Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and make no money from this fiction.
Summery: This story is what happens between two friends when circumstances change.
Chapter 1
The countryside passed slowly as Gojyo noticed the usual trees, grass, birds and the assortment of wildlife. He was sitting in the right side back seat of the Jeep, which was not a Jeep at all but a small white dragon changeling. Gojyo felt calm and lazy as his thoughts just drifted through his head.
The last town on their trip west had some attractive women in it and he was remembering them one by one. One was very unusual with beautiful green eyes and brown hair….mmmmmmmmm…nice.
The gentle rhythmic movement of the Jeep was giving him feelings of a sexual nature. He had not had any action in that department in a long time and he was getting a little antsy about it anyway. His animalistic tendencies were getting a little out or control as he was a very sexual being to begin with so a normal person would have normal feelings. Wouldn't they?
That girl was very beautiful with those green eyes and dark brown hair…wait a minute…she had black hair. It even confused him more when his imagination put a monocle on the right eye. Now he was really at a quandary because the only one he knew with a monocle was his best friend Hakkai.
Gojyo did a mental double take for he now knew that he was thinking about Hakkai and not in a 'We are just friends' way. How could he think about his friend that way? They had been best friends for years. Here, in his head, was the vision of Hakkai and himself in a very familiar and sexual position. What was going on? He was a normal person. He did not like guys. He was sure of that one thing. However, there in his mind was the most lurid picture of himself and Hakkai in a loving embrace and enjoying a full lip lock.
He was not a pervert. Well, he really didn't think of people like that as perverts, because you couldn't really pick who you fell in love with, could you? Now it was time to ask him that question. One question he thought he would never have to ask. Was he gay?
Gojyo liked the fact people did not conceder him a deep thinker. Mainly because you shouldn't let your opponent know your feelings or see those feelings on your face…ever. Now his feelings were showing on his face and were noticeable in other places on his body. He put his hand in his pocket and fixed the latter but the face was harder to control since he was in such shock.
He let his eyes wander to the rearview mirror where he saw the aforementioned face with green eyes and monocle. It was looking back at him with a serene smile on his face. Gojyo jumped as if stuck with a pin due to the shock.
The other riders noticed the movement and chose to ask the reason.
Goku asked, "Hey, man what is your deal?"
"One to the left." Gojyo replied from reflex.
"You pervert, you know it was something that was in the gutter", replied Goku.
A slight blush covered Gojyo's face, and he had long since stopped blushing- or so he thought. This was something new to him and as he thought about it, he turned even redder. Goku jumped up and down as best as the room in his seat would let him and laughed as loud as he could. "I caught him, I caught him…you perverted water sprite, I win!" With that, Gojyo hit the boy on the head with gusto.
Sanzo took his fan from its hidden nest and gave both back seat occupants several swats... "Hey, why you hitting me, you lousy monk?" The redhead remarked with great effrontery. Sanzo hated any ruckus, so it just came normal to hit the back seat, from where most of the noise came all the time with no difference as to whom he hit.
." Just shut up you bakas", was Sanzo's only defense.
Gojyo sat back and returned to his thoughts, as he was treading on new territory. This was not what he wanted to think about but he knew if he was to continue on this trip west, that he had to make sense of these new feelings. Where had these thoughts been?
He had lived with Hakkai for 4 years, the eyes and hair of his daydream were Hakkai's, and he was a MAN! Never had he ever thought of falling for a man, not even once, no matter how hard up he was.
He was a ladies man, and known for that fact. Sure, it had been a while but, hey, he was a man and the opposite sex was his thing. 'HEY, YOU ARE A GUY' he yelled to himself. Then he took a minute to look in the rear view mirror and saw the green eyes and brown hair that was in his dreams looking back at him with a question in the eyes and he had no idea where to look then… anywhere but those eyes…'yep, that was it - just avoid those eyes - that would do it.'
At this time, he chose to remember his past. He really did remember the past, too. He was a nothing- just a joke. Why?' 'He remembered the young kid that never knew love but got pulled into sex for hire…well, a kid had to eat and get in out of the rain. All he had in the world …his body….and that was what he used to bargain with, and used it was in so many ways he couldn't remember them all.
