Disclaimer: "Saiyuki" and all of its characters belong to and were created by Kazuya Minekura. In this story they are used without prior permission. No profit is made through this story.
The Punishment for Cheating
"Tonight I'm going out for some serious card playing," Gojyo declared as he caught sight of the gambling house in the town they were entering. "You coming with me, Hakkai?"
Hakkai looked hesitantly at his friend. "I don't know, Gojyo. I was going to read—."
"Come on, man. You need to do something other than sitting with those books in the evenings. Live a little." Gojyo clasped Hakkai on the shoulder and laughed. The thought of a night at a real gambling house made him feel relaxed and happy.
"Go with him," Sanzo ordered. "That way you can make sure he comes back at a reasonable time. I want to get an early start tomorrow, and I don't want to have to look all over town to find out whose bed he's sleeping in."
That settled the question. After they had checked in at the inn, Gojyo and Hakkai headed for the gambling house. The room they entered was big and smoky, but well lit. It seemed to be quite full, too. Gojyo strolled among the tables, Hakkai in tow, before he found a table with space where two men had just left. He pulled out a chair and gestured to Hakkai to take the seat opposite him. "Well, gentlemen," he addressed the others around the table. "Poker, is it?"
Knowing he had no chance against Hakkai, Gojyo ordered something to drink and enjoyed himself watching his friend. Hakkai took every hand, and Gojyo grinned to himself. He never made a high bet, so he would not lose much. Trying his best, he still could not beat Hakkai.
Ordering more to drink, Gojyo noticed that Hakkai's winning streak had made many come to watch the game. The men around the table started to get angry, flashing irritated glances at both himself and Hakkai. Gojyo saw Hakkai's apologetic smile every time such a glare was sent in his direction, and he grinned even more broadly. Gojyo could recognize a card shark when he saw one, and there were two at this table. Neither of them could do much about Hakkai.
Suddenly one of the players stood up. "There is no way this man can win this much without cheating!" he yelled, pointing at Hakkai. The room went quiet.
A sturdy, gray-haired man approached the table. "I'm the manager," he told them. "What is the problem?"
The angry man turned to face him. "I accuse these gentlemen of cheating." This time he pointed at both Hakkai and Gojyo.
"Me?" Gojyo was surprised. "I haven't won anything all evening, and my friend here doesn't cheat." Maybe that could have come out better, Gojyo thought. It was as though he had admitted that he could cheat. The drinks had started to show; but no one seemed to care.
Hakkai rose. "Please calm down, Mister," he asked politely. "I can assure you I have not cheated."
The angry man snorted. "Yes, you have. You and your partner are playing together. That's cheating in my book."
"That's a serious accusation," the manager said gravely. "Do you have any proof of this, besides the fact that this man has won your money?"
"No," the man admitted.
The manager turned to Hakkai and Gojyo. "I can't say if you are cheating or not, and I won't throw you out without proof that you are. But for the sake of the peace, could you please split up to different tables?"
"Sure." Gojyo shrugged. "If there's an opening anywhere else, I'd be glad to." He grinned. "I wouldn't mind winning a little myself."
The manager looked seriously at him. "I'll make room for you at another table. Just remember we'll be keeping an eye on you and your partner. Come with me."
Gojyo followed the manager on somewhat wobbly legs. Hell, how many drinks had he had? When they reached a table at the other side of the room, he got a seat from a man the manager asked to take his former chair at Hakkai's table. This was not anything Gojyo was going to complain about. He ordered a couple more drinks and smiled to himself. Finally he would be able to make some winnings of his own.
The night went on, and Hakkai continued to win at his table. Gojyo could see that the pile of markers in front of his friend was higher than before. At least he thought so. His vision had started to blur a little, but what the hell, he wasn't drunk yet. His own pile of markers was also quite high, he observed with a happy little smile. He was dealt a new hand, placed his bets, took new cards.
Gojyo looked at the cards, trying to think: Was this a good hand? Of course it was. But was it as good as his stakes had made it seem? No, he was bluffing this time. Problem was—Gojyo tried to clear his mind—the man sitting across from him looked like he had something good, too. Again Gojyo managed to focus on his cards. Good, yes, but wouldn't it be even better if he made use of the cards he had hidden earlier? Sure would, he decided.
