Standard disclaimers apply.

Okay, posting second chap immediately after first. Am really enjoying this fic, and must confess, like second chap better than first b/c it's an actual POV, instead of the monks...more in next chap, but be warned for sadistic monks, Sanzo's language, and major hurt...almost horror...but it will get better, I promise...I wouldn't irreparably hurt Goku...at least, I don't think I would... ;) If you think rating should change, tell me.

Enjoy, and please review!

Sanzo was pissed. He'd been on the stupid mission for two weeks, and now, when he returned to the monastery, he couldn't find the monkey anywhere. Not that that worried him. He couldn't care less what happened to the monkey—it was just strange. Irregular. Ever since he had found the brat six months ago, the monkey hadn't left him alone—he would go on missions with him whenever he could, and when he couldn't, he would wait for Sanzo to get back. When he did, the monkey would usually be watching from a tree or something, and jump all over him as soon as he was in sight. Not that he liked it. It was annoying. Annoying as hell. But he had gotten used to it. Sanzo supposed that he had to make some allowances for the brat; after all, he had been the first person the kid had seen since coming out of the cave...

So where was the damn kid?

Sanzo went into his room and peeled off the outer layer of his robe, keeping the sutra with him. The damn robe was such a pain in the ass. After taking it off, he checked the room for signs of the monkey. Strange…the room was perfectly clean and neat, as if no one had been living in it for some time. Sanzo felt a chill go down his spine. That was strange…the monkey would have left some sign of his presence…dirt, weeds, food crumbs…but there was nothing there.

He grimaced. He should have thought of this before. The brat had probably decided to clean the place up for him in order to have "a special surprise!". Sanzo groaned and dropped to his knees. He was going to beat the shit out of the brat when he found him. He peered under the bed. That's probably where he was…gods knew he had probably shoved all the dirt under there in hopes that he wouldn't notice…

Sanzo blinked. There was no sign of the monkey, and the underside of the bed was just as clean, if not cleaner, as the rest of the room. He sat up, only to bump his head on the bed…DAMN it…he was going to kill that saru when he found him…

Irritated, he lit a fresh cigarette and left the room, not bothering to shut the door behind him. As he passed down the hall various novices and acolytes bowed, murmuring of how great an honor it was to have the illustrious Sanzo Houshi among them. Fuck that. Sanzo ignored the monks. He was tired of having them prate on and on about the great honor. It wasn't that great of an honor. If they would actually spend some time helping people instead of babbling on, they might actually be worth something. But no, that was too much to ask of these idiots.

He looked in the kitchen, but the stupid monkey wasn't there either. What the hell…

"Sanzo Houshi?" A voice said with quiet reverence. Sanzo turned around abruptly, cursing the idiots who constantly followed him…it would be such a relief to get out of this fucking monastery and away from them…annoyance to have just the brat following him, he didn't need these fools too…

Sweet joy, it was the fucking head of the damn fucking monastery! Oh, it must be by special grace of the gods that he had to talk to this idiot so early in the morning…

"What is it?" He snapped, not bothering to put on a nice holy face for the monk. The monk's back stiffened almost imperceptibly, but instead of reacting he bowed. Sanzo thought he could see a slight twitch in the man's cheek in reaction to the cigarette. Well, fuck that.

"It is such a great honor to have the sacred Sanzo Houshi here with us. Such an honor can happen only once in a lifetime, and it must be by the grace of the gods that you are here. In respect for them, would you do us the honor of praying with us?"

Sanzo glowered. The man talked like a fucking machine. "Why would I want to pray with you? I have to get back to Chang'An."

"But, honored Sanzo, it will take only a few moments of your time."

Sanzo sighed. The monk was obviously not going to let this go. He might as well get it over with. Then he would find the saru and get the hell out of this place.

"Fine."

The monk started babbling again in appreciation. Sanzo cut him off. "Show me the damn prayer room."

The monk flinched at his language and nearly frowned disapprovingly. Sanzo glared. He could stick his disapproval…

"This way, please." The monk disappeared into the interior of the monastery. Sanzo grumbled and followed.

A brief while later, they arrived at the prayer room. Sanzo glanced inside and saw that the monk had somehow managed to stuff the entire monastery in it. He could feel another headache coming on.

