Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction / Saiyuki Reload Fan Fiction ❯ Closing Time ❯ Fresh Air ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Andromache 
A few moments in the marketplace in which Gojyo curses his nature a bit.
Anime/Manga: Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction / Saiyuki Reload Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.27.2005 | Updated On: 09.26.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 699 | Status: Work In Progress
A few moments in the marketplace in which Gojyo curses his nature a bit.
Anime/Manga: Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction / Saiyuki Reload Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.27.2005 | Updated On: 09.26.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 699 | Status: Work In Progress
It wasn't that Gojyo would ever actually object to going with Hakkai to pick up supplies in the open air marketplace, but he was certainly not going to complain when, for once, the vegetable stands weren't right beside the livestock pens. Then he didn't have to hold his breath while Hakkai browsed.
He paused to breathe in the blessedly clear, sweet air, getting a better grip on the stack of purchases he was already carrying, and lengthened his stride to catch up with the demon, who was scrutinizing strawberries under the watchful (but still greedy) eyes of the shopkeeper.
"Why are you looking at those, sensei?" Gojyo asked in an easy drawl as he peered over Hakkai's shoulder. "You know they'll end up in the monkey's stomach before the rest of us can even think about what they taste like."
"They would, yes, if Goku were able to have them," Hakkai replied evenly. "I think we deserve a treat every now and again, don't you?" Satisfied with the ripeness of his selection, he proffered the gold card borrowed from Sanzo, paid for the strawberries, and added them to the stack of packages in Gojyo's arms.
The halfbreed mock-groaned at the weight, earning him a small smile at his theatrics from Hakkai. "So... we're going to have them instead? What about Sanzo?"
"Oh, these are just for the two of us," Hakkai answered, keeping most of the amusement out of his voice. "Goku and Sanzo will simply have to miss out this time. We will have to apologize to them later on."
Gojyo raised an eyebrow. Just the two of them? "Feeling nostalgic, Hakkai?" Granted, the halfbreed was certain that Hakkai dwelt on the past on a daily basis, but he didn't consider the fact that Hakkai might just miss the days when it was just the two of them in a small place outside of Chang'an. The thought made him restless. It was a departure from Hakkai's ruminations on the night he watched his own sister commit suicide after he'd arrived to rescue her. Halfbreeds weren't supposed to warrant any consideration beyond what the fastest way was to get them out of town.
"A little, I suppose," Hakkai laughed softly. "We don't seem to have much time for ourselves these days." He frowned slightly and took the package of strawberries from the top of the stack in Gojyo's arms.
"Well, what can you expect with --" Gojyo's words were cut off by the presence of a strawberry held an inch in front of his mouth by Hakkai, who looked at him with a spark of mirth in his eyes.
Playing a game, was he? Well, Gojyo could play too. He licked his lips, angled his head to the side just a bit, and took the slowest bite imaginable, savoring the taste of the fruit and the shocked, even a little desirous he might say, look on Hakkai's face.
He barely had the time to smirk triumphantly before something collided with the back of his left knee, knocking the halfbreed off blance. The packages of supplies clattered to the dusty ground, and Gojyo fell back amongst them. His head struck the ground with a dull thud, and Gojyo found himself suddenly staring up at the sky with strawberry juice drying on his lips.
Sitting up, Gojyo rubbed the back of his head and saw Hakkai giving a child, maybe about ten, possibly eleven years old if he was small for his age, a bemused look. The boy turned away from the demon and faced Gojyo. He appeared contrite, his dirty hair hanging as he bowed his head and his hands clasped behind his back.
Oh, no. Not again. Gojyo grimaced as he stood up. Another vulnerable child must have picked up on the signal he must give off, the one that said that Sha Gojyo was the one to seek out if ever they needed someone to help them. There just had to be at least one such case every week on this trip.
This week's pity case had just arrived.
Gojyo groaned as he rose to his feet. He flashed a glance to Hakkai, pleading silently for mercy as he began to deal with the kid.
"Alright. What's going on?" Gojyo asked, kneeling in front of the boy while Hakkai set about gathering up the fallen supplies.
