Disclaimer: Okay! First and foremost, I don't own ANY of Kazuya Minekura
sensei's characters! I only own the OTHER characters and THIS story! Demo
ne, please rate so I can improve! Arigato gozaimasu!
(I got to admit, this chapter's kinda' embarrassing for me...but it'll do! ^_^;;;)
CHAPTER 1
The cool night breeze swept against her face as she walked on. It didn't bother her much. Everything that night seemed to be relaxing to her than the nights before...
She noticed a lake not far in front of her and decided to take a rest there. She felt her feet sore from walking almost the whole day. She placed her ragged knapsack beside her as she arrived at the lake and sat down. She rolled up her jeans and shoes, and dipped her feet into the cool, calm lake. She looked at the beautiful scenery in front of her, as far as she can. She gave a soft, relieved sigh to herself and walked deeper into the lake.
As she was doing so, she didn't realize a jeep carrying four people were heading her way. The four didn't notice her as well. The two at the back were squabbling, one of them was driving, and the other was trying to tolerate with the squabbling two, but soon failed...
"URUSEI!!! DO YOU WANT TO DIE???" he yelled, pointing his 'shoureiju' at them.
"DEMO, SANZO!!! HE STARTED IT!!!" the younger one protested.
"NANI??? IT WAS YOU WHO STARTED IT!!!" the other remarked.
"TEME!!! IF YOU GUYS DON'T SHUT UP...I'LL-" he began.
"SANZO!!! LOOK!!!" the younger one cut him off, pointing towards the figure at the lake.
All of them paused to look.
"Oi...don't tell me that guy is..." the one beside the young one began.
"No! He mustn't! ...HAKKAI!!!" the younger one signaled the one whom was on the wheels to drive faster.
"Hai...wakari mashita..." he said as he sped faster, and nearly threw the others off!
He braked as they reached at the side of the lake and the young one leaped towards the figure. The screech of the brakes startled her. She turned and saw him about to land on top of her.
"YAMERU!!!" he yelled as he landed on top of her, sending both of them splashing into the water.
The three just watched them from shore, as he dragged her out of the water, both spluttering and gasping for air. He released her as he reached the shore.
"Eh? A woman?" the one beside the young one exclaimed in surprise.
"Annou...daijobu desu ka?" The one driving before asked gently.
She couldn't answer. She was still trying to catch her breath.
"Why were you trying to kill yourself??? Life isn't that bad!!!" the young one remarked.
"...T-teme...BAKA!!! WHO SAID I WAS TRYING TO KILL MYSELF??? I JUST WANTED TO COOL MYSELF DOWN!!!" she finally yelled back.
"E-eh???" the young one exclaimed in disbelief. The other started laughing and the one who drove could only sigh.
"Ch! That's why I mind my own business!" the one with the "Shoureiju" said.
She got up, looking at her dripping – wet clothes. She was soaked from head to toe.
"Great...this is simply great..." she muttered to herself, as she tried to squeeze the water out of her shirt. The one who drove approached her, revealing his dark, brownish-black hair and green eyes under the moonlight.
"Annou...sumimasen...why don't you change? I'll start a fire so that those wet ones can dry off faster?" he offered.
As she looked back at him, he noticed her silvery – gray eyes. She was still upset, though. She sighed heavily and headed for her knapsack, pulled out a towel, and some clothes.
"Alright...I'll go change, demo, I don't want anyone 'nosing about'! If any of you do that...SHINE..." she shot all of them a threatening look.
"Hai, hai...wakatta ne..." the one with green eyes replied with a gentle smile.
She disappeared into the bushes a few meters away from them. The one who sat beside the young one, with red, long hair and eyes smirked to himself and were about to head where she was, but the one with green eyes stopped him.
"Gojyo? Where do you think you are going?" he asked, still smiling.
"Ah? Now, now Hakkai! I thought you knew me better than that!" Gojyo grinned slyly towards his friend.
"Yare yare desu ne...if that's the case, I have to stop you..." he replied, the smile never left his face, but there was a note of threat in his voice.
The one with red eyes knew it was dangerous if he didn't listen to him. He decided not to go and be a "peeping-Tom" after all.
