Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ A Simple Kiss ❯ Beer and Pool Cues ( Chapter 9 )

Title: A Simple Kiss - Chapter 9: Beer and Pool Cues

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Goku opened his eyes and sat straight up. What had happened? The last thing he remembered was getting rid of Nyoi-bou… stepping towards Hakkai… Oh. He'd passed out. Someone had obviously carried him to his bed, as he was sitting on it now, his blanket pooled around his waist. He got up quietly and folded his bedroll, carrying it over to the rest of their belongings. Standing there in the clearing, he looked towards the sky. It was still early - the faint light declaring the sun was just beginning to rise - but he felt better rested than he had in days. A cool breeze caressed his skin, making him shiver slightly and leaving him with the most delicious feeling of being alive.

Goku closed his eyes and extended his senses. The leaves in the trees rustled in the slight breeze, a soft, slow sound like the earth itself was sighing. There were birds all around him, just beginning their morning song. The largest number seemed to be congregated towards his left, and he opened his mouth a fraction to taste moisture on the air. They were grouped around the river, probably scratching in the mud for an early worm breakfast. His nose wrinkled at the thought, though a low grumbling in his stomach told him that his own breakfast would be appreciated. He ignored it for a moment and continued to scan the area with his senses. He could hear the soft breathing of his still sleeping companions, and he smiled softly at the thought of them. Wouldn't they be surprised to see that he was the first one up? He sniffed lightly, taking in the water from the river, the dying smoke from their campfire, the earth under his feet, cigarette smoke, the dry wind that promised another warm day… wait a minute. Marlboros? Goku turned towards the source of the distinctive smell and opened his eyes.

Sanzo was leaning against a nearby tree, cigarette in one hand, violet eyes turned in his direction. Despite the cool breeze, the man hadn't yet shrugged into the shoulders of his robe, leaving it dangling around his waist as usual. The faint light made his pale skin seem even whiter against his leather top, and the darkness of the tree he was under muted his golden locks. Not wanting to disturb the quiet morning peacefulness, Goku raised a hand in greeting. It took awhile, but Sanzo slowly returned the gesture. Goku strolled over to him, his heightened senses registering the grass crunching under his feet, the faint perfume of the flowers upon the tree Sanzo was leaning on, the growing warmth of the rising sun on his skin, and he felt the purest form of joy rising in his heart, the joy of living.

Upon reaching the tree, he didn't say anything, just leaned against the tree next to Sanzo. The cool bark pressed in ridges against his back, and despite the smell of Sanzo's cigarette, the fragrance of the flowers close to his head lulled him into a dreamy, languid state. They rested there, just the two of them in the sunrise, comfortable together for the first time in days. Goku didn't feel the need to break the silence, just enjoyed the warmth of Sanzo's body next to him. He watched as the sun finally peeked over the horizon, then Sanzo's movement told him the moment was over and they would be journeying west again very soon.

Goku pushed off the tree to a standing position, and turned to the man beside him. Still dizzy with the heady odor of the flowers, he was unable to concentrate properly, and acted without thinking. "Sanzo?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thanks." Goku leaned forward and pressed a kiss on the monk's lips. It was a quick kiss, chaste and innocent, and he withdrew before Sanzo could react. Tossing the surprised man a smile, he turned and ambled back towards Gojyo and Hakkai, who were just waking up.

* * * * * *

Gojyo blinked his eyes open, then shut them again as the light of the rising sun pierced his vision. He groaned, sitting up and rubbing his face with both hands. Damn, he hated sleeping outside like this. There was no comparing the forest floor to a nice soft bed in an inn with a bathroom and running water. He groaned again, and heard Hakkai's quiet laugh near him.

"I know, but we'll reach a town later today. If we're lucky, we'll find an inn with enough vacant beds for all of us."

Gojyo looked at Hakkai. How did he do that? The man always seemed to know what he was thinking. If he didn't know better, he would think Hakkai could read his mind.

"I don't need to be able to read your mind, your discomfort is written all over your face."

Gojyo jerked, faintly disturbed to hear his thoughts spoken out loud. "Quit that, Hakkai, you're creeping me out."

Hakkai laughed again. "Sorry."

