A/N: Hey guys! This is my first Saiyuki fanfiction! Finally! After loving the series (especially Sanzo :)) for a very long time I finally came around to writing this story that's been in my head for 4 years! It's not finished though but we'll get there!
Disclaimer: This story begins after the fight with Homura, Zenon and Shien and the scripture has been taken. This story will also be incorporated into some scenes from the anime and the manga just because I really want this character that I came up with to be a part of the journey so far. BUT I do not own the great Minekura Kazuya's Saiyuki and its existing plot and all I have is love and for this amazing series.
I hope you enjoy the story and of course, reviews, comments and suggestions are welcome!
Enjoy! -thebeastwithin0016
The crescent moon quietly floats on the night sky, its soft glow flooded on a seemingly peaceful town. A scene of tranquility. The same can't be used to describe the atmosphere in the hotel room where the group of four men known as the Sanzo group is currently settling in as they have hit a major setback in their journey. During their last encounter with the War Gods Homura, Zenon and Shien, has Sanzo, Goku and Gojyo's weapons been damaged beyond repair, but most importantly, the Maten Scripture has also been clawed away from them. While contemplating a solution for their dilemma, Kanzeon Bosatsu appeared along with Jiroushin and not having any other choice, they decided to ask the deity if she can be of any help.
"There's a strict rule against meddling with the matters of mortals." the hermaphrodite so casually declared while comfortably lounging at the hotel room's couch.
Sanzo's jaw clenched at the nonchalant answer while Gojyo brought a hand to his face as he shook his head in disbelief, "It's not gonna be fun if I just easily fix it myself is what you're trying to say." The redhead commented, knowing very well of the Goddess' whimsical nature.
"You got me!" Kanzeon Bosatsu admitted with a chuckle which served as the final straw for the monk. Sanzo violently slammed a hand on the table making the ashtray rattle.
"You old hag! We do not have the time to serve as your entertainment! YOU gave this mission to us, so YOU do something about it!" he growled.
A hand gently landed on Sanzo's shoulder followed by Hakkai's voice trying to calm him, "Sanzo…" green eyes shifted its attention to the Goddess, "Is it really impossible for your to help in any way?" he inquired.
"I thought you take pride that there's nothing impossible for you Kanzeon Bosatsu?" Gojyo goaded.
"That's true." The men were about to react but the Goddess stopped them with the raise of her hand, "BUT… I will bet all of my divine powers on a weapon that is meticulously hand-crafted by a highly skilled professional."
"We don't have the time to wait for the weapons to be fixed. If you can fix it, then do it, stop toying with us for your amusement." Sanzo doesn't plan on being delayed by this mischievous Goddess' tricks.
"That's right! I have to give Homura the beating he deserves!" Goku cheered.
"You don't have a choice but to wait. Sometimes even magic can't compare against a top-quality weapon forged from an exceptional blacksmith's blood and sweat. Homura will wait for Goku, he knows you'll need your weapons to be repaired and he'll want to fight you at your strongest."
"Hmph. So I take it you know an 'exceptional blacksmith'?" the monk decided to humor the Goddess and get the useless conversation and done with.
She pushed herself off the couch, "There's a former God residing here at the human world. He IS an exceptional blacksmith who forged weapons for the high ranking military officers of the Heavens. Even now that he's reincarnated, he's still in that line of job."
Jiroushin panicked, "Kanzeon Bosatsu-!" he was stopped by the Goddess' raised hand.
"Continue to head West, you'll arrive at the city of Qianglin after three days, that's where you'll find the blacksmith." She tossed a scroll to Hakkai, "That's the map. Surely, you can survive a three-day journey right?"
Hakkai chuckled sarcastically, "We don't have much of a choice anyway. Who should we look for when we get there?"
She paused briefly and smiled, a mischievous glint peeked through her purple orbs, "Look for Kurei. I'll notify him of your arrival. Oh, and another thing, you'll be bringing him with you afterwards, he's an expert in the field of medicine. He'll be a huge help. Goodluck on your trip!" Before anyone of them can react to the sudden order, the Goddess along with her right hand man disappeared.
"That old hag! Just deciding things on her own!" the monk is fuming as he feels like the Goddess is just tossing them around for her amusement.
"Even so, having an apothecary in the group will be handy." their green-eyed healer justified. "Also, the city of QiangLin is quite a popular place. I never thought we'll get to visit during our journey."
Gojyo and Goku stared at Hakkai, "Popular? Why haven't we heard of it?" Goku said.
