Test of Time
Ch. 8 What we've all been waiting for
AN: Once again, I apologize immensely for being a bunch of weeks late. Do you ever feel like you are constantly being taken advantage of? I do, lately it seems like I keep getting stuck with other peoples responsibilities. Oh well right? I hope you forgive me, but at least I'm here now. Please stick with me, there's only one chapter left. Yeah! Thank you for reading, I love you all!
Ch. 8 What we've all been waiting for
Goku and Nishi made it fairly quickly to the bathroom, perhaps it was Goku's overwhelming temper that made it such a quick walk.
They hadn't spoken, Goku seemed mad and although Nishi wasn't necessarily afraid of Goku at any moment, she just didn't feel comfortable speaking to him until he opened up for conversation first. Goku slid open the door to the large bathing room and shoved Nishi in lightly but hurriedly, as if he was running from something that was never going to be there.
Goku looked back at the door and then down at Nishi who gave him an almost panic stricken gaze that knocked him back to reality.
"Sorry Shi. Let's give you a bath now." He walked over to the large round tub and turned on the spicket above it. "It looks like it's going to be a cold bath tonight Shi." Goku said dejectedly. This was actually like running hose-water for your bath. They had really been looking forward to some warm running water on their arrival, but due to the fact that the current monks hated them. They were confined to this area of the temple and away from the nicer bathing rooms. Really it didn't matter, they were both used to taking cold showers and baths, or even just jumping in the nearest river.
"It's okay daddy." Nishi walked over to Goku and lifted her arms. He smiled and pulled her arms back down in place as he kneeled in front of her.
"First these are gonna hafta go." Goku reached up and began tugging the hair-tie holding up one of the buns Gojyo had painstakingly prepared.
"But-"
"We really need to wash your hair Nishi, sorry." He tugged the remaining loop of the tie out and pulled the hair free from the tight bun it had become accustomed to. Nishi whimpered slightly as her hair fell down past her shoulders once again. "Man, Gojyo did a good job with these." Goku said as he began to pull at the other one until it came down as well.
After Nishi's hair was back to normal, albeit a little wavier, he moved both of her arms back up above her head. Placing both hands at the hem of her shirt he lifted it up and over her head. He then moved back to check on the water as she jumped out of the rest of her clothing.
Nishi still wasn't quite sure whether it was okay to ask questions yet so she remained silent as Goku lifted her up and over the side of the tub and into the cold water. She shivered and rubbed her arms but completely submerged herself nonetheless. It was exactly like they were on the road again.
She came back up from under the water and looked sadly at Goku as he turned off the running water from the side. She was visibly freezing as she sat, the water coming up to her shoulders.
"Don't hog all the hot water Shi. I need to take a bath too." Goku smiled as Nishi huffed at his less than funny joke. But it did serve as a barrier breaker. Joking was a good thing.
Goku grabbed for the mutilated soap in the holder on the floor. It would have to do.
With a surge of confidence Nishi decided it was time to ask her questions. "Daddy?" Goku answered her with a small form of acknowledgement that was a little less than encouraging. He dunked the soap under the water and began lathering. Nishi continued, "why did you and Sanzo get in a fight?"
Goku stopped what he was doing. A little shocked at the question. "Ah, well, we just had a small disagreement."
Outside in the hallway, Sanzo brooded as he headed toward his room. The sound of running water, splashing and soft voices drifted through the hall. He couldn't stop himself from moving toward the noises and soon found himself outside of their worst and most run-down bathing room.
He recognized the voices inside, as if he didn't already know who it was. If he'd known they were going to use this bathroom he would have brought them to one of the nicer ones, which was virtually every other bathtub in the temple.
He heard Nishi speak and moved closer to hear, but only got the end of Goku's comment. A 'small disagreement', was that really it. He certainly felt something in their argument. It had meant a lot to both of them, they're points of views were both much deeper than they seemed and a little more personal than they'd like to admit.
Back in the bathroom, Goku began to rub the soap into Nishi's hair as they spoke.
"But what did you fight about?" Nishi was squinting as she spoke her face a little more forward from her body as she tried to get her head closer to Goku.
He continued to scrub her scalp as well as up and down the length of her hair. He was thinking, a little unsure of what to tell her. "Well, it started as an argument over why Sanzo hadn't left and then I guess it turned into an argument over why I left. That's what happens when the person you're arguing with doesn't know what he's talking about." Goku raised his voice a little, knowing full-well that Sanzo was listening. He heard a snicker from behind the door as he spoke.
Goku grabbed the small pitcher from the side of the tub and filled it. Tilting Nishi's head back he slowly dumped the water over her head to get the soap out, careful of getting any in her eyes. Once he was done, Nishi lowered her head and blinked her eyes opened before rubbing them a little. She looked a little confused.
