Gojyo's lips curl into a grin as he kisses Hakkai's neck, pulling the shocked brunette closer so that Hakkai's back is pressed against his chest. "What do you think I'm doing," he purrs, darting his tongue along Hakkai's earlobe. "I'm taking advantage of the situation..."

Unable to think clear enough to break free, Hakkai remains rigid in Gojyo's hold, shivering at the feel of his friend's lips hotly striking kisses at his damp skin. The hot tub whirls its water around them, igniting every last nerve beneath the water.

Slipping his arms down Hakkai's shoulders, Gojyo slithers them around to Hakkai's chest, playing across the smooth muscles. "I know you know..." he whispers, continuing his assault with strokes of his tongue along Hakkai's neck. "Goku told me."

Hakkai tenses further, but still does not attempt to escape. If he wasn't so weightless within the water, his knees would have long ago given out.

"So...I figured...if I'm going to lose you anyway...I might as well take what I can get before it's gone..."

Although Hakkai's eyes had drifted shut, they spring wide open now, filled with sudden resentment and fury. He jerks away, out of Gojyo's hold, forward towards the other end of the tub. With his back still to his friend, his arms wrap protectively around his severely trembling body.

Gojyo has gone too far.

"How dare you...?" Hakkai breathes, sucking in air through clenched teeth, longing to either disappear within himself or turn around and blast Gojyo into oblivion.

"Yeah..." Gojyo answers softly from behind him. "...that's what I thought you'd say."

Hakkai whips around, his arms thrown angrily down at his sides. "You don't get it, do you?" he growls, no trace of his usually easy-going and cheerful expression, no trace of any smile, only malice and hurt. "I'm not upset because I found out you have feelings for me, or even because of the stunt you've just pulled. I'm upset because you actually believe I would withhold my friendship over this."

A short, humorless laugh. "You already have." Gojyo bites back, matching Hakkai's angry fire full-fold. They stand facing off in the water, one at either end of the small tub. "Is pretending like nothing's going on, when you know how I feel, acting like a friend?"

Hakkai flinches, stung by Gojyo's sharp tone, though he cannot dismiss the words. "You accuse me of all this, Gojyo, but you have done the same." he replies, his fire faded, but not lost. "You could have said something, but you didn't."

"Sure, turn things back on me. So much for integrity." Gojyo sneers, confident enough in his own indignant emotions to carry this fight to the end. "I was scared out of my mind that if I ever told you, I would lose you. Then, when you finally get it spelled out right in front of your face, you prove me right by not saying a damn thing!"

Gojyo's argument almost forces Hakkai to yield, making him nearly as furious with himself for what he knows he has done as he is at Gojyo for playing with him. Dropping back a step, more and more of Hakkai's anger begins to wane. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I'm scared, too?" he questions, looking steadily into Gojyo's crimson eyes. "This bomb is dropped in my lap and you expect me to embrace it, but I needed time to consider how I feel."

"Well, you've had plenty of time now, so what of it?" Gojyo presses, taking a step forward to match Hakkai's step back. "Tell me. Tell me what all your thinking has brought you. We can't go back to being the same friends after this. You know that. So I need to hear from you what it's gonna be. Have I been wasting my time...loving you all these years?"

Hakkai's breath hitches. '...all these years...'?

Years. Not recently, as Hakkai had first imagined, or even at the start of this journey, but years ago is when Gojyo first discovered that his feelings for Hakkai stretch beyond mere friendship.

Hakkai's shivers return with a vengeance, trembling through him visibly as his eyes drift away from his companion's face. "Gojyo...forgive me for making this so hard on you..." he shudders, an unseen force pulling his gaze down to stare at his hands. He lifts them from the water, tracing his eyes over every curve and line--mesmerized. "I've tried to sort out how I feel, but...what right do I have to return your love? These hands are soaked though with blood, not fit to hold anyone. I am something far worse than the vilest of villains I once killed. Had I been without my limiters the night we met, I would have torn you apart..." His voice breaks, tears once again slipping down his face, nearly unseen, though Gojyo recognizes they are there. "How can you love me?" Hakkai sniffs, eyes still trained on his shaking hands. "How can you love this monster in me...?"

Before Hakkai has regained the faculties to notice Gojyo is moving, the redhead is suddenly in front of him, leaning in close. Gently, Gojyo places his own hands on top of Hakkai's and lowers them beneath the water, out of sight. "I can love you...because the man is worth it..." he whispers, silently imploring Hakkai to look up and meet his gaze. Hakkai does not, but Gojyo refuses to release his friend's hands or back away. "I haven't made this any easier on you." he admits. "My biggest fear was never that you'd think you didn't deserve me, but the other way around. Or...that I wouldn't be able to reach you...with HER still standing between us."

