Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Fateful Encounters ❯ Interlude with a Surly Priest and a High-Spirited Boy ( Chapter 14 )

Title: Fateful Encounters [part 14/?]

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?

*****

Even as one pair of souls that fate had irrevocably bound together faced the trials and tribulations of everyday life following the grim sorrow of a harrowing event, another pair bound equally tightly yet in an entirely different fashion were dealing with their own challenges.

Oddly enough, the so-called "challenge" of the moment was coming up with something for lunch that wasn't the usual vegetarian fare the temple they were living at offered.

"Ne, Sanzo?" [1] A hungry boy with his bare feet dangling in the water of a small woodland stream whined too loudly for the tastes of the person sitting nearby who was studiously trying to ignore him. The umber-haired youth had his pant legs rolled up and was clutching a fishing pole with both hands even though he doubted he would get a bite from the proverbial "big one" his stomach was telling him it needed to have so it wouldn't feel so unbearably empty.

"Shut up, saru," the priest whose golden robes were pushed down around his waist snarled quietly from behind the newspaper he wasn't really reading. Then he explained yet again as if it might help more now than it had the first five times he'd said it, "Be quiet or you'll scare away the fish."

Glancing hopelessly at his fishing gear and then peering back at the surly twenty year old who had just stuck yet another Marlboro between his lips and lit up, desperate for a fresh jolt of nicotine, Goku moaned miserably and whined again, "But the fish aren't *biting*, Sanzo!"

A pair of somewhat droopy yet quite alert violet eyes rolled slightly as Sanzo adjusted his wire-framed reading glasses then pulled the newspaper closer to himself as if he could hide behind it while refusing to answer.

As his stomach growled loudly enough that it did indeed frighten away a small trout that had been curious about the strangely baited hook which wasn't being given proper attention, Goku mewled piteously, "I'm *hungry*, Sanzo!! There's no fish in this stream anyway."

Slamming his newspaper into his lap and revealing his usual black body-suit and gloves along with a vein popping on his forehead, Genjo Sanzo gave the boy a murderous glare and then spat angrily, "Of *course* there's no fish around with you howling like a baboon, bakasaru!" Seeing the contrite expression on the functionally fifteen year old boy's face, he softened his tones as he stated tiredly, "I thought you said you wanted something other than 'roots and leaves' for lunch today, Goku."

Fiddling nervously with his pole and unable to think of a good answer on an empty stomach, the golden-eyed boy responded unhappily, "I *do* want some meat or fish or *something* that didn't grow in the dirt, Sanzo, but I'm just too hungry right now to sit here and fish!" He rubbed at his noisy abdomen wishing it would quiet a bit then he suggested hopefully, "Maybe if we go into town and get some meat buns I'll be able to catch us some fish for dinner instead?" Pouting slightly, he added in a quieter voice, "Maybe if I had better bait than I do that might help, too."

Almost against his will, Sanzo frowned a little then regarded his young friend with something approaching curiosity as he asked, "What *are* you using for a lure, monkey? Did you go dig up some worms like I told you to do earlier?"

"Um, well, uh, er," the umber-haired youth hemmed and hawed, then admitted something that might have grossed out anyone less acquainted with his habits than the exasperated blond was, "Yeah, Sanzo, I did just like you told me to. But I got really hungry awhile ago and decided if the fish thought worms tasted good, I might, too." [2]

Glancing away while shaking his head and taking a harder than usual drag on his cigarette before grinding it out against the sole of one of his sandals, Sanzo sighed heavily and then inquired, "Well?"

Huge golden eyes peered back at him, blinking in confusion as Sanzo gracefully rose to his feet and began rearranging his robes, stowing his reading glasses and newspaper in one of his amazingly deep sleeve-pockets. Realizing the man was awaiting a reply, Goku asked nervously, "Um, 'well' what, Sanzo?"

Dusting his hands off lightly before returning the sutra to its place around his neck, Sanzo sighed yet again and asked what he thought was obvious, "Did the worms taste good or not, Goku? They might be easier to get than fish. If they satisfied that bottomless pit you call a stomach maybe you should go dig up some more and I won't be forced to walk into town with you harassing me again."

Sudden awareness that he was being indirectly told he would get his wish after all flashed into the boy's mind and as Goku happily jumped to his feet, he announced confidently, "They weren't bad. Kind of like a bunch of slimy, wiggly noodles, but they didn't fill me up! Does this mean we can go get some meat buns now, Sanzo? Does it, huh, does it?!"

