Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Reunion ❯ Where the Road Leads ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own any legal rights to Saiyuki. I can only express my loyalties and gratefulness to Kazuya Minekura for this unique twist on the famous sixteenth century classic story. It rocks!

 

Warning: There will be profanity, innuendoes, brief nudity, and usage of a paper fan throughout this fic. If needed, other warnings will be posted as I write.

 

"Reunion"

 

By Janime Lee

 

Chapter One -- Where the Road Leads

 

"Are we there yet?" Goku asked as he shifted in his seat.

"According to the map, about another half hour," Hakkai smiled at the youngest member quickly.

"But I'm hungry!" Goku turned his puppy eyes onto the driver.

"I'll bet that was your first complete sentence when you learned how to talk," Gojyo yawned and ignored the glare from the boy sitting next to him.

"Enjoy your nap?" Hakkai asked.

"Well, I was," the half-breed ran his hands through his blood-red hair, "until the monkey started whining."

"Hey fat-head!" Goku yelled. "I'm not a monkey and I don't whine!"

"Please! We would have to buy an entire dairy farm for the cheese to go with it!" Gojyo retorted.

"Kibouhou Village, right?" Sanzo asked as the two continued in the back seat.

"Pretty small from what I heard in the last town," said Hakkai as he veered to the right when the road split. "Apparently, there hasn't been much demon activity there for quite a while."

Sanzo frowned. Nearly every town, homestead, and even camping outdoors resulted in something involving demons ninety-nine percent of the time. The traveling four was somewhat grateful that Kougaiji and his group hadn't made an appearance since their last encounter with Lirin at the temple with the cloning tree. A town without any demons running amuck was unusual at the present time, but it would be a nice change to actually relax for a moment since this crazy journey started.

"Cockroach!" Goku shouted.

"Chibi-chimp!" Gojyo responded.

"Pervert!"

"Food hog!"

"Hydrophobic kappa!"

Gojyo put on a fake shocked expression. "You know that word?"

Goku growled and swung at his seat-mate.

The vein in Sanzo's left temple started to throb as the verbal quarrel escalated and now had become physical. Reaching into his sleeve, the monk's hand first encountered the gun. Tempting as it was to shoot the two in the backseat (hell, he shot Gojyo once before to stop the parasite Chin Yisou put in him but that didn't count; nor shooting the clones of Goku--fun as it was), he rather not have blood all over Hakuryu's jeep form.

The priest would be damned if he had to clean the mess.

Ah, the paper fan.

WHACK! WHACK!

"Ow! Sanzo that hurt!" Goku rubbed his head.

"What the hell did you hit that hard for? You that repressed?" Gojyo asked and once again found himself face-to-face with the Smith & Wesson.

Man, do you need to get laid, Gojyo thought.

Sanzo pulled his hand back, aiming the gun upwards. "Both of you shut up or die."

Hakkai shook his head. This was pretty much the daily routine for them. On the road, fight, find a place to eat and rest, fight, stock up on supplies, fight, back on the road, fight. One big vicious never-ending cycle.

Fortunately, Sanzo's threat was not taken lightly for Gojyo and Goku clammed up--aside from Goku's stomach growling. Gojyo put on his sunglasses and pulled the blanket over his head to block the late afternoon sun from blasting in his face.

Twenty minutes later, they drove by a sign that read "Kibouhou" and continued on into the village. Hakkai eased the jeep to a stop in front of a tavern where a brunette woman and a young boy were sweeping.

"Excuse me," Hakkai said, "are there any vacancies?"

"Afraid not," the woman stopped her chore and stepped closer to the jeep.

Gojyo looked at her, noticing the large bulge of her stomach beneath her dress. Pregnant, damn…

"The only place that could provide you space is the house up the road," she pointed to a rather large house set apart a little from the village.

"You don't want to go there," the boy spoke up, "not with those two freaks running around."

"Freaks?" Goku asked.

"Half-breeds," the boy answered in a disgusted tone.

"Shin, knock it off," the woman said sternly.

