Saiyuki Fan Fiction ❯ Take it or Leave it ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: If they were mine, would I write fanfiction? Honestly ::grumble::

Warnings: Yaoi, citrus, a tiny bit of Het, language (as usual), mild violence. More sap/fluff/angst. Yeah.

Take it or Leave it

Chapter Two


Gojyo slipped quietly back into his and Goku's room, flopping greatfully into his awaiting bed. He didn't think he'd ever fall asleep, not just because Goku was snoring, but because he could not stop thinking about what had just happened. Had it happened? How did he know it wasn't just a dream? A very vivid, wonderful, haunting dream that would have him embarassing himself the next day when he came face to face with Sanzo?

Gojyo shook himself mentally. He was acting like...okay, he didn't know what he was acting like, but he did know he needed to try to sleep. He was quite tired in any case.

In a matter of minutes, the red head calmed himself and his rampart thoughts and dropped into a deep sleep that not even Goku's snores could interrupt, a small smile on his face.

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Sanz o, with the unwanted aid of Hakkai's sleeping pills and a physical exhaustion he could no longer stave off, curled onto his side and drifted off, for once content.

Having figured it was safe by now, Hakkai wandered back upstairs, weary and exhausted. He wasn't even sure if it was worth getting a few hours of sleep before they needed to leave. I could still just rest I suppose , he thought idly as he cautiously opened the door and peered in on a sleeping Sanzo. He found it difficult to stop the soft smile that pulled at his lips as he stepped inside and got a better look at his companion. If he didn't know any better he'd think Sanzo was, for possibly the first time in far too long, soundly asleep.

Well...maybe we could all use a little more rest, he mused as he climbed back into bed

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Grudg ingly, Sanzo groaned softly and rolled over, opening his eyes and regretting it a second later when they were met with direct sunlight. "Dammit," he grumbled, "What time is it?"

"Well," Hakkai answered over his shoulder as he was packing one of the bags, "It's almost three. We've lost a lot of time."

Sanzo shot upright. "WHAT?! Are you fucking kidding?"

"No, everyone," Hakkai yawned, "Slept in."

Sanzo sat for a moment at a loss for words. "...Fuck."

"Not much we can do about it now. Just be quick about getting ready now that you're up." Hakkai smiled reassuringly at him before yawning once more and carrying the baggage downstairs.

With another groan, Sanzo stood up and regretted doing that as well when a sharp, foriegn pain flared in his lower regions and triggered a flood of memories from the night before, leaving him motionless for a good few minutes. He'd almost forgotten. How could he have forgotten? It must have happened, otherwise he wouldn't be so fucking sore, but...now what? What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? Could he even look the kappa straight in the face ever again? What did Gojyo think about it all?

He didn't have time for this. He was acting like...he didn't know what he was acting like, but he knew he didn't have time to worry about something like this right now. Sanzo hastily dressed himself and scanned the room for any forgotten items, but apparently Hakkai had been thourough.

With a small, resigned sigh, Sanzo composed himself as best he could and left his room, walking outside to the front of the inn to the jeep where all of his companions stood waiting. He dearly hoped no one could see his limp. Damn it all to hell. He silently sat down, taking care not to look at anyone in the process.

Gojyo hastened Sanzo a sideways glance as he climbed into the back with Goku, thoughtfully chewing the takoyaki stick from breakfast that was hanging out of his mouth. Unless he was very much mistaken, the monk had been walking a little funny...

"Hey Sanzo, don't you want any breakfast? Or, well, lunch?" Goku asked.

Sanzo looked up, startled from his confused, and not to mention distracing, thoughts. "...I'm not hungry,"

"So, it's okay if I have the rest of these?" Goku pointed at the remaining takoyaki sticks sitting on top of the rest of the food. Gojyo rolled his eyes. Goku was too damn predictable.

"It's fine." Sanzo held back a sigh of exasperation and turned back to face forward as Hakkai started up the jeep and began to take them out of town.

"Okay!" Goku, never one to argue with Sanzo (and especially if it meant more food for him), polished off the remainders of breakfast and settled into his seat happily, Gojyo leaning back and relaxing as well.

As the quiet and the breeze began to lull Sanzo into a doze, the jeep gave an almighty lurch, throwing everyone forward. "Hakkai, what the hell!"

Hakkai blinked awake and smiled at Sanzo, feigning innocence. "Do forgive me, my foot slipped."

Sanzo glared at him evenly. "Does someone else need to drive?"

Hakkai laughed uneasily. "Really, I'm fine."

"Why are you so tired?" Goku asked, "I thought you went to bed early, and we all slept late..."

"Uh, no, I couldn't sleep," Hakkai explained as he began driving again, "So I stayed up and spoke with the innkeeper about the goings on of late."

By that point, Sanzo pretended he didn't know what they were talking about and studied the scenery. Gojyo on the other hand, had already begun to feel the symptoms of whithdrawl and pulled his knees up to his chest, still chewing on the stick hanging out of his mouth. He chanced another glance at the blonde and noticed he wasn't paying attention. "Hey, Goku," he nudged the monkey sitting beside him, "Get me a beer."

"GET YOUR OWN BEER!"

Gojyo winced and covered Goku's mouth with his hand as Sanzo turned slowly in his seat to look at them, a smirk playing across his lips."What was that about a beer, kappa?"

Goku shoved Gojyo away. "Don't touch me you damn pervert!"

"You had to open your big mouth!" Gojyo pulled angrily on Goku's cheeks.

"Get off!"

"I don't believe you answered my question," Sanzo's low, deadly voice cut through the skirmish.

"...What question?" Gojyo rearranged his face to look innocently confused.

"You know damn well what question, " Sanzo smiled dangerously.

Gojyo frowned and folded his arms across his chest, sitting back once more into his corner of the jeep. Sanzo snorted at Gojyo's tactics and turned back around, until a moment later the red head snapped and yelled loudly at the back of the monk's head, "I said get me a goddamn, mother-fucking BEER!"

After jumping about a foot into the air, Sanzo rounded on Gojyo with his harisen, whacking him repeatedly. "You lost the goddamn bet, so take it like a man!"

"Oww, you damn psycho, I thought God had mercy!" He rubbed his wounded head. "Or did you miss that chapter?"

Sanzo sat back in his seat again with a glare. "Stop your damn whining or I'll rethink changing the length to two weeks instead of four!"

