Somewhere I Belong
A Saiyuki fan fiction by Iapetus
Disclaimer: ::Still does not own Saiyuki::
Beta Readers: Truth to Madness, Orenda and Nek0-chan
No, I did NOT discontinue this story. Real Life and Writer's Block are both just evil.
Thank you to everyone who helped me get out of my writer's block who does not usually do so.
The link to the review responses can be found in my profile. Thank you to everyone for reviewing.
Chapter 5: In the Lion's Den
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A soft layer of smoke hovered slightly under the ceiling of the sparsely furnished bedroom. It appeared that the owner of the room did not like many frills, and tried to keep things simple. No posters or framed pictures adorned the walls, making it seem empty – as if it was not lived in. A simple dresser was pushed against the wall opposite of a curtain-drawn window. Instead of being covered in knickknacks, there was a solitary ashtray next to a figure sitting on its surface.
Sanzo pressed his back into the wall and lifted a half-smoked cigarette to his lips. Normally, he would have preferred to smoke by the window, but ever since he had moved into this apartment, he had found that he did not prefer smoking in that spot. His bedroom window had a wonderful view of the building ten feet from his own, he noted sarcastically, but it was not something he chose to look at that often. At least he could actually see the street from his main room.
Taking a deep breath of the addicting substance, the vampire looked to the figure lying on his King-sized bed. Having been covered in blood and torn to shreds, the vampire had taken the man's shirt off his body and threw it away.
Sanzo watched Goku's bare chest rise and fall as the human breathed deeply. His left hand lay causally on his stomach while his right rested on the pillow. The man's head was tilted to the right side, allowing for a bit of more comfort to his injured neck.
Somehow, even while sleeping, Goku seemed different. Completely relaxed and in his most vulnerable state, he almost seemed innocent.
Innocent my ass, Sanzo thought to himself. There was no fooling him - he had seen the look of hatred in the Prodigy Child's eyes as he had proceeded to kill all seven Weaklings. But... he had also seen trust and hope when he asked for help. He couldn't exactly understand out why he had become so fascinated with trying to figure out exactly what this man was, but it was not something his mind could ignore either. It went beyond him just trying to find out the answers to his questions.
Sanzo had tried to do other things while his prey slept, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the bed and the one sleeping on it. After several futile attempts to distract himself, he simply sat down on the dresser to smoke and watch him.
Goku head tilted slightly as he naturally shifted in his sleep, and the movement caused him to wince. Sanzo's attention was drawn back again to the man's face - his attention formerly having been watching him in general as he rested.
Damn. Every time he looked the Prodigy Child up and down he'd stop for a bit longer when he got to his face. The bandage on his neck was an even greater reminder of what lay before him.
It had been difficult - no, that wasn't a strong enough word for it - next to impossible for the Keikan to bandage Goku's wound. Despite his clean up job, the scent of blood still remained on the human's skin - tempting him to undo his handiwork and just finish what the other vampire had begun.
It was hard to describe... he really shouldn't have been feeling this hungry. He had fed only a few days ago, but Goku's blood had tasted so much different than that young woman's. Sanzo had never really been the one to indulge in his sense of taste - when he was a human he ate only because it was something that he needed to do. Yes some foods were better than others, but he generally could care less. But Goku... Why did his prey have to taste so delicious?
No. He would not go down that path. Shaking his head, he attempted to clear his mind of such thoughts, but found it to be futile. His instincts seemed to laugh back at him as he realized what he had exactly done.
There would be no way for him to concentrate now.
.
To say that Goku had slept badly would have been an understatement. He always had nightmares after a kill, and he had never done eight in one night before. Memories he longed to forget plagued his mind, so when he finally regained consciousness he felt mentally exhausted instead of refreshed. He needed something to take his mind off the memories, or he'd never be able to get back asleep that night.
Shifting his head from one side to the other, a pain smarted in his neck, causing him to flinch. As his body moved, he realized that he was not in his bed back home. He was on some sort of comforter, and Goku didn't own any comforters. Eyes opening slightly, he could verify that he was indeed not in his own room, even in the low light. As his senses began to sharpen again after coming out of sleep, he noticed something else.
