Chapter 6: Rubber Ducky
Disclaimer: You already know. *sigh*
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It was bath time! Goku smiled at the thought. It was quite late to be bathing but this was when the saru liked to take his baths. All the monks would have already had theirs by now and the bathing chamber would be empty.
The baths at the temple were more like a cluster of indoor hot springs. They were especially fun to play in and splash around. So Goku got undressed and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then he headed down the hall toward the baths.
He got into the steamy room and wasted no time in doing a cannon ball into the hot water. When he resurfaced he looked around. If any of the monks had seen that he would get in trouble…again. They didn't like him jumping around. As he scanned the room his eyes fell on Sanzo.
Sanzo was leaning against the edge of the tub with his eyes closed. He was breathing deeply and relaxed in a way that showed he was obviously asleep. However, this was not what had caught the saru's attention. Sanzo fell asleep in the bath all the time. Goku had found him in there sleeping most of the times he was looking for him. No, what caught the chibi's attention was a little yellow rubber ducky floating in the water next to Sanzo.
Goku got up out of the water and walked over to the tub that Sanzo was in. quickly he reached over and grabbed the duck. It was yellow with an orange beak. Its black eyes were happy and it was smiling.
Goku squeezed it and it let out a loud squeak that made the saru jump and look over to Sanzo. He had learned that the priest didn't like to be woken from his naps. Luckily, Sanzo slept on, looking peaceful and content in his sleep.
Goku took the ducky back to his tub and started playing with it. He made the ducky zoom through the water and fight off the evil bubble monsters. All the while making sure to keep himself quiet so as to not wake the dangerous sleeping gunman. After a while he scrubbed his body and washed his hair.
He decided once he was done that he would take the ducky with him. Someone must have left it in the tub that Sanzo had gotten into and Sanzo must have been to tired to take it out before he fell asleep. Goku wrapped a dry towel around himself and went back to his room holding his cute new toy.
***
When Goku woke up in the morning the temple was in chaos. The monks were trying to calm Sanzo down who was racing through the temple, tearing things apart in his search for something that he refused to name. "What are ya doin' Sanzo?" Goku asked while his caretaker looked through his dirty laundry.
"I'm looking for something." Sanzo growled out, going to a different place to look.
Goku followed him. "What is it your lookin' for?" he asked. He wanted to help Sanzo find whatever it was. If he found it Sanzo would be happy.
"I'm not looking for anything!" Sanzo snarled.
"Huh? But you just said you were lookin' for something." Goku frowned, confused.
"I am." Sanzo wasn't really listening to the saru as he opened the stove in the kitchen to peer inside before slamming it shut.
"Then what are ya looking for?!" Goku huffed.
"None of your damn business, saru! Go and play or something." Sanzo glared at the chibi.
So Goku just shrugged and went off to his room. He grabbed his sun kite and then reached under his pillow and pulled out his new ducky friend. He had named the ducky Sanzo since it was yellow. He went to the field of flowers and started playing with his toys.
***
Sanzo was furious. Where did the stupid thing go? He didn't really even like the thing but his master had given it to him as a present when he was just three. Damn it, he only had so much from Koumyou Sanzo and that stupid little thing was one of them. He was going to find it no matter what.
***
Goku tied his kite to a stick that he stuck in the ground. It swished and blew in the breeze and Goku would look up at it every now and then while he was picking flowers for Sanzo's desk.
When he had enough flowers he collected his kite and ducky Sanzo and headed home. When he arrived he went strait to Sanzo's office. Sanzo was sitting at his desk, smoking. "Did you find what you were lookin' for, Sanzo?" Goku asked, replacing the wilted flowers in the vase on his desk for the fresh ones.
"No. I'm taking a break." Sanzo took a long drag off his Marlboro.
"If ya told me what you were looking for I could help ya find it." Goku suggested while squeaking the ducky. that's when the duck caught Sanzo's attention. He looked at it with an unusual expression of shock.
"Goku, where did you get that?" he asked calmly.
"I found it in the bath last night. Someone left it in there while you were sleepin'. so I took it with me." Goku explained, squeaking it again.
"You idiot APE!" Sanzo whacked him on the head with the fan-o-doom harshly.
"Ow! What wassat for, Sanzo?" the saru rubbed his, now sore, head.
"You baka, that's mine." Sanzo snapped before he could stop himself.
"This is your ducky, Sanzo?" Goku asked surprised as he held up the duck.
"Hn. It used to be." the priest mumbled, embarrassed.
"Oh. Sorry Sanzo. Here ya go." Goku sat the toy on the desk with a smile.
Seeing how the boy smiled at him and then at the duck reminded Sanzo of how he used to be with his master Koumyou.
**Flashback**
"Kouryuu, come here please." Koumyou had motioned his three-year-old ward over to his side. "I got you a present as an apology for being away for so long." he smiled and held out a brand new rubber ducky.
"Wassat master?" Kouryuu asked with a smile.
"It's a rubber ducky. Its for you to play with in the bath." Koumyou grinned. Kouryuu took the toy and squeezed it, making it squeak. He giggled with a big smile on his face and squeaked it again.
"Thanks you, master." the boy giggled.
"Your very welcome. What are you going to name him?" Koumyou patted his ward on the head, ruffling his golden hair.
"Mr. Quackums!" Kouryuu grinned.
"Mr. Quackums it is." Koumyou laughed.
**End Flashback**
"Alright. I'll leave you alone now Sanzo." Goku grinned, getting up to leave the office.
"Goku." Sanzo's call brought the chibisaru to a halt.
"What?" Goku turned back to his sun.
"Here. You can have it. Its not like I need something like this." Sanzo held out Mr. Quackums.
"Wha-? Really? But its yours, Sanzo." Goku said, looking at the duck and then back to his sun.
"Its alright." Sanzo insisted, putting the thing into the chibi's outstretched hands.
"Thank you, Sanzo!" Goku smiled so big it almost engulfed his entire face.
"Tch. Its nothing. I don't need it." Sanzo looked away and lit up another cigarette.
"Alright! Thanks again." Goku made to run out of the office.
"Hey, where are you going, saru?" Sanzo called.
"I'm gunna take a bath!" Goku called back.
"Ch. Bakasaru." Sanzo mumbled with a slight smile.
**End Chapter**