"You shortened his time?" Hakkai interjected, "That was awfully nice of you..." he cast a small smile the monk's direction.

"My judgement was impared," Sanzo grumbled.

"Seems so," Hakkai chuckled.

"Just like you to rub it in a guys face," Gojyo said loudly, "And what are you looking at, you dinky little monkey?"

Goku blinked. He was still a little shocked by what had just happened; usually Gojyo messed with him, not Sanzo. Seeing him do it two days in a row was unheard of. "I'm allowed to look at you, arn't I? You guys are just acting wierd. Did something happen?"

Sanzo twitched.

"What's wierd is your face," Gojyo taunted, flicking Goku's nose.

"HEY! Stop-"

"But you wanna know what happened?" The kappa cut in with a smirk.

"Huh?"

"I said," Gojyo drawled, leaning in closer to his companion, "Do you wanna know what happened?" Gojyo's grin widened as he saw Sanzo stiffen in his seat.

Goku looked at him with big eyes. "Well, yeah!"

Gojyo leaned in towards Goku's ear as if to whisper something. "You can't tell anyone though, okay?"

Without warning Sanzo snapped around and smacked Gojyo hard with his harisen, slightly paniced.

"Gah!" Gojyo clutched his head. "What was that for?!"

"What the fuck do you think?!" Sanzo shouted back, shaking with rage and a few other emotions he didn't want to admit to.

Gojyo glared at the blonde before turning back to a shocked Goku. "So, you still wanna know?"

"Geh-" Sanzo franticially hit Gojyo again, making him topple to the side away from a very confused Goku.

"Ow!"

"S-sanzo, what's wrong?" Goku asked falteringly, shocked by the wild look in the monk's eyes.

Gojyo growled and clenched his teeth. "HIT ME AGAIN! C'MON! The more messed up I am the less chicks I'll have to say NO to!"

"Umm, you two...you should probably calm down." Hakkai said.

"Oh really?" Ignoring Hakkai, Sanzo dropped his harisen and aimed to punch the smart-ass, the kappa moving to do the same.

"Whoa!" Hakkai yelped as something darted in front of the jeep and slammed on the breaks, causing both of his quarreling companions to lose balance and hit heads hard, Sanzo slumping over the back of his seat stunned.

"What the hell Hakkai?" Gojyo picked himself back up as Hakkai stopped the jeep and looked around.

"...Did you guys see that?" He stood to look around the area more carefully, frowning as he adjusted his monacle.

Sanzo mumbled something incoherent and tried to sit up, managing to slide completely over the seat and land sprawled between Gojyo and Goku's feet with a dull thud. Gojyo couldn't help but laugh at the immobilized form of Sanzo in a heap on the floor.

"Hey," Goku poked the monk, "Are you okay?"

Sanzo got to his feet clumsily, his burning face hidden behind his hair as he climbed back into his seat. Still laughing quietly and rubbing his sore head where they had collided, Gojyo mumbled with a grin, "I didn't know you gave head."

Sanzo twitched violently at the remark and began to shake in fury and embarassment, clenching his fists tightly before furiously pushing out of jeep and stalking off towards the nearby trees.

Still frowning and oblivious to the exchange he just missed, Hakkai sat back down. "Sorry for the scare guys...I could have sworn I saw something..." Hakkai trailed off as he noticed the vacant seat beside him and the shrinking form of Sanzo in the trees. "Sanzo, where are you going? I don't think that's a good idea!"

Sanzo, not amused at the moment, flipped them off as he disappeared. Gojyo was still laughing. "That really hurt Hakkai,"

Goku shot the kappa a dirty look and stood up, staring at the point in the trees in which the monk had disappeared. "Sanzo..."

Hakkai got out of the jeep, his unease growing at Sanzo's decision for some 'alone time'. "I don't know what you did to set him off, but I'm going to try to talk him into coming back." He frowned at Gojyo before turning to leave, "Someone watch the jeep."

"I'm coming!" Goku called as he hopped out and began following Hakkai.

"Now wait a minute," Gojyo started angrily, "Why is it my fault! Hakkai slammed on the breaks,"

"You're the one that got him all mad!" Goku snapped.

"Oh, yeah, I make one crack that sends him over the edge. He needs to grow up!" He shouted after the diminishing form of his comrads before slumping back against his seat, agitated. "It was just a joke," he mumbled to himself, no longer entirely convinced that was true.

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"That stupid, fucking, kappa!" Sanzo stormed none too quietly through the trees, furious and hurt...and even more furious that he was hurt in the first place. He was such a fucking idiot. He should of known better than to have gotten involved with the idiot kappa at all, let alone have let him...no, he wasn't going to think about that. He couldn't. It just made the situation all the more humiliating. Why was he so stupid? What had gone wrong in his judgement yesterday? Why--

Samzo froze at the presence of a demonic aura nearby and spun around just in time to see a criminaly ugly demon lunge at him from the bushes with a roar.
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Sighing in boredom, Gojyo started rifling in his jacket in the hopes of sneaking a smoke before Lord Prissypants returned--and paused when he thought he heard a rustle come from somewhere near the jeep. Cautiously, he leaned over the side of the jeep to peer at the bushes. Frowning when he didn't see anything, he scooted down the seat to look over the other side of the jeep but froze when his hand bumped something cold. Sanzo's banishing gun. "...Oh shit."

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Sanzo leapt to the side and reached for a gun he realized too late was not there. "FUCK!"

The demon bore down on him, swiping viciously with uneven claws. The monk cursed and rolled to the side to avoid the blow and try to get some distance from his attacker, but could not get his feet back under him fast enough as the demon rounded back at him and sent him down hard in a flurry of claws.

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Gojyo picked up the gun, a feeling of unease settling in his stomach as he did so, before something large erupted from the bushes and knocked the jeep over, sending Gojyo and the supplies flying, and an indignant Hakuryuu into the trees with a reproachful cheep.

"Damn it!" Gojyo pocketed the monk's gun and whipped out his shakujo, ready for a fight.

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"That's it!" Sanzo elbowed the demon in the gut and managed to scoot back a few feet, clutching a bloody arm he'd used to block to his chest as he began to chant, the sutra about his shoulders beginning to glow.

"Not so fast!" A sing-songy voice rang throughout the clearing when another beast jumped from the bushes and kicked Sanzo hard in the chest, knocking the wind out of him before he could finish the summons.

