Title: The Noble Eightfold Path
Author: Luce Red
Series: Saiyuki
Disclaimer: Characters are the creation of Minekura Kazuya and are used here for fun only
Pairing/Notes: Sanzo/Goku. Swearing, especially from Gojyo. Non-explicit violence.
Summary: Sanzo acts according to his nature. So does Goku.

------------------------

Notes:

"researchotaku"'s view is that Sanzo isn't as trigger-happy as most fans assume. He has steps that he goes through:

1. Ignore the problem.
2. Yell at the problem.
3. Hit the problem with the fan.
4. Point the gun at the problem.
5. Shoot the problem but aim wide.
6. Shoot the problem but aim for non-vital body parts
7. Shoot the problem and aim for vital organs
8. Makai Tenjyo the problem's ass.

---

Also 31_days themes:

September 11: A guise of gentle words
September 12: Dear Confucius
September 13: Go west
September 14: On friendship
September 15: Your eyes closed
September 16: Older ghosts
September 17: Scenes from the life of a double monster
September 18: Arrangement in black and gold

-----part 1: A guise of gentle words // Iggnore the problem------------

"It's true," Gojyo said, glancing at the other end of the room, where the other two occupants were sitting. "I'll bet you anything that there's something going on between the slant-eyed monk and the monkey."

Hakkai looked up from where he was packing their things, and glanced at the said monk and monkey, and smiled blandly. "I only see Sanzo ignoring Goku," he said.

Indeed, the monk was determinedly reading the newspaper, and not paying any attention to Goku, who was cracking open salted sunflower seeds and gobbling their contents with gastronomic intensity.

"Huh. If he's so determined to ignore the monkey, why doesn't he read in his own room?" Gojyo asked, not quite sotto voce, only to be shushed by Hakkai. "He's the one who insisted on getting a room for himself when we checked in," he continued in a marginally softer voice. "Leaving us to share a room with that monkey, who snores loudly enough to wake the dead. Look at him, he's still sitting there!"

True enough, Hakkai reflected. Even from where the two of them were sitting--out of direct line of sight of Sanzo, who had been brooding through dinner--the monk seemed curiously reluctant to leave. He watched the two of them, simultaneously separated and connected by the plain wooden table they shared. "Maybe he's worried," he said. "You know what happened."

Gojyo snorted. "You think so?"

At the sound, Sanzo glanced in their direction briefly. After a moment, he turned back to his paper. Goku, both Hakkai and Gojyo noticed, did not even look up.

The youkai attack that afternoon would have been perfectly unremarkable--Gojyo, Hakkai and Goku had been more than sufficient to take care of the murderous little fiends--if a desperate and rather stupid youkai hadn't taken Sanzo as a hostage at the last minute. Goku had literally torn through other two youkai in his haste to get to Sanzo, only to find that Sanzo had vanished. His scream of "Sanzo" had rang through the woods for miles around.

In fact, Sanzo had already dealt with his attacker, and had been merely lying low to get the rest of the hiding youkai. Both Hakkai and Gojyo had been expecting Sanzo to yell at Goku when all the youkai were vanquished. Neither of them expected Goku to lurch back, wide-eyed, and fall flat on his ass at Sanzo's bland-sounding question, "Are you all right?"

Even Sanzo was nonplussed at the reaction, Gojyo could tell. The monk was seldom gentle, but he was not heartless, however much he liked to pretend it.  It was Goku's reaction that was uncharacteristic.  However, Sanzo didn't say anything else, only muttering that he wanted to get to the nearest village before dark. Goku was subdued as he got into the jeep beside Gojyo, and only regained his old temperament and complaints of hunger when they entered the inn.

"It's possible," Hakkai said. "Maybe he's just trying to think of the best way to talk to Goku about that."

"I'd be a fool to believe that," Gojyo said. "No, I've noticed this. That monk always acts like this. If there's a problem or something, he starts off by ignoring it. Always. You'd think it was written in the sutras or something."

Hakkai simply smiled. "Ah. And you think that Goku is a problem?" he asked.

"Well," Gojyo scratched his face idly. "The monkey eats too much and is an annoying little shit, but I don't have any problems with him. He's a good fighter," he reflected, "even without the part where he goes literally apeshit. But towards Sanzo…"

Anything else he would have said was cut off when Sanzo lowered his newspaper and glared at the two of them over the top of his spectacles. "If the two of you are finished gossiping about other people," he said, "go and get me something to drink."

Gojyo exclaimed, "We're not your servants", just as Goku sprang out of his seat with an eager, "I'll go!"

Several sunflower seeds scattered to the floor as he bumped against the table in his haste, and Gojyo watched as the monkey licked his salty fingers before wiping them on his shirt. He turned his head a fraction and caught Sanzo's eyes, which were focused on Goku as he left the room.

