AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is going to be just a collection of one-shots focusing on the two most common pairings. But, it's going to be post-Gaiden, pre-Gensomaden. A couple of quick notes about the sets:

With SanzoXGoku stories, it's really going to focus a lot on Goku being reintroduced to society. I was reading a sociology report on wild children (kids abandoned/abused and left to fend for themselves in the wild...it's actually really interesting), and it kind of gave me the idea. If you've read Eternal Sunshine, it's going to be written in a similar style as that, with each story becoming more and more solid (so to speak).

With the GojyoXHakkai stories, I'm going to take turns trying to write from their POV. It'll be somethng new for me...and I really like doing something different! Their story is going to really hit on the mutual emotional scars they share...and how they help each other.

Okay, about the story here real quick. It's called I'm Scared, and it's written as a flashback to just after Sanzo freeing Goku. Um...that's all! And that is it for the insanely long AN!

Goku dropped his bag just inside the door and looked around his small room. His room. It was all his. The four of them were stopping for the evening and the inn was completely dead and more than willing to charge for four separate rooms. The others, especially Sanzo, were happy for the separate rooms. He was okay with it, too...he guessed. Unlike the others, he didn't like being alone at night. It made him think about...it made him remember that prison. Goku rubbed the cuffs over his wrist, the image swimming a little so that he saw those chains again.

He reached into his jeans pocket instinctively and pulled out his most cherished possession...and little black stone with grey veins running through it, flat and polished so smoothly it shone. There was a little indentation that had been rubbed down so much his thumb fit there perfectly. It had been a gift from Sanzo, which is why he still carried it with him. Goku smiled, thinking back to that day...

This was a Town. It had little Streets and big Buildings. And a Fence to keep everyone in. Everyone being kept in by the Fence were now staring out windows at them. It was scary! Goku clung to Sanzo's robe, trying not to let his claws break the fabric. He'd already ripped open the sleeve on accident. And Sanzo had been mad. Sanzo had hit him with that fan again. His head really hurt, but he wasn't leaving. Nope, not leaving at all! Sanzo was his sun. And now that he found him again, he never wanted to be in the dark again!

The people started making noise. Not a loud noise, but they were talking. It was...a Whisper. Yes, a Whisper! And that word, Whisper, made him feel even more nervous. Whispers...something about them that wasn't nice. Little image flashes, there and gone again, memory fragments too confused and fast to make sense of. Something bad...

"Hey, ease up on the robe. It's dirty enough without your grubby fingerprints on it."

Goku looked up and saw those eyes staring at him. Violet, like when the sun is leaving the sky...always coming and going. Not this time! This time, Sanzo wasn't going anywhere without him. He slowly let go of the robe, fingers shaking. All those eyes were staring at him. He stared at his clawed hands and then at Sanzo's, just barely peeking out from under the sleeve of his robe. They were...different. Was that why they were staring, because he was different?

They went into a Building that was bigger than the others, with lots of Windows. And that smell...what was that? He sniffed the air, tuned out completely as Sanzo and a fat man were talking about rooms and something called 'dollars'. He followed the smell that was making his stomach hurt. He knew this pain, it was familiar...a name, what was it called? What was this churning, gurgling feeling called...

Hunger. Goku was Hungry. He remembered! And he was HUNGRY! He pushed through the door into a large empty room with lots of weird objects in his way. They were Tables and Chairs. Ignoring the Tables and Chairs, he went through another door, jumping when it swung back to hit him. It was loud in here, so much noise, so many people running around! And fire..fire here, fire there. The smell was coming from the things on the fire. Pans. This was a Kitchen. Again, bits and pieces of memory came back, all of them happy and involving the Hunger going away in here. Slowly, he began to put names with the smells invading his nose. Pepper, garlic, beef, shrimp. That was orange, and that was cinnamon. The Hunger made his stomach hurt so badly he doubled over,clutching it.

"Why, whatever is the matter?" someone asked. Small hands with rounded claws (nails, he corrected, humans had nails) came into view, a long brown braid of hair streaked with silver swinging in front of him.

