Chapter Four: Prelude to Even More Trouble

"Hey! How far are we walkin', anyway?" Goku's annoyed voice growled, as they climbed the rather steep incline of a mountain; dragging a heavy backpack behind him as he did so.

"Our Jeep and Kujaku-kun's motorcycle can't pass through this rocky terrain, I'm afraid." Hakkai replied, releasing a sigh of exasperation when Goku started shouting at the furiously chirping Hakuryu about not being able to transform into something other than a four-wheeled vehicle.

"Sensei…..the Animal's abusing the animal." Gojyo grumbled; watching as Kujaku quietly carried a slumbering Ashura on his back.

"Feh. At this rate, the sun will set before we can make it through the mountains." Sanzo muttered, equally as tired as his companions, yet hiding that fact very well behind a mask of annoyance. Then he turned his attention to Kujaku.

"At least you're not complaining about this situation." Sanzo murmured. He got a bit of a world-weary smile from the purple-haired youkai, and then a slight look of sadness.

"My imoto-chan was a lot like Ashura-chan, before the Minus Wave swept through Shangri-La…..But she's even quieter. Is it true that she's still under some sort of curse?" Kujaku questioned; getting a slight sigh from the priest as a response.

"Yes. And she'll remain mute till it breaks….if it ever breaks, that is." Sanzo muttered, with a hint of sympathy for the female youkai in his voice, as he spoke.

"I see…..Poor kid." Kujaku mused, sympathetically, as he gently reached back and ruffled the sleeping youkai's hair. Her response to that was to sigh contentedly and bury her face even more into the back of his neck; not in the least bit disturbed by her fate, nor Goku's shouting.

"She's certainly taken to you, though. The kitten actually seems happier, as weird as that is." Gojyo said, in a bemused tone, and got an almost mischievous smile from the purple-haired youkai, before he responded to that.

"She knows she's in good hands. That's why she can sleep so soundly." Kujaku replied; laughing when Gojyo glared at him and growled 'What'd you mean by that?' in reaction to that jab.

"He has you pegged, Gojyo." Hakkai chuckled, and as even Sanzo snickered at Gojyo's expense.

"Got that right." Sanzo grumbled, as he watched the four trudge along on the path beside him. He knew they were getting tired, and was inwardly even a little bit concerned about the possibility of youkai attacks during the night.

"Perhaps we can stay here for tonight." Hakkai suggested, as he pointed out what appeared to be a rather large manmade structure. And they could see what seemed to be a huge gate that had been built into the cliffside, just in front of them.

"Looks like some kind of shrine." Gojyo muttered; not looking forward to this, in the least.

"It does indeed….." Kujaku agreed, as Ashura slowly roused up, and looked blearily up at the shrine gate before them.

"Whoa….!" Goku mumbled, not really believing what he was seeing.

"Excuse me!" Hakkai called; his voice getting the attention of those inside.

"What do you want?" One priest asked when he had come to see who now stood outside.

"We are travelers, seeking shelter for the night." Hakkai explained. This earned them a pretentious snort, and a cursory glance from the priest above them.

"These are sacred grounds. People of unknown lineage are not welcome in these halls." The priest stated, haughtily.

"Pretentious asshole…..I friggin' hate priests!" Gojyo snarled, irritably, as he gave the priest above him the finger (completely ignoring Sanzo when he muttered 'You don't say' under his breath, and when he gave Gojyo an unreadable look, as well).

"This is a problem." Hakkai murmured, concernedly.

"The next town is too far away to reach before the daylight is completely gone." Kujaku said, as he carefully set Ashura back onto her feet, and then stretched to ease the tension in his back.

"And I'm starving! Talk to 'em, Sanzo!" Goku shouted, not realizing that, for once, his announcing Sanzo's name would come in handy.

"D-did you say 'Sanzo'?" the priest yelped, his exclamation getting the attention of a few of the other priests inside.

"It can't be…..Priest Genjyo Sanzo?" another priest added, as they all stared in shock at what they had missed before.

"P-please forgive our impertinence! You may enter immediately!" the priests both stammered, as they abruptly opened the gate, and let the six travelers in. Still not completely awake yet, Ashura self-consciously took a firm hold of Kujaku's hand as they walked inside; rubbing her eyes with her free hand as she did so.

