Meetings

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She sighed. I am here now she
thought. Little more than a village, little less than a town. This was where
the trail led. Slightly unsure now how to proceed that she was here. Her
stomach rumbled. First things first. Breakfast. Good place to be hungry then.
The marketplace. She looked around for something she could spend her meagre
funds on. Then she saw them…red apples. Colour so deep that she was reminded
of…bet they were tasty she thought. Crisp and juicy. She just loved apples. She
was tantalized she could even smell them. She looked into her purse, no later
perhaps.

“Aahh! Excuse me, would you like one of
these?” a man, she couldn’t quite guess his age. She looked up to his face and
suddenly she was drowning. She had to gasp for air.

It was only seconds that she had lost
herself. He was gently holding her. “Are you alright?” he asked.

She apologized. She explained that she had
travelled a bit of a way to get here, and had not had any breakfast. It was the
truth. He smiled at that, his eyes twinkling, he could sympathize with that.
She suddenly realized that he had offered her one of those delectable fruit.
Indignant she said she was not a charity case.

“Maa, maa no offense intended”

He explained that he had bought extra, as
it was cheaper to do so and really he didn’t need so many. So she took one,
thanked him and declared that she didn’t normally talk to strangers much less
accept food from them. But she reckoned as she said to him, that it was still
daylight and that the bogeyman didn’t come out till after dark. Again that
twinkling smile and a tinkling lighthearted laugh. Something about him was
familiar.

“Let me introduce myself. Hakkai. Cho
Hakkai at your service” he said with a little bow. “We’re not strangers anymore
now.”

“Mei. Xia Mei Hou” she introduced herself.
“I just arrived here, and I’m looking for a friend.”

She was grateful for the snack, and said
order of the day was to look for lodgings and perhaps some kind of work. Mei
found it easy to talk to him even if they had just met. She told him that she
had left home (with the blessings of her parents) a week ago, just after her
eighteenth birthday. To start her search for her friend. She was a sensible
person, had promised to look after herself and would write home every two weeks
or so. Her parents were not overly worried they trusted her. But time was
moving along and she had better get on with her tasks. She was glad to have
made a friend she said to him, as they took leave of each other and hoped she
would bump into him again.

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Hakkai still had a couple of students left
to teach that day, before going home. He suddenly felt a little foolish as he
had neglected to ask the girl the name of her friend. He could have helped her.
She seemed a charming person and determined too. The thing that struck him as
odd, were his actions. He did not normally go out of his way, himself to talk
to strangers (especially women). It was not that he was afraid of them, either.
Just a little wary he supposed. But there he was offering food, and just
talking to her like he knew her. Something about her tugged at his mind so
perhaps he did from some when. He thought no more of it as he went on with his
errands.

He would tell Gojyo about her when he got
home. He smiled at the thought of his housemate. They were more than that but
the word that would or could describe their ‘something’ had not been found yet.
Since their first meeting, their second, through living together and having
been through hell and back again (several times over)on their westward journey.
Arriving back to their humble shack, the relief he had felt, that they both did
when they walked through the door. Never mind that it smelt dank, that it was
damp and musty. It did not matter that there was dust and cobwebs everywhere.
They were home, and Hakkai knew then that it would not be home if he did not
have Gojyo by his side. To hold onto, to lean on and to support. 

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Mei had managed to find work at a pottery
store shop front. She helped with the sales and book-keeping, as the
proprietors worked the kiln out back. She organized the place a little as well.
The Lees were decent folk and provided room and board as well. It was not much
but the situation suited her just fine. It had now been two weeks since she
arrived. Still she had not made a start on her search. She was a little
apprehensive.

It had been ten years after all. When they
parted ways the first time she was just grateful to be reunited with her
parents, and they had gone back to their lives. In the interim she had grown
up. Had not even given him that much thought. Well not until she found
the necklace again. It was not anything expensive, just something a father bought
for his little girl.  A little crystal pendant which caught the light and
separated it into rainbows. She was reminded of him…strong, funny and
chivalrous in a roguish way. That was a year and a half ago. But she still
found herself thinking of him every now and again, so when she turned eighteen,
she asked her parents leave to go find him. She reasoned that she was only
eighteen to his thirty or so years, so all she was doing was satisfying her
curiosity. No doubt he would be surprised if he remembered at all. But then she
could get on with her life then and not wonder what if. She would really hate
that. Really.

