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Of Her Nature III	By : cupnjava Category: Gensomaden Saiyuki > General Views: 1543 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gensomaden Saiyuki, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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- 2
- 3
Part Two: In His Element

Gojyo heard something. He opened his eyes and laid very, very still. It was still an hour or so before full sunrise, but there was light from the emerging sun. He didn�t hear anything else, but figured it was almost time to get up. He sat up and saw Hakkai sitting on the broken bridge.
Gojyo got up and walked out to Hakkai.
Hakkai was sitting on bridge with his legs hanging over the side. Gojyo sat down beside him and looked over at him.
Hakkai smiled, �Good morning �
Gojyo looked at him, that smile wasn�t quite right, �Mornin. What�s up?�
Hakkai, �Nothing much. What�s up with you?�
�Seriously, Hakkai, what�s going on? I see it in your eyes.�
Hakkai never could lie to Gojyo, not for very long at least. Hakkai dropped his gaze to the water, �I�m just catching a sunrise, that�s all.�
�No, it isn�t all. If you don�t want to tell me, just tell me you don�t want to tell me. You don�t have to lie.�
Hakkai looked at him, �Just catching a sunrise and seeing where I almost killed us.�
�Hakuryuu would have been pissed, but we wouldn�t have died. This water doesn�t look deep, we could wade.� Gojyo looked at the water. The water looked deep and cold.
�Or swim.� Hakkai looked at him and chuckled.
Gojyo looked at him, �Think that�s funny do ya?�
�Yes, I do.� Hakkai was grinning, a real grin.
�Then my job is done.� Gojyo stood up and turned around. They were no longer alone.
�Bro! What�s up?� Kougaiji�s group had shown up when their guard was down, �I shouldn�t be able to sneak up on you like that.�
�Jien, what do you want?�
�I�m Dokugakuji now. �
�You�ll always be Jien to me.� Gojyo and Hakkai could see that Kougaiji and Goku were up to their usual games. Lirin was back bugging Sanzo who looked really pissed. Yaone was at the end of the bridge and waved to Hakkai. Hakkai waved back. �When are you guys going to give up?�
�We�re not.� Dokugakuji summoned his sword.
Gojyo summoned his staff and held it in his right hand. �It�s too damn early in the morning to spar. Can�t we get breakfast first?�
�Gonna make this easy for me?� Dokugakuji swiped at Gojyo. Gojyo blocked and Dokugakuji leaned into him. Gojyo was standing on the edge of the bridge and when he stepped back for leverage, there was nothing to stand on. Off balance, he fell backward into the water.
�Gojyo!� Hakkai yelled. Dokugakuji grabbed his arm and laughed.
Hakkai looked at him, �How could you? He can�t swim.�
�He can too swim, can�t you bro?� Dokugakuji looked over the edge and looked at Gojyo.
Gojyo was flailing in the water, �I can�t [spit] touch [spit] bottom! Help!� Gojyo�s head was bobbing in and out of the water. He grasped at the water, splashing and kicking.
Dokugakuji looked at him and remembered the time they had in the cave, �He can too swim. He�s trying to get me in his element.�
�He can�t! If you aren�t going to help him, let me go and I will!� Hakkai tried to jerk his arm away, but the grip was too tight.
Gojyo went under.
�Sanzo!� Hakkai yelled.
Gojyo looked up at the surface of the water rising above him. He didn�t get a breath before he went under. He stretched his arm out and tried to grasp at the shadows. He began to panic. He saw his brother�s face looking down at him ---smiling and laughing. He kicked and jerked his arms; he fell faster. He saw his hair rise up in front of his eyes. He felt pressure in his neck and chest. The harder he fought, the higher the pressure. So, this is it. The pressure became too much for him and the breath finally left. He saw the bubbles rise and felt the water fill his nose and mouth. As his reflexes futilely coughed to expel the water, more water came into him. The panic reached an impossible level and then he felt� euphoric. Everything seemed surreal. His eyes slowly closed and the back of his head banged on a rock as he hit the bottom.
