Virginity

Funny thing is, the ones I bang out quickly seem to be more popular than the ones I work on!

I don't own Saiyuki (but I'm getting sick of admitting it.)

Pleae review and check out my other fics- I'm getting a complex here about which ones go over well and which ones don't.

Oh fickle, fickle readers!


Chapter 3


Enduring three full nights of camping in what could only be described as hellish weather had not made the team feel close to each other. They probably resembled a pack of half starved dogs, snapping at each other rather than the delegated party from the Temple of the Setting Sun.

Cold, wet, and hungry they stumbled into the first inn they encountered- which was only an inn in the sense that they rented rooms. It was a bed and breakfast with maybe a half a dozen rooms for rent, a common kitchen and bathroom and an area segregated for the residents. They had always found such establishments cheerful and welcoming- but the tattered appearance and obvious attitude of its newest guests left much open to debate. The faltering smile of the receptionist, and the plastic look her face took on, told Sanzo his chances of getting a room were even to not, even if there were vacancies.

A credit card did wonders to smooth it over. He even paid the extra fee for Hakkai's pet.

“Its not like he doesn't earn his keep, Sanzo,” Hakkai was saying.

“Feh, this little trip is costing us too much as it is.”

“Well, why don't we just be happy we have warm beds tonight.”

“Yeah! Warm separate beds,” Sanzo said. He'd booked the last four rooms- evidently not a busy time of year for the bed and breakfast.

“Hmph,” was the only response from Hakkai.

“Well I'm going up for first dibs on the rooms,” the kappa had set his foot on the first step when Goku had an outburst.

“No fair! I want first choice this time, you got it last time!”

Gojyo shrugged. Goku bounded up the stairs past him and disappeared. Gojyo produced his smokes and began tapping the pack against his wrist. The receptionist, a smallish middle aged woman with an over sized belly harrumphed loudly until she got his attention and then pointed towards a no smoking sign.

Gojyo glared at the sign and cursed, “shit” under his breath and stowed the cigarettes for later. He had no intention of not smoking. He'd just make sure he did it out a window. With the rain coming down outside, and the four being soaked to the bone, Gojyo was too tired to start an argument- even with Goku.

Driving in an open topped jeep in the rain was not conducive to smoking. Sanzo had every intention of lighting up just as fast as Gojyo and his eyes visibly reddened at the idea that he might have to room in a bed and breakfast without his smokes. If the rain held, he'd be stuck here for days and he didn't like the idea of hiding his habit. Hakkai's head snapped in his direction when he heard Sanzo grind his teeth hard enough to remove enamel.

“Lets go up very quickly and get settled in our rooms,” he suggested.

After staring at the receptionist long enough to put a fright into her, Sanzo turned and tromped upstairs behind Gojyo. Hakkai could see them getting their packs out while they were still in the hallway once they were out of sight from the receptionist's view from behind her counter. The worried looks from the woman were not lost on Hakkai and he sincerely felt for her.

“We're not as bad as we look,” he said, ever the apologist. “We were hours driving in this rain and everybody is out of sorts.”

The receptionist smiled at him. “Well, you go get dried off and come down for some dinner after, kay?”

Hakkai smiled, “Okay!”

When he turned to go upstairs he passed by Goku, who had been sent to fetch the packs from the hallway. He was grumbling as he made his way down the stairs.

Six rooms branched off, three to each side of the hallway. The two opposite each other at the far end held other guests. That left two pairs of adjoining rooms on either side of the hallway. Goku had chosen his, as had Gojyo and the monk. That left Hakkai with no choice, but he didn't much care. The rooms were probably not so different from each other and the only thing that might be worth choosing was the view from the window.

Hakkai located the only room with its door open and entered. He found the room key dropped on the bed, no doubt by Sanzo. He picked it up and studied it before tossing it on the small desk. A moment later and Goku was hoisting the luggage up, making far more noise than necessary to do it. He tripped over his own feet at the top of the stairs and all but fell through the door into Hakkai's room. Hakkai laughed at him and bent to pull the pack with his own stuff inside.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“Next to Gojyo,” Goku said. “I wanted to be next to Sanzo but he said he didn't want to hear me through the walls.”

“Ah hah, so Gojyo is stuck hearing you!”

Goku giggled, “Am I really that bad?”

Hakkai shrugged, “It doesn't bother me too much.”

“I don't know why Sanzo doesn't take the room next to Gojyo. Gojyo won't shut up about it and he does things to me when I'm asleep.”

