A/N Heiyo! I'm back! Wow…I've actually updated the next day after updating one chapter, which means I've updated two times in two consecutive days! Yay for me! Well, sort of. I started this on September 9, 2004 but continued it the next day. Hahaha! Anyway, here's the next chapter to this sequel. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN SAIYUKI!

Time and Time Again

Chapter 2

By Crimson Devil

It was the second day of school now and all the young boys of Mamiyoka High walked their way to school expecting to get some old orientations from teachers who were probably just as boring. As sure as the sun was shining through the leafy green trees, the bell rang and signaled the students to go into their respective classrooms.

In level 2 class 3, like all the other classes on campus, were bored out of their minds listening to the old codgers babble on, talking about rules and regulations that they've already heard over and over again ever since they applied for Mamiyoka High. Some boys were lulling to sleep, their heads jerking up to prevent them from falling to the desk. One student was already sleeping with some drool escaping his lips. The new students were required to listen attentively no matter how much they didn't want to sit up straight and pay attention. For them, it was torture. They looked forward to hearing the bell in the halls, either ringing for recess, or better yet, dismissal at each passing minute they spent in the warm classroom. The conditions weren't good. Seemingly endless droning and babbling plus a warm and soothing temperature in the room, was not a good combination. Thank goodness it was a day for orientation, therefore, will be out of the school gates by 12:00 pm. This carried on from Biology to Social Studies until the bell finally rang and signaled for recess. The students took less than fifteen seconds to grab their lunch money after saying good bye to their teacher in the most respective way they could say it.

Sanzo shoved a hand into his pocket as he walked down the hall, making his way to the cafeteria, when he was called by a voice he hadn't heard before. "Hey! You blonde dude!" the voice called from behind. The said blonde turned around and glared at the slightly taller red-head with long hair. "What did you call me?" he growled, telling the intruder that he chose the wrong guy to call by such a crude name. "Whoa…sorry man. I didn't mean to call you that. I'm just used to using slang." The red-head explained, scratching the back of his head. "And you are…?" Sanzo inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Oh yeah! Sorry! I'm Sha Gojyo. But you can just call me Gojyo! Er…I was told that you could show me around the school." the tanned man answered with a small smirk. Sanzo gave out a sigh and gave a mental curse to whoever assigned him another newcomer like they always did. "Pleasure meeting you. If you must eat with me, fine then. But don't be too boisterous or get too friendly with me." He turned his back and resumed walking. "Hey wait up! Why are you so stiff anyway?" Gojyo asked, stopping in front of Sanzo who looked into the taller one's crimson eyes. "It's none of your business. Besides, I don't wanna talk about it." He answered in a deeper monotone voice as he walked past him, leaving Gojyo puzzled as he followed him through the double doors of the cafeteria.

The bell rang thirty minutes later and the students left their plates to their respective place to be brought into the kitchen for cleaning. As they entered their classrooms, they knew that they had to endure this for three more periods before the next bell rang for lunch, followed by dismissal. The same thing happened. Seconds dragged into minutes as minutes dragged into hours, a painstaking wait for them. Sanzo just stared at the blackboard behind the current babbling teacher, making it seem like he was actually listening. But no. His thoughts were in another place, a place where he could think about the big questions that loomed over him. He took a glance at his knuckles, still red and aching from the many punches he inflicted on the wall that night. He scoffed at the thought and thrust them to the back of his mind, trying to forget about it. Meanwhile, Gojyo, who was sitting behind him, took notice of Sanzo's aura. It was hard to distinguish, but he knew it was there. Though he wanted to ask Sanzo anything about it, he remembered what had happened earlier that morning and decided to let it be…for now. "What's wrong with this guy? Is this how the renowned Genjo Sanzo is like?" he thought to himself as he stared at his classmate's back.