The blonde curled in on himself, wheezing. "F-fuck--" he attempted to swipe at his attackers vainly as they advanced on him and a third demon appeared, planting a foot on the struggling priest's back to keep him in place as he was surrounded.

"Priest Sanzo..." The voice that had spoken earlier approached in the form of lady demon with wild hair and large breasts, staring at Sanzo as if Christmas had come early. Sanzo issued a long string of curses and thrashed madly as she approached him and plucked the scripture from his shoulders, his eyes turning feral as he grabbed for it.

"You fucking whore!

She smiled maliciously as she rolled up the scripture and tucked it under her arm. "My, we have a temper. But don't make the mistake of thinking I'm done with you yet, especilly after you wandered so willingly into my forest."

"I'll kill you!" Sanzo almost managed to dislodge himself from the demon's hold when the demoness rolled her eyes.

"Shut him up."

One her cronies obliged and gave a hard stomp to the monk's head, Sanzo falling to the ground unconscious.

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"SANZO! " Goku's voice echoed through the trees as he and Hakkai wandered in the direction the monk had gone. "Sanzo, where are you?"

Hakkai slowed to a stop and frowned. "I don't think he could have gotten this far..."

"I know he's around here, I can smell him!" Goku said in slight agitiation. "Sanzo!"

"I can feel him as well, but he's not here," He looked around, still frowning. "He couldn't possibly have been taken, we haven't been apart for that long and he's got more fight in him than that..." Hakkai trailed off as his eyes strayed a bit further up to a small patch of broken bushes and debris. "I think there was a struggle up here,"

Goku darted over to the indicated area and narrowed his eyes at the smell he was far too familiar with. "Blood. And it's Sanzo's."

"So it would seem," Hakkai sighed wearily, "This is not good."

"Hey, guys!"

Both of their heads whipped around to see Gojyo running towards them. "Gojyo?"

"I just slashed a couple of demons back there, and look," he pulled out Sanzo's gun, "It must have fallen out of his robes when you slammed on the brakes." He paused to take a few deep breaths and looked around, not noticing the expressions on either of his friends faces when he held out the gun. "Where's Sanzo?"

"Shit!" Goku fought the strong urge to smash something. "I can't believe this!"

Gojyo's eyes widened and he looked questioningly at Hakkai who had sighed again and was looking rather serious. "...Sanzo's in trouble," he said, gesturing at the blood spattered on the grass.

Gojyo swallowed hard when he saw it, gripping his weapon with an angry fist, his hair covering his eyes as anger and a startling guilt began to take hold. "Dammit."

"Now what:?" Goku looked between his two companions, his face taut.

Hakkai threw Gojyo a look of concern. "We go find him."

As soon as the words had left Hakkai's mouth, Gojyo took off running, following the pungent scent of Sanzo's blood.

"Hey, wait up!" Goku dashed after him after giving a fleeting glance to Hakkai, who had tried to say something else before Hakuryuu landed on his shoulder.

He scratched the dragon's head before sighing, "Here we go then," and leapt after the other two, falling into step behind Goku.

Gojyo, furious (and a few other thinkgs he couldn't care to name) that something like this had happened, picked up his pace, already resolved to rip these demons from limb to limb for daring to touch the priest.

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In the small, dingy, worn remains of what one might have been a formidable castle, the demoness sauntered into the small cell she had locked her captive in, eyeing him closely; it wouldn't be much longer until he woke up.

Right on cue, Sanzo moaned softly a few minutes later as he pulled himself up from the depths of unconsciousness and opened his eyes to meet the gaze of the bitch responsible for his splitting headache and bleeding arm. He tried to sit up and realized that he couldn't move. She must have drugged him. Great. "Fucking whore..." he slurred.

"Nasty words like that will hurt my feelings, priest Sanzo," She pouted her lips and sat at his side, tracing a long finger over his lips. "If you're nice I might let you live."

Sanzo grimaced and attempted to snap at the finger.

She smirked. "Do you know why I've brought you here?"

He glared. "You're a masochist?"

"Try again," Her smile widened and she ran her fingers lightly down the column of his throat, making him flinch.

"Get. Your fucking hands. Off me."

"Perhaps you're right, priest Sanzo," she ran her hand slowly down his chest, making him twitch, "I've got your scripture, so what more would I need out of you, hmm?"

He promised death with his eyes.

"Any other guesses?" She asked mockingly, recieving nothing but an icey glare. "It's very lonely out here in these dank old woods..." she continued as she explored the plains of muscle on Sanzo's abdomen, Sanzo's patience stretching thin. "And it's so hard to find a decent man who isn't a brainless minion." She smirked at him again. "And a Sanzo priest isn't someone you run across every day, now is he?"

Sanzo closed his eyes and gritted his teeth in frustration as she continued to explore lower, his stomach flipping in a highly unpleasant manner. This wasn't happening. "You have got to be fucking kidding me..."

"Oh, but I'm not,"

Sanzo snarled, "If you dare put your hands on me, I'll--"

"You'll what?" She grinned a him, cockily, as she kneeled over him and twirled a strand of his flaxen hair around her finger.

The monk tried to jerk back in revusion, but still could not move. "Don't. Touch me. You fucking. Tranny."

Undaunted by the insult, the demoness laid her hand back on his chest and eased it lower down his belly, moving her face in closer to his. "You want this as much as I do, I'm sure...monks are deprived of this kind of thing, arn't they?"

Sanzo hid his growing dread with a condescending sneer. "Goes to show that you don't know jack-shit about me,"

"Ohhh, so Sanzo-sama can get some, can he?" She laughed low in her throat and latched her mouth onto his pale neck, her hand moving to grope him through his robes.

Sanzo jerked and cursed loudly at her touch, finding it harder to hide his panic now. "Fucking bitch!"

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Gojy o skidded to a stop in front of the crumbling building the scent had led him to, grumbling as he sliced his way irritably through some of the gaurds, his eyes searching ceaselessly for some sign of the missing priest.

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The demoness groaned in frustration upon hearing what sounded like a fight outside. "Distractions, distractions..." she lowered her head back down, gripping Sanzo's jaw in one hand as she continued to explore his neck with her tounge and ignored the steady string of obsenities and threats issuing from the monk's mouth.

