Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki... I wish I did but I don't :D

Hey everyone - I've finally decided to post up my fanfic for Saiyuki... I dunno if it's any good but if people like it, I'll post up cahpter two etc. Please, all critisms are welcome and reviews would be appreciated lol. Thanks!! Enjoy!!

CHAPTER ONE: NEW PLACES, OLD FACES

GOJYO'S POINT OF VIEW

"Man! I love this city!" I pipe up suddenly, breaking the silence. I hate silence. I mean, come on, we're given tongues and voices for a reason – were meant to use them! Okay, okay, I can be a bit too loud and exuberant at times, but hey, that's my personality. You don't like it, you don't listen to me – that's my motto! Ha, if only that stupid priest took that advice… mind you, he probably would be completely silent then… why am I treating this as a bad thing?!

"You love every city we go to, Gojyo," Hakkai replied, giving me the raised eyebrow look. Dude, however much I like Hakkai, he is one giant moment killer! Hakkai: Moment Killer… I like it. Maybe I should get him a badge or something…?

"I've been to Suzako City before," I tell him, not liking to be doubted. Everyone ignores me. Fine, be like that then! Okay, the next town we visit, I will so make their lives a living hell! Sanzo, you are number one on my list. They're gonna get so pissed when I annoy them constantly!

With a new happy feeling spreading though me, I jump out of Jeep and land on the dusty ground with a thump. I straighten and look over to my companions, waiting for them to shift their asses. You would've thought they'd be as excited as me – new town, new people – but no. What's wrong with these people?!

"Come on," I say, pushing them. "I wanna go into town!"

They finally climb out of Jeep – Sanzo taking his time deliberately. Piece of shit priest! The one time I'm actually excited about transition, he goes and plays down the moment! Transition… since when do I use words like that? God, I've spent too long with these guys. Right, after all this is over, I'm taking a long vacation somewhere far, far away. Preferably with a beach, a lounger, a good supply of alcohol and plenty of chicks…

"Jesus, you're becoming like Goku when he sees food," Sanzo mutters matter-of-factly, breaking my happy 'vacation' thoughts. He gives me his annoyed look, the same kinda look he gives when he's impatient.

"Hey! What did I do?" Goku questions, his voice going high-pitched.

Sanzo ignores him and turns away, looking more interested in the houses to his left. Goku puffs out his cheeks in annoyance, while Hakkai let newly transformed Jeep sit on his shoulder.

You gotta feel sorry for the little guy sometimes – anyone can see he adores Sanzo, and yet, Sanzo hardly batters an eyelid in his direction. Well, obviously, he'd help out if he was in trouble – hell, why would he save Goku from imprisonment in the first place, if he didn't like him a little – but letting him know that he even 'likes' him proves far too low for him to stoop!

"Fuck off, Sanzo," I say, turning on my heel.

With my hands in my pockets, I start walking along the dusty road towards, from what I remember, the market place should – no, would – be. I turn the corner and get to a dead end. Damn. I turn around, hoping that no one saw me. Yeah, I know I'm probably the king of stupid decisions, as Sanzo kindly reminds me most days, but being seen taking a corner to a dead end is just too stupid! No one's there. Thank God.

I start walking back the way I came, back onto the road. I hear footsteps behind me, but I'm more interested in the fresh fruit smell which is wafting towards me. The market must be around here! Goku jumps by my side and catches the smell.

"Is that… melon?" he said slowly, sniffing the air. I shrug my shoulders and continue following the road past a number of terraced houses and modernized cottages, remembering them simultaneously. "No, wait… that's-that's melons, oranges, papayas and…" He sniffs again. "Lemons!" He hugs himself as if he'd entered his food fantasy.

"Lemons?" I say sarcastically, looking at him quizzically. He nods happily, a smile suddenly painted over his face. "Uh, you realize you can't eat lemons, right Goku?"

