Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Crimson Craving ❯ Part Eight ( Chapter 8 )

Crimson Craving [Finale R]

Mrs. Rusalki

Standard disclaimers apply.

And I don't understand

By the touch of your hand

I would be the one to fall

The afternoon sun was cooperative. White rays of sunlight penetrating the backs of their clothing provided steady but pleasant warmth that counteracted the coolness of the mountain breeze that blew against their faces. Further down the road, there was a fallen tree that lay parallel with the road. Insects of different species made homes in the places where patches of the tree's bark had peeled off. They seemed to be enjoying the nice day.

Goku munched on some berries that they had gathered from the bushes alongside the mountain trail. One would think that they should've learned after the incident with Sanzou but no, Hakkai had to be amused with Goku's complaints about the sourness of the fruits.

Kougaiji pursed his lips in thought and then he spoke, "Your stomach's going to produce more acids with what you're eating and you'll be hungrier than before."

"Don't worry about him, Kougaiji-san. Goku's stomach is conditioned perfectly. It's timed by the second so feeding him with heavy food now won't matter minutes later."

Kougaiji smirked. Never in his wildest dreams would he have guessed that the Sanzou-ikkou was keeping a high-maintenance trap amongst them. The other three seemed fit-or in Sanzou's case anorexic-enough.

"About the fortress, it's possible for us to be turned away or worse-but no less of a possibility-impart with us some well-placed arrowheads for showing up without any warning. They're a semi-independent band of youkai. I'm certain they know me but the question is: do they have any reverence for my rank?" Kougaiji possessed apparent unease with the facts but he had to hold on to whatever little hope he had to retrieve his subordinate. Hakkai seemed unfazed.

"It's our best-or maybe our only shot isn't it? I do hope Yaone-san is unharmed. What a dank week it has been…"

Goku looked at Hakkai quizzically. "It didn't rain Hakkai. Why do you use the word?"

"It was an expression of discomfort, Goku. I'm fairly sure it's what most of us have been feeling lately."

"My stepmother will fly off the handle if she finds out that we could've easily procured the evil sutra had she not placed me in this personal megillah," Kougaiji said as if he didn't mean it for anyone to hear. Instead of the resentment that was expected in his tone, there was only amusement with the irony of the situation.

Hakkai smiled but it was a good-natured one. "Are you sure you should be sharing this delicate information with us?" (Kougaiji-out of shyness and dignity-didn't share the details of his stepmother's proposition)

"There's nothing you or I can do about it. We're both in a fix with only one way to go."

"You have a point there. But the dream it sounds…"

"Improbable?" Kougaiji ventured.

"To say the least, yes," Hakkai replied.

"Well, it's the only tolerable alternative for me. The story about the fruit is improbable too but I believe it."

"That's very comforting, thank you," Hakkai said.

"Don't take this the wrong way but it's because I know of its story. It's not a new one either. Some years before, the resident doctor found a way to alter a strange fruit's taste and appearance. The result was and I quote, 'an edible amalgam of hatred and desire trapped in a sanguine, addictive pulp.' Back then, I didn't pay any attention to it. The thing sounded like nutritious dope to me and I couldn't find the need or the craving for it. The next thing I know, they were raising a whole grove of it under the care of one Tao Yung, an old acquaintance of my stepmother whose followers remain a part of a stronghold that can handle the marketing of the supposedly prohibited psychedelic foodstuff. There was also a rumor about the use of women's blood for cultivation but I couldn't be sure. It's too gruesome. Besides that part is mostly hearsay. The truth however is that the master's body is festered with parasitic critters that kill his concubines.

"Authorities in villages usually aren't strict when it comes to enforcing precautionary laws for food distribution or human protection as long as people don't die and taxes don't get neglected. I can imagine some of their higher members enjoying the fruit like a good dose of alcohol every once in a while. They have different effects but with the same purpose. That is to open the mind's barricades that prevent the muck from coming in but at the same time, also prevent the muck gathering internally from eking out… a means to keep the flow of things. It was a cruel contrivance of a business to obtain financial support but it worked. Worked too well, I suppose, as a Sanzou developed a fixation for it."

