Disclaimers: If Saiyuki belonged to me, believe me you would know about it!
Hot Blooded Kappa
Gojyo sighed and rolled his head back. God, it had been a long day, and it wasn't getting any better. That tight-ass monk was still yelling, despite the fact that he had said, over and over that he would replace the damn cigarettes, and that he hadn't meant to stand on them. But nooo, that wasn't good enough for His Holiness and Sanzo was showing all too clearly that he had no intention of forgiving him any time soon. Geez!
A sudden explosion of pain in his head snapped him right out of his daydreaming, and he swung round in his seat to see Sanzo wielding that goddamned harisen in his hand, and a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Perhaps that'll teach you to keep away from my stuff, you stupid kappa."
Gojyo spluttered in fury. "Why you shitty-ass monk, I'll-"
A calm voice interrupted him. "Erm, guys, would you mind sitting down, please? This road is difficult enough without you adding to it."
Gojyo glanced at Hakkai, the one who had spoken, and grinned. "Sure thing, 'Kai. Y'hear that Sanzo? Sit your ass down and shut up, you're being a nuisance."
Hakkai chuckled slightly. "I didn't say that, Gojyo."
Gojyo settled himself down with a satisfied smirk gracing his lips. "Yeah, but you were sure as hell thinking it."
Sanzo had subsided with a loud "Tch!", but other then that offered up no resistance. That was probably the most amazing thing about Hakkai- he could say something that would get the others, if they'd said it, heads' smacked in and walk away unscathed. But that was just Hakkai, wasn't it? He was, Gojyo mused, an amazing person. Hell, he was probably the most amazing person he knew. He gazed at the back of Hakkai's head, and smiled slightly.
A loud voice nearly made him jump out of his skin. "Hey Gojyo, watcha looking at?"
He growled as he swung round onto Goku, who was leaning over staring at him like he'd grown another head. "Nothing, you damn monkey! Now move your whiny ass over to your side of the car!"
Predictably, Goku exploded. "Don't call me a monkey, you stupid cockroach!"
In the front of the car, Sanzo growled as the familiar bickering in the back of the car started up. "Damnit…"
Hakkai smiled. "You should be used to that by now, Sanzo." He shivered suddenly, and his hands jerked on the steering wheel, causing the car to veer slightly. Gojyo yelped as he was thrown backwards and cracked his back painfully on the side of the jeep, and then again, louder, as Goku landed in his lap. Sanzo swore violently as his cigarette was knocked out of his mouth, and turned angrily on the pale brunette.
"Damnit Hakkai, what the hell are you playing at?!"
Any further comments from the blonde monk were abruptly cut off as a furious Gojyo shoved him roughly out the way.
"Godamnit you shitty monk, can't you tell that something's wrong?!"
He reached round the car seat to clamp a firm hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to ignore the cold dread that was curdling in his stomach. Hakkai….
"'Kai, what's wrong? Talk to me, man!"
Hakkai shook his head slightly, and smiled weakly at the red-haired kappa.
"Ah, it's nothing Gojyo, please don't concern yourself."
Despite his words, Gojyo noticed his emerald-eyed friend's hands trembling slightly on the steering wheel, and through his grip on the youkai's shoulder he could feel how cold he was. His feeling of dread increased, and a voice whispered in the back of his mind, "How long does it take a fever to set in?"
The kappa banished such thoughts from his head and spoke firmly.
"If you think I'm believing that crap, Hakkai, then you're not as smart as I give you credit for. Now pull over and let me drive, you can rest in the back. Don't bother arguing, just do it."
To his relief (he hadn't been entirely sure if that would work, not on the calmly stubborn Hakkai) the green-eyed man gave in gracefully and moved to the rear of the jeep. It disturbed Gojyo to see how pale Hakkai was, and from the looks on Sanzo and Goku's faces, they were equally unnerved. Goku shifted along on the seat to allow Hakkai to sit down, and Sanzo sat in shotgun beside Gojyo without a single word of complaint. Gojyo started up the jeep, mouth set in a taut line and staring grimly straight ahead. He didn't know how far away the next village was, and he didn't care- he was damn well going to make it in the next few hours, no matter what it took.
