Two Suns and a Moon

Go to the West

Oh, goody. "Yeah, I bet..." she agreed dryly with a crooked smile. She could already hazard a guess as to what it might entail based on his expression and level of irritation. "Who else is coming?"

"The usual suspects," he replied, stamping out his cigarette. "I've already made arrangements to meet up with Gojyo and Hakkai. Now that you're here, all we need to do is grab Goku and go."

"Those fruits are not meant for lowly beings such as yourself!" a familiar voice cried from the other side of the wall, causing the two humans to glance questioningly up in the direction of its source.

"Aw, shuddup!" Goku called back, causing Myoko to sweat-drop as a vein throbbed on Sanzo's head.

"That damn monkey..." he grumbled, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist as he stomped toward the gate to beat some sense into him for whatever the cause of this latest headache was.

Better brace yourself, Goku! Myoko thought with a nervous laugh as she followed the angry monk into the temple proper. The motto for their 'household' seemed to be 'talk shit, get hit.' And unfortunately their little monkey could be a slow learner.

"What's it matter?" Goku asked, still arguing with the other monks. "There's a lot here. What's one or two?"

"!" the older monks gasped and stepped out of the way when he spit a peach pit down at them. Their eyes widened in surprise when the turn to follow the unusual projectile with their eyes brought the arrival of the troublemaker's guardians to their attention.

Goku... Myoko thought wryly as she and Sanzo reached them at that moment, finding the others gathered around the massive peach tree in the courtyard. If he was really looking to cause trouble, then his aim could use some work.

"What's all this commotion about?" Sanzo asked, managing to sound calmer than he felt. The frazzled monks looked ridiculously relieved to see him.

"Sanzo-sama, please do something about this," the bravest (or perhaps the most exasperated) man said first. "Your companion is..."

"He is eating the peaches that are offerings to the Merciful Goddess, Kanzeon Bosatsu!" the monk next to him concluded impatiently. For a Buddhist temple, there didn't seem to be much zen around.

"But they're just like any other peaches," Goku said, still not seeing the problem. It's not like this goddess ever came down to get them. He had watched them go uneaten and fall and rot on the ground often enough to know that much.

Sanzo grabbed the first monk by the front of his robes and glared at him. "My companion?!" he said incredulously. "It's not like I have a choice!"

"B... But..." the older man stuttered nervously.

"Hey, Goku!" Myoko called up, giving their favorite ward a friendly smile and a little wave.

"Ah! Myoko-nee is back!" Goku exclaimed happily when he noticed the white-haired nun, immediately jumping down to greet her.

"That's right!" Myoko said brightly, noticing that he had grown a whole inch taller than her in the short time she was gone. "And if you want to avoid capture next time, it's better to quietly steal one or two to take back to your room to eat in secret instead of sitting in the tree where everyone can see you..." She suddenly felt a familiar pressure on her skull.

"Oi," Sanzo said gruffly, pushing down on the top of her head with his hand. "You better not be speaking from experience. Just what kind of shady advice have you been giving him? Don't tell me you're to blame for this...?"

"It was a joke, a joke," she said casually with a laugh, trying to wave it off. Even though she knew it was dangerous, she just couldn't resist teasing him sometimes, especially when they hadn't seen each other in a while.