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Goku launched himself at some unsuspecting gaurds too stupid to have noticed the struggle Gojyo had started not too far away, smashing skulls mercilessly with nyoibo. Hakkai, his eyes on Gojyo a ways down, watched him dart inside the building and continued to take care of the remaining demons with Goku, hoping that they would be enough of a distraction to give Gojyo enough time to deal with...whatever it was that was happening between him and the blonde.

Inside, Gojyo darted down halls, searching for some kind of sign--

There, that was Sanzo cursing. He hurried down the hallway towards the sound.

"I'll fucking kill you!"

Wearing a grim smile, Gojyo spun his shakujo a killed the few demons stationed outside the door he'd just heard Sanzo's voice through and kicked in the feeble barrier with a resounding crash. "Dammit Sanzo--"

Gojyo froze and stared dumbly at the scene before him for a long moment; the demoness straddling a red-faced Sanzo, her mouth on his neck and her hand down his pants.

He falteringly came back to himself and started furiously, "Oh my GOD, you asshole! So you can have the ladies and I can't? Is that how this works? You-you--"

Sanzo snapped his gaze to Gojyo. "GET HER THE FUCK OFF OF ME YOU IDIOT!"

Interested by their intruder, the demoness detatched herself from Sanzo, licking her lips and eyeing Gojyo up and down. "Hmmm,"

Gojyo glared at the both of them, royally pissed off and earning himself an overly-exasperated look from Sanzo as the monk shouted, "Are you really that stupid?!"

"I'm not the one getting raped by a demon whore, now am I?!" Gojyo retorted as he knocked the approaching demoness down.

Exceedingly pissed off, Sanzo replied angrily, "I'm paralyzed moron!"

Gojyo ignored him and put his blade to the demoness' throat. "Where's the scripture, bitch?"

She whimpered and stammered her answer, pointing to the small table near the door of the cell.

Gojyo smirked. "You'll never touch another man again. You fucked up big time touching this one. He's spoken for, you hear?!" He ended angrily, slicing her into two.

In the echo of the demoness' dying cry, Sanzo stopped in his ranting. "...What?

Gojyo slung the blood off of his blade, his back to Sanzo, saying nothing.

Feeling lost and not knowing why, Sanzo looked away from Gojyo again, trying vainly to move, cursing when he could do nothing more than twitch his fingers.

"Why the hell did you run off like that?" The red head turned, spinning Sanzo's gun around his finger and frowning at him.

Sanzo flushed slightly and stared at the ceiling, his face contorted with effort as he tried to move, not answering.

"I'm talking to you. That mouth of yours seems to work just fine." Gojyo scowled when the monk continued to ignore him and kept struggling. He stepped over to him and knelt down, pressing the barrel of the banishing gun under Sanzo's chin. "Think this works on humans too?" Sanzo froze with an expression that might have been considered comical if the circumstances had been different. "And you let her feel all over you, God!"

At that, Sanzo forgot the gun and flared up. "Let her?! You think I fucking LET her?! I wanted to vomit!"

Gojyo frowned and put the gun aside, looking down at him more closely, Sanzo looking away in embarassment. "Don't do that again," Gojyo said seriously, "You scared the shit out of me."

Sanzo continued to stare at the other side of the room, and said quietly, "You didn't seem to care at the time,"

Gojyo grabbed Sanzo's jaw and made him look at the darkening bruise on his forehead. "Reason enough. Stupid Hakkai."

"That wasn't my fault," Sanzo huffed.

"You were trying to pick a fight."

"Because you were being an ass!"

"Like I'd have told chimpo anything, geez. Your problem is that you don't trust anyone," he released Sanzo's jaw and sat back on his heels, "I have a good mind to just leave you here for a while."

Sanzo looked away again and said bitterly, "It's all just a big joke to you, isn't it?"

"A joke?!"

Sanzo closed his eyes in exhaustion and looked a little sad. Gojyo watched him for a minute, his tone softening as it slowly hit him. "You think I'm fooling around."

Sanzo furrowed his brow as he felt Gojyo sit closer to him and said softly, "Why wouldn't you be?"

"A Sanzo priest ain't no cheap fuck, I can tell you that. I have a pretty good idea of what i'm getting myself into."

Sanzo chuckled humorlessly. "Why would you even bother?"

"Because I think you're worth it."

Sanzo's face tightened and he shook his head weakly. Gojyo frowned at his behavior and took the blonde's hand when he heard the monk say in a strained voice, "Just stop lying and get me out of here,"

"I've never lied to you," he ignored Sanzo's snort at that comment and continued, "Call me a liar again and I'll kick your head in."

Sanzo sighed and slowly opened sad violet eyes as Gojyo laced their fingers together.

"I guess it was stupid to think you'd trust me right off," Gojyo said quietly. "Maybe someday you will. I hope so."

Sanzo looked at him, conflict swimming in his eyes and wearing an expression that made him look so human Gojyo's chest constricted. "What did you expect me to think?" he asked quietly, "Your display in jeep didn't quite ease my mind."

Gojyo blinked. "Well...maybe I did go a little overboard..."

Sanzo raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

"I made up for it though," the kappa whined helplessly as he leaned over on Sanzo's chest and smiled at him.

Sanzo's brow knit and he gave his companion a sour look. "How, by trying to blame me for being molested?"

"You scared me. Plus, seeing a chick all over you didn't exactly make me want to victimize you."

"I scared you? I thought she was about to swallow me whole," the priest grumbled.

"She might have," Gojyo grinned.

"Tch. I wasn't too thrilled by the idea. As you heard."

"Neither was I," Gojyo said quietly.

Sanzo flushed a little again and snapped his eyes to the side.

Gojyo sighed and sat up, slipping Sanzo's gun back into his pocket for safe keeping. "Just don't do it again."

"I didn't start it!"

"Oh, shut up."

Sanzo huffed in irritation and tried to move again to no accord. "God dammit!"

Gojyo threw a leg over Sanzo's prone figure to straddle him and leaned down to hush him with a kiss, ignoring the muffled protests and dirty look he recieved for the move as he gripped the blonde's shoulders tightly to hold him still and he let his tounge do the talking.

"Mmpf--" Sanzo began to return the kiss timidly and twitched, furious, that he still couldn't move.

"I kinda like this," Gojyo grinned deviously.

Sanzo scowled. "Don't you dare--"

"Oh, like you don't want me to," he rolled his eyes and almost laughed at the red-faced sneer he recieved in answer, and continuing to smirk playfully at the blonde, picked him up under his arms and propped him upright against the wall, reaching one hand down to undo his pants beneath his robes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Sanzo yelped, wide-eyed.