"But Uncle Kong said-"

"I don't care what Uncle Kong said. Keep talking like that and dad will hear about it. Besides, I think you're still mad that Yue can outrun you."

"Who cares if he can run--just shows that he knows that he'll get his," the boy smiled at the four travelers. "If you stick around for a bit, I'm sure we can have a room ready for you guys."

"Thank you for the offer," Hakkai said politely, "but we'll take our business up the road."

"Huh? But I just told you there's two half-breeds there!" the boy protested.

"Well, you know what they say," Gojyo pushed the blanket off his head and pulled the sunglasses down slightly, smirking at the boy's reaction. "Freaks tend to flock together."

With that, the group drove off.

Goku turned in his seat just in time to see the woman smack the boy upside his head and sent him inside.

"You okay, Gojyo?" Hakkai asked.

"Yeah, she was pretty cute but I stay away from pregnant women," Gojyo put his hands behind his head. "They tend to drop the kid on you even if you're not the father."

Sanzo rolled his eyes as the jeep pulled up to the house. There were four children playing within the fenced-in yard: two boys and two girls.

"I'll be damned," Gojyo said.

The two boys were without question identical twins about ten-years-old. Both had the same blood-red hair and eyes as Gojyo, but one boy's hair was cut very short whereas the other had a braid going down between his shoulder blades.

As for the two girls, they were different ages--probably ten and six. The older girl had deep brown almost black hair and the younger girl had dark blonde hair, yet they both had the same hazel-colored eyes.

The children stopped playing as the jeep halted. The twins looked at Gojyo and their eyes widened.

"Jia, get auntie," the boy with the short hair ordered and the older girl ran into the house through the side door.

Gojyo got out of the jeep and took a few steps closer to the fence. The boy with the braid immediately grabbed his brother's arm and the little girl's hand, and raced inside.

"Nice to see you still have your way with kids," said Sanzo.

"Up yours, monk," Gojyo flipped him off.

Moments later, a woman in her mid-twenties stepped out through the front door. She was wearing jeans, shoes, and a front-buttoned burgundy shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her long midnight-blue hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she had smiling deep blue eyes. Her height was between Sanzo's and Goku's.

"Hello," she said as she walked to the jeep, "sorry about that. They tend to get a little panicky when strangers arrive… Gojyo?"

"Uh-oh," Goku whispered, watching the two stare at each other.

Recognition finally dawned on Gojyo's face. "Oh my-"

And then he was on the ground eating dirt.

"You idiot!" the woman yelled at him. "Three years I don't hear anything from you and now you decide to pay a visit!"

"It's finally happened," said Hakkai.

Sanzo looked at him. "And you're surprised?"

"Only that it didn't happen sooner."

"What was that for?" Gojyo demanded as he jumped back to his feet. "I sent you a letter saying that I was moving!"

"A likely story," the woman crossed her arms. "I bet you use that on all the one- nighters you somehow manage to accidentally meet again."

"Man, she knows him like a book," Goku said in amazement.

"Don't blame me for the snail-mail," Gojyo growled. "You kept moving around so much, I was beginning to think you became some religious pilgrim!"

I'll shoot him after we eat, Sanzo thought. I really shouldn't deny someone a final meal.

"Why you!" the woman pulled her right arm back, fist clenched, and aimed for Gojyo's face. Then she stopped just mere inches away, extended her index finger and tapped his nose. The two burst out laughing and they hugged, shocking everyone in the jeep.

"Gojyo, I missed you so much!" the woman said happily. She stepped back, smiling at him. "Still got that mischievous look, though I have no doubt it's for something else."

"Still a pain in the ass," Gojyo shook his head. "You haven't changed a bit."

Sanzo closed his eyes. "Gojyo, would you mind hurrying up with your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?!" Gojyo and the woman exclaimed.

"Please! Even if I wasn't related to Gojyo, I wouldn't date him if he was the last man in the world!"

"Related?" the jeep trio echoed.

