AN: Sanzo sort of admits his feelings to himself, Lirin finally makes another appearance, an update on the Ikkou, and (drumroll)... a kiss! (Just who will it be from?) ;)
Credit to Qualapec the She-Wolf for starting this story and writing chapters 1-5.
Chapter Content Warning: language, mild adult themes
Chapter 17
An intense throbbing pain woke Sanzo from his sleep shortly after the sun began to break from the horizon. The pain emanated from what felt like everywhere, but mostly his left shoulder, right arm, and left knee. His ribs were also being extremely unkind about the pressure from the arm that rested on them.
There was an arm around him? Oh shit! Who the hell? Sanzo started, but then calmed when he turned to see a youkai woman with long, black hair trailing behind her snuggled up to him. She was laying on his right curled on her side facing him and he had his arm under and around her.
Oh yeah. The events of the night before slammed into memory. That happened.
What a damn, fucking mess. Things were now way more complicated than they ever should have been, and it was all her damn fault.
Ugh, who was he kidding? It was really only his own damn fault.
He was never supposed to have feelings for her. He should never have had to almost kill himself to save her just because he could not bear to see her killed. He never should have let her put herself in life threatening danger just to help him escape. If she died during any of this mess it would be his fault, and it was all his fault that he would give a shit if she did.
Whatever, no use complaining about it now; the problem was already there.
Gazing out the French glass doors leading to the balcony, Sanzo watched the rising sun. Many times, over the past couple years he watched the sun set, but a sunrise was something he had not enjoyed for some time now. It felt good to see the sky again after all those weeks locked in a cell. Actually, he just felt good in general – well, his body felt like shit, but his spirit felt at peace in this moment. Why did he feel so comfortable in Yaone's arms?
Sanzo turned his head down to look at the sleeping demon at his side, the sun reflecting on her onyx-colored hair gave it a purple shine. She smelled of sweet herbs and spices, much like the soap Sanzo had used last night. Her peaceful face showed no hint of the horrible night she had just suffered. The sunlight illuminated the porcelain cheeks her dark, long eyelashes serenely graced, and it warmed the rosy color of her soft lips.
Suddenly the thought seized him, of how much he would have liked to kiss her in that moment.
What the fuck? He was losing his mind. What the hell was wrong with him? He could never…
Could it really be so bad? You are already in this deep.
No! Absolutely not. There was no way he was going to let himself fall any deeper into the hole. It was bad enough he was snuggling with the enemy; kissing was a whole extra level deeper than that.
Besides, Sanzo compromised, he was enjoying the moment enough just as it was. So, he continued to watch the sunrise while he let the sleeping girl lie on his sleeping arm.
When Yaone finally woke, she stirred with a pleasant smile on her face before blinking her eyes open. The look in her coal-gray eyes stole Sanzo's breath. The soft warmth radiated the bliss she was feeling, and in that shared moment, the feeling was mutual.
The moment was very short lived though as the youkai suddenly sprung up, frantic. "Oh my gods, I overslept!"
Sanzo groaned as the sudden movement jostled his wounded arm. Judging from the position of the sun for the time of year, Sanzo guessed it was maybe eight-thirty in the morning. "It's not that late."
"It is for me. I'm normally in my lab by six-thirty." Yaone turned to get up from the bed before abruptly stopping. "Oh."
The drop in the apothecary's shoulders told him that the memory of the night before just hit her. He watched her but said nothing. He could see the burns on her shoulders and figured it must have been from the explosion. Burns aside though, the priest admired how the modest, but lace hemmed camisole caressed her delicate frame.
Ugh, there he went again. Sanzo shook his head to clear that train of thought.
When the healer turned to face him, he tried to look bored.
"How are you feeling? Do you need more medication for the pain?" she asked.
"I feel like shit. Got anything in your herb collection for feeling like shit?"
"I do actually." Yaone smiled. "Just give me a second and I'll be right back."
Yaone figured she was just as safe going to work as she was doing nothing in her room, so she had taken some of Kougaiji's trusted guards with her to her laboratory. She wished Dokugakuji could have been there, but he had been guarding her door the whole night and needed some rest.
Once she entered her labs, Yaone was more than shocked to see Lirin had prepared several strips of cloth bandages and had the sterilizer pot running more as she was mixing what smelled like Echinacea ointment.
