Title: Reign of the Heart
Content: AU that is similar to the canon plot—yay!, yaoi
First thing is first. I have neglected this child of mine for…*checks* a freakin' year. Wow. Okay, I apologize profusely. I'm gonna try to atone by…like…I don't even know how. Thanks to all who…waited, and especially Jane Gray, who has emailed me on more than one occasion. I promised her an update, and by…goodness…I'll do just that. And I have realized this thing needs revisions, which may happen one day after its completion.
~Chapter Seven~
In the eye of the public, he was a hero. In his own mind's eye, however, he was a murderer. He wanted punishment; he needed atonement. Instead, the streets were filled with happy dispositions, cheers in his favor. He wished desperately to hide his face and every blood stain upon it and his soiled hands. He couldn't even remember their faces…but he could still hear screaming, muffled and distant like the waves in a large hollow seashell. They were permanent, though, etched forever in his mind and rang in his ears, no matter how dull.
He moved through the crowd, trying as politely as he could to twist away from the congratulatory grasp of many, the feeling all too much like claws pulling him back into a false sense of humanity, which he knew he was disconnected from now. He tried to keep his eyes on the ground, for he knew if anyone saw into them, they would see the sin that lay there. It was so clear in those deep green irises. It was all one could read within them.
A sudden parting of the crowd surprised him, and he froze, his eyes never rising from the stone paved street of the city. A stern voice spoke.
"You. You are the hero these…my people have been speaking of, are you not?" He didn't realize the voice was directed at him until the mention of 'hero'. His stomach turned at that thought. I am no hero. "Well?" He raised his eyes slowly until they looked into the piercing violet eyes of the crowned prince of the kingdom. Such an honorable power cared to look into those dirty eyes, unclean windows into a grimy soul. The prince, after looking into those eyes for a brief moment, bowed his head, as if knowing the story of the soul he'd just read. It seemed he wanted to smile a regretful smile, but could not. "Your name?"
"Hakkai…your majesty…" he answered after a minute's hesitation. The prince nodded.
"Since you are so well-liked, I've come to offer you a job. You may accept or decline; I claim to hold no power over your free will. But know this may help to…restore some honor in you." The prince gave Hakkai a strange look, the look of one who knew much more than his years or appearance would let on. Hakkai stared, letting the man's words sink in. He bowed.
"Consider me at your service…my lord."
"Argh, this sucks!" the red-headed half demon flopped down upon the bed of his companion, sighing in an enforced heavy breath. Hakkai cast a look at him over his shoulder, a small smile offered up to provide some comfort.
"What does?"
"I feel like a damn animal in some sort of cage. Only…I have a lot of legs or something." Hakkai raised his eyebrows. Gojyo waved a hand; his metaphorical skills were lacking at best. "I mean; I'm a freak around here. Everyone keeps staring at me,"
"You are exotic looking." Hakkai rejoined. Gojyo scowled.
"No; I'm a walking taboo." Hakkai didn't laugh. He quietly rose from his seat and walked calmly to the bed. He reached for Gojyo's head, grabbing a patch of red hair. This he held in gentle fingers, observing it critically.
"All because of this?" he stated quietly. Gojyo wrinkled his nose.
"And these." He added, pointed at his eyes. Hakkai seemed lost in examining the half-breed's hair.
"It isn't fair for you…" he continued. Gojyo's straightened, eyeing his companion with a look of confusion.
"Well, it isn't like you can change it…"
"Yet…it makes you so beautiful…" Gojyo's eyes widened. Often, he'd heard his…partner speak in such a manner about his hair and eyes, but now it was different. There was a heavy note of sadness in the dark-haired man's voice, one that Gojyo could not shake from his mind.
"Hakkai…" Gojyo felt his body beginning to lean towards the man when a knock at the door stopped him. Hakkai was shaken from his melancholy trance as he let the strands of Gojyo's hair fall listlessly through his fingers.
"Yes?" A messenger stepped in, not even allowing his entire body through the door.
"Sir, the demons have begun a full attack on the border. Lord Sanzo left you in charge in his absence; we need your orders." Hakkai stood silent, then relented.
