A/N: Not much to say here, just another Sanzo/Goku and Hakkai/Gojyo fic. Have fun and please review, remember, us writers thrive off of praise (and constructive criticism.)

Disclaimer: ­I do not own Saiyuki….I wish I did though ::sigh::

Trust

Chapter 1: Friend

The Sanzo-Ikkou was built off of trust and similarities of the past. The four men were all those who had seen death and felt pain, they all had had hard lives. Son Goku: the monkey king who had rampaged the heavens after the death of Konzen Douji. Cho Hakkai: The human turned youkai whose sister and lover had killed herself because a demon raped and impregnated her. Sha Gojyo: The half-breed whose mother and brother had been lovers and had his mother try to kill him, his brother killing his mother during the attempt. Genjyo Sanzo: The not-so-Buddhist high priest whose mentor and father had sacrificed himself so that Sanzo could live.

The four, although they did not always get along, were closer than they or anyone else could guess. United to stop the resurrection of Gyumaoh and save the land, they traveled together and worked together to fight the legions of youkai sent by Kougaji, and now Homura also.

At the moment, the four were accelerating down a road in the desert…

"Sanzooooooo, I'm hungry….." whined Goku, "Can you please let me have one of those pork buns Hakkai bought back in town?"

Sanzo turned to glare at the monkey king, "What do you think, you dumbass monkey, now shut up!" he yelled, then exposed the ever present fan and proceeded to beat Goku.

"Ow! Stop! Hey! Ow! Stupid monk, cut it out! OW!" Goku yelled.

"You. Stupid. Chimp! Shut. Up. I. Was. Trying. To. Sleep. You. Stupid. DUMBASS!" Sanzo yelled at Goku.

Hakkai kept driving, "Ano…why don't you stop beating Goku, Sanzo. It makes for a much quieter trip."

Gojyo sipped a beer, "Nah, the stupid chimp deserves it, let Sanzo beat the damned monkey."

Goku stopped yelling at Sanzo, and instead turned to the water-spite, "What do you mean, 'Let him keep hitting me!' You're just an ero kappa!"

"What?!" Yelled Gojyo.

"You heard me, ero kappa." Goku retorted.

"Why you…" Gojyo growled.

"Yeah, bring it on you stupid sprite, you can't even swim!"

"Stupid monkey!"

"Ero kappa!"

"Chibi chimp!"

"Cockroach!"

"Dumbass!"

"ENOUGH!" Sanzo yelled, interrupting the onslaught of name calling. "Unless," the monk paused, "You really want to die," he added, cocking his gun.

"NO!" Goku and Gojyo yelled in unison, scrambling as far away from the pissed of monk as humanly (or in their case, demonly) possible.

"Good. Now shut up or your ass is hauling itself to Shangri-La." Sanzo told them before settling down in his seat and going to sleep.

Gojyo looked at Sanzo for a moment, "If he's a monk, shouldn't he be meditating or something monk-ish?" He saw Sanzo twitch angrily, "Then again, they also need sleep." he said quickly.

From the driver's seat Hakkai smiled, this journey was never boring, that was for sure.

Another hundred miles and two hours of silence later…

Hakkai pulled in smoothly in front of a local inn at 11 pm sharp. "We're here." he announced quietly, so as not to disturb sleeping villagers.

"FOOD!" Goku yelled, completely shattering Hakkai's attempts.

"Shut up." Sanzo said just as loud, also leaving the echo of a thwack echoing through the town.

Hakkai smiled and sighed, none of them would ever learn, so before Gojyo and Goku started up again, he dragged them into the in.

Sanzo stalked over to the desk and slapped his credit card on the desk in front of the clerk, "Four rooms. Now." he growled.

"Please!" Hakkai added from his position between the fighting monkey and sprite.

The girl sweat dropped, "Umm…I'm sorry, but we only have two rooms available right now, I'm afraid that a large group of people have taken most of our lodging for the night."

Sanzo glared, "Fine, two rooms it is."

The girl smiled in spite of the monk's death glare, "Two rooms it is." She placed to keys on the table and Sanzo grabbed one.

Before anyone could register what had happened, Hakkai had grabbed the other one and stood there with a smile, "Thank you, miss." he said.

