Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Fateful Encounters ❯ A Shocking Morning ( Chapter 8 )

Before I start the story anew, may I please take a moment to thank the people who have left reviews here recently? I am especially grateful to satoritowa since it had been quite awhile since anyone left one. I would've sent a private note of gratitude as well, but there was no email address to use, sorry. To my kitten, Ryoko, bearilou, Plaid Dragon, and Rubious, thanks as well. Without encouragement my muses tend to wander off to other projects in other fandoms.

Enjoy the Angst!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who quietly celebrates the fact that his first Saiyuki lemon piece "Happy Birthday, Baby" now has over 100 hits here at MediaMiner.org and is glad someone out there appears to enjoy seeing Gojyo and Hakkai finally get the tender lovemaking they deserve after all their angst in this fic. ah the pleasures of writing a sequel before the original is even completed!)

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Title: Fateful Encounters [part 8/?]

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 and Goku's as well?

*****

Special Note: Dialogue that includes only lowercase letters is meant to be read as being spoken very softly, almost breathlessly and is used to reflect the intense emotions of certain situations.

*****

Morning arrived in the village in an unwelcome sodden state.

Running a tired hand through crimson locks, the gambler sighed deeply, then complained, "Oi, Nanashi? Did you order rain today, dude?" He blew a stray lock of hair from his face without rising to look at his roommate then whined, "Kiko and 'Zan-mommy' were supposed to come over again. Rain like this won't do them any good, so rescind the request, okay?"

The silence washed over him as always and as he rose closer to full awareness, Gojyo sat up and felt angry with himself as he said, "Damn, that was stupid of me!" Shaking his head and trying not to blow his own foolishness out of proportion, he amended, "Never mind that. Nanashi-babe, if there's *any* thing your little heart desires, I hope it happens, okay? Rain in the desert, snow in Tahiti, sleet on a hot day, I don't give a shit, I just wish you could wake up and be happy."

The scarlet-eyed man then shoved himself up from the cold, hard floor and stood on tired legs, gazing at the incapacitated person he'd sworn to protect simply glad that the stranger was alive in the first place. Dazedly wondering why he tended to sound like a complete idiot first thing after he woke up, the crimson-haired teen unknowingly smiled at his roommate who somehow seemed less distant than before.

Scratching the back of his head as he tried to clean the cobwebs from his thoughts, Gojyo yawned loudly and stretched while contemplating whether he wanted a shower first or some coffee instead. When his back popped painfully in complaint for sleeping on the unforgiving floor, he muttered an oath and after glancing at the clock to confirm he had time before his patient would need his first IV of the day, he wandered towards the bathroom.

After enjoying an extended period beneath the steamy spray of the shower, the crimson-haired half-breed carefully dried himself off and donned a clean pair of jeans and a long-sleeved cotton shirt for the day so as to avoid any harassment regarding his clothing choices when Kiko arrived. He smirked at himself in the bathroom mirror as he brushed out his luxurious blood-colored mane and then tied it back tightly in a hair tie that left two thick earlocks dancing by his suntanned cheeks.

Tossing the brush onto the counter by the sink, he strode back to the bed only long enough to brush a fingertip gently across the silent man's face as he smiled and said, "I'm sure glad you're not running a fever, Nanashi. I worry about that every time I've go to stick you with a needle, ya know?" His mind played a trick on him and he almost convinced himself the other man had smiled slightly in response to his words. Realizing he was deluding himself, Gojyo ran a hand over long-lashed scarlet eyes then added, "Shit. I think it's *definitely* time for some coffee for me, man. I'm seeing things that aren't there."

Shaking his head, the half-breed walked away wondering how much wishful thinking had been involved in that momentary illusion. The answer was too obvious, however, and he tried to set the thought aside as he heard the rain outside pick up strength and pound against the windowpanes in a noisy, arrhythmic clatter.

Gojyo ignored the rain as well as a strong desire for a cigarette as he prepared the coffee his addicted body demanded. Once the steaming mug of caffeine was in his hand, he went to sit by his roommate's bed, keeping the insensate form company as he usually did, chatting about nothing for awhile.

*****

Time slipped away and as he finished his second cup of coffee, Gojyo frowned and made an effort to check the time, something that would be easier if he wore a watch but he hated the restrictive feel of one around his wrist.

Eyes the color of rubies widened appreciably when he saw that it was almost noon and he cursed angrily, "God *damn* it!! What the fuck's *wrong* with me?! I missed the morning IV that I was supposed to give Nanashi." He moved quickly to dump his coffee mug in the kitchen sink at the same time he scrubbed his hands clean before gathering the supplies to provide the comatose man with the fluids that would sustain him.

Setting things on the small table and preparing himself mentally to repeat the procedure he wasn't entirely comfortable performing alone, Gojyo chastised himself, "I'm a fucking moron. Zan and Kiko didn't *say* they'd be here in time for this, so what was I waiting for?" Shaking his head after he placed the bag of fluids on the peg they'd driven into the headboard for that purpose, he removed the bandage on his patient's arm and swabbed it with alcohol to prevent the infection he feared so much.

