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How to Make Hakkai Smile by Nuriko
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Disclaimer:
"Saiyuki" and all of its characters belong to and were created by
Kazuya Minekura. In this story they are used without prior permission. No
profit is made through this story.



 



How to Make Hakkai Smile



 



Gojyo sat in a chair in their room. His long
legs were resting on another chair in front of him, and his arms were folded
behind his neck as he looked out of the window. He was feeling miserable.
Normally the rain didn’t affect him as it affected two of his companions, but
now it had been raining for a week. A whole fucking week! To be honest, it
wasn’t the rain that bothered him; it was said companions’ gloomy appearances
that couldn’t help but dispirit him. Each day those two had sank deeper into
their self-induced despair. To make matters worse, they had only been able to
get a single room at this inn, which meant he had had to spend this whole week
curled up in a room together with two depressed beings and an annoying monkey.
Shit, this sorry excuse for an inn didn’t even have a dining room, where he
could get away. There was only a small kitchen in which he had tried to make
them something to eat, since Hakkai didn’t want to move from the chair in front
of the window, except in the evenings, when the youkai took one of the beds,
and Sanzo the other. That left Goku and himself to the futons on the floor.



A deep sigh was heard from Gojyo as he
contemplated the situation. Heck, he hadn’t been out of this inn since the day
before yesterday when he and Goku had gone out to buy some groceries. They had
returned like drenched cats, vowing that next time they would throw out their
two silent comrades instead. If it hadn’t been raining so much he could have
gone out for a little flirting. As things were now, the only girl he had seen
was in the grocery shop, and she was claimed. Ring on her finger and all. Pity,
she was really pretty. Of course, if it weren’t raining they wouldn’t still be
here, and the jeep was terribly girl free. As was this room.



He sighed again. The atmosphere in this
room drained him of all his energy. Not that he could go anywhere but the
kitchen or the bathroom, and there were only so many things you could do at
either place, Gojyo thought. He watched the other three in the room. Hakkai was
staring out of the window; Sanzo lay on his back on his bed, smoking; and Goku
was sitting pouting, with his legs crossed on the floor, patting Hakuryuu in
his lap.



Another sigh slipped out of Gojyo’s
lungs.



“Quit sighing, cockroach,” Goku
complained. “Do something if you feel so rotten.”



“Yeah? Like what?” Gojyo asked
sardonically. “I don’t see you doing very much either, monkey.”



“I know,” Goku admitted. “But I’m sick of
just sitting here. I wish we were attacked by a bunch of youkai now.” He
sighed.



“Heh,” Gojyo smirked. “You’re sighing,
too. Anyway, there isn’t much chance of being attacked by anyone. Everyone with
the tiniest ounce of brains is keeping themselves inside in this weather.
Preferably in bed together with a hot chick,” he added.



“Ero-kappa,” muttered Goku. ”Besides,
have you ever heard of any youkai with brains?”



“Well, certainly not you, monkey, but…”
Gojyo cast a glance over to Hakkai, and Goku followed his look.



“All right, except Hakkai,” Goku agreed.
“And Kougaiji and his partners,” he added. “But I guess you’re right. No attacks
from youkai today, either. So, what’ll we do?”



Gojyo sat up a little straighter in the
chair. Maybe he and Goku could figure out something to do. “We could always
take your limiter off,” he suggested. “That would stir things up here for
sure.”



“Ha-ha, very funny,” said Goku sourly.



“No, maybe not.” Gojyo winked at the boy.
“Hey, don’t take it so seriously.” He chuckled. “What about removing Hakkai’s
limiters?”



They both looked at Hakkai, who hadn’t
moved.



“Heck, I wonder if he even would notice,”
Gojyo muttered.”



“I would prefer if you didn’t touch my
limiters, Gojyo,” Hakkai said calmly, without looking at them.



“So, you’re alive after all,” Gojyo
snickered. “I began to wonder.”



Hakkai didn’t answer, but from the bed
came a snort.



“Too bad, the corrupt monk’s alive, too.”
Gojyo pretended to sound regretful.



The conversation between him and Goku had
cleared his mind some, and he found himself actually bothering to think of
something to do. He got an idea. “Hey, Goku,” he called, “care to join me outside
a moment?”



Goku looked suspiciously at Gojyo. “Only
if you promise to keep your hands where they belong, ero-kappa,” he answered.



