Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Transposition ❯ 1. A New Journey ( Chapter 1 )

Transposition

By Orenda

 

Rating: PG-13 for now

Beta: Iapetus

Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki. I wish I did, because then Gojyo would always have red hair and there would be many shots of Hakkai in his demon form.

Pairings: Kougaiji/Yaone, and possible hints of 58 and 39, but no more than hints.

Warnings: Some violence in future chapters.

 

A/N: Okay, here's my first plunge into the Saiyuki fandom. Keep in mind that I'm twisting things around and all shall be explained when it needs to be and the time is right.

 

Chapter 1 - A New Journey

 

 

 

“He's waiting for you in the back.”

 

With a slight nod to the bartender, the blond haired man that had just entered didn't even bother to look around the establishment as he made his way in the gestured direction. Having been to the place dozens of times, he didn't really have a reason to look around. He could have easily walked to the familiar booth with his eyes closed, already knowing the twists and turns to avoid the other tables. No one looked up at him; they were all too interested in their own affairs to pay any attention to anyone else. The usual customers would know who he was, but they knew better than to attract his attention to themselves, avoiding his gaze.

 

This had been his most frequented bar for the last year or so. It wasn't exactly huge, but it wasn't small enough for most conversations to be overheard, either. And as much as he traveled, most of his clientele had been found here, his reputation being such that this particular small town was the easiest place to locate him whenever they had a job that needed to be done.

 

Tonight he'd been told of a new potential client. He had yet to meet the man face to face, but it had been made obvious that this person had taken the time and effort to track him down. Being a bit curious, as he hadn't had many new clients in the last few years, he decided to see what it was all about.

 

The familiar smoke-hazed air and the dim lights in the room made it hard to see the man's detailed features at first, but he did not have to ask any questions as he sat down in his usual booth. It was rather busy tonight, which would help give their conversation an extra layer of privacy on top of having the best seat in the back corner of the room.

 

“I hear you've been looking for me.”

 

A slight smirk was returned as the dark haired man sipped at his drink. “Yes, I have.”

 

His usual waitress had seen him enter, so there was no exchange between them as she brought over his own usual order and left without a word.

 

“I come at a high price.” His reputation had been steadily growing over the years, but the blond had learned that the occasional person would try and offer him less than what the job was worth.

 

“Which I am more than willing to pay… Genjo Sanzo.”

 

He sounded very confident about the whole situation, and his smugness irritated the blond. But he hadn't been given any good assignments in at least a month, so he thought better of throwing out an insult, his violet eyes closing for a moment, determined to stay in control of the situation.

 

“Very well… Tell me more.”

 

The dark haired man appeared to be thinking for a moment before an amused look flashed through his mismatched eyes. “Tell me… Are you familiar with the old legend of Saiyuki?”

 

The blond known as Genjo Sanzo blinked in slight surprise, “You mean the story of some stupid monk traveling around collecting those scripture things? Heh, who doesn't know of it? Demons supposedly wouldn't even be here anymore and the world would be in chaos if it wasn't for that guy stopping it.”

 

“Yes, the gods would have far more to deal with than just simple squabbles without the legendary scriptures. Just making sure you know of it, whether you choose to believe it or not,” the other man smiled. “You see, the job I have for you will require you to… act like the man from the legend, so to speak.”

 

Sanzo gave him a scowl, “Right… as if I would ever be a damned priest.”

 

“You would be surprised how people can change and what they can do when it is required of them.”

 

Knowing that the man was leading him purposely around his reason for being there was definitely starting to get annoying. “If you don't mind, I'd like to get on with it. If you have no business for me, then I'll find something better to do with my time.”

 

“Very well, then. I need you to take care of a certain… demon. He has something that I want, and he knows too much about what I need it for.”

 

A couple sheets of paper were handed over, and silence took over as Sanzo scanned over them.

“Kougaiji, son of Gyumaoh… I see.” He gave his new client a cold stare. “This will definitely cost you.”

 

The black haired man waved his hand as if to shrug it off. “If you can take care of him, I will pay whatever price you ask.”

 

Sanzo didn't answer right away, although whether that was a good sign or not was hard to tell.

 

“…How would you like me to deliver him, and with whom will I be negotiating?” It was a fairly common question in his line of work, considering that most of his customers preferred their secrecy and left him dealing with a third party. Not that he liked it one bit, but in some cases he was willing to tolerate it.

 

The man smiled, “You will be dealing directly with me. The location has been written down for you, so when the job is finished you may ask for me there.”

 

Sanzo was getting rather annoyed with this guy's smugness, and his irritation was clear in his voice. “And how should I be addressing you?”

