Title: Silence Can Be Golden
Author: Kirathaune
LJ: http://kirathaune.livejournal.com/
Character(s)/Pairing(s):
Goku & Gat, with hints of 393
Rating/Warning: PG-13
Summary: Gat
gives Goku a lesson in the power of observation, and Goku learns some
surprising things about his companions - including Gat.
Disclaimers: This is just for fun, no profit made.
Notes: This is a birthday gift for my lovely friend moshesque. Her
prompt was "weight lifting". I hope you enjoy it, bb! *glomps* 5,100 words.
"Heee-YAH!" With Nyoi-Bou whirling in a blur above his head, Goku launched
himself at his adversary.
His opponent dodged the attack and aimed a vicious punch at his midsection.
Goku barely avoided the punch and attempted a roundhouse kick to the head. The maneuver had been precisely executed, and would have
probably broken the neck of a normal man.
But Gat was not a normal man, and Goku's kick only reached as high as his
chest. The big Indian grabbed Goku's foot and hurled him over his shoulder,
making Goku land on the ground in a heap a good ten feet away. Laughing,
the teen hopped up and dismissed his weapon. "Oh, man, that was AWESOME!
You threw me really far that time. I gotta push off
harder when I start that kick, cuz m'just not gettin' high enough ta reach your head." At a nod from Gat, Goku tried
again and this time his foot reached the giant's head. Gat ducked the blow, and
Goku landed harmlessly behind him. "Yeah! Got it!" Gat smiled as Goku punched the air, then plopped down on the soft grass beneath his feet.
"This is a great place for our practice, Gat! Nobody around, an'
plenty of room ta fight each other!"
They were in a small grassy field a couple of miles outside of town.
The two groups had met unexpectedly in town and ended up staying in the
same inn, despite Sanzo's loud complaints. Goku, however, had seized
the opportunity to get in some sparring practice with Gat. So after a good
night's rest (on Goku's part, anyway), the two friends hiked to find a
good spot, shed their shirts and enjoyed a morning of intense exercise and
competition.
Gat sat down next to Goku and handed him a canteen of water. Sitting
up, Goku accepted it with thanks and drank deeply, then poured some
water over his head to help cool off. Gat watched the water trickle over
the taut, lean muscles of Goku's bare chest, mixing with the sweat that already
glistened there.
Goku noticed Gat's eyes on him and self-consciously poked his chest.
"Yeah, M' pretty puny, aren't I? I really, really wish I could have
muscles like yours..." He eyed Gat's bulk wistfully. "You'd think
with all the food I eat an' all the fightin' I do,
I'd have bigger muscles. I wanna be built like
you."
A corner of Gat's mouth turned up as a ridiculous vision of a
bulked-up Goku flashed through his mind. "Goku, your body just isn't meant
for such big muscles. And muscle size has nothing to do with true strength -
you are at least as strong as I am."
The teen brightened noticiably. "Ya think so? How can we find out?"
Gat looked around the clearing. There was a small grove of trees off
to their left, and one of the trees had fallen over and lay on
the ground in chunks of different sizes. He pointed over to the
fallen tree. "How about we see what we can lift over there?" he
suggested.
Goku grinned. "Cool! Let's do it!" He jumped up and ran over to the
tree, Gat following close behind.
They spent the next half hour lifting almost every log that lay on the
ground, taking turns raising each timber above their heads. Goku got
a little too cocky with one Goku-sized chunk, flinging it up above his
head so quickly that he lost his balance and fell over
backwards with a thump, the log crashing down a mere foot
away. Gat rolled his eyes and picked up the offending chunk with one hand,
raising it slowly and deliberately above his head while Goku stuck out his
tongue. The two remained evenly matched until Goku attempted to lift
a section of trunk that was twice Gat's height, and close to the big
Indian's girth. Try as he might, he was unable to keep it above his head, and
as the timber fell to the ground Goku huffed in frustration and sat on top
of the offending log, defeated. Gat tried the next size piece, with no success.
