Don't sue me…I don't own these characters or this series and I know it. Feedback is a beautiful thing. The adventure continues…
II. nope, nothin' strange here
What was going on? He was with Sanzo, Hakkai, and Gojyo, but he didn't remember a time when any of them looked the way they do now. Sanzo's hair had never been that long before, and where were his robes? Why was Gojyo's hair so dark? His eyes too…and Hakkai…he was just all wrong. He was never this messy…and when did he start smoking? And why was everyone so much taller than him!
"Goku!"
This was weird, but it was them…it was definitely them. He never felt this comforted or protected around anyone else.
"Goku!"
Wait…Hakkai was talking to Sanzo…but he wasn't calling him Sanzo…what was the name he was saying? It seemed like he should know, after all he used it every day. It was right at the tip of his brain…z? Why was it so hard to remember K—
"GET UP YOU DUMBASS APE!"
Gojyo blocked yet another attack as more and more youkai poured out of the surrounding forest. It had been almost a minute since he had called the alert to the others. Sanzo and Hakkai were up instantaneously, even Jeep was clawing at faces at Hakkai's back, but Goku was just lying there, sleeping like the dead.
"Goku!" He called to the saru hoping that a more direct approach would be more fruitful. No such luck. But what he did seem to accomplish was alerting several of the soon-to-be-departed youkai that easy prey lie just beneath the old oak to their right. Great. He thought to himself as he moved to intercept.
"Goku!" He called to the still unmoving youth. What the hell? Was he dead or something? More youkai stormed into their little clearing. Now Gojyo was really getting annoyed. He was supposed to be enjoying a smoke and checking out the magazine he'd picked up in the last town right now, dammit! Why should he have to fight this idiot's battles for him?
"GET UP YOU UDMBASS APE!" He not-so-gently shoved the saru off his bedroll with his foot just as a blade came crashing down where Goku had been moments before.
"Huh? Is it time for breakfast already," were the first words out of the idiot's mouth. Typical.
"NO IT'S NOT TME FOR BREAKFAST YOU DUMBASS! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
"Wha?" Goku asked blearily surveying their surroundings. "Oh." And he rolled over to lay back down! Gojyo was sure that he was going to pop something…preferably a certain saru's head.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"
"I'm trying to sleep," came a whining response.
"IF I CAN'T SLEEP NEITHER CAN YOU!"
"Looks like you guys are doing fine…"
"HEY!" A group of youkai had noticed the bickering. "YOU IGNORE US AND YOU DIE!" cried the leader charging the two. His lackeys followed.
"STAY OUT OF IT!" Goku and Gojyo jointly yelled. They turned on the charging group, calling their weapons to hand. The two made quick work of the youkai, Goku finally getting up to join in the fight. Moments later it was all over, and Goku promptly turned to Gojyo returning to their argument as the last stragglers fled for their lives.
"You woke me up for that?"
"Chibi saru should take care of their share of the chores.
"Who you calling chibi you perverted cockroach!"
Gunshots fire
"If you two are quite done…we're leaving." Sanzo didn't look very pleased about having his sleep interrupted as he turned his back on the bickering duo.
"Che!" Gojyo muttered as he let go of the ape to begin collecting his things. "Damn idiots, ruining a perfectly good day." He reached into his pocket to grab another cigarette and sighed as he heard Goku wining about something off to his side. "What now, baka?"
"My bedroll's all cut up." The chimp moaned holding up the shredded remains of what used to be a perfectly good bedroll.
"Sucks to be you. Maybe that'll teach you to wake up when people swing pointy things at you."
"Hey—"
"Do you both want to die?" Sanzo's interjection ended the discussion and the group had the site cleared and Jeep packed by first light.
"This seriously sucks." Gojyo commented with a yawn. "If we hadn't already killed all those guys, I'd kick their asses for this."
"Well what's done is done." Hakkai commented from the driver's seat. Gojyo noticed that his smile was little bit more brittle that usual and knew that his pal was just as annoyed as everyone else. That little insight somehow made him feel better. "Shall we go?" Came Hakkai's deceptively cheery query, and with a slightly sharper burst of speed than usual, the dragon-jeep and its four passengers headed into the forest, driving away from the rising sun. Gojyo was sure that the two fallen youkai that Hakkai happened to run over on the way out was purely by accident.
Goku was not happy. He hadn't even been able to wake up this time. What if the situation had been worse? What if the others had really been in danger? Would he have just lain there sleeping while his entire world was ripped from him yet again?
Again?
Where had that come from? Whatever. What was important right now was figuring out how to get done with what he was doing as quickly as possible so that he could stop slipping-up already! He sat in the jeep as they drove over a country road contemplating his plan and the events that had led him to this course of action. He was doing the right thing wasn't he? He had to get stronger. Everyone's lives depended on it! He momentarily flashed back to the night when they had faced the insane monk-turned-demon-slayer. He shivered in revulsion remembering the staff that pierced Sanzo's body that night, all because of him, because he wasn't strong enough. He would not allow it to happen again!
