Saiyuki Reload Fan Fiction / Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction / Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ When We Remembered ❯ The Door ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4: The Door

 

Somewhere at the end of a fit of coughing, Sanzo realized that he could breathe. His mouth tasted like chalk. He spat to clear it and tried to push himself off his knees. A heavy weight prevented it, and he grunted at the pain still throbbing in his kneecaps. Something was draped over his head and shoulders and by touch he recognized Gojyo's jacket.

 

He pushed back against the weight again. “Kappa, you alive?”

 

The weight receded, accompanied by a hacking cough.

 

Sanzo pushed back the jacket from his head and blinked, but could see nothing in the darkness. His exploring hands found a jean-clad thigh beside him. He dug in his nails; wanting, needing to hear some sort of reassurance from the other man.

 

“Ugh. I'm okay, monk. Shit.” Gojyo's voice sounded raspy and strained by strong enough that Sanzo relaxed his hand.

 

“I think the tunnel caved in, said Gojyo.

 

“You think? Quit leaning on me and let me up before your band luck brings the rest down on us.”

 

“Gee, remind me next time to use your body as a shield.”

 

Using each other for support, they managed to scramble upright. As Gojyo shrugged back into his jacket, Sanzo was torn between wanting room to breathe and not wanting to lose the kappa in the dark. The space around them felt tighter, smelled tighter. He pushed back against the tunnel wall, but Goyjo's hand followed him and clamped around his wrist. He could hear the other man's breathing and braced himself for further invasion of his personal space, but it didn't come.

 

Instead, Gojyo just tugged lightly on his wrist. “Come on, nothin' to do but keep going.”

Sanzo allowed himself to be led deeper into the tunnel. He wanted to shake off Gojyo's hand but couldn't quite manage to make himself do so. Whatever had just happened, it couldn't be good. Judging from the impressive sound that still buzzed in his ears, the collapse hadn't been confined to a little stretch of tunnel behind them. It better not be Hakkai and Goku tearing up the place. He suddenly regretted leaving the monkey behind. Goku was his responsibility. Dammit, he had too many idiots to look after.

 

He turned a corner and had to throw up an arm to shield his eyes from a sudden stab of bright light.

 

“Shit, that's bright,” said Gojyo.

 

Sanzo used the distraction to jerk his wrist back. He rubbed it absently as he waited for his eyes to adjust. He glanced at Gojyo and had to suppress a chuckle.

 

Gojyo caught him looking. “What?”

 

“You're covered in dust.” He looked like he'd dumped a sack of flour over his head.

 

Gojyo grumbled and wiped his face with his jacket sleeve, then began shaking out his hair. “Last time I lend you my jacket,” he muttered.

 

Ahead, the tunnel ended in a stone archway. The floor continued onto a thin shelf of rock cut into the side of the mountain. Sanzo shouldered his way past Gojyo to step out first.

 

Good thing he wasn't afraid of heights. On his right, a sheer cliff wall jutted high into a cloudy haze and on his left it plummeted down into a dizzying depth. Keeping his eyes fixed in front of him, Sanzo carefully made his way along the path to where it curled around the cliffside. As soon as he maneuvered the turn, a cold gust of wind slapped him hard. He pulled his body back against the rock on his right and felt Gojyo's hand tighten around his upper arm. He looked over his shoulder.

 

Gojyo's hair obscured his face, jostling into a tumbled mess in the wind. His tense stance made Sanzo frown. He opened his mouth, then shut it. The wind made it hard to breathe.

 

“Well fuck me,” said Gojyo, shouting to be heard.

 

Sanzo stared at him incredulously for a moment, then realized the kappa was looking past him. He turned his head forward. In the haze of the canyon ahead loomed the wall. A smug surge of triumph flooded through Sanzo as he realized they'd reached the other side. Then his eyes widened. He'd thought it was just the mist obscuring it, but no, a huge chunk was missing from the top of the wall. It looked like some giant creature had just taken a bite out of it.

 

A chill shivered through his skin, and not just from the wind.

