Saiyuki: Reborn

Sorry about all the confusion over the weird chapters lately--I promise I\'ll be better about the postings. There\'s going to be a note at the end of the chapter, just to explain some things. Sorry again!
--Shuukitty--

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Chapter 14


When Wen Jin regained consciousness he was standing against a cold k wak wall, dressed only in a baggy T-shirt and ragged jean shorts. The cold of the pavement shot up through his bare feet and made him shiver. \"Hu...yen?\" He licked his lips, trying to make his limbs work for him. They were sluggish but held his weight, and weakly he rounded a corner. \"Huh.\" He grinned weakly at what he found. \"A hospital, eh? Just my luck...\" His ribs were oddly sore, and he slipped a hand beneath his shirt as he stumbled toward the ambulance bay.

Lan chuc at at the jokes of one of the nurses; though his rotations in the ER were always a bit stressful, he found that the excitement suited him. He glanced away as the small group he had joined continued to laugh, taking in the street beyond, when he noticed the sluggishly moving figure coming towards them. He frowned. //He\'s...not wearing shoes. And that hair....// Feeling something tighten in his chest, he took a slow step forward. //That\'s ridiculous. Huyen and Goku said....//

Jin raised his head, watching the different hospital workers milling about in the cool evening. \"What\'s a guy gotta do,\" he muttered, \"to get a doc around here?\" He paused, however, when his gaze caught on a man that was heading toward him. //Why does he look so…?// He gasped quietly as his legs suddenly gave out, spilling him to his knees.

Lan rushed forward--whoever it possibly was, he was injured. \"Get some help out here!\" he called over his shoulder, dropping to the boy\'s side. \"Hey--can you hear me?\"

Jin reached out, closing his hand over the man\'s arm. It sent a shudder through him, one which was...oddly familiar. //I know him.// He grinned weakly as he leaned into the other. //He feels like…Huyen....// \"Hey,\" he murmured, relaxing. \"You got a smoke?\"

Frowning, Lan carefully supported the other, hearing a gurney being wheeled out behind him. \"Maybe later,\" he replied, feeling strangely subdued. The nurses helped him lift the kid, spreading him out on the stretcher bed. \"Just relax. Are you sick? Or have you been injured?\"

\"I was shot,\" Jin informed him, indicating his chest. But when he pulled his shirt up, prepared to show off a spectacular wound, there was nothing more than a pale scar across his breast. \"Or...I thought I was...\"

//Shot....// Lan shivered, hurrying along as they wheeled him inside. //It…no. No, that can\'t be right.// The nurses were trying to shoo him off, and he tried one last question. Just...to clear his mind, because it couldn\'t be who he resembled. \"What\'s your name?\"

\"Huh?\" He was suddenly light-headed, and it took him a moment before he remembered the answer to that. \"Wen Jin,\" he replied, rubbing his eyes as the entrance to the hospital flooded him with neon lights. \"Is the kid okay? Did you see him?\"

Lan froze, and before he could come to his senses the boy had been wheeled away. \"Jin--\" He covered his mouth. //It\'s...not possible. They said he died...two years ago. Two years....//

Ignoring the questions around him, Lan quickly slipped out to the ambulance bay again, pulling free his cell phone. He hit the speed dial and waited anxiously for Huyen to answer.

Huyen was bent over his school books when his phone rang from the kitchen--he\'d left it there when he was talking to Goku earlier about what to get at the supermarket. They went through food pretty fast, after all. Wondering if it might have been his young companion again he wandered into the kitchen and found the phone under a bag of potato chips. \"We don\'t need any more meat,\" he said right away.

Lan couldn\'t help a weak chuckle. \"If I see Goku, I\'ll let him know,\" he replied. Moving along the building, he found a clean bit of wall to lean against, staring down at the pavement. \"Listen, Huyen, what are you doing? Is Goku out?\"

\"Yeah--he went shopping. It\'ll probably take him a while.\" Huyen yawned, making his way back into the living room. \"What\'s up? You need something?\"

\"Well....\" He sighed. //It\'s going to sound weird, no matter how I say it.// \"I\'m at the hospital, and…someone just came in to the ER. I think...you might know him.\" Lan glanced back towards the street, somehow still able to see the image of the slumped boy--like it was burned against his eyes. \"Do you think you can come down here?\"

\"Someone I know?\" Huyen repeated, frowning. //Maybe someone from The Generals?// \"Sure, I can come.\" He moved to the door, slipping into his shoes. \"You don\'t want me to identify a body, do you? What a drag.\"

\"No--nothing like that. He...seemed healthy enough.\" Lan\'s stomach curled faintly. //For supposedly being dead.// \"Just...come down here. I\'ll meet you at the visitor entrance, okay?\" He turned, heading back towards the ER.

