The Taste of Crimson

Chapter One

Disclaimer: Saiyuki and all associated characters were created by Minekura Kazuya. I am making no money from this and am merely using the characters and setting for storytelling purposes.

Author's Note: This story takes place at some point after episode ten of Gunlock (the Yakumo story), but before the first meeting with Hazel. There will be some small spoilers for the movie. One of the characters does have sexual relations with at least one female of my creation, but no one finds their true love or anything like that in this story. Gojyo is the focus character and sleeping around is something that he does.

Word Usage Note: With but a few exceptions, this story will be written without any Japanese. Those exceptions are youkai, kappa, and weapon/attack names. The reason for the first is that demon is a sucky translation. It implies (to me anyway) something that is unquestionably evil with no possibility of being good. For the second word, a kappa is an ugly as hell, partially bald water monster thingy with depressions in its head. The English language does not have a word that specifically means "ugly ass water monster thingy with depressions in its head", and the guys insulting Gojyo by calling him an ugly ass water monster thingy with depressions in its head would be very long and awkward.

Responding to both his will and a flick of the wrist, the chain of Gojyo's shakujou retracted, the crescent blade sliding home with the clang of metal hitting metal. With a low 'tch' of annoyance, he sent his weapon back to the pocket dimension accessible by all youkai and leaned against Hakuryu's jeep form, pulling a cigarette from his last pack of Hi-Lites.

"Those guys weren't even good enough to count as exercise," he muttered, flipping open his lighter and lighting up. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Goku poking through the grass. "What the hell does that dumbass monkey think he's doing?"

"Looking for something?" Hakkai suggested, cheerfully stating the obvious as he got back behind the wheel. Sanzo would want to get moving again soon, though the man in question was at that moment ignoring them all in favor of glaring at his malfunctioning lighter.

"Heh. Maybe his brain fell out and he can't find it?" Gojyo grinned at his own comment, long years of practice allowing him to do so without losing his cigarette. Still watching Goku, he lit Sanzo's Marlboro, the monk's grunt of acknowledgement the closest he'd get to thanks.

The half-breed put his lighter back in his pocket and practically bounded over to Goku, flinging one arm around his shoulders. "Oi, if you aren't careful, you'll step on your brain and squish it."

"Shut up, Gojyo," Goku growled, still scanning the ground. Then, with a triumphant exclamation, he darted away from the redhead and scooped something up. "Found them!"

The boy grinned, waving his prize, the pair of nice sunglasses the lead attacker had been wearing, above his head. "Aren't they cool?"

"Too cool for a monkey," Gojyo said, snatching them from Goku and holding them up high. "Hee hee, jump, monkey boy, jump!"

"Damn it, those are mine!" Goku tried to reach them, cursing the half-breed's superior height.

"I don't see your name on them, stupid monkey," Gojyo taunted, putting the sunglasses on. He pressed one hand against Goku's forehead, keeping him from rushing forward to take them back.

"Stop calling me a monkey, you nasty cockroach!"

Gojyo wrestled Goku to the ground and sat on him, laughing like an idiot while Sanzo and Hakkai watched from the jeep.

"Morons," the monk muttered. "Hakkai, how long until we get to the next town?"

"Only a few more hours, assuming we don't get attacked again."

Sanzo grunted and called out, "If you two idiots don't stop horsing around and get in the damn car, we're going to leave without you!"

"Stupid cockroach, it's your fault Sanzo's mad at us," Goku muttered as the two of them hurried to the jeep and got in the backseat.

"What!? How is it my fault? And don't call me a cockroach, you runtyass monkey!"

"Cockroach, cockroach, cockroach!"

BANG!

"SHUT UP!"

Sanzo put his gun away, basking in blessed silence for two whole minutes before Goku wailed, "I'm hungry!"

They got to the next town without further incident, but it was a quiet, subdued place. It was apparently market day, but people hurried from stall to stall without lingering to talk. Even the haggling was quiet and half-hearted.

"Man, what a sorry excuse for a town," Gojyo muttered in disappointment. He could probably get some decent beer and more smokes, but gambling and female companionship seemed unlikely.

As if that thought had conjured her up, a black-haired woman strode toward Gojyo. Like him, she was wearing sunglasses, though her right eye was also covered by a patch. That entire side of her face was furrowed with deep scars, like something had dug claws into her forehead and ripped downwards.

