CHAPTER 7
Sf : Minna-san, apologies in advance for the delay in this update. RL has not be good to me. At this point in time, I'm writing Ch 7 with a cold messing with my brains. Please overlook any errors / weirdness in this chapter. Also, I took time out for a quiet moment for the two characters the fic is starting to spin around - Sanzo and Goku.
Muse : *screams* YAOI IMPLICATIONS!
Sf : What implications?!! I don't write yaoi!
Muse : Ahou. -_-.
Sf : Baka. _.
Due to the shifting PoVs, there are slight shifts in time frame. These are illustrated by italicized words at the top of each section.
Warning : Spoilers from Book 8 of the manga (Kami-sama arc).
There was nothing to do but wait.
The day went by. They stayed indoors, away from the prying and frightened eyes of the townsfolk who were trying to understand why the youkai were attacking in such numbers these days.
Time weighed heavily on Goku's shoulders as he watched the road. He knew that Sanzo wouldn't return within a day, or even two.. the youkai fortress was quite a distance away by jeep, and the priest was covering the distance on foot. But he couldn't tear himself away from the window.
Couldn't tear himself away from the nagging fear that Sanzo wasn't coming back.
It's not right. I belong.. with him. I should be there, in case anything goes wrong. In case he needs me. I should be there..
A flash of red hair at the corner of his vision. A familiar, quirky grin. "Bouzu can look after himself."
He'd smiled then, sort of. A small, sad smile, and continued staring at the road.
"Goku, worrying about it won't help." Hakkai's calm voice.
But he did worry. He worried and he wondered why Sanzo hadn't let him follow. And he waited.
But the road remained empty, as the sun rose and set, and night fell.
That night, Goku dreamed.
They'd just returned.. from a long journey. From the first journey he'd taken in five hundred years.
They'd returned .. or Sanzo had returned, but, for Goku, it was the first time he had beheld the gates of Chou'an.
He'd glanced up then, looking up at the sky to see if it were any different. It wasn't. The stars were always there, unless they were hidden by clouds. The constellations still shone in the same places.
Then he'd noticed the moon.
"Ne, Sanzo! Look at the moon!"
Sanzo looked the direction of Goku's pointing finger, made to turn back, and paused.
The moon really was beautiful. It was a white orb that hung high in the sky, a perfect sphere. He hadn't seen it like this before.
"It's full," Sanzo muttered.
"It's beautiful.."
"Hm."
"You don't like it?"
"Baka. It doesn't matter whether we like it or not."
He'd stared at it, enthralled. Miracle of miracles, Sanzo had stood in silence beside him for a long while, instead of walking off immediately.
Finally, the priest turned to leave. "Iku zo!"
"Hai!"
*
Somewhere else, Sanzo was watching the full moon. And remembering.
It'd been the night they'd reached Chou'An. Almost two weeks after he'd picked up that bakazaru.
"Ne, Sanzo! Look at the moon!"
A full moon. It was a sight he'd seen so many times in his life. He wouldn't have given it a second glance.. except..
Memory clicked, and ...
It was a full-moon .. that night.. when oshou-sama died, wasn't it?
"It's beautiful.." Goku breathed, a look of delight on his face.
It was. It really was. Somehow, the bakazaru made him notice little things that he'd stopped looking at a long time ago. And it didn't matter what events had transpired years ago.. a full moon on a clear night was still a breathtaking scene. He just couldn't find the same pain in the sight as he gleaned from rain.
"It doesn't matter whether we like it or not."
"It... it was full. When I was born," Goku said slowly, as if remembering. "It was the first thing I saw."
Sanzo glanced sharply at him, but Goku was still studying the sky.
He remembers?
But Goku hadn't said anything more after that. He'd stood and stared, for almost five minutes, before Sanzo had grown impatient and turned to leave.
"Iku zo!"
"Hai!"
Sanzo shook his head. If things went badly, he wouldn't be seeing Goku again. And even if things went perfectly.. who knew? He wasn't sure what path he would trod if he got the sutras back, what he would do if Isir were dead and his hold on Hakkai was released. To chance going back was to place his bets that all the accidents had been rigged by Isir. If they weren't, if he misjudged, he was dead.
He sighed, feeling a brief pang of wistful longing for simpler days and simpler times. But nothing had been simple since Koumyou Sanzo had died, nothing had been simple since he met Goku, then Gojyo, then Hakkai.. and certainly, nothing had been simple since this journey started.
Times like these, he wanted nothing more than to damn the world and the mission to hell. Throw away the Sanzo title and all the burdens it entailed. And just.. stand in some sun-drenched field in the middle of absolute and blissful solitude.
Although.. perhaps this wasn't too bad either -- alone, except for the moon and the stars. On the road with a definite purpose in mind, but one that didn't require immediate action. Just the road under his sandals and the wind in his hair. Where the most complicated thing in the world was putting one foot in front of the other, and making sure that you didn't trip in the dark...