The girl grinned nervously, these guys were weirdos, "Um, I'll show you to your rooms now." she said and led them to the third room at the end of the hall. "These are it." she said before hurrying back downstairs.

"Wait…" Gojyo called before following Hakkai into his room, "Oh well." he muttered, then turned to Sanzo, "Oh yeah, you got the monkey tonight."

Sanzo, who was already tired with a headache, turned to Goku, "Make any noise and I'll kill you."

Goku nodded, "Okay, Sanzo." he said and crawled into his bed without any sound.

Sanzo sighed and went to sit on the window, just as it began to rain. "Great," he muttered, "Rain. Just what I needed tonight."

He continued to stare at the falling drops and remembered the blood, the screams, the pain n he had felt. Had Komyou known what was going to happen to him? That night as he made Kouryuu the river rat the respected Genjyo Sanzo there had been something in his eyes, something sad and knowing. Had he known that that night had to be the one, or else the temple elders would have chosen someone more…devout to be the new Sanzo priest.

He was shaken out of his memories by a low moan from Goku's bed, "Shut up, monkey."

Goku did not shut up, but began to sweat and thrash around in his bed. He kept moaning and began to cry a bit, "Konzen!" he yelled, "Konzen…please, Konzen! Please…don't die…" his words gave way to tears.

Sanzo looked at the boy with a rare look of affection, "Goku?" He asked.

"Konzen!" Goku screamed.

Sanzo went over to Goku, "It's ok, Goku, don't worry." he said softly, holding the 18 year old close to his body. 'Who the hell is Konzen?' he asked himself, 'And why does that name sound familiar?'

Goku, now comforted by Sanzo's warmth, began to calm down and snuggled into the monk's chest, "Sanzo…" he murmured peacefully.

Sanzo gave the now quiet Goku a smile, "Stupid monkey…" he muttered, "Making me get up."

The monk tried to return to his bed, but the moment he released himself from Goku's grasp, he began to cry again, as if only Sanzo could banish his nightmares. Sanzo sighed and returned to his charge, "Fine, I'll sleep in your bed tonight."

Sanzo quickly stripped down to his jeans and climbed into bed next to Goku, wrapping the boy in his arms. Goku pressed himself into Sanzo's slightly reluctant embrace and smiled in his sleep. He clutched some of the sheets in his hand and pulled it up over himself, "Thank you…Sanzo…" he murmured.

Sanzo watched his charge quickly fall back into a peaceful sleep and slowly he too succumbed to the spell that was sleep.

Meanwhile…

Goyjo closed the door to the room he and Hakkai were to share that night and collapsed onto his bed so that he was facing the window, "Shit, it's raining." He said to the other youkai.

Hakkai stared out the window, "Ano…Gojyo…care to chat tonight?" he asked softly.

Goyjo continued to look out the window, "Yeah, I sure as hell wont be sleeping tonight, and knowing the other two, they wont be either."

"Hai…" Hakkai said.

Gojyo continued to watch the falling water droplets, not paying attention to the surrounding world, for the next ten minutes or sp before speaking, "Hakkai-" he was cut off by Goku screaming and yelling in the other room.

Hakkai spoke, "He gets like this when it rains, it's always been me who he's roomed with when this has happened. I've had to sit by his bed so many times so he can sleep. Even then he still moans and thrashes about." the rain fell even faster.

Goyjo once more fell silent before working up the nerve to say what he was going to ask about before, "Hakkai?" he asked.

"Hai, Gojyo?" the demon asked.

"Have…Have you ever thought about Kanan's child…?" his voice trailed off.

Hakkai looked up at Gojyo, startled by the question, "…No." he said softly, "It…would have been like you, Gojyo."

"Exactly." Gojyo confirmed, "A dirty half-breed." he turned away from the demon so that his face was hidden, "Hakkai…If that child had been born, what would you have done?"

Hakkai looked at the half-breed strangely, "What do you mean? I would have cared for it as if it were my own." he said.

"Are- Are you sure about that? Hakkai…my mother beat me, I've told you before. You know why she did too, it was because I'm a half-breed, a child of taboo. You never know what you might have done. My mother saw traces of a woman she never met in me…and traces of the man she loved too. If not for my brother, I would be dead now."

Hakkai turned away from Gojyo to look out the window, his face troubled, "Now that you bring it up, Gojyo, I don't know…I consider you to be my best friend, but if not for…Kanan killing herself…then…I don't think I would have met you."

