It had been a long morning of walking. Not just any walking, but climbing up a mountain. Goku felt uneasy as he thought he recognized this place.
"Hey Sanzo? Are you sure we're going the right way?" Goku asked with a weak smile.
He had his doubts already and yet he trusted Sanzo with every fiber of his being.
"Just shut up and walk." Sanzo said as if Goku had been talking forever, which he hadn't.
Goku had been quiet ever since they set eyes on this mountain. Hakkai and Gojyo chatted like nothing was wrong at all as they walked, but they didn't have any memories of a mountain like this. Goku kept walking, holding the side of his arm as he had this scared feeling deep inside him. He knew he knew this place and yet he felt like it was impossible for them to be here.
They were still on their way west so how could they be HERE?!
Goku felt panic hit him as he knew for sure now that this was THAT mountain. The mountian he had been imprisoned in for five hundred years. Every part of his body struggled against him taking another step as his mind screamed for him to run. He fought it, trusting Sanzo.
"S-Sanzo?" Goku tried again to speak, to call out to his sun for help.
He was scared and just wanted Sanzo to make it better, for Sanzo to take him away from this place.
Sanzo ignored him and yet Goku knew for certain he had heard his name being called.
"Don't worry Goku. We are going to eat soon." Hakkai said with a smile, causing Goku to smile weakly.
"Heh. That's right, ya damn ape. We won't let you starve." Gojyo said as he roughly ruffled Goku's hair.
Goku felt only a bit better at his friend's words and yet worried still since hunger wasn't the issue here. He didn't understand why Sanzo was ignoring him. It hurt him greatly as even Gojyo was being more caring than his sun.
Soon they reached the top of the mountain, rather it was high enough that they had stopped when Sanzo did. Goku looked over and felt a pain in his heart. He saw the prison where he had been stuck for so many centuries. It was hurting him greatly and that scared feeling just wouldn't stop. The longing to run away as fast as possible just wouldn't cease. He turned to look at Sanzo, to beg him to leave this place when he saw something horrible happen before his eyes.
"Something wrong, Go-" Hakkai had begun to ask the monkey and yet stopped suddenly.
"San-" Goku barely managed to say as the flash of a gun and the loud booming sound that accompanied it had stopped his every word.
Goku felt something warm and wet hit his face. He lifted his hand to touch it, feeling it was a little sticky as well. As he lowered his hand to look he saw red blood covering his fingers. He lifted his head back up, feeling like everything was happening in slow motion. Before Goku's eyes, Hakkai slowly fell to the ground dead. Goku stood shocked as his own face was covered in the blood of one of his closest friends. Goku stared at Hakkai's lifeless body as it was face down in the dirt of the mountain.
"You son of a bit-" Goku heard Gojyo yell as he looked over in time to see the red head rush Sanzo, only to be shot down as well.
More blood covered Goku's body as it began to shake.
This wasn't real right?
This was a dream, no, a nightmare?
Gojyo fell to the ground just as Hakkai had, landing face first in the dirt of the mountain. Goku felt tears streaming down his face that was now covered in the blood spatter of the two people who he had cared for as close friends. Yet the one he cared for most was the one doing these horrible things.
"SANZO, WHY?!" Goku screamed in a voice mixed with both fear and anger.
Yet he felt so scared he couldn't move, not even when the gun was being pointed at him.
"...The gods decided you three were too dangerous to keep alive. They thought it fitting you all die here, just in case I couldn't kill you..." Sanzo said as he was not really showing any emotion what-so-ever.
Goku couldn't stop the tears just as he couldn't believe he was hearing such a thing.
"You... You're joking, right Sanzo? Gojyo and Hakkai are just... Just pretending? W-We can go home now and... And..." Goku weakly smiled once more as he tried so hard to not believe this was real.
How could his sun, who he loved more than anyone, do this to him?
How could Sanzo betray him like that?!
"Humph... Who would want an annoying group like you three... Especially YOU." Sanzo said darkly as he walked closer and pressed the gun against Goku's forehead.
"S-Sanzo... Please... Don't..." Goku whimpered as his body lowered, making him sit with his legs on either side of his body as his hands grabbed Sanzo's robes to beg. "Sanzo..."
