M2000: Well,
Saiyuki isn't mine. And
neither is Harry Potter. IF IT WAS, I most certainly would NOT
have killed *mmmprrghhh!*
Goku: Ssssssh! Sanzo is reading 'Harry Potter and The Order Of The
Phoenix' right now! He'll be real mad if you spill who dies!
M2000: SANZO READS HARRY POTTER?!
Hakkai: A relatively new thing. I converted him accidentally, and now
he's pinched my copy and I haven't even looked inside it yet...*sigh*
M2000: Aw, poor Hakkai. For those of you who HAVEN'T read it yet, it's
darker than any of the preceding four, brings back a lot of characters old and
new, has quite a few cool surprises and oh--the Defence Against The Dark Arts
teacher? She's a real 13!+|-|.
Sanzo: *peers over top of HP book* Getting 'leet' now, are we?
M2000: None of your beeswax. Now finish reading and give Hakkai-sama
his book back. =_=
SCAR
Kizuato
Three months already since the piano lessons began. Gojyo now played flawlessly and Kouka was considering getting a book of sheet music, but Gojyo didn't think it was such a hot idea. "I just want to learn how to play your favourite song..."
Kouka frowned. "Well, smartie, let's say I get bored of that song. Then what, hmm?"
"I...I don't know..."
"So we WILL need sheet music after all."
"No, we won't," the crimson-haired boy suddenly shot back. He looked up at Kouka with a spunky, fierce expression that would have melted the heart of anybody else. "I'll memorise what songs I need to play. I'll play what we all like to hear being played. Simple as that, kaasan."
"Strong will you got there. Like your father."
Gojyo's face fell. "Gomen," he muttered. "I know you don't like to talk about tousan. I know that I look sorta like him. Is that why you get angry with me so easily, kaasan?" He squeezed her hand tightly before she could even say a word in return. "Dai-jou-bu! It's OK! Maybe he left, but I won't. You'll always have me and Jien, kaasan. Promise!"
Kouka blinked silently. Tears were misting her vision again.
"Don't cry? Kaasan?"
"Who's crying?" she hissed, swiping fiercely at her sharp blue eyes. "And what is it NOW?"
"Tell me about 'tousan?"
For eight years Kouka had kept mum about Sha Ren. The last time Gojyo asked, he'd been pinned against the dining table, her hot, stale breath hissing against his ear in a warning never to speak of him again. Never mind he'd only been two, his leg had been broken and Gojyo knew better than to utter the 'T' word in THIS house...
Kouka's hands balled into fists, then relaxed. "What do you want to know about your father?" she asked wearily.
++++++++++
"Tell me sir, are you not happy with the way this town is run?" he enquired politely. "And you, Seiko my love, what are you doing out here?"
Seiko paled and smiled nervously. "H-hello, anata. I wanted to pick you some flowers for the dining table." She held up the basket filled with a mess of reds, blues, yellows and oranges. "Don't you think they're pretty?"
"Rather, I suppose, but what's the use? Those flowers will wilt anyway and make a mess. You are so very impractical, my love." All this was said in honeyed, affectionate tones that had no other effect but to make everyone feel slightly queasy.
"H...hai, anata..." Seiko went rather red and her grip on the flower basket tightened. Gojyo shot the man before him the dirtiest look he could without provoking him further and opened his mouth to say just how bad a rotter he thought You was now.
"Forgive the intrusion," Sanzo cut in irritably before Gojyo could begin his rant, "but we only came here to seek provisions. We'll be on our way afterwards."
The young mayor now let his gaze travel over the ikkou. They could not help but notice the disdain that lay within his eyes. "My, even if you are the Genjou Sanzou-ikkou, you must have been travelling quite a while to let yourselves go to pieces like this," he remarked smoothly. "Bandannas I can condone as bad fashion sense, but you, the gentleman in the green jacket, what IS that THING I see clipped on your ear? And what is that on your shoulder?"
"It was a gift from a friend, You-sama, and this is my pet, Hakuryuu," Hakkai replied stiffly. The white dragon greeted the mayor with what Hakkai realised (with much distress) was an extremely foul swear word in Dragon.
"A friend. I see," he said with an undertone of poorly-concealed discomfort. "Well, allow me to introduce myself. My name is You Jouji, and I am the mayor of Weishan. Welcome to my glorious town, and I can only hope we are able to accommodate your needs."
"Your hospitality is greatly appreciated," came the reply with icicles hanging off the tips of the high monk's words.
"I'm sure. Now come, let me show you four around Weishan. You will have to stay for a while, I'm afraid. There is much I have to ask of you."