Goku just shrugged. There were too many big words in Kougaij's story that it was impossible to know where to begin asking. As long as Sanzou gets back to normal, he could tolerate the growing vacuum that was his belly.

Hakkai nodded. He understood the other man's point. He had nothing left to ask that Kougaiji would answer so he just kept on driving.

A perishing hope held her in that position. She wanted out but escape was out of the question because the grounds-even if not heavily guarded-had walls that were impossible to scale when empty-handed. She could slip in some poison in the guards' meals and walk out quietly but because of the ties of Gyokumen and Tao Yung, it probably wouldn't take long for the news to reach the empress' pointy ears. And who was going to pay for her actions? Even a fool knows the answer. Charming her way out wasn't a choice either because Hayel had already hinted his fierce loyalty to his master. The master in question gave her only two paths to choose from: come up with an effective medicine or agree to bed with him. Her bluff about her progress increasingly appeared a better choice whenever she thought back to it. Being alive for a few more days was something she learned to be grateful for years ago.

Kougaiji's influence, however, taught her not to resign herself to a fate imposed to her by others. Thus she toiled diligently for the task at hand but try as she might, the right substance to extirpate the infestation bothering Tao Yung remained elusive. Time wasn't in her hands. Fatigue was beginning to assert itself on her. The woman appointed to become her temporary master's concubine still hadn't shown any signs of existence and that just pressured her into working more frantically than ever… which wasn't a good thing. Her talent is a gentle fusion of science, art and sound judgment. It simply wouldn't do if her mind was constantly muddled with threats of imprisonment, violence or death.

She could hardly be blamed for feeling like a choice cut of meat presented for the master's delectation.

The erratic rhythm of acids and oils boiling in different containers made it impossible for her to hear the distant creaking of gates that indicated the entrance of a not so shabby band of three into the premises. The fumes were making her head spin and her heart beat irregularly. She was scared, she was tired and she had fallen asleep.

Panic was the most fundamental ingredient to any anti-romance story.

+++

"Kougaiji-sama, we weren't expecting you…" the lookout on the battlements said as he looked down at the prince who was sitting comfortably with his arms folded over his chest and his legs crossed like a pretty daisy in bloom on a green jeep. His other two companions looked normal enough to be humans but common sense dictated that Kougaiji, a youkai of noble blood would sooner striptease in front of him than enlist the services of two skinny humans. Unless of course their services were… oh, but he remembered the prince wasn't the type to indulge in such unnatural fancies.

"Does that mean I'm unwelcome?" Kougaiji released one hand and looked at it leisurely with an eyebrow raised, intimidating the lookout effectively.

"O-of course not, sir! Please excuse my impudence!" The guard saluted stiffly and proceeded to turn the wheels to open the gates.

Hakkai had to hand it to Kougaiji. The man was an expert at throwing his weight around. A couple of minutes ago, the man seemed too amicable and unconfident to be a part of their enemies' party and here he was, turning the tide on their unprecedented visit to a possibly fierce youkai tribe without compromising a shred of dignity.

Before long, they found themselves entering the castle grounds with Hakkuryu perched on Hakkai's shoulder because the stone paths in the grounds were tailored for the common bipeds only. A servant escorted them to the wing of Tao Yung's quarters but only Kougaiji was permitted to see the master.

"I'll be back shortly. I'll see what I can do about the remedy you're looking for and stay alert for a chance to investigate the place," Kougaiji discreetly told Hakkai.

+++

Dryness was all around her… in the air floating with the dust, on the dragon hide scratching her thighs, in her throat, in her hair etc. She tried to take comfort in knowing that this ordeal would soon be through and she would be enjoying the trappings of heaven's inactivity in a matter of hours.

