A/N: Second to last chapter! Iapetus, don't panic, okay?
A short note to Silver on the Tree--I explained where the title "Lividi" comes from at the beginning of the story, but anyway, no it doesn't come from libido (though they do sound similar!). It's the Italian word for bruises.
Chapter 8
Sanzo had his eyes closed as he pretended to sleep. The air was still, and he could feel the faint prickle of perspiration rolling down his face.
They had stopped for the night whilst traveling through a forest. Sanzo had wanted to continue, but the others were exhausted, and Hakkai had added that Jeep was tired as well, so they'd been forced to stop.
Goku had ignored him most of the day, though Sanzo had caught him glancing at him a couple times. They seemed to have established an uneasy truce where neither confronted the other.
It unsettled him. He kept thinking back to what Goku had said. He kept wondering if Goku had really meant it. He was unsure as to whether hewanted Goku to mean it.
No, he already knew the answer to the last one already. He wanted Goku.
At least now that the mystery was solved the link between them had cleared slightly, so he could feel Goku's presence in his mind. It comforted him.
Sanzo opened his eyes and examined the forest. For some reason, everything felt too quiet, too still... as if something was missing.
He realized what was missing a second later. Goku wasn't snoring.
"Sanzo?" Goku whispered softly.
He didn't respond.
"Sanzo?" Goku repeated, slightly louder this time.
He smirked inwardly and decided to let Goku say his name twice more, and then answer him. He kept his breathing even, and waited.
His name never came. The next thing Sanzo heard was the soft shuffling of Goku's feet as Goku walked out into the forest.
He sat still, stunned, before a faint tingling of anger swept through him. Sanzo rose the moment Goku disappeared from sight and followed him, determined to discover what the boy was doing. Where was he going? How could he meet anyone in the middle of a forest? They weren't within walking distance of a town.
Had he already arranged this beforehand? Impossible. They never knew which trail they'd take.
Did he... Sanzo hesitated. Did Goku pleasure himself? His mind suddenly conjured up tantalizing images, which he banished with a mixture of embarrassment and irritation.
What a stupid idea. The marks on Goku's body had proved otherwise. Still....
He heard soft voices ahead of him and pricked his ears, easing up to the others as quietly as he could. He heard them before he saw them.
"You should be more gentle," Goku was saying, leaning back against a tree with his arms crossed.
Sanzo inched forward so that he could see what was happening, and froze.
Homura had raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "You wouldn't like that."
He felt sick. Goku had not been sleeping with some random guy. Out of all the guys in the universe, Goku had to chose their enemy, an all-annoying, arrogant, smug bastard.
It stung. So that's why Goku had said those words. He was ashamed he was sleeping with the enemy, but that didn't really mean he wanted Sanzo.
Sanzo didn't know whether to kill them both or to return to the others and pretend that nothing had happened.
"They're noticing, Homura!"
"Isn't that what you wanted?"
"You know what I want, and if you don't give it to me then I'll--"
"You'll what?" Homura asked, leaning forward and placing his palms on either side of Goku's head. "Will you finally work up the courage to confront Konzen?"
"Sanzo," Goku hissed, but he didn't respond to the question.
Homura nodded as if in agreement. "Konzen."
Goku sighed and looked at his feet. "Stop it."
"Let me be honest, Goku. This is weakening you."
"What?" Goku's head snapped up.
"You need to be strong. And all this is doing is draining away your energy. I can't replace Konzen forever, as much as I'd like to." Homura smiled wistfully, stroking Goku's cheek.
Sanzo didn't know how to feel. Goku wanted him. Goku needed him. Goku was sleeping with Homura instead of him. He felt like beating up that damn monkey, and then kissing him.
"But--" Goku seemed miserable. "I can't."
"Do you think that overthrowing the heavens is an impossible job?"
Goku half-smiled. "It does seem impossible. But somehow, if someone has to do it, I believe that you could."
"That's my exact response when asked whether anyone could melt Konzen's heart. Except that I think you already have."
Sanzo glowered. He hated when gods were right. It made them seem so annoyingly perfect.
Homura suddenly smirked. "As much as I enjoy it, you should let Konzen deal with the problems he causes."
Homura reached down and suddenly Goku moaned, tilting his head back to expose his neck.
Sanzo growled to himself. Homura shouldn't have been touching Goku. But he was, and he had been. All this time it was Homura that had been bruising Goku... and they hadn't been fighting. He couldn't decide who he wanted to kill first.
"You like that, don't you?" Homura whispered. He leaned forward and nibbled on Goku's neck, pressing their bodies together.
Sanzo acted instinctively. He snatched his Smith & Wesson, stepped out from behind the trees, and shot straight at Homura's head.
To Be Continued...
