Disclaimer: Don't own any of these characters but wish I did. The setting is the next morning.

Chapter 17

Dawn came early that morning but the inhabitants of the two rooms were not budging. Seems they were all up late that night making relationships deeper and as most of the other tenants found out making a lot of noise. The whole Inn knew something happened last night but could not exactly figure out which room it came from. It seemed to be all over the place.

About 10:00 that morning the first of the little band of revelers came down the stairs. It just happened to be Sanzo and he took up his usual place at their table with his paper asking the waitress for a pot of tea and a cup not expecting any of the others for a while. Then he sat there looking like he was reading the paper but he was thinking about the night before. 'That was a great night but did I do the right thing?'

Hakkai came slowly down the stairs rubbing his forehead. He stopped at their table and sat down then looked up at Sanzo. "You sure are up early, Sanzo."

"So?" Sanzo replied in a grunt.

"Well, um… I just …um…thought…well…that you might sleep in." Hakkai tried to get the words out of his tongue tied mouth.

Sanzo lifted his eyes from his paper and looked at Hakkai and replied roughly, "You are a nosey busybody…you know that?"

Hakkai blushed a little and replied, "Well, yes, I guess I am when it concerns my friends. I care for Goku as if he was my little brother and I don't want him hurt."

"I think that one has been said enough…it's like beating a dead horse…and I think I have told you I don't want him hurt either."

"Yes, you have. I will try to remember from now on to mind my own business." Hakkai gave in just a little miffed causing him to sit ramrod straight.

"Good," Sanzo replied just as terse as usual.

Gojyo stumbled down the stairs about that time so both occupants looked up at the noisy kappa. "Whatcha looking at?" Then he grabbed his head and winced. "Ouch, that hurt. Hakkai why did you let me drink all that sake?

"Me? You would not be swayed to contrary opinion, and I am not your mother." Hakkai gasped and covered his mouth with his hand, knowing he had just over stepped the boundaries. "You claimed 'but Hakkai this is the best we've had in forever', and I couldn't possibly stop the mighty 'know all of sake and its nuances of taste'." He tried to cover up for his misspoken sentence by fidgeting with his napkin in his lap.

"Nu..what? What the hell are you talking about Hakkai and why are you so pissed?"

"So…you noticed I was not exactly affable?"

"Big heaping piles of shit …could you make my head hurt any more?"

"And why do you have a headache?" Hakkai asked sarcastically.

"Ah….oh….that well, it ain't such a good reason but at least I got one!" He had remembered why Hakkai was so mad. "I didn't mean to pass out before you had a climax Hakkai, honest, but you don't have to be a bitch about it."

"Humf…you are a lush and a lousy lover and I am not a bitch you bastard."

"Hakkai! Oh, no we aren't going there. You know I am the best lover that there has ever been!"

"At least you think so…so it must be true, right?"

"Damn you, Hakkai, you are way off the rails on this one."

"And you were so fair to me last night."

"I woke up once and gave you what you needed at least, so stop being a pansy ass."

"Pansy ass…I …never…you are appalling!" Hakkai stuttered in painful distress. He then bowed his head where he sat and refused to say anything else.

"Okay, so, I blew it…I got drunk and left you to your own devices. Can't you forgive me?" Gojyo half heartedly begged his green-eyed lover for forgiveness.

Hakkai just sat there and kept his mouth in a straight line and his head bowed. Gojyo had not been fair to him but he didn't have to say that about his mother, it was a low blow, but he was so mad.

"Hakkai?" Gojyo looked at him like a whipped pup, but it had no effect on Hakkai. He was going to stick to his guns no matter what. So Gojyo continued. "Well, damn you then, you can take care of yourself…I got someplace to be…where they don't nag you to death!" Gojyo spat out the words jumped to his feet knocking over the chair he had been sitting in and left, leaving said chair on the floor like a dead soldier wounded in the battle.

"Go on and find someone else that will put up with your short temper and lousy drinking habits." Hakkai was really mad now and his face was red and his posture looking as if he might change his mind and go after Gojyo and beat the shit out of him. He rethought it and said out loud to no one in particular, "Damn fool kappa, he will get into trouble before the night is out and come back beaten to a bloody pulp."

Sanzo, sitting on the other side of the table had enjoyed the show very much. It was the first time someone else was on the end of the normally clam green-eyed demon's ire. Sanzo's malevolent side was having a field day with the happenings and leisurely thought, 'this goes nicely with the tea.' Then he smiled a smug little smile.

Happiness didn't last long as Hakkai looked at Sanzo and started taking out his revenge out on the priest. "You see what I have to put up with! You would think he would be more sympatric, but noooooo…damn it…I am so mad I could stomp him a new one," was Hakkai's need to let off steam. It got stirred up as he thought of it more and more. He thought about it and he stood and started pacing, "I can't stomach anything to eat now I am going to my room and pack."

