Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Fateful Encounters ❯ Facing the Day After ( Chapter 2 )

Title: Fateful Encounters [part 2/?]

Author: Enigma

Series: Saiyuki

Written: June - September, 2002

Rating: R

Pairings: (Gojyo + Hakkai)

Category: Shonen ai/yaoi, Angst, Romance, Action/Adventure, Blood, Language. AU-OOC.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, romance, action/adventure, anime-based bloodshed, crude language matching the characterization of the series, original characters to support the main characters from the anime and not detract from them, medical and other squick, additional warnings and pairings possible as fic comes into being over time. AU-OOC.

Spoilers: Since this is based on episodes 15 & 16 of the anime, there are definite spoilers for them, but there are also minor spoilers for other aspects of the series which I will try to keep to a minimum so readers both new and old can enjoy this tale.

Disclaimer: "Saiyuki" is the property of Kazuya Minekura, et al. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Zan, Long, Kiko, etc.) are © Enigma, 2002, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of unpaid fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: What might have actually happened after Gojyo found and rescued a severely injured Gonou (a.k.a. Hakkai) three years prior to their journey to the west? How will these revelations change not only their own lives but also Sanzo's and Goku's as well?

*****

By midday following the rainy night's dramatic events, Gojyo found himself awakening from an odd dream about a man with luxurious golden hair and a deep red chakra on his forehead who seemed awfully familiar. Tiredly, he ran a hand through his hair muttering, "Damn. He was too fucking pretty to be a guy."

Without realizing he hadn't fallen asleep in the bed of yet another nameless conquest--something that would've explained his current unfamiliar surroundings--he sighed and then frowned as he pulled his hand away and found flakes of dried blood falling from his fingertips. Shocked, the half-breed exclaimed, "What the hell is *this*?!"

Images from the night before raced through Gojyo's mind. Like a rapid-fire series of photos, he saw the tragic meeting with the stranger all over again in horrifying detail.

The brunette man laying in the mud, partially disemboweled and bleeding to death yet finding the strength to smile at him tenderly before falling unconscious at his feet.

The feeling of the man in his arms as he ran desperately towards the village half-praying for help from gods who had always treated him with disregard if not outright cruelty.

The sight of scarlet blood gushing forth from the man's open abdomen which painted red stripes across Dr. Zan's kind face chilled him to the bone.

The painful sensation of a large-gauge needle sliding into the crook of his own arm to carry life-giving blood to a body that lay nearby, a portion of whose internal organs lay ignored on the table between them no longer able to function in its capacity of processing food.

A wave of nausea ran through Gojyo as this last image hit him. Grasping a hand to his mouth to prevent the natural response that he'd only barely avoided the night before thanks to adrenaline and shock, he sat up in bed too quickly hoping against hope that he wasn't about to vomit on himself. Swallowing back the wave of acid-laden stomach contents he couldn't suppress completely, he disgustedly growled, "That was damned weak of you, Sha Gojyo!" He shook his head in angry self-hatred and added in disgust, "You think you're such a bad-ass, but when it comes right down to it, all it took was seeing--and smelling!--a guy's insides a little too closely and you're ready to puke on yourself like some little kid."

While shaking his head irritably, Gojyo finally noticed he wasn't alone in the room and he froze in shock and fear.

"Oh, *fuck*! What we went through last night wasn't enough, was it?" His scarlet eyes lingered on the ash-white and utterly unmoving body of the man who would one day go by the name Cho Hakkai for several agonized moments and then he said with deep regret in his voice, "You poor bastard. If only you'd found someone better than me to collapse in front of, maybe you'd still be alive right now."

The silent figure didn't answer or even appear to breathe as Gojyo rose from his bed and went to respectfully cover the presumed corpse's face before going in search of Zan to let her know that her patient hadn't survived after all. He reached a trembling hand out intending to gather up the top of the sheet that lay on the too-still chest but hesitated before touching the fabric.

For reasons that were beyond him at the moment, the crimson-haired man gave in to an urge to lightly caress the anticipated cool flesh of one flawless cheek by way of saying farewell to a person he would've liked to get to know. Of course, the man was not dead and when that silken skin offered a small amount of warmth and the slightest hint of a pulse beneath it, scarlet eyes went wide with surprise and delight.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Gojyo exclaimed in grateful amazement. "You really *are* a tougher bastard than I gave you credit for, aren't you? Shit, man, you scared the hell out of me for a minute there."

