Chapter 2: The Singing Orchid
It had been nearly impossible to wade through the crowd of people enjoying the festival that had been going on for two weeks. Stalls were lined in the middle selling all sorts of merchandise from shoes to exotic looking scarves. The place was chaos and Sanzo was wishing he could just go back to the temple and have a quiet meal of rice and tea with today's paper. Sanzo glanced over at his ward, who was staring at the all the stalls with complete awe while chewing on some chicken skewers, and felt a little more at ease to see that Goku was back to his normal, annoying self again. He didn't bother chastising the boy who had headed straight towards the smell of more meat skewers barbequing on a grill.
"Hey there little lady, that was some swell dancing you did back there," Sanzo rolled his eyes at Gojyo's shameless flirting. The dancer, a voluptuous looking woman with exotic black curls and chocolate coloured skin smiled.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"My names Gojyo, would you mind telling me yours?"
"Haru."
"Haru eh? What a fitting name for the season. I was wondering when you might be getting some down time and perhaps we could hit the bar and get to know each other a bit more?" The exotic gypsy's demure smile remained in place.
"How cute, but unfortunately for you honey, I've got my eye on someone else at the moment." She slipped slyly away to weave through the crowds and tackle an unsuspecting young brunet who was still waiting impatiently at the food stall. "Gokuuuuuu!" she squealed locking the poor youth in a tight embrace with his face being smothered by her well-endowed breasts. The other three looked on with shock, horror and amusement.
"What?" Gojyo stared on mouth gaping open like an asphyxiated fish while Hakkai was too busy clutching at his sides in laughter. Sanzo was trying not to think about the various problems that would arise from this but one problem stood out to him. Sanzo did not like the way the woman was looking at Goku.
"That idiot." Recovering from the sudden collision, Goku squirmed out of the embrace to breath.
"Hi Haru," he gasped indicating for the woman to loosen her grip.
"Hello sweetie, it's great to see you actually getting away to enjoy the festival, let's take a look at those pretty eyes of yours." Haru cooed like an overbearing auntie. She gripped Goku's chin and tilted it upwards for a better look. Her affectionate smile though, turned into a concerned frown.
"You look a bit tired there kiddo. Are you alright?" A loud grumble was heard from the pit of the youth's stomach answering her question.
"I think I'm just hungry. I'll be fine once I've eaten something." Sure enough the stall owner had slapped on several trays of food that could feed a group of six in Goku's arms and the boy's eyes lit up with happiness.
"Well, since you're all set food wise, why don't you head backstage? You can watch the Singing Orchid's Spring Finale from there." Haru suggested nudging him towards the brightly coloured tent where all the performers were getting ready.
"Oh yeah, I promised Mala I would see it." The youth allowed himself to be led away when Sanzo stepped forward.
"Goku, what's going on here?" It irked him in more ways than one seeing the woman drape over the monkey's shoulders while the idiot stared doe eyed back at the three of them.
"She's a friend," Goku replied innocently and seemed confused with the level of animosity the blond priest had for the woman.
"Another friend?"
"Yes another friend. Purely platonic." Haru drawled and flashing him a sardonic smile. "Or is having friends against your Buddhist teachings as well?" The implied challenge in her tone and the flaunting of her buxom chest made Gojyo's exploits seem like school yard hand holding in comparison. 'Platonic my ass' She was obviously scheming something and he didn't like it one bit. What was frustrating was Goku's ignorance of the woman's actions around him.
"Is there something wrong, Sanzo?" Goku asked worriedly. Haru pursed her lips looking at the blond monk.
"So this is the infamous Priest Sanzo that you talk about so much?" Haru stared appreciatively which just served to infuriate Sanzo even more. "Goku, why don't you go on ahead backstage? I would like to have a chat with the venerable Head Priest for a little while."
"Sanzo?"
"Do what you want." Sanzo snapped inwardly regretting it when the boy flinched at his tone. The blond priest took a drag from his cigarette still glaring at the woman in front of him. Haru however appeared completely calm.
"I do apologise if I seem rude to you. It's somewhat of a coping mechanism against bigotry considering how our nomadic lifestyle seems to always rub someone the wrong way."
"You don't need to worry about it. I think we've all had a bit of a misunderstanding here." Hakkai was quick to dissolve any lingering issues.
