Shinku no En: The Crimson Bond
by UltraM2000
Disclaimer: Don't own Saiyuki…yet. Severe fluff, M2000 style, slight PWPness…and a Gojyo acting OOC. Firn-chan = Firnheledien, god bless the rabid Sanzo fangirl. Possibly the longest chapter in the fiction.
*suddenly hits M2000--no one has mentioned Chapter 6's kiss scene* NUTS!
Houran regained consciousness a few days later. The first things that registered were the musky, faintly sweetish smell of the pillow that cushioned her head, the sensation of bandages wrapped tightly round her chest, and the man sitting in a chair next to her, a few bandages around his shirtless chest and his gaze fixed intently upon her. It goes without saying that Gojyo turned on the charm from square one.
"Welcome back to the living, milady," he greeted her with a squeeze of her hand. She blinked, swallowed slightly and looked around her. The chamber was not familiar—delft blue walls surrounding parquet flooring, a few dropped articles of clothing on the floor, posters of Asahi Beer girls [1] and Playboy 'bunnies' on the wall (oh heavens), and a slightly messy bedside table with newspapers and rolls of bandages strewn all over it.
"Gojyo-san, wh…where am I?" she asked. "And how long have I been here?"
"My humble abode…well, mine and Hakkai's, at any rate. It's been about two weeks or so since the rumble in Avici. I wouldn't recommend trying to get up yet—that slash probably hasn't healed fully."
"I think it's all right," she ventured, raising herself up on her arms. It felt a little better to be sitting upright again, although the effort made her feel just a touch dizzy.
"That's good to hear. You feel like somethin' to eat?"
"I am a little hungry…" she said with a small smile.
"That's settled. I'll get you some of that medicinal porridge Hakkai whipped up. Works wonders, believe you me." Gojyo exited and returned with a bowl of porridge and Hakkai. The brunette gave the young lady a pleasant smile in greeting.
"It's good to see you've regained consciousness, Houran-san," Hakkai beamed. He checked her pulse and gave her a quick look over. "Well, you seem to have made a wonderful recovery. The important thing now is to get your strength back. I think the bandages can come off soon. If the wound itches, starts bleeding or pains you, let me know, all right?"
"I will. Thank you, Hakkai-san."
"Don't mention it," Hakkai beamed. "All right Gojyo, you take care of her for me while I prepare some more medicine, all right?"
"I…oi!" spluttered Gojyo as Hakkai walked off. Houran couldn't help but giggle, albeit quite shyly. Gojyo looked at her and sighed.
If she didn't know any better, Houran would think Gojyo was blushing.
"Come on, say 'ah'," he finally broke the silence, proffering a spoonful of the rice porridge to Houran. She complied, and took the bowl from him to finish the job herself. Gojyo watched her eat, and stared at his fingers for some time. She noticed.
"Gojyo-san is anything the matter?"
"Ahr, nothing really important. Just get well soon."
"I'll try."
"Good. Because as soon as you're better, I'm going to ask you out on a date."
Houran finished her meal and looked thoughtful. "I'd like that," she replied softly
And so, Gojyo continued his nursemaid duty ("Hakkai, you can quit smiling like that already, you bloody freaky man."), and Houran grew strong once more and her wounds healed. The bandages came off about a week later, and Gojyo set about keeping his promise. He wanted to do things right this time round…
"Shit, shit, and shit squared," Gojyo growled, furiously jabbing at his handphone's keypad. "I didn't realise it would be this hard to make reservations in this place!" He flopped down on the couch and grumbled non-stop under his breath. He had given Houran his credit card and told her to go buy herself some decent clothes.
"Because you've never had reason to," Hakkai smiled. "Friday nights in Chouan are notoriously busy, Gojyo, you should know that. You should have tried reserving tables on Thursday, at least."
"They're booked straight through the damn weekend," grumbled Gojyo, "even Zizzlers [2] and Yamato. [3] Heck, even the chicken onigiri joint [4] down at the corner has its tables reserved in advance! I'll have to postpone that date after all," he muttered, deflated.
When I make a promise, I have every intention to keep it, especially if it's for a lady. I hate letting them down, it reminds me of a woman that I could never satisfy no matter what I tried. Her name was 'Mom'.
Hakkai exhaled, absently reaching up a hand to dissuade Hakuryuu from nibbling his ear. "Through the weekend? That only happens during festivals…festivals…wait a minute. Gojyo, what's the date?" Gojyo looked up, eyebrow quirked, and told him.
"That's the Gregorian calendar. What's the lunar date?"
