Disclaimer- Not mine
Warnings- language
Notes- My apologies for the wait. Thanks to everyone for their reviews. Feedback is always-always appreciated.
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Situation Normal - 3
Morning had finally come, but still no sign of the others.
"Fuckin' A." He pulled out his revolver and looked back towards Jiippu who was still parked in the middle of the road. "I'll be right back. Then we're out of here."
Jiippu cried out a low mew in response. A moment later, and the jeep and the road were out of his sight.
Sanzo pushed passed one tree and then another. The forest was just as dense as it had appeared, but he didn't give a shit about the trees, or how and why they grew the way they did. He was out for only one thing, or rather, only three things.
And when I get my hands on them, they're going to wish they held it in.
He continued to press forward. It felt like the trees were almost moving to block his way. Stepping over roots and pushing passed limbs, he cursed nature and everything about it.
"Next tree I hit is going to get a bullet in its-" Sanzo stopped as he suddenly spilled out into an open space.
He narrowed his eyes. In front of him lay what looked like the remains of a party, with a fire pit, footprints, and a whole hell of a lot of cigarette butts. And among it all, standing in the middle, was a wall.
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The dream hadn't ended. Even though he woke up with the sun on his cheeks and a trace memory of Gojou yelling from somewhere far off, everything else was still the same. His eyes opened, and he found himself curled up by the wall, and very alone.
Stretching, Goku stood up, his joints setting off little cracks as he moved.
"Geez, I'm sooooooooo hungry..."
Nothing had changed. The clearing, the trees, the wall, the fire...
Goku blinked, and the sight before him slowly registered. What the-
Near the wall, where he had slept, there was a small fire pit. A few stones encircled it. He bent down, feeling the ashes with his fingers. They were soft and cool to the touch.
It was Hakkai's. He knew it. Hakkai always arranged them like this. But where, and when, and how and-
He gripped his head with his hands. Why couldn't he just wake up already? Why-why-why-why? He finally fell back on his heels, rocking slowly, and tried to think.
They're here somewhere. I need to find them. I need to wake up. I need to-
Get out.
Sanzo's words from before slipped slowly into his thoughts
Always remember that you control things. It's your head. I know you don't use it, but try to remember that next time.
He pounded the wall with his fists. "I'm remembering, but nothing's different!" His forehead leaned against the wall, and he felt his diadem scrape across the surface. "Sanzo...why can't I wake up?"
Still sitting, he looked up at the sky. What would Sanzo do now?
"He'd probably yell at me...call me an idiot..." He answered his own internal question aloud.
But then what would he do?
"He'd say something like..." He squinted, thinking, "'Enough fucking around!' and then..."
And then...
I don't know after then...
Goku stood up and looked around. Maybe if he started the way Sanzo did, what Sanzo would do next would come to him too.
"Enough fucking around!" He waited, but nothing popped into his head. Did he say it right?
Always remember that you control things. It's your head.
It's my head. My dream.
"If this is in my head, I can change things the way I want, right?" He paused, but no answer came. He decided to take the forest's silence as affirmation.
"Okay then." He pounded the wall once more. "Enough fucking around!" Already he felt better. He could do this- definitely.
…He just had to think of how.
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Gojou moved around the clearing frantically on his hands and knees. Where the fuck was it? He had it last night. He had two left. Now only one was in the pack. Did it fall out? What the fuck?
He tried to ignore the fire pit. He had woken up to find it, a perfect Hakkai set-up, just right there, laid out at his feet. He had yelled for what felt like hours, going back and forth, but no response. He didn't know how Hakkai could have made it right under his nose without him knowing. Or a better question, why? Not knowing what else to do, and so pissed because Sanzo's sutra made more sense than what was going on, he had kicked the pit, spreading ashes everywhere.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK! He wanted to scream, but he had done that already, and now his throat croaked out his curses. He was almost prepared to suck on grass, it was so dry.
And now. One left. But he knew- knew he had gone to bed with two. Where the fuck was it?