"The prissy priest's has always had an attitude like this. You shouldn't pay him mind." Gojyo added which would've earned him a gun shot in the head if not for the fact that Sanzo was still trying to figure out what this woman's motives were.
"You're such a gentleman, perhaps I'll reconsider that offer for a drink later but for now, why don't you follow me? I'll let the esteemed Sanzo and his companions in to the VIP area for our final show for this year." She sauntered away beckoning the three of them to follow her and whilst Gojyo and Hakkai remained amicable, Sanzo was seething.
The VIP booth was on an elevated platform situated at an angle from the stage and the seats were comfortable with drinks and snacks available just next to them. The booth was decorated in an array of bold colours of red, oranges and yellows but what Sanzo was most drawn to was the potted plant that was situated as the centre piece. Contrary to the garish décor around it, the flower looked simple and two flower blooms growing on a single green stem. The petals were a beautiful pearly, almost translucent white with inflections of gold and silver that swirled like the surface of a soap bubble.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Haru said stroking the petals delicately. Sanzo grudgingly agreed to that point. Not that he would actually admit it to Haru but the flower exuded a pure innocence amidst the debauchery of colours surrounding it. An image flashed in his mind of a young child, smiling adoringly up at him with eyes of shining gold. "It's called the Singing Orchid"
"What an unusual name. I've never seen such a plant before. Does it actually sing?" Hakkai asked looking intrigued. Haru plopped onto her seat next to him.
"Well, we have yet to hear an actual performance but… here's to hoping." Haru crooned stroking one of the leaves of the plant before continuing with the history lesson. "The Singing Orchid comes from a valley in the west. The caravan had chanced upon it growing at the foot of a mountain and the locals have said that the orchid would only ever sing in the presence of its spiritual kin."
"Spiritual kin?"
"Those who share the same soul but in a different form." Haru's explanation was met with blank looks and she chuckled. "Which I guess means it could be anything. The orchid rarely flowers so as you can see I'm quite pleased to see it bloom every year since we first came here which is why we named our latest stage performance after it. Perhaps the environmental conditions are just right or maybe it's the divine aura of your temple." Sanzo grimaced at the false flattery.
"So that's the reason you've been coming back every year to the same spot ever since." Hakkai concluded quite enamoured by the seemingly charming tradition. Sanzo though, couldn't help but think there was something more to it than that. The caravan toured across the world so they rarely came to the same place twice let alone three times in consecutive years. He couldn't help but think there was another reason for them coming here.
"Well of course and it's nice to see Goku too. He's such a sweet kid and very talented." The street performer made a point to emphasise the sentence in a way that even made the corruption that was Gojyo feel uncomfortable with the innuendo.
Just as Sanzo was going to get up and look for the monkey and drag the kid back to the temple, the show had started. The dancers had poured out onto the stage as a raunchy song roared in the background to the delight of the audience. Hakkai had once talked to Sanzo about the modern day dances to which the strange names eluded him. He never bothered listening to the entirety of the conversation and looking at the way the young teenagers moved so fluidly he would've been still at a complete loss if he had. Whether he liked it or not, he could see the appeal to the audience. It seemed like the entire group consisted of kids probably no older than seventeen but they seemed to know what they were doing. One particular dancer though had stood out amongst the group. The seemingly exotic and fluid movements were extremely familiar and while all the dancers were wearing masks, the scrawny youth looked like the main focus.
"You don't like her." Hakkai whispered conspiratorially just enough for Sanzo to hear and out of earshot of Haru. Sanzo huffed and folded his arms.
"Don't know what you're talking about"
"Oh come on Sanzo, it's obvious on your face. It reminds me of the parents of one my students at the school I work at. They're in the middle of a custody battle." Hakkai smirked at the incredulous look on the blond priest's face.
"You're saying stuff that's actually pissing me off. I am questioning why I ever spoke up for you in front of the Three Aspects." Hakkai sighed. He had struck a nerve for Sanzo to resort to bringing up his past.
"I'm just not sure what you're worried about. So Goku's made some friends with the caravan but he's made it clear where his home is. Ever since I've known you two, you've been pretty much inseparable. I can't ever imagine it any other way." Another enigmatic smile graced Hakkai's lips followed by a couple of flashes from a lump of plastic that was in his hand. Sanzo grimaced at how easily the teacher seemed to read him or perhaps it was because he was a lot easier to read than he thought. Perhaps the conversation Goku had with Mala and the way Haru hung around him had rattled him a lot more than he led himself to believe. He decided that it would be best to change topics that regarded Goku.