The monk looked at him quizzically. "Won't you enter, honored Sanzo?"

"Just a moment." Sanzo thought up a convenient excuse. "I have to prepare myself."

The man bowed. "As you wish, honored one." He stepped inside the room. "We await your presence."

Sanzo almost growled a retort, but thought better of it. Anything to get rid of the man. Safely away from the view of the monks, he leaned against the wall to the prayer room and blew smoke. He was going to finish the cigarette before he went in there, monks be damned.

He had stood there for a minute when suddenly something caught his eye. He straightened away from the wall and looked at it more closely. A piece of paper…?

Chibi Sins:

Fidgeting in prayers.

Fidgeting in lecture.

Greed.

Gluttony.

Impertinence.

Lying in order to feed gluttony.

Blasphemy (prayers are boring).

Arguing with a priest.

Stealing food from the kitchen.

Cursing.

Personal refusal to bathe.

Refusing to shave his head as is proper for a companion of the Sanzo.

Falling asleep in prayers.

Disobedience.

15. Sacrilege: eating peaches from the tree of the Merciful Goddess.

"Chibi sins"…chibi…Goku…a sudden feeling of dread came over Sanzo, quickly replaced with the more comfortable emotion of anger. These weren't sins! He jerked the paper from the wall. "What the hell…"

"Do you need something, honored Sanzo?" The head priest stood in the doorway of the prayer room, a questioning and yet still disapproving look on his face. Apparently his language wasn't to the bastard's tastes. Well, he'd hear a lot more of it if he didn't tell him exactly what was going on.

"What is the meaning of this?" Sanzo asked, shoving the paper in the priest's face. "'Chibi Sins'? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The priest bowed. "The list was placed there as a warning to the acolytes and younger novices."

"Obviously." Sanzo snapped. "Who's "sins" are these?"

The priest's jaw tightened at Sanzo's exaggerated emphasis of the word "sins". "Those of your companion, Master."

"What the hell…" Sanzo could feel his gut twisting. His headache was getting worse. "Where is he?"

"Where is who, your holiness?" The bastard's face was disgustingly bland. Sanzo fought to keep from grabbing the priest's robes and force him to stop this cat and mouse game.

"My companion, you idiot."

"Ah." The priest's face took on an expression of carefully schooled distaste. "We are disciplining him, my lord."

Disciplining him…what the hell…"Take me to him. Now."

"But my lord, the prayers…"

Sanzo glared. "Now."

The monk's face turned a delicate shade of violet around the ears. Sanzo smiled grimly. Served the bastard right. He could rail all he wanted, but when push came to shove, it was Sanzo who ranked here, not this idiot.

"This way, your holiness."

Several of the other monks had come out of the prayer room by this time and were standing around curiously whispering among themselves. The priest gave them a disapproving look and they separated, walking away from each other, but at the same time following the priest and Sanzo as they walked away from the monastery and towards the woods.

Sanzo couldn't believe it. The monks had "found it necessary" to discipline the monkey? Who gave them the permission to do it in the first place? Who did they think they were to interfere in his affairs? It was their own damn fault if the brat had caused trouble. He had ordered the monkey to be on his best behavior in the hearing of the monks, but apparently that wasn't enough for them. They wanted to take matters into their own hands. Sanzo's lips thinned. Well, if it was politics the bastards wanted, politics they would get, damn them. He'd teach them to mess with a Sanzo monk. They'd learn who was in charge here…

He then noticed that they had been walking for some time. Sanzo looked behind him. The monastery buildings were already out of sight through the trees…what were they doing to the saru, anyway? What had he done today to make them put him out here?

"You." Sanzo barked, looking at the head priest. The priest's shoulders tightened, but he turned around and faced him.

"Yes, your holiness?"

"How much farther?"

"We're coming up on it now, my lord. It's approximately a mile away from the main monastery…"

"Whatever." What the fuck could they have a mile away from the monastery? Monasteries didn't usually have grounds this large—it wasn't practical! Looking around, he could see that the grounds hadn't been kept up, either—these were wild woods, not carefully pruned monastery gardens.

The monk stopped. "We're here, your holiness."

Sanzo stopped and looked around. They were in a small clearing in the woods. The grass and brush in the clearing was high all around, excepting the small path they were on. The path led straight on to…Sanzo paused. They had to be kidding him. This was some sort of sick joke, wasn't it?

