"Gojyo, Gojyo, Gojyo~"

The redheaded half-demon groaned when a healthy young male bounced onto his midsection, knocking the wind out of him. "Fuck it, Goku, what the hell are you doing?" He rolled over and buried himself into his pillow.

Goku pounded on the thin shoulders. "Wake up! It's a festival today and Hakkai said we should go."

"Kai?" Gojyo asked with his eyes closed. "Hakkai said that?"

"Yes I did," answered the healer pleasantly. "You'd better get dressed so that we can find out if the demons are resuming their activities during annual festivities."

Taking one look at that expression, Gojyo jumped out of bed and pulled on his pants.

"Do you have to sleep nude?" Goku groaned aloud again.

"Hey, I gotta keep my assets ventilated, a'right? Now shut it," growled Gojyo.

Hakkai sighed. He had no idea whether the demonesses would turn up, but it was a shot. Given the lack of resources at the brothel they had visited the other time, holding a wedding would be near impossible.

As the trio headed down the stairs of the inn, the boy Hong jogged up, his dog trotting beside him. "I've a letter for Gojyo-san," he announced, his face pale. He crooked his finger and motioned them closer. "A tall woman with dark violet hair came very early this morning. And she had pointed ears."

Gojyo grinned. "Thanks, kid. That's a help."

Hong hovered around. "Who was that? She was really pretty."

"Well," drawled the redhead, "that's why she's here for me, y'know? We had a deal to, uh, keep in touch."

Hong frowned in puzzlement, but before he could ask more his father came up and drew him away. Though it didn't take any genius to figure out, Hong's father was clearly more than aware of youkai and what they could do.

"A youkai female venturing this deeply into human territory?" murmured Hakkai when they had left the inn. Goku traipsed beside the two older males, but kept his mouth shut. The green-eyed man nodded at a young lady who was flashing him a sweet smile. "And not committing any killings?"

Gojyo pulled at his first cigarette of the day. "Highly unlikely scenario. But the letter is really just an invitation."

"I think Sanzo wrote it," Goku supplied suddenly.

"How do you know?"

"The envelope," said the chirpy youth. "Betcha anything that that's from Sanzo, and I bet also that he's totally pissed as fuck."

"Language, monkey," drawled Gojyo who smacked the shortest member of their troop. He and Hakkai looked at the envelope, and judging by the scrawl of swear words all over the back of it Sanzo really was ticked off. The most polite phrase on the paper was 'backstabbing sons of bitches'.

Gojyo chuckled. "He musta heard about our visit."

Hakkai smiled his 'polite' smile, the kind that usually heralded some evil plan forming in that steel-trap mind. The redhead matched it with a crooked grin and slung one lanky arm over his friend's shoulders, before he grabbed Goku's shoulder as well.

Goku was puzzled as he was towed along. "Where are we going?"

"Shopping for wedding gifts, of course," announced Hakkai brightly.

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Sanzo flat-out refused to speak with the women at the demon brothel. Part of it was because he was furious, but the other part was a curious detachment and he wanted to observe impartially.

These female youkai appeared unaffected by the Minus Wave. The fact that none of them even mentioned eating him was a huge clue. If he could figure out what was shielding them from it... Or maybe, the Minus Wave could be directed, in which case who was the one controlling the directing?

There was one female youkai who was responsible for his food and general well-being, and she was the only one who seethed with hatred at seeing him there. Ame had visited the first day to gloat, but after that it had been Hari who served him meals and told him about the upcoming wedding.

"You don't seem too happy to have me here," Sanzo said bluntly when Hari came in to pass him some clothes.

Hari smiled thinly. "I'm not."

"Why not?"

To his surprise Hari laughed. "You're human. You won't understand."

Sanzo inhaled deeply on his cigarette. "Try me."

"You're just human," sneered Hari. "I don't care what this Sanzo thing is about, but the fact is that you being here means that we will be targeted. I don't want you here. We have a pretty secure livelihood, we're shielded by Big Sister, and if not because she intends to marry you I'd have thrown you over the cliff long before now."

She gathered up the sheets and hefted them in her arms, ready to leave. However, her way was blocked by the blond monk.

Sanzo raised an eyebrow. "Targeted by whom, Hari? Kougaiji?"

