Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis ❯ CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Storyteller ( Chapter 14 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Storyteller

"Shall I sing you a song, little one, to soothe the pain inside your heart? Perhaps I should tell you a story. That would be better, I think. The story of the God Child and his four friends... You'd like that, won't you?"

At that soft query, Son Goku's golden eyes snapped open to gaze at a lamp hanging on the rafters of a thatched ceiling. His bruised, aching arms brushed against the soft blanket that was laid over him. Turning his head, his cheek caressed the soft goose down pillow beneath.

At the table near the fireplace, Goku's eyes were instantly drawn to the food sitting on top. Unbidden, his stomach let out a low growl. So loud was his starving belly's noise that it immediately drew the attention of the slight figure hunched before the fireplace.

"Oh, you're awake at last!" That achingly familiar form rose at once, laying what looked like a book on the mantel, and rushed to his side. A warm hand was laid over his brow, a finger teasing his kinko a bit upward. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm hungry." Goku blushed deeply as he spoke his favorite whine.

A sweet smile he never expected to see lit up that handsome face. "I thought you might be. I made some chicken soup for you. That will go down your stomach much easier."

Actually, Goku was itching to say that he wanted more than just chicken soup, but he could not find it in him to ask for more. But when his savior returned, not only did the tray he carried contained a bowl of steamy soup, there were also three dumplings, a luscious peach and a cup of tea. He was even helped up to a sitting position, propping up the large pillow behind him.

Overjoyed by the simple, but obviously delicious fare that was set before him, Goku seized the spoon in his right hand and the chopsticks with his left and exclaimed, "Itadakimasu!"

Before he could dig in, however, his body remembered the many occasions that an act of gluttony resulted in the hard whack of a harisen at the back of his head. Goku dropped the spoon and chopsticks with a clatter on the tray and covered his head, waiting for the blow to come.

"Is something wrong?" came that surprised question. "Is the food not to your liking?"

Cautiously, Goku peered up. "Aren't you going to hit me on the head with a fan for being such a pig and call me 'baka saru'?"

There was a truly perplexed look on the other's face. "Now why would I do that? You've taken a beating and you've been unconscious for three days. It's only natural that you'll be hungry. Why don't you put down your hands and start eating? You'll regain your strength much faster if you do."

It was then that Goku got a good look at his savior. His face was definitely Sanzo's, with long blond hair tied in a braid that reached down to his back. That long hair brought a flash of memory of another man in the distant past who resembled the monk. But the resemblance ended there, because his savior possessed two pointed ears and an intricate birthmark that extended from the top and bottom of his left eye. Clear signs that he was a youkai.

Goku felt the tears of disappointment welling up in his eyes. Heart aching with intense loneliness, he had already believed and accepted that this young man was Genjo Sanzo, who had somehow miraculously escaped from the evil clutches of Gyumao. The pain of the reality was too much to bear.

With an anguished wail, Goku flung his arms around the youkai's neck and burst into bitter tears, his whole body shaking with the force of his sobs.

Gentle fingers brushed through his hair. "Gomen nasai! I know that you wanted me to be someone else, a friend you had lost. You had been speaking his name in your dreams. But although we look alike, I am not him. I am sorry to disappoint you. Please forgive me."

"Iie," Goku shook his head, wiping away his tears. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have assumed... It's just that I was so worried about Sanzo. He was taken captive by Gyumao and... When I saw you, I thought he had escaped and...."

At the mention of the name of the Demon King, the youkai stiffened. Carefully pushing Goku back onto the pillow before the young boy can sense his distress, he offered the sobbing saru a spoonful of soup. "Let's not dwell on the past for now. If you wish to save your friend, you must concentrate on getting well."

A timid smile went up Goku's lips. "My name is Son Goku."

The youkai returned that shy grin with a charming smile of his own. "I am called Sanzenin. Now, Goku, enough talk. Eat."

"Hai!" Goku cried cheerfully, as he accepted the spoonful of delicious broth inside his mouth. He then took the spoon and the chopsticks once more and gobbled down every bit of food that was on the tray, not even noticing how quickly Sanzenin refilled his bowl and plates.

An hour later, Goku was patting his bloated, satisfied belly, a stupid grin plastered on his face. With a yawn, he settled back down on the bed. "Oi, Sanzenin."

"Hmmm?"

"Once I'm well, can you give me my test?"

Sanzenin frowned. "Test? What test?"

Yawning again, Goku's eyes fluttered close. "You know. The test I'm supposed to pass so I can see Kanzeon Bosatsu. She'll teach me how to save Sanzo from Gyumao."