"Why not?" I can't believe I'm having this conversation. He must be really, really stupid! Stupider than me when I'm drunk – and that can be pretty dumb sometimes! God, being imprisoned must have knocked the sense out of him or somethin…? Or maybe being looked after by Sanzo – or, neglected more like – deprived him of his common sense? If he had any to begin with that is… little idiot…

"Cos they're all sour and, uh… look, you just can't eat lemons!" I reply, throwing my hands up in despair – as you can tell, I'm not always great with words. "You stupid monkey."

"Can't or won't?" he replies, giving me the slanted eye look. What?!

I pause, looking him up and down. "Are you callin me chicken?" I say, angry that he'd even hint that at me.

He crosses his arms and turns his head. "Maybe I am," he replies, picking up my angry tone and arguing back. You have to admit though; it's kinda cute him trying to fight back when he knows he won't win. Besides, I'm older. Hot damn! No I'm not! Bloody 500 years imprisonment!

"Name me one person you know that eats lemons!" I retort. We stop walking as I stare angrily at him, waiting his reply. Little pillock. If he thinks he can make me look like a pussy, I swear I'll kill him! Whether we're in public or not! Anyway, no one eats lemons.

He stands there, one hand on his chin, looking thoughtfully to the side. I put my hands on my hips impatiently. This is such a waste of time! I wanna get to the market place to see if it's changed since I'd last been here. Come on, I have to be a little curious! I haven't been here in years… can't remember how many, but it's been a long time. Man, I wonder if that random crazy casino guy is still here…?

Smack. Ouch! What da?! "If you love birds are done, we'd like to find an inn before it gets dark," Sanzo says cuttingly, yet in a bored tone, as he puts away his paper fan. He pushes ahead of us, his golden hair shining in the setting sun.

Goku and I turn to him with annoyed expressions. Stupid son of a bitch. One of these days I'm gonna get my own paper fan for, no, not idiots, but purely for Sanzo! Gay control freak. Anyone can hit a guy around the head with a paper toy! One day, Gojyo, one day. Picture it and calm down… that's it… No, I can't do it! Hakkai was right, as usual, I am not a calm person. Man, I'm probably the source of all my pain… I blame Sanzo. Arrogant prick.

Hakkai comes up behind me and places his hand on my shoulder. "Ignore him," he says quietly. He gives me a look and then continues walking along.

Goku sticks his tongue out at Sanzo's back and then jumps by Hakkai's side and starts with his 'I'm hungry' routine. Goku is one weird kid. His short-term memory is like a flippin sieve; at least my memory is pretty good – I just get distracted easily. …And the stupid monkey is always hungry! Bloody high-maintenance animal – hey, he suits Sanzo! Ha! Note to self: tell Sanzo that when this is over, or if he's in a deep coma… basically, anytime he can't hurt me!

I let out a frustrated sigh and kick the dusty road, then start walking again, all the time picturing the day I beat Sanzo at verbal abuse. Yeah, I know, I'm sad, but what else is there in this life that I know I have to look forward too? Nothing. It's stupid to think too far ahead cos you'll only be disappointed when you do get there – what's happenin now is the most important.

I catch up with the guys quickly – Goku wanting to look at every minute detail! We stop at the top of a slope, where we can look down upon the market place. I push Goku out of the way to get a better view. I ignored Goku as he fell with a thump, onto the ground – talk about overreacting! Wait-

"What the?!" I say suddenly. Everything around me cuts out, but I'm aware that the guys are looking at me randomly. I snap out of 'shock' mode shaking my head. "It's like a flipping ghost town compared to last time I was here! What the hell happened?!" They continue giving me strange looks.

Down the hill, where the centre of town was, a few stalls stood. Hardly any of the locals are out – I've counted six down there, excluding the stall owners. Okay, I know that since the Minus Wave, some people completely freaked and stayed locked indoors for ages, but this is just stupid! This place didn't even have that many youkai in the first place!