Then sadness filled him from head to toe. He was so empty and numb that it hurt. Then he remembered what he always did to cope and it was just ignore feelings altogether. However, this was just closing off his feelings and feeling nothing. That was all he could do to get through it.
Then one day he got out of that terrible life, because of his ability with cards. He could make his money at least without selling his soul. It was better for they didn't take part of him with them, and he usually won so the joke was on them now'.
On night walking home in the rain, he found this lump of human flesh in the road and he stopped to see if it was alive. To his surprise, there was still breath in the body. 'What to do?' Without a second thought he picked up the man, stuffed his innards back in and took him home nursing him back from the edge of the abyss.
He couldn't figure it out but he became friends with the man and here they were still together after so long but now there is a new turn of events. This feeling was foreign to him. 'What could it be?' In addition, as he entertained this earth shattering thought… they rolled into the next town and up to an inn. This forced him out of his reverie. Looked around, noticed that the others were out of the Jeep, and moving around.
Gojyo jumped out and started to grab his bags and Hakkai's at the same time Hakkai did, which was the usual way it happened but their hands touched and Gojyo jerked his hand back as if burned.
"Are you okay Gojyo?" the healer asked thinking his services might be called into use...
"Yeah, Hakkai, I am fine… just fine." 'Boy, what am I doing?' thought Gojyo. 'Things are going from bad to worse and the night hasn't even started.'
As usual, Hakkai went in and got the room registered and got the keys coming out and saying there were two rooms with two beds each. He held out both keys and Goku grabbed one.
"I get to room with Sanzo!" cried the boy, running for the door to the first room and unlocking it.
"Like we would really think anything else?" Gojyo stated as he smacked the kid on the head as he passed.
"Don't hit me you ass! Sanzo! Tell him to stop hitting me!" Goku cried.
Sanzo looking totally bored just "tch" and entered his room. Goku followed and closed the door unceremoniously in the others faces...
Now here Gojyo stood with the object of his affection and the newness of it was just shattering so he just stood dumbfounded. 'What to do next?'
Hakkai took up the slack and said, "Well, I guess this is us," walking to the next door unlocking the other room and entering. He dumped the bags down and turned to Gojyo, "I am ready for a good meal now", looking as if his friend should say something, which was totally the farthest thing from Gojyo's mind now.
Realizing something was required of him he just replied, "Yeah, sure….something to eat… guess that would be a good start." Hakkai looked at his companion with a quizzical look and since nothing else came from his mouth turned and walk out of the room toward the restaurant to meet up with his other friends in the hall.
As Gojyo walked, he wondered 'ok, this has got to get better with a little time. I will just eat and then we go to the room… oh…yeah…the room. Well, at least there were two beds and that would give him some time to sort out this problem. (Sure, and I got some swampland I want to sell you). Gojyo, you are in big trouble!'
Dinner went as usual the two "grown-ups" ate their food as Goku and Gojyo fought over any and every thing they could. Because Gojyo was off his game, the last egg roll went to the victor, Goku. As Sanzo read, his paper and Hakkai sipped his tea Goku fiddled with his shop sticks. Gojyo took this time to steal a glance at Hakkai. It did not occur that Hakkai would catch him at it, but he did. Hakkai chose this time to look up from his tea and there they were staring in each other's eyes. Gojyo just gulped and found a soil on his pants leg very important. 'Oh, my kami, what am I doing?' Gojyo jumped up and began to go for the stairs mumbling about getting an early start to the day tomorrow. With that, the other three just looked after the retreating redhead and looked every bit at a loss for words.
The others looked at Hakkai, this being the usual mode of operations because Hakkai usually knew what was going on. Hakkai, this time had no idea so he said as much to the group. "Don't look to me there is something that Gojyo is dealing with and he as of this moment has not let me in on the secret he's holding. I think he eventually will let me in and tell me what his problem is."
Sanzo replied," You really think he has a problem? It better not get in the way of the mission!"
Hakkai shuffled his hands together in a nervous way and said, "I know he will confide in me eventually and I will make sure it doesn't do anything to interrupt the mission so, we might as well make it a night I guess," as he rose and followed in the wake of Gojyo.
"Ok, was that the least bit weird to you Sanzo?" Goku asked.