"But why? I thought you liked each other." Nishi looked up at Goku cutely, unaware of her power over him.
Goku laughed uneasily and handed her the soap to start scrubbing her outwardly dirty body. "Um, I guess, adults just disagree sometimes. It isn't about whether you like the person or not, it starts to be more about how much of an idiot the other person is." Goku almost directly spoke to the door.
Nishi still looked confused and for a few moments Goku wondered whether she was going to bring up the fact that he was in love with Sanzo and whether that made a difference. But she didn't.
She just shrugged her shoulders and went back to scrubbing her tiny scarred body. Goku began to ring out her hair as she did so. Reaching for one of the forgotten hair-ties on the floor he wrapped her long hair in a messy bun that was really only to keep her hair out of the water as she soaked. It barely accomplished that.
"Daddy, what are we going to do now?" She continued to scrub.
"I don't know. I guess we'll leave again in a day or so. We aren't exactly welcome here-" Goku was cut off by the sound of the door behind them sliding open abruptly.
Goku sat up on his knees a little higher and scooted in front of Nishi who plunged under the water and behind Goku. They stared at the figure in the doorway, both surprised to see a slightly shocked Sanzo standing there.
Nishi placed both of her hands on Goku's shoulders so that she could see Sanzo and still remain covered.
"S-sanzo?" Goku gasped out.
Sanzo looked like he was going to say something but refrained. He was staring at Goku and the moment it broke for Nishi he looked away and toward his side apologetically.
"Uh, Sanzo, what are y- . . . could you throw that towel over?" Goku looked down in defeat. He was at a loss for words. He looked up, his eyes following Sanzo as he moved over to get a towel, his robes swiveling around his waist as he moved. Goku's breathing became slightly heavier as he watched him.
He caught the towel Sanzo threw to him and stood in front of Nishi, the towel outspread so that it would hide her from view. "Shouldn't you be heading toward your room?" Goku said, his back to Sanzo as he wrapped the towel around Shi and rubbed up and down her arms.
"Couldn't sleep."
Goku picked Nishi up and grabbed her clothing off the ground before heading toward the door and past Sanzo.
As Goku squeezed through the frame of the door, Sanzo refused to move. He could feel him, smell him, grab him. And he did.
"Sanzo?" Goku asked with his back to Sanzo, almost expecting the action, or perhaps he was hoping this would happen. He had Nishi tucked against him with one arm, the other hanging precariously in Sanzo's unsure grip.
He turned toward Sanzo, a questioning look on his face. Sanzo looked like he wanted to apologize but stopped his mouth from beginning anything even close to words. Instead he looked to the side almost forlornly and let Goku's hand slip gently and slowly from his grasp.
Goku looked at him, he hadn't seen Sanzo like this in a long time, and even back then this was rare.
"Sanzo. . ." Goku drifted casually, one word communicating a whole conversation to the other. Sanzo looked up and stared at Goku, understanding what he wanted.
Goku gave him a small smile and continued to finally walk down the hallway to tuck Nishi in.
Sanzo stood in the doorway watching Goku's retreating form. He sighed, that was a lot tougher than he would have thought. Sanzo hated the thought of them leaving, it literally spurred something inside of him. He collapsed against the doorframe, just barely able to keep himself upright. He grabbed for his cigarettes then thought better of it and threw his lighter and his last pack of cigarettes down the opposing dark and foreboding hallway.
Things were looking better.
After only a few minutes Goku emerged from the room down the hall and silently closed the door behind him. Sanzo remained still, looking straightforward at the nothingness of the black wall in front of him. His line of vision straying toward Goku as he came closer and closer.
Goku finally reached Sanzo and watched as he pushed himself from the doorframe and began walking down the pitch black hallway. He followed, unsure of where they were going, but his eyes had adjusted quickly and it was easy to follow in toe.
They turned the first corner and walked down to an open part of the hallway. It was tinted blue and gold from the sky and moon.
Sanzo began to slow down until they were walking next to each other. Goku almost began walking in front of him, eager to get into the light that the little space was emitting.
They both stopped in the middle of the hallway, looking out into open space it held. It was a clear night, the full and perfect moon's light glinting all that it touched with gold and white. It was perfect.
Until then, both were incredibly uneasy, their guards were up and unwavering. Goku sighed, and the moment he let his guard drop he found himself pushed up against the nearest wall.
Clouds, with all the punctuality in the world decided to inconveniently spread themselves over the sky and envelop that comforting light that could no longer streak the temple grounds.
It was now beautifully dark in the open corridor, but their faces were so close that they could see perfectly. Goku attempted to recover from the shock of being pushed against the wall, but found that all he could do at the moment was stare into Sanzo's eyes. He was perfect even in the darkness, the meager amount of light that was able to puncture the blanketing clouds forming a halo around his golden head.
