Note: This is my first Saiyuki fanfic. I only own Elena and Drak (unfortunately). All the other characters that you'll probably recognize belong to Kazuya Minekura (and I can't spell her name). I hope you enjoy this fic so far. As long as I have some inspiration for it I'll continue. Reviews will be welcome.
Shadows crawl across the floor, hiding the secrets of the inhabitants of such a small house. Dark specks the young girl of twenty would claim were just spilled paint or blood from her lover's wounds as he worked without noticing the small cuts, yet he has no scars. His skin is smooth and soft, having seen no moment of work or hardship.
This is life, at least as far as what the girl believes. After all, she believes she has nothing else but him. Where would she be without him?
Everyone knows, everyone sees. But they do nothing. They make themselves believe the lies, even when they see the hand striking her beautiful face, leaving a print that seems to glow the more it develops. Yet her claim that she deserved it is the only thing heard, not the sickening sound of flesh striking flesh. They don't even see the tears that creep from her eyes secretly, hidden behind her hands when she sees no one come to save her, as she sits on the ground, having been knocked from her feet from the impact.
Yet there is a secret in her heart. That she wants to leave. She wants to be free of this. She wants to live without the bruises, the cuts, the hoarse voice from her screams and cries. Though who would help her? Who would take her in and guard her from the man who says he loves her, then strikes her down. She prays for a release every night, either with being rescued from him, or with death.
It was a hot day when Elena, a girl of twenty with long dark hair the color of dark chocolate, eyes a bright blue that could have once belonged to the angels but still hid so much, and a face that, when not covered in tears or bruises, was so tender and intelligent that people were always drawn to her for advice. She wasn't very tall, reaching a little over five-foot-three, with the body of a dancer, a curvaceous body but slim and lithe as a thief. This was one of the days where she was seen without her lover, Drak. She had known him from their school years. He had always been so kind, so gentle. At least until after she moved in with him, that was when it started, this hell. It was small at first, just simple words she had shrugged off until the first time he struck her. It wasn't that hard, just enough to surprise her. Then again, it should have been a sign that it would get worse, that he wouldn't stop unless she either left or he died.
"Good morning, Elena. What would you like today?" An old woman asked her the moment she drew near.
Elena smiled and looked at the vegetables being displayed before picking up a bright red tomato and taking in a deep breath of its scent, her eyes closed, and giving a pure, tranquil smile as her mind drifted into the fields it was grown in. "I'll take this and a couple more tomatoes." She said, opening her eyes that now sparkled with a true happiness that was rarely ever seen in her.
The woman smiled back and put the tomatoes in a bag for her, adding a few other things that she said were necessary to keep the young girl healthy and strong.
She walked on after putting the bag in her basket and paying for everything, though she was only charged for the tomatoes. Her eyes wandered to the windows of shops with fancy clothing that she often dreamed to wear, though none of it seemed to really suit her. What did, though, were the weapons she looked at. Particularly a pair of knives, the edges straight and so sharp they could cut a person so cleanly that the blood wouldn't flow until a moment later. She never said what she thought of these knives for, only that they were beautiful to her. The hilts being bamboo with symbols of power carved in them.
Walking on, Elena heard a familiar voice and her face went pale. She quickly recovered and turned around with a smile. "Drak, honey, what are you doing out here? I though you were slee—." She was suddenly cut off by a powerful blow that threw her to the ground.
"Don't play innocent with me." He growled, kneeling down and taking her face into his hands. "Where did you get the money and permission to come out here?"
She shook with fear as she looked up at him and tried to answer. When she couldn't say anything, he struck her again.
Something strange happened, though. The moment he hit her the second time, he was suddenly on the ground, choking. She didn't know what was going on until she looked up to see a man with bright red hair dressed in a leather coat, a shirt that seemed too big for him, and pants that looked like they would have fallen if it weren't for a belt about his waist.
"You should apologize to the lady." He said darkly to Drak, making Elena look up at him with wonder. Was this the answer to her prayers? "She's too beautiful for the treatment you've been giving her." He lifted his foot from Drak's throat and kicked him away. "Now get out of here." The man grumbled before turning to Elena and offering her a hand.
She accepted and let him help her to her feet. "Thank you." She said softly, not knowing what else to say.
The man smiled at her and gently caressed the bruise on her face. "It was all I could do for such a beauty." He whispered to her, his crimson eyes drawing her in and seeming to refuse letting her go. Yet she did look away. She started picking up the vegetables she had dropped, murmuring thanks when he helped her collect everything. "You're not going to go back to him, are you?" He suddenly asked. His voice was so soft and full of caring that it caught her off guard.
"I don't have much of a choice." She answered before finally asking, "Who are you?"
He chuckled and smirked. "The name's Sha Gojyo." He answered.
Elena smiled and calmly answered, "I'm Elena."
