Heartbreaker

A/N: Hehe. This part…I think it might be better than the first one. Like I said before, girly!Gojyo goes to take a bath in the nearby stream. And, well…she runs into an acquaintance that might mean trouble later on. But I will say…that was a very astute observation from you, Macha. Fighting is a problem. But that gets sorted out a bit.

Inspirational music: “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, as performed by Frank Sinatra

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Part II: I’ve Got You Under My Skin

They’d been on the road for only a week when Gojyo’s womanly tendencies started showing. She was crude, as always, but then there were times when no one could make a word come out of her mouth, and no one could figure out why. Hakkai was even at a loss as to what could have been making Gojyo give them all the silent treatment. Sanzo passed it off as female hormones and didn’t bother with it. Currently, Hakkai and Sanzo were sitting on the ground during one of their nightly rests, since there were no inns within a decent distance of their route.

They leaned back against a fallen tree, watching Gojyo sparring with Goku. The monkey was not going easy on the woman, and Gojyo seemed grateful, even though Goku repeatedly got the better of the kappa. Hakkai winced as Goku’s knee connected with the redhead’s kidney, sending her staggering. Sanzo mused that it must be the difference in the hip width that was throwing Gojyo off. As a man, Gojyo had had narrow hips. Now, they were at least two or three inches wider, and it couldn’t help that those B-cup breasts got in the way during close-quarters grappling. Knowing that it was a mechanical problem didn’t really give him any information as to how the issue was to be corrected, though.

So he just twirled his head-gear on his finger, watching and trying not to wince himself when that pretty face got pummeled. Goku stopped when Gojyo hit the ground and didn’t get up again. He stood over the woman, looking down at her in horror. The monkey knelt quickly and turned her over, roughly pushing hair away from her face, which was bleeding at the nose and mouth. A pained sound came from the young man’s lips as he cradled the unconscious woman’s head. Sanzo’s eyes widened. He’d knocked her out?

Hakkai got up from where he sat, going over to check on the situation. The glow of chi surrounded his right hand, and it was not long before he pulled away. “Put her by the fire, Goku.” The monkey did as he was instructed, and took out a blanket to cover her. Then he sat looking rather confused. Every now and again, he looked at Gojyo, whose face was healed, and he’d huff.

“I miss Gojyo,” the boy said in a wistful tone. “He never got knocked out so easily.”

Sanzo snorted. “Get used to this one,” his finger jabbed at the red head that was only a few feet away from him, “because it’s the only one we’ve got now.” The boy nodded slowly, his eyes moving to look up at the sky. Sanzo’s eyes, on the other hand, were fixed on the way the flames seemed to make Gojyo’s hair glow. Things were far too different. He hadn’t had to yell at Gojyo for coming onto girls, because…well, there just weren’t that many women who were in for that sort of thing. And it was obvious that the current state of things made the formerly perverted kappa quite uncomfortable. He’d shared a room with her earlier in the week, and Gojyo had been very stiff and quiet. She’d stayed in the room, not leaving unless it was to go down to dinner.

Sanzo was not quite concerned, but he didn’t know what to make of it. Gojyo had never really been quiet. Quiet, moody, and at times just…cold. That was what this change had done to Gojyo. It was not natural. Not that there was anything natural about being a loud, stupid pervert, either, but better the devil you know than the one you didn’t, right? Well, the current incarnation of this particular devil was driving him up the wall. He hadn’t needed to point his gun at anyone, or even use the harisen for three whole days.

Goku didn’t goad Gojyo as much, since there wasn’t much to prod the woman about. That resulted in less fighting, and consequently, less swinging of Sanzo’s arm. The driving had become blissfully quiet, but it was starting to wear on his nerves. He hadn’t realized how much their squabbling kept him occupied.

So in his own way, he supposed that he missed Gojyo, too.

--

It was the gray of dawn when Gojyo woke. The fire had smoldered into ashes, and the rest of the group was still asleep. She was a little sore, and there were bruises in places that were not worth contemplating, but it wasn’t as bad as the night before. Something was off. Shouldn’t it be a simple matter of adjustment, rather than getting your ass kicked? Every movement seemed to be off balance.