And the night spiralled away under his feet and the stars turned, until the first golden rays of a new day fell gently across the horizon.
***
One day later.
The sun was setting again.
Hakkai sat by the window, fingers trailing through Hakuryuu's soft mane. Despite his reassurances to Goku, he could feel the little nagging sense of worry lingering in the back of his head like an annoying headache. Unable to stand the inaction, Gojyo had opted to take a walk around the town.
"The saru is driving me crazy, moping and worrying like that," he'd said.
"Why don't you take a walk?"
"I was planning on doing that. After all, we have time to kill, Mister Sanzo-sama isn't here to impose on us, and we're in town. Can't afford to miss this golden opportunity, ne?"
Hakkai had to smile at that. "You're worried about him too, aren't you?"
"Me? Hell, no. Sanzo can look after himself. I'd spare my concern for the youkai he's going to take out. Say, you want to come along?"
Hakkai's smile didn't waver. "I'll stay. Goku needs companionship, and Sanzo might be back anytime."
"Goku needs Sanzo's companionship not yours, if you ask me. Silly kid."
"Still."
"Well, I'm off. I'll see you around. Tomorrow morning or something."
With a cheerful grin and a wave, he'd disappeared through the open door.
"He is worried, I think," Hakkai said to Hakuryuu, who simply leaned into his petting and did not reply. Despite his exterior of nonchalance, even Gojyo was subject to the occasional bout of worry about the priest. If questioned, he might have laughed and attributed to it 'Your bad influence', but the fact was, it was difficult not to worry about a man who was taking more abuse on this journey than most mortals faced in a lifetime.
"I hope that he doesn't get injured this time," Hakkai said out loud.
Nevermind his bad temper and general self-centeredness; Sanzo was still very much a part of their rather mismatched group. And despite his protests to the contrary, he did need all of them on the long road West.
There was a clatter of footsteps on the stairs. Hakkai mustered a smile. "Hello, Goku."
"Sanzo?"
"Not back yet."
"It's been two days," Goku said unhappily.
"He's probably just reached his destination."
"Where's Gojyo? Went out? Chasing chicks?" there was a little note of bitterness in Goku's voice.
"Goku, you know how he is..."
"Hakkai, if Sanzo's not back by tomorrow night, I'm going to look for him."
Hakkai regarded Goku with a neutral expression. The youth gazed back with nothing but stubborn determination in his eyes.
"Sanzo explicitly said not to follow," Hakkai replied.
"I know. But Sanzo... he..." Goku's voice faltered for a moment. Hakkai waited with a patience borne of long years of teaching. Goku took a deep breath and plunged on. "Sanzo believes that he can do everything himself. But sometimes, sometimes it helps to have us around. Even if he can handle it on his own, our assistance might make it easier for him."
Methinks... Goku is starting to become very perceptive. He nodded. "Very well. Then we'll look for him. If he's not back by this time tomorrow."
There was relief in Goku's face after that. It swept over his features, and was mirrored in the way he slumped into a chair with a loud sigh. "Well, now that that's settled, can we have dinner? I'm starving to death!"
*
But the resolution to wait until the next evening proved short lived. Even as Gojyo returned in the dead of the night, slightly drunk and somewhat richer, but unsuccessful in his hunt for a bed partner, Goku was tossing and turning next door in the throes of a nightmare.
And a few hours later, as Hakkai was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and studying the sleeping Hakuryuu with a slight smile of affection, there came a massive hammering on his door.
"Come--"
The door was slammed open, and Goku rushed in.
"Goku?"
"We have to leave now," Goku said urgently. "We have to go."
"What's wrong?"
"Sanzo's in trouble. Sanzo's in serious trouble..." At that, Goku's tenuous grip on self-control slipped, as if, by saying the words, he'd suddenly come to realize their full import.
There was a slam as he brought both palms down -- hard -- on the tabletop. "Sanzo's hurt, Hakkai! We have to help him!"
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, saru," Gojyo said from the doorway. "What makes you think so? You have a direct line to Sanzo that we don't know about or something?"
"It's... a feeling..."
There was a warm hand on his shoulder, and Hakkai's calm voice from directly overhead. "I think you're just worried, Goku."
Goku shook his head violently. "No. I'm absolutely certain. I'd know if he was in trouble..."
Hakkai felt a stab of old pain at those words.
Why didn't I feel anything at that time? Why didn't I rush home? I didn't know when she was in mortal danger. I just continued playing with the students as normal...
Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, he glanced at Gojyo, who shrugged, but didn't answer.
"If Goku thinks there's a problem, it can't hurt to investigate," Hakkai concluded.
Goku took a shuddering breath. "Let's go. Let's go now."
***
"What makes you think that Sanzo's in danger?" Hakkai asked, over the quiet whirr of Hakuryuu's engine.
