Disclaimer: Saiyuki and all of its characters were created by Kazuya Minekura. They belong to her and were used without prior permission. No profit is made through this story.
A/N: This fanfiction is written for challenge #4 of the ffnetauthors. message board. One scene, from two different points of view, and containing the word dandelion.
Thanks go to Me-Nuriko and OtakuPrincess for their help with beta-ing. To everyone else...surprise! For better or worse, I finally did it.
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The Pass
The winding road through the mountain pass narrowed. The tall walls of the mountains shot up above the four weary travelers, nearly blocking the sun as the cliffs towered over them. The road, now hardly more than a rocky, dirt trail, was too narrow for Hakuryuu to carry them. The path continued to narrow and the travelers were forced to walk single file. They stayed alert, constantly looking around for the first signs of an ambush. The area was perfect for one, and it had been much too quiet lately.
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Hakkai's POV
It's cold. I'm cold. Not as cold as I've been the last few days, but still, cold enough. I can see my breath as I exhale. In, out. In, out. Hakuryuu is huddled in my cloak, his little body lending some of its warmth to mine. We've been lucky. The snow hasn't come yet and I hope it decides to hold off until we get through the pass.
On the map, when we thought that we could ride Hakuryuu for most of the way, the pass had seemed short. I chuckle to myself. It's not short when you have to walk.
We're tired, too. So tired that I haven't heard Goku and Gojyo engaging in their usual give and take of arguments. I take a quick glance back at them. Both of them are just busy concentrating on their next step. Gojyo glances up and grins at me. His eyes are tired, but as tired as we all are; there just isn't anywhere to rest. We're too exposed to allow ourselves that luxury. What we really need is what we'll find at the other end of the pass, an inn with warm food and beds. The quicker we can get there, the better.
I have the lead right now, followed by Sanzo and Goku. Gojyo brings up the rear. There isn't much to see. The trail winds and curves so much that we'll have to sense an attack if one comes, rather than see it coming.
Hakuryuu shifts his body suddenly; almost at the same time as I feel the youkai's presence. I hold up my hand for the others to stop. Where are they? I wonder, as I look around. Sanzo bumps into me and quietly asks, "Where?" I shake my head slowly and shrug. We can feel their presence, but we can't see them, yet. Sanzo's gun comes out, ready.
Hakuryuu tries to free himself from my cloak, but I'm worried he will fly into an ambush. However, I need my hands free in case of an attack. He gently settles himself onto my shoulder, yet another pair of eyes searching for an unseen enemy. The place he'd rested next to my body feels empty and cold now.
We start moving forward again. All sense of exhaustion is gone from my companions and me. The youkai are still here, but where? By dragon, they could be above us, though I haven't noticed any shadows flying overhead. More likely, they're ahead. Our only choices are to walk into a trap or turn around and head back to where we started. We keep going. There's no turning back.
Another turn, and then another. The trail starts to widen slightly, still single file, but less claustrophobic. At the next turn, we come out of the pass onto a flat plateau, littered with boulders and crevasses. The mountains are all around us and it feels as though we're in the bottom of a tall bowl.
As I step out, I still see nothing, but I can sense them even stronger now. Hakuryuu flies up to get a better view of the area. Sanzo follows me out, his eyes scanning the scattered boulders and outcrops, looking for potential ambush positions. Just as Goku starts through, I feel the ground rumble and shake. I shove Sanzo back into Goku; hard enough to make the both of them fall back into the protective mountain gap.
It's too late for me to throw up my protective barrier. I feel, rather than see, the force strike me. Colors explode around me and I'm thrown through the air. As I land I feel nothing, no pain, but I hear the crack as my head hits the rock. More lights dance behind my eyes and I feel my consciousness drifting away. From somewhere far off I can hear Gojyo yelling my name. I try to answer but my voice and body refuse to cooperate. My last thoughts as I black out are of my companions fighting around me.
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Gojyo's POV
I've lost track of how long we've been walking with only the jagged mountains at our sides and the rocky trail below our feet.
I'm tired. The cold air and the long hike are sapping my strength. I really need a cigarette but I don't have the energy to smoke. Ch, I don't even have the energy to argue with Goku. Come to think of it, Goku hasn't even complained about being hungry for quite awhile. Now that's serious. I smirk at my own joke and notice Hakkai is looking back at me, an exhausted smile on his face. I smile back at him. I hope he understands the smile means all's well. I couldn't say the words right now if I wanted to.
