Title: Soul Shards
Author: YumeNeko
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama
Pairing: Sanzo Hakkai
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Saiyuki belongs to Minekura Kazuya. I own nothing but the plot of this fic and probably those antagonists in the story.
Cho Hakkai's dull viridian eyes stared blankly at the white ceiling, his entire face without any sign of emotion. And even when a pale, familiar hand ran through his hair, not even a slight trace of change came over those features. But still, he was breathing and his pulse was still there.
Genjo Sanzo sighed as he drew his hand back from the brunette's hair. It had been a full three days that he had been like this, emotionless and nearly considered dead if it wasn't for the pulse and the breath.
The high-ranking monk took a cigarette and lit it up, placing it between his lips as he walked to the window, away from where his blank companion lay. It was rather strange of him to be feeling his heart so weighed down after finding out that Hakkai had lost his emotions. Usually, he would feel so calm in solving a problem like this, but in this case, things seemed to be more different.
Three days ago, a band of youkai attacked the Sanzo-ikkou. The fight was easy to pass through, as usual, but as the battle ended, an unexpected attack occurred.
"Sanzo!" Hakkai suddenly cried out as he jumped in front of the monk to raise a barrier. But the attack was too quick. He fell to the ground, his chest stabbed and bleeding badly. Sanzo looked around for the attacker, but he was nowhere to be found. His eyes returned to Hakkai who seemed to stop bleeding. Viridian eyes were looking back at him and a shaking hand reached out to him. Sanzo knelt beside him, scooping him up into his arms. And before he fell unconscious, an unfinished sentence came out of the brunette's mouth.
"I'm ready to die… But I just want you to know… Sanzo –"
Hakkai was quickly rushed to the nearby clinic for treatment. But strangely, nothing seemed to be wrong with him. The wound had disappeared and there was no trace of injury anywhere. Yet, Hakkai was still unconscious. Gojyo offered to watch over him, but Sanzo sternly decided that it should be him to watch over him. But, in the moment that Sanzo placed the still unconscious Hakkai upon the bed, he stirred awake without a sound. Sanzo inquired how he was feeling, but the brunette didn't respond. And as he looked into the blank viridian eyes, he noticed, something else was lost instead of Hakkai's life.
Back in the present, Sanzo was still pondering on those last words Hakkai had uttered before falling into his current state.
"What did he want me to know?" He muttered as he walked back to the brunette's bedside, his cigarette consumed. He leaned over to Hakkai's face and looked into the blank eyes that used to be so full of emotion.
"Oi… I know it might be stupid and useless to ask you now… But… What did you want me to know?" His face was inches away from Hakkai's own, looking sternly at the blank features that looked back at him.
Hakkai's mouth moved a little, trying to speak, but nothing came out but some choked sounds. Sanzo sighed and shook his head as he went back to his old position, sitting at his bedside. His amethyst eyes looked at Hakkai again. Somehow, he felt something strange for the brunette those days that he had lost his emotions. In some way, he felt that light feeling that usually came over him whenever he looked at Hakkai double at this point.
"What in heck is this crazy feeling?" He laughed bitterly as he ran a hand through the unfeeling brunette's hair. "Somehow, out of all the things I would feel like doing to you… Why do I want to feel you close right now?" He sighed at the brunette and took him into his arms in a light embrace. Hakkai, though, still didn't say anything, nor respond to the hold.
"Hakkai…" A sigh escaped the blonde monk's lips. "Perhaps this stupid feeling might be missing you…" But, as he sighed again, he laid the brunette on the bed again and looked at his unfeeling features. "… It's all useless… This stupid feeling…"
Sha Gojyo wandered through the streets with Son Goku. It had been three days already that they've been interrogating all of the villagers on anything that may have something to do with Hakkai's state. So far, nothing had been brought up except for a few who pointed fingers at shamans and youkai.
"Gojyo…" Goku looked up at the redhead with glassy gold eyes, "I'm starving…"
The request was greeted happily by a hit on the head. "Baka saru!! It's not even lunchtime yet!!"
"But-but-but!!" Goku's head was hit again by the redhead. As the banter went on, Goku's gold eyes noticed a mysterious someone walk by.
"Oi, Gojyo!"
"What now?"
"That guy… He smells funny…" And with that, the two went off in pursuit of the stranger.
Through the labyrinth of the marketplace, Goku and Gojyo chased after the shadowy figure. It moved quickly through towards a shrine ahead. Noticing this, Gojyo leapt up and went ahead to catch up with the figure at the shrine grounds. Goku followed, noticing later.
"Oi," Gojyo greeted the figure who had ended up where he was expecting him to go. It was a young man with long black hair and brown eyes. "Could you spare us a moment? I'd like to ask some questions…"
The young man smiled and said, "No problem." He bowed low before the redhead. "I'm Xun-Wu, scholar of the sword arts. I'll be happy to answer any question you'd like to ask."
"Do you have any knowledge of anything that can suck out emotions, most likely a sword or a dagger?" Gojyo asked.
Xun-Wu's eyes looked down a bit in thought, but he smiled and looked back at Gojyo with a response, "perhaps you might be inquiring about what is known as the legendary sword of oblivion? If so, follow me…"
The ebony-haired man led Gojyo and Goku to the shrine's library and took out a scroll. Unraveling it, he revealed writing, depicting the sword of oblivion as a powerful sword with the ability to take away the wholeness of one person, whether it maybe soul, body, knowledge or wealth, then use that stolen aspect to strengthen itself. But, as he continued to explain the writings to the two, it was found out that the sword had been shattered a long time ago by a god and that its fragments were scattered around.
"But, if it was shattered, how could it have taken away someone's soul?" Goku asked.
"Eh? You say that it had attacked someone?" Surprised brown-eyed looked to Goku's direction. "I've been hearing rumors that the sword had been reassembled… Either that or someone had enough nerve to make a replica of it and infuse it with power." Xun-Wu said as he rolled up the scroll.
"Well then, if the culprit of the crime really is this sword, then how do we get a soul back from it?" Gojyo asked as the scholar put the scroll back into its rightful place.
"Old legends said that the lost items were retrieved when the sword was broken. But, I don't know if it is possible to destroy the sword with just mortal ways…"
"Oh! That'll be easy for us!" Goku cheerfully replied, "We have Sanzo!"
"Interesting…" Xun-Wu smiled, "so, you're part of the famous Sanzo-ikkou?" Goku cheerfully nodded in reply. "Yes… I believe his rank and skill would help to break the sword and retrieve the soul of your companion."
"Well then," Gojyo began as he turned to Goku, "so we know what we might be facing and what to expect… The only thing is where to start searching for it…" After a while of thinking, Gojyo brightened up and spoke again. "Perhaps it'll be wise to start around the demon-infested areas." And with that, he turned to the brunette scholar and thanked him. Xun-Wu cheerfully returned the thanks with a cheery smile.
With a cheerful nod, Goku and Gojyo headed back to the inn where Sanzo was watching over Hakkai. But, away from their eyes, Xun-Wu's cheery smile turned malicious.
Damn. I'll get them, though…
To Be Continued