The Calling

Where is he, damn it? I TOLD him to stay in one spot. Now I've got to go looking for his sorry ass. Why can't he listen? The moron was probably hungry and went in search of food. I bet he's lost too.

I'm going to have to find him. Maybe he should sleep on the floor tonight. I'm certainly not going to let him have anything of mine. Especially not from there. The moron is probably stuck somewhere, calling for help. Again.

I can't forget how pathetic he looked in that prison sitting there staring out at me.

"Let's go," I haid aid as I held my hand out to him.

"Go where?" he had asked.

"All right Goku. I'm not in the mood to play games. Where the hell are you?"

There was a noise in the brush and I aimed my gun. Goku stepped out and blinked his eyes. I sighed in relief then smacked him across the head with my fan.

"OW! What the hell was that for?" Goku demanded anfoldfolded my arms.

"For disobeying me. I told you to stay put," I said.

"Hey it's not my fault the floating heads got done early."

"You were supposed to stay here."

"But Sanzo, I was really hungry and I smelled something cooking...."

"No excuses. You disobeyed me. Let's go."

"Where are we going, huh?"

"Shut up."

"But I wanna know where are we going?"

"Goku, you've already annoyed me once today. Don't try for a second time."

"What's got you pissed off? Aw....c'mon...it's not a secret is it? I don't like secrets."

"We're going back to see Gojyo."

"Gojyo? Why?"

"Because I think he's hiding more than he's letting on."
*********************************************************
Why do we have to go back and speak to the cockroach again? That's what he looks like. Especially with his hair. He looks like a giant cockroach. It I were taller, I'd probably step on him. I wonder if that'd be bad....Doesn't Sanzo tell me not to take lives? Of course that doesn't make sense. Why does he tell me one thing then go off and kill people with his gun? He says it's got some sort of "divine influence". What the hell is that?

"Stop Goku," Sanzo said and I looked at him.

"What?" I asked. He pushed me against a tree and brought his face close to mine. What was wrong with him? He leaned closer to me and I opened my mouth. He kissed me as I felt his hands lower on my body. What was he trying to do? He drew away and took a rope from his robe. I watched him tie my hands together then stared at him.

"What did I do?" I asked and he grinned.

"Nothing. At least not yet. We don't have to go back and speak to Gojyo straight away. We can stay right here and have some...fun," he said.

"How the hell is this having fun? I can't move my arms."

"You aren't supposed to. I'm the one in control. Now shut up. You're talking too much."

I watched him untuck my shirt. He ran a hand up underneath it and placed the other hand in my pants. Was this a new ritual he was trying? Wait...I could feel my face grow warm as I felt pressure on my skin. I know what he's doing. I wonder why I couldn't tell earlier. I guess it's because I trust him so much.

"Sanzo..."

"You talk too much Goku."

He kissed me again and I watched that shine in his eyes as he drew away. I don't know what it is, but it seems to be only there when he does this to me. I watched his face for a moment then drew away. I smelled danger. Sanzo must have sensed the same thing that I had because he drew away and pulled out his gun. He scanned the area as I took out my nyribuu. Something definitely was was out there and Sanzo was really pissed. I guess it had to do with being interrupted. He really wanted to do what he was doing to me and it got cut short. I feel bad about that....What am I thinking about? Something bad is out there and I'm thinking about Sanzo. I've got to change my thinking.
**************************************************************
"So...what are you gonna do once you're healed?" I asked and the stranger looked at me.

"There are some things that I must take care of," he replied as he drew another card. I looked at my hand and then at him, trying to figure out what he was holding. I mean, he's pretty damned good for an invalid. Not to sound mean or anything but hell, I make a living out of gambling and he's beaten me five times now. How does he do it?

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just trying to figure out how you keep beating me," I said and he apologetically lowered his head.

"I'm sorry. I've always had a knack for this," he said and I waved a hand.

"Don't worry about it. I guess you've got more luck then I have skill. Hold on. That's the door. I wonder who's coming by at this time of night. If it's a woman, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"Huh? Oh. Of course."

I stood up and lit a cigarette and walked to the door. I opened it and stepped outside. Damn. What stood in front of me was a blonde with intriguing violet eyes. But, there was one problem. Those eyes belonged to none other than that high priest Sanzang or whatever. Yup. He brought his monkey along too. Great. What did I do to deserve this visit?

