Had to be Fate
Movement from the kitchen awoke Hakkai from his light slumber as he rubbed his eyes before sitting up and observed the blonde novelist move out from the kitchen, coffee mug in hand and freeze on his way back towards his room or his study. The awkwardness in the room could practically be smelt as Sanzo and Hakkai eyed each other before breaking away at the same time. The brunette wanted to apologise, truly he did and finally Hakkai began to muster up his voice, lips parting ready to converse with Sanzo but he heard a click of the door and noticed the author was nowhere in sight.
Sighing lightly Hakkai pushed the blanket from his waist and legs and stood up looking about the small little area he'd occupied for the past couple of days.
"Its time…" He mumbled to himself as he folded the blanket and fluffed the cushions he had used as a pillow and placed them back in there rightful place. Moving quietly about the home, Hakkai went about his business without bothering the other two occupants in the house.
XxXxXxX
Yawning loudly a sleepy Goku emerged from his room stumbling down the hallway as he made his way into the lounge, dining and kitchen area, nose stuck in the air as he smelled the aroma of a cooked breakfast. With a wide grin on his face and his stomach rumbling under his white shirt Goku bounced cheerily into the kitchen.
"Ohayoo Hakkai!" He voiced happily before moving his eyes about the place to notice his teacher was no where in the kitchen and yet a perfectly yummy meal lay waiting for the two main occupants in the house.
"Ne Hakkai?" Goku mumbled once more as he made his way to the bathroom in the hallway but the door was open with no one inside. Jogging back into the lounge room he found the place spick and span just the way Hakkai always left it in the morning, but the entire house was absent of his presence.
"SANZO?!?" Goku yelled as he raced to pound loudly on his guardian's door. He didn't stop until it was reefed open by the pissed off looking blonde with a cigarette at the corner of his lips. Sanzo however was unable to demand what the hell Goku was doing annoying him as he was dragged by the wrist into the spacious living area.
"Hakkai's gone!" The author was ready to sarcastically reply with 'thanks for stating the obvious baka saru' while moving over to the couch which had the blanket folded on it and a note stuck on top of it. Not picking it up Sanzo's eyes moved to the area where Hakkai used to have his overnight duffle bag but the area was void of his entire presence as though he hadn't been there in the first place.
"Why did he go?" Goku spoke from behind Sanzo not knowing what had occurred between the two of them the night before.
"Obviously his place is fixed so he went home." Sanzo spoke as he headed for his study once more. He was glad Hakkai had gone and wouldn't bother him anymore with the way he acted…or so Sanzo kept telling himself that. Now if only a certain monkey would get a clue too.
"Gomen nasai…" Stopping in mid stride, Sanzo turned half around to see Goku had pried open the piece of paper to read the contents inside. His large eyes lifted to his own, questions wanting to burst forth from the boy as to what that 'sorry' meant but instead the teenager watched Sanzo briskly turn around and head into his study, the door slamming closed as he did so.
Jolting slightly at the resonating sound Goku chewed on his lip as he dropped the slip of paper into his shorts pocket and headed back into the kitchen to slurp down breakfast before taking the slow and now quiet walk to school. He liked walking with Hakkai as he could chat away without ever being hit for saying something strange, stupid or weird. In fact Hakkai laughed along with what he always did and he really liked that, as though Hakkai was his own older brother or something.
Grumbling lightly as he finished off breakfast, Goku made his way to his room, collecting his backpack and then placed on his shoes. His eyes reverted back to Sanzo's closed door, but it seemed his guardian was especially grumpy today and was not in the mood to drive him to school. One thing was for certain and that was Goku wouldn't even dream of asking for a lift at this point in time. Once that study door was closed one was in for a death wish if Sanzo was disturbed too often…it just appeared something else was on Sanzo's mind that Goku wasn't pounded into the ground for banging so loudly on his study door like that.
XxXxXxX
Goku scrapped his sneakers as he walked into the school grounds, moving about the place trying to find Hakkai. He couldn't see the distinctive teacher and sighed as he headed inside when the bell started to go. He knew if he was late for class that meant a detention and that also meant Sanzo would not be happy.
Moving into the classroom Goku sat at his usual assigned desk and waved quietly to Lirin who was sitting up the front with some of her friends and chatting. Once the homeroom teacher came inside all went relatively quiet with soft mumbles here and there from several schoolgirls but Goku stared out the window not paying attention at all.
XxXxXxX
The lunch bell rang and numerous students got up from their desks to leave to grab something from the cafeteria but as usual Goku remained in his seat lost in thought and was brought out of his reverie by Lirin herself.
"Ne Goku, somehtin' wrong?" She spoke while munching down her bento as she swung a chair around and plonked herself down into it.
"Hakkai left this morning."
"Is his place fixed?" Lirin questioned as she munched on some plain rice and then licked her fingers clean. Goku shrugged at her question before hearing his stomach grumble telling him if he didn't go eat now he'd be "dead" by the time he got home.