"Who knows…" Gojyo said, "But, I think that somehow the monk, the monkey, you, and me are somehow linked to always be friends, now matter how much we seem to annoy or dislike each other. I mean, the mini monkey is annoying, but he's like a little brother, and Sanzo…well, maybe not him." Hakkai chuckled at that. Gojyo continued, "And you. You're my best friend in the entire world."

Hakkai smiled at that, "Yes, and you are mine."

Gojyo turned back toward the older man, showing his tearstained face, "Gojyo? Are you alright?" Hakkai asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Gojyo told him.

They both turned toward the window again, but they found a clear sky with no rain. "Looks like the rain finally stopped." Hakkai observed.

"Yeah, good thing too, I need sleep." Gojyo said.

"We all do, my friend, who knows what awaits us tomorrow." Hakkai smiled, but inside he was still pondering his earlier conversation with his friend. But now that the rain had stopped he was able to push his worrisome thoughts back in his mind.

Gojyo lay down, 'Yeah," he said, "And the past is a painful thing to remember…especially with the rain." he added in a barely audible whisper.

Hakkai lay down in his bed and nodded ever so slightly to agree with the kappa. "Goodnight, Gojyo."

"G'night, Hakkai." Gojyo mumbled.

The two men then slowly fell asleep, just as the rain began to fall again.

Gojyo yawned and sat up in bed. 'What time is it?' he thought groggily, also noticing it was still dark. There was no knock at the door, a sign that it was still maybe four or five hours before sunrise. He then heard a pained moan from his friend.

He looked at Hakkai in horror, the man was dripping sweat and was sobbing in his sleep. "No…Kanan…no…please no…NO, KANAN!" He screamed.

Gojyo sprang out of bed and went to Hakkai's bedside. As he sat next to the man, he noted that it was pouring outside. 'Oh God,' he thought, 'Poor Hakkai, he'll leap out of bed if there's trouble, but if not he's gone until morning…although, a storm this bad, I'm surprised he isn't awake.'

Gojyo's thoughts raced, 'What did Hakkai said he did with Goku when the little brat pulled shit like this. Oh yeah, he sat by his bed and held his hands for comfort!' The kappa flung Hakkai's blanket back and grabbed the man's hand.

Hakkai, as if sensing that Gojyo was a friend, grasped his hand, "It's ok, Hakkai," Gojyo said in what he hoped was a soothing voice, "It's alright, you're just in a dream."

Unfortunately, Hakkai began to get worse, "Oh Gods, Gojyo! No…Not again…don't, my friend…I don't care…NO, NOT YOU GOJYO!" He screamed, "KANAN, GOJYO, NO!" Hakkai sat straight up in bed, his breathing labored and his eyes flew open. In a mad panic he looked at the man next to him and pulled him into a hug, "Oh Gods, I thought you were gone, Gojyo, I thought you had died. Please stay here tonight, please."

Gojyo looked at his poor friend, "Of course I will, now move over." he said.

Hakkai obliged and Gojyo climbed in next to him. Noting that Hakkai was shivering, he pulled the older man to his chest. Hakkai's eyes widened, "Gojyo…?" he questioned.

"Look at yourself," Gojyo answered, "You're a shivering mass of nerves, you need human warmth and comfort."

Hakkai nodded and relaxed against Gojyo, 'This isn't so bad,' he thought, 'it's kind of nice actually, I'd forgotten how warm another person could be.' He yawned and fell asleep.

Gojyo watched Hakkai's breathing even out again and put his chin in the man's chocolaty brown hair. There was something about his friend right now that was different from all of the girls he had held like this. Hakkai seemed to give off a special warmth, it didn't help that every time he moved, he seemed to send a ripple of warmth through Gojyo's body. 'Is this love?' Gojyo thought before sleep claimed his consciousness.

Goku woke to rays of sun filtering though the window and into the room. 'Sun…?' Goku thought, 'We always leave before sunrise.' He then noticed that he was wrapped into the arms of someone else and pressed up against the unknown person's chest. He inhaled and his golden eyes widened, this person was Sanzo!