"Lirin?" Yaone asked, not sure if that really was the same irresponsible, wild-child as the youkai princess.
Lirin turned to face her and lit up, her dimples creating deep marks on both cheeks. "Yaone! 'bout time! Didn't 'cha know, that baldy Sanzo escaped! There's gonna be a huge fight. Brother's already gone to find him, and when he does, there's sure to be a war." A mischievous look replaced her previous mirth.
"Is that what all the bandages are for?"
"Uh huh. And the ecchi-nation ointment too! Lirin figured we would need these the most… Do you think I can help you with the soldiers if any of them come back banged up?" her tone became quiet as her last question had been serious.
"It's Echinacea, Lirin." Yaone chuckled. "And I don't see why not, but let's hope there won't be a war."
Walking over to inspect the child's work, Yaone was quite pleased there seemed to be no disasters, and it looked like Lirin actually did make Echinacea ointment and not some toxic form of waste. The apothecary sniffed it and touched the semi-solid herbal substance sitting in the mortar. "It's a little too much Echinacea, Lirin, but otherwise, good job! Just add in about… ten grams more ointment base and it should be good to go."
"But wouldn't more herbs make it work better? That's why Lirin added more."
"You would think, but no. A smaller amount is better because it is potent enough at the level in the recipe I gave you. Add more, and it would be too much to be healthy, plus, wasteful of the herbs." Yaone said gently.
"Oh."
"It's alright. Now you know." She hoped…
Once Lirin moved on and was starting to measure out more of the ointment, Yaone got to work making an extra stock of explosives… Just in case. She hated the idea of them being used on the Sanzo party, but if a large-scale battle did come up, she would be called to make them anyway. Might as well get ahead.
"Hey, Yaone. I've been meaning ta ask ya; what does falling in love feel like?"
Yaone almost dropped the gunpowder in her hands. Phew, that would have been a disaster …But what on earth? Where did that come from? "What?" she asked the little demon incredulously.
"You know, LOVE! What's it like?" Lirin sounded annoyed, but she stared her big, innocent eyes at Yaone, waiting for an answer.
"Why do you ask, Lirin?" Yaone asked as she continued her work on a set of flash bombs.
The girl looked down from the tall stool she was sitting on and started kicking her feet. "Well, there is this guy. I like him, but I don't know how to let him know. I don't know… maybe I love him even."
Lirin has a boy she likes?! Oh no… good for her maybe, but… this is definitely going to be a headache.
Yaone took a big sigh. How in the world was she supposed to explain something she hardly knew herself? She had never 'fallen in love' with any of the guys she had dated, not even the boyfriend she had for a couple years. Strangely, the moment from earlier that morning came to mind and without even thinking about it she started to explain based on that. "It feels like, when you are with that person, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. You feel 'at home' in their arms, and like nothing in the world could feel better. You would do anything for that person, and you would sacrifice your own life to make sure they are safe and unharmed."
"Hmm, Gotcha." Lirin tapped a finger to her chin. "So, are you in love with my brother?"
Now this time, Yaone did drop what she was holding. Fortunately, this time it was only sulfur. "What?! …I mean, why would you think that?" She chuckled nervously.
"Well, you've said before this is your home, and it was thanks to Kougaiji. Plus, you've said you would do anything for him, including sacrifice yourself."
Yaone looked to the side, it was a fair assumption. Maybe, she was in love with Kougaiji in a way, but she had shut down any hope of them being together, so her feelings were only that of a friend and loyal subject anymore. If the prince ever did show an interest… Well, there was no point thinking about that. It was impossible for him to marry her, and they both knew that. In the beginning, she had wished that Kougaiji would be less noble and they could have a romance without the obligation of marriage, but the prince had only ever kept things professional between them.
"It's a bit more complicated than that, Lirin. Me and lord Kougaiji are not in love. He has to marry someone of nobility. I'm just an apothecary."
Lirin's eyebrows scrunched together. "You're more than that Yaone! You're better than all those snobby demons my mom keeps tryin'a set my brother up with. He doesn't like any of 'em, but he likes you. You're also my guardian, not just an apple-fairy."
The healer shook her head and chuckled at another butchered word. "Apothecary." She took a long inhale of breath. "Thanks, Lirin."
