Author: Camry Maxwell
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Son Goku and Genjo Sanzo (main)
Disclaimers: Gensomaden Saiyuki characters and setting don't belong to me. ^_^
Journey To His Heart
Chapter Five: Memories Built On Fragile Hearts
Kanzeon Bosatsu silently went inside her room, all her senses keen on listening and not creating any sound. She knew that word must have reached 'his' ears, and at the moment, she was too tired to defend herself. She snorted at that as she made her way towards the bed. Defending one's self was something she found rather degrading, especially since the 2 that she wanted to defend were as good as dead-
"I see that you have finally returned, Kanzeon Bosatsu."
Kanzeon stiffened at that voice, and in a snap, light flooded in her room. She saw around 50 guards or so at all four corners of her room, their weapons aimed solely at her, their faces masked with indifference. Li Touten stood behind her, his lips curved up to form a wide sneer that always set Kanzeon's stomach to drop. Struggling to remain clam despite the situation she was in, she place her hands on her hips and retorted with a smile on her face, "Well, well, a special greeting all for me?" She looked at the person in front of her and narrowed her eyes, "You didn't have to... Nataku."
Nataku's dead-like eyes stared at her impassively as she said that to him with venom lacing each word. He knew that Kanzeon was his closest ally and companion, but after what she had done... His aura momentarily turned bright red, indicating he was mad, as he said in a low voice, "You have interrupted what was meant to be, Kanzeon Bosatsu. For that, you are henceforth stripped of your title and will be executed by sunrise in 4 days. What you have done has not only angered me, but Heaven in general."
Kanzeon chuckled. "And that's why you are so unhappy? Hah! Put a little spice in your life, Nataku. I just gave Goku's so-called fate a little turn. Besides, you don't know if the result will change or not anyway, so why are you so worried?"
He didn't look too happy with her answer. He mentally said sorry to her, then with a snap of his fingers, 10 guards surged forward and pushed Kanzeon to the ground. Her cry of pain didn't stir any emotion in him, but when she looked up at him while the guards were securing her shackles, she grounded out, "I swear, Nataku! You're selfishness will end now! He will never be yours, just as he never belonged to you 500 years ago! Do you hear me?!" The guards dragged her up and pushed her out of the room, her cries splitting the night sky. "You'll never get his heart! It had always been to MY Konzen, not you!!!" With that last statement, everything was silent.
Nataku lifted his gaze up at the area where Kanzeon once stood. You're wrong, Kanzeon...I'll definitely make him mine. He looked up at the sky outside the window and smiled softly as the sight of the boy he loved overlapped the face of the moon. With a soft sigh, he whispered the name of the boy he has loved and yearned for all these years, not caring that his father watched him the entire time.
"Goku."
* * * * * *
Goku opened his eyes slowly, wondering who was calling him. He was underwater again, the same setting, the same fish, the same coolness. He was not naked, though. He had on a plain, white shirt, khaki pants, and... Confused, he lifted his hands up and stared at the chains that covered his wrists. He looked down and noticed that his ankles had a pair, too. What the...? Then, he felt something brush up against his cheek, and when he turned, his eyes widened at the sight of long hair, his hair, floating languidly beside his face. He held it carefully, his eyes wide. "How..."
"Son Goku..."
Goku looked up from his hair and stared at the girl floating in front of him, her body covered with a short, white dress as her long, chestnut-brown hair was braided away from her heart-shaped face. As Goku stared at her, recognition suddenly dawned upon him. It was her. She was the angel he had met before, only this time, she had no wings, no shining, light, no orb-
The orb...Goku tried to get closer to her as he asked, "The orb...what did you mean when you said that only I knew where it was and who to use it for?"
The girl gave him a small smile, took his hand into hers, and whispered in a child-like voice, "It is time."
"Wh-what are you talking about-?" But he didn't get to finish his sentence as the same blinding light exploded from her body, rendering him blind as warm air brushed up against his body. He felt himself fall, her grasp on his hand slipping, and he kept falling and falling, his feet not touching anything, his body defying the law of gravity... He pushed against a strange force that suddenly appeared and had pressed itself against his throat. His eyes remained shut, but then, he heard her again.
She sounded scared, but at the same time, determined. "Go, Son Goku... And remember what happened in the past." Silence followed after that.
Worried, Goku called out, but no sound came out. He tried again, but nothing came out. Shocked, he opened his eyes as his hands wrapped around his neck-
"Oi."
Shocked, Goku fell back and landed on the floor hard. He winced as pain shot up from his backside as he tried to ease the pain. He looked up at the bed and glared, wondering why it was set so high, and the floor just happened to be made out of marble...
Marble? Bed? Stunned, Goku released his hold from his back and his eyes roamed around his area. He wasn't mistaken. He was in a room, and not just any room, at that. The sun had an unnatural shine, making everything seem so bright. The room looked so big, and it had a peach color to it, which matched the drapes and linings of the bed. The floor was made out of marble, true, but a carpet covered it. Strange paintings and signs hung from the walls, none of which Goku recognized or understood. He looked at himself, and saw that he still had the same long hair and clothing as before. His eyebrows furrowed. What's going on?