They began to make a bonfire. Soon, the bonfire gleamed beautifully, spreading its warmth toward them. The young one also had already changed. He joined the others at the bonfire, as they waited for her to return.
"Demo, Gojyo..." he suddenly voiced out.
"Em? Nani, bakasaru?" the red-eyed man asked him back.
"Teme! Don't call me that!!!" the young one protested.
"Now, now guys? Calm down! You don't want to eat any bullets, do you?" Hakkai said.
Both of them settled down. They both stared at the blonde with purple eyes; he was lighting a cigarette. He looked as if he didn't care, but they knew he would shoot aimlessly at them if they keep on arguing.
"What was your question, Goku?" Hakkai asked.
"Oh, um...Gojyo...how did you know she is a woman? I can't make out whether she is a woman or not with that scarf on her head..." the young one explained.
She always wore a scarf, hiding her hair inside it. So it was hard to tell whether she is a woman or a man from the back...
"That? It was easy! Her clothes were soaked!" he smirked.
"Eh??? What do you mean???" Goku asked.
"Never mind, Goku. Let's just say, Gojyo is really good at this..." Hakkai giggled.
"Heh...she's interesting though..." Gojyo leaned back, lighting a cigarette. "You saw it too, didn't you, Hakkai? He asked as he puffed a cloud of smoke.
"You mean, her eyes, right?" Hakkai asked.
"Hai...I've never seen a person with such eyes before..." Hakkai exclaimed.
"Ahh!!! What are you guys talking about??? I don't understand!!!" Goku grumbled.
"Ha! Ha! Daijobu desu!" You'll see soon enough..." Hakkai smiled.
She saw the bonfire was lit, and the four strangers around it. She headed towards them. She thought these people were strange, but not dangerous. She didn't understand why she felt that way, but that didn't mean she would let her guard down.
"Ah! Welcome back! Daijobu desu ka?" Hakkai asked.
"...Hai...daijobu desu..." she replied coldly.
She took out a rope from her knapsack and headed towards a tree.
"Annou...what are you doing?" he asked again.
She shot him a look, revealing her silvery-gray eyes again.
"What does it look like I'm doing??? I'm trying to make a line to dry my clothes!!!" She replied as she tied the rope at one of the tree trunks.
"Sumimasen...demo, isn't it better if you let it dry by the fire?" he asked, smiling. "Iya, daijobu. That won't be necessary..." She tied the other end of the rope to another tree trunk.
She pegged the wet clothes on the line and sat down by the fire, after picking up her knapsack and placing it beside her.
All were silent for a few minutes, but then was broken by a question by Hakkai.
"Annou...is it okay if I ask you something?"
"...Nandayo?" she replied, not looking away from the fire.
"Where are you heading to? Isn't it dangerous for a lady to walk alone?" he asked.
"Ch! Don't call me a "lady"...I hate it..." she remarked.
"Sumimasen..." he apologized.
"Demo...I'm not heading anywhere...I've got nowhere to go..." she continued.
The four looked at her for some time. She wasn't paying attention to them at all. She was deep in thought, a few seconds after that, she unconsciously unwrapped the towel she wrapped her hair with, and revealed her silver waist-length hair.
All of them looked at it, filled with amazement. Then, she realized that they were staring at her the whole time. She saw the expressions on their faces, but wasn't surprised by it. She was used to it. She even experienced worse.
"Heh...looks like neither of you have seen someone like me before..." she smirked. "Of course you haven't...someone like me is kind of "rare" to find..." she placed the towel on her shoulders.
None of them said anything. They didn't know what to say. The blonde seemed to know something, though.
"At least it'll be easier for me to explain now..." she continued. "My family and me once lived in a village...they respected my father...demo...the villagers hated me and okasan..." her voice drifted off.
Her father was a fighter, one of the best in the village. He was well respected and loved because of his kindness towards the villagers, as well as his courage to protect them. In his free time, he likes to stroll in the forest not far from the village. It was said the forest was enchanted, therefore, only a few dared to enter it. He would stroll in this forest, but never got far. One afternoon, he didn't realize he went deeper than his usual strolls. When he realized it, he was already lost. He tried to find his way out, but failed. The day grew darker. He decided to rest and try again in the morning. As he looked for shelter for the night, he noticed something not far from where he was. He cautiously approached it, and discovered a woman badly injured lying in front of him. She had a wavy, pale-golden waist-length hair. Her eyes were dark blue, pale skin, and cheery-pink lips.
