Authors Notes: This is just an experiment on a modern times story staring the Saiyuki Characters, but mainly it is as usual focused on the interaction and pairing of Sanzo and Hakkai. So yeah it still is in experimental mode, but any positive reviews will make me want to continue it. I was going to do another incident story for Sariyuki's project, but this popped into my head instead. Hope someone enjoys.

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Had to be Fate

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"Come on Sanzo, I wanna eat!" Came the whining voice of a brown haired golden-eyed boy pulling on the sleeve of the taller man walking beside him. At the persistent tugging on the sleeve of his black button down shirt the man, known as Sanzo, lifted up his left hand and proceeded to whack it over the head of the annoying boy.

"Shut up baka saru!" Barked Sanzo as he proceeded to tug his right arm away from the boy and racked slender fingers through his golden locks of hair, halting when he came to the band holding the strands at the nape of his neck together. Usually he never cared to tie back the strands of hair brushing down his neck, but today was a particularly warm day and he had to admit to himself that the cool breeze felt good on his skin.

"Ow that hurt Sanzo…" Looking down at the boy, Goku by name saru by nature, with deep amethyst eyes Sanzo thought the he was ready to turn on the water works at the dewiness within those orbs and sighed frustratingly in defeat.

"Pick a restaurant…and you've got two seconds to choose or else we continue on our way." Sanzo grounded out and jerked as his wrist was captured by the shorter boys as he dragged him straight into the restaurant they had been passing on the street.

"I've never been here Sanzo, but Lirin said they had really great meat buns!" Frowning at the name of the young girl that constantly bugged him, Sanzo did nothing but 'che' as he stood at the counter, arms folded over his chest and waited to be shown to a table. His amethyst eyes glanced down at the eager Goku, observing as the boys mouth watered as he watched a tray of food head out the door as the restaurant had 'al fresco' dining.

"Table for two?" Came a kind voice and amethyst lifted up to stare at a busty woman with purple hair. He nodded in affirmation and was shown to a table and took one of the menus from the woman and looked it over.

"I'll have everything on the menu!" Chirped the happy Goku, well until a menu came flying down upon his head that is.

"No you won't! You'll choose three dishes and that's all!" Sanzo gruffly replied as he once more opened the menu to go back to the two choices he was switching between and ignored the whimpering from Goku. Why he decided to look after him was beyond his knowledge. He had to have been drunk that day.

"Ano, I'll take your drinks order and then come back for your food order, so what would you like?" The waitress softly voiced as she sweatdropped at her new customers.

"I'll have a beer…and the saru will have milk." Sanzo replied not even paying any attention to the grumbling that was currently coming from Goku at only being allowed to have milk and not alcohol like Sanzo.

"I'll be right back." Not paying attention to the waitress Sanzo decided he'd have a bowl of soba noodles to go with his beer and turned narrowed amethyst orbs up and over the menu to see Goku biting his lip still trying to decide what he wanted.

"Have you decided?" The waitress came back and placed down the milk and the beer.

"Soba noodles." Sanzo grunted out before taking a long drink.

"I'll have…" Golden eyes moved hurriedly over the menu before Goku smiled and lifted his finger to point out what he wanted." That, that and that and…" His fingers were soon empty however as the menu was now held in Sanzo's hands as he folded it and handed it to the waitress.

"You chose your three dishes saru."

"But Sanzo…" Just the look in the older man's eyes meant Goku needed to shut his mouth now or there would be hell to pay. So for once in his short life Goku listened to the warning in those eyes and shut up. However, he started to fidget as he impatiently waited for his food.

While Sanzo continued to drink his beer, bored amethyst eyes gazed about the place until he focused on a pair of ruby ones gazing his way. Narrowing his look he realized the guy actually worked here and was heading on over with their food order, but with a strange grin on his face.

"A waitress friend of mine wants to know whether you're really the guy that…"

"Yes." Sanzo replied before the redhead could even finish his sentence and the grin grew as he turned his head over his shoulder.

"Oi, Yaone-chan its true, but you're outta luck I'm afraid. He seems to be taken by the little monkey here." The man with red hair jerked forward, nearly dropping the tray of food as a hand had clenched into his blue shirt and pulled him towards a menacing face.

"I'm taken by no one cockroach. Now give us our food and get back to work before I mess up that face of yours."

"Che!" The redhead muttered before placing down the dishes which Goku smiled happily about. He hadn't even heard a single word between the two bickering men as his large dewy eyes had been staring endlessly into the steaming food. Quickly grabbing the bowl of soba before Goku inhaled it down his throat, Sanzo moved it in front of him and picked up some chopsticks and began to eat slowly. Not even a quarter of the way through his meal, Sanzo lifted his eyes and a vein throbbed on his head as Goku was licking his fingers, the three dishes empty.

"Ne Sanzo I'm still…"

"Don't even say it." Sanzo warned as he finished half of his meal off, but just watching the saru slurp down his food made him loose his appetite and he shoved the bowl away.