 

“Think that's good or bad for us?” Gojyo asked, lips close to his ear. Sanzo just shook his head and suddenly wanted a smoke bad. Damn this wind.

 

He scanned the wall, searching through the figures that crawled across it like ants for a sign of Hakkai and Goku.

 

“Oi, Sanzo, there's a cut in the rock here. And another one. Looks kinda like a door.”

 

Sanzo tore his eyes away from the wall. Gojyo has his hands pressed against the rock face, tracing a line with his fingers.

 

“We don't need a door, idiot. We need a ladder or a fucking rope, or… how long is the chain on your—” the wind swallowed the rest of his words as a rectangle of rock in front of Gojyo sunk inwards and three heads popped out of the opening. Sanzo's hand dove instinctively for his gun even as he registered that the three heads, three girlish heads, all streamed with matching blood-red hair.

 

They reached out their hands toward Gojyo, catching him by the jacket. “In here, handsome, we've been waiting.”

 

“Look how tall and strong he is! Master Han brought us a good one this time.”

 

“Are you out there too, Master Han?” One of the girls peeked around the door and blinked as her gaze collided with the barrel of Sanzo's gun.

 

“Who the hell are you?” he barked.

 

She squeaked and ducked back inside. The middle girl turned toward the commotion. “Oh, it's a monk. A blond monk. How rare.” She glanced at the gun in his hand. “That's not very nice, mister. But we can't let you in. Humans aren't allowed.”

 

“I don't want in. I'm getting out of here before that stupid wall falls down entirely.”

 

The girl's brow wrinkled in confusion. She looked past him and suddenly blanched. “Back inside, everyone!”

 

Sanzo glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting some further catastrophe, but the wall with its missing chunk hadn't changed.

 

He turned back just in time to catch sight of Gojyo's arm disappearing into the crevice in the rock. “Hey!” he yelled, too shocked to be more coherent. He stumbled forward, grasping, only to have bare rock slammed shut into his face. He heard a muffled voice call his name once, then he was left with only the howling wind for company. He kicked the rock hard and fury flooded through him when his booted toes protested with pain. “Fuck this shit! Give him back!” He pounded the rock with his fist. “Bitches! Fucking idiot kappa! Get back out here!”

 

The rock remained solid and impassive. Sanzo rested his forehead against it, gathering his breath, then slid down and sat with his back to the cliff face.

 

“Fuck, now I really want a smoke.”

 

 

***

 

 

“Ah, Goku, are you sure that was a good idea?”

 

Goku looked down at the guard crumpled at his feet. “He was being really annoying.”

 

“Ehehe, I'm not saying he didn't deserve it, but he might have been able to lead us to Sanzo.”

 

Goku scrunched up his nose. “We don't need him. I'll find Sanzo.” He took off down the corridor at a run.

 

“Wait, Goku!”

 

He stopped at a fork in the corridor and waited for Hakkai to catch up. A bunch of guards ran past down one of the side halls, but didn't pay any attention to them. Ever since the big earthquake, they'd all been in a panic. Goku was kind of glad, because it had been really boring just sitting around in the little room in the barracks that they'd been given, waiting for Sanzo and Gojyo to come back. He already missed Sanzo's grumpy face and even Gojyo's constant harassment and he sure didn't trust the people here. They gave him weird looks and talked like he couldn't hear them.

 

Hakkai pulled up next to him and gave each side of the fork a considering look. “There must be a back door,” he murmured. Hakuryuu sat on his shoulder with his tail curled around his neck. Hakkai scratched the little dragon under his chin. “Hm, left would give us more options, I think…”

 

But Goku was already running right. He knew he should listen to Hakkai, but sometimes there was a feeling in his gut that just seemed to shout Sanzo is that way. He ran down two more corridors, then skidded to a halt when a beam of light flashed across his vision. On his left, a staircase wound its way up to the higher levels of the wall. The third landing up had a window.

 

Goku made a beeline for it, leaping up the steps two at a time. He reached the window and grinned. It was little more than a slit in the thick stonework, but wide enough for him to fit through if he turned his shoulders. He stuck his head out and saw with delight that they'd reached the back side of the wall.

