Sanzo: What are they doing?
Hakkai: Playing a game I guess.
Goku: Sigh --()
Me: WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CHECK MATE! YEAH!!! KING ME!!!!!! BOOM BABY!!! I JUST SANK YOUR BATTLESHIP!!!!!!
Goku:...We're playing connect four. ::Turns to readers:: This might take a while Sigh
Goku awoke in a small room.
The curtains were pulled back to reveal a sunny afternoon.
Goku sat up and felt pain in his left shoulder and stomach. He yelped.
"You shouldn't try to sit up yet." Said a friendly voice, from the other side of the room.
Hakkai, Gojyo and Sanzo were sitting at a table.
Gojyo took a sip of his drink. "I'm kinda sorry I didn't get to see that bastard kick your ass." He joked.
Goku looked at Sanzo. "Who...who was he?" The boy asked.
"His name's Ryoushi..."
"He attacked me...but didn't even go after Gojyo."
"That's because I'm not the target." Gojyo snapped.
Hakkai walked to Goku's bed and sat down.
"Let's try not to think about that right now and focus on you getting better, ok?"
Goku lay back down, pulled the blanket up to his chin and turned over on his side to face the wall.
"I guess now that we know you're ok we'll let you sleep." Hakkai said and left with the other two.
They went into Sanzo's room to play a game of cards.
"Ya think that psychopath will try to attack us here?" Gojyo pondered.
"If you haven't been following along Gojyo, we're not the ones he's going to attack." Hakkai stated.
Gojyo shuffled the cards a passed out 7 to each player.
"...What'd you think he wants with monkey boy?"
"I have heard a rumor that heretic demons are very rare...and quite valuable." Hakkai said.
Sanzo laid down 2 cards. "So...you think he's out to earn a bounty?"
"Maybe..." Hakkai sighed. "But, heretic demons are only valuable if brought back alive...I'm getting the feeling that Ryoushi wants Goku dead."
"So...Goku's REALLY a pet?" Gojyo almost laughed.
"Depending on how you look at it...I guess." said Hakkai.
Sanzo got up and dropped his hand of cards on the table. He headed toward the door.
"Where the hell are you going?" Gojyo asked.
"I say we take turns watching Goku tonight...he might come back." He opened the door and left.
"So nice of you to volunteer." Gojyo huffed.
Hakkai looked at Gojyo. "He seems a bit odd lately, don't you think?"
Gojyo threw his arms behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "I guess...what're you thinking Hakkai?"
"I believe that, whatever's changing Goku, is also triggering a change in Sanzo."
"Liiiiiiike......how?"
"I've noticed that...ever since Goku started to change...Sanzo became more...'protective' of him."
Sanzo sat in a chair in the right corner of the room near the door.
He lit a cigarette and looked at Goku, who was silently sleeping.
He sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking towards the window above Goku.
The sun had gone down and rain poured outside. Sanzo was always in a bad mood when it rained.
He heard Goku yawn and sit up. "Sanzo? What are you still doing up?"
"Go back to sleep."
"The rain woke me up."
Sanzo sighed in annoyance. He was in no mood to talk.
Goku brought his knees up to his chin and wrapped his arms around them. "Sanzo?"
"What?"
"...That guy...Do you think he'll come back?"
"I don't know Goku...just go to sleep."
"But..."
"But what?"
Goku tilted his head to face Sanzo. "What does he want from me?"
"Goku...don't worry about it now."
Goku nodded and laid back down.
Sanzo knew it was going to be a long night.
Hakkai awoke with a start. He gasped and sat up.
He felt that something wasn't right, and it was coming from outside.
He quickly got out of bed and opened the door to Gojyo's connecting room.
He shook Gojyo awake. "Gojyo...do you feel that?"
"No...I can'f feel you SHAKING ME!" Gojyo yelled.He suddenly felt something "What is that?"
"What ever it is...it feels like it's in the building."
"Sanzo's still in Goku's room right?"
"Yes...We'd better warn him just in case he hasn't felt it yet."
Hakkai and Gojyo walked down the hall to Goku's room and opened the door.
"Sanzo, do you feel—"Hakkai was thrown backwards by a huge ki blast.
"Hakkai!" Gojyo yelled.
Sanzo stood with his gun aimed at Ryoushi's forehead.
Ryoushi held Goku with one arm wrapped around the boy's waist and the other holding a knife to the heretic's throat.
"Let him go...or I'll put his bullet in your head."
