Two if by Sea (part 11/?)
A gentle reminder that this story, formerly known as the mer-gojyo epic, is now entitled Two if by Sea: By Water (And By Blood). I am most likely going to refer to it as Two if By Sea, but I am continuing to tag it under mer-gojyo.
I'm a couple days later with this than I had wanted to be, but it's here regardless. I dare say we're really getting into the meat of it now.
I'm really pleased with the story's development so far. Out of curiosity, I did a word count. I'm up to a bit over 10k, not including the scenes I have written up and waiting to be fit into the story proper. It's amazing to me how much of this story has been written out of in-story-chronological order.
Two if By Sea is holding steady in the nebulous territory of PG-13 at this time. Please continue to overlook minor editing flaws as this story is entirely in a rough draft state. (Also, I am sleep deprived at the time of this posting. I'll be amazed if any of this makes sense in the morning.)
Previous parts found here.
=======
Part Eleven
=======
Gojyo was more than ready to ditch Sanzo and Goku by the time the ship hit port. He needed to find the green-eyed man, whoever he was. He needed to find him, fulfill his obligation somehow and then, then…maybe he could go home. Maybe the beast had forgotten about him by now. There were a couple times in the week he'd been aboard that he thought he'd seen something strange in the water, but it had turned out to be nothing. Nothing at all.
He whistled to himself as he strolled down the gangplank.
"And where do you think you're going?" said Sanzo.
Gojyo stopped, just on the dock and out of the way of the rest of the people debarking. He turned around and found that Sanzo was closer behind him than he'd expected.
"I told you, you'd never see me again, once we got here," said Gojyo. "So I'm going. Say goodbye to the shrimp for me, yeah?"
"Like hell," said Sanzo. "You owe me money, or did you conveniently forget, freeloader?"
He caught Gojyo at the shoulder and frowned at him, silently boring holes into him with his too-sharp eyes. Gojyo sighed when it became apparent that Sanzo had no intention of letting him go.
"Fine," said Gojyo. "How much do I owe you?"
Removing his hand from Gojyo, Sanzo crossed his arms over his chest, and his lips twisted upward at one corner. He named an obscene amount of money.
"What?!?" said Gojyo. "It did not cost that much, I know it didn't!"
Sanzo held up a hand and counted on his fingers.
"One," he said. "There was the matter of the passage. Two, we rescued you, and three, well. You really want to argue with the man with the gun?"
Gojyo shook his head and snorted. Sanzo drew and cocked his weapon.
"Pfft," said Gojyo. "That thing's not even loaded, you said so yourself on the ship."
He winced as the barrel of it dug into his kidney. Gojyo froze instinctively.
"That was on the ship," said Sanzo.
He spoke directly into Gojyo's ear, voice low and rumbling.
"Do you really want to try me?" Sanzo said.
Gojyo began to have misgivings, though he was somewhat certain that he wouldn't be shot. Then again, Sanzo had been quite testy the entire time he'd known him. Gojyo raised his hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay," he said.
And then he paused, considering.
"Got any cash?" said Gojyo.
Sanzo stared at him. He put the pistol away.
"What?" said Gojyo. "I need some money if I'm going to get your money back."
"And how, precisely, do you plan on doing that?" said Sanzo.
"By doing what I do best," said Gojyo.
Sanzo's narrowed eyes and pinched mouth spelled out exactly what he thought Gojyo did best.
"Hey!" said Gojyo. "I wouldn't need to borrow money from you if that was my best skill!"
"Oh really," said Sanzo. "You don't look like you'd charge much money, and if they gave you something in a large denomination…I thought you might need to make change."
Gojyo gave himself a look-over. Shirtless, true, but he had pants on. No tattoos, no piercings, and the beadwork in his hair was subtle, damn it, not like some of the outlandish stuff he'd seen around. He was practically respectable, all things considered. Gojyo felt mutinous, and so he slugged Sanzo in the shoulder. He got a fan to the head for his trouble.
"I'm going to go play some poker," said Gojyo. "I need money to bet."
He rubbed the sting out of his scalp and vowed silent revenge...somehow.
Sanzo's eyebrows hiked up.