Finally, after an hour and twenty minutes, that seemed like five hours, after recess, it was now the last subject: Homeroom. For some reason, the boys in class stared intently at the room's entrance. They knew that this new teacher of theirs was different from the others. Way different. They expected something new and exciting from him without even being fully aware. And sure enough, the door slid open and Goku entered the classroom with a bright smile, his eyes shining through his glasses. "Good day, class!" he chirped as he scanned the room. "What's the matter with you? Greet me! I may be new around here but I deserve some respect too." He told them, pouting a bit, to everyone's surprise. "Good day, sir." They answered in chorus, some of them chuckling a bit. "Aww c'mon, you can do better than that!" he said, crossing his arms across his chest. "Good day, sir!" they repeated, laughing and chuckling. "There! That's more like it! I expect our classes to start that way till the end of the school year. Do I make myself clear?" he asked. "Yes, sir!" they replied with enthusiasm. Goku smiled and motioned for them to take their seats. "I feel good about myself. You wanna know why? Because I was able to snap you guys out of your trance! I know you all want to get home as soon as possible, but before that, I want us to have a little activity." He said, setting his suit case on the table. They all started to murmur and curiosity filled the air. "We're going to have a little "ice-breaker" as some would call it. I want all of you to introduce yourselves to me." He said finally. Some students let out groans of dislike. They didn't want to be treated like kindergarteners. "Aww c'mon, it'll be fun! I promise." Seeing some faces of uncertainty, he spoke again. "Alright. I'll make a deal with you. We won't introduce ourselves the old fashioned way. I'll just raise a topic and we can all say what we want to say. That way, I can get to know you through the answers you give me. And as an added bonus, you can ask me any question about me. Deal?"

The boys thought it over and gave murmured approvals. "Great! Now, let's see here. What topic should we talk about first?" he asked. Gojyo raised his hand and was soon noticed. "Ah Gojyo. Looks like I'm not the only newbie around here. So, what's your question?" he said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Sir, do you uh…have a girlfriend?" he said with a smirk on his face. "What?!" he replied, his glasses slipping of again and tilted slightly. "Yeah sir! C'mon! you said that we could ask anything!" the students reminded him, amused by the shocked look on Goku's face. "Well…I erm…don't have a girlfriend." He answered, his cheeks tinged with a streak of pink. "What?? No way!" they all said in surprise. "No really, I don't have one. I can tell, Gojyo, that you are the type who chase and woo women, right?" he asked the tall red-head who was now seated. "Hmm…you could say that." He replied, his smirk widening a bit more. "Well then, anyone else here who has a girlfriend?" Goku asked, later on seeing that most of the students' hands were raised, Sanzo's form caught his attention. "Uh…Genjo Sanzo, am I right?" he asked the blonde teen. "Yes." He answered, slightly turning his face towards his teacher. "Don't you have a girlfriend? Seeing as you are very good looking, I'd expect that you have girls falling for you." He said, taking note of his blonde hair, well carved features and amethyst eyes. "I'm not interested in girls." He said dryly. "Then what do you like? What catches your interest?" he asked. "Books." He answered flatly. Goku's eyebrows furrowed. There was something about Sanzo that just wasn't right for one reason or another. He stole a glance at the younger boy's hands and saw that they were red and raw. "What the…?" he thought to himself, but was interrupted by his prompting students who've become open enough to share other things about themselves. "Ah yes…well…where were we?"

Minutes later, the bell rang and it was finally time to go home. The students of level 2 class 3 however were a bit disappointed to leave. They were all fired up in Goku's class that they'd almost forgotten about going home! "Bye sir!" they called out as they left the classroom with their bags slung over their shoulders. Sanzo, placing one last book into his bag, zipped it shut and headed towards the door. "Uh…Sanzo…?" Goku said after organizing some papers in his suit case. "Sir?" Sanzo asked, turning to Goku who sat at his desk. "Erm…I just wanted to tell you one thing." He said cautiously, picking the right words to say that wouldn't show that he was jumping the gun just because he saw Sanzo's hands. There were these words in his mind that kept calling to him; telling him to say them aloud. Thinking that it was the right thing to say, he looked at the teen before him and smiled. "Don't be a stranger around me, alright? If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask." Trying to figure out what he meant, he just shrugged it off and nodded. Turning his back to his teacher, he walked out the door and turned left. Shutting his suit case with a click, he cupped his chin in thought. There really was something that bothered him about Genjo Sanzo. "Why were his hands all red? They looked as if they were slapped or something. I may be a newbie on campus, but as a teacher and counselor, I have the right to be worried." He leaned in his chair and looked at the slightly orange sun. "Well, I can't just force anything out of him. I'm still this class' counselor after all. Only time will tell I guess…"