Looking up, he could see the vague outline of a person sitting on some sort of furniture. The person, who had been apparently watching him, looked away nonchalantly like he never had. It took a few moments for his mind to completely register his surroundings, but immediately snapped back to reality as his mind recalled the events from earlier. A hand slowly rose to touch his bandaged neck, and he could tell simply by the snugness of the dressing that it had been taken care of better than he ever could.
He wanted to ask where he was, but he knew that was a stupid question. The vampire seemed too relaxed to be anywhere but his own home. That answer was obvious, but the other questions...
"What are you staring at?"
The sudden sound of the vampire's voice made him start. He hadn't realized that he had been staring - his mind had been so preoccupied that he forgot he had been examining the Keikan's profile. Red eyes - although they looked slightly violet in the dim light - bored into him, demanding an answer.
The abrupt question startled the Hunter, and he replied with the first thing that came to mind. "You."
Eyebrows rising, the Keikan's expression flickered in general amusement. Goku blinked, and the expression was gone.
"Why's that?" he asked simply.
What was he supposed to say? Goku had been taught to recognize every known Keikan on sight, but when he looked at his rescuer he only drew a blank. He had to have become one recently – there was no other explanation.
"Hasn't anyone ever taught you that it's rude to stare?"
The vampire had a point. "Sorry…"
"Che."
"What's your problem?" Goku asked, slightly annoyed.
The blonde's expression somehow became slightly irritated as he responded. "I thought that a Prodigy Child was supposed to be some sort of genius. How did I pick up an idiot?"
Now THAT statement wasn't fair. "I'm not the Prodigy Child of Math or anything," Goku explained, "I'm the one of Sports-"
"-So you're saying you're an idiot?" A hint of a smile, or more like a smirk from Goku's perspective, seemed to slowly form on his host's lips.
The Hunter wasn't expecting that particular response and it caught him off guard. "I was saying-" Wait a second... "No, I'm not an idiot!"
Eyes flickering away ever so slightly, the vampire continued. "Then close your mouth and stop gaping like one."
"But…" Well, what was he supposed to say to that?
The Keikan's eyebrows rose. "Hm?" He wondered aloud, "You like looking like an idiot?"
Goku bristled. "I'm not a-" He was getting nowhere like this. Something told him he wouldn't win this argument. He felt somehow deflated as he decided to change topics. "It's just… who are you?"
"It's rude to not give your own name first too."
Yet another point for the Keikan. For some reason, Goku had no qualms telling this stranger his name... "My name is-"
"-I already know your name."
Goku was confused. "Then why did you ask…"
The vampire lowered his cigarette long enough to flick a few of the ashes off of its end. "Someone needs to teach you some manners," he stated simply.
There wasn't really anything he could say to that, but Goku couldn't help it. Curiosity always did seem to get the better of him, and it had gotten him in trouble on more than one occasion. For several moments, both Hunter and Keikan simply studied each other as both their minds blanked out on what to say.
Goku decided to finally break the silence. "How long have I been out?" He inquired.
"Long enough." The Hunter suddenly felt very self-conscious under his host's gaze. "Strip."
"What?!" He did not just hear what he thought he heard, did he? Had he been wrong with his assumptions all along? Goku knew that he wasn't always the greatest judge on character, but somehow with him it seemed different...
"Not like that, baka," the Keikan rolled his eyes. "You smell. Go take a shower." He idly pointed in the direction of a closed door not too far away from the bed itself.
There was an overwhelming sense of something Goku couldn't really place rising up in his mind. It was almost like obedience, but slightly different. For some reason, the Hunter suddenly really wanted to do what the Keikan said. Goku knew he wasn't under hypnosis, and from his experience with it, this was nothing like it. Deciding that, since he knew he was dirty from his fight that he should take a shower anyways, he pushed the odd thought out of his mind and headed towards the bathroom. When he reached the door, he turned around to look back at the blonde to ask a question. It was almost as if the vampire had read his mind.
