A/N: Hello again! :D I was rummaging around the ole computer and stumbled across a one shot I hadn't uploaded. So I thought, what the hell, why not? Hope you all enjoy. :)
It was mid-afternoon when Hakkai pulled the jeep to a stop, despite a very irritated glare from the hot-headed monk sitting next to him. It wasn't usual for the brunet to suddenly call a halt in their ever-continuing trek westward, but after so much traveling Hakkai was very familiar with the way Hakuryuu handled whenever the little dragon-turned-jeep was reaching his limit.
"I'm sorry, Sanzo." Hakkai said as the four men exited the confines of the vehicle. "I'm afraid the current heat is a bit more than Hakuryuu can handle right now."
Sanzo didn't bother replying, simply nodded and 'hmphed' as he began to travel the road by foot. Hakkai held out his arm as the jeep transformed, giving the small white dragon a loving scratch under the chin as he curled around the brunet's neck.
"Don't worry, my friend." he cooed to the dragon. "We could use the exercise."
The four men continued westward down the road, Goku and Gojyo immediately settling into an argument as the younger brunet griped about the heat, having to walk and, of course, his stomach.
"We're not too far off dinner, you bottomless pit!" Gojyo huffed. "Walking around in this heat is bad enough without having to hear you bitching about it!"
"I'm not bitching!" Goku snapped back. "But I'm sooooo hungry!"
Gojyo sighed and grabbed a cigarette from the pack in his shirt pocket. He was about to make another remark to the little monkey, when he realized that Goku wasn't walking beside him anymore. Gojyo stopped and turned.
"What the hell are you -"
The teen held up his hand and shook his head. Gojyo narrowed his eyes as he strained to listen, muscles tensing immediately in preparation. After a few minutes of silence, Gojyo quietly snorted to himself. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Sanzo and Hakkai fallen back to where they were now standing.
"I don't hear anything." Hakkai said quietly.
Goku nodded slowly, his reply a mere whisper. "Exactly."
For a moment they were all about to dismiss the teen's actions, but then realization dawned - there wasn't anything to hear. No birds, no crickets, no shuffling of small wildlife in the forest that lined the road around them. The only sound that could be made out was the quiet rustling of trees blowing in the hints of breeze that passed them every few moments.
A moment later the scene erupted in chaos. Nyoi-Bo was called forth and in Goku's hands moments before a sword would have sliced directly into his chest. Pushing the attacker back, the brunet grinned as he charged forward. Hakuryuu immediately flew to safety, as Hakkai pushed himself into a ready stance to face another demon bursting through the tree line.
Random attacks like this were occurring much more frequently than the group would have liked - more for the annoyance and lost time than anything else. So it didn't take very long at all before Goku grew a bit bored with the fight.
"Man, these guys stink!"
"I'm the with the monkey." Gojyo replied, dodging a fist heading towards his face. "These freaks smell like they just crawled around in week old sewage."
"I don't smell anything." Sanzo replied lazily.
"You wouldn't standing all the way over there shooting at them, lazy bastard."
Gojyo felt the dirt by his foot fling upwards as a bullet bounced by.
"I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Now, now, Sanzo." Hakkai interrupted, grinning over his shoulder as a demon disappeared in a light of chi. "Surely you have better things to spend your bullets on right now."
"Nyoi-Bo, extend!"
Sanzo glanced up to see Goku's staff rapidly streaking towards him. A moment later it whizzed by his face and the monk heard a scream as yet another demon met its end. Goku grinned in victory as the staff began to retract.
"Don't get cocky." Sanzo muttered, turning to see more demons scrambling from the forest.
After a few more minutes, Goku once again broke the silence.
"Really, these guys don't smell right."
Hakkai couldn't help but nod. "I agree. Something isn't quite right about this."
"Yeah. A bit too large of a welcoming committee if you ask me." Sanzo huffed, stopping only long enough to reload.
"Maybe we've just gotten that popular?" Gojyo grinned. "After all, I've been breaking the hearts of beautiful women all the way from Chang'An."
"T'ch. Your ego knows no bounds." Sanzo replied.
"Your ego knows no bounds." Konzen said, shaking his head.
"Truth." Kenren grinned lazily around his cigarette. "Truth - not ego."
