Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Fateful Encounters ❯ The Warmth of Friendship ( Chapter 7 )

Title: Fateful Encounters [part 7/?]

Author: Enigma

Series: Saiyuki

Written: June - November, 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?

*****

The morning sped by as Zan watched approvingly while Gojyo went about the many tasks required to care for his injured roommate while Kiko had offered advice from time to time before cooking lunch for them all.

As a bag of fluid suspended from the headboard of the apartment's only bed slowly fed life-giving nutrients to the comatose patient, the other three occupants of the room shared a simple meal and chatted amicably. After their meal was over, a sense of gratitude for so much more than food and assistance with nursing Gonou back to health suffused Gojyo's heart and he said so.

"You wanna know something, doc?" The scarlet-haired man mentioned more casually than he truly felt while he and the physician kept an eye on the last few milliliters of IV fluids so as to stop it at the right time.

"Certainly, Gojyo. What is it?" Zan asked kindly, a small smile in her coffee-dark eyes as she heard her "nephew" cursing some minor deficiency in the other crimson-haired male's kitchen while he washed the dishes.

The nineteen year old leaned back in his chair wishing for a cigarette as he answered, "I know I've said it before but I feel like saying it again." Leaning forward and placing his arms on the table before giving her a more serious gaze, he stated, "I really appreciate everything you and Kiko have done for Nanashi and me. I know it's a doctor's duty to care for the sick and injured but you sure didn't have to go to this much trouble for some unknown guy and a fairly useless punk like me."

The woman's smile shifted from the grumbling boy who was already putting dishes away over to the man who seemed to need some reassurance and she offered, "You were never 'useless', Gojyo. Lacking in direction, perhaps, and possibly even irresponsible at times, but these last few days have proven to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are a truly *good* man." She chuckled and waved a hand towards their patient and added, "And a good *friend* as well, it would seem. For you to take in a complete stranger and change your life to suit his needs without so much as a 'thank you' says a lot about who you are and what you can become if you so chose."

"I don't know about that," Gojyo hesitated, uncomfortable with the words of praise he was unaccustomed to hearing about himself. Prior to encountering the injured man in the forest, he'd only felt completely confident about himself in three areas of his life.

First in the suave bishounen's mind, of course, was his unlimited success with women and his abilities to satisfy their desires as long as they didn't ask for anything beyond short-term pleasure. Second was his considerable talent and skill with cards having turned a hobby into a career of sorts even if he himself considered it fairly valueless "work". Last but not least were his fighting skills something that his half-brother had helped him to develop which were then enhanced by the presence of powerful youkai blood in his veins. This trio of strengths, however, was not enough to grant Gojyo self-confidence in a general sense and so he failed to consider himself worthy of praise from the middle-aged physician he respected so much.

Before Gojyo could find the words to express what he thought about himself, though, a small figure came into the room and unceremoniously flung a damp towel at him before proclaiming, "I'm finished!" Kiko gave him a frown and then added, "But you still need a bunch of stuff for that kitchen, baka! Did you *know* you were almost out of dish soap? Honestly, I barely got everything cleaned up before it ran out!"

Holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender, Gojyo answered sheepishly, "Um, no, I didn't, kiddo, but like I told ya before, I don't usually 'cook' anything other than coffee and that's pretty easy to clean up after, ya know."

The crimson-haired man started to say that he'd get some sooner or later, but then he noticed that it was time to disconnect the patient from the IV line. Rising without a second thought to mundane things like groceries and soap, Gojyo went to do something infinitely more important in his mind. He eased the needle from the insensate man's arm and then automatically treated the small wound with a bandage. Despite the fact that the bedridden man couldn't feel any pain in the first place, he smiled sadly as he stroked the pad of his thumb across the bandage and murmured an apology for causing Gonou more discomfort.

The ten year old boy's scarlet eyes softened as he watched the teen being so careful and concerned, then he turned to his guardian and asked quietly, "Aunt Zan? Weren't we planning to go to the marketplace soon?"

Quite certain she knew what was coming after observing both half-breeds during the brief moment of silence, the physician answered with a nod, "Yes, that's right, Kiko. Why? Was there something you wanted to get?"

Frowning as he watched Gojyo slowly remove the spent IV bag and then move to adjust the blankets on the bed to suit himself, the child said quietly, "Yeah. He's not going to be able to go anywhere and get stuff any time soon and me giving him a hard time about it isn't helpful, is it?"

She shook her head slightly pleased that Kiko knew he'd overstepped himself again and let him continue without interruption.

"Then maybe we can buy the things I think he needs and we can bring them over when we come to check on Nanashi tomorrow, maybe?" The usually brash youth's uncertainty was atypical and yet endearing.

Giving the boy a smile that then washed over the now withdrawn nineteen year old who rejoined them with hands in pockets and looking a bit sad, Zan remarked, "I think that would be fine, Kiko. That is, if Gojyo doesn't mind another visit from us so soon?"

"Say what?" The older male glanced at them guiltily and apologized, "Sorry, I missed the first part of that. What's up?"

Kiko gave him an odd look before shaking his head slightly and deciding to let the groceries be a surprise and simply asked, "Want us to come over again tomorrow, Gojyo? Help you take care of Nanashi and stuff?"

A slight smile curved up the corner of Gojyo's mouth and he nodded while saying, "That'd be great, kiddo."

"Good, then everything's set," Zan said as she rose from her chair and gestured for the small boy to join her as she mentioned, "I need to go over and check on the twins I helped deliver the other day, Kiko. Then you need to get back to your studies."

