Saiyuki Burial arc

[louiselux]

A thought about Gojyo & Hakkai's Burial arc


I don't think I've ever seen the following idea dealt with fully in a fic-- or maybe I've just missed it-- although it does sit very closely beside the idea of Gojyo's physical prescence being a reminder of Hakkai's sin. I'm not insisting on this, because Gojyo's kindness mitigates it somewhat; we assume that Hakkai moves in with Gojyo because he likes him, but what if he doesn't, at that point?

Hakkai moves in with Gojyo because it's painful to him. Maybe he sees it as yet more penance to have to live with someone who is part youkai and whose daily presence disgusts him. He says that youkai turn his stomach, so surely Gojyo must too, to some extent and that disgust must be something that he can't just switch off.  Kanan died only four months ago [1].  Another thought, that doesn't really fit here - Hakkai brings domestic routines with him that must date back to his life with Kanan. I was thinking that that might be another reason why they're uncomfortable with each other-- subconciously Hakkai is expecting Kanan's responses, likewise, Gojyo picks up on the fact that he's the wrong person. 

[1] Timeline: it took two months for Hakkai to get to Gyumaoh's castle, a month with Gojyo before Sanzo finds him, then three more months until we get to the Burial arc.

Comments

[kintail.livejournal.com]

Interesting thought about whether Hakkai is disgusted by Gojyo's half-youkai side...

It's now rattling around my head with an idea I read somewhere a while before reading the Burial arc, that Gojyo may be more comfortable with knowing that Hakkai is youkai rather than with Hakkai's humanity, since Gojyo's own family were youkai, and he probably grew up hating his own human side.

Perhaps between Hakkai hating himself for being youkai and Gojyo hating himself for being half-human, they can meet in the middle and begin to accept themselves via accepting each other. Hmm... *eyes the plotbunny speculatively.*

Hakkai expecting Kanan's responses to chores and other domestic matters also makes sense, though I hadn't considered it before.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

that Gojyo may be more comfortable with knowing that Hakkai is youkai rather than with Hakkai's humanity, since Gojyo's own family were youkai, and he probably grew up hating his own human side.

Yes, because the essential thing he knows about humans as a kid is that his step-mother hates his human mother, and therefore the human side of Gojyo. Although, I doubt very much of Gojyo really hates humans- it's like his horrible upbringing, instead of making him hate them, instead made him easygoing and accepting of people.

[kintail.livejournal.com]

I doubt very much of Gojyo really hates humans

Oh, I doubt that, too. It's really amazing how he turned out, on so many issues, given his horrible upbringing.