Title: Kyousei (Symbiosis; similarly it also spells out Remedy although they don't share the same kanji)
Author: Hikaru R. Kudou
Rating: PG
Genre: General, Romance
Chapter: 1/1
Warnings: Shounen ai, mild OOC, clichéd storyline, author's poor English, sap with a capital S, and a plot so deep the author almost drowned in it…
Summary: Gaiden Shounen ai. Konzen, Goku, and the laws of nature.

DISCLAIMER: Alas, the name Hikaru R. Kudou is neither in the opening nor the ending credits. Therefore it is clear that I hold no ownership on Saiyuki whatsoever.

Author's Notes: At first I was indecisive as to whether I should do a Gaiden or not. If I had chosen the latter, the result might be different from this one I have right here…Then again, as variety is not my best trait, probably the two would end up with the same story… *sigh*
            And, special thanks to Rice-chan for beta-ing!

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            Night time. It is a period when most living creatures, save for the nocturnal ones, seek for peace and quiet after a day of hard work, be it in the world below or above. In short, night time is for them to sleep.

            But one was wide awake.

            Goku had been tossing and turning for hours, that he had simply given up on going back to sleep. One bad thing about sharing a bed with Konzen Douji was the slightest movement could never go unnoticed by the blond deity. Two hours ago, during the early stage of his insomnia attack, Goku earned himself a tessen blow from his owner, claiming that the constant tossing and turning were disturbing his much needed sleep. Then, Goku had attempted counting sheep (suggested by Tenpou a few days back to Kenren when the latter was complaining about his difficulty to sleep) before they evolved into buns. Yes, buns, all jumping over a fence and into a large plate, calling out his name.

            Subsequently, his stomach churned at the image. On reflex Konzen whacked him for making the awful racket.

            "I'm hungry…" Goku murmured loudly, his hand on his stomach. "Can I have something to eat?"

            "Idiot," retorted Konzen. "You had double helpings of supper just before you turned in. You're telling me you're hungry now?"

            "Well, I sort of saw buns and I just…feel hungry…"

            "Save it for tomorrow, for breakfast!" Konzen reclined on the bed and pulled the blanket over himself. "Go to sleep, and stop annoying me!"

            "But Konzen…never mind." Goku finally gave in, knowing nothing would ever get Konzen out of the bed and accompany him to the nearest kitchen to get some edibles. He leaned against the bedstead, sighing as mutely as he was capable of. "Good night, Konzen."

            The latter's eyes flicked open slowly, and as he had his back at the shorter lad, he stared at the reflection of Goku in the mirror adjacent to the bed. In the dark, he could make out the gloomy look on his countenance. No thanks to a teensy bit of guilt pang in him, Konzen snorted, pushed the blanket away and sat up.

            "Fine, I'll get you something to eat," Konzen almost hissed. "But only to make you sleep so that I can too. I don't want you running around in the middle of the night. You'll wake up the entire Tenkai before you even leave this room."

            Goku smiled gratefully despite knowing Konzen could barely see it. "Thank you!" He hopped off the bed.

            "Who said you're coming?" Konzen snapped.

            "Eh? I'm to stay here?" Goku blinked in confound.

            Konzen paused, contemplating whether he should allow the heretic boy to tag behind him. He soon relented, deducing that should Goku be left alone in his room, there was a fairly good chance that his room would be a total mess when he got back. Plus, Goku might dirty his room. And when was the last time Konzen fetched the maid to clean it? Before dinner, and it had taken her four solid hours to restore the room to its original, spotless condition.

            "Follow me, and be quiet or I'll kill you." Konzen opened the door, and as he looked back at his companion, Goku jogged to his side, mumbling an oath to be perfectly silent.

            "Konzen…?" Goku almost whispered.

            "What?"

            "The flowers I brought for you are dying…" Goku gestured at the drooping bouquet in the vase on Konzen's bureau.

