Standard disclaimers apply.
Long, long chappie! Of course, when I read I love long chappies, so I hope ya'll do too! ;) At any rate, I've been typing my fingers off to get this done--my sister loves Saiyuki and so she is physically after me to finish this (and Chibi Sins, too, don't worry about that one...this story just popped into my skull night before last and wouldn't be ignored...(sighs)...she'll kill me if I don't finish...)
Again, trying to keep characters as IC as possible. Be warned for lots of language, some angst, and a lot of really bad humor...;)
Thanks to my sister for discussing possible plans that the two might have...(wicked laughter) I think there's only a chapter or two left, so enjoy while ye may...
Review, if you would. Big thanks to all who have, I appreciate it hugely.
Gojyo was sulking in his room at the inn. This was just stupid. He was tired of those two and their stupid attitude. Acting like this at their age…he had never heard of anything so stupid. Okay, so maybe he had. But he had never expected the monk and Hakkai to act like this.
The bastards still weren't talking to each other. And it had been a week. A fucking week, damn it! That was more than enough time to get over whatever was bothering them! He didn't need this! He'd had enough shit in his life without these two falling apart now! Who did they think they were, to hurt him and Goku like this?
And the monkey was hurting. He had trusted him, trusted his statement that the two would get over it soon. But they hadn't—and now the kid was depressed. Depressed, damn it! He wasn't eating any more! Well, he was. But not like he usually did. He was eating hardly anything for Goku; just picking at his food. And he hardly said he was hungry anymore, even when he was. It was as if he was afraid something would set them off. Gojyo gritted his teeth around his cigarette. So far as he was concerned, it would be a good thing if something set those two off. At least then it would be out in the open, instead of them pretending like nothing was wrong. His jaw tightened at the several-day-old memory of trying to ask Hakkai what was the matter.
Gojyo had deliberately roomed with Hakkai that night in order to ask him what was going on with him and Sanzo. He asked him. Hakkai had looked at him in mild surprise, a slightly apologetic look on his face as if he had no idea what Gojyo was talking about. Gojyo still remembered his exact words:
"Kai, what's up with you and Sanzo?"
"I'm sorry, Gojyo, but I don't know what you mean. Perhaps if you explained…"
"Quit with the bullshit, Hakkai. I know something's up with you and Sanzo. You have a fight?"
"Gojyo, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. Perhaps Sanzo knows. Ask him."
Hakkai had then turned his back and begun to stroke Jeep while staring out the window.
Honestly no idea, his ass! That was the worst bullshit he had ever heard! What made it worse was that if he didn't know Hakkai, he would swear that the man was speaking the truth; he didn't have any sign of a lie on him as he was saying it. That was what sucked about having Hakkai as a friend; he could be lying to you and you'd never know unless you already had evidence against it. He had evidence, all right. Sure as hell, he had evidence.
The monkey had been right—Sanzo and Hakkai weren't talking to each other, not at all. They hadn't said a word—that's right, hadn't said even one word to each other since the night of the supposed fight. Hadn't even looked at each other. And they hadn't been rooming together as usual, either; Sanzo kept taking Goku and Hakkai kept taking him.
Gojyo bit through his cigarette, cursed, dropped it in the ashtray, and lit another. This had to end somewhere. It was time those two learned exactly who they were messing with. He and the monkey weren't going to take this anymore. He wasn't going to let Goku get more depressed and more depressed until he stopped eating altogether, or even stopped talking. He didn't have time for that, and neither did they. They were on a mission, damn it! A holy quest or whatever Sanzo wanted to call it! They didn't have time for this shit!
As for talking to Sanzo, he had tried. He had honestly tried to talk with that bastard, much as it pissed him off to do so. Gojyo had tried to talk to him, man to man, with a calm voice, telling himself over and over not to get pissed with the man, he couldn't help being who he was.
So he had approached the man, looked him in the eye, and asked him in a calm, mature voice if he and Hakkai had had a fight. As with Hakkai, Gojyo remembered the exact words of the "conversation" between him and Sanzo.
"So, Sanzo, did you and Hakkai have a fight?"
Sanzo had flipped a page of his paper. "No idea what you're talking about."
"Sanzo, that's bullshit. You did have a fight, didn't you? Just admit it and apologize—come on!"
"I won't admit anything, and I sure as hell won't apologize for something I didn't do!" Sanzo snarled. "Go talk to your precious Hakkai if you have such a problem!"
"I already did, you bastard!
"Then go fuck yourself!"