But wait. She wasn't yet prepared for that. In fact, it seemed that no amount of separation from her divine status could make her miss it. Boredom was eating her. She thought the dead and the sleepers fortunate for having lost their consciousness and were therefore, oblivious to the intangible pains of endless, pointless stillness.

Nothing could bring her back with a smiling face. The lotus blooms couldn't. The still waters of her pond couldn't. Nataku's agonizing silence couldn't. Jiroushin's reverential pestering couldn't. And Kami-sama's sneering face certainly couldn't.

But alas, in the distance she spotted her destination, the final dip in her vacation.

It was easy to sit on the bed and be quiet. He thought that it was even nice but he should lose the shame and the almost-tears that came along with it. Sanzou had made himself scarce since his earlier tirade. Gojyo could make a thing or two about it if he wasn't so sick with worry that Sanzou might find his gun in Goku and Hakkai's room and donate a hole through his head.

'No, he wouldn't do that…' he thought.

Just then, three evenly timed knocks sounded on his door.

'But then again…' He gathered his courage as he got up from the bed-fortunately, fully-dressed this time-and walked to the direction of his doom.

"Good afternoon Gojyo," was her greeting.

He looked down and saw the young face of a woman that looked disturbingly familiar. He racked his brain for her identity. The only basis he had was to imagine her screaming and if he could recall that easily, then there was only one place where they had met before. So he tried and he succeeded.

'Proof of acquaintance established,' he thought. 'Oh shit. There's only one woman that I-'

He made a conscious effort to reach her mind because the gift hadn't kicked in yet but for some strange reason, he couldn't.

"Don't bother with that. It would work as well on me as a juicer would on a banana," she said with a chilling grin.

'She read my mind?!' he thought in panic. 'She's a witch!'

"Yes I read your mind and look moron, I'm not a witch got it? The word doesn't do justice to my talents. If you could just let me in, then I might decide to right your brain… well, as right as it could get anyway."

"What makes you think that I trust you enough to do so?" he asked irately. Still, he couldn't just turn down an opportunity to be cured.

"Either that or you insult me by turning me away that would consequently push me to turn you into a woman. And since we're out here, I have to be discreet so there's only one part of your anatomy that I can turn into a bitch like me." Her voice was so low that he almost believed that he was talking to a sexless being. Although the big breasts that attracted him in the first place said otherwise.

Gojyo made a face and sighed. If this woman could mess with his brain, then what could she not? "If that's the case, you're welcome milady." Gojyo stepped aside to let her in. It was strange but for a moment he felt glad-not happy, just a discernible scintilla of glad-about not being able to read the minds of the people around him.

"How will you cure me?" Gojyo asked while his face was in a pensive frown.

The woman looked at him and kept her silence.

"Well?"

She pouted and then shrugged. "You're fine now. You can have pure uninhibited sex with Sanzou without borrowed thoughts."

That wasn't exactly the reason why he wanted to be cured but who was he to argue? He didn't want to rile her up by acting smart. He drew back his shoulders to inhale a long dismayed breath. "How did you-oh, never mind. I'm guessing I have no other choice but to take your word for it."

She winked before plopping down on Sanzou's bed. "You betcha."

'Damn, she's hot! No wonder I went stupid.'

"You flatter me boy," she said coyly after reading his thoughts and patted the space beside her. "Come sit beside me and we'll talk. I have to let you in on some things before I leave this… er, place."

"How'd you get here?" he asked first.

"Fine, question me," she said haughtily. "But sit here first."

Gojyo was not paranoid but he was cautious. He was not the type to make the same mistake twice so he held his post.

"Reject me, sure. Let's see who'll be peeing differently later on."

His eyes widened. His hand twitched and moved towards his groin when she laughed. This angered him.

"It's so much fun watching you react to a stimulus, Gojyo. By the way, I used the dragon of this hot boy in the forest with your coloring to get here. I'm surprised you still can't name me. Our steamy encounter wasn't the first time that we've met, you know."