            "Hn. That's why I never bothered to have them around." Konzen swiped them and dropped them into a trash can where he disposed his old, unused or erroneous (no doubt caused by the monkey) documents.

            "Shall I bring more, then?" asked Goku in all honesty.

            "…Whatever." Konzen exited his room and after Goku walked out of the door, he shut it behind them.

            "Why did they die?" asked Goku as they trod the path to the kitchen department.

            "Who?" asked the blond, uninterested.

            "The flowers?"

            "Because an idiot kept them in an unlit place," scoffed Konzen, indirectly insinuating about his companion.

            "Mou, Konzen, your table has enough sunlight. That's why I put them there. But you prefer to have the windows closed."

            "Now you're blaming me?" Konzen raised his voice slightly.

            "No, I would never—"

            "My, my, look who we have here…" A third voice interrupted their conversation, and upon looking Konzen found himself staring at his aunt. Kanzeon Bosatsu smiled slyly, waving a hand by way of greeting.

            "What are you doing here, hag?" demanded Konzen, irked to see the last person he would want to run into at that time of the night. "Patrolling to poke your nose in others' business?"

            "Tsk tsk!" Kanzeon waved a finger in reprove, yet that smile never left her face. "You, of all people, should know that I have some things I need to look into."

            "You mean being a busybody."

            "Not busybody, only worried for others."

            "They mean the same thing to me."

            "I should've paid attention to your vocabulary when you were younger." Kanzeon laughed, finding her tirade humorous. "So, what are you two doing out here in the middle of the night?"

            "The monkey's hungry," mumbled Konzen, wishing his aunt would just drown herself in her pool and spare him the agony. "I can't get any sleep when he's awake!"

            "Is he? The poor dear…" The Goddess of Mercy smiled at Goku. "By all means, nephew, give him food. And I say, you're taking pretty good care of him. He looks cuter from the last time I saw him." She traced Goku's chin with her forefinger. "You've put some colour on his face. Either he's blushing, or he has rosy cheeks right now…"

            Konzen tugged Goku's hand, pulling him away from his aunt's prying finger. "What's it to you?"

            "Oh, nothing…I'm just glad to see you're bringing him up well, for someone who has practically lived with papers and not at all bothered with living people outside his room."

            "Unlike you, I know when to keep my business to myself."

            "Do you? Ah, it's not good to argue at night, when you're more likely to wake others up…"

            "You're the one who's talking too much."

            "Anyway, if you find him a nuisance, I'll be glad to arrange for some adjustments…"

            "What the **** do you mean, hag?"

            "Oh, nothing. It's just that lately, my papers are a bit…slow in the process. Normally I would expect to have them all ready approximately two hours after giving them to you, but now…one day, at least. Important documents are no trifles and they have datelines…"

            "The monkey's keeping me busy."

            "That's what I thought so too. Perhaps it's time for him to change owners?"

            Konzen could feel Goku's grip on his hand tightening. He glanced at him, and only saw devastation. Goku's left hand crept over his right hand, onto Konzen's arm, and the deity found his hands to be sticky with sweat. Goku then took a step closer to Konzen, shifting his gaze down to the floor.

            "If you want them on time," Konzen said coldly, "how about searching for another god to undertake my secretary-like job? That way I'll see less and less of you barging into my room." With a gruff grumble, Konzen walked pass his aunt in long strides, keeping the cowering Goku behind him close, and never looked back.

            Once Konzen was certain they were out of earshot from any busybody, he said, "Let go of me."

            Goku did not answer vocally. He merely shook his head.

            "I said—"

            "Can't I stay with you?" asked Goku timidly.

            Konzen froze. "You—"

            "I really want to stay with you. I don't want her to put me up with someone else." Goku was now burying his face in Konzen's back, and as the god felt his attire damping, he knew Goku was sobbing.

            "Idiot." Konzen sighed. "She wouldn't do that."

