#happy birthday sanzo!

[mike-milkyway]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RORONOA ZORO AND KEL OMORI 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[catchingdaydreams]

Happy birthday marimo 🥝⭐

[simplylilyyy]

💛💫💚

⚠️DO NOT REPOST⚠️

[chaoticlad]

Wasn’t planning on posting this but eh happy birthday to the strawhat’s biggest emo

[st-pop]

happy birthday our lovely marimo, and absolute MVP!! 🫶🫶

[ediehhil]

this is the day of the year when Sanji made a matcha cake 🥺🤲

[fiery-cook]

Happy birthday to some of the best breasts to sail the grand line.

⚔ 🎂 🎉

[diamantesart]

A pretty Sanji for his birthday and a Zoro as a treat. :3

Happy birthday, love cook! 🥳🥰💕

[returntoclear]

はっぴ～ば～すで～！！

#玄奘三蔵生誕祭2023 #玄奘三蔵誕生祭2023

誕生日に食べようと取っておいた三蔵のクッキーをお祝いケーキと一緒にいただきます！

[hjbirthdaywishes]

September 30, 2024

Happy 50 Birthday to Daniel Wu (Daniel Wu Neh-Tsu).

[justanothersanjilover]

So I got this idea about a Zosan Soulmate AU and just had to write a little bit about it. I don't know how fast I can update this, but its a start and I’m going to keep writing it 😊

My Name on your tongue

Part 1

Paring: Zosan (maybe Sanzo, too)

Soulmate AU

Triggers: Child abuse, swear words, death

Six years old

“In our world, you get something very special when you turn 18. You get to summon a familiar - an animal, mythical or natural - that will be your companion throughout your whole life. The animal you summon is based on what you need in life and what fits you. No one knows who’s assigning the animal to you, but it always fits.

Now, if you are very passionate and loving toward your familiar and it returns that feeling, there is a chance that it will turn into a human and become your soulmate. But this only happens when there exists such a strong bond that both of you would endure the greatest pain imaginable for the other. The bond has to be so strong that you’d die for each other.

Most people don't put in the effort because why go to that length for an animal? Also, there is no greater need to be with your soulmate unless your familiar turns into it. You can perfectly live without ever getting your soulmate.”

“Is father your soulmate?” Sanji wanted to know, looking up at his mum.

Sora shook her head, her expression somewhat painful, but her son didn't pick up on that fact.

“But…you don't have a familiar around.”

“I know,” Sora swallowed drily. “She…she died. She wanted to protect me and got badly injured. I couldn't help her.”

Sanji looked shocked at her.

“I’m sorry…”

He snuggled against his mother to comfort her. She smiled sadly and brushed a hand through his blond hair.

“When you get your familiar, make sure to protect them. It’s a really bad feeling to lose them forever.”

“I promise. And I will love them so much! I can't wait to meet them!”

Sanji was so different from his siblings, and Sora was thankful for that, but she knew that he would have it worse than them. While pregnant with him and his three brothers, her husband genetically modified them - against Sora’s will. He made them stronger, more durable - as he called it - faster and better in anything. He got rid of their emotions and made sure they would become his best soldiers. In doing this, he also hoped to influence the familiar they’d get. He wanted them to have big, brutal animals - monsters to make their enemies shake in fear. Sora had watched him silently get rid of the emotions and feelings of their oldest child, their daughter Rejiu. He somehow managed to manipulate her into an obedient, emotionless kid, strong and fast, and an expert in poisons despite her young age. She was his first perfect soldier.

But Sora wasn't standing by as he tried to corrupt her other children! So, after learning about Judges doing, Sora took a poison to destroy the modifications. Unfortunately, it only worked on Sanji. On the one hand, she was happy for him; on the other, she was sad and devastated. Sanji would never have any worth for his father; he’d always be the failure, and she was the reason why.

Although Sanji always smiled when he came to visit, she saw the bruises and cuts. She saw the pain behind his young eyes. She knew what his siblings and father were doing to him, and she could do nothing to stop them. So she always tried to give him the best times when he came to visit her. Unfortunately, the poison she took destroyed her body and made her bedbound.

Hugging Sanji tightly, she did her best not to start to cry. She knew that her days were counted…and it would be the end of the night when she would leave Sanji behind to deal with everything all by himself. The only ray of light was that at least on his eighteenth birthday, he would get a familiar that surely would protect him. That was why she told him all about familiars! She wanted him to know as much as possible, as much as humanity found out about them. Sanji sucked everything up like a sponge!