"My name is Sanzo."
.
.
He was in a good mood.
It was strange, since the detective was rarely in a good mood after a day at work, but today had proved to be a blessed anomaly. There were very few reasons to smile these days, and he had learned from one of his friend's students that one should take advantage of each one that presented itself.
It was for that reason that Homura Toushin Taishi could be seen walking down the streets of Oniori with a smile on his face. Yes, his work was in a bit of disarray with the change of leadership, and yes the hackers kept on breaking into their system (causing major headaches to his superiors), but at the moment he could care less.
He was off to spend the evening with two of his friends. It was a rare occurrence for their schedules to free up at the same time, and they tried to meet up as often as they could. And while it was mostly for recreation, his friends also happened to be two of his best informants. When it came to the University, there were few that knew more than they did about what went on. That included his own superiors, Homura noted with a smirk. He was considered one of the best men in his department, but if it was known that he knew things and wasn't saying everything…. That wasn't really going to be a problem, though. He had been told before that he was a good actor, and it was nothing for him to pull off the "oblivious" bit. To all except his two friends, he was one of the many Diet employees that was blissfully unaware of just how severe the level of corruption was – that it was corrupt in the first place.
The black haired man sighed. He really didn't want to think about work at the moment. He was about to see his two friends and have a drink. He was supposed to be relaxing.
Coming to a corner, Homura turned left, and then promptly found himself stumbling backwards. A young woman had run into him, causing him to almost lose his balance. She, on the other hand, had. Trying to regain her bearings, she steadied herself against the ground, but it only seemed to cause her body to flinch in a dull pain.
"Are you alright?" he asked politely. The woman didn't miss the double meaning in his statement - she had been running very quickly when they collided. Homura could tell that while she was a good actress, something was on her mind. He could feel his instincts as a detective perk up, fueled by his natural human curiosity.
She looked up, and a brief flash of fear shown in her eyes. "Detective?"
Homura inwardly flinched. He hated getting those looks of fear. As an employee of the Diet he was also a physical representation of them. Those that knew of the Diet's corruption would not be so stupid as to cross him. Never mind the fact that the corruption disgusted him as well and he could not escape it…
At first Homura thought that his reputation had preceded him yet again, but when he gave the woman a second look in the eye, he realized that this wasn't so. It had been awhile since he had seen her last and they were only acquaintances, but…
"Are you alright, Shunrei-san?" he repeated himself.
Mentioning her name seemed to snap her out of the daze she was in, and she looked slightly embarrassed. She still looked distracted, though, when she went to stand up.
"I'm fine," she began, "thank you for asking, and I apologize for bumping into you but I-"
Her sentence never finished itself. As she got to her feet, something fell out of her jacket and dropped to the ground.
Being the gentleman that he was, Homura bent down to pick it up. He briefly noted that the fear had returned to her eyes, but he became distracted with the item itself. By the smears on the surface, it looked like it had just been used in some sort of massacre. The silver coating that appeared to originally coat the... spike… (he couldn't think of any other way to describe it) was tainted by the drying blood. Knowing that the glimmer of silver would attract some of the more shady people in this area, he quickly picked it up to hold it in his shadow. As he himself straightened up, he noticed the small bit of blood on her hands that she tried to wipe away.
But it looks like she only picked this up, he mentally noted. Looking her in the eye again, he tried to find any sort of clue to what was going on. Did she really commit some crime only moments beforehand? No, he thought, there is no guilt in her eyes. There is fear, but no guilt.
A very awkward silence followed, neither person knowing exactly what to say. Homura carefully turned the spike over in his hands. "Where did you get this?" he asked. His tone sounded polite, but Shunrei did not miss the command for an answer in it.
"I… found it," she said, finally. "Just now, while I was walking."
She wasn't telling the whole truth, but Homura could tell that she wasn't lying either.
He nodded, and then looked back at the spike. "This is quite a find, Shunrei-san. Would you mind if I got a chance to take a closer look at it before returning it to you?"
The expression on her face revealed that she'd like to do anything but, but she nodded, knowing that she couldn't really refuse his request. What the Diet wanted, the Diet got.
