Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Truly Madly Deeply 4Ever ❯ Rancorous Exchange ( Chapter 6 )

November 11, 2006

 

vi. Rancorous Exchange

 

In which a specter from Sanzo's past comes back to haunt him…

 

 

A.

 

Night time, on the road.

 

Goku lifts his head and sniffs the air delicately. “Something stinks,” he declares, wrinkling his nose.

 

“Yeah, YOU!” Gojyo jeers tauntingly. “Serves you right for being a pig and hogging all the garlic shrimp…”

 

“I do NOT stink, ya stupid cockroach!!!” Goku yells. “And I wasn't a pig - you were just too busy having tongue for dinner!”

 

Gojyo smacks his lips. “Yum, yum…” He leans forward and growls in Sanzo's ear. “And I fancy `tongue' for dessert too, come to think of it…”

 

Hakkai grimaces at the crude puns, and rolls his eyes even more as Sanzo plays along.

 

“Nah,” the monk drawls, turning his face away from Gojyo. “I'm on a diet. No sweets.” The next instant, the blond's mocking grin dissolves on his lips as he gets a whiff of the heady scent that Gojyo has just daubed on his pulse points. Sanzo turns slowly, purple eyes glazed. “You cheating bastard…” he growls hoarsely.

 

Gojyo cackles, and pockets the bottle. “Come and get it…” the kappa singsongs, leaning back smugly in his seat.

 

Hakkai sighs and brakes automatically while Sanzo clambers to the backseat, with Goku taking his place in front without needing to be told. Once the kappa and the priest are locked in a vanilla-flavored embrace, Hakkai drives on with a resigned, amused expression.

 

But Goku snorts in disgust. “Now something really stinks…” he grumbles, almost swooning from the cologne. “I just don't get how me insulting their yucky PDA only causes them to do it more…”

 

“Buttercup…”

 

“Sweetie pie...”

 

Hakkai shakes his head. “You ought to know by now how perverse those two are…”

 

“I know how perverted they are, that's for sure!”

 

“Ahaha. Yes… that, too…” Hakkai laughs mildly. “It looks like rain, doesn't it?” he adds, as lighting flares in the distance.

 

Goku yawns. “The way they're carrying on, I doubt Sanzo would care.”

 

 

B.

 

The Sanzo-ikkou take refuge in an inn after getting caught in the raging downpour. They huddle around the fire while their clothes dry on the line.

 

“Here's some hot tea to warm you up,” the serving girl smiles. “It doesn't look like the rain is going to let up anytime soon.”

 

“Crap!” Gojyo mutters. “I was hoping we could get a move on… this place is a dump…”

 

Sanzo kicks Gojyo. Gojyo yelps and glares. Sanzo ignores him, and inquires of the girl about the youkai corpses they saw. She informs the group about Rikudo.

 

The monk narrows his eyes, thoughts drifting to the past. Could it possibly be…? And then his kappa-radar beeps, swiftly bringing him back to the present.

 

“…Where's your room? Ever done it in the rain? Hehehe…”

 

FWISH….. BONK!

 

“OW!!!” Gojyo howls, as the handle of the harisen makes sharp contact with the back of his skull. “What the hell?!”

 

The girl looks on nervously.

 

“SHIT, Gojyo, can't I leave you alone for a minute without you chasing after some tart?!”

 

“I beg your pardon!” the girl bristles, insulted. The kappa and the priest ignore her.

 

“Dammit, baby, I was trying to get us her room!!!” Gojyo fumes, rubbing his smarting head.

 

“Oh, really?!”

 

“YES, you paranoid bastard!”

 

Sanzo mimics Gojyo. “ `Ever done it in the rain?' … How about THAT, you miserable asshole!”

 

“I was comparing notes! Sheesh!”

 

“You expect me to believe that?!”

 

“Look,” Gojyo sighs, keeping hold of Sanzo's wrists to stop him pulling out the gun. “If you'd been paying attention, you would've known I was about to bribe her to lend us her room for the night so we could finish what we started out there in the rain!”

 

Sanzo glares skeptically at Gojyo. “And why would you need to do that, pray tell, when we've already booked four separate rooms?” he bites out challengingly.

 

“Coz she has a hot tub and vanilla bubblebath.”

 

“Do you take me for an idiot?!” Sanzo snaps. But the girl speaks up.

 

“Um, it's the truth, actually… I only mentioned it to your - er - friend because… well…” She colors up prettily, and continues in a shy whisper. “You two smell so much of vanilla, I couldn't help wondering if you might enjoy vanilla bubblebath too…”

 

“Hn…”

 

 

C.

 

The young Kouryu steps up and looks haughtily at the huge bear. The bear opens its massive jaws and roars.

 

Kouryu yawns, bored. “Pffft. Oh, please. Brute force and boorishness do not impress me.”

 

The bear blinks. Kouryu waves a hand imperiously. “Go. I'll overlook your cheek this one time.”

