time and money hiring them. The day was hot when we reached the outskirts of Chang 'An and passed the statues that marked the east end of the Silk Road. "Thank gods for super strength deodorant," I thought as I wiped the sweat off my brow.
"Hey Sanzo! Are we there yet? I'm so hungry I can't walk another step," Goku whined as we passed the farms west of Chang 'An and entered the forest surrounding the Wei River. Goku plopped down on a tree stump. Genjyo whacked Goku with the harisen.
"Ow!" Goku cried.
"I said...if you don't shut up, I'll kill you!" Genjyo barked at him. "Shit! Even if I killed you, you wouldn't stay dead."
"Well, yeah. That's 'cuz I'm rechargeable," Goku said. "That's nothing to brag about."
I was tired too. My backpack felt like it weighed a ton and my feet hurt like hell.There was a blister forming on the bottom of my right foot, and it was starting to burn.
"I don't understand why we can't take a train to India," I said.
"The trains stopped running because the youkai kept attacking them," Genjyo told me. I recalled the movies I'd seen about the American "Wild West".
"Oh. Instead of robbing the passengers, the youkai probably ate them," I remarked.
Genjyo nodded. Goku looked shocked. I shrugged.
"If you'd had Hakkai give us a lift in his jeep, we'd already be there by...," Goku started to whine again.
"Shut up! We're almost there. Now walk, you stupid monkey!" Genjyo shouted -toeing Goku on the forehead with the sole of his thong-sandal.
"Why are we in such a hurry to meet Hakkai and Gojyo anyway?" Goku asked.
Genjyo paused then said, "There's something I want to confirm." Genjyo told Goku what the Sanbutsushin had told us the day before.
"Why is mixing magic and science forbidden," Goku asked.
"Because no one knows what will happen," Genjyo told him.
"So...we just need to go there and ask them to stop the experiment, right? Piece of Cake!" Goku postulated aloud.
"Look, you...," Genjyo started to snap at him.
"So whadd'ya need to check with Gojyo and Hakkai?" Goku interrupted him.
"That's..." Genjyo began to say when something crashed in the trees around us. We all looked for the source of the racket. I shucked off my backpack and pulled an arrow out of the quiver, which was fastened to my backpack. I was about to nock the arrow to the bow when a large band of youkai burst out of the trees and attacked us.
"Whoah Shit!," Goku squawked. "Nyoi bo!" Goku dropped his backpack, Genjyo's dufflebag, and the potato sack with the peaches. His staff appeared in his hand. A youkai rushed at Goku with a scimitar. "Uraaaaaaagh!" Goku shouted as he block the sword with his staff. Goku thwacked the youkai with his staff and knocked him down. The sword went flying into the trees.
One of the youkai tried to rush me, but Grimmy leaped at him - tearing the youkai's throat out with his fangs. Another youkai went after the dog, but Grimmy was too fast for him. Grimmy scooted under the youkai's legs, then turned around and bit him on the leg - neatly hamstringing him. The youkai screamed and collapsed. A geyser of blood spurted from his thigh. Grimmy abandoned that youkai and jumped after another one that was headed for Goku, who was now battling a second opponent.
A sixth youkai went after Genjyo. Genjyo hopped backwards - losing his veil and crown. Genjyo kneed this youkai in the gut and dropped him. "Too slow," Genjyo snarled then backhanded the youkai across the face - knocking him flat on his back.
While Genjyo, Goku, and Grimmy were busy with their own opponents, the seventh youkai jumped from me behind. The youkai was too close for me to fire my bow so I dropped it and grabbed the switchblade out of my bra. I pressed the switch and whirled around - slashing the youkai's throat. The youkai fell backward with blood gushing from his throat like a fountain. I grabbed my bow and arrows and ran to find Genjyo and the others.
"Goku! ODD! Grimmy!, "Genjyo shouted. We all ran to join him. We stood back to back. I fired off three arrows and missed. The next two wounded a couple of youkai, but did not kill them. Grimmy stood his ground in front of me and growled.
