Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Sweet Vanilla ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: motionblur 
Anime/Manga: Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Psychological / Drama / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.07.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 404 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Psychological / Drama / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.07.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 404 | Status: Completed
[2]
I heard Jien's laughter first. When he laughed, it filled the air. The sound cheered me up, and I ran as well as I could, Seiya trailing behind me. "Jien!" I called. "Jien!"
I broke into the clearing just as he turned around. He'd been in the middle of a conversation with Raiden and Tando, but he paled as he caught sight of me. "Gojyo?" He glanced at Seiya, who had his hands shoved in his pockets. "What the hell?"
"Ask him, he wouldn't tell me shit," Seiya said.
I looked at my brother helplessly. "Jien…"
"Come here. Come to the side." He came to me, put his arm around my shoulder, and steered me to a log at the edge of the clearing. His friends made as if to move with him, but Jien waved them away impatiently, and they settled to talking among themselves in low worried tones. He gently took hold of my face and turned it from side to side, inspecting the painful bruises. "Gojyo, gods, what the hell happened to you?"
"Mother," I sighed. "She, um, said it was my birthday today." I wiped at my eyes with my good hand. Damnit, I was not going to cry in front of the guys. "I guess this is her idea of a present."
His eyes widened, and his jaw fell in dismay. "Oh, *fuck*," he swore heatedly. "I can't believe I forgot. I shouldn't have left you alone in the house with her. This is my fault, gods damn it all. I'm so sorry, Gojyo."
I looked up at him. His handsome tanned face was twisted with the pain of failure. For a moment he looked like Mother, and I felt my heart stop. "It's not your fault," I managed. "It's mine."
"Don't be an ass," he snapped. I winced at his tone, still feeling raw, and he softened. "You didn't do anything wrong, kid. You couldn't help being born."
I looked down at the dark earth below me. Some straggly grass pushed through the ground, and I could see a small ant climbing indomitably over a small pebble. "Jien," I said without looking at him, "I think my arm's broken."
He sucked in his breath. "She broke your *arm*? Shit."
"I know," I agreed, still not looking at him. "And I hurt all over."
"You look like hell," Jien said bluntly. "She really worked you over this time, huh."
It wasn't a question. "Yeah." My shoulders slumped.
"Give me your arm." I let him inspect it, wincing. The arm looked disgusting, bloodied and swollen. He prodded some places gently, and when I couldn't hold my breath anymore, I made a strangled noise of pain, and he carefully let go. "Shit, Gojyo, this looks bad."
"I know."
"I'm going to have to take you to the doctor," he explained, getting up. "I can't set that thing. I'll just make it worse."
I got up too, though I felt dizzy doing it. Jien noted my brief loss of balance and grabbed my good arm to settle me. "So then--"
"I'll take you to the overseer with me," he cut in. "This is a family emergency. You need me."
"Yo, Jien, is Gojyo all right?" Raiden shouted from the other side of the clearing, looking at me with worry all over his strong features.
"He will be if I've got anything to say about it," Jien growled.
"Hang tight, punk," Tando called to me as Jien and I left the clearing.
---
The overseer was in a trailer with the word "MANAGEMENT" written in bold kanji on the top of the door. Jien pushed the door open, his face set, and motioned me to come in after him. I shut the door behind me and looked at Jien's boss.
He was a dark-skinned human, middle-aged but well-muscled. A scar ran from his right eye to the left side of his jaw. He had a long crooked nose that looked like it'd been broken at least once. His eyes were the color of the earth, and his lips were thin. "Jien? What the hell? You're supposed to be working." He glanced at me. "And who's the little guy?"
"Eguchi-san, this is Gojyo, my younger brother," Jien said formally. "Gojyo, this is Eguchi-san."
I nodded cautiously at him. Eguchi-san smiled, surprising me. He didn't look like the kind who smiled a lot. The smile lightened the harshness of his face. "Hi, kid."
"Eguchi-san, I need permission to take the rest of the day off," Jien said flatly.
Eguchi's smile disappeared. "Why?"
Jien gestured at me. "Gojyo's hurt, boss. He needs a doctor."
"What'd you do, kid, get in a fight?" Eguchi-san had directed the question at me. I looked at him, startled.
"Kind of," I temporized.
"Good for a boy to fight. Strengthens the body, you know." He was looking at me rather intensely.
