Blood & Chocolate

Blood & Chocolate

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.
- Mary Frye

Prologue: Fearless, Proud and Strong



THUMP.

Gojyo and Hakkai both turned simultaneously to see the monk seated before the soft mound of dirt. No one spoke. No one had to. A rustle of fabric tore through the deafening silence as Sanzo extracted his golden crown and a scroll from his sleeve. He placed the diadem upon his head, took the scroll between his hands and began to chant softly, allowing his sad eyes to close.

Gojyo lightly exhaled his held breath and allowed the tears that he had forced back to fall, though his face remained unchanged. He never forgot what Sanzo had said the mere morning after they had met. When I read a sutra, it's not for the dead. It stirred something inside of him. This had to be the monk's way of dealing, of grieving.

It still seemed surreal. Hearing the calm soft words flowing from Sanzo's lips, Gojyo could still feel the gentle weight in his arms as they walked down the mountain. He half expected to feel some twitch, a tiny sigh, anything that would reassure him that there was still life in the small boy he carried, but there was nothing. Not even a breath. It still hadn't hit him.

The hanyou felt the clasp of a hand to his shoulder and glanced over at Hakkai, a solemn cast to his face as they watched Sanzo. Finally, after what seemed to be hours but was a few minutes, the monk reached a hand out to the fresh earth, digging in with his fingertips as he lifted himself off of the ground. Sanzo mumbled something under his breath, too soft for the others to hear. He removed his crown, replaced it and the Seiten Scripture in the sleeves of his robe and turned to the Jeep.

“Let's go,” Sanzo said calmly, not bringing his gaze up to the other two. They climbed into the Jeep in silence, Gojyo casting one last long glance at the resting place of Seiten Taisei Son Goku. It was fitting somehow that they had found the peach tree as they traveled back. Sanzo had insisted quietly that they stop, standing back holding the urn with the monkey's remains reverently as Gojyo dug the hole.

Gojyo turned forward in his seat and swiped furiously at his eyes. They had known the risks and dangers of their mission. They were all prepared to die to succeed. We're all living so that one day, we can die laughing, he remembered himself saying once. There was no laughter, no sound but the wheels of the Jeep tearing across the sandy ground beneath them. Lives were lost on both sides, but they never expected for that last moment in Houtou castle. Gojyo could still see Goku turn to them, the sad smile on his face before diving right in, saving the world, sacrificing himself for their lives.

Sanzo may have been Goku's sun, but they all felt the spark of light that Goku had brought to their lives fade into the sunset.


Go the Distance
I have often dreamed
Of a far off place
Where a hero's welcome
Would be waiting for me
Where the crowds will cheer
When they see my face
And a voice keeps saying
This is where I'm meant to be

I will find my way
I can go the distance
I'll be there someday
If I can be strong
I know ev'ry mile
Will be worth my while
When I go the distance
I'll be right where I belong

Down an unknown road
To embrace my fate
Though the road may wander
It will lead me to you
And a thousand years
Would be worth our wait
It may take a lifetime
But somehow I'll see it through

I will find my way
I can go the distance
I'll be there someday
If I can be strong
I know ev'ry mile
Will be worth my while
When I go the distance
I'll be right where I belong

But to look beyond the glory is the hardest part
For a hero's strength is measured by his heart

I will beat the odds
I can go the distance
I will face the world
Fearless, proud and strong
I will please the Gods
I can go the distance
Til I find my hero's welcome
Right where I belong

I know ev'ry mile
Will be worth my while
I'll be right where I belong