The only thing she wasn't allowed to tell him was how to summon his familiar. Because if a familiar was summoned before the eighteenth birthday, there were terrible side effects. Sometimes, the familiar wasn't fully developed….like the child. Other times, the child couldn't hold the image of the familiar (which was important), and it would turn out deformed. And then there were times when the familiar was an adult and got really protective and possessive of the child - sometimes so much it had to be put down because no one could touch the child without getting attacked, even when the kid was hurt, starving or anything else putting its life in danger. So she wouldn't tell Sanji - even if a protective familiar wouldn't be the worst…she wanted them to have a chance at getting real friends, and Sora hoped Sanji would be allowed to find his soulmate. She hoped he could experience this purest kind of love in the world.

“You need to go,” Sora mumbled into Sanji’s hair. “It’s past visiting time.”

“I don't want to…”

“I know, love. I know. But your father will get mad if you stay, and you know that.”

Sanji nodded, suppressing sobs, as he pulled away from his mother. He lifted his head and smiled at her.

“I’ll come again tomorrow.”

“Yeah, do that. I can't wait to see you again, my little angel.”

Sora hugged him tight and placed a kiss on top of his head. Why should she tell him that she wouldn't be there in the morning? It would only upset him and make him sad and guilty. She felt her spirits leave her body slowly but surely. At the end of the night, she’d be dead, and Sanji would be alone. Before she let him go, she brushed a hand through his hair and made him look up into her eyes.

“Remember that I will always love you, my little sunshine. Regardless of what will happen in your future. I’ll love you every day of your life and after it.”

Sanji looked a bit confused, but as soon as Sora smiled, he smiled back, placed a quick, wet kiss on her cheek and ran out - so his father wouldn't punish him.

~

“Useless!”

“I’m trying…” Sanji sobbed, holding the side of his face - it pulsed with pain, and he was sure his lip was bleeding.

“That's the point!” His father yelled. “You are trying! You shouldn't have to try! You should be able just to do it!”

“But I…” another blow, and Sanji flew backward against a pillar of the training room - he groaned in pain when he hit the stone with full force.

“You are weak! A false experiment! A fucking failure! I should just get rid of you!”

Judge was towering over his son like death himself. And Sanji couldn't do anything different than feel fear and hurt and disgust at his own body. The poison from his father's lips seeped into his mind and planted a dangerous seed. He cried when Judge grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and held him up to his face.

“And that's why you don't have a familiar. You will never get one! Never! I took that ability from you because it would be as weak as you are, and I don't have use for two failures in my kingdom!”

Sanji sobbed uncontrollably. Ever since he asked his father about his own familiar - which was a big, dragon-like creature always lurking behind his throne - he left no chance unused to point out that Sanji would never have one. Sanji didn't understand why he would rip this opportunity from him, why he was such a mistake in his father's eyes. Just because he wasn't as strong as his siblings? Because his skin started to bleed when cut or punched hard enough? Because he cried when he got hurt?

“Get out of my sight before I start losing my temper,” Judge growled and tossed him aside like a back of garbage.

Sanji scrambled to his feet and ran from the training room, hoping his brothers wouldn't wait outside like they did most of the time. His hopes crashed when he closed the door, and laughter sounded behind him.

“Look at that,” Yonji said.

“The weakling is back out,” Ichiji grinned.

“Seems like he still can't handle a punch,” Niji snickered.

His brothers gathered around him, laughing and pointing at him. Sanji felt tears in his eyes but tried to swallow them. He hated to cry in front of his brothers, just as much as he hated to do so in front of his father. His eyes searched for pink hair, and surely, he found his sister, standing in the background but grinning as evil as the rest of them.

“Leave me alone,” he sobbed - knowing very well it would turn in the opposite of what he wanted…but he couldn’t stop himself from saying it.

“What?”

“We couldn’t hear you over all your whining.”

“I think he said we should show him how to fight.”

And a blink of an eye later, he crashed against the wall and slid down to the floor. Lying there, he curled up into a ball to at least try and shield his stomach and face from the kicks and blows that rained down on him like a hailstorm.

In the end, he was beaten bloody, and they left him where he was lying. His eyes stared into nothingness while his tears mixed with the blood and formed little puddles on the floor.

Hours later, he was able to drag himself to his bedroom. Curling up in his bed, Sanji felt tears in his eyes again.

“Why?” He cried into his pillow. “Why am I not like them? Why do I have to be this way?”

He knew why, his mother had told him, but still…There were moments when he hated his emotions, and he would give them up just to see the same smile on his father's face, pointed at him like he was giving his siblings.

He was worthless, and that's also why he would never have a familiar, which made him cry even more. Since his mother died two months ago, he always comforted himself with the knowledge that he’d get a chance to meet his soulmate. But because he was weak, because of his emotions, Judge took this ability, this gift from him. The first time he mentioned it to Sanji, his whole world was shattered. He didn't even feel the hits his father was dealing. He was numb…almost lifeless. The only thing he was looking forward to - the only thing that made his little heart and mind strong enough to survive and not give up - was the reassuring thought of meeting his familiar.

