King Rat, No Mercy

Author Notes: It's been a long week. I need me some story time.

Review response time!

D-chan: I agree with you- they totally are. Sanzo is probably just attuned like that.

Dragon77: I'm sorry if you've been confused by recent in-story events. Is there anything I can clear up for you?

RodiSquall: I actually have begun to like Hakkai more and more the more I write him. I seem to do that! Not that I didn't like him before, but it's fun when I can have him shed that smile for a smirk and have him give someone a verbal wallop. Oddly enough, they've mostly been aimed at Sanzo thus far, at least in this tale, and I don't think that's changing anytime soon. ("You're sleeping with my sort-of adopted brother-slash-roommate-slash-heterosexual life partner. I'm going to kick you around until you shape up.")

Disclaimer: Still not mine, has not been, will not be. Aka and Ryuji are and will remain such.

10: I Would, For You

(Suggested Track: "Uninvited," Alanis Morissette)

Gojyo willingly held his hands out for the guard to cuff his wrists. He had stood waiting by the door for an hour after Ryuji finally fell asleep, sure they would come for him but not sure when. He had spent most of the past hour trying to stare through the wall, deep in focus, willing the thrashing heart inside of him to stop. It hadn't, it wouldn't. He had begged and pleaded with it, not understanding what could have been inside of him, not knowing what it was doing to Ryuji, only wanting it to stop, but it had a will of its own. It very clearly wanted to live, and this was the one time Gojyo couldn't allow that.

But now, in chains again, he walked to the "interrogation" room, one guard in front of him and one behind him, and tried to push it all from his mind. He knew he'd made an offer, and even if he hadn't heard a direct response, he knew it had been accepted. He had to pay the piper. The door opened, and the guard unlocked the cuffs on his hands. He looked the guard up and down, but the second he took a step to pass him, the guard grabbed his shoulder and pinched the nerve. Gojyo flinched and seized up in pain.

"You don't learn, do you?" That sly, bored voice sounded from behind him, and he was shoved into the room. The door slammed the second his toes crossed the threshold, and he was in the darkness. Candles were lit, and the room smelled strongly of smoke. Sanzo was sitting on the table, dangling his long legs over the edge. His slow smirk stretched and warped his stiff cheeks. "You're looking... well."

"Yeah, whatever," Gojyo growled. "I know you want me to uphold my end of our bargain."

"Our bargain? Whatever do you mean?" Sanzo slid off the table, his bare feet landing softly on the ground. Gojyo's spine went rigid- the very sound of his footfalls made his stomach ache.

"You gave me food. It shut my hunger up. I'm thankful for that. You asked me to let you touch me." He spat the words out. "Just do it."

"Ah, so you're asking me to touch you now? Impatient, aren't we?" Sanzo reached out and batted one of Gojyo's long bangs from his eyes, but Gojyo turned his head away.

"You're twisting my words," Gojyo growled. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Must you be so formal? I've seen you naked, after all," Sanzo smirked, but Gojyo's insides revolted at the sound of that. He whirled back to Sanzo, his lips curled in disgust.

"You son of a bitch- you took my clothes-"

"You usually take your own clothes off when we fuck, you idiot," Sanzo snapped, clearly looking miffed at the accusation. "I have never done anything you haven't allowed me to do."

"Fine, fine, I just want to be sure as hell you haven't touched me in the last three days." Gojyo folded his arms tight around his chest. He was sweating again, but his skin felt frigid even to him.

"Let's change that." The smirk crept back onto Sanzo's face, as he slowly drew closer to Gojyo. "I'll be gentle. All I want you to do is hold very still. Don't pull back from me. Don't flinch. Just try to enjoy it."

"Fine," Gojyo muttered, and he shut his eyes. He could feel his body swaying slightly, unsteady. He realized how weak his legs felt. He sensed Sanzo slip behind him, faster than a summer cold, slicker than a Hong Kong businessman. Sanzo's thin fingers landed on his back, slowly tracing their way to his hips. He could feel his close-cut fingernails dragging on the skin, and a chill ran down his legs. His fingers crept onto his swollen belly, his palms resting on his sides and his fingertips resting near his navel. His hands felt electric, and the charge shook everything inside of him. The second heartbeat he'd been feeling sped up, and his own heart was all but imploding in panic. Gojyo wanted to shove Sanzo's hands off of him, he wanted to scream for help, he wanted to ram his way through the wall and run until his legs eroded to stumps, but he had to hold his word and he didn't know where he could even run.

