Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Metamorphosis ❯ Chapter Three: Miracle ( Chapter 3 )

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

CHAPTER THREE: Miracle

"We're leaving, Sanzo," Gojyo said in deep sorrow.

Sanzo spun on his heels to see his friends standing in the distance. All had pained expressions on their handsome faces.

"But why?" he demanded. "We've always been together. Why are you leaving me now?"

"Don't you remember?" Goku wept in bitterness. "You said that we were burdens to you. Sanzo, please forgive us. We never meant to make life so difficult for you."

There was a fluid glimmer in Hakkai's emerald eyes. "We won't be a bother to you any longer. You're right. You're more than capable of handling everything on your own. We'll just get in your way."

Sanzo shook his head. "No, that's not true. I didn't mean to say those things. Please! Don't go!"

"But we must. It's better this way," Gojyo replied. Smiling, he added, "Besides, you've always been the strongest one among us. You don't need us anymore."

As they turned to walk away, their voices echoed all around him.

"Sayonara, Sanzo-sama," sobbed Goku. He could see the boy raise his hand to wipe away the tears from his eyes.

Hakkai pulled the weeping child close to him. "Always be strong, Sanzo."

"No! Wait!" Sanzo broke into a run, hand raised, desperate to reach them.

But a wide chasm suddenly opened between him and his friends. He wanted to jump, but the crevice grew wider and wider. While this was happening, neither Hakkai, Gojyo nor Goku looked back.

Falling to his knees, Sanzo cried out beggingly, "Hakkai! Gojyo! Goku! No! Don't go! Please don't leave me! I'm not...I'm not...."

Sanzo's eyes snapped open to behold a wide expanse of white. Something cool and wet was pressed over his brow. To his surprise, he saw that his right hand was raised to the ceiling. Remembering his dream, and so many others like it, brought a sharp ache to his heart.

Letting his hand fall on his chest, he murmured despondently. "I'm not strong. Never have been."

Then, a cheerful voice exclaimed, "Sanzo-sama! You're awake at last! Oniichan would be so relieved!"

"Lirin..." Sanzo gazed at the girl who sat down on the bed. In her hands, she carried a tray with soft bread and soup, which she laid on the side table. As she removed the cloth from his brow and helped him to a sitting position, he asked, "What happened to me?"

"Here, let me feed you while we talk," she said, offering him a spoonful of soup.

Sanzo eyed the food that Lirin was giving him. It brought back the painful memory of a rainy night -- of Goku fleeing from him after he had thrown to the floor the simple dinner the saru had offered him. Seeing the same wide-eyed, almost stupid, expression on Lirin's face, he couldn't find it in himself to disappoint this little girl as well. Timidly, his lips parted and allowed Lirin to feed him, drawing a happy smile from Kougaiji's sister. Would Goku have smiled like this if he had accepted his meager gift?

Rather than dwell on the what ifs of the past, Sanzo asked again, "What happened to me?"

"You've been terribly sick," Lirin explained to him. "Don't you remember? Last New Year's Day, you spent the whole day getting drenched in the bathroom. Because of it, you had a cold that just wouldn't go away. Oniichan tried to give you medicine but you always refused. In the end, you got worse and worse, walking around with a fever and coughing your guts out." The little girl looked at him resentfully. "The fever didn't do much for your personality. You were always screaming at Oniichan, called him names, and you always got into fights with Otousan. But Oniichan kept explaining to me and to him that you were not yourself...even though I could see it in his eyes that he was hurt by the things you kept calling him. Anyway, you were arguing with Otousan when you just collapsed."

"How long was I out anyway?"

"If you include those weeks that you've been running around delirious, I'd say over a month."

"Over a month?" Sanzo exclaimed in shock. Groaning, he said, "I've never been sick this long."

"Oniichan says your pneumonia was aggravated by severe depression," Lirin repeated her brother's sage diagnosis. "While you were sick, you kept calling out for Gojyo-san, Hakkai-san and Goku-san." She grimaced at the memory of the priest crying over his friends. "If you miss them so much, you should never have driven them away."

Sanzo turned his head away lest the girl see the tears filling his eyes. "I have good reasons, Li-chan. It's better this way."

"Even if it hurts you so badly that it's actually tearing you apart?"

Sanzo didn't reply to that query. Changing the subject, he inquired, "Your oniichan... You said I've been quarreling with your father. Gyumao didn't...I mean... Did he...hurt...Kougaiji because of me?"