"No problem!" Lirin gave one her signature wide smiles and a thumbs up.
"So, who is this boy you like?"
"He's no boy, he's a man!" Lirin seemed offended.
Oh goodness. "Ok… who is this man you like?"
"I can't tell you. It's a secret." She flashed her tongue out. "But I've liked him for some time now. He's strong, kinda on the quiet side, a great fighter, and has great muscles." The last part said with a little bit of drool, which made Yaone doubly worried. "He could give me more snacks though." The girl folded her arms. "And he only seems ta look at me like I'm a kid."
"You are still a kid, Lirin."
"Not hardly! I can take care of myself and I even have my own job now kinda. Lirin is enough of a woman to be noticed at least." Now she was pouting. The young Youkai had emotions all over the place.
"Just give it time, Lirin. I'm sure he's just being respectful of your age and your position."
"I hope he doesn't care about my position. We might never be together then!"
So, it was not a noble then. Now Yaone was really curious. "Is this man you like someone I know?"
The demonically mischievous look crossed Lirin's face again. "Mmm… You might know him."
So, it was someone they both knew then. They both did not have a very large circle of friends, or even acquaintances they both would know. Really, just the four of them and the Sanzo Party…
The Sanzo Party.
But who? Goku made the most sense, but he was still more of an adolescent himself, not a 'man'. Certainly not Gojyo! Or maybe it was… It could be any of them really since they all fit the description of being a muscular and strong fighter. It would explain why she snuck out so often to 'attack' them. Lirin probably was showing interest like most school aged children and chose to antagonize the person she liked…
Oh, no no no no no.
Yaone realized, Lirin had not snuck out since Sanzo was captured, and Sanzo was the one she was always trying to fight and antagonize. Gods, she hoped it was not Sanzo; that was like the worst person Lirin could go for…
Was he though?
Well, certainly not for the same reasons she would have thought only a month ago, but the fact was, the monk would never reciprocate Lirin's feelings.
Yep, this was definitely going to be a headache.
After a long but mostly productive day, Yaone made her way back to her room. She watched every shadow and peered around every corner as she went, cautious not to run into the wrong people… Well, mostly the wrong person. Besides the fact she had her life to fear for, she was still really shaken up about the night before.
And angry. If she saw so much as the smoke from that man's cigarette, she would probably attack him – and get herself killed in the process if he was as powerful as Sanzo said.
Fortunately, the only person of any significance she came across was Kougaiji.
Unfortunately, the prince was holding a wounded shoulder as he too seemed headed in the direction of Yaone's room.
"My lord!" she called out to keep him from going further towards a disastrous direction.
"Yaone, I was heading to find you. Were you working today?" The draw of his eyebrows displayed concern along with the pain he was no doubt feeling. The wound was a long, deep gash cut diagonally across his bicep.
"I was, yes, my lord." She reached to take his hand away so she could examine the wound closer and heard Kougaiji hiss as he lifted his hand. "This definitely needs stitches. It's really deep. What happened?"
"Yeah, I know it needs stitches." The prince said shortly, and then seemed to regret it immediately. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean… I'm just upset."
"It's ok, I didn't take offense. I would be able to treat your wound best in my lab, lord Kougaiji. It has better supplies right now. Since I was treating the prisoner so much, it was easier to keep an eye on my inventory not to have my equipment spread out." It was mostly true but not exactly. She still had plenty of supplies in her room, but she was trying to keep the prince out of her room, where he normally would go for personal treatment in order to keep out of sight of others.
"Ok." He sighed and let her lead him back to her lab, the guards still shadowing Yaone as they went.
Back at her lab, the guards waited outside the doors again. Yaone sat the prince down on her examination table and proceeded to gather her supplies. The multipurpose area was large enough she used it for all her duties pretty much. Seeing patients, concocting her remedies, and making weapons all happened in her 'lab.'
When she returned, Yaone asked again, "So, how'd this happen?"
"I had gone to look for Sanzo in the most likely place to find him, and he wasn't there. His comrades didn't take too kindly to me showing up though."
"I take it this wound is from Gojyo's Shakujo?" She asked as she began to clean the wound.
"Yeah, and the bruised ribs are from Goku's Nyoibo."
