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DISCLAIMER: I don't own the boys, nor the plotlines of the show and manga. Story and chapter titles are actually from a song from Wicked…because the song is stuck in my head. Bah.

Telling you all now, this will not be a Konzen/Goku, it will be a Sanzo/Goku. There will be Konzen/Goku affection, maybe a little suggestiveness…because Konzen's hot……but our favorite deities will not be around long enough for romance. Again, though, I reference the warning from the first chapter than there will be allusions to past Konzen/Goku…disturing? A bit…but in the next chapter's A/N I'll give my views on it.

Again, how Konzen dies is not known…but the irony is appreciated by me, so I always use this.

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For Good

Like a Stream That Meets a Boulder…

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Before Goku had even hit the ground, it was surprisingly Konzen himself that had reacted. Despite the shock of added height and matured features…those eyes were all it would have ever taken him to recognize his charge. Still rather stunned by this turn of events, the blonde god raced forward and lifted the now lighter - due to the lack of binding shackles - Goku into his arms, turning to glare at the other men who were gawping at him stupidly, "Well? Do I have to deal with the saru by myself, or am I going to get some help?"

Despite his confusion, Hakkai moved quickly, running a hand over the teen's forehead and sighing in relief, "He's fine, I think the poison is out of his system, he's just shocked."

"No doubt he would be," Kanzeon said with a smirk, sashaying forward, "Seeing you would unlock his memories," she said slyly.

Sanzo growled and cocked his gun, "Kuso baba, what did you do to him?"

The Goddess scoffed, "Do? Nothing! Though, seeing as these boys told me about their adventure when they returned to their own time, I made sure when sealing young Goku's memories to leave a loophole that if he saw Konzen, the real Konzen and not you, that the seal could be broken."

"Why in the hell were his memories sealed in the first place, woman?!" Konzen yelled, still clutching the boy protectively to his chest. Gojyo and Hakkai watched the former incarnation of their leader in interest, seeing his interactions with the youngest member of their group. This Konzen was obviously much more open than their Sanzo, and they were getting more and more curious of him.

"Alas, fair mortal, a day shall dawn and still ye shall have no answer…" Tenpou quoted dreamily, staring at his upturned hands and getting strange looks from the rest of the men. Kanzeon Bosatsu just smirked.

"That's about it. I can't tell you guys anything about why you die, why Goku doesn't, or why you all meet up again…but I'll tell you right now everything is your own choices. Better ones couldn't have been made, boys."

Kenren raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "You sure about that one?"

Gojyo took his counterpart's side, "Yeah, I mean, how is it a good choice that would make them end up no longer being gods, and instead sticking us with the shitty ass lives we lead now?"

"Perhaps a certain young man can answer your questions…" Kanzeon said mysteriously, "But for now, I have to go find a way to get you lot home. Have fun now, nephew, and take it easy on the rest of them, hm?" she said as she disappeared in an overly dramatic fashion.

"That explains why she always calls you Konzen, Sanzo…"

The blonde sneered, "I don't give a damn why she does anything, the stupid old bitch. I want to get back on the fucking road and forget any of this shit happened."

"Ano…Sanzo, I don't think that'll be happening right away…"

"Why is that?" Sanzo replied, his sneer deepening.

Gojyo took this time to look around, "Where in the hell is Hakuryu?"

And such was the question of the day.

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"Thank you for coming with me, Goujun," the Goddess of Mercy smiled, patting the small dragon's head, "Now, let's give them all a bit of time to get to know one another before popping back in, hmm?"

--

When Goku finally began coming around, he moaned pitifully. His memories were not clear…it was so jumbled and messy…he remembered seeing a tall blonde…Konzen…and exclaiming over his beauty…pulling long strands. He remembered a messy brunet…Ten-chan…sitting within mounds of books, grinning in a carefree way at Goku's enthusiastic recital of a small book of his own. A tan man with black hair…Ken-nii-chan…smirking and telling soldiers Goku was his secret love child, laughing uproariously at the expressions this statement got him. He also vaguely remembered blood. Death. Pain. He shook his head to free himself from these.

He shifted, vaguely aware that he was lying in someone's lap. He breathed in deeply, trying to identify them…it wasn't Sanzo, but similar…lacking in stale cigarette smoke and gunpowder. Konzen, then. He moaned again and cracked his eyes open, peering up into veiled violet eyes.

"K-Konzen…" he gasped, his head aching from the memories he was still trying to assimilate.

"Hai," the familiar voice said softly, "Better now, saru?"

"I…I think…" he tried to sit up, but pain assaulted his temples, "My head…" he moaned, turning his face and burying it in the soft material of Konzen's top. Long fingers carded through his hair, relaxing the teen marginally. He risked cracking his eyes open once more but stayed lying down, "Where is everyone?" he asked softly.

"Their all near the fire…I thought it might end up too loud for you near there."

