Fic!
Ficlet, really. Post-Journey, post-camp. Far too meta.
"I went away once. When we were on the trip. The Three Aspects took me away, and then...they just brought me back. Like nothing had happened." Sanzo inhaled thoughtfully. "Didn't make any damn sense then, and doesn't now."
"They didn't want me." It wasn't a question.
"You were there," Sanzo said. "It...wasn't really you, though. Some other Goku. Hakkai'd probably have some bullshit explanation about other dimensions. But...it was Goku. A Goku. Not you. He's the one who gave this to me." He held the paper flower up. In the sunlight., it looked ready to fall apart.
"But...how could that happen? And what about Hakkai 'n Gojyo? Were they there?"
"I'm not sure if it was them," Sanzo said. "I never asked."
"Why wouldn't you--"
"Trust me, we're all happier this way," Sanzo said. He took out a pendant from its tissue-paper wrapping. "This is the only other thing I have from there. The other things fell to pieces when I left."
It was heavy. "Magic," Goku said, feeling the faint, unfamiliar power as he took it from Sanzo's hand.
"There's not much left, if there was ever much there in the first place."
"It feels funny." The design was weird too.
"It's from the future. A future, anyway. And the magic's nothing like our own. That's blood in there."
Goku eyed the vial dubiously. "It wasn't from some kinda human sacrifice thing, was it?"
Sanzo almost smiled. "It was his own blood. So he told me anyway. You never knew with Cal."
Goku handed the pendant back. "You liked him?"
Sanzo held it up in the air, watching it spin.
After a while, Goku took the silence as his answer. He grinned. "Was he good-looking?"
Sanzo backhanded him, a lazy, instinctive gesture. "If I cared about that shit, I wouldn't spend any time with you."
A soft, quick movement, and Goku was straddling Sanzo, pushing him back against the side of the trunk. "So you liked him liked him."
Sanzo rolled his eyes. "What, are we back on the playground?"
"You're not answering."
"Stop asking stupid questions."
"You kiss him?"
A long pause. "Yes."
"Anything else?"
Sanzo brushed an annoying piece of hair out of Goku's eyes. "I'm not sure that's any of your business, monkey."
"Depends. How far from the future was he?"
Sanzo rolled his eyes. "A good thousand years, by our guesses."
Goku leaned closer and let his lips brush Sanzo's forehead. "I'll let it pass."
"Kind of you." Sanzo's free hand drifted onto Goku's back.
"Was he as good as me?"
A cuff to the head this time, so soft it was almost affectionate; or it could just be Sanzo getting old. "He was a hermaphrodite whose sexual fluids were toxic to humans. It's difficult to compare."
It was Goku's turn to pause. "...you're kidding me."
"Give me one good reason to make that up."
"...okay, so you're not kidding me." Goku settled more comfortably against Sanzo. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"
"What was there to say?"
It wasn't a bad answer, as answers went. Sanzo shifted his weight, bringing Goku closer almost unconsciously, and Goku kissed his neck. "I'm glad you came back."
"Don't get sappy on me, monkey."
"Not a chance," Goku said happily.
"I went away once. When we were on the trip. The Three Aspects took me away, and then...they just brought me back. Like nothing had happened." Sanzo inhaled thoughtfully. "Didn't make any damn sense then, and doesn't now."
"They didn't want me." It wasn't a question.
"You were there," Sanzo said. "It...wasn't really you, though. Some other Goku. Hakkai'd probably have some bullshit explanation about other dimensions. But...it was Goku. A Goku. Not you. He's the one who gave this to me." He held the paper flower up. In the sunlight., it looked ready to fall apart.
"But...how could that happen? And what about Hakkai 'n Gojyo? Were they there?"
"I'm not sure if it was them," Sanzo said. "I never asked."
"Why wouldn't you--"
"Trust me, we're all happier this way," Sanzo said. He took out a pendant from its tissue-paper wrapping. "This is the only other thing I have from there. The other things fell to pieces when I left."
It was heavy. "Magic," Goku said, feeling the faint, unfamiliar power as he took it from Sanzo's hand.
"There's not much left, if there was ever much there in the first place."
"It feels funny." The design was weird too.
"It's from the future. A future, anyway. And the magic's nothing like our own. That's blood in there."
Goku eyed the vial dubiously. "It wasn't from some kinda human sacrifice thing, was it?"
Sanzo almost smiled. "It was his own blood. So he told me anyway. You never knew with Cal."
Goku handed the pendant back. "You liked him?"
Sanzo held it up in the air, watching it spin.
After a while, Goku took the silence as his answer. He grinned. "Was he good-looking?"
Sanzo backhanded him, a lazy, instinctive gesture. "If I cared about that shit, I wouldn't spend any time with you."
A soft, quick movement, and Goku was straddling Sanzo, pushing him back against the side of the trunk. "So you liked him liked him."
Sanzo rolled his eyes. "What, are we back on the playground?"
"You're not answering."
"Stop asking stupid questions."
"You kiss him?"
A long pause. "Yes."
"Anything else?"
Sanzo brushed an annoying piece of hair out of Goku's eyes. "I'm not sure that's any of your business, monkey."
"Depends. How far from the future was he?"
Sanzo rolled his eyes. "A good thousand years, by our guesses."
Goku leaned closer and let his lips brush Sanzo's forehead. "I'll let it pass."
"Kind of you." Sanzo's free hand drifted onto Goku's back.
"Was he as good as me?"
A cuff to the head this time, so soft it was almost affectionate; or it could just be Sanzo getting old. "He was a hermaphrodite whose sexual fluids were toxic to humans. It's difficult to compare."
It was Goku's turn to pause. "...you're kidding me."
"Give me one good reason to make that up."
"...okay, so you're not kidding me." Goku settled more comfortably against Sanzo. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"
"What was there to say?"
It wasn't a bad answer, as answers went. Sanzo shifted his weight, bringing Goku closer almost unconsciously, and Goku kissed his neck. "I'm glad you came back."
"Don't get sappy on me, monkey."
"Not a chance," Goku said happily.