After his breakdown, he thought maybe, if he got better, if he could prove to his father that he was worth keeping around…maybe he would give him the ability to get his familiar back.

“I have to…get stronger…” Sanji sobbed while drifting to sleep.

All he wanted was to be loved and be part of this family…

[pretentiousgayguyidk]

Heyy can i request a sanzu x reader who doesn’t like their bday fluff where they sit on the balcony and smoke together in the middle of the night sorry if this is like rly specific😭

Perfect- honestly perfect. We love soft Sanzu here.

ANYWAYS IM BACK BITCHES!!!

Slamming the door behind him, tears streaking his face as he fumed. It was his birthday. The worst birthday he had ever had. To start off he still had work, unable to take leave due to the works urgency. The constant nagging and scolding of Takeomi along with his mother's... Lack of input was enough to tip him over the boiling point.

He threw his bag to the side and his phone across the room, it's constant buzzing irritating him more and more. "'Happy birthday' my ass. Nothing 'happy' about it." He grumbled, sniffling a little. Being apart of Bonten was nothing short of horrible, the only manageable thing there was his boyfriend, Sanzu Haruchiyo. Even then, Sanzu's drug addiction was hard to deal with, it was almost weekly he would come home to Sanzu half dead on the floor from overdosing on something.

"Baby? You alright?" Sanzu called out from somewhere deeper in the apartment. (Name) choked on a sob, wiping his face as he wobbled through the living room and into the kitchen. He splashed a handful of water on his face, cleaning off the tears only for more to come.

Sanzu took note of the bag and shattered phone. Who pissed him off? Shit isn't it his birthday? Is he mad at me for forgetting? Sanzu shivered at the thought of (Name) being that pissed at him. Sanzo approached his boyfriend carefully, watching as he smacked himself muttering nonsense. "(Name)... Baby what's wrong?" The younger jumped a little, spinning around to see his pink haired boyfriend.

Sanzu's hair was sticking every which-a-way, and his eyes were tired - like he had just woken up. He hummed a little before stepping closer, gently taking his boyfriend's hand into his. "Haru..." Sanzu hummed, tilting his head to the side. He was unusually docile, like a sleepy puppy. (Name) let out a tired sigh, hugging his boyfriend tightly. The drug addict tensed a little before reciprocating, gently running his fingers through the other's slightly dirty hair.

"Bad birthday?" Sanzu whispered. (Name) nodded, taking a deep uneven breath. He sighed, enjoying the scent of cologne, smoke, and detergent. Sanzu hummed quietly, blinking away his grogginess. "Come on... Let's go baby."

"What?" (Name) mumbled, glancing up at his boyfriend earning a soft, lazy smile. He didn't respond, silently guiding his boyfriend out to the balcony. (Name) gave him a confused look until he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Take your mind off it?" He asked, taking one out and offering it to the (h/c) haired man. (Name) gave him a loving smile, laughing a little as he accepts the cancer stick. Sanzu took his own and quickly lit it, turning to (Name) and pressing the burning tobacco against his unlit cigarette. Sanzu puffed out a bit of smoke as he pulled away, smiling at his lover who took a long drag.

They gazed down at the city, observing the blue, pink, and red lights. It was therapeutic... Watching the nights bustling activity from above. Seeing the night so alive with life, it felt fictional. Unreal. It was almost like a fever dream. "This is nice..."

"Yeah... It is." The pink haired man smiled mindlessly, taking another slow an sling drag of his cigarette and blowing it out slowly through his nose. The nicotine clouded the two's brains with a thin layer of fog, making them feel relaxed. (Name) sighed, smoke drifting from his lips as he rested his head on Sanzu's shoulder. He lazily intertwined their fingers, pressing his face into Sanzu's soft hoodie's fabric.

"I love moments like this... It's calming." (Name) mumbled, flicking some ash from his cigarette. Sanzu hummed absentmindedly in response, gazing up at the nights sky. It being Tokyo, almost none of the stars were visible, other than the north star which shown brightly compared to the opaque specks of white around it. The moon was golden in colour and thin streaky clouds glowing orange framed the skyline nicely.

"Oh! I also forgot, I got you something." Sanzu mumbled, taking one last puff of his cigarette before sniffing it out on the railing and running off inside. (Name) glanced back at the door curiously, finishing off his cigarette before following. He found Sanzu in their room, digging through the closet grumbling quiet curses as he searched.

Eventually, after almost half an hour of him searching through the house, he found the gift. It was a little stuffed (fav/animal) that he got (Name) for his last birthday, in the span of a year and an argument the little critter got ripped - and that's when (Name) noticed the little bruised pin pricks and tiny cuts all over Sandy's hands. (Name) smiled great fully, gently taking the little stuffed animal, noticing a tiny little stain near where the tear was.