"What the hell do you mean, bringing me all the way out here to show me this piece of antiquated shit?" Sanzo demanded, glaring at the head priest. The priest flinched.

"You asked to see your companion, my lord. This is where he is."

This was just sick. If it were even true.

"Is this some sort of a joke?" Sanzo growled, his voice rising. "To say you put my companion down…that thing…? Because it sure as hell better be."

The monk bowed. "It is no joke, holiness. Your honorable companion (so it was honorable now, was it?) is indeed in there."

Sanzo flicked his cigarette to the ground and faced the man head on. "Why the fuck did you put him in that thing?" He was already moving towards the hideous, lidded pit. It was surrounded by brush and growing over with moss…Sanzo could feel his rage growing as his put his hands on the lid. The thing was fucking heavy, at least four hundred pounds. There was no way anyone but a couple of grown men or a youkai could move that thing…

"Move it. Now." He ordered, his voice icy.

"Yes, your holiness." The monks bowed and began to shift the lid, groaning with exertion until it had completely slid off the pit. Sanzo ran to the edge and looked in. Gods, it was dark in there!

"Goku?" He called. Silence answered him. "Goku?" Again, nothing greeted his call. No stupidly happy voice, no cry of fear…nothing. Sanzo felt another chill shoot down his spine.

"Thrown down a rope." He ordered the monks.

"We don't have any with us, your holiness…"

Sanzo snapped around, teeth clenching the cigarette. "Then you sure as hell better get some."

Two of the younger monks ran off to retrieve some from the monastery. Sanzo turned back to the pit and looked down. The thing appeared bottomless. His teeth clenched tighter around the cigarette.

"How deep is it?"

"What was that, your holiness?" The head priest asked. Sanzo bit his cigarette in two.

"I said, how deep is the fucking hole!"

The priest straightened. "It used to be an old well, my lord. When last measured, it was forty feet deep."

"Forty feet…" Sanzo stared down the hole again. "How long has he been in there?"

The head priest frowned. "Extreme discipline proved necessary, my lord…"

Sanzo jerked around to face the priest, rage starting to twist his gut and heat his blood. "Just give me the fucking number, you bastard."

The priest's face whitened at this reference to his lineage, but he controlled his reaction. "Nine days, my lord."

Nine days…nine days…Sanzo looked down the pit again. A feeling of calm was starting to come over him, an emotion that he distantly recognized as unnatural. Goku had been in there for nine days. With the lid on. He had survived in the mountains for longer but…to lock a child into this Sinner's Pit…with the lid on…for nine days…Sinner's Pits had become outlawed in general Buddhism over three decades ago, because they were said to conflict with the teachings of Buddhism and the will of the Buddha. Sanzo had only seen a Sinner's Pit once before, and it had been nothing like this monstrosity…his jaw line whitened with pressure. This thing was the reason the pits had been outlawed in the first place…another thought struck him.

"You've been feeding him, I presume?" His voice sounded unnatural, even to his own ears. Damn it, control. Control was what he needed, not this automated sound. The words were being cut out, perfectly pronounced with no inflection…didn't want this bastard to think…

The monk nodded stiffly. "We gave him a rationing of food and water on the first day."

"The first day?" His voice was becoming even calmer, if that was possible. Sanzo could feel a chill sweeping through his limbs and settling in his heart. The brat wasn't dead. It wasn't possible for the brat to be dead. Yes, eight days without food and water in a bottomless pit would probably kill most children Goku's size…but he had lived for five hundred years without food in a cage on a mountaintop…surely he could survive now…

"Yes, we gave him enough food and water for a week."

What they considered enough food and water for a week was probably enough for two days, judging by the look on that smug bastard's face. Fasting rations. Sanzo was freezing over. He could feel himself retreating inside himself, chilling to numb. Vaguely, he was aware that the priest kept prattling on. He felt his eyes turn in his head and fix on the priest. Suddenly aware of his stare, the priest stopped talking.

"Yes, honored Sanzo?"

Sanzo didn't say anything, couldn't say anything. He just continued to stare. The priest backed up a little, a drop of sweat beginning to roll down his face.

"Honored Sanzo?"

Again, Sanzo did not reply. Idly, he observed that the heat of the summer afternoon was beginning to stifle the priest, who was now sweating profusely.

"Master Sanzo?"

A different voice. Sanzo answered it while continuing to pin the priest with the empty stare.

"Yes?"

His voice was quiet, gentle even. The voice swallowed audibly.

"Er…the rope."

"Lower it down."

"The pit, my lord?"

"I believe that is what I just said." His voice continued to hold that strange gentleness. The head priest, trapped in the stare, felt the hairs on the back of his neck sharpen and rise. He began to edge out of the view of those almost black eyes, only to have them follow him. The Sanzo Houshi's head didn't move, but his eyes turned almost completely in their sockets to remain fixed on the priest. The priest found he couldn't move. More sweat began to roll down his face. His habit was getting drenched.

The monks lowered the rope into the hole. When it hit bottom, they peered into the pit.

Sanzo removed his eyes from the head priest, who quickly turned his back and staggered a few feet away. "Do any of you happen to have a flashlight?" He asked mildly. He didn't quite understand why the monks almost ran from him when he turned to look at them. Hadn't he just spoken nicely? He didn't usually speak nicely, they should be grateful.

The monks looked at each other. Those eyes…those demon eyes…one of the youngest stepped forward, hands shaking, to offer a flashlight. Sanzo accepted it, examined it carefully, switched it on and off, and then nodded to him.

"Very good." He said calmly, and went to the edge of the pit. The rope disappeared into the darkness about ten feet down. Sanzo switched the flashlight on and shone it into the darkness. The pit was still too deep for the light to reach. He switched the light off and turned to the monks.

"How long is this rope?"

"About a hundred feet, your holiness."

"Good." Sanzo pocketed the flashlight, took the end of the rope, and tied it tightly around the trunk of a nearby tree. Hauling up the rest of the rope, he tied the other end around his waist and got onto the edge of the pit.

"I'm climbing down." He glanced at the monks. "Please don't interfere with the rope or my progress."

They bowed, sweating. "Of course, honored Sanzo. We wouldn't dream of it."

"Very well." Sanzo began to lower himself into the pit, the flashlight on and clutched in his teeth. As he went down, he noted the sheer concrete of the walls. A brief flash of rage seared through his numbness. What the fuck were the bastards doing, putting a kid down here? The depth seemed endless, and it was only about ten feet in diameter. As he neared the bottom, he noticed claw marks in the concrete. He stopped and propped his feet against the wall, shining the flashlight on the marks. They weren't very deep, but they were black with old blood…his noise wrinkled. It really smelled down here. Sanzo continued to shine the flashlight on the wall as he descended. The claw marks got deeper as he descended, so deep that they had made long channels in the concrete that had broken through to the old stones of the well beyond. Little trails of soil piled up in the grooves. Sanzo shone his flashlight towards the bottom, saw that there was only a few feet left, and jumped to the ground. Untying the rope, he shone the flashlight around the bottom of the pit.

"Goku?"

His light stopped on a tiny lump at the other end of the pit. "Goku…" He went quickly over to the form and shone the flashlight above him, careful not to put it directly on him. The saru hadn't seen light for so long, the light would probably be blinding…he put his hand on the child's shoulder, wincing at how thin it was. The bone was almost poking through the skin…and where the hell was his shirt? Looking down, Sanzo saw that Goku's shirt was almost entirely gone. What had happened to it? Had the monkey eaten it? Had he been that hungry? What the hell…

Goku wasn't responding to his touch or his voice. Something wrapped itself around his heart and lungs, making him force every beat and breath. Sanzo shook him, resisting the temptation to shine the light directly on the child. "Goku!"

He wasn't responding. To hell with his eyes. Sanzo shone the light directly on the child. He froze.

Goku was alive. Barely. He was breathing shallowly, his eyes closed and his breath a rattle in his chest. He was emaciated, almost skeletal…though how the fuck had that happened, when he had survived on the fucking mountain for so fucking long without any fucking food?!?! When he touched Goku's forehead it was burning with fever. But what disturbed Sanzo the most were the bite and claw marks all over the child's body. They were deep and unhealed. Some of them were infected and bleeding pus. Sanzo's eyes narrowed.

That bastard up there was going to pay.