Chapter 2

Two days later. As usual, Sanzo's group had been attacked by a band of youkais they hadn't had any difficulties to get rid of. The sky darkened with the arrival of the evening and the four travellers decided to stop to put up their tent. It was the second night they had to sleep out. They had made a fire to cook the food that Hakkaï had prepared kindly, and now they were savouring it.

- "Eh, it's my piece you're taking there, erokappa! " Goku shouted suddenly.

- "You see your name on it perhaps? Baka saru! " Gojyo teased him by putting in his mouth what the youkai claimed.

- "Ah!… that, you will pay it! "This last threatened as he threw himself at the redhead to try to recover his due. The confrontation didn't have really time to start, that the legendary fan fell down with strength and several times on the head of the youkai.

- "But it's not fair! Why don't you strike him too? "Goku was indignant.

- "It's you who started, saru! Moreover, Sanzo doesn't have… " The halfbreed didn't have time to finish his sentence because all stopped observing the monk stand up all of a sudden, abandonning his dish to move away from his companions, without saying a word.

- "What's up with him? "The youkai asked with a worried expression.

- "I don't know, but he didn't say anything since the last village…" Hakkaï answered "You don't have any idea, Gojyo? "

- "Why should I have any? " Questioned this one in a perplexed way.

- "And well, I don't know the reason, but I really have the feeling that he tries to avoid you. But maybe I am mistaken… " Hakkaï explained." You should go to speak to him and clear that matter up, I think… " He added.

- "This guy is not my problem, he can do what he wants! "

ooo

In spite of his sharp words, the redhead moved away from the camping place in his turn a few moments later to search for the priest.

He found him, lying down on the fresh grass and contemplating the stars. It's the opportunity I was waiting for. Finally just the two of us. Now it's my turn! The halfbreed approached the blond slowly and sat down beside him without a word. This one, pertubed by the undesirable presence, raised his chest to be in a sitting position too. Apparently frustrated, he took out a cigarette from his packet and wedged it between his lips.

- "Since you come to disturb me, be useful at least for something and lend me your lighter! I left the matches to Hakkaï. "

- "Are you in a huff with me? " The redhead asked him calmly, while holding out the requested object to him.

- "I don't see what you are talking about! " The monk answered with a cold voice, lighting his cigarette. He returned then the lighter to his owner.

- "Did I do something you didn't like? " Gojyo insisted, still on a serene tone.

- "Ch', you didn't do anything, not a single thing! " Sanzo almost spat the words. He seemed angry now. What astonished the halfbreed, was that he realized the words of the blond sounded like a reproach, whereas he had just said to him that he hadn't done anything.

- "What did you want me to do ? Or rather, what DO you want me to do ? " The redhead smiled to his own remark full of insinuations.

- "It should rather be me to ask you this question! " The priest replied, clenching his teeth.

- "But, I don't expect anything from you… You, you expect something… from me? "At these words, the monk turned his back to the half-youkai and said almost indistinctly:

- "It has to stop. You definitely don't understand anything… baka! " Gojyo, who didn't understand what Sanzo was trying to tell him, certainly very awkwardly, moved delicately behind this latter in order to surround him with his legs and to put his broad hands on his shoulders.

- "what I understand, it's that you greatly need to relax, beautiful blond! "

- "Gojyo…" Sanzo wanted to protest and to free himself from the hold of the redhead, but he should admit well that the massage the other man gave him on the top of his back felt very good. He stopped speaking and let the halfbreed go on. He couldn't see the mocking and satisfied smile of this latter. We'll see how far you are able to go, Sanzo Sama! Gojyo thought. He made slide the top of the dress of the priest to his waist and felt the body captured between his limbs tense.

- "Trust me…" He whispered in the ear of his prey in a sensual way. Sanzo shiver slightly at that, however he didn't do anything to stop the Halfbreed. This last put again his hands on the now bare shoulders and allowed his fingers to dig more deeply into the delicate-looking skin. He massed the shoulders slowly, taking time to draw with his fingers the outlines of each muscle, then take an interest in the shoulder blades covered by the black leather top.

He went up towards the nape and put his long fingers in the collar of the monk to be in direct contact with his skin, releasing in the same time the fine golden hair. This same monk, who had made a superhuman effort not to show that he took pleasure with the firm and soft tortures of his torturer, couldn't contain himself longer and let escape from his lips a faint moan of pure satisfaction.

The redhead then trembled slightly with excitation. He had never heard Sanzo express himself like that. Every thoughts escaped from his head. All that he knew at the time was that he wanted to hear again the man groan under the pressure of his hands. He wanted it much more than the game that he thought he led should. His hands came down all along the spinal column of the priest, reaching slowly but surely his lower back.

