Cloudy


It didn't really matter if he looked at him or not. That for sure.

It also didn't matter even if he didn't talk so much. It was okay.

It was also not a problem when he mostly talked about many things which didn't concern him.

Hakkai chose to smile when he stayed among his companions. And the three people were already used with his smiling face. So that, when at one time he took off this smiling mask, they started to worry about him. What could have been wrong with Hakkai?

Sanzo's attitude confused him somehow. At one time he was the strength of his life when he was down. At the other time he rarely believed that this was the same man he had been travelling with for a long time. Just like today.

Hakkai sat by the window, staring incessantly at the floor. It was a cloudy afternoon, and everyone looked a bit depressed.
Gojyo decided to take some walk out there. He had been gone for 15 minutes. He told Hakkai before that he would be back in an hour. Hakkai, therefore, smiled, and said,"Have much fun." since he was sure, Gojyo would not only take a walk. In Gojyo's dictionary, "take a walk" had a deeper meaning.
And Goku stayed in his room, a room he shared with Gojyo. Probably he was asleep. It had been a tiring day anyway.

Only one left, then.

Hakkai couldn't help himself not to eye Sanzo who was sitting at a table, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and another newspaper in other hand. His blond hairs covered some parts of his face.

Sanzo had always been that way. Or had something changed him? Did he, Hakkai, have any influence on him? What would happen to Sanzo, when Hakkai was not there all this time? How would he look like....

"What is it, Hakkai?"

Hakkai woke up from his daydream, not even realising that Sanzo had turned to him and stared at him for... how long? Long enough to know that Hakkai's mind was somewhere but there.

"Nothing," Hakkai answered, more a whisper than a clear word. Then he turned away and looked outside the window.

They were just so far from each other. That's why they were always alone. It would be nice when they could stay together. And Hakkai wanted to stay with Sanzo. A frustrated smile adorned his face.

From behind he heard Sanzo putting his coffee on the table and folding the newspaper. Maybe now he was going to take some rest too. Well then.... should he wait for Goyjo or should he better follow Sanzo to their room?

Sanzo got up from his chair, and walked away from the table. What Hakkai surprised was that he walked toward him, or toward the window. He was not going to leave the room.

"It has been cloudy the whole day," Sanzo commented.

"Uhm, yes."

It had been their common conversation topic.... the weather. Noone of them seemed bored of it, indeed. But Hakkai would really like to add some topics, topics which would bring him closer to Sanzo.

"It is so quiet here," commented Sanzo again.

"Yes, that's true."

Another pause.

Then something touched his hand inconspicuously. It was Sanzo's hand.

His hand felt so warm on his hand.

"It is so cold," Another comment. "No wonder by the wide opened windows."

"Ah.. sorry, Sanzo, do you feel cold? I will shut the windows right away." Hakkai rushed to reach for the windows'handles as Sanzo's hand grabbed his arm.

"Do me a favor and don't play the idiot when the two are not here," he said, peeved. "I mean your hand. It is so cold. You have been standing here for about two hours, you must feel cold."

Sanzo's words amazed him. And the blonde monk didn't look happy because he had needed to explain his words that tiresome way.
"It is okay when you want to let them open, anyway. But stay inside."
And then he strode away. But not out of the room. He just sat at the table and drank some more coffee.

Hakkai smiled. He shut the windows and walked away from the windows. Then he took a seat beside Sanzo and said,
"It is much warmer here, thank you."

"Tss..."

The man lighted up his cigarette and looked away from Hakkai.