He pounded the wall, his anger pouring out. Where is everyone?
"That's it." His voice came out slow and raspy. "No more Mr. Nice Gojou."
With one hand, he pulled out his scythe and brought it forward. "I'm going to find you. And I'm going to kick your ass. And I'm going to smoke. And I'm going to drink. And I'm going to-" He didn't know what else he was going to do. He didn't know how he was going to do all other things, but damn, he was going to do it. "Ya hear! Gojou's a'comin'!"
A voice in the back of his head, the one that sounded like Sanzo, spoke up then. "And he had beans for dinner."
"Fuck you, Bouzu." He walked straight into the forest. "I'll deal with you later. Once I find you."
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Sanzo took one more turn around the clearing, sizing everything up in his mind. He didn't bother calling out. He could feel nothing in the area, no youki at all. He was all alone, but he knew he wasn't. The monk glanced over to the wall in the middle. It gave off its own energy levels, low but steady and completely unfamiliar. It had some kind of power though, and, he thought grimly, that power probably has everything to do with what's going on.
His eyes darted from one side to the other. "I know you're here. You all are."
I can't see you. I can't feel you. And I can't hear you.
But I know you're here.
It wasn't just the prints, and the fire, and the cigarettes. He could sense it.
A voice in his head, one that sounded just like Gojou, retorted back, "Is that some fancy-schmancy Sanzo shit going on?"
He wanted to yell at the Gojou voice. Tell him to shut up. Tell him that he didn't know why he could sense them, but he just could. Just as he could sense that something was seriously wrong. They were all trapped. He realized this when he turned to find the jeep, and all he could see were endless rows of trees.
His senses also told him that this wasn't the same kind of trap as when they were in the desert, and that youkai had tried to eat him.
This was a game. And they were losing.
"Well, enough fucking around here." He brushed off the ground and sat down.
He was going to do something that he hated doing, but he'd rather do this than lose.
Because he hated losing.
He was going to meditate.
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Walking in circles did nothing. He still couldn't figure out what to do. Then turning to the wall, Goku noticed that there was something else different than from the day before.
He bent down, picking it up.
It was one of Hakkai's chalk sticks.
Goku smiled, fingering it lightly in his hand. He wasn't as good at using this as he was at his nyoibou, but it was worth a shot.
He rested the chalk on the wall, and for a second, he thought the surface of the rock almost shivered beneath his touch. He blinked, but then everything was the same again. He pressed his other hand against it. The wall still felt cool and definitely solid. Finally, after another minute, he shrugged.
"What do you write to a wall?" he whispered aloud. He tapped the chalk against the surface while he thought. He stopped suddenly as that simple motion reminded him of the day before, when Hakkai had taken time to help with Goku's writing. He rested his forehead on the wall's surface and scrunched his eyes up, remembering.
Hakkai had pulled out the chalk and a small board to write on from his bag. They had stopped for lunch and both he and Goku were on the ground, leaning against the jeep. Gojou had sauntered over, still picking his teeth.
"You always got that stuff in there?" Gojou motioned his foot towards the chalkboard.
"Of course." Hakkai smiled up at him. "Why? Do you want a lesson too?"
"I don't think you can teach what I wanna know."
"You would be surprised."
Gojou looked down at Hakkai's winking smile. He shook his head and slid down on the other side of Goku, who in turn, was staring at the blank board. Hakkai held the chalk in front of him. "Shall we start?"
Goku's eyes turned from the board to him. "What do I write?"
Hakkai opened his mouth, but Gojou had already taken the chalk from his hand and the board from Goku. "Go easy, Saru. Like, your name." He started to write, drawing his strokes hard and thick. "Ba-Ka-Zaru." He held it out in front of them. "Not too shabby, eh?"
"Hey! That's not my name!" Goku made a grab for the board, but Hakkai's longer arm reached it first.
"You forgot some strokes, Gojou." Hakkai tapped the chalk on the board. "Shall I pull out another one of these for you to practice on?"
