Disclaimer: Saiyuki is not mine. The story is fictional and all similarities to people and events in real life are coincidences.

Those Beautiful Green Eyes

Chapter Fifteen

"You had red eyes when I first met you. Just like my brother."

Now, that brought Karin back to our world. She peered at Jien curiously, her body slowly uncurling itself. How the red eyes I had so despised in my youth were to console this foster daughter in mourning eluded me. Then again, Hakkai had red eyes when he died.

"I guess they've been that way since they were given to me" Karin had once told me when I wondered about the one eye that was blind.

Hakkai had given Karin her eyes, that one was clear. I can almost hear Tenpou laughing softly and threatening to have me demoted for being so slow.

"Father didn't give you those green eyes to cry them out," Jien brushes the blood-tinged wave that is Karin's hair out of her eyes. "He gave them to you because he didn't want you to miss out on the world. He didn't want you to miss out on life."

"Karin," I place her beloved book on her lap, which had just now become available. She instinctively clutches at it, turning her now green gaze at me. "Do you know what red eyes mean?"

Nothing in her pained expression gives me any reason to believe that she does.

"Red eyes and red hair," Yaone reaches out and cups Karin's cheek. She smiles gently, "The mark of a child of taboo, the result of the union between a human and a youkai."

"But you don't have red eyes, do you?" I interject before this younger half breed could ever associate herself with a hated race. "Your eyes are beautiful and green."

No, she's not a half breed. She is human. She is youkai. She is whatever she chooses to be. She is no longer taboo. This is Hakkai's gift—more important than the gift of sight—this gift of acceptance.

Hakkai, as Father told me, "Being a half breed is not a fate I would wish on anyone else. Not at this time and in this world, anyway." Hakkai accepted me, while knowing full and well that most of the world did not. That, along with the Sanzo-ikkou, was enough for Gojyo. But maybe that was not enough for Hakkai.

"I have no images to remember of when I still had red eyes," Karin finally speaks coherently for the first time since the battle with Goku ended. "I have faceless voices, scents, and sensations, which I have almost forgotten. I don't even know how my mother looked like. I only have Father."

Jien places a hand on Karin's, "Now, you have Yaone and me and every other person in this house. Don't ever think that you're alone."

"I guess you're right," Karin is still not smiling and her mood does not lighten, but she somehow has gathered herself enough to say. "I need to let Father go. If I love him, I must let him rest easy."

Easier said than done, and I see that Karin knows this.

"The sun will be rising soon," I realize out loud. "We have to bury Father now if we're going to keep his death from the townsfolk."

Yaone nods and stands up. "I'll go clean him up and anoint his body. You boys better start digging," she hesitates in addressing Karin. "Karin? In your condition, I think..."

Karin shakes her head. "I'll join you. I have a few matters to discuss with Father before he's buried."

I see Yaone's smile light up her eyes, though her expression barely changes. I push myself off the ground and stretch my legs. Damn, have I really been sitting that long? I hold my hand out to Jien who takes it, then we both help Karin up as she doesn't have the use of her arms. "Shall we, then?" I ask Jien and Karin.

Karin nods slowly.

"Aa," Jien heads for the door. There is a note of satisfaction in his voice. "The shovels are out back. I'll go get them."

I steal a glance in Karin's direction. "Thank you, Kenren-san."

I grin at her, but give her a questioning look. "For what?" I really don't know what exactly she's thanking me for.

"For reading me a story."

Oh, that. "No problem."

As we walk out of the library, the spiking of a familiar chi catches my attention. Goku is awake, but somehow, his energy seems tempered by something. Jien notices it, too and signals for Yaone to take care of Karin. I follow the source of the erratic rise and fall of chi and am led to the room where Hakkai had been laid. Jien follows me.

I open the door to the small room and hear quiet sobbing. I recognize the voice. "Goku?" I call out softly, not wanting to pique hostility.

I am the first to step into the room to find Goku, not Seiten Taisen, standing there over Hakkai's body. He turns wide tear-filled golden eyes at me. Jien enters after me.

"Gojyo, I couldn't stop myself," Goku whimpers.

