Love Song

Chapter Three- Fate's a Funny Thing

By darthelwig

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I do not own Saiyuki. This story is rated M. Slash Warning.

Thank you again to GhostHelwig for helping me out every time I hit a rough spot in this story. I don't know what I would've done without you.

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The last notes of the song reverberated through the room, slowly fading into nonexistence. Soft applause filled the void it left behind.

"My, don't we sound good today," Ni said, clapping. "At this rate you'll be in tip-top shape in no time at all."

Kougaiji nodded, setting his guitar down.

"We'll be ready," he said grimly, determination etched clearly across his handsome face.

"We're already ready!" Lirin said, jumping up from the drum set. "We're gonna kick serious ass!" She pumped one fist into the air, her face so serious that Kou wanted to laugh. Instead, he just grinned at his stepsister. Her enthusiasm and confidence were infectious.

"I agree," Doku said in his deep, gravelly voice. "Nothing can stop us now. Not with our skills and your songwriting." He smiled thinly at Kou, who returned the smile with a merry grin of his own. It felt good to be surrounded by his real friends at last.

"We won't let you down," Yaone chimed in. Kou gazed at her fondly, his eyes full of warmth for these people who were so dear to him.

"I know," he said. "We're going to win. I can feel it."

Ni just kept smiling. Gyokumen Koushu would be pleased. These four played very well together. Winning the big prize was well within their grasp. Then Kou's face would be everywhere and she could live the life she's always wanted.

Yes, they were headed in the right direction, and he would make certain this plan succeeded. After all, that was his job, wasn't it? And besides, it would be so much fun. How many people actually got to play with their very own real, life-size dolls?

….

Sanzo was walking. Aimlessly. He didn't really care where he ended up, as long as he was away from his band mates.

He'd been right. They had lost their apartment and were now staying in the van, and it was driving him crazy. He didn't know how Hakkai could stand their current situation with such good humor.

At least Gojyo got to spend time in an actual bed. His female conquests were more than happy to share their space with the redhead. Gojyo wasn't forced to spend very many nights trapped with them in the cramped confines of the van.

And at least the moron had the good sense to ask his feminine companions to feed his two band mates as well as himself. That went a long way toward making up for the unfairness of it all.

Sanzo had to admit that, with all things concerned, they weren't very bad off right now. Gojyo could always find some girl who would let them wash their clothes, take a bath or even give them cigarettes. Sanzo had never thought he'd find himself thankful for Gojyo's womanizing ways, but they certainly had paid off this time.

And Gojyo wasn't likely to let him forget it, either. If that asshole didn't shut up with all wiseass remarks pretty soon, Sanzo was going to make him regret it- perks or no perks. There was only so much arrogant teasing he could take.

Sometimes he wondered if he'd made a mistake not taking Dougan up on his offer, but he always quickly reminded himself of the man's creepy adoration and the niggling doubts would disappear. There had to be a better way. He just had to find it. It had been nearly two months since Kou had left. Surely they were due for some good fortune by now.

He continued walking, not really paying attention to where he was headed. He was so consumed by his own thoughts that he didn't even realize he'd left the majority of the noise and traffic behind and entered a more subdued, residential area of the city. Here there were actual small lawns, with neatly trimmed hedges and fences lining the properties. This was an area he didn't venture into very often. It was too quiet for his tastes and he stuck out like a sore thumb.

Fortunately for him, it was midday, and most of these people had jobs to go to, so there weren't any anxious faces pressed to the windows waiting to see if he did anything 'suspicious'. He could relax a bit.

He lit a cigarette as he made his way down the shady sidewalk. It was almost too quiet here, like he'd landed in some sort of strange, parallel universe from the one he usually occupied. He told himself to quit being so foolish and put that thought out of his mind.

A distant sound reached his ears- a familiar sound. He cocked his head, listening, and the faint sound of a guitar being skillfully manipulated could be just barely discerned in the still air. Curiosity burned within him. Who in the world was playing a guitar here? He doubted any of these people even knew what a guitar looked like.

He followed the music, across lawns and over fences, not letting anything distract him from his goal. Gradually the music became louder until he found the house he was searching for. He looked around, but the house was closed up tight. No one seemed to be home. But the music hadn't stopped, and even though the instrument was badly in need of tuning, it was the sweetest sound he'd ever heard.

Sanzo circled the house, searching for the source of the music, and finally spotted a small, rectangular window at the base of the house, near the back. The music was coming from there, and he knelt down before it, trying to see inside. It was cracked open a bit, which he supposed was the reason he'd been able to hear the notes in the first place, but he couldn't see much inside- just a dusty floor and some old boxes.

