Title: Memories
Author: s0hmam0miji
Fandom: Saiyuki
Character(s): Gojyo. Mentions of Hakkai, Goku, Sanzo
Pairing(s): GojyoXHakkai
Challenge: LiveJournal Community - 7 Secrets
Prompt: Memories
Spoilers: None - unless you don't know Gojyo and Hakkai's history.
Rating: T
Warnings: Mild shounen-ai, M/M, Language
Disclaimers: Saiyuki and all Saiyuki characters belong to the all-mighty Kazuya Minekura. Only the plot is mine.
Author's Notes: My very first Saiyuki fic! 10K thanks to the amazing Amael21 for her beta read. Constructive criticism always appreciated.
Story Notes: This is eventually going to be chapter 6 of a 7 chapter fic, but I thought it would be okay as a stand alone fic, so I am posting it until I write the rest. Basically, Gojyo and Hakkai had a fight in a previous (currently unwritten) chapter.
Lumbering out of the inn after having grown tired of the watered-down beer, Gojyo plopped down on the porch, ignoring the protesting creaks of the worn floorboards. Before he even had a moment to settle into a comfortable slouch, a waiter appeared briefly and disappeared silently with an obsequious bow after having carefully arranged his order on a low stool nearby: a bottle of the inn's best (Yeah, bullshit.) apple brandy, a small bottle of club soda, an empty highball glass, a bucket of ice and a few slices of lemon.
Too tired to pay any mind to the stares of rubbernecking passers-by, the redhead slumped against a rickety railing and poured himself a shot of the syrupy liquid, placing a single ice cube in the highball glass before filling it with club soda. He leaned back as the smooth liquid slid down his throat and allowed his mind to wander, interrupted only by the tinkle of ice as he put the tumbler down on the dusty wood. Freeing a piece of fruit from his pocket, the kappa absentmindedly rubbed it on his shirt and began to peel it with his whittling knife.
As the warmth of the brandy filled his gut and fogged his brain, memories flashed through his mind's eye, like photographs... some foreign, some familiar. The life Hakkai and he had together in that piece-of-shit shack. The first meal Hakkai ever cooked for him. What did Hakkai call it? Ma po tofu? Gojyo let out a content sigh as he imagined the slide of the smooth, creamy, velvety tofu down his throat, chased by the sharp biting heat of the chili oil. He never liked tofu until Hakkai came along. How was it that Hakkai could take something that tasted like an unholy conglomeration of cardboard, Styrofoam, and Elmer's glue, and turn it into something that you never wanted to stop eating? Seriously. Just the sight of the shit used to make him sick.
Sick. Another image. A bitter chuckle escaped the kappa's lips. He'd always been as tough as a cockroach. No one fucking needed to know if he was sick. Not that anyone cared anyway. But after his soft-spoken roommate moved in, he didn't mind so much. The steaming tea and rice porridge at his bedside were kinda... nice. That one time, Hakkai had stayed up mopping his feverish forehead with a soft cloth. He remembered Hakkai reading to him that night. Something about a pig demon and a river monster? He could barely remember the story, only the soothing voice that grounded him as he flickered between consciousness and unconsciousness in an over-heated haze. That was the only time he recalled being laid out in bed before the journey.
The journey. Suddenly, a rather determined-sounding crackle stirred him slightly from his thoughts and he looked down at his drink to see that the ice had mostly melted, filling his tumbler almost to the rim. He took a long quaff before refilling his glass with more of the amber liquid and replacing the ice cube. Caught in a momentary stupor, he watched idly as the ice cube bobbed in the center of the viscous brandy.
As silently as a cloud, one thought floated away, replaced by another. The day he learned to swim. Gojyo, of course, had hoped that he could put the whole sordid incident of almost drowning in front of Shunrei behind him, but sensei wasn't about to let him get off that easily. After the monkey was done laughing his ass off (Stupid saru.) at Gojyo's expense, Hakkai had roundly denounced Gojyo's... problem as unacceptable. With one raised finger and a twinkle in his eye, Hakkai had declared that swimming was an essential skill for every kappa to have. Gojyo subsequently found himself shooed out of the inn, so that the two of them could seek out a lake nearby. Though there had been a lot of thrashing and even more water-swallowing, most of which he tried decidedly to forget, what the redhead remembered most about that day was Hakkai's gentle coaxing in his ear:
"Now, now, Gojyo... Just relax and you'll be able to float."
"No, no… I won't let go."
"Yes, I promise. I'll stay right here."
Then the next day, despite their exhaustion, His Holiness, Lord Stick-Up-His-Ass, had sent Hakkai and him on their first supply run in Jeep. It had been a cool spring day. He could still feel the wind whipping through his hair and the scent of cherry blossoms filling his nostrils.
Wait. Cherry Blossoms? Images, vividly vague, drifted through Gojyo's mind like the memory of a lucid dream... The lingering scent of cherry blossoms and a hint of sweet sake on his lips. A white lab coat and well-worn sandals. An unguarded smile from emerald eyes. The caress of firm, though gentle, fingertips on his scar-free face. Then soft, moist warmth. Fresh, yet familiar. Soothing heat against his lips.
"KAMPAI!"
A rousing cry from within the inn tore the hanyou from his reverie. Gojyo tossed the core and the remains of the red peel onto the tray. With a lazy stretch, he got up, grabbed the brandy bottle, tucked it into his pocket and pulled out a pack of Hi-Lites all in a single motion. Lighting up and taking a drag, he peered out into the horizon and noted the nebulous patches of crimson, gold and violet left in the wake of the setting sun. If he squinted hard enough, maybe he could even catch a stray streak of emerald.
The anniversary of the day he met Cho Gonou had always brought with it bittersweet memories... rain, blood, death... But it had been sunny the day he had gone to that apple cart. Fours year to the day that Cho Hakkai came into his life... Or was it came back into his life? Ch. Unbelievable. Four fucking years. He sometimes felt like he had spent the first nineteen just waiting for that day. And why did it sometimes seem like the wait had been longer?
Yep. Four years now. And each time, the hanyou would find some lame-ass excuse to steal away and hold his private ritual. He didn't think Hakkai bought it, but the healer knew him well enough to let it be. Maybe it was finally time to share the secret. After all, it wouldn't be much harder to peel two apples. Taking a last drag, Gojyo stubbed out the rest of his Hi-Lite and tossed the butt onto the tray. With a determined stride, the crimson-eyed half-youkai went in search of his partner to finally have that talk he'd been avoiding now for weeks.
Yeah, time to face the music.