cornerofmadness (cornerofmadness) wrote in journeywest, @ 2007-12-14 22:36:00 |
|
|||
Current mood: | contemplative |
Current music: | Whip It- Devo |
Fic - Childhood Dreams and Grown-Up Memories
Childhood Memories and Grown-Up Dreams
Author – cornerofmadness
Disclaimer – not mine. All rights belong to Kazuya Minekura et al, no profit made, just a little fun
Rating – PG-13
Warning – work safe
Prompt - Time
Pairing – none, Gojyo-centric gen fic
Summary – Like the titles says, Gojyo is wrestling with memories and dreams
Author’s Note – This was written for m3sektet for the holidays. She wanted Gojyo gen-fic. This is also for my Gojyo claim for fic_variations, using the prompt –Time Self-beta'ed so if you see oopsies point them out please.
A brother shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams. ~Author Unknown
He watched the smoke flit toward the ceiling, feeling out of sorts. Gojyo wasn’t really sure why. They had lucked out and found cheap accommodations with single rooms for all of them. It should be a time for celebration, no monkey snoring in his ear, no monk yelling for quiet so he could rustle his newspaper in dead silence. Instead, Gojyo just wanted to lie around doing nothing much of anything. He didn’t even feel like going out for a night on the town.
It took hours for him to realize what might be causing his funk. It was Dokugakuji’s birthday and now that he knew that his brother was still alive, Gojyo couldn’t spend any time with him. While Kougaiji and company didn’t really seem to have their heart into being enemies, they weren’t friends either. It didn’t seem fair to have such barriers between them when they could finally have the family they desired.
Lighting up another cigarette, Gojyo wondered when he became such a sentimental fool. Maybe it was because the few times he had been happy growing up had been in the company of Jien. Gojyo let his mind wander back to happier times; no, not happier but at least he did have some fond memories of Jien.
X X X
Gojyo held his fishing pole tight, excitement thrumming through him. They never got to do this kind of thing. Mom would panic if Jien was gone too long. If Gojyo fell in the lake and drowned, she wouldn’t care but Jien was her favorite. She barely let him out of her sight some days.
Somehow Jien had convinced Mom to let them go out night fishing. Not only did he get to have all the fun of fishing, he got to spend time with Jien. Gojyo had the best big brother ever. Jien even baited his hooks for him since his little fingers had troubles with the squirming worms.
“I wish we could do this more often,” Gojyo said, feeling a bump on his line, nothing quite strong enough yet to try and set the hook.
Jien nudged Gojyo’s shoulder, grinning. “I’ll see what I can do.
Gojyo smiled back. He didn’t even care if they passed the hours fishing in silence if it meant getting to spend time with his brother. Still, Jien wasn’t of the belief that talking scared fish away and he was in the middle of telling a particularly hysterical story about how he and his three idiot friends had pissed off the bull on Old Man Hively’s farm, when a fish took Gojyo’s bait. The boy whooped and started reeling in like mad. The fish jerked hard, nearly pulling him in, Gojyo being too stubborn to let go of his rod.
“Watch it, li’l bro.” Abandoning his pole, Jien caught Gojyo’s belt loops before he took a header into the lake. After steadying his brother, Jien helped hold the rod so Gojyo could reel in his catch. He whistled appreciatively as he helped Gojyo plop a fat fine fish into the bucket. “You’re a lucky kid.” Jien ruffled Gojyo’s hair with a fish-slimed hand, making the damning red locks stick up all over.
“That was fun.” Gojyo held out his line. “Put more bait on!”
Jien laughed and complied. They fished long into the night before walking home. Gojyo awkwardly hiked back home struggling to carry two poles while Jien carted the mostly full bucket. “I’ll just pop these in the ice chest,” Jien said, putting the bucket on their kitchen table. “Get me some newspaper to wrap the fish in.”
“Sure.” Gojyo raced into the living room to do his brother’s biding. They had gutted the fish as the lake since Mom didn’t like messes but they still needed put up in the ice chest. He thought he heard a creak on the stairs but Gojyo ignored it in his haste to help Jien.
Gojyo was unfurling sheets of paper when something hard hit him, leaving him breathless and sprawling on the floor. Continuing her attack, Mom kicked him hard, the heel of her shoe burying itself in Gojyo’s hip. The boy shrieked.
