Did I Miss Anything?
Being a what-if in which Gojyo almost misses the Journey West. No yaoi, no violence, very gently implied Hakkai/Gojyo love.
Standard disclaimer: I do not own the characters or situations of Saiyuki, which belong to the everlastingly gifted Kazuya Minekura, may she live a long and healthy life. No profit earned and no disrespect involved; just taking them for a little spin. --Another 05/09 Project.
When he finally got up and made it out to the kitchen--about noon-- Hakkai wasn't there.
He didn't worry at first, since 'Kai'd said something about running errands while Gojyo was asleep, and he might've stopped for a drink or a game of cards at the tavern. But he still wasn't home when Gojyo left for his bartending job, and he didn't drop in during the evening as was their custom. By nine he was uneasy, and by 2 AM he was seriously worried. Had Hakkai beaten someone at poker who'd taken it too personally? Had Hakuryu broken down? Had they been ambushed by rogue youkai and left for dead?
As he walked home he checked the ditches on both sides of the road, but found no trace of jeep, dragon or Hakkai. In the morning he walked back into town and talked to the shopkeeper Hakkai was likely to have visited; the man confirmed that he'd been in yesterday and bought some of their usual supplies, and everything had seemed fine. No, he hadn't stopped at the tavern; no, no one had seen him after he'd left the store. He'd loaded up his groceries and vanished into thin air.
After three days, Gojyo gave up and admitted it. Hakkai was gone. Not the first time this beauty had dumped him, but seemingly the final one.
He forced himself to go to work, since he couldn't afford to lose his job and he needed the distraction, but he kept running over and over it in his head. They hadn't had a quarrel; 'Kai had seemed fine with his working the bar nights and sleeping in; they had enough money to live on comfortably, and, all things considered, he'd thought the arrangement pretty good for them both. So ...hell, why? Was he angry about something? Am I that impossible to live with? Is it just my shitty luck?
(And why had he even bothered to do the grocery shopping first?...)
The fourth day it began to rain, and it poured all that night and through the next day, the whole drowned world around him as dim and gloomy as his state of mind. The fifth night he couldn't sleep, and lay listening to the rain lashing against his window, thinking of rainy nights and puddles stained with blood...
...a sound at the window that wasn't rain, flapping, scratching like a bird trying to get inside...
...Bird?--he thought in his half-drowse; nah, why would any--
--and then he heard it, clear as could be. "Kyu! Kyuu-uu!"
Gojyo scrambled out of bed, ran and threw open the screened porch door, and was instantly greeted with a fluttering armful of drenched and shivering dragon. He hugged the little thing protectively, barely noticing the icy rain soaking through his sleepshirt; he'd never been so glad to see another living creature in his life.
"Hakuryu, damn--are you OK?" He stroked the dripping mane as he carried the messenger inside. Didn't seem injured, but his small chest heaved with effort and his breathing was labored and harsh. Must have had a long flight, and in this weather--
The little dragon rubbed its wet head on his shoulder, sneezed, and held out one leg. There was a coil of paper rolled around it, tied with a sodden red ribbon.
Gojyo got them back into the kitchen, lit the lamp, and dried Hakuryu off with a dishtowel before untying the ribbon. There was about half left of the roast chicken he'd bought last night, and he shredded some meat into a saucer, along with a couple of strawberries. As the dragon dug in, Gojyo poured a shot of sake', took a deep breath and unrolled the damp paper.
It's goddamn always a rainy night, isn't it, when this stuff happens...recalling another rainy night, and a demon avenger who'd come to bring him an umbrella...
Maybe this was a ransom note, and it was Gojyo's turn to come to the rescue.
Or maybe it was just a really elaborate way of delivering a 'kiss off, loser' letter.
He spread it out on the table and started to read.
Dear Gojyo,
(--well, it's Hakkai, of course he's gonna be polite about it...)
I'm sorry I haven't been able to write sooner. We're
(--we??)
in the River Inn in Wushan, traveling west along the Wei. The rain has made the river impassable, so we should be here for two or three days. That gives you a good chance to catch up with us, if you decide to do so, and I very much hope you will.
(He thought his heart would melt right out of his chest.)
Briefly, this is what happened. Perhaps you recall Sanzo saying that the Three Aspects were investigating the cause of the youkai madness? It seems They've learned that the 'minus wave', as They call it, isn't a natural phenomenon; it's the result of a project to raise the ancient demon lord Gyuma'oh, using a combination of youjutsu and black science. I know it sounds incredible, but we can't doubt Their sources. The project is based somewhere in the Far West and its perpetrators are unknown.
The Aspects appointed Sanzo to travel there and put a stop to it
(--Gyuma'oh was real? That man-eating ogre in the stories Jien had told him when he was little? And he was somehow behind all this?
--But damn, it had taken a god, a young War Prince from the Heavens, to put him down the first time (and he'd always felt so bad for that kid…) They wanted to mix Sanzo up in bad juju like that? Oh, man...)
and They ordered him to take three people with him: Goku of course, me, and you.
