- Title: Eclipse
- Author: Meicdon13
- Pairing(s): Sanzo x Kougaiji, Gojyo x Hakkai,
Kenren x Tenpou
- Rating: PG-13
- Summary: Sanzo's reincarnation works for Kanzeon
Bosatsu. While he searches for the three remaining sutras and the
reincarnations of Hakkai, Gojyo, and Goku, he comes across someone else from
the past that might be able to help him out. What he doesn't know is exactly
what Kougaiji was to his past life.
- Chapter summary: While on duty, Jinhai meets an old friend of a past reincarnation.
- Website: http://meicdon13.livejournal.com/
- Notes: Many thanks to darksage29, riffology, and
xcerpted for helping me with this, be it as a sounding board or giving
suggestions.
"You know, it's really handy that I can reach you on this."
The voice crackled over the line, crystal clear, as if there wasn't an
indefinable amount of distance separating him from the woman—or man—on the
other side of the line. "Teleporting to Earth nowadays is quite a
hassle."
"Can you get to the point?" he snapped, tightening his grip on his
umbrella as another gust of wind blew past him. Rain fell against the pavement,
droplets of water splashing his pants leg.
"Dear Konzen, you're still such an impatient man."
"How many times do I have to tell you? My name is Jinhai."
A laugh. He felt like throwing the cell phone against a hard surface. "You
have no idea how well that name suits you. Oh well. Enough talk. Let's get down
to business."
Finally, Jinhai thought, sided-stepping a puddle. "Where do I need
to go to now?"
"You're quite near already. Turn right on the next street. First church
you see." Before he could ask for more specifications, Kanzeon Bosatsu's
end of the line died.
"Stupid fucking deity," Jinhai muttered before he pressed the 'End'
button on his cell phone and stowed it away in his pants pocket. The policeman
used his free hand to hold his trench coat tighter around himself.
By the time he found the church, he was soaking wet and his umbrella had turned
inside-out. Muttering curses about useless Heavenly beings who gave useless
directions, he shook his head, scattering droplets of water around him. He
tossed his umbrella to one side and took off his coat, bunching it up and
holding it in one hand. It dripped steadily onto the stone floor. The church
was a really old one, dating back almost fifty years.
Jinhai's first impression was that the church was empty. However, a sneeze from
somewhere near the front pews disproved his idea. A redhead was sitting there,
his clothes wet as well though not as thoroughly drenched as Jinhai's; he
probably entered the church before the downpour outside showed its fangs.
I can't do my searching with him in here. Jinhai frowned, his purple
eyes narrowing in annoyance as he tried to think of a way to get rid of the
stranger. After a few minutes, he had an idea. Clearing his throat loudly, he
walked up to the front.
"Excuse me, sir. But the church is closed today." Jinhai stood beside
the stranger, trying to look authoritative. And succeeding. Being a police
officer had its perks.
"Sorry?" The redhead looked up and a pair of lilac eyes met with
Jinhai's. A sudden nagging feeling appeared at the back of his mind but he shoved
it to one side and concentrated on his acting.
"I said, the church is closed today," the purple-eyed man repeated.
"They're going to restore the interior later and people aren't allowed
inside."
"I'm sorry," the redhead replied. "But I'm just praying. Surely
I can stay a few more minutes?" A small circular earring on his earlobe
glinted in the dim light from the light fixtures about them.
Jinhai brushed a few strands of black hair out of his eyes. "Can you make
it quick? The people who're going to do the restoration are about to
arrive."
The redhead opened his mouth to say something when his eyes suddenly widened.
He tilted his head and peered at Jinhai's face. There was a moment of tense
silence between them where the brunet thought that the redhead would do
something violent. Instead, the stranger simply shook his head, a wry smile
appearing on his face. "Even your reincarnation is rude," he said as
he stood up.
Before Jinhai could respond, he turned around and walked towards the exit.