He helped treat her wounds, and took care of her through the night. She told him that she and her colleagues were just returning to their village, when suddenly, bandits attacked them. She got terribly wounded and was abandoned because they believed she had no hope of surviving. He said it was very harsh for her colleagues to do so, but she protested. It was one of the rules in her village. He decided to bring her back to his village to aid her, though he didn't know how. To his surprise, she knew how to get out of the forest easily. Of course, that was because she was used to walking into that forest ever since she was very young. They were cautious not to encounter any villagers from his village, though, because they were very different, and feared to cause trouble to both villages. But now, she had no choice...
As time passed by, they fell in love and got married. The villagers didn't like the idea, but he didn't care of what the villagers said. He knew very well whom she was, and she wasn't like what the villagers described at all. She tried to be kind to the villagers, but they seemed to fear her. Only animals and children loved her, and of course, her husband as well.
"Okasan is an elf...therefore, the villagers believed that she was evil and would put a curse on them all..." she continued. "When I was born...the villagers grew more frightened than ever...because they thought I would bring chaos..." she paused and continued. "When I was twelve, my father was told to go to war...and died...after that...everything changed for the worst..." she smiled bitterly. "The villagers decided to take action against me and okasan... One night, they burned our house... Okasan managed to save me...but she didn't manage to save herself... The villagers didn't know I was still alive, because I promised okasan to run away...run away from there...no matter what happens..." she ended with a painful sigh. "True, there were times I thought of killing myself...demo...it is not easy to die..." she smirked.
The air seemed stiff, silent. Then, Hakkai opened his mouth to speak.
"Hai...you're right...it is hard to die..." he spoke softly, then, smiled.
She looked deep into his green eyes. It told her he understood how she felt, so did the others, except the young one, with brown hair and golden eyes. But somehow, she felt comforted. She turned to face the one with red eyes again. His gaze was into the fire, but she knew he understood her best.
"He must have had a similar experience..." she thought.
"Annou...ojyosan?" Hakkai began.
"Teme...how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that??? Call me Rio!" she clenched her right fist.
"Err...ha! Ha! Sumimasen...Rio-san...demo...since you've introduced yourself...let us introduce ourselves..." Hakkai smiled. "Watashi wa Hakkai, Cho Hakkai desu...demo, just call me Hakkai."
"Heh! Normally, I wouldn't give my name for no reason...demo, I'll always introduce myself to a lady..." The one with red eyes and hair grinned. "Gojyo, Sha Gojyo desu. Call me Gojyo."
"Watashi wa no namae Goku desu!" The boys with golden eyes cheerfully introduced himself.
The blonde was leaning under a tree, smoking. He acted as if he didn't hear any of the conversation they were having. He didn't feel like saying much...like he always does...
"Gome...annou...that's Sanzo. I hope you don't mind him...he is always like that..." Hakkai apologized.
"Iie...daijobu desu...hajime mashite, minna san..." she gave a nod.
"Hai, hai...hajime mashite..." Hakkai bowed back.
"Heh...it's kind of cold out here...would you like me to keep you warm? I'm really good at -" Gojyo froze at a sound of a click. Sanzo has aimed his 'Shoureiju' right at his head.
"...Do you want to die so badly, Gojyo???" he threatened.
"Err...no thanks..." Gojyo showed his hand in surrender.
"Then behave..." he put his weapon away. "It's getting late...all of you get some rest. We're moving out early tomorrow..." Sanzo ordered.
"Hai, hai...oyasumi, minna san..." Hakkai smiled gently and went inside his sleeping bag.
The other two did the same. They knew better than to argue with Sanzo... Sanzo too, finished the last cigarette in his mouth, leaned against the tree. He glanced at her for a few seconds, staring into the fire, and then tried to get some shut-eye. She was deep in thought. She remembered her painful past, the sweet memories of her and her family...everything...