Goku's tears fell uncontrollably as his body trembled still. The pain in his heart was too much for him now. Sanzo didn't seem to care as he kept the gun trained on Goku's head. As Goku opened his mouth to try and speak one last time, Sanzo pulled the trigger.
Goku screamed loudly as he fell from the bed. Screaming and kicking as he fought to escape the prison of his own sheets. His tears falling as he heard someone else moving in the room.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" He heard Gojyo yell.
Goku uncovered his head just in time to see Gojyo turning on the light. He saw the kappa standing there next to the bed Goku had once been laying in. Goku sniffled as more tears fell, giving Gojyo a sad and yet surprised look.
"G-Gojyo? Y-You're alright?" Goku gasped as stared at Gojyo now.
"Tch. Of course I am, you stupid monkey. Though I'm a little pissed since you ruined a very steamy dream where Hak-" Gojyo was cut off when their inn room door was suddenly opened.
"What's the matter? Was that-" Hakkai was the first to enter the room and his own words were stopped when he saw a tearful Goku on the ground covered in sheets.
"H-H-Hakkai?" Goku sniffled, finally managing to stop his tears from falling, despite his face being stained with them at the moment.
"Goku? What happened?" Hakkai asked as he moved over and knelt beside Goku, touching Goku's arm gently. "It's alright now, Goku... Just relax..."
Goku was staring at Hakkai now as he sniffled again. He hadn't realized he was shaking until Hakkai said for him to relax. He took a deep breath and calmed himself just a little. That is, until he saw golden hair enter the room.
"What's going on?" An annoyed Sanzo asked as he looked like he had been sleeping deeply until Goku's screaming.
"RUN HAKKAI! GOJYO!" Goku screamed as his eyes shut.
He felt that fear returning and his legs refused to move. Right away his tears returned as he remembered his nightmare too vividly. His body shook as well while he tried so hard to stand and protect his friends, but all he could do was cling to Hakkai like a scared child.
Deep down he knew it was because he couldn't fight his sun. He could never hurt Sanzo. Even if he died he could never hurt Sanzo.
He loved Sanzo so much, how could he hurt him?
"Dammit... Stop screaming, ya ape. Why the hell should we run?" Gojyo frowned as he asked, a finger in his ear as Goku's screaming was a little over the top.
"Calm down Goku. I think you just had a nightmare." Hakkai said softly while petting Goku's head gently.
Goku sniffled as he tried to relax again. He took a long moment, resting his head against Hakkai's chest, but he did relax.
"... Sorry I woke you..." Goku sniffled and said to Gojyo, who had been the one fusing he was woken up.
Gojyo frowned a little as he rubbed the back of his neck and sat back down on the bed.
"Geez... You alright now?" Gojyo asked with a smile, obviously bothered with how sad Goku looked.
Though Gojyo wasn't the only one bothered by Goku's little outburst. Hakkai was as well, but there was one person more bothered by it.
Sanzo.
Sanzo stood there in the doorway staring at Goku. He saw the fear in Goku's eyes that were directed at him and wondered what exactly he had done to trigger that. Goku's little outburst of telling Gojyo and Hakkai to run only made him think Goku's nightmare was about him killing the two. Sanzo didn't like that at all since Goku was having such a bad reaction to it. He didn't want to see Goku cry more or worse, scream if he walked any closer so Sanzo remained standing there silently in the doorway.
"Why don't you tell us about your nightmare. You'll probably feel better once you do." Hakkai suggested with a smile.
"O... Okay..." Goku nodded as he began to slowly tell them about his dream, carefully eyeing Sanzo to make sure the priest didn't move.
Several minutes passed and Goku had managed to calm down a rather good amount. He had told his dream to everyone and watched Sanzo frown more as he had been cast as the villain. Goku still sniffled, but his tears and shaking had come to an end.
"You think we'd die to baldy so easily?" Gojyo smirked, having finished the cigarette he had lit during the story of Goku's nightmare.
"Don't make us so weak in your dreams from now on, Goku." Hakkai chuckled, petting Goku's head again as Goku now sat up by himself instead of resting his head against Hakkai's chest. "And you know Sanzo would rather shoot himself than do such a thing."
"Besides, he's far too lazy to do any of that." Gojyo added with a smirk as he started feeling a hole burning in the back of his head from the glare Sanzo was giving him.
