Date finished: 15 December 2002

Title: Piece of Forbidden Heaven
Series: Gensomaden Saiyuki
Status: 2/?
Pairing: None at the moment. As planned, there would be various pairings soon enough.
Category: AU
Warning: PG-13 for the angst situations mentioned.
A/N: Just read. Hopefully by next part, there would be a pairing already.

Standard disclaimers apply.

'--denotes thoughts--' | *--denotes emphasis--*

"Piece of Forbidden Heaven"
by Fall

Part Two: "Obscurity"

Togenkyo, 11 years later...

"My lord..." A servant stuttered at the edge of the tub. She was a young girl, no; she was a young lady that had the innocent face of a girl. Gojyo surveyed the woman up and down, judging her to be at least twenty years of age. She was another one of his father's captives, another reminder of his horrible quests in the past to gain riches and power. The woman looked scared stiff to her bones, obviously thinking that the young youkai before her had inherited more from his father other than the distinctive crimson hair.

"Turn around so I can get out and face you fully clothed." Gojyo noticed the woman flinch when he spoke his gentle order. He was known to be a ladies' man at court, charming all the pretty ladies, having women throw themselves at his feet and getting away with it. But if anyone knew the way to Gojyo's heart, they would know that this wasn't how he really wanted things to go. He simply knew how to treat a woman and it ends there. So when he faced the servant-woman, he immediately put to rest her fears by standing on the farther side of the room.

"You were sent here to tell me..." The woman was still frightened, so he decided to gently prod her to finish her task.

"My lord..." The woman stammered again. She was wishing she wasn't sent here. She's heard all the rumors about the young youkai, and she was frightened to death thinking of how she'll end up after her task. When she looked up, her young master was still standing at the end of the room. "Go on," He said gently, flashing her a smile that was meant to assuage her fears. The woman blushed prettily, and taking heart with that kind smile, she delivered the message to Gojyo's waiting hands. "The baron wishes you to go in his place and accomplish the task enclosed within."

"When does he wish me to leave?" Gojyo asked, knowing it was useless to ask the woman of any particulars besides the ones she'd spoken. After his mother's death, his father retreated to his own world, locking out everyone and anything in his self-isolation. He left his oldest son, Jien, in charge of everything, leaving Gojyo to do as he pleases. And so this order came as a surprise to Gojyo.

"Today," The servant said, her eyes downcast. "And master has bid me to come to you."

Gojyo's crimson-colored eyes darkened. They ran down the two sentences written clearly in the order. So, his father wanted to bribe him with a beauty as a farewell gift. Now he was certain that his father's task was something of dire importance and might cause the death of its promoter. No wonder he wasn't sending his heir or himself.

The bastard.

He carefully studied the woman before him. She was a real beauty, with her shapely curves at the right places and a face that can make most women glare daggers of jealousy. But the thing that completely drew the half-youkai's attention to her was her eyes. They were large pools of green, with a hint of sadness to them, laced with something else that Gojyo couldn't quite fathom. She had an air of secrecy around her, as if daring him to come and unlatch them.

"Tell me, what is your name fair lady?"

The woman flinched again, as if expecting him to come and lay a hand on her young body. "Akane, my lord."

Gojyo noticed she wasn't telling the truth, but he was satisfied with it. Lifting his hands up he winked at her and said, "Oi, don't look at me like I'm some predator. I pride myself for looking like a handsome devil, but you're certainly making me feel like I'm some scary monster." Akane smiled in spite of herself. She was beginning to think otherwise of the rumors she'd heard.

"Ah," Gojyo sighed, "As much as I would like to linger by your pretty side, I must set out for my duty. You may take your leave and rest."

Relief was evident in Akane's eyes as she bowed her thanks to her lord and gratefully left the chamber.

'Tch.' Gojyo bit his lips in consternation. He has never liked his father, nor had he felt any tenderness towards him. To him, the only family he had was his late mother and Jien. Grabbing his coat and sword, he stomped his way out to the stables. Being himself, he was determined to show what he was made of, whether he dies or not. 'Ah,' A little voice at the back of his head quipped. 'But the ladies would cry their hearts out for you.'

'Tch. They're just pretty ladies.' He snapped back. As he geared his horse up for a long hard gallop, he caught sight of Akane watching him leave from her window. Immediately, his thoughts changed. 'Ah, if only I had one of those creatures that changes themselves to a jeep, I would look more valiant than riding this damn horse.' He muttered.

***

"Yamero, Goku, we're leaving."

"Demo, Saaanzo!"

Genjo Sanzo's patience was nearing its limits. Being a Sanzo means he carries an important burden, which was that of being the 'chosen one' of his superiors. For a long time, his ancestors has served the same line of emperors for a century, and being who he was, it is not in his blood to defile the dignity of his forefathers. Although it is deemed to be carried out, it was his secret wish that he would not be ordered to produce an heir so that the burden need not be passed to another unwilling soul.

So far, his service was not required but until recently. He was suddenly tasked by the emperor himself to find this dangerous person who possess unknown terrible powers. He wasn't told the particulars, but one thing was for sure: Sanzo was to open the order at the exact moment that the perpetrator is in his presence. And whatever the order might be, it must be done with no hesitations at all.