“You wish, monkey,” Gojyo smirked. “I may
be desperate, but not that desperate. You coming?”



 “Sure.”



Outside the room, in the dimly lit
corridor, Gojyo told Goku about his idea. “Let’s have a competition.”



“What kind of competition?” asked Goku.



“Let’s see which of us who can make
Hakkai or Sanzo smile first. You do something to make Sanzo smile, and I’ll do
something to make Hakkai smile.” Gojyo looked questioningly at Goku. “What do
you say?”



“No fair,” pouted Goku. “It’s much easier
to get Hakkai to smile, He smiles all the time, except when it’s raining.”



“Yeah,” admitted Gojyo, “but that’s only
his fake smile. I mean to get him to smile the real deal.”



Goku pondered a while. “Nah, it’s still
easier to get Hakkai to smile.”



Gojyo looked disappointed. “Got any
better idea, monkey? I can’t stand sitting in that room any longer.”



“What about we both try to make Hakkai
smile?”



“Eh… how do you mean?”



“You’ll think of one thing to make Hakkai
happy, and I’ll think of another. The one who made the suggestion that makes
him smile wins.” Goku looked eagerly at Gojyo. “We can help each other to do
the stuff, but the best suggestion wins.”



Gojyo pondered for a moment. To be
honest, he wanted to see Hakkai smile, not only because of some stupid
competition, but to see his friend’s face lit up. So, even if Goku’s suggestion
would win, which he doubted, Gojyo still would have the reward of that
wonderful smile. “All right,” he agreed. “The loser has to do the dishes for a
month.”



“Okay.” Goku grinned at Gojyo. “Who
starts?”



Gojyo bowed mockingly to Goku. “Better
let the brainless monkey get a head start. Let’s do your suggestion first. What
do you want to do?”



Goku beamed at him. “Let’s bake him a
cake!”



Gojyo groaned. “A cake? Figures you would
think of food.”



“Come on, Gojyo,” persuaded Goku. “He
loves cherry pies.”



“You love cherry pies,” corrected Gojyo.
“Hakkai likes them.”



Goku shrugged. “Whatever. I think it’s
worth a try. Gonna help me?”



“Of course. I’m not gonna go into that
room again for a while. I’ve had enough of those depressed faces. Let’s go,
monkey.”



They reached the kitchen, and Goku opened
the cupboard where the inn’s owner had let them keep their food. Something
struck Gojyo. “Sorry, monkey. But there’s no way we can make a cherry pie. We
don’t have either flour or cherries, and I’m not gonna walk out in that rain
again.” He looked through the window at the street. “It’s more of a river than
a street, and Hakuryuu can’t change into a boat.”



Goku only smiled and took out what
ingredients they had, putting them on the table. Then he opened another
cupboard. When he withdrew his hands from the inside, they held a package of flour
and a bowl with cherries. Triumphantly he put them beside the other things on
the table.



“Hey! That’s not ours! Or is it?” Gojyo
looked suspiciously at Goku. “I know you haven’t been in the room all the time,
but I think I would have noticed if you had been outside, buying stuff.”



“This belongs to the inn.” Goku pointed
at the flour and cherries. “But I’ve got permission to use and eat what I want
here as long as I pay for it. The innkeeper is a very nice old man.”



”When he’s awake,” agreed Gojyo, reminded
of the times he had needed to talk to the keeper and had to wake him up. “How
are you paying for it? You don’t have any money, do you?”



“I just put it on the tab, and Sanzo pays
for it with his card. He might hit me with his fan and grunt some, but it’s
worth it.”  Goku grinned.



Gojyo looked at the younger man. “I
guessed you were in the kitchen when you disappeared from the room. But I
couldn’t understand why, since Sanzo told you not to eat any of our food. About
the only thing he has said the whole week, by the way.” He snorted. “Should
have known you’d found a way to keep your stomach filled.”



“Everyone has to take care of his own
needs. If you were so bored you could have kept me company here,” Goku
shrugged.



“Nah, can’t eat as much as you. Bad for
my figure,” Gojyo smirked. “Besides, as you said, everyone has to take of their
own needs, and you never kept me company in the bathroom either.”



Goku looked at Gojyo with disgust.
“You’re such a pervert.”



“Hey, I’m a big boy,” Gojyo laughed.



“Shut up!” Goku snapped. “You gonna help
me with the pie or not?”



“Course I will,” Gojyo smirked. “If the
idea works, I wanna at least get some of the credit.”



