A/N: What makes the grass grow? BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD! Dismemberment and flying bullets are what makes Saiyuki great! (Well, that and the four totally hot boys in the jeep. Sigh, to be ten years younger...) But anyways, I think the boys have had enough "getting to know you" bonding so it's time for the truth to start spilling and the noose to start closing.
Wind Wanderer: Please don't worry, that was about as romantic as things are going to get. (I am a firm believer that Tenpou and Kenren were a devoted couple but Gonou and Gojyo have quite a few hang-ups to work through. Especially Gojyo in this AU.)
sf: Dear Sanzo, whose very presence causes grown men to swoon and women to swear. He's both very hard and easy to write, easy because I know what he's supposed to be doing in this story, but hard because he keeps grabbing the reins from me. Half of his lines are things I certainly never intended to write! Both his scenes in this chapter I had to completely re-do because he's such a control freak. Hope you continue to enjoy him!
MoMo-kun: Gojyo's past will start opening up in the next chapter.
Kath: Thank you for your review, and hope you continue to enjoy this little experiment of mine!
lizalou42: I hope to use Dr. Yang as not only their teacher, but as a mentor of Hakkai and Gojyo. (Yang of course can never replace Koumyou in Sanzo's heart, and all Goku ever really needs is Sanzo.) I'm not sure how close this will end up to the series, I've got three years of time line to play around in!
Disclaimer: Saiyuki and it's characters are the sole property of Kazuya Minekura. I don't get a single penny from this obsession of mine over a red head. (Does the carpet match the drapes? Inquiring minds want to know!)
_____________________________________
Gonou woke up just as the sun was beginning to peek through the trees. He had felt the sensation of being watched penetrate his dreams, but a quick scan of the little camp showed nothing. Gojyo was still asleep on the other side of the fire, curled against the rock face that provided their meager shelter. He began to roll the stiffness out of his joints as he pondered the day's chores. The few clothes he had scavenged all needed washing, he needed to check Gojyo's hand to see if the bones had finally knitted, they were running short on everything except for rice, *Face it Gonou, we won't be able to stay here much longer. If Gojyo's head is clear again today, you need to see if he can start walking around.*
A building of energy within him halted the flow of Gonou's thoughts. He had unconsciously fallen into his old morning Tai-Chi ritual while thinking, as he often did at home, and the slow, disciplined kata was producing some surprising results. The old monk who visited Gonou's orphanage had taught all the children the basics of Tai-Chi, and explained how the graceful moves promoted the balancing of the body's chi, but for the first time Gonou was able to feel the results as his energies settled into the forms directed by his movements.
*Is it because I'm a demon now? Can all demons do this sort of thing, feeling their energies move around like this? It must be connected to how I can read Gojyo's chi.* Gonou continued with the full kata, intrigued at how the classic stances chased away every last bit of fatigue, and left him clear-headed and relaxed by the subtle manipulation of his own chi. *I should have done this sooner. I had no idea how off-center I was. I wonder, though, what would it be like without the limiters?*
Gonou slid his hand up towards his ear, and fingered the three cuffs thoughtfully. A glance confirmed that Gojyo was still oblivious to the morning, and Gonou carefully pulled the limiters off. His body shuddered as the metal cuffs clinked into his hand, a wild rush of power surging through him. His senses assaulted him; he had forgotten how sharp they were. *I can't believe how much this place smells! The fire, Gojyo, myself, even last night's dinner is still here!* He turned, letting the early breeze bring more scents to him. One odor caught his attention, sharp and pungent. Slowly, he made his way towards the limit of the encampment, slipping the limiters into his pocket.