That was when this had all started. He'd promised Hakkai the next day as they both sat beside a still healing Sanzo that he would get stronger, and for once, he was focusing on staying true to that commitment; for them. And he didn't even want to think about the other events of that night. The others all thought that he had forgotten. No such luck. He had flashes of memory. Well…no, that wasn't quite right. All he knew was that at night sometimes as he drifted at the very edge of sleep, he would be gifted with half remembered moments of absolute freedom; the kind of freedom his limiter was meant to prevent. He felt himself sinking fangs into flesh, and at the very edge of his consciousness, he could feel that the person was someone he loved and should never hurt…much less enjoy hurting.
And that was the most terrifying thing about his other self. Without even realizing it, he could destroy everything; all that was dear to him, everything precious in the world, and he would love every second of it…and that was just not ok. So here he was now, concentrating on a goal with more focus than he had ever mustered in his life, yet he was also screwing it up!
He hadn't counted on the fatigue, or the hunger, or any of the crap he was now struggling against. Even now, despite the fact that he definitely got the most sleep out of the entire group, he was exhausted! He sat watching Gojyo doze next to him trying to figure out what to do about his situation. Then he blinked and they were stopping, the sun hanging above the western horizon.
What?
Goku looked up. Gojyo was saying something to him, but he was having issues understanding him…something about sleeping through lunch? That would defiantly explain the raw gaping hole where his stomach should be. It was actually pretty ironic. He'd always complained about how he was so hungry that he couldn't even move. This was the first time that statement was so close to being true. Gojyo had still been talking to him…trying to pick a fight or something, but Goku just didn't have the strength at the moment to pay much attention. He was focusing too much on walking straight. What the hell was wrong with him!
He felt himself gracelessly stumble from the jeep, but he managed to right himself before falling over which pleased him immensely. If he could just get into the inn, get some food, and lay down for a second, he would be fine. The others wouldn't notice a thing. Everyone was pretty tired from their early morning. He was sure that everyone had to be a little stumbly. There was nothing odd about his behavior; nope, nothin' strange here. Everything would be fine…he just had to get inside. Goku walked directly into the door frame.
The ape is being a dumbass again. Sanzo looked on with annoyance as the youngest and potentially most powerful member of their group stumbled drunkenly about trying to enter the inn where they would be staying. The increasingly irritated monk was doing his best to reign in his temper though. He was very proud of himself for not even pulling his gun when the idiot walked square into the door frame. He was calling far too much attention to them, and that was the last thing that they needed especially after the rude awakening they'd had earlier. This was absolutely unacceptable. Hakkai must have noticed the monk's annoyance as he was swift to go the Goku's aid.
Sanzo entered the inn only to be greeted by more annoyance. Apparently there was a carnival in town and the inn was booked solid except for one room. Sanzo would have been more than happy to take the room and let everyone else figure out their own accommodations, but such actions would surely be met by the annoying flapping of three mouths which would only call more attention to them. They would have to share...again. Why did it always work out like this?
Sighing, Sanzo took their room key and headed up the stairs without a word to the others. They know by now to follow. The saru was almost behaving normally, with some chi prodding from Hakkai. It was almost weird not to hear the usual whining and complaints from Goku. It was also a bit disconcerting to see that certain physical changes were taking place in the youth that had never appeared before. He seemed to be losing weight rapidly…he really did look like he was starving. That was just damn strange for a person who had gone 500 years without food and emerged from his cave looking like a perfectly healthy, if somewhat withdrawn, child. Sanzo had no desire to admit to the twinge of concern that stabbed at his gut.
"Sanzo," It was Hakkai who had settled Goku on the bed. The kid was sort of staring off into space. "Perhaps it would be best if we ate in our room this evening." That was Hakkai's not so subtle reminder that they needed to order food…from the way Goku was looking, a lot of food. Sanzo sighed, annoyed. He walked back out of the room to find their host and make the order; twice as much as they usually get. Why he should waste so much effort on that idiot monkey was beyond Sanzo's comprehension. All he knew was that he did not care at all for how unnerving it was to walk back into the room and find Goku exactly where he had been when the monk had left. The room was filled with an awkward silence while the group waited for the food. Goku was the only one who didn't seem to notice.
The arrival of the food actually caused more awkwardness. At first glance, the way that Goku inhaled his food was very much in the same obnoxious fashion as usual, but there was a very subtle and very obvious difference. Always before, there was a certain relish with which Goku consumed. If nothing else, the brat had a love for a well cooked meal. Right now, there was nothing but desperation in the way he ate, as if anything could have been put in front of him and he would have eaten it without caring what it tasted like as long as it filled him. It just wasn't normal, and deviations did not make Sanzo happy at all.
When all the dishes are finished, Goku sat over the plates gasping as though he just ran a few miles. He stops and looks up as if just noticing the others in the room, then smiles and stretches as if nothings wrong.
"I think I'll turn in now guys." He says yawning and turning towards the bed. Hakkai and Gojyo have to physically restrain the Sanzo from attacking the hapless youth.
"We'll talk to him about it tomorrow." Hakkai told him calmly.
"Besides," Gojyo added, "Nothings getting through to him tonight. His skull seems to be thicker than usual."
They all decided to go to sleep after that. It had been a long day after all. The others let Goku keep the bed that night in light of the fact that A) no one wanted to hear him whiling about his slashed bedroll, and B) they were secretly all too freaked out by his recent behavior to deny him. They turned of the lights and lay in the dark for a while, three buzzing minds listening to the snores one sleeping saru.