Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Fateful Encounters ❯ A Gambler Starts to Become a Caregiver ( Chapter 3 )

Title: Fateful Encounters [part 3/?]

Author: Enigma

Series: Saiyuki

Written: June - October, 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?

*****

It was almost midnight by the time Kiko realized that the noise that had awoken him was loud snoring and he left his room to find Gojyo fast asleep flat on his back in the hallway with an empty sake flask in one hand.

Sounding very much like a violet-eyed priest who would someday make it a habit to simply point a snub-nosed gun in Gojyo's face and growl at him when displeased, Kiko snarled angrily, "Baka! What kind of a moron drinks himself stupid less than a day after having so much blood drained out of him?!" With an expression of distaste, the furious boy nudged the slumbering man with the toe of a sock-clad foot and yelled, "Hey, mister!! Wake up! You can't sleep in the hallway!"

A drunken and totally confused eye the color of sunset opened slowly and peered up at him before Gojyo asked in a slurred voice, "Wha's a lil' kid like you doin' in my 'partment?" He hiccuped and added in confusion, "An' what're ya doin' pokin' me? 'was havin' this great dream 'bout this chick with the biggest tits I ever saw an'…" Realization of where he actually was and to whom he was speaking suddenly hit him and the inebriated man sat up too quickly, startled beyond words for a moment.

Disgusted, the ten year old looked at the teen and snorted again, "Baka!! Go back to sleep, you worthless drunk! Just do it in the room Aunt Zan put you in to begin with, fool!" Kiko turned and stormed away, angry that he'd lost sleep dealing with someone who obviously had less intelligence than he'd thought they had. By rushing off the way that he did, however, the redheaded boy missed the look of sadness on Gojyo's face.

Usually smiling lips curved downwards and scarlet eyes lowered as he examined the flask in his hands with disgust and Gojyo found he couldn't agree with the other half-breed more than he already did. With a deep sigh and a sense of failure, he hauled himself unsteadily to his feet and finally completed the journey to the bedroom where the injured man lay, a short trip that had been interrupted by a sudden overwhelming need for sleep a few hours earlier.

Climbing into bed and deliberately not looking at the man across the room from him, Gojyo mentally railed at himself by repeating Kiko's unintentionally on-the-mark words over and over in a litany of self-hatred as he fell asleep.

As planned when he initially set out to get not quite as wasted as he had proved fruitful, though, Gojyo's dreams were filled with women and if not perfect at least satisfactory sex. There wasn't a trace of handsome young men anywhere within them at all, yet when he awoke with an intense hangover, there was something else bothering him.

A disappointment that he'd never expected to feel regarding not seeing the bishounen again was on the fringes of his awareness but it vanished as Gojyo returned his vision to the silent man's face and felt relieved that Gonou seemed a little less pale. He reminded himself of the events of the previous few days and with a self-denigrating chuckle he realized he'd drunk enough to get himself pleasantly plastered under normal conditions but had gotten completed drunk instead due to his altruistic blood donation.

With a sigh and a hand over his throbbing forehead, Gojyo glanced at the stranger and muttered, "Fuck, man, did *you* pick the wrong guy to have rescue you! Here I promised to be around and defend you just in case something happened and I end up getting drunk and chewed out by a little kid when any number of god-awful things could've happened to you in the meantime."

Running his hand down over his eyes and wishing the room would stop spinning, the contrite half-breed added more seriously, "But that's the last time I drink more than a few beers at one sitting until you're up and around. I meant what I said and if you do end up in my care after all, then I'll damned well see to it that I'm straight enough to get the job done right." He ignored the double entendre possibly present in his own words as his bladder informed him that too much sake meant not only a headache but other physical discomforts as well.

Staggering to the bathroom and finding relief in more ways than one, Gojyo took a few minutes to make some other important decisions, too.

*****

Roughly mid-morning when Zan was able to tiredly make her way home after delivering a pair of twins that weren't terribly cooperative about arriving in close succession, she walked in on a scene she had never anticipated.