"Still a bit sleepy, ne, Ashura-chan?" Kujaku whispered, and getting a drowsy nod from her for an answer.

"This place is huge." Hakkai murmured, and then added, "Makes me glad Ashura-chan had decided to stick so close to you, Kujaku-kun."

"Same here." Kujaku agreed, wholeheartedly.

"This place reeks of incense." Ashura silently said, as her mind slowly became more awake, and as uneasiness started to take hold.

"This way, please." One priest murmured, as he led them into a huge antechamber. There, amidst the large group of priests, sat the elder of the temple, and his two servants.

"Ah, exalted Priest Sanzo. We are honored to welcome you to our temple." The old man said, with a calm smile.

"It is we who are honored." Sanzo replied, quietly, and with a slight bow.

"Bullshit." Ashura thought, as a deadpan expression crossed her petite features.

"For once, I think our sentiments are on the same line of thought, Ashura." Gojyo muttered; making sure to keep his voice low enough so neither Sanzo nor the priests around them could hear him, then asking, "Why's pretty-boy so important, all of a sudden?"

"I think it's the power of his 'Sanzo' title. Supposedly, there are five sacred scriptures in this world called the 'Tenchi Kaigen'." Hakkai said, as he watched their 'leader' speak with the head priest of the temple.

"I've heard basically the same thing. The priests chosen to protect those scriptures are given the name 'Sanzo', and are revered as the highest priests in all of Buddhism." Kujaku added, as a thoughtful look appeared in his golden eyes.

"So, how did our smoking, drinking, killing buddy here get to be a Sanzo?" Gojyo asked, dryly; not quiet believing what he had just heard.

"I don't quite understand that, either." Hakkai said, with an abashed smile; allowing a soft chuckle to escape when Ashura held up a sign that said 'And WE sure as hell don't understand it!'.

"Actually, Priest Koumyou Sanzo graced us with his presence ten years ago. Even now, the noble, solemn figure of Priest Koumyou Sanzo is burned into my eyes. You truly resemble him, Priest Genjyo." The old priest said, not noticing when a slight, pained look came and went within Sanzo's eyes.

"I heard that, after Priest Koumyou Sanzo passed away, he chose you to succeed him. It is said that you were his favorite pupil." The old priest continued. Even from where he stood, Kujaku could tell that hearing this sort of talk was the last thing Sanzo really wanted to hear.

"Especially since our mission hits so close to home…..retrieving one of Koumyou Sanzo's stolen Tenchi Kaigen scriptures." Kujaku mused, and listened when Sanzo finally spoke up.

"I did not come here to discuss those matters. My companions and I have had a long and difficult journey. We request a night's reprieve." Sanzo stated, firmly; hiding whatever grief he may have been feeling behind his usual cool veneer.

"Yes! Of course! We'd be honored! Except….." one priest said, then trailed off as he glanced at the group behind Sanzo.

"Yes?" Hakkai asked, even though he could almost see where this was going.

"This is a holy temple. We don't usually admit outsiders…..Especially those who aren't followers of Buddha. And those five….." another priest added; flinching when Gojyo started shouting at them.

"So priests can stay, but not normal people? What is this? A freakin' country club? Gimme a break!" Gojyo snarled, angrily, even as Hakkai tried to placate him.

"I don't care." Sanzo muttered; ducking when Ashura threw another sign at him, and ignoring the subsequent whine from Goku afterwards.

"That's what I'd thought he'd say!" Goku moaned, despairingly.

"Don't take it personally minna. These are very religious people." Hakkai whispered, in a vain effort to try and calm the waters within the group.

"I take no offense, since I've had to travel through hostile territory at night, for quite some time now." Kujaku replied, not in the least bit insulted by this turn of events.

"Feh. Well, they can bow down and kiss my ass." Gojyo growled; giving the priests and Sanzo the evil eye while he was at it.

"Or are these your disciples, Priest Genjyo?" the elder asked, curiously; gracefully allowing Gojyo's comment to pass.

"Them? No." Sanzo replied, then added, "They're my slaves." And yet, Sanzo just barely had enough time to dodge, when Ashura threw not only the cardboard she used for making her signs at him, but also her box of pens and brushes as well, before storming off.