"No way! Are they all...?" Goku stammered.
"They took off their power limiters and switched to Gyumaoh's side," Genjyo said and pulled his gun out of his sleeve. "Damn it! There are too many of them."
"Humans. Tasty humans. Eat them. Eat them," the youkai chanted as they surrounded us.
"Ew! Their eyes are empty!" Goku said with disgust.
Suddenly, there was a whirring sound and most of the youkai exploded in a rain of blood, gore, and body parts.
"So, I finally get to see it firsthand," Gojyo shouted from somewhere above us. He and Hakkai were standing on top of a nearby cliff. Hakuryu was perched on Hakkai's shoulder as usual. Gojyo pushed a switch on the staff of his jakujou and retracted the chain with the crescent blade at the end.
"That thing's gotta be a pain in the ass to clean," I thought.
"Now I know what's happening to Shangri-lah, and why we have to be the ones to take care of it," Gojyo continued. "Well, if it isn't my favorite hotblooded monk and his stupid monkey sidekick. And my favorite pretty lady and her awesome dog." Genjyo glared at Gojyo then at me.
"Pretty lady?" I muttered. "Where?" I looked at Genjyo. "What?" I asked him and shrugged. Genjyo shook his head and sighed.
"Gojyo! Hakkai!" Goku shouted and waved.
"Goku! Long time no see," Hakkai called.
Hakkai and Gojyo leaped down the cliff's face and joined us. Gojyo and Goku started bickering immediately.
"Don't call me stupid, you pervy kappa," Goku ranted.
"Then how about midget monkey chibi chimp?" Gojyo taunted him.
"Ah ha ha. Now now," Hakkai said in a futile attempt to break up the arguing.
Genjyo covered his face with his hand and groaned.
"Oy," I muttered. Grimmy sat and watched Goku and Gojyo bicker with apparent interest.
"How did you know where we were?" Genjyo asked Hakkai.
"It wasn't hard. Whatever's corrupted the youkai creates an aura that's easy for me to track," Hakkai told him. "At any rate, it seems like now the only youkai in Shangr-lah who are still themselves are Gojyo, Goku, and myself."
At that moment, Grimmy jumped up and growled. One of the few surviving youkai jumped at Gojyo in an attempted surprise attack. "Heh!" Gojyo sneered and slammed the youkai into the cliff's granite face - smashing the back of the youkai's skull. Blood and brain matter splattered the rock. "Idiot. I'm two-hundred-million years ahead of you. Oh, wait...you can't hear me anymore, can you?"
"This one looks weak. Let's get 'im!" two other youkai said and rushed Hakkai.
"It's dangerous here, little one," Hakkai told Hakuryu. Hakuryu flew over to me and perched on my shoulder. Hakkai backflipped over the youkai and blasted them with a giant chi ball.
"Don't tell me you've never tried that before," Goku said with amazement.
"I saw that move somewhere and thought I'd try it out," Hakkai told him. "Works pretty well, doesn't it?"
"Those earcuffs and that gold headband...those are youkai power limiters!" one of the last youkai said to his crony. "You three are youkai!? Why do you fight against us?" the youkai accused Hakkai, Gojyo, and Goku.
"Wait just a minute, and I'll tell you." Goku said cockily. "If you're still alive to hear!" The three quasi-youkai leaped into action and slaughtered the last four youkai remaining.
"Oh yeah! No contest!" Gojyo said and high fived Goku. As I watched, a dying youkai grabbed Gojyo's leg.
"W-wait...we are brother's," the youkai panted. "How could you betray your own kind to fight alongside those arrogant humans? You've chosen the wrong side. Join with your brothers and chant along with us...long live the youkai nation! Gyahahahahahahaha!" the youkai cackled as Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai put him out of his misery.
"He just didn't know when to shut up," Gojyo smirked.
"We're on the humans' side, are we?" Goku snorted. "Ha! Since the day I was born till the day I die...the only side I'm on is my own!"
