A/N: This is really unusual for me, but I'ave actually got this story entirely planned out from beginning to end, so it's just a matter of me finding the time to write it down. It's not going to be horribly long, but at least two more chapter. Maybe three or four. I may even post fanart for this, as I have several ideas in mind.

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Chapter 2

Confined

It was three days before their travels brought them to a village. Though older Goku—Seiten Taisei Son Goku, as he called himself—had kept himself separate from them, stopping two demon attacks before they had even begun. Sanzo was still extremely irritated; in fact, he was even grouchier than usual, even going off on Hakkai.

When at last they reached an inn, Sanzo ignored dinner, going straight to bed.

"Hey, monkey boy," Gojyo said, gesturing Seiten Taisei Goku over to their table. Seiten Taisei had followed them for the last three days on a floating cloud thing that left the half kappa baffled and the young monkey incredibly jealous. He never camped with them, however, and he never ate with them or really even spoke. That in itself was suspicious to Gojyo and Hakkai, coupled with the fact that he never once complained of hunger, but when they brought it up to Sanzo, the monk had merely said that he was who he said he was, but wouldn't give any basis for this statement.

"Come eat with us," the redhead said, pulling out a seat. The newcomer took the seat wordlessly, his constant blank expression still in place.

Gojyo and Goku ordered, and presently large quantities of plates heaping with food were brought to the table. The two of them began to dig in immediately, fighting over the various buns and rolls.

Hakkai watched as Seiten Taisei merely picked at his food—at least compared to Goku. He ate enough for a normal person, but no more, and didn't really seem to take any pleasure in the food.

Why is Sanzo so sure this is actually Goku? He wondered. The two looked only a little similar when one got down to it, and their personalities were radically different. Hakkai looked a little harder. Their chi was very similar, though not identical. Seiten Taisei's seemed tainted somehow, but otherwise it was the same as Goku's.

As the food began to dwindle and the walking garbage disposals calmed down, there began to be a marked tension around the table. None of them had really interacted with Seiten Taisei; he kept to himself and rarely answered questions with more than a "yes" or "no." Even when he did, he always spoke in monotone. It was almost scary to see such meticulous emotional control in anyone even mildly resembling the boisterous monkey.

Hakkai decided to try to lighten the mood before the awkward atmosphere killed them.

"Would you care for some desert?" he asked, directing the question to Seiten Taisei.

"Yeah! Dessert!" Goku cried.

"No thank you," his twin replied quietly at the same time.

The table went silent.

"Really, you don't seem to be enjoying yourself at all," Hakkai said at last.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be rude," Seiten Taisei replied, looking up. He had begun fidgeting with his chopsticks. He placed them on the table now, then put his hands back in his lap.

"Geeze, would it kill you to smile or something?" Gojyo said. He reached for one of the last plates of spring rolls, snatching one before Goku got to them.

Seiten Taisei shook his head. "Strong emotions stress my limiters," he said. He ran his thumb over one of the gold bands on his wrists, and a few flakes of gold came off in his hand.

"I think you need a new limiter," Goku said around a mouthful of egg roll, courtesy of Gojyo's plate.

"No. This is fine for now," Seiten Taisei replied. His eyes darkened. "They only need to last until I get back to my time, which should be soon. I've drawn enough attention to myself with those demons that someone from heaven is probably trying to figure out how the hell I got here." It was true, too. The landscape had changed radically since he had begun getting rid of the demons for them. His Qidong lacked Hakkai's finesse—using just enough chi to hit one or two was out of the question. Instead, he would fry ten or twenty (minimum) and probably take out an acre of trees or part of a mountain in the process.

They had made really good time, though.

"So you can get new ones when you go back then?" Goku asked, not noticing his companion's change of expression.

"I won't need them, then," he replied. "I'm just going to break them when I get back, anyway."

All eyes were suddenly riveted to him as a small, slow, dangerous smile began to creep its way along his lips.

"I can't kill the Jade Emperor if I'm wearing limiters."

Sanzo tried covering his head with his pillow, but it didn't stop the screaming. Nothing had for the last three days. It was driving him crazy, and his head was pounding. He had gone to bed hours ago, but hadn't been able to sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep for the last two nights, that's to that damn monkey's voice.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He swung his legs off the bed and left his room. Four doors down, he barged into the room without knocking, and found Seiten Taisei sitting on his bed, not even attempting to sleep. He looked up when Sanzo entered.

"Just shut the hell up already," the priest ordered. "I'm here already, so quit calling me. Your damn voice is giving me a headache."

"Sorry," Goku replied in his quiet, monotone voice. "It's just like that time then, isn't it? When you saved me."

Sanzo remembered the first time he had heard that voice in his head. The damn brat calling and calling for him; he wouldn't shut up until Sanzo had traveled all the way to that mountain and released him. Even now he could sometimes hear the voice, but it had never been as intense as what he had been hearing over the last three days. If Goku had called to him, then Seiten Taisei was screaming.

He stood now, came up to Sanzo and stood before him with his head down. "You could always hear me, couldn't you? You always knew…"

"Just quit shouting at me. I haven't been able to sleep thanks to you."

"I haven't slept either." Goku looked up. Sanzo wasn't sure, but his face didn't look quite as impassive as it had a few moments before; he seemed almost sad. "I've hardly slept for five hundred years, because every time I close my eyes, I see—"

"What?"

Goku shook his head. His hands were shaking; he couldn't look at Sanzo anymore; it hurt too much.

"Hmp. Sanzo turned at started to walk away, but Goku caught his sleeve and pulled him back.

"What do you—"

He nearly choked on his words when he was suddenly embraced by Seiten Taisei.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Goku whispered, and Sanzo could feel dampness on his neck, where he had buried his face.

Sanzo grabbed his shoulders, ready to push him away, but then he realized that the screaming had stopped—or at least, dropped down to just a whisper. The relief was so welcome he reconsidered pushing him away.

For almost four hundred years, Goku had been forced to keep his emotions to himself in order to preserve his power limiters. To loose his temper or his control would mean his demon power would surface, shattering the limiters and sending him on a rampage. The last century in particular had been difficult; a glare, a smile, a tear, could all cause his limiters to crack. He had become accustomed to being alone; with his friends dead at the hands of the gods for almost four centuries, it had just become something he had to deal with.

Now though, seeing them all again, it was even harder. He had missed them so much, especially Sanzo. He had though he would never see him again; his protector, his friend. His everything.

Goku felt the tears leak out, slowly at first, relief at not being alone anymore. But then they came faster; five hundred years of pent up emotion, all pouring out onto cream colored robes and black leather. Before he knew what had happened, Seiten Taisei Son Goku, a heretic so powerful the gods themselves feared him and sought to control him, was sobbing on the shoulder of the least devout monk to ever walk the face of the earth.

Goku gripped Sanzo a little harder, half afraid to let go, unaware of how much he was scaring him until he was suddenly shoved backward with such force that he fell onto the bed.

"Stay away from me," Sanzo ordered. "Don't follow us tomorrow morning. I don't care who the fuck you are, but I never want to see you again." He backed quickly from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Goku pulled himself back onto the bed, resuming the position he had held earlier with his back to the wall and his knees to his chest, a few tears still sliding down his face.

Down the hall, the screaming in Sanzo's head resumed, even louder than before.

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