Disclaimer I don't own any of the Saiyuki characters.

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"No! I don't wanna!" A child's voice rang true through the chilly winter air. It was truly a beautiful scene, with everything glazed over in the thin, evanescent frost, as well as a frosty blanket of white snow. Trees looked like something out of a painting, or perhaps a theatrical diorama, actors in the play of life frozen in place by the cold. A small boy's loud wails completely disturbed the beauty of the place.

"Sanzoooo! I don't wanna!" Goku sobbed, clinging onto the doorframe. The priest, Sanzo, had a grip on the youkai's legs, and was trying to pull him outside into the winter wonderland.

"Why not?!" He yelled, matching the boy's cries with his own angry growls.

"Just 'cause!"

"Listen, monkey! All normal children play in the snow! So you're going out there, whether you want to or not!"

"Noooo, noooooo!!" He was practically in tears by now.

"Having fun?" Gojyo asked sarcastically, peering through the window at the pair, a cigarette in his lips.

"Oh, yes. Fun by the ton." Sanzo snapped in response, his voice dry. "You could help me instead of standing there like an idiot, you know."

"Hell no. Do I look like a wet nurse to you?" He flicked ashes at them. "Besides, why is it so important that he goes outside anyway? Just let him stay in."

"So that in all the winters to come, he's inside twenty-four-seven? I don't think so." The monk twitched at the thought, and tugged harder on the child. "C'mon! Get your ass out here!"

"Waaahh, Sanzooo, waaahhhh, nooooooo!" Goku screamed, his hands scrabbling for a hold on the doorway as it slipped from his fingers. The pair fell backwards into the snow and rolled down the hill, all the way to the bottom, by the frozen lake. "Keehhhhh! Sanzooo, let me gooooooo!" He wailed, clawing at the monk's arms now in desperation. It appeared that as they had fallen, Sanzo had grabbed onto the boy firmly, holding him to his chest, so that now, at the bottom, Sanzo was lying on his back with Goku clasped in his arms, in what might have been an embrace if the two weren't so pissed off at each other.

"No way! You're not going anywhere until you stop crying!" He scowled, trying not to shiver as the snow beneath him melted away and seeped into the cloth of his robe. If this was a test of endurance, Sanzo was not going to back down to the monkey.

"Noooo, Sanzooooo!" Goku cried as new snow began to fall from the sky, landing on his hair and cheeks. "It's attacking me!"

"It's not going to hurt you!"

"It- it's gonna take me away from yoooouuuuu!" Goku sobbed, turning over and burying his face into the priest's chest. "Sanzooo, don't leave meeeeee!!!"

Sanzo blinked. This was a new development. It seemed that the monkey thought that somehow, this snow would take him away from everything he had gained since he had been discovered in the cave. Since Sanzo had heard his small, pathetic voice calling out to him. He sighed. How idiotic.
"Shut up! I'm not going anywhere!" He replied sharply. The monkey's cries hit a soft decrescendo as the sobs faded into the cloth of Sanzo's robe.

Goku looked up now, eyes wet with tears. "Y… you're not?"

"Of course not, you idiot. A little snow isn't going to do anything."

"Uh… u-uwaaaahhhhh!!" Goku began to cry again.

"Now what?" Sanzo sighed in exasperation.

"I'm cold!"

"So shut up! I told you, we're not going anywhere until you stop crying!" Goku, however, couldn't seem to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. Though whether they were from sorrow, or something else, no one could say.
"This is going to take a while…" Gojyo muttered to himself, sighing and excusing himself from the window.

*~*~*

Gojyo glanced up from his chair by the fireplace as the door slowly creaked open. Night had fallen hours ago—it couldn't be earlier than nine. There stood Sanzo, one arm resting on the door, the other cradling the monkey against his chest. Goku had his arms wrapped tightly around Sanzo's neck, as if he really were afraid to lose him. Sanzo's expression was grim.

"Did you give up?" Gojyo asked, blinking at Goku, whose eyes were closed.

"No." Sanzo gently shut the door, careful not to disturb the child in his arms. "He fell asleep. So he stopped crying."

"Ah." Gojyo shook his head at the priest's stupid determination. Sanzo merely ignored him as he shuffled across the room to the small bed in the corner, the one next to the fire that was supposed to be for Goku, though the boy usually ended up sleeping on the floor of Sanzo's room. He set the boy down on it gently, before pulling the covers over him in an attempt to keep the boy warm. "Shouldn't you change his clothes or somethin'?" Gojyo asked, cocking his head. "I thought you could get sick from wet clothes."