How was he supposed to even talk to that asshole? Gojyo had stomped out, cursing, and slammed the door behind him.
Assholes! Bastards! Those two idiots needed to get over it!
It was time he and Goku came up with a plan.
Goku was sitting lethargically on the inn's back step when he felt an arm land on his shoulders and wrap around him. He didn't bother to look up.
"Hi, Gojyo."
"Goku." Gojyo smiled and rubbed his knuckles in the monkey's hair, hoping for a reaction. The monkey didn't even yell, but just kept staring ahead without any light in his eyes. What the fuck…
"Oi, Goku." Gojyo prodded. "What's the matter?"
Goku sighed. "Nothing. Just go away, Gojyo."
"Nope." Gojyo leaned in closer to the monkey. "What're you looking at?"
"Nothing."
"Come on, Goku."
Goku laid his chin on his arms. "Come on to where?" He let out a breath. "There's no where to go."
"You're upset about Sanzo and Hakkai, aren't you?"
Goku nodded slowly, still not looking at Gojyo. "Yeah."
"You upset because I told you they'd get over it and they haven't?"
"Yeah."
"Well, they will get over it."
"It's been a week!" Goku said, looking at him. "A week! That's a really long time, Gojyo!" Panic was starting to enter the monkey's voice. This was really bothering him. He didn't like it when Sanzo and Hakkai got mad. It was too scary, and too mean of them.
"Yeah, it is." Gojyo said, lighting a cigarette. "And that's why it's high time we did something about it."
"Did something? What are we going to do?" Goku looked at him, his eyes half suspicious and half hopeful.
"What are we going to do?" Gojyo repeated. "Saru, we are going to blow them away. We're going to end this stupid fight and show them how stupid it was. We're going to show them not to mess with us."
Goku's eyes were big with excitement. "Really? You think we can?"
"Sure we can."
"But…" He deflated. "They're mad. Hakkai and Sanzo are scary when they're mad." He swallowed. "I can't just go up and tell them."
Gojyo shook his head. "You're right. That's why we have to go about this the sneaky way."
"The sneaky way?" Goku repeated.
"Yep. The sneaky way."
Goku stared at Gojyo across the table of the inn. It had been a whole day since their talk, and they had made plans. Good plans, too. There was no way these plans were going to fail. Goku grinned to himself. He and Gojyo were smart.
Gojyo caught his eye and nodded to him slightly, a smile quirking one corner of his mouth. The kappa rose from the table, pushing his chair back.
"I guess I'm going to bed."
"So early?" Hakkai looked perplexed. "It's only about eight, Gojyo. You don't usually go to bed until eleven or so at least."
"I'm tired." Gojyo lit a cigarette.
"You're going to pick up a girl." Sanzo said from behind his paper. Gojyo shook his head.
"Nope, I'm not going to pick up a girl." Too bad, too. This was a good night for them, and a good town—he had seen at least two that were willing and available on the way in. But good things required sacrifices, and this was just one he would have to make. There'd be girls in the next town—he hoped.
"I'm tired too." Goku said, getting up from the table. Hakkai looked at him incredulously.
"You haven't finished your dinner."
"'So'kay." Goku pushed his chair in. "I'm really sleepy."
"Well then." Hakkai began to push his chair back. "I guess that I'll go to bed too. Gojyo, don't use all the hot water, okay?"
Gojyo shook his head. "Goku's sleeping with me tonight."
Hakkai paused. "Goku is sleeping with you?"
"Yep." Gojyo grinned. "We need some one-on-one time."
"Ah." Despite Hakkai's mild tone, Gojyo could tell that he was disappointed and even somewhat annoyed. "Very well then."
"You can room with Sanzo!" Goku interjected. Gojyo glared at him and the kid shut up. Hakkai turned back to the table. "I suppose I might as well finish my meal."
"That's the spirit, Hakkai!" Gojyo slapped him on the back. Hakkai's eyes widened momentarily, and then narrowed.
"Excuse me?"
Gojyo realized his faux pas and hurried towards the door to the rooms. "Got to go, Kai! See you tomorrow!"
Hakkai turned back to the table and began to eat. Sanzo snorted from behind his paper but made no comment. Hakkai did not respond.
The next morning, Gojyo got up without being woken up by Hakkai. Goku was already gone—probably on the same mission he was. He headed out to the front of the inn, where Hakkai was packing Jeep with the supplies he had picked up in town.
"Hey, Hakkai!"
Hakkai turned and smiled. "Good-morning, Gojyo. I trust you slept well?"
