Back on their familiar path, the Sanzo-ikkou travel in relative silence, none able to come up with a plausible idea for getting Goku's old self back, and thus continuing their journey as best they can with him as he is. Sanzo has yet to explain that he is the main factor in determining when the modern aspects of their young companion will be regained, mainly because he doesn't know what direct part he is supposed to play. And so they travel on, no worse for the wear, other than being slightly off balance.
Curled up a little more contentedly than he would have been able to the day before, young-minded Goku watches a seemingly sleeping Genjo Sanzo intently, peeking from a roundabout view, and enjoying the quiet for a chance to think about the monk in question.
Oh, how he wishes Sanzo was seated in the back instead of being in front of him, but he quells the desire to climb over the seat and snuggle into his guardian's lap. Whether or not the monk's return means he is making progress makes little difference; Goku values his life.
He doesn't really believe Sanzo is sleeping anyway, despite how convincing the blonde is at stabilizing his breathing, so he chooses to pretend as well, tuning in to the hushed conversation building beside him.
"Shoulders stiff yet, Hakkai?" Gojyo whispers, leaning closely up against the driver's seat in front of him, and carefully giving the brunette's shoulders and neck the smallest hint of a massage, as if asking silent permission to carry through with the act.
Without really meaning to, Hakkai stiffens and shrugs those large hands away. "Ano...it's only been a few hours, Gojyo. Don't fuss over me."
Gojyo pouts, wrapping his arms fully around the seat to coil over Hakkai's chest. "I'm not fussing. Just looking for an excuse to get my hands on you." he purrs, and chuckles lightly when Hakkai forces down a nervous swallow, though he doesn't tell Gojyo to back off. "Mmmm...you have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now..."
Hakkai immediately begins to tremble, barely able to keep his hands on the steering wheel.
Truthfully, Gojyo is nearly as stunned at his behavior as Hakkai is, considering he has never had even the smallest urge to seduce a man before. Nevertheless, he finds this all too easy, slipping into it as if they have been a couple for ages.
Noticing Hakkai's now shaking shoulders, Gojyo pulls his arms away, leaving them to rest on the back of Hakkai's chair instead. "No pressure, okay? I understand this isn't easy for you. Hell, I can't believe it isn't harder for me, but...well...I just want you to know...whenever you're ready for that first kiss, I'll be waiting for it."
Hakkai's trembling subsides, and he turns his head with a truly ravishing smile, blushing a little as he casts an almost bashful glance at his friend. "Th-thank you." he breathes, instantly turning his eyes back on the road. "And...maybe later...tonight...I just might be ready."
"Really?" Gojyo grins, devouring Hakkai's playful comment. Then, bringing his lips right up to his companion's ear. "...tease..." he accuses.
"Lech." Hakkai accuses right back.
"Oh...that's right...how could I forget..." Gojyo whispers in a far too sultry voice, sending a ripple of nerve-shattering chills over Hakkai's skin, and slithering one of his hands around the brunette's chair to run it dangerously along Hakkai's inner thigh.
"G-Gojyo...!" Hakkai gasps, trembling just as fiercely as before within the short spanse of a single, skipped heartbeat.
Gojyo obediently recoils. "Shit...too much, huh?"
Struggling to bring his breathing back to normal, and despising how easily he seems to lose control whenever Gojyo makes a move, Hakkai's smooth brow furrows deeply. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Gojyo dismisses, peering around the chair now to catch Hakkai's gaze. "You're worth it." And with that simple phrase, he leans back and situates himself in his own seat again, content enough to give Hakkai the space he needs.
Needless to say, Hakkai enjoys the remainder of the drive significantly more from that point on, and so does Gojyo. Sanzo, on the other hand, though he maintains the illusion of being asleep, secretly scowls at the overheard exchange. And although Goku takes much pleasure in the happiness of his friends, he is just as put-off, suppressing a wave of jealousy at having been the cause of the pair's newfound romance without gaining any rewards himself.
-----
Later, at a rather small Inn--so small, it was only able to offer them a single room with only two beds--the four still find themselves wrapped within the melancholic silence that has been manifesting itself since Sanzo's return.