"I felt bad..." Sandy mumbled, (name) laughed aloud and hugged his boyfriend.

"I love you, you idiot."

[stormyoceans]

What a great birthday present! What’s your favorite manga?

THANK YOU ANON I REALLY AM SO DAMN HAPPY RN MY ENTIRE BIRTHDAY MONTH IS GONNA BE AMAZING JUST BECAUSE OF THAT 😭🤧

the manga is called saiyuki!!!!!! the story is very loosely based on the 16th-century chinese novel 'journey to the west' and it follows a monk named genjo sanzo who receives a mission to travel to the west with a group of three demons - son goku, sha gojyo, and cho hakkai - to stop the resurrection of the demon gyumao. this is just the general premise of the plot, but trust me when i say that there’s SO MUCH more to it

and like..it’s weird because if you asked me if i would recommend saiyuki to people i would probably say no for a lot of reasons (such as 1) the first chapter was published in 1997 but the story is still not over and it goes through years of hiatus due to the mangaka’s health issues, 2) the drawings weren’t the best at first so you have to bear with it for a while, 3) there are definitely some problematic stuff in it, 4) the scans and the translations you can find online suck ass, 5) there’s no good anime alternative to recommend, at least imho) AND YET. saying im IN LOVE with this manga doesn't even come close to describe the way i feel about it. i found this shit at the tender age of 11 and IT IRREVOCABLY CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER OKAY, not only because it introduced me to fandom in general but also because it genuinely shaped my entire being and became my term of comparison when it comes to stories

JUST!!!!!!!!!! THE COMPLEXITY OF THE CHARACTERS THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THEM THE DETAILS IN THE STORY EVERYTHING IS JUST SO GOOD and the fact that we don't know if we'll ever see the ending does break my heart a little but IM STILL GONNA ENJOY AND DEEPLY APPRECIATE EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER MINEKURA-SENSEI GIFTS US

EVERYONE PLEASE CHEER AND CLAP FOR MY FAVORITE FUCKED UP BOYS WHOM I LOVE WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL!!!!!!!!!!!

[ciaossu-imagines]

I don’t actually get the chance to get too smutty with Saiyuki too often, as it’s not requested that often and I had fun doing these headcanons based on this prompt! They were simple and quick but a blast!

Send me one pro and one con you could see with having sex with the character.

Sanzo

When he does choose to have sex, Sanzo is a surprisingly considerate lover in all ways. He isn’t going to be all about what he wants or needs and will make sure that his partner is comfortable with what they’re doing, that the position works for them, and that they’re feeling good and, even if he’s really enjoying something, if it’s really not working for his partner at all, he’ll be okay with switching things up to something that will work for the both of them without being annoyed at having to do so.

The biggest con though is that Sanzo is really not all that into sex. He does not have a high libido at all and his issues with being touched mean that he’s not going to want sex more than once in a blue moon.

Hakkai

Hakkai has amazing hands. It’s almost magical, actually, how easily he can figure out how to touch his partner to elicit the most pleasure for them. He’s not shy with his touches either and he’ll want to map out every inch of his partner, inside and out. He’ll learn quickly what feels best to them, how teasing he should be in his touches, how fast and rough he should be while finger-fucking them…

That being said, Hakkai has also called out Kanan’s name while having sex with his partner at least once and has mentally compared his sex life with his former love to the one he has with his current lover more than once.

Gojyo

Gojyo has a lot of experience sexually and he’s learned quite a few little hints and tips that he’s not shy about using to increase his partner’s pleasure. Really, he almost cares more about getting his lover off than he is about orgasming himself. Sex has never been about his own orgasm, but rather the feeling of being wanted and loved, so he’s really chasing his partner’s pleasure and seeing how happy he can make them.

It does bear mentioning though that, because of that strong desire to be wanted, Gojyo has trouble with remaining monogamous sexually, especially early on into a relationship.

Goku

Goku will be one of the most enthusiastic lovers you could ever have. He’s also so visibly excited to be having any sort of sexual contact with his partner. It’s like his birthday and Christmas all wrapped into one experience, with a little bit of heaven in there. He’s so into it and he’s so into his partner and he will put in so much effort because of how much he really appreciates and enjoys any sexual contact.

Of course, his absolute inexperience does work against him at times and despite having pretty good stamina, he gets over-excited easily and can have issues with premature ejaculation.

Dokugakuji

Dokugakuji has surprising stamina. He will make sure his partner knows that what they are doing feels so amazing and that they feel so good, but he doesn’t cum easily or quickly and can last for a couple of hours, with frequent breaks in between penetrative sex for foreplay and other opportunities for orgasms outside of penetrative sex.

