Chapter 6: A Command to the West
Goku's birthday was around the corner. Hakkai could hardly believe the boy was nearing eleven years of age. And he could not wait either. The last time the boy visited them, Hakkai had learned something new: the joy of having a child in the house.
Hakkai could hardly believe that two years has passed since he met the boy. Even Gojyo looked forward for the occasional visits. The red head liked it when the boy called him 'ni-chan', a typical term for 'big brother'. Hakkai remembered the look on Gojyo's face when Goku first called him 'anu-we', which was the formal term for 'older sibling', upon which the red head then asked the boy to call him 'ni-chan' instead.
A small breeze played with his black hair as he opened the window of the house he had been living in, with Gojyo. For some reason, he smiled more often now. He was happy. I guess I've learned to move on, Hakkai thought to himself.
In the other side of the house, Gojyo was taking out the trash. The same wind that caressed Hakkai played with his long red hair. This cool breeze reminded him of a certain young boy he had spent Christmas with, playing snowball wars and having a good time. Goku's eleventh birthday was near, he knew. It seemed only yesterday he himself was eleven. The red head looked towards the direction to Chang-an Temple. The sun had long risen from that certain direction. If there was one thing Gojyo admired about Goku, it was the fact that the boy was true to himself.
Both he and Hakkai could see the eternal sunshine in those golden eyes. They could not wait to see the boy again. He had helped them create new and wonderful memories. In a way, they were envious of Goku, because the boy found the meaning of happiness far earlier than they did. But they were happy for him, just the same; they would have hated to see the boy suffer a fate similar to theirs.
Gojyo wondered if it was the boy that kept serious Sanzo alive throughout the years they travelled.
Said monk seemed to hear his musings as he looked out of the window and high into the bright blue sky where birds of many names often caught his eye. He had been wondering about how he had survived for the past eleven years – and raising a little monkey at the same time. He believed it was Goku's innocence which he had been trying to protect. Right now he wondered if it was Goku's innocence that protected him.
He knew the boy was turning eleven this year. Wait... ELEVEN?
Sanzo sighed. Wasn't he eleven when he found Goku?
The monk was rather surprised how much time has passed since Goku came into his life. Nine years now since they had left Kinzan Temple.
"Oi saru!" he heard Yao laugh, "Don't make me tickle you!"
"No!" Goku yelled back, running, "No tickles!"
Sanzo chuckled at the sight.
Now that he thought about it, it has been slightly over two years since Sanzo and Goku became friends with Hakkai and Gojyo. It was near the end of the year, to be specific, and Goku, like most his, age was growing older.
As Goku grew older, he grew stronger with his martial arts. The growth spurt was taking its time to arise as he was still very small. A recent memory played in his mind then.
It was the last day of their Christmas holiday, at the inn with Hakkai and Gojyo. And a lunch of Sukiyaki. He was having tea with the elder two when he looked towards Goku who was playing with Hakuryu. "If anything happened to me, would you guys take care of him?" he asked.
"Sanzo," said Hakkai, "You needn't worry about Goku. He's not only got us, Yao is here as well." "And you know as well as we do that Yao would rather bite his tongue off than let anything bad happen to Goku," Gojyo added. It did not help Sanzo's worrying but he relieved to know that Hakkai and Gojyo were willing to take the boy in should anything happen to him. The boy could take care of himself... but who would be there for him?
Again he sighed. Just that morning, he had been sent for by the Sanbutsushin.
He bowed before them for another mission. It was not like the other missions; some of them were deadly, true, but this one requires more than a human monk with a banishing gun.
Someone was trying to revive the Bull Youkai King, Gyuu Maoh. They are also using the forbidden combination youjutsu and advanced science. He had remembered asking Koumyo Sanzo why it was forbidden. The late Sanzo priest shrugged and answered, "No knows what would happen." Sanzo, Kouryu then, had been at Koumyo's side long enough to understand that it was not a favourite subject. He understood by the tone in Koumyo's voice that it was better to keep quiet rather than to talk about it. He also discovered that people, in general, are afraid of abnormality because they do not what happens when strange things or people appear.