Slowly, so as not to wake the man up, Goku turned so that he was looking directly at his sun. A quiet gasp escaped the monkey king's lips, Sanzo was…beautiful. Goku had never seen Sanzo completely asleep before, like this. He looked so innocent and kind, his golden hair forming a halo around his face, his pale complexion practically glowing in the early morning light.

In this position, Goku began to notice things about his savior's face that he had never seen before. For one thing, Sanzo had very delicate looking features, with his high cheekbones and full lips, he really could be mistaken for a woman. Goku focused on his hair. It was long for a priest and it seemed to glow like the sun. Goku wondered if it was as soft as it looked.

He lifted his hand from it's spot on Sanzo's bare chest and tentatively stroked the golden locks. They really were that soft! It felt almost like silk to Goku's callused hands. "Beautiful." he whispered.

Sanzo stirred a bit and Goku hurriedly retracted his hand, returning to the man's chest. Hoping to convince Sanzo he was still sleeping, he tucked his head into the monk's chest and evened out his breathing.

The golden haired priest's eyes fluttered open and he yawned, Gods, he hadn't slept that soundly or that well in ages. It was then that he saw the tousled brown hair sticking out of his chest. 'Goku?!' he thought in surprise, his muscles tensing. Then, he relaxed, the saru had been unable to sleep last night so Sanzo had slept with him, comforting the boy the entire night.

Goku moved a little and Sanzo suddenly because acutely aware of how robe-less and shirtless he was, along with just how warm and shirtless Goku was. He felt one of the walls of his heart crack. Sanzo felt it, he knew it, Goku had the power to break his barriers, he had been doing so since Sanzo had rescued him from his mountain prison. His walls were going to begin to collapse soon, he knew it…and he didn't want them too.

So, with a brief mental apology to Goku, he sat up, "Time to get up, Saru." Sanzo said briskly, his eyes now fully registering the sunlight. "Ugh, we slept to late. I wanted to get out of here early. Breakfast to go today, Goku." he said sharply.

Goku popped up in front of him, his eyes shining, "Really, Sanzo, we can have breakfast?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah." Sanzo answered as he pulled on his leather shirt, arm guards, and robe. He finished by putting on his chest guard and his holy scripture. He looked for Goku, but the door was ajar and excited shouts were coming from downstairs.

Sighing, the monk exited the room, meeting Hakkai and Gojyo at the stairs, "My Sanzo, it's rather late, ne?" Hakkai said.

"Yeah, monk, how come we all weren't up before the sun?" Gojyo asked.

"I felt like sleeping in." Sanzo growled, his pissy attitude back in place.

"Gojyo and Hakkai gawked, "How did you manage to sleep through that storm?" Hakkai asked.

"I didn't, I fell asleep at 5 am after it ended, and now it is noon. I have slept for 7 hours, and you two have probably slept for that and more. Goku was up first, so his is ordering breakfast for us." Sanzo informed them.

Gojyo looked at the priest, "It's this late and you're letting us eat?" he asked.

"Yes, now I would advise you to go and order what you want before we leave in ten minutes." Sanzo added.

"Ten minutes too?!" The kappa said in disbelief, "Jeez, you get laid last night or something?"

Sanzo aimed form Gojyo's head, "Kidding!" yelled the hanyou as he raced to the kitchen.

Hakkai looked at Sanzo, "Was Goku alright last night? We both heard him yell." he asked.

Sanzo nodded, "Yeah, he was fine, I helped him relax."

Hakkai smiled, "…so I could think in quiet." Sanzo added hurriedly.

"Of course, my friend, of course." Hakkai responded.

"Damn you. I'd kill you, but you're the only sane one on this damned journey. No, if I had to kill someone, it would be those goddamn gods who sent us." Sanzo grumbled.

"Ah, yes, but if we weren't sent, who would be. The world would be in permanent chaos, and you would still be chased after for your scripture, better off having a good reason and something to look forward too." Hakkai argued sensibly.

"Damn you for being right. Whatever, they say if you want a job done right you've got to do it yourself." Sanzo said.

Hakkai smiled and stayed silent.

The two reached the kitchen to see their other two companions carrying piles of food taller than they were. The chef hurried out, "Ah, very good, the total comes to 5,000 yen." he said.