This got another laugh out of Hakkai, “Must be why then!” Goku could usually cheer Hakkai up, just by being Goku.

“Seeya at dinner!” Goku chirped and skipped off. Hakkai stared after him, hours in the cold rain and mud in a bumpy hard vehicle and he was bouncing with energy.

Hakkai took a few moments to stretch before ambling back out to see how the others were settling in. bending forward he easily flattened his palms to the floor without bending his knees. Then he stretched upward, over and back until he formed an ark with the floor. His back cracked in several places. Hakkai kicked his foot forward and finished the maneuver back in the position with his palms on the floor.

After a few more exersizes to work the kinks out, Hakkai was bored enough to seek out the others and see how they were doing. It just so happened the first door he knocked on was Sanzo's.

It was damn comical how predictable Sanzo had lit up at the first opportunity. It was likely he would have walked into the exact same scene with Gojyo. He was sitting by the window in silks and jeans. The scene was the same, but the greeting was different.

Or in this case absent.

Sanzo sucked on his cigarette. He blew the smoke out the window. Eventually he acknowledged Hakkai's presence when the it became evident he wasn't going to leave. “What.”

Hakkai had to rapidly come up with a reason for coming in. He actually hadn't had one, except that he didn't have anything else to do until a meal had been prepared.

“We eating first?”

Sanzo didn't look at him. “I am.”

“Okay then.”

Miffed, he left the priest alone.

Sanzo stared at the door a while after he left the room. “Dammit,” he cursed to himself.

Truth was, he couldn't get the nicotine into himself fast enough. The driving rain had stiffened every muscle in his neck and it pissed him off to no end how much easier he showed the wear than his demons. He kneaded at the muscles. The cigarette was helping.

He needed a shower.

The need for a shower seemed to outweigh the need for food. If he waited until they all ate he could grab the shower then, steal the hot water and unbend his body a little. Damn assholes didn't need it as much as he did anyway.

He lit another cigarette. Idiot Hakkai would wait for Gojyo, and Goku would always choose food first. He was usually last so they might not wait up for him.

The hot water was his.

Sanzo figured on five or ten minutes before Gojyo had sucked one down. Sanzo had already had one but he smoked them faster. He actively smoked when he had them, Gojyo was more of a walk around with it hanging out your mouth type.

Sanzo puffed faster, stubbed the cigarette out half burned and stowed it back in the pack.

Quickly he gathered his toiletries and hid by the door.

Any minute now...

He heard tromping by the door. He could hear Goku announcing food.

“Guys I get first dibbs...” He heard. Good, they'd head down now.

He heard Hakkai's voice in the hall, saying Gojyo this and Gojyo that. He could even hear Hakuryuu tweedle-deeing. The little dragon was filthy and Sanzo was sure Hakkai would have the little beast in the shower with him.

“...Well Sanzo said he was going to eat...” Hakkai was chattering.

“...God damn dumb ass monk...” rang out a few moments later and Sanzo cursed the man out. He had meant for Sanzo to hear that.

Straightening Sanzo waited a moment, counted to ten and followed down.

Smiling to himself he passed by the dining table and peeked in.

Hakkai and Goku sat beside each other. Goku was stuffing his face with enough food to choke a horse. Hakkai tended not to restrain Goku's habits and he took advantage of it. Hakkai was preparing his tea, and ignoring Goku's poor behaviour.

Good, than Hakkai can clean up the mess he makes. Probably would too.

“Hmph.” Sanzo smirked and trotted by. He could feel the other two watch him pass.

When Sanzo though of Gojyo, his step faltered before he ran down the hall.

“FUCKING GOJYO!” he bellowed, causeing Hakkai and Goku to jump and turn toward his direction.

From within his steamy paradise, Gojyo jumped too.

“Dumb assed priest!” he barked back and laughed to himself. “You thought you were getting the hot water, didn't you?”

Sanzo pounded on the door. “You better not use it all you fucking cockroach!”

“Using the monkey to get your whits Sanzo?”

“I'm gonna get my gun, you have five minutes to finish up.”

“Sanzo-chan, there's room in here for two.”

“Bite me!” Sanzo barked.

“I'll think about that later but no shit, there's actually two stalls in here.”

That Hakkai was apologizing for all the noise registered in Sanzo's subconscious.

“Are they separate?”

“Yeah yeah, I won't be able to see your junk.”

“Feh, I don't trust you.”