"Oi, saru."
Goku looked up, wondering who called him that, but when his eyes saw the person standing on the opposite side of the bed, his eyes became frozen. No...way...
"Sanzo...?"
It was the only thing he could come up with. The young man in the purple garment looked like Sanzo, what with the sour expression, sleek body and amethyst eyes. The only thing that was different was the long hair tied back in a ponytail. Cautiously, Goku stood up and gaped like a fish, his eyes going up and down the blonde's figure.
The guy blushed, but retained his glare. "What the hell is wrong with you, saru? Let's go, already." He turned and started walking towards the door.
Goku blinked. "Uh...Sanzo?"
The guy stopped short and looked back at Goku, an unreadable expression on his face. "Sanzo?"
Goku gave the guy a confused look, but that was all he managed before two guys entered the room, one rather drunk while the other tried to control the drunks movement. Goku couldn't believe his eyes! Hakkai and Gojyo looked really WEIRD! Hakkai had long hair and a lab gown, while Gojyo had short, and he meant really short hair and an outfit that looked like... actually, he didn't know how to describe it, but it looked weird. All three of them looked weird. And when the drunken redhead opened his mouth, Goku hung on to every word.
"Ne, Konzen! *hic* Hurry up and get out here! It's your party *hic* after all... Don't want to miss it, *hic* right?"
Konzen snorted. "You're already drunk, Kenren."
Kenren gave a loud laugh and slapped Konzen on the back. "Yeah, well, take advantage of the opportunity, right?! Hahahaha!" He turned towards the other man and jumped on him, his nose nuzzling the side of the other man's neck as he slurred out, "Hey Tenpou, darling, let's drink some more!"
Tenpou groaned. "I think you had enough."
"What?! I just started!"
"No, I'm not going to be responsible for you when you fall asleep on the ground later."
"Awwww...party pooper!"
Konzen looked back, noticed the too-quiet Goku, and inquired, "Oi, Goku. What's wrong?"
"Eh?" Goku snapped out of his trance and stared up at the blonde. He didn't know what to do or say. Where was he? Who were these people? The blonde, Konzen, looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. All of them...they all looked and felt familiar...as if he had been here and actually KNOW these people. Noticing that all three were staring at him now, he bit his lip and replied, "Uh...Nothing. Just...thinking about...food?"
Kenren laughed at that and stumbled towards Goku. Goku stiffened at first, but when he felt Kenren ruffle his hair playfully, he relaxed slightly. Kenren didn't seem to notice. "Mataku! Up to this very moment, all you can think about is food! Man, Konzen, are you ever going to have hungry guests tonight once Goku sees all the food!"
Konzen snorted and turned away. "Whatever. Let's go."
And so the party began.
Goku didn't have any choice but to go through it all with a smile, though strained, plastered on his face, and talk to all these people around him. He noticed the Konzen, Kenren and Tenpou were all giving him strange looks, but he didn't know what to do. He didn't know where he was, he had no idea who these people were and what his relationship to them were, nor did he know if he should be noisy and rude. It was all so confusing. He usually would be bursting out with all sorts of questions and running around like a chicken who'd lost its head, but the thing is...he was in a situation where 3 guys resembled his 3 companions and it was the party of the Sanzo-look-alike.
The past...the girl said a while ago that it was time for him to remember the past. Did that mean he was actually in the past, living the life this Goku led? Suddenly tired, he got up from the floor and went out, his face softening at the sight of cherry blossom tree's lined up in front of him. He shut the sliding door and walked out, his feet making contact with the soft, grass. He sighed and closed his eyes, feeling the soft petals brush against his face and the cool breeze play with his hair. He breathed in deeply, the face of Sanzo floating into his vision. He smiled.
"What are you doing out here, saru?"
Goku's eyes snapped open at the voice and turned around to face Konzen. He looked up a the blond haired man and offered a small shrug. "Nothing."
Konzen narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I just felt hot, and decided to get some fresh air." He paused for a while, then said shyly, "Ne, Konzen...atashi...anata wa no aishiteru." Huh?! I love you?! Where'd did that come from?! Goku didn't know why, but it was as if someone pushed those words out of his mouth. Suddenly, he noticed that Konzen's eyes were assessing his face too boldly. Goku blushed and turned to look at the tree, but his head was stopped by two, satin-like hands. He gasped, but didn't say anything as Konzen brought his face to stare at his own. In his mind, the name 'Sanzo' kept ringing in his ears, but he felt that he shouldn't do anything to stop Konzen, either. He settled for waiting.
Konzen looked into Goku's eyes and sighed. "If only..." He leaned in. "...your heart..." Closer. "...belonged to me..." Closer. "...sooner." So close.
