A/N: Hello everyone, welcome to Irreversible. This is a oneshot continuation of I'll Wait Forever. You might want to read that first, or a lot of things are not going to make sense here.

Anyway. Like the last chapter of I'll Wait Forever, this is what you make of it. There's a lot of blink-and-miss stuff here, so make sure to pay attention. It focuses on Gojyo and Hakkai, so... yeah. I don't have as much to say as I thought I did.

Enjoy anyway.

Irreversible

Gojyo yawned audibly as he fell back into Hakkai's soft, overstuffed couch. Letting his eyes fluttered closed, he allowed himself a spare moment of peace in the hectic life that he lived. Over two years had passed since the hospital incident in which Gojyo found still questionable. He still had no memory of what had landed him in the hospital. All that anyone had told him was that he had been in a car accident, which resulted in a fractured wrist, three broken ribs and a minor concussion. Hakkai, it seemed, was driving with him and only got a bloody nose and a black eye. Gojyo wasn't sure what happened, but the doctors said he and Hakkai had left the hospital without telling anyone, and both of them had been shot to the chest, and almost died.

Gojyo couldn't fathom why anyone would want to shoot him. He was a likeable person. He worked in a bar, lived his life like any other idiot in New York. So why would anyone want to shoot him? And Hakkai? Who the hell would want to shoot a third-grade teacher? He never fully understood that. Hakkai was a likeable person. Nobody hated Hakkai. Nobody wanted to shoot Hakkai.

Gojyo groaned at the conflicting thoughts, pulling the nearby blanket over himself and snuggling down into the couch. He would have to get up soon and go to work. It seemed on days like this Gojyo regretted taking the graveyard shift at his bar. It was by no means boring, but he got little sleep that way. He heard the door open and Hakkai enter, back from his trip to the store. Hakkai insisted on making him dinner each night before he went to work. If he didn't then he knew that Gojyo would simply fill up on junk.

The young brunet had enough decency not to disturb him as he entered the kitchen. Gojyo could hear the young man humming an off-tune ditty as he prepared the pots. Gojyo wasn't sure when he nodded off.

Hakkai shook him awake not much later, smiling carelessly as he helped him into the kitchen. The redhead fell into his chair with a grateful sigh, already moving into dinner while Hakkai poured him a cup of coffee. Gojyo thanked him and drank it down greedily.

The pair ate dinner as they usually did, silently with the occasional comment to be said. Usually it was Hakkai nagging Gojyo for his bad table manners. It wasn't a tense silence, but relaxing as the pair listened to the faraway tick of a clock and the sounds of forks clinking into glass plates. Hakkai then looked up at him as Gojyo began working on his third cup of coffee. "Oh, Gojyo," Gojyo raised a brow in question, not bothering to ask what the man wanted because he knew Hakkai would tell him anyway. "I was wondering if you could give me a ride to a student's house of mine. He's been sick and I was hoping to give him his homework and see how he's doing."

Gojyo stared at him a moment, before snickering. "Shit Hakkai, always the mother-figure eh? I'm sure the kid's fine."

Hakkai frowned softly, picking at the potatoes on his plate. "I'm just worried. I know it's out of your way but I don't have a car and he's been gone for over a week."

Gojyo chuckled. "It's fine, 'Kai. I'll drive you after I wake up. Tomorrow's Saturday right? Just wake me up before noon and I'll drive you down there."

"Thank you, Gojyo," the brunet said kindly, before glancing down at his watch. "You'd better hurry, or you'll be late."

Turning towards the clock off on the far wall, Gojyo cursed. "Shit," he grabbed the coffee, downing the last of it before turning for the door. "I'll see ya later, 'Kai!" he cried before he was out the door and down the stairs.

---

Friday night was jumping. There were teenagers who were still experiencing the life of a bar, all crowded in tight circles looking uncertain. Business men flirting with all the waitresses, and young adults looking for a good time and someone to go home with. Music thrummed through the bar, and sports were playing on every TV. Gojyo grinned, loving his job as he made another drink, placing it on the bar and watching Carol, one of the waitresses he knew well, run up and grab it before disappearing back into the crowd.