�He can�t even float!� Hakkai yelled as he pulled himself away from Dokugakuji. Hakkai did a near perfect dive into the water, just as Sanzo made it to the edge of the bridge.
Lirin followed after Sanzo. Yaone saw Hakkai jump into the water and ran up to the edge of the bridge.
�But ---� Started Dokugakuji. He was far from laughing and smiling now.
�What happened?� Sanzo asked.
�I pushed Gojyo into the water.�
�Idiot! That�s low, even for you!� Sanzo yelled at him.
�What?! He can swim.�
�No, he can�t!� Sanzo couldn�t believe he was looking at the face of Gojyo�s brother. �Don�t you even know him?�
�He�s a water sprite!� Dokugakuji was beginning to doubt his belief that Gojyo could swim.
�He sinks like a rock!� Sanzo snapped at him.
�Yeah, he�s a water sprite that�s afraid of water and he can�t swim. He sucks!� Goku laughed while he was blocking Kougaiji.
�Goku, this is serious!� Sanzo yelled.
�But, he�s a water sprite, � Dokugakuji said softly, staring into the churning water, the realization finally sinking in. �I saw him swim�.he swam.�
Sanzo realized that Dokugakuji honestly did believe that Gojyo could swim. �What was he doing when he swam?�
�He was�� Dokugakuji paused. ��saving me.� Jien now realized he may have very well killed his brother. Not in battle, not in some honorable way, but in a cowardly underhanded way.
Hakkai looked through the murky water and found Gojyo. Luckily, not much is six feet long and red at the bottom of a river. Hakkai threaded one of his arms under Gojyo�s arms and across his chest. He looked up at the surface, fluttered his legs and stroked his free arm as fast and as hard as he could. He emerged from the water, gasped for a breath and continued to tug Gojyo to the riverbank.
Sanzo ran off the bridge and onto the river bank. Sanzo helped Hakkai pull Gojyo up onto the sand. Dokugakuji saw Gojyo�s limp lifeless body and he ran to them. �Gojyo.� The word softly escaped his lips.
Goku saw this and realized it was serious. He felt bad for making the joke. �Ok, we can play later,� he said flatly to Kougaiji and simply walked away.
�Play!? Who�s playing!? Are you forfeiting this fight?� Goku ignored him, staring at the limp form that was Gojyo.
Yaone and Lirin ran to Kougaiji and explained what happened. The three of them kept their distance.
Hakkai rolled Gojyo onto his side. Sanzo held him up and Hakkai pushed on Gojyo�s diaphragm. Jien dropped to his knees when he saw water come from his brother�s lungs. �But� he swam to save me.� Jien sounded pitiful. The words were mere thoughts that came from his lips.
Sanzo glared at Jien as he held Gojyo on his side. �This should tell you something about your brother.� Sanzo wanted to make him to think, but also wanted him to feel like shit.
Hakkai looked at Sanzo, �Let�s get him on his back.� Hakkai knelt down, put an ear to Gojyo�s mouth, and two fingers under his jaw. He looked at Jien. �No breath. No pulse.�
Jien�s shoulders dropped and his face went white.
Hakkai stuck a finger in Gojyo�s mouth and quickly removed it. He put one hand on Gojyo�s forehead and one on his chin. He bent over and put his mouth on Gojyo�s
Jien couldn�t believe what he was seeing. �What the hell are you doing?� He couldn�t believe Hakkai would kiss his dead brother.
Hakkai ignored him, time was of the essence. Explanations can wait. Hakkai put a breath into Gojyo and shifted to his chest. He put his hand on the middle of Gojyo�s chest. Placed his index and middle finger on him and put the heel of his hand beside his index finger. He put other hand onto the first hand and interlaced his fingers. He straightened his arms and with his entire upper body he pushed into Gojyo. The sound of cracking ribs seemed eerily loud in the tense silence. He quickly turned Gojyo on his side and a little more water came out of him.
Hakkai put his ear to Gojyo�s mouth, looking down his body and checked again for a pulse.
Breath, breath, pump, pump, pump, pump, pump

