Chapter Seven: Sunshine Memories
He spent the afternoon and evening wandering again, simply thinking. He saw Gojyo at one point, strolling the streets with a young woman at his elbow and a smile on his face, and elected not to bother the other man. Instead, he simply walked. He stopped at a small stall to get something to eat when he felt hungry. The dumplings he ordered were delicious, and he ordered another batch to take back to his rooms. Night found him with slightly sore feet, which he suspected was due to wearing his new boots the entire day. He shrugged, made his way back to the hotel.
Hakkai, Sanzo and Goku were eating when he returned. Hakkai waved for him to join them. He considered it, but he wasn't hungry. He shook his head and held up the packet of dumplings he'd carried back. Hakkai nodded. Goku spared him a quick glance, then went back to eating. Sanzo never even looked up.
Upstairs in his room, he kicked off the boots and examined his feet. They were a little red in places, but there were no actual blisters. He set the bag of dumplings beside the bed and lay back, stretching out on the sheets with a sigh.
Despite the soreness, he felt...content. Relaxed in a way that he hadn't felt in a very long time, if ever.
He'd never known what human life was like. These...little things. Food and drink and sore feet and companionship and talking and comfort. He'd always held himself above human life. He was the War God Homura, after all.
He was also too tired and too pleasantly contented to give the matter any more serious thought. He ate half the dumplings, then changed into a pair of softer cotton pants and stretched out with a sigh. He fell asleep long before Goku returned to the room.
He slept that night without dreams, awakening to find Goku sprawled out on the bed across the room. It surprised him that he hadn't even roused when the youngster had come to bed. He'd only ever slept like that with Shien and Zenon, and only then after he'd known them for a good half-century or more.
Pounding on the door interrupted his introspection before unease could set in. Pounding, and an irritable shout. "Yo! Wake up and get your asses out of bed!"
Goku seemed oblivious. Homura sighed, then extracted himself from the blankets, just as the pounding came again. "I swear, you lazy punks have five seconds before I..."
"Before you what?" He pulled the door open and offered Gojyo a lazy smile. "Exactly what is it that you think you could do to me, Sha Gojyo?"
To his credit, the red-haired man only smirked. "You might be a god, but nobody sleeps through getting water dumped on their heads. And that's just when I'm feeling nice. I can get a lot more creative."
Hakkai came up the corridor behind him, a bag slung over his shoulder. He offered Homura a pleasant smile. "Much as I hate to say it, he's really not joking. And, of course, Sanzo just shoots people who sleep late. Or hits them with his fan."
"I see. Well, as I'm already awake, such measures aren't necessary." He glanced over his shoulder. "I believe I can wake Son Goku."
"Great. I've started loading the car. You did want to help with that, right?" Homura nodded. "Great. See you at the jeep in fifteen minutes?" Homura nodded again, and the two continued on their way down the hall.
He took a few minutes to change into fresh clothing, and repack the little he'd taken out of his bags, then went to the other bed, deliberately looming over it and lowering his voice to a deep growl. "Son Goku."
Goku blinked. "Wha..." Then he shot bolt upright and jerked back fast enough to slam into the wall. "What the...Homura!" He rubbed sleep from his eyes. "Damn it. You can't just sneak up on someone like that when they're asleep. That's just being a jerk."
Homura shrugged, more amused than he cared to admit. "I told Sha Gojyo I'd wake you. And now..." He grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder. "I suggest you get ready to go, or there may be no breakfast left for you."
"Hey. That's not fair!" Goku scrambled out of bed, diving for his clothes. "You can't be serious."
Homura offered him a smirk. "I suggest you hurry, Son Goku. Or I might just eat it all myself." He let himself out.
"Ah, come on. At least save me a meat bun! Homura!" He found himself chuckling as Goku's whine followed him down the stairs.
"I see you got the blasted monkey awake." Sanzo's voice greeted him as he crossed into the foyer in front of the dining room. The monk was seated at a table by the door, paper open on his knee and a cup of green tea by his elbow
"Indeed. It's hardly difficult." He shrugged and moved to sit next to the monk.
"We're eating on the road. If you want your damned coffee, get it now, because we're not stopping for anything until lunch." Sanzo flipped another page on his paper.
"As you say." He looked around, then blinked as a member of the inn staff came up to him. He requested coffee and cream, and received a large cup only a minute or two later. He stirred in cream and sipped, enjoying the jolt of heat and energy that it brought.
