Saiyuki
does not belong to the author of this fic
Memories
and Sacrifices
by
GW
Katrina
Part 1 - Dreams
“Goku!”
Konzen
Doji paused, head tilted to the side. When he didn’t hear a
familiar cry, or feel something slam into him, the blond god growled.
“Where is that idiot?”
It
wasn’t like Goku to be missing for so long. Not unless he had
done something bad, and no one had come to Konzen, baying for the
child’s blood. And since his aunt’s “suggestion,”
everyone knew he was the monkey’s keeper.
“I’m
not worried about him,” Konzen muttered aloud. “He can
cause a lot of trouble when he’s loose, that’s all.”
The
trees that surrounded him were convinced. Maybe.
Something
caught the blond’s attention. Unsure of what it was, Konzen
moved forward, weaving through the trees, listening. It took only
a few minutes for him to hear voices.
“Stupid
little itan. What are you doing here? Trying to bring us bad luck?”
Konzen
didn’t recognize the voice, but very few people in the heavens
could be called an itan. He began to move faster, following the voice.
A
second person, this time female, also spoke up. “Don’t
you know that you’re something wrong? Especially with those
gold eyes. Only the worst things have gold eyes. What makes you think
you can be here, anyway?”
Just
then, Konzen stepped into a small clearing. There were three people
already there. Two of them, dark-haired gods he didn’t recognize,
had their backs towards him. In front of them, pressed up against
a tree, was Goku.
Terrified
eyes locked onto Konzen, and relief flooded the boy’s face.
That
seemed to irritate the woman. Drawing her hand back, she snarled.
“Little itan trash.”
Her
downward swing stopped abruptly, and she cried out as her arm was
twisted back. The male spun around, and Goku took his chance to run
to Konzen.
“I’m
the reason he’s allowed to go wherever he wants. The only trash
I see at the moment is you.” Konzen could feel Goku tremble
as the child hid behind his legs. And that irritated Konzen. It was
going to take forever to calm Goku down. He wanted to know who to
punish.
“Who
are you? Why are you harassing the boy?”
Tugging
until Konzen released her arm with a noise of disgust, the woman turned
around. “Konzen Doji?” Her voice carried a startled tone.
“I am Sazuka, and my brother is Nagi. And we weren’t harassing
your pet.”
Violet
eyes narrowed. “Certainly appeared that you were. And he’s
not a pet.” Goku shivered and pressed himself harder against
Konzen’s legs. When the blond reached that tone of voice, it
was time to hide. The boy was happy he had never been the focus of
it.
Sazuka
sniffed. “I was just letting him know his place.” Suddenly,
she smiled, and cast a sultry look at Konzen. “However, if you’d
like, we can go someplace a bit more private and discuss it.”
The
look on Konzen’s face could have frozen tropical seas. “I’m
sorry. I don’t associate with lesser beings.” Reaching
down, he pushed Goku away from the siblings, ignoring Sazuka’s
cry of outrage. “We’re leaving, Goku.”
“Looks
like the rumors were right,” sneered Nagi. “The great
Konzen Doji gets all his needs taken care of by his pet. A little
young for you, isn’t he, Konzen?”
Goku
froze, back stiffening. Konzen sighted. “Same old stupid rumors.
Trust me; I wouldn’t have touched either of you before Goku
arrived. Still too low a life form to have a decent discussion with.”
That
was said without Konzen turning around. However, Goku wanted to give
his own version of the Konzen Dismissal, so he turned his head.
“Konzen,
look out!”
Instinctively
shoving Goku out of the way of danger, Konzen twisted around. That’s
when the blade took him in the stomach. Holding the hilt, Nagi looked
at the dagger with a mix of surprise and fear on his face. He quickly
pulled the weapon free when blood began to stain Konzen’s robes.
“We
have to kill them both!” Sazuka’s voice sounded shrill.
“Or else he won’t keep his end of the deal.”
Blood
pouring down his side, Konzen stumbled back, and then fell to his
knees. “Goku, run,” he gasped
Instead
of hearing the sound of retreating footsteps, Konzen heard a sound
that actually scared him.
The
strange sound of a power limiter breaking.
As
his consciousness began to fade, Konzen felt the wave of newly released
power wash over him. A loud howl echoed in his mind, and he was the
terrified looks on Nagi and Sazuka’s faces.
'Tenpo,
Kenren, Goku needs you', were the last thoughts Konzen had as he slid
into darkness.
Most other people would have woken up with a cry after
a dream like that. Not Sanzo, though. Tension rolled over his form
a second before violet eyes shot open.
They stared blankly for a second before life flooded
back into them. It was the work of only a few seconds to force his
muscles to relax. Only then did Sanzo examine what had torn him from
his sleep.
Ever since Homura had almost killed him with that
flaming sword of his, Sanzo had been having strange dreams. Ones that
involved Gojyo, Hakkai, and Goku. A much younger Goku. Dreams that
were so vivid that Sanzo could still feel pain with the dagger had
pierced his skin. For a dream to affect him so much was unbelievable.
Which meant it was a good thing that Sanzo knew the
truth.
The dreams weren’t dreams. They were memories.
Memories of when, Sanzo wasn’t sure. But he
knew they weren’t just dreams, and that something important
was locked inside of them.
The faint ripple of the Maten as it lay beside him
made Sanzo tense once more. Somewhere, fairly close, someone was using
a Heavenly sutra. And the Maten seemed to miss its former companion,
as it sent a rush of power coursing though Sanzo. The monk gasped
faintly as his skin tingled.
The power tried to flare outward, but Sanzo quickly
caught it. With practiced ease, the monk dissipated the energy. Nearby,
Hakkai stirred, and then settled back. Sanzo was just as happy, he
didn’t feel like dealing with anyone at the moment. The dreams
always left him unsettled, and Sanzo disliked that feeling with a
passion. Having to deal with anyone in that condition would lead to
somebody being hurt.
What worried Sanzo was the reaction of the Maten to
what he assumed was the Seiten. What would happen when they drew closer?
The idea of possibly having to fight for, or with, the power of his
sutra did not appeal to him in the least.
Still, no reason to worry about it now, he decided.
Taking a deep breath, Sanzo once again forced his muscles to relax.
Tomorrow would be here soon enough. Cliché,
but true.
- TBC
-
On
to part 2
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