CHAPTER 2: SAVIOR
"One shot of tequila, please."
"Can I get you anything else, sir?"
"No, thanks," the man by the name of Sha Gojyo replied. He shuddered. Clearly, the waitress was flirting with him. Now normally, he would have flirted back with his million-dollar smile and ask her out but he was not in his usual perverted mood. Besides, the girl wasn't even close to attractive, with a pug-like nose and lips too big.
"Very well," the said waitress sighed and walked away, her high heeled shoes clicking against the tiled floor of the bar called "Cat's Eye", only to reappear later holding a glass of wine and served it at the red headed man sitting comfortably by the bartender's table.
"Here you go, sir."
Gojyo grinned as if to say thanks. Taking a sip of his drink, he quietly scanned the bar for some potential playmates for poker, but was disappointed to find none. Unfortunately, he was the only one save for a bunch of old folks who were still around and he doubted they even knew how to play the game.
Oh well, it's late anyway, he thought grimly.
"You're not from here, are you?"
Gojyo looked up to see the old bartender smiling at him. Pinned on the left side of his black shirt was a name tag bearing the words "Kenny".
"Nope," Gojyo said casually. I don't below to any town, city or country, he added as an afterthought.
"That I can see," the bartender said. "You've got a hell of freaky eyes and hair, eh, dude? It's not often you see someone who has the guts to don red colored contact lenses and dyed hair when it's not the trend."
Something about what he said triggered something in Gojyo's mind. He wanted to tell Kenny that he wasn't one for trends, him being a non-conformist, but when he opened his mouth to speak, no words came out.
It simply brought back old memories he thought he had long forgotten. True, the bartender was true indeed. His hair had the color of bright cherry and to his great scorn, it was natural.
Gojyo inwardly laughed. Blood. He looked like blood, whether he liked it or not. But…wasn't it he who wanted to look this way? Certainly not. And he wasn't the only one who thought so. His mother…
"Hey, you ok, man?" the bartender asked, snapping him out of his dark thoughts.
"Yeah," Gojyo answered, suddenly blaming the bartender for bringing back things that shouldn't appear on his head. After downing the remains of his liquor, he rose from his seat.
"Leaving so early?"
"Right. I gotta go," Gojyo told him. He fished the insides of his jeans pocket, left a dollar on the table and walked out into the chilly night air. Glancing at his wrist watch, he found out it was almost midnight.
Walking coolly and kicking some pebbles along the way, Gojyo stared at the full moon ahead of him. It shone brightly and reminded him of a crystal ball some old fortune teller had used when she predicted his future a few days ago. According to the old woman, something, or someone would step into his life and change it forever. But Gojyo laughed it off. No use in believing such non-sense.
He shivered and brought his leather jacket closer to his body as another gust of wind blew and made his fingers numb. He should've known better than to leave his motorcycle back home.
"But where exactly is home?" he suddenly asked himself.
Just then, a blood-curling scream pierced the night air.
Gojyo spun around and wondered who the hell was still awake at this time of the night. Out of curiosity, he ran toward the direction of the voice and soon came across an old alley that reeked of garbage and alcohol.
Gojyo gasped. A man was lying on the ground, his clothes torn and battered, blood seeping from a large wound on his chest. His eyes too, were bleeding. He looked badly bruised and as Gojyo further examined him, he realized he had been beaten by a club or some sort of thing not just once, but several times.
"Oi!" Gojyo shouted, hoping the man would answer. Could it be he was dead? Gojyo checked for a pulse and found one, although it was faint.
He thought of just leaving the man, figuring he'd die anyway, but the little left of his conscience wouldn't let him.
After a moment of indecision, he lifted the body and carried it on his shoulder, his feet going in the direction of the nearest hospital.
"Sha Gojyo, you're going way too soft," he told himself.
"One more fwaysh pleash!" (Translation: One more plate please!)
