:: Special To You ::

Gensomaden Saiyuki

Disclaimer: I don't own Gensomaden Saiyuki, which rightfully belongs to Minekura Kazuya.

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: none; Gojyo/Hakkai and Goku+Sanzo might be hinted, if you want to see it

Warnings: mild OOCness, weirdness, some fluff, senseless, language

Notes: This is another odd fic churned out by me while procrastinating on other fics. ^^; Fic features devious!Goku with a side of ticklish!Sanzo. And a bit if the usual Gojyo and Hakkai.

I was originally going to keep this in my journal and away from FFN because I was so uncertain about it, but after rereading it I feel a bit more confident about posting it here. Constructive criticism and feedback is always, always appreciated. Think of this as a fluffy pre-Christmas gift before I actually churn out the Christmas fic (which is nearly done now! Yay!).

No one had ever said it wouldn't be a dangerous thing to do. Then again, no one had ever said he should do it-- of course, that might have been because he hadn't told anyone about it.

Which was probably why it was a stupid idea.

It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment idea either; no, he had been thinking about this for the past few days now in his spare time.

Sometimes he could remember things-- little things, bare sensations; he never could remember names or faces or voices, but he could remember some obscure objects, colours, or touches. This time he had remembered something very interesting. Or perhaps "remembered" was the wrong word to use.

Gojyo had started it, really. While visiting his and Hakkai's place, the red-haired demon had snuck up behind the boy, grabbing his sides to scare him. Goku had yelped in surprise, but had also burst into laughter. The moment Gojyo had grabbed him he had also felt a sudden sense of déjà vu, as though it had happened before. Goku could almost feel a pair of hands -- bigger, gloved but noticeably rough hands -- grasping him, making him shriek with laughter. But the more he thought about it, the less he was able to remember when, where it had happened, or who had done it to him.

"Hey, Hakkai?"

"Yes?"

"When Gojyo grabbed me I got a funny feeling."

"A funny feeling?"

"Yeah. It kinda tingled and made me laugh. It was weird... I'm not sick, am I? He didn't give me one of his diseases, did he?!"

"Hey!"

"Oh, no. No, Goku, it just means you're ticklish."

"Eh?"

"That's what the feeling you got was."

"Ohhh... is everyone ticklish?"

"No, not everyone. Some people aren't ticklish at all and others are very ticklish. It depends on how sensitive certain areas are."

"Yeah. Take Hakkai, for example. He's pretty sensitive right below his--"

"Gojyo."

"..."

For some reason Hakkai's pleasant voice had taken a stern, almost dark tone of warning, as though he hadn't liked what Gojyo had been about to say. It made Goku curious, but he was far more curious about something else; a notion. If some people were more ticklish than others, and you find great things in the most unlikely places (or something like that), then just maybe...

Of course, he was taking only the utmost caution. He wore two layers of socks, both against the cold -- why did winter have to get so damn cold?! -- and to muffle his footsteps. Despite the cold, he wore only the shorts and shirt he donned for bed. This was to make the cloth rustle as little as possible. Lastly, he was practicing the extent of his patience to move very, very slowly and very, very quietly.

That, for him, was almost ridiculously difficult.

Goku paused just outside the sliding door, uncertainty and nervousness hitting him suddenly and with full force. Doubts he hadn't fully considered decided on that moment to annoy him. What if it didn't work? What if he slipped? What it his clumsiness got him caught?

... What of his hesitancy cost him the answer to his burning question? Like hell he would let that happen! Steeling his resolve and feeling a flare of confidence return, he cautiously, quietly, slowly pushed the sliding door open.

"What kind of people are ticklish?"

"I don't think I follow you."

"What sort of dumb question is that, you stupid monkey?"

"Shut up, Gojyo! I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to Hakkai!"

"Look, you pea-brained little imp--"

"Who're you calling an imp?!"

"What did you mean about 'what kind of people,' Goku?"

"Oh... right. I meant... maybe I'm ticklish because I'm younger than you guys, and maybe you because you're a lot nicer than other people. Is it just people like us that're ticklish?"

"No, it has nothing to do with that."

"You sure?"

"Oh yes. He may not look it, but Gojyo's very sensitive, especially behind the knees."

"HAKKAI!"

"Oh, sorry, was that a secret?"

"Daahaha! Behind the knees?! That's so girly!"

"Shut the hell up! You're probably ticklish all over!"

"Aagh! Don't touch me with your perverted hands, Gojyo!"

"Ha! You're ticklish behind your knees, too!"

"Shut up!"

The scene before him wasn't exactly peaceful, but it was pretty in an odd sort of way. The room was bereft of decorations, as a monk's room should be, even a high-ranking monk. There was, however, a desk and bed, along with some ink and papers on that desk. But the boy's focus was on the bed-- or rather, what was sleeping on the bed, atop the covers, blonde hair falling over a usually scowling face. There was no scowling now, but the mouth was thinly set even in sleep, eyebrows sloped down as though they had been painted on that way. Nothing about the man's pose indicated he was actually relaxed, but Goku could note the very slight difference in the way the shoulders and chest rose and fell with very slow, even breathing.

