Gensomaden Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Never No Answer ❯ ...with you, my darling ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: Saiyuki and characters belong to Kazuya Minekura and whoever started the Gay Pride movement. Shout out to the readers in Brazil!

Goku woke up some time later in a room with no windows, and it wasn't like he could tell the time from the round device on the wall with the little sticks inside that moved around. It still felt dark, so he just assumed that it was night. He felt vaguely sick, dizzy even though he had yet to move. He decided that he was thirsty, moving slowly out of the bed, not to keep himself from getting sick. He wasn't even really sure how he had gotten in the bed, just remembered talking with Gojyo and eventually going back inside to the bar…he had taken a few sips of beer and suddenly felt all the exhaustion that had building up over the past couple of days slam down on top of him. It was either take a nap or give into the tears that had been threatening to spill out yet again. It didn't take Goku very long to make a decision.

Gojyo must have been the one to carry him up here. He really ought to thank the redhead, but first he needed to check on Sanzo…actually, it would be going the bathroom, Goku decided when he finally managed to stand up, biting his lower lip as he tried to hold it in long enough to get to the bathroom. He attempted to make a straight line to bathroom but just couldn't manage it for some reason. He was strangely off-balance, something that had never happened before. Goku just always knew where his body was, even if he did end up tripping and falling down a lot. The floor refused to stay still and Goku ended up having to throw a hand up against the wall before he could make it through the door. He managed to find the light switch inside the bathroom, turning it on and stumbling toward the toilet. He barely remembered to pull the seat up before finally relieving himself.

When he was done, Goku stood there and stared down at his crotch. He distantly remembered what Gojyo had said he had done to Sanzo, and tried to imagine a mouth down there. He shifted from foot to foot, watching his penis sway and scratched at his face in confusion, wondering if that would really feel good…maybe it depended on what the person had eaten before. But, had Gojyo eaten anything particularly special that day? Besides, Sanzo wasn't the type to care about food. Goku couldn't really understand it, and didn't really want to. Just what had been Sanzo and Gojyo been thinking? He could understand Sanzo being messed up and crazy enough to try something completely out of character like that, but he had a damn good excuse. Sanzo didn't let youkai usually get the best of him, and had definitely been acting strange lately. At least Goku could depend on Hakkai to be responsible, except for that one night he had spent drinking. That had been a little wild, but Hakkai's face when he saw Sanzo laid out in the bed again was enough to let Goku know that man felt guilty. Hakkai had the decency to feel bad afterward, but Gojyo was…Gojyo.

The half-youkai had always been a bit hard to predict, but the talk they had last night had straightened a few things out for Goku. If Gojyo hadn't finally decided on just being honest, Goku probably would have never talked to the man again. It was hard to accept that Sanzo had 'needed' it like Gojyo had said, even harder still to not picture the redhead touching the High Priest in any way that was remotely loving. Goku knew he had a jealous streak, but Sanzo had been the one to save him from that cave. When he had first come to the monastery, Goku had shoved several monks through the walls because they had come running up to Sanzo too fast. Sanzo had finally managed to explain that some people were going to get close to him and even touch him because he was the High Priest, even though Goku had just assumed that Sanzo was his. It hadn't taken long to learn that the situation was the complete reverse. There was no way Sanzo could ever belong to another living being, but he did allow people to follow him. Hakkai, Gojyo, and he were the only people Sanzo somewhat tolerated, and they were all youkai in some shape or form.

Goku finally tied his pants back up and went to the sink to wash his hands, running the water for a while and just staring before he finally mad the connection that he was thirsty. He cupped his hand underneath the faucet and took several deep sips, drinking enough water until his stomach hurt. He scrubbed at his face then, not really wanting to wake up yet but trying to push out these troubling thoughts. Sanzo was strong enough to take care of himself as he had proved time and time again…he had just been surprised on that riverbank, letting a youkai take him into the water and start this whole mess. Sanzo was going to be fine, just like Hakkai said. Feeling slightly better, Goku made his way back to bed and collapsed back down on top of the sheets. Simply having a mattress instead of the backseat of the jeep was the most comfortable thing Goku had been on in weeks. He closed his eyes, content to lie there until someone came along and woke him up.

* * *

Sanzo blinked up at the ceiling with the worst case of dry mouth in his life and a skull full of nails.

Another blackout.

He almost wanted to stay in bed, fake sleep until it all came back to him for better or for worse. At least he could feel a full set of clothes underneath too-hot blankets, though they were sticky and felt dirty against his skin. He was so damned sick and tired of wandering around without a single clue to what had been going on. Sanzo much preferred to lie there, quite still with eyes and lips closed again as he concentrated inward. He remembered walking down to meet a group of panicked idiots, as was typical in towns like this, all hysterical and screaming about ghosts. Sanzo hadn't really cared, not his problem to solve their latest problem with disgruntled spirits. He was a High Priest, not some fucking hermit that came out of the woods to miraculous solve all their problems. Sanzo had been about ready to tell them so too, when-

Sanzo remembered then. He'd been filled with awareness, though it hadn't been of his body. Some wandering spirit that didn't have the common decency to pass on had brushed up against him, triggering Sanzo's spiritual insight whether he wanted it or not. And he had fucking hated it. The ghost had been one of that youkai's victims, same as Sanzo. Brutally raped and beaten to death, the torture only pausing when that crazy fucker had needed to gather up blood or liked a particular part about the pose. It had been a woman, younger and smaller than Sanzo…and had literally been torn in two at the end of it from the force of one of those larger, stronger youkai in the middle of its passion. Her terror still crawled over his skin, coiling up in his stomach and thickening in his throat over that last moment before death. He'd been saved from it many times before, had almost gotten jaded to it after all these years in fact, but now he was fucking trembling under the sheets because of some dead girl.

Sanzo had already been through one torture of his own. He didn't need someone else's. He had expelled her easily once he'd managed to get over the shock of being possessed, having the stronger will by far- but it pissed him off to no ends that it had happened in the first place! It was all because of Gojyo, because he'd allowed himself that one brief moment of mindless bliss, and now some fucking ghost had a foothold to crawl up inside him. Something was going wish that it had gone up to heaven immediately after death instead of hanging around here to irritate him. Sanzo was very good at hunting such things down, damned determined to put an end to this business once and for all. He was quiet rightly furious that they were still in this village instead of even one damn mile closer to their final destination in the West. He just wanted to start moving again and put this all behind him, but another little problem just had to pop up. 'Overkill or nothing at all' was swiftly becoming an inner mantra for Sanzo as he decided it might be time to wake up.

Hakkai made a little groan and rubbed his face further into the cushion he had made with his arms on top of Sanzo's stomach. Sanzo stared down at himself being made out into nothing more than a fucking pillow! Hakkai's hair was messy and his clothing looked ruffled, speaking of how exhausted the man must be. He didn't care if Hakkai had just passed out five bloody minutes ago after standing a long vigil at his bedside-he was going to kill the bastard! Why did these idiots suddenly think that it was okay to take such allowances with him? He struggled to get his hands out by found them trapped underneath the sheets and Hakkai's weight.

"Get…off of me!" Sanzo ground out between his teeth, beyond furious. He rolled and struggled with more violence as blood started circulating back through awakening limbs. Hakkai finally started moaning at that, before Sanzo made him fall all the way off the bed and chair he'd been partially resting on. Sanzo managed to haul himself out from the cumbersome sheets and quickly climbed to his feet, almost stepping on Hakkai's head as the brunette flopped around and tried to gain his bearings before avoiding it at the last minute- and regretting it the next. Hakkai fucking deserved it for daring to think that High Priest Genjo Sanzo was something to cuddle up to in the middle of the night! Why did Gojyo seem to share the same opinion; had they had a damn meeting on it? Sanzo wasn't sure where he was going, but hopefully at the end of it he'd find a shower, his gun, sutra, and a pack of cigarettes.

"Sanzo! Wait," Hakkai shouted far too loud as he realized he was on the floor and Sanzo was leaving right fucking now. A hand grabbed his wrist to physically restrain him, fingers wrapping around his arm and tightening like rope; something Sanzo couldn't struggle out of no matter how much he twisted, how much blood slicked the way, even if he ripped skin down to the bone to make the limb smaller. Sanzo tore his arm away, staggering feeling the blood leave his face- it was all just freezing around his heart at that one little jolt of panic…and Sanzo wasn't even sure if it was his own memory anymore. As if he needed one more night of a youkai gang-bang. As much as he hated the thought, Sanzo might have to meditate and center himself again just banish every trace of that dead bitch. He at least found his feet again and swirled around to glare at Hakkai just sitting there on his knees.

"For…?" Sanzo hated it when his voice cracked, trying to cover it up with a fierce question and failing miserably. Hakkai was the one on the floor, so why did he feel so damn vulnerable right now? It was Gojyo's fault, every little bit, because Sanzo would never normally act like this. Hakkai wouldn't have even dreamed of pulling a stunt like this, even worse than being called 'San-chan.' That reminded Sanzo he had yet to punish the man for that, enough anger bubbling up for him to stay in case he got the chance to take Hakkai down a notch or two…or maybe he'd just make it himself. Sanzo wasn't above being childish, not at this point. He was hurt, and sick, and so fucking tired of being taken advantage of.

"We should talk," Hakkai started, turning his gaze up to meet Sanzo's own full of…something. Sanzo didn't recognize it, didn't care to analyze it, just repressed the urge to strike Hakkai down for taking such a tone with him. He had nothing to speak about, wasn't going to share his inner thoughts- and Hakkai damn well knew that! This was like Gojyo trying to pick his brain, the youkai bastard unable to comprehend that Sanzo loathed his very existence. He hated Hakkai for trying to get to know him, to ease in and become privy to Sanzo's fears and doubts --if he had any-- like he could fill in the hole that Komyou's death had left inside him. Oh, nothing was quite like a morning started with a fresh reminder of the night Sanzo's whole world had ended. Komyou had been it, the one last person he had trusted before his Master had been murdered, and Sanzo wasn't going to open himself up for that sort of loss a second time.

"About…?" Sanzo was proud of how icy-cold his voice came out on the second time, already irritated with having to pry every sentence of the man. He crossed his arms and glared down haughtily like any king, damn well used to being treated like royalty. It was about time he reminded these three idiots of that fact. Genjo Sanzo didn't sleep in the front seat of a jeep in the middle of fucking nowhere to be awakened by midnight attacks, with no hot water or warm meals…just absolute fucking misery.

"Last night," Hakkai answered back as if he had expected more. Sanzo increased his glare until his forehead ached, thankful that he hadn't woken up with nausea on top of everything else. He wouldn't have been able to remain sane otherwise. It was questionable as is, anger from being forced to experience that girl's death and rage that Hakkai had touched him in such a manner…twice! Two fucking times in the same morning! Someone was going to pay for making him suffer so, and he didn't care if it was living or dead. Hakkai was making himself such a nice victim too, digging himself deeper with every second that the silence stretched out between them.

"I don't have time to talk about your petty problems," Sanzo finally snapped, not giving a damn about Hakkai's current issues. He ignored the surprised look that crossed over the man's face, like Hakkai couldn't believe that he was the one acting so out of character right now. Sanzo wished the fucking idiot would just stand up instead of sitting there on the floor, staring up at him like a God come down to earth. Sanzo already got enough that shit from those idiot villagers, he didn't need it from the people he had considered his comrades. Even if he dropped everyone down to subordinates, it wouldn't be low enough for Gojyo and Hakkai. Since when had they both become such disgusting, shameless pieces of crap? Goku was the only one he'd even call a servant right now, and that wasn't saying very much. Sanzo wished this mission was just over instead of having to wake up covered in one of his traveling companion's embrace.

"So, you don't remember?" Sanzo did not like the relief that was in Hakkai's voice. Sanzo shifted his weight, realized it was a nervous habit, and suddenly just couldn't be there one second longer. Sanzo would admit to a slight panic, to being at a complete and utter loss and wanting to leave before he was embarrassed any further. It was just as uncomfortable as it had been lying there with Gojyo after the man had ejaculated inside him, skin cooling and nothing to say. He couldn't care less to what Gojyo thought about him, he just didn't want it to be some gross misunderstanding of his character. This had just been a particularly bad couple of days, which shouldn't be used to form any sort of opinion about him at all. That would be like judging Goku on his table manners alone. Things didn't improve much, but the point was still there.

"If you know what's good for you, you're going to leave me the fuck alone." Sanzo didn't make it a suggestion. He was sick of being underestimated, of everyone walking around him like they were expecting an explosion…and were all too eager to pick up the pieces. Sanzo wasn't going to fall apart, not in front of anyone, not until he finished this fucking mission and could do it back in a secluded monastery where no one would know. It damn well wasn't going to happen while Hakkai was watching his back, his eyes feeling like hands on his shoulders. Sanzo walked out of the room then, pretty sure that he had said nothing else. He couldn't really be sure these days, what little control he had over his temper completely gone now. He didn't know how he was going to gain it back, but…damn it to the blackest hell, he'd do it himself! Next time someone offered their shoulder, he was going to put a bullet in it.

The second he was out in the hallway by himself, no one else around, he could hear them. Like the sound of rain on the roof, except more annoying, a constant murmur in the back of his head. It was quiet now; soft with distance and the sunlight drowning out the power of the moon, but Sanzo could tell it was those damn ghosts the villagers had been talking about. The youkai had painted his victim's blood into his works, somehow managing to make a crude, childish but strong bond to the physical realm. That fucking crazy youkai had managed to keep his dead victims as slaves to simply wander around his forest and clean it in their passing. Most of them were still trapped in the last moment of their death, screaming and wailing for eternity. They had been silenced even though Sanzo had sensed them before, controlled by the youkai's spell and at least had been keeping to themselves. Now, after the mansion had been burned, they were free to go where they wished…except to an actual eternal rest, no burial rights or blessings to send them on their way. They might be subdued right now, but they'd be coming for him soon enough. Sanzo's own spiritual awareness and power drew them in like moths, instinctively seeking out someone that would give them final rights. Being sent straight to hell would be a kinder fate than to have to roam around the earth as a spirit, barely substantial enough to realize what horrible limbo they'd been stuck in.

Sanzo wasn't going to pray for them, but he'd send them to the afterlife.

He was going to need supplies, if he judged the numbers correctly by that spiritual clamor going on right now. It would be futile to pray over each and every soul when there were easily over hundreds, a mix of young men and women just like him, that had somewhat above average looks than the rest of the humans that youkai clan had slaughtered for wandering into their woods. Because of a pretty face or well-kept hair, they had all been tortured and raped to death instead. What a fucking advantage to being beautiful. Sanzo could understand the deceased victim's bitterness, felt it himself as the only living being that could honestly sympathize with their murders. It didn't mean Sanzo was going to forgive them for trying to get his attention and demand that he send them on to the spiritual realms. He was a fucking High Priest, commandeered by the Three Aspects! He wasn't there to exorcise every ghost leftover from a mass-murderer, but it was also the perfect chance to show those idiots once again just who they were traveling with. Nobody else had the slightest fucking clue to what was causing these hauntings otherwise. Fucking idiots.

