Ch. 3-
It was their third day on the road. He hated driving. Well, not really hated, but he hated running and all this was, was running while sitting. His ass and brain were hurting and he was fed up with the whole damn thing.
"Hakkai, come on man, I think we lost them several days ago. You can just drive to Sanzo's now, really."
"...."
"Hakkai, hey now, don't go all silent on me, what's wrong?"
"I can't find them."
"Can't find what?"
"The limiters, I can't show up at the temple without them."
"Screw the limiters. You don't need them anymore."
Hakkai gave his partner a quick glance.
"Look, it's no use, they're gone now. You've maintained this form for almost a week and you haven't killed any of us, I think your fine."
"...."
"Besides," he took a quick look over his shoulder to make sure the kids weren't listening before leaning in close and whispering into Hakkai's neck, "I like the vines. They're major sexy." He reached up and bit down sharply on Hakkai's ear. Smiling perversely as Jeep swerved in the road and the kid's mumbled sleepily.
He sat back looking exceedingly pleased with himself as Hakkai's face flushed crimson.
"Now, can we stop pussy-footing around and get to the stupid temple already, my ass is asleep."
"Gojyo...please shut your mouth or you'll bite your tongue."
He was grinning as he pressed the gas to the floor and they drove on.
***
"SANNNZOOOO!!! No Fair!!! I wanted to eat those! San~zo! Saaa~nnn~zoooooo!"
"Oi! Seems like nothing's changed then and here I thought you two'd be all love-birdie and stuff."
The pair stopped mid step, Goku running into the back of Sanzo with a muffled "uff!"
"Gojyo!" peeking behind Sonzo's robes he grinned from ear to ear and bounded over.
"Shitty kappa, what do you want?"
"Oi! Can it you prissy monk and go let Hakkai and the kids in, your stupid lackeys are giving us shit at the front door." Gojyo turned and walked back down the corridor, leaving a confused Goku blinking up at Sanzo rapidly.
"Did he just say, kids?"
"Hey, Gojyo, wait! Kids? What kids? Did you and Hakkai finally have kids or something?! Gojyo? OWWW!!! WHAT"D YOU DO THAT FOR???"
Sanzo ground his teeth in irritation; he was going to kill them all for real this time, he really was.
***
Half an hour later they were all seated in Sanzo's room; tea steaming on a tray and the gentle laughter of giggling coming from outside in the garden. The twins had taken to Goku instantly, clinging to their new 'oni-chan' and bubbling up a storm.
Hakkai stood by Gojyo at the window looking out over the scene paternally.
"So, you two going to tell me what the hell happened or are you just going to stand there and drink my tea like an old married couple?"
"Ah, well, it is a rather long tale, Gojyo?"
"Hmmm...Basically, the town torched the kid's and their parents in their house. I took off Hakkai's limiters after he was stupid enough to run in after them and got pinned, and then they decided we should all die. So, we came to crash here. See, that wasn't so long Hakkai."
Hakkai smiled his 'less than amused' face and looked back to Sanzo, "Well, yes, that is kind of the clift-notes version."
"Hmph! Fine, you can stay here for a bit, but the limiters..." he looked Hakkai over questioningly; he seemed ok, "How long?"
"Four days now." Hakkai sat with his hands folded in his lap; head slightly bowed when Gojyo walked up behind him and placed both hands on his shoulders protectively.
"Screw that, Hakkai's fine; he doesn't need the stupid limiters! The Minus Waves over! He didn't touch a single human when they were after us."
Sanzo gaze flitted from one to the other, Gojyo's defiant glare, Hakkai's startled expression, the softness of the touches they shared...
"Fine, we'll go talk to the three heads tomorrow. I'm not standing up for you this time, you want to argue with them, go ahead."
"And you! Bakasaru, get out of the fucking tree right now!"
A lazy, "yes, Sanzo" wafted in on the afternoon breeze.
"You're all crazy, every single one of you." Sanzo mumbled before going back to his paper and ignoring them.
***
"Hey Hakkai, can the kids sleep in my room tonight?" Goku peered up at them with that puppy-dog stare of his.
"How old are you now? Act like an adult, would you?" Gojyo mock swiped at him as he ducked and danced out of reach grinning widely.
"Why? Hakkai, can they?"
Hakkai kneeled down beside the twins and smiled softly at them, "Kai, Mao, would you like to stay with Goku tonight? We'll be right next store if you need us."
Mao nodded tentatively as Kai exclaimed, "Yeah! Can we? Can we stay with oni-chan?"
"If you say it like that I guess we have no choice, do we Gojyo?"
Leaning down over the edge of the bed he smiled around the cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, "Nope, no arguing when we're out numbered three to two."
"Alright then, let's get you ready for bed while Goku gets the extra futons set-up, ok?"
"Yeah!" the twins about twisted him in half trying to simultaneously pull him towards the bathroom from opposite sides.
"Ok, ok. *haha* I get it, I'm coming, I'm coming, no need to rush."
"He looks happy."
Gojyo turned back to his beer, holding the amber liquid up to the light and swishing it softly in the glass, "Yeah. It was touch and go there for a minute though. When we realized what they were going to do to them," Gojyo sighed, sending a grey puff of smoke skittering across the table, "if he was ever gonna lose it, it would have been then. But now...I think they need each other; those kids and him. I haven't seen him smile like that in a long time."
Sanzo dipped the edge of the paper and peered over at the hanyou, "I don't think it's just him they need. They seemed to look to you for guidance this afternoon too."
"Heh, how fucked up is that then?"
The priest just fluttered his paper and pretended he hadn't heard the question, it wasn't really meant for him anyways.
***
Gojyo was alone when Hakkai finally came back to their room.
"Holy shit 'Kai, what the hell happened to you?" he was sitting up in bed when the healer had walked back in, dripping, clothes disheveled, he looked like he'd been through a war.
"Ah, yes, umm...we must remember not to let Goku in the tub with them, that was, unpleasantly physical."
Gojyo raised an eyebrow at the odd word choice, "Do I even want to know?"
"He, umm...well two children in a tub is hard enough, but three..."
"No, never mind, I don't think I want to know anymore." He waved away the question and grabbed a towel from the closet before walking over to Hakkai and tossing it over his head.
"So, they in bed yet?"
"They're in Goku's room and were under the covers when I left them, now...who knows?" he laughed shakily, he'd never dealt with children for such an extended period of time before, even when he was teaching.
"So that means I've finally got you alone for a while then...and we really need to get you out of these wet clothes before you get sick..." he left the idea hanging in the air, Hakkai could choose to leave it or pluck it off and run with it, his choice.
"Sometimes I think Goku has the right of it after all."
"What's that 'Kai." He ran his hands over the towel, rubbing softly against Hakkai's wet hair.
"You really are a pervert Kappa."
Hands stilled as Gojyo leaned back and laughed whole-heartedly. "That's it, there's my Hakkai! I knew you were in there somewhere."
"Yes, well, let me just show you how much it's me..." he backed the still laughing man up until he hit the edge of the bed, holding on to him as they fell together.
He never wanted to let go.
***