Feet propped up on the desk in front of him, Ni leaned back in his swivel chair and grinned at the screen. Chaining combos was becoming easier as he hemmed in his opponents, surrounding and overwhelming them. They were still holding out fairly well, especially after they brought in their little white transformer, but he had an ace up his sleeve. Leaving the spiders locked in a default attack pattern, he used his new weapon to injure and pin down its natural counterpart. Smirking, he watched as his opponents fell into disarray. Ahhh, live-action games were the best. Real horror and despair were exquisite, impossible to imitate.
The ping of the microwave in the background caused Ni to look up. "Oh-to!" Turning his head, he called over his shoulder, "Popcorn's done, Hwan-chan!" His fingers flew as he responded to a desperate counter-attack. "Hwan-chan!" When there was no response, he turned his head. "Ahhh, so." He'd forgotten about that. Glancing down, he frowned at the controller. "Mmm, no pause button. What a shame. Ah, well. We can't have cold popcorn, now can we, Bunny-chan?" He dropped the controller in the bunny's lap as he scooted backward in the chair and over toward the flashing microwave.
When he returned to the screen, hand rustling in the warm bag of buttered popcorn nestled in his lap, he tutted and shook his head. "Awww, see what happens when you don't pay attention, Bunny-chan?" The screen was flashing "Game Over" in large, cheerful letters as the end song, a bubblegum-pop tune that'd come with a dating sim, played in the background. "Mmmm, minion count zero," he read off the screen. "Well, they were getting boring anyway." Shrugging, he scratched the bunny's ears absentmindedly. "I'm impressed, Sanzo-kun. So hurry up and come visit already."
Muttering to himself as he tried to remember the combination of keys required to initiate instant replay, he heard the door swish open in the background. An irate Koushu swept into the room. "Your little toy soldier broke, Ni, and now even my own daughter has abandoned me!"
"Mmm. Is the rifle still intact?" Ni asked, scratching his head and continuing his inspection of the modified game controller. Maybe he should have written the combination down.
Koushu scowled and dropped a twisted mass of metal on the floor with a clang. "Ahhh, pity, that." Ni glanced over and scratched at his stubble. He'd liked that toy. Of course, he could always make a better one, if he really wanted to.
An angry hiss from Koushu redirected his attention. Propping his chin on one hand, he grinned lazily up at her. "I had hoped Kou-chan would have trouble destroying a mirror-image of his Doku-chan, but I suppose loyalty counts for nothing these days." In a way, it was just as well. Pet spiders that size were cliché, anyway.
"What are we going to do now!?" Koushu demanded, her face flushed as she strode forward. Seizing his collar, she glared down at him, bosom heaving with repressed fury.
"Wait," Ni answered, unperturbed. He was rather enjoying the view, actually, and thinking that homicidal rage was truly underrated these days.
"Wait!?" Koushu's anger flared up, causing her nails to extend.
"Yes, well, a dutiful son like our Kou-chan can't stay away from his mother's side forever, now can he?" Realization dawned on Koushu's face, and she loosened her grip. "Exactly." He grinned and held out the bag of popcorn. "Want some? It's hot."
ooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooo
Shakujou out and swinging at his side, Gojyo raced back toward the military camp. Goku was a step or two ahead. Where the hell did the little runt store all his excess energy, anyway!? Panting heavily, Gojyo forced himself not to speed up, to focus instead on not slipping on the treacherous terrain. He'd be no use to Sanzo, or anyone else, if he broke his leg again. Clenching his fists, he dodged past another tree, damp hair clinging to the back of his neck.
The thickening fog made it damn near impossible to see anything until he was right on top of it, so he was unprepared for the solid, flailing weight that collided heavily with him as he narrowly avoided yet another tree. Landing flat on his back in the muck, wind knocked out of him, Gojyo scowled heavily and slung a restraining arm around the pinwheeling limbs. "What the hell are you playing at, you stupid chimp!?" he growled, suppressed panic churning in his gut.
