Author's note:
This is a two part AU series. In this first part, there's not much of action... just reactions and interactions. It's from a character's point-of-view. Yaoi fic, eventually. The rating shall change to R for the next chapter. Be warned of bad, filthy language and thoughts!! [GojyoxSanzo / SanzoxGojyo] Basically all depends on how you want to look at it, the pairing I mean.

Sweet Surrender [originally Surrender], the title, was inspired by Serena-san [enervate] :) Thank you very much for the idea. I think it fits somehow. Well, I'm not too into the title, which is why I can come up with the corniest ones. That's why I asked for your help! By the way, I'm waiting for your WA fic!! Where is it?? :þ Maybe I'll make this story into a song-fic later? Hmmm...

Just another small note. The italic bit is when the character is thinking, and the rest is what he sees/narrates.

Disclaimer:
I don't own the characters, just the story [or at least just the words that formed the sentences].

~~~~~

[It doesn't mean much
it doesn't mean anything at all
the life I've left behind me
is a cold room]

At one dark corner of the smoke filled club was I, standing with my arms crossed, checking out the individuals who flounced pass by me. Some giving me come hither looks, some smirked and then there were those who were too stuck-up to notice I was even there. Fuck them. 'Sides, I wasn't even interested. None of them were my type. Most of them were fashion victims. One guy wore a tight light blue floral shirt with red leather bell-bottoms. Yuck! Another guy had hair one might've thought his mother had fucked a parrot. He might as well carry a neon sign flashing, "Notice Me". And then of course, the rest were girls. They did look... yummy, but still... not to my fancy.

Taking in a deep, suffering breath of second-hand smoke, I sighed in sheer boredom. I was aching to have a smoke, and this was probably the last place I should be in. Desperate need to chew on at least one stick, but I made a self-declaration to quit... and it has been an agonizing 2-month journey through hell. Maybe that's why I'm so fucked up at the moment. I gritted my teeth trying to endure the withdrawal I'm going thru and concentrated on the music they were playing.

Loud bass thumping from the trance music they played hummed on my back as I leaned against the wall. The deafening sounds pounded in my ears, my head, my throat and my chest. My heart felt like it was about to burst as it pulsated to the beat of the music. I closed my eyes and moved my body to the rhythm. Who cares if I'm not on the dance floor? Who cares if I'm dancing by myself? I don't fucking care anymore if it's just the music and me to put me on a high.

Soon I was oblivious to my surroundings as the synchronization of computer generated beats and real instrumental melodies harmonized at a fast pace, enveloping my soul in ecstasy. I didn't need the pills or even alcohol to reach such a state. Just non-stop good music. Every hair on my body stood on ends as the music reached a certain peak, a chill running through my body just before the song declined to another wordless chorus. I opened up my eyes again, blurrily trying to adjust to the thick layer of smoke and it's murkiness. It felt like I was in a dream, but I knew exactly where I was. Some dreary new club in town I wouldn't be coming back to anytime soon. I was about to make my way towards the bar when something caught my sight.

Tall, slim and saucy. It was those first three words that occurred to me that described him. He had legs so long it reached above his ass. His crimson colored hair contrasted wildly opposed to the black leather outfit he wore. I couldn't help but continue gawking at him as he strutted across the room in my direction. Who was he? I wondered. Perhaps I'll get a better look when he gets closer. Nonchalantly he flipped his long hair, exposing more of his face. Then as if in slow motion, a small grin appeared on one side of his lips as he winked. What the... was that for me? I turned to check if there was anyone else behind me, but there wasn't. I succeeded to keep a straight face all the way and pretended not to notice the brief acknowledgment he'd given me. Shit!

A small smile still playing on his lips, he stopped right in front of me placing one hand on the wall beside my head and another on his hip. He dipped his head lower to my level and brought his face closer to my ear. Under normal circumstances I would have lashed out a brutal comment to a person who had no right to enter my personal space, but there was something hauntingly familiar about this stranger I just had to know what he wanted to tell me. But then again, I could just be overreacting because in a place such as this, the music was too loud to hear anyone speak at a normal level... or even a foot away.