"Hmm, please lift your shirt, my lord. I will need to examine how badly your ribs are 'bruised'."
Like he always did, the prince blushed at exposing any of his body further to the female healer. Though, his embarrassment was quickly replaced by a hiss of sharp pain as she palpated the area.
"Yes, 'bruised' indeed. I regret to inform you, my lord, you have suffered a total of four fractured ribs. A couple of which are broken in more than one place. I wish you had not tried to face them without Doku or myself."
"I hadn't meant to start a fight, but they were raring to pick one. I had only gone to look for Sanzo."
"So, do they know he has escaped?" Yaone asked conversationally as she started stitching.
"No." He rolled his eyes. "I didn't go up and ask them if they had the escaped monk. I had only been flying overhead to see if Sanzo was in the jeep with them when Goku extended his Nyoibo to knock me out of the air."
The healer gasped. "Did you get hurt from the fall at all?"
"No, Hakkai threw a blast of Chi over to soften my fall. Him, being the rational one, wanted to ask questions first and shoot later, unlike the other two. Goku was angry enough, I was worried he was going to break his limiter. I tried to tell him I had nothing to do with Sanzo's capture or his condition, but he didn't seem to care."
"Sanzo's condition?"
"Yeah, I don't know how; I didn't say anything about it. I didn't even say he was alive or dead, but Goku was very upset and yelling about how we were torturing Sanzo. Telling me Sanzo wouldn't be able to take any more, that he was too weak. It was unsettling…"
Yaone's stomach clenched. Too weak to take anymore… If the monkey knew that much, she wondered how much he did know… And how. "I'm surprised he didn't break his limiter either."
"Well, I'm pretty sure the only reason he didn't transform was because Hakkai knocked him out."
"Hakkai knocked Goku out? I thought Goku was stronger than any of them."
"Oh, he is, but Goku with a limiter vs Hakkai without any changes things."
"Wow. Come to think of it, I've never seen what Hakkai looks like as a full youkai. He's that strong?"
"Let's just say, I'm glad Hakkai still had some control and wasn't going after me. He looked like he wanted to, though. I could see it in his eyes – the cold hatred for me in that moment – but he was fighting himself, trying not to kill everything around him. I only got away because Gojyo had his hands tied trying to force the limiters back on Hakkai. Before, I had a hard time believing the rumors of Hakkai killing a thousand demons in cold blood, but not after today. There is a much different monster hiding under that polite smile and all it wants is blood."
"My gods…" Yaone said, startled by the revelation. To think, the gentile man she often sparred with was so vicious underneath it all. One would never guess by looking, or even talking, to the guy. She too had found it near impossible to believe the rumors; she had only believed them at all because reports had confirmed Hakkai had once been a human.
"I'm glad you made it out with your life, Lord Kougaiji."
"Me too." He smiled at her. There was a moment in the following silence, the prince picked up his hand and seemed to hesitate, setting it back down and looking frustrated after.
It was one of many instances Yaone could see Kougaiji fighting back some urge his heart wished to follow. Closing her eyes, she let out the breath she had been holding, hoping against hope that he would not stop himself. Just once, she wanted to be held and swept up in the kiss she knew they both ached for. She would have taken the situation in her own hands, diving in for the kiss herself if she could… but it was not her place.
Yaone cleared her throat to change gears onto something less troublesome. "So, did they seem to be doing alright? Other than being upset?"
Kougaiji snorted dryly and shook his head, smiling fondly. "You sure have a big heart, caring even about the enemy."
"Kind of. I care about them, anyways. They've always been more like 'frenemies'. Like, they know we are on opposite sides, but also somehow know it's not really our fight. Sanzo would have mercilessly shot Lirin in cold blood many times over like he does with all the other demons who go after him if that wasn't the case."
Squinting his eyes, Kou said. "It's uncanny, really. I don't know how that damn priest can read me like he does. He told me himself, he could tell my heart wasn't in the fight that first time we met… sigh… It's true though, I am too conflicted to really fight them. I find myself holding back and not giving my all because I really don't want to fight them and get the damn scriptures. Honestly, I should hate them all the more for being a weakness I can't come to terms with, but I don't. What they are doing… is noble."
Yaone held silent while she continued to sew, unsure of what to say.