Something about his tone sounded annoyed. Gojyo put it down to the early hour and grinned back. "Yep. What about you?"
"Fine, thank you." Hakkai turned back to his packing. Gojyo scratched his neck.
"Say, Hakkai…"
"Yes, Gojyo?"
"Did you and Sanzo make up last night?"
Hakkai froze. "What?"
"You know. Did you discuss what was wrong and decide to end your fight?"
Hakkai turned. He was still smiling, but behind the smile there was something cold and hard.
"Gojyo, I must confess that your insinuations have become somewhat…taxing."
"You have got to be shitting me."
"Gojyo, I don't know what you're talking about." Hakkai said, his voice icy. "Whatever it is, please don't mention it again." He turned back to the Jeep.
Damn it!
Goku entered Sanzo's room without knocking. Sanzo looked up at his approach, his hands greasy from cleaning his gun.
"What is it, baka saru? How many times have I told you to knock?"
"Sorry." Goku said insincerely. He sat down on the bed. "Whatcha doing?"
"Cleaning my gun. What does it look like, baka?!"
"Oh. I was just wondering."
"Uh-huh." Sanzo continued to clean his gun. Goku waited for a while, and then said hesitantly,
"Sanzo?"
"What?"
"Did you and Hakkai apologize last night?"
Sanzo stopped cleaning the gun to look at him. "What?!"
Goku swallowed. "Did you and Hakkai apologize to each other last night?'
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, monkey. Now go the hell away and let me finish my work!"
Damn it.
"So that didn't work out too well." Gojyo said, sitting at the dining table of the next inn. Goku nodded miserably.
"Yeah."
"Cheer up, saru. That was just one plan. We've got more."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"Sanzo?"
"What?"
"Let's play a game!"
Sanzo looked at the monkey in utter bemusement. "What the hell…"
Goku looked at him with big eyes. "Come on, Sanzo, it'll be fun!"
"Goku, I'm busy." Sanzo snapped the paper. "I don't want to."
"Please!"
"No!"
"Please!"
The fan came out, beating the monkey mercilessly. "I told you to shut up and go away! Now SHUT UP AND GO AWAY!"
"Please!" Goku begged through the slaps of the fan. Sanzo growled.
"I don't play games."
"You play mahjong. And besides, this is a really fun game! Please, Sanzo, just one game! Please!"
Sanzo threw down his paper. "Fine! But only one! And then you better leave me alone!"
"Yay!" Goku grabbed the monk's hand and dragged him out of the room. It was going to work this time. He knew it!
He dragged Sanzo into the next room, where Hakkai and Gojyo were sleeping, and threw the door open.
"We're here!" Hakkai looked up and smiled at Goku.
"It's nice to see you, Goku."
"You too, Hakkai! Isn't it good to see them, Sanzo?" Goku asked, looking up at his master.
"Ch."
Goku dragged Sanzo to the floor and sat down cross-legged beside him across from Gojyo. The kappa grinned from his seat next to Hakkai.
"Great, let's start!" Gojyo looked around at the group. "Now, I'm sure you'll all familiar with this game. It's called "Truth or Dare!""
Hakkai winced. Sanzo growled something under his breath. Goku beamed.
"I am! I love this game!" Goku cried, bouncing up and down. Sanzo hit him with the fan.
"Quit that, baka!"
"I'm excited!" Goku whined. "Aren't you excited, Hakkai?"
"Of course." Hakkai said kindly, slipping on a smile.
"Okay, I'm going to start." Gojyo said, and looked at Goku.
"How have you been feeling this past week, Goku?"
Hakkai started slightly. A vein popped out on Sanzo's forehead. Goku looked uncertain.
He paused. "What's the dare?"
Gojyo grinned evilly. "Go down to the dining room and dance on the tables naked."
"That's gross!"
"Then tell us the truth!"
Goku swallowed. He was going to get Gojyo for this! This wasn't part of the plan! "Fine!" He shouted. "I've been feeling really crappy, okay!"
Gojyo snuck a glance at Hakkai, but the man still had that infuriatingly bland expression on his face. "Okay, Goku, that'll do. It's your turn now."
"That's not right." Sanzo growled. "You're supposed to go clockwise. It should be my turn."
Gojyo glared. "I'm the one who proposed this game, okay? And I say it's Goku's turn!"
"You're playing the wrong way."
"Deal with it!" Gojyo glanced at Hakkai again to see if he was reacting, but the bastard just sat there ignoring the entire situation. Well, they'd take it to where they couldn't ignore it then.