Sanzo twitched…and fired. Goku and Gojyo collapsed as pieces of the roof fell in, "WHEN I SAY YOU IDIOTS CAN HAVE BREAKFAST, I MEAN YOU CAN HAVE A MUFFIN AND SOME JUICE! NOT BEER, PORK BUNS, LOBSTER, CALAMARI, BURGERS, OMELETS, CIGARETTES, AND GODS KNOW WHAT ELSE YOU TWO BOUGHT!!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled.

"Maa maa, calm down Sanzo." Hakkai said.

Sanzo handed the credit card to the demon, "You pay for everything, I'm going to go wait with Hakurryu." He stalked to the door and turned around, "And keep those morons with you." he added.

Hakkai simply smiled as Sanzo rushed out in a huff and as he watched the two demons on the ground try to collect their beloved food. He sighed and went to the front desk to pay for their stay.

One hour and X-amounts of food later the ikkou was about 500 miles from the next town/ small village. Sanzo was sleeping, Gojyo was sipping a beer, Hakkai was driving, Hakuryuu was being a jeep, and Goku was sleeping too.

Gojyo threw his beer can off the side of the speeding jeep, "Hakkai?" he asked.

"Yes, Gojyo?" the demon answered.

"About last night…" Gojyo's voice trailed off.

"What about last night, my friend? If it's about the conversation about Kanan's child then…please, forget about it." Hakkai said softly.

"I can't…not yet anyway. Hakkai, I've known you for four years now and from that, I think that you really would have treated the child as your own, you aren't the kind of man that would beat or hurt someone because they were different." Gojyo told him.

The jeep screeched to a halt, jolting Sanzo and Goku into consciousness, 'What the fuck?!" Sanzo yelled.

"Yeah." Goku echoed.

Hakkai jumped out of the jeep, "Gojyo, come with me." he said, his voice hard.

"What are you doing, Hakkai?" Goku asked.

Hakkai turned to the two and gave the two a hard stare that made both of them want to

stay where they were, "There are things I need to talk to Gojyo about. Stay here, neither of you should know these things." He turned and with Gojyo walked into the forest.

They reached a small clearing and Hakkai stopped, "Go," He said, using his nickname for his friend, "There are some things you should know about me."

"What do you mean, Kai?" Gojyo asked.

Hakkai sighed, "When I was younger, back when I was Cho Gonou, I was a very cruel, racist, and temperamental man. As a child I hated demons because they were different, half demons because they were taboo, people of different races, religions, you name it, I hated it." Gojyo looked at his friend in shock.

Hakkai nodded, "Yes, I was a horrible man and I- I even helped kill those who were different. But…then I met Kanan, she was perfect. She was beautiful, witty, smart, and kind. She showed me how to be good, that everyone was equal. I became a new man. The truth is, Cho Gonou died when I met her, not when I became Cho Hakkai."

Gojyo nodded, "I understand, Kai, and I don't mind. You are a new man, a good man, and that's how I like you."

"Go…that night…when Kanan died, I became that man again, I had to kill those who were different once more. So I did…I killed all of those youkai because they were different, because they had killed my Kanan." Hakkai said.

"God, Kai…I never knew." Gojyo whispered.

"And then…I became a demon for my sins. I became what I hated as consequence for killing them. The pain of becoming something I was not was…excruciating. It felt as if my very soul was ripped from my body, molded into a new shape, then shoved back into me. Then, in a haze I made my way to where you found me and cut my stomach open." as he said this his hand unconsciously made it's way to cover his lower abdomen, "You found me there, a demon, a killer, lying in my own pool of blood and covered by the blood of others and you saved me, Go, you saved me."

Gojyo stared at his friend in silence, Hakkai had never told him the entire story of his past, but now…I was smacking him in the face like a dead fish. (Great analogy, ne? ) "God, Kai, I never…you never…I'm sorry." He effulged the man in a hug.

They stood like that for a while before Hakkai pulled back slightly, it was then that Gojyo noticed that the man was crying. Hakkai attempted the pull away and walk back to the jeep, but his legs refused to hold him up and he collapsed. Gojyo ran to his friend and caught him.

"You aren't alright, Kai, why don't we stay here for a while until you feel better." Gojyo advised.

"But…Sanzo will get mad at us…and the journey, I need to drive." Hakkai protested weakly, tears still streaming down his face.

"Kai, I'm sorry, but in this condition you'd drive us off a cliff." Gojyo said dryly, "I'll go tell Sanzo to break for lunch."