"Nnn! Lemme go! Leggo, I say!" A particularly energetic maneuver broke his hold on the struggling monkey, who promptly leapt to his feet and dashed forward, only to spring backward yet again. Gojyo managed to roll out of the way in time. A bristling Goku sputtered and slid in the mud, nyoi-bou still clutched in his determined little fist. The monkey's confused frustration might've been funnier if Gojyo himself hadn't been strung tighter than a piano wire.
When Goku sprang up and hopped forward again, Gojyo surged to his feet and snagged the brat's collar. "Easy there, runt," he grunted, suppressing his own feelings of desperation. "Sometimes brute force ain't the answer."
Goku frowned suspiciously up at him, impatient and confused, but he stayed put as Gojyo stalked cautiously forward, shakujou held out in front of him. He met with resistance within a few steps, but the barrier wasn't what he'd been expecting. It didn't appear to be a mental or magical barrier. It even seemed to flex a bit when he poked at it with his weapon. What the hell!? Frustrated concern welled up within him. Tossing his shakujou out of the way, he felt blindly forward until his hands made contact with familiar thick, sticky strands. They stung as they clung to him. "Dammit!"
"What're ya wait'n' for, ya overgrown cockroach!?" Goku shoved past him and promptly came to a halt. "Oh!" The monkey sounded surprised, then angry. "I hate this stuff! It tastes terrible!"
"Yeah, well, Sanzo's on the other side of it, so make yourself useful." He dragged the chimp backward and lifted his shakujou. Swinging the blade out behind him in a vicious arc, he snapped it forward with all his strength. He could feel it make contact, the strands flexing and resisting before severing in a series of reluctant bursts. When the blade returned to fall heavily at his feet, his arms were numb. Goku, recognizing the opening for what it was, dashed forward, nyoi-bou tucked close to his body as he rammed headlong into the barrier. Gojyo could just make out the runt's determined outline as the monkey passed through the tattered, clinging edges of the ragged hole they'd made in the net.
Ducking his head to follow, one long leg already on the other side, Gojyo found himself thrown backward once again as a blinding flash of light and energy rippled outward, tossing everything in its path aside. His last thought, before everything went dark, was that his boyfriend had terrible timing.
ooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooo
When Gojyo finally managed to stumble into the military camp, the weird throbbing, panicky feeling had faded, leaving him feeling drained and muddled. The fog, too, had evaporated, pitilessly laying bare the wreckage of the camp. It was like wandering through the aftermath of a natural disaster: damage everywhere but no sign of the perpetrators anywhere. Nevertheless, he clutched the pole of his shakujou as they picked their way past smashed tents, scattered supplies, and shuddering piles of groaning soldiers. Medics in long, white coats could be seen venturing forth in huddled groups of twos and threes. Gojyo figured they could take care of their own. Right now, he just wanted to see his friends' faces and reassure himself that they were as indestructible as ever.
Goku had seemed subdued as well, his movements less sure, so, when he took off running, Gojyo followed without question. Eyes flitting from side to side, Gojyo finally spotted what the monkey was heading for: a flash of white lying crumpled on the remains of a crushed tent.
Panting, Gojyo sped up, and was surprised when he caught up to the runt right before they skidded to a stop in front of the priest. Bent over and clutching his knees, Gojyo stared down at the scene before him, his mind too jumbled to process much of anything beyond a vague feeling of relief at finally seeing his Sanzo again. The slow rise and fall of the priest's chest, black leather armor peaking out between torn and grimy robes, mesmerized him, soothing his tangled thoughts and his ragged breathing.
When he realized what he was doing, he felt his face heat. Tearing his gaze away, he noticed that Hakkai was lying in a sprawled heap next to Sanzo. Sliding his fingers through his hair, he smiled crookedly. The gratefulness that welled up inside him was tinged with a curl of frustrated self-recrimination. He should have been here too. Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus. After a brief survey, he came to the conclusion that, although they both looked a bit worse for wear, they just needed to be patched up and they'd be fine.