Gojyo fumbled with the hidden cards and changed his hand. He grinned at his opponents, and opened his mouth to say something, but a big hand fell down on his shoulder before he had the chance.
"You better come with me," a firm voice said.
As Gojyo hardly could walk now, he was half dragged to a smaller room behind the big gambling hall. There he was pushed, not too gently, onto a chair. "Sit still," he heard the voice say. Swaying as he turned his head, Gojyo saw a man he thought he should recognize. Ah, the managerBut why had the man brought him here? A couple of seconds later the door was opened again, and another man came in with Hakkai.
"Hakkai!" Gojyo exclaimed happily when he saw his friend. "Hows doin', buddy? Been winging…winning a lot?"
Looking resigned, Hakkai answered the redhead. "Yes, I have. And you seem to have had a little too much to drink, Gojyo."
"Nah, nevr t'much," Gojyo laughed. "No sushing as t'much."
Hakkai shook his head. "You won't feel that way tomorrow."
"Well, he can sober up in prison," the manager told Hakkai. "You're both going there now."
"Excuse me?" Hakkai looked surprised. "What for?"
"Cheating," the manager stated calmly. "Your friend here was caught red-handed, and as for yourself… well, you haven't lost a single hand all night, and it just isn't possible for a man to win like that without cheating."
"As I said before, I assure you I have not been cheating." Hakkai smiled his most polite smile. "I just am very good at poker, that's all."
"I'm afraid I don't believe you," the manager said. "I've sent for the sheriff. He'll be here any minute now."
Just as he had said that, the sheriff entered the small room. "Are these the cheaters?" he asked.
The manager nodded, and the sheriff grabbed Gojyo by his arm and pulled him to his feet.
"Hey, whatcha doin'?" Gojyo slurred.
Not answering, the sheriff pulled Gojyo out the door. One of his men followed, leading Hakkai. They walked, in Gojyo's case stumbled, through the gambling hall. All the while Gojyo was audibly protesting, "Lemme go, bast'rd."
Before they went out, the sheriff dragged Gojyo to a board hanging beside the outer door. "Look," he demanded, holding Gojyo's head close to a note on the board. "What's this say?"
Gojyo tried to focus, to no avail. "Can't schee," he told the sheriff.
"It says," Hakkai was behind him. "'All cheating on these premises is punishable by 42 days in prison or a fine of three times the amount of money gained while cheating'."
"Priz'n?" Gojyo started to laugh. "Sanzo's not gonna like this."
"No, he won't." Hakkai sighed.
The sheriff took the two of them to the town's small jail and locked them in a cell. Gojyo immediately fell down collapsed on one of the small beds and started to snore, but Hakkai stayed by the bars. "Sheriff," he started. "Could you please send a message to the Sanzo monk at the inn and tell him we're here?"
"You're strangers in town, right?" The sheriff nodded pleasantly. "I guess I can do that. But now I bid you good night." With a mock bow he left, and Hakkai stretched out on the other bed and tried to sleep.
-x-X-x-
The messenger found Sanzo still awake, so could readily give him the message from the sheriff.
Sanzo opened the folded paper and read, "Cho Hakkai asked me to inform you that I have taken him and Sha Gojyo under custody for cheating. They will stay here for 42 days, or a fine of 2000 L must be paid." Signed, "Chow, Sheriff."
Growling to himself, Sanzo threw the note away and sat down to continue reading his newspaper. If those two morons thought that he was going to rush over to the jailhouse to free them, they would have to think again. Irritated, he turned a page of the paper, concentrating hard on what he was reading. After a few minutes he gave up. It was time to go to bed anyway.
He undressed and lay down under the blanket. It's a very comfortable bed, he thought. Hopefully the beds in the prison were not this comfortable. He growled again. What a pair of idiots. Cheating! Why the hell were they cheating? Well it wasn't unlike the stupid kappa to try something so brainless, but Hakkai? Sanzo would never have thought that man would cheat at a gambling house. Whatever. Time to sleep. Sanzo rolled over to his side, closed his eyes, and immediately fell asleep.
-
The next day Sanzo was abruptly awoken by Goku who rushed in, yelling. "Sanzo! Wake up! I can't find Gojyo and Hakkai anywhere! They're not downstairs and they haven't slept in their beds."
