GOING UNDER.

A/N: Hello people! ^O^ I'm so glad to hear from you again. Thank you very much to those who kindly reviewed my story (gives 20 boxes of chocolates and hugs and kisses). You guys rock!!! Guess what, I already got a driving license. I'm so damn happy!! ^O^ So that means, I have plenty of time to update my stories because I don't have to go to driving lessons anymore. ^O^ By the way, I can't promise that I would not hurt Goku. -_- Sorry, ne. Enjoy reading!! v(=^o^=)v

You used to captivate me
By your resonating life
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

~My Immortal by Evanescence~

          Ominous grey clouds hanged overhead in the darkened sky. The pale moonlight beamed weakly beneath them. It's going to rain tonight. However, that did not stop people from going to the festivals. Beautiful colourful lights shone his path. His head hung low. His eyes were filled with tears. Sanzo hated rain, he thought silently, Sanzo hated me. A gust of cold wind swept him and he shivered underneath his simple clothes. Suddenly, he lost his mood to go to the festival and waved goodbye to all the foods imaginable in his head. He decided to go to some place much quieter than here.

          He looked to the vast sky. The moon was nowhere to be found. No stars to wish upon too. Means there's no hope left for me. Quickly, he erased the dark thoughts. I shouldn't be a pessimistic, that's just not me. He tried to smile confidently but failed every time he remembered about Sanzo and his intimacy with Meira. Did she love you like I do, Sanzo?

          At last, he arrived at the mountain's cliff. It was eerily quiet there. He liked it because he needed some time alone. He walked closer to the edge. Abruptly, he stopped. He saw a silhouette of a person standing at the edge of the cliff with his arms spread wide. What is he doing here? The shadow put his arms down and bended his knees. He's going to jump!

          "No, don't do it!" he yelled as loud as he could, hoping to stop the person from jumping off the cliff.

          He pretended not to hear the stranger. He was ready to embrace death from the moment he came to this cruel cold world. He closed his eyes and smiled. Finally, I'm going to die. Goodbye… He thought he was flying but then he felt something or someone had hold his shirt tightly. He opened his eyes, annoyed just to see a golden-eyed stranger pulled his shirt strenuously.

          "Hanging in there, kid," he said to him. Then, he muttered something that sounded like 'Nyoiboo'. A long stick appeared within his grasp. He pointed the strange stick to him and asked him to hold it tightly while he pulled it.

          "Hey, I'm not a kid. Let me go. Let me die!" 

          "No, I'm not letting go of you. I don't want to see people die in front of me anymore. Not anymore," he saw determination in his beautiful golden orbs that twinkled ever brightly in the dark.

          He held on the stick reluctantly and let himself to be pulled up by the stranger. The weird stick vanished. Both of them sat tiredly on the ground. Silence filled the cold night air. The stranger stood up tall and came close to him. Suddenly, he yanked his blue shirt and face-to-face with the golden-eyed teenager.

          "Are you out of your mind? What the heck are you thinking?" he hollered at him angrily.

          He tried to break free from his clutch but he was too strong, "None of your business!!"

          He let go of him and shook his head, "Others are trying hard to stay alive and you're here ending your life with a silly smile on your face?!"

          "This world is cruel. People hated me. They would never ever accept me. What's the point of living then?" he yelled back at him. Tears brimmed in his big brown eyes.

          Goku felt sorry for the boy. He put his right hand on the boy's right shoulder. He stiffened at first, and then he began to burst into tears and rest his head on Goku's firm chest. Goku asked him softly, "What's your name?"

          He looked up at him and whispered, "Haruka."

          "Hello, Haruka. I'm Goku. By the way, how old are you?"

          They walked to the nearest tree and sat under it, "I'm eleven years old."

          "Why don't you tell me what happened?" Goku asked him carefully, "I can be a very good listener."

          "The villagers hated me. They said I killed my own parents. They said that I brought bad luck to this village. That's why demons have been attacking our village.

All because of me," he buried his face into his chubby hands. His shoulder rocked back and forth, "I did not kill my parents. I loved them with all my heart. I really do."

          All of a sudden, he lifted up his face, "But I knew who killed them. I saw the demon with my own eyes. She slaughtered them in front of me."

          "Can you describe how the demon looked like?" Goku inquired. He

          "Her skin is blue. Her hair is blue, long and straight. She has sharp claws. She used that to tear my parents' hearts out," he sobbed, "I'll never ever going to forget her eyes. They are cold blue eyes. They are pure evils."

          Goku's heart skipped a beat. The demon's description matched the evil demon in his dream. Was it just a coincidence? No, I don't believe in coincidence. Everything happened for a reason.

          "I tried to explain to them but they just ignored me. They kept accusing me. They called me a murderer. The called me a killer. Children called me all sort of names and threw rocks whenever they saw me on the street. Adults looked at me with disgust. No one believes me."

