FANDOM : Saiyuki
TITLE : Bouquet
THEME : #5 Flowers ; #23 Black Roses – red funeral
PAIRING : Sanzo x Kougaiji
DISCLAIMER : I just wish that I owned Saiyuki.
SUMMARY : Kougaiji's death wish—though strange—is something that Sanzo promised to fulfill.
NOTE : reuploaded due to typographical errors
"When I die, I want someone to put a black rose over my grave."
"Are you blind?" Gojyo practically shouted at Sanzo. "He was right there! How could you miss him?"
They were fighting the Kougaiji-tachi again but this time was different. This time, there was no friendly exchange of words, nor any amusing banter. This time, Kougaiji's face was deathly serious and his subordinates were silent and grim.
Sanzo noticed the subtle changes in his lover and wondered what happened since the last time they had met. There was a new tattoo on the prince's left bicep. It looked like a barcode. The monk wondered why he noticed such an insignificant detail.
"A black rose? Isn't that a bit too feminine?"
The monk didn't want to shoot Kougaiji at all. It had been an unspoken rule between them that Kougaiji would fight Goku while Lirin would fight Sanzo. So it was quite a surprise when the redhead went after the blond, throwing fireballs like there was no tomorrow.
A deep red gash on Sanzo's cheek showed how close Kougaiji had come to slicing his face off.
The pain from the cut was only secondary to the shock and hurt that accompanied the attack. They hadn't fought the last time they were together. There had been no lover's spat between them. Sanzo wanted to grab the youkai and shake some sense into him but he was too busy trying to stay alive.
"My mother used to grow black roses in her garden. They remind me of her."
The sounds of battle rang loudly in Sanzo's ears. Yaone with Hakkai. Dokugakuji with Gojyo. Lirin with Goku. Kougaiji with Sanzo. Everyone was fighting someone else and this time, it seemed like this was going to be their last fight. Only one side would emerge victorious and the other group would be left dead.
Then Kougaiji was right there—in front of him—and there was no room left to dodge. The redhead moved to deal the killing blow and Sanzo did the only thing he could do. He pulled the trigger.
"Black roses are hard to find, right?"
"Sometimes they grow wild in the forest. So if I die, make sure to place one over my grave, okay?"
"That is a stupid request."
The shot rang out clearly in the entire clearing. Everyone turned to look. Yaone cried out as Kougaiji's body fell to the ground. No one moved. The silence was deafening.
Dokugakuji was the first to move. He strode forwards and picked up the prince's body that was shot through the heart. He cradled it in his arms and Sanzo felt a bolt of jealousy twinge in his heart.
I should be the one holding him. I should be the one touching him. Get your hands off! He's mine! MineminemyKougaijimyloverminemyKougaiji—
The monk didn't register the tachi leaving. He didn't notice that the others had strained looks on their faces. They should be happy. After all, Kougaiji was dead and that meant that their journey to the West would be much easier. Whoever was in charge had just lost one of her most powerful pawns.
But somehow, it felt like an empty victory.
xxx
It was one month after the death of Kougaiji.
The Sanzo-ikkou had arrived at Houtou Castle but the attack had been a huge failure. The group managed to breach the outer defenses of the demon stronghold but had been unprepared for the sheer number of demons waiting for them.
Apparently, Gyokumen Koushou's tactic had been a simple one; trick the ikkou into thinking that all the youkai that they used were incompetent idiots. Thus, they weren't prepared for the caliber of the youkai soldiers who confronted them.
Sanzo's sutra had been able to hold off the first wave of attacks but its one drawback was that the monk needed time to use it. There were youkai in the attack force who were bred for speed and they had managed to grab the sutra before the blond was able to use it again.
After that, the members of the ikkou had been killed.
The remaining members of the Kougaiji-tachi decided to go visit the youkai prince's grave. From a distance, they saw that something had been left on top of the grave in front of the tomb marker. It hadn't been there the last time they visited so that meant it had been left a month ago.
It was a bouquet of wilted black roses tied together with a simple white strip of cloth.
"Promise me."
"Alright. Just stop talking about dying."