Two Plums
Title: Two Plums
Author/Artist: Carolyn Steven/GuardianYugi/WhiteAsh
Warnings: Worksafe. Implied pairing but nothing more than is seen in the manga.
Pairing(s): Sanzo/Goku, (past)Konzen/Goku
Notes: Wow, I haven't written anything in ages.
This is a simple story about a peaceful, sun-filled day.
A celebration because spring is finally coming to my home.

The sun. A wonderous, beautiful gift for everyone on the planet to behold. Goku awoke with a smile on his face as he felt the warmth of a sun beam playing on his face like a warm friend. He chuckled and opened his eyes, being blinded by the beautiful, warm light and not caring.

The rain had stopped.

And this meant that Sanzo would be eating breakfast again and he would be okay.

Goku got himself out of bed and noted a songbird was perched on a branch near his window. He laughed and ran over to his window to watch it sing and was greeted to a beautiful sight.

The grass, green and glistening with dew... the flowers, moving lightly with the soft breeze like a whisper from the heavens...

"Uwaa..." Goku's mouth hung open. The weather would be perfect for playing in trees or fishing or playing games... He chuckled again and hurriedly got himself dressed. He wanted to get some breakfast but that would involve waking up Hakkai!

Sanzo felt it without even opening his eyes. It had arrived. The horrible light of a sunny day was trying to pry his eyes open. He grunted and rolled over onto his side. His blood pressure was low and this made morning unbearably slow for him... but he maintained he'd hate them regardless of blood.

There was a songbird outside chirping away its stupid, useless song. Sanzo desperately wished it would go away. He wanted to sleep. The feeling of a warm sunbeam ran along his back like the inviting fingers of a soft campfire's glowing heat... it was a toasty, nice feeling. He sighed and relaxed in his covers and tried to get back to sleep.

At least the rain had stopped once again and given way to what seemed to be a nice day.

...at least... that was what he'd hoped.

He'd have to stop hoping someday. It was annoying.

"Sanzo!" a familiar and annoying voice called from outside of his room.

"Shut up..." he grumbled and pulled his blanket up over his head.

"Sanzo!" this time the voice came from beside him. It was the monkey, of course.

"If you're still there when I finish counting to three then-" Sanzo muttered but Goku was talking over him.

"It's so nice out today, Sanzo! It's already the afternoon and you're still sleeping and we had eggs and bacon and toast and orange juice and stuff for breakfast! Come on out of the bed Sanzo! Let's go outside! Sanzo!" Goku pleaded.

"Geehh..." Sanzo groaned. The monkey was much more active than usual. It was an unwanted change. He dragged himself into a sitting position, flopping his legs out of his bed to allow his bare feet to touch the floor lightly, wincing at the cold wood. "What's gotten into you, monkey?"

"Look how nice it is outside!" Goku said slowly, as if Sanzo was an alien and as long as he spoke loudly and slowly then Sanzo would understand him.

"Ah?" Sanzo looked to the window. The light of the sun was flowing in like liquid heat. Sanzo got slowly to his feet and walked to the window. Goku walked up beside him and giggled. Sanzo blinked down at him. "What are you giggling about?"

"Nothing. I'm just happy." Goku smiled. Sanzo sighed and looked outside again. The monkey was right about the weather. It was a nice day.

"A nice day." Sanzo said monotonously... almost like a bored robot, to give an example of how emotionlessly he stated this.

"Yeah! When you're dressed we can go outside and play!" Goku grinned.

"Useless." Sanzo sighed and walked over to his bed, picking his robes up off of the floor and slipping them over his body. He'd slept in jeans and his black skin-tight, sleeveless again. Looking around, he spotted his arm-gloves on the ground and picked them up, slipping them on.

Goku watched from his spot on a chair near the window.

Eventually, Sanzo draped the Maten Sutra over his shoulders and turned to face Goku. Goku grinned and gave him a thumbs up. Sanzo smirked and headed out of his room.

It wasn't long before the kappa and the chimp had begun their daily banter over the usual grievances. This time... it was in regards to a frisbee. They, the party of three including Sanzo, Goku and Gojyo, had gone to the field near the inn they were staying at. Hakkai had stayed behind to get Sanzo some coffee to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

"I didn't get it stuck in the tree, you did!" Goku shouted.

"You're the one who threw it you no-brained monkey!" Gojyo countered.

"You're the one who doesn't have a brain!"

"You're the one who lodges frisbees in trees!"

Sanzo was trying to contain himself. Really. He was. He took out his Smith and Wesson and aimed for the frisbee... then just a bit further from it. He fired once, snapping the branch and freeing the plastic disc.

