In the Shadows


Sanzo plucks the unlit cigarette from his mouth and throws it to the floor next to the first. "You think this is funny?" he growls. He has never been so angry with Goku in his life. Fighting with the chimp is one thing, even sulking over one another is expected on occasion, but for Goku to sink this low, Sanzo almost reaches for his gun, for warning's sake. "My mother? What sick game are you playing?"

"I'm serious, Sanzo!" Goku asserts, his stance firm and unwavering, even when facing off against one of Sanzo's more menacing expression. The monk may tower over Goku, but recently those inches have been diminishing. If Goku is growing, the possibility of Sanzo's mother existing out in the real world is just as plausible. At least in Goku's mind.

Fearing nothing, Goku reaches out and grabs Sanzo's hand, turning immediately to begin leading Sanzo out of the hotel room. When the monk doesn't budge, Goku turns back with a huff.

"I mean it, Sanzo. Do you actually think I'd make this up to get over our fight?"

The stone-walled expression on the monk's face is answer enough.

"Bastard. I'd never do that."

"I once thought you would never lie to me, but you've already proven you can. Who's to say you're not lying now?"

Goku is aghast. "This is totally different!"

"There is no difference. When you break someone's trust it isn't easy to rebuild no matter how outlandish your claims."

"I'm not lying!" Goku cries, stomping his foot hard into the floor. He still has his grip on Sanzo's arm and he refuses to relinquish it. "I was mad so I wanted something to eat and when I went into the shabu-shabu place she was there! Really!" Goku is out of breath from his racing heart and his continued anger towards Sanzo. Why won't the monk listen to him?

In his mind's eye all Sanzo can think of is Seiten Taisei. Lies. Lies to you. Sanzo's blood is boiling like a natural hot spring, acidic and stinging hot. "How can I trust you if you refuse to tell me the truth?"

Goku's grip tightens on the monk's arm, squeezing enough to make Sanzo flinch. "This isn't about us right now, Sanzo. Hate me all you want. I. Saw. Your. Mother. The same Meiyuu from the dreamworld. You can believe me or not but it's the truth. I swear." It is rare that Goku speaks or even thinks with such definitive clarity.

The blood drains immediately from Sanzo's face.

His initial reaction had been shock, wondering if he heard the monkey correctly. Once he decided he had, it turned to disbelief. Since it is impossible for Meiyuu to exist in the real world Goku must be lying. Sanzo would never have come to a conclusion like that before tonight, but if the monkey can all out lie about other things then anything is possible.

The thing is Sanzo knows those eyes, wide and golden. He knows when they are keeping something from him. Sanzo had assumed the lie about Seiten Taisei was just a reflection of what Goku was keeping from him about his life in Heaven, but now he knows Goku was flat out lying about wanting to fuse his two halves together. He misinterpreted the lie but he wasn't wrong about it being there.

If Goku can look as serious as he does right now then the monkey couldn't possibly be lying about this. Goku isn't good enough at it.

Shit.

"Meiyuu. The same from the dreamworld. You're sure?"

"I saw her, Sanzo."

Shit. "Where?"

The grip on Sanzo's arm loosens, but Goku keeps his hold, dragging the monk from the room and out into the hallway. He will drag Sanzo all the way to Meiyuu's restaurant if he has to, just so long as Sanzo keeps up.

This is more important than their fight. Goku is going to prove what he saw.

-----

"Bro, he may be pretty, but he's still no woman. Try as you might, you'll never convince me there's no difference." Dokugakuji is laughing as he says this, nearly doubled over in his chair. The grip on his beer is slack enough that he spills some onto the floor as he teeters back into place. "A dude is not a chick."

"I'm not saying it's the same." Gojyo counters, just as drunk as his brother, if not more so. The pair finished off quite a few rounds in record time. "It just doesn't matter. He's pretty and good in bed and he's better than any wife. Trust me."

Hakkai, of course, has polished off significantly more than either of the Shas, and is eloquent and well-postured as ever. "Actually, between the two of us, I don't think you could call me the wife." Hakkai says, smirking around his sake.

Dokugakuji chuckles into his beer, causing a bit of foam to spit up over the sides of his mug. "You know, that actually makes more sense." He laughs.

"Hey!"

"I can't help it if you enjoy being dominated, Gojyo." Hakkai smiles. "Perhaps it is your latent sexuality blossoming into its true form."

