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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 4

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"Hakkai," he said softly but firmly. His burning crimson gaze bore into the other boy's startled emerald ones.

If their classmate's eyes were wide before, they were saucers now.

What is Gojyo doing, Hakkai couldn't help but think with dread.

"Get up here. You're my opponent now."

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Though this statement was directed at him, Hakkai was the first one to recover.

Laughing softy, which only succeeded in scaring the people around him, he asked, "Now why would you want to do that, Gojyo?"

The kappa's posture slackened and his pointed finger slouched down as he looked at Hakkai as if he just asked a rather stupid question. "To beat you, it's said that you're the best here."

He straightened up and put his hands on his hips. "It's time to put you in your place," he said with a sneer.

Stunned silence quickly turned into, "Oooooooh!" And things like, "He's got it in for you Hakkai!" Or, "It's time to get what you deserve!"

Hakkai looked momentarily hurt before his face became blank.

Gojyo seemed to notice, because while everyone else was busy placing bets, he walked over to Hakkai. The red head stopped a foot away while the man turned his green eyes from his lap to Gojyo's face, waiting.

The other took a few moments to scan the large slanting scar partially hidden by strands of dark hair, which in turn confused Hakkai to no end.

Why is he always doing that, the boy thought nervously.

"Looks like your healing up nicely."

"But…Gojyo?" He suddenly stopped as the kappa placed a hand on his shoulder and bent down, bringing his face close to his own so that no one else would be able to hear his words.

For a moment Gojyo sullenly looked at the metal clasps that were holding firmly to the top of Hakkai's ear before he whispered, "I wanted to fight you…so that I can prove to them that your human."

Hakkai's eyes widened behind his glasses as he strained to hear the next thing Gojyo was about to say.

"Because I don't like people talking about my friends the way I've heard them talk about you. And I can't very well just kick their asses while I'm at this place. Ok?"

Then he gripped Hakkai's shoulder tighter as if in reassurance, then let go and leant back, soon pleased to see a genuine smile on the usually blank face.

Grinning himself, he stuck out a hand. "Let's go then."

Taking the offer, the red head helped him up and turned to walk back to the center mat.

Following his lead, Hakkai couldn't help but have a few after thoughts.

Are we really proving something to them together, or are you doing this to prove something to yourself?

Taking his first few steps on the mat, he then grew a bit anxious.

I'm not what you think I am my friend.

Mike, who saw the whole exchange, smiled broadly and stalked between the two of them. Raising his arms above his head, he yelled to his students, "Are weee allll ready?!"

The eager shouts from the crowd confirmed (Gojyo rolled his eyes), he then looked at both fighting participants.

Gojyo gave a thumbs-up and then crouched low into position. Mike tilted his head back to Hakkai, who only nodded silently and turned his body sideways, cautiously bending his joints as if hesitant to begin.

Satisfied, he threw his arms down and stepped back, once again leaning against the wall while his callused hand idly rubbed the stubble on his chin.

Wasting no time, Gojyo ran straight for Hakkai with a surprising display of speed.

He pushed up from the mat when he came about six feet from the other man, bringing himself above his opponent and flipped his body wildly in the air. Then came down quickly with his heel aimed at Hakkai's face.

Hakkai at the time didn't know what caused him to anticipate Gojyo making the first move, he just somehow knew that he was much more likely out of the both of them.

And he knew, from watching the last fight, that jumping was a major part of Gojyo's fighting style.

He crossed his arms above his head and the kappa's heel made such a hard impact that the crowd cringed as the cracking sound from the attack.

Using Hakkai's arms as leverage, Gojyo pushed him self back with his heal and landed once again into place, so that he could analyze the damage at a distance.

He needed to know how much Hakkai's body could withstand before they really started to fight.

Quickly scanning the other boy over, his mouth flapped open.

Hakkai was already back into position, arms raised, with not so much as a bruise on him.

The mysterious green-eyed male smirked in a very similar way to the kappa's, raising an arm slightly to cover his face from the crowd, but leaving it clearly visible to Gojyo across the room.

To Gojyo's pleasant surprise, he mouthed, "Let's skip the introduction."

Giving no more warning that that, he leapt forward and landed a punch at the red head square in the jaw.

A splatter of blood made a grotesque slapping noise as it painted the fighting mat.

Damn he hits hard, the red head thought excidedly as he swiped at the corner of his bruised mouth. Without another thought the kappa instantly turned around and mirrored Hakkai's action…almost.

At the last second he directed his hit to Hakkai's chest, causing the other to step back from the blow and wheeze from the pressure.

Gojyo decided to refrain from hitting the other boy in the face. He would not make any more marks, although he thought it unusual for his conscience to make an appearance now. He summed it up to how delicate Hakkai actually looked, though he really wasn't.

His thoughts turned a bit more perverted as he pondered the slender apperance of the other boy. One could almost call him beautiful, but not handsome.

Maybe I'd allow myself to give him a big, fat, swollen lip. By more, pleasurable, means, Gojyo thought with an inward chuckle.

Smirking a bit, he backed away while Hakkai continued to make little choking noises from the kick to the chest.

Gojyo took this time to look around, seeing what materials he could use. One of the things he liked to use to his advantage in a fight was the environment.

His eyes fell onto Mono for a few moments, wondering what the hell the guy was still doing there on the floor where Gojyo had left him, gazing stupidly into space.

