One: On a wire

Chapter theme music: Lights and Sounds by Yellowcard

Note: This fic is co-authored by ShikamaruRocks, my sister and roommate. A heads up: This story follows the same basic formula as Trigun. It starts more light-hearted, with time to get to know the characters and how they interact, but be prepared for it to continually build in intensity. Thanks for your interest in this story and we'd love to hear your thoughts. Enjoy.

Oh, and as for the start of this chapter, I've always envisioned the Saiyuki guys when watching parts of Hitch. XD

"I'll score more tonight. You just wait and see."

"You can keep saying that, hotshot, but all your talk doesn't make it any more likely to happen."

"Hey, with my game plan, I can't lose. Just line 'em up, and knock 'em all out in one shot."

"Are you sure you don't mean knock them up, Don Juan?"

"Very funny, Hakkai. This game is mine. No more of that sissy crap. I'll show you what I'm really made of."

The dimly lit bar was filled with noise. A band played, lights strobed on the ceiling and smoke from dozens of cigarettes filled the cramped space, creating an overall unpleasant atmosphere for the casual passerby. But, as they say, one person's Hell is another person's Heaven.

Gojyo took one final drag on his cigarette before pressing it firmly into an ashtray. Pool cue in hand, he leaned far over the table, winking at the quiet black-haired waitress as she brought his drink.

Hakkai sighed after Gojyo stepped back from his shot. Two pockets had waited patiently to receive striped balls, but both were sadly disappointed. Instead, one welcomed a solid, along with the cue ball. Gojyo seemed a bit…distracted.

"You know what your problem is, Gojyo?" Hakkai pocketed three balls and leaned in for a fourth. Gojyo sat back on a chair, lighting up, his eyes scanning a young blond two tables over.

"You're all about the short game," Hakkai continued, glancing between the table and the preoccupied Gojyo.

"Short game?" Gojyo repeated absently, giving the girl more than a once-over.

Hakkai glared at him. "Yes, Gojyo. Short game. You pick your moves based on what you see first, not what's necessarily best for you in the long run." The blond smiled back. Hakkai sighed. "I'm not questioning your skill. When you're focused, you set your eyes on a shot and you see it through. You score nearly every time. But, it's more than just hitting the target. You have to think about all the factors. Rushing into everything isn't always the way to go."

"Well, some of us believe that there's more to life than watching other people live it." Gojyo glanced around the room, looking for an even better mark. "Takin' it slow isn't my thing. I'm very happy for you, playin' that way and all, but it's just not meant for everybo-…" His eyes stopped roving, and he smiled at a sultry redhead.

Hakkai looked up from the table, and turned to see what had been so enthralling as to stop Gojyo in mid-sentence. Hakkai sighed, again. "You were saying?"

Gojyo downed his twelfth shot of the night and nodded at the woman across the room. Without turning his head, he replied, "Advice is sweet and all, but please, Hakkai, just leave me to my stimulating, totally varied and wildly experimental short-game."

Hakkai rolled his eyes. "I was only talking about pool, but if you insist- "

"Yeah, okay," Gojyo interjected, sarcastically.

"Honestly," Hakkai continued. "I just hope one day you'll get over this immature bed-hopping and experience the genuine love and trust that comes from an enduring relationship."

"Is this really bar-room talk, Hakkai? I mean, ya sound kinda gay." Gojyo glanced up to see Hakkai looking at him steadily.

"You need to listen to me, Gojyo. I'm serious." Gojyo set his empty glass down, twisting his cigarette back and forth with his teeth. "You're just running away from responsibility by doing this. I understand that while we're traveling, it's not like you could really stick around the same woman for very long, but what happens once this mission is over? Will you keep acting this way? Just like you did before?"

Gojyo exhaled a long wisp of smoke, and it gradually passed over Hakkai. He didn't even blink.

"When you find yourself in a relationship where it's no longer just about physical attraction, everything changes. You start to change. You grow as a person. You can better yourself in that kind of relationship. So, when I think of how you run around chasing all these beautiful, but in reality, shallow women, it just seems fairly ridiculous, and frankly...pathetic."

Hakkai stopped as three women in low-cut evening gowns walked between them, eyeing Hakkai and Gojyo as they passed.

When Hakkai finally looked back at Gojyo, he was smiling wide and laughing slightly.

"Yeah, Hakkai. I see what you mean. That's pathetic. That right there is truly pathetic."

Hakkai glared at him.

