Part 17: Kiss the Rain

Sanzo

The rain falls like mercy from the sky. She's right. This is my job. "HAKKAI!" I scream out his name and run full force at him. Grabbing his wrists as we fall, I land on top of him. "Cho Hakkia! You are mine. Stop this madness and come back to me. Remember rain, and remember who you are."

There's no doubt that he's stronger than I am, but he makes no move to take me off. The storm picks up and the lightning cuts across the sky. In the flashes of light I can see shards of green return to his eyes. Damn it, it's my touch that's bringing him back. I push my mouth on to his and feel no struggle as my tongue slides past his lips. Soon, he's melting against me. The rift between us has been mended and the truth enters our skin. This is the only way we can be whole. Soul mates, now and forever.

I feel him go limp beneath me and stare down at Cho Hakkai. Gonou is dead, Hakkai lives. Though still in demon form I see the change in him. Pressing another kiss to his forehead, I stand and look at the faces around me. "Help me carry him to the inn," I say.

We're all ready to collapse by the time we reach Goku's. Kougaiji helps me lay him in bed. I sit and watching him sleep for a long time. I'm never letting you go, I promise silently.

His eyes flutter. "Sanzo? What happened? Why are you so sad?" He lays a hand on my cheek. I hadn't even realized that I'm crying.

"Damn it, Hakkai, I almost lost again! I can't live without you, don't you get that?"

He nods sadly, and hugs me. "I'm sorry. I tried to get to you. It was like I could see what was happening around me, but I couldn't get there. There was always something in my head and I couldn't force it out no matter what I did." I see the tears of regret in his eyes. "I'm sorry. Oh, God, what I've done…"

"Hakkai, that wasn't you. Nii did this to you, and believe me he's going to regret it, but right now all that matter is that you're here. I'm never letting you go," I say pushing a lock of dark hair behind his pointed ear.

"You've changed, Sanzo. Did my…my death hurt you this badly?" Guilt is written across his face as plainly as the vine markings.

"Your death showed me exactly what was important in my life. When you were gone, I tried to be as good of a man as you are, but that's not me. The only thing that really makes me a good man is my love for you. I don't give a fuck about most anything else in this world. That's why we were made for each other, Hakkai. You are the good in me. You saved my life, and I can't thank you enough for loving me that much, but I do mean it when I say that I am nothing without you. I love you so much." I've waited so long to say those words that I can't stop saying them.

"Sanzo, I love you too. I never want to leave you again. Without you, I don't know who I am or why it matter."

Before I know it, I'm in the bed with him. Clothes hit the floor, as we begin to taste things that we have long missed. Making love to Hakkai is ethereal. All of his passion, all of his emotions come through so eloquently that it's impossible to imagine not seeing him as the most beautiful thing in all of creation. Descending for one last kiss, I roll to my side and gently entwine my fingers with his—he always liked that best.

He smiles me. "It's still raining. Do you remember our garden?"

"I'd never forget. That was the day we were married. To hell with convention," I add as I roughly kiss his neck.

He moans. "That is something you would say."

A knock breaks the moment. "Hey Hakkai, quit fucking the monk and get your ass out here!"

"God Damn it, Kappa! Can't we have any peace?" I yell from bed.

"Not when I haven't seen my best friend yet you can't, you stingy monk!"

Hakkai laughs heartily beside me. "I'll be down in a minute," he calls to Gojyo. He looks to me and shakes his head, "You two will never change."

"Would you believe we lived together for a year?"

"A whole year? I'm impressed. I would have thought you'd have killed each other after a week. So why did you move out?"

Doesn't he realize? No, I guess with everything going on in his head he wouldn't have. "Hakkai, it's been twenty five years since you died."

"What? How?"

I swallow and try to think of how to explain. "Hakkai, after you died, I was going to commit suicide. Kanzeon brought me here because she knew I wasn't going to make it without you, that's why I haven't aged. But the others…."

Reality hits him hard. "Jien and Mayu are Goku's and Gojyo's children. I don't know why it didn't connect sooner. So Gojyo and Goku are older now."

"Goku doesn't show much, but the kappa's put on the years… and the pounds," I add with a slim amount of satisfaction.

"Who is the mother of his son?" Hakkai asks solemnly. "He did marry her?"

"Ha, Kougaiji would have castrated him if he didn't."

"Kougaiji? Oh my, you don't mean he married Lirin?"

I laugh. "He did and they're happy."

He stands and begins to put on some clothes. "Well it seems I have catching up to do all over," he says with a smile.

Of all the things I have missed, that smile is what I have longed for the most. Even more than those emerald eyes—I loved him even without them. But that smile makes my soul lighter. For the second time in our lives, we were saved by a kiss in the rain.

AN I know I've promised this before, but I will try REALLY hard to get this out for you guys! Thanks for reviewing!