"Your skin is so soft," Sanzo whispered in his ear. His hot breath made Gojyo feel woozy. "It's so tender when it's been stretched out like this. I can't help but imagine what you feel like on the inside. Won't you let me try it?"

"What are you doing to me?" Gojyo whispered, trying as hard as he could not to vomit, trying to forget what he'd just said. "You know I can't do anything, you know I'm powerless, why are you taking advantage of me?"

"Don't be silly. You asked for this." Sanzo caressed the bottom of his belly, his pinkies brushing the space above the apex of his legs. "There's a way you can be happy. You've been offered an out, you know. You could take it any time and you'd be a happy man. You'd have everything you asked for—"

"And be in the thrall of an insane asshole?" Gojyo finally found enough of his wits to stiffen his body again. He realized he'd started to turn to clay, but he forced himself to be stone. Sanzo drew his hands away, and Gojyo felt his back and legs tense up. The atmosphere was thick, like lightning was ready to strike, and then it did. He felt a fist land in the back of his head, and he crumpled to the ground in a heap. It hadn't hurt too much, but he knew it better to fall than to keep taking hits.

"You're not very much for keeping your word, are you?" Sanzo put his hands on his hips, glowering down at Gojyo.

"You touched me," Gojyo muttered, and he pushed himself up, locking his elbows to keep himself upright. "I kept my end up, you kept yours."

"But don't you want more from me? I could feel your body, I could feel how much you wanted more from me," Sanzo taunted, his glare shifting into a cold smirk.

"Not you. No. I don't want you. I don't want you at all." Gojyo sat on his knees, and began to shake. The ache from the hit finally began to set in, and his head hurt badly. "I want to leave."

"Why? Isn't it your fault you're here in the first place?" Sanzo smirked as Gojyo grimaced. "It was all you, after all. You insisted on staying in that ruined section of wasteland. You touched the seal, and we all fell in to try and save you. Goku would never say anything but he probably thought the same, and he probably rued you til his last breath. Hakkai realized it quickly, he gave up on you faster than a blink. That's how it always happens to you, isn't it? The second someone realizes how worthless you are, they give up on you." Gojyo was silent. The blood was gone from his knuckles. Sanzo took the familiar bottle off the table and held it out to him. "Perhaps you'd rather forget I said that." Gojyo snatched the bottle away from him and gulped half of its contents down. He had a chance to taste it more fully this time- it was bitter, with a hint of sweet and sour, like rotten ginger. He felt weak as Sanzo turned away from him, and slumped forward. Sleep swallowed him as he saw light blaze in from the open door.

"Go out and play, guys!" Kenren's smiling face met Gojyo's eyes. He vaguely remembered waking up to a terrible breakfast of overcooked rice and runny eggs, and saw that he and Aka were being herded out the door of Kenren's little abode, past a chuckling Field Marshall Tenpou waiting on the threshold. "Me and Tenpou here have to talk big kid business for a few minutes."

"Nothing bad about you boys, I assure you," Tenpou added chipperly, and winked at the boys. "Here, since I'm sure Kenren hasn't gone shopping yet, I got you a present." He held out a black-and-white spotted ball. "Do you boys know what to do with this?"

"Of course I do!" Ryuji snapped, and snatched the ball from Tenpou's hands. Tenpou laughed again, and Kenren waved to the boys.

"Stay in front of the house! I'll be right inside if you need me." He shut the door, and Ryuji grumbled and dropped the ball on the ground. Aka chewed his index finger.

"Brother, what do we do with that thing?"

"Don't play dumb; you kick it." He kicked it with the side of his foot against the wall of the house, and it bounced back to him. "Just like the kids back in the town near the monastery." He kicked it and caught it with his knee, bouncing it back and forth against the wall. "See? Easy."

"I don't remember anything like that. You sound annoyed. Is something wrong?" Aka mumbled, shuffling his feet.