Hakkai and Gojyo are seated on the floor, enjoying their third round of poker (the previous games having all gone to Hakkai), Sanzo is in front of the window, glaring out at the overcast clouds, and Goku--ever so slowly--is walking up to his guardian from behind.
"Ko...umm...Sanzo...?" he speaks, so much like a child.
Without turning to face the younger man, Sanzo grunts disgruntledly. "What?"
Goku says nothing, but timidly sets a steaming cup of tea on the windowsill, which he has acquired from the kitchen, knowing his guardian would be craving it to ease his nerves.
Actually, Konzen would have been craving it; Sanzo would much prefer taking solace in a stiff drink. Still, as Goku sulks away, Sanzo takes the cup, hoping it will somehow clear his mind and ease the nerves Goku had so eagerly wished to soothe.
Eyeing the young brunette as he returns to the other side of the room, Gojyo huffs, releasing a spiral of white-grey smoke from between his lips, with his usual cigarette hanging loosely out of his mouth. "Shouldn't we be doing something to get the monkey's memories back?" he asks in hushed tones of his companion, grimacing at what looks to be another loss as Hakkai lays down his second straight flush of the night.
"Sanzo doesn't seem too worried." Hakkai replies, scooping up the cards to deal again.
"No shit." Gojyo groans. "I feel like rearranging that pretty-boy face of his."
Smiling one of his usual, knowing smiles, Hakkai lifts his eyes to look at Sanzo's still and quiet form in front of the window. "Hmmm...he'll come around, I think. In his own time. As for Goku..." he adds, fanning out his cards within such well-sculpted hands. "...let's just hope we don't find ourselves in any serious trouble while he's...out of commission."
Gojyo laughs darkly and shakes his head, shimmering his crimson locks around his shoulders. "Better knock on wood after that invitation." he smirks, fanning his own cards, and slipping into a sneer once seeing their pitiful combination.
Leaning forward, his cards still held in one hand, Hakkai lifts the other up towards Gojyo's face and raps lightly on the side of his friend's head, grinning the entire time.
Taking a moment to register this, Gojyo at long last grins back, and--letting his own cards fall to the side--snatches up Hakkai's wrists, sending the brunette's cards to the floor as well. "Real funny, asshole." he growls, though it sounds much more like a humored purr. "Wanna try that again?"
Only slightly fearful, Hakkai finds himself pushed backwards into the floor, with Gojyo hovering over him as the red-head presses his wrists over his head and into the carpet. Struggling against Gojyo's hold, Hakkai slyly coils one of his legs between his friend's and uses this gained leverage to roll over, soon pinning Gojyo down in return.
Not one to allow such an unfair turn of power, Gojyo quickly regains the upper hand, and the two end up wrestling over the floor, getting quite tangled up in each other, until Gojyo's roaming hands spurn fits of laughter from Hakkai.
The former teacher is rather ticklish if one knows which buttons to push.
"Heh. I kinda like you in this position." Gojyo leers, once again in the dominant spot, with Hakkai's arms pinned high above his head, and his legs immobile from Gojyo's weight on top of them.
The defenseless brunette blushes deeply. "Not that I'm against the idea, but...I hope you don't think it's always going to be like this. I'm not a woman, Gojyo. I want my turn, too."
To Hakkai's pleased surprise, Gojyo does not seem put off by this requirement. "Equal opportunity, ne? Sounds good to me." he grins, leaning down deeply, until his breath begins to meld with Hakkai's, and their noses could almost be touching. "So...while I do have you in this position...how's about a kiss?"
"...I...I guess that would be okay..."
Gojyo's grin lengthens over his entire face, and he leans down closer, brushing his lips over Hakkai's lightly, and then, when the brunette's eyes dim and close, Gojyo completes the act, capturing his friend's moist mouth.
Now, THIS is what the kappa excels at: teasing, tasting, and making the recipient ache for more with every movement.