*Here, whatever this is, it was right here.* His eyes flicked around, looking for the source. His keen vision picked up the tracks on the forest floor, his nose led him to where one had rubbed against a tree, leaving strands of fur behind. *Wolves. There were wolves here not minutes ago. Watching us. But they don't like fire, they stay away from humans unless they are starving, and there is plenty of game around the woods. And I've never heard of them ever going up against demons. Why were they here?*
The breeze shifted, carrying the smell of the camp back to him. Gonou stopped and carefully sampled the scents, trying to decipher what the pack had noticed to cause them to approach. *Fire, that's the strongest smell, fire and... blood.* Gonou froze, his mind kicking all the pieces into place. *It's Gojyo they're after. He's weak, injured, he smells of blood. He smells like... prey.*
Gonou was moving, sweeping the entire perimeter, hunting down every last trace of the predators. Everything was fresh, if there were any lingering old traces, he could not find them. The pack's arrival must have been recent, perhaps only coming upon them last night. *I left Gojyo alone for hours yesterday. If they had been here then, they would have killed him.* How could he have been so careless as to think that he and Gojyo were perfectly safe? Rage and self-incrimination burned inside. He could hear them now, it was a large pack, sliding just outside of his vision, circling the camp, waiting for the right opportunity.
"No." the word was a snarl of defiance. "Never again."
Gojyo woke to the screaming of wolves.
*****
The pounding on the door matched the throbbing in his head, and the snoring in his ears. Sanzo opened one red-rimmed eye to try and figure out what in the hell was going on, and who was going to die. Judging by the color of the sky outside his window, it had to be early morning. *Did Goku put in some crazy wake-up call for breakfast? I'll kill him if he... no.* It wasn't Goku. If the monkey had one redeeming feature in Sanzo's eyes, it was the fact that he too preferred to sleep in late.
Sure enough, Goku was in the other bed, flopped on his back, snoring and drooling into his pillow. The knocking at the door hesitated for a moment, and Sanzo could hear two people carrying on some sort of discussion. *Just go away.*
"Genjo Sanzo-sama? Hello?" The knocking resumed.
This had better be important. Sanzo levered himself upright, hissing softly at the splitting in his skull. How the hell anyone in this town got up early with the local sake being so strong was a damned mystery. *I'd have been better off doing tequila shots. Pants, pants, where the hell did I throw my pants?* Looking over he saw them lying on the chair halfway across the room with the rest of his clothes. *Damn the pants. I'm not walking all the way over there.* Jerking the sheet off the bed, and wrapping it around his waist solved his immediate clothing problems. Half stumbling to the door, he yanked it open and nearly got his head rapped on by an upraised hand.
There is a preconceived notion as to what a Sanzo priest looks like and Genjo Sanzo was currently not meeting any of them. No fine robes clothed him, no freshly shaven head adorned with golden crown, and certainly no peaceful and wise demeanor. The two monks standing outside his room stared with flapping jaws at the wiry young man glaring balefully at them, thick blonde hair tousled from sleep covering his forehead and hanging over bloodshot eyes, and only a lone hand gripping an old hotel sheet was preserving any sense of modesty. The stench of tobacco and alcohol assaulted their noses and the monks stepped back in confusion.
"I... we're so sorry. We thought this was Genjo Sanzo's room. Pardon our disturbance."
Sanzo's eyes narrowed. "Wrong messenger bitch of the gods. I'm Hermes. See the toga?" He shut the door and leaned against it. Just great, now he wasn't going to be able to get any more sleep. Judging by the vacuous expressions on their faces, he probably had at least five minutes while they tried to figure out what had just happened, and came knocking again. Local monks from the look of them, he knew there was a temple down the road. *And I didn't stay there for a reason, damn it. I'm not here to pat their precious heads and tell them what good little holy men they are.* He heard the footsteps moving back towards the inn stairs. Good. He picked up one of Goku's boots and threw it at him.
Goku came awake with a yelp and turned a hurt look at Sanzo. "What'd you do that for? It's early!"
"No shit it's early. Go get me a pot of coffee, and spike it. My head's killing me. I'll be in the bath." Sanzo grabbed his clothes and more importantly, his cigarettes.
Sanzo had managed to scrub most of the taste of whatever had died in his mouth out, and soaped off the sweat from last night's over-indulgence before Goku returned with the coffee, monks in tow. "Hey, Sanzo, these guys were looking for you downstairs. Can I go get some breakfast?"