"That bitch behind all this madness," corrected Hari. "She's been content ignoring us, because she does have honor of a sort and Big Sister saved her ass once. But now that you're here, I bet that bitch is going to come with major forces."

"You can just toss them the sutra," supplied Sanzo coldly.

Hari stared daggers at him, like his head was filled with cigarette ash and nothing else.

"Don't be stupid. That sutra," she said slowly, "will mean that she gets to screw with all the youkai. Don't ever mention the sutra, especially in front of the others."

In a flash Sanzo had grabbed her wrist and twisted it. The bedding fell to the tiled floor. Hari clawed at him with her other hand which was grabbed and twisted up behind her back. Sanzo shoved her roughly against the closed door.

He leaned in to whisper at her ear, "You hid the sutra."

"What if I did?" hissed Hari. "They don't know where it is. No one knows."

"I want to," said Sanzo.

Hari struggled in vain. "I can't let you have it. You'll use it to kill us."

"I can take it and go."

"And then Big Sister will be upset." The female youkai turned so that she could look into Sanzo's amethyst gaze. "It will not be good to have her upset, Genjyo Sanzo. Trust me on this."

Sanzo scoffed. "On your honor as a youkai kidnapper?"

Hari relaxed against the door. "On my honor as a youkai who wants to stay alive, no matter what."

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Gojyo lounged in the alley, enjoying the last cigarette of the pack. Somehow, the final one was always the sweetest and he savored the smoke, holding it in and then breathing it out his nose. Hakkai had warned him before about lung cancer and all that shit, but frankly if Gojyo had to put up with the pissy monk and the stupid monkey, he would need a sedative every now and then.

He wondered what the blond rod-up-his-ass Sanzo was doing at the moment.

Hakkai and Goku had traipsed into the shop selling all sorts of wedding paraphernalia and gifts. Since Sanzo often left Hakkai with the credit card, there was little problem about cost. Gojyo grinned as he thought about the presents Hakkai intended to purchase and the row Sanzo would create once he found out what his credit had been used to buy.

Still, nothing like making fun of that asexual blond to amuse Gojyo. Sanzo was so easy to bait, and seeing him annoyed beat having to face that expressionless mien every day.

He had never lived this long with the same group of people before this trip. Other than Jien and his stepmother, of course, but the past was long gone and buried.

Gojyo inhaled again, drawing in the poison and releasing it in a long thin stream. Sanzo would be impossible to live with, what with all his nitpicky habits and violent tendencies. The redhead snickered as he considered Sanzo in bed. It was a bad habit of Gojyo's to contemplate the sexual behavior of his acquaintances, but the bed was his favorite place and he wasn't about to just stare blankly into space while his friends shopped themselves silly. Sometimes, when the fantasy seemed rather beguiling, Gojyo had tested out his theory against the reality just to see how well he could read people.

He'd bet that the monk would never accede to bottoming for anyone, and be quite as affectionate in bed as he was in daily life, i.e. completely devoid of affection.

Bet he'd claw too. Gojyo blew out three smoke rings this time. And maybe he'd yell when he climaxes.

Gojyo let the image of Goku play over his mind, and dismissed it. Somehow it was tough thinking of Goku as anything more than a kid, even though at that age which Goku seemed to be Gojyo was already checking out the pretties.

Hakkai now... Hakkai would be a fascinating lay. That inscrutable face giving way to honest pleasure and apprehension. Large eyes, fluttering lashes, and those lips not curved into a fake smile but pink and swollen with kisses.

He's cry out softly, afraid to wake the neighbors, but he'll hold tight. Gojyo stubbed out his cigarette on the brick wall behind him. And his pale skin will be flushed all down his...

Gojyo frowned and glanced down reflexively, surprised that he was hardening. Hmm. I oughta stop thinking this.

To cool his libido down, Gojyo counted numbers. Hakkai and Goku emerged from the shop by the count of twenty-eight.

"You've paid for the shopkeeper's rent for the next three months by the look of it," remarked Gojyo, taking four paper bags from Goku.

"Most of these are ours," said Hakkai. "I figured we might as well get ourselves dressed up and have new changes of clothes. Some of what we wear are starting to go at the seams."

"You didn't get me in to try them on?"