They seeped under the black top and touched lightly the naked skin of the blond. At this moment, Gojyo believed that he was lost, knowing that he had undoubtedly gone too far. However, instead of finding himself with the Smith & Wesson pointed at his temple as he expected it, he was amazed to hear another moan, longer, more pleading? The halfbreed felt a little overwhelmed.

There was something wrong with Sanzo. No, that couldn't be him who seemed to take delight in his contact. That's it! I've understood, he is making fun of me. He tries to make me confused. He doesn't want to acknowledged defeat! If it's like that… He was cut in his thought by hearing Goku'voice in a far distance who seemed to look for them.

Sanzo, who had also heard the call of their two names, left his lethargy quickly and almost made Gojyo fall on the ground as he stood up abruptly. He nervously straightened his docker before covering the higher part of his body with the top of his dress which had been abandoned a few moments earlier. The redhead noticed then that the monk had the cheeks covered with a deep red, and that this one quickly turned his back to him to mask his state.

- "We sould return to the camp or the saru will end up awaking the deaths by howling like that! " The blond said with a cool voice, concealing hardly the softness of his tone. He was about to return to the others when the half-youkai, who had just lit a cigarette, held him back by the shoulder and forced the priest to face him. They stared at each other a few seconds.

No word was pronounced, but without preventing, Gojyo brought closer his head with Sanzo's and blew on his face the smoke he had just inhaled, while shooting a seducer glance to him. The eyelids of the blond blinked several times to soothe his eyes suddenly hurted by the harmful cloud, while the redhead moved away from him.

- "Why the hell did you do that, kappa? " Sanzo practically scream, annoyed. Gojyo didn't turn round and continued his walk, contenting himself with raising the shoulders in a nonchalant manner and to answer with a sultry voice:

- "Who knows… maybe it means something…" If that is not advances, my name isn't Sha Gojyo! … For my life's sake, I hope he will never learn what I wanted to insinuate… And then shit, it's just a joke… no? Be that as it may, if the next time you defy me as you do again, I swear you that I kiss you fully on the mouth! He smiles. I am sure then that you will give up the game and you will recognize finally that I am not just a smooth talker! He then frowned his eyebrows, wondering why he liked and wanted as much to push the monk too far…

oooooooooo

It was late in the morning and Sanzo's band was already travelling since many hours toward the west, obviously. The both at the back of the jeep were squabbling as always, and the driver had a charming smile on his face and was saying a countless remark about the usual festive ambience… as always.

However, the monk didn't want to take out his fan to bring back discipline to the two excited kids. In fact, the idea didn't even cross his mind, this one already worried by a thought which hadn't left him since the day before. He coudn't help thinking again and again about what the halfbreed said to him after having deliberately smoked to his face "Who knows… maybe it means something…"

These words kept repeating themselves again and againin his head without leaving him the slightest moment of respite. Could that really mean something? And if so, what? He thought. He glanced at his rear view mirror and realized that the man he was thinking about was staring at him with a smile that he easily described as suspect.

Then, he turned his eyes quickly when he saw this same man shooting him a furtive wink. He felt his cheekbones heat slightly. CH', horny kappa! You're so maniac at times that I am not sure if I really want to know what you wanted to insinuate… He sighed.

- "How much time until the next village, Hakkaï? " The priest asked with a voice which didn't hide his impatience.

- "And well, I would say at the end of the afternoon, if we don't meet a band of youkais, of course! " The driver answered him jovially.

- "Sanzoooo… I'm…"

SLAP!

- "Urusaï! I don't have any food on me and you finished all the stock this morning baka saru! "

- "But Sanzo, I'll die if I don't eat something soon! "

- "well die! I don't give a shit about it! "

- "You shouldn't show off, saru. You don't see that the great Sanzo Sama is in a bad mood… Something must be bothering him, I bet! " The halfbreed made fun while staring at the blond. This one turned over and darted him a dark glance… that he gave up quickly. He took again his initial position on his seat and closed his eyelids, trying to cut himself off from the world vainly.

- " CH'! " He said his reply which made all the conversations over. He wanted to empty his mind. He started to be fed up with Gojyo's little game. This damn kappa didn't understand what he did to Sanzo... or maybe he understood it too much well? Definitely, Sanzo couldn't really know what to think any more. The ambiguous behavior of the half-youkai towards him started to tire him.

He never knew where he was with the redhead and doubts submerged him. All the signs that you send to me… Is it to make me understand in your own way that you have feelings for me? And if I were mistaken? And if you only did all that to have some fun… how would you see me if I… He frankly shook his head to stop his thought. No, I will never be able…

- "Are you ok, Sanzo? " Hakkaï interrupted him with a concerned tone.