Gojyo loved his job. Loved the thrumming music, the girls in all-too revealing outfits, the beer splashed all along the floor, accompanied with the crunch of peanuts, the scent of lingering cigarette smoke and mostly the feel that the party would never end.

His eyes surveyed the crowd in his moment of peace, before he caught brown hair. Nothing unusual, but as Gojyo studied the face it belonged to, he realized the owner of the mass of chocolate-locks looked to still be a little kid. How the hell did he get in here? The young brunet was standing by a wall, enjoying the atmosphere and yet didn't seem to be involved with anyone. Just as Gojyo was about to move to speak to him, the brunet turned to look at him. Bright, luminous golden eyes peered at him from under dark bangs. They seemed too wide and knowledgeable for someone his height and size. A moment passed where the boy merely stared at him, eyes completely solemn. Then a second later the boy smiled at him. Gojyo stared, confused for a moment, before a crowd of teenagers passed in front of the boy. As they moved away from the spot the boy was standing, Gojyo found the mysterious brunet had disappeared.

He realized that he'd zoned out for far longer then he meant to, and quickly returned to his job.

---

"Now… turn here Gojyo."

Gojyo did as he was instructed, turning off the main road to head towards a quiet community. It seemed far away from where Gojyo would expect the district for Hakkai's school was. Then again he'd never really gone into Hakkai's school. He figured that if his coworkers saw Hakkai with a gruff, redheaded, bartender, it would ruin the man's reputation. That and he never liked schools to begin with. Kids were very high on his list either.

Another few turns and the pair found themselves in an old rundown neighborhood. There were houses scattered along each side of the road, as the street pooled out before them into a cul-de-sac. At the end of the street was a large wooded area that carried on for as far as Gojyo could see. Gojyo tore his attention away from his surroundings to pull into a small driveway, turning off the engine. "I shouldn't be long, Gojyo. You can wait in the car if you'd like?" Hakkai offered as he undid his seatbelt and grabbed his bag.

Gojyo offered a cheery grin. "Nah, I'll come with. Maybe I can cheer the kid up from all the homework you're dumping on him."

Hakkai smiled in thanks and the pair headed out of the car. They stepped up towards the front door, and Hakkai rang the doorbell. Gojyo took his time to scan the neighborhood, his eyes resting on a rather eyesore of a house across the street. It looked as though it used to be white, with cracked windows barely held together. The paint seemed to have long ago chipped off, and what was still there seemed to have faded from the wind and rain that came down on it. The porch was old and wooden, falling apart in places and looked in horrible shape. The lawn, which was yellow in several places and unmoed, held a 'For Sale' sign, which contained a 'Sold' sticker scrawled lazily across it. He watched a short, blond haired man who was balding in places step out towards the red car outside. A dark haired woman followed him, sobbing and screaming things Gojyo couldn't hear or understand. The man yelled back at her, and this ensued with silence before the bickering started again. The man turned heading into his car before the woman ran up to it, screaming things through the closed window.

"Paul and Jamie," Gojyo nearly jumped a foot when he turned back to the door, finding it open and a young brown-haired woman stood in the doorway. Probably the boy's mother. The woman sighed, turning her eyes to focus down on the two on her doorstep. "Their son died about two years back now. They've been in a tight spot ever since," she trailed off again, turning her eyes back up to the pair. "So sad really, he was so young."

Curiosity ebbing away at him, Hakkai frowned. "How old was he?"

The woman shrugged. "Sixteen, seventeen. Maybe a bit older." She then smiled, turning her attention down towards Hakkai. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Cho. Keith is up in his room."

"It's no trouble," Hakkai replied with his trademark smile as he stepped inside, Gojyo following in toe. "Oh, and this is my friend Gojyo. He wanted to come see how your son was doing."

The woman smiled. "Thank you for coming, Gojyo."

"No problem," Gojyo replied with a smile. The pair of men went to head towards the boy's room. It was found with ease, and Hakkai immediately went to the boy's side, as they began talking about whatever. Gojyo didn't much care. He said his hellos and then stood back to allow Hakkai to explain the homework and such. Gojyo hung back by a near window, watching the pair before his attention was diverted outside. He caught a flash of gold and looked towards the trees, frowning when he noticed a young man leaning against a nearby tree, smoking. That was weird. Had he been there the whole time? The kid didn't look any older then a teenager, but he was smoking as though he had his whole life. Gojyo snorted at the idea.