Goku looked up and saw a woman with big brown eyes...and she looked scared. Was she scared of him? He hoped not! He could tell she was really nice, and he didn't want to scare away someone nice. "Don't be scared of me," he said quietly.

The woman laughed, covering her mouth with one hand. "Scared of you? Hardly! My youngest is only ten and he's a lot bigger than you. I was just wondering why you looked so sick. Are your parents around?"

"No parents." No memory flashes either when the word came up. Did he even have parents? He decided to ask Sanzo. Sanzo would know!

She smiled and it was friendly. The other people were staring at them. Staring at him. "Well, maybe I can help you. Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Hungry...very Hungry."

Laughing, she made a funny motion with one finger. "Come with me. We can take care of that real easy. What's your name?"

"Son Goku. What's yours?" He sat down on the Stool at the funny stone Table and watched her cut vegetables. The orange ones were carrots. The green bushy ones were broccoli. That ugly grey one was a mushroom.

"You can call me Saeko," she said, sliding the vegetables into a Pan. Goku jumped when she lit a fire that almost reached the top of the Kitchen. "Whoops! A little too much oil. Do you have a favorite food, Goku?"

"Dunno. What's that?" He pointed to the tray of cut up raw meat on sticks.

Saeko looked over and laughed. "Those are for pot stickers."

"Pot stickers? Are they good?"

"One of my favorites."

"Can I have one?"

She smiled and closed one eye quickly. A Wink. "Those are for dinner. You can help serve it, if you'd like. Earn your keep around here."

Goku didn't know what she meant by 'earn your keep', but she was very nice and he liked her smile. "Okay. Do I get food?"

"Of course! And a bed, but first we need to feed you and get you cleaned up a bit." She put some food in front of him.

Goku breathed in the smell and his stomach ached even more. He picked up the vegetables and shoveled them into his mouth as fast as possible, barely taking the time to chew, ignoring the fact that now his hands hurt. The food was very hot and gone in a matter of seconds. And he was still Hungry. "More! Do you have more?"

Saeko's eyes blinked and she stared at him, along with the rest of the people. Goku looked around and tried to shrink down away from those looks. Did he do something wrong? Saeko quickly smiled again and gave him more food, which he again picked up and ate as fast as possible, this time tasting it. So many flavors...so many different tastes! This was as good as Sanzo finding him!

"When was the last time you ate a meal?" she asked, motioning for everyone to go back to cutting things.

Goku wiped his mouth on his hand and said, "Dunno, but this is really good. It makes my stomach happy!" he looked sadly at his empty plate.

Saeko laughed and was quick to fill it back up. "This will be it for now. After you're done, let's get you washed and into some clean clothing. Then, I'll show you what needs to be done, okay?"

"Okay!" Goku finished his food again. He was so busy with his food that he didn't see Saeko talk to another woman quickly. The other woman ran out the back door. Licking his lips, he said, "I'm still Hungry." He was kind of hoping she might...

"Well, you'll have more later. Come with me, Goku." She came around the Table, holding out her hand.

Goku stood up and took her hand, being careful of his claws. He'd scratched Sanzo on the way down the Mountain, and Sanzo hadn't been happy about it. Saeko was about to lead him out the door of the Kitchen when it swung inward, hitting the wall very hard. Goku jumped, hand tightening around hers. She hissed and tried to pry his fingers off.

Sanzo stood in the doorway, and he looked VERY Angry! "I turn my back for five seconds, and you're already getting into trouble! Get over here!"

"But...you're gonna hit me," Goku whimpered. Saeko was making funny noises and pulling to get her hand away.

"And you're hurting her. Let go, Goku."

Looking over, Goku saw thin little trails of blood squeezing out from between his fingers. His claws...he'd hurt Saeko! "I'm sorry! I didn't want to hurt you! I'm sorry!" He let go, staring at the dark stuff covering his hands. Just like that bird...

"It's fine...an accident," she said firmly, making a face (a Wince) and wrapping her hand in her apron. "Doc Sahen is gonna be here soon anyway."