"When did you get a camera?"
"When I heard about the festival. I wanted a keepsake." There was a brief silence and Sanzo sat back thinking that would be it with the 'talk' until the bespectacled brunet dropped another bombshell. "Aside from separation anxiety perhaps you might indulge me on what else you think is going on with the caravan?" Hakkai flashed another smile but it dropped when he noticed the flicker of strain in the otherwise impassive face of the blond priest.
"Something is just off..." was Sanzo's reply and while Hakkai waited patiently to elaborate, the priest had become lost in his own thoughts. Sighing in frustration he turned his attention to the stage. He didn't find anything particularly spectacular for most of the show until a solo performance by the main dancer. He had a nagging feeling about the youth that stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the troupe. Just like the orchid in the room.
The performer was balancing on wooden poles that had been erected on the stage. He seemed to float gracefully across them with a large cloak billowing behind him. There was a warm aura that seemed to be in the air and it held the audience's full attention. Movement in the booth caught Sanzo's eye's and it drew him away from the show. The orchid that was on the table started to shift, a lump began to form next to the other two blossoms. As the performance ended, the orchid had grown a third bud. He noticed Haru was staring at the flower as well, a glint of eager anticipation in her eyes. Soon enough as the performance ended the aura dissipated and the bud remained unopened and although she looked disappointed, Haru appeared to also be in deep thought before taking the plant and leaving the room. Sanzo had no urge to follow her for he knew he had a more pressing matter to deal with when he recognised the glint of a familiar gold circlet that peeked out from behind the dancing youth's mask just as he disappeared backstage. Sanzo growled in frustration as the unsettling feeling he had all day had just increased tenfold.
The troupe of dancers chattered eagerly as they exited from the stage away from the massive cheer of the crowd. They all gathered around the main dancer after the final curtain. "Great job Goku, I was getting goose bumps. This will have been the best show we've done yet." Mala cheered as she hugged the teen. "Thank you so much!"
Goku chuckled shyly as he removed the mask he had been wearing for the whole performance. "Gotta admit, it was a lot of fun!"
"Well, just get yourself changed. We got some stew in the pot that'll be ready in 20 minutes. Like I promised"
"YAY! Food!" the teen cheered immediately as if rejuvenated from the prospect of eating soon. He hurried over to the dressing room. Goku sighed contently as he slipped away from rest of dance troupe only to be seeing stars from a bright flash. "What the- Hakkai?" his tutor was grinning, with a camera held in front of his face.
"Isn't today just full of surprises? Gojyo wouldn't believe me when I told him my suspicions of the lead dancer." he announced proudly with a serene smile on his face. Goku was further assaulted by Gojyo who had him in a head lock and ruffling his wild mane of hair.
"Not bad for a monkey. I didn't know you had those kinds of moves."
"Ack, quit it Gojyo. You know that I hate it when you do that." Goku tried to shove the red head away but Sanzo knew it was a half-hearted attempt at best. Goku looked exhausted.
"Come on, I'm giving you praise here. It's a rare thing I do so accept it graciously." Gojyo retorted giving the smaller brunet another noogie.
"Indeed, it was a spectacular performance." Hakkai added taking a couple more pictures. "And you look adorable in that outfit." The costume was a mixture of fabrics of pastel shades of cream and white lined with gold trim overlapped over each other in a leaf motif. Goku's long hair was tied back with a simple ribbon.
"Goku…" The teen when he saw the violet eyes glaring down at him and cringed.
"Sanzo…"
"Explain yourself…"
"Well, thing is," Goku fidgeted playing with the fabric of his dance tunic as he explained the circumstances on how he ended up in the performance, his cheeks turning bright red with embarrassment. "The main dancer and the back-up dancer both got injured just before the show and I kind of… was able to watch their rehearsals from my room these past 2 weeks. I thought they looked fun and followed their moves so when Mala found out I had managed to learn the entire routine, I… got… roped in as the back-up's back up." The explanation trailed off when the blonde turned to walk away. No fan, no yelling but Goku knew he was angry. "Sanzo?"
"Just get changed, we're leaving." The priest was quiet when he said it.
"But…" another silent glare thrown his way and Goku's face paled. He scurried into the dressing room ignoring the shocked looks of Hakkai and Gojyo.