Goku was frowning next to him, eyes fixed on Sanzo's blood-stained face. "You're gonna fix 'im, right?"
Gojyo blinked, then dropped a hand to ruffle the brat's hair. "Yeah, no sweat." Goku backed away from his hand and stared up at him with clear, measuring eyes. What the ... The chimp seemed awfully serious all of a sudden. Gojyo shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'm gonna need some bandages first. Why don't you see if you can rustle up a med kit, eh?"
"If I do, can I help?" Goku asked, his face set and his brow furrowed.
"We'll see. You do need practice, after all." Gojyo felt his smile growing. Sanzo might be a grouchy bastard sometimes, but, deep down, he'd be pleased that his monkey was trying to help.
"Okay!" Goku called, his eyes lighting up and a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth before he took off, short legs barely touching the ground as he sped out of sight. A monkey on a mission, eh? Gojyo huffed, setting aside his shakujou, and shook his head before bending down to see what he could do in the meantime.
Hakkai's hands were in terrible shape. There was no way he was driving for at least a week. Other than that, he seemed to be more or less okay. Sanzo's arms and shoulders were torn up, but the leather armor had mitigated the worst of the lacerations on his arms. The shoulders were more serious, but at least the bleeding had stopped. He'd be grumpy and tetchy till he regained full mobility, but, with any luck, that'd only take a week or two.
All in all, they were pretty lucky, really, Gojyo thought as he tried to make Sanzo more comfortable. Gently rolling the blond head to the side so it was lying at a more comfortable angle, he watched his hand linger, tracing contours. Brushing disordered, muddy fringe aside, he fingered the shallow gash above Sanzo's right temple. Leaning forward, he brushed awkward lips over the exposed forehead. When Sanzo grunted, Gojyo pulled back, face flushed, but Sanzo just muttered something about the moon and frowned briefly before sliding back into unconsciousness.
Sitting back on his legs, Gojyo brushed hair out of his own face and told himself he was an idiot. He'd been half afraid that making any progress with Sanzo at all would lead to a dead end, leaving him cold and Sanzo bitter, but ... it hadn't. Instead of feeling indifferent, he'd felt even more desperate, and Sanzo hadn't pushed him away, not really, but then he'd gone and annoyed the piss out of his boyfriend.
And now, for all he knew, Sanzo might wake up and tell him to piss off, now that he'd finally realized just how much he'd lose if he fucked this up. Feeling that strange rush of certainty back in the village, knowing that Sanzo was in trouble, had blindsided him completely. And now, greedy bastard that he was, he was pretty sure he couldn't settle for anything less than everything.
Rubbing at his forehead, Gojyo grimaced. It wasn't like him, to get cold feet like this. Smiling crookedly at Sanzo, he jabbed an accusing finger at the sleeping figure. "I'm not afraid of you, you know." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. God, he was such an idiot.
By the time he'd lit a cigarette, his face had finally cooled off a bit, so he turned to see if there was anything he could do for Hakkai. Grunting as he slid a thick tent pole out from under his friend's back, he was startled when a torn and bloody hand landed heavily on his arm.
He fell backward onto his ass, the stupid tent pole rolling forward over his toes. "Aaaah! Shit, man! Give a guy some warning first!"
"Where's Yaone?" Hakkai's voice was weak, but determined.
"Uhhh," Gojyo frowned and quickly scanned the area. "Over there?" He pointed to the base of a particularly thick tree trunk. Yaone was slumped against the tree, her eyes closed, one hand pressed against her bloody hip and the other clutching her spear. A bedraggled Hakuryu was perched, wings drooping, on her shoulder.
"Thank you," Hakkai whispered, rolling over onto his side and crawling toward the trunk of the tree.
"Oi! Hakkai! Take it easy, man!" Gojyo stared, stunned, at his friend's swaying back. When Hakkai lurched to a stop, resting his forehead against the tree trunk, Gojyo finally managed to stumble to his feet. He should help, at least.