            "But she—"

            "She only wants to see me bite more than I can chew."

            "Can you?"

            "..."

            "If you think I'm troubling you…"

            "You are if you don't stop asking me stupid questions! You want to go, don't you?"

            Horrified, "No, I never said anything like that!"

            "So be quiet while I get you some food."

            They came to a small kitchen just ten minutes' walk from their room. Noticing nobody was inside, Konzen twisted the doorknob and creaked the door open with minimum noise. Goku brightened immediately and darted towards the refrigerator like a hungry predator on a helpless prey. Konzen sat on a chair, waited patiently for his pet to choose. Goku brought several dishes to the table.

            "Ne, Konzen, you want some?"

            Konzen shook his head once. "Eat quickly. I need my shut eye."

            Goku voiced his consent, and before Konzen could blink he was already digging in. Konzen leant back, his purple irises perusing the scene before him. Kanzeon's words did ring true once in awhile, he acknowledged involuntarily to himself, when she remarked that Goku looked cute, what with his cerise cheeks, huge golden eyes that screamed naivety, and his own happy-go-lucky personality.

            In a moment Goku was full, sighing in satisfaction and grinning broadly at Konzen. Upon noting he was done, Konzen stood up and made his way to the door. When he saw that Goku made no attempt to approach him, he questioned monotonously.

            "What are you waiting for, idiot? I want to go back to sleep."

            Goku, not wasting Konzen's precious seconds, joined him in an instant, linking his hand into Konzen's. The stoic god glanced at him in ambivalence.

            "Are you mad?" asked Goku, a little scared.

            Konzen quickly looked away. "Let's go." Pulling Goku lightly, they left the kitchen to head back to their room.

            "…I hate nights."

            "…Ah…" That was all Konzen could answer. Was he supposed to ask more? He was never good in conversations that did not require his terminology of profanity, anyway.

            "Do you?"

            "Day or night, they're the same."

            "Oh…"

            "But nights are quieter, mostly because there're not many *******s awake and irritating the hell out of me."

            Goku stiffened a chuckle. "Quite true…"

            Moments passed before Konzen resumed. "Why?"

            "Ah?"

            "Why do you hate nights?"

            "There's no sun at night." Goku stopped walking and gazed at the round moon and the midnight curtain shadowing the skies. "I hate to think what would happen when the sun is gone."

            "Idiot, the sun isn't gone totally; Only it's not facing us."

            "I hate to think about that too…Can I sit here a minute longer?" Goku, releasing his hold on Konzen's hand, proceeded to sit cross-legged on the wooden board. "The flowers are prettier when there's light shining on them," he mused, almost addressing the flowerbed in front of him. "When it's dark, they look like they're…sad…lifeless…"

            Konzen eyed the flowers Goku was talking about, and truthfully, as the midnight shadow devoured them, as the petals enveloped in foggy black, they looked no different than the flowers he had dumped into his bin.

            "Will the sun stop shining?" asked Goku, like a child enquiring his teacher.

            Konzen knew nothing about doomsday, and he certainly did not fret about it since it was by no means under his surveillance. "Probably."

            "But it can't! The Earth needs the Sun!"

            Konzen was surprised to see Goku reflecting about astronomy, a subject he thought to be one of the most complex and puzzling in their time.

            "Don't you think so, Konzen? If there's no Sun, there'll be no flowers and trees on Earth, and no us!"

            "It's the law of nature. You can't go against it."

            "If I do?"

            "It's useless. What can you do?"

            Dejected, Goku wrapped his arms around his bent legs. "Try to make the sun live, just like how the sun keeps Earth alive…"

            Here Konzen deduced Tenpou Gensui must be giving Goku extra lessons on planets, stars and whatnots he called astronomy. "Some things cannot be helped," said he as a-matter-of-factly.