I wasn't sure what to say and settled for a "Yeah." I didn't think Jien wanted me mouthing off to his boss.
Eguchi-san sighed and leaned back in his chair. "We got a lot of work to do today, Jien. Your brother's real cute, but I can't just let you run off."
"I'm not going to be running off, boss," Jien said stoutly. "I'm not joking. You know I'm not. Seiya maybe, but…" He trailed off and shrugged. "His arm's broken bad and I'm afraid to touch it. I want to take him to Dr. Niizuma."
Eguchi-san looked at me again and his lips twisted unhappily. "My son Shiji's his age. Gets into fights all the time. That's not the look of a boy who's just fought, Jien, so don't bullshit me. What really happened?"
"Please, Eguchi-san," Jien pleaded quietly. "This is a private family emergency and I need to take care of my brother."
"Private family emergency, huh."
"Yeah."
Jien wasn't backing down, even underneath the force of Eguchi's shrewd look. After a long pause, Eguchi shook his head. "You only get one of these, Jien. Go help your brother. You're off for today."
"Thanks, Eguchi-san." A grin broke out on Jien's face like the dawn. "I'll work hard when I'm back."
"Yeah, yeah." Eguchi-san waved him off. "Next time, though, don't bring the kid." He chuckled wryly. "With those sweet eyes, he could get away with murder."
---
Dr. Niizuma was a capable man, his eyes full of a certain efficient kindness that made me feel safe. He set my arm and I managed not to scream while he did it. Then he put my arm in a cast. And then he put in a sling. I wanted to ask if that was overkill, but my arm was too busy making sure I knew it was there for me to make a wisecrack.
He took care of my face, too, putting this weird burning ointment on it. Over the deepest cuts, he put squares of gauze, making sure they'd stay with brown doctor-tape. I had bruises all down my right side, and he winced as he looked at them.
"Got beat up bad, huh, Gojyo?"
"Yep."
He pressed down the side of my body, and I shut my eyes and sucked in my breath as he hit a particularly painful spot. Dr. Niizuma looked startled, then sat back a little, looking at the spot critically. "Gojyo, I think you've got a broken rib there."
"Really?" No wonder my side had been hurting so bad.
"When did you get hurt?"
Last night flashed through my mind. I swallowed hard. "Yesterday."
He raised his eyebrows and glanced at Jien, who'd watched the proceedings with a stone face. Jien did not volunteer any information. "Ah," said the doctor. I was glad he didn't comment further; he simply continued his inspection. "Lots of old injuries," he murmured to himself. "You must get in lots of fights, Gojyo."
"Uh, yeah," I said, relieved that he'd given me an easy out.
The doctor looked over my head to Jien, who watched the proceedings with a stone face. "Sha-san, these bruises go to the bone." He took out a roll of bandages and started wrapping them around my lower torso. I winced, but it wasn't as bad as getting my arm set, so I kept my mouth shut. "Don't let Gojyo do any heavy work for a while. Make sure he doesn't run anywhere, it'll aggravate his rib and jar his arm."
"Treat him like porcelain, basically."
"Yeah."
The doctor finished bandaging me and sat back down with a sigh. He glanced at Jien. "I know your mother, you know."
Surprise flickered on Jien's face before he managed to shut it down. "What of it?" he said gruffly.
The doctor looked surprised. "Nothing, Sha-san. She just didn't mention she had two sons."
I looked down at the clean tiled floor and tried not to let my sadness show on my face. It wasn't like I didn't know she tried to pretend I didn't exist.
Jien shrugged. "It doesn't matter." He dug his wallet out of his jeans and snapped it open, then glanced at the doctor. "How much do I owe you?"
"You can pay me in credit, Sha-san," the doctor said graciously.
Jien's square jaw set. "How much do I owe you, Dr. Niizuma?"
Dr. Niizuma named the amount. I was sure the actual fee for his services was much higher, but Jien paid him without another word.
"Bring him for check-ups every week," the doctor called as Jien and I left the room.
"Sure," Jien said. He closed the door of the doctor's workshop and we went out of the small building. The sunlight poured down on us, and we stood together in silence for a moment, watching the villagers pass us cheerfully by.
Jien glanced down at me and broke the silence by asking, "Hey, Gojyo, you want to get some ice cream or something?"