I approach Goku. Now, how does Hakkai do this? How does he comfort Goku? I wrap my arms around the 500-year old boy. "Baka saru, he did this to himself. He chose to do this. We couldn't stop him even if we tried."

Only then do I notice large earrings that looked like imperial jade hanging from Goku's ears. "Limiters. Hakkai gave you limiters," I murmur.

"But these won't be enough," Goku whispered harshly. "He already did this the last time and I broke them." I see cracks already forming on the fine green gems, a gold mist wrapping around them, threatening to engulf them and destroy them. Goku's power is too strong for Hakkai to control. And in his self-destructive and self-loathing state, there was very little drive for Goku to control his own power.

A soft cracking sound catches my sensitive hearing. Goku pushes me away. "I have to go."

"Goku, let us help you," I plead.

Goku steps away and takes one last forlorn look at Hakkai's body. "Look what happens to people who help!" he cries out and then takes off.

"Goku!" I try to follow, but Jien catches my arm.

Jien shakes his head. "If you catch up with him and his limiters break, what will happen to you?"

I snatch my arm away, "I have to help him. I'm the only one he knows!"

"If he kills you," I seem my aniki tremble slightly. "You're just giving him more reasons to hurt. Someone stronger will be able to help him, but what can we do?"

I sigh. I'm going to have to talk to Konzen about this.

"Kenren? Jien?" Yaone interrupts us. "Is everything alright?"

Jien steps back. "Fine."

"We have to get ready for the funeral."

"...He was a great man, the stuff legends are made of. More importantly, he was our Father, the one who would take care of us no matter what we did or who we are..."

Karin's words ring clear above the muffled sobs of the multitude of youkai who seek refuge in Father's home. Jien and I are carefully lowering Hakkai's body—which Yaone had earlier cleaned, dressed in good clothes, and wrapped in a pristine white blanket—into the pit we had earlier dug. The skies are already tinged green as morning approaches.

"...Even though we mourn in the passing of this great man, let us not forget that he gave us chances at life which we should not waste in sadness. This, I believe, is the legacy Father wants to leave."

Everyone stays reverently silent for a while.

During this contemplative quiet, I hope I'm not beaming like an idiot, but I'm damn proud of Karin for pulling through. I can see from the half-hidden grins of Jien and Yaone that they are, too. Then Karin steps up to the grave and throws in a small branch from the large tree in the garden. "Thank you, Father," she whispers.

She then nods for Jien to start filling the hole.

The moment Jien and I start to move, the peace is broken by stifled yet anguished cries and choking sobs. I feel sorry for these people. They cannot even mourn freely. They cannot scream out their pain. They have just lost a major part of their lives, and still they need to hide their despair.

Yaone frowns and I find out why when she speaks, "The sun is about to rise. Everyone, please go back into the house. Jien and Kenren will take care of it from here." She does not like what she's doing; parting the crowd too quickly from their Father, but hiding the death of Hakkai would buy everyone some more time in the town.

There are a few protests, but none too strong. They know what they have to do.

"Let's all have breakfast together and we can talk about the good times," Karin again.

"What will happen to us now that Father is gone? The townsfolk will run us off!" an older woman tells Karin.

The young redhead gives the woman a reassuring answer, "Nothing is going to happen to us. We will get on with our lives and we will be fine." Confident words I know she will do everything in her power to fulfill. The glow in her luminescent green eyes is a bit wiser.

These people will pull through. They have Karin, don't they? Jien and Yaone, too. They'll be fine.

"Oi," Jien calls out to me. "Help me out here a bit!"

Oh yeah, I was filling up Hakkai's grave.

I walk over to the mound of earth and begin to systematically scoop some from it, and then dump the brown earth into the grave. We're silent for most part of our task, but as we finished, Jien initiates conversation.

"You know, I wanted to put a grave marker, but I realized I didn't know Father's real name," he tells me as he pats the earth flat with his shovel. He then pulls out a vial from his pocket and pours it onto the newly turned soil. I am fascinated when the soil becomes covered in green grass, making the new grave look like an original part of the land. Jien notices my reaction. "Yaone formulated this back when we were still under...Kou's command. She's a wonderful pharmacist, it's almost like she knows magic."