Tenpou laughed. "You regard the two as separate, yet the same then, eh General?"
"But of course!" Kenren replied, slapping the deity on the back in a friendly gesture. "One doesn't live long without being able to make some distinctions fall in their favor!"
They heard the rough jingle of metal and the scrabbling of hurried feet as a young boy suddenly appeared before them.
"I picked some more flowers for you, Konzen."
Glancing over at the unusual childlike voice, Hakkai's eyes widened to see Goku swaying slightly, his hands at his waist and Nyoi-Bo laying on the ground by his feet. The teen's eyes held a faraway look and Hakkai immediately began to work his way to the brunet's side.
"Goku!"
Turning slightly, the other two men immediately took stock of the situation and began to clear Hakkai a path as best they could before being forced to return to their own looming adversaries.
"What the hell's up with the monkey?" Gojyo grunted, bringing Shakugetsujou down in a low arc.
Before Hakkai could give any reply, all breath was sucked from his body as a fist planted itself directly into his stomach. Stumbling backwards, he looked up at the grinning demon before him with nothing but pure annoyance on his face.
"Going somewhere?"
Readying a chi blast, Hakkai shot his hands forward. "Yes." he hissed.
This demon, however, was ready for him. Dodging easily, the raven-haired creature flipped himself over Hakkai's head and gave the man a hard kick in the back. Grinning as the healer stumbled forward, he drew a long blade from his side and headed to the still immobile Goku.
"Hello there, little one." the demon hissed.
"Hello there, little one." a voice hissed from the darkness. "Lost?"
Goku's eyes widened as he looked around furiously, trying his best to find the owner of the creepy voice.
"I'm sure your master won't be pleased to find you wandering the grounds at night. All alone."
"Sh-shut up!" the boy cried. "I'm not afraid of you!"
The voice chuckled. "Of course not. But then, I'm not the one you should be worried about."
The brunet stopped looking, his eyebrow furrowing in concern. "What would I have to worry about then?"
"There are plenty of things that go bump in the night." the voice said in amusement. "Many monsters roam the grounds when the sun goes down."
"Nuh-huh!" Goku cried out, his eyes darting around nervously.
"There's no such thing as monsters."
The demon chuckled as he put himself flush against the back of the incapacitated teen. Drawing his blade across Goku's cheek, he grinned at the thin line of blood that appeared behind his knife.
"One more move and they'll be picking up his skull for miles."
Darting his eyes up, he saw the other three men standing a few feet away. The assault of demons had finally stopped pouring from the woods, allowing them all a moment to catch up to the new situation at hand. None of them looked very happy, but the monk seemed extra pissed as he leveled his gun at Goku's captor's head.
"What the hell did you do to the monkey?" Gojyo growled dangerously.
"The sun is an amazing companion." the demon smirked. "Penetrating heat does wonders to weaken even the sturdiest of creatures."
Sanzo cocked the gun in his hand as the demon drew an arm around Goku's stomach. If the brunet was off-put by the action, he made no hint of a gesture against it.
"I'm sure this young one's sense of smell is much more heightened." the creature continued, drawing up his free hand to run a thumb across Goku's upper lip. "And I doubt he took heed of anything being thrown in his face in the heat of battle."
"Fucking bastard." Gojyo spit.
"Fucking bastard." Gojyo spit.
"Gojyo!"
"What?" the red-head asked, one finger digging into his right ear. "Prick charges way too much for smokes."
"While that may be the case, I doubt Sanzo will appreciate you teaching Goku anymore swear words." Hakkai admonished.
The red-head snorted. "Please. Like that filthy monk hasn't already taught the kid every word in the book and then some."
Hakkai glanced over at the young teen walking beside them, who seemed very unfazed by their current conversation.
"You're probably right." he chuckled.
"Ooo, meat buns!" the brunet suddenly cried out. "Can I have one, Hakkai? Can I?"
"Well." the older man drew out. "I don't know."
"Just one? Please?"
The demon grinned at Goku's sudden quiet words. He could see the three men stiffen as he drew the blade down the teen's body and towards the side of his abdomen.
"I don't see why not." he smirked.
A single shot rang out, catching the smirking creature directly between the eyes and sending his body scattering to the winds. Hakkai immediately ran forward, catching the teen before he could collapse into the road.