Before he could reach them, though, Hakkai's midsection was already bathed in the halo of the warm, yellow glow of chi. "Dammit, Hakkai!" Gojyo yelled, dashing forward. "You trying to kill yourself!?"
Reaching forward to grab Hakkai's arm and drag him away, he ended up catching him instead as his friend collapsed backward. "Stupid!" Gojyo's fingers dug into Hakkai's unresisting shoulders. "What the hell was that!?" Sighing, he blew hair out of his face and grimaced. "Okay, fine. I'm just jealous over here." Yaone's wound had closed, and her face looked almost peaceful now, a small smile replacing the pained grimace from before.
Glancing back the way they'd come, he thunked his head against the tree trunk. "I guess this makes me the pack mule, doesn't it?" He sighed and hefted his friend into his arms with a grunt. "Where the hell is the runt, anyway!?" he groused. "Just how long does it take to find a med kit?" Gojyo scowled and contemplated going to find one himself.
But, after he'd carried Hakkai and Yaone back to the tent and laid them out flat, he wasn't sure he had the energy for it. Sinking down against a nearby tree, he leaned his shakujou against his shoulder and yawned.
He was just thinking that he could really use a nap and a snack when Goku bounded back into view, laden down with several bulky packages. "Please let one of them be a med kit," he thought.
"Ta-daaah!" The grinning monkey dropped his burdens unceremoniously at Gojyo's feet. "I was tryin' to get a med kit, like you said, but they wouldn't let me have one, and then Nu showed up an' he said I could have one, but he said I needed some water too, and then my stomach growled an' I thought I should bring some food, too, so I did!"
Gojyo poked the monkey in the ribs. "So that's why you're late, ya scruffy chimp! I shoulda known you'd think with your stomach!" Gathering up the med kit, and ignoring the piteous growling of his stomach as he passed the sack of meat buns, he marched over to the line of wounded, Goku in tow.
ooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooo
Sanzo groaned and shifted uncomfortably. He must have fallen asleep on the porch again. Murmuring voices were rumbling all around him, but, for some reason, he felt safe, relaxed. Maybe Koumyou-sensei had already returned, and the temple's monks had come out to greet him. In any case, Sanzo thought he might as well get up now before one of the more self-righteous monks dragged him to his feet and started lecturing him about the evils of sloth. Reluctantly, he rolled onto his side and froze. "Owww! Shit! Dammit that hurts!!" His whole arm felt like it was on fire, especially his shoulder.
"Well, then stay put!" Familiar hands rolled him over onto his back again. Gojyo?! Sanzo's heart sped up. Wait. What was ... Oh. Relief, embarrassment, and irritation flooded through him in quick succession.
"Don't tell me what to do, you half-baked croissant," Sanzo grunted, forcing his hands to unclench. When he opened his eyes to glare up at the bane of his existence, bright sunlight forced him to squint and raise an arm to shield his eyes. Distantly, he registered that his arm was missing its leather armband, and, in its place, there was a long trail of inexpertly wrapped gauze.
"Well, that's a new one," Gojyo admitted, his face twisted into a sloppy, uncertain smile. Raising his voice, he called, "Goku, make sure you follow the contours of his hand. You got that?" He didn't turn his head, but his eyes kept sliding away from Sanzo's.
Sanzo shifted uncomfortably, scowled, and turned his head. The bandages on his right shoulder weren't nearly as sloppy as the ones on his arm. Eyes lifting to glance out past the muddy red fringe of Gojyo's hair, Sanzo caught sight of Goku leaning over a prone Hakkai.
"I've got the hang of it, already, ya bossy—What do I do if I dropped it?" Sanzo closed his eyes. They were idiots, but they were his idiots.
"You cut the dirty bits off," Gojyo barked, "tape down the stuff you've already wrapped, and start again! And next time don't be so clumsy." Hakkai was laughing weakly in the background and reassuring Goku that he didn't mind in the least.