"Um, Gojyo?" Hakkai asks. He looks at me with concern, not looking at me like I'd completely lost it like the others have.

I shake my head and turn back to them, my arms raised in the air in alarm. "This used to be a great place! Loads of people, loads of stalls! Something has happened since I was here last!"

"The Minus Wave?" Goku pipes up.

I shake my head from side to side. "I doubt it; there was always a small amount of youkai here, too small to make such an impact on this place."

"You never know, Gojyo, more youkai could of arrived during the time period you weren't here," Hakkai pointed out. That made sense actually. What's stopping this place from changing as soon as I leave it? Millions of em' could of come by now! Man I'm so stupid sometimes… or just plain ignorant…

There's a silence for a moment as I stare at the near empty market place, wondering who or what could of changed this place so much – I mean, come on, this place wasn't exactly the best place to live! Sure, there are some pretty houses and plenty of social events and places to enjoy, but the amount of bad-asses and hot chicks here were phenomenal, but they were harmless at heart. They never did anything to bad, now I think of it… there were quite a lot of fights, but there were hardly any killings. Basically, I fit in here perfectly, that's why I stayed here a while, instead of just passing aimlessly through.

Sanzo starts walking again, heading down to the market place. Automatically, Goku jumps off after him – so predictable – as did Hakkai, who gave me a lingering look before heading off after them. I know what he meant. Sometimes, I'm really happy he's with us – he always looks out for you and, well, does the washing, which I hate – but he can be so mothering. Too mothering. I hate that… it reminds me of the childhood I should have had…

"Are you gonna' stand there looking gormless all day, or do I have to start shooting at you to move?" Sanzo shouted at me.

"Jeez, what is wrong with you?" I reply quietly, stuffing my hands deep into my pockets. "I'm only thinking, stupid priest…" He gives me a glare, obviously hearing my muttering, but then I start walking again.

Normally, I would take this challenge of verbal abuse – okay, I know, it's because I hate losing, especially to him, at anything – but I'm too shocked by the change in the town to start thinking up any good come backs. Man, when did I become so thoughtful?!

"Now where's an inn…?" Hakkai says under his breath, probably to himself, as he looks around. He glances at me and look along the street as we walk. I swear there's an inn around here somewhere… no wait, isn't there one along Parable Street… maybe there's one down Whitechapel Street… oh I dunno! It's been too long since I was last here! Why would I memorize where all the inns are anyway?!

"I'm hungry," Goku pipes up, looking up at Hakkai.

"When aren't you?" I say, smiling. I hit him round the back of his head as I pass him.

"Hey! You won't get away with-" he replies, puffing out his cheeks.

"I can't hear you, monkey." I raise my hand in the air as if blocking him.

"But you cut me off mid-sentence!" I can't believe annoying him is so easy! Ha ha! "You must have been listening to me!"

"Okay, I lied. I'm deliberately not 'hearing' you," I retort, smiling.

"I believe the term is: 'selective hearing'," Hakkai chimes in, smiling as usual.

I see Sanzo in the corner of my eye, getting out his paper fan. I'm tempted to run over there unexpectantly and rip it from his hands and hit him with it! But I don't. Okay, I'm gonna face up to it: I'm not confident enough to do that yet or have a good and well-planned escape route ready. Damn my memory!

"Come on, there's a stall over there," I say, motioning for Goku to catch up to me. He gives me a weird look but then shrugs it off and, obediently, runs to join me. Don't give me that look; I haven't gone soft on the monkey or anything…

I hear Sanzo grunt behind me. Gutted. Look, if I'm not allowed to hit him with the paper fan, I've gotta have some fun elsewhere… mainly, taking any of Sanzo's chances to hit any of us with that stupid toy of his! Ha! I turn and see his annoyed face. Well, I feel better now!

I walk with Hakkai and Goku to the blue and white stripped food stall, Sanzo trailing moodily behind us. I watch as Goku's eyes light up when he sees the variety of fruits and steaming soup trays.

