A Saiyuki Fanfic: The Goddess Journey

Journey 01: Town Under Dark Clouds

!! Warning: This chapter is one of many which will consist of more than ten pages..

The townspeople stared at the forest in the distance and watched as dust swirled in the air. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning slashed from the ground up towards the sky in an ear piercing shriek. The clouds began to swirl around the column of light and darkened, blanketing the sky in its gloom. The only light now came from the glowing pillar at the border of the forest. The townspeople mumbled and murmured amongst themselves until a voice shot out from the crowd.

"The Fortuneteller! The Fortuneteller will know what's happening!" The body of people began to agree and nodded to each other. "She'll tell us what to do!" They all marched over to 'THE INN' and only a few entered the building because of how small it was. Ta'ari, the innkeeper, raised his head from behind the reception table and was surprised to see the huge number of people.

"What's going on here?" He asked in his deep voice. He was a slender man sporting a thick bed of dark hair which he combed back neatly. Everything about him gave the first impression of a reliable man. "We've only got room for thirty people."

A man stepped forward, "We need to see your wife."

Ta'ari let out a sigh, "She's resting now. You all know that."

The man was persistent, "There is something going on out there! Can't you see?"

Ta'ari walked over to the window and his eyes widened when he saw the scene outside. He heard the sound of glasses clinking against each other and turned to see his twin daughters carrying trays of them and a jug of water. "Momo, call your mother out." She gave him a look that told him she was sleeping but he just shook his head and she placed the tray down on a nearby table before going through a corridor next to the stairs. "Mimi, prepare the room for a fortune telling." His daughter quickly placed her tray next to the one her sister previously held and started rearranging the furniture.

"There's no need, Ta'-kun." Ta'ari turned to see his wife. Her light colored robe gave her an enchanted look especially with her golden hair framing her soft face, cascading down on her bare shoulders. "I predicted something was going to happen but I didn't expect something as huge as this."

"Fortuneteller!" The people exclaimed. "Give way for the Fortuneteller!"

"Mononoke, where are you going?" Ta'ari followed her but she stopped him. "Where--"

She just smiled at him, "I can't guarantee your safety if you come with me."

Ta'ari grabbed her hand, "I'm going with you." He turned enough for his twins to hear him, "You girls stay here." He returned his gaze to his wife, "I'm going with you." His voice was thick with determination.

She stared at him for the longest time before nodding. But before they could step out of town, demons appeared. They smirked and chuckled as their tongues slid across their lips, their saliva thick and stringing to their teeth and mouths. The townspeople took steps back then ran into the center of town, going into buildings and houses in hopes that it would shelter them from the demon attacks.

Mononoke looked at them. Then, she lifted her hand up, her fingers making signs in front of her face. Before the demons knew what was happening, they were eradicated one by one. A few tried to attack her but Ta'ari had pulled out a knife and slashed the few that lunged at her. The demons backed away and quickly disappeared. Both Ta'ari and Mononoke was worried but neither said a word. This was the first demon attack they've encountered here meaning that something big was happening. Mononoke started to walk towards the light in the distance and Ta'ari followed closely behind her.

No demons attacked them during their journey towards the light, which seem to have slowly been fading away. The skies were brightening as the clouds steadily dispersed and the cool air warmed as the sun began to shine again. It almost felt like nothing had happened. Both Mononoke and Ta'ari stopped and stood at the border of the forest. They could hear some rustling in the dark depths and a few growling and groans. Suddenly, there was a painful moan from behind them. The couple spun around, ready to attack but it was a woman. Carefully, Ta'ari walked over to her and realized it was not a woman but a young girl.