"See with the eyes of my heart, huh?" Genjyo murmered. I walked over to him, put my left hand on his left shoulder, clasped his right hand in mine, and lay my cheek on the back of his right shoulder. He squeezed my hand and lead me over to the edge of the bluff overlooking the Wei River. "Let's go. To the west," he said - pointing toward the setting sun with his free hand.
A few minutes later, we gathered up our stuff and walked to the road where Hakuryu would transform into the jeep. Along the way, I dropped my bow and ran into the bushes beside the road. The horror of what we had just experienced hit me like a sledgehammer. I recalled the youkai whose throat I had slashed. I had slapped people before, but I had never seriously injured anyone. I dropped to my knees behind a bush and threw up. I fished a wash cloth out of my backpack and wiped my face. Then, I crossed my arms under my breasts and cried. Genjyo kneeled down beside me and massaged my back and shoulders until I was done.
"I killed a guy," I sobbed. "He was stark raving mad, but he was still a person. I've never killed anything bigger than a mouse or a fish before."
"We'll have to kill a lot more," Genjyo murmured in my ear. "We don't have a choice. It's them or us." He wiped the tears from my face and kissed my cheek. I nodded. Genjyo helped me to my feet and guided me back to the others with his arm around my waist.
Hakkai handed my bow to me, and Grimmy licked my hand. I patted the dog's head. At the road to Xianyang, Hakuryu transformed into a jeep. Goku piled into the backseat, and Grimmy jumped into the storage space behind the back seat. Gojyo hopped into the front with Hakkai. I shrugged off my backpack and stashed it in the storage space with my bow. Genjyo put his hands around my waist to lift me up into the backseat and climbed in beside me. He put arm around my waist and let me rest my head on his chest.
A moment later, Goku started poking around in the bags Hakkai had brought. "Awright! Dried squid. My favorite!" Goku crowed. Gojyo leaned over the front seat to see what Goku had found.
"Check out the stash!" Gojyo hooted. "Get the beer, Goku! The beer!"
Genjyo thwacked them both over my head with the harisen. "This ain't no field trip. Dammit!" he shouted at them.
"Oh? It's not?" Hakkai asked and chuckled. "Well...I guess it kinda looks like one." Hakkai stepped on the gas pedal (Which Hakuryu did not really need, but you know...it's all in the details.) and Hakuryu roared down the road to Xianyang.
We spent the night in Xianyang. As luck would have it, the tiny inn there had only two small rooms available. Genjyo was put out about not getting a room alone with me. We shared a room with Hakkai and Hakuryu, and Gojyo, Goku, and Grimmy bunked in the other room. Our room had a pair of twin beds which would have been fine with me, except that the mattresses were thin and lumpy. The shafts of some of the down feathers poked through the mattress covers.
"We'd be more comfortable sleeping the floor," I remarked as I sat down on the bed I shared with Genjyo and pulled off my sandals. The blister on my right foot had become a blood blister. "Fuck," I groaned and hunted around in my backpack for something to lance it with. Genjyo got a small needle and a damp wash cloth. He picked up my foot and told me to hold still. He expertly poked the needle all the way through the blister then pulled the needle back out - drawing the blood with it. He washed the blood off and put a band aid that Hakkai had handed to him over the blister. Then we scrunched together in the bed, and Genjyo pulled the moth eaten blanket over us both while Hakkai turned off the light. It was a long time before any of us fell asleep. We would not see beds of any kind for nine days.
The next morning, Genjyo, Gojyo, and I browsed the Xianyang inn's gift shop while Hakkai took Goku and Grimmy to get some last minute supplies. Gojyo bought an ivory panetella for me as a wedding gift. Genjyo was annoyed, but Gojyo insisted that I, as a lady of rank, should have a nice cigarette holder. Despite the guys eyeing each other like a pair of stray tomcats, I was delighted with the gift.
When Hakkai and the others returned, we piled into the jeep and headed for Lanzhou.
Notes and Comments Section
Act 20
(Saiyuki Smut Group Locked)
Table of Contents
Act 22
(Saiyuki Smut Group Locked)
"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."
