UNDER THE WEATHER
Chapter Two: Chintose Karigana
By: A2
A/N: Since the full journey took roughly three years, here are the Sanzo party's new ages. Sanzo- 26. Gojyo & Hakkai- 25. Goku- 21.
Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki. I own the OC's. Author 1 and Colorfulbubble12 are my editors.
Seeing a town burning to the ground is nothing new. Even if I know it's a dream, how can I escape?
"CHINEN! CHINTOSE! GO!" Someone shrieks, hurling a small girl out of a window into the waiting arms of her brother. The two scramble off, out of the town- the brother has to drag his terrified sister away from the melee of blood and bodies. The girl is crying by the time they make it to the surrounding woods. A thick and long gash goes across her chest right below her collarbone. It will leave a scar. But It hurts her more that her perfect life has been so crudely ripped away. It hurts her more that everybody she loves has been slaughtered. It hurts her more that her strong, handsome big brother can barely stand. It hurts her so, so much and she clutches her brother's hand and cries for everything she's lost. He pushes away his own pain and holds his sister close, pressing her ear against his frantically beating heart so she knows he is still alive. And when the town behind them- their home- erupts into dancing, roaring, sickeningly beautiful flames he gasps and tells her, "There's nothing," and she screams my scream.
I wake up bawling and tangled in my bed sheets, my brother Chinen holding me down so I don't get hurt, gently sobbing and whispering that everything will be okay. I don't believe him, though I have been hearing those words for three-hundred-and-sixty-five days now. That night, he goes to his first bar.
When I'm fourteen, he quits his many jobs- he's constantly too drunk to do any type of work. I take on as many jobs as I can find, no matter their nature, and support my brother. I barely manage to pay rent and food, and Chinen keeps bloating his bar tab. I've heard whispers around town: She'd make a ton of money if she were a prostitute. I will never stoop that low. Not even for my brother.
On my twenty-first birthday, my only friend throws me a party. I sleep over. When I get back, I'm beat with my brother's belt. The next day he is howling and begging for forgiveness, just like he's done for the last six years.
A year later, when I'm working at a restaurant, I receive the honor of tending to the sanctified Sanzo party- none of them seem the least bit saintly to me. They ignore me except to give me their orders, but I remember them. Hakkai, with his traditional green buttoned shirt, light lavender sash and smart khaki pants. Goku's faded jeans pushed into worn black boots and red shirt and annoying orange cape. Gojyo and his lewd low-cut white tank top and purple vest, matched with his overly large brown jeans tediously tucked into flashy chocolate boots. The blond man- Priest Sanzo- with the billowing white robes, thin silk-leather turtleneck and gloves, a Founding Scripture of Heaven and Earth, a pure gold breastplate, and the coldest, saddest eyes I have ever seen. I never want my eyes to look that way.
Chinen goes insane when I'm twenty-four. He comes home drunk and screams and beats me so I bleed and cuts my hair so short I'm afraid my neck is next. He throws me onto the front porch. I run for two days, until I collapse from hunger and thirst in Chang'An- only five minutes away from the Temple Of The Setting Sun. There is only one job available for miles, that of Priest Sanzo's personal monk, formerly held by Go Dougan. I buy as many breast bands as I can with the sad amount of pocket change left in my pocket from running away, and go dressed as a man, since women aren't allowed in temples. I get the spot. I'll be the only monk with his own room, making it much easier to keep my secret. When 'Master' Sanzo returns, I will serve him. For now, I wash and cook.
A little less than a year goes by, and I'm standing in the hot sun at the temple gates with the head monk, Basu, who rambles on and on about how virtuous and flawless Master Sanzo is. I've been standing here for three hours. If Master Sanzo doesn't get here soon, I'm going to stalk back inside and trash his office, the one I've had to dust off every freaking day for a year. Thankfully for my sanity and Master Sanzo's office, a raucous green jeep comes careening into sight, speeding towards the temple. The old geezer Basu stumbles back and lands on his butt as the jeep skids to a screeching halt a few feet away. Somebody never bothered to get a license. The four men practically throw themselves out of the vehicle and seconds later it morphs into a small white dragon that scares the shit out of Monk Basu. I stare at it for a few seconds before turning my attention to the four legendary men wiping the dirt off their asses in the most un-legendary manner I've ever seen.
