His face was completely devoid of all emotion when the cold cell door
shut behind him. His eyes were like dark emeralds hidden within the earth
with a smile carelessly carved in stone. A smile without expression and
joy. Without delight or thought of pleasure. A smile resting on his face in
mockery of his situation. The man was to executed the very next morning for
an unspeakable crime. A thousand people or more had died at his hands in
revenge. In bloodlust. In anger. In the name of his wife.
In all honesty, Genjo Sanzo did not believe a word of the crime that was set against the man. He had been the one to seek him out, to arrest him and to bring him back as a prisoner but he didn't believe that the smiling fool in front of him was capable of such a ghastly act. With a final twist of the key, Sanzo ensured the man would not escape from his cell, therefore ensuring that he'd be there in the morning for his execution.
"Thank you very much," the man replied from his cell. Sanzo didn't bother to respond to the man's "thank yous" anymore. The man thanked everyone, even the officers who shackled him and brought him to the cell. Instead, he responded with a lit cigarette and an open newspaper. This was Sanzo's way with dealing with any situation.
"You know," the man said matter-of-factly from behind the bars, "I do believe that newspaper is from last week. I recognized that article there in the left. I remember enjoying I think on Wednesday." Sanzo looked up with his drooping violet eyes.
"I'm going to have to sit here all night and keep an eye on you. It's not the most entertaining job, so I'll take what I can get to pass the time."
"Now why would you have to sit here and watch me all night? I don't think I can very well get pass the bars," the man chuckled, knocking on the cell door.
"If it's true you killed as many youkai as you claim, then I'm sure you're full of many unexpected tricks."
"What I meant was, where could I escape to, there's nothing out there really for me. I'm sure I've made it very clear many times that I feel I deserve to be here." Sanzo gave a flick of his cigarette and a little grunt before turning his eyes to the black and white paper.
"You must be an idiot if you want to be here."
"I don't want to be here. Again it's more that I deserve to be here." The prison flashed his teeth and then tuned to his unfurnished bed. There was a great deal of silence before anyone spoke again.
"Well," Sanzo finally said, folding his newspaper neatly on his lap, "is it true what you did?" The man, a bit startled by the sudden break in the silence, looked up to face his blonde guard.
"It is very much true, I am afraid." Sanzo dropped the butt of his cig to the ground and delicately smashed it out, not saying another word.
"You think it's stupid, I'm sure." The prisoner sighed.
"I think a lot of things are stupid, so yes, you and your plight are no exception."
"Figures, you don't seem to be a man who runs of emotion." Sanzo simply nodded to himself, not aware whether or not if the prisoner had seen him. Not caring whether or not the prisoner had seen him. "I saw you are your boy and I though that,"
"He's not my son, if that's what you're implying." There was silence for a moment, and then:
"I saw him, and the way you treated him, and I could see what kind of person you are. A person who looks down on someone like me." Sanzo almost felt the urge to laugh. But Sanzo didn't laugh, he never laughed.
"Someone like you? A murderer? You can hardly blame me."
"I mean, as someone who does run on emotion. Someone who acts without thinking."
"Yes, I do look down on stupid people like you. You and the idiot who thought he could hide you from me. The both of you annoy me, you know?" The prisoner let out a deep sigh, which bled on into silence and then in to the darkness of the night. The night had suddenly become heavier, much darker than the prisoner remembered. Sanzo didn't notice, he had found a new pack or Marlboros.
"As much as I know I belong here," the prisoner started again, "it hurts me so much to be in these four walls."
"You're awfully whiny you know that?" Sanzo grunted.
"I'm sorry," the prisoner's apology was so soft then, it pulled at Sanzo's heart just a bit.
"Well," the monk said quietly, "at least you are feeling some remorse now?"
"Yes."
"Wishing you hadn't killed those people?" To Sanzo's surprise, the prisoner began to laugh. It was a very lovely laugh, but at the same time so heartbreaking. It was probably the man's last laugh, ever.
"If I had the chance to do it again, I'd kill those youkai! The bastards had it coming!" The prisoner laughed again, that same cheerful, melancholy laugh.
"Will you not laugh, it's depressing." Sanzo shouted, rising from his seat. The prisoner stifled one last laugh then settled himself back down in his cell. Sanzo followed suit and placed himself back in his chair.
"So," he inquired.
"So?" the prisoner repeated.
"Why are you so sad to be here, even though this is your rightful punishment? You seemed awfully pleased earlier about the whole thing." The prisoner's smile fell a bit before he turned away to face the wall. "I see, suddenly mister talkative isn't so talkative."
"You think I'm stupid. You think Gojyo is stupid and I,"
"Who?" Sanzo interrupted.
