Ok…so even tho I've been writing for years, this is the first time I've ventured into actually putting anything out for others to see. I'm hoping that if other people are interested in my work, it'll encourage me to write more. I am extremely put-out by incomplete fanfiction, so I'll do my best to finish everything that I choose to post. Feedback, of course, is welcome. Saiyuki and all of its characters, of course, don't belong to me…so don't bother suing…I'm really not worth the trouble.

And so…here goes…my first shot at posted fanfiction! WEEEE! XD

I. normal rules don't apply

He remembered joy…contentment. He was happy. Completely at peace. If there were the occasional argument or scolding, it was still ok. Even when the sun's light shone harshly, it still brought life…sustained existence. It was alright. He was happy.

But then shadow fell. Something had blocked out the sun and all that was left was cold emptiness. He was alone and afraid, but there was nothing left for him, nowhere he belonged. That was long, long ago…

Goku woke to the glaring sun in his eyes. Somehow, it made him momentarily very sad. That is, until his brain caught up to him. Shit! He'd fallen asleep again! And what the hell was in his nose. He swatted a hand at his face and two cigarette butts fell into his lap.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS YOU ERO KAPPA!"

"Hey, what else am I supposed to do to entertain myself? Your snoring gets really old, really fast."

"So what? Sleeping is an invitation for you to shove your gross cigarettes in my nose?"

"Well, I wanted to go for your mouth but your breath is so bad that the cigarettes disintegrated on contact."

"WHAT? YOU'RE TALKING TO ME ABOUT BAD BREATH? With all the cigarettes you smoke it's a shocker anyone can come within miles of your stink!

"BIG WORDS FROM SOMEONE WHO ALWAYS SMELLS LIKE A WALKING GARBAGE DISPOSAL!"

"AT LEAST I'M NOT A LOSER SMOKER WITH YELLOW TEETH AND A BAD ATTITUDE!"

Sudden gunshots rang out in the desert heat.

"IF YOU TWO IDIOTS DON'T CUT IT OUT YOU WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HOW EITHER OF YOU SMELL BECAUSE YOU'LL BOTH BE DEAD!" Goku looked up, chagrined, at the monk standing over him. He could almost see the vein pulsing at his temple in irritation.

"Now Sanzo, I'm not responsible for what happens to those who fire weapons and stand in a moving vehicle." Hakkai's calm voice interjected itself into the argument. "Please sit down and refrain from firing inside of Jeep." Goku breathed a sigh of relief as Sanzo's irritation found a new target. He sent Hakkai a silent thank you and settled in the back pointedly ignoring Gojyo and pretending to brood. No one seemed to have noticed anything odd which was good; business as usual. He had almost reached his goal; he just needed a little bit more time. If he could just head off their suspicions for a bit longer, he'd have a wonderful surprise for everyone. The youth bit his lip in anticipation and focused on the surrounding desert willing himself to stay awake.

Hakkai surveyed the sky. It was getting dark. They wouldn't come to the next town for another several hours, and judging by the dense forest they were now traveling through, it would probably not be wise to continue traveling after dark.

"Well everyone, it looks like we'll be camping out again tonight." He said with his ever present grin. As expected, the announcement was met by a chorus of groans from the back seat and a barely perceptible grunt from his left. He fully understood the frustrations of spending yet another night outdoors, but the weather was fair, the sky clear, and in truth he didn't mind it so much. Some of the inns where they had stayed had been much worse.

He found a lovely clearing near a river. The water sparkled in the steadily dying light, the tree line broke to reveal tall rocks by the water, perfect for jumping, and he had the sudden urge to take some much needed R&R. There was enough light and heat left in the day that a quick swim was still possible.

"This looks good Jeepu. We'll stop here for the night." There were no complaints from the rest of the group at his choice of camp sites. Indeed, Gojyo and Goku had already removed their packs from the Jeep and were running towards the water's edge.

"Please remember to collect fire wood for the night before it gets too dark!" He called after the retreating duo. They called vague affirmations over their shoulders and continued to towards the water, trailing removed clothing in their wake. "Will you be joining us, Sanzo?" Hakkai turned to his eternally grumpy friend who was surveying the two playing in the water with every appearance of distaste. He grunted.

"Maybe if I go over and wish hard enough, they'll manage to drown each other." With that, Sanzo began stripping from his robes to change into a pair of swimming trunks. Hakkai followed suit.

For the next hour or so, the group took-up the rare opportunity for them to be the young adults that they were. Even Sanzo couldn't resist the pull of the slow flowing water and the deep holes that had been formed by the current over time. Goku and Gojyo wrestled, Hakkai discovered that there were fish in the water and managed to catch a couple. Sanzo explored some of the deeper swimming holes, diving expertly from the rocks. It was a good end to a good day.

