Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis ❯ EPILOGUE: Knocking On Heaven's Door ( Epilogue )

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

EPILOGUE: Knocking On Heaven's Door

       Three young men stood at the bank of a large pond filled with water lilies, situated in the center of a huge garden. On the opposite side was a large estate. Blooming cherry trees stood in choice spots of the garden, blanketing the soft grass with fragrant, pink petals.

        The Sanzo-ikkou, however, were not impressed.

        With a critical eye, Hakkai remarked with arms akimbo, "This is not what I imagined Tenkai would be. It's sooo...ordinary."

         Gojyo agreed wholeheartedly. "I was expecting naked blonde angels with harps to be here to welcome me. It's certainly the same as the world we left behind." The half breed vigorously shook his head. "No, this place is worse. It's soooooo boring! Is this really Tenjoukai?"

        To add to his annoyance, there came that familiar whine that grated on Gojyo's ears and nerves.

       "Harahetta! Meshi! HARAHETTAAA! MESHIIIIII!"

        Gojyo brought that whining to a stop with a hard bop on the head to the saru between them. "Uruse, baka saru! Even in Heaven, you and that bottomless stomach of yours are still pests!"

        "Who are you calling a 'pest', kono ero kappa?"

        Before Gojyo could react, teeth sank into his arm. "Aaaaaghhh! Kuso saru, do I look like a piece of ham to you?"

        The half breed was about to shake him off...until he noticed the absence of a kinko on the saru's brow and got a real good look at WHO exactly was chomping on his arm. Even Hakkai was shocked at the sight of the fierce creature hanging on to Gojyo's arm by its teeth.

        "Seiten..." Gojyo began, turning deathly white.

        It was Hakkai who finished what the half breed was going to say. "...Taisei!"

        Before the two men could move, a blast of flame came out of nowhere and struck the Seiten Taisei. To their utter amazement, except for some singed and burned areas of his body, he remained whole and standing. He even started to cough out smoke and spit in disgust.

        "It's bad enough to know that the ero kappa tastes awful, someone even decides to charbroil me," the Seiten Taisei sputtered furiously, the first time they actually heard him speak. Waving his fist in the direction from which the flame came, he yelled, "TEME! Who the hell did that? I'm going to beat you to a pulp!"

        They all turned to see a silver-haired young man behind them. His right hand was still raised, a tiny flame burning at the tip of his index finger. Embarrassed, he quickly placed his hands behind his back.

        "Gomen ne!" he said in apology. "I thought you were going to hurt Gojyo."

        Hakkai cautiously approached the saru. "Goku, is that you? How...why..."

        "It's a long story, Hakkai," Goku replied, deep sorrow etched on his youthful face. "But if you don't mind, I just don't want to talk about it right now."

        The others respected his request. They all had been through their own versions of Hell. There will be enough time to talk about their experiences at a later time.

        "Gentlemen, you've arrived at last!"

        Turning, they saw an old man with a thin beard, dressed in an ancient oriental military uniform.

        "We've met before," Hakkai began, recognizing him. "You're Jiroushin, aren't you? Aide to Kanzeon Bosatsu?"

        Jiroushin nodded in assent. "You have a very good memory, Cho Hakkai."

        Gojyo went towards the Goddess of Mercy's associate and swiped the surprised man's cloak. He then approached their mystery companion and, like a cavalier, draped the cloak over his naked form.

        "I don't know who you are," Gojyo whispered lightly in his pointed ear, "but I think you're gorgeous!"

        At that point, a blush went up his face, casting a luminescent scarlet glow on the tiny scales of his cheeks.

        "Sha Gojyo, show some respect!" Jiroushin pointed a scolding finger at the half breed. "You don't know who you're flirting with! That's..."

         A swift figure suddenly sped past him and hid behind a startled Hakkai's back. All gaped with jaw slack at this bizarre behavior.