\"Yeah, okay.\" //He sounds tense. I wonder....// Huyen froze suddenly, his body tensing with the sudden though that it might have been Goku, but he quickly admonished himself; Lan would have told him if it was that important. \"I\'ll be right there--should I leave a note for Goku?\"

\"Yes, probably.\" He smiled faintly. \"He\'ll just worry if he doesn\'t know where you are. Tell him he can reach me on my cell.\" By then he was near the doors again, and it was getting difficult to hear. \"I\'ll see you soon, all right?\"

\"Okay. I\'m on my way.\" Huyen hung up, still baffled as he found his keys and locked the apartment door behind him. //What could it be? It\'s not like Lan to be worried. Maybe…my mom?// Frowning sharply he caught a cab to the hospital, quickly locating Lan at the visitor entrance as promised. \"Hey.\"

Lan nodded, quickly leading the boy through the busy halls. \"Thanks for coming. This boy just wandered into the ER bay a few minutes. Said he\'d been...injured...but we haven\'t found any indication of a wound. The doctors are currently doing tests.\" He ran a hand through his hair, still feeling a bit shaken.

Huyen cocked an eye at him. \"So? What does it have to do with me?\" He didn\'t want to sound cold, but he hadn\'t seen Lan make a face like that before, and it was setting him on edge. \"You said I might know him?\"

They stopped just outside a door, the room beyond supporting three beds, two of which were hidden by curtains. \"Huyen....\" He met the other\'s eyes seriously. \"I...have to warn you. This man....\" He rubbed at his temple briefly. \"He claims his name...is Wen Jin.\"

Huyen straightened, and for a brief instant he was sure his heart had stopped. His cynicism was quick to return to him, however, and the blood rushed back into his cheeks. //Wen Jin…it\'s not possible.// He lowered his head. //It\'s not--I was there.// \"Then there\'s no way I could know him,\" he muttered, feeling suddenly bitter that Lan would...toy with him like this.

\"Huyen....\" He set a hand on his shoulder. \"I know--I know it sounds like the stupidest joke ever, but.... He claims to haotteotten shot, and his hair....\" Lan glanced away briefly. \"And he just...feels like....\"

Huyen shook his head firmly. \"No. That\'s not funny.\" He was tempted to just walk out, and he turned, intending just that. //No--wait. If I leave now….// Grinding his teeth Huyen forced himself back. \"Fine. You want me to look at him? Whatever.\" //Let\'s just get this over with.//

Relieved, Lan guided him into the room, his hands trembling. //It can\'t be him, right? Huyen...he was so sure, so upset by the whole thing....//

Jin glanced up as a pair of figures came around his curtain, half expecting more doctors to come check his story again. When he saw who it really was, he grinned in relief. \"Yo. Looks like you made it without a scratch.\"

Huyen stared back at him for little more than a few seconds. As soon as he realized what he was looking at--the lean face, the red mohawk, the sly grin--a cold shudder went through him that nearly stopped his heart and lungs. //Jin….// It was too much to comprehend, and only a tiny gasp escaped him as he abruptly passed out.

Lan caught the boy quickly, though his own legs felt like giving in as well. //It really is him--this is just like when Huyen and I met.// His eyes lifted to the other\'s confused ones. //He\'s...Gojyo.// Turning away quickly, he struggled to lift Huyen into his arms.