"Showing you the right way to give head," Gojyo chuckled and leaned up, kissing him deeply.

"But--" flustered and brilliantly red-faced, "You can't--"

"I can't? You're telling me what I'm capable of? I guess I'll show you a thing or two."

Panicked, Sanzo hissed in a pitch higher than he would have preferred, "Are you crazy?!"

"Maybe I am." Gojyo hurled his shakujo at the door, jamming it shut as Sanzo stared at him in open-mouthed horror.

"You-you can't be serious...?" he stammered. Gojyo smiled at him again as he pulled the monk's pants down around his knees, Sanzo turning even redder in the process. "Knock it off, I mean it!"

"Knock it off? Man, you do want this,"

"Stop twisting my words around dammit!!" Sanzo sputtered.

Gojyo chuckled, ignoring the blonde's protests and shushing him with another kiss as he gently caressed pale hips and a twitching belly.

"Nngh--" Sanzo twitched, trying to get his limbs to cooperate so he could push the kappa off. "Gojyo--stop it--"

Gojyo kissed his way down the monk's neck and nuzzled down his chest, his hands caressing Sanzo's inner thighs as his mouth lowered to an obviously excited Sanzo, despite the protests. "Do you really want me to stop?" Red eyes met violet as Gojyo gazed up at Sanzo.

The monk groaned and screwed his eyes shut, "Gods I hate you--why are you doing this to me?" he pleaded.

The red head gave a tender kiss to Sanzo's taut belly, "Can't really talk right now," and drew Sanzo into his mouth, swirling his tounge around him. Sanzo bit his lip sharply to stifle his cry and jerked in Gojyo's grasp as the red head began pressing against him with the roof of his mouth and the back of his throat.

Sanzo whimpered as he fought back a loud moan and bit his lip harder as Gojyo began sucking gently and continued to play with him, massaging the blonde's hips with his hands. "Nnn--" Sanzo began to tremble and drew blood from his bottom lip. Gojyo gave a muffled moan, wanting to draw out every ounce of the monk's pleasure as Sanzo began to shake almost violently, a thin line of blood slipping down his chin as sweat started to bead across his skin.

Gojyo began to draw Sanzo in and out of his mouth and dragged his teeth along him, managing to mumble, "Lemme hear you, c'mon," recieving a frantic shake of the blonde's hair and a choked whimper in response. Breathless, Gojyo began to deep throat him, pulling Sanzo's hips against his face when they heard banging on the door.

"Shit--" Gojyo quickly released Sanzo with a grunt of frustration, quickly pulling his pants back up and climbing off of him, his face apologetic as he stood.

Sanzo let go of his lip and panted for his breath, realizing that he must look to be in a right state. "You're paying for this later you stupid--"

"I'm sorry," the kappa whispered, "I'll make it up to you..." He strode over to the door and dislodged his shakujo, opening the door to Hakkai and Goku's worried faces.

"Sanzo!" Goku leapt inside the room, rushing over to the blonde propped against the wall in disarray. "Are you okay? You're bleeding..." he worriedly looked at the monk's wounded arm and wiped at some of the blood slipping down his chin with the back of his hand.

Gojyo started chuckling. "This demon lady was all over him," he laughed, "And when I came in she even had her hand--"

"Shut the hell up kappa!" Sanzo snapped, jerking his head away from Goku's hand.

Hakkai blinked and raised an eyebrow, "Then we got here just in time," he said as he stepped next to the monk and healed the gashes on Sanzo's forearm.

"Where was her hand?" Goku asked, genuinely confused.

Gojyo walked back over to Sanzo as Hakkai moved away after healing the monk, and with a smirk swept him up into his arms like a newlywed. "She drugged him or something; either way, he's paralyzed, temporarily."

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Sanzo's temper flared at his treatment, "I'm not some goddamn woman!!!"

"Well, you can't walk, and I'm sure as hell not waiting for you to come around,"

Hakkai coughed, trying not to laugh, and turned back to the door. "Ah, Goku?" He gestured towards the younger man, who followed, still looking a little confused.

Sanzo seethed as Gojyo followed the other two, but kept his mouth shut knowing full well Gojyo had no problem dropping him on his ass and leaving him. Gojyo rolled his eyes at Sanzo's less-than-sunny disposition. "Just relax and enjoy the ride, geez."

Gojyo kept a ways behind their companions, liking the feeling of holding the one he was starting to never want to let go of. Sanzo scowled at the comment, ignoring the fact that he enjoyed being held a little.

"Well, I guess everyone's starting to feel a little hungry," Hakkai said conversationally.

"Starving," Goku chirped, "Do we have enough time to get to town and eat in a resteraunt?"

"Well," Hakkai scratched under the chin of the dragon perched on his shoulder thoughtfully, "Seeing as there were so many demons in the area, I'd assume there's something nearby. But if there isn't, we'll have to rough it...and that won't be very fun seeing as how all our supplies were lost when we were attacked. I think our best bet is to just drive and see if we hit something,"

"Oh! Wait," Gojyo stopped and set Sanzo to lie on the ground before turning and starting back down the hall the way they came. "I gotta get your scripture,"

Sanzo blinked, shocked that he had forgotten such a thing but was snapped from his reverie when Gojyo skidded to a halt and looked back over his shoulder at Goku, remembering the bet; or rather, the fact he was responsible for the cost of the kid's next meal. "...Can't we rough it for a night, Hakkai?"

Goku turned with pleading eyes to the green-eyed man, while Sanzo, who did not appreciate lying on the floor, snapped, "Somebody make up their damn mind!"

Gojyo rolled his eyes at that and darted back into the room to grab the scripture, reemerging a moment later with the sutra in hand and picking Sanzo back up into his arms.

"Give it to me," Sanzo grumbled.

"My hands are full." Gojyo grinned and kept walking.

Sanzo glared. "Just put in my robes, jackass."

"Well," Goku quiped, "What are we doing? Hakkai?"

"I suppose we'll find a place to stay," he said as they stepped back outside, "It's already dark and I think I can sense a town nearby."

"There'd better be," Sanzo groused, still in a foul mood.