I guess that isn't so bad then, Homura thought to himself as he nodded to the woman.
"Have a good evening, Shunrei-san."
.
.
Somehow, the world didn't seem so bad at the moment.
Goku had found it impossible to worry while he was in the shower – the hot water and soap just seemed to wash all of his cares away. It was odd how a simple thing like a shower had such a relaxing effect on him, but he generally didn't question what happened to work for him. He just… he hadn't really appreciated the soothing effect that a shower had on him until after he became a Hunter. Maybe it was because it reminded him of the Holy Water he had to bathe in at least once a week. Whatever it was, Goku didn't know.
All he knew is that it should have somehow felt different where he was right now. He was in Sanzo's apartment, with only a door and probably twenty feet in between them. He should be afraid – that was the logical response. However, he found that while the water was relaxing him, the scent of the shampoo he was using also put him at ease. Goku remembered smelling it faintly right before passing out, while he was in the middle of the trance he allowed Sanzo to put him in.
It also bothered Goku that he was already thinking of the Keikan in such a familiar manner. It was like they had known each other for a long time, and he had just met him earlier that night. Or… had it been technically last night? Goku had no idea what time it was – he had not seen any sort of clock from his position in the blonde's bedroom, and passing out had disoriented his grasp on time.
Gritting his teeth, the Hunter picked up the bar of soap and worked up a good lather. With it he went about washing away the evidence of his fights – happy when he saw the dried blood slowly disappear from his skin and fade into a pink stream with the water that went down the drain. He had actually been surprised with the outcome of his last fight. Minus his neck, he had no injuries. His muscles ached like hell, but that was to be expected. No one ever got ready for a kill knowing in advance that it would be an ambush – at least not yet, anyways.
The Hunters had been trying to figure out who was behind the attacks ever since they had started, but despite all of their sources, they still hadn't discovered a thing. Goku knew that the moment they found out about the next one (because he knew there were going to be others, especially after his failed like it did), a team of Keikans who were on their side and a few Hunters would probably go and see if they could collect any information. Goku secretly wished that he would be called on that mission when it would hopefully come up – but then again he knew that all Hunters wished to get a chance to demand an answer from the ambushers to ask what the hell was going on.
Sighing, the brunette pushed these thoughts out of his mind as he began to wash his hair. He had more important things to deal with right now – like trying to think about what he was going to say to Sanzo. Goku knew that he sometimes didn't think clearly, but even he knew that he would not be able to simply say "thank you for saving me!" and just leave the apartment. No one did such philanthropist-like actions anymore. The blonde wanted something. And Goku had to admit, he wanted to learn more about this mysterious Keikan that he did not recognize.
A sharp knock on the bathroom door seemed to reaffirm his previous thought, causing him to turn slightly in that direction and cease washing his hair.
"Get out," he heard Sanzo say loudly from the other side of the door. "I don't need you using up all of my hot water."
First he tells me to go take a shower, and now he wants me to get out… Goku almost wanted to slow down just to annoy the blonde, but something inside him told him that that would be a bad idea. Turning back to his shower, he proceeded to rinse his hair. Just as the last of the suds were rinsed away from his scalp, he felt the temperature of the water drastically drop. The sudden change made him yelp and grapple for the knob to turn it off. Still shivering, he reached for the towel hanging next to the shower curtain, when he realized that he had heard another stream of water shut off seconds after his. Pushing the curtain back, he saw the Keikan leaning against the bathroom wall next to the sink, a hand still on the faucet.
.
Sanzo didn't know exactly why he did what he did. Goku hadn't been in the shower for that long before he had gone and knocked on the door, and had simply decided to use the excuse of his water ration to try to get him out. He really DID have a limited supply of hot water allotted to him a day – a nice "perk" of living in one of the more "upscale" apartment complexes – but Goku was nowhere near his limit.
