I'm not sure if this fandom has been totally abandoned, but I am super frustrated that they restarted the series only to end it so abruptly. This is my consolation fanfic. I'm hoping to keep it short, so I hope any disappointed fans out there enjoy it! Reviews help me write, so I appreciate any I get!
BTW - I wrote this before watching the last episode, which is why they're recovering at Sharak's after their fight with Nataku.
Waking up was a bad idea. Sanzo had learned from a young age that everything started to go wrong once you woke up. Of course, asleep he often had nightmares, but those weren't a current reality, so they didn't count. The other option, as far as he could tell was death, but since he'd just be reborn, he figured there wasn't much point in tossing this life away. Who knows? The next round could, theoretically, be worse. Besides, dying would be like admitting defeat, and like hell he was going to do that.
He got dressed and pulled out his first cigarette, hoping to enjoy it in peace before-
"Sanzo!" A monkey's voice called out, throwing the door open.
"Knock before you enter!" He scolded, pulling out his fan and giving the youth a solid smack.
"Ow! That hurts!" He rubbed his head but didn't stop talking. "War Prince Nataku's here and he says we're friends - me and him, not you and him-"
"Shitty priest doesn't have any friends," the annoying redhead said, following the monkey in, apparently deciding it was safe as long as only the fan was out.
"Yes he does, ero-kappa!" Goku protested, turning on him. "We're all Sanzo's friends-"
"I am not-"
"Where is War Prince Nataku?" Sanzo interrupted, before the monkey got too mushy defending him. It was strange that the sappy words of a monkey could sit more heavily on his shoulders than one of the five founding sutras, but it was often the case.
"He's with Hakkai and Sanzo Sharak," Goku replied, instantly sidetracked; one of the benefits to him being so simple was that he could only concentrate on one thing at a time. Sanzo pocketed his gun and swept out of the room, leaving the idiots to hustle after him. He understood the design of the temple and quickly led the group to Sharak's formal meeting room.
"War Prince Nataku," he greeted coldly, examining the young boy. Sharak and Hakkai were sitting in tense silence, with Hassan hovering behind them. Hassan clearly wanted to toss the War Prince out - given their last encounter, Sanzo understood the impulse - and was fingering his gun as he surveyed the guest. Hakkai was smiling so brightly at the War Prince that Sanzo almost felt badly for him; he wasn't still nursing the injuries the boy gave him, he might have pitied him. There was something odd about the War Prince's body, but Sanzo couldn't immediately place it. Looking closely, it was clear that the War Prince couldn't be much more developed than Goku was when he'd first freed the monkey.
"Genjo Sanzo," he replied formally, then, looking over his shoulder with a smile that actually made him look his age, added, "Goku!"
"Um," Goku said awkwardly, stepping past Sanzo to the boy looking at him so adoringly, "I had my memories erased as part of my punishment five hundred years ago, and I only remember fragments." It was the first time in Sanzo's memory that Goku wasn't the youngest (seeming) person in the room, and the observation made Sanzo pause. Was Goku growing up?
"Do you remember me at all?" The War Prince asked, his smile faltering.
"Yeah!" Goku was quick to assure him. "When I first saw you, I felt nostalgic and sad…"
"Then your memories aren't gone," Nataku reassured him quickly. "If you're seeing flashes, it means that the part of you that's Seiten Taisei remembers."
"But that part of me is insane," Goku confessed sadly. "I don't know if that part of me was always crazy, but…"
"What happened?" Nataku asked softly. There was a long moment of silence before, to Sanzo's surprise, Goku answered.
"He died." The words were stark and Sanzo knew he wasn't the only one to wince. "I don't even remember his name, but I can still see his face as he…"
"What about the other two who were always with you?" Nataku kept his voice soft, gentle, nothing like the emotionless killing doll they had first encountered.
"They died, as well, I think, but I don't remember it." Sanzo hadn't realized that Goku remembered anything. When had that happened? How? Why hadn't Goku said anything to him?
"You might be able to remember everything as Seiten Taisei," the boy suggested.
"If I do that, I'll rampage, and I don't want to hurt anyone."
"I'm not that fragile," Nataku told him. "Trust me not to get hurt." Goku looked at him for a long moment before nodding tensely. Sanzo felt his stomach twist and told himself it was only because he worried about the monkey running wild. If it was a lie, no one besides him had to know. "Sharak Sanzo, do you have anywhere we could do this? We're probably going to need some room."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Gojyo exclaimed. "Last time you saw us, you were trying to kill us! Now we're all buddy-buddy?! What the fuck happened?!"
"My memories had also been suppressed," the boy replied calmly, "but the Merciful Goddess sent her assistant, Jiroushin, to find me, and working together we were able to break the seal on my memories. The Merciful Goddess has been heavily injured by unidentified assailants, and there is great upheaval in Heaven." That was one hell of a summary, and Sanzo had to be careful not to let his cigarette fall out of his mouth. Gojyo was left gaping.
"You sound like you don't like Heaven," Hakkai pointed out with impressive composure.
"My greatest ambition is to be nothing like the people I met there," Nataku answered venomously. "If that's purity, I'm glad I'm a heretic." Sanzo wondered, looking at the child, if that's what he had looked like to others when he was young. The boy was bitter, standoffish, and - apart from Goku - clearly disinterested in making friends.