Gojyo's eyes have already gone a little crossed from the beer. At Hakkai's words his head drops onto the table and he rolls on his chin to glare at the healer properly. "Fuck you. I've done my fair share of topping."

"Mmm." Hakkai nods. "And when was the last time again?"

Gojyo is all but ready with a fast comeback but his mouth goes slack when he realizes he doesn't have one. "Shit. What have you been doing to me?"

"Well, if I got into all that, we'd make Doku-san uncomfortable."

"Ahahaha." Dokugakuji slaps a hand onto the table, his face red from the alcohol and how much fun he is having teasing his brother. "I give, I give!" he says. "Any more sex talk about my little bro and his husband and I'm gonna pass out on principle. You have my full blessing. I just don't need to hear the details."

"Awww, but that's the good part." Gojyo slurs, trying to wink with the eye half-pressed into the tabletop, and therefore causing more of an awkward squint. Suddenly, Gojyo springs upright again and points his empty mug at Hakkai. "You were calling me a girl." He accuses, as if just remembering the earlier part of the conversation.

Hakkai tips the last of his current carafe of sake down his throat. "Not at all, Gojyo. There is nothing subservient about women. Believe me. I used the term wife only so you would comprehend my meaning when I call you my bitch. Another round?" Pushing his chair back, Hakkai gathers up his and Gojyo's empty containers, and takes Dokugakuji's half-full mug as well.

For a moment the realization that Hakkai just swore in public, and in a very unlike Hakkai way makes Gojyo's head spin with alarms and other reasons he should be thinking more clearly right now. But when Dokugakuji starts asking Gojyo about his old pick-up lines, Hakkai's odd behavior is utterly forgotten.

"No, no. You gotta be smooth. Pick-up lines don't work on real women." Gojyo says. "Just tell 'em how beautiful they are and make it specific. Eyes. Hair. Lips. Something like that. Gets 'em every time if you pick the one they fuss over the most."

"Ain't that still a line?" Dokugakuji asks.

"No way. Lines are recycled. You tell, let's say…" Gojyo scans his hazy gaze over the bar and rests his eyes on that gorgeous youkai brunette who first caught his attention outside. "Yeah, that hot number over there. You tell her that her hair looks soft like warm velvet you could run your hands over all day, and she'll be putty. Probably spent an hour on it too. That's not the same as saying her hair is pretty or beautiful. It's in the details."

Dokugakuji snorts. "Smart looking girl like her? Would never work."

"What smart? She's busting out of her bra."

"Yeah, and she's got all the guys on that side of the room buying her drinks and fawning over her, but she don't look even a little tipsy. Smart. Trust me."

The gambler in Gojyo has been challenged. He pushes away from the table and wobbles up onto his feet. "Watch me." He grins. He doesn't see that Hakkai has returned with the drinks.

"Gojyo?" Hakkai questions, but the redhead cannot hear him over the crowd as he works his way over to the youkai woman's table.

Dokugakuji is too busy trying to catch a good view of the show to notice the harshness in how Hakkai sets the drinks on the tabletop, nearly spilling all three.

Hoping to still his temper, Hakkai sits, telling himself that Gojyo isn't so stupid as to be sauntering over there for the reason he is thinking. Gojyo doesn't have that big of a death wish. Right?

Flashing and glinting in the lights from above, Gojyo's eyes sparkle, and because Hakkai knows that look he takes his newly filled carafe and downs half of it in one swig.

The youkai woman is just Gojyo's type. Tall, buxom, long legs, thick brown hair and large eyes with impossibly long lashes. She has a sharp nose that adds to her beauty whenever her face is alive with character, which it always is. She laughs and her teeth sparkle in perfect rows, her tongue pink and inviting and warm-looking so that Gojyo pulls up a seat next to her and can't take his eyes away.

Dokugakuji is laughing, having almost completely forgotten Hakkai. But when a few minutes of Gojyo's flawless flirting evolve into the redhead reaching over to pull the youkai woman onto his lap and whisper in her ear with that same look Hakkai knows, the claws come out.

More literally than Hakkai realizes.

No one can be sure how fast Hakkai moves. Dokugakuji would swear the brunette just appeared suddenly at Gojyo's side, and Gojyo would swear the same. Any other patrons are too speechless by the darkness surrounding the strange brunette to question anything.

The youkai woman scrambles out of Gojyo's lap before Hakkai even speaks. Only Gojyo seems immune to the dark aura pulsing from behind him.