He was halfway done when Goku came bounding into the room. The young man's face fell. "Aw...you guys! You're such jerks! You didn't even save me any meat buns or anything."
"Probably because I didn't order anything. We're eating on the road." Sanzo folded his newspaper with a sigh. "So. Why don't you go help Hakkai and Gojyo pack?"
Goku flopped against the table. "Ah, come on Sanzo! Why do we gotta eat in the jeep? It's crowded. Why can't we eat here?"
"Why? Because we bought a bunch of supplies, and there's no point in letting them go to waste. And because we have a long journey, and we've already spent longer than I planned here. In case you missed it, there are the minor issues of demon rampages and possibly pissed off gods to deal with, and I'm not interested in offering them a sitting target for any longer than I have to. So we're leaving. Within the next half hour. And if you try to hold us up by whining for food, I will either shoot you, or I will leave you here to work off your appetite. Got it?" Sanzo scowled at the monkey.
Goku shrunk in on himself, sulking and muttering. "Jeez. No need to be such a hard ass. All I wanted was a couple of meat buns. And maybe some noodles, and a spring roll or two..."
Sanzo whipped his revolver from a sleeve and pulled the hammer back. "One more word."
Goku pouted. Homura finished the last of his coffee and went outside.
The sun wasn't high, and the air was a little cool. Homura stretched. Even after three or four days, the freedom to stretch without the unwieldy weight of his chains was a delight to him. Being a god, he was fairly impervious to temperature, even drastic changes, but there was something bracing about allowing himself to feel the slight nip in the air, the tug of the light breeze flicking through his hair and over his shoulders, ruffling the loose cloth of the shirt he'd selected for the day.
He strolled around the side of the building and found Hakkai loading the jeep, while Gojyo leaned lounged against the wall and handed him things.
Hakkai grinned as he came out. "Hey. You made it just in time. I think I've got almost everything packed. Here, give me your pack."
Homura did. Hakkai hopped up onto the back of the jeep, rummaging and rearranging things. Homura looked over the tailgate.
A series of cushions lined the center of the flat bed. Bags were stowed carefully on either side. A small box was pressed snugly against the back of the seat. Blankets wrapped over everything on the right, a tarp covered everything on the left, and all of it was secured by a careful arrangement of ties.
Hakkai tucked his pack into an easily accessible spot on the right, with the top flap free of the blanket so it would be easy for him to grab things. "There you go." He hopped back down. "I put the ice box behind the seat...there wasn't quite room for it up front. I'm sorry if it's a little cramped." His smile was a sheepish. "As it turns out, there's only so much adjusting Hakaryuu can do. But...you can use it as a pillow. Or a footrest. Or a table."
"I'm sure it's fine." Homura stepped closer. "If I may?"
"Sure. I was going to ask you to. I mean, we've got a lot of driving to do, so if anything needs to be adjusted, now would be the time. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until lunch." He shrugged. "Of course, things will get moved around as we use the supplies. Speaking of which, if you'll give me a second..." He dove back into the supplies under the tarp, then emerged with three bags of food. "I was supposed to leave out breakfast."
Homura nodded, then jumped, landing lightly on the back of the jeep. He dropped into a cross-legged seat, the unfolded to lean into the narrow, cushioned aisle.
The bed of the jeep hadn't been that uncomfortable to him before. With the cushions, it felt almost luxurious. The space was narrow, and a little confining, but if he sat up he could stretch his arms and legs freely, and even if he chose to lie down and nap, he'd only have to bend his knees. He might have to be cautious changing positions, but that was hardly an inconvenience to him.
Hakkai smirked at him as he stretched out to lean lazily against the cooler. "So...I guess it meets with your approval?"
"It does. I find it quite adequate." He smirked back.
"Good. Then let's get our asses in gear and get on the road. I've settled our tab, so we're good to go as soon as you morons stop standing around." Sanzo had emerged from the inn, followed by a moping Goku. The monk had resumed his holy robes, which looked oddly incongruous with the cigarette he was stubbing out on the wall. "Load up."
Everyone obeyed, even Goku, though the youngster was sullen. Hakkai put the food on the seat, then started the jeep with a gentle pat on the dashboard, and they were off.
Goku waited until they were out of town, driving down the road, before he spoke. "Sanzo...I'm hungry. When's breakfast?"