"Seventh of the seventh moon."
"And what is the seventh of the seventh month…?"
"Aw, that's simple, Hakkai. Tonight's Tanabata, the Tougenkyou Valentine's. [5] I think there's some legend to do with it, something about two lovers in Tenkai who can only meet tonight, or some kinda crap like that. Great night for romance." It took some time for Gojyo to realise what he was talking about. "Tanabata! Holy…! I forgot about it completely! That explains the reservation problem, and Chouan holds an outdoor fair to celebrate it! It's….well, it's not romantic or anything, but it's a start. Thanks for the reminder, Hakkai."
"You're welcome. I guess you'll have to return that tuxedo you borrowed from Firnheledien-san, ne?"
"I suppose I should, before I forget about it completely." He got up and retrieved a box from his cupboard. "Y'know, I never even took a look at this get-up. I wonder where she got the tuxedo from," he wondered as he opened the lid to take a quick peek at it.
Silence.
"…A costume shop, by the looks of it."
"WHAT THE?! IT'S FOOGIN' ELECTRIC PINK!!!" howled Gojyo. "She said it was dark blue!"
"I suppose it was her idea of a joke. You know, I told you not to call her Firn-chan, she doesn't like it…" Hakkai gingerly held the garment at arm's length, wincing at its dazzling cerise hues.
Gojyo muttered something to the effect of "A good thing I didn't make reservations" and stomped off to return the brightly coloured silk suit.
Houran returned about five minutes later, looking rather puzzled. Her shopping trip had proven quite fruitful, judging by the number of bags of shopping she had clutched in her arms. "Hakkai-san, I saw Gojyo-san stomping off down the street to Firn-san's art studio muttering something about clown-suits and payback. Is he quite all right? Perhaps tonight isn't a good night for him to go out…"
"No, no, no," Hakkai said quickly, hiding his grin behind the newspapers. "Gojyo is perfectly in the pink…well, he got pretty close, anyway."
Houran came to the eventual conclusion that Hakkai-san, although an accomplished healer, a powerful fighter and a good friend, could also be positively bizarre at times.
Houran looked positively enchanting. Gojyo had said so himself. He had seen her in Oriental clothing (WET Oriental clothing, too—but that's old news), and she had been going around in some of Gojyo's more normal clothes for the past week she had been able to get out of bed, but this…! She was wearing a stunning, glittery long-sleeved blouse with a sleeveless white top underneath it, and a slim-cut black skirt fell almost to her ankles. She had undone her usual bun, choosing instead to braid her hair in a shiny river of crimson that flowed down to her upper thigh. She had not shed her knitted hairband, though, or her old blue-green drop earrings.
Houran looked positively enchantED as well. Gojyo had blindfolded her with his old blue bandanna before they left the house, grinning like an ass, and had only consented to open the blindfold when they had arrived at the fair. The main streets of Chouan were crowded with little stalls selling everything you could possibly think off and promoting strange games and contests, and above them glowed beautiful lanterns, red and white and golden in various shapes. She turned to look at Gojyo, who was grinning modestly, a lit cigarette clamped between strong white teeth. His brown leather jacket [6] he had paired with a loose blue shirt and a pair of old jeans.
"I would'a taken you to one of those restaurants uptown…but I couldn't make any reservations. This'll have to do until then," he said apologetically. "Chouan has an annual fair for the mid-autumn festival, and this is it."
"It's beautiful," she breathed. "I never did get the chance to go to one of these things when I was a child." She took his hand, and he looked up. "Come on! Let's get right to it!"
Ah, the two did have fun running around the fair, soaking up the atmosphere, sampling all the food (including, amazingly, twelve different types of sweet dumplings) and trying their hand at the games. Gojyo proved to have quite an eye for darts as well as card games, and he scored six consecutive bull's-eyes at a stall promoting a game. He won his choice of soft toy, and Houran picked one out after much deliberation.
Now, if only she hadn't picked the Midou Kazuhiko Hotspring Kappa Donba plushie. [7] He was only slightly mollified when Houran told him she liked the way it smiled so happily. "She doesn't know my nickname, she doesn't know my nickname," he muttered over and over.
Well, things were going well for Gojyo—Houran seemed to be enjoying herself immensely, and he felt quite pleased to see her so. There was a sparkle, a gleam of life being lived in those beautiful ruby eyes, something he had not seen before their past weeks together. "Houran…" he began, determined to say what he had meant to all this time.
"Gojyo-san?" she looked up at him, feeling her heart skip a beat.