          "That's why I decided to take my life, so that I can be with my parents," he pointed to the dark sky, "live happily among the stars and the moon."

          "Do you think your parents will be happy to see you?" Goku stood up and edged to the cliff.

          Haruka was quizzical, "What do you mean? Of course, they will. After all, I'm their only son," he followed Goku to the cliff.

          "Do you think your parents will be proud to know that their only son was known as a killer and did nothing to clean his name and decided to take his own life because he thought that was the only thing he could do?"

          He was speechless. He balled his fist. His knuckles went white, " I told you I am not a murderer."

          "I know but the villager didn't," he looked at Haruka, "as long as you remained silent about it, they will keep assuming that you really are a murderer. You can run but you can hide."

          "I am not running away, " he said through gritted teeth.

          "Suicide is equal to running away. If you're innocent, then why are you running away? If you're not guilty, then why are you trying to commit suicide?"

          "I…I," he stammered, "I just can't take it anymore. I have no one left in this world and they keep torturing me with their words. I just want to get away from this unbearable pain in my heart, " he dropped on his knees on the ground and hugged his chest.

          "Haruka, this will only prove that you really did kill your parents. People will think that you finally decided to kill yourself because you could not stand the guilt of murdering those who loved you. Do you really think by eliminating your existence in this world, they would stop tormenting you?" he put his hand on his shoulders.

          "I don't know. I hope so," he answered solemnly.

          "No, they won't. In fact, they will remember you in their mind as a ruthless child who murdered his own folks. 

          "But they won't listen to me. They refused to hear my explanation, to hear the truth. They ignored me. They treated me like I'm invisible," he sobbed. Goku gazed at him with a sad expression. His heart hurt too. He recalled his life at Mountain Gogyo before Sanzo came into his life. Trapped alone in a caged cave with chains secured his hands and feet, he was punished to live eternally in loneliness.

If this was deep underground…

I would not wish for the sun

If this was deep underground…

I would not have to know what loneliness is

          "Someone I knew said this to me; you can die, at least you can escape but your death will not change anything. But by living, you can change something," he get up and started to walk away, "Those who are determined to live will be the ones that survived in the end. Well, it's your choice. I don't have the right to interfere with your decision."

          Tears slid down onto the ground. Rapidly, all of his childhood memories played in his mind like an old record. He closed his eyes and went back to old times when his parents were still alive by his side. He remembered everything about them; their face, their smiles, their fondness and most of all, he remembered the love they gave to him. Then, all of sudden, he saw his parents died in a gruesome death. They were killed by a blue-skinned female demon. After the demon had left, he ran to both of his parents and held them dearly, saying that the villagers will come to save them and they can live happily again.

          "Stand…stand," her mom coughed out blood, "stand on your own."

          Her father brushed his hair tenderly, "Don't depend on others. Stand up own your own."

          "We'll be watching you from the far away sky. So long, my son," breathed her mom. From that moment, he was an orphan…

          "Wait," he ran after Goku, "I…I," he stood in front of him, "I want to live. I want to live again." Yes, I want to live for my parents and myself. I'll fight for my own justice. Yes, I want to live again.

          Goku smiled softly, "As long as you have the will to live, no one can stop you from doing so."

          "Now, let's go to the festival to find something to eat," Goku grinned widely.

          He hesitated at first, then he remembered about his spirit to live and fight for his justice, "Sure, let's go."

          They stride casually, leaving the deadly cliff behind. Suddenly, Goku sensed something was amiss. He told Haruka to stay close with him while he scanned their surrounding with a pair of sharp eyes. There was something lurking behind the bushes and the trees. He was about to say something when he suddenly collapsed on the ground. The same sharp pain, he thought painfully. No, I must stand up. I must protect Haruka.

          "Goku, are you okay?" he exclaimed frantically.

          "Run…run now," Goku replied weakly. His wounds began to open back. He screamed painfully. Blood gushed out from the injuries.

          "No, I will never ever run away again. You told me not to. I won't leave you alone here," he croaked. He looked around them and noticed that they had been encircled by demons. Some bared their sharp teeth to him and some showed their extremely razor-sharp claws.

          "Leave him alone. Take me," Goku got up slowly in spite of the pain that had throbbed all over his body. He called his Nyoibou and readied in his battle stance.

          Unpredictably, he felt as if someone had stabbed his heart with a pointy object like a needle. Not a needle but thousands of it. He yelped in pain. He coughed out crimson blood. No, not again, he thought frantically.

          "Goku!" he heard Haruka's hysterical squeal. He tried to open his eyes. His visions blurred. He could make out a boy's shape held captive by creatures that had horns and scaly skin. Oh my god, they got Haruka. I can't let them harm Haruka.

 He struggled to stand up once again, "Stop it. Release him. Your opponent is right here."

