Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction / Saiyuki Reload Fan Fiction / Saiyuki Reload Gunlock Fan Fiction ❯ Episode1: Truly,Madly,Deeply ❯ Don't Cry ( Chapter 21 )

XXI. DON'T CRY / BATTLE

 

 

In which Gojyo wrestles with his demons, and the ikkou start up the stairs after him. Gojyo conquers the Labyrinth of Mist and faces Kami-sama. The ikkou show up. Sanzo demands that Kami-sama keep his hands off Gojyo. Kami-sama rejects him. “He's my new toy.”

 

 

A.

 

Hakkai tosses Goku into the river, just like Sanzo said.

 

“Is it coming off, Goku?” Hakkai asks.

 

“No!” Goku yells back, frowning crossly and rubbing furiously at the mantras covering his torso. “I've heard of permanent markers, but this takes the cake…” he mutters. “Oi Hakkai! You got any acetone with you?” he calls.

 

“Acetone?” Sanzo queries.

 

“Er… nail-polish remover.” Hakkai blushes. He tosses Goku a bar of soap instead.

 

“Where did you get that?” Sanzo asks interestedly.

 

“Huh?”

 

“The bar of soap. Out here. In the wilderness.” Sanzo gestures to the forest surrounding them.

 

“Well, for that matter, Mr. Wise Guy, where did *you* get the paper and brush and ink to write the mantras in the first place?” Hakkai smiles wide.

 

“Er…”

 

“Exactly.”

 

“OI! Guys, take a look at this!” Goku shouts, running up to them. He pauses, dripping, and proceeds to shake himself dry, like a big wet dog, spraying Sanzo and Hakkai. They recoil, with the monk cursing a blue streak.

 

“Dammit Hakkai! I thought you sent him to obedience school!” he snarls.

 

Hakkai laughs weakly.

 

“Look!” Goku opens his fingers. In his palm is a cigarette butt.

 

“Gojyo's brand,” Hakkai murmurs.

 

Sanzo stares.

 

“Yes, there's no doubt about it.. Gojyo was here…” a strange voice declares. The ikkou turn and gape at Aragorn, who is on his hands and feet, carefully inspecting the riverbank.

 

“What the hell is one of them still doing here!” Sanzo hisses to Hakkai. Hakkai shrugs. “Who knows?”

 

“How can you be so sure, Sir, Mr. Aragorn Sir?” Goku asks eagerly, squatting down beside the Ranger. “Is it the ashes from Gojyo's cigarettes? The scattered buttercup petals? (Hmm… `He loves me', by the way…) Are you looking for a kappa's footprints? Can you tell by the bent and broken grass blades? Huh? Huh? Huh?”

 

“Nope,” the grim-faced, weather-beaten man says. “I can tell from this.” He holds out Sanzo's missing lighter. Sanzo snatches it up. Freshly etched on the surface, the priest reads: “S `heart' Gj 4ever”.

 

Aragorn peers over Sanzo's shoulder. “It gives me a toothache, actually,” he comments.

 

“You and everybody else,” Hakkai and Goku mutter.

 

Sanzo sighs.

 

B.

 

“Really! How many hours have I climbed?!” Gojyo mutters crossly. “I can't even tell if I'm climbing or descending…” He pauses, then sits down and lights a smoke. Suddenly, he is enveloped in a thick mist. He looks around suspiciously, then reminisces about being lost in the woods, and big brother Jien admonishing him: “Don't cry, Gojyo.”

 

Gojyo comes back to the present, his face streaked with tears. “Baby,” he sobs, reaching inside his jacket and pulling out a snapshot of Sanzo. He sniffs, and roughly wipes off his tears. But more come anyway. He stares at the picture. “I miss you so much it's *killing* me…”

 

Up in Neverneverland Castle, Kami-sama rolls his eyes impatiently. He reaches over and pulls a lever. “You're taking too long!” he pouts.