When Goku returned with a can of beer, Sanzo took it from him without a word and went to his room alone.

-----part 2: Dear Confucius // Yell at thee problem----

The next day didn't begin for Gojyo until about noon, which was when he woke up. For once, no one had woken him up. He got, grimacing at the bright daylight coming in through the windows, and stumbled out to the back of the inn, looking for Hakkai.

"…the famous sage said, 'Only the most intelligent and the most stupid do not change'… Gojyo!" Hakkai's words broke off as he saw him.

"What are you doing, telling the monkey philosophy?" he asked, approaching them and crouching down beside where Goku was sitting. "Where's Sanzo, anyway?"

"A couple of monks came to invite him to the local temple," Hakkai said. "He said that we'll leave tomorrow, instead. Just as well; I have to replenish our supplies."

"Oh," Gojyo scratched his stomach with a lazy hand. "I'm starving."

"Now you sound like Goku," Hakkai said, smiling.

"I sound like the monkey?" Gojyo said indignantly, before he turned his eyes towards Goku. "Oi, you haven't said a word since I got here," he said. "What's going on?" He gave Goku a nudge.

Goku looked up from his scrutiny of the mud-packed ground at that. "Maybe not all of us talk non-stop like you, you dumb water sprite!!" he retorted, jumping up and making for the inn before Gojyo would catch him.

Gojyo watched as Goku scrambled back to the inn. "What's wrong with the monkey?" he asked.

Hakkai shook his head. "He wouldn't say," he said. "And he looked a bit down, after Sanzo left, so…"

"You tried to teach philosophy to the walking stomach?" Gojyo said, chuckling. "It's a lost cause, Hakkai."

He spent the rest of the day helping Hakkai to buy supplies from the shops nearby, and returned in the evening to find the monkey on tenterhooks because Sanzo hadn't come back.

"Hey, no big deal," Gojyo said without thinking.  "With luck, the monks will want to keep a Sanzo around, and we'll be free of that violent monk."

Goku looked up at that. "No!" he said.  "Sanzo is going to travel with me!"

It was interesting that the monkey had said 'me' rather than 'us', Gojyo thought, but he had no chance to tease Goku, for the monkey had leaped to his feet and rushed out of the room.  They could hear the clatter of his steps down the hallway and out of the inn.

"Where does he think he's going?" he asked Hakkai.  "Should we go after him?"

Hakkai looked disapproving.  "He's gone to find Sanzo, of course.  You shouldn't have made comments like that.  You know how he is about Sanzo."

Abashed, Gojyo volunteered to help Hakkai pack the supplies.  "And he ran off without eating dinner, too," he remarked.

***

They knew when Sanzo and Goku entered the inn, even though there was no outward sign.  At their entrance, the other customers, who had been busy gossiping and chatting, suddenly found their food to be absolutely engrossing.  Gojyo didn't blame them.  If one ever needed to be convinced of the oxymoronic concept of a murderous monk, he only needed to look at Sanzo's expression.

Wordlessly, Hakkai and Gojyo led the way to their room.  The monk was restraining himself, Gojyo could tell; there was vein throbbing at his left temple.  "What is wrong with you?" Sanzo finally roared.  "You almost destroyed the temple when you tried to drag me out!"

"I..."

The force of Sanzo's yelling, though, seemed to restore the Goku's usual self, Gojyo thought.  He didn't look panicked at the idea of Sanzo leaving anymore.

"I was discussing something with the monks!" Sanzo continued to yell.  "Can't you use your common sense for once?  The Three Aspects ordered me to go west, and I'm not about to stay in this remote outpost anyway!"

"But I..."

"You never change!  Stupid monkey!"  With a final shout, Sanzo crossed his arms and gave Goku a look of severe displeasure.

Goku, who was looking very sheepish by now, shuffled his feet and lowered his head.  "I'm sorry, Sanzo," he said softly.  "I don't know what came over me."

Sanzo frowned at that.  Reaching out firmly, he grabbed hold of Goku's chin and looked intently into his eyes.  At his sudden action, Goku's eyes widened until they threatened to overtake his face.  If Gojyo didn't know better, he would have said that Goku was holding his breath.  A glance at Hakkai showed that the other person was also watching the proceedings intently.

"Looks all right..." Sanzo murmured after a short scrutiny, releasing him.

Reassured, perhaps by the fact that Sanzo had not produced the fan, Goku regained his usual spirits.  "Sanzo, I'm hungry..." he said to the monk.

Sanzo narrowed his eyes at him.  "Sounds all right..." he murmured.

"Sanzo..." Goku whined again.

