I think once life settles down for all of us, coming back here would be a natural thing. (For me, that would be vacations from school...classes are hell.) So hopefully, we're just on hiatus, rather than done with it completely.

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"So thanks for the gift, and for a nice evening and everything, but I think I am gonna just head home, ok? You have a good time, and enjoy the rest of the Festival. Be good, now."

She leaned in and gave him a gentle - sisterly - peck on the cheek, and disappeared into the crowd as quickly as she could, never turning back so that the handsome young boy, the first one in so long to introduce hope into her own young damaged heart, couldn't see the tears in her dark scarlet eyes.

She had sworn when her grandmother died she would never cry again, and she didn't want to acknowledge the tears that came now. She forced her mind to focus on a mental checklist of all the tasks she had to accomplish first thing in the morning to get her food stand ready to open for the afternoon Festival rush. It would be a busy day, and if she wasn't completely prepared, she would never make it.

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Sanzo awoke to the sound of a weak croaking like a dying frog coming from across the room. He wondered what kind of wildlife Goku had brought into his quarters now, and sat up on his elbows, expecting to see the boy sitting there with a box containing assorted reptiles and amphibians in their last stages of life, having been taken from their natural environments (at least he wasn't keeping them in his pockets now.) He was suprised at the sight of his young charge, still in his cot, his face the color of a milky pea soup, his hair disheveled around his diadem, and his upper half in his pajamas, his lower half still in his jeans, one boot on and one boot off.

"Goku, what the hell..." He sat up and was abruptly reminded of what the cause of Goku's situation was by the sharp pain behind his own eyes, the ghastly taste in his mouth, and the large cold brick that had apparently landed in his own stomach -- all obviously remnants of too much alcohol consumption last night. It all came back to him, he thought clearly. But he only remembered the saru getting two or at most three drinks - how the hell had he gotten so hung over? He mulled over the events of the evening and remembered the unconsumed tray of fruity drinks made by the strange barmaid with the long hair and the bad attitude - they had never been drunk and had been sitting on the end of the bar the last time he had seen them. Shit on toast, the damn fool had probably drunk all of them when they weren't looking, and she had said something about the one for him having the "kick of a Tibetan ox...."

Doing his best to ignore the relatively minor hangover he had (he'd certainly had far far worse) Konzen slipped out of his bed, put on his slippers, and padded quietly to Goku's cot, sitting down at his side and gently brushing his clammy damp hair back from his face.

"I'll bet you feel pretty wretched, don't you, monkey?"

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Konzen saw the odd expression and the flush of color flit across Goku's face, and was trying to figure out what might be behind it when the server showed up with the appetizers. Realizing he had never ordered their entrees, he ordered teriyaki beef for two for the saru and steamed fish and rice for himself.

After the waiter left he turned to back to see Goku about to pop the wasabi ball from the appetizer tray into his mouth.

"MONKEY NO!!"" he screamed in a strangled voice... Goku stopped just short of it passing his teeth and put it back on the plate, his expression hurt that Konzen had yelled at him.

""Goku, that's a flavoring for the sauce for the sushi, not something to eat! Take a tiny bit on the tip of your chopstick and you'll see why I yelled-- It's very very hot...""

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Possible end-pairs: Gunther (Kyo Kara Maoh) x Goku ( Saiyuki), Seiren (Saiunkoku Monogatari ) x Genjyo Sanzo ( Saiyuki), ....

More later....

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he knew it was to much to ask the copy nin to do a eazy job. the kitchen was void of the man iruka felt like toung lashing right now.

desiding to fight down his earge to clean up, he turned at the fomiller sound of telaportation, kuni in hand.

"Kakashi, just for once on this hell bent earth, could you not just do a task." iruka was using his pissed off ninja voice, this ment loud and very angry. red maring his face, deepening the scar accross his nose but also bring a vane in his temple to the serface.

taking only a vage look at the other man, noting the dam hair and change of cloths. iruka went to lunge at the copy nin but was cought mid way.

"iruka you loud tonight." deep toans, bland of most emoshon helped to cut through the wave of rage boiling in the teacher.
Ibiki stood, a look best discribed as deathly amused and evil resorected on his face as he kept iruka from attacking his target.
"you two have been reasined."

more ANBU moved up beside the huge I+T expert.

Iruka was releaved to be let go once he looked less likely to gut the silver smerking man. releaved it would be his own bed he could sleep in and vowing to have words with the counsle in the morning.

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As crimson locked with emerald, Hakkai knew that he did not have the luxury of being able to feel or let go of his control. He plastered on his smile and slowly walked to the pair like trying to comfort a wild hurt animal. Calling forth small bits of chi, Hakkai stroked over Gojyo's arm. He follwed it with a small touch to Goku's face. Trying to smooth hurt hearts was the hardest thing to heal. He was so worried about Sanzo too. He would figure out a way to approach the monk as soon as he had given his friends enough support to get their feet back under them.

"Come back into the water, you will get cold out here." Pulling gently on Gojyo's arm, he began to follow the healer with the saru in tow. Constantly cooing and touching gently... the three lowered themselves back into the warm waters. Wrapping his arms around the pair, he continued talking softly and ignored the tears falling from his eyes.

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