"Eat it." He spoke and the noodles were taken into Goku's bottomless pit of a stomach in one gulp. Sanzo's hand instantly went up to massage the vein throbbing at his temple as he resisted the urge to beat up the saru in a restaurant full of onlookers.

"Get up, we're leaving." Sanzo spoke as he downed the rest of his beer and headed for the cashier. He pulled out his credit card and the woman began to tally up the total. Sighing once more, Sanzo knowing he'd have a complaining Goku on his hands for the rest of the day if he didn't get to taste a meat bun or two and spoke his request.

"Add six meat buns to go onto the bill as well."

"Yattaa! Thanks Sanzo!" Goku hugged Sanzo's left arm in excitement but the golden haired man shook him off and then grabbed the bag of meat buns from the cashier and handed them to the ecstatic monkey.

"Just move your ass out of the restaurant monkey." Sanzo grumbled knowing he had a soft spot for the kid, but would never admit it even on his death bed and yet still the monkey was a pain in his ass as he constantly caused trouble for him. While beginning to sign the receipt, all customers inside the restaurant stopped eating when there was a crashing sound from outside and it was followed by wailing. Scribbling the rest of his name in a hurry Sanzo dashed out of the restaurant.

"What the hell did you do this time monkey?" Sanzo yelled while placing his hand up to block off the glaring sun and looked down to see Goku sprawled on the ground, an empty bag as six meat buns had rolled out and were now sitting on the concrete.

"I'm sorry are you hurt?" Sanzo listened to a man, who was currently bent over helping up Goku, voice to the sniffling monkey. Amethyst orbs watched as the still crouching man, with his back to him as well, was brushing the dirt from Goku's face and clothes.

"The meat buns…" Goku mumbled while glancing down at the one near his foot.

"I'll buy you some more, it was my fault after all." Sanzo blinked at the softness in the man's voice and watched him rise to his feet. He would only be a few cm's taller then himself. It wasn't long before the man turned around and stopped in his tracks at gaining the attention of Sanzo who was still standing at the entrance way.

"Sanzo the nice man's going to buy me some new meat buns, right Mister?" Goku cheerily asked and was funnily enough clutching the man's trousers. A pleasant smile broke onto the man's face as he placed a hand on Goku's head ruffling his thick brown hair.

"Of course." He had replied. Sanzo remained standing idle, not even registering what Goku said as he continued to stare into emerald eyes which were looking down into Goku's golden ones. The man wore a pair of glasses over them, but Sanzo noticed that scruffy brunette bangs fell over his right eye blocking most of it from view. He wore black trousers, a white button down shirt which wasn't tucked into his pants and a black tie hung loosely away from his neck with the top button of his shirt undone and in his left hand he held a black dress jacket.

"Yattaa!" Goku cheered which snapped Sanzo from his daze as the unknown man began walking towards him, flashed him a small smile almost apologetic for upsetting the boy like he had but swiftly walked past and into the restaurant for more meat buns. Moving towards the saru, Sanzo made the boy pick up the ruined meat buns and threw them in a nearby trash can before turning to see the emerald eyed man walk out and bend down to hand the smiling Goku his new meat buns.

"Thanks!" Goku replied while clutching the meat buns to his chest.

"Its quite alright I'm just glad you weren't hurt."

"Che, he could get hit by a car and the car would be more damaged then this saru." Sanzo spoke and observed as emerald eyes flickered his way as the taller man stood once more to his full height and chuckled lightly at Sanzo's words. Sanzo's eyes had widened slightly at the sound, never hearing a more pure laugh then that one.

"If you say so." Was the emerald eyed man's answer before Sanzo and he were interrupted by the waitress with lavender hair as she headed towards the brunette and took a hold of his hand.

"How are you feeling?" She spoke to him, Sanzo wondering why she was frowning and he was smiling even though the smile wasn't as genuine as it previously had been.

"There is no need to worry about me Yaone-san, I'm fine." Sanzo heard the man softly reply and then turned his amethyst eyes to Goku who was reaching into the bag to grab one of the meat buns.

"Saru, let's go." Quickly turning his back on the little show of affection between the two strangers to him, Sanzo headed off with Goku running to catch up with him. Out of the corner of his as he continued to walk past with his hands shoved into his jeans pockets he noticed that even though the brunette was talking with Yaone the waitress his emerald eyes were in fact…watching him! Amethyst widened once more, Sanzo feeling mortified when he could feel heat rising to his face and quickly turned his head away from those bright emerald eyes.

"Ne Sanzo, wasn't that nice of that Mister to buy me new meat buns?" Goku asked with his mouth full, the bag nearly empty as he stuffed his face to try and satisfy his ever growling stomach.

"Hn…" Sanzo grunted half heartedly while his brain decided to keep the image of scruffy brunette hair, sparkling green eyes and a pleasant smile in his memory. Sanzo felt his lips turn into its usual frown. He had never been drawn to anyone before, but just staring silently at that stranger made his brain tick over with thousands of thoughts and ideas. Just who in the hell was he?

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TBC…

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