In the kitchen, Kiko was masterfully instructing Gojyo on the finer points of preparing a couple of more nutritionally balanced meals than the gambler usually bothered with since his numerous lady-friends always fed him quite well in the hopes of luring the well-endowed man back to their beds.

Glancing up with a smile, Gojyo greeted her, saying, "Welcome home, doc. Did that baby decide to show up after all?"

With a surprised smile on her face as she nodded, the middle-aged woman responded, "It turned out that it was *babies* that poor woman was carrying, but yes, when I left mother and children were doing well and the father was passed out from sheer nervous exhaustion." She stretched exhausted muscles slightly as she reminded herself to check on the nameless patient in the spare bedroom soon, then added pleasantly, "All in all, a good ending for a long night, but what on earth are you two doing? Since when is cooking something you have an interest in, Gojyo?"

Giving her an openly charming smile, Gojyo answered brightly, "Well, I decided that on the off-chance nobody came to claim 'green eyes' in the other room, I might as well learn how to feed him well when he was up to it." The boy standing nearby rolled his eyes and ignored him as he added earnestly, "I've never really taken proper care of anyone before, not even myself if I was honest about it, and so I asked Kiko here to tutor me in the culinary arts. Plus, I owed the kid an apology for something else entirely and figured taking on some of his chores might help cover that."

"Oh?" Zan asked somewhat worriedly. Then she gazed at her young "nephew" and asked, "What happened, Kiko? I hope it wasn't anything too dreadful."

Shrugging with his usual coolness, the ten year old answered in a fashion that Gojyo hadn't expected and simply said, "Don't worry about it, Aunt Zan. It was just between us and unless the baka here has a further problem with me over it, I'd say it's as good as forgotten." He never glanced at Gojyo as he spoke, his scarlet eyes silently asking his guardian to trust him and let an unfortunate incident slip away without further discussion.

Confused yet pleased that the remarkably well-adjusted child was as mature as he was, Zan chose to ignore the insulting nickname aimed at the half-breed who was nine years older than the speaker was and simply nodded her head and agreed, "All right, Kiko. If you say I don't need to get involved, then I won't."

The boy beamed at her gratefully and would've run over to give her a hug if that was in his nature which it wasn't. Instead, he changed the topic of conversation entirely and said, "I've kept watch over the patient like you asked me to and he seems to be doing okay. The bandages need changing and I've got fresh ones set out, should we do that before Gojyo and I finish making you something to eat? You've got to be tired, Aunt Zan, but…?" The questioning tone in his voice indicated that he knew the woman would be unwilling to rest until her duties were fulfilled and it seemed strange to Gojyo to hear such maturity in so young a voice.

Stifling a yawn and nodding, the doctor answered, "That would be a good idea, Kiko, but I believe it's about time for Gojyo to begin learning how to change the dressings, too. He will have to be able to do it soon since they can't stay here more than another night. I need that room available for other emergencies, you know."

Wiping his hands on a towel and trying to quell the sudden fear of seeing the results of the surgery that had saved the stranger's life, Gojyo did his best to sound at least half as cool and calm about the situation as Kiko had, saying, "I understand, doc." Moving to follow the physician and the boy as they made their way down the increasingly familiar hallway, he added, "I gotta admit that I'm surprised nobody's come to get him yet, but my offer to take him in still stands, obviously. Er, but you *are* planning to come over on a regular basis to check on him, right? I mean, I sure as hell ain't a doctor and if you left everything to me, he could end up dying from infection or something stupid."

The gray-haired woman laughed softly and opened the door to the bedroom the pair had shared for several days as she answered, "Oh, I don't think that would happen, Gojyo. You could spot a fever as easily as I could, but don't worry. Kiko and I will both drop by from time to time and check on the two of you." Giving him a secretive look from the corner of her eye, she added, "I wouldn't want to have all your girlfriends coming to your home at all hours of the day and night to 'help' you with the care of a handsome young man like him. Probably best if we kept things fairly quiet about his staying with you if you want any privacy at all."