Goku never knew that he was more abnormal than he thought. Sanzo hoped the boy never would.
The priest also knew that Gyuu Maoh was defeated by War Prince Nataku five hundred years before. For some reason the very thought of Gyuu Maoh made the image of his gentle ward appear in his mind. Why did he suddenly think about Goku then?
"Genjo Sanzo," they commanded, bringing him back to reality, "We ask you to journey west with your three companions: Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojyo and Son Goku."
"Great Ones," said Sanzo, "I have a question about this, particularly concerning the child, Son Goku." The Sanbutsushin were quiet, allowing the monk to speak. "Why bring him?" asked Sanzo, "He is just a child. Too young to experience the difficulties outside. Even if I were to protect him, he will still get hurt."
"You should know by now that he is the fabled Monkey King," said the Sanbutsushin on the right. "Yes, I do," Sanzo agreed, "Does this have anything to do with his past apart from the fact that he was born from stone on the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers? At this stage, he is still a child."
"That may be," the left Sanbutsushin replied, "If you remember, we gave him a flute just over four years ago." Indeed, Sanzo remembered that flute. It was not the first time Goku played a harmless tune on it. Harmless, because disaster hardly happened whenever the flute was blown.
"What about that flute?"
"He will have to discover himself," they told him, "That flute was specifically a gift from Kanzeon Bosatsu. As is this command to journey west with these three companions of yours."
"Kanzeon Bosatsu," Sanzo murmured. The priest knew she was the Kami of Mercy. He did not understand why but he had always felt as if he knew and had used that name long before it had reached his ears. He often begged to differ at the idea of that particular Kami being merciful, thinking if she was all that merciful, she would have fixed things a long time ago. His favourite nickname for her was: darned hag. He would have used 'damned' were Goku not a kid.
But for some reason or another, she seemed to appreciate it.
There was nothing to do now except to follow the orders. Somehow or another, this made Sanzo wonder whether it would test Goku's independence. After all, the boy was reaching his eleventh year. And Sanzo was thirteen before independence was forced upon him.
As he left the temple of the Setting Sun, Sanzo looked up to the heavens. "What made me think of that?" he said to himself. He had no doubts about the boy. Goku's maturity exceeded his age, and he was strong with his martial arts. Goku's birthday was near too. And it could possibly mean that the next few years of having a birthday on the road with no presents. Sanzo thought back on the last two years when he was Kouryu. Goku was constantly bottle fed then.
Goku was truly vulnerable at the time. There was not a single rocking chair in the Kinzan temple, so Kouryu had to improvise. He was thankful that master Sanzo had not thrown away his own baby things.
He now watched Goku with Yao. It was near sunset.
"Gomenasai, Goku," he murmured, watching as Yao finally caught the boy and tickled him. The boys laughter could be heard from all over the temple.
He knew Goku would be sad without Yao there with him. Yao himself would be sad if Goku travelled away, but this was an order from the Sanbutsushin. The youkai were becoming mindless as well. How far the Minus Wave reached, no one knew. Yao would be the man to run the temple for awhile.
When the young monk was not playing Goku, he would do his chores and take them seriously. He ensured the other monks were doing the same, and strictly as well. Whoever so much as to taunt Goku for being a heretic behind Sanzo's back did not get very far if Yao knew about it.
It was going to be tonight that they find out. Goku was to travel with him next day to see Hakkai and Gojyo, and find out the source of the Minus Wave, and Yao was to stay and be head of the temple. Hoping he was doing the right thing, Sanzo decided that he would tell them what the Sanbutsushin had commanded.
It was a command to the West. And it seemed to a test.
The birds sang cheerfully the next morning as Sanzo waited for Goku and Yao at the temple gates. They both took the announcement better than he had expected. Though he heard the boy crying for about an hour soon after they went to bed. Knowing Goku wanted to be alone, Sanzo made no move from his own bed. Just being in the same room was enough.
"Watch over the temple while I'm gone Yao," Sanzo had said, "I may be gone for awhile."
