starlogs | Catch these hands!

Entry tags:

saiyuki: son goku

Catch these hands!

WHO: Goku and open!
WHERE: Training area
WHEN: January 28th-ish
WHAT: Goku is moping and punching his feelings out. It helps a little.
WARNINGS: Bit of violence. Will update as necessary.

[In the training rooms, a young man has been exercising non-stop for the past few days. Bouncing off the walls, punching and kicking the air and seemingly full of limitless energy, Goku greets anyone who he catches watching him with a smile before focusing on his workout again. Honestly, space is boring in Goku's opinion. There haven't been any cool alien fights (that he's been invited to) and he's just been stuck on the spaceship for weeks now. Three weeks. Over three weeks, Goku's pretty sure, though he's never been very good at keeping track of time. Without Sanzo around, it feels like barely any time has passed at all.

Goku shakes his head and refocuses on the punching bag he's been tearing into all morning. Don't think like that. This is different than back then. 'You're not a kid anymore.' He keeps punching and kicking the bag with frightening speed, making it swing around violently. He occasionally jumps and switches sides quickly when it takes too long to swing back at him. He doesn't want to slow down, not when he's finally working up a sweat.

Not like he's been doing anything else worthwhile. Just sitting around waiting for Sanzo and the others to show up, like a pathetic little kid. But what else is he supposed to do? He's too stupid to figure out the anomaly stuff and get back to Shangri'la on his own. He can't even do anything about Ukoku Sanzo- no doubt planning some villainous deeds right now- because he's too weak to fight him on his own. Just a stupid, weak, pathetic monkey, all on his own. The others are all busy figuring out important shit in their world and he's just here doing nothing and- and-

'Right when I finally got to see him again.' The thought makes something inside Goku snap and he strikes the punching bag with far too much force. That's just the last straw for the poor thing that makes it split near in half. Sand spills out onto the floor, the bottom half of the bag hanging by a thread.]

Ah- shit!

[Fuuuuuck... Goku grabs the bag and helplessly tries to put it back together (how he hopes to accomplish that, no one can know), looking around guiltily for anyone who might have seen that.]

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[Mio shrugs.] Complaining to my sister always helped me anyhow.

[She listens though, not sure how to help, or if she even can.] You'll need some stronger punching bags if that's the case. [For real tho.] But geez, punching things to work out your feelings... You're such a boy.

[There's a smile though to show she's teasing, hoping he'll be able to relax and talk more because of it.]

...Well, what do you want to be doing?

[Yes he is... so manly... cuddling this Tenko.]

'Course I'm a boy. [HE DOESN'T GET IT punching things is great??] I wanted to go down to the ground and punch stuff there but I didn't get to do it. [Because Reasons.]

... I wanna get back to Sanzo and the others.

[She can't say she shares the sentiment of wanting to get off the ship, but--] I'm sure there'll be more opportunities for it. I guess being cooped up in the ship might make people, I dunno, restless? Are you not used to staying in one place like this? [That seems to be the problem for most of those types of people.

Oh, right. He's got his friends to get back to, doesn't he? She crosses her arms over her chest, shifting her weight, a little uncomfortable] Well... We'll get back to our homes sometime. [May...be...] We have to. I'm sure you'll see your friends again too. I don't think even something like space anomaly things would keep you guys apart, right?

[Okay she doesn't actually know, but it sounds good??] Until then, you'll just have to jump on other missions and break more punching bags, then you can really show off when you do see them again. [Trying to...keep it light... Look she's no good at pep talks okay}

[It does sound good. It all sounds pretty legit to Goku- somehow he knows it'd take way more than weird space anomalies to keep them apart for too long. So what Mio says sounds sensible to him.]

... Yeah. [Nods to all of that and scratches the Tenko's ears.] Back home- [and even though they're traveling, anywhere with Sanzo is as close to "home" as Goku can imagine] we've been traveling for a while. This is the longest I've been in one place for nearly two years.

[You'd think someone who spent five hundred years in one place wouldn't be bothered by three weeks, but you would be wrong.]

We've been fighting all that time too, so it's weird just sittin' around like this, you know?

Edited (hours later I notice words missing) 2017-02-03 23:33 (UTC)

[She listens, interested-- she had an idea that he'd been running around fighting and stuff, but not to what extent or the traveling. She can't say she really understands, since her feelings have sort of been the opposite. While she's restless, she's enjoying the break of sorts.]

Why were you traveling and fighting so much anyhow? [Mio's curious, and her own questions about learning to fight and all can wait while she attempts to unravel the Mystery that is Goku.]

[Goku doesn't understand the Mystery that is Goku, Mio. Don't bother.]