Gojyo shook his head and stood up, moving to follow the girls. "See ya, buddy."

"Wait, Gojyo! The game…" Hakkai trailed off as his friend slipped his arms around two of the women's waists, with several sets of delicate hands already on him.

"And how are you lovely ladies this evening? Doing well as I can see. Here. Let me help you with that…"

Sigh number four. "Fine, whatever. He just better pray Sanzo doesn't come in. I won't be blamed for his lascivious behavior, again. And if he makes us late, I swear…"

Savannah sat on the floor, cross-legged in front of the TV, watching what seemed to her to be the most boring program ever aired. Namely, it wasn't anime.

She sat staring blankly at the screen, scratching her head, pulling on little bits of short brunette hair and looking at the ends. She was seventeen but had a problem with not acting her age, but her height. Stretching out her cruelly undersized body, she yawned loudly.

"God, this is boring! Let's watch the Anime Network!"

"Shut it, you stupid shrimp!" Anna growled, hitting Savannah upside the head with her paper fan.

The blond eighteen year-old was trying her best to resist the urge to pummel Savannah into the carpet. She glared at the small girl from behind her long bangs.

Anna had been a seemingly normal person until Savannah had gotten her into anime when they were thirteen. Then, she had been simply a budding young model, quiet and composed. Now, random acts of violence and no sense of humor appeared natural for her. For the longest time, she'd been only the slightest bit taller than Savannah, until one day when they were eleven and Savannah stopped growing. Permanently.

"Hey, chibi-monkey. Your head is just a little bit too solid to see through," Melinda said, hitting her younger sister on the top of the head.

"What? I don't get it…" Savannah said, rubbing her head. "And what's up with that? Why's everybody hittin' my head alluva sudden?" she grumbled at Melinda.

"Because your lack of intelligence is so impressive we figure it couldn't possibly cause any more damage to your pathetic excuse for a brain."

Melinda smirked at Savannah, playfully smacking the girl two years her junior on the head again, ruffling her hair. She looked over at Chris, her friend for the past fifteen years. Melinda brushed her long red locks out of her eyes. She had been dyeing it since middle school. That's also when she started wearing red contacts. At nearly six feet tall, Melinda enjoyed towering over her friends, and most other women for that matter. She seemed to have written the book on "standing out." Whereas her best friend, well…

"Now, now. Calm down," Chris said, walking to her seat on the couch. "I want to watch some anime too, Savannah, but let's just watch the news a little while longer."

Chris was nineteen, just like Melinda, but unlike Melinda, she tried her hardest to avoid having an "extreme personality" or appearance. Except when it came to wearing her headband and monocle, that is. She smiled gently as she watched Melinda continue poking Savannah in the side of the head. She turned to Anna and noticed that the moody blond was covering her face with her hand, attempting not to kill both Melinda and Savannah. Chris swiftly brushed her hair behind her ear and sat down.

"Fine," Savannah mumbled, rubbing her growling stomach and dreaming about food.

A monotone voice came from the TV. "And next up we have a rather interesting story that we at Station 9 are lucky enough to announce before even the parties involved are aware of it," the rather bored looking news lady said. "A nationwide contest was held last month at cartoon anime conventions all around the country without the attendees' knowledge. The contest was to find a group of the best costume-wearing attendees, or "cosplayers", in the entirety of the United States. The winners will be given a fully paid trip to China and Japan to go on a tour of seven different major conventions. Ambassadors from both countries were attending all of the conventions last month and taking pictures of promising candidates. Here is a picture of the winning group. Dressed as the four main characters from a show entitled "Saiyuki", the winners are a well-known set of four teenagers from - "

All four girls in the room gasped. A simultaneous "oh my God!" split the air.

It was a picture of them. Savannah, in all here Goku glory, was caught in a headlock by a certain crimson haired friend of hers. Anna, in her black top with robes around her waist, was getting ready to hit them both with her fan, while Chris stood beside her with a weak smile very typical of Hakkai.

"Dude! That's us!" Savannah shouted, jumping up off her usually very lazy butt to point at the screen.

"No, ya think?" Melinda replied, wishing with every fiber of her being that Savannah wasn't her blood sister.

"Did we win 'cause we're famous?" the hyper shrimp continued.

"No, spaz-face. 'Cause Chris can sew, duh. And by the way, you're the only one here who's not actually famous."

"Whatever…" Savannah mumbled.