The thought of the fairly single-minded women he often spent his nights with pawing at and flirting with the green-eyed brunette sent an unanticipated jolt of jealous fury through Gojyo's heart and he scowled as he agreed wholeheartedly, "You've got a damned good point there, doc! Yeah, no one's going to have too much of a problem with you and the kid here dropping by, but now that you mention it, I sure as *hell* don't want any of those bitches hanging around him!" Realizing his words were stronger than he had intended them to be and not understanding why he felt so angry all of a sudden, he amended, "He's not going to be in any shape to have a buncha chicks fussing over him and offering to give him sponge baths and shit! As long as it's not a lot of trouble, I would definitely appreciate your help."

Giving him a knowing yet thoughtful look, Zan answered, "I had assumed you might feel that way and I think it's just fine." Glancing at the confused expression on the ten year old boy's face, she added by way of explanation that didn't address the whole situation completely, "It's often quite wise to protect those who can't protect themselves, Kiko. And I agree with Gojyo that our unknown patient would most likely benefit from a peaceful environment as he recovers."

Gazing at his "aunt" with eyes that seemed much older than their years and silently agreeing to not press this matter since she hadn't pressed him as to why Gojyo owed him an apology, the scarlet-eyed boy nodded slowly and said quietly, "That makes good sense, Aunt Zan. How long do you think it might take for him to be well enough to be up and out of bed much anyway?"

As the small group arranged itself around Gonou's bed and the doctor began to gently lift away the sheets that concealed the blood-stained bandages beneath, she frowned slightly and said, "It's too early to tell, I'm afraid. Once he comes out of this coma, we'll know a good deal more, but for now, we just need to keep his bandages changed regularly and hope that the usual post-surgical bleeding lightens up soon."

Wincing at the amount of red that had spread across bandages that had gone a few hours too long without being changed, Gojyo asked worriedly, "Why do you think he's still bleeding so bad, doc? Is he going to need another transfusion? I mean, hell, he's more than welcome to more of my blood if he needs it, and--" His increasingly concerned words were cut off by a small pat on the arm and he glanced up belatedly to find the woman smiling at him warmly.

Zan shook her head and said gently, "He'll be fine, Gojyo, really. This isn't excessive bleeding and if he'd needed more blood, I would have found another donor well before this."

"Oh," the crimson-haired man answered somewhat disappointed that it wouldn't have been himself granting that most precious of gifts and wondered why there was a slight heat in his cheeks as he added in a small voice, "that's good, I guess."

"Of course it's good, baka," Kiko said with an unfamiliar kindness in his tone. With a tiny smirk that reminded the gambler of himself, the younger half-breed added, "And stop blushing. Just because you don't know anything about medicine is no reason to get embarrassed."

"Um, that's not it," Gojyo said in an even smaller voice and wished he had an excuse to be elsewhere, preferably somewhere that he could sort out the jumble of thoughts in his head that contradicted each other yet all seemed true. Frowning slightly and thinking he had something that was at least close enough to the truth to be comfortable with it, he said more strongly, "It's just that your aunt and Dr. Long worked damned hard to keep him alive. Heck, you yourself gave him a fair amount of blood, too, Kiko, don't forget. I'd hate to see him die now if there was a way to prevent it."

"Baka, we wouldn't have let that happen," the boy muttered even as he began to prepare some of the fresh bandages that he'd sterilized himself. Then he glanced at the other crimson-haired male and asked somewhat curiously in spite of himself, "But what are you gonna call him when you talk to him? You can't go around calling him 'green eyes' until he wakes up, now can you?"

Gojyo blinked incredulously and then inquired, "What do you mean, Kiko? He's not a lost puppy or a stray cat that I can just give a name to without his permission. Besides, why would I talk to him anyway? He can't say anything back."

Smiling proudly at her young protégé who was also her child in all the ways that mattered most, Zan commented supportively, "That may be so, Gojyo, but Kiko has an excellent point. It's always best to speak to those who are comatose or unconscious. It helps give them an anchor in the real world and it often brings patients back to awareness more quickly than silence does."

