Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Shades of Time ❯ Earth ( Chapter 3 )

Zetsuai2005 & Tazzy: Thanks for the votes of confidence.

Ohajiki: I'm glad you took a chance and read anyway in spite of your normal inclinations. Yes, naming her Shi-ne is deliberate and you'll find out why later in the story.

To everyone reading: I hope you enjoy.

 

*****

Goku smiled mischievously as he prepared to drop one of the sour berries he'd been eating into Gojyo's (snoring) open mouth. He had it centered and was just about to drop it when he smelled something familiar. The all too common heavy, coppery smell of blood. Not a lot of it but enough to make his nose twitch and worry that someone was really hurt out in the woods they were driving through.

 

“Hakkai, stop!”

 

Hakkai obligingly put on the brakes and turned to look at Goku. “What is it, Goku?”

 

“I smell blood.”

 

“It's probably just some animal,” Sanzo snorted. “Damn it, Goku, get back here!” he said to Goku's already retreating back.

 

“It's human blood, Sanzo,” Goku shot over one shoulder and kept going.

 

Hakkai was out of the jeep in an instant as well, leaving him with the snorting kappa. What was a monk to do? Aside from smacking Gojyo with is fan, that is.

 

“What the hell did you do that for?” Gojyo complained, rubbing the side of his face where the fan had left a red welt.

 

“Wake up, loser. Goku smelled blood so he and Hakkai went to investigate.”

 

“What does that have to do with you interrupting my nap?”

 

“He said it was human blood.”

 

Before Gojyo could say anything else they both heard a distinctly female scream.

 

***

“Damn it, keep her hands down!” one man said through his bleeding lip. There were a myriad of cuts and scratches on him and he was bleeding quite freely from the wound on his arm. “She punches almost as hard as that fucking half breed does.”

 

“Let go of me!” the young woman on the ground said. Twisting and trying to get a leg free to kick him.

 

“Awww, not `til we've had our fun with you,” his companion chuckled.

 

“Scum!”

 

“Hey! What're you slime balls doin' to that lady?” Goku asked, coming into the clearing and scowling at the two men.

 

“None of your business, little man. Why don't you run along and play,” the first one said, barely avoiding the scratch at his eyes. “You bitch!”

 

“Let me <i>go</i>!”

 

“I believe that the lady said to release her,” Hakkai said, stepping out of the forest behind Goku. “Therefore, the best thing for you to do would be to honor her request.”

 

“Who the fuck are you to tell us what we should or shouldn't do with the little slut?” the other man said, just before howling in pain when she bit him.

 

“Y'know, it takes a mighty big loser not to take “no” for an answer. When she's fighting and biting I'd say that's a pretty damn big “no”. Dontcha think?” Gojyo said, looking over his shoulder at Sanzo, who was leaning against a nearby tree.

 

“Pathetic,” Sanzo snorted, lighting a cigarette.

 

“Fuck! He looks just like that half breed,” one of the men said, staring at Gojyo.

 

Gojyo's eyebrows went up in surprise. In all their travels he had never seen another person like himself aside from a very small baby.

 

The woman on the ground took the opportunity provided and headbutted the man holding her down. There was an audible <i>crack</i> as her forehead connected with the man's nose. Blood was suddenly everywhere.

 

“You bitch! You broke my nose.”

 

“Better hope Rei doesn't get to you or your nose will be the least of your worries,” the young woman said, managing to wiggle out from under him and scoot away.

 

“This isn't over, Anya. Not by a longshot,” the man with the broken nose said, standing up and starting to walk away. He was stopped abruptly by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and glared at Goku.

 

“You owe her an apology. For tearin' her clothes and stuff.”

 

The man snorted and looked disgustedly at him. “You don't have any clue as to what's going on, little man. Stay out of it.”

 

“He may not but I'm pretty sure the rest of us do,” Gojyo said, eyes narrowing.

 

“I, for one, am unwilling to just let a couple of would be rapists walk away with no consequences aside from a broken nose and a few bruises,” Hakkai said, smiling cheerfully as always.

 

Sanzo was in the process of getting his arm out of one sleeve of his robe. “Do what you want with the losers. Just leave them alive so no one can bitch that we killed human beings. I use that term loosely,” he said, walking over to the young woman and slinging the robe around her shoulders. “Come on,” he said.

 

She looked at him warily. Not knowing what to think of the four strange men. They had saved her but maybe they had only saved her in order to do the same thing to her themselves. She might have been able to fight off the other two eventually but there was no way she was fighting off four.

 

Sanzo sighed in exasperation. “Look, girlie, you have two choices. Stay with these sleazes or come with us. Up to you. But I'm not waiting around all day for you to decide.”

 

She hesitantly put her hand into his and let him help her up.