Of course Sanzo replied,"…." Then he straitened his paper stood and went in the direction of the other two. Looking back he said to his companion, "come on monkey let's get some sleep and if you snore too loud tonight I am going to but a bullet through that pea size brain of yours."
Goku replied,"Yeah, yeah, that is what you always say and I am still in one piece."
"Keep it up saru and you won't be." This punctuated with a smack from the fan used earlier.
"Damn it, Sanzo, I hope you lose that thing," was Goku's reply. With that came a, "not likely, kid" Oh, how he hated that one…'kid'…he was no kid, damn it, he was over 500 years old. Well now, for a good sleep with no loud snoring and some peace and quite.
Meanwhile, Hakkai opened the door to their room expecting to find his friend in some semblance of sleep. There was no one there so he sat on his bed and began getting ready for sleep, odd feelings running around his head as to why the look from his friend and how it had unnerved him. This was troublesome to him because he had for so long harbored a love for this man that he lived with and shared everything. Of course, Gojyo didn't have any idea for Hakkai was a master of disguising emotions. Put a blank face with a placid smile on it and you could think anything you wanted to. This worked for Hakkai. In addition, he had spent many a night thinking about the redheaded mixed breed and loving the thoughts that ran through his mind. 'Oh, if only there was a world where he could put his feelings to words and tell the beloved friend how he felt' Well, by now he was ready for bed and with nothing else to do, he snuggled under the covers and tried to sleep.
The redhead that was the subject of the others thoughts had slipped out the back door and was now in the garden adjacent to the Inn sitting meditating on the happenings of the day. 'Ok, I am a guy and I have spent a long time with Hakkai, a lot of years, a lot of history but still I am seeing those green eyes and that soft brown hair and that beautiful face and I am having some stirrings in places I am not supposed to for him. Moreover, some very interesting day dreams about him. Do I tell him? Do I act on these feelings? Are they real? Yes, they are very real, now…THAT… I know. Well, let's go up and confront my problem.'
Gojyo was never one to put off until tomorrow what could be done today even if it was the most idiotic thing he had ever done. Sucking up all his intestinal fortitude, he climbed the stairs to his room…their room. Moreover, as he walked he kept saying in his mind. 'No…no….no…no…' he breathed a long and deep sigh. 'Yes,' as he continued up the stairs and down the hall stopping at the door to 'their' room. He touched the doorknob and felt it almost vibrate in his hand but he knew it was all in his mind. He turned the knob and entered the room. Seeing his friend asleep, he walked over to his bed but heard a retort he was not ready for. "My dear friend excuse me, but there was an odd look that you gave me at the dinner table tonight." Sitting up on the side of the bed Hakkai made himself comfortable.
"Yeah, well, that was something I think I really need to talk to you about and have been thinking about it for a while. It is not something easy for me to talk about," said Gojyo as he faced the other way.
"I thought we could talk about anything by now, Goyjo," his friend replied.
He turned around and looked into his friends eyes and said, "Yeah, you would," Gods please give me strength (and he was not a religious man but he would take any help he could get right now).
"Yeah, well, that was something I think I really need to talk to you about and have been thinking about that but this is very difficult." He moved over to Hakkai and stood in front of him. "Can you stand for me Hakkai?"
Hakkai did as his friend asked and stood to face him. They were almost eye-to-eye now and Gojyo was looking into those green eyes that bothered him down deep in the deepest bottom of his soul. He hung his head a bit like a child about to admit he had broken a glass, even though this might have a similar effect but that of breaking his heart
"Hakkai, "I love you," he said.
"I love you too Goyjo, but that is nothing new. We have cared for each other for years."
"No …Hakkai….I love you …love you, I have sexual feelings for you." He said as he took his rough hand and lightly tipped Hakkai's chin up and brushed his lips to the most wonderful lips in the world or at least his world.
Time froze. Gojyo pulled back to stand straight in front of Hakkai. He waited for his friend to process what had happened and it was an eternity to wait but he knew he had to let this play out. Hakkai dropped his head for a minute and Gojyo's heart hit bottom. He backed up a step then Hakkai's arm shot out and grabbed Gojyo's arm. "No…don't move" came from Hakkai.