Given what happened with his mother, though, he does have some unresolved sexual trauma and it can pop up seemingly out of nowhere, especially before his partner gets an idea of what triggers him. It could be something they said or did or the way they moved or just the way the moment feels or looks that will bring the memories rushing back into Dokugakuji’s mind and he has an issue with losing his erection completely here and there because of that.

[luciusaelius]

Memories

a kiss could be a powerful connection

Happy Valentine!

this is a Valentine gift in Minekura's Valentine gift exchange.

Dear Crowoxy, I hope you like this story as much as I liked writing it!

This large Saiyuki fan group acts positively on me as a real sanzogroupfamily and I was glad to have this occasion even if I was really afraid at the beginning for I never made a Valentine’s gift like this. Love from Luciusaelius

Also special thanks and happy birthday to Alex.

hope you all enjoy it!

MEMORIES

1. Family dinner

Gojyo finished his cigarette and pushed the stub on the grey stone jamb.

"Where the fuck have those two gone?"

He cast a glance at the set table where a tray filled with meatballs lay waiting for Goku. They smelled wonderful, but he would not pay Hakkai any compliment. He peeked under a covered pot and a delicious smell came up from there too.

Hakkai was bustling about in the small kitchen moving an amazing number of courses to the dining room - definitely out of proportion for any normal family's dinner.

The crew had asked for lodging in town but the rooms of the only inn were sold out; the owner had proposed that they stay in his small country house, next to the oak forest where he used to chop wood.

'This place is not so bad', thought Gojyo; he was just annoyed by the fact that the two nice girls at the reception would not be at hand.

There was some peace there and in case of an attack the fight would be less dangerous and harmful than it would have been in the middle of a town. He could still go back and stroll around after dinner to check what was in the air.

He looked at the table again, then through the large window toward the trees, whose leaves were passing from bright green to dark violet as the light changed soon after sunset.

A memory from long ago punched his chest: he used to live with Hakkai at  the time. He had come back late - he had spent the night fooling around and drinking hard. When he got in he saw all the nice food Hakkai had prepared for dinner still on the table. Hakkai had covered everything with cellophane not knowing at what time he would come back.

Hakkai was like that. He would never complain, like a silent guest. This made him angry: he'd have rather been mistreated, to have an excuse to tell him something hideous, and he was sure anyway that it wouldn't had worked and he would have felt even more guilty.

He took a serving spoon, determined to taste that tempting mush of lentils and curry in which chops of pork meat happily floated; it was calling him like a witch’s potion; but as soon as he raised the pot lid, trying carefully without succeeding not to make any noise, he was reached by Hakkai's voice as he came out of the kitchen with another large tray.

"Put down that spoon, guy. We should wait for the others"

The same old tone, apparently kind, imperative in substance.

He huffed, annoyed.

"Who knows where the fuck those two are right now. Sanzo was looking for a pack of cigarettes, but if Goku catches the scent of food from restaurants downtown he will never come back until his stomach is full. Meanwhile here our food is getting cold!"

Hakkai began to laugh.

"Don't worry: Sanzo will keep him in line. I've been cooking enough for an army and that should be enough to feed even Goku"

"Ok, ok"

Gojyo lifted both hands in a sign of surrender; he turned the spoon between his fingers like a skilled card player would do with an ace and put it back upon the table.

Hakkai was a bit surprised that he didn’t insist; he smiled at him. He went into the kitchen again and came back with another dish, an enormous one piled with reddish rice balls on top of a multicolour spread of tempura vegetables.

"These rice balls are made in the style of the far west lands, I learnt the recipe in a correspondence course. Would you like to try one?" he asked, kindly.

"Is it worth creating works of art that will last only for a few seconds?" asked Gojyo, raising his eyebrows. Colors and geometric shapes made the tray a joy to behold.

"Is it a waste of time going to look at the cherry blossoms?" said Hakkai, squinting as a smile curved his lips.

2. A shot

While he was leaning on the table to put the new course down a bullet pierced the window glass. Hakkai got out of the way just in time. He dropped the tray and ran together with Gojyo to escape from other hits and to check outside. Goijo had got out his blades.

There were just three rough Yokais in front of them, badly armed but determined: it was a matter of seconds to get rid of them. They had expected a quiet human family preparing for dinner and not someone who would fight back.

"I guess they saw the smoke of the chimney and came by looking for prey; they were not aiming at Sanzo's group, let alone the sutra. They just wanted us for dinner."

"What a hassle" added Gojyo, and lit another cigarette, moving outside just to check if  there were really only three.

He turned inside. Hakkai was cleaning up; fortunately only some of the rice balls had rolled on the table when he had dropped the plate.