Goku blushed and closed his eyes, his hands balled up into fists-
And felt something hard hit the side of his face. Gasping at the pain, he fell to the floor, holding his cheek, but then, arms grabbed his body and brought it in an upright. He struggled against the people holding him, but there were too many, as if they expected Goku to have this much power. Goku looked at Konzen and saw that these guards handled him in the exact same way. Goku wondered what was happening. The laughter inside was gone, replaced with an eerie silence that came unnatural to Goku's ears. Wanting to break that silence, he struggled hard and shouted, "What's happening here?! Let me go!"
"I can't do that, Goku."
Goku snapped his head towards the sound of that voice, saw the owner, and felt pain course through his body. His knees buckled underneath his weight as the pain slowly subsided. He looked up again, but the person in front of him still stood in front of him.
A young boy...around his age, covered in robes so long and thick, Goku could hardly see any body part besides his head. His dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun as his golden eyes stared at Goku.
Goku knew him. For some reason, his mind remembered him, and in a confused voice, he said the name. "Nataku."
The boy gave him a sad look, shook his head, and turned his hard gaze towards Konzen. "God and I have heard of your little attraction towards your pet here. Also, you and your friends have been against God's way of ruling and leadership for such a long time that it was only a matter of time before it came to this. These are major offenses, and as punishment, you will be executed tomorrow morning at 8. You're allies, Kenren Taisho and Tenpou Gensui, will also suffer the same fate." He stopped for a while, then, as if he just remembered, he said tonelessly, "Oh, and Happy Birthday."
Goku was shocked! How could this boy no younger than he was do such a thing?! No! It shouldn't be! He struggled even more against the guards, tears forming in his eyes. "Matte! Don't do anything to him! Onegai!"
Konzen stopped walking and snarled at Nataku, "Do whatever you want with me, but what will you do with Goku?"
Nataku raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you have the right to know."
The guards pulled and forced Konzen away from the scene, Goku trying to reach and make his way towards the blonde, but to no avail. Slumping in the arms of the guards, he breathed in and out, trying not to cry at this very moment. They were going to kill Konzen...and he couldn't do anything.
Suddenly, he felt the floor beneath his feet change from soft to hard. His arms were pulled up and his body was arched in a strange manner. His wrists were shackled above his head, and when Goku lifted his eyes, he was in some sort of dungeon, chained to the wall. He tried to break free, but the chains were so sturdy. Biting his lip, he wondered aloud, "Where...am I?"
"In the dungeons, of course."
Goku looked up and gasped, red filling his eyes at the sight of the woman who almost killed Sanzo. "Omae!"
Kanzeon looked amused. "Sou, me. Anyway, you have a special guest. Don't make a lot of noise."
Goku barred his teeth at her, wanting to be free of the chains so that he could strangle her to death, but at the sound of another set of footsteps, he turned around and saw Nataku, his body illuminated by the moonlight. Heaving at the sudden pain in his chest, he tore at the chains and grounded out, "Get out! Get out of here right now!" He didn't think he had ever been in a situation this vexing, wherein the two people he wanted to kill were so close, yet so far.
Nataku's eyes flashed with fear, but he stood there, his lips quivering slightly. He bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I know you must hate me after what had happened in the garden and all that came out of my mouth, but it was all just an act. I fought with God as hard as I could after my father brought the matter up, but...when God heard about Konzen's feelings for you-"
"I don't give a damn for your excuses! You're executing a good man!"
Nataku shut his eyes. "Yes, I know that...and I'm sorry that I can't do anything about it. He and his allies have been against God for the longest time that he considered them a threat. I couldn't do anything to counter that." A tear slid down the side of his face as he whispered, "Forgive me..."
Goku stared, unsure of what to do, but suddenly, he saw the scenery change again. He was standing outside, the light hurting his eyesight. When he managed to refocus his eyes, he observed that he was surrounded by countless numbers of guards, all who had a weapon aimed directly at his head. Turning his head to the right, he looked up and gasped as he saw Konzen, Kenren, Tenpou, and a few other men, all on a stage, their wrists chained to this beam hanging above their heads. Goku shook his head as his hands covered his mouth. No...please no...
Men came forward, holding jagged-looking swords to their sides, and the people around the area started cheering, shouting encouragements and snide remarks. Goku looked left and right, wondering how all these people could allow such a thing to happen. He turned his eyes back, wanting to tell Konzen that he should make a run for it, but the words died in his mouth. Konzen was looking back at him, and with a smile, seeing that he had Goku's attention, he mouthed three words.
I love you...
With that, the men lifted their swords towards the sky, brought them down, and Goku's vision was covered with red.
TBC
Camry: Wai!!!! Another chapter done! ^_^ Hehe~ Anyway, good news and bad news. The good news is that I'm really inspired to write that I can bring out one chapter everyday! The bad news...I have homework to do. ^_^ But alas! Don't fret! I'll try my best to bring out one chapter each day, but if a chapter doesn't come out, that means homework has tied me down. Another reason is that starting next week, I'm going back to school, so I won't be able to update until Friday and not on Mondays to Thursday. Hmmm...oh well. Anyway, please REVIEW! Thanks!