"I know your size, Gojyo," said Hakkai absently. "I didn't buy any for Sanzo though; can't remember if he's a ten or a twelve."

That much was true. Still, Gojyo couldn't help feeling slightly superior that his best friend remembered something trivial about the red-haired kappa and not the monk.

Goku munched on his grilled sausage, the reason why he wasn't talking. Once he was done, he said, "What are we gonna do now?"

"We'll head back, put these down, and then join the festivities," said Hakkai.

Gojyo adjusted the bags in his hands. "Betcha anything there'll be some special guests in town."

"Oh," remarked Hakkai, as if he just recalled something. "I bought hair dye."

"Eh?"

"For you, so that we can mingle more easily," the healer said with a smile. "You're rather obvious in a crowd, you know."

"Fuck that. No one screws with my hair."

"Gojyo."

The two taller males exchanged on look. Finally Gojyo rolled his eyes. "Fine. S'long as I don't have to cut it short."

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Jeep preened itself as it stared at the mirror. It was bored of waiting to see what Hakkai and Gojyo were going to do. When the two men came back and headed for the bathroom, Jeep had been curious. Then there had been odd smells and some loud protests before complete silence. The dragon had flown in, concerned about his friends, only to see Hakkai bending Gojyo over to smear some foul-smelling liquid into glorious red hair.

That had been about an hour ago. The dye stank.

Checking that the color had taken, Hakkai kneaded the hair dye down Gojyo's strands, careful not to break the flimsy plastic gloves that came with the package. Goku was playing downstairs with the dog and Hong, waiting for Gojyo and Hakkai to be done, and the evening was drawing in for the festivities to start.

According to Hong's mother, sunset was the signal.

Hakkai tapped on Gojyo's shoulder with his wrist. "It's ready for rinsing."

"Finally," complained Gojyo. He followed Hakkai to the bathroom and bent over the sink.

"You're too tall," the healer commented. "The bathtub."

"I don't want to get all wet."

Hakkai sighed. "Fine. Let me take help you rinse then."

Some careful positioning of a stool and a couple of buckets allowed Gojyo to tilt back his head, his neck cradled with an old towel. Hakkai ladled water over Gojyo's hair and watched as the noxious dye rinsed out.

Unable to stop himself, Hakkai began to untangle the long wet strands as he ladled water cautiously, making sure that nothing got into Gojyo's ears or into his face. It was a silent moment, warm in the bathroom, Gojyo without his shirt on and Hakkai helping his best friend wash his hair.

"That was nice," remarked Gojyo softly when Hakkai informed him that it was done.

"I hate the smell." Hakkai pulled off the gloves and tossed them in the bin.

Gojyo rubbed his locks dry with the towel about his neck and then examined himself in the mirror.

"I don't look all that different," he said.

Hakkai sighed. Gojyo's wet-dog-rubbing technique had tangled up his hair again. "Sit."

With gentle fingers Hakkai combed out Gojyo's long hair and towel dried it more carefully. After the dye job, Gojyo had rich mahogany tresses instead of the blood red he had been accustomed to seeing reflected back at him.

"I look like your brother," teased the leaner man, his ruby eyes meeting Hakkai's amused gaze in the mirror.

Hakkai chuckled. "You do at that. In fact, you look like Goku's brother too."

"So we're the three brothers?"

"You could say that." Hakkai dried his hands and put on a white shirt and dark pants. He then swapped his monocle for a pair of glasses. Tossing an outfit at Gojyo, Hakkai leaned out of the window and motioned for Goku to come up.

Gojyo examined himself in the mirror critically. The light blue shirt which would normally do nothing for his coloring now brought out the luxurious brown gleam of his hair. With a smirk Gojyo tied it up behind his head and plaited three braids with the long ponytail. He dug out a fancy bandanna that he hadn't worn thus far and wrapped it about his wrist.

"You look nice," complimented Hakkai.

Goku came in and was taken aback. "You... don't look perverted."

"Gee, thanks, monkey. That just sounds really good."

"Shut up." Goku snorted and pulled on a black-and-white sweatshirt and tugged on a pair of studded leather boots. With a white cap on, the diadem wasn't as visible.

Hakkai nodded. "Let's go. Jeep, follow from above, all right?"

The white dragon cheeped and trailed after its friends as they exited the room.

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