Sanzo snorted, then tossed him a bag of food. "There. Now eat and shut up."
Goku frowned. "That's not a lot."
"Tough. You can eat more at lunch. But if you don't eat that now, without whining, I'll take it back." Goku curled protectively around the bag. Sanzo's mouth curled in a sardonic little smile. "Thought so."
"Yeah, that's great. I'm all for feeding the monkey to shut him up, but I'm really hoping you have something for the rest of us too, monk."
Sanzo shrugged. He extracted some parcels, wrapped in thin paper of some kind. "Hakkai?"
"I wouldn't say no to a couple of the rolls, and one of those fruit pastries."
Sanzo pulled out a couple more packages, combined what was left in the bags, then tossed it over his shoulder. "You and Homura can share what's left."
"That's great." Gojyo scowled. "You could have shared equally, you tight-fisted bastard."
"Homura had coffee. And you weren't doing anything except pestering Hakkai. If you wanted more, you should have got it before we left."
Gojyo snarled something that was mostly unintelligible, then pulled out a few items and passed the bag to Homura.
Homura opened what was left and found a fruit filled pastry, a spiced meat roll, and one of the cinnamon and sugar dusted things he'd liked so well, as well as a soft roll with a type of honey spread on it. That seemed more than adequate for breakfast to him. He ate, put the wrappings back in the bag as he finished, then sat back against the cooler. His fingers were a bit sticky from the honey and the fruit filling, and he licked at it in an absent-minded fashion.
An hour later, the sun was fully up, and the air was warming up nicely. Outside of town, the scents were no longer of people and livestock, of baking and myriad trade goods. Instead, there was the smell of dirt and earth, grass and sunlight, with the faint tang of warming metal from the jeep. Homura folded his arms back behind his head and leaned back into the packs, enjoying the ability to do so without whacking himself in the face or ear with a weighted chain, and caught the soft scent of clean cotton from the shoulder of his shirt. Tilting his head, he also picked up the heavy scent of the tarp and the more earthy scent of leather, warming under the rising sun.
So much he'd never experienced. Never had the time or inclination to experience. A thousand things that had meant nothing to him as a god, all new and clamoring for his attention.
He spotted patches of flowers growing in the grass beside the road. Small white ones and a few blues and reds as well. Mostly the white ones. He wondered what they were called.
As the War Prince, he'd never had interest in flowers. But Rinrei had. Not that she'd ever been curious about names. Only the shape and the color and the scent of different blossoms. In Heaven, the flowers had been endowed with the basic sameness of everything else, all light colors and delicate odors. Rinrei had loved them nonetheless, but she'd frequently talked of Earthly equivalents, and how beautiful she imagined them to be.
He recalled too, that the Merciful Goddess had frequently been afforded offerings from the Lower World, flowers among them. Rinrei had expressed envy of her sometimes.
Homura had actually dared once to sneak down to Earth and collect a few of the more vibrant blooms. Rinrei had been worried about him risking Heaven's wrath, but delighted with the flowers he gifted her with, particularly the vibrant crimson blooms he had discovered in a rocky valley.
She had kept them with her for as long as she could keep them alive afterward, constantly entranced by their color and their scent.
He'd found the flowers discarded in a rubbish heap after her banishment, after his confinement. Dead and broken, like his heart. Afterward, no flowers had ever had the power to do more than make his heart ache, but he'd burned the memory of those blossoms into his soul.
When he'd tried to create a new Heaven and Earth, his first creation besides the mountains of power had been a field of the flowers she had so loved. A field he'd hoped to someday show her. Or, if that was impossible, to keep as a monument to her memory.
"Hey. Pass me a beer, would ya?"
The words snapped him out of his thoughts, bringing him back with a shock like ice water thrown in his face. He blinked, and found Gojyo looking at him, one hand extended over the back of the seat. The red-haired man cocked a brow at him, mouth curling around a cigarette. "You doin' okay there man? You look a little pale."
"It's...nothing that concerns you. I was just...thinking. And admiring the view." Homura rolled his shoulders and sat up, surprised to find that his knees and hips were a little stiff. "You wanted something?"
"Yeah. A beer from the cooler, if you don't mind." Gojyo flexed his fingers.
There was no reason for him to ignore the request. Homura opened the cooler, pulled out a beer, and handed it off. Gojyo pulled the tab with a loud crack of metal, then tilted his head back and poured the beer in a long stream down his throat, all but inhaling the foaming liquid. Then he dropped his hand with a sigh. "Now that...really hits the spot."
