Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Tainted Innocence ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

PROLOGUE

A bright sunny day greeted the young man as he emerged out on the verandah overlooking the vast pond with its abundant and unusually fragrant water lilies. Large goldfish and carp swam gracefully through the maze of stems underneath the water. One red orange carp bubbled up to the surface, its bulbous lips moving as though speaking a welcome.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, little one!" he greeted the fish cheerfully. Seeing those round eyes focus on his unnaturally rounded belly, he said, "Oh, the baby's fine! Thank you so much for your concern."

At that reassurance, the carp swam away to rejoin its companions to forage for food.

The young man stretched his arms out and yawned, the sleeves of the sky blue yukata he was wearing sliding down to his shoulders. In truth, he barely slept wink last night. The baby had been surprisingly energetic, moving and kicking away in his belly that he couldn't find a comfortable position to sleep in. That hyperactivity reminded him so much of someone he had left behind.

There was a flare of hurt inside his heart. Strange, that even with the peace and tranquility of Tenkai, his heart longed to be back on Earth, with all its pain, trials and dangers. Oh, how he despaired to be back, sitting in the cramped backseat of a rumbling jeep traveling to the West together with….

"You can't come with us in that condition! We can't be burdened by you any longer!"

A teardrop trickled from his chin. With bitterness, he murmured, "Why did you send me away like that? I never intended to become a burden to anyone. I never knew that it would lead to this. How the hell should I know that a man like me would become pregnant?" He ran his hand over his belly. "But, except for being unable to continue on the journey with you, I have no regrets. This baby is mine, and I will keep it, no matter who the father is."

A handsome face with loving green eyes filled his mind. "I don't care who the baby's real father is. The only father that baby will know when he's finally born is me."

Pressing the rose quartz pendant to his lips, he sobbed, "God, I miss you so much! I would give anything you were here with me!"

There was a gentle rubbing motion inside his swollen abdomen, soothing the hurt and the loneliness away. Caressing that moving lump on his tummy, he whispered, "I'm fine now, my sweet baby. I promise I won't cry again."

Then, his crimson eyes fell upon the silent figure sitting on that throne-like chair, a solemn sentinel of the pond and its denizens. At once, he felt guilt pinch his heart. He shouldn't be thinking about them, especially when there was someone here who needed him.

Approaching that still figure, he settled down with a sigh on a similar chair that was placed beside his quiet little friend.

"Ohayo gozaimasu!" he smiled at the silent boy at his side. "Did you have a good sleep last night?"

No answer. Then again, he wasn't really expecting any. Those golden eyes were as blank as ever. Poor little godling… So young in his immortality, and he already lost the will to live.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to sleep with you last night," he said in apology. "The baby was very frisky and I didn't want to disturb your sleep." A small kick and he let out a pained laugh. "My little one is excited to go out into the world. I think it won't be long now."

He took the boy's hand and placed it over the spot where the baby within was kicking with glee. "I hope you'll wake up soon. I would like it very much if you would be my baby's friend."

He gasped, feeling the hand underneath his quiver, fingers moving ever so slightly to cup that tiny heel. He seized the boy's hand to look at it closely, but it lay limp on his palm.

I must have imagined it, he mused, as he reached out to tease those long, arching locks that were similar to his own precious 'antenna'.

Before he could touch a single lock, pain gripped his belly, the likes of which he never experienced in his entire life. To his horror, something broke inside him, and water and blood streamed down his legs, drenching his yukata.

"Kuso!" he hissed as he was seized by another contraction. Gripping his aching belly, he cried, "Help me! Somebody please! Jiroushin-sama! Kanzeon Bosatsu-sama! Oh someone please! My baby…."

He made to stand, but pain and his wobbly legs caused him to fall to the marble floor, gasping for breath.

Tears of helplessness trickled from his eyes, as the contractions made him whimper and writhe in agony. "I can't give birth to my baby like this, not without them! Not all alone!" He raised a trembling hand to the shining sun. "Goku…Sanzo…Hakkai… Why did you abandon me here? Was I so wrong in wanting to keep this baby? Oh please! Don't let anything happen to my baby! Take my life instead, but keep my baby safe!"

Gentle hands suddenly cupped his face and wiped away his tears. In the glare of the sun, all he could see were loving golden eyes gazing down. "Don't be afraid, Kenren-dono. I mean, Gojyo-dono." A sweet smile. "That's your name now, isn't it? Nothing's going to happen to your baby. I'll make sure of that. And…I swear that I will bring your friends here."

Gojyo squeezed the hands that were holding his face. "You're going to do this for me? Are you sure it's all right?"

"You brought me back," was the boy's simple reply. "It's the least I can do."

Gojyo embraced, with great relief, the boy who had been his silent companion for the past months. "Arigato gozaimasu…Nataku-sama."

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter is a product of boredom while attending the 3-day Chemotherapy Congress. I never intended to write this to begin with since I was running all over the conference building all day, moving from one lecture to another. So when I decided to take a break to check my email, I was shocked to say the least at the amount of mail begging me to do a sequel to "Tainted Love". Truth be told, doing an mpreg story is far from my list of priorities, having burned myself out writing them in Highlander fandom. Believe me! Speaking from experience, mpreg stories are very difficult to write, not to mention leaves you open to unsavory criticisms from people who don't like the theme, but who are stupid enough to read them in the first place. Anyway, due to insistent public demand, plus the simple fact that I was effectively distracted to write it during the chemotherapy conference, here is the first chapter of the "Tainted Love" sequel.

HOWEVER, please do not expect me to update this any time soon. I've practically exhausted myself from the conference, meetings, etc. that it's so difficult to get my mind to work. I'll try to update this and my other fics WHEN I finally find the time and the energy to do so. I need to recharge or else my fics will suffer.