"Hi... I was wondering if you could help me out a 'lil." Help? In what way? "My friend over there and I took a bet. She claims that you were staring at me." God, it's either I was that obvious or that's gotta be the most clichéd pick up line.

He was standing so close to me, I had difficulty breathing. Darn, he just had to smell so good. I pushed some unruly strands of hair back, put on one of my annoyed looks and said, "What?" Ugh... what a stupid thing to say. Stupid, stupid, stupid. It's not like I didn't hear him. In fact I heard him perfectly well. So well, I wanted to hear his voice again.

"I said..." he inched even closer to me, red strands of hair tickling my bare arm. How am I suppose to breath? Wait, I'm just overreacting again. Just making it a big deal. His warm breath blew into my ear as he continued, "... I was trying to tell you that I want you!" I was overly shocked. Probably more excited than stunned... I hope he can't read minds or I'll be so busted.

He moved back far enough to be able to look at my expression. Well obviously I wasn't going to show him how weak and pathetic I felt. Instead I looked at him straight in the eye, not a smile visible, and said, "Looks like you'll just have to tell your friend that she lost the bet!" What was I doing? This is what I came for and here I am throwing it away when it's given to me on a silver platter. Well I, Genjo Sanzo, proud as ever can be, ain't the type who'd give in so easily. Who does he think he is anyway?

With that, I walked away from that suffocating space that I had to control myself in and headed towards the bar... just like what I had intended to do before he showed up. He grinned a big stupid smile at me, letting out an unbelievable-shocked sounding snort. He probably felt really foolish, thinking ahead of himself. Hah! I visualized giving myself a pat on the back and smiled at my little victory. I felt a little flushed. Flushed because I was nervous, because I was caught and probably also because I managed to seem confident with my response, and a good one that was.

I quickly grabbed a stool at the bar and sat myself down. My knees felt wobbly, but for just a brief moment. I needed to calm myself. This is so unlike me. I was about to steal a peek at where the redhead was but then bartender asked, "What's your poison?" What do I feel like drinking? "Get me a gin tonic, and don't be stingy with the gin!"

"Make that two, please." It was him. He had on a charming smile, looking at me as he pulled the stool next to me to have a seat. "The drink is on me. As an apology for the... absurd gestures I had made?"

There it was again. There was something about him, some sort of signals he sent indirectly which made me want to grab his shirt and kiss him senselessly. I cleared my throat, shook off the explicit image forming in mind and sneered, "Do whatever you want." I can be such a bitch sometimes.

I looked away from him, pretending to be interested in the people who were dancing on the stage. I could feel him staring at the back of my head. Did I care? He was probably regretting ever coming up to an arrogant person like me. Oh well. The bartender placed two square napkins on the bar top along with our glasses on it, then popped in a tiny black straw in each glass before turning away to attend to another customer. I took my glass, picked out the straw and downed the cool transparent liquid. As I placed the empty glass back down, I turned to look at the taller man next to me.

Eyes wide as though he had seen a ghost, he said, "Where's the fire? It's only twelve thirty in the morning. The night is still young!" pointing at the watch on his wrist.

"Well, I wasn't planning to spend the rest of the night in this hole. The people here can be incredibly anal!" I said sarcastically, trying to hint at him and hoping he got it.

"Hey!" he held his hands up defensively. "I said I was sorry. What the heck is wrong with you? Got you knickers in a twist? This place ain't a funeral home. You're suppose to enjoy yourself!"

Maybe I was a little hard on him. "I was enjoying myself fine until you came along and declared your idiocy." Oh my God, I can't believe I just said that. How ludicrous could I be?

His jaw literally dropped at my response. Anger building in his already red eyes. He grabbed the collar of my shirt and jerked me up closer to his face. All I could see is red, red angry eyes glowering into mine. Opps? "Fuck you, you pompous 'lil shit! I will not be mocked by some fucked up stranger!!" With that he pushed me back into my seat, almost falling off, grabbed his drink and stormed.