"The red head," the prisoner said, in an almost defensive tone.
"Yes, I do think he's stupid."
"And why is that?" the prisoner's tone was getting harsher by the moment. "Because he helped me? Did something nice? Is it so stupid to help a person on a road, nurse them back to health and give them a place to stay?" Sanzo starred at the enraged prisoner. The tone of the room had completely changed.
"You want to go back to him, don't you?" There was no response from the cell except a quiet sob. Sanzo stood up from his seat, an almost shocked expression on his face. "You want to be with him?"
"You say it like," the prisoner couldn't finish.
"I say it like I'm surprised. What? Are you in love with this guy?"
"No!" the prisoner yelled, his voice echoing through the cell. "I just, care about him, that's all."
"I see," Sanzo said, seating himself back in his chair.
"He did so much for me. I would have died in the rain if he had never come along. He put a roof over my head and gave me food to eat."
"He did a lot, this I understand. But my question is, why would you rather be with him? You told me about your wife when I brought you here, why don't you want to be with her?"
"She's dead." The prisoner said flatly.
"Would you kill a thousand youkai for, er,"
"Gojyo?" the prisoner corrected.
"Would you kill for him?" There was a heavy silence that fell on them both. The prisoner seemed to have no reply, excepted to turn once again to the wall.
"He was good to you, that's all?" No response. Sanzo was a bit happy that he was able to shut up the prisoner, but at the same time he did feel sorry for the guy. He amused himself for a while with thoughts of maybe talking to the police and lessening the punishment. But even then.
"Your name is Cho Gonou, correct?"
"Yes," the prisoner replied softly. Sanzo nodded to himself.
Looking out into the sea of people, colored in the early morning light, there stood a man who once had bright red hair. Now, it was short, tired back and forgotten. Smoking his first cigarette of the morning, the man busied himself with picking out apples and other produce. The apples were a beautiful red, bright and shining in the sunlight. They made the man smile, they made him think of an old friend. Reaching out for a nice large apple, the man's hand came in contact with another.
"My, my, such a nice morning to shop, right Gojyo?" Gojyo was in such shock his cigarette almost fell from his mouth.
"Gonou, how did, I mean, the hell?" The red head stammered.
"It's a long story, but no need to worry."
"Gonou, I," Gojyo tried to start, but a finger fell on his lips.
"The name is Hakkai now. Cho Hakkai. And yes, I missed you too." Gojyo smiled as he took Hakkai's hand in his. Gently, he kissed his friend on the cheek, making Hakkai blush in the morning light.
In all honesty, Genjo Sanzo did not believe a word of the crime that was set against the man. He had been the one to seek him out, to arrest him and to bring him back as a prisoner but he didn't believe that the smiling fool in front of him was capable of such a ghastly act. With a final twist of the key, Sanzo ensured the man would not escape from his cell, therefore ensuring that he'd be there in the morning for his execution.
"Thank you very much," the man replied from his cell. Sanzo didn't bother to respond to the man's "thank yous" anymore. The man thanked everyone, even the officers who shackled him and brought him to the cell. Instead, he responded with a lit cigarette and an open newspaper. This was Sanzo's way with dealing with any situation.
"You know," the man said matter-of-factly from behind the bars, "I do believe that newspaper is from last week. I recognized that article there in the left. I remember enjoying I think on Wednesday." Sanzo looked up with his drooping violet eyes.
"I'm going to have to sit here all night and keep an eye on you. It's not the most entertaining job, so I'll take what I can get to pass the time."
"Now why would you have to sit here and watch me all night? I don't think I can very well get pass the bars," the man chuckled, knocking on the cell door.
"If it's true you killed as many youkai as you claim, then I'm sure you're full of many unexpected tricks."
"What I meant was, where could I escape to, there's nothing out there really for me. I'm sure I've made it very clear many times that I feel I deserve to be here." Sanzo gave a flick of his cigarette and a little grunt before turning his eyes to the black and white paper.
"You must be an idiot if you want to be here."
"I don't want to be here. Again it's more that I deserve to be here." The prison flashed his teeth and then tuned to his unfurnished bed. There was a great deal of silence before anyone spoke again.
"Well," Sanzo finally said, folding his newspaper neatly on his lap, "is it true what you did?" The man, a bit startled by the sudden break in the silence, looked up to face his blonde guard.
"It is very much true, I am afraid." Sanzo dropped the butt of his cig to the ground and delicately smashed it out, not saying another word.
"You think it's stupid, I'm sure." The prisoner sighed.
"I think a lot of things are stupid, so yes, you and your plight are no exception."