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The jeep splashed roughly through the narrow road, that was littered with puddles, and continued to roar it's way across the terrain. Gojyo hissed angrily between his teeth and jerked savagely on the steering wheel. Hell, were they never gonna find a village? It felt like they'd been travelling for hours, yet they didn't seem to be getting anywhere. He chanced a glance behind him to see how Hakkai was faring, and felt his heart tighten painfully. The man was stretched out on the back seat, eyes closed and breathing uneven. A thin sheen of sweat filmed his pale face, and even as Gojyo watched he stirred and a soft moan slipped from his slightly parted lips. Goku was perched on the very back of the jeep, trying to give Hakkai as much space as he could, and as the man moaned he looked up and his golden eyes, full of anxiety, locked with Gojyo's red ones.
The monkey spoke with a slight tremor in his voice.
"Hey, Gojyo… Hakkai's… gonna be…alright…isn't he?"
Gojyo nodded, tightening his death grip on the wheel. "Yeah, he's gonna be fine, Goku- you just keep watching him, ok?"
He turned back round to face the road, but didn't see it. In his mouth he could still taste the words he had just said to Goku, and he sent up a silent, swift prayer to whatever the hell there was up there that he had just told the truth- that Hakkai would be ok. He would be alright though, wouldn't he? Nothing would happen to him. Not to Hakkai. He was strong, for god's sake, he had faced down a hell of a lot of things that were worse then just a little fever, right?
Gojyo kept repeating it in his head like a mantra, over and over, furiously blocking out any doubts that he had. A part of him laughed at himself. Look at him, fretting like a girl! But he couldn't help himself, not when it came to Hakkai. Gojyo sighed and ran a hand through his crimson hair. God, he hated… feeling like this, y'know? It was like a crappy love song, all about the pains of unrequited love. Yeah, love. He had figured out a while ago that his feelings for the emerald-eyed youkai went a hell of a lot deeper then just friendship, and the revelation of the fact that he was in love with his best friend had knocked him for six at first. But he had gotten over it pretty quickly, and had resigned himself to forever loving someone who would never love him back.
Oh, sure, Hakkai cared about him- but that was strictly as a best friend. He doubted whether he thought any more of him then he did Sanzo or Goku, which hurt him a little. But it was okay, y'know? So long as he could continue to be near Hakkai, and watch over him- that was good enough for him.
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Having finally arrived at a village, the group were hastily making preparations to nurse Hakkai. Sanzo was inside an inn arranging rooms for the night (being a Sanzo monk with a credit card and a gun sure as hell helped speed along the process) and Goku had been sent off in search of some medicine (though they'd be lucky if that stupid monkey didn't get lost along the way.) This left Gojyo to help the patient inside the inn.
Hakkai appeared to be unconscious, but as the kappa approached him his eyelids fluttered open and he gave a weak smile.
"Sorry to be so troublesome, Gojyo." He coughed violently, two bright spots of colour appearing in his otherwise pale face.
Gojyo snorted as he carefully lifted his friend out of the jeep. "Don't be stupid, you can't help getting sick! Now stop talking, or you're just gonna make yourself worse. Just let me look after you, okay?"
Hakkai's eyes widened for a second, before he smiled gently and let his head drop softly onto Gojyo's shoulder. The red-haired kappa felt his heart skip a beat as Hakkai relaxed into him, allowing him to put a strong arm around the smaller man's waist and support his weight. Together, the two of them moved slowly into the small building, where they could hear the innkeeper grovelling to an irate Sanzo.
