A/N: ChiefRaz: I haven't forgotten about our other two bishies! True to canon, Sanzo's going to be thrown out the door by Kanzeon (via the Three Aspects) to "hunt down" Gonou. He'll take the monkey with him when he goes.
M-Chan: Wondering about how Hakkai felt about Kanan killing herself rather than bearing a half-breed child, and how that affects his relationship with Gojyo is one of the things that led to this little writing experiment!
UltraM2000: Never fear, I won't put Gojyo in a monocle. I've got eyewear in mind for him. (partially inspired by Reload #1) The dream sequence just suddenly roared out as I was writing, and I ended up having to bump Sanzo and Goku to Chapter 3. But I think it works out better this way.
Disclaimers: The Saiyuki characters Genjo Sanzo and Son Goku belong to Madam Kazuya and Dr. Yang (and Iron Monkey) are from the movie Iron Monkey by Yuen Wo Ping. I'm just borrowing them.
___________________________________
Genjo Sanzo the 31st, bearer of the Maten Scripture, firmly believed that bureaucratic paperwork was somebody's idea of a sick joke. Read this, stamp that, Sanzo-sama this is very urgent and have you reviewed the correspondence from the southern provinces yet? No wonder Koumyou had run off to the isolated temple where he had raised Genjo and spent his time folding paper airplanes. The fact that Sanzo was good at paperwork in no way changed his opinion as to the idiocy of it all. Sanzo had developed the knack of dropping into a trance the moment he sat behind a desk, and while the majority of his consciousness went on a long smoke break, a single facet of his personality leapt into high gear.
This aspect of Sanzo was the bane of all of Chang 'An's scribes and clerks. He terrorized them with his perfection. Misspellings, bad grammar, sloppy brushstrokes, all fell under Sanzo's demanding eye, with faulty offerings summarily discarded, pitched into the fire, and occasionally sailed out the window in the form of a plane. He had been spending the better part of a morning screaming at his clerks when a messenger scurried in.
"What is it now?" he snapped, still waving an inferior document under the nose of the cowering clerk.
"The Sanbutsushin command your presence Sanzo-sama," the messenger bowed humbly, his words alerting the rest of Sanzo that break-time was over. He came back to himself with a rush, and stared down at the paper he was holding. He had no idea what he had just been arguing about, so he simply shoved the document at the clerk.
"We're done for today." He could feel the clerk's relief as he strode out of the stuffy office. Insulated little moron, all of them. Overfed, soft little mice that would drop dead of fright the moment something truly threatening ever occurred.
"Oi! Sanzo! Sanzo, let's get something to eat!" Across the courtyard, a burst of chaotic energy stormed through the tranquility, rushing towards him in a flurry of red and brown and gold. It splashed through the fish ponds and then ran muddy footprints through the carefully raked sand garden, vaulted over a statue, leaving sand and mud on Buddha's dignified shoulders, and crashed to a merry stop next to the priest, knocking down the messenger. Chang 'An's resident demon had arrived. "It's lunchtime Sanzo, and I'm so hungry!"
"Then go get something to eat, Goku. I'm busy." Sanzo's pace didn't slow as he descended the steps, and Goku turned to follow him.
"Busy? But it's lunchtime Sanzo! We were supposed to go to the dojo after lunch! You promised!" Goku's whine was reaching ultrasonic levels, accompanied by a growling stomach. Sanzo could feel his blood pressure rising, and his hand itched towards the harisen he kept tucked in his sleeve.
"I said I was busy Goku. In fact I probably won't be back until tomorrow, as the Sanbutsushin want to see me. Go stay with Yang." As far as Sanzo was concerned, the conversation was now over.
Goku, however, had as usual missed that fact. "Tomorrow! But that means you'll be gone all night! I don't want to stay here all by myself! Let me come with you!"
Sanzo whirled, one long finger pointing directly at Goku, who ground to a stop. The meekly following messenger darted hastily to the side, not wanting to get in between the volatile priest and his charge. "I said no. Get that straight monkey. Stay here until I come back." The finger stabbed downwards. "If you are hungry go hit up Yang for some food." Sanzo flicked his hand in the direction of the temple infirmary.
Shifting nervously from one foot to the other, Goku asked in a small voice, "You'll be back? Tomorrow?"