She closed her eyes and let out a painful sigh. She then lay down on the grass and stared at the constellation at the sky. They were glittering beautifully, as if trying to cheer her up. She grinned at that thought, and soon fell asleep.
(I got to admit, this chapter's kinda' embarrassing for me...but it'll do! ^_^;;;)
CHAPTER 1
The cool night breeze swept against her face as she walked on. It didn't bother her much. Everything that night seemed to be relaxing to her than the nights before...
She noticed a lake not far in front of her and decided to take a rest there. She felt her feet sore from walking almost the whole day. She placed her ragged knapsack beside her as she arrived at the lake and sat down. She rolled up her jeans and shoes, and dipped her feet into the cool, calm lake. She looked at the beautiful scenery in front of her, as far as she can. She gave a soft, relieved sigh to herself and walked deeper into the lake.
As she was doing so, she didn't realize a jeep carrying four people were heading her way. The four didn't notice her as well. The two at the back were squabbling, one of them was driving, and the other was trying to tolerate with the squabbling two, but soon failed...
"URUSEI!!! DO YOU WANT TO DIE???" he yelled, pointing his 'shoureiju' at them.
"DEMO, SANZO!!! HE STARTED IT!!!" the younger one protested.
"NANI??? IT WAS YOU WHO STARTED IT!!!" the other remarked.
"TEME!!! IF YOU GUYS DON'T SHUT UP...I'LL-" he began.
"SANZO!!! LOOK!!!" the younger one cut him off, pointing towards the figure at the lake.
All of them paused to look.
"Oi...don't tell me that guy is..." the one beside the young one began.
"No! He mustn't! ...HAKKAI!!!" the younger one signaled the one whom was on the wheels to drive faster.
"Hai...wakari mashita..." he said as he sped faster, and nearly threw the others off!
He braked as they reached at the side of the lake and the young one leaped towards the figure. The screech of the brakes startled her. She turned and saw him about to land on top of her.
"YAMERU!!!" he yelled as he landed on top of her, sending both of them splashing into the water.
The three just watched them from shore, as he dragged her out of the water, both spluttering and gasping for air. He released her as he reached the shore.
"Eh? A woman?" the one beside the young one exclaimed in surprise.
"Annou...daijobu desu ka?" The one driving before asked gently.
She couldn't answer. She was still trying to catch her breath.
"Why were you trying to kill yourself??? Life isn't that bad!!!" the young one remarked.
"...T-teme...BAKA!!! WHO SAID I WAS TRYING TO KILL MYSELF??? I JUST WANTED TO COOL MYSELF DOWN!!!" she finally yelled back.
"E-eh???" the young one exclaimed in disbelief. The other started laughing and the one who drove could only sigh.
"Ch! That's why I mind my own business!" the one with the "Shoureiju" said.
She got up, looking at her dripping – wet clothes. She was soaked from head to toe.
"Great...this is simply great..." she muttered to herself, as she tried to squeeze the water out of her shirt. The one who drove approached her, revealing his dark, brownish-black hair and green eyes under the moonlight.
"Annou...sumimasen...why don't you change? I'll start a fire so that those wet ones can dry off faster?" he offered.
As she looked back at him, he noticed her silvery – gray eyes. She was still upset, though. She sighed heavily and headed for her knapsack, pulled out a towel, and some clothes.
"Alright...I'll go change, demo, I don't want anyone 'nosing about'! If any of you do that...SHINE..." she shot all of them a threatening look.
"Hai, hai...wakatta ne..." the one with green eyes replied with a gentle smile.
She disappeared into the bushes a few meters away from them. The one who sat beside the young one, with red, long hair and eyes smirked to himself and were about to head where she was, but the one with green eyes stopped him.
"Gojyo? Where do you think you are going?" he asked, still smiling.
"Ah? Now, now Hakkai! I thought you knew me better than that!" Gojyo grinned slyly towards his friend.
"Yare yare desu ne...if that's the case, I have to stop you..." he replied, the smile never left his face, but there was a note of threat in his voice.
The one with red eyes knew it was dangerous if he didn't listen to him. He decided not to go and be a "peeping-Tom" after all.
They began to make a bonfire. Soon, the bonfire gleamed beautifully, spreading its warmth toward them. The young one also had already changed. He joined the others at the bonfire, as they waited for her to return.