Goku bit his lip. His turn? But who should he ask? He glanced between Hakkai and Sanzo. Sanzo was really pissed. But Hakkai was really scary. But Gojyo had said he had to ask one of them…
"Hakkai."
"Yes, Goku?" Hakkai blinked his eyes in his usual mild way, but the scent roiling off him was scary. Goku swallowed. He couldn't be afraid now! There was too much going on! He had to do this!
"Why don't you and Sanzo stop fighting?"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop thirty degrees. Hakkai was still smiling, but there was black ice behind those curved lips and crinkled eyes. Sanzo growled and got up.
"I'm going to bed." Sanzo muttered, and left the room. Goku fixed his eyes on Hakkai.
Hakkai smiled again, but the smile was even colder than before. Goku shivered. He didn't like it when Hakkai got scary. Hakkai and Sanzo were the only things that really scared him—Sanzo when he got hurt or was pissed off, and Hakkai when he was scary. He didn't like that. It was mean of them. They shouldn't do stuff like that.
"I'm afraid I don't understand you, Goku." Hakkai said, his voice smoothly sweet. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "But, I'm afraid, it's time for you to go to bed. I must retire early as well; we're going to have an early start tomorrow." He stood. "Off to bed now, Goku."
"But, Hakkai…'
"Now, Goku." Hakkai's voice was still sweet, but there was steel behind it. Goku shuddered and meekly went to bed.
"Hakkai…" Gojyo began. Hakkai smiled at him.
"I'm going to retire now, if that's all right with you, Gojyo. We do have an early day tomorrow."
Gojyo sighed. Damn the bastards. "Night."
"Good-night." Hakkai switched off the lights and got into bed. Gojyo sat there on the floor for a moment longer, then sighed and got into his own bed.
Damn it.
"Okay, so that didn't work so well either." Gojyo said. Goku looked miserable. There were dark smudges under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept hardly at all. Gojyo let out a breath. "I know it's tough right now, kid, but we're going to get through this." He smiled, tousling the monkey's hair. "How about you think of a plan this time?"
"I don't have a plan."
"You gotta have one in there somewhere." Gojyo looked at him. "Come on, you can do it. Let that brain think."
"Don't have one." Goku repeated, head in his hands.
"You're that stupid, eh?"
"I am not!"
"Well, you don't have an idea, after three days of thinking."
"I thought you had one!"
"Expect me to do all the work, do you?" Gojyo snorted. "Lazy bastard."
"I am not a lazy bastard!"
"You sure as hell are. A stupid lazy bastard too. No ideas in that thick head of yours."
"I do have ideas! And I'm not stupid!" Goku yelled, jumping to his feet. "You're the stupid one! All of your ideas have been stupid! None of them have worked!"
"That's not my fault!"
"It is too! If they were good ideas, they would have worked!"
The kid had a point there. Problem was, it didn't matter how good of an idea it was if the parties concerned didn't cooperate. Gojyo cursed inwardly. How stubborn could those two bastards be? It'd been ten days. This was the third hotel, the third plan (if the monkey could even think of a plan)…there had to be something that would work…if this supposed plan didn't work, he didn't know what he was going to do…there was a limit…
"I have an idea!" Goku cried, jumping in his face. Gojyo grinned and shoved him back on his ass. Goku glared.
"So what's this fantastic idea of yours, monkey-boy?"
"We write letters to them!"
"What the hell…how's that going to work? We already tried that with Truth or Dare, and they weren't listening!"
"No, stupid!" Goku hit him on the head.
"Hey, that hurt! Who elected you Sanzo?" Gojyo snarled, punching him back. Goku dodged then sat down across from Gojyo, his face bright and excited.
"No, see, this is what we do! We write letters from Sanzo to Hakkai and from Hakkai to Sanzo, saying how sorry they are that they fought and how they want to make up! Then, in the letters, they propose a meeting place out in town to meet to prove that they're sorry! That way, when they go, we can see them and know that they're making up!"
Gojyo thought. The idea did have something to it. Problem was, would either of the bastards believe it? They were both born suspicious—suspicious as hell…he didn't think they trusted anyone outside the group, and wasn't even sure if they completely trusted each other. They might (Hakkai especially) immediately recognize it as a hoax and stay in the inn. But then again, they might not…
"Good idea, monkey."
"I'll write Sanzo's!"
"No, I'll write both of them."
"Why? Who says you can even write?"
"I do, dumb ass."
"I'm not a dumb ass!"
"Yeah, you are."
Sanzo looked up at the soft knock on the door.
"Come in."