"Just give me the damn coffee and remind me to kill you later." Goku grinned and slid out the door. Sanzo glared at the wonder duo, who were staring at him uncomfortably. What did they expect, that he bathed fully clothed? Or perhaps they thought that Sanzos weren't supposed to have all the features everyone else did. "I am not a spectator sport so get the hell out." He slid into the soaking tub and poured himself a cup of coffee, savoring the infusion of caffeine laced with a sharp bite of whisky and lit his first cigarette.
The shorter of the two monks cleared his throat anxiously, trying to keep his gaze fixed on the now revealed red chakra on Sanzo's forehead. "We heard of your arrival late last night, Master Sanzo, and the head of our order would like to welcome you to our temple."
Amethyst eyes glowered, and Sanzo set the cup down freeing up one hand. "Are you deaf as well as stupid? I said: Get. The. Hell. Out." The final words were accompanied by the decisive clicking of a hammer being drawn back.
Muffled gunshots sounded in the inn's dining room moments later, and Goku watched the two monks flee out the door, one of them clutching a bleeding ear. Turning back to the startled waitress Goku continued to order.
"Is everything alright up there?" she asked with wide eyes, clutching at her order pad.
"Oh, yeah, everything's fine. Sanzo's just really crabby when he's got a hangover. Did you get all that? I'm really hungry!"
*****
Gojyo was on his feet, back pressed against the overhang with a heavy section of log in his left hand before his brain had even fully awakened. Gonou was missing, and something out there was dying. There was a curious sort of terror that filled him hearing those terrible screams, but seeing nothing at all. For fifteen minutes, he listened to the sounds of death as one creature after another was picked off. It took him several minutes to even realize that it was wolves making those sounds, wolves weren't supposed to shriek like that. It wasn't until the taste of blood hit his tongue that Gojyo even realized he had bitten through his lip. *It's you isn't it Gonou.*
As if his thought had summoned them, a large gray wolf shot from between the trees, running for it's life, and just behind it was Gonou. With almost casual grace, Gonou cut the wolf off, and before it could avoid him, Gonou's fist shot downward, just behind its shoulders. Not even the animal's desperate shriek could cover the sickening crunch of shattered bone as its spine was demolished under the force of the punch. The fist uncurled, and Gonou's talons extended, tearing deep into the fatally wounded wolf. It was fast and brutal, and when it was over, Gonou stood, head turning outwards, seeking his next target.
"Gonou." No response. "Gonou, stop." Louder, but still nothing. Gonou began to step towards the woods. "Damn it Gonou, don't you fucking walk away from me!" Dead green eyes turned to look at him. *Shit, he's gone. Completely over the edge. Congrats, Gojyo, you got his attention. Now what are you going to do?* He set the log down carefully, not making any sudden moves. "Gonou come back to the fire."
"It's the dream." Flat, inflectionless voice. Gonou glanced down at his blood-soaked hands. "I can tell, because of the blood. The blood on me, the blood on you." Gojyo barely had time to register the fact that Gonou was moving, when the demon was next to him. A taloned finger traced the blood running from Gojyo's bitten lip. "They came to kill you, and I stopped them. But she'll be here soon, and I can't stop her. I can never stop her."
"Who is coming?" Gojyo whispered, shivering at the gentle touch, at the madness in Gonou's eyes, at his own fear.
"Kanan is coming. She always does, you know. To kill you, to kill me. I failed her. Despite all the ones I killed, all the blood, I lost her. I lost everything." Wild, bitter laughter fell from the unsmiling mouth. "I couldn't save her, save the baby, save myself. I'm not going to be able to save you either."
The talons traced a bloody path across his scarred cheek, reawakening memories of another deadly day. "What happened to her?" Gojyo asked, choking the words out past his growing panic. He could not lose control of himself now, with those claws drifting gently over his face. "Please, Gonou, talk to me."