"Weirdo," the brunet muttered as soon as the redhead exited. He then
began his search of the church, looking for the sutra that was supposedly
hidden away in the church's altar. Thirty minutes of looking brought up
nothing. Jinhai fought the urge to kick over the altar and shoot it full of
holes.
"Still looking for the sutras, Sanzo?"
At the sound of the voice, Jinhai whirled around, his gun aimed at whoever had
snuck up on him.
The redhead stood there, only this time his ears were long and pointed. Youkai,
Jinhai's mind whispered.
"My name's not Sanzo," the brunet replied. "And who said I was
looking for a sutra?"
"Your gun looks almost exactly the same as the old one," the redhead
said evenly, not answering the question. "Is it still a Smith and
Wesson?"
Jinhai was getting even more unnerved as the conversation went on. How did this
redhead know the brand of his gun? He tightened his grip on the cold metal of
his weapon.
"You really don't remember me, do you?" the youkai continued. The
look on his face was one of resignation and sadness. "What was I
expecting? It's been…what? A millennium? A little more than a millennium if I'm
not mistaken."
Jinhai's cell phone rang. Only Kanzeon Bosatsu had access to his number.
Keeping an eye on the redhead, he pulled the phone out of his pocket and
answered it.
"He can help you," se said the moment he pressed the phone to his
ear.
"Stupid old hag," Jinhai hissed, his gun and eyes still aimed at the
redhead. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me someone was going to be
here?"
"Well I can't predict the future, can I? Or see into buildings?"
Kanzeon replied smoothly. "Anyway. Listen; his name's Kougaiji. Talk to
him. He's from one of your past lives."
As usual, before he could ask any questions, Kanzeon ended the call. The brunet
glared at the phone before stuffing it into his pocket, lowering the gun from
where it was pointed at...Kougaiji's heart. Strange name. It sounded
foreign.
"The sutra was here roughly twenty years ago," Kougaiji said when he
saw the gun being holstered. "During a coup d' etat, this church was one
of the places where the soldiers holed up in. One soldier found the sutra and
pocketed it, thinking that he might get some money on the market for a 'rare
and valuable ancient scroll'." Kougaiji sat down on the front pew again.
"That's all I know so far."
Jinhai looked at him suspiciously, his purple eyes narrowed as he crossed his
arms. "And how do you know all this? And who were you to…Sanzo?"
"I'm the youkai emperor. I've got connections in the highest and strangest
places." Kougaiji looked straight into Jinhai's eyes. "I was Sanzo's
friend."
The brunet snorted. Youkai emperor? The youkai emperor was featured on the news
often but they had never aired a picture. What was the proof that Kougaiji was
actually who he claimed to be? Jinhai sat down on the pew on the other side of
Kougaiji.
"You doubt me," the redhead said with a small smile. "Do you
want to call up Kanzeon Bosatsu and ask hir to confirm my statement?"
"Never mind," the brunet said. "You wouldn't gain anything if
you lied to me anyway."
Kougaiji inclined in head in acknowledgement.
The muffled sound of the rain outside was the only thing that broke the silence
in the old church. Jinhai was tired and he wanted to rest; he had been part of
a raid yesterday and he had gotten little sleep last night.
"Sanzo hated the rain," Kougaiji said softly.
"Well I'm not Sanzo," Jinhai snapped. "I'm Chen Jinhai. Not
Sanzo, not Konzen. Jinhai." He was tired of being called a variety of
names. Names that belonged to people that weren't him. "I may be his
reincarnation, but he's still a different person."
"I've come across enough reincarnations to know that," Kougaiji
answered. "I respect that you're different to Sanzo. I was just saying
that he hated the rain." His neutral tone of voice should be pissing off
the policeman but it didn't.
Silence again.
"Do you really remember nothing? Don't you remember me?"
The tone of voice made Jinhai look at the youkai curiously. After a few moments
of simply looking into lilac eyes, he said, "Am I supposed to?"
Kougaiji smiled. Sadly. "I suppose not."