Sanzo would have usually sent Hakkai down to do his errands, but the man just couldn't be trusted anymore. In fact, the only one Sanzo could be somewhat sure of was Goku, and that was only because the dumbass ape was so predictable that you could set time by the space in between his 'I'm hungry' and whining 'Sanzo's…He'd almost hate his name because of it, if it wasn't such a gross improvement from Koryuu. So, thinking bitter thoughts and focusing on ignoring the distant wailing from the ghosts, Sanzo stalked down the stairs and into the common room. It looked like it was still morning from the mess people were calling food on the plates in front of them and the smell of coffee being burned. At least the crowd had thinned out, only a scattered handful of people sitting around the tables right now; but they all turned around and started staring at Sanzo nonetheless. And it wasn't the respectful, god-fearing gaze either, it was a frightened but anticipative look, as if Sanzo was about to strip and bend over the counter for them all or something equally horrifying. Gojyo had probably boasted to every single one of these fuckers about what he'd done to Genjo Sanzo, how he had squirmed and tried to muffle himself; because to let Gojyo know that he'd pushed Sanzo past the point of coherent conversation and into helpless grunting and moaning…Sanzo just wouldn't be able to live with himself any more. He could barely do it now, skin crawling with everyone's gaze upon him and Gojyo's phantom memory. Sanzo quickly went to the bar and sat down on a stool, not going to examine the tang of loneliness he felt when he realized he wasn't being beset on all sides by three damn irritating retards.

"High Priest Sanzo, how are you feeling today?" asked a cheery, robust voice that just hadn't learned yet. It seemed like everyone else had gotten the right idea by just simply staring instead of going up and begging for him to bless them or some bullshit like that. The fat innkeeper was waddling over from one end of the bar, nodding politely in a painfully calm manner to him - like Sanzo was going to pounce any minute. He almost felt like it, but certainly not on this mediocre fool who was doing his damnedest to make nice. The big, honest smile contrasted with the way the obese fucker tried to quickly pass him behind the counter, obviously not wanting to get caught up in whatever Sanzo did next. Stupid maggot. He would rather save it all for someone who deserved it, like Gojyo. Maybe Hakkai too, with the strange way the man had been acting this morning.

"Do you have a shotgun?" Sanzo demanded of the overweight innkeeper, pinning him with a glare before he even dared tried to tromp off and serve other customers. The innkeeper paused and came to a stop, turning around with beady little pig eyes blinking at him in confusion as if he had never realized Sanzo was familiar with firearms. Hadn't he fired off the Smith and Wesson enough inside to make everyone know they should just leave him the fuck alone! He was a damn High Priest, and he just knew that this inn was going to blast the fact that he had stayed here for years afterward. For some reason

"Excuse me?" Either he was stupid or deaf, and Sanzo was still annoyed. His pet peeves were repeating himself, Gojyo thinking he could fuck Sanzo and not have to pay for it, and Hakkai sleeping on him. And to think he would have never found out those last two if they hadn't stayed here. Absolutely fucking wonderful.

"A shotgun. The big one, makes loud noise? Magic fucking fire-stick?" Sanzo elaborated for the idiot, surprising himself with how many words he wasted on the asshole. He was suddenly very, very tired, exhausted from dealing with imbeciles. It was hard just to remain sitting while the innkeeper started to nod in slow realization that Sanzo was expecting an answer.

"Well, yes…" He trailed off, eyeing Sanzo and obviously not seeing someone he should hand firearms over to. Sanzo sighed, not believing that he had to all but beg for things when he was going to get rid of the ghosts closing in on their town.

"Bring it to me, and all the spare bullets you have," Sanzo demanded immediately, his patience gone days ago. He didn't want to sit here and explain his motive for living to this slow-witted excuse for a human being with everyone watching. He wasn't some damn circus attraction, and he certainly wasn't standing there for someone to paint a fucking picture of. Nausea hit hard then, twisting up in his gut and trying to claw up his throat, but Sanzo ignored it in favor of glaring at the pig of an innkeeper. He didn't have to think about that when he could be standing here haggling with an idiot.

"Why?" It was like trying to explain something to a monkey. Sanzo wondered if he should try writing it all out on a piece of paper-if the man could even read in the first place. Why did the people only seem to get stupider as they moved west?

"I'm going to exorcise some ghosts. Now, fucking bring it to me with some damn coffee," Sanzo commanded, not even batting an eye at the few hushed cheers that passed around the room at his announcement. The innkeeper suddenly broke out into a huge smile, turning around to snap to his demand now that Sanzo was doing something for the selfish, fat piece of shit. Just like everyone else in this damn village was now turning smiles his way and clasping their hands together to pray in a religion they otherwise didn't likely follow. So much for the small hope of being able to pass under everyone's attention and just go about his business. Sanzo could expect a fucking parade in the streets the next time he came down here. Ignorant little maggots. Sanzo hated the fact that they were going to read deeper into it, immediately assume that he was going to save them all because that was just what High Priests did. Listened to the Three Aspects and Goddess of Mercy like a good monk and let Gojyo in between his thighs whenever the bastard pleased.

Yeah. Fucking. Right.

"A pretty little thing like you shouldn't be asking for something that dangerous," a gruff voice sneered behind him, as if he obviously thought that was the best line Sanzo had heard in his life. As much as he hated to use it as a comparison, Gojyo said wittier things without even trying.

"Excuse me?" Sanzo echoed, nearly laughing at the absurdity of it. He had to stand up at that and turned around on a man that was all of two inches taller than him, a tangled and messy beard to match the dark mop growing on his head. It reminded Sanzo of those hairier youkai they had found in the woods, an unpleasant memory that made him frown even harder at the man in front of him. He didn't know how much trouble he was asking upon himself by taunting Sanzo this morning.

"You're that priest-…" the man started as he took in Sanzo's whole appearance, obviously the talk of the town.

"High Priest Genjo Sanzo," Sanzo snapped at the man, pointing at his chakra before he was even asked for proof. The man's eyes widened further before he started grinning predatorily, just like Gojyo. He had a dirty little thought in his simple head, and Sanzo despised it. And to think the man had this much courage when he didn't even smell drunk.

"A Buddhist monk, eh? That means you're still a virgin." The man didn't whisper it, the closest people that had been pretending not to see this little case of harassment snapping their heads around to watch. Sanzo took one step forward before slamming his knee up hard, the man avoiding it at the last moment to get it more on the inside of his thigh instead of square in the groin. He still staggered and gasped for air in a much higher pitch, giving Sanzo the time to wind back for a punch-…

…and have his elbow caught by another man, yanked backward and off balance by a friend that Sanzo should have known was behind him. He couldn't even make the figure of the man through the red he was seeing. Of fucking course there would be two of them. Even more amazing than that fact was that no one seemed to be interested in helping him, watching in mild curiosity as Sanzo was sandwiched between to brutes that were taller and thicker than him. They pressed close enough to smash skin against skin, so that Sanzo could smell unwashed flesh and feel their body heat radiating around him like he was in the middle of a fucking swamp. It was too much either way, Sanzo trying to breathe deeply to calm himself and choking on the stink of these men. He didn't have the room to fight, and if he struggled it would only send him further up against either one of them. Eyes gleamed demonically as they watched him, painfully aware of their attention.

Sanzo completely panicked for the first time in his life.

* * *

Goku was being shaken awake by Hakkai, groaning and trying to hit his hand away but too tired to even properly lift his arms. Goku dug himself further into the pillows, hoping they might hide him. The sheets were yanked off, but Goku wasn't really bothered. He just snuggled up against the mattress and closed his eyes, already starting to drift back to sleep. He heard Hakkai sigh, the hour obviously later in the day than the man usually liked to wake up at.

"And Sanzo was walking down to the bar all by himself," Hakkai mentioned aloud, somehow knowing just how to get Goku rolling out of the bed and scrambling for his clothes. Sanzo was awake and going downstairs for a drink?! This didn't mean good things at all. Priests didn't go straight for hard liquor in the morning when they had a good night. He should have known better than to trust Gojyo. Why did it take him so long to learn his lesson? Goku could have hit himself for being so stupid, since Sanzo had yet to replace the paper fan that he usually had to smack Goku with during times like these.

"Did he say anything? Is Sanzo okay?"

"Oh, you know how Sanzo is," he laughed with a wave of his hand. That was Hakkai-talk for the Priest was in the middle of one of his rages. Goku shook his head, figuring that Sanzo had probably chewed Hakkai out earlier. It was kind of obvious that Hakkai was trying to be polite about it instead of his natural nice, a little angry himself underneath that smile. Goku could tell. He frowned and tried to smile between zipping up his pants, deciding to voice what Hakkai wasn't saying.

"He's pissed? Did he yell?" Goku asked as he took off the shirt he'd been using for pajamas and pulled on a blue one with a string laced through to tie up the collar. Clothing never really mattered to him except everyone started yelling and making a fuss whenever he ran around naked. It had really been a big deal at the monastery, so many grown men outright screaming when Goku had walked past. Sanzo had laughed about it when the monks complained, smoked a cigarette, and then gave Goku several good smacks until he learned to go about the place decent.

"Well, no, but he's not very… agreeable this morning," Hakkai sighed at last. Ah. The silent angry and probably disappointed mood, Goku nodded as he identified exactly how pissy Sanzo was going to be this morning. The man's foul temper had several layers and many different degrees of furious, kind of like a cake. A really…really sour and bitter cake. Goku was sure that the youkai were crazy when they screamed about eating a High Priest alive to gain eternal youth. Sanzo wouldn't taste good no matter what kind of dressing you tried; his meat would probably rot just to spite anyone who tried. Sanzo was stubborn like that, so why were things getting so messed up between him and Gojyo? Goku scratched at the side of his face, wondering just what he should do. He didn't really like the thought of Gojyo being with Sanzo…but he would probably hate anyone who did. He just couldn't ever imagine the blonde submitting to another person, to even bend so far as to that equal and caring relationship that Hakkai kept insisting on preaching. Gojyo had never been one to take orders either.

"But he's feeling all better now, right? That medicine must have worked," Goku said aloud, smiling at Hakkai. The brunette looked half-frightened, his usual grin gone as stared down at Goku in something that resembled complete horror. Goku frowned, wondering why Hakkai was acting so upset right now. So far, the only one that really had a good reason was Sanzo, as far as Goku was concerned. Gojyo was made of tougher stuff than Sanzo, even though the blonde seemed to waver on indestructible…except that wasn't quite the right word. Sanzo got hurt far too often, but he just survived through it. He barely smiled and was always smoking or drinking, but he was alive. Goku realized that that small little fact was all he cared about in the end.

"Uh…yes. I'll have to have a talk with that doctor when he comes back," Hakkai finally answered back, taking longer than necessary. Goku didn't like the way that the brunette suddenly had become so nervous, feeling like…he should go check up on Sanzo. Goku reminded himself that he didn't have the time to stand around here and try to figure out what was bothering Hakkai. He needed to stop Sanzo from getting himself drunk all over again. They needed to get out of this town before any more bad stuff happened to him! Goku looked down at himself, checking once to make sure that he was appropriately dressed before heading out the door.

"Come on, Hakkai, let's go get Sanzo," Goku yelled at the man when he wasn't immediately followed. Hakkai just stood inside the room for a minute, seeming nervous and hesitant and that wasn't something that Hakkai usually did. Goku frowned in concerned, able to tell that something was bothering the man and Hakkai wasn't talking about it. He was just as bad as Sanzo when it came time to actually talk about him. Hakkai could be just as silent and stubborn as the blonde, the only difference being that Hakkai smiled more.

"I don't know if he'll be happy to see us," Hakkai sighed, putting a hand to his face in obvious concern. Goku didn't really care, since the man wasn't moving his feet while talking and only becoming one big delay. Maybe just you, Goku thought quietly in a rash honesty, but it would be mean to say such aloud. Even Goku knew that Sanzo was soft on him, though it did sound cruel. He still didn't get cursed out or hit as much as Gojyo and Hakkai, but Sanzo yelled at him a lot.

"I just want to get headed west again," Goku announced finally, hoping that it would hide his real concern for the monk. "Do you think Sanzo-…"

He was cut off by the sound of a High Priest crying out.

* * *

Gojyo heard the scream and just stared forward dumbly at the road starting to busy up with morning traffic before it finally dawned on him that it was Sanzo's voice crying out. The long-since empty bottle of whiskey hit the floor and shattered behind him as he rushed back inside, ignoring the head rush that threatened to take his vision as he moved for the first time since hauling his sorry ass outside to brood. He got inside, taking in a crowd of people that were watching, a few men standing up as if wavering between action or going back to eating. Their attention being focused on one man, a thin line of white and blonde between two larger, greasy bastards that were obviously crowding Sanzo. He couldn't see much more of Sanzo around the pair, and that fact alone pissed him off. Even worse than Hakkai taking advantage of Sanzo were two complete strangers.

Gojyo didn't ask a single question.

Didn't need to.

Just saw what was happening and got behind one of the guys, grabbed him by the shoulder, and turned the fuck right around into his fist. He felt the satisfying grind of the man's nose breaking, blood splattering down his chin like a popped balloon. The asshole fell down toward the floor and Gojyo followed, catching a glimpse of violet eyes wide with shock before slamming down into a landing, his knee driving into the man's gut. Half-straddling the man, forgetting that there was still another one, Gojyo just let loose. It was almost like hitting a wall, except it was much more malleable and made nice choking noises each time Gojyo struck him. Left, right, one after another against the man's face as it already started to swell. It stopped being for Sanzo and turned into simple joy of finally beating someone else, hurting another human being just as badly as he was aching on the inside. Their audience was numb all over again, not moving to help Sanzo before Gojyo had showed up and certainly not about to stop him now. It was for the better anyway, since Gojyo wouldn't have taken kindly to any interruptions again.

Except, perhaps, Sanzo crying out again, though this time it had more rage than fear in it. He looked up from the moaning mess he had made out of the first one to see the other man twisting Sanzo's arm up behind his back. That alone spoke volumes, for Sanzo to be outmaneuvered by some no name peasant that liked to pick on monks, who shouldn't be violent in the first place. Except Sanzo didn't really follow the scriptures, much less anything, and was so damn alone because of it. The blonde looked like he was going to explode with his eyes nothing but pinpoint dots of terror in that pretty face- and it had nothing to do with the man on his back. Gojyo could easily guess that Sanzo wasn't scared of what was at his back as what was in his memory. He still hadn't managed to get a good night's sleep since seeing that painting, and Sanzo had been the one to suffer through it. Their usual hostile and antisocial monk was even worse about touching these days, so Gojyo could only imagine what it must be like for Sanzo to have some stranger breathing down his neck. Gojyo could barely keep sane enough to register the fact, wanting to launch up off the floor regardless of if the man would break Sanzo's arm or not…he just couldn't have someone else laying their hands on his shitty, foul-mouthed monk.

"Sanzo!" Gojyo cried out at last, finding himself echoed by a much more nasally voice. The man holding onto Sanzo suddenly staggered, his eyes bugging out before tilting forward. Sanzo struggled to get out of the way but was brought down to the floor along side the man anyway, rolling a bit from the force of the fall. Goku landed gracefully in contrast to the smoking, bloody footprint he'd made in the back of the man's head. Hakkai was standing behind him, an expression no less fierce for having yet to do anything. Gojyo almost regretted there not being a third for Hakkai to deal with, forgetting that he was supposed to be pissed off at the brunette. Their eyes met and Hakkai just jerked his chin toward Sanzo meaningfully as he stepped forward into the mess.