"Someone so conflicted should not be leading others. What Gyokumen Koushu is doing is wrong, but… Yaone…"
"Yes, Kougaiji?" She did not use the honorific as the setting became more intimate.
"How did you get over the death of your father? How did you… move on?" Moisture welled around the prince's eyes but did not form full tears.
Having finished her stitchwork, Yaone put down her needle and gave Kougaiji her full attention. A sad smile crept across her lips at the memories of the aftermath of her father's death. "I honestly don't know that I'm the best to ask. I did move on, but not very well. I miss him every day. Some days, I'll be making a preparation I've made many times before, but suddenly the memory of him teaching me how to work with the herb overtakes me and I can't help but cry. I did move on, but only because I had to. If I had a choice, I would have never moved on. I would do everything in my power to bring him back if I could."
At that moment she did take his hand, hoping it was ok since she was only hoping to convey comfort and friendship. "I can't tell you if your decisions are right or wrong. If choosing to save your mother over standing against Lady Koushu is wrong, I don't know. But I do know I would be making the same choice." Yaone looked down to hide her own tears that were forming.
A strong hand cupped her chin and turned her face up to meet a caring pair of violet-red eyes. A turbulent array of emotions flashed inside those intense eyes, and it was hard for Yaone to catch any of them besides the one that won out – desire. As Kougaiji drew her face closer his own, Yaone's heart leapt and raced in her chest. Gods, she wanted this to happen so badly, she almost drove her lips into his at crushing speed. Instead, she kept herself from lunging and let him lead, like she always did. Like she always had to. As his lips were bare inches away from hers, she closed her eyes. She could feel his warm breath brushing across her own lips in rapid, and hungry, succession. Just as Kougaiji's lips barely graced hers, he hesitated.
No, please, Kougaiji. Kiss me, please, my lord. Don't back away, not again.
Sadly, all her hoping and praying failed her, and the prince pulled back.
"I'm sorry, Yaone. I shouldn't have-"
Devastated, Yaone could not let him finish and rushed up to leave. "Please excuse me, my lord." she said as she left, barely containing her sobs.
Crying, Yaone hurried down the halls back to her chambers. She could not handle the disappointment this time. They had been so close. Why did Kougaiji pull away? No one would have known if they had shared just one kiss! Why did she always let him pull away? She never wanted to disrespect the prince, not in any way, but could it really be so bad if she simply made happen a kiss he wanted as badly as she? Ugh, it sucked so much! She hated feeling so trapped.
When she arrived at her room, Yaone wanted to burst in and run to her bed; it was a place of comfort where she would normally release her emotions through tears. However, this time she held back, trying to end the last of her sniffles before entering. The guards probably thought she was crazy, but she did not need to be crying in front of Sanzo again.
Once her tears were cleared up, Yaone slinked into her room, careful not to open the door wide enough for anyone to see inside. The sigh of relief she wanted to give was held up by the sight of Sanzo lying face first on the floor only five feet from the bed. Quickly, she rushed over and checked his pulse; it was normal if only a little weak. She shook his less injured shoulder and called out quietly, "Sanzo!"
He moaned in response and Yaone turned him over. His shoulder bled through the bandage she had placed that morning and he looked a little flushed. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open.
"Hey, what happened?" the healer asked.
"I was trying to take a piss." He sighed. "Damn it."
Seeing as how the monk had been facing towards the bed, Yaone figured he had been on his way back from the bathroom. How he had made it that far was beyond her. "I can help you back onto the bed if you don't need to go anywhere else."
Rolling his eyes, Sanzo replied, "Bed's fine."
A look of pure resentment was on his face as Yaone grabbed to help him up before it was contorted in immense pain. With a good amount of effort and a lot of struggling, Yaone managed to get her patient back into the bed.
A moment of heavy breathing later, Sanzo asked, "So, either you should tell me whatever dumb story caused your face to look so awful, or you could bring me a damn newspaper. I'm fucking bored to death here."
He probably actually wants to know why I was crying, Yaone thought. Unfortunately, as much as the idea of him caring appealed to her, she really did not want to talk about it. "I'll find you a newspaper," she said dejectedly.
As she walked away, she heard a 'hmph' come from the monk.
It took a small miracle, but she managed to find a newspaper in one her storage ottomans. She normally only kept magazines in there, but apparently there were a couple newspapers mixed in.