The talons stilled, settling along Gojyo's jaw line, thumb resting at the pulse point of his throat. "They took her. The village just handed her over, they wouldn't fight back. They didn't care about us, we weren't from there, had no family." Gonou's voice dropped to a hiss. "We were *orphans*. We didn't *understand* blood ties. Family. It was for the *best*. I'd *get over the loss*." Gonou locked eyes with Gojyo, the emptiness replaced with blazing hate. "Kanan was my sister! It was a miracle that we had even found each other again! And I didn't even know what they had done until she was gone!"
Once he started, Gonou didn't stop. The words flowed out of him in a torrent, his eyes never leaving Gojyo's. He told Gojyo everything, the vengeance he had taken on the villagers, the long search for Hyakugan Maoh's castle, the slaughter of its inhabitants, finding Kanan, becoming a demon. Through it all, Gojyo could feel a curious reversal happening, and towards the end the hand was Gojyo's resting on the ivy-patterned cheek of Gonou, soaked in the tears pouring from green eyes.
"...and I just watched as they beat you. I wasn't going to do a thing to stop them. I just wanted to die, to be with her again. Then they called you an abomination, a half-breed, and I realized that they were killing you for the same reason Kanan had died. They would have slit her throat had they been there, and she would have let them. I hated them for it, and I destroyed them just like I did everyone else. But when you looked at me, I knew. You were my last chance to save someone, anyone."
Gonou's voice trailed off, utterly drained from his confession. His face was streaked with dried tears and blood. Gojyo had the odd sensation that if he removed his hand, Gonou would collapse like a puppet whose strings had been cut. "Gonou, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing. None of this was your fault, all you did was refuse to roll over and let them win. Right now my friend, we're going to get cleaned up, and you are going to listen to me for a little while, OK?" *As much as I've been depending on him, it's nothing compared to what he needs from me. The wrong words from me won't end my life, they'll end his.*
*****
No one had set foot in the little house for over two months, not since Cho Gonou had emerged with a knife. Dust covered every surface, kicking up in small puffs as Sanzo searched the place. He had left Goku outside the door, with firm orders not to let anyone inside. The bathroom yielded up the first item Sanzo needed, a man's comb, with several short dark hairs still clinging to the teeth. Setting the small dining table upright uncovered a satchel used by teachers to store papers. Sanzo upended the contents onto the table and began to sort through them. Most were student papers in the process of being graded, but Sanzo was finally rewarded with a letter written by Cho Gonou with his signature on the bottom. Sanzo carefully tore the signature out and swept everything else off the table.
Rolling the scrap of paper around the dark hairs, Sanzo pulled out a small locket on a chain. The locket was shaped into a downwards pointing triangle, and the small paper and hair packet barely fit inside. *If Maoh hadn't been such a paranoid asshole to keep his place sequestered, this would have been a hell of a lot easier.* A map flipped open across the table, and Sanzo smoothed out the folds until it lay flat. He set a pencil next to him, lit a cigarette and allowed the locket to slip through his fingers until it hovered just above the map.
Slowly, Sanzo's eyes slid closed, and he began to pass his hand over the map, concentrating on nothing but the feel of the smoke curling through his lungs, allowing his hand and the locket to move randomly. He had burned through less than half of the cigarette when the chain jerked under his fingers, and the locket twitched sideways, angling away from the area underneath it. Sanzo picked up the pencil, and without looking down at the map made a practiced mark. Setting the pencil down, he rotated the map and began again with a fresh cigarette. Twice more the locket reacted, and twice more he marked the spot. After the third mark, he opened his eyes, and looked down.
Three lines intersected in a perfect asterisk. The spot was a forest directly in the area under Maoh's control, and not far from a town that lay along the river route he was currently on. Sanzo reached out and slowly tapped the mark, and was rewarded with a flash of green eyes and dark hair.