 

There was amusement in his eyes, the blue and gold standing out in the dim light of the room. “You may call me Homura, and that is all that you need to know.”

 

He finished his drink in one shot and started to stand up, but was instantly stopped by a gun being pointed directly at his head.

 

“I need a minimum of forty thousand as a down payment, or else I'll be taking my services elsewhere.” Sanzo was determined to stay in control of the situation, but what he really wanted was to wipe that annoying smile off of the man's face, one way or another. His reputation owed him at least that privilege.

 

And yet even being held at gunpoint by the legendary Genjo Sanzo wasn't enough to faze him, “Of course… just talk to the front desk at the inn across the street in one hour, and it will be there. In fact, I will even throw in a gold card to pay for all of your traveling expenses. Fair enough?”

 

The gun was not lowered, but his finger reluctantly moved off of the trigger.

 

“Very well, then,” Homura bowed slightly, although Sanzo was fairly certain it was more out of jest than anything else, which only angered him more. “I shall be looking forward to conversing with you again soon.”

 

It was highly tempting to shoot a remark to the man's retreating back, but then Sanzo sighed in annoyance instead, deciding that this Homura fellow was not worth his effort. The blond stayed where he was a while longer, finishing his drink at his own pace, staring at nothing from across the room as he thought about what he had just gotten himself into.

 

He never noticed the dark shadowy figure stand up from a chair two tables away and disappear into the night.

 

--

 

Not in the mood to stay and drink all night and not ready to sleep yet, Sanzo decided to go out for some air. It was not all that cold outside, so it wasn't like he would freeze in the process. He needed some time to figure out how he should go about going after this Kougaiji.

 

But he was not worried. He had dealt with some nasty characters in his past, demon or otherwise. The real problem was getting a starting point with which to track him down, a bit harder than for his average assignments since the CEO tended to move around quite frequently for his business transactions and also, more often than not, in secret. If it was absolutely necessary, he could call in some favors that he'd been stocking up on, but after his last job, he would much rather gather information himself than rely on someone else.

 

Stopping by a lamp post to light up a cigarette, he didn't even bother to look up as he leaned against it, smoke trailing up into the air. “If you want something, then say it. You don't have to follow me around.”

 

There was a moment of time when there was nothing but silence, but soon a shadow stepped out from the darkness and into the artificial light, revealing the figure of a young boy, his dark colored hair making him hard to see in the available light.

 

Sanzo had been in this town long enough to recognize the boy easily; he had been around more than once. He took another drag of his cigarette, “But if you're looking for the stupid monkey, he's not here. You'll have to play with him some other time.”

 

The boy shook his head, knowing there was no use hiding from Sanzo now. “No, that's not it… I heard that you'd be looking for someone, and I'm supposed to help.” The look on his face became a smirk, “Although hearing that you might need help, the one and only Genjo Sanzo, is pretty pathetic.”

 

Sanzo glared at the boy, “I'm not asking for anything, Nataku. And what would you know about it? Or were you spying for someone?”

 

The boy known as Nataku shook his head. “I was just bored!” There was a pause, followed by a sheepish grin. Something about the way he answered told the blond that the boy most definitely had another motivation other than entertainment. “And then… Yeah, I happened to hear a few things about someone named Kougaiji. It's funny what people will tell kids, you know?”

 

From being around the kid a few times when he was spending time with his… with Goku, Sanzo was most definitely not fooled by Nataku's size. The boy obviously understood a whole lot more than most at his age, and probably got away with quite a few things. In fact, he had considered leaving Goku behind to stay with him, except for when it came to the monkey, for some reason it never seemed to work to just get rid of him. The whole thing irked Sanzo to no end, so he tried not to think about it too often.

 

Sanzo sighed in annoyance, “Keep it to yourself… I can find the information by myself, kid.”

 

“But can you find it in time? Word has it that he's leaving tomorrow for somewhere that he can't be found or bothered…”

 

That got the man's attention. If Kougaiji was really going to seclude himself, it would probably force Sanzo into harsher methods of persuasion, including blood. And despite his specialties, he'd rather not deal with the mess it would cause, since he was only being paid to take care of one. So the faster he could get the whole thing over with… And, of course, all of this would only be an issue if this Homura was able to give him what he'd asked for…

 

After a pause and a puff of smoke rose in the air, he asked, “…What do you want for it?”

Nataku gave him an innocent but serious look, “Just a little money for breakfast and lunch tomorrow. And I'll make it worth it, honest!”