She could start with the Lees, they may
know of him. Or that nice (good looking) gentleman, Hakkai he said his name
was. Well she would ask about them both. If she ran into him again she would
ask for his help. She smiled at that, asking nice men was what brought her here
in the first place. At the time though she was not thinking too clearly. She
was frantic, almost sick with worry for her parents and only eight years old.
Anyhow, she thought to ask Mrs. Lee about Hakkai first. 

She didn’t even have to describe Hakkai as
Mrs. Lee knew him. A couple of her friends’ children had him for a tutor. Mei
was told that he could be found in the marketplace at Tuesday lunchtimes. Mrs.
Lee also mentioned that if Mei was unlucky she would bump into Hakkai with his
housemate. And she wondered at Mrs. Lee’s reaction.

So Tuesday came, and she was curious as to the
butterflies in her stomach. She had even taken extra care with her hair,
literally her crowning glory. She usually wore in pigtails or a single thick
braid. Today though she brushed it out and pinned it to either side with a pair
of tortoiseshell slides that her mother had given her for her birthday. Her
employer gave her a cheerful wave and a wink as Mei set off for the market.

She wound her way round the marketplace.
Then she spotted him. Them. She saw Hakkai first and noticed he was not alone.
Under the shades of the stalls she could not discern him, except that he was
taller than Hakkai, with longer hair and more angular that the slim built
brunette. Hakkai had seen her and waved her over to join them. So she made her
way toward them. As she moved toward them her breath caught. The hair, it was that
colour. She hesitated. The way he stood with one hand in his pocket. That easy
air. There was no mistake. She took a deep breath.

Hakkai was about to introduce him to her,
when she pre-empted him and bowed her head “Sha Gojyo — pleased to meet you.
Again.” They both stared at her surprised.

“Do I know you Miss?” Gojyo managed to say
at last.

“You said you would know me by this” she
handed her necklace over to him. His hand touched hers briefly, warm and
slightly rough. Wordlessly he took it from her and held it up to the light,
scrutinized her face but before he could say anything.

“I know, you said you would look for me in
ten years. Well I came just in case you forgot” She could not look at him. Now
what.

“Well it’s lunchtime now, so lets eat first.
Yes.” Hakkai saved them both.

Hakkai went off to get them all something
to eat. Gojyo and Mei sat down and waited. She stole quick glances at him. He
looked very much the same as then. Perhaps a little older. She decided that he
was still handsome and yes still nice. Hakkai came back with noodles for all of
them. They sat eating their lunch. She broke the ice a little by saying that if
she had known that his famous housemate was the person she was looking
for, she would have saved herself a lot of trouble. Gojyo laughed at that. He
said he did not know whether or not to be offended. Mei explained that Mrs. Lee
was none too kind when she spoke of him and would do well to not keep such
company. Then she mimicked Mrs. Lee good naturedly, “now that Cho-sensei
however” They all laughed.

“Well since it appears to be some sort of
reunion today,” Hakkai said,” Mei would you please be so kind as to have dinner
with us tonight?”

“Um. Okay. I don’t know where you live
though”

“It’s okay, we’ll escort you, it’s a bit of
a walk”

“Right then. The shop closes at five; you
can come for me round a bout five thirty. Mrs. Lee’s Pottery”.

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Well when Hakkai had told him about making
a new friend in the market a couple of weeks ago. He had no idea. He had teased
Hakkai about picking up girls with offers of fruit. Gojyo had also teased him
because Hakkai did not really talk to girls much. Not for lack of offers though.
Gojyo knew that he was part of the reason, but with Hakkai he felt too
presumptions as to think that he were the only reason. Hakkai had an
army of hellish memories that Gojyo hoped one day would only be a dull ache in
his head, and not reside in his heart and gut.

He remembered saving Mei’s parents (among
others) from a demon determined to make meals out of them. He remembered her as
being a determined little girl. It had been one of their better moments on the
way west. A welcome distraction, as it followed close on the heels of their
meeting with Chin Issou. Their nerves were still rankled by that at the time
and it allowed them to pull together. All four of them. It was worth the weeks
of teasing Gojyo had to endure. Anything to get Hakkai to smile or laugh in
those days was worth it. Even if a lot of the time his smiles were a façade.
Gojyo sighed, after all this time the smiles Hakkai wore still could have the
various permutations in their meaning, but was glad that more often than not it
was the true-smile-which-touched-the-eyes-and-make-your-heart-burst kind.