'Tch, no hesitations,' the blond man muttered. 'The emperor made it sound like I was to kill my lover. As if I had any.'

"Ne, Sanzo, where are we going?" Great golden eyes blinked up at him. It was always like this. Whatever Sanzo may say, the boy would follow. Son Goku is after all, indebted to the great Genjo Sanzo, the highest-ranked warrior of the land. The boy had sworn in his heart to be his savior's follower, although most people refer to him as the man's 'pet' rather than his follower.

"Urusai. Don't ask questions." Was the curt reply. Nevertheless, Goku was happy to be allowed to accompany Sanzo on this important quest.

"Sanzo, can we bring as many food as we can?"

Sanzo's eyes narrowed, thinking again of the raison d'être[1] of this situation. He just had to bring Goku with him for the simple reason that the boy's strength is an advantage.

"Saaaanzo?"

And another would be that no one else is responsible for him other than his great self. Why did he rescue this baka saru anyway?

"Iye." Looking down into a face that was slowly dissolving into pathetic wrinkling, his curtness was slightly dissipated. "Ikusou. We'll stop by some inn for food as soon as we can."

"Hai, hai, Sanzo!" Goku immediately brightened up.

***

Red was around him, steadily seeping over dead bodies, threatening to drown him in their gory depth. There was the eerie sound of his sister's voice screaming, pleading for mercy, and he was helpless to do anything about it. He screamed, once again struggling to escape the bonds that held him. Suddenly, the world around him spun to change into another scene, and this time, he was running from someone. He couldn't see clearly the face of his aggressor, except that the person possessed amethyst eyes. He knew he had collided into someone else before he was pulled from the depths of his trance.

"Daijobu desu ka?" Clear, crimson-colored eyes greeted him upon consciousness. His eyes swept the surrounding situation, pain obstructing him from connecting the present facts together.

"What happened to me?"

"I found you bleeding along the road. Judging from the scene, you must have been attacked by thieves."

Attacked. Swiftly, the pieces came together too clearly that he concurred a stab of pain in his head, making him briefly close his eyes. Upon opening them however, he found himself face to face with a cup of something that reeked badly. "Drink that, it's herbal tea. Didn't think you'd like a can of beer to alleviate the pain in your head."

Slowly, he drank from the cup. Though the vile liquid had a disgusting aroma, it was strangely sweet on the tongue. The throbbing in his head was reduced to a dull one, making him able to focus on his thoughts.

"Arigato gozaimasu for saving me. Not many people would have paid attention to a dying person like me."

"Ah, you mean to say that people has developed bad taste by now?" The crimson haired half-youkai asked, coming to rest on the stool beside the bed. "A lot of people I know would envy me for taking a beauty to my bed."

The emerald-eyed youkai did not know what to make of the statement except to smile. He was grateful for this half-youkai for having saved his life, therefore, he must be careful with his actions lest he inadvertently offends this good person. Again, he let his eyes roam the room. It was one of those bare rooms in a typical inn. Obviously, his savior was a traveler, and he was obstructing his way.

"Gomen nasai for being of trouble to you," He said, starting to get up from the bed and trying his best not to faint from weakness due to loss of blood. "I appreciate everything but I must go now."

"Oi, why are you in such a hurry?" The half-youkai protested, catching him as he fell. "You're not married by any chance are you?"

"N-nani?"

Laying the emerald-eyed youkai back in bed, he repeated his words. "You're not hurrying to go back to your wife, are you?"

"I'm not married."

"How about commitments, do you have any?"

"None."

"Good! Then you can perhaps stay with me." The half-youkai winked at him. Seeing the perplexed look on the other's face, he clarified. "*You* are wounded and haven't any commitments. *I* on the other hand need to go and search for someone. I take care of you while you keep a lonely person like me, company. Simple isn't it?"

Hakkai could only stare point-blank at the half-youkai before him. Politely, he kept his thoughts to himself, one being that, either this redhead is totally deranged or he was. Given that they were strangers, this offer seemed ludicrous at any angle.

Emerald eyes bore through his crimson ones, which he found he couldn't bear to end contact with this soon. Deciding swiftly, he knew he must persuade this interesting beauty before anything else. "Is companionship too much to ask, beautiful?"

With the half-youkai pinning him down on the bed, there was no escape from the scrutiny of his eyes. "Demo --"

"Yosh!" He lifted himself away from the wounded youkai. "By the way, I'm Sha Gojyo."

Emerald eyes flickered, very much the same like how a familiar pair of eyes had flickered when he posed the same query before. "Hakkai. Cho Hakkai desu."

And like before, Gojyo had the inclination that this youkai called Hakkai wasn't entirely telling the truth. Nor was he lying either. Nevertheless, his mysterious air is really interesting.

'This quest is proving to be a blessing to me,' He mused, a satisfied grin making its way to his features. 'Wouldn't you know it, I expected to die of boredom on this quest but then I find someone who *will* keep me happy. Life is good, really.'

~ TBC

Further A/N: That's the second part all right. So when would the Sanzo x Hakkai theme appear in this story? Soon. I wanted to narrate first the different characters that would make a difference in this story. Besides, it's crucial that the storyline and characters merge together smoothly. Also, this fic will see many pairings as it goes.

Constructive criticisms and comments are welcome.