Golden Sun
Prologue
The sky is painted with shades of pink and purple and varying reds and blues, as golden eyes watch the red orb sink beneath the western horizon, a small smile playing across his lips as the wind wisps past his ears gently. The day is ending and the earth beneath him has cooled; he sits on the hill calmly, blissfully watching the serene sunset.
His companion yawns, obviously not enjoying the sunset as much as he is. Ruby eyes stare, glazed, at the scene, but he is oblivious to the beauty. "What's so great about the sunset, Goku?" He asks, ruby eyes sliding to his companion.
"Isn't it beautiful, Hakuryu? Every day, the sun sets, and the world becomes cold, but all sleep soundly in the knowledge that the sun will return." The brunette nods with these words, though his companion's vacant stare has hardly altered.
"Come on, Goku. You know philosophical crap like that just makes my head hurt," he scoffs, drawing his legs to his chest. The brunette chuckles softly, golden eyes finally shifting to his friend.
"Yes, Hakuryu…I'm well aware of that," he says softly. His hand digs around in his vest, and comes out with a letter clasped in it. Ruby orbs eye it curiously. "It's an invitation from the gods, Haku. Or more importantly, from Kanzeon."
Hakuryu scowls at the name, and even dares to stick out his tongue in disgust. "What's she want?"
"She wants me to visit…says I should be polite and visit my 'favorite aunt' just once to be polite." There's a soft thump as Hakuryu falls over laughing.
"Favorite aunt? She's kidding, right?"
"………Haku…" Goku frowns, and the other freezes.
"She's serious?" A nod acts as a response. "You're going, aren't you?" He sits up, his face solemn, and ruby orbs turn upwards to the watercolor sky.
"I have to, Haku. Besides…Konzen and Kenren and Tenpou…they'll all be there. It's been ages since I saw them last, and I mean that literally." Goku sadly stares at the sunset before them, not feeling quite so serene anymore.
"I know…but I'll miss you, Goku. It'll be lonely," Hakuryu solemnly admits. The golden-eyed young man frowns, and pulls a leg to his chest, thinking.
'I know better than anyone what it's like to be alone…I can't let Haku face that,' he thinks. And as he looks at the sunset, a thought occurs to him, and he smiles. "Why would you miss me? You can come with."
"I can?" Ruby eyes widen in shocked surprise.
"Of course, Ryu-chan! (1) Kanzeon said I should visit, but she never said I couldn't bring a friend, you know."
"Nyaa? Goku, thank you so much!" Hakuryu tackles the older man, grinning.
"Loophole exploitation, the best thing since meatbuns," Goku laughs.
"Get your mind off of those things for five minutes, Goku! You've been hooked on them for as long as I can remember!" The white haired man scolds Goku. "Why are you so addicted to them, anyways?"
"Ah, it was the first food Sanzo gave me after freeing me from the cave. They kinda have emotional significance," Goku explains. "C'mon, you're hooked on smokes, and you're a dragon, when nicotine does you nothing."
"I've been around Gojyo too long, okay? I'm surprised you don't smoke, living with Sanzo so long," Hakuryu growls in response.
"Eh, maybe. But marrying Sakura stopped it before it started. She's just that sort of woman, you know?"
"I guess…" Hakuryu shrugs. "So…we head up tomorrow?"
"Sounds good to me. For now, let's just enjoy the sunset while it lasts."
A/N: ……Set in the far future, as you can tell. Gojyo, Hakkai, and Sanzo aren't around, you can tell, but Hakuryu and Goku are. And yeah, Goku's married. I'll bring his wife in later, cause she's actually a fun character.
(1)Ryu-chan – This can be taken as a shortening of Hakuryu, but I meant it here like dragon. So really, what Goku is saying is 'little dragon' Ryu-chan!