Second Brother By: Liv

Disclaimer: Another fic dedicated to Kazuya Minekura's Gensomaden Saiyuki. ^..^ This is by a fan, for the fans. (

Author's note: Muchos muchos gracias to Sanzo no Gakusei for inspiring me for this fic! XD Also to Bluj and Onna for giving in to my 'Naaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!'s. :D

*****

"Gah! I've ran out of bandages."

"Daijoubu desu, Gojyo. My wounds are better." Cho Gonou smiled at the red- haired man who offered him to stay at his house for the last few days. He watched the man close the medicine cabinet in the bathroom with a sigh.

Sha Gojyo turned to him with brows slightly arched. "Look at yourself. The only difference I see from the time I picked you up are the bandages."

"Are?" Gonou blinked. "Then, I guess there hasn't been any improvement, ne?" He scratched his head when he heard Gojyo leave the bathroom and mutter, "Stay here."

"Heh??" Gonou blinked. "Oi, matte kudasai!" He jogged out of the tiled room and saw Gojyo tying his hair. "Y, you're going?"

"What else, Blind boy?"

"Chotto matte kudasai! You don't have to--"

"I need some air and people always say I suck at hospitality. Ja." Gojyo waved as he pulled the front door open and left, shutting it behind him.

Gonou heard nothing but silence, not even the sound of Gojyo's footsteps from outside the house. "Yareyare desu ne," he sighed. The man was stubborn as always. He proceeded to a chair and sat on it carefully, mindful of his fresh wounds.

He thought about how long he had been living with this scoundrel. Gonou felt Gojyo was too kind to him. Clothing him, sheltering him, feeding him.

And yet Gonou couldn't pay him back.

He leaned his back against the wall, sighing. A thermos stood on the table across him.

A thought occurred to Gonou. It seemed that the only things he can do to pay Gojyo back were to support and cope up with that scoundrel. "Hai, hai. Wakarimashita." He stood up wearing a small smile and headed to the kitchen.

A nice Oolong Tea would give Gojyo a good welcome back home.

*****

The streets were not peopled much that time. It was a lazy day, Gojyo was feeling lifeless just the same when he was walking. Seeing the shop's sign, he made a right turn to enter the drugstore. "Gomen kudasai."

The old man behind the counter gave Gojyo a smile, displaying a toothless grin. "Gojyo! Nice to see you again."

Gojyo just smiled at him. How many times had he been coming and going to this drugstore for that no-named man?

Come to think of it.he hasn't asked who the hell that guy is.

*Chi, must have been getting too forgetful these days. Am I getting old?*

"So! What can I help ya with, hm?" The old man smiled invitingly as he waited.

"Two rolls of bandage." Gojyo raised two fingers.

"Bandages again? You just bought one from me two weeks ago." As he spoke, the old man moved to get them.

"Well, I got into a lot of bar fights lately."

*That and the no-named guy.*

Gojyo's smile widened as the old man settled the bandages in a paper bag on the counter. "San-kyu." He fumbled for the money in his pocket and realized he had left it back home. "Shimata."

"I'll just list it down." The old man reached for his pen and paper.

"Uh.hai." Gojyo took the paper bag and left.

There was a lot of noise from the bar to his right, with a lot of people entering it. "Nanda to.?"

He noticed two people arm wrestling inside the bar, the rest of the patrons crowding around them. Gojyo smirked. "Boring people."

He started to leave the bar when someone caught his attention; a black- haired woman resting her elbows on the bar counter, wearing skimpy clothes.

The woman winked at him, moving her leg to a chair to show her flawless skin.

Gojyo found it inviting and winked back as he made his way towards her. "Oi," He settled the rolls of bandages on the bar counter and leaned on it with one hand. "Who're you waiting for?"

"You," The woman straightened, smiling warmly. "I've been hearing a lot about you.Sha Gojyo."

"King of Gambling, they say." Gojyo smirked again. "Silly names. Is that all you've been doing here?"

"Maybe.or maybe not?" The woman purred as she leaned closer to him. "I'm also.kind of expecting you'd.take me out for the night. I'm dying to know why a lot of women go gaga over you."

