Disclaimer: I own nothing of Saiyuki.

"Come on, Sanzo! Pleeeease!" Sanzo gritted his teeth at the voice piercing through his head, "Harahe-"

SMACK! Sanzo repeatedly whacked Goku with his paper fan. "Will you just shut up! I am sick and tired of you whining! Would you just leave me the fuck alone for once!" Sanzo turned and stalked over to the table. Grabbing his Marlboros and lighting one up, he mumbled to himself, "Gods, why does he have to be here? Why can't it be the other?"

Sanzo froze. He hoped Goku didn't hear that, but he knew the monkey had exceptional hearing. Turning, he looked at Goku, his heart twisting at the sight. Goku was standing still with a soft, sad smile on his face and golden eyes that knew so much yet little. Sanzo watched as those beautiful eyes flickered between him and the door and Sanzo knew Goku had heard careless comment.

He wanted to take it back and comfort the pain in those fuckin' gorgeous eyes but he did not do those sorts of things. He was above it. Nor would he take the comment back. The other was a better fighter and companion, Sanzo had to remind himself.

"Well, I'm sure Hakkai has something for me. I'll just go." Goku looked down and quickly brushed past him and out the door.

It was at times like these that Sanzo hated himself. He laid down on the bed and knew he had to wait. It won't be long till those golden eyes come back, only slitted, and not as beautiful as their original form.

A few minutes later, the door to Sanzo's room opened and closed silently and a small, compact figure climbed up on the bed on top of Sanzo. Sanzo looked into the face of the young man and saw only a wicked grin with sharp canines, long brunette hair, and muted gold eyes.

"What took you so long?" Sanzo grunted as sharp claws dragged down his chest.

"He was more resilient today." Sanzo inwardly grinned at the monkey stubbornness, proud he could hold out so long, but cringed at the elaborate vocabulary that shouldn't have come from that mouth. "I won't let anyone keep me from my prey." The low voice husked in Sanzo's ear as an agile tongue traced the shell. Sanzo moaned deeply and let himself be dominated as bright, wide golden eyes replaced the slitted ones in his mind.

Sanzo lay there, panting as the creature above him pulled out and rolled away. He pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering for the hundredth time why he allows this every night. He knew he would have to face the hurt in Goku's eyes in the morning and he really didn't want to. For some reason, Sanzo could never look at the pain in those honey eyes in the mornings. To Goku's credit, though, he never mentioned what happened on these nights, if he did remember.

The purring of the creature beside him slowly started to change to cautious breathing as the body tensed up. Shit. Goku never came back this early. Goku slowly sat up and ran a hand through his hair. Sanzo watched that hand and swallowed hard. Before Goku had always come back in the morning, and while the youth knew what happened, there had never been this kind of evidence before.

When Goku turned to look at him, Sanzo saw knowledge in those eyes, and realized that Goku was somehow there through the whole thing. There was also sad resignation intermingled with that knowledge. Sanzo's heart seemed to freeze.

He didn't like seeing those things in Goku's eyes. In fact, it scared the shit out him, so he reacted as he only knew how; shoving Goku off the bed.

"Get the fuck out of my room bakasaru! I don't want you here!" Sanzo inwardly flinched at the last comment.

Goku stood up and slowly put on his clothes as Sanzo turned and lit up a cigarette. When he heard the bedroom door close, it closed soundly, with a click that seemed like a finality, and Sanzo almost called out for him to come back. But he didn't, because he definitely did not want the monkey to get the wrong ideas. Or to replace the hurt in those amber eyes with lust. There was no way in hell he wanted to do that.

Goku turned away from Sanzo's door with sad acceptance. He knew for awhile that Sanzo had been fucking his other half, but having Sanzo say he preferred the other and then having the other half force him to watch Sanzo's passion being freely given to his monstrous side hurt like a bitch. Especially when he's had been trying for years to get that passion directed toward himself, it goes to that monster. He didn't understand. Why would Sanzo choose the creature over him? What was he missing? Did Sanzo want something he couldn't give? Or is it Goku himself that Sanzo dislikes? Goku stilled on that thought. Considering all the actions and words Sanzo was doing lately, maybe that was it. Goku would never be what Sanzo wanted, no matter how much he tried to improve himself, become the person whom Sanzo would be glad to call his equal. Sanzo also wanted to be done with the quest and fulfill his promise to his master, and he could probably help Sanzo better and faster than Goku could and protect him the whole time. Goku wasn't needed or wanted by his sun.