Before the youkai could ask the saru further, soft snoring issued from Goku's lips. With a sigh, Sanzenin tucked his guest in and gave him a pat on the head. For a brief moment, his fingers touched the warm metal of the kinko encircling Goku's brow, and then he went outside his cottage. Through the canopy of the trees, the stars in the night sky twinkled like diamonds.

"Sou ka," Sanzenin nodded in understanding. "So you've dumped him at my doorstep at last. I never knew that he was such a lonely child. Full of apprehension and fear. Still unknowing of his past and the power he holds. He believes that I will be giving him a test. Perhaps it is, because I am the way for him to become who he truly is." A wry chuckle escaped his lips. "If he overcomes the trials I have for him, you will have your Seiten Taisei. But I must warn you, Goddess. I will not be held responsible for the consequences. Then again, this is what you want, isn't it? A grand, unpredictable show."

Inside his mind, a female voice laughed. "Hai! Because it is fun!"

---

It took three more days of food and rest and more food before Goku was well enough to get out of bed. On the morning of the fourth day, the saru donned his clothes that the youkai had mended for him. With a sprite leap, Goku eagerly went outside and into the morning sun. Same as when he arrived at this place, the first thing he saw was an angel. But not the sultry angel that was bathing in the pond. Standing before him now was the Angel of Combat.

Sanzenin was doing an elaborate series of kata with a bo stick. Although he moved with a dancer's grace, Goku knew that appearances were deceptive. One sweep of that staff and he could be knocked down flat on the ground. One downward blow and it could break his skull. Such was the precision of the youkai's movements. But if defeating Sanzenin was his test, then he must pass it so he could save Sanzo.

"Nyouibou!" Goku shouted as his own staff materialized in his hand. At once, he charged at the young youkai, his bo stick swinging in a wide arc.

However, as he reached the spot where Sanzenin was, the saru's staff connected with open air. Goku looked around him in bewilderment, but the youkai was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Sanzenin spoke, "That was very rude of you to interrupt my practice like that."

"Uruse!" Goku answered back. "Let's fight so I can beat you! I can't wait any longer! I have to see Kanzeon Bosatsu now!"

The youkai reappeared before him. "Looks like I'll have to teach you the value of patience."

The saru barely got out of the way as Sanzenin swung his staff, missing his head by a few inches. Already known for his swiftness in a fight, Goku was shocked to find himself on the defensive, parrying the youkai's heavy blows, but unable to score hits of his own. With a loud cry, Sanzenin continued his relentless attack, pushing Goku back with every impact of their staves. At the final strike, the blow was so strong that it sent the saru flying into the pond.

As he emerged from the pond, coughing and spitting out water, Goku glared balefully at the grim-faced youkai standing at the water's edge. Sanzenin made an expert twirl of his staff and propped it against his shoulder like a rifle.

"As you can probably see for yourself," Sanzenin began tartly, "you are no match against me. As a fighter, you lack discipline and training. It's hard to believe you managed to survive this long, relying on instincts alone. You need to be trained first."

"I'm a natural-born fighter! I don't have time for this training crap!" cried Goku in frustration. "Sanzo needs me!"

"Believe me, Son Goku, you have all the time in the world. Otherwise, Kanzeon Bosatsu would not have sent you to me. But if you are that desperate to defeat me..." The youkai lifted his staff, the end pointed at Goku's golden headband. "...Then take off that kinko."

The saru shook his head in vehemence. "Yada! I don't need to take this off to defeat you!"

At that reply, Sanzenin lowered his staff in disappointment. "Then Genjo Sanzo is already lost to you."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Before Goku could ask more, they were interrupted by the frantic shouts of an old man and woman, both youkai, riding a wagon. "Sanzenin-sama! Sanzenin-sama!"

"We'll talk later," Sanzenin told the saru as he hurried towards the newcomers.

Goku quickly got up and out of the pond and ran after the youkai, who was looking at the snarling, twitching figure trussed up in a sack at the back of the wagon.

"When did this happen?" Sanzenin asked the couple.

It was the old man who answered. "Three days ago."

"Three days? Why didn't you bring him to me sooner?"

"Gomen nasai, Sanzenin-sama," the old woman said in turn. "We didn't think that it would be necessary." She blushed deeply. "We know that our Jien is an inconvenience to you. We didn't want him to..."

Sanzenin smiled reassuringly, patting the woman's gnarled hand. "It's not an inconvenience, believe me. I understand that this is what Jien needs." Turning to the saru, he asked, "Goku, could you please help me get him down from the wagon?"