"Just what is going on here, gentlemen? How could you all have let this go so far?" Hakkai started berating the lot of them, distracting the people from the monk almost lying still on the floor, if he wasn't shaking so badly. Even Gojyo suddenly felt like he was in trouble, looking down at the disfigured face he'd given the second bastard. Still, he just ignored it all in favor of scrambling over to Sanzo's side, not even bothering to stand up, walk over, and get back down by the blonde. He just got there quickly as possible, Goku's feet coming into the corner of his vision to watch as Gojyo put a hand on Sanzo's shoulder. For some reason he felt strangely relieved that the shitty priest had only seemed to pass out this time instead of having a seizure.

Immediately the man shook him off, jerking up to his knees and wavering there, obviously trying to take his feet and failing. Gojyo could catch a small 'fuck' mumbled over and over again as Sanzo's hands wiped at his eyes underneath the fall of his bangs. Both he and Goku said nothing, pretending not to see the dampness on the back his knuckles as Sanzo sniffed and attempted to compose himself. It was better just to ignore it all at this point, because to offer Sanzo a helping hand was like slapping him in the face. Gojyo and Goku waited for the priest to recover while Hakkai inched his way in between them and the crowd, the two victims no longer even moaning as they passed into unconsciousness.

"Did no one think to help him? Are these the morals you're teaching your children?" Hakkai started out a nice, eloquent speech that had some grown men sitting back down in their sits and staring down at their laps like chastened children. Hakkai had that way with people, making the room feel bad about themselves instead of staring at the monk. Gojyo wasn't sure if it was completely working or not, Sanzo's legs twitching as he went to stand and fell back down again. It was like watching a newborn animal learn how to walk…there was really nothing Gojyo could do but sit back and watch until Sanzo either managed to get up on his own or died from shame, because there wasn't anything in between. Sanzo wouldn't allow them to help him, wouldn't admit that he needed it even if he was sitting on the floor right now. Hakkai ranted on, managing to somehow not sound like a complete fool as he lectured the room about restraining from violence and helping out your fellow man

"Do you need help?" Gojyo couldn't help himself when Sanzo failed yet again. Goku winced, taking a step back in self-preservation as he waited for the monk to explode. Sanzo froze up and Gojyo wondered if he really had overstepped his bounds this time. And then there was a slight nod that Gojyo would have missed completely if he hadn't been staring at Sanzo, head still dipped down to hide his eyes from their sight. He could guess that Sanzo had finally seen the futility of trying to stand up on his own right now, clearly shaken to the core even if Sanzo would never admit so himself. Gojyo couldn't help but be stunned nonetheless, not really expecting his offer to be taken up. Goku made a surprised noise behind him that Gojyo wished he could make as well, if he didn't think that Sanzo would take offense to it. Who knew what could piss the blonde off these days.

He decided it would be best not to ask anymore questions or waste more time before either Hakkai or Sanzo got fed up with him. Gojyo got his own feet under himself before he put two hands underneath the blonde and lifted with his knees, rather used to this by now. Sanzo was as light as ever and Gojyo could feel the monk shaking in his arms as the monk rolled up against his chest, hiding himself from Gojyo's immediate vision as well as inadvertently making him tremendously pleased. A man could forgive a great many of things when Sanzo's hair was tickling the underside of his chin. Goku didn't even frown at the smile that must be inching across his face right now, just quickly swirled around to shoo off a woman that was in the way of the stairs. Gojyo followed along after, Sanzo nothing but a trembling deadweight as he started climbing the steps yet again.

"You should all be ashamed, and next time-…" Hakkai trailed off before turning right back around and bringing up the rear behind Goku, leaving the rest of the room in anticipation as they quickly went to seeing about their leader's latest breakdown. Gojyo made a quick hustle up the stairs before letting Goku get ahead of him, the dumbass ape running forward and opening up the door to his room for Gojyo without even having to be asked. Hakkai apologized politely to someone screaming about their wife being possessed before going up the rest of the stairs and easily slamming the door behind them. Gojyo went to the bed Sanzo had been in only moments before, hoisting the man up a bit in his arms to lie the monk down.

A death grip on the finer hair at the nape of his neck drew Gojyo up short, fingernails digging into his arm as Sanzo suddenly clamped down on him. Hakkai and Gojyo probably couldn't even see it with his back to them and his hair mostly covering up Sanzo's hand…but it didn't hurt less for it. Still, Sanzo was halfway onto a bed and holding onto him, so things were looking up for Gojyo at least. Once again, he hated himself for thinking like this, wishing that he'd stop being so honest and start thinking about someone else's feelings for once. Sanzo was certainly due some consideration these days, even if he was a temperamental bastard that seemed to be intent on ripping all of Gojyo's hair out.

"Hey, uh, something wrong?" Gojyo asked, feeling like an idiot the second the question left his mouth. He might as well ask if the sun rose in the morning as well.

"Nothing!" was the very cold hiss against his ear, but Sanzo didn't move any more that that. He could hear Goku ask a question but was distracted by the warm dampness smeared against his neck as Sanzo rubbed his nose on Gojyo's collarbone. He didn't even care that the shitty priest was using him for a human handkerchief, suddenly realizing that he was trying to hide his face from all of them right now because High Priest Genjo Sanzo was crying over being hassled by two horny bastards. Gojyo didn't blame him in the slightest, actually glad that Sanzo had screamed and gotten his attention before anything worse could have happened, but he could see how Sanzo was thinking. He was ashamed to be so upset over what seemed like a simple matter, and it would have been- if Sanzo's hadn't been so badly taken advantage of by a clan of youkai earlier. Sanzo had probably had a flashback, just as Gojyo did in the middle of the night when he couldn't get to sleep, when something made a noise that he just hadn't been expecting, and suddenly he was back there, his back against the wall as his mother advanced on him one step at a time, an axe shining in her hands.

But for right now, Gojyo had a Sanzo forcing himself into his arms, weeping and vehemently denying it at the same time. He couldn't even twist his head around to look to Hakkai for an answer- not that he would have asked the bastard after what he'd done last night! So, Gojyo just sat all the way down, one leg half on the bed and the other hanging over the side, since Sanzo didn't seem inclined to scoot over. That was quite all right, since the monk didn't hit him or start yelling when Gojyo experimentally put one hand a bony white shoulder. Since that was about as good of an 'okay' as he was going to get right now, Gojyo took it and but both hands on the monk's back in an attempt to comfort him…not that he'd dare call it that aloud to Sanzo. He wasn't sure how much this had to do with saving face versus an actual need to be held by someone else, to be assured that everything was okay now.

Sanzo really could make people crazy.

"Goku, let's go get Sanzo something to eat, okay?" Hakkai suggested, recognizing the scene in front of him. Gojyo could almost forgive the man for thinking that he would ever force Sanzo to do anything he didn't want to; if Gojyo could even try to dominate Sanzo with getting his ass kicked into next week. Things had just obviously been rough for the blonde lately, enough to wear him down into this stressed-out and ever so slightly emotional priest. Gojyo wouldn't go so far as to say sensitive, but Sanzo was definitely edging toward human instead of the usual stony saint.

"But…" Goku started to argue, and Gojyo could hear his argument already. We can't leave him alone with Sanzo. Well, Gojyo didn't even have a choice in the matter with Sanzo an inch away from breaking his arm. If anyone was getting taken advantage of, it was him!

"We'll be gone a while," Hakkai hinted without changing his tone of voice in the slightest. Gojyo had to turn his head around at that, hissing in pain when he felt a few hairs rip, but he had to check to look on Hakkai's face. It was that damn poker smile again as the brunette gently tugged a confused and protesting Goku out of the room, just nodding as he noticed Gojyo watching him. He was as graceful loser as Gojyo had ever seen, so damn gracious that Gojyo could feel himself staring to forgive the man whether he wanted to or not. The door closed softly and Gojyo was left in complete silence with only Sanzo's agonizingly even breathing filling the room afterward.

Sanzo's hands finally relaxed, letting Gojyo go with a few strands of hair falling from his fingers. He pushed back slightly, stretching out his legs to move away and put distance between the two of them. Gojyo sighed and wiped at the moistness Sanzo had left behind on his chest while the monk scrubbed at his own face with his palms. He was pretty sure that if he said anything right now, it would be taken as an insult. There was more silence while Sanzo ran fingers through his hair agitatedly before finally dropping his hands away from his face. Gojyo was treated to a sideways profile; eyes rubbed red and clearly avoiding contact with him as Sanzo visibly swallowed. He couldn't help a little huff at watching Sanzo's neck, by far one of his favorite spots on the shitty monk; but he'd probably never get to touch it again as long as Sanzo was sober and had all his wits about him.

"So…are you okay?" Gojyo asked at last when he could no longer stand the silence. Sanzo's eyes narrowed on the closed door, but he didn't look back at Gojyo. Not yet. He wondered if they were even on a speaking level again as Sanzo stayed silent longer than necessary. Everything aside, he had been the one to carry Sanzo up here and had made damn sure at least one of those fuckers had learned their lesson about messing around with his priest. Gojyo knew not to expect 'thank you's from Sanzo, but even a nod or shrug would have done instead of Sanzo's icy silence. At least he still had something pretty to look at as he openly stared at the blonde's pretty face while Sanzo glared at the wall obliviously. How he managed to look so damn beautiful and be such a pain in the ass at the same time was beyond him.

"Why do you care?" Sanzo snapped out at last, proving Gojyo's point once again. He coughed and shifted his gaze around the room while he felt two eyes trying to burn a whole through his head. Why did Sanzo have to be so damn intense, obviously so fucking stubborn and arrogant that he couldn't understand why Gojyo would have the slightest interest in him? He would try explaining it to Sanzo, if he had believed for one damn second that Sanzo would understand what he meant if Gojyo had honestly spoken his mind about honest attraction. Just something about the man drew Gojyo, beyond that fucking attitude that no one could bear with and the good looks that barely made up for it- something kind of magnetic. They just clicked.

"Well, you know, considering the fact we slept together-…" Gojyo started humorously, figuring that might be the best choice for now when the monk was acting so serious about this.

"Shut up! Don't you fucking dare try to use that against me!" Sanzo barked immediately, cutting Gojyo off before he could say more. He looked back at Sanzo, flushed from anger, and decided that Sanzo really was crazy. Sadly enough, Gojyo was pathetically relieved at the color in the man's face instead of the pale blue-grey it had been lately while Sanzo was bedridden. Sanzo always ran cold until he was finally pissed off- then it was like a whole different person, screaming and throwing things around like any sort of spoiled prince. He didn't want to be the focus of Sanzo's temper this time. He was the one who had carried Sanzo back up to the room, for crying out loud!

"I'm not using it against you, I'm saying that's why I care." Gojyo held out his hands, trying to convince Sanzo to just listen to him for once. How had he gotten caught up in such a selfish, inconsiderate bastard? Gojyo couldn't even understand why Sanzo was still a High Priest after the way he treated them, the townsfolk, and humanity in general. He was looking down on Gojyo right now despite the fact he had a significantly longer torso right now, taller on the bed and Sanzo somehow still managing to look down his nose at him. They all might as well be cockroaches to the great High and oh-so-fucking-mighty Priest Genjo Sanzo.

"Just because you shot a load up my ass? Fuck off. I loathe you," Sanzo snarled, so damn harsh that it was incredible. Sanzo might as well have slammed his hand into Gojyo's chest, ripped out his heart, and used it for an ashtray right in front of him. It was worthless to explain anything to a fucking emotionless statue like Sanzo. As much as he hated it, it was even deeper than that, because after the first or second time in bed, Gojyo quickly lost interest. Except now it was somehow all he could think about. He was ready to fight with Hakkai at any given second because he was still so pissed off and jealous. Gojyo usually didn't even care enough to get jealous, but he couldn't stand the thought of Sanzo doing anything remotely sexual with someone other than him.

"Listen, I don't know what the hell you have going on inside that fucked-up head of yours, but don't try to twist my words," Gojyo did his best to order Sanzo, but a sharp, disbelieving snort took all the force out of his words. His hands came into view, shaking hard as Gojyo realized he was halfway to choking the life out the miserable bastard. Sanzo had this so damn knowing, superior little grin on his face as if he had expected Gojyo to break down into fighting all along. The monk was just waiting for him lay hands on him, to start something; though Gojyo wasn't sure if it was sex or violence at this point. It was a battle to calm down, to force himself to simply sit back and take a deep breath. He licked his lips, brushed his hair back from his face, and tried to think of what to say next. Only Genjo Sanzo would be able to make him speechless, confounded and at a complete loss of what to do. They both went silent again, pointedly not looking at each other as the silence stretched. There was a small ripping noise and Gojyo looked up to see Sanzo finish tearing out a nice chunk of his own hair from the back of his head, little short strands of gold dropped down carelessly.

Gojyo did slap Sanzo then, hard across one sharp, bony cheek. Sanzo's face snapped to the side, the man frozen for a moment as if the heavens themselves had ripped apart. Immediately Gojyo was rewarded with the most livid glare he'd ever seen on Sanzo as one tentative hand pressed again what must be a stinging blow; a nice cherry red mark glowing as it came to life. Despite the bright mark coming in on Sanzo's face, Gojyo had still restrained himself and they both knew it. A vein twitched in Sanzo's temple, like he had any right to be upset after tearing out his hair! Did the stupid monk really hate himself that much? Did sitting there with Gojyo cause him that much pain?

"You stop that shit. Right now," Gojyo commanded in a voice that was amazingly calm for the anger he was feeling. He was fucking shaking with rage, something that had only happened a few times before in his life. Damn that pain in the ass of a priest! He just couldn't believe that Sanzo would even dare to hurt himself right in front of him, as if Gojyo would simply watch while the shitty monk did violence unto himself. Sanzo opened his mouth to say something more and Gojyo moved again, ignoring the flinch Sanzo made before he grabbed the man by his shoulders and shook him hard.

"Don't do that. If you try to hurt yourself again, I swear I'll fucking do it for you. Cut-this-shit-out," Gojyo demanded coldly, each word clear and precise to drive the point home, so damn pissed that he could barely keep from slapping Sanzo again. He wouldn't really try to hit Sanzo to cause any lasting damage, not just because of personal disgust, but because he knew it would probably make the crazy priest happy. The crazy, masochistic bastard would probably get some kind of sick joy out of Gojyo kicking in his holy ass. He really didn't know why Sanzo would need to hurt himself, just couldn't imagine it when such a haughty son of a bitch was tearing his hair out like it was nothing. He met Sanzo's glare head-on, much more enraged than the monk could ever believe and ignoring the little bit of fear that was in Sanzo's eyes. Surprisingly enough, it was lavender eyes that blinked and looked away from their staring match first.