 

Gojyo yelps as the stairs suddenly transform into escalators, and start to carry him up…

When he reaches the top, he finds Kami-sama waiting with an eager smile. “Welcome to Neverneverland, carrot top,” Kami-sama beams. “The path you crossed is called `The Labyrinth of Mist'. Was it fun?”

 

Gojyo staggers up weakly, reeling. “So much fun I almost threw up,” he chokes, and clutches his stomach.

 

“Poor mister. Do you have motion sickness?” Kami-sama cackles.

 

C.

 

“Are you alive, Sanzo?” Hakkai jokes, smiling painfully. They have been climbing the stairs for three hours.

 

“Grrr… First the barrier, then that *filthy* animal trail, and now this?!” Sanzo growls. He pops some calcium supplements. “Goddamn that cupcake… He knows well and good my bones are delicate,” he mutters to himself. “That's why he's always on *fucking* top, dammit…”

 

Goku marches upwards, unconcerned. He turns and frowns back at them. “Oi, hayaku, Sanzo! Hakkai! Slowpokes…”

 

“Urusei! We don't have a crazy amount of stamina like you!” Sanzo scowls. “C'mere and I'll *poke* you in the eye you cheeky ape…”

 

Hakkai sighs too. “Neverneverland stinks!” he declares tiredly.

 

“Kyuuu!”

 

“Aa. That's why it's on the verge of bankruptcy…”

 

 

D.

 

Gojyo meets them, coming down. Goku and Hakkai see red. So does Sanzo. He sees pink, too.

 

CRACK! Goku's fist connects with the kappa's cheek. “Darn cockroach!”

 

CRACK! Hakkai grinds his foot down on Gojyo's hand. “I'm amazed you came back to us so easily. You have a lot of guts.”

 

CRACK! Sanzo pulls back the safety catch of the Smith and Wesson and aims it at the redhead. “I want the truth, kappa,” Sanzo rasps icily. “Did you or didn't you?!”

 

Gojyo stares back defiantly. “I *did*, and boy was it GOOD! So there!”

 

Hakkai, Goku and Sanzo look at each other. They nod in agreement. “Yep, he's fake.”

 

The fake Gojyo stammers. “Er… Let me guess. The real Gojyo only has eyes for Sanzo, hai?”

 

“Bulls eye, but no cigar, eejit,” Goku mocks.

 

“Huh?”

 

“It's even *simpler* than that,” Hakkai hints.

 

“Huh?!”

 

Sanzo rolls his eyes. “Kami-sama is a *eunuch*, baka…”

 

 

E.

 

“Goku!” Hakkai calls. “Pretend he's the *real* Gojyo! Beat him up thoroughly!”

 

“HAI!” Goku cackles, advancing on the kappa clone eagerly. “Because of you… Sanzo turns into a disturbingly nice, *creepy* guy!” BONK! “Because of you, Hakkai breaks out in pimples from the stress!” BASH! “And because of you…. Hrrr… my-hair-is-still-*curly*, DAMMIT!” POW!

 

CRACK! Hakkai forcibly dislocates fake Gojyo's elbow. “Let that teach you to be selfish, okay?” Hakkai smiles coldly.

 

CLICK! Sanzo aims the gun. “And THIS is for sneaking off to chase after that delusional copycat,” Sanzo spits. “When I think of the two of you…”

 

“But he didn't, Sanzo. We just covered that, remember?” Hakkai reminds the priest, puzzled.

 

“Aa.”

 

BANG!

 

Goku jumps. The fake Gojyo explodes into thousands of beads.

 

“The thought of it *still* eats me up, dammit!” Sanzo growls.

 

“Yare yare… I think it's time you included insane, *irrational* jealousy in your therapy, Sanzo,” Hakkai advises seriously.

 

“'Ch.”

 

“Anyway, what a disappointment.” Hakkai shakes his head. “The real one would offer more resistance than this.”

 

“More than that, Hakkai,” Goku cuts in. “The real one would be wrapped all over Sanzo right now, and it would be just the two of us left to take on Kami-sama.”