When she handed it to him, he gave her a glare. "You have a pencil?"
Like she was supposed to know he needed a pencil? Geez. "Yes, I'll be right back with one right away, your highness."
She returned shortly after with a pencil, and he looked at her with scathing suspicion like she was handing him a poisonous snake and not a writing utensil. Whatever. She walked away to make some much-needed tea before attending to redressing his wounds.
"I see you managed not to get yourself killed by any psychopathic mad scientists today." Sanzo said conversationally. Yaone heard the rustling of newspaper and looked back to find him stretching it out at arm's length and squinting at the words.
Yaone realized she should drop the chip on her shoulder and be more hospitable. Sanzo was Sanzo, him saying stupid shit should not cause her to take offense. She sighed, releasing some of the built-up anger. "No. It seems I live another day for now. It almost worries me more though that he hasn't gone after me or said anything to Lady Koushu. Makes me wonder what he's planning. And if he's planning something, it's sure to result in something terrible." She shuddered at the thought.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." The gears racing in his head could be seen through his intense stare at the newspaper.
While Yaone waited for the kettle to reach the right temperature, she tended to her patient. "Here, something more for the pain," she said as she handed him a measured dose of the opioid.
"Anything for nausea?" Sanzo asked after downing the drug, not bothering to look up from his reading.
"Yeah, I can give you some ginger straight or in a tea. I'm making a pot now."
"Either's fine."
Since she needed to redress the wounds on his shoulder and arm first, Yaone helped the monk lower the bath robe he was wearing, and he folded the newspaper away for later. "I'll bring you some clothes and food after a bit," she said and then began to peel the bloodied bandage from his shoulder. Sanzo hissed as she cleaned the area. Yaone was concerned at the warmth coming from the area, but she would have been more surprised if he did not get an infection. Fortunately, it did not look like he tore any stitches she could see and the bleeding had stopped already.
"So, Kougaiji ran into your team while he was out looking for you," Yaone said trying to fill the silence. "Guess they were pretty riled up about your capture and they picked a fight with him."
"Doesn't surprise me. Those idiots don't know when not to pick a fight. Did anything come of it?"
Did they lose the sutra? was the unspoken meaning. "The Maten Scripture is still with your comrades. Price Kougaiji did not say if anyone was injured badly or not, but Kougaiji needed some stitches and has some badly broken ribs."
"The stupid ape didn't lose his limiter?" There was a well disguised concern in Sanzo's impassive features.
"Apparently not. Lord Kougaiji said he was probably close, but Hakkai fought him in demon form in order to stop him."
"Heh, that might have actually been fun to watch." A small smirk appeared on his lips.
"I don't know, Kougaiji said Hakkai's demon form was rather terrifying. Have you ever seen it before?"
"Hakkai can be terrifying in human form at times, but yeah, I've seen it. It would come in handy if the dumbass would just use it more. Guess it's hard to control or some lame-ass excuse. Honestly, I believe it's more that he just hates that side of himself."
Can't really blame him, she supposed. It was probably really hard being transformed into something many people see as a monster just after whatever tragedy caused him to commit such a massacre.
When Yaone looked back at her patient, she saw a faraway look in his droopy eyes – with something that might have been more akin to sorrow haunting the corners.
"Hey, I guess your friends are doing ok so far if they were able to fight Kougaiji as well as they did. Sorry I can't say what the outcome was as far as if Gojyo was able to bring Hakkai back to normal without much trouble."
"As long as they keep the sutra safe, that's all that matters."
"You know, I realize you don't follow many Buddhist rules very well, but as much as you seem to try and follow muichimotsu, you really suck at it with as much as you care about those scriptures."
This seemed to catch him off guard and the monk stiffened. "My master gave me those scriptures to take care of and my title is for the sake of those scriptures. I can't very well follow muichimotsu when it comes to those."
"Maybe you can keep telling yourself that, or maybe you could admit you don't follow it very well and also admit you care what happens to those guys fighting their ass off for you."
"I never asked them to."
Yaone sighed; he would probably be in denial until the day he died.