Heaving yet another sigh theatrically, the much put upon priest turned away and started heading towards the footpath that would carry them first to the temple and then into town even as he acknowledged the plan, "Yes, you damned monkey, we can go get something to eat now!"

He heard a delighted shout of glee and then little bare feet rushing to catch up to him but before Goku could say anything else, the violet-eyed man growled, "But don't you *dare* ever dig up a bunch of worms for *me* to try! I prefer my meat to have feet, hooves, or fins at least!" Knowing that the boy routinely tried to find ways to say how much he appreciated Sanzo's time and patience with him, the realization that he himself might one day be presented with a squirming bowl of worms for a snack was almost enough to make the blond lose his appetite.

"Sure thing, Sanzo!" Goku promised joyously, carrying the fishing rod carelessly in one small yet superhumanly powerful hand barely aware of it until he noticed a new look of annoyance on his friend's angular visage. Peering from the angry priest's glowering face to the pole and back again, the contrite boy asked in a small voice, "What have I done wrong now, Sanzo?" He reached up to push his flowing brown bangs back over his golden diadem and tried to guess what transgression had gotten him in trouble with his guardian this time.

Trying to quell a tic that was forming in one cheek and causing his eye to twitch slightly, Sanzo asked in a voice dark with low-burning rage, "Why in the name of *hell* is one of the bullets for my Smith & Wesson tied to your fishing line, bakasaru?!"

Wishing he could hide from his guardian's wrath and knowing that he couldn't, the boy recalled finding the bullet under a table where it had fallen while Sanzo had been cleaning the weapon and had kept it as a good luck charm. Realizing that had probably been a bad decision from the very start, the golden-eyed youth swallowed nervously as he admitted, "I thought it might make good bait, Sanzo." Seeing his friend's eye twitching worse than before, he hurried to add, "It's shiny and pretty so I thought it would make the fish curious. And if they thought it was interesting, then they'd want to taste it and--"

A snort of annoyance that sounded somewhat relieved broke the air between them and his companion did what one might expect and pulled a large paper fan out of the proverbial nowhere of his sleeve-pocket and bashed the youth lightly on the head with it.

Shocked that the impact didn't hurt as much as usual, Goku remained silent as Sanzo first returned the fan to its hiding place so as to be ready for the boy's next transgression then reached for the supernaturally powerful ammunition and pulled it free from the string. [3] Pocketing it, too, the priest snarled softly, "Don't do that again, baka. Those bullets are dangerous and you could've hurt not only everything in that damned stream but yourself, too, playing with it that way."

Wide golden eyes blinked yet again and Goku stood in one spot utterly dumbfounded even as Sanzo continued to walk away from him intent on reaching the temple quickly so as to pick up his trusty debit card before they encountered any food stands in town.

Shock gave way to happiness as the umber-haired boy quietly asked himself, "Does that mean Sanzo was worried about me getting hurt?" He watched the retreating golden-robed figure and beamed delightedly as he concluded that yes, that was exactly what he meant. Then, with a whoop of joy, he bounded off down the trail catching up to his guardian quickly.

Bouncing about and creating the impression of a crazed monkey, Goku inquired too quickly for the other man to answer, "Ne, Sanzo? Can we get some fried noodles with the meat buns?" He took a quick breath and then demanded more urgently, "Ne? Ne? Ne?! Can we? Can we? Can we?!?" Goku was deliberately acting quite immature and silly at that point, but since Sanzo had allowed his mask of indifference towards him to slip ever so slightly, this was the boy's way of giving him a chance to save face and go back to pretending he didn't care.

"Shut up, bakasaru!!" Sanzo proclaimed loudly but didn't bother with the fan at all as he added in a resigned voice, "Just let me get my debit card at the temple and then we'll go see what there is to eat for lunch, all right?"

Calming himself and smiling angelically at his friend, Goku nodded and answered in a more subdued tone that he hoped might convey his appreciation, "Okay, Sanzo, whatever you want."

"Of *course* it's whatever *I* want," the priest agreed flatly even though it couldn't be further from the truth and he knew it.

After this, the mismatched pair walked along in relative quiet enjoying a rare moment of peace surrounded by nature. As Goku found one interesting thing after another to dart ahead or lag behind to examine on the lightly wooded path, Sanzo took a few moments to reflect on the strange youth and ponder yet again how he came into his life.