        Goku let out a noisy "Harrumph!" and glared at Gojyo. "You've got the word 'horny' stamped all over your face again, ero kappa!" He looked curiously at the strange young man cowering behind Hakkai. "Who are YOU anyway?"

        Hakkai laughed at that query. "Haven't you guessed yet?" Long habit caused the gentle youth to reach back and play with the loose strands of soft silver hair. "You're Hakuryu, right?"

       "EH?" Gojyo and Goku exclaimed aghast. "THAT'S HAKURYU?!"

        "Actually..." the young man, whom they cannot believe was their trusty mode of transportation, shyly began, "...My real name is Goujun."

       "Kuso!" growled Gojyo. "If I knew you were this good-looking, I wouldn't have teased you so much while we were on the road."

        "'Teased' me?" Goujun mumbled resentfully. "You were always yelling at me to drive faster when I'm in jeep form, and you wouldn't let me sleep  in a nice, warm bed even if I won the right for it in a card game."

        Goku burst into raucous laughter, seeing the grimace on Gojyo's face. "HA HA HA! He got you there, kono ero kappa!"

        The saru's laughter was brought to an abrupt halt when Goujun said next, "You were always threatening to eat me whenever you were starving. Only Hakkai was nice to me."

        Jiroushin stared in grievous offense at the suddenly guilty pair. "You dared to treat Seikai Ryuu Ou so terribly?"

        As one, Gojyo and Goku pointed at Goujun in disbelief. "He's a Dragon King?"

       "Iikagen ni shiro yo!" Hakkai's stern order silenced them at once. "We're not here for idle chatter. Where's Kanzeon Bosatsu?"

        "She's not here. She is...in hiding." Jiroushin became somber. "So many things have happened in the five hundred years that you've been gone. Tenjoukai is not a safe place for you. Kanzeon Bosatsu has instructed me to take you to her the minute you arrive." For a moment, he hesitated, his eyes focusing on the Dragon King. "Goujun-sama...your brothers..."

        Frowning, Goujun straightened up as he remembered his true position. "What about my brothers?"

        They were jolted by a loud explosion that blew up the northern wall of the garden. As dust billowed from the debris, they all saw the ominous shadow of a gigantic winged monster. However, what emerged from the dust was a man in a white uniform, leading a small army. Red eyes, scales, short spiky silver hair...there wasn't any doubt that he was a dragon.

        "Okaeri nasai...Goujun," the dragon greeted, his face deadly serious.

        "Goutan...aniki..." Goujun exclaimed, recognizing his oldest brother.

        "It's been a long time, and you look well," Goutan remarked. "He will be pleased when I deliver you to him. You AND your companions."

        "What's the meaning of this?" Hakkai demanded. "We're not here to cause trouble. We just want to speak with the Goddess of Mercy."

        "You don't understand, do you? The new Tentei of Tenjoukai has ordered us to apprehend you immediately." Goutan turned to his startled youngest sibling. "As for you, little brother, for the sake of all Dragonkind, you are to be given to Tentei as his new consort. You have shamed us all when you decided to accompany them to Earth.  Given the...experiences...you may have had with these ruffians in the world below, I am sure you'll be able to please him."

        Goujun's jaw dropped in shock, unable to believe what his brother had just told him. Me? A consort to the new Tentei? Who is  the new God of Tenkai?

        Before the Dragon King of the Western Army could give voice to his queries, Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku took defensive positions before him and Jiroushin.

        "Minna-san..." Goujun gasped in surprise.

        "Apprehend us, you say?" Hakkai asked the Dragon King of the Northern Army, as he pushed his monocle up his nose.

        "What a joke!" laughed Gojyo in derision.

        Seiten Taisei Son Goku reached out his hand, his staff materializing in his open palm. His whole being radiated with immense power as he looked forward to a fight.

        Grinning wickedly, he declared, "You'll have to kill us first!"
 

TO BE CONTINUED IN METAMORPHOSIS BOOK 2: ARMAGEDDON