Cho Hakkai- the rumored sadist, brunette mother hen of the group, who wears a monocle over his glassy green eyes (one of them is glass, according to town gossip) and three ear cuffs as his Youkai limiters- bows politely to Monk Basu and me before glancing innocently at the fight and petting the white dragon thing. Sha Gojyo- with long red hair and red eyes (marks of a half breed, which I only know since my best friend Lana has a half-breed sister), long legs and infamous, I've heard, for molesting women- had Son Goku- the hyperactive golden-eyed boy with unbelievably spiky brown hair and a golden coronet- in a head lock and was furiously attempting to decapitate the 'fucking stupid monkey'. Genjo Sanzo- the only full human of the group with stunning blond hair like the sun, a sharp frame, and profound purple eyes- ignores the fight and glances over at me. My new Master, who will have all control of me for however long it takes to discover my gender and throw me out- or execute me, if he's in the mood.
"I want a bath," Master Sanzo says to Monk Basu. Gee, nice to meet you too, I think. Monk Basu pats my arm and ambles away to who knows where. I sigh and begin climbing the numerous steps up to the actual temple part of the grounds, not checking or caring if the Sanzo party is following.
I'm surprised at how young Master Sanzo is. I saw him back when the group passed through my town and ate at the restaurant, but I'd long since forgotten what he looked like. I only remembered his eyes, and the fact that he wasn't very righteous. Now I again realize that he's probably around the same age as me.
"So who's the man with a prettier face than Hakkai?" Gojyo asks me near the top of the god-damned stairs, breaking the beautiful silence. I groan.
"Gay wad," I say, giving him a poisonous glare. I won't last long as a guy if he already thinks I'm a girl.
"HA! He called you gay! He just met you and he called you gay!" Goku yells, jumping up and down. Gojyo grabs him and shoves the poor guy's face into his armpit.
"Shut up monkey! Even you should be smart enough to know I only fuck girls!" He snaps. Goku's choking sounds are extremely convincing but dying down by the time we finish climbing the stairs. I stop abruptly , thinking better of pushing open the temple gates.
"… Mobs... This way," I say. I can hear the monks congregating inside the gates already. Master Sanzo nods, obviously pissed.
"How the hell did you get hired? You're definitely not a real monk," He scoffs, whacking Gojyo on the head to free a suffering Goku. I think for a moment. From what I saw the one day he came to my restaurant, he isn't the holiest guy on the planet.
"Lying," I say, cheering up a little when I hear Master Sanzo curse under his breath. Gojyo makes a disturbing comment and Goku starts another fight with him.
Hakkai chuckles and says, "I think you and Sanzo will get along quite well! But why would you want to work at the temple if you don't even believe in gods?" I shrug. There's no way I'm telling them that my psycho brother beat the crap out of me and sent me running. We make it to a set of small doors in the log fence of the vast temple grounds which I quietly push open. I stride through them into a short, grassing field leading directly to the special bath houses, the ones only Master Sanzo is allowed to use. If only the monks knew the special bath houses were the only reason I never got caught bathing. Oh well.
Goku sprints past me and yanks the back door open, slipping on the shiny marble floors I've had to polish every day for a whole freaking year and landing with a thud in the deep bowl big enough for at least ten people. I've never understood why it's got to be so big if only one guy is going to use it. I mean, aren't monks supposed to be humble and un-materialistic?
Gojyo laughs, Hakkai chuckles and Master Sanzo throws his fan with pinpoint accuracy at Goku's head. I sigh and throw a lighted match into the boiler, nudging the water tap with my foot to let a flood of steaming liquid sear over Goku. He howls in pain and scrambles out of the tub, grabbing on to Gojyo's pant leg near the top and bringing the red head back down with him.
"Holy shit! Damn you, monkey! It's hot!" Gojyo cries, attempting to use Goku's head as a step to reach the edge of the tub. Hakkai smiles at them innocently and Master Sanzo curses loudly and shrugs out of his robe. Goku resurfaces once Gojyo is splayed out on the marble edge of the tub and coughing out scorching water. Goku yelps, struggling to pull himself onto the level floor. I take a towel from a nearby rack and slap them over the head with it.
"Chill man! It's the animal's fault!" Gojyo yells at me. Goku takes offense and begins ranting about 'no-good roaches polluting his living space'. I rub my temples.
