Watching from Above

Watching from Above 6

Watching from Above: Journey VI

Destination 37: Neko Sanzo

Sanzo slowly opened his eyes after being unconscious for several hours. The previous battle had been fierce like never before, not because the enemy was particularly strong, but because the enemy was a cat youkai. The creature might have been defeated, but at the last second it casted a spell on Sanzo that knocked him out cold. Now he woke up to find Hakkai, Goku and Gojyo staring at him. He was used to waking up to find one or more of his companions watching over him, but in the rare occasions when instead of taking turns all three of them watched over him together, he had never woken up to find them staring right at him with such intense expressions.

Usually, Sanzo would wake up to sounds of their conversation. Hakkai would be complaining about Gojyo using a can as an ash tray, Gojyo ignoring him and focusing his attention on his cigarette and Goku complaining about hunger. This time all three of his friends were standing beside his bed, bent over in his direction, looming over him, staring as if he had something very comical on his face. "What are you looking at?" Sanzo was very annoyed. He backed away and sat down in the opposite side of the bed.

Goku, who was smiling as happily as Hakkai and Gojyo, was the first to speak. "Can I pet him?" Goku pointed at Sanzo.

Sanzo blinked in confusion and wondered what in the world Goku was taking about. The eternally hungry boy extended his hand aimed at Sanzo's head, causing the blond to back away. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Leave him be, Goku. It's best if we don't try to pet him right now," Hakkai spoke calmly. Sanzo continued drowning in his confusion.

Gojyo's smile continued to grow. No doubt he had something up his sleeve. "I brought you a present, Sanzo." Sanzo noticed that the red head was hiding something behind his back. He revealed the hidden item to be a little mouse toy tied to a string which was tied to a stick. Gojyo held the stick, moving it up and down, making the mouse on the string bounce.

As if moving by itself, Sanzo's hand reached out for the mouse but he didn't grab it, he hit it with the tip of his fingers making the toy bounce around some more. He repeated the action with his other hand and continued in a rhythmic pattern. He lay down on his bed again so that the mouse was hanging over his head. He kept hitting it over and over, watching it bounce around. This was so much fun, until he realized what he was doing and stood up in a hurry.

Sanzo glared at his three traveling companions from the corner of the room that he had scurried to. "What's going on?" He felt strange. He covered his face with his hands and pushed back his hair as if the gesture would help him clear his mind and figure out what was going on. Then he noticed something, his ears felt very different. "A mirror, I need a mirror!"

"That might not be such a good idea," Hakkai warned, but Sanzo paid no attention and scrambled to search for a mirror.

Sanzo spotted a hand mirror innocently sitting on the nightstand next to the bed, as if someone had placed it there knowing he would ask for it. He picked it up and stared at his reflection. He felt as if the young man staring back at him was mocking him. "That can't be me," the words were filled with denial, but Sanzo knew it was true. His ears were like the ears of a cat, covered in soft golden fur. "Aaaaahhh!" The scream of agony and terror echoed and it was heard all over the town, as Sanzo tossed the mirror into the air and panicked.

Hakkai was quick to react and caught the mirror before it hit the floor and shattered. "Don't forget, if you break a mirror, it will bring you seven years of bad luck." His usual smile did not change, in fact he looked quite amused, as did Goku and Gojyo. Hakkai gently placed the mirror back on the nightstand, as Sanzo continued to rant and panic in a fury of colorful curses.