Saiyuki belongs to Kazuya Minekura. For FF dot net, this story borderlines the M rating. My name is not Webster, so if you see any spelling or grammatical errors I would love a correction.

Empty Words

When one is said to have a heart of gold. It is to say that they are kind and thoughtful of others. But for Sanzo, gold is gold. It is a cold, heavy, useless piece of shit. As flexible as the metal was, would never replace a heart made of flesh. You would die within minutes.

'Morons,' he thought.

But there were other words, words that Sanzo knew meant something, but the meaning was no longer there. The words would fly out of another's mouth and disappear as if they had been mute. The words might as well never existed to him, as there was no use for them.

Handsome.

Gorgeous.

Beautiful.

There was a time when those words meant something. But they never meant anything kind. They used to be surrounded by fear, insecurity. Hearing those words used to scare him, because whoever said those words would reach out and try to grab him as if he were an enchanting object asking to be touched. No matter what he cried to say no, they would pull on his limbs and pin him to the ground. They continued to act as if he was urging them to do so. He felt as if he was caught in seaweed, metres under the water's surface, unable to pull away from the words whispered into his ear.

"So... beautiful..."

Gunshots would destroy the words and return the silence. Their grip would be released, and their lungs would stay deflated, never to say those words again. His gun became his anchor, and the words that stroked that fear would lose it's meaning. Now every time he would wander new streets and those words be whispered, he didn't hear them. Constantly being told how enchanting his figure was. His mysteriously gorgeous purple eyes. How golden his hair was. Constantly being told how his presences was one only a true holy person could ever hold.

But for Sanzo, beauty was something whores and devils used to trick and scheme. If that was what a true holy person was, maybe that was him. But he couldn't feel anymore opposite, or lost. If that was what everyone said then it wasn't original. They meant nothing. Nobody will touch him again, ever. After all, the words of Buddha say that one has to let go of everything. He hoped those memories would join the rest of his past. Then maybe he would get some of this peace he keeps hearing about.

Maybe.

One was supposed to let everything go, however, don't mention his addiction to cigarettes or beer, Hakkai learned. He was used to people saying one thing and doing another, but Sanzo's hypocritical vows intrigued him. Mainly because of it's strong subconscious hold. And for that, he was curious to see how much further such vows went.

At fist he told himself that he started such a project because it was important to know the boundaries of someone like Sanzo. Like having the map to a mine field, it was just practical. And if anyone knew how to twist words to get it's true meaning it was Hakkai. With a complicated and tricky language as this one, there are many ways to get answers. He knew how words could hurt even when said politely. He knew how even some of the darker language could lighten someone's day. He practically cursed the language by playing with it's meanings everyday. To prevent unnecessary deaths, stop Gojyo from going out with extremely shady women, distract Goku from his starving issues and to get wonderful discounts at markets.

Seeing how Sanzo took to compliments about his looks, Hakkai tried to take a different route. There were many ways to describe one thing, such was the power of language.

"Speaking from both the humans and demon side of things," he gave a small smile tapping his drink with a forefinger, "if it will make you fell any better, I don't find you attractive at all."

"What?" Sanzo lifted his drunken head up from his crossed arms on the bar counter.

"In fact, I find you atrocious."

"Excuse me?" He snarled as Hakkai chuckled.

"You looked rather down, so I thought I would-"

"You're not helping." Sanzo returned his glare to the counter.

"Am I? I'm sorry." Sanzo took a sip from his own cup and realized he was too drunk to know if Hakkai meant it or not. "What should of I have said then?"

"Nothing. Not a dammed thing." He leaned his face into his hand, but Hakkai already saw the lips began to curl upwards and checked another victory in his head. "So I'm ugly, huh?"

"The ugliest thing I have ever seen. Your hair is an old forgotten haystack, and your skin paling close to zombie level." Hakkai nodded. Sanzo coughed a laugh.

"News to me." He inhaled the cigarette in hand as Hakkai poured them another drink.

Hakkai didn't riddle his way around Sanzo for nothing.

"Here's to our tireless, zombie leader."

Glasses clinked.

"Amen."

He loved puzzles.

Meanwhile, in a room upstairs...

"Aurgh, look at me." Gojyo crossed his eyes. "I'm Sanzo and I angst." He stuck out his tongue and started to heave. Goku snickered,

"Bleh, I'm Sanzo and I like waving a paper fan of angst!" He imitated the motion with an imaginary fan. "I beat people for no reason!" He made laser sound effects as he pretended to beat Gojyo.

"Angst of doom! No one is allowed to be happy when I'm around!" Gojyo grinned as he coward over.

"Angst! Angst!"

"Angst! Angst! Angst!"

It could be a new rap song.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" They both jumped at Sanzo and his gun's (the metal one) sudden entry in the lack of description room. To give you an idea I say nothing.

"Nothing! Nothing!" They whimpered and scrambled into bed.

And then it was the end.