Fuuei: Hi, I'm really sorry for the long delay but exams are coming so I've got to study hard… And as I type further about this fic, I realise how close the four of them are. Which reminds me of what happened today… Well, you see…
Hakkai: Ano… Please don't make it too long, ne…
Fuuei: Okay. As I was saying…
Sanzo: Oi, on with the story already!!!
Fuuei: Fine fine!!! And oh… Please choose again who you want to suffer the most… Because all of them are going to die… (HAHAH) so the last one to die will suffer the most. So… who will it be? Sanzo? Or Goku? Please choose wisely… And… Enjoy…
Disclaimer: If I own Saiyuki, Sanzo's hair would be orange in colour with purple and blue highlights…
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The End BurialThe sun started to set, dyeing the vast sky with a colour of scarlet, so beautiful… yet so sorrowful. It was as if Gojyo's body and spirit dissolved with the sunset and the sky. The red sun continued shining dully, without a hint of life and happiness. A figure walked out and his skin was shone dimly by the sad sun. His endless tears reflected the sun's rays, and they seemed to be like red rivers flowing from his eyes… Endless red rivers filled with blood…
This colour… Just like the blood flowing from his body, just like the colour of his eyes and hair… Just like the liquid slowly dripping from my heart within me… He raised his head to the sky, catching a glimpse of the birds above him, flying in the air. I wonder… Where are the birds flying off to as they freely slice through the wind? One can't return to the same place as it once was in days gone by. Yes, you will never return to us, never return to me again. Why… why are these tears keep flowing continuously without my permission? I can't… I'm too weak to suppress my sorrow from surfacing up…
Night falls, and the red orb finally had the idea of stopping to persecute the poor man. Nevertheless, this did not stop him to lose that feeling, as Gojyo was still dead… The feeling was so certain that it had started to make him lose himself. The feeling… It was a feeling that made him wanting to suicide or torment himself inhumanly rather than having his close friend dead. He never thought this would ever happen… He knew that someone who takes other's life, at the same time must be prepared for his own life to be taken too… He really knew it, and was prepared for the worst. However, he never knew the target was his close friend… He never knew… this tragedy would come so fast.
Hakkai glanced out to the dark sky from his room with the others. Each and every time, he turned his head to look at Gojyo and that made him even more despondent. His tears were found on the windowsill, on Gojyo's body, and on his face. Goku, on the other hand, was also crying incessantly, but only more normally than how Hakkai showed his despair. Sanzo came back from the bar a few moments ago, but was not found crying or wailing. However, he was sobbing inaudibly in his heart… Yes, even he could not let go of Gojyo and accept the fact that he was dead.
The three of them was in their worst condition. None of them wanted to eat or drink or sleep, and even Sanzo did not have the thought to smoke. The only things they did were remember, regret and cry. They were tantalizing themselves gradually and they were irrefutably wishing for death rather than having their close friend dead. If only I can replace him… They all thought. As they were glooming over his death, a swarm of flies was nearing them…
Sanzo flinched, sensing the appearance of the 'flies'. He took a glimpse at Goku and Hakkai. Just as he had expected, they did not sense their presence. They were just too depressed to do anything. They are too weak to fight now… Why are they choosing this time to appear? K'so! Sanzo felt their presence nearer and nearer… He got his gun, preparing for the worst…
SLAAAM! The door was banged open and the herd of youkais glanced at them. "You're Sanzo, right?" The leader asked Sanzo. "So what if I am?" Sanzo retorted coolly. Hakkai and Goku finally noticed the youkais in front of them. Goku showed a sign of disgust, maybe because choosing such a bad time to show up. He summoned his nyoibou, tears still streaming down his face, and stood up. Hakkai, however, did not show anyone sign of worry or anger. He just shifted back into his crying state again. Youkais… So what? I'm not afraid. Come and kill me. Maybe like that I can go with Gojyo and meet Kannan and him. I don't care… anymore…
"Jin-sama, there's one person lying on the bed, probably dead." One of the youkai reported to the leader. "Eh? One is dead already? Hahahahah! Genjo Sanzo, you better prepare! With only two followers left, you think you can defeat me?" "Humph, try, if you dare…" The youkai leader, namely Jin, pointed his finger towards Sanzo, signalling his followers to attack. There were about forty youkais suddenly rushing into the room, trying to attack them.
Only Sanzo and Goku fought, as Hakkai was glooming by himself. Every time when a youkai approaches Hakkai, it was either Sanzo or Goku there to help him. Hakkai did not even flinch when a youkai stood in front of him, bloodthirsty. He completely had no sign of life and response. He just sat there, eyes totally blank, as if he was a living corpse. "Kono kuso yaro! How dare you show no response upon my presence! Is it because of this dead man? Then, let me help you out of this situation, by tearing him into pieces, so you'll never see him again!"
The ignorant youkai raised his sword and was about to pierce it into Gojyo's body, when Hakkai's eyes suddenly opened wide. Poor, ignorant youkai, he never knew that a devil was nearing him… A complete devil… "Unghh! What the—!" Without finishing his sentence, his head fell, dead. Hakkai pulled his hand back from the demon's body and the youkai fell on the ground. The whole of Hakkai's right hand was filled with blood, and some of the demon's blood was also splashed to Gojyo's face.
