Chapter Four

Even after Goku gobbled up all the paid food, he did not show any appreciation for the burgundy-haired fighter. Sanzo frowned at that. He began to open his mouth to demand a thank you from the monkey's mouth. Wait, why would he even care?

"My treat," Kougaiji said as Goku swallowed a whole bottle of deep red liquid that Sanzo did not know about its properties. "Hey Goku, remember the time when Sanzo and the other guys' memories were taken away from the village lady?"

"Oh yeah! Thanks to you. I wouldn't be able to get through without your help. I was impressed by the powers that you emitted to break through the sound barrier," Goku recalled, his face brightened. "You came and said to all of your comrades, 'What are you doing?' and then you looked at me and was like 'Something has happened, hasn't it?' I told you I owe you, didn't I?"

Kougaiji grinned at that.

"Oh man," Goku looked down at his empty plate, putting his finger in his mouth, "I really owe you much."

"It's alright."

//What the hell is going on? They're being friendly.//

"Didn't you try to beat each other up a while ago?" Sanzo dryly observed. He couldn't help but to feel a pint of jealousy that they could bind easily, even in opposition. "Speak up, prince."

Kougaiji looked at Sanzo seriously. "Like I said, I prefer to talk you alone."

"You wasted a lot of my time. You know we cannot stay long. Now speak up," Sanzo said, narrowing his amethyst eyes, "Besides the monkey is too stupid to listen."

"Huh? Hey!"

Kougaiji turned to face Goku again. "Hey, Goku. Since you're in Sanzo-Ikkou, I really hope you will use your skills that you have used against me to achieve your goals. You're a better fighter than I."

//Bullshit.// Sanzo refused to believe that. He defeated Seiten Tasei himself. If he could do it, Kougaiji could do it too. Why Sanzo felt the need to knock some sense of balance into them? Why being better than one another was so important to them? It bothered him.

"What… you're a good fighter too!" the crazed brunet claimed. Sanzo was more than anticipated to agree but kept that bottled up instead. "Don't you have a goal?"

Kougaiji sighed. "Let just say… I've changed my plans. Remember what you said to me, Sanzo?"

WTF was what Sanzo was thinking.

Kougaiji had to refresh the blond's memory. He began, "Get over it…your

((…mother is obviously dead. So, stop crying.," Sanzo said in a tedious voice. "It is a complete waste of time."

"Y-You don't know what it is like to have mother—"

"Shut up."

"…"

"Just shut up." Sanzo said, getting very grateful that he never had the chance to grow up with parents. "Everyone dies. Accept it. I don't want to hear any of your crap. Your fucking dead mother isn't any of my concern, however… You get in my way. You Die." ))

Of course, these words sent spikes of pain through Kougaiji's heart. There were enough to shatter. Tears had sprung to his violet eyes. But even the prince, like everyone else, had to learn it the hard way sometimes. Loved ones die.

"I realized you were right," Kougaiji said, "She was dead enough. There was nothing I could do. If it means taking Maten Sculpture from you, I won't do it. Not after I started to get to know you."

//What? Started to know me? What the fuck is this gibberish?// Sanzo thought, taken by this.

//I hope I said the right thing.// Kougaiji wondered as he read Sanzo's neutral facial expression.

Sanzo stood up, throwing back the chair and backslapped hard across Kougaiji's face, It was about the 50th time he had slapped someone. First was out of the party. "Fool! You don't know a slightest thing about me."

"Then, let me know you!" Kougaiji replied quickly, even though he was dumbfounded by his reaction. He didn't know exactly what they were talking about at the moment. Did he misunderstand something? Maybe what he said wasn't clear and personal. Was there something missing?

Sanzo swallowed hard and clenched his fists in anger. He saw Kougaiji in a different way, more like… he was nothing now. Like the prince lost his dignity that he worked so hard to build. What happened to the old Kougaiji? Sanzo wanted to spit at him out of despite. But only he didn't want to. He placed a hard vice-like grip on Kougaiji's wrist and started to drag him out. "Wait!"

"Sanzo!"

