The day dawned overcast and dreary, completely matching my mood. I had come to this little town during the night, hoping to outrun my abusive boyfriend and the only place I could find shelter in was this run down inn. I did hear voices in the next room later in the night, male voices but I was too tired to wonder if they were here for me or just weary travelers seeking shelter in the night.

I washed quickly and dressed, my black Converse sneakers laced comfortably on my feet. I loved these shoes. A black pullover and black skirt completed my outfit. The pullover was big enough to hide my secret.

My wings.

They were odd wings to be sure. The right one was white and feathered and the left one was black and leathery for I was a half breed. Not half human or anything lame like that but half angel and half demon. When I was just a few days old, I was left on the doorstep of a orphanage and in the basket was a note. According to the note, my mother was an angel who had died after giving birth to me and my father was not known. When the sisters of the orphanage unwrapped me, they gasped and crossed themselves as a protection from whatever evil had a hand in my conception.

I was a loner but surrounded by tons of other kids. Normal kids who made fun of me for having wings but I soon learned to get my revenge. I could call up fire in the palm of my hand and would threaten anybody who made fun of me or hurt me. It did get me a few whippings from the Mother who ran the orphanage but I didn’t care. I just laughed at her behind her back as she was nothing, a mere human.

Two loud voices bled through the thin walls of the inn and with my satchel in hand, I opened the door and went out in to the hall, coming face to face with the most handsome man I ever saw in my life.

He was tall, almost a full head taller than I was and gorgeous. Long red hair flowed over his broad shoulders and his red eyes seemed to look into my own, seeing all my secrets and promising to keep them safe in his heart.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” He closed the door to the adjoining room and smiled at me. His smile made my toes tingle and I knew that our lives would be intertwined from this moment on.

I opened my mouth to say that it was ok, that a little thing like him appearing like a god from the woods on a clear day wouldn’t be something that would frighten me but I never got a chance. He gave me a little wave and turned around and went down the stairs. The current of lust and longing that flowed between us must have been too much for him and he had to leave quickly lest he push me back into my room and have his wicked way with me.

The adjoining door opened again and an overly feminine man came out, practically flouncing down the steps as he followed the scrumptious redhead. I shook my head. There was no way that the redhead was gay and would be in a relationship with this man. I mean, the redhead was so very manly and this man, dressed in some weird tunic top with a scarf slung over his shoulder, obviously was of a different persuasion.

Like a siren’s song, I could hear a voice calling for me from down below. Smiling, I jauntily walked down the stairs, my heart following the call of my soon-to-be lover and with a quick look in the reception area, realized that my true love must be outside.

The clouds, which had been so full and fat with rain this morning, parted and disappeared from the skies, telling me that today was the day my destiny would be revealed to me. Taking several deep breaths, letting the smell of the flowers surrounding the inn fill my nose, I looked for my man. He must be around here somewhere.

A flash of gold caught my eyes and calling up my power, I soon had a ball of fire in my hands. The woods were silent as if every creature had been silenced by some strange being, neither human nor beast. I crept around the corner of the inn and there, standing by an iron car, stood the brunet man from earlier. A twisted smile marred his features which I suppose by some standard could be called handsome but never would that word fall from my lips.

“You should be on your way, miss. I’d hate to see anything bad to you.”

Oh he was a tricky one, alright. Cool, calm and collected, like a shark on the prowl for some small fish to attack cruelly whilst it’s back was turned. Or perhaps he was more like an owl, searching the skies for a poor little mouse to dig it’s claws in, drawing blood and tearing flesh while it screamed it’s orgasm in the night where creatures that liked to torture, swept the skies.

“I don’t think so. You can’t scare me.” The fire in my hand licked hungrily towards this cruel man. It was as if the fire could sense the man’s true intention and he didn’t intend for me to leave this area alive. He must have some unnatural claim over the redheaded god, I told myself. There was no way that the man who greeted me with such love and lust this morning would ever go anywhere willingly with this man.

