Hotel California
Chapter Eight: Some dance to remember…
Okay, special note time. For those of you that don't know, I've been trapped in my house all summer. The onl;y compeh I got to at this time had no A drive, so there was no updates. I'm super sorry for this, but now I'm working to get back on track. I'm working on One Up as we speak, so look for that soon too.
Notes: Wow. It seems everyone's pushing for some 39. I was gonna have that in here since the beginning, but it just never worked in. So I suppose I'd better work on it, before everyone starts picking up those torches again…
You can totally blame any surrealness in this chappeh on my brother Kit, who lent meh his Sherlock Holmes/Lovecraft crossover book. It's slowly warping my mind. :grins: Whee dog kids, we're having some fun now. Enjoy.
Although dear lord, it's hard to type with two people breathing down your back…
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Despite his unsettling dream, somehow Gojyo managed to sleep. Or at least that's what he assumed, since he woke up early that morning. Very early, judging by the pervading darkness, showing only a few rays of sunlight. His system told him there was no more sleep to be gained presently, so he got up, stretching tiredly.
Hoping to possibly get some answers to last night's incidents, the redhead left his room, padding quietly down the hall to Goku's room. He knocked a few times on the boy's door, before realizing that he was probably still staying with Sanzo. While this left room for a few suggestive comments, he didn't feel like dealing with the blond at the moment, so he'd have to wait for them to separate. Goku had said something about wanting to talk to him…
"You're up awful early," a cheerful voice commented lightly from behind him.
Gojyo turned around sharply, finding himself face to face with Hakkai. He was back to normal now, with short hair and no vines. His shock came unchecked, and Hakkai noticed it.
"Don't worry, I'm not…like that right now," he looked a bit saddened, though you could only tell from his eyes; his mouth remained plastered with a smile. "I was wondering if…if I might talk to you?"
"That depends," Gojyo replied carefully, "on what about."
Hakkai looked down. "As if you really had to ask…"
Gojyo winced. "I guess it's just a little awkward."
This elicited a small laugh from the brunette. "I suppose so. But I'm sure you're confused, and I know how you hate not knowing anything about this situation…"
Gojyo leaned against the wall. "So what exactly is going on here?"
Hakkai frowned in thought, attempting to put it into words. "Well, I can't say exactly, because I'm not totally sure myself. However, I do know that this is a result of—"
"Early risers, aren't we?" Ni leaned in between them, smiling in his cold way. Once again, Gojyo was forced to wonder just how he managed to sneak up on them like that.
"Why is it such a surprise that I'm up early?" Gojyo crossed his arms.
Hakkai, who had frozen upon hearing Ni's voice, attempted a recovery. "Good morning!"
Ni turned to him, face losing all traces of pleasantry. "I must give you some advice before you continue. One who breaks his promises has nothing to complain about when the process is repeated against him."
Hakkai turned his head, staring at the floor. Satisfied, Ni smiled once again, although the change didn't inspire confidence. "I look forward to seeing you both at breakfast."
"Yeah, sure…" Gojyo watched him leave, a bit disconcerted. Then he turned to Hakkai, who still had that look on his face. "You okay?"
He didn't look up. "I…I should go."
"But what about what you were talking about?"
He shook his head. "I don't think I should. I'm sorry…"
Before Gojyo could reply, the brunette took off, running down the hall. He momentarily considered following him, but he was distracted when he saw the door across the hall open.
Goku stepped out of Sanzo's room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He blinked a bit curiously, seeing Gojyo at his door. He bounded over to the redhead, taking a wary glance down the hall as he did so.
"What're you—"
"—Doing up so early, yeah yeah…"
"I was gonna say 'doing out here', but whatever."
"I came up here to talk to you, but it seems you were…" he paused, smirking a bit, "…otherwise occupied."
Goku's face turned bright red. "I…I stayed there last night because of…well, you know…"
Gojyo laughed. "I was just kidding, monkey. So what's up?"
The boy moved past him, opening his door. "I'm not a monkey, I told you that. But c'mon, I still want to talk to you."
He followed him inside the room, shutting the door behind them. Goku flopped on the bed, facing him with a serious look.
"It's about…the mirrors."
Gojyo sat down on the chair beside the bed. "You saw something, didn't you?"
He nodded. "Did you?"
"I don't know what's wrong with that place, but the mirrors show you things. Horrible things."
Goku looked worried. "But is it foretelling the future, or just making you look at bad things?"
Gojyo shrugged. "Haven't the slightest. But…I'm starting to think it might be a little prophetic."
The boy nervously clenched his fists. "Why do you say that?"
The redhead hesitated for a moment. "Because…of last night."
Goku looked shocked. "You saw…?"
Gojyo laughed humorlessly. "Yeah."
The two were silent for some time. During this time, Gojyo realized this was the first time he'd gotten a good look at the boy's room. It looked the same as all the others, except the entire place seemed to have notebooks strewn everywhere. They cluttered the tables, the bed, and the desk. There was also a typewriter on the desk, which explained the forgotten question of why Goku was carrying a ribbon their first day in the passage.