"I think he and Sanzo had a fight." Lirin blinked widely at him before walking into the hallway as Goku feet guided him straight to the cafeteria.
"Like a lovers quarrel?"
"Huh?" Goku responded intelligently as he grabbed some sandwiches and a juice from the counters before paying for them with some loose change he had rolling around in his pocket.
"Yaone and Oniichan are always having quarrels and when Yaone is angry she always leaves the house and so it's always me that has to make Oniichan go and apologise to her or else he gets all miserable and stuff and I don't like seeing either of them upset." Goku made a small 'hmmm' noise as he began thinking over his own situation from when it went to being so comfortable with the three of them to now a vanished Hakkai and an extra touchy Sanzo. The both of them headed out of the cafeteria and nearly ran straight into Hakkai himself.
"Cho-sensei!" Goku spoke happily seeing the brunette was actually around the school grounds…and the fact he had actually remembered that he was 'sensei' at school.
"Good afternoon you two. I've actually got work to do so I'll see you both later." And with that spoken two owlishly blinking students watched Hakkai scurry away.
"Do you think…he's avoiding us?" Lirin contemplated as she stole Goku's juice.
"Yeah I thin- HEY GIVE THAT BACK LIRIN!" And with that the thoughts Goku had been thinking earlier on what was wrong with Sanzo and Hakkai had left him in an instant as he raced off after the giggling Lirin, her bright orange ponytail pouncing happily as she weaved through students and taunted Goku with the drink.
From around another corner Hakkai sighed as he made a poor excuse up from having to converse with Goku knowing he'd probably ask why he wasn't in the house this morning. It'd be a very bad idea if Goku voiced such things at the high school and so he'd quickly taken his leave. In truth Hakkai had been selfishly avoiding the poor confused teenager, but only for his own sake as Goku would probably mention something about Sanzo and these days that very man was his undoing.
XxXxXxX
Goku cheered happily when the final bell for school went as he grabbed his gear and dashed outside and straight towards the teachers' carpark where he found a very familiar green jeep. Sitting on the bonnet of the car Goku waited out the hours for when Hakkai was going to finish and began eating a box of pocky Lirin had given him as she kept stealing his food. As he continued to glance at his watch the hours ticked by until he was slumped in the passenger seat, Hakkai having forgotten to lock the doors and he was in fact "rudely" awoken by someone shaking his shoulder.
"Goku what are you still doing here? Sanzo must be worried about you!" Hakkai was throwing his briefcase and laptop into the back seat when he noticed the short teenager lounging and snoring quite loudly in the passenger seat. He shook his head at the boy never knowing he'd be this persistent.
"About time you got outta school."
"Don't try to change the subject. Does Sanzo know where you are?"
"No…" Came the honest reply from the blinking boy as he wiped sleep from his eyes and sat up properly.
"Put your seatbelt on, I'm taking you straight home." The relatively short drive to Sanzo's was quiet until Hakkai pulled up in the driveway.
"Ne Hakkai, did you and Sanzo have a lovers quarrel?"
"Wha-What?" Hakkai responded with wide eyes as he looked upon Goku's curious face expression.
"Well Lirin seems to think that's what it could be."
"Ano Goku, do you even know what a lovers quarrel is?" Hakkai watched as Goku pursed his lips, the last pocky stick hanging from between them. Hakkai couldn't help but smirk, as he was certain he could hear the cogs rotating in Goku's brain.
"Mm well lovers have fights. Isn't that what it is?"
"Well I suppose, but you seem to suggest that Sanzo and I are lovers. Don't you think that's a bit…unusual?"
"Why?" Either the boy had a screw loose upstairs at not knowing a single thing of what he was talking about or he was just downright innocent and knew nothing, as Sanzo had obviously not told him about peoples' sexuality choices. Sighing loudly Hakkai placed Hakuryuu's brake on and turned to face Goku.
"Do you know what it means to say that Sanzo and I are lovers?"
"That you love each other?" Chuckling lightly at the boy Hakkai was definitely certain that no matter what tension went on between himself and Sanzo it was his duty as Goku's teacher to make Sanzo sit down and have a chat with the 14-year-old.
"Well there is that, which Sanzo does not feel towards me and then there is other things as well."
"So does that mean you love Sanzo then?" Trying desperately to ward off the blush rushing to his cheeks, Hakkai got out of the jeep and grabbed Goku's bag from the back before watching the boy get out of his vehicle also.
"I think its time you and Sanzo had a little chat Goku."
"About what?"
"Oh this and that I suppose." He knocked on the door and waited for an answer but remembered that Goku lived here also and observed the youngster ruffle through his bag to try and find his house key. Instead he needn't look much further as the porch light went on and the door opened to reveal Sanzo dressed in a long sleeved black shirt, white track suit pants and a pair of slippers. His golden hair was tied back in a low ponytail.
"Konbanwa Sanzo, you seem to be missing your pet." Hakkai tried to jokingly contort to break the tension off Sanzo's shoulders as soon as he noticed whom was standing at his very door. Hakkai placed his hand on Goku's head, ruffling the boy's hair as he smiled awkwardly at Sanzo.