His world was over. Goyjo knew he was never going to see his friend again. It was a mistake. Oh, no, what had he done? Now it was time to take his medicine so he raised his head and looked. His friend raised his head and the enormous luminous green eyes stared back at him with all the love that could ever be in them shining there for his friend to see.
"So you are just figuring that out?" the unexpected reply came so softly.
That took some calculations on Gojyo's part because he was never expecting this. He never expected the return of his feelings not this time and not the feelings this new. His jaw just dropped and he looked like a dumbstruck idiot. Hakkai took his hand, his beautifully graceful hand, picked Gojyo's jaw up, shut his mouth for him, leaned up, and kissed that lovely mouth. Yep, right there on the mouth and Gojyo was his. Hakkai was leaping up and down and doing a dance inside his mind. Of course, it didn't make it to the outside because he was not that kind of person but it was there all he had hoped for and then some. When Gojyo realized he was being kissed he finally threw his arms around Hakkai and nearly squished the air completely out of him. Hakkai came up coughing when they broke the kiss.
"Oh, Kai, I am so sorry….can I help… is there something I need to do?" Gojyo ran his hands all over his friend checking to see everything was ok.
Hakkai stopped him mid frisk to let him know he was fine.
"Stop fussing over me Gojyo! I am ok, I think…you didn't hurt me and I think we both enjoyed the experience," replied Hakkai.
"I know I did!" said Gojyo with great gusto and a rather goofy grin. This made Hakkai blush about the color of a beet and utter an, "oh, my…" Then came a sexy grin (he hoped it was sexy) from Gojyo with a," You want to try it again to see if it is as good?" All Hakkai could do was laugh and say, "Sure, why not."
This time Gojyo took Hakkai in his arms with great care and touched his lips as light as a feather and then he pressed a little harder (yep, this was the best, so, do we go for it? Yep!) In addition, he touched Hakkai's lips with his tongue and slid it in his mouth just ever so slightly. There he met no resistance so he continued and felt the most luscious tongue that god had ever made, there playing a lovely dance with his own tongue. Heaven could not be better, the smoothness juxtaposed with the soft little roughness made it the most erotic kiss he had ever had and he was no newbie to this kind of thing. He was known for his kissing abilities and this one left him out distanced.
He held Hakkai back from him and looked ,"whoa!" he gasped and seeing at his friend knew it had affected him as much in his mind and body. Finally Hakkai found his voice asking," Did that just do to you what it did to me?"
Gojyo replied. "Feel for yourself." Then he took Hakkai's hand and put it on the front of his own pants which brought out a louder, "Oh, my!" from Hakkai.
Gojyo smiled big and laughed at him, "You think that is bad look at yourself." What else could he do but look and there was the evidence staring him right in the face, literally. "Ok," he said actually, "we can deal with this."
"That is why I love you so much Kai, you are always in control."
"Huh, in control, you think this is in control?" With that, he pointed to Hakkai's pants.
"Well, in this situation I think it is a very good thing."
Hakkai looked at Gojyo funny and asked, "Have you been watching Martha Stewart?"
"Who is Martha Stewart?"
"Never mind that is in the future and we need to be practical and in the here and now."
"Ok, Kai, what you think we should do in this situation?"
"Let's sit down and discuss our options." With this, he sat down. Goyjo followed and sat next to him not really wanting to talk but to explore the practical and the here and now part, too.
"What are your intentions Gojyo?" Hakkai said
Thinking about this, after a short film of a father asking a young man about his intentions toward his daughter ran through his mind, he politely said, "My intentions are to make love to you until we both can't stand for a week. What do you think about that?"
Hakkai moved away just a little and then looked as if a light bulb had gone off over his head, "What will we tell Sanzo and Goku?"
"Actually…I don't see as it is any of their business what we do," Gojyo said with a look of disgust.
"But the mission, the mission west must continue…" leave it to Hakkai to think of the logical things.
"Why can't the mission continue, and, we have a relationship? Nothing is going to change except we will be closer and happier" he replied.
"Yes, I guess, but we haven't even decided if we want to take it to that level,' Hakkai said, looking at Gojyo with a question in his eyes.
Gojyo picked up Hakkai's hand in his and laid his other hand over it. "I know what I want so it is just up to you what you want to do Kai, so think and tell me, the others don't get a vote on this. This is between you and me and that's it, period."