Disclaimer: Saiyuki is not mine, period.
Thank you to all reviewers. I've changed certain things in the last chapter after much thinking and I hope this chapter is a much better one! Enjoy!
"Hungry for a meat bun, monkey?" Gojyo tried teasing while waving a meat bun in Goku's indifferent face.
"No, thank you, I'd pass. Meat buns are rather fattening, if I shall say so myself." Goku said with a smile.
Gojyo's face cringed and faced Hakkai who smiled worriedly. Sanzo was sitting down with his eyes closed and smoking a cigarette incessantly. He was trying to the fact that Goku had become some weird personality off his mind. They were driving in the car and Hakuryu made funny noises every time Goku says something weird.
"It's like his alter-ego, or split personality," Hakkai commented after listening to Goku's comment on meat buns.
"Mm," Sanzo murmured while still closing his eyes. He was deep in thought.
"I can't believe he turned out this way! This is the last thing I would imagine that could happen to him. Why?"
"You should have known, Kanzeon already told you about the consequence…"
"I didn't know… I didn't know it would be like that. Even though he's alive, he's so different, so eccentric. How am I going to continue loving this Goku who I do not even know? This is not even Goku!"
"Try… Try to get his memory back. Don't give up… Don't give up…"
"What if I fail? What if…"
Sanzo's thoughts were interrupted by a loud high-pitched voice that greeted them in the middle of a road. The sun was glaring and Sanzo could hardly see who it was, however, a tall masculine figure was easily recognized. His charming built and strong charismatic personality, it was easy to recognize Kogaiji. The person next to him would be Lirin.
"Ah, what do they want now?" Gojyo asked glumly.
"Oh how wonderful, new people to meet, I do hope they are nice and friendly!" Goku said with a huge smile on his face. He arranged his clothes and got out of the car.
"I've come to collect back my Sutra. Where is it? And I see you have got the monkey back successfully. Not bad," Kogaiji said with a slight smile of content on his face.
"You can have your Sutra back," Sanzo said as he threw the Sutra back to Kogaiji. "However, if you want to fight Goku, I don't think he's in the right state. If you don't believe me, you can try talking to him."
"What nonsense! I will fight him today, and that's it!" Kogaiji bellowed as he walked towards Goku.
"Hello, I'm Goku, nice to meet you, and who might you be?"
"What are you talking about? I'm Kogaiji! Don't you remember me? Is this one of your silly tricks? I'm not going to fall for it!" Kogaiji demanded angrily.
"Ah, so it's Kogaiji, is it? Well, I suppose I have amnesia. That's what they told me when I didn't recognize them as well. Rather shocking, is it not? I'm rather shocked to have such crude friends as well. You're not such a bad bloke; I suppose." Goku said casually while easing up a bit.
Kogaiji was stunned and stared at Sanzo who gave him an indifferent face. Sanzo himself was confused and he couldn't explain much about the situation with Goku.
Lirin pulled Goku away to play while Kogaiji and the others talked among themselves.
"H-How did this happen? I thought everything was well, he is alive, after all!" Kogaiji questioned confusingly.
"Kanzeon the Goddess told us a certain consequence would be involved if we use that sacred Sutra to revive Goku. I didn't know it was this kind of consequence." Sanzo said flatly while he blew smoke into the air.
"How are we going to gain his memory back?" Kogaiji asked strangely.
"We can't do anything, I suppose. He has to gain it back by himself I guess. I don't even know if it's possible. I may have to live with this for the rest of my life- I-I mean journey." Sanzo said quickly, catching himself at the end of the sentence. He almost let his feelings show to Kogaiji unintentionally.
"I think I know what to do, a little fight would help him. He loves to fight me, remember?" Kogaiji said a little full of pride.
Lirin and Goku came back from the forest and seemed rather happy.
'Brother, brother, look! Goku gave me a flower! Isn't it pretty, huh, huh!" Lirin asked excitedly with joy in her eyes.
"Lirin is a wonderful girl; she was an absolute joy to be with while we were walking around in the forest!" Goku announced while Lirin played around with her flower.