"I'm lost and scared," the boy sniffled, wiping at his nose with the stained cuff of his shirt. "I-i saw some demons!" It was almost impossible to determine what color the boy's eyes were under the fringe of tangled hair, but occasionally, Gojyo saw a flicker of blue.
Inwardly, Gojyo cursed himself.
"Alright," the half-demon said slowly, "I don't see any demons right now." He winked at Hakkai. "At least, not any bad ones. Now, why don't you go find your parents?"
Hakkai neatly stacked the supplies while Gojyo spoke and waited. He observed that however much the half-demon might protest, Gojyo truly was the best one to go to if someone was lost, hurt, or generally in need of a shoulder on which to lean. Or, in his own particular case, someone to stitch up wounds and shelter him while he needed a place to recover.
It didn't hurt to obliquely thank his rescuer every now and again.
Gojyo rolled his eyes.
Hesitantly, the boy reached forward and curled his fingers into the sleeve of Gojyo's jacket, pointing with his other hand down a shaded corridor teeming with shoppers. A pair of faces appeared through the crowd, and the boy brightened considerably.
"Are those your parents?" Hakkai asked quietly. The boy nodded and darted away towards the pair Hakkai had assumed to be his parents.
"Well, that was odd, wasn't it?" the demon remarked, laughing. He returned the packages to Gojyo's arms.
The halfbreed replied, giving the smudge on his jacket a sour look, "It always has to be me, doesn't it?"
"It seems that way," Hakkai murmured, casting an apologetic glance towards Gojyo as he led the half-demon towards their inn for the night.
"Really wish they didn't always come to me," Gojyo grumbled. He adjusted his grip on the packages as Hakkai held the door open for him. The half-demon slid past Hakkai into the inn's common room.
The demon let Gojyo walk ahead a few paces before following after him. In the general haze of wood and cigarette smoke from the fireplace, the red of Gojyo's hair stood out like a beacon.
Since when did the color red symbolize safety?, he mused.
-
Elsewhere in the marketplace, the boy reunited with his family.
"Did it go as you thought it would?" the 'father' asked, taking the boy's grubby cloak.
The boy nodded. "Better, actually." He laughed and took the rough silk cloak from his 'mother' and slipped it over his shoulders. "The red-haired one is weak, so I gave him a helping hand."
"What did you give him?"
"A little gift." He smirked, his blue eyes shining. "I'm sure he'll like it.
He paused to breathe in the blessedly clear, sweet air, getting a better grip on the stack of purchases he was already carrying, and lengthened his stride to catch up with the demon, who was scrutinizing strawberries under the watchful (but still greedy) eyes of the shopkeeper.
"Why are you looking at those, sensei?" Gojyo asked in an easy drawl as he peered over Hakkai's shoulder. "You know they'll end up in the monkey's stomach before the rest of us can even think about what they taste like."
"They would, yes, if Goku were able to have them," Hakkai replied evenly. "I think we deserve a treat every now and again, don't you?" Satisfied with the ripeness of his selection, he proffered the gold card borrowed from Sanzo, paid for the strawberries, and added them to the stack of packages in Gojyo's arms.
The halfbreed mock-groaned at the weight, earning him a small smile at his theatrics from Hakkai. "So... we're going to have them instead? What about Sanzo?"
"Oh, these are just for the two of us," Hakkai answered, keeping most of the amusement out of his voice. "Goku and Sanzo will simply have to miss out this time. We will have to apologize to them later on."
Gojyo raised an eyebrow. Just the two of them? "Feeling nostalgic, Hakkai?" Granted, the halfbreed was certain that Hakkai dwelt on the past on a daily basis, but he didn't consider the fact that Hakkai might just miss the days when it was just the two of them in a small place outside of Chang'an. The thought made him restless. It was a departure from Hakkai's ruminations on the night he watched his own sister commit suicide after he'd arrived to rescue her. Halfbreeds weren't supposed to warrant any consideration beyond what the fastest way was to get them out of town.