"Well, Goku, I think we met our limit, and I believe we can call it a
tie."
Goku shook his head. "S'not a tie - you were
able ta lift this one, an' I couldn't!" He
thumped the log beneath him with a fist.
Gat reached out and ruffled Goku's hair. "You lifted it, you just couldn't hold it above your head. That's an
issue of balance, not strength - this log is four times your size."
He was actually quite impressed that Goku had tied him - there was an amazing
amount of strength packed into that small frame. And he was wearing his limiter
- only the gods knew how strong the boy would be in his demon form. Gat
handed Goku his shirt, and put his own back on, along with his vest. "How
about we rest for awhile and you can eat your lunch?"
"Oh, yeah! M' starved!" Goku had brought along a basket of
food provided by the inn's cook who, flattered by Goku's appetite,
had made him a generous lunch. Since she had assumed Gat would eat as
well she had packed enough for two, and "enough for two" worked
out to "just enough" for Goku. He ran to retrieve his lunch and
then sat down with Gat beneath the dappled shade of one of the larger
trees. Gat munched on the apple Goku tossed to
him and watched Goku attack his sizeable meal. Goku soon plowed his way through the basket's contents and
then leaned back against the tree trunk, arms crossed above his
head. "Hey, Gat? How come you're
so quiet all the time? I mean, we talk when we're together like this, but you
never say anythin' when everybody's together. Almost never, anyways."
Gat smiled. "I enjoy talking with you, Goku. As for other times, let me
share with you a proverb I was taught by our tribe's shaman when I was young: 'Listen, or your tongue will keep you deaf'."
Goku's brow scrunched as he tried to work through the saying. Gat could almost
hear him thinking. Goku opened his mouth, closed it again and thought some
more. Finally, the teen shrugged his shoulders and admitted, "M'sorry, I just don't get it. How can your tongue make ya deaf? An' how could your tongue get in your ear? That'd
be gross."
Gat laughed. He laughed so hard that the branches shook above them, and a few
leaves fluttered down and landed on their shoulders. If he had been capable of
tears, they would definitely be running down his cheeks in mirth. Oh,
Ancestors, this boy brings such joy to my soul. Thank you for allowing me to
know him.
Goku grinned sheepishly.
It took a couple more minutes before Gat was able to look at Goku
without laughing. Once he had recovered, he reclined on the grass next
to Goku and picked up one of the fallen leaves and examined it as he
spoke. "You're being too literal. It means that if you use your attention
and energy in talking, you take away from your ability to really listen to what
people are saying to you. It is the same for watching - if you are too
busy talking, how can you see the small, quiet things that happen around
you?"
Goku frowned. "But I do listen to people."
"You might listen to their words, but do you listen to how
they say them? And what they don't say? Much can be learned from what a person
doesn't say." Gat picked up another leaf. "Just
like you can learn a great deal from just watching. People say so much
more than the words that come out of their mouths."
Goku considered Gat's words. "Well, I think I pay attention to how
they say stuff. I mean, with Sanzo I can tell whether he's really pissed off or
is just grumpy by how he says things. An' Hakkai too - he's the scariest when
he gets all super polite an' shit." He looked over at Gat. "But whaddya mean about people sayin'
more than their words?"
Gat rolled onto his back and watched two squirrels chase each other along the
branch above their heads. "If you observe people closely, you can
sometimes see them do things they aren't aware that they do. For instance, I
can almost always tell when Sanzo is about to hit you or Gojyo with his
paper fan - he gets a twitch in his left eyelid. If I see that
twitch, I know the fan is coming out."
Goku sat upright. "Really?! You can tell? That's
super cool!"
The Indian nodded. "I see it because instead of talking, I watch. And
I listen, too. And if you watch carefully enough, sometimes you can see
patterns in what people do, like Sanzo's twitch."
Goku's hands flapped enthusiastically. "That is soooo
cool. M' gonna hafta look
for that!" He cocked his head at Gat. "D'ya
think I can do it too? See cool stuff like Sanzo twitchin'?"