- The Dark Tower
Chang 'An, The Wei River, and Xianyang, May 2-3
When I awoke the next morning, Genjyo was already dressed in his robes with the Maten Sutra over his shoulders. He was wearing his crown and veil, but I could see his hair was still damp from the shower he must have taken a few minutes earlier. I hurried into the bathroom and took a quick shower. I dried off with a towel, scooped up my belongings, and carried them into the main room where I stuffed them in my backpack. Genjyo helped me put my formal dress back on. He braided my hair in a single tail and fastened the dragonfly clip at the top of the braid. Then, he helped me put my veil and crown on. Once that was done, Genjyo helped me gather the rest of Grimmy's and my stuff and packed it all in my backpack. I strapped the backback on and assembled my bow, which Genjyo told me I would probably need to keep handy. I slipped the switchblade inside my bra - figuring that, too, would be needed. When I was ready, I summoned Grimmy, and we went downstairs.
In the lobby, the entire staff was waiting. I said goodbye to everyone and followed Genjyo out to the street. I felt like I would never see the Red Lion Inn or Chang 'An again.
We walked to Keiun Palace. The peach tree in the courtyard was surrounded by agitated monks. One of the senior monks was shouting at someone up in the tree.
"These peaches are for the Merciful Goddess, not for the likes of you," the monk ranted.
"Aww, c'mon. A peach is a peach is a peach," Goku shouted down.
I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from laughing out loud. Genjyo glared at me.
"This is not funny," he snapped and threw open the temple's gate.
"Sorry," I said - still fighting back the giggles. Grimmy and I followed Genjyo inside. The dog and I stopped just inside the courtyard as I did not want to annoy the monks further.
"All right. What is it? What has he done now?" Genjyo barked at the monks.
The senior monk turned to Genjyo and told him that they had caught Goku stealing the sacred peaches. Genjyo sighed and shouted, "Goku, get down now! Dinner's over!"
Goku jumped out of the tree with an arm full of stolen peaches. The monks around the tree went livid. Genjyo pulled his harisen out of his sleeve and whacked Goku upside the head with it. I could hear a cracking sound as the giant white paper fan smacked Goku. Goku shied as the blow hit him, but managed to hold onto the peaches.
"Come on. Go get changed. We're going," Genjyo ordered.
"Where are we going?" Goku asked. He had stopped because he had dropped a peach. I stooped to pick up the peach for him. I handed the peach to Goku.
"Move your ass, or I'm leaving you behind," Genjyo snapped and shoved Goku in the direction of a mansion. This was the first time I had ever seen Genjyo's house. It was a long single-storey house with a pair of wings that formed a square horseshoe. A pair of stone elephants stood in the courtyard on either side of the central porch. The outside walls of the house were beige with brown trimming. The columns along the roofed patio were also brown. The tiles on the gracefully sweeping roof were slate grey. There were signs with gold Chinese characters above the steps of the central porch and on either side of the porch's entrance. I was sorry that I would not get a chance to explore the house.
Goku lead the way up the steps of the central porch and went inside. Genjyo told Goku to go pack all of his stuff. I put my bow and backpack beside the door in the foyer and followed Genjyo to his bedroom. Grimmy followed Goku into the interior of the house.
Inside Genjyo's room, I sat on his bed and waited while he stuffed whatever belongings he intended to take on the journey into a dufflebag. When he was done packing, Genjyo locked the door.
"Goku will probably take his ever loving time getting ready," Genjyo said and pushed me back on the bed. He kissed me on the mouth and pulled my skirts up over my waist. He was about to pull my thong underwear off when Goku pounded on the door.
"Dammit!" Genjyo growled and stood up. He grabbed the dufflebag and waited by the door while I put my clothes back in place. When I was decent, Genjyo threw open the door and shoved the dufflebag in Goku's already laden arms. Goku juggled the dufflebag and a potato sack that now contained the stolen peaches. He had a backpack strapped to his back. Genjyo pushed past Goku and lead the way out of the house.
