Disc: Minekura.

A/N: This story started out as just another oneshot, but I'm afraid the plotkappas were breeding out-of-control and attacked en masse at a critical point towards the end.

Glossary: 'Aniki' - casual way to refer to one's older brother
'Oniisama' - polite way to refer to an older brother; Gojyo uses it sarcastically, of course

Prologue: Intervention

Constructed directly amongst several craggy mountains, Houtou Castle stretched up to the cloudy skies above it, all angles and points. The castle had not been designed with aesthetics in mind, but rather to intimidate all who saw it, even those long subservient to Gyuumaoh.

Now, with Gyuumaoh sealed, Houtou lacked some of the direct fear its ruler once instilled, but a sinister air still surrounded the place. Armed guards remained stationed all around the perimeter, though the patrol routes were longer than in the past. All available resources and personnel were being diverted to an oncoming threat from the East, which was never spoken of beyond whispers.

A young male with a gray cloak about his shoulders slipped through the line of guards after showing them a seal and leaving his dragon in their care. His feet sounded lightly in the empty hallways of the castle as he headed for his destination towards the back. He caught his reflection in a dirty full-length mirror and stopped to examine himself quickly.

His tanned skin was dirty from not having bathed in a few days and his dark brown hair had grown extensively since he'd been away on his mission. The shaggy mess almost covered up a wavy-looking birthmark on the side of his neck that, along with his pointed ears and claws, marked him as a member of the youkai race.

His matching brown eyes narrowed at the sight. He wasn't even remotely presentable for his lord, but the news he brought would hopefully overshadow his state of appearance.

He continued on down the hallway until he reached an open area through two huge wooden doors. He was in luck today and spotted his lord in the center of the room with his closest subordinates.

"Kougaiji-sama!"

The youkai prince turned around, ignoring the fact that Lirin was still chattering away next to him, and addressed the youkai who had just entered the room. "Seiran," he said, walking over to meet him halfway. "What are you doing here? You've only been on your mission for six months. I knew you were one of my best spies, but we weren't expecting you to return until year's end."

"I assure you that you give me too much credit," Seiran insisted, bending at the waist to fully bow before Kougaiji. "However, in my assignment to gather information on the Sanzo-Ikkou, I came across a piece of data that was far too interesting to simply file into a report at the end of the year."

Kougaiji looked intrigued now. Behind him, Lirin had fallen silent and, in a huff at being ignored, left the room. Yaone stood a few feet back from her lord, hands folded in front of her in anticipation of the report. On her right, directly behind the prince, Dokugakuji shifted his weight from foot to foot. He wasn't bored; it was more like he thought most of this formality and vagueness was a waste of time.

"So?" Doku interjected after a moment of silence. "Spill already. What's the big discovery?"

Seiran's eyes briefly moved to where Doku was standing but, ultimately, he lowered his head again in deference to Kougaiji. "My Lord, your orders for me were to observe the Sanzo-Ikkou, trying to spot potential weaknesses to exploit. I understand you were talking about physical weaknesses, but I found something that may work better."

Kougaiji snorted dismissively. "If you're coming to me with something psychological, I don't want to hear it. I don't play with people's minds."

From the way his eyes flickered, the spy figured that it was a sore spot with him.

"Kou," Doku started, but the prince raised a hand to silence him.

"Continue."

"As you wish." Seiran cleared his throat. "I had been observing them for several months, not engaging them as you asked, My Lord. In those first few months, I noticed some distinct personality traits within the Ikkou itself.

"I admit that I focused mainly on Genjyo Sanzo over the rest of his teammates, as he is the one with the sutra that Your Lordship has been seeking. Normally, I observed that he was short-tempered, brutal, irritable, and his treatment of two of the others borders on physical abuse. Even though they have all known each other for several years, he keeps them at a distance and is continually cold and short with them.

"However, not two months ago, a change took place within the group. I was unable to place it at first, but whatever it had been, it made Genjyo Sanzo slightly calmer, more deliberate in his actions, and more secretive. That warranted further investigation.

"Approximately one month ago, they were staying at the main inn of a small town several hundred miles from their current location. I observed that Genjyo Sanzo was spending an unusually large amount of time with one of his companions over the others and I followed them when the two retired to their room.