"Get…Get away from me!" Sanzo half-heartedly yelled, rather delayed when he finally started to push at Gojyo with a slight color to his cheeks that didn't have anything to do with tears or the slap he'd just given the monk. It was like Sanzo didn't know how to do something beyond angry, certainly not about to be chastened by someone like Gojyo. Except here they were with Gojyo digging his fingers harder into the blonde's shoulders when Sanzo tried to peel them off. Something was telling him not to let go, because it would give Sanzo the distance he needed to get a proper punch in. Or, if he was lucky, the damn stubborn fool would realize just how ridiculous he was acting.

"Let go of me right fucking now," Sanzo demanded again, much more in control of his voice the second time. Except the shoulders underneath his hands were shaking and Sanzo's eyes were fixed on the spot between Gojyo's eyebrows. He hadn't seen Sanzo act nervous before, not like this, and it gave him a sense of relief that the monk felt just as awkward as he did. Funny how Gojyo had slept with countless people but one night with Sanzo and he suddenly felt like he didn't have the slightest fucking clue to how to charm this man. Sanzo didn't take well to flattery, answered most propositions with death threats, and was an absolute fucking terror to have a conversation with.

Gojyo really knew how to pick them.

"Are you scared?" he asked at last, and the start Sanzo gave was answer enough. The monk's head bowed down, the fringe of his bangs hiding his eyes as the shaking stopped, replaced with a limp sort of surrender. Gojyo moved in, pressing his forehead up against Sanzo's and forcing the monk's face to roll up, that strangely unique and hard chakra digging into his skin. Sanzo had his eyes clenched closed, dark and fine lashes speckled light gold at the ends, a little fact Gojyo hadn't noticed before until he was this close with the sunlight coming in through the window.

"I hate you so much," Sanzo growled out, as close to romantic as the monk ever got. Gojyo just smirked at that, somehow finding it so reassuring to hear. He'd be sure Sanzo was back to normal when he started shooting off 'youkai bastard' and aimed for his head like usual. Until then, Gojyo couldn't deny that it was much easier to deal with Sanzo when the man was off-balanced and hushed like this.

"I know," Gojyo whispered against Sanzo's mouth, his lips catching on Sanzo's own before he finally moved forward and really kissed the man like he'd been wanting to do since the last time he had a taste.

* * *

Hakkai hated himself for having the decency to grab Goku and back out of the room. Why did he always end up being the nice one, the considerate one, when everyone else was acting like selfish children? Maybe it was because Sanzo had been clinging to Gojyo, sober and needy for something that Hakkai hadn't been able to provide. Why Kanzeon Bosatsu had chosen Gojyo as the partner for Sanzo was still beyond him. What was even more incomprehensible was the silent way Sanzo had allowed the taller half-breed to handle him. The monk had managed to suddenly look very small next to Gojyo, those shoulders almost wide enough to completely block Sanzo from view. Maybe it had been that body language, that subtle motion that meant Gojyo was getting protective and possessive all in one that had made him back out of the room. Hakkai was very good at telling when he wasn't needed in a room.

He had gotten Goku to leave as well, seeing that this might need moment. He knew that Sanzo had to be upset, more than unbalanced if he let those two ruffians get the best of him. Even though his wounds were healed, it was clear that there were still some emotional and mental issues to deal with. Sanzo would never be hanging off Gojyo otherwise. Hakkai had to laugh at himself, wondering just why he was getting so jealous. It wasn't even like he existed to Sanzo- the monk had blacked out last night, or at least was being so obstinate as to avoid the topic entirely. And that would be very un-Sanzo-like. He had never known the priest to do anything other than tackle a problem head on.

Hakkai sighed heavily, not really sure if he had it in him to go downstairs.

"Hey, are you okay?" Goku finally asked at his side, the first concerned voice Hakkai had heard in a while. He couldn't help but glance down at the boy, big wide golden eyes almost as curious and innocent as a cat's. Goku really didn't know how to doubt people, couldn't see past the surface of things. He just thought that Hakkai might have a stomachache, something physically wrong to make him sad. Goku didn't really know what it was like to get his heart literally ripped up into small pieces and thrown around like confetti. He couldn't really blame Sanzo, since the blonde was simply ignorant of the finer points of socialization; but he couldn't explain how Gojyo had been acting lately. They were friends and Gojyo usually talked to him first before deciding to go around and do things that were obviously so stupid. Now they were stuck in this huge mess with no clear solution in sight. Hakkai didn't know why he even bothered to play nice anymore.

"I'm just fine, Goku," Hakkai lied through his teeth as he smiled down at the boy. The act was good enough to fool the shorter brunette, who started jogging ahead to go down the stairs before he even realized that he was starting to leave Hakkai behind. Goku waited for him to catch up, clearly not seeing that Hakkai was trying to take up as much time as possible right now. He hated being so damn considerate of Sanzo's feelings, knowing that the monk had been crying and trying desperately to hide it from them- against Gojyo's chest. Hadn't they always hated each other before? Hakkai had felt like he had woken up in some sort of strange parallel universe when he had closed the door on Gojyo's back as the redhead had comforted the priest. Damn Gojyo for acting so tough when he was really weak against people with dark pasts, regrets, trauma, issues, and whatever else Sanzo might have accumulated lately. Gods knew that it was hard to get a decent conversation out of the blonde lately, which was probably Gojyo's fault in the first place. Hakkai felt like his head was going to burst with all these thoughts as they marched down the hallway.

"So what are we going to get Sanzo to eat?" Goku asked finally with a smile when Hakkai reached the stairs, always ready to talk about food. It forced Hakkai to try and think about a proper answer instead of whatever might be happening between Gojyo and Sanzo. He had never seen such a case of opposites attract before, and the mere thought of the two of them together left a foul taste in Hakkai's mouth. It had already obviously become a problem, Gojyo having to give Goku the talk after he had overheard their argument…which still wasn't finished. Hakkai couldn't just stand back and not say anything while he watched Gojyo and Sanzo run off the side of a cliff. Them being romantically involved equated to just that.

"I don't know. How about we just snack for a bit while Gojyo and Sanzo talk," Hakkai tried to distract the boy, wanting to get downstairs and involved in something that would take a good couple of hours before they started hearing any noises. Hakkai most certainly didn't want to be stuck there explaining why Sanzo and Gojyo were groaning like animals in heat. He could barely believe it himself, much less try to comprehend it. Goku only paused in mid-step, tuning around to face Hakkai before they went any further down the stairs.

"Are you sure they're just going to talk?" Goku asked with a frown, amazingly astute. Hakkai wondered just what kind of discussion Gojyo had with the boy last night. Hakkai had honestly thought that Goku would just be too innocent to understand anything that Gojyo said, not that it was any fault on the boy. Goku's naivety was probably one of his strong points in the end. Why did that have to get ruined too, along with Sanzo's heart and Gojyo's moral fiber? Hakkai wasn't going to last very long at this rate either, sick with the possible consequences that still had yet to occur.

"Goku, you-…" Hakkai trailed off, not really sure if he should discuss this after all. Not when Goku was blinking up at him, gold eyes wide and holding all the suspicion of a hungry puppy waiting for someone to pay attention to him. Just what kind of talk did Gojyo have with the boy after all? Hakkai hoped that the redhead still had the decency to not explain every nasty little detail to the boy, sure that it would ruin Goku's innocence forever; not to mention that he didn't think Sanzo would appreciate Gojyo sharing just what had happened between them. Hakkai wasn't going to divulge such to Goku or Gojyo, whichever one of them had opened that door last night. He could guess who it was though, by the way Gojyo had been acting at the table. It was amazing how the man could manage to deceive Sanzo into the same bed and then act indignant about Hakkai simply helping the priest last night. Nobody had any right to complain right now; Sanzo was the only one who had yet to lie or trick any of them, remarkably enough. He had just been the victim of horrible, terrible circumstances lately, and somehow attached to Gojyo at the end of it.

"Why don't we play cards? I'll show you how to beat Gojyo," Hakkai suggested at last, wondering why he wasn't going in there and breaking up whatever the half-youkai had planned. He would be doing it too, if Sanzo hadn't been holding onto Gojyo for dear life, afraid to even lift his head. He had been pushed too far in the last few days, obviously at the end of his rope when Hakkai thought it had run out years ago. He would really have to talk to Sanzo soon, without Gojyo or Goku around to interrupt or influence things. But, until then, the best he could do was just make sure that Sanzo was alive, healthy, and kept somewhat content- and right now, that meant not being in the same room with the priest.

"Really? Yeah, let's go!" Goku agreed, skipping along to the next door for their own hotel room.

* * *

Sanzo managed not to shake, didn't bite into his lip, or dig his nails into his palms. He was suddenly so aware of small habits he had that actually hurt, left marks and small bruises, but he had never really felt pain before. Now the spot where he'd torn out hair tingled worse than the smarting echo of Gojyo's hand on his cheek. He had to keep his eyes closed, because if he opened them he just fucking knew tears would come out, and he wasn't going to cry again in front of Gojyo. He didn't have the damn right to make Sanzo feel so ashamed; to suddenly call him on the little things Sanzo did to keep sane. Sometimes that little shock of physical pain was enough let him focus in. It hadn't even been noticeable to these oblivious fools, but lately the need had been greater, things had gotten a whole hell of a lot worse. Sanzo didn't know what to do, what to think, who to hate beyond his own pathetic self- and below it all was that damn weak wailing of the ghosts wandering around town.

It had been easier to sit there and argue with Gojyo, able to ignore those things when he was in the middle of a fight, and then the asshole had to get so damn close. Just his body was overpowering, another human being that was warm and touching him when Sanzo tried so hard not to feel anything at all. He didn't even know how to protest anymore when Gojyo pressed his lips up against Sanzo's. It wasn't invasive or dominating, but soft and somehow coaxing as well. Sanzo wouldn't have been so swayed by it if he hadn't thought that Gojyo could be anything other than overpowering and demanding. He wasn't prepared for gentleness, couldn't exactly scream or strike out at him since Gojyo wasn't really doing anything bad right now. He tightened his lips, pressed his eyelids together harder, and did his best to just be silent. He didn't enjoy things like this. He was a Buddhist monk!

A Buddhist monk that couldn't help from gasping when Gojyo parted his shirt and pulled it off his shoulders, Sanzo not even sure when Gojyo had managed to unbutton it. The long sleeves caught around his elbows and his skin pimpled at the sudden bite of cold air while Gojyo put two hands underneath Sanzo's jaw, thumbs brushing his earlobes, and the redhead kissed him again. He should have bitten down on Gojyo's lip, not have opened his mouth and let Gojyo's tongue slide in. His body was refusing to listen to his brain, little jolts of electricity snapping through him as Sanzo vaguely thought he should be trying to struggle instead of allowing Gojyo to lie him down all the way on his back. His arms were suddenly restrained by the shirt caught underneath his back, and Sanzo pulled himself out of the sleeves in a bit of panic. He hated himself for being scared, for tensing up when Gojyo straddled one leg and put a hand on the fly of his pants.

"Stop it," he demanded in a shaky voice that could barely be recognized as his own. Sanzo wasn't even sure why he protested, but he wasn't ready to be naked yet. Gojyo immediately backed up, not moving all the way off of Sanzo but allowing him the room to breathe. He couldn't stand how Gojyo looked at him, a little bit of concern and too much fucking pity in those deep red eyes. Sanzo was suddenly jerked back to the reality of Gojyo being everything he hated, a half-youkai as well as a miserable excuse for a human. Just what would the world think when they heard High Priest Genjo Sanzo had taken a youkai to bed?

"Are you okay? Do you really want me to stop?" Gojyo asked in a voice that was a little breathless, a little husky. It was then that Sanzo noticed the considerable bulge straining at the front of Gojyo's pants, struck dumb by the fact that their little group's repudiated slut was turned on. By him, no less. Sanzo wasn't sure what he should think of this, didn't want his chest to be clenching up with a sudden warmth. He chewed on his lip, confused with the immediate 'fuck off' didn't spring from his mouth. Gojyo's hand brushed against the side of his face and Sanzo realized the man was wiping away tears; he had opened his eyes like a fool. Just why the hell would he even want to look at Gojyo, why was he still on this bed and not saying anything at all? Even he wasn't saying 'yes, now get the fuck off,' then just was his answer? It certainly couldn't be that he actually wanted Gojyo, not this loudmouthed, rude, irritating fuck-off.

So, why was his hand on Gojyo's knee, looking down at the man's bellybutton and noticing the slight bit of hair underneath it that went down to his groin? He couldn't very well tell Gojyo what he was thinking, not when he was so unsure himself. Thankfully, Gojyo didn't need him to say anything, somehow able to read enough out of Sanzo's body language to lean in and start kissing him on the throat. He clenched his teeth together, determined not to make a sound as Gojyo suckled at the curve of his neck before licking a trail down his chest, his tongue swiping a wet path through the dried sweat on Sanzo's skin. Gojyo mouth finally stopped on top of Sanzo's nipple, his fingers moving up to tease the unattended one. Gojyo used his teeth to pinch that nub of flesh, but it wasn't hard or long with sharp youkai fangs, and Sanzo found it feeling strangely good. He had to dig his hands into the sheets to keep from moving, because he didn't want to prove Gojyo right by biting through his lip or cutting his palms with his nails like he usually would. Still, without the little bit of pain to help, it was hard to lie still and mute. Sanzo didn't want to be a part of this, didn't want to enjoy it, and would kill Gojyo if the idiot stopped again. If given a moment, Sanzo knew that all he'd be able to think about would be Gojyo shaking him, telling him to 'knock that shit off' like a parent yelling at a child that had drawn all over the walls. It wasn't fair that Gojyo could just put things so simply like that, as if he could understand what Sanzo went through everyday. It was because of him, along with the other two dumbasses wearing him down bit by bit, that Sanzo had been reduced to this. So damn confused and stupid; but when he was with Gojyo, Sanzo somehow just got caught up in the moment and forgot about all that.

Gojyo pulling his mouth away and tweaking the wet little nub he'd made had a way of snapping Sanzo into the now. Gojyo put one hand on the front of Sanzo's pants, but this time he started stroking him through the fabric instead of working at his fly. He had to twist around at that, feeling more sensitive than usual and not knowing why. His knees were twitching out of his control and Sanzo was struggled very hard not to bit his lip. He wanted to so badly, but if Gojyo slapped him again he wouldn't have been able to bear it. So, instead, Sanzo finally opened his mouth and let out a loud moan that embarrassed him horribly. He almost wanted to be gagged when Gojyo glanced up from over his bellybutton, a small smirk dancing across his lips that Sanzo wanted to punch off…if he could had gotten his body out from Gojyo's weight.

"Do you still want these on?" Gojyo asked with a little bit of humor and superiority that Sanzo hated. He pressed a palm over the hardening mound, jeans rapidly becoming too tight as Gojyo outlined it with his fingers. Sanzo said 'yes' while his head shook negatively, little blossoming colors of light behind his eyes. Sanzo wasn't sure what he wanted, what he was supposed to do, his resolute purpose gone as the blood rushed to his groin. Gojyo kissed the bottom of his ribs, swirled his tongue around and inside his naval, and on top of heated erection Sanzo was trying desperately to ignore. He became aware of a strange, stilted humming and realized it was his own voice, trying not to moan and failing miserably. Sanzo was horribly, miserably turned on.