Hopefully that day would not be sooner than later, but Yaone was not so sure when she unwrapped the bandage from around Sanzo's arm to find whitish green mixing with the dark blood. Feeling nearby the wound, it felt hot, and there were radiating streaks of red. Quickly, she reached up to feel Sanzo's forehead, startling the man.
"What?" Sanzo asked as he must have seen the concern on her face.
"The wound on your shoulder is showing a bit of infection, but these wounds on your arm are very badly infected… Fortunately, you don't feel feverish. I will check with my thermometer just to be sure though. Unfortunately, that level of infection calls for something stronger than just the marigold."
Frowning, Sanzo looked suspiciously at her, but did not voice the question in his mind.
"It's Penicillium, a type of mold. Very potent against most infections, but many humans are deathly allergic. Have you had it before?"
He shrugged. "Beats me."
"Have you had an allergic reaction to any medicine before? It's commonly used for infections – and colds even." Yaone's voice dripped with her disgruntled opinion of how overused the antibiotic was. She hated how it was passed out like candy by most physicians when overuse could easily cause antibiotic resistance.
"Not that I know, no. Usually, the only time I have medicine is when I'm not conscious enough to object to it."
"Hmm. Well, I think it would be worth trying. I'll be right back." She brought back the antibiotic in a capsule for Sanzo to swallow. She disinfected the wounds as much as she could and placed several herbs on it before wrapping it in a clean bandage.
Yaone then started on the other wounds on Sanzo's leg and continued talking to pass the time. "Today, I found Lirin actually autonomously prepping field medicine supplies. She was concerned about a war starting since you had escaped. She didn't do too bad either, surprisingly. Unfortunately though, it seems the day has come that I was dreading – Lirin told me there is a man she likes."
Sanzo let out a single laugh. "I don't envy you, or this man she likes."
"I just wish I knew who the guy is that she likes. She wouldn't tell me. She only said she had liked him for a while, he was not a boy, he is strong, has great muscles, quiet, a great fighter, and that he seemed to only see her as a child. Oh, and that she wished he would give her more snacks. Apparently, it's someone I know as well."
"Sounds like it could be almost anyone you know. Even Kougaiji and Dokugakuji fit that bill." His voice was beginning to sound weak. "Guess you can rest assured it wouldn't be anyone in our group with that description. Hakkai doesn't have 'great muscles,'" Sanzo's tired smile indicated he found this humous. "Gojyo is definitely not 'quiet,' and Goku is nowhere close to being a 'man.'"
This was all true, but Sanzo did not eliminate himself. Guess he probably thought of himself as an impossibility, or just did not think to include himself. Doku or Kougaiji though… Those were both possibilities. As odd as it might sound to outsiders, youkai royalty often married siblings and so it was not viewed as taboo. She did not think of Kougaiji as particularly quiet, but boy did he have great muscles. And almost anyone could be seen as quiet in comparison to Lirin. Then there was Doku, who also fit the bill. Hmm, how puzzling…
"You're right, it could be almost anyone," Yaone said as she finished the last of Sanzo's bandages.
He had not replied, but this time it was probably out of sheer exhaustion than disinterest. Sanzo looked ready to crash. Yaone helped him get comfortable and then left to finish making her tea.
It was late in the evening when Yaone returned back into her room with some food and a change of clothes for her patient. She had wanted to take a long walk to clear her head once Sanzo had fallen asleep, but for safety's sake, she had simply sipped her tea on the balcony for a long while. Now that she was back from her covert operation of sneaking around the castle for the extra provisions, she was dead tired.
Figuring it best not to wake him, Yaone placed the food in her refrigerator and started getting ready for bed. That stupid near kiss kept haunting her though as she went through her routine. She kept telling herself to just get over it already. It was never going to work between her and Kougaiji, even as passive lovers on the side. The prince guarded his morals too much for that. She admired him for that in a way, but she saw nothing wrong with being romantic with someone you trusted and felt safe with. If the two people involved understood things could never go farther, what was the issue?
Ugh, I'm doing it again. Just stop it already, Yaone. She thought as she slipped on her pajamas. Just check your patient and go to sleep. It won't bother you so much in the morning; by then it will be like all the other missed moments.
Checking on Sanzo, Yaone sighed with relief that his temperature had not worsened, but her gentle touch woke the priest. Geez, he was a light sleeper.