"Ashura!" Hakkai shouted, as the female youkai disappeared around a corner.

"Oh dear…That didn't go over very well, with her." Kujaku murmured, concernedly.

"That's stating the obvious." Gojyo mumbled, as Hakkai held both him and Goku back from killing the golden-haired priest. But what Kujaku did, moments later, startled all of those before him; he approached Sanzo, fell flat on his face, and began kissing the priest's feet.

"Oh yes, Sanzo-sama! Command me! Please! Command me!" Kujaku mock-moaned; smirking when he heard the barely-contained laughter from Gojyo, Goku, and even Hakkai for that.

"You bastard…..quit fucking around!" Sanzo growled, embarrassed by the purple-haired youkai's antics, to say the least. At this, he got only a mischievous grin from Kujaku, as he looked up at him from his prone position on the floor.

"Interesting choice of words…..Sanzo-sama." Kujaku murmured, with a wink, before he got up and sauntered back over to the trio behind him.

"He isn't gonna let you live because of this." Gojyo managed, from between laughs; getting a good-natured shrug from Kujaku for that.

"Ah, well. At least I had some fun before the end." Kujaku stated, blithely, as they were led even further into the temple; ignoring it when Sanzo directed his own evil eye at him for that stunt. Yet, he couldn't help but worry about Ashura, all the same.

"But I can only wonder where Ashura-chan has gotten to?"

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

"THAT JERK!" Ashura silently raged, as she stomped through the halls of the shrine by herself. She only stopped when her vision became too blurry to see anymore; angrily swiping at her eyes to rid them of the tears that had gathered there. Even though a small part of her mind knew that what Sanzo had said was only to cover the fact that he was traveling with youkai, being called a slave by him galled her.

"Hey, now, what's this? Why're you crying?" a voice asked, from one of the rooms nearby. Startled, Ashura turned to look, and felt some surprise when she saw that a teenager who appeared to be about the same age as Goku and her was lying in one of the nearby rooms. With some hesitation, she approached him; taking in his rather haggard appearance as she did so. There were bandages wrapped securely around his chest and abdomen, as well as on his brow. Even so, his eyes were clear, despite the intense pain.

"I wonder what had happened to him?" Ashura thought, as she sat down beside him and sighed.

"You look a little down. Did somebody say or do something to hurt your feelings?" the teen asked, concernedly. Ashura nodded.

'Someone I know called me a slave.' Ashura replied, via a notebook that someone had left on the table beside the teen's bed.

"That's pretty cold." The teen said, getting a nod of agreement from Ashura as a response.

'Tell me about it.' Ashura wrote, angrily.

"By the way, I'm Ryuu. What do you call yourself?" the teen asked, curiously.

'My name's Ashura.' Ashura answered.

"'Ashura', huh? So, what're you doin' here?" Ryuu questioned; his green eyes shining as he spoke.

'My friends and I are heading west to find out what's making the youkai go crazy.' Ashura wrote, not mentioning the fact that they were also searching for the missing scripture, as well.

"Why west?" Ryuu asked, curiously.

'That's where the Minus Wave is comin' from, I guess.' Ashura replied, and then continued, 'Sanzo-sama, Hakkai-san, Gojyo-san, Goku-kun, Kujaku-san and I have been traveling through the mountains since early this morning. We can't go any further because it's gettin' dark.'

"I see. Good decision on your part, since almost every youkai in the area has gone nuts. Until recently, I've been wandering around, putting the poor buggers outta their misery. But then….." Ryuu sighed, and then motioned to himself and the bandages wrapped around his torso.

'They got the drop on you, huh?' Ashura 'said', finishing the other teen's thought, and getting a wince from him in answer to that.

"Yeah. I was lucky enough to be found by one of the novices in this temple before I could bleed to death." Ryuu admitted; noticing when Ashura's eyes lit up, signaling that something had just occurred to her.

'Hakkai-san might be able to help heal you! He's able to heal by using his chi, so maybe he can help close your wounds!' Ashura wrote, excitedly.