Gojyo gave him a tired grin. "S'okay. It's just too early in the morning."

Goku sauntered up to them, a satisfied smile on his face. "Oi, you guys finally up? Thought you were going to sleep all day." He aimed a kick at Gojyo, who barely dodged it, weighed down by sleep-leaden limbs.

"That's pretty funny coming from you, saru." Gojyo shot back. "Since when do you get up before us? The monk drag your ass out of bed?"

"No," the smile spread into a grin. "I guess I just didn't need as much sleep as you, lazy kappa."

"That's probably because we were nice enough not to make you sit on watch. The rest of us got to listen to you snore the night away."

Goku looked bashful. "Yeah, about the watch thing. Thanks."

Hakkai broke in. "You were pretty exhausted last night. We thought you needed the sleep."

"Yeah," Gojyo snickered, "You didn't even move when Sanzo put you to bed." He was curious to see if Goku knew who had carried him away from the clearing.

His blush made it obvious he hadn't known. "S..Sanzo put me to bed?"

Gojyo was enjoying this. "Yeah. He caught you when you passed out and carried you all the way over here. It was very sweet." He leered as he said it.

Goku turned even redder. "You're lying!"

Hakkai stepped between them with a slight frown at Gojyo for antagonizing the boy. "He's telling the truth, Goku. Sanzo did put you to bed. It's nothing to worry about. Let's get some breakfast."

Hakkai walked towards their supplies and Goku turned to follow him, but as he did, Gojyo caught his eye and gave him a wink. He wanted the young man to know he was just teasing. Goku smiled, letting Gojyo know he understood.

At breakfast Gojyo made sure to steal some of Goku's food. He couldn't be too easy on the kid now, could he? They squabbled a little, as usual. Surprisingly, Sanzo's fan didn't make an appearance, no matter how loud they got. Gojyo snuck a discreet look at the monk. He seemed… odd this morning. He wasn't talking to anyone, but he didn't look angry either. It was as though he was lost in his thoughts. Gojyo shrugged. Sanzo was Hakkai's problem, not his. His job was to deal with Goku.

Once even Goku's bottomless stomach was pacified, they threw their things into the jeep and took off. They were all eager to reach the next town. The novelty of sleeping outside had worn off rather quickly during their long journey, and they looked forward to every inn they could reach. And tonight Gojyo wanted to find a bar; their beer supply was running dangerously low. He also wanted to stock up on more cigarettes. He never knew when a town wouldn't carry his brand, and he hated having to smoke anything else, though he would, rather than go without. Damn monk didn't have that problem. Marlboro Reds were apparently a major brand, and everyone seemed to carry them.

Thinking about cigarettes made him realize he hadn't had one yet that morning, so he drew out a pack and tried to light one. Despite his best efforts, the lighter just wouldn't light. Gojyo sighed. Now he would have to ask Sanzo for his.

"Oi, Sanzo." The monk either didn't hear him or was ignoring him. "Sanzo." Gojyo called louder. Still no response. "Damn it," Goyjo mumbled. He reached forward and laid a hand on Sanzo's shoulder. "Hey, can-"

The effect his hand had on Sanzo was startling. The man whipped around, gun drawn, and pointed it at Gojyo. "Get your damn hands off me!"

Gojyo scooted back in his seat. "Fuck, I just want to borrow your lighter. Mine's shot."

"Oh." Withdrawing the gun, Sanzo tossed his lighter to Gojyo and turned back around.

"Damn it, you threaten to blow my head off and all you say is 'Oh'?"

"Shut up." There was clear menace in Sanzo's voice.

Deciding it wasn't worth risking his life over, Gojyo lit his cigarette. He considered keeping the lighter, but that would just piss Sanzo off later, so he tossed it into the man's lap. "Thanks."

Sanzo said nothing, just tucked the lighter back into his sleeve.

Gojyo took a drag off his cigarette and leaned his head back against the seat, watching the smoke trail off behind him. He gazed at the scenery for a while, but by the time he finished the cigarette, he found he was bored. Finding nothing better to do, he decided to annoy Goku.

"Hey, saru."

"Don't call me that, kappa."

Despite his intentions, Gojyo found himself growing serious. "What you did last night, with Nyoi-bou. That was cool."