Hakkai rolled his eyes and Hakuryuu glided off of his shoulder and transformed into his jeep form. Everyone clambored inside, Gojyo setting Sanzo into the front passenger seat and putting the scripture roll into his robes for him, not accidentally brushing something that needed to be finished and earning himself a glare. He smiled and hopped in the back seat as Sanzo glowered at his feet and mumbled, "Smug bastard," under his breath.

After driving only for a short while, they came upon a modest town beside a small mountain range. Hakkai brought the jeep to a stop outside of the local inn and looked between his companions with a small smile on his face. "All right, what's first?"

"Food!" Goku yelled.

"And how do you propose that I eat?" Sanzo asked acidly.

"Sanzo's right," Gojyo said, "We need to get him to a room."

Everyone in the group looked at the kappa questioningly and he sweat-dropped. "I, uh, don't wanna pay for the chimps food." he supplied reluctantly.

Sanzo snorted as Hakkai raised an eyebrow. "...Was that part of the bet?"

"Surprisingly enough, yes." Sanzo said smugly, Gojyo glowering at him in turn.

"...Hey!" Goku shouted indignantly.

"Fine, fine," Hakkai laughed, "Just get the next one. I need to get us supplies, so I'd might as well feed Goku while I'm at it."

Goku, while still irritated, was not about to pass up an oppertunity for dinner. "Fine," he mumbled, and stalked after Hakkai as Gojyo eased one of Sanzo's arms over his shoulder and helped him stand unsteadily as Hakuryuu transformed and took off after his master.

"Think you can walk some?" Gojyo peered down at the monk inquiringly.

Sanzo scoffed and avoided his gaze. "I'm fine."

Gojyo rolled his eyes and began walking forward, Sanzo stumbling clumsily as they proceeded and cursing vehemently. They managed to make it inside the inn, and Gojyo sat Sanzo in a chair near the front desk, pulling the gold card from inside his robes. "How many rooms?" Gojyo asked, looking at him.

"Whatever they have, I suppose..." Sanzo mumbled, blushing slightly.

Gojyo shook his head and left Sanzo so he could speak with the woman standing behind the desk, returning a moment later after paying. "There are plenty of rooms. We're all seperate."

Sanzo nodded as Gojyo pulled him out of the chair and supported him up the stairs, scowling at the looks he got from the other patrons. "I hate this," he grumbled, "I feel like a fucking invalid."

"Well, It's not my fault you can't walk."

"Are you saying it's mine?"

"Of course not," Gojyo said airily, tightening his grip around Sanzo's waist when the monk stumbled on the top step, Sanzo casting him a sour expression.

Gojyo stepped inside the first of the rooms they had rented and eased Sanzo gently down onto the bed, in spite of the urge to just drop him.

Sanzo pushed up with difficulty on shakey arms. "Fuck, what the hell did that bitch give me?

"Shit if I know. At least you're getting better,"

"Not fast enough," Sanzo mumbled before sighing in defeat and flopping back on the bed. "What the hell am I supposed to do now, just lie here until it wears off?"

"..." Gojyo stared at him for a moment before he busted out laughing.

Sanzo lifted his head and frowned. "What?"

Gojyo was still laughing. "Oh God," he gasped for breath.

"What?!"

"Look, if you've still got it then you deserve something special," he chuckled, "That's pretty impressive."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"...Oh, you don't mean--" The kappa started laughing again.

Exceedingly pissed, the monk snapped, "What the hell is so damn funny?!

"Nothing, nothing..." Gojyo trailed off, still laughing weakly, "I guess I'll go find Goku and Hakkai then,"

Sanzo growled and reached for his gun...the nonexistent gun still in Gojyo's pocket...and opted to throw his fan at the kappa weakly. "You're not leaving until you tell me what you're laughing at!"

"Well, do you want me to finish or what?" Gojyo asked, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the doorframe, smirking. "Goku's not known for his perfect timing."

"What..." Sanzo flushed as realization hit and closed his eyes, groaning at his own utter stupidity. "No...just...just go," he fell back against the bed once more, highly embarrassed.

Gojyo nodded, respecting what Sanzo wanted and turned, opening the door.

"You're still going to pay for that, you know,"

Gojyo turned back to look at the figure that had rolled onto his stomach and issued the muffled threat.

"I've gotta make up for it before I can pay," the kappa said, chuckling.

Sanzo snorted.

Smiling, Gojyo shut the door. He knew he couldn't just leave him like this. He walked over and jumped onto the bed, bouncing Sanzo signifigantly and causing the blonde to yelp as he was suddenly airborne. Gojyo quickly rolled under him and caught the priest in his arms, laughing.

"Gojyo! You jackass--" he hit the kappa's chest feebley, glaring death.

Gojyo smiled, "Be nice,"

"I thought you were leaving?"

Gojyo rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, I'll go," he released the blonde without warning and pushed off of the bed, causing Sanzo to roll over the edge and land on the floor with thud.

"Fuck!"

"Whoa, sorry..." the red head peered down at him from over the edge of the bed to meet the glare waiting for him, Sanzo in heap on the floor.

"You did that on purpose."

Gojyo reached down and pulled him back up, taking him into his arms. "Not really, but it was kinda funny,"

"Was not," Sanzo mumbled.

Gojyo gave him a small smile and held him a little closer. "Why the hell do you make me do things like this?"

"...What do you mean?" Sanzo asked uncertainly.

"Well, this." He squeezed the monk gently. "I guess I'm fooling myself to think you feel the same," he continued, feeling his face heat up a little, "Sometimes I just feel like I never want to let you go,"

Sanzo felt his breath catch in his chest and his heart start to pound, and slowly looked up at Gojyo before moving and shyly brushing their lips together ever-so-slightly, making the kappa gasp and look down at Sanzo in surprise. Embarrassed, Sanzo dropped his head again. "Sanzo..." Gojyo murmmered, and the blonde dropped his head lower, too afraid to look up; afraid of what he might see.

Gojyo smiled to himself and hugged him close, one hand resting on the back of Sanzo's head as the monk clutched at his shoulders with weak hands. "I really am glad that this happened," the red head said softly, "Even if it's gotta be a secret, we've still got someone." He started twirling some of sanzo's hair around his finger. "Sometimes I wonder if that's why I drown my worries with girls and liquor..."

"I don't know if I can do this," Sanzo said quietly, his voice faltering. "Everyone I get close to tends to die..."

"Are you saying I can't hold my own?" Gojyo teased.