Gojyo chuckled when Sanzo started working at his own fly, both of their jeans gone before Sanzo realized he'd taken his pants off willingly, with his own two hands that were starting to shake now. But it was too late then, already naked in front of Gojyo when he wouldn't even let Goku see anything below the waist. Sanzo's breathing sped up, lungs seeming to shrink when Gojyo braced two hands against the bed on either side of his head and loomed over him, long hair scratching his nose and lips. Sanzo almost felt sorry for ripping it out earlier, but he wanted to do it again now after being forbidden to do it to himself. What was even worse was that he was actually listening to Gojyo, that the redhead could make him feel disgraced and unbalanced. Sanzo wasn't about to be readable, someone that Gojyo could get to know… and also because he didn't want the man to see him naked, Sanzo did the most crazy thing he could think of, sitting up on his elbows to kiss Gojyo full on the mouth.

There was a muffled choke of surprise that made Sanzo grin triumphantly before Gojyo was suddenly returning the favor with much more vigor than necessary. Sanzo found himself on his back again, being kissed heavily into the mattress and not having the sense of mind to protest. No when Gojyo put his hand around his own twitching cock, skin shrinking with sensation that was just too much. Or, not enough when Gojyo rubbed his thumb across the head, brushing aside pre-cum that had been gathering to dig into the pisshole. Sanzo cried out, right into Gojyo's mouth as his stomach arched up against the man's chest. He couldn't even look at what face Gojyo must be making right now, not when the man was pumping his dick with tight, warm fingers. Sanzo bit down on the redhead's lower lip since he couldn't do it to his own, that tang of blood making him lose all coherent thought.

Gojyo moved his hand, letting go to spit onto fingers already coated with Sanzo's own sperm. His head bent back when Gojyo rested the tip of his nail against oversensitive skin before sliding the digit in, unable to keep kissing, unable to do much more than lie there and try not to break into a thousand pieces. His knees were twitching helplessly, Sanzo skewered on top of Gojyo's finger and actually liking it as the redhead twisted and felt along soft inner walls. Sanzo suckled at the little divot he had made inside Gojyo's mouth, at some point burying his hands in that long red hair. Another finger was added and Sanzo exchanged the hurt with his tongue, determined to be just as aggressive as Gojyo.

Even with that resolve, feeling the warm, wet tip of Gojyo's own dick touching the empty spot where his fingers had been only moments ago was quite a different thing. There was panic welling up in his throat and passion heating up his groin, up to his stomach and making Sanzo's insides ache with want. He should have tried to run away then, but he so desperately needed this now, brought up to the cusp of something Sanzo was completely unfamiliar with, youkai gang bangs and drunken mistakes not exactly the times he tried to recall every delicious detail of. He knew why he must have tried to forget last night when Gojyo thrust up into him.

Sanzo started crying out then, but this time it was in pain. Not ripping, burning violation but just too much, too fucking big. He hated thinking such of Gojyo, but it hard to deny when he had every inch of that organ buried up inside him. He held onto Gojyo's shoulders for dear life, helpless pain tears burning at the corner of his eyes as he regretted ever going through with this in the first place. He tried to scream at Gojyo, to tell the damn horny idiot to pull out before he exploded, but found his mouth covered once again with Gojyo's own. The man started moving slightly at first, a mere gentle rocking as muscles were forced to adjust and part. And even though Sanzo had sincerely believed that there was no way to have sex with mind-numbing pain, it slowly stopped hurting and started feeling good. Gojyo was close to something, a smooth motion that felt quite nice…

Then, so fucking good, explosion of every nerve in his body when Gojyo thrust in hard, hitting up against a spot inside of him that made Sanzo see nothing but white. Sanzo was sobbing openly for breath, his own hand wrapping around his leaking erection and starting to work it. He knew how to that much at least, needing something to thrust up into when he was being pounded from behind. Gojyo had all the power of a rabid bulldog in heat, and they both knew he was holding back. Sanzo didn't care, was too lost in the sensations of his body to be offended or pissed, to be anything but there. He might have been moaning or screaming, underneath Gojyo or floating somewhere near the ceiling- shuddering long before he came, warm ejaculation splattering his lower chest and onto Gojyo. Sanzo became remotely aware of cooling drool on his cheek, of the fact that he had come to a climax long before Gojyo. Of finally having no thoughts other than just simply existed.

The redhead actually picked up speed after that, rasping along hypersensitive skin and nerves. He grabbed Sanzo by the arms, pulling them both up into an awkward sitting position, Sanzo's knees trembling on either side of Gojyo's thighs. He wanted to pass out, was already past his limit long ago, nothing more than a limp mess of flesh and bones. But Gojyo just tossed Sanzo's arms over his shoulders, managing to hook his body into staying upright by his armpits and a hand clasping each buttock. The sound of flesh hitting flesh was impossible to escape, even though Sanzo was filling up the air with his own helpless cries. It didn't hurt so much then, it just went numb as Sanzo saw grey and heard it echo in his ears and into his brain…

And for one blissful second there was absolutely nothing.

Sanzo came back to himself with Gojyo's sweaty, heavy body collapsed on top of his, flaccid dick still up to the hilt inside Sanzo. It was fucking disgusting and sticky, so warm that Sanzo felt like he was burning alive. For some reason their breathing matched right now, Gojyo exhaling and inhaling in perfect synchronicity with him. Things were cooling and getting dangerous, but Sanzo was too damn tired to run right now. He didn't care if Gojyo was there right now when he felt so completely open, still awash in what had just happened. For some reason, it was comforting this time- perhaps because Gojyo was passed out right now. It was safe then, just to have someone else there, to take relief in contact with another human being. Sanzo didn't feel the need to go scrambling after Goku just to keep himself from breaking down. The emotional turmoil was gone right now, Sanzo unable to remember what had upset him so much, but he was as close to being happy as he could remember. Gojyo's hand patted the side of his flank like Sanzo was a prize racehorse that had come in first... and for some reason his arms tightened around the redhead instead of pushing him away like usual.

His stomach growled and Sanzo frowned, his eyes rolling around as he tried to remember when he had last eaten…when he had last had a drink of water instead of cheap beer or hard liquor.

"I'm hungry," Sanzo said aloud to his bedmate, a little bit of numb surprise creeping in on the edges of exhaustion as Gojyo chuckled against him. Now that he had said such aloud, it felt like his stomach was trying to eat through his spine. Maybe that was half the reason why he was so damn tired all the time, why he had lacked the energy to fight and panicked instead with those damn brutes downstairs. What a poor fucking excuse of a joke, Sanzo gritting his teeth hard as he tried not to think about it. He wasn't about to go back downstairs though, not ready to be among the common idiots yet.

"You say that again to Goku and I think everything just might be alright," Gojyo murmured against his ear, gathering up the fleshing lobe and nibbling on it encouragingly. His hand slid down the side of Sanzo's stomach, fluttering over his hip to reach for something that Sanzo didn't want touched right now…but he twisted out of it in a sudden flinch that had nothing to do with flashbacks, followed by a sharp bit of laughter that Sanzo didn't even know he had left in him. He gasped, freezing up and wanting to die as Gojyo stared back at him in utter horror. Sanzo didn't even know what his laugh sounded like until this just now, never showing any humor beyond a sarcastic smirk or the irritated knowledge that he had been right once again.

"Are you…?" Gojyo started.

"Shut up!" Sanzo shot out before the question could even be asked. He glared back at the tanned, naked man that was grinning like a retard, wishing that he had thought to put the Smith and Wesson underneath his pillow like usual. Gojyo leaned toward him and Sanzo backed up along the mattress instinctively, not wanting the man to close the distance between them. It was then that Sanzo realized he was also naked, not sure just when Gojyo had exactly managed that one but not about to bitch about modesty. He wasn't going to be labeled a prude on top of everything else, but Sanzo still reached down to grab some of the sheets and pull them up to his waist.

"Oh, I don't fucking believe this. Genjo Sanzo is ticklish," Gojyo laughed aloud, holding in his sides as he howled and kicked his feet in humor. Sanzo couldn't even say anything for a moment, his teeth grinding together in homicidal frustration and knuckles cracking as they dug into the sheet clenched in his hand.

"I am not, you-…" Sanzo started, but was tackled before the insult part could come out.

Suddenly, he was in a life-or-death fight, scrabbling for purchase on top of the sheets while Gojyo mimicked the path he had already made before. The damn, selfish prick found that one spot on Sanzo's hip that nobody had ever dared played with before and began to tickle him. Sanzo bit his lip, trying to just lay still and ignore everything until he couldn't bare it anymore. He tried to squirm away and for some reason just ended pressed up against Gojyo and laughing his head off. Sanzo had never laughed aloud before, not like this. He felt sick, twisting back against Gojyo's own sticky flesh and trying to get away the next before the man redoubled his efforts to make Sanzo laugh.

"Stop!" One word was all he could really manage between desperate gasps for air and giggles. Giggles! Sanzo could admit now that he was more than a bit frightened for some reason, starting to really try and fight his way out of this. He wasn't going to get stuck fucking laughing while Gojyo molested him, finding his arms trapped between the bed and the shithead on top of him. The sheets were catching about his legs and Gojyo had one arm firmly looped around his waist while the other kept on fucking tickling him! He hadn't ever been this humiliated before, couldn't get his eyes to focus between the murderous rage and lightheaded giddiness

"Stop…it…now!" Sanzo finally managed to yell through the laughter, rolling over to punch Gojyo hard in the side. There was a moment's pause as Gojyo loosened his hold before Sanzo kept up the momentum and shoved the man hard, having the satisfaction of seeing the redhead fall out of the bed this time. There was a loud thud as Gojyo hit the floor, ankles still caught on the edge of the mattress as the rest of that long body sprawled out. Sanzo did nothing more than try to catch his breath as he grabbed all the loose bedding and quickly got it around his shoulders. When he finally managed to calm down that strange fluttering in his stomach, Sanzo slowly came to realize that Gojyo still hadn't moved. Now that he was properly armored in the white cotton, he tentatively looked over the edge of the mattress, quite ready to kick Gojyo in the face if he dared to try touching him again.

Gojyo just snapped his gaze up to Sanzo's face, a stupid smile on his face that made Sanzo want to slap him…if he wasn't naked on the floor, arms splayed out on either side of his head and long, red hair curling all around. Sanzo felt his lip lifting in disgust at the scene, keeping his vision above the muscles on Gojyo's stomach instead of anything that might be between those spread legs. No common decency, whatsoever. Sanzo should really do the world a favor and get rid of Gojyo now with a single bullet…or maybe a whole round as the just wiggled his hips suggestively when he noticed how hard Sanzo was trying not to look.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sanzo growled out irritably, hating the fact that he had been forced to speak first. His own bangs were starting to get in the way of his eyesight, but he didn't dare lift a hand up to brush them away. That might bring Gojyo's attention to parts of his body that didn't really need to be seen. He would most fucking definitely murder Gojyo in the messiest way possible if the prick tried jumping on him again. Sanzo did not do well with tackling, not now, not from Gojyo. He sighed, wishing he had a cigarette as he waited out Gojyo's answer while the redhead just tilted his head to one side on the floor.

"Shit, Sanzo, you are so fucking beautiful," Gojyo finally whispered out, eyes locked on his own. His jaw dropped, his breath stopped, and Sanzo couldn't look away without seeming embarrassed or actually complimented. He just stared, caught dumb by that simple, stupid adjective that Gojyo chose to use. Today just seemed to be fucking full of first-times as Sanzo was left completely speechless, the heated burn of a blush coming in all over his face.

* * *

Gojyo nursed the underside of his jaw; still a bit sore but feeling better if he massaged it. He wished he could do the same for his pride. He had never seen anyone flip out over a compliment before, Sanzo's eyes going as wide as possible before Gojyo found himself getting kicked under the chin by one pale, bare foot. While he had coughed and cursed on the floor, Sanzo had gathered up his discarded clothes covered in everything except the fitted sheet on the mattress. The monk was damn lucky that Gojyo liked that pissy shyness; otherwise he'd have slapped Sanzo again, and would actually be trying to hurt the conceited bitch. Sanzo escaped to the bathroom before he could recover his wits, starting what had turned into a ridiculously, insanely long shower; as if Sanzo could somehow manage to wait Gojyo out. So, of course, he stayed there until Sanzo finally came out in his old monk robe and dripping wet hair. Gojyo would have told Sanzo again just how mind-numbingly gorgeous he was, if he didn't suspect that the blonde would beat the shit out of him for it. Just sitting there on the stripped bed in jeans and a tank top seemed to be enough to have an effect on Sanzo, lips tightening and eyes narrowing dangerously; but bizarrely enough, Gojyo didn't end up being the focus of Sanzo's rage.

The little shit preferred to throw open the door and start outright screaming in the halls for 'a little fucking service;' because the blonde wasn't about to walk down the stairs to grab one of the inn's staff. Goku, Hakkai, and even Hakuryuu were soon scrambling in as well with Mei Li not far behind after there were more than a few extremely detailed death threats. Sanzo kept up his sudden momentum, astounding them all once again by ordering dinner in the middle of the afternoon; a mix of favorite foods that he had never mentioned before and obviously expecting Mei Li to get it right the first time. Along with the shotgun, bullets, and coffee he had asked for earlier. The girl looked on the verge of outright panicking with her face almost as pale as the priest's, not daring to ask Sanzo to repeat himself but obviously too scared to have possibly gotten that all correctly. She left the room in a dead run before Sanzo could demand anything else.

"Sanzo, are you feeling okay?" Hakkai asked politely, gaining two glares in the process: one from Sanzo and the other from Gojyo. Just because Hakkai had been considerate enough to back off to give them enough time to talk things out- well, physically work it out at least- didn't mean that he was forgiven. Gojyo would lie money down that Hakkai had been hoping that Sanzo would just tear him a new one like usual instead of looking for a bit of comfort. Sanzo was in need of it right now, and Gojyo was going to provide the blonde with more than enough. There wasn't room for a third wheel in this already fucked-up relationship.

"Fine, no thanks to you idiots," Sanzo snapped at the all of them, his bad temper back in full strength as he crossed his arms and glared at Hakkai. The man just smiled like Sanzo had something about how nice the weather was, raising his arm for Hakuryuu to come land on. The white dragon immediately scrambled up to Hakkai's collarbone and wrapped around the back of his master's head, obviously still frightened of Sanzo. The little creature was probably the smartest one out of the all, outright cowering in front of the priest and making itself too pitiful of a target as Sanzo's mouth twisted up in contempt.

Goku started crying. He was smiling and laughing in relief, but there were tears on the boy's face, glistening like little diamonds. Even Gojyo found himself feeling sorry for the Goku all over again, so clearly relieved that Sanzo didn't even yell at him for shedding tears…just growled in some sort of monotone disapproval before throwing himself down into the a chair at the table; and even that turned out to be a controlled slide into the chair followed by a lot of wincing, but Sanzo wasn't going to complain aloud. There was a definite death wish sent in his direction, the glare the priest sent Gojyo's way enough to cut the air. Sanzo was doing a good job of acting right now, but Gojyo could tell he had managed to worm past the priest's defenses, could see little twitches of real emotion underneath that angry and sullen line of his lips.

