Rebirth

By: K. "Crim" Vergara

Disclaimer: I do not own the Saiyuki series. Genjou Sanzo and the other Saiyuki characters belong to Kazuya Minekura. Son Koumyou is an original character that was created by Yomigaere, Hadisia, and me. The following story is based on our MPreg AU storyline.

"Damn. It's raining again," Sanzo scolded to himself He sat by the windowsill, atop the cushioned seat that leaned against the wall. The room was enclosed in darkness. The faint light from outside slightly tinted the room with blue shadows. Sanzo puffed and puffed on that cigarette between his fingers, not taking his attention off the storm. Each deep thought of the lurid memory that constantly plagued him forced the monk to take even longer drags of smoke. The overflowing ashtray beside him showed evidence of his depression and anxiety.

The room was quiet. Only the sound of the trickling rain on the glass window could be heard. How ironic that it could almost sound so soothing. A creak from the door alarmed the blonde priest. It better not be Goku. That lover of his would always show up at the wrong time. Sanzo had expected the monkey to barge in half asleep and nagging him to come back to bed. Instead, a short figure came idly toward him. The dim, nocturnal light illuminated her golden hair, just like Sanzo's.

"Ma... ma," she uttered softly.

Sanzo didn't understand why she still calls him "mama." Under some farfetched circumstances that only the gods could have concocted, he was able to give birth to a daughter. By harsh technicality, he was the mother, but still a man. Sanzo wasn't a mother in any other way. Children are naïve and Sanzo hoped his child would soon grow out of that.

"Oi. That are you doing up so late?" Sanzo said hoarsely.

"Mama, I can't sleep..."

Sanzo didn't know what to tell her. Even though he'd been a parent for five years now, Goku would usually be the one taking care of her and Hakkai would stand by with advice. "Go drink some warm milk... or just stay in bed and keep your eyes closed until you fall asleep." Sanzo prevented himself from sounding too callous towards the toddler. She's not like everyone else whom he'd normally ignore or rebuke. This girl was a part of him. Sanzo wanted to give that child something he was unable to have—a good childhood. That's probably Hakkai and Gojyo's reason for raising those twins of theirs too.

"Can I... stay here with you?"

"Why didn't you go to Goku?" The bewildered monk asked.

There was no answer. The girl walked to him and clung onto her father's black shirt. "I wanted you..." She sounded as if she was about to cry.

"Koumyou..." Sanzo uttered his baby's name. He embraced his daughter and rubbed his hand on her golden head of hair, a coveted feature she had inherited from him. He hoisted her up onto his lap and looked at her distressed expression. Koumyou wiped away her tears with her arm and opened her eyes of gold and violet- contrasting colors of different breeds. The golden orbs of her heretic father and the violet orbs of her human maternal father—unique colors that have the power to make or break her. Her hybrid blood was just as taboo as a half-demon's. "Why can't you sleep?"

Koumyou was reluctant to answer. "I was scared," she mumbled.

"Scared?"

"... Of the rain," she continued.

That struck a bolt of surprise to Sanzo. "The rain?"

The petite child dug her face in Sanzo's chest. "Rain makes me feel like something bad might happen."

Sanzo was just amazed by the child's explanation. Why would she feel that way? Although, the lifestyle they have is particularly different from most families. They constantly travel and face demons on a regular basis. He and Goku do everything in their power to protect their child and prevent her from experiencing the same suffering that they had to go through.

Maybe it wasn't that. Koumyou never complained nor was she ever scared of the dangers they face. Could it be her spiritual connection to his master Koumyou? Sanzo chose to honor his master's legacy and sacrifice by naming his first child after his late Master, regardless of the baby's sex. Sanzo had great empathy for his young daughter. She did not need to share in his tragedy.

Son Koumyou was special to Sanzo, just like his late Master Koumyou. He had finally seen that she was his mainstay; his reason for hope. "Koumyou, listen to me. You can't prevent bad things from happening all the time. They come and go. It's really up to you to have the fortitude to withstand it. Stay strong, Koumyou, and you'll be able to make it though those bad times. Don't lose to yourself and don't let the 'bad things' consume you. Instead, live from your mistakes and move on with your life. Worrying constantly about a foreboding future will only slow you down from living in the present." Sanzo ended his speech, only then did he realize that he had been talking to a five-year-old. How could she fully grasp this message now? Koumyou looked intently at her father. She had been listening very meticulously to every word her father had said.

"I want to be as strong as you, mama." She rested her head on Sanzo's chest and was finally pacified, allowing her to fall asleep.

"As strong as me, huh?" Sanzo repeated. He looked at his sleeping daughter and then looked at the rain outside again. He had reflected on that day so many years ago that left an impact on his life.

"I couldn't protect him..." young Kouryuu broke own, still frozen in fear by the death of his Master, his hands stained with the residue of his blood. He was spared, only to the expense of Koumyou Sanzo's life. Now Kouryuu must go on living as Genjou Sanzo, a worthy title given to him before Koumyou Sanzo sacrificed himself to save his young apprentice. He continues to carry on the beliefs that his Master had passed on to him.

Sanzo now lives his life with the young man who called out to him and with the girl who he must now protect. "I won't let it happen again. I will protect you, Son Koumyou... my daughter." He took the lit cigarette he had been holding onto and pressed it down against the ashtray. Sanzo closed his violet eyes and drifted off to sleep with his arms wrapped tightly around his baby girl.

End.