"Indeed." There were more patches of flowers appearing. Homura focused on Gojyo, glad of the distraction, and the fact that the man appeared not to have noticed his melancholy. "Does it help then? During the drive?"
"Sometimes. After a couple days on the road, things can get pretty dull around here. And there's only so much I can tease the monkey without Sanzo getting cranky." Gojyo snorted, indicating Goku, who was slouched in his seat with his eyes closed. "Not that he's all that much fun like this."
"Surely there are other things you can do?"
"Sometimes I read Sanzo's old newspapers. But really, there's nothing to do but sit and watch the world go by. It's not a bad view, but I've always been a bit more action oriented myself. I don't really like to sit still." Gojyo shrugged. "Still...the travel's not bad, and I can put up with the company."
"And the company, surprisingly enough, can put up with you." Sanzo's acidic remark drifted over the seat, and Hakkai snorted in laughter.
Gojyo sneered back. "You were the one who suggested this little road trip, monk."
"Not by choice. Hakkai's the one who wanted to go picnicking with you morons. I just happen to have business to take care of."
"Indeed." Homura blinked. "The four of you always were the most unlikely of companions, but I always thought you were rather close."
"Not really. I keep Goku around because I'm responsible for him. These other two are just idiots who sometimes decide to tag along."
"Actually, I think you're responsible for me too." Hakkai interjected. "And Gojyo tags along because he kind of feels responsible for me. He just doesn't want you to kill me or anything."
"Like I'd waste the effort I put into saving your ass the first time." Sanzo snorted.
"Like I'd leave Hakkai in your hands with your attitude." Gojyo fired the words back. "Damn monk. You'd probably abuse the poor bastard."
"Hey now..."
Sanzo coughed out a noise that might have been a snort or a laugh either one. "Why would I? Hakkai's actually the most tolerable of the three of you. At least he knows when to talk and when to shut up."
"Uh...thank you. I think." Hakkai sighed. "But you know, I'm not exactly helpless. I can take care of myself too, Gojyo."
Gojyo opened his mouth to retort, then paused. Then he sighed. "Yeah. I know. The helpless one's actually the monk."
There was a click, and then Sanzo flipped his hand back over his shoulder, his banishing gun cocked and ready in his hand. "Repeat that again."
Gojyo winced. "No thanks." He slouched down in his seat.
"That's what I thought." The gun disappeared.
Homura watched the exchange in fascination. The words were different, the topics were different, but the gestures, the expressions, the postures...he'd seen it all in Heaven. Tenpou, idly working on this or that, or reading, while Konzen and Kenrin lounged in doorways or benches and sniped at each other.
None of them remembered Heaven, but they seemed to have built a history together somehow. Something every bit as complex and powerful as the dynamic that had united them in Heaven.
He wondered how Sanzo had become responsible for Hakkai. He had always been responsible for Goku, but in Heaven, Tenpou and Kenrin had been independent. They had worked with Konzen as his equals. Something of that air lingered still, making them friends rather than a monk and servants, but there were also undertones, a slight hint of deference in Hakkai that had never been present in Tenpou.
He considered asking, then decided not to. The sun was warm, the air was clean and rich with the scents of earth and cloth, and he had no desire to change the mood with heavy questions. Gojyo had clearly stopped himself from saying something too sharp earlier, and he was of a mind to follow the other man's example. He had three months after all. More than time enough to discover the secrets of their pasts.
There was no tea, and his throat was dry, so he pulled out a beer and popped the can open. He sipped, rather than gulping it down as Gojyo had done, and was forced to agree with the young man. There was something relaxing about drinking a beer and watching the world go by. He passed the red-haired man and Sanzo more drinks, then leaned back to recline against the cooler and stretch his legs out. The cushions had gotten slightly disarranged, and he prodded them back into place with a foot before stretching out.
The rest of the day passed tranquilly enough. They stopped for lunch a few hours later, after coming across a river. Goku woke from his sleep as the jeep pulled to a stop, all nervous energy and growling stomach. Hakkai sent him to gather water, while he prepared a meal of rice and travel meats, and a few vegetables. Homura helped him unload, and helped himself to a honeyed apricot slice in the process. He half expected someone to call him out for raiding the supplies, but Goku was at the river and didn't see him, Hakkai only grinned, and Sanzo didn't seem to care. Gojyo responded by taking a handful of dried vegetables dipped in wasabi. Goku came back while he was eating those, and Hakkai placated him with a meat bun while he prepared lunch, and tea.