Sanzo rested his hands on his head and tried to stay in control. But it was hard when you're with someone as hyper and food-obsessed with Goku, who, by the way, was finishing his 20th dish by now. Why was he here in the first place?
Oh, because you got tired of the monkey's whining? A voice inside his head told him.
Sanzo sighed. From the moment they left the hospital, he found out the boy was more trouble than he was worth. So far, he almost broke the handle of Sanzo's car, almost got him into an accident while driving, almost terrorized the guards on the mall's entrance, almost stole some food displays on a store selling fried noodles and almost turned another shop into a tornado-stricken place. Keyword: ALMOST. Had Sanzo not been there, Goku would've ripped the mall into pieces.
"Oh my gosh, how could a person with such appetite be that small!"
"He swallowed an entire chicken in mere seconds!"
"His mouth is like a vacuum, I can't believe it!"
All the customers, waiters and the rest of the staff all stared in amazement and shock at Goku. The kid had the biggest appetite in the whole wide world. Sanzo wouldn't be surprised if he ate the restaurant's food supply after a few minutes.
"Sanzo, this is the besht!" (best!) Goku exclaimed through a mouthful of crab rice.
"Ugh," Sanzo said, trying his hard not to look at Goku devouring his food. It was too disgusting to look at.
Suddenly, Sanzo's cellular phone rang. He looked at the screen and found out it was from his annoying loud-mouthed nurse, Wilma. "What do you want?" he drawled as he pressed the phone to his ear. "If you don't know, I'm busy."
"Dr. Sanzo! I'm so happy I finally got a hold of you! I've been contacting you at your home but no one was answering and then-"
"Get to the point, Wilma," Sanzo snapped.
"Sir, we need you back at the hospital. There's a patient in critical condition and the other doctors said you're the only one who can help him!" his nurse said frantically.
Sanzo grunted. "Fine, I'm on my way," he said and clicked the phone off. He sighed. He knew very well his fellow doctors there could help whoever the patient is. But of course, they were just so lazy they couldn't even bother to have their hands soiled in blood. Why worry since the great doctor Sanzo was there anyway?
"Worthless bastards," Sanzo thought angrily. "And they call themselves doctors?"
Standing up and thrusting his gold credit card on the waiter's nose, he motioned for Goku to follow him.
"But-but-but Sanzo!" Goku whimpered. "I'm not done yet! I'm still hungry! I haven't even eaten dessert, or tasted this delicious salad made with crunchy leaves and-"
"Shut up or I'll leave you behind!" Sanzo snarled, glaring at Goku.
Goku looked at all his uneaten food wistfully. "But Sanzo-"
He was again interrupted, this time by Sanzo's gun. He bared had time to evade it as the bullet sailed past his ear and broke one customer's glass. "Ok, I'm coming," Goku said hurriedly, not wanting to experience Sanzo's wrath.
The man whose glass had been damaged stood angrily and pointed his finger at Sanzo. "Hey you! How dare you! Aren't you aware I can sue you for carrying dangerous weapons around, more or less with a kid!" he exclaimed.
Sanzo merely gazed at the man. "My gun's legal and I have every reason to use it," he said coolly. Courtesy of my aunt, he thought. "Goku, let's go."
Without another word, the blonde doctor left with the brown-haired kid, much to the relief of everyone in the restaurant, even the guy who stood up against Sanzo. He sank to his knees, trembling. He swore he saw nothing but coldness in those icy, violet eyes. And it was scary. Very scary.
Gojyo leaned against the white walls of San Francisco Hospital, his right hand holding a cigarette while the other was shoved inside his pocket. The smell of smoke infiltrated his lungs, but he didn't care. He was addicted.
"You are aware those are not allowed in a hospital, are you?" a voice said.
He looked up and red met violet. Gojyo ignored the remark. "Are you the doctor in charge here?" he asked.
The blonde guy nodded stiffly. "Dr. Genjo Sanzo," he said as though he didn't want to give his name away.