"Houran…I…"
"…want to eat some of that fried squid and shaved ice and yakitori [8] and pork buns and mooncakes and…AH! KONO EROGAPPA, what are you doing here?"
If Gojyo had been any less a man, he might have screamed at the futility of it all. Instead, being a calm and mature individual, he screamed in irritation instead.
"Definitely not stuffing my face silly, like SOME people I know!"
Goku swelled up like an indignant bullfrog. "Don't insult the value of food!" he snapped. "It's the best thing since sliced bread!"
"…That's truly not funny, coming from you. Nice jammies, though."
"IT'S A YUKATA [9] AND SANZO BOUGHT IT FOR ME!" Goku flailed his arms as he gesticulated at his dark blue garment patterned with golden dragons and bamboo.
"…Because he wouldn't shut up about the silly thing."
"Greetings to you too, Sanzo. Nice get-up you got there." Gojyo tried to burn into his mind the image of Genjyo Sanzo, high monk, bad-tempered and droopy-eyed, in blue jeans and a long-sleeved, silvery-white tunic.
"Good evening, Sanzo-sama. It's been a while. Thank you for your past help," Houran greeted him with a bow. Sanzo gave a small, irritated shrug and reached into his pocket for a cigarette.
"Ne, Houran, let's go get something to eat!" Goku beamed, tugging on her sleeve. "I can make sure erogappa here doesn't hit on you or anything!"
"Hey, look here…" Gojyo began, his cheeks tingeing a slight pink.
"It's all right, Goku, you needn't worry," Houran said with a laugh. "Gojyo-san is a perfect gentleman around me." She couldn't quite understand why Goku burst into sudden laughter.
"…Let's just go get that shaved ice," Gojyo muttered in a subdued fashion. He quickly brushed some hair over his face to hide his reddening cheeks and walked off with Sanzo and Goku on one side and Houran on the other. He would've liked to hold her hand or put an arm round her shoulder, but Goku's presence didn't seem to encourage that.
_O dear gods, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO MY LOVE LIFE?!_ he mentally projected into Tenkai.
"Because, my dear Kenren Taisho, all's fair in love and war, not to mention entertainment," smiled a hermaphroditic deity of mercy, twirling a lotus bud between her fingers somewhere up in the clouds.
"Kanzeon Bosatsu-sama…what's that got to do with your placing Konzen Douji and Son Goku in that particular situation?"
"…You aren't denying me my only form of entertainment now, are you, Jiroushin?"
Several cones of shaved ice and multi-coloured syrup later, Sanzo finally managed to drag Goku away from the stall and point him in the general direction of Shayouden and bed. The monk's eyes were drooping more than was healthy, and Gojyo had been harisen-swatted for cracking that comment. But at last, the two were alone.
"You really like shaved ice, kiddo," Gojyo remarked, slurping up the remains of his last one.
"New experience," Houran explained. "It was very good."
"Well, since I think we've seen enough of the fair, how about we go somewhere else instead?"
"I wouldn't mind…but do you have a place in mind?"
Gojyo smiled mysteriously. "As a matter of fact, I do."
Gojyo took Houran's hand (score one for the kappa, she didn't object) and led her up the nearby hills. Once they reached the top, Gojyo bade her sit down on the soft, dry grass and look up. "Voila," he whispered.
It was a wonderfully clear night, and away from the bright lights and bustle of the fair only Nature held sway over them. Stars spangled the sky like countless rhinestones, gleaming in a vast range of colours, red and orange and golden-white. Above the two lovers, a half-moon hung low as if watching and anticipating Gojyo's next move.
Houran stared up into the night sky, amazed. She had never seen so many stars in one place. "Kirei…[10]" was all she could manage. (Score two for the kappa, she was impressed.)
Gojyo was quite the poet when it came to pick up lines. He could have said many things, like there was a star in the sky for every time he had wanted to say how much he loved her; that she was brighter to him than any star above; that the sight of the moon made his blood dance in his veins and other such sweet nothings like that, and he could have meant them all for once, but he completely lost his tongue and came up with something else instead.
"The stars are nice tonight, eh?" he remarked lamely. Houran nodded, and all of a sudden, she sat a little closer to him and put her head on his shoulder, pillowing her head on his jacket's collar.
"It really has been a wonderful night, Gojyo-san," she murmured smilingly. "Thank you. I really had fun."
"Ah? Ar…hmm. You're…you're welcome, I guess, Houran." He hesitated a bit, and then ran his fingers through her hair. It felt soft and smooth, like a sheet of living silk. "Houran…there's something I've been meaning to say. I…Houran…? Houran?!"