"Hey there Mr. Monk. I thought you and your playmate were long gone from here," I said and made a slight face at the double meaning of "playmate". I pray to all things sacred that the second meaning wasn't true. For a priest and a monkey to be....

"This isn't a pleasure call," he said as I leaned against the door of my house.

"Really? Let's see, what are you selling? Scriptures? Holy cookies?"

"What the hell is he talking about, Sanzo?" the kid asked and the priest looked at him.

"Quiet Goku. All right, we've heard that you have someone staying in your house," the priest said and I looked at him.

"Later maybe. My libido is running pretty high tonight," I said and the priest glared at me.

"You're starting to piss me off so you'd better answer my questions or else you'll regret it. Now, we have information that a man by the name of Cho Gonou, a man who has murdered an entire demon clan was seen around this area. We also know that you've taken in an injured man. All I want to know is if that man is Cho Gonou."

"And what will you do if it is?"

"Take him to be punished. Murder is a serious crime."

"Sorry. I don't know who you're talking about. There hasn't been anyone else around here for awhile."

"All right then. If you want death so much, I'll give it to you."
*******************************************************
Man this stinks. I don't know why but it does. Well, I'm pretty sure I know why. Before it was just me and him. Now we've got that stupid bug guy and we've got to do what those floating heads say. I miss the days when it was just me and Sanzo.

Yeah that monastery we were at was boring as hell but the food was good. If you were a rabbit. I mean, I didn't mind the food, but I wish we could have had meat once in awhile. I don't see how vegetarians survive. I guess that's why Sanzo would leave and take me to a place that served meat at least a couple times a month. Now what was the reason again? Why couldn't there be meat in the monastery? I know there's some reason why Bhuddists weren't supposed to eat meat but I can't remember why.

Let's see...Bhuddists can't eat meat because....it has something to do with flowers. Little pink flowers. What did Sanzo call them? Carnations. Meat has something to do with carnations which is why we're not supposed to eat any. Hey...that makes no sense at all. In any case, I like my meat. Especially when it's been cooked well. Not really well, though. I don't like when it's all black and hard. That kind of meat is just gross.

But that's not the most important reason why I miss the old days. I miss just being with him. Sure I get my time with him now but it's not like it once was. There was more to it in the past. I would say hotter but I don't know if that's right. I mean, sure I got hot when he did it, but I figured that was because of the fire or the blankets or something. Heat can't be a...feeling can it? I mean, my hands start to sweat when he does it, just like they sweat when I'm too close to the fire but....Hey why is Sanzo looking at me like that? I haven't done a damned thing wrong. Of course, that might be the problem.
***********************************************************
WHAT the hell is he doing?! I've got an assignment to do, damn it! If I had known he was going to be like this, I would have left him tied to that tree. I can't STAND when he stares at me.

"So you gonna preach some more or what, holy man?" the red-headed playboy asked and I looked at him. "Because if you're done, I'm gonna go back inside and think about this conversion thing."

"I'm hardly done with you," I said as I raised my gun. "Now tell me the truth or I'll be forced to use some divine influence."

"What exactly do you stand for? Man, you've got one hell of an oxymoron. A priest that kills."

I fired the gun and he moved slightly. I held my weapon steady, ignoring the anger that was building up inside me.

"I'm not going to let you stand in my way. I was told to bring Gonou back to the shrine. Whether or not you die in the process, will be your decision."

"Stop!"

The door swung open and Gonou stepped out. I narrowed my eyes at the criminal. Why was he so important? Of course, it's not my place to question the will of the gods.

"Would you get back in there?!" Gojyo demanded then looked at me and stood up. "All right. So you wanna have him. We'll you're gonna have to go through me."

"All right then. Goku, take care of Gonou."
*****************************
Huh? Man, and here I was thinking about a plate of meat buns. All right, I'll go after the guy, although he doesn'tm alm all that evil to me. Hey...he's not supposed to do that. The big guy knocked Sanzo's gun out of his hand and the other guy picked it up and pointed it at me. Damn. I don't think he's foolin' around, either.

"S-Sanzo..." I said, trying not to show the fear I felt. The criminal....Gonow...wait that's not right....Anyways, he held the gun at my chest with shaky arms and a weird look in his eyes.