Sanzo looked into worried golden eyes, and sighed. "Yes, I'll be back tomorrow." He turned and began to walk again towards the gates that led towards the massive complex that was the Palace of the Setting Sun, a persistent voice echoing in his mind. *You're coming back… you aren't leaving me… coming back…* He firmly tuned it out, not looking back, not wanting to see the eyes that followed him, that needed him. Four years of indifferent care, and the monkey just clung tighter.
*Can you be his sun?*
"Shut up."
"Sanzo-sama?" Came the confused voice of the messenger.
"I wasn't talking to you." The messenger wisely fell silent.
******
Goku watched Sanzo disappear behind the gates with the messenger, and let out one more sigh. His stomach gave another rumble, which reminded him that it had been positively hours since he had last eaten. He glanced around the compound, and noticed that several monks were headed his way, and all of them looked angry about something. What had he done now? Goku had no desire to stick around and find out, and Sanzo did tell him to see Dr. Yang. Dr. Yang always had good food, Goku remembered, and he told really good stories too. Goku make a beeline for the infirmary, steadfastly ignoring the wails of the monks as he bounded through the gardens again.
Dr. Yang had shown up in Chang 'An a year ago, claiming he wanted to spend his remaining years in quiet contemplation after the death of his wife. He had instantly befriended the young demon, and was the only person Goku had ever seen to beat Sanzo in a sparring match. The old doctor had begun showing Goku staff fighting, and afternoons in the dojo with Yang and Sanzo had become Goku's favorite time of the day. It was even better when the doctor invited them to dinner, because Yang could cook better than anyone else in the compound. But best of all were Yang's stories about a daring hero who protected people form a greedy and cruel governor, because the hero was called the Iron Monkey. Sometimes Goku would pretend to be the Iron Monkey, and run around on the rooftops, but Sanzo didn't like that very much.
Dr. Yang was showing three of the novitiates how to mix some powders together when Goku swung into the room. His long white hair was bound back in a neat braid, and his clothes were neat and clean despite working all morning. Goku had no idea how the doctor did that, his own hair was forever tangled, and his clothes seemingly got dirty just by stepping out of the door.
"Dr. Yang! Sanzo's gone for the whole day and he's not going to be back until tomorrow and I'm all alone and Sanzo said I should stay with you and I'm hungry!" Goku's explanation came out in a tumbling rush, ending on a very plaintive note that was firmly echoed by a now ragingly empty belly.
"Oh my, is it lunch already Goku?" Dr. Yang gave the teenager a friendly smile, and just like that, a pear was flying through the air towards him. Goku snatched it eagerly.
"Thank you! Oh, this is so good! Pears are my favorite!" It was a big pear, which took several bites to finish off which gave Dr. Yang time to dismiss his students to their afternoon chores.
Sitting Goku down with a hastily prepared lunch the doctor inquired as to where Sanzo had gone. "Oh, it's those three heads again," Goku, said miserably. "They only call him when they want him to do something for them." Goku chased the last bits of soup up with his bread. "They're probably going to send him away again." Goku did not want to add the fact that Sanzo might go without him. Those were terrible times, as bad as when it snowed and trapped him inside.
"Well, then just because Sanzo's not here, doesn't mean the two of us can't practice today." Dr. Yang said with a gentle smile. Dr. Yang had practiced both medicine and marital arts for his entire life, and had eventually mastered basic chi techniques. He could sense the phenomenal power that swirled around both Sanzo and Goku. But while Sanzo's chi was rigidly controlled and bound heavily into the scripture he carried, Goku's spun as wildly as a typhoon's. Yang hoped that his lessons would allow Goku to gain control of those deadly forces inside him, for power like that would never remain idle, and a limiter was a flimsy hope to keep it contained.
The afternoon whiled away with a young boy whirling a wooden staff, and an old man calling out the stances.
"Double Flight from the Sea!"
"Carry the Bow!"
"Monkey's Rod!"
"Fisherman's Paddle!"
"A Strong Force Flows from North to South!"
*****
Sanzo returned from the Palace of the Setting Sun the next day in a grim mood. He stopped long enough to pick up his revolver and Goku, who flat out refused to be left behind. It would be more than two months before Yang would see either Goku or Sanzo again, and they would return with his final two students; a warrior whose fierce desire to live was sustaining the other, who carried the potential to take Yang's place as a healer and confidant.