Goku sparred with her every night, but every night ended the same way. With the exception of last night, when he’d knocked Gojyo out, Goku ended up helping her up off of the ground, looking concerned. It was starting to piss her off. She hated being weak. In fact, it angered her so much that she’d stopped talking a lot of the time. There was little hope that things would improve, until she learned how to balance better. Once that happened, everything would be fine.

There was a stream nearby, so there was actually a chance to wash up, which she was not going to pass up. Being a woman made you feel dirty faster, it seemed. So, as quietly as possible, she threw the covers away from herself, and stood. Damn, it hurt to do that. Every joint seemed sore. All the more reason to soak in the water for a while.

The walk to the water wasn’t very long, but the stream wasn’t visible from the camp, so there was no reason to suspect that anyone would be a pervert and peek at her. That almost made her laugh. If it had been Sanzo or Hakkai that had been turned into a woman, Gojyo would have been sitting in a tree or hiding behind a rock faster than you could say Bob’s-your-uncle. Perversion seemed to be part of the DNA that had been passed down through the family. Or maybe that was from her mother’s side?

It didn’t really matter. She tossed her jacket aside, watching it land in a tidy little heap, and unlaced the tall boots before tugging those off and laying them near the jacket. Shirt and pants removed next, these got placed next to the water, so that they might be washed, along with her underwear and the bra that she was highly surprised that Hakkai had suggested. It was…lacy.

Then again, Hakkai always had a soft spot for pretty things, and he’d basically had a long-term relationship with a woman. He understood about those things. Gojyo sniggered a little as she slipped into the water, feeling the cool wetness flow past, caressing the skin of her calves. Wading in a bit deeper, where the water was waist deep, she dunked herself under the stream. It felt great to get the dirt off, and the cold water was doing wonders for her mood. Gojyo had never been a morning person, but one thing she didn’t miss about being a man was the usual ‘morning wood’ that he’d had.

Smiling at the lack of morning problem, Gojyo dunked down into the water again, staying under for as long as possible. When she came back up, she just floated there, only her face above the water. Every morning should start this way, she thought. Gojyo’s eyes caught movement off on the bank opposite the camp, and she pushed her head and shoulders out of the water. Blinking water from her eyes, she found herself looking up at a pair of intense violet eyes screened behind blood-red hair.

Kougaiji leaned on a large rock, looking down at her amusedly. “Sha Gojyo. I guess it was only a matter of time before I caught you with your pants down.”

Gojyo made an annoyed sound. “What do you want?”

Those eyes were making Gojyo slightly nervous. She couldn’t stay in the water, but she wasn’t sure she really wanted to get out of it, either. Not with him looking at her. Kougaiji’s face turned serious after a moment, and he tilted his head. “Why don’t you come out of there, and we can discuss things rationally?” The way his hand tried to curl into a fist said that Kougaiji’s idea of rationality was not going to be very fun for Gojyo.

There was the familiar cocking of a gun, and she spun around to see Sanzo, pointing his banishing gun at the red-haired demon. “Gojyo, get your ass out of there and head back to camp. I’ll deal with him.” Now, as a man, Gojyo had never been shy. But the kappa currently had body parts that neither of the other people present possessed, and that difference made her not a little self-conscious. So when she stood, Gojyo hurried past Sanzo, carefully avoiding looking his way at all as she collected all of her clothing and got dressed again.

A long jade hair-pin that Hakkai had given her held her hair in a wet, messy knot at the back of her head, and she didn’t bother putting her boots back on. Gojyo just picked them up and ran. By the time she was back at camp, her blush had subsided, but there was a tremble in her knees that she didn’t like. How on earth did Sha Gojyo become a prude?

