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Relax and Hang On -- Again	By : cupnjava Category: Gensomaden Saiyuki > General Views: 20723 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gensomaden Saiyuki, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
RAHO XIX Blantic Day Five:
Numbed Healing

Scroll to the three lines if
you wanna skip all of this.

After two shipments of my
machine to the factory, three new power supplies, one new harddrive,
two formats of the harddrive and a new machine, I’m
finally back!

Thank you all for the
10,000+ hits! And your patience as I dealt with technical
issues. I hope this chapter (96 pages and 39,000 words) does not
disappoint.

RAHO Trivia: Hakkai and Gojyo use KY Jelly as lube. I’m sure most
of you figured that out when I loosely described the flip-top cap. This is
water based and it was originally Gojyo’s possession. It can safely be used
with condoms. Sanzo and Goku use a clear skin-safe
oil. It is petroleum based and as we all know it should not be used with condoms.
Hakkai would not have given this to Goku if he had known that Goku was also
sleeping with Lirin.

FYI: If you are familiar with body modifications and/or
body piercing you may think I made a mistake (on page 3). We know something that someone in the fic doesn’t know – yet.

Spoiler Warning: I dance around an issue in Yaone’s past (it is
brought up in Reload episode 13,14 or 15.) If you know
what happened then the conversation will make more sense. If you don’t know
what happened the conversation will still make sense, but there are a couple of
lines that will be a bit vague. This something that happened before Kougaiji
rescued her.

Chapter Summary: It has been said that an absinthe drunk is
inebriation unlike any other – shall we explore? Learning, coping, dealing,
overcoming – and then there’s the stuff with Sanzo party.

Something ya need to know:
I’m making use of drinking games. One of them is Fuzzy Duck. My beta’s told me this needs to be explained because it is a more rare game
than I thought. Everyone sits in a circle with their drink in hand. The game
starts with one person saying, “Fuzzy Duck.” Every so often someone will say,
“Does he?” That reverses the game play and changes the phrase to “Ducky Fuzz.”
Again someone will say, “Does he?” Which takes the game play
back to the original direction and original phrase, “Fuzzy Duck.” The
game takes on speed and becomes a tongue twister. The phrase twists to, “Fuck,
he does.” Or “Does he fuck?” You drink when someone neglects their turn or twists
the phrase in their mouth.

The other drinking game is
“I never” and that’s well explained in the fic.

Music: This being included by request. Some have asked that
while the Merciful Goddess has control of the radio station for me to mention
the songs used in the fic (I suppose you want to cue
up your playlists – I’ve done my best to time it to
reading speed. Although one song is really poorly timed).
There was also a request for me to mention the songs I listened to while
writing. If you don’t want to read this just skip to the three lines

Music in the fic:
Smash Mouth “Walking on the Sun” ; Proclaimers “I
Would Walk 500 Miles” ; Beastie Boys “You Gotta Fight
for Your Right to Party”; SR-71 “They
All Fall Down”, Enigma “In the shadow in the light.”

Influential music
(impossible to list them all): Evanesence “Bring Me to Life” ;
Phantom of the Opera “Music of the Night”; Jan Hammer “Beverly Hills Cop
Theme”; Christy Moore “Lisdoonvarna”; Mike Oldfield “Tubular Bells” ; Smash Mouth “I’m a Believer” ; Smash
Mouth “All Star”; Sting “Desert Rose”;
Sting “Mad About You” , 1812 Overture (I want to do an AMV to that one so bad
it hurts. A 15 minute AMV? Too much work. LOL)

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RAHO XIX Blantic
Day Five: Numbed Healing

Goku stepped from the
bathroom wearing nothing but his jeans. He had them zipped, but not buttoned. A
light brown towel surrounded his head as he ruffled his hair dry.

Sanzo flicked his ashes and
looked up from his Poe anthology as the man-child blindly walked into the room.
He watched as the bulky muscles shifted on that small, bronzed frame. How did
Goku hide all that bulk under his clothes?

Goku watched his feet as he
dodged the corner of the dinning table.

A blond eyebrow lifted. The
top button was unbuttoned. Why was that so sexy? The soft flexing of Goku’s abs
as the younger man ruffled his hair; the wisps of light brown curls decorating
the skin below Goku’s naval; and, the hints of shadow that peeked from under
the denim at the hips of the golden-eyed wonder – all of it comprised the
definition of sexy. Strong fingers. Thick
muscles. Solid bulk. Supple
skin. Sanzo shook his head. This impromptu vacation was simply
bothersome.

This time-out was putting
all these needless thoughts in his head. Genjyo Sanzo
didn’t crave touch. He abhorred it. Sex between them wasn’t something Sanzo
fantasized about or even planned. They were “in the moment” moments. Little time spans that existed in and of themselves. Not
events that lingered on his mind and fluttered through his thoughts. At least
not until life had calmed – somewhat.

As one defends their life,
one doesn’t have time to ponder. Time to think and time to
reflect were luxuries during a life on the road west. Sanzo was growing
uncomfortable with what he was learning about himself during this spontaneous
hiatus. He didn’t like seeing himself as anything more than someone who did
what was needed, when it was needed, and with the least amount of expended
resources as possible.

The shortest distance
between two places is a line. That was pretty much a given till quantum physics
decided to say, “No, it’s a curve.” Damn
it. Sanzo gritted his teeth. Genjyo Sanzo did not
ponder quantum physics! He needed something to kill. He needed an attack to
dodge. Furthermore, he hated to have to admit that.

Nearly all his life and all
his adult life had been spent upon aggression. This reflection… this
touchy-feely shit … this -- he didn’t know how to deal with. Yes, he was
a priest, but learning sutras and the larger questions of life (the questions,
not the answers) were abstract things that could be dismissed as “not him”.
These soul-searching ponderings were alien.

Since he was 12, life was
all about getting his master’s sutra back. At first it was mindless running; if
he got there fast enough then he could do something. The problem was that he
didn’t know where “there” was nor what the “something”
would be. That led to his first kill.

His hand was forced. He
didn’t wake up that morning and say, “I think I’m going to kill someone.” There
was no other choice. As soon as it was over, he knew – he would have to do it
again. At that point, he knew his dharma. Ironically, the man who now saw
choices in everything albeit some options were less desirable than others, saw no other choice that horrific day.

A few years later, he picked
up Goku. The monkey’s presence didn’t change his dharma nor did it change his
goal. Perhaps, Goku made the journey for his master’s sutra less lonely and
more irritating. Perhaps – maybe -- in a way -- kinda --
probably.

Pointless!

Then, came Cho Gonou with the irritating water sprite, a simple
command from the three floating heads and boom – he’s saving the world. Hur-fucking-rah.
Yet those other two. Baffling.

Pointless, these
thoughts, pointless!

When had his life changed –
really changed? The river? The death
of his master? Goku? Hakkai
and Gojyo? When had he started to live again? Perhaps the timing isn’t
the issue. Why. Why had he started to live again? Now, that was the --- that
was pure bullshit and he was cutting this out right now.

He could just push this into
some dark corner of nothingness – some place cold and forgotten where it
belongs. He knew the perfect place; he kept a lot there.

A golden eye peeked from
folds of brown terry cloth, “Hey, Sanzo?”

“What?”

“I’m gonna
need…” He let the towel fall around his shoulders, “your cooperation with
something tonight.” Hakkai obviously didn’t get to it last night. Goku held no
doubts that it would be available today. Goku grinned, “It’s a surprise.”

“Tch. As long as it doesn’t involve traveling east.” Sanzo sighed,
“Fine.”

Golden eyes went wide. Fine? No fight? No argument? No, ‘you’re not going to tell
me what to do.’? No questions? Just fine? Holy shit!
That was wonderful; Goku beamed, “Great.”

Violet eyes slid back to the
printed words before him. Sanzo’s mind was far from a macabre story about
plague victims. Violet eyes flicked up, “I’m not getting my dick pierced
either.”

Goku laughed, “How could I
here? Unless you just happen to have a piercing gun.”

Blonde eyebrows knitted. A piercing gun? Aww shit.
Goku’s been talking to someone and Sanzo had a good idea of whom.

Goku chuckled as he flopped
into the couch. This was gonna be great.

Sanzo sighed. What had the
monkey concocted? A surprise? Sanzo wasn’t too keen on
surprises, but the gleam in his lover’s eyes hinted at illicit activities.

Goku softly smiled as he
watched one violet eye peek from around a paperback book. “You’re dying to
know.”

“No, I’m not. You can have
your little surprise.” Sanzo wasn’t a hardass for the
sake of being a hardass. He wasn’t a cold bastard
because he simply wanted step on people. He was the way he was because the
situations he’d been in dictated and required certain behavior. He couldn’t
care less about this little surprise. As long as it didn’t require too many
resources from him, he didn’t give a damn.

Sanzo couldn’t get himself
to admit that as long as Goku kept that button unbuttoned the blond would
follow anywhere. What the hell did the monkey have planned?

Goku bit his lips closed. If
Sanzo didn’t care, why did the blond only pretend to read? Those violet eyes
were tucked back behind that book, but they weren’t moving. They were lost in
thought. Pondering thought. Anticipating thoughts – no doubt.
Goku was so happy with himself he could just squeal.

Now, if only Hakkai would do
his part – like Goku knew the older brunet would.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gojyo’s head turned as the
hiss of the shower came from the bathroom. He smiled and looked at Ah’Nesty,
“Alright, where’s this shit?” He could do this. He could just go about the day
like nothing happened. He could “fake the funk”. He could put on the happy face
and hope that this time Hakkai’s plan wasn’t as harebrained as it sounded.

Ah’Nesty shook her head,
“This shit?” Why was he looking at her like that? Oh, he wasn’t looking at her.
He was looking past her … through her. She could act like she didn’t notice.

“The
absinthe.” He could look at her
without seeing her. His lover was the master of putting on the happy face. He
could pull this off and she’d be none the wiser.

She nodded. “The storeroom at the mercantile.” If that look in his eyes
was any kind of indication, he was a lot more hurt by remembering how they met
than he was letting on. Damn it. Why did she even stay here? The
hell with the storm. Why didn’t she show up, find out the situation and
leave once she learned her surviving friend was in good hands? Well, leave once
she learned of Som’s happiness in his new lover. If
she’d left then none of this would have happened.

Both of them – pretending
for the sake of situation

Gojyo nodded, “Well in that
case I say we grab the mo--.” He cut himself off. He nearly said ‘monk and
monkey’. That would not have been good. “The other two and have a party of it.”

“My, my, isn’t it a little
early in the day for a party?”

Gojyo shook his head. “Hakkai.” He turned and smiled at his lover, “You prude.
It’s never too early for a party. We’ll get some kind of cheap food that’s
really bad for you, but tastes good. Something quick and easy and let’s get plastered.”
If he were drunk the sting of seeing his lover in the arms of another wouldn’t
hurt so badly.

Damn. That was hypocritical.
Gojyo knew it, but what could he do? He couldn’t help the way he felt and he
couldn’t change the past. He didn’t make a comment about a blonde woman who
turned out to be anything but beautiful and Hakkai comes up with “The Rule.” He
couldn’t risk vetoing that rule. The fallout might be too ugly.

He was also the only one to
make use of the rule. Now, his lover comes up with an altruistic plan that
should lead to some healing – hopefully lead to some
healing – and he wants to get jealous and petty. Hakkai had made it clear that
his heart was with Gojyo. That’s enough, right? He finally had what he’d sought
for his entire life and he wasn’t going to fuck it up by getting all
moralistic. This could be fun. Way to
look on the bright side, Gojyo. Damn it, why couldn’t she be wearing a
skirt? What was up with the sweatshirt and jeans?

Hakkai softly smiled,
“That’s my Gojyo.” He softly chuckled as he straightened his sash, “We’ve not
even had breakfast and you’re already thinking of the evening.”

Gojyo nodded. Oh shit. Hakkai was wearing his regular
clothes. Crimson eyes shifted toward Ah’Nesty. Had the descriptions of them included
clothing? He couldn’t remember. He sighed and looked at Hakkai, “We didn’t get
up till around noon. Does it really count as before breakfast?”

Hakkai softly laughed, “No,
I suppose not.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goku rolled his eyes and
looked at the inverted fireplace before him. His feet kicked the top of the
couch, “Sanzo, do you think they’re up yet? I’m hungry.”

Violet eyes rolled. Between
the noise in his head and the squirms of the upside down monkey-boy, there was
not going to be any reading till the stomach got some attention. “If they
aren’t, they will be.”

Goku kicked his legs and
rolled off the couch. He landed on his hands and knees. “That food we got, just
tastes so…” He stood, “I dunno. It’s alright, but
it’s…umm.”

“Not Hakkai’s cooking.”
Sanzo flipped his cloak about his shoulders.

Goku nodded, “Yep. That’s
it.”

Sanzo sighed and gritted his
teeth. They ate before meeting Hakkai. The food was adequate then. Hakkai was
spoiling Goku. That much was obvious.

A blond eyebrow arched under
feathering blond locks, “He only does it because he cares.”

Sanzo looked at the
longhaired blond, “You’re back. Pardon me while I throw a party.” Why couldn’t
this annoying twit just leave? Here was someone who irked Sanzo to pieces and
Sanzo couldn’t shoot him nor use the fan. Pestering bastard.

Konzen crossed his arms over
his chest, “Sarcastic bastard. You’d be lost without me.”

“Fuck you. I need no one. I
have company because I choose to do so.”

Konzen nodded, “Remember
that the next time the nights are lonely and the road is long.” One hand balled
into a fist, “You don’t know how it was. I do. I’ve learned a few lessons and
you are throwing your life away on your precious solitude.”

Veins began to throb on
Sanzo forehead, “You don’t know me!”

“Bullshit! I know you. I’m
that voice you ignore.” Was he really the voice that Sanzo ignored? Konzen
charged up to Sanzo and stood toe to toe with his mortal self, “Do you know
what was sacrificed for this?”

Violet eyes narrowed under
short locks, “I damn well know the blood that was spilt.”

Konzen shook his head, “No,
you don’t.” They were talking about two different moments of sacrifice and
Konzen saw it, “If you did you wouldn’t make the same mistake I did.”

Sanzo nodded, “This is about
your ego.”

Konzen nodded, “Somewhat. If
you take the monkey as a lover, that’s your own business. Neglecting needs
under the guise of distance is another.”

“Who I take as a lover is
none of your business.”

“That’s a point for another
time.” Konzen hiked an eyebrow. “There’s another set of needs involved here.
Another set of needs with another voice.” That would be the voice Konzen was
referencing earlier. A voice relayed by another voice – tragic.

“He’s dead and has been for
a long time.” Even more tragic.

Konzen walked away shaking
his head. “Dead or just lost in a world of death, that is the question.”

Unseen by
anyone. Completely
ignored by everyone. Quiet as a whisper. Soft as silk. A blond child sat in a dark corner of
nothingness with his head down, his arms wrapped about his shoulders and his
knees to his chest. Blood as wet as the day it was shed
adorned his hidden face. Tears as hot as the day they fell soaked his
robe. Could no one hear his cries?

Goku smiled, “Sanzo, are you
coming or are….” Golden eyes blinked, “Sanzo?”

Sanzo took in a deep breath
and finished fastening his cloak. “What, Goku?”

“You stopped while putting
on your robe. You feeling ok?”

“I’m fine, Goku.”

Goku nodded, “Just
checking.”

Perhaps someone did hear
Kouryuu’s cries.

[“You will live. I will make you.

I am not letting you hide within yourself.”

He sat back, “You’re too important to me, Sanzo.”]

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Konzen had a point. He had
every right to be pissed and hurt. A long time ago, 500 years to be a bit more
precise, a certain General stole something from Konzen. A certain unruly man
waltzed into heaven, destroyed the beauty and Konzen didn’t fight it. For 500
years the blond kicked himself for not demanding the return of his friend … his
lover.

One lazy morning in heaven…

Violet eyes opened as Konzen
rubbed his cheek against the bare chest of his lover. Mornings like this were
getting farther and farther apart as the situation in the lower world required
more attention. Konzen didn’t know much more than what came before his eyes in
the form of historical documents. He’d long since stopped reading the papers
and only skimmed them when a word caught his eye. He was too wrapped up in his
world of stamp-flip to care much any more. But, this emerald eyed Marshal made
him care. The strong heartbeat in chest of the brilliant man called for a
semblance of life inside the porcelain-skinned god.

“Are you already awake?”

Konzen shifted and there
were those emerald eyes. Those eyes that danced in his dreams
and occupied his conscious hours. “That I am.”

Tenpou sat up with a yawn
and reached for his glasses. “It’s rare that you wake before me.”

“It’s rare that you sleep.”

Tenpou lightly chuckled,
“That is true.”

Konzen sat up and the cream
blanket slid low upon his hips, “I hear you are getting a new General.”

Tenpou nodded as he lit a
cigarette, “You do pay attention to rumors.”

“When they
concern you.”

Tenpou softly smiled, “He
should be arriving any day now.” He shook his long locks over his shoulders and
looked out the window as morning light provided gentle warmth, “I’m going to
have to keep my eye on this one.”

“Don’t think he can be
trusted?” Konzen shifted and rested his head upon Tenpou’s thigh. Many in
heaven thought that he was a cold bastard full of piss and vinegar. A lost soul incapable of enjoying many things. On some
levels those assessments were true, but not when it came to this particular
brunet. Tenpou was special.

Light tan fingers trailed
through feathering blond locks, “You know I don’t trust easy. So, as of now, no. No, he can’t be trusted.” Now that was
beautiful sight. No, mere “beautiful” was an insult to this sight. Stunning. Shocking. Awe-inspiring. Gorgeous. None of
these seemed quite right. Konzen in the morning sunlight.
No literary statement could do this justice. The warm yellow rays danced upon
the tips of feathering blond locks, kissing the end of each hair leaving a tiny
rainbow in its wake. The light then went on to tiptoe across blond eyelashes
leaving footprints of whispering spectra. Konzen’s pupils were mere pinpoints
in this light showing the full violet skirting. An undertone
of rainbow violet with ribbons of a slightly richer violet – like wet
wildflowers. Add the cascading waterfall of sunlight that poured down
his lover’s back and the picturesque god was beyond mere words such as
“beautiful” or “gorgeous”. Konzen in morning sunlight was something to behold
indeed.

Violet eyes slid shut as he
snaked a hand against his lover’s bare skin and tucked his fingers under his
lover’s thigh. “What do you know about him?” Konzen turned his head. Tenpou
staring at him like that made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

Alas, the enchanting sight
was taken from Tenpou. “Very little. He’s a good
solider, but undisciplined.”

“Perfect
for you.”

Tenpou laughed, “So it
seems.” He sighed, “I do tend to get the ones no one else wants.”

“Why is he being sent to
you? How’d he screw up?”

Tenpou shook his head. “I’m
still working on getting the full details, but it seems his bedroom habits have
tossed him in ill-favor.”

Konzen sucked his teeth. He
didn’t like where this was going, “Someone’s wife, girlfriend or daughter
then.”

“So it seems.” Tenpou ran
his fingers through long blond hair. The long strands of sunlight twisted
around his fingers and cascaded to his lover’s blanket covered hip.

Blond eyebrows knitted, “Is
his persuasion only that way?”

Tenpou softly smiled, “Are
you worried about us? I haven’t heard much about his personal life, but all
things indicate that he is a ladies man who enjoys a bit too much rice wine.”

“A letch
and a drunkard.”

“Now, now, don’t judge too
quickly. After all, you are a cold jerk and I’m an eccentric scatterbrain.”

Violet eyes blinked. Was
that far from the truth? He rolled onto his back and looked up at his lover.

Tenpou smiled as he stabbed
out his cigarette, “Rice wine is wonderful.”

“I don’t see the appeal.”

“No, I suppose you don’t.”
There were a lot of things Konzen simply couldn’t enjoy. The
touch of a woman, the taste of fine wine or even the beauty of the cherry
blossoms that abundantly decorated this place. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried.” Something
in his gut was twisting.

“We’ve been friends since
before we could read.”

Konzen nodded. That was true
and he had fallen in love with the emerald eyed man somewhere between long
division and rudimentary geometry. “I’m not worried, but you tend to forget
things that aren’t in front of you.” He was worried. Something was telling him
that changes were coming.

Tenpou lightly chucked as
his fingers traced his lover’s nose, “That’s not true. I am always thinking of
my troops.”

“And
books.”

Emerald eyes went wide,
“Yes, of course.” Where was The Rule Book? Emerald eyes shifted as he scanned
the room. They had rules to check off.

Konzen sighed as he sat up
and watched Tenpou search for a book. He rolled his eyes and tossed the
desecrated teddy bear from the bed. Perhaps drawing a chakra on it was a little
over the top, but it was fun nonetheless. If nothing else, Tenpou was a
creative lover.

Tenpou tossed socks and
shoes over his shoulder as he rummaged around for the thick book of building
memories.

Konzen shook his head as
sandals, slippers and socks flew around Tenpou, “Why do you have so many
shoes?”

Tenpou shrugged as he
rummaged under the bed, “I haven’t found a pair that I really like yet.”

Konzen gripped his forehead,
“Have you ever thought of getting different shoes? These are all the same.”

Tenpou stood up and put his
hands on his hips, “They are not the same. They only look the same. They wear
differently.”

Violet eyes blinked as he
eyed his naked lover, “They wear differently?” He sucked his teeth, “They are
the same shoe!”

A violated stuffed bunny
went flying through the air, “Found it.” He held the book in one hand and waved
his free hand in the air, “No, they may look like the same shoe, but under the
surface there are differences. Each shoe has a way it wants to be worn. I just
have to find the shoes that like my feet best.”

Konzen rolled his eyes.
Tenpou was surrounded by several pairs of the same pair of shoes and the
emerald-eyed man was looking for the perfect fit. “I will never understand
you.” Surely Tenpou knew there was no such thing as a perfect fit.

Tenpou grinned as he flipped
through the book. He began checking things off, “Stuffed animals?”

Konzen rolled his eyes,
“Yes. You take this rule breaking seriously, don’t you?”

Tenpou nodded, “Of course.”
He grinned, “I told you I have a plan.”

Konzen gripped his forehead,
“And your plans always work.” He’d never understand it. With books, maps and
troops Tenpou was a genius. Any other time, warning stickers couldn’t be large
enough.

“You don’t trust my plan. I
can hear it in your voice.” One day his plan’s intent would change even if his
tactics didn’t. Right now, it was to cause enough disruption to not be taken
seriously and have a little fun while doing it. One day, he’d get the chance to
live – to really live. One day.

Tenpou muttered to himself
as he checked off a few other items. “Inappropriate acquisition
and use of supplies. Inappropriate use of the machine shop…”

Konzen looked up, “Machine
shop?”

Tenpou nodded, “Yes.” He
looked up at the ceiling, “Those pulleys are custom made.” He
grinned, seemingly proud of himself. He’d made those without losing any
body parts; of course, the people in the machine shop wouldn’t let him near the
equipment. They almost didn’t let him in the shop after the brilliant leader
“fixed” a broken machine and had several parts left over. This was followed by
a “minor” explosion, a drill bit “problem” and …well… it wasn’t really his
fault. How was he supposed to know the machine was merely off? Such things
aren’t necessarily labeled.

Konzen rubbed his wrists,
“Get softer rope next time.”

Tenpou knitted his brow, “Did
it abrade you?” He glanced at his lover’s thin wrists.

“Nothing I can’t handle.” He
rubbed the pinkish ring around his wrists. The rest of his body would have to
be checked later.

Tenpou smiled, “Softer rope
… next time.” He liked the idea of a next time. He scanned the page before him
and grinned. Emerald eyes lifted and found violet.

Konzen shook his head, “I
know that look. No.”

“We haven’t done this one.”

“No.” Konzen didn’t know
what it was, but the look in his lover’s eyes was way too devilish.

“Konzen, please tell me, how
opened-minded is your aunt?”

“No!” Konzen jerked both
arms through the air as if he was trying to slice the words right out of the
area, “No. No. No.”

Apparently, the open-mindness of the aunt was not the issue here. Tenpou
shrugged. He’d just have to break that one on his own. He checked off a few
more items and looked around, “Did we break anything?”

Konzen thought for a moment,
“Does the lamp count?”

Tenpou shook his head, “No,
that’s a personal item from the lower world. Well, was.” He thought for a bit
running the previous night through his mind. More than a few moments made him
slyly smile. “I guess that’s it then.”

“You forgot the Jello.”

Tenpou nodded, “The Jello.” He chuckled, “That was fun. Inappropriate
acquisition and use of –“

Konzen interrupted the
muttering, “I’m not doing that again.”

“You don’t have to; it’s
checked off.” Tenpou closed the thick book. One day he’d know this book well
enough to recall the rule numbers, but that day was not today. He still relied
upon the subject headings. He set the book upon a pile of fabric that decorated
his dresser, “I don’t forget important things.”

Konzen’s mouth opened as he
knitted his brow, “What?” Sometimes he just didn’t “get” the brunet.

Emerald eyes blinked, “What
we were talking about before. You being worried that I’m
going to forget you. You being concerned that something was going to
happen to us.”

Konzen nodded, “You don’t
forget important things. Like sleeping and eating, right?”

Inadvertently, Konzen just
admitted to being worried. Tenpou laughed, “Sometimes I forget important
things.” He lifted the book and smiled at his lover, “But things have to want
to be remembered. Besides you weren’t worried, right?” Konzen wasn’t the type to
be bothered by much. He didn’t go out of his way for anyone and Tenpou
appreciated every moment Konzen was “bothered” enough to come by or walked a
bit “out of his way” to stop by. That’s all this was to the blond, right? Just something to stave off boredom?

Konzen crossed his arms in
front of his chest, “Right.” He sharply nodded his head and some of his loose
blond locks slapped him across tip of his nose. That stung. Violet eyes crossed as he tried to look at
his own face.

With a smirk and a chuckle,
Tenpou crawled upon the bed and leaned in to kiss the sting away.

Violet eyes fluttered closed
as he leaned back into the bedding, “You’ll never make it to the library this
way.”

Tenpou brushed his lips
against a porcelain neck and pushed his nose into biological sunlight. “Shelves
will stand for a few more moments.” Light tan fingers slid down porcelain arms.

Konzen softly gasped as
their fingers interlaced. He thoroughly enjoyed Tenpou’s bodyweight upon him.

Emerald eyes opened as he
rocked his growing arousal against Konzen’s hips. His vision was filled with
strands of sunlight. The warm light was so bright he had to avert his eyes. Sunlight. Blinding. Emerald
eyes went wide as he jerked from his lover. “Oh no.”

Konzen lifted an eyebrow.
“What?”

“They’re attacking from the
west in the morning.” Tenpou tripped over piles of shoes. “The whole detachment
has to move, they won’t be able to see.”

Konzen gripped his forehead.
Never mention the library during moments like that, when was he going to learn?

Tenpou dashed from the room
and darted back inside. “Don’t you see? They will be facing east.” He grabbed his cigarettes and ran out of the
room.

Konzen’s hands slapped the
bedding, “Would you dress first?”

Time passed and witnessed
the addition of a very special creature – a monkey with boundless energy and an
unquenchable zest for life. Time also witnessed the reporting of that new
General. Troubles in the lower world kicked up and two lovers drifted apart.
This parting wasn’t from an argument or a miscommunication. There were no angry
words or heated emotions. It was just the way it was. Something important
seemed to have been forgotten or perhaps it didn’t want to be remembered.

Perhaps it was neither.

Perhaps it was just love
interrupted. Tenpou had his nose in maps and Konzen had his stamp stamping.
Each waited for the other to have a moment to drop by. To pay
a visit. To leave a note. Each waited and more
pressing matters took precedence.

In the end, absence did not
make the heart grow fonder. The General was there making sure Tenpou ate,
bathed, slept and didn’t hurt himself via some freakish accident. Goku was
there making sure the sun rose and tried to pass some life to the walking
comatose god.

There was no malice. There
was just a blond god wondering when things changed and how it was that so much
time could pass before he realized his lover was no longer his. It became a
matter of pride to Konzen. Tenpou was going to come to him. Konzen didn’t throw
himself at anyone. His stubborn pride had kicked in and, damn it, Tenpou was
going to knock on his door.

All the while, Tenpou had
his nose in maps, his head with his troops and his feet on the battlefield.
Tenpou became the maestro of war. Conducting troop movements,
charging crescendos of battles and determining who he could trust and who he
couldn’t. During rare quiet moments, Tenpou thought of Konzen and
assumed the blond could no longer be bothered. That slowly changed to assuming
the blond no longer wanted to be bothered. They still shared a friendship and
that was by far more important. Tenpou was fine with losing a lover, those could be found anywhere, losing a trusted
friend -- that would have been
tragic.

By the time rumors of
Tenpou’s and Kenren’s relationship hit his ears, Konzen had noticed the
positive changes in his friend. Tenpou seemed more vibrant. He’d heard that
modifications to the library were requested by the General: an addition of a
sleeping cot and bathing facilities. Tenpou seemed healthier and truly happy.
Kenren seemed to genuinely care for the brunet. He lost a lover, but saw the
happiness of his friend blossom. By the time Konzen let his stubborn pride go
long enough to ask to borrow a book, it was too late. Way too
late.