"Hey, Sunshine, you thirsty?" When Sanzo opened his eyes again, Gojyo was shaking a half-empty water bottle in his face. It irritated him that Gojyo still looked off-balance and wasn't quite meeting his eyes. What the hell was going on, dammit!? Assaulted by a sudden stab of concern, Sanzo's piercing gaze raked over what he could see of the man hunched next to him, but the bastard didn't look especially damaged.
Gojyo did, however, shoot him a strange, searching look. When Sanzo frowned up at him, eyes demanding an explanation, the bastard just slid a hand through his hair and glanced away, over his shoulder. Frowning, Sanzo grabbed the water bottle, despite the stinging protests of his arms and shoulders, and grimly twisted it open. It was irritating the way his hands were shaking, but he managed to get in a couple of long swallows without spilling too much down the side of his neck.
"Those were some pretty fancy fireworks you broke out earlier," Gojyo commented, the lightness of his tone sounding forced. Sanzo glared over at him. The kappa's chin was resting on bent knees, and his eyes were fixed on the thin trail of smoke drifting away from the cigarette dangling in his hand. It was shaking. Right. Sanzo had had just about enough of this.
"Cut the crap, dammit!" Clumsily screwing the cap back on the water bottle, Sanzo forced himself upright, crossing his legs and hunching forward, letting his arms hang in his lap.
"Excuse me!?" Gojyo's head whipped around to face him, a flash of irritation showing in his distinctive, crinkled red eyes. Sanzo felt a rush of satisfaction. That was more like it.
"What've you gone and done this time!?" he demanded, sure the kappa was keeping something from him. The bastard was doing a miserable job of hiding it, so he might as well confess and have done.
"What the—!? I haven't done anything, you stupid bastard!" The indignation was genuine, but it was unstable, slipping in and out of focus.
Sanzo leaned closer, reaching out to seize a dangling red antenna. "Then why won't you look at me when I'm talking to you!?" he growled, eyes narrowed dangerously. The kappa had better not have found someone else already.
Gojyo's righteous indignation evaporated, leaving him frowning distractedly at Sanzo's clenched hand. "I ... I just thought you might be mad at me," he mumbled.
"Well I am now, moron!" Sanzo seethed.
"Look here, you unmitigated—OW!" Gojyo's hand rose to clutch the back of his neck as his head whipped around to glare at Goku. "What the hell was that for!? He started it!"
The monkey was wearing a feral grin and tossing a second meat bun consideringly in one hand. Sanzo tugged impatiently on the lock of hair in his hand. He wanted Gojyo to look at him, not the runt!
"Now, now, Sanzo-san. Play nice with your boyfriend." Sanzo's head rose sharply to scowl over at Hakkai. He and Yaone had managed to prop themselves up against a nearby tree, and Yaone was calmly rewrapping his bandages. Hakkai should learn to mind his own business and stop poking his nose in where it wasn't wanted.
"Wait, no! How!?" Gojyo sputtered helplessly. Sanzo transferred his glare to the distraught redhead. What now!?
"They're dating now? Ew! I thought they were actin' weird." Goku's voice filtered through, and Sanzo froze, paralyzed. Dating!? The word echoed oddly as it tumbled through his scattered wits. When ... ? He could feel all the blood draining out of his face. Hakkai knew. Goku knew. Who the hell else knew!?
"You TOLD people!?" He was going to kill Gojyo!
"I did NOT! Sha Gojyo does not kiss and tell!" Gojyo's eyes were fierce and staring right back at him.
That's when Sanzo snapped, the veins in his forehead throbbing. All his darkest, weakest, stupidest fears and insecurities escaped in a wild tumble of uncontrollable words. "I knew it!" he snarled, forehead suddenly pressed up against the kappa's. "You were with that redhead, weren't you!? That's why you were gone so long!" And he'd been worried sick, dammit!
"Witchy Li!? As if! I wouldn't screw her for all the booze in Shangri-La!" Gojyo looked genuinely angry now, his eyes blazing.