Despite the horrific markings, Gojyo thought she was reasonably pretty. Her figure was nice, and the unscarred side of her face had a strong beauty. He smiled at her and started to speak when she brushed past him, her shoulder hitting his.

"Sunglasses aren't a good enough disguise by themselves," she murmured. "Be careful."

"Eh?" He watched as she continued on her way, leaving him utterly confused.

"Hey, dumbass!" Sanzo's call from several yards away got his attention. It also startled the townspeople, who began hurrying even more and looking around nervously. "Flirt on your own damn time!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Don't get your panties in a bunch, Master Sanzo," Gojyo drawled mockingly as he caught up with the rest of them.

The only inn in town also served food and alcohol, but the common room was deserted except for the innkeeper and a single female customer. Gojyo instantly focused on her, noting the delicate face, the curvy figure, and the brown hair that cascaded down her back like caramel silk.

She boldly appraised his companions before locking her eyes on him with a hungry look. Gojyo smirked and turned his attention to Hakkai as he inquired about rooms. If they could get four singles, female companionship didn't seem quite so unlikely after all.

Though with his luck, he'd probably end up having to share a room with Goku again. He snorted. And I bet the midget monkey will end up with his grubby little self in my bed again. He would never it admit it to Goku, of course, but it had been kind of nice, cuddling together like a couple of puppies at the inn the week before.

Just like when I was a brat, except Jien always came to bed smelling like- That thought was cut off by the woman leaving her table and walking past him. Her hand brushed his, one of her nails scraping against his skin and drawing blood.

Everything went blank for a moment, and she was suddenly leaning against him and whispering in his ear, "I'll be waiting for you tonight."

He blinked as she walked away, the second woman in ten minutes to leave him behind and confused. He shrugged and grinned. At least this one had promised to meet with him later.

"Gojyo?"

"Hm?" The redhead turned back to the others at the sound of Hakkai calling his name.

"There are four singles available."

"Hell yes!" Gojyo's grin widened and he took off the sunglasses. "I'm sick of seeing nothing but sleeping guys."

"I'm sorry, but it appears I was mistaken," the innkeeper suddenly said icily. He was glaring at Gojyo with an expression of absolute disgust and loathing. "We don't have any room for you after all."

Gojyo's good mood instantly evaporated, his hands clenching into fists. So that's what the scarred woman meant. Jeez, she could have been a little more specific. Fuck it, no reason to make the others suffer just because of me.

He smirked at his companions. "Thanks for the lift, you dumbass bastards. Next time you pick up a hitcher, you might want to make sure he isn't something nasty in disgui-"

"Shut up, kappa," Sanzo interrupted. "I don't trust the sanitation in this hellhole. It smells worse than you do."

"Hm." The half-breed closed his eyes briefly and smiled. "Whatever you say, Master Sanzo." Once again, there was a light mocking tone as he addressed the leader of their merry little band.

"Tch. Come on, we're leaving," Sanzo announced, leading the way out of the inn.

As they walked down the disturbingly quiet streets, Gojyo settled the sunglasses on Goku's head. The kid looked up at him in surprise.

"I don't want 'em anymore," he said shortly, shoving his hands in his pockets. He hunched forward slightly, subconsciously tilting his head so he could hide behind the spill of his bangs.

Goku frowned, then pouted. "It's not fair! I'm hungry, and we can't stay at the inn and eat there because the innkeeper could tell that the stupid kappa is a womanizing pervert!"

Gojyo stopped in his tracks at stared at Goku in disbelief. The moron couldn't possibly believe that nonsense. "Wha?! That's not what happened, you dumbass!" he yelled, punching Goku in the head.

"Ow!" Goku cried, jumping away from him. "Then what did happen, red roach?"

Ignoring the insult, Gojyo smirked and put his hands on his hips. A practiced shake of his head sent his scarlet hair tumbling down his back. "I am just too damn hot for my own good. The innkeeper got one look at my gorgeous eyes and had to kick us out to preserve his sense of masculinity." He batted said gorgeous eyes at Goku, ignoring Sanzo's muttered "I think I'm going to be sick".

"Eeew! Perverted kappa, quit flirting with me!"

"Ha! Like I'd really flirt with you! I only like babes, stupid monkey."

"Don't call me a monkey, cockroach!"

"What did you just call me, midget monkey boy?"

WHACK! WHACK!

Sanzo put up his paper fan while Goku and Gojyo clutched their heads in pain. "Hakkai," he said, fishing the gold card from his robes, "feed the monkey and buy some supplies. I'm taking roach boy to the woods to see if he can use those stupid-looking antennae to find a good campsite."

