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minekura-fan-events · 2 years ago

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A wonderful fic submission!!

Memories

a kiss could be a powerful connection

Happy Valentine!

this is a Valentine gift in Minekura's Valentine gift exchange.

Dear Crowoxy, I hope you like this story as much as I liked writing it!

This large Saiyuki fan group acts positively on me as a real sanzogroupfamily and I was glad to have this occasion even if I was really afraid at the beginning for I never made a Valentine’s gift like this. Love from Luciusaelius

Also special thanks and happy birthday to Alex.

hope you all enjoy it!

MEMORIES

1. Family dinner

Gojyo finished his cigarette and pushed the stub on the grey stone jamb.

"Where the fuck have those two gone?"

He cast a glance at the set table where a tray filled with meatballs lay waiting for Goku. They smelled wonderful, but he would not pay Hakkai any compliment. He peeked under a covered pot and a delicious smell came up from there too.

Hakkai was bustling about in the small kitchen moving an amazing number of courses to the dining room - definitely out of proportion for any normal family's dinner.

The crew had asked for lodging in town but the rooms of the only inn were sold out; the owner had proposed that they stay in his small country house, next to the oak forest where he used to chop wood.

'This place is not so bad', thought Gojyo; he was just annoyed by the fact that the two nice girls at the reception would not be at hand.

There was some peace there and in case of an attack the fight would be less dangerous and harmful than it would have been in the middle of a town. He could still go back and stroll around after dinner to check what was in the air.

He looked at the table again, then through the large window toward the trees, whose leaves were passing from bright green to dark violet as the light changed soon after sunset.

A memory from long ago punched his chest: he used to live with Hakkai at the time. He had come back late - he had spent the night fooling around and drinking hard. When he got in he saw all the nice food Hakkai had prepared for dinner still on the table. Hakkai had covered everything with cellophane not knowing at what time he would come back.

Hakkai was like that. He would never complain, like a silent guest. This made him angry: he'd have rather been mistreated, to have an excuse to tell him something hideous, and he was sure anyway that it wouldn't had worked and he would have felt even more guilty.

He took a serving spoon, determined to taste that tempting mush of lentils and curry in which chops of pork meat happily floated; it was calling him like a witch’s potion; but as soon as he raised the pot lid, trying carefully without succeeding not to make any noise, he was reached by Hakkai's voice as he came out of the kitchen with another large tray.

"Put down that spoon, guy. We should wait for the others"

The same old tone, apparently kind, imperative in substance.

He huffed, annoyed.

"Who knows where the fuck those two are right now. Sanzo was looking for a pack of cigarettes, but if Goku catches the scent of food from restaurants downtown he will never come back until his stomach is full. Meanwhile here our food is getting cold!"

Hakkai began to laugh.

"Don't worry: Sanzo will keep him in line. I've been cooking enough for an army and that should be enough to feed even Goku"

"Ok, ok"

Gojyo lifted both hands in a sign of surrender; he turned the spoon between his fingers like a skilled card player would do with an ace and put it back upon the table.

Hakkai was a bit surprised that he didn’t insist; he smiled at him. He went into the kitchen again and came back with another dish, an enormous one piled with reddish rice balls on top of a multicolour spread of tempura vegetables.

"These rice balls are made in the style of the far west lands, I learnt the recipe in a correspondence course. Would you like to try one?" he asked, kindly.

"Is it worth creating works of art that will last only for a few seconds?" asked Gojyo, raising his eyebrows. Colors and geometric shapes made the tray a joy to behold.

"Is it a waste of time going to look at the cherry blossoms?" said Hakkai, squinting as a smile curved his lips.

2. A shot

While he was leaning on the table to put the new course down a bullet pierced the window glass. Hakkai got out of the way just in time. He dropped the tray and ran together with Gojyo to escape from other hits and to check outside. Goijo had got out his blades.

There were just three rough Yokais in front of them, badly armed but determined: it was a matter of seconds to get rid of them. They had expected a quiet human family preparing for dinner and not someone who would fight back.

"I guess they saw the smoke of the chimney and came by looking for prey; they were not aiming at Sanzo's group, let alone the sutra. They just wanted us for dinner."

"What a hassle" added Gojyo, and lit another cigarette, moving outside just to check if there were really only three.

He turned inside. Hakkai was cleaning up; fortunately only some of the rice balls had rolled on the table when he had dropped the plate.

Hakkai was so immersed in the task that he didn't even notice that he had been slightly hit.

His green headband was soaked with blood that dripped through onto his cheek.

"Hey man, wait a minute or you'll transform that white cloth into a polka-dot one"

"Oh, it's nothing serious" answered Hakkai bringing his hand to his temple. "Yes, now I see I stained the tablecloth" he added, frowning.