"No one, I say, no one can do that to my precious friend even he is dead!" Hakkai screamed at the youkai even though he was dead. He went to Gojyo's side and used his left hand to wipe the demon's blood away from Gojyo's face. "And get your dirty blood off him…" The others froze watching the scene in front of them. Even Sanzo froze, standing dumbfounded when he saw what Hakkai had done. Hakkai turned around, gazing at the other pesky insects. His eyes were narrow, and he shot a very cold, dangerous glance at them. He was about to kill. "Now, which one of you is ready…?" The other youkais got scared and all escaped. "Humph, I will get the sutra someday! I swear! Just you wait!" After saying, the leader also ran off.
Sanzo and Goku went to Hakkai's side, both without saying a word, as they knew that was not the right time. Hakkai turned around and look at Gojyo. He smiled, much to the other couple's surprise. "Never mind Gojyo… I'll never let you be hurt again… Never…" After saying that, he collapsed. "Hakkai!" Both of them went to hold Hakkai up. He was probably too dejected and lack of sleep was what that made him that insubstantial.
After a few moments, Hakkai regained his consciousness. As he looked around blurrily, he spotted Gojyo on the bed, but there was another Gojyo standing, staring at Hakkai with a pair of worried garnets. He muttered something in a very low voice, but Hakkai could understand them all. "Hakkai, please don't mourn over my death… I'll never go happily with you like that… Just like I said, please continue this journey without me. And tell that baka saru to stop crying already… It hurts me to just look at him like that… Please bury my body right away, Hakkai… I don't want to be hurt again… I don't want to see you all in such depression anymore… I'll leave everything to you… I have faith… in you…"
Then, he vanished. As soon as he disappeared from Hakkai's vision, he suddenly felt he could see everything clearly. He glanced around, probably finding the alive Gojyo… but his attempts were to no avail. Dream…? Or was it real…? Gojyo… "Hakkai! Daijoubu desuka?" Goku went near him and asked with concern. Hakkai did not answer him and went to Gojyo's side. He looked at Gojyo's corpse. As I see you lie so lonely in front of me, the melancholy that flows from your back captivates me… I want to embrace you with a nonchalant love… But I can't… You'll never feel it… You'll never face me with that face anymore… Let me just grant you your last wish… Though he was very weak, he still had the power to carry Gojyo in his arms.
"Oi, where you going taking HIM with you?" "I'm going to bury him…" "Nani!? Burying Gojyo this late at night? Why don't we wait till morning…? I still want to see him for a longer time… Hakkai…" "No. Gojyo told me to bury him right away… He doesn't want to be hurt! And this is the only thing which I can do for him…" Upon hearing that, Goku went to stop Hakkai from going out of the room. However, a hand stopped him abruptly, signalling him not to go any further. "Leave him alone… Just let him do it alone…"
Goku obeyed the monk as Hakkai walked out of the room while carrying Gojyo. Both of them could see every drop of tear plummeting from Hakkai's eyes onto Gojyo's body, drop by drop… It was as if they could see the blood tumbling from his heart too… Hakkai walked towards a small field just beside the inn they were staying and placed Gojyo on the ground. He looked up to the big, black, moonless and starless sky, which looked more like an abyss without an end.
By that time, his tears had already ceased. He tried to yell on top of his lungs, but his throat seemed to have some problem. His voice could not come out no matter how hard he tried. Tears started to brim in his eyes brightly and they were poured out silently and yet so gracefully. I wonder, why is the sky so vast? Even though I tried to yell, my voice didn't come, and the tears poured out. No matter how hard I try, I can never achieve what I really want now.
He started to dig, then placed the body, and then cover him with soil. He headed back to the inn with his heart so painful as if it had stopped pumping blood, his chest were so tight that he thought his lungs were malfunctioning and he was not breathing. He went up the stairs and opened the door.
Once the door was opened the first thing he saw was Gojyo. He smiled. "Thank you, Hakkai… You will always be within me and please don't ever forget me, okay? Honto ni arigato…" After saying those words, he vanished into the thin air… again. Hakkai reached out his hand to grab him before letting him disappear, but he failed. "No… Gojyo…" He cried, while he was slowly falling to the ground.
Falling and falling. It was as if it took ages for him to fall to the ground. Thud. His head and body landed on the wooden floor. Sanzo and Goku went to his aid. Though he fainted, his mind was absolutely clear. Feelings like sand falling through my hands and flying through my head… I can't capture any other feelings except for sorrow. "Continue this journey without me…" Back then, these words that pierced my heart, suddenly started to throb with pain………
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Fuuei: Hi! Hope you all review! I did my VERY best to write this chapter! And I hope there's no OOC in here…
Goku: Err… Fuuei, I think you've made Hakkai too mad… Look at him now…
Hakkai: * hugging a dummy * Gojyo! Don't die! Please DON'T die!!!!!
Fuuei: Hakkai! Snap out of it already! Gojyo's right here!
Hakkai: * Looks at Gojyo * No! You're NOT Gojyo! * points at dummy * HE IS GOJYO!
All except Hakkai: He's mad…