Giving Thanks
by Ryuuen
Warnings: Dark/mature themes. Possible spoilers.
A/N: Well, it's Thanksgiving, so I figured... why not write a fic about it? X3 And I got to wondering, how would the Sanzo-ikkou spend Thanksgiving? Let's find out, shall we? Mostly Hakkai-centric. ; Please read and review. C&Cs are welcome, as always.
GIVING THANKS
It had been Hakkai's idea to take the day off, really. He had suggested that since it was a holiday, they should take the day to rest and recouperate. The miraculous thing was that Sanzo had finally given in to the pleading of the others and agreed that they wouldn't travel on that day. Normally, he would have just told them that there was no way in hell that they were stopping, and left it at that, but for whatever reason, he had decided to just let them do what they wanted that day. Hakkai suspected that the priest was really just as tired as everyone else, except that he put up a tough front and refused to admit to that. It wasn't hard to believe that he really didn't feel exhaustion or other such emotions, like others. It was hard, sometimes, to remember that he was just human, and quite possibly felt the rigors of the journey more keenly than any of the rest of them. When he remembered this, it was hard for Hakkai not to worry over him, knowing as he did how rarely Sanzo actually ate anything, and how often he had been injured in the past. That, added to the monk's habitual refusal to tell any of them how he was feeling, made Hakkai worry even more. If anything was wrong, it was more than possible that just because of Sanzo's stubbornness, they wouldn't know anything until it was already far too late. And as Hakkai was a worrier by nature, this only gave him more cause.
But as it was, everyone (except for Sanzo, of course) seemed to be in good spirits. They were taking a break, and it really was a holiday: Thanksgiving. Hakkai smiled to himself. What was he thankful for? It wasn't a hard question. He was thankful for these friends he had made: Gojyo, Sanzo, and Goku. He was thankful for the second chance he had been given, his "third birth" as Cho Hakkai. He was thankful for his life, however cruel and hard it had been to get to this point, the point where he felt he could really live again. Or at least, the closest equivilant to living that he could get. It was enough.
He looked at the others, the peaceful smile never leaving his lips. Sanzo was reading the paper, glasses perched on his thin nose, but slipping slightly, so with a rustle of let-go paper, he had to reach up to adjust them. No one ever questioned where the newspaper came from, but he always seemed to be able to get his hands on a copy. Gojyo and Goku were playing cards, and from what Hakkai could see, Goku had just won a hand. As usual, Gojyo was furious, and accused him of cheating when in reality, it was probably a failed attempt at cheating that had made him lose. Then again, it was hard to tell when Gojyo was playing without cheating and when he had an ace up his sleeve or some other way of winning unfairly. Hakkai had played with him many times before... fortunately, the youkai had a way of spotting cheats and making it so that it would be against his better interest to use them. You could say Hakkai had an eye for the cards, in a way of speaking, though it was really quite rare that he played, since the others always got mad at him because he always won. He supposed he just had quite a lot of good luck.
Turning back to his thoughts, he looked down at the swiftly cooling cup of tea before him - Sanzo was really the only one of them who preffered coffee - as though he expected to see the future in the warm liquid contained therein. But no visions came to him, no revelations. Only the thought that his tea was getting cold. He thought he probably ought to get some more, and some for the others as well, soon. He did take it upon himself to make sure that the others had enough to eat and drink, since Goku was really the only other person who made an effort, and Goku didn't make the effort for anyone but himself and, occasionally, Sanzo, when the monkey king decided that the priest wasn't eating enough. Hakkai appreciated that, though, as Sanzo would sometimes listen to Goku and eat at least a little when forced, though Goku was the only one with the power to convince him. It helped lessen Hakkai's own worry about the priest's health.
Of course, he worried about the others, as well. Goku was prone to getting into trouble, and he worried that someday the trouble he found himself in would be over even his head. And Gojyo... well, Gojyo was Gojyo, which, really, was enough cause for worry in itself! Gojyo was Hakkai's best friend, and he worried over him a lot. Let Gojyo call him a 'mother hen', but he couldn't help worrying over the people he cared about. He knew already that Gojyo's smoking would probably be the death of him, but he was relatively content with the kappa's ability to care for himself, and it didn't seem likely that the half-breed would be dying on him any time soon... another thing that Hakkai was thankful for.
But really, they could all take care of themselves, for the most part. Sometimes, though, they just needed a little help, and that was what Hakkai gave them. A little help in taking care of things, a shoulder to cry on if they needed it, and an extra hand if they couldn't get out of their own pits of despair alone. That was what he could give them.
He supposed he was thankful just for the chance. The chance to be friends with them, those people that he loved.
--owari--