- "… It's nothing" The blond answered with his low voice. And the jeep continued his way…

oooooooooo

As planned, they arrived at destination while the sun declined visibly. As soon as they put down the foot on the ground, they looked for an inn they found easily. They booked two rooms and the hostess told them that the dinner would be served 2 hours later. Gojyo and Goku used the time they had to visit the village, while hakkaï and Sanzo preferred to go up in one of the rooms to discuss the way they were going to follow the following day.

After he came to an agreement with the driver, the monk sat down on the window ledge and took a cigarette he lit without more waiting. He examined Hakkaï curiously. This one, who had sat down on one of the two beds of the room and who stroked the small white dragon installed on his knees, noticed it.

- "Do you want to tell me something, Sanzo? " Hakkaï asked in a suspicious way. The blond considered him a moment, then without saying anything, stood up to approach him. Perhaps he knows. After all, he is his best friend, no? On his thought, he inhaled a puff of smoke, then bent down slightly to slowly blow it on the face of his companion.

He was amazed by the reaction of the dark-haired man. Not because of the faint slight cough due to tobacco, but because his head had suddenly become redder than a tomato and because he looked at the priest with confused eyes. No…, the exact term was shocked! Not supporting any more the deadly silence which reigned now in the room, nor the obvious uneasiness of Hakkaï who swallowed with difficulty, he spoke up:

- "And well, what? "

- "… You… you played a joke on me, it's a joke, isn't it?… It's well that, Sanzo? " Hakkaï articulated painfully.

- " What are you talking about? " The blond's voice showed that he was irritated.

- "You did that without wanting to make insinuations... That's right, eh? "

- "… Stop speaking by enigma! "

- " So, you don't know what that means…" Hakkaï felt relieved and allowed himself to breath out lengthily when he understood that the priest didn't know the significance of his own gesture.

- "…" Sanzo waited that the brown go on.

- "I advise you not to do that any more if you don't know the sense."

- " Don't play the mom with me, and rather say to me what that means, since you seem to know it! " The monk got impatient.

- "It's a thing to chat up…" The tone of the green-eyes man showed that this one didn't want to go further in the explanation. However, the exacting and obstinated glance of the blond made him understand that he couldn't escape from it. "And well… in fact… Gojyo explained me one day that he did that with the women he charmed to make them understand that he would like to know them more in detail under a blanket…"

Hakkaï didn't let himself smile as he noticed the undeniable embarrassment of Sanzo when this one seemed to realized the innocent mistake he had just made. But the driver suspected the monk of hiding something more significant. This little misunderstanding didn't justify the fact that Sanzo had started to shiver slightly, that his face seemed on fire, and to crown it all, he had let escape from his fingers his cigarette which had fallen on the ground negligently. The priest, after one minute during which he seemed to have been out of touch with the real world, stammered finally some indecisive words:

- "I… I am sorry, Hakkaï… I didn't have the intention to insinuate… well... you know… and shit! "

- " Don't worry! It's ok. It's just that it seemed so wild you acting like that. You can now explain me why you did that? "

- "… It's… it's… I saw a guy in the street doing it… and I wondered... well..." The blond was very confused and needed to think.

- "Sanzo… All is ok? You look out of sorts… "

- "No… it's nothing… I just need to go out for a little while… " The dark-haird man followed with anxious eyes the man who left, then picked up the still smoking cigarette to crush it in the ashtray which was on the night table.

- "No, I must surely worry for nothing. Sanzo is probably very tired and that makes him be all on edge. A good night of sleep… that's what he needs! " After having reassured himself, Hakkaï got down on a bed, appreciating the room's calm.

ooo

On his side, the priest prompted by a deep desire for clearing his thoughts, had gone down to the small inn's garden and had found refuge under a huge oak against which he leaned. The features of his face were drawn by the nervousness which possessed him. He had to pull himself together. He inhaled deeply the mild air which surrounded him until he felt his lungs get stuck, then he strongly breathed out trying to release himself from the weight which overcame his entire being.

That didn't bring to him the comfort he hoped for. He needed something else. He needed a good amount of nicotine… After having smoked five cigarettes in a row, he decided that was enough. Feeling calmer, He started to think hard. He remembered the events of the last weeks. More precisely, the moments where he had just been with the halfbreed. He analyzed every gesture and word that this last had made in his presence and patched things up little by little.

Knowing the teasing disposition of the redhead, his doubts towards him were too important until now so that he dares to do anything which could put him in an embarrassing situation. However, the last tacit insinuation of Gojyo was from his point of view too meaningful, and he took it as a step towards him.

He wouldn't have dared to do such a thing if he didn't mean it… I can't all the same be mistaken as all that! He decided that the answer was no, and he allowed a light smile on his face. You really don't make things easy, kappa! But I will give you your answer… He put his head against the dark bark and raised the eyes into the sky which darkened little by little. He stayed like that until the dinner.

Tbc...