"Imagine my surprise, My Lord, when I sat to watch the footage recorded by the camera I'd hidden in their room earlier. The picture itself was not of the highest quality, but the audio made sure there was no mistaking what was going on. What I observed were rather…" Seiran coughed again, blushing slightly. "Intimate relations."

Kougaiji blinked. Whatever he had been expecting, it had not been that. "So… what are you saying?"

"What I am saying, Kougaiji-sama, is that this is Genjyo Sanzo's newest weakness. He has taken on a lover." Seiran looked a little hesitant, but held up what looked to be some sort of disc. "I have the footage right here if you'd like to see for your—"

"NO!"

Everyone in the room looked at their prince, who was trying desperately, and failing, to hide his embarrassment. Kougaiji closed his eyes and his voice came out softly. "I believe you."

Yaone cut in, unsure. "Seiran-san, are you sure that it's not a new member of the party? Have they taken on a female companion, perhaps?"

The youkai spy shook his head. "There are no new additions. Had there been, I surely would've reported it to you, my lord." He looked back at his humiliated commander. "It is a member that has been with him since the beginning of the Journey."

Doku tried to offer some suggestions, anything to get that pained look off of Kou's face. "Which one is it? I kinda thought he and the kid were pretty close." He thought for a second. "I guess he gets along with the driver more than anyone else, though."

"It's not Hakkai-san," Yaone said all of a sudden, causing Doku and Kougaiji to look at her, puzzled. She immediately turned red and covered her mouth with her hands. "I mean to say that since we are opponents, I've learned to read him and I think I would be able to tell if that were the case!" The sentence came out very quickly and muffled.

"So?" Doku turned back to the spy, looking him up and down, almost tempted to just grab that disc out of his hand, if not for the fact that the last thing he wanted to see was that pissy priest 'in the act.' The very thought disgusted him beyond belief. "That hyperactive brat then? Didn't know the guy went for that kind of thing…"

"Son Goku is not involved other than that he knows about it; the same holds true for Cho Hakkai," Seiran explained, finally glad to have the floor back. "Genjyo Sanzo has taken to sharing a bed with the hanyou."

Dokugakuji could almost feel the smirk he'd let settle on his face crash to the floor. Both Yaone and Kougaiji were silent and Seiran looked around, troubled.

"Have I said something wrong, Kougaiji-sama?"

Doku's mouth now hung open and his hands twitched rather uselessly at his sides. Any smart-ass comment he could even attempt to say vanished as he tried to wrap his mind around that statement. 'Gojyo… in a relationship with… taken on a lover… Gojyo.' No matter how hard he tried, it just didn't fit together.

"Are you sure of this?" Kougaiji asked, shooting his swordsman a concerned glance as he once again focused on his spy. "Perhaps it only appeared that way…"

"Would you like to see the video footage, My Lord?"

As Seiran once again held up the disc, Kougaiji felt light-headed; the thought of seeing such a thing was making him dizzy.

"NO!" This time, the horrified cry came from Doku. He took several quick strides over to Kougaiji and Seiran and placed himself between them. He'd thought it couldn't get any worse than thinking of the priest involved in anything sexual, but when it also concerned his younger brother, that just made his stomach churn.

After another moment of silence, Yaone too joined the group. "Maybe it would be best if we left it at that, Seiran-san. Thank you for all your hard work."

"But, Kougaiji-sama!" he insisted. "I was thinking that the information would come in handy in any further pursuit of the sutra. We could simply take his lover hostage, hold him for ransom, which we'd set at the Maten-kyo, and—"

"That will be all, Seiran." Kougaiji said, voice completely serious. "You are dismissed."

Seiran knew better than to disobey. "Thank you, my Lord." With another deep bow, he turned and left the room, closing the door securely behind him.

As soon as the spy had left, Kougaiji looked up at his bodyguard. "I won't do anything with that information, don't worry. We'll take care of the Sanzo-Ikkou on the battlefield and get the sutra by our own means."

Yaone nodded. "The secret won't leave this room."

Doku was finally regaining some of his senses. "Thanks, you two, but…" He scratched his head. "How the hell do you think that happened?"

Kou sighed, making his auburn bangs move upward. "I expect it will remain a mystery."

-+-

The tiny village of Yi San was the latest stopover for Sanzo and his companions, according to Seiran's data. Since the entire town had only one inn, Doku didn't have a hard time at all figuring out where the group was staying.