"Shut up!" Sanzo yelled.  In the silence, he glared at all three of them.  After a few seconds when it seemed like he was about to reach for his gun, or fan, he muttered, "I need a drink," to no one in particular, and stalked towards the door.  Before he reached it, he took hold of Goku's shirt and shoved him towards Hakkai and Gojyo.

"And feed that monkey!" he shouted, slamming the door behind him.

It was left to Gojyo to exclaim, "We are not your servants!" to the closed door.

---------part 3: Go West // Hit the problem with the fan---------

"Where's Goku?" Sanzo asked the first thing, the next morning.

"Sanzo, you better come and take a look," Hakkai said to him.

It had been a long night. After Sanzo went back to his room, Hakkai had indulgently let Goku eat a huge meal, before sending him to the bathroom to clean up the dust from his run to 'get' Sanzo.  By the time Goku came back, his hair still wet from his shower, Gojyo was already on the verge of dozing off. 

Throughout the night, though, the monkey kept muttering in his sleep.  Gojyo was pissed off at him.  He had finally got used to the snores, but talking in his sleep was too much.  He had planned to yell at the monkey, but to his and Hakkai's astonishment, Goku remained fast asleep.  He shouted at the monkey, and Hakkai shook him, but Goku continued to lie there, oblivious to their attempts to wake him.

Sanzo frowned at Hakkai's words.  "What's the matter?" he asked.

"He's asleep," Hakkai said.  "But he won't wake up, and only mumbles in his sleep."

"Yeah, not even when I said that I was going to eat his share of the breakfast," Gojyo said.  It was probably nothing--the monkey must have been tired out from running all the way to the temple yesterday--but he waited to see what Sanzo would do, just the same.

Sanzo's eyes narrowed, and he came to a decision almost immediately.

They followed Sanzo's suddenly determined stride towards their room, exchanging nervous looks.

Goku was still asleep on the bed where they last saw him, but now his feet was tangled in the sheets as he tossed about restlessly. His arms were stretched out on either side--his usual sleeping posture.

"Goku!" Hakkai called again, and shook him on the shoulder.

No answer, only a slight mutter that issued from his lips.

"Goku!" Sanzo said. 

Still, Goku remained asleep.  However, the name 'Sanzo' was now audible from his mutters, and even as they watched, Goku's arms and hands shifted towards himself, so that he appeared to be hugging himself.

"What... is he feeling cold?" Gojyo wondered aloud

He had to stifle a snicker when one of Goku's hand reached inside his shirt, and the other reached south towards his crotch, while a moan left his lips.

"Get up, you stupid monkey!" Sanzo shouted.  With a motion neither Gojyo or Hakkai saw, he whipped out the fan and slapped Goku on the chest with it. 

Goku's eyes flew open. 

Gojyo thought he had never seen the monkey turn that shade of red before. "Good dreams, Goku?" he snickered.

Goku sat up in bed, his eyes never leaving Sanzo's.  "I thought we were back at the temple," he said. "You said you were going to stay there."

Sanzo gave him another whap on the head for good measure, then several more, whether out of frustration or embarrassment, Gojyo couldn't tell.

"Ow, Sanzo!" Goku tried to shield his head.

Sanzo stopped after a few seconds, glaring down at him.  "Get ready," he ordered, looking at Hakkai and Gojyo to show that it was aimed at them too.  "We continue to go west today."

He left the room.

Gojyo snorted.  "I know I've said this before, but..." he took a deep breath.  "We're not your servants!" he shouted.

------part 4: On friendship // Point the gun at the problem------

Four of them climbed on Jeep to continue the journey.  One was sheepish and hated to meet anyone's eyes.  One clutched a paper fan like a shield.  One was smirking and the last was smiling.

Despite the normality of their outward demeanor, Hakkai and Sanzo were worried, Gojyo could tell.  He could sympathize, studying the increased in frequency at Sanzo's twitches of annoyance and Hakkai's peeks at the side and back-view mirrors, though his primary reaction was still of amusement.

The monkey was infatuated with Sanzo.  Personally, Gojyo couldn't see why; he would rather snuggle up with a rabid dog than get into bed with that.  Sanzo had a filthy temper and even worse anger management skills.  Gojyo could appreciate the fun in taking out one's temper out in violent pursuits, but cycling through the steps of ignoring, yelling, and fan-using pointed at a level of repression that just wasn't healthy.  All those Sanzos must be really fucked up, he thought.

Sanzo must be aware of the Goku's problem, after the little exhibitionist act the monkey had inadvertently put on, Gojyo thought with an inward snigger.  Sanzo was pissed off, judging by his twitches, and the way he was still holding his fan.  There was probably a rule against... carnal relationships, or something, for a monk, though Sanzo hadn't struck him as the sort of person to be restricted by that.  

