Standard disclaimers apply.

One more chapter to go. I'm afraid it will have to wait until after the 21st, as my mother has outlawed computer usage for the moment. Don't worry though, it IS the last chapter and it WILL be coming. Shortly.

Tried to keep this one IC, but don't know how I did. Even if it didn't quite work, I enjoyed this chapter. Can't wait until the next... ;) Don't have the clean-cut alternating POVs of the last two chapters; just couldn't write this one that way.

Enjoy, and please review, if you would. I enjoy it so. A thousand thanks to all of you who did review. I really appreciate it. Reviews make writing even more fun :)

Usual warnings for language, bad humor, etc. There is a lot of language in this fic; in keeping with characters, I think. If anyone thinks the rating should be changed, tell me and I'll up it to M.

Hakkai—

I'm sending this letter to you because I'm not fucking with the bastard monk. I just want you to know—I'm taking the monkey with me and we're getting the hell out of here. You two have been bastards for the past week, and I'm not taking it anymore. If you want to be mad at each other and act like pricks, go ahead. But I'm not sitting around here watching the monkey cry over you anymore.

I'll take care of him. You can go fuck yourselves.

—Gojyo

A vein popped out on Sanzo's forehead. "Fucking bastard." He threw the letter down and glared at Hakkai. The youkai looked at him expressionlessly. Was he still not talking to him? Well, fuck that. "Fuck." He sat down in his chair and pulled his newspaper up. "If they want to go, let them go. I don't need anyone." He flipped the page of his paper.

There was a loud crack and Sanzo found himself on the floor, paper ripped in two from where he had clutched it too tightly.

"Fuck! What the fuck was that for!?!" He snarled, glaring up at Hakkai. The youkai stared down at him, his face icy.

"If you had just admitted to your fault in this matter, this wouldn't have happened." Hakkai's voice was cold, completely calm. Sanzo's face twisted.

"Shut the fuck up."

"No." Damn that bastard, why didn't he obey? Not that he ever did. He would show him who was really in charge here, damn it! Sanzo pulled out the gun and aimed it at Hakkai for the first time. The son of a bitch didn't even change expression.

"Stop blaming me for this. It's your fault." Sanzo stared down the gun at Hakkai, eyes challenging. The youkai would see once and for all he, Sanzo, was the leader of this group. No more challenging authority. No more backstabbing. No more idiotic remarks. He had had it with the attitude. So the bastard thought he was tough, standing up to him like this? Sanzo snorted. He'd show him who was tough…he cocked the gun.

A sharp pain shot through Sanzo's gun hand and the gun flew off into another corner of the room. Hakkai lowered his foot to the ground and watched coldly as Sanzo clutched his hand and cursed at him, eyes flaming.

He had really pissed off the monk now. Hakkai smiled slightly, a frighteningly genuine one. He sensed the change in Sanzo's aura that told him the monk was seriously unnerved by this display of enjoyment. Good. He was tired of all the shit the monk constantly gave him. He'd be damned if he'd take anymore off the bastard. The gun was the last straw. Sanzo knew better than to aim his gun at him. If he was going to die, it would be by his own hand, not by Sanzo's. The audacity of the monk even trying to shoot him was so infuriating that Hakkai could feel black wrath welling out of him. He was getting coated now, drowned in his own anger…so much for Hakkai. Gonou was back in charge.

"What the fuck…I'll kill you for that." Sanzo hissed, eyes almost black with rage. "I'll kill you."

Hakkai didn't take his eyes off the monk. Sanzo felt a chill go down his spine at the look in those eyes. The bastard was pissed. Really pissed. Sanzo suddenly remembered that, the last time Hakkai had been really pissed, fourteen hundred people had died. The green eyes were dark with fury, and the false smile had been wiped off his face. He looked as he had looked the night he had torn out his own eye.

"No, you won't." Hakkai's voice was eerily calm. "You're going to apologize."

"Over my dead body." Sanzo hissed, eyes fixed on Hakkai. He might not have the gun, but he had the fucking sutra and he sure as hell wouldn't hesitate to use it on this bastard. He could seal him away so quick the youkai wouldn't know what the fuck had happened to him…damn, Hakkai was getting creepy…

Hakkai remained where he was, staring at Sanzo with that sinister stare of his. Sanzo forced himself not to swallow. Of the four, he knew best what Hakkai was capable of, and exactly how much of his smiling courtesy was an act. That would be…all of it. Hakkai didn't give a damn. This was usually fine with Sanzo, since he didn't give one either. They were alike, which was why they understood each other so well, despite the shields and façades each put up. Sanzo stood, facing Hakkai. He wouldn't let this bastard kill him.

Hakkai didn't move, despite the fact that Sanzo had stood up less than two feet from him. He continued to stare down at the monk, eyes icy.

"Apologize."

"No." Sanzo said it flatly, leaving no room for argument. He wasn't going to apologize to this prick. Not in a million years.

Hakkai's jaw tightened. Sanzo saw his fingers twitch. "Apologize."