Gat nodded again. "You certainly can. You just have to make an effort to
watch and listen more, and talk less... but you do like
to talk, my young friend."
Goku thumped his chest. "I can do it! I can be quieter. I wanna try an' see stuff like you do! M' gonna do
it today - I'll watch an' listen, an' later on tonight I'll tell ya all the stuff I find out." Golden eyes gleamed with
enthusiasm, and Goku hopped to his feet and held out a hand to Gat.
"Let's go back now so I can start!"
Gat let Goku help him up, then they
packed up the lunch basket and made their way across the grassy field back
to the main road. When they reached the worn, rutted road Goku turned
back for another look at the pile of timbers and pointed at the trunk
that had defeated him. "I betcha if I tried
harder I coulda lifted that." He grinned at
Gat. "But it's really cool that we're almost the same!"
"Well, Goku, I know one weight I definitely
can lift with ease," Gat said as they started to walk back
to town. Goku looked at him questioningly, then
squeaked in surprise when Gat scooped him up with one hand and deposited
him on a broad, suede-clad shoulder.
Goku laughed. "Whoa! This is cool! M'up so
high! I can see so much from up here!"
Gat glanced up, smiling as Goku exclaimed about all the things he could
see from Gat's shoulder. Gat had traveled so
many years with only Hazel, and while the bishop was amiable enough, there was
calculation in everything he did and said. Being around Goku reminded Gat that
there was joy to be found in everything, and he loved Goku's impulsive
eagerness. A joyful spirit of the Earth.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So for the rest of that afternoon and evening a
quieter Goku observed the other members of the Sanzo-ikkou, and Gat
watched the watcher. While Goku wasn't completely silent
- Gat reflected that it would have aroused considerable suspicion if he had
been - Goku was definitely using his eyes and ears more than his voice. It was
going to be interesting to find out what Goku learned about his three
companions. In Gat's opinion, both Gojyo and Sanzo were fairly easy tells,
in spite of the effort the priest made in masking his expressions. Hakkai was a
bit more difficult, but Gat thought Goku should be able to pick up on
a few things.
Gat made his own tally of things he thought were
easily discoverable, and he felt that if Goku noticed even half
of them then it would be a lesson well learned.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was a clear, crisp night, and Gat sat on the grass with his back against the
worn wood of the inn's stable. He heard Goku talking to the horses and
giving them apples, and while he waited for his friend to join
him Gat gazed at the stars and looked for his favorite constellations. A few minutes later he heard the
stable door shut and then Goku plopped on the grass next to him.
"I gotta tell you, that was
one of the coolest things I've ever done." Goku crossed his arms behind
his head and reclined against the wall. "It was really hard, but I learned
some neat things."
Gat was glad to hear Goku had enjoyed their experiment. "So, tell
me."
Goku held up his index finger. "Gojyo. He does
this thing with his eyes right before he steals my food! He watches my
chopsticks while I eat, an' then his eyes drop down to my plate - an' that's
when he grabs my stuff! An' he does it all the time!" Goku laughed and
waggled his finger. "An' guess what! He wasn't able to steal a single
thing off my plate at dinner! He was real pissed." Goku's toothy grin
indicated absolutely no remorse.
"Anything else about Gojyo?"
The teen leaned over and whispered, "He likes Hakkai. I-wanna-have-sex-with-you likes."
Gat raised an eyebrow.
"No, really! An' I think Hakkai likes him back.
They touch each other a lot - real little touches, but a lot, an' tonight
Gojyo had the same dopey look on his face lookin'
at Hakkai that he gets when he's gonna put the moves
on a pretty girl." Goku plucked at some of the blades of grass
beneath where he sat. "I feel kinda stupid that
I never noticed it before."
"Well, I'm sure that when you were younger it never would have occured to you that they would have an interest in each
other." Gat could remeber being similarly
clueless when he was a young teenager. "So what did you learn about
Hakkai, other than he returns Gojyo's affection?"