Goku and Gojyo leapt aside as the branch landed between them.

"Wow! Thanks Sanzo!" Goku shouted happily.

"Sanzo's so kiiiind." Gojyo teased. Sanzo shot at him, missing purposefully.

Hakkai finally made it ouside. Sanzo turned to face him and was met with a glass of black coffee. A pleasing sight to be sure. He took it with silent thanks.

"Ah, it's such a lovely day." Hakkai said, as was his custom to announce the obvious.

"Mm." Sanzo nodded, sipping his coffee.

"Do you plan on staying at this inn for much longer, Sanzo?" Hakkai inquired. Sanzo gave it some thought before answering.

"Those morons get stuffy and annoying when they haven't run around for a bit." he decided. Hakkai laughed lightly.

"They seem to be enjoying themselves. Duck." Hakkai said camly as a frisbee whipped past him. Sanzo wasn't so lucky and the annoying plastic disc beaned him in the forehead, knocking him over and causing him to throw his coffee accidentally.

"Sanzo! Are you okay?" Goku asked, running towards him. Sanzo rubbed his forehead and looked up at Goku, anger boiling through his veins.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Sanzo shouted, leaping to his feet and racing after Goku.

"UWAAHAHAHAHA!" Goku screamed in terror and tore off across the field. Sanzo was right behind him. Gojyo joined in the chase for the monkey.

"Bet I can catch your chimp first, Sanzo-chama! It must be hard to run in a dress anyway!" Gojyo laughed. Sanzo responded by throwing off his robes, revealing that he was wearing jeans and his black skin-tight sleeveless, thus being suitably covered in order to chase down Goku.

"If I catch Goku first for hitting me in the head then you're going to buy me a pack of smokes, you carrot top." Sanzo hissed as he ran. Hakkai sighed and walked over to Sanzo's disgarded robes. It wasn't often that Sanzo did such things... but when a bet or challenge was involved, he wasn't one to give up.

"Done deal! If I catch the little runt then you have to run around this entire village in a fundoshi. I know you have one." Gojyo grinned, giving a thumbs up.

"I DO NOT WEAR A FUNDOSHI!" Sanzo roared, putting on a burst of speed... and only then realizing Goku was no longer in front of him.

"Uwahahahhaha!" Goku was running back to Hakkai, laughing with mirth.

"Damn monkey! You'll cost me my smokes..." Sanzo turned and tore after him, wheezing.

"Gaaaahhhh!" was all Gojyo could muster as he turned and raced back as well.

"It's so nice to see everyone having fun, ne Hakuryuu?" Hakkai asked his small, white-scaled companion.

"Kyuu!" Hakuryuu chirped.

"Hakkai! Are you gonna play tag too?" Goku asked as he stopped beside him, not out of breath in the least. Hakkai turned to look at the two panting, puffing, wheezing, groaning figures which were in the middle of grumbling at one another and digging cigarettes out of their pockets to light up.

"I don't think it'll be very much of a challenge if those two are the ones doing all of the tagging, Goku." Hakkai admitted. He honestly couldn't imagine Gojyo or Sanzo deliberately running for more than they wanted too. He knew that Sanzo and Gojyo could run for long amounts of time with the right incentive, i.e.: being chased... but if it was simply tag...

"HE'S MINE!" Gojyo suddenly lunged at Goku. Sanzo tried rushing forward but it seemed as if Gojyo was a sure-fire winner... that is... until Goku pushed Hakkai into Gojyo's line of vision and darted away. As Hakkai tried to untangle himself from Gojyo, Sanzo made another dash for the monkey.

"Gahaahaha!" Goku leapt ahead of Sanzo, thouroughly enjoying himself. Sanzo, on the other hand, was seeing the novelty of the chase wearing off.

"Tch... stupid monkey." Sanzo stopped. He simply didn't have time for this kind of idiotic thing anymore. He turned and walked the other way, heading for another tree.

"Sanzo?" Goku asked, noting Sanzo had stopped his pursuit. He turned and followed the frustrated monk until Sanzo stopped and sat down in the shade of the tree he'd been walking toward. Goku leapt up into the tree and hung upside down to look at the Sanzo, saying, "What're you doing?"

"Sitting in the shade of a tree while being annoyed by the local wildlife." Sanzo sighed, puffing away on his new cigarette.

"I don't see any wildlife." Goku grinned.

" . . . " Sanzo sighed and closed his eyes. It was peaceful.

"Hey, monkey! What's the deal running over here?" Gojyo asked as he and Hakkai approached the tree.

"Is this some kind of gathering? Do we always have to sit together?" Sanzo sighed.