Hakkai was so immersed in the task that he didn't even notice that he had been slightly hit.

His green headband was soaked with blood that dripped through onto his cheek.

"Hey man, wait a minute or you'll transform that white cloth into a polka-dot one"

"Oh, it's nothing serious" answered Hakkai bringing his hand to his temple. "Yes, now I see I stained the tablecloth" he added, frowning.

Gojyo put out the cigarette, took a clean towel and approached him to clean away blood and check the wound. "Yes, of course. Nothing", he mumbled. He did not trust Hakkai: when he talked about his health he had a tendency to underestimate the severity.

Hakkai blocked his wrist. Gojyo had the feeling he didn't want him to get nearer. He looked into his eyes.

Gojyo had a worried look on his face and behind, hidden in the dark of the pupil there was still the anxiety of a frightened child. In the days when he had found him and cured him, every now and then that look emerged but he was quick to hide it behind his sarcastic jokes.

Hakkai was annoyed about the wound made by three stupid hungry Yokais and he would not take any ironic comment at that very moment. He maintained the grip. Gojyo's lips were near, and to provoke him he rested his lips on his.

Gojyo jumped back.

"What the hell!"

Hakkai flashed an embarassed smile.

"Sorry, I.." he raised his right hand hiding his look. "please give me a cigarette"

Gojyo searched for his packet. He was annoyed for he felt something had turned on at that touch; he would have wanted to punch him in the face. He went toward him, slammed the packet on the table and caught a glove in Hakkai's left eye. Gojyo took his face with both hands and kissed him, at first angrily, with a demonstrative rage that passed into a physical involvement.

When he detatched from him, Hakkai stared. His dialectic skills had abandoned him. He felt his heart beating in his temple while a first blurred, then increasingly clear image composed itself in his head.

"Here, when you decide to do something, do it properly, at least"

said Gojyo responding to the look.

He took the packet back and passed him a cigarette; he took another one and lit it, then passed him the lighter.

"Gojyo"

"Hm?"

"I've remembered something.."

"What a serious tone! did you forget something in the oven and burned it?"

Gojyo let out a wisp of smoke and stared defiantly at him with the cigarette between his lips. After a few seconds he opened his eyes wide, and the lit cigarette almost didn't roll onto his shirt.

Hakkai continued. His look had changed; it had become harder.

"It happened to you too...didn't it, Kenren?"

"Field marshall!" Gojyo dropped on a chair "I think I need a drink. Something strong"

Hakkai laid down two cups, poured sake for himself as well, and lit the cigarette. His hand trembled slightly.

They plunged into silence separated by two thin threads of smoke.

The others came back after a few minutes. Goku had a large packet in his arms; it smelled like chocolate and fresh bread. Hakuryu hovered on his shoulder smelling it.

"Why did it take you so long?" asked Hakkai

"The ravenous monkey's fault?" added Gojyo.

"He wanted to eat and I prevented him. I told him you were making dinner especially for him. " said Sanzo addressing Hakkai. "So he grabbed half of the desserts on display in the bakery and ate more than half of those on his way here"

Hakkai laughed.

"Will he have enough room left in his stomach for the dinner?"

 "I'm staaaarving" screamed Goku.

"Do you have any doubts? I don't think he will leave us any leftovers for tomorrow" said Gojyo.

"Who are those lying out there?" asked Sanzo.

"Three louts who wanted us for dinner" replied Gojyo.

"Hm," commented Sanzo. "On their plates, I guess. Yokai won't get off their backs here either"

“we weren’t expecting any attack and could not feel them coming near” added Hakkai.

"Hakkai! the smell is spectacular. Let's eat huh? let's eat? Enjoooy!" Goku had dumped the bag in Hakkai's arms and started uncovering platters and tureens.

"Wait for the others, you idiot monkey. I had to wait a century for you to come back"

"Hurry up, rather, you retarded kappa, or else you'll complain to me if I then eat more meatballs than you"

Sanzo peered at Hakkai. His eyes were curiously shiny and alive, as if he had a fever, and he had a wound on his left temple.

"What happened? Have you been trying to gamble with your good eye?"

"Nothing serious, rather we will have to reimburse the damage they did to the window and wall."

"Right then. I'll go back to the owner later so we can pay him, tell him to dispose of these bodies and we'll leave directly without going through the village. These people out here won't go back to their cronies and maybe someone else might come looking for them. At this point it is better to leave as soon as possible, tonight or tomorrow at dawn. What time did this happen?"

"Just twenty minutes before you arrived"

Sanzo mulled over the fact that he had had a curious sense of estrangement half an hour before arriving at the oak wood, as if he did not recognize the place where he was; it happened while he was dragging Goku away from the bakery; he had attributed it to hunger and fatigue and had not given it too much thought. Out of the corner of his eye he had seen Goku looking repeatedly at his wrists.