"I'm sorry I can't remember but I have to ask whatever happened to giving Sha Gojyo a sexy babe for a fucking stimulus?"

"Tried that already, darling muff-diver and here's where it got us." She chuckled and steadied herself by leaning on one hand before continuing: "Poor Sanzou… I thought you were enjoying all his attention?"

Gojyo turned his head sideways in what seemed like a disgusted shake of his head. He rolled his eyes effectively too and refused to look in her direction. "Unfortunately, I was too preoccupied with little things like, say, survival and hygiene during that time." She was so infuriating that he was beginning to lose his head. His arrant heart's listless beating added to the backdrop of his agitation.

She shrugged noncommittally and then looked out the window. "Thought you'd like it but hey I also make mistakes. After all I'm just a god…"

With these puzzling words, Gojyo turned to look at her only to find a different woman from the one he had let in. "You?"

"The one and only, Kanzeon Bosatsu… on vacation, of course. Otherwise I couldn't have shagged you. I'm in my real form and that means my holiday is over. I should be gone now to perform my duties but if you have questions, I'll entertain them as best as I could. A question roughly makes two people getting tortured. Let's see how good you are to your fellows…"

Gojyo thought hard on this even if he really didn't have to. He didn't care about how long he would delay the Goddess of Mercy though. She had debts to pay to him for her neglect. "Why me?"

"Sanzou's prayers led to this. Believe it or not, he wishes things without knowing he's doing it. I'm breaching a confidentiality contract with this type conversation but since Sanzou isn't much of a believer then, there's hardly any violation being done to him." She laughed again; her laugh was a convulsive sound that seemed to have two timbres. It was creepy. "But anyway, Sanzou didn't directly wish for sex. He wanted something more profound but sex is what his body wants and needs. I should know. Before you, I haven't been getting some for centuries already. Tragic, really. Anyway I-being the great and generous being that I am-bestowed mercy upon Sanzou and his body. And what better way to execute this goal effectively and efficiently by using the most immediate means?"

"How considerate of you," said Gojyo. His expression was deadpan. "Use me without any regard to my interests. It begs the question: is it true that you are the Goddess of Mercy for selected people only?"

"Only for the people I have and never have lain with before, I am." She laughed and it caused him to frown. She spoke again, "But seriously, are you so down now that you feel like I'm toying with you?"

"It's more accurate to say that I feel like the butt of heaven and earth's jokes. I'm tired of being the punch line that gets punched along the lines of injustice. You do know how Sanzou feels about me right now. If thoughts could kill, I'll probably be handing out warm towels in your throne room before you even get there." He hung his head, utterly resigned. Surprisingly his complaints weren't meant to ask for mercy.

She smiled and for the first time, Gojyo's impression of her divinity was definitively settled because of her fleeting, otherworldly smile. "Have you heard of the saying that life is like a wheel? Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. It's impossible to stay in one place just as impossible it is for everyone to be together in one place. It's my job to make sure that the wheel is turning and it's precisely the reason why I have an endless existence. Plus, did you forget that you had to be punished? You invited my wrath by leaving me before morning so you could say that I found a more deserving tool in you than Hakkai. And just so you know there's only one person in this room who's mistaken on Sanzou's emotions. It's not me. I know how my nephew deals with confusion. Badly."

"Nephew? Woman every time you come here, you always manage to make the blood rush to my head [1]." Gojyo finally accepted the seat beside her. He looked at her again, this time more closely. "Nephew?" he repeated and he buried his face in his hands. "Great, my poor abused head…"

"That's divine talent for you dear. My advice: don't let it get to you because sometimes I can't help it. Sanzou being my nephew is a long story that would amount to innumerable suffering souls. Besides, it's irrelevant."

"I can't see how it's irrelevant. After all, he did get up on your wheel first…"

"Gojyo, Gojyo, you should know better than to question the judgments of a god," she warned and wagged her index finger at him while clucking her tongue. Her other hand slipped to Gojyo's waistband and slid a finger around it playfully.