It made him sick. This was
bullshit. Pure bullshit. He knew Tenpou when the
brunet was just another officer. He knew Tenpou when the green-eyed man was
learning to tie his fucking shoes, which resulted in several “band-aid
moments”. Who was this General to waltz into their life and rip them apart?
More importantly, why didn’t he drop his stubborn pride and voice his distaste
for the situation? How could he have let this happen? He knew how Tenpou was.
He knew the man needed someone to look after him. He knew the genius could get
lost in the halls of the office complex. He knew he wasn’t the person to care
for Tenpou any longer.

He knew… he would never forget this.

Konzen knew a lot of things,
but there was something very important he didn’t know and 500 years later could
not see. The red string of fate that bound the souls of lovers did not connect
him to Tenpou. His red string was connected to someone who was still a child.
An energetic young boy who was still learning to read and needed a guardian not
a lover. For the red string knew that it would take at least two lifetimes for
an energetic monkey and a cantankerous blond to witness love.

As Konzen listened to
endless stories of meat-bun crime fighters, Tenpou was kept away from sharp
objects. As Konzen watched a pint-sized monkey-boy eat his seventh lunch of the
day, Tenpou was breaking rules. As Goku learned that Jello
sculptures can’t be nailed to the wall, Kenren intervened during “The Ceramic
Frog Incident” a bit of mini-danger involving Tenpou, a stapler, a cigarette lighter
and a ceramic frog. As Konzen named a
golden-eyed boy, Tenpou learned to trust a crimson-eyed General. As Konzen
worried for the safety of a heretic who wormed his way into a nearly cold
heart, Tenpou worried for them all.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hakkai pulled the cloak over
his shoulders, “I don’t know how you talked me into this.”

Gojyo grinned as he shook
his head, “Oh, you want to do this.”

Sanzo lit a cigarette and
stepped out in the snow with his friends. The “midday” meal was done and they
were heading to the mercantile to get this party started.

Ah’Nesty stretched as
Advowlkrie landed on her shoulder, “Absinthe, here we come. I wonder if they
ever got that lock changed.”

Hakkai shook his head, “No,
I used the lock picks earlier. I still have them.” He patted his pocket to make
sure he remembered them.

Sanzo knitted his brow,
“Lock picks?” He adjusted his bangs to make sure his chakra was still covered.
This was getting bothersome, but he didn’t need Ms. On-Location-Shutterbug to
nose around with her shutterbox.

Hakuryuu flew ahead to check
the path. He’d been uneasy since he eyed their old foes yesterday. He didn’t
like potential attackers this close. Especially with his wife
here.

Hakkai nodded as he walked,
“Yes, the lock on the mercantile’s door has never had
a key.”

Violet eyes shifted as he
eyed Hakkai. That can’t be right. He was sure Ms. Marie used a key to let him
and Goku in. “She has a key.”

Hakkai and Ah’Nesty came to
an abrupt stop. They spoke simultaneously, “A key?” Emerald eyes shifted to
artificially gray eyes. “A key?” They nodded at each
other, “Oh.”

Ah’Nesty spoke, “Mr. …”

Hakkai finished, “Rupert.”

They sighed and continued
walking.

Mr. Rupert was an unusual
man. Ms. Marie wasn’t common by any stretch of the imagination, but Mr. Rupert
was proactive. He felt there were certain skills a young man like Gonou needed
to command. Such as how to use lock picks, how to build an engine (which also
taught the young scholar how to hotwire vehicles which led to his understanding
of electronics which led to him being able to disarm one of Yaone’s bombs), how
to lay tile and how to hang sheet rock (which taught the young man about the
construction of buildings and thus where to hit to make them fall) and a myriad
of other skills. “There are things a man needs to know,” is what the much older
man would say.

Perhaps it was a
generational difference, but Mr. Rupert didn’t see the need to teach Kanan or
Ah’Nesty these skills. So, late at night Hakkai would show his lady friends
what he’d learned. Or perhaps that in and of itself was the intention of Mr.
Rupert. Perhaps he wanted to encourage Gonou to learn well enough to teach
others and experience the joy of passing down knowledge.

Perhaps it wasn’t as deep as
all of that. These two “buck the system” and “survival of the fittest” people
may have been bored and just wanted to share their insurgent ideas with three
disenchanted and disenfranchised youth. After all, society was going to crumble
any day now and the ladies needed to know the medicinal uses of herbs and Gonou
needed to know to protect his family by any means necessary.

Mr. Rupert and Ms. Marie
might be a little off in the head, but they were well-intentioned. Gonou, now
Hakkai, didn’t use their knowledge to make his way in a post-Apocalyptic world.
He used it to save the world from a mundane Apocalypse. They didn’t know
Hakkai’s mission. If they did, they would be proud.

The door opened with a soft
click. Hakkai flipped on the lights. Emerald eyes found violet, “San-- aaaa Say, Kory, I don’t think
you’ll care for the taste of absinthe.”

Ah’Nesty laughed, “You’re
the only one that does.”

Hakkai smiled and nodded,
“Yes. That’s always been the case. We should make sure everyone has something
appropriate to enjoy.”

“Tch. Whatever.”
Sanzo didn’t see why all of them had to come down here. He sighed and sat upon
a counter by a register.

Hakkai softly smiled, “I’m
sure Goku knows your tastes better than I.”

Goku grinned, “Yeah, you bet
I do.”

Together they headed into
the main body of the mercantile. Hakkai whispered, “I’ll leave it unlocked for
you.”

Goku softly smiled, “You’re
the best, Hakkai.”

“How’s it going?”

“Great.”

“Good. We need to set aside
some time to talk.”

Goku knitted his brow as he
pretended to look at bottles of mixer, “About what?”

“You and
Lirin.” Hakkai was not happy
about learning this tidbit of information. He wanted to make sure Goku
understood the differences in consequences of heterosexual and homosexual sex
especially in regards to preventing such consequences. The fact that Lirin was
a Demon Prince’s little sister was something to be discussed also.
Additionally, Goku wasn’t with a partner like Gojyo who thrived on variety.
Goku was with Sanzo and perhaps it was time to talk about how relationships
normally go – commitments and all of that.

“Umm ok.” Goku slowly nodded, “You angry with me over that?”

Hakkai shook his head, “No,
just concerned.”

“Ok.”

Violet eyes narrowed as he
walked down a parallel aisle. Suspicions confirmed. Damn it. This wasn’t good.
“Hakkai Logic” was inverted
“Goku Logic”. Hakkai had no business complicating Goku. Sanzo
couldn’t have anyone messing with “Goku Logic.” Shit. How was he going to
handle this?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lirin flopped down on a
mattress in her brother’s room, “Gods! They’re nowhere!”

Kougaiji shook his head,
“They have to be somewhere.”

Lirin held her hands up and
watched the shadows on the ceiling, “I’ve checked every restaurant, deli, food
stall, grocery store, produce stand – every everything
and they are nowhere.”

Violet eyes slowly closed as
the demon prince softly chuckled, “That’s not everywhere. That’s just where…”
His voice trailed off. Now, was as good a time as any, “Lirin, what are you
doing with Goku?”

Green eyes went wide as her
shadow puppets froze. “Nothing.”

“You’ve never lied to me.
Don’t start now.”

She bolted upright in bed
and put her hands on her hips, “I’m not a little girl. I’m of age! I’m 18!”

Kougaiji calmly nodded, “All
I asked was what you were doing with him. Now, I know it can’t just be sharing
recipes.”

Lirin paled, “Don’t kill
him. Not for this.”

Kougaiji chuckled, “So, you
are having sex with him.” Kou had long since come to terms with his sister
growing up. He had. He had come to terms with this. Really. He had. Damn
it. He didn’t like the idea, but a conversation with a friend, confidante,
swordsman and at times older brother helped him come to terms. Indeed, what was
the point of protecting and saving her life if he didn’t allow her to live it?
Yes, had come to terms with it. He was not going to let this get to him.

Lirin pointed at her brother
with one hand on her hip, “Wait a minute. You tricked me.”

“We should talk about this.”
Kougaiji shifted in his chair and looked at his sister, “I’m not going to kill
him for this. Castrate him, but not kill him.” Maybe the terms he’d come to
were imperfect terms, but terms nonetheless.

Lirin hung her legs over the
foot of the bed, “This wasn’t his fault. I started it. You really should let me
grow up, you know.”

Kougaiji crossed his arms in
front of his chest, “We need to talk.” He ran a hand though his hair and his
thumb brushed one of his mother’s earrings. “There are people around us that
will stop at nothing to make us do their bidding.”

Lirin nodded, “Like holding your mother hostage.”

Kougaiji nodded, “Exactly. I
don’t think it is wise for either one of us to have a relationship that can be
used against us.”

“Oh.”

He looked down at his hands
as he worried his fingers, “I’m doing my best to protect you. To keep you from a similar fate. You need to think long and
hard and ask yourself if the timing is right for a relationship like this.”

Lirin blinked. “Relationship? We don’t have a relationship.” She shrugged,
“We’re just fucking.” There -- problem solved.

Anger flared from behind
Kougaiji’s eyes. Now, he was going
to kill Goku. “What!” Did these foes have any honor at all! What were they
teaching that monkey! The tentative terms he’d come to with this just went out
the window.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ah’Nesty clicked on the
light to the storage room. Dust particles flittered in the electric light.

Gojyo looked at rows of
square glass bottles; each one contained a translucent green liquid. “So, this
is the stuff, huh?”

Ah’Nesty nodded, “Yeah.
Never had him drunk?”

“Never. Kory…” He snickered. He
relished being able to get away with calling that acrimonious monk “Kory”, “…didn’t think it was possible.”

She sighed as he picked up a
bottle, “You should know something before you commit to doing this.”

Gojyo blinked as he turned
to look at her. This was the first time today that he actually saw her when he
looked at her, “What’s that?”

“Booze gets him one of two
ways. His mouth or his dick.”

A crimson eyebrow lifted, “A
talkative drunk or a horny drunk.” Either outcome was fine. If Hakkai became
talkative, he had something he could put in his lover’s mouth. If Hakkai became
excited then he had something to settle that issue too. It was just
happenstance that the somethings were the same thing.
His mouth twisted as he pondered how many bottles to get. He reached up and
grabbed four.

Ah’Nesty knitted her brow,
“Four bottles?” How do you spell
overkill?

Gojyo nodded, “Yeah, that
should work – if it’s gonna work.”

“He’s the only one that’s
going to want to drink this stuff.”

Gojyo shrugged, “I might
want to try it.”

“You won’t get it past your
nose.”

Gojyo eyed the bottles in
his arms, “What’s the proof of this home brew?”

“140.”

Crimson eyes went wide.
“140?” He blinked. Perhaps he shouldn’t try this. Gojyo was crazy, not stupid.

Ah’Nesty shook her head,
“The proof isn’t the concern. The thujone is key.”

“Thujone?”
Gojyo wasn’t an idiot, but he was a simple man. A man with
simple needs and simple wants. Right now he wanted Hakkai smashed simply
because he hadn’t seen that side of his lover. Alcohol leads to getting drunk. That,
simply put, was all that mattered. He couldn’t care less about this thujone crap.

“Thujone,
a chemical component found in wormwood. It is molecularly and chemically
similar to THC.” Hakkai smiled as he poked his head through the doorway to the
storage room.

Gojyo lifted an eyebrow,
“THC?” He knew exactly what that was. He slowly shook his head. “I’m not so
sure I want you drinking this.” Gojyo had done a lot in his life. He’d given
his body to women and his liver to liquor, but he’d never given his mind to
drugs.

Hakkai smiled, “Similar does
not mean the same. The secondary effects of absinthe are exaggerated and
over-rated. Such things happen when something is romanticized after being
banned.” He eyed the bottles in Gojyo’s arms, “Plan on a long party, do you?”

Gojyo knitted his brow,
“Yeah.” He didn’t like this similar to THC business. This wasn’t sitting well
with him, “So, how much thujone is in this?”

Hakkai softly smiled, “In
the most places where absinthe is legal it is regulated to around 10mg per
liter. This has a bit more.”

“A bit.” Gojyo pressed his lips into a thin line, “What is
your definition of a bit?”

Ah’Nesty made a polite and
silent exit from the storage room. This was sounding a little too much like the beginnings of a couple’s spat for her comfort. There
were other things to be picked up anyway.

Hakkai softly smiled and
shifted the basket in the crook of his elbow, “Gojyo, you worry needlessly.
Wormwood is a medicinal herb. This is safe.”

“What’s a bit?”

“It was banned in many
countries during the backlash against alcohol. The tales of “The Green Goddess”
are romanticized and exaggerated.”

“What’s a bit?”

“Some unusual historical
characters drank Absinthe, which has fed the legend.”

Crimson eyes narrowed.
Hakkai was avoiding his question for a reason, “What’s a bit, Hakkai?” He spoke
firmly.

“Anything
that appeals to Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde, Pythagoras, Hemmingway, Picasso
and Van Gogh. 30.
Has to have legend around it.”

“30?!” Gojyo’s mouth dropped open. Hakkai hiding that answer amongst needless words did not fool him.
“30? Legal is 10 and this has 30?” He shook his head, “No, I’m not letting you
drink this.”

Hakkai sighed, “You are my
lover not my keeper.”

“This isn’t healthy.” Gojyo
began to shelve the bottles.

“And your
cigarettes?”

“So, how many bottles should
we get?” Everyone had unhealthy indulgences. Sex, food, cigarettes, alcohol:
the list of vices among the group of traveling “not” heroes was long. Gojyo
relented.

Hakkai shrugged, “I’ve never
had more than six glasses.”

Gojyo gritted his teeth,
“How much is a glass?”

“A shot.”

Gojyo lifted an eyebrow,
“Six shots? Six shots is where you stop? You. You the one that won a
drinking contest without so much as feeling tipsy? You who drank EverClear,
Jack, Schnapps and slew of other drinks one night while trying…to …get …numb.”
Gojyo now saw the reason why Hakkai wasn’t fighting this party idea. Why his
lover wasn’t arguing about getting this drink. He knitted his brow and tossed
his free arm around Hakkai’s shoulders, “Talk to me.”

Emerald eyes blinked and he
snaked an arm around Gojyo’s waist. “About?” He was confused.

Gojyo pressed his cheek
against his lover’s, “I don’t know what is going on with you unless you talk to
me. Don’t close off from me.”

An embrace from Gojyo was
comfortable no matter the circumstance, but this hug was not a mere hug. As
Hakkai stood with a basket on one arm and the other curled around his lover, he
knew something was amiss. He gently squeezed the redhead and whispered, “I’m
not. Perhaps this is something going on inside of you and you are projecting it
upon me.”

Crimson eyes blinked as he
scanned the dusty storage room. Wooden shelves holding bottles of “The Green
Goddess”, cobwebs, and a bare bulb filled his vision. “Why are you trying to go
numb?” He knitted his brow and pressed his lips together. He was the harbor for
this salvage, damn it! No one and no drink was going to take that from him.
Hakkai was manifest fantasy for him and no one was taking that from him. He’d
found what he sought all his life in this green-eyed man and he’d be damned if
he was going to sit idly by while something sniffed of amiss. No one was
stealing this salvage from him without a fight – not even the salvage itself.
He’d fought too hard to have someone to love. He’d clawed his way from the places
frequented by denizens who only came out at night and he deserved every
beautiful moment of peace with his lover. Now that he had this dream come true
it would be taken from him with only his last breath.

Hakkai blinked. Was that so
wrong? He wanted to get drunk. He wanted a reason to act a little bit stupid.
He wanted a few moments of irresponsibility.
He was twenty two years old and had to behave like the chaperone on some
field trip. Was this idea so wrong? Hakkai softly smiled, “Gojyo, sometimes a
drink is just a drink.”

“Nothing is simple with you,
Hakkai.”

Hakkai shifted and emerald
eyes found fretful crimson, “You say that like you lack complexity.”

With their lips a breath
apart Gojyo blinked, “I am simple. Fairly cut and dry.”

Hakkai nodded, brushing his
lips across his lover’s, “Au contraire, you are complex indeed. Complex and fascinating. Your complexity is wrapped in your
simplicity.”

“That would be an oxymoron.”

“I see it as irony.” Hakkai
softly smiled, “Beautiful and yet tragic irony.” Emerald eyes slid closed as he
pinned his lover between his lips and dusty wooden shelves.

Lips parted and tongues
danced. Gojyo pulled his salvage into the harbor. There was a storm brewing –
he could feel it. Gale force winds and small craft advisories be damned. He had
this salvage.

Hakkai broke the kiss. Gojyo
bought it and stopped probing. That was a good thing. A drink was a drink and
there were mundane reasons why Hakkai wanted to enjoy a drink with his friends.
There were also darker reasons --- to hide from the memories, for a little
while. To hide in a way that didn’t mean forgetting. He also needed some liquid
courage for his plan, which he hoped would work.

Hakkai wasn’t intentionally
shutting out Gojyo; he just didn’t want to get into all of this right now.
Truth be told, he was and wasn’t looking forward to executing his plan this
evening. Gojyo was covering up and pretending that all was well. Many people
wouldn’t notice the difference, but Hakkai was not “many people”. Hakkai saw
the turmoil under those crimson eyes and if it helped Gojyo to deflect some of
his confused emotions upon Hakkai then so be it. However, something wasn’t
right within Gojyo and that was fundamentally unacceptable.

Something wasn’t right within
Hakkai either, but that would just have to be lived with. A week’s worth of
memories, a year or a decade’s worth, for that matter, wouldn’t come close to
repairing the damage within the emerald-eyed man. Many elements of Hakkai were
broken beyond hope of repair. He’d accepted this and was now trying to find
ways to make living with the pain of the past a little easier. He’d found that
in Gojyo.

Hakkai couldn’t “fix” Gojyo.
Gojyo couldn’t “fix” Hakkai. They could comfort each other. One could be the
harbor when the other needed to be the salvage.

“Haven’t you two done enough
fucking for the week?”

Hakkai and Gojyo looked to
the doorway and found Sanzo. Hakkai softly blushed and moved from the
compromising position of pinning Gojyo to dusty shelves. “Did you fin—“ He turned his head and sneezed.

“Bless you.” Gojyo wryly
smiled, “What’s the matter, monk? Jealous?”

“Thank you.”

Violet eyes narrowed. “Why
would I be jealous? You aren’t all that.”

“Now, now gentlemen, we have
a party to attend.” Hakkai politely smiled and passed Sanzo on the way out of
the storeroom.

Gojyo grabbed several
bottles and tucked them into his arms. When he passed Sanzo, he leaned over and
winked, “Not of Hakkai, Blondie.” He chuckled, “Admit it,
you’re dying to know what makes me scream.”

Sanzo gritted his teeth and
glared at Gojyo.

“Did you think I didn’t see
it? Why else would you have played your little joke? Why else would you have
kissed him?” Gojyo shook his head; he was incredibly underestimated sometimes.
Did anyone think for a second that something associated with bedroom desires
could be happening and him not notice?

The fan flew! “Your logic
pains me.”

Hakkai
,who had missed the exchanged
between Gojyo and Sanzo, joined Goku and Ah’Nesty in the front of the mercantile.
He sat his basket down and began to write up a receipt.

Ah’Nesty looked at Hakkai,
“Catch.”

Hakkai caught the box she
threw. He looked at it and laughed.

She grinned, “Can you still
do it?”

Hakkai shrugged “I don’t
know. It’s been years since I tried.”

Goku knitted his brow. “Do
what?” All he saw box of chocolate covered cherries.

Ah’Nesty looked over at Goku
and laughed, “He’s got a trick he can –“

“A trick?” Gojyo asked as he approached the group.

Hakkai hemmed and hawed for
a bit, “Well, it’s nothing, really.” He noticed the gleam in Gojyo’s eyes and
sighed, “I’ll show you when we get back to the cabin. I can’t promise it will
work.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kougaiji looked at his
coffee cup, studying the tan liquid for the answers to life. “That wasn’t how I
expected that conversation to go, Dou.”

Dokugakuji nodded, “No
doubt, Kou. But we’ve been through this. What’s the point –“

“I know. You were right when
you said it before and you are right now, but no one just ….” He gripped his
forehead.

“You can say it, Kou. Fucks. Screws. Whatever.”

Kougaiji pinched the bridge
of his nose, “Has sex with my sister.” He sighed, “Seeing her
in a relationship with a sexual component is hard enough, but just casual sex.”
He shook his head, “What game did Goku pull on her?”

“Did you ever consider that
this might have been her choice?” Yaone sat down at the table beside her lover.

Violet eyes narrowed as
Kougaiji pondered what Yaone said.

Dou looked over at his
fellow warrior, “How is she?”

“I calmed her down. She
doesn’t like it when her beloved brother is upset with her, but she’s resting
now.” Yaone casually reached over and claimed Dokugakuji’s
coffee as her own.

Dokugakuji smirked and
pretended he didn’t notice. He flagged down the waitress to order another cup.

Yaone softly smiled. She
couldn’t believe she kept getting away with that.

“I wasn’t upset with her.”
Kougaiji stared into the getting cool liquid in his cup. This was eating him up
inside. His sister was becoming a woman – had become a woman. That, he could
deal with. He wanted to keep her five all her life, but he’d known for a long
time that was not possible. Seeing her in a sexual relationship was boggling,
but it was a part of her emerging maturity. A casual sexual relationship was an
entirely different story.

Gods, whatever happened to
the spunky ball of energy who needed skinned knees
kissed and made better? Where did the pigtails and “why is the sky blue?”
little one run off to? He used to have to check her closet every night before
she would go to sleep, because “meanie humans” were
waiting in there to get her. To make his nightly “human checks” easier, he filled
a spray bottle full off water. He would spritz her
room and bed with the special “human repellent”. Where had that little girl
gone?

Lirin used to hide behind
his legs when they would go into town. He had to break her of her play-doh eating habit. That little girl could not have grown
into a young woman who had casual sex. “What do you mean, Yaone?”

Yaone softly smiled. She
loved and respected her Prince, but he was blind to the ways of the world. He
was naive, sweet and endearing. She wouldn’t have him any other way. “I’m
saying that Lady Lirin is coming into her own.”

Kougaiji nodded, “That has
nothing to do with casual sex. We’re talking about her honor here.”

Yaone tilted her head to the
side, “Are we? Now we’re at the crux of the issue. If Lady Lirin was a younger
brother would this be so hard to understand?”

Dokugakuji pressed his lips
closed.

Kougaiji raised his
eyebrows. Would it be different? He had a few experiences before his
reawakening that were outside of a regular relationship. He wasn’t proud of it,
but that was part of being a young man, right? “Things like this are different
for males.”

“Lord Kougaiji, you know I
respect you. You know I love you dearly and you know I would follow you
anywhere, but …” Her voice trailed off. “Let me ask you, why is it acceptable
for men to enjoy sex, but when a woman does, it calls her honor into question? Women of ill-repute, questionable ladies and all sorts of
euphemisms.” She looked over at Dokugakuji, “You were shocked that I
wasn’t a virgin, why is that? Yet, you having experience was expected, why is
that, gentlemen?”

Dokugakuji covered his
mouth. He wasn’t touching this conversation. He wanted to get laid tonight and
wasn’t about to ruin his chances. He was
just waiting for a chance to “yes dear” his way out of this.

Kougaiji curled his fingers
around his coffee cup, “Yaone, things are different for you at times you come
across as so timid that certain things are just not expected. It has nothing to
do with your gender, but your personality.” Times like this were difficult to
mix the woman sitting before him with the woman who would shriek “Somebody help
me” when something was coming at her.

Yaone sheepishly grinned, “All
right I have my moments. I don’t like spiders…”

Dokugakuji snickered. Too
many times to count, he had been called from another room to battle a vicious
rabid animal no bigger around than his pinky. This was more humorous when she
ducked behind her bomb making supplies to hide from the small spider.

Yaone silenced him with
glance. “I’m also rather empathetic. Seeing people in pain really bothers me.”

They looked at her: bombs,
poisons, spears, acids… the list went on.

She raised her head and
indignantly spoke, “It’s true. I don’t like seeing people hurt.” She blinked at
them, “And blood. I don’t deal well with blood. Why do you think I use the
weapons I do? They put a lot of space between me and them.” She chuckled. Even
she could see that she was a walking contradiction. “Fine, seeing people I know
in pain –“

Dokugakuji cleared his
throat. Yaone was forgetting a specific part of her past.

She narrowed her eyes,
“We’re off the point. The point is, I am a trained
assassin. I am a munitions expert and I’m a healer even if I don’t use chi.”
She shrugged, “I’m also a woman with needs and desires that are very physical.
Does that lower me in your eyes?”

Dokugakuji smiled. Hell no!
That didn’t lower her in his eyes. That made her worlds of fun once the door
was closed. It might “lower” her down his body, but never in his mind. Oh good
gods, the wonders she could work once she was down there. A shiver ran down his
spine.

Violet eyes darted between
Dokugakuji and Yaone, “No, it doesn’t…”
When he took her on as his apothecary, he had no idea she would turn out
to be such a good role model for his sister or a good friend to him. Wait. Apothecary. How did an apothecary know explosives?
“Your father was an apothecary, right?”

Yaone nodded, “I learned at
his hip.” Oh, the irony.

Kougaiji smirked, “How is it
that an apothecary came to learn munitions?”

Yaone giggled. “Normally,
they don’t. Lord Kougaiji, I am a woman. I am a fighter. I am a lover and I
thoroughly enjoy watching things blow up.” She grinned, “I learned that on my
own.” She shrugged, “Lady Lirin isn’t going to do anything she doesn’t want to
do especially with Goku.”

Kougaiji smiled and his
shoulders shook as he chuckled. “I suppose I should relax a little with Lirin
and Goku.”

Dokugakuji nodded, “This
isn’t The Dark Ages, Kou.”

Kougaiji nodded, “No, it
feels much more like The Renaissance.”

Yaone opened her mouth and
then closed it. History lessons of sexual mores could wait.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zenon grinned, “So this is Taikgen.” He eyed a young woman walking either to or from
class. He didn’t know nor did he care. He saw a uniform skirt. That’s all that
mattered, “Catholic girls.” He grunted, “Get me a ruler and someone with late
homework.”

This coming from the man who
once said the domestic life was the life for him? Shien
sighed, “Zenon, please, mind your self.”

Zenon shrugged, “What?” His
nice quiet domestic life was stolen from him; there was nothing wrong with
enjoying a bit of life with consenting of-age people. “They can be 18 and still
be in school.” He stretched, “That’s right this is a college town too.” He
looked over at Homura, “They’re definitely legal.”

Homura shook his head and
chuckled.

Zenon held his hands up and out,
“I’m a god, right? All I’m saying is that there’s nothing wrong with,” He moved
his hands toward his groin, “a little worshiping, that’s all.” He snickered as he looked around at the large
bustling city, “They’re Catholic so they’re use to kneeling. That position is
technically called ‘going to church’; it’s fitting.”

Shien sighed, “You remind me
of a General I once knew.”

Homura softly chuckled,
“Interesting how different they are and yet so very similar.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the third of the frozen
pizzas in the oven, Hakkai set out to pour himself a drink. He dried off the
ornate short-stemmed absinthe glass and pulled the stopper from the first
bottle.

Gojyo eyed it. “Let me smell
that.”

Hakkai smirked, “Are you
sure?”

Gojyo nodded and lifted the
bottle. He took a big whiff. His stomach immediately clenched. “Oh dear god!” His face twisted like he was about to vomit
and he wondered if he was going to. He couldn’t get the bottle away from him
fast enough. “You drink that?” He waved a hand in front of his face and his
eyes watered. Finding the just-cooled pizza pan, he pushed his nose against it
and took in a deep breath. The pizza smell helped a little bit.

Hakkai chuckled, “I take it
you don’t like licorice.”

Gojyo eyed the bottle,
“That’s not licorice.”

“Black
licorice.”

Gojyo shivered and paled,
“You eat that stuff?”

Hakkai softly smiled and
poured a shot of absinthe into his glass. He missed that spicy bitter smell.

Gojyo watched his lover’s
face carefully waiting for Hakkai to drink it.

Emerald eyes blinked at
crimson, “You don’t drink it straight.” He wiped off the silver absinthe spoon,
a wide and ornately slotted spoon. This particular one was Hakkai’s, or rather
Gonou’s, favorite design. The cut-outs of the design comprised a leafy vine.
The center of the design created a large rose, but you had to look beyond the vine to see the rose. He placed the
spoon over the glass and stacked three sugar cubes over the rose. He put ice
and water into a metal shaker and poured strained ice-cold water slowly over
the sugar cubes.

Gojyo watched as the
translucent green liquid in the cup mixed with the water and turned a milky pale
green. “This is an example of what I was talking about.”

“Hmm?” Hakkai watched the sugar cubes slowly dissolve.

“Nothing is simple with you.
You can’t even have a simple drink.” He lifted his bottle of vodka, “Vodka,
everything including the glass is optional.” He grinned.

Hakkai sighed, “The orange
juice is in the refrigerator waiting to be complicated.”

Goku sat down at the table
and opened his Grape Nehi. A beer was put on the
table before him. Golden eyes blinked and looked up.

Sanzo, stoic as ever, looked
at Goku.