"No, he's fine," Lirin reassured him. "Otousan did not do anything to him. In fact, he placed you in my Oniichan's care. He says he can't do anything...pleasurable...with you sick and Oniichan doting over you like a hen. However, I must point out that it was you who hurt him with that bad mouth of yours. Oniichan is not a whore and all those other names you've been calling him. You don't know what he's been through. The...things...my mother forced him to do." The little girl paused, hoping to quell the anger inside her heart and the tears that were threatening to surface because of it. When she looked him straight in the eye, she said sternly, "I hope it's not beneath you, Sanzo-sama, to apologize to him."

"Where's your brother now? I..." Sanzo paused for a moment, not used to being sorry or grateful. But if what Lirin said was true, and knowing the way his mouth worked... Looking the girl straight in the eye, he said as sincerely as he could, "I want to apologize to Kougaiji and thank him for taking care of me."

"He's in the greenhouse right now, gathering herbs for you, and maybe..." Lirin's voice trailed off.

"Maybe what?"

The girl bit her lower lip in hesitation, wondering if she should reveal such a personal matter to the priest.

"Lirin..." Sanzo coaxed the girl with uncharacteristic gentleness. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"Oniichan's precious garden...the one that he's been taking care of for his mother," Lirin stammered, fidgeting nervously.

The monk gazed at the little youkai in surprise. He thought that Kougaiji and Lirin were true siblings.

Noticing the look on his face, the girl explained, "We have different mothers. Gyokumen Koushu...she was my kaasan."

There was a flare of resentment in Lirin's eyes at the memory of her mother. Sanzo didn't even have to guess what the child went through. He had seen that mixed flicker of love and pain in Gojyo's ruby eyes much too often.

"Gomen ne, Li-chan. I didn't mean to bring back bad memories. Please continue."

Lirin breathed in deeply. "So many things happened here that distracted Oniichan from tending to the garden. Very painful things. When you became sick and needed medicine, that was the first time in lord knew how long that he entered the greenhouse. He was lucky that the herbs came from sturdy plants. But all the rest...Oniichan is trying to salvage what he could, but it's hopeless."

Sanzo closed his eyes. He had always stopped himself from performing any deed that was contrary to his personality. Kindness, generosity, forgiveness...he believed them to be signs of weakness, traits that could be used against him. Hadn't his master Komyo perished because of a selfless act to save a cold-hearted little boy? He couldn't even remember the last time he had freely given a warm smile. Was it truly so difficult to show kindness to someone who had so diligently cared for him?

As the thought filled his mind, the door to his soul opened wider, forcing him to act.

Lirin blinked in surprise at the hand that closed around her own.

"Please take me to your Oniichan," Sanzo requested the little girl.

---

The sliding of the glass doors of the greenhouse did not catch the attention of the poor figure kneeling in the heart of the devastated garden. Kougaiji was methodically tearing withered plants out of the ground with his bare hands.

"No! No!" the youkai prince mumbled over and over again. "None of these will do! Could nothing be salvaged? Even a tiny bud?"

When he stood up to storm over to the rose bushes, Lirin could barely stifle her gasp at the sight of the wounds and blood on her brother's hands. Her tears began to flow as Kougaiji yanked out the rose stems, seemingly unmindful of the thorns that pierced his palms.

"Please tell him to stop, Sanzo-sama!" Lirin begged the priest beside her in earnest. "He's going to get hurt!"

"But Li-chan..." Sanzo whispered, "he's already hurting." How could he tell her that he could hear Kougaiji's soul crying out in guilt and anguish for this grave neglect of his mother's garden?

Then, Kougaiji collapsed right on top of the bed of thorns, weeping inconsolably. Pressing his bleeding hands to his face, he curled up in a fetal position and sobbed, "I'm sorry, Haha me! I'm so sorry for what I did to your beautiful garden!"

Lirin was about to run to her brother, but then, it was Sanzo who moved first, stepping onto the brittle grass and twigs with bare feet. Before she could offer him slippers, a startling thing began to unfold right before her eyes.

At that first step, Lirin thought she saw a patch of green right at the tip of his toe. Before she could dismiss it as a trick of her eyes, that patch of green widened, spreading outward. As she watched in amazement, dried bushes grew leaves and tiny buds bloomed into lovely flowers. Every step that Sanzo took was like a breath of life, and the garden welcomed his presence like warm sunshine. Indeed, the priest was glowing with a golden aura that warmed Lirin's lonely heart. So great was the miracle that she could hear the chirping of crickets. On the skylight above her head, birds tapped on the glass, begging to be let in. Reaching the spot where Kougaiji lay, the thorns retracted into their stems. In their stead, roses of every shape, variety and color bloomed, startling the youkai with their beauty and comforting fragrance.