"I liked it better when I thought you were whoring," said Sanzo.
He sighed, sounding simultaneously annoyed and resigned.
"How much money will it take?" Sanzo said.
Gojyo was surprised. Maybe Sanzo wasn't such an asshole after all. He supposed puking non-stop for however long the boat ride had been could have done a number on the man's personality.
"How fast do you want your money back?" said Gojyo. "I can work my way up from penny ante, but it'll take a while, and there's always a chance that someone will catch on before I'm done."
Sanzo, frowning all the while, dug into his robes, took out a small money-purse, and flipped Gojyo a few gold pieces. Gojyo gaped at him. It was more money than he'd ever held--at one time--in his life.
"Don't forget," said Sanzo. "You're still going to have to buy dinner for the monkey, and he does not eat cheap."
Gojyo stared at the money in his palm a little more, then looked over at Sanzo again. The other man rolled his eyes and got out a cigarette. He lit it. He took a drag, and then noticed that Gojyo was still standing there, staring at him.
"Do it quick, before I decide that shooting you will be more satisfying," said Sanzo.
He waved his gun for emphasis.
Gojyo skedaddled.
The first thing Gojyo did was get the lay of the land. He noted where the bars were, the eateries, the shops, the brothels. He strolled through neighborhoods, some decent, some not, none of them well-to-do. Not that he expected much from such a place as this. The town reminded him too much of things he'd rather forget, frankly. There were a lot of taverns, a lot of dark alleyways, and not much in the way of clean living. If Gojyo hadn't known with total assuredness that the ocean was so close, he would have suffocated on the choking miasma of humanity all around him.
He circled back around to the harbor and found a rag man and a tailor who would do what he needed cheaply and quickly. After all, he couldn't wander the human world with only his pants and a pair of slightly-too-big boots he'd liberated from one of the ship's crew who'd been too free with both his drinking and his hands. Well, okay, Gojyo probably could wander around shirtless, but he'd get noticed, and the last thing he wanted right now was to be noticed. He needed to blend in as much as he could manage.
Gojyo bargained hard with the rag man, and came away with a hole-free, only slightly stained, tent of a shirt. Then he went to the tailor he'd earmarked earlier. The tailor measured him, marked and pinned the shirt for alterations, and sent Gojyo out. It would be a few hours before the shirt was taken in. Gojyo snorted. He knew the tailor didn't have any other custom at the moment--which was why he'd picked that one--and still the man had tried to fleece him for all he was worth. Small wonder he didn't have much business.
Having a few hours to kill, Gojyo wandered the town a second time, familiarizing himself in greater detail. He didn't want to be turning down a blind alley or a dead end if or when he might be fleeing a group of angry poker players. He was so intent on committing the side streets to memory that he almost--almost--didn't recognize the dark-haired man wandering by.
"No way," said Gojyo. "Was that?"
He ran out to the main street and looked around frantically. There!
"Hey!" yelled Gojyo. "Hey you!"
Half a dozen people turned and looked at him, but the dark-haired man kept moving away. Gojyo tried to shove his way through the crowd, but all he did was anger a group of rowdy sailors. By the time he got himself out of the jam, the man he'd seen was gone.
"Damn," said Gojyo. "Was that him, or not?"
He cast an eye at the sinking sun. Time to check up on his shirt. And then, then: to the gambling dens. Whistling to himself, he walked back the way he'd came.
Hakkai cautiously looked behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief. Gojyo wasn't following him any more. That had been far too close for comfort. He held a hand to his heart for a moment, willing it to slow to an acceptable tempo. If Gojyo was here, that meant Sanzo was here as well. Hakkai tried to shake the coldness out of his fingers. He hastened back to his shop to make tea. It wouldn't do to be completely unprepared, even with the circumstances being what they were.
Hakkai's heart hammered in his chest. He wondered when Gojyo would finally catch up with him, then shook himself. Now was not the time. He ought to be worrying about Sanzo right now, and nothing else. Still, red hair and redder eyes were remarkably hard to banish from his thoughts. Hakkai ran the rest of the way home.