"I dunno….Would he be willing to help a total stranger?" Ryuu asked, uncertainly, and got a grin and fervent nod from Ashura for an answer.

'I'll go and see if I can find him!' Ashura replied, before she stood up and raced off; forgetting in her haste just how big the temple was.

"Hope she doesn't end up getting lost in this place…..Though it might be a forlorn hope if ever there was one!" Ryuu muttered, yet smirked to himself and shrugged as he lay back down. This was the best chance he'd had of getting out of the temple even sooner, so he wasn't about to begin complaining now!

"A youkai promising help to a Youkai Hunter…Well, weirder things have happened!" Ryuu mused, as he settled in for the wait, and allowed slumber to take over; allowing it to bring the dreams of better times, as well as the hope he still had that eventually he would be able to stop hunting his former neighbors and friends.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Goku uttered a satisfied sigh, as he sat down on one of the beds in the room he and the rest of the group had been led to; grinning when he saw the food that had just been laid out for them on the table nearby.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Goku said, happily, as he eyed the food hungrily.

"I agree. The room is very impressive." Kujaku murmured, even though he was still secretly concerned about Ashura's whereabouts.

"I guess…..All thanks to the mighty Lord Prissy-Boy here." Gojyo added, and got a dirty look from Sanzo for his efforts.

"I'm going to kill you." Sanzo growled, irritably. Yet they all noticed when Kujaku didn't add anything to Gojyo's remark.

"Worried about Ashura-chan again, Kujaku-kun?" Hakkai asked, having seen that the purple-haired youkai had quieted down a little bit since they had entered the room.

"You could say that. This place is pretty big, so she might end up getting lost….I just hope none of the priests here are able to see past the illusion her limiters place on her appearance." Kujaku said, concernedly, as he sat down at the table and helped himself to the food there.

"Well, since none of 'em are crying 'youkai' yet, I guess she's still safe. Just gotta wait and see what happens when she does turn up again." Gojyo muttered; looking aside when one of the young novices entered the room with a tray of hot tea in hand. He smiled eagerly when he saw Sanzo, and began to introduce himself.

"Please, make yourselves at home. My name is Yo, and I have the honor of serving you all this evening. It's good to meet you!" the young priest said, with a grin.

"Damn good-for-nothing priests…I asked for a chick and all they send is this prick! What a let down!" Gojyo grumbled, in disappointment; getting an aghast reaction from the novice for a response.

"How vile! Women are forbidden from even entering this temple!" Yo retorted, then turned to Sanzo, "Isn't that right, Sanzo-sama?" Sanzo's expression, much to the rest of the group's amusement, deadpanned even further.

"Why're you asking me?" Sanzo asked, dryly.

"I've always dreamed of meeting a Sanzo, but I've never actually thought I'd ever get the chance to serve one! You're an inspiration to me!" Yo gushed, happily, "Being a Sanzo means you've been selected by Buddha himself, so your existence is the highest in all of Buddhism!"

"Oh really?" Sanzo mumbled; ignoring Goku and Gojyo when they snickered behind his back and asked one another 'Him? Sacred?' and then shook their heads.

"So please relax, all of you! Don't hesitate to call, if you need anything!" Yo said, before he left the room again.

"I'd love to see that kid's face if he knew Sanzo was packin' a gun." Gojyo muttered.

"Or if he knew that Ashura's actually a girl, since girls are s'posedly forbidden here." Goku agreed, wholeheartedly.

"It's a prime example of the old adage, 'Ignorance is Bliss.'" Hakkai stated, blithely; jumping slightly when the door flew open again, yet quickly calming down when he saw that it was Ashura that had just flown in.

"Well, well! Look what the cat dragged in! Perfect timing, Ashura-chan!" Gojyo growled, as he pulled the female youkai into a headlock and tousled her silky black hair in retaliation for worrying them like that.

"LET GO OF ME, YOU PERVY KAPPA!" Ashura silently yowled, wishing with all her heart that she was able to speak, and give Gojyo the chewing out he deserved.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Gojyo, to provoke Ashura like that….." Hakkai murmured, when he'd seen how angry the female youkai was becoming, and trying to curtail any problems before they could become larger. His point was proven, just moments later, when Gojyo uttered a pain snarl under his breath, then doubled over and crumpled to the floor.