"Hakkai," Goku stated, "is one sneaky bastard. I've wondered for
awhile now why Sanzo doesn't get sick with the way he eats - he either hardly
eats anythin' or it's real
weird crap that's not really good for you." He drew his legs up and
rested his chin on his knees. "It's cuz Hakkai has been puttin'
healthy stuff in Sanzo's food! I went with him to get supplies this afternoon,
and this time I paid attention to what he bought. He got a lot of regular crap,
but then he got stuff like vitamins and protein powder and vegetable paste, an'
when we got back to the inn I saw him hide it! AND, I saw him put a packet
of the protein stuff into Sanzo's ramen at
lunchtime! Remember at dinner when he said he forgot somethin' in his room? Instead of goin'
to his room he went back in the kitchen an' gave the cook some stuff to mix
into Sanzo's dinner!" Goku laughed. "So all this time, Sanzo's been eatin' healthier an' he doesn't even know it!"
Gat was impressed. It had taken him several encounters with the Sanzo-ikkou to
notice Hakkai's stealth nutrition agenda. "Very good.
So, speaking of Sanzo...?"
Goku's laughter faltered, and in the moonlight Gat saw a blush stain the teen's
cheeks.
"Well, I watch Sanzo a lot anyways," Goku admitted, "but it's
mostly to look at how his hair looks so cool in the sunshine, or, uh," his
gaze dropped to focus on his feet, "the way his muscles move
under that black silk stuff he wears." He cleared his
throat. "But I never really watched him do stuff
before."
"And what does he do?" Gat knew the answer, but wanted to hear it
from Goku.
"He watches me." Goku turned his head to rest his cheek on his
knees. "He watches me a lot, an' sometimes it's not just lookin' at what I'm doin' but lookin' at me. An' remember
tonight when those guys were playin' that music an' I
got up an' danced with a bunch of people? Sanzo watched me the whole time, an'
he had this funny look on his face... almost like he was hungry."
Ah,
there it was - now he sees. Gat could tell that the
teen didn't know how to interpret what he saw. "He desires
you."
Goku grabbed his sleeve, his eyes wide and suddenly filled with a fierce hope. "Really? You really think Sanzo feels that way
about me?"
Gat smiled at his young friend and replied, "Yes, Goku, I think he
does." This was an easy gift to give... the priest had been looking
at Goku that way ever since Gat and Hazel had first met
them. And everyone else saw it too, except Goku - until now.
Goku released his arm and leaned back against the wall. "I've liked
him that way for a long time," he confided, "but he always acts
like he still thinks of me like a kid. And m'not a kid anymore!" Goku then ruined the effect
of his declaration by pouting.
"No, you're not," Gat agreed, in spite of the pout. "Treating
you like a child might be Sanzo's way
of avoiding admitting he wants you as a man. Tell me, what you
saw tonight, did it look like he sees a child?"
The pout disappeared, and a small, secret smile appeared on Goku's
face. "No... no, it didn't."
"There you go, then." Gat returned to his contemplation of the night
sky, thinking that Sanzo's life was about to get very ...interesting. Goku was
a very determined young man, and while the priest was just as determined in his
denial Gat couldn't see him being able to resist Goku for long.
"Hey, Gat?" Goku's hand was on his arm
again.
Gat turned his head to give Goku his attention, and was startled to find Goku's
face right next to his as the teen knelt beside him. "What is
it, Goku?"
Goku's expression was solemn, but there was a spark of curiosity in his
eyes. "Well... I, uh, noticed that you were watchin' me too."
"I was watching you observe your companions," Gat pointed out, not
quite sure where Goku was headed with the conversation.
"Well, yeah... but there were a coupla times you
were watchin' me ...kinda
like Sanzo did."
Gat quickly looked away. He had underestimated Goku - he had not expected
that the boy would be able to see quite so clearly.
Although he probably should have known better - Goku was also the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.
The hand on his arm gave a gentle squeeze. "Does that mean you like
me like he does?"