The boy shrugged slightly and agreed, "Sure thing, Aunt Zan." As they walked towards the front door he remarked to Gojyo, "Oh, and don't forget not to drink too much, baka."

Gojyo snorted softly and answered, "Give me a break. I only had *one* Asahi last night, ace!"

Kiko raised an eyebrow and looked disbelievingly at him before asking, "Um, then how is it you've got a ton and a half of empty beer cans under your sink?"

Suddenly embarrassed, the lanky teen ran a hand through his hair and admitted, "Um, I've been meaning to take 'em somewhere to get them recycled, kiddo. I kinda never get around to it, though."

"Oh." The boy seemed unsure if he wanted to accept this at face value or not, then he shrugged, "No problem. I'll help you with that some afternoon when I'm not busy, okay?"

"Cool!" Gojyo smiled openly for the first time since dealing with the IV and then bid his friends farewell at the door, saying, "See you both tomorrow. Thanks again for everything, doc."

Giving him a warm smile as she stepped into the afternoon sunshine followed by the flame-haired boy, Zan responded, "You're quite welcome, Gojyo. Have a nice evening with Nanashi."

"I'll try, doc," he answered with a glance at the man in his bed, then waved good-bye before closing the door.

Alone once more with his silent roommate, the scarlet-eyed man sighed slightly and then remarked, "Ya know something, dude? We've got some pretty nice friends." Shaking his head and sitting on the floor where he could lean against the bed, his eyes slid closed and a small smile appeared on his lips as he added quietly, "I only hope you feel the same way about me whenever you get around to waking up. I don't know what I'd do if you hated me for saving you or something."

Now that he'd put into words a worry that had begun to grow in the back of his head, Gojyo was able to examine the fear. He drew his knees up to his chest and hugged them with both arms before letting his head fall back against the mattress, spilling crimson waves over the navy blue bedspread much as he had the night before.

As he sat in the near silence of the room, Gojyo's thoughts grew dark as they wandered through regrets from the past.

Memories of the half-brother he hadn't seen in far too long rose up like ghosts that failed to bring a smile to his sensual lips. He recalled the horrible day Jien had been forced to kill the woman who had scarred him forever in more ways than one. There were no memories of the woman who had given him birth and he'd considered the youkai who had raised him to be his mother yet the sorrow and pain in her eyes whenever she looked at him haunted him to that very day. His red hair and eyes were a constant reminder that he was the product of a forbidden love, a union that was considered taboo yet had been desired by both his youkai father and human mother, or so he'd been told. He'd never know for certain, though.

With a sudden wave of self-hatred, he rose to his feet, glanced apologetically at the stranger in his bed and said, "I'm sorry."

Without understanding what precisely had caused him to say that, Gojyo grabbed his neglected pack of cigarettes and stepped outside. Leaning against the closed front door and looking as if he was there to enjoy the afternoon air instead of hiding from his thoughts, he slipped a cigarette between his lips, thumbed his lighter to life, and lit up. Taking in a deep, grateful lungful of nicotine-laden smoke and then releasing it slowly, he focused on the gray haze in front of his face and ignored the curious gaze of his neighbors who wondered what was going on since he wasn't even awake at this hour usually.

As he anticipated the calming effects of the drug that seemed too slow to take effect, Gojyo distantly noticed that wispy herringbone-shaped clouds were streaming in on the horizon, decorating the pale blue sky and portending rain.

His pleasantly unfocused thoughts were interrupted by the cigarette's rude decision to burn itself down to the filter. With a growl of annoyance, he reached for the butt intending to flick it away then changed his mind and used the smoldering bit to light a second cigarette so as to replenish his addicted body with one of the drugs it craved.

A lazy, sexy smile grew on his face as he finally felt the nicotine touching him and he leaned back against the door with a distant expression on his handsome face even as he drew in another deep drag of smoke.

"Ah, now *this* is what I needed," he sighed to himself as he continued to smile despite adding in a slightly annoyed tone, "Now, if only I could have a six-pack to go with this, I'd be in heaven. But that's out of the question."

Glancing over his shoulder at the narrow front window which faced the headboard of the bed, he reminded himself that there was someone inside who was relying on him for their very life at this point. Scarlet eyes flickered over the half-finished cigarette dangling from his lips and he murmured, "Oi, Nanashi, be good in there and just rest. I'll come back in soon." With a chuckle he added equally softly, "Hell, I'll even read to you or something to make up for abandoning you for a few minutes, but I *really* needed a smoke, ya know?"

Shaking his head as his pulled a few more drags of nicotine and cancer-causing heat into his lungs, the half-breed wondered when he'd gone crazy and started talking to himself, but then he recalled he'd been doing it that night in the forest before he found the wounded man. Assuming there was some circularity that made sense in that observation which eluded him at that moment, he chuckled again, flicked the butt away and went back in to make good on his promise.

The rest of the day passed quietly for the pair as Gojyo read an old issue of "Young King's Comics" and snickered repeatedly at how incredibly stupid the villains were who thought they could best Yasuhiro Nightow's Vash the Stampede with mere bravado. Eventually, he completed his highly uncharacteristic read-a-long session of "Trigun" and grew weary. A quick snack composed of some nameless dish from Long's wife seemed to be sufficient to keep him alive even as a second "serving" of intravenous fluids did the same for the silent patient.

As always, night followed evening but this time Gojyo remembered to actually lay down in the bedroll he'd worked to construct so that he could get some replenishing sleep. He lay there in the darkness, peering towards the bed for hours on end simply watching over the comatose man until the sandman stopped taking "no" for an answer, at which point he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

*****

To be continued.