“Mother, no!”
Through pain-filled eyes, Gojyo watched Jien grabbing their mother, hauling her back. He shook her and she dripped the cast iron skillet she had hit Gojyo with.
“You didn’t come home,” Mom shrilled, her hands twisted in Jien’s shirt. “It’s all the little bastard’s fault.”
“No, Mother, we were fishing, remember? I told you we were going. You said we could,” Jien said placatingly. Gojyo could hear how shaky his brother’s voice was.
“I couldn’t find you,” Mom said, sounding so small and frightened that Gojyo felt sorry for her. He hated scaring Mom.
“I’m sorry, Mother. You know we would never leave you,” Jien said, stroking her hair.
Mom ran a hand over Jien’s face. “So like your father…better. You’re better than he was to me.”
Jien cast an uneasy glance back at Gojyo. The boy had clamped a hand over his hip where the puncture bled freely. He started up at his big brother, his lips trembling. “Go upstairs, Mother,” Jien said, turning his attention back to her. “I’ll be right up. I just need to clean up the fish. We don’t want it stinking up the house.”
“Don’t make me wait,” she said, firing a hateful look Gojyo’s way before she went back upstairs.
Jien waited until he heard the unmistakable sounds of her heels clipping up the stairs before he went over to his brother. He knelt down, a threnody singing in his eyes. “Let me look, little guy.” He had to pry Gojyo’s fingers away from the oozing wound and pulled the boy’s pants down. Bruising haloed the puncture. “It’s not so bad, Gojyo. You stay right here and I’ll be back quick,” Jien promised.
Gojyo didn’t know where Jien though he could go with his hip throbbing in pain. He lay there, wondering why Mom hated him so much. He did everything he could to make her love him but she only hated him more.
Jien came back with alcohol and bandages. “This is going to sting a little,” he said sympathetically then started splashing the alcohol on.
Gojyo swallowed back a cry. Sting, hell, it felt like Jien had set him on fire. His brother wrapped up the wound then checked the massive bruise on Gojyo’s shoulder where Mom’s pan had struck him. Jien got up to finish putting the fish away. Grabbing up the ice pick, he broke off a hunk from the block in the ice chest then wrapped it in a kitchen towel. “For your shoulder.” Jien gave it to Gojyo to hold then tenderly scooped the boy up and carried him upstairs. He left Gojyo in his room.
Gojyo stretched out on his bed in a futile attempt to get comfortable. He could hear those faint strange noises coming from his mother’s room, the squeak of bed springs, the rattle of the head board and soft panting. He never knew what made the noise and Jien always cautioned him to stay in his room and be very quiet.
The six-year-old tried but this time he hadn’t had the opportunity to pee before getting put to bed and he really had to go. Gingerly, Gojyo got up and winced his way down the hall to the toilet. His mother’s door was opened just a crack and Gojyo had to know what was making all that noise. His mouth drooped as he peered in then he clamped a hand over his mouth, hurrying down the hall and into the bathroom. As young as he was, Gojyo knew what Mom was making Jien do was wrong. As he peed quickly, he thought he might throw up, too. Gojyo knew Jien was doing this to make Mom happy. He was doing it to keep Gojyo safe. Why? Gojyo could take a beating. Jien didn’t have to do anything this bad.
He fled back to his room as fast as he could. Gojyo huddled under the covers trying not to hear. He knew Jien would be mad if he knew that Gojyo had found out. He could never say a word about this. The only thing he could do was hope Mom wouldn’t hurt Jien, too.
X X X
Gojyo lit up with a shaky hand. His fingers strayed to the circular scar he still had on his hip from that kick Mom had given him. “She sure fucked us both up but good, didn’t she, big brother?”
Gojyo smiled to himself, thinking at least they both survived. Now they just had to see this minus wave shit through to the end. He didn’t like having Jien on the opposite side from him but better that than where Jien had been before; lost and potentially dead for all Gojyo had known. His brother could do worse than to ally himself with the youkai prince.
If Sanzo had his way, there would quickly come a time when the whole mess with the minus wave was dealt with and maybe then the hard lines of division would dissolve. Gojyo took a drag. “Maybe next year I can say happy birthday to you, brother.”