 

He looked up. “Woah, Hakkai you gotta see this! Part of the wall really did fall down!”

 

He pulled his head back in to give Hakkai a bright smile. “Can we go now? I'm gonna jump.”

 

“Ah, Goku, isn't it kind of high…”

 

But Goku had leapt out into the air. It wasn't that high. He liked the stinging feel of the wind on his skin and his feet only tingled a bit when he landed in a crouch. He turned to look back up at the window. “Come on, Hakkai!”

 

He saw Hakkai's dark-haired head poke out. Goku instantly regretted not thinking of his friend. Maybe the jump was a little high. “Wait, Hakkai, I'll give Nyoibo to you—”

 

Hakkai landed beside him with a punctuated thud, air and dust swirling around his feet. Goku's jaw dropped a little. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Hakkai was a lot stronger than he looked.

 

Hakkai brushed a hand through his hair and adjusted his monocle. “Next time we use a proper door, alright, Goku?”

 

“Uh, okay.”

 

“Hey you two! You don't have permission to cross the wall. Get back here!”

 

Shielding his eyes against the sun, Goku looked up to the top rim of the wall where a bunch of guards had gathered, looking down at them. He stuck his tongue out at them and turned and ran.

 

“Goku! We need to find a way up the mountain.”

 

“No, Sanzo's this way, I know it.” He did know it. He didn't know how, but he did. Things didn't always have a reason. Sometimes they just were.

 

He heard a squeal of tires and suddenly Jeep was rolling alongside him, Hakkai grinning at the wheel. “In that case, Goku, we should travel in style, don't you think?”

 

“Does this mean I get the front seat?”

 

 

***

 

 

This was so not fair. Gojyo had himself a lap full of ladies and all he could think about was the bitchy monk outside. Was he still out there? It's not like he could just waltz down the cliffside and the way back was probably blocked by mounds of rubble.

 

He struggled to sit up on the couch that the red haired women had pressed him down on. Two of the girls threw their weight onto his chest to keep him from getting far.

 

“Look, ladies, I'm flattered and all but if you could just let me up…”

 

“You have to stay here and help us!”

 

“It's been forever since we had someone like you.”

 

“Master Han will be angry if you don't help us.”

 

“Yeah well your Master Han is…” shit, he couldn't just tell him the guy was dead. They'd start bawling their eyes out or something. Crap. He was a sucker for tears and vulnerability, but right now these gals were just clingy, and he hated clingy.

 

They pleaded with their wide crimson eyes. At least five were draped over or touching him and he counted six more in the room they had dragged him into. Just where had Han found them all? Where they his personal harem or something? That was just creepy. He'd never been around so many of his own kind in one place before, and it made him uncomfortable.

 

“Uh, aren't there any other guys with you?”

 

They shook their heads. “Male children of taboo are much rarer, didn't you know that?”

 

“We only see one once every few years.”

 

“And Master Han doesn't let us keep them.”

 

“Oh really? Then just what does Master Han do for you?”

 

“He saved us!”

 

“He's going to make the world safe for people like us.”

 

Gojyo groaned. As much fun as it might be to spend a few days getting to know these chicks, a certain monk had probably reached a dangerous stage of homicidal fever by now. Okay okay, get it together. You just gotta play it cool like always.

 

When he had to deal with a pack of women in a bar, he always picked out one to play off the others. He scanned the eager faces of the girls in front of him, looking for the one with the most presence. He finally spotted her in the back, watching him with folded arms. She wore a simple green outfit made up of a long shirt and pants that looked handmade. Apparently despite Han's gaudy sense of décor he wasn't into lavishing riches on his tarts.

 

“Hey you,” he called to her. “What's your name, beautiful?”

 

She regarded him suspiciously before stepping forward. “Dandan,” she finally volunteered.

 

“Well Dandan, this fine man you've ensnared is Sha Gojyo. And I'm always willing to help a pretty face. But you really gotta let the monk in here. He won't like being left out in the cold. It's not good for his blood pressure.”

