A/N: I'm so sorry this is so short. Between my sister's graduation and the last-minute rush for the holidays, I didn't get as far as I'd hoped. I should have another update next week, but it may be short as well. Please forgive me. bow Thank you so much to everyone who's been following this story. I really appreciate the feedback!
Rifles cocked and aimed unerringly at the blond priest, who was standing up to his full height and barely wobbling at all, even though he'd finished off a bottle of sake all by himself, selfish bastard.
Captain Tenjo stalked forward, muddy, exhausted, and frustrated. He returned the priest's defiant glare. "I thought I told you to stay put." His gaze wandered, searching for the other prisoner. Ah. There. He could see the trail of telltale red hair curling over the edge of a rice bag lying behind the blond one.
Sanzo's pinkie rotated insolently in his ear. The effect was somewhat ruined by the rattling of the chains as his other hand was forced to go along for the ride. "I was hungry." He shrugged. At least that wasn't hampered by the stupid cuffs. "And your guards never brought me a cot."
Tenjo's head dipped somewhat to conceal the highly inappropriate twitching of his lips. He knew he had no reason to trust these two, but, really, if they chose to raid the food stores after escaping instead of killing the stupid, lazy privates who were sleeping outside their tent, they probably weren't actually his enemies. "I see," he responded gravely. He still wanted answers from them. He was sure they were up to something. "Sergeant Nu," he called without turning his head.
"Yes, sir!" A head appeared around the tent flap.
"Escort our guests to the medical tent, would you? They seem to have gotten lost. Make sure you provide them with a cot each, as they seem disinclined to share."
"Sir!" The head peering around the tent flap proved to be attached to the body of a short but well-muscled body as the soldier made his way to the two wayward prisoners. A couple of privates were waved over to provide an escort. One of them ended up yanking Gojyo to his feet and dragging him toward the exit after Sanzo fell down twice in an attempt to do it himself.
A scowling Sanzo shook off hands that attempted to do the same with him. He staggered determinedly after the retreating form of his bedraggled cockroach. He'd had just about enough of people touching him and his property without permission. It was still quite dark out, the blackness only relieved by the light of scattered banked fires, and the wind had picked up. He shivered briefly. The exercise and the adrenaline rush of the situation were going a long way toward dissipating the mellow buzz he'd managed to acquire back in the mess tent.
Eyes fixed on the shock of red hair sliding carelessly back and forth across the camouflaged shoulder ahead of him, Sanzo felt a strong twinge of anger curling in his gut. He stumbled a bit faster, almost tripping over a tree root. How dare that bastard get friendly with his ... his what, exactly? They weren't exactly friends. Sanzo had never actually had any of those, so he was pretty damned sure he and Gojyo weren't friends. Gojyo and Hakkai were friends. Gojyo and Goku were practically brothers. He and Gojyo were ... Well, he missed the damn bastard when he was gone, and sometimes the cockroach was even useful. The kappa belonged to him. But why the hell did he have to be so damn distracting?
The figures in front of him took a sharp turn and disappeared through a tent flap. Sanzo ducked through the same flap, and slammed into the back of the soldier in front of him. The man appeared to be struggling with his now-animated burden. "Hey, settle down! Hey!" The soldier seemed to be losing the battle to contain Gojyo, who finally seized the soldier's neck in a vicious pinch and punched him in the gut.
The soldier collapsed, gasping, and reached for his rifle. Sanzo kicked it deliberately out of reach and stepped around the doubled-over soldier. Gojyo was dragging himself across the ground impatiently, his face contorted in rage and pain. Sanzo's frown deepened, and he strode over to yank Gojyo to his feet. What the hell had gotten him so riled up? Sanzo froze just as the kappa finally reached the edge of the first hospital bed and dragged himself up on one knee, his face hovering over the face lying there. Dammit! Familiar messy black hair and three telltale ear clips were visible through the messy, mud-streaked red fringe of Gojyo's hair.
"HAKKAI! Shit! You in there, man?" Gojyo's voice was hoarse. A tight lump formed in Sanzo's throat. Gods, I need help. I'm jealous of Hakkai. Steady, reliable Hakkai. Gojyo's friend. Frozen in place, "Hold nothing, desire nothing," raced around and around in Sanzo's mind, making him feel dizzy and impatient. This was stupid. It was just the sake and the lack of sleep confusing him. Of course he didn't want Gojyo. He only wanted to recover his sensei's missing sutra. Nothing else mattered. ... Nothing.
A voice from the far end of the tent piped up, providing a vague, half-noticed distraction. "You know him? Look, do you know if he has any allergies? He's loaded to the gills with venom, so we need to know now."
Gojyo's head shot up, hope and confusion flashing in his eyes. "Uh, not that I know of." Gojyo's head turned. "Sanzo?" he asked, brow furrowed.
The priest's stiffened limbs finally loosened. "How the hell should I know? Just fix him!" He stumbled over to a nearby bed, and dropped heavily onto it, holding his head in one hand, stupid chain clinking. He thought he might be getting a migraine. He needed better minions. And sleep. Lots of sleep. His eyes itched. He could hear the angry grumblings of the soldier who'd been assaulted, followed by a restraining voice ordering him to stand guard outside.
The world blurred somewhat, and Sanzo shut his eyes. He could sense motion nearby. After some scraping and rustling noises, the mattress he was sitting on dipped somewhat, and a weight draped against his side. He didn't open his eyes. The weight felt familiar, so he didn't attempt to shrug it off. Distantly, in the background, he could hear voices calling to each other. Apparently, they'd isolated the source of the poison and had an antivenin that they were injecting now. Sanzo hated needles. They reminded him of impossibly long fingernails, slashing, stabbing, tearing. Flashes of his sensei's stained robes flapping as he collapsed in front of him forced their way into his consciousness. Violet eyes flew open abruptly, banishing the vivid memory.
A cluster of white-jacketed figures blocked his view of Hakkai. He really wanted this day to fucking end. The last thing he heard, before he drifted off, was a voice saying, "He must be one tough SOB. I think he's going to make it. But why the hell are the puncture wounds so far apart if it's king cobra venom?"