Gojyo's hand went to her cheeks again, now having noticed the stains of tears on her skin. He gently wiped at them, hoping to make them disappear even though he knew it wouldn't. He shrugged after hearing her answer and looked into her eyes. "Have you tied yourself to him?" He asked, smiling when she shook her head. "Then you do have a choice. As long as the two of you aren't locked together, you can leave him."
Of course she didn't know if he was talking metaphorically or not. Not when it made sense either way.
Her eyes went back to the weapons shop and Gojyo couldn't help but chuckle. "You shouldn't dirty your hands with his blood." He whispered to her, the smirk now gone as he leaned closer to her. "Your hands are too beautiful to be covered with its stench."
The sudden sound of a loud crash broke the air as Gojyo held the back of his head and was now a step away from Elena. "What the hell was that for?" He nearly yelled as he looked to a blond with purple eyes and dressed as a priest. "I was helping her." He roared.
The blond rolled his eyes before saying, "Like hell you were."
The soft sound of hidden laughter was heard, making Gojyo look over to Elena and smile, the hit to the back of his head now forgotten. "You should laugh more." He said softly, turning on the charm again.
"Sanzo; her bruises." A calming voice spoke. Elena noticed there were two other people there, one with dark brown hair and green eyes, the other with lighter brown hair and golden eyes wearing a golden band around his forehead. She then realized he had mentioned the bruises and started trying to cover them before starting away. "Excuse me." She said, trying to walk past the priest.
"He'll never change." The priest suddenly spoke, making her stop and turn to him.
"I know." She answered softly. "But I have nowhere to go."
"I'm sure you've never even tried." With that, he started walking off, forcing the others to leave with him, leaving the girl alone to think of what he had just said.
That night, after having suffered another attack, she was allegedly rewarded with her lover's gentle touches that might as well have been from someone else for all she cared, leading to a night of his passion engulfing her in what she had developed into hatred. Hatred for what he did to her at times like this, for the confusion it gave her.
She moved silently, getting dressed and picking out what clothes she would need and anything else. Tonight she would prove to herself that she was strong enough to leave, that she could survive without someone else there with her.
Everything packed, along with all Drak's money; she went out of the house and headed out of town. There was only one hotel, making it obvious as to where the men who had made her see the truth would be. She wanted to thank them, but wasn't sure of how. Would it really matter to them anyway? Shaking her head she decided it wouldn't matter, though she would still be walking past the hotel. Who knew where she was going? She didn't even know.
Approaching the hotel, Elena realized someone was following her. She started running, afraid that it was Drak. A rock tripped her, making her fall in the dust of the road. To her horror she could hear the footsteps coming closer as she tried to struggle to her feet. It was too late, he grabbed her hair and threw her down again. "You thought you were going to leave, did you?" He sneered. A booted foot rammed into Elena's side, making her cry out in pain and attempt to slink away.
"You're not getting away that easily." He spoke as he grabbed the back of her shirt, tearing it as he pulled her back to where she had been a mere moment ago. He brought his elbow down on the center of her back, making her collapse to the ground and writhe in pain as she coughed from breathing in some of the dirt.
"You really have some nerve to be disturbing my sleep." The voice seemed to develop from the darkness, distracting Drak from his victim.
Drak looked over to the shadows and turned from Elena who he knew he had injured badly enough to keep her down for a while. "Just mind your own business." He growled. "Or you'll get some."
A dark chuckle was heard as a flare from a match illuminated the face of the man in the shadows. The orange flame revealed golden blond hair and purple eyes that seemed to pierce into Drak. But he wasn't going to let himself be deterred. "You must really think you're tough, beating the girl who unfortunately loves you." He said as he extinguished the match and stepped out into the light. His robes were hanging from his waist, revealing his well toned chest and arms which were covered in tight black undergarments.
Drak sneered. "She's only worth what I can get out of her." Cracking his knuckles, he took a step towards the intruder. "And that's enough to make me keep her." He lunged for the man who had interrupted him. The next thing he knew, he was in the dust with no idea of how he had ended up there. He got to his feet and turned to see the man's back to him. He lunged for him again, only to stop. How was he supposed to know the priest would have a gun?
"Leave. You're getting irritating." The priest said, watching as Drak nodded and ran off, forgetting about Elena.
Sanzo looked at the girl lying on the road as he put away the gun. "So annoying." He muttered as he knelt down and rolled her onto her back, seeing she was unconscious. He slipped his arms under her and lifted her from the dirt. It would have seemed strange to those who knew him that he was carrying her in so gently, but he figured she had been through enough. Besides, even if he made it look like he didn't care, he wasn't going to leave her there in the road.
He looked at her calm face, wondering why she had stayed with such a man. She looked like someone that would be with someone better. No matter. It wasn't any of his business. He'd at least make sure they got her out of town, where she went after that he didn't care. Or did he?