Sanzo pushed his face against Gojyo's shoulder, clinging. "I'm serious,"

"We've all been through shit, but that's what makes us stronger," he said, still playing with Sanzo's hair, "But I'm not going anywhere. We've got a task to finish and I don't think the Merciful Goddess would let any of us die before we complete it.

Sanzo scowled. "Doesn't stop her from trying to drive me crazy."

Gojyo laughed. "It's more fun than you give it credit for, you know,"

"Says you. How many times have I been fataly wounded so far? Or you, or Hakkai, or Goku for that matter?

"I've lost count. But I guess that's what I get for traveling with guys like you."

"More like what you get for traveling with guys like me. I'm the one they all want, whether it's for the sutra or to eat me."

"You could bitch about anything. We're all being hunted down. Just let me hold the silly piece of paper and they'll chase me. That's just how it works."

"You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me and this fucking mission. You'd have a normal life."

Gojyo stared at him for a moment before pushing him away and standing abruptly, Sanzo catching himself on shaking arms in the absence of Gojyo's form to lean on and looking up at him, confused. "Gojyo...?"

"You can whine about your life all you want, but don't try to tell me about mine."

"What? But I-I didn't mean..." the blonde drew away, wrapping a shaky arm around his middle and letting his head droop forward. What did he say wrong?

"You're not the only one who gets moody sometimes. I don't know anything about your past, and I doubt you know much about mine so I can't really blame you...but still. Life's no joyride for any of us."

"I didn't say that," Sanzo said in a quiet, measured voice, "I just can't help but think sometimes that..."

"That what?" Gojyo looked back over at him.

"Things could be so much better...for you...all of you...if it wasn't for me and this damn mission."

"Well, there's not a lot any of us can do about it,"

"Which makes it even worse," he murmmered.

"You beat yourself up too much. We're all in this together, because we believe in ourselves and in what we're doing."

"...I suppose,"

"Hey," Gojyo sat back down next to Sanzo, "Do you trust me? Can we promise a least that we'll trust in each other until this is all over?" Sanzo nodded slowly and shifted his weight to lean slightly against Gojyo again, sighing as the kappa kissed the side of his head. "None of us are dying until this is over, I know that for a fact. Just enjoy it while it lasts." Sanzo leaned closer, and the two sat in silence for a long time.

"How do you see yourself dying?" Gojyo asked quietly, breaking the silence.

Sanzo blinked and moved his head off of Gojyo's shoulder, giving him a searching look. "...Why?"

"Just thinking out loud. I always wanted to die in the arms of a beautiful woman, drunk off my ass with a cigarette in my mouth," he smiled.

Sanzo snorted. "Why doesn't that surprise me? I suppose that..." he paused for a moment, "Well, I guess I'd like something that's not too messy...but I just don't see that happening."

"I think it's in all our fates to die fighting."

Sanzo laughed softly. "There are some days that I'm just so sure...that I'll die to end this mission."

"You never know what might happen," Gojyo said quietly. " But...I'd take your place if I had the chance."

Sanzo eyed him sadly. "I would never place that burden on anyone."

"I know you wouldn't. But I'd still take it if I could,"

"You don't even really know what you'd be getting into,"

Gojyo groaned in frustration and felt warmth spread across his face. "I'm saying I think I love you, okay? Make me come out and say it why don't you,"

Sanzo flushed a deep red and stared at Gojyo in shock, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. "You..."

Gojyo couldn't look at him. He really couldn't. How could he have just come out and said it like that...?

He should be running. Sanzo knew he should be running. But he wasn't. He didn't want to run. Sanzo bit his lip and said cautiously, "Please...tell me this isn't a joke,"

The flustered kappa shook his head, too embarassed to say much more. He was fine with making love and all, but he really sucked when it came to being sincere.

Sanzo stared at Gojyo for a long moment, heart still pounding as his mind buzzed, before carefully wrapping shakey arms around Gojyo's neck and kissing him far more soundly than he felt at the moment. Gojyo whimpered a little before taking control of the kiss, lovingly backing up his words. Sanzo pulled closer, managing to crawl onto Gojyo's lap and press their chests together. The red head let out a shaking moan, so glad that Sanzo hadn't rejected him, and wrapped his arms around him, smiling into their kiss.

Sanzo shifted, their hips pressing together as he ran his fingers clumsily through soft hair, and Gojyo fell back onto the bed to have the blonde straddle him and kissed him deeper than he ever had before, hugging the monk close. Sanzo melted into the kiss and whimpered, moving his hands to cup Gojyo's face and trying to hold himself up.

"Don't push yourself, okay?" Gojyo murmmered, reveling in the feeling of Sanzo on top of him.

Sanzo panted for breath after the kiss and cursed himself for his shaking limbs. "Is it really that obvious?"

Gojyo smiled and leaned up to capture his lips again, pushing his hips up for the sheer feeling of it, causing Sanzo to gasp and push back. Gojyo groaned in pleasure at the response and moved his hands lower to grip the blonde's hips. Sanzo ground against Gojyo harder, gasping for air as his arms shook badly.

Gojyo rolled them over and settled over Sanzo, grinning down at him, "Relax, don't hurt yourself," Sanzo scoffed as he tried, and failed, to look dignified. Gojyo kissed him again. "Will you let me make it up to you?"

The blonde blushed lightly and cast Gojyo a shy look he never would have believed himself capable of before responding softly, "All right,"

Gojyo couldn't help but smile and kissed him gently as he began to ease Sanzo's robes off his shoulders, Sanzo's own hands fumbling as they grasped the kappa's shirt and pulled it free from his pants, pushing it up to reveal warm, tanned skin. Gojyo's smile widened and he pulled back from the kiss long enough to lift it off, before pulling Sanzo's robes the rest of the way off and tossing them aside and starting to tug at the bottom of the tight shirt underneath.

Wanting to have a part in the removal of his clothing, Sanzo shifted to aid Gojyo in pulling his top off, mussing his hair, and then moving on to his gloves, dropping everything carelessly on the floor. After pulling off his own belt, Gojyo stared down at the beautiful pale body beneath him, and had to run his hands up the monk's chest just to be sure it was real.

Sanzo moaned softly at the touch and slid his hands down Gojyo's waist, slipping the tips of his fingers beneath the waistline of his pants as Gojyo knelt over him and let them fall off on their own, as his belt had been the only thing keeping them up anyways, and pulled Sanzo's off as well. Sanzo carressed narrow hips and rubbed his thumbs over surprisingly soft skin as he moved his hands back up along Gojyo's sides.

