“I'm saying it'd be easier going around the mountain. Flat ground, man. No lugging all our shit up steep hills and rockfaces and over potholes.” Gojyo dropped a cigarette butt on the ground and stubbed it with the heel of his boot, ash scattering in senseless patterns on the dirt.
“We go over,” said Sanzo. “It cuts out any unnecessary detours.”
“You know, there's rumoured to be an old mining rail road beneath the mountain, although it might be quite dangerous by now. It hasn't been used in over two hundred years, according to my guide.” Hakkai flipped over a page of the small book he was peering down into, and then adjusted his monocle.
“Where the hell did you get that thing?” Sanzo asked him with mild incredulity.
“Who cares,” Gojyo mumbled. “I ain't draggin' my ass up a mountain today, and I sure as heck ain't hauling my ass along some dodgy rail road. Flat out no.”
Shutting his book and slipping it into his satchel, Hakkai retrieved a small tin lid and filled it from their canteen, setting it down for Hakuryuu. “I have to say, I'm more inclined to agree with Gojyo on this one.” He cast Sanzo a vaguely apologetic look. “It will be far less arduous skirting the mountain. Although I agree it may take longer, we have four clear hours before sunset. I think we can make decent headway.”
“Ch, fine. Whatever.” Sanzo shrugged out of the top half of his robe. “It's too fucking hot to keep going over this.”
“Oh-ho, what's this? Is Sanzo-sama agreeing with me?”
“Like hell.” Sanzo tossed Gojyo a glare. “I'm just going along to shut you up.” Blowing strands of hair out of his eyes, he scanned around sun-hardened, uneven terrain. It was a deep orange like treated animal hide, a colour Sanzo was rapidly growing sick of. His brows lowered. “Where the hell is Goku?”
“Said he was goin' for a slash.” Gojyo stretched his arms up and linked his hands behind his head, a smirk growing on his mouth. “Probably taking so long because he's having such a hard time locating his piece. Heh.”
“For someone who supposedly only chases women, you're more than a little obsessed with what other men keep in their trousers,” Sanzo pointed out, lip curling as he stared at the kappa.
“Ohh, so the monkey's a man now, eh? For a crappy monk who probably doesn't have a dick, you're quick to defend someone else's manhood–”
“Hey, you guys!”
“Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Hakkai sing-songed, idly scritching Hakuryuu's head as the little dragon drank his fill of water.
There was a flash of orange material and a face-splitting grin. Goku came bounding up from the direction of a cluster of short, rocky hillocks, brandishing something small and shiny. “You'll never believe what I found!”
“Shit, you didn't break it off by accident did you, man?” Gojyo called, ignoring the look Sanzo shot him.
“What took you so long?” Sanzo asked Goku, as he came skidding to a halt before them, his tattered boots kicking up miniature storm clouds of dust that seemed to travel straight up Sanzo's nose. Sanzo hated the desert.
“You've gotta come see this,” Goku panted, waggling the shiny object in Sanzo's face. “Coolest thing ever.”
“Stop waving that thing at me,” Sanzo grumbled, batting his arm away.
Goku's wild excitement didn't diminish, only seemed to grow with his grin – a brilliant grin that made him look much younger than he was. Sanzo found he couldn't easily look away; it was a smile he remembered from Chang'an, during long, lazy summer afternoons in the courtyard, Goku wading around the koi ponds happily (much to the despair of the other monks). If it wasn't for his much more angular bone structure, Sanzo would have thought him thirteen again, captivated and caught in a moment of delirious joy.
“What do you have there, Goku?” asked Hakkai, plucking the shiny object from Goku's hand. “Hmm... I think I've seen a picture of one of these, many years ago.”
Gojyo and Goku crowded around, peering down at the object as a team of archaeologists might peer at a few random china chippings in the ground. Aside, Sanzo folded his arms over his chest, but he cast one surreptitious glance at the thing Hakkai was holding. If this set them back, he could see them camping out for at least another week, a prospect that was miles from palatable.
“Unless that thing can get us to India faster,” he said, “I suggest you drop it right now.”
“So what is it, Hakkai?” asked Goku.
Sanzo ground his teeth.
“I believe,” said Hakkai, in one of his knowing tones, “this is known as a Lamp of Lava.”
“Sounds ridiculous,” Sanzo put in, but again he seemed to go unheard.
“What's it supposed to do, man?”