"He's completely dry. The snow stopped hours ago." Sanzo answered, his voice a bit softer than usual.

Now seeing how soaking wet the blonde man's back was, Gojyo stood incredulously. "You don't mean to tell me that you were lying on your back the whole time, to keep Goku dry?!" Sanzo turned towards Gojyo for the first time, his face pale, lips blue with cold, before collapsing onto the floor. "Sanzo? Sanzo?!"

*~*~*

Goku awoke slowly, his golden eyes easing open to come upon people rushing around everywhere throughout the small house that was on the edge of the monastery's property, the one he was living in with Sanzo. Confused, he sat up, staring as monks rushed back and forth frantically, yelling orders to each other, darting in and out of the house. "What's going on…?" He asked aloud, though to no one in particular. The last thing he remembered was how warm Sanzo had been beneath him, despite the chilling snow.

"Sanzo's sick. That's what's going on."

The small brown-haired youkai cocked his head to see Gojyo leaning against the wall by his bed, arms crossed over his chest. "Sick…?"

"That's right. Because he stayed out all day yesterday just lying there waiting for you to stop crying."

"Ah-…" Goku's eyes widened as he realized that this could likely be his fault. Quickly, he threw the covers off of his legs and ran in the direction of Sanzo's room, crying out, "Sanzo! SANZO!" the whole way. His childish fears made him assume the worst. He pushed past monks to the interior of the room, to find Hakkai there, bent over Sanzo, his hand on the priest's forehead, as well as several anxious monks hovering around waiting for a verdict.

"He's freezing cold," Hakkai said finally, turning to the spectators.

"Hn…" Sanzo struggled in the fits of sleep, kicking his blankets off. Patiently, Hakkai pulled them back on, only to have Sanzo kick them off again, mumbling, "hot!" under his breath.

Hakkai shook his head. "I've only seen this once before. There's only one cure."

"What is it?" A monk asked, hands clasped. "Just tell us what it is, and we'll go get it!"

"It's… a very special herb." Hakkai replied, turning back to Sanzo.

"Well, where can we find it?"

"That's the thing," Hakkai answered quietly. "It's been extinct, ever since—" he stopped, seeing that Goku was in the room. "Goku? What are you doing in here?"

"Is Sanzo gonna be okay?" The boy demanded, coming to sit next to the dark-haired man at Sanzo's side.

"To tell you the truth, Goku… I really don't know." He shrugged. "I hope so."

"What's th' 'erb' look like?" Goku asked, golden eyes blinking up at Hakkai.

"Mm? Oh, you mean…" Hakkai stared back down at him, thinking, well, he's afraid of the snow, so what can he do about it? There's no harm in telling him. "Well, it's… pink. With a green top."

"Like a pink carrot?" Goku inquired.

"Yes, yes, like a pink carrot." Hakkai smiled down at him. "But it can only be found outside—it only grows in the snow."

"The snow…" Goku mumbled, a worried expression overcoming his face.

"That's right."

"Okay… thanks, Hakkai." Goku stood and left the room. As he re-entered the main room, he glanced in Gojyo's direction, and knowing that the man would never let him leave, said "oy, Gojyo. Hakkai wants you in there."

"Alright." The man nodded his thanks and left.
Too easy, Goku thought to himself as he slipped out, un-noticed into the freezing cold.

*~*~*

"What did you need to see me for, Hakkai?" Gojyo asked, stepping into the room and placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Hm?" Hakkai looked up, confused. "Nothing… who told you that I needed to see you?"

"Goku did."

"Oh, no…" Hakkai paled and got to his feet, pushing monks out of the way and bursting into the main room. "Goku?" Silence was his only answer. Now he threw open the door, calling out into the bleak wilderness, "Gokuu!!!" But the boy was gone, and the snow had already filled his footprints.