"Ooh! I told you I smelt melons, Gojyo!" Goku cries, eyeing everything. "Can we have some of that, Hakkai? Oh, oh, can we have some oranges too?" Hakkai just smiles and ignores him while he started filling a paper bag with a variety of fruits, for a small amount of money.

Realizing that Hakkai is ignoring him politely, he turns to Sanzo, who is watching them from behind – at a fair distance of course. "Can we have some lemons, Sanzo?" Sanzo takes a puff from his cigarette and turns away, paying incredible detail to the houses lining the street. Typical. Goku goes back to pestering Hakkai again. Again, typical.

I shake my head from side to side as I lean against the opposite wall, lighting another cigarette. This is the time I agree with Sanzo to spend a certain amount on food – well, if you gave Goku food every time he asked and in the quantity it takes to fill him (or stop him complaining), you'd be broke in a matter of hours!

Hakkai walks over to me after paying the stall man type thing – look, I don't know what they're called! There's an awkward silence – I've never been in one before, it's too weird! I open my mouth, ready to sound anything that comes to mind, being the way I am, but Goku breaks it suddenly, shocking us all. What da?!

I watch with one eyebrow raised as he starts jumping from one foot to the other, shaking his hands like they've got something disgusting on them, with his eyes clenched shut, like when you're in a movie and don't wanna see something scary – no, I'm not gonna share that experience, that's way too embarrassing, even for me!

Goku sticks out his tongue. "I-don't-like-lemons," he splutters. What?! The idiot! I told him he couldn't eat lemons just a few minutes ago! Stupid bloody monkey!

Hakkai has that typical 'uh' expression and Sanzo is… well, normal Sanzo. We're starting to receive odd looks off the people who are in the street with us. Jesus! Take a picture! Hey, wait a sec, why am I getting annoyed with them? Damn you Goku! Look, I know I've always received odd looks because of my inheritance, but never for anything embarrassing… well, when I'm not completely pissed, that is-

I turn quickly to the left and look. Something's caught my eye, but I'm not quite sure what it was… God, I'm cracking up! Wait… Something started stirring in my memory. What the? Okay, what are the chances of meeting them again? Hm… Maybe it's not the same person and I'm just seeing what I want to see… Well, how many women don't I want to see? Now, what's her name…?

Sanzo sighs impatiently, breaking me from my thoughts. Damn him! The name was just in front of me and he pulled me away just before I reached it! Meh, it'll come to me…

"Eat this, Goku, it'll get rid of the lemon taste," Hakkai soothed, handing the little dude a piece of fruit from the paper bag in his arm. Goku put his hands before his mouth and shook his head. "Goku, papaya isn't going to hurt you."

Papaya? Hm, that sounds familiar… well, of course it's a fruit, I know, but it sounds similar to something… Oh damn, what is it? Papaya. Papaya. Pap- "Kya!" I say out loud. Everyone turns to stare at me with odd looks. There's an awkward silence. Uh, okay, I don't like this – stop looking at me! "Uh, I, um, just remembered something is all." Goku goes back, on cue, back to refusing to eat the papaya and Hakkai trying to convince him otherwise – thank God! Phew.

"A memory?" Sanzo asks, giving me, well, his usual passive look. Is this compassion? I don't say anything, freezing almost, as his words release another memory of mine…

Jeid… It was obvious what I'd been nightmaring about – well, what else would I have experienced at that young age, which would have scared the shit out of me? – but he asked me anyway. He was always good that way. He always made my life as bearable as possible, as normal as possible. Why did my childhood have to be so crap? You know, I reckon, because of those things, I act the way I do. Hey, maybe I could have been semi normal? Hah! What would be the fun in that? Actually, I'm kinda happy how I am-

Smack. What da?! I turn and stare at Sanzo and watch him, with my evil side-ways glance look, return his paper fan inside his dazzling, white robes. "What the hell was that for?!"