"I had this dream last night... there wasn't any light, there wasn't anything to see but solid blackness. I thought.. I thought I was back in the cave, back in the mountain, it was that dark. Then... I think I heard his voice. He was calling me .. somehow, and I knew he was in danger. But I couldn't find him..."
"And you're sure it's not a nightmare?" Gojyo said, sounding just a little sarcastic. Tired and edgy from a late night and too little sleep, the 22 year old was understandably irritable. Being dragged out of bed to go on a chase early in the morning wasn't going down well with him. Not at all. He hunched further down into the passenger seat. "Che.. if Sanzo wants to get into trouble, he can get himself out of it himself."
Goku glared at him from the backseat. "How could you say that?"
"Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? Isn't he the one who quotes that proverb at us -- how does it go... dust on one's head should be swept off by oneself?"
"And who was the one who ran off to look for Kami-sama? Forcing the rest of us to go running after him?" Goku snapped. "I seem to remember that Sanzo was badly hurt in that fight..."
"Hey, that was.. well.. ah damn." Gojyo's rebuttal skidded to a halt. "Ah, crap. But hey, at least I didn't say 'Don't follow'."
"Well, if you don't want to come along, get out of the jeep and go back," Goku said. "I never asked for your help."
"Oh, touchy, aren't you?" Gojyo said, but the retort lacked force. Truth to be told, he wasn't exactly sure what to make of Goku's behavior. This side of Goku was new, and Gojyo still hadn't quite decided on how to deal with it. And hell, the kid was right. Wasn't often that that happened, either. He glanced over at Hakkai in the driver's seat, but Hakkai simply smiled and didn't meet his gaze.
Kid's growing up...
"Hakkai, do you know which way it is?" Goku said worriedly.
"I believe I remember the route. It follows the road," Hakkai replied cheerfully.
"What if Isir decides to sidetrack us? Disguise the road or something..."
Gojyo's eyebrows shot up. "Is it me.. or did the bakazaru just suggest something intelligent?"
"Don't call me that, ero-kappa!"
Ah, good. Some things still haven't changed. Gojyo settled more comfortably into his seat and took a drag on his cigarette. "Then we'll have to rely on your nose, bakazaru," he replied in all seriousness.
***
One day ago.
The gates were open.
No, make that -- the fucking gates were open.
Sanzo glared at them. So Isir had been confident that he'd return. And was sitting there waiting for him to step in.
Fuck.
He grabbed a drink of water, draining the bottle, and ditched the remainder of the scant supplies he'd brought. No use bringing them into a fight. He could retrieve them on the way back.
The gates were still open. There wasn't a guard in sight.
Well, having come this far, there was no way out but through. Sanzo performed a cursory check on the Smith and Wesson. If Isir wanted to leave his door wide open, that was fine by him. He had all of five bullets, no reload, and he had one bastard youkai to kill. Fair enough.
Flicking off the safety, Sanzo crossed the remaining hundred metres or so to the entrance, and strode boldly through the gate without pause. And halted in the courtyard.
No one challenged him. But they were there, alright. He could sense the ever-present stink of youki, slithering around in corners just out of his field of vision.
"Well?" he called out, the challenge ringing through the cracks in the stonework and echoing up to the battlements.
Far ahead, the door at the other end of the courtyard opened slowly.
"Ch," Sanzo muttered, and continued forward. The quiet slap of his sandals echoed in the looming silence.
No one met him. No one challenged him. He stepped through the corridor to find a hall. He followed the long, winding staircase up, passed through the door at the top and made his way down a series of corridors. And never saw a soul. But they were all there. Watching.
There was something in the air. Anticipation, perhaps. It could have been fear, but they certainly couldn't be afraid of him. No. Isir was definitely up to something.
Walking into a trap, he growled at himself. He hated this feeling of being led further and further into the domain of the enemy.
Then a pair of double doors parted before him, giving way to just a velvety darkness, barely illuminated by rows of flickering candles.
Perfect. Straight out of a horror movie.
Steeling himself, winding up nerves that were already wire-taut, he stepped through that last threshold, fully expecting the doors to swish shut behind him.
And they did. But even as they closed, more candles burst into flame, chasing away the darkness to reveal another massive hall. It was completely empty, except for the candles in their brackets in the walls. No furniture. No trappings and hangings. Nothing. Just bare stone. The ceiling was completely lost in shadow; he could not see to the other end.
Then his attention was drawn to the single figure standing in the middle of the room. Isir smiled as he turned to face the priest. A simple, chilling smile.
"Welcome back, Sanzo-sama."
***
TBC
***
Muse : *blinks*. Hey, sf, I think it was pretty good.
Sf : Umm.. I felt like I was writing one of those silly stories for English class when I was 12...
Muse : What, all melodrama and suspense and nice little descriptors?
Sf : *sweatdropping madly*. Exactly.
Muse : But hey, you gave them the cliffhanger to end all other cliffhangers..
Sf : It wasn't me! It was you!