The Sanzo-ikkou's faces were all stunned with disgust that Goku would even say that. They shook their heads and left it up to Kogaiji.
"Goku, it's time to settle our score!" Kogaiji yelled loudly.
"H-Huh, what score? How do we settle it?" Goku asked innocently.
"A fight, that's what!" Kogaiji said after getting very frustrated.
"F-Fight, you mean like throwing punches and kicks and hurting people? No, I would never do that! It's against my values and beliefs! Oh, you unsophisticated man! I even thought you were a good person!" Goku exclaimed while shaking his head in what seems to be disappointment.
"Ugh, then I'll force you into it!" Kogaiji exclaimed and charged towards Goku.
Goku screamed (yes, rather girlishly,), used his hands to shield himself, squatted down and waited for Kogaiji's attack. To his surprise, Kogaiji stopped halfway and gave an exasperated look.
"There's no use! He won't even take out his heavenly rod!" Kogaiji said angrily.
"What rod might you say? I don't recall possessing a heavenly rod. Hmmm, I must look into what you are saying. This can prove to be quite interesting." Goku said inquisitively while scratching his chin.
"W-What, are you crazy?" Kogaiji demanded short-temperedly.
"Ah, Goku, don't you remember your heavenly rod? Only you can call its power to use. You just summon it by saying 'Heavenly Rod…!' and it'll appear in your hands." Hakkai explained kindly.
"Hmmm, yes, I will give it a shot. HEAVENLY ROD, COME TO ME!" Goku said loudly with anticipation.
A long red rod with golden ends appeared in Goku's hands and Goku was stunned. He observed the rod for a moment and suddenly, he squatted down and dropped to the floor with his hands onto his ears. Goku cried out in pain and rolled around the ground.
"What's happening to that monkey?" Gojyo questioned weirdly.
Sanzo and the rest rushed over and saw Goku's eyes growing wider and wider. Goku was screaming his lungs out as if he was being stabbed by a knife over and over again. All of a sudden, it stopped, and Goku collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
Darkness formed in the clouds and rain began to fall from the sky. It wasn't long before Sanzo found himself whirled in a pool of emotions that began to eat him alive. He sat in the puddle of rainwater that had formed near a field of grass where Goku was lying on. Gojyo and Hakkai took a blanket from the car and covered Goku with it. His breathing was rapid and irregular; no one even knows what's wrong with him.
"How could I have been so selfish to revive Goku for my own happiness? To make him suffer this way and let another character take over his personality. What's wrong with me? What's…?"
"-WRONG WITH ME," Sanzo bellowed angrily to the sky as he took out his pistol and shot a bullet up in the air.
The thunder cracked and the rain became heavier. Kogaiji walked towards Sanzo and squatted down beside him. He took a look around the surroundings and sighed.
"We could get Yaone to take a look at him if you want."
Sanzo hesitated and shook his head. Goku cannot be saved by anyone, not even him.
"N-No one can help him… It's the side effect of the Sutra. It was my fault, my mistake to bring him back," Sanzo muttered softly with his eyes facing downwards.
"Look, everyone wanted him back, not just you. And I know I'm the last person that should be consoling you, but look around you, it's the truth!" Kogaiji exclaimed, trying to wake Sanzo up with his words.
Sanzo looked around him and saw Gojyo and Hakkai tending to Goku caringly while even Hakuryu tried to brush rainwater off Goku's face. Lirin was trying to wake Goku up as well.
"Do you? Do you care too?" Sanzo asked straightforwardly. He felt small, like a little puppy dog that was lost from his home. He hadn't felt this way in a long, long time.
"H-Huh, no, of course not, what are you thinking!" Kogaiji said embarrassingly with his eyes averted on purpose.
Secretly when no one was looking, Kogaiji gave a slight smile.
Minna-san, gomen-nasai. (Everyone, I'm sorry.) I know I'm so irregular in updating but I'm having so much trouble here. –sad face- I hope you guys are still enjoying this story, I find Goku pretty amusing now, and I've come to like Kogaiji more. :Haha. For now, shower me with REVIEWS: Arigato Gozaimasu.