Hakkai, of course, was worried.  This development must have been as much a shock for him as for Sanzo. Gojyo hadn't realized it, but the monkey was really growing up, becoming less boyish from the time they first met him. 

Then he realized that the monk had stopped twitching, and Hakkai had stopped peeking.  Ah.

The clearing in the forest was not much further ahead.  Jeep stopped just in time for Gojyo to take down two.

A burst of bright light indicated Hakkai at work, and he got rid of another six.

"Show off," Gojyo muttered, leaping to the side as a group of five rushed him, before turning around to take them down from behind.  Gojyo was not a believer in honorable combat.  "Damn it," he yelled as more tried to overpower him.  "Did you losers coordinate this or something?" he asked one before aiming a punch at him.  "I thought I dealt with you two days ago," he said to another.

The rhythm of the fight sang in his blood, and Gojyo could feel a nasty grin fill his face as he worked through the attacking youkai, his senses telling him of Hakkai doing the same.  If there was one thing that bound them together, it was this companionship, the sweet knowledge that your allies--no, your friends--were fighting as well.  Even Sanzo, not to mention the monkey...

Gojyo blinked, his arm stretching out to send another one flying into the trees by pure reaction, too taken aback to give voice to his shock. My friends...

Goku was not fighting.

Neither was Sanzo.

Not for lack of trying, though, Gojyo realized a second later.  The monkey was standing between Sanzo and Jeep, sheltering him from the attackers.  Once in a while he swung his staff to wave off a foolish youkai or two, but he made no motion towards defeating either.

If he concentrated, Gojyo could hear Sanzo shouting at Goku to give way.  But the monkey ignored him, and refused to let him through. 

Even in the midst of fighting, Gojyo found Hakkai, and exchanged frowns.  In the last year, Goku had grown in height as well, and he was no longer a runt whose presence could be ignored.  They all knew how strong the monkey was.  If he wanted to stop Sanzo from fighting, then there was probably nothing Sanzo could do...

Well, except that, Gojyo's mind amended.

The paper fan had disappeared from Sanzo's hand, and in its place was the gun.  Aimed directly at Goku.

----------part 5: Your eyes closed // Shoot the problem but aim wide--------

"Goku!" Hakkai shouted, alarmed.

Sanzo was still pointing the gun at Goku.

"Damn it, Sanzo!" Gojyo said under his breath as he fought through the youkai standing between him and the jeep.  There seemed to be an unending stream of them--where did all these youkai come from?--more than he would have normally expected for the drab countryside they were traveling though.

Hakkai was already there by the time he managed to reach them.  "Sanzo, put the gun down!" he urged.

Gojyo glanced at him, then at the monk and the monkey.  Though Sanzo had pointed the gun at them at any number of times, Gojyo could at least count on the fact that the monk did not actually want to kill them.  It was different now, judging by the way Sanzo was glaring at Goku, his eyes so narrowed that they resembled nothing more than slits, from where a cold violet light was radiating.  It looked like Sanzo would actually fire on Goku this time.

"Sanzo, you can't shoot Goku," Hakkai said.  "Gojyo, say something!"

What was he supposed to say?  Love, or lust, as the case might be, made people act irrationally. Then again, he was really surprised at Goku.  No matter how much he wanted in Sanzo's pants (and wasn't that a nauseating thought), Goku should have never backed down from an attack.  As for protecting Sanzo... the monk would sooner spit on you than thank you.

"Goku, step aside and let the monk bash a few youkai, okay?" Gojyo said, reaching out to try and touch Goku, before he thought the better of it. Hakkai frowned at his actions.

Goku had that hard, focused look that was disturbingly unlike his usual expression.  If Gojyo didn't know better, he would have said that the monkey was going berserker on them.  It was rare to see Goku with such a fierce expression, not even in the middle of a fight.  But the limiter was still on there.  Gojyo checked to be sure, and belatedly realizing that the clearing was suddenly deserted except for them and the wounded youkai.  "Hey, where did the rest of the youkai go?" he asked.

Sanzo ignored him, his attention focused on Goku.  The grip on his gun never wavered.  "Tell me, you idiot monkey," he said coldly, "what did you think you were doing?"

It was Goku's expression that was worth studying, Gojyo thought.  It looked as though the monkey was divided towards apology and aggression.

"I can't let you get hurt, Sanzo," Goku finally said, his voice choked as though he had difficulty speaking.

Sanzo growled in his throat.  "You stupid excuse for a monkey, did you think I want your protection?"  His voice dripped with sarcasm. 

"I...." Goku swallowed, staring down the barrel of the gun, his eyes as big as saucers.  "Sanzo, I like..."

BANG.

Hakkai made a shocked sound in his throat.  They watched as Goku's eyes closed, and he dropped down to the ground in a dead faint.