"Hey, baby, what's the hurry?" Gojyo asks, reaching after her with hands that don't seem to mind grabbing places he really should know better than to grab while in a monogamous relationship.

A hand clamps down so hard on Gojyo's shoulder the redhead slumps forward and grits his teeth from the pain as he turns to look behind him. If it wasn't Hakkai standing there, Gojyo would swear he could feel something sharp biting into his skin.

"Shit, baby, I was just—"

"Calling someone else that endearment. I heard."

Something in the light catches Hakkai's eyes and Gojyo would swear the pupils are as slit as any youkai's. He feels suddenly very sober.

"I think perhaps you've had a bit too much to drink, Gojyo. It's time we headed back to the inn." For once, Hakkai's words do not at all imply Gojyo has a choice. As he says this, his grip hardens. His face is smiling all the while, but it is a dangerous expression, filled with frightening malice hidden within each crack of his smile.

"Uhhh…right. You're right." Gojyo looks over at the youkai woman and the other people at her table, who are too busy staring at Hakkai to pay Gojyo much mind when he says, "Time to hit the road. Pleasure meeting you ladies, of course."

Gojyo knows why he feels the need to obey Hakkai right now. He knows Hakkai's darkness intimately, but he has rarely seen anyone else pick up on what lies behind that masked smile.

If Gojyo wasn't drunk, maybe he would recognize that the horror isn't so well-masked this time.

Hakkai leads Gojyo back to the table without another word, and without releasing the kappa's shoulder. By the time they return, Gojyo's jacket has small little tears on the shoulder that Hakkai will not be able to explain in the morning. The evidence that caused it is already gone. Hakkai places perfectly normal and human hands on the tabletop and informs Dokugakuji they are leaving.

Dokugakuji isn't entirely sure he understands what just happened, but he, like Gojyo, feels like refusing Hakkai right now would be a very bad idea. He passes one last look at the spooked table across the bar and then gets up to follow Gojyo and Hakkai out.

Gojyo and his brother are in too much of a daze to hear the whispered comments from the youkai woman's table, but Hakkai hears them perfectly.

"Never thought I'd wish for a youkai to keep his limiters on, but that was just scary."

There are claw marks left on the door after the three leave. No one dares question whether or not they were left by the one unlimited youkai or not.

-----

"Come on, Sanzo, hurry up!"

Sanzo has long since knocked Goku's hand away and walks behind his charge. It is much later now, dark, dimly lit, and though they pass a few people along their way, most of the townsfolk still out and about are crammed into the many bars and clubs.

Up ahead, Goku disappears around a corner, bounding with anticipation. Sanzo, on the other hand, has been purposely walking at his own pace, slowing with each step and fearing each bend in the road. Behind the next one or the next might be his mother's face.

Meiyuu's face, Sanzo corrects. Even if it is the woman there is no telling whether or not she is his mother. Nii might have just run across her once and used her image, that's all. Of course that doesn't explain why Sanzo felt such a strong familiarity with her in the dreamworld, but he isn't interested in logic just now.

"Urrg!" A startled cry from Goku speeds Sanzo's steps and he rejoins the monkey around the corner. Goku is standing in front of a small but well-kept restaurant that is now dark with a "CLOSED" sign flipped over the entrance door. "It was open when I left!" Goku says, kicking at the ground with his fists clenched at his sides. "Really! It just took so long getting back, and then bringing you here. But I swear it was her. She owns the place. It was definitely her."

"Enough, Goku. I believe you believe what you saw, but she is not here now. I'm going back to the inn." Sanzo abruptly turns.

"But Sanzo—!"

"Excuse me?"

Goku and Sanzo both freeze in place.

The voice alone is enough. Sanzo turns towards the building and from behind, probably coming from a back door after locking up, steps a woman with neatly tied brown hair, drooping brown eyes, and delicate features. She looks a little too thin for her own good but carries herself much taller and sturdier than she is.

"Can I help you boys? I'm sorry, but we closed a few minutes ago. It is rather late, you know. If you want something to eat there are a number of bars with late night kitchens. I can recommend some." Her smile is simple but very honest at its corners. She steps out of the shadows and comes to stand just in front of Goku, who she greets warmly once getting a better look of his face. "Ah, yes, I remember you. The one who dashed out before I could even tell you the specials. I hope my cooking didn't smell all that bad."