Gojyo put out the cigarette, took a clean towel and approached him to clean away blood and check the wound. "Yes, of course. Nothing", he mumbled. He did not trust Hakkai: when he talked about his health he had a tendency to underestimate the severity.

Hakkai blocked his wrist. Gojyo had the feeling he didn't want him to get nearer. He looked into his eyes.

Gojyo had a worried look on his face and behind, hidden in the dark of the pupil there was still the anxiety of a frightened child. In the days when he had found him and cured him, every now and then that look emerged but he was quick to hide it behind his sarcastic jokes.

Hakkai was annoyed about the wound made by three stupid hungry Yokais and he would not take any ironic comment at that very moment. He maintained the grip. Gojyo's lips were near, and to provoke him he rested his lips on his.

Gojyo jumped back.

"What the hell!"

Hakkai flashed an embarassed smile.

"Sorry, I.." he raised his right hand hiding his look. "please give me a cigarette"

Gojyo searched for his packet. He was annoyed for he felt something had turned on at that touch; he would have wanted to punch him in the face. He went toward him, slammed the packet on the table and caught a glove in Hakkai's left eye. Gojyo took his face with both hands and kissed him, at first angrily, with a demonstrative rage that passed into a physical involvement.

When he detatched from him, Hakkai stared. His dialectic skills had abandoned him. He felt his heart beating in his temple while a first blurred, then increasingly clear image composed itself in his head.

"Here, when you decide to do something, do it properly, at least"

said Gojyo responding to the look.

He took the packet back and passed him a cigarette; he took another one and lit it, then passed him the lighter.

"Gojyo"

"Hm?"

"I've remembered something.."

"What a serious tone! did you forget something in the oven and burned it?"

Gojyo let out a wisp of smoke and stared defiantly at him with the cigarette between his lips. After a few seconds he opened his eyes wide, and the lit cigarette almost didn't roll onto his shirt.

Hakkai continued. His look had changed; it had become harder.

"It happened to you too...didn't it, Kenren?"

"Field marshall!" Gojyo dropped on a chair "I think I need a drink. Something strong"

Hakkai laid down two cups, poured sake for himself as well, and lit the cigarette. His hand trembled slightly.

They plunged into silence separated by two thin threads of smoke.

The others came back after a few minutes. Goku had a large packet in his arms; it smelled like chocolate and fresh bread. Hakuryu hovered on his shoulder smelling it.

"Why did it take you so long?" asked Hakkai

"The ravenous monkey's fault?" added Gojyo.

"He wanted to eat and I prevented him. I told him you were making dinner especially for him. " said Sanzo addressing Hakkai. "So he grabbed half of the desserts on display in the bakery and ate more than half of those on his way here"

Hakkai laughed.

"Will he have enough room left in his stomach for the dinner?"

"I'm staaaarving" screamed Goku.

"Do you have any doubts? I don't think he will leave us any leftovers for tomorrow" said Gojyo.

"Who are those lying out there?" asked Sanzo.

"Three louts who wanted us for dinner" replied Gojyo.

"Hm," commented Sanzo. "On their plates, I guess. Yokai won't get off their backs here either"

“we weren’t expecting any attack and could not feel them coming near” added Hakkai.

"Hakkai! the smell is spectacular. Let's eat huh? let's eat? Enjoooy!" Goku had dumped the bag in Hakkai's arms and started uncovering platters and tureens.

"Wait for the others, you idiot monkey. I had to wait a century for you to come back"

"Hurry up, rather, you retarded kappa, or else you'll complain to me if I then eat more meatballs than you"

Sanzo peered at Hakkai. His eyes were curiously shiny and alive, as if he had a fever, and he had a wound on his left temple.

"What happened? Have you been trying to gamble with your good eye?"

"Nothing serious, rather we will have to reimburse the damage they did to the window and wall."

"Right then. I'll go back to the owner later so we can pay him, tell him to dispose of these bodies and we'll leave directly without going through the village. These people out here won't go back to their cronies and maybe someone else might come looking for them. At this point it is better to leave as soon as possible, tonight or tomorrow at dawn. What time did this happen?"

"Just twenty minutes before you arrived"

Sanzo mulled over the fact that he had had a curious sense of estrangement half an hour before arriving at the oak wood, as if he did not recognize the place where he was; it happened while he was dragging Goku away from the bakery; he had attributed it to hunger and fatigue and had not given it too much thought. Out of the corner of his eye he had seen Goku looking repeatedly at his wrists.

