Part 26: You're Still The One

One Year Later

Hakkai

I stare at my sleeping lover. It never ceases to amaze me how he looks so beautiful in the mornings. I guess it is just that I took it for it for granted for so long that I would never get to see this, that now I know how to truly appreciate seeing. To this day, I remember waking up in the temple together. For a long time, I was awake, but afraid to open my eyes. When I did, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. Those violet eyes were staring down at me. The love that we made that day was ethereal. I can't begin to describe what it was like be with him and not take one single thing for granted. Our lives aren't guaranteed to go on forever. Thanks to all that's happened, we both are thankful for every second we're together.

Whether I appreciate sleeping beauty or not doesn't matter. It's time for him to wake up. I slide my hand under the covers and find the top of his pajama pants. He cracks an eye open as I lace my fingers gently over the edge. "Good morning," I say cheerily.

"You'd better plan on finishing that," he groans.

Laughing, I kiss his bare chest. "I will, but we have things to do today."

"Like what?" He sits up and rakes a hand through his hair.

I roll my eyes. "I can't believe you've forgotten Mayu and Jien's wedding!"

"I can't believe you're making me go to this!"

"She's our Goddaughter. Besides, you have to keep Goku from killing Jien before the wedding," I remind him,

He snorts. "I'm having a problem remembering why I shouldn't let him. Hell, I'm half tempted to help."

"Now, now. He made his end of the deal. Goku even gave his blessing to the whole thing, and Mayu is happy. We're going to share in a wonderful day in their lives. How can you not want to be there?" I ask.

"Easy. I don't want to go. Besides why would I want to spend time with those morons anyway?"

I sigh. Sanzo will never change. "Because they're our friends?"

"Yeah, whatever."

He begins to play with my ring. We never did have a formal ceremony, but we did exchange rings and vows. The rings are very special to us. A jeweler custom made them for us. Two separate bands interweave—one silver with emerald accents, the other gold with amethyst accents. Our lives are forever connected just like the bands. It's impossible to tell where we became so entwined, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Do you ever wish we would have had the ceremony?" he asks

I shake my head. "I have all I could ever want. Who needs all the rest of it?"

"All the more reason those two should have eloped," he grumbles. "Do I really have to go to this? Can't I just slip a twenty in the card?"

"You mean the card that I picked out?" I remind him. "There is no way I'm letting you out of this."

"Fine." I smile as I watch him storm out of the room.

No matter what, I've learned that love doesn't have to end badly. Despite everything that has happened to us, we're happy. Our friends are happy. I never thought that life could be like this, but it is. Life goes on. People find ways to smile and laugh. Bad things happen, but they don't have to ruin your life. It is possible to find contentment, even if there are sins in your past. I finally believe that I deserve to be happy, and I am.

Sanzo stands in the door way stark naked. "Hakkai, get your ass in the shower with me. We have a whole hour to ourselves before we have to go to this little nightmare."

"Only an hour?"

"You're going to spend the night making it up to me, but this will have to do for now," he says eying me as I drop my pants.

"I'm not sure I've got anything to be sorry for, but I'll have to pretend." I laugh. "You know, I never realized how horny you were until it was too late."

"Keh, all that time in a monastery will do that to you. Now hurry up!"

So this is the way life will go, hopefully. And if it is true, that we are destined to be in each other's lives for all eternity, then I pray that it will always be this way. Sanzo and I are halves of the same soul. I was never fully whole until I was with him. Now, I see that everything that fate has brought us has led to this time. I'm not going to waste a second of it.

I follow him into the bathroom. Already, he's standing under the water. "What took you?" he asks. He pulls me to the wall and kisses me hard on the mouth.

I smile as I begin to get my hands nice and soapy. Oh there isn't a chance that I'd ever take this for granted.

The End

AN THANK YOU ALL! You guys rock for reading this, and if you review I love you. This is the end of this series, but I have some stuff to go back to. I am planning on writing a prequel to all of this, and I am half way done already with a side fic to this. I'm going to play with Mayu and Jien for a while. I do apologize for being inconsistent with this story. I hope yall will forgive me.