Aw, you know! Stuff! [Why would she know, Goku]

[Still half focused on the tenko, he gently tries to coax it onto his shoulder... That's where Jeep always likes to sit. Other animals should like it too, right?] We're heading West to stop some bad guys, so they keep telling other bad guys to come kill us or something. [Like that's totally normal.] An' then there's people who wanna eat Sanzo and other bad guys we've gotta beat up an' sometimes Gojyo steals my pork dumplings.

[So of course Goku has to fight him too. All those causes are of equal significance.]

Stuff. [GOKU... But he's explaining anyhow, sort of, and she thinks she gets it, even if she's gotten the barebones Sparknotes version or something. They're on a qest and people are trying to stop them. Makes sense. It's like something from a video game or a shonen manga or something, and Mio's a little amused despite herself.

The tenko takes a few tries before she realizes what Goku wants, but she scrambles onto his shoulder dutifully. SHe doesn't curl up there though, preferring to stand on her back legs and rest the upper half of her body against Goku's head, flattening his hair to get a good look around.]

Eat him? Why? [WHAT.] Who else were you traveling with? What were they like? [She thinks he mentioned them before, but she can't quite remember. The more she learns the more she wants to know, and the less she has to say about herself.]

[That's basically what the journey has been for Goku so far. They drive a lot, people try to kill them, Goku kills them first, more driving and there's lots of great food. It's gotten a little more complicated recently, but Goku doesn't really understand why yet.]

I don't really get why, it's pretty dumb. Sanzo doesn't even look tasty. [Too tough and bitter. Also, this is definitely the face of a young man who has spent time considering how all his friends would taste.] There's me and Sanzo and Gojyo and Hakkai- oh! And Jeep. We're all traveling together.

[But hm, what are they like... Goku ducks his head a little to let the Tenko see better while he thinks about his response.] Sanzo's Sanzo. Hakkai's real smart and nice... Gojyo's a jerk cockroach, you don't want to talk to him.

[Mio's too pretty to talk to Gojyo, he'll hit on her.]

[She's a little concerned about how much thought Goku might've put into cannibalizing his friends tbh.

Sanzo's Sanzo. Helpful. 'Jerk cockroach'?? Hakkai so far sounds like the only nice and normal one, but Mio kind of laughs anyhow, amused.]

Well, they sound pretty great. I know you'll see them again, but I hope it's soon. Don't know if the ship will be able to handle it all, but it'd be pretty cool to see. [The last thing the ship needs is bullet holes in it, but whatever.]

You're lucky to have a close group of friends like that... [Mio's a little jealous, maybe.]

[Look, it's fine, he wouldn't actually eat them, unless he was really hungry and there wasn't anything else to eat. And even then he'd only take an arm or something. Sanzo's is already helpfully barbecued.]

They're okay. [THEY'RE GREAT HE LOVES THEM but boys.] I know I'll see them soon, but it's kinda lame just sitting here waiting for them. [He's an action hero, damn it!

Goku hesitates before asking this next question, knowing instinctively there's a risk it's not a happy topic.] ... Do you have friends like that? What about your sister?

[What the fuck goku.

It was inevitable a question about herself would come up here, but she tenses automatically anyhow, arms crossing over her chest and weight shifting uneasily.]

...Not really. [She says at length, reluctant to admit it.] I knew people from school and all, and my dance classes. People I would hang out with in class or lunch, maybe once in a while outside of it, but... No one close. [Which just sounds rather sad to admit now that she's saying it out loud. But at the time, she hadn't felt particularly like she was missing out on anything.]

But I had my sister Mayu, yeah, so I wasn't lonely. We're twins, so we're closer than normal siblings or normal best friends-- she's literally half of me. We're never apart; Wherever I am, she's there too. [Mio pauses and looks to her side, as if in a spot where Mayu should've been. Her voice grows a bit hollow] ...Well, she was. She... [Mio pauses, struggling with if she should continue or not. She hasn't really said it out loud since she got here, and the length of time between it happening and now is still too short. She doesn't think it'll ever be easy, though.]

...She died, before I came here. [There really isn't a softer way to reveal that.]

[Mio has barely begun to scrape the surface of "what the fuck goku".

Goku nods at the first part, looking like he understands. For a while, it was just him and Sanzo, right? The temple monks were around, but really it was just them. He follows Mio's gaze to the empty space next to her, already realising where this is going. Yeah, maybe Mayu is just back in Mio's world, but he's met so many people who have lost someone important that he's grown to recognise the tells. So it's like that... What should he say? Apologising makes no difference, he knows that. Saying he knows how she feels just sounds dumb.]

... She's still there. [The words are out before Goku has a chance to really think about them.] I mean- I don't really know anything about souls but- [... But he's thought about this before, hasn't he?] ... Those precious memories of her are still inside you, right? So I think... she is too. And one day, if she takes form again then...

[... He's getting that familiar feeling in his chest again. The one he can never really explain.]

Then she'll definitely be with you again.

