AN I forgot to thank Occasus and Aimless for their help on this fic so far. They have been doing grammar check for me. So I love you guys!

Part 3: Something to Remember

Yaone stared down at the form in the bed. She had come into to check on him after Gojyo had gone. Placing a hand on his forehead, her worst fears were confirmed. Fever had already began to rage within him. He might die just yet. She started to cry as she remember the first time they had met. Hakkai was the kindest person she had ever known. That day, she had been prepared to take her own life for her failure, but Hakkai wouldn't let her even though she had come to kill him. For a time, Yaone had thought that she was in love with him, but then she realized how much she really did care for Kougaiji. She shook away the memory and put a cold compress on his head.

"Ka…Ka.. Kanan?" he moaned.

"Shh," she whispered.

"Kanan, don't do it! No." He began to toss and turn.

She went over to the nightstand and mixed up a sleeping potion for him. Pressing it to his lips, she begged him to drink. When he did, he calmed down and was silently sleeping once again. God only knew what tortured dreams he was having. Yaone wasn't ignorant of what he had done to those demons years ago, yet that wasn't the Hakkai that she knew. It was impossible to imagine him killing youkai without remorse. Not this man.

The door creaked open and Sanzo slid in. His eyes were wide as he got his first glimpse of the swollen, fevered man in the bed. "Will he live?"

"The fever is the big thing right now. Later he might have an infection. I can't say for sure…"

Sanzo nodded. "It was a good thing you were nearby. Kougaiji told me why you were in the area."

Yaone sighed. They had been tracking that particular youkai for sometime. He'd stolen something that belonged to Nii and killed the guards. Ironically, he was on his way to find Sanzo and the scripture. It had to have been fate somehow that they all ended up here.

"Do you know where Gojyo is?"

Sanzo's eyes narrowed. "No."

"I thought he would want to stay the night with him," she said.

The monk didn't say anything as he took the uninhabited spot beside the bed. She didn't know him well, but he seemed to care a lot for Hakkai. A knot formed in her throat. He would certainly need friends when he woke up.

Her fingers gently touched his forehead. His skin was still burning with fever. "Tonight is critical for him. Will you stay while I mix some herbs for him?"

The stoic priest nodded. She almost thought she saw fierce protectiveness in those violet eyes, but she dismissed it. Gojyo needed to get his sorry ass back here, she thought gravely.

In the room downstairs, the tavern owner was cleaning up the mess. "It's a good thing your friend paid me well," he muttered under his breath.

Ignoring the ill-tempered man, Yaone met Goku in the kitchen. Everything she had asked for was laid out on the counter. Hopefully, the powder she was going to make would lower his temperature. Nearly two hours passed before she went back to Hakkai's room.

She opened the door slowly and gasped at what she saw. Sanzo sat with his fingers entangled with Hakkai's. His eyes never moved from the sleeping man, and pain was etched across his face. Maybe he truly did care. When he caught sight of her, the mask formed over those sharp features once more. "He's still sleeping soundly," he said flatly.

"That's good. He needs rest. In a few hours, I'm going to try and give him some more medicine. You should get some rest yourself," she told him.

"I'm fine."

"I'm sure you are, but I'd like some time alone with him."

Sanzo nodded.

Letting out a breath, Yaone took the now vacant chair beside him. How she had longed to be with this man! Her feelings for her husband had been born out of respect and duty, but what she felt for Hakkai had been different. He gave her the sense that she was valued in some way. It didn't matter that he didn't know her; he managed to show her that life was precious even when it was not going as planned. She had learned so much by watching him. Hakkai had really given her something to hold on to.

"I don't know if you can hear me," she said, "but you need to survive this. So many people love you here that things wouldn't be the same without you. Even Sanzo cares about you. He's a good friend. You're lucky to have him. I have the feeling that he'd do anything for you. Please, just don't die."

A cross between a whimper and a moan escaped Hakkai. "Kanan."

"I'm here," she said softly. "Drink this."

"Kanan," he repeated, though he did not resist the cup she offered. "It's not too late."

"I hope you're right," she said sadly.

Yaone woke in the middle of the night to the sound of the creaking door. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the light. Sanzo stood in the doorway with a tray in his hands. "How is he?"

She touched his face gently. "The fever has gone down. Thank you for waking me. I must have dosed off."

"Goku sent some food. The chimp seems to think it's a cure-all." The priest snorted and set the tray down.

Her stomach growled angrily. It had been sometime since Yaone had eaten or slept. There simply hadn't been time when they were on the hunt, and with Hakkai's injuries, she hadn't wanted to take the time. "Thank you," she said as she tore a piece of bread.

"How long until he's awake?"

"He needs to sleep. When he's conscious enough, I'll have medicine and broth for him, but his body needs to rest in order to heal."

Sanzo nodded. "After you eat, I'll stay with him." That tone left no room for argument.

"I'll leave you some things incase he starts to wake," she agreed.

Thanks to Altered Carbon, Liz, Althea17, Aimless-37, Loveandpeace522, Storm Dragon Girl, FairyMage, Andy-77, and Khiahsu for reviewing! Reviews give me a reason to write!