\"Hey--\" Jin crawled quickly across the bed, uncaring as the equipment attached to him was sent squealing with their sensors removed. \"Huyen--is he okay?\" He helped Lan support the boy, frowning when he realized...Huyen felt a little bigger in his arms. \"Hey, you\'re a doctor--is he all right?\"

\"He\'s fine,\" Lan quickly assured, finally pulling Huyen\'s arm over his shoulders and hefting them both upright. He smiled, weakly and shakily, at the other young man. \"He\'s just passed out.\" Lan moved Huyen to a chair, trying to settle him comfortably. \"So...you really know him?\"

\"Yeah, he\'s in my gang--Xi Huyen.\" Jin scratched the back of his neck as he kept the unconscious boy steady with one hand. \"Never seen him do that before. I hope the little bastard\'s all right. Hey.\" He slapped Huyen cheek lightly, with no response. \"Hmph. You know him, too?\"

Lan nodded. \"For a while now,\" he replied, trying not to watch Jin too closely. \"Though sometimes...it feels like forever,\" he added suddenly, wondering.... //Will he recognize me? Huyen did, but....//

\"Yeah...I definitely know what you mean,\" Jin laughed, standing up a little straighter when it seemed like Huyen was steady. He faced Lan squarely, finally able to look him over. There was a tingle at the back of his skull, something...warm despite the slight sting, and familiar. \"So you know Huyen, huh?\" he asked carefully, though he was grinning, somewhat hopefully. \"Do you know...who he really is?\"

His eyes widened a bit. \"Yes,\" he replied, not even bothering to check what Jin meant--he already knew. \"I know him. I know...what he was.\"

Jin\'s eyes widened a little, grin broadening. //It\'s him. It\'s…really him.// \"Hey,\" he greeted, as if for the first time. He took a step closer, hesitating only a moment before lifting a hand to the side of Lan\'s face. \"I guess...it\'s \'long time no see\'.\"

Lan shivered, surprised by the chill that touch gave him. //It…really is him. Gojyo....// He reached up, gently taking Jin\'s hand and lowering it, though he didn\'t let go. \"Yes, it is. And…it\'s truer than you think.\" Glancing at Huyen, he tried to urge Jin back towards the bed. \"There\'s something you need to know.\"

\"Oh?\" Jin plopped down on the bed--nothing could dull his good mood now, just watching Lan\'s every movement. //God, he looks good. Even if he is older than me now.// He smirked. \"What about the monkey? Is he here?\"

Thrown off, Lan needed a moment to understand the question. \"Goku? Yes.\" He smiled--he could just imagine what Goku would have said had he been here. \"I believe he\'s out shopping at the moment, though I\'m sure he\'ll show up eventually.\"

\"Goku….\" //Yeah, that was his name. That damn brat ape.// Jin leaned back on his hands. \"Damn, that means...we really did it this time, huh? We\'re all here.\" He shivered excitedly at the thought. //But if Goku\'s here…that means Huyen must know about it.// He glanced to the boiefliefly. //I wonder if he\'s finally happy….//

\"Jin, listen,\" he said, determined to say what he needed to before the other started chatting again. \"You said you were shot, right? That\'s what you said before. And Huyen was with you?\"

\"Yeah….\" Jin was forced to sober somewhat as he recalled those memories. \"The damn punks jumped us--bastards.\" He cracked his knuckles expectantly. \"They\'ll get what\'s coming to them, that\'s for sure. But Huyen….\" He sighed. \"Fuck. I should have remembered that--no wonder he was so shocked.\"

Lan took a deep breath. \"That wound you showed us--it\'s old. Very old.\" He set his hand briefly against Jin\'s ribs. \"This sort of scar…it\'s years old. And from what Huyen\'s told us, it\'s about two years old.\"

\"Two….\" Jin frowned, not comprehending. \"Two years?\" he echoed. \"That\'s...that\'s ridiculous.\" He passed a hand back through his hair, and frowned suddenly when he realized...his mohawk had grown out. \"What...the hell?\"

Lan urged the other to sit back, knowing this would be a shock. \"I\'ve known Huyen for almost four months now. He...told us about you--me and Goku.\" He moved closer. \"You were shot two years ago, Wen Jin, and until now...we all thought you were dead.\"

\"Two years,\" Jin said again, shivering a little. It was...frightening, though he was beginning to understand even better why Huyen had reacted so severely. \"But if that\'s true...where was I? What happened to me?\"

\"That, we don\'t know yet,\" Lan admitted softly. \"They\'re doing some tests right now, and hopefully that will turn up something.\" //Though...how could it? What could possibly explain him being gone for two years without Huyen knowing….//

