Divine Insanity

Morning coffee and breakfast at Rei and Hakkai’s inn was a hard and fast ritual by that point in time.  Sanzo was already seated at their usual table by the fire as was Gojyo. Hakkai would doubtlessly be there in a few minutes when he’d finished child wrangling and healing his oldest.  The boy was nursing quite the split lip and more than a little bruised pride at that particular moment.

“Guess I should do somethin’ about her manners,” Gojyo said, referring to his daughter, Chi.

“What manners?” Sanzo grumbled into his paper. “Though watching her send Ryu flying over the counter was amusing.”

“Yeah, well, he shouldn’t have said somethin’ that stupid to her,” Gojyo said, lighting a smoke. “Can’t you do somethin’ about that kid’s mouth, Hakkai?” he asked as his friend came over to the table and sat down next to him.

Hakkai sighed then smiled. “No more so than you with yours. He should just be grateful his mother didn’t hear him say it. A split lip would have been the least of his worries then.”

“Rei does have creative punishments,” Gojyo said.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Hakkai said with a smile toward his wife, who was dealing with one of the other breakfast customers.

“We don’t want to either,” Sanzo grumbled. “At least I don’t.”

“Aw! Grumpy old man not interested in sex anymore?” Mai laughed as she passed the table on her way to the kitchen.

“Damn brat,” Sanzo snarled into his coffee.

Hakkai was looking thoughtfully from Mai to the former leader of their merry band of miscreants. “You know, I think she feels a sort of kinship with you, Sanzo,” he said.

The top of the paper folded down enough for Sanzo to glare over the top of it. “I can’t imagine why.”

Rei smacked him in the back of the head with a serving tray as she passed. “You know exactly why,” she said. “Love, would you go check on our soon to be second youngest? She was showing Tai and MeiLin those chi balls you taught her. I’d really prefer it if she didn’t use her cousins as targets.”

“Of course. Did you need her for anything or am I simply doing damage control?” he asked, standing up.

She sighed and winced a little as her back gave a twinge. “Damage control. Don’t fuss,” she said, noting the look of concern on her husband’s face.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said with a smile. He touched her rounded stomach gently. “Stop giving your mother trouble.”

Rei glared at him a little. “Another Daddy’s boy. I mean it, Kai, this is the last one we’re having.”

“Of course, my love,” he said, kissing her then starting to walk off to find their daughter. He glanced over one shoulder and smiled, “But you said that three children ago as well.”

An evil smile played over Rei’s mouth. “Sweetheart, darling, light of my life, you do remember I can still kick your ass, right?”

“Something I look forward to,” he said, humming as he went though the kitchen doors.

Sanzo shook his head. “He is not even remotely right in the head.”

Rei grinned. “Not in the slightest, thank all the gods,” she said, heading for the kitchen as well.

Gojyo yawned and stretched, leaning back in his chair. “So, seen the monkey lately?”

“Why should I have? He’s probably enjoying his state of wedded bliss with Anya,” Sanzo snarled.

“You are in definite, desperate need of something to shoot at,” Gojyo said around a smoke.

In less than a second the gun was in Sanzo’s hand and aimed at Gojyo’s head. “I can start with you.”

“Put your over compensation piece away, Koryu,” Mai said, shoving his hand down. “I’m heading to the other job. Need anything?”

“Not that I can think of,” Gojyo said. “Might ask Xan if you see her on the way in.”

“Will do. By the way, Koryu, did that lady ever find you?” Mai asked.

“What lady?” Sanzo asked, frowning.

“Didn’t give a name,” Mai said with a shrug.

“Then I don’t care,” Sanzo said, going back to his paper.

“Okay, whatever,” she said, kissing the top of his head and ruffling his hair.

He snarled and shooed her off.

Kanzeon watched the young woman leave the inn with narrowed eyes.

“What now, Merciful Goddess?” hir companion asked.

“Since the stubborn brat won’t come to me, I guess I’ll have to go to him,” se said with a shrug.

“Are you certain this whole thing is necessary?”

“Don’t be such an old woman,” se said with a laugh. “It will be good for him to spend some time with another person who understands him far better than he understands himself sometimes. Besides, this should be fun.”

“If I may be so bold as to say you have a strange sense of what is fun.”

Se laughed. “I’m aware of that. But this needs to get done and my darling baby nephew and the girl are the best ones to do it since they have experience dealing with those types.”

“I’m not certain he remembers any of that, Merciful Goddess.”

“He remembers. He just refuses to acknowledge it,” se said. “Yes, I definitely think this will be good for him.”