Now Mei Hou was coming to dinner. Gojyo
actually did remember telling her to her to keep her necklace. She was going to
give to him as payment for helping her, but he couldn’t possibly take it from
her. So he said that he would look for her in ten years and would recognise her
by it. It was just that he did not think that she would have remembered. Well
she was still a determined little girl. Alright strike that…young lady. He
would not however compare her to any of the women he flirted with at the bars
and gambling dens he frequented. But definitely not a little girl. Yeah she had
filled out nicely, and that long dark midnight blue almost black hair. Different from the dark chocolate mass with
the clean shampoo smell which stopped at the nape of the neck that he so loved.
A delectable spot indeed.

So now she was coming to dinner. She was
new in town, so it would be nice for her to have friends. So she just came to
look them up and say “Hi!” and she was just coming to dinner. Simple as that.

He had helped Hakkai carry the groceries.
He also decided that he would help tidy the place up a bit too. This was a rare
occurrence indeed. So much so that in fits of laughter, Hakkai said that having
a guest for dinner midweek was definitely worth it. After his shower Gojyo
volunteered to fetch their guest as Hakkai was cooking for them all. He
mentioned to Hakkai that he would get her flowers too. Girls like that sort of
thing, right? He reckoned it was only a small gesture, and it was only just
that.

“That would be nice” Hakkai said
quizzically arching delicate eyebrows over his glasses. Gojyo had never gotten
anyone (women or otherwise) flowers. Not since his mother. Perhaps after all
this time he was letting go of some of the things that he should.

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“Ah Mei! You have company!” she could hear
Mrs Lee call to her room up the stairs. She’d just managed to change into a
comfortable set of matching light blue slacks and blouse. She wore her hair
loose. She could almost hear Mrs Lee’s eyes rolling heavenward when she saw it
was Gojyo who stood waiting at the foot of the stairs.

“You clean up nice” she commented to him.

He had on a black tank and a loose crisp
white shirt over it. You could just make out the muscles underneath the cool
cotton. The black top just skimmed the waist of his light grey jeans, which
fitted him well enough to show off his lanky legs to good effect. His hair had
that just washed sheen. In the twilight and faint breeze moved as if it were a
layer of living crimson silk, tucked behind the right ear and draped over the
left side of his face. Framing it just so.

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And they set off. Gojyo thoughtfully
shortened his stride for the shorter girl. They passed the time in quiet
chatter. Mei told him about growing up, her life with her parents in a rural
village and her decision to come here. She told him she was fortunate enough to
have had the opportunity to learn to read and learn numbers from a friend of
her father’s. He in turn told her of his life, the travels he took with his companions
and having a home with Hakkai. It seemed to her that there didn’t seem to be
much in the way of life before Hakkai.

Soon they were at the door, and she could
smell the delicious aroma of Hakkai’s cooking. She had to smile at Hakkai; he
had an apron on and looked quite endearing. Mei handed her gift of sake over to
him. For after dinner she said, one bottle between three people was not going
to harm anyone.

Dinner was a pleasant affair. Light talk
and humour. Hakkai was impressed with Gojyo’s restraint on his usually more
colourful language and his penchant for conversation littered with innuendo.
Hakkai thought that the girl was quite disarming and sweet not saccharine. That
Mei was getting on quite well with Gojyo who…was not flirting. That was worthy
of note, maybe he was not well but Hakkai did not say anything.

Meanwhile, Mei observed the two men. They
seemed to move in concert. It was like they could anticipate the other’s
movement and even speech. She supposed they had been together now for over a
decade. She enjoyed their company and they had made her feel welcome. That it
was nice she had made some friends anew.

Dinner was done with and Gojyo had excused
himself to have a smoke. And in spite of protests from Hakkai, Mei managed to cajole
him into letting her help with the washing up. He could dry and put away the
dishes if he liked.

“So why are you really here?” Hakkai’s
question came out from nowhere.

“I’m not sure.” She had given it some
thought and could not come up with any plausible reason other than just to see
Gojyo again. “I’m not sorry I am here now though.” Perhaps it was his kindness
towards a frightened little girl and she just wanted a chance to thank him
again, by being his friend.

“Yes he is kind” Hakkai said remembering
the man who would bring home a stranger no questions asked (twice).

“There is something about him” Mei said
softly.