Hakkai offers a shallow laugh, still looking down at the water. "She isn't between us, Gojyo. I may never fully forgive myself for failing Kanan, but I freed her ghost long ago. My love for her is completely independent of my love for you. I would never allow her to overshadow what you mean to me."

Boldly, Gojyo takes Hakkai's chin and forces him to look up. "Prove it." he challenges.

"G-Gojyo--"

"Don't you dare believe you don't deserve this. I love you, Hakkai. That's enough."

Hakkai's trembling persists, even as Gojyo begins to lessen the remaining gap between them. "I...I love you, Gojyo. I do. And...I am so sorry. I'm sorry for--"

"Shhh..." Gojyo hushes him, their lips barely a hair's breath apart. "...it's okay..."

Hakkai nods vaguely, obediently silenced, and looks with profound affection into Gojyo's eyes as their mouths hover. Gojyo's hands free themselves from Hakkai's and raise up out of the water, one curling back around Hakkai's waist while the other slips behind his neck to pull him closer. As their lips finally meet, Hakkai raises his hands, as well, one to Gojyo's waist and the other to his cheek, brushing the tips of that crimson hair.

It is an act long overdue. Gojyo's lips are hungry for what they have so endlessly desired, and Hakkai's own awakened emotions respond in kind, as both delve deeply into each other's mouths. Hakkai tastes of something sweet and exotic, and Gojyo--to Hakkai's surprise, though he does indeed remember that Gojyo has quit smoking--does not taste anything like an ashtray. The kappa's taste is bold, overpowering.

Hakkai, however, is not overpowered.

Groaning at the separation of their mouths when Hakkai pulls back, Gojyo allows himself to be turned in the water, pressed against the side of the hot tub. Hakkai renews the lost touch of their lips once he has repositioned himself, sitting Gojyo down on the tub's seat while climbing eagerly onto his lap. Gojyo almost sinks under in shock, thrilled with Hakkai's pleasing advances. In this position, Hakkai's chest is pressed firmly against his within their kiss, and with his knees planted on either side of Gojyo's thighs, their nakedness is strikingly apparent.

Obviously, Hakkai has been craving this as much as Gojyo, hidden beneath the surface of all his denial and conflicting emotions. There has always been something more between them, and that ignored sexual tension is finally being paid its due.

"Shit, Hakkai..." Gojyo gasps, pulling back for air, and deliciously squirming beneath Hakkai's weight. "...I never knew you had it in you."

Hakkai's eyes roll back in response to their bodies' friction beneath the water. "I know what I...feel...and I trust you...I trust you enough to believe...we both deserve this."

"You forgive me then, for acting like such an idiot?"

"As long as you forgive me for taking so long to reciprocate."

Gojyo grips Hakkai's hips, settling him more comfortably on his lap, which sends chills rippling down both their spines. "I think I can be persuaded."

Smiling in reply--a devilishly genuine smile--Hakkai grinds his hips against Gojyo's, making his intentions achingly obvious. Gojyo reels beneath him, but such a strong, unmistakable sensation triggers the remaining apprehensions Hakkai has yet to let go.

A moment before this, the brunette had still been unsure, dead set against believing he had the right to be this close to anyone ever again. And yet...isn't he right in believing they deserve this? Gojyo knows every horrible detail about the evil Hakkai--no, Gonou--committed, and he loves him still. That should be enough. That IS enough.

"You okay?" Gojyo asks, concerned with Hakkai's suddenly blank expression.

His confidence fully restored, Hakkai brings his smile back, dipping down to kiss Gojyo's lips lightly. "Wonderful. Just...musing over how familiar this feels."

"I know what you mean. Think we were lovers in a past life or something."

Hakkai laughs, slinking his arms up around Gojyo's neck. "What a silly idea. I wouldn't have thought you'd believe in all that reincarnation nonsense."

"Heh. I would've thought you would"

"Hmmm...maybe I'm just happier living in this life, here and now...with you..."

"Really, now? Hn. I think I have to agree with you." Gojyo smirks, and captures Hakkai's lips again, deeply, dancing his tongue with Hakkai's slowly, as if each caress is more precious than the last. "I love you so much." he breathes when they break again, unable to subdue his large smile and increasingly flushed skin.

"And I love you." Hakkai states back, touching his nose against Gojyo's like a child's mistaken first kiss. "I had so many doubts and reservations, but suddenly...I feel deliriously happy. Is there some spell you've cast on me? Is this how all those women felt when they were with you?"