 

Dandan's lips pressed into a thin line. “That's not possible. There are things in here not meant for human eyes.”

 

“Sanzo's no ordinary human, let me tell you. He's—”

 

“Enough. Dandan is correct. Your monk will have to wait. Our hospitality is extended to you and you alone.” Another woman entered the room. This one was older, probably in her fifties. Her gray hair had been bound up on top of her head and she dressed with a lot more class.

 

Gojyo chewed his lip. Older chicks he was not so good with. “And you are…”

 

“My name is Shihong. And I know a rogue when I see one. I'm sure my son took quite a shine to you.”

 

Son? Oh shit, Han's mom. Not good. As the woman moved closer, he saw that her eyes were green, not red, and she wore a choker around her throat that looked suspiciously like a youkai limiter. A fullblood then, somehow become the den mother of a house of halflings.

 

“What's going on here?” asked Gojyo. “What do you want from me?”

 

Shihong's lips curled into a smile. “Would you like to see? Girls, let him up. It won't do to smother the poor bastard.”

 

One of the girls wiggled nicely in his lap before she got up. Damn, this was gonna be a whole different kind of torture.

 

He made a show of stretching and slung an arm around Dandan's shoulders. “Man, you gals sure know how to take a guy's breath away.”

 

She frowned at him and ducked out from under his arm. “Don't make presumptions,” he heard her mutter. That was cute. She got all huffy like the monk. Shit, like he needed to be reminded of that now.

 

Shihong led them down a staircase cut into the rock. Artificial lighting gleamed coolly along the ceiling. That had to be expensive. He had to wonder what he was getting into here, but the only other option was to fight his way out and that seemed like a terrible waste of pretty flesh.

 

The bottom of the staircase opened out into a long rectangular room. Strange machinery ringed the perimeter and a shallow pool had been cut into the center, lit from below by that same eerie lighting.

 

“Woah, this is quite the place you've got here. But unless you're training for the Olympics I don't got a clue what this is all about.”

 

Shihong's faint smile turned grim. “Do you know why the combination of science and yujutsu is forbidden?”

 

“Science and yu-what-su?”

 

“Science and yujutsu. It is believed that they are forces that are inherently contrary and therefore to combine them would lead to unforeseeable results.”

 

“So you're playing mad scientist down here? Thanks but no thanks. I'm more of a fists and flesh kinda guy, y'know?”

 

“The particular properties of your flesh is exactly why you and these girls are suited to this task.”

 

“Say what?”

 

Shihong leaned close to him and gripped his chin, catching a strand of his hair in the fingers of her other hand. “Are not children of taboo, the spawn of the union between a youkai and a human, also contrary creatures? Forbidden incantations spoken by children of forbidden blood … you could call that the ultimate setup for `unforeseeable results'…. or perhaps a perfect cancellation.”

 

“Sorry, but that just sounds like a lot of crazy-talk to me.” Gojyo turned to Dandan. “Hey, does she always talk like this? Cause my head hurts already.”

 

“Don't toy with me, boy!” Shihong yelled, eyes flashing.

 

Woah, scary. Gojyo took a step back and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. “Uh, thanks for showing me around your secret lair and all, but you seem to be doing fine without me, so I'll just be on my way…”

 

“What if we could cancel the Minus Wave?”

 

Gojyo blinked. “Huh?”

 

“Halfbloods are cursed with a difficult fate, but it does not have to remain so. The Minus Wave that has caused youkai to rise against humans has placed you in a poignant position. Would it not be a lovely irony to turn your curse into your strength, to use your forbidden blood to cancel the Minus Wave and restore peace? If you could accomplish such a feat, children of taboo would no longer be feared, but rather praised as heroes.”

 

“You uh, seem to know a lot about this stuff. But I'm no hero, lady.”

 

“Not yet,” said Shihong with a smile, “not yet. Come, let me show you the machines and I will explain more.”

 

One of the girls stepped tentatively out from the rest of the pack. “Wait, Mistress Shihong. Outside…”

 

“Yes Xiaotong? What is it?”