"Gather a meeting. We shall formulate a plan then." The messenger nodded and was gone. Hakkai turned to Gojyo, obviously asking to be excused. Gojyo waved a hand.
"It'd be counterproductive to have fun now and die later in an attack. Better to save more fun for after battle, eh?"
By now, the number of days Goku and Sanzo had been traveling was unessential, the days had blurred into one another. The sky hung low now; there seemed to be some indecision as to whether it would rain or not, but a pale gray color prevailed for the time being. The brunette traveler bit his lip, suppressing a whimper. He'd had an experience already while living with Sanzo at the palace that rain was a touchy subject. He hoped it would hold off. He could already sense its affects on the prince. The blonde's entire body was rigid and tense, and a heavy sorrow fell like a blanket around him. Goku wished to dispel such emotions from his companion, but knew he had little power to do so.
Lately, he'd found himself drawn to the distant prince, much the way the moon is drawn to the earth in its path around it. He found the mystery of his caretaker intriguing, and his personality one that needed exploration at a distance. Each time he was able to break through closer to the prince, he found himself overcome with a certain wave of peace and at the same time excitement. Around Sanzo, he felt his own emotions more acutely. At the same time, he had to make sure he squelched them, for fear of losing ground with his prince.
His prince.
Sanzo was unlike any prince he'd ever encountered; he was unlike any person he'd ever known. Sanzo was a puzzle, the pieces oddly shaped and sometimes hard to fit together, yet in the end only left room for more questions. Goku found himself wanting to spend the rest of his life searching for these answers. However, he didn't know how he could tell Sanzo this.
A random though awakened in his mind. What if telling Sanzo all this would make him forget about the weather? It wouldn't hurt to try, he figured. Goku gently tugged on the prince's sleeve, receiving an annoyed grunt in response.
"Sanzo, Sanzo! Listen!" There was pause, an envelope of silence enfolded the two travelers, or so it seemed. In this pocket of silence, all outside forces were left behind. Goku breathed sharply, slightly unnerved by the sudden awareness of this silence. "Sanzo, I," How could he describe it? He'd heard one of the maids of one of his former owner's use the term 'love' once, for a man she'd wanted to marry. To spend her life with. Goku figured Sanzo would understand if he put it that way. "I think I love you, if you don't mind." The words spilled out, sort of like the spilling of a glass onto a carpet. The action was innocent enough; the effects, however, could often not be erased. Tension heavier than the first set in. Goku wished now he hadn't spoken the words.
"Sanzo…I'm sorry…never mind it…" any sort of phrase of retraction one could muster came bubbling forth from Goku's fast talking mouth. By now, the horse had stopped and the prince had dismounted. "I didn't," Sanzo's hardened expression stopped the youth in the middle of his thought. What followed was slow and surreal, as if a clear excerpt from a dream. Sanzo reached up, clasping both hands firmly on either one of Goku's shoulders. Though the act was done slowly, Goku found no time to react. The prince pulled the boy downwards so they were somewhat face to face.
"Is this what you want?" the blonde's voice was low, rough, and very serious. Goku's large amber eyes stared unblinking for a moment. Never before had he been asked what he wanted; no one had ever cared to. But if Sanzo did, then he was definitely willing to spend his life figuring the prince out. He didn't care what else happened; it was enough that Sanzo gave him a life of his own. Goku nodded slowly. "Good." Sanzo closed the distance between them, their lips melting together. Goku knew he'd participated in an act similar to this, but now, it was something very different as well. It felt untainted. There was no catch; it was a simple expression of emotion. Somewhere within him, Goku knew that kisses, among other acts, were meant to be this way. Of course, in his shock, and his position, he fumbled to reciprocate the action. He felt the prince's smile against his lips. A smile. He'd done something right, then. Sanzo pulled away.
"I would've expected," he began with a tight smile, one unused to being displayed. "That you'd have some great expertise in this area." Goku flushed, shrugging his shoulders.
"I bet you're not much better on a horse yourself." He shot back. Sanzo's wry smile widened slightly.