"Awww, poor Sanzo-sama's feeling anti-social..." Gojyo cooed.

"Isn't that normal for Sanzo?" Hakkai smiled.

"I guess so." Gojyo chuckled.

"Die." Sanzo snorted.

"Well, life would be boring without everyone, ne?" Goku grinned.

Sanzo thought about it for a moment. He was suddenly hit by dejavu. He'd had this conversation before... or something similar... and tried to recall as to when and where he'd had it...

500 yrs prior

Konzen sat beneath the shade of an everblooming cherry tree. He was trying to relax . . . but the everpresent gnawing in the back of his mind pertaining to unstamped papers, unread documents and unfiled reports bothered him. He tried to think of something else.

A cherry blossom. A single blossom had landed and was sitting precariously at the end of his nose. He opened his eyes and looked at it, his eyes crossing in the process. Konzen blew at it and watched it flutter into the air and fall onto his lap. He then wondered if the cherry tree would ever produce actual cherries.

"Ne, Konzen?" Goku asked from above. He was perched in the tree.

"What is it?" Konzen replied, stretching slightly and adjusting his position so the tree wouldn't dig so much into his back.

"How does this tree grow?" Goku asked.

"What?" Konzen blinked and looked up at his chibi. His, because his aunt/uncle Kanzeon Bosatsu had put Goku in his keeping. "What do you mean?"

"Well... I mean... it doesn't ever change." Goku sighed. "It's pretty and I really, really like it because it smells so good... but it's always the same."

"Are you bored?" Konzen asked. Goku was never bored... and when he was, he usually found some means of amusing himself... mostly by annoying Konzen, who was slowly growing used to it.

"A little." Goku replied, leaping down from the tree and sitting beside Konzen, leaning against his shoulder. Konzen flinched. He was still unable to respond fully to these types of situations... it made him feel very, very old.

"Don't sleep against me for the last time." Konzen grumbled, shuffling over.

"I wish there was something fun to do on days like this." Goku sighed and grabbed at his feet.

" . . . "Konzen looked at Goku. It wasn't right for the chibi to just sit around in utter boredom. That was his position. He then remembered the one thing guaranteed to cheer him up. "Oy, chibi."

"What is it Konzen?" Goku asked. Konzen began looking through the small bag he'd brought with him and eventually produced two plums. Goku's eyes lit right up. "For me!"

"Yes." Konzen said simply, handing the plums to Goku. In truth, it had been his lunch... but he no longer felt very hungry.

"Awww... if it isn't Goku and his pet, Konzen." a familiar voice cooed from nearby.

"Not you." Konzen groaned. It was General Kenren.

"Now, now... I don't want you to start fighting on such a nice day." another voice... it was Field Marshal Tenpou. Konzen groaned again.

"Is this some kind of gathering? Do we always have to sit together?" Konzen sighed.

"Awww, poor old Konzen's feeling anti-social..." Kenren cooed as he took a seat by the tree and began to unstrap his sake bottle.

"Isn't that normal for Konzen?" Tenpou smiled as he produced a few serving cups for the sake.

"I guess so." Kenren chuckled, pouring everyone, save for Goku, equal amounts.

"Go away." Konzen snorted.

"Well, life would be boring without everyone, ne?" Goku grinned.

" . . . " Konzen took a sip of the sake he'd been given and looked to Kenren, then to Tenpou, and finally to Goku, who was once again leaning against his shoulder . . . and smiled, sighing, "Probably."

Present Day

"Sanzo?" Hakkai asked.

"Ah?" Sanzo snapped out of his zoning.

"I offered you some sake. I brought it from the inn." Hakkai asked politely.

"I've only been offering for two whole minutes. Wake up you dumb monk." Gojyo snorted.

"Shut up. I was thinking." Sanzo snapped. "Sake is fine."

As he, Gojyo, and Hakkai sipped their sake and took in their surroundings, Goku jumped down from his perch in the tree and leaned against Sanzo's shoulder. Sanzo began to grumble but Goku interrupted him.

"You didn't answer my question, Sanzo." Goku muttered.

"Mm?" Sanzo raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you think life would be boring without us?" Goku asked, the sun shimmering in his eyes. Gojyo and Hakkai chuckled, thinking Goku was being quite persistent. Sanzo thought for a moment before sipping his sake . . . then smiled and answered, "Probably."

Smith and Wesson http/
chama - sama, only with Hirata's accent. He does this once or twice but it sound like chan and sama mixed. If deliberate, then I can only assume Gojyo calls Sanzo by this pet name to annoy the hell out of him.
fundoshi - sumo's diaper. see saiyuubito
- aunt/uncle - Kanzeon is a hermaphrodite