"I slept wrong." Ryuji kicked the ball harder. It almost hit him in the head, but he caught it.

"Is it 'cause you don't like General Kenren?"

"Did I say I don't like him?!" Ryuji snapped as he kicked the ball into the air. It bounced off the roof and dropped back down to the ground beside him.

"You just seem really upset, is all." Aka looked at his feet. Ryuji snorted under his breath. He picked the ball up and tossed it to Aka, who fumbled with it before getting a grip on it.

"You try it." Ryuji folded his arms and leaned against the wall. Aka began to throw the ball up in the air and catch it, getting a feel for its weight. He tried to listen through the window to Kenren and Tenpou's conversation, and managed to catch a few snippets of it around the ebb and flow of their voices:

"... emotionally stunted... you took them here instead of the barracks..."

"... just a couple of kids. It's been less than a day, you gotta give me more time."

"... Lord Goujun... train with the other soldiers..."

"... about Ryuji. I'm worried..."

"Ryuji?" Aka looked at him, ball in hand.

"Eh?" Ryuji turned his focus back to Aka.

"You shouldn't eavesdrop," Aka reprimanded him timidly. Ryuji scoffed, and Aka sighed. "Guess it's okay to kick it..." He tossed the ball up and tried to kick it with the bottom of his foot as it fell. He missed, but Ryuji frowned.

"Uh, bro, that's not-" Aka ignored him, grinning a wide, teeth-shown grin and shaking his head.

"One more try!" Aka tossed it again, and this time landed a side kick squarely in the center of the ball. Ryuji watched, stunned, as the ball zipped across the street and was stopped between a man's hands, only a millimeter from his nose.

"Ah!" The man looked appalled, gripping the ball in his thin fingers, and both boys quaked as they got a good look at his scowling face. "Who threw this?" He demanded angrily, glaring around slowly. The few others out on the street quickly scurried out of the way, but he fixed his gaze on them. "Then which one?" His dark gaze settled on Aka. "You." He strode up to the pair, and Aka shrunk back behind Ryuji, leaning around his shoulder as the tall, thin man with long fingernails and whiteless eyes. He dropped the ball at their feet. "You must be Kenren's new charges. Have you no respect for your superiors?"

"Who're you?" Ryuji demanded. Even if the man glowering down at them did have scales and horns and the eyes of a youkai, he had no intention of letting him talk to Aka with that look on his face.

"You mean you don't know? Not even a guess? I am the Lord of your army, boy." Ryuji and Aka's bemused looks betrayed their ignorance. "Lord Goujun, the Dragon of the West." His brow wrinkled as he sneered at Aka. "And your heretic friend here clearly doesn't know not to insult your superior."

"Heretic?" Ryuji growled. Aka's eyes widened, his body suddenly quivering with panic.

"I'm sorry, Lord Goujun sir, I was just trying to kick the ball like Tenpou wanted me to, I didn't see you-"

"You don't talk to my brother like that!" Ryuji exploded. Gojyo's gut sank through his spine- You dumb kid, what are you thinking? "He's not a heretic, he loves the Gods as much as anyone else!"

"Hold your tongue!" Goujun snapped.

"It's because he looks different, right?" Ryuji's whole body began to shake, his hair standing on end. "Everyone looks at us and they think- they know- he's a heretic and I'm not. I don't understand you people! We look almost the same! I'm a heretic as much as he is, and I'm not going to let some pompous jerk who calls himself a Lord talk down to my baby brother!"

"Brother?" Goujun repeated, and scoffed. Gojyo could tell he was resisting the urge to sink to the boys' level. "Anyone with clear eyes can see that he's a hanyou, and you're not. Whoever told you two you were brothers has perpetrated a grievous wrong against you. Allow me to right that wrong-"

"Shut up, you bastard!" Ryuji screamed, his voice cracking. "We are brothers! We look almost the same! Shut your ugly mouth, or I'll kick your ass!"

Goujun wound his hand back, and Gojyo wanted to flinch, but the door to the house slammed open. Kenren rushed out, shoved Ryuji and Aka back three paces, and stood before Goujun in the exact spot where Ryuji had stood. Goujun bared his teeth. "General Kenren, what is the meaning of this?"