"That's true," he stated, remounting the horse. They began moving again, but a question still hung in Goku's mind.
"Can I…stay with you forever?" Sanzo was silent.
"Goku…you are free to do as you desire. I have no intention of keeping you as a slave. But…it is not against my wishes if you do stay." Goku was surprised, yet elated. In a burst of happiness, he flung his arms around the prince's waist, burying his cheek against the fabric of Sanzo's cloak. Sanzo tensed at such open affection at first, and then relaxed. No words passed between them; they, like the number of days they'd been traveling, bore no importance anymore.
It was a fact that all power-hungry women were boring to listen to. Homura, knowing this, still was willing to feign interest in the flighty plans of Kyusyo. She spoke, even now, of her attempts to bring about the demise of her own stepson.
"Yaone, the dear, has agreed to lure my son under the veil of love, and while he is blinded by passion, she will bring him to his death, she's spent some time dealing with potions and poisons before. Once this takes place, I shall take back the throne." A fatuous smile graced her dark lips. Homura nodded, rising from his seat and taking slow, noble looking strides towards the 'soon-to-be-queen'.
"Quite an intricate plan," he stated, lies facile to him after so many years of practice. Kyusyo turned towards him.
"Isn't it?" her voice was sickening; thick with absurd dreams of power, power that she could never handle, nor deserved to. Homura subdued his need to belittle the woman and her plans right there. He approached her still, until the distance between them did not exist. He grabbed her wrists, looking straight into her face. That wicked smile of hers was mirrored by his own.
"A plan worthy of a mind such as yours," his voice dropped to a point just above a whisper. Kyusyo closed her eyes, leaning her body towards him. She hummed approval. The dark haired man made a motion that led her to believe he was going to kiss her. His hands glided up her sides, resting peacefully at the base of her neck.
"Homura…" her voice was breathy. Homura's breath mingled with hers, and just as his lips were about to meet hers, he clamped his hands down against the pale skin of her throat and in one swift, almost graceful motion, twisted hard. Kyusyo's body went limp, and Homura allowed the corpse slide down onto the floor, a pale and broken doll. A foolish creature, led to her own death by her blindness. Homura smiled cruelly down upon the destruction he had wrought.
"No more games, my pet," he spoke darkly to himself. "This time, we play for keeps,"
Kougaiji fingered the piece of dull silver metal pensively. He simply stalled a task he knew he must do. He opened the clasp and carefully fit the piece of jewelry onto his wrist. It snapped shut of its own accord, fitting snuggly on his hand. A slow energy starting at his wrist crept upwards along his arm. It was almost the feeling of static, yet internal.
As the energy traveled through his veins, all traces of the demonic tattoos on his body were erased; the blood red filled in with the tan color of his flesh. The energy moved down his hand, and as it did, his talon-like fingernails shortened. He felt the static reach his face, the tattoos across his cheek vanishing. The pointed tips of his ears shortened and rounded out. His ruby hair, long and thick, grew in reverse, shrinking upwards until it reached the base of his neck. Once the energy stopped its flow, Kougaiji turned towards a nearby mirror. He was met with the visage of a human; all demonic traces of himself had vanished. He smiled tightly.
No one stopped the human within the demon palace; there was no one there to do it. Kougaiji simply left behind his home upon the horse he stole from his own stables, riding in the direction of the kingdom he struggled with most, in the guise of one of their own. His destination was the kingdom of the humans.
Author's Notes: Ooh, look at all the fragments! Oh well. And there you have it; the long awaited capulto siete. And OMFG Sanzo and Goku DID something. Betcha didn't see that one coming, did you? Actually, I bet you thought I abandoned this story, and I don't blame you. So…right. There it is. For better or for worse. I'll try try try to have the nest update a lot sooner than this one. Good grief. I'm such a procrastinator. And you know what; I should probably get some sort of beta-reader. I can never catch all my mistakes when I re-read it. La.
Oh yeah! Totally unrelated, but to any who have seen the new episodes of Saiyuki, doesn't Gojyo's new duds look strikingly like Indiana Jones? Oh Indie!!!