"Well, thank goodness for that," a woman's voice cut in from behind them. Sanzo ignored her.
"Well what about Newbie, then!?" he demanded. "Did you screw him?" He felt distant, detached from his own body, helpless to stop the flood of words. This had damn well better be a dream. Please, please let it be a dream.
"What the hell!? I love you, you stupid, paranoid bastard!" Gojyo took a deep, shuddering breath and closed his eyes. "You got that!? I haven't touched anyone else in months!"
Sanzo blinked several times in rapid succession and thought that this was by far the stupidest dream he'd ever had. But, apparently, it wasn't over yet, because Gojyo had started in again, eyes open wide and fixed directly on his. "Sanzo, listen, I ... I just felt bad for not being here when the shit hit the fan. It ... it took longer than I thought it would to wipe out the damn spiders in the village, and ... And I was worried about you, dammit!"
Sanzo stared into vivid red depths and felt the ringing in his ears start to subside. Shit. This wasn't a dream, was it? His ears started to burn.
"Is this really the legendary Priest Genjyo Sanzo?"
Sanzo seized on the lifeline, whipping his head around to glare at the old man peering down at him. "What the hell do you want!?"
The geezer was flanked on either side by a soldier: the redheaded chick on the right, and Newbie on the left. Sanzo's fists clenched. Brilliant. A couple of kids were standing off to the side, fidgeting. They looked familiar for some reason. The shorter one giggled. "Yup! He's the one who saved us!" Oh, right. The brats from the caves. The taller kid kept staring at him, for some reason, but the smaller one waved at Gojyo, who waved back.
"I see." The man knelt, hands splayed, and touched his forehead to the ground. "Then, on behalf of my family and my village, I would like to convey our deepest gratitude. You saved us from the evil youkai that have plagued our humble village, banishing them from our world with the force of your holy scripture, and, though we know we are unworthy, we would like the opportunity to honor you and your ... holy companions."
Gojyo snorted, and Sanzo scowled. "Forget it. We're busy."
The man's head rose sharply, a distressed frown forming. "But ..."
"Ah, I'm sorry if Sanzo was abrupt," Hakkai cut in. "You see, we're on a mission from the gods, and we're in a bit of a hurry."
"Well, I suppose that's that, then," the redheaded soldier cut in. "Now about the iron ore," she continued, subtly helping the old man to his feet, "we're currently behind schedule, but, with the youkai gone, I think we can come to an understanding." Her firm hand landed on the man's back and skillfully steered him off to the right. "Let's go have a chat with Captain Tenjo and see what we can work out." As she led him away from the group, the kids reluctantly trailed after them.
Nu, however, remained behind, leaning against a tree. He grinned lopsidedly at them and said, "I like you guys, I really do, but you trouble follows you around like a rampaging tidal wave, and I'm not sure we can afford to get caught up in it again."
"No worries, man," Gojyo chimed in. "I'm not too keen on this place, anyway. We'll be glad to put this hellhole behind us." He held his hand up with a grin. "No offense."
"None taken." Nu's smile turned wry. "If you follow the cart tracks north," he gestured off to the left, "you should hit the main road long before it gets dark."
Sanzo grunted and levered himself to his feet, only swaying slightly. The sooner they got out of here, the better, as far as he was concerned. Gojyo shook hands with Nu while Yaone and Hakkai were helping each other to their feet, and, in relatively short order, they were all making their way toward the iron ore carts located on the northern edge of the military camp. Hakkai and Yaone were leading the group; Goku was next, munching on a meat bun; and Sanzo and Gojyo somehow ended up bringing up the rear.
As soon as Nu was out of earshot, Gojyo grinned slyly over at him. "Hey, you were all jealous back there, weren't you? Does that mean you like me too?" Sanzo casually swung a foot out into the lumbering fool's path. "OW!" It was immensely satisfying to watch the waving red antennae connect with the underbrush. Unfortunately, it didn't shut him up for long. Gojyo scrambled to his feet and jogged a couple of steps to catch up. "That was low, you repressed bastard!" he hissed, but he was still smiling, the idiot.