Remaining motionless and silent, Gonou simply lay there not responding to his words or actions.

Somewhere in the back of Gojyo's mind, he rather wished things weren't happening this way and that it would be like some fairy tale where a few words or a touch could bring back those presumed to be dead. Oddly enough, his decidedly fantasy-oriented inner thoughts failed to urge him to tenderly kiss the man like a modern age Sleeping Beauty, but it was just as well. It wouldn't have done any good and might have caused him to hesitate at a crucial moment in the future when such a gesture would have far greater meaning and would change their paths irrevocably.

With a heavy sigh and an ache in his arm where the bruise from the transfusion throbbed and reminded him he ought to be taking it easy, the half-breed wandered from the room seeking the physician to let her know that he was awake.

Stepping into the brightly lit hallway that led to the dining-cum-operating room, Gojyo paused and leaned heavily against a wall as a wave of lightheadedness washed over him.

A small voice unexpectedly asked, "Are you okay, mister?"

Gojyo turned to gaze down at the diminutive crimson-haired child who had walked up beside him soundlessly and he smirked as he answered, "Yeah, kid, I'm fine." He jerked a thumb back towards the room he'd just left and added, "I'm a helluva lot better off than 'Mr. No-name' back there, that's for sure. But, at least none of us are dead and that's pretty cool, don't ya think?"

With a negligent shrug that caused the sleeve of his tee-shirt to hike up a bit and expose his own badly bruised and suddenly very small-seeming arm, Kiko responded, "Of course not. Aunt Zan's the best doctor in the region and if there was any way at all to save him, she'd have found it." He rubbed at the bruised flesh on his elbow without much thought and added, "Besides, he wasn't even the worst case I've seen her work on. The guy who had been attacked by a bear last month was tons worse and he survived."

A feeling of concern for the jaded boy standing by him rippled through the gambler who had previously thought he didn't even like children and Gojyo asked with a touch of worry in his tone, "How often do you end up watching stuff like that, kid? Doesn't it freak you out to see so much blood and guts all the time?" His own mental imagery of the results of an attack by a large wild animal caused a return of the nausea he'd felt earlier and it chilled him to think this small child was so blasé about all of this.

Giving him a cool almost analytical gaze in return, Kiko answered confidently, "Not at all. I'm going to be a doctor just like Aunt Zan when I grow up, so it makes sense for me to start learning about it now."

"You want to be a *doctor*?!" The nineteen year old exclaimed in surprise, then inquired doubtfully, "Don't you think people won't feel comfortable going to a half-breed for that? I mean, humans and youkai don't always get along really well and you and me are stuck halfway in the middle of both groups."

The ten year old frowned at him and then slowly shook his head before remarking disdainfully, "If you let what other people think of you based on appearance matter that much, then I feel really sorry for you, mister." Turning and walking away from the crimson-haired man he added as if he didn't really care any more, "By the way, Aunt Zan says you need to come eat breakfast as soon as you get up. You lost a lot of blood and will get dizzy if you don't eat."

Properly shocked by the wisdom in the youth's words, Gojyo paused and ran a hand through his blood-encrusted hair again then slowly shook his head and muttered, "Well, what did I expect? 'Outta the mouths of babes' and all that shit." Glancing over his shoulder back at the room he'd just left behind, he added thoughtfully, "I wonder what that guy would have to say on the matter? I sure as hell didn't think he had any youkai blood in him at all, so whatever his story is, not many people would've guessed he wasn't completely human. If he pulls through, at least he won't spend the rest of his life an obvious outsider like me and that's good. Somehow, I'm pretty sure he deserves better."

Deciding that he'd best obey the summons from the woman he now owed a huge debt to as opposed to getting a much needed shower and washing away the crusty spots of dried blood that were dirtying his usually silken hair, Gojyo started walking again.

The hallway emptied into the once more spotless dining room and to his irritated stomach's further discomfort, he found Zan sitting more or less exactly where the surgery had been performed serenely sipping some tea. She glanced up at him and smiled warmly, welcoming him to the table with a hand gesture.

Suppressing his confused feelings of disgust and dismay regarding sitting at the place where Gonou had very nearly perished, Gojyo forced a smile of his own and greeted her, "Good morning, doc. How's it going?"