"It looked as if your brain had frozen," Sanzo replied, crossing his arms uninterestingly.

"So you think hitting me is gonna help?!"

"You're back to normal now." I hate him so much! But he had a point…

"Cut the wise-cracks, piece of shit priest!" I raise my hands in frustration. Hakkai and Goku stop their play-fighting and turn back to us.

"Hm, maybe I need to hit you harder," he replied, more to himself than anyone else, putting a finger to his chin in a thoughtful sense. "You're brain still isn't working at full capacity… or maybe you were born like it."

"The only thing not working at 'full capacity' is you, twat!" I retort. I give him the death glare – If only looks could, no, would, kill.

Suddenly, he was standing right in front of me, his gun pressing into my stomach. "Wanna say that again, cockroach?" he says quietly, yet dangerously. Bloody hell! I didn't even see him move!

"Uh, you're alright," I say, pulling the most innocent face I can. Can I be innocent? Hm, I'll have to have a look in the mirror, next time I have one. Meh.

I smile gingerly. He pulls away from me, retracting his gun, and walks ahead of me. Idiot priest – he thinks he can push people about just because he has a gun! Dude, open your eyes, we all have weapons! Stupid, gay, idiotic, bastard…

"Ooh! Ooh!" Goku pipes up suddenly, jumping in front of me and pointing randomly down the street. How did I guess the attention would go back to him?

"What do you want now, monkey?" I ask. Man, my mood has spiraled downwards since this morning. Personally, I blame Sanzo. Dude, do not piss me off now, stupid monkey, cos it's seriously a death wish this very moment in time!

"There's an inn! An inn!" he replies, like, super happy.

I wave my hands to stop him repeating himself. "Okay, okay, I got it." Does he think I'm dumb or something? What, now Goku's on my case too? Today is totally not good for Scorpio's! I may not always say the most intelligent things or do what's right, but I'm NOT GODDAMN DEAF! Gay people!

"Looks like Sanzo beat you to it, Goku," Hakkai says, pointing towards Sanzo, who was heading in the direction of the swinging inn sign. See what I mean?! Hakkai: Moment Killer! Hah, I'm not crazy!

Mind you, where did that sign come from? I squint and make sure that I'm not seeing things. It is. Damn, I swear that wasn't there before! Okay, okay, maybe I'm not going deaf or crazy, I'm going blind instead!

Goku puffs out his cheeks angrily and hunches his shoulders and then solemnly starts walking after Sanzo. Hah, he cracks me up sometimes. Note to self: beat Goku to something and then video tape his reaction. Hm, I wonder how much I could get if I sold it on E-Bay? Well, then you've gotta ask yourself who would buy it? Probably weirdo's who have no lives and spend their entire lives wrapped in the internet… Goku, you are gonna make me a mint!

We stop walking when we reach the inn, as we wait for 'his highness' to put out his cigarette. Stupid priest – since when did we have to wait for him? As I recall, no one elected him as leader! And he thinks I'm a waste of space-

My eye catches a familiar sight and all my other thoughts are pushed to the back of my brain. "Kya…" I say, the first time fully matching the face and name together without being interrupted or bugged by anyone. My trance heightens as she catches my eye and then turns and walks away. No, don't walk away…

"Uh, Gojyo?" Hakkai says, waving a hand in front of my eyes.

"Wha?" I answer, snapping back to reality.

"The inn?" he says, pointing at the door which Sanzo is leaning against impatiently, cigarette missing from his hand.

"Uh," I start, shaking my head. Oh brilliant answer Gojyo, just great. Now they don't just think you're an annoying freak, they think I'm a complete idiotic fool with an attention span of a spoon! "I just saw someone I used to know, is all." They don't look convinced for some odd reason – what, so they don't trust me now or somethin?!

"A woman?" Goku asks innocently, nodding his head.

"Why does everyone seem to think that all I think about is women?!" I snap.