(…oh.
Oh, shit.)
I met Sanzo and Goku on the road as I was driving home, and Sanzo wanted to leave as soon as we could collect you. I tried to wake you by knocking, but you didn't hear me, and Sanzo refused to let me go in to fetch you. (He added some rude remarks about drunken kappas that I'm sure you can imagine.) So I had no choice but to set out and send you word as soon as I could. I'm sure you've been worried; I truly am sorry.
(He honest to gods didn't know how he felt; he felt so many things he was dizzy.)
So, that's the situation. This will be a long journey, probably years, and there's likely to be great danger. If you don't want to come, it's quite understandable, but please consider the Three Aspects' judgment. They probably know many things we don't, and They must have good reason for choosing you.
And, to be thoroughly honest, if you don't come I'll miss you terribly. I'm sure Goku will too.
Please give Hakuryu a full night's sleep and send him off with your reply in the morning. We can't leave the inn without him, so that gives you a longer head start if you need it. If I know you're en route I'll slow us down any way I can. Be careful of washed-out bridges; I suggest coming straight down the river if you can (I believe you can manage a boat?).
And if you choose not to come, please take care of yourself, Gojyo. I don't know if I'll ever see you again, but I will always consider you a very dear friend.
Yours, with hope, Hakkai.
P.S.--Sanzo's been given a credit card from the Heavenly Treasury to cover all the mission's expenses. So don't worry about packing anything.
He read it through twice, poured more sake' and sat back in the chair, trying to sort it all out. OK, good side: Hakkai hadn't ditched him, wasn't mad at him, had even said a few things that made his spine tingle in a more-than nice way. Bad side: They'd both been drafted into a Divine Mission to travel all the freaking way to Tenjiku and bust some sort of insane plot to resurrect a legendary ogre--a plot that had already fucked up the known world, and, if it succeeded, would surely do things even worse. Maybe lots worse.
To think--man, it was mind-boggling--that the plague that had ripped Tougenkyo apart wasn't a disease at all, just some sort of side effect...
Who could possibly want to bring Gyuma'oh back to life? And what might happen if they actually did?
He thought about the way the town had shattered--how many towns must have been shattered by this, neighbors become enemies, ordinary youkai townsfolk turned overnight into rabid demons. The fear you saw in everyone's eyes, the awful stories you heard. All the kids were so scared, both youkai and human, scared to death of just seeing each other…
And someone had made it this way. He was starting to get mad just thinking about it. They deserved to have the crap beaten out of them, no matter who or what they were. And they sure as hell needed to be stopped.
He looked around the little house. It looked pretty good now, but that was all Hakkai's hard work; a year with him alone in it, and it'd turn back into the same pit it had been before, even if he tried to keep up with the cleaning and remembered when trash day was. Which he wouldn't.
And he'd be so goddamn lonely.
The words were still there, in Hakkai's fine, meticulous script:
...if you decide to do so, and I very much hope you will...
And, to be thoroughly honest, if you don't come I'll miss you terribly.
He made up his mind and went looking for paper.
In the morning the rain had dropped to a light drizzle, and the clouds looked likely to break. Gojyo carefully tightened the red ribbon on his message as Hakuryu finished a last strawberry. The little dragon nuzzled his shoulder affectionately as Gojyo carried him outside.
"Okay, see you soon, 'Ryu. Fly safe." He held out his arm like a falconer; Hakuryu walked out to his fist and launched into the air, spiraling up to cruise height and setting off to the west. Within a minute he was lost to sight.
Gojyo shouldered the knapsack he'd gathered. There wasn't much in it, just a few things he'd like to keep if he could. He'd collected all the money from the flowered ginger jar that they kept for emergencies, taken out the garbage and locked the door; the house would be okay by itself.
All he had to do now was quit his job and buy a boat.
Sanzo had been more than slightly suspicious when Hakuryu had disappeared directly after Hakkai's decree that there was no chance of their traveling on for at least a day or two. Hakkai, however, had shrugged and blandly suggested that perhaps the dragon wanted to supplant his dried rations with something fresh-caught, or just to stretch his wings a bit. Sanzo had eyed him but let it pass, and he'd had been careful not to be seen scanning the skies more than once a day after that.
It had been Goku who'd spotted him, though, and thank heaven Sanzo hadn't been there to see how Hakkai's fingers shook as he pulled the red ribbon loose.
But, of course, he needn't have worried.
Hakkai, thanks for the note.
A roadtrip to kick ass and get this mess straightened out, all on the monk's tab? I'll be there.
Taking your advice and buying a boat in the morning. Current ought to be fast after this much rain, so it shouldn't take too long. Try and stick to the river road if you can.
Can't wait to see Sanzo's face when he realizes he's not rid of me. :)
See you soon. G
p.s. I missed you too.