It was only a few minutes before Sanzo got back to camp, his face set into a deep scowl. Gojyo was trying to dry her hair, and not having much success. It had now dampened the back of her t-shirt, and squeezing only took so much water out of the thick red stuff. The monk’s grimace only got worse when he looked at Gojyo, his eyes glinting amethyst annoyance at her. Wondering exactly what it was that she had done, she raised an eyebrow at him. A familiar tick developed beneath Sanzo’s right eye, and he crossed the camp faster than Gojyo was prepared for, grabbing at her wrist and pulling her to her feet again.

“Sanzo, let go of me!” Gojyo’s voice rose as she tried to pry his grip away, but had no success. The monk started walking, not paying any heed to the nails that dug into his arm. “Let me—“ Her voice died when he looked back at her. Those eyes…how had she ever stood up to them? A spike of something that felt a little like fear shot through her stomach, and she couldn’t move, except to follow him.

Finally, when they were almost a mile away from the camp, Sanzo let go of her wrist and turned to look at her. He leisurely lit a cigarette, and then drew his gun. Pointing it at her head, he said, “Summon your weapon, Gojyo.”

“Huh?” She said, confused.

The hammer of the gun cocked. “Your shakujou. Summon it, or I’ll put a bullet in your pretty little face, kappa.” Gojyo’s eyes widened as she saw his finger starting to squeeze the trigger. The shakujou appeared in her hands in an instant, and the monk eased off of the trigger. When the gun was put on safety, and stowed in its hiding place, Sanzo growled, “Attack me.”

Not questioning, Gojyo used the shakujou as a diversion while trying to land a punch to Sanzo’s face. It did no good, as the punch was blocked, her arm twisted and held behind her back. “Ah…” the pain of her shoulder being wrenched was starting to be a little too much. “Fuck, Sanzo…let go...” The monk let her go, and pushed her away. Gojyo stumbled. She fumed, whirling around and glaring at the man.

“Now, without the weapon.” The blonde stood lazily, as if he didn’t even care that he was making Gojyo humiliate herself.

“Fine,” she spat, and the shakujou disappeared. Throwing herself forward, Gojyo tried to tackle him. Sanzo smirked when he easily threw her off balance, causing her to fall. “Fuck! What is your goddamned problem asshole?!”

Sanzo dragged heavily on the cigarette he still held. “You’re off balance. It’s your hips.” Gojyo stared blankly at him as she pushed herself to her feet. The priest rolled his eyes and threw the smoldering cigarette to the ground, snuffing it. Laying his hands roughly on her hips, he pushed slightly, and Gojyo felt like she was going to fall over. “Your hips are wider now, idiot. Widen your stance.” Gojyo considered this. After a second, she figured it made sense.

Planting her feet a bit further apart, and feeling the firmer base it gave her, she smirked a little and pushed back at Sanzo. He was forced backward a pace. “Thanks for the tip, Blondie. Now…how’s about we try again?”

A little laugh escaped from thin lips, and violet eyes sparkled a bit in amusement. “If you think you can handle it.”

An evil smile stretched Gojyo’s mouth, and she took a step toward him. “I can handle anything you dish out, Sanzo.” The blonde sent a punch to her stomach, which she evaded with a little effort, and took hold of the black-clad arm before he could retract it. Twisting it hard behind the monk’s back, Gojyo twined one leg around his and shoved with her free hand, and he went down with a heavy thud. Following him to the ground, she straddled his back and pushed the side of his face into the dead leaves. When he tried to get up, Gojyo adjusted her grip and allowed no such thing. “I really must thank you again. Now I get to see your face when I’ve got you on the ground. Again. You look good from this angle, Sanzo.”

The priest sent a baleful glare up at her, and growled, “Woman, you had better let me up, or I’m going to hurt you.”

“You have to get up first, Sanzo.” The laugh she let go sounded a bit more evil than even she meant it to. “I can keep you here for a very long time, with surprisingly little effort.” The man grunted with the energy it took to strain against her, but still couldn’t get out of the grip Gojyo had on him. “If you ask very nicely, I might let you up.”

“Fuck you.”

Leaning down low, and putting a little more pressure on Sanzo’s shoulder, Gojyo mustered the most feminine, seductive tone she could to put emphasis on the fact that a woman had gotten the better of him. “Oh, now that is not very nice, Sanzo…” A very evil idea entered her mind—for which she might well get shot later—but she couldn’t resist. “Unless you’re offering.”