Goku looked at him in surprise. "You really think so?"

"Yeah. Do you think you could do it when you fight?"

Hakkai joined their conversation. "I don't see why not. Though I'm not sure you should try it yet. We still don't know how much you're capable of, Goku, and we don't want to risk your getting hurt."

Goku looked disappointed, and Gojyo threw an arm over his shoulders. "Don't worry Goku, you'll get to blast youkai into bits soon enough."

Hakkai laughed and Sanzo turned to shoot them a glare. "This is not a game. Play around when we aren't trying to get through this damn mission."

The conversation effectively stalled, they lapsed into silence again. Gojyo found himself wanting another cigarette, but the craving wasn't bad enough to risk Sanzo's wrath to satisfy it. He shifted, trying to get comfortable, then closed his eyes and slept.

* * * * * *

Gojyo was startled awake some time later by Goku poking him. He snarled at the boy, but stopped abruptly at the look on his face. "What-"

Goku cut him off. "There's something here."

They all felt it moments before it happened. Goku was already in the air when the first youkai landed on the front of the jeep, claws outstretched to grab Sanzo by the throat. Goku came at him over the top of Sanzo's head, howling in anticipation of the battle ahead as he smashed into the youkai and knocked him off the jeep. Controlling his fall, Goku had Nyoi-bou out before he hit the ground.

Gojyo followed his friend's path, springing between Hakkai and Sanzo and over the windshield, his shakujou already swinging as he landed. Together, the two of them had cleared out their initial attackers before Hakkai and Sanzo even made it out of the jeep. There was still plenty for them to do though, as the second wave hit them from behind. The air was filled with the sounds of dying youkai, punctuated by the retort of Sanzo's gun and Goku's battle cries. Above it all was the whine of Gojyo's blade singing through the air.

Gojyo and Goku ended up back to back as they cleared their immediate area. Taking a few seconds to breathe, Gojyo whipped around to give Goku a high five. The boy's golden eyes glinted with battle lust as his grin threatened to split his face. Grinning right back, Gojyo nodded towards Hakkai and Sanzo, who were surrounded.

"Looks like they need some help. Shall we?" Goku didn't bother to answer. He ran towards Sanzo, extending Nyoi-bou as he moved, and used the length to vault himself over the youkai, as well as over Sanzo's head. He landed agilely in front of Sanzo, startling the monk with his sudden appearance.

Gojyo could hear Sanzo complaining even as he worked his way towards Hakkai. "Damn it, saru. Quit fucking jumping over my head. That's twice now."

Goku ignored him, concentrating on keeping their enemies at bay while Sanzo reloaded. His eyes darted around, daring anyone to move towards him, and the youkai started to back away, sensing something dangerous about this young man. Hearing Sanzo snap the chamber closed and cock his gun, Goku moved closer to the monk, angling around to his side to get a clear line of sight.

The largest group of youkai had congregated around Sanzo, so it was no surprise that Hakkai and Gojyo finished off their attackers first and started working through those surrounding Sanzo and Goku. Seeing them coming, Goku moved out of his protective position and threw himself into the battle. Nyoi-bou blurred as he took out enemy after enemy. They tried to move away from him, but his aggressiveness pushed them back into Gojyo's range, and they were soon cut down.

At a cry from Sanzo, Gojyo turned to see blood dripping down the monk's arm. A quick flip of his blade took out the youkai still gripping Sanzo's shoulder, but as Gojyo recalled his weapon, Goku whipped around Sanzo, crouching as he spun. The green light of his ki flared, and Nyoi-bou pulsed. The first youkai incinerated didn't even have time to scream. Swinging through the air, Nyoi-bou emitted a flash of light, blinding them all. Gojyo blinked away the spots in front of his eyes, and realized they were alone in the clearing. Where once had stood at least ten youkai, now there was only Goku, kneeling and breathing heavily. The boy struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on his staff to keep himself upright.

Hakkai rushed to his side. "Goku! Are you alright?"

The young man waved him off. "I'll be fine in a minute. Sanzo's hurt."