"O-of course, Priest Sanzo, please, step right this way…"
In a short while Gojyo had Hakkai in his room, and was carefully trying to manoeuvre the brunette into bed. (A/N: No, not like that, you perverts! :D)
"Here we go, 'Kai, easy does it…" murmured Gojyo soothingly as he carefully laid the patient onto the narrow bed. His heart twisted in his chest when he saw how small and frail Hakkai looked, and he knew how much the man must hate being seen with his defences down. Hakkai always projected such an image of unruffled perfection that it was hard to imagine him in any other way then in complete control of himself- and Gojyo knew that was how he liked it. Hakkai hated displaying his weak side, and to Gojyo's knowledge he was the only one who had ever seen him like this before, three years ago when he had dragged him back to his house and patched him up. Gojyo guarded that privilege jealously, and didn't intend to give it up now.
Hakkai stirred slightly and Gojyo shook himself out of his thoughts at once. He was supposed to be looking after Hakkai, not standing around staring at him! He moved forward swiftly, speaking in a low, gentle voice.
"Sorry 'bout that 'Kai. Right, now lets get you out of these clothes, okay? You need to be in your night clothes now, so you can be a bit more comfy. So, let's get these boots off…"
Gojyo continued rambling as he removed Hakkai's clothes, gently easing off his boots and trousers, (though leaving his boxers well alone), and moving up to peel off his green shirt. Each movement he made was slow and soft, trying hard not to make Hakkai any more uncomfortable then he probably already was. He noted with concern that his friend had started shivering again, and he hastily went though Hakkai's bag before he found what he was looking for- a long sleeved cotton shirt and pants. In a matter of moments he had Hakkai wearing them and was pulling the bedcovers over his trembling form.
"There we go, 'Kai, all wrapped up- you'll be warming up again soon. In a minute the monkey'll be back with some meds and we'll have you back to normal in no time, okay?"
Gojyo reached out and softly touched Hakkai's hair, smoothing it back gently from the man's damp forehead. Hakkai… Even in his feverish state, the man was beautiful. The red-head smiled slightly as he gazed down at the object of his affections, drinking in the sight that lay before him with tender eyes. It wasn't as if he never got to see Hakkai sleeping; after all, he usually shared a room with him; but he still treasured the moment.
Of course, the moment didn't last, as seconds later a loud "SANZO! GOJYO! WHERE ARE YOU?!" rang from outside the door, accompanied by the sound of footsteps thundering their way up the wooden stairs. Gojyo growled, before striding across the room to yank open the door and hiss
"Shut your mouth you stupid monkey! Hakkai's asleep in here!"
Goku froze on the top step, then whispered, shamefacedly, "Sorry Gojyo- I just…I wanted to get to Hakkai quickly, so…"
Seeing the misery on Goku's face, Gojyo relented. The kid was only worried about Hakkai, after all. He reached out and roughly pulled him into a one-armed hug- the kind of hug he used when he wanted to show Goku that he cared, but was too awkward to actually express it in words.
"Yeah, I know. It's alright Goku- 'Kai's gonna be fine."
The younger boy nodded, fiercely scrubbing a hand across his eyes and turning his face towards Gojyo with a grin.
"Yep! 'Cos I've got the medicine! Here you go! Oh, and Gojyo, where's Sanzo?"
Gojyo pointed down the hall, grinning as he grabbed the paper bag off Goku. "Cheers monkey! The shitty monk's in the third room down. Make sure to piss him off for me, 'kay?"
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The glass bottle clinked slightly as Gojyo carefully counted out the right number of pills. The last thing he wanted to do was poison Hakkai by giving him a frigging overdose! Behind him, Hakkai twitched and muttered, shifting restlessly, and Gojyo glanced anxiously over his shoulder at him. The youkai was shivering uncontrollably, his face white as a sheet despite the layers that Gojyo had heaped on him. The kappa hastily dropped the small white tablets into the glass of water he had prepared, and felt a surge of relief as with a small hissing sound, they began dissolving immediately.
Okay, let's see here… The directions on the bottle said that as soon as the tablets were fully dissolved, the patient was to drink the medicine, which would then start to work on the virus that was infecting the body. Gojyo hoped to hell that the instructions told the truth, because if not then he was gonna hunt down the maker and beat him to a bloody pulp.
