title: Balanced
fandom: saiyuki
rating: gen
challenge: Sanzo and Hakkai in any position
hakkai pov
Balanced
Balance was important in a situation like this. At least Hakkai could take comfort in knowing that none of them cheated when it came to games amongst the four of them.
Gojyo had an almost uncanny sense of balance, maybe due to the handling of his shakujou, but Hakkai guessed it was more because Gojyo could do the horizontal tango so well. The half-demon could most likely please someone, balanced only on one leg and one arm.
Hakkai sighed and looked over where Hakuryuu was spinning the arrow. Hand on blue. He wedged his left hand underneath his body and groaned. This was tricky. Sanzo only had to push a little, even accidentally, and he'd go down like a stone. Looking over at the dragon again to see what Sanzo would get, he felt a twinge of guilt, even though it wasn't his fault that Goku had dropped on their smallest companion.
After that incident, where Hakuryuu had protested to getting squashed with biting and scratching, Goku had abandoned them in favor for food pretty quickly. Gojyo constantly making fun of him probably hadn't helped either. And trying to get Goku cheat and use his staff for balancing himself had made their monkey leave the playground for good.
Hakkai twitched. His nose itched uncomfortably and he wrinkled it in a futile attempt to stop the itching. It was rather ridiculous, really. They were all grown men, after all. And here they were, playing Twister of all things. But it was Hakuryuu's fault, really, for dropping all their belongings, including their set of mahjongg, into the river.
Gojyo had taken a smoking break after winning for the sixth time and now sat on the windowsill, melancholically staring into the darkness of the night. Sometimes he glanced over, when Sanzo cursed, or Hakuryuu squealed in amusement.
It was only him and Sanzo playing now. Hakkai winced as his leg cramped up. He couldn't move it. One of Sanzo's legs were precariously balanced between his own and he couldn't risk upsetting anything.
Sanzo cursed and shifted above him, putting his hand on the big dot next to Hakkai's hand. His monocle dropped and he waited for Gojyo's laugh. It didn't come. Hakkai just smiled and hoped the next round would let him use the hand not twisted under Sanzo's body, although with Sanzo's other hand wedged between his, putting the monocle back on would be dangerous.
At Hakuryuu's announcement, Hakkai shifted his leg to move it to a green spot – at least he tried to, when his shifting upset Sanzo's balance and they both dropped ungracefully on the colorful cloth.
Goku laughed out loud, rolling on his back, the meat buns forgotten for the moment. Hakkai could have bet that Goku would have come running had Sanzo been the one being squashed. But so, he just waited for Sanzo to roll off of him, so they could sit down and pretend they hadn't just sacrificed their dignity for entertainment.
Hakkai noticed that Gojyo was watching them again, an oddly tranquil smile on his face. At least their undignified collapse had helped the half-breed find his mental balance again. He saw Sanzo look up at their companion and smiled. Apparently, Sanzo had cheated, after all.
Finally, Sanzo got up with a grunt and searched his clothing for a pack of smokes. A moment later, a pointed look was sent to Gojyo, who threw his lighter over without comment. Sanzo lit up and leaned back, closing his eyes in relaxation. Goku went back to eating, and Hakuryuu fluttered over to rest on Hakkai's stomach. Gojyo put his lighter away again and slid off the windowsill to join them. Goku protested loudly when the half-demon stole a meat bun from his plate. Hakuryuu squealed, and Hakkai smiled, closing his eyes.
They were so predictable.