"Are you a writer or something?"
"Huh?" Goku looked up at him, before noticing his friend's attention on his room. "Oh. Not really. They're more like journals. Hakkai says it's a good idea to keep track in case I forget again."
"Forget?"
He nodded, picking up one of the notebooks randomly and flipping through it. "Yeah. I guess I've got amnesia or something. Everyone says there was this big thing that happened, but I can't remember it at all. I can't remember anything before it either. All I remember is being here, before Sanzo or Hakkai came."
Gojyo tilted his head curiously. "But I thought Hakkai said Sanzo came after him."
Goku slumped his shoulders, looking a bit depressed. "That's because Hakkai couldn't see me. Hakkai's always been up here. But for a long time, I was in the basement."
"The basement, why?"
He smiled sadly. "Y'know, the funny part is, I don't even remember why. All I know is, I was in the basement, and I couldn't get out. I was trapped there until Sanzo came and got me."
"Sanzo?"
The boy nodded. "Sanzo came and got me out of the basement. Then I was free to run around up here. That's why I'm telling you that Sanzo's not all mean. He's just trying to help, in his own kind of way."
Gojyo shook his head. "What kind of place would lock a kid in the basement?"
"That's what the problem is. Hakkai's been trying to tell you, but they're stopping him. Because they need us all, and they know you can make trouble."
"They who? Kannon? What're you talking about?" The redhead sat on the edge of his chair, leaning forward.
"More than he should be," Sanzo interrupted, walking into the room. Goku immediately jumped up, staring at him with wide eyes.
"Sanzo! I'm sorry, I—"
"Never mind. It's time for breakfast."
He was taken aback. "R-right…"
Sanzo looked at both of them in turn. "I want none of this to be repeated to anyone. Understand?"
"Okay," Goku said quietly. Gojyo offered no response, save for a brief nod.
"And don't talk about our trouble last night. I'm sure Hakkai feels bad enough." He muttered before turning to leave. Goku scrambled out after his guardian, and Gojyo followed at a slower pace.
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Breakfast was an awkward time. Everyone was pretending nothing had happened, but there was a careful air to any words spoken. Hakkai wasn't his normal self, looking down miserably at his plate. Gojyo and Goku were concentrating on not saying anything about their conversation. Sanzo seemed to be normal, but he never talked much anyway. Kannon and Ni were the same as well, grating on Gojyo's nerves with their attempts at unraveling them all.
Finally it was over, and Gojyo was interested in hearing the rest of Goku's story. Sanzo didn't seem to mind, and there might be the slightest possibility of getting some answers from him as well. Hakkai seemed to be avoiding him since the incident this morning, so he decided to give the brunette his space.
He reached the boy's door and went to knock when he heard voices. Goku and Sanzo's. Noticing the golden-eyed boy had left his door open a tiny bit, he silently leaned closer in, hoping to catch something important. 'Seems to be the only way to get straight answers around here,' he thought absently. Sanzo was sitting on the bed, reading his newspaper, and Goku sat beside him, watching.
"Are you mad at me?" Goku asked.
"Why would I be? Did you do something stupid?" Sanzo returned with another question, not looking away from his paper.
"Well, you don't seem to want to tell Gojyo anything. So I thought you might be mad at me because I did."
"It's no concern to me what you tell him."
"Even about this place?"
A slight pause. "I'd prefer you didn't, but you're free to make your own decisions."
Goku sounded a bit relieved. "What about Hakkai?"
"I think that's for Hakkai to decide, not you nor I." Sharp. It sounded like Sanzo was mad at Hakkai for something.
Or the blond was hiding some feelings of his own. Now that was an interesting thought. And for some reason, it made Gojyo just a little angry.
Movement returned his attention to the room. Goku laid his head on Sanzo's shoulder, closing his eyes with a sigh. "What are you gonna do about them?"
Finally Sanzo glanced up from his paper, looking at the boy. "I don't think I need to do anything. That idiot doesn't know what he's doing, but it's working."
Goku opened his eyes, meeting his gaze. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, both the problems will take care of each other. We'll end this soon, either way." Sanzo took his reading glasses off, setting them on the table beside them.
"But…even if Gojyo…even if we can get out, what will happen? I don't remember…what I did before…"
"It doesn't matter," Sanzo cut him off. "That's the past. If you don't move forward, you're better off dead."
Goku smiled a little bit. "I could go with you…"
"Who says I want you tagging along after me?" though the question sounded serious, there was a slight smirk on the blond's lips.
Goku laughed a little, wrapping his arms around Sanzo and leaning against him once more. "So however it ends, we'll be okay, right?"
Sanzo didn't answer. Instead he pulled Goku's head up to face him, kissing the boy.
"You're such a stupid monkey."
Gojyo suddenly felt wrong. He turned from the door, walking away without a second look. While it explained a lot, there was nothing to be gained from watching that. He might have considered himself a pervert, but he wasn't a voyeur or something. He'd have to talk to Goku later.
