lady_ganesh | Fic: Saiyuki, mostly gen

Sanzo-centric. Cause that's how I roll. Some sex, some intimacy, not necessarily at the same time. 400 words.

He'd slept with one of the hotel maids when he was sixteen. She'd been eighteen, and her name was Lin. He suspected he was neither the first nor the last young man she'd taken an interest in, which was more than fine by him.

It had been...well, fine. She'd certainly been enthusiastic. Her breasts were lovely, her eyes were big and brown, and she'd kissed him over and over again. She'd insisted everything was safe, but he'd insisted on a condom, for a host of reasons; he'd tried not to think about them.

Anyway, he'd gotten it over with.

When he was twenty, he brought Cho Gounou back to Chang'an. Gonou had been so quiet he'd almost forgotten the man was walking with them at times. Goku would sometimes ask him the annoying questions Sanzo was more than used to by now; sometimes Gonou would answer.

The night before they reached the temple, Gonou began shaking. Sanzo sighed. He reached over and grabbed the man's shoulder.

"What will they do to me?" Gonou whispered.

"I don't know," Sanzo said. He could hear Goku snoring from his bedroll.

"Sanzo," Gonou said. It was a question. Sanzo answered with his body.

He was twenty-five when he looked at Goku-- steady, calm Goku-- and realized the boy had grown up. Goku sat next to his bed and offered to read him stories, play cards, get food.

Mostly Sanzo slept, and Goku watched.

"There was a girl," Goku said one morning, when Hakkai and Gojyo were off doing...whatever the hell it it was they did; Sanzo had always suspected sex was the least disturbing item on the list. "In the village. I really liked her."

"She died?"

Goku nodded.

There was a line of bodies behind them, and not all enemies. Sanzo had no words for it; just memories, faces. Gat, Yakumo, Rikudo. Master.

Sanzo shifted his weight-- his body complaining at the effort-- and held out his arm. Goku leaned down and reached back, carefully resting his head against Sanzo's chest. "She pretty?"

"Yeah," Goku said. Sanzo could feel tears from Goku's face soaking into his sheet. "Gojyo said she woulda grown up hot. Stupid pervert."

Gojyo had probably been right. He usually was about those things, the smug bastard. Sanzo pulled Goku tighter, and closed his eyes.

"We'll stop him," Goku said, his voice soft and serious.

"Yes."

Also, when I said I lost my 'pilot' last night? I meant WALLET. Seriously kids, PRAY TO THE FSM FOR ME.