The room went quiet. So quiet the wings of a butterfly were audible.

Everyone watched the
monumental exchange.

Goku looked at the beer can
and then back at his lover, “What’s this?”

“You didn’t ask or whine
about having one.”

Goku nodded, “Do you think
I’m old enough so that the wine won’t consume me?”

“Mature enough, not old
enough and that is something you have to answer for yourself.” There were no
outward signs, but Sanzo’s heart was racing.

Golden eyes flicked between
his choices. He thought about the whole “monkey wine” situation. Beer. Grape Nehi.
Beer. Grape Nehi.
He hadn’t asked because he assumed Sanzo’s answer would have been “No”. Beer. Grape Nehi.
What was the lesson Sanzo was trying to teach him with this? Beer.
Grape Nehi. Granted, he did
feel a little left out because this party was all about getting wasted. Beer. Grape Nehi.
Technically, he wasn’t old enough. No, technically, if the stories of his birth
were correct, he was old enough. Beer. That’s why
Sanzo stressed maturity over age. Grape Nehi.
He wasn’t a kid. Beer. Grape Nehi. This wasn’t about outside influences such as
seemingly arbitrary age restrictions. Beer. Beer. Grape Nehi.
What did he want to do? What was Sanzo really asking him? Beer.
Grape Nehi. Grape Nehi. Why did people drink
in the first place? Beer. Grape Nehi.

[Somewhere a butterfly flapped its wings.]

Goku smiled and curled his
hands around the Grape Nehi. “Take it back.”

A blond eyebrow lifted.
Perhaps a lesson was learned, “Why?” Whether or not Goku took the drink wasn’t
the issue. The reasoning behind the decision was key.

Goku’s smile grew larger and
he looked up at his lover, “Because I don’t want it.” He didn’t need to drink
for acceptance. He didn’t need to have his first beer with Sanzo because
everyone else was drinking. He wanted his first drink with Sanzo to be
something he wanted not something done for the hell of it. Even if that drink
happened decades from now, he wanted that moment to be special. He was Goku and
he matured at his own rate by his own rules.

Sanzo nodded. A lesson was
learned. He couldn’t be more proud of his charge. Slowly a pale hand was lifted
and placed into spiky brown bangs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The light from the computer
screen reflected in Ni’s glasses. He stretched and leaned back into his chair.
He watched as the computer ran through a series of hypothetical scenarios. The
machine factored a mixture of dependent, independent and intervening variables

He kicked his feet upon his
desk and settled bunny in to his lap. He looked at the stuffed bunny,
“Serendipity is a marvelous thing.”

Bunny nodded. “If one knows how to use it.”

“Indeed.” Ni sighed and
rolled his head back against his chair. After a quick glance at the ceiling, he
slowly closed his eyes. It would take a while to start getting results.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hakkai lifted his glass and
looked at the pearl-green liquid. “There are two quotes referencing absinthe
connected with Oscar Wilde. One is, ‘After the first glass, you see things as
you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally,
you see things as they really are, which is the most horrible
thing in the world’. The other quote is, ‘The first stage is like
ordinary drinking, the second when you begin to see monstrous and cruel things,
but if you can persevere you will enter in upon the third stage where you see
things that you want to see,
wonderful curious things.’” Hakkai softly chuckled, “Shall we find out which
one is true?”

Gojyo nearly dropped his
cigarette. Given Hakkai’s life and times those quotes did not bode well.

Hakkai took his first drink.
The cool liquid flooded over his teeth and skated upon his tongue. Home brewed
absinthe was a mixed bag even in expert hands. A bad brew was bitter way beyond
even the stoutest tolerance and could result in a 12-hour hangover or worse. An
excellent brew was very different. This brew offered a bitter tone, spicy
accents, and a hint of a floral bouquet all wrapped in the suggestion of
licorice -- if one had a discriminating palate. Hakkai smiled. It wasn’t the
best brew he’d ever experienced, but it ranked with the best. Of course, some
may liken the taste of absinthe to rancid burnt tar.

Gojyo shook his head, “You
really like this stuff.”

Hakkai nodded his head,
“Yes, I do. It’s not for everyone.” He took in a deep breath, “This is a party;
we should play some games.”

Sanzo sucked his teeth,
“Drinking games?” Were they in high school?

“You’re aging beyond your
years, Sa---- Kory.” This was beginning to become a
pain. Hakkai looked at his long time friend, “Ah’Nesty, what’s going to happen
if you don’t get that picture?”

Ah’Nesty was sitting at the
table with a screwdriver in front of her. She had her knees to her chest and
her heels tucked near her hips on the seat of the chair, “The magazine really
wants this picture. So, if I don’t get it, then well… normally, they put a
bounty on the subject.”

Sanzo looked up from his
beer, “A bounty?”

She nodded, “They go public.
If the reward money is high enough, every person with a camera is out there.”

The four men shared a look.

“Oh goddamn it!” Sanzo jerked up from his chair. The last thing they
needed was to be surrounded by a crowd of civilians with cameras everywhere
they went. He had enough interruptions with the demon prince and the war god as
well as the regular group of two-bit assassins. They didn’t need regular humans
getting in the blast radius.

Ten minutes later, Ah’Nesty
had her picture.

It was a simple outdoor shot
and they were now dressed in their familiar clothes. Sanzo cooperated only
because it would expedite the situation and he could get back to his serious
habit of drinking. The more booze the better, because, quite frankly, he was
looking forward to not remembering this moment. The three older men sat with
their backs toward each other. From the perspective of the camera, Sanzo was in
the center, Hakkai was to the right of Sanzo, Gojyo was to the left of Sanzo
and Goku rested back against Sanzo’s legs. A stiff breeze came by just before
the picture was snapped; snowflakes falling from the trees and the roof of the
cabin were captured.

Hakkai was frozen in time
catching snowflakes in his palm. Gojyo had his signature cigarette and an
endearing grin. He knew some kids who would really enjoy seeing this picture.
Sanzo had one hand tucked up by his ear and wore a look that clearly showed his
distaste for the situation. When she asked him to smile she was faced with,
“That’s just not going to happen.” All this personal contact was irritating.

Goku’s expression was one
that would cause moments of pondering for years to come. Some would say he
looked as if he’d just finished a large meal. Some would say the young man
looked a bit tipsy. Many would say the rose hint to his cheeks and lazy smile
seemed to indicate the golden-eyed man had just received a blowjob. The truth
behind Goku’s satisfied look would forever be tucked away in the young man’s
mind.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kougaiji was sitting next to
his sister’s bed. He held one of her smaller hands in his. He didn’t expect to
take this moment so hard. He’d come to terms with this, right? He rubbed his
thumb against the back of her hand. Her knuckles still carried the puffiness of
youth. Or perhaps that was just in his mind.

Perhaps she was still a
“little girl” because he held too closely. The fact that Lirin was technically
his half-sister never affected Kougaiji’s love for her. From the moment she was
born and looked at him with her newborn-blue eyes, he wanted nothing but safety
and happiness for her.

As those newborn-blue eyes
turned green and a bald head sprouted orange locks, he came to realize that,
for her own good, he couldn’t keep her from every skinned knee. One must fight
the right battles. When she was learning to walk, Kougaiji had to let her fall.
Every time Lirin would fall the feisty young girl would get back up and that
was the only way she could learn tenacity. She was determined to walk and
eventually she did. Lirin’s first steps were not toward a woman who was jilted for playing second fiddle nor
toward a woman who didn’t give birth to Lirin. Lirin’s first steps were toward a brother who loved her
unconditionally.

As Kougaiji took on the role
of Demon Prince, he had to learn combat skills. Not one to be taken away from
her brother, Lirin would watch as her brother sparred and trained. She wanted
to learn to fight too. “But, you’re a girl; you don’t need to fight.” The look
in her eyes twisted in Kougaiji’s stomach. He wanted to recall those words as
soon as they left his mouth. The truth, as he could see it now, but not then,
was that she didn’t need to learn to fight because she was his sister. He was
supposed to fight all her battles for her. She was the Princess. She was to sit
on her silk pillows and play with dolls. She wasn’t supposed to ever see the
dishonor and ugliness that all too often was found in the world.

He was Big Brother Kougaiji
and he could keep her from all of that.

The tenacity she learned
while trying to walk kicked in and Big Brother Kougaiji melted. He gave in and
let her learn to fight. As she blossomed into a young warrior, he couldn’t have
been more proud. He was also a little sad. She fought so well and learned so
quickly, he knew that she wouldn’t need him to fight a single battle for her.

Life’s vicissitudes teach.
They may be painful as one goes through the ordeal, but in the long run they
teach.

Kougaiji reached over and
brushed a lock of hair from his sleeping sister’s face. He was now faced with
another decision. Should Big Brother Kougaiji step in and keep her from
exploring another side of herself with Goku? Or should he step back , wait for the inevitable heartbreak and help her pick
up the pieces.

If what Yaone said about
this being Lirin’s choice was true, then maybe
heartbreak was not at the end of this road. Perhaps Lirin was walking into this
with her eyes wide open and was just enjoying being young. Kougaiji never
expected Lirin to die a virgin and he didn’t expect
her to marry as one. He just didn’t
expect his sister to take sex so casually.

Kougaiji leaned forward and
pressed his forehead against the back of his sister’s hand. If she was treating
sex causally, then there might be a bright side to this. That would mean that
Lirin understood that sex and love were totally different things. That was a
lesson Kougaiji took way too long to learn.

With his forehead pressed
against her hand and his eyes squeezed shut, he hoped to have a bit of wisdom
show him the right road to take at this juncture.

“Brother?”

A sleepy inquisitive voice
hit his ears. Kou lifted his face and smiled, “Sister?”

Lirin rubbed sleep from her
eyes with her free hand and smiled, “You’re worrying again. Is something
wrong?”

Kougaiji sighed, “Lirin,
please tell me. Is what you have with Goku by your own choice?” Please say yes.

Lirin laughed, “Do you
really think I would do anything with anyone in any situation that wasn’t my choice?”

Kougaiji chuckled and shook
his head, “No, you’re too strong for that.”

She nodded, “I have to be
strong to make you proud and save your mother.”

Kougaiji kissed the back of
her hand, “You have never failed to make me proud. I’m sure my mother would be
very proud to be thought of as your mother.”

“Do you think she’ll love
me?”

“How can anyone not love
you?”

She yawned. “You’re right.
I’m great.”

“Indeed.” Kougaiji chuckled
and stood, “I’ll let you get back to sleep.” He headed for the door.

“Brother?”

Kougaiji turned with his
hand on the doorknob. “Yes, Lirin?”

“You have never failed to
make me proud either.”

Kougaiji nodded. He was too
choked up to speak.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hakkai was preparing his
fifth drink, “Ok, has anyone played Fuzzy Duck?”

Gojyo, who was on his sixth
screwdriver, shook his head, “I have to say I’ve never played with a Fuzzy
Duck.”

Goku hopped up on the
counter with his legs off the side facing the dining table. Hakkai let the
infraction slide because there were only four chairs.

Sanzo opened his fifth beer
and looked askance at Hakkai.

Goku sighed, “Sanzo’s not
playing.”

Hakkai took his seat at the
table and patted Goku’s leg, “If Sanzo’s afraid to lose then you shouldn’t call
it out like that, Goku, it isn’t proper.”

Sanzo gritted his teeth.
Now, he was in a predicament. He had no desire to play childish games with
alcohol. Thanks to Mr. Oh-So-Polite’s comment he could
either let the implication ride or he could play a fucking game. He sighed,
“Are there cards involved in this game?”

Goku snickered.

Hakkai shook his head. “No, just words.”

“You’re about to get your
ass kicked, Hakkai.”

Goku laughed, “That’s my Sanzo!”

Gojyo pushed the box of
chocolate covered cherries toward Hakkai. “Before we do that, you have a trick
to show us.”

A blond eyebrow lifted, “A
trick with chocolate covered cherries?” Sanzo wasn’t too sure if he wanted to
see this trick.

Hakkai nodded, “Yes.” He
opened the boxed and lifted one of the dark treats. “I used to be able to get
the cherry out with just the tip of my tongue.”

Gojyo howled.

Goku nodded, “Is that
anything like the cherry stem and knot thing?”

They all looked at Goku and
wondered how the man-child knew about that. Gojyo chuckled, “Yeah, along the
same lines.”

Goku rolled his eyes, “It’s
easy then.”

“Like a chimp could do it.”
Gojyo lit a cigarette.

Goku waved a hand in the
air, “Please, double knot. No teeth. No fingers.”

Hakkai smiled at Sanzo,
“Well, that certainly explains a lot.”

Sanzo glared.

Hakkai quickly added, “Like
why he likes cherries.” He snickered.

Gojyo muttered under his
breath, “More specifically, cherry men.”

Sanzo pointed at the chocolate
covered cherry in Hakkai’s fingers.

Hakkai smiled, “Yes, yes, of
course.” Hakkai nibbled off the very top of the rounded part of the sweet. The
chocolate tasted especially sweet with the lingering absinthe on his tongue. He
showed them just the top off with the cherry and clear liquid still inside.

Gojyo shifted in his seat as
he watched Hakkai orally molest the chocolate covered cherry. His lover’s lips
parted and he got a teasing glimpse of the tip of a pink tongue.

Hakkai held the base of the
treat with three fingers and worked his tongue around the cherry. A line of
sweet syrup spilled over the side and ran down his thumb.

More than anything, Gojyo
wanted to lick that line of sweet liquid off his lover’s skin.

Hakkai used the tip of his tongue
to turn the cherry.

Gojyo watched as his lover’s
eyes fluttered under closed eyelids – barely shifting the dark lines of
Hakkai’s lashes. His breath hitched as seductive glimmers of Hakkai’s tongue
shifted between the corners of his lover’s mouth and the dark chocolate. Gojyo
smiled. He’d seen that look on his lover’s face before. Never
from this angle. Normally, he was on his back and Hakkai below the
naval.

Hakkai found the indentation
for the stem and pressed his tongue to it. A small vacuum was created.
Triumphant, Hakkai lifted his face and balanced the cherry on the tip of his
tongue. After showing everyone, he tucked the cherry behind his teeth.

Gojyo’s bottom lip quivered
as a drop of sticky glistening syrup ran down his lover’s chin. He couldn’t
take it any longer. He pointed a finger at Sanzo, “Bite me.” Leaning over, he
grabbed the back of Hakkai’s head and brought their faces together. He tenderly
licked the syrup off Hakkai’s chin and pressed a fierce kiss against his
lover’s lips.

Ah’Nesty pressed her cool
glass to her forehead. That had to be one of the hottest sights, she’d ever
seen. She was going through with this threesome if only to see those two
together.

Sanzo sneered and sucked
teeth. “No one needs to see this.”

She chuckled and muttered
under her breath, “Need and want are two different things.”

****

Konzen lifted an eyebrow,
“You want him.”

Sanzo glared at his former
self, “I do not.”

“Why does this bother you
then?”

“These feelings … these
urges…” All the annoying shit that ran through Sanzo’s head
concerning Hakkai, “Your doing.”

Konzen crossed his arms over
his chest, “What’s your next revelation, genius?”

****

Sanzo lit a cigarette.

With a blush across his
face, Hakkai broke the kiss. Before he could wipe his hand clean, Gojyo grabbed
his arm and slowly freed his thumb of syrup.

Gojyo shrugged, “The mood
hit.” Damn, did it hit! He was thankful these unique khaki jeans had extra room
in the hips.

Goku giggled, “That’s
getting less and less weird.”

Hakkai collected himself
with a swallow of his drink and explained the rules. He wondered if he and
Ah’Nesty were the only ones to have played such games.

Goku nodded, “So, if you
mess up the phrase you drink.”

Gojyo shook his head, “Yeah,
Monkey.” He resisted the urge to tease Goku over the “lightweight’s” choice of
beverage.

Hakkai started, “Fuzzy
duck.”

The play went to Gojyo,
“Fuzzy duck.”

Ah’Nesty took her turn,
“Fuzzy duck.”

Sanzo sneered, “Fuzzy duck.”

Goku laughed. He never
thought he’d hear the words “Fuzzy duck” from Sanzo’s mouth. He took his turn,
“Does he?”

Play went back to Sanzo,
“Ducky fuzz.”

Ah’Nesty spoke, “Ducky
fuzz.”

Gojyo looked at Hakkai,
“Does he?”

Ah’Nesty
again, “Fuzzy duck.”

Eventually, the game took on
speed.

“Fuzzy duck,” Sanzo said.

“Fuzzy duck,” Goku said.

“Does he?” Hakkai said.

“Ducky Fuzz,” Goku said.

“Ducky Fuzz,” Sanzo said.

“Does he?” Ah’Nesty said.

“Fuzzy duck,” Sanzo said.

“Fuzzy duck,” Goku said.

“Fuzzy duck,” Hakkai said.

“Fuzzy duck,” Gojyo said.

“Does he?” Ah’Nesty said.

“Ducky fuzz,” Gojyo said.

“Does he fuck?” Hakkai
slapped both hands over his mouth and laughed.

“Drink!” Goku shook with laughter.

Gojyo nodded, “Yeah, he’s
feeling it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jiroshin looked over at the Great Kannon,
“You’ve been awfully quiet today.” She hadn’t complained about boredom once
today; he snickered and didn’t wonder why.

“Shut up.” It wasn’t her
fault they hadn’t turned on the radio yet.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kougaiji walked down the hallway
at the inn. He passed Dokugakuji’s and Yaone’s room.
There was light coming from under the door. Assuming he wasn’t interrupting
anything, he knocked.

Dokugakuji opened the door.

Yaone was finishing a cup of
nighttime tea at the small table. She smiled at her prince.

“I spoke with Lirin.”

Dokugakuji leaned against
the wall by the window.

Yaone nodded, “How did it
go?”

Kougaiji sheepishly smiled,
“I’ve been straightened out.” He softly chuckled, “Being a big brother is
hard.”

Dokugakuji nodded, “Yes, it
is. Especially when you have to do something that hurts because it is for their
best interest.” He sighed, “You have to learn when to help them by action and
when do it by inaction.”

Kougaiji slowly shook his
head, “When is this lesson complete?”

“Two seconds before death.”
Dokugakuji did a doubt take and looked at something outside the window. His
eyes narrowed as he peered into the darkness trying to make out the three
figures barely illuminated by ambient light, “We got trouble, Kou.”

Kougaiji walked over to the
window, “What is it?”

“Who,
is the question.”

Kougaiji crossed his arms
over his chest, “Homura.”

Yaone knitted her brow,
“What are they doing here?”

That was a rhetorical
question. Everyone saw it as such.

Kougaiji tapped his index
finger to his lips, “You know what this means, don’t you?”

They looked at him.

Kougaiji turned and smiled,
“The Sanzo party is here.” He remembered that he was (presumably) here to get
the sutra and not to get proof that Gojyo was alive and well. The smile
disappeared and he cleared his throat. “We just have to find them.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goku glanced out the window
and noticed two white dragons swoop by, “I wonder what they do when they’re out
there. Dragon stuff, I guess.”

Gojyo snickered, “Dragon
stuff.” He rolled his eyes, “Oh, you are so naive.”

Hakkai looked at his
fingertips. His skin oil was strikingly iridescent and the grooves in his
fingers were huge. He could actually feel his fingerprints. Every line on his
palm had sharp definition. Even the short lifeline seemed as deep as a canyon.
He could feel the hot room temperature tweaking each of his nerves. Hands are
marvelous things. Thumbs especially. Some evolutionists
attribute opposable thumbs to the advancement of Homo Sapiens.

Goku shook his head,
“Really, what do you think they’re doing if not dragon stuff?”

Gojyo laughed, “She’s his
mate. What do you think they are doing?”

Golden eyes went wide, “Not
Hakuryuu. He… no…. do you…. No.” He laughed, “You go, Hakuryuu!”

Sanzo subtly pointed at
Hakkai.

The others turned their
heads and looked at the emerald-eyed genius.

Hakkai was immersed in the
wonders of his thumb. He watched how his thumb moved. It curled over his palm
and touched the lowest knuckle of his pinky. That – that’s what evolutionists
found so amazing. It made such sense now. The ability to grasp is what gave
early humans the ability to build and make tools. Tools are what gave the species
the ability to pass down and inherit technology. That meant that we could learn
by not having to do. Which mean every child didn’t have to learn everything
from scratch. Which meant it all boiled down to the thumb. That’s what it was
all about. The thumb. The thumb was the meaning of
life. It all made perfect sense.

Gojyo shook his head, “He’s
so wasted.” He chuckled.

Ah’Nesty chuckled, “You
notice something, don’t ya?”

Gojyo nodded, “Yep, he’s not
talking.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Homura, Zenon, and Shien
continued down the street.

Shien partially opened one
eye, “Homura.”

Homura nodded, “Yes, I know.
We have an audience.”

Zenon adjusted his machine
gun upon his shoulder, “What should we do about it?”

Homura shrugged, “Nothing.
Our business with them is done.”

Shien lazily cross his arms
in front of his chest, “If they are still here, then that means the Sanzo party
and the sutra are here.”

Homura nodded as they headed
into another inn, “The plan is simple. Get the sutra and the monkey will
follow.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sanzo stabbed out his
cigarette and put the pistol on the table.

Artificially gray eyes went
wide. Who did what?

With two cases of beer
finished, Sanzo was now drunk enough to be brutally honest. “Did you dumbasses ever think this might not be so wise?”

Gojyo whipped a hand toward
Sanzo and nearly spilt his eleventh screwdriver, “You were in on this since the
beginning, don’t put this shit on us.”

Violet eyes looked at a
silver pistol. “He wears those cuffs for a reason.”

Sanguinans looked at his
wrist. Pretty chains. Shiny.

Gojyo laughed so hard his
shoulders shook, “He’s spent twenty minutes staring at his thumb. Oh, we should
all be scared and threatened.”

The fan flew.

Gojyo chuckled as he rubbed
his head, “You prick.”

Golden eyes went wide, “Hey
guys.”

Crimson eyes popped, “Oh
shit.” He dashed to Hakkai’s side. “Walking isn’t wise right now, lover.”

Hakkai looked at the fire
elemental beside him. Flames that did not warm were all over this one. Flames that burned with a passionate heat. Eyes. Eyes that flickered with the light of a fiery soul
looked upon him. “Why not? I have thumbs. It is
sacrilege to not use them.” He didn’t
know why this wondrous creature was paying him attention, but he was thankful
to witness such a stunning sight.

Gojyo nodded, “Yes.” He took
the empty glass from Hakkai’s hand, “You have thumbs and that makes you…” He
paused searching for a word. Flashing Sanzo a smirk, he spoke, “Dangerous.”

Hakkai shook his head and
stepped out of the elemental’s hold. “No, not dangerous.” He felt so alive. He saw everything in
perfect clarity. This was life. This was living. Colors popped in his vision.
“Resourceful.” Emerald eyes shifted as he studied the creature before him. This
was no normal fire elemental. Light tan fingers curled around a lick of flame.
Beneath these raging cool flames was plasmatic water. He touched the bronze
plasma before him.

The water separated beneath
his fingers and the cleanest, purest, crystalline water pleased his senses. He
felt the glimmering defiance of physics and it was warm. Oh, what he would do
to have this creature with him always.

Gojyo lifted an eyebrow and
wondered why Hakkai’s finger was in his mouth.

Ah’Nesty looked at Sanzo,
“What’s held back by those cuffs?”

Sanzo opened another beer, “Brutality
of focused singularity.”

Ah’Nesty looked at the
diluted orange liquid in her glass. She muttered under her breath, “He’s
changed.”

Sanzo firmly spoke, “I know
your game. I’ve known it since you didn’t leave. It won’t work. He knows who he
is.”

She looked at the man who
looked like the man she loved, “Does he?”

“Yes. He knows. Others may
forget from time to time, but he knows.”

“If you’ve known my game,
why haven’t you stopped me?”

Sanzo took a drink of his
beer, “Some lessons have to be learned the hard way.”

“Is that for me, Gojyo or
Hakkai?”

“All of us.”

Goku hopped down from the
counter. “Time for a game.” Sanzo was getting way to
aggressive.

Gojyo nodded with Hakkai’s
finger still in his mouth. He gently removed his lover’s touch.

Hakkai softly smiled, “Stay
with me, always. I could ponder the paradox of your permanence perpetually.”

Gojyo snickered and looked
over at his less inebriated friends, “Lady and gentlemen, we have
alliteration.” He laughed and cradled his lover’s face, “My permanence? Really.”

Hakkai nodded, “Yes, your
exquisite existence is entrapping for the eyes and enthralling to the inner
essence.”

Gojyo pushed their foreheads
together, “Lover, my existence is taboo. I am a monster to many.”

Hakkai cradled the
creature’s face, “A monster? Maligned misinformation made from malformed muses
and malicious mindsets.”

Gojyo kept his eyes on his
lover, but spoke to Ah’Nesty, “This is getting irritating. How much longer is
this going to last?”

Ah’Nesty shrugged, “I don’t
know. That bit of freakiness is new.”

Gojyo smiled at his lover,
“You’re making my head hurt.”

Hakkai curled his fingers
around his lover’s shoulders, “Wondrous one, who wrangled
your mind with these horrid words?”

“I think it is fading now.”
Humoring a drunk was one thing, but this conversation just hit too close to
home. Gojyo wanted out of this line of questioning. “Everyone.
My mother.” He shrugged, “Everyone.”

Hakkai pulled space between
them, as he thought he did earlier, “Mother? No, I’ll show you. Your mother was
wrong. I’ll show. Tonight, tomorrow or upon my deathbed however long it takes,
I’ll show you the majesty that is you.”

Goku sighed, “A game. Another game.” He grinned. This was party. They should be
having fun, not this serious crap.

Gojyo smiled, “Goku wants to
play a game. Let’s get you a nice glass of water.”

“Water?” Hakkai smiled, “Gojyo, don’t you think I have enough
water in my life.” He looked at his lover. Gojyo had a worried look upon his
face, “I don’t think this is working. I’m perfectly sober.”

Gojyo chuckled, “Re~ea~ally?”

Hakkai nodded and opened
another bottle of absinthe, “I feel completely alert and totally alive.” He
smiled a silly endearing grin and laughed, “A game, Goku, yes, let’s play a
game.”

Sanzo lit a cigarette,
“Nothing involving cards.”

Goku knew whom that was
directed to and it had nothing to do with Hakkai’s unique luck.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hakuryuu and Advowlkrie
glided over a snow-covered field. Simultaneously, feet met snow as they morphed
into their humanoid forms.

Gojun stood looking every
bit the way he looked 500 years ago when he helped govern an army. Beside him
was his queen. These were not forms that saw much use lately. Thanks to the
deal he arranged with She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, the Sanzo party was forbidden to
see this form as well as foes.

Advowlkrie smiled at her
king. Those sharp red and yellow eyes barely looked a day over 500. His spiky
silver hair was as shiny and as full as it ever was. The question on her mind
was --- would he notice?

Gojun smiled at her. There
she was in all her beauty. His queen. His wife. The mother of his son.
The woman before him carried many titles and performed many duties. She handled
everything with the grace and shrewd judgment appropriate for someone of her
position. Her eyes were red, yellow, and gracefully feminine. Her lips were
full and as maroon as the cape upon her back. Her hair was similar to Gojun’s ,
including a long braid down her back, save for one exception -- the two ringlet
curls that framed her face by her ears. And there were those eyelashes. The
longest eyelashes he had ever seen -- silver and sparking. He wasn’t sure if it
was the moonlight reflecting from the snow or what, but her scales were almost
iridescent. They seemed to glow. In short she was radiant. Positively
radiant. There was only one other time her remembered her being this
radiant – radiant. A huge grin washed across his face. He took the female monotreme’s hands in his own and kissed them.

It should be noted that the
dragons objected to be being classified as monotremes.
The classification fit their existence, but they felt they should have their
own classification and not be grouped with other egg-laying mammals like the
duck-billed platypus – it was insulting.

Gojun softly spoke, “You are
with child.” He was utterly elated.

[Dragons did what it is that dragons do when the mood
was set,

privacy
secured,

the season was right

and a
special charge electrified the air.]

Advowlkrie nodded, “Yes. I
am.” He noticed – of course he would.
She didn’t have to tell him the first time. She was indeed “in season” during
their “chance encounter” not too long ago – the importance of that encounter
had been apparent to her immediately.

Gojun cradled her face in
his hands and kissed her, “Do you feel all right?” His stomach twisted, “I
don’t want you traveling West anymore. Go back to the clan and take care of
yourself.” He knitted his brow, “I will send someone to take my place with the
quest and—“

She pressed two fingers to
his lips, “Gojun, love, have you been around humans so long that you have
forgotten the gestation period? It will be two decades, at least, before we
even have an egg to hold.” She softly chuckled, “If this quest takes that long,
I’m going to have words with a few people. I didn’t agree to give you up that
long.”

He nodded, “I am doing it
again, aren’t I?”

She nodded, “Yes, you are.”

He wrapped his arms around
her shoulders and held her in a tight hug. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“I don’t know yet. It is far
too early.” Was this dragon specific or were men of all species poorly informed
about reproduction? She pushed her nose into the crook of his neck, “Which
would you like?”

