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+ Burgundy Bruises +

WARNING: I will repeat, this is a yaoi story. That means, for those of you who don't know, the action of two men dating. Some violence along with male/male sexual encounters will happen. Do not read this if you are offended or dislike such a thing occurring.

Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki, Gojyo, or Hakkai. I do however own the few original characters in this fan fiction.

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Chapter 2

Every head in the dining hall turned towards the entrance. Hakkai couldn't decided if it was because they were looking at Gojyo, who did stand out with his blood red locks and equally dark red eyes, or because he was actually within close vicinity of someone. Which is an unusual occurrence in itself, Hakkai thought forlornly.

The doors shut with a dull thud that echoed around the now silent room. Gojyo seemed to not notice all the attention directed at them as he quickly scanned the area for two empty seats. There was one just next to Hakkai at the front of the long table, and one at the end in the furthest corner.

Gojyo shrugged, crossed in front of Hakkai, sat down in the nearest one, and began piling food onto his plate. All around people seemed to accept this and conversation immediately fired up again.

Many started talking to Gojyo. Asking where he's from, what he likes, his reason for coming here.

Hakkai wordlessly turned and walked down to 'his' end of the table. He usually sat there. You could say that his classmates 'gave' him a spot.

In actuality it was because no one wanted to sit with him. So the weakest of the students were bullied into sitting at the end with Hakkai.

Staring at the nearest selection of food, he regretted admitting to himself that Gojyo's appearance at the dojo would most likely not change anything.

His musing were interrupted when the basket of now cold bread he was staring at was removed and replaced with a pot of steaming rice. He looked up at the cook who was smiling down at him with a knowing expression.

"Lost in pessimistic thought again, Hakkai?"

Hakkai chanced a smile for his only friend, Rousoku.

"Not at all." Rousoku smiled back before leaving to retrieve another meal.

When he was smaller, and rather stoic most of the time, not much unlike today, he would go down to the kitchens to eat extra scoops of ice cream with Rousoku.

At first he was surprised and scolding him for being up so late, then in time, when Hakkai would be particularly lonely, Rousoku would be there waiting for him, bowl of ice cream in hand.

Pulling out of the past he looked at the rice recently set in front of him, blinked, then lifted his hands from his lap to the wooden spoon within the pot. It would be no good if he forgot to eat, feeling that he was in for a rather long summer.

Meanwhile, at Gojyo's end of the table, laughter and cheerful chats were infectious. / People are so goddamn curious these days, he thought right after he had just explained where he was from. Or nosy.

Does it really matter? If they were women, asking where I lived it would have been totally justified…and I wouldn't have lied about coming here from a foreign country, he laughed to himself.

"Man, and I thought you would be crazy when I saw you actually smoking when you were greeted in the main hall. I've never seen Mike so blue in the face," the person across from Gojyo said.

Chuckles all around came from those who where listening. The half-breed smirked.

"So violet, are you a homosexual? No man in their right mind would dye their hair that color."

Gojyo narrowed his eyes. Yeah, all these questions were to make fun of him. But his brother had always told him to not make such paranoid assumptions with people he just met.

He then clapped his hands on his knees and leaned forward with an overly cheerful expression on his face.

Across the table the man lost his smirk, unnerved by Gojyo's proximity.

The red head tossed his hair out of his eyes, grin still in place, "I bet you would like that."

Jeers and a resounding, "Ooooooo!" was heard from around the room. Gojyo leaned back and said as if he was giving a big let down, "Sorry pal, gotta save it for the ladies."

As soon as the taunts died down to the poor soul that dared call the kappa gay, someone a few chairs down shouted over the lasting noise, "So what were you doing coming in here with Hakkai?"

The silence that followed this was somehow the same from when they had entered, deathly silent. Everyone seemed to lean in, keen to hear the answer to this question.

Hakkai, only listening to the conversation just then due to the fact that the inquiry was shouted, tensed. He however, did not look at Gojyo, and was instead feigning ease and ignorance.

So he resumed eating, fork scratching every now and then on his plate, being the only sound in the dining hall. A few heads turned his way, but most remained on the red head.

Gojyo placed an elbow on the table and his hand cradled his chin. He surveyed his 'audience' with a glare in his eyes and a smirk on his lips.

"Any reason why I shouldn't have?"

He spoke calmly, but the look he was giving proved otherwise. Something about him just radiated danger off his form.

Seeing as it was the first day, there had been no sparring matches, and seeing as how he was new, no one had observed him perform in the past summers. This in mind, no one rose to the challenge since no one knew what kind of opponent Gojyo would be. He was certainly using an air of mystery to his advantage.

Though it seemed there was a silent agreement among the group that once he did spar, and if he turned out weak, that he would be reminded painfully of this.

Heads turned back to their meals, conversation tentatively returned.

Gojyo lifted his elbows from the table, once again picked up his fork, and sighed dramatically.

"What's with these guys?"

Suddenly the person next to him nudged him with his elbow. "Hm? What's up?"

A man with dark brown hair and eyes leaned closer, "No one had any offense intended, you know. I'm sure that guy with his question was just suggesting that you stay away from that Hakkai character."

That Hakkai character, he repeated with annoyance in his mind.

"And why's that?" Gojyo asked carefully. He wanted to know more about the supposedly emotionless green-eyed man, and why everyone disliked him. This guy seemed to be eager to tell him anything he wanted to know. The gossip of the school, he assumed.

Said man paused, "Well…he's…he's stronger than he looks," he finished lamely.

Gojyo raised an eyebrow, "Uh huuuh…"

"Oh you know…like he's really quiet. No one knows what he's thinking. The guy never seems happy, only polite. And every time he was challenged to a match by another student, he always won."

"Was?"