"It's because you're idiots." Sanzo snapped, which received groans of complaint from the two. Ignoring their reaction, he lit a cigarette, "It's one of the most prosperous cities in the continent and a tourist destination. It's also known for having an anti-demon barrier and the tourists are escorted by their highly esteemed soldiers protecting them from demons."
"Wow! Seems like a super fun place! I wanna go!" Goku exclaimed.
"Tsk. We're not on a tour dammit." The blond hissed.
"Besides how are we supposed to get through the barrier?" Gojyo asked.
"Hmph. Not my problem, you can all camp outside for all I care." Sanzo scoffed.
"What's that?!" The duo growled.
"Now, now." Hakkai hushed, "I'm sure Kanzeon Bosatsu will do something about it."
Shrugging his shoulder, Gojyo agreed flippantly, "You're right. So now that we found a blacksmith, let's get rolling!"
"Can't we eat first?" Goku asked, earning him a paper fan hit from Sanzo.
"We don't have time for that!"
"It's not such a bad idea to stock up on energy and supplies as well since we'll be travelling with quite a handicap." Hakkai suggested.
"Besides, if Goku's stomach is empty his brain will not function even more." Gojyo mocked.
"What do you mean 'even more' you perverted water sprite?!" Goku challenged back and they started bickering. Sanzo snapped and hit the two with his paper fan.
"OUCH!"
"IF YOU'RE GOING TO EAT, THEN EAT! STOP WASTING TIME!"
Meanwhile in the Heavens, the Merciful Goddess watched the four men with much amusement through the calm water under the bridge.
"Merciful Goddess, why did you send them to where that person is? You're well aware—"
"Of course I'm aware, you're the one who doesn't know anything, Jiroushin." Setting her right elbow on the bridge's rail, she rested her head on her right hand, "This has already been decided long ago, that person's destiny is also tied to those four, that's the reason he's reincarnated. It's not going to be easy though, knowing that that person still carries the burden of those tragic memories five hundred years ago and blames herself for it. Do you know how that feels? Blaming yourself for something that is not your fault and in fact, you're also a victim. I hope that during this time, that person will forgive himself."
"Why did you have to mislead those four by giving them a different name?"
She chuckled, "Because that way, we'll see something interesting!" she glared at Jiroushin, "Be quiet about those four coming to him. It won't be fun otherwise."
Jiroushin let out a sigh, "You're really a handful."
"Hahahaha! With that person in the mix, we surely won't get bored." she stared at the pond, the ripples made by a cherry blossom petal unveils a silhouette of person, How will you react? Will you be able to finally forgive yourself after five centuries?
The Sanzo Party's three-day journey without their weapons has drained the energy even from their superhuman bodies. Demons attack day by day and they had to settle for hand-to hand combat. Luckily, they still have Hakkai's Qigong and Sanzo's Makai Tenjo as their trump card but even so, they're exhausted.
As dawn breaks on the third day of their journey…
"I'm starving..." Goku complained as he weakly lay on the back of the jeep with his eyes closed and his hands clasped over his stomach.
Gojyo pulled on his cheek, "You got guts to complain when you're the one who ate almost all of our food supplies! Now suffer the consequences monkey!"
The young demon pulled on his antenna hair, "Why?! Am I the only one who ate pervy water sprite?!"
"Don't you remember how you're continuously chew—" Gojyo didn't finish his sentence as Goku fell on the seat while his stomach let out a loud growl.
"I don't even have the strength to argue with you... I'm starving to death..." he moaned weakly.
"Hang in there Goku, it seems we're almost there." Hakkai encouraged.
"Hehe. Seems like he won't make it for real." The red-eyed half demon mocked, "But even I am hungry and tired too." he rested his back on his seat, his hands laced behind his head.
"That's not surprising, without your weapons, we use more energy in fighting than usual." Hakkai reasoned.
"That's why let's not waste any more on pointless bickering you get it?! I can't even sleep with you guys constantly making a racket!" with very little rest, the monk's temper is at an all-time high.
Everybody fell silent, only the sound of Hakuryu's engine and the tires paving their way on a rather rough path is all that can be heard.
A few moments later...
"Goku, still breathing?" Hakkai asked, "You're alarmingly quiet back there." He only got a groan in reply.
"Thank goodness because I believe that's the city of QiangLin in sight." the green-eyed announced.
Goku shot up from his seat and he, along with the others admired the grand appearance of the town as they go downhill.
The city stretched for miles and miles surrounded by lush greenery as if a velvet carpeting throughout the city. They can spot a river and a huge lake which glimmered under the glare of the sun making them look like exquisite diamonds scattered all over. Such a scenery is sheltered within sturdy concrete walls protecting the city and its people from the vicious threat of demons. The breathtaking view seem to have rejuvenated their tired bodies a little bit.