"He should be here now. I sent someone over there about twenty minutes ago," Sanzo said. He was giving Goku that Angry look again, but at least he didn't hit him. Goku stood a little behind Sanzo, unsure what to do. He liked Saeko. She gave him food and seemed really nice. But he'd just hurt her, and he could tell it was pretty bad. Sanzo didn't get hurt so easily. And something about Sanzo...

"Is this boy yours?" Saeko asked as another woman came up with a long piece of cloth and began wrapping it around her hand quickly. Saeko's apron was all blotchy red now.

"I guess. It's not like I was given much choice in the matter."

"Well, you need to take better care of him! Gods, look at him! He's completely malnourished, hasn't had a bath in what seems like years. And it's very obvious you beat him judging by that frightened look on his face. As soon as Doc gets here and confirms that for me, by law he'll be taken away from you."

"Listen, lady, you don't know a damn thing about the situation," Sanzo said. Goku coward behind him at the suddenly scary tone to his voice. "I just found the runt about four hours ago. I've been walking all fucking day with him babbling on about useless shit, stepping on my heels, and being a general pain in the ass. I called the doctor to come examine him, and I HAD been planning on getting him some food as well as a bath. So quit your bitching, I didn't do this to the kid!"

Saeko's eyes got Angry now, too. Goku grabbed a hold of Sanzo's robe and held on tightly. "Then where the hell have you been while I've been taking care of him, huh? Off whoring around, perhaps?"

The woman next to Saeko whispered something and pointed at Sanzo. Saeko looked, Gasped, and her eyes went wide. "Oh...I'm so sorry, Master Sanzo! I...I didn't realize..."

"Save it, I'm not in the mood to hear you grovel. Just get some hot water up to room two-oh-one. You," Sanzo turned sharply on Goku. "You stay with me, in my sight, until I say you can leave, got it?"

"Yeah," Goku said softly. Sanzo was really, really Angry with him. He looked down at his bare feet dismally. He didn't mean to make Sanzo Angry.

Sanzo sighed and put a hand on Goku's shoulder. "You are such a fucking pain in the ass. Come on." He turned and left the Kitchen, holding the door and looking back over his shoulder.

Goku was quick to run up right behind him. They went up to the next level of the Building and Sanzo pulled something from inside his robe. It was tiny and had little teeth on it. "What's that?"

"A key. It opens locks. See?" Sanzo put it into a very tiny crack in the door, and turned it. There was a clicking noise (like those beetles that used to come in the Spring, he thought) and the door pushed open.

They were in another room that was almost as small as his Prison. The floors were wood, there was another Table with Chairs, and two Windows looking out onto the Street. Goku ran to one and went to lean out...THUD! What...why couldn't he...but he remembered leaning out a Window without a barrier! Was this magic?

"There's glass there, idiot. If you run into it hard enough, you'll break it." Sanzo came over and knocked against this new thing. This Glass, it made a sharp sound, one he'd never heard before. And the knock made the whole Glass shudder and move so he could see it.

"What's it do?" Goku asked, touching it hesitantly. It was cold! But, he could feel it, even if he couldn't see it very well!

"It keeps things outside. Things like cold air and thieves."

He didn't know what 'thieves' were, but he knew a lot about cold air! He didn't like it. It always came in winter and winter was so scary, so very scary..."I like Glass," he decided.

Sanzo made a noise that sounded like a Grunt, but wasn't quite. "Whatever." He took his robe off and made it into a neat little square, setting it on one of the long blocks covered in cloth and fluffy cloud-things. He rolled up the thing that was around his shoulders and stuck that in his belt, along with his gun. Goku sat on the floor and watched, legs folded up with his feet pressed together. Sanzo ignored him, pulling out that small paper box he carried. Cigarettes, he'd been told. This was Sanzo's second cigarette today.

"Sanzo?" Goku asked hesitantly, biting his lower lip.

He glanced over, violet eyes blank. A soft click, and then fire lit the cigarette in his mouth. "What?" he asked, smoke coming out with the word. He began pulling off the black leather covering his arms, putting those next to the robe. The shirt followed soon after. Everything else stayed on. Sanzo sat down on the long block (a Bed...it was a Bed) and waited.

