Sorry about lack of updates for anyone who's interested, I got hit in the face with a pile of work and have been trying to dig out.

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"What did the healer say?" asked Gojyo a few days later, looking longingly at Sanzo's cigarette. He had been banned from smoking for the next few days as his lungs recovered from the smoke inhalation and was already missing it badly.

"That Hakkai's actually going to be okay, just a much longer recovery period than usual because he did a number on himself. Compensation for saving your sorry ass."

To Sanzo's surprise, Gojyo didn't come back with a caustic response this time. He just hung his head, hiding in the mass of hair that now had had the frazzled ends chopped off. The only visible signs of his injuries were the look of sunburn over him, an uncomfortable way of walking due to the bandages on his legs and slightly padded wrist wraps that protected almost-healed rope burns.

"I know. I feel shit enough already. No need to rub it in." he said quietly and turned to look at Sanzo. "D'you ever think that there will every be a point where people don't see this when they see me." He pulled a lock of red hair that shined in the sunlight that streamed through the window.

"You never stop whinging about that do you, damn kappa?" snapped Sanzo crossly puffing out a stream of grey smoke. "The bakasaru wants to actually go back and teach them a lesson, you know." He said disinterestedly.

Gojyo blinked in surprise at Goku's gung-ho nature. Of course, Gojyo himself had had many thoughts of revenge whilst recovering and found he just didn't have the stomach for it anymore.

"I told him to just leave the whole thing alone." Carried on Sanzo. "They were a bunch of backwards racist bastards who wouldn't learn a lesson regardless of being dead or alive. Besides, in case you forgot, we are actually on a mission you know."

Gojyo nodded, despite stringing out more curses than even he knew and acting nothing like the priest he was supposed to be, occasionally Sanzo could come up with pearls of wisdom.

"I just thought I was over that kind of thing." Gojyo answered. "With the minus wave an' all I thought they'd be too busy with mad youkais than anything else."

"Stop whining." Sanzo snapped roughly, although without the cold edge he normally implied when he was being condescending. "Those crackpots might have gone for you back there but why don't you just be fucking thankful that someone actually turned up to pull you back." He stubbed out the cigarette. "Feeling sorry for yourself does fuck all."

Gojyo didn't reply, knowing that he was right. Sanzo flicked ash and carried on.

"As soon as Hakkai's up, we're leaving." He said coolly. "I don't want those fucked up people coming here on your trail. The whole damn bunch, were backwards enough to think you were a threat and they probably don't like letting go of things. Besides, we're falling behind as it is, without your personal lives slowing us down any more." He rustled the paper and gestured to the bags with an unopened bottle of beer. "Go find the Jeep and load it up."

Before Gojyo could bite back a sarcastic remark about self-righteous monks and their fondness for making others do the work, Goku barrelled into the room with more vigour than usual, pulling on his shoulder armour and cape.

"Sanzo!" he cried out happily.

A vein throbbed at Sanzo's temple and before he could bring his fan down on Goku's head, the boy piped up, ducking to avoid the swing of the fan.

"Wait! Hakkai's awake! He says we can go in a bit! He's okay to drive!" he squawked.

The fan swiped past the boy's ear and Sanzo settled back with his newspaper with a muttered 'tch' and reached for his cigarette.

"Fine, get ready to leave." He said, somewhat warmer than usual, refusing to ever admit that he had been worried about the green-eyed youkai.

Gojyo levered himself out of the chair, the bulky layers of bandages wrapped around his knees and calves making it difficult for him to move normally. However, the healers they had seen had informed him that the delicate restructuring that Hakkai had done needed constant support and moisture for a few days to stop it splitting. He turned to Goku.

"You sure he's up?" he asked seriously. Goku blinked up at him, not sure what to make of the intensity in the half-breed's crimson eyes.

"Yeh, he was out of bed and everything. Wanted to know what happened because he couldn't really remember everything." He said happily. "Said we could get some food later too."

Gojyo smiled and started to go towards the door.

"Thanks saru!" He said awkwardly. He snuck a look at Sanzo who had his back to them now and was in the process of lighting another cigarette and grabbing a beer. He couldn't resist, he leaned down to Goku "Sanzo said something about going out for a huge dinner before we left, saru." He said in a hushed voice that only Goku could hear.

"Don't call me saru you demented erokapp ... what? ... Sanzo!" he leapt over to his guardian and Gojyo left the room to the sounds of joyful yelps, fan- swiping, yelling and swearing.

Gojyo closed the door and started to move down the corridor. A pretty young thing carrying a pile of clean sheets and a basket of soap and other toiletries walked towards him and he flashed his most flirtatious smile at her. She slowed and smiled back, just a hint of blush appearing on her cheeks. Gojyo stopped her completely with a hand on her arm.

"Hey beautiful, you wouldn't happen to know where the fourth member of our party is – the one who's been out of it these last few days – would you? The guy with the green eyes." he asked sweetly, not knowing where Hakkai's room now was.

The woman gave a smile.

"Of course." She answered. "Just down there on the left. He was asking for you earlier." She giggled. "The handsome one, he said."

Gojyo gave her another smile and walked off towards the room, heart thumping about what he would see in there. He hadn't seen Hakkai at all since they arrived at the inn. He had spent the whole relatively short journey here cradling his unconscious lover in his arms whilst Sanzo had been driving with an air of supreme confidence that was completely belied by his demonic sense of speed and lack of control. They had arrived at the next town; thankfully both larger and more cosmopolitan than the hell they had just left. More thankfully, the town had also boasted an incredibly basic yet serviceable infirmary.

Gojyo remembered bursting into the building holding Hakkai, feeling both nauseous and tingly all over. It had been left to Sanzo to describe the problem and flash his credit card whilst Hakkai had been whisked out of his arms by a couple of nurses who had borne him away for special care. Gojyo had then been led in the opposite direction by a healer, much to his protests about seeing what was going to happen to Hakkai. The healer had ignored his protests, inspected his half-healed injuries, bound them up and them given him a glass of water that he had stupidly drank, realising minutes later that it was a sedative.

Gojyo only remembered waking up in the inn swathed in bandages with Goku looking at him with unblinking golden eyes and Sanzo chain-smoking his way through a pack of Marlboro's. The moody priest had then explained that Hakkai was fine, just in solitary confinement while his body recovered lost life energy. This had told Gojyo nothing and he was afraid just what kind of state – both mentally and physically – his lover was in. He gingerly opened the door that the maid had pointed to and let himself in.

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Hakkai wasn't there. It was a small room and there was a bed with slightly rumpled sheets, but with no Hakkai in or near it. Gojyo's heart dropped into his boots and an eerie sense of deja-vu crept over him. He panicked and went into the room fully, calling out for his lover.

"Fuck ... no ... Not again ... Hakkai!"

He saw the open window and it's blowing curtains and ran to it. He threw it open fully and stared out of it, his crimson eyes scanning the view for any sign of the errant patient. His eye finally rested on a familiar figure sitting – or could it be lying? – against a tree, only yards from the window.

Giving a cry of worry and feeling unheeded tears sting his eyes and flow down his face, Gojyo threw all caution over his own injuries to the wind and climbed out of the window, making his way to Hakkai as fast as he could, holding out hope that nothing was wrong.

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A/N: I promise I'm not going around again. Thanks for sticking with me and sorry that it was late. Keep reviewing if you have been I really like having them ^_^ oh and it's be Saiyuki Music Revisited this month so that's a recommendation.