Title: Festival

Author: redbrunja

Fandom: Saiyuki

Rating: PG-13

Characters: Sanzo and Goku, gen.

Author's Note: Written for cornerofmadness.

Summery: Goku may be an irritant and a distraction, but he's Sanzo's irritant and distraction.

(≠)

"No," Sanzo said firmly.

"But-" Goku protested, eyes big.

"I am not going out to parade around some noisy festival while itrains," Sanzo said again, and went back to staring out the window. From his vantage point, he could see the town below, red lanterns glowing even through the falling rain, the sound of fireworks and laughter. The light from the town glowed orange, and he thought of blue skies and paper airplanes.

"Okay," Goku sighed, and he heard the boy turn around, walking with heavy tread out of his office.

Outside the door, Goku stopped to let one of the monks, carrying a pile of paperwork, pass.

The monk paused, and Sanzo's ears perked up against his wishes.

"Did you really think you could drag Master Sanzo to such a filthy, secular festival?" the monk sneered. "Don't try to drag him down to your level."

"...I.. I'm sorry," Goku muttered. "I didn't mean to..."

The monk sniffed.

Fuck it, Sanzo thought, and ground his cigarette out on the windowsill.

"Goku!" he snapped, "Get your coat."

"...what?" the boy said, looked clueless. Well, that was par for the course.

"Get your coat," Sanzo repeated, biting off the end of each word. "We're going into town and I don't want you getting a cold - you'd be even more annoying if you were sneezing every other sentence."

"Really?" he practically squeaked, eyes filling with joy.

"Hurry,"Sanzo said with exasperation, and Goku raced off down the hallway with a whoop.

"Don't leave without me, Sanzo!" he yelled as he bolted towards his room.

The monk slowly put a shelf of paper down on Sanzo's desk with a disapproving sniff, and then turned to walk out.

"Hey," Sanzo said, shaking a fresh cigarette out of the pack and lighting up.

"Yes, Master Sanzo?" the monk said with disgusting servility.

Sanzo smiled grimly. "I hear you talk like that to Goku again, I'll put a fucking bullet in your head."

There was a long pause.

"He's a waste of your time," the monk replied icily, and Sanzo gave him points for balls, if not brains.

He took a hard drag.

"It's my time," Sanzo responded, exhaling smoke. "Now get out of my office before I'm forced to find out whether or not your asshole sanctimoniousness is contagious."