\"Well shit...\" Jin sighed, dragging a hand over his face. \"No wonder the poor kid passed out...\" His expression darkened further when he tried to imagine what it must have been like for him. \"Fuck. Is…he okay?\" He licked his lips. \"Even when we were together he was always so….\"

Lan glanced at the boy as well, running a hand through his hair. \"He\'s...okay,\" he replied. \"He\'s been living with Goku, and it\'s been good for him. From what I heard...it\'s been hard for him, though.\"

\"Yeah....\" //Well, thank god he had Goku, at least. I can\'t imagine....// Jin shook his head. \"He won\'t be out much longer,\" he said thoughtfully. \"Would you mind leaving me alone with him for a while?\" He smiled grimly. \"I\'m gonna have a lot to explain when he wakes up.\"

He nodded easily and stood. \"Of course. I\'ll see if I can\'t speed your tests up a bit.\" Nodding faintly, he quickly slipped from the room, thinking about sneaking out to the cafeteria for some coffee.

Not long after Huyen was drawn slowly awake. He blinked, unable to remember at first what had caused him to black out. When he lifted his eyes he was quickly--painfully--reminded. It\'s not possible. \"Jin...\" Shivering, he could only stare in pale confusion. \"You...can\'t b.\" .\"

Leaning back onto his bed, he smirked faintly. \"So I\'ve been told,\" he replied easily. //Two fucking years? That\'s just...weird.// \"Huyen....\" He ruffled his hair--it was starting to get limp. \"You okay now?\"

Huyen started to speak, but he couldn\'t find any words--wasn\'t sure if he was even awake yet. Gulping he pushed to his feet and cross the room to Jin\'s side. //It\'s not real it can\'t possibly be real.// He hesitated before touching him, though, afraid the elder boy would simply vanish in front of him.

Jin rolled his eyes--he remembered this hesitancy. He took Huyen\'s wrist, tugging him so he would sit on the bed beside him. \"Don\'t be so damn girly,\" he muttered around a faint grin. \"It doesn\'t suit you.\"

Huyen gasped at the touch, sitting down heavily on the bed edge as the strength faded from him. //It is him. He\'s alive…Jin is….//

He tasted the tears before he felt them, and in shame he turned his face into his hands, shoulders hunched and trembling. \"Fuck you,\" he growled weakly. \"Goddamnit, Jin, you stupid...fucking...\"

Chuckling silently, Jin sat up. He set a hand on top of the boy\'s head, using it to hold Huyen against him. //You haven\'t changed at all.// \"Hey, you\'d better knock it off. You\'ve got to tell me if that other guy was lying about...how long it\'s been.\" He gave Huyen a gently shake. \"You hear me?\"

\"Two years,\" Huyen gasped out, the truth only making him shake more. \"Almost two and half...\" He shook his head, pressing closer. \"Fuck you,\" he repeated. \"Where the hell have you been? Since then I….\"

Jin wrapped an arm lightly around the boy\'s shoulders. //Nope, he really hasn\'t changed.// \"I don\'t know--I didn\'t believe him when he said it\'s been that long. I don\'t remember anything.\" He pulled Huyen a little closer, somehow feeling more relaxed now that he was there.

Huyen sighed, gradually beginning to calm. //He\'s alive. That means we\'re all....// \"Goku\'s going to freak,\" he said quietly, scraping his sleeve across his face to clear the tears. \"He felt so guilty, that he didn\'t get a chance to talk to you before….\" //I still don\'t understand. I was there--I watched him...but he\'s here.//

\"Goku?\" Jin frowned, leaning back a bit. \"What do you mean? I...don\'t remember meeting him.\" //Fuck, is my memory really that shotty?//

\"He saw you once,\" Huyen explained. \"He\'s the leader of that gang Beast--you remember that, right? It must have been just before.\" He took a deep breath, finally able to calm himself. \"Fuck.\" He lifted his gaze to Jin\'s face at last, a bitter smile curling his lips. \"It\'s good to see you.\"

Jin ruffled his hair affectionately. \"And you, though it doesn\'t feel as long for me as I\'m sure it does for you.\" //Beast? Goku is \"the Beast?\" I suppose...I should have guessed that.// He grinned faintly. \"You look good, kid,\" he suddenly said. \"Finally started eating, huh?\" He pinched the boy\'s side playfully.