Gojyo pulls back a little, recognizing that this has not been spoken as a blow, but as something to tease him. "Not a single one of them ever got half of what I'm willing to offer you. And...in case you're curious...it's been a long time since I've been with anyone."

"I know." Hakkai smiles, tilting his head to the side. "And, if it isn't too selfish of me to say so, I'm glad it's been awhile, and that none of them ever had as much claim over your heart as I do."

"Claim?" Gojyo repeats with a tinge of humor. "You're sounding rather domineering from up there. You planning on keeping me as some kept boy, or do I get to drive once in a while, too?"

Hakkai blushes deeply at Gojyo's blatant insinuations, though considering they are naked and in a hot tub right now, with nothing between them but closely contacted skin, he should have been blushing from the start.

"Hey, I'm just kidding around." Gojyo mends, raising a hand to Hakkai's face in apology. "I don't care how things go down, or if they do at all. Well...maybe I care if...but what really matters is that I love you, and I don't want to go on acting like I'm not feeling what I'm feeling anymore. I want it to be me and you. Together. Ya know?"

Grinning down at Gojyo with equally impassioned affection, Hakkai nods in whole-hearted agreement.

"Well, now that that's settled..." Gojyo starts in, looking around to ensure there is still no one in sight. "...how much do you think we can get away with before they kick us out for indecent behavior?"

Hakkai flushes with color again, but holds his ground, leaning forward to signal he is more than willing to find out.

Just as their lips are about to touch, however, Gojyo feels something light strike the back of his head. Nothing sharp or honestly painful, but something, and the curiosity of it pulls him back, away from Hakkai. He reaches behind his head to grasp whatever it is, having landed on the floor above them. When he brings it around for them to get a good look at, they see that it is an orange paper airplane, folded neatly, though now its tip is bent after having collided with Gojyo's head.

"What the--" But Gojyo never gets to finish.

Suddenly, the sound of running feet can be heard from off to their right, and a moment later, something cannonballs into the water, splashing them both. Without even thinking, Hakkai scrambles off Gojyo's lap, sitting next to him on the tub's seat as they wait for their intruder to surface.

"Why you little--! Goku!!" Gojyo yells, scowling darkly at the short brunette when he pops up for air, and then continues floating easily in the water until settling in next to Gojyo on the seat. "If you weren't still injured, I swear I'd strangle you."

"Get in line." Sanzo's voice calls from above them. Just as Hakkai and Gojyo look up to see that they are now all together again, Sanzo tosses his towel aside and slides into the tub as well. "The monkey changed his mind. First the sauna, now here. He's been dragging me all over this place looking for you two. Don't know why. We see enough of each other as it is."

Apparently, Sanzo is immune to Gojyo's glares, but that does not deter the redhead from continuing them. "So why the hell'd you listen to him, huh? Hakkai and I are just fine." Gojyo makes a point to look down into Goku's bright, golden eyes, directing his next word to him. "Really."

Goku beams, eased at last, and lies his head back, enjoying the hot tub's warmth.

Despite his desire to rest and recover, and despite how much he had been enjoying a little alone time with Sanzo, Goku hadn't been able to stop thinking about Gojyo's odd behavior earlier, afraid the kappa might do something drastic. Though Sanzo had not seen the amorous pair before they separated, Goku had, and he is quite content knowing that everything seems to be working out.

"Yes, Goku." Hakkai puts in, inconspicuously inching a bit further from Gojyo to ensure Sanzo doesn't catch wise. "Gojyo and I are fine. You needn't have worried. No matter, though. The company is appreciated."

"It is?" Gojyo speaks low, not trying to hide his disdain.

"Of course." Hakkai replies, eyeing Gojyo kindly, silently expressing that there will be more than enough time for...recreational activities. "Relaxing together can be equally as stimulating as relaxing alone, and this way, we can all keep on eye on Goku should he feel a bit tipsy again."

"Whatever." Sanzo dismisses, lounging back with a good amount of space separating him from the others. Clearly, his take on all this is the same as Hakkai's: why let those who know nothing, know anything at all.

"Hey, no splashing. This is a hot tub, you dimwit." Gojyo growls down at Goku, after having been attacked by a sudden spray of steaming water. Goku, naturally, shrugs his shoulders, feigning innocence. "Like I'd believe that look for a second. Don't think you're safe just because you're an invalid. And what was with that cannonball, huh? Did I not tell you to take it easy? Stupid monkey."

Goku retaliates by kicking Gojyo hard beneath the water.

"Ow! You little shit! I swear to God--"

"Urusai!!" Sanzo bellows, maintaining just as much malice as always, even without his trusty fan. "Relax if you're going to or go somewhere else."