"Gotcha." he whispered. Pendulum dowsing was not a skill he used often, but with proper foci it was occasionally very effective. He began to lift his finger and call out to Goku when a second flash hit him. Red. It stood between him and Gonou. Red. A protective stubborn wall. Red. "Who the hell are you?"
Wind Wanderer: Please don't worry, that was about as romantic as things are going to get. (I am a firm believer that Tenpou and Kenren were a devoted couple but Gonou and Gojyo have quite a few hang-ups to work through. Especially Gojyo in this AU.)
sf: Dear Sanzo, whose very presence causes grown men to swoon and women to swear. He's both very hard and easy to write, easy because I know what he's supposed to be doing in this story, but hard because he keeps grabbing the reins from me. Half of his lines are things I certainly never intended to write! Both his scenes in this chapter I had to completely re-do because he's such a control freak. Hope you continue to enjoy him!
MoMo-kun: Gojyo's past will start opening up in the next chapter.
Kath: Thank you for your review, and hope you continue to enjoy this little experiment of mine!
lizalou42: I hope to use Dr. Yang as not only their teacher, but as a mentor of Hakkai and Gojyo. (Yang of course can never replace Koumyou in Sanzo's heart, and all Goku ever really needs is Sanzo.) I'm not sure how close this will end up to the series, I've got three years of time line to play around in!
Disclaimer: Saiyuki and it's characters are the sole property of Kazuya Minekura. I don't get a single penny from this obsession of mine over a red head. (Does the carpet match the drapes? Inquiring minds want to know!)
_____________________________________
Gonou woke up just as the sun was beginning to peek through the trees. He had felt the sensation of being watched penetrate his dreams, but a quick scan of the little camp showed nothing. Gojyo was still asleep on the other side of the fire, curled against the rock face that provided their meager shelter. He began to roll the stiffness out of his joints as he pondered the day's chores. The few clothes he had scavenged all needed washing, he needed to check Gojyo's hand to see if the bones had finally knitted, they were running short on everything except for rice, *Face it Gonou, we won't be able to stay here much longer. If Gojyo's head is clear again today, you need to see if he can start walking around.*
A building of energy within him halted the flow of Gonou's thoughts. He had unconsciously fallen into his old morning Tai-Chi ritual while thinking, as he often did at home, and the slow, disciplined kata was producing some surprising results. The old monk who visited Gonou's orphanage had taught all the children the basics of Tai-Chi, and explained how the graceful moves promoted the balancing of the body's chi, but for the first time Gonou was able to feel the results as his energies settled into the forms directed by his movements.
*Is it because I'm a demon now? Can all demons do this sort of thing, feeling their energies move around like this? It must be connected to how I can read Gojyo's chi.* Gonou continued with the full kata, intrigued at how the classic stances chased away every last bit of fatigue, and left him clear-headed and relaxed by the subtle manipulation of his own chi. *I should have done this sooner. I had no idea how off-center I was. I wonder, though, what would it be like without the limiters?*
Gonou slid his hand up towards his ear, and fingered the three cuffs thoughtfully. A glance confirmed that Gojyo was still oblivious to the morning, and Gonou carefully pulled the limiters off. His body shuddered as the metal cuffs clinked into his hand, a wild rush of power surging through him. His senses assaulted him; he had forgotten how sharp they were. *I can't believe how much this place smells! The fire, Gojyo, myself, even last night's dinner is still here!* He turned, letting the early breeze bring more scents to him. One odor caught his attention, sharp and pungent. Slowly, he made his way towards the limit of the encampment, slipping the limiters into his pocket.