Easing up, Kougaiji stared in stunned disbelief at the restored beauty of his mother's garden. He lifted his eyes to the young priest standing above him, blinking at the aura that surrounded him.

A multitude of thoughts whirled inside Kougaiji's head. Gods! Were we wrong about everything? That it wasn't the Sutras what we truly needed to heal my father?

Sanzo tore off a piece of cloth from his yukata and bent down to wipe away the blood from the young demon's face. Fear and apprehension caused Kougaiji to inch back. But then, Sanzo gave him a warm smile that stole his breath away. Unable to move from the sight of that mesmerizing smile, he barely felt the monk clean up his face. When he was done, Sanzo sat down beside him and started to gather roses into his arms.

Pressing his face to the bouquet he had made, his lips touching one blossom, Sanzo praised, "These flowers are beautiful, Kougaiji-sama."

"They are," Kougaiji answered quietly. "I'm so sorry that I neglected this garden."

"The blooms here know that you have more important things on your mind. They don't hold it against you. This garden lives for you now."

"So here you are! I've been looking all over you!" Gyumao's voice boomed at the doorway. "How dare you not inform me of your whereabouts?"

Before the young demon could speak in their defense, Sanzo thrust the bouquet of roses into his arms.

"Give this to your father," the priest gently advised him. "I hope you haven't forgotten. Today is a very special day."

Kougaiji hesitated for a moment, but Sanzo gave him a reassuring nod. Swallowing down his fear, he approached his father.

"What is this?" the Demon King demanded with a cock of his thick eyebrows.

Bowing, Kougaiji offered the bouquet to him. "It's a simple gift for you. Today is the Day of Hearts."

Gyumao's impulse was to knock those flowers out of the youkai prince's hands. What need has he for fragrant blossoms when the two most beautiful blooms were right here before him, their flesh waiting to be plundered.

But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the priest stand to look strangely at him. Was that sorrow and pity in those lovely lavender eyes?

"It is a gift from the heart," Sanzo told him. "Would you refuse such a gift?"

Gyumao's eyes flew wide as those calm words struck a chord inside him. Before he knew he was doing so, he took the bouquet that his son offered to him. As the Demon King sniffed the same bloom that the priest had kissed, there was a startling change in his demeanor.

"Rasetsunyo..." he whispered with great longing, closing his eyes.

Then, turning, Gyumao cupped his son's face, caressing a high cheekbone with his thumb.

"Touchan?" Kougaiji asked hopefully, seeing the sanity returned to his father's eyes.

But the Demon King shook his head, hand pressing over his forehead. Before the madness claimed him once more, he gave his son a tearful smile.

"Arigato gozaimasu...Kou-chan!" He then fled from the greenhouse, leaving the bouquet of roses at Kougaiji's feet.

The youkai prince stared in shock, his hand lingering over his cheek which his father had touched. Picking up the bouquet, he turned to the monk and asked, "Sanzo-sama...what did you just do?"

Sanzo's handsome face mirrored confusion and weariness. "Don't ask. Even I'm not sure how I did these things."

"It's not like you to be so nice and kind, Sanzo-sama," Lirin observed. "I wish I could say it suits you, but..." The girl beamed. "After this, I have no reason to complain."

"Baka!" the priest hissed at the child in irritation. Yes, that felt normal.

Kougaiji ran to Sanzo's aid as the monk stumbled. "I'd better take you back to our room. You're very pale."

Sanzo was in no condition to argue. "I guess you're right. Whatever the hell this was, it took a lot out of me."

"Why did you come out here anyway?" the young demon asked curiously.

The priest frowned at that question. "Believe me. This is a very difficult thing for me to do. Sumimasen, Kougaiji. Unlike Hakkai, I'm not used to being gracious, but I..." Sanzo bit down on his lower lip, unsure as to how he should proceed. When he looked up at the youkai prince, he was dismayed by the tears that filled his eyes. "I'm sorry for the things I said to you, whatever they were. And thank you for taking care of me." Inside his mind, he added, Thank you for not leaving me.