 

“The last experiment did cause some damage. A piece of the wall has fallen.”

 

“What? Why did you not tell me this straightaway, girl?” Shihong frowned and began pacing back and forth. “This is not good. They will begin to suspect… I must go inspect the damage myself.”

So these people were responsible for the quake? Gojyo opened his mouth to tell them about the tunnel cave-in, then thought better of it. That could lead to all sorts of awkward questions.

 

“I must go,” Shihong repeated. She gave Gojyo a considering look. “We will speak more when I return. Until then…”

 

“We'll take care of him for you,” chorused the girls.

 

“Yes, good care of him!”

 

Gojyo took a hand out of his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well ain't I Mister Popular.”

 

“No, I don't think so,” said Shihong.

 

“Eh?!” screeched the girls.

 

“This one is far too much of a troublemaker, I can tell. We'll put him in the back room where he can keep his perverted thoughts to himself.”

 

“Hey!” said Gojyo. “They're the ones who were crawling all over me!”

 

***

 

Sanzo sat on the cliffside trying to light a cigarette. Every time he thought he got a good flame going, the wind would conspire to gush in and blow it out. He could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on and if he didn't get some nicotine into his system soon he was gonna start blowing holes into the rock. Taking a deep breath, he shielded his lighter with his hand as best he could and tried again.

 

“SANZO!” The unmistakable voice of the monkey carried up to him on the wind. So the blasted air was good for something after all. Shoving the smoke with its tentative spark between his lips, he stood and searched the canyon below for the source of the voice.

 

A patch of mist cleared and he made out the blocky form of Jeep. Goku stood inside waving his arms like he was trying to land a plane. Sanzo caught the smile that threatened to work its way into his mouth and grunted instead.

 

“Up here, idiots,” he called. He refused to wave around his limbs like some loser tourist.

But they must have heard or saw him anyway, cause Goku started pointing and Hakkai stopped Jeep and got out.

 

“Sanzo!” he called. “Can you get down from there?”

 

Sanzo considered the sheer slope below him, then glanced back at the door in the rock that the kappa had disappeared through. “What, do you think I can ski or something? Find a way up here.”

 

Hakkai put a hand to his ear. “I can't hear you too well, Sanzo,” he shouted. “We'll try to find a way up.”

 

Sanzo nodded and stepped back from the perilous edge of the cliff. He folded his arms into his robe. Nothing to do now but wait some more. He sucked on his smoke and sneered. It had gone out again.

 

***

 

“Come on,” said Gojyo. “We can't play unless you let me out.”

 

“We can't,” said the muffled voice of the girl on the other side of the door. “Mistress Shihong took the key. Only Mistress Shihong and Master Han have keys.”

 

Gojyo groaned and leaned his head against the door. Apparently there was more than one tunnel leading to this place, because Shihong hadn't left the way he'd come in. Whether that tunnel was still intact remained to be seen. He kind of hoped it wasn't. The woman unnerved him, but he really didn't want her finding out what they'd done to Han just yet. He had a feeling that wouldn't go over too well.

 

He resigned himself to being stuck in the room for now and wandered over to the couch that was the only piece of comfy-looking furniture and plopped himself down. Unlike that eerie room with the pool, this place seemed pretty normal. It looked like it was mainly used as some sort of office. Scrolls and papers littered a desk in one corner and more of them were spread out over the table in front of the couch.

 

Gojyo picked up one of the papers and squinted at it. It was covered with all sorts symbols he didn't understand along with notes in a thin, spidery hand. He could make out a few words, but it all sounded like gibberish. He tossed the paper back down and leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. He wasn't sure if he should believe all that stuff Shihong had spouted about cancelling the Minus Wave or what. She sounded, if not sincere, at least passionate. He could respect that, but still, something didn't feel quite right. He really wished Sanzo was here. He was sure the monk would have read through to the heart of all that doubletalk.

 

Thinking of the monk made him remember the tape that he'd tucked away in the inside left pocket of his jacket. He wasn't really sure why he hadn't destroyed it along with the rest of the TV equipment. It just seemed kinda special, not to mention fucking hot.

