"I'm talking to YOU, freak. Yeah, with the red hair and eyes. We need to talk."
Gojyo calmly sets the frying pan on top of the counter, followed by Sanzo's precious credit card. "Would you ring this up for me, honey?" he asks the young woman behind the register, addressing her with his most charming smile. "I have something to take care of for a minute, but I promise I'll be right back."
"Hey, I said--"
"Is there something we can help you with...gentlemen?" Gojyo smirks, meeting up with three of the Akaanai at the edge of the store's entrance, side by side with a rather indignant looking monkey.
The apparent leader of these representatives eyes Goku critically, not judging him a threat merely by the appearance of his youth and small stature. "We have no quarrel with you, boy. Our only problem is with bastard, taboo-brats who some idiot parents actually allowed to live."
Goku's fists clench, the knuckles cracking loudly. "The only bastards I see are you guys. And if you think I'm gonna let you harass my friend without getting involved, you're in for a world of pain, dickhead."
Amused laughter erupts from Gojyo at the shocked expressions now plastered on the Akaanai's faces. Goku's insolence, along with Gojyo's obvious amusement, crush any and all reservations the three men may have had about attacking Gojyo in front of witnesses.
Offering no warning other than a few cries of outrage, the three mercenaries unsheath their swords and charge at Goku and Gojyo head on. The well-trained pair easily sidestep such clumsy attacks, heading further out into the open square to avoid passerbys. Unfortunately, this decision brings them closer to the other 10 or so members of the Akaanai group who had been sitting at one of the nearby fountains.
"Nyoibou!" Goku cries, simultaneous spinning around to swing his staff hard into the stomach of an approaching attacker. Gojyo, too, has summoned his shakujou and releases the deadly chain to send the blade singing past another pair of goons, just barely slicing the fabric of their uniforms.
They are only human, after all, so Gojyo and Goku can't afford to hurt them without probable cause. That doesn't mean they can't have a little fun, though.
Stepping casually out of the way of one of the Akaanai's swords, Gojyo scoffs at their foolish arrogance, finding this fight barely worthy of being called a workout, even with over a dozen men swarming around him and Goku.
"Oi, saru! This is hardly worth breaking a sweat for, ne?" the redhead calls to his companion, ducking a series of blows from a handful of vengeful opponents. "Good thing it's only the two of us. If Sanzo and Hakkai were here it wouldn't even be a catfight."
Goku smirks in agreement. "Narrow minds make for slow reflexes, ne?"
Naturally, their exchange proves only to infuriate the Akaanai more. "Enough out of you!" the leader barks, charging at Goku from the side. The monkey grunts, but laughs the collision off, not even bothering to get out of the man's flimsy hold since the entire fight is such a joke.
Townspeople and general bystanders hold back in amazement, awed at Goku and Gojyo's ability to take on so many enemies with such ease. Of course, ease and overconfidence often go together, especially when a fight seems to offer so little challenge.
Making sure not to injure any of the Akaanai too badly, and avoiding any random person that might venture too near the fight, Gojyo is being relatively smart concerning his tactics, but he is also being a bit careless in his usage of shakujou.
Before long, few if any of the still conscious Akaanai are willing to get near Gojyo's blade, and Goku is so busy laughing and tossing out curses, he is barely putting up a fight at all, still held halfway in the leader's grip.
"Stop laughing, you little brat!" the leader barks, renewing his hold on Goku's shoulders before suddenly--
"Guess they'll think twice before attacking the next poor, defenseless half-breed, eh, Goku?" Gojyo calls, with that same condescending grin, and spins around with a final release of shakujou's chain.
Time stops.
Thrown from the leader's hold, Goku stumbles and spins, facing Gojyo head on when he finally stops. He is not laughing now. Bad timing, cruel irony, foolish carelessness, or all of the above could never have predicted what has cut that laugh so suddenly short.
Shakujou's blade released from Gojyo's hold just as Goku went flying, and though the redhead may have had time to pull it back, the impossibility of the moment froze him to the spot. Goku was thrown and spun, still with that smile for the briefest of moments, before Gojyo's own weapon...sliced across his throat...and all sound died, his boyish features thrown into a dire expression of shock.
Blood is pouring from Goku's wound now, gushing in rivers to the ground before Gojyo can even register what he has done. Goku clasps his hands to his injured neck and staggers, Nyoibou clanking to the ground, and the monkey follows soon after, falling to his knees while staring across the courtyard at his dumbstruck friend.