He felt a little uneasy walking down the main street of the city, even though no one was looking at him. Yaone had let him borrow a power limiter to conceal his youkai identity when he traveled and he absently played with the ring encircling his right index finger. He found it amazing that one tiny piece of metal could completely obscure his ears, claws, canines, and markings. He'd even had to do a double take when he saw his appearance in the mirror. Aside from his height and tanned skin, he looked completely human. He'd also changed into more appropriate clothes before leaving the castle.

Doku had never actually spent too much time around large groups of humans in his life; it was nerve-wracking. He knew better than most about the tensions between humans and youkai; he wondered if they would panic if they saw through the illusion put on by the limiter. He forced the thoughts from his head and made his way to the little inn.

It was a modest place, only two floors, with a sturdy wooden structure encompassing both lodging and a small restaurant. Despite the relative size of the town, it looked like it did pretty well for itself. He took a deep breath and stepped through the doors.

"Welcome!" A young woman at the front desk greeted him. "Are you here for a reservation or just to dine?"

He moved to the desk, not wanting to attract too much attention. "I'm actually… looking for someone," he managed, eyes fixing on the bound register lying on top of the desk, next to where she was resting her hands. "There is a traveling priest who is supposedly staying here with his followers. Do you know if that's the case?" Doku really wasn't used to speaking formally, but it never hurt to be too polite, especially when he was a visitor to the human town.

The woman beamed. "Oh, you must be speaking of Priest Sanzo! Yes, he and his group checked in a little while ago." Now, she looked a little troubled. "He did say though that there were to be no disturbances. So, if you want to ask for his blessing, I'm afraid I'll have to turn you away."

"Oh, no," Doku said, waving his hands to dissuade her. "I was just curious to see if there was any truth to the rumors. I wouldn't dare disturb—" He swallowed, trying not to sound sarcastic. "Sanzo-sama."

The woman continued to smile and Doku found it a bit eerie. "Well, in that case, would you like to reserve a table for dinner? Our local specialty is a vegetarian Dim Sum…"

Doku tuned her out as his heightened senses, not the least dulled by the limiter, picked up footsteps on the stairs just behind the desk. Some very familiar voices soon joined in.

"Naa, Sanzo! I'm starving! When do they serve dinner?"

A frustrated sigh drifted down the stairs. "Would you just shut up, damn bakazaru!"

"Maa maa, Sanzo. It's a legitimate question. You insisted that we drive on through lunch, so it's expected that we'll all be a little hungry."

"… No one asked you."

'Crap!' Doku bolted through the exit doors, ducking behind one of the pillars on the front porch of the inn until he saw golden blond hair pass by on the other side of the window. 'That was close,' he thought, sliding down to the ground. It occurred to him after catching his breath that he hadn't heard Gojyo's voice among them. As he peered into the window, he noticed the other three members of the Ikkou standing in the lobby by themselves. Doku searched for red hair and found none.

Sighing in defeat, Doku contented himself with watching the actions of the priest. He certainly didn't see whatever Gojyo did in the guy, he had to admit – yeah, the guy was a bit of a looker, but anyone who got within a few feet of him was instantly subjected to his rotten personality, violent tendencies, foul mouth, and other things unbefitting a holy man.

'Personally,' Doku mused to himself, 'If it were up to me, the leader personality is nice, but a benevolent type who treats others with respect is a much better choice, if you have to like any of your teammates. That and long auburn hair…'

'Whoa, snap out of it!' Doku didn't know where he had been going with that. He refocused his senses on the Ikkou, training especially on the Sanzo priest. Still no sign of Gojyo, which actually made Doku worry. 'After all, I am the guy's big brother, and, in my mind, I guess I'll always kinda' see Gojyo as the same bratty little kid who was getting into trouble all the time.' That was why the mere thought of him engaging in sex – with anyone – made Doku shudder.

All three members of the Ikkou that had gone downstairs eventually reached whatever decision they were trying to make. The kid bounded back upstairs while the driver took the priest's credit card and gestured towards the door. Then, the priest flagged a waitress down, gestures indicating that he wanted something sent up to his room.

Doku, still in his semi-hidden spot, completely froze when the driver reached the doors, miniature pet dragon perched on his shoulders. Doku inched around the pillar to avoid him, but cursed mentally when the brunet stopped on the porch, breathing in the fresh air.