“Healthy. Healthy is all I
care about.” He pulled space between them and tilted her chin up, “You and the
hatchling, healthy.”

She smiled, “Two wings and
six talons?” She giggled, “However, I won’t be traveling west anymore.” She
shrugged, “Serendipity is what connected me with Ah’Nesty. Once the she gets the picture to her editor,
she won’t be heading west and there will be no reason for me to stay with her.”
She could use messengers from the clan to keep tabs on her husband. Or rather, not
keep tabs on her husband, for she didn’t do such things. That was her story
and she was sticking to it, “I’ll go home; I promise you.”

Gojun felt like his heart
was about to explode. Another child. Another dragon for the clan. Another life
to tend. His family was healthy and growing. His clan was doing well.
His special quest was coming along. Gojun simply couldn’t be any happier. With
one hand in her hair under her braid and one pressed between her shoulders, he
pulled her close again. “I dearly love you.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hakkai pulled three soaked
sugar cubes from the absinthe and grabbed Gojyo’s lighter.

Goku tilted his head, “Why
is Hakkai playing with fire?”

Crimson eyes went wide and
he stretched to snatch the lighter from Hakkai. Hakkai plus absinthe plus fire
equaled a place Gojyo did not wish to visit. “What are you doing?”

Kenren smirked. Keeping Tenpou away from fire and sharp objects. This felt
familiar.

Hakkai shifted out of Gojyo
reach. “I’m setting the sugar cubes on fire.” What else would he be doing with
a sugar cube, a glass of absinthe and a lighter? Wasn’t this obvious?

Gojyo shook his head, “Of
course you are, because that’s what all normal people do with sugar
cubes.”

With the cubes on the
absinthe spoon, Hakkai lit them. A low blue flame started. Hakkai grinned,
“Bohemian preparation.”

Gojyo pointed at the now
full flame and shook his head, “Put that out!”

“Yes, yes, of course.”
Hakkai lifted a hand and tilted the spoon. The spoon shifted and three flaming
caramelized cubes dropped into the 140 proof absinthe. The absinthe caught
fire.

“Dear gods!” Gojyo lunged
for the flaming glass.

Hakkai diverted Gojyo’s
hand. The general was behaving abnormally, “Tsk, tsk, I know what I’m doing.” He looked over at Goku, “One
shouldn’t play with fire, Goku.”

Goku rolled his eyes,
“Gotcha.”

Sanzo pinched the bridge of
his nose, “If he burns this cabin down….” New Rule: Hakkai is not allowed to
get drunk ever again.

Being mindful of flames,
Gonou stirred the liquid with one hand and poured ice-cold water into the cup
with his other hand. “I’ve done this several times.”

Gojyo snatched his lighter
from the counter, “You’re not doing it again.”

Hakkai sat the empty metal
shaker on the counter and shook his head like he was trying to flip long hair
over his shoulder, “It’s a common way to prepare absinthe. I looked it up.” He
checked a book. What was the concern?

Gojyo shook his head.

Hakkai moved to pick up the
glass. He knitted his brow as he looked at his empty hand. He went to pick up
his drink again.

Gojyo grabbed his lover’s
wrist, “If you can’t pick up the glass, then you are cut off.”

Emerald eyes blinked. Hakkai
smiled as he studied his lover’s ornate chakra, “Lover, I am perfectly sober.”
That was the honest truth as far as Hakkai’s perspective was concerned.
Inebriated people didn’t see things in such sharp focus. Ideas didn’t make
perfect sense to those who were drunk. Hakkai’s thoughts were ordered. His
feelings were solid. His mind was far from numb and certain memories had taken
a backseat. He was truly living. It wasn’t his fault his hands weren’t
cooperating.

Hakkai turned his attention
to the no longer flaming and now cool glass. He surrounded the enemy troops and
his attack zeroed in on the target. Glass in hand he walked over to the table.
They had guests and it would be rude to ignore them. Konzen and Goku didn’t
visit nearly often enough. He looked at the woman sitting with them. He simply
couldn’t recall her name. The monocle clacked when he placed it on the table.
“Now, I do believe Goku wanted to play a game.”

Gojyo up righted the metal
shaker, put the lid on the bottle of absinthe, and up turned the chair his
inebriated lover knocked over. He jutted a thumb at the radio, “We can’t have a
party without music, anyone for the radio?”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Merciful Goddess perked
up, “About damn time.”

Jiroshin smirked, “What’s wrong? If you’re bored ---“

“Can it!”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[It ain’t no joke,
I’d like to buy the world a toke…]

Gojyo sat down at the table.
He put his lighter and cigarettes way out of Hakkai’s reach. He also nudged his
lover’s glass away from the edge of the table. Finishing a big drink of his
screwdriver, he made a mental note. New Rule: Hakkai isn’t getting drunk ever
again. “All right, what game are we going to play now?”

Hakkai grinned, “I Never.”
He knitted his brow. Why was Sanzo setting his face on fire?

Sanzo put down his lighter
and took a drag off his cigarette, “I Never?”

Hakkai shook his head to
clear the odd visions from his mind, “Someone makes a truthful ‘I Never’
statement. If it isn’t truthful for you, then you drink. One rule – no
questions can be asked.”

Goku reclaimed his spot on
the counter and sipped his fresh Grape Nehi, “So,
like I would say, ‘I never had blond hair’ and Sanzo would drink?”

[You might as well be walking on the sun…” ]

Hakkai nodded, “Yes…” He
reached for his cigarettes in his lab coat pocket. “But, we should make the
comments…” He patted his thigh – where had his pockets gone? “…more
interesting than that.”

[…years ago they spoke out and they broke out of
recession and
oppression …]

Gojyo touched his lover’s
knee, “Man, what are you looking for?”

Hakkai shook his head, “I’m
not looking for anything.” He found his monocle and positioned it on his nose.

Crimson eyes rolled, “I’ve
never lost my damn mind.”

Hakkai crossed his arms over
his chest, “That’s not a truthful statement. Drink penalty.”

“Fine.” Gojyo took a drink. He looked at Hakkai and
chuckled, “I never had a cat named ‘Go Away’.” He whipped his head toward
Sanzo.

“You act like she was a
pet.” He took a drink.

Goku laughed, “You fed her –
daily. She was a pet.”

Gojyo snickered, “Not unlike
you, huh, Goku?”

Goku glared at Gojyo, “Shut
up, Sprite!”

Sanzo gritted his teeth.
Here comes the bickering. Was one night without bickering too much to ask? He
slapped his hand on the table, “I never got chased by a butcher.”

Gojyo shrugged, “I didn’t
know she was his daughter.” He took a drink, “I never kept a pet monkey.”

Goku pointed a finger at
Gojyo, “Hey!” He shut his mouth after realizing that protesting the comment
validated it.

Sanzo took a drink for
keeping the pet monkey and spoke, “I’ve never dressed in women’s clothing.”

Hakkai took a drink and
looked at Ah’Nesty, “It’s a long story and not what you are thinking.”

Ah’Nesty snickered, “What
you do in your bedroom is none of my business.”

Hakkai looked at Sanzo,
“I’ve never been mistaken for a woman.” He just knew Sanzo wasn’t trying to
play dirty. They knew way too much about the blond for Sanzo to even think he
was going to get away with that.

Every fiber in Sanzo’s being
wanted to swing the fan. “Not my fault the world is covered with idiots.” He
begrudgingly took a drink, “I’ve --“

Gojyo shook his head, “Wait.
Drink penalty, Hakkai. When you were dressed in drag, you were mistaken for a
woman.”

[So don’t sit
back, kick back and watch the world get bushwhacked. News at ten, your neighborhood is under
attack.]

Hakkai looked over Gojyo.
This needed to be cleared up right now, “I was wearing a disguise. I didn’t
dress in drag – as you put it. The disguise worked. That’s not the same as
being mistaken for a woman.”

Sanzo shook his head,
“Semantic argument. Drink penalty, Hakkai.”

Hakkai looked over at
Ah’Nesty, “I do not dress in drag.”

She held up her hands,
“Whatever, Priscilla-Queen-of-the-Desert.” She laughed.

Hakkai took a drink. They
were making this sound like it was something he did on a regular basis. Fine –
two could play that game, “I’ve never been propositioned by a little girl.”

Gojyo emphatically pointed
at the table, “She wasn’t propositioning me. She was asking me to help her
parents.”

Hakkai retorted, “Semantic
argument. Drink.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dressed in their battle
gear, Kougaiji, Doukugakiji and Yaone stood on the street in front of Homura,
Zenon, and Shien.

Kougaiji’s face was the
definition of determination, “War Prince, you have something of mine.”

Homura spoke, “I see you got
rid of the lightning dragon. Konzen grows more capable by the day.”

Violet eyes narrowed. That
moment was a lapse of judgment he was never going to repeat. “I want that sutra
returned.”

Homura smirked, “To the
rightful owner? He would be dead. Unless you mean the current
rightful owner.”

Kougaiji shook his head, “I
had nothing to do with that bloodbath.” Such tactics were dishonorable and
below him. Attacking a temple and terrorizing a child was tasteless. To make
matters worse, demons returned to the temple the next day and destroyed it when
the sutra wasn’t found. Kougaiji heard about those two dark days and hung his
head in shame. That order didn’t come from him and he didn’t like such a thing
associated with his name.

Homura rested his flame
blade upon his shoulder, “I don’t have it with me. Today is not your day,
Kougaiji. I have plans for that sutra and cannot simply give it to you.”

Kougaiji balled his hands up
in fists. It was true, he did not feel the sutra’s presence nor could he see
the aura, “I have plans for that sutra also. I will fight you for the
information of its whereabouts.”

Homura raised an eyebrow and
glanced at the city around them, “Here? With all these people
around? That’s not like you.”

“Of course
not.” He was insulted that Homura
would think such a thing. He wouldn’t fight in a place where so many innocents
would invariably get hurt.

Homura sighed, “As you know,
I do not particularly dislike you, friend. Once my plan is in place, I doubt
there will be any need for yours. However, you are welcome to have it once I am
done.” He smirked and almost chuckled. “Shien, Zenon, this no longer amuses me.
Let’s go.”

The three gods began to walk
off. Homura paused and looked over his shoulder at the three demons, “My dear
Kougaiji, please give the Sanzo party my regards.”

Kougaiji glared at the smug
War Prince, “I’ll take it by force if I have to.”

Homura turned and continued
to walk off, “That day will come soon enough. Do not run to your own funeral.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gojyo chuckled, “I never
took pleasure in taking my friends down a death dive of a cliff.”

Hakkai and Sanzo drank
without protest.

Sanzo spoke, “I never
cheated a monkey in a card game.”

Gojyo pressed his lips
together.

Goku snickered. That was the
damn truth. Sanzo never cheated him -- not once in all of the
card games they pla--- wait. Sanzo didn’t mean that
kind of card game. He glared at the redhead.

Gojyo begrudgingly took a
drink.

Goku’s mouth dropped open.
“I knew it! You totally cheated!”

Gojyo shrugged, “How else
are you supposed to learn when someone is cheating you?”

Goku shook his head and
crossed his arms in the air, seemingly wiping Gojyo’s point away, “That twisted
lesson shit only works for Sanzo.”

Gojyo added, “And Hakkai.”

Goku acquiesced the point by
muttering, “And Hakkai.”

Hakkai snickered, “I’ve
never drunk an entire thermos of wine to teach a lesson in temperance.”

Sanzo tilted his head, “It
wasn’t full.”

Gojyo eyed the blond, “I had
one drink. It was full.”

Sanzo drank with a small
huff of protest.

Goku laughed, “I never had
my porn confiscated by a mini-monk.”

“Housewives Gone Wild; that
was sweet.” Gojyo laughed and drank, “I never got it back from that little shit.
We are so stopping there on our way back east.”

Hakkai laughed, “No doubt
that has made the Sanzo-circuit by now.”

Sanzo nearly protested the
Sanzo and porn connection Hakkai was implying, but figured that wouldn’t be
believed in this crowd. Especially given the example he’d set. “I never went ballistic when someone dog-eared
a page.”

Hakkai protested, “Bookmarks
are for a reason. Dog-earring damages the pages. Once paper is creased it can
never be---“ He cut himself off and drank. He looked
at Gojyo, “I never had 35 half-empty take out containers in my fridge.” It took
him five hours to properly clean Gojyo’s refrigerator. Five hours for just the
refrigerator. Occasionally, he still had nightmares about the rest of the
kitchen and the bathroom. He’d never forget that day.

Gojyo nodded and drank, “I
never pouted for two days when someone rearranged the spice rack.”

Hakkai drank and fired back,
“I’ve never had green mayonnaise.”

[…I’m gonna be the man who
gets drunk next to you….]

Gojyo drank and retorted,
“I’ve never flirted with someone just after they tried to kill me.”

Everyone looked at Hakkai.

Hakkai looked around at the
faces. Three were expecting something and one was inquisitive, “Is there
something I can do for you?”

Goku laughed, “Yeah, drink
Hakkai.”

Gojyo pointed at Goku, “Shut
up, Monkey. You need to drink too.”

Goku nodded and took a
drink.

Hakkai shrugged, “I don’t
flirt with Ms. Yaone.” For them to imply such a thing was outrageous.

[…to be the man who walked a 1000 miles to fall down
at your door…]

Gojyo laughed, “Oh, it’s
getting deep in here.” He lifted his wrist, “Save the watches!”

Sanzo knitted his brow. He
knew that didn’t just come from Hakkai’s mouth, “Bullshit. How did you know we
were thinking about Yaone?”

Gojyo laughed, “You flirt
with her. There’s more flirting going on between you two than – “ He cut himself off and poorly imitated Yaone, “Oh, Mr.
Hakkai would you mind being my opponent?” He switched and pulled off a decent
imitation of Hakkai, “Please be gentle.” He laughed, “What is that shit? She is
trying to kill you!”

Sanzo crossed his arms over
his shoulders, “Kill him gently, apparently.” He blinked. Was this palling
around with the guys?

Kouryuu lifted his head.

Goku added, “Then there was
that time, he slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting her and helped one of our
enemies find another one of our enemies.” He laughed.

Hakkai turned his head and
smiled at Goku, “That would be the enemy of which you are intimately
familiar, right?”

Goku shrugged, “I’ll shut up
now.” At least Sanzo’s mood seemed to be improving by the minute.

Hakkai sighed and took a
drink. “For the record, I am not admitting to flirting with Ms. Yaone. I am
just doing this for the sake of the game.”

Goku spoke, “I’ve never had
sex with two women at the same time.”

Gojyo and Sanzo drank.

Everyone looked at Sanzo.

Sanzo took a drag off his
cigarette, “The rule is no questions.”

Gojyo muttered, “Sisters.”

Sanzo retorted, “Twins.”

Gojyo cringed, “Prick.”

Ah’Nesty laughed, “Who would
have thought a priest was the other one sleeping around?”

Gojyo laughed, “A shitty
monk doesn’t count as a priest.”

The fan flew.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flaxen sat in an overstuffed
chair and sipped a cup of wine. A low-ranking demon entered her suite, “We
still haven’t found them.”

She swirled the wine in her
cup. Why did Dr. Ni send her these incompetent fools? She fingered the bunny
earring in her ear and heavily sighed, “Do I need to persuade you to look
harder?”

The demon glanced at the
large, black velvet, rectangular case on the desk before her, “No ma’am. I just
wanted to give you a status report.” He ducked out of the room and set out to
find four specific people in a huge city.

She calmly sat her wine
glass down and gripped her forehead. Gods! She hoped this plan worked. She
didn’t want to feel the wrath of Dr. Ni. If she just played her character, then
she would become the character. Damn it! Losing the redhead was a heavy blow to
her confidence.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They took a break from “I
Never” to refill their drinks. Goku looked up at Hakkai, “Hakkai, I’ve been
wondering. How come you didn’t get kicked out of school for all the shit you
pulled?”

[…I’m gonna be the man who
is lonely without you…]

Gojyo
tightly palmed his lighter and looked at Hakkai.

Hakkai
poured water over his non-flaming sugar cubes, “Well, Goku, we were guaranteed
money for the school. Kanan and I were Wards of the
State. Ah’Nesty was on a scholarship.”

Having
consumed enough alcohol, Ah’Nesty poured herself a soda to drink. Technically
speaking she wasn’t on a scholarship when she attended St. Christopher’s. That
was just what she told people. They were protected from expulsion by money, but
not the money Gonou was led to believe. Her parents were benefactors.

Goku
nodded, “Oh.” That made sense, but it begged another question, “Then, how did
you afford a motorcycle?”

Ah’Nesty
pressed both hands to her mouth trying to hide her snickers.

Hakkai
shrugged and sat back down at the table, “I worked as a tutor.”

Ah’Nesty
faked a sneeze, “Sorry, bullshit makes me sneeze.”

Hakkai
looked over at her, “I worked as a tutor.” That was the truth. It was his
official job.

She
nodded, “You worked as a tutor. You volunteered at the hospital. You did a lot
of things, but none of them explain how you got the bikes. Or
the leather duster or any of that. Tutoring paid shit. That wasn’t your
main income.”

Gojyo
wrapped an arm around Hakkai and teased, “Aww c’mon
tell us how you worked as an escort. We’ll still love ya.”

Hakkai
shook his head, “I never worked as an escort.”

Gojyo
took a drink and snickered. “Oh, you were ho’ing.
There’s a small difference.” No one seemed to notice his drink.

Emerald
eyes popped, “Gojyo! I didn’t work as a gigolo!” He slapped both hands over his
mouth and corrected himself, “A gentleman of the night.”

Gojyo
laughed and took his seat, “Keep deflecting the question. My imagination is
much more interesting.” He held up two fingers like he was holding a business
card, “Specializes in Tossed Salad, Taoist positions of the Kama
Sutra, 69, plushies, and---“

Hakkai
interrupted. “There are two reasons why Taikgen is
known.” He sighed and pressed a hand in to his forehead, “Being a college town
and all that goes along with that. And…”
He paused.

[Kick it!]

“And?”
Gojyo prompted.

Hakkai
sighed and dropped his hand, “A rather large annual poker tournament.”

Gojyo’s
mouth dropped open, “You told me that you hadn’t played that much.” He
muttered, “Just a knack for these things, my ass.” Now that Hakkai had said
something, he remembered hearing about the positively huge poker tournaments in
Taikgen.

Hakkai
nodded, “That’s the truth. Small one-on-one games are not how I have normally
played.” He took a sip of his drink and indignantly finished; “Besides playing
annually does not comprise ‘that much’.”

Ah’Nesty
shook her head, “Of course not. Not even after you factor in all of the smaller
games to get the entry money for the big tournament.” Her voice was rich with
sarcasm.

Hakkai
held up his index finger, “I never played friends for money.”

Everyone
except Hakkai took a drink.

Gojyo
interjected, “You had to lie about your age to get in there.”

Hakkai
calmly sipped his absinthe, “Since I was raised in an orphanage, one cannot
determine the validity of my supposed birthday. It is entirely possible that
the date is off. Therefore, I explored alternative theories when I filled out
the paperwork.”

The
music filled the room as everyone blinked at Hakkai. “You gotta
fight for your right to party.”

Goku
knitted his brow, “Huh?” That made no sense to him.

Gojyo
and Ah’nesty faked sneezing.

Everyone
except Hakkai lifted their wrists, after all, they had
to save the watches.

Gojyo
howled, “Oh my god! Can anymore rationalized bullshit come from your mouth?”

Sanzo
sat down and cracked open his beer, “I never worked as a card shark.” He didn’t
want to play the game and no one dared to think such a thing. This was simply
something to do. That was his story and he’d shoot anyone who questioned it.

Gojyo
took a drink whilst smirking. Hakkai took a drink without speaking a word. It
was useless to argue.

Goku
sighed, “I never ripped my own eye out.”

Hakkai
took a drink and avoided the glare from Ah’Nesty. “I never got turned into a
seed.”

Goku
took a drink.

The
game continued and included such things as, “I never took a man covered in mud
to my bed.”; “I never fucked on a first date.” ; “I
never slept with a blood relative.” ; “I never stroked my dragon more than I
stroked myself.” ; “I never used a fan to spank my monkey.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The
door closed behind Kougaiji a bit louder than he wanted. “Doukugakiji, this has
become a matter of pride.” He gritted his teeth.

Doukugakiji
nodded, “I know and we will get it back.”

Kougaiji
began to pace, “It would be one thing if I actually wanted the blasted sutra.”

Yaone
sat down at the small table inside their room and exchanged a look with her
lover. This was how it was every time after they dealt with Homura. There was
something about the War Prince that got under the Demon Prince’s skin. Homura could make Kougaiji do things, such as
the lightening dragon experiment, which were totally out of character and
perhaps even impulsive.

Kougaiji
continued, “What purpose do the sutras have for him?” He sighed and sat down at
the table. He glanced at Yaone, “Fighting them here would have endangered too
many innocent people and it would have been pointless. He didn’t even have the
sutra with him.”

Yaone
nodded. She heard “I made the right call, didn’t I?” very clearly. “Fighting
them tonight would have done not good at all.”

Dokugakuji
sat down upon the bed, “She’s right, Kou. You made the right call.”

Kougaiji
sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, “Sometimes I wonder.” Was he a
horrible son for not ripping them apart till they confessed the sutra’s
whereabouts? Or, was he a noble prince who would have made his mother proud for
not risking the lives of countless citizens?

“Brother?”

Kougaiji
looked at the door, “I’m in here, Lirin.”

Lirin
entered the room.

Kougaiji
held out his arms.

Lirin
answered her bother’s call for a hug, “What’s going on? How come you guys are
dressed for battle? How come you didn’t wake me? How come you’re upset?”

Kougaiji
pulled his sister into his lap and tightly hugged her. Perhaps, he was being
the best Big Brother Kougaiji he could be. Gods, could she, please, stay young,
sweet and innocent just a little while longer? “Everything’s
fine now, Lirin.” As long as he held her close.
As long as she was protected – everything was fine.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goku
looked over at Sanzo and noticed the slightly glazed over look to those violet
eyes. Tonight was working out rather well and he hoped no one was going to
screw it up and piss off Sanzo.

Sanzo
opened a new pack of cigarettes and lit a smoke. He was feeling warm all over.
As a stream of smoke left his lips he pressed his thumb to his bottom lip. He
removed his thumb and knitted his brow. He pushed his thumb back to his lip. He
hiked an eyebrow. His lips were slightly numb. Tonight was a good night. He
curled the fingers of his free hand into a fist and pulsed
it. His fingers were slightly numb too. Dare he say that he was walking fairly
close to the line of feeling good? Perhaps this party idea wasn’t so bad. It
was nice feeling the 23 he was supposed to be as opposed to the 35 he had to
be.

Goku
carefully watched Sanzo. It was time to start thinking about how to politely
leave. Sanzo was “loose” enough to fully enjoy the plan for tonight, but no so
drunk as to cause ethical debates. Life was good.

Gojyo
sank back in chair, “I never …” He blinked at the ceiling. “Something.
Drink!” Sha Gojyo,
you are a piece of shit bastard hated by your own mother and you mentally
fucked up your lover’s friend while trying to rape her, what are you going to
do now? Hell, I’m gonna drink straight from the
bottle. Eventually this shit is gonna stop hurting. After
finishing his mental interview, Gojyo lifted his bottle of vodka and took a
huge swig. Woah! That firewater knocked out his
remaining taste buds and burned all the way down. He looked at the bottle and
smirked, “Yo, absolutely.”

Ah’Nesty
shook her head, “That was a shitty Sylvester Stalone.”

Gojyo
nodded and lifted the bottle in the air, “I never called out to Adrienne.” He
took another drink. “Oh shit, I wasn’t supposed to drink.” He thought for a
moment, “Falsehood penalty. Drink!”

Hakkai
reached to adjust his glasses and nearly poked himself in the eye. He looked
around. Where were his glasses? He saw his monocle and picked it up. Hadn’t he
put this on? When had he taken it off again?

He
watched as the light reflected off the lens and he saw his own reflection. He
had blood running down one cheek. A vine trailed across his cheeks and nose.
Long locks of hair were tucked behind his ears and a bio-synthetic eye blinked.
He was a mess. A complete and total mess, but he felt totally alive. He smiled
and set down the lens before he smudged it with blood.

****

Gonou
hopped down from his tree and stumbled onto the path between the suicidal
utopia and the living wasteland. He looked at the purple tree with red leaves
to his left and the orange leaf-less tree to his
right. He shook his head and staggered toward Hakkai. “Wasss goin’ on?”

Hakkai
smiled as he walked. He paused and stepped off the utopia and back onto the
path, “My tolerance is a lot higher than yours. You should sleep.”

Gonou
shook his head and waved a hand in front of his face, “No, I can….n’t.” The world was spinning. Colors were insane. The sides
of the path kept flipping and his hands were clean.

Hakkai
crossed his arms over his chest, “Why not?”

“Your plan. I have to talk you out of it.”

Hakkai
tilted his head to the side. “Why?”

Gonou
hit the path and pushed into the dirt to keep the world still, “Because it is
stupid!” Figuring sitting was better than standing, he
sat down on the path. “It’s too much of a gamble.”

Hakkai
sat down on the path and looked at his human self, “There is a substantial risk
of failure.”

Gonou
shook his head, “You can’t heal her in a night. Hell, I couldn’t heal her in
years.”

Hakkai
sighed, “This isn’t about her. This is about Gojyo.” There was one thing that
could heal Ah’Nesty and that was a solid relationship and long term physical
therapy – the real kind of physical therapy. He couldn’t provide her that. Not
only did he have everything he wanted and needed with Gojyo, but he also had
his mission west. One of Gojyo’s issues, however, could be solved by showing
the redhead that Ah’Nesty could have a full life. “This is about showing Gojyo
that he didn’t cause Ah’Nesty’s problem. This is about showing him that his
mother was wrong. This is about healing by any means necessary.”

Gonou
nodded his head, “And you expect sex to do all of that?” He waved a hand in the
air, “So, what happens if she starts freaking out in bed?”

Hakkai
sighed, “Then I have one seriously damaged water sprite on my hands.”

Gonou
nodded, “On your hands is right. Can they take anymore staining?”

Hakkai
glanced at his red hands, “What would you have me do?” He looked up at Gonou,
“My soul is stained; there is nothing I can do about that. He won’t listen to
speech. Logic is not breaking through the damage his mother did to him. He
responds best to…” Hakkai’s voice trailed off as anger welled up inside of him,
“How dare you. How dare you accuse me of not knowing or deserving the love of
someone you obviously don’t know!”

Gonou
crossed his arms over his chest, “I know you and that’s enough. It’s tasteless
to bed Kanan’s friend.”

“She
is my friend also.” Hakkai sighed, “She loves you dearly.”

“I
can’t love her back.”

“You
can’t love anyone. Not even yourself.”

Gonou
swayed whilst sitting and nodded. “Since we’re being so truthful, I resent
him.”

“For
not letting us die?”

“Yes.”

Hakkai
stood, “I’m terribly sorry about that. I was told something one time that might
help you deal with being forced to breathe a little better.” He hoped the
irritation didn’t come through in his voice.

Gonou
felt himself leaning to one side and decided to just
lay down. “What’s that?”

“Live
your life as it is given to you.”

****

Goku
hopped off the counter, “Cool song turn it up.” He
dashed to the radio and hit the volume. He started to sing unabashedly, because
he was Goku and cared less if he was out of tune, “I can be as humble as the
next guy or I can blink and make you crumble from the inside. I could be every
nasty thing, you ever dreamt a man could be.”

Gojyo knew this song and joined Goku in singing.
Ah’Nesty knew it also. The three of them joined in on the chorus and eyed
Sanzo. The next line was his if he would take it. “Cuz
they all fall down (down). Cuz they all fall down
(down).”

Feeling no pain, numbed lips, dulled fingers and
being the 23 year old guy he would have been till the robes took over his life,
Sanzo decided to go for gold, “I can make you see the beauty of a new sun or I
can be the source of your desperation. I could be every nasty thing, you ever dreamt a man could be.”

Kouryuu smiled. It was a soft smile, but warm
nonetheless.

The room was shocked. Sanzo not only joined in on the
fun, but he had a wonderful singing voice. They belted out the chorus and the
refrain, “Jaded, dated, I’m the type you hated.

Haunted, taunted, but I’m what you've always wanted. Yeah, yeah, I’m what
you've always wanted. Yeah, yeah, I’m what you've always wanted.” All eyes
turned toward Hakkai. They knew how reluctant he was to sing, but the next
verse was all his.

Hakkai smiled. If Sanzo could do it, he could do it.
Tonight was about living. He sang totally off key, but full of spirit, “You can
turn away like you don't even see me. Yet, you can smile and act like you got
something I need, but every night you go home alone and dream about being
underneath me.” He blushed and laughed – he wondered why he looked at Sanzo while
he sang that.

Sanzo didn’t appreciate it the eye contact.

The next bit of the song was lost under laughter.
Sanzo smirked and Kouryuu giggled. Goku proceeded to dance around the room –
the joy coming from him electrified the air. This was what he always wanted.
All of them getting along, enjoying life and being the them
that could have been– not the men nearly beaten by life.

Gojyo stood and claimed the next verse as his, “Can't you see through this
disguise?”