There is no sound save heavy breathing, Goku's gasps, and the tangible roar of the crowd's incomprehensive silence. The Akaanai who had been knocked out are revived and see the damage their attack has caused. They fall back, fleeing in whatever directions their cowardly legs can carry them. But the leader...the leader is not fast enough to escape.
Gojyo's heart may have forgotten how to beat for a moment, the blood drained from his usually tan face, but now, with a howl that could rival any demon they have fought in the past--Seiten Taisei included--he whirls shakujou's chain one last time, stopping any hope for the leader's retreat.
Vengeance? Oh, that it will not come to that...
"Goku!" the kappa screams, sprinting to his fallen comrade who has since collapsed back onto the ground, still gasping and clutching at his throat. "Shit...fuck...oh gods, this is really bad, and damn Hakkai for being so far away!!" Gojyo rants, ripping off his headband and tearing it to form a makeshift bandage. "Stay calm, okay? Just...take your hands away for one sec, and I'll tie this around. Got it?"
Goku's eyes are as wide as eyes can ever imagine being, and he is shaking too much for a nod to be perceivable, though he brings his hands down as he has been told. Gojyo can't keep himself from cringing at the deepness of the wound, blood gushing out profusely despite his haste in tightly tying his bandana around it.
Flinching at the renewed pressure, Goku's eyes begin to dim.
"No you don't!" Gojyo yells, lifting the boy into his arms. He has long forgotten the now retreated Akaanai, along with any and all townspeople swarming around them. "Don't you dare fall asleep. I'll get you to the hotel, I promise. Hakkai will know what to do." And he is off before the words have even finished leaving his lips.
(Damn it all to hell! Damn it...please forgive me...)
Missing the compassionate look in Goku's eyes, Gojyo runs ahead full speed, knocking anyone foolish enough to be in his way flat to the ground as he sprints down the streets back to their hotel. No, he does not see his friend's look of sympathy, nor does he understand how Goku would never even dream of blaming him.
(It's all my fault...if he dies...dies without...without telling Sanzo...without really growing up, or...or getting shit-drunk for the hell of it...or getting laid for the fun of it...or...or hearing that damn monk say I love you back to him...oh gods, don't you fucking dare take him away! Not because of me...)
The hinges on the front door of the hotel barely hold in place when Gojyo kicks it open, rushing inside without a thought towards anything but saving the friend in his arms. "HAKKAI!" he screams at the top of his already winded lungs. The young man behind the desk stands petrified, staring at the blood dripping to the floor from the soaked bandana around Goku's neck. "My friend with the monocle! Brown hair, green eyes! Where is he!?!" Gojyo demands, rushing up to the front desk.
"I...I don't--"
"Gojyo, what's going--" Hakkai begins, but immediately breaks off. The brunette has come rushing down the stair--having easily heard his name being screamed in the lobby--and pales stark white upon seeing why he has been summoned. "Oh...oh dear..."
Not what Gojyo wanted to hear. "Stop gawking, damn it! He needs healing fast!" the kappa yells, meeting Hakkai in the middle of the lobby and setting Goku gently on the carpet. "It's only been about five minutes, but he's already lost a ton of blood. You gotta hurry."
Hakkai doesn't need to be told twice. Dropping to his knees beside his panicking friend, he removes the headband from Goku's wound, undaunted by the severity of the cut, and places his hands to the younger man's neck. That familiar, white light pulses the moment those hands are in place, but it isn't long before it diminishes and Hakkai looks down again in worry.
The wound is now a thin though jagged line, the bleeding stopped, but Goku's breathing is just as labored as it had been when Gojyo burst into the room, and he has long since passed out, unable to heed Gojyo's demand that he remain awake.
"What's wrong? Why is there still a mark? Why didn't he wake up?" Gojyo asks Hakkai hurriedly, concern etched into the furrowed lines of his face.
Hakkai's hand brushes back Goku's hair, feeling his forehead, the other moving to the boy's neck to check his pulse. "A cut to the jugular is a very serious injury, Gojyo. A moment longer and I may not have been able to save him at all. He needs blood. He needs a real doctor."
"Call a doctor!!" Gojyo instantly screams at the desk clerk, grimacing a bit when he realizes the young man is already on the phone.