"Do cigarettes taste good?" They had to if Sanzo went back for seconds!

"No, they don't."

Goku frowned. That wasn't the answer he was expecting. "Then why do you-,"

"They're good for stress relief. If I don't smoke, I get angry. If I get angry, someone ends up hurt or bleeding. And since you're the only person here right now..." The threat was never finished. It didn't have to be. Goku swallowed heavily. He'd make sure Sanzo was NEVER without a cigarette! There was the sound of metal against metal as Sanzo pulled his gun out again, emptying little metal pieces onto the Bed.

Crawling closer, Goku stared at them. They were long and narrow with little points at the end. He reached out to poke one.

WHACK!

Goku scowled and drew his hand back, rubbing it where Sanzo had slapped him. "Why'd you do that?"

"Bullets are not for kids. Neither are guns. I don't want you touching either one." Sanzo dug around in the bag he had been carrying until he found a small bottle and a dirty cloth. Goku watched as he poured some stuff onto the cloth and began rubbing the gun with it.

"What's that?" he asked, sitting closer against Sanzo's leg.

"Cleaning oil."

"What's it do?"

"It cleans the gun. Now go away."

Goku stood up and looked around the small room. There was another Bed and the Table. "Where do you want me to go?"

"To hell." He said it so quietly Goku almost didn't hear it.

"Huh?"

Sanzo sighed again, closing his eyes. His jaw was very tight. He was Annoyed. A memory flash of that same look crossed his mind, very familiar. Except...except it wasn't this Sanzo. It was another one, the same but different. "Just go lie down on your bed until they get here with the doctor and a bath. And stop asking me questions."

"Okay." Goku went over to the Bed and flopped down. His eyes went wide in shock. It was soft...so soft! Not like the rocks he'd slept on for ages and ages. This Bed was like sleeping on clouds! He rolled around on it, trying to see if it was soft all over. It was! And this thing, the one that was on top of the bed...if he hugged it, it was squishy and softer. "Mm...it's fluffy, Sanzo! Didja feel it?"

There was that little noise again, the one that was a Grunt but wasn't. And...a twitch of lips. "For what they charged me for this room, it better be the softest damn pillow int the world."

A Pillow! That's what it was called! But it wasn't the softest thing in the world. Sitting up and still hugging his Pillow, Goku said, "It's not the softest thing in the world. Know what is? Your hair. It's soft and it looks like sunshine!"

Sanzo raised an eyebrow and started putting the bullets back in the gun. "You're a creepy little bastard. You know that, right?"

"What's that mean?"

"It means you're acting like an idiot and you should stop it."

Still not sure what he meant (other than he should stop doing what he was doing), Goku looked up when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Sanzo stood up, tucking the gun back in his belt.

Saeko came in with four other women, two who were carrying a large wooden object. It was circular and had a black lining in it. The other two carried four smaller objects (similar to the large one) with steam coming from it. "Sorry it too so long, Master Sanzo. This was the largest tub we could find on such short notice."

"Whatever. Put it over there. Sanzo motioned next to the fire burning in the room.

"I also brought these up for Goku. These belong to my youngest boy, but he doesn't wear them often." She put a red shirt and brown pants on the Table, with black foot shaped things (like what Sanzo wore) underneath. And there were strange pants with no legs to them. Goku got up and poked at the stuff curiously, sniffing at them. They smelled good, but not like food-good. They smelled like something clean and pretty. Goku sniffed at himself. He didn't smell like that.

The women carrying the small objects dumped the steaming water into the bigger thing (the Tub, that's what Saeko had called it) before bowing and leaving the room. Saeko put fluffy pieces of cloth on a Chair before bowing as well. "If you need anything else, Master Sanzo, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Just send the doctor up when he gets here." Sanzo waited until the door had closed after Saeko to walk over and stare at the tub. He glanced over at Goku. Goku shrank away from that look. Uh-oh...he remembered seeing that look before. It usually meant something unpleasant was going to happen. "Well, are you going to take those rags off or am I going to do it for you?"

