saltydogstories repost: Chasing the Sun

[glass_icarus]

Title: Chasing the Sun
Fandom: Saiyuki (with references to Gaiden)
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sanzo/Goku
Summary/Notes: Prompt was watching, waiting, wanting: Goku and Sanzo, moments on the road west. Written for ditch_gospel for Round 2 of saltydogstories.

The town they're approaching is off the map again. If Goku were of a cynical mind, he'd wonder if Hakkai was getting lost on purpose, but the fatigue from the latest twelve-hour drive is palpable even behind his perpetual smile. As it is, the exhaustion is such that Gojyo is staring listlessly out at the scenery passing by rather than teasing him, and even Sanzo's shoulders are slumped in the front seat. The dust in his golden hair creates an interesting halo effect, Goku thinks, trying to distract himself from the rumbling of his stomach. It's pretty, just the color of the afternoon sunshine, and Goku wonders if it's warm to the touch, like Sanzo's hands.

"Shut up already, will you?" Sanzo snarls. Goku jumps, looking at the rearview mirror with wide eyes.

"I didn't say anything!"

"I can still hear you, you know."

"Sorry," Goku mumbles. He tries to think of something that isn't related to Sanzo or food, but his stomach pinches again, neatly derailing his efforts. Sanzo merely huffs, resigned.

"Not far now," Hakkai says, glancing up with a thin smile. Goku sighs with relief, eyes scanning the horizon.

An hour later, they manage to locate the local inn. To Goku's surprise and delight, he's sharing Sanzo's room this time, not Gojyo's. It isn't a double, but Goku doesn't mind; he'd take a grumpy Sanzo over the pervert kappa any day. Leaving the bed for the monk, he curls up on the floor, using his pack as a pillow. Food can wait, just this once.

Sanzo stretches out with a tired grunt. He passes over the extra blanket without comment, rolling over and closing his eyes.

"Thanks, Sanzo," Goku grins tiredly.

"Hn. Wake me in an hour." Sanzo's breathing evens out almost instantaneously into the shallow pattern of sleep, and Goku, listening, follows soon after.

--

His dreams are vague and seemingly disjointed, a cascade of impressions, sensations: of heaviness, of sunlight, the feeling of being small. There are fields of bright flowers, which he gathers by the handful; a mirror-bright pool where a figure draped in white reclines; a child's laughing face before him, seemingly a friend. He thinks he can remember white hands, immaculate and gentle; soft linens and warm skin pressed against his cheek.

He thinks he can remember what Sanzo's face looked like, smiling.

Goku frowns in his sleep. That smile doesn't look right, somehow. It looks almost bland, like that of a paper doll, nothing of Sanzo in it that he can recognize. He watches his child-self run at this unfamiliar Sanzo and take a flying leap into his arms, laughing.

Goku, Sanzo's voice says tenderly, and he looks up and up at that beautiful face, the brow smooth and unlined, not shadowed by the journey west and years of rigid self-control. There is no darkness lingering at the back of his eyes, no lurking sarcasm, no bite. It feels strange, to look at this untempered brightness and not know whether he wants it for Sanzo, but-

Konzen, Konzen! his smaller self says, tugging insistently on one sleeve, and the shock of the unfamiliar name rips Goku from the thread of images. Cast adrift, he watches as they spin away, disappearing one by one into darkness.

--

A hand grasps his shoulder, shaking it roughly, and Goku jerks awake.

"Oi, monkey. I thought I told you to wake me, not the other way around," Sanzo says, irritated.

"Sorry, Sanzo." He rubs his eyes, yawning. "Didn't mean to oversleep."

Sanzo sighs, lighting a cigarette. "Whatever. The kappa's slow tonight, anyway, so we don't have to go down to dinner yet."

Goku props his chin on his hand. "Konzen," he says, wondering.

Sanzo raises an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Goku looks at him, wreathed in smoke, faint circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, his hair still in disarray. He thinks about that flawless doll-face, and nearly laughs. No, whoever Konzen was, he's definitely not Sanzo now. "Nothing," he replies, grinning at the cock-eyed look he gets in response.

Sanzo snorts. "Idiot."

Goku rolls his eyes at the familiar epithet. "Yeah, yeah." Inexplicably, one corner of Sanzo's mouth turns up, though he turns away quickly to hide it. Goku's jaw drops. His skin tingles as a rush of warmth runs through him, and he stares at Sanzo's back, dazzled.

It's not a real smile, not yet, but Goku wants to see it more than anything. He can be patient, though; he'd wait forever for Sanzo, if need be.

He reaches out, tugging at Sanzo's sleeve. "Hey, Sanzo? I'm hungry."

Sanzo glances down at him, cuffing his head lightly. "Yeah, yeah," he deadpans.

Goku laughs, looking up at the hidden sparkle in his eyes. Yeah, he thinks, some things are worth waiting for.

Comments

[fouloldron.livejournal.com]

Very sweet. Liked the ending.

[glass-icarus.livejournal.com]

thanks! i'm glad you enjoyed this. :)

[orvida.livejournal.com]

Awww how sweet it is. To see that goku can remember bits and pieces in his dream he even remembered konzen's name.

[glass-icarus.livejournal.com]

thank you! :)

[ashewalton.livejournal.com]

<3 Very good job~

[glass-icarus.livejournal.com]

thank you! :) i'm glad you liked this.

[candika.livejournal.com]

That was just lovely! *Sighs fangirlishly*

[glass-icarus.livejournal.com]

thank you! :)

[ditch-gospel.livejournal.com]

Thank you again for such a heartwarming story. Also, I've been seeing you around lately and I love your Stigma fic too, so I wondered if you would mind if I added you?

[glass-icarus.livejournal.com]

thanks! &hearts and yes, add away... although i feel i must say that i haven't been spending as much time in Minekura-lands as i was a couple of months ago, haha. i'll be back again soon, though! :D