"It's quite nice today, isn't it, Hakuryu?" he asked of the dragon, who cheeped in response. "Well, I suppose it's once again up to us to get the shopping done."

Doku heard paper rustling and figured it was a list that he was going over.

"Too bad Gojyo sped off to one of those bars so fast… I really could've used his help."

The healer walked down a few steps before pausing. The dragon chirped again, lower this time. "Oh, it's nice to see you again, Dokugakuji-san." His voice was directed at the pillar, making the youkai swordsman start. "I'm not sure what your business is with us today, but if you get the chance, please send Yaone-san my regards." With that, he walked off, disappearing down the main street.

Doku blinked. 'Seiran must be able to turn invisible if he got past that guy.'

-+-

With the knowledge that the healer knew he was here and would most likely let the other members of the party know, tracking down his younger brother wasn't going to be easy. Doku now realized that he wasn't made for spying – his frame alone made it nearly impossible – and decided it would be best to just be up front and direct.

There wasn't much to do in the town itself; the place was mostly residential and only had one main street with the single inn, a few restaurants and shops, and two bars. Upon entering the closest bar, he noticed right away that it had a gambling atmosphere and figured he'd made the right choice between the two.

The brilliant shock of red amidst a sea of brown and black proved him right. Gojyo was seated at one of the center tables, dutifully studying his hand and glancing up every few seconds to judge the faces of his opponents. He would casually take a swig of beer now and then, but Doku could tell it was just another tactic to catch the other players off guard.

Doku felt the smallest swell of pride when Gojyo laid his cards down on the table and the other three men around him groaned in defeat.

The two brothers had started playing cards together almost fifteen years ago and Gojyo had been an extremely fast learner. 'Looks like he hasn't lost his touch.'

Hanging back in the crowd, the older of the brothers satisfied himself by watching a few more hands, grinning each time Gojyo cleaned up, several times on a bluff. A few female admirers had gathered around the redhead and he wasn't bothering to send them away. That made Doku think. 'What if Seiran was mistaken after all?'

After a while, it was evident Gojyo was getting bored and the other men were wising up to his skills. He collected all of his winnings, paid his tab, and abruptly left. Doku was surprised at this turn of events and waited a few seconds before tailing Gojyo.

-+-

'This is most definitely getting annoying,' Gojyo decided. 'First off, I just wanted to relax and spend an evening in for a change, but Sanzo'd gotten his robes in a bunch and told me to get out of his sight for the night.'

'Second, my backup option – card games, liquor, and plenty of each – had been surprisingly stale. Maybe it's because I haven't been out to a bar all by my lonesome in over a month, but everything seemed predictable and dull. I was able to read the other guys in the game so easy it wasn't even funny. Those girls hanging all over me suddenly looked to have way too much makeup and hair extensions. Heh, for one of the first times in my life, a quiet evening in the company of a certain moody blond feels infinitely preferable to a rowdy bar of nameless faces-

'Crap, I am getting soft.

'Third, if my older brother doesn't stop following me in about two minutes, I'm going to scream. I'm not sure what kind of game Jien's playing, but the little detective act is about a decade too old.' Doku may have disguised his features – which made them look a little too much alike for Gojyo's comfort – but his stance, attitude, and height made him difficult to miss.

Gojyo reached the inn and pushed his way through the doors, a smile returning to his face upon seeing the rest of the group already seated at one of the nearby tables. His steps instantly became lighter as he walked over to the square table, sitting on Sanzo's right side and across from Hakkai.

Sliding down in his chair, he felt a hand delicately brush his leg and looked up into violet eyes. The casual observer wouldn't have been able to tell, but the priest's expression was that of barely-contained lust.

One of Gojyo's eyebrows arched in approval. 'Nice, looks like he's changed his mind about tonight.' All thoughts of the bar had vanished and were it not for his objecting stomach, he would've tossed Sanzo over his shoulder and dragged him upstairs as quickly as possible.

"Since we're all here now," Hakkai suggested, "I guess we can get started."

"WAI! ITADAKIMASU!!!" Goku shouted the ritual phrase loud enough to make several other guests look over at him, but the boy didn't even notice. He dug right into the food that had just been placed on the table with an impressive vigor.

Sanzo looked down at his own plate, pushing a bit of food around and actually eating a little of it for a change.