Although burning with curiosity, Goku complied with the youkai's wishes, and helped him haul the struggling figure down.

"You can leave him with me now," Sanzenin cheerfully told the old couple. "I'm promise he'll return to you tomorrow."

The aged youkai bowed to him, although the abashed blush had not left their cheeks. "Arigato gozaimasu, Sanzenin-sama," they said gratefully as they rode away.

As soon as the two youkai had disappeared from sight and the rattle of the wheels of their wagon could no longer be heard, Sanzenin looked at Goku and said, "Goku, I want you to go inside the house and draw the curtains close. What I'm about to do... It's not intended for youngsters such as you to witness."

"No way!" the saru argued. "I'm not leaving you with a rabid youkai!"

"Don't worry, child. This has happened before. Believe me, I know what to do."

"But Sanzenin...."

"Please do as I say," the youkai quietly insisted.

His face mirroring his resentment, Goku stormed towards the cottage, but not before he heard Sanzenin's added request, "No matter what happens, please do give us a little privacy, will you?"

Goku banged the door close. With a shriek, the saru exclaimed to the fickle goddess in Tenkai, "What kind of test is this? I demand a different examiner! I don't need anyone to teach me how to fight!"

A fierce roar interrupted Goku's tirade. As he turned his head towards the window, there was only silence as if that roar never happened.

"Great! Just great!" mumbled Goku, pouting and placing his arms at the back of his head. "I told him I'd give him a hand, but he just won't listen!"

He was about to rant more, but his sharp hearing caught strange sounds coming from outside. Gasping and animal grunts. The last time he heard sounds like those, it was one rainy night at an inn...coming from Gojyo's room.

"Please do give us a little privacy, will you?"

"Privacy, my ass," the saru muttered, heading straight for the closed curtains. "If you wanted privacy, you should have had the common decency to make out in the bushes."

But as he yanked the curtain open, Goku's innocent golden eyes flew wide. Sanzenin was lying completely naked on the grass, straddled by a silver-haired youkai who was thrusting in and out of his lithe form. Goku could see that Sanzenin's long legs were draped over the grunting youkai's shoulders, giving him full access to the nether orifice between his thighs. The youkai suckled greedily upon a pink nipple. The two youkai were surrounded by a soft golden glow that emanated from the sunstone around Sanzenin's neck.

As Goku watched the youkai have sex, he found himself pressing his right hand to his chest, breathing suddenly difficult.

It's just like my dream,he gasped. That dream where I was making love to...

The saru shook his head, his mind ordering him to pull the curtains close, but his eyes remained riveted to the rutting forms on the grass. Goku's eyes were telling him that it was Sanzo who was being fucked wildly on the ground. His traitorous mind, on the other hand, replaced the youkai's image with his own. As his eyes grew as wide as platters, what he was now seeing was Sanzo kneeling on all fours, with the saru on top of him, thrusting again and again while his right hand reached down and stroked that hardening member.

"Iie! This is not right!" Goku exclaimed, slapping his face hard. "I shouldn't be thinking such dirty thoughts! Not about Sanzo!"

When he gazed outside the window once more, however, the first thing he saw were a pair of lavender eyes focused on him. Deeply embarrassed, Goku pulled the curtains close. But embarrassment immediately gave way to resentment and anger. He pulled up a chair and sat beside the window, listening with seething silence to those erotic sounds. As he sulked, distant memory of the early days of their travels dredged back the image of a beautiful young woman who washed the clothes of her youkai lover almost every day in preparation for his eventual return. As he recounted that entire adventure inside his head, not once did he look outside. If only he had, Goku would have seen the transformation into normalcy of the silver-haired youkai Sanzenin was coupling with.

The saru realized it was over when a deep, embarrassed voice asked outside, "Could you please tell me that story again, Sanzenin-sama? The story about the God Child?"

"But you've heard that tale many times before, Jien-kun," laughed Sanzenin.

"I know but... It's strange, but I can somehow manage to fight this hideous change when my mind is filled with images of that wonderful story."

"And why do you think that?"

At that point, Goku emerged from the cottage, the door squeaking noisily as he yanked it open. The noise drew the attention of the two naked men seated beside the pond. Golden eyes narrowed with envy, seeing the silver-haired youkai with his head pressed to Sanzenin's breast, strong arms wrapped around him.

Flustered, Jien drew back and quickly put on his clothes. "Suman, Sanzenin-sama. I didn't know you have a guest."

"It's all right, Jien-kun," Sanzenin assured him, although his lavender eyes were fixed with displeasure on the saru. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Goku still does not know what I do here."