It took Goku a second to catch on. "My cloths?" Sanzo wanted him to take his cloths off. But..."Why do I need to take them off?" He'd worn them since he could remember. They were like his skin. He hugged his arms around himself. He didn't wanna take his cloths off.

Sanzo threw the last little bit of his cigarette into the fire. "This is the last time I'm going to ask you. Take your damn clothing off."

Shivering, Goku pulled the shirt over his head, staring at the stained and battered garment. He handed it to Sanzo, yelping when he threw it into the fire. "Hey! That was mine!"

"Please. I probably caught a disease just from touching it. Pants, too."

"But...but..."

The look was enough. Fighting not to cry, Goku took his pants off and closed his eyes so he wouldn't see Sanzo through them into the fire as well. He felt so naked...okay, so he WAS naked. But it wasn't just having naked skin. Those clothes were all he'd had. Now he didn't have anything.

"Did you like being in that prison?"

Goku's eyes opened at the question. Sanzo was leaning against the tub, arms folded over his bare chest. "Huh?"

"Did you like being in that prison?" he repeated. He wasn't Angry...the question was almost nice.

Shaking his head, Goku stared down at his bare feet, his naked legs.

"Those clothes were beyond repair or cleaning. They were what you wore in captivity. I'd think you'd be glad to get rid of something like that."

Goku felt burning in his eyes. Tears fell shortly after. "That was all I had."

"It was. But now you have something else to replace them. Change is part of life. If you don't change, you don't grow."

He sort of understood. His old stuff was kinda like the chains. They held him back. The new clothes were for being free in. Looking over at the table, he decided the red shirt was pretty. And that it wouldn't be so bad to change a bit. "Can I wear them now?"

Sanzo snorted. "Are you fucking kidding? Wash first, then get changed."

Goku looked at the tub Sanzo was pointing at. "You mean you want me to get in there? What if I drown?" There had been some bad rain once and it had flooded his Prison. It had almost covered his head. He'd been so scared then.

"It's not that deep. Stop being such a baby." Sanzo pushed away from the tub. He stood in front of Goku expectantly. "Well?"

"But I don't remember...I don't know..."

Sighing, Sanzo rubbed his eyes. "I must have really fucked up in a past life to deserve this," he muttered. Then, lowering his hand, he said, "I'm doing this once, and only once. You better pay close attention because if you don't, you're screwed the next time you take a bath. Get in."

Goku got into the water, eyes closed tight. The flood water had been cold, so cold...His eyes opened when his toes touched the bottom. This water was warm! And it felt good, too! He got in the rest of the way and sat down. Sitting , it only came to his chest. That wasn't so high.

Sanzo grabbed a bottle and opened it, and squeezed a thick liquid into a wet cloth. He had another cigarette in his mouth. Cigarettes smelled funny, like that forest fire he saw below the Mountain. He didn't really like it much, but he wasn't going to tell Sanzo that."Get in the middle of the tub."

"Okay." Goku kneeled where he was told, watching Sanzo warily as he grabbed one of Goku's wrists. He immediately thought of the chains. But Sanzo wouldn't do that. He knew he wouldn't. "What's that?"

"It's soap. It kills germs."

"Why do you wanna kill germs? And what are germs anyway?"

Growling, Sanzo said sternly, "Shut up or I seriously might kill you. All you need to know is that this is soap. And this is a wash cloth. You get the wash cloth wet, put soap on it and then scrub yourself all over, like this." He suited action to words, starting on Goku's arms.

"Ow! That hurts!"

"Good." Goku watched as the water began to turn colors, going from clear to yellowish to brown. Was that stuff the germs? Sanzo wasn't happy at all about this, but he didn't stop until he got to Goku's waist. "Here, you take over. I'm not going any lower than that. Scrub everything, between your toes, your knees. Everything."

Goku took the wash cloth and soap and finished what Sanzo had started. Sanzo meanwhile grabbed one of the fluffy clothes from the table and wiped his arms off on it. "I swear, you're worse than a dog."

"Why?" Goku finished with his toes and stood up.