'Wow, another improvement… he's skinny enough as it is.' Gojyo continued to steal glances at him throughout the meal, but not so often that he forgot his normal job of swiping food from Goku's plate and generally rough-housing with the boy.

After the meal, he and Sanzo went upstairs to their room. Gojyo had just shut the door behind him when a pair of lips pressed tightly against his own.

"Mmmph…" Gojyo tried to reply, but Sanzo had him backed up against the door, urgently kissing him. The redhead attempted to assess the situation, but the more rational parts of his brain were shutting down once he picked up the sensation of Sanzo's hand slipping into his jeans.

He moaned and let his hands roam across Sanzo's back, cursing the thick fabric of the robe and desperately wanting to rip it off. The priest pulled back momentarily and their eyes locked, making Gojyo's breath catch. 'There's no mistaking it – he's definitely turned on now.'

"I love it when you take control like this, sweetheart," Gojyo managed, gasping as pale hands tangled themselves in his hair, pulling their faces closer. A devious smile appeared on his face as his arms circled around Sanzo. "But then, I also love it when you let me handle things."

Quickly, before the blond could protest, he stepped forward, dragging Sanzo over to the bed. He sat Sanzo down on the edge of the mattress and Gojyo got to work. 'Now for those pesky robes.' As soon as he considered it, the clothing fell to the floor.

'This is more like it,' he thought. The increasing lack of clothes was serving only to get him more aroused and, in his opinion, the noises Sanzo was letting out were sounding better and better.

He basically tore the rest of Sanzo's clothing off, only making sure to be delicate with the scripture, which curled up as soon as he removed it. Gojyo set it gently on the nightstand and returned to the task at hand.

Gojyo kissed his way down the taut muscles of Sanzo's abdomen, enjoying the low moan he received for his efforts. Sanzo's hands fisted in his hair, shoving his head lower and lower to his eventual destination. Gojyo knelt down at the edge of the bed and spread his lover's legs, tongue darting out to taste the tip of Sanzo's erection.

"Nngh…" Sanzo bit down on his lower lip, squirming as Gojyo planted kisses on the inside of his thighs, the gentleness causing a tickling sensation. The redhead returned to his main target, licking and sucking softly enough to drive the blond mad. Then, it was a little deeper and harder, until the priest was moaning louder and gripping locks of red hair so hard that Gojyo was sure his scalp would ache later. 'Not that it matters right now.'

Sanzo panted as Gojyo pulled away, wiping his mouth. "That was just the beginning, Sunshine," he remarked, gently pushing Sanzo onto his back, keeping his legs spread. "You know how much I hate to get left out of the fun."

-+-

About an hour later, when the two had finally had their fill of one another for the night, Gojyo untangled his body from Sanzo's and slowly got dressed. He could see the blonde's chest rising and falling slowly, indicating that for once, he was in a deep sleep.

After getting dressed almost all the way, Gojyo looked back one last time at Sanzo peacefully sleeping. The priest twitched and rolled over into the place where Gojyo had been lying, unconsciously taking over the warm spot. For once, he looked like an actual 24-year old, instead of the hardened, worldly monk Gojyo had been traveling with for so long. The lines in his face had softened and he was almost smiling as he slept. Sanzo buried his face in the pillow, murmuring something nonsensical before rolling completely onto his stomach.

Gojyo's chest suddenly ached. He'd never stopped to watch any of his former lovers sleep before and here Sanzo looked so utterly content, so… at peace. He leaned over before he realized what he was doing and stroked Sanzo's hair gently. The only emotion that filled him at the moment was amazement that he had been given a chance with this beautiful man, that he was needed and wanted and loved, and that he was privy to a side of Sanzo the rest of the world never got to see.

"I love you so much," he whispered, drawing his face closer so he could inhale that wonderful scent that made Sanzo unique, cigarettes and sex and incense and so many other things he could never adequately describe. "So much—you don't even know."

He smirked, pulling back. If Sanzo had been awake, Gojyo could imagine exactly what would've come out of his mouth. Some snide comment about how Gojyo was going mushy on him, or how romantic declarations were for girls and the hopeless.

'Maybe that's what I am. Hopeless. When it comes to you, at least.' He picked up his jacket from the floor and slipped it on. "I'll be back," he told the sleeping priest, his voice barely audible. "Just gotta go talk some sense into the guy tailing me."