            "Ne, Konzen…you know, I wanted to call you my moon, but I was against it." The comment made Konzen look at him, but he continued speaking, as if he was speaking to himself. "It's not consistent like the sun. One night it's full, the next it's crescent, and sometimes we can't even see it." Goku beamed at him. "Even if it is the night sun, nothing beats the real thing."

            "Moonlight doesn't come from the moon."

            "Exactly! That's why the sun still ranks higher than everything!"

            Konzen leaned against the pillar, his arms folded. Suddenly he did not feel like returning to the cosiness of his bed anymore. Instead, he was more interested to hear what Goku had to say – and understanding the peculiar fuzzy feeling within him.

            "If the sun knows that Earth needs it, do you think it would keep on shining?" Goku fixed his inquisitive eyes on his owner's. "Ne, Konzen?"

            "He will, even if the odds are against him." Konzen's hand stole over Goku's head.

            "I think it really needs Earth, in a way!" Goku went on, eager to express his ideas. "Earth gives a whole new meaning to it. Without Earth, it would just be a ball of fire in space…that's just it; not to breathe life into Earth, but just…fire."

            'Raging waves of fire…burning himself to his end…'

            "Other planets don't really need the sun because they're not like Earth!"

            "You're saying they need each other…"

            "Yeah! They complete each other! See, Earth has something the sun doesn't have – living things on it. But without the sun, Earth would be as boring as other planets. I wonder if the sun ever thought of it before…"

            Konzen's fingers ruffled Goku's chocolate tresses absentmindedly. "Probably he did."

            "Um! Perhaps that's why it still lives…for the sake of keeping Earth alive too…"

            'Live for another, ka…'

            "And Earth, I'm sure it knows how much it needs the sun! That's why it goes around it without stopping, as if worshipping it!"

            'He truly does…without himself realizing it…'

            Goku heaved a sigh of relief. He stood up slowly, stepped nimbly on the flowerbed and picked a few stalks of flowers, the best ones he could find. He showed them proudly to Konzen, and the latter nodded in agreement, much to the youth's delight. After relocking his hands into Konzen's, they walked quietly, each engrossed in his own thoughts. Konzen, upon coming to his room, opened the door to make way for both of them. Goku grabbed the empty vase, filled it with water from the tap in the bathroom and placed the flowers carefully into it, organizing them to look orderly. All these were done with Konzen observing him from the sides.

            "I'm going to take really good care of these flowers, Konzen," Goku vowed in determination. "I'll make sure they receive enough sunlight so that they can live long." Goku, casting a last look at his masterpiece, hurried next to Konzen, who was in his chair. "What do you think? Don't they look nice?"

            Konzen, by way of answering, scooped Goku off the floor and onto his lap. He knew he caught Goku by surprise, but he was careful not to exert too much force upon his pet. He wrapped his arms around the shorter lad, his nose grazing Goku's ear.

            A surprised "K-Konzen?"

            'I think the sun finally knows where he stands…'

            "I don't understand…" Goku smiled, somewhat amused at him own stupidity. "I don't understand many things in this world."

            "What do you understand?"

            "You're my sun, and I'm happy knowing that. So that's why I don't want you to leave me…"

            "The sun doesn't move, idiot…he—it stays in one place."

            "So…I don't have to worry about that?"

            "No." Konzen held him tighter. "And I'll make sure the sun persists to shine."

            Goku nodded, grasping Konzen's arm affectionately. "I don't think I hate nights anymore, because I know the sun's always with me…Ah, now I remember what Ten-niichan said to me…"

            "What?"

            "He said, as long as there is the sun, there will be Earth." Goku chuckled joyously. "Ten-niichan's really clever, isn't he?"

            'As long as there is the sun, there will be Earth…that's one way of putting it…'  Konzen, in turn, kissed him lightly on his neck. "I suppose he is, Goku…" 'And as long as there is Earth, the sun will continue to shine…until the end of time.'

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Author's Notes: Funny what science can do to one's head…and one's fic…