--Chapter 7:Fiat voluntas tua --

While the rest of the household was in an uproar, Sanzo took advantage of the confusion to place the phone call, grumbling under his breath as he picked up the phone that had been sitting on his bedside table. Reporting to his superior was always his least favorite part of the missions, especially since the man on the other end was always quick to point out flaws and mistakes. All it did was make the blond angry and more irritable than usual.

He had hoped that Hakkai would be nearby, but the green-eyed man was assisting in the labor as best he could. Thus, this left Sanzo to his own devices. Normally the blond would have been annoyed, but his mind was elsewhere. In fact, his thoughts continued to drift to the strangeness of the afternoon and the encounter that had occurred. The boy had struck something in him, whether he wished to acknowledge it or not. He let out a breath as he dialed the familiar number, hoping as the phone rang repeatedly that the Cardinal wouldn't pick up.

However, luck was not on his side. "This is the Cardinal Homura Taisho…how can I help you?" that infuriatingly smug voice chimed into the phone, grating almost immediately on the blond's nerves. He grit his teeth to restrain himself from retorting immediately, hoping to keep the phone call as quick as possible.

"It's Priest Sanzo, Your Eminence. I'm calling to report my findings so far," the blond stated, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. He heard the sound of a chair scraping on the other end, as well as a crinkling sound resembling that of rustling paper. A slender eyebrow quirked in question, even as he awaited a reply from his superior.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" The question was left hanging in the air, an edge of impatience sharpening the familiar tone to a knifepoint as it penetrated Sanzo's ear. He wasn't sure if it was from his dawdling or if it was just the anticipation that he could hear in the other man's voice at this particular phone call.

Trepidation filled the blond, confusing him. A single utterance of a few simple words could have this mission over and done with, most likely with he and Hakkai on a train first thing in the morning with the boy in tow. "We made it to the town late last night…." the blond started to say, his words breaking off in the middle of his blandly spoken sentence. The sudden vision of trusting gold eyes flashed in his mind, producing a stab of guilt that the blond made quick to ignore.

"And? If that's all you have to tell me, then you are wasting my time," the voice broke in, breaking Sanzo from his tumultuous thoughts. The Cardinal sounded more irritated, and the blond could almost imagine the man frowning hard at no one in particular. A smirk crossed his face at the thought of his superior in such a state.

"My apologies, Your Eminence," he answered sarcastically, the words hollow to his own ears. Again, he stumbled over his thoughts, as though thinking carefully speaking again. "What I meant to say is that we arrived too late to visit. The boy that the local priest informed us of lives about a day's trek away and the weather did not permit us to travel." His explanation was rather wooden, mildly surprising him when the lie rolled so easily off his tongue. It wasn't that he minded lying to Homura; he'd gotten quite adept at that, but the idea that he had lied for someone he barely knew startled him. What was it about that brat?

The other line was silent for a long moment, until a faint chuckle echoed through the receiver. The Cardinal seemed amused by something that the lower priest had said, though Sanzo was sure he hadn't said anything particularly funny. "Boy, huh? Well. So, tell me, how is Father Kougaiji doing?" he inquired whimsically, the curving of his smirk audible in the timbre of his voice. The sound of it brought back the image of the red-haired priest's reaction to the mention of the Cardinal the day before, leaving Sanzo to wonder slightly. However, he didn't put too much thought into it for too long. It didn't concern him anyway.

"With as little as he's said since we arrived, I suppose he's fine." A slight roll of his eyes accompanied the flippant remark. Underneath it, however, he was slightly perplexed when he found himself hesitating again for the sake of someone else. He'd nearly mentioned that Yaone was in labor, but something stopped him short. It wasn't the Cardinal's business anyway, he decided.

"That certainly sounds about right. Always a man of few words, that Kougaiji. Since that is all you have for me, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't contact me again until you have something more substantial to report to me. Oh, and give the good Father my regards, as well as his lovely wife," Homura purred, the line going dead before the blond had the chance to voice the acerbic comment he had readied.

Slowly, he set the receiver back into the cradle, grabbing his cigarette pack that had been resting beside the phone before heading out to the balcony that was attached to his room. Sighing in discreet pleasure as he inhaled the nicotine into his lungs, he rested his bare elbows on the cool metal of the iron-wrought grating. Pale fingers traced lazily along the swirls and patterns that some careful sculptor had worked into the iron. He smoked in silence as he tried to work out his thoughts.

