Disclaimer: I do not own Gensomaden Saiyuki (characters, plots, the whole
caboodle!)
Author's notes: This is inspired by the story 'The Little Match Girl' by Hans
Christian Anderson and my liking to the series. This is what came up.
The Final Ascent
'If this was deep underground, I would have never known the sun...'
The snow drizzled in the darkness upon the white covered roofs of a peaceful
village isolated in the mountains. Until one of the snowflakes fell upon a palm
belonging a golden eyed teenaged boy gazing sadly up to the sky. He was huddled
against one of the walls of a house. The golden orbs were filled with sadness
and emptiness.
'Sanzo...Hakkai...Gojyo...why did you all have to die...'
Son Goku was cold and hungry, desperately seeking for warmth and shelter but he
couldn't bring himself to move. His clothes wasted to rags, his skin silvery
blue from the freezing weather and the gold diadem around his forehead shining
in a sinister shine, the boy was no match against the cold. He had been
sitting...mourning for the death of his companions but most of all for his sun
who disappeared from his life.
Goku's heart felt like breaking as he gave a thought about them. He paid no heed
to his increasing hunger in the pangs of his stomach. Feeling the tears he held
back trickling down his cheeks, he sobbed and brought a hand to his eyes.
As he did, his arm brushed against a hard object.
His golden eyes found the source. He found a small crate containing several
boxes of matches. He took a few, hoping that the owner won't be missing them.
Placing the other boxes in his lap, he examined the first one. He had seen them
before and how they were used. Sanzo and Gojyo sometimes used them for lighting
their cigarettes when their lighters were not functioning. Hakkai used them for
making campfires when they were sleeping outdoors and cooking.
'Should I...'
He peeked inside the box. The matches were dry, ready for use. They were
tempting the boy to light a spark on the heads. Goku shivered as he fumbled for
a match and struck it against the side of the little box. It gave a small flame
but the heat raged like an inferno as he cupped his hands to shield it from the
winds. The glow started to form an image in front of him and he could see a
burning stove, sparks floating around it like sparkles. But as the boy scooted
closer to feel the heat, the stove slowly vanished.
He looked down the match that had its flame extinguished. He reached for another
match and struck it, aching to feel the warmth of the flame. Instead of the
stove he had envisioned, a different sight took place. In front of him was a
large table filled with all Chinese cuisine and delicacies that were his palate.
They looked good enough to eat but like the stove, it disappeared. Goku could
only stare in disappointment.
The teenager coughed as the winds intensified in speed and the temperature
dropped. But he managed to keep the boxes safe and retrieved another match.
After gathering enough energy to strike the match, his eyes widened at the sight
created before his eyes. Instead of the two images he had seen earlier, a golden
haired man in a monk's outfit was standing, his back towards him. He was glowing
softly in a gold aura.
"S-Sanzo?!" Goku croaked in disbelief as the man turned to face him.
Indeed it was Sanzo in the flesh. The Maten sutra draped around his shoulders.
The red chakra on his forehead. The amethyst orbs shining on the pale stoic face
framed with golden hair.
Goku's heart thumped with trepidation as Sanzo walked towards him, his aura
growing brightly and keeping his amethyst gaze upon the golden eyes of the boy.
It was then Goku noticed the match losing its flame. He quickly took out several
to keep the flame lit, resorting to burn the boxes and nearly scalding his
fingers. He didn't want Sanzo to disappear like the stove and the table of food.
"Onegai, Sanzo!" Goku cried out, "Don't leave me like before!"
Goku was half expecting the beautiful man to walk away, instead Sanzo walked
closer and closer, the glow's light shining brightly as the sun. The pile of
burning matches on the ground and in his hand matched the aura of the monk. Goku
felt his breath constrict in his throat as Sanzo knelt down and stretched out
his arms. Before long, the boy was wrapped in his embrace. Goku gave a sob and
flung his arms around the broad shoulders. He pressed his face against the
slender neck, reveling in his warmth.
"Baka saru..." Sanzo murmured soothingly, "Ikuzo. Gojyo and Hakkai are waiting."
Goku pulled back to gaze at his master. The face was impassive but he could see
tenderness in the purple crystal eyes, "Sanzo...I thought you died..."
"You really are a baka saru..." Sanzo stood up and carried Goku like a baby,
"Hold on."
In a moment, the both of them were soaring into the sky, rising up to the dark
sky filled with stars. Goku felt no fear as he held onto his master.
"I missed you, Sanzo," Goku confessed, making the other look at him.
Sanzo's eyes softened and his face began to lose a little bit of its stoic
quality, allowing a micro tender smile to appear on the thin lips. He bent down
his head and bestowed a kiss on the chocolate coloured locks of Goku's hair.
"I missed you too, Goku."
Goku chirped cheerily as he and Sanzo continued their new journey to reunite
with their companions.
*****
The snow cleared in the morning. The villagers were much surprised to find a
snow covered lump at the wall of one of the houses. As they gathered in
curiosity, an elderly woman accompanied by another man were the first to step
forth. They both knelt down near the pile and dusted the powdery snow away while
the others watched.
They, along with the rest of the villagers, gasped at the sight. On the snowy
ground laid a dead frozen young boy who looked no older than eighteen dressed in
rags. His eyes were half-closed, showing dull golden pupils and his closed fists
were clutching several burnt matches. His skin was blue, no longer warm. A pile
of the other burnt matches was nearby. Despite of the sad scene, they could see
a sweet and happy smile on the boy's lips.
"A young boy..." the old woman murmured with sadness as she picked the corpse
gently into a cradling position, "The poor child...he's dead..."
"He must have been trying to warm up during the winter night," the man beside
her commented, his voice filled with aching lament.
As they mourned for the teenage boy's woes, their hearts were filled with
puzzlement of the cause of the smile on the lips. For they knew little of the
beautiful images he had seen before the time of his death.
**Owari**
My very first Gensomaden Saiyuki fanficiton. Leave a review? Onegai?