Sanzo glared at the boy. "That's because they slept in jail last night. Now, get the hell out of my room."
"Jail?" Goku did not leave. Instead he sat down on the chair by the window. "Why are they in jail?"
Sanzo closed his eyes. Why didn't anyone ever obey him when he asked to be left alone? Sighing, he opened his eyes again and answered Goku. "Apparently they were cheating at the gambling house last night."
"Hakkai, too?" Goku looked surprised, and Sanzo's lips twisted at Goku's thoughts being so similar to his own.
"Seems like it," he answered. "Now will you get out of my room?"
"But if they're in prison we have to get them out!" Goku rose. "Hurry, Sanzo, we need to go to the prison."
"If anytime soon you find it convenient to leave my room and let me get dressed, then maybe I'll consider this over breakfast," Sanzo growled.
"Consider?" Goku questioned. "What do you mean, 'consider'?"
At Sanzo's answering glare, Goku shut up and left the room, murmuring, "See you downstairs, Sanzo."
Sanzo reached for his cigarettes and lit up one. He was in no hurry. The monkey was probably already stuffing his mouth; he could manage without Sanzo for a moment longer. What to do about those other two morons, then? The fine was big, but it wasn't his money anyway. Besides, he was in a hurry to go west, and being held up for 42 days was not acceptable. On the other hand, why should he have to go through this kind of trouble just to get a pair of stupid imbeciles out of jail? They should know better than to get themselves in trouble. Maybe he could leave them there to teach them a lesson and let them catch up later. Then he could kill them for being such fools. Or would it be more satisfying to pay the fine to get them out, and then kill them right away? He could not decide. One way or another, those two were going to pay for this, that was for sure. Sighing, he trashed the cigarette in the tray and went down to join Goku at breakfast.
As he suspected Goku was already busy eating, but he looked up when Sanzo arrived. "I wonder what Gojyo and Hakkai get for breakfast in jail," was the greeting he gave Sanzo. "Maybe they didn't get any. Hurry up, Sanzo, we have to get them out!"
The monk calmly sat down and poured coffee into the cup in front of him. He sipped the black fluid, then searched the table for some eggs.
"Sanzo," whined Goku. "We must hurry to get them out," he repeated.
Sanzo looked at the boy over the rim of his cup. "Why?" he asked.
"Eh, what? What do you mean why?"
"Why must we hurry to get them out?" asked Sanzo, unusually patient. He found it wonderfully quiet at the breakfast table. A couple of days without the annoying kappa would be heavenly. Of course, he was not sure heaven was such wonderful place. But anyplace without a certain redhead must be better than a place with him.
"But… but…" Goku stammered. "You usually don't want to stay for long at the same place. You said yourself that you wanted an early start today. Unless…" he stared suspiciously at Sanzo. "You're not planning on leaving them behind, are you? Because even if you don't care about them, I do. And besides, the Sanbutsushin said we need them."
Sanzo snorted. "We can manage just fine without those two. They're more trouble than help, anyway."
Goku opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything Sanzo interrupted him.
"Shut up, idiot. I haven't decided yet. Who knows, they might be of some use in the future. Now let me finish my breakfast in peace for once. Without the kappa that may be possible." Sanzo took up the paper lying beside him on the table and started to read. Good, he observed. Goku had ordered the paper for him. At least the little monkey knew what he wanted in the morning.
-x-X-x-
Hakkai sat on his hard bed watching Gojyo slowly come to life.
"Ooh, ouch," the kappa groaned as he tried to sit up, but gave up and sank back on the bed. "Hakkai?" he asked with his eyes closed.
"Yes, Gojyo, what is it?"
"Can you give me something for this headache? Don't be cruel and pretend you don't have anything, will ya?" Gojyo mumbled, as he grimaced at the pain.
"Oh, but I don't have anything, Gojyo," the healer replied coldly. "You see, those pills are in my bag, and I don't have that with me at the moment."
At that, Gojyo managed to turn his head to the side and squint at his friend. "What do you…?" He caught sight of the small cell they were in, and asked weakly, "Where are we?"
"Thanks to a certain someone, who cheated last night, we're in prison," Hakkai said icily.