As they approached the town, a strong wave of energy hit them for a split second.
"Did you feel that?" Hakkai asked.
"Must be the barrier against demons." Sanzo guessed.
"Well, now I'm really curious to know how we got in." Gojyo uttered with amusement.
"I don't really care! As long as I finally get to eat!" Goku cheered in excitement.
A few moments later, they made a halt at the town's front gate. The arc bears a crest of a wolf standing proudly within a crescent moon looking over its left shoulder. The symbol exudes strength and power and are embedded on the carriages, the soldiers' armors, and printed on the flags.
"Good day, is this the city of QiangLin?" Hakkai greeted politely as one of the soldiers approached them.
"Yes it is. You must be the bunch that the Highness is waiting for."
"Eh? Highness?" Goku and Gojyo said in unison while Sanzo opened his eyes hinted with suspicion.
The soldier mounted one of the horses, "I'll escort you to the palace. Please follow me." The massive gates to the city opened and they headed inside.
"Wow! This is really big and beautiful." Goku said with amazement as they looked around.
The town is as impressive inside as they've seen it outside with the rich vegetation of rolling plains and forest along with clear river waters and animals roaming freely a refreshing sight to behold.
After crossing a bridge over the stream, they entered the residential and commercial areas of the town. They can also spot a palace at quite a distance from the area elevated by a raised concrete platform accessible by a long stairway. The town is lively and buzzing with the residents and tourists in high spirits as they start the day.
"This is quite a lively city, it really lives up to its reputation." Hakkai complimented.
"Ah yes. The town's rulers are focused on its residents' and environment's well-being therefore, everyone here lives in contentment." The soldier smiled.
"The food here must be delicious!" Goku exclaimed with excitement.
"The women here must be delicious." Gojyo said with a mischievous smile.
Both their comments received a hit of Sanzo's paper fan. "Shameless bastards!"
"Oww!" the two whined together with their hands on their heads.
"I'm sorry. They're always so rowdy." Hakkai apologized.
The soldier chuckled, "Don't worry about it, I've been serving the Highnesses for a very long time and a racket like that is nothing new."
"Huh?" the four were bewildered.
"You'll know once you meet them." he smiled, "We'll be there in a bit."
As they get close to the palace, it's becoming more and more intimidating. It's majestic and emits the power and authority of the rulers that reside within its walls.
Hakkai asked a question that's been bothering him and for sure Sanzo as well since they stepped in town, "Is the blacksmith we're looking for working at the palace?" they find odd that they are heading to the palace instead of the blacksmith's workshop.
The soldier looked at them with confusion, "Of course. The blacksmith is one of the four leaders of this city." They found themselves dumbfounded at the information, "The town is currently being ruled by four young leaders after their parents Master Kaiser and Madam Camilla left to travel the world."
"By young, you mean?" Gojyo asked.
The soldier stopped to think, "The eldest I believe is twenty-eight and the youngest is nearing twent-one."
"Whoa, so young! And they're in-charge of all this?" he blurted in disbelief.
"They're quite remarkable to be able to keep the town prosperous. They just about our age!" Hakkai commented in awe.
"Yeah. You'll see them shortly." They made their way through the palace entrance and stopped at the bottom of the palace's steps. "We're here."
Three women descended the steps just as Hakuryu transformed into a draon and approached them.
"Welcome, Master Sanzo and company. I am Nuriko, one of the head attendants of the palace." the woman with braided purple hair and blue eyes bowed, "These are my colleagues, Maya" she gestured towards the girl with silver hair and black eyes; "And Midori." then to the girl with green hair and eyes.
"Welcome." the two girls said in unison while bowing their heads.
Not wasting any time, the Casanova of the group approached them, "I'm Gojyo, are you all single?" he said flirtatiously.
Sanzo's vein throbbed, "You... PERVERTED WATER SPRITE!" He wielded his fan and smacked the redhead.
"That hurt you damn arrogant monk!" Gojyo hissed as he soothe his throbbing head.
"You asked for it you cockroach! We have no time for your flirting!" the monk growled back.
"Now, now. It's not good manners to fight in front of women." Hakkai tried to hush the ruckus then turned to the women, "Nice to meet you, I'm Cho Hakkai, these are Genjyo Sanzo, Sha Gojyo and Son Goku".
The girls smiled, "They horrifyingly resemble a bunch we know." Nuriko commented while shaking her head at Sanzo and Gojyo who are still going at each other.