"A little, I suppose," Hakkai laughed softly. "We don't seem to have much time for ourselves these days." He frowned slightly and took the package of strawberries from the top of the stack in Gojyo's arms.
"Well, what can you expect with --" Gojyo's words were cut off by the presence of a strawberry held an inch in front of his mouth by Hakkai, who looked at him with a spark of mirth in his eyes.
Playing a game, was he? Well, Gojyo could play too. He licked his lips, angled his head to the side just a bit, and took the slowest bite imaginable, savoring the taste of the fruit and the shocked, even a little desirous he might say, look on Hakkai's face.
He barely had the time to smirk triumphantly before something collided with the back of his left knee, knocking the halfbreed off blance. The packages of supplies clattered to the dusty ground, and Gojyo fell back amongst them. His head struck the ground with a dull thud, and Gojyo found himself suddenly staring up at the sky with strawberry juice drying on his lips.
Sitting up, Gojyo rubbed the back of his head and saw Hakkai giving a child, maybe about ten, possibly eleven years old if he was small for his age, a bemused look. The boy turned away from the demon and faced Gojyo. He appeared contrite, his dirty hair hanging as he bowed his head and his hands clasped behind his back.
Oh, no. Not again. Gojyo grimaced as he stood up. Another vulnerable child must have picked up on the signal he must give off, the one that said that Sha Gojyo was the one to seek out if ever they needed someone to help them. There just had to be at least one such case every week on this trip.
This week's pity case had just arrived.
Gojyo groaned as he rose to his feet. He flashed a glance to Hakkai, pleading silently for mercy as he began to deal with the kid.
"Alright. What's going on?" Gojyo asked, kneeling in front of the boy while Hakkai set about gathering up the fallen supplies.
"I'm lost and scared," the boy sniffled, wiping at his nose with the stained cuff of his shirt. "I-i saw some demons!" It was almost impossible to determine what color the boy's eyes were under the fringe of tangled hair, but occasionally, Gojyo saw a flicker of blue.
Inwardly, Gojyo cursed himself.
"Alright," the half-demon said slowly, "I don't see any demons right now." He winked at Hakkai. "At least, not any bad ones. Now, why don't you go find your parents?"
Hakkai neatly stacked the supplies while Gojyo spoke and waited. He observed that however much the half-demon might protest, Gojyo truly was the best one to go to if someone was lost, hurt, or generally in need of a shoulder on which to lean. Or, in his own particular case, someone to stitch up wounds and shelter him while he needed a place to recover.
It didn't hurt to obliquely thank his rescuer every now and again.
Gojyo rolled his eyes.
Hesitantly, the boy reached forward and curled his fingers into the sleeve of Gojyo's jacket, pointing with his other hand down a shaded corridor teeming with shoppers. A pair of faces appeared through the crowd, and the boy brightened considerably.
"Are those your parents?" Hakkai asked quietly. The boy nodded and darted away towards the pair Hakkai had assumed to be his parents.
"Well, that was odd, wasn't it?" the demon remarked, laughing. He returned the packages to Gojyo's arms.
The halfbreed replied, giving the smudge on his jacket a sour look, "It always has to be me, doesn't it?"
"It seems that way," Hakkai murmured, casting an apologetic glance towards Gojyo as he led the half-demon towards their inn for the night.
"Really wish they didn't always come to me," Gojyo grumbled. He adjusted his grip on the packages as Hakkai held the door open for him. The half-demon slid past Hakkai into the inn's common room.
The demon let Gojyo walk ahead a few paces before following after him. In the general haze of wood and cigarette smoke from the fireplace, the red of Gojyo's hair stood out like a beacon.
Since when did the color red symbolize safety?, he mused.
-
Elsewhere in the marketplace, the boy reunited with his family.
"Did it go as you thought it would?" the 'father' asked, taking the boy's grubby cloak.
The boy nodded. "Better, actually." He laughed and took the rough silk cloak from his 'mother' and slipped it over his shoulders. "The red-haired one is weak, so I gave him a helping hand."
"What did you give him?"
"A little gift." He smirked, his blue eyes shining. "I'm sure he'll like it.