Title : It Rains Up

Disclaimer : Me no own, You no sue.

Warning: Angsty

Note : One of my pet peeves is people favoriting a story and not even reviewing. Thank you for liking it, but please tell me how much you did or if there were any errors. I'm one of those people who like to read reviews before reading a story, if there are no reviews but plenty of hits, does that mean that the story isn't so great? C'mon, help me out!

-z-

Tapping tapping tapping.

Flash and crack and boom.

Tapping tapping tapping.

Flash, flash crack boom, shaking and trembling.

Genjo Sanzo jerks awake, covered in a thick cold sweat.

It's raining.

Tapping tapping tapping.

Growling in the back of his throat and angrily tossing the sheets to the side, he stands on shaking legs. He grabs his cigarettes and sits at the table in the center of the modest hotel room.

Flash crack boom, the room shakes.

He ignores the snoring lump as he lights his cigarette, inhaling deeply, he concentrates only on the burn in his throat and lungs.

Tapping tapping tapping.

Flash crack -

Blood appears on his hands -

- boom -

- and his master really is dead.

- and the room trembles.

Sanzo closes his eyes but the images are still there. His eyes slowly open when he notices that the snoring has stopped.

"What?" he snaps at Gojyo. There was a look of something akin to pity in the half-breed's eyes.

"Nothin', man," Gojyo says, quietly getting up with slow and deliberate movements, his eyes staying focused on the monk. Treating Sanzo as a wild animal was a precaution Gojyo always took when there was a storm.

"Checking on Hakkai?" Sanzo asks.

"Checking on Hakkai," Gojyo threw over his shoulder as he quietly shut the door.

Tapping tapping tapping.

Flash -

Blood on his hands and in his eyes.

- crack -

"Dammit," Sanzo lights another cigarette.

- boom.

He gets up and moves back to the bed. Leaning against the wall, he watches the rain through the window.

Tapping tapping tapping.

Quicker than the lightning outside, Sanzo had his gun cocked and aimed at the door when it creaked open.

"Don't shoot," Gojyo's voice was low; he hadn't even needed to look inside to know that the monk had the gun ready. "I brought you a present," Gojyo nudged the door open with his foot before showing himself.

"Take it back," Sanzo said, eyeing the sleeping monkey cradled in the kappa's arms.

"It's non-refundable, I'm afraid," Gojyo snickered as he moved to the empty bed. "I'm goin' over to Hakkai's room for the rest of the night."

"Gojyo," the kappa looked at the monk with an arched eyebrow, Sanzo waved at the monkey, "Bring him over here."

To say that Gojyo was surprised would be an understatement; in fact, he almost dropped the unaware Goku. He recovered quickly though, gently setting the monkey at the foot of Sanzo's bed.

"Thanks," Sanzo muttered around the cigarette in his mouth.

Tapping tapping tapping.

"No problem," Gojyo said, quietly watching as Sanzo ran his fingers over the monkey's diadem. He held his breath, astounded he was allowed to witness Sanzo showing any kind of fondness for the boy. He visibly flinched when Goku's body responded to the touch:

Flash -

Goku's hand darted up and grabbed Sanzo's -

- crack -

- their finger's interlacing -

-boom.

- as Goku, still sleeping, wiggled up to wrap himself around Sanzo's arm.

"I'll be damned," Gojyo chuckled to himself, running his fingers through his hair.

"That makes two of us," Sanzo's voice was thick and hoarse with something as he took a long drag from his nearly dead cigarette.

Gojyo stared hard at the monk before slowly moving to the door.

Tapping tapping tapping.

Flash crack boom.

Tapping tapping tapping.

Flash -

Blood on his hands as he runs his fingers through the monkey's hair.

- crack -

Shouting and crying and there's nothing he can do.

- boom.

Goku growls low in his throat and snuggles closer and buries his face in Sanzo's bicep, inhaling the monk's scent. He had once told Sanzo that he smelled like fresh snow and gunpowder. Sanzo smirked at the memory.

Tapping tapping tapping.

Flash crack boom.

Tapping tap tap.

It might not be such a bad night after all.

Tap tap tap.

The thunder quiets and the lightning doesn't illuminate the blood on his hands anymore.

Flash crack and a gentle grumble.

Goku mutters about meat buns and fried shrimp noodles and pork and chicken and how stupid Gojyo is.

Tap tap tap.

Sanzo's eyelids are heavy as he wraps both arms around his little companion and brings him closer, hoping and praying that the fear and loathing in his bones will just seep away.

And, with a final murmur about Kougaiji from the child in his arms, all of Sanzo's weariness fades away with the last chuckle of the storm.

-z-