"Hello?" he called, and the music stopped instantly. He heard a faint scrambling sound, then a pair of large, golden eyes appeared at the window. They stared at him, unblinking and obviously stunned.

"Are you the one who's been making all that racket?" he asked, voice not entirely unkind, and the head in the window slowly nodded. Those entrancing eyes were still fixed on him, but for some reason it wasn't creepy at all. He was surprised, but his skin didn't prickle under that strange gaze like it usually did when people stared at him too long.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Goku," said the boy, and Sanzo was surprised to discover the boys' voice indicated he was older than he appeared. Of course, all he could really see were those eyes. They were… different.

"Goku," Sanzo said, testing the name on his tongue. It felt strangely natural to be saying that name, though he'd never heard it before. "Ever thought about joining a band?" he asked the boy.

"A band?" The boy looked completely confused by the question.

"Yeah, a rock band. I'm in one and we're looking for a guitarist."

The boy's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You want me to play in your band?" He looked shocked, as if he'd never before entertained the notion that someone might want his skills.

"We're not rich or even remotely famous, but we're good. There's no money in it right now, but if you want to play, we could use you." Sanzo shrugged, but his words hadn't dampened the kid's enthusiasm at all. Goku was hopping up and down like a maniac. Then suddenly the fire went out of him and he looked at Sanzo with eyes full of regret.

"I can't," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Why not?" Sanzo asked, unwilling to take 'no' for an answer. This boy was better than any of the other guitarists they'd auditioned. If they were going to take a genuine stab at winning that recording contract, they needed him.

"I can't leave," Goku said, hiding his face beneath the window's ledge.

"I can bring you back home later. If you're worried about your parents-."

"They're not my parents!" Goku said sharply, eyes reappearing at the window. "I don't have any parents. And that's not what I meant."

Now Sanzo was completely confused.

"Then what the hell are you talking about?" he asked, willing the boy to give him a straight answer.

"I can't leave. They keep me locked up in here. I'm not supposed to leave the basement."

Sanzo was furious. These people kept Goku locked in the basement? His mind flashed back to his own memories of foster homes and loneliness… a misery that, for him, had ended the day he'd wound up on Koumyou Sanzo's doorstep. That man's kindness had changed his life, though the bitter core of him that was the child Kouryuu still remained. He had changed his name, but he couldn't change what his years in the system had done to him. But at least he had experienced goodness once. This boy was kept caged like an animal.

Rage grew in Sanzo's heart at the casual cruelty this boy had suffered and his vision clouded with a red haze.

He strangled his growing fury with effort, swallowing hard against the tightness in his throat. When he spoke again, his voice was soft, his tone carefully controlled.

"Are you alone?" he asked. Goku looked confused by the question, but he answered anyway.

"They left earlier. I heard them say they would be gone all day."

"Good." Sanzo rose to his feet and walked around the house to the front door. As he'd expected, it was locked, but he wasn't going to let one stupid door deter him. He released the chokehold on his rage and let it fill him with its strength.

The door was going down.

….

Goku began to panic when the blond man walked away. Was he going to leave him there? No one had bothered speaking to him for such a long time. He didn't want the man to go! He didn't want to be alone anymore.

Then he heard a sharp crack from the front of the house, and nearly jumped out of his skin. He leapt down from his perch on top of some boxes and looked at the door at the top of the stairs. He could hear someone moving around up there. Could it really be? Was the golden one coming to get him?

Then the door opened, spilling bright sunlight down into the perpetual twilight of the dusty basement. Goku blinked, eyes watering at the sudden change, and when he looked again the blond man was in the doorway. His hair glowed in the light like a golden halo- Goku's very own personal guardian angel. His angel leaned forward and held out his hand.

"Come on. You're coming with me," he said, and Goku took a few shaky, hesitant steps forward. He moved up the stairs, feeling like he was in a dream. He didn't feel the stairs under his feet, wasn't aware of climbing them. His world had narrowed down to the man standing before him, who shone so brightly he rivaled the sun.

Something clicked in Goku as he reached out and took the hand that was held out to him. Something in him just… shifted…and a great, bottomless joy swelled in his heart. He stepped out of the darkness and into the warm sunlight that awaited him, his fingers still clasped in the other man's firm grip, and took a long look backwards at the cage he had emerged from. And he knew, in that moment, without knowing how he could be so certain, that he would never go back. His future was filled with warmth and with light, and he followed his angel out of that house he hated so very much.

And this time, he didn't look back.