I sat there, at the bar, staring at nothing in particular like some fool. Replaying the incident over and over again in my mind. I blew off the only chance I had to have fun tonight. Yeah, why don't you just tell everyone how much of a brain you have left? Oh wait, you did... a moment ago!! "Argh... fuck!"

Out of nowhere, the bartender spoke, "Whoa man. You're in deep shit. Why did you go and-"

"Did I ask for your damn opinion?" I snapped back at him.

"Well excuse me, mister know-it-all. By the way, your friend forgot to pay after you screwed up. So you owe me for the drinks!"

"What?" I reached into my pocket for my wallet and tossed the cash furiously onto the counter. This has got to be the worse day of my life. How embarrassing! After glaring at him for what felt like a century, the bartender grabbed the money and cowered away to the other side of the bar.

Should I... how shall put this... apologize? I was contemplating on either running away or confront tonight's disaster. Well, he wasn't a nightmare, more of a dream except I went and SPOILT IT ALL!! I got up from my seat and looked around for him. He was sitting on a white sofa, sipping his drink, and talking to a woman in a corner booth. He might've been telling the truth. He seemed... close to her. Is she his girlfriend? But why would he say he wanted me if, assumingly, he's got someone else? She started to toy with his long hair, twisting it in circles between her fingers as she giggled at him. I felt a sudden rush of rage run through my body. I can't be jealous, can I?

"Ceh... just my luck" I murmured to myself. I crammed my hands into the small pockets of my pants and walked towards them. Please God, don't let me down this time! I hate to beg, but at the moment... beggars can't be choosers. I tried my best to look casual, but I felt like squirming when the woman sitting next to him looked at me. If only the toilet was nearby so that I could pretend I was heading for it. You coward! Upon reaching them, he was watching me too. I wanted to crawl under a rock and never come out. The smile he had on his face a moment ago vanished as soon as he set eyes on me.

"Hey, uh..." I stammered trying to think of what to say and at the same time yelling at myself for approaching them in the first place.

"What do you want? Came to ridicule me again?" He faced the girl and continue, "This the guy I was telling you about just now. What a prick he was. Can't accept the fact that he had the guts to-"

"Ahem, excuse me! I brought whatever guts I had and balls which at the moment have shrunk to the size of your brain to... sorry" I paused for a second, took a deep breath and, "I meant to come to apologize for my rude behavior earlier" There, I'd said it. "And I take back the bit about your brain... andthesizeofit" I didn't want to look at him. I didn't want to see what other expressions he might produce to my coming here. I was ready for any other sarcastic remarks from him.

"Bwahahahahahaha! Did you hear that?? Hahahahahaha, he came to say he was sorry! Hahahaha..." He... he... he was laughing?? "Hey!" he got up from the chair and stuck his hand out in front of me. "You're forgiven," he gave me a small wink.

Took a few moment to compose myself before I realized he was standing there waiting for me to take his hand. "Aa... oh... err.. okay," I answered back.

After shaking his hand he invited me to have a seat with them. "I'm Sha Gojyo. You can call me Gojyo. And as for the pretty lady over here is my 'lil sister, Houran."

"Houran..." I mimicked in a trance like state. Why didn't I notice it before? Same hair color, similar features... and also the fact they never touched or kissed in a non-sibling like manner. Luck was on my side once again.

To be continued... ??

Another A/N:
Houran is the girl in the Gensomaden Saiyuki Movie: Requiem, if some of you noticed. I hope the story isn't too short, or silly, or uninteresting. I know there are a couple of stories somewhat like this. Sanzo, Gojyo and bar leading to you know what. Just realized it a bit too late. Sorry to those who think I stole their idea, but I honestly unconsciously wrote it without thinking that there might be others like this one. So, let me know what you think, whether it's boring or I've read that before material, and whether I should continue.

Reviews are most appreciated! Still contemplating on how it shall end! Thanks.