The blonde had never remembered being this impatient before. The young man was finally awake, and with the opportunity to get the answers he had been looking for so close to his grasp, it was getting frustrating. However, when the brunette had first woken up, he realized that there would have been no way for him to concentrate on having an informative conversation with the scent of blood still so heavy on his prey- the man's, he caught himself – body. But now it was gone, and Goku would just have to deal with having a short shower.
He had not expected for Goku to push back the shower curtain without even putting the towel around his waist. It still was in the hand that was against the wall, while the other held the curtain in place. Sanzo guessed, by the look on the man's face, that he had not expected there to be anyone in the bathroom when he did that. He found his eyes traveling, watching the droplets of water roll down Goku's muscular chest and to his legs.
Goku, on the other hand, had seemed too startled at first to do anything except stare back in shock. When the vampire met his gaze again, he remembered himself and quickly wrapped the towel around him. Sanzo's eyebrows simply rose.
"What – what are you doing in here?" Goku stammered, still obviously uncomfortable about his current state.
"Making sure you got out of the shower." Sanzo said simply.
Goku tried to glare at the vampire, but the expression only came out to be somewhat annoyed. "You didn't have to do that!"
"It worked, didn't it?" he replied with a smirk.
The young man hesitated. "But…"
"-What?"
"You didn't have to come in," he said quietly, "I heard you knock…"
"It's my place, I can do whatever the hell I want to," he said with finality.
"I wasn't using that much water," Goku sulked.
"Water costs money. Or, were you going to pay for it?" Sanzo questioned critically.
"You're the one who told me to take a shower…"
Sanzo simply expressed a note of annoyance as he moved from where he was leaning against the tile wall. "Put some clothes on," he said exasperated as he eyed Goku's scantily clad figure. "I'm not going to let you keep wearing that towel."
He turned, and headed back into his bedroom, giving Goku a second to dry off. Sanzo had to admit, it had been fun to tease the man like that. It was so easy to get a rise out of him…
The sound of feet shuffling made him turn around back in the direction of the bathroom, where a much drier Goku now stood in the doorway – still clad in the towel. Scanning the room, Goku seemed to be in search of something.
"What are you looking for?"
"My clothes. You told me to get dressed, so…" Goku fidgeted, trying to finish his sentence but not really figuring out a way to end it.
"And do you always do what people tell you to do?" The vampire challenged.
It was amazing to see how fast the man bristled to that remark. "No! No one can tell me what to do!"
"Then what are you doing right now?" he asked, amused.
"I want to put on some clothes. It's just coincidence-"
"You don't seem like the kind of person who believes in coincidences," Sanzo interrupted.
Goku tried to protest that point, but seemed to realize that he couldn't. His chin dropped slightly in defeat. "I don't."
"Then you just contradicted yourself."
The man didn't say anything to that, deciding to remain silent for a few moments. "Where are my clothes?" he finally asked.
"I threw them away," Sanzo replied, simply.
"WHAAT?!"
"They were too stained for you to ever hope to wear them again," he explained.
"And you say water is expensive…" Goku glared at the Keikan. "You owe me a shirt and a pair of pants!"
Sanzo gave his prey a critical look before speaking. "I owe you nothing," he spoke slowly. "I saved you; you owe me your life." He let that fact sink in before continuing. "How do you plan to pay me back for that?"
"How am I supposed to?" Goku asked nervously.
"You could start by answering a few questions-" Sanzo began.
"Um…" Goku blushed. "Could I put some clothes on first?"
"What clothes?" he smirked. "I threw them down the incinerator."
Goku turned even redder, although Sanzo was unsure if it had to do with embarrassment or anger or just general frustration. It seemed that it was getting difficult for the man to get a word in – he was losing what little he had left of his cool. "Can I please borrow some of yours?"
Sanzo did not move for a moment, but then went to the dresser and pulled out a top and a pair of shorts. "You owe me for those now, too."
"But… you're the one who threw my clothes out!"
"They were stinking up the place."
Goku saw that he wasn't gong to win that argument either, and quickly put the offered clothes on without objection. When he was done, they both could hear a stomach growling. Goku grinned sheepishly. "Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving."
