The Strength of Crimson
Chapter 2
Hakkai glanced out the window as he heard the patter of raindrops on the pane of glass. He sighed to himself, shaking his head. I'd better go see to Gojyo. He pulled a raincoat on, then grabbed a second one for Gojyo. He looked over at Goku, who was sitting on the end of his bed, watching the rain fall. "Hey Goku, I'm going after Gojyo."
"Huh? Okay." The young man muttered, half paying attention.
Hakkai laughed to himself, stepping out into the rain. He wandered down the streets of the town, occasionally coming across a few people, but not many. He soon came to the site where they had found the dead children. He halted watching. Gojyo was standing in the rain, plunging the spade end of his shakajoku into the ground, tossing the dirt behind him. A line of freshly dug graves stood beside him, dark against the lighter ground. The redhead was sopping wet, rainwater dripping from his hair. "Gojyo."
Gojyo looked up, his crimson eyes holding surprise. "Hakkai. I thought you hated the rain."
"I do. But I didn't like the idea of you getting ill any better. I would end up having to care for you."
"And that would be an inconvenience?"
"Most likely."
Gojyo laughed a bit. "I see."
Hakkai held out the raincoat. "Are you almost done?"
"Yeah. I'm burying the last child. It's. . . these people are monsters." Gojyo replied, taking the raincoat, pulling it on. He went back to digging, measuring the depth with his shakugetsujo.
"You don't know that it was the humans who killed the children."
"Hm." Gojyo went silent, continuing to dig. He finally finished the grave, laying the final child, a little one no older than one year, in the grave. He shoveled dirt back over the child, sighing, banishing his shakugetsujo.
"Do you want me to pray over them?" Hakkai asked softly.
Gojyo looked over at him, eyes widening slightly. "You're not a priest."
"No, but I do know a prayer for the dead. I learned it from the nuns at the Catholic orphanage I was raised in."
"Ye. . yeah. That sounds good. Thanks 'Kai."
"Of course." Hakkai took a deep breath, then bowed his head, memories of his childhood rushing back to him. "Eternal rest grant unto these children, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen."
Gojyo lifted his face to the rain, letting it wash his face. "Thanks."
"Of course. Now, lets get back inside before we both get sick.
"Sure."
Hakkai smiled at his friend, who gave a weak smile back. They walked back to the inn in silence, both caught up in their own thoughts. As soon as they got inside, however, Gojyo's demeanor changed. He headed into his room, grabbing a plate of egg rolls from Goku.
"Hey! You damn kappa! Those are mine!"
"Yeah? Well, I've been working my ass off, you stupid monkey."
"That doesn't give you the right to steal my food!"
"Shut up or die." Sanzo snarled, reaching for his gun.
"Gah. Pissy priest." Gojyo laughed, raising his hands. "I give up."
Hakkai watched Gojyo, a frown on his face. Something was wrong with the red head. It's just like the time with Kami-sama. He's acting like everything's all right when in reality nothing's all right. Hakkai frowned again, then glanced up at the clock. "Gojyo, Goku, I'm going to ask you to leave, please. I wish to get some sleep before tomorrow."
"Yeah. Sure." Gojyo nodded, glancing back at Hakkai before heading out. Hakkai sighed, shaking his head as the door swung shut behind Goku.
"Make sure Gojyo doesn't leave again." Sanzo growled.
"I'm sure he won't. This time, the problem lies here. He wants to know why those children died."
"I say it was a sacrifice."
"Perhaps it was just the youkai killing them."
"We'll ask around town tomorrow morning. For now, shut up and go to sleep."
"Fine." Hakkai smiled to himself, dropping back into his bed. He heard Sanzo fall into his own bed, then several minutes later, the priest's breathing evened out. Hakkai laid awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, frowning, worrying about his friend in the other room, wondering if Gojyo would be all right. When sleep finally took him, it was a dark sleep, plagued by nightmares, monsters awaiting his soul.
A/N: So.. chapter two's up.
Thank you to my two lovely reviewers: Phantom Gypsy and mimi. You two ROCK! ^_^