His struggles ceased for a moment. Gojyo’s eyes widened momentarily. Sanzo wasn’t considering that, was he? That question was answered quickly. “Why would I want to fuck you? You’d probably try to bite my dick off out of spite.”

Chuckling lightly, Gojyo let go of Sanzo’s arm and stood, pulling the monk from the ground without asking if he needed help. Jabbing him in the side with one sharp finger, Gojyo said, “I was joking,” before turning away and marching back to camp. Sanzo followed, at a distance that he no doubt deemed to be safe. Gojyo took a bowl from Hakkai, who looked at her questioningly. Gojyo dismissed the question before it could be asked. “The monk just had to try to be a decent human being. You know he can’t do that where others can see…”

Hakkai grinned as they ate their breakfast.

--

Sanzo blinked in the gray of dawn, and looked around. The sun had just started to rise, and he could see Goku sprawled out on one side of him, and Hakkai curled up across the fire-pit. Gojyo’s blankets were empty. Tracks went off to the south, toward the stream. Silently cursing to himself, he got up and followed. If Gojyo couldn’t fight Goku in a spar without being pounded to a bloody pulp, then she wasn’t able to take care of herself. And if something happened to her, he was going to feel guilty, because he was the only one up.

When he arrived at the water’s edge, he stood behind a tree, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement that did not include the woman in the water. It wasn’t difficult to keep himself from looking at her. Any curiosity about what Gojyo looked like as a woman was overridden by the need to keep her safe. And it was because of this that he caught Kougaiji trying to sneak up on her. The red-haired man stood at the water’s edge, watching Gojyo with interest. His eyes trained on the slope of a shoulder, the arch of her neck. There was something in the demon’s eyes that Sanzo did not like.

Gojyo submerged her body in the stream, and then came back up, water shedding from her hair and down her chest, and Sanzo saw Kougaiji move to lean on a large rock. Gojyo sensed the movement, and turned to see the man on the bank. She seemed unaware of what she did, but she lowered her body in the water a little, trying to hide herself. Sanzo knew a threat when he saw one, and Kougaiji was a threat to Gojyo.

“Sha Gojyo. I guess it was only a matter of time before I caught you with your pants down.” Kougaiji leered at Gojyo, and Sanzo’s eyes narrowed in anger. Why did that son of a bitch always have to show up to harass them?

Gojyo’s voice made a frustrated grunt and then she asked, “What do you want?”

The pleased smile that crossed the demon prince’s face was less than friendly. “Why don’t you come out of there, and we can discuss things rationally?” Gojyo obviously hesitated as Koujaiji’s hands fisted. It was evident to Sanzo that talking was not what that man had in mind.

So what else could he do? He drew his gun and strode out into the open, aiming at Kougaiji and pulling back the hammer. “Gojyo, get your ass out of there and head back to camp. I’ll deal with him.” Her posture stiffened, and she turned quickly to look at him, her face flushing. He didn’t know if it was in embarrassment, or anger. Did she really think she could handle this man on her own? In her current condition? Nevertheless, whatever she might have thought, she obeyed. Sanzo didn’t take his eyes off of Kougaiji as Gojyo moved as fast as she could to get out of the stream.

The man’s dark purple eyes widened at the sight of a female body, and blinked several times. After a moment, the corners of that usually frowning mouth drew upward in a smile that Sanzo wanted to shoot off of his face. When Gojyo made a bee-line for the camp, the priest considered shooting. “What do you want?” He asked instead. It was as if Kougaiji did not even hear him. He was too busy staring at Gojyo as she ran back to camp. “Kougaiji…I’ll only ask once more. What do you want?”

When those eyes fixed on Sanzo, he found himself looking at a frightening amount of desire, and he was sickened by it. “I was…looking for a fight.”

A sadistic smile came over Sanzo’s mouth. “I’ll be happy to oblige.”

The demon laughed airily. “No…I’d rather fight with…her.”