"Oh please no, not right now, ma'am. I'm not in proper working order," Gojyo said with deference and this time he actually meant what he was saying.

She bit her lip and put on an earnest expression. "The word silly goes rather well with boy doesn't it? But it's your decision so that covers it then. Say hello to the other boys for me." That was what she said even though she knew that Gojyo would never speak a word about this conversation again. She leaned in closer to his ear and whispered, "Open the door quietly once I'm gone. Enjoy life here because someday you might find out that heaven's not cut out the way you want it to be. That's why I take vacations." She stood up without touching him and stepped away from the bed. Gojyo thought the moment was sublime. He blinked and he was suddenly alone. Many questions that he felt he should've asked her suddenly came at him.

Ah well, there was nothing he could really do about it. So he followed her orders. Quietly, just as she had told him, he walked over to the door and opened it. When he did, Sanzou came falling sideways in the doorway.

"Gojyo," said Sanzou as casually as he could. He got up, brushing the dust that didn't cling off his robe.

"Hey." Gojyo offered a hand but it was declined.

"I can't have you talking to strange people who are potentially dangerous to my mission."

"I know." He also knew that Sanzou heard everything. Nobody presented any excuses and there weren't any topics that were up for discussion or at least nothing that either was prepared to bring up. They lapsed into an immensely uncomfortable silence.

Sanzou's face contorted to a grimace as he tried to come up with a question that would turn the tables in his favor. He wanted to curse the other man for not cursing him for eavesdropping. Pathetic as it may seem, there was an outline of a speech that he had prepared mentally in case Gojyo lashed out at him. Against his plans, he didn't so Sanzou had to cook up a quick idea so he wouldn't lose face here.

The silence was deadly. It was feeding on him now the way that it had been feeding on him at Goku and Hakkai's room where it had gotten so pregnant that it just kept on producing things that produce the same things that would gradually but inevitably drive him out of his mind.

Conscience was a terrible friend to have.

He was about to ask if he could come in but he realized that he didn't need to because he was paying for the room in the first place and so he just pushed his way in. He brushed against Gojyo's bare arm. It elicited no response.

"I'll just… erm, go out and…" Gojyo said to Sanzou's back. The idea that Sanzou had only offered a single word didn't sit easily with him. He wanted to smoke. He almost forgot about it. Now he could and he would because he felt like he should. His vest was still on his bed and it annoyed him because it meant lengthening his time alone with Sanzou. He gestured towards his bed. "My jacket, I…"

"I'm not stopping you." Sanzou removed his sandals, brought his legs up and reclined easily on his bed.

Gojyo gave his companion a once-over to see if he was serious, thinking that perhaps he was nearing sleep. No, his eyes were open but they were staring at the stained wooden foot of his bed. The strange Goddess may be right. Sanzou was acting as if nothing had happened between them. Or maybe he was just appealing to Gojyo's complacence and once he's vulnerable he'd pounce on him and tear him to little bloody pieces.

But that was just a thought. He went to gather his vest with his back turned towards Sanzou, and patted its pockets for cigarettes. There weren't any left.

"Bum one?"

Gojyo turned to him in puzzlement. Sanzou was holding up a pack of his favorite fags.

+++

"I have reason to believe that my pharmacist is under your custody."

"What reason is that, dare I ask?"

"That's a matter between me and your aunt."

"Great, great, great aunt, mind. So you've granted her request? I'm impressed." He put his fingers together so he could play with it.

"As far as I'm concerned, yes but I do hope I didn't overdo it. She's probably still in her chambers resting as we speak." Kougaiji tried to smile at this point while his audience smirked. "Tell me where Yaone is. It could save both of us precious time."

"I'm afraid there's been some misunderstanding. You see like the queen, I have my needs too and-what did you say she was?-ah, yes your pharmacist can only leave if she attends either of the two. That was the deal."