The monk was indeed hurt, but not badly. The shallow slash on his arm had already stopped bleeding, and he barely tolerated Hakkai examining it. "Sanzo, this isn't bad at all. It will only take me a moment to heal it."

Sanzo shrugged his arm from Hakkai's grasp. "It's fine." The monk turned to Goku. "Dumbass saru. Didn't we tell you not to use your ki in a fight?"

Goku was leaning over, hands on his knees, but at this reproach he looked up. "I didn't do it on purpose. It just kind of happened."

Sanzo's voice was angry. "If you can't control yourself, we'll leave you behind."

Goku gaped at him, chagrin evident in his face. Gojyo opened his mouth to try and ease Sanzo's harsh words, but stopped as a change came over Goku. The young man took a deep breath and stood up straight. His face was now set in stubborn lines, and his golden eyes flashed defiance. A few confident steps took him to Sanzo's side, and he leaned in, inches from the monk's face.

His voice was quiet but firm. "Just try it, Sanzo." He clamped his hand over the wound on Sanzo's arm, and the man flinched. Green light flashed, and when Goku withdrew his hand a few seconds later, there was no trace of an injury. Goku turned without a word and stomped over to the jeep, slinging himself over the side and into his seat.

Gojyo watched him go, then turned to see his own surprise mirrored on Hakkai's face. He drew the back of his hand across his forehead, checking for warmth and wondering whether he had just hallucinated Goku standing up to Sanzo. Gojyo couldn't stop the smile creeping across his face. The saru really was growing up! He wiped the grin off quickly as Sanzo finally turned. Expecting to see anger contorting the monk's face into a scowl, Gojyo was taken aback by the total lack of expression. It was as if the man was carved from stone. Sanzo walked between Hakkai and Gojyo and took his seat. They quickly followed him, and their journey was resumed with no comment about what had happened.

* * * * * *

They reached their destination without further incident. Goku had kept to himself, and Gojyo hadn't felt like bothering the boy. The town was a large one, and Sanzo insisted they stay near the edge in an attempt at discretion. He made it very clear that he was in no mood to deal with idiots, as he did enough of that with the three of them. No one attempted to argue with him; it was all the same to them.

It was dinnertime, so they headed into the restaurant before checking in. The meal was a quiet affair. Goku wasn't inclined to argue, even when Gojyo stole a dumpling from his plate. The boy frowned, but cast a glance at Sanzo and said nothing. Gojyo wondered if he was thinking about their exchange after the fight. He was still surprised that Sanzo hadn't seemed angry. He didn't seem angry now either. For the first time in days, Sanzo was acting more or less normally. Gojyo decided it was time for the two to settle things between them. But how?

As they were all getting up, the half-youkai glanced towards a back room, the dark doorway barely visible in the evening light. A bar! Perfect. Slinging an arm across Sanzo's shoulders, he steered him to the door. "It's still early, let's have a drink!"

Sanzo shoved his arm away, but followed Gojyo through the doorway, Hakkai and Goku right behind him. As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, Gojyo noticed a pool table as well as the bar. The room was deserted, the only occupant standing behind the bar wiping down glasses. The man looked up as they entered, and Gojyo called out to him. "Three beers and a double sake. Put them on the monk's tab."

Goku sputtered behind him. "Three? You're letting me have a beer?"

"No," Sanzo spoke before Gojyo could. "You're not old enough."

Taking the drinks from the bar, Gojyo passed Hakkai the sake, then distributed the beers to himself, Sanzo and Goku. "Come on. He's way past old enough. Let the kid have one beer. It won't kill him."

"You're carrying his drunk ass to bed," Sanzo muttered, but he didn't move to take the beer from Goku.

Gojyo took a drink, lit a cigarette, then searched the walls. Finding what he was looking for, he pulled two pool cues down and tossed one to Sanzo.

The monk caught it and made an irritated noise. "What makes you think I want to play pool with you?" Despite his words, he was already racking up the pool balls.

Gojyo grinned. "All right. Let's play."

Hakkai and Goku moved to a table against the wall, leaving plenty of room for the players. Gojyo kept to their side of the table as much as he could, knowing that Hakkai would take the opportunity to talk to Goku and wanting to hear the exchange.

"Goku, how are you feeling?" Hakkai asked almost immediately, concern evident in his voice.