Hakkai played back-up singer, “Can’t you see through
this disguise?”

Gojyo took it back, “Find the little boy inside. I'm
afraid of falling.”

Hakkai chimed in, “Falling.”

The couple sang together and looked at each other,
“Love is pain and now she's calling

and she's…”

Everyone joined in, “Jaded, dated, I’m the type you
hated. Haunted, taunted, but I’m what you've always wanted. Yeah, yeah, I’m
what you've always wanted. Yeah, yeah, I’m what you've always wanted.”

Sanzo finished his beer as they finished the song. If
anyone ever mentioned this moment, he’d shoot them. Maybe the time here wasn’t
totally pointless. Tonight, for a little while, he didn’t feel like a man worn
by robes. He was more than a biological clothes hanger – he was just a man who
happened to wear robes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jiroshin looked over at the
Goddess, “Is that what you wanted to do?”

She grinned and smiled, “Yes, it was.”

He sighed, “Can we leave now?”

She cackled, “Nope.”

He groaned, “Oh why not?”

She smirked at him, “Because the fun isn’t over.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gojyo took a deep breath to recover from his drunken
moment of frivolity and winked at Hakkai, “I never posed naked for pictures.”

Hakkai chuckled and drank.

Cue to leave! Sanzo snapped up from his chair. Nude pictures of Hakkai was where he drew the line. “Goku.” He would play stupid drinking games. He would even
join in on an inane sing-along, but, damn it, seeing light tan skin in all its
glory would make that long-haired blonde too damn happy.

Goku smiled and nodded.

They left the cabin and two dragons fluttered inside
to escape the cold. Gojun nudged his wife closer to the fire – after all she
was getting warm for two.

Gojyo flopped down upon the couch, “Are you really
going to keep that photo album from me?”

Hakkai sighed and glanced at Ah’Nesty. What was the
harm? Gojyo had seen every inch of his
body including parts of his insides. Hakkai shrugged.

Ah’Nesty smiled and headed toward her pack.

Gojyo popped up from the couch and kissed Hakkai on
the cheek. He whispered, “Relax and hang on.” He snickered – that sure was fun
to use in inappropriate settings.

Hakkai gripped the back of the couch as pleasure
jolted between his legs.

Gojyo looked at his lover. He’d been waiting for a
chance all night to say that. He didn’t want to go for it when Hakkai was at
the height of his buzz. That could have gone two ways: wonderful or regretful.
Now, that it seemed Hakkai had hit a plateau of inebriation, the timing seemed
right for a bit of fun.

Ah’Nesty walked over to the couch with the second
photo album in her hands. She noticed the strained look on Hakkai’s face, “Som, you ok?”

Hakkai plastered a smile to his face and nodded his
head, “Yes.” He cleared his throat, “I’m just fine.” Gojyo was getting paid
back for this somehow, someway.

.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sanzo was walking toward the cabin and Goku stopped
in the middle of the courtyard. “Do you really want to go back to the cabin?”

Sanzo knitted his brow. Why not? He had countless
beers in his system. He was feeling a bit on the numb side of things and – oh,
that’s right. The plan. “Tch. Whatever.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gojyo was grinning like the cat who
caught the mouse as pages of “the other” photo album flipped before him. Hakkai
was taking this voyeuristic trip down memory lane very well. Perhaps it was
comfort with the two others involved. Perhaps it was the absinthe. Gojyo didn’t
know which.

A picture happened up. It was an 8X10 and Hakkai was lying
in a fireplace. Gojyo blinked. That made no sense. He picked up the photo album
and scrutinized the picture.

Ah’Nesty laughed, “Everyone does that when they see
that picture.”

Hakkai did a double take when he looked at her, “Who
is everyone?” With whom had she shared this album?

“Nobody,” she quickly added. So maybe she showed that
picture to a few people. Just as part of her portfolio – nothing major. A few job interviews. Maybe the occasional
party. A few very close – ok. Fine. She was
damn proud of that picture.

As Gojyo studied the picture he realized that it was
a reflection shot.

A full fire was burning in one of the cabin’s
fireplaces. A sheet of glass had been placed in front of the fireplace and
Hakkai had lain upon the rug in front of the glass.

Hakkai was naked and lying upon his side. He had his
head propped up in his hand and his free hand was idly toying with some of the
fibers of the rug.

The camera angle was such that the photography
captured Hakkai’s reflection in the glass as well as the flames in the
fireplace.

Gojyo shook his head. This wasn’t Hakkai. This was
Gonou. He needed to make a better effort of keeping these two different men
separate.

Tongues of flame lapped around Hak—Gonou’s
body. Tendrils of flame danced along Gonou’s upper body and a ribbon of flame
fluttered over Gonou’s hips. The light cast the entire shot in scarlet and
orange hues, thus giving Gojyo a stark reminder of their first night in this
cabin. Emerald eyes cut through the shadowy shot and penetrated the camera’s
lens.

Gojyo smirked and glanced at Hakkai, “Tantalizing
picture.” He set the photo album down and was thankful he picked it up. He used
the movement for putting down the album to hide the need to shift in his seat.
Once again, he was thankful for the space in these khaki jeans.

There were a few candid shots, one that gave Gojyo a
stark reminder of some of their activities. A plane of flesh underlined the
shot and Gonou’s nose was buried in crimson curls. Gojyo glanced over at
Hakkai. His lover wasn’t acting the least bit embarrassed or reserved. Hakkai
was teetering on being proud of the pictures.

The album transitioned back to staged shots. Gojyo
narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two silhouetted figures. A scrim was used
as well as white backlight for this shot. The couple’s silhouette was very
clear. The lines were crisp and clean. Gonou was behind a woman. Gojyo assumed
it was Ah’Nesty. He paused and looked at the shape of the breasts. Cutting his
eyes to Ah’Nesty’s chest, he mentally compensated for her thick clothing and
his mouth dropped open, “No way. You got Kanan to
pose?”

Hakkai sighed, “Yes, that’s her. It only looks like
she’s naked.” Gods, she was beautiful – even in silhouette.

Gojyo lowered his face and stared at the feminine
curves. “Bullshit, I see nipples.”

Hakkai chuckled, “I didn’t say she was fully clothed.
Just that she wasn’t fully naked.”

Gojyo lifted an eyebrow, “Does that mean that you
are?”

Hakkai laughed.

Gojyo clacked his teeth. That laugh told him jack
shit.

The picture cut off at the couple’s hips. She had her
back arched and her head rolled back. He was in front of her with his hand in
the small of her back. Her long hair hovered freely a few inches from the
beginning of the curve of her ass. Gonou had his lips apart and the tip of his
tongue was barely visible. He was in the process of lowering his head to her
chest.

Gojyo raised an eyebrow. Kanan
had nice tits. Damn nice tits. He knew that broke “the guy rule”, but he
couldn’t help it. Those tits were full and perky. With nipples that screamed,
“Come lick me!” He took another big drink of vodka as his cock twitched. Why
did the powers that be make him such a slave to the pleasures of the flesh?

The next notable shot required a tripod and a remote
shutter trip.

Gonou and Ah’Nesty were kneeling on something covered
in black fabric. He was behind her. His shoulders were visible around her smaller
frame and it seemed as if he was naked. She was naked from the waist up. Waist
down was covered by The Skirt.

That small detail made Gojyo feel a little bit better
about his imaginative indulgences. Apparently the redhead wasn’t the only one
who had a thing for those uniform skirts.

Gonou had one hand on her outer thigh and it was
riding up under her skirt. His other hand was curled under one of her breasts.

Her head was rolled back against his shoulder. One of
her hands was curled around the nape of his neck and the other was traveling
into his long hair.

His lips were sealed against the curve of her
shoulder. Long brunet hair curtained to the side of his face and partially down
their arms.

The angle was such that one half-lidded emerald eye was
captured peeking out from her dyed strawberry-blonde hair and his chestnut
bangs.

Gojyo had to ask. He simply had to ask, “So
tell me…” he mischievously grinned and glanced at Ah’Nesty, “Do you still have
that skirt?”

Hakkai shot a knowing look at his lover and snickered

She heavily sighed, “Gods, what is it with you men
and uniform skirts? No, I don’t have that skirt anymore.”

Hakkai sighed and looked close to disappointed.

Gojyo pressed the issue, “Do you have any
skirt?” If they were going through with this plan tonight, then there was
nothing wrong with enjoying it. Live in the moment, right?

She nodded, “Yes, I have a skirt.”

Hakkai and Gojyo exchanged a glance. The former
teacher spoke, “Could you put it on?”

With an exasperated sigh, she stood up and headed for
the bedroom muttering about how men were hopeless.

Gojyo’s hands whipped to Hakkai’s shoulders and
pulled his lover into a biting kiss.

Hakkai folded his arms around Kenren’s shoulders and
gave back every bit he was given.

Gojyo broke kiss and twisted his fingers into shot
chestnut locks, “You are incredibly sexy. Do you have any idea the things I
want to do to you right now?”

Hakkai smirked, “Wouldn’t that be with me?”

Gojyo slid off the couch and pushed Hakkai onto the
rug, “With my mood, it would be to you.”

“Is that so?”

Kenren snapped to attention; he looked at Gojyo,
“Man, you might wanna consider letting me handle
this.”

Gojyo whipped a finger at Kenren, “Back off, he’s all
mine.”

Kenren smirked, “I wouldn’t agree with that.”

Gojyo nearly snarled. He had a hard-on that was 10
minutes shy of filing an official grievance. He’d be damned if anyone was going
to get between him and the target of his lustful yearnings, “He’s my
lover not yours!”

Kenren shook his head. How did anyone deal with
someone so stubborn? “Hard headed!” The fact that the
brunet was Kenren’s lover first sprang to mind, but ,
of course, Gojyo wouldn’t understand that. “You’ve always got to learn the hard
way. Fine!” He smirked, “Do me a favor, say, ‘Yes,
that’s so’.”

***

Gonou leaned against a dead living tree. It would be
a while before that taste was out of his mouth.

Hakkai patted his back.

Gonou wiped his mouth and his head spun as he stood
up. “We are never drinking that much again.”

Hakkai nodded, “Yes, yes, you should lie back down.”
He made a mental note to not let Gonou lie on his back. He checked to see if
the human’s color was off. It was. There was a tinge of green just under
Gonou’s jaw.

Gonou slowly nodded and leaned on his demon self,
“Yes. I should.” What the hell was in those drinks? He’d been drunk before, but
never anything like this. His feet and hands were numb as well as being
stubborn. They wouldn’t go anywhere he told them to go. His mind seemed to only
process half the information around him. His words felt so clear in his own
mouth but slurred in his own ears. Furthermore, his stomach was lodging
official complaints against his last meal, which was--- Oh look, a blade of
grass. My, wasn’t it green. A full rich green. A green that spoke of life. Odd, how it wasn’t the pale
green of juvenile grass, but the deep green of fully matured grass.

Hakkai helped his former self to the human’s favorite
tree.

Gonou curled his hands into fists.

Hakkai knitted his brow, “Are you cold?”

Five minutes passed. During that time positively
nothing crossed Gonou’s thoughts. “Huh?” He could tell someone spoke to him. He
had no clue what was said

Hakkai put his hand on the back of Gonou’s neck. “Are
you cold?”

Gonou looked at the four people speaking to him and
wondering which one thought he was sick, “No, I think I drank too much.”

Hakkai softly smiled, “Not, do you have a cold. Are
you cold?”

Gonou blinked four times as the question swam through
liquor and reached his mind. “Yes. No. Maybe.” Parts
of him were cold, but other parts were sweating and if he was sweating that
meant he was hot. Right? Wait. Maybe it is the other
way around. No. That was right. Wait. What were they talking about again?

Hakkai patted the human’s skin and softly sighed,
“You’re cold.” He helped Gonou sit upon the ground.

Gonou settled against the dirt and push a hand to his
bangs. “No, I’m…” He pushed his fingers into his skin. His fingers felt funny.
It was like they were there, but not there. Numb didn’t quite cover this. His
mind went blank.

Hakkai patiently waited for Gonou to finish the
sentence.

Gonou knitted his brow. There was a thought here.
There really was. He was going to say something. It was important too. “What
was I saying?”

“You were telling me you were cold.”

“That’s right.” He slowly nodded, “After all I have
said, why are you being so nice to me?”

Hakkai warmly smiled, “Do unto others as you would
have them do unto you. Forgiveness is in our nature.” Besides all that – Hakkai
knew Gonou was a complete headcase. Loony. Bonkers. Certifiably
insane. Not much that came from the human brunet should be taken at face
value. Some of it should be completely discarded. Very little should be heeded
and all of it required listening to what wasn’t said as well as what was said.

Hakkai started counting the seconds between Gonou’s
breaths.

Gonou was feeling the brunt of the 140-proof alcohol.
Hakkai felt what alcohol Gonou couldn’t process as well as the thujone. That little difference made all the difference.
While one was trying to skirt alcohol poisoning the other was seeing
interpretive reality. Hakkai saw Gonou how the human really was. A confused
broken man who was terrified his love for Gojyo would only end in tragedy. A man who was willing to break his own heart and live in solitude
before he would risk being too late for another dear one.

Sanguinans was utterly fascinated with the sounds of
the chains. He held one link in one hand and tapped it against another link.
The talons upon his free hand were tapping everywhere he could reach in his
corner of Hakkai’s mind. He was grooving to music only he could hear and sang.
“I’ll always be by your side in the shadow in the light.”

Tenpou, tipsy and feeling damn good, was enjoying
control of the host.

***

Gojyo smiled at the deliciousness now trapped beneath
him, “Yes, that’s so.”

A sly smiled slipped upon Hakkai’s face, “Do tell me
these wicked things you want to do.”

Gojyo wrapped his fingers around Hakkai’s wrists and
pushed them into the rug, “I want to pin you beneath me.” He nipped at Hakkai’s
ear, “And rip your clothing off.”

A brunet eyebrow lifted. This sounded vaguely
familiar.

Dismissing the slightly different look in those
emerald eyes as absinthe generated, Gojyo continued, “Once you’re naked and
restrained and completely at my mercy, I want to ravish you. Grope you. Lick
you. Taste you and sink my teeth in your flesh.” He ground his hips against
Hakkai’s and moaned.

Hakkai writhed before Gojyo and moaned. He rocked his
hardness against his lover’s, “Be careful, I bite back.”

“I won’t give you the chance.”

Ah’Nesty stood in the doorway to the common areas of
the cabin. She was totally dumbstruck. The man she knew as Gonou was on his
back beneath a lover. Som with his hands above his
head and pinned to the floor. Som writhing with his
emerald eyes surrounded by long crimson locks – it was almost as if the crimson
was staking a claim upon the emerald. Som with his neck captured by another’s lips. All the while
this stranger in a friend’s body looked and sounded ecstatic.

This was not the man she knew.

This was not the man who knelt ninety percent of the
time. This was not the man who would kneel for a blowjob. This was not the man
who got turned on when naked flesh rubbed against his clothed body.

Hakkai. This guy’s name was
Hakkai. Hakkai -- who dressed conservatively and conventionally.
Hakkai -- who stayed in this cabin because of road conditions; Som didn’t need a road much less care about the conditions.
Hakkai who had Gonou’s voice, eyes and just enough the “wild
child’s” spirit to hearken hope.

The difference between the two men who shared the
body she once held never seemed so stark.

There had to be some of Gonou lingering inside that
body. A person just doesn’t change to that degree no matter what they’ve been
through.

As far as she could tell, being here didn’t bring out
the man she knew. The photo albums and the stories didn’t invoke the rebel
spirit she’d grown to love.

She was out of subtle tricks – almost.

She never held delusions that she could steal the
brunet from Gojyo’s arms. Well, maybe for a little while in the beginning, but
that quickly faded beyond her reach.

Still yet, a part of her yearned for a final taste of
the man she once made moan. A kiss goodbye is what this night had become.

She took a step into the room.

Gojyo lifted his head from Hakkai’s partially clothed
chest. Hakkai craned his neck back and looked at her upside down.

My, my, she was wearing a skirt. A
short one too. It flared nicely and hugged her waist. Was there anything
denim couldn’t do?

Hakkai stretched out a hand. Her skirt billowed
slightly as she knelt beside the two men.

The Rubicon was just crossed. Come morning someone
was going to have regrets. The question was: who and to what degree?

Hakkai slipped a hand over her shoulder and curled
his fingers around the nape of her neck. Nudging her lips toward his own, he
set out to kiss the first woman he’d kissed since leaving work one fateful day.

Gojyo rested back upon his shins. He watched them
kiss and a knot formed in his stomach. He had Hakkai’s love. He knew that. He
didn’t doubt that, but this just didn’t sit well with him. Those lips were his,
damn it!

Gojyo softly shook his head. When had he become so
possessive? He wasn’t possessive. Not Sha Gojyo.
There was a time when he didn’t care if a lover was with someone else the night
before, the night after or even later that day. He had a moment of fun
forgetting. They got to experience the wonders of having him in bed. That was
all. When it was all said and done they’d leave or want him to leave. He’d
experienced more than his fair share of threesomes and was able to fall into
the lust of it all too easily.

That’s right, this was a
whole lot more than lust. There was, indeed, a healthy amount of lust in his
and Hakkai’s relationship, but there was genuine love too.

Sha Gojyo,
Drifter Lover – not so much anymore.

Hakkai stretched a hand out. Someone was missing from
this stolen moment of life.

With a sardonic grin, Gojyo interlaced their fingers.

Hakkai squeezed Gojyo’s hand.

Gojyo shook his head and his smile changed to a lazy
grin. Hakkai really was going through with this – that crazy bastard. He
watched them kiss. Lips twitched against each other. Glimpses of dancing
tongues flashed in the firelight. Hakkai wasn’t nearly that quiet under one of
Gojyo’s kisses. Take that – woman. Now there’s an idea – turn this into a bit
of competition. That’d work.

Amazing what the mind will construct when it is
trying to deal with recently surfaced issues. The things people think about to
keep from thinking about what they don’t want to think about is outlandish. Mental gymnastics. Seeing problems that
might not be there. Misinterpreting a drink. Blowing up a kiss. Creating a competition.
All of it needless, but Gojyo didn’t see it that way.

He was trying to avoid thinking about his mother and
how right she was. He was trying to avoid the whole matter of his dick being a
weapon. He was ducking, dodging and deflecting. Hakkai was a bit too
intoxicated to see it. Ah’Nesty didn’t know Gojyo well enough to see it.

Times like this are when people fall back to a known
good. When faced with a problem, people will go for tried and true tactics
before getting creative. After all, why reinvent the wheel?

Bed hopping therapy -- Here I come.

Gojyo turned Hakkai’s wrist and began nibbling down
his lover’s arm.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sanzo eyed the dark mercantile, “Why are we here?”

Goku tried the door and with a soft click it opened.
The hinges softy creaked as the door opened. “Because this is where it is.”
Once both of them were inside, he took Sanzo’s cloak off the blond’s shoulders.

Sanzo eyed his lover. What was the monkey planning?
He reached for the lights.

Goku stopped Sanzo’s hand with a gentle touch. “Leave
them off.” He grinned, “Let me ask you something.” He dropped his cloak and
mischievously snickered, “Do you want to play a game of cards?”

“If I say ‘no’?”

“I respect that.”

“If I say ‘yes’?”

Goku chuckled, “Then you are so mine.”

Violet eyes shifted, as he took in the playful look
in those golden orbs, “What if I want to deal?”

“I don’t think you’ll want to once you see what I
have planned.”

Sanzo sighed, “Tch. You and your plans.” He looked directly into those golden
eyes, “You’ve been around Hakkai too much.”

Goku missed the implication of Sanzo’s comment and
took Sanzo’s hand, “Let’s go through this again. Cave.
Temple. Quest. There are like three people in my life. I’m around
all of you too much.”

Sanzo followed Goku on a winding path through the
store. They passed household goods, first aid supplies and moonlit foodstuffs.
Eventually, they made it through to the clothing section. By this time they were
so deep into the mercantile it was difficult to see. After bumping into a clothing rack Sanzo gritted his teeth, “Enough with the
games, Monkey.”

Goku stopped and fished through his clothing. “Let me
use your lighter.”

A blond eyebrow lifted. Clothing, darkness, Goku,
lighter: those did not add up to anything pleasant. “No.”

“Oh c’mon, Sanzo, I’m not gonna
burn the place down. I’m just gonna light a hurricane
lamp.” He pulled the glass flume off and tapped it against the base.

“Tch.” Sanzo fished through his
robes and pulled out his bic lighter.

Goku palmed the lighter and brushed his lips against
his lover’s, “Let the dealing begin.” With one flick of the cheap lighter, the
lamp was lit. He adjusted the wick and moved the light to the object of his
plan.

Violet eyes flicked as Sanzo eyed the three
floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Three-way dressing room mirrors. Sanzo’s stomach
flipped. Visions of the window reflection filled his mind. Heat began to pool
between his legs.

Goku stood beside Sanzo listening to the sound of his
heart beating. He wasn’t sure what this prolonged silence meant.

Sanzo lifted an eyebrow and softly spoke, “Goku?”
This lover knew him. How could there ever be any doubt?

“Yes?” He tried to make his voice sound steady and
wasn’t sure if it worked.

Sanzo turned toward Goku and curled his fingers
around his lover’s chin, “We’re playing two games tonight.”

Goku’s lips were captured before he could speak.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Confident that Gonou was safe, albeit checked out,
Hakkai walked up to Tenpou. He wore a sweet smile upon his face and had his
hands clasped behind his back. He took a moment to watch the long-haired
brunet.

Tenpou was blissfully oblivious to Hakkai’s presence.

Hakkai tapped Tenpou on the shoulder, “Pardon me?”

Tenpou turned his head, “Yes.”

Hakkai softly chuckled, “While the cat’s away the
mice will play?”

Tenpou laughed, “Don’t you have a patient?”

Hakkai nodded, “Yes, two. Neither of them are here.”

“Two?” Tenpou lifted an eyebrow, “What about all
those grandiose words about this being about a certain male redhead?”

Hakkai acquiesced the point
– a little bit, “That’s the bulk of it, but there’s nothing wrong with sharing
the healing.”

Tenpou shook his head, “Go tend to Gonou, you’re too
much of a prude to enjoy this moment.”

Hakkai’s eyes grew wide. “A prude?”
He had been in a long-term sexual relationship with his sister. A relationship
for which he felt no regrets nor reservations
concerning its incestuous nature. A relationship which had
plenty of powerful moments of bliss as well as sweet tender moments.
This was not the behavior of someone who lacked an understanding and
appreciation of the pleasures of the flesh. From where did this prudish image
of him originate? “I am not a prude nor am I frigid.”

Tenpou laughed, “My, my, the things I’ve done would
turn your stomach. You, compared to me, are a prude. “

Hakkai shook his head and sweetly smiled, “That’s
because you are an unrestrained freak.”

“Earlier a joke was made about ‘tossed salad’. Do you
even know that that is?”

“Vernacular changes. Many phrases have geographic
limitations –“

Tenpou interrupted, “Stop, please. You don’t know
what it is and you are afraid that if you out and out admit to that then you
are validating my point.” He flittered his fingertips in the air, “Run along
and go play with the human.”

Hakkai crossed his arms over his chest, “Excuse me,
but I know you aren’t accusing me of not being able to run with the big dogs.”

Tenpou smirked.

Hakkai cleared his throat, “So tell me, why is it
that you are here in the first place, Big Dog?” If the long-haired man was so
incredibly wonderful, then why didn’t he have his own host body?

Tenpou grew silent. Surely there was a snarky reply to this.

Hakkai chuckled, “I’ll make a deal with you. Let me
have this night and I will step aside for you later.”

Tenpou grinned, “I’ll go keep an eye on Gonou. He’s
had too much to drink.” Could he use this deal to reconnect with Kenren? That
would be delicious. He waved over his shoulder, “Remember a deal is a deal.”

“Of course.” Hakkai had this nagging
feeling that he was going to regret that deal.

***

With his lover on one side of his neck and Ah’Nesty
on the other, Hakkai moaned. He curled arms around them and pressed his fingers
between their shoulder blades.

Gojyo shifted clothing out of his way as he carried
his attentions to the center of Hakkai’s collarbone. His tongue touched someone
else’s.

Gojyo and Ah’Nesty paused briefly as their eyes met.
Gojyo softly smiled and drew her into a kiss.

Hakkai tilted his head up and watched the two of them
kiss over his chest. This was all coming together nicely. They may not see it
now, but that kiss was incredibly important. For Gojyo to have reached a point
that he could look at her, much less kiss her, was a turning point. For
Ah’Nesty to reach a point where she could kiss him was also a turning point.
Hakkai was so good he could kiss himself. Instead of doing the physically
impossible, he began to remove their clothing. His foot shifted and touched a trying
to sleep dragon. With a soft chuckle he spoke, “There is a more comfortable
place to do this.”

Gojyo broke the kiss and looked into her artificially
gray eyes. There was a little trepidation in those eyes, but he thought he saw
some understanding also. With a soft smile, he whispered, “Please tell me this
is better than gum.”

“Yes, this is worlds better than gum.” Could she do
this? She knew Som knew her limitations and wouldn’t
cross that line, but Gojyo didn’t know her sexual quirks as well as her former
lover. What if – her eyes went wide as a hand traveled up her shirt. She laughed and looked at Hakkai, “I was waiting for
this.”

He shrugged, “They’re right there, being neglected. I
can’t have that. That would be rude.”

Gojyo chuckled. Was it that Hakkai had come a long
way or was it that Hakkai was going back to where he was before? Going forward
or regressing --- somehow they both felt like progress. Or maybe, this show was
from the beverage choice of the evening. He shifted to his feet and offered
each of them a hand, “Yes, there is a more comfortable place to do this.”

As they walked into the bedroom, Hakkai touched
Gojyo’s elbow.

Gojyo turned toward Hakkai.

Hakkai whispered, “Nothing inside.”

Gojyo lifted an eyebrow. Well, that just shot to shit
all sorts of ideas. Wait. “You mean her,
right?”

Hakkai nodded, “Yes.”

Thanks for the reminder, Hakkai. Gojyo huffed. That wasn’t
as limiting, but he could work with it. The question was,
could she live with that – for the rest of her life.

Hakkai stepped into the bedroom and began to remove
his remaining clothing. It was time to show Gojyo that misunderstandings of the
past need not always linger.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The partial trapezoid of the three-way mirrors was
dotted with lit hurricane lamps and two men had shed their clothing. Sanzo had
Goku smushed against one of the mirrors.

Goku, pinned between the cold of a looking-glass and
the heat of His Sanzo, writhed in burgeoning ecstasy. His back squeaked against
the mirror as Sanzo dropped to his knees.

Sanzo’s hands slid to Goku’s hips and curled under
his lover’s thighs.

Goku wrapped his legs around Sanzo’s waist.

Violet eyes peered over a bronze shoulder. He saw the
reflection of his chakra and his cock throbbed. This was something he most
certainly wasn’t allowed to do. This was blatantly forbidden. He was going to
thoroughly enjoy this.

With his weight distributed between Sanzo’s body and
the mirror behind him, Goku slipped his fingers into the back of his lover’s
hair and tilted Sanzo’s head back. He teethed his
lover’s jaw before carrying his nips to a porcelain neck.

Sanzo moaned as his skin was pinched between his
lover’s teeth. Small tweaks of painful pleasure poked at his body. Each pinch
headed straight for his core. Each muted hum from his golden-eyed lover rumbled
down his body. Each touch from Goku seemed to send electricity through him.

Sanzo enjoyed being under Goku, but he was beginning
to love this.

Sanzo reached to the side and felt around for Goku’s
discarded pants. He fished through the fabric and found the bottle of oil.
Lifting his hands over his lover’s head, he poured some of the oil onto his
fingers.

Goku opened his eyes and looked around Sanzo’s neck.
He saw the reflection of the back of His naked Sanzo in the opposing mirror.
Together they were kneeling upon white robes. Pale feet were pointed and tucked
under his lover’s hips.

Due to Sanzo’s unique influences, Goku knew no one
was perfect, but, damn, Sanzo was close. The shape of Sanzo’s
practically perfectly formed ass shifted up under the combined body weight. A
soft line of shadow decorated Sanzo’s skin right where back and ass met. The
small of Sanzo’s back was halved with a sharp line of deep shadow right over
the blond’s spine. The muscle tone created
“hand-holds” that seemed to almost perfectly fit Goku’s hands – even if he
couldn’t reach them now. The 22-inch waist flared out to broad shoulders and
smooth muscles that, at times, didn’t seem to fit on Sanzo’s frame. But, fit
they did. Under those robes and that black silk shirt, resided a body which had
to be designed by the gods.

Sanzo had been picked up, tossed around, chewed up
and nearly beaten by life. The evidence of turmoil resided in what was
“perfect” skin. “Flawless” because of the flaws – at least
according to “Goku Logic”. Sitting atop this reflection of near
perfection was golden hair that evoked jealousy from the sun. The light from
the flames of the hurricane lamps twinkled and glimmered in those warm golden
strands. The glow seemed to put a halo around Sanzo’s head – albeit a tilted
one.