-------part 6: Older ghosts // Shoot the problem but aim for non-vital body parts--------

"Goku!" Hakkai exclaimed, crouching down beside the body on the ground immediately.

Gojyo turned to stare directly at Sanzo, who had lowered the gun in a daze. 

"I aimed wide," Sanzo said hoarsely.  "I did," he repeated.

He looked just a little shocked, Gojyo thought.

"You did.  He's only fainted," Hakkai said, a little sharper than Gojyo usually heard him, as he examined Goku.  "This isn't like him," he said, brushing Goku's hair out of his eyes.

Gojyo crouched down too.  "What isn't like him?" he asked, glancing at Sanzo, who was staring at Goku as though he had never seen the monkey in his life.  "Clinging like a little girl, or developing the hots for Sanzo?"

Hakkai made a shushing noise at him, then made an exclamation.

"What is it?" Gojyo asked, trying to see what surprised Hakkai.  Sanzo, he noticed, took a half-step forward, before retreating, his eyes still on them.  "An insect bite?"

There was a small red mark, shaped like a grain of rice, on Goku's temple, just below his limiter.

"It doesn't look like an insect bite," Hakkai said.  "It looks too old."  He touched a finger gently to it, and snatched his hand back almost immediately.

"What is it?" Gojyo asked, reaching out as well.

"Don't..."

The moment his finger touched the red spot, he felt a sharp pin-prick.  "What the hell?" he exclaimed, staring at his finger, where a drop of blood was pearling.

Even as he looked back, he could see the red mark elongate, until it drew a red line down Goku's cheek. 

"Goku!" Hakkai exclaimed.  He touched Goku's cheek again, and his fingers came away wet.  He and Gojyo stared in astonishment at the blood, and looked down at Goku again just in time to see the faintest gleam of something silvery in the bloodied cheek.

"What is..." Gojyo began, when Goku groaned, and more blood filled the cut, which began to flow down the monkey's face.

Sanzo was suddenly there.  "Goku, stay still," he said, with a hand on the monkey's forehead, and he reached out, touching the now open cut with his fingers, even probing it a little.

It must have been painful, but Goku did not even make a sound.  Or move.  Gojyo barely had time to wince before Sanzo's hand lifted up, dripping with blood, and threw something to the ground with a growl.

Hakkai immediately began to staunch the cut with a cloth from his bag.

Gojyo stared at the thing.  "It looks like a needle... no, like a very thin and narrow blade.  What is it, really?  How did Goku get that inside him?"

"It's one of the weapons the youkai were using in that attack two days ago," Hakkai said.  "One of them, the leader, was throwing them around at great speed.  Perhaps one of them cut into Goku, but he didn't realize it."

"Didn't realize it?"  Gojyo could remember the blades upon prompting--the youkai who took Sanzo hostage had used them as well--but if the blade was capable of cutting Goku's cheek open like that, it wasn't something that could be ignored.

"Probably because they are so sharp," Sanzo said.  "It must have embedded itself before Goku realized it, and for the last two days, his body has been trying to work it out."  He looked at Goku again.  "Goku," he said, getting to his feet and retreated a half step, standing beside the jeep.

Goku's eyes opened slowly.  "Sanzo?" he said blearily.  "Ow!" he exclaimed, as his cheek muscles stung with pain.  He touched a hand to his cheek, and blinked at the blood on his hand.  "What happened to me?"

"You had a blade this big inside your cheek, monkey," Gojyo decided to enlighten him, measuring it with his thumb and finger.  "Why do all the weird things happen to you?"

"Me? You are the one... ow!" Goku said.

"Sorry, Goku. You better not talk for a while until I heal this," Hakkai said.

While Hakkai did his work, Gojyo studied the blade in its bloody puddle again.  There was something rather horrifying about a blade that was sharp and small enough to sink inside another person's body.  "Maybe that explains why the monkey has been so fearless lately," he said.

"What?" Hakkai said, finishing the healing to Goku's soft 'thank you'.  Goku, however, narrowed his eyes in suspicion. 

"He's already got this pointing at his brain..." Gojyo murmured, "what's a little love confession?"

Goku turned red, and he glared.  "Shut up."  He glanced a little fearfully in Sanzo's direction, but the monk was staring at his blood-stained fingers.

Gojyo was all ready to tease the monkey further, when his ears pricked up at the sound of running feet. "Someone's coming," he said.  "More stupid youkai?" he asked, feeling a grin spread over his face.  "Maybe they lost their way while running away."

Hakkai frowned.

Goku, however, looked eager for a fight.

Right, back to normal.

A group of about thirty youkai rushed into the clearing.  On seeing all four of them, however, they all stopped short, and gave one another uneasy looks.

"I thought you said he'll kill them all!" one of the more rag-tag looking youkai said.

