Wow… 4th chapter and going… let's see if I can manage to finish this story AND with a nice ending too.. lol…wish me luck, fellas!
To:
jarm: Thanks loads, and am hurrying as fast as I can, but considering the fact that I'm a procrastinator…. heee
Sarah: You flatter me, seriously…. Not that I'm complaining of course! Anyways, here's the update!
RamblingKitsuneOnna: Seems to me you really care for Goku… XD Not to worry, I don't intend on killing him off….
Chapter 4
His eyes darted through the few belongings of Sanzo thrown about carelessly on the counter. Cigarettes, lighter, spare bullets, newspapers. But no gun. His gaze then fell upon the chest of drawers placed very 'strategically' just beside Sanzo's sleeping figure, but he knew Sanzo wasn't one to store his things away neatly in drawers. Come to think of it, only Hakkai alone among their company of four does things like that. Then again, even if Sanzo WAS in the habit of drawer-storing, no way in hell was he gonna go pulling out drawers right under Sanzo's nose. He strained to peek under the pillow, the most likely hiding place of all, and was rewarded with a gleam of silver. Unsatisfied with such a subtle hint however, Goku crept closer for a clearer look till he was about a foot away from Sanzo's face. It was then that Sanzo suddenly grunted and moved, and poor Goku nearly died on the spot as he leapt back in terror. But Sanzo was only shifting for a more comfortable position and soon settled back against the sheets. Goku remained frozen on the spot where he had fallen, clutching his poor heart who had taken two great shocks in such a short time and caught himself wondering if he was about to die of heart failure that night.
There was absolutely no way Goku was going to try and obtain that gun concealed so safely under that pillow. What was he supposed to do? Try and move Sanzo's head? HAH. He desperately scanned the room for any other item that was equally attractive, and noticed with some degree of surprise Sanzo's white robe lying sprawled across the arm of a chair. Sanzo's worldly robes were usually the first thing in the wash whenever they happen to stop at an inn for the night, considering the fact that they were white and any youkai encounters would leave the most obvious stains of all imaginable colours. Oh rightttt, things have been relatively quiet these days, with Gojyo even going so far as to suggest that the youkais have decided to take the week off for a holiday in conjunction with the 100-day anniversary of having their butts kicked thoroughly by the Sanzo-ikko. Not being able to sneak off Sanzo's gun had been rather disappointing, but the harisan would be a rather good alternative, especially since it would mean less whacks on the head.
He ran clumsy fingers through the numerous pockets of the robe, sneaking peaks at Sanzo every once in a while to ensure that he was really sleeping and not pointing the gun at him ready to blow his brains out. He couldn't even begin to imagine Sanzo's reaction if he was to stir and catch Goku with hands buried deep in his precious robe's pockets; even that thought alone was enough to send the coldest of shivers down his spine. He would be considered extremely fortunate if Sanzo were to put a bullet through his head right that instance, at least it would be fast and relatively….. Goku's chain of thought suddenly broke off as his fingers fell upon a stiff, cylindrical object, which he pulled out with barely concealed curiosity. As far as he knows, Sanzo doesn't own anything of that… Oh My. Choking back a gasp which had almost involuntarily slipped out, Goku stared in awe and fascination at the Maten Sutra grasped tightly in his very own hand. THE Maten Sutra. Sanzo's pride and joy, the one thing he would never let Goku touch, goodness knows what permanent-ink drawings he might have produced on it. It was the very reason behind this whole Journey to the West, the depression on rainy days, his surly deposition. Oh wait, that wasn't exactly true. Sanzo's surly deposition had existed ever since the day he was born.