Dinner was as expected. Hakkai passed bits of meat to Hakuryu. Goku busied himself cleaning up the tureen before moving back to the desserts, grabbing a colorful cookie that Hakuryu sniffed diffidently. Hakkai poured sake again and Gojyo pulled his cup next to him, taking the opportunity to peer at him as he filled it. His hunger had passed and he had no desire to argue with Goku.

Sanzo noticed this and it seemed strange to him. He got up from the table and lit a cigarette while Goku  moved on to the candied fruit.

"You go and pay the lodging guy. Remember to tell him we need a mortician," he said; he grabbed the newspaper and plopped down on a couch near the fireplace.

"I'll dematerialize them if you wish" Hakkai said.

"No, you look pretty tired already and it's better if they realize in the village themselves where they might end up as game. Sometimes if they don't get scared they don't realize how close the problem can get."

"Hakkai?" asked Gojyo, nodding toward the door. "Let's go ourselves. Goku is still stuffing his face and when I go out with him women tend to think he's my son. If it suits me I'll stay in the village and see you all in the morning"

"Do whatever the hell you want but mind if you come back late we’ll leave you here" said Sanzo, uttering a quick farewell while casting a glance from under his glasses at Goku who continued to rummage through the bag of sweets.

3. Memoirs expand

They reached the town walls by jeep. After a band of vegetable gardens and shacks, the urban fabric became more compact. Winery signs lit by torches swayed in the wind, casting strange glows. They parked a few steps from the inn; they paid and told the keeper about the assault. They went out, closing the door behind them. The wind had risen up.

"The poor guy got so scared that he didn't even want to get his window glass refunded" Hakkai said. "I don't know if he's going to go back to chop wood over there. But at least he promised to send someone in the morning to remove the corpses" They walked toward the walls even though neither of them felt like going right back.

"Shouldn't we tell them? The facts we remembered involve them too"

Gojyo did not respond; he stopped and lit a cigarette, sheltering it from the wind with his hand. The wind increased again so much that they struggled to walk. They took shelter in an alley. Gojyo put Hakkai with his back against the wall and kissed him without any preamble. Hakkai stared at him bashfully.

 "I just wanted to see if I could remember anything else"

"I know that you like women, you don't need to justify yourself to me" Hakkai answered.

 Gojyo smiled.

"OK, you are the exception. I mean, I don't mind kissing you, at least. For now, though, I don't want to have any further experiences. Can we stay friends?"

Hakkai laughed.

"All right, I'll buy you a drink without asking for a room"

"The girls at the counter were two: we can go up together if you want" Hakkai shook his head."Together in separate rooms?" Gojyo added.

"No, I'd rather go back to the base."

"You're boring, mate, you know?" he crossed his arms. "Please don't tell them about what we remembered without me"

Sanzo took off his glasses and laid the newspaper beside him; he stood up and lit a cigarette. Had he closed his eyes while reading? Perhaps fatigue had caused him to lose consciousness for a moment and he had fallen asleep. The vivid dream he had had, however, made his heart hammer in his chest. Goku came out of the bedroom, approached him and looked at him bewildered. "Konzen" he said. He grabbed his sleeve and began to cry.

"Stop it, Goku, get it over with"

Sanzo wondered what was going on. Goku had called him Konzen. So it was not a dream They had had the same vision and in the vision his name was Konzen. Goku threw himself at his knees.

"Get up, you fool"

"Konzen. Konzen. Konzen."

"Shut up, cut it out if you don't want a bump on the head. You're not a kid anymore"

He had him pulled up holding him by the scruff of his neck but he was moved too. After a moment's hesitation he hugged him to calm him down.

“Why did this come back to us, why so suddenly?” he asked himself without saying a word. Instinctively he touched his chest where the door had squeezed him until it took his breath away, until he had vanished in a golden haze.

He remembered the pain he had felt looking into Goku’s eyes, a golden flash and utter black, soon after.

Hakkai and Gojyo re-entered the inn. The innkeeper looked at them worriedly.

"Quiet, no bad Yokais. There’s just a cursed wind outside” said Gojyo.

“would you kindly bring us a bottle?" added Hakkai.

They chose a table in the least rowdy spot. The sake bottle arrived along with two small cups decorated with leaves. Hakkai filled them both. They downed them at the same time. "We must tell the others" said Hakkai after a while.

 "Tell what? about the Celestial Kingdom? About how they took us out? Sanzo will think we've gone crazy"

"It concerns them too"

"There’s also the fact that it's not a good memory. It's painful. Maybe we can spare them that, what would change anyway?"