"Cos' it normally is," Goku replies matter-of-factly, a sly smile forming. Hakkai laughs.

"Rhetorical question, nimrod!" I smack Goku round the back of the head. Stupid, ignorant monkey! Why do people always judge me?! Okay, women take up most of my thoughts, but that isn't the point! I can't help being a man, that's how we're all made, for Pete's sake! Stupid attractions to the opposite sex – it's natural and people think it's a fucking sin!

"Ow!" Goku shouts, rubbing his head. "Fine, so what were ya' thinking about then?" All eyes turn to me again and I start feeling that familiar hemmed-in start to spread through me. My thoughts feel as if they're going as fast as watching paint dry.

I stare at him hard. "None of your fuckin' business, monkey!" He jumps back and puts up his hands in defense. His face is a picture – it looks like he's wet his pants! Ha ha! That'll teach ya' for poking ya' flippin nose in my business!

"No, please, enlighten us all," Sanzo says sarcastically, not giving any of us eye contact. "We have all the time in the world, apparently."

"You wanna' start too, Sanzo?" I snap. Okay, intimidating Sanzo is not gonna be easy. Actually, now I think of it, I don't think I've ever seen Sanzo intimidated before. Hm, there's a first time for everything I suppose… Damn it, Gojyo, you're drifting off again. Sanzo says nothing. He doesn't even look at me. "Say something for God's sake!" He stays silent! Damn it, he really knows how to push my buttons!

He stands there another moment and then opens the door, to the inn, and disappears inside. "Hey!" I shout. "I'm not finished with you yet, you stupid son of a bitch!" There's no reply. The gay lord!

Hakkai shrugs his shoulders when I turn to him and then follows into the inn. The time I need someone to say something, no one says anything! My sodden luck today! Goku's still here though, standing quite far away from me, looking at me warily. Dude, I only shouted at you, it's not like I stole a favourite toy away and ripped its head off in front of you, or anything! Although… that does sound like fun… does Goku have a stuffed toy?

"So, what's this woman like?" Goku asks. I stare at him angrily. Suddenly, the anger starts to slip away. I replay his words in my mind and hear no hint of sarcasm. Maybe I'm the one in the wrong here – dude, what is wrong with me?!

"Why'd you wanna know?" I answer, as uninterested as possible, paying more attention to the dusty ground. Why am I so obsessed with looking macho to a monkey? Why am I so obsessed with looking macho altogether? Maybe, instead of a long vacation, I should take some time out to sort my head out. Hey, maybe then I'll have more chances of making it in this world? But then, was there any chance to begin with?

"Gojyo?" Goku asks, bringing me back again. I look up at him, showing him I'm listening, for once in my life.

"Sorry dude, I drifted again," I say. Why am I telling him this? There must be a leak on my brain or something… I really need my head sorted!

"What's the woman like?" he asks again, with the same interest as before, like a child at story-time. I sigh and check inside the inn's window, making sure Hakkai and, most of all, Sanzo were still inside. They were, thank God. The last thing I want is Sanzo hearing me sharing 'woman stuff' with the monkey – hey, I don't wanna look like I've gone soft!

"Well, she's tall, uh, slim-"

"What's her eye colour?"

"Uh, blue-"

"Light blue?"

"Sorta, uh, like the ocean. Why-"

"What's her hair like?"

"Dark blonde-"

"Blonde?" I nod. "Like Sanzo?"

"Uh, kinda darker, why-"

"Is it curly or straight?"

I sigh loudly, angry that he keeps stopping me before I finish. Who does he think he is anyway?! Stupid monkey! Look, he would be the first one to complain if it were I who was cutting him off! Maybe I should try it on him and see how he likes it!

Why does he wanna know anyway? Why don't I just ask him?! "Why do ya wanna know anyway?" I ask calmly, but with a hint of anger in my voice – hopefully enough to give him warning of my slipping patience.