Sanzo wasn't entirely sure. He hadn't had to eat human food since his transformation. Somehow, he doubted the contents of his pantry had changed without his knowing, but he really didn't remember what was in there anymore.
Wordlessly walking towards the kitchen, he heard Goku follow close behind.
His search procured two items – a box of instant rice and a dusty unopened jar of water chestnuts. Goku was about to protest the meager meal until he realized that it was all that the vampire had.
"So," Sanzo said as he put the rice on to cook, "what are you?"
Goku looked up, confused by the question. "I'm human, can't you sense that?"
"Humans can't kill vampires," Sanzo reasoned logically. "And even the few times they have, they didn't remain human for long."
"Normal humans can't kill vampires," Goku responded cryptically.
"So you're saying you're not normal?"
"…I didn't say that."
"You say you're human, and yet you kill vampires. You're contradicting yourself again," Sanzo pointed out.
"I wouldn't lie about that!" Goku said hotly. "And it isn't like I go out and do it for fun!"
"Then why do you?" Sanzo challenged.
"Because I…" he paused, collecting himself before he allowed himself to continue. "I don't want others to go through what I went through." He looked away. "I don't want others to be like me or my friends. No one deserves to experience that."
Sanzo shrugged. "Some people deserve to have nasty things happen to them."
Goku met his eyes again. "No one deserves this," he said resolutely.
"What's so bad about 'this?'" he pried. This was getting interesting. He wasn't getting some of the answers he was expecting, but…
Goku said nothing, but chose to watch the pot of rice, as well as the pot next to it of the water chestnuts heating up, cook. Not a word was spoken for several minutes, only interrupted by the buzzing of the kitchen timer for the man's rice. Sanzo grabbed a plate from the cupboard and put Goku's food onto it, and handed it to him indifferently.
It wasn't until his plate had been cleared halfway before Goku spoke again. "It was my best friend."
Whatever Sanzo had expected him to say, it hadn't been that. "What are you talking about?"
Goku continued to stare down at his plate as he continued. "You asked me about what no one deserved, didn't you?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, one of my best friends. He was murdered almost a year ago."
Murder? Murders were not that common in the capital, surprisingly enough – despite the corruption in the Diet – which could only mean one thing.
"A vampire killed him?"
Goku nodded. He had stopped eating, and started to push the food around on his plate absentmindedly.
"So, you want revenge on the vampire who killed him?" Sanzo guessed. After all, that's what he himself wanted.
This time, Goku shook his head. "No, the vampire that killed him died about a minute after my friend. There was a time I wanted all vampires to just die," He looked up from his plate to Sanzo's face, "but that was before I found out that they aren't all evil."
That was true enough too. Sanzo knew that there were many Weaklings who didn't even bother getting involved in the territorial wars between the power-hungry Keikans – they were just trying to live the lives of "normal" humans – something now impossible for them to do.
"Do you still hate them?" Sanzo inquired. He didn't like the idea of lumping himself with the rest of such a despicable lot. He was not like them. He did not want to be one of them.
"A friend who is into the religious cults told me to 'hate the sin but love the sinner,'" Goku said with a small smile. "But I don't like all of the sinners. I guess I'm not very devout."
Sanzo would have commented on that, except he suddenly felt the presence of two Keikans he did not recognize come into his territory. Looking over at Goku, he saw the man's face flash in recognition, and he seemed tempted to run to the kitchen window and look out. Sanzo gave him a look that told him to do anything but, and waited until the brunette had forked another mouthful of rice into his mouth before moving to see who dared enter his territory. He heard the noise of Goku's eating stop again, and felt his eyes on his back.
Peering out, Sanzo found himself looking up the building across the street to the top story where two figures looked back at him. He could not make out much about what they wore, but he could see the light catch in both figures' long hair. Long red hair.
As you can see, Homura is going to be in this story. Please take note that I am trying my hardest to write all of the characters so they remain In Character. This applies for Homura as well. He is NOT a rapist, and his character will not be butchered so that he is one in my story.
Yeah, so I'm done ranting now. ::sweatdrop:: I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and comments and criticisms are ALWAYS appreciated.
-Iapetus