Kougaiji gazed at the restored glory of his mother's garden. Embracing the young man in his arms in gratitude, he whispered, "Sanzo-sama, you could say we're even."

---

"Kougaiji-sama! Do you know where I can get cigarettes in this damned place?"

At that query, Kougaiji's head lifted from his position behind Lirin, whose hair he was carefully braiding.

"Sanzo-sama," the youkai prince began dryly, "I could tolerate the filth that spews out of that unholy mouth of yours, but I absolutely cannot stand the smell of cigarette smoke nor to have your foul mouth stink worse than a chimney. This is still my chamber and I prefer the air inside it smelling clean, thank you very much."

Sanzo snorted behind the diagram he was studying, although he was inwardly amused by their verbal sparring. "Well, at least you're beginning to sound like the arrogant youkai prick I remember."

"And you've made a miraculous return to the self-righteous asshole I knew. That miracle worker routine did not suit you."

"A momentary lapse of insanity caused by the fever. I assure you, it won't happen again."

"Are you going to beat the crap out of each other now, Oniichan?" Lirin asked innocently.

Kougaiji rapped his sister on the head with the brush. "Don't you start, Li-chan!"

"We couldn't do that even if we wanted to," Sanzo put in wryly. "Your father wouldn't want to see either of us...damaged...in any way. He'd rather do the damaging himself."

Scowling at the priest, the young demon retorted, "Frankly, I can't understand how your friends managed to put up with you."

"They are not my friends." It dismayed Sanzo to hear that his favorite line now lacked the strength in delivery it had months back.

Kougaiji grinned, seeing the expression on the monk's face. "Deny it all you want. But Lirin and I know what's inside that sick mind of yours."

Sanzo lowered the chart to glower at the youkai through glasses that had slid down to the tip of his nose. "Could we please talk about something else? This discussion is getting tedious."

"What is it you want to talk about?"

"These lab notes. It says here that your father has not yet fully healed from the wounds he had sustained in battle against Toushin Nataku Taishi. I take it it's the head wound on his forehead."

Kougaiji nodded. "Hai. Nataku had pierced his head with a lance, but this did not kill him."

"But brain damage is brain damage. That would explain his erratic behavior. However, there are so many things which I do not understand. For one, why would Gyokumen Koushu be so determined to awaken him with his mind not yet healed?"

"I guess she was hoping that the head injury would make my father easier to control."

"Or else she believed that the five Sutras could heal him. Unfortunately, the Sutras do not work that way. You saw an approximation of their power at Konran Tower. Yes, they could give your father the energy needed to awaken and rejuvenate him, but they cannot heal him. This is an experiment that's doomed to fail right from the start."

That's because we missed out on a very important detail, mused Kougaiji, which happened to be you.

Sanzo leaned back into his seat. "Something's really not right here," he declared, his brows knitted into a tight frown.

"What do you mean?" Lirin asked, just as confused.

"Aside from Gyokumen Koushu, there's the circumstances that led to your father's battle with the fighting god. If your father was so disabled by that head wound, why did Nataku not take advantage of his weakness and kill him?"

Brother and sister gasped at that query. Yes, that was a perplexing question. Why did Nataku spare the youkai prince and his father?

"During our journey," Sanzo continued, "the one thing I've learned is that things aren't always what they appear to be. More than once, we've had to deal with supposedly evil foes, only to discover that they had justifiable cause for the actions they had taken." The priest found himself remembering Homura, Zenon and Shien who committed treason against Tenkai to create a new and better world. Gazing meaningfully at Kougaiji, he admitted, "This is a lesson I learned from you as well, Kougaiji. I know that there is something else that has been driving you to...participate...in Gyumao's revival experiment."

Kougaiji yanked hard on the brush, causing Lirin to yelp in pain as strands of hair were pulled from her head. "It's a matter that doesn't concern you, priest!" he snapped back sharply.

Sanzo laid the diagrams and notes down on the table and mumbled, "Just too many damned questions!" Standing, he stretched his arms out languidly, as if they didn't just have a troubling conversation, and said casually, "I'm going to see if I could convince your father to have one of the servants buy a box of cigarettes for me."

"My father wouldn't permit it. He hates cigarette smoke just as much as I do."

What Sanzo said next before leaving the chamber caught Kougaiji by surprise.

Pausing at the doorway, Sanzo remarked, "Sometimes, I wonder how an evil youkai like Gyumao could sire such morally outstanding children as you two."

TO BE CONTINUED...