I felt my face light up. I loved ice cream, though I'd only had it a few times. "Sure! Can I have vanilla?"
I heard Jien's laughter first. When he laughed, it filled the air. The sound cheered me up, and I ran as well as I could, Seiya trailing behind me. "Jien!" I called. "Jien!"
I broke into the clearing just as he turned around. He'd been in the middle of a conversation with Raiden and Tando, but he paled as he caught sight of me. "Gojyo?" He glanced at Seiya, who had his hands shoved in his pockets. "What the hell?"
"Ask him, he wouldn't tell me shit," Seiya said.
I looked at my brother helplessly. "Jien…"
"Come here. Come to the side." He came to me, put his arm around my shoulder, and steered me to a log at the edge of the clearing. His friends made as if to move with him, but Jien waved them away impatiently, and they settled to talking among themselves in low worried tones. He gently took hold of my face and turned it from side to side, inspecting the painful bruises. "Gojyo, gods, what the hell happened to you?"
"Mother," I sighed. "She, um, said it was my birthday today." I wiped at my eyes with my good hand. Damnit, I was not going to cry in front of the guys. "I guess this is her idea of a present."
His eyes widened, and his jaw fell in dismay. "Oh, *fuck*," he swore heatedly. "I can't believe I forgot. I shouldn't have left you alone in the house with her. This is my fault, gods damn it all. I'm so sorry, Gojyo."
I looked up at him. His handsome tanned face was twisted with the pain of failure. For a moment he looked like Mother, and I felt my heart stop. "It's not your fault," I managed. "It's mine."
"Don't be an ass," he snapped. I winced at his tone, still feeling raw, and he softened. "You didn't do anything wrong, kid. You couldn't help being born."
I looked down at the dark earth below me. Some straggly grass pushed through the ground, and I could see a small ant climbing indomitably over a small pebble. "Jien," I said without looking at him, "I think my arm's broken."
He sucked in his breath. "She broke your *arm*? Shit."
"I know," I agreed, still not looking at him. "And I hurt all over."
"You look like hell," Jien said bluntly. "She really worked you over this time, huh."
It wasn't a question. "Yeah." My shoulders slumped.
"Give me your arm." I let him inspect it, wincing. The arm looked disgusting, bloodied and swollen. He prodded some places gently, and when I couldn't hold my breath anymore, I made a strangled noise of pain, and he carefully let go. "Shit, Gojyo, this looks bad."
"I know."
"I'm going to have to take you to the doctor," he explained, getting up. "I can't set that thing. I'll just make it worse."
I got up too, though I felt dizzy doing it. Jien noted my brief loss of balance and grabbed my good arm to settle me. "So then--"
"I'll take you to the overseer with me," he cut in. "This is a family emergency. You need me."
"Yo, Jien, is Gojyo all right?" Raiden shouted from the other side of the clearing, looking at me with worry all over his strong features.
"He will be if I've got anything to say about it," Jien growled.
"Hang tight, punk," Tando called to me as Jien and I left the clearing.
---
The overseer was in a trailer with the word "MANAGEMENT" written in bold kanji on the top of the door. Jien pushed the door open, his face set, and motioned me to come in after him. I shut the door behind me and looked at Jien's boss.
He was a dark-skinned human, middle-aged but well-muscled. A scar ran from his right eye to the left side of his jaw. He had a long crooked nose that looked like it'd been broken at least once. His eyes were the color of the earth, and his lips were thin. "Jien? What the hell? You're supposed to be working." He glanced at me. "And who's the little guy?"
"Eguchi-san, this is Gojyo, my younger brother," Jien said formally. "Gojyo, this is Eguchi-san."
I nodded cautiously at him. Eguchi-san smiled, surprising me. He didn't look like the kind who smiled a lot. The smile lightened the harshness of his face. "Hi, kid."
"Eguchi-san, I need permission to take the rest of the day off," Jien said flatly.
Eguchi's smile disappeared. "Why?"
Jien gestured at me. "Gojyo's hurt, boss. He needs a doctor."
"What'd you do, kid, get in a fight?" Eguchi-san had directed the question at me. I looked at him, startled.
"Kind of," I temporized.
"Good for a boy to fight. Strengthens the body, you know." He was looking at me rather intensely.
I wasn't sure what to say and settled for a "Yeah." I didn't think Jien wanted me mouthing off to his boss.