Chris smiled weakly at her. "My. I guess that means we get to go to Japan together, right?" They really did look quite good in that picture.

"Only if you drive once we're there," Anna said, still glaring from Savannah's stupidity a few moments ago. "I don't trust those maniacs behind the wheel."

"I guess we should start getting our schedules arranged, then," Chris said, pulling out her date book that had a chibi Hakkai on it blowing up a rock with a little ball of compressed chi.

"Great! I'll call Sweet Hairdew right now and tell 'em I can't work," Savannah said, earning a smack in the side of the head from a certain paper fan.

"You retarded tree rat," Anna spat. "Did you already forget that they fired you yesterday? You only ever styled your own hair."

"Oh, yeah. Heh, heh." Savannah laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Well, I'm free then!" She grinned brightly.

"Now that the 'tree rat' is done blabbing," Melinda continued, "I think you and I should go to our place, Chris. We need to get our costumes together."

"You know, I think that's a good idea. I have to patch up my shirt a bit," Chris said, picking up her bag. "Remember? At the last con Savannah lost it when she saw someone cosplaying as Sohma Kyo and tore my sleeve off."

"I said I was sorry," Savannah whined. "You know how much I love Kyo…"

"Not as much as I love Vash," Melinda said. "I mean, can you get any hotter than that?"

"Hey! That is debatable," Savannah retorted.

"Anyway, we really should be going, Gojyo," Chris said. "I swear. Sometimes you take this all too seriously."

"Me? Look who's talking Ms. 'I used to wear a monocle to high school to get in character.'"

"If you don't all shut up, I'm going to kill you."

A loud, repetitive tapping noise filled the room. On the hotel room bed, a small form curled up tighter, cramming a pillow over his head in an attempt to sleep. The noise increased in volume and frequency as the pen tapping the table wore on. Another pillow over the head. Louder tapping. Yet another pillow. Faster tapping. Two more pillows. Louder and faster tapping.

Pillows flew across the room toward the source of the sound. "That's it! Just STOP! Or I'll have to KILL SOMETHING!" Goku panted from his sudden outburst, then looked across the room. A pillow slowly dropped from the face of the 'tapper'.

"Oops," he mumbled, regretfully.

Purple eyes glared at him. So did a sleek silver gun. (Yes, guns can glare.) "What was that, monkey? I thought I just heard someone tell me what to do, but I was mistaken, right? That squeak just now wasn't the sound of someone with only half a brain demanding something, but actually that of my personal slave, volunteering to go and find our two missing 'deviants' and drag their late butts back here so we can leave. That's what I heard, right?"

"Yeah, right. That's what you heard." Goku quietly but swiftly extracted himself from the mound of covers and streaked out the door.

Silence.

No tapping.

Melinda reached over the back of Savannah's seat on the jet and hit her solidly on the head.

"Hey! That hurts you pervy water sprite!" Savannah screamed, spinning around in her seat, nearly knocking Anna's head off in the process.

"If you don't stop, I'm going to kill you," Anna said with a slight lilt to her voice, eyebrow twitching.

Chris looked around, saying, "You know, guys. Anna has a point. If you don't stop, they may-"

"Throw us off the plane?" Melinda finished for her.

"They wouldn't do that. Probably."

Savannah peeked over her seat, whispering. "Hey, guys. Did you notice how many people are staring at us? And all of 'em are Chinese."

Melinda flicked her in the nose. "Of course they are, durfwad. We're on a plane to China for cryin' out loud. They're probably coming back from business trips or somethin'."

"And they're probably looking at you, Melinda," Chris added, smiling. "After all, not many Chinese people have red hair and eyes, not many people at all, actually."

"Or maybe," Savannah continued, "they recognize you from one of those Victoria's Secret commercials you've been in."

"Yeah, right. Like any of these skinnies wear Victoria's Secret."

"They don't have to wear it," Anna said, no longer seething from the sisters' antics. "They just have to have seen you. Though I hate to admit it, your 'commercials' give you more international exposure than my entire career does."

"Sucks to be you," Melinda teased. "But, they also could be lookin' at you, Chris. You've been all over the TV lately, and wasn't one of your tours through China?"

"Yes, that's true," she humbly replied, eyes lowered. "But, I look so different in concert. I really think you are the main attraction right now, Melinda."

"I'm flattered but I still don't think…" she trailed off as she glanced around the plane. "Ya know, they are looking at me," Melinda said, twitching in her aisle seat. "It's kinda creepy..."