 

The monks murmur incredulously amongst themselves. Shuei looks on, flabbergasted. The bear drops down to all fours and peers entreatingly at Kouryu, giving his hand a tentative nudge with his snout, asking for a pat on the head.

 

“'Ch,” the boy snorts, folding his arms. “Shoo, already.”

 

The bear turns its back and lumbers away dejectedly.

 

Up on the balcony, Koumyou Sanzo's aide whistles admiringly. “The young master sure has talent for taming wild animals, doesn't he?”

 

“Aa,” Koumyou agrees with a thoughtful nod. “I predict in future he's going to effortlessly conquer a young wildcat of a she-demon, not to mention taming a red-headed, bull-headed beast… in fact, he's going to turn that one into absolute mush, you wait and see.”

 

“I don't doubt it.”

 

 

D.

 

“But… these are the beads you were wearing when you were found…” Shuei protests. “Are you sure you want to give them to me?”

 

“Take them,” Kouryu nods impatiently. “Besides… Since I've never given anyone a gift before, they're kind of a collector's item.” The boy turns away.

 

“Wait!” Shuei calls. Kouryu turns, raising an inquiring eyebrow. “Er…” Shuei stammers. “Hold on a minute… let me give you something in return…” He fumbles inside his sleeves, and triumphantly pulls out… The Fan Of Doom. He hands it to a wide-eyed Kouryu. “There. That's for taking care of idiots.”

 

“Wow…” the boy breathes, holding the harisen with reverence. This is the secret weapon Shuei uses to keep the monks in order! “Gee, thanks, Shuei!” he grins happily.

 

“Heh. No problem, kid.”

 

 

E.

 

That night, Hakkai rushes into Sanzo's room, to find the monk covered in sweat, hair rumpled, and looking dazed, bedcovers askew and his blanket on the floor.

 

“I heard you from next door,” the healer says sympathetically. “Rain also gives me trouble sleeping.”

 

The monk looks out the window at the weepy landscape, hiding the flush in his cheeks. “Er… yeah… what you heard was me having a nightmare, that's all.”

 

“Oh!” Hakkai blushes too, as realization kicks in. “I'm so—“

 

A piercing scream from the kitchen cuts Hakkai off. At the loud noise, a bare-chested, wild-haired Gojyo pops up from beneath Sanzo's bed.

 

Hakkai shakes his head. “Aw, are you guys still trying to hide? That is so sweet!” he snorts with choked laughter. “And here I was wondering why Gojyo wasn't in bed with you…”

 

Twitch.

 

Gojyo scowls at his best friend. “Well it could've been anybody barging in so rudely without knocking, couldn't it?!” he growls, disgruntled. “This is why I wanted to get us the girl's room…” the kappa mutters to his lover.

 

TWITCH.

 

“Ahem! More importantly, I think we should investigate the noise in the kitchen, don't you agree?” Hakkai tactfully changes the subject.

 

Sanzo snorts. “Feh. It's probably just the bakazaru sleepwalking again…”

 

 

F.

 

The group indeed come upon murdering youkai in the kitchen. But before they can go into superhero mode, the famed Rikudo shows up and steals their thunder by saving the day.

 

“Shuei…” Sanzo whispers, stupefied.

 

“Long time no see, Kouryu,” Rikudo mocks.

 

Gojyo glances from one to the other, a tic beating furiously on his temple. “Alright. I. Don't. Like. This,” he mutters between clenched teeth, “Something tells me…”

 

Sanzo quickly recovers from his shock and turns to the kappa. “It wasn't like that, you idiot,” he eloquently reassures the scowling Gojyo.

 

The halfbreed pouts. “Really truly, baby?” he demands, lower lip jutting out sulkily.

 

Sanzo rolls his eyes. “Really truly.” Seeing that his lover is not satisfied, the blond applies brute force by way of a crushing, passionate kiss. “Really truly, baby,” Sanzo growls when they pull apart, purple eyes blazing hotly into crimson. “You're my only love slave.”

 

“Okay…” Gojyo sighs happily, tiny hearts dancing over his head.

 

Rikudo whistles. “You always could tame the wild beasts, Kouryu.”

 

“Hn.”

 

Gojyo murmurs drunkenly, bronze forehead resting against its alabaster counterpart. “You'd better believe it…”

 

 

G.

 

Sanzo shields Goku, and the spear pierces his guts instead. He falls to the ground in a pool of purple. (Don't forget, Genjo Sanzo is of royal blood after all.)

 

Hakkai stands frozen with horror. “Dear God… no…!”

 

Goku sobs and yells hysterically. “Sanzo!!! Open your eyes! Please, Sanzo!!!”

 

Gojyo is beside the monk in the blink of an eye, screaming shrilly. “Dammit, Sanzo! You weren't meant to die like this!” He cradles Sanzo to his chest. “You're meant to die an old, old man, in my bed, in my arms… Sanzo…! We promised to grow old together, you bastard!!!”