Ah, my first Saiyuuki fic. Enjoy!
Pineapples
He was sitting at the large, oak table, his head resting comfortably in one hand and a fork in the other. Sparkling green eyes gazed out the open window, while the sharp prongs of the utensil skewered a piece of…whatever it was sitting in the porcelain bowl before him. Crickets chirped a sad song to the setting sun, which reflected against his dark hair, making the strands of russet glow with undertones of gold and amber. The scene was so peaceful, so serene, that Sanzo almost regretted breaking the silence.
Then again, he had no regrets.
"Hey." The single, raspy syllable cracked the stillness of the kitchen like ice. The emerald eyes turned their attention from the golden sphere setting behind the mountains to the equally golden-haired monk, who stood awkwardly in the doorway; a lit cigarette hung from his lips, its smoke wafting indolently through the afternoon air.
"Oh, good afternoon, Sanzo. The sunset is simply beautiful, hm?" Sanzo only grunted in response, but had to agree. He glanced at the flaming orb descending lazily through the dusky sky, as if exhausted from witnessing the day's trying events, willing to relinquish the throne of the sky to the moon. Shadows danced frantically on the walls and ceiling, the fading light threatening to engulf them in darkness. "Where are the others?" The priest snorted.
"Off pissing around somewhere, I'm sure. Gojyo said they'd be back before sunset. He's still got a little time left." Hakkai grinned charmingly—or was it slyly?
"My, Sanzo, you're beginning to sound like his mother." Sanzo took a long drag of his cigarette and answered in a gravelly voice.
"Ch', that's your job." A musical laugh rang throughout the kitchen, and a shiver ran down the priest's spine. Damn drafty inn.
"I suppose it is." The youkai sighed dreamily and speared another piece of his food, which Sanzo identified as being chunks of pineapple, its juice dripping into the bowl below. He walked nonchalantly over to the table and took a seat in one of the varnished chairs that surrounded it.
"I didn't know you liked pineapple. Where the hell did you get it—haven't seen any for miles." Hakkai stared at Sanzo innocently and smiled his usual, pleasant smile.
"Oh, yes. I love pineapple. While I was shopping for supplies, I was lucky enough to spot a few cans left at the grocery, and I just couldn't resist!" He chuckled happily again. "It's been years since I've had pineapple, you know." He took another piece of the juicy fruit and popped it contently into his mouth.
"Is that right?" Another drag, another silence.
It was Hakkai who next spoke. "At the orphanage, the nuns used to buy it every once in a while, when they stocked up the pantries. The first time I ate it, I was seven years old. I had eaten it a few times after, but I have never gotten to have it at my leisure." He shook his head and smiled softly. "I had never eaten anything like it." Sanzo snorted again. "Hm?"
"What's so great about that stuff?" Hakkai gazed at the other curiously.
"What do you mean, Sanzo?"
"I mean, you're ranting and raving about it as if it's the best food on the planet. I just want to know what makes it so good, that's all." The brunet's eyebrows crinkled in a thoughtful expression, and after a brief moment of silence he answered.
"Well—and I'm sure it's a matter of personal tastes—it has just the perfect combination of flavours and textures to me. It's tart, but it still has a hint of sweetness to it. It's very juicy, but at the same time it is chewy and has substance. Besides, you can use it in nearly anything. It's…everything I could possibly want in a fruit."
"I guess that's a good thing, considering it is one." Hakkai laughed again audibly, the melodic quality of it humming in the air. Sanzo shivered again. He was going to sue those damned people if they didn't fix those damned drafts!
"I suppose that was rather silly of me to say, wasn't it? But, seriously, I love it. You're welcome to some, if you like." The youkai motioned toward the china bowl, still quite full of the fruit, but the monk merely shrugged indifferently. "You…don't like pineapples?"
"It's just I'm not much for trying new things, is all." He turned his amethyst gaze from Hakkai to the sunset, which had all but faded, the sky's warm hues stained with a deep purple, the sun asleep in his craggy mountain bed. Stars blinked into view. When he looked back at the youkai, a large chunk of pineapple was hovering in front of him, making him start.
"Come now, Sanzo. I promise you'll like it." The blonde priest noticed that the floating pineapple was attached to Hakkai's fork, cradled by long, pale fingers. Following those fingers up his arm, neck, and finally to his face, he saw that Hakkai was still wearing his customary insufferable smile. He exhaled gruffly.
"Seriously, Hakkai, I don't…" The brunet fixed his dark jade eyes on Sanzo, giving him a look which he could have sworn was a pout. He scowled and hesitantly wrapped his lips around the bright yellow fruit. It was indeed very good, the tangy juice filling his mouth as he chewed. It needed something else though, he thought to himself.
"Well, what do you think?" The monk paused, thinking about his answer carefully. He retasted the juice in his mouth, its tartness lightly stinging his tongue. Finally, he answered.
"It was pretty good, but…I think it's missing something. It's not sweet enough for my tastes." The blonde man snuffed out his cigarette in the overflowing ashtray in the center of the table. Hakkai looked at Sanzo quizzically, and then turned to the pineapple, giving it a similar look.
"Oh, I see. Well…how do you plan on fixing that? I think I saw some sugar in one of these cupboards." He rose to rummage in some cabinet on the wall, but the blonde grabbed his shirt and pulled him back down in his chair, amethyst eyes piercing into Hakkai's dark green ones. The two stayed locked to each other, Sanzo's eyes never wavering, as if in deep thought. Suddenly, he jerked Hakkai toward him by the shirt he still clutched and pressed his lips firmly to the startled youkai's own, surprised by their softness. A small gasp from those same lips provided the priest's tongue an entrance into the brunet's mouth, which was, as he expected, still sweetened by the ridiculous amount of the fruit that he had eaten. As quickly as the kiss was initiated, he withdrew, releasing Hakkai's shirt and leaving him breathless.
"That did it. Thanks anyway." Sanzo rose from his seat and started back towards the bedroom that he and the youkai shared that night, stealing a small glance at him and finding him still dumbfounded, fingers raised to his slightly swollen lips, his face wearing a look of utter shock. He smirked victoriously and lit another cigarette, but before raising it to his lips, he savoured the taste of the pineapple before covering it with the bitter taste of tobacco.
He would definitely put that shit on the shopping list.