After a few minutes of eerie silence, Melinda couldn't take it anymore. She leapt out of her seat and shouted, "Stop staring at me! So what if I have red hair? And what's the problem with being paid for what you're not wearing? And you!" She pointed at a petite businesswoman who had an appalled look on her face, shocked by Melinda's 'uncultured' behavior. "Don't you look down on me! You're so small, your nose'd be at my - " Her rampage was cut short as Anna hit her with a food tray.

"Dang it all," Melinda mumbled as she sat back down, irritated at being a spectacle. She quickly changed the subject. Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, she muttered, "I'm outta pocky. Hey, fleabag. Gimme some of yours."

"Get your own stupid pocky, buttmunch. This is my last pack." Savannah then hurriedly tried to stuff it all in her mouth at once but failed.

"Ah ha! Got one!" Melinda shouted triumphantly, prize in hand. Then, realizing that this just got everyone's attention again, she sheepishly lowered her arms from their position above her head.

"It's a good thing that your addiction is to pocky and not cigarettes or you'd be having some serious problems with the flight attendants," Chris said, smiling.

"Ha ha. Very funny, chi boy." Melinda glared at her.

Everyone sat in tense silence as the other passengers tried their hardest to ignore the group of very conspicuous and obnoxious Americans.

"Oh, man!" Savannah nearly shouted. "I'm so hungry and waaaay bored. Isn't there anything we can do?" she whined. "Hey Melinda, you got any cards with you?"

"Does Vic Mignogna have groupies?" Melinda asked, whipping out a pack.

Fifteen minutes later:

"You suck!" Savannah shouted. "We've played seven games and you've won every hand! I had a really good one just now, too!"

"Didn't you ever wonder how it was that I got through all of high school without having to work, well, besides running the dojo, which barely paid for itself?" Melinda asked, smirking. "While you and all those other losers were slaving away at your grisly jobs, I was making a good thirty bucks a day during lunch. They called me the Red Demon. I never lost a single hand," she continued, boasting loudly. "Add that to the occasional commercial and photo shoot, and I was set."

"Shut up before I kill you," Anna threatened. Why did I ever introduce her to modeling? Melinda's all too grating voice was interrupting Anna's reading of Vogue. Melinda and Savannah didn't seem to hear her however, this becoming most evident when Anna got hit upside the head with a shoe.

"Die!" Anna shouted, hitting them both brutally hard with her fan.

Silence filled the plane.

"Why is it always me?" Goku squinted against the smoke and covered his ears as the music blared. "Why doesn't Sanzo ever drag those slackers out of these groady places? What, would he get his robes dirty?"

He squeezed between two hurky guys hitting on a waitress. Crawling under a table, he reached a more secluded area. He stopped as he banged into someone.

"Sorry, didn't mean to - "

"Oh, hi Goku."

Goku found himself face to face with a recently bumped awake Hakkai. Hakkai offered a hand and pulled him up to sit next to him on the small couch.

"Hey, Hakkai. Do you know what time it is? Sanzo's totally freakin'. We've gotta sleep, man. We're supposed ta leave frickin' early tomorrow, or today, whatever, ta get ta the next town. You know that, Hakkai."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Hakkai rubbed his head, trying to fix his hair. "It's just, Gojyo got himself, um, "involved" again, and I didn't particularly feel like going into 'intervention mode'."

Goku made a "that's disgusting" face, and then started scanning the bar again. "Well, where is he now? It's already taken me too long ta bring ya back. Some morons thought it'd be fun to jump a little kid takin' a shortcut through an alley. Grownups these days…"

Hakkai stood, securing his monocle. "It shouldn't be too hard to find him, Goku. Just look for the place with the most women and there he'll be."

After a few moments, Hakkai moved away from the couch.

"Wait up!" Goku leapt after him. They struggled through the mass of writhing bodies until they reached the far corner of the bar. There, a competition was being held.

"So, who's the next contestant in the "Gratify Gojyo" game?"

Gojyo lay propped up on a long fur covered couch, two girls on either side, with dozens more standing along the wall and sitting at tables. A few guys mingled with them.

"Oh, hey, Hakkai. And if it isn't the monkey. This place is for grownups. Go find a tree to climb."

"Shut it, you sleazy kappa."

Gojyo smiled at him, dodging a randomly thrown shot glass. "Fine, how 'bout joining us for a game?"

"Not that game, ya sicko." Goku stuck out his tongue, grossed out.