"Are you sure they're dating?" Goku asked between bites, his wide brown eyes turned toward Hakkai.
"Oh, yes," Hakkai replied confidently. Sanzo scowled. Well, at least someone knew what was going on.
"Then how come they're still fighting?"
"Why indeed?" Hakkai murmured, amused. "Some people just can't seem to help it, can they?" Sanzo contemplated leaving them all behind and walking the rest of the way to Houtou Castle by himself.
Yaone came to an abrupt halt in front of him, forcing Sanzo to stop as well. Stupid bloody woman. He just wanted to put as much distance between himself and this vile forest as possible, so of course she had to hold things up!
"Lord Kougaiji!" She tried to sink into a deep bow, but ended up falling forward instead, forcing Hakkai to catch her. Didn't she even know her own limits? And what the hell was Kougaiji doing here!?
Kougaiji hopped down off a long-distance dragon. Sanzo's eyes flicked between the bedraggled white dragon perched on Hakkai's shoulder and the sleek black dragon hovering coolly in front of them. He shook his head. Well, it would be faster, but he doubted Kougaiji would lend it to them willingly. And he actually trusted Hakuryu, which was more than he could say for its larger cousin.
"Yaaaoooneee!" Apparently, Lirin had been traveling with her brother, because the little brat jumped down off the same dragon. Taking a running leap, she flung herself at the unsteady Yaone, who managed to throw her arms around the child and keep from being bowled over. Sanzo was forced to admire her sense of balance after all.
"Yaone, are you all right?" Kougaiji offered her a hand up, his eyes flicking over Hakkai with a frown.
"I'm fine, my lord." Was she crying!? Dammit, why did he have to stand around and witness this? "Thank goodness you're both safe! I ... we eliminated the clones, so ..." Her eyes slid over to meet Hakkai's.
"Never mind that!" Kougaiji cut in. "Here," he shoved a handful of metal at her, "get the blasted handcuffs off, would you? I couldn't get anywhere with these." He looked harried but relieved. Apparently, things hadn't been smooth sailing for him, either.
"Of course, my lord," Yaone murmured. The handcuffs fell off in a matter of seconds, causing Kougaiji to wince and Lirin to bounce forward again, this time succeeding in knocking Yaone over.
"Ah! I'm sorry, Yaone! I just ... I'm just so glad to see you again! We're all together again, nyah, an' Onii-chan's mom is free!" Kougaiji frowned and lifted his sister by her collar, then set her down next to Yaone. Hakkai offered a bandaged hand, but Yaone managed to regain her feet without assistance. "But now my mom's really mad," Lirin continued, her enthusiasm deflating, "an' we can't go visit Onii-chan's mom till we settle things."
Yaone turned to face Hakkai, tears still glistening on her cheeks. His face had fallen back into its stoic mask, but his eyes looked sad. "I have to go now," she said. Hakkai nodded silently. "But I'll be back when all this is over!" she promised, throwing herself at Hakkai and kissing him—right on the mouth!
"I know. I'll be waiting." Hakkai's arms rose to hold her close. Sanzo looked away. He'd really rather be anywhere else right now. What the hell was wrong with them? In public!?
It was over fairly quickly, though, and then it was just the four of them again, standing next to the carts. Hakuryu kyuued plaintively, long tail swishing. Hakkai reached up absently and petted the dragon.
"Well, that sucks." Gojyo slung an arm around Hakkai's shoulder.
"No, it's fine," Hakkai murmured. "She'll be back. I know she will. And now, I think it's time we were on our way as well."
Sanzo scowled and eyed the line of carts. With a grunt, he slung a leg over the edge of the nearest one and slid gracelessly into the bottom. Goku bounded over and grabbed the cart's handles, a fierce, competitive gleam in his eyes.