He started to walk back to the jeep when he heard a protest from Hakkai, "No, stay here, please." the older man said.

Gojyo turned around and walked to Hakkai, "You sure, man? That bouzo priest'll have our hides for sure."

Hakkai smiled, "I can handle him, he's a big softie under that asshole exterior."

"Ok, but until then, what do you propose we do?" the kappa asked.

"From his position on the forest floor he produced a deck of cards, "How about a few rounds of poker?" he asked.

"You read my mind." Gojyo said as he sat down next to his friend. He grabbed the deck of cards and started dealing.

Sanzo sat in his seat looking into the seemingly endless forest, "What the hell was up with Hakkai?" He mused aloud.

Goku picked up on it, "I don't know, Sanzo, do you? He seemed really mad."

Sanzo grunted, "Whatever it is that's bothering Hakkai, he'll tell Gojyo. We don't have to worry about him."

"Ok, Sanzo." Goku said.

The forest fell silent.

"Ano…Sanzo…?"

"What."

"I'm hungry."

THWACK

"Itaiiiiiiiii…"

Gojyo yawned, it was well past dusk, "Yo, Kai?" he asked.

"Mmmm…yes Go?" Hakkai mumbled.

"You ready to head back yet?"

Hakkai looked to the side, "Not yet, I have to do something first."

Gojyo looked at Hakkai concernedly, "What is it?"

Hakkai turned back to his friend, the tearstains from earlier still slightly visible, 'Can you come over here, Go?" Hakkai asked.

"Sure, Kai." The hanyou replied and he moved closer so that he was sitting directly across from the older demon. "What is it?" He asked.

"Go…over the last few days I've been feeling something very different towards you and…Go, close your eyes for a moment." Hakkai said in an odd tone.

"Ok." and he obliged. He felt warm breath ghost over his ear, but he did not move. He sat perfectly still, eyes closed, until he felt soft lips cover his own. His body immediately tensed up and Hakkai's lips quickly left his.

"I…I'm falling in love with you Gojyo…I'm sorry." Hakkai said, his voice barely audible.

Gojyo was silent, "I-it's alright if you d-don't feel th-the same w-way, m-my friend." Hakkai said, his tears beginning to fall again.

Hakkai turned away from the scarlet haired man and faced the woods. He felt a pair of strong arms circle his body, "G-go?" he asked.

He heard Gojyo sigh, "I can't say I'm falling in love with you, Kai, but I do like you as more than a friend. This…this is very confusing and right now I'm not sure of what I should say in return, but I don't hate you, I love you as a friend and a little more. Full blown love isn't what I feel now, then again, I've never felt it before, so I don't know. Don't give up on me just yet." Hakkai felt his love's lips press against his neck and he gasped. The lips sucked and nipped at the skin, effectively forming a small hickey.

"There," the kappa grinned, "Now I've got sometime to sort myself out."

Hakkai touched the spot where Gojyo's lips had been and smiled, "Of course I'll wait." he said.

"Good," Gojyo said, "Now, what say we head back to the jeep," he laughed, "We're certainly in for a beating from the bouzo houshi."

Hakkai smiled and nodded, "Yes, let's go." he grabbed Gojyo's hand, squeezed it, then took off in a sprint for the jeep, "Race you!" he called back.

Gojyo stared at the man, then took off running too, "Why that son of a bitch…" he said, smiling.

It was dusk and Goku and Sanzo had been sitting in silence for nearly four hours when Goku couldn't take it anymore, "Sanzo," he asked impatiently, "Where are they, I'm hungry."

"Shut up," the monk replied, "They obviously aren't here."

Goku was quiet for a few minutes after that, at a loss for something to discuss. It was then that he thought of waking up in Sanzo's arms. The monkey king blushed, "Ano…Sanzo?" he asked.

The priest grunted in reply.

"Why…why did you sleep with me last night?" Goku asked, not seeing the full implications of his question.

"Nani?!" Sanzo nearly yelled, his face turning red in the dimming light.

"Why were you there this morning?" Goku repeated.

Sanzo sighed, he might as well tell the monkey the truth…that is, the slightly warped, asshole monk version of the story. "You were having a nightmare and you wouldn't shut up until I lay down next to you. You were making so much goddamn noise that I couldn't think, much less sleep." he said calmly.

