Cleaning

Setting the sake cup down gently on the table, Hakkai looked around at his comrades and smiled. Before the other three sat the remains of a vicious mahjong game, food scraps, and plenty of empty beer cans and full ashtray.

They, however, were passed out.

Hakkai stood and started clearing the trash away. It no longer phased him just how much of a mess they made wherever they went.

"Hey," said a groggy voice. Turning, he saw no sign of movement from his comrades. Then Gojyou slowly sat up, his hand automatically reaching for his pack of cigarettes.

"Go back to sleep," he said as he grabbed up an armful of beer cans.

"Can't," came the mumbled reply. "You're making too much noise."

Hakkai frowned. He had thought he was being quiet.

"Well, I apolo—"

"Don't," his friend said forcefully. He took a long drag from the cigarette and added, "I couldn't sleep anyway. 'Specially not with that damned priest cradling that gun in his lap."

"Afraid of an itchy trigger finger?"

This ruffled the kappa's feathers. "Hey, you try being his favorite target and see how you like havin' a gun pointed at yer face!"

"Tried that already, but I didn't much care for it," he replied with a chuckle.

"Heh."

The room quickly fell into silence, the occasional cicada chirping outside. With a sigh, Hakkai continued his cleaning. He wished they'd asked for more trash bags.

"Yo Hakkai," Gojyou said in a calmer voice. With that tone, Hakkai knew his friend was getting ready for a more serious talk, though he wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

"Hm?"

"Why do you do that?"

There were many things he did that none of the others could do, so he was just slightly confused by the lack of specificity. So, he asked, "Do what?"

Gojyou breathed out a short sigh of frustration. A hand ran back through his hair. "That," he said. "Why do you do what you're doing right now all the time?"

"What, you mean cleaning?"

"Yeah."

"So why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

The kappa took a short puff of his cigarette before smashing it to oblivion.

"Look, will you answer my damned question?"

"Sure," he said. Then he grabbed up a stack of plates to return to the kitchen and started to leave the room.

"Hey!"

"Oh, you wanted me to answer you now?"

"Come on, you bastard. Did I look like I was waiting for one?"

"Actually, yes," he replied, giving the kappa a broad grin. Then he turned and began walking down the hall.

"Will you just—no," Gojyou said with a wave of his hand. "I was just wondering why you're always cleaning up our messes."

Hakkai paused. "Because no one else would want to," he replied quietly before continuing on his way.

In the morning, as they were packing up the jeep, Gojyou grabbed him by the arm. "Hakkai, what did you mean by what you said?"

Hakkai's reply was, "It's rude to leave so many cans and ashes for the innkeeper to clean up." Somehow, he doubted this was the answer his friend wanted.