"Sanzo..." Gojyo moaned in almost a whisper.

The priest whimpered at the tenderness in Gojyo's voice and pulled his face down towards his own, pressing their lips together softly. Gojyo just held their lips together, clenching his eyes shut. A wayward tear ran down his face and dropped onto Sanzo's cheek, causing both of them to look in surprise. Gojyo had no idea where it had come from.

Sanzo stared at him with soft eyes and gently kissed each of his eyelids, not even noticing the tears brimming in his own eyes. He was shaking badly again, but for an entirely different reason.

Gojyo was floundering. This had never happened to him before, and he was...scared. But as he looked down into those beautiful, soulful eyes, his desire began to override everything else. He whispered Sanzo's name again as he lowered his body on top of the smaller man, rolling their hips against each other.

Sanzo moaned louder and clung to Gojyo's shoulders, his arms a bit stronger now, as his hips moved with a mind of their own in rhythm with Gojyo's movements. What was happening to him? Why was he overwhelmed with emotions too strong to differenciate; emotions he had spent so much time avoiding? Why couldn't he breathe?

Gojyo brought a hand up between their kiss to gather saliva before moving it between Sanzo's legs and probing gently for his entrance. Sanzo winced as a finger slipped inside, followed by a second, but forgot about them completely when Gojyo claimed his mouth again in a heated kiss. The kappa's mouth hung open as he tried to catch his breath, brushing their lips against Sanzo's lightly as he started to lower himself into a position, removing his hand. Sanzo quivered in anticipation as his breath hitched and his legs fell further apart. He fought desperately to get a handle on himself and chocked out Gojyo's name.

Fingers dug into Gojyo's back accompanied with a wavering whimper from the blonde's throat as Gojyo slowly entered, the kappa groaning and loving the feeling more than any he'd ever experienced before. Sanzo gasped for air as moisture escaped from his eyes, and he clung tightly, whimpering. It hurt, especially after last night, but he still wouldn't have traded the feeling for anything.

Gojyo began to move, leaning over and kissing Sanzo's chest, showering him with kisses and nibbles. Sanzo moaned breathily as pleasure began to take the place of pain, and his knees dropped down to spread his legs wider as he began to meet Gojyo's thrusts. Gojyo was growing breathless as he groaned with each inward stroke and started to push in farther, searching for Sanzo's pleasure.

Sanzo moaned as the thrusts moved deeper, and Gojyo pulled one of the blonde's legs to rest over his shoulder as he tried to find the right angle, rolling his hips against him with every thrust. The kappa's head tipped back and he moaned loudly, "Oh God, Sanzo,"

The monk couldn't catch his breath, too lost in a whirl of sensation. He pushed back harder against him and cried out when Gojyo hit the right spot. Moaning, Gojyo made sue to hit it every time now that he knew where it was, Sanzo clinging to him as if his life depended on it as his voice began to rise in pitch and volume. "G-gojyo!"

The kappa kissed Sanzo's neck and sucked on it gently as he pushed all the way in again and held himself there, not wanting this feeling to be over so quickly. The blonde writhed beneath him and gripped red hair with a tight fist, panting and arching off the bed as he pleaded breathlessly, "Please--don't stop--"

Gojyo shivered, getting goosebumps at Sanzo's request, and started his rhythm again, beginning to go harder. The monk moaned loudly and gripped Gojyo hard enough to bruise, finding that at the moment he really didn't care if it did. Gojyo felt nothing but Sanzo, nothing hurt, nothing was too much; just he and Sanzo were the only two people in the world right then, and if there was a heaven, that had to be it.

He started moving faster, thrusting much harder and grunting with each stroke in utter bliss. Sanzo had started crying out with each movement and pulled Gojyo's head down to his desperately, kissing him ardently as he tried to say all the things he couldn't put into words. He felt, for the first time that he could remember, safe and whole. Tears leaked from his eyes again and he kissed Gojyo all that much more as Gojyo responded with every feeling in his body, every little inkling or thought he'd had about Sanzo since they'd met.

Sanzo clenched tightly around Gojyo as stars errupted behind his eyes and his muscles convulsed with his orgasm, something incoherent tearing out of his throat as he clawed at the red heads back. Gojyo's teeth clenched, the pleasure almost ubearable as he came, crying out in the wake of Sanzo's release. Sanzo pressed against Gojyo as tightly as he could, his face pushed into the juncture of neck and shoulder, his body shaking as he sobbed for breath.

"Oh, Sanzo..." the red head nuzzled his neck gently, placing soft kisses on whatever skin he could reach as Sanzo fought to regain control of himself, still lost in the emotional overload that gripped him. Gojyo ran a hand down the monk's side gently, loving the feel of his wonderfully soft skin. Sanzo began to get a hold on his breathing and loosened the death grip he realized he had on the other man; there would definiately be some interesting bruises tomorrow. He nuzzled the kappa lightly, breathing in his scent as his fingers began to brush lazily on heated skin. "I've never--I mean, Sanzo..." Gojyo kissed his neck again and looked into violet eyes.

Sanzo moved his hands to run through soft red hair and watched Gojyo's shining face looking down at him. "You've never what?" he asked softly.

"Never...felt like this before," he murmmered, not caring if the saying was cliche.

The blonde's eyes glittered in the darkness of the room. "Neither have I," he chuckled slightly, "Although I'm sure you guessed that. No one has ever breached my personal space like this and lived to talk about it."

"I'm honored," Gojyo grinned, teeth glinting, and kissed him again. His partner smiled into the kiss, placing a hand at the back of Gojyo's neck, stroking cooling skin with his thumb. The kappa shivered at the touch and rolled to lie next to Sanzo. "I want to stay in here tonight...forever."

Sanzo smiled sadly and rolled to face him. "Nothing lasts forever. There's no telling what may happen tomorrow. But this isn't tomorrow, so for tonight," he leaned in and kissed him softly, " Tonight we can stay wrapped up in this."

Gojyo had never heard Sanzo speak like this before. Ever. It was indescibibly incredible, and he felt a small sense of pride at the knowledge that he was very likely the first person to ever hear such a thing pass through the priest's lips.

He pulled the blonde closer against him, and held him for a long while until he felt the smaller man's exhausted body slip into sleep, knowing as he lay there that he couldn't stay the night, no matter how much he wanted to.

TBC