Sanzo thought it better to say nothing and stay under the radar for now, so he kept quite and Hakkai stomped off and up the stairs mumbling to himself with an occasional "dumb ass" punctuating the tirade. Then just as fast as he left he came back and started again, "that stupid drunken fuck couldn't find his way home half the time if it wasn't for me helping him. I do everything for him and he just passes out!...passes out! What do you think about that?"

Sanzo didn't quite know if an answer was needed here so he just sat a minute.

"Well, what do you think I should do?"

"Ah… well… you see Hakkai I am not at all good with this sort of thing." Sanzo replied.

Using his hands as a tool for emphasis Hakkai waved them around at the appropriate places to go with the conversation, "I can't put up with the way he treats me sometimes. It's like I am a non-person. It's like I just exist for his amusement. I have needs, too. He started this in the first place. I know I wanted it for a long time but not to be ignored. Well, just fuck him, let's just see how he deals with that." He walked off again and went up the stairs, leaving Sanzo by himself and hoping that it was the last of that conversation he was having. 'Dingy bunch of weirdoes, did I ask for that? I sure hope not, and I hope it doesn't return anytime soon.' Sanzo went back to his paper and tea looking every once in a while at the doorway to the stairs hoping not to see the healer again.

About 15 minutes later someone did show up and it was Goku. At least it was someone he could understand. "Good morning Goku."

"And?... What do you think is good about it? I just spent a half hour listening to Hakkai ranting on and on about Gojyo and some dumb ass thing he'd done," Goku flopped down next to Sanzo and looked at the table, He jumped up, slammed his hands on the table and said , "Where's the food? Did I miss the food? Come on Sanzo don't do this to me just because I am a little late, you have them take everything away. Don't you think that is a little childish?"

Sanzo looks at Goku and can't believe what is going on. He didn't even have the energy to use his fan on anyone, it of course being one of the options he had to use, his gun the other. This was getting crazy when he didn't even remember to use his fan. What was going on in this crazy world? -- 'Okay, take a deep breath… things are going out of control ...relax,' --Sanzo tried to take his own advice but things just kept getting worse.

Then Gojyo came stomping in the room, ranting and raving about the way the bars were not open, "You think people would want to make money and they would have their doors open any time of the day for people with problems. How is a person supposed to drink away their problems if the bar isn't open? Damn!" He sat down and lit up a cigarette.

Goku sat there with his jaw agape and trying to figure out what was going on. "Gojyo, are you ok?"

Gojyo looked hateful at the younger man and snipped, "What do you think? That green-eyed monster has jumped me for no reason at all and gave me a ranted about something which I can't even remember what it was about."

"I am sure he had something that was for sure reasonable, because Hakkai never just fusses without reason. He is a real easy going person."

"You would think so, wouldn't you but no…not one thing reasonable did I get out of it. This relationship is hitting the pits and I can't even see where to go to find a solution to this problem.

Sanzo decided he had enough of the fight with no reason so he took it upon himself to make things right. "Gojyo, there is no reason behind any of this. You were drunk and took advantage of Hakkai and he is mad at you for the whole thing."

"It's my fault?"

"Yes, Gojyo, you stupid pervert, you have really messed things up this time." Sanzo gave Gojyo the reason for the fight and the way to defuse it before it got out of hand.

Gojyo thought about what had happened between the two and remembered the night before. "It's entirely my fault," He slammed his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. "Ouch. Damn, that hurt. I am a real ass hole." After realizing his problem he jumped to his feet, stood for a minute and swayed then after regaining his composure he started for the stairs. "Don't let him get by here without me talking to him."

"Okay, you got it Gojyo." Goku agreed to obey Gojyo needs.

Sanzo looked at Goku and said,"Why are you helping them? They are the dumbest couple of idiots I have ever seen. They can't fix a relationship they are in and they are trying to help us."

"What do you mean by that Sanzo?" was said by Goku with a sharp tone to it. "You think there is no solution for us to have a relationship?"

"No…gods ….this day is getting worse, as it goes along. Don't tell me you are going to take what's been said as meant the wrong way, too"

"You think we can't have a relationship that is what I am getting from what has been going on." Goku explained what he was receiving from their little talk.

"No, that has nothing to do with it. Gojyo and Hakkai have nothing to do with our relationship. Think it over and tell me where you stand. Do you want to have a relationship or not. We have already started something and I don't want you going off the deep end every little bit. We either have a stable relationship of we remain friends only. You chose. And if you can't make a choice as an adult then it's over. And please take your time so the final answer will stand the test of time." Sanzo stood up and walked off and up the stairs. "I will be in our room waiting for the answer."

'My future has to be decided now? Goku thought at that moment and sat down at the table to think about this weird morning. 'Things are getting weird between Hakkai and Gojyo. I can't figure out why. And now I have to decide the rest of my life in a few hours. This is crazy.' He stood up and said,"I am going out!" He didn't realize there was on one to tell it to but that didn't matter, it was a declaration of independence.

A/N: Reviews are welcome….really. even the bad ones.