Huyen squirmed away from that touch, pushing his hand away. \"I\'m fine,\" he muttered. \'s h's hard not to eat when you live with Goku.\" He paused, suddenly wondering...what happened now? //I was with Jin before, but now….// He didn\'t want to think about that yet. \"You talked to Lan, didn\'t you? He\'s one of us, you know.\"

\"Yeah, I kinda figured.\" He flopped back on his bed again, his lips still curled faintly. \"So that\'s all of us, right? We\'re finally all together.... You must be thrilled, huh?\"

\"Yeah….\" Huyen watched him; it was so strange, after all this time, that Jin was back completely unchanged.... He licked his lips. \"How much do you remember?\" he asked suddenly. \"Not about these last two years, but...before. Our past lives.\" He glanced away. \"Lan remembers a lot more than I do. I wondered for a while if maybe you remembered a lot and…kept it from me.\"

Jin shrugged. \"Yeah, probably, but you didn\'t seem up to handling it, most of the time.\" He folded his arms behind his head, arching his back faintly, when a sobering thought came to him. \"You\'re nisseissed, are ya? That I didn\'t tell you.\"

\"...No.\" Huyen didn\'t glance back, his stomach curling a little. \"If you had told me, it would only have been worse...when you were gone...\" He took a deep breath and passed a hand through his hair. \"It\'s all right. Goku\'s been helping me remember stuff, but it\'s slow. I don\'t know if you telling me would have helped much more.\"

He nodded in relief, and for a long moment just studied his young companion\'s profile. //Not lover anymore,// he reminded himself. //He\'ll be with Goku now. Maybe...that\'s what\'s best.// He settled back into the stiff mattress. \"So when\'s the monkey brat gonna show, hmm?\"

\"I don\'t know. I left him a note telling where I\'d gone, but you know how he is with food.\" He shrugged. \"He could be out shopping for a while.\" He paused, blushing a little in embarrassment. \"How long was I out?\"

\"Not long,\" he assured. \"Just a few minutes.\" Jin reached out to ruffle the blond\'s hair again, somehow pleased with Huyen\'s expression. \"What a girly thing to do, fainting like that.\"

Huyen scowled, pushing his hand away again. \"Cut it out--you scared the shit out of me.\" He watched Jin a moment, relieved by how relaxed he looked--how natural and…alive. Without thinking he leaned forward suddenly, offering him a brief kiss. //I think…Goku really is the one I want. But that doesn\'t mean I can forget Jin, either....//

Jin smiled, gently returning the kiss. //Maybe it really has been that long--I...missed this.// He did manage to keep from grabbing the boy, though it took more restraint than he thought it would. //Fuck, I need to get laid.//

Huyen recognized that slight strain well enough--they had been lovers, after all. //I wonder if Lan....// Trying not to think too hard on it he leaned back. \"I\'ll have to catch you up on everything that\'s happened. But...are you all right? Do you need to rest or something?\"

\"Yeah, probably--I feel a little groggy.\" He relaxed, locking his fingers behind his head, just to keep them from getting minds of their own. \"Just find a way to get me out of here, okay? Before I go into withdrawal--I need a fucking cigarette.\"

Huyen rolled his eyes. \"And some ass, I\'m sure,\" he retorted, pushing to his feet. \"I\'ll see what I can do, but it might be up to Lan.\" He turned to leave, then paused to glance over his shoulder. \"Don\'t go anywhere, all right?\"

He grinned. \"You either,\" he shot back. Jin watched as the other left, finally closing his eyes. //What the hell has happened to me? Why...have I been gone so long?//

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*Side Notes*

Jin\'s reappearance is a little abrupt, I know, but it was something my cowr anr and I decided needed to happen. We actually took a break from this fic for a while, and in that time started another reincarnation fic that takes place during Sanzo\'s next life. In that one, all four of them are together. We thought about making that one a continuation of this one, but we weren\'t as happy with Shao (aka Sanzo) as we had been with Huyen. In the end, we decided to take our ideas from that fic and use them in this one.

But for that, Jin needed to come back. >^.^<

It will be explained how Jin survived, though not very well.\'s \'s one of those things that we never had the chance within the timeline of this fic to really discuss. An idea has been tossed around to go back and address it better, but...we\'ll see.

Thanks for reading!
--Shuukitty--