As the day ended however, eyes were drawn more and more often to a certain high spirited boy who was not as high spirited as he used to be. Goku was fading fast. Normally, play time left the youngest member of their group overflowing with energy. Tonight should have been very interesting with Goku up to his usual antics while Gojyo egged him on and Sanzo threatened violence on both of them; however, even before they had grudgingly pulled themselves from the river to set up camp, it was plane to see that Goku was struggling to keep up with everyone else.

Hakkai finished cooking their fish stew and served up portions for each of them making sure to spoon extra into Goku's bowl. Here, Goku showed more energy than he had all night as he greedily consumed his stew and bread in a few greedy mouthfuls. He was eating like a starving man; more so than usual.

When he finished, he looked down into his bowl looking somewhat dejected. The first crickets of the evening began chirping quietly and Goku looked up as though finally noticing the awkward silence that had befallen the group. He turned to Gojyo preparing to speak, not doubt making an attempt to keep up appearances, but Hakkai cut him off.

"Goku, why don't you go lay out your bed roll. We'll let you know when it's your turn to keep watch.

"What? Why? It's too early to go to bed! I wanna stay up with you guys!" Goku sounded so much like a small child at that moment that it brought a rare, true smile to Hakkai's face as he set aside his meal and walked over to where Goku sat, helping him up from his seat.

"Now now, Goku. Children must listen to their parents and do as they say."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!" Goku put up a token protest, but it was not particularly convincing and before Hakkai had returned to his seat by the fire, the youth was already asleep.

"I don't know what we're going to do about this." Hakkai said picking up his bowl.

"We're gonna tell the idiot to stop doing whatever the hell he's doing." Gojyo piped in. He had just finished his stew and was reaching into his pocket for a cigarette. "Cause this really sucks. I'm bored out of my head 'cause all he ever wants to do anymore is sleep. What the hell is up with the saru anyway?"

"I'm honestly not sure," was Hakkai's response. "All I know is that the more time that passes, the more I am reminded of his other self. Everyday, we travel he feels more and more like the creature released when his limiter shatters. It's almost like he is drawing strength from that other personality, but with his limiter, I don't know how that would even be possible—"

"He's a heresy." Sanzo, who had been silent up until this point, spoke quietly, but the words carried through the stillness of the night. "Born from the aura of the earth itself, his creation was never ordained by the gods. I can only assume that he was locked in that cave because they didn't know what else to do with him, but when it comes to Goku," he set aside his bowl, lit a cigarette, and took a long drag from it before finishing his sentence, "normal rules don't apply."

"So basically what you're saying is that we don't know what might happen if he does manage to somehow sneak around his limiter." Gojyo threw the butt of a cigarette into the fire as he spoke, pulling another cigarette from his pocket. "For all we know, we could just be waiting for that psycho to wake up again and tear us all a new one."

"There's no way that I'd let a chibi saru like that get in my way." Sanzo murmured around his cigarette. "Of course I'm watching to make sure he doesn't screw it up."

"So you've known all along what he's been doing and you never said anything?" Gojyo let his cigarette dangle at the corner of his mouth as he addressed the monk. "Why Sanzo-sama, I think I'm hurt."

"Sanzo's right though," Hakkai interjected. "If Goku does manage to master his other self, if he can gain complete control of his power, it would work out for the best for all of us in the end. We wouldn't have to worry about him losing control anymore and honestly, that kind of power would be very useful in our efforts to stop the rise of Gyumao."

"Yeah," Gojyo said throwing another cigarette butt into the fire while lighting yet another cigarette. "But I still think we're putting a lot of faith in 'if'."

Far off somewhere else, ever watchful eyes were monitoring the group's progress.

"Kanzeon Bosatsu!" The deity ignored hir eternally agitated companion's incessant nagging. "Is it really alright that the child is attempting to circumvent his restraints? The council will not be pleased with this—"

"The council won't care what happens as long as the brat doesn't break anything." The kami turned hir focus momentarily away from the group whose journey was so important to maintaining balance in the world, and looked off into the ever-present luminescence of Tenkai. "Who knows," she said more to hirself than to hir aid, weighing the potentials and probabilities of the situation, "maybe the saru will actually pull it off and we won't have to bother watching him so closely anymore. Besides, if nothing else, this is sure to become very interesting."

"But surely if word of this reaches—"

"There's no reason that anyone other than the two of us should know about this." The kami was suddenly very serious. "This group was assigned to me and me alone. Only I am permitted such close surveillance due to the many enemies those four made during their time here. As it is my nephew and his companions we are dealing with, I am responsible for deciding what will and will not jeopardize their mission." She relaxed again. "The way I figure, the events that are transpiring will actually guarantee the success of this mission. Don't worry so much, Jiroushin. Sit back and observe. This should be loads of fun."

Unnoticed by the duo, a lone shadow hurried away from the Bosatsu's court.