Scars and a tilted halo -- to most these would not
become near perfection. To most these would not contribute to the state of
being flawless. Most were not Goku. There was one Goku in the entire universe
and there was one sun for Goku.

The light beckoned on a two-way street, but Sanzo
would never admit to that – at least not with words. With actions, he admitted
to it on a regular basis. The message was only conveyed when someone had the
right ears to listen and the right logic to comprehend. Such were the ears of
the golden-eyed man-child and such was the reasoning of “Goku Logic”.

Sanzo snaked a hand between them and under Goku’s
pelvis. Slicked fingers danced against Goku’s flesh.

Golden eyes squeezed shut and he rolled his head
back. A soft humming moan left him. He was being smothered with his obsession
and at this moment life couldn’t get much better. He hissed as Sanzo’s long
thin fingers penetrated his body.

Sanzo rocked his hand and nipped at Goku’s ear,
“That’s two.”

Goku shook his head, “No, that’s good.”

Sanzo’s fingers flittered inside Goku’s warm velvet
sleeve. He found the firm but soft resistance of his lover’s sweet spot and
mercilessly rubbed.

Goku writhed between his lover and mirror. His eyes
opened halfway as tingles cascaded over his cheeks and down his neck. Over his
lover’s shoulder, he saw their reflection again. The pleasure in his body came
forth in his eyes. The need for more resided in his flushed cheeks. His lips
quivered as his lover’s name rushed from him.

Sanzo’s shoulders jerked as Goku pulled on him. He
listened to the growing urgency in Goku’s pleas. He waited until the younger
man’s voice cracked during a moan and stopped the delicious torture before he
had to deal with whimpering. Curling his fingers around his own shaft, he
rubbed the residual oil over his length.

Goku used the moment to catch his breath. Breath that
wasn’t sure if it wanted to be caught. He could fight for hours and barely
break a sweat. A few moments with Sanzo and his own breath evaded him.

Sanzo shifted his hands to Goku’s ass and lifted.
“Ready?”

“More than I could ever say.”

With a partial smirk, Sanzo lowered Goku.

Goku futilely tried to watch his reflection, but the
waves of heat expanding inside of him made his vision blur. His body weight
completed the impaling in one smooth movement. His head rolled back again and
he cried out. His lover was deeply inside of him and his muscles twitched
trying to a place to rest – a place that balanced the pain and pleasure
spectrum.

A shiver ran down Sanzo’s spine as Goku’s body
fluttered around his length. He bit his bottom lip, but a soft moan escaped the
flesh prison.

Goku whined, “It hurts.” Why this time as opposed to
the others, he’d never know.

Sanzo brushed his lips against Goku’s neck, “Too
bad?”

“Nah. It’d be worse if you
stopped.”

“It’ll feel better soon. Let your body adjust.”

Goku moaned as his cock throbbed. Sanzo felt much
deeper than he’d ever been. Perhaps it was the position. Perhaps it was because
there was nothing to counter balance his body weight. Perhaps it was the
direction of the wind.

Who knew? Who cared? It was quickly beginning to feel
marvelous.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hakkai knelt upon the bed behind Ah’Nesty. Gojyo
knelt in front of her. Ah’Nesty moaned as two warm firm bodies sandwiched her.
She was the meat in the delicious man-sandwich and her head swooned.

They insisted she keep the skirt on. Hakkai’s hands
traveled over her bare knees and slightly lifted her skirt as he carried his
touch to her cloth covered hips. Teasing tickles followed the wake of his touch
over her waist and ribs. Sliding his fingers down her arms, he lifted her
wrists and interlaced their fingers.

Gojyo’s hands traveled over her abdomen and paused
for a moment to cup her breasts. They fit precisely in his hands. Gently
kneading her mounds, he nipped at her neck.

She rolled her head to the side and fell into the
oblivion of the touch bombardment.

Gojyo slid his hands down her arms and curled his
fingers over his lover’s.

Emerald met crimson over her shoulder. Their lips met
and their tongues danced.

She could hear their wet kiss in her ear. Hakkai’s
arousal pressed into her back. Gojyo’s cock pushed into her abdomen. She moaned
as wetness found its way to her inner thigh.

Hakkai slipped a hand free and wrapped it to his
lover’s side. He gripped the masculine flesh.

Gojyo moaned into the kiss under his lover’s
semi-rough touch.

Hakkai slipped his other hand free and snaked it
between Gojyo’s and Ah’Nesty’s flesh. Shifting his weight back, he pulled her
back a bit and his hand found one of her nipples. Rolling the pink bud between
his fingers, his lips captured the side of her neck. Emerald eyes flicked up
and pierced Gojyo’s gaze. Using his available hand he curled his index finger
beckoning Gojyo to come closer.

Gojyo slyly smiled and realized this was the
dominating lover Ah’Nesty once knew. He’d let this ride for a bit, but good ol’ Hakkai wasn’t going to totally control this.

Gojyo was the master of the bedroom arts and he
wished people would just accept that as a given and work with it. Keeping her
arms outstretched, Gojyo’s lips found her neglected breast. He’d find his “in”
it was just a matter of time.

For twenty minutes, Ah’Nesty reveled in the
attentions of two breast-men who were in a male/male relationship.
Progressively their touches, licks and nips grew rougher, she moaned as lines
of sharp pleasure shot inside her body. Streamlined heat focused between her
legs and unconsciously her hips rocked seeking sensation that would relieve her
of this burgeoning need. A whimpering moan left her as relief was denied.

Hakkai smiled; the skirt trick worked. She was
rocking against nothing. She was at the point of needing touch. Hakkai
touched his fingertips to her thigh and slipped his hand under her skirt.

Gojyo freed one hand and slipped it up her other
thigh.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No one noticed that the radio had turned itself off.

Jiroshin looked over at the Great Kannon, “Why did you do that?”

She smirked, “Remember the butterflies, Jiroshin. If we listen carefully enough, we can hear the
wings flap.”

“Feel like playing dice, my lady?”

She sighed, “I don’t have much of a choice.”

He knitted his brow, “Aside from the obvious, why are
you so interested in this?”

She crossed her arms over her bosom and took in a
deep breath. “If the wings flap hard enough and if it goes in the right
direction, then Gojyo will know his mother was wrong.”

“That’s two big if’s. What if
it doesn’t work out so nicely?”

She chuckled, “That’s all in the wake of the wings
and the roll of the dice.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hands traveled over her flushed skin and pressed
against her body. Fingers mingled with fingers between her thighs and she could
no longer tell whose touch was whose. Her skin hummed under their attentions.
Balling her denim skirt in her hands, she released a long moan.

Hakkai’s fingers seemed to have lost no time
remembering this lover. He deftly slipped between her pink folds of flesh and
found her clit. No two women were alike. Each woman has a way to be touched
that is wrong, right, too much and not enough. Som
knew her body. He knew exactly how to touch her as well as how to teeter on
that line between too much and not enough. The tip of his middle finger stroked
down her clitoral hood and moisture coated his fingers.

Gojyo may have not known her, but he knew women. He
knew that some things were “standard” such as the misconception that it was all
about one small part of a woman’s body. The “center of pleasure” was important,
but there were many more touches that fed the hungry beast Euphoria. His
fingers rubbed the insides of her thighs and tickled the crimson curls of her
sex. While his lover shifted strokes to small circles, Gojyo tantalized her
inner folds.

Her back stiffened and a small gasp filled her lungs.

Hakkai whispered, “You’re alright. Relax.” He wanted
to finish that statement, but that was one sentence reserved for someone else.
“You’re fine.”

Gojyo backed his fingers and looked up at Hakkai. Should
I stop?

Hakkai subtly shook his head. Go on.

This was too surreal for words -- Gojyo taking
signals from Hakkai in reference to bedroom skills. The irony wasn’t missed on
the men.

Gojyo returned his touch, but this time it was
broader. He kneaded her moist flesh as a whole instead of teasing just the
parts. When Hakkai’s fingertips brushed the heel of his hand, his cock would
twitch.

Hakkai reluctantly gave her nipple a rest and shifted
his hand to her lower abdomen. Skillful fingers massaged her flesh.

Gojyo lowered his kisses and ran his tongue in the
crease under her breast. Crimson eyes flicked up.

Emerald eyed flicked down. Concupiscence in those
crimson eyes never failed to take his breath – this time was no different. He
lifted his head from her neck and silently mouthed, ‘Kiss me.’

Gojyo grinned and happily sought to satisfy all of
his lover’s desires.

As crimson and emerald connected over her shoulder,
she was once against pressed between two prime examples of the male specimen.
Warmth of flesh surrounded her, touch embraced her, the sounds of passion
filled her ears, slowly she opened her eyes and looked
up at the ceiling. A plaintive moan left her as her thighs began to quake.
Release was building inside … pressure … pressure … calling … calling…

Gojyo broke the kiss when he felt her breath hitching
against his chest. He lifted an eyebrow.

Hakkai softly nodded.

Gojyo’s lips found one of her breasts as Hakkai’s
hand found the other.

Lines of heat penetrated her body and she cried out.
Her hips jerked erratically as the muscles of her pelvic floor seized. Her
senses flashed white as pleasure exploded inside of her. A series of
incomprehensible sounds left her that ended with, “Gonou!”

Gojyo looked at his lover.

Hakkai smirked and shrugged. It had been a long time since that name had
been called out in that tone. It didn’t sound nearly as nice as he remembered
it.

***

Gonou opened his eyes. He swayed as he tried to sit
up.

Tenpou shook his head, “Don’t make me punch you again,
please.” He smiled sweetly.

The metaphorical world around Gonou spun. He gripped
the dirt beneath him as a smug bastard in glasses smiled at him. “He’s …through
… plan … bad… “ That was a full sentence in Gonou’s mind.

Tenpou nodded, “Yes, indeed, isn’t life grand?”

Gonou tried to shake his head, but that made the
spinning worse.

Tenpou watched Gonou turn green, “Oh dear, this isn’t
good.”

***

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The back of Goku’s diadem ticked against the mirror.
With one had gripping the back of Sanzo’s neck and the other pressed between
his lover’s shoulders, Goku hung on as his body was rocked. The position pressed his sweet spot against
Sanzo’s shaft. Vibrations of pleasure radiated inside of him from the special
touch. Full pleasure surrounded him from the deep probing. His world bounced as
his face went feverish.

Sanzo had his fingers curled around the back of the
brunet’s shoulders. With Goku’s legs up the pressure inside the smaller man’s
body was intense. So tight. So very
tight. His thrusts were short, but powerful. Warm flesh surrounded him.
Fog in his mind from the alcohol earlier made this seem surreal. Slowly, he
opened his eyes and saw two circles of violet looking back at him. He could see
the lust in his own eyes. The tainting of violet was clear. He watched as
pleasure blossomed in his own eyes.

Illicit didn’t cover this. This left forbidden a long
time ago. This … this … was feeling. This was living. This was doing things his own way.

Blond bangs bounced revealing his chakra. Pleasure
screamed inside of him. His teeth parted as he cried out long and loud. His
stomach muscles flexed as his thighs quivered. Goku’s name left his lips as a
series of whispers. Holding his lover close – he danced the dance of release.

Goku smiled and nuzzled his lips in the crook of
Sanzo’s neck. He could feel Sanzo twitching inside of him. He claimed the
opportunity to catch his breath. “That sounded like a good one. I’m willing to
bet your throat tingles.”

Sanzo hummed against Goku’s shoulder. His throat was
tingling.

“The plan, I did good?”

Sanzo nipped Goku’s neck, “You did great.”

Goku snickered.

“Don’t let it get to your head.”

Goku laughed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hakkai looked down at Ah’Nesty; her black hair pooled
around her head and gray eyes blinked up at him. Propped up on his hands and
knees, he smiled at her. “It’s been a long time.”

She nodded, “Too long perhaps?”

He shook his head, “It’s like riding a bike.” He
nuzzled her neck and whispered, “I am only going to do the things I have done
before. You know that, right?”

A whispering, “Yes,” left her as he worked his way
down her body.

Gojyo smirked as he slipped from the bed. This was
too prefect. He had to go for it. Stealthily, he walked over to his pack. His
fingers touched the red leather bag.

[“The red leather bag
doesn’t have to come into this.”]

He
paused and knitted his brow. No one would fault him for being a teensy bit
selfish, would they? He glanced at Hakkai’s pack and back at the red leather
bag.

Hakkai tongued her naval and curled his arms around
her hips. She moaned as he nipped his way down her lower abdomen. His chin
brushed crimson curls and her fingers found chestnut locks.

Gojyo deviously grinned as he watched the couple.
Hakkai’s hips were high in the air – just asking to be taken. He had to jump on
this. He would have to relinquish the title of Pervy
Water Sprite if he didn’t. He looked at Hakkai’s pack. Call him selfish. Call
him greedy. Call him whatever the label might be, but that that red leather bag
was his and his alone. Surely, Hakkai still had something in his toiletry bag.

He fished past actual toiletries and his fingers
found a heavy stiff cardboard canister. He pulled it out. The moonlight let him
see the deep green of the canister and he could tell something was written on a
black label, but he couldn’t make it out.

Hakkai pointed his tongue and worked it between her
folds of flesh. A blend of sweet and tang washed over his tongue.

She took in a sharp gasp as the tip of his tongue
traced her clit.

Hakkai curled his tongue around her nub and drew it
between his teeth. As he gently sucked upon it, he could feel her swelling. He
knew the alphabet technique was a fallacy. He had no desire to write his name
or any of that juvenile bogus information. This was swirling and caressing.
This was sucking and flicking.

As her moans increased in volume, her hips began to
rock. Being mindful of his teeth, he pressed his fingers into her hips to hold
her static.

Pulling the top off the canister, Gojyo found a glass
bottle inside. Holding the bottle up to the moonlight, he saw a deep violet
liquid inside. When he pulled the cork out a fruity scent filled his senses.
Waving the cork under his nose the layers of scent unfolded. A full robust
fruity smell was supported by an earthy foundation. Unsure if this was warming
oil, he swiped the cork down his wrist. He rubbed the oil into his skin and the
underlying scent rose to the surface as the fruity smell slipped to the
background. The complex mixture now smelled more of vanilla with a twist of
coconut.

The oil blended clear and left a soft iridescent
sheen upon his wrist. The oil wasn’t warming. He pointed his tongue and licked
his wrist. It was sweet. Almost too sweet. The
sweetness faded and a tang tantalized his taste buds that shifted to a warm
spicy taste with a hint of creamy coconut.

His head swirled and tiny tingle danced on the tip of
his tongue. Testing the viscosity on his wrist, he walked toward the bed. This
would work and work nicely. The tingle upon tongue faded and his cock throbbed.

Her essence flooded around Hakkai’s tongue. Her nub
stiffened between his lips then began to recoil. She was almost there.

Her breath raced in an out of her in short bursts.
Simultaneously getting too much and not enough air, her head spun. She yanked
her fingers from his hair and gripped his shoulders.

He applied more pressure with his tongue. With her
wetness upon his chin and cheeks, he pressed into her flesh. Holding on tightly
to her hips, he prepared for the inevitable buck.

A mad rush of “Don’t stop’s” left her as her back
arched from the bed. An internal itch was yelling inside of her – demanding
attention. Her thighs tensed and she screamed as her body bounced in burgeoning
euphoria. “Gods. Gods. Gods!”

Gojyo leaned over and ran the tip of his tongue down
Hakkai’s spine.

Emerald eyes went wide. He almost lost his rhythm.

Her hips bucked off the bed as she screamed.

Hakkai lifted in tandem with her buck and could feel
her throbbing against his lips.

With his fingers well lubricated, Gojyo invaded his
lover’s body.

Hakkai’s mouth flew open and he cried out.

Her hips crashed to the mattress alone.

Gojyo leaned over Hakkai’s back and knelt on the
mattress behind his lover, “Miss me?”

Hakkai nodded and an affirmative hum left him. His
body twitched around Gojyo’s fingers.

Ah’Nesty looked down her body and saw half-lidded
emerald looking up at her. She watched his lips quiver around moans and his
chest heaving through heavy breaths.

Hakkai wrapped his arms around her waist and turned
his head to the side. With his cheek pressed against her abdomen, he relaxed
into his lover’s attentions.

Gojyo backed his hand and turned his wrist. Sliding
his fingers back in to his lover’s warmth, he found Hakkai’s prostate.

Flutters of powerful pleasure pulsed inside Hakkai’s
body. He felt his breath reflect off her skin and wash over his cheeks.

Ah’Nesty smiled up at Gojyo.

Gojyo made a motion over Hakkai’s back with his free
hand.

She lifted an eyebrow and raked her nails down the brunet’s
back.

Hakkai screamed as he arched under the streaks of
sensation. The scent of the oil finally made it through his lust and absinthe-muted
senses. He recognized the complex scent immediately as Ambrosia. His head
whirled as the scent traveled through him; he rocked his hips trying to feel
more of his lover’s touch.

Gojyo smirked. He was willing to bet that she never
heard mewing like that from the brunet. Two fingers.
Just two fingers and he had Hakkai mewing like a whore. He was too damn good
for words. Ha! Take that.

She noticed that smirk and just knew he wasn’t trying
to turn this into some kind of contest. She had Som
for three years while he was discovering his sexuality. She knew a few hot
buttons to press. Wiggling out of Hakkai’s hold, she knelt on the bed before
Hakkai. Pressing five fingers into his chest, she nudged him upright.

Intrigued, Gojyo braced Hakkai with his free hand.

The new potion shifted Hakkai’s hips back and thus
pushed Gojyo’s fingers deeper in his body. With a loud moan, he squeezed his
eyes shut and rolled his head back against his lover.

Gojyo turned his head and captured Hakkai’s ear.

Ah’Nesty picked up one of Hakkai’s hands. She nipped
at the pads of each of his fingertips.

Hakkai gritted his teeth and whimpered.

She whispered, “Som, look
at me.”

Slowly half-lidded emerald found mischievous gray. “Yesss…?” He nearly lost his ability to speak as light pink lips
parted to reveal white teeth. He saw his fingertips slip between those teeth.

Her tongue darted and danced around his fingers. Her tongue. Her wet tongue. Her wet, glistening, warm tongue. Teased
his fingers. Taking… teasing….

Hakkai’s gaze was trapped. Wet warmth bathed him.
Flashes of pink peeked around his tan fingers. His skin was glistening. Emerald eyes kept darting between
her mouth and eyes…

mouth …. eyes. A nip registered in shudders down his spine. Mouth…eyes….tongue…
fingers….mouth….fingers… . Back and forth … his breath
hitched in his chest.

Gojyo lifted an eyebrow. Hakkai’s rapture was obvious
to the most causal observer. When it came to Hakkai and nakedness, Gojyo was
far from casual. He whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me about this fingers
thing?”

A whining moan left Hakkai. He watched as his
fingertips slid from her teeth. Pink lips parted and pressed against his
fingertips. Hakkai took in a soft breath., “You…mmm….”
Tongue. Fingers. Tongue. Fingers. “…never … ahhh….” Tongue. Fingers.
Tongue. Tongue. “nnn ….asked.” Tongue.
Fingers. Hakkai worried his lip and his breath went shallow.

Gojyo wanted to kick himself. He should have seen
this. This was a natural extension from Hakkai’s sensitive skin. The sensations
that made his lover gasp and arch his back when Gojyo would drag his short
nails along the light tan skin as well as the reactive nipples and the
heightened awareness that contributed the fun around the plastic wrap were all
in play here. Hands, fingers more specifically, were extremely sensitive parts
of the body. Nerves gathered at the fingertips allowing the person to
distinguish between a myriad of textures that other parts of the body couldn’t
differentiate.

All of the times Hakkai sucked upon Gojyo’s fingers
and the times Hakkai pressed his fingers to Gojyo’s lips, simply didn’t
register to Gojyo. The few times they did enjoy finger play, he wasn’t in the
right position or frame of mind to notice his lover’s rapture. That was going
to change starting now.

Emerald eyes fluttered as she sealed her lips around
two of his fingers and took them deeply within her mouth. Her lips traveled all
the way down to the vine upon the back of his hand.

The vine?

Hakkai knitted his brow and subtly shook his head. He
blinked several times. The vine was gone.
Before he had the chance to try to understand that,
whispering words slid into his ear.

“Lesnan, thou must share
thy fulsome desires.” Gojyo couldn’t hide his smirk. He should have seen it,
but that’s does not mean he was going to let Hakkai off the hook for failing to
share.

Hakkai's hips bucked as he cried out. A loud moan
ripped amongst the three of them. He whipped his hand from her grasp and
gripped her shoulder.

Ah’Nesty’s eyes went wide. She had to admit to never having
heard such a moan from the brunet before. That moan – a mix between raw pleasure
and slight anguish.

Gojyo smirked. He was good and he knew it. Go ahead
and print out his winner’s certificate. He and Hakkai had been lovers for less
than a year, but he knew how to make the brunet dance like a marionette and beg
for more. He ticked his fingers and found the sweet spot deep inside his lover.

“Gyyaaahh!” Hakkai’s cock throbbed.
Crashing forward, he pushed her backwards upon the bed.

She quickly shifted her shins out from under her and
pushed her fingers into Hakkai’s shoulders.

Hakkai pressed his cheek to her hip. Pleasure and
need twisted inside his body. His fingers gripped her thighs. With his eyes
closed, he took in a deep breath. His jaw trembled as he tried to speak.
“Gojyo…please…”

Gojyo draped himself over his lover’s back, “Please
what, Lesnan?” He snickered against the nape of
Hakkai’s neck. “You’re such a freak, do you know that?”

Hakkai lifted his face from her skin and looked over
her breasts to her eyes, “Yes, I know.” Being the meat in a taboo sandwich was
just the beginning of the proof of his clandestine freakiness.

She released a gasp as Hakkai began to crawl up her
body. There was something almost predatory about those emerald eyes.

Gojyo didn’t get an answer to his question. He
couldn’t have this – not from his harbor. He firmly rubbed Hakkai prostate,
“Please what, Emerald?”

Hakkai buried his nose between her breasts, “Please…
enter me.”

No fucking way! Ah’Nesty was floored.
Seeing this side of her old friend was unsettling and alluring.

Gojyo slipped his fingers from Hakkai’s body and
nipped at his lover’s shoulder, “You don’t seem to want it bad enough. Beg me
for it.”

Emerald eyes narrowed. Hakkai whipped a hand from her
body to the side of Gojyo’s neck, “Do be a dear…” He slightly squeezed, “… and
consider yourself begged.”

Gojyo sputtered, “S-s-sure th-thing.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sanzo sat naked with his back against one of the
mirrors. One leg rested lazily to the side. The other was bent at the knee.
Spent cum and lingering lube coated his limp cock. With his elbow upon his
knee, he pushed his fingers into his bangs. The serene picture was interrupted
when black silk flumped against his chest. Sanzo looked at it and knitted his
brow, “What the hell, Monkey?”

“Put it on.” Goku found the two fingerless gloves and
tossed them to Sanzo.

“You just had me take it off.”

Goku nodded and settled upon his shins, “And now I’m
asking you to put it on.”

Sanzo rolled his eyes as he slipped the black shirt
over his head. “Tch.” His
head popped through the mock turtleneck and he shook out his blonde locks.

“The gloves, too.”

Sanzo shook his head in disbelief and resignation as
he pulled on the gloves, “You want me in my pants and robes ---“ He cut himself off. That dirty little monkey! Having him
put on some of the clothing that reminded him that he was a priest while
getting fucked was a sneaky dirty trick.

Thank the heavens for Son Goku.

Goku shrugged, “I think I’m going to like…” He picked
up one of Sanzo’s hands and teethed the metal ring
around his lover’s middle finger, “the sound of this ticking against a mirror.”

Violet eyes narrowed. That would mean…

Goku yanked on Sanzo’s shoulders pulling the taller
man from the mirror. He brushed his lips against his lover’s neck, “On your
knees, Priest Genjyo Sanzo.”

Sanzo’s protest was interrupted when his nipples were
pinched. He gritted his teeth as darts of heat shot inside his body.

Goku released the cloth-covered prisoners and
finished wiggling out from under Sanzo. Beginning at his lover’s shoulder, Goku
carried a line of kisses over the priest’s body as he slipped behind his
lover’s hips.

This was a wonderful sight: His Sun on all fours and
naked from the waist down. The blond’s upper body was
adorned with his signature skintight black silk. One could only ponder the
wondrous mind that decided such succulent habiliments befitting.

A shiver ran up Sanzo’s spine as feather light
touches from Goku explored his body. From the soles of his feet, along his
calves, into the bend of his knees, up his thighs and stopping at the curve of
his ass – delicate flutters of touch raised battalions of bumps.

Goku smiled and leaned over his lover’s back, “You
liked that, I can tell.”

“Hnn…” Hell yeah he liked
it. Which didn’t make a bit of sense. There had been
no sweet sting from moving leather. There had been no fierce pinches or bites –
just enough to give a little of edge. All in all this evening and this plan had
just been pleasure and Sanzo was honestly enjoying this. This was his body and
he knew how he liked it touched, right? He knew his predilection and this was
not it.

There was no margin for exploration. There was no
room to grow. His nature had been set a long time ago and oh
fuck! Violet eyes fluttered closed as a soft moan left Sanzo.

Goku continued stimulating Sanzo’s prostate from the
outside of his lover’s body. Firmly pushing against the very
base of Sanzo’s cock – that small bit of muscle behind the scrotum. “I
don’t like it when you don’t feel in the moment.”

“Tch.”

Goku ghosted his hands down Sanzo’s arms and lifted
his lover’s hands from the floor.

Sanzo’s fingers were pressed against the cool mirror
in front of him. He felt his hips get shifted slightly. What the hell?

Goku urged Sanzo’s knees a little further apart and
surveyed the situation.

Sanzo rolled his eyes, “I’m not a mannequin to be
positioned.”

“Quiet. If this isn’t exactly right it won’t work.”

“You’re pressing your luck, Monkey.”

Golden eyes narrowed. Goku picked up the bottle of
oil and began to coat his cock. “Look, Priest, there’s one thing you need to
worry about right now and where your feet are is not
it.”

“Insolent, Mo –“ Sanzo’s word
were cut off when Goku grabbed his bangs and pulled his head back. Sanzo was
now face to face with himself. The distance between his flesh and the
reflection of his flesh was a matter of a few feet – roughly the length of his
arms. He could see the sweat on his own brow. The flushness
of his own cheeks. The puffiness of his own lips. The contrast of his pale skin and black silk
clothing was stark in the lamplight. The flames flickered in their flumes and
sweat glinted from his blond hair.

Goku shifted his hips.

Sanzo watched the penetration in his own eyes. The
stretch of his body, the pleasure of invasion, the warmth of connection – all
were visible in his violet eyes. His face was flanked by his arms while a pair
of golden eyes looked at him from behind.

This was the definition of illicit. This was the
essence of forbidden! This was…

Goku slipped a hand to Sanzo’s forehead and exposed
the chakra.

Sanzo trembled in rapture – this was pure tainting.
Sanzo cried out and shifted back against Goku’s hips.

Goku smiled and moaned as Sanzo’s warmth slid down
his shaft. He pushed Sanzo’s shirt up and pressed his chest to his lover’s
exposed back, “So tell me, Sanzo, did they tell you about this at your
temples?”

Sanzo’s head hung between his shoulders. A strained,
“No.” came from him.

Goku began to slowly rock his hips, “Why is that?”

Sanzo’s eyes squeezed shut, “Because …hmmm….it’s ….”
He moaned. “Not….allowed.”

Goku teethed his lover’s back, “You don’t care much
for rules, do you?”

Porcelain fingers arched from the mirror. The tendons in Sanzo’s hands strained beneath the skin. A
deep rumbling moan rolled from between his lips. “Goku…”

“Yes, Sanzo?”

“Harder.”

Gripping his lover’s hips, Goku set out to oblige.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reverberating heat expanded inside Hakkai’s body as
Gojyo gave him exactly what he wanted. His fingers gripped Ah’Nesty’s biceps as
he cried out and pushed back against his lover’s hips.

With his fingers pressing into Hakkai’s hips and his
knees keeping Hakkai’s knees apart, Gojyo pushed full-shaft into his lover’s
warmth. He paused and waited until the twitches of Hakkai’s inner walls calmed.
Using his knees, he pushed Hakkai’s knees further apart and pressed a hand
against the small of his lover’s back. He adjusted the tilt of Hakkai’s hips
ever so slightly. Oh yes, that was the angle. Hakkai wanted a good fuck, right?
Gojyo could happily provide.

Gojyo backed his stroke.

Hakkai’s mouth flew open as a moan raced from him. He
felt his lover’s entire length run against his prostate.

Gojyo pushed his stroke. The head of his cock hit his
lover’s “special spot” squarely, then slid into his
lover’s depths. From Gojyo’s perspective, there was one way to describe
Hakkai’s reaction – fucking nuts.

A powerful burst of pleasure hit Hakkai and then
fluttering memories of it teased him. He bucked halfway to capture the
sensation and halfway to avoid it – for it was way too close to “too much”.
When it hit it was nearly overwhelming. When it faded, he longed for its
return. His breath left him in broken sounds and cracking mews.

