Misery in the Mountains

I was back in my room, throwing the few articles of clothing I owned into a knapsack. Judging from the skies, the rest of the day was probably going to be warm and clear, good all-around weather. I had already pulled on my boots when I decided to change my shirt cause it was getting warm. Stupid Gojyo. So what if I've never....I mean, all the girl's in town are airheads that I try to avoid at all costs, and the guys in town are, well, guys. I know that doesn't matter to some people, but it did to me. I just...never wanted to do that. It never bothered me before, but Gojyo made it sound like it was a sin I committed by not having sex. Isn't it usually the other way around?


I pulled off my shirt and had my back to the door when it opened and a quiet, "Roku?" filled the room. I turned around see Hakkai standing at the door, his overshirt replaced with a green one with a light purple scarf across his chest.


"I'm not gonna bite, you can come in," I told him, turning back around.


"Sorry, I don't mean to intrude. I wanted to apologize for Gojyo earlier, that was a private matter, and he shouldn't have been nosy," he said embarrassed, rubbing his head.


"Why're you embarrassed?" I asked, Besides, I don't care. I mean, I wish that Gojyo would spontaneously combust, and that Sanzo would strangle himself with that sutra he wears on his shoulders, but I was really okay. And no, I don't have anger issues. If I worked all this out in my head, the anger would be gone and I could be my normal, carefree self. I hated being vengeful, but sometimes it felt so good!


Hakkai was about to say something when he saw my back. I wasn't turned towards him, so he had the full view of the swirling, twisting, turning, blue tattoos that covered my back and arms. "Oh, my..." he trailed off, and I turned back to see him staring. I grinned. "Yeah, pretty cool, huh?"


"They're amazing," he said, then laughed. "I'm almost envious! When did you get them done?"


"On my seventeenth birthday," I said, thinking of the fond memory of my grandfather standing behind me as I gritted my teeth while the needle dug into my skin. Of course, in the memory, the pain was dull, almost an ache. "Its a family tradition to get a tattoo on your seventeenth birthday if you have the money to pay for it. I worked my ass off, as you can tell." I turned to him again, grinning like a drunk leprechaun. "I can tell!" Hakkai laughed.


"Yeah, I was looking forward to my birthday for a while. There was always this weird tradition that went along with it, though," I said.


"And that was?" was the inquired question.

I grinned, but my eyes were narrowed in confusion. "Well, no matter what tattoo we got, we had to use this ink that my grandfather made. Weird, I know, but supposedly the stuff was supposed to bring luck and protection, or that's what Mom said." I looked back and noticed Hakkai was quiet with a faraway look in his eyes. I quickly pulled on my blue t-shirt, then walked over to him. "Hey, Hakkai, what's up?" I asked.


He looked at me, a deep sadness in his eyes. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about how we never had any traditions in my family. Silly thought, really," he said.

I shook my head. "No way! I thought everyone had some sort of quirky family thing. How come you didn't?"


"Me and my sister were orphans, the only family we had," he said quietly.

I was about to say 'well, next time you see her, make one!' in my normal cheerful tone, when I remembered his 'were' and 'had'. Past tense. Uh, oh. So it probably wouldn't be a good idea to be the cheerful kid right now. Either he and his sister had a falling out, or she was...dead. I really hoped it was the first one. At least then they could apologize and try to make up, right? When you're dead, its pretty final.


"Well, maybe you and you're friends can make up something," I said cheerfully. "You guys seem pretty close. Loud and annoying, but close."

It worked. Hakkai was broken out of his trance and laughed. "Yes, well, the first two do apply." He smiled. "Thanks. No point in dredging up the past, right?"


"Not unless you feel like tying more cinder blocks to it and throwing it back in whatever river it just came from," I said. I looked towards the door, and noticed it was too quiet in the house. "Where is everyone?" I asked. Even though it had only been a few hours, I was already used to their noise, and the quiet was unsettling. Shit. How was I going to be able and live in my own house after this mess was over?


"They went to town to pick up some supplies," said Hakkai. I looked at him, then out the window towards the sky.

"Hope you told them to not buy much, 'cause whatever they're bringin' they're carryin'."


"I wouldn't worry too much," Hakkai laughed. "Whatever we bring with us that's too much to carry, Goku can eat."


"He'll end up eating everything you guys buy!" I laughed.


"Speak of the devil," he said cheerfully. "I think their back." I paused and listened to hear a jeep pulling up and raised voices. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but they were probably those of Gojyo and Goku arguing over something, with Sanzo's habitual death threats not helping.


"Definitely them," I said. "Nobody I know insults like those two can."


"Very true," Hakkai grinned. "I'll go out and help them bring in the stuff."


"No need," I said, swinging the knapsack over my shoulder. "Just let me use the good ol' john and we can be on our way. I'll be out in a sec." I lead the way and turned down the hall to the bathroom. I like nature in all, but nothing can beat indoor plumbing.


Just as I was done and washed up, I found myself looking at my reflection in the mirror over the sink. I'm not a vain person, I could care less what I look like. The only reason I have the mirror is because when you have to stitch yourself up and can't see what you're doing, the mirror saves your ass big time. I've had to do that a few times, stitch myself up. Living alone up near the mountains, I tend to get into a few scrapes and I can't always rush into town for treatment. Some of the older woman in town have scolded me on that, and I even have a few scars from the first couple times I tried to stitch myself together.


Anyway, I just looked at my reflection for a moment. I'm about 5'5, and pretty lanky at that, but I could haul stuff even the stronger guys in town couldn't. My skin, despite working outside all the time, was light, making the tattoos on my back seem to 'jump', supposedly. Older folks like to say my eyes were a rusty red, but no. I say they're the color of blood; bright, fresh, pools of blood. And I'm not even being morbid about this, either! My hair, however, was golden, and short, and liked to form rebellious spikes which I wholeheartedly allowed. I probably would have tried something, like dampening it with water, but I remembered the four guys waiting outside. With a hopeful sigh, I grabbed my pack and went outside.


"Finally," said Sanzo irritatedly, glaring at me from the passenger seat. "Took your sweet time, boy."


"I'm no boy, and I'm sorry," I said, rolling my eyes. I walked up to see Hakkai at the wheel, Sanzo beside him, with Goku and Gojyo in the back seat. Pausing near the jeep, I gave the hood a gentle rub, and it purred. This is no ordinary jeep, you know; its actually a small, pet dragon of Hakkai's that can change into a jeep. I love dragons, their grandeur and legend always filled me with awe, so getting to meet one was a big highlight of my day. In fact, I think that's like the only reason I agreed to this job, just so I could see this little dragon. "Jeep, just so you know, you got about an hour of smooth sailing before the path gets too rough and we'll have to walk it-"


"Cheep, Cheeep!"


"Or, in your case, hitch a ride on Hakkai's shoulder."


"Hey, Roku, are we leaving sometime today?" asked Gojyo, an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth.


"If you move your ass over, then yeah," I grinned, throwing my bag in the back then hopping in, forcing Goku to move over. "It's too cramped," he said.


"It's only temporary, but it you're so eager, you can get out and walk," said Sanzo, sounding less than thrilled as Hakkai started the jeep and began up the road that went past my house into the mountains.


"No way! I might get eaten by a wolf or a lion or somethin'!" Goku exclaimed, looking mad and a little nervous as he looked into the mountains.


"If it's any help, I've never seen any wolves or lions in these mountains," I said, trying hard to keep a straight face and not laugh.


"You'd get the chance to see what a meat bun feels like, so you should be honored," said Gojyo, and I smiled. Yep, this was going to be a trip to remember, alright. For better or worse.