"Grrrr… Damn it, they're not antennae!" Gojyo yelled, shaking his fist at the monk.

"Hurry up, moron. You're making a spectacle of yourself."

"Lousy stinking monk," the redhead muttered. He did have a point though. People were staring, and the ones close enough to see the color of his eyes were looking pretty hostile. He glanced back over his shoulder. "Hakkai, get me some more smokes, will you?"

"Of course."

"Thanks man. See you later."

Once he was out of sight, Hakkai's ever-present smile faltered momentarily. It was firmly back in place as he looked down Goku. "It was kind of you to try to cheer him up."

"It still doesn't make sense to me," the boy said, his voice unusually serious.

"Hm?"

"I think Gojyo's hair and eyes are really pretty. I don't understand why people use that as an excuse to hate him."

"Mm." Hakkai gazed up at the sky, contemplating. "Before the minus wave, this land was barely big enough for both humans and youkai. Now, there just isn't any room left in society or in people's hearts for those who are neither."

"But, Hakkai," Goku protested, "Gojyo isn't neither. He's both."

Hakkai smiled at him again. "I suppose you're right."

"Hakkai…"

"Yes, Goku?"

"…I'm huuungryyyy!"

Hakkai laughed. "Well, then, let's get you fed, shall we?"

Once she was far enough from town, Reishu took off her black wig and stuffed it into her knapsack. Except for a long, thin braid behind each ear, her bright red hair was shaved close to her head. She closed her eye for a moment, basking in the feel of the late afternoon sun on her scalp.

She sighed and opened her eye, tucking her sunglasses away and readjusting the patch that covered her empty right eye socket. As much as she would have liked to just enjoy the sunshine, she needed to get back before the kid and the brat killed each other.

When she got to the cave her small group was using as a temporary shelter, the kid was nowhere in sight, and the brat had been tied up and gagged. Reishu snorted and set the knapsack down, ignoring the murderous glare turned her way as she rifled through their supplies.

Once their dinner was started, Reishu finally approached the bound girl, looking down at her in disgust. The crimson eyes and the red roots showing through the black dye marked her as another half-breed. It was hard for the older woman to resist the urge to take a knife and hack away all of the dyed hair, leaving the seventeen-year-old girl shorn but no longer playing at being human.

"Where's the kid?" Reishu asked, bending to remove the gag.

"The little bastard tied me up and claimed he was going out to scout around," the girl, Meihan, muttered sullenly.

"What did you say to him this time?" Reishu asked, sitting beside the fire to slowly stir the stew.

Meihan glared at her defiantly. "I called you an ugly, one-eyed bitch."

The older woman just chuckled in response. "I can't argue with that, though I imagine Kishou didn't like it much."

"I don't get what he sees in you."

Reishu remained silent as she added seasoning to the pot. "Stability," she finally said.

Meihan blinked, having almost forgotten her muttered comment. "Huh?"

"He sees stability and something to believe in. The youkai going insane completely turned his world upside down, and then I was there to give him something to hold on to."

After that, it was Meihan's turn to be silent for a few moments. "So you fixed things for him and made my life a living hell," she said bitterly. "I want to go home. Mom's probably worried sick."

"Trust me, if not for the damn comet, I would have gladly left you in your village playing at being human."

"I wasn't playing at being human. I am human!"

Reishu leaped to her feet, her knuckles turning white as she tightly gripped the ladle, and stalked toward the girl. "You. Are. Not. A. Human," she spat out each word like rotten fruit. "You are a half-breed. Get that through your thick skull and get over it!"

"I want to go home!" Meihan repeated, getting to her feet as well. "I don't believe in your stupid comet, and even if it is real, the effects will only last for one night."

"One night," Reishu said, her voice going from angry to soft and deadly, "is all it will take. You are weak. When the Blood Comet turns you into a full youkai, you will go berserk and slaughter all of your oh-so-precious humans. And in the morning, when the effects of the comet wear off, you'll come back to yourself covered in their blood."

The girl backed away from her, fear in her crimson eyes, but Reishu ruthlessly moved forward, keeping the distance between them small. "You make me sick, brat, but you're one of my kind, and I'm not going to let you kill people you care about."

"You should have left her gagged," a voice said from the cave entrance. Reishu relaxed and stepped away from Meihan, turning to watch as Kishou came in and sat next to the fire. He smiled shyly up at the scarred woman. "I'm glad you're back."