Goku's eyes looked disappointed for a second, "But…why weren't you wearing your robes, or a shirt? And why was I wrapped in your arms against your chest?" Goku asked.

Sanzo twitched, the monkey's questions were so naïve, even though he now idea how hard they were getting to answer, "I got too warm with you there, and you wouldn't stop thrashing around until I held you." he answered. 'Smooth, Sanzo.' he thought with a smirk

"Oh…" Goku said, "It was…nice…" he added in a small voice.

Sanzo grunted, acknowledging the statement, 'What the fuck do I say to that?' he asked himself, 'I liked it too.' he admitted, and as he did so he felt a wall around his heart crash down. "DAMMIT!" He swore aloud.

Goku looked at Sanzo fearfully, "I'm sorry." he said and ducked.

"Shut up, saru." Sanzo said.

Goku looked at Sanzo oddly, "Hai." he replied quickly.

The sage looked in the direction that Hakkai and Gojyo had gone off in and to his surprise he saw the two men returning, each with a slight smile on their faces. "Hakkai! Gojyo!" Goku yelled happily.

"Hey, Goku!" Gojyo yelled back, "How are you and the bouzo houshi?"

In less than two seconds, Sanzo's Smith and Wesson was cocked and aimed at the red headed hanyou. "Didn't mean it!" Gojyo yelled, "I was kidding, lighten up, blondie!"

The two made their way to the jeep, "What took you two so long?" Goku asked.

"Oh, it was nothing, Goku, don't you worry about it." Hakkai answered, smiling.

"Ok." Goku was quiet for a moment, "Hey, Hakkai?" he asked.

"Yes, Goku?" Hakkai answered.

"…I'm hungry…"

Hakkai handed him a pork bun that seemingly came from nowhere. Gojyo and Sanzo sweat dropped, "Here you go, Goku." Hakkai said.

"Yay!" Goku yelled happily, shoving the pork bun in his mouth in one bite.

Hakkai looked over at Sanzo, "I propose that we stay here for the night, Sanzo." he said.

Sanzo grunted, "Fine, but we're outta here before light." he said.

"Awwww, Sanzooooo." Goku whined.

"Yeah, come on, it's not like a few extra hours of sleep'll make a difference." Gojyo complained.

Sanzo glared at the kappa, "Well, while you two were off in the forest, I got plenty of sleep, it's you own fault that you aren't getting as much sleeping time as you would have had you been in this car and Hakkai driving." he explained in a monotone.

Gojyo glared at the priest and instead of retaliating, plopped down in his seat next to the monkey, "Fine, we'll leave early, but it's your fault if I accidentaly let you die because of my sleep deprived state."

"Feh, go to bed, kappa."

Gojyo grumpily agreed, but before he drifted off, he muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, 'bouzo houshi…'

It had to have been 3 am when Sanzo was shaken into consciousness by the jeep rolling onto it's side, placing all four of the men in a very awkward position: Sanzo sprawled over Hakkai, and Gojyo half on top of Goku. This resulted in mass confusion…well…not mass confusion, but it certainly caused a degree of it.

"Get off me, you stupid lecherous, pervy kappa!" Goku shouted, trying to shove the slightly dazed hanyou off of him.

Gojyo moaned and with a slightly strained effort, managed to roll off the boy, "Ugh," he muttered, "I hit my head on the side of the fuckin' jeep." he attempted to stand up, but collapsed, "Shit, now I can't even see straight." he cursed.

"Gojyo," Hakkai said worriedly from under a now unconscious Sanzo. He heaved the older man off of him, trying to be gentle, then rushed to his best friend, "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Shit, Kai, when the fuck did you get a clone? There are fucking two of you, and the trees are moving in a circle." He looked over at the unconscious houshi, "SHIT MOTHER FUCKER! THERE ARE TWO FUCKING ASSHOLES OVER THERE!" he screeched.

Hakkai looked at his friend, a very concerned look on his face, "Go, I think you have a very serious concussion. Do you feel sick? Is anything spinning?" he asked.

Gojyo looked at what he thought was Hakkai, "Uhhh…yeah, lots of spinning," he blinked a few times and tried to rub his eyes, but his hands missed completely, "Ugh…yeah, my stomach hurts too, hell, my whole body hurts, being dumped out of the jeep and onto the monkey, slamming your head in the process is not fun or pleasurable."