"Really? Wow, I had no idea," the slender man regarded the newly exposed lines of stitches that made his stomach roil uncomfortably then looked away and nervously spoke quickly to distract himself, "But what am I supposed to talk to him about? The weather? Or sports or junk like that? I mean, I'll think of a name for him later, but I can't begin to imagine what to talk about with a guy who doesn't talk back."

"That's easy," the doctor answered confidently even as she began to cleanse the lines of stitches that held the badly torn flesh together in sadly puckered lines that were sure to scar badly no matter how hard she tried to prevent that eventuality. "What I always recommend is reading to patients like him. What you chose to read isn't as important as the presence of a warm human voice, so the newspaper or a book will do nicely."

A frown crossed Gojyo's expressive face and he ran a hand through his hair uncomfortably and admitted, "Um, I'm not a newspaper and novels kinda guy, doc. More the 'miscellaneous-shonen-manga-of-the-month' sort, I guess." [1]

Chuckling and nodding, she answered, "That's fine, Gojyo, just leave out the details on how much fan-service the mangaka offers in the hentai ones and you two should be fine. Besides, once you get used to talking to him, you'll hardly notice doing it." Zan paused as a spot that seemed to refuse to stop oozing more blood than she approved of needed some extra work. Then she remarked thoughtfully, "I recall a patient of mine from many years ago that I actually missed talking to after she woke up and it turned out we had virtually nothing in common."

A sad smile crossed the middle-aged woman's face as she explained further, "Before she awoke, I spoke to an unidentified female patient that the hospital where I was training had taken on as a charity case. After she regained consciousness, it turned out she was the missing yet unloved princess of a distant country whose family had deliberately not sought her out after she'd gotten separated from a group of travelling nobles." She shook her head slightly and stated, "Almost immediately, I discovered she was rather acid-tongued and totally self-absorbed. It was the first and last time I was actually quite pleased to see a patient leave, something she did as soon as she had recovered enough to demand that her older brother come for her."

Snickering softly, Kiko asked, "Was that the girl with the wheat blond hair you told me about once, Aunt Zan? Didn't she insist on being called 'Lirena-sama' or something similar?"

Scowling in annoyance, the doctor tried to forget the unfortunate experience and said, "Yes, it wasn't quite that, but you're close enough, Kiko." With a sad sigh, she mentioned hoping it might help Gojyo in his own situation, "But before she woke up, I had called that patient 'Agatha' after one of my favorite writers at the time since she was a mystery to those of us in the hospital. [2] Perhaps you might like to call him a name based on one of your favorite manga creators, Gojyo?"

The tall half-breed frowned thoughtfully and shook his head, saying, "I dunno about that, doc. I mean, 'Kazi' of 'Wild Adapter' fame doesn't seem to fit him and even though I love Kentarou's 'Berserk', I kinda doubt a gentle-faced guy like him would appreciate being named after someone who excels at blood-n-guts stuff." Shaking his head more firmly, he said, "No, this is too important to rush to decide. I'd better give it some thought and decide later. Um, but if you think of something that suits him before I do, please let me know, okay?"

"All right," the physician smiled in full agreement and approval that he was taking the unexpected responsibility so seriously. Then Zan included the other member of their little group who was studiously working at replacing some bandages over an injury on one of the patient's legs, asking, "Kiko? If you have any ideas, could you let us know?"

"Sure," the boy shrugged as he usually did when something wasn't terribly crucial to him at the moment yet immediately added, "but I think that 'Nanashi' might work. He is, after all, nameless and that's what it means in Japanese according to some anime I was watching at my friend Jin's house the other day." [3]

"Hmm, 'Nanashi', huh?" Gojyo echoed and glanced at the man whose handsome though pale face lay half obscured by heavy auburn bangs. Imagining what he might look like when the jewel-tone green eyes he'd seen only once were open again and able to return the gaze, he decided this sounded like a strong possibility and nodded gratefully at the boy he was becoming fairly comfortable with and said, "Thanks, kiddo. That just might be the way to go. It certainly beats the hell outta me calling him 'John Doe' or something, right?"