Some time after he accepted the burdens of the title bequeathed to him by his mentor Koumyou Sanzo, the gruff blond who was the current protector of one of the holiest sutras had found himself forced by fate to go to a strange mountain hoping to silence an annoying voice. Over and over he'd heard the plaintive calls echoing in his mind for reasons he couldn't hope to understand. Genjo Sanzo eventually decided enough was enough and went to quiet whoever it was permanently if necessary.

What the young holy man found at the top of the mountain, however, changed his life completely.

As he approached the strange jail formed of living rock bars and coated liberally with various paper talismans bearing powerful inscriptions, Sanzo was utterly shocked to discover the nature of the "villain" who had resided within it for over 500 years. A small boy with astonishingly large golden eyes knelt on the stone floor shackled to a large metal ball, with manacles connecting him to chains at both wrists as well as an odd collar around his neck.

The violet-eyed teen tried to glare at the innocent-looking child as he angrily demanded to know why he had been calling to him.

Continuing to peer at him with amazement of his own since no one other than the occasional bird or other small animal had deigned to keep him company for centuries, Son Goku insisted that he hadn't been calling to anyone.

Half wishing he could simply turn and walk away from the strangely captivating child yet knowing to the very bottom of his soul that would be an impossible task, Sanzo instead held out a hand towards the boy who was actually not human in the least.

As their fingertips brushed together, the chains magically fell away and the youth was free for the first time since half a millennium prior. That had been a lifetime which he had been forced to forget, something that was a blessing since he'd watched far too many of those he loved be horribly murdered before his very eyes for crimes they did not commit. [4]

As they stared at one another for a moment, through that unique trace of memory which resides in the souls of those who are forced to endure the often endless cycle of death and rebirth, something deep inside Sanzo that once called itself Konzen awakened however briefly. With a flash of realization that was almost painful, the current incarnation of the former celestial bureaucrat knew his life and that of this wide-eyed child were eternally linked together. Sighing and knowing that he had no choice, the teen bid the lad to rise and follow him, something Goku did without hesitation or question.

Since that fateful day, the violet-eyed priest had been the boy's guardian and saw to it that he was given a home, food, and clothing as well as all the other things he decided that the strange youth needed. All in all, he was doing a fairly respectable job for a person who never had a proper home-life of his own, so Sanzo felt things were as good as they were apt to be for the two of them. Granted, he didn't know that Kanzeon bostasu had already set in motion a scheme to reunite a group of four souls who were meant to be together for an epic journey that would begin in only three short years.

While Sanzo's thoughts had roamed to the past and then gotten a bit muddled about the present, Goku had been chasing a spectacular, rainbow-winged butterfly with unexpected negative consequences.

"OUCH!!!" The anguished boy's voice suddenly pierced the peace of the woods and sent a small flock of white doves aloft fleeing perceived danger.

Shaken from his reverie, Sanzo rapidly turned towards the sound of the boy's cry and called out worriedly, "Goku?!" There wasn't enough time for an answer but that didn't stop him from adding urgently, "Where are you?! What's wrong?!"

The sound of softer expressions of discomfort caught his ears and Sanzo dashed towards a small clearing several meters away, golden robes streaming out behind him as he ran calling, "Goku?!?" As he flung himself through the trees and into the clearing, he spotted his young friend sitting on a log, brightly lit by a ray of sunlight and hugging an injured foot to himself looking chagrinned as well as guilty more than hurt.

Sniffling slightly, Goku lifted his head towards his guardian and said in a small voice, "I'm sorry, Sanzo. I think I stepped on a thorn or something."

Huffing angrily to try to cover the show of concern he'd so flagrantly offered mere seconds prior, the priest straightened his rumpled robes and refused to look at the boy. Then he walked over to the damp-eyed youth feeling torn between a desire to strike him with his paper fan again and a wish to be able to simply draw him into a reassuring hug.

Forcing the uncharacteristic urge to offer comfort aside, he chose a third option and asked sarcastically, "Well? Is this a critical injury or can you still walk?" Snorting with annoyance he didn't feel, he added disdainfully, "I have no intention of carrying you all the way back to the temple if all you did was stub your toe, baka."

Shaking his head and showing that his foot was bleeding slightly, the amber-eyed boy stated unhappily, "Look. I didn't stub my toe, Sanzo. Like I said before, I think I stepped on something sharp."