"I'm not really one to talk," Gojyo said, "but you seem a little weird."
"I am a weapon custom made by Heaven so that they don't need to dirty their hands," Nataku told them, making Sanzo feel a little ill. The Sutra sat heavily on his shoulders.
"I'd like to get my memories back," Goku declared, making everyone look at him. "Do you have some space we could use?" He met Sharak's eyes. Sharak glanced at Sanzo, and when he tipped his head in assent, nodded. A look from Sharak got Hassan to his feet.
"We've got a field. Normally it's used for crops, but given the recent destruction, you're not likely to make things worse." Goku and Nataku strode after him, and Sanzo was torn between following them and remaining where he was.
"Come on, shitty priest," Gojyo said, bumping his shoulder. "Gotta make sure the monkey stays out of trouble."
"You certainly have interesting companions, Genjo," Sharak commented, pausing beside him. Sanzo scowled, but trailed after the others, stopping at the edge of the awning.
Goku and Nataku faced each other across the clearing, and after taking a deep breath, Goku removed his limiter. Sanzo felt his companions tense as Seiten Taisei's power shot out. He heard Sharak and Hassan catch their breaths. Goku's transformation, this time, was seamless and swift, although Sanzo didn't have the chance to ponder that before Nataku engaged him. It was clear, watching, why War Prince Nataku was infamous; as strong as he had seemed before, he had clearly been holding back. Sanzo remembered how powerless he had felt during their confrontation, and resolved, yet again, to get stronger.
"That General's too wild!" Nataku called out, clearly baiting him. "I'm going to kill him!"
"Ken-nii!" Seiten Taisei shouted and threw himself at the War Prince.
"He can talk?!" Gojyo protested, outraged. "Why the hell didn't he ever talk to us?!"
"We didn't know what to say," Hakkai replied sadly. "They have a history together that we know nothing about." Sanzo felt that annoying weight in his stomach again.
"I've never felt such ki," Sharak murmured.
"Despite appearances, Goku is Seiten Taisei Son Goku," Sanzo conceded, not taking his eyes off the confrontation.
"The Great Sage Equalling Heaven?" Hassan asked. "Goku?" Gojyo snorted.
"Hard to believe, isn't it?"
"Not right now," Sharak replied. "It would be impossible to see this and doubt." Clouds had formed over their heads, and they heard the first rumbling of thunder. The wind cut through Sanzo's robes, but he refused to acknowledge the cold. He was vaguely aware of the monks gathering around them, but seeing Sharak there, none of them made a move to interfere.
Being able to observe Seiten Taisei for the first time, Sanzo felt his suspicion that some of Goku was still aware during his transformation solidify into certainty when he saw the way he just missed making fatal blows. Sanzo had long suspected that if Goku didn't kill them despite his power and remembered fragments from his transformations, at least a small part of Goku was aware in this form. That small part had almost certainly saved their lives, although that was something he'd never admit if he could avoid it.
"What about that Field Marshall always hanging around? Who needs him?"
"Ten-chan!" Seiten Taisei wailed, attacking recklessly. Nataku cut him repeatedly, but Seiten Taisei ignored the blood flowing freely down his arms, not even bothering to heal the wounds.
"What about that blond? What was his name?"
"Konzen!" Seiten Taisei howled, falling to his knees. The shear agony in that cry made Sanzo's eyes sting. The skies opened up and rain fell from the sky in thundering sheets. Sanzo was vaguely grateful that they weren't in the open getting soaked, but he only really had eyes for Goku. Seeing the sky cry as a physical manifestation of Goku's pain made him ache. War Prince Nataku let his sword fall to his side and approached Goku.
"Look over there," he said, pointing to Sanzo. "Who do you see?" Seiten Taisei turned his head and met Sanzo's eyes through the rain.
"Konzen! Sanzo!" He exclaimed, covering the distance in a moment and catching Sanzo in a bone crushing hug. If Sanzo returned the embrace, it was only by accident. "You're alive! Thank you for being alive!" He sobbed. Despite the slitted eyes, pointed ears, and claws, Sanzo knew he was looking at Goku.
"They were reborn," Nataku told him gently, resting his hand on Goku's back. "Look who else is here." He raised his head from Sanzo's chest to look.
"Ten-chan! Ken-nii!" He exclaimed, not moving from his place in Sanzo's arms. The tears were flowing freely down his cheeks. "You're all here."
"Of course they are," Nataku agreed. "Where else could they possibly be?" Goku forced his breathing to even out in shuddering stops.
"I'm so happy. I was alone and it hurt so much…" his voice trailed off and he reached out and touched Nataku's neck. "Your throat is ok."
"Yes," Nataku replied. "I was too valuable a tool to throw away." The acknowledgement was bitter.
"They healed you?" He asked, still stroking the flesh.
"Yes."
"What happened?" Gojyo cut in. Nataku looked at him a moment before answering. "My father considered Goku a rival to me and ordered me to kill him. Caught between a father I couldn't disobey and a friend I couldn't kill, I did the only thing I could think of; I killed myself." Hakkai flinched and Gojyo looked appalled. "Or tried to," Nataku corrected with a frown.
"I'm glad you didn't succeed," Goku said softly. "You never did show me all the cool sights of Heaven."
"I'd rather look for all the cool things in the Lower World with you." Nataku's smile was as painfully sweet as Goku's.
"Yeah, let's do that."