"Gomen Sanzo, I wanted to see Hakkai for a bit." With that spoken Goku rushed past Sanzo, said goodnight and slammed his bedroom door closed before either could break away in unease. Now the two of them were faced with the concept of starting a small awkward conversation in which Hakkai funnily enough knew exactly the way to start.
"Um, Goku's nearly 15 right?"
"So?" Came the one word reply as Sanzo lit a cigarette. Its seemed that this was helping him remain calm around the softly spoken brunette in front of him.
"Well don't you think its time you tell him about girls, hormones and sexuality preferences?" The look on Sanzo's face almost made Hakkai laugh out loud. He suppressed it though because of not wishing to make the author angrier then what he seemed to be around him because he wasn't frank from the very start.
"I'm sure he's very…um…smitten with Lirin-chan and perhaps you should explain a few things to him."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because he blatantly placed across that he thinks we are having a lovers quarrel." The frown on Sanzo's face deepened and the cigarette fell to the concrete outside the house since he was standing out there with Hakkai.
"Say that…again?" It was spoken through gritted teeth as narrowed eyes turned back to look into the house and at the closed bedroom door of Goku's.
"Well it was given to him as a statement from Lirin since she knows Yaone-san and Kougaiji-san have small arguments here and there. They both think that is happening here. I'm sure they don't realise what they are saying and the simple fact they don't know that I'm…" Stopping himself from his rambling, Hakkai turned to look back at his jeep and noticed it was still running and that he was wasting petrol.
"I should be going, but really Sanzo, you should talk to him or if you chicken out then sign him up for sex education classes." Narrowing his eyes at the 'chicken out' part Sanzo spoke of nothing and instead wasn't thinking in his right mind when he suddenly blurted out his own question.
"Is your place repaired?"
"Iie, its awaiting some parts that will be a few days away apparently, but Goyjo has allowed me to stay at his place for the time being."
"You're staying with that pervert?" Hakkai blinked widely as he did nothing but stare at Sanzo's turned head and his rigid pose with arms crossed over his chest. "Not that I care or anything…" Came the quick reflex words by Sanzo who looked about ready to smack his head into the wall but that of course would be very un-Sanzo like so he refrained from doing so.
"He's my best friend…and I think…we need some time apart." Hakkai caught a snort from Sanzo as his blazing amethyst orbs returned to his emerald ones.
"You make it sound like we're a bloody couple."
"Well to be honest, I need some time away from you." Parting his lips wanting to always have the last say Sanzo really didn't know what to voice to that. Here was this brunette…this very male brunette confessing (even though it was slightly coded) that he had feelings for him and here he was just gapping at him like a freaking idiot!
"Sanzo…?" Snapping slightly apprehensive eyes over at Hakkai he watched, still in his frigid posture, as the taller man calmly and slowly inched closer towards him.
"What the hell…do you want from me?" Sanzo remarked and he could have sworn that he felt something stir within him as warm breath rushed against his cheek.
"Do you like me Sanzo?" Alarms went off in Sanzo's head as those words circled through his mind over and over again and also for the fact lips had been very close to his cheek before they moved closer to his slightly parted lips. Before Hakkai could get any nearer to his target an instant answer blurted from Sanzo's lips breaking the highly nerve raking moment.
"No…"
"I see…" Hakkai mumbled as he dropped his eyes away from the author and quietly headed for his vehicle. He stood at the door contemplating what to do and without glancing back at Sanzo he voiced in a very professional way,
"Goku is doing better in his tests. If he studies a little bit harder at home he'll start getting higher grades. Actually underneath that goofy monkey-like attitude he is a bright kid and doesn't require my help any longer." Getting into his jeep Hakkai reversed out of the driveway and "burned rubber" away from the writer that seemed to plague his daily thoughts and even his nightly ones at times and never once looked back.
Sanzo was still standing at the door and then stomped heavily on the slowly burning cigarette, which had been forgotten. Picking up the butt he headed inside only to be greeted with sad and angry gold eyes.
"What the hells your problem saru?" Sanzo gruffly spoke as he eyed the teenager.
"I may be a monkey to you, but at least I can tell when someone likes someone else! You're the one that's stupid!" Goku yelled back at Sanzo before rushing back into his room and slamming the door closed. Truth, he'd never really been one to yell at Sanzo for the fact he did love the blonde for taking him in and looking after him and providing him with endless food, but at times he just wanted to smack the frozen attitude from the older male. Sure he didn't really know a lot about "adult stuff" but he wasn't blind to the fact that even though Hakkai was a guy he seemed to like Sanzo…a lot. Was it wrong for a guy to like another guy?
Lying on his bed looking out the window Goku knew he'd have to question Lirin on this and formulate a plan with her on what has to be done about the two of them. Operation Goku and Lirin to get Sanzo and Hakkai talking again would commence as of tomorrow.
# To be continued… #