M-Chan: Wondering about how Hakkai felt about Kanan killing herself rather than bearing a half-breed child, and how that affects his relationship with Gojyo is one of the things that led to this little writing experiment!
UltraM2000: Never fear, I won't put Gojyo in a monocle. I've got eyewear in mind for him. (partially inspired by Reload #1) The dream sequence just suddenly roared out as I was writing, and I ended up having to bump Sanzo and Goku to Chapter 3. But I think it works out better this way.
Disclaimers: The Saiyuki characters Genjo Sanzo and Son Goku belong to Madam Kazuya and Dr. Yang (and Iron Monkey) are from the movie Iron Monkey by Yuen Wo Ping. I'm just borrowing them.
___________________________________
Genjo Sanzo the 31st, bearer of the Maten Scripture, firmly believed that bureaucratic paperwork was somebody's idea of a sick joke. Read this, stamp that, Sanzo-sama this is very urgent and have you reviewed the correspondence from the southern provinces yet? No wonder Koumyou had run off to the isolated temple where he had raised Genjo and spent his time folding paper airplanes. The fact that Sanzo was good at paperwork in no way changed his opinion as to the idiocy of it all. Sanzo had developed the knack of dropping into a trance the moment he sat behind a desk, and while the majority of his consciousness went on a long smoke break, a single facet of his personality leapt into high gear.
This aspect of Sanzo was the bane of all of Chang 'An's scribes and clerks. He terrorized them with his perfection. Misspellings, bad grammar, sloppy brushstrokes, all fell under Sanzo's demanding eye, with faulty offerings summarily discarded, pitched into the fire, and occasionally sailed out the window in the form of a plane. He had been spending the better part of a morning screaming at his clerks when a messenger scurried in.
"What is it now?" he snapped, still waving an inferior document under the nose of the cowering clerk.
"The Sanbutsushin command your presence Sanzo-sama," the messenger bowed humbly, his words alerting the rest of Sanzo that break-time was over. He came back to himself with a rush, and stared down at the paper he was holding. He had no idea what he had just been arguing about, so he simply shoved the document at the clerk.
"We're done for today." He could feel the clerk's relief as he strode out of the stuffy office. Insulated little moron, all of them. Overfed, soft little mice that would drop dead of fright the moment something truly threatening ever occurred.
"Oi! Sanzo! Sanzo, let's get something to eat!" Across the courtyard, a burst of chaotic energy stormed through the tranquility, rushing towards him in a flurry of red and brown and gold. It splashed through the fish ponds and then ran muddy footprints through the carefully raked sand garden, vaulted over a statue, leaving sand and mud on Buddha's dignified shoulders, and crashed to a merry stop next to the priest, knocking down the messenger. Chang 'An's resident demon had arrived. "It's lunchtime Sanzo, and I'm so hungry!"
"Then go get something to eat, Goku. I'm busy." Sanzo's pace didn't slow as he descended the steps, and Goku turned to follow him.
"Busy? But it's lunchtime Sanzo! We were supposed to go to the dojo after lunch! You promised!" Goku's whine was reaching ultrasonic levels, accompanied by a growling stomach. Sanzo could feel his blood pressure rising, and his hand itched towards the harisen he kept tucked in his sleeve.
"I said I was busy Goku. In fact I probably won't be back until tomorrow, as the Sanbutsushin want to see me. Go stay with Yang." As far as Sanzo was concerned, the conversation was now over.
Goku, however, had as usual missed that fact. "Tomorrow! But that means you'll be gone all night! I don't want to stay here all by myself! Let me come with you!"
Sanzo whirled, one long finger pointing directly at Goku, who ground to a stop. The meekly following messenger darted hastily to the side, not wanting to get in between the volatile priest and his charge. "I said no. Get that straight monkey. Stay here until I come back." The finger stabbed downwards. "If you are hungry go hit up Yang for some food." Sanzo flicked his hand in the direction of the temple infirmary.
Shifting nervously from one foot to the other, Goku asked in a small voice, "You'll be back? Tomorrow?"
