Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki or its characters.
Carry On My Wayward Son
By NekoMegami-chan
Koumyou Sanzo stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a familiar voice call out to him. The eternal cherry blossoms of Heaven eddied silently around him as if in anticipation of his response. "Master!" the desperate plea rang loudly in his ears once again, a cry of anguish. Koumyou closed his eyes and counseled himself to be calm.
His dear little Kouryuu was suffering, he knew, and it pained him.
Casting his will toward the source of the call, he saw Kouryuu, no - Genjo Sanzo, lying in a dark bedroom, much of his lean (too lean) body swathed with blood stained bandages. A thin sheen of sweat across his flushed brow bespoke fever.
He deeply regretted how events had played out. He had made a mistake, he hadn't been quick enough to react to the youkai threat that fateful night; it had been all he could do just to protect this child. It was his fault that he had been ripped away from the boy before he was really ready to face the challenges and responsibilities of being a Sanzo. And although the soul inside the frail human body struggling through the long hours of the night was ancient and powerful, the consciousness was still that of a young man who had seen far too much horror in his short life.
Bending low over the sickbed, Koumyou reached out a phantom hand, hoping his insubstantial touch might bring his adopted son some measure of comfort. His translucent fingers wrapped around Sanzo's hand where it lay clenched on the lumpy mattress, and Koumyou bowed his head, focusing all of his energy into their meager connection.
The young man who had once been known as Kouryuu shuddered then released a sigh of relief. His fever broke, and some of the unnatural color drained away from his pale face. His features smoothed out as true sleep overcame the grip of sickness and pain.
"Master," the word was just a whisper now.
Koumyou came back to himself with a deep breath. He blinked back the tears he hadn't realized had gathered at the corners of his grey eyes while the cherry blossoms rained down around him in silence.