"Sit your ass back down! Your hair is nastier than your body."

He quickly sat down. Sanzo came back over with another bottle of different soap, opening it up. Goku barely had time for a breath before he was shoved under the water. He struggled, kicking and splashing. Sanzo was trying to drown him! He screamed, water filling his mouth. And was pulled back up quickly, coughing and trying to breath. "You...cough, cough...were drownin' me!"

"Your were barely under for more than four seconds," Sanzo snarled, eyes glinting in the fire light. "You have to get your hair wet before putting your shampoo in. And this has to come off." He started to reach for the golden crown. Two things happened.

One, Goku covered his head. For some reason he knew it was bad for that to come off. He didn't know how he knew, but something bad would happen if Sanzo did.

Two, Sanzo's hand stopped halfway there, eyes narrowing. "Where did this come from?" he asked.

"I dunno! I've always had it."

Sanzo made an odd noise and left the crown alone. "This is shampoo. It's different from soap. Soap is for your body and shampoo is for your hair." He put some into his hands, rubbing it around until big foamy bubbles appeared.

"Hey, neat!" Goku grinned when Sanzo started rubbing those bubbles into his hair. "Can I have something to eat now?"

"Later. I want to get this done and over with. Keep your eyes closed." He scrubbed through all of Goku's hair, jaw set tightly in place. Why wasn't he having fun? That foamy shampoo looked like it would be really great to play with! This time when Sanzo shoved him under the water, he was ready for it and took a deep breath, holding it. He was under for a lot longer than before and when he was pulled up, he wiped hard at his eyes. They hurt! They were stinging and burning and he couldn't get it to stop! "Ow! Owowowow! SANZOOO!"

"Hold still, you little shit," Sanzo said over his shouting. A moment later, his eyes were being wiped clean. He blinked a couple times and looked up at Sanzo, who was holding that fluffy cloth. "Shampoo hurts if you get it in your eyes. That's why I told you to shut them."

"It REALLY hurt!"

"You should have listened to me. Here, wrap this around yourself and get out."

Goku took the fluffy cloth and this time did exactly as he was told. He was dripping water everywhere still as he got out of the tub, grabbing it to keep from falling. "Sanzo?"

Sanzo's back stiffened visibly. He was beginning to put his shirt back on. "Not another word."

"But, Sanzo!" He really wanted to say this! He remembered he was supposed to say it when someone did something nice.

"What!"

Cringing at the shouted question, Goku looked at the floor, curling his toes under. "Thank you."

The Angry tension in the air eased gradually. Sanzo finished dressing again and muttered, "Get dressed."

Sanzo glanced up from his paper as Dr. Sahen came back down the stairs, a confused look on his face. The doctor came over to him and took a seat without being offered. Out of habit, Sanzo shifted position so that he could not only see the kitchen door but the man as well. Keeping all possible areas of attack in sight. "So?" he asked, folding his paper back up.

"He's...fine. he says he hasn't eaten in a long time, but he shows no sign of it other than poor muscle developement," Sahen answered. "I'd say he's about fifteen years old physically-,"

"Physically?" He frowned. Had he been right then about...

"Goku has no real memories," Sahen began slowly. "Nothing about his parents or his past, except for random pieces that come and go."

"He told you this?"

"He did. The only thing he seems to remember clearly is waking up on that Mountain and hearing men shouting. He said there were a lot of men shouting and some falling down and not getting up."

Sanzo nodded. A battle. Goku had witnessed a battle. "The last documented battle here was almost five hundred years ago."

"And there hasn't been anything as large as he was describing since. but...how is that possible? I mean, he's clearly not a youkai...but he can't be human either!"

Releasing the smoke from his lungs slowly, Sanzo picked the paper back up and began to read the editorial again as he spoke. Dividing his attention between several subjects had become necessary over the years. "There's an ancient story about a child born from the earth. He supposedly has incredible strength and speed, and can live for long periods of time. He was neither youkai or human or god. No one knows exactly what he is."

"And you believe this boy is one and the same?"