"Ha! Who's the baka now?" Goku dug his elbow into Gojou's side.
"Whatever." Gojou shrugged and leaned against the jeep, looking towards the woods.
Goku turned back to Hakkai who was wiping the slate clean with a handkerchief. He handed it back to Goku, and then reaching over him, tapped Gojou on the shoulder. "You can try smoking it, but I don't think it will taste very good."
Gojou turned, giving him a what-the-fuck look, and then noticed he was still holding the chalk, but between his fingers, like a cigarette. He held it out, and Goku quickly snatched it back.
Once settled down again, Goku stared at the blank board. "So what do I write?"
"Well, Gojou did have a good idea. Start with something easy." Hakkai patted his shoulder. "Start with something you know."
"You won't have much to write then."
"Shaddup, Gojou!" Goku yelled out and then stopped, blinking. He raised his head from the wall. The memories of yesterday were already fading away. Had he fallen asleep in his own dream? He glanced at his hand that rested on the wall, still holding the chalk.
"Something I know..." he whispered aloud.
Gripping the chalk in his hand, he started to write what he had first written during their lesson.
Goku
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At the sound of a shout, Hakkai jumped up with a start. He blinked, suddenly very awake. It was morning. He was still in the clearing, and still alone. His hands went to his head, one holding his eye glass while the other massaged his temple. Something had woken him up...something…sounded like Goku, Goku yelling something…about Gojou....
He stood, cracking his back as he looked around. He didn't remember when he'd finally fallen asleep, but he felt stiff from leaning against the wall all night. He shielded his eyes at the sun that streamed through the trees above. What sky that he could see through the small openings between the leaves was cloudless.
"Nice weather today, isn't it?" he spoke aloud. The irony was a bitter pill. On another day, this scene might seem serene- a quiet forest, clear sky, but he felt nothing, but cold. The fire he had made the night before now lay scattered about, the ashes streaking the ground. In his hand he held something he found beside him when he'd woken up. It was one of Gojou's cigarettes.
He tried again to leave the clearing, but like the day before, found himself back after a minute or so of walking. He frowned surveying the scene again. He had searched for any youki energy, but felt nothing, nothing beyond him. Whoever was behind this was using power he wasn't familiar with. He didn't feel anything- negative or positive- just the wind, and the sun, all the semblances of normal.
…But this was far from normal.
He felt around in his pockets. There was still the plan that he came up with the night before. At the very least he could try to leave a message for everyone that seemed to be slipping by him without him seeing. His hands searched one pocket and then another and then another in his shirt. Where was it?
Yesterday he had a chalk stick, and he could have sworn that he had left it out, but there was no sign of it when he woke. But it wasn't on him either, but he knew he'd had it…
Maybe it was on the ground, and he had just somehow missed it? He turned back and faced the wall.
And found that while his back was turned, someone had written something there first.
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Goku
He stared at it for a second and then continued.
is here
Goku had barely finished the last "e" in here when suddenly, the wall started to write back.
What is Goku?
He jumped back, fist out in a defense move. "Huh? What the-"
That was it. Right under what he wrote, the sunken letters appeared, slowly, and silently. He felt them with his fingertips. They were real all right.
"In dreams, walls can talk...I guess..."
He bit his lip. Was this something he could still take control of? Then furrowing his brow, he raised the chalk again. If the wall's gonna ask, he might as well answer.
Im Goku
Again, just as he finished, the wall's letters appeared, this time a beat faster.
Who is Goku?
He sighed. Didn't he just answer that question?
Me
And then below that, he wrote again.
Im Goku
The wall waited a moment and than responded.
Why are you here, Goku?
He scratched his head at this. He really didn't know why he was here. Just that he was, and he was stuck. He thought about it for a minute.
Because I had to pee and now I cant leave
Why?
Because I try to go but I come back here
But why are you here, Goku?