[She looks to him sharply, feeling suddenly, inexplicably, furious with him. Where did he get off saying those things? What did he possibly know? Her eyes dart from him and away, hand reaching up to touch the ever-present bruising on her throat. He's not wrong; their souls had become one now, so she is with Mio. 'Together forever,' like they'd promised, but it somehow just makes her feel angrier.

And it's annoying to know she's not angry at Goku so much as herself. Her throat hurts. Ugh. Take form again, like the butterflies, but maybe beyond that, maybe some day-- But she doesn't want some day she wants now and she's not going to get it.]

I guess.

[is what she finally goes with, biting her tongue to keep from saying something she's going to regret later.]

'One day' doesn't really help me now. [Okay she's not quite successful, but at least it's not bitterness and anger directed, er, directly, at him, but as soon as it's out in the air she deflates and shakes her head.]

...But I get it. Thanks. [Even if she doesn't sound too thankful, she can appreciate the effort he's putting in and the intent.]

[Goku just nods, apparently unaffected by her anger.] Waiting sucks. [Mio should try it for five hundred years.]

... I didn't mean it like "so you should feel better" or somethin', I know that's not something I can really help with but... It's just what I think. [It's what would happen if he lost his important people. It sounds right, and it makes the heartbreak a little less painful for him. But that's him.] If you wanna get mad instead, that's fine. Punchin' stuff helps sometimes.

[Fighting is so much simpler than everything else.]

[She looks pointedly at the broken punching bag and sand still spilled out over the floor, then looks at him again]

...Show me how to throw a punch, then. [not how she wanted to ease into asking for this, but it works. Anger is a good motivator.]

Er- [Looks back at the broken punching bag as well, holding the tenko steady for a second.] Okay, but let's go over... there...

[No one will suspect him if they're on the opposite side of the room. He's brilliant. Just follow him.]

You don't know howta punch?

[Follows... The tenko looks pleased with moving around though, chirping happily as she looks around.]

I mean, I know you make a fist and like... Punch. [She knows the basic idea of it okay] But I've never had to fight before-- not a real person or anything, anyhow. Spirits are kind of different.

[Tenko can just make a nest in Goku's hair, that's fine.]

Never? [Hmm, he knows normal people don't fight as often as he does but it's still so strange...] Well, fightings easy! You just hit people real hard till they stop movin'!

[Monkey Style]

[She shakes her head. Nope, never. Not physically anyhow.]

That's a little... [Simplistic?? Mio rest her hands on her hips and frowns at him] There's gotta be something more to it than that.

Well, sometimes, but that's most of it.

[Goku is already a Bad Teacher. This is what happens when you talk to someone who finds fighting as natural as breathing. He slips into a cliche martial arts pose, fist at the ready.]

Come on, give it a try! You can have one free hit.

[She looks uncertain, and the tenko gives this situation one hard look before skittering down to get to a safer place to watch. Just in case.]

Are you sure? What if I hurt you? [Somewhere in another universe there's uproarious laughter at this]

Don't worry, I've been hit plenty of times, it's fine.

[Not going to assume Mio can't hurt him because if anyone knows that looks can be deceiving, it's Goku! He holds up his fist for her to look at.]

Just like this, it's easy!

[Mio looks skeptical, but she stirs up the angry, bitter feelings he'd brought up in her before and sinks her nails into it, using the feeling as fuel now. A deep breath and she balls up a fist to punch his shoulder as hard as she can.

It... it probably doesn't do anything to Goku, honestly, but it has Mio shaking her hand out with a pained noise. Her punch might have hurt herself more than him, honestly.] Ow...

[Because he was raised to be a gentleman, Goku lets Mio's "punch" push his shoulder back an inch. Should help her avoid any broken finger bones, at least.]

... Wow, you're really crap at this! [Like... wow!!] You weren't kidding!

[She instantly looks offended, even if it's true and all] Shut up! I told you I didn't fight!

[Mio shoves at him in retaliation, face turning red in embarrassment] But I can't let everyone else protect me forever!

[The shove is more effective than the punch and makes Goku stumble back a bit and whine.] Mio! 'm just sayin'!

[Why shoving??? He is an innocent monkey.] ... You can say that all ya want, but it won't help if you don't get any stronger.

I know that! [Her tone is frustrated, and after a moment she sighs deeply and shakes her head. No, getting mad at him isn't going to do anything helpful here.]

I just don't know how to get stronger. And I know it won't happen fast, but... [But she doesn't want 'slowly but surely' dammit, even if she's aware she has to settle for that.]

[Goku watches her for a second before leaning forward to nudge her ribs.]

You need to start by building up your strength, I think. [It's hard when Goku doesn't remember how he started- he's been able to fight for as long as he can remember. But he's pretty sure that's right.] You can exercise with me for a bit, if ya want, and then try punching me again.

[He's very well meaning, but an hour trying to lift weights with Goku is probably going to kill Mio.]

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Catch these hands!

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