Eguchi-san sighed and leaned back in his chair. "We got a lot of work to do today, Jien. Your brother's real cute, but I can't just let you run off."
"I'm not going to be running off, boss," Jien said stoutly. "I'm not joking. You know I'm not. Seiya maybe, but…" He trailed off and shrugged. "His arm's broken bad and I'm afraid to touch it. I want to take him to Dr. Niizuma."
Eguchi-san looked at me again and his lips twisted unhappily. "My son Shiji's his age. Gets into fights all the time. That's not the look of a boy who's just fought, Jien, so don't bullshit me. What really happened?"
"Please, Eguchi-san," Jien pleaded quietly. "This is a private family emergency and I need to take care of my brother."
"Private family emergency, huh."
"Yeah."
Jien wasn't backing down, even underneath the force of Eguchi's shrewd look. After a long pause, Eguchi shook his head. "You only get one of these, Jien. Go help your brother. You're off for today."
"Thanks, Eguchi-san." A grin broke out on Jien's face like the dawn. "I'll work hard when I'm back."
"Yeah, yeah." Eguchi-san waved him off. "Next time, though, don't bring the kid." He chuckled wryly. "With those sweet eyes, he could get away with murder."
---
Dr. Niizuma was a capable man, his eyes full of a certain efficient kindness that made me feel safe. He set my arm and I managed not to scream while he did it. Then he put my arm in a cast. And then he put in a sling. I wanted to ask if that was overkill, but my arm was too busy making sure I knew it was there for me to make a wisecrack.
He took care of my face, too, putting this weird burning ointment on it. Over the deepest cuts, he put squares of gauze, making sure they'd stay with brown doctor-tape. I had bruises all down my right side, and he winced as he looked at them.
"Got beat up bad, huh, Gojyo?"
"Yep."
He pressed down the side of my body, and I shut my eyes and sucked in my breath as he hit a particularly painful spot. Dr. Niizuma looked startled, then sat back a little, looking at the spot critically. "Gojyo, I think you've got a broken rib there."
"Really?" No wonder my side had been hurting so bad.
"When did you get hurt?"
Last night flashed through my mind. I swallowed hard. "Yesterday."
He raised his eyebrows and glanced at Jien, who'd watched the proceedings with a stone face. Jien did not volunteer any information. "Ah," said the doctor. I was glad he didn't comment further; he simply continued his inspection. "Lots of old injuries," he murmured to himself. "You must get in lots of fights, Gojyo."
"Uh, yeah," I said, relieved that he'd given me an easy out.
The doctor looked over my head to Jien, who watched the proceedings with a stone face. "Sha-san, these bruises go to the bone." He took out a roll of bandages and started wrapping them around my lower torso. I winced, but it wasn't as bad as getting my arm set, so I kept my mouth shut. "Don't let Gojyo do any heavy work for a while. Make sure he doesn't run anywhere, it'll aggravate his rib and jar his arm."
"Treat him like porcelain, basically."
"Yeah."
The doctor finished bandaging me and sat back down with a sigh. He glanced at Jien. "I know your mother, you know."
Surprise flickered on Jien's face before he managed to shut it down. "What of it?" he said gruffly.
The doctor looked surprised. "Nothing, Sha-san. She just didn't mention she had two sons."
I looked down at the clean tiled floor and tried not to let my sadness show on my face. It wasn't like I didn't know she tried to pretend I didn't exist.
Jien shrugged. "It doesn't matter." He dug his wallet out of his jeans and snapped it open, then glanced at the doctor. "How much do I owe you?"
"You can pay me in credit, Sha-san," the doctor said graciously.
Jien's square jaw set. "How much do I owe you, Dr. Niizuma?"
Dr. Niizuma named the amount. I was sure the actual fee for his services was much higher, but Jien paid him without another word.
"Bring him for check-ups every week," the doctor called as Jien and I left the room.
"Sure," Jien said. He closed the door of the doctor's workshop and we went out of the small building. The sunlight poured down on us, and we stood together in silence for a moment, watching the villagers pass us cheerfully by.
Jien glanced down at me and broke the silence by asking, "Hey, Gojyo, you want to get some ice cream or something?"
I felt my face light up. I loved ice cream, though I'd only had it a few times. "Sure! Can I have vanilla?"