The last moments had been extremely bizarre, in his opinion. A brisk wind had picked up since he had stepped outside, his thin undershirt doing little to conceal his skin from the elements as a slight shudder rippled through his body. Now all he needed was for it to start raining.

A sudden noise caught his attention then, a faint nonsensical whispering that closely resembled the incessant buzz of an insect in his ear. Then slowly, as though it were gaining the courage to reach out to him, the blond swore that he could begin to hear the stirrings of words amongst the ramblings. As the sounds drew together, he began to recognize it as the voice he had been hearing, try as he might to dismiss it. Before, it had only come to him in sleep where he couldn't block it from his mind. Feeling a curiosity blossoming that he would never admit to aloud, he closed his eyes and attuned his mind to the sound of it.

"…rush…almost…close…" the nearly silent voice seemed to say, thought it took Sanzo straining to understand that much. The string of words was a jumbled mess, as though the very wind that was cradling it as unsure that it was meant to be heard at all.

The sound died away after that, the abrupt change making the silence that permeated the air vaguely unsettling. He was left wondering again, frowning intently when the emotion pooled in his mind. Contact with Goku had strengthened the annoying voice, which pissed him off immeasurably.

"This trip is just one goddamn nightmare after another," he muttered with a sour frown, grinding out his cigarette against the nearest piece of balcony. Reaching for another and clamping it between his lips, he settled back into a nearby uncomfortable wicker chair that had been so graciously provided for him. Making no move to light the fresh cigarette, blue-violet eyes slid shut in aggravated contemplation. The sudden sounds of a baby wailing piercing the formerly quiet night, coupled with his train of thoughts, indicated to the reluctant priest that it was going to be a very, very long night.

-----

Gojyo searched the hospital, looking for his smaller friend who had disappeared when the priests had left. He wasn't at all surprised to find the boy sitting in the bay window when he did find him, with his back resting against the sill as he stared out into the night. "Hey monkey…what're you looking at?"

At first, Goku didn't respond, body heaving in a silent sigh as his back stayed turned. Gojyo didn't take too well to being ignored, wrapping his arm around a set of slender shoulders and pulling him into a less-than-gentle embrace. "Gojyo! What the hell's your problem?" the boy demanded, roughly shaking off his companion's arm with some difficulty. Even as his face twisted in a glare, his eyes remained hazy and distant, evidence that his mind was still elsewhere.

"Who pissed in your cornflakes, punky? I only wanted to know what the hell was so interesting outside that damn window," the red-haired man scoffed, slight concern threaded through the words despite the tone they were spoken in. The brunet's harsh expression softened at that, smiling slightly when a single crimson eye peeked at him.

"I…wasn't really staring at anything. I was just thinking," the younger of the two replied in a too soft timbre, eyes trailing once more towards the window. Gojyo eyed the boy carefully at that, his face breaking into a wide, wolfish grin that consumed nearly all of his face. With eyes glinting mischievously, he poked the other in the shoulder to get his attention before leaning him in closely as if to tell him some great secret. He whispered low, his voice overly dramatic.

"I bet you're thinking about that hottie blonde priest, aren't you?" The reaction he got in return couldn't have been more obvious; a fine crimson blush flooded Goku's entire face, spreading from his hairline to his collarbone in a matter of a second. The golden-eyed boy tried desperately to deny it, his words reduced to a mere sputter. Gojyo cackled like a madman, not missing a beat when his flustered companion shoved him unceremoniously off of the bench beneath the window. "I guess I pegged you right, then, didn't I?"

Goku didn't look amused in the slightest. "So what if I was?" he defended, folding his arms obstinately across his chest and his renewed glare fixed on the redhead.

"You are so transparent. What's so great about him, anyway? Seemed like a complete asshole to me," the older of the two said as he crawled back to his post in the window. The night air felt good against his bare arms, so much that he didn't notice the widening smirk cast in his direction.

"And you sound jealous. Is there something you need to tell me?" the golden-eyed boy retaliated in a sly tone, breaking into a fit of his own giggles as it was his companion's turn to sputter helplessly in surprise. When he regained his composure, he wiped an errant tear from his eye and regarded his companion with a sunny smile. "I'm just kidding. Besides, you looked more interested in that green-eyed priest anyway. He was nothing to scoff at either."