Gojyo smiled indulgently down at them—stupid prat with his extra height—before gesturing to the cart in front. "Come on, Hakkai. In you get."
"Why thank you, Gojyo-san." When Hakkai was comfortably settled, Sanzo had a terrible thought. Hakkai and Gojyo had taken the leading cart. He'd be staring at the damn kappa's ass until they got out of these cursed woods. Apparently, the same thing had occurred to the cockroach, because he turned to wave cheerfully and wink. Crossing his arms, Sanzo sank lower in his cart and lit a cigarette. Well, it could be worse. This way Gojyo would have no way of knowing whether Sanzo was looking or not.
A sack of meat buns landed unceremoniously in his lap. "Hold onto those for me, willya, Sanzo?" Trust the monkey to bring supplies. Sanzo was just contemplating pulling one out for himself when he noticed Gojyo leaning forward to whisper something in Hakkai's ear. They both started laughing shortly thereafter, and Sanzo decided he was better off not knowing.
Later, when they'd finally left the abominable trees behind, Sanzo had claimed his usual spot in the front of the jeep. Hakkai couldn't drive, of course, with his bandaged hands. Goku had begged to be allowed to have a turn at the wheel, but Gojyo had shot him down. After a brief scuffle, Gojyo had agreed to give Goku driving lessons later if they stayed in town long enough. That had seemed to pacify the monkey, who'd then climbed docilely into the back with Hakkai.
The drive itself was remarkably quiet, really. Gojyo was too busy driving and shooting covert glances his direction to provoke Goku, Hakkai was sleeping in the back seat, and Goku was contentedly munching on his sack of meat buns. It was ... peaceful. Sanzo even managed to fall asleep for part of it.
When they finally reached an inn, six hours later, Gojyo was ecstatic. "Oh, yeah, baby! I can't wait! A real shower! Please tell me they have showers!"
Goku was hungry again, of course, despite the fact that he'd eaten three-fourths of the confiscated meat buns by himself. And Hakkai was quiet, his face introspective. Sanzo just wanted to fall asleep on a real bed.
The innkeeper greeted them as they walked in the door, despite their undoubtedly disreputable appearance, and Sanzo was disposed to think well of her, especially if she could check them in quickly. But when she grinned at Gojyo and asked him if he wouldn't rather stay in her room, Sanzo's eyes narrowed and he almost contemplated leaving.
Gojyo leaned across the counter and grinned back at her. Sanzo clenched his fists. "Sorry, Sweetie. I'm taken." Gojyo pointed toward Sanzo, who scowled at both of them indiscriminately.
"Oh, he's taken all right. Go find your own." With an irritable grunt, Sanzo grabbed the collar of Gojyo's stupid, filthy tank top and dragged him toward the stairs.
"Ah ha ha. We'll take three rooms, please," Hakkai murmured in the background. Sanzo didn't slow down. Even if they couldn't get into a room yet, they might at least find a shower. He could hear the sound of keys rattling. "Thank you very much." Hakkai was polite to a fault, and Sanzo had finally found an open door. Shoving Gojyo through it ahead of him, he caught one last comment before banging the door shut behind him. "Goku, why don't you go check and see when dinner will be ready while I go see to the rooms?"
"There's only one shower," Gojyo announced, leaning lazily against the stall and smirking around the cigarette dangling from his lips.
"So?" Sanzo grunted, untying his sash. He was damned if he was going to let the kappa call all the shots.
A/N: Yup. That's the end. The rest is left up to your imagination. :)
Umm, I really should thank some people here, so I will. First of all, I'm terribly grateful to Minekura-sensei for creating Saiyuki and drawing such incredibly hot bishies for us. I would also like to thank my husband for willingly acting as beta for bits that I was unsure about and my sister Robin for drawing me fanart. She said she wanted some Sanzo x Gojyo, so I wrote it for her. But, most of all, I want to thank everyone who's reviewed (including all you anonymous reviewers!). I definitely would not have finished this without your support and honest criticism. I really appreciate it.