"Sha Gojyo," Gojyo supplied. He frowned. Those violet eyes and blonde hair seemed familiar. But where did he see such rare features? Have he met this blonde dude before?
Apparently, he didn't notice he said his thoughts aloud. The doctor was still for a few moments. "No, I don't think we've met before," he told him.
"Oh. So how's…my, uh, companion?" Gojyo asked, unsure of what to call the man he had just rescued.
"He has a few fractured ribs, the wounds on his chest had been taken care of, his left eye was badly injured so he may have to wear glasses, and it may take awhile before he could walk properly," Sanzo said monotonously. "It's a miracle he even survived," he added.
"Oh?" Gojyo said. "So when do you think he could get out of here?" As much as he liked to do some charity, he still has a life to get back to.
"Three months, if all goes well," the doctor replied.
Gojyo groaned. Great, just great. Three months is a long time. Besides, he's a nomad. He can't very well stay in this city for a whole of three months! But he can't leave the man behind either.
"What's the patient's name?" Sanzo asked him.
Gojyo raised his eyebrowas. "What's that for?"
Sanzo had a sudden urge to smack the redhead. "For his records," he said, annoyed.
Gojyo grinned. "Right. Well, I'm sorry. I don't know either," he replied
non-chantly.
The doctor sighed. "What do you mean you don't know?" he asked.
"I don't know him, man. I mean, I just found him lying in some empty street, you know," Gojyo explained.
Just at that moment, a streak of brown bounced on the corridors, heading straight for the doctor. Gojyo was about to say "Watch out!" but it was too late. The brown thing had already bumped the blonde, causing him to fall face down on the floor with the brown thing sitting on his shoulders.
Sanzo growled. It was Goku. Who else would have the nerve to do that?
"Sanzo! Are you ok?" Goku asked innocently.
Moments later, his keeper exploded and Goku was forced to back away. "You damn stupid monkey! What the hell do you think you're doing! Didn't I tell you to stay in my office!" he said at the top of his lungs.
The boy looked back at him, his eyes wide and pleading. "But Sanzo! I was so bored with no one to talk to and I thought-"
"Shut up!"
To Gojyo's fascination and surprise, the doctor pulled out a gun and mercilessly aimed it at the boy, who dodged it just in time.
"Waaaahhhh! I said I'm sorry, Sanzo! I won't do it again!" he exclaimed as another bullet missed his face by a few centimeters.
"Wow. Either this doctor's crazy or his companion's a superhuman who can still stay alive after ten shots," Gojyo thought as he watched the scene with rapt attention.
Finally, Sanzo pocketed his gun, but not before sending an icy glare at Goku. "Do it again, monkey and you die," he snarled.
"And that's coming from a doctor's mouth?" Gojyo said disbelievingly. "Doesn't it state in the job description you have to heal, not kill?"
Sanzo glared daggers in his direction, prompting Gojyo to immediately shut up.
"Hey! That rhymes!" Goku chimed, staring at Gojyo. "I'm Goku! Who're you?"
Gojyo grinned. "Gojyo," he introduced. His eyes widened when the kid leaped forward and touched his hair. "Hey! What're you doing!"
Goku released his grip, his golden eyes wide. "Sorry! I just thought your hair…"
"What?" Gojyo half-whispered. He braced himself for what was to come n ext. He knew deep inside what the kid was going to say, that his hair looked like blood.
"Uh, well, I thought, seeing your hair's red, that well, it would be hot like the fire. But its not," was the reply of Goku, much to Gojyo's astonishment. He was the very first living creature who told him that.
"I-I can't believe what you did, kid!" Gojyo told him. The simplicity in Goku's words had such an effect on him. Why didn't he think of it that way? Who ever said that red only means blood?
A smile lit Goku's face. "Hey! Your words rhymed again! Are you a poet?"
The expression on Gojyo's face was priceless.
