Disclaimer: The boys belong to Minekura-sensei. I'm just enjoying their company for awhile.

Author's Note: This is a bit experimental on my part, though it might not look it. Right now my intent is to have one chapter for each of the boys.

Because That's How He Loves
by Mako-clb

Cho Hakkai
He was once Cho Gonou, and as Gonou he loved powerfully and deeply. For Gonou, there were no distinctions or degrees of love. He could only love with everything he was, by giving all of himself unconditionally and forever, and by doing everything in his power to bring happiness to the one he loved.

But, Gonou was only a man, a human man, and he could not imagine loving more than one person in a lifetime with such intensity, so he saved all of that devotion, that passion for Kanan. And, Gouou had loved her—loved cooking her favorite meals, listening to her laugh, and talking with her into the night. He had loved using those hands of his that she adored so much to touch her bare skin until she trembled with pleasure. Everything he had and every moment of happiness in Gonou's life had been about loving Kanan and only Kanan.

When she was taken from him, he had descended to the gates of Hell, willing to sacrifice anything, his life and soul, the lives of anyone who got in his way, because that was how Cho Gonou loved. But, Cho Gonou died that night Kanan had taken her own life rather than continue living with her pain to love him. Gonou had always assumed that Kanan had loved him exactly as he had loved her. He had been wrong, and it had killed him.

He was now Cho Hakkai, and he still loved powerfully and deeply, but he had also learned that love could take many forms with many degrees of intensity. Kanan had begun the lesson, and his friends had made sure he learned it well. Now he loved not one but four, and now he loved in different ways. He couldn't explain or even understand all of the nuances, but he could say with certainty that he loved Sanzo and Goku and that it was different from the love he felt for his faithful pet, Hakuryu. And, that was different from the love he felt for Gojyo.

His love for Gojyo was closest to the love Gonou felt for Kanan. It was a love that made Hakkai want to make Gojyo comfortable, happy, and safe. He wanted to protect Gojyo's generous heart and heal the wounds to his soul.

And, there were moments when what he felt for Gojyo made him want to run his fingers through that beautiful scarlet hair and touch that tan skin until he learned what made Gojyo shiver in pleasure because even though Cho Hakkai was a different man from Cho Gonou, some things hadn't changed at all. Sex was a cherished act that he could only share with the one he loved above all others. Gojyo didn't feel the same, not about him and not about sex. Hakkai knew Gojyo cared, loved perhaps as strongly as Hakkai himself, but in a very different way. Hakkai accepted that and knew it would never change the way he felt about Gojyo. For as long as the two of them lived, Hakkai would love Gojyo and do everything possible to protect him.

He was Cho Hakkai, and that was just the way he loved.