Gojyo only had to turn around and grin triumphantly at Hakkai, sure it was just as obvious to the other man even if he one had one good eye. The brunette had to be able to clearly see that he had screwed Sanzo, that he could try and seduce the shitty monk into a blowjob any day of the week, but Gojyo was damned sure he was the only one Sanzo had allowed to actually touch him so intimately. Hakkai didn't really frown, but the joker's smile suddenly became cemented into place, Hakuryuu chirping lightly in concern. Gojyo damn well hoped the man could still smell it, could just know that Sanzo had been moaning underneath Gojyo only moments ago. The change of sheets on the bed would be evidence, Gojyo more than happy to be ordered around like a bizarre housewife. He was still caught up in the nice after-sex glow, ready to just laugh and dance triumphantly in front Hakkai.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Goku, stop sniveling," Sanzo finally snapped, pointing at the table like a master calling his dog. Hakkai and Gojyo both broke eye contact to glare at the boy who got the sole shred of Sanzo's lighter affections. Both Sanzo and the ape immediately eyed them both in confusion, the room split off into pairs despite it all. Gojyo shook his head tiredly; about to wonder how Sanzo could be so damn oblivious to everything that was going on right in front of him before he recalled that the shitty monk had just never been in a relationship before. Sanzo didn't have the slightest clue that he was supposed to be doing anything at all, but Gojyo had the sneaking suspicion that the blonde would act the same even if he were an old hand at socializing. Which the miserable little fuck-off most definitely was not, usually managing to scare off small children within a few minutes without even really trying. Gojyo didn't know why he even liked that part of Sanzo, suddenly ready to forgive the monk of a great many things…now that he had gotten between those milky white legs that had just seemed to stretch to forever.

"Do you want a beer?" Goku asked softly, showing a strange amount of consideration for Sanzo. Hakkai opened his mouth to protest, but that snapped Gojyo's attention back on the brunette and their staring match continued in earnest. Goku raised an eyebrow up at the both of them before finally deciding to just ignore it all and looked back at Sanzo intently.

"Just get me some water," Sanzo demanded tiredly, even though it was the first time Gojyo had ever heard the priest ask for anything that didn't have at least some alcohol percentage. Goku ran to the bathroom, practically left streak marks in the floor with how fast he took off for the glass of water from the sink. Gojyo didn't doubt it was because the boy was afraid that Sanzo might soon change his mind. Hakkai looked like he wanted to frown, but there was a slight light to his smile that told Gojyo it wasn't so forced anymore. It was pretty ridiculous to see how damn happy they were that their pain-in-the-ass of a priest was eating and drinking healthily for once. Gojyo rather thought he was in line for some thanks, all but grabbing the monk by the back of the neck and shaking him out of his depression, mood, whatever funk was eating at Sanzo now.

"So, how do you feel now, Sanzo?"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Gojyo and Sanzo both snapped out at the same moment, the same infliction in their voice. Immediately, a pair of violet eyes narrowed on him, utter hate being sent out through those eyes. Gojyo just smiled back, knowing that Hakkai had been completely forgotten once again. He liked the thought of Sanzo being consumed with rage, as long as it kept that stubborn monk's head full of him. Gojyo tried to make it look cool and slow, but he easily fell into the chair next to Sanzo before Hakkai had the chance. Goku was already back with a glass almost-full of water, obviously taking care to watch his steps and not drop it before setting it down on the table in front of Sanzo. He took his own seat at Sanzo's left, elbows on the table and hands cupping his chin as he absolutely beamed at the shitty monk. Sanzo tisked before being forced to break his glaring at Gojyo and take a sip of water…which turned into a long, eager swallow…which made Gojyo wonder if he could ever trick Sanzo into putting those foul lips somewhere below the waist.

Hakkai took a rather loud seat, clearing his throat as the brunette recognized whatever expression had taken over his face. The effect was quite ruined by a light knocking on the door. Sanzo, Goku, and Gojyo all looked over at Hakkai expectantly, Sanzo tapping one finger irritably on the table in a silent order for the man to get the door. Hakkai's smile had a bit of an edge to it now, Hakuryuu squeaking as the man stood up out of the seat and revealed the dragon perched on the back of the chair. It had clearly been trying to hide, twisting that long, serpentine neck around to hide its head behind its own wings. At least Hakuryuu had the sense to notice the mood in the room. Goku was oblivious to it in his delirious relief and general stupidity; and Sanzo outright fucking ignored it as the blonde took another long, indifferent drink of water.

"I brought some of the things you asked for and…um," Mei Li trailed off from the doorway, clearly losing whatever confidence she had gained back when Sanzo glared at the poor girl yet again. She looked absolutely pitiful with a tray full of mixed items and a heavy shotgun in her other hand. The priest really had no sense when it came to the fairer sex…any sex for that matter, Gojyo corrected himself with a little more humor than was necessary. It seemed that all he could do was laugh, because he couldn't get the image of the way Sanzo's lips had pursed together in a vain attempt to hold it all in before gasping loudly out of his head. Sanzo would probably kill him if he knew half of the thoughts running through Gojyo's head right now.

"I was wondering if you were…um…sure about your choice for your meal," she tapered off into a mere whisper as she inched closer and hefted the shotgun up with a weak arm to slam it onto the table in front of Sanzo. Gojyo was glad the thing wasn't loaded as she sighed and adjusted the tray while Sanzo sneered down at the firearm he had requested himself. Several boxes of bullets were set down afterward, along with a closed pot of ink and a calligraphy brush. Then, two mugs that were poured full of steaming hot, black coffee, all while Sanzo crossed his arms and sniffed in disdain. Hakkai took his seat yet again, another little darted glare sent over in Gojyo direction. I swear, the next time he does that, I'm just going to punch him, Gojyo whispered to himself.

"Yes, I'm sure. Why don't you run along and actually bring it up here next time?" Sanzo snapped out, dismissing her like she was one of those idiots that could be impressed by the title of a High Priest. Gojyo didn't like how much it burned when Mei Li just paled, nodded, and took it like a mute fool. She left again while Sanzo ran a hand through his hair and sighed as if that had been troublesome for him. Sanzo probably fucking enjoyed making women cry, the sadistic bastard. Gojyo decided to take one cup of coffee while Hakkai reached for the other, both of them sharing brief eye contact before snapping their gazes away. Gojyo blew on the surface of the coffee, nursing it for a bit while Hakkai simply started drinking the hot liquid like he didn't feel the heat at all. Goku finally noticed that something was wrong at that point, giving them both a slightly suspicious look, as if he couldn't decide which one to be mad with but wasn't going to settle on both. The poor, stupid ape didn't deserve to be caught up in the middle of this; a nice and safe virgin, at least as far as Gojyo knew. He didn't want to learn about any more surprises anyway.

"Did either of you think that I might have wanted some coffee, or did the youkai madness finally eat away your small little brains?" Oh, Sanzo was feeling defensive, all but baring teeth and hissing at them as his fur stood up on end. All of them raised an eyebrow at that, Hakkai immediately lowering his cup while Gojyo watched Sanzo over the brim of his own. He wasn't about to cowed by that mouthy monk, wasn't going to lose the ground he had made by letting Sanzo get his way. It was like dealing with a spoiled child that was far too used to everyone doing what he said because they were afraid of the temper tantrum that might follow if he wasn't kept happy and satisfied. Sanzo was a miserable person in the end anyway, and Gojyo wasn't the least bit frightened of the words that came out from Sanzo's mouth. He could just always ignore what the monk was saying and simply remember the noises he had made in bed and play it over the usual insults.

"Well, you can have the rest of mine, Sanzo. I can wait for Mei Li to come back," Hakkai offered with a significant glance in Gojyo's direction, as if that small gesture was what was going to make the difference in the end. As if Sanzo was even the type of person to be impressed by the nice gestures people made to him. Half of them went right over that pretty, blonde head. Gojyo still didn't like the way Hakkai had said it, how he was already holding the cup up over the table like he expected Sanzo to take it. He wasn't drugged up again like last night, and could make decisions of his own now! Gojyo conveniently forgot the fact that Sanzo had been rather trashed the first time he had taken the monk as well…Hakkai was the one who had cheated on Sanzo and betrayed Gojyo in the same hand.

"I don't fucking want yours," Sanzo hissed, reading deeper into that line than Gojyo had given the monk credit for. He snickered into his own coffee while Hakkai sat back down in his seat, Goku watching in confused silence. He could almost envy the boy's ability to not piss Sanzo off, but the again, where was the fun in that? Sanzo did look his best when he was enraged past all reason, flustered and blushing because of that delicate skin of his. Of course, nobody had told Sanzo of this fact yet, all of them mutually agreeing it would be the quickest way to get that demon-exorcising gun trained on the back of their skull. Goku scratched loudly at his hair, frowning and closing his eyes as he thought long and hard about what could possibly be going on. Gojyo could see the dumb ass ape's thought process right now: Sanzo all better = no more problems. If anything, things were only getting more complicated…and a good lot of that was Hakkai's own damn fault!

"Sanzo, you can have-…" Gojyo started when he felt that enough silence had passed, wanting to make sure that he was given consideration of his own.

"Go to hell along with your damn coffee, you filthy half-breed," Sanzo had started out yelling that sentence, but for some reason it filtered down into conversational tone at the end before Sanzo just looked down at the spread in front of him. Gojyo really should have just backhanded the monk for that little comment, but he knew it had been spat out just to piss Gojyo off in particular. The small graces that went along with being the bastard son of youkai. Gojyo just went back to sipping on the too-hot coffee while Sanzo furiously opened up on of the packs of bullets, almost shredding the poor cardboard completely. He could see it in every line of Sanzo's body, just how pissed the man was that he couldn't get Gojyo angry as well. The ink was next, and then Sanzo was irritably grumbling while he wet the pen and angrily began writing on the shell of one bullet.

"What'cha doing, Sanzo?" Goku finally asked when Sanzo finished a large, single character that Gojyo doubted any of them could read. He already knew he didn't like it, and neither would any full-blooded youkai or spiritual being out there- not to mention it was still a bullet. Sanzo meant business, was on the extreme defensive now that he was all healed up and there were no hordes of youkai to defeat immediately.

"I'm not wasting any more of my ammunition on whatever is left in those woods. I'm fucking exorcizing those ghosts and then we're getting the hell out of here," Sanzo laid out the plan, pure and simple. He was definitely not a very happy High Priest right now, more time wasted in this backwater village than Sanzo have ever spent before. It was most certainly not his choice either, but Sanzo wasn't going to admit that they had been stuck here because the shitty monk had been in a bed half the time.

"Wow, really? Then…what are you doing?" Goku asked again, clearly not making the connection. Hakkai's smile winced as the man waited for the monk to explode, picking up the coffee and Sanzo sighed and ground his teeth loudly in the silence that followed. Gojyo had learned firsthand how much the blonde hated having to explain things twice, frowning as he readied for the tongue-lashing Goku was going to get. The poor kid just waited, not knowing what he was doing that was so wrong- just like last night when he had asked about the finer points of a blowjob.

"This is for a ghost," Sanzo spoke each word clearly, the fury at having to repeat himself starting to color the priest's cheeks. He held up the large shell an inch away from Goku's nose, forcing the monkey to read the Buddhist nonsense Sanzo had painted on. The boy's expression of complete befuddlement made the man's left eye twitch while Gojyo outright laughed. Sanzo looked like he was about ready to lay eggs, spinning back on them as Hakkai made the fatal mistake of snickering and drawing his hand up to hide it.

"Oh, just fucking shut up for one damn minute, all of you!" Sanzo roared out, slapping his hand down hard. The bullet went flying up and hit the ground somewhere behind Goku's head, but no one dared laugh at Sanzo. Gojyo buried his face in the coffee cup, deciding that now wasn't the best time to push a point. He could just be happy with the fact that the priest had been his and his alone last, and Gojyo was determined to make sure things stayed that way. If Hakkai thought that Gojyo was ever going to leave him alone in the same room with Sanzo again, he had another thing coming. Gojyo didn't doubt that he would just punch the brunette right in the middle of his classically handsome face, unable to restrain himself the next time Hakkai tried to do something with his priest. He was going to have to work on it, and would probably have to actually pay Sanzo money to get the blonde to publicly display emotion, but Gojyo had the sudden determination to get his arm around Sanzo's shoulders and pull him close just to show Hakkai who was with who. Goku may be the only one Sanzo ever tried to be civil to, but Gojyo was the only one who had ever seen the monk moan and twist around in the throes of passion; or have to handle when Sanzo completely broke down, as he seemed to be doing of late. The blonde just hadn't had the same sort of energy to feed his temper, the last thread that had been holding him together snapped.

Gojyo's eyes rolled around to Hakkai, blaming the man for Sanzo's foul mood this morning. Anyone would be pissed when they found their friend face-first in their crotch. Gojyo really should have beaten Hakkai up right then, but he had been too pissed to even think straight. He had forgotten to ask Sanzo about it as well, wondering if Hakkai had done something to the High Priest without his consent; the same ridiculous bullshit that Hakkai had been accusing Gojyo of before. Well, Gojyo wasn't the type of person who just ran around thinking righteousness was a good enough excuse for saying your friend was a rapist. He wished he could tell just what the man might be thinking right now, but he could never read past that stupid, mysterious smile that he always wore just like now. He was staying silent like a good boy for Sanzo, trying to please the hardhearted monk in any way possible.

Goku, of course, was blissfully unaware of this awkward triangle in the least. He got out of his chair when he figured it was safe to move again, grabbing the stray bullet and bringing it back to the table without a word. Sanzo wasn't really yelling at him, hadn't hit him, and wasn't falling out of his chair. The High Priest actually wanted to eat solid foods for once. As far as Goku was concerned, things were only bound to improve from here on. Goku could stare at Sanzo all he wanted with big, shining golden eyes and not get yelled at for it. Sanzo almost forgave everything the boy did, even sitting there, half-perched on top of the table as he awaited Sanzo next words eagerly. Gojyo wasn't jealous of that relationship at all, much preferring what strange, fucked-up pairing he had managed to develop with the blonde all on his own.

"What?" Sanzo snapped out when Gojyo's eyes hit on him again. His words were almost like Sanzo had fired off his gun in the quiet silence he had made. The blonde was looking up from starting to write on a new shell, a considerable pile already in front of him and a cross expression on his face. Gojyo could tell that the man was waiting for explanation to why they had all suddenly gone quiet out of pure self-preservation.

"You told us to shut up," Gojyo reiterated while Goku nodded enthusiastically across from him.

"Well, fucking stop it. You three are even worse when you're miserable," Sanzo growled, lifting up the pen and scribbling out another character. As if he hadn't been in the biggest flunk of his own life; and pulling himself out of it by biting everyone else's head off. As if High Priest Genjo goddamn Sanzo hadn't been shedding tears more often in the past few nights than he ever had before, finally reaching the end of his rope. Just where did he get off talking about other people's misery when he was the source of it?! There was no way Sanzo could be just that dumb, even if he was a blonde. Gojyo decided that the biggest hypocrite in the group was Sanzo himself, not Hakkai.