Dinner was as expected. Hakkai passed bits of meat to Hakuryu. Goku busied himself cleaning up the tureen before moving back to the desserts, grabbing a colorful cookie that Hakuryu sniffed diffidently. Hakkai poured sake again and Gojyo pulled his cup next to him, taking the opportunity to peer at him as he filled it. His hunger had passed and he had no desire to argue with Goku.

Sanzo noticed this and it seemed strange to him. He got up from the table and lit a cigarette while Goku moved on to the candied fruit.

"You go and pay the lodging guy. Remember to tell him we need a mortician," he said; he grabbed the newspaper and plopped down on a couch near the fireplace.

"I'll dematerialize them if you wish" Hakkai said.

"No, you look pretty tired already and it's better if they realize in the village themselves where they might end up as game. Sometimes if they don't get scared they don't realize how close the problem can get."

"Hakkai?" asked Gojyo, nodding toward the door. "Let's go ourselves. Goku is still stuffing his face and when I go out with him women tend to think he's my son. If it suits me I'll stay in the village and see you all in the morning"

"Do whatever the hell you want but mind if you come back late we’ll leave you here" said Sanzo, uttering a quick farewell while casting a glance from under his glasses at Goku who continued to rummage through the bag of sweets.

3. Memoirs expand

They reached the town walls by jeep. After a band of vegetable gardens and shacks, the urban fabric became more compact. Winery signs lit by torches swayed in the wind, casting strange glows. They parked a few steps from the inn; they paid and told the keeper about the assault. They went out, closing the door behind them. The wind had risen up.

"The poor guy got so scared that he didn't even want to get his window glass refunded" Hakkai said. "I don't know if he's going to go back to chop wood over there. But at least he promised to send someone in the morning to remove the corpses" They walked toward the walls even though neither of them felt like going right back.

"Shouldn't we tell them? The facts we remembered involve them too"

Gojyo did not respond; he stopped and lit a cigarette, sheltering it from the wind with his hand. The wind increased again so much that they struggled to walk. They took shelter in an alley. Gojyo put Hakkai with his back against the wall and kissed him without any preamble. Hakkai stared at him bashfully.

"I just wanted to see if I could remember anything else"

"I know that you like women, you don't need to justify yourself to me" Hakkai answered.

Gojyo smiled.

"OK, you are the exception. I mean, I don't mind kissing you, at least. For now, though, I don't want to have any further experiences. Can we stay friends?"

Hakkai laughed.

"All right, I'll buy you a drink without asking for a room"

"The girls at the counter were two: we can go up together if you want" Hakkai shook his head."Together in separate rooms?" Gojyo added.

"No, I'd rather go back to the base."

"You're boring, mate, you know?" he crossed his arms. "Please don't tell them about what we remembered without me"

Sanzo took off his glasses and laid the newspaper beside him; he stood up and lit a cigarette. Had he closed his eyes while reading? Perhaps fatigue had caused him to lose consciousness for a moment and he had fallen asleep. The vivid dream he had had, however, made his heart hammer in his chest. Goku came out of the bedroom, approached him and looked at him bewildered. "Konzen" he said. He grabbed his sleeve and began to cry.

"Stop it, Goku, get it over with"

Sanzo wondered what was going on. Goku had called him Konzen. So it was not a dream They had had the same vision and in the vision his name was Konzen. Goku threw himself at his knees.

"Get up, you fool"

"Konzen. Konzen. Konzen."

"Shut up, cut it out if you don't want a bump on the head. You're not a kid anymore"

He had him pulled up holding him by the scruff of his neck but he was moved too. After a moment's hesitation he hugged him to calm him down.

“Why did this come back to us, why so suddenly?” he asked himself without saying a word. Instinctively he touched his chest where the door had squeezed him until it took his breath away, until he had vanished in a golden haze.

He remembered the pain he had felt looking into Goku’s eyes, a golden flash and utter black, soon after.

Hakkai and Gojyo re-entered the inn. The innkeeper looked at them worriedly.

"Quiet, no bad Yokais. There’s just a cursed wind outside” said Gojyo.

“would you kindly bring us a bottle?" added Hakkai.

They chose a table in the least rowdy spot. The sake bottle arrived along with two small cups decorated with leaves. Hakkai filled them both. They downed them at the same time. "We must tell the others" said Hakkai after a while.

"Tell what? about the Celestial Kingdom? About how they took us out? Sanzo will think we've gone crazy"

"It concerns them too"

"There’s also the fact that it's not a good memory. It's painful. Maybe we can spare them that, what would change anyway?"

A man dressed in white, his hood pulled down over his shaggy hair, approached. Without waiting for an invitation he grabbed a chair and sat at their table.

"you two were kissing"

Hakkai and Gojyo looked at each other puzzled.