"I'm doing good. A little tired, but not bad."

"Don't feel bad about what Sanzo said today. He didn't really mean it."

Goku was silent for a moment, and when he did respond, Gojyo had to lean in their direction a little to hear it. "But what if he did? Am I really that much of an annoyance to him that he could just go on without me?"

Gojyo was glad he wasn't the one having to answer that question. Hakkai took it in stride. "Goku, it was just Sanzo being Sanzo. He worries about all of us, but isn't comfortable showing it. If he really didn't need you, he would have left you behind years ago." Hakkai paused, then continued. "This new display of power from you is… kind of scary. None of us want to see you get hurt, that's why I suggested you not use your ki in battle yet."

Sanzo came around their side of the table then, and Goku wisely kept silent. Gojyo took the opportunity to grab another beer for himself and Sanzo, and lit another cigarette. Looking at the pool table, he cursed to himself when he realized his distraction was costing him the game.

When Sanzo was a safe distance away, Goku blurted out, "I'm sorry, Hakkai. I didn't mean to, really! It was just, when I heard Sanzo cry out, I needed to do something fast. It felt… natural. I wasn't thinking about using my ki, it just kind of came out."

"Well, that's both a good thing and a bad thing. You shouldn't have to think too hard about using your ki, or you could be distracted during battle. On the other hand, you should always be in control of it. Not having control could be very dangerous."

Gojyo casually looked in their direction, and saw that Goku was giving serious thought to what Hakkai had just said. The young man was fiddling with his half empty beer, and a red flush creeping into his cheeks told Gojyo that his inexperienced friend was starting to feel the effects of it. "Hakkai, it didn't feel like I was out of control. I used just what I needed to in order to get rid of the immediate problem."

Hakkai glanced at Gojyo over Goku's head, and Gojyo gave him a slow nod to show he had heard. The weird thing was, the kid was right. They all - well at least he and Hakkai - would have felt it if Goku had let out a random blast. The amount of ki used was just enough to kill those in front of him. How Goku had done it so perfectly was a mystery. He shouldn't have had that much control with the little training he had been given. He seemed to be acting on… instinct.

Hakkai's next statement confirmed that he had come to this conclusion as well. "Most people have to have years of training to gain that kind of control over their ki. You seem to use it entirely by instinct. You still have to be careful though."

Gojyo started when Sanzo slammed his empty beer mug on the table edge next to him. "Damn it, either pay attention to the game or I'm going to bed."

"Fuck, you don't have to be so dramatic about it," Gojyo muttered. Seeing Sanzo headed up to the bar, he called, "Hey, get me another beer, too, would ya?"

"Whatever," Sanzo growled, but he did as requested.

Gojyo lined up a shot and sunk his ball. He moved to view the table from a better angle, and realized there wasn't much chance of his winning this game. He put some effort into it anyway, and sunk three more balls before missing. When he got back around to Goku and Hakkai, they had finished their conversation and were watching them play the game. Gojyo didn't miss how Goku's eyes followed Sanzo's every move.

Three more beers and half a pack of cigarettes later, the game was finally over. Gojyo was feeling pretty good, even though he had lost, and Sanzo's flushed face told the same story. Goku had finally finished his beer, and was looking sleepy. They headed for the front desk to make arrangements for the night. No single rooms were available, so they got two doubles across the hall from each other.

Gojyo exchanged glances with Hakkai and pulled the man aside. "Hakkai, share a room with me tonight."

Hakkai cast a glance in the direction of their friends. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"It's been four days. They can't avoid each other forever."

Hakkai was not convinced, but agreed reluctantly.

As they walked up to their rooms, Gojyo deftly snagged one of the keys from Sanzo, grabbing Hakkai's arm with his other hand. "Bright and early, right? See you in the morning." Moving quickly, he pulled Hakkai into the room and shut the door, leaving Sanzo and Goku staring after him.

* * * * * *

A/N:

I just couldn't wait any longer to post this. I'm excited to see what you all think.

WOO HOO! We hit over 150 reviews! The number of readers enjoying this is just growing, and I'm thankful for you all. Your excitement makes it all worthwhile. Hmmm… we had cake before, what should we have this time? I know! *hands out chocolate chip cheesecake to all the wonderful reviewers and readers* Can you tell I'm a chocolate freak?