"Wanna know why?" Gojyo tilted his head and kissed her, closing his eyes as he did so. He kept his hand on the countertop to support his weight.

Gojyo was enjoying himself when he felt someone grab his back and pulled him away. He had a brief glimpse of surprise on the woman's face before a man's livid expression covered it.

"Whaddya think ye're doing, HUH?!" The man pushed Gojyo to the wall. Silence fell in the bar.

Gojyo felt all eyes on them, a dull ache at his back.

"Wanna f*** my woman, HUH?!" The man demanded.

Gojyo ignored him and turned to the woman. "Your lover?"

She nodded.

"You got bad taste--OOF!" Something jarred Gojyo's cheek strong enough that it sent him crashing to a nearby table. He heard a collective gasp as he moved to pick himself up. Until someone grabbed his head and jerked it upwards, bringing stinging pain down his scalp. "Sh-shimata.!"

"Well?" The man leaned down close to Gojyo's ear and snarled. "Wanna f*** my woman, still? Huh?"

Gojyo gave a smirk. "F*** this, you assh*le." He sent his left fist towards the man and threw him over the counter. He stood up as he heard noises from under the counter. Then something smashed against his head, sending him down to his knees. Someone kicked his chin and he felt himself slamming back to the wall. Gojyo gritted his teeth at the searing pain. Another kick to his abdomen hard caused Gojyo to cough up blood.

He saw a foot speeding towards his face. He quickly grabbed it with his hands and threw it over the counter once more. He struggled to stand up and felt help from men who dragged him outside, not caring if the weakened body hit tables and chairs and people.

In an alley, Gojyo was slammed hard on the brick wall. When he was about to slide down, two men grabbed his arms and held him in open position. Blood trickled down his forehead and pain erupted all over his body.

A man came in front of him with an evil grin on his face. "Let's get this on." He started throwing attacks at Gojyo everywhere he wanted, the abdomen was his favorite target.

Gojyo tried to counter the attacks but at his current condition, that wasn't possible. He coughed and shouted and let out cries of pain. He was getting bloodier and dirtier with every punch.

Not long after, Gojyo slumped to the ground. His right hand held his abdomen tight, his face showing the harsh pain they gave him. A kick sent him lying to his side.

Someone took a crowbar scattered on the floor. "Oi!" He tossed it to his friend.

The attacker caught the crowbar and wore a silly grin on his face as he looked at Gojyo again.

Gojyo's eyes were squinted as his teeth were gritted.

"Sayonara." The attacker lifted the crowbar giving the hand much strength. But before he could even slam it on Gojyo, his wrist was stuck from the back. "What the fu--" He turned around.

"Matte." The calm but serious voice was the only one heard in the dark alley.

"O.omae wa." Gojyo grunted.

Gonou's hold on the wrist wasn't tight but it was firm. "He's had enough. Now leave him alone." He eyed the man sternly with a cold glare.

The attacker glared back at Gonou but to no avail. There was something in this newcomer that.that isn't right.

Unlike his own, this man's eyes had reflected something horrible...

When Gonou felt the man had shaken enough, he let go of the wrist and watched him back off over to his companions. His glare never changed. Soon, he was watching them off and listening to their scurrying footsteps.

Gojyo grunted louder as he tried to stand up, pushing himself against the wall. *How uncool for this guy to see me in such a pathetic position.* He felt hands hold his arm and looked up to see the black-haired man helping him up.

"Hekiheki, I've got your balance, ne?" Gonou flashed his calm smile again.

Gojyo only stared at the wounded man. He was reminded of someone from his childhood.

Jien.

Gojyo felt his arms being swung around the man's shoulder and soon he was limping away from the alley with the help of that man. "Oi,"

"Hai?" Gonou faced Gojyo, that smile still on his face.

"I still have to get you those bandages--oi?" Gojyo blinked seeing the man take the paper bag from his pocket and wave it in front of him.

"Ne, it looks like that's one roll for you and another for me, ne?"

Gojyo smirked. "How did you know?"

"Ore?" Gonou blinked. "I'm psychic desho."

"Psychic? Kiss my ass, like I would believe you."

Gonou laughed lightly, heading over to Gojyo's house.

+Owari~+