Hakuryuu is still snuggled under Hakkai's cloak. Poor Hakuryuu. We drove over some incredibly rough ground before the pass got too narrow for him to continue. He deserves a rest. Hell, we all do. Beer, women and gambling will be my reward when I get to town. My mind tells my weary body, right foot, left foot, and I keep going.
The trail has narrowed so much now that occasionally I bump my shoulders on the cliffs as I walk. According to Hakkai, the map says the pass goes through the mountains, but if it gets much narrower, even the others will have trouble. It also seems much longer than it sounded when Hakkai and Sanzo planned this route. Not that I was paying much attention to the details. As I remember, it had been a really good night for winning at the tables, drinking sake, and one brunette in particular had seemed promising before a certain pain in the ass Monk had decided we needed our rest for a rough road the next day. Talk about cramping my style.
Hakkai's in the lead. Next is Sanzo, followed by Goku. I bring up the rear. I know that if an attack comes it'll be from above or in front. Thoughts of Lirin and her flying boulders flash through my mind. I'm pretty sure the height of the mountains will keep us safe from boulders that size, though even very small ones would do a good job dropped from that height.
Bumping into Goku snaps me back to the present. Up ahead I see Hakkai, stopped, with Sanzo whispering something to him. Now that I'm focused again, I can sense the youkai.
Where? I wonder. Forward, not behind or above. I know that with certainty and the thought of a little action wakes me up fully.
The trail continues to wind and curve ahead of us. Slowly I can feel, more than see, it widening. In front of me I catch a glimpse of the rocky and barren plateau. Hakkai walks out; stepping off a little to the left, out of my sight, and Sanzo follows.
Suddenly the ground trembles and the sound of rocks exploding is overwhelming. I look up, expecting to see them crashing down on our heads. Nothing. Then Sanzo is thrown back onto Goku, causing them both to tumble to the ground, stunned.
"Gojyo! Go help Hakkai." Sanzo yells to me. Is that really concern I hear in his voice? Or is he just worried about losing the best healer available?
I push past them as they try to stand. Without thinking, I call my weapon and quickly take out two of the youkai standing between me and my best friend. There, to the left, I see Hakkai, lying in a heap on the ground. I call his name, but there's no answering call, no movement.
Two more youkai are in my way, but not for long. To my right I hear Sanzo's gun and out of the corner of my eye I see Goku watching Sanzo's back.
I almost make it to Hakkai's side when suddenly there are three more youkai in my way. Where the hell are they coming from? It's a good thing for Hakkai they decided to concentrate on the rest of us and not finish him off.
This group is much more skillful than the first two groups. Rather quickly my burst of energy is fading and I know I have to hurry, for myself now, as well as for Hakkai. They're countering my moves with sharp blows of their own, driving me back toward Hakkai, where I want to be, but without the escort.
Then Goku is fighting next to me and one of the youkai falls, dead, shot by Sanzo. My weapon tears into the body of another. Turning, I see Goku handling his opponent with little difficulty.
I reach Hakkai and check him out. Blood is coming from a wound on the back of his head. Other than that, he seems battered and bruised, but as far as I can see, nothing is broken. Suddenly, green eyes open and take a minute to focus. "Sanzo? Goku?" he asks.
"They're fine." I answer, pissed that he's more concerned about the others than himself. "You had us worried." I tell him. "I thought for a few minutes we'd have to put dandelions on your grave."
"Dandelions?" he asks. His voice is still weaker than usual and his eyes are confused.
They were the first flowers that came into my head. "Never mind," I chuckle, "I'm just glad you're ok."
I help him up and look around. The plateau is littered with more youkai than I realized.
Hakkai looks around too, his arm draped over my shoulders. His legs are still too weak to support his weight. "If the first attack had been seconds later," he says. "If they had just waited for all of us to come out…" His voice trails off. I realize he's right. If they had waited, we'd all be dead or dying right now. I guess Lady Luck favored us today.
Hakuryuu lands close to us and transforms into the jeep. I 'd lost sight of him during the battle and I'm glad to see he's ok.
As I'm helping Hakkai into the backseat of Jeep, Sanzo starts to climb into the driver's seat. "No way in Hell are you going to drive us." I start to yell. Sanzo looks at me, his face set, a biting reply ready. Then, both of us hear Hakkai's gasp at my raised voice.
"Alright Cockroach, if you think you can drive better, prove it." Sanzo settles himself into the passenger seat.
The challenge has been given by Sanzo-sama. How could I not accept? Ah, I think as I
settle behind the wheel, sake, women, and Lady Luck. It will be a glorious night.