His hesitation in saying Kougaiji's name does not escape me, but something tells me it was more difficult to say before.

"Two redheads, huh? Your brother and your master," I feel warmth on my cheek. I turn in the direction Hakkai had pointed to only minutes before he died. "There's nothing like a sunrise after a dark night to give people hope."

"What?" a puzzled look passes my aniki's face.

I find myself chuckling, "Nothing. Well, if you want to know what you should write on the grave marker, you should write Ch..."

"Father," an all too familiar voice cuts me off. "That is how you knew him and that is how you should remember him. His name is not as important as who he is."

My head snaps to the direction of the rising sun.

"Tenpou..."

I see you.

I see you standing there, the light of the rising sun behind you. I can only see your silhouette, but I would know that silhouette anywhere.

In the distance, Karin says my name, but whatever words that should have followed dies on her lips as you step away from the light and come into view. You're looking at her. Green eyes identical to hers stare at her with a fondness only a father could have for his daughter.

I follow your gaze and see Yaone, Jien, and Karin frozen by your presence.

Karin, still mesmerized, addresses you first. "Who...Who are you, sir?"

"This is my commanding officer," I reply for you.

You continue my response. "Tenpou Gensui. It's a pleasure to meet you. And I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure he was a great man."

I suppress the derisive snort that threatened to come out of me. Tenpou, you arrogant bastard, you know that it's you they just buried, don't you?

Karin bows slightly. "I am Karin and these are Jien-san and Yaone-san. It's a pleasure to meet you, too. And, yes, he was a great man."

Yaone and Jien nod as well.

"Were you the one to send Kenren here?" Jien asks.

"No. Some greater power did that," your face is a mask with a pretentious smile, it is hiding something. "I have come to pick him up. He was expected to return earlier."

Jien remembers something, then he looks guiltily at me. "But you never found that guy you were looking for. You stayed with us for so long."

"Iie," I shake my head, and meet your eyes, "I found him."

You raise an eyebrow at me questioningly, "Are you quite done here, then?"

I turn to look at Karin, then Yaone, and finally Jien. There doesn't seem to be any sign of protest.

Jien extends his hand out, I take it to shake it, but he does not let me. Instead, he pulls me into a tight brotherly embrace. "At least I know where you are. Take care of yourself, Gojyo."

Gojyo? He must have picked that up from when Goku and I were talking earlier. I hug him back. "I can handle myself, 'niichan, so you better take care, too. Or I'll come down from Heaven to beat you up."

Jien laughs and we part. "Come visit us, okay? I'd think Heaven has no place for people like us."

I shrug, "It's tolerating me just fine."

Yaone kisses my cheek, an act that means nothing more than what it is, "Thank you for everything, Kenren."

Karin does the same as Yaone, "Tell your friend he has beautiful green eyes as well," she whispers teasingly. She steps away and tells me in a louder voice. "If you see Father up there, tell him we miss him and we're grateful for everything he has given us."

I glance at you. Your smile changes ever so slightly. I don't know how I picked it up and I know any other person would have missed it. Then again, I spent long centuries of my life studying every nuance and implication of your smile. "Sure," I ruffle Karin's hair affectionately. She doesn't protest.

And now, all is done. I walk towards you. You already know what that means. You hold your hand out to me. "Let's go home, then."

I take your hand. "Aa."

...Tadaima...

END

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the last err... "cliffie" was it? I would have posted sooner, I'm sorry. Had someone not asked about Goku, I would have been left with a big plot hole since in the original of this chapter, I had so neglectfully forgotten about him. Or at least, to imply what happened to him.

Well, that's that! One more chapter to go...actually, an epilogue..

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Thanks to everyone who read.

I wasn't sure what Goku is called without the diadem. Did I get Seiten Taisen right? Also, "Tadaima" in Japanese means "I'm home".

I'll try to respond to everyone who reviewed soon. Thanks a lot guys, really.

- paris