"I don't think that's what he means, Goku," Hakkai said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We need to get some rest tonight, Gojyo. We really should be going."

"Oh, suck it up, pansy. You can go without sleep for one night."

A girl with chocolate skin and green eyes leaned close to Gojyo. "Don't let him take you away, baby. We're only just gettin' started."

Gojyo stroked her cheek. "Don't worry, Theresa. This guy ain't gettin' me out o' here." She kissed his cheek before inserting herself between him and another girl on the couch, who glared openly at her.

"So whaddaya say, Hakkai? Let's have some fun. This game, I'll win. And that's an official challenge, before all these witnesses." The girls squealed a little, clapping. "I'll beat you and then treat these lovely ladies to another round from my winnings. You gonna back down?"

Hakkai forced a smile. After he walked away from a game he was losing… "Fine. I accept."

Gojyo's fans let out catcalls and pulled a table up to the couch so he wouldn't have to leave his seat. "Theresa, Clarisse, Jennifer, and…" Gojyo looked around, "Lindsey. Each of you choose a friend and join in. And you too, rat boy." Goku's head snapped up. "I'll beat you and force you to clean my laundry for the next month."

"Like I don't already do that…" Goku mumbled, taking a seat. Deep down, he was glad Gojyo included him in the challenge. Let Sanzo flip out at Gojyo, not him, for their being extremely late.

"So," Hakkai started, "what game are we playing, or rather, should I say what game am I humiliating you at, Gojyo?"

The girls cooed at the challenge. "Whoa, whoa. Settle down there, Hakkai. Don't get your panties in a bunch. This game's a classic that guys just have to play every once in a while. It's good for the senses."

Goku furrowed his brow. Quarters?

"Though," Gojyo continued, "with all these girls playing, a guy with your sexual leanings might not be interested."

Hakkai could see where this was going. That underhanded, perverse little…

"So, ladies, you ready for a casual game of strip poker?"

"Man! That was the best con I've ever been to! I love all-nighters!" Savannah raved. "They all acted like I was so cute, bein' small 'n all."

"Well, yeah. Everyone everywhere is taller than you, plus them bein' Chinese, and hot…" Melinda nearly sang.

"They seemed to like our costumes, although, some of those dialects were hard to understand, so...they probably liked them," Chris said, smiling.

"Hey, how 'bout we go change and then get somethin' ta eat!" Savannah shouted, stretching. She sat backwards in her seat, letting her arms dangle outside the black jeep.

"That sounds good," Chris said. "And I heard of a temple about sixty miles from here. Do you think we could go there after we eat?" Savannah and Melinda immediately consented. "And you, Anna?"

"Hn," Anna said.

"I'm going to take that as a yes," Chris said, driving back to their hotel.

Tapping.

More tapping.

And yet more.

…

"I'm going to kill them. All of them."

Sanzo slammed the pen on the table and stormed out the door.

This is…embarrassing, Hakkai thought. He shifted in his chair, trying to keep his bare back from sticking to the leather. I don't usually lose…at all.

Crap, Gojyo thought. This isn't how this was supposed to go. I was gonna own him. Shirtless, and pants-less, Gojyo's self-esteem wasn't suffering too much, what with all the additional attention he was getting from the girls, but his pride was aching. It's okay, though. All I have to do is make sure he's naked before me. That's what really matters, right? Just a few more wins…

"Hey, Hakkai. With this next one you'll lose your pants. How 'bout gettin' up on the table and dancin' for us?"

Hakkai smiled widely. "I think I might genuinely rather die."

The two bristled at each other.

"HEY!" Goku screamed, slamming his fists on the table. "How dare you guys glare at each other like that! You still have clothes on! But, look at me!" He gestured at his body. "Actually," Goku said, reconsidering, "please don't." He trembled in his seat, a napkin in his lap. "I shouldn't even be in this thing. This sucks."

"Don't pout, little boy." Goku stiffened as two warm hands slid up his back and onto his shoulders. "You look a lot better than my little brother would if he were in your position. Tell me, how does a twelve-year-old get so many hard muscles?"

"I'm not twelve, dang it!" Goku sulked a little. "I'm eighteen."

"Really?" Theresa asked, incredulously. "Well, if that's the case, wanna go inspect one of those back rooms, just the two of us?"

"Ewwww," Goku groaned. "Icky. Stop it. Don't touch me. I'm young and innocent. Don't try to corrupt me, you filthy slut."