Houran had fallen asleep on Gojyo's shoulder, tired out but too happy to care. He sighed deeply—foiled again. Guess he should be getting home. Gently, without waking her, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up off the ground. "OK, Sleeping Beauty, back to the castle we go."
Gojyo took a back route home rather than risk Houran waking up (and his being seen by other female acquaintances), and arrived back at the apartment just as the clock struck half-past eleven. Hakkai opened the door to him, and looked quite surprised at the sight of Gojyo gazing tenderly down at Houran, sleeping peacefully.
"Nice kappa plushie. Did something happen?" he asked concernedly.
"Something would have happened if Goku hadn't interrupted. Nah, she's just asleep. Poor lass must be tired out. I'm going to hit the sack myself. Pleasant dreams, Hakkai."
"Good night, Gojyo. I'll lock up. You put Houran to bed."
Gojyo followed orders, laying the sleeping Houran upon his bed and pulled the covers up warmly around her. She stirred and murmured something in her sleep that completely shocked him.
"Gojyo-san…so warm…"
"Izzat so?" he whispered, lips cocked up in a half-smile. An idea struck him, and he decided to follow its instruction. He undressed for bed, then slipped into bed with Houran and held her close to him. He hoped she wouldn't be too surprised in the morning when she awoke.
He had yet to tell her of his true feelings, and it didn't look like he could do it any time soon. He wondered whether all his preparation had been worth it, whether he really should be here with her.
Then he remembered her smile, the happy gleam in her eyes, so alive and wonderful. No, it was worth it all right. Houran, too, was warm, after all, and Gojyo felt even warmer inside. Smiling, he closed his eyes and let dreams enfold him.
[1] I would have said Carlsberg or Guinness, but I know erogappa doesn't drink those. Does Asahi Beer have chicks in their advertisements?
[2] Zizzler's is the name of a restaurant in Centrepoint that my family and I used to frequent. You order a main course and get unlimited soup, salad and ice cream. Sadly, it has long gone out of business due to reasons unclear to me.
[3] Name of the restaurant in Ep. 5 of the anime, 'Pure Assassin' (Utsukushiki Ansatsusha – The Beautiful Assasin). The name was not mentioned in the manga arc 'Drug and booze'.
[4] Based on Malacca's famous Chicken Rice Ball restaurant – the name of which I do not recall and the wares of which I have yet to taste. It's apparently very, very famous and very, very good.
[5] Japanese/Chinese Valentine's, actually, but we'll leave it at that.
[6] The one in Saiyuki Reload.
[7] Hotspring Kappa Donba (Onsengappa Donba) is an actual manga by Midou Kazuhiko, who is also the artist of the many versions of Ultra Ninja Manual (Urutora Ninpouchou): Ninja Manual Hurricane (UNPC Shippuu), Ninja Manual Prosperity (UNPC Kotobuki), Ninja Manual Ultra and the currently running (?) Ninja Manual Flash.
[8] Yakitori – chunks of chicken roasted on bamboo skewers, served with a sweetish sauce called tare. I personally prefer torikawa (grilled chicken skin – reminds me of suckling pig, actually *licks lips*) and grilled garlic, although THAT takes a bit of getting used to.
[9] Yukata – short summer-type kimono.
[10] Kirei – Pretty.And now, for the reviewers:
D-chan -- 'Tis a pity the man didn't get much to do in here. I just love bouncing all the charas off each other like that, whether in jest or serious matters. How does Goku know? He just captured 'karmic bond' and that was enough for him. No trimmings nor trappings. ;)
Kurtain -- I'm not surprised--counting myself I've only found two. ;) Houran's technically not dead, and I suggest you read it again when you're free. Happy travels!
konzen -- Thanks! I do!
Ashura A. -- For now, and hopefully forever! Yay for Hakkai, one of the few people who can handle a grumpy Sanzo. I'm glad you like the romance--the rest of the 13 chapters deal with it. I might do some more small date one-shots after I'm through with this.
Kairi-chan -- Thanks! I update!
sasha noumi -- I replied your review in an e-mail. I wish you luck in your search! (And if you find a VCD of Requiem--VCD!--let me know! Malaysia selamanya! ^_^)
Seeing that quite a few people are wondering about whatever's happened to the Kougaiji-ikkou, I'm considering inserting them in the last chapter. So, guys, whaddya think? You wanna see our quasi-evil demons again? Let me know through e-mail or review.