"I want to know."
"Kno-know what?" Goku asked uneasily, their foreheads, noses, and lips a little too close for comfort. Sanzo's hands on either side of his head, caging him in place as he stared at him.
"Why you left everything. Why you left me. . ."
Goku was incapable of thinking at the moment. "Uh-I. . ." Goku mumbled unintelligibly, his face descending toward the ground so that he could look at anything beside the person nearly on top of him.
Sanzo's hand moved swiftly to pull Goku's face back in front of his. Sanzo's featured softened at the sight of Goku's uneasiness. "I-I. . . was afraid." He tried to look away again but Sanzo's hand kept him from doing so.
"Afraid?" Sanzo raised an eyebrow but maintained the small amount of distance between them. "Of what?"
Encouraged by the look on Sanzo's now placid face he attempted to continue, "That I would have to wait for something that would never come."
Sanzo actually understood Goku's unintelligent rambling, because he'd felt the same way. That fear of eternal unrequited love. Not that he could say that he was in love, which of course he couldn't be too sure what he was feeling at the moment. But he knew what he needed in life and for five years it was missing.
"You didn't have to." Sanzo said before dropping his head that small amount of distance to press his lips to Goku's. Goku's eyes shot open from the shock.
Sanzo's hands slid from their place against the wall down onto Goku's shoulders making Goku relax into his touch, his eyes slowing drifting closed. He was finally responding, igniting Sanzo at the touch and making him pull their bodies together, they're kisses becoming hungry and almost painful. Sucking, biting, bruising kisses that left them both panting as they finally parted.
Goku looked up into Sanzo's now open eyes and let them flutter closed once again, relishing in the feeling of their bodies so close to one another. This is what he'd been wanting, what he'd waited so long for. He moved his arms from his side and guided them up to bury his hands in Sanzo's hair. The moon was shining brightly once again and the entire room was illuminated in an ethereal glow that only intensified the moment.
Goku sighed and pulled Sanzo toward him once again, Sanzo doing nothing to hinder his wants. And this time it was slower, a little more loving and seemingly gentle. Sanzo deepened their kiss as a click and footsteps could be heard from down the hall toward the guest rooms. They both listened to the actions taking place, peeking an eye open in that direction for any indication as to what it was but never breaking the intensity of their lips.
Soft footsteps and the opening of doors, they both automatically new what was happening. And for the first time since they'd arrived, Sanzo was glad that Gojyo and Hakkai were visiting.
"Nishi. . . She's with Hakkai and Gojyo." Goku panted, his breathing labored and heavy. Sanzo barely let him finish before continuing with a series of fervent and quick kisses.
"I know." Sanzo said between kisses. His hands traveling lower and lower down Goku's muscled stomach to his waist, his mouth moving to Goku's jaw line and across his neck.
"And you say I'm the dumb one." Goku said, reluctantly pulling himself from Sanzo's grasp only to grab him by the wrist and begin dragging him toward his now empty room. "Come on, mine's closer than yours."
Sanzo was a little surprised by all of this, but it didn't make a difference. This is what he'd been waiting for as well.
Goku yanked the door open and pulled Sanzo inside, albeit he wasn't exactly struggling to get away. Once inside Sanzo closed the door and was immediately pushed against the nearest wall.
"Let's see how you like it?" Goku smirked before reaching up and pulling Sanzo down to kiss him again.
The next few minutes were a frenzy of heated kisses and clothing being furiously thrown off as they slowly stumbled toward Goku's small bed.
The time had come and this is what they'd been waiting for. . .
Sorry, no steamy sex scene. Don't really want to chance it, plus I just don't really have time at the moment. Haha, maybe if enough people ask. . . Don't know. You know you can always find time. It is currently 4:23 in the morning. Yeah! Can't really sleep, younger sister's doing God knows what, parents asleep, younger brother just got off Halo 2 and I guess I'll go out in the chilly Penn. air for a smoke. . . maybe. Gotta bundle. Just celebrated my birthday! It's weird, you know, getting older. Well, thanks for sticking around, even through my absence. I love you all so very much!
The next chapter will be up and ready next Monday as it is supposed to be. I promise to be on time this week.
Next Chapter: 10 Years Later. . . (Nishi's about 16-17, I did the math)
Nishi stood up and turned around slowly, taking in the sight before her. There stood a boy about her age and an older man who she assumed was his father. The boy had a cast on one arm as well as a sling holding it up and multiple bruises covering his face and body. He had short black hair and was decent looking, although she didn't think so. "Brought your daddy along this time?"
"Young lady, my son tells me that you are the one that did this to him. I just want to see if I can maybe talk to your father, try to straighten things out, at least money-wise. Is there any way that I could talk to your father?
"Haha, which one?" Nishi said quietly, putting an arm behind her head uneasily.
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