Well. I hope you enjoyed! I'll give some sort of awesome post-chapter analysis at another time when I'm not struggling to stay conscious. I don't know how people stay up so long! I've been awake for nigh on seventeen hours and I think I might die if I don't go to bed right now.
~later
I'm a couple days later with this than I had wanted to be, but it's here regardless. I dare say we're really getting into the meat of it now.
I'm really pleased with the story's development so far. Out of curiosity, I did a word count. I'm up to a bit over 10k, not including the scenes I have written up and waiting to be fit into the story proper. It's amazing to me how much of this story has been written out of in-story-chronological order.
Two if By Sea is holding steady in the nebulous territory of PG-13 at this time. Please continue to overlook minor editing flaws as this story is entirely in a rough draft state. (Also, I am sleep deprived at the time of this posting. I'll be amazed if any of this makes sense in the morning.)
Previous parts found here.
=======
Part Eleven
=======
Gojyo was more than ready to ditch Sanzo and Goku by the time the ship hit port. He needed to find the green-eyed man, whoever he was. He needed to find him, fulfill his obligation somehow and then, then…maybe he could go home. Maybe the beast had forgotten about him by now. There were a couple times in the week he'd been aboard that he thought he'd seen something strange in the water, but it had turned out to be nothing. Nothing at all.
He whistled to himself as he strolled down the gangplank.
"And where do you think you're going?" said Sanzo.
Gojyo stopped, just on the dock and out of the way of the rest of the people debarking. He turned around and found that Sanzo was closer behind him than he'd expected.
"I told you, you'd never see me again, once we got here," said Gojyo. "So I'm going. Say goodbye to the shrimp for me, yeah?"
"Like hell," said Sanzo. "You owe me money, or did you conveniently forget, freeloader?"
He caught Gojyo at the shoulder and frowned at him, silently boring holes into him with his too-sharp eyes. Gojyo sighed when it became apparent that Sanzo had no intention of letting him go.
"Fine," said Gojyo. "How much do I owe you?"
Removing his hand from Gojyo, Sanzo crossed his arms over his chest, and his lips twisted upward at one corner. He named an obscene amount of money.
"What?!?" said Gojyo. "It did not cost that much, I know it didn't!"
Sanzo held up a hand and counted on his fingers.
"One," he said. "There was the matter of the passage. Two, we rescued you, and three, well. You really want to argue with the man with the gun?"
Gojyo shook his head and snorted. Sanzo drew and cocked his weapon.
"Pfft," said Gojyo. "That thing's not even loaded, you said so yourself on the ship."
He winced as the barrel of it dug into his kidney. Gojyo froze instinctively.
"That was on the ship," said Sanzo.
He spoke directly into Gojyo's ear, voice low and rumbling.
"Do you really want to try me?" Sanzo said.
Gojyo began to have misgivings, though he was somewhat certain that he wouldn't be shot. Then again, Sanzo had been quite testy the entire time he'd known him. Gojyo raised his hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay," he said.
And then he paused, considering.
"Got any cash?" said Gojyo.
Sanzo stared at him. He put the pistol away.
"What?" said Gojyo. "I need some money if I'm going to get your money back."
"And how, precisely, do you plan on doing that?" said Sanzo.
"By doing what I do best," said Gojyo.
Sanzo's narrowed eyes and pinched mouth spelled out exactly what he thought Gojyo did best.
"Hey!" said Gojyo. "I wouldn't need to borrow money from you if that was my best skill!"
"Oh really," said Sanzo. "You don't look like you'd charge much money, and if they gave you something in a large denomination…I thought you might need to make change."
Gojyo gave himself a look-over. Shirtless, true, but he had pants on. No tattoos, no piercings, and the beadwork in his hair was subtle, damn it, not like some of the outlandish stuff he'd seen around. He was practically respectable, all things considered. Gojyo felt mutinous, and so he slugged Sanzo in the shoulder. He got a fan to the head for his trouble.
"I'm going to go play some poker," said Gojyo. "I need money to bet."
He rubbed the sting out of his scalp and vowed silent revenge...somehow.
Sanzo's eyebrows hiked up.
"I liked it better when I thought you were whoring," said Sanzo.
He sighed, sounding simultaneously annoyed and resigned.
"How much money will it take?" Sanzo said.