Gojyo pointedly ignored the statement as he tried his best to look unaffected by the boy's astute observation. Instead, he changed the subject. "Anyway, pretty or not, I don't know about those two. Aria told me they're from the Vatican, and that's just weird that two bigwig priests from the most powerful organization on the planet would be so interested in your wounds," he warned, his expression sobering to banish any lingering traces of amusement. Thinking further on the encounter, he decided that he didn't like the strangers poking around as they had. What if they had come to take Goku away? He wasn't entirely sure it was that severe, but he could tell that something was lurking beneath the surface of their intentions. Something about their questions hadn't sat right with him.

Gojyo's eyes glossed over in thought, the already prominent frown on his face deepening considerably. If the countenance the older man wore was any indication, the thoughts apparently weren't very pleasant. "Gojyo? Did you hear what I said?" The words were mildly irritated, but not as biting as they could have been. When the redhead's head snapped towards him, the boy sighed before continuing. "I said, are you sure you aren't just saying that because of your weird thing with Kougaiji?"

Vermillion eyes slit in warning, letting the boy know that he was treading in dangerous waters. "Goku…" he said softly, his voice flat and distant, emphasized when he spoke only that single word. When the younger of the two flinched away at such an unexpected retaliation to an innocently asked question, his eyes softened. "Look…let's just not talk about it, all right? Aria said we could watch a movie, so let's go do that. Cool?"

"Okay, will there be snacks?" the boy asked brightly, offering his companion another brilliant smile a semblance of comfort. He banished the light tug in his heart at the slight, but deciding to honor his best friend's unspoken request. Though he despised secrets, something in Gojyo's eyes told him that it was best to let it alone this time.

The redhead let out an internal sigh of relief, throwing his arm affectionately around the smaller's shoulders as he tugged him in the direction of the playroom. "Of course, you stupid monkey with a stomach for a brain. As many as you want," he taunted playfully, his words serving as a makeshift apology.

The two fell into their usual ambiance filled with petty arguments and childish play-fighting to cover up the lingering silence that hung between one another.

-----

Exhausted from helping with the labor and aiding Sister Lirin with the dishes despite her innumerable protests, Hakkai trudged up the stairs in hopes of finding a restful reprieve in sleep. A wayward glance toward Sanzo's room brought his attention to the fact that the door was still slightly ajar, a very atypical occurrence for the priest that maintained his privacy with an iron fist. Curiosity got the better of him and he rapped his knuckles lightly on the wood, pushing it open when no acerbic reply came to deny him entrance. Emerald eyes crinkled in amusement when his gaze fell on his companion.

Sanzo sat slumped back in the chair, head lolled comfortably to the side in sleep as his ankles were crossed and propped up against the iron railing of the balcony. He looked peaceful, a rare vulnerability allowed to grace normally stoic features. The former teacher moved to take a seat in the opposite chair, the scuff of the legs against the floor enough to send the blond jolting awake.

"What the fuck do you want?" he demanded on instinct, sounding threatening even when half-asleep. As always, the green-eyed man took the scathing words in stride, smiling jovially at his disgruntled companion.

"Why, the pleasure of your company of course." A single golden eyebrow quirked slightly at the thinly veiled sarcasm, waiting for the other to elaborate and tell him the real reason he was here in the first place. After all, a man like Hakkai wore so many faces that it was hard to read him sometimes.

"And…to enjoy the night air. I had hoped that it would clear my head a little," the man answered ambiguously, staring out into the vast night sky. He laced his fingers together to settle them into his lap, relaxing his shoulders as his eyes lost their focus in memory. If he was the sort to cry, he was sure his eyes would be red and swollen as he kept his glance fixed on somewhere distant. While he had been happy for the new parents, he couldn't help but feel a sense of bitterness conjured from somewhere deep within him. He had always wanted children.

Sanzo grunted once as he lit up a cigarette, choosing to watch the wisps of smoke meld into the night air when he released them. The other didn't need to clarify, and the blond didn't need to say anything in turn. Words wouldn't have done either of them much good anyway. Instead, Sanzo could only offer his silence.

But, perhaps that was enough.

(Translation: Thy will be done)