 

He shouldn't do it. It would cause him trouble later down the road, just like last time… But the extra work and time involved any other way could cost him a lot more than what he wanted to pay…

 

Digging some money out of his pocket, he scanned the area with his eyes before holding it out in front of him. “Tell me.”

 

--

 

It was still as dark outside when he returned to the building across the street from the bar as it had been when he'd left; not that he had expected it to change a whole lot. Having just talked to a girl down at the front desk where he was staying, there was in fact an envelope there that had just been delivered a short time before. He did not open it in front of her, not wanting anyone else to know of its contents, but he knew that it would be nothing else than what he requested. Damn that Homura for actually being good to his word. There would be no turning back now.

 

As he stepped into the room, all the lights were off save for the bathroom light, which had been left on for him to see what he was doing. But everything else was quiet, save for the soft snoring that could be heard coming from underneath the blankets of his bed. Sanzo rolled his eyes at the sound, his black leather jacket that had been concealing him slipping off his shoulders and being draped over the doorknob for easy retrieval later.

 

Grabbing a nearby pillow, he chucked it at the lump in the covers, “Goku, get up!”

 

The said lump stirred, and a pair of golden eyes appeared from the blanket, blinking sleepily as the figure sat up.

 

“Is it time for breakfast already…?” he asked with a yawn.

 

Clothes that were discarded at the end of the bed were thrown at him in a similar manner as the pillow, “It's not even early morning yet, idiot. Come on, we're leaving.”

 

Although it wasn't the thing he wanted to hear, the statement was enough to catch Son Goku's attention. “Leaving? You mean on a trip?”

 

The older man didn't bother to look up from gathering the rest of their possessions from around the room. “I've gotten a new assignment. We have to head west, and I don't want to wait until morning. Now get dressed.”

 

--

 

Not wanting to further push the man's patience, Goku shoved the bed covers out of his way and stood up, only to get his foot caught in his pair of jeans in the process of putting them on. This caused him to lose his balance, and he just barely kept himself from falling face flat on the floor.

 

“Stupid monkey,” Sanzo muttered, closing the pack with all of their belongings inside.

 

Goku frowned, with his pants now correctly placed as he fastened his belt buckle. “I'm not a monkey!”

 

“Then quit acting like one. You're lucky I'm even letting you come.” Sanzo looked over the information he was given a bit more closely. “…He's supposed to be staying in the next town over with his younger sister, so if we leave now, we should make it there before dawn.”

 

“So… No breakfast?” Goku ducked out of the way to avoid getting hit with a flying object. “Hey! Okay, okay! I'm ready now… But why can't we wait until morning and take the bus? It doesn't run this late at night…”

 

“Because I'm not going to wait around and let him get away. Now do you want me to leave you here, or not?”

 

“I'm going! Sheesh…” Goku was less than enthused about walking, but he knew better than to question Sanzo's methods. At least, he remembered not to some of the time.

 

And so his new assignment began, although this time Sanzo couldn't help but wonder if the ending results might turn out much differently than normal.

 

--

 

The sky was rather cloudy, making it darker than it normally would have been had the stars been out. And for the most part, the darkness shared company with an overwhelming silence, which filled the night with tension rather than tranquility.

 

He sat out on the balcony of the apartment he'd been staying in for the past two months or so, watching as the moonlight grew even dimmer as clouds brushed past each other to cover the moon behind them. The thickness of the air and his heightened senses told him that it was going to start storming soon.

 

So much had happened since he had first arrived here. He had somehow found himself in a worse situation than he'd ever imagined. Up until six months ago, he was forced to heed every whim of that… that woman. If it wasn't for the younger sister that she had given him, he would have told her exactly what he thought of her a long time ago. But her own greed had cost her dearly in the end, leaving it up to him to deal with the mess that she had left behind. If it wasn't for those scriptures that he had been ordered to collect for her… He tightened his hand into a fist just from thinking about it.

 

There was suddenly a new presence behind him; his senses allowed for no surprise as a hand was suddenly rested upon his shoulder.

 

“Kougaiji? I think it's time for you to leave,” a familiar voice insisted to him.

 

Long red hair moved as he turned his head, due to a light breeze on the balcony, and his eyes locked onto the newcomer in his room. “So it's true? They're on their way?”

The demon with short black hair nodded, “My informant just called me and says that they just left a short time ago and are heading in our direction. If you leave now, you still have a pretty good chance.”

 

Kougaiji sighed, closing his eyes briefly, “You should know better than anyone what I think about it, Dokugakuji. Why should I back down from a single human and his pet?”