“I didn't know these things still existed...” Hakkai trailed off and looked up at Gojyo, seeming to realise he'd just been addressed. “Oh, it was used as a lighting accessory. More for show than practical use.”
“See,” said Sanzo, louder this time. “Ridiculous, and it won't work, so just discard it. I don't want more useless baggage weighing me down.”
“Weighing us down, more like,” Gojyo muttered. “It's not like you ever carry anything, you precious piece of holy ass.”
A gunshot ricocheted off a nearby boulder and Gojyo cursed into the dirt.
“Where did you find this, Goku?” Hakkai turned the Lamp of Lava over in his hands. Something within the clear shell glittered and shimmered in the sunrays, casting specks of rotating, swirling light up into his face. It was the oddest thing Sanzo had ever seen. Pretty.
“That's what I've been tryin' ta tell you.” Wheeling on his heel, Goku began heading in the direction of the rocks, turning only once to beckon them. It was like Sanzo was watching his day become that much longer and more tedious with every step Goku took. “C'mon, follow me.”
Sanzo opened his mouth to point out there was no time, but the others were already walking away from him. Damnit. Gritting his teeth, he begrudgingly followed.
About to put his harisen to good use, Sanzo rounded the rocky hill and stopped in his tracks, his hand sliding from his pocket. “What the–?”
“Na, Sanzo? Check this out.” Goku reached down and plucked one of many strange items poking out of the dirt. It was like the desert had a bad patch of acne.
The thing came away in his hand and Goku straightened, holding up a small metal box with dials and knobs on the front. There was also what looked like glass covering a section at the front, beneath which were a number of little round lights. The panel was cracked at one corner, but apart from that the thing seemed to have escaped the natural file of sandy, sharp desert wind.
“What d'ya think it is?”
“Who knows,” said Sanzo, taking it from him and giving it a frown. As he ran his thumb over the edge, a square flap popped out. Sanzo's frown deepened. Inside the flap were two thin, cylindrical slots.
Gojyo came scuffing towards them, kicking the toe of his boots against various other objects. Some clunked, some clacked, most didn't budge from where they'd been riveted into the dirt over time. The red dust of the desert was pimpled with the stuff, in a wide circle cradled by the rocks. “So this place is like a dump for mechanical shit, then?” Gojyo said, staring down.
“More like a graveyard,” Hakkai replied, as he picked up a long, thin thing made of plastic and gave it a light shake. “Fascinating...”
“Do you reckon any of this stuff still works?” Goku asked.
“Highly doubtful,” said Sanzo, poking at the flap on the box he was holding. “Looks like the power source of this one is missing.”
“Hey, what about these?” Goku stooped and worked his fingertips around two small objects wedged in the ground, prying them loose. “Looks about the same size.” He resurfaced holding two thin lumps of metal, which Gojyo immediately plucked from his hand.
“Oy, cockroach, I saw those first.”
“Pipe down, weed. I'm just checking the merchandise.”
“Ha ha, it sounds as if you're planning to flog these, Gojyo.” Hakkai didn't sound entirely comfortable with the prospect.
“Gotta make money where you can, 'Kai,” said Gojyo, sniffing at the metal things, then glancing up at Sanzo. “Wanna try, man?”
“No.” Sanzo held out the box. It was Hakkai who came over and took it from him. Sanzo backed off. “If that thing explodes, I'm not carrying you to the next town.”
“I wouldn't want your hands on me anyway, monk.” Gojyo walked over to Hakkai and brandished the small objects. “Hey, you know what these are called?”
“Batteries, although be careful, Gojyo – if they've been out here in the desert a while, they might be dangerous.”
Even from where Sanzo was standing, he could sense Goku was practically buzzing. Typical. A whiff of potential danger and the guy was suddenly wide awake. Sanzo watched with mild curiosity as Gojyo slid the two batteries into the holes in the box Hakkai held reverently in his hands. With a click, the flap was closed, then Hakkai began fiddling with the dials and buttons.
“Huh, told you it wasn't going to work.” Sanzo thought at least now they'd give up on this tedious enterprise and haul ass, but the others made no move, only stared hopefully at that damn box.
The box spluttered. Clicked. Buzzed. Then fell silent, and a wave of excitement passed between them.
“Whoa,” said Goku wondrously. “Cool! What else do it do?”
“Maybe it'll blow up and put me out of my misery,” Sanzo muttered, sighing as the wind picked up and doused his robes with red dust.
“T-tuuuuuuuurn... leffffff...” said the box in reply.
