Proud of My Loneliness
Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki, nor did I have anything to do with its creation, and all content referring to Saiyuki belongs to Minekura Kazuya. Also any characters that do not appear in the original Saiyuki series have nothing to do with the game, and strictly appear for the purpose of this story.
~Part: 1~
"Hey Sanzo…when're we gonna stop? I'm hungry…and I don't think I'll be able to take another step…" Goku droned, his stomach growling to add to his testimony.
"Just shut up, you brainless ape, it's not like you're the only one that's hungry," came Gojyo's somewhat light reprimand, "and besides, you're still walking since you made that statement about not being able to take another step," he added, turning about to watch the slow-going teen make his sluggish progress.
"Fuck you, you perverted cockroach kappa…I haven't had a decent meal in like…ages," the younger male continued, in an indifferent tone of voice. They had been travelling through this long stretch of grassy plains, for god knew how many days, and through it all they had not been able to eat properly, nor had they come across a single sign of civilisation.
"Well, you're quite welcome to, but I only play dominant with the fairer sex…come to think of it, I only play with them as well, so go sate your fetish somewhere else, dumbass," the redhead replied, his tone light at first then demeaning, as he smirked belittlingly at the tiring young man, taking pleasure in the evident anger creeping onto his face.
"You know full well what I meant, and don't call me 'dumbass', asshole," Goku growled, warning the half-breed man to watch what he was saying. The older mans smile widened, his equally blood-red eyes flashing, as he looked down on the youth malevolently.
"Or else what, monkey-boy? You gonna thrash me? You gonna cry to Sanzo? What're you gonna do, ape?" he taunted, then drew up short as a sharp 'click' sounded somewhere very close to him.
"You wanna try dying for once?" came the cool, yet harsh tones of the monk, the blond man whom they travelled west with. Gojyo caught the slightly surprised look pass over the younger youkai's face, and then smiled as he shrugged in an offhanded manner.
"Sanzo…you know I was only messing about…then again, you also know that I won't die as easily as that, not yet anyway," the half-breed stated, his tone light and displaying the fact that he didn't mean a word that he had said to the young youkai. A cruel smile tugged at the corners of the monk's lips, but he did not remove his weapon away from Gojyo's plume of red hair.
"Shall we test the truth of your words…although I may reconsider if you decide to shut that goddamn mouth of yours, you fucked up kappa," the blond suggested, his tone of voice getting darker as he allowed the trigger to sound another sharp 'click'. The redhead allowed his tall posture to sag slightly, displaying his decision to resign and heed the leader's words, for now. Satisfied with this wise decision on the younger mans part, he turned and continued onward, tucking the small handgun away, "So…how far do you reckon we are from the next town, or village, Hakkai?"
"According to the map…we're about a few hours away, and since Hakuryuu is in no shape to morph into the jeep…" at this, the small white dragon that was draped over one shoulder, made a sound of agreement, its head rising weakly, then falling back down to rest, "then, we should be there probably just before sunset," the dark haired man said, the monocle over his right eye glinting in the sunlight. He raised a hand, and stroked the fine hairs travelling along his dragon companions serpentine neck, ending with a gentle tickle to its under jaw, to which it nuzzled its head affectionately along his cheek, only to be rewarded with a gentle laugh. Sanzo sighed, letting out a masked amused laugh, then turned about to see the young youkai standing some way away, an astonished expression on his face.
"Come on you ape, quit gawking and get a move on," he said, his tone harsh and cold, as his character was accustomed to. When the young man did not respond immediately, the violet-eyed man scowled and drew in a sharp breath, "I said get a move on, you idiot!" Yanked out of his startled state, Goku shook his head to clear it of his thoughts, and nodded to show that he had heard and trotted up to keep pace.
"Dumbass ape," Gojyo stated under his breath as he watched the brown-haired adolescent jog past him, carrying their bags and trying to keep pace with the other two men.
~*~
They paused, reaching the rise of the hill they had been climbing, and sitting among the cool grass, catching their breath from the hard climb. Goku was the last to join them and carried on walking, despite the weariness he felt, he appeared to be oblivious to the other three men who had decided to take a short respite, and were now watching him as he walked ahead of them, then paused. A frown flitted across their faces as they thought about why he had stopped further ahead than they, and why he was standing like a statue. 'I swear the ape's gone mad,' Gojyo thought, a smile playing on his lips, he was about to open his mouth to say something, when Sanzo stretched his neck and stepped up to join the young youkai.
He watched as Hakkai came to his feet wordlessly, passing a beckoning look to the half-breed, and joined the two where they stood. Shrugging, Gojyo came to his own feet and followed suit, once all four had been assembled, he could see that they were very close to a small village, practically located at the base of this hill, meaning they would be able to make it in a matter of minutes.
"It's so beautiful…" Goku murmured, stating it as a compliment and as a relief from their long trek. The small village, nestled at the base of the hill, surrounded by the natural beauty of the trees, symbolised a respite from their journey west, allowing them to stock up on supplies, and providing them with a warm, soft place to sleep…not to mention a warm, fresh, all-you-can-eat meal.
"Lets get going," Sanzo said, and then moved off without waiting for the others. Goku didn't hesitate, but followed the blond in his footsteps, keeping within range so as not to fall behind, and was followed shortly after by the other two youkai.