We left Chang 'An on foot. It would have been faster to go to Xianyang by coach or horse, but Genjyo did not want to waste time and money hiring them. The day was hot when we reached the outskirts of Chang 'An and passed the statues that marked the east end of the Silk Road. "Thank gods for super strength deodorant," I thought as I wiped the sweat off my brow.
"Hey Sanzo! Are we there yet? I'm so hungry I can't walk another step," Goku whined as we passed the farms west of Chang 'An and entered the forest surrounding the Wei River. Goku plopped down on a tree stump. Genjyo whacked Goku with the harisen.
"Ow!" Goku cried.
"I said...if you don't shut up, I'll kill you!" Genjyo barked at him. "Shit! Even if I killed you, you wouldn't stay dead."
"Well, yeah. That's 'cuz I'm rechargeable," Goku said. "That's nothing to brag about."
I was tired too. My backpack felt like it weighed a ton and my feet hurt like hell.There was a blister forming on the bottom of my right foot, and it was starting to burn.
"I don't understand why we can't take a train to India," I said.
"The trains stopped running because the youkai kept attacking them," Genjyo told me. I recalled the movies I'd seen about the American "Wild West".
"Oh. Instead of robbing the passengers, the youkai probably ate them," I remarked.
Genjyo nodded. Goku looked shocked. I shrugged.
"If you'd had Hakkai give us a lift in his jeep, we'd already be there by...," Goku started to whine again.
"Shut up! We're almost there. Now walk, you stupid monkey!" Genjyo shouted -toeing Goku on the forehead with the sole of his thong-sandal.
"Why are we in such a hurry to meet Hakkai and Gojyo anyway?" Goku asked.
Genjyo paused then said, "There's something I want to confirm." Genjyo told Goku what the Sanbutsushin had told us the day before.
"Why is mixing magic and science forbidden," Goku asked.
"Because no one knows what will happen," Genjyo told him.
"So...we just need to go there and ask them to stop the experiment, right? Piece of Cake!" Goku postulated aloud.
"Look, you...," Genjyo started to snap at him.
"So whadd'ya need to check with Gojyo and Hakkai?" Goku interrupted him.
"That's..." Genjyo began to say when something crashed in the trees around us. We all looked for the source of the racket. I shucked off my backpack and pulled an arrow out of the quiver, which was fastened to my backpack. I was about to nock the arrow to the bow when a large band of youkai burst out of the trees and attacked us.
"Whoah Shit!," Goku squawked. "Nyoi bo!" Goku dropped his backpack, Genjyo's dufflebag, and the potato sack with the peaches. His staff appeared in his hand. A youkai rushed at Goku with a scimitar. "Uraaaaaaagh!" Goku shouted as he block the sword with his staff. Goku thwacked the youkai with his staff and knocked him down. The sword went flying into the trees.
One of the youkai tried to rush me, but Grimmy leaped at him - tearing the youkai's throat out with his fangs. Another youkai went after the dog, but Grimmy was too fast for him. Grimmy scooted under the youkai's legs, then turned around and bit him on the leg - neatly hamstringing him. The youkai screamed and collapsed. A geyser of blood spurted from his thigh. Grimmy abandoned that youkai and jumped after another one that was headed for Goku, who was now battling a second opponent.
A sixth youkai went after Genjyo. Genjyo hopped backwards - losing his veil and crown. Genjyo kneed this youkai in the gut and dropped him. "Too slow," Genjyo snarled then backhanded the youkai across the face - knocking him flat on his back.
While Genjyo, Goku, and Grimmy were busy with their own opponents, the seventh youkai jumped from me behind. The youkai was too close for me to fire my bow so I dropped it and grabbed the switchblade out of my bra. I pressed the switch and whirled around - slashing the youkai's throat. The youkai fell backward with blood gushing from his throat like a fountain. I grabbed my bow and arrows and ran to find Genjyo and the others.
"Goku! ODD! Grimmy!, "Genjyo shouted. We all ran to join him. We stood back to back. I fired off three arrows and missed. The next two wounded a couple of youkai, but did not kill them. Grimmy stood his ground in front of me and growled.