Flicking ash away, he shrugged. "Someone put a hard-core power limiter on him. It's obvious from that alone something isn't natural about him. How else would you explain it?"

Sahen sighed, shoulders slumping. "I can't. That's just it. For so long, we believed that mountain to be haunted by spirits that howled during the winter months. And if Son Goku were locked away up there..." The man shivered. "So, what do you intend to do with him?"

That was the million dollar question. There was no doubt in his mind he was meant to find Goku on that mountain top. Why else take a road that was supposedly haunted? And that voice...even now he could hear it, though it wasn't screaming as loudly as it had been before. He'd been hearing it for years, usually just a quiet presence he could push out when he wanted to. But today, it had been screaming so loudly he could barely see straight. So, now that he had him, what was he to do with him? No way in hell the brat was being trained as a monk! And he certainly didn't want the kid as a servant. He had one already...some orphan kid they'd assigned to him. Damn it, what WAS that kid's name again? Oh, well. Didn't matter right now. Right now, he had to figure out what to do with Son Goku.

And speaking of him...Goku came running down the stairs, cleaner than he had been and fully dressed. The pants were a little big, but the shoes and shirt fit just fine. "Hey, Sanzo, Doc Sahen says I'm good! Can I have something to eat now?"

Sanzo felt the irritation rise, but didn't lash out quite yet. Goku sat in a chair, putting his head on the table. "Doc?"

"Huh? Oh, he's fine! No diseases, a slight dandruff problem, but that's it." Dr. Sahen stood and stretched. "Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, I have to see a few other people today."

"Bye!" Goku said brightly. Sanzo didn't look up from his paper. And he tried his hardest to ignore the brat. "Sanzo?" Ignore him...maybe if he didn't answer, he would go away. "Sanzo? Sanzo? Sanzo!"

"For the love of God, what!" Ugh...the kid was so ABNOXIOUS!

"I'm really hungry!" Those big, stupid golden eyes were full of pleading. And tears. Like he was about to cry if he didn't get food. He wanted to beat that stupid look off his face. He wanted to smack him in the head, tell him to eat himself and then go to bed. But he didn't...the longer he stared into those eyes, the more the rage left him. Damn.

Sighing, he flicked the newspaper closed and signaled the waitress over. "Fine, eat. It'll keep you quiet."

"Okay...um...Sanzo?"

"God, what now?" That headache was coming back again, this time a sharp stabbing pain behind his eyes. And it had everything to do with the stupid looking ape-boy in front of him. This was the definition of the Christian Hell for sure! He must have been a mass murdering-pyscho-rapist who practiced cannabalism in his past life.

"I...I dunno what to get." Goku looked at the menu, eyes scanning the first page only.

Sanzo frowned when he noticed his eyes moving in the wrong direction for reading. So that was the problem. Goku couldn't read. Sighing, he opened his menu, adjusted his reading glasses and went down the list. "Chicken, beef or shrimp?"

"All of it!"

"I refuse to order all of it. Pick one."

Goku thought about it for a good five minutes, tongue sticking out of his mouth. "Umm, chicken! No, wait-,"

He cut the boy off right there. "You said chicken, we're getting chicken." Closing the menu, he caught the waitress' attention (not very hard as she was staring right at him...in fact, most of the waitresses were as well. Women!) and motioned her over. She came quickly enough, pen ready to write down their order. "Two orders of chicken foo yong, three egg rolls and two orders of fried rice."

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Keep the beer coming, and I don't want to see the bottom of my mug until we get the bill."

She nodded, smiled and started to walk away.

Goku frowned and gave him angry eyes. "Hey, is that all your getting? What am I supposed to eat?"

Blinking, he pulled out his cigarettes. Nicotine...that'll help the headache. "What do you mean? That's more than enough food for two people."

"Yeah...but I'm REALLY HUNGRY!"

Sighing, Sanzo called after the waitress, "Add some vegetable Lo Mein to that as well."

She nodded without turning back.

