The Promise Never to be Fulfilled

Disclaimer : I don't own Saiyuki. It's belong to Kazuya Minekura.

Warning : too short.

Translator : ry0kiku. I love you so much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Someday, I will show you that beautiful hiding place in Heaven. Someday, ne…

Nataku forced his eyes to open. Only to feel nothing but a sore and tired body. Nataku tried to remember where he was and the reason behind this unbearable pain. Nataku closed his eyes to remember but his mind was too tired to think further. Barely aware of the presence of small hands holding his tightly. As if trying to reassure the fallen boy that he would always by his side.

Once again, Nataku slipped into deep slumber.

While the owner of the small hands also slept, snoring lightly, right beside Nataku. Never realizing the sorrowful fate that was about to befall on him… and the people he loved.

Goku, the Child of the Earth, Seiten Taisei Son Goku.

-

-

“Whoever harms my father, no matter who he is… I’ll kill him.” Nataku stated, his War Prince sword pointed to the boy he once acknowledged as a best friend. Once, in the present, and forever will be…

Goku just stared back, attempting to grasp untruth within the eyes that shared the same color with his own. He found none, only determination.

“Kill him, Nataku! For my sake! Heaven doesn’t need two golden-eyed creatures!” Li Touten ordered.

Li Touten’s puppet hesitated. He never wished to kill the only friend he had ever found. But now, as a puppet, he had no choice but to obey his creator, his father.

Nataku swung his sword, discarding all his feelings away for his father. He pointed the sword that subdued the Ox King Gyu Ma Oh to his best friend. While his best friend was too innocent to understand that Nataku was really determined to kill him. He believed that friends would never do anything to harm each other much less to kill!

Kenren, realizing that Nataku held nothing back to kill Goku, the heretic he considered as a younger brother, stepped into the action. Leaping right in front of the stunned Goku, he blocked the sword that was about to take Goku’s life once it landed on him.

“Get away from here!” Kenren yelled as he tried to level Nataku’s stronger attack remembering his status as a War Prince.

Too stunned to understand, Goku only stood there frozen. Witnessing the whole thing from the same place.

Tenpou suddenly appeared, swinging the sword he ‘borrowed’ to Li Touten but Nataku managed to block him.

“Kill these three traitors of Heaven, Nataku!” Li Touten ordered, while cowardly stepped back, shielding himself with his son.

Two against one.

It’s a common sense that the two should win against one. And yet, if that one was a heretic and a War Prince, it’s a different story.

In no time, Kenren and Tenpou were cornered, knowing full well they have no chance to win. Nataku was just too strong for them. Blood started gushing out, staining Tenpou’s clothes red. The same thing happened to Kenren, blood gushing out from the side of his head.

Goku could only stare, started to feel sadness and fear squeezing his chest. Sad to see the people he knew kill each other. Fear for losing the people he loved. Tears started to wound its way.

“Stop it! Don’t fight anymore! I don’t want this. Stop!” Goku yelled. Tears streamed down from his innocent eyes.

They heard him, but could not fulfill his demand.

Goku kept shouting, trying to stop his friends. But to no avail. Because they kept fighting for protection and stubborn obedience.

With one powerful stroke, Kenren and Tenpou slammed against the wall, paralyzing them for a few moments. And that moment was enough for Nataku to turn his attention back to Goku. The sword was pointed back to Goku’s small neck. Just one simple stroke and Goku would die.

“Kill him, Nataku!” Li Touten ordered.

Goku just stood still.

Then he realized that Nataku had yet to know his name. Or more precisely, Goku had yet to tell him. He didn’t have one when they first met each other and after that they always crossed paths at the most unlikely time, where Goku always forgot to tell the name Konzen gave him. Maybe Nataku would stop all of this if I told him my name, Goku thought.

Only Son Goku would think that naïve.

Both of them stared at each other, the sword kept pointed to Goku’s small neck. Nataku never wished to kill his best friend. But his father kept shouting, ordering him to kill his friend. He could not hate his father, for it was because of him he was given life. He would never able to stand against his father. And yet, for that reason, would he choose to kill his best friend instead.

“Nataku…” Goku’s voice broke the silence between the two heretics. “About my name…”

Something seeped into Nataku’s heart, it hurt.

“My name is Son Goku. Nice to meet you!” Goku finished his greeting and smiled warmly at Nataku. An innocent, pure smile, given to the one threatening to take his life.

It was enough for Nataku.

“Goku…” Nataku tried to feel the name with his tongue. Tears betrayed his determination to obey his father, rolling freely down his pale cheeks with the crumples of his heart. Torn between devotion and friendship. He chose the middle way. He would not side with either his father or Goku. The path he unaware of pain and suffering in the future, not only for himself. But also for Goku. He would never knew.

Nataku switched his sword’s course from Goku’s neck, and instead aimed it to his own shoulder. In one stroke blood splattered, staining his own body as well as Goku’s face who was close to him.

Silence.

It was enough for Goku to shatter the wall within himself. Because he remembered nothing after that.

Goku, come with me. Let’s pick up raspberries together.

~owari~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kiku – Yeaaah all done!! Toldya it’s gonna be so sweet!! You know… I cried again while translating this. I put my very best into it… I think this may even better than my own stories! But anyway…sorry if this doesn’t meet your prediction. Thanks for giving me the pleasure to translate this wonderful piece!

Hami – Huhuhu,thank for translating *cries*. Had I not worried about my damned exam I'd do it by myself. Ha! That's lie,I just couldn't muster my english ability in time it was . You did very good job,wid. I a little bit envy you of this. I remember I typed this fic at school lab. Even in indonesian, I couldn't think better word of “splattered”..i asked my friends for proper word but in vain. Sometimes Indonesian,English, Javanese, Maduranese and Arabic are mixed in my pathetic brain so I can't speak properly even though i'm not good in all of them.

Anyway,thank for reading^^