"Hey, you're the ones who invaded OUR space, remember. Damn priest."

"Keep it up, cockroach, and I might just repay you with my gun up your ass."

"Maa, maa, minna..."

-----

Out of sight from the ikkou, one of the bathhouse's attendants watches them closely, following their every move from behind the door to the towel room. He is dressed like the other attendants, but something in his eyes signals he is much more.

An earpiece in his right ear remains hidden from view, allowing someone far off to speak to him without anyone else being able to hear. He speaks in reply, talking in hushed tones at a small device inside his shirt.

"Yes, sir, I have them in my sights now. I can confirm their move to the bathhouse." he whispers, pausing to listen to the person on the other end of communication. "Right now? In the hot tubs, sir, laughing with his half-breed-loving friends. Two of them have limiters; the other is human. He's a Sanzo priest, sir." He listens again, nodding in agreement. "I understand. They will not be allowed to leave this town alive. Vengeance must be ours, and they will all suffer punishment. That half-breed especially..."

Shifting further out of the towel room, though remaining hidden, he eyes the ikkou more critically, grimacing at their obvious enjoyment.

"Yes, sir. Tonight. We will bring him to you, and the others will fall into our hands. We won't let you down."

Ending the conversation, he gathers up a few stray towels to avoid suspicion, and slips out of the room, leaving the ikkou behind, while contemplating all the plans about to be put into motion.

-----

Hours and a few large meals later, Sanzo quietly sneaks into his room, having just returned from a final lounge in the sauna. Goku has been in bed for nearly an hour already, so Sanzo pads across the floor slowly, not wanting to disturb him and be forced to interact.

Once over to his side of the room, Sanzo removes his robe--his terry-cloth robe for use in the bathhouse--and slips on a thin pair of cotton pants before collapsing down on the bed. He had knocked on Gojyo and Hakkai's door a moment earlier, intending to see whether or not they were settled and to make sure Gojyo wasn't out causing any trouble. Hakkai answered the door, but only for Sanzo to discover that Gojyo was out searching the little gift shop for gum--anything to ease his nicotine cravings--and that Hakkai seemed rather anxious to be rid of Sanzo and to have Gojyo back.

Odd, Sanzo muses, though he does not dwell on the subject. Whatever is going on between those two, he figures it isn't his business.

Allowing his eyes to blessedly close, Sanzo prepares to drift off without interruption. Barely a moment after getting settled, however, something soft yet firm suddenly collides with the side of his face. He grasps it instinctively, shooting up in bed to stare down at the item now gripped tightly in his hands.

A pillow...?

Almost instantly, the obvious answer dawns, and Sanzo darts his eyes to Goku's bed, finding the monkey wide awake, sitting up amongst his tangled sheets. "What the hell was that for?!" he growls, tossing the pillow back to its owner almost as harshly as it had been tossed at him.

Goku catches it, returning it to its rightful place at the head of the bed, and then raises his prepared whiteboard. 'Sorry. I didn't know how else to get your attention.'

Scowling darkly, Sanzo runs a fidgety hand through his hair and rolls his eyes. "What do you want? I thought you were asleep."

Turning to his whiteboard, Goku busily works on another message, but when it is finished, he suddenly feels an overpowering sense of hesitation.

"Well?" Sanzo presses, devoid of any patience, as always.

Gathering his nerves, Goku decides he is beyond butterflies in the stomach at this point. The hardest of all of this is already behind him. 'Will you sleep with me?' his message states boldly, held in hands that simply refuse to shake or tremble.

Sanzo's face becomes stark white, all anger lost in an expression of pure shock.

'SLEEP, Sanzo. Nothing else.' Goku scribbles quickly, realizing his previous phrasing probably came across a little stronger than he intended.

Although Sanzo regains his composure, he is not immediately agreeable. "What the hell do you need to be coddled for? You're not a child, despite the endless evidence to the contrary."

Goku crumbles, absently clutching his board to his chest, his eyes filled with hurt emotion that look back at Sanzo as if to say, 'Why do you have to be so mean?'

Sanzo sighs; he doesn't have an answer for that pained expression. He doesn't have any excuses or reasons to be so cynical, and yet he clings possessively to his bastardly demeanor out of habit and a sense of perverse comfort. Genjo Sanzo is a cold-hearted son-of-a-bitch. Always has been. Always will be.

Then again...

"Move over." the disgruntled blonde commands, heavily lifting himself out of bed as he crosses to Goku's.

Positively glowing, Goku obeys, pulling back the covers and sliding over to the other side of the mattress. Sanzo makes no move to pull Goku close, but when the monkey takes the initiative and snuggles in against Sanzo's chest, he doesn't protest.