A man dressed in white, his hood pulled down over his shaggy hair, approached. Without waiting for an invitation he grabbed a chair and sat at their table.

"you two were kissing"

Hakkai and Gojyo looked at each other puzzled.

"What?" they replied in chorus. They were uncertain of what to say; he looked strangely familiar.

“That would be none of your business, anyway” Gojyo added.

The stranger continued, with his deep voice.

"I'm not sure I can turn into a jeep again. Buy me something to drink in the meantime" "what the hell..." said Gojyo.

The two stared at him in disbelief as the memory became clearer.

"Commander" said Hakkai.

"Shall we walk back home?" suggested Gojyo.

"That would be better. The place where you parked me was damn cold; I tried to transform into my usual small dragon form to move and saw you in the alley. When it happened I found myself in the shape you see here"

"And remembered who you were" said Hakkai.

Goujun downed his sake and nodded.

4. A pending promise

They knocked and opened the door. Goku started shouting and Sanzo could not stop him: the room echoed with ‘Tenpou chan, Ken-niichan, Tenpou-chan, Ken-niichan...’. His calls resounded like a mantra from wall to wall.

"You guys kissed, huh, you and the brat?" Gojyo asked Sanzo with a raised eyebrow.

 Sanzo stared at him puzzled.

"You remembered too" Hakkai said with an uncertain smile.He was relieved to no longer have to wonder whether to tell him or not.

Sanzo's gaze was fixed, as if he was chasing a memory that was not yet complete and comprehensible. He came back to life frowning when he saw Goujun behind the two.

"And where does that one come out of?"

"Sorry. I'm not sure I can turn into a jeep again" said Goujun.

Sanzo crossed his arms.

"Well, dragon, you better get busy because I'm not going to go deal with a car-seller, much less continue the journey on foot" Sanzo turned to Hakkai. "How would you explain this?"

"Um, an energy discharge? We - Gojyo and I - had a vision just before the attack... then again just a few minutes ago" Hakkai said.

Sanzo noticed the slight blush that had appeared on his face but asked no further questions. Gojyo lit a cigarette pretending indifference while staring at the dark trees beyond the window. Goujun shook his head.

Sanzo realised the strange feeling of deja-vu had started when he had taken Goku by the hand to drag him out of the bakery.

Goku was jumping and running from one side of the house to the other.

"If you go on like that you'll soon run out of fuel and the pantry thanks to you is empty already" Gojyo shouted at him, showing him a paper bag where only crumbs were left.

"We have to reach the hills we have seen from the highest part of town. It is the flowering season. You promised"

"What hills, you fool: have you forgotten that we have urgent work to do in the west?"

"It's April, we just need one day off. Just one. It is you that have forgotten. You promised it. You all promised".

They felt they somewhat needed a bit of time to cope with that memories and agreed to detour, just for one day. They asked around and were told that what Goku had seen in the distance was actually a sheltered hillside at the foot of the mountains, not far away, where plum and cherry trees grew.

Cherry trees were in full bloom. In a few days the petals would begin to fall, one after another. They ignored what else to expect in that life. They did not remember everything of the past, only random precise scenes and feelings. But they all felt it was right to keep that promise. A silent way to claim they were still togheter, despite everything.

Goku had fallen asleep on the bright green grass, his head on Sanzo's lap. Sanzo smoked while looking at the clouds of flowers that filled the sky with white and pink.

Gojyo was drinking sake sitting on a branch; he had asked Goujun to join him but he had replied that since that certain day he could not stand heights in that apterous form; he leaned against the trunk slowly sipping from his small cup.

"it's true. These are much more beautiful," Sanzo said, breaking the silence.

Gojyo jumped down. He had seen a shadow pass over Hakkai's face. "Well, what's with this funeral face? You used to like cherry blossoms"

"We left the heavenly realm on a heavy charge"

"And for a good cause, right?" Gojyo added.

Goujun sat down on the grass, wrapped his cloak upon his shoulders and looked at them.

"When you disappeared, the cherry trees up there suddenly lost their flowers and leaves. The memoirs I wrote and my witness rehabilitated you. Your choice was a brave one. Perhaps you’ll come out of the cycle of rebirths one day. And hopefully I will come out too. I'm pretty tired of carting you around"

Before long they all fell asleep, perhaps from sake or the early spring sun.

"It's not still time you thugs. We'll talk about it in a while" yawned Kanzeon Bosatsu; white petals falling and dancing through her silvery haze path."I enjoyed that spicy spark, anyway" she added looking at Hakkai with a sly grin.

They woke up covered in petals; Hakuryu laid curled in the grass at the bottom of a giant cherry tree. The only thing they remembered was that they had changed their route because Goku had strangely insisted on seeing the cherry trees blossom.

[sakuplumeria]

Happy birthday Sanzo!