Goku put the oven on to preheat, and
Gojyo searched the kitchen to find a bowl and baking tin. “Hey monkey, guess
you know this kitchen. Where’s the electric mixer?”



“Stupid kappa, you don’t need any,” Goku
answered, “but get a rolling pin from that drawer.”



“What the fuck am I gonna do with this?”
Gojyo said annoyed as he found the rolling pin.



“Hehe,” Goku commented. “Have you ever
done a cherry pie before?”



“Can’t say I have,” Gojyo admitted
good-natured. “So what’s it for?”



“To roll out the dough, stupid
cockroach.” Goku shook his head in disbelief. “What did you think you would do
with a rolling pin?”



Gojyo opened his mouth, but was
interrupted before he could say anything.



“You don’t have to say, ‘stick it up your
ass’,” Goku explained, “because I already know that’s what you’re gonna say.”
He smirked at Gojyo’s dumbfounded expression. “Man, you’re so predictable.”



“Am not.”



“Are too.”



“Am not.”



“Are too.”



“Shut up before I pour the flour over
your head.” Gojyo held the paper bag with the flour, threatingly over Goku’s
head.”



Goku looked a little worried. “Hey,
that’s all flour there is. We can’t bake anything at all if you’re gonna play
with it.”



“Then say I’m not predictable.” He shook
the bag and a small amount of flour spilled onto Goku’s hair.



“Stop it!” Goku yelled and moved away.
“All right, you’re not predictable. Satisfied?”



Gojyo put the bag down on the table.
“Sure.”



Goku sighed. “Can we start with the pie
now? You can rinse and pick out the stones from the cherries, while I make the
dough.”



With expert fingers Goku started mixing
flour, butter, and just the right amount of water to make perfect pie dough.



“You’re good at that,” admitted Gojyo,
while he struggled with the little dark red berries.



Goku put the dough in the refrigerator,
and then turned to Gojyo. He laughed out loud. “What a mess!”



The cherries from which Gojyo had picked
out the stones didn’t look like cherries anymore. The bowl in front of him was
filled with a dark mass of something that could only be identified as cherries
if one knew what they were. The table, as well as Gojyo’s hands and arms up to
his elbows, were red, and the stones were spattered all over the kitchen.



Gojyo looked at him with a sheepish grin.
“Ah… well… this isn’t really my kind of work, ya know.”



Goku sat down beside his friend and
grabbed the bowl with the unhandled cherries. “I’ll help you,” he chuckled.



Soon the preparation of the berries was
finished. Goku covered them with sugar and cornstarch, and shook the bowl to
mix it well. It wasn’t easy, since the berries Gojyo had prepared didn’t roll
around as well as they were supposed to. Gojyo stood beside him feeling
unnecessary.



“Where did you learn all this?” he asked
Goku.



“Hakkai, of course,” came the reply.
“Now, if you clean up a little I’ll show you how to make the rest of the pie.”



“Damn. You even sound like him,” Gojyo
commented annoyed, but went over to the sink to wash himself while Goku
cleaned the table and picked up all the stones.



“Here.” Goku offered him the rolling pin
and took the dough out of the refrigerator. He divided it into two parts, one
double the size of the other, and gave Gojyo the smaller part. “The only thing
you have to do is roll out the dough to a flat circle about this size.” He
pointed at the tin.



Gojyo started to roll out the dough. He
felt clumsy, but strangely enough he enjoyed it. Hakkai had tried to get him to
help in the kitchen, and the youkai had partly succeeded. Gojyo was able to
make some decent meals, at least, but he never thought it was much fun. On the
other hand, Gojyo snickered to himself; he had never before been so bored that
even baking a pie could feel like fun.



Goku had covered the tin’s walls with the
rest of the dough and was now pouring the cherries into the tin. He took
Gojyo’s skewed piece, covered the berries with it, and cut a few hole in it.
Putting the tin in the oven, he again turned to Gojyo. “Done. It’ll be ready in
20 or 25 minutes. Let’s finish the cleaning while we wait.”



When the kitchen shone, Gojyo sat down on
a stool and looked around. “Man, you’ve been spending far too much time with
Hakkai. You’re gonna turn into him if you’re not careful.”



Goku shook his head. “Don’t worry. I
haven’t spent half us much time with him as you have.”



“The more reason to get worried,” Gojyo
stated with a grin.