Normally Sanzo would have hit Gojyo with a paperfan for such a comment or even shot at his general direction while missing, but under the circumstances he felt like that would upset Goku again. Sanzo just stood there with an unamused glare at Gojyo and just a regular displeased expression for everything and everyone else.
"Why don't I make you a midnight snack before we head back to bed." Hakkai offered happily as he tried to cheer up Goku more.
"... I'm not hungry..." Goku said, much to the shock of them all. "Can you sleep in here?"
Goku wanted both Hakkai and Gojyo to sleep in here. He hadn't originally since he didn't want them doing anything sneaky together under the sheets, but right now he didn't care if they did so long as they were here in the same room and safe.
"Of course... What about Sanzo? Do you want him to stay as well?" Hakkai asked as he looked over at the priest who was left out of the invitation to stay.
Goku looked at Sanzo and Sanzo frowned even more, if that were possible.
"Tch..." Sanzo turned around, slamming their door behind him as he left.
"S-Sanzo?" Goku gasped as he saw Sanzo leave.
Goku forced himself up off the ground and rushed off after the blond. Sanzo entered his own private room and went to slam that door as well, only Goku had caught up and stopped the door from slamming with his hand. It hurt his hand, but that didn't stop the monkey from entering the room.
"Sanzo!" Goku called as he wanted Sanzo to pay attention to him.
His voice was scared thanks to his nightmare, but he shut the door and moved closer to Sanzo. Sanzo had stopped in the center of the room and Goku moved closer slowly.
"Go sleep with Hakkai like you want." Sanzo snapped coldly.
"I... Sanzo... I just..." Goku felt like an idiot.
Goku moved closer and grabbed the back of Sanzo's shirt as his face pressed against the priest's back.
"I love you... Please... Don't..." Goku whispered as the tears returned.
He loved Sanzo so much, which was why his dream upset him so much. He didn't want Sanzo to kill his friends or him. He didn't want Sanzo to go. He loved Sanzo and no matter what he wanted him to stay.
Goku felt Sanzo sigh and slowly the blond turned around, hugging Goku. Goku wrapped his arms around Sanzo's middle and hugged him so very tightly.
"... Stop crying..." Sanzo said very quietly as if he only wanted Goku to hear it and not the rest of the room, though they were alone.
"... I'm sorry..." Goku sniffled, stopping his tears and snuggling his face dry against Sanzo's shirt.
"... You better go back to Hakkai so you can sleep..." Sanzo muttered as he realized his shirt was wet with tears now.
Goku shook his head no and looked up at Sanzo. "Can I sleep in here with you instead?"
Sanzo had originally slept alone, as had Hakkai, due to them having been given three free rooms at the inn for helping out the town with their demon problem. It would have been four rooms, but the inn had been full other than the last three rooms. Rather than decline the offer, they had decided to split the three rooms with Gojyo and Goku sharing.
"If you want..." Sanzo said as he slowly moved away and got into bed.
Sanzo waited for Goku, who was right behind him. Goku nearly jumped into the bed and was right away snuggling up against Sanzo.
"... I love you too... You idiot... I would never pick gods over you..." Sanzo growled, holding Goku in his arms as he wanted the monkey to know all that.
"... I know... I'm sorry it upset me so much... I know you would never do that... I love you..." Goku whispered with a small smile growing. "Night Sanzo... I trust you..."
Sanzo was glad to hear Goku say that and was more pleased the nightmare was over. He didn't like his monkey crying.
"Sanzo... I'm hungry..." Goku muttered with a small pout.
Sanzo smirked slightly at that, moving his head to kiss Goku. With that sweet kiss, Goku was quickly fast asleep as he finally got over his nightmare. Sanzo watched Goku sleep for a short while, just to be sure no nightmares reappeared, and fell asleep as well.
"Well I guess they aren't coming back." Hakkai chuckled as he sat on Goku's empty bed.
He had picked up the sheets from the floor and had restored them to their rightful place in case someone would be sleeping there soon.
"Heh. I guess not." Gojyo smirked, agreeing as he lay there in his own bed eyeing Hakkai.
"Want to-"
"Do you even need to ask?" Gojyo smirked more as he cut Hakkai off, knowing exactly what the brunette was going to ask.
Hakkai chuckled as he stood up and turned off the light. "Impatient, aren't we?"
Gojyo chuckled without giving an answer as Hakkai slipped into his bed.