"My name is 'Kiko' not 'kiddo'," the boy growled, pretending he didn't like the nickname and losing some of his usual aloofness when he saw Gojyo's instantaneous expression of apology and added with exasperation, "Baka! I was joking! Geez, you're more sensitive than I gave you credit for, Gojyo. Now pay attention and learn how to take care of this guy, all right? No matter what you call him, he's still going to need you to be able to change these bandages without looking away every time you come across a particularly nasty part."

"Oh, yeah, right," Gojyo answered, relieved that he hadn't insulted the boy yet feeling mildly offended by the idea that he seemed insensitive and wondered if that was the way most people who knew him regarded him. Then a realization hit him that his world had already shifted dramatically following his unexpected encounter with this riddle of a man and he decided it didn't matter at the moment what other people thought of him and that it might not have much meaning in the future either.

While helping to lift the painfully light patient so that the doctor and her young protégé could wrap the decimated abdomen properly, Gojyo wondered if he'd ever again be the footloose, so-called "scandalous dandy" he'd been before all of this happened. Either way, the crimson-haired man fully intended to transform himself into a lighter drinker so he wouldn't do anything half as stupid as he had the night before and possibly endanger this helpless being once they were on their own in his home. He also fully expected to get a lecture from Zan about his currently abandoned tendency to smoke far too many cigarettes than what was healthy, but he honestly liked the taste of "hi-lites" too much to give them up for long. [4]

The three worked together with minimal conversation and eventually the patient was eased back under the covers of the bed so that his body could return to the slow, arduous task of healing itself enough so that he could return to awareness. None of those around him could predict the direction life would go in for all of them before Gonou regained consciousness and if the truth was known, at least one of those involved in saving his life would've regretted the foreknowledge.

The laws of physics state that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and occasionally fate requires a similar balance. As one ancient soul would be desperately battling to return to health, another would find that its current incarnation had fulfilled its final purpose before being cruelly returned to the vast reaches of non-life where bodiless spirits roamed awaiting a chance to dance to the cosmic melody once more.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] The inspiration for the idea that Gojyo would read manga aloud to the comatose Gonou was found in the anime itself but is also based on actual medical practices which Dr. Zan explains within the body of the story. As for the choice of reading material, well, in the scene where the injured man awakens and glances around, the scattered texts and beer cans on the floor seemed to look like Gojyo had been enjoying some manga to me. If they import Asahi beer from Japan why not manga, too?

[2] In case anyone wondered, this is a reference to the Grand Dame of Mystery, Agatha Christie. Even though I couldn't bear to sit down and read one of her stories now, when I was in high school way back in the 70's, I actually enjoyed her novels a great deal. Her classic "Ten Little Indians" pointed out where I myself was headed when I guessed the key plot twist far too early, but it is kind of nice to be able to offer her a nod at this point all the same.

[3] Even though I don't recall seeing anyone watching television in the anime, it seems illogical to suppose that a society which has debit cards and computers would *not* have this technology as well. Oh, and in case anyone wasn't quite sure about the source of Kiko's inspiration, yes, he and Jin were watching "Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz" and apparently enjoyed a certain character's flashback quite a bit to have picked up on this.

[4] The brand of cigarettes Gojyo is cited as enjoying was taken from "Backgammon", the first in a perfectly marvelous series of books filled to overflowing with Minekura-sensei's incredibly lush illustrations. {lights a sign that reads "micro-rant" then rambles a bit, hoping to share something wonderful with other fans} I heartily recommend these somewhat pricey hard-cover volumes to anyone who can afford them with only one warning: These are books dedicated to *all* of the many wonderful worlds of this creator and not just "Saiyuki". So please don't be upset to encounter new and previously unknown bishounen if you're not familiar with other series by Minekura-sensei after acquiring these wondrous titles. However, if you're like me and crave new excitement at every turn, indirectly meeting the boys of "Wild Adapter", "Bus Gamer", "Dio-rama", plus others is grand fun and I hope that you forge ahead and be utterly amazed as you do so. Last but not least, if the two-page spread on pages 86-87 of the first volume doesn't shout "I just fucked my boyfriend for the first time and I liked it so much I think I'll do it again!" I don't know what does. Ah, yet another good reason to take a look at the book, ne?