"Sheesh, overreact much, you prissy monk? Why are you being such a hard ass to the kid for?" The question went unanswered as Sanzo had already walked out of the tent. "What the hell just happened?"
"Let me handle this. You go talk to Goku." Hakkai assured as he hurried after the blond priest.
Gojyo rolled his eyes and wondered why he was dealing with this drama. He and Hakkai wanted to enjoy a day at this festival. Cold beer in hand, having hot chicks belly dance on the street, flinging their scarves at him and perhaps finish the day with a few rounds of poker with some unfortunate chump with a lot of cash in his wallet. It was meant to be a fun day for him and it just had to be ruined by a little monkey with abandonment issues and a prissy monk throwing a hissy fit over rules and regulations. He sighed. Sometimes he hated being a nice guy. "Goku?"
"He's seems really angry this time." Gojyo blew at the stray strand of his long red hair that he often got teased about as antennae. "Tension between the temple and the caravan is probably getting to him, I doubt it's you that's he's mad at."
"It would've been better if he was." The brunet snapped back. "At least that way I'll know that I can do something about it." Gojyo was irritated now. Even though it was a closed door, he could tell that the teen was likely sitting in a corner of the room looking pathetic and vulnerable like the time when he and Hakkai found out about Goku's chionophobia. Although Goku had in essence made a mile stone by being able to take those first few steps in the snow that day, he still had plenty of insecurities that the red head was only starting to learn about. It didn't help that most of the monks at the temple were a bunch of stuck up assholes.
"Don't cry."
"I'm not crying." Goku sulked. Gojyo leaned against the door of the dressing room and plucked out his favourite lighter and his pack of Hi-Lites. "Did I do anything wrong?"
"No you didn't."
"I just helped someone, right?"
"Yeah, you did and that's ok." The two fell silent so that Goku could reflect on his words. Gojyo didn't wait long. He hated seeing the kid miserable. "Anyway, didn't your friend say there's some food? If you don't hurry up and get changed there won't be any left."
"Sanzo said we were going straight home." Gojyo frowned when even the prospect of food didn't shake Goku out of his funk.
"Then go get a doggy bag for it."
"Can you get it while I'm changing please Gojyo?"
"No." Gojyo smirked when he heard the annoyed growl from the teen. The monkey was always too easy to tease. As expected he heard the teen huff indignantly.
"Why you… I even asked you nicely."
"The caravan will be leaving first thing in the morning tomorrow. It's your last chance to see those friends of yours." Gojyo reminded playing his final trump card. "Don't worry, I'm sure His Holiness will wait despite what he says."
"But…"
"It's only fair right? Hakkai's told me you've had to put up with a lot of crap these past couple of weeks to minimise the number of problems between the caravan and the temple. If Sanzo has a shred of decency, he'll wait for ya." There was a contemplative silence then a hurried shuffling behind the door.
"Thanks Gojyo." Gojyo chuckled taking a drag from his cigarette as he waited for Goku to get changed.
Winding through the disappearing crowd in the search of one grumpy priest was not really on Hakkai's joy list but he was not one to let a problem get out of control if he saw it coming. "Sanzo? Sanzo, wait a moment." The green eyed brunet caught up with the blond priest who seemed preoccupied with looking for something hidden from public eye. "What's really going on? Is this to do with the meeting at the temple today?"
"None of your business." Sanzo snorted as he gave up his futile search to knock back a cigarette from his carton of Malboros and light it. Hakkai sighed resisting the urge to rub his temples in frustration for the blonde's stubbornness.
"I may have only known you for a year but I know enough that you don't get involved with Chang An's personal affairs unless it's a direct order from the Three Aspects or…" Hakkai faltered. "… or whatever you might find is going to hurt Goku in some way." His face darkened when he noticed the subtle tell in Sanzo that confirmed his suspicions. A slight movement of the right hand towards the sleeve where Hakkai knew Sanzo hid his Smith and Wesson revolver.
"Like I said, it's none of your business" Hakkai's hand shot out like a snake to grab the priest's wrist. A look of murderous fury replaced the normally cheerful face of the bespectacled school teacher.
"If it's the latter Sanzo, then as his tutor that makes it my business." Sanzo grimaced but Hakkai had his way of getting information out of people even more stubborn than himself.