Goku started to slowly walk down the stairs to the front door. Walking out of the inn, he wander through the empty town, aimlessly, till he got to the outskirts. Looking around, he spotted a forest and headed directly into it. It would take awhile before anyone could find him in there. Wandering through it for about an hour, he found a clearing and sat against a large tree, trying to drain his stress into it and not cry. "Please…" the words tumbled brokenly from his lips, "someone…"

Bright light burst forth into the clearing accompanied by a sakura blossom fragrance. "You called Son Goku?" Kanzeon Bosatsu. Her voluptuous body came into focus after a few minutes and she smirked at him, but held a sad look in her features.

"I think you already know what I want." Goku whispered. "I want to make him happy and I believe this to be the only way." This is the last thing I can give you Sanzo…I hope you'll finally be pleased with my decision. It was so hard to make…

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he tells me enough on a regular basis he wants it that way. "

"Its Konzen. When does he ever say what he truly wants?"

"If he didn't mean it, he always gives some sign or assurance. Not for this, though, ever. In fact, he-" Goku choked up.

"I know Goku… I saw and I am so very sorry," Kanzeon sighed. "Are you sure you want this? I don't know if I could ever reverse this. What I'm about to do it bad enough. It goes against what heaven wants for that thing inside you."

Goku sighed and rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. "Sanzo gets who he wants and can complete the mission without fail, and I just get to live, quietly…peacefully." Lonely… his traitorous mind added.

Kanzeon nodded with a sad look in her eyes. "Very well. We all know you could use some peace in your life after what all you've been through. Consider this as a reward for all you've done." Though I wouldn't call it one… Why can't you see the way he stares after you, Goku? I guess, though, anymore of this would kill Goku…

And with that, she knelt in front of Goku, closed her eyes, and started chanting. Placing her hand on him, he began to glow and the whole light enveloped Goku's body, seemingly to pull him apart. Goku gave one last melancholy sigh before everything went dark.

"God! Where is he?" Sanzo grumbled and light up another cigarette. The stupid, fucking monkey had been gone for two days and Sanzo hated to admit it but, he was worried.

"Don't worry. He'll probably come back on his own, or we'll get some sort of message if he was captured. Probably." Hakkai smiled falsely at Sanzo. Sanzo hated it. He wanted back the honest, open, stupid grin.

"Who knows, maybe the monkey went out to get some-" THWACK! Gojyo fell out of his chair when the white paper fan connected solidly against his head. "HEY!"

"I'm going to get some more cigarettes," Sanzo growled and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut.

"Gojyo…"

"Yeah, I know, Hakkai. It just hurts me to see Goku hurting so much. He should never had to go through this. If the monk could get his damn head out of his ass, he'd see that he cares about Goku and is just using the Seitan Taisen as a shield. "

"Yes, I know. I doubt the scars of this will leave Goku for a very long time. Maybe Goku should use some more…persuasive measures…"

"Like I on you?"

"Yes. Exactly. Then maybe Sanzo would realize what he is pushing away."

He couldn't hear him anymore. Ever since that stupid fucking night when the stupid fucking monkey disappeared, he couldn't fucking hear him anymore! Sanzo was livid. How dare Goku just shut up on him like that!

Sanzo's feet took him the forest on the outskirts of town. It seemed a place that the monkey would probably like to hide in. Irritated and vowing to use his paper fan on Goku and shoot at him a few times for good measure, Sanzo gritted his teeth and took the obscure path into the forest.

The further he got into the woods, the more quiet and still it had become. Not even insects were roaming about, which was never a good sign. Sanzo fingered his gun hidden in his sleeve, ready to take it out at a moments notice.