Sanzo looked into worried golden eyes, and sighed. "Yes, I'll be back tomorrow." He turned and began to walk again towards the gates that led towards the massive complex that was the Palace of the Setting Sun, a persistent voice echoing in his mind. *You're coming back… you aren't leaving me… coming back…* He firmly tuned it out, not looking back, not wanting to see the eyes that followed him, that needed him. Four years of indifferent care, and the monkey just clung tighter.
*Can you be his sun?*
"Shut up."
"Sanzo-sama?" Came the confused voice of the messenger.
"I wasn't talking to you." The messenger wisely fell silent.
******
Goku watched Sanzo disappear behind the gates with the messenger, and let out one more sigh. His stomach gave another rumble, which reminded him that it had been positively hours since he had last eaten. He glanced around the compound, and noticed that several monks were headed his way, and all of them looked angry about something. What had he done now? Goku had no desire to stick around and find out, and Sanzo did tell him to see Dr. Yang. Dr. Yang always had good food, Goku remembered, and he told really good stories too. Goku make a beeline for the infirmary, steadfastly ignoring the wails of the monks as he bounded through the gardens again.
Dr. Yang had shown up in Chang 'An a year ago, claiming he wanted to spend his remaining years in quiet contemplation after the death of his wife. He had instantly befriended the young demon, and was the only person Goku had ever seen to beat Sanzo in a sparring match. The old doctor had begun showing Goku staff fighting, and afternoons in the dojo with Yang and Sanzo had become Goku's favorite time of the day. It was even better when the doctor invited them to dinner, because Yang could cook better than anyone else in the compound. But best of all were Yang's stories about a daring hero who protected people form a greedy and cruel governor, because the hero was called the Iron Monkey. Sometimes Goku would pretend to be the Iron Monkey, and run around on the rooftops, but Sanzo didn't like that very much.
Dr. Yang was showing three of the novitiates how to mix some powders together when Goku swung into the room. His long white hair was bound back in a neat braid, and his clothes were neat and clean despite working all morning. Goku had no idea how the doctor did that, his own hair was forever tangled, and his clothes seemingly got dirty just by stepping out of the door.
"Dr. Yang! Sanzo's gone for the whole day and he's not going to be back until tomorrow and I'm all alone and Sanzo said I should stay with you and I'm hungry!" Goku's explanation came out in a tumbling rush, ending on a very plaintive note that was firmly echoed by a now ragingly empty belly.
"Oh my, is it lunch already Goku?" Dr. Yang gave the teenager a friendly smile, and just like that, a pear was flying through the air towards him. Goku snatched it eagerly.
"Thank you! Oh, this is so good! Pears are my favorite!" It was a big pear, which took several bites to finish off which gave Dr. Yang time to dismiss his students to their afternoon chores.
Sitting Goku down with a hastily prepared lunch the doctor inquired as to where Sanzo had gone. "Oh, it's those three heads again," Goku, said miserably. "They only call him when they want him to do something for them." Goku chased the last bits of soup up with his bread. "They're probably going to send him away again." Goku did not want to add the fact that Sanzo might go without him. Those were terrible times, as bad as when it snowed and trapped him inside.
"Well, then just because Sanzo's not here, doesn't mean the two of us can't practice today." Dr. Yang said with a gentle smile. Dr. Yang had practiced both medicine and marital arts for his entire life, and had eventually mastered basic chi techniques. He could sense the phenomenal power that swirled around both Sanzo and Goku. But while Sanzo's chi was rigidly controlled and bound heavily into the scripture he carried, Goku's spun as wildly as a typhoon's. Yang hoped that his lessons would allow Goku to gain control of those deadly forces inside him, for power like that would never remain idle, and a limiter was a flimsy hope to keep it contained.
The afternoon whiled away with a young boy whirling a wooden staff, and an old man calling out the stances.
"Double Flight from the Sea!"
"Carry the Bow!"
"Monkey's Rod!"
"Fisherman's Paddle!"
"A Strong Force Flows from North to South!"
*****
Sanzo returned from the Palace of the Setting Sun the next day in a grim mood. He stopped long enough to pick up his revolver and Goku, who flat out refused to be left behind. It would be more than two months before Yang would see either Goku or Sanzo again, and they would return with his final two students; a warrior whose fierce desire to live was sustaining the other, who carried the potential to take Yang's place as a healer and confidant.