"No."

Hakkai glared. Sanzo glared back. He wasn't going to back down from this bastard. He had never backed down from anyone, and he sure as hell wasn't going to now, especially not to an arrogant SOB like this.

This was idiotic. Sanzo broke eye contact, deliberately turned his back, and lit a cigarette. He could sense the palpable rise in rage from the youkai. A smile crossed Sanzo's face. So the bastard was even more pissed. Good. At least he wouldn't have to put up with any more of that "I'm ignoring you!" act Hakkai had been playing with all week. He had been forced to ignore the youkai when Hakkai started ignoring him; otherwise it would seem like he was trying to get the driver's attention. Sanzo blew out smoke. Like hell he was. This was all Hakkai's fault, anyway.

A frozen silence had fallen over the room. Hakkai continued to stare at Sanzo, attempting to control. He didn't want to kill the monk. Really, he didn't. Goku would be crushed if Sanzo died. Of course, he could always say that Sanzo had just gone on a long journey by himself and wouldn't be back for a while. In a few years, after they had defeated Gyumaoh, they could always go and look for Sanzo's next incarnation. Hopefully the next incarnation would be better behaved and have a better personality…a slight smile curved Hakkai's lips. That might work, actually. If caught young enough, anyone could be brought up properly…Damn it. Goku would never believe it. Not that it mattered. Gojyo and Goku were gone now. Idiot Gojyo. He could hardly take care of himself, let alone an extremely demanding child. The two would end up getting killed by youkai or starving on the streets if something weren't done.

This was all Sanzo's fault. His stupid remarks almost two weeks ago had caused this. If he had actually thought before speaking, none of this would have happened. First the remarks about Gojyo. Those were to be expected. Sanzo always made disparaging remarks about Gojyo. Hakkai, however, had had enough of them that night, and so he had politely informed Sanzo that perhaps if Gojyo had had a decent father figure like Koumyou he wouldn't be the way he was. Sanzo had gotten irrationally angry, had started cursing, and ordered Hakkai not to speak that name again. It was then that he had dared to cross the line, take the final, insulting, step. Sanzo had said "Don't you dare bring up Koumyou to me. I never bring up Kanan…"

Sanzo knew that Kanan was never to be mentioned in anger. Ever. Even mentioning her for no reason at all was almost intolerable; but for a good reason, it was an offense that could be forgiven and understood. Hakkai had meant well with his remark about Koumyou; had said nothing offensive. But Sanzo just couldn't understand that. So Hakkai had ignored him.

Telling Hakkai it was his fault was insult upon injury. This…conflict…was not his fault. It was Sanzo's. Entirely Sanzo's. Hakkai's mouth thinned. The man could be extremely irritating. That attitude of his was really starting to piss Hakkai off.

A knock at the door shattered the almost suffocating tension, causing Hakkai and Sanzo to jump. Automatically, Hakkai went to the door, forgetting that his façade was off. He pulled it open with a jerk, staring at the person standing there with icily contemptuous green eyes.

"What is it?" He snapped. Gonou was fully in evidence.

The balding man standing there swallowed and stepped back slightly, making a note on a clipboard at the same time. The youkai suddenly realized his faux pas and slid "Hakkai" back on. "I'm sorry. May I help you?"

The man nodded, still keeping several feet away from the youkai. "My name is Lee. I'm a professional psychologist." He glanced at the clipboard. "Someone named Sha Gojyo sent me here in order to resolve a conflict between…" He glanced at the clipboard again. "Cho Hakkai and Genjo Sanzo?" He looked up expectantly at Hakkai.

Damn him! Damn that interfering, infuriating little… "I'm sorry." Hakkai smiled. "My name is Gonou, not Hakkai." Let the hanyou stuff that up his…the human looked at his clipboard again, paused, and looked up at him.

"Err…Gojyo-san also left a note that the parties concerned might use assumed names such as Gonou." He smiled at Hakkai, regaining his confidence in the face of this warmly courteous stranger. The vicious look of earlier was probably due to the argument. Lee smiled again. The people involved in these conflicts were ultimately always good, gentle people who just needed a small push in the right direction to resolve everything and be at peace. False names were often used to protect privacy, which was probably why the gentleman had said his name was Gonou. Lee beamed. All would be well! He saw the man in the door smiling at him. Already his presence was having an improving effect!

"I'm sorry." Hakkai said, forcing himself not to vent his rage at Gojyo on the plump little counselor. He would rip the hanyou's intestines from his gut when he found him…"I have no need for a psychologist."

The man nodded sympathetically. "That's what they all say." He started to push past Hakkai. "Is Sanzo-san in there?"

Lee felt a hand land on his shoulder. He looked up to see Hakkai-san smiling down at him. Something about the smile, though, sent chills up and down his spine. He started to shiver, even though it was quite warm in the hallway.

"Excuse me." Hakkai-san said in a gentle voice. "I don't recall inviting you in."