Goku grumbling stomach interrupted the squabbling, "I'm sooo hungry." The young one complained.
"Then, shall we go inside?" Midori implied.
"Is there food?" Goku's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
The green-haired smiled kindly, "Yes, we've prepared plenty for your arrival"
"Why don't we go inside or it will get cold." Maya suggested, and the three attendants proceeded to lead their guests into the palace.
"YES! FINALLY! FOOD!" Goku yelled excitedly and Sanzo hit him.
"Stop being so loud you stupid monkey!" he went and followed the attendants along with Gojyo and Hakkai.
"That hurts, Sanzo—! Hey! Wait for me!" Goku jogged to catch up to the others.
As they pace the marble floors of one of the palace's many buildings, the surroundings had the group of men in awe. While it's not designed as a traditional palace that's brimming with gold carvings and colorful paintings everywhere, the palace is still exudes sophistication with its minimalist theme; the contrast of ivory painted walls and chocolate brown wood accents make for a spacious and breezy atmosphere. The doors and windows fashioned from luscious Zitan wood are an exquisite work of art with its intricate handcrafted lattice work and carvings with gold accents while beautifully landscaped courtyard gardens brightened up the each building.
"His Highness is settling some business but he'll finish in a bit. We'll ask you to wait at the receiving room." Nuriko explained.
"The palace holds such an exuberant atmosphere just like the whole city." Hakkai commented with great interest.
"Yes. Well, the Highnesses…" Sanzo, Gojyo, and Hakkai looked at the attendants suspiciously, "ruled with the well-being of its citizens and tourists as their priority. They show great compassion and humility towards everyone no matter what their status in life is."
"It's something that they learned from their parents who are just as generous and humble." Maya added.
"This city is well known for its barrier against demons, how is it forged?" Sanzo asked.
"Master Kaiser, the siblings' father came from a long lineage of mages, he's the one who forged it." Nuriko explained, "One of the siblings are maintaining the strength of the barrier while he's away."
"How are we able to get through? You guys know that we're demons right?" Gojyo asked directly.
"The answer is simple, your connection with Kanzeon Bosatsu has been sensed by the barrier therefore letting you guys through."
They all continued to walk through the palace corridors, "You do not have to worry, we are not prejudiced towards demons since we know that there are still some that have their sanity intact." The silver haired attendant reassured.
"I'm not a demon." Sanzo emphasized.
The three women smiled, "Of course. We know that much Master Sanzo." Midori reassured.
After a few moments, they arrived at the receiving room, "Please feel free at home." Nuriko gestured a hand towards the room where the servants are serving an abundant amount of food on the low dining table.
"FOOD!" Goku ran towards the table and started gobbling.
"Hey! Stupid monkey! Don't you dare eat it all!" Gojyo went after him.
"There they go." Hakkai said with a chuckle.
"Seriously." Sanzo put his palm on his forehead.
"Oi Gojyo! That's my shrimp!" Goku struggled to retrieve the shrimp from the redhead.
"Who said it's yours? Everything on this table is fair game!" Gojyo successfully chomped on the shrimp.
"Why you, stupid perverted sprite! You'll pay for that!"
"Enough already!" both received the wrath of Sanzo's harisen, "There's plenty of food so what's the point in fighting over it!"
"But!"
"Are you going to stop or do you want me to hit you 'till your brains pop out?" the monk threatened, the veins on his forehead throbbing.
"We'll stop, we'll stop." the two raised their hands.
Nuriko and Midori giggled at the scene, while Maya who always have a stoic expression just quietly looked on, "Don't worry there's more than enough food for everyone. We're aware of your long journey so we prepared plenty. Please excuse us for a moment, we'll just get more food and check on His Highness if he's finished with his job." Midori excused themselves and moved to leave the room.
"Hey." Sanzo called out.
"Yes, Master Sanzo?" Nuriko asked.
"Is it possible to get cigarettes around here? Marlboro Red." he requested.
Gojyo raised his hand, "Oh! Hi-Lite Blue for me please if you have!"
"Yes, we have those. I'll ask someone to bring it. Excuse me." The head attendants left the room.
Once alone in the room, the gentlemen's eyes roamed their surroundings. The walls are covered in yellow hand-embroidered silk wallpaper patterned with cherry blossom tree branches. Its minimalist in decoration adorned with few vases of the finest quality, porcelain figurines, and an elegant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Across the room is a raised platform where four black high-back chairs are lined up.
"Did you notice Sanzo?" Hakkai asked the monk beside him.