Rolling his eyes and then kneeling close enough to examine the injured foot, Sanzo noted that there was a minor puncture wound on the sole of Goku's foot and with a sigh, he reached into a sleeve-pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Offering the large square of raw silk to the boy, he instructed, "Wrap this around it. I dare say you'll live and with your weird metabolism, it might even be healed before we reach the food stalls in town." Hoping that the reminder that Goku was en route to a rendezvous with his beloved meat buns would serve to distract the boy, he merely waited to see if his instructions were obeyed.

Wiping the last of his tears from his eyes with a quick swipe of one hand, Goku smiled brightly once more and went to work tying the impromptu bandage in place. Giving his friend a hopeful glance, he said, "Okay." He stood and carefully put weight on it for only a moment, then grimaced and found a way to twist his foot ever so slightly so he wouldn't aggravate the injury, then happily announced, "This ought to work just fine, Sanzo! Thank you!"

"Hmph," the slender blond snorted in annoyance yet again then rose fluidly to stand beside the boy before he shook his head once and started back to the path. Limping eagerly along behind him, Goku tried not to let his attention wander again and they made it back to the temple fairly easily.

The pair carefully avoided the overzealous monks who would've tried to interfere with their day of non-observance of temple routines. After quickly retrieving the infamous debit card granted to Sanzo by the Sanbutusin, they were soon on their way once more. [5] Their afternoon would include such exciting things as bringing whole new levels of wealth to not only a meat bun stand but also one specializing in fried noodles, plus finding a bar that had delicious pork-filled pot stickers and plenty of cold Asahi.

Eventually they would fritter the remaining portion of the day away not bothering with more fishing or attending to duties at the temple.

The only beings who Genjo Sanzo allowed to command him would be in touch with him soon enough and when he departed to go to the shrine of the Sanbutusin to be given instructions to track down a mass murderer, he would leave behind a temporarily lonely youth. During that time, though, Son Goku would happily ignore protocol and amuse himself until his guardian returned, of course.

However, as destiny would have it, shortly thereafter neither the surly priest nor the high-spirited boy would remain at their home for quite some time. There was a manhunt to accomplish and new challenges to overcome all of which would carry them deeper and deeper into the intricate weave of a certain eternal goddess' intricate tapestry whose final design none could foresee.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Please note that this chapter is intended as a primarily humorous interlude in the story and so things are more than a little silly but part of that is also due to the way Sanzo and Goku usually banter with one another. I sincerely hope that I've captured the feel of their non-angst conversation style here since I was using the type of light conversation they shared in episode 15 while the monks were gossiping about Goku as inspiration. Please note that the Japanese sprinkled about in their dialogue is so intrinsic to the anime that I've not bothered with translations but if anyone isn't sure what I intended with any of it, feel free to ask. I'm well aware that I hardly ever do this, intermixing two languages so much, but without Goku asking "Ne?" rather often it just doesn't sound like him to me. The same goes for Sanzo and his assortment of terms of endearment disguised as insults. I hope that I've done an acceptable job portraying these two marvelous bishounen and even though I do not wish to imply a shonen ai-based relationship between them in this particular story continuity, I hope their need for one another shines through all the same.

[2] Before anyone gets too outraged about this tiny, squicky plot twist, please keep in mind this is Goku-the-Eternally-Hungry we're talking about. At one point in the anime, he even sounds excited about the prospect of eating some grass as well as a few other non-standard foods, so I don't think this is too farfetched. Also, it should be noted that oriental food customs are quite different from occidental ones and in certain areas of Asia the consumption of insects and other things considered unsavory by western standards is quite commonplace.

[3] As I was contemplating the type of bullets used in "Saiyuki", it occurred to me that I'm not quite certain what to call the special ammunition that Sanzo's gun uses. Are the bullets enchanted? Mystical? Blessed? Ensorcelled? Or just "badass deluxe" as one would presuppose the easily angered priest would prefer in the first place? Any suggestions on correct nomenclature are welcome as is forgiveness if this is entirely in error and all that's really special is the handgun itself whose appellation I am also uncertain about.

[4] As for my guesswork regarding the way the events of the Gaiden period are resolved, what can I say? I assume it will end tragically much the way many other fanfiction writers who dabble in that era do but if I'm dead wrong and they all live "happily ever after" when Minekura-sensei is finished, I'll be more than glad to go back and change this later.

[5] The name I've chosen to use for the trio of bodiless heads usually referred to as the Three Aspects is straight from the "Saiyuki Official Fan Book" published by Enix and I hope this doesn't confuse anyone too much.