Goku smiled and wondered if Sanzo would ever be so considerate. The smile faded quickly. While both men had the same core personality, because of Sanzo's past he had shut himself off from the world…from affection. Konzen, though harsh and moody, had a soft side that he had found easily as a child, spending more days than he was sure Konzen would ever admit to curled in his guardian's lap while he did paperwork. His smiles happened more often, though small they were, and his tone softened often, though only for his charge.

Tenpou and Kenren, too. Neither had the horrors in their pasts that their current incarnations did, and were much more liable to truly laugh and smile, free of pensive moments or hidden pain. Again, their core personalities remained the same, but their lives had shaped them in far different ways.

It broke Goku's heart to know that somehow - he couldn't remember just how yet - these three men would die and their souls suffer. He couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that is was his fault. He hoped it wasn't, but something told him it indeed was.

"Do you remember everything?" Konzen asked suddenly, making Goku jumped. He had gotten rather deep into his thoughts and practically forgot about the blonde.

"No…not really. I remember little things…mostly with you…boring days. Nice boring, though. I remember picnics…and you chasing me through the halls…destroying your paperwork," Konzen snorted rather loudly at this, "A big flower field…so many little moments. But…I can't…"

The fingers that were still playing with his wayward hair cupped his cheek, "Shh, don't push yourself. We shouldn't know anyway, I think. It could change something important."

Golden eyes glared up into amethyst, "How is that bad? Do you know how bad this life is?!"

"Of course not," Konzen scowled, a bit miffed at his charge's defiant attitude.

"I was stuck in a fucking mountain for five hundred years, without knowing why. Stuck in time, in the cold, in the dark…only seeing daylight but never the sun. Gojyo is a hanyou, and always given shit for it. His mom tried to kill him when he was little, just because of that, so he had to watch his brother kill her to save him. Hakkai killed a thousand demons to save the girl he loved, became a demon himself…but she killed herself in front of him. Sanzo…god Sanzo…" Goku's breathing hitched and he closed his eyes, "His master was killed in front of him…and he was out on his own for years. I don't know what he went through, but he's so…cold all the time. He's scared to even have a friend, because if he did he might get hurt again if he lost them," Golden eyes flew open and tears fell from them, "Oh no…oh gods no…"

"Goku?" Konzen said urgently, shaking the younger man slightly in response to the uncontrollable shaking that went through the teen.

"You bastard! You made me watch you die!" he screeched, pushing himself out of Konzen's lap and scooting away, tears still falling down his face. He had attracted the attention of the other five men, who had approached the frantic boy cautiously. Even Sanzo, usually so stoic, was tense as he tried not to go to the young man.

Golden eyes streamed with unnoticed tears, as he stared at Konzen in horror, "I don't know why you were fighting…all three of you…you wouldn't let me help…" Goku continued brokenly, his face twisted in grief, "What in the hell did you think you were doing, Konzen?! You can't fight, damnit! You didn't even have a weapon! Kenren and Tenpou fell so quickly against all those soldiers…no matter how good they were…there were just too many. I pulled your arm, 'Let's go, Konzen!' but you wouldn't listen to me! WHY wouldn't you listen?!"

Goku had begun to rock back and forth now, clutching his arms around himself as if he were cold, "You finally snapped out of it, grabbed my hand, and we were running, running, but you waited too long. They were right behind us. When they caught us, you threw me to the ground, you stupid bastard, and you let them kill you! How was it better for me to live?! Huh?! I had to watch all three of you die and you thought saving me would make it better? I would rather of died!!!"

All the onlookers were shocked at the venom in the earth spirit's voice, the narrowed golden eyes that actually showed their age. Finally, movement, as Sanzo stepped forward. He couldn't help himself. Out of anyone, he understood what his charge was going through now. It was like it had just happened to the monkey, since it was just remembered. Having felt the same emotions for more than a decade, he knew how hurt the young man was and simply went to his knees beside him and buried one hand in the russet hair, Goku immediately latching onto him and burying his face in his robe, "Why? How is this better? How can this much hurt for everybody be better?" he sobbed over and over, barely coherent.

Sanzo glared icily at the source of his pet's pain, the frozen and pale Konzen Douji. The man was swallowing repeatedly, as if his throat would close up if he didn't. He starred in unadulterated horror at his former charge, the idea of the hurt he would someday put the young man through drilling into him. Without a word, Sanzo scooped the sobbing simian into his arms and walked away from the stricken group of men, secluding himself with the monkey so he could risk being a bit less…harsh when the monkey calmed.

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A/N: Weird place to stop, I know, but this was already overly long. Oh well.

I am not happy with this chapter, but this was my fourth rewrite of it, and I give up. :P Next chapter is better. Hehehehehe…its far too fun to have both Gojyo and Kenren in the same place.

Since this story is just cliché crap, I post much more often than my other stories. My good ones I draw out a bit…but ones like this, what's the point really? ;P