Chapter Summary: The Sanzo Party meets a young woman who keeps saying the name Jien which brings painful memories to the half-demon. Will Gojyo tell the party more about his past?
Author's Note: I am so sorry for the lack of updates! Seems my life out of fanfiction got in the way and I have been getting into new fandoms at least once a month. With that please enjoy Crimson Tears! Oh, and just like the previous chapter this is not beta read, and the PM systems are still down on FF which means I cannot speak to my beta.
Trigger warnings: Mentions of child abuse and murder to due to self-defence, if any of this triggers any of you please skip it or if you think a child that you know is in danger and live in the U.K use this link: thismorning/articles/child-abuse-survivor-support-helplines to find the right organizations to call.
International Childline information:
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Helpline- +355 4 2308 20
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Childline India Foundation - 1098
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TePSA Indonesia - 1500771
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Child Line - 1800 66 66 66 or 116 111
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Children's Coalition of Jamaica - 978 1296 or 888-429-5273
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Childline Kenya - 116 or 116 .ke
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Supportline - 179
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Lifeline/Childline Namibia - 116
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Child Workers in Nepal - 1098
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De Kindertelefoon - 0800 0432
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What's Up? – 0800
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Human Development Initiatives - 0808-0551-376
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Røde Kors telefonen for barn og ungdom - 800 33 321
Pakistan
Madadgaar Children and Women Help Line – 1098
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Sawa Child Helpline - 121
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FONO Ayuda - 147
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Fundación ANAR - 0800 22210
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Bantay Bata – 163
Poland
– 116 111
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SOS Criança – 116 111
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Telefonul Copilului - 116 111
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Telefon Doveria - 8-800-2000-122
Children Online - 8 800 25 000 15
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Allo - 116
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NADEL - 116 111
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Tinkle Friend Helpline - 1800 2744 788
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Linka detskej Istoty: 1116 111
Slovenia
TOM - 116 111
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Childline SouthAfrica - 0800 055 555
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Fundación ANAR - 900 20 20 10
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BRIS - 116 111
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Bertung + Hilfe - 147
T'ai-wan
113 protection helpline- 113
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ChildLine Thailand - 1387
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ChildLine - 131 or 800 4321
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Genclik Destek Hatti - 0850 455 00 70
Ukraine
La Strada Ukraine - 116 111
Uganda
Sauti - 116
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Boys Town National Hotline - 800 448 3000
Childhelp USA - 1-800 422 4453
Crisis Text - 741 741
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Linea Azul - 800 50 50
Zimbabwe
Childline - 961
₢ຈຈꀣ
It was a lovely mid-morning; everything was calm and peaceful, and a jeep came driving by which ended the peaceful morning.
"AH!" Goku shouted. "Hey time out! Didn't you just use these cards?" Goku continued while showing the cards in question to Gojyo.
"Did not!" Gojyo shouted back. "Didn't you just hallucinate?"
"Let's see the cards you just down then!"
"No way!"
"You pervert water sprite!"
Unknown to the party, a young woman, was watching them.
"Want to fight monkey!?" Gojyo asked while trying to push the teenager from the vehicle.
"You want to?!"
Sanzo being Goku's guardian and the leader tried to stop them from fighting in the jeep but for them to get off. While Hakkai was smiling as usual and commented, "Today's pretty lively too isn't it?"
While big brother and a little sister kept arguing over the card game and the father figure trying but failing for them to stop fighting in the jeep. Hakkai hit something on the road and before you knew it the whole party got wet.
"Buha!" Gasped Goku as she went up for air.
"It's cold," Gojyo complained.
And to the fashion of Goku and Gojyo, they are now arguing who caused them to land in the lake, while Hakkai checks on Hakuryuu, and Sanzo watches silently at the sibling petty argument. But only second later Sanzo dunked both Goku and Gojyo's head underwater.
"Die!" Sanzo growled. "Just drop dead right now!"
Sanzo then heard a laugh and released Goku and Gojyo from the dunking and there stood a woman, with long blonde hair which is tied in a high ponytail, her eyes are very beautiful, and is wearing a green dress with an apron over it and holding a basket full of washing.
"I'm sorry!" The unknown woman said. "You looked like you were all having fun, so…"
"Don't relate me with these idiots. Please!" Sanzo asked while facepalming.
"Could it be you came to do laundry?" Hakkai asked. Excuse us for troubling the water!"
Meanwhile back to the half-demon. "What do we do now?" Gojyo grumbled as he was trying to dry his clothes. "Even our spare clothes are drenched."