"Shit." Gojyo said from behind, noticing the small puddle already beginning to form in the dirt.
Carefully pulling the knife free of the teen's side, Hakkai immediately shut his eyes and began to work on closing the wound. Several frustrating seconds later, he could feel his body beginning to sway, the amount of chi he had used in battle having drained him more than he realized.
"Stop." Gojyo said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Before you pass out on us."
Hakkai nodded slowly, but bit the inside of his cheek in frustration. He had managed to fix the internal damage, but the rest was going to have to be done manually.
"Gojyo, can you get me the first aid kit from the bags?" he asked wearily.
The red-head nodded and headed over to the forgotten parcels, digging around inside until he finally pulled out a small white box. Heading back over, he handed it to Hakkai before squatting down next to Sanzo.
"How bad is it?" the monk asked.
"A few stitches should seal it up for now." Hakkai replied, rooting around the box for a needle. "Some rest should finish it up. Goku heals fast, after all."
"What about the rest of it?" Gojyo questioned.
"That I - I don't know."
Frowning, Sanzo stood and looked around for Hakuryuu before quickly spying the little white dragon perched in a nearby tree.
"How far's the next town?" Sanzo asked, pulling a cigarette from the pack in his robes. "And can the jeep get us there?"
"A few more hours." Hakkai said as he began stitching Goku's wound.
Once the healer had finished his trade, he motioned for Hakuryuu to come down from his perch.
"Do you think you might be able to get us to town, my friend?"
"Kyuu!"
Hakkai smiled in relief. "Thank you. I don't know where we would be without you."
"Way the hell back there, that's for sure." Gojyo said with a grin.
A few hours later found the four nestled in a quiet town and soon, inside an equally quiet little inn. They were sharing one big room this time, the inn not being large enough to comfortably accommodate four men otherwise at that time. Hakkai and Gojyo headed out to restock and grab dinner, while Sanzo got Goku changed into something more suitable for sleeping. He also made sure to clean the teen's face with a wet rag, to make there was no more of whatever had been thrown in his face left for the brunet to inhale. Sanzo made himself busy after that, reading the newspaper and smoking while he enjoyed the quiet atmosphere in the room.
The room became a little uneasy after a bit, as Sanzo wasn't use to being in a room with Goku being so…quiet. Whatever was affecting the teen was still working its magic on him, as not even a small snore could be heard from the supposedly sleeping body on the bed. Sanzo stabbed a cigarette into the ashtray and was about to light another when a quiet voice broke the stillness of the air.
"Sanzo?"
"Hmm?" he grunted.
"Why do you smoke so much?"
Glancing over, he could see the teen was still lying in the same position as before. His eyes were closed and his breathing hadn't seemed to change at all.
"I was just curious." Goku said suddenly. "You don't have to hit me, damn droopy-eyed monk."
"I didn't -" Sanzo paused.
Goku wasn't talking to him. He was…dreaming. No. Not dreaming. He was remembering things that had happened in the past. Standing up, Sanzo silently walked over and sat down on the bed where his charge lay.
"You know you're not supposed to play in the rain, idiot monkey." Sanzo said quietly.
A few seconds later and he got the response he was looking for.
"But it feels so good, Sanzo." the still teen replied. "It's like it - it washes everything away."
"Rain can't wash away everything." the monk said, remembering the conversation all too well. "There are some things that nothing can wash away."
"That's stupid." the boy said. "Anything can be washed away if you let it."
"Anything, eh?"
"Of course." Goku answered.
"What about your stomach?" the blond huffed.
"Oo, Sanzo, that's mean." the brunet said, his voice flat. "Why are you so mean all the time?"
"Hmph."
"That's not a answer, Sanzo. Sanzo? Where are you going?"
"Back inside." the monk replied. "Stay out here and be washed if you want. But don't come crawling to me when you get sick."
There was silence for a few seconds. Sanzo remembered that Goku had stayed out for just a few moments before following him inside.
"Hey, Sanzo, don't leave me alone out here." the teen continued suddenly. "You still didn't answer my question, Sanzo."
"Maybe I don't feel like it." he drawled out, knowing he was moving away from the actual conversation now.
