Note: Well, I guess you guys got the general idea…before you read this chapter, though, keep in mind this is what I had in mind throughout the whole story. I'm going to attempt a serious fic…all other fics I've read with this subject are either horribly inept stories or parodies.
Yatta!
Fukashigi no Ido
Chaputaa Mi: Kisei no Meibatsu
Chapter 3: The Divine Parasite
by ArchFaith (formerly known as the ArchPrincess of Saturn)
Obasan (1) gracefully strolled in, in her smart and beautiful robes, worthy to be called a relative of the bride. "Oh sister, do you tell her of the legend of the Water of Generations?" she inquired of the mother, smiling gently. She too had once been told the legend as a young bride.
"Yes," the mother answered, with a knowing gleam in her eye.
"Ah Obasan, Mother refuses to tell me the ending! Who was supposed to drink from the well? Tell me the ending!" the daughter demanded, almost like a child, setting her hands down on the bed where she sat.
Obasan smiled as she patted the girl's cheek. "Well my dear mei (2), I happen to know a little more of the story than your mother does. Legend has it…that sometime in the future, there will be a monk called Tripitaka. This monk will be on a long journey when he reaches the town of Water of Generations. The town is only full of women, you see…and the well was the source of their future…"
(-)
Of course it was only a nightmare.
Some strange, angry dream gone askew, slashing across the borderlines of his sanity, driving him to agony.
It coursed through his veins, its existence forming a grotesque link with his body. His legs, arms, chest, face…all seemed to be filled with this parasitic liquid, nearly driving his soul from his body. It was overpowering, vengeful, and wicked. Yet at the same time unknowing, slightly confused, sleepy.
Just slightly less aggressive than himself.
Quickly he strained to stifle it. He pushed it away from his mind, kept it from invading his rooms of thoughts and emotions. Driving it to a far corner of his soul, he quickly shut the imaginary door with a key made of outraged passion. Stay there or I'll kill you, he threatened, enraged. I won't hesitate. Try me.
The invader sulked silently, as Sanzo came back into conciousness.
"What you're saying can't be true," he whispered as he sat up, pulling the blankets around his legs. They were all there-Hakkai, Gojyo, Goku, and Yu-Lee, the youba. Telling her outrageous lies once again.
"Sanzo…" Goku murmered softly, staring hard at the monk, analyzing, scanning for any possible changes that might have occurred during his sleep.
"I woulda never thought," Gojyo said casually, leaning back. He looked at Sanzo critically, also surveying.
Hakkai was looking gravely at Sanzo, his face only slightly bewildered. Ah Hakkai, never the one to be completely surprised.
"You must rest," Yu-Lee advised, going over to him, placing her cold hand on his shoulder.
Sanzo slapped her hand so hard her palm started bleeding. She jumped back with a cry, grasping one hand in the other. His doom-filled eyes shot arrows through her heart.
"Seems I'm the only sane one in a world full of baka," he commented grimly, eyeing his company. "And you assholes believe her."
"You cannot deny it," Yu-Lee whispered, rubbing her knuckles. She glided back over to him, forcefully, angrily. "You've felt it. You've learned to shut it away."
"There's a youkai possessing my hitokage (3)…nothing I can't deal with," Sanzo answered loftily, his eyes burning with resentment and disbelief.
Yu-Lee shook her head. "You know what has happened to you."
Sanzo's level of tolerance quickly overflowed. Very quickly he wrapped the blanket around himself, tying it at his waist. He could see his exorcism gun lying on bedside table next to his robes and sutras. He quickly ran over to the table and cocked the gun, aiming straight for Yu-Lee.
"Sanzo!" Goku cried helplessly, leaping in front of him. "Don't!"
"Out of my way, saru," Sanzo said derogatively, eyes slitting as he stared at Goku. "She'll pay."
Gojyo and Hakkai hastily appeared behind him, grabbing his arms and gun; being youkais themselves, they were able to wrestle the gun away from the crazed monk and fling him back onto the bed, where he thudded against the wall with a sharp cry of pain.
Yu-Lee watched stolidly. She stood calmly in the center of the room as Sanzo once again rose. This time, he lunged to her and managed to wrap his fingers around her throat before the others could stop him. Both fell onto the floor, Sanzo pinning her down with his knee. "One step nearer and I'll wring her neck," he threatened, looking down at the helpless woman, gasping for breath under his hand.
Very slowly he lowered his face down into hers, observing the wrinkles and lines on her face, the crows' feet under her eyes, the greyness of her lashes and brows. "What have you done to me?" he demanded, infuriated, perplexed, and ruthless all at the same instant.
"Do not blame me," Yu-Lee wheezed, struggling against his strong arms. "I did it for my love."
"You're a worthless bitch," Sanzo replied, finally rising off her. "You dare humiliate me like this…akufu (4), I am Genjo Sanzo, the highest monk of the Buddhist order in Togenkyo. I was sent by the goddess Kanzeon Bosatsu. And you, youba, are a lowly, delusional peasant."