Gojyo laughed and put his arm around the woman's shoulders. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Shu Ryorin. She's my aunt."

Hakkai blinked, Sanzo raised an eyebrow, and Goku's mouth fell open.

"Don't let her appearance fool you," Gojyo went on, "she's a demon."

"Ah, you have a power limiter," Hakkai smiled at her.

"Gotta love them," she smiled back. "Welcome to my home, pardon the mess that the kids like to make, and please call me Ryo."

"Can I call you 'auntie'?" asked Gojyo.

"No."

"Why not? Apparently the kids do."

"There's a big difference between you and the kids--namely a decade," Ryo narrowed her eyes at Gojyo, "whereas only a fifth of that makes me older than you."

"She's twenty-four," Sanzo told Goku when the brown-haired youth started calculating on his fingers.

"Quite an age gap between her and her brother," said Hakkai.

"Mommy?"

Everyone turned towards the front door and saw a three-year-old boy standing on the stoop, clothes rumpled. He had mouse-brown hair and pale green eyes.

"Hi, honey," Ryo smiled and walked over to him, picking the child up and settling him on her left hip. "Did you have a good nap?"

The child nodded and looked at the four men. "Who they?"

Ryo walked back over to Gojyo. "This is Gojyo," she said. "Do you want to know who Gojyo is?"

The boy grabbed a handful of Gojyo's hair. "Hey!" the half-breed yelped.

"Yau 'n Yue brother!"

Snickering from the jeep caused Gojyo to glare at his traveling companions.

"No," Ryo giggled, "Gojyo is my nephew. He and I are related."

"Net pew?"

"Close enough," Gojyo grumbled. "Hey, kid, can I have my hair back?"

"Not kid," the boy tugged the red handful, "name Huan."

Gojyo turned his eyes to Ryo as she managed to get the child to release Gojyo's hair and then set Huan on his feet. "Sweetie, why don't you go inside and check on Granny, okay?"

"O-tay!" Huan said cheerfully and ran back into the house.

"Mommy?" Gojyo asked.

"He's human," Ryo started. "His mother asked me to take care of him--she died shortly after his birth."

"I see," Gojyo shifted. "Good name for him."

Ryo smiled. "So, are you going to introduce your poker buddies or what?"

"Of course," Gojyo smiled. "The driver is Cho Hakkai, the fleabag in the backseat-"

"Hey!" Goku yelled.

"-Is Son Goku, the droopy-eyed priest is Genjo Sanzo-"

Scratch that, Sanzo thought, I'll kill him before I eat.

"-And the jeep is Hakuryu."

Ryo blinked. "The jeep has a name?"

Hakkai, Sanzo and Goku got out of the jeep and Goku removed the packs. In a flash of light, the jeep vanished and a small white dragon was hovering in the air. Hakuryu flew over to Ryo and circled around her before perching on her shoulder.

"He's cute!" Ryo smiled and scratched under Hakuryu's chin.

"He's never done that before," Hakkai smiled. "I guess he really likes you."

Ryo laughed as Hakuryu chirped happily then she turned back to the four men. "Well then, shall I help you guys settle in?"

"That would be much appreciated," said Sanzo.

Ryo walked over to Goku as the young man picked up the packs. "I'll take one."

"Nah, it's okay, I got 'em," he smiled at her.

"Alright, follow me."

The four men followed Ryo into the house. Goku dropped the packs by the staircase leading to the second floor then caught up with the others as they went into the living room.

There was an elder woman sitting in a plush chair near the window with her left leg resting atop a pillow on a small stool. Short wooden poles and white bandages ran along the length of her calf from her knee to the bottom of her foot. Her grey and white hair was wound in a bun on top of her head. In her lap was a large piece of fabric that had several images stitched onto it. She looked at the group with the same hazel-colored eyes the two girls held.

"I'd like you to meet Qiong," Ryo introduced the old woman.

Qiong bowed her head. "Forgive me for not standing but I took a bad fall the other day."

"It's alright," Hakkai smiled gently.

