Chapter 6: The Lovers

That night, Kouryuu sat on the porch of the temple. The night air was nice and soothing upon his face. It was an unexpected delight, being invited to the so-called enemy's house only to find out that she actually did what she had done for a reason.

"And for what reason?" He murmured, "To show us the truth…? To bring back the past…? I wouldn't believe an immortal."

The wind continued to blow softly. Kouryuu heard footsteps coming towards him from the entrance of the temple. He turned to see who was coming.

"Konbanwa, Kouryuu-san."

"Hakkai?" The monk looked at the neatly dressed man before him, "What are you doing here?"

"Nan demo nai… I just wanted to give you a midnight snack…" The brunette smiled as he offered Kouryuu a box of rice cakes.

"Arigatou… Why don't you come in for some tea?" Kouryuu offered.

"Sure. I'd be glad to have some tea tonight…" Hakkai smiled brightly as he entered the shoji. Kouryuu walked towards the kitchen with the box of rice cakes in his right hand.

I wish I could just tell you how I feel, Kouryuu… It's been just three days, but I feel as if I've known you forever… I just wish I could summon up the energy to say it out loud.

Hakkai sighed as thoughts poured into his head.

Meanwhile, as the night breeze blew across the city, a brown-blonde man in a tan trench coat walked in the park enjoying the night wind. He smiled as he sat down on a nearby bench.

"Ah… Heiwa desu ne? I wonder when will be this 'Council Of Immortals'…"

"Oh… Komyo Sanzo?" A second voice chimed in. It was a black-haired man in glasses with a cigarette dangling from his lips, "I didn't know you'd end up being immortal, too…"

"Nii… Kanzeon sent me here for a reason. She told me this 'Council Of Immortals' would answer my question…" Komyo sighed at the scientist, "Why are you here?"

"I've been traveling from life to life thanks to the reapers down in Pandemonium…" Nii smiled, "Ja… The council will be held in Maison De Hoshizora, ne? It'll be so nice to see puppet again!"

"Puppet?"

Back in the temple, Kouryuu poured Hakkai a cup of freshly brewed green tea.

"Ah… Arigatou, Kouryuu-san…"

"I don't need formalities…"

"Sou ka… Anyway, aren't you going to have some tea yourself?"

"I'll settle for some sake in the fridge…" Kouryuu rose to fetch the sake bottle.

"Matte… Kouryuu… Let me fetch it… You spent time brewing tea for me. It's only polite to return the favor." Hakkai smiled as he rose and went ahead. As Hakkai was in the kitchen, Kouryuu took one rice cake out of its box.

"Your rice cakes are good…" Kouryuu said as Hakkai entered the room with the sake bottle and a sake cup for Sanzo, "Did you make these yourself?"

"Hai…" Hakkai tried to hide the blush rising from his cheeks, "Those are one of the best things I make." He poured some sake into the cup and offered it to Kouryuu.

"Hakkai…" Kouryuu looked into his cup, "Do you know anything about that picture Hibiemi showed us?"

"I don't know… But when I looked at it… Something in my head reacted. There's something inside me that reacts to that picture."

"Same here…" Kouryuu sighed as he took a sip of sake, "We might have been a past life. We could have been in another life a hundred years ago…"

"A hundred years ago…" Hakkai's mind started to spin.

A goodbye? No… Hoshizora? What are these words? Sanzo… Sanzo… Sanzo… Divine blond… What do all of these mean? Are these all from a hundred years ago?

"Hakkai? Are you okay?" Hakkai awoke in Kouryuu's arms, "You fainted… What happened?"

"A hundred years ago… They bring words to my mind…" Hakkai struggled to get up, "I don't know… They just get blurry all of a sudden."

"Sleep here tonight. I wouldn't like you driving out there with thoughts like that…" Kouryuu looked into Hakkai's emerald eyes with worry.

"Kouryuu… would you call me foolish if I told you that I feel as if we've known each other for an eternity?" Hakkai laughed.

"No. I wouldn't…" Kouryuu looked away, "It's because I feel the same way… Maybe we really we're drawn together by destiny…"

Hakkai looked at the blond monk. He couldn't believe the words pouring from his mouth. All at once he felt an impulse to just kiss him passionately.

"Kouryuu…" Hakkai gasped. All at once, Kouryuu's lips captured the taller brunette's. His kiss was burning in his mouth. Hakkai's eyes slowly closed as he drowned in the unexpected kiss. The next thing he knew it was just the feeling of his face pressed against the monk's chest.

"Hakkai…" Kouryuu began as he stroked the brunette's face, "I'm sorry… It just felt so natural."

"I don't mind, Kouryuu…" Hakkai blushed, "That's because I… I love you. I don't know why but from the first time I saw you, I suddenly saw a flash of my past life. I guess we were lovers in that past life… That's because I can't stop my mind from believing that you're mine…"

Kouryuu bent down to kiss the brunette once more, "Hakkai… Let's just continue this in my room… Shall we?"

"Demo…" Hakkai blushed even more furiously, "We aren't that serious… are we?"

"Hakkai no hentai!" Kouryuu smirked, "I only said that you'd sleep here tonight… We're not having sex! You do have a warped mind…"

"Gomenasai, Kouryuu…" Hakkai giggled, "Aishiteru…"

"C'mon… let's just retreat. Let's just play in the room before going to sleep…" Kouryuu smirked again as he took his lover's hand.