She kissed his cheek. "Aren't you a feisty one." Goku shivered. Get me outta here!

"Here we go, ladies. Next hand. How are you holding up? Is it a little too chilly for you?"

Gojyo received a few playful swats and then dealt to all eleven players. "If I'm not mistaken, everyone here, except three-eyes, is one loss away from an 'essential' article of clothing going, am I right?" The girls squealed, and several bystanders cheered. "So, let's do this. Who will be the only one left out…?"

A commotion near the entrance of the bar caught everyone's attention. Gradually, the entire room went silent, save for a few hushed whispers.

"Hey!" Gojyo called. "Who's the jerk that's ruinin' all the fun?"

"Would I happen to be that 'jerk'?"

Goku stiffened. I'm dead. I'm very dead. As in, little pieces of me are all that will be left, and those'll be splattered all over the place. I wonder if this bar owns a really good mop…

"You, huh?" Gojyo glared at Sanzo. "You've always gotta ruin it for me, don't you? Just 'cause you're-"

"We apologize, Sanzo," Hakkai interrupted, standing. "We can leave now, right, Gojyo?" Hakkai's eyes threatened him to speak against this suggestion.

"You've seriously gotta get with a chick, Sanzo."

"Another word…"

Gojyo sighed angrily, but stood, slipping his pants back on. "I'm sorry to disappoint, ladies, but it seems like yours truly will be leavin' a little earlier than expected." Waves of protest rose from the women, but Gojyo shook his head apologetically and leaned in for a few last minute 'parting gifts'.

Goku was still too terrified to move. And then, he felt it, the eerie pressure of someone's eyes burning holes into his skull. He clenched his eyes shut. If I can't see him, he can't see me.

"Goku," a voice said softly. Goku shook his head, eyes still closed. I'm invisible. I'm invisible…

Sanzo reached a hand toward the shaking form.

Invisible. Invi-

Girls screamed all around him and Goku's eyes flew open. "What's wro-?" Goku leapt back, knocking over his chair, barely dodging a sword swing. "What the heck?" He crawled under the table to grab his clothes.

Half the women at the table had turned on Sanzo, pulling out weapons they'd had strapped under their chairs. Sanzo pushed his way backward, shoving startled bystanders out of his way. The scantily clad but well-armed poker players hemmed in around him. A knife flew at Gojyo, but he deftly blocked it with the staff of his Shakujo.

"What are you doing?" Hakkai shouted at Gojyo, shielding Theresa in her seat next to him. "Are you insane? You can't use that in here, Gojyo. There are too many innocents."

"Yes, there are," the woman whispered into Hakkai's ear. "But, just which ones are they?" Hakkai felt long, sharp fingernails at his throat, and then Theresa kissed his neck.

"You heard him," she said, looking at Gojyo. "Drop the weapon. You too, Genjyo Sanzo."

Long, pointed ears were now visible from beneath her hair. Her friends also sported deadly nails and other trademarks of youkai kind.

"Smooth," Gojyo said. "Infiltrate and conquer, huh?"

"Shut it," Theresa snapped, pressing her nails against Hakkai's throat.

"You know I'm going to kill you, right?" Sanzo stated.

Theresa's nails dug deeper into Hakkai's neck. Sanzo's eyes narrowed in hatred at the woman. Glancing at his compatriots, he continued, "And how could you rejects not sense that you were surrounded by youkai? I noticed the second I came in this place. Really, sometimes I wonder why I put up with this crap."

Theresa stared at him in disbelief. "You really don't care if I kill your friend, do you? I said 'shut it'." Her voice had lost any sense of gentleness. Motioning to his gun with her free hand, she barked, "Drop it. Now."

Sanzo glared at her once more, then let the gun fall to the ground. Hakkai let his surprise show on his face. All of Sanzo's party knew he wasn't one to let a hostage situation slow him down.

"Good boy," Theresa cooed, her voice relaxing once more. "Now, what might that happen to be lying across your shoulders? Hand it over." Sanzo quickly brought his arm up and grabbed an end of the Maten scripture.

"Careful there, darling." Blood trickled down Hakkai's neck. "Take it slow, or your little friend here's gonna put the local blood bank outta business."

Sanzo slowly drew the scripture from off his shoulders, rolling it up as he went. Then, glancing under the table, he gave a quick nod and smiled. "Catch." Sanzo's eyes snapped up as he threw the tightly tied bundle at the woman.