"Cho Hakkai, Son Goku, Genjo Sanzo," Ryo named the group, "and Sha Gojyo."

"So this is your nephew," Qiong smiled. "Ryo's told me quite a bit about you."

"All good I hope," Gojyo smiled then quickly snapped his head towards his three companions at the snorts.

"Have a seat, guys," Ryo gestured towards the couch and the other chair, "I'll go make some tea."

"Have you got anything to eat?" Goku asked.

"Sit," Sanzo yanked his charge down to the couch causing Goku to yelp. Hakkai sat next to Goku with Hakuryu in his lap and Gojyo claimed the chair.

Qiong looked at Sanzo. "You are the second Sanzo Priest I have met. Perhaps there's a chance you knew him--Koumyoh Sanzo."

Sanzo looked at her. "My master."

"Is that so? Tell me, does he still make those paper airplanes?"

"He passed away ten years ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Qiong shook her head. "He was a very kind man and not your run-of-the-mill priest if you'll forgive me for saying."

Ryo walked into the living room balancing a tray in each hand. "Here we go."

"Cookies!" Goku's eyes sparkled.

"Down, boy," Gojyo ordered as he took a cup and a few cookies before Goku could inhale the plate.

"Auntie!" one of the girls called from upstairs.

"Be right there, Jia!" Ryo answered. "Excuse me."

Gojyo watched his aunt leave and disappear up the steps. He turned to Qiong. "How did Ryo end up here?"

"She arrived one night three years ago," the elder woman started, "Huan was only a few weeks old at the time. It was raining hard that night too--Ryo was nearly soaked but she managed to protect Huan from the rain. We were surprised when she told us that she was a demon; then Ryo explained that she had a power limiter. In all the time she's lived here, I have never seen her demon form."

"It's best if she keeps her power limiter on with the way things are going now," said Sanzo.

Qiong nodded. "We heard. Ryo even tried to find someone around this area to make one for Lan--Yau and Yue's mother."

"So you take in orphans?" Hakkai asked.

"Oh no, they are my grandchildren," the elder woman smiled. She pointed to the row of pictures set atop the fireplace mantle. "Jia and Xiu are through my daughter, Sukari. She and her husband passed away from a fever that spread through the village almost four years ago. My son, Daisuke, and Lan became like second parents to the girls."

Qiong lowered her eyes to the fabric in her lap. "When the demons began to attack humans… Lan disappeared. Daisuke went to go find her and bring her home. I hope one day they will come back."

As the four men looked at each other, debating if they should mention the cause for the Minus Wave, Ryo came down the stairs with the children in tow.

"Alright," she smiled, "time for proper introductions. You've met Huan."

"Me!" the youngest child raised his left hand.

"Xiu." The blonde six-year-old girl waved shyly.

"Jia." The older girl with the dark hair bowed.

"Yau." The short-haired half-breed boy smirked.

"Yue." The boy with the braid just nodded silently.

"I'm the oldest," said Yau.

"And obnoxious," Jia said.

"No fighting or no dessert," Ryo threatened.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Huan cried excitedly as he jumped up and down over by the window that looked out to the back yard and the woods. "Uncle Kouji!"

"What?" Ryo walked over to the window as the other four children flocked beside the youngest boy. "Why didn't he tell me he was coming?"

"Who's Kouji?" Gojyo smirked.

"It's not what you think," Ryo looked at him before turning to the window again. "And he brought company."

"RYYYYYYYYYYYYYY-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

The Sanzo party immediately froze at the voice that penetrated the house from outside with only one simultaneous thought echoing in their minds.

No way…

"Pardon me," Ryo left the room and went outside; Huan running after her with a huge smile on his face.

"Um, who was that?" Hakkai asked.

"That was Lirin," Qiong answered. "She does that every time she comes here."

Sanzo's eye twitched. "Lirin?"

"Kouji's younger sister. Actually, his name is Kougaiji. Huan has a little trouble pronouncing his name."

"Kougaiji?" Goku asked.