The burst and fluttering repeated again and again and
again. As Gojyo fell into his rhythm, Hakkai couldn’t tell if this was torture
or pleasure. Finally, he could predict the timing, but his lover had his hips
and his legs were spread very wide. He couldn’t control any of this. He
couldn’t thwart his captor. He wondered if he really wanted to.

Ah’Nesty lifted her knees, partially sat up and
trailed a hand down Hakkai’s chest.

Gojyo was engulfed by his lover’s heat and the melody
of Hakkai’s salacious yells. He watched as his lover’s hair bounced and moaned
when their flesh would slap together. Sliding one hand up his lover’s back, he
found chestnut locks. Fisting the short hair, he pulled Hakkai’s head back.

Hakkai’s back further swayed as he tried to relieve
the pressure on his neck. If he thought he was stuck before, he knew he was
trapped now. Literally. All he could do was try to relax and hang on to her biceps.

Hakkai screamed as her hand curled around his cock.
Taking and being taken collided inside of him as he rocked upon the mattress. Gojyo’s
thrusts were powerful. The strokes were solid. The pleasure was immense. Her
hand was talented and sent conflicting sensations.

Gojyo watched as Hakkai’s back writhed and his
lover’s shoulders rolled like a large cat. Fluid, graceful and yet sporadic
movements below him sent a charge into his body. The rocking of the bed blurred
colors, but he could see her tits bouncing in his vision. Oh yes, he was the
King of the Bedroom – when Hakkai didn’t want the crown. Or rather, when Hakkai
let him wear the crown. Tonight was Gojyo’s reign.

If only his mother could see him now. Sha Gojyo – bringing
pleasure. Sha Gojyo – in command. Sha Gojyo – making people scream in ecstasy. Sha Gojyo’s name being yelled for all to hear. Sha Gojyo being
extremely naughty, but nowhere near bad.

That fucking bitch had no clue. She had no right!
Leaving scars on his body --- wrong. Wrong answer! Gojyo owned his body and
this proved it. Half-breeds only bring pain and suffering, huh? Not right now they don’t!
Not when they are pushing and pulling on a lover’s body. Not when they
are taking someone to the brink of sanity and – Oh fuck! Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

Gojyo’s hand ripped from Hakkai’s hair as pleasure
exploded inside of him. His orgasm blindsided him. All of the “warning”
precursors were missed as he watched and listened to his lover. His mind
blanked out and his muscles twitched. His stomach quaked and his thighs
quivered. “Oh! Fuck!” His toes curled as he spent himself inside his lover.
Jerking and twitching, he crashed against Hakkai’s back.

Hakkai crashed forward, pushing Ah’Nesty back.

[Somewhere a butterfly
flapped its wings]

Hakkai’s hips rammed hers. He cried out as wet velvet
walls surrounded his cock. He froze not knowing what to do. It happened so
fast, one moment, he was in her hand and the next, he
was inside her body. Her knees were up and the playing earlier had her so wet
there was no resistance.

Ah’Nesty lay beneath Hakkai as confusion wrangled her mind. It happened so suddenly, she didn’t have
time to think about it. She didn’t have time to anticipate it. She didn’t have
time to fear it. Her hymen had been broken years upon years ago; her muscles
were stretched deliciously. The presence inside her made her feel wonderfully
full. There was no pain.

Gojyo shook sense into his mind and looked at the few
strands of chestnut hair between his fingers. What the fuck happened? Were any
of those salacious sounds from his lover actually whimpers of pain? Would
Hakkai ever tell him if they were? He cautiously looked at his lover trying to
read the normally enigmatic man’s body language. He looked down and immediately
assessed the situation. His eyes looked at her knees and Hakkai’s back, her
hips then Hakkai’s hips. He found her face and looked into her eyes.

Looking at Gojyo from over Hakkai’s shoulder, she
gasped, “What did I fear?”

Gojyo smiled and brushed his fingers against her
cheek, “I have no idea.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jiroshin smiled, “It seems to me
that the wings flapped hard enough.”

The Merciful Goddess rolled her eyes, “Whatever. Did
you really expect sex to do all that?”

“Don’t tell me this isn’t settled. It seems settled.
It seems like it was settled as some point before this point.”

She nodded, “He won’t beat himself up for this
anymore, but did you really expect one screw to solve all of his mom issues?”
She waved a hand in the air, “Hakkai can do a lot of good for Gojyo. But, no
matter how much love they share, Gojyo will always be an abused little boy.”

Jiroshin nodded, “And Hakkai will
always be…” his voice trailed off trying to think of a word.

She chuckled, “Fucked.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A part of Gojyo wondered for whom was this moment
more powerful? The
woman who was experiencing this for the first time or the man who was
experiencing this for the first time since he was “widowed”.

A plethora of apologies rested upon Hakkai’s lips.
This wasn’t part of his plan. This was distinctly not part of his plan. He rose
up a bit and saw the dreamy smile upon her lips. “What do you want me to do?”

“Not stop, damn it.”

Gojyo howled.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweat rolled from Sanzo’s chin. The sound of flesh
slapping flesh filled the air. With his palms fully pressed against the mirror
in front of him, Sanzo’s reflection jerked in his own vision. The robes and
sutra were rumpled beside him. Goku’s grip was firm and the brunet’s strokes
were solid.

Goku panted Sanzo’s name over and over again. Each utterance growing in volume and intensity. He was
close, oh so close, he snaked his hand around Sanzo’s waist. His hands traveled
up his lover’s chest and bronze fingers fanned out against porcelain neck.

Sanzo felt two strong fingers crest his chin and tug
at his bottom lip. Tilting his head down, he tongued his lover’s fingertips. He
sucked upon the bronze instruments of destruction and pleasure as they entered
his mouth.

Goku felt Sanzo’s bottom teeth digging into his
fingers as he wildly bucked into his lover. Sanzo’s pale broad shoulders
tapered to a narrow waist. That wonderful waist gently curved out to hips that
were crashing against his own. His strokes were so
fierce he could feel
his own bones rattling in his body. Sanzo was going to be sore tomorrow.

“Sanzo! Sanzo!”
His voice reverberated in his throat. Pleasure exploded with in him. His body
shook as he climaxed. Shaking and twitching he fell forward against his lover’s
back. The sweat between Sanzo’s shoulder blades stuck to his cheek.

Sanzo released the fingers from between his teeth. A
thin line of spittle trailed between his bottom lip and his lover’s digits. He
shivered as Goku’s breath splayed out against his the sweat on his back. Pure
satisfaction resonated in his eyes. Sweat laden blond locks stuck to his brow.
His chakra glistened in the flickering light. His cheeks flushed with spent
passion. His breath rushing from the lingering sensations of
illicit activities. All of it – looking back at him.

God damn that monkey. “Hey! I’m not furniture.”

Goku snickered and peeled himself off his lover’s
back. Pulling Sanzo’s black shirt down his lover’s body, he shifted his hips
and left the inner heat of the sun.

Sanzo softly moaned.

“Did you like your surprise, Sanzo?”

Sanzo flopped over to the side and languidly reached
for his robes. He could no longer feel his bones. His muscles felt rubbery and
his mind was swimming in a sea of tingles. “Tch.
Don’t get conceited.”

Goku laughed, “When we get back east. We’re totally
getting mirrors. On the ceiling.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AH’Nesty rocked in Hakkai’s vision.
A name kept rushing from her lips: Gonou. Gonou over and
over again. The first time it slipped this evening was something that
could be brushed off, but this was different. This was irritating. Each time it
left her lips it grated on Hakkai’s nerves and patience more and more.

Gojyo sat above her on the bed with his hands
enjoying the available breasts. Men will be men. He loved Hakkai. He wanted to
be with Hakkai, but if he were in a position, like he was now, to cop a
guiltless feel – he was going for it. However, all was not fun and games. The
aggression coming from his lover was steadily increasing. He knew Hakkai could
get rough, but this started out slow and gentle. He watched as shifting became
rocking and listened as soft hums became broken moans.

With her skirt bunched around her waist, Ah’Nesty was
in a world of surreal sensation. Perspective was warped. There was no sense of
time. No form of orientation. She just was. Just feeling and
getting wrapped in a moment of drunken sensuality. Words left her
without mental checks asking for slower and more gentle movements.

Too bad she was asking the wrong man. Hakkai gritted
his teeth. He looked into her artificially colored eyes and at her faked hair.
There was one woman allowed to call that name during moments of passion and, as
much as he liked her, Ah’Nesty was not that woman. That name was not to be
called by those lips. That name was not to be heard like this in Hakkai’s ears.
Hooking his arms under her knees, he folded her under him.

Gojyo’s stomach flipped. Something was not going
right. Was it the alcohol? Was it the name? Was it the situation? Hakkai wasn’t
the type to disregard a partner’s requests.

Hakkai bucked in to her, “My name…”

She squeaked.

“Is…” He bucked again and pressed his forehead
against hers. His voice left in a chilling firm tone, “Cho
Hakkai!”

She screamed as he pushed deeply into her body. Her
body trembled and shook with orgasm. Internally quaking, her feet bounced in
the air. She nearly bucked him off. That would be one name she’d never forget
again.

Gojyo’s eyes grew wide as his lover’s firm voice cut
the air. Pheromones filled the air lacing the fading ambrosia with whiffs of
venery. Cautiously, he put his hand on Hakkai’s head, “Lover?”

Emerald eyes that hinted of a darker time, lifted and
found crimson.

Being with a woman was indeed very different for one Cho Hakkai. The “Tenpou Rule” had more than one line of
reason behind it.

Gojyo’s breath left him as predatory almost jade eyes
filled his vision. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against Hakkai’s,
“Come find me.”

Hakkai’s yell of release was interrupted by a firm kiss
from Gojyo. His fingers gripped her shoulders. His abdominal muscles tensed for
a brief moment. Her shoulders were slammed into the bedding and his head
whipped back. Sweat flew from the tips of his chestnut locks. A nearly primal
yell raced from him before he collapsed in the quake of spent passion.

Slowly, Hakkai slipped his arms from under her knees
and Ah’Nesty’s legs slid down Hakkai’s hips and thighs. Seemingly dazed and
confused, Hakkai swayed upon the bed and took a moment to collect himself. Their
juices mingled on his limp cock and the cool night air caused him to shiver.

Gojyo smiled at Ah’Nesty. She was still trying to
catch her breath. He brushed a few locks from her eyes and whispered, “Still
think it’s better than gum?”

She weakly nodded. “Yeah.”

He grinned, “You all right? I’m sure he didn’t…” He trailed
off, there were words he didn’t want to voice. He
brushed his fingers against her cheek.

She softly chuckled, “Yeah.” She and Gonou had tried full-blown sex once and only once. After
that night of panic and tears, they never tried to cross that line again. The
trust she had in him that he wouldn’t cross the line was what allowed her to
relax and enjoy the moment. That belief that he wouldn’t was what prevented her
from tensing as the activities escalated.
The fact that it didn’t hurt solidified her trust in him. “He didn’t
mean to. I know that.”

Hakkai grabbed Gojyo’s wrist and pulled it from
Ah’Nesty cheek. He glared at Gojyo.

Gojyo smirked at his lover. There it was. He was wondering
when it was going to come out. Hakkai’s jealous streak.
Now that everything was all said and done the green emotion
surfaced in the green-eyed demon.

Hakkai squeezed Gojyo’s wrist.

Gojyo studied his lover’s eyes. Something wasn’t
right. “Lover?” That wasn’t jealousy. Well, maybe a
little, but not to any substantial degree.

Emerald eyes blinked. Jade eyes blinked. Emerald
reappeared.

Gojyo yanked Hakkai’s arm and pulled the absinthe-tilted
brunet close. “Come find me.” He nipped at his lover’s neck and whispered,
“Relax and hang on. You get two remember?” His tongue roved the metal clips
upon his lover’s ears, “Wanna play?” The tang of
metal danced upon his taste buds. He pulled two vulnerable clips into his mouth
with his teeth.

Hakkai reared back and stumbled off the foot of the
bed. The beginning of the change was marked with a soft rumbling yell.

Gojyo handed Ah’Nesty the ear clips. “Protect this
and yourself. He’s damn unpredictable now.”

Two clips, absinthe, and a threesome that brought
back harsh emotions – perhaps Gojyo was stupid and crazy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lirin had fallen asleep with her
head in Kougaiji’s lap. He softly smiled and ran his fingers through her bangs.
With a soft snore coming from her and her face in relaxed slumber, she almost
looked five. “I should kill him just to make a point.”

Dokugakuji shook his head, “You know that wouldn’t be
right.”

Kougaiji looked at his best-friend, “Look at her face
and tell me that wouldn’t be right.”

The taller man shook his head in resignation and
looked at his lover.

Yaone giggled, “I can’t. I’ll want to kill Goku too.”

Dokugakuji shook his head, “They grow up, Kou. It’s
heartbreaking, but they do it. I think they do it just to be irritating.” He
could distinctly remember when a certain someone was a cute little brat. Four –
Gojyo was especially cute at four.

Kougaiji lifted his little sister into his arms and
walked toward the door. Maybe he wouldn’t kill Goku – just put the fear of a
demon prince into the golden-eyed monkey.

Yaone closed the door behind her prince and weakly
smiled, “I think I’m scared for Goku the next time they meet.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hakkai swayed as he slowly pulled himself to his
feet.

Ah’Nesty’s stomach flipped as the moonlight revealed
a whisper of a vine winding around her friend’s body.

[“Brutality of focused
singularity.”]

The
irony wasn’t missed on her as piercing darkled emerald eyes looked at her.
Gojyo, the one who she didn’t initially trust, was protecting her from someone
she never thought to fear.

Gojyo
wiggled his fingers at the edge of Hakkai’s peripheral vision.

Hakkai
turned his head. There it was. The most curious of creatures.
Flaming water. Bright and raging.
Calling and – oh but what of the fear?

Ah’Nesty
gasped as elliptical-pupil jade eyes found her. She crawled up the bed not once
taking her eyes from the curious creature before her.

Gojyo
repeatedly fluttered his fingers in Hakkai’s vision. “Over here.”

Hakkai
refocused on the odd creature. What did this being want with him?

Gojyo
grinned, “Come and find me.” He slowly shifted off the foot of the bed.

Talon
tipped fingers reached for the wondrous sight before him.

Gojyo
grabbed Hakkai’s hand. He interlaced their fingers and pressed his fingertips
to vine on the back of his lover’s hand. “Wanna save
someone, do ya?” He chuckled, “It’s not going to be
easy.” He pulled their connected hands to his lips and curled his tongue around
a sharp talon.

Two
fangs glinted in the moonlight when Hakkai moaned.

Gojyo
smiled as he took the index finger deeper in his mouth. He knew this was
dangerous, but he was hedging his bets with the absinthe and his lover’s
amorous mood. One flick of Hakkai’s
finger and Gojyo’s tongue would be severed. Hakkai’s talons made Kougaiji’s look
manicured.

There
was no sense of aggression coming from Hakkai, not directed toward Gojyo at
least. There was aggression going toward
her. Gojyo had the sense to grab the bottle of Ambrosia oil before leading his
lover from the bedroom.

Utterly
entrapped by the cool flame, Hakkai wasn’t aware that they had left the bedroom.

Gojyo
covered his lover’s partially transformed fingers with wet attention. He looked
at the rug in front of the fireplace. Damn it! He’d forgotten about the
dragons.

Hakuryuu
lazily lifted his head. Draconic eyes went wide. What the hell?

Advowlkrie
lifted her head. She smiled. “So, that’s
the General. All of him.” She chuckled. Nice!

Gojun
held up a wing to block her view.

She
playfully pouted. “I understand the reputation, now.”

Gojun
huffed. Such comments were not appropriate of a Queen.

She
nudged her face around the wing, “Is that…”

“Yes,
that is the Marshal.”

“How
is that… that … thing the Marshal?”

Gojun
heavily sighed, “That’s his true form.” He shifted his wing to block her vision
again.

She
smirked. “Sexy. Scary, but kind of sexy.”

He
groaned. She was a Queen and it would be really nice if she would remember
that. A Queen and his wife. “You are a Queen.”

She
chuckled as she rested her head against the rug, “Yes, but I am also a woman.”
She thoroughly enjoyed teasing him.

Gojyo
looked around. Where to go? The living room was out because of the dragons. The bathroom? No, if
Hakkai got violent or rough the tile in the bathroom could be painful. Dining room table? No, that wouldn’t work because of the
positioning. That also ruled out kitchen counters.

Hakkai
watched the mesmerizing creature before him. Crystalline water and passionate
flames fluttered and glittered in his vision. Could he claim this creature? Could he possess
this creature?

Gojyo
winced as Hakkai’s grip tightened. He’d better think of something quick or the
hard floors were going to have to do.

Hakkai
stretched out his hand to explore the sight before him.

Gojyo
shivered as Hakkai’s talons lined up with his mother’s fingerprints.

Jade
eyes went wide. The creature had been wounded! Who would harm such a wondrous
and rare sight? This creature didn’t need to be possessed. This creature needed
to be protected. But! What of the one who needed to be saved?

Tucking
the bottle of ambrosia under one arm, Gojyo pulled on Hakkai’s free hand as his
lover turned toward the bedroom. “I need
you.”

Hakkai
paused listening to Gojyo, but looking into the bedroom. Sanguinans knew that
voice.

“Over
here. Come save me. Come get me, please.” Gojyo knew that Hakkai without his
limiters was not stupid, but primal. He also knew that Hakkai would forever be
haunted by what he couldn’t complete one fateful day.

That
voice was unmistakably Gojyo’s voice. Gojyo – his lover and only his lover.
This scent around him didn’t seem of Gojyo. This taste upon his lips didn’t
taste of Gojyo. Who owned this odd lingering taste and smell? Was the baffling
creature beside him hiding Gojyo? Sanguinans slowly turned toward the direction
of the voice.

Gojyo
smiled as wild chestnut locks and demonic eyes looked upon him. He brushed his
fingers against his lover’s cheek. “One of these days, I will have you
unfettered.” Walking backwards once again, he began to lead his lover into the
kitchen. He visually traced the vine across his lover’s cheek and nose. He took
in the elongated ears and wild locks. “Totally unfettered.
One day.” Hakkai was a complicated man, but Gojyo wouldn’t have it any other
way.

Figuring
outside was the safest place to go, Gojyo led his lover through the kitchen. He
used all attention keeping tricks that came to mind: weaving his tongue around
Hakkai’s fingers, whispering of needing to be saved, asking to be found, and
physically guiding his drunk and partially transformed lover. Gojyo was shocked
that it worked.

The
sharp cold of the night air slammed against his unprotected flesh. Gojyo seriously questioned the sanity of
having sex in the snow. Damn it! Now that we was out here in the on the back
porch, he needed a new plan. The cold of the melting snow was going to be too
much. He looked at the covered hot tub and remembered Hakkai sitting upon it.
Hakkai sat upon with no reservation. The brunet knew it would support his
weight. It was also padded. This couldn’t be one of the thin covers.

Gojyo
side stepped and turned Hakkai so that his lover’s back was toward the hot tub.

Sanguinans
looked at his hand, the one that was engulfed by the creature. There was
nothing solid visually, but the touch was real. The touch also felt familiar.
Running the tip of his nose against his own wrist, Sanguinans sought the scent
of creature.

Gojyo
kept his eye on his lover as his wrist was turned. He quickly put the bottle on
the hot tub cover.

A
soft growl left Hakkai as Gojyo’s scent entered his senses. This was Gojyo’s
scent mixed with someone else! What Hakkai was smelling
was Gojyo’s natural scent upon Gojyo’s body and Ah’Nesty’s scent upon himself.
One could not explain that to Hakkai right now. All that mattered right now was
that Gojyo’s scent was mingled with another scent as well as Sanguinans not
being able to see Gojyo. That meant, to his absinthe muddled primal mind, that
the creature before him was hiding Gojyo.

Jade
eyes glared at Gojyo from beneath brown eyebrows. Gojyo did not like the
predatory look in his lover’s eyes.

Sanguinans
retracted one arm and swiped for the creature. No one keeps him from his lover!

Gojyo
grabbed his lover’s hand and interlaced those fingers. He shoved.

Hakkai
slapped against the cold vinyl hot tub cover. He roared and arched from the
biting cold.

Gojyo
took advantage of his lover’s distraction to settle their position. He squared
himself over his lover’s hips and brushed his cheek against Hakkai’s. “So
close. So close.” Turning his head, he pointed his tongue and traced the vine
starting at Hakkai’s cheek down to his collarbone.

Sanguinans
looked through the flames over his face and loudly moaned as wet warmth chased
away the lingering sting of thorns.

Pulling
his lips from Hakkai’s decorated neck, Gojyo softly smiled. “So
very close. Do you want to find me? Do you want to save me?” As he
leaned forward he slid Hakkai’s hands along the vinyl. By the time he reached
his lover’s lips, Hakkai’s hands were over the brunet’s head. Distracting his
lover with a kiss, Gojyo secured both of Hakkai’s hands under one of his.

Sanguinans
felt the creature surround him and tease his lips. This felt remarkable. Flames
licked around his face. Water blanketed him. This felt unbelievable. The connection
with this creature was strong. It was solid. It was…Gojyo? This
taste. This smell. It was Gojyo. It had to be.
This creature wasn’t hiding Gojyo. This creature was Gojyo! Curling his fingers
around the tendril of flame over his wrists, Sanguinans claimed the kiss.

Gojyo
whimpered when his lover’s talons scraped his skin. Hakkai didn’t know his own
strength in this form. What Gojyo was sure his lover meant as a light touch
didn’t feel like it. Figuring Hakkai was feeling territorial, Gojyo pushed back
against the kiss. He didn’t want this sensual beast to think Gojyo was
completely submissive. His tongue brushed Hakkai’s fangs. Better safe than
sorry, Gojyo relinquished control of the kiss and fumbled for the bottle of
oil.

Gojyo
figured correctly. Sanguinans was feeling territorial. Sanguinans didn’t like
the strange scent that mixed with his lover’s taste. He could deal with the
exquisite, but baffling appearance of his lover. He couldn’t deal with the
adulterated scent. He writhed below his lover, trying to change the
positioning. He wanted Gojyo to know, beyond any doubt, whose lover Gojyo was.
Sanguinans held Gojyo. Sanguinans protected Gojyo. Sanguinans was the only one
allowed to bathe in the crystalline water!

Gojyo
broke the kiss more out of necessity than desire. He needed more leverage to
keep Hakkai secure. This wasn’t like last time. Hakkai wasn’t worn out from a
long evening of lewd activities. If he didn’t maintain some control of the
situation, then this could get painful. Making full use of his expert “laying
techniques”, Gojyo kept Hakkai between his legs as he pulled to top off the
bottle with his teeth. Deftly manipulating he bottle, he managed to get an
ample amount on his palm. He lost a small amount when he set the bottle back
upon the hot tub cover.

Half-lidded
jade eyes that spoke of Hakkai’s amorous mood took Gojyo’s breath away. What
was it about those animalistic windows to the soul that was so ensorcelling?
Holding Hakkai’s hands down with one hand, Gojyo sat over his “brutality of
focused singularity” lover. He curled his fingers around his lover’s vine
adorned cock and spread the ambrosia oil.

A
primal moan raced from Hakkai as his lover’s talented fingers danced upon his
erection.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sanzo
and Goku paused at the door to their cabin. They looked into the direction of
the yell. It was coming from behind cabin thirty-eight.

Goku
softly spoke, “That sounded like a demon.” He knitted his brow, “Umm… sorta.”

They
stepped off the front porch.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ah’nesty
sat upon the bed utterly terrified. She loved a dead man. She knew that now.
She looked at the two metal cuffs in her hand. That thing.
That beast under those cuffs had to be the most frightening thing she’d ever
seen. She’d seen demons before. Her home was a mixed home, but that thing was
unnatural.

She
heard the yell coming from outside and could only imagine what Gojyo was
putting himself through to protect her. Gojyo must have known what this would
entail or he wouldn’t have removed the limiters.

That
meant Gojyo loved all of Hakkai, even the carefully hidden brute.

She
knew what she needed to do.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With his hand around the base of his lover’s
cock, Gojyo shifted his hips. “Do you want to save me?”

Sanguinans
blinked at the creature above him.

“Emerald,
do you want to protect me?”

Hakkai
gasped.

“Then
never leave me.” Gojyo shifted his hips and cried out. Meaningless calls to the
divine rushed from him as his lover entered his body. Due to the lack of
preparation, penetration was more uncomfortable than normal. Gojyo, being the
freak that he was, loved it. Radiating heat resonated inside of him. He called
his lover’s proper name several times as he rocked his way down his lover’s
shaft.

Sanguinans
felt his lover’s inner muscles twitching around him. He pushed his head back
against the padding and arched from the vinyl.

Gojyo
curled over and tongued the vine upon his lover’s chest.

Sanguinans
freed one hand and curled it around his lover’s shoulders.

Gojyo
cried out as talons hit his skin. Streaks of heat emblazoned into his skin. If
that left scars, he’d proudly wear them.
He felt himself get yanked and his head was snapped back. Hakkai was biting and
licking at his neck. He winced as his lover’s teeth came just shy of breaking
this skin. “Easy,
Emerald, easy.” He hissed and ground his hips against his lover’s.

Sanguinans
was clawing and clamoring at his lover. His skin felt cool and Gojyo’s felt
hot. The sweat and skin beneath his lips was as sweet as honey. He couldn’t get
close enough. He couldn’t feel enough. He couldn’t taste enough. Pushing his
heels into the padded vinyl below him, he lifted his hips and pushed into his
lover.

Gojyo
loudly moaned as he pulsed above Hakkai. A wild length to chestnut locks. Delicately slanted eyes. Pointed ears.
Oh what he’d do to experience his lover completely untethered.
With his hands firmly planted against the makeshift bedding, he rocked and bounced
meeting his Hakkai’s forceful strokes. Hakkai wasn’t the only one who enjoyed a
good hard fuck.

Talons
tangled with crimson strands. Moans blended in the cool night air. Gojyo’s
pleas of pleasure quickly became screams of euphoria. The few loose strands of
his hair whipped around Gojyo’s head. Sweat flew from his body.

Porcelain
fingers covered golden eyes.

“What
the hell, Sanzo? It’s not like I’ve not done it or anything.”

“Tch.” Sanzo didn’t need Goku getting any ideas about his
diadem. “Gojyo is a dumbass who likes to toy with
death.”

Solid
pleasure resonated inside of Gojyo. He wasn’t sure if this was torture or
pleasure. He wasn’t hard so full release was impossible, but the sensations
inside his body kept calling for some kind of climax. Rocking back against
Hakkai’s hips so hard his breath hitched, Gojyo screamed and night birds flew
out of the trees. He needed … something. His body was clamoring for …
something. He rose up and arched his back as he cried out. An explosion of
pleasure erupted inside of him. His body shook uncontrollably and crashed
against his lover. His insides were quaking. A releaseless orgasm -- sweet and satisfying.

Gojyo
wasn’t the only hearing demands. Hakkai’s body was calling for release also. He
tightened his hold around his lover’s shoulders and bucked. The cool flesh
pressed against him. Gojyo’s sweetness tantalized his tongue and the scent of
lust filled his nose. He roared as he arched from the vinyl.

Violet
eyes went wide as he watched the profile of Hakkai’s nearly feral form. The
curve of Hakkai’s ass was distinct. Wild brunet locks subtly bounced against
Hakkai’s forehead. A vine adorned arm slapped sweat dampened vinyl.

Konzen
crossed his arms over his chest. “If you don’t want him now, you should be an eunuch.”

Sanzo
picked his ear. Not listening.

Sanguinans
collapsed against the bedding as his cock twitched inside Gojyo. Euphoria
rolled from him and his body began to go limp.

Gojyo
lifted his head and watched dazed jade eyes try to focus. Go out. Go out.

Everything
started to get bright for Sanguinans. A high pitched whine drowned out all
other sound. His body melted into the vinyl.

Gojyo
continued to silently encourage his drunk and spent lover to pass out.

Jade
eyes slowly closed and popped back open. He felt completely detached from his
body. Tingling numbness washed in waves over him.

Hakkai
looked at the chained beast. He wavered upon his feet as he tried to reel in
the chains.

Sanguinans
looked at his restrained self. He tried to speak but his words were mumbled. He
teetered and swayed.

Gojyo
put his ear next to Hakkai’s lips. It was faint and it was mumbled, but he
heard the “brutal beast” speak. Gojyo tucked his nose in the crook of Hakkai’s
neck, “I love you too.”

Hakkai
watched Sanguinans’ eyes roll back and the chained flesh army crashed forward.
A jet of air left Hakkai as he was shoved upon his back.

They
were both out.

Sanzo
turned Goku’s shoulders and together they headed back to their cabin. Goku
chuckled, “Is it wrong of me to think that was hot?”

Sanzo
gritted his teeth. Goku too? What, did the whole
fucking world find Hakkai hot? Gods!

Goku
continued. “Gojyo’s hot when he cums.”

Sanzo
stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the brunet.

Goku
shrugged, “What? I’m just saying….” Since when did Sanzo care about things like
this anyway?

Gojyo
had Hakkai in a cradle carry and tapped the door closed with his heel. “You got
me, Babe.” He whispered words that he hoped sank in, “You got to me in time.
I’m safe now. I’m not going anywhere.”
He didn’t look across the living room before speaking, “Not even gonna say good-bye?”

