Love Song
Chapter Nineteen- Waking the Dragon
By darthelwig
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I do not own Saiyuki. This story is rated M. Slash warning!
Special thanks to GhostHelwig for giving me a kick in the ass when I needed it.
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Goku couldn't sleep. Butterflies the size of his fists were fluttering around in the lower reaches of his stomach and he couldn't sit still. He'd dozed fitfully for hours but had finally given up. His mind was on overdrive- running through the set list, mentally rehearsing their songs, imagining the crowd's reaction… he was so nervous and excited. In a few short hours they would be onstage again, and this time they'd be playing for keeps. He was ready. They all were.
He couldn't understand how the others could sleep so peacefully when the day they'd been waiting for had finally arrived. But just because he couldn't join his friends in slumber didn't mean he was willing to wake them, so he very cautiously and quietly made his way outside to the alley. He didn't want to accidentally wake Sanzo by moving around too much. His angel rarely got enough sleep as it was.
He emerged into the cool early morning air and shut the door gently behind him. Goosebumps broke out on his skin almost immediately and he rubbed his hands briskly over his arms to warm himself a bit.
It was still dark, the first hints of dawn barely touching the sky. The streets on either side of the alley were still quiet, and if he closed his eyes he could imagine he was somewhere else- somewhere with wide open spaces and miles upon miles of countryside.
He wished he could find a place like that and take his angel there. Sanzo might be able to relax better in a place with less people around. Maybe then he wouldn't be so tense all the time and Goku could coax more smiles from him. He liked it when Sanzo smiled. Just one of his angel's rare smiles could brighten an entire room.
A dreamy smile appeared on his face as he stood there, eyes closed and face raised to the sky.
His sharp ears almost missed the sound of approaching footsteps. It was only as they drew close that he realized what he was hearing.
Goku opened his eyes and saw a familiar face approaching. It was the man he'd met after his very first gig- the one who'd been so kind. He remembered how concerned the man had been about him that night. He'd completely forgotten about their brief encounter until now. It surprised him to see the man here, though. Not many people passed through this little alley, especially at this time of day, when most people were tucked away in their beds.
"Well, hello," the man said, looking surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm staying here with my friends," Goku said, smiling and pointing at the door behind him.
"Really? That's good. And how are things going with your singer? Is he still treating you badly?" the man asked, and Goku shook his head quickly.
"No way! We've worked it all out! And we're gonna perform at that big contest in the park today too!"
The man looked impressed by the news, and Goku was proud. They'd worked hard to get where they were and it felt nice to see someone appreciate their efforts. Goku wished he could remember this nice man's name, but he'd been kind of an emotional wreck the night they'd met and he couldn't remember if he'd ever even learned it.
The man moved closer and patted Goku's shoulder affectionately, smiling down at the boy.
"I'm sorry to have to disappoint you," the man said, still smiling, "but you're not playing that show today."
Goku blinked, his mind trying to reconcile those words with the kind expression on the man's face.
"What?" he asked, completely confused.
Ni took that moment of hesitation to bring the cloth hidden in his hand up to Goku's face. He pressed it to the boy's nose and mouth, holding him tightly as the boy thrashed against him. It wasn't long before the boy's struggles ceased and he slipped to the ground unconscious.
Ni gazed down at the boy for a moment as he tucked the cloth back into his pocket. What a trusting, innocent soul this boy had. It made his job a lot easier.
Whistling softly, he scooped the boy up in his arms and walked away. There was no way this band could perform with their guitarist missing in action. Destroying their chances to win was turning out to be disgustingly easy.
He kept whistling his cheery tune as he tucked Goku into his car and drove away into the fading night.
….
Sanzo woke to the sound of soft voices holding a quiet conversation.
He sat up, his eyes automatically searching the spot Goku should have been in, but the boy wasn't there. That was unusual. Goku was usually the last one of them to wake up. The kid would sleep all day if they let him.
"So you're finally awake," Gojyo said, grinning at the blonde mischievously. "We thought you were gonna sleep all day."
"Did you sleep well?" Hakkai asked.
Sanzo grunted in reply, his attention elsewhere. His eyes searched the room for any sign of the monkey's whereabouts, but Goku was nowhere to be seen. The boy's absence made him distinctly uneasy, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why that was. It wasn't like Goku couldn't leave the room without him. But it just seemed… wrong.
"Where's Goku?" he asked, and Gojyo shrugged.
"He was gone when we woke up. Little punk must have gotten up way early," the redhead said, shaking his head.
"You haven't seen him?" Sanzo asked, sitting up straighter. The nagging unease in his gut was quickly becoming full-fledged panic, and he swallowed hard against the sudden tightness in his throat.
"We thought he might have gone out for breakfast, but come to think of it, he has been gone a long time. We've been up for ages now," Hakkai said, frowning in worry. Gojyo glanced at both of them, still unconcerned.
"You think he ran off or something?" he asked, sounding unconvinced. Sanzo shook his head and frowned thoughtfully, his eyes distant and unfocused.
"No. He wouldn't have run off," he said. Gojyo sighed in frustration and threw up his hands.
"So what, then? You think he got lost or something?" he asked.
"How the hell should I know?" Sanzo snapped, and the slowly rising tension in the room abruptly shot up a few notches.
"Please, everyone- calm down. I'm sure there's a simple explanation for all this," Hakkai said, trying to calm their rapidly escalating hostility. "Fighting won't help anything," he added.
Sanzo stood up and ran his fingers through his sleep-tousled hair.
"I'm going to go find him," he muttered, pulling on his shoes.
"And we'll help you," Hakkai said quickly, cutting off Gojyo's next comment before it could even escape his lips. He met Gojyo's gaze and held it, and an unspoken message passed between them. Gojyo finally yielded, though he didn't look happy about it.