"Brain dead bastards," I say, kicking the sputtering men out of my way to the toiletries closet. I grab loads of conditioners and shampoos, soaps and bath salts, massage oils and healing balms, towels and rough scrubby-thingies. When I turn back around the four men are naked and submerged in the water shoulders down. I fight back a furious blush and set the many bottles within reach but not close enough to fall and gather up their piles of sweaty, bloody, torn clothing, being careful to leave the two sutras within vision of the watching Sanzo priest. He turns his scowl back to Goku and Gojyo, who are engaging in a splash battle five feet away from him and Hakkai. I really wish they would make more of an effort to keep their privates under water.
"Be right back," I say, walking through the doors and out of the steamy bath house and jerking my small ponytail tighter in annoyance. I flag down the first monk I see, dumping my load of clothes in his spindly arms. He looks at me strangely, like he's wondering whether to tell me something or not. He scatters away. The back of my neck tingles and suddenly the burliest monk in the temple is lifting me up by my collar, which I keep especially high to hide both the slight boob bump not hidden by the breast band and my gruesome scar. He turns me to face him, and I lash out at his eyes, flailing.
"Let go, baldy!" I yell. Monk Siroh lands a punch in my gut. I cringe and gasp for the air he knocked out of me.
"I don't trust you, and if I hear a single complaint from Master Sanzo's lips…" He throws me to the ground, knocking my breath out again, and stalks away. Moaning, I roll onto my back and suck in huge lungfuls of air. Then I force myself to get up and walk back to the bath house.
"Took you long enough," Gojyo mutters, elbowing Goku in the ribs. I glare at him; god dammit, why does water have to be so clear?
"Did you fall?" Master Sanzo asks, narrowing his eyes at a point right below my collarbone. I look down, quickly yanking the messed-up collar of my monk's habit up to hide the small fraction of visible pink scar.
"Yeah. Tripped over a squirrel," I glare back at Master Sanzo and realize he's got it way worse than me. The only place scars don't criss-cross and mar him is his face, angular and stern and just a little bit worn. Pink, pale white, even angry light red lines coat him. There are some deep red ones that stand out- the others have them too- that must be recent. And it dawns on me that their journey might not have been as annoying and careless as they make it seem.
"You guys look worse," I say quietly, seriously. Hakkai smiles sadly at me and Goku and Gojyo fall into subdued silence. Master Sanzo's back is turned to me again and I don't see his reaction.
"We had our moments," Hakkai says, and I get the feeling that sentence means more to the four of them than it ever will to me. The girly, motherly side that I haven't shown since my brother came back from his first bar bubbles up into my mouth before I can stop it.
"Master Sanzo, sit on the edge," I say. I remember the last time I told my brother that- I had pity in my voice then, but not now. It's not gratitude either. Master Sanzo glowers at me suspiciously before pushing himself up onto the rim of the bath. I kneel behind him and grab one of the many bottles of healing oil, smothering loads of the smelly stuff onto my hands.
When my fingers touch Master Sanzo's shoulders, he pulls away uncertainly and clenches his jaw, eyes scalding me over his shoulder, but Hakkai smiles once he realizes what I intend to do and Master Sanzo settles down again. I brush the tips of my fingers over his shoulder blades and ground my knuckles into his back. I used to give my brother massages all the time when we were little- I'm pretty sure I sucked, but he always pretended I was the best massager in the world. He later taught me how to do it properly. But that was before. And Master Sanzo is not my brother.
"I go next!" Goku yells, snapping me out of the past and gaining an opposing yell from Gojyo. They're immediately clawing at each other like animals. I try and fail to give them a smile, so nod instead. Once I'm in mother-mode, it's pretty hard for me to say no to anybody. I knead Master Sanzo's back harder; this guy has serious muscle knots- and serious scars. Hakkai gazes at me with his deep green eyes.
"I don't believe I caught your name," He states curiously. I shrug.
"It's Chintose. Chintose Karigana,"
"That's a nice name," Hakkai replies, smiling. "Is there anything wrong, Chintose?" I stare into him for a while and he gives back an intensity I've never felt before.
I'm about to tell him, I have a brother, Chinen, but "No," is what comes out. This man may appear like a benevolent being but I think under the skin of Cho Hakkai there is a sly, dangerous thing, and I don't want him to know anything about me. Even telling him my name seems like a mistake. I shake off the feeling, because that's absurd since he's the one who saved China, and that at least should earn him the benefit of the doubt. But when he frowns and goes to break up the fight between Goku and Gojyo, I'm not so sure. A foreboding creeps up my spine- I'd rather stay away from him.
Master Sanzo is finally relaxing, but only a bit, and I'm sure my hands leave him feeling foreign and vague.