"No way! Are they all...?" Goku stammered.
"They took off their power limiters and switched to Gyumaoh's side," Genjyo said and pulled his gun out of his sleeve. "Damn it! There are too many of them."
"Humans. Tasty humans. Eat them. Eat them," the youkai chanted as they surrounded us.
"Ew! Their eyes are empty!" Goku said with disgust.
Suddenly, there was a whirring sound and most of the youkai exploded in a rain of blood, gore, and body parts.
"So, I finally get to see it firsthand," Gojyo shouted from somewhere above us. He and Hakkai were standing on top of a nearby cliff. Hakuryu was perched on Hakkai's shoulder as usual. Gojyo pushed a switch on the staff of his jakujou and retracted the chain with the crescent blade at the end.
"That thing's gotta be a pain in the ass to clean," I thought.
"Now I know what's happening to Shangri-lah, and why we have to be the ones to take care of it," Gojyo continued. "Well, if it isn't my favorite hotblooded monk and his stupid monkey sidekick. And my favorite pretty lady and her awesome dog." Genjyo glared at Gojyo then at me.
"Pretty lady?" I muttered. "Where?" I looked at Genjyo. "What?" I asked him and shrugged. Genjyo shook his head and sighed.
"Gojyo! Hakkai!" Goku shouted and waved.
"Goku! Long time no see," Hakkai called.
Hakkai and Gojyo leaped down the cliff's face and joined us. Gojyo and Goku started bickering immediately.
"Don't call me stupid, you pervy kappa," Goku ranted.
"Then how about midget monkey chibi chimp?" Gojyo taunted him.
"Ah ha ha. Now now," Hakkai said in a futile attempt to break up the arguing.
Genjyo covered his face with his hand and groaned.
"Oy," I muttered. Grimmy sat and watched Goku and Gojyo bicker with apparent interest.
"How did you know where we were?" Genjyo asked Hakkai.
"It wasn't hard. Whatever's corrupted the youkai creates an aura that's easy for me to track," Hakkai told him. "At any rate, it seems like now the only youkai in Shangr-lah who are still themselves are Gojyo, Goku, and myself."
At that moment, Grimmy jumped up and growled. One of the few surviving youkai jumped at Gojyo in an attempted surprise attack. "Heh!" Gojyo sneered and slammed the youkai into the cliff's granite face - smashing the back of the youkai's skull. Blood and brain matter splattered the rock. "Idiot. I'm two-hundred-million years ahead of you. Oh, wait...you can't hear me anymore, can you?"
"This one looks weak. Let's get 'im!" two other youkai said and rushed Hakkai.
"It's dangerous here, little one," Hakkai told Hakuryu. Hakuryu flew over to me and perched on my shoulder. Hakkai backflipped over the youkai and blasted them with a giant chi ball.
"Don't tell me you've never tried that before," Goku said with amazement.
"I saw that move somewhere and thought I'd try it out," Hakkai told him. "Works pretty well, doesn't it?"
"Those earcuffs and that gold headband...those are youkai power limiters!" one of the last youkai said to his crony. "You three are youkai!? Why do you fight against us?" the youkai accused Hakkai, Gojyo, and Goku.
"Wait just a minute, and I'll tell you." Goku said cockily. "If you're still alive to hear!" The three quasi-youkai leaped into action and slaughtered the last four youkai remaining.
"Oh yeah! No contest!" Gojyo said and high fived Goku. As I watched, a dying youkai grabbed Gojyo's leg.
"W-wait...we are brother's," the youkai panted. "How could you betray your own kind to fight alongside those arrogant humans? You've chosen the wrong side. Join with your brothers and chant along with us...long live the youkai nation! Gyahahahahahahaha!" the youkai cackled as Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai put him out of his misery.
"He just didn't know when to shut up," Gojyo smirked.
"We're on the humans' side, are we?" Goku snorted. "Ha! Since the day I was born till the day I die...the only side I'm on is my own!"