"Don't make me use this," he said haltingly. "I just have one thing to take care of and then I'll gladly give up."

"Damn it!" Sanzo said as the guy ran off. Gonot? No, that's not right either. What IS his name?

"Hey Sanzo..." I said and he glanced at me. "What are we gonna do now?"

"Let me tell you somethin'," the redhead said and Sanzo looked at him. "That guy is very determined. He said he's gonna do what he's gotta do. He'll do it and then, he'll probably die."

"Well I can't allow him to die because of his own stupidity," Sanzo said and glanced at me.

"Come on Goku. We're going."

"Where?" I asked.

"We're going after Gonou."

"Then I'm going to. He said that my hair was his penitence. I'm not gonna let him forget that," the cockroach said and I stared at him. Why anyone would want to look like a bug is beyond me. Sanzo tapped his fan against his palm and I looked at him. Guess I'd better get to following. I really don't want him to use that thing on me. My head still hurts from the last time he used it.
**************************************
Man, I don't know what he was thinking about, but his stupidity really cost us this time. My weapon is gone and now I've got to go after a man I'm supposed to bring back alive. Plus, I've got that perverted redhead following me and I'm starting to get a migraine. This sucks.

"Sanzo...that guy is still following us," Goku whispered and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Like I can do anything about it. He wants to come, then let him. I've got no control over what he does. If he gets killed, it'll be his own fault. My only concern is to carry out the mission that I was given," I said.

"All right...Sanzo....."

"What?"

"I smell blood."

"What the hell is he? A dog?" Gojyo asked and I glanced at him.

"Keep up if you can. Be careful Goku," I said as Goku ran along ahead. He can be way too much for me to handle at times but there are other times that I'm eternally grateful for him.

".....I'll remove my right eye and then my left. Then my ear..." Gonou was saying to the surviving member of the Crow Clan, the demon family that had once lived in the area we now stood in.

"STOP!!!" Goku cried as he ran out of the brush. "I was just thinkin' to myself how pretty your eyes were and now you've ruined them!"

He's never told me my eyes are pretty. What's up with that? I stepped forward and my foot pushed against something cold and metallic. Damn. That hurts. Especially when one is wearing sandals. I bent over and picked up my gun that Gonou had dropped. I put another bullet in and glanced at Gojyo who stood watching me.

"Another chapter in hypocrisy right, holy man?" he asked and I lowered my eyes.

"It is written that when you meet Bhudda, kill Bhudda. There is such a thing as the law of karma. Life isn't about what's given to you. It's about what you make of it. Now, it is not my place to pass judgment over Gonou. My duty is to merely bring him to the temple. It is there that his fate will be decided. However, I will not let him die before his judgment."
********************************************
Damn this is boring. How come I have to sit out here waiting for them? And him tying me up to this column wasn't the least bit funny. He said it was so I wouldn't wander off. What the hell does he think I am? A dog? I AM starting to itch, though. I wonder if this is similar to what I felt in that prison....I don't think Sanzo would do that to me, though. I sure hope not...

There were nights where it was so cold. I don't know how I stood it, sitting there on the ground all chained up. I don't think I really thought when I was stuck there. I just felt cold, alone, and hungry. Plus my body started to really hurt from sitting on that cold hard ground for so long. Sure I could move, but not as much as I wanted to. I wonder if I would have stayed there forever if Sanzo hadn't come along? Man, I sure hope not.

I really do wish I could apologize to whoever I hurt. I don't even remember what I did but it must have been really really bad to be stuck in such a place for so long. I've just got to make sure that I don't do the same thing again. That would be bad. I don't want to hurt anyone unless I have to. I don't want to be stuck there again.

I wonder what's happening to Gonog...Damn! That's not his name either. Why can't he have an easy to remember name like Goku? Hey...that's MY name. No wonder it's easy to remember. I'm just glad Gojyo didn't come along. I don't think I could have stood looking at his ugly hair this long. Why is it red anyway? What did he do? Paint it?

I wanna get out of this. Sanzo better not be laughing in there because of how I'm tied up out here. See if I let him touch me anymore. See if I let him rub my middle with his soft hands. See if I let him put his mouth down there and run his tongue back and forth... Great. Now I'm getting hot. It must be the wind. I sure wish they'd hurry up. This really hurts. Why the hell does a priest have a rope anyway?