"Continue please, sir," Kenren whispered, rage poorly hidden behind a completely serious mask. He continued, a few decibels louder, "You were going to punish me for insubordination and disrespectful behavior towards a superior officer."

"Are you offering to take his punishment?" Goujun asked icily. Kenren shook his head.

"It's not his punishment at all. It's mine. They are my charges, I am responsible for his actions." He glanced at them, then back at Goujun. "Will this require a formal reprimand, or just public humiliation?" Kenren was trying to appear as calm as possible, though his fists shook at his sides with withheld anger and he couldn't look Goujun in the eyes. Goujun seemed to be regaining his composure.

"Forty lashes should suffice," he muttered after a moment of thought. "Come on, then." He whirled on his heel and began to walk away, and Kenren offered the boys a quick grin before following.

"I'm very sorry for my words, sir, I really should know better."

"Hold your tongue. I don't want to hear it." Aka and Ryuji were frozen in place, watching Goujun and Kenren's retreat, until a hand touched each of their shoulders.

"Come along, boys," Tenpou said, in his usual, relaxed tone, "You must at least watch." Neither of them had heard Tenpou come out of the house, too fixated on Kenren and Goujun. Both boys were still, until Aka thought to pick up the ball and held it out to Tenpou, head bowed.

"I'm sorry. I misused your present, and I caused all this trouble." Aka was near tears, but Tenpou rubbed his head, took the ball, and set it down against the wall.

"It's not your fault. You meant no harm." Tenpou's words may have softened the blow on Aka's heart, but they stabbed Ryuji in the gut. Silent, the boys followed Tenpou down the path towards the barracks. Ryuji reached his right hand out to grab Aka's left, and the two clasped hands tight all the way down the sidewalk.

A crowd of soldiers had made their way to the parade grounds, forming a large circle around Kenren. Kenren was on his knees, his chest bare. Goujun selected one of the soldiers, handed him a coiled bullwhip, and stepped back. Tenpou jostled his way to the front, pushing Ryuji and Aka in front of him, and he held Ryuji's shoulders squarely in front of him. The soldier uncoiled the whip and glanced at Goujun, who waved him on and folded his hands behind his back. The soldier brought the whip back over his shoulder, hesitated as he focused on Kenren's back, and cracked the whip hard. Kenren winced and gritted his teeth, but maintained his composure. "One," Tenpou counted. The whip cracked again, striking horizontally against his lower back. Kenren held still, gnashing his teeth. "Two." The soldier couldn't bear to look as he brought the whip down again. "Three." Kenren grunted and stumbled forward a step, but forced himself to stay upright. The whip came down. "Four." Kenren looked back up and spotted Ryuji in the crowd. He flashed him a bright grin, until the whip snapped on his back again and his smile turned into a grimace. "Five."

Tenpou counted each crack of the whip into Ryuji's ear, and Ryuji couldn't look away. Kenren didn't rise, didn't fight, didn't protest. He doubled over after ten lashes, and Ryuji saw blood splatter from the wounds after fifteen. He kept expecting Kenren to tell the soldier to stop, to tell Goujun 'Punish the kid instead,' but he didn't. "Forty." Tenpou counted the final lash as the whip cracked, and and promptly released Ryuji's shoulders and moved to Kenren's side. Kenren collapsed onto his hands, hunched over and trying to catch his breath. Ryuji could see his back was crisscrossed with long welts, bleeding sluggishly in spots, streaked with dust that stuck to the sweat trickling down his shoulder blades. "I counted forty. That's enough. He's thoroughly humiliated."

"Fine," Goujun acceded. "We'll talk business when you're not bleeding. Go lick your wounds, and keep your wards on a tighter leash." Goujun pivoted on his heel and walked away, pushing through the crowd and making his way towards the aristocratic quarter. Tenpou picked up Kenren and hoisted him onto his shoulders, and the soldiers began to disperse. The shell-shocked boys were left alone. The bullwhip lay abandoned on the ground, like a thin, hateful snake, wet with blood. Tenpou steadied Kenren's body against him and began to lug him towards the officers' housing. Kenren was only just able to support his own weight. The twins reached out to each other and grabbed hands again. They followed Tenpou and Kenren home, shame tingling uncomfortably in their chests like they'd pissed themselves.