*Here, whatever this is, it was right here.* His eyes flicked around, looking for the source. His keen vision picked up the tracks on the forest floor, his nose led him to where one had rubbed against a tree, leaving strands of fur behind. *Wolves. There were wolves here not minutes ago. Watching us. But they don't like fire, they stay away from humans unless they are starving, and there is plenty of game around the woods. And I've never heard of them ever going up against demons. Why were they here?*
The breeze shifted, carrying the smell of the camp back to him. Gonou stopped and carefully sampled the scents, trying to decipher what the pack had noticed to cause them to approach. *Fire, that's the strongest smell, fire and... blood.* Gonou froze, his mind kicking all the pieces into place. *It's Gojyo they're after. He's weak, injured, he smells of blood. He smells like... prey.*
Gonou was moving, sweeping the entire perimeter, hunting down every last trace of the predators. Everything was fresh, if there were any lingering old traces, he could not find them. The pack's arrival must have been recent, perhaps only coming upon them last night. *I left Gojyo alone for hours yesterday. If they had been here then, they would have killed him.* How could he have been so careless as to think that he and Gojyo were perfectly safe? Rage and self-incrimination burned inside. He could hear them now, it was a large pack, sliding just outside of his vision, circling the camp, waiting for the right opportunity.
"No." the word was a snarl of defiance. "Never again."
Gojyo woke to the screaming of wolves.
*****
The pounding on the door matched the throbbing in his head, and the snoring in his ears. Sanzo opened one red-rimmed eye to try and figure out what in the hell was going on, and who was going to die. Judging by the color of the sky outside his window, it had to be early morning. *Did Goku put in some crazy wake-up call for breakfast? I'll kill him if he... no.* It wasn't Goku. If the monkey had one redeeming feature in Sanzo's eyes, it was the fact that he too preferred to sleep in late.
Sure enough, Goku was in the other bed, flopped on his back, snoring and drooling into his pillow. The knocking at the door hesitated for a moment, and Sanzo could hear two people carrying on some sort of discussion. *Just go away.*
"Genjo Sanzo-sama? Hello?" The knocking resumed.
This had better be important. Sanzo levered himself upright, hissing softly at the splitting in his skull. How the hell anyone in this town got up early with the local sake being so strong was a damned mystery. *I'd have been better off doing tequila shots. Pants, pants, where the hell did I throw my pants?* Looking over he saw them lying on the chair halfway across the room with the rest of his clothes. *Damn the pants. I'm not walking all the way over there.* Jerking the sheet off the bed, and wrapping it around his waist solved his immediate clothing problems. Half stumbling to the door, he yanked it open and nearly got his head rapped on by an upraised hand.
There is a preconceived notion as to what a Sanzo priest looks like and Genjo Sanzo was currently not meeting any of them. No fine robes clothed him, no freshly shaven head adorned with golden crown, and certainly no peaceful and wise demeanor. The two monks standing outside his room stared with flapping jaws at the wiry young man glaring balefully at them, thick blonde hair tousled from sleep covering his forehead and hanging over bloodshot eyes, and only a lone hand gripping an old hotel sheet was preserving any sense of modesty. The stench of tobacco and alcohol assaulted their noses and the monks stepped back in confusion.
"I... we're so sorry. We thought this was Genjo Sanzo's room. Pardon our disturbance."
Sanzo's eyes narrowed. "Wrong messenger bitch of the gods. I'm Hermes. See the toga?" He shut the door and leaned against it. Just great, now he wasn't going to be able to get any more sleep. Judging by the vacuous expressions on their faces, he probably had at least five minutes while they tried to figure out what had just happened, and came knocking again. Local monks from the look of them, he knew there was a temple down the road. *And I didn't stay there for a reason, damn it. I'm not here to pat their precious heads and tell them what good little holy men they are.* He heard the footsteps moving back towards the inn stairs. Good. He picked up one of Goku's boots and threw it at him.
Goku came awake with a yelp and turned a hurt look at Sanzo. "What'd you do that for? It's early!"
"No shit it's early. Go get me a pot of coffee, and spike it. My head's killing me. I'll be in the bath." Sanzo grabbed his clothes and more importantly, his cigarettes.
Sanzo had managed to scrub most of the taste of whatever had died in his mouth out, and soaped off the sweat from last night's over-indulgence before Goku returned with the coffee, monks in tow. "Hey, Sanzo, these guys were looking for you downstairs. Can I go get some breakfast?"