“Sanzo-chan, just get in here.”

The desire for hot water was overcoming his desire to avoid the kappa. Sanzo leaned against the door and tried the knob. The door opened easily and from the crack spilled hot steam. Sanzo pushed his head around the door.

There were two shower stalls in the far corner of the bathroom. The separation between the two was a wall that came up to about shoulder height on Gojyo. If Sanzo were to stand in it, only his head and neck would be visible from the door.

Gojyo had a height advantage. He crossed his arms over the partition facing Sanzo and winked at him.

“I won't bite Sanzo-sama.”

Sanzo groaned and stepped inside. Gojyo made a show of turning away from him. “I won't look, I promise,” he said.

“Right, I know how good your promises are.”

The kappa laughed, “Not very good,” then he turned to wink at Sanzo. “Hey, its not like I haven't seen it before.”

Grunting and already regretting it, Sanzo stripped down. The kappa was right, public bathrooms were very common in this area. If he didn't make use of the shower now, he'd be giving in to the discomfort he was sure the kappa put him in on purpose. Also, the damn cockroach would probably make sure he used all the water up for sure.

Either way, Gojyo would find a way to tease him.

If the others knew he had refused to shower near the kappa, the others would be aware that Sanzo was really avoiding him. That might lead to questions he didn't want asked.

Gojyo was washing his hair.

Groaning, he hung the towel up on the rack and stepped into the shower stall. It placed him only feet from the kappa, but the wall beside him did allude to some kind of privacy.

Thank the gods for hot water. Sanzo turned the water up high enough to be uncomfortable and turn his skin pink. He doused his head in the stream and sighed as the hot water did its magic to his sore muscles.

Gojyo smiled over the partition, taking in an eyeful as the monk's attention was temporarily more on his own comfort than his presence. Sanzo was truly unaware of how he looked. His grudging bashfulness only added flavor. It also was evidence to Gojyo that something else was going on in his brain.

His eyes traveled down the length of his body as the man turned to soap up. They rested on the hair at the bottom of his belly. It was about two shades darker than the sun bleached stuff on his head, and darkened further with the hot, soapy water running through it. Gojyo's eyes traveled back up the flat belly to the well formed chest and pink nipples. He wished he could be that bar of soap traveling across Sanzo's skin. Gojyo sighed inwardly.

He really had no idea.

Ruby eyes slid up to his elegant collar bone. He was built very similarly to Hakkai and Gojyoe had developed a “type” of male he was attracted to, and Sanzo fit it pretty well.

His eyes followed the path of the soap across Sanzo's belly and then the soap stopped. All motion had frozen and the kappa dragged his eyes up to Sanzo's face. He'd been caught staring.

Sanzo's lip had curled into a sneer and his eyes had narrowed. The kappa grinned sheepishly and muttered out a “sorry” in Sanzo's general direction.

Gojyo rinsed the rest of the conditioner out of his hair. He left the shower and was toweling off when he heard Sanzo cursing. Gojyo wrapped the towel about his waist and paused.

“What's your problem?”

“I forgot my shampoo.”

Gojyo laughed. “You call that shit you use shampoo? I'm surprised you have any hair left at all with that crap. No wonder your losing it.”

“I am not losing it!” Sanzo growled.

“He-he, Yeah. You just keep denying it.”

“Fuck you.”

“Any time.”

“Feh.”

A moment later and Gojyo peeked around the partition into Sanzo's stall. He caught site of the pitch just in time to avoid taking the bar of soap he wished he was dead in the face. It splattered against the far wall and bounced along the floor.

“Damn Sanzo, I only came over to give you this!” He held out two bottles to Sanzo and he snatched the conditioner and shampoo from him. He looked at the bottles, opened and sniffed at the contents.

He looked at Gojyo, “This is expensive stuff.”

Gojyo laughed, “Only the best impresses the ladies.”

Gojyo lingered in the door, wearing nothing but a towel and watched Sanzo pour the shampoo into his hand.

“Your welcome, your worship.”

“Thank you,” Sanzo said and Gojyo recognized the dismissal..

“You really are a bastard.”

“You wouldn't want me any other way.”

It wasn't a response Gojyo had expected from the priest. He watched Sanzo wash and it occurred to him the the priest was making no effort to make him leave. The way he came in, Gojyo had figured he'd be dieing for Gojyo to get the hell out. He knew Sanzo well enough to know he had told Hakkai he was eating first because he thought he have a better shot at the shower that way.