"Meh," is his reply. He closes his eyes and shrugs his shoulders happily. I must stay calm. I will stay calm. Damn you Goku! You are really pushing my patience to its limits!

"Meh?" I say. He nods. I sigh and turn away, trying to think about something other than the million ways of killing him! Jesus today is definitely not good for Scorpio's!

You know, it's been years since I was last here. Too long. I actually really liked it here. People were, like, way more accepting here than anywhere else I've been to, and this is a place with hardly any youkai's! I was a rarity but people treated me as an equal. As much as I say I 'don't need people's respect', I do. I love the fact that you earn it and people remember it and treat you better… it's like you truly deserve it then.

I must've been about 19 when I first came here, you know. Man, I have not changed a bit since then! Ha! I wonder what everyone would say if I saw them again? Hang on, maybe they're still here – I'll slip away tonight and have a wander. Well, I have seen Kya – at least I think it was Kya anyway – so that's a good sign. …I wonder if she has a boyfriend?

"Man, she was hot…" I mutter to myself. I stop. Wait, did I just say that out loud?! I turn to the monkey, trying to look as if I meant to say it out loud. Please, buy the look… the last thing I want is the monkey going off and tellin Sanzo stupid stuff like this – I would never be able to live it down!

"What?" Goku asks, his face twisted with confusion and a smile. Damn it, he heard me!

"She was hot," I say as if there's nothing to it. He looks at me randomly, like he knows something I'm not letting on. Okay, Gojyo, go with the flow. He's not that intelligent so it'll be easy, just keep your head. "What?" He shakes his head from side to side, smiling. "What? She was!"

"In what way?" he asks kinda sneakily, continuing to smile at me cheekily.

Okay, he is one weird kid! Why is he so interested anyway? Nosy freak. Mind you, I have this huge urge to say exactly what's on my mind… no, I need to control the urge… Gojyo! You are a grown man, control yourself! Damn me for being boastful!

"She had some great legs on her," I say nodding, picturing her in mind. Wow, I'm glad I got that off my chest – I feel much better now! Goku gives me 'the' look. Come on, who's he kidding?! It's not like he honestly understands why I find women attractive – Jesus, he's the one we had to explain the birds and the bees too!

There's a brief moment of silence. Goku continues looking at me oddly. I don't say anything – look, the dude can stare until his eyes fall out, I told him something and he has to take it as a man. Suddenly, Goku starts to laugh. What? It's my turn to give him the odd look. Okay, he's officially lost it! He laughs louder. What the fuck?

"I'm glad you remember something about me," a voice sounds behind me. Uh… I wheel around on my heels and come face to face with a woman, her hands on her hips and her ocean blue eyes staring at me evilly. Shit on a cracker! "Although I would've of preferred if you'd remembered something other than my womanly assets." Oh Jesus!

Goku's laughing harder in the background. Note to self: kill him later and leave town as fast as I possible. This is all I need! Now I have a gay priest who's up himself, a man who thinks he's my mother and a stupid monkey with serious issues and… a very pissed off, hot-bodied friend. Ground, swallow me up now, please!

I raise my hand. "Hi, Kya," I say quietly, smiling. She continues staring at me with her pissed expression. Damn, I was seriously hoping to meet up with my old pals and having a blast… I really screwed that up! "It's good to see you again!" Yes, continue the happy act, like nothing happened…

Smack. I open my eyes a moment later and find that I'm on the ground. Ow, my head! I look up and see Kya still standing there, her arms crossed, giving me the biggest evil I think anyone could pull off without actually turning to the dark side! Man, I forgot how strong she could be at times! Shit, that hurt!

"My legs are happy to see you too, Gojyo," she replies, looking away angrily. What the fuck do I say now?! I look at Goku, as if he could help me, but he's literally on the floor laughing still.

Suddenly, the inn door opens and Hakkai and Sanzo file out. Damn luck! They look down at me and then their eyes wander to the girl standing next to me.