"Figures, you don't seem to be a man who runs of emotion." Sanzo simply nodded to himself, not aware whether or not if the prisoner had seen him. Not caring whether or not the prisoner had seen him. "I saw you are your boy and I though that,"
"He's not my son, if that's what you're implying." There was silence for a moment, and then:
"I saw him, and the way you treated him, and I could see what kind of person you are. A person who looks down on someone like me." Sanzo almost felt the urge to laugh. But Sanzo didn't laugh, he never laughed.
"Someone like you? A murderer? You can hardly blame me."
"I mean, as someone who does run on emotion. Someone who acts without thinking."
"Yes, I do look down on stupid people like you. You and the idiot who thought he could hide you from me. The both of you annoy me, you know?" The prisoner let out a deep sigh, which bled on into silence and then in to the darkness of the night. The night had suddenly become heavier, much darker than the prisoner remembered. Sanzo didn't notice, he had found a new pack or Marlboros.
"As much as I know I belong here," the prisoner started again, "it hurts me so much to be in these four walls."
"You're awfully whiny you know that?" Sanzo grunted.
"I'm sorry," the prisoner's apology was so soft then, it pulled at Sanzo's heart just a bit.
"Well," the monk said quietly, "at least you are feeling some remorse now?"
"Yes."
"Wishing you hadn't killed those people?" To Sanzo's surprise, the prisoner began to laugh. It was a very lovely laugh, but at the same time so heartbreaking. It was probably the man's last laugh, ever.
"If I had the chance to do it again, I'd kill those youkai! The bastards had it coming!" The prisoner laughed again, that same cheerful, melancholy laugh.
"Will you not laugh, it's depressing." Sanzo shouted, rising from his seat. The prisoner stifled one last laugh then settled himself back down in his cell. Sanzo followed suit and placed himself back in his chair.
"So," he inquired.
"So?" the prisoner repeated.
"Why are you so sad to be here, even though this is your rightful punishment? You seemed awfully pleased earlier about the whole thing." The prisoner's smile fell a bit before he turned away to face the wall. "I see, suddenly mister talkative isn't so talkative."
"You think I'm stupid. You think Gojyo is stupid and I,"
"Who?" Sanzo interrupted.
"The red head," the prisoner said, in an almost defensive tone.
"Yes, I do think he's stupid."
"And why is that?" the prisoner's tone was getting harsher by the moment. "Because he helped me? Did something nice? Is it so stupid to help a person on a road, nurse them back to health and give them a place to stay?" Sanzo starred at the enraged prisoner. The tone of the room had completely changed.
"You want to go back to him, don't you?" There was no response from the cell except a quiet sob. Sanzo stood up from his seat, an almost shocked expression on his face. "You want to be with him?"
"You say it like," the prisoner couldn't finish.
"I say it like I'm surprised. What? Are you in love with this guy?"
"No!" the prisoner yelled, his voice echoing through the cell. "I just, care about him, that's all."
"I see," Sanzo said, seating himself back in his chair.
"He did so much for me. I would have died in the rain if he had never come along. He put a roof over my head and gave me food to eat."
"He did a lot, this I understand. But my question is, why would you rather be with him? You told me about your wife when I brought you here, why don't you want to be with her?"
"She's dead." The prisoner said flatly.
"Would you kill a thousand youkai for, er,"
"Gojyo?" the prisoner corrected.
"Would you kill for him?" There was a heavy silence that fell on them both. The prisoner seemed to have no reply, excepted to turn once again to the wall.
"He was good to you, that's all?" No response. Sanzo was a bit happy that he was able to shut up the prisoner, but at the same time he did feel sorry for the guy. He amused himself for a while with thoughts of maybe talking to the police and lessening the punishment. But even then.
"Your name is Cho Gonou, correct?"
"Yes," the prisoner replied softly. Sanzo nodded to himself.
Looking out into the sea of people, colored in the early morning light, there stood a man who once had bright red hair. Now, it was short, tired back and forgotten. Smoking his first cigarette of the morning, the man busied himself with picking out apples and other produce. The apples were a beautiful red, bright and shining in the sunlight. They made the man smile, they made him think of an old friend. Reaching out for a nice large apple, the man's hand came in contact with another.
"My, my, such a nice morning to shop, right Gojyo?" Gojyo was in such shock his cigarette almost fell from his mouth.
"Gonou, how did, I mean, the hell?" The red head stammered.
"It's a long story, but no need to worry."
"Gonou, I," Gojyo tried to start, but a finger fell on his lips.
"The name is Hakkai now. Cho Hakkai. And yes, I missed you too." Gojyo smiled as he took Hakkai's hand in his. Gently, he kissed his friend on the cheek, making Hakkai blush in the morning light.