Theresa flinched as the scripture flew at her face. Hakkai grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his neck, but immediately her other hand moved to replace it, razor-like nails thrusting towards Hakkai's throat.

Goku caught Theresa's left arm between his ankles and twisted fiercely, jerking her to the ground. Sanzo snapped up his gun while Gojyo pinned two of the attackers to a table. Hakkai backhanded another before the woman could reach Sanzo. Happily clothed, Goku kept the ringleader pinned between his knees. "So, this is the sorta thing you had in mind for the two of us in one of those back rooms. I've gotta say, I'm a little relieved…"

"As if a woman like me would be interested in a snotty kid like -"

A gun shot rang through the bar. "Goku."

He looked up to see Sanzo lower his gun to aim at Theresa. Goku stood and hopped over a broken chair to stand by Hakkai. Theresa, slowly sitting up, wiped some blood from her mouth. "Is that really the way to treat a lady?"

"Shut up and stand." Sanzo followed her with his gun as she slowly got to her feet.

"What now? You're gonna kill me like you promised? Or could it be that the infamous priest Genjyo Sanzo might actually make a deal with a youkai? How about it? Surely we can reach an agree-"

A bullet silenced her and Theresa's body hit the floor. Smoke drifted from Sanzo's gun. The other youkai struggled out of the guys' holds and rushed out the door.

"I don't negotiate with youkai." Sanzo looked around. The bar was mostly empty now, and the few people left stood very still, stopped in various positions of running away since the gunshots.

"Way to make an entrance, Sanzo," Gojyo said, irritated, rubbing his jaw where a stray bottle had clipped him.

"Shut it." Sanzo glared at his three 'friends'. "Get in the car. We're leaving this town. Now."

"Are you sure ya don't want a drink first?" Gojyo suggested, raising a glass. Sanzo gave him a death-glare. "I'm serious about gettin' a chick, man…" Sanzo's gun found a new target. Gojyo finally learned how to shut up.

"But Sanzo, isn't it like 5 am?" Goku added, eyelids drooping. "Shouldn't we go back to the room to sleep? I'm gonna pass out…"

…

"Now."

"Yes, sir," three voices stated in unison.

"Didn't you say this place was sixty miles away?" Melinda asked Chris, leaning forward between the seats so she was right by her face. "Haven't we been driving for like, six hours?"

"Well, heh, you see. I think I may have gotten us a little lost," Chris said, sweatdropping.

"You freaking IDIOT!" Anna shouted.

"Hey! It's dangerous to hit the driver!" Chris shouted, raising a hand in self defense.

"No wonder I'm so hungry!" Savannah shouted.

"Why is everyone shouting?" Melinda nearly screamed.

"Because the wind is so freaking strong!" Anna shrieked.

"When did that happen?"

"I don't know!"

"It's getting a little hard to see to drive, guys!" Chris shouted.

"Couldn't it be dangerous?" Melinda asked.

"Well, there aren't that many things to hit in a dessert! And there shouldn't be any cliffs either! Well, probably!"

"Hey, where's the sun? Why is it so dark?"

"And what is this feeling?" Anna screamed.

"I think it's the one you get when you're falling!" Melinda shouted back.

"But why would we be getting that now?"

"Uh, because we're falling, duh!"

"But why would we be falling?"

"I think we came across one of those cliffs you didn't think were in the desert, Chris!"

"What? We're falling?" Savannah screamed.

"You're a little slow there, Savannah!"

"Shut up!"

"I'm sure there's a way to remedy the situation!" Chris stated.

"What do you mean 'remedy'? We fell off a cliff, and we've been falling for a long time which means we're all gonna die!" Melinda shrieked.

"I'm sorry! It's not my fault!"

"Didn't I say it could be dangerous?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"Calm down, Chris!"

"How can I Anna? I've killed us all! I've killed us all! Aaaaaaah! Hakuryu, transform! Save yourself!" Chris screamed between sobs.

"That's not gonna work you id-" Anna was cut short by a brilliant white flash of light.

"Uh, guys? Why is there a black dragon here? And where did the jeep go?" Savannah asked, momentarily forgetting that they were falling to certain doom.

"Just what car rental place did you go to, Chris?" Melinda shrieked.

"I don't know! I'm sorry!" Chris sobbed, pent up emotions finally let free.

Five minutes later...

"I see you've finally stopped crying, Chris," Anna said over the shrieking wind.

The only response was Chris's muffled whimpering.