Gojyo was surprised. Maybe Sanzo wasn't such an asshole after all. He supposed puking non-stop for however long the boat ride had been could have done a number on the man's personality.
"How fast do you want your money back?" said Gojyo. "I can work my way up from penny ante, but it'll take a while, and there's always a chance that someone will catch on before I'm done."
Sanzo, frowning all the while, dug into his robes, took out a small money-purse, and flipped Gojyo a few gold pieces. Gojyo gaped at him. It was more money than he'd ever held--at one time--in his life.
"Don't forget," said Sanzo. "You're still going to have to buy dinner for the monkey, and he does not eat cheap."
Gojyo stared at the money in his palm a little more, then looked over at Sanzo again. The other man rolled his eyes and got out a cigarette. He lit it. He took a drag, and then noticed that Gojyo was still standing there, staring at him.
"Do it quick, before I decide that shooting you will be more satisfying," said Sanzo.
He waved his gun for emphasis.
Gojyo skedaddled.
The first thing Gojyo did was get the lay of the land. He noted where the bars were, the eateries, the shops, the brothels. He strolled through neighborhoods, some decent, some not, none of them well-to-do. Not that he expected much from such a place as this. The town reminded him too much of things he'd rather forget, frankly. There were a lot of taverns, a lot of dark alleyways, and not much in the way of clean living. If Gojyo hadn't known with total assuredness that the ocean was so close, he would have suffocated on the choking miasma of humanity all around him.
He circled back around to the harbor and found a rag man and a tailor who would do what he needed cheaply and quickly. After all, he couldn't wander the human world with only his pants and a pair of slightly-too-big boots he'd liberated from one of the ship's crew who'd been too free with both his drinking and his hands. Well, okay, Gojyo probably could wander around shirtless, but he'd get noticed, and the last thing he wanted right now was to be noticed. He needed to blend in as much as he could manage.
Gojyo bargained hard with the rag man, and came away with a hole-free, only slightly stained, tent of a shirt. Then he went to the tailor he'd earmarked earlier. The tailor measured him, marked and pinned the shirt for alterations, and sent Gojyo out. It would be a few hours before the shirt was taken in. Gojyo snorted. He knew the tailor didn't have any other custom at the moment--which was why he'd picked that one--and still the man had tried to fleece him for all he was worth. Small wonder he didn't have much business.
Having a few hours to kill, Gojyo wandered the town a second time, familiarizing himself in greater detail. He didn't want to be turning down a blind alley or a dead end if or when he might be fleeing a group of angry poker players. He was so intent on committing the side streets to memory that he almost--almost--didn't recognize the dark-haired man wandering by.
"No way," said Gojyo. "Was that?"
He ran out to the main street and looked around frantically. There!
"Hey!" yelled Gojyo. "Hey you!"
Half a dozen people turned and looked at him, but the dark-haired man kept moving away. Gojyo tried to shove his way through the crowd, but all he did was anger a group of rowdy sailors. By the time he got himself out of the jam, the man he'd seen was gone.
"Damn," said Gojyo. "Was that him, or not?"
He cast an eye at the sinking sun. Time to check up on his shirt. And then, then: to the gambling dens. Whistling to himself, he walked back the way he'd came.
Hakkai cautiously looked behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief. Gojyo wasn't following him any more. That had been far too close for comfort. He held a hand to his heart for a moment, willing it to slow to an acceptable tempo. If Gojyo was here, that meant Sanzo was here as well. Hakkai tried to shake the coldness out of his fingers. He hastened back to his shop to make tea. It wouldn't do to be completely unprepared, even with the circumstances being what they were.
Hakkai's heart hammered in his chest. He wondered when Gojyo would finally catch up with him, then shook himself. Now was not the time. He ought to be worrying about Sanzo right now, and nothing else. Still, red hair and redder eyes were remarkably hard to banish from his thoughts. Hakkai ran the rest of the way home.
Well. I hope you enjoyed! I'll give some sort of awesome post-chapter analysis at another time when I'm not struggling to stay conscious. I don't know how people stay up so long! I've been awake for nigh on seventeen hours and I think I might die if I don't go to bed right now.
~later