“What are you gonna do?” asked Goku, and
seated himself opposite the half-breed.



“Huh?”



“To make Hakkai smile, I mean.”



Gojyo looked out of the window, where the
rain still was pouring. “I’ll tell you later.”



“Ha, you don’t know, do you?”



“Stupid monkey, course I do.”



“Don’t believe you, cockroach.” Goku’s
eyes were mischievous.



“Looking for a fight, you hairy primate?”



“You’re as much a primate as me,” Goku
replied triumphantly, “and you’re hairier.”



“Why, you little — “ Gojyo rose to punch
Goku, but the boy easily avoided the attack. Instead of continuing the fight
Gojyo sat down again and started to laugh, and Goku fell in. “Usually I much
prefer Hakkai’s company to your sorry presence,” Gojyo smirked, “but I must
say, today you’re far more entertaining.”



“Same goes for you and Sanzo,” Goku
agreed and smirked back.



Twenty minutes later the two of them were
back in their room again, this time carrying the pie, a bowl with whipped
cream, plates, and spoons.



“Ta-daa,” Gojyo exclaimed as Goku put the
pie on the table in front of Hakkai. The youkai looked up surprised, and even
Sanzo slightly turned his head in their direction to see what was happening.
When the monk saw the dessert he snorted and went back to smoking and
brooding.



“We made this for you, Hakkai,” Goku
explained and started to cut the pie and serve Hakkai.



“Actually, the monkey did it, but I
helped.” Gojyo wasn’t going to take credit for something he hadn’t done. It
wouldn’t feel right.



“Oh, that was very kind of you. Thank
you,” Hakkai answered politely, and a smile appeared on his face. Gojyo and
Goku studied the smile thoroughly, looked at each other, and then both shook
their heads. No, this was only Hakkai’s usual smiling mask.



“Told you it wouldn’t work,” Gojyo
whispered to Goku, who shrugged.



“It was worth a try anyway,” Goku
whispered back, just as quietly. He put a piece on another plate and took it
over to Sanzo. “Here, Sanzo. Have some pie.”



“I’m not hungry,” the monk answered as
grumpily as ever.



“I’ll just put it here, then, and you can
have it when you feel like it,” Goku said gently, putting the plate on the
nightstand.



Gojyo and Goku dug in on the rest of the
pie, while Hakkai silently ate his share. “Thank you. It was a most delicious
pie,” he offered when he had finished his piece. The smile was still plastered
on his face.



When Goku and Gojyo returned to the
kitchen a moment later, with all the dishes, Goku turned to Gojyo. “Tell me
what you’re gonna try.”



Gojyo frowned and glanced out of the
window again. “I’m going out,” he exclaimed.



“What?” Goku was genuinely surprised.
“What for? You think Hakkai’s gonna smile if he sees you swimming around in the
street?” He thought for a moment. “Actually it might work.”



“Shut up, idiot.”  Gojyo glared at the younger man. “When we
were out before I saw a big bookstore. I’m gonna buy Hakkai a book!” he said
proudly.



Goku looked suspiciously at Gojyo. “You
said it figured I wanted to bake a cake. Considering what’s always on your
mind, I’m not so sure Hakkai would appreciate porn.”



“I’m not gonna buy him porn, damned
monkey,” Gojyo said angrily. “I’m gonna buy him a history book.”



“History?”



“Yeah, stuff that happened long
ago,”  Gojyo teased. “Even you should
know that.”



“Course I do,” Goku snapped, annoyed. “I
just didn’t know Hakkai would want a history book.”



“Well, he would,” replied Gojyo,
“especially one about what happened around 500 years ago. He seems to like that
period, for some reason.”



“How do you know that? It’s not like you
and Hakkai discuss history, is it?”



“Dumbass,” said Gojyo irritated. “Before
this journey I helped him borrow books from the library often enough when he was
sick.”



“Heh,” Goku smiled teasingly. “And here I
was, thinking you didn’t even know what a library was.”



“Ha-ha,” Gojyo laughed sarcastically.
“Are you coming?”



Goku looked hesitantly at the rain, which
hadn’t decreased. “Do I have to?”



“Hey, I helped with the pie.”



“In a dry kitchen, yeah,” muttered Goku,
but he followed Gojyo to their room to grab their jackets.



Inside the room nothing had changed.
Hakkai still sat at the window; Sanzo still lay on the bed smoking. Gojyo
sighed at the sight. Gods, even the rain seemed better than the prospect of
spending any more time together with these two.