As the door closed, Sanzo shifted on the bed again, eyes opening the tiniest bit at the sound. He let out a soft sigh and sunk back into the pillow. "Damn it, kappa…"

-+-

Doku paced at the edge of town, just where the forest began, ignoring the sleeping dragon at his feet. 'I really should be returning to the castle,' he thought, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He'd come out all this way to talk to Gojyo and had completely failed in that endeavor. If nothing else, though, he'd had his suspicions confirmed.

There was a tree conveniently placed right outside the inn that, once scaled, gave a direct view of the room Gojyo and the priest were sharing. Doku had felt like a horrible intruder as he hid in the branches and saw the two men embracing, kissing, removing clothes… The youkai had turned redder than he'd ever been before and slid back down the trunk, before things got even worse or he was discovered.

It was wrong, but Doku couldn't help feeling a bit left out. 'You'd think this was something important that brothers should discuss with each other, wouldn't you? But, come to think of it, that does seem rather stupid. As if Gojyo would just come up to me, out of the blue, and say: "Hey, Aniki, I just started sleeping with the leader of my group, thought I'd let ya know." Yeah, right,' Doku thought.

He picked up heavy footsteps and froze, glad that he was still wearing his limiter in case a human stumbled upon him. A figure stepped into the clearing and Doku blinked a few times. "Gojyo."

The redhead laughed and shifted his weight onto his back foot. "Hey there, Stalker-san." He put a hand on his hip and stared at his older brother with purpose. "Mind explaining why you've been following me around all day? Normally, I'd be up for a little sparrin', but sneakin's just not your strong point. What's up?"

Doku looked at the dragon, which had awoken at the sound of Gojyo's voice, and then back up. "It's… complicated." He took a deep breath. He had planned everything out, but at the moment of truth, he found himself unable to speak. "Wanna discuss it over a beer?"

There was a small pause and then Gojyo's laughed echoed through the trees. "Hell yeah, man. Why not?"

Doku made sure the dragon was still securely tied to its tree and the two brothers made their way back into town in relative silence. Gojyo stared at the buildings as they passed and Doku concentrated on the dirt road. Finally, they reached their destination: the second of the town's two bars and the one that Gojyo hadn't been in earlier. They were seated in a booth in a far corner and were served right away.

Gojyo took a big gulp of his beer before pressing further. "So, you said you'd explain. You on another sutra-snatching mission? Where's your pretty boy prince?"

Doku tried his best to look disapproving. "He has a name, but that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I'm worried about you, Gojyo."

"Oh-ho." Gojyo leaned back, raising the mug to his lips. "Oniisama is concerned for my well-being. I'm touched by your thoughtfulness."

"I'm being serious, Gojyo." Doku leaned forward, ignoring his drink for the moment. "There have been rumors about your group floating about the palace and I see now that they're not entirely unfounded."

"Rumors?" Crimson eyes narrowed. "What kind of rumors?"

Brown eyes stared straight back. "That you and one of your teammates are, shall we say, getting a little too close for comfort."

Gojyo blinked, alcohol entirely forgotten. When he realized the pause was too long, he forced a laugh. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm 'too close' to the others… we spend twenty-four hours a day together." He was vaguely aware that he'd begun to sweat.

"You know what I'm talking about – you and that priest. Not many know now, but do you have any idea what could happen if the wrong people find out? Playing with your emotions is the best case scenario here."

'Shit.' Gojyo sat up, eyes darting down to the table. "That's… not going to happen. I'm in control of the situation."

"Are you sure?" Doku's voice had dropped and Gojyo could sense the apprehension rising in his tone. "Are you telling me right now that if something happened… if someone kidnapped, injured, or tortured your priest… that you would be perfectly rational about it?"

Gojyo's throat tightened. The thoughts entered his head despite his best efforts to keep them away … Sanzo, tied up, beaten or violated. A wave of nausea swept over him. No, he refused to think of those things.

'But he's just a human, after all. Sanzo's been hurt so many times before…'

The redhead slumped over in his seat. "I hate you." A heavy hand landed on his shoulder and Gojyo looked up to see Dokugakuji staring steadily at him.

"I'm sorry," Doku whispered. "I just wanted you to think of those sorts of hazards. I do care about you, whether you believe it or not, and if you've found happiness, I don't want you to lose it." He let his hand rest there for a few moments and Gojyo shoved him off as his eyes began to sting.

