......A/N :
One day, whilst searching for the elusive cure for writer's block, I chanced across a strange and ancient box. Ignoring the words inscribed upon it ("Pandora's Box. Please do not open."), I proceed to rifle its contents extensively. Imagine my surprise when not gold nor silver (nor mithril, damn!) twas revealed, but a treasure of far greater worth -- knowledge.
Yea, they say that knowledge is a double edged sword that cutteth both ways...
And Then There Were Five
Transcribed from ancient writings in the two-thousand and fourth year of the sun by sf.
Be warned : Much swearing ahead.
Three Aspect's Journal
Day 1
We are most disturbed. We distinctly remember relaying Kanzeon Bosatsu's orders to Genjo Sanzo, bidding him to take his three companions : Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai, to the West to stop the resurrection of Gyuumao. We distinctly remember relaying those orders correctly. Yet Our words were somehow corrupted in the process.
Genjo Sanzo now has four companions. We know not whence this newcomer came from, nor what connection She has the others, yet We must have ordered her to join the group, for She has.
Funnily enough, We cannot remember who gave the order. Lead Head blames Female Head Number One, who blames Head With Eyes Wide Shut, who has placed the blame on Lead Head in turn. We had the most disagreeable day, and are most upset.
And no matter what Kanzeon Bosatsu thinks, We do not have a split personality!
--
Cho Hakkai's Journal
Day 1
This is most odd. Gojyo and I felt that there was something amiss and set out to look for Sanzo and Goku. We found them surrounded by youkai, and were about to intervene when She (I can't seem to remember her name. It seems to change every five seconds or so... or my memory's going) turned up. I swear, She cast a look at the youkai and they died instantly. Just like that!
--
Genjo Sanzo's Journal
Day 1
This is turning out to be an extremely bad day. "The Seiten Sutra is in the West", they say, "And by the way, someone's trying to use it to resurrect Gyuumao. Go stop them, that's a good boy. And bring those three -- those four -- with you."
Four? The Hell? I could've sworn this morning that there were only three people in the world whose company I can stand for more than a minute at a time (although with Gojyo, one minute's pushing it. Really pushing it.)
Then when we were nicely surrounded by all these youkai and I was just itching to blast them into the next dynasty, someone turns up and steals the show by killing all of them. With a look.
But that's not the end of it.
This someone then proceeds to faint, neatly, into my arms. She managed to gravitate some five meters from where she'd been standing in the process. Neat trick. Bloody annoying and inconvenient trick.
Since then, I've been having the most head-splitting brain-throbbing skull-pounding headache. But that's nothing compared to the sudden spate of flashbacks I've been having. I never knew I'd forgotten so much of my bloody life. I must have met this bitch several million times before and somehow forgotten it. But one thing I can't get clear in my head is exactly how I got to know her or even who she is. One moment I swore she was the sixth Sanzo with The Sutra of Doom, the next she was some sort of person I knew in Heaven, or I met her somewhere, or something.
Screw this all for a bloody lark. I need a drink. Three. Ten f-ing thousand.
--
Son Goku's Journal
Day 2
We met this strange girl yesterday -- she seems to know Sanzo. Well, she says she does, and she fainted on him anyway. I don't know what to make of her, though. Something about her's not too right, and she's got the weirdest personality. One moment she's acting tough and quarreling with me and stealing my food, the next she's all sweet and whatnot and she's giving me back the food... and when Sanzo tried to hit me with his harisen, she stood up and gave him a lecture. His eyes kinda went unfocused at that point and he stumbled out of the restaurant. Hope he's okay.
--
Sha Gojyo's Journal
Day 2
You know, I can't decide whether that chick is ... well, a chick or not. She's gorgeous and all that, but I wish her hair and eyes would stay the same color for thirty seconds at a stretch. And really, silver hair and purple eyes? Or blue hair and orange eyes?
--
Genjo Sanzo's Journal
Day 3
Bloody hell! There isn't space for 5 people in the Jeep!
--
Kanzeon Bosatsu's Journal
Day 5
Stranger and stranger. This strange girl claims to have been a god in her past life -- when she's not claiming to be an elemental born of air -- but I can swear that she's never been anywhere near Heaven. Especially not since her idea of Heaven seems to involve pink flurry clouds, halos and a lot of harps. Oh, and trumpets.
Still, it promises to be at least vaguely entertaining.
--
Genjo Sanzo's Journal
Day 5
I don't get it. One moment she's simpering over me, and the next she's as cold as an iceberg and hates my guts. Strangely, I don't seem to mind. The headache's been getting worse, though, as if my brains are turning to mush in my head.
I seem to have lost my cigarettes.
--
Cho Hakkai's Journal
Day 6
She did it again. Eliminated a whole army of youkai before swooning dead away into .. well, it was my arms this time. There was a cut across her face that I don't recall her getting. It was the most aesthetically pleasing wound I've ever seen in my life, although wounds are generally not so neat, especially when inflicted by youkai claws or flying projectiles.
--
Sha Gojyo's Journal
Day 7
So. We walked our bloody feet off today, and the Saru was supposed to carry the bag, but Someone felt sorry for him, and taught him how to play Rock-Paper-Scissors. Not funny, Miss Green Hair and Pink Eyes. Not funny at all. So guess who wound up with the bag. Oh yes, because Miss Golden Hair and Green Eyes can't carry the bag. No, not at all.
I'm starting to wonder just why she's along for this jaunt. I thought she just sort of fell in with us -- or fell on Sanzo, rather, and suddenly she's part of this Great Big Quest thing. Wonder why Sanzo puts up with her, anyway. Although our Sanzo-sama's been acting strange recently. He goes all twitchy around her.
--
Cho Hakkai's Journal
Day 7
I didn't know that there was a way to play mahjong with five people. I'm also starting to regret suggesting the game. I thought that I was a decent player... and Sanzo's pretty good too, but She's been winning every single round.
Sanzo has stopped smoking. So has Gojyo.
--
Genjo Sanzo's Journal
Day 7
Must be the incense smoke. I swear She made sense when giving Yo that whole morality talk thing. Now he's begging her to teach him mahjong.
Oh yes. I didn't know that She had a sutra until She used it on that youkai. Just in the nick of time to save Yo too. And then she fainted. On me. Again.
--
Son Goku's Journal
Day 10
We met this Rikudou chap. Turns out he was an old acquaintance of Sanzo's. So is She, or at least, that's when she's not Hakkai's long-lost friend from his monastry. Or Gojyo's half sister. Anyway, Rikudou stabbed Sanzo, and I kinda lost it ... well, didn't lose it so much as break it -- my limiter, that is. Not sure what happened after that. A lot of blood. Was tired and fell asleep, and woke up in my own bed.
--
Sha Gojyo's Journal
Day 10
I must remember to give the bakazaru a kick in the rear for that nasty bite he gave me. I don't know what got into the kid. He went totally nuts and the limiter just shattered. He took Rikudou down, and I thought the bastard had it in for him, until he pulled some disappearing act. Then it was just us and the crazy monkey.
And damn, was he crazy. He took a chunk out of my arm before She deigned to lift a finger to restore the limiter. Then she turned around and healed Sanzo with a kiss.
Kanzeon turned up a few seconds later, looking pissed.
--
TBC