A Visitor

Author's Note: Well, this is where I feel I should say something. Thank you everyone for reading up until this point. I apologize, but this is where things will change a little, and if you are mad for it, I apologize. When I originally wrote this story (several years ago) I originally published it on MySpace as part of a serial about my character Maxine Dealer. That's why there's a lot of hooey from here out that goes to my character development and not so much to the Saiyuki characters. Please, feel free to let me know what you think, and enjoy the rest of the story. We're about 3/5 of the way through as it is.
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“LET GO, LET GO, LET GO!” I screamed, using my full voice. The guys let go of me and the pain dulled, but it didn’t go away. Not even close. I took a few deep breaths to get control over my reactions. When I had smoothed my expression I opened my eyes and saw the four men that I had been staying with watching me. Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai regarded me with open concern. Sanzo glared at me out of the corner of his eye as he lit a cigarette – feigning nonchalance – but I could see the worry in his aura.

I took a deep breath and smiled, ignoring the brief stab of pain I felt in my back. “Sorry, guys. When you touched me it felt like I was being stabbed all over.” I looked around to apologize to the other diner-goers, but they weren’t there. Actually, the diner wasn’t there. What was there, though, was the institute that Paul and I owned. “How the hell did we get here?” I asked in shock.

“Where the hell are we?” Gojyo asked. He sounded irritated.

“Now, now, Gojyo, I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for our presence,” Hakkai said. I noticed that he and Sanzo were standing very close together. It was so cute!

Suddenly my brother Frank, in full drag – he and his husband are queens at a bar in LA – stuck his head out of my window. The Gipson Institute is only two stories high, but to accommodate a high ceiling for the library and the stage room the whole first floor is three stories high. As a result, the second floor is on level with the fourth floor of a normal building. I guess to people who had never seen the Institute on its busy days would think that it was a mansion. It’s actually a big house… surrounded by two dormitories, a huge barn and a parking lot sized garage.

“Max, who’re your friends?” Frank shouted. A couple of students who were on their way from the dorms to the main house paused and stared at us.

“Janine, Damian, are you going inside?” I asked politely.

“Sorry, Miss Dealer,” Janine said in her thick Scandinavian accent. “Your brother distracted us when he shouted.”

I smiled. “Just go about your business. I’m going to go up there and kill him.”

“Why? He’s being cute,” Janine said with a laugh. Damian didn’t seem to think the same as his girlfriend. He seemed to be a little put out by my flame of a brother.

“He’s in my room without permission,” I said. We turned to go inside. I tried to deposit Sanzo, Hakkai, Gojyo, and Goku in the stage room, but they wouldn’t hear of it. While I was in there, my husband noticed my presence. He looked happy to see me, like he always does, but then his smile dropped into a concerned frown. I gave up on my argument with the others with a sigh and ducked out of the room as JP headed toward me. I went to the stairs and started heading up.

It is a grand spiral staircase… it is a about six feet wide and makes one giant circle going up. It also happens to go up to the second floor without any landings or places to rest. I was perfectly fine when I got up to the second floor. The guys with me, however, were a bit out of breath. Some adventurers, to get all out of breath after a few stairs…

Once we were up to the second floor I glanced in the direction of my room. Adam was casually hanging onto the doorknob as if he was just hanging out, watching the others in my room. I snickered. “I guess everyone decided to ransack my room,” I muttered. “Hi Adam!”

“Yo, sis, what’s up?” He said casually.

I didn’t say anything as I passed him. I stopped just inside my room and took in the scene before me. Troy, Jason, Gideon, and Ben each had one hand on the handle of two drawers of either my desk or my filing cabinet. Cal was stuck to my closet door. Ethan and Frank’s husband, Greg, both had their hands stuck to the drawers of my nightstands. Frank was attached to the window. Dan was glued to the trapdoor in the floor, and Paul was stuck to the hidden door that led to the secret passage between Troy’s and my rooms. I raised my hand to cover my giggle. All eyes turned to stare accusingly at me.

“I see you’re all having fun breaking into my room,” I observed casually.

“Release us!” Troy ordered. I shot him a strong look and he blushed. “Please?” he added.

My lips quirked up evilly. “How long have I been gone?” I asked seriously after a minute of tension. All of the stuck men in my room sagged in relief.

“Two nights,” Adam said from behind me.

I nodded. “That sounds about right. I’ve been in the Saiyuki reality for that long,” I announced. Hai and JP popped their heads in from behind me at that point. Hai smiled hugely at the Sanzo party, but didn’t make a move. Gensomaden Saiyuki was his favorite anime, from what he’s told me.

I concentrated briefly and all at once everyone dropped their arms from my furniture. “Damn it, guys, now I’m going to have to reset my traps!”

That’s when I caught a blonde blur. I picked Jason up, even though he’s eleven years old, and held him tightly. He had a little separation anxiety. In the five years since I took him in he’s been kidnapped several times and I’d nearly died several more. The way I see it, he’s earned the right to hold me tight, no matter that it caused the pain I was feeling to intensify. I could handle it.

“Mom, are you okay?” he asked, sounding needy.

“Yeah, sweetie, I’m fine. I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Mom, are you sure?” Troy asked.

“Of course I’m sure!” I snapped, but I held my arm open for him. He hesitantly came over and allowed me to hug him. I was impressed. In two years he’d only allowed me to hug him a few times.

“Mom, you are the coolest!” Hai said. He grabbed Goku and started dragging him to his room. When Goku fought him and swung a fist to make him let go, Hai just turned into the ball of light that is his true form.

“Hai, ask him if he wants to hang out with you!” I scolded. “Don’t drag him!”

Hai returned to his human form and nodded forlornly. I sighed, but decided to officially introduce my new friends to my family.

“Listen up, y’all. These are Sanzo, Gojyo, Hakkai, and Goku. They’re my friends. Don’t be too rough on them!”

“Forget them,” JP said softly from behind me. “You’re in pain.”

“I know,” I said. It wasn’t as if I could forget pain. I could function normally despite it, but I could never actually ignore it. I don’t work that way.

JP placed his hand on my shoulder, and of course the pain intensified. He felt my muscles stiffen. “Put Jason down and go to bed,” was the doctor’s order.

“I’m not tired,” I said, but I hugged Jason tightly and set him on the ground.

“I need to examine you. What caused the pain?”

“Honey…”

“Shut up. When did the pain start?”

I said nothing.

“When did the pain start?” He was getting annoyed.

*You told me not to say anything,* I said using open telepathy so that everyone in the room could hear me. *It isn’t wise to disobey my healer.*

“GOOD GOD WOMAN! Knock it off or I swear to god I’m going to kill you! JK will help me.”

“Paul will, too,” JK chimed in. “Either way, let your hubby have his way so that he doesn’t antagonize me, will you?”

“He won’t antagonize you,” I said. JK got that look in his eyes that said he was seeing the future and he was right. “Fine, I’ll be good. Everyone, get out.”

Nobody moved. I sighed in irritation.

“Seriously, everyone…”

“We have been worried shitless, sis,” Gideon said seriously. “It’s been two days, and you haven’t contacted us once, the way you usually do. Your phone hasn’t answered, and it receives signal EVERYWHERE. Hell, even the Sage’s Link hasn’t worked. I was so scared that you were killed! Jonathan doesn’t strip you down or anything, so we’re staying here through your exam.”

I sighed. “Fine, you can have my body.”