Bedazzled (Challenge #35: Head Over Heels; Goku; PG)
Title: Bedazzled
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: Swearing
Pairing(s): teeny bit of 393
Spoilers: nothing much
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time challenge #35: Head Over Heels. Time allowed: 25 minutes. Time taken: 32 minutes.
Summary: Food's not the only thing that distracts Goku.
"Shit, what the hell's happened to the road?"
"It's just a rockslide, Gojyo."
"Just one more fucking obstacle," Sanzo said, and pulled out a fresh cigarette.
Goku stretched and yawned as Jeep transformed into his small, lithe dragon shape and flew up to take a look, leaving them with the baggage. Gojyo scrambled up after him, then turned back to his companions and waved. "Hell, it's just little - we can get over it in no time." Hakkai started divvying up their goods, putting them into backpacks, improvising slings for the larger items. Soon they were picking their way up the sliding, unstable stack and staggering gingerly down the other side ... over and over again.
"Hakkai, I'm starving! Can't I just eat this? It'd be easier than carrying it."
"We'll eat soon, Goku. There's a little town less than an hour down the road."
Even Hakkai's face was shiny with perspiration. Gojyo had long since abandoned his jacket, tied all his hair back, and had big patches of sweat on his singlet. Sanzo ... where was Sanzo?
Goku stopped on the ridgetop of the mound of stony debris and looked around. Sanzo was perched on a section of the cliff itself, lighting a cigarette. He looked cool and fresh, not sweaty at all, and the exercise had brought a healthier glow to his usually pale face. The wind feathered his golden hair, and as he turned to look down the road ahead of them, his profile was as cleanly beautiful as a painting on porcelain.
Too late, Goku felt the loose slabs of stone tilting and falling away under his feet, and then Sanzo, the cliff face, and the blue sky were all spinning past him as he cartwheeled down the slope, accompanied by his bundle and broken blocks of rubble.
"Goku ... oh no!"
Something slammed into him, stopping his fall. "Oooof! Crap, kid ... !"
A second later, Gojyo was laying him down in the road. There was the familiar glow and hum of Hakkai's chi as the healer passed his hands gently over him. "Just bruises ... Goku, you're very fortunate. What in the world were you looking at?"
"Huh? Dunno ... ." Everything was still whirly-looking.
There was the slap of harisen against the pavement near his ear. He blinked, and Sanzo's face came into focus. There was white all the way around the purple in his eyes. "Stupid monkey - he asked you a question!"
The world snapped back into focus. Goku smiled. "Sanzo!" he said.