Before he could actually insert the needle, however, there was a knock at the door.

Feeling massively relieved that someone with a lot more experience at this than he had was just outside, Gojyo set aside the apparatus and called out, "Oi!! Doc! Glad you could make it!" Smiling brightly, he went to pull the door open while adding teasingly, "Did Kiko play in all the puddles on the way here?"

To his complete shock, when he opened the door the person who gazed back at him with saddened black eyes most definitely was neither the woman nor the boy he had been expecting.

"May I come in, Sha?" Dr. Long asked in a subdued voice, then glanced away as if it hurt him to look Gojyo in the eye.

Stepping back and gesturing for the man to enter, the crimson-haired teen answered worriedly, "Of course you can come in, Long, but what's going on?" Peering past the ebony-haired man in search of a short, redheaded boy or a petite, gray-haired woman, he added, "Where's Zan and Kiko?"

Wiping what might have been only rainwater from slightly reddened eyes, the older man shook his head and commanded solemnly, "Sit down, Gojyo."

The use of his given name wasn't lost on the half-breed. Stumbling over his own feet as it started to sink in that whatever the man had come to say was not good at all, the nineteen year old obeyed. After seating himself rigidly in one of the straight-backed chairs, Gojyo looked up at the physician and silently begged for information.

Ignoring everything around them including the silent man in the bed, the doctor stepped towards the seated teen and placed a warm, comforting hand on Gojyo's shoulder before saying quietly, "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you." Taking a steadying breath, he delivered the news that physicians are often called upon to give even though it pained a healer to have to knowingly share agony, saying, "I'm terribly sorry, Gojyo, but Kiko is dead."

"Dead?" Gojyo echoed in disbelief, unable to process the information that the lively ten year old whom he had only recently met and had already developed a deep bond with could be anything other than his usual occasionally obnoxious yet endearing self. "But he can't be dead. He said he was coming over today to see me 'n Nanashi and… and…" Words deserted him as he saw the seriousness in the other man's eyes and he felt a constriction in his chest and throat that hurt worse than anything he'd felt in years.

The doctor took another deep breath and if he hadn't been through dozens of variations on the theme of this exact scene, he might not have had the strength to insist, "I'm afraid that it's true, Gojyo. Kiko died in Zan's arms just a few hours ago and there was nothing I could do to help him."

"how? where?" The crimson-haired teen's voice sounded very small, soft and shaky as he added without thinking about it, "why?"

Gazing at him with an intense sadness of his own, Long shook his head then knelt in front of the shaken man and said, "Kiko died because he wanted Zan to live, Gojyo." He noted there were tears standing on the rims of the teen's eyes and he explained, "There was an accident in the marketplace a few hours ago. Some damned fool didn't set the brakes properly on an overloaded cart and it rolled down the hill straight for them. Kiko saw it in time to push his 'aunt' out of the way, but the mud didn't give him enough traction to make it to safety himself. His torso and legs were crushed under both sets of wheels as it rolled over him."

"did he die instantly?" Gojyo asked in the same small voice as before, barely able to imagine the level of sheer agony the small child must had felt as his internal organs were compressed into pulp and his shattered ribs punctured his lungs and possibly his heart.

"No, he didn't, I'm sad to say," Long answered in a choked voice, tears of his own welling up and disproving the idea that he had become inured to the worst aspects of his profession. He dashed some of the wetness away from his own high cheekbones before doing the same for the youth whose head now hung down limply, scarlet eyes closed as salty teardrops spilled forth unashamedly.

With another deep breath, the physician explained, "I was nearby when it happened and heard the screams of the people who had the misfortune to witness the tragedy. When I got there, he was bleeding horribly and yet was able to at least open his eyes even as Zan gathered him to her, crying softly since she knew the boy didn't have a chance. Apparently his partially-youkai nature made him stronger than a human would've been and it took him almost fifteen minutes to die. It… it was the most hideous thing I've ever seen."

Bringing both hands up to cover his face, Gojyo moaned, "oh god! no." His shoulders shuddered as he wept openly and the images the doctor's words had given him combined with the knowledge that he would never see his young friend again overwhelmed him for a moment.

Seeking to offer what solace he could, Long moved to embrace the distraught youth. In so doing he gave Gojyo the one thing he needed most of all which was a reminder that he wasn't alone in his grief and neither was he alone in the world the way that he once had been. The man held the teen who suddenly seemed much younger than his nineteen years, letting him come to grips with this horrible new reality even as he himself allowed a last tear or two to escape before his self-control re-exerted itself and he could become calm and composed again.

As some of the worst of the pain worked its way through him, Gojyo felt himself weakening and he leaned heavily against the older man as he finally asked in a slightly louder voice, "How's Zan, Long? Was she hurt, too?"

"Thankfully, no, Gojyo. She wasn't injured physically, but her mental condition is another story altogether," the ebony-haired man sighed and shook his head as red-rimmed scarlet eyes opened and Gojyo lifted his head and gazed at him once more wordlessly asking for more information. "Zan's at home now, heavily sedated. Before the drugs I gave her could take effect fully, she told me that they had been on their way here to see you and she asked me to come in their place. She said something about detergent or something that made no sense, but I came all the same since I assumed that you would want to hear the news about them personally instead of reading it in tomorrow's newspaper."

