AN: hello! So I love Saiyuki! This is something cute I came up with it focuses on Sanzo and Goku's relationship which is basically just Sanzo finally accepting his cares about someone. Not necessarily in a romantic way. Anyway, this is all fluffy cute stuff. Hope you enjoy.

~disclaimer~
***I DONT ONW SAIYUKI OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS***

Chapter 1

Goku's stomach growled loud enough for everyone in the jeep to hear. Hakkai chuckled. "Don't worry Goku, we aren't too far from the next town."

"Hurry up then! I'm starving!" Goku complained for the hundredth time. He was sitting on the side of the jeep with his feet on his seat. He liked to ride like this so he could feel the wind better.

"Yeah, yeah, the monkey's hungry. Big surprise," Gojyo rolled his eyes. He was in no mood to fight with the young monkey demon due to his hangover. Hakkai told him to stop after his 13th drink but Gojyo was too far gone already to stop.

Goku glared at the red haired man. "Shut it, Water Sprite."

"Both of you shut it!" Sanzo snapped. "I'm too tired to deal with your bickering!" He turned and gave Goku a stern look. "How many times do I have to tell you not to sit like that? If we hit a large enough bump or something your going to go flying right out of the jeep."

Goku rolled his eyes. "After everything we've been through I think I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"I'm not worried, do what you want." Sanzo faces back to the front.

"It's nice to see you worried about Goku, Sanzo," Hakkai smiled.

"I will shoot you," Sanzo threatened. His brow furrowing in anger.

Hakkai chuckled again and continued to drive. He could now see the town off in the distance. Hakkai was just about to tell them to look when a group of demons suddenly appeared in the road.

"Hold on everyone!" Hakkai yelled as he hit the break and yanked the steering wheel to the left.

Sanzo gripped his door handle just as he saw a flash of brown hair fly passed him as Goku flew out of the jeep slamming into the ground. They heard Goku cry out as his head made contact with a rock in the road before his body went limp.

"Goku!" Sanzo was already out of the jeep before it had come to a complete stop. He rushed to Goku's side. "Hey, wake up you damn monkey! This is no time for a nap damn it!"

One of the demons approached Sanzo and Goku. "Give us the scripture now Sanzo or we'll have to hurt your friends!" The demon reached out to try to take Goku.

"Bad idea," Gojyo said as he jumped out of the jeep just as Sanzo shot the demon. "Don't you know not to approach a baby monkey when it's with their mother?" A bullet whizzed passed Gojyo's ear making him jump.

Hakkai smiled. "Now Gojyo, you should have known that wasn't a good idea."

"Yeah, yeah," he rubbed the back of his head. "Let's just finish this so he can put Humpty Dumpty back together again."

"You bastards! Stop treating us like we're nothing!" Another demon, one with strange markings on his forehead, yelled as he lunged at Gojyo.

"You're right. I'm giving you guys too much credit. You're less than nothing." With a simple flick of his wrist the crescent moon shaped blade of his Shakujo cut the demon in half.

Hakkai shoot out a burst of his chii taking out the rest of the demons before rushing over to Sanzo who still held the unconscious boy in his arms. He could see the blood flowing down the side of Goku's face making his hair stick to his forehead. Hakkai put his hand out and used his chii to examine and heal his wound.

After a moment he pulled back with a relived sigh. "It doesn't seem the wound was as serious as it looks. Just a large gash and a bump. I managed to close up the gash but he'll still need to rest."

Sanzo stood up carrying Goku to the Jeep and tossing him in the backseat not to gently.

"The hell's your problem man?" Gojou grabbed Sanzo by the front of his robes. "I'm not a fan of the little brat either but was that really necessary? I mean he is hurt."

"It's his own damn fault for getting hurt! He should have listened to me." Sanzo slapped Gojyo's hand off and climbing into the jeep. Gojyo was about to yell at him again but Hakkai quickly stopped him.