Pervasive Threnody: I'm happy you like Goku. I think he is so much more than what you see most of the time. He's such a mystery, there is no end to the possibilities!

ethereal-tenshi: I have seen it spelled Qi, Ki, and Chi, so I went with the spelling I had seen some of my favorite authors use. Sorry if it's incorrect. Glad you liked Goku's new abilities, and hope you enjoyed seeing it again here.

Me-Nuriko: I'm sorry ff.net is being such a pain. I know you weren't sure this had gotten through, and I got your message from our friend as well. Hopefully you will get an author alert this time. Glad you think this is interesting, I've had a lot of fun exploring the possibilities. I hope you keep liking it!

dream_eater: Yeah, he was showing off for Sanzo. Who wouldn't, especially with that kind of power?

Nozomi Anshin: Good, I'm glad. Let me know if I get off track. I wouldn't want to be on Goku's bad side either!

Eclipse45: You always leave such long and detailed reviews, thank you so much! There are quite a few chapters to go, though we have passed the middle of the fic. Yumm, more chocolates! With these and my Dt. Mountain Dew, I'm good for a few more all-nighters!

Koinu-Chan: Thanks! Hope this was soon enough.

yoyo: Yeah, he is pretty great, isn't he? I'd love to have one of those flags if you have any extra!

bleedformeee: I hope you got an email this time. It seems that none of the stories posted last Saturday had emails sent out. Blah. I'm happy you liked the chapter, hope you like this one as well. Goku is just awesome when he wants to be. And I love you for reading and commenting on my fic!

Merf: More 39ness at the beginning of this chapter. Things are starting to come together for them. I know Goku using ki isn't canon, but I don't see why it couldn't be possible, and it's tons of fun! Isn't that what fan ficcing is for?

mabaroshi16: Yeah, a polite Sanzo is pretty scary, isn't he? His true colors show through pretty quick though. He's much more squeezable when he's angry or angsty. *drools over angsty Sanzo-sama*

Forsaken^On3: Gojyo is way more fun than I thought he would be. Hope you enjoyed this chappie from his POV.

Bakasaru Boi: Of course you get a hug. Here's another *Biiiig hug* Can't wait to see what you think of this chapter.

Nikki: This is my favorite pairing as well. I just can't see these two with anyone else! They are perfect for each other. Thanks for letting me know you think I'm keeping them IC. I need my readers to let me know when I'm slipping up.

Genki-Saru: Thanks! Don't worry, he's fine. I can't hurt him too badly, or Sanzo will be pissed!

dragon keeper: After all this work I'm going to so Goku can be with Sanzo, and he lets you borrow Nyoi-bou to threaten me with? That's not very nice of him! He should know better than to threaten the girl behind the keyboard. J I'm glad you are enjoying this!

kitsune-oni: I've tried to be as realistic as possible, so I'm glad you think I'm succeeding. I like that line as well, just makes all kind of naughty mental pictures, doesn't it?

SonGokuu: I've debated the whole 58 thing, and I finally decided that I wanted to stick to 39, sorry. But who knows, as this gets closer to done and I decide I don't want the fun to end, I may change my mind.

Mitsko: You aren't. I've had lots of time to write recently, and sometimes it's a pain for me to wait to post a chapter I'm excited about. But I'd rather have regular updates evenly spaced than leave everyone hanging for a long time. I hope you all agree with me.

Sanza-chan: Thank you! I appreciate your great comments. I try my best.

gallatica: *hugs back* More chocolates! You guys are going to make me fat! ;-) I didn't want to go with a golden glow because that's what color Sanzo's 'divine power' is when he limits Seiten Taisei. Plus I've always identified gold more with Sanzo than Goku, despite his golden eyes. I'm not really sure why I went with green. Oh wait, that's my favorite color. That would probably be why. I wrote the first part of this chapter with you in mind, I hope you liked it!

Klee5: Thanks! I run into the best authors and stories just by taking a look at who my reviewers are. You see why I requested more SanzoxGoku in your story! I just can't get enough of them.

Celeste1: Thanks!