Qiong nodded with a smile. "He's been very good to Ryo and Huan."

"Huan's the only one who can call him 'Uncle Kouji'," Xia grinned. "I think Kougaiji likes auntie."

Like hell! Gojyo thought. He set down his teacup and rose from the chair. "Excuse me, I need some air." And I have a demon to kill.

Outside the house, the mood was much brighter. Huan ran straight for Kougaiji and was swept up into the long-haired demon's arms.

"Uncle Kouji!" the boy said happily, wrapping his arms around the tan neck.

"Miss me?" Kougaiji smiled.

"Somebody has to," Ryo said as she walked closer.

"Ry-chan!" Lirin cried and launched herself at the other woman, hugging her.

"Lirin," Ryo returned the hug. "Now why didn't you let me know you were coming?"

"You forgot to tell her, didn't you," Kougaiji looked at his sister as he set Huan on his right hip.

"Sorry!" Lirin grinned sheepishly as she backed away.

Kougaiji shook his head.

"It's alright, Kougaiji," Ryo smiled, "today's already been rather eventful." She looked at the two other demons standing next to Kougaiji and pointed to the woman. "Yaone."

"Pleasure to meet you," Yaone bowed her head.

She wasn't wearing her usual outfit, just a casual pair of pants and snug shirt but modest, and her hair was down. Dokugakuji was wearing his usual plain white outfit. Kougaiji had already told them that there were young children at the house. Lirin had on a simple shirt and a pair of pants with both legs. Kougaiji had a black tank top on under his jacket.

"And…" Ryo turned to Dokugakuji and froze. "Oh my God… Jien?"

"Ryo?" Dokugakuji stared at her.

Kougaiji, Lirin and Yaone watched in surprise as Dokugakuji and Ryo started to laugh and hugged each other.

"I can't believe it!" Ryo stepped back, wiping her eyes to prevent the tears from falling. I can't cry. Gojyo hates seeing women cry. "It's really you, Jien."

"You know," Dokugakuji smiled, "if I had known you were the one Kougaiji was talking about-"

"You two know each other?" Kougaiji asked.

"He's my nephew," Ryo smiled.

"Nephew?" Yaone and Lirin repeated.

"She's my dad's younger sister," Dokugakuji grinned. "Way younger."

"Thirty-eight years, big whoop," Ryo elbowed him. "We knew a few demons that had almost a century between siblings."

"Yeah but you were more like a sister than an aunt," Dokugakuji said.

Ryo shook her head and leaned against her older nephew's arm. "This is a good day for me. I have both my boys back."

Dokugakuji looked at her. "Both?"

"I believe she means me," Gojyo spoke.

Ryo and the newly arrived group looked towards the house. Sanzo, Gojyo, Hakkai, and Goku were standing outside the fence.

"Well, well, well," Kougaiji said. "Look who's here."

"Hi, Baldy Sanzo!" Lirin waved excitedly.

The priest's eye twitched and he mentally congratulated himself for putting the rest of the cookies in his sleeve.

Ryo looked between the two groups. "I take it that you all know each other."

"You could say that," said Yaone.

Dokugakuji looked at his aunt. "How long have they been here?"

"They arrived just before you did," Ryo answered.

"You on their side, Ryo?" Gojyo demanded. "Because if you are-"

"She doesn't know," Kougaiji cut him off. He put Huan on his feet and gently pushed the human child towards his mother. "If you prefer to keep her out of this then I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

"Mommy," Huan turned frightened eyes to Ryo. He had never seen his Uncle Kouji act like this before.

"What's going on?" Ryo asked.

"Get inside, Ryo," Kougaiji told her.

Ryo picked Huan up and started towards the house. As she passed Gojyo, she looked at him. Gojyo saw her eyes silently asking what was happening, trying to make sense of why her two nephews were now on opposite sides (very different from their childhood days).

The Sanzo Party started forward.

"She doesn't know," Gojyo said.

"Are you sure?" Sanzo asked.