"If you shoot, his blood will be spilled along with mine."
Hakkai and Gojyo didn't dare to move.
Sanzo and Ryoushi's eyes never moved to look anywhere but each other.
That's where Goku saw his chance.
Goku grabbed onto Ryoushi's hand holding the knife and bit down as hard as he could.
Ryoushi dropped the knife, giving Goku the chance to slip away.
Just as Ryoushi went to retrieve his knife from the blood-stained floor, he heard the click from Sanzo's gun. His eyes moved to see Sanzo, when he was suddenly staring down a gun barrel.
"I really do wish you would reconsider my offer." Ryoushi grinned.
"Offer?" Goku questioned.
Sanzo huffed. "I don't take offers from scum like you."
"Such terrible words you use." Ryoushi's grinned turned into a calm, eased smile as he stood up. "Let me re-state it. I can take that nuisance off your hands. And you can be rid off it...just like you wanted. You're getting the better half of this deal you know...I wouldn't waist it if I were you."
Goku's eyes went from scared, to grief stricken. "Is that what you wanted Sanzo?"
Sanzo turned to see Goku right behind him.
"You want me to go away?"
Sanzo didn't know what to say.
"I thought you were just...kidding." Goku's eyes did more of the questioning than his voice, which made Sanzo's heart sink.
The boy's eyes welled with tears.
Sanzo's hate-filled mask disappeared as gold met violet.
"That's right kid. I don't know why it took you this long to see that no one here wants you." Ryoushi grabbed the knife off the ground.
Sanzo lowered the gun and stared at Goku with eyes full of grief. "Goku...I..." Sanzo didn't even get to finish before a silver blade pierced through his back. He let out a choking gasp and fell to the floor.
"SANZO!" Goku cried.
"See...I told you...you would be the cause of his death."
"NO!" Goku ran at Ryoushi so fast, he didn't even see him.
Hakkai and Gojyo were already at Sanzo's side. Hakkai tried to heal the priest as best he could as Gojyo watched in amazement at Goku's merciless rage.
Goku slammed Ryoushi to the floor and sat on top of him, beating the living shit out of him.
"You hurt Sanzo! Not me!"
"And WHY!? BECAUES of YOU!"
"SHUT UP!" Goku slammed a fist down into the floor right next to Ryoushi's head.
Goku got up, letting Ryoushi stand.
The boy dropped to his knees in front of the hunter. "Why!? Why is it because of me!? Why do you want my life so badly!? Please tell me!"
Ryoushi stood expressionless.
Still in a kneeling position, Goku dropped his head towards the floor in a bowing-like position and held his head in his hands. "Why'd you have to take the sun away!?" Goku hollered.
Hakkai and Gojyo wondered if Goku even knew Ryoushi was still there.
Ryoushi, holding his left arm tightly to avoid further blood loss, exited the room, leaving the sobbing heretic with un-answered questions.
Once the coast was clear, Gojyo jumped up and flew to Goku's aid.
He saw that the boy had not stopped crying. "Goku...hey...it's ok. Sanzo's gonna be fine. Don't worry." Gojyo faked a smile...but it had no effect on Goku.
Goku's wide gold eyes starred at Gojyo.
Gojyo had never really noticed how Goku's eyes seemed to tell so much about him.
"Nothing will be ok..." Goku sniffed.
"Hey." Gojyo held Goku's face with one hand. "The sun'll rise again. And when he does, he'll be his old, chain smoking, beer chugging, gun slinging self again."
Goku didn't answer and stood up.
"That should do it." Hakkai smiled. He had just finished closing Sanzo's wound.
"He's going to need a lot of rest for it to finish healing, so I suggest we stay for one more night." Hakkai noticed Goku, head drooping and eyes un- seen by his wild brown hair.
"Look's like you could use some sleep too."
Goku nodded.
"Tell ya what...me and Hakkai will sleep in the other room and you can keep an eye on Sanzo for us." Gojyo looked around the ripped, torn room "Cause I'm not sleeping in this dump."
Again, no response from Goku.
Hakkai helped the half-awake Sanzo into the next room followed by Gojyo.
Goku was the last to leave.
"I'm sorry...I've cause you so much grief."
A tear was added to the massive amounts of blood that stained the floor below him. And for some reason, Goku felt as though...
This had all happened before.
THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!!!!! (For now anyway.)
I hope you enjoyed that!
R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lirin-Chan =-= Woot!