Sanzo lit the cigarette, letting the cool flow of nicotine calm his nerves down. A cigarette was almost as good as that first cup of coffee in the morning. And he had a feeling he was going to need plenty more smokes (as well as more alcohol) to keep from murdering someone tonight. And that someone just happened to be sitting across from him, swinging his legs and making up a song about food. How the hell did this happen to him? Of all the people in the world, it was him who got stuck playing wet nurse to some memory deprived primate! Someone in the heavens had a really twisted sense of humor.

Goku was still so Hungry! They'd had to order more food at dinner, and more and more, and it still didn't make him un-Hungry. But Sanzo had told him that was it for today. He'd been very mad at the waitress (something about four hundred dollars for food?) and even more so at Goku. They were now in the room again, Sanzo lying down on his Bed with the paper he was reading still, Goku sitting on his Bed, hugging his Pillow tightly. It was really dark outside the room. Not so dark inside. The big fire had gone out and Sanzo didn't rekindle it, saying it was hot enough in the room. There was only the one Candle by Sanzo's Bed, the one that made his hair glow like the sunshine in Summer. The sun...

He looked over as Sanzo sighed, pulling the Glass from in front of his eyes away and setting it on the little Table with the Candle. The paper he threw on the floor next to his Bed. He put the gun on the little Table along with his cigarettes and then stretched out, pulling the Blankets up over himself. "Lights out. Lay down and go to sleep." Taking a deep breath, he blew the little fire out.

And it was dark. So dark, Goku couldn't see his hand in front of his face. Nothing, not even a bug to break the silence. The night was closing in all around him, getting smaller and smaller, more compressed. He closed his eyes, biting his lower lip to keep from crying out loud. He wasn't in the Prison...he wasn't chained to the rocks...Sanzo had freed him...Sanzo...He couldn't even see Sanzo! What if the night ate him up, like it did all the noises and the sunlight? What if Sanzo disappeared and never came back? He didn't want to be alone again, not ever! The darkness took the light away...and Sanzo was his sun...which meant the darkness was going to take Sanzo away! He was alone, alone...so alone! Goku buried his face in his Pillow and began to cry. "Don't go, don't go, don't go..."

"Will you shut the hell up? I'm right here!"

Sanzo? Goku looked up and saw a dark shape in front of him. He could just make out the line of shoulders, the arms, hands balled into fists. "S-Sanzo?" he sniffled.

"What?" he asked gruffly.

"I'm scared."

"Of what, the dark?"

"No...and yes." What was he scared of? The night scared him because it hid Sanzo from him. And he didn't want to be alone.

"Everyone's afraid of something. Anyone who isn't is a fool." Again, he didn't sound Angry...but he wasn't happy either.

Goku smothered his face into his Pillow again and said, "But I can't sleep cuz I'm scared."

A soft, "Hmph," a little movement and then the chink of a lighter. In the dull glow of the flame, Sanzo held something out to Goku in his hand. "Here. This is a worry stone. You rub it when you get scared and it makes you feel better."

Goku stared at the flat rock that was shiny and smooth. It was black with grey stripes through it. Not a mark on the surface. "Is it magic?" he asked, not really believing the little rock would make the scared-ness go away.

"It's about as magical as horse shit." He tossed the stone to Goku, who caught it midair, still staring at it. "Now, go to bed or I'll shut your eyes permanently." The lighter was flipped closed, throwing the room into an even darker black than before.

This rock was supposed to make him feel better? Goku's eyes followed the dark outline of Sanzo as he went back across the room, muttering to himself. He did as he was told, pulling the blankets up over his head. And was scared when he didn't even hear Sanzo breathing. He began rubbing the stone with one thumb, eyes closed tightly. Just keep rubbing, just keep rubbing, just...keep...

Goku yelped, burying his face under the Pillow as the blankets were whipped off him. The rush of cold air was really awful. "What's goin' on?" he mumbled, blinking in the...the sunlight! He jumped from the Bed and ran to the Glass, peering out into a world awash with sunshine. It had worked! The stone had worked! "Hey, Sanzo, it's the sun! Look, Sanzo, look! And you know what? I wasn't scared!"

Sanzo threw the blankets back on the Bed and flicked the sleeves of his robe back in place. "What is it with you and the sun?"