"Demo, Gojyo..." he suddenly voiced out.
"Em? Nani, bakasaru?" the red-eyed man asked him back.
"Teme! Don't call me that!!!" the young one protested.
"Now, now guys? Calm down! You don't want to eat any bullets, do you?" Hakkai said.
Both of them settled down. They both stared at the blonde with purple eyes; he was lighting a cigarette. He looked as if he didn't care, but they knew he would shoot aimlessly at them if they keep on arguing.
"What was your question, Goku?" Hakkai asked.
"Oh, um...Gojyo...how did you know she is a woman? I can't make out whether she is a woman or not with that scarf on her head..." the young one explained.
She always wore a scarf, hiding her hair inside it. So it was hard to tell whether she is a woman or a man from the back...
"That? It was easy! Her clothes were soaked!" he smirked.
"Eh??? What do you mean???" Goku asked.
"Never mind, Goku. Let's just say, Gojyo is really good at this..." Hakkai giggled.
"Heh...she's interesting though..." Gojyo leaned back, lighting a cigarette. "You saw it too, didn't you, Hakkai? He asked as he puffed a cloud of smoke.
"You mean, her eyes, right?" Hakkai asked.
"Hai...I've never seen a person with such eyes before..." Hakkai exclaimed.
"Ahh!!! What are you guys talking about??? I don't understand!!!" Goku grumbled.
"Ha! Ha! Daijobu desu!" You'll see soon enough..." Hakkai smiled.
She saw the bonfire was lit, and the four strangers around it. She headed towards them. She thought these people were strange, but not dangerous. She didn't understand why she felt that way, but that didn't mean she would let her guard down.
"Ah! Welcome back! Daijobu desu ka?" Hakkai asked.
"...Hai...daijobu desu..." she replied coldly.
She took out a rope from her knapsack and headed towards a tree.
"Annou...what are you doing?" he asked again.
She shot him a look, revealing her silvery-gray eyes again.
"What does it look like I'm doing??? I'm trying to make a line to dry my clothes!!!" She replied as she tied the rope at one of the tree trunks.
"Sumimasen...demo, isn't it better if you let it dry by the fire?" he asked, smiling. "Iya, daijobu. That won't be necessary..." She tied the other end of the rope to another tree trunk.
She pegged the wet clothes on the line and sat down by the fire, after picking up her knapsack and placing it beside her.
All were silent for a few minutes, but then was broken by a question by Hakkai.
"Annou...is it okay if I ask you something?"
"...Nandayo?" she replied, not looking away from the fire.
"Where are you heading to? Isn't it dangerous for a lady to walk alone?" he asked.
"Ch! Don't call me a "lady"...I hate it..." she remarked.
"Sumimasen..." he apologized.
"Demo...I'm not heading anywhere...I've got nowhere to go..." she continued.
The four looked at her for some time. She wasn't paying attention to them at all. She was deep in thought, a few seconds after that, she unconsciously unwrapped the towel she wrapped her hair with, and revealed her silver waist-length hair.
All of them looked at it, filled with amazement. Then, she realized that they were staring at her the whole time. She saw the expressions on their faces, but wasn't surprised by it. She was used to it. She even experienced worse.
"Heh...looks like neither of you have seen someone like me before..." she smirked. "Of course you haven't...someone like me is kind of "rare" to find..." she placed the towel on her shoulders.
None of them said anything. They didn't know what to say. The blonde seemed to know something, though.
"At least it'll be easier for me to explain now..." she continued. "My family and me once lived in a village...they respected my father...demo...the villagers hated me and okasan..." her voice drifted off.
Her father was a fighter, one of the best in the village. He was well respected and loved because of his kindness towards the villagers, as well as his courage to protect them. In his free time, he likes to stroll in the forest not far from the village. It was said the forest was enchanted, therefore, only a few dared to enter it. He would stroll in this forest, but never got far. One afternoon, he didn't realize he went deeper than his usual strolls. When he realized it, he was already lost. He tried to find his way out, but failed. The day grew darker. He decided to rest and try again in the morning. As he looked for shelter for the night, he noticed something not far from where he was. He cautiously approached it, and discovered a woman badly injured lying in front of him. She had a wavy, pale-golden waist-length hair. Her eyes were dark blue, pale skin, and cheery-pink lips.