Oddly enough, Gojyo hadn't had any intention of pushing the kiss much further for fear of Hakkai's reaction. Hakkai, on the other hand, has a very different idea. Boldly, the brunette runs his tongue over Gojyo's lips, prodding gently for access. Gojyo practically groans into his mouth in pleased disbelief, eagerly accepting it, though he fully allows Hakkai control. After all, how often do the tables turn and he becomes the pursued?
BAM! Gojyo and Hakkai pull apart with a jerk.
Enraged by his companions' blatant display of affection, Sanzo has slammed down his barely touched teacup, and rises to leave, tossing the flushed pair a nasty grimace as he storms out of the room.
Goku's downcast eyes stare after the retreating blonde helplessly, fighting down--once again--a wave of jealousy towards his friends. Every tiny bit of progress with the monk seems for naught once Sanzo has been given the time to revert back into his scowling nature.
Pushing Gojyo away shamefully, Hakkai lifts himself up, smoothing out his crumpled clothing and swallowing back the heat rising to his face. Gojyo looks on indignantly, choosing to focus his irritation on the one person he always enjoys handing the blame.
"God, I hate that monk."
-----
Four men. Two beds. One would think the math would be easy in such a situation. However, on the average, men are much less comfortable than women when it comes to sharing sleeping space. That is, unless they're lovers.
Not even Hakkai and Gojyo are to that point yet, and clearly, Sanzo would never agree to having one of the others in bed with him. And so, the monk has one bed all to himself, and--being gentlemen (well, Hakkai being a gentleman)--the others have willingly given up the second bed to Goku, choosing to sleep on the floor.
Well into the night now, the youngest of the group is fast asleep, encompassed by restless dreams, but Sanzo cannot so easily drift off. It also seems, as the monk eyes the pair on the floor, that Hakkai, too, is still awake. Yes, Sanzo has been watching them for quite some time. Gojyo nodded off rather quickly, actually, but Hakkai has never been one to surrender to sleep without a little struggling.
The pair shares a single blanket, but there had originally been a good foot or more between them. Some things are best if eased into slowly, after all, even if they hadn't been sharing a room with their friends.
Sanzo watches closely as that separating space between the two shrinks down to nothing. Gojyo has rolled over in his sleep, absently searching for the warmth of the body he senses near him. Hakkai, smiling pleasantly at the red-head's boyish expression as he does this, reaches out tentatively to pull Gojyo in against him. He tenses for a moment as the kappa's arms wrap instinctively around his waist, but soon relaxes into the embrace, closing his tired eyes and lovingly stroking the back of Gojyo's crimson hair as he lulls himself to sleep.
Tearing his eyes away, Sanzo turns from the heartfelt sight to look at the sleeping figure of Goku in the bed next to his. Curled up under the covers, only the top of the monkey's messy, brown head can be seen, as well as an arm that has slipped free to hang unceremoniously off the side of the mattress.
Sanzo suppresses a smile, mentally smacking himself for finding the image as adorable as he does. He never would have allowed such a thought a few days ago. Hmm, maybe Kanzeon is right, after all? Maybe he does care for the bakazaru, and maybe...maybe things would work out if he just accepted the love he is being offered...
'What am I thinking?!' Sanzo reprimands himself, rolling onto his side, away from the sight of his slumbering charge. 'I just have to find out how to retrieve that baka's memories. Then everything will go back to the way it was, and none of this will have meant anything. That's the only thing to do. The only thing I...CAN do...'
But is it the only thing he WANTS to do...?
Without an answer, Sanzo finds himself unable to sleep until the first premature rays of sunlight begin filtering in through the window. Even then, his sleep is fitful, and no matter how he looks at the problems plaguing his mind, no solution offers him peace.
None but the one he still cannot accept.
tbc...
A/N: Sorry to the Goku/Sanzo fans, since this is being filled with mostly Hakkai/Gojyo, but...tough luck, I love BOTH pairings! Anyhoo, I couldn't just let Sanzo become all mushy and "I love you, too, Goku," because he would never be like that. I think I have this planned out so that there will only be one--maybe two--more chapters. Thanks again for reviewing, and keep it up! :-) ja!
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