A boy, who looked no more than twelve, scampered up to and came to a screeching stop next to the cruel, sinister, twisted brunet. At any other moment, the sight of his smile would have made me smile for one could see that the boy wasn’t all there. He was babbling about food and when was this “Hakkai” going to make them breakfast. Anger rose sharp and hot in my chest, furious that this man could be so cruel to deny this poor, innocent child breakfast.

“You monster! How dare you treat this poor innocent this way? Is that how you get your kicks, making him beg for food?” The flames in my hand leapt higher, determined to touch this man, scorch him with my fury and power.

“Huh?” The boy turned to me, his golden eyes wide with what I was sure was fright and terror. “Who’s this woman? Is she a youkai that Kougaiji sent to try and kill us?” A long red staff appeared in his hands, a sure sign that the gods must have known that he wasn’t of normal intelligence and he would need a magical weapon to defend himself from people like this Hakkai.

“No Goku, she’s not a youkai. I don’t know who she is but I am afraid for her safety.” Hakkai smiled at Goku. I wasn’t fooled though, I could see beneath that false smile.

“Oi!”

I turned halfway, still facing the threat from Hakkai and Goku, to look at the redhead. He took my breath away for a second. The morning light shone through his silky red locks, making them appear to shine like a leaf shines with dew from a night of sleep. His strides were long and I could see he was in a hurry to get to me.

“What’s going on?” He reached Hakkai and Goku and to my horror, slung his arm around the shoulders of Hakkai. Treachery!

I stood stunned, pinned to the ground by my own two feet which refused to move as if my Converses had their soles filled with cement while I wasn’t looking. Hakkai had turned Gojyo traitor against me! My love, who until that moment filled my every thought with passion, was standing close to the green eyed devil.

“I hate you!” Gojyo pretended not to understand my pain. His eyebrows were raised as if to say what are you talking about? “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!!”

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Oh, he was good as masking his true feelings under a veil of confusion but I wasn’t fooled for one minute. He had lied and tricked and deceived me and played me false, this redheaded lover of mine. Well, he would have been my lover and the love of my life if Hakkai hadn’t twisted his mind so badly.

“Go ahead! Pretend you love him!” I sobbed out the cries, my heart breaking faster than a wave breaking on the sand. I could no longer trust him as I once had for it was all too clear that between the time our eyes met for the first time this morning up until the time they met just a few minutes ago, Hakkai had regained control of my love.

With one last glare at Hakkai and one last look at the love that I never will forget for as long as I lived, I extinguished the fire from my palm and fled.

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A girl dressed all in black ran past Sanzo, bumping against his arm. She was sobbing, saying something about her lost love and how she’ll never love again. Rolling his eyes, shoving the gun in his sleeves, Sanzo rounded the corner of the inn to where Jeep was parked.

“Why the hell aren’t you guys in Jeep already?” Settling himself in the front seat, Sanzo adjusted his robes more comfortably around him. The sutra was secure on his shoulders and even though he had just woken up, he was more than ready for his morning nap. Of course, that was after his first cigarette of the day, or was it his tenth?

“Hakkai? Who was she?” Goku’s golden eyes were wide. The girl who had confronted them was more frightening than any youkai he’d ever come across.

Tilting his head to the side, locking eyes with Gojyo, Hakkai grinned. “Oh, I suppose she was just another one of Gojyo’s fans.” Hakkai winked, the gesture slow and full of promises of pleasure for the night to come.

“What? My fans???”

Hakkai laughed and climbed into Jeep. Goku understood the look that Hakkai gave Gojyo for it would mean that he and Sanzo would have to get a room on another floor unless they wanted to stay awake all night listening to Hakkai moan Gojyo’s name. Goku jumped in the Jeep and settled behind Sanzo, content to watch his sun for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon.

“Hey! Hakkai! What the fuck was that supposed to mean?” Gojyo jumped in, seating himself behind Hakkai. “Goddamit Hakkai! Quit laughing and explain!”