"Aww, did the little boy miss his ugly bitch?" Meihan taunted. Kishou surged to his feet, his fists clenched angrily.

"Kishou, sit down!" Reishu ordered. She turned back to Meihan as the boy obeyed. "You, brat, go get water. And if I have to fetch you back here, you'll spend the rest of the trip tied up and carried over my shoulder."

Once the teenager girl was gone, Reishu sighed and sat across from Kishou. "So, kid, find anything interesting while you were scouting?"

He nodded and hugged his knees tightly against his chest. "There's a youkai woman camping at an abandoned farm with a little half-breed girl. I think she's trying to get to the village."

"Is she in control of herself?"

"She seems to be, but I don't know how long it'll last."

"We'll leave the kid with her for now since she's bringing her to the village," Reishu reluctantly decided. "It's hard enough getting supplies for the three of us."

Kishou nodded, a sad, faraway look in his eyes. She knew he was remembering his own youkai mother. She had been a gentle woman until the youkai had started going insane. Then she had killed her human husband. Only Kishou's older brother getting in the way and dying in his stead had kept the boy alive.

It was cruel, but she knew of one way to take his mind off of the past. "I saw another half-breed today too. I don't think he's on his way to the village though."

"He?" Kishou repeated, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah. He was traveling with some human friends."

"He's an adult." Unhappiness radiated from the boy, but it was better than the earlier sorrow. "Is he good looking?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely easy on the eyes, that one," she said with a smirk. Then she leaned forward and cupped his chin. "You're fifteen, kid. When you're older, I won't say no to what you want from me, and I won't form any permanent attachments until then, but you can't expect me to stay chaste while waiting for you to grow up. If I get the opportunity to have a roll in the hay with the only adult male half-breed I've seen in five years, I'm going to take it. Understand?"

Kishou sighed. "Yeah. I understand. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. Or him."

Reishu chuckled. "That's fine. As long as you understand, you can dislike what or whoever you want."

"A-AACHOO!"

Sanzo glared over his shoulder. "You better not be getting a fucking cold. If you get me sick, I swear I'm going to kill you."

"Hee hee, probably just some pretty girl somewhere talking about me," Gojyo said with a cocky grin.

"Keh, whatever," Sanzo muttered, looking around for a possible campsite. He could see what seemed to be an abandoned farm off in the distance. If it really was abandoned and suitable for their needs, they would at least have a roof over their heads for the night.

He veered toward the place, stopping when he realized he didn't hear Gojyo's footsteps behind him. Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw the other man gazing off at the river.

"I think there's a girl over there, getting water. We should say hel- GACK!"

"Dumbass," Sanzo growled, using a solid handful of soft, bright red hair to drag the half-breed along with him. He could have just shot at him, but he hadn't felt like wasting bullets. "She probably has the same high opinion of perverted womanizers as that innkeeper."

Gojyo stopped struggling, and Sanzo let him go. "Yeah, you're probably right," he said quietly, following behind the monk. "We heading for the farm?"

Sanzo grunted in acknowledgement. Gojyo lit a cigarette and studied the farm as they got closer. The buildings were sturdy but unkempt, and the fields were overgrown with weeds. If it was as deserted as it looked, it would be a good place to camp. It wouldn't be too hard for Hakkai and Goku to find, especially considering the monkey's uncanny knack for tracking down the stinking monk.

A few moments later, they reached their destination. The farmhouse was more dilapidated than it had seemed, and in silent agreement, the two of them headed for the barn. It, at least, still seemed to be relatively intact.

"Well, no women or booze, but it's not too bad as a place to stay," Gojyo said, looking around. He sniffed the air. "A little mus-"

"Shut up," Sanzo snapped, pulling his gun.

"Eh?"

"Don't you feel that?" The monk narrowed his eyes, scanning the barn.

Gojyo frowned and held out his hand, calling his weapon into existence. It was faint and didn't feel evil, but he could definitely sense some youkai energy. Hostile youkai energy.

There was an enraged scream and something dropped from the loft, landing on Sanzo and pinning him to the ground. Gojyo swung his shakujou and focused his will into the weapon, both the movement and his thoughts sending the crescent blade flying toward their attacker with a noisy rattle of chain. He felt a pang of guilt as he realized it was a woman.

"Stop!" a high voice shrilled out. A little girl with red hair and eyes jumped between the youkai woman and Gojyo's blade. "Please don't hurt Mommy!"