There was silence again after that, and not because Sanzo had ordered it. They all just didn't know what to say to each other any more. Goku was off in his own happy little world now that Sanzo was fit to murder the next person that pissed him off for whatever reason. Gojyo tried to think of something to say to Hakkai that wouldn't start out with something about his mouth going where it didn't belong and failed. He wanted to hit the man, and was sure that Hakkai felt exactly the same. He may have given the priest head, but Gojyo had done that and then some. Sanzo had practically begged for it, if the man had been in the state of mind to put together two syllables. It had been amazing to see the blonde become so utterly human, open, vulnerable, everything he was feeling clear on those pretty features that usually seemed made out of stone. Gojyo sighed, not really knowing what to make out of Genjo Sanzo.

He wondered just how sacrilegious it was to see Sanzo praying over the finished pile of bullets.

Sanzo's low voice was almost hypnotic as it filled up the room, strange chanting that Gojyo couldn't pick out a single word from. It was just a never-ending line of spiritual words, making Gojyo wonder how the priest could manage to go on for so long when he chain-smoked cigarettes worse than Gojyo and the general populace combined. His hands were pressed together, fingers flat against the opposite, red chakra standing out through the bangs as Sanzo dipped his head forward. He was suddenly reminded that Sanzo was the High Priest Sanzo, not just a title. The man was such an outright sinful, bad-behaving religious man that Gojyo still hadn't been able to grasp the reality of Sanzo being the highest-ranking monk in the Buddhist order. Sanzo didn't have the patience for masses of followers or religious extremists that thought he was a heavenly vessel, but was more than used to being a cold-hearted bitch and snapping out orders. The Three Aspects could barely even reign in the priest themselves. Sanzo finished up, opening up his eyes to frown at them all again as he lowered his hands, clearly not ready to repeat himself but uncomfortable in the silence. It was almost funny to see Sanzo pissed off, if it wasn't so damn dangerous to laugh at the man right now. Gojyo could foretell a wonderful night of pleasantries up ahead.

There was a knock and Mei Li came in with two overladen trays balancing on each arm. She smiled warmly as if she was welcomed in their room, setting down four plates for them all. Sanzo clearly wasn't pleased with that, as if he had expected them to just sit there and watch him eat alone. He sighed at the poor girl as she started laying down plates and round, bamboo baskets for steamed food. Mei Li had probably gotten the order wrong; or Sanzo had changed his mind just to be a prick. The blonde was certainly in the mood to make everyone else's lives miserable, even if they were just simple village girls that worked at the town's main inn.

"Sanzo, are you sure you want to be eating like this?" Hakkai asked as the blonde picked up a plate of sweet and sour something, all golden and fried. Gojyo couldn't help smirking at the death wish the blonde sent in the man's direction; damn sure that Sanzo wasn't going to eat plain rice like some invalid. Mei Li nodded weakly and left without another word before she could be yelled at again. She was probably the luckiest of them all.

"Nest time any of you ask a question, I'm going to test one of these out," Sanzo snapped as he nodded a silent order to Goku. Gojyo didn't know how the ape had the ability to read enough into that small motion to gather up the bullets the shitty monk had just blessed and clear them out of the way. What was more impressive was that Goku did it all before even looking at the nice spread in front of them. As if to contradict anything that Hakkai had said before, most of it was glistening and greasy Chinese food, each meal featuring a different sort of meat. Gojyo knew that the damn monk was no vegetarian!

"Yeah, Hakkai, let the man eat what he damn well wants to," Gojyo's voice may have been light, but the meaning behind it wasn't. Sanzo could make his own choice, and it had been him. Hakkai was trying to force that issue, and if Gojyo caught him doing it one more time there really were going to be blows exchanged. Sanzo looked up at that, those droopy eyes narrowing in suspicion but staying silent. Gojyo didn't know if that was necessarily a good thing, but it was far better than 'fucking youkai half-breed' any day. He grabbed a set of chopsticks for himself and picked up one egg roll from the plate Sanzo had ordered, wondering just how much of this had been for Sanzo himself…or ordered on their behalf.

"Well, just because it tastes good doesn't mean that it digests well. Some people just rush their meals," Hakkai was just as subtle, the grinning bastard. Gojyo shot the brunette a glare of his own as Hakuryuu just chirped happily while its master took some breaded meat in a brown sauce. Nobody was rushing anything if not Hakkai! Gojyo had been the one to actually bother with foreplay before swallowing Sanzo whole! He hadn't needed the priest all hot from a mis-medication...though it could have been interesting.

"So-wwie," Goku mouthed out around the meat bun he had plugging up his jaw. Sanzo groaned as he finished serving himself and moved on to grab a few meat buns for himself before Goku finished them off. The conversation wasn't meant for Goku, but it was probably better if the boy thought so.

"Well, High Priest Sanzo, it sure is damn nice of you to share this meal with us. Some people might just take advantage of your generosity," Gojyo smiled widely at the blonde as one fine eyebrow shot up, eyes going a little bit wide as the priest froze in the middle of taking an egg roll himself. Gojyo looked over at Hakkai pointedly once he was done pretending to be grateful to the temperamental priest. Hakkai's eye twitched even though it was shut closed in his usual, grinning expression. There was just enough tension to his jaw that let Gojyo knew the man knew what he meant.

"Yes, some people are a little too generous at times, wouldn't you agree, Gojyo?" Hakkai returned, as if this was a pleasant, philosophical debate. Goku paused in the middle of trying to shove a meat bun down his throat without actually swallowing, tilted his head as he recognized the little bit of heat to Hakkai's voice. You have to be as obstinate as, well…Sanzo not to get it. The blonde was just picking out another dish to take a little bit from, as if he wasn't concerned at all about the argument going on in front of him.

"Certainly. Some people just smile and play nice while they take whatever they want when no one is looking," Gojyo sneered back, gaining everyone's attention. Hakkai's smile finally faltered and fell all the way off, his eyes opening to finally glare at Gojyo openly. Sanzo was definitely staring now, starting to gain some sort of clue that their little spat had a thicker meaning underneath it all. Goku coughed weakly as he choked and finally managed to swallow the rest of his meat bun before ducking his head and trying to draw less attention to himself.

"You-…" Hakkai started, no longer about to bother with polite conversation to cover anything up.

"Goku, I might need a beer soon," Sanzo threatened loudly with a large, disgusted curl to his lip as he stared at the two of them in utter revulsion. He was looking back and forth between the two of them as if he was witnessing rats fight over a piece of decaying flesh. Sanzo didn't catch onto the finer facts of this being for his sake, that Gojyo was only trying to protect him from a smiling pervert like Hakkai; just got pissed that they were fighting over him. Sanzo had to realize at least that much.

"But, Sanzo…" Goku whined, trailing off without any real reason behind his own argument. The poor ape just didn't want Sanzo to start drinking yet, pleading with his eyes and making loud sniffing noises. Goku was treading a dangerous line if he was going to dare try crying again. It was almost as irritating as Sanzo himself. Well, he wasn't going to get anything to drink if Gojyo had his way, not until he crammed some food down that thin little throat of his.

"Hey, there's tea, let me pour you some," Gojyo offered as he picked up the pot and one of the empty cups thoughtfully left behind. Sanzo's lips pursed but he didn't actually refuse it, so Gojyo took that as much of a 'yes' as he would ever get out of the priest. Goku smiled at Gojyo's motion, obviously agreeing with that choice instead of a beer right now. At least someone was still on his side.

"It's just like you to make decisions for him," Hakkai sneered out, remarkably bitter and overt. Gojyo shook his head at Hakkai, wishing that the man would just give it up already. Gojyo hadn't been able to get Sanzo to listen to his opinion, not once. Gojyo would like to see the man that could. Hakkai had been the one making decisions of his own last night, without a care for the consequences. Gojyo had never imagined that the man had it in him to be so damn insensitive. He managed to finish pouring a cupful and put the tea down without breaking anything, though his hands were starting to shake with the desperate desire to do violence.

"I'm just fucking offering. You're the one that wanted him to stick to plain white rice," Gojyo growled back, insinuating a little more than a simple remark about Hakkai's choice in Sanzo's cuisine. It was frankly better to see the monk eating something like meat covered in oil and fried. The shitty monk needed to gain back a few pounds to try and at least round out his face and hips. Gojyo rubbed at his own chin in consideration, ignoring Hakkai while the man silently fumed. Hakuryuu whistled worried behind him before the brunette reached back and absently scratched the dragon's head. Goku coughed and began working on some fried rice of his own, noisily chewing with his mouth open while Sanzo watched his charge in quiet disappointment.

"It's better for him!" Hakkai finally shot back, clearly not talking about food any more. The only one eating at the table was Goku now, Sanzo's eyes definitely twitching as he picked up chopsticks and simply held them. The priest obviously didn't want to start eating until this little spat came to boil, frowning with his lower lip sticking out more than usual. If only Hakkai knew how little he really mattered when Gojyo had been so fucking close to getting Sanzo to eat. Was he really trying to ruin everything now? It was like getting sabotaged from the inside as Gojyo went around behind his back and sucked his priest off. Gojyo groaned again as he realized what he had had to explain that Goku last night.

"Some times people like a little flavor to their meal. He needs some fucking fat on him!" Gojyo yelled, not meaning to raise his voice but too angry now to stop. He was quite ready to do violence now, sick and tired to talking about food. Hakkai was ready to say more, and Gojyo doubted that he would try to use pretty words this time. The expression on the usually smiling man's face was murderous, and it only made Gojyo grin wider like and idiot that enjoyed taunting death.

"That's it! I'm trying to eat, damn it!" Sanzo roared loud enough to shake the silverware on the table.

"Neither of you are in any place to talk about my welfare!" Sanzo shut them both out harshly, crossing his arms and waiting for them both to cease this useless argument. It made Gojyo very, very glad that the Smith and Wesson wasn't on the priest's immediate person. He let out a breath, closing his eyes and sat back heavily in his chair, taking a long sip of coffee instead of dragging Hakkai outside for a fight like he wanted to.

Neither of them had the guts to openly brawl over Sanzo in front of him, the second meaning behind their fight a little too personal. Until Gojyo could speak clearly about the real matter at hand, things just weren't going to be the same between him and Hakkai. The brunette gave him one final, little glare the promised more later before resuming his seat as well. Goku just slowly swallowed yet another meat bun, glancing back at Sanzo worriedly before snapping his head around at Gojyo and Hakkai like an attack dog barely kept at bay. All it would take was one word, one final outburst from the priest and Goku would probably tear off both their arms.

Sanzo sighed angrily and tapped his chopsticks out evenly on his plate before finally picking up a small piece of the sweet and sour, popping the whole thing in his mouth. Immediately the monk opened his lips back up, breathing out rapidly around the too-hot item in his mouth. It was by far one of the most awkward things Gojyo had ever seen Sanzo try to do. It took a few murmured curses and some more huffing, making Gojyo think of other things that really didn't belong at the dinner table, but the blonde eventually got it down. Gojyo tore his eyes away from the priest's throat as the muscles contracted to swallow, hoping that the shitty monk's sharp eyes hadn't noticed him staring. He finally picked up his own chopsticks, having nothing left to do but eat in this gloomy silence. Hakkai was apparently having the same thoughts, even though he was feeding Hakuryuu instead of eating himself.

The meal would have been carried on in complete silence, if Goku didn't insist on moaning and loudly exclaiming how good every single bite was. It almost was enough to make the food turn to ash inside Gojyo's mouth. How was he supposed to enjoy a meal when Goku sounded like he was about to orgasm? Gojyo caught himself in the middle of thinking about Goku and sex together in the same sentence, suddenly horrified with himself. It was that damn talk he had with the ape last night; certain now that the idiot at least had some clue as to what was going on in the bedroom. Gojyo shook his head, but unfortunately the movement brought him back to staring Sanzo. It was turning into a very dangerous habit, considering how badly Sanzo had reacted to just being called beautiful. As if there was a better word Gojyo could have picked out to describe the man, beyond egocentric prick. He was just absolutely fascinating with hair that was starting to dry back into its usual order, somehow managing to serve himself up a bowl of plain rice as well and was consuming it. Gojyo had never seen Sanzo put any relish into a meal, but right now the priest was hoisting up the bowl and shoveling it into his face, close to resembling Goku if he wasn't so damn elegant about it.

"Sanzo, you've got to try the meat buns!" Goku demanded at last, actually having the generosity to share food as he hoisted a meat bun up to Sanzo's face. Gojyo sighed and started pushing his food around on the plate, knowing that the pissy blonde was the only person in the whole world that Goku would ever spare food for. There were just too many fucking people interested in the shitty monk: Hakkai and Gojyo now officially sexual with the man, Goku just had always been like this, and every other human being Sanzo walked past struck blind with adoration for his not-so-holy visage. Gojyo couldn't understand why the man was so damn sour about life, but he found it a little bit endearing. Still, Sanzo could be fucking harsh at times and Gojyo waited for the man to explode on poor, dumbass ape.

Instead, Sanzo gave the kid a narrow-eyed glance over the edge of the bowl, silent as all hell. He lowered the rice and Gojyo had to suddenly bite his teeth together and simply make a somewhat pained noise since he didn't dare laugh aloud at the few grains stuck around the man's mouth. Hakkai was clamping his lips together too, obviously humored and doing his best to hide it. It was certainly the messiest he had ever seen the priest, minus when he was splattered in blood or dirt from the latest youkai fight. Gojyo had to hook his legs around the chair to keep from punching Hakkai out, because he wanted to be the only one that was thinking of what else Sanzo could do with that mouth. At least Goku was still young enough to have complete abhorrence for the act, judging from last night. Even still, poor Goku could be so frustratingly innocent and simpleminded, shaking the meat bun in front of Sanzo's nose as if trying to make it look enticing for a house cat. But Sanzo was no pet, and looked fit to kill Goku with his own bare hands as the violet glare hardened even further.

Sanzo proved yet again just how damn unpredictable he was when he just leaned to the side and took a rather large bite out of the meat bun Goku was holding. Thin lips softened for a moment, there was the slight flash of white teeth, and tore out a mouthful neatly. Gojyo and Hakkai both managed to drop their chopsticks at the same time while Goku just blinked at them in confusion as the High Priest ate out of his hand. Gojyo and Hakkai both looked on in utter loathing, jealousy palpable in the air when Sanzo grunted a noise that wasn't completely disgusted and went back to his rice. Goku left the meat bun on Sanzo's plate, going back to his own meal rather messily without any concern for the heated glares Hakkai and Gojyo were directing at the ape. Gojyo realized then that there was simply no point in getting mad at Goku; the stupid kid didn't even know how incredibly erotic it could be to be fed by another person…and Sanzo was outright fucking oblivious. Hakkai wasn't though, his pet dragon chirping softly in concern at its master's dumbfounded expression. It was hard not to reach across the table and start choking the man as Gojyo vaguely remembered that he was ignoring Hakkai.

"Hey, Sanzo, this is really good," Gojyo tried himself, picking out a piece of meat and lifting it up to the priest. The blonde didn't answer immediately; just tilted his head all the way back so he could scrape out whatever was left of the rice. Hakkai frowned at Gojyo's daring, but remained silent. The brunette was probably waiting for him to get reamed by the shitty priest for talking in the first place, but Gojyo was confident that he had gotten on the monk's good side. Sanzo wasn't the type to let just anyone stick it to him.