Getting to his feet, the youkai bowed to the young boy before him. "My name is Jien. I am pleased to meet you."

"Tell me, Jien," Goku began quietly, his face devoid of all expression. "Is this how you treat Shunrei when you two are alone together?"

Jien was shocked to hear that name. "Shunrei? You know my beloved Shunrei? How is she? Oh, please tell me she's all right!"

"She's probably still at her aunt's house, washing all your clothes. Shunrei's waiting for you to come back, you know." A sneer curled up Goku's lips. "But I don't think she'd be happy to learn that her beloved koibito had become a raping youkai."

At these cruel words, silence fell upon them like a ton of bricks. Jien trembled, struggling to hold back his tears, but a teardrop trickled down his cheek and chin.

Bowing to Sanzenin, Jien mumbled, "Gomen nasai, Sanzenin-sama. There is no forgiveness for the things I've done to you. I... My family and I won't be bothering you again." He then fled into the woods before the youkai can stop him.

In the time that it took for Goku to blink, Sanzenin stood up and crossed the distance between the pond and the cottage where the saru was standing. Goku gasped and reeled back at the fierce slap that the youkai bestowed on his cheek.

"Teme! How dare you hit me!" Goku growled, wanting to strike back, but he checked the impulse, seeing Sanzenin's sharp gaze upon him.

As he strode inside the cottage, Sanzenin declared, "Don't you presume to judge me, Son Goku. You don't know anything about me."

Angry tears filling his amber eyes as he favored his stinging cheek, the only sound that Goku made was an eloquent, "Tse!"

---

As night fell, after considerable thinking, Goku felt remorse for what he had done. Over dinner, the saru wanted so much to apologize to the youkai, but he could not find the right words to say. It did not help any that Sanzenin made his disdain all too apparent by refusing to speak even a single word to him. After eating, Goku made to pick up their used plates, but the youkai snatched them away before he could do so. He could only watch that stiff back as Sanzenin washed the dishes. When the youkai was done, he simply walked past the saru, settled down before the fireplace and buried his head in his journal.

With his face hidden by shadows, Goku was on the verge of tears. He knew all too well the pain of rejection. Months back, Sanzo, made moody by heavy rain, angrily rejected the food and the concern that the saru had offered to him. This situation with Sanzenin was no different. He was just concerned that his new friend was being hurt badly by Jien.

Or maybe it was not concern at all, but jealousy that drove him to say those hurtful things.

Goku's cheeks burned as he choked back a sob. He had made a big mistake, he knew that. This man was his key to seeing Kanzeon Bosatsu. Without Sanzenin's help, Sanzo was as good as lost. Admittedly, he did not want to lose the youkai's friendship either. Sanzenin reminded him so much of Sanzo that it would be unbearable to lose him too.

Feeling miserable, Goku went straight to bed and yanked the blanket over his head, leaving a small space for his eyes to see through.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sanzenin saw the sad young boy climb into bed. With a sigh, he stared at the blank page of his journal, unable to write.

The youkai deeply regretted hitting the saru the way he had. Goku was still an innocent, and what he had witnessed was quite understandably a huge shock for him. Judging from Goku's overprotectiveness towards him, he knew that the saru still saw his old mentor and friend in him, which was not surprising since Goku claimed that he looked exactly like Sanzo.

Genjo Sanzo...who was now captive of his former lord and liege, Gyumao.

But I am not the pious monk whom you love, Son Goku, Sanzenin thought in sorrow. How can I make you reach your full potential if you cannot accept the things that we would need to do together?

A shadow fell upon him, and Sanzenin lowered his quill. He could feel the confusion in the boy standing above him. So Goku needed an explanation.

"When the evil wave swept through Togenkyo," Sanzenin slowly began, "Jien fled from the village before he could hurt anyone, especially Shunrei, the woman he loved. He knew, that if he stayed, he might do unspeakable things to her. Like so many youkai before him who rebelled against the...change, he and his kin came here, drawn by the power that I possess. I can stave off the effects of the evil wave so that they become normal. But it is a temporary solution. The wave acts on a youkai's weakness, his or her desires, and twists it so that what was once a pure and honest wish becomes tainted. In Jien's case, his love for Shunrei became a lust so strong that it is only in the quenching of that lust that his transformation can be halted. Hai, I give myself to him because it is the only way for me to reach his soul and bring him back. It's a task I used to perform for my Lord...before he..."

The youkai whirled around to face the saru, about to beg for his forgiveness. But he stopped at once, seeing the tears streaming down the boy's face.