"I..." Gat could feel Goku's eyes on him. As much as he wished
he could brush it off and deny it, he owed his friend an honest answer. "I... yes. But not quite the same
way." Gods, this is difficult. "Sanzo
wants to be your lover, but I... can't."
"Cuz you're not really alive anymore,
right?"
Gat nodded, keeping his eyes on his hands. He never dreamed he would be having
this conversation with Goku.
"Gat?" Another squeeze, and this
time Gat turned to look at Goku.
"I like you too," Goku whispered, and leaned
forward to press his mouth against Gat's.
Goku's lips were warm and soft as they moved on his, tentatively at first
but then with increasing eagerness. Gat's long-dead body remained
unmoved, so he reached back into his memories to recall a
living time, and imagined how it would feel as he
was kissed by this warm, ardent earth spirit...
His heart
that had been silent for years would beat faster, pounding in his
chest and thundering in his ears. Air that was now only used for speaking would
enter his lungs as his breathing quickened, and then would
escape as a moan when Goku's tongue brushed against his lower lip. And
heat would begin to curl low and tight in his groin, sending tingling warmth pulsing
through his body to make him hard and aching with want.
...But those responses were for a living body, so Gat tucked
them away with his memories and savored what he
could. He parted his lips to let Goku explore his mouth, and enjoyed the
hot, wet slide of Goku's tongue against his. Goku's chest was pressed against
his arm, and when Gat felt the fast drumming of Goku's heart against
his skin it echoed through his body - and for those few suspended moments he
was alive again.
Goku lifted his mouth from Gat's, then grinned and touched Gat's lips with his
fingers. "Well, your lips work just fine. That was real nice."
Gat laughed and tugged a lock of spiky chestnut hair. "Good to know
something still works." He was immensely glad that this intimate moment
hadn't really changed anything between them.
Goku dove back in for another quick kiss, then sat
back down on the grass next to Gat. A satisfied smirk played on his lips, and
Gat was amused to realize that the look on Goku's face was almost the
same expression he would have after a particularly good sparring
session.
"This was really cool, what you showed me," Goku said as he toyed
with the suede fringe of Gat's vest. "I can't do it all the
time like you do, but it was neat ta see all
this stuff I woulda missed otherwise. Like
the things Gojyo does when he tries to steal food off my plate, an'
how Hakkai messes with Sanzo's food." Gold eyes flicked over to the
inn, focusing on a window on the second floor. "An' Sanzo... M' real glad
I saw that. I feel better, knowin' that he likes me
too." Goku smiled up at Gat. "And you, too. M'glad
I saw you." Gat returned the smile with one of his own.
There was a companionable silence for a few moments, and then Goku leaned
back against the wall and pointed a finger at the sky. "I saw you were lookin' at the stars when I came out here - what do
your people call that bunch of stars?" He drew an imaginary circle around
a constellation of seven stars. "Hakkai taught me that one is
called Shēn Xił, an'
it belongs in the White Tiger. I like it cuz
it's easy to find in the sky."
Gat looked up where Goku was pointing. "Ah, that is the Canoe Race. See
that line of three stars? That is the Big Canoe, and those small
stars underneath them are the Little Canoe. They are racing to catch
a salmon in the
Goku stared wide-eyed at the sky. "That's so cool! Do you have stories for
the other stars too?" When Gat nodded, Goku scooted over and wound his
arms around the Indian's waist, resting his head on Gat's chest.
"Tell me more!"
Gat drew him close. He rested one hand on Goku's back while he gestured at the
heavens with the other, enjoying the steady beat of the heart beneath his hand
and the warmth that radiated from the body pressed against his. "That one
over there is called the Grizzly Bear..."
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Gat was outside the inn, filling up their canteens in preparation to
depart when Sanzo walked up to him, the morning's newspaper in one hand and a
cigarette in the other. "So, what did you say to
the monkey yesterday morning?"
Ah. The priest was a watcher himself, after all. "Goku asked me why I
don't talk much, so I shared a lesson in listening and watching that my
shaman taught me many years ago. He wanted to try it for himself."