Sanzo watched as the teen's brow crinkled. Goku's mouth opened and closed several times before it finally closed and the brunet fell silent once again. He nodded to himself, satisfied that he had a way to reverse whatever was going on with the unconscious teen.
The door opened then, as Hakkai and Gojyo returned loaded with supplies and looking satisfied from a good meal. Sanzo held up his hand to keep the two quiet. The men raised eyebrows at him, but remained silent as they put their supplies away.
"Hey, monkey." Sanzo said. "Hakkai and Gojyo are coming to visit."
"Really? When are they coming, Sanzo?"
The two men walked over to the bed, curious as to what exactly was going on.
"Tomorrow. I want you to get that pig-sty you call a room cleaned up tonight, got it?"
"Aw, I hate cleaning." the teen said. "Can we play a game when they get here?"
Sanzo looked over at Hakkai and mouthed to him, 'say something.'
Hakkai gave the monk a curious look, but did as he asked. "Of course, Goku. We can play whatever you'd like."
Again Goku's brow wrinkled, as if he was hearing something he had never expected to hear.
"Depends." Sanzo said, slipping back into the conversation he remembered.
The brunet's face smoothed out again as he fell back into step.
"I wanna learn how to play Mah-jong." he said. "It looks like fun."
Sanzo turned and motioned for Gojyo to reply this time.
"Are you sure your little monkey brain could handle it?" he said with a grin.
The teen shifted in bed then, his face once again screwing up in a look of confusion.
"I - I…"
"It depends on if you can keep your ass still long enough to learn." Sanzo continued.
Silence filled the room for a moment, before Goku began to speak again.
"I bet if I ask Hakkai and Gojyo real nice, they'll help me." the teen said. "Hakkai's real good with teaching stuff and Gojyo'll help keep me still."
"More like staple your ass to the floor." the red-head huffed.
Sanzo smirked at the comment. Yes, they had all but had to tape the boy down to keep his mind focused on the game at the time. But, like the teen had said, Hakkai was a good teacher.
A low moan filled the room suddenly and Goku twisted in the bed slightly.
"Goku?" Hakkai asked, leaning over the head of the bed. "Can you hear me?"
"…Hakkai?"
"Yes, Goku." the healer replied.
"Why does my side hurt so much?"
The three men gave inaudible sighs of relief as a pair of weary golden eyes started to blink open. The teen scanned the faces of the men sitting around him and began to sit up.
"Ah, ah, ah." Hakkai said, bringing his hands down on Goku's shoulders. "You took a nasty stab to the side, Goku. I had to stitch it up, so try not to move too much, okay?"
Goku nodded and allowed himself to be pushed back down into the bed.
"S'the last thing you remember, monkey?" Gojyo asked, dropping himself down in a chair on the other side of the room.
"I remember fighting some demons, but…" the teen shook his head. "I don't remember what happened. How did I get hurt?"
Hakkai explained the events thereafter as best he could and Goku simply nodded as he took in the information. He didn't remember what he had been 'dreaming' about the entire time, but he supposed it was for the best. Some of his memories were better left as such.
"It was hella weird." Gojyo said around his cigarette.
"Don't say hella." Sanzo deadpanned, standing up and heading towards the table.
"What do you want me to say, 'super'?" the red-head asked.
Hakkai grinned and shook his head before looking down at Goku. "Well. How about something to eat, Goku?"
"Mmm, food sounds great!" the teen cried, nearly forgetting he wasn't supposed to sit up. "I'm starving!"
"You're always starving!" Gojyo said, rolling his eyes. "Freakin' bottomless pit."
Goku stuck his tongue out at the red-head. "Hey, Sanzo? Can we play Mah-jong?"
The blond glanced up over his newspaper. "Mah-jong?"
"Yeah. I just got the urge to play all of a sudden."
Sanzo was quiet for a few minutes before he lifted the paper up and continued to read.
"Sure. After you eat."
Goku grinned.
"After he inhales, you mean." Gojyo snorted.
"Damn it you cockroach, shut the hell up!"
"Why don't you make me, monkey-boy!"
"I am not a monkey you perverted bastard!"
Hakkai chuckled as he listened to a few gunshots go off, before he climbed the last few steps towards the room. Some things never changed.
And it never got boring at all.