Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki or any of the guys. That honor belongs to Kazuya Minekura
"How much did you pay for this coffee? $4.50?" Gojyo turned the large paper cup with a strange brown paper wrapped around it in his hands. "And Sanzo said yes?" Gojyo looked sideways at Hakkai, his face unreadable.
"Let's just say that Sanzo was upset about the coffee until he found out about the $20 I spent on muffins." Hakkai took another sip of the hot coffee and closed his eyes, smiling at the pleasant taste. "The eight muffins I bought for us, five of which Goku ate, five minutes after I brought them back." Gojyo mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'damned monkey.'
Since Hakkai had been the first one awake, as usual, he volunteered to go out and get something light for breakfast. Sanzo passed the gold card to Hakkai and soon, with Hakuryu on his shoulder, they were on their way.
It was the smell of coffee that snaked under Hakkai's nose, teasing and tempting him with that delicious aroma, until he could take it not a minute longer. Entering the strange store, which had an enormous green round sign above the entrance with a picture of a woman who reminded Hakkai of some sort of fairy creature, Hakkai was greeted by a staff of several young people who recommended the most bizarre concoctions.
"Our most popular is the latte. We can put any flavor you like." The girl behind the counter wrinkled her nose at Hakkai, shrugging her shoulders and tilting her head slightly. "You know, kick it up a notch!" She giggled.
Hakkai chose to have a vanilla latte. The other suggestions that had been thrown at him were just too sweet for his taste. While he waited for the coffee, he spied the muffins. Four different flavors. Chocolate, blueberry, cranberry walnut, and banana nut. Well, there were four of them, so why not splurge and get some muffins. Two of each should suffice. Thinking of Gojyo and how he loved the first cup of coffee in the morning, Hakkai got the attention of the young lady behind the counter.
"Uh, Miss? I'm sorry to bother you, but I would like to add on to my order." Now, what to order for Gojyo? Maybe he would just like a simple coffee or something a little spicy? Or sweet? Cafe Mocha with peppermint. Oh, yes. Gojyo would like that. And for Sanzo…Komodo Dragon blend. Strong and dark, that probably would be to his liking. What about Goku? Coffee was out of the question, for caffeine and Goku were a dangerous mix. Goku was energetic enough without having a stimulant in his system. Double Chocolate Chip Frappucino sounded like something Goku would like. Hakkai gave the woman the additional orders and sat down at a near by table and waited.
They called his name and after collecting Hakuryu from outside the front doors, the pair made their way back to the little hotel. It was promising to be a very nice day and Hakkai wanted to get on the road again. The little group was more than halfway to their destination and Hakkai was anxious to complete this assignment. He and Gojyo had started talking about what they would do after the journey.
The two of them had been laying in bed, talking. It had been about six months since they had confessed their feelings for each other and Goku had willingly changed room arrangements with Hakkai, sleeping in the same room with his "sun" every night. Sanzo grumbled for a few days, but since Goku had matured so much since the start of the journey, Sanzo hadn't really put up that much of a fuss.
"Did you ever think of what we would do? I mean, after the journey." Hakkai watched as his lover lit up another cigarette.
"Go home, of course. Back to our little home in that same dinky village." Exhaling, Gojyo looked down at Hakkai. "You could teach again, you know." He was silent as Hakkai thought that over. "People in that town liked you and since so many have been killed by youkai, there's probably an opening in a nearby school."
Hakkai mulled that thought over for a few minutes. Teaching was part of his old life as Cho Gonou and while he loved teaching, just thinking about becoming a teacher again brought back some unwelcome memories. Sighing deeply, Hakkai intertwined his fingers and lay them on his stomach. There was one idea he'd had. One idea that ruled his mind on the nights he couldn't sleep. Opening an orphanage. So many parents dead and so many children left behind and Hakkai couldn't imagine there were willing relatives to take them all in. The last few towns they had passed through, Hakkai couldn't even begin to count the children he'd seen on the street, begging for food or money. Or the children who had been reduced to doing worse things for food. Bile rose in his throat as the memory of a brothel they'd passed and the empty eyes of the children out front, came back to him.
"No, as much as I loved teaching, that's firmly in my past." Rolling on his side, Hakkai propped up his head on his hand. Should he bring it up to Gojyo? What would be his reaction to the idea of them opening up an orphanage? Gojyo snuffed out his cigarette in the ashtray, set it on the night stand and wiggled down the bed, ending up on his side, facing Hakkai.
"Alright, what's on your mind?" A half grin and raised eyebrow told Hakkai it was impossible to keep secrets from Gojyo anymore. Gojyo waited patiently.
"I want to open an orphanage." Silence reigned in the room for a few minutes. Hakkai began to get nervous when Gojyo didn't speak, dropping his gaze from those sunset red eyes to the blanket, his fingers nervously playing with a loose string. "There's just so many of them. Orphans, I mean. And yesterday, when we passed that brothel…" Hakkai trailed off, his voice tight with emotion.
"And you thought I would nix the idea, am I right? Did you forget I was an orphan after Jien killed my mother?" Hakkai shook his head. It was a sore subject with Gojyo, what his life was like after he ran away from home. As close as they were, Hakkai never had the courage to ask Gojyo what his childhood was like after the death of his mother. It was if, somewhere deep in his heart, he already guessed what kinds of things Gojyo had to do to survive.
"I'm not filing papers, cooking meals or anything like that. I'll clean up but the kids have to keep their own rooms clean, make their own beds, ya know, stuff like that." Gojyo sat up suddenly. "Baseball! I'd bet we'd have enough kids to have at least two baseball teams!" Using his fingers, Gojyo marked off more ideas. "You can be in charge of hiring teachers, I'll hire the cooks, no watery stew for our kids! Let's see, what else? Lots of books, lots of toys and a big yard, so they have a nice place to play when it's nice outside." A hand on his arm. "What?"
"Gojyo, as wonderful as that sounds, we have no way to purchase a building of that size, buy furniture, hire teachers and a cook, provide food and clothing…"
A snort of laughter from Gojyo. "Are you forgetting just who the hell we're traveling with? Sanzo, man!" More laughter. "Can you see the look on his face when we hit him with a bill like that?" Sliding down the bed again, Gojyo gathered Hakkai in his arms, still chuckling. "One night, when he was plastered beyond belief, Mr. Tight Ass Monk, let it slip that the Sanbutsushin had given him permission to compensate us for our part on this little mission. And man, am I ever gonna take advantage of that little piece of information!"
"You really would want to do this? It would be an enormous undertaking, Gojyo. Please, think long and hard about it before making your decision." Emerald eyes pleaded and Gojyo could never say no to those eyes.
"Che! You worry too much, Hakkai." Tugging Hakkai's slim body, Gojyo soon had the demon slayer over him, their mouths almost touching. "Shut up and kiss me."
Gojyo sighed, pulling Hakkai from his thoughts. "Damn, aren't those two ever gonna get their asses in gear?" Hakkai just smiled. "Hey! That coffee was pretty damn good. What did you get me again?"
"A cafe mocha with peppermint."
"What did you get?"
"A vanilla latte." Hakkai took another sip of his coffee. "You should try one the next time we pass by one of those coffee shops."
"How about now?" Gojyo had a sly smile on his face as he said that. Hakkai went to hand his cup to Gojyo but a hand at the back of his neck stopped him. Gojyo licked his lips, moving closer to Hakkai. "You know, there are much better ways to see if I like how your coffee tastes."
As Gojyo's lips settled over his, that talented tongue slipping past his teeth, Hakkai thought that yes, oh yes, there were much better ways of tasting a cup of coffee.