Grabbing hold of the medicine, Gojyo turned to his sick friend and moved purposefully towards him, thinking a swift prayer as he did so. He knew how strong Hakkai was, and he also knew how vile this concoction he was holding was, and he had already worked out that this did not make a good combination. He had mental images of being thrown across the room into the wall after trying to force this down Hakkai's throat.
Gojyo banished these worrying thoughts and carefully sat down on the side of the bed, sliding an arm under Hakkai's body and gently easing him up into a sitting position, making soothing noises as the youkai groaned painfully.
"Sorry, 'Kai…come on, just swallow this and you'll be feeling better soon…yeah, I know it's gross, sorry…"
Gojyo had managed to shift Hakkai so that he was leaning against him, (God, any other time and he would have been in heaven right about now) and he was slightly frightened by how white his friend was, and how cold he felt. Gently coaxing Hakkai's mouth open, he carefully tipped the cloudy liquid into his mouth, a strong arm around his shoulders to stop him from moving away. The youkai's eyes were closed, and he appeared to be completely unresponsive. Shit…
It took a few minutes, but eventually Gojyo succeeded in getting most of the medicine down Hakkai (aside the drops that had dribbled out the patient's mouth) and he set the half empty glass aside with a sigh. So far, so good… At least this would better Hakkai's chances of getting well, right? Though how anything that tasted that bad could actually help someone was beyond him. With another sigh, the red-head turned back to his patient to see how he was faring.
Hakkai's face was still white as the sheets he was wrapped in, and to Gojyo's dismay he had started shivering again. He groaned slightly, running his hand through his scarlet hair as he felt panic creeping in on him again. "C'mon, 'Kai, don't do this to me! You're scaring the shit out of me here, man!"
"S-Sorry, Gojyo…" Gojyo nearly jumped clean out of his skin at the weak, trembling voice that answered him, and he stared down at Hakkai, heart hammering.
"'Kai! You're awake! How d'you feel?" Talk about a stupid question, dickhead, he mentally chided himself.
"C-cold, actually… and my head is pounding… and Gojyo, what in t-the name o-of Shangri La did you make me drink?"
Gojyo winced slightly and promptly felt defensive at the slight reproach showing in the bright green eyes. "Hey, it's medicine, and it ain't my fault it tastes like shit. Actually, you probably better drink some more now… 'Kai?"
The questioning tone was because Hakkai suddenly shuddered violently against Gojyo's body, jarring him. Gojyo peered at his face anxiously, noting how dull the previously bright eyes had grown. "Shit, Hakkai…what can I do?"
The reply was so faint that the kappa had to strain to hear it. "Warm me up…please…"
Gojyo sat there, completely stunned, feeling a hot flush spreading across his face and suddenly acutely aware of how close he was holding Hakkai against his body, the brunette's head resting against his shoulder. He swallowed, suddenly dry-mouthed, as he managed to stammer out "W-what? How?"
This time Hakkai turned his head to look up at him, his green eyes reflecting how terrible he felt, and his desire for Gojyo to make him feel better. "Just…hold me…please?"
The soft, hesitant plea at the end of his sentence nearly broke Gojyo's heart, and snapped the last thread of his uncertainty and nervousness. This was Hakkai, his Hakkai, who he would walk over hot coals to protect. He would do anything for this man, and right now he was going to nurse him back to health- by any means possible.
Carefully, Gojyo eased himself away from Hakkai, sensing slight puzzlement and dismay from the man, and he quickly relieved him of his fear. "It's okay, 'Kai, I'm just shifting around a bit- I can't keep you warm in that position. Here we go…"
Gojyo moved around behind Hakkai, pulling the smaller man so his back was pressed up against Gojyo's chest, and Gojyo's long legs were either side of his. Gojyo settled himself back against the pillows and put his tanned, muscled arms firmly around Hakkai, pulling him gently back to lie against him, making sure that he was still well covered. Hakkai let out a soft sigh and leaned into Gojyo, turning his head slightly so that his cheek was resting on Gojyo's warm chest. Gojyo breathed out slowly, trying to calm his racing heart, which he was afraid was going to burst with happiness at having Hakkai so close to him. He could feel how cold Hakkai's limbs were even through the layers of blanket and clothing, and tightened his arms around him, hugging Hakkai even closer, and laid his red-haired head gently atop of Hakkai's. Hakkai was, basically, wrapped in a Gojyo cocoon, completely surrounded by the other man. And Gojyo couldn't be happier.