At the low grumbling sound to his right, Sanzo whipped around with his gun at the ready to face the Seitan Taisen. The youkai wore a feral grin and the dominating look was in his dampened gold slitted eyes. Something was different about him. There was no presence of Goku at all and that was what scared Sanzo the most.

When he took a step back, Seitan Taisen pounced, his clawed hand ripping Sanzo's clothes and it was all Sanzo could do to pray that Seitan Taisen wasn't in a sadistic mood tonight and that Goku would return shortly after.

Gingerly, Sanzo sat up, feeling little rivulets of blood running down his back where Seitan Taisen had clawed down it. There was also blood lining his neck and shoulders from all the bites and blood in between his legs where he was forcefully taken. Seitan Taisen had enjoyed all of it. It seemed like there was nothing holding him back anymore and he was going to use Sanzo as he wanted. That scared the shit out of Sanzo. Where was Goku? Goku always had been there to protect…

Quickly lighting a cigarette, Sanzo felt thin, muscled arms wrap around his waist and a sharp canine nip his ear. "Still hungry?"

"Always," murmured the elemental against his neck.

"Where's the diadem?"

Seitan Taisen pulled back and Sanzo turned around to face him. "Why would you care? You always said I would make a better travel companion than him. Also, I can give you what you want."

No longer sure on that last point, Sanzo still pressed. "Where is it? I can't have you going around murdering and killing innocent people."

Seitan Taisen let out a barking laughter, "No one is ever completely innocent. From the day something is born, it is the most greedy bastard on the planet. Always wanting and taking, never giving."

"That is not enough justification to kill anyone. If you go by that logic, you and I should be dead too."

"And someday we will be. I just bring judgment day earlier for the others. Anyways, it's the only fun thing to do besides you."

Sanzo tried to keep his voice calm, but it was so hard to do with angry pulsing inside of him. "Where is the diadem?"

Seitan Taisen stared at him for a long moment, calculating, before replying, "I don't know."

"What the fuck do you mean you don't know?!"

"Contrary to what you might believe, I am telling the truth. I did not force my way out this time nor did he let me control his body. I only know that when I came to consciousness, there was no diadem, the bitch from upstairs was fading away and he was walking away."

"The bitch from upstairs? Do you mean the old hag? And what do you mean Goku was walking away?!"

"Yes, she's the one I meant and he must've made some sort of deal with her to separate us because he's no longer here with us and we can have our fun."

Seitan Taisen started rubbing circles near the base of Sanzo's manhood, but Sanzo pushed him away roughly and stood up, glaring down at him. Seitan Taisen could smell the man's anger.

"So he is no longer connected to you and you just let him walk away?"

The slitted eyes flashed dangerously at the turbulent storm rising in violet eyes. "Yes. That is what you and I both wished for and he gave us what we wanted," he hissed. Sanzo turned and started pulling on his clothes. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to find Goku." As he finished the sentence, Sanzo felt himself be lifted up and thrown against a tree.

"You don't really want to do that." The elemental started to grind hips against Sanzo's and Sanzo hated his treacherous body.

"You have no hold over me." Sanzo pushed away the youkai and started walking away.

"You have no need for him anymore since he is now only human. Everything you need to accomplish your mission I have and he will only hindrance you. So why do you go after him? Could it be that you might actually lo-"

"I care for no one!" Sanzo cut him off. "Not even you. I don't need you for anything I do."

"So why go after him when he is of no use? That's not like you. Maybe what I said just now is true."

Sanzo stopped, his pride being torn both ways. No way was he in love with the monkey. And no way could he stay and do as the youkai said. Also, if everything the Seitan Taisen just said was true, Goku was now only human and had a shit ton of enemies because of this journey. But if he left, that would just confirm the former.

"I'm going to buy some cigarettes." Sanzo turned and walked in the direction of the town, cursing himself 9 ways to hell.

Seitan Taisen smirked and in a flash his clothes were on and he was at Sanzo's side, his place, not the now bastard human's.