 

“Sou desu ne…”

 

Twitch.

 

“Ikuzo!” Sanzo barks impatiently. “The rehearsal is done. Time for the real thing.” Sanzo marches up the stairs at an amazing rate.

 

“Good going, Goku! You certainly lit his fires,” Hakkai approves.

 

“Eh. I was getting tired of you two dragging behind. I want to finish this quick. Harahetta…”

 

“Off we go then…”

 

 

F.

 

Gojyo glares at Kami-sama. “I'll kill you! I don't care what you call yourself…”

 

Kami-sama raises his eyebrows. “That's fine, mister. But why are you so angry?”

 

“Well, let's see,” Gojyo says sarcastically. “Apart from killing those poor innocent kids and dashing all my hopes for two little boys for me and my baby… You have the *nerve* to insult my angels' unsurpassed perfection by modeling yourself after him!”

 

Kami-sama is insulted. “Oi! Don't be too sure *he* didn't model himself after *me*,” he sniffs. “Who knows, you might be kissing the *wrong* Sanzo Houshi…”

 

Gojyo's eyes widen incredulously at Kami-sama's sheer audacity. He balks, then charges.

 

And charges.

 

And charges.

 

Kami-sama giggles. “You can't catch me…”

 

“I'm not *chasing* after you, you nincompoop!” Gojyo snarls. He charges again. Kami-sama alights daintily on top of a pillar.

 

Kami-sama sobers up. “Ne, why aren't you using your *weapon*, mister?” he pouts.

 

Gojyo rolls his eyes. “Just let me get my hands on your neck, you weirdo…”

 

“Ooh, yes! Wouldn't *that* be fun!” Kami-sama giggles. “I have an idea! Let's play tag! If you manage to *touch* me, you win!”

 

“As-IF!”

 

CRASH! Gojyo kicks the pillar and shatters it. “Stop getting carried away, you fool!”

 

 

G.

 

“Ooh, what great strength you have!” Kami-sama croons.

 

“Stop running and *fight* me!” Gojyo pants, glaring.

 

“Really? You want it rough? Okay…”

 

Kami-sama pummels Gojyo with the prayer beads. “Holler `nuff…”

 

“Go to hell…”

 

Kami-sama sends Gojyo crashing against the wall. Gojyo collapses in a limp heap. Kami-sama walks over. “Tsk-tsk. Are you broken already?” A long, long leg flashes out. Kami-sama laughs in delight, avoiding the attack just in time. “Oh my, you *are* tough! This is *fun*!”

 

Gojyo staggers to his feet. “Listen to me, you delirious freak,” he snaps. “I'm *not* interested in you! But I can't forget what you did to those kids!”

 

Kami-sama shakes his head. “You really are desperate to play happy families, aren't you.” Kami-sama throttles Gojyo with the red beads, holding him high aloft. “Listen, forget about your snooty sweetie-pie.” Kami-sama smiles happily. “Why don't you be my new toy? You're *strong* and *fun* so you'll be my *treasure*…” Kami-sama drools.

 

BANG!

 

Gojyo falls to the ground.

 

“That's pathetic, k'so kappa…” Sanzo growls.

 

“Angel!” Gojyo cries, flying to Sanzo. He is met with punishing kicks.

 

“What the hell!!!” Gojyo yells. “What are you guys—“

 

“You leave me with an idiot monkey bored out of his mind and a pissed, chain-smoking High Priest in denial, and you ask me that question?” Hakkai huffs.

 

“S—sorry..”

 

“Sorry, but it's our job to kill this fool” Sanzo announces to Kami-sama. “I ask you to take your hands off him.”

 

“Nope,” Kami-sama denies. “He is my *new* toy.”

 

TWITCH.

 

Hakkai and Goku look at each other. “Uh-oh…”

 

Gojyo rubs his temples. “Angel,” he bites out from clenched teeth. “I'm *your* boytoy. No one else's.”

 

“Is that so…” Sanzo says coolly.