“Yes there definitely is” Hakkai agreed
with a ghost of a smile just touching his eyes.

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So Mei settled more into life in the town.
Also it became a regular occurrence, having dinner with Hakkai and Gojyo. She
was soon re-introduced to Sanzo and Goku. Who, she remembered meeting very
briefly all those years ago. She also made other friends too. She was the
subject of much speculation she knew, even among her own girlfriends. She was
viewed with awe, suspicion, and more than a touch of envy. Gojyo and Hakkai
were good looking young men (she knew that the red head was a half youkai, and
the other was full youkai) and still considered eligible even if most women had
given up the ghost of the idea…Come on, two guys living with each other and not
chasing skirt. That’s invitation for rumour mongering for sure. But it did not
bother the two in question any in the least. Most people had a lot of respect
for what Hakkai did with the children he taught. He was a fine teacher patient,
understanding and seemed to be able to get to the root of a problem with a
child without stressing them too much. He also assisted at the clinic as healer
when he was able too. Gojyo had taken over as odd jobs man from Hakkai as
tutoring and healing became more his work. Most people were fine with them even
if they did speculate.

There was always someone would walk her
back to the Lees, when she came to dinner. She really didn’t mind as they had
decided to have these sojourns during the weekend. A Friday or Saturday night.
But perhaps it was not proper or whatever. Sometimes it would be Hakkai, other
times it was Gojyo. She took these moments as rare occasions to talk to each on
their own. There were some things she could talk to one about that she could
not the other. She often discussed literature with Hakkai; they seemed to have
that in common and once when Gojyo had fallen asleep (from drinking too much)
she and Hakkai had sat leaning against each other reading into the dawn. She
had even ventured so far as to ask Hakkai why he didn’t have any friends that
were female…you know even just as …friends. Hurts to let go his
whispered thought had been heard unknowing. On the other hand Mei discussed
life and relationships with the redhead. He always seemed so knowledgeable
about those…although she did wonder how he could know having never had any
beyond the pale light of day. She did concede that he did know quite a bit
about life…and she never tired from listening to his philosophy on life or his
stories. Some nights she went home because on those rare occasions it would be
Sanzo and Goku taking up space on the couch leaning into each other. The story
was that Goku could not hold his drink, but she guessed it was to prolong
whatever private time those two had outside of life at the temple. She knew
that Sanzo still went on whatever errands the temple or whatever powers that be
sent him on, and where Sanzo went Goku was there right next to him.

Sanzo, Goku, Hakkai and Gojyo made up an
odd sort of family. Mei liked Goku as he made her laugh with his antics. Sanzo
was…well Sanzo she supposed. Sanzo would have to know her a lot longer before
he let his guard down around her. As it was even within the circle of four, Mei
noticed that a kind of relaxed aloofness existed between the three older men even
if they did trust each other with their own lives. It was only Goku who could
take liberties with Sanzo. Still notwithstanding the famous white fan would
make an appearance. The day she got hit with it, she would be able to consider
herself part of this odd but unique family. This included Hakuryu. He was
Hakkai’s pet. He did not take to strangers well, but after deeming her someone
who did not mean his master any harm, he let Mei stroke him when she came round
to visit. As their story unfolded the longer she knew them, she understood them
to be orphans in one way or another. Perhaps this was one of the threads on a
skein which bound them together. With some strength. She was a long ways yet
from knowing the full story, but she guessed it may be that perhaps she did not
really need to know everything. It was fine for them to still have that air of
mystery about them and the sheen of secrets.

Soon it was already a year that Mei had
lived in town, with the Lees. They were happy with the arrangement and were
even quite fond of her. They did not have any children of their own, and looked
on Mei as a sort of daughter. She still wrote to her parents, who could sleep
easy at night that their daughter was well. And the seasons went by, and the
passage of time marched on seemingly un-noticed. And a year became two.

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Author’s notes:  Hakkai is now wearing
glasses. It has been ten years. A change in eyewear was due.

                        I can’t actually
remember the age of little Mei Hou in Ep. 14 of the first series
of                                                  

                        Gensoumaden Saiyuki
titled “Sweet Client”. So I made her eight years old.

  
                     I
hope that people actually think this is an ok story with some sort of
discernible plot.

                        If not…I do
apologise…and humbly too for any who feel we are entering OOC-ness.

                        Once again comments
are welcome and always I am learning. Thank you.