Sobbing and sniffing in misery, Goku's face scrunched up, and he threw himself into the arms of a startled Sanzenin.

"Sanzenin!" Goku cried. "Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai! I was wrong to say those cruel things, to judge you the way I had." Sorrowful golden eyes gazed up at him. "I know I shouldn't, but I couldn't help my heart. I wanted so much to believe that you were Sanzo. When I saw you and Jien, I...I was..."

Sanzenin embraced the weeping boy, patting his back soothingly. "There is nothing to apologize for. I shouldn't have hit you. I should've understood how you felt. I know how hard it is to be so far away from those you love. If only I could ease your pain by being this Sanzo, but I cannot be who I am not. I...I am not the virtuous man that your friend is."

The youkai felt Goku begin to shake his arms, and he thought the saru was going to burst into renewed tears. However, there was a muffled chuckle, and a surprised Sanzenin realized that Goku was laughing.

"Sanzo? Virtuous?" the boy giggled in mirth, although his tears continued to pour. "He drinks, he smokes smelly cigarettes, he has a very bad temper, he always curses up a storm, and he even plays mahjong. That ero kappa Gojyo always called him 'namagusa bouzu'."

Sanzenin ran his fingers through Goku's hair and smiled. "But he is a good friend."

Goku beamed at that statement. "Sanzo is more than a good friend. He is the sun to me. That is why..." The boy turned serious. "Please, Sanzenin. I ask that you train me to become a good fighter. I swear I won't give you any problems. I'll do anything you say."

"Anything, huh? What if I tell you that you would need to remove your kinko? What would be your answer?"

As the youkai expected, Goku's answer was a firm, "Yada! I will never remove it! You have no idea what I become when it's taken from my brow. I become a beast, an unstoppable killing machine. A monster that cannot distinguish between friend or enemy."

"Everyone has a beast inside them, a dark side so to speak. Just look at Jien. But is the beast in you something you should fear? Let me tell you this, Son Goku. It is the beast that gives you courage. It drives me away all hesitation so you can face the seemingly insurmountable. It is the beast that holds all your painful secrets and experiences inside its heart. Although you are unaware of it, the beast learns from these experiences and makes you strong, but at the same time, it learns not to trust for fear of being hurt to the point that sometimes it cannot discern from friend or foe. There is much that you can learn from the beast...if only you will allow it to come out, listen to what it has to teach you, to accept it as a part of your being."

Despite his patient explanation, Goku was adamant. "I will never let it out, neither will I accept it! That beast almost killed my friends, and I could feel it in every fiber of my body that it's responsible for countless deaths." Tears welled up in the saru's orbs. "Onegai, Sanzenin! Don't ask me to do this ever again! I won't have your blood on my hands!"

Seeing how agitated the boy was becoming, Sanzenin pulled him into his embrace. "Hush, child! I didn't mean to upset you. I won't ask you again." But inwardly, the youkai mused, At least until I can make you understand just how important this beast you are afraid of is.

For a long while, Sanzenin simply held the saru, offering him comfort. However, judging from the tense body in his arms, it was obvious to him that Goku was deathly afraid of that side of him that was the Seiten Taisei. The youkai decided to take a different approach calm the frightened boy.

"Goku?" Sanzenin asked sweetly. "Would you like me to tell you a story?"

"A...story?" Golden eyes blinked up at him.

"I don't want you to think I only perform sexual healing on out-of-control youkai," Sanzenin remarked with a teasing wink. "Before all...this...happened, my greatest joy was telling tales to children, and especially my young ward."

"Where is he now, this boy you're telling me about?"

"I'm praying that, wherever he is, he's safe. You remind me so much of him." The youkai felt an ache in his heart. My dearest child...Kougaiji.

Sanzenin was drawn out of his thoughts by another soft query. "Is it the story of the God Child?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"I heard Jien ask you earlier. And I think you offered to tell me that story while I was sick...or maybe I was just dreaming."

"No, not that, I think. We shall reserve the best story for later." The youkai urged the saru to lie down with his head on his lap. He pressed a glowing fingertip to the point between Goku's weary eyes, putting the boy in a state between wakefulness and dreaming.

Goku felt as if he was asleep, but he could still hear Sanzenin's voice clearly. "The story I'm going to tell you is also a good one, about a great king and his faithful warrior. Listen, child, with your mind...and your heart."

And Goku did just that. He listened to every word of Sanzenin's tale, and although his mind was eventually lulled to the blissful peace of sleep, the story was ingrained in the memory of his heart.