Sanzo opened his eyes, "They never mention the names of the 'Highnesses'"
"Maybe that's how royal people roll?" Gojyo reasoned as casually as he tossed back a cup of sake.
"In any case, let's not let our guards down." Sanzo commanded. A servant entered the room and gave them a bundle of the cigarettes they asked for.
Gojyo whistled, "This is quite the hospitality."
"Or maybe they're trying to endanger your lives by spoiling you with cigarettes." Hakkai chuckled nervously.
Red eyes glared at a pair of green eyes, "You really have no talent for jokes."
As the men focused on the feast laid in front of them, they heard Midori's nervous voice approach followed by a man's voice.
"Are you not going to change your mind y-your Highness? This will be a big problem."
"I told you to leave it to me Midori. If you're worried about something else, we'll talk about it later." the man answered casually.
"But there won't be any later if—"
"So, you're the famous Sanzo group that Kanzeon Bosatsu talked about, I'm Kurei Hatori, the blacksmith you're looking for and one of the current rulers of the city. How do you find the food?" said the man dressed in an all-black military uniform standing at the door. He is fairly tall with tanned skin and a slender body build, his silver hair is layered up to the back of his neck with bangs covering his right eye while his left eye reveals a light brown orb. He wears his clothes ruggedly, the trench coat is unbuttoned showing his black tank top and pants underneath. The right lapel of his coat bore a pin carved with the family crest and is linked to a chain ending under his shoulder boards. He also wears a dog tag, a long silver ear cuff on the side of his left ear, black leather gloves, and combat boots for accessories. For weapons, he has a pair of kukri knives secured on his lower back. He speaks in a rather teasing voice and a smirk seem to be permanently painted on his face.
"They're awesome!" Goku stood happily with his arms up while still chewing which annoyed Sanzo, and the latter quickly pulled him back down to his seat.
"I told you to behave yourself!"
Kurei laughed, "It's okay, just eat to your heart's content, you've been through quite a rough journey I assume." he lit his cigarette.
"Uhm, excuse me your Highness?" Hakkai asked but got confused when Kurei suddenly choke on the smoke by surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead, what is it?" he said in the middle of coughing AND chuckling.
"We can't help but overhear, is there a problem with our arrival? We kind of heard what Midori said earlier."
"Oh, it's nothing. It's about one of our businesses, no need to worry." he said as he walked towards the chairs and sat on one of them.
Sanzo stopped eating, "If that's the case, then I guess we can get straight to the issue about the weapons."
"Oh yes, straight to business. Kanzeon Bosatsu was right, you do have no patience."
"It's just there's a very important item we have to get back immediately so he doesn't want to beat around the bush." Hakkai reasoned.
"Of course I understand." the silver-haired rested his back on the chair and crossed his legs, "Two months."
"Huh?" the four were dumbfounded.
"That's how long it takes for your extraordinary weapons to be fixed. I'll be needing a huge amount of money for materials as well as labor that will add up to eight thousand per weapon." he said casually.
Sanzo got furious, "Is this a joke? Two months and eight thousand per weapon?!"
Kurei stared at him intently, "It seems you don't understand, your weapons are not ordinary therefore, it will take extra hard labor and rare materials to fix them. Now, if you don't agree—"
"Your mischievous ways really knows no bounds." A firm voice interrupted, their eyes flew to where it came from and found a man standing outside the door, seemingly infuriated.
The man, who is a lot taller than Kurei, has lighter tanned skin with dark brown locks and eyes and gives off an aura of authority unlike Kurei's rugged disposition. His uniform's different from Kurei AND properly worn; a black trench coat with Chinese collar paired with black pants and black combat boots, the collar bore the family crest pin and the chain also ends under his shoulder boards. Each of his ears are pierced with two silver earrings and his choice of weapon is a katana.
Literally fuming, he marched towards Kurei and leaned towards him, "You got some balls pulling this stunt behind my back. When she arrives, we'll be nagged until our ears fall off. Clean this up. NOW!" he said in a dangerous tone.
"Oh come on Luca! You're almost as mischievous as I am." Kurei mocked.
"I do it because she looks cute, you however, create chaos. This is a serious matter."
"You freak of a brother with a sister complex."
"She?" Goku and Gojyo muttered together.
"Sister?" Hakkai wondered.
"Just what in the world is happening here?" Sanzo asked irritably.
The two looked at him, but before they can give an answer a menacing voice breezed through the room.
"So I leave on business for three days and this is what I come home to?"
Who exactly is this new character that arrived? What will come out of this new detour? Will their weapons be fixed? Find out on the next chapter! :