A blush rises in Goku's cheeks and he shakes his head. "N-No. I…well…I just wanted to go and get Sanzo coz it smelled so good. Yeah. But it took too long to get across town and back."

"Oh?" She tilts her head at Sanzo, who is positioned just right between streetlights that his face remains shadowed. "Sanzo, did you say? I thought someone mentioned the Genjou Sanzo party was moving its way through here. How wonderful." Her smile warms further and she steps closer to Sanzo, trying to make out his face more clearly. She fails at seeing more than an outline but doesn't scrutinize further. "Your party would be very welcome in my place." She says. "There aren't nearly enough youkai supporters in this town and we have so many who are trying to find their places again. I know we have you and your friends to thank for that. Tales travel fast in the West, you know. If you'd like, I would be honored to treat your party for lunch tomorrow."

"Really?" Goku's stomach helps him forget for a moment the real reason they are here.

One quick look at Sanzo and the monk's perfectly concealed face, and Goku can sense the discomfort, the walled-off tension that surrounds him. Sanzo can be easier to read than the monk thinks.

"Can we, Sanzo?" Goku says, treading carefully, but wanting to give Sanzo the opportunity to make his own choice in the matter.

Sanzo turns swiftly around, leaving Goku and the woman at his back. "I'll consider it. But it's late and I should be returning to my rooms." Without a glance back, Sanzo walks forward, turning the corner and disappearing quickly in his haste.

"Sanzo!" Goku calls, but the monk is already gone. He looks at Meiyuu helplessly. "Sorry, he's not really all that nice. I mean, he's been in a bad mood. We'll come tomorrow. I'll make sure. Your cooking really did smell good, Miss Meiyuu."

A look of pleasant surprise responds, as if Meiyuu is about to question how Goku knows her name. Goku then sees that it is displayed on the shabu-shabu sign, so really anyone could know, and he feels a little calmer.

"I haven't been called Miss in quite some time, young man." She finally says, still smiling. "At forty that means quite a bit to a woman."

Goku's blush rises to his ears. "Well, everyone always calls me kid or boy or brat or something, so thanks for the young man too." He says. "But I better go before Sanzo gets too far. Don't worry. He's just, uhh…he's just Sanzo. He doesn't mean to be rude."

"I'm sure not. Here." Meiyuu says, taking off the violet scarf she had been wearing and leaning over Goku to tie it securely. "I only live a block down. I don't need it. It might be cold walking all the way across town. Besides, you can give it back to me tomorrow. This way you can't forget or change your mind. I'd send the authorities after you if I didn't get this back."

"I don't wanna take something important." Goku protests, fingering the silk and tassels at the ends. The scarf is feminine but the warmth and smell of Meiyuu makes him care very little about how he looks in it.

"More important for you to come then." Meiyuu says. Her smile does something Sanzo's rarely does; it reaches her eyes, dark brown in the dim light but shaped so much like Sanzo's, Goku knows even without more proof that she must be Sanzo's mother. "Promise?" Meiyuu adds.

Goku's feet are aching to catch up to Sanzo. He can't worry too much about their fight now that Sanzo's mother has appeared, but because of that he wants even more to make sure Sanzo is alright. "I promise. And with the rest of our friends too. Thanks for the scarf." Goku dashes ahead and out of sight with a quick smile and a wave.

He has to catch up to Sanzo.

"Sanzo!" Goku yells, seeing the small form of Sanzo far down the street. It takes him little time to catch up, fast as he is, but he is still out of breath when he reaches the monk. His excitement steals it right out of his lungs. "Totally her, right? No denying it?" he says, falling in step beside the monk.

Sanzo walks on, staring forward. His face is expressionless, which always makes Goku worry.

"Sanzo?"

"Did I say I was talking to you yet?"

"But…but what about your mother and—"

"There's no evidence that woman is anything but a restaurant owner. I'm getting back and going to bed. You can find somewhere else to sleep."

Goku stumbles in his step. Sanzo is being so cold, like he used to be on rainy nights when a kiss from Goku or gentle touch was hardly enough to make him forget his pain. "Sanzo," Goku says softly, "I know you're still mad, and if you want me to get my own room I will. But don't put your feeling all into being mad. That was Meiyuu. Your mom. I bet once she gets a good look at you in the light she'll remember and—"

"Shut up. I'm sick of hearing your voice." Sanzo hisses. "I am not going back to that place, understand? You can do what you want. I don't care. I'm going to bed." He plows ahead, his pace sharp like his words, and he never once looks over at Goku or sees the violet shimmer of the boy's scarf.