"That's what One Ear said!" the one standing in front said.

"Who is One Ear?" Gojyo asked, interested.

"He's the leader of another group not far from here.  He fought them two days ago.  He said the one of them was a powerful youkai and he was going to kill the rest..." the youkai seemed oblivious to the fact that he was talking to the people who were supposed to have died.

"How?" Goku asked.

"One Ear said his blade would break the limiter on that youkai, since he aimed it at the head..."

"No way!" Goku sounded enraged.  "You think I was going to hurt Sanzo and Hakkai?"

"Hey, what about me?" Gojyo asked, feeling just a tiny bit left out.

"So that's why you left suddenly when you saw Goku struggling with Sanzo," Gojyo said.  "You thought he was going to kill the monk."

"And after that you," the rag-tag youkai said. 

"Well, your plan didn't work," Hakkai said.  He was smiling in a way that indicated that he was about to blast some youkai.

"But we heard a gunshot..." the youkai said.  He looked progressively nervous as he spoke.  "Boss, I think we should leave now."

"Fat chance!" Gojyo said, rushing them.

"Yeah!" Goku yelled, wading in and starting to swing his staff.

A bright blast of light showed that Hakkai, too, was on the attack.  In no time, they were fighting youkai again.

"Damn you!" the youkai leader said, as Goku charge towards him.  His hand went to a side pocket and emerged with one of those thin, needle-like blades.  He threw it--Gojyo saw it as though in slow motion--and it hit Goku, right in the middle of his forehead.  Right at the limiter, which cracked. 

Oh damn, Gojyo thought.  Finding Hakkai, he moved closer to the other man, retreating as a transformed Goku tore the youkai leader in pieces, and dealt the same fate to the remaining youkai.

What was most horrible when the monkey went berserker, Gojyo thought, was the look of murderous delight on his face when he killed.

"Sanzo... we need Sanzo to stop this," Hakkai said.

"Right.  But where's..."  Gojyo caught sight of the monk.

Sanzo was standing right in front of the monkey, waiting for Goku to come to him.  His eyes were narrowed as he dodged an swipe from those claws from a snarling Goku.  "Stupid monkey," he said.  "When will you learn?"

Goku came forward again, his face filled with an animal anger.

"Look out, Sanzo!" Hakkai shouted suddenly.

He was not warning the monk about Goku, but about the rag-tag youkai--now missing an arm--who had crept up behind Sanzo with a dagger.

The warning was just in time.  Sanzo rolled to one side, avoiding the dagger.  Goku finished what was left of the youkai, and turned to Sanzo, his expression predatory.

"This can't be good," Gojyo said.  He was reminded of the last time the monkey became like this.  He had nearly gutted him, Hakkai, and would have killed Sanzo too.  It was not a memory he relished.

Just then, Sanzo fired his gun.

A spot of bright red appeared on the monkey's right leg, but it didn't seem to stop Goku, who continued to approach.

"Damn, and double damn," Gojyo muttered.

-------Part 7: Scenes from the life of a double monster // Shoot the problem and aim for vital organs--------

"Sanzo!" Hakkai yelled, and lunged towards them.  Tried to, anyway; Gojyo managed to pull him back by holding on to his arm.

"Are you crazy?" he shouted in Hakkai's ear.

Hakkai's face as anxious as Gojyo had ever seen him.  "You know that Goku isn't himself," he said.  "I have to help..."

Giving him a shake, Gojyo tightened his grip.  "Look carefully," he growled.  "I know you like the monkey, but this time the problem isn't with him."

"What are you talking about?  Of course it's..." he turned again to Sanzo and Goku, and his mouth fell open.

Gojyo knew that he had seen it too.  The problem was not that the monkey was now missing his limiter and the rest of his wits, but that Sanzo seemed to have no compunction against shooting Goku again.

"It can't be..." Hakkai began, even as Sanzo fired again.  This time the bullet hit Goku right in the torso, and his chest instantly grew red.  "Goku!" he shouted, trying to go towards them.

"Wait," Gojyo said, and they watched as the monkey continued to remain upright.  Goku didn't seem to be aware that he had been shot in a vital place.  Instead, he growled like a wild animal and launched himself at Sanzo.  The monk's face, too, was transformed by rage--Gojyo could hardly recognize him--as he grappled with Goku.  The two of them began to pummel each other, and Gojyo found himself gritting his teeth.  They could only watch, and look for an opening to stop either.

Hakkai shook his head, helpless.  "How... this is insane!"

Though the monk had fired on them more than once, he had always aimed wide.  His first shot at Goku was not so surprising, at first glance, but the monkey's devotion to Sanzo was well known--even that stupid confession didn't warrant anything more than a slap with the fan, at most.

