Disclaimer: I do not own Gensomaiden Saiyuki.
Chapter two:
Glaring at the stupid looking toy bunny Goku shifted uncomfortably in his hospital bed. The owner of this bunny, which was allegedly meant to keep Goku calm – personally Goku thought this creep got a kick out of the toy – was making notes about the questions Goku had been forced to answer.
After finding his world completely upside down he had been persuaded by all three of his companions to return to his bed and take the medication the doctors gave him.
They didn't mention the medication being stupid sedatives!
Goku slept most of the day and when he woke up late afternoon he was given some soup.
Of course our bottomless pit monkey wanted something a bit more substantial but soon found out his stomach wasn't ready for such things.
So here he was, no clue about what was going on with a creepy doctor called Nii or something who claimed to be a psychiatrist.
Whatever that meant.
Hadn't Sanzo once said a psychiatrist was a doctor for the mind?
Why would he need a psychiatrist? There was nothing wrong with his mind!
A voice in his head that sounded exactly like Gojyo's whispered that there was nothing 'right' with his mind and Goku had to suppress the urge to yell at the kappa.
Sanzo, Hakkai and Gojyo were sitting in the back of the room listening to the 'session'.
The doctor thought they were there to make sure Goku didn't 'flip out' again but the monkey knew they were there to keep an eye on the creepy doctor….and his bunny.
While Nii was still looking at his notes and considering his next question Goku took another closer look at his companions.
He had thought maybe they were fakes created by an enemy to confuse him but they didn't feel fake.
Goku could sense an impostor. These people were his companions but they had somehow lead a completely different life.
" So Goku , let me check that I have understood everything." , Nii began pulling Goku out of his thoughts.
" You are an eighteen year old earth-spirit born out of a rock who sinned against heaven and was therefore imprisoned in a mountain for five hundred years. A Buddhist monk saved you from this prison and you are currently on a quest along with this monk, a half-breed and a human turned youkai to the West so to stop the forbidden resurrection of an evil youkai called Gyumaoh."
Goku nodded his affirmative. He hadn't wanted to tell this guy so much but Hakkai and also Sanzo had insisted that he answer truthfully.
They seemed so anxious to hear his answers. Goku just didn't have the heart to refuse their requests.
" How do you travel to the West?", Nii asked.
" In Jeep." , Goku answered shortly.
" Jeep is the pet of your friend Hakkai, is he not?" Goku nodded.
" So you travel in a dog? Is the dog very big or does he have some kind of powers?"
The way Nii said it made Goku think he was making fun of him.
" Jeep's not a dog, he's a dragon and he can turn into a car. Are we done yet?"
Goku glanced to three sitting in the back of the room. Their faces were grave and more unhappy with the situation than at the beginning.
Nii smiled creepily at Goku. " Just a little bit longer. Tomorrow we can get to the serious part."
Again Goku had to suppress an urge. The urge to punch the creepy quack and get the hell out of here.
" What's your relationship to your companions like?"
" Why is that important?" , Goku asked suspiciously. What if the enemy was trying to find their weaknesses with all these questions.
He would not get a damn good thrashing from Sanzo for being that incredibly stupid!
" Sanzo freed you, did he not?" , Nii asked ignoring Goku's question.
" Yeah.", Goku said uneasily. He didn't like the sudden glow in this guy's eyes.
" You must be very grateful. So many years without a single soul. Isn't it hard to not mistake gratitude for something more?"
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hakkai put a consoling hand on Sanzo's shoulder and say something that stopped the monk turned priest from grinding his teeth audibly.
" What do you mean?" What the hell was guy implying?
" Is your relationship of a sexual kind?"
Goku stared at him blankly. He then silently got out of his bed and headed for the door.
" I'll be waiting downstairs.", he called over his shoulder to Gojyo who was the only one of the three paying attention to the monkey.
Hakkai was trying to stop Sanzo from strangling the psychiatrist.
Gojyo quickly left his seat and closed the door before Goku could leave.
" Touchy subject, I see.", Nii croaked finally free of Sanzo's hold.