Fingering the fabric, Goku thinks it looks a lot like Sanzo's eyes and feels soft like the monk's hair. Sanzo in a single object. He wishes the monk had noticed it.

Goku stops. Sanzo doesn't want his company. Sanzo wants to brood and be pissy. Goku wants to do something, but between having Sanzo already angry with him and now having to deal with a mother he hasn't seen his whole—

A fist clenches over part of the scarf. Goku feels so stupid. In the dreamworld Meiyuu searched and searched for Koryuu and found him at the temple. Why didn't that happen with this Meiyuu?

"Idiot." Goku curses, digging his boot into the dirt. The only way to solve the mess he's just made is to get to the bottom of this. And the only way he's going to do that is if he gets Sanzo to the restaurant tomorrow. This is going to require joint action.

Knowing Hakkai and Gojyo as he does, however, Goku takes off for the inn but decides to ask for their help in the morning.

-----

Considering Gojyo and Dokugakuji had managed to bring themselves through the many stages of drunkenness so quickly, it isn't all that disappointing to make an early night of things. It had been previously discussed that Dokugakuji is more than welcome to stay in their room, since they happened to get a room with two beds anyway and after all, the full youkai is the guest and should not have to pay for a place to stay.

Gojyo knows Hakkai is beyond pissed when such hospitalities are growing exponentially.

"I suppose we could offer to pay for a room all to yourself, Doku-san." Hakkai says. They are almost back to the inn now. Hakkai has remained in front of the group, allowing somewhat wobbly brothers to lean on each other.

Gojyo doesn't like it when he can't see Hakkai's face. "He don't need nothin' special. The extra bed's fine." Gojyo declines to add that he isn't entirely sure how safe he would feel rooming alone with Hakkai tonight. Gojyo is still hazy and several levels from reaching sober, but his brain is clear enough for him to recognize how stupid he was back in the bar.

He wasn't serious. Of course he wasn't. But from Hakkai's point of view, having a beautiful woman in his lap couldn't have looked good.

"I'll probably crash as soon as I hit something horizontal." Dokugakuji says, more upright than Gojyo but not much better off. He senses the tension between the lovers but doesn't think it's his place to interfere. "You won't even know I'm there. Nice of you to offer though." He adds.

Hakkai doesn't reply.

Hospitality up and response record down. Very bad sign.

"Hey, baby," Gojyo says, and instantly feels a knot in his stomach for calling Hakkai that after having used it on a stranger with the same tone, "Uhhh…you know I didn't mean anything back there, right? I was just proving to my big bro I could still pick up a chick if I wanted. Gotta keep the suave level up to par, ya know?"

"I suppose that would depend on what you are exercising your charms for, Gojyo."

"What do you mean?"

Dokugakuji feels very out of place and would move ahead and escape into the inn alone if he thought he could walk straight.

"What I mean, Gojyo," Hakkai says, "is that the only reason you have to keep up to par is if you think you will need to use those charms again. I would simply like some warning before you decide to go back to your penny a night ways, if that isn't too much trouble."

"Uhh…maybe I should get that other room."

"Not at all, Doku-san." Hakkai says, spinning swift enough to cause both Shas to jump. They have reached the inn and Hakkai, frighteningly polite smile plastered firmly, holds the door open for his companions.

Dokugakuji averts his gaze, pretending he needs to watch his feet to avoid tripping over Gojyo, which isn't entirely untrue.

Gojyo, however, is bold and meets Hakkai's hardened gaze. In the shadows there is still the faint look of slit pupils to the healer's eyes. Gojyo wonders if he is hallucinating.

When they reach their room and Gojyo manages to disentangle from his brother, Dokugakuji does indeed pass out almost instantly upon being deposited on the second bed. Hakuryuu, having nearly been crushed since he was dozing on that bed already, flaps in indignation and flutters his way over to rest on Hakkai's shoulder. Gojyo always does inconsiderate things like this when he has been drinking, and Hakuryuu can plainly smell the alcohol.

The little dragon flaps his wings again, smelling alcohol on Hakkai as well. He cranes his neck to see his master's face. It is not uncommon for Hakkai to drink, but the healer is not holding himself in a manner at all normal. He is stiff, not relaxing to accommodate Hakuryuu or even acknowledging the dragon has perched on him. A darkness is seeping out of Hakkai, unknown and overpowering, and it is enough to make Hakuryuu feel strangely choked.