Twelve out of fifteen demons inched closer to him. He focused all of his energy left and his concentration to fight those disgusting demons. The pain had not subsided yet. It was killing him from the inside. But he had to fight them at all cost. He must protect Haruka. He could not bear the pain of watching someone died in front of him.

One by one demons had became dust but it seemed like they were lots of them, too many for Goku to handle alone especially in his weakened condition. He wondered about his companions. What are Gojyo and Hakkai doing now? Are they asleep? Do Sanzo and Meira still holding each other hands? He closed his eyes, trying very hard to focus and ease his mind.

He breathed in and out calmly but his body was injured severely. His eyelids were very heavy and began to lose his vision. He leaned against his Nyoibou and tried to stand properly. All of sudden, he dropped on his knees and held his head agonizingly. He screamed silently in his heart. The pain was too intense. He looked up to see three monstrous demons came closer to him with Haruka in their captive.

"Let him go," he whispered painfully.

The demons laughed feverishly, showing off a row of yellow teeth and two sharp fangs, "How can we let go of him? He's our toy tonight."

Goku gripped his Nyoibou angrily. He tried to stand up but something or someone was holding him down to the ground. He could only raised his head and watched Haruka's terrified face as one of the demons clawed his chest. Goku yelled at them to stop but the only replied he received was evil cackle.

They tortured him; scratched and clawed his body, beat him up and kick him without any mercy. Tears covered his face as they tore him apart. Goku was not just watching him being tortured cruelly to death but he felt his pain too. He felt every blow and every punch that Haruka received and it was killing him now. He felt that Haruka could not bear the pain any longer. He was going to give up. He was going to die.

Haruka lay sprawled on the ground in a pool of blood. He stretched his hands towards Goku, "Goku…"

"Don't talk. Save your energy," his heart was breaking into pieces. Tears rolling down his cheeks, "Don't you die, Haruka. Don't you dare."

"But…it's too painful," he cried.

Goku gave everything he had to reach for his hands but he couldn't reach it even though they were only an arm apart, "No, not again. I'm not going to let anyone dies in front of my eyes anymore. I'm not going to watch any more deaths without doing anything to prevent it.

"It's okay, Goku," he cough up red liquids, "I can't hold on any longer. I just wanted you to know that I'm really glad that I met you. You make me want to live again. You make me realize how important it is to fight for oneself. You make me feel alive," he closed his eyes with a smile plastered on his face. The demons came closer to him.

"No, Haruka. Open your eyes. Fight it. You can do it," Goku said frantically. The demons touched his chest and flashed a very evil smile to both of them.

"Goodbye, Goku."

 In an instant, the demons used their sharp nails to tear open his chest and snatched his still beating heart. Haruka did not scream out loud but Goku swore could hear his shrilling cry in his head and that had made his heart ached. He felt Haruka's pain and for a moment he thought he was going to die too, leaving the world behind, leaving his companion behind and leaving Sanzo behind.

"No!" his scream filled the silent night and echoed through the air. Rain began to poor heavily.

Back at the inn:

          Sanzo's eyes snapped open and he sat on the bed. He thought he had heard someone called his name but he did not know whose voice it was. He looked beside him and saw Meira's lovely face. Meira's eyes fluttered open and she too sat on the bed.

          "What's wrong? Bad dream?" she rested her head against his bare chest.

          "No, there's nothing actually. Why don't you get back to sleep?" he whispered to her right ear sexily.

          "Okay, darling. But make sure you sleep too," she leaned forward and they kissed passionately. Then, Meira fell back asleep. Son Goku, did you enjoy your second night of hell? I enjoyed it because I love every single moment of your       torment.

          Sanzo walked to the window and lighted a cigarette. It was raining cats and dogs outside and he hated it. Who called me just now? I think I knew the voice but I don't remember his name. Who is he?

At the cliff:

The demons left him alone and he could finally stand up again. It felt like thousands huge rocks were lifted from his back. The pouring rain stung his wounds. He staggered slowly to Haruka's motionless body. He was soaked in blood from head to toe and his chest was torn apart. Bruises and scrapes were all over his small form. He cried and cried; wishing that he would came back to life once more. He took his heart and put it back to its place.

Then, he dug a grave using his Nyoibou to bury Haruka. His tears kept coming out through the whole process. Then, he took Haruka's necklace out and used it to mark his grave. He said to him that the necklace was his parents' birthday gift on his fifth birthday party. The necklace was beautiful, a silver moon-crescent pendant with two small knives at each side of the moon with a black string. He buried Haruka right under the sky since he loved the moon and the stars so much. Goku kneeled down in front of his grave for a moment despite of the rain. He left the place and his last words were "I'm so sorry".

P/s: Sorry for not posting this earlier! Please review and I'll promise if the reviews are more than 20, I'll post the next chapter faster.