"See with the eyes of my heart, huh?" Genjyo murmered. I walked over to him, put my left hand on his left shoulder, clasped his right hand in mine, and lay my cheek on the back of his right shoulder. He squeezed my hand and lead me over to the edge of the bluff overlooking the Wei River. "Let's go. To the west," he said - pointing toward the setting sun with his free hand.
A few minutes later, we gathered up our stuff and walked to the road where Hakuryu would transform into the jeep. Along the way, I dropped my bow and ran into the bushes beside the road. The horror of what we had just experienced hit me like a sledgehammer. I recalled the youkai whose throat I had slashed. I had slapped people before, but I had never seriously injured anyone. I dropped to my knees behind a bush and threw up. I fished a wash cloth out of my backpack and wiped my face. Then, I crossed my arms under my breasts and cried. Genjyo kneeled down beside me and massaged my back and shoulders until I was done.
"I killed a guy," I sobbed. "He was stark raving mad, but he was still a person. I've never killed anything bigger than a mouse or a fish before."
"We'll have to kill a lot more," Genjyo murmured in my ear. "We don't have a choice. It's them or us." He wiped the tears from my face and kissed my cheek. I nodded. Genjyo helped me to my feet and guided me back to the others with his arm around my waist.
Hakkai handed my bow to me, and Grimmy licked my hand. I patted the dog's head. At the road to Xianyang, Hakuryu transformed into a jeep. Goku piled into the backseat, and Grimmy jumped into the storage space behind the back seat. Gojyo hopped into the front with Hakkai. I shrugged off my backpack and stashed it in the storage space with my bow. Genjyo put his hands around my waist to lift me up into the backseat and climbed in beside me. He put arm around my waist and let me rest my head on his chest.
A moment later, Goku started poking around in the bags Hakkai had brought. "Awright! Dried squid. My favorite!" Goku crowed. Gojyo leaned over the front seat to see what Goku had found.
"Check out the stash!" Gojyo hooted. "Get the beer, Goku! The beer!"
Genjyo thwacked them both over my head with the harisen. "This ain't no field trip. Dammit!" he shouted at them.
"Oh? It's not?" Hakkai asked and chuckled. "Well...I guess it kinda looks like one." Hakkai stepped on the gas pedal (Which Hakuryu did not really need, but you know...it's all in the details.) and Hakuryu roared down the road to Xianyang.
We spent the night in Xianyang. As luck would have it, the tiny inn there had only two small rooms available. Genjyo was put out about not getting a room alone with me. We shared a room with Hakkai and Hakuryu, and Gojyo, Goku, and Grimmy bunked in the other room. Our room had a pair of twin beds which would have been fine with me, except that the mattresses were thin and lumpy. The shafts of some of the down feathers poked through the mattress covers.
"We'd be more comfortable sleeping the floor," I remarked as I sat down on the bed I shared with Genjyo and pulled off my sandals. The blister on my right foot had become a blood blister. "Fuck," I groaned and hunted around in my backpack for something to lance it with. Genjyo got a small needle and a damp wash cloth. He picked up my foot and told me to hold still. He expertly poked the needle all the way through the blister then pulled the needle back out - drawing the blood with it. He washed the blood off and put a band aid that Hakkai had handed to him over the blister. Then we scrunched together in the bed, and Genjyo pulled the moth eaten blanket over us both while Hakkai turned off the light. It was a long time before any of us fell asleep. We would not see beds of any kind for nine days.
The next morning, Genjyo, Gojyo, and I browsed the Xianyang inn's gift shop while Hakkai took Goku and Grimmy to get some last minute supplies. Gojyo bought an ivory panetella for me as a wedding gift. Genjyo was annoyed, but Gojyo insisted that I, as a lady of rank, should have a nice cigarette holder. Despite the guys eyeing each other like a pair of stray tomcats, I was delighted with the gift.
When Hakkai and the others returned, we piled into the jeep and headed for Lanzhou.
Notes and Comments Section
Act 20
(Saiyuki Smut Group Locked)
Table of Contents
Act 22
(Saiyuki Smut Group Locked)