Hakkai slowly roused to consciousness, his mind drifting up through layers of fog until finally he became aware of himself. He was laying on something wonderfully soft, stretched out on his stomach. Wait, wait…he never slept on his stomach. Curiosity overwhelming his desire to remain motionless, he cracked one eye open. Wrong eye: not only was it his bad eye, but a vast expanse of pillow was the only thing in front of it. With a heartfelt groan, he closed it again. Why, after all this time, did he keep forgetting about that? It had been forgivable at first, but after three years, he was beginning to suspect that perhaps he was a bit on obtuse side.
Blinding pain and nausea accompanied the late afternoon sunlight that greeted his other eye. What the hell had happened? How the hell did he get here? Who the hell was in the room with him? Why couldn't he have a thought that didn't involve hell? Hakkai decided to chalk that last up to having just awoken from unconsciousness, and the corrupting influence of a couple of foul-mouthed companions. He could only be expected to resist for so long, after all.
He waited, patiently still, for the discomfort to pass. He was listening to the soft sounds of someone trying very hard to be quiet, and failing miserably. A brief rustling, then an even briefer flicking noise – ah, it must be Gojyo. Goku being a non-smoker, it couldn't be him; Sanzo being a jackass who wouldn't deign to let anyone know it mattered to him if they died, it wouldn't be him, either.
"Oi, Hakkai. You awake?" Gojyo called out.
"Aa," Hakkai replied, his voice fuzzy with sleep.
"Did I wake you? I mean it's good you're awake, I was starting to think I was going to have to spend another week watching you sleep, but I hope I wasn't being too noisy."
Hakkai permitted himself a little smile at the sound of his friend's deep voice. "No, Gojyo, you didn't wake me. Where are we? I don't remember anything after the fight. How long have I been sleeping?" He struggled to make his voice remain neutral, pretending that this time was no different from any other. His back was on fire.
"We're at that town we were headed toward when we were attacked by the ugly and uglier gang. It's only been a day since you, uh…went down. I managed to finagle us four rooms so you could rest up properly. You hungry?" The redhead's voice was unsteady. He was speaking far more rapidly than was usual for him.
The small hairs on the back of Hakkai's neck were standing up in reaction to Gojyo's tone. There was something wrong. He opened his mouth to ask about it, but Gojyo cut him off.
"I'm going to get you some breakfast. The monkey's been eating himself sick since we got here. Food's good. Be right back." Without waiting for a reply, he strode out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
There was definitely something untoward happening with Gojyo, Hakkai decided. His handsome young face was marred slightly by the small frown that settled over his features, eliciting tiny creases between his brows. Moreover, his back hurt like mad. He experimented with pushing himself up off the bed, but his arms didn't seem to want to work. He fell forward again, none too gently, and lay there for a couple of minutes before attempting any further movement.
Eventually, Hakkai managed to maneuver himself onto his side and swing his legs down over the edge of the bed. He kept his body rigid so that the momentum of his legs did most of the work, pulling him upright. He remembered the fight. He remembered throwing himself between that youkai blade and Sanzo. The incessant pain in his upper back must be the result of having done so.
When he was feeling a bit less light-headed, Hakkai made to stand up. It was then that the awareness of his complete and utter nakedness impressed itself upon him. Confused, he cast about for something to wear. There was nothing handy to his reach, but he needed to piss in the worst way, so he decided just to go anyway. He was alone in here, after all.
The little alcove that housed the bathroom and the closet caught his eye. After so many rooms in so many towns, he knew what was there. As he moved toward the door to the washroom, a tiny, excited squeal halted him.
"Hakuuryu? Where are you?" Hakkai called, unable to see his serpentine pet and companion. Another squeal, louder this time, and he turned to his right. The little dragon was curled up on the top shelf of the closet, somehow managing to look both relieved and excited. Hakkai reached up to cradle Hakuuryu's head in the palm of his hand, stroking him under the chin lovingly. "It's okay, little one," he cooed, "I'm all right."
When he felt that his diminutive friend was soothed enough, he turned back to the business at hand, namely, draining his aching kidneys. He closed the door softly behind him, noting that there was a shower in here as well. They had stumbled into the lap of luxury, it seemed.
As he turned to leave, Hakkai caught a glimpse of his back in the mirror. Curious, he turned so that he could see most of the wound that angled up from his ribs on the right, to his shoulder on the left. No wonder he was in pain. He grimaced at the sight of it.
Hakkai noted that the lacerated skin had been rather inexpertly stitched together, and the corners of his mouth twitched up. It was crooked, and one piece was going to be permanently puckered, it seemed. He shook his head slightly, musing that one of these days he was going to have to teach Gojyo how to do it properly. Hakkai was likely to wind up looking like a patchwork quilt if he didn't.
He heaved a deep sigh and opened the door, stepping back out into the main room. The sight of Gojyo standing beside the table stopped him abruptly. He felt very exposed in his nakedness as the other man swept a gaze up and down his body. Hakkai felt a jolt in his belly when their eyes met. It was one thing to go o the baths together, but this…this was rather embarrassing. He dropped his eyes, searching for something to say, but Gojyo just turned impassively away and began taking the covers off the various foods he had retrieved for breakfast. Grateful for his friend's understanding and tact – talents Gojyo did not often utilize – Hakkai began to make his slow way back to the bed.
When he was safely seated and back under the covers, Gojyo turned toward him again, then padded over to the bed. He silently pulled Hakkai forward, adjusted the pillows, and let him recline again. The tall man then shifted the covers so that they lay smoothly over the brunette's knees. Standing back to survey the product, Gojyo nodded to himself before turning to retrieve the tray of food he had brought.
He laid it out across Hakkai's thighs and sat pulled a chair over from the table to sit on. By this time, Hakkai was beginning to worry that he might get a hernia from stifling his laughter. Gojyo was so obviously serious about what he was doing, and the last thing Hakkai wanted was to make him feel ridiculous. Even if he did look that way.
Gojyo motioned for Hakkai to eat, which he obediently did. The food was delicious, and he soon found that he was ravenous. In a very few minutes, the tray was clean of every morsel, and Gojyo gave another curt, approving nod before removing the tray, placing it on the table. Hakkai began readjusting the blankets across his lap.
Just as he looked up from this task, two large, well-muscled arms slammed down onto the bed, on either side of his legs. His eyes widened as Gojyo's face descended, stopping mere inches from his own.
"I'm letting you off easy this time, buddy. You ever pull a stunt like that again, and I'll nurse you back to health just so I can kick your sorry ass, you got me?" There was an uncharacteristic edge in the half-breed's voice, and a dangerous look in his eyes that made Hakkai more than a little nervous.
"Got you," he replied in a small voice, knowing that this was what his friend needed. Inside, he was raging, just as he had been for some three weeks.
"Good. I'm going to tell priesty and the kid that you're all right. You should get some more sleep. I'll be back in a while." Gojyo's tone was much calmer now, more his usual self. He favored Hakkai with another nod, then turned and left the room, pulling the door to behind him.