The clerk hangs up and nods. "The best doctor in town lives only a few buildings down. He keeps a transfusion kit in his bag in case of emergencies. He'll be here any minute."
"Thank you." Hakkai expresses gratefully, before returning his attention to Gojyo, who is shaking even more than Goku had been a few minutes before. "Are you all right?"
Gojyo nods absently, his eyes still fixed on his unconscious friend.
"You're a terrible liar." the brunette smiles, though it is an empty expression. "Don't worry. Goku's strong. He'll be okay." he comforts, slipping a hand onto Gojyo's shoulder and soothing it down the kappa's back. "I've never seen you this spooked before. What happened?"
Gojyo wishes he could welcome his friend's tender touch, but at this simple question, he tenses and nearly shrugs it off. "...I...it was...we...there were these--"
"What's with all the damn noise? Can't a guest get any peace and quiet in this shit town?" Sanzo's voice filters down the stairs, jarring Gojyo to the point of fully shaking off his friend's soothing strokes down his back, despite how much he may need them.
Hakkai furrows his brow at being dismissed, but leaves it be, looking to the stairs to meet Sanzo's gaze when the monk finally comes into view. At first, all Sanzo can see is Hakkai and Gojyo hunched on the floor, but as he draws nearer, his eyes fall upon the still form of Goku between them and he stops dead.
A chill he would never admit to feeling ripples down his back, and he has to hold his breath to keep from shuddering at the feel of it. His first thought is to rush forward, noticing the trail of blood from the entrance and the ugly mark across Goku's neck, but he holds himself back--holds himself in--because...what other choice does he have?
"It's all right, Sanzo." Hakkai begins, taking the burden of speaking first off the others. "He was seriously injured and his pulse is weak, but a doctor is on the way. A little blood and some rest and I'm sure he'll make a complete recovery."
Sanzo's eyes narrow, his lips a thin line, but he keeps his distance. "What kind of trouble did the bakazaru get into this time?" he grunts, veiling his extreme relief, though internally his breath had caught in his throat at the sight of his charge so broken and still.
"Actually, Gojyo was just about to tell me."
Finding relief in the carpet to avoid meeting Sanzo and Hakkai's gazes, Gojyo swallows back his words a moment, mustering the courage to begin again what had already seemed so impossible to speak aloud. "It was...an accident. We were in the square finishing up getting supplies, and...we were attacked."
"By youkai?" Hakkai inquires, moving Goku as minimally as possible as he tries to readjust the monkey's position more comfortably.
Gojyo almost wishes he could bite out his own tongue. "No. It was--"
Suddenly, the front door--still swung open--directs their attention as someone knocks on it to alert them of their presence. To all of their disappointment, it is not the doctor, but appears to be an officer of the city.
"Excuse me, but...are YOU the gentleman who was involved in the incident in the square just now?" he asks Gojyo, stepping inside and approaching slowly. He is young, but older than the ikkou, in his early 30's perhaps, and wears a uniform with a sword at his belt. "I need to clear a few things, I'm afraid."
Standing as if about to meet the executioner's blade, Gojyo clenches his fists in hidden defiance. "Yeah, it was me. What of it?"
"You killed a man."
Though he tries to hide it, Hakkai's gasp is easily heard, and one can nearly hear the gears in his and Sanzo's head clicking into place in recognition.
A man. He killed a human.
"Look, if you're gonna arrest me--"
"I'm not here to arrest you." the officer informs, holding back, though he has one hand on the hilt of his weapon out of habit. "There were a number of witnesses more than willing to say it was self-defense, but given the nature of how everything happened, I need to ask you a few questions for the record. I know this may seem fast, but with so many travelers in this town, we don't like to have any loose ends."
"Hang on." Sanzo interrupts, folding his arms stiffly across his chest. "Given the nature? The man the kappa killed tried to kill our companion. What else is there to know?"
From his spot on the floor beside Goku, Hakkai has been watching Gojyo very closely, and picks up the renewed tension that grips the redhead's shoulders upon Sanzo's words.
"The man your friend killed was not responsible for that boy's wound."
The officer has completely lost Sanzo now, but Hakkai is beginning to realize the truth; what really happened is playing again and again in Gojyo's eyes, and those crimson irises are ones Hakkai knows better than anyone.
As if Gojyo can feel Hakkai's recognition burning into him, he keeps his own gaze either on the officer or cast down. It is bad enough knowing what happened himself, let alone for his friends to realize the truth and condemn him for it.
