A/N: Here's chapter four. I'm actually see two or so more chapters left in this story, one more from Gojyo's point of view, and then the last from Sanzo's.
Anyway, thank you all so much for reading this and reviewing. I love all the feedback, and hope that you will stick around until the end. Hope that you enjoy this chapter.
Letting Go
Fight
"Goku."
"Yeah?" Goku looked up from where he sat. He hadn't been able to sleep that night and had taken to sitting by the window, watching the curled form of Hakuryu. The dragon hadn't stirred since the day before.
Sanzo, by the looks of it, hadn't slept either. He was sitting on the bed, smoking. "Get the kappa up. We're leaving."
Goku glanced over at Gojyo. He had been the one to find him, the one to drag him back to the room. Gojyo had been drunk, had passed out halfway back. Goku had left him on the floor and he remained there, sprawled in the middle of the room.
Sanzo hadn't been pleased that the kappa had gone and gotten himself drunk. He had cursed at him, kicked him, then decided that he'd rather just leave him be.
Goku reached out and ran a hand over Hakuryi, stroking his head. "Should I wake up Jeep too?" he asked, turning his head so that he could see the priest. Sanzo stared at him with emotionless eyes.
"What do you think?" There was a sharp edge to his voice and Goku decided it would be best not to answer him. He scooped Hakuryu up in his hands, bringing him level with his face.
"Hey, Jeep! Time t' wake up!" He jiggled his hands slightly, trying to wake up the dragon. Hakuryu opened one eye, showing a glint of red, then cheeped feebly and closed his eye again.
Goku blinked, lifting the dragon's head with one finger. This time Hakuryu didn't even move. "Sanzo?"
"What?"
Goku flinched slightly at the tone of Sanzo's voice. "Umm…I don't think Jeep's okay."
There was a moment of silence. "What do you mean, Goku?"
Goku set the dragon back down on the windowsill. "I mean, he's not waking up. Doesn't that mean that he's not all right?"
He heard Sanzo growl. "Wonderful." Goku turned around in time to see him get up from the bed. "We'll be walking, then. Gojyo, get your worthless hide up!" He caught his foot under Gojyo's shoulder, flipping him over.
The kappa groaned, eyes flickering as he raised himself up with one arm. He blinked, staring up at Sanzo for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened. "What the hell, you damn priest!" His voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot. "You didn't have to kick me!"
Sanzo pulled on his robes, then glared down at the red haired man. "We're going. Get up."
Gojyo sat up, resting his head in his hands. "Damn it. Fucking headache."
"That's your own fault, kappa."
Gojyo looked up, eyes narrowing. "Shut th—"
"Jeep's sick," said Goku, seeking to prevent the argument that was sure to come. "At least, I think so. He's not waking up." From the window, Hakuryu cooed, though the sound was very soft and faint.
"Sounds like he's awake to me." Sanzo withdrew his gun from his robes, pointing it down at Gojyo. "You. I thought I told you to get up."
Gojyo rose unsteadily, reaching out for the wall to keep himself from falling. "Didn't take a lot to set you off this time, did it?"
Goku watched the two of them sadly. This was not good. Not good at all. Gojyo was right; Sanzo had drawn his gun incredibly early in the argument. "Hey, guys?"
"Shut it, monkey," came Sanzo's voice. "I do not want to hear that you are hungry."
Goku's shoulders slumped. Would it help to tell them that he wasn't hungry? Because he wasn't. Not at all. He hadn't felt like eating for the past few days, but he had. He knew that he needed to eat, even if he didn't want to.
"Oh, so you aren't even listening to anyone else, are you? Is the great Sanzo so mighty now that he doesn't even need to hear the words of his poor minions?"
Sanzo's finger tightened on the trigger of his revolver. "Shut your mouth, you piece of shit. I told you to get up—"
"And I am up!" Gojyo's voice was rising. "Or did you not notice that? Are going blind now, as well as going bald? Wait, I already knew that! Why else do you have to wear glasses?"
There was a cracking sound, and a bullet buried itself in the wall beside Gojyo's head. The kappa hadn't so much as flinched.
"Is that all you can do?" he taunted. "Come on, Sanzo. You always miss me. Bad shot as well as blind and bald?"
"Shut the hell up."
"Oh, I struck a nerve, did I? I'll just say it all again. Bad shot, blind, bald, fucking priest!"
"Guys!" It was a feeble attempt to stop them. It really was. Yelling probably wouldn't help, but it was all he could do. He didn't want to get involved. "Come 'n guys, listen to me!"
"Shut up, you damn monkey!"