Getting to the hot water first had become another form of priest bating.

Then he saw something that brought a smile to his face. Sanzo's bottle of shampoo was sitting at the bottom of the shower stall.

“What other way could I have you?”

Sanzo's eyes turned enough to eye Gojyo from over his shoulder. There was an upward curve, suggesting a bare hint of a smile to the corner of his mouth. Gojyo shuddered. Maybe he had a better shot with the priest than he thought. He'd never seen Sanzo look at anyone like that before.

“You can't have me.”

“I can't? You seem to be inviting me.”

“I've done nothing of the sort.”

“Are we talking about the same thing here?” Gojyo asked.

Sanzo turned a lazy circle under the shower head. He was flushed from the hot water.

“What are you talking about?”

Gojyo stepped in past the entrance to the stall and he actually felt Sanzo's defenses go up.

So that was how it was.

Gojyo stopped with one foot in the shower floor. He leaned against the archway struck a pose. “Aren't you behaving strange Sanzo-sama.”

“Now I really don't know what you are talking about.”

“You were blushing when you came in here and you almost didn't”

“Bullshit.”

“Are you afraid of me, Sanzo?”

Sanzo veritably guffawed at him, loading his hands with the conditioner.

“Me afraid of you? I'd laugh if it wasn't so pathetic.”

Gojyo took another step in and stood just inside the stall. Sanzo stiffened and inched away just a little bit.

“You are?”

“Am not.”

“Then why do you look like that? Are you afraid I'm going to touch you, or are you afraid I'm not?”

“Go away.”

Gojyo leaned in and reached past Sanzo to pluck the shampoo from the floor. Sanzo readied his fist but didn't need it. He blinked at the shampoo and looked at Gojyo's all too close face. Gojyo was smiling at him.

“So?”

He took the bottle of conditioner and put some in his own hands. “You like this?” he asked.

Sanzo nodded, not sure if he should repel the kappa or see if he left on his own.

Sanzo nodded.

“What are you doing?”

“Relax Sanzo, I'm not doing anything. Hey, this stuff works better if you use a lot, here...”

Gojyo rubbed the conditioner through his hands and ran them up into Sanzo's hair before the priest registered what he was doing.

He started to push the kappa away, but Gojyo held out his hands and told him to relax.

Gojyo worked his finger tips into Sanzo's scalp- something nobody had ever done before, and he was shocked by the sensation. When Gojyo turned him to face away Sanzo let him. He leaned against the partition as Gojyo worked his finger through his hair, neck and shoulders. He who had previously been tense with the kappa near, found himself turning to putty in his hands.

Sanzo was in a mental war with himself again. He knew that to linger here and enjoy the hanyou's touch was probably not so good an idea. It could lead to other things and Sanzo was unsure of himself as to where he wanted to go. However, even though his reasoning mind was telling him to get the hell out of there, the kappa was un-knotting his arms and shoulders and it felt like a little piece of paradise.

Gojyo leaned close to him and he was aware that somewhere along the way Gojyo had hung his towel back up and was very naked behind him. Gojyo's touch deepened, using his fingers to penetrate muscle and relieve the soreness within. The hands dropped lower, massaging the muscles in his lower back now.

Sanzo's pulse quickened.

Gojyo leaned close to his ear, “Feel better?”

Sanzo nodded, he was so, so tired.

Gojyo squeezed his shoulder and Sanzo's knees buckled.

“I can rub you down better upstairs.”

“You wish. ” Sanzo said..

“Yeah, actually. I want you, Sanzo.”

Sanzo glared at him. When he turned to face Gojyo, the hanyou was backing out of the shower stall. Sanzo stretched his neck, marveling at how much good Gojyo had done him in just a few moments and started to rinse the conditioner from his hair.

Gojyo's eyes flicked up and down over Sanzo's body, and Sanzo returned the favor. Gojyo licked his lips. Then he snatched back his towel and got dressed.

Sanzo was turning the water off as Gojyo reached the door. He paused in the door frame to look back at the priest.

Sanzo looked flustered. Gojyo felt he had made the priest just uncomfortable enough to get his attention.

“Offers on the table,” he said before shutting the door.

Hakkai was in the hallway, “You didn't use all the hot water, did you?”

Gojyo laughed. “I didn't, but Sanzo might have.”

“He told me he was going to eat first.”

“You believed him!”

Hakkai sighed and passed by Gojyo. “Yeah, I always fall for that.”