To be honest, Goku had been asleep for quite awhile before Sanzo came back, but the presence of the sun always proves strong enough to rouse its worshipers. Now, coiled together under the covers, Goku truly feels at peace and as if he is making leaps and bounds further than he ever thought he could go.

Before drifting off, Goku reaches up to tug on a strand of Sanzo's hair, only lightly, to get the priest's attention.

Sanzo's already closed eyes reopen, peering down in annoyance. "What now?"

Smiling a little devilishly, Goku offers no response, but the blush that floods to Sanzo's cheeks prove his intentions have been made clear.

"You want a goodnight kiss, is that it?" Sanzo asks, keeping his lips set in a thin line. "If I pacify your childish needs will you quit bugging me and go to sleep?"

Goku nods, grinning wider as he waits for what he has requested.

Dipping down briefly, Sanzo places a feather-light kiss on Goku's lips, barely lingering long enough for it to truly count as a kiss at all.

Goku's infamous pout returns with a vengeance, his golden eyes narrowing in indignant disbelief. His expression clearly states, 'You call that a kiss?'

"A little isn't enough for you, is it?" Sanzo frowns. "You want everything, and you expect me to give you everything. How easy do you think that is for me? I know I let you kiss me before, and I know I kissed you back, but even those weren't what you're asking from me now. The moment I hand over everything--truly everything--it can never be taken back. But YOU can. You can be taken away. If that happens, what will I be left with if everything I am has been given to you...?"

Goku's pout trickles away to reveal an expression more mature than his youthful features usually allow, filled with complete comprehension. In some ways, Goku is already prepared for this. He expected it, knowing of Sanzo's past and what happened to Koumyo, and now it is up to him to deal with it.

Taking hold of Sanzo's hand, Goku lifts it to place it palm down against his chest. Sanzo stares hard at that imagine, his hand on Goku's heart, feeling the steady rhythm beneath his palm, and somehow...he can hear Goku speaking. Just as he had so many years past when he was first called to find Goku in that cave, he hears Goku's gentle voice speaking in his mind.

'If something happens to me, this is what you'll have left. No matter what happens or where I go, I will always love you, and that can never be taken away. I promise I will do everything in my power to stay by your side. I'm offering everything, too. I'm risking losing everything just like you. To me, loving you is worth that everything. Everything I am and everything I'll be. You don't have to be afraid. I'm not dying any time soon, and if I do, I will claw my way back from heaven or hell or wherever, whatever it takes, just to get back to you.'

Sanzo looks up, caught within Goku's shimmering eyes the moment they make contact with his. Goku is smiling. Somehow, he knows that Sanzo has heard every word his heart has spoken.

Leaving his hand over Goku's heart, Sanzo lifts the other to the boy's face, brushing back a few strands of chocolate hair. He strokes the smooth skin of Goku's jaw, and then, gently gripping that tiny chin, he pulls Goku's lips against his.

At first, the kiss mirrors the ones from that morning--soft and chaste--but when everything is finally being put on the line, there is no need to hold back. Licking lightly at Goku's bottom lip, Sanzo presses for entrance, met eagerly by an admitting tongue determined to consume him. There is no fight for dominance; they equally prod and give way, both digging deep and holding back, all in rhythm with each other. A part of Sanzo feels as if Goku is sucking the life right out of him, the intensity of the boy's need leaving his lips swollen and pink.

Damn. Giving everything never felt so good.

Pulling back, at a loss for air, Sanzo shudders deeply, heat having risen high in his cheeks. He stares back at Goku, caught off guard by the boy's half-lidded eyes and crooked grin. He looks positively intoxicating.

"Happy now?" Sanzo questions gruffly, his voice heavy and breathless. "I don't think Hakkai would appreciate it if we placed your recovery in any more peril."

Hint taken.

Fully satiated, Goku snuggles in against Sanzo's side, digging his head into the crook of the blonde's smooth neck, where he places a light, parting kiss to signal he is content and ready for sleep.

"Baka..." Sanzo breathes, running his hands tenderly through Goku's hair. "...what am I letting you get me into...?"

tbc...

A/N: Better, boys and girls? I thought you deserved a less cliff-hanger-like ending this time. Next part will start with how Gojyo and Hakkai are spending the night, and it will also explain a little more about that out of place bathhouse attendent and what he and his buddies are planning. (evil laughter) Just when you think things are working out, the ground gets pulled out from under you. Hope you all enjoyed the action. Next part will change this fic to an R, so be ready to look for that. ;-) Thanks again for so many great reviews. Love ya!

Crim