He licked his lips. How far back did the wall mean? Why they came this route? Why they entered the forest? Why they stopped? He scratched his head with one hand, and started to write with the other.
Because
He paused, still thinking. Finally, he gave the answer that he always gave when he thought really hard about why he did anything.
Because Sanzo is here. Im with him
And Hakkai and Gojou and
He paused again, tapping his fingers on the wall.
thats it
He waited. The wall didn't respond immediately. Goku wondered if it somehow had gone away, or at least, the thing that made it write. But then, a moment later-
Why are they here?
He sighed. This was going to take awhile. "You think if I'm dreaming, my dream wall would know this already," he mumbled aloud as he began to write back.
Some gods told us to
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Although Hakkai wasn't with him, he followed Goku's conversation line by line, voicing softly the his responses, than whoever was with him. He recognized Goku's writing immediately. The other set was unfamiliar. It wasn't Gojou's jagged writing. Plus, Goku's seemed to be in chalk (so that's where it went...) and the other...the other was somehow engraved in the wall itself. Some kind of magic or...Hakkai shook his head. Nothing seemed surprising anymore. It was all like some twisted never-ending dream.
"We're going west...why west...because the gods told us to...why...there's something in the west...what...a guy we have to fight...why...because he's going to do bad stuff...why are you fighting him..." Hakkai followed in fascination as each set of words appeared. He fingered the other writer's response, the stone was cool, but the letters themselves were warm.
Where was Goku? How was he doing this, and how come he couldn't see him, and-
And then another thought struck him.
Was Goku in the wall?
Hakkai stepped back, his fists clenching. Over the past day and night, he had tried everything he could think of to comprehend this situation. Reason, logic, calling out, searching, signaling, everything and anything, but there was one thing he hadn't done yet, and it seemed like the only option left, especially if Goku was somehow entangled in it.
"I'm sorry, but I think I am going to have to destroy you." He spoke to the wall. "I don't know why I didn't see it before, or maybe I couldn't, but now..." Now more than ever he saw that whatever was causing this, that wall must be at the root of it.
He closed his eyes, focusing his ki. How much would it take to destroy it? If Goku was truly trapped in it, it would be better to open it up somehow. He silently debated with himself, his hand opening up as he felt it become warmer from the increasing energy. Then another voice entered his thoughts.
"It's not a bad idea, but it's not going to work." Sanzo stated simply.
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Where do you come from?
Goku paused. His face screwed up for a second as he digested this last question. He brought his hand up and answered, his hand moving slowly across.
I dont remember
Why?
Dont know. I just dont.
The wall took a second to respond. Goku wondered at that moment if it could tell he wasn't being completely honest. He kind of remembered, but only the mountain and then meeting Sanzo. It was hard to think about it, back to then, to the dark, just him alone, and somehow writing about it was hard too. Then the wall wrote again.
I do not remember either.
Goku eyes widened. The entire time the wall has only asked questions. This was the first time it actually said something. "I guess in dreams, walls have memories." He started to write again.
What do you remember?
A long moment passed. Goku chewed his lip. Did he say something wrong? Was the wall…well…mad? He looked around, but still nothing. Everything else was the same. He turned back, and what he saw made him stumble back a few paces.
The wall was glowing, a faint blue glow on all sides. The words the wall had written glowed the same blue. In the back of his mind, he heard his own voice.
It's kinda pretty…not like the sun…but still bright…
His hand wavered over the surface, inches from the glow. He waited another second and gently touched the letters of the wall's last sentence. For a moment, nothing happened. He simply felt the cool warmth the wall was radiating. Then right underneath where his hand lay, more letters appeared. They burned with a hot white light as they flashed across the surface.
I remember sky.
And then the whole wall glowed the same white light, and Goku watched in fascination as the light left the wall and started up his own arm. It felt strange, like he was watching someone else, like someone else's hand, then arm, then shoulder turn all white.
Then everything became white, and the warmth engulfed him, and he remembered nothing.
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-tbc