[Generic Disclaimer: Saiyuki and all the affiliated characters are copyright to Kazuya Minekura. No profit has or will be made off of this fiction.]
===
~A Simple Kiss~
Summary:
3x9 (SanzoxGoku) - Neither one could explain why it happened, but they all knew that this could change everything.
Warnings:
PG-13 Shounen ai, 3x9 yaoi, Probably major OOC-ness, especially for Sanzo. Minor bad language, again especially for Sanzo.
===
Chapter Two: Pondering Change
They had gotten lucky this time; the inn had been nearly deserted, so they had all gotten single rooms connected to a common room. Despite the fact that they spent all day forced in each other’s company, they still spent the entire evening in the common room. Gojyo and Sanzo played cards, and Hakkai worked with Goku on studying ki techniques.
Goku had taken a great interest in the fighting techniques that Hakkai used, and Hakkai was more than willing to teach the young man everything he could. Goku would normally listen intently to everything he had to say, but tonight he seemed distracted, and kept glancing away from Hakkai to sneak a peek at Sanzo.
When his glances grew longer and closer together, Hakkai gave up trying to keep his attention and suggested they all play Mahjong. The others agreed with varying degrees of enthusiasm, and they sat down to play, Sanzo and Goku across from each other and Hakkai and Gojyo at the ends of the table. They played through the evening, and as the night and the room grew darker, Hakkai saw that both Sanzo and Goku were distracted from the game. How they managed to glance at each other that often and not lock gazes he wasn’t sure, but they managed it somehow.
He started to sense that charge in the air again, and a glance at Gojyo showed that the other man had picked up on it as well. He was looking between Goku and Sanzo while waiting for the others to take their turns, a faint look of disbelief on his face. After realizing that Sanzo had missed three tiles that would have won him the game, Hakkai knew that he had his mind elsewhere.
He yawned loudly and stretched, then pushed back from the table. As the others looked at him, he stated that it was late and they had better retire for the night if they wanted to get going early the next morning. They cleaned up their mess and headed off to their respective rooms. He didn’t miss the charged look that Sanzo threw at Goku’s back as the young man stepped into his room.
[~:.:~]
Hakkai had just sat down on the bed when a soft knock sounded at his door. He had been waiting for this, so just called softly for Gojyo to enter. The redhead came in and shut the door quietly behind him, crossing the small space to slouch in the only chair in the room.
“You want to tell me what’s going on, or am I going to have to beat it out of the monkey?”
Hakkai smiled, one of his real smiles, both at Gojyo’s bluntness and his obvious agitation at the evening’s events.
Gojyo snorted softly. “I didn’t just imagine that then, the way they were glancing at each other all night? And you could just feel the electricity in the air. I kept waiting for my hair to stand on end. I’m not sure which is worse, the monk in a bad mood and the kid whining, or this quiet yet intense atmosphere! Either way I feel like a bad move is going to get me shot.”
Hakkai didn’t really respond to what he had said, instead mentioning something else he had been thinking about as the evening drew on. “Have you noticed how much Goku has grown up during this journey? When we first met them he looked and acted like a child. When we started out on this journey it was obvious that he had gotten older looking, but he didn’t really act that much older. But now, after two years on the road, he is really growing and maturing, both physically and emotionally. Especially recently. Have you noticed that he is almost as tall as Sanzo now?”
Gojyo snorted again. “Yeah, I guess he is. But height doesn’t make you an adult, and he definitely isn’t one.”
“No, not yet, but he has come a long way in such little time. I think if you take a good look at him now you will see that he acts much more like the older teen that he should be.” Hakkai expected Gojyo to laugh at this statement and deny it violently, but to his surprise the kappa just looked thoughtful and almost a bit embarrassed.
“I wouldn’t have said something if you hadn’t brought it up, but yeah, I have noticed that the little monkey has changed. Not all the time, mind you, he still acts like a child once in a while.” Gojyo grinned widely at that, “But there are also times that I see the ages in him.” His grin faded away as he added, “Sometimes I have to remind myself that he is 500 years older than the rest of us, but when I see that look in his eyes it isn’t that hard to imagine.”
Hakkai nodded silently. He had also seen that look, and it kind of scared him. Eyes that old didn’t belong on such a young man.
“Have you noticed that he eats more like a normal person now?” Gojyo continued, “Of course he still eats more than the three of us together, but he isn’t always complaining about being hungry either. And I think he fights with me during dinner just because he thinks it’s expected of him. It’s pretty much the only time that Sanzo gets to use that stupid fan anymore. At least on him. I’m not that lucky apparently.”
Hakkai laughed at that. “He has really taken to the ki techniques I’ve been teaching him. He learns so quickly. We always knew he had an amazing amount of power, and he is showing the ability to control a little of that with the techniques I’ve been showing him. I don’t think it will be long before he surpasses me in his abilities. I don’t have a fraction of the raw power he carries even with his limiter on. He just needed someone to show him how to focus it. And if he is eventually able to combine his use of it with Nyoibou, he is going to be nearly unstoppable.”
Gojyo shook his head in wonder. Sure the kid - he couldn’t help but still think of him as such - had raised a shield occasionally in their last few battles, but he hadn’t realized that he had gotten that good. “It’s hard to believe this is the same kid we started on this journey with. And apparently Sanzo has noticed as well.”
He trailed off as this train of thought took him to places he wasn’t sure he wanted to go. Sanzo and Goku together? He never would have thought it was possible for the icy monk to actually feel something other than irritation for the kid, but it wasn’t irritation that had filled the air tonight. No, it was something almost completely opposite.
“Do you think this has anything to do with our battle this afternoon?” Gojyo ventured, not really wanting to remind Hakkai of the incident, but wanting to know what the other man thought.
“I don’t really know, but it could. Goku really scared all of us. Maybe Sanzo finally realized how much he means to Goku.”
Hakkai yawned quietly and Gojyo took the hint. “Well, I should head off to bed. It’s going to be interesting traveling with those two tomorrow. I hope this doesn’t make things difficult.”
Hakkai nodded his agreement. “I doubt that Sanzo will allow himself to get distracted from our little mission, but I kind of hope...” He paused for a second, then continued in an almost distracted voice, “I hope that he gives Goku a chance. Those two have been deeply connected since before Sanzo brought Goku down from the mountain, and maybe this is just an extension of that connection that hadn’t yet been explored.”
Gojyo stood and headed for the door, but turned towards Hakkai before opening it. “I just hope that Sanzo thinks things through before he lets anything happen. Goku is… well, I hate to admit it, but he is like a little brother to me, and I don’t want to see him hurt. And Sanzo is the type to hurt someone deeply.” He sighed. “Well, apparently Sanzo isn’t as impervious to Goku’s affection as we thought he was.” With that he opened the door and stepped out.
As the door closed behind Gojyo, Hakkai lay down and pulled up the blankets. ‘No, apparently he isn’t. But it’s what he’s going to do about that affection that worries me.’
[~:.:~]
[~end of chapter~]