"Shit!" Gojyo cursed as he realized what had happened. "Don't worry, I'll go look for-"

"No, Gojyo. You would just get lost. And then…" Hakkai looked down, reprimanding himself mentally. "There's nothing we can do now…"

*~*~*

"A pink carrot, a pink carrot…" The boy muttered to himself as he trotted on through the whirling, screeching snow. It tore at his face ferociously, like a tiger with unsheathed claws; he did his best to ignore it. "Where would I find a pink carrot? Hakkai said it grows in the snow." At the thought of Hakkai, he glanced behind himself in the direction of the house, only to see a blinding white vortex swirling around madly. This didn't bother him. As long as Sanzo was there, he could find his way back. It was almost as if he had an inner compass that always pointed in the golden-haired man's direction. Shaking his head and clutching his hands to his arms in an attempt to stay warm, he trudged on, muttering, "pink carrots, pink carrots…"

*~*~*

"It's been hours…" Hakkai clutched his head helplessly as he sat in the chair. "And they're both dying."

"You don't know that." Gojyo tried to reassure the distraught man. "After all, you keep healing Sanzo, and Goku knows how to take care of himself."

"I'm only healing him temporarily, Gojyo." The dark-haired man replied, his voice tight with agony. "The only thing that can cure him is the plant. And soon, I'll spend the last of my energy, and where will that leave Sanzo? And Goku is just a child!"

"It'll be okay." Gojyo muttered, half to himself as he glanced out the window. "It'll all be okay…"

*~*~*

Goku cried out as he stumbled and fell in the cold snow. His courage had almost shattered by now, and his old fear was back. He shivered, and screamed, madness taking a hold on him as he dashed around, blindly looking for an escape from the snow. He fell again, but this time, he didn't get up, crying into the ground. "I'm so coooold!" He cried, to no one in particular. Just then, something warm fell across his cheek. He trembled, and looked up, to find himself squinting at the sun.
The sun.
Sanzo.
"Sanzo, you said you would never leave me!" He shouted at the sun in his delirium. "You said you weren't going anywhere! You said, a little snow—" He paused, as the sun seemed to reply, I'm here now, aren't I? "Ne, you're right, you're right…" He pounded the ground with his fists. "Stupid! I need to find the carrots, instead of—" He stopped and stared at what his hands had uncovered.

*~*~*

"This is the last time…" Hakkai murmured as he lifted his glowing hands from Sanzo's chest. "Next time he needs it, I won't have anymore energy."

"So, this is the end…?" Gojyo's eyes narrowed listlessly at the monk. "I thought you were stronger than this, Sanzo."

"This has nothing to do with strength…" Hakkai sighed weakly. "There's nothing he can do. He's probably having nightmares right now. And on top of it all, Goku is gone."

"Hakkai!!" A loud, familiar voice made them both look up swiftly to see the small brown-haired boy shivering in front of the now-closed door. He began to run to them. "Hakkai, Hakkai—!"

"Goku, where did you—" Hakkai broke off as he saw what the boy had in his hands.

"Hakkai, I got it, I got the carrots!" Goku waved the plant in front of the man's face. "Now can you help me save Sanzo?!"

"Of course," Hakkai smiled.

*~*~*

"I still don't know how he did it…" Hakkai muttered as he tipped the cup with the broth in it against Sanzo's lips. "It went extinct, a long time ago…"
"Pure idiocy, that's how." Gojyo shook his head, also unable to believe it.
Goku only watched intently as the mixture made with the herb got poured down the priest's throat. When the last of it was gone, he asked, "Is he gonna be okay now?"
"Thanks to you, Goku, yes." Hakkai smiled. "Yes he will."

*~*~*

Sanzo's violet eyes eased open as he awoke to the feeling of a warm entity beside him. Goku.
He stared at the child a couple minutes before glancing up at Hakkai, understanding that he'd been sick. "How long was I out?"

"Two days, I think." Hakkai answered.

"Mm. So, you managed to heal me again?"

"Not me." Hakkai's lips formed a smile. "Goku."

"The little shit went outside and got this plant to save you." Gojyo explained.

"What…?" Sanzo looked back at the brown-haired boy, who was sleeping peacefully beside him. "He went out into the snow… ?"

"Yes, he did. For hours, at that." Hakkai's smile widened.

"… Hah." Sanzo smirked, almost triumphantly. "I told you I'd make him do it."

"Nn…" Goku stirred and awoke, blinking sleepily at Sanzo, who was now sitting up. "Sanzo? You're awake!" He grinned, tugging on the priest's arm. "You gotta come see th' snowman I made outside!"

Sanzo only stared, as Gojyo laughed. "Did you forget to add that to your calculations, priest-boy?"

"Shut up…" Sanzo grumbled as Goku dragged him out of bed and into the snow.