Kougaiji didn't know if he should be more annoyed at Tao Yung's smirk or the fact that he had to verbally wrestle with this maniac for Yaone. He also still couldn't believe that he had reached this far by conning his way in. Maybe he should dream more often. However the worst wasn't through yet. "How about getting a more appropriate replacement? Surely, whatever it is that you need Yaone for the prince could certainly find a capable hand. She is indispensable to my party. I think it's safe to say that without her, my unit won't function properly and where will that lead Gyokumen Koushou-sama's project?"

"You forget that we're an independent band of youkai, Prince Kougaiji. I couldn't care less about reviving a potent entity which could bring our existence to an end with the slightest move. My men are happy that we have been spared from the Zero Wave but we still have to work for our freedom even if it leads to our extinction. We'd rather live for the moment. Freedom isn't free you know. Sometimes we have to pay for it in installments." Tao Yung said and his words were ringing with unmistakable conviction that took Kougaiji by surprise. "And did you think that informing me of her usefulness to your unit will earn my pity? On the contrary, it made me even more delighted to hear such things about my guest. There's a sense of pride in knowing that one's holding a thing of value."

"Your words are wise but need I remind you that Yaone's value to my party is brought about by the number of years that we've been working together? She could've been any other person who had come to me that day. I have earned her loyalty in time. I ask you now Yung, would you rather start with a clean slate or one filled with useless-to you at least-indelible markings?" Kougaiji had an idea or two about Tao Yung's prurient intentions for Yaone.

"You present a valid argument but we haven't settled my end of the deal. Tell me what you can offer me and I'll decide."

"Well…"

Hakkai carried Yaone to the jeep while Kougaiji said his goodbyes to a newfound ally. Tao Yung gave Kougaiji a small vial of green liquid that was supposed to cure people who had eaten kasalanans. Goku was offered food for the road because the people thought that he was a companion of the great prince.

Goku stared at Hakkai with a guava in his mouth. 'Why is he so happy?' Then he turned to Kougaiji and the guy who was pushed out of his room with a chair that had wheels. His skin was so pale that Goku wondered if this man went out of his room regularly. There was a thick blanket that covered his lap. 'Is he sick? Why does he seem so happy too? And Kougaiji too…'

For the first time, Goku was allowed to have the shotgun seat in the jeep even with other people and he was very happy about it. Hakkai had settled Yaone at the back and Kougaiji thought that it was only wise for him to be close to his vulnerable companion.

Kougaiji tapped Hakkai's shoulder. Hakkai turned sideways but he continually kept his eyes on the road. The green fluid in the vial that Kougaiji was holding turned purple under the red rays of the setting sun.

"Thank you very much Kougaiji-san."

They reached the inn just before nighttime. Yaone had finally woken up and was thanking and blushing simultaneously. Her master seemed happy to see her but she knew she was going to get a scolding after because of her brash actions. She had troubled him again! Oh the shame!

Fortunately for her, Kougaiji was thinking of no such thing. In the distance he saw his white dragon tied to a tree where Gojyo was smoking. His lips were moving as if to talk but there weren't any folks around. He looked at the dragon and smiled down at it.

'He's talking to my dragon?' Kougaiji thought. 'But what the hell is my dragon doing here? The woman of course!'

Just a few meters away, Kougaiji hopped from the slow-moving jeep and questioned Gojyo. "What is my dragon doing here?"

"From what I've heard, a woman left him here and went away on foot. Nobody knew where she was going, a tourist probably. This poor dragon was baking in the sun so I gave him water. It seems to be taking kindly to me after that." Gojyo puffed on his cigarette and blew it away from Kougaiji.

Yaone got off from the jeep with the help of Hakkai. They smiled at each other for a prolonged amount of time. No one said anything. Gojyo thought it was strange though. Very strange indeed. How could two people do that for more than seven seconds?

"We'll be going now, Yaone. I initially figured that we could stay at this village for the night because it's dangerous to teleport to the fortress at this hour but the dragon's here so we can go."

Yaone nodded without another word. She waved goodbye to Goku and Hakkai before walking to her master. He untied the dragon and nodded to Gojyo, then to Goku and then to Hakkai.