As they walked through the streets, Jouji expounded on his grand city. You would have thought he was one of the founding fathers, the way he went on. As they turned a corner, however, a gruesome sight met their eyes--a mob was gathered in the middle of the street, apparently having a go at something sprawled in the mud. An old woman was trying to stop them, tears in her eyes, but the assailants kept pushing her away, even hitting at her. Gojyo and Goku only needed one look to wade into the crowd and start breaking up the mob, much to Jouji's surprise.
Unbelievably, it was an old man who was the object of assault. He was covered in bruises, mud and blood, and was coughing weakly. Someone tried to kick at his feeble body again, but he ended up hitting the business end of Gojyo's shakujou or bishop's staff instead. Gojyo snickered as the man yowled and hopped around comically on one foot, grasping his throbbing toes. Goku bent down, asked the old man if he was all right and reached out a hand to help him up.
"Do not touch him!" Jouji snapped suddenly, smacking Goku's hand aside. Seiko stifled a cry of protest. "He has the Mark!"
"OK, so maybe he needs a bath, what's wrong with that?" Gojyo snapped.
"Are you deaf? Not muck, MARK. Old man, show him the Mark. Be quick about it!" he barked. The old one nodded mutely, shrinking back in fear, and drew up one baggy sleeve to reveal his upper arm. What shocked Gojyo was not so much the emaciated state of the limb but the huge, blackish scar that tainted the liver-spotted skin. Hakkai swallowed, his throat suddenly turned desert-dry.
"What IS that?!" spluttered Goku.
"The Mark of Black Blood," Jouji explained, sending ice-cold glares at the old man. "The mark of someone who doesn't know how to keep his own blood pure and mixes with the likes of demons. THIS one FED a demon who came to our doorsteps. We killed her, of course..."
"She was starving, m'lord," the old woman tried to defend her husband's actions. "And that child with her, the poor wee scrap, he wouldn't have lasted much longer without his mother..."
"Silence, old one! You know the rules; demons are not to be associated with in this town! Besides...we killed him too, didn't we? I showed mercy aplenty," Jouji said with a delicate shrug. "Now get away from here, old man. Don't ever let me catch you in my sight again." He kicked out at the elder with a shiny-booted foot, and the ancient one staggered backwards before falling over.
"Hey, that was mean!" snapped Goku, stepping forward. "Just because he fed a demon doesn't mean you can treat him like that! It's such a small thing!"
"We do not give out the Marks for 'small things'," came the cold reply as stony eyes stared down at Goku. "I've said it before, demons are not allowed in this town at all. This is a settlement for humans, not beasts!"
"NOW HOLD ON JUST A COTTON-PICKIN' MINUTE HERE!" Goku burst out angrily, unable to reach Jouji's collar and so settling for yanking at the seam of his coat instead.
"Calm down, you idiotic monkey!" roared Sanzo, stepping between the two and dealing Goku a few harisen blows. "This is no place to start quibbling about morals. What You wants to do with his town is his own business. We could not say anything even if he wished to destroy it himself." Amethyst eyes locked on the Weishan mayor. "Sou darou, You-sama?"
"Doubtless." He dusted his coat off as if there was some form of filth on it. "And please, keep your companion here in check."
"Companion? What companion? He's a servant."
"Maa, maa, calm down, everyone," a certain green-eyed demon-convert soothed quietly. "People are watching."
Sanzo looked around swiftly, not because he cared about what other people were thinking about him but because he wanted to see what the citizens made of this. Although he saw many stony faces raring to fly at himself, his fellow travellers and the old man fast limping off, a few faces he saw were sympathetic, and one or two had angry eyes trained on You Jouji.
"Fine. I suppose I'll have to give you all some face. Hey! What are you all standing around here watching for? Resume your business!" barked the mayor harshly. Slowly, the crowd began to dissipate and eventually, the five were left pretty much alone save for the occasional curious glare. "Now," said Jouji, a thin, dangerous smile on his face, "it's almost noon. I should be honoured if you could join my fiancée and I for lunch."
"Will there be lots of food?" Goku asked, his eyes becoming inexplicably wide and shiny.
"Naturally," Jouji said. "My, my, such innocence...it's not often that you find someone who can so easily tune in to their inner child like that."
_Ack! Kono yarou...I think I've just been insulted!_ Goku thought hotly as he fell into step behind the others.
Seiko looked rather worried, glancing back occasionally at the spot of the incident. Just then, a voice broke her reverie. "Ne, Seiko-san?"
"Yes?" She turned around and gave the speaker a small smile.
"If he doesn't want the flowers may I have them?" Goku whispered as quietly as he could.