And he really didn't want to be called a monkey. Not now, not ever, But they never really listened to him. Only Hakkai had, and now Hakkai was gone.
Everything was falling apart. It really was. Without Hakkai there to keep the balance…these two were probably going to kill each other. Goku could already see Sanzo's finger tightening on the trigger again. He wondered if he'd actually shoot Gojyo this time. He wouldn't be surprised if he did.
Everything was a mess. Sanzo was yelling at everyone, though he couldn't think of anything more to say than threats and 'shut ups' and the such. He wasn't sleeping; Goku knew that much. He wasn't all right, even if he was acting pretty much how he always did. There was something wrong about him, though Goku didn't know what it was.
Gojyo…Gojyo was falling apart as well. Going out and getting drunk and taunting Sanzo weren't anything new, but just the way that he didn't seem to care what he said. Or if Sanzo actually shot him. It was kind of like he didn't care what happened anymore.
And they both ignored him. Goku felt so alone, even though they were right there. If Hakkai were there…if Hakkai were there, maybe things would be all right again. But there was no way that Hakkai would come back.
"Sanzo," he tried again, a pleading note in his voice, "Gojyo. Can't you just listen t' me for a moment?"
They ignored him. They ignored him like they always did. After all, he was just a stupid monkey who only thought about food, wasn't he?
"So," Gojyo was saying, leaning back against the wall as if this was all just something incredibly amusing, "Jeep's sick. What were you planning for us to do, Lord Sanzo? Walk? But I thought that Lord Sanzo was a lazy ass. Why would he want to walk?"
"We'll walk," said Sanzo through a clenched jaw. The creases between his eyes had deepened and he was glaring at Gojyo as though trying to kill him with that action. "And you are going to carry the damn bags, got it?"
"Oh, I'm so frightened of bags. You think that's some sort of punishment for me, Sanzo? It's not like I haven't carried stuff before."
Goku turned his back to them, focusing on Hakuryu. If the dragon would just wake up, then maybe this would stop. Then they could just get started and head off to the west. "Come 'n Jeep."
Hakuryu raised his head, opening both eyes this time. He cheeped again.
"What's wrong, Jeep?" Goku asked, though he didn't expect to understand any answer that the dragon could supply. But talking to the dragon distracted him from the fight that was going on behind him. "Are you hungry?"
He shook his small head, dropping it back down to the windowsill. Goku picked up the dragon again.
"Come 'n, Jeep! We need you t' get up. Then we can go, and they'll stop fighting! Okay?" He thought for a moment and suddenly realized what was wrong. It was so incredibly obvious. "You miss him, don't you?"
Hakuryu cheeped, nodding. He rested his head on Goku's wrist, closing his red eyes. He cheeped again and then fell silent.
Hakkai. It all came back to Hakkai. Goku pulled the dragon to his chest, looking down at him sadly. This dragon was the last remaining thing of Hakkai's that they had. Sanzo had told them to get rid of the rest of his stuff, because they couldn't afford to drag it along with them. His clothes and all the other small things that he had brought along with him on the journey…they had buried them with him.
What if—a thought stuck Goku suddenly, one that made him very cold—what if Hakuryu died as well? What if he became so sad because Hakkai was gone that he died?
There was the sound of several more gunshots from behind him. The two were still yelling, looking ready to kill one another.
Why couldn't Gojyo just leave Sanzo alone? Why couldn't Sanzo just not listen to Gojyo? Why couldn't…
Useless. It was all just so useless. Hakkai had been the only one who kept them from killing each other. He, Goku, couldn't do that. Besides, they listened to Hakkai. They'd respected his opinions. And they just thought of Goku as some monkey. Some little monkey who only wanted food.
That's not true. I don't want food anymore.
He thought back to when Hakkai had died. He'd had a choice, between Sanzo and Hakkai. He didn't want Sanzo to die, but what would be happening now if the priest had been the one to be buried? Would things be the same? Would they be better, or would they be worse?
It hurt to think about it, but he had to. He didn't like how things were now. He didn't like it at all.
What if…what if there had been a way to save both of them? It would have probably meant giving his own life…but he wondered about it. If he had been given the choice, would he have done it? Saved them both and let himself be killed?
He might have. If he knew that it would keep what was currently occurring from happening.
He didn't know what to do to stop Sanzo and Gojyo from fighting. But he wanted them to stop. He really, really did.
I don't just want food anymore.
A/N2: Well, there you have it. Another part from Goku. I personally think that he would react this way; I think losing Hakkai would make him try to grow up.
Anyway, questions, comments, or if you found mistakes, just review and tell me/ask me.
Raven