"Now, if you could just answer a few small questions, I'll be on my way."
The others keep silent, eyes on Gojyo, as he painstakingly begins to speak. "Whatever. What do you need to know?"
The officer reaches into a small pouch to retrieve a notebook and pencil. "Okay, your name, please?"
"Sha Gojyo."
"Age?"
"22."
"You are a...half-breed, correct?"
"...yeah."
"And...the members of the Akaanai group started the fight?"
Hakkai's small gasp is heard once again; he knows that name as well as Gojyo does, and understands more clearly now how serious things could have become.
"Yeah, they started it." Gojyo replies, shifting his feet anxiously, and allowing his gaze to fall upon Goku's still unmoving form more times than he would like.
"One last thing." The officer explains, readying the inevitable axe. "Your friend's injury didn't come from one of the Akaanai's weapons; it came from yours. Is that correct?"
The axe falls.
Sanzo's instant shift in temperament is almost tangible enough to knock Gojyo to the floor, and he nearly stumbles forward, longing for nothing more than something to bury himself in, if only to avoid the shocked and disappointed looks on his companion's faces.
"Sir, is it correct that you were the one who injured the boy, or isn't it?" the officer presses, apparently either not noticing or not caring that both Hakkai and Sanzo have turned very piercing gazes on Gojyo, and with the force of all three of them against him, the kappa is on the verge of imploding.
"...yes..."
"I'm sorry?"
"Yes, damn it! It was me! My weapon! My fault! Are we done now?"
The officer obediently puts his pad and pencil away, but gives Gojyo a measuring look. "Yes, that is all. But I hope you realize the only reason you're getting off easy is because the townspeople sympathize with what happened. I would advise you not to get in any more trouble during your stay. Good day, gentlemen."
Hakkai watches the officer leave with clear disdain, his attention drawn away from Gojyo for the moment. "Nice of him to inquire about Goku's injury or ask if we had contacted a doctor, don't you think?" he mentions sarcastically.
"Did someone say something about a doctor?"
Mere seconds after the officer has escaped out the still open door, a kindly old man with a bag nearly the same size as him saunters in, smiling broadly to the entire room. He immediately notices that Gojyo is a wreck, Sanzo is glaring daggers in the redhead's direction, and Hakkai is completely flustered, crouched next to a heavily breathing, unconscious, young man.
"Well, I've definitely found the right place." the doctor laughs lightly, waddling his way over to Goku and squatting down next to Hakkai. "This is the lad, I take it? Hmmm...nice closure. Are you a master with ki healing, young man?"
"I do my best." Hakkai smiles. "Please, I think what he really needs is replenishment for the blood he lost."
The doctor nods and gives Goku a quick inspection. "Good summation, my boy. We won't know how he's going to fare till we've patched him up right, I'm afraid, but I have high hopes for recovery. Can you help me carry him to his room? That would probably be best for the transfusion. Better than walking him back to my clinic, at any rate."
Hakkai nods, but before he can move to lift Goku, Sanzo is suddenly behind him with a hand on his shoulder to pull him aside. "I'll do it. You find out how that idiot kappa managed to fuck up this bad. I don't have time to worry about you three getting yourselves hurt when I'm not around, and I have no tolerance for you being stupid enough to hurt each other. Hakkai, deal with him."
The image of Sanzo carrying Goku carefully up the stairs presents an image far more tender and loving than it has any right to be. Sanzo is not tender or loving, and he certainly never directs such emotions towards Goku.
The sight is almost as difficult to accept as Gojyo's lingering grief.
"Gojyo...I don't know what to say." Hakkai begins, advancing on his friend, who has not moved or lifted his eyes since uttering those final, damning words. The clerk has long since disappeared, leaving them alone in the lobby, with the door finally closed after the doctor's entrance. "Are you going to tell me how this happened, or are you just going to stand there until Sanzo comes back and decides to put you out of your misery?"
At this obvious challenge, Gojyo viciously whips around. "It's not that hard to figure out." he snaps, his fists clenched so tight, his nails are digging into the skin. "We were attacked. We fought. We got cocky. I unleashed shakujou just as Goku was thrown into its path, and now we have a half-dead monkey upstairs. MY carelessness. MY fault. If Sanzo wants to come back down here and shoot me, I fucking deserve it!"