++++++++++
They finally reached Jouji's house--although it was a tad on the large side to be called that--after what had earlier been described as a 'brisk, bracing constitutional' up the hill. 'Brisk and bracing' had turned out to be a twenty minute long hike in the glaring summer Tougenkyou sun. It was a fairly huge affair, tough, all gleaming marble and smooth brick with two jade lions guarding the entrance. There was a garden surrounding the whole house, clean and well-kept. Everything looked almost too well-behaved, except for the burst of colour in the form of flower bushes that Seiko had planted near the hedges--a small concession that Jouji had made rather grudgingly for his fiancée.
So it was that Sanzo and his companions found themselves in soft, comfortable chairs being served tea by some of Jouji's many servants (they weren't bad looking, either, noted Gojyo) as lunch was served. Spring rolls, dumplings, gyoza, wan-tan, fried rice, chow mein, cold soba and things even Goku had never heard of or tasted before filled the table. The youth sang out a happy 'Itadakimasu' and promptly and enthusiastically began digging into several plates of dumplings, Hakuryuu cleaning up what he didn't eat. Sanzo sipped sparingly at his tea, pleading lack of hunger.
"Sanzo-sama, surely you cannot survive on cultivating your mind alone," Jouji ribbed, laughing lightly. Sanzo gave him a long, frighteningly neutral look and picked up a prawn with his chopsticks.
"Gochisousama," Hakkai said, putting down his ivory chopsticks and looking up from a perfectly clean plate of black chicken. "That was a wonderful meal, You-sama. My compliments to the cook. I'm afraid I really should go and get the provisions we need. It wouldn't be too nice to impose on you all for too long."
Jouji nodded. "You're not imposing...much. Are you sure that you've had enough to eat, er...?"
"Hakkai. Cho Hakkai, You-sama."
"...Hakkai-san. Forgive me. I'm very bad with names, especially with those who I don't have much knowledge of."
Hakkai really had to force a smile for this one. "Iie, daijoubu desu (No, it's all right). I'd best be off. Goku, would you like to come?"
The answer came after Goku slurped down a whole bowl of soup and cold soba. "Yes! Yes I would!"
"All right then. Anybody need anything?"
Sanzo tossed them the sacred gold credit card. "2 cartons. You know of what."
"Of course I do," Hakkai beamed. "I'll see if they have any."
"Any what?" asked Jouji, one eyebrow raised.
"Nothing special. Herbal tea," Hakkai said hurriedly. Sanzo made no move to answer, but Gojyo saw Seiko looking his way and mimed a person lighting up. "Thank you again for the meal. Goku, let's go, shall we?"
"Okie! Wait up!"
"He seemed in a hurry to leave," Jouji remarked smoothly. "I hope I didn't offend him. Well, in any case, Sanzo-sama, we have a lot to discuss. Seiko, love, would you please escort Mr...what's your name?"
"Sha Gojyo."
"...Mr. Sha to the living room while I have some words with Sanzo-sama? NOW?" he tacked on when she hesitated, seeing Gojyo's disgruntled expression.
"As you wish, anata," she murmured. "Gojyo-san, please follow me?"
The hanyou gave her a long look before getting up and following. Once out of earshot, he asked her "Might I speak freely, lady?"
"Yes, go right ahead."
"Your husband's the biggest ass I've ever met," he spat. "What he wants to say to the bouzu, he can say to my face too."
"Gomen..."
"What're you apologisin' for? It's not your fault. I'm kinda surprised how you ended up with a guy like him, though. He treats you like a lackey, not a wife!"
"I'm not his wife...yet," she admitted softly. "Our marriage will be tomorrow at the Weishan church. Now may I speak freely, Gojyo-san?"
"Yeah, sure. Have I said something wrong?"
"No, you haven't. I do not love him. He doesn't have any affection for me, either, it's simply some convenient arrangement for him, but I don't have any choice. It's an arranged marriage."
"In this day and age?!" spluttered Gojyo.
Seiko nodded, swallowed and began her explanation.
++++++++++
And now, review thanks...
real-circus -- Ooookaaaay...fwah! Tokyo! Buy me a Hakuryuu plushie? ^_^
Kaylana -- ...glad you like it...
L. L. Artemisan -- It gets worse, kouhai, so stock up on the insulin before reading my fics. FEEL THE POWER OF THE FLASHBACK! Woohoo!
Firnheledien -- Hey Firn-chan. Yay, you got the peribahasa *giggles* Saja (simply) only put in...Sorry, Sanzo doesn't really do much in these chaps. He only gets to weird characters out. ;)
Shaoli -- It was written mainly for amusement. Ying's being mysterious for a reason. ;)