Ah’Nesty
froze with her hand on the doorknob to the front door of the cabin. She
stammered for a moment before finding her words, “I expected you to take
longer, ya know.”

Gojyo
hitched his lover in his arms and nodded, “Did you really expect him to leave
me?”

“For a little while, yeah.” She nervously chuckled and turned to face Gojyo. “I
saw that … “ Her words trailed off.

Gojyo
chuckled, “You don’t really know him, do you?”

“I
don’t know Hakkai.”

“I
didn’t mean to just leave you out, but sometimes…” Gojyo glanced at Hakkai’s
chest, “He gets a little uncontrolled and I gotta go
to extremes to reel him back in. I didn’t want you to get hurt. He wouldn’t
have known you in that form.”

“I
understand. I’m thankful you left the room.”

Gojyo
nodded, “I want to apologize for what happened before… well you know.”

She
nodded. Could this conversation get any more awkward? “You didn’t cause my
problem.”

“Do
you think it’s solved?”

“My problem?”

“Yeah.”

She
shrugged, “Tonight may have been a fluke or who knows. One night of sex can’t
really solve my problem.”

Gojyo
looked at his lover’s peaceful demonic face, “It can be beautiful. I hope you
learn that.”

He
looked up at her, “Does he scare you?”

“A little, yeah.” A lot was
more like it. She adjusted one of her packs on her shoulder.

“Did
he hurt you tonight?”

She
shook her head, “It got a little intense, but… well.” She weakly smiled.

“How
do you think he’s gonna feel when he wakes up and
you’re not here?”

She
chuckled. “He’ll understand.”

“What
do you want me to tell him?”

She
took in a deep breath, “I left a note with the limiters on your pillow. You
won’t need to tell him anything. I may not know him, but he knows me.”

Gojyo
nodded, “Fair enough.”

Gojun
and his wife finished their good-byes. She promised to head back to the safety
of the clan and send word when she got there. He promised, mission or no
mission, to be there for the arrival of the egg.

With
a dragon flapping by her shoulder Ah’Nesty opened the door, “I hate to fuck and
leave, but…”

“Wait.
Are you safe to drive? You’ve been drinking.”

“That
was hours ago.”

“You
drank a lot.”

She
shook her head, “Not as much as you’d think.”

“You
could stay here tonight.”

The
cold night air washed across her cheek, “I’ve got a picture to get developed
and to my editor. You’ve got a world to save. And, you know I’d be gone the
moment you left the room.”

That’s
when Gojyo knew why Hakkai never had anything serious with Ah’Nesty. She was
the leaving type. “Be safe.”

She
left closing the door softly behind her.

Gojyo
carried his lover into the bedroom. He saw the numinous light of a dragon
transforming and placed Hakkai on the bed. He put the note next to his lover’s
monocle and slipped the metal clips upon his lover’s ear. He watched as the
vine beneath his lover’s skin hid behind flesh once again. He slipped between
the covers and snuggled up behind Hakkai. “You puke on me and I’m kicking your
ass.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sanzo
looked out the window as a white jeep passed. Goku’s slow steady breathing
filled the silence of the room.

Konzen
softly sighed, “Why do you fight me?”

“It
pisses you off.”

Konzen
rolled his eyes. “Why do you fight him?” He motioned toward a Kouryuu.

“Because he can only fly in a blue sky. There isn’t an eastern sky blue enough for him.”

Goku ,fast asleep, shifted and put his head against Sanzo’s chest. Perhaps one
day, with enough care, Goku could chase the clouds away.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Urasai (related very loosely)

Hakkai
stepped out on the porch and noticed a small box. He picked up the box and
carried it inside the cabin.

Gojyo
quickly moved his feet off the table. Hakkai didn’t seem to notice. Whew.
“What’s that?”

Hakkai
shrugged. “I don’t know, yet.” He set the box on the table and opened it. It
contained Gojyo’s ping-pong paddle, with the hole still in it, and a pair of
handcuffs with a long chain between them.

Gojyo
chuckled, “What kind of freaks do you know?”

Hakkai
laughed. “These would be from your friends and please keep your feet off the
table.”

The
box also contained a large tube of lube, two elbow length latex gloves and a
letter. Befuddled, Hakkai opened the letter.

It
read:

Boys,

Thanks for all the entertainment, but
there’s something I want to see…

Hakkai
felt the blood leave his face.

…make sure you use a lot of lube. The
hand has to be angled like this…

Hakkai
left his knees go weak as he looked at the graphic diagram.

…once Gojyo has gone past his wrist….

Hakkai’s
eyes nearly popped from his head. Glancing at his lover’s rather large hands, he
muttered weakly, “What?”

... if you
don’t, I will cut off the gold card.

Hakkai
fell to the floor with a thud.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deleted
line from CH 19

[This
was deleted because Zenon did not have first hand knowledge of this incident.]

Kougaiji’s face was the
definition of determination, “War Prince, you have something of mine.”

Homura spoke, “I see, you
got rid of the lightening dragon. Konzen grows more capable by the day.”

Zenon laughed, “That was a ‘go pokeball’
moment if I ever saw one.” He snickered, “Lightening dragon, I choose you!”

Violet eyes narrowed. That
moment was a lapse of judgment he was never going to repeat. “I want that sutra
returned.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Reviewer
Feedback

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

strange_pepoles

Helo, looked at your story like ai
said i would. took me awile to find the site. nice as
always

Strange Peoples,

Hiya! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I
know you aren’t a big fan of this genre. Thanks for giving it a look-see.

c[~]~~~*sip*

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vampunk

Awesome new chapter!!!!! I was waiting for you to post
forever!

I feel so bad for Gojyo! The poor guy. I really like
the idea of the three of them doing the threesome thing to help them both out. Although admittedly, I'm not a big fan of Het.
But you write that really well. I don't know what everyone's talking about, I
really enjoy Ah'nesty. I enjoyed Tano, too. I guess
it's because Ah'nesty reminds me of a friend of mine. She's cool, keep her. I
didn't know there was a disorder like what Ah'nesty has. I always learn
something new when I read your fic. It gives her a
lot of depth.

I was a little disappointed that Sanzo didn't get much screen time, but hey,
I'll get over it. If you can figure out how to get Sanzo to get his dick periced, you're more imaginative than me. I love how you
put things like that in this. I'm a BodMod person
myself and it's really refreshing to see it used more. It's great to read a fic by such an openminded and
informed person.

That note to Goku was intriging. Why is he worried
about people hearing him? Hmmm...very interesting.

I have question: Hakkai called Sanzo 'Sanzo' right in front of Ah'nesty. Did
you do that on purpose or was it a slip? 'Cause I thought it was a little odd
she didn't notice.

I'm glad you do original stuff! Be assured I will definitely make mass
metaphorical sacrifices to the Powers That Be that you get published. I'm
trying for that myself. It's a pain in the ass considering the subject matter I
tend to write and the almost frightening amount of close minded people there
are in the world. Don't give up!

Great work. I'm really enjoying this fic!

Vampunk,

I can’t help but wonder if you still like Ah’Nesty after
Chapter 19. A part of me wants to smack her a good
one. I hope you enjoyed the threesome.

Did you noticed my “mistake” on
page three? A piercing gun? Gun?
For that type of piercing? Hmmm….
There’s something Goku doesn’t know. Neither does Sanzo for that matter.

As far as getting Sanzo’s dick pierced. I hope I can work it
in. I contacted a few piercing studios to see if my idea would work. They told
me it was a stretch. I hope I can pull it off in fiction.

Hakkai calling Sanzo “Sanzo” in front of Ah’Nesty was a
slip-up. Thanks to you, it got corrected before too many people read the
chapter. Thanks a bunch for that.

After seeing Goku’s plan in 19, did ya
figure out what he was worried about people overhearing? Snicker. Devious
little monkey.

Thanks for the support in me getting published!

c[~]~~~*sip*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jaxx

Oooooh, you're so good!! I'm
waiting for the impending threesome with mixed feelings. On one hand,
I'm...anxious...about someone coming between the two love birds (Of course, I
mean this in more of a literal sense than an emotional one. Ah'Nesty's love for
Gonou still sets off a couple sirens for me. I have
to remind myself that it is Gonou she's loves. Hakkai
belongs to the Kappa). On the other, I know it's going to be a hell of chapter!
This chapter about broke my heart. Gojyo's so irresistable
when he worries about losing Hakkai. (Hmm, what does that say about me?) I
caught myself fervently thinking "No don't leave!! No good can come of
that! Just look what happened last time!" And Hakkai as
a dancer?? *drools while a chorus of angels strikes a
chord overhead* Delicious.

I have to say that I do like Ah'Nesty very much and I love that you have
brought in Hakkai/Gonou's past in such a believable
way. And an entertaining and comical one at that! I loved the photo album. I
loved every damned picture in it. I loved Gonou's
rebellion and I loved the way each picture brought out different emotions in
Hakkai. (Here's one person you don't have to worry about offending with the
challenge to Catholic ideals, though I mean no offense to anyone who holds
those ideals dear). Sanzo's attempted hypocrisy was priceless. "Did you
enjoy the BACON with breakfast KORY?" I laughed so loud a friend who came
by to use my washing machine came up from downstairs and stared at me while I
tried to regain composure. (And shortly thereafter looked at
me like I was a crazy person while I tried to explain). I love what
you're doing with Sanzo as well and I love that he is defending Goku Logic!
This is one of the only fics with a Sanzo/Goku
pairing that I can enjoy. You've done a great job of maturing Goku in a convincing
way. Normally I find that particular pairing a little hard to stomach, but
there have been a couple of times when I've wanted to reach through the screen
and smack Konzen a good one for daring to interfere.

I don't know how long I've waited for Jiroushin to
take meddlesome (yet lovable) Goddess! But at the same time, she acts so very
feminine that when you get down to the mechanics of her having sex...It was,
(while done well, please don't get me wrong!) sort of strange to read.

Merciful Goddess above how I love this story! I wish I had been here to review
the entire ride, but I've just recently stumbled across AFF. Read the first 17
chapters in a day (and part of the night) and squealed when 18 was posted. You
have a beautiful gift for words, a chilling grasp of symbolism and your writing
(and the story) only gets better as it goes on! I have seen you voice concern
over this story dragging out. PLEASE don't think like that! It is phenominal in its entirety and I know that it will continue
to be until it brings itself to an end. Your story has another devoted
follower! I'm looking forward to the rest of it!

Jaxx,

You see that your sirens were right, huh? Hakkai does belong
to the Kappa! Back Ah’Nesty, BACK!

The bacon line makes me snicker too. I’m glad that you like
the photo albums. I was a bit worried if the pictures were only showing up in
my mind.

Hakkai as a dancer – that’s a tribute to Braden Hunt’s
ability to dance. Hakkai not being able to sing is a tribute to Akira Ishida.
He can sing very well, but doesn’t think he can.

I wonder, do you still like
Ah’Nesty after chapter 19? I’m so bad. I’m glad that you did like her while I
wanted you to like her. I’m shooting for mixed feelings now. LOL.

Sanzo defending Goku Logic. We
should get a little bit more of that. I’m not sure which chapter. I’m glad that
you think Goku is still IC. I have a hard time with Goku lemons and I’m not all
the crazy about Sanzo/Goku (I know it seems odd.), but I had to mature him a
bit to be comfortable with him in a lemon. Especially in a
lemon with someone so complicated at Sanzo.

It was very awkward writing the Jiroshin
and Merciful Goddess lemon. I’ve been waiting for that pairing to pop up
somewhere too. If I ever write it again, she will be seme.
However “her dick” is not something I’m looking forward to typing again. Hahaha!

You read the first 17 chapters in ONE sitting? Goodness
gracious! Rest your eyes! Wow.

Welcome to the jeep, I hope your
comfy. Poor dear, you get on the jeep just before I start having issues. I’m
sorry about the delay.

C[~]~~~*sip*

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paisley.

I have retuuuuuurned. >:D

And YES, I am mad about the threesome. Gahhh, I want
that whore-ho-bitch deaaaad. I mean, she's cool, but
I still can't shake that feeling that she's gonna
break my two dears appart. But with that dance scene,
my stomach dropped. But me and Gojyo feel the same way
whenever our significant other does something of that nature.

I am mostly sad because Gojyo is my favorite character. He's a hottie on a stick and even my own boyfriend is jealous of
him. [Which tells you something] but he always talks about Naru
from Love Hina so I get him back with my posters of
the hot kappa all over my wall. But it always weirds
me out when Gojyo is with a woman nowadays because I can't stop reading Gojyo x
Hakkai fics. I also am starting to go to more Gojyo x
Goku because for some reason, that gets me going.

And believe me, I have tried numerous times to write
lemons. But either I get the giggles because I spaz
and say, " OMFG, I typed penis!!!" or I
think it's not quite as arousing as it could be. So poo. ;__;

So yes, another awesome chapter. Funny as usual and I hope Goku manages to get
Sanzo to get that pircing. Cause
everybody knows, that'd be fucking sexy. :D

Paisley,

Welcome back!

Oh dear, I’m sure you want Ah’Nesty really, really dead now.
I hope you were able to stomach the threesome. I’m glad I wrote Gojyo well
enough that you were able to relate to him. *grin*

Gojyo and Goku is really growing on
me. I’m sure you saw that whisper in this chapter. LOL.
However Gojyo and Hakkai are still my favorite pairing.

As far as writing lemons go – write to your comfort level. If
you are comfortable at lime or citrus then there is nothing wrong with that. I
like down and dirty graphic, but that is not the only way to write.

If I can do the piercing, I’m going to. It’s a matter of how it
plays out when I write it.

I’m glad I entertained you. *grin*

C[~]~~~*sip*

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quirk

Yaaaaaaaay! Another chapter out! (pauses to laugh madly) I love the tee shirts. I've seen some
like that, too, so it really cracked me up. I liked Goku's devious side--- i was running different theories as to how he and Hakkai
communicated under Gojyo and Sanzo's nose. Thanks for demonstrating!
Ah'Nesty--- I LIKE her. She feels real to me, like she could really exist in
the Saiyuki world. And I would love to see them come
up with that school uniform. The great Kannon finally
getting some action with Jiroshin, cracked me up,
too, especially since I think they had it coming. The serious parts--- and I
think you know what I'm talking about--- well, they are like cleaning a wound
that didn't get treated in time, and having to clean out all the gunk. I have
issues with the same things Hakkai and Gojyo do, I guess. Oh! and i'm glad the bunny girl's
back. It means they get to kill her again! ^_^ And I
can't wait for the meeting between all three groups, however it plays out. I'm
sorry about your computer; that totally sucks. Just do your best, ne? Oh, good warnings. I think they covered everything, to
be sure. If I had to look for something, I'd say... more carefully betaing over spelling. Not grammer,
or anything, just spelling. I try to triple check everything, but mistakes
still get through, so I can't really say anything, but it's the only criticism
I can think of that's constructive. Anyway, thank you for the chapter!

~Q

Quirk,

Yes, passing notes. Hakkai and Goku are devious. Now that it
has been written and explained, I’ve let it hide under the text. No point in
bogging it down with little things like that until necessary.

I wonder, do you still like
Ah’Nesty after Ch. 19?

She feels real to you? Wow! That his very
high praise. I’ve tried to make my OC’s seem
down to earth and plausible. In the circles of “every OC is a Mary Sue” it is
nice to see someone who thinks this OC is plausible. Wow! Thank you so very
much.

Oh yeah, gotta get the bored
Goddess some nooky! Hahahaha.

The spelling errors. I try and try
to get those, but some sneak passed. There were a few chapters written when my
word program kept crashing. Spell check stopped working after about 30 pages. Sheesh.
And in chapter 18 I noticed a lot of “wrong word” spelling errors. I’m trying
to tighten that up. I’m glad the mistakes weren’t bad enough to turn you from
the fic.

Thanks for the constructive comments. I appreciate it.
Thanks for reading, too!

C[~]~~~*sip*

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

silvertales6

I'm sooo sorry to hear about your compy! I mourn for it...*sniff sniff*.
I took notes again...here we gooo

1. BIggest thing - JIROSHIN SCORED! YESSSSS!

2. Farmhouse - AWE! I freaked. I was like, "NO! THE KIDDIES! AND
CACYE!" but then they were okay. And Cacye
totally showed that guy by kicking him in the balls! GO GIRL!

3. Your stories are educational - I know now what vaginismus
is. Haha...i googled it then read this again and realized that you
explained it. DOH

4. Only Time - One of my fav. songs. Props for that

5. Nasty origami - haha! Reminds me of the
time me and my sarawah wrote "DICK" really
big inside of the hymnal at church...in pencil of course. Then we erased it. We
didn't have enough balls to leave it there.

6. Gonou's shirts - Can anyone say Spencer's Trip? Hahah...i loved them

7.The chicken story (and all of the other little school stories) - cute. Really
rounded out Gonou...who in the anime..doesn't really seem like he was ever a real person.
As far as the anime goes, he was just a killer who fell in love with his
sister. Now he seems real.

8. Alcohol + Hakkai = FUUUUNNNN!! DOU IT!

9. Hakkai + Gojyo + Ah’Nesty = FUUUUNNNNN!! DOU IT! (I'm drooling already...not
to be gross or nothing...haha)

I think that's all. OH! THANK YOU! FOR REVIEWING MY STORY! I
almost shit myself when I saw it. I was like, "OMG! CUP REVIEWED MY PIECE
OF SHIT?! AAAH!" But thank ye...and
i'm glad someone got the pairing.

i eagerly await more...

Luvs'n'hugs,

silvertales6

Silvertales!

You are BACK! I just finished posting on my LJ to you.

Wow! You related strong enough to Cayce and Faythe to worry about them. That’s wonderful! Wow!

I try to put in something unusual in my fics.
Ah’Nesty when she was designed was designed with that because I wanted to deal
with a sexual disorder. I’m glad you found that interesting.

Only Time is a great song. Glad you liked it.

I was trying to use the memories, stories and pictures to
round out Gonou. Kinda
flesh him out and make him seem like someone who really lived. I’m glad that
worked for you. I’m glad you are looking forward to the threesome and I hope
you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed Hakkai “drunk” too.

Your fic was not a piece of shit.
It was very good. I enjoyed it. *grin*

Oh! I got the pairing! Wow! I got the pairing! *does a smug
little dance* Woo-hoo!

C[~]~~~*sip*

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mzblue

Well, once again you've rocked my notions, here I think the
story is going to go one way and you once again hurl me off the emotional cliff
so to speak!!!!! Although without ruining it for the rest of the readers one
part in the story, really offended me, JUST KIDDING!!!,
and you know which one I'm speaking of!!! MY EYES THEY BURN!!! LOL! That something I was not expecting and it was quite amusing, god, how
I laughed. For those wondering read the story and you'll know what I'm
talking about!!

Now back to the good stuff, I truly am moved by the love Gojyo & Hakkai
share. Hakkai is one psycholgically disturbed person.
God, he bleeds the angst, its pouring out of his pores. But considering the
childhood background and on top of that his complete and total let down by the
religious folk, who supposedly help one spiritually, is it any wonder the man
is still alive?? Sometimes a part of me wishes to just slap some sense into
him, but I guess that's what he has Gojyo for. To love him beyond the pain,
fill the void. Great stuff, plus I love that even with the world falling around
them, they can still find the funny. Speaking of funny
I must file a complaint to you. No one desecrates the Great Sanzo's
Weenie!!!!!! LOL!! Goku has one or two screws loose if he thinks the hot priest
is going to let anyone near his dick. Hehhe, I love
the way Sanzo finally took control without any of the fucking guilt. That's
right Sanzo, you tame that monkey!! Puts a whole twist on "Spank the
Monkey" I loved it.

Now here are some crazy t-shirts I've seen or wish to own:

Innocent Bystander

I do what my Rice Crispies tell me to do.

One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor!

Dick, the other white meat!! (LOL I gotta get me a
shirt that says this!)

Great work!!!

Mzblue,

You are such a NUT! Woo-hoo emotional cliffs. Gotta
love those!

Didn’t like Jiroshin and the
Merciful Goddess, huh? Sorry. I hope your eyes have recovered. Snicker. Or
we’ve been sharing hot yaoi for no good reason. Haha!

He bleeds angst – that is so true of Hakkai! He totally
needs Gojyo in his life. Gojyo needs him too. At least in
RAHO.

So, you don’t like the dick piercing thing? Hmmm… sorry? *weak grin* I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of the
fic anyway.

Sanzo taming his monkey – gotta
love a large and in-charge Sanzo. Hmmm sexy!

Those are GREAT t-shirts! I love them. I would so wear
those.

C[~]~~~*sip*

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sg

From a reader who's been lurking lo these many chapters--I'm
giving up now. A little bit of het *sometimes* is
alright. Threesomes are great if it's for example Sanzo/Gojyo/Hakkai or
Spike/Jet/Faye but I detest OCs. I'm still
traumatized by the Sanzo-het back in ch. 5-6.

Having said that, you are a very talented writer and your yaoi-lemons
are delicious.

Gomen nasai.

Sg,

I’m sorry you are leaving the jeep. I’m glad that you
enjoyed your time while you were here. I’m sorry that you didn’t like the
Sanzo/Tano or the Gojyo/Cayce lemons. If you ever
want to return to the jeep, I’ll be here with open arms.

I tried to design interesting OC’s.
I see I failed you. I’m sorry.

C[~]~~~*sip*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Addictedtomarbles

Hey dear.

Sorry to hear about your computer. It sux when
technology doesn't go your way.

Another chapter and I didn't mind waiting at all ... hearing about Gonou's life almost made him come alive off the paper and I
liked that. We always knew Hakkai/Gonou was a dancer
or a gymnast, ah Tenpou will be proud. I still can't find a way of writing dancing, I'm giving it a try and will send you the results.
I liked how you portrayed it.

I also want to see the other photo album because I have some
naughty pictures in my head.

I guessed that Ah'Nesty wasn't from the underground. It seemed too easy
although it didn't guess it exactly. I thought they might have met during
Gojyo's two year period, but I certainly didn't see the twist coming.

Yay, Kama Sutra 101 with Cho Sensei is progressing too and he's taken on new pupils
in Ah'Nesty and Gojyo (or would that be alumni?) and bless, Goku is doing
really wellin his demonstrations. Hakkai should ask
Sanzo for an end-of-term report

Poor Gojyo too, his sensitive side does come through in this ficiton and from watching the anime and reading the manga both him and Goku seem to be the most emotional of
the four. I think sometimes our kappas 'playboy'
streak can be overplayed. Although Hakkai is my favoruite
(i see where he is coming from). I'm quite drawn to
Gojyo for some reason.

Jiroshin jumped Kanzeon!
Woo. I was smirking all the way through it. Could I be rude and ask if I had
any hand in it?? (although I thought she'd jump him, I
was glad I was proved wrong)

Absinthe ... I have bad memories of absinthe ... never again ... well ... just
a drop.

Right on with work and ope to hear from you soon

Marbles,

You are such a sweetie! I surprised you with the twist?
Coolies! Sanzo giving Hakkai an end of term report.
That is an urasai waiting to happen. LOL!

Ya like Jiroshin
and Goddess lemon? Woo-hoo! You got me thinking about
it. Snicker. If I ever write it again, I will write her as the seme because I think that’s how their relationship normally
goes.

You have memories of absinthe? Maybe you can tell me if I
got it right with this chapter? Literary “creative liberties”
aside – of course.

Huggles!

C[~]~~~*sip*

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flamingolo

Eep...a little late reviewing,
many apologies! I had to wait until I could read this chappy
in one sitting, and the verdict ends up being: Oh, you brilliant authoress,
you. I adore that you revisited the paper and tied in the butterfly wings so
perfectly; I absolutely did not see that one coming at all, you clever girl.
Also liked the usage of red spider-webbing, very neat description that made me
do another double take, something you seem to have a knack for *lol*. Smashing lyrics for the couple to sing, Hakkai's
"This is the last smile that I’ll fake for the sake of being with
you" fit so nicely in with his personality, and the theme. One thing I
didn't approve of *grins* was the phrenology bashing. It ends in -ology, so it must be a science. Right...?

LMAO at Hakkai trying to fit himself into the weaving of the fleece
shirt...that was such a great, subtle line the seemed to embody Hakkai's sense
of humor to me. My favorite line in the chapter had to be “I suppose I need to
do a better job of showing you that I love what’s beneath your smile.”; very sweet, even more so in its complex simplicity, at
least taking into account the rest of the fic and
Hakkai in general. *lol* I loved the dialogue between
Hakkai and Sanzo that revolved around the religious protest, very funny
exchange. Also, *lol* meatbun piercings...that's great.
I love how Hakkai and Gojyo's relationship progresses both at an amazing rate,
and a delightfully subtle one. *happy sigh* Fabulous new developments, this fic never disappoints, and is hands down one of my top five
fics across fandoms. *glompage* Looking forward to more from you, you're
delightful.

Flamingolo!

I have so missed you! *glomps* You liked the
butterfly connections? Cool. I hope you like the next butterfly result just as
well. You didn’t see it coming? Sweet!

You didn’t like the phrenology bashing? Well, if you want to
put weight in reading the bumps on people’s heads then knock your socks off.

That line was supposed to be one of the more powerful lines
of the chapter. I’m glad it hit a chord with you.

I’m glad the humor carried for you. Yippie!!

You are so sweet. Thank you so much for the compliment! I hope
chapter 19 meets your expectations too.

C[~]~~~*sip*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pyrocat

you are one of the best authors i have ever read. that said, the
story can never be ruined (yes i read your webpage). yes the threesome is
unexpected but if that is what the characters need to move on to more fun
then......

overall your story is the best saiyuki fanfic i have ever read, and i mean that quiet literaly. the characters are living breathing people (or dragon) in
the story.

just thought you should know

thanks for the story so far and please update soon!!

Pyrocat,

Wow! Thank you so very much for the compliment. I read your
words at a time I really need to hear them and thank you for saying them. Wow.
The night I read your comments really picked me up. I was able to look at this
chapter with fresher eyes and – you have no idea and I can not come close to
telling you how much your words moved me. A big chunk of this chapter was
written after reading your words.

Thank you so much,

C[~]~~~*sip*

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flamingolo

*points to empty, blackened hole in soul* Look, cup. A hole
*lip quiver*. In my soul *cheesy music*. Caused by YOU. Lol, hope you're
getting that blasted computer fixed; know that RaHO/any
brand of cup fic is missed!

Flamingolo,

I’m sorry about the delay. I hope I have made amends with ch 19 – at least somewhat.

C[~]~~~*sip*

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soraslight

Awesome fic!!(Not counting that my
favorite pairing is GojyoxHakkai) Can words describe
how much of a genius you are?! Great job! You caught the characters
personality's to a tee! I only on chapter 3 though...but I can say that this is
the only long yaoi fic I
will ever read. Because:

1) I have a short attention span

2) I love you story so I can't help myself.

Keep up the good work!!!!

Soraslight,

A new voice! Scoot over everyone and make room! I hope your comfy.

I’m glad that you have enjoyed this fic
so far. I hope that chapter 19 lives up to your expectations. It’s great to
have you in the jeep with us.

C[~]~~~*sip*

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shiro

I really should review this when I have my brain around me
but I enjoyed reading this fanfic a lot. I used to
have qualms about your style of writing the Saiyuki
cast. Because Saiyuki is essentially japanese and your writing style is
proper english and it somehow clashes each other when
I was first exposed to your Sanzo/Hakkai fanfic you
posted on the hardlove community on LJ. I liked your
writing but your style of writing didn't seem to match that well for Saiyuki.

And then you got me hooked onto RAHO. ^__^; The
'style' difference (between Saiyuki and your writing
style) is still there but you integrated it well enough that I can ignore it
enough to enjoy the fic. I like how you manage to
change a PWP into a full-fledged fanfic with plot
^__^

And I love the tension and everything that surrounds
Gojyo and Hakkai. It's done wonderfully and I wish i
could phrase myself better to describe how I feel about this fanfic. But I guess this will suffice for now.

Uhm, to satisfy a small curiosity, are there anymore
chapters after chapter 18? I've seen you mention chapter 22 in the writing on
your website and I'm itching to see what would happen now that a certain blonde
female is back on the loose.

Great job. Hope to read more. ^_^

Shiro,

Oh! Another new voice. We need another space,
ladies! Comfy?

My style is kinda different. Not
everyone likes it. I’m glad that you have warmed up to it. I’m a western girl,
the only way I know how to write is with a western flair. I’ve looked up info
on Japanese sexuality (The Joy of Sex has a good description) and I do not
think I can write that kind of aggression without it being kink. I’ve tried to
mimic some of the anime’s style with the scene cuts
and things like that, but the nuts and bolts of my writing is
very western.

When you saw the mentioning of chapter 22 you saw bits of my
planning. Chapter 18 and now chapter 19 are the only ones finished and posted.

I’m still working on chapter 7 of “Getting a Vice”.

I’m glad that you have enjoyed the RAHO and I hope you
continue to enjoy it. Ahh yes, Flaxen – I can’t wait
to see her die! LOL.

C[~]~~~*sip*

This
is a test to see if this type of formatting works on this site.
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Relax and Hang On -- Again