"You little…..! That hurt, bitch!" Gojyo wheezed, from between gritted teeth.

"I tried to warn you…." Hakkai said, with an uneasy smile, as his friend continued to lie there glaring at Ashura and cursing profusely at her for added measure. Ashura looked up, when she felt Sanzo's hand on her head, and smirked slightly when she saw the brief glint of approval in his eyes for what she had just done.

"That'll shut the pervert up for a while!" Goku laughed, then added, "Nice move, Ashura!"

'Nuthin' to it!' Ashura said (via a sign, once again).

"Damn monkey…..don't encourage her! And you, Sanzo…..stay outta this!" Gojyo growled, from between pained gasps.

"No." Sanzo retorted, as he picked up the newspaper, sat down, and put on his glasses; telling the rest of the group that he was going to be ignoring them from that point on.

"Bastard….." Gojyo again wheezed, as he slowly started to uncurl from his prone position on the floor.

"And things can only go downhill from here…..Better try to change the subject….." Hakkai thought, with a slight smile, then gave Ashura a questioning look, "By the way, Ashura-chan, why did you rush in here like that? Was there a reason?" It took just a moment for the female youkai to remember just what she had intended to tell them before Gojyo's interruption, and she scribbled down her message on another piece of cardboard and handed it to Hakkai.

'There's a hurt warrior here too! His name's Ryuu and he's been here for several days! He'd been attacked by youkai!' Ashura's message said, and her expression after Hakkai had looked away from it confirmed it.

"So you want me to see if I can heal him? Is that it?" Hakkai again asked. Ashura nodded vigorously in response.

"Better go ahead and get it over with, then. Having to deal with a whiny monkey is one thing…..but having a pissed-off cat is another." Sanzo muttered.

"Right….." Hakkai agreed, glad that Goku was too busy chowing down on the food to even notice Sanzo's comment. This earned Sanzo a sigh and rolling of the eyes from Ashura, yet she let it go at that.

"Let's go then, Ashura-neko-chan." Hakkai said, as she nodded again and took him by the hand; leading him back the way she had come.

"Well, till they return, how about a game of mahjong?" Kujaku suggested, trying his best to mediate the situation in Hakkai's absence.

"Feh, suit yourself." Sanzo grumbled, even though Kujaku could tell he was looking for a distraction from the tension of a few moments before.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

Ryuu roused up, when he sensed a familiar presence approach, and allowed himself to feel some surprise when he saw that Ashura had returned.

"So, you kept your promise." Ryuu muttered, and got a smile from the female youkai for his comment.

"Ashura-chan isn't the type to lie, Ryuu-kun." Hakkai murmured, calmly, and then asked, "Do I have you permission to take a good look at your wounds?"

"Knock yourself out." Ryuu replied, giving the monocle-wearing youkai the go-ahead. With no further words, Hakkai carefully undid the bandages; flinching despite himself when he saw the gashes on Ryuu's abdomen.

"Quite the papercuts, ne?" Ryuu asked, rhetorically, the pain in his voice very evident to both Ashura and Hakkai.

"Indeed…..All kidding aside, however, you were very lucky to have survived that attack. A lesser man would have died from the blood loss and shock, by now." Hakkai said, with some admiration for the younger man's stubborn will to survive, despite the awful wounds.

"That's what the priests here had said almost a week ago…..But what can I say? I'm a pretty stubborn bastard, when I wanna be." Ryuu said, with a pained smirk, as Hakkai got started in the healing.

"I know someone who says the same thing of himself, on occasion." Hakkai commented, as he channeled more of his chi into Ryuu's wounds; concentrating on closing the edges of the gashes until there was no more fear of them reopening again.

"I'd like to meet 'im, sometime." Ryuu growled from between gritted teeth, steeling himself from the pain, yet still managing a chuckle when he saw Ashura's expression deadpan, and her next written comment.

'No, you wouldn't. TRUST me.' Ashura's sign read, getting soft laughs from both Hakkai and Ryuu for that.

Author's Note!

Sorry for the un-exciting chapter, minna, but I'm trying to get back into the feel of writing in this story again! More action is just around the bend, though! So sit tight!

Gemini14