"I know my aunt." Gojyo could tell that Ryo didn't know. He may not have seen her in six years but he knew her well enough to read her expressions, and her reaction to Dokugakuji was one sign.

"Let's make this quick, shall we?" Kougaiji said.

"As long as we don't hit the house," Sanzo responded.

"Yaone," Hakkai smiled, "very nice outft."

"Why, thank you," Yaone smiled back.

Inside the house, Ryo, Qiong, and the children watched the events unfold.

What the hell's going on? Ryo thought as the two groups paired off and began to fight. This is all that the rest of the village needs to see.

"Why are they fighting?" Yue asked.

"I guess they had a disagreement about something," Qiong answered.

And that something is what Kougaiji said I don't know about, Ryo thought. And whatever it is, I definitely don't want to know after seeing this!

"You kids stay here," Ryo told them and she went outside.

Hmm, let's see… Ryo looked at the fighters. Sanzo/Lirin, Goku/Kougaiji, Hakkai/Yaone, Gojyo/Jien…

"Blood's thicker than water," she said to herself and walked in the direction of her two nephews.

Gojyo dodged Dokugakuji's sword; he countered but it was blocked. They jumped away from each other and both went to attack again-

Ryo stepped in between them and grabbed a fistful of cotton from both nephews' shirts. Gojyo and Dokugakuji looked at their aunt, standing passive between them with closed eyes. She opened them slightly, casting a glance from older nephew to younger, and then a dark cloud passed over her face.

Oh shit… the brothers thought, and then Ryo yanked them towards each other.

The loud dull clunk of their foreheads colliding reached the remaining six's ears. They stopped and stared as Dokugakuji and Gojyo landed on their bums, groaning from the pain and rubbing their foreheads. The cookie fell from Lirin's gaping mouth.

"Now hear this," Ryo spoke in a loud clear voice. "I understand that there's something going on between all of you and I don't care what it is--keep it to yourselves if you please. And since I have family on each side, I am not going to play favorites. Never have, never will. So consider this a neutral zone while all of you are here. That means no fighting, no arguing, no name calling, no bickering, nothing to initiate anything along the lines of a brawl. Because if you do, I don't care who started it, I will kick all of your asses."

Ryo looked down at Gojyo and Dokugakuji, hands on her hips and eyes narrowed. "Am I making myself clear?"

Two audible gulps were heard and the brothers nodded.

"Very good. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to start making supper. Please behave like good boys and girls." With that said, Ryo walked into the house.

Gojyo and Dokugakuji fell back onto the grass, letting out huge gushes of air in relief.

"We got off easy," said Gojyo.

"I forgot how scary she is when she's angry," Dokugakuji rubbed his forehead.

Gojyo looked at his older brother. "Weren't you the one who put beetles in her hair when she was seven?"

Dokugakuji paused for a moment then said, "And you put the garden snake in her bed."

"I don't think that I've ever ran that fast in my life since then," Gojyo admitted.

They started to chuckle and got to their feet, making their weapons vanish.

"Seems we're on a temporary cease-fire," said Sanzo. He handed the rest of the cookies to Lirin and Goku and watched the two run around the yard trying to see if one had more than the other.

"So it does," Kougaiji agreed, and wincing a little as Lirin fell to the ground and Goku escaped up a tree.

It was going to be a long evening.

 

 

August 17, 2006

 

Shu Ryorin is not an original character. Well, to this version of Saiyuki she is. Ryorin is from the Saiyuki: Journey West video game for the PlayStation.

 

In the game, Sanzo, Goku, Hakkai, and Gojyo are portrayed more like their original counterparts. Shu Ryorin and Lady Kikka were, as far as I know, added to the game. (And you can decide if you want to have Sanzo as male or female! That's a bit far-fetched--a girl raised in a Buddhist temple and all the monks are guys… don't think so, but I could be wrong. You never know.)

 

Kougaiji is just a little OOC for this fic. Yes, I know he would never let any human get close to him let alone a human child. But there is good reason, which you will see as the story unfolds. All in good time, my friends.

 

--Janime