Check pulse, check air
Breath, breath, pump, pump, pump, pump, pump

Check pulse, check air, �You are not dying on me!�
Dokugakuji looked at Sanzo. �What is he doing?�
Sanzo didn�t take his eyes off Hakkai, �I don�t know.�
Breath, breath, pump, pump, pump, pump, pump

Check pulse, check air
Breath, breath, pump, pump, pump, pump, pump

Check pulse, check air �Come on!�

Breath, breath, pump, pump, pump, pump, pump

Check pulse, check air �Fight damn you!�
Breath, breath, pump, pump, pump, pump, pump

Check pulse, check air �Don�t give your brother the satisfaction!�
Gojyo�s eyes flew open, and he coughed. Hakkai helped him on his side and held his head up as Gojyo vomited.
Gojyo was on his hands and knees violently retching. Hakkai held his head and patted him on his back.
Sanzo looked at Goku�s worried face and knew the young man needed something to do, �Goku, go get a towel.�
Goku ran to the campsite and ran back. He handed the towel to Sanzo. Sanzo handed it to Hakkai.
Sanzo pulled his gun and pointed it at Dokugakuji. �Leave now or be forever gone.� Ice nearly hung in the air as Sanzo spoke. All Dokugakuji could see were Sanzo�s icy violet eyes glaring at him over his gun and very straight left arm.
Gojyo raised one hand as he faced the sand, �Sanzo [cough] no [retch] please.�
Sanzo looked down the barrel of his gun, �Your brother has saved you� again.�
Sanzo dropped his arm, but kept the gun in his hand.
Jien stepped up to Gojyo, took the towel from Hakkai and handed it to Gojyo. �What did you do? You said there was no�.�
�Cardiopulmonary resuscitation --- CPR. � Hakkai spoke matter-of -factly keeping his eyes on Gojyo. Gojyo had sat up on his knees and was wiping his face.
�Where did you learn that?� Jien asked.
Hakkai looked up at him, �I don�t know. I don�t remember. I just knew it.� Hakkai stood up and helped Gojyo to the campsite.
Gojyo looked at him, �I owe you one.�
Hakkai smiled, �No, I owe you one less.�
Sanzo glared at Kougaiji and raised his gun.
Kougaiji knew the priest�s gun wouldn�t kill him, but he often did wonder what he�d be like with a banishing bullet in his brain. Kougaiji spoke, �We�ll withdraw for now--�
Sanzo interrupted him, �I�m sick of this shit. You say the same thing. Just leave. I�m tired of hearing it. �
Kougaiji looked at him, he couldn�t believe the priest was telling him what to do.
�Five� Sanzo said flatly not dropping his aim.
Kougaiji knitted his brow.
�Four�, Sanzo stated. �Three�, he cocked his gun.
Kougaiji�s eyes widened. He, Yaone and Lirin left with out another word. Dokugakuji stood staring at Gojyo.
Sanzo glared at him, �You can leave, too.� Dokugakuji looked at Sanzo and then back at his brother. With his head down, he walked up to his group. They all left.
Gojyo had his face buried in the towel, Hakkai was gently patting him between the shoulder blades, �You�re gonna feel like�.� Hakkai�s voice trailed off.
�Death warmed over?� Gojyo said through the towel.
Hakkai looked down at the dirt between Gojyo�s feet, �Yeah, for a while.�
Goku and Sanzo ran over to them. Goku sat cross-legged and looked up at Gojyo. Sanzo knelt on one knee.
Gojyo wiped his face and looked at his companions. Gojyo�s color was trying to come back, but he still looked pitiful. His lips had a blue tinge to them; the whites of his eyes were spider-webbed with red; his cheeks hinted at green.
Goku, with pleading eyes, asked, �Are you going to be ok? Is he going to be ok, Hakkai?�
Gojyo looked at Goku and placed a hand on his head. Gojyo mustered a smile, �Yeah, I�ve already told you, I know how I�m going to die and that was not it.�
Sanzo stood up. He reared back and smacked Gojyo with the fan, �Learn to swim!�
Gojyo jumped to his feet, �Hey! I�m hanging on to life by a thread here! Don�t make me kick your ass!�
Sanzo turned around and began to gather their things, �He�s going to be alright. Let�s get moving.�
Gojyo realized the pity party was over and chuckled. �Damn, you�re good. I was going to milk that for some more sympathy.�
They loaded up the jeep and headed down the river bank looking for another bridge.