Forcing himself to sit upright once more, Gojyo dashed away the wetness from his scarred cheek and explained, "Yeah, Kiko said I needed dish soap yesterday." Realization that there could have been a connection between that and the fact that the two were at the marketplace on an unpleasant rainy morning in the first place, he felt a sudden sensation of guilt and shock as he exclaimed, "Oh, fuck! This is *my* fault then! I just remembered Kiko was saying stuff about how I needed groceries and shit, and oh, *damn*!!"

Remaining where he was kneeling on the floor, Long gazed at the suddenly agitated young man and asked, "How can this possibly be *your* fault, Gojyo?"

Self-loathing and disgust pounded into Gojyo like physical blows and his shoulders drooped as he shook his head slowly and stated in self-denigrating tones, "It's my fault in that if I wasn't such a slob Kiko wouldn't have felt like he had to take care of things for me. Then they wouldn't have been there in the first place." He thought about the rain that continued to pound down on the small village and added, "No one would go out in weather in like this if they didn't feel as if they had to, you know. It's my fault, *again*!"

Understandably confused since he was unaware of the drastic steps taken by Jien years earlier to keep his younger half-brother alive, the doctor insisted gently, "I don't know what you're talking about, Gojyo, but this was an accident. It isn't something anyone could've foreseen or prevented, most likely."

Sighing deeply and letting his head lean back uncomfortably against the back of the chair, the gambler said nothing in return, only silently pleaded with whatever forces seemed to enjoy torturing those that he cared for to leave him be and find another target for their angst.

Deciding it was probably best not to pry, Long rose to his feet and took his first look around the room since his arrival. Seeing the equipment laid out to administer an IV and correctly assuming that the patient in the bed was due for one, he asked, "Would you like me to take care of that for you while you pull yourself together, Gojyo? Despite everything that has happened, his need for fluids hasn't changed."

Scarlet eyes that had been closed briefly in pseudo-prayer opened once more and turned towards the brunette in his bed for a moment, then the crimson-haired man accepted the offer, saying, "Yeah, that would be great, Long. I was behind schedule already and needed to change Nanashi's bandages, too. Could I impose on you to handle that, as well?" He ran a shaking hand across the twin scars on his cheek as he added uncertainly, "I'm sure you hate to hear it, but I need a cigarette so bad right now I feel like screaming."

The older man smiled slightly and shook his head, "Don't feel badly about it, Gojyo. I know that at times like this everyone handles things differently. Why don't you go outside and relax for awhile? I'll take care of the IV and everything for you, all right?"

"Sounds good to me," Gojyo answered gratefully. After retrieving the package of hi-lites from the table along with his lighter, he strode towards the front door without saying another word.

The physician watched the half-breed exit the apartment and took a deep centering breath finding his own sense of calm restored slightly since the teen had taken the news better than he'd feared he might. The scarlet-eyed man was no stranger to violence when provoked and he'd feared those same strong emotions might be problematic following the revelation that his young friend had died so senselessly that morning. However, instead of histrionics or even angry railing at the universe, in the end, Gojyo had seemed to take the news fairly well. Long was slightly confused by the feelings of guilt the teen had been expressing, but he set that aside as he resumed the role of physician and took care of the comatose man.

Quietly and efficiently inserting the needle that would allow life-sustaining nutrients to enter the silent man's body and then beginning to change the dressings on the surgical wounds, Long encouraged his unhearing patient, saying, "You seem to be doing well today, Nanashi. It would appear that Sha is doing an excellent job caring for you, considering how limited his training is." He smiled slightly without realizing it when he noted how well the gaping wound in the man's abdomen was healing. The substantial scarring would still be there for the rest of his life, but at least it was closing.

With a slight shake of his head as he gazed at the blind-covered window, Long added pensively, "I only hope that you won't cause him any further sorrow, though. I don't know him well by any means, but I'd say Gojyo really needs a friend right now and you, it would seem, are in the best position to be that for him."

The patient, of course, could no more respond to this than he could anything else around him, and remained as unresponsive as he had been throughout the recent days, something that was actually quite beneficial at this point.

Considering what Gonou had been through recently and the heinous crimes he had committed before collapsing in front of Gojyo in the forest, the brunette would've insisted that he was the last person anyone should count on for anything at that point, especially anything as sacred as friendship. If it weren't for his debilitating injuries, he would've wanted to resume his journey immediately upon regaining awareness but since he couldn't, the emerald-eyed man would indeed come to fulfill Long's hopes.

In the course of forming those first tentative bonds of friendship with Sha Gojyo, the former teacher would come to discover himself capable of doing what he might have thought impossible as well as not doing what he'd intended after he decided life was worth living after all. Suicide would be a much less attractive option after Cho Gonou encountered three men with whom he unknowingly shared a spirit-bond more than half a millennia old that was destined to send them all on a westward journey together filled with adventure and danger.

*****

To be continued.