A sudden grunt from the bed brought Goku back to reality, and he realised with a start that pondering the source of Sanzo's brusque manners was probably one of the most unwise things to be doing at that moment. His main focus should be on beating a hasty retreat, it was already almost a miracle he had survived unscathed for a whole five minutes in this room. But what was he to do with this sutra? The obvious answer would be to replace it exactly like he had found it, return to safety, and feign ignorance if questioned by Sanzo in the morning about any suspicious findings. And he was about to do just that, when a dismaying thought occurred to him. How was he ever gonna face that ass kappa empty-handed??? There was absolutely nothing else in the room that was worth taking, and he was pretty certain that Gojyo wouldn't look too kindly upon Marlboro cigarettes or today's newspapers or even spare ammunition. He could already hear the inevitable teasing and mocking words inside his head, and he cringed at the thought of being a labeled a chicken. He, Goku, a CHICKEN??? Over my dead body, Goku vowed and found himself contemplating the outrageous idea of actual smuggling the sutra out just so that he could prove himself to the kappa. I can always return it once I waved it in front of Gojyo's nose, can't I?
Meanwhile, in the next room, a very anxious Hakkai was pacing the floor endlessly and a not-too-anxious Gojyo was lounging and puffing away at his Hi-Lites as if he hadn't a care in the world. Hakkai paused to throw his 23rd worried look at the doorway, and was disappointed to find himself staring at a close, and unyielding wooden door once again.
"I do hope Goku is alright. He's been gone such a long time."
"For goodness sake, Hakkai! It's only been a minute!" Gojyo sighed aloud in mock exasperation. "The monkey's not as dumb as I make him out to be, ya know…. And besides, it's been as quiet as a churchyard, there'll surely be some noise if he gets caught right?" He winked mischievously at Hakkai. But there was nothing even remotely mischievous about the way Hakkai glared back at him with cold, indifferent eyes.
"This whole thing is entirely your fault, you know that don't you, Gojyo?" Gojyo gulped uncomfortably, shifting his eyes away so that they weren't staring directly into Hakkai's hard ones. Give him a thousand snarling youkais, a trigger-happy grouchy monk, a broken leg, give him anything but a not-so-happy Hakkai looking exactly like he was looking at that moment. The only other time he had seen Hakkai look like that was when he had forgotten to take the thrash out AGAIN for the 7th consecutive time despite countless reminders and post-it notes, and Hakkai had returned at night to see huge fat worms crawling out of the garbage bag. OOoo.. even now he winced at the thought of THAT Hakkai….
"Uhh…."
Three whole minutes crawled by slowly. To Gojyo it seemed like an eternity, especially as Hakkai grew more and more frustrated. And every once in a while, he would give Gojyo this very scary look which promised lots of pain if Goku was to return harmed. Bang! The sudden sound of the door being slammed open gave them both a start, and questioning eyes were immediately turned in that direction. And lo and behold, if it wasn't our favourite saru standing there, looking a trifle pale no doubt, but none the worse for wear and clutching something tightly in his right hand. His eyes lighted up at the sight of his two companions and he darted in, but not without a quick look behind his shoulders just in case Sanzo might suddenly make an unpleasant appearance.
"Goku!" Hakkai's relief was overwhelming and he pulled the boy towards him for a hug, followed by a stern lecture on doing things without considering its consequences. Goku merely grinned, Hakkai's words only half-registering in his head, as he waved his prized possession in the kappa's direction. Gojyo felt relief washing over him as well, though it wasn't due to the saru's unharmed state but rather his own skin being saved from Hakkai's wrath. Then he noticed Goku waving some unfamiliar-looking item his way, all flushed and excited over this rather insignificant thing.
"Guess what I've got here, Gojyo!" In his keyed-up state, Goku had quite forgotten to refer to Gojyo as 'cockroach' or 'perverted kappa' or some other rude nickname reserved especially for Gojyo. Not the case with Gojyo, though.
"Sure doesn't look like a gun to me, bakasaru. Must be a naked picture of Sanzo to get you all wound up and animated like this."
"It is SO not!!" Came the indignant reply. "Look for yourself, you idiotic water-sprite. And don't forget the deal we had earlier!" Goku's smug manner grated on Gojyo's nerves, and he impatiently shook out the rolled-up parchment, wondering what in heaven's sake had gotten the dumb ape so cocky and arrogant. And thus, the Maten Sutra was laid out in full view for all to see