 

The other demon looked back into the main room of Kougaiji's apartment, where a small figure was curled up with a pillow and smiling in her sleep. “Because you and I both know that she wouldn't be able to stand up against the infamous Genjo Sanzo.”

 

Kougaiji turned to look at the figure as well, and only a few people close to him would be able to recognize the slight tensing of his body as worry. “Lirin…”

 

He paused as she shifted on the couch. “If I leave before they get here, they'll leave her alone.”

 

His companion shook his head, “I wouldn't count on it. He'd probably try and use her as a way to lure you out.” When Kougaiji did not give an answer, he continued, “Perhaps you should take her somewhere with you.”

 

Watching the bright haired girl as she stirred from her sleep, Kougaiji didn't even notice as a couple raindrops fell from the sky and collided with his jacket.

 

“I'll take her to Yaone… She should be safe with her,” he decided. “What about you?” He looked up at the demon.

 

Dokugakuji shook his head, “I need to stay here and keep an eye on things for you. Don't worry about it.”

 

The red haired demon knew his reasons, and also knew that there was no need to question his assistant's loyalty.

 

The entire issue would not normally be a problem to him. And if he was in different circumstances, or in other words, only dealing with himself, he would have just insisted on staying to confront the problem himself. But he just couldn't force Lirin into the situation; it wouldn't be fair or a safe thing to do. Despite his feelings for her late mother, he cared about her more than he was willing to admit.

 

But a curious sounding voice made it evident that perhaps she was not as deeply asleep as her older brother had thought. “You mean we're going away?”

 

Sighing softly, he knew better than to lie to her. “For a little while, anyways. We're going to see Yaone.”

 

Lirin seemed to be instantly awake, and bounced of the couch to stand in front of the two males. “Oh! …It's because you like her so much! Right?” she giggled.

 

Her words never ceased to amaze him, and it was all he could do to keep the surprise off of his face.

 

“We're going because she is one of my most trustworthy associates who can help me right now.” Kougaiji tried to ignore the look of amusement on the other demon's face.

Lirin's smile faded a little at his words, giving her older brother a small pout, “You mean you don't like her? Not even at all…?”

 

The red haired demon sighed, “I didn't mean… It's not that I don't like her…”

 

Her smile returned instantly, “See? I knew you liked her. You don't look at anyone else but her that way, ever!”

 

To avoid getting himself into further trouble, he decided not to reply to that statement. But his silence spoke seemed to speak louder than words, which didn't help him in the least.

 

“You should get going, then… Wouldn't want to keep your lady waiting…”

The comment earned Dokugakuji a small glare before Kougaiji spoke to Lirin in a serious tone, “Will you please leave with me now and go stay with Yaone?”

 

Lirin picked up on the seriousness in his voice and nodded, “I'm ready. Let's go!”

 

He nodded in approval as the raindrops started to multiply. It was certainly starting to prove to be an interesting night.

 

--

 

“Sanzo… Do we have to go while it's raining like this?” Goku whined.

 

He wanted to go back and sleep some more, or at the very least get some food considering that he was being deprived of breakfast, or even a midnight snack. Not to mention the rain made it hard for either of them to see very far in front of them as they walked.

 

But the rain seemed to make Sanzo even crankier than usual. “Just shut up and keep moving.” To be honest, the rain wasn't exactly helping Goku's mood, either.

 

Yet again since Goku had started traveling with the man he noticed Sanzo's apparent dislike for the rain. There had been many times that he'd wanted to ask why he hated it so much, but he definitely did not like the idea of a gun aimed at his head or having lead through his skull. Perhaps he could ask after the rain stopped and Sanzo was in a better mood.

 

Knowing that it would not do any good to complain anymore just yet, Goku changed the subject. “So… What's the big deal with this Kougaiji guy? Did he do something to piss someone off or something?”

 

Even though it had only been about two years since Goku had been thrown into Sanzo's life, it was quite evident that he had been picking up on Sanzo's use of language.

 

Sanzo sighed, but considering the fact that his gun did not appear, it must have been a fairly safe question to ask. “Kougaiji is the son of Gyumaoh, and-”

 

“-You mean the Gyumaoh? The demon that was known for…”

 

“Yes, now shut the hell up,” Sanzo cut him off before his interruption could finish. “The only thing that matters is that we have to track him down and bring him back with us.”

 

Goku felt like the blond was hiding something, but was in doubt of finding out what it was for a while, if at all. He frowned, “So then how do you know where we're going?”

Knowing Goku, telling him who his current source was wouldn't be the best option just yet. “I have my sources.”

It wasn't even dawn yet, but the rain just seemed to tell them that the coming day was not looking to be a very good one.

 

 

To Be Continued…