It was tucked inside his shirt as he drove along the riverside, the muddy road beginning to dry in the now-bright sunshine. Sanzo wanted a brisk pace to make up for lost time, but it wouldn't do to get too far ahead, so he watched Hakuryu's speed carefully. Still, if Gojyo had set out promptly, he would have been on the river all the time Hakuryu was flying back to the inn, and the rain-swollen current, as expected, was roaring along at a swift clip...
"Are we stopping for lunch soon? I'm really--wow, lookit that."
"At what, Goku?"
"There's somebody in a boat out there. Man, they're goin' fast."
Hakkai gave a quick glance. There was indeed a small boat plunging through the whitewater, foam and spray flashing in the sun as it surfed from wave to rushing wave. It really was traveling fast; it would overtake the jeep in a matter of moments. Riding the flood was fine for making progress, Hakkai thought, but it would certainly be a problem when you wanted to stop--
--and then both he and Goku spotted the pilot's vivid red hair.
His mind shot ahead so quickly that time seemed to freeze. He'd studied the map: there were two more inns along this road, and each had its own private dock for passengers and cargo boats. One of them was an hour from here. The other one--
--ought to be right around the bend.
Goku spotted it before he even had a chance to speak, and leaped up onto the seat, calling up the nyoi-bo. "Head for that one, Hakkai! I'll catch 'im!" He sprang out and galloped ahead; Hakkai stamped on the accelerator, throwing Sanzo back into the seat. Purple eyes narrowed as he too spotted their target.
"Wait a second--that can't be--"
"Yes, it is," said Hakkai firmly. "And I hope you aren't going to dispute the Sanbutsushin's judgment, because I most certainly am not."
The Violet Glare of Death rolled right off him--he had more important issues just now. He screeched Hakuryu to a halt just as a silver flash caught the light; a crescent blade whistled through the air and embedded itself with a solid thunk in the pier. Gojyo must hope to pull himself diagonally across the flow and reach the dock before being dragged too far downstream--but with this current--
"It's too fast!" yelled Goku. "Extend, nyoi-bo!"
The gold-tipped staff willingly stretched itself double, and then again, as Gojyo hauled on the chain with all his strength. The boat edged closer and closer, but swung hard downstream. Not close enough, not--the wood around the shakujou blade creaked alarmingly, about to tear free--
"Gojyo!" cried Hakkai. "Jump!"
Even at that distance he saw the flash of the hanyou's grin as he heard Hakkai's voice, and he did it--he let go of the shakujou's pole and leaped to grab the end of the nyoi-bo. The empty boat rushed away down the river. Goku dug in his heels and swung his end of the staff down as hard as he could, and considering Goku's strength, the result was predictable: Gojyo, with a startled yowl, was swung high overhead in a pole-vaulter's arc and dropped unceremoniously into the shrubbery a good twenty feet away.
"Um, oops," said Goku. Sanzo snickered. Hakkai headed for the hedges.
He was met halfway by Gojyo, who came storming toward them, yanking leaves out of his hair and glowering red murder at Goku. "Bonehead monkey! Are you trying to kill me or something?!"
"Hey! I just rescued you! And anyway it's your own fault for not bein' awake when we came to pick you up, you hung-over cockroach!"
"I was not hung-over! I work late! and I--oww! Ow, hey!"
Sanzo tucked the harisen back into his sleeve--or wherever he usually hid the thing--and stared both combatants into silence. "You: shut up. Now." Goku subsided. "And you--" with a sidelong glance of deep suspicion at Hakkai--"why the hell are you here?"
The disheveled redhead offered a rakish grin. "Well, Sanzo-sama-san, I had the weirdest dream. I woke up in front of the Three Aspects, and man, did they chew me out. They said 'you drunken idiot! We chose you to go on a sacred mission, and you almost slept through it! You'll miss the whole thing if you don't hit the road right now.' And I said, 'sumimasen, Holy Heads; give me a map and I'm there'. So here I am."
"I doubt every word of that," growled Sanzo.
"But They did choose him," prompted Hakkai, very gently.
Sanzo looked from him to Gojyo to Goku, clearly aware he'd been played but unable to find any grounds for objection. "--Well. You're here, you may as well stay. Get in: we've lost enough time already."
He swept ahead of them back toward Hakuryu, and Gojyo mussed the saru's hair. "Nice grab, monkey."
"Next time I'll make ya swim. Got any food in that bag?"
Well, well, the knapsack was still on his back. He fished out a tangerine and tossed it over, and Goku dashed on ahead, leaving him with Hakkai. Green eyes looked up at him, warm and open.
"Welcome home, Gojyo." Soft chuckle. "Though 'home' is going to be a mobile concept for awhile."
If you're in it, he thought, it's home. Even with these guys in it it's home.
"--Hell, anyplace they'll let me sleep is home to me." He couldn't resist; before they rejoined the others, he let his head rest against the back of the slim man's neck a moment. "Thanks, Hakkai."
He must know what he was being thanked for, because he leaned back, just a little.
"More than welcome," Hakkai said.