He found himself walking by the passage once more. Suddenly the very thought of going back in there made his stomach churn. Just being near it made him slightly sick. He moved away from it quickly, heading downstairs.
In the parlor, he found Hakkai in one of the chairs, reading quietly. Gojyo sat on the couch next to him. "I've been talking to Goku."
Hakkai looked a little startled. "Really? What about?"
Gojyo considered his words briefly. "The basement."
"Oh."
Gojyo leaned closer. "You knew about it?"
Hakkai was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable. "After the fact, yes. I didn't know about it when I came here. Sanzo's the one who found him."
"Do you know where it is?"
The brunette froze for a moment. Then he shook his head. "Gojyo, you can't—"
"Can you take me there?" he matched eyes with him. "I don't want to ask Goku, but I really want to see it. I'll make sure no one sees us."
Hakkai stared at him in disbelief for a few moments, before letting out a sigh, defeated. "A few minutes. No longer, alright?"
Gojyo nodded, smiling. "No problem. So how do we get there?"
"It's just past Kannon's office…"
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Kannon was in her office all day, aside from meals. No one knew what she did exactly, and no one asked. Gojyo and Hakkai walked quietly past her door on tiptoe. They heard to door open, and Gojyo quickly pushed himself and Hakkai around the corner. They peeked back to see Ni leaving Kannon's office. He didn't see them, and, once he was down the hall the opposite way, they continued on.
The door to the basement wasn't locked, as Gojyo suspected it might be. Hakkai flipped the lightswitch next to the door, but nothing happened. The redhead pulled a flashlight out of his jeans pocket.
"You're awfully prepared for this," Hakkai commented lightly.
"I'm getting used to it," Gojyo replied with a wink. He clicked on the flashlight and started down the wooden stairs.
It appeared to be a normal basement, boxes stored randomly and pipes running along the ceiling. Gojyo and Hakkai stood in the center of it, looking around.
"Poor Goku…" Hakkai said softly.
Gojyo nodded. The idea of someone keeping the boy down here for who-knows-how-long was infuriating.
Hakkai started walking back towards the door. "I don't think there's anything here for you to see."
"I guess not. I don't know what I was expecting anyway…" he started after his friend when something on the floor caught his attention. Leaning down, he picked up an old photo. He brought it closer to the light to examine. It was a picture of five people, four men around the same age as them, and what looked like a younger Goku.
A loud click sounded, echoing though the basement. Hakkai gasped, running up the stairs and pulling at the door. It didn't open.
"Someone locked us in!"
Gojyo shoved the photo in his pocket, joining him at the top of the stairs. They both pulled at the door, to no avail. They really had been locked in, and the lock was strong.
"Shit, what do we do now?" Gojyo turned around, leaning against the door angrily.
Hakkai paled. "I knew this was a bad idea…"
Gojyo sighed. "Don't worry about it. We'll find a way out somehow."
He shook his head, walking back down the stairs. "We need to leave now! There's not much time left!"
"Time for what?"
"It's almost—" he stopped suddenly. Then he fell to his knees with a pained scream.
Gojyo backed up against the door. He'd forgotten about that. "Oh shit."
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I just know I'm gonna get shot for all these cliffhangers…Heh. The good news is that the wound in my arm is healing from the blood drive, so I can bend my arm right again. More updates, whoo! Any more scary suggestions anyone? It's a free-for-all! And here's the review responses!
adakie: Glad to know you've picked this up! Hee. Sorry about lack of updates, but I've covered that in the author notes.
Crimson Water Sprite:laughs: I dunno if I can do more shower scenes, but I promise a lot of good action...and I think you know what I mean.
Cyra Hakkai: I cannot resist the puppy look! Must. Update. Blar.
Shiomi: I know about the 39 thing. I was planning it, but it never got in there real good. I hope you liked this chappeh tho!
Attiqah Gensui: Ack! But if you strangle meh, how are you gonna get your updates:bats eyelashes:
Koryu-Sanzo: Man, I got a lot of 39 fans reading this. I'm gonna have to step it up, aren't I:grins:
NekoMegami-chan: Better late than never, ne?
The Jolly Leprechaun: Your name makes meh smile. Therefore you make meh smile. Have an update.
VG Terra: Wow, a comparision to the Shining. I'm flattered! Thankehs for popping in, and commenting. I hope you like what you read!
SweetSnowCherryBlossomDarkness: Yes ice cream is good. And he's been through so much he needs a little reward, doncha think:gives him some mint chocolate chip offstage:
Ondesxaiver: Problem is, this WAS asap...:sweatdrops: But here it is!
narrizan: You see, Goku had to interrupt because of the main point: I'm a wuss who can't write action. Therefore, I find clever plot devices who I can give a cookie to go intterupt. :pats Goku on the head:
C.T. Saiyukilly Twisted: Now I REALLY want Reload. And I really hadn't thought of Seiten in there yet...Hmm...
altered carbon: Don't worry, we'll beh the club that's never seen Reload together:waves flag: