Title: The Abstract Noun
Rating: T for language and tobacco/alcohol use
Pairing: GojyoxSanzo.
A/N and Warning: Thank you for your reviews once again! They really keep me happy : I'd like to point out that this chapter has more blood and violence than the previous ones, but I figure if you can read Saiyuki, you'll be fine. And also, there's a reference to the last scene in volume 8. It's not enough to be a spoiler, but I'm gonna explain that one small scene later, so just keep watch. I'm also not very sure about Gojyo's characterization in this one. It was by far the hardest ..probablybecause there's some sap close to the end. Italics denote a flashback.And if anyone notices a mistake or something, I don't have a beta, so please feel free to point it out to me
. Goku's eyes sparkled as each dish was set onto the table, wooden chopsticks already separated and straining towards the food. As soon as the waitress left, he dug into the steaming plates, opting to forego the customary thanks in his zeal. Hakkai, Gojyo, and Sanzo chose to try the sake first. Sipping the beverage, they took no notice of the scrape of wooden chairs across tile floors as the customers surrounding them stood up one by one. Upon hearing the noise, the waitress stepped back out from the kitchen to which she had returned, pausing a bit in surprise.
"Will all of you…be needing your checks?"
. The hesitation in the waitress's voice attracted the three men's attention, though Goku continued to eat noisily, completely oblivious. The ominous click of jewelry being removed began to fill the room. An earring here, a bangle there – one by one, the customers began to remove their demon power limiters and sprout the long, pointed ears characteristic of their kind. There was a silence so serene, the wind blowing through the window could be heard. The Sanzo-ikkou turned in their seats to face their enemies. The trigger to the twisted concerto was the waitress's scream when she realized the patrons had sharp teeth and sharper claws – all the better to eat her with. All hell broke loose as our four heroes leaped from their seats and began to combat the onslaught of youkai. The roar of the demons combined with the bark of fired shots and the crash of splintered wood harmonized into a horrendous symphony occasionally punctuated with the screams of the dying. Fingernails scraped across Sanzo's arm, and he blew off the offending hand. Not even waiting for the youkai to scream in agony, he whirled around a stuck a bullet in another one's forehead. Goku swung his nyoi-bou, catching two demons in the stomach and sending them crashing into a third. Hakkai's chi blasted a hole in one attacker's chest, and his foot effectively shattered the nose of another sneaking behind him. Gojyo's shakujou made quick but messy work of his share of enemies, its crescent blade slicing through flesh and bone. However, the number of youkai did not seem to be significantly decreasing. The restaurant was far too cramped to make progress in such a heated battle.
"We have to get out of here!" Gojyo yelled. He began clearing a path towards the entrance.
"No! Gojyo, that leads straight to town! This way!"
. Hakkai proceeded towards the back of the restaurant, leaping over the counter to gain access to the kitchen and hopefully, the back door. The other three followed suit. Seeing the waitress crouched in fear behind the countertop, Hakkai grabbed her around the waist and ran into the kitchen. The cooks had apparently fled in fear as told by the steaming pots and the burning food remaining on the stove. The first demon that followed them got a pot of boiling soup to the face, and his howling and thrashing bought the group enough time to locate the door marked by large fluorescent letters reading "EMPLOYEE EXIT" and barge their way out into the woodlands.
. Hakkai carefully placed the unconscious waitress (she fainted) on the ground, leaning her against the back wall of the restaurant. The flood of demons scrambling out of the door they had just come out of did nothing to daunt the four, but they proceeded further into the forest in hopes of having the cover of foliage at their advantage. Sanzo reloaded his gun the best he could while in motion and disappeared behind a tree to finish the job.
"You've got to be shittin' me."
. Gojyo's voice broke through the battle, drawing all their gazes to where the redhead was looking at – further into the woods where a purely demon blockade awaited them, teeth gleaming white in the darkness. Meanwhile, the youkai from the restaurant closed in on them, effectively blocking off all available escape routes.
"What do we do now?" Goku asked.
"Well, we can't lead them back into town," Hakkai answered.
"Then we beat the shit out of all these bastards so they can't follow us!" Gojyo stated, gripping his shakujou with newfound confidence and a cockier attitude. Sanzo snorted and fired the first bullet into the blockade. They were immediately surrounded by an enraged mass of youkai bodies, each left to his own devices to save his own skin. Gojyo released the head of his weapon, the chain cutting through the air to take off one of the youkai's heads. Easy as pie. However, his grin faded when the dead demon's partner seized the chain and pulled tight, rendering the blade useless. He found another reason to curse his human blood when the demon wrenched the shakujou, and Gojyo found his half-youkai strength did not suffice. The shaft slid forward in his grip.
"Is it just me, or are these sons of bitches getting smarter!" Gojyo yelled to whoever was listening, swinging the other end of his weapon into another demon's face with whatever control he still had.
. Sanzo, though he barely heard Gojyo's outburst, had to agree. The second bullet out of his chamber struck a youkai in the heart, but the third bullet didn't kill another one. Rather, it struck the same dead youkai, and Sanzo was never one to intentionally waste bullets. The other demon had picked up his dead companion and was using his body as a shield. Frustrated, Sanzo shot the youkai on his left in the temple, the one behind him in the stomach, and the last through the eye. The click pronounced by the trigger announced its lack of bullets, so Sanzo was left to swing the butt of the Smith & Wesson into another youkai's teeth. However, the demons had apparently learned to count the number of shots, and knowing that without his primary weapon, Sanzo was sorely outnumbered, they pounced upon him.
. Gojyo had just managed to kick the youkai who had a grip on his chain down when he caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of his eye. Sanzo's robes were disappearing into the shadows.
"Sanzo!" he shouted, trying to fight his way to the priest. By the time he had struck down the demons in front of him, the monk was nowhere to be seen.
. Unconsciously fueled by desperation, not for himself but for Sanzo, Gojyo battled like a man possessed. His blade sang through the air with renewed fervor, disposing of his enemies with gory efficiency. In this manner, Gojyo rid himself of his adversaries and shot off into the forest, following the route he'd seen Sanzo take. Hakkai and Gojyo finished soon after, dusting their hands and watching the retreating forms of the remaining youkai disappear into the trees.
"Well," Goku said, wiping the blood from a cut under his eye, "that oughtta show 'em who's – oi! Gojyo!"
. He had turned around to see the redhead run off into the shadows and went off in pursuit, Hakkai trailing behind. The two crashed through the branches, struggling through the growth hindering their progress. More than once, they nearly tripped over an unconscious demon suffering from a concussion from what suspiciously appeared to be the blunt end of a gun. Goku followed the fleeting glimpses of red he saw through the leaves, but the intensity with which he followed prevented him from noticing offending vegetation. He crashed right into a low-lying branch. Hakkai caught up to a cursing Goku, righting himself from where he had fallen and rubbing the large bump on his forehead.
"Damn kappa! I bet he let that branch back on purpose!"
Hakkai helped Goku up and looked around.
"Where is Gojyo anyway?"
During their little setback, the redhead had gone from sight. Goku sniffed the air, hoping to catch Gojyo's scent with his abnormally acute sensory perception. What he perceived, however, was not Gojyo. It was
"Blood. I smell blood."
Goku started to run again, following the scent of carnage. Pushing aside the last of the undergrowth brought him and Hakkai into a clearing, in the middle of which stood a certain halfling with his back turned to them.
"Oi! Gojyo!" Goku shouted, walking towards him. "If you had to go take a piss, the trees are a lot bett-"
He stopped short as the smell of the dying hit him full force, and he followed Gojyo's gaze to the ground in front. What greeted him was white clothing stained an angry red as the pool of blood slowly spread and crept towards their feet. Hakkai approached them and laid eyes on the scene.
"Oh My God."
"I did all I can. We'll just have to wait and see."
. With these words, the doctor picked up his bag and left the room. Sanzo lay on the bed, heavily bandaged and breathing faintly. Goku had drawn his chair to the bedside and sat hunched over and concentrating intently on Sanzo's gasps as if his gaze drew each of those ragged breaths. Gojyo was more discreet, resting on another chair a little further off. His arms were propped atop the backrest, his eyes peering over at the blonde. Hakkai had excused himself and went to the other room to rest. He had put most of his energy into keeping Sanzo alive on the trip back from the forest with his healing powers. Left to the silence save Sanzo's ragged intakes of breath, Gojyo found his mind wandering to the events of the previous afternoon.
. Gojyo reached the clearing following the trail of broken branches and crushed grass that marked the youkai's and Sanzo's path. The demons were nowhere to be found, the only trace of them being the vivid crimson seeping into the earth in the very center of the field. Rushing over confirmed Gojyo's worst suspicions.
. Sanzo lay eagle-spread in a pool of his own blood, once pristine robes now a nearly unrecognizable muddy scarlet. His right arm was bent at a strange angle. The Smith & Wesson lay in the weeds a foot from his hand, accompanying the shreds of black cloth that used to be his traveling cloak. Various scratches adorned his face and neck, no doubt the work of demon claws. However, the most noticeable and devastating wound was the gaping one in his stomach. There were no traces of his robe left surrounding it – it had been torn off in the process of making the wound. A long tear, almost perfectly straight and horizontal, ran its course across the priest, bubbling life energy onto the dirt.
Gojyo was in shock.
Sanzo was dead.
. He vaguely registered Goku's voice in the background calling to him, vaguely registered the other's presence, vaguely registered Hakkai's gasp. His world funneled down and concentrated itself on Sanzo's cataleptic form, only to be brought back by Goku intruding on his field of vision as the young boy knelt by the monk and began to shake his still shoulders.
"Sanzo! Sanzo, wake up!"
"Goku, move!"
Hakkai almost shoved Goku aside in his urgency, dropping down next to Sanzo. There was no room to be polite in such a situation. He placed two fingers on Sanzo's neck, right below the jaw, and felt the weak fluttering of a pulse.
"He's alive!"?
"What?"
Gojyo snapped out of his stupor when he heard Hakkai's exclamation. He joined the brunette on the ground, desperate for some reassurance to confirm those words. Hakkai cleared him aside as he did with Goku.
"Excuse me, but I think I just might be able to stabilize him."
. Gojyo and Goku watched, straining towards Sanzo but holding themselves in check to give Hakkai, their only hope, room to work. A ball of light appeared in Hakkai's hands, bathing Sanzo's wound in a warm glow. Muscle and skin slowly rejuvenated themselves, restoring a relative soundness to the priest's abdomen. The light disappeared along with the wound, and Hakkai stood up, breathing hard.
"I've managed to close it, but it's best we find a doctor, quick."
He moved as if to pick Sanzo up but staggered and collapsed. Goku caught him and helped him regain his balance. Nonetheless, Hakkai still leaned heavily on Goku, relying on the support of the boy's shoulders to keep himself on his feet.
"Oh dear, it seems like I've overreacted myself," he stated apologetically. His condition and Goku's position left Gojyo with Sanzo as his responsibility. Knowing Sanzo was out of immediate danger erased all traces of worry from his mind, and the constant irritation that came with the priest's presence returned. Damn monk. He always managed to become baggage after one fight or another. Composure somewhat regained, Gojyo picked up the dangerously light blonde, and the group began to trek back to town. In the midst of the frenzy, none of them noticed that the Maten Sutra was nowhere to be seen.
. Gojyo shifted slightly in his seat. Sanzo was gonna throw a fit when he woke up and found the sutra missing. At least they didn't forget the gun. Gojyo reached into his pocket and took out the firearm, observing the weak light playing across its silver surface. Such a miniscule weapon backed up Sanzo's threats and defined the man. He hefted it in his hand. Unloaded, it was extremely light and showed no reason to fear. In was rather cute, in fact, with its comically short barrel and its worn handle. Once in was in Sanzo's grip, however, that was a totally different story.
"Che," Gojyo snorted, pocketing the gun once more. Only an insane person can change the air of a Smith & Wesson from adorable to intimidating. And lo! The king of all crazies incapacitated on a bed, not even as intimidating as a dandelion on a newly mowed lawn.
"Oi, Goku," Gojyo started, "he's not gonna die if you stop looking, y'know."
"I know that."
Nonetheless, his gaze never left Sanzo as if he didn't believe his own words.
"Look."
Gojyo stood up and walked over to Goku, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"He's not gonna like having you worry over him like this. You know how he gets – pissy and the whole 'I live for myself, I die for myself, now back the fuck off' routine. He's gonna shit a brick if he finds you watching over him."
Goku's shoulders slumped further in resignation.
"Yeah, I guess."
. The boy stood up and proceeded to leave the room, hesitating when he heard Sanzo's breath catch, then walking on once it resumed its relative regularity. Gojyo was now left alone with Sanzo, but he couldn't follow his own advice and depart from the room. He couldn't bear to. He denounced his words as lies. Sanzo might die if no-one was looking. The doctor had been skeptical of his condition. What's to say his doubt wasn't reasonable? Gojyo went back to his chair, facing Sanzo again. His stomach dropped and his heart clenched as he watched the priest. He couldn't dismiss it as anger or irritation or animosity, or whatever he usually attributed that feeling to. It felt like the times when he'd sit at home, his arm still throbbing where his mother had grabbed him, his cheek smarting where her fist had met, hearing what was going on behind closed doors. It was…sadness, despair, but this time, it wasn't for himself.
"Live, you bastard. Use that hate to live."
. Gojyo nearly had a heart attack when Sanzo suddenly sat up at those words, eyes hidden in the shadow of his bangs. The priest clambered out of his bed and began to walk towards the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Gojyo inquired, still seated.
"To get back what's mine, damnit."
This was starting to look too much like the aftermath of their first encounter with Kami.(1)
At least no-one would have to break the news of the missing holy document to him.
"The sutra?" Gojyo prodded further, hoping Sanzo would realize the extent of his injuries, like he had done before, and collapse.
"What else?" Sanzo shot back, fumbling with the doorknob.
Silence reigned save the clicking of the lock as Sanzo struggled to turn it with his weakened fingers. Gojyo let out a sigh and asked the crucial question.
"Can you walk?"
. Sanzo's eyes widened slightly as the sudden pain, diluted by his half-awake state, reached its full potential and robbed him of his breath. He hit the ground with a solid 'thud', thankfully on his good arm. Gojyo looked away as Sanzo clenched his fist and yelled into the floorboards his frustration at his failure, his helplessness. Gojyo dared to look back only when the noise had subsided and Sanzo remained still on the floor. Without a word, he stood from his chair and walked over to the priest's prone figure. Gojyo picked up the unconscious form, draping an arm over his shoulder and half-carrying, half-dragging him over to the bed where he dropped him with infinite care. Sweat from the exertion dripped from Sanzo's pores, but his breathing had evened out. Gojyo stood over the blonde, his eyes caressing him. His hand trembled as he reached over to Sanzo's face, brushing the bangs out of his eyes. An electric tingle went up his fingers at the contact, but his hand shot back when he realized what he was doing. Slumping onto the flooring with his back resting against the bedframe, he pulled out a cigarette and stuck it between his lips. He didn't light it though. Rather, he bowed his head, resting it against his interlaced digits.
"Just…stop, Sanzo," he whispered. "When you're like this…it hurts me too."
His confession was lost in the empty air, answered only by the smoke wafting around his head and Sanzo's breaths fluttering against the sheets.
(1) The group meets this guy named Kami-sama who killed the little boy twin demons just because he didn't need them anymore. Gojyo runs off to find him, the rest of them go off the find Gojyo, and they all get their collective butts kicked by this guy. Kami steals Sanzo's sutra and Sanzo goes through this mental breakdown sort of thing and freaks out. He tries to go get the sutra back before he's healed, collapses, and Gojyo has to get him back into bed. Sweet, angsty moment. :