"Don't. He's just worried." Hakkai quickly took his place behind the wheel as Gojyo's hopped into the back behind him. The rest of the ride was strangely quiet with out their young companion to complain about his hunger and getting into fights with Gojyo about him taking up too much room or drinking too much. They all found the quietness strange and out of place.

They arrived in the town and went to the inn and were lucky enough to get three separate rooms for themselves. Hakkai and Gojyo had assumed Sanzo would stay with Goku for the night to keep an eye on him. So they were both surprised when Sanzo told Hakkai to watch Goku as he left and went to one of their other rooms.

"What's his problem. I know he's not super in touch with his feelings or anything but he usually hovers over this kid when something happens to him," Gojyo asked.

Hakkai nodded in agreement. "He's got something on his mind that much is certain but I'm not sure what it is." He knew Sanzo had some nasty scars in his past and wondered if that had something to do with his sudden coldness toward Goku.

****

Sanzo sat down on his bed. He pulled out a cigaret and tried to light it before he remembered his lighter was out of fuel.

"Shit!" He threw his lighter against the opposite wall before falling onto his back. There was a soft knock on his door. "What?" He asked irritated.

"Can I come in?" Hakkai's head popped in.

"Would you go away if I said no?" Sanzo asked as he placed his right arm over his eyes.

"No." Hakkai stepped inside and closed the door. "Is there something wrong with you?"

"What are you talking about? I'm fine."

Hakkai sighed. "This conversation will go much smoother for both of us if you don't talk to me like I'm stupid. You've been acting strange. I mean you were obviously concerned about Goku earlier. You jumped out of the jeep before I had it completely stopped and you were pale as well. So why are you acting like you don't care now?"

Sanzo paused to think over how he wanted to answer. "You... Know about my past don't you? I mean you've made comments that have lead me to believe you do anyway."

Hakkai nodded. "I never said anything directly since I didn't think you'd approve of my snooping."

"I don't approve, but that does make this easier to explain." Sanzo paused once again thinking about how he wanted to voice this. He knew there was no point in lying to Hakkai at this point. The nosy bastard won't let it drop till he's satisfied.

"After my master was killed I felt such an incredible sense of loss it was almost unbearable. He had been the only person to actually treat me like a normal person and not some wash up river rat. I wanted to protect him." He paused for a moment as he sat up pulling one knee up to his chest resting his chin on it. "So when I lost that I vowed I would never again care for someone so deeply I couldn't stand it if they were taken from me. When Goku's head hit that rock it felt like my heart had stopped. I was terrified of losing someone for the first time since my master was killed."

"So you're going to put distance between you and Goku now, is that it?" Hakkai asked, but received only silence. "That's not going to work Sanzo. You can't just tear someone out of your life like that; especially when you've known him for as long as you have. Plus it's not like Goku will just stop caring for you that easily."

Sanzo glared up at Hakkai. "I'll do what I want. Also I expect this to stay between us unless you want a bullet in that Smartass face of yours."

Hakkai put his hands up in defeat as he turned to leave. "Fine, be that way, but don't complain when this does a 180 on you and hurts you more." He stepped out into the hallway to be meet by Gojyo.

"What'd he say?"

"Oh, he's just feeling a little under the weather is all," Hakkai lied as he walked back into Goku's room followed by Gojyo.

****

Goku was back in his cage in the mountain. He pulled against the chains around his wrists, ankles, and neck. Sanzo stood just outside of the bars. Just out of reach.

"Sanzo! Don't leave me here! I'm sorry for whatever I did! Please! Sanzo!" He pleaded for the elder blond to stop and brush it all off as a joke, but he didn't. Sanzo just continued to walk away and as he faded so did the sun.

Goku was surrounded by absolute darkness and absolute quiet. All he could hear was his own breathing and his own heartbeat. He hated it. He yanked at the chains again and again but they never budged.

He felt the tears run down his face as he screamed for his savior, his sun, to come back. "Please, Sanzo!"