Bare walls, padded floors, psychotic teacher, and a whole bunch of shit heads staring at Hakkai like he's a contaminated leper. Hmmm…

It looked like there was nothing but our own bodies to defend ourselves with. Which isn't all that bad either, Gojyo thought once again with not so pure intentions.

He noted that he was wearing a white tang top and his good old tan pants. Hakkai was wearing jeans and a long sleeved gray shirt.

Well, there's not much else I can take note of. Unless I…heh. He stopped his dirty mind before it got too far once he noticed his opponent had started to recover.

Hakkai had regained his breath, and was watching Gojyo apprehensively. Something about how his expression that changed from thoughtful, to downright devious was beyond him.

What could you possibly be up to now, the green eyed boy wondered.

He took a step forward, Hakkai took a step back. "Gojyo…what are you-"

As if on que to his voice, the red head launched into a series of punches, to which Hakkai firmly blocked.

If he was confused before, now he was just frustrated.

It's like Gojyo isn't even trying to make any of these attacks hit me, he's slow, and only aiming for my chest and stomach. What is going on?

Suddenly changing pace, the blows became sleek and fierce.

Surprised at the change, Hakkai focused all his attention in his movements to block each and every one.

Bingo, the red head inwardly exclaimed.

Pausing in his onslaught, Gojyo swung his right leg around, effectively slamming it into both of Hakkai's, causing him to loose his footing.

Before he hit the mat, Gojyo quickly rotated his body. Kicking Hakkai again at the waist, flipping him over in the process so that he fell on his stomach.

Wasting no time the kappa pressed his foot into the small of the others back, then reached down, taking a hold of Hakkai's wrists, and yanking his arms backward.

Gasping out loud at the unexpected impact on the floor and his shoulder blades grinding together, Hakkai's wrists were slipped out of the red heads grip, only to now be replaced the ends of his long sleeved shirt.

Gojyo frowned as he began twisting the fabric around.

Once satisfied with the knot he managed to tie with Hakka's sleeves, he removed his foot from the back it was pressed on while pulling on the knot, righting the man.

He let go and stepped back to admire his handy work.

I think that's using the environment to your amusement rather than advantage. At least he shouldn't able to use his arms now.

Several seconds later, Hakkai's still hadn't moved from when Gojyo set him standing.

"Hey, you dead over there?"

The kappa starting to feel a little apprehension. He glanced over to his peers. Most in the front were stricken with fear and had edged backward as far from them as possible.

Why would anyone be afraid of Hakkai, the kappa pondered. He was just so…

Though some boys in the back cast knowing smiles to each other and looked on in enjoyment.

Then, very slowly, Hakkai rotated his body to the front, lips turned downward in a frustrated grimace, and a bright red flush across his face.

Completely facing the person who put him in this situation, he asked, "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Woah hang on a second there Hakkai, I just did that so you wouldn't be able to move your arms while we fought an- "

"Oh, is that all?" Hakkai cut him off, looking relieved.

"Uh…yeah?" This guy just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

"Alright then, shall we continue?"

"Yeah, sure," Gojyo said as he once again bent his leg joints low to the mats.

I should probably end this now, or I might do something to make him really upset. Gojyo didn't know when it happened, but somewhere down the line he decided he wanted to be on this mysterious boys good side.

He didn't really understand why, but it was like Hakkai was fragile, but he wasn't. At least physically he could hold his own, he just wasn't sure what about him made him seem weak.

So, feeling he needed to be careful, he let his muscles relax as much as possible. His next attack would be finishing but soft, so hitting a vital point should do it.

Without warning he darted forward for the second and final time.

Hakkai automatically, or tried, to put his arms up in defense.

His eyes widened in recognition as he briefly glanced back at his knotted sleeves, then back to Gojyo had already jumped up, a leg outstretched.

The kappa's foot connected to his unprotected chest with a hollow thud.

Hakkai stumbled a couple steps back until his body collapsed on the mats, wheezing loudy from being robbed of his air.

Gojyo stood straight, facing away from his friend in pain. Hair shadowing his eyes. He knew soon after this whole thing started that Hakkai didn't really like fighting.

And that fighting a friend he seemed to have a much worse time with. He wasn't really sure if he considered Hakkai a friend, but it looked that way for the other boy, who nobody else seemed to talk to except Gojyo himself.

The kappa always thought of it as a nice tussle, a game, something to entertain and pass the time with. A challenge to test your strength. But it's not right when the other doesn't want it. That's just being a bully. But Hakkai had agreed to the fight, hadn't he? He even looked happy in the beginning.

At least, he thought bitterly, he proved to those stubborn, judgmental assholes that Hakkai is an actual person with weaknesses and not an unbeatable monster. He was a student here just like everyone else.

His ears could still hear Hakkai's strangled breath.

He shouldn't have that much trouble breathing after that, he thought worriedly.

A few yells from the other side of the room drew his attention and he glanced over in time to see Mike running over to Hakkai, yelling at one of his students to get a nurse.

Confused, he looked down at the boy curled in a fetal position on the floor and saw his face full of fear as he tried again and again to draw breath.

His head snapped up in horrified realization. Why the hell didn't anybody tell me this about him?

Hakkai was having an asthma attack.

TBC…

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A/N: I kind of wish I had the motivation to re-do this WHOLE story, sometimes I don't even make sense to myself. Ah well, the best I can do is revise, and then finish this story. I started it too long ago to be really into making it again. This chapter has been edited as of March 21, 2009 at 2:12 PM.