Hakkai is taken aback by his friend's harsh and self-hating words, any and all anger or disappointment he had been feeling lost in the obvious distress he is sensing from his dearest friend.
Gojyo is shaking, from anger AND from deeply rooted shame. There is true fear in his eyes, and if Hakkai didn't know any better, he'd swear there were tears just behind, begging to fall.
Closing the gap between them in a step, Hakkai gives no hesitation before firmly pulling Gojyo in against his chest and wrapping strong arms around the redhead's waist.
Gojyo tenses. They may be friends, but comforting hugs aren't usually on the menu, even after the most grueling of battles or the most life-altering of revelations. Having absolutely no strength left with which to push the adamant man away, however, Gojyo finds himself succumbing easily to the embrace, and before he even realizes he has moved, his arms are wrapped around Hakkai in return.
It's funny how good simple, human contact can feel when all you want is to jump off the nearest, tallest building and plummet to your ultimate death. Gojyo almost smirks at such a gruesome thought, not caring that being this vulnerable is making him feel weaker and more helpless than he has in many long years.
Well, he wasn't caring at first...
A drop of something wet suddenly falls from one of Gojyo's crimson eyes, and he starts, furious with himself. (Fuck...am I crying? This is too much.)
Gojyo tries to pull away, but Hakkai holds firm, clinging to him all the more tightly. "Not yet." he commands, in a purely soothing tone of voice. "You need this."
"I'm not a fucking 5 year old, Hakkai." Gojyo sniffles. Oh, gods, he just sniffled! "I...I don't need to be coddled, okay?"
"Then how come my shoulder is getting wet?"
"Ah, shit. That...that's just--"
"Listen to me, Gojyo." Hakkai interrupts firmly, his mouth painfully close to Gojyo's ear as he speaks, and the reality of just how close their bodies are becomes more and more apparent with each moment--an aspect Gojyo is slightly less eager to be rid of. "All of us have had close calls, and we have forced ourselves to get through them without ever truly addressing our emotions. We can't do that this time. This time things are different. Goku is hurt--albeit unintentionally--because of you, not because of an enemy. Granted, we have faced Seiten Taisei before, but Goku really isn't himself when he's like that, so I hardly think it counts."
Through the few tears that have managed to slip freely down his face, Gojyo finds himself suddenly laughing. "You overanalyze this shit, Hakkai."
"Hmph, I hardly think I'm being overly analytical." Hakkai pouts. Or, at least, that's the expression Gojyo is imagining right now. "Are you going to be all right?" the brunette asks then, tightening his grip the smallest bit more.
"I will be if you stop squeezing so damn hard."
Repose broken. Hakkai chuckles, and at long last releases Gojyo from his hold. They try to share the laugh, as well as the resulting smiles, but find the moment becomes awkward rather quickly, and in no time at all there is a stifling silence encasing them like a low-hanging fog.
(I've been waiting for a moment like this...) Gojyo muses, studying Hakkai's delicate features, the curve of his jawline, the way his hair falls into his eyes, contrasting with that perfect green--(Okay, I gotta stop this. So he hugged me. So what? It's just his maternal side showing. Now is not the time to start confessing my undying love.)
"So...what's the probability of droopy-eyes shooting me if we go up to check on the monkey?" Gojyo questions with a customary smirk, easing the built up tension that Hakkai had seemingly missed completely.
Of course, nothing seems capable of deterring that smile, so who can ever be sure?
"I'd say the probability is pretty good, but we might as well risk it, ne?" Hakkai smiles back. "Are you sure you're all right?" The brunette awaits a reply with boundless patience, his emerald eyes sparkling. He looks beautiful, as always. So very beautiful.
"I'm fine, Hakkai. Really. Let's go check on Goku, ne? We can worry about my problems some other time. Right now...I just want to know he's going to be okay."
tbc...
A/N: Wow, that was a doozie, ne? Like? I hope so. Perhaps you weren't expecting such angst, but I never said this was going to be a comedy. There are many questions posed now. Will Sanzo show his concern to Goku when the monkey wakes up? Will Goku wake up at all, and if so, in what condition? Will Gojyo stay true to his word, or has he missed his chance? Does Hakkai have any idea what that hug really meant to Gojyo, and did it mean anything more to him? I could go on, but I'm really tired. PLEASE REVIEW minna! You've all been so helpful and wonderful so far, and I hope you continue to like this story. Ja!
Crim