"Yes Master," Yao bowed, he turned to the boy then, "Goku?"
"Yes, Yao?"
The monk bent down towards the twelve year old. "I've got one last magic trick for you." From behind him, he took out a loop of string which was in a tangle, Yao untangled it within three minutes while getting his own fingers strung.
Goku laughed. "Something to keep you from getting bored," Yao explained.
"Sankyu, na," said Goku. Yao smiled as he waved goodbye to them both.
Goku carried a pack of clothes and food, wearing blue jeans, brown boots and a short sleeved green oriental shirt. Sanzo hoped he would not mistaken Goku for a tree. When he told Goku this, the boy reprimanded jokingly, "You once mistaken a monkey for me."
Sanzo gave his ward a look of annoyance and rolled his eyes, muttering, "Tell anyone about that incident, it's going to be monkey brains for dinner tomorrow night." Goku just laughed, thinking about the incident.
Sanzo was walking under some trees in a forest while looking for Goku after defeating another raid of bandits. He looked up and saw a short length of brown hair. The light was dim, and thinking it was Goku, Sanzo pulled on the brown hair.
"Uh... Sanzo," said Goku who had sneaked behind him, "what are you doing?"
The length of brown slipped away from Sanzo's hand as he looked at his ward. He felt a cold tingle up his spine then. "If you're here..." he stated, "then..." they both looked up. A band of angry monkeys were looking down at them.
"Should we run?" Goku asked.
"Definitely," his master replied. Within five seconds, clouds of dust were followed by a stampede of angry monkeys. "This is so not cool!" Goku yelled.1
"Sanzo!" Goku warned snapping the priest out of his musings. Sanzo looked up and found a couple of youkais coming down on them. Goku was ready with his staff in hand, instantly killing one of them where Sanzo shot the other with his gun. It was then Sanzo found that he had become careless. When Goku landed beside him they found themselves in a circle of youkai.
Goku noticed the insanity in their eyes. "Uh... Sanzo," he asked, trying to keep fear away from his voice, " w...what's wrong with them?"
"Their insanity from the Minus Wave," explained Sanzo, "And have joined Gyuu Maoh,"
"The Fool Youkai King?" Goku asked again.
The only sound that could be heard then were the chirping crickets.
"Goku," said Sanzo, trying to hold back a laugh.
"Yes, S...Sanzo?" said Goku, uncomfortable with the scene.
"You've just insulted them."
"Oops..." said Goku.
"DIE BRAT!" a youkai shouted. A crescent blade attached to a chain went through all of the youkai that aimed at Goku and Sanzo, disintegrating them.
"Well, well, well," laughed a voice, "What a coincidence, we were coming to visit and you
Sanzo and Goku looked up to find Hakkai and Gojyo, with Hakuryu.
"Hey, guys!" Goku yelled.
"Long time no see, kiddo," Hakkai called as he and Gojyo jumped from the ledge.
"I see your troubles are no different from our own, eh chibi saru?" Gojyo joked, giving Goku a noogie. "Ni-chan," Goku protested, "I'm taller than last time."
"I'm guessing you had trouble as well?" Sanzo asked Hakkai.
"Yes," said Hakkai, turning towards the monk, "It seems, for now, Goku, Gojyo and I are the only... ones who have managed to keep sane. And there was this dark wave that went with the insanity." He then whipped around and released a chi blast to the next youkai surprise attack. Goku and Gojyo saw that now was not the time to have a reunion party, fought off the insane youkais as well.
As Sanzo watched them he reminisced on another advice the Sanbutsushin gave him: to look at the road ahead of him through the eyes of his heart. This was among the things they meant, to see with his heart. Watching them fight, Sanzo knew then that they were the ones to do the job, no one else can do it.
To look through the eyes of my heart, Sanzo thought again.
As the last of the youkais disintegrated, Sanzo called them, "Goku, Hakkai, Gojyo..."
They looked at him expectantly, knowing what they were in for before he even told them.
"We're going West," he stated.
Author's note: Sorry it took so long, very busy two months