Meanwhile, Gojyo was now running through the corridors, picking up his pace when he remembered a television program he wanted to catch. Turning at a sharp corner near the school's entrance, he collided with a brunette smaller than him and ended up falling on his back and could see a blur of brown, feeling a slightly heavy weight on his torso. "Ugh…" Gojyo groaned, rubbing what he can of his pained back. "Hey watch it kid, will 'ya?" he told the smaller form in slight annoyance. "I'm so sorry!" the brunette apologized, slight panic in his voice as he clambered off the other boy and tried to help him up. "I'm so sorry. I was in such a hurry that I…" he fell silent; he could feel his cheeks warming up. "Judging by his height he must be a junior. Or worse…a senior!" he thought to himself, panicking himself more. "Ah don't sweat it, kid! Just watch where you're going next alright?" to the younger one's surprise, he wasn't clobbered like all the other boys did to him. He looked up at the taller boy. "Uh…okay. Are you by any chance a senior?" he asked nervously. "What? Heck no! I'm a sophomore! Did I scare you or something?" Gojyo told him, much to the boy's relief. "Uh sort of…" he replied sheepishly. "No need to be afraid. I'm new around here. My name's Sha Gojyo. Just Gojyo to you." He said, reaching a hand out to the other boy. The green-eyed boy took his hand in a friendly handshake before adjusting his glasses. "I'm Cho Hakkai of the freshman batch. Pleased to meet you." He gave a polite smile before they let go. "Well, sorry for bumping into 'ya like that too. I was also in a hurry…and I still am!" Gojyo grinned sheepishly before taking a glance at his watch. "Maybe I'll see 'ya around! Later!" he called out as he ran out of the school and disappeared out of sight as he turned right. "Sha Gojyo, huh? He seems like a nice guy."

Later that night at the Genjo residence, Sanzo sat at his balcony, the wind slightly blowing through his hair. He wasn't thinking of anything in particular, not even about random thoughts. His gaze out into the far lights of the city diverted to a certain gold light at the top of a tower. "What did sir Goku say those things? Does he know something about my father? Surely you jest." He told himself. "No. he wouldn't know. I haven't told a soul anything about me…needless to say about my family or any other personal crap." But there was this certain aura that he felt from his new teacher. And when he said those words, it reminded him of his father. It reminded him of someone he could run to. That someone used to be his father, but now that he's gone, he had to stand tough. He couldn't risk being caught vulnerable. He had to care for his mother and himself. He couldn't risk losing her as well. A dull knock came to the door, and when nobody answered, Sanzo's mother came into view. "Sanzo?" she said, peering into the room. "I'm over here mom." He called from the balcony, not bothering to get up. "I brought you some ice cream in case you wanted desert." She said kindly, handing him a cup of rocky-road ice cream with extra marshmallows on top. "This was your favorite when you were little. Your dad used to spoil you and give you a lot, even before a proper meal." Sanzo tensed. He wasn't used to being in this kind of atmosphere with his mother. And even if he did share sentimental moments with her in the past, he had long forgotten how to handle them. He looked at her, her slightly aged face staring at the night sky. "Why?" he murmured to himself but was audible enough to be heard. "Why do you still talk about him? Why do you still try to smile even when he left us? Why do you even care to mention him when he was such a…a bastard?" he asked, not showing any emotion. She sighed and pulled her shawl closer around her shoulders. "I don't know. As silly or ridiculous as it may sound, I don't know. I guess I don't want to let people see that I am weak. Or maybe I would prefer smiling than to let people see that I am hurt. Because I know that when people see me like that, they get hurt as well. Perhaps both." She looked at her son and smiled. "Sanzo. You've truly grown into a fine young man, trying your best to be brave and strong. And I am proud of you. But don't put any barrier around your heart. It may be to protect you from being hurt in the future, but it will just inflict pain on others. Which does more damage than just feeling lonely for the rest of your life as a result of being cold-hearted." She opened her arms and embraced him, resting her chin on his shoulder with her eyes shut tight. "Don't let that happen, Sanzo. Don't hide your tears when they beg to fall. It will just hurt more that way." He wrapped an arm around her as he felt tears fell to his dark blue tank top. He stayed there as his mother cried into his shoulder.

A/N Wee! I'm having lots of fun! Are you? Hehehe! Well, watch out for the next chapter to find out what happens next, 'kay? Please do read and review! If you'd like, you could give a suggestion or two for some other scenes/chapters.