He rose, his chest heaving, humiliation rising in his soul as he looked about the room. Hakkai knelt down next to Yu-Lee, helping her up and whispering, "Are you okay?" in her ear. Goku, obviously disturbed, stood there in complete silence, almost tasting Sanzo's degradation. Gojyo, even with his indifferent, uncaring attitude, was gazing solemnly at him, his hands clasped behind his head. All four at a loss for words.
"Go ahead and laugh…that's what your purpose in this world is," Sanzo said quietly, grabbing his clothes and sutras and heading back into his room, locking the door behind him.
He almost had another fit before forcing himself to lie down, forcing the horrid pain to subside. Quickly he brought the white sheets over him as a revolting chill ran down his spine.
You're going about this all the wrong way, the parasite corrected him, picking the lock on the imaginary door. Please, you should be happy for me. I'm here.
"If I could reach inside my soul and kill you I would," Sanzo answered, turning his eyes inward. "You're a disgrace."
The parasite did not reply. It retreated back into the locked room in the corner of Sanzo's soul and sat there, uttering not a word.
It was unreadable and breaking, Sanzo's temper at the moment. That he had let himself be fooled by the water; it had looked so plain, so refreshing, that he surmised it couldn't be anything except plain nourishment, a relief from the dry desert winds.
He sighed, still regarding the event in disbelief. Water of Generations…Ju-Lin…a parasite…still, it hadn't been as bizarre as some of their other run-ins. And there was a way out of the chaos. There had to be.
There was.
(-)
"I still can't believe it!" Gojyo exclaimed with a smile on his face. He slurped his tea and set the cup back on the dining room table. "He's fucking pregnant!" He crossed his arms over his head, laughing. "Imagine that asshole giving birth! Now that's something!"
"Oioi, that's not something to laugh about!" Goku admonished, nearly bashing his skull in. "Sanzo's in danger. And it's creepy!" He crossed his arms and gave Gojyo his best 'disapproving' face.
Gojyo continued to laugh as Goku yelled at him, their argument heard throughout the entire village. Hakkai sat calmly next to Yu-Lee, who stirred some spice into her tea. "Yu-Lee-san," he began calmly, setting his cup down. "What can we do to help Sanzo?"
"I'm afraid there's nothing you can do," Yu-Lee answered quietly. "Once anyone drinks from the well, they shall deliver a child. There's no loophole."
"In nine months' time?" Hakkai asked, looking her in the eye.
"Oh goodness, no. Ju-Lin always liked to have his women give birth to as many daughters as they could. The child will come in three days."
"Three days!" Gojyo and Goku questioned incredulously. They had stopped bickering and now listened intently to the conversation.
Yu-Lee calmly nodded. "Yes," she said simply.
"And there's no way to prevent it?" Gojyo asked, putting his elbow on the table and his head on his head. "He has to have this kid?" This was beginning to get interesting.
"Unless you propose slicing him open and killing the child, he must have it," Yu-Lee said, rising. "I am sorry, gentlemen. There's a matter in the village I must see to." She rose and slowly walked towards the doorway, her faded dress trailing on the floor.
"Now just a minute, youba-" Goku called after her, before Gojyo clamped a hand around his mouth. "Oioi! What's the big idea?"
"Didn't you figure it out, baka saru?" Gojyo said, rattling him. "We can't trust her. She wanted this to happen. Why would she tell us if there was a cure?"
Hakkai slowly shifted his position on the cushion. "Indeed. She was fulfilling her duty," he observed calmly, stating the obvious.
"Yeah…so what're we gonna do about it?" Goku questioned, his eyes looking worried and puzzled. "Is he gonna have the kid?"
"That's for him to decide, saru," Gojyo answered, his eyes half-closing. At his request, Yu-Lee had placed some desert spices into the tea to give it more taste. The result left him warm and drowsy. "Although I sure hope he does have it. Hell, that would be the greatest…"
"Hiretsukan (5)," Sanzo's steely voice commented. He had quietly crept up and stood framed in the doorway, his robes and sutras back into place. He looked unfeelingly at his companions, his doomed eyes giving their souls a mental burning.
"Sanzo! You feeling better?" Goku asked, zipping up to him and pulling on his robes. He looked like a curious little puppy, with his big wood-colored eyes, gazing up at his 'master'.
"Not a bit, you baka," Sanzo answered, kicking him back. "What I feel is none of your business." He stepped into the room, his hands folded, long sleeves connecting in a very Oriental way.
Hakkai placed his hands neatly on the table, palms down. "What initiative shall we take?" he asked cheerfully, his head cocked to the side. "Shall we stay in this village a while longer?"
"I'm not keeping this thing," Sanzo said in answer. "Before we get out of here this parasite will be out of my system. Three days, right? I heard everything." He stepped over to the window and looked out at the village square, spread before him. He glimpsed Yu-Lee, garbed in a coarse brown cloak, heading out into the desert, above the sand dunes, making her way eagerly and forcefully. "That bitch is heading out. We're following her."
Immediately catching on, the three stood. "Are…will you keep the baby?" Goku asked, shyly, staring up into Sanzo's circled purple eyes.