" Let me out, Gojyo.", Goku said sternly.
" Not until we've sorted this." Hands on both of Goku's shoulders he stirred the only half reluctant monkey back to the bed.
Leaning against the wall behind him, Gojyo stayed by the bedside showing Nii that he also disapproved of the last question.
Clearing his throat Nii continued.
" Last question Goku, promise.", he said holding his bunny up in an 'I swear' motion.
Goku didn't respond just stared at his feet dangling from the bedside.
He'd had enough of this. They'd been doing this nonsense for over an hour now and he still didn't understand why the others didn't remember or how he'd ended up here either.
"What year is it, Goku?"
Goku frowned. How should he know? He never kept track of years. It never seemed important.
" Dunno. 1150 or 1160 or something. I ask Hakkai about these things.", Goku said annoyed.
( I don't know what year Saiyuki is based in or if it is based in proper years at all but the point here is, Goku's out of date by a few centuries.)
Smiling wickedly Nii retorted: " Interesting, however it is actually 2005."
Goku shrugged.
" I'm afraid there's more I should tell you and it may come as a bit of a surprise.
You're the sixteen year old son of one of the world's richest and most powerful men.
Already stepping into his footsteps you became a nuisance to several important people who have been known for criminal activities. You fell into a coma after a very skilled assassin tried to kill you.
I believe he pushed you out of a building, did he not?"
The last part was addressed to the others in the room. Goku snickered.
" You expect me to believe that nonsense. I've only been in a coma for six months. Why would I have memories of the last five hundred years!"
" Goku, youkai don't exist.", Nii said sternly.
" You've been talking to one for the last hour.", Goku responded glaring daggers at the psychiatrist.
'This guy needs his mind looked at, not me!', Goku thought bitterly.
" Have you looked out of the window yet?", Nii asked out of the blue.
Frowning Goku looked to his companions. Just as confused Gojyo motioned to him to go ahead.
Climbing over his bed Goku headed to the window and opened the drapes while still glaring at Nii. He didn't trust this guy as far as that stupid bunny could throw him.
A little reluctantly Goku turned his back on Nii and looked out of the window.
His eyes widened. To say he was surprised at what he saw would have been the biggest understatement of the year.
Huge, grey buildings some as tall as the one he was in and some towering over the hospital stared back at him. Looking down he saw a very wide and long street completely packed with cars and bicycles.
Goku opened the window and leaned out to get a better look. He could see various shops on the ground floors of the buildings and lots of people going in and out of them.
His gaze wondered to the horizon in hope of finding something familiar in this place.
He vaguely noted an arm wrap around his waist as he unconsciously leaned further out of the window finally spotting the setting sun.
Half expecting the sun to have turned green in this world Goku leaned back into the room with a relieved sigh.
So they were in a big town. A very big town, one of the likes Goku didn't even know existed.
Sure he'd seen big towns before but not with so many tall buildings. He'd also seen cars, 'real' cars unlike Jeep, but only one or two and certainly not at the same time.
" Stupid monkey!", Sanzo said from behind Goku obviously being the one who had kept Goku from falling out. " Did you get such a kick out of falling out of building six months ago that you want to repeat it now?"
Goku only half listened to his keeper's scoulding, too lost in his own confused thoughts.
"Do I have your full attention now?", Nii asked smugly. Goku decided not to bother responding.
" While you were in a coma your mind created your own little world. It seems that all your memories of this life are sealed, at least for the moment. Time can only tell if you are able to retain them.", Nii paused for a moment before continuing in a sterner voice.
" Goku you must listen to me very carefully." Goku looked up at him uncertainly.
" Youkai do not exist. The life you remember never happened."
Goku shook his head weakly. His stomach was doing summersaults and the more the psychiatrist said the more his head pounded.
" It never happened." , Nii repeated at Goku's resistance. " It was all a creation of your mind."
"Liar!", Goku yelled. "It did happen. Youkai do exist and I can prove it."
Nii smirked at him. "Can you, now. Do tell."