(Suggested Track: "Letters from the Sky," Civil Twilight)

"Man, that sucked," Kenren chuckled as Tenpou filled a basin with warm water from the kettle and tossed a rag into it. "Biting my tongue until Goujun was gone was bad enough, but good goddamn, has it been a while since I had to take a whipping. I don't think the damn kid meant to hit me that hard, but damn if it didn't hurt!"

"Don't be such a baby," Tenpou scolded playfully. Kenren was crosslegged on the floor in front of the futon, and Tenpou sat behind him and began cleaning the gashes out. Aka and Ryuji stood by the door, dumbfounded, hands gripped tight. "Well, still," Tenpou continued, "I suppose you've learned your lesson."

"Yep, yep, no more backtalk for me, no sir!" Kenren laughed, and Ryuji couldn't take it anymore.

"General Kenren?" He finally managed to vocalize.

"What's up, kiddo?" Kenren grinned at him, but he quivered and shrank back.

"General, I know I have no right to ask, but please don't kick Aka out. He didn't do anything wrong." Aka's wide eyes shot urgently to Ryuji, but Ryuji bowed deeply at the waist, folding his hands tight against his chest. "I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"Ryuji," Kenren started, but Ryuji buried his hands in his hair and tore at his scalp anxiously.

"Please don't punish him for something I did! Kick me back down to the surface, but let him stay. Please."

"Ryuji, you seriously think I'm tossing you out?" Kenren laughed aloud, and Tenpou braced him to keep him from moving. "You gotta be kiddin' me!"

"Wh-what?" Ryuji felt the blood drain from his face completely.

"Come here and look me in the eyes." Kenren waved him over. Ryuji timidly approached. "Siddown." He obeyed without a word. Kenren leaned forward, resting his chin in his palm and his elbow on his knee, and smiled. "Tell me what happened, kid."

Aka still stood by the door, shuddering in place, as Kenren listened to Ryuji's explanation. Gojyo could feel Ryuji's heart pounding, could feel the cold sweat on his hands, and could see the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. Kenren didn't interrupt him, only nodding silently as he retold it from the top. He even swallowed a hiss as Tenpou squeezed warm water into a deep wound, just so he wouldn't make any noise. Ryuji curled himself up tighter and tighter, knees against his chest, hugging his legs, as he came to a conclusion: "I just don't understand, Mister Kenren, I was so angry I would have picked a fight with a wall. I jumped at the chance to tear him down when he started insulting my brother. You and Marshall Tenpou, you guys are the only ones who don't talk about how different we look, how he's bad and I'm not. Even Lord Konzen didn't believe we were brothers, but at least he didn't insult us." Ryuji began to rub at his eyes, and Kenren planted a hand on his shoulder. Still, Ryuji couldn't even look Kenren in the eyes. "But it's even worse than that. I was angry at you because of how nice you were to me, because I don't know what to do when people are nice to me. I didn't know what to do with myself, and I got you in trouble because of it. I don't know what to do now."

"Kid..." Kenren put his hand on top of Ryuji's head. "Let's put everything on the table here, that ought'a clear things up. First off, don't call me Mister. I ain't that old. Second off, that Dragon fuck had it coming." Ryuji met Kenren's smiling eyes with surprise. "Third..." Kenren glanced at Aka, then back to Ryuji. "Look, about your brother- Well, really, it's about you. Kid, you have special eyes."

"Huh?" Ryuji was speechless.

"Your eyes." Kenren gently tapped the center of his forehead. "They're different. You don't see that your brother is different from you, not the way me and Tenpou and everyone else does, because your eyes are so special. And that's a good thing." Kenren smirked. "Too many people judge on appearances, and pass judgment on something stupid, like the colors of your hair and eyes. But kid, it's okay to be different from your brother. I know you can't see it, but we have to at least acknowledge it. Can we try and do that much?"

"If I might?" Tenpou offered from behind them. Kenren nodded, and Tenpou rose and went to the icebox. He pulled out two apples, and held one in each hand. "Aka, which one is closer in hue to your brother's head, and which is closer to yours?" Aka chewed his lip nervously and pointed in turn.