 

Oh great. Here I am stuck in a place with a bunch of good-looking chicks not counting the one granny and the thing that's turning me on is a fucking tape of another guy going down on me. I'm officially fucked.

 

He pulled out the tape and stared at it. It really didn't seem real. Sanzo just… didn't do things like that. But that made him remember their lencounter in the tunnel and all that fumbling in the dark listening to Sanzo make those little noises of passion. Gojyo felt his cheeks getting hot and shook his head. If Banri ever caught wind of what he'd done he'd be gloating like a damn pimp. He remembered that one drunken night years back, long before he'd met Hakkai or the others, when he and his old buddy had almost crossed a line and an offer had been made. He'd been too chicken-shit to accept then and he'd have bet good money that he'd never change his mind. Fuck, he liked tits, that's just the kind of guy he was.

 

He didn't feel like a different person now, but that didn't change the fact that he was sitting here, getting half-hard just thinking about fooling around with the very male, foul-mouthed, biggest pain-in-the ass ever to walk into his life monk. What there some sort of disease that made you dream weird shit and suddenly turn into a cock-junkie? Fuck.

He held the tape up to the light. Could it have really happened? Wouldn't he have woken up. Could he be sure it was Sanzo and not Han in a blond wig or something?

 

The last thought gave him chills and made him spring to his feet. He really just needed to watch it again and be sure. He glanced wildly around the room and fixated on some tall cupboards opposite the couch. Maybe… he swung them open. Jackpot! Sitting right smack on the middle shelf was a TV and VCR combo. Man, they sure had all the toys here. Han or his Mommie must be really rich to be financing this shit.

 

Gojyo placed the tape against the mouth of the VCR. Did he dare?

 

Fuck, yes.

 

***

 

Sanzo touched something small and hard in the inner pockets of his robe. Frowning, he pulled it out and found himself staring at the little iron key he'd taken off Han's corpse. He stood and had a look down into the canyon but it seemed that Hakkai and Goku were still tootling around somewhere where he couldn't see. He rolled the key in his palm and turned to study the door in the rock. It couldn't be that easy… could it?

 

He ran his other hand along the rock's smooth face, feeling for imperfections. Sure enough, about halfway down his fingers brushed a small indentation. He bent down and blew on it to dislodge a bit of dust that clung there. It sure looked like a keyhole. Really, he could kick himself for not noticing it earlier. Maybe he could avoid those awkward questions about the kappa when Hakkai and Goku showed up after all.

 

He shoved the key into the hole and turned it. He heard a satisfying click, and like before, the rock sank inwards to reveal a passageway.

 

Wasting no time, he moved swiftly though and entered the adjoining room. He was greeted by several sets of wide, crimson eyes.

 

He raised his gun. “Where is he?”

 

 

***

 

 

Oh yeah, that was Sanzo alright. Gojyo sunk back onto the couch and found his hand slipping into his pants of its own accord. What would the monk have done if he'd woken up? Better yet, what would he have to do to get that mouth around his dick while he was conscious?

 

He hissed through his teeth as he touched himself. Since he'd been too busy doing the monk to get himself off in the tunnel, this was way overdue. He'd stopped feeling guilty. If Sanzo could molest him in his sleep, then at the very least he should be able to watch the replay. Oh fuck, Sanzo, you are one naughty, twisted sonofabitch.

 

He didn't register the rising noises outside of the door until it was too late. The lock clicked and the door swung open, only to be pushed shut again quickly as the intruder slammed it in the faces of a group of distraught women.

Gojyo tore his eyes away from the eye-candy on the screen and froze like a deer in headlights, his hand still shoved into his jeans.

 

Sanzo stared back at him, apparently too shocked for once to summon a proper insult, face reddening as his eyes were drawn like magnets to Gojyo's errant hand, then slowly, inevitably, to the other side of the room where the tape played on.

 

Oh shit, thought Gojyo, as he noticed the gun in the monk's hand. Please, god, let him aim for my head.

 

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