Lee stopped. So this was the problem, was it? Some people took issue with resolving conflicts in the bedroom. They believed it lent a hostile air to lovemaking. He pursed his lips. While he didn't usually deal with homosexuals, he had done it before. Gojyo-san had mentioned that the two were like a married couple. Perhaps their license was pending? He didn't know much about such things, but maybe they had to wait to get a license because of their orientation. That was probably what had caused the quarrel in the first place. Lee could feel a warm wave of sympathy for the two lovers fill his soul. He would fix it! He would reassure them that all was well, that they could, and would, be together, no matter what! He patted the taller man's shoulder.

"It's okay, Hakkai-san. I understand about you and Sanzo-san. Don't worry, everything will turn out all right. The marriage license will eventually come through."

Hakkai blinked. What the hell… "I'm afraid I don't understand." He could feel the fury at Gojyo threatening to burst from his hands and incinerate this pompous little human who presumed to think he understood…on top of that, what the hell was that about a marriage license?!?!?!

Sanzo stepped into the doorway, cigarette still hanging from his lips. "What is it?" He growled, not bothering with Hakkai's fake formalities. His robes were still fully on, not rolled down as they usually were; he had been expecting to leave this morning.

Hakkai didn't bother to look at Sanzo. "This is Lee-san." Adding the "san" to the end of that fool's name was almost more than he could bear, but he endured it for the moment in order to get rid of the annoying little man. "He's a..."

Lee interrupted. Hakkai's eyes narrowed slightly at the discourtesy. "Professional psychologist." He bowed. "I supposed you must be Sanzo-san." He took note of the monk's robes. Well, it was unusual for a monk to be entering into a kind of a physical relationship, but he supposed there were always indulgences…perhaps he was a heretic or an apostate. At any rate, it didn't really matter. Where these people came from and who they were was not his business. His business was making sure that they were healed.

He smile beatifically at Sanzo-san, only to see the monk stare at him, at first dumbfounded and then with a look of extreme…hatred?!?!...on his face. He decided to ignore it for now and go straight on to the immediate problem. It was a shame that Sanzo-san wasn't such a nice person as Hakkai-san. A pity; the marriage probably wouldn't work out then… "I was just telling Hakkai-san that you don't need to worry; your marriage license will come through, and you will have you happy ending!" He beamed. He told them all that, and it sometimes even worked. Sometimes people just needed you to tell them that it would work and they would go on and do the work themselves…Lee paused in his thoughts as he noticed Sanzo-san's face turning purple. Hakkai-san looked suspiciously as if he were trying to conceal laughter…

Lee frowned. It didn't look as though it were nice, healthy laughter either; it looked as if Hakkai-san was laughing negatively. As if he was enjoying Sanzo-san's embarrassment. Lee pursed his lips. That was definitely something that would have to be rectified, or this relationship would never work out.

"What." Sanzo-san's voice was quite frightening. If Lee hadn't known that it was due to stress, he might have feared for his life. "The hell…"

Hakkai-san started laughing outright at this point. Lee glared at him, trying to tell him without words that such laughter could be the end of their blossoming relationship. Such sadistic laughter was bad for everyone involved. It was bad for karma, for one thing, and caused suffering both on the part of the laugher and the laughed at. The destructive power of laughter was unimaginable to most people…

"Get out." Sanzo-san snarled. "Out."

Lee looked at him in disbelief. Sanzo-san couldn't mean that. It was just the stress.

"But, Sanzo-san…"

"OUT!" The monk nearly screamed. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

"Sanzo-san, such language…I mean the best for you…" Hakkai-san started choking. Lee glared. How rude.

"YOU BASTARD, GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SIGHT OR I'LL BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!" Lee winced at the language. Now, now, Sanzo-san…he staggered backward at the sight of the gun. Hakkai-san stepped forward, no longer laughing. A slightly concerned smile was on his face instead.

"Lee-san, perhaps it's best if you go. Sanzo-san can be a bit…unpredictable. He might actually shoot you."

Lee glanced between the gun and Hakkai, swallowed, and spoke. "I agree, Hakkai-san. Perhaps it would be best if we communicated long distance." He held out a card in shaking fingers. "Here's my card. My number's on it, so call me if you need me…" Sanzo-san cocked the gun. Perhaps it was best if he left…immediately. Lee scurried out of the hall and down the stairs.

Not until he heard the front door of the inn shut did Sanzo return to the room. Hakkai closed the door behind him, his nice face off.

"Damn that fucker!" Sanzo snarled, throwing the gun on the table. "Damn him!"

"I agree." Hakkai said, his face cold. "Gojyo can be quite…infuriating, at times."

"The fucking understatement of the whole fucking year!" Sanzo hissed. "You still think I was wrong about him?"

Hakkai raised an eyebrow, eyes still cold. "Not necessarily."

Sanzo picked the gun off the table and hid it away in his robes. "I'm going to kill him." Almost involuntarily, he looked at Hakkai.

Hakkai stood. "Proper punishment would be impossible alone." He smiled, that eerie fury behind it again. "I shall accompany you."