"What?" they replied in chorus. They were uncertain of what to say; he looked strangely familiar.

“That would be none of your business, anyway” Gojyo added.

The stranger continued, with his deep voice.

"I'm not sure I can turn into a jeep again. Buy me something to drink in the meantime" "what the hell..." said Gojyo.

The two stared at him in disbelief as the memory became clearer.

"Commander" said Hakkai.

"Shall we walk back home?" suggested Gojyo.

"That would be better. The place where you parked me was damn cold; I tried to transform into my usual small dragon form to move and saw you in the alley. When it happened I found myself in the shape you see here"

"And remembered who you were" said Hakkai.

Goujun downed his sake and nodded.

4. A pending promise

They knocked and opened the door. Goku started shouting and Sanzo could not stop him: the room echoed with ‘Tenpou chan, Ken-niichan, Tenpou-chan, Ken-niichan...’. His calls resounded like a mantra from wall to wall.

"You guys kissed, huh, you and the brat?" Gojyo asked Sanzo with a raised eyebrow.

Sanzo stared at him puzzled.

"You remembered too" Hakkai said with an uncertain smile.He was relieved to no longer have to wonder whether to tell him or not.

Sanzo's gaze was fixed, as if he was chasing a memory that was not yet complete and comprehensible. He came back to life frowning when he saw Goujun behind the two.

"And where does that one come out of?"

"Sorry. I'm not sure I can turn into a jeep again" said Goujun.

Sanzo crossed his arms.

"Well, dragon, you better get busy because I'm not going to go deal with a car-seller, much less continue the journey on foot" Sanzo turned to Hakkai. "How would you explain this?"

"Um, an energy discharge? We - Gojyo and I - had a vision just before the attack... then again just a few minutes ago" Hakkai said.

Sanzo noticed the slight blush that had appeared on his face but asked no further questions. Gojyo lit a cigarette pretending indifference while staring at the dark trees beyond the window. Goujun shook his head.

Sanzo realised the strange feeling of deja-vu had started when he had taken Goku by the hand to drag him out of the bakery.

Goku was jumping and running from one side of the house to the other.

"If you go on like that you'll soon run out of fuel and the pantry thanks to you is empty already" Gojyo shouted at him, showing him a paper bag where only crumbs were left.

"We have to reach the hills we have seen from the highest part of town. It is the flowering season. You promised"

"What hills, you fool: have you forgotten that we have urgent work to do in the west?"

"It's April, we just need one day off. Just one. It is you that have forgotten. You promised it. You all promised".

They felt they somewhat needed a bit of time to cope with that memories and agreed to detour, just for one day. They asked around and were told that what Goku had seen in the distance was actually a sheltered hillside at the foot of the mountains, not far away, where plum and cherry trees grew.

Cherry trees were in full bloom. In a few days the petals would begin to fall, one after another. They ignored what else to expect in that life. They did not remember everything of the past, only random precise scenes and feelings. But they all felt it was right to keep that promise. A silent way to claim they were still togheter, despite everything.

Goku had fallen asleep on the bright green grass, his head on Sanzo's lap. Sanzo smoked while looking at the clouds of flowers that filled the sky with white and pink.

Gojyo was drinking sake sitting on a branch; he had asked Goujun to join him but he had replied that since that certain day he could not stand heights in that apterous form; he leaned against the trunk slowly sipping from his small cup.

"it's true. These are much more beautiful," Sanzo said, breaking the silence.

Gojyo jumped down. He had seen a shadow pass over Hakkai's face. "Well, what's with this funeral face? You used to like cherry blossoms"

"We left the heavenly realm on a heavy charge"

"And for a good cause, right?" Gojyo added.

Goujun sat down on the grass, wrapped his cloak upon his shoulders and looked at them.

"When you disappeared, the cherry trees up there suddenly lost their flowers and leaves. The memoirs I wrote and my witness rehabilitated you. Your choice was a brave one. Perhaps you’ll come out of the cycle of rebirths one day. And hopefully I will come out too. I'm pretty tired of carting you around"

Before long they all fell asleep, perhaps from sake or the early spring sun.

"It's not still time you thugs. We'll talk about it in a while" yawned Kanzeon Bosatsu; white petals falling and dancing through her silvery haze path."I enjoyed that spicy spark, anyway" she added looking at Hakkai with a sly grin.

They woke up covered in petals; Hakuryu laid curled in the grass at the bottom of a giant cherry tree. The only thing they remembered was that they had changed their route because Goku had strangely insisted on seeing the cherry trees blossom.

#minekura valentine's exchange #minekura valentine's exchange 2023 #submission #saiyuki #saiyuki fic

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