Baby. The word stung the monk like a sword piercing into his brain, voiding any emotion he might have had for it.
Sanzo scowled. "That desert god the youba was talking about has the power to undo this. And if not," he smiled sadistically, "there's probably a small town a few miles up that will have a datai-sensei (6)." He turned to Hakkai and Gojyo. "C'mon."
(-)
You'll get rid of me! The parasite was outraged. You musn't!
And who says I can't? Sanzo answered, giving the kid a mental slap. You're baggage. Added weight. This god will get you of my system. And if not that, you'll end up in a garbage bag in an alley.
How can you say that?
Shimatta (7)...just shut up. Be good and I might give you a few more days to live. He quietly closed the door where the parasite rested and returned back to the desert reality.
Once again they journeyed the desert, the pilgrims. Four of them…four and a half of them. Whatever. Hakuryu had been deemed too noisy and obvious a transport, being unable to restrain her dragonlet tendencies while transformed.So the pilgrims set out on foot, all in a row, a menacingly ragtag group.
Gojyo had his spear in hand, ready to strike at whatever moved. He trudged through the sand, frowning, smoothing his reddish-pinkish hair, moving to pull it into a ponytail. When he found it too frustrating he quit, and slowly shrugged back into his old routine.
Goku solidly tramped along, a determined look on his face. His staff was casually grasped in his right hand, and his left was in his pocket, searching for a piece of tea cake he'd hidden there earlier. He tugged at the thick robes that surrounded his neck, but realized it would be a chore to carry them. His hand came out of his pocket empty.
Hakkai strode purposefully, his face solemn. Hakuryu was perched on his shoulder, making tiny chewing noises next to his ear. His hands were bare; spiritual energy generated his power. He raised his hand to the youkai limiter on his left ear, making sure it was still there, as a woman often does with an earring. Satisfied, he let Hakuryu nip his right ear.
Sanzo hadn't changed in the least. In this village, they would learn, the child does not trouble the parent by manifesting itself in flesh form; no, it stayed tucked within the recesses of the body. Therefore, his holy robes still clung the same way about him; not clung, draped. The red mark on his forehead appeared and disappeared as his blonde bangs swung back and forth. Most holy monk, seeker of wisdom and truth, servant of the gods…it was true, in a way. But so near from the truth it was disgusting.
Yu-Lee hadn't gone far before she stopped in front of a large sand dune. The Sanzo-ikkou quickly crouched behind a sandy hill a few meters away and watched her. "Ju-Lin!" she cried, flinging back her hood, raising her arms to the heavens. "Your faithful servant Yu-Lee calls." In reply, the sand slowly receded until a large marble door was uncovered, cut into the sandy hill. It swung open silently and allowed her to step in before closing and letting the sand fall back into its place.
Gojyo leaped up and approached the spot where Yu-Lee had stood. "Seems easy," he commented, kicking the sand playfully. Sanzo, Goku, and Hakkai followed as Gojyo tried it. "Ju-Lin! Your faithful servant Gojyo calls!" he called out mockingly.
Of course nothing happened.
"You're so dumb," Goku told him, shoving him aside. "It goes like this: Ju-Lin! Your faithful servant Goku calls!" His voice seemed to have a superior tone in it, as if this god was lower than he was.
Of course nothing happened once again.
Hakkai stood watching them argue, his face perfectly neutral. Presently he looked over to Sanzo, who stood there with his arms crossed, greatly irritated. "Don't you think you should tell them, Sanzo?" he asked, smiling gently.
Sanzo's violet eyes flashed towards Hakkai. If he turned his whole body towards a person, it meant he was interested. If he turned his head only, it meant he was half interested. If he didn't move it meant he was bored.
The eyes, though, were another story. If his flashed a certain way, it could mean different emotions; a dull flash for anger, a slow one for confusion, and a quick one, as the one he had given Hakkai, which meant simply yes.
Hakkai had known he had planned something for the sand and the door.Sanzo moved until he was directly in front of the hill. He expertly aimed his gun at the spot where the door had appeared for Yu-Lee.
Eyes narrowed, he fired.
A hail of bullets, machine-gun like, exploded into the sand and caused grains to fly everywhere. Dull thuds could be heard from inside the dusty cloud; bullets hitting marble, going through it. By the time the dust had cleared, the marble door was worn through and heavily chipped, as though it had been that way for centuries.
Sanzo kicked it in viciously as the parasite stirred after its short nap. Warning it, he turned to the others.
"C'mon."
TBC
Notes: Did I take you by surprise? I hope so! But not in a bad way! I haven't seen any Saiyuki pregnancy fics that don't involve either comedy or romance…so I decided to write one. It's also an adventure fic, so there'll be some action in the next chapter or the one after. Stick around!
Japanese-English Glossary
(1) Obasan: Auntie
(2) mei: niece
(3) hitokage: soul
(4) akufu: wicked woman
(5) Hiretsukan: bastards
(6) datai-sensei: abortion doctor
(7) Shimatta: Damn it.