"Just give me the damn coffee and remind me to kill you later." Goku grinned and slid out the door. Sanzo glared at the wonder duo, who were staring at him uncomfortably. What did they expect, that he bathed fully clothed? Or perhaps they thought that Sanzos weren't supposed to have all the features everyone else did. "I am not a spectator sport so get the hell out." He slid into the soaking tub and poured himself a cup of coffee, savoring the infusion of caffeine laced with a sharp bite of whisky and lit his first cigarette.
The shorter of the two monks cleared his throat anxiously, trying to keep his gaze fixed on the now revealed red chakra on Sanzo's forehead. "We heard of your arrival late last night, Master Sanzo, and the head of our order would like to welcome you to our temple."
Amethyst eyes glowered, and Sanzo set the cup down freeing up one hand. "Are you deaf as well as stupid? I said: Get. The. Hell. Out." The final words were accompanied by the decisive clicking of a hammer being drawn back.
Muffled gunshots sounded in the inn's dining room moments later, and Goku watched the two monks flee out the door, one of them clutching a bleeding ear. Turning back to the startled waitress Goku continued to order.
"Is everything alright up there?" she asked with wide eyes, clutching at her order pad.
"Oh, yeah, everything's fine. Sanzo's just really crabby when he's got a hangover. Did you get all that? I'm really hungry!"
*****
Gojyo was on his feet, back pressed against the overhang with a heavy section of log in his left hand before his brain had even fully awakened. Gonou was missing, and something out there was dying. There was a curious sort of terror that filled him hearing those terrible screams, but seeing nothing at all. For fifteen minutes, he listened to the sounds of death as one creature after another was picked off. It took him several minutes to even realize that it was wolves making those sounds, wolves weren't supposed to shriek like that. It wasn't until the taste of blood hit his tongue that Gojyo even realized he had bitten through his lip. *It's you isn't it Gonou.*
As if his thought had summoned them, a large gray wolf shot from between the trees, running for it's life, and just behind it was Gonou. With almost casual grace, Gonou cut the wolf off, and before it could avoid him, Gonou's fist shot downward, just behind its shoulders. Not even the animal's desperate shriek could cover the sickening crunch of shattered bone as its spine was demolished under the force of the punch. The fist uncurled, and Gonou's talons extended, tearing deep into the fatally wounded wolf. It was fast and brutal, and when it was over, Gonou stood, head turning outwards, seeking his next target.
"Gonou." No response. "Gonou, stop." Louder, but still nothing. Gonou began to step towards the woods. "Damn it Gonou, don't you fucking walk away from me!" Dead green eyes turned to look at him. *Shit, he's gone. Completely over the edge. Congrats, Gojyo, you got his attention. Now what are you going to do?* He set the log down carefully, not making any sudden moves. "Gonou come back to the fire."
"It's the dream." Flat, inflectionless voice. Gonou glanced down at his blood-soaked hands. "I can tell, because of the blood. The blood on me, the blood on you." Gojyo barely had time to register the fact that Gonou was moving, when the demon was next to him. A taloned finger traced the blood running from Gojyo's bitten lip. "They came to kill you, and I stopped them. But she'll be here soon, and I can't stop her. I can never stop her."
"Who is coming?" Gojyo whispered, shivering at the gentle touch, at the madness in Gonou's eyes, at his own fear.
"Kanan is coming. She always does, you know. To kill you, to kill me. I failed her. Despite all the ones I killed, all the blood, I lost her. I lost everything." Wild, bitter laughter fell from the unsmiling mouth. "I couldn't save her, save the baby, save myself. I'm not going to be able to save you either."
The talons traced a bloody path across his scarred cheek, reawakening memories of another deadly day. "What happened to her?" Gojyo asked, choking the words out past his growing panic. He could not lose control of himself now, with those claws drifting gently over his face. "Please, Gonou, talk to me."