Homura would have preferred coffee, but Hakkai explained that the beans had to be ground and the process took longer, so he contented himself with the tea. It wasn't bad, but he thought he might follow Gojyo's example and get a beer next time. Or drink water, like Goku.
Afterward, they cleaned up (he actually helped by assisting Hakkai with the loading and redistribution of supplies) and got back into the jeep. Finding a crossing took some time, given that the road curved to cross a bridge several miles upstream. The delay made Sanzo cranky, for some reason that he couldn't fathom but everyone else seemed to know about, but finally they were turned west again, and the monk quieted down. In fact, he appeared to go to sleep.
Goku and Gojyo picked at each other, tossing insults and jibes back and forth with the low-key enthusiasm of people for whom the fight had gone on so long it was more habit and game than fight. Homura stayed out of it, even when Goku tried to bring him into it. He was too relaxed for sparring, verbal or otherwise.
His time on Earth had always been spent in campaigns or plans of one sort or another, with a rare day off to think or plan. His time in Heaven could never have been described as relaxing, given that even his time with Rinrei had been marked by a lingering fear of the disapproval and punishment of the more powerful gods.
It occurred to him, watching the sky and listening to Goku, Hakkai and Goyjo argue what shapes the clouds made, that he couldn't recall when he'd ever just...relaxed. Sat back and done nothing, thought of nothing, planned nothing. When he'd nothing to fear and nothing to plan.
He'd never had a day of peace like this. He thought he should have felt restless, given his own tendency to seek action, and his previous position as War Prince. But whether it was the weather, his still healing injuries, his amusement with the debates of his fellow travelers, or something else altogether, he found himself completely content. Content to lounge back against the assorted packs, or the cooler, or even the jeep's tailgate. Content to listen, sometimes interject a lazy comment. Content to pass out beers, or the occasional snack to keep Goku from whining too much.
Perhaps it was simply a tranquilizing effect of the warm sunshine and the soft breeze, but he couldn't muster the energy to worry about Heaven, whether they had discovered yet that he was not a chained slave. He couldn't muster the energy to think about what he would do, when his three months were finished, either.
Dusk fell, and Hakkai eventually found a place and pulled over for the night. Homura helped unload the Jeep, then light the cook-fire, which was easy enough with his command of flame. He watched Hakkai prepare the food and, under the young man's supervision, gathered a quantity of coffee beans, which he ground and set aside for the next morning. He collected water for the tea, and actually washed his own dishes afterward, helping Goku with the chore simply to have an excuse to stretch his legs and wash some of the road dust from his face. He'd never concerned himself with dust and dirt before, but he had decided to use his power as little as possible, and he'd gotten a bit dirty. He'd never really liked the feel of grit on his skin, not since his childhood huddled in the dirt of his prison. Besides, the water was cool, and a refreshing contrast to the afternoon warmth that lingered in his skin and his shirt even after the sun had gone down.
He accepted Hakkai's offer of a blanket roll near the fire, and shared out his pillows for everyone to use, which earned him an enthusiastic shout from Goku, a quiet thanks from Gojyo and Hakkai, and a grunt of appreciation from Sanzo. He retired with the others shortly after, knowing they'd be up with the dawn, then lay awake, watching the stars and thinking.
It felt odd, the peace. And yet, it was comfortable. He could honestly say that he'd enjoyed the day, his reaction to the wildflowers aside. A part of him felt as if there was something he should be doing, but whatever it was, he couldn't think of it.
He recalled how Kanzeon Bosatsu had suggested he simply sit back and enjoy the ride while it lasted. He was still wary of the goddess, but it seemed her advice was sound.
So then. He would enjoy the days as they passed. And when the time came, when Heaven took him or Son Goku ended his life, he would take with him these memories, of sunlight and peace and gentle squabbles. Something that would counter the memories of darkness and cruelty and war that were almost all he had known of Heaven. Something other than the memories of Rinrei that had so long tormented him.
Decision made, Homura sighed, and allowed himself to relax into sleep.
Author's Note: So...Homura's really settling in.
Next time...Homura discovers some of the rougher sides of traveling with the Sanzo party, and has a conversation he doesn't expect to have.