“Oh my!”
“Shit, did that thing just–!”
“Wow, seriously cool!”
Sanzo paused in his frustrated robe rub-down and edged closer, but maintained a safer distance than the others. “What did it just say to me?” he asked in a low tone.
“I'm amazed. Simply amazed these batteries still have juice in them.”
“... leaving the mmmmot. Torrrway. Junction,” said the box in a dull, metallic voice. Then it clicked.
“What does it mean?” said Goku.
“Juncccction Thrrrree. Three.”
Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai all turned to stare at Sanzo.
“What?” he groused, glaring at them.
“It's a code!” exclaimed Goku. “Three, like in Sanzo's name.”
“Bullshit,” Sanzo said. “Shut up, the lot of you. It's just a stupid talking box, and unless it can give us the shortest route to the next town–”
“Turn left, up ahead,” the box interrupted. “Drive straight for thirty kilometres.”
Sanzo snapped his mouth shut and stared at it.
“Oy, Jeep,” Gojyo called. “Where you at? Get over here.”
From behind the rocks in the direction they'd walked came a faint “Kyuu!!” and the flap of delicate wings. Hakuryuu appeared, swooping low on the air and performing a graceful arch, before landing smoothly on Hakkai's shoulder. “Kyuu?” he said.
“This thing is the answer to all our problems, man. Now it's down to you – you've gotta take one for the team.” Taking the box from Hakkai, Gojyo raised it up.
With a lightning fast snap of his neck, Hakuryuu pecked him.
“Damn!” Gojyo pulled his hand back fast and looked down at the small cut on his wrist. The cut began to bloom red at the edges, matching Gojyo's hair and angry eyes. “Man, why'd you have to bite me?”
“I think you hurt his feelings,” Hakkai said, stroking Hakuryuu's long neck.
“I like how I get bitten and he gets the sympathy,” Gojyo mumbled. Sanzo snorted.
“Hey, Hakuryuu, you know we're not sayin' you're no good at carrying us, right?” Goku approached the little dragon, smiling at him. “'S just this thing's tellin' us how to get to the next town really fast, so we can sleep in beds an' eat really good food instead of the desert lizards we've had to eat the last two nights.”
“Kyuu!” Hakuryuu said curtly. “Kyuuu!”
“He rather enjoys the lizards, I'm afraid,” Hakkai translated. He turned to look up at his companion. “But see, Hakuryuu, it might be a good idea to keep hold of this navigating device. My maps are quite old and roads often change and divert off course. You hate having to travel all night long when we get lost, don't you?”
Hakuryuu remained non-committally silent, but he ruffled his wings.
“Let's just go,” said Sanzo, fed up. “We're still not getting anywhere.”
“I suppose so, but I'm going to keep hold of this for now.” Hakkai slipped the box into his pocket. Once it was out of sight, Hakuryuu seemed to relax, letting out a grateful cluck-cheep.
As they headed back towards their belongings, Gojyo caught up to Sanzo and muttered, “Wait until he's sleeping. We can put it on him then.”
“I refuse to go anywhere near it. If you want to lose an arm, feel free to piss Hakuryuu off.” With that, Sanzo strode ahead and waited for the others to pack up their things, foot tapping on the dirt all the while.
* * *
“That's funny, I swear I packed it.”
“Is it in the blue rucksack? I thought I saw ya put it in there.” Goku gave up looking in the tarpaulin bag and moved on to the next one, rummaging quickly. “Not in this one.”
“It's not here either,” said Hakkai, setting down the blue rucksack and rubbing at his forehead. “I can't think we'd have lost it since yesterday.”
“Shit, what a pisser. That thing was the answer to our freaking dreams. A talking map, man! You don't come across those every day.”
Sanzo, reclined against a curving rock with a three-day-old newspaper perched against his knees, glanced up. As he did, he caught sight of Hakuryuu, who was hovering nearby, watching Hakkai, Goku, and Gojyo search for the stupid navigating device. If Sanzo wasn't mistaken, he'd say the dragon wore a decidedly smug look. Then again, he was no dragon expert, and it could have been wind.
But then he noticed the dirt staining Hakuryuu's claws an orangey-red, as if he'd been scratching at the ground.
Or digging.
Possibly digging a very deep hole in which to bury something.
The dragon caught Sanzo's eyes and for a brief moment understanding passed between them. Sanzo's mouth quirked once, then he dropped his gaze to his newspaper and carried on reading.
~Fin~
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