Small wrinkles danced around her eyes and she corrected, "It's afternoon, Gojyo, but I'd say it's all going as well as one might hope." Watching him take a seat across the table from her as she poured him some tea, she commented, "I've been keeping an eye on your friend. He seems to be having a difficult time of it and is in a coma, but I feel confident he'll survive if he lasts another day or so."

Darkness grew in scarlet eyes and Gojyo stared into the small cup in his hand and answered unhappily, "He's *not* my 'friend', doc. Like I told you last night, I don't have a fucking clue who he is or where he's from." Lifting his eyes and letting her see the depth of emotion within them, he added seriously, "Sure, I'd like a chance to get to know him and find out what the hell did that to him so I could go take revenge for him and macho shit like that. But right now all I really want from him is that he keeps being as tough as he is and stays alive. Someone's bound to come looking for him and I *don't* want to have to admit that I didn't get him to you fast enough for him to survive."

The physician's gaze was unwavering and somewhat sad as she regarded him in return. With a soft sigh, she stated, "I seriously doubt that's going to be a problem, Gojyo. Right now, he's got your blood as well as Kiko's running in his veins, and you and he are two of the most stubborn men I've ever encountered even if my 'nephew' is only ten! Now, if you're quite done being pessimistic, might I offer you some food and a chance to get clean before I send you right back to bed where you belong after last night? I was a bit more ruthless than usual when taking blood from you since the patient's condition was so desperate, so I intend to see to it that you rest as much as possible for the next twenty-four hours or so."

Despite the seriousness of the situation or even the fact that he did still feel lightheaded, Gojyo chuckled in spite of himself and answered contritely, "Yes, mommy. I'll be a good boy and clean my plate then go take a bath before napping."

Rising from the table with a maternal smile on her face, Zan reached over to pat him on the head fondly as she commented, "Good, see that you do." With a chuckle of her own, she amended, "But if I'm going to be your mother for awhile, allow me to give you one other piece of advice. Stop thinking you know the future and stop trying to presume that nothing good will ever happen to you just because your life so far hasn't been wonderful. *No* one is given a glimpse of their destiny before they're ready to face it fully."

She didn't give him a chance to respond, merely swept from the room purposefully intending to feed him well even as she left him to hopefully find a more positive view of his life.

Snorting softly, Gojyo shook his head in amusement and commented acidly, "Well, I deserved at least *some* of that, but what the hell is up with her being so worried about me? I'm nobody special. A small-time gambler who lives by playing cards and keeps himself from being bored out of his mind by taking almost any willing female to bed with him. Shit, if ever there was a useless life not worth a second thought from a lady like her, I've certainly never heard about it."

Leaning back in his chair and sipping his tea, Gojyo tried to block out the voice in his head that sounded like the youkai woman who had tried to kill him that concurred completely with his usual self-hatred. He succeeded well enough that he was able to eat the large meal the doctor eventually brought him without too much trouble even as he tasted absolutely none of its flavor or appreciated its deep warmth and natural calming effects. Comfort food only rarely lived up to its name as well as what Zan prepared for him that day did.

Before long, Gojyo found himself yawning as he washed long hair clean once more even as reddish water swirled down the drain at his feet disconcertingly, bringing to mind the same nausea-inducing images as earlier. Refusing to acknowledge the slight twinge in his nicely full stomach this caused, he scrubbed a little harder and quickly finished eliminating the bloody evidence of the race he'd made the night before with the wounded man clutched desperately against his chest.

After pulling on a fresh robe Kiko had left for him, the scarlet-eyed man returned to the room where the person who had come into his life so dramatically remained as still and quiet as a corpse, an impression that simply wouldn't leave his mind. Shaking his head apologetically, he walked over to the severely injured man and laid a hand on his unmoving shoulder before saying softly, "Hang in there, buddy. I sure as hell don't have a clue who you are, but I'm positive you deserve better than to have to lay there like a doll or something and be forced to share a room with a good-for-nothing like me."

Yawning and lifting his hands over his head tiredly, he commented to the comatose man, "Then again, as long as you *are* stuck with me around, at least you should be safe. You'll be in no shape to defend yourself for quite awhile and if whatever did all that damage to you shows up before your wife and kids do, at least you'll have an experienced brawler around for protection."

Silently thanking his half-brother for teaching him how to fight when he was little and the other children in the village where he grew up used to pick on him endlessly, Gojyo climbed into bed once more. He lay on his side and gazed thoughtfully at the stranger he was already willing to fight for or to kill to defend, wondering who Gonou really was never once imagining that he might be someone he was destined to travel beside during the epic journey of a lifetime.