The unknown woman smiled at the party. "Won't you come to my house in the village to dry your clothes? It's my way of saying 'sorry' for laughing. I'll make some hot tea to!"
₢ຈ▿ຈꀣ
After a short walk, the party arrived at the village and entered the woman's cottage to change to warm and dry clothes.
"Did you have enough towels?" The woman asked while waiting for the men to come out from the bathroom and Goku from the woman's bedroom.
Hakkai is now wearing a white blouse and high waisted jeans, while Sanzo is wearing a black sweater with a pair of white jeans, and for Gojyo a black top with a pair of jogging bottoms. Well, as for Goku, she is wearing a dress that has the Yin and Yang symbol which went down to her knees.
"You helped a lot," Hakkai said gratefully. "Sorry, we even had to borrow clothes."
"It's okay!" The woman reassured Hakkai and the others. "I'm glad they fit you."
Suddenly, a shout was heard from the front door. "Shunrei! It's me can I come in?"
"Ah! It is Obasan! You can come in!"
The now named Shunrei explained to the party more about the lady. "It's the lady from the bakery next door her cooking is really good."
"I prepared lunch everybody please come and eat!"
Goku being Goku wanted to eat the food but remembered her manners, "It looks so good can I eat it?!"
"Of course." The old woman replied to Goku. However, the old woman noticed Sanzo, Hakkai, and Gojyo. "My! So many fine men young men around! If only I was ten years younger!" Much to the charging of the men in question.
₢ຈຈꀣ
"He! So, you guys are heading west huh?" The old woman said. "This village is a nice place you can stay as long as you like."
"We're not planning to stay long," Sanzo announced. "We're in a hurry."
It's good you should travel while you're still young!" The old woman smiled. Besides, I should be thanking you!"
Thanking us?" Hakkai questioned.
"Yeah, somehow, it's been so long since I saw Shunrei smile." The old woman answered as she watched Shunrei hanging the rest of her laundry.
"Eh?!" Goku shouted. "What?! You serious!?"
The old woman sighed and explained Shunrei's story.
"Shunrei was close to her lover, but he was a demon. Humans and demons, we knew that relations between different races are forbidden. But these two were hard-working, nice kids. Even the villagers gave them their blessings. But that story dates back a year, you know this don't you? All the demons in the world have gone crazy! A year ago, the demon from this village started going wild, he too was one of them. Before he was completely gone, he broke up with Shunrei and ran away. From that day Shunrei stopped smiling and he never came back home."
"Then these clothes, they must be his?" Hakkai asked as he pointed to himself, Sanzo and Gojyo.
"They are clean, aren't they?" Goku commented as she just noticed how clean they are.
"This girl Shunrei believes someday her lover will return home, lost in her loneliness she always dies the laundry like this."
Before the party can work out what to say to the story the old woman continued.
"Lending these precious clothes is not for saying sorry for laughing. I'll bet she's thanking you for making her smile again. You know our only wish is that Jien is still alive."
Both Gojyo and Hakkai looked at the old woman in shock and Gojyo exclaimed; "Jien?! The guy's name is Jien?!"
"Why, yes, it is!" The old woman replied. "He came to this village about four years before all that. I don't know his last name, though. What is it? Someone, you know?"
"Nah," Gojyo replied. "I doubt it."
Gojyo then left the living but not without Sanzo and Hakkai looking at Gojyo questionably.
₢ຈຈꀣ
A few hours after Gojyo left Shunrei's house, Goku was in search of her playdate as Goku knew she has too much energy for maternal and paternal figures.
"Where's Gojyo?"
"Dunno?" Maybe in the toilet?" Sanzo said as he knew that Goku would never go to the toilets due to the latest rule that was made by Hakkai: Goku is never allowed to enter the men's toilet if they are stopping at an Inn or someone's house.
"That lady we insisted that we stay overnight. Damn, we're not on a field trip!" Sanzo said in frustration since he wants to be in India as soon as possible.
Hakkai laughed. "This seems to be in gratitude, lets honor her generosity."
"Say Hakkai tell us already!" Goku shouted. "Earlier Gojyo was looking him, this Jien guy, who is he?"
However, Hakkai had the urge to go to the men's room which caused Goku to be frustrated with the new rules that Hakkai gave her.
"Goku, why don't you ask him directly?" Hakkai asked.
"Not!" Goku replied as she sat down on the bed and cuddled a pillow in reassurance for herself. "But you know I don't have secrets or stuff like that and if he has isn't it unfair?"
Both men looked at Goku and thought 'Let's try and keep her innocent for a long time!'