The kappa felt Hakkai shift a little under him and spoke, softly, not wanting to break the wonderful sense of peace and calm that had filled the room. "You okay there, 'Kai?"
He felt Hakkai breathe out a little sigh as the youkai replied, his voice reverberating oddly through Gojyo's chest. "Mmm…you're warm, Gojyo…"
Gojyo chuckled a little, nuzzling into Hakkai's soft brown hair, his trade-mark sexy grin in place.
"Ah, what can I say? I'm a hot-blooded kappa."
He sensed rather then saw Hakkai's smile- his favourite smile, the one that actually meant he was happy instead of his empty smiles that he showed so often during the day. The smile that Gojyo got to see on his best friend's face more than anyone else. The smile he would do anything to protect.
Gojyo's happy musings were interrupted by a creak of the bedroom door as it slowly swung open and Goku's hesitant face appeared round the door. "Gojyo? How's Hakk-"
He broke off when he saw the two of them more or less cuddling on the bed, and a mischievous smile spread across his face. "Oh, okay…I'll leave you two alone then shall I?"
Gojyo growled, feeling his face flush as brightly as his hair. "Stupid monkey, it ain't like that! Hakkai's cold an' I'm tryin' to keep him warm, alright?"
This did nothing to alleviate the smile on Goku's face- if anything it got wider, and was even accompanied by a wink. "Sure, whatever… well, I'll just tell Sanzo you've got it covered then Gojyo. Or should I say that you've got Hakkai covered?"
At this Gojyo looked round for something to throw at that damned monkey- anything, it didn't really matter what- but before he could begin his assault the youngster vanished through the door with a giggle, calling cheerfully behind him "Hope you feel better soon Hakkai! Don't let the cockroach do anything perverted to you!"
Gojyo felt the blood rush into his face and he could barely contain his splutters of incoherent rage.
"That little bastard, I'm gonna fucking-"
He was cut off by a soft, weak laugh, and peering down at Hakkai's face he saw that the sick healer was shaking with mirth, a smile on his lips. Abruptly Gojyo felt his murderous feelings pass. If the damn monkey had managed to put a genuine smile on Hakkai's face, then he was allowed to live. Maybe. He settled instead for snorting and leaning back against the pillows, cradling Hakkai in closer to him as they both got comfortable, before muttering gruffly "Y'know, 'Kai, laughing just encourages the little brat."
Hakkai chuckled hoarsely, murmuring "Ah, my apologies Gojyo, I'll try and restrain myself-"
He broke off to cough weakly, whilst Gojyo helped him sit up, frowning slightly at the way his friend's body shuddered in his arms- and not in the way he would have wanted, either. Get your mind out of the gutter Gojyo!
"It's ok, 'Kai…" he murmured soothingly, rubbing the smaller man's back gently and gritting his teeth furiously. Damnit, he felt so fricking helpless! Why the hell couldn't he do more to help his best friend when he needed him?
Gojyo's bitter musings were interrupted by a soft "Thank you, Gojyo", and he blinked down at Hakkai in astonishment. "Huh?" he said intelligently.
Hakkai smiled slightly, bright green eyes closed as he answered softly "Thank you for looking after me Gojyo."
Gojyo blinked, and then felt an enormous grin spreading across his face, before he carefully adjusted his friend and lay back again, still grinning. Somehow, he didn't feel nearly as useless any more.
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Geez, that was a long chapter! This was actually originally a oneshot, but it grew… so now it's a twoshot! And in the next chapter, we're going to have a lot more action, mwahahaha! Poor Hakkai… So until next time! RinkyPink over and out.