"Figures. Monkey see, monkey
do." Sanzo lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply, then blew a puff
of smoke off to the side. "... and he practically hero-worships you."
The priest's eyes narrowed beneath blond bangs. "I can't imagine that your
demon-hunting master approves of you spending so much time with a 'heathen
monster'."
"Goku is a delight. I consider it a great, great honor
that he names me as a friend." Gat reached for the next canteen and began
filling it. "I have never known someone so full of life, and who gives so
much love to everyone around him." A corner of his mouth turned up in a
wry grin. "Except for Hazel. I don't think he
cares for Hazel very much."
Sanzo snorted. "None of us care for Hazel very much."
"No, I guess not." Gat shut off the spigot and turned to
face the priest while he fastened the cap back on the canteen.
"Sanzo... whatever Hazel's thoughts are concerning the boy, please know
that I will not let any harm come to him. I have a great ...affection for
Goku."
"'Affection'," Sanzo spat the word. "Bullshit. It's more than
that."
Gat drew himself to full height and looked down at the now hostile priest.
"I could say the same about you."
"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about."
Gat eyed Sanzo steadily and continued, "And if I were a living man, I
might consider you a rival."
Suddenly something hot and dangerous blazed in the young priest's eyes.
Oh, yes... Sanzo had very strong feelings for his young companion, and Gat
was glad he wasn't truly a rival for Goku's affection - Sanzo
was deadly enough on a good day. Almost as if he sensed Gat was
seeing too much, Sanzo's expression became shuttered and neutral, and he
took a long, too-casual drag on his cigarette. "But you're not, are
you?" The priest blew out a cloud of smoke, aiming it at Gat. "A living man."
"No, I'm not," Gat agreed affably. "And besides, the boy
gave his heart to you a long time ago. I am content to have his friendship."
And his kisses.
"Hmmpf." Sanzo
took a final drag and crushed the spent cigarette under his boot heel, and the
tension radiating from him began to dissipate. "Well, at least the monkey
has learned the value of shutting the fuck up once in a while. The kappa hasn't
been able to steal any of his food since yesterday."
"Gat!" Goku came running out of the inn's
side door and launched himself at Gat, wrapping his arms around the
Indian's waist in a crushing hug. "You guys are leavin'?"
He tilted his head back and grinned. "I wish we could spar some more - I
had a lot of fun yesterday!"
Gat smiled and ruffled Goku's hair, keenly aware of the violet gaze watching
his every move. "It's time for us to go, my young friend, but I'm
sure our paths will cross again. Until then, may the Great Spirit guard
your path and keep you safe." He glanced over at Sanzo, and seeing
the tell-tale twitch of a left eyelid, removed his hand just in
time.
WHACK! The paper fan landed on top of Goku's head. "Stop making an
idiot of yourself, monkey," Sanzo hissed. Goku winced at the blow, but the
grin stayed on his face as he released Gat from the hug. His
smile got wider when Sanzo grabbed the back of Goku's shirt and
yanked the teen back against him. Goku winked at Gat, clearly pleased
by the display of possessiveness from the priest.
Fighting to keep a straight face, Gat picked up the remaining
canteens and inclined his head toward Sanzo. "Sanzo, I wish you good
journey."
Sanzo nodded curtly. "The same to you." His
hand moved from Goku's collar to his shoulder and stayed
there.
"Bye, Gat," Goku said. "An' Gat?
Thanks." Their eyes met, and Goku smiled warmly while
another, different farewell passed silently between them.
"Come on, monkey. I'm sure breakfast is ready." Sanzo turned on his
heel and started walking towards the side entrance, and with a final wave
Goku followed him. As Gat watched the retreating pair, he saw Goku reach
for Sanzo's hand and noted with satisfaction that the priest didn't pull away,
but allowed Goku's fingers to twine with his as the teen tugged him along
through the door.
A smile spread acrosss Gat's face. Sanzo didn't stand
a chance.
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