Gojyo pondered that for a minute. "I cheated? Yeah, I guess I did." He groaned again. "Hell, how much did I drink?"
Hakkai's answer was chilly. "I would say, 'too much,' but you told me yesterday you never could drink too much, so I suppose you drank exactly the right amount of alcohol last night." He stared steadily at Gojyo. "And if you didn't drink too much, then I would appreciate an explanation as to why you were cheating."
The kappa cringed at the look the healer gave him. "Huh? Eh…? I don't know," he finally admitted. "But," he suddenly came to another thought, "why are you here...? Or are you here to get me out? Then let's go. I really don't like being behind bars." He tried once again to stand, but had to give it up when the pain flashed through his head.
"No, Gojyo," Hakkai's voice was still icy. "I was brought here for cheating, too."
Gojyo shot a sharp look at his friend. "Heh, you were cheating, too? Never thought you would do that. You can't blame that on me, though."
Hakkai's only answer was an even chillier stare. Gojyo immediately shut up.
-x-X-x-
Sanzo was standing in front of the inn with an unusually blank expression on his face. He had suddenly realized that it would be difficult for him and Goku to go on without the other two. Maybe he could convince Goku to leave Hakkai and the kappa, but he knew he could never make Hakuryuu leave without the healer.
"Sanzo, what's wrong?" Goku's voice interrupted his thoughts, and Sanzo saw the boy's worried expression.
"Nothing," he snapped, irritated. "Here, take this." Sanzo handed the gold card to Goku. "Make yourself useful and go take care of the shopping." When Goku showed no sign of moving, he growled. "What's the matter? Get going!"
"But," Goku started hesitantly, "what do you want me to buy?"
Sanzo got more annoyed. "Damn, monkey. You've done the shopping before. Go get whatever is needed. And don't forget my cigarettes."
Still Goku did not move. "Hakkai always makes the shopping list. I don't know what we need. How much? For how long?"
Sanzo swore to himself. True. The shopping had always been Hakkai's responsibility. He glared at Goku like it was his fault, and snorted. "Just get my cigarettes… and a new lighter."
Finally, with a shrug, Goku went off down the street. Sanzo went to sit on a simple bench under a nearby tree. He managed to light one of his last two cigarettes with the bad lighter, then leaned back against the tree and lifted his head up to watch the green leaves above him. How could he get out of this town without Hakkai? No other cars, no buses heading west, no trains. The only options were by foot or by horse. Sanzo grimaced. Neither was very appealing. He had to admit Hakkai was of some use after all. Driving, shopping, healing. Maybe he could get only the healer out of jail and leave the worthless kappa there? Tch, like Hakkai would agree to that.
It was very soothing sitting under the tree. It was a nice day, not too hot, not too cold. The leaves waved slowly in a tiny breeze, and there was no stupid kappa to argue with a likewise stupid monkey. He took the last drag of the cigarette and blew the smoke out through his nostrils, trashed the stump, and closed his eyes. Peaceful.
What to do? It would be much faster driving than walking, so what would he gain by leaving on foot and letting the other two catch up in the jeep, nice and cozy, a month and a half later? Nothing but sore feet. Not an option. Horses? The only horses he had seen had been workhorses, and he doubted the owner wanted to sell them. They were probably too valuable in their work to be sold anyway. Besides, Goku had never even sat on a horse, and it was a long time since he had done it himself. That would lead to sore bottoms instead of sore feet. And it would still leave the two cheaters with the more convenient mode of travel.
Leaving without them did not seem a good idea. How about taking a vacation here then, while letting them sit in prison for 42 days? No way. He could not be held up on the journey for so long. Damn. The only way out of this was to go and pay their fines and get them out so they could continue immediately. Coming to that decision, he lit up his last cigarette and relaxed. Might as well at least let them stew for a while.
Half an hour later he started to get irritated again. Where was that stupid monkey with his cigarettes? At the same moment he saw Goku running towards him, grinning happily.
"What took you so long?" he demanded harshly as Goku handed him the cigarettes and lighter.
"Sorry, Sanzo. I found this food stand with the tastiest noodles I've ever eaten." Goku was practically beaming. "And beside it they sold dumplings, and—"
"Shut up. I get the picture. Give me back my card. We're going to get the idiots out of jail." Sanzo smirked. "But they can wait until after lunch."