The pain-glazed violet eyes looked up at her and stole her breath. Something about the way they reflected the moonlight, or perhaps how they regarded her without their typical animosity caused her heart to stutter. Actually, it was more than a lack of animosity, there was a definite fondness in his gaze.
Yaone smiled warmly and rested her hand on his strong arm as she continued to meet his unwavering stare. She watched him, hoping to discover what was going through his head. But other than the slight draw of his eyebrows indicating pain, his expression was unreadable. His lips were drawn into their ever-present frown, but it was not a hard frown. In fact, his expression looked soft. Well, as soft as Genjo Sanzo's face could ever look.
Damn. Yaone realized just how much she was being drawn in; there was something magnetic between them and she found she wanted nothing more than to kiss the priest right then.
However, she realized that would definitely be crossing a line. One she might not be invited to cross; and crossing uninvited would lead to dire consequences. How was she to know how the priest would respond? He responded negatively to almost any contact – at first. But he had basically hugged her the night before. Maybe he also liked and welcomed the idea of more.
Oh, to hell with it! Yaone was tired of denying herself, and she would take the reins this time. Consequences be damned.
Slowly, just to be sure and give the man an out if he did not like the direction she was headed, the youkai moved in towards the priest's mouth. Hovering just above his lips, she could feel the fast intake of breath from the man at the obvious direction she was heading, but he did not move away. Fully convinced she was not going to be killed by continuing on, she softly rested her lips onto his. The contact made her skin tingle and she thirstily pushed in for more, taking his lips into hers for a full kiss.
Yaone moaned at the taste of him, not the flavor, as he had been a prisoner for almost a month, but a youkai could taste the essence of a person, and his essence was powerful and pure. It was intoxicating.
She dove in for more and was rewarded with him yielding to her lead. As she slid her hand through his golden hair, Sanzo moaned into her mouth and placed his right hand on the curve of her side. Yaone's heart was now racing, and she wanted more. She urged Sanzo's mouth to part farther and slipped her tongue inside, tasting him more fully. Her head swam as he sucked on her, taking her more fully into his mouth and twisting his own tongue around to taste her. Gods, she was in heaven.
Still locked within the deep, passionate kiss, Yaone carefully climbed over the priest to straddle across his hips, but did not let her weight down, mindful as she could be of his injuries. Sanzo lowered his hand to caress the curve of her butt and then down the length of her mostly exposed leg. The feeling of his hand trailed goosebumps in its wake, and she responded in kind. Feeling down his washboard abs as gently as she could, she used her long feminine nails to lightly scratch along his pelvis. A hungry moan escaped the man's mouth at her exploration, and she smiled as she continued to tease.
Growling, Sanzo demanded more from her, and he pushed to reverse the direction of their kiss, placing his own tongue in her mouth. He trailed his hand back to her butt and gave it a squeeze before sliding under her camisole.
Yaone gasped at his touch when he found her breast; it created a heat and desire between her legs, and she almost lowered herself to grind her hips across him. She had never lost herself to a kiss this much. She wanted him more and more, and he desired her more and more. Sanzo thirstily drank her in, ravishing her as best he could with only one hand.
Yaone was deep in the throes of passion, when Sanzo winced. Startled, she was immediately worried she had hurt him on accident. She broke away from their kiss, and breathlessly asked, "What's wrong, Sanzo? Did I hurt you?"
The monk seemed to immediately sober and clenched his jaw. "It's nothing," he said as he looked away, disengaging from the woman on top of him.
Yaone's heart stuttered. Had it all been a mistake? Carefully, she climbed over to her side of the bed. "I'm sorry," she said, blushing.
"It's fine," replied the hard voice before an exhausted sigh. Sanzo lowered deeper into the pillows and proceeded to stare at the ceiling.
Yaone rolled over in her covers facing away from the priest. The gut clenching insecurity overtaking the high she should have felt after what would have been the best kiss of her life.
AN: Yay! The moment we've waiting so long for! I honestly hadn't planned how I was going to get them to innitiate their first kiss until I was writing this chapter. I wanted to show the unrequited love between Yaone and Kougaiji, and then the idea that Yaone was so tired of Kou always holding back that she decided to take the lead came about. Overall I'm quite pleased with it and I hope you are too :)
Any guesses on who Lirin's crush is? :P