"My diadem. My diadem is prove enough because without it I wouldn't be in human form!"
He didn't think it wise to tell them that without his diadem he'd go berserk and kill everything in sight.
Nii's grin widened.
"Goku." , Hakkai said carefully. "You're not wearing a diadem."
His face turning deathly pale in fear Goku reached up to his forehead.
There was no diadem.
Nothing to stop the monster within him from escaping.
Nothing to save others to, more importantly, save his loved ones from his uncontrollable bloodlust.
But……..nothing happened.
Had he woken up without it being there?
Had he been wondering around without it for hours?
He would have changed. The second the diadem was removed he painfully changed form.
It had always, Always, been that way. No matter how hard he fought it.
And yet….
This was all impossible.
The shock of finding his forehead diadem less and that he hadn't changed youkai sent a wave of dizziness through Goku's system.
Stumbling backwards he felt Sanzo catch him.
He could vaguely hear the concerned calls of Gojyo and Hakkai.
The arms around him tightened, signalling Sanzo's own concern.
A hand clutching his spinning head, and after several deep breaths, Goku managed to look up at Nii again as he spoke.
" Don't worry, gentlemen, it's just the shock of reality slowly seeping through. That's a good sign. The sooner he accepts his current memories being fake the sooner he can heal."
In a dark and lonesome hospital room lay the dejected form of a young monkey.
Three days had past since awakening from his coma.
Three days of pure confusion.
Nii had spent most of the days with him. Telling him about his life in reality and then connecting what happened in his coma to how he felt and was treated in the real world.
At the age of twelve Goku had been adopted by the famous business man Izumi Takeshi. Izumi had been in search of an heir and being an orphan himself decided to take one of his 'own kind' in.
He had first seen Goku in an argument including fists with some of the older orphans who had been making fun of him and Izumi believed Goku's fighting spirit to be exactly what his empire needed.
However Goku hadn't wanted to be adopted. His older half brother Sha Gojyo was at the same orphanage but Izumi had no need for two heirs.
Soon after Gojyo had also been adopted and lived happily with his 'new' brother Jien.
At this point Nii had thrown in an interpretation. Gojyo's mother trying to kill him mirrored
Izumi's refusal to adopt Gojyo. Jien saving Gojyo showed Goku's joy for his brother finding a family but the immediate leave of Sha Jien proved the monkey's jealousy of their brotherly bond.
Nii liked going on and on about all the connections, most of it going above Goku's head.
What he understood was that he and his brother were having difficulties.
Big difficulties. For instance they hadn't spoken for a year, before Goku's accident.
Goku liked the idea of having a blood relative very much. It being the cockroach who he felt for like a brother anyway(though he'd never admit this to Gojyo.) made the whole thing even better.
Next, Hakkai entered his life as Goku's after school private teacher who prepared him for his future business life and made sure Goku's marks were the best of the best.
The famous Izumi could not have a simpleton as a son!
Goku had befriended Hakkai but his teacher had never opened himself fully to the youth.
Always keeping secrets and trying to bring their relationship back to a teacher-pupil one.
Kanan was Hakkai's wife and cousin. She being Hakkai's sister in his coma showed Goku's dislike of the close blood relation or so Nii said and after everything that had been happening Goku decided he probably knew best.
The murder of a thousand youkai had on the other hand been a little mystery to Nii. Luckily Hakkai was able to relate to that, telling them how he'd once completely lost his temper with one of Goku's favourite teachers and slapped him across the face for his irresponsibility while Goku was in the same room. Hakkai hadn't ever talked to Goku about his actions giving the boy the impression of a man full of hate.
When Goku had made a face at the 'favourite' Nii clarified the statement. Teachers who give no homework, give grades away like candy and tell jokes with their pupils.
Goku's life had been mainly defined by the absence of his 'father'. Even now after awakening from a serious coma his father had yet to pay him a visit.
The carefree, mischievous, little monkey had soon been replaced by a boastful and heartless business man who took what he wanted when he wanted.