-x-X-x-
When Gojyo woke up again, having fallen back to sleep in spite of his throbbing head, the pain was far more bearable. He carefully sat up and grinned when he was successful. Hakkai was lying on his bed, but he was not sleeping. He cast Gojyo a glance then resumed watching the ceiling. Shit, Hakkai's still pissed.
"Hey, Hakkai," Gojyo called to his friend, "Does Sanzo know we're here?"
"Yes, Gojyo, I sent him a message."
Not liking the icy tone, Gojyo nevertheless continued. "You heard anything from him?"
"No, Gojyo, I haven't," was the curt answer.
Gojyo sighed. "Come on. Hakkai," he begged. "It's not my fault you were arrested for cheating, ya know."
The healer turned stern eyes on him. "The difference is that I didn't cheat, while you did. And since they knew we were in company, they wouldn't believe my winnings were honest." Hakkai turned his head away again.
Gojyo was quiet for a moment. "What do you think Sanzo'll do? He must be fucking pissed." He laughed. "That almost makes it worth being in jail."
"Well, he's not the only one angry, Gojyo." Hakkai's voice was so cold that Gojyo immediately withdrew any thought that it was worth being here. Imprisoned together with an angry Hakkai was not his idea of a good time. He rose and started to pace the cell, and was relieved he could do so without too much pain. Gojyo cast glances on Hakkai now and then, but the healer ignored him.
"How long are we going to be here?" Gojyo asked quietly, not expecting Hakkai to answer.
"Forty-two days." Hakkai answered, his tone no friendlier. "Unless Sanzo pays our fines and releases us."
Gojyo almost jumped at the sound of Hakkai's voice. "Forty-two days, huh? The monk'll be pissed all right." He laughed sarcastically. "Guess they didn't let us keep our winnings, so we can pay the fines ourselves?"
Hakkai raised a brow. "My winnings, you mean. Yours weren't really yours. You cheated, remember?"
"Hey." Gojyo had started to become annoyed himself by now. "I won some money without cheating. I only cheated once —I think— and that's when they caught me."
"You think? Hard to say what you did last night. I doubt you remember very well—"
He was interrupted by a guard who appeared with a lunch tray. "Here you are, boys," he declared cheerily, as he put the tray in a small opening in the door. "Cooked by myself, so don't complain if it doesn't suit you." He winked and disappeared.
Gojyo took the tray and put it at the end of Hakkai's bed, since there was no table in the cell, and sat down beside it. Hakkai sat up, and they inspected the contents of the tray. There was a pot with a stew that smelled very good, one bowl with rice, one bowl with vegetables, and some bread. There was also a pitcher of water. A simple meal, but there was enough food for both of them.
In silence they divided the food on the plates they had received and started to eat. Gojyo was hungry. He had slept through breakfast, and even if he had been awake he probably would not have been able to eat anything. After the first mouthful he made a surprised sound. "Hey, this is good!"
Hakkai agreed. "That man is a good cook. He knows how to use spices." He tasted some more. "Maybe I could get the recipe. I think Goku would like this," he mused.
"Hell, so do I," Gojyo declared, and stuffed his mouth full. "If we get this kind of food, I don't mind staying here for six weeks."
"Unfortunately for you, I'm here to let you out." They turned toward the well-known voice and found Sanzo standing right outside the bars, looking annoyed. Goku stood beside him with an eager expression on his face.
"That smells so good. Is there anything left for me? I'm so hungry," the boy complained.
"Sorry." Gojyo shoveled the last of the stew into his mouth. "It's all gone, and it was really tasty, ya know. The meat was tender, and it was spiced perfectly." He grinned at Goku's thunderstruck expression when the boy realized what he had missed.
"Shut up." Sanzo smacked Goku's head. "You ate half an hour ago, and you didn't complain about the food you got either." The monk turned to the prisoners. I've paid the fine, and as soon as the sheriff is done with all the paperwork he'll let you out. I'm going back to the inn. You better hurry." Without another word he left, with Goku right behind him.
"See ya." The boy waved at them before he followed the monk out.