He helped treat her wounds, and took care of her through the night. She told him that she and her colleagues were just returning to their village, when suddenly, bandits attacked them. She got terribly wounded and was abandoned because they believed she had no hope of surviving. He said it was very harsh for her colleagues to do so, but she protested. It was one of the rules in her village. He decided to bring her back to his village to aid her, though he didn't know how. To his surprise, she knew how to get out of the forest easily. Of course, that was because she was used to walking into that forest ever since she was very young. They were cautious not to encounter any villagers from his village, though, because they were very different, and feared to cause trouble to both villages. But now, she had no choice...
As time passed by, they fell in love and got married. The villagers didn't like the idea, but he didn't care of what the villagers said. He knew very well whom she was, and she wasn't like what the villagers described at all. She tried to be kind to the villagers, but they seemed to fear her. Only animals and children loved her, and of course, her husband as well.
"Okasan is an elf...therefore, the villagers believed that she was evil and would put a curse on them all..." she continued. "When I was born...the villagers grew more frightened than ever...because they thought I would bring chaos..." she paused and continued. "When I was twelve, my father was told to go to war...and died...after that...everything changed for the worst..." she smiled bitterly. "The villagers decided to take action against me and okasan... One night, they burned our house... Okasan managed to save me...but she didn't manage to save herself... The villagers didn't know I was still alive, because I promised okasan to run away...run away from there...no matter what happens..." she ended with a painful sigh. "True, there were times I thought of killing myself...demo...it is not easy to die..." she smirked.
The air seemed stiff, silent. Then, Hakkai opened his mouth to speak.
"Hai...you're right...it is hard to die..." he spoke softly, then, smiled.
She looked deep into his green eyes. It told her he understood how she felt, so did the others, except the young one, with brown hair and golden eyes. But somehow, she felt comforted. She turned to face the one with red eyes again. His gaze was into the fire, but she knew he understood her best.
"He must have had a similar experience..." she thought.
"Annou...ojyosan?" Hakkai began.
"Teme...how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that??? Call me Rio!" she clenched her right fist.
"Err...ha! Ha! Sumimasen...Rio-san...demo...since you've introduced yourself...let us introduce ourselves..." Hakkai smiled. "Watashi wa Hakkai, Cho Hakkai desu...demo, just call me Hakkai."
"Heh! Normally, I wouldn't give my name for no reason...demo, I'll always introduce myself to a lady..." The one with red eyes and hair grinned. "Gojyo, Sha Gojyo desu. Call me Gojyo."
"Watashi wa no namae Goku desu!" The boys with golden eyes cheerfully introduced himself.
The blonde was leaning under a tree, smoking. He acted as if he didn't hear any of the conversation they were having. He didn't feel like saying much...like he always does...
"Gome...annou...that's Sanzo. I hope you don't mind him...he is always like that..." Hakkai apologized.
"Iie...daijobu desu...hajime mashite, minna san..." she gave a nod.
"Hai, hai...hajime mashite..." Hakkai bowed back.
"Heh...it's kind of cold out here...would you like me to keep you warm? I'm really good at -" Gojyo froze at a sound of a click. Sanzo has aimed his 'Shoureiju' right at his head.
"...Do you want to die so badly, Gojyo???" he threatened.
"Err...no thanks..." Gojyo showed his hand in surrender.
"Then behave..." he put his weapon away. "It's getting late...all of you get some rest. We're moving out early tomorrow..." Sanzo ordered.
"Hai, hai...oyasumi, minna san..." Hakkai smiled gently and went inside his sleeping bag.
The other two did the same. They knew better than to argue with Sanzo... Sanzo too, finished the last cigarette in his mouth, leaned against the tree. He glanced at her for a few seconds, staring into the fire, and then tried to get some shut-eye. She was deep in thought. She remembered her painful past, the sweet memories of her and her family...everything...
She closed her eyes and let out a painful sigh. She then lay down on the grass and stared at the constellation at the sky. They were glittering beautifully, as if trying to cheer her up. She grinned at that thought, and soon fell asleep.