"Well," Gojyo attempted with a wry smile. "What the hell do you suppose I do?"

Doku sighed. "It'd be kinda pointless to tell you to break it off. You wouldn't do that anyway…"

"Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get through to him in the first place?"

"Right." Doku took a swig of his beer, contemplating. "The two of us have so few precious things in our lives that we need to hold on to everything we've got. As long as you keep it discrete, there shouldn't be any harm in it."

Gojyo snorted. "Yeah, like I wouldn't be shot dead if I decided to scream it to the world." He paused, looking like he wasn't sure about going on. "Besides the fact that it's Sanzo," he emphasized, "Do you care that I'm with… a guy?"

Doku answered right away with a smile. "No. Gojyo, whoever you end up with, I could care less as long as you're happy and you guys are good to each other. I don't really know what you see in that uptight, trigger-happy monk, but I can tell you're really in love with him. You've been way too giddy for your self-proclaimed cool reputation."

"Me? Giddy?" Gojyo pretended to be upset at that. "You make me sound like a schoolgirl with her first crush!"

"Oh?" Doku raised an eyebrow. "You mean you aren't, Gojyo-chan?"

"You're just as bad!" Gojyo insisted. He rested his elbow on the table and put his chin on the palm of his hand. "Maybe it's a genetic thing… I mean, we both seem to have a thing for those 'leader' types."

"What- what are you talking about?" Doku had paled visibly.

"Oh, don't be so coy," the younger of the brothers said. "I see the way you look at that Kougaiji. Just something about a guy in charge, isn't it? It must be the power that we go after."

It was at that point an extremely embarrassed Dokugakuji decided to order a round of something much stronger.

-+-

They returned to the hotel after about an hour of catching up, Doku taking special interest in Gojyo's pursuit of the priest, anything to take the focus away from some very discomforting observations the redhead had been making.

They stood on the porch, silent for the first time since they'd started. Doku shifted back and forth, unsure of how to say goodbye, under the circumstances.

Gojyo lit a cigarette and stuck it between his lips. "Thanks for the drinks, Aniki," he offered, putting his hands in his pockets. "I appreciate the company sometimes."

Doku smiled in return. "I'm glad I got to talk to you, Gojyo. We should do this more often."

"Yeah, if only we weren't… what's the word? Oh yeah, 'enemies.' " Gojyo winked.

That made Doku laugh. He felt a little less self-conscious. "Someday, when all this crap is over, regardless of who wins, I wanna talk to your Sanzo in person. As your big bro, I gotta make sure he's gonna take care of you."

Gojyo batted his eyelashes, once again delving into mock-admiration. "You're so manly, to try and protect my innocence." They both laughed again, knowing full well there wasn't an innocent bone in Gojyo's body.

Doku happened to glance up to the second story of the hotel, where he saw a silhouette standing against one of the windows. "Looks like Baldy's impatient. I won't keep you."

When he looked back down, he was surprised to see that Gojyo had stuck his hand out. Doku gripped it firmly and they shook. "Night, then."

Gojyo disappeared inside the inn as soon as they let go and Doku headed down the main street back to the forest. 'Gojyo's still a good kid after all these years,' he thought. 'There might be nothing to worry about, after all.'

-+-

Seiran looked in disgust at the human, but tried to disguise it. As much as he might dislike the man sitting at the computer, it was better than looking at that sickening half-breed he'd been spying on for the past few months, and money was money. "So you wanted the footage and nothing else? Perverted creature, it seems."

"I don't believe I paid for your opinion," a deep voice replied, tone obviously bored. "I'm not going to watch it for the content like some rabid fangirl." A computer hummed to life and as Seiran's eyes adjusted, he saw equipment he figured was being used in Gyuumaoh's revival. "The mere fact that Genjyo Sanzo and Sha Gojyo are lovers is going to be very useful in the future."

Seiran's lips twitched with a superior smile. "At least I'm not alone in that thought."

The man swiveled his chair around, away from the youkai to face the computer screen. A stuffed rabbit rested next to the monitor, glassy eyes glowing from the light. "What do I always say? Better to hold on to what's precious, you know?"

For some reason, the youkai found that incredibly amusing. He continued to laugh to himself in the dark.

-Owari?-