"All right. We'll look for the stupid monkey," he said, sighing.
Sanzo didn't respond. He was already headed out the door. He wouldn't be happy until Goku was found. The band, their music, everything- it all had to wait. There was no room left in his heart for him to care about any of those things right now. Goku needed him. He was sure of it. He wasn't sure how he knew that, but he could feel it in his bones.
And he would answer that call no matter what it took.
….
What caught Kou's attention was his stepmother leaving the room. He watched her close the guest room door and walk away, and he suddenly had a very bad feeling. She never went into the guest room. It was just a barely-furnished room his friends sometimes used. He couldn't imagine what she'd wanted from in there.
He was going to find out, though. Knowledge was power, as she had so amply demonstrated to him, and so the more he knew about her activities, the better.
He opened the door and couldn't help the startled oath that escaped his lips. His mind struggled to absorb what he was seeing even as his heart grew dark with the knowledge of what she had done.
"What the hell is going on?" he whispered, gazing at the unconscious youth who lay bound and gagged on the bed.
"I see you've found our new houseguest," Ni said, startling Kou. "Don't worry. He won't be staying long."
Kou turned on Ni, eyes blazing with fury, but Ni just smiled and watched him with those dark, mocking eyes.
"Is this your big plan?" Kou asked, raising his voice and not caring who heard him. "Kidnapping?"
Ni put a finger to his lips and shushed him.
"If you don't keep your voice down, you might alert your little sister. You don't want little Lirin to know what you're doing, do you?" Ni asked, looking much too gleeful for Kou's comfort.
"I'm not doing anything!" Kou said, lowering his voice anyway. "And you can't do this either!"
"Why?" Ni asked. "Because it's against the law?" He laughed. "Don't you want to win? This boy could beat you, you know. I've heard him play. He's untrained, but that makes his skill all the more amazing, don't you think?"
Kou heard the truth ringing in Ni's voice, and his fragile confidence buckled under the weight of it. His righteous anger began to fade, unable to stand up against the bitter, desperate need that had taken root in his heart. Ni kept talking, every word another nail in the coffin of his self-confidence.
"You want to win. This isn't just a contest you're fighting for. The prize is much bigger than that, isn't it?"
Ni giggled but Kou was too far gone in his self-loathing to even notice. He looked at the kid again, remembering when they'd met, and he wondered if Sanzo missed the brat yet.
Jealousy flared up in his heart and he suddenly didn't care anymore. He was tired of holding himself back. He'd committed himself to this course. Everything hinged upon winning that contest today. He hadn't come this far just to lose to a punk like this. Sanzo and the others didn't need to win. He did. He was the one with something to lose.
"You're not going to hurt him?" Kou asked, his voice dull and cold. His eyes were lifeless in his bleak face, and Ni couldn't keep the look of triumph from his eyes. Kou ignored it, though. It didn't matter to him. Besides, Ni should feel triumphant. He'd won, after all.
"He'll be kept safe and sound," Ni replied, and Kou nodded.
"Fine," he said, turning his back on the helpless teenager on the bed and walking away. And if another little piece of his soul went dark, that was fine too. He didn't need it anymore anyway.
….
They'd searched all day but so far they'd found no sign of their stray member. Goku had visited none of their usual haunts and none of their friends had seen him. It was like he'd just vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of where he'd gone.
It was driving Sanzo crazy. Hakkai had even called around to hospitals, checking to see if anyone matching Goku's description had been admitted. Not knowing what had happened to Goku, or even if he was alright, was driving the blonde out of his mind.
"Where the hell could that little bastard have disappeared off to?" Gojyo asked, not directing his question at anyone in particular.
"If we don't find him soon, we'll miss the contest," Hakkai said softly, his worried eyes searching Sanzo's face for some clue as to what he was thinking.
But Sanzo's face remained unreadable, his blank expression masking his inner turmoil. His stomach was in knots and he had to force down the bitter panic that threatened to incapacitate him. He had to keep control of himself if he was going to even have a chance of finding Goku.
He took a calming breath and lit a cigarette, letting the smoke fill his lungs and soothe his frazzled nerves. He closed his eyes as he slowly exhaled, keeping his breathing measured and controlled as his father had taught him. He let his tension flow out of him with each slow exhalation and gradually the knots in his stomach began to unwind.
He let it go, let everything fall away as he cleared his mind, and as his worries melted away he began to hear something else- something new and yet strangely familiar… something he knew he should recognize.
He stilled his thoughts and waited, knowing that to strain for it would be to lose it again, and his patience was rewarded. He could hear something… almost like a voice. It was distant, but it called to him, and he followed it instinctively.
He wasn't aware his body was actually moving until Hakkai caught his arm. He was abruptly brought back to reality, and he pushed Hakkai away roughly.
"Don't touch me!" he growled, his mind frantically searching for the thin thread of the voice that was calling him. Relief flooded through him as he realized he hadn't lost it. He could still hear that insistent call in his head, and he took another deep breath to calm himself. He looked at Hakkai with a silent apology in his eyes, unable to speak the words.
"Where are you going?" Hakkai asked, frowning in confusion but not angry.
"I'm going to find Goku. I'll meet you at the contest," he said, suddenly sure of whose voice it was that was calling him so persistently. Only one person dared to be that annoying to him.
"But…."
"I'll meet you there," Sanzo said, cutting off any further argument and walking away. He had no time to waste on arguing.
He followed his instincts, followed that voice that wasn't quite a voice, surprisingly confident. He would find Goku. There was no doubt in his mind any longer. He may not know where he was headed, but he knew who he was headed to. Goku was waiting for him somewhere.
He drew that knowledge around himself, letting it renew his strength, and let his heart lead the way to his love.