Title: The Forgotten Memories
By: Rachel Hunter
Summary: If you have read The Forgotten Memories of emerald-wind, you have read mine.
Rating: General. A mix of this and that.
Disclaimer: The Saiyuki gang isn't mine. They are all Minekura Kazuya's. (I'm so jealous!) But Shinguji Shimara is. And Shi Mou Rou is emerald-wind's.
Author's Note: Well, as my partner is terribly busy, I decided to post up this story again, complete with updates.
As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.
Go on… read…and enjoy!
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CHAPTER ONE: INSTINCT
It was raining, and what a heavy downpour it was. Raindrops splattered mercilessly on every unfortunate, exposed surfaces, accompanied by the rumbling of thunder and flashes of lightning. It was raining so heavily that one could see no more than 3 feet. With the enraged howling of a chilly wind and the rolling of thunder and the noise of the raindrops as they impacted on the surfaces, one could hear almost nothing else. It was during such rainy day, or night, rather, that Sanzo and Hakkai would shatter into pieces, especially Sanzo, who would became twice as dark, cold, moody and frightening, like the rainy night itself.
"Great, this is exactly what I need," Shimara Shinguji muttered under her breath as she dashed through the rain, ignoring the unpleasant squelch of her shoes and her extremely wet clothes clinging onto her skin. "Getting wet and having a ten-fold moody Sanzo to yell his lungs out at me. Sure, rain does bring out bad memories, but so what? It doesn't give him the right to yell at me, or Goku, or anyone else! It is me who is soaking wet, not him!"
She continued to run through the rain, unafraid, undeterred but absolutely pissed off. At the rain. At herself. She would have brought an umbrella along before she left the inn, but she didn't, and here she was, worse than a wet duck. Even if she brought an umbrella, it was no use... she would get wet just the same. The rain... she didn't count on the sky to go all teary tonight, and she didn't want to know what made the angels above so distressed.
"I know I said I like the rain," she berated angrily at herself, pumping her legs harder while hoping not to slip and fall, "But this is ridiculous!"
Just then, it hit her. The deep, sinking feeling that something would go wrong wrenched her stomach and wrapped her heart with dread. A feeling that... a disaster would cometh, but the most frustrating and frightening of it all that she had no idea what the disaster would be, but she knew it would happen. She tried to tell her self that it was just an inane paranoia, but it was no use... she trusted her instincts. Her instincts would never be wrong. And now, even as she was running with all speed towards the direction of the source of her uneasiness, she desperately hoped that she was wrong.
Soon the inn where the Sanzo-ikkou had bunked in came into view. As she neared, the feeling of utter anxiety and dread became stronger.
"No, no, no," she moaned, feeling her chest tightened, "not them! Let it happen to anyone, anything, but not them! Please, let them be alright! Please, don't let me be too late!"
She burst into the inn, dripping wet and panting. Her eyes scanned the area for the Saiyuki boys, who were sitting at a corner drinking hot coffee and munching biscuits, but for some reason her eyes were transfixed on the cup from which Goku was drinking. Before she knew what she was doing, she screamed and lunged for the startled boy.