"Uh?" Hakkai says. Sanzo raises his eyes at me, surprised.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'll be fine," I say out loud, getting up off the ground. I brush myself off and turn to my companions – they're more fixated on the girl than me. Some friends they are! Actually, they're probably more fixated on the fact that she managed to get me on the ground… why does that sound wrong when I say it?!

I look Kya up and down as if asking her: who do you think you are?! But her expression doesn't change – damn, she's still pissed – okay, I don't expect her expression to change just because I'm giving her evils. Truth be told, she looks almost exactly the same as I left her… okay, she's dyed the underneath of her flowing dirty blonde hair black, and I think she's grown a cup size… damn it, Gojyo, stay on focus! Jesus, heaven help me if the enemy starts using cute girls as decoys!

Sanzo breaks the awkward silence by clicking his lighter, lighting another cigarette – man, he's almost as bad as me and my smokes! Thank you Sanzo! The silence is over! Okay, he obviously didn't do it deliberately because, as usual, he doesn't seem at all interested, but still!

"Thanks, you were a star," Kya says suddenly, moving over to Goku, putting money into his hand. I turn to look, with one eyebrow raised. Okay, this is turning out to be one weird day!

Goku stares at the money in his hand, like when he sees food – dude, it's just money for God's sake! Hang on, is this jealousy I hear? Damn! Suddenly, Goku jumps into the air smiling, repeating: "Yey!" over and over again, until Sanzo gave him an annoyed look.

"What?!" I say, my expression turning even more confused. She just gives me a passive yet annoyed expression.

"I'm paying him, Gojyo, what's it look like?" she says, placing her hands on her hips again. She's kinda cute when she's annoyed, you know, when she puts her hands on her slim hips like that… Stop it, Gojyo! Control yourself! "Complete and utter nimrod!"

I hear Hakkai snigger behind me. I turn and give him the best evil I can come up with, but it doesn't work – why doesn't it work on him?! Stupid Hakkai – damn you! Sanzo smirks, his eyes lingering on Kya briefly, before finding something else to occupy himself with in the distance.

"I don't know why your smirking, Sanzo!" I snap. He takes his time, not once altering his expression, pulling his cigarette away from his mouth, blowing a huge puff of smoke swirling towards the sky.

"I feel sorry for you, Gojyo," he says. We all look at him, wondering what on earth he means – okay, well, unless he was hit on the head inside the inn with a heavy object (not a bad idea actually) and he's become a more compassionate and kind version, which is very unlikely… but not impossible… hm…

"What d'ya mean?" I ask, oddly confused.

"Being beaten by a girl, physically… and mentally," he replies, still smirking. "It must be terribly embarrassing for you, being in public and all." I growl at him as I slant my eyes – he is just inviting me over there to knock him out!

"Keep your nose out of this, priest!" I shout. Sanzo looks straight into my eyes and then turns away uninterestingly – man, what is his problem?!

Hakkai places a hand on my shoulder, meaning to calm me. "Uh, Gojyo, people are starting to stare." Stupid Sanzo. Stupid town. Stupid… everything! I hate today! Why do they have to be against me? This time, I didn't actually do anything!

"I don't care," I snap, crossing my arms and generally putting on an angry air. Let them stare. See if I care. People have been staring at me since the day I was born – get over it!

"Aw, Gojyo, you haven't changed a bit, have you?" Kya cooed, sensing my uneasiness.

She changed her expression to one I was more familiar with – okay, technically, I have seen her angry and extremely pissed off that she ended up knocking out two bulky boxers; but it's more the fact that I draw from her moods, so her being angry makes me angry, you see? Jesus, and everyone reckons that girls only suffer from mood-swings!

I try to continue looking pissed off, but I fail miserably. Damn her! It's been too long since we've last met for me to hold a grudge over something so stupid. I half-smile. She smiles. Before my brain can kick in, she moves forward and I pull her into a tight hug.

It's good to be back.