The hotel maid was there, a tray in her hand. On it was…a letter? What the hell…
"Excuse me, sir, but this letter arrived for you."
"Thank you."
She bowed. "It's no trouble, sir." He just bet it wasn't. He saw the way her eyes were traveling up and down his body. Why did they always do that to him? Go to Gojyo, he was the one who liked it. Just don't bother him, damn it!
She left. When she was gone, Sanzo took the letter and opened it. He never got letters. Who would be sending him one now? Probably some bastard with a taste for practical jokes…Gojyo…what the fuck, might as well open it, even if it was that bastard.
He slid the thin paper from the envelope, opened it, and began to read.
Sanzo—
I apologize profoundly for arguing with you. You know that I really like you. I'm your friend, Sanzo. We shouldn't fight like this. I didn't mean to fight with you, and I know you didn't mean to fight with me. Friendship like ours shouldn't be destroyed by a stupid argument. Our fight wasn't even important, Sanzo. You know we were just fighting because we were tired and hungry. It's a long trip, Sanzo. I know that. You know that. We all know that. So why not apologize too?
If you are sorry for this argument and really want to end this, meet me at the tree in the middle of town at seven p.m.
I'll be there.
—Hakkai
Sanzo's eyebrow climbed to his hairline. What the fuck?! There was no way that bastard had written this. Hakkai never wrote letters, and even if he did, he wouldn't write a stupid one like this. The bastard would never mention friendship in confidence either; he was wary about stating friendship, just as Sanzo was. As for the fight not being important…Sanzo ripped the letter in two and dropped the pieces out the window.
That had the fingerprints of the damn monkey and damn kappa all over it. They were really starting to piss him off.
Goku and Gojyo waited at their post in a restaurant near the tree in the middle of town for three hours, from 6:30 onwards. Gojyo had wanted to leave after 7:30, but Goku had been desperately insistent that they stay. So Gojyo had waited, his temper growing worse and worse until at last the restaurant staff had politely asked them to leave, as the restaurant was closing. Goku hadn't wanted to leave, and Gojyo had practically had to carry him out of there. Then Goku had wanted to wait near the tree in an alley, but Gojyo had told him off. Goku had started crying then, crying like a tired child who didn't know where its parents were. Gojyo had held him, spoken to him in a way different from usual. Goku had fallen asleep like that, cradled in Gojyo's arms. Gojyo had ended up carrying him back to the inn and laying him in his bed in Sanzo's room, glaring at Sanzo as he had done so. The bastard didn't even react.
After that, Gojyo didn't bother going back to his room with Hakkai. Instead, he had gone down the hotel's bar and sat there stewing. Those bastards. Didn't they realize what their stupid stubbornness was doing to the poor kid? They were tearing him up better than any youkai weapon ever could.
He was pissed. Seriously pissed. If this was the way they wanted to play the game, then he would show them exactly who they were playing with. He wasn't going to let them hurt the kid anymore just because they wanted to outdo each other in some sort of fucking contest. He was going to take Goku, and they would go to a better place—somewhere away from these pricks. He didn't know what had gotten into them. Hakkai wasn't usually like this. Neither was Sanzo. Sanzo had his moments, but he would never usually hurt Goku like this.
Gojyo wondered for a moment if either of them had any idea how much they were hurting the kid. Probably not. But to hell with them. He had already tried talking to them about it too many times; he didn't have time for them now. They were just going to have to get along without them; and if they wanted to play that silent game the entire time, that was their business. He and Goku would be away—they'd go and take on Gyumaoh, rescue the sutra, and fuck Hakkai and that damn monk! He, Gojyo, would cheer the chibi up again—get him meat buns, play with him, protect him from youkai…they'd be fine on their own. He'd been on his own before, and he'd been fine. He didn't need Hakkai. He didn't need Sanzo. If they weren't willing to apologize and get over themselves, then he'd get on with his life. Goku would get over them soon enough.
He hoped. Somehow he doubted that the kid would get over Sanzo that quickly. Hakkai…he'd be really upset about him, but leaving Sanzo? That would really hurt the monkey. Gojyo swallowed. Well, they said that desperate times called for desperate measures, and if this wasn't desperate than he didn't know what the hell was.
His fingers reached out for the pen and paper that he had asked the barmaid to bring to him. She had tried flirting, but he just wasn't in the mood. Damn, now that he was going to take care of the monkey he'd have to be responsible—no more getting laid in every town—not in any town, maybe. Not until the monkey could deal with being alone for a night. Well…that was a sacrifice that was going to have to be made.
He started to write.