"Something's up with Sanzo," Gojyo said.  "I thought it was because the monkey had been making cow's eyes at him, but now that I think about it..."

Hakkai nodded.  "It was actually Goku who guessed that something was up," he said, his voice shaky.  "That day, after we finished that fight, he kept watching Sanzo."

"Even got him a beer, when the monk asked," Gojyo said.  "Then the next day, when he saw that Sanzo was leaving with the other monks..."

"He must have been worried..."

"When I mentioned that Sanzo was going to leave him behind, he got even more uneasy," Gojyo said.  "Damn, why didn't I see it?  Goku always knew better than to disturb Sanzo, in the past!  And he's never tried to stop Sanzo from fighting before..."

Hakkai's eyes had turned analytical.  "It must have been in that fight.  You heard the youkai leader just now.  They've been planning this.  They meant for either Goku or Sanzo to kill us both!"

"Shit, how did they think of such a despicable plan?  Sanzo might be a Sanzo, but he's still a human, he can't hold up to Goku when the monkey's like this.  If he were in his right mind, he would have taken care of the monkey right away, instead of trying to shoot him!"

"We have to do something," Hakkai said.

Gojyo looked at his determined face.  "Right," he said.  "Here goes nothing.  I'll go after the monkey.  Hopefully the bullets have slowed him down.  You try to get the gun from Sanzo, then see what's wrong with him."

Hakkai nodded.  "Be careful," he said.

They approached the two, keeping all these senses alert.  Inwardly, Gojyo had to admire the way both Sanzo and Goku were still struggling against each other.  One a human and one a badly-wounded youkai, and neither of them let up even an inch--they were still tearing and aiming punches like demons.  "They deserve each other," Gojyo said, before he and Hakkai rushed in to try and separate them.

His hands were red and slippery with blood by the time he managed to drag Goku from the fight.  The stupid monkey, of course, was still struggling rabidly, which only made his wounds bleed even more fiercely.  "It's a miracle you haven't bled out," Gojyo muttered, as he tied the monkey to the nearest tree, to stop him from fighting.  Normally, Gojyo knew, there was no way that ordinary restraints were going to stop Goku, but the monkey's movements were sluggish, and he seemed to be gasping for breath. Bullet must have hit a lung, he thought, looking to see how Hakkai was doing.

He was relieved to see the gun lying in the reddened dust, while Hakkai struggled to overpower Sanzo with his hands and weight.

No strength like the insane, Gojyo thought, rushing over to help.

"Sanzo, fight it!" Hakkai shouted, as he and Gojyo tried to hold him down.  "Whatever the youkai did to you, you know it's not you!"

"Do you know what it is?" Gojyo asked.  "A post-hypnotic suggestion?"

"I'm not sure... maybe a possession of some sort... how is Goku?... Sanzo, listen to me!"

"I tied him up with the ropes we had, but I don't know how long they will hold him.  And his chest wound is worrying--it's a miracle he hasn't died yet, but he needs to lie still for you to treat him. We need Sanzo in his right mind, damn it!" Gojyo swore at Sanzo tried to bite him. "Goodness knows what Goku sees in you!" he said.  "It would serve you right if he died!"

For a moment, Gojyo could have sworn he saw recognition at the sound of the name 'Goku'.

"Sanzo!" Hakkai, always more observant, had seen it too.  "You've got to fight it.  Goku needs your help!"

"Yeah!" Gojyo exchanged a look with Hakkai.  Could it be this easy?  He gave a growl of pain and swore again as sharp teeth sank into his wrist. 

Who says this is easy? He managed to extricate his hand, thinking fast.  "Damn," he waved his bloodied sleeve in front of Sanzo's eyes.  "Look, you stupid monk.  This is that monkey's blood.  He's bleeding out, and he's going to die if you don't pull yourself together."

"Sanzo!" Hakkai said.  "Goku needs your help..."

Sanzo continued to struggle, but his eyes followed Gojyo's blood-smeared hand, and he began to breath faster and faster, almost hyperventilating, before...

Sanzo screamed suddenly, like a man in great pain, and Gojyo's heart gave a leap.  He exchanged a look with Hakkai, who looked as though he was gritting his teeth with resolve.

The scream died away, though Gojyo was sure he would be remembering it for weeks to come.

"Let. Me. Go."

The voice was hoarse, but the tone in them was familiar.  Gojyo narrowed his eyes.  "What's going to stop you from tearing my head off?" he asked Sanzo.

He had rarely seen that much emotion in Sanzo's eyes--even if it was all anger, and beneath that, desperation.  "Because before I do that, I have a stupid monkey to take care of," Sanzo said.  "Now take your hands off me."