The talons stilled, settling along Gojyo's jaw line, thumb resting at the pulse point of his throat. "They took her. The village just handed her over, they wouldn't fight back. They didn't care about us, we weren't from there, had no family." Gonou's voice dropped to a hiss. "We were *orphans*. We didn't *understand* blood ties. Family. It was for the *best*. I'd *get over the loss*." Gonou locked eyes with Gojyo, the emptiness replaced with blazing hate. "Kanan was my sister! It was a miracle that we had even found each other again! And I didn't even know what they had done until she was gone!"
Once he started, Gonou didn't stop. The words flowed out of him in a torrent, his eyes never leaving Gojyo's. He told Gojyo everything, the vengeance he had taken on the villagers, the long search for Hyakugan Maoh's castle, the slaughter of its inhabitants, finding Kanan, becoming a demon. Through it all, Gojyo could feel a curious reversal happening, and towards the end the hand was Gojyo's resting on the ivy-patterned cheek of Gonou, soaked in the tears pouring from green eyes.
"...and I just watched as they beat you. I wasn't going to do a thing to stop them. I just wanted to die, to be with her again. Then they called you an abomination, a half-breed, and I realized that they were killing you for the same reason Kanan had died. They would have slit her throat had they been there, and she would have let them. I hated them for it, and I destroyed them just like I did everyone else. But when you looked at me, I knew. You were my last chance to save someone, anyone."
Gonou's voice trailed off, utterly drained from his confession. His face was streaked with dried tears and blood. Gojyo had the odd sensation that if he removed his hand, Gonou would collapse like a puppet whose strings had been cut. "Gonou, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing. None of this was your fault, all you did was refuse to roll over and let them win. Right now my friend, we're going to get cleaned up, and you are going to listen to me for a little while, OK?" *As much as I've been depending on him, it's nothing compared to what he needs from me. The wrong words from me won't end my life, they'll end his.*
*****
No one had set foot in the little house for over two months, not since Cho Gonou had emerged with a knife. Dust covered every surface, kicking up in small puffs as Sanzo searched the place. He had left Goku outside the door, with firm orders not to let anyone inside. The bathroom yielded up the first item Sanzo needed, a man's comb, with several short dark hairs still clinging to the teeth. Setting the small dining table upright uncovered a satchel used by teachers to store papers. Sanzo upended the contents onto the table and began to sort through them. Most were student papers in the process of being graded, but Sanzo was finally rewarded with a letter written by Cho Gonou with his signature on the bottom. Sanzo carefully tore the signature out and swept everything else off the table.
Rolling the scrap of paper around the dark hairs, Sanzo pulled out a small locket on a chain. The locket was shaped into a downwards pointing triangle, and the small paper and hair packet barely fit inside. *If Maoh hadn't been such a paranoid asshole to keep his place sequestered, this would have been a hell of a lot easier.* A map flipped open across the table, and Sanzo smoothed out the folds until it lay flat. He set a pencil next to him, lit a cigarette and allowed the locket to slip through his fingers until it hovered just above the map.
Slowly, Sanzo's eyes slid closed, and he began to pass his hand over the map, concentrating on nothing but the feel of the smoke curling through his lungs, allowing his hand and the locket to move randomly. He had burned through less than half of the cigarette when the chain jerked under his fingers, and the locket twitched sideways, angling away from the area underneath it. Sanzo picked up the pencil, and without looking down at the map made a practiced mark. Setting the pencil down, he rotated the map and began again with a fresh cigarette. Twice more the locket reacted, and twice more he marked the spot. After the third mark, he opened his eyes, and looked down.
Three lines intersected in a perfect asterisk. The spot was a forest directly in the area under Maoh's control, and not far from a town that lay along the river route he was currently on. Sanzo reached out and slowly tapped the mark, and was rewarded with a flash of green eyes and dark hair.
"Gotcha." he whispered. Pendulum dowsing was not a skill he used often, but with proper foci it was occasionally very effective. He began to lift his finger and call out to Goku when a second flash hit him. Red. It stood between him and Gonou. Red. A protective stubborn wall. Red. "Who the hell are you?"