He stared at the scene a moment longer before grinning broadly. He was about to destroy it all. Quietly, Goku started to creep for the end of the bed. He tested each and every floorboard with his thickly covered feet; not a single creak could give him away, otherwise it was all over. Sanzo was, after all, a light sleeper. He had learned that the hard way. Goku had a welt on the back of his skull to prove it.

It nearly tried his patience completely, but Goku finally managed to make it to the end of the bed in no less than five minutes. His heart was pounding fiercely as he slowly crouched down. A loud crack sounded as his knee popped; making him nearly yelp and outwardly wince. His eyes went wildly to the sleeping figure on the bed, but Sanzo barely stirred. Goku bit back a heavy sigh of relief.

Now for the hard part.

Sanzo had made this easy for him, almost amazingly so; he was on top of the covers instead of beneath, and he had chosen to remove his socks and sandals before going to bed. It was still early evening, but Goku knew the priest had been running around a lot lately, busying himself with something he wouldn't yet tell his charge about. It was only natural he'd be tired.

Biting his lip both to quell his excitement and nervousness that made his hands shake a little, Goku located one of the man's feet, which nearly stuck out over the bed and beneath his nose. He shifted, raising his hand... and slowly, very lightly, drew his finger down the sole of Sanzo's foot.

The reaction was immediate; the man stirred, muttering something and drawing his foot back. Goku couldn't stop the huge grin from spreading all over his face; this meant Sanzo was most certainly sensitive! How completely ironic. Goku edged closer, caution forgotten, eyes gleaming as his fingers moved in feather-light brushes over the man's toes, over the fleshy part of his foot--

Just as Sanzo gave a startled yelp and sat straight up, glaring daggers at the boy. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Goku had been waiting for such a reaction. He was startled, of course; Sanzo yelling, however hoarse his voice was, always surprised him. But he still had the sense left to give a loud yell as he launched up, tackling the equally surprised blonde to the bed, fingers immediately going for Sanzo's sides-- exactly where he, himself, was ticklish.

The results were so bizarre, and yet perfectly natural at the same time. Even as Sanzo cursed and struggled to get the boy off him, Goku could clearly see him biting his lip, desperately trying to muffle the other sounds he was making. It caused Sanzo to end up gasping for breath as he did his best not to laugh.

He was trying not to laugh!

Goku was both delighted and in awe.

Suddenly, without warning, Sanzo's hands flew out, grasping Goku's sides and digging his fingers in. At first Goku was inclined to laugh, but then Sanzo tightened the grip and Goku winced. It hurt! He paused in his actions, giving Sanzo just enough time to bring the paper fan out of nowhere -- as he always did -- and crash it down on the boy's head. Goku yelped and nearly toppled off the bed, not completely falling since his knees were locked around the man's midsection. Sanzo, still a bit breathless, cursed and pushed himself into a sitting position, forcing Goku to fall back on his legs.

"What the fuck were you doing?!" Sanzo fairly screeched, looking disheveled and -- dare anyone say it -- flustered. There was a faint tinge of red in his cheeks, the same sort of red Goku had seen on a drunk Gojyo.

Goku quickly launched into an explanation, one that Sanzo obviously only grew annoyed and bored with. Only when Hakkai and Gojyo's names came up did his eyes spark.

"Did they have anything to do with this stupid idea?" he demanded.

"Nope. It was all me."

Growling, Sanzo roughly pushed at him again, and this time Goku allowed himself to topple to the floor. "Don't do it again! Honestly," he grumbled, climbing out of bed as though he hadn't a hope of going back to sleep-- which he probably didn't. "You and your idiotic ideas..."

Goku got to his feet as well, frowning. "But something good came out of it, didn't it?"

Sanzo threw him a dirty look. "And what the hell might that be?" He wasn't really a morning person, regardless if it was morning or not.

"I almost got you to smile." Goku grinned smugly, very proud of himself. It had been, after all, his main objective: to force something from Sanzo, be it laughter or even the slightest of smiles. He hadn't succeeded, but this time he had been very, very close.

Sanzo stared at him in a mixture of disbelief and irritation. He muttered an insult, pulling his robes up to cover his shoulders before stalking out.

Goku was left alone, but he finally allowed himself to feel exhilarated; he fairly jumped in the air with sheer happiness before he dashed outside. The whole thing had made him very hungry, and with one thing out of the way, he could finally move on to another.

The incident, though small, was carefully tucked away into one of the memory vaults he never intended to lose. This time, he wouldn't forget that sensation-- or forget what it was like giving it to someone else.