-----------part 8: Arrangement in black and gold // Makai Tenjyo the problem's ass------------

Even wounded, Sanzo's steps did not falter as he stalked towards Goku.

Seeing him, Goku became even more agitated, and fought harder against the ropes holding him.  "Should we duck?" Gojyo asked uneasily, studying the scene.  "I mean, what if..."

Goku chose that moment to break free of his restraints, and leaped at Sanzo with a growl.

"Sanzo!" Hakkai shouted in warning.

But Sanzo was able to overpower the monkey, Gojyo saw.  Goku must be weaker than he thought.  It was incredible that he hadn't died instantly from the gunshots, but then they had always known that Goku was not simply a youkai.  He watched as Sanzo push Goku to the ground.  "What the hell is Sanzo doing?" he muttered.

Hakkai suddenly gasped. "The gun!" he said.

Sure enough, Sanzo was now holding the gun firmly in his right hand, even as he tried to struggle with Goku.

Gojyo and Hakkai shared a look of absolute panic.  As one, they ran towards the pair.  Don't tell me he's still under the influence, Gojyo thought, his eyes fixed on Sanzo's gun.

Slowly, Sanzo managed to press the barrel of the gun directly on Goku's forehead.

"Shit!"

Even as the curse left Gojyo's lips, Sanzo flung the gun to one side.

Flying sutras ensued.

Finally, Gojyo thought, and stopped in sheer relief.

Sanzo remained crouching on the ground even after the glint of the limiter reappeared on Goku's forehead.  There was a second of total silence, before Sanzo shouted, "Hakkai!"

***

Goku needed time to recover, they knew, as they checked into the inn in the next stopover.  Being tackled by the Makai Tenjyo tended to do that to him, and there were both gunshot wounds to deal with, as well.  Hakkai did his best, but the gun had unusual properties that made injuries from it difficult to heal properly.

Instead of his customary shell of indifference, Sanzo remained by Goku's side the whole time.  He said nothing, and his face showed nothing, but Gojyo thought he could sense the monk's concern.  

Then, on the second day, there was a motion from the bed, where Goku wriggled, and woke up, as easy as a child.  "Sanzo?" Goku rubbed his eyes with his fists, looking up blearily, before he sat up suddenly.  "Gojyo, where's Sanzo? I hurt him..." 

He fell silent as Sanzo leant forward, entering his direct line of sight.  "I'm here," Sanzo said flatly.

"Sanzo!" Goku said eagerly, then cringed.  "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be an idiot," Sanzo said.  He paused, before he went on, "I shot you.  I should be the one to say sorry."

Gojyo restrained the urge to laugh out loud, but instead retreated to the end of the room, hoping that the two of them wouldn't notice him.

Goku looked down on himself.  "But I'm all right..."

"Only because Hakkai helped to take care of you."

"Oh," Goku scratched his head.  "Er, Sanzo?"

"What."

"Before, when I said that I liked... you..."  He leant back just a little, probably remembering what happened the last time.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry!" Goku's eyes were huge.

The fan came out of nothing, and landed with a loud 'thwap'.  Gojyo was interested to note that it landed on the mattress rather than on any part of the monkey.  "What do you have to be sorry for, you idiot monkey?" Sanzo said.

Goku jumped at the sound.  "Because!" he began.  "Because..." he looked fearfully at Sanzo.  "Because..." he said again, his voice softer.

Gojyo could not see Sanzo's expression clearly, but he could see that the monk had locked gazes with the monkey.

After a long while, the monkey swallowed, and the fear left his face, to be replaced by his usual cheerful expression.  "Sanzo!" he shouted, and leaned forward to wrap his arms around the monk.

Amazingly, Sanzo made no protest.  Gojyo allowed himself a moment of sentimentality to savour the picture they made: Sanzo's black undershirt topped by his gold hair, mixed with Goku's shining eyes.  Perfect arrangement.  So, the stony exterior cracks, Gojyo thought.  He fancied he could hear a 'crick' sound, if he listened for it. 

After a few seconds, Sanzo pulled Goku free from the embrace.  "Rest now," he ordered, his face neutral again.

"But I'm hungry!"

Ah, the restoration of normalcy, Gojyo thought, stepping forward.  "I'll order some food," he said.  "Maybe you lovebirds can feed each other, huh?" he suggested.

Sanzo's head whipped around at the sound of his voice.  "You were listening to us?" he asked dangerously, but Gojyo thought he heard embarrassment in his voice.

Maybe I won't tease him about the monkey being in love with him, he thought, nodding.

Sanzo's eyes narrowed.  "Get me a beer!" he ordered Gojyo, "Then get out!"

Then again, he asked for it, Gojyo thought sourly as he shouted, "I'm not your servant!"

--------------the end-------------------

Comments to: redacanthus@yahoo.com
Back