"Shouldn't we have hit the bottom by now?" Savannah asked, trying to see the ground through the inky blackness that swirled around them.

"Don't say that! You want us to die sooner?" Melinda shrieked, punching Savannah hard in the head.

"Ow! Whadidya do that for? That hurt my butt, you jerk!" Savannah said standing up.

"I hit you in the head, moron!"

"Yeah, but it always hurts when you knock me down!"

The four girls found themselves standing on tightly packed sand, surrounded by eerie silence.

"Wait a second. It would appear that I haven't killed us after all." Chris let out a sigh. "That's a relief."

"Hey, guys? That's the moon, right?" Savannah asked.

"No duh, ya stupid chipmunk. What else does it look like? A cream puff?"

"That's not what I meant. Isn't it four in the afternoon? Why's the moon out? And where'd the sun go?"

"Here's a better question for you." Melinda ranted. "Why didn't we die? Why didn't we feel it when we stopped? How did we start falling in the first place? Where the heck are we? Or to satisfy your curiosity, when the heck are we?"

"Calm down guys. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Chris said.

"I don't care when we find out. I just need to get some rest," Anna stated. "Surely there's gotta be some place around here that we can sleep."

"Well, why don't we try to get Shizuku here to transform back into a jeep?" Chris suggested. "Then we can find the nearest town."

"Shizuku? When did you come up with that?"

"After I stopped crying."

After a few minutes of delicate persuasion, Chris gave up on Shizuku.

"I just don't know how," she admitted.

"Ugh! I think I have sand in my eye. Hey, somebody give me your solution!" Savannah demanded.

"Nobody has any, ya shrimpy mooch! It's all back at the hotel!" Melinda screamed at her.

"Man, this really hurts!"

"Mine hurt too, you weakling," Melinda said, derisively.

"What about me?" Anna said. "You always forget about me. Now stop your girly whining, or I'll off you both. Though," she said, squinting, "I do agree. It is rather irritating."

"Arg! I can't take it anymore. These stupid things are comin' out!" Savannah bellowed.

"You'll be blind, you idiot!"

"So? It's blind now or soon to be blinded by the sand!" Savannah said as she took out her golden contacts. "I'm sorry to take you guys out, but..."

"Dude. Your eyes," Melinda said, her mouth hanging open.

"What? Are they bloody?"

"No. They're gold."

"Really? That's friggin' sweet! And dude! I can see! My eyes weren't this good with the contacts!" she screamed, jumping up and down. "Hey! I wonder if your eyes have changed too, guys. You should totally check 'em out!"

"The sand is uncomfortable…" Anna admitted.

"Screw it. It's worth a try." Melinda gingerly took out her contacts.

Anna and Melinda stood facing each other with shocked expressions. Their eyes were indeed purple and red, respectively.

"Isn't that totally wicked?" Savannah shouted. "And you can see too, right?" Her friends nodded.

Savannah's attention was quickly (and easily) drawn away. "Hey look, guys! The sun's rising. It looks yummy, just like orange juice! "Which reminds me. I'm hungry, Anna! There's gotta be some place that sells meat buns around here! Hey!" Savannah interrupted herself. "Somethin's comin'! Is it a car?"

"Actually, I think it's a jeep, much like ours," Chris said. "There appear to be four figures - uhh!" she exclaimed. "Impossible... But then again, considering our situation…" A hopeful smile crept onto her face.

"Come on! What is it, Chris! You've gotta still have better eyes than any of us!" Savannah shouted. "Whaddaya see?"

With a slight chuckle, Chris said, "In about ten seconds I expect to hear from you all a gasp, a groan and a woot. Five. Four. Three. Two. One."

Melinda:*gasp* "No way!"

Anna:*groan* "You must be joking."

Savannah: "Woot! This is so cool! Is it really happening? Man, I hope he sounds like Greg Ayres!"

"Or he could sound like Jimmy Benedict," Melinda said.

"Oh, God! I hope not!" Savannah said, cringing.

"Well, he could sound like that, or Soichiro Hoshi, or he could speak Chinese, but hopefully not, if this is indeed a dream," Chris said, laughing.

"Whatever! I don't care what he sounds like as long as I can hug him!" Savannah said, hopping up and down in anticipation.

If only the real Sanzo party knew what they were driving towards.

End Chapter

Chapter theme music: Lights and Sounds by Yellowcard

Note: I positively despise that this site won't allow a question mark followed by an exclamation point. What's up with that? !