They rode on the back of the dragon with Yaone behind Kougaiji, her arms wrapped securely around his waist. The three watched as they flew off into the darkening horizon. The clouds were thin, wispy as if they were a baby's breath in the cold.

There was a sort of sad smile in Hakkai's face that reminded Gojyo of people thinking of time long past. It was a smile worn in the loss of something important. Hakkai always had that. Maybe it was acceptance of beauty passing or the grateful acknowledgment of having experienced a wonderful thing. Whichever it was, Gojyo thought it was beautiful and that it wasn't because of him.

"He's well." It was Gojyo who spoke.

Goku jumped and dropped all his food. He walked-no barged in and ran up the steps to Sanzou's room.

Hakkai frowned in thought. "You mean we don't need the antidote?"

"Keep it. He was asking the inn's owner if they still have any of those fruits."

"Good grief! Maybe I should," said Hakkai good-naturedly. In the meager light of the stars and moon, Gojyo's tan made him seem like a statue of onyx. "We can have our room tonight."

The suggestion was almost irresistible to Gojyo. He came closer to Hakkai and took one long sniff. "Not tonight, dear Hakkai. You bear the scent of a woman."

+++

A few days later, Dr. Ni found himself scratching Gyokumen's back with his scum-crammed fingernails. The queen was plagued with rashes and other infections that made her skin break out with abscess and blood. It all happened after the night that she made love with Kougaiji. She couldn't very well blame him because he was just forced into the situation. The poor boy probably didn't even know that he was a walking parasite container.

The one to blame was this vile scientist who had fed her some slices of a strange fruit that he claimed was a bestseller in the region. It was also supposed to be the business that was producing his salary. After eating that, she began imagining her beautiful stepson doing equally beautiful things to her, his hair spilling to her belly, tickling her, his eyes roaming on her body… ah, it goes on.

She was satisfied with Kougaiji's prowess at lovemaking. His fingers seemed to be all over her body. One was crawling over her breast, one on her thigh, two on her lips, three on her back… it was anatomically impossible but impossibly delicious at the same time.

Dr. Ni was going to pay for this capital deception.

Kougaiji, Dokugakuji and Yaone were seated around a number of bottles and some leftover grub. Nobody was drunk yet and nobody was going to be. The bottles contained fruit juices.

"Tell me honestly, what happened between you and Gyokumen?" asked Doku.

Kougaiji laughed. "I had help from a friend and his little friends."

For the first time in this ordeal, Yaone laughed too.

END

[1] I was referring to the episode where Kanzeon Bosatsu kissed Gojyo to suck some blood out of him for an oral blood transfusion to help Sanzou

Is the ending vague? I hope not. E-mail me.

I apologize to the people who have been disappointed by the plot. I know I put a YaoneXHakkai pairing but the development of the story due to my fickle thinking patterns got screwed up. Originally there really was supposed to be YXH and I'm really, really resenting putting it in the first place. I call it Foot in the Mouth disease.

ceres17 if you're still reading this (remote chance that you are so I'm probably just humiliating myself but I have to do what I can to get this through), I'm not asking for forgiveness because it won't cut anything. You're free to think whatever you want though. I've made the mistake already and that's that. I admit it and I hope it doesn't happen again. Also I'm not cut out to be under your list of potential writers because I'm just not. I'm too obscene to be one, honestly. Flames are accepted but I don't think I'm worth the effort. Thanks for reading though. It means a lot. I'll give you a hug if you'd let me. :)

blinkie, thank you very much for your support and wonderful reviews. Without them, I could've delayed or probably terminated this story. I'm glad you're back *glomps*

ItchyMicchi, man your comments are like emotional crack to me. You know what it means. *gets high with Itchy-san while singing Guerrilla Radio*

I could've made this author's note longer and acknowledge all you wonderful people who have read and reviewed my story but who would want to read a stranger's thoughts anyway?