Flapping his way off of Hakkai's shoulder and over to the open window, Hakuryuu leaves the room and his master's off-putting aura behind.

Gojyo is not soothed by this situation. Dokugakuji has abandoned him for sleep and even the damn parrot doesn't want to be near Hakkai right now. This could be potentially very dangerous. Fatal even.

A sudden slam from next door tells them that Master Sanzo must have gone out as well and hadn't been far behind them. Gojyo wonders if their happy little world is starting to become a house of cards.

"Hakkai…"

"Time for bed, I'd say." Hakkai says, turning away from Gojyo and beginning to remove his outer clothing—headband, monocle, sash, tunic, shoes and socks. Every move is meticulous, slow and calculated to torture Gojyo with the unknown at the end of waiting.

Gojyo kicks off his boots, shrugs his jacket to the floor, and flings his tank off over his head, successfully catching and removing his headband in the process. "I wasn't thinking. I'm a fucking idiot, okay? Are you ever gonna look at me again?"

As if to make a point, Hakkai turns from his undressing to look at Gojyo directly. "Have I yet avoiding your stare, Gojyo."

"It's not the same. I know you're mad."

"Amazing deduction, Gojyo. Bravo."

"You freaked the hell out of half the bar and all you did was grab my shoulder."

"I have been told I can be surprisingly intimidating."

"Will you cut the elegant bullshit!?" Gojyo says fiercely, slamming his fist against the bed frame. He is still intoxicated for the most part and his steps are sloppy, but he moves across the floor to stand closer to Hakkai. "You're mad. Be mad. It was stupid. I'm saying that. And I'm sorry. Hit me if you want but don't pull this passive-aggressive shit. We'll only end up going in circles." He reaches out to take Hakkai's hands, not allowing the brunette to pull away, though Hakkai does put up a mild disgruntled struggle. Gojyo looks into Hakkai's eyes and at least for the moment, there isn't anything out of the ordinary from the eyes he loves. "Hakkai, I don't want to fight over stupid things. We're s'posed to be good at forgiving each other, remember?"

Perhaps it is the gentleness in Gojyo, but whatever the catalyst, something reaches inside Hakkai and pulls off his darkness like a veil. Hakkai's eyes are liquid emerald. He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Gojyo. You're right. You know how possessive I am."

"There's an understatement." Gojyo grins. He lets one of Hakkai's hands go so he can reach up and lift the healer's turned-down chin. Few things in this world are as beautiful to Gojyo as emerald. "Hey, I slipped up, but one look from you and I was back to my senses. I won't let pride get me in a situation like that again, okay? But you gotta trust me."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Gojyo. But as you said, one look from me brought you back. What happens if I'm not with you and a pretty face catches your attention? Is there enough to keep you here or do you miss what you had? I know well how much you adore the company of women."

"You mean did. I have a much prettier face beside me now and a much sexier lover. I don't even notice women half the time anymore."

Hakkai raises an eyebrow in skepticism.

"Okay, once in a while, but only for aesthetic appreciation."

Hakkai tries to maintain his skeptic look but Gojyo is too cute with his boyish grin and puppy eyes that the healer is soon laughing. "Gojyo, I…I am sorry. I don't feel quite myself. I shouldn't be so distrustful or so easily angered. I know you love me."

"Damn straight I do. And hey, you can still hit me if you want. I was out of line." Gojyo's eye twinkles. "Or better yet…" He backs up towards their bed and haphazardly falls onto the mattress in an attempt at sensual wantonness. "Come and get me, seme-sama."

A chuckle rises in Hakkai's throat and he glances over at Dokugakuji asleep on the other bed. "Gojyo…"

"We really shouldn't, blah, blah, blah. Come on, what's the big—" But even as Gojyo is speaking, he suddenly finds himself firmly pinned to the mattress beneath him.

"I was going to say," Hakkai grins, regaining the dark part of him that seeks recreation over retribution, "that I am fine with your suggestion, just so long as I get to thoroughly punish you for such bold defiance."

"Do I get to be spanked?" Gojyo waggles an eyebrow.

"More along the lines of…it's a good thing we will more than likely be spending a few days here, because you, my friend, will not be able to walk straight in the morning." Hakkai attacks Gojyo's neck, sinking his teeth into smooth, salty flesh and biting hard.