(Hence the problem with Gojyo)
During the struggle of being himself and becoming what Izumi wanted him to be, Goku had met Sanzo…or more preciously Sanzo had found Goku.
After running away from home Goku had been surviving on the streets for about a week until some punks beat him up for the heck of it and dumped him in a cave like hole in the middle of an abandoned building site.
Of course this building site was only a block away from Sanzo's church.
The priest had taken good care of Goku in his own rough way and had become the most important person in Goku's life.
Giving him the attention Goku so craved for and enjoying his silly antics.
(Though I'm certain Sanzo would shoot someone for even assuming this)
That is until the rumours had started.
Rumours about how the young boy of Izumi kept visiting a good looking 'Catholic' priest
and spent many hours alone with him, just talking. 'Just talking' always leaked with sarcasm when people talked about this.
(this is a nasty hint but people are cruel and rumours hold a small amount of truth and this is just a story so don't hit me!)
Sighing frustrated Goku rolled off his bed and looked out of the window. It was raining. Again.
The rain had no effect on his companions but made the little monkey feel even worse whenever seeing it.
Their pain had been his fault, his weird imagination. All the signs of fate and destiny had been thrown in by his desperate need to belong somewhere without being shoved into a corner like an old toy.
He was extremely tired but dared not fall asleep. To top all the stress of his whole life being a creation of his own imagination Goku was having nightmares.
Strange unexplainable nightmares.
He was floating. Floating in green liquid with lots of wires running through his veins and a mask over his mouth and nose. In this dream his thoughts were always very cloudy and the wires felt like they were sucking the life out of him.
Through the glass holding him and the green liquid inside Goku could make out a half destroyed looking laboratory. Then a man appeared.
He couldn't ever remember what this man looked like even though he always got a clear view of him in the dream.
This man pulled a leaver and the feeling of his life being sucked out grew unbearably stronger until Goku woke up screaming.
Nii told him not to interpret too much into it. It was only a dream.
Strange sentence coming from him.
Goku jumped at the knock on his door before telling the person to come in. He half dreaded it was one of his friends and half anticipated their next visit.
However he didn't expect the 'gory twins' or whatever they called themselves.
"Goku! We're back!", Nicky yelled excitedly. "We came straight from school and brought something so you'll remember us again."
"Yeah, man. It's from your latest event.", Nick said coming in and waving a rectangular black thing.
"uhm..What's..", Goku began before Nii entered the room pushing a T.V and black box in.
"It's a video, Goku. It has film from cameras on it which you can watch on T.V."
Goku nodded his understanding and thanks.
Nii had explained Televisions to him the day before.
After everything was set up Nii left Goku with his 'little friends'.
"So ….guys..", Goku said nervously. He couldn't help it, these two gave him the creeps.
Nick and Nicky built up a row of chairs in front of the T.V and Goku was naturally put in the middle. He felt even more locked in than he did in the lift.
"What are we going to watch?"
" You, of course." , Nicky giggled attaching herself to his arm.
" It's from your latest press conference. Our school wanted a new sports hall for extra curriculum activities. It didn't have to be near the school but still in a respectable area and you found us just the right spot.", Nick explained grinning happily.
Getting impatient with all the talk Nicky turned the video on. With eyes wide open in disbelief Goku watched the whole scene unfold itself and worked out a connection to his coma without Nii's assistance.
The video showed him where his evil counterpart Seiten Taisei had come from.
TBC
Cliffhanger! Hurray! Yes I know it's not a very big one but I thought it might keep you all interested.
Well, now I'd like to sincerely thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter.
It was reeeeeeaaaallly nice of you and I do appreciate it, a lot by the way.
Right, now to this chapter a comment or two.
I threw Nii in because I needed a creepy bastard and he was just made for the part, so I burrowed him.
There's a slight hint of Goku-Sanzo in this chapter and there may be more to come, I'm not sure, yet.
Anyway those of you who don't like that just see it as an important father-son or brotherly bond.
Reviews will be very much appreciated and do tell me when I'm overdoing something, I can never tell.
Thank you. Bye-Bye