Then, the tiredness of blood-loss overcame him and he fell into a deep and somewhat disturbed sleep.

Images of the same willowy man with the flowing golden hair from his previous dreams reappeared as if there to tantalize and torture him, but a new figure seemed to dance outside his vision repeatedly. Bespectacled and quietly handsome, someone too familiar and yet unknown never materialized fully and by the time he awoke, Gojyo felt even more frustrated and was at a greater loss than before.

Without thinking about much of anything yet wishing his subconscious would offer images of delectable women skimpily clad and throwing themselves at him, the gambler yawned and rolled onto his side facing his silent roommate again. In the waning rays of afternoon sun that somehow penetrated the shutters Zan had drawn against them, Gojyo gave in to the desire to actually study the man he'd helped to save.

His first thought was that it was a shame those entrancing emerald eyes were closed, but he lost track of that idea almost instantaneously as the memory of the horrible tearing the man's abdomen had suffered resurrected itself. With a deep sigh, the crimson-haired man noted that there were indeed some substantial signs of damage on the stranger he'd not noticed earlier and he sadly took stock of the numerous layers of gauze that encircled the other man's head, running in and out of dark brunette hair.

There were other indicators of how close to death the man had come which Gojyo decided he didn't want to dwell on and he forced himself to stop looking at Gonou, muttering to himself, "Shit, he looks like he's been through hell. Oh well, there's nothing more I can do to help him right at the moment, now is there?" Scratching at the twin scars on his cheek absently, he remarked, "Hmm, I wonder if Zan's got any beer in the place? I could go for a nice cold Asahi right about now."

He stretched like a cat, then rose and wandered off intending to get as close to drunk as the matronly physician might let him in the hopes that when sleep reclaimed him it arrived only with dreams of beautiful female figures instead of handsome male ones. Somehow, despite the rigors and implications of recent events, Gojyo clung to his misconception that his desires for more than friendships with other men were sick and to be denied, but how much longer he could lie to himself about the truth remained to be seen.

A mirthless laugh echoed in Gojyo's mind as a curious voice asked him whether or not he truly wanted to forget those nights spent with his male schoolmates exploring forbidden realms rather too satisfyingly. Whose voice it was and why it rang through his mind with brotherly affection and a hint of knowledge of the truth about the situation as well as why giving in was sometimes the best choice was beyond him at the moment. However, it only made him wish to lose himself in the warm haze of a few drinks all the more urgently.

This entire train of thought derailed entirely when the scarlet-eyed man discovered Zan had left to deliver a baby and, yes, there was indeed plenty of alcohol in the house if he looked hard enough for it.

As evening slowly approached, Kiko remained alone in his room studying his lessons and the solitude suited Gojyo just fine since he didn't want to have the unexpectedly insightful crimson-haired child giving him another lecture. Like it or not, there was something about the boy that drew the teen to him and the feelings of protectiveness as well as respect this caused bothered Gojyo on some level he preferred to deny having in the first place.

A craving for a cigarette hit the half-breed, but he knew the last person to have any tobacco in their home would be the motherly doctor and he forced that desire aside as he satisfied himself with the containers of sake which had been given to Zan by grateful patients. Obviously, he'd neglected to take into account that his resistance to the alcohol would be lower due to his decreased blood levels, but the gambler simply wanted a bit of peace and found it in a bottle as he often had in the past.

Sometimes life really does need to hit rock bottom before a person can begin to climb out of a hole.

But for someone like Gojyo, unfortunately, destiny held so many pitfalls that he'd find out soon enough that "rock bottom" was a place he would tend to be on a regular basis until he stopped lying to himself about what he really wanted. He also needed to make a commitment to something far greater than himself for his future to have any meaning at all, but this was a realization that wouldn't come to him until he truly thought his world had ended entirely. When that point came and the crimson-haired man decided he'd had enough of his old life and the pain it caused him to leave it behind and start over newly shorn, fate would have another unexpected twist to hit him with, too.

Odd what could happen to a man when Kanzeon bosatsu took an interest in at least part of his life yet left openings in his destiny for other changes to happen as well.

If only Gojyo knew then what he would learn later, perhaps he would have been able to overcome the latent self-hatred that burned like acid, but for now, he'd muddle through simply by drinking himself blind if he had to.

*****

To be continued.