Hakkai pushed his friend down gently, "Gojyo, I want you to lay still, I'm going to use my chi to heal you. If you move around any more than needed, you could cause permanent damage."

Goku looked over at Hakkai and Gojyo from his position next to Sanzo, "Is Gojyo alright, Hakkai?" he asked.

Hakkai did not answer, instead he straddled Gojyo, much to the kappa's surprise (and slight pleasure) so that his hands were on either side of the half breeds head, his head bent dangerously close to Gojyo's. He slowly pushed his energy into his fingertips and outward into his best friends head in a pulsating green glow.

Immediately after Hakkai had finished healing the hanyou, he collapsed, his energy drained from using his chi and very little rest. He lay on Gojyo, completely covering his friend with his body. Luckily, it was dark so Goku couldn't see the two men in a slightly…provocative position.

"I'm sorry, Go. Please let me stay here for a minute, I don't think I can move very well." Hakkai said, his voice reflecting the strain and exhaustion in his body.

Gojyo, in a random-act-of-tenderness, put his arms around the youkai, "S'ok, man, I probably owe you my life."

Hakkai smiled into the man's shoulder, "Thanks, Go." he said.

The tender moment, sadly, was interrupted by a loud crash, followed by a string of swearing from the monk, and a cry of pain from Goku.

The crash had been from Goku: he was trying to be nice and getting some water for his unconscious master, but on his way to Sanzo he had tripped over a food basket. He lost his balance and fell on the monk, spilling every last drop of water on the poor man. It immediately woke the poor man up in a very unpleasant way, effectively eliciting a long string of swears. Upon finishing his rant, he took out a slightly soggy paper fan and proceeded to beat Goku upside the head, causing the boy to cry out in protest.

"I'm not stupid, Sanzo, I was just trying to help!" Goku yelled.

"Shut up, you dumbass monkey, now I'm wet because of your stupidity." he put the fan away, "Ugh, sometimes I wish I'd never let the damned gods talk me into bringing you, you stupid saru." he muttered.

It was that moment that Sanzo finally crossed the line. Goku looked up at his caretaker in shock, "I-is that how you really feel about me, Sanzo?" he asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

Sanzo shook his hair out, much like a dog, "Why do you think I said it? I don't lie."

"Oh…" Goku's voice trailed off and his tears began to fall. Hakkai and Gojyo watched the scene play out in horror, Goku was a sensitive kid, and now that this had happened…

"Ok, Sanzo, I'll leave…you don't want me around!" he shouted, his voice rising with every word, "I love you, Sanzo! I'm sorry…good bye." he turned and ran off into the depths of the forest.

Sanzo, who had been in the middle of getting a cigarette, dropped the pack and stared after the saru, his mouth open and eyes wide. He tried to yell after Goku, but his voice refused to work, so instead he took off after the boy.

Gojyo watched the priest run off after his charge, "Whoa…harsh…" he muttered.

Hakkai nodded into the red haired man's shoulder, 'God…I love you so much, Go.' he thought sadly, 'I wish you would return my feelings.'

Just then a loud snarl came from the other side of Hakuryuu. The dragon-jeep immediately transformed and after the light died, a snarling youkai was revealed, "So, Cho Gonou…we meet again."

TBC…

A/N: Howdy ya'll! It's me, Dragid. Wow…it's been quite awhile since I last posted something ;;; Gomen nasai, minna-san!

I hope you all like this story, and I do plan on actually finishing this because I already have a lovely sequel planned out concerning Hakkai's past. Since I really want to write it, I need to set the scene for it and write this. Don't worry, this story is a lot of fun to write so I wont be stopping anytime soon.

If you already know me for my…er…lack of updating skills, I'm hoping to get every story I have up already a new chapter. Oh yes, and my other pen name: Dolphin Sky, will be deleted and all stories moved to this pen name.

Well, I'm gonna start on the next chapter now, it should take me a week and a half if I work on it a decent amount of time, and since I got my new laptop, I write all the time

Have fun, and remember: The writers here thrive on feedback for their stories, so please review, it doesn't take more than a minute or two. Arigatou if you review, and the first reviewer gets to have the second chapter dedicated to them.

MoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO……….