"I don't want it," Sanzo snapped out at last without even looking up at what Gojyo was offering him. The monk just slammed the empty bowl down on the table and paused for one moment to wipe his face with a napkin…and then was already back to his own plate, lifting it up off the table and outright devouring a serving of beef and broccoli. Gojyo couldn't eat, could only watch in amazement as Sanzo eagerly wolfed down the food; the skinny blonde polished off that and start serving himself up more, probably the most animated that Gojyo had ever seen the priest be. Well, beyond being the middle of the throes of passion, but yet again, that wasn't really something to be thinking about over eating surfaces; not that he didn't want to try it anyway. He was probably going to go straight to hell for having such dirty thoughts about a monk, but Sanzo was likely headed to the same place simply because of how he acted every damn day. They were turning out to be quite the pair…

"Well, I think I see where the ape learned his table manners," Gojyo said at last when Sanzo picked up the meat bun with a bite already in it, stuffing that down his throat in between yet more bites of the sweet and sour. Sanzo was putting down everything on the table like a starving man that hadn't had decent food in years; Gojyo wondered how far from the truth that might really be. Cigarettes and vodka didn't make a full and complete meal, no matter how many times Sanzo tried it. Good luck to the fool who attempted to force Genjo Sanzo to eat three square meals a day, though.

"Shouldn't you be messing around with some bitch downstairs?" Sanzo snapped when he had finally swallowed what was in his mouth. It came out with such good timing to prove his point that Gojyo wondered if Sanzo was able to read minds. Sometimes the arrogant bastard acted like it; other times it was hard to tell if Sanzo was aware that there was another intelligent human being beyond himself. Gojyo hated how Sanzo thought he could say what he pleased just to piss people off, such as he was doing to Gojyo right fucking now! Well, he wasn't going to let this go one for very much longer.

"I wouldn't have to if you would just play nice," Gojyo returned, making his voice go just low enough to border on husky.

"Gojyo!" Hakkai and Goku both shouted out indignantly, though the kid ruined it by spitting out a mouthful of half-chewed food in order to screech at him. Sanzo just smirked, a goddamn smirk all to himself, before he started sipping on the water Goku had brought him earlier. Gojyo glared at everyone else sitting at the table as one, not about ready to believe that his friends were treating him this badly…at least Goku was the only one that Gojyo could consider his friend anymore, since the dumbass ape went right back to his food after yelling once. Apparently that was punishment enough for Gojyo when there was still something edible in front of the short idiot. Hakkai had pretty much managed to lose all the respect Gojyo had held for him the second he had accused him of taking Sanzo against his will, and then turning around and doing nearly the same damn thing. Not only would Gojyo never do such a thing, it made him sick to know that Hakkai thought he was capable of it.

He had seen that fucking painting, too.

Gojyo's appetite was completely gone after he remembered that, frowning and trying very hard not to just grab Sanzo in a hug and tell him yet again that all those youkai were dead. Sanzo didn't need that comfort, didn't want it either. In fact, it seemed like the only thing he wanted was the grease left on his fingers after devouring that meat bun, popping a thumb in his mouth…and sucking hard before moving on to his pointer finger. Gojyo could only watch with his mouth hanging open like an idiot as Sanzo methodically cleaned every single finger, as if the irate prude knew it was making the blood rush to his groin faster than any woman. He was ready to die when Sanzo paused on his pinky, holding it in his mouth for a moment while his eyes unfocused and the blonde's attention was directed elsewhere.

Sanzo was out of his seat and started walking to the bathroom- then flat out running for it, not even bothering to close the door as he was suddenly and very loudly sick. Goku paused with an egg roll hanging out of his mouth, his eyes going wide as he half-stood in his seat; obviously not sure if he should go to help Sanzo or just follow along with the blonde's favorite plan of action: ignore everything. Hakkai slapped a hand to his face, clenching his eyes shut and looking fit to explode at this newest development. As much as Gojyo wanted to be angry with Hakkai, he could understand that their healer was more than a little bit stressed out. The first meal Sanzo had eaten in days was already making a second appearance as the monk vomited in the bathroom, none of them quite sure if they should see if the blonde was all right or not. Showing concern was the best way to get a new bruise when it came to dealing Sanzo.

In the end, it was Hakkai that stood up first and went to the bathroom door to politely ask if Sanzo needed anything…and was cut off with a merciless 'get out!' before he could even finish the question. Hakuryuu winced along with Goku, the two of them hunching down and waiting for a fight to break out. Surprisingly enough though, Hakkai just returned to the main room with that damn unreadable smile still pasted all over his face. It made Gojyo's teeth hurt to see the man acting so damn calm about Sanzo loudly puking into the toilet. Not even on the mornings with the worst hangovers did Gojyo get as sick as Sanzo sounded now, a loud curse before more explosive expulsion.

"It's probably best if we just leave him alone right now," Hakkai gently suggested to the whole room as Gojyo and Goku stared at the bathroom in horror. Goku just bit down hard on the egg roll, one half falling out of his mouth and hitting the table as he ran for the bathroom. Gojyo sighed, looking around longing on the table and only finding tea when he wanted hard liquor. He had just finished up his pack of cigarettes too, and would have bummed one off of the selfish monk if the man wasn't still violently ill in the bathroom. Hakkai just shook his head as Goku disappeared into the bathroom, waiting for the poor kid to be shoved right back out.

"You o…uh-huh…anzo," came Goku's soft and concerned voice, too quiet for Gojyo to catch for once. Gojyo waited for it, leaning on his elbows in anticipation of Sanzo's legendary temper, and Hakkai was glancing out of the corner of his eyes as well. They both knew what to expect, hoping that Goku was going to get clobbered for trying to do something as fucking stupid as help Sanzo. Gojyo had gotten worse this morning just for telling Sanzo the damn truth about how pretty he was. He hoped Goku found himself with a new hole to breathe out of for getting to feed the monk earlier. Sanzo was throwing it all right back up, so why the hell wouldn't he be pissed at the ape? The silence just seemed to stretch though as Hakkai and Gojyo were sorely disappointed by Goku remaining in the bathroom much longer than Hakkai had managed. Gojyo didn't even dare try.

"But, Sanzo!" Came a whiny protest followed by more mumbling…and then another gagging noise, the toilet flushing, and running water before there was more murmuring. Whatever Sanzo said, Goku was finally backing out the bathroom with hands raised in surrender. He turned on them with a half-grin and sweating face, obviously nervous about whatever Sanzo had just said. But, he was still in one piece, not bruised, and not crying. Gojyo couldn't lie to himself any more- he was horribly, terribly jealous of Goku. He would have a split lip for daring to do half the things Goku got to do with Sanzo. Oblivious, happy bastard.

"Uh, hey, Hakkai, Sanzo wants us to go fuc…I mean, leave," Goku tried to paraphrase, grinning weakly and scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Gojyo decided that was cue enough, determined to go downstairs and find a stiff drink. He still was way too sober to deal with Sanzo, vomiting and bitching like usual. Was it possible to get a vacation from this damn mission, beyond when Sanzo was on his deathbed and looking no better than a five-day-old corpse? He pushed out of his own chair while Hakkai extended an arm out to his pet and let Hakuryuu crawl up onto his shoulder. Goku was already trotting to the door, almost skipping in his eagerness to leave Sanzo alone to lick his wounds.

"Gojyo, bring me a damn cigarette," Sanzo's voice demanded loudly when they all try to simply escape without further incident. It was like being called in by his mother, Gojyo unable to keep from flinching and ducking his head in a habit he hadn't used in years. He didn't have any, was going to snitch one of the monk's for himself when the blonde wasn't looking, but faked it anyway as he shrugged nonchalantly at Sanzo's annoyed order. He wasn't about to shuffle out behind Hakkai and Goku like some servant when it was yet another perfect chance to be alone with the man. So, he started walking toward the bathroom, doing his best not to swagger and laugh aloud.

"We won't be far," Hakkai announced loudly as if it was for Sanzo's benefit when he obviously meant it for Gojyo. That simple sentence was damn effective in efficiently popping the good mood Gojyo had almost been in; the door shutting softly behind as he was left alone. He rubbed at a forehead that was suddenly very tight, slowly turning into the bathroom and throwing an arm up against the doorway to lean against as he looked down at Sanzo. The monk was still on his knees, legs and arms wrapped around the toilet as he stared into the bowl like he was having a deep conversation with the porcelain circle…and then was curled right back over the toilet, sick as a dog. Gojyo shook his head, unable to believe that the monk still had anything left inside, the thin back shaking as Sanzo gagged and spat into the toilet.

"I was going to ask you for a stick, actually," Gojyo admitted in soft voice, honestly able to feel sorry for the poor bastard when he seemed so miserable with that blonde head bent down low. As much as he would like to pretend like nothing was wrong; just wanted a damn smoke for himself instead a physically ill priest. Vomit wasn't really a turn on, even if it was Sanzo. Even so, the shaded glare Sanzo shot at him underneath the fringe of his so very fine bangs was simply breathtaking. Even kneeling in front of the shitter the priest somehow managed to look down at whatever face Gojyo was making at the moment before the blonde wiped at his mouth with a wet towel that he must have made Goku prepare for him. Gojyo watched silently as the man pushed himself up from the floor, regaining his usual height but having to put a hand on the counter to keep it. Of course, Gojyo was glared at since he was the only other person in the room at the time. What fine fucking luck of the draw.

"Idiot. Just go warm up the bed, you fucking youkai half-breed," Sanzo demanded in such a monotonous voice that it was almost like he just didn't care enough to insult him but was doing it on pure reflex. It only took one sentence from the man to make Gojyo stall and sputter, not sure if his ears were working properly. Sanzo just flushed the toilet one last time while Gojyo tried to gain his wits back.

"W…hat?" He couldn't even piece together a full word, practically going into a seizure at the absurdity of the request. Sanzo sniffed and shook out his hair, just the slightest tint of pink on his cheeks.

"I just want to lie down and don't want to freeze my ass off. Go make yourself fucking useful for once," Sanzo snapped angrily, what little patience he had gone years ago. Gojyo opened his mouth to argue, audibly clapped his teeth together, and stood there a little bit longer just in case the monk was going to change his mind. The High Priest was even less predictable than a woman, blowing up and then asking Gojyo to lie in the same bed as him. How the hell was he supposed to keep up with this crazy act? Feeling more than slightly stunned, Gojyo turned right around and went to warming up the sheets while Sanzo washed his mouth out with water from the sink.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: It's been so long I don't know what to say anymore. I just hope you enjoyed the reading so far and will stick around for Hakkai and Gojyo showdown along with Sanzo being his ultimate kick-ass self. As usual. If only all blondes were as cool as Sanzo…

BETA-RIFIC HELPERS: Give credit where credit is do. Grammatical and punctuation correctness is brought to you by:

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ALPHABETICAL REASON TO KEEP WRITING:

Arren- Yes, Sanzo/Goku is just as perverted as finding slash your grandmother wrote. I promise more Hakkai next chapter, I feel that he's been sorely neglected of late. Thank you for the review!

Buenagirl13- Sorry about the abruptness of the last chapter. I guess this wasn't any better, but it was longer! Don't worry; everything will be dealt with in good time. Please read more, I love it when you comment! Thank you for reviewing.

Cupnjava c[~]~~~*sip*- Thank you for reviewing once again. I'm honored that you don't want to read my stuff while you're writing something of your own. Thank you for the individual impressions of each character portrayal, that makes me feel really special. I live for the nice long reviews like yours and appreciate the safe travel wishes. New chapter for a dedicated fan? I think so.

Demon45- Thank you for reviewing again! You always leave nice long juicy comments too, which I totally appreciate. I'm so excited to hear your response…and relieved you think everyone is still in character. Lol, please don't die; I need you to review more!

Dutch-Girl- Yet another Deviantart/mediaminer fan! Thank you so much for commenting on either/or websites. Goku's first hangover wasn't as bad as we all remember ours being (tried to make him drink water because…well, simply, POOR GOKU! Cuddle) I hope this update can tide you over for a while! No need to worship when you review, that's enough for me any day!

Evilkat- (Winner for first to review! Hooray and confetti for our reigning champion) I don't have to tell you anything, you already know what I have planned. Pervvy minds think alike. Gojyo and Hakkai confrontation is… soon. I didn't want to shove it in this chapter and not give it justice. You always get a shout out since you always comment, and so promptly too! Thank you again!

Flamingolo- Yes, HOLY shit! Thank you for writing down your reaction, that really gives me the inspiration to crank out some more. Hakkai needed some High Priest booty after everything he's had to deal with! Lol. I'm so glad you're enjoying these new chapters, as crazy as they're getting. You do a great job with reviewing me too, so thank you!

FogWolf- Once again, I'm choosing crazy fan girl speed to make up for the dragged out Act I. Good thing you prefer long chapters, because this one was a doozy. I hope I can give more good scenes to compare to Gojyo and Goku having a heart to heart. Giggle. Thank you reviewing!

Jukebox- Thank you for the art link, I've seen this one before… so good (openly drooling). Not to be a sad, self-promoting feeb, but check out my deviant art page too if you have the time: http://animegher.deviantart.com/ what? It needs to stand out. It's a link…weak cough. Thank you for reviewing me always, and following me in both main fandoms!

Jenna Muff- It's so nice to gain a new fan! Such an enthusiastic one too! (Grabs Kleenex) I promise fun, tear-free smut soon, really! In fact, I think it's already there. Maybe we just need more. Thank you so much for reviewing everything on all the sites I've posted!!!

Kuroi Gitaa- Ah, Thank you for finally reviewing! Good Kou, you get a biscuit! …of yaoi… I'm so happy that my fic could touch you in any manner whatsoever! Thank you for commenting and reading along so far!

Lychee- Well, Hakkai can be understanding, some times (all the time. Weak cough. I've butchered him, haven't I?). Here is yet another insanely long chapter; I hope that you enjoyed it. I got a new keyboard and gave it up because I just type faster with the old one! Thank you so much for reviewing!!

Neuroticsquirrel- Well, I do have that obsessive fear that I'll get hit by a car or something and die, and since nobody knows I write this stuff in real life, it'll just stop and I'll have a whole bunch of angry fan girls over my grave. But I'm paranoid too. Besides, I'm never going to stop in my mission to make the world a dirtier place! Thank you for commenting!

Ryushin- Conscious Sanzo! Err; hope I'm not giving the wrong impression of our favorite hard-boiled priest. If nothing else, I can promise Sanzo kicking ass very soon. At the end of the day, it is all about the Gojyo/Sanzo. Let's return to our roots. 'Fucked sideways'= brilliant phrase that makes me giggle. Thank you for the long review, it was gr~reat!

Thandie-(FIRST PERSON TO EMAIL ME WITH FAN ART!!!) yay! I should probably make a different shout-out box to all the deviant art friends, but this chapter was already long enough. Thank you for complimenting me on the second half, I'm worried that the gratuitous fan service is making me lose my touch on the characters. Thank you for reviewing and… I LOVE YOUR SAIYUKI ART! (Heavy panting)