The young man had shining blond hair that dangled, barely brushing his shoulders. He watched as the teenager took one last drag of his cigarette, before grinding it into the ground. The young blond looked up at him and Gojyo's breath caught, as though he'd been caught peeping into the girl's locker room. Yet no matter how hard he tried he could not tear his eyes away from the man. He stared into unwavering violet eyes, practically hearing the man's scoff as he turned away. Gojyo realized he must've blinked, because a second later the man was gone.

---

It had been several weeks since Gojyo had seen the blond under the tree, but doubted it mattered anyway. For some reason he couldn't shake the phantom figures from his mind, they clung there, grasping at his conscious thoughts and forcing the attention to them. Gojyo hated to admit it, but it was grinding on his nerves. But as time passed he found himself thinking of them less and less until he wasn't thinking about them at all.

It was when he'd finally driven the pair from his mind completely did they appear again. Gojyo had been dozing lightly on the couch as Hakkai made dinner for him; a usual routine between the two of them where there was a knock at the door. Not bothering to feign sleep any longer, he rose to his feet, watching as Hakkai stuck his head out the door curiously. Gojyo told him softly that it was no matter, but Hakkai insisted that the man should lie down and rest.

Gojyo opened the door, Hakkai scolding him lightly, but they both froze at the pair in front of them. Gojyo's eyes scanned the phantom figures before him, wondering if he was actually seeing real people. He heard Hakkai's soft intake of breath, and a muttered, "…it's those…boys…" meaning that the brunet had also been haunted by the pair before them.

The blond rolled his eyes, placing his hands in his pockets as the shorter brunet beside him grinned merrily. "Nothing is written in stone, and destiny can be changed," the brunet said, his eyes taking on an aged appeal as he cocked his head to the side. "No matter what happens, fate is never ine…enivi…" the boy's brows furrowed in thought as the blond rolled his eyes.

"Inevitable," he corrected, before his violet gaze turned back to the stunned pair before. "Don't believe in duty and responsibility. Believe in what you believe," he taped his temple, and Gojyo could detect just a hint of a smile. "Nothing's irreversible. Everybody's gets second chances; just make sure you use them."

The brunet shot them a happy smile, and the blond smirked softly. As though whatever that needed to be said, had been said, the pair turned and began to head towards the stairs. Gojyo could only stare in stun for a moment, wondering who in god's name these boys were, and why they had just spouted a bunch of shit and expected to walk away like that.

"Wait!" he cried before he could stop himself, watching as the two boys turned to him expectantly. Scrambling for something to say, he finally shot out; "Who are you?"

The two boys looked towards each other, smiling knowing smiles before they both silently turned, and began walking down the hallway again. "You'd better take damned good care of my scripture, asshole," the blond called over his shoulder, before the two boys were suddenly gone. Whether or not they were really there, Gojyo would never know.

Gojyo and Hakkai took a moment to shoot each other a bewildered stare, before the scent of something burning and the sound of water hitting the stove emerged, and Hakkai shrieked, turning back towards the kitchen. Gojyo quietly closed the door behind him, leaning against it as he listened to Hakkai fixing dinner. Kicking off the door, he headed back to the comfort of the couch, a small smile lighting his features. His path diverged and he turned towards the mantel, where somehow the scroll from two years ago had somehow tumbled off, sprawled out on the ground. The Chinese text lay open; it's secrets raw for those who could read it.

Second chances? Written in stone? Destiny? Gojyo bent down, picking up the scroll and rolling it back up with care, before placing it back on its perch on the mantel. He stared at it for a moment, listening as Hakkai picked up the happy tune he'd been humming earlier. It seemed he came to the same conclusion the redhead had.

The scroll securely on the mantel, he took his time studying it, before finally cracking out into a grin. "What a load of bull," he muttered, turning back to the comfy couch that seemed to call to him.

Destiny? Heh… like I ever let it control me in the first place. I'm not about to start now.

An Epilogue or a New Beginning?

Hell if I know…