Gojyo stared off, not looking at anything in particular. He thought about his life, his relationships, what they were doing and what he wanted to do. Funny how a brush with death makes you reflect on your life. He thought about the little red-haired red-eyed girl. He never told anyone, but he wanted one day to have a family. He wanted the opportunity to provide what was stolen from him. Could he even remember his father�s face? He wanted to give what he lost. He thought about Scarlet, but he just hadn�t met the right person. He wasn�t nearly ready to meet the right person either. He still had a lot of wild oats in him. They had their mission. It would be foolish to follow such whims at a time like this. The realization that he was indeed getting older began to rest on him, One day this journey �this quest will be over. What then? What about that time? What will I do then? The idea of going back to card sharking and bed jumping just didn�t seem to appeal to him. After this journey what was there? How could anything in his future compare to this? The companionship, the friends, the love, the excitement, the unknown �. how could anything else hold up? Had he peaked before he was in this thirties? Was his life really downhill after this? And, what about his family? He thought of his brother, what would happen when that time came? Could he really do it if it came down to it? When had this gotten so out of hand? Why did he let it continue? Did his brother not know, not remember, or really mean to kill him? Kougaiji was playing for keeps, but they saw Kougaiji�s group as merely an obstacle periodically in the way. Is that how he really saw his brother, a block to his quest? The quest�there it was again. How long have they been doing this? Time had gotten away from him, how old was he now? His mind drew a blank. He didn�t look much older when he looked in a mirror, but at times he felt elderly. How would he feel when it ended? All journeys have an end� a destination �one day they would make it west�.what then?
Gojyo looked at his group, �Hey guys? Have you ever wondered what you�re going to do once it is all over?�
Hakkai stopped the jeep and turned in his seat. Sanzo looked at Gojyo. Goku stared at Gojyo.
�What do you mean when it is all over?� Goku�s voice faltered.
Gojyo scanned their faces, �Once we�re done with our quest. Once we�ve been west.�
Goku looked at Sanzo, Hakkai, Gojyo and then back to Sanzo. �Finished?� It was clear the thought had never occurred to the young one. �You mean without this? You mean no more us?� Goku lost his voice, you mean without Sanzo? Goku�s eyes began well up, as he fought the urge to cry.
Sanzo thought about going back to the temple where he didn�t belong. He saw the bloodstained walls. Could he go back to the place of his Master�s death? Could he go back to the place of the massacre? How could he, after all that he�s done?
Hakkai thought about his life before and during this trip. He loved to teach, but after all this �.how could he do anything else?
Sanzo looked at Goku and saw the worry and panic in the young one�s eyes. He glared at Gojyo. �You prick.� Out came the fan and it landed on Gojyo�s head.
Goku looked at Sanzo, �Really, what then?� He wanted to hear Sanzo say they�d always be together. He wanted to hear there�d always be a quest. He wanted reassurance that there would always be a Sanzo-Goku-Hakkai-Gojyo. He wanted�.
Sanzo looked at Goku, �Gojyo assumes we will survive this quest.�
Hakkai scanned the faces of the group, �We just take one day at a time.� He smiled at Goku, shot a quick glance (or was that a glare) at Gojyo and cut his eyes back to Goku, �We�ll always be together, quest or no quest..�
Goku sighed, pushed his welling tears down, �Oh, ok.� It was nice to hear, but that wasn�t Sanzo�s voice.
�Enough talk --- drive.� Sanzo turned around in his seat.
�Yes, sir� Hakkai flatly stated as he pushed on the accelerator.
Sanzo could never tell if Hakkai was mocking him when he said that.
Gojyo looked off into the landscape, Maybe some thoughts I should just keep to myself.
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Of Her Nature III