To my reviewers,
Kean: My first reviewer deserves a hug I guess… P hugsssss
RamblingKitsuneOnna : Thanks so much for your review! It really made my day! XD
Chapter 3
"Ne, Hakkai," A familiar whine rang out through the silence that night. "I'm bored." After Goku had eaten to his heart's content and the 46th dish has been cleared away, they had retreated to their OTHER room, the one without the grumpy Sanzo obviously, to play cards and kill the time which crawled by so slowly in these rural parts of the country. No bars, no brothels, no night clubs for Gojyo and no late night restaurants to satisfy Goku's hunger pangs. And so Hakkai was obliged to keep the two hyper-active brats occupied, hence, poker. After his 12th successive win, however, they had thrown him out of the game, muttering something about him bribing the Gods. And THEN Goku had gotten bored, for when you're not too efficient with cards and your opponent's a gloating kappa who has cards concealed in various parts of his body and never fails to rub the fact in after you had lost another round AGAIN, well, that comes as no surprise at all. Hakkai looked up from the book he was engrossed in in feigned surprise.
"But I thought you were having fun playing poker with Gojyo?"
"That's right." A lazy drawl, accompanied with a puff of smoke. "Playing poker with Gojyo is always fun, didn't you know that you stupid ape? I must say I had loads of fun cleaning out your pockets."
"It is SO NOT FUN, you cheating erokappa!! You cheated the last round, and the round before that, AND the round before that… AND…and… AND now I'm broke!"
"Aww…the poor bakasaru's broke…. how…how….heart-wrenching.." Followed by a few extra-loud, fake sobs.
"Now, now," Hakkai hastily cut in to prevent another disaster, and of all places, just next door to a sleeping Sanzo too. "Goku, why don't we go out for a walk or something? Or perhaps you'll care for a lesson? You've been making good progress with your books lately."
"But I wanna PLAY! Don't you have anything I can play with, Hakkai?"
"Umm…."
"Why don't you go play with your precious Sanzo, bakasaru? I'm sure he's feeling all bored and lonely in the next room," Gojyo remarked sarcastically, then brightened as a brainwave washed over him. "Hey, bakasaru. You're bored right? Well, I dare you to sneak into Sanzo's room and steal his gun or something." Now THAT would be interesting to watch. Much more exciting than playing poker with a dense monkey who was bound to lose every round.
Goku and Hakkai stared at him in aghast, followed by a reproachful look from Hakkai which clearly said "You should know better than to suggest things like that, Gojyo." But Gojyo was immune to all reproachful looks from Hakkai at the moment.
"Come on, bakasaru. If you grab something and manage to return in one piece, I'll let you have the last spring roll or meat dumpling for a whole fortnight."
Goku's eyes sparkled at the thought, then clouded over as the grimness of the task which lay ahead of him sank in. "But…but… Sanzo will kill me if I get caught! And he's such a light sleeper! And he keeps his gun under the pillow! And…and….."
"Easy. Don't get caught then."
"Gojyo…. ," Hakkai's tone held a warning note. "Goku, please ignore what Gojyo says. He's just trying to get you into trouble for the sake of a little entertainment."
"Oh, come on, 'Kai, don't be such a spoilsport. He's Sanzo's charge, for heaven's sake. What harm could that grouchy monk possibly inflict upon him even if he DID get caught?" Huge sweatdrops at this. Apparently, LOTS of harm. "Or is the bakasaru too afraid to do it? Huh? I've always known you were a monkey, but now it turns out you're a chicken as well. Chicken, chicken, chicken…."
"Argghhh…I'm so NOT a chicken, you idiotic kappa!! And I'll prove it to you!!" His mouth set in a determined line, he headed for the door, ignoring all Hakkai's words of wisdom advising him against such a suicidal task. Even Hakyuruu who had been resting in one corner of the room with his head tucked inside his wings flapped around Goku's head in a feeble attempt to change his mind. Only Gojyo lay slumped against the wall grinning like a maniacal serial-killer on the loose who had just spotted its next victim all vulnerable and exposed to his murderous intentions.
Goku paused outside Sanzo's room, gulped a couple of times, then cautiously pressed his ear to the door in search of any tell-tale sounds that might indicate an awake and very dangerous Sanzo. Silence greeted him. But that could mean anything from a sound asleep Sanzo to a very wide awake one smoking at the window sill. Should he knock? If he did, he could always come up with an excuse – he was hungry, for example – in the event that Sanzo was awake. Oh what the heck. As if Sanzo was gonna fall for such a lame excuse. Heaving a huge breath, Goku laid a trembling hand on the doorknob and gave it a little twist and push. The door slid open noiselessly and he muttered a silent prayer of thanks for its well-oiled state. No harisan came crashing down on his head, no bullets whizzed past his ear. Well, so far so good.
It took a while before his eyes became accustomed to the pitch darkness of the room and the very first thing he sought out was the sole danger of the room; its occupant. His eyes picked out the vague shape of a blanket-covered lump in the bed with slightly tousled blonde hair and the pounding of his heart slowed down a little. Well, here goes nothing. He took a cautious step forward and almost jumped out of his skin when his foot came down upon a loose floorboard which creaked for all it was worth. Holy Shit! It was, in fact, nothing more than the squeak of a mouse, but to Goku the noise seemed as loud as the launching of a rocket for the moon. He glanced at the inert figure fearfully, fully expecting it to stir, followed by the most violent, volcanic explosion ever recorded in the history of mankind. He nearly fainted at the sound of a soft click, not unlike the sound of a gun being cocked, and was halfway out of the door in full panic mode before he realized that the motionless form on the bed remained motionless. And then it dawned upon him that the said-click was no other than lights out for the next door guests. What a relief!
Goku remained poised in the doorway, contemplating giving up the whole ridiculous idea and returning to the safe haven next door after experiencing the fright of his life. Dinner was, after all, all about grabbing the last spring roll and the survival of the fittest. What would be the fun if Gojyo was to meekly let him have it for a whole fortnight?? Then he pictured Gojyo's mocking laugh if he was to return admitting defeat and he immediately gathered renewed courage, stepping boldly into the room for the second time. He was so gonna show Gojyo! Carefully avoiding the wretched floorboard which had nearly cost him his life, Goku made his way quickly but soundlessly to the bedside without anymore unfortunate occurrences and paused to stare at his Sun who was lying on his side as usual with his eyes closed. Now, where in the world does Sanzo keep that darned gun of his?