A few minutes later Gojyo and Hakkai were free to go, and they soon were on their way to the inn. Gojyo glanced at Hakkai and was relieved to see that the healer had finally lost the hard, cold look in his eyes. "Hey, Hakkai. What do you think Sanzo will do about this?"
Hakkai answered with a straight face. "I expect that you will have to run behind the jeep when we take off again."
Gojyo started. "Me? What about you? We were in jail together!"
"I'm fairly sure Sanzo will see my innocence when I explain the situation to him. And," he turned to Gojyo and smiled, "Hakuryuu wouldn't let me run behind him, and Sanzo knows that. If he wants to continue the journey in the jeep, he'll let me drive."
"That's not fucking fair," Gojyo exclaimed crossly, but he silenced when he saw the smile on Hakkai's lips. Realizing Sanzo would not let him run behind the jeep, if only because that would slow down the journey, Gojyo grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah, I know, it was all my fault. I'm sorry Hakkai. But don't you let that fucking monk know that," he threatened with a grin.
Hakkai only chuckled.
Back at the inn Sanzo stood beside the jeep eating an apple, while Goku brought out their bags. The boy heaved the bags into the car and asked the healer; "Hey, Hakkai, did you really cheat?"
Hakkai smiled. "Of course not, Goku. They only thought I did because I won every hand."
"Ch," Sanzo snorted, but all of them understood that Sanzo accepted that, too. "Better hurry to buy everything we need. I want to leave as soon as possible. We've been held up long enough because of the stupid kappa." He held the gold card out to Hakkai, who did not take it.
"The next village is quite large and is only about seven hours drive from here. We should be able to reach it this evening, and we don't need anything until we get there. If you want, we can leave immediately," Hakkai said and took his place in the driver's seat.
Sanzo climbed in and sat down beside him, while Goku jumped into the backseat. Gojyo hesitated outside the jeep.
"Get in, kappa." Sanzo ordered. "We're leaving now, with or without you."
Gojyo frowned. "I'm out of cigarettes. If his holiness could wait five minutes…"
A smirk briefly crossed Sanzo's cool face. "No," he stated. "Get in. Hakkai, let's go."
The jeep started to roll, and Gojyo, swearing, jumped on board, half falling over Goku. "Damn it, Sanzo. It wouldn't hurt you to let me buy cigarettes."
"Sanzo growled. "We're leaving late enough because of you."
Gojyo glared angrily as he tried to avoid Goku's pushing and get seated comfortably. "Fucking, bastard," he muttered.
Sanzo took up his own cigarettes and lit up one. "Besides," he blew some smoke in Gojyo's direction, "you don't have the money to buy any cigarettes."
"What do ya mean?" Gojyo grunted, irritated. He was not in the mood for any games from the monk.
"Tch," Sanzo snorted. "Use your brain, kappa."
"It's too difficult, when he doesn't have one," Goku peeped in.
"He means we both lost all our money at the gambling house last night, Gojyo," Hakkai reminded patiently.
Gojyo groaned. He knew he was at the complete mercy of the bastard monk. There was no way to say when he ever would get a smoke again. And this time he could not even borrow money from Hakkai to begin building up new capital.
"Then, of course, you need to pay back the fine." Sanzo turned in the seat to watch Gojyo. "Both yours and Hakkai's," he added indifferently, blowing smoke in Gojyo's face.
"What? You shitheaded monk!" Gojyo cried out and half rose. "It's not even your damned money! Hakkai," he pleaded for support, "tell him this isn't fair."
Hakkai met his eyes in the rearview mirror. "As a matter of fact, Gojyo," the healer answered coolly, "I think Sanzo is right. You put yourself in this situation, and you have to deal with the consequences. There is also the matter of the money I lost."
"What do you mean?" Gojyo asked, uncertain. This didn't sound good.
"I mean you should pay me back, too," Hakkai replied calmly. "It's because of you that I'm now just as broke as you are."
Staring in disbelief, Gojyo slumped back into his seat. Forty-two days in jail with delicious meals was beginning to sound way better than continuing on this journey with a merciless Sanzo and vengeful Hakkai. Gojyo closed his eyes and dwelled on his misery. The monk had found the perfect way to punish him for cheating.
Owari