"I'll tell you Goku, but you must not tell Gojyo that I've told you this. That person's name is Sha Jien when Gojyo was eight years old, he disappeared like this. He saved Gojyo's life and he seems to be his older brother from what is called 'different mother'."
Meanwhile downstairs, with Gojyo and Shunrei.
"Say?" Gojyo asked.
"Yes?"
"This Jien guy got a picture of him or something?"
"Eh? Why?"
"I'd like to see the face of the bastard who makes a pretty girl, that's all."
"A! No, I don't have a picture."
"Hmm..."
'Oh well wouldn't know even if I saw him… I can't remember his face anyway. Gojyo thought sombrely.
"So, was he better looking than I am?" Gojyo asked.
"Why do you ask such a question?!" Shunrei asked in shock but before Gojyo could explain himself Shunrei continued. "But he was a nice man, he liked children. He was considerate to his friends, he would always come home after work all covered with mud, but more than this, he loved this village. I liked washing those mud-covered clothes, but now I'm thinking 'was it all just a dream?' I don't know why all the demons have gone crazy but, I am a human he was a demon. It seems divine punishment for us for each other?"
Gojyo lit another cigarette and said, "Human or demon, if you think that doesn't matter, isn't okay just to wait?"
Shunrei gasped. "I know that! I believe in him more than in anybody else. Washing clothes that nobody wears, cleaning a room nobody uses!" shouted Shunrei. "But this is all I can do! Even now I…" Shunrei cried.
"Sorry," Gojyo said as he finished his cigarette and placed it in an ashtray. "Guess I said something weird."
"No, that's no..." Shunrei stammered.
"Well, I'm a demon too," Gojyo said as he smiled flirtingly towards Shunrei.
"Eh… Eh?!"
"Just to tell if it was I's make up something better," Gojyo said as he was getting up from his chair and slowly caged Shunrei against the wall. "I don't look different from humans. But inside my body runs the blood of a demon for sure. Am I scary?"
'Crimson eyes how beautiful… the colour of a sunset...' Shunrei thought as she looked at Gojyo. "Not at all!" Shunrei said at loud.
Gojyo sighed in relief and smiled at Shunrei. "Doing the laundry is cool." As he said this, Shunrei started crying and Gojyo tried to reassure but failed as he tried to hit on Shunrei but quickly backed off and left the kitchen.
Simultaneously, Hakkai was telling Sanzo and Goku more about Gojyo's past.
"Is a pureblood demon?" Sanzo asked
"Right!" Hakkai said. "Jien is the son of the real that's true but he saved Gojyo from the real wife when she tried to kill him."
As Goku heard this she tried to keep her tears at bay while listening more to Hakkai.
"Parents would not kill their real children, but so Goku can understand, I have to say Gojyo's father was a demon. He had a human mistress from whom he had Gojyo making him of mixed blood… he was a child of sin."
Goku looked at Hakkai and Sanzo and asked one question that caused their hearts to hurt in a million pieces. "I'm more of a sin than Gojyo, all I know is that I was born from the Earth's aura, I did something bad and was placed in prison and lost my memories… and have the ability to speak to the animals and sense things."
"Oh, Goku," Hakkai said unhappily and quickly hugged Goku as Goku finally let her tears fall. "You are not a bad person."
"B…But I am!" Goku cried. "I've been horrible to Gojyo since we met... and!" However, before she could continue Gojyo entered the bedroom and swiftly sensed the atmosphere was sad and bit of anger too. Gojyo immediately knew that Hakkai finally told them the truth about some of his past and walked towards Goku and Hakkai.
"Its okay Goku," Gojyo said as he sat down next to Goku. "It's all in the past."
"But it's not okay, you were hurt by someone when you're a child, it's not okay!"
"You're right Goku." Agreed Gojyo. "It wasn't but I have grown to accept that I can't change the past."
Sanzo knowing Goku was getting more upset decided that Goku should go on a nice walk around the village. As the father and daughter duo left the room and house altogether. Hakkai apologized to Gojyo about telling Goku.
"It's okay," Gojyo said as he laid down on a bed. "She was going to find out sooner or later. But I didn't think she'll ask this early in our adventure."
Two hours later Goku and Sanzo arrived back at the house and instantly Goku went to sleep along with the adults.
₢ຈຈꀣ
It was now morning and after last night talk and secrets now finally told and after defeating a group of demons who called themselves Sha Jien and nearly killed Shunrei in the process it was time for the Sanzo party to leave and continue their journey to the west.
Glossary
Obasan- means auntie or older woman. In this case, Shunrei means older women with respect.