"There are some allegations amongst all the garbage that was being spouted this morning about suspected child trafficking happening in the town recently."
"You think the caravan is involved?"
"Don't know. The morons at the temple certainly seem to think so. Apparently, they have patrons coming to report the disappearances. They report strange behaviour in their children then when the caravan leaves, so do the kids." Sanzo replied.
"We both know that Goku's been acting strangely tired lately too. Normally, I would have figured it was the extra chores he had to do but…"
"But this is Goku." Sanzo finished the sentence. "Ever since that brat got out of his cage on that mountain, he's been a pain in the ass running the entire temple ragged. Extra chores forced on him by little shits like Shoran and a 'dance recital' isn't enough to tire him out like that." Hakkai was taken aback by the venom that was in the blonde's voice, venom that carried with it a hint of trepidation. It was the first time Hakkai ever saw Sanzo nervous and he would've found it endearing had it not been for the seriousness of the allegation being made. Both of them fell silent when a rustle of clothing caught their attention. They hid behind one of the many trailers as a shadowy figure headed towards the more isolated areas of the camp. When the figure was far enough away, another enigmatic smile formed on Hakkai's lips.
"I'd say following that suspicious looking person will be a good start to the investigation wouldn't you?" Hakkai whispered before he slipped in through the long twisting aisles that the figure had gone down. Sanzo sighed. Flicking the butt of his extinguished cigarette and blowing out the last breath of smoke left in his lungs, the priest followed his companion into the dark alleyway.
Goku smiled whimsically, tugging the final knots of his tunic loose and taking it off before slipping back his own shirt. The performance had indeed been a lot of fun in spite of the touch of stage fright for going on the first time. Mala had been a great guide as was the rest of the troupe. They had all been very friendly and accepting which was a stark contrast to his life at the temple. His smile disappeared when he thought of what transpired when Sanzo found out about his participation. Truthfully, Goku hadn't expected to be roped into performing. He knew about the rumours from all the whispered gossip amongst the acolytes and they often got pretty malicious, particularly if said rumours involved him. He knew of the obvious disdain the monks had for him and while Sanzo was able to deal with people like Shoran quite easily, there were several others who were a lot more subtle in their approach of bullying the golden eyed teen. He tried to keep to himself to avoid confrontation but sometimes the monks were relentless. He found it funny really, since they were constantly preaching acceptance and tolerance during the temple lectures that Sanzo demanded him to sit through.
Slipping on his shirt he hurried to at least say goodbye to his friends before Sanzo got really mad. He took one last look at the room and the array of colourful costumes but then his eyes fell on an object set in on one of the larger dressing tables. A pot plant with white flowers, tinged with silver and gold.
"Pretty…" he whispered to himself reaching out to touch the soft petals and drew close to smell a gentle fragrance coming from it. He gasped, sensing a deep feeling of happiness coming from the plant. He noticed a bud nestled between the two blooms and his eyes widened as it began to open and soft silky white unfurled like a butterfly from the confines of a green cocoon. Goku smiled watching the flower bloom, the plant's happiness spread to him and he felt warm and fuzzy. Goku felt so relaxed stroking the plant's petals, he forgot about what he was planning to do. He laid his head on the table and closed his eyes, letting the warmth envelop him. The golden eyed youth did not even stir from his sleep when he was picked up and carried out of the room through a door opposite where the red headed half breed stood outside. Gojyo continued to wait unaware that the dressing room was now empty.
TBC
Sam: Ha! Cliffhanger! That'll teach you reviewers for demanding more of my writing greatness. ^_^
Gojyo: Don't be so full of yourself. You got one pathetic review.
Sam: (pummels Gojyo) D: DON'T YOU DARE DISRESPECT MY READERS, LOBSTER MAN! I'LL PULL YOUR GOD DAMN ANTENNAES OUT! (yanks at his antennae) Gojyo: AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!
Hakkai: She's certainly lively again.
Sanzo: Hmph… idiots… both of them
Goku: Teehee… lobster man…
Sam: (dumps Gojyo's corpse which she will revive later in a bog) Anyway, there should be one more chapter or two left then I can get back to Mother Earth is a Bitch. What's gonna happen to Goku you ask? Will Sanzo be able to rescue him before he disappears forever? Tune in on the next chapter of Song Of... (gets shot at)
Sanzo: You deserve death for your corniness...