"Yeah, was. No one ever asks him for a match anymore. So every sparring period he just sits there, reading."

"Always won?"

"Always."

Gojyo smiled widely, the man next to him seemed scared at this. Gojyo however, thought it sounded like fun.

"Your thinking about challenging him, aren't you? I wouldn't recommend it, that's the only time Hakkai gets payback anyway."

Gojyo stopped smiling, "Payback? For what?"

The man shrugged, "I really don't know. I never associated myself with Hakkai, but others do. Some say that they mess him up really bad. Like pick fights with him unofficially, so that he doesn't fight back."

His red eyes grew intense as he refocused his gaze down the table to the only person not engaging in any conversation, what the hell.

Gojyo stood up abruptly, and noticed that half the people had already finished dinner and had gone upstairs. Hakkai not being one of them.

It's none of my business anyway…

He turned to go, one hand in his pocket and one up in the air as mock solute as he walked to the door.

"Thanks man. You've been some help. And feel honored, I dubbed you the information highway of this place, we'll be talking again soon."

He ignored the man's confused statements as he continued on out the door, up the stairs and down now dark hallways. His bare feet tapping against the wood as it did when he had come down accompanied by Hakkai.

He felt drained, perhaps he'd been thinking too much today. There was, after all, a lot to take in. This atmosphere was completely and utterly different from the one he had lived in most of his young life.

Entering the room Gojyo would soon be sharing with everyone, he noticed some guys staring at the ceiling, some talking, and a group of four piled on one bed in the center playing cards.

Grinning, he sat himself down not so eloquently without so much as asking permission to join. Now this, I am familiar with.

Elsewhere, Hakkai watched the last person leave the table. His posture slacked and he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

Mumbling to himself that it took long enough to be alone, he wondered idly how someone in they're right mind could take two hours to eat. Dismissing this thought, he stood up and busied himself with the task of going around the table collecting as many plates and utensils that he could carry.

Then turning on his heel he walked through a door leading into the kitchens. Rousoku was there, waiting for him as expected.

Hakkai proceeded to the sink with his arms full of dirty dishes, and received a grateful grin from Rousoku while he deposited what he had and turned on his heel to retrieve the rest from the dining room.

Once he did, the two were at the sink, washing dishes while they told one another what they had been doing over the year.

This happened often, seeing as Hakkai always stayed after dinner to help Rousoku. He told himself it was to thank him for all of those late nights of a shoulder to lean on, but what he really did it for was the sense of companionship. He never really had a close friend before.

They exchanged goodnights at the double doors of the dining hall, Rousoku turned to go to his room next to the kitchen, Hakkai grudgingly left for the opposite direction and headed to the room he shared with everyone else.

Upon entrance he was greeted with light snores, the room was dark but not pitch black.

Well the lack of light and chatter wasn't surprising, he thought, it was past midnight after all. Stepping into the large room he stole his glasses from his face and rubbed the bridge of his nose, suddenly realizing how tired he was.

Careful not to trip on the corner of the futons occupied by his hotheaded classmates, Hakkai made his way to his bed. This was repeated every night. Every time he would come up late and as best as possible sneak into his bed, holding his breath. Making the least amount of noise as possible.

He hated to imagine what might happen if he woke someone up, thinking of no one in particular. Quickly running through a list of people in his mind, he concluded that the situation would be extremely unpleasant and painful on his part with just about everyone.

His thoughts were interrupted when a warm hand shot out from the sea of blankets and slumbering bodies to grasped his ankle.

Hakkai gasped and quickly covered his mouth to prevent any more sound. With wide eyes he looked down at Gojyo, who was looking rather tussled, tired, and grumpy.

Then surprisingly he said angerly, "What the hell where you doing down there? It's two in the fucking morning."

As he looked up at startled green eyes he thought what could have possibly take him this long, was he counting each individual grain of left over rice? That seemed to be the only likely answer that would take up eight hours of time.

Hakkai just continued to stare wide-eyed before putting back on silver framed glasses.

Then regaining some composure, he asked one question out of twenty racing in his mind, "Gojyo, why on earth are you still up?"

"Waiting for you smart-ass. Get into bed. You should have still been sleeping anyway after I hit you with that damn frizz-bee until tomorrow," he grumbled as he let go of Hakkai's ankle.

Biting back his curiosity as to why the red head would care, he nodded down at Gojyo. Looking back up he found an empty spot in the corner where his bed should have been.

"What do you need glasses for if your blind?"

He looked back down at Gojyo who was smiling, the red head reached out a hand from under his covers and stretched it to his left on a futon Hakkai just now noticed was not only empty, but out of place.

"I moved it. You might get sick sleeping in the corner by that door."

Hakkai opened his mouth to warn the new student that moving assigned beds would get him in trouble but was interrupted, "Look, I'm not your nanny, and I'm tired. So shut up and go to sleep."

Then he pulled up his covers and closed his eyes. Trusting that Hakkai will do what he says, although he just stood there perplexed for quite a while. The truth was, Hakkai had to wonder how Gojyo got his bed next to his own in the first place, sice all the short steel legs of the frames were drilled into the floor.

Surely the others would be upset if he slept any nearer to them than he has in the past? Then again, facing an upset Gojyo may be worse…he couldn't be sure. And until then, he thought it best to do as he was asked.

Slowly crouching down in his own covers next to the kappa, he pulled back the sheets and rolled on his side.

Gojyo turned as well, facing opposite from the other, completely unaware of the emerald green eyes watching him for some time until eventually closing for sleep.

TBC…

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A/N: And the revising continues! As of March 20, 2009, this chapter has been revised and completed to fit the new, improved, and continued version of this story. (It had never been completed, but was abandoned for three years. Yikes, I better get all this editing done so I can post new chapters and complete the story!)