//Shit. He is REALLY taking this personally.// Kougaiji thought hastily. Sanzo wasn't supposed to.

"Goku, go back to the inn."

Sanzo led him around the back of the building and shoved his body against the wall. He threw a punch at his face to release some of his anger. Of course, Kougaiji let him. A punch was nothing to him. He expected it for some reason and fell to the dirty ground. He sat there, looking up to the priest.

"Who asked you to do that?" Sanzo asked, lowering his body to face Kougaiji. He placed his palm beside his long ear against the wall. "You had every opportunity you could have and you yourself just destroyed it. Doing this… did you think it would make me a happy?"

Kougaiji glared at him. At the same time, he was questioning the blond on what was so upsetting about what he had said back there.

"Here I am, for your fleeting moment. I have the Maten Sculpture. Why don't you fight for it? Fight me, get it, and save your—"

"It takes a lot more than just a single fucking sculpture! Besides, why do you fucking care!" Kougaiji shouted. He was this close to wrap his hands around the priest's lovely neck and maybe, take a bite of his sweet flesh.

//Sweet?//

"Because you gave up because of what I said. That is pathetic."

Kougaiji growled and looked away.

"When you were fighting Goku for the first time, didn't you say that you wouldn't give up? That is why you're who you are today, Kougaiji." Sanzo's voice became softer. He fell to sit next to Kougaiji, placing his elbows on his knees and sighed, "I said a lot of shit I shouldn't have said but you can't just give up…because. God. Fucking. Damnit. You're so weak. For a moment there, I thought I'd respect you."

//There's no one I would respect… The only man I respected was… no…// Sanzo shut his eyes from the memory of Koumyou Sanzo's face.

"Life is too short to repeat the same stupid experiences again and again…" Pain in his heart started to swell. The prince sniveled at it, regarding his encounters with the Sanzo-Ikkou and Goku.

"Life is too short to try and tell other people what is a waste of their time," Sanzo replied, pretending not to notice his glossy eyes. He said this because he wanted to show him apologies but he would never know if Kougaiji understood his ways.

"I'm sorry," Kougaiji whispered after a silence. "But, I have been deceived by these who used me as a puppet. They tell me they can revive her but after what you've told me, when I looked at her, I just couldn't see it happening."

"……"

"Like I said, I have set a different goal. And I'm okay with that. I'm just letting go of some things. I will come to deal with these issues later."

"Shit. I need a cigarette," Sanzo mumbled, taking out his pack. He then tried to oppress his laughter from the outcome that was made and succeeded. He cracked a smile though. What were the odds of having Sanzo and Kougaiji sitting out there, having a meaningful talk?

"Thank you for telling me how you feel."

"Shut up." Sanzo inhaled his cigarette, avoiding any eye contact. Kougaiji smiled at that. The priest also wanted to change the subject, "How'd you find us?"

"Don't you think it is about time that I've found your pattern?"

"Hn…"

"……"

"……"

"Someday, I want you to defeat Goku."

Kougaiji blinked. That came out of nowhere. He looked at Sanzo's face for any clue of confirmation. Did he really mean that? His heart started to move a rhythm of excitement and also, a relief. "Sanzo..."

"You better set that as your goal, pretty boy."

Kougaiji smiled. After a while, he had to disappear. He wouldn't want his alchemist to worry too much. He placed his palms against the wall to crawl from the sitting position. He stood up but just as he was about to leave, Sanzo brought up another matter.

"Hey? What happened to your earrings?"

"Huh?" Kougaiji glanced at him, wondering if he had heard him correctly, "M-my stepmother ripped them off my ears and broke them. 'Said she didn't like me wearing things that remind her of my true mother."

Sanzo nodded with understanding and took a long suck of his cigarette between his fingers. Kougaiji was still standing there while the other let the smoke float out of his mouth. He could tell that the prince wanted to ask why would Sanzo ask that kind of question. Sighing, he said, "Don't even ask."

With that, Kougaiji departed to his ruby, flying dragon which had been feeding on the rich fields nearby.