It stings, but Gojyo, halfway between sober and perfectly buzzed, doesn't mind the pain. Hakkai would never really hurt him, and the threshold between pain and pleasure can be remarkably fun to test. "Being wife ain't so bad…" Gojyo grins, hissing as Hakkai depends his harsh kiss. Gojyo closes his eyes, forgetting all the worries over Hakkai's changing pupils, the presence of claws, and the darkness that is taking root more firmly everyday.

Why worry when the benefits of Hakkai's insatiability are this wonderful? Gojyo can't think of a single reason. Yet.

-----

Goku is surprised when Hakuryuu, looking rather indignant for a little dragon, flies up from the inn to join him on the roof. The monkey didn't feel like testing Sanzo's stance on sharing a room, and he didn't really care to spend his little money on getting one for himself. He is used to sleeping outdoors, and the night is warm, especially with Meiyuu's scarf over him like a blanket.

"You can sleep with me, Hakuryuu." Goku says to the dragon with a smile.

Having sniffed the monkey out and planned that already, Hakuryuu seeks a cozy spot on top of Goku's stomach and nestles in the folds of the scarf. He looks at Goku and "kyuu's" his appreciation and then stares at the scarf with another "kyuu".

"Long story," Goku says, "But I got it from Sanzo's mother."

"Kyuu?"

"You'll see tomorrow. If Sanzo's speaking to me by then. Either way I gotta get him to listen to me. Hakkai and Gojyo will help."

"Kyu." Hakuryuu coos shortly, laying his head with some finality between Goku's ribs.

"What? You mad at them coz they kicked you out?"

Hakuryuu tilts his long neck as if uncertain of the right answer to that.

"Something else? Hakkai's been smelling a little different lately. Is that it?"

"Kyuu!" Hakuryuu should have known the monkey's animal senses would be picking up on the same things as him. "Kyu, kyu?"

"I'm not too worried. It's Hakkai." Goku shrugs, staring up at the stars. The roof of the inn is fairly high, enough for him to lose sight of the other rooftops and feel right up there with the stars, like he's back in Heaven but Heaven is less boring than he knows it is in reality. "I didn't wanna say anything, mostly coz I was pretty mad before, but Seiten Taisei noticed Hakkai smelled weird too. Not…weird, I guess. Just more like that other part of him, ya know? Like that time when we were in the gourd thingy and he took off his limiters. Not like when we fought in Houtou Castle though. I don't know what it is. But I'm sure he'll be okay."

Hakuryuu isn't as sure. He snuggles in closer to Goku for the boy's warmth and closes his eyes. In little time he is snoring lightly like a kitten's purr.

Pleased to have the company, Goku doesn't mind that Hakuryuu is already asleep. Normally, he would fall asleep pretty quickly himself, but he has too much on his mind right now. He doesn't want to think about his own fears; there are more pressing things right now.

Meiyuu.

Somehow, some way he has to get Sanzo to Meiyuu's restaurant tomorrow. It won't be easy with the way Sanzo is acting, but Meiyuu is not the type to just abandon her son. Goku could tell that from two seconds with the woman. If that is what Sanzo is thinking then he is putting himself in a bad mood for nothing. Whatever happened to keep Meiyuu from finding Sanzo the way she did in the dreamworld must have been something she couldn't do anything about. Goku is sure of it.

Sometimes Goku's friends tell him he puts too much faith in people, but Goku has never seen that as a problem. People can be just as wonderful as Goku thinks they are, they just need to be convinced. Goku likes to think he has helped his friends see a little of their own wonderfulness from time to time. Sanzo is the toughest case, of course.

"Sanzo's gonna keep being mad about what I did, but he can't pretend he didn't see his mother tonight. If I get him there and get her to recognize who he is, I'm sure it'll work out. And maybe…it'll distract Sanzo long enough for me to figure out what to do about Seiten Taisei."

Goku slips one hand out from under the scarf to pet Hakuryuu goodnight, and then curls back under the makeshift blanket for sleep.

"I hope…"

tbc...

A/N: Yahoo! Look at me posting so soon. I can't believe it myself. I just couldn't get myself to do any school work this weekend, so...ta da! Hope you enjoyed. Hakkai is revealing more and more of his degrading control and Meiyuu is on the scene. What's a kappa and monkey to do? Hope to have more up soon. Thanks for all the support, everyone.

Crim