His smile faded, and his finger squeezed a bit harder at the trigger. “Not happening, asshole. Leave. Now.” Kougaiji left, but promised to return for his ‘fight’, and for the Maten Sutra. Shaking with rage, Sanzo released the trigger and eased the hammer of his pistol. “Fucking…goddamned demon mother-fuckers…”

Sanzo’s eye twitched for what had to be the fiftieth time that day as he remembered the incident at the stream. He sat in the front passenger side of the Jeep, and looked in the rear-view mirror. Goku was napping, and for once, Gojyo had his head in her lap, the snoozing young man smiling contentedly in his sleep while Gojyo combed fingers through his wild brown hair. Red eyes watched the horizon, filled with an unknowable emotion.

Their group had changed, all because of one detail. Biology was a strange thing, it seemed. Because of something that one of their number could not control, they were thrown into a new mold of chaos. Sanzo’s nerves were wearing thin. The next town they were headed toward had a temple. Sanzo thought a talk with the Three Aspects might not go amiss. If for no other reason, he could explain why there was a monstrous charge on the credit card for women’s clothing. He needed to meditate, or find something to calm himself down. Because every time he thought about how flustered and helpless Gojyo had been, he saw red. As annoying as it had been for Gojyo to be a man, it was frustrating beyond belief for Sanzo to deal with the female version.

He had to knock if he entered a room where she was, or he got an earful from Hakkai, and a very odd, half-mortified look from Gojyo. The time they’d shared a room, Sanzo had tried to get into the bathroom while Gojyo was in there, but found it locked. It was just hard to get used to.

And then there had been the absolutely sick joke the woman had made.

Unless you’re offering…

As if he would consider that. Ever. But at least he’d set her straight on that account. And how to defend herself. Why had she felt the need to even suggest such a thing? Well, for one, she was probably just pushing his buttons like always. And now, there was this new leverage. He just couldn’t make himself really open up on her and smack the fuck out of the kappa. Damn it. It would appear that the gentleman in Genjyo Sanzo had chosen the very worst time to wake up and make himself known.

The Jeep came to a very abrupt halt, and Sanzo was nearly thrown over the windshield. “Hakkai, what the—“

“Sanzo Ikko! Prepare to meet your doom!” Sanzo groaned. He was so not in the mood for killing flunkies.

Goku was already awake, and the boy and Gojyo stepped out of the back seat. When they came to stand before the baker’s dozen of very weak-looking demons, the red-haired woman looked back at him, grinning. “Take it easy, old man. We’ll handle them.” The two kicked up sand as they moved, a whirlwind of movement and violence. Gojyo somehow seemed more graceful than before, her body flowing from one movement to another as the shakujou only did a fraction of the work it used to. Somehow, the woman killed four more demons than Goku had. The boy frowned as the last of them blew away as dry dust.

“Were you holding out on me, you stupid sprite?” the monkey whined, “You better not hold back again, or I’ll do worse than knock you out.”

As their weapons disappeared and they got back into the jeep, she grabbed the boy and locked his head under her arm. “You should learn how to respect your elders,” she growled amiably, grinding her knuckles into his scalp and listening to him squawk. When she released him, he was rubbing his head. Settled back into their seats, Gojyo smiled and sighed. “But no, I won’t hold back.” Goku’s smile was almost radiant. It was obvious that he had a soft spot for his fighting with the kappa, but it had taken a different kind of turn.

“Good.” The boy laughed, gently pushing at her shoulder before laying his head in her lap again.

“Brat, I’ve spoilt you already?” Gojyo asked, raising one eyebrow and scratching at the young man’s head.

Nodding, Goku closed his eyes and said cheekily, “Yep. Can’t get rid of me now.” The only one that didn’t laugh at that comment was Sanzo, whose eye twitched again.

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A/N: Hurray for spoiled brats. I loved the idea that Gojyo would warm up to the monkey boy after becoming a woman. And I like to play with men’s hair, so I figure it’s a pretty girly-like thing to do. The transition to hormonal femininity is only beginning, so there might be a new witch to watch out for…