"Left is mine, right is his," he mumbled. Tenpou juggled the apples for a moment, then faced Ryuji. Ryuji stood up to get a closer look.

"Same question," he smiled. Ryuji looked between the two apples. They looked almost identical- the same hue, different shades. He shook his head. Tenpou sighed. "It's like Konzen conjectured in his note." He held up the apple in his right hand. "Ryuji, this apple is yellow, but you probably knew that. The one in my left hand is red, like your brother's hair and eyes."

"Red?" Ryuji felt a jolt to his stomach. He was only now realizing- he'd heard the word, but he was not quite sure what it meant. "It... it looks brown. His hair is only a little darker than mine, it's not that different!" Tenpou handed each boy their respective apple, and Ryuji turned his over a few times. He looked at Aka's, but still couldn't fathom their differences.

"Ryuji, your brother has crimson hair and eyes. These are the traditional markings of a hanyou." Tenpou was clearly trying to sound as soothing as possible, but it didn't help. Ryuji felt his insides go completely numb- he knew what that meant. "While I most certainly believe that you two are brothers, it is rare, but not entirely unheard of for twins to have two different fathers. Stranger things have happened, and with the way some people are, it seems inevitable that a woman would bear a hanyou and human side by side." Tenpou sat back down behind Kenren and continued cleaning his wounds.

"B-but..." Ryuji stammered, turning the apple over again and again.

"You're colorblind. Probably only partially so. You can't see the colors red or green, can you?" Kenren smiled, as Ryuji dropped to his knees. "But he's still your brother. And no matter what anyone says, you still love him. He still loves you. Right?"

"Of course I do!" Both boys exclaimed.

"And that's all that matters. You two are brothers, no matter what anyone says. Makes me kind of jealous, really." Kenren tilted his head, affectionate eyes meeting Ryuji's. "If you have that much love for each other, then I want to be your brother too." Kenren opened his arms wide to Ryuji. "Can I try to be your big brother?"

Ryuji's heart exploded with emotions, and even Gojyo could understand why: he barely knew them, but he was offering to love them the same way they loved each other. All that anger dissolved- he realized he would never have to hate anything Kenren said or did, that Kenren wouldn't stop being nice. Kenren was going to love him. Ryuji threw himself at Kenren's chest, and Kenren caught his hug with one arm. He could see, between the tears in his eyes, that he left his other arm open for Aka, who stumbled across the room and grabbed on to him. His chest was warm, his stubble-coated chin scratched their shoulders, and they both loved the feeling. Tenpou chuckled and sat back from Kenren.

"My, my, I suppose this makes me an uncle."

"Shut up, grandpa, we're having a moment," Kenren laughed, and squeezed the boys tight. "I'm gonna step up, I'm gonna take care of you guys. No matter how you're feeling, no matter what people say, I'll do anything for you."

Gojyo knew this feeling. This was love. It had to be. He knew the look in Kenren's eyes mirrored the way he looked at Yohei and Eiji.

End Notes: I'm sure some of you already suspected Ryuji's little secret. I even did the research on it, and by that I mean I used Vischeck and ran some pictures of apples and other stuff through its color-blindness simulation. The specific kind of colorblindness is deuteranopia, complete red-green colorblind. This would be why the world looked wrong to Gojyo through Ryuji's eyes. Colorblindness is more common in men than women, though incidence rates are lower in Asians (though not unheard of.) So yeah- bottom line is, Ryuji had no idea Aka was a hanyou. If you're at all curious about what the world would look like through his eyes, just search for "vischeck" on your preferred search engine and have at it! There are other sites out there.

Also, I do love that scene. Makes my tiny black heart skip a beat when I think about those three being all happy together. And yet... are you all familiar with the phrase "Doomed by Canon?"

This week has been awfully rough on me, and as such, I got very little writing done. So, while this chapter is up on schedule and the next should be on time, I'll be putting in an omake after that. With any luck, I should be able to get some more chapters typed up.

With that said!

Did you enjoy it? Review! Did you not enjoy it? Review!
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Things you'd like to see? Review!
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Until next week!