They silently took their outfits and left
the room. When they opened the outer door they had to brace themselves before
they ran into the street. Their coats didn’t give much protection against this
downpour. In less then a minute they were soaked to the bones.



“Where did you see the bookstore?” Goku
yelled over the sound of the rain.



“Across the street from the grocery
shop,” Gojyo shouted back.



They ran along the street. At first they
tried to avoid the puddles, but it didn’t take them long to realize that was a
lost cause since there seemed to be more water than ground. They gave it up and
splashed through the puddles - or rather pools - as fast as they could.



When they reached the bookstore, they
shivered from the cold, and the warmth inside made steam rise from their wet
clothes.



“Stupid competition,” grunted Goku,
irritated.



“You agreed to it, monkey,” Gojyo
answered just as annoyed. Silently he a felt the same as Goku; what the heck
was he doing out in this weather? A hot bath seemed like a much better option.
Getting soaked just to make Hakkai smile… Correction, to try to get Hakkai to
smile. Shit, like that man would smile during this much rain. He had already
buried himself too deep in his depression to smile just because of a pie or a
book. Whatever. It was something to do anyway, and he could always take that
bath when they returned to the inn.



They strolled along the aisles between
the bookshelves, looking for the history books, while making small puddles on
the floor from their dripping clothes.



“May I help you?” A man in his thirties
stood before them with a polite smile.



“Yeah, where are the history books?”
asked Gojyo.



“Right over here.” The shopkeeper
beckoned them to follow him. “Here we are. Are you looking for something
special?”



“Well, eh, yeah,” Gojyo hesitated
slightly. “Is there anything about China 500 years ago?”



“Oh, yes, we have quite a few of those.”
His hand drew along the books. “Ah. Here they are. Have you read this one,
sir?” He picked up a rather thick book that looked incredibly boring in both
Gojyo’s and Goku’s eyes.



“It’s not for me,” Gojyo hurriedly
assured.



“Not for me either,” Goku answered the
look he got from the storekeeper.



“It’s for a friend of ours,” explained
Gojyo. “He likes history.”



“Do you know if your friend has read this
one?”



Gojyo examined the book a little closer.
“I think so,” he answered. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that had been one of
the books he had borrowed for Hakkai at the library back home.



“Yes, it’s quite a well known book,” the
storekeeper agreed. “If your friend is interested in history from that period,
he most likely has read it.” He put the book back on the shelf and picked up
another one. “This one is rather new. We got it last week, but in the bigger
cities it has been out for a month.”



A month. Gojyo knew for sure that Hakkai
hadn’t been able to read a book that was so new. “Is it any good?” he asked.



“Oh, yes.” The storekeeper was
enthusiastic. “The author is a very well known and a respected doctor in
history, and the book contains a lot of new findings in the research of history
from that period of time.”



“Guess Hakkai would like that,” Goku
observed.



“Yeah, I’ll take it,” Gojyo declared.



The storekeeper took the book over to the
counter, and Goku and Gojyo followed. “How are you gonna pay?” Goku asked. “Did
you steal Sanzo’s card?”



“Nope.” Gojyo looked superiorly at the
teenager. “Got my own money. Gambling was good in the last town, and I haven’t
had much chance to spend it since then.”



The storekeeper put the book in a box and
wrapped it up well. “Better not let the rain reach the book,” he explained.
“There you are.”



Gojyo managed to get some money from his
damp pocket and handed it over to the storekeeper. He had been surprised at the
price. Books were that expensive? He didn’t say anything, though. After all, it
was for Hakkai.



Gojyo hid the package under his shirt to
keep off the rain as long as possible. Even if his shirt was damp, he reckoned
the book could keep from being ruined since it was boxed. “Here we go,” he
exclaimed and ran towards the inn, with Goku on his heels.



Back at the inn they stood, dripping,
outside the door to their room. “Shit, I just have to change clothes before I
do anything else,” Gojyo stated.



“Me too.” Goku was shivering. “And a
bath, or at least a shower.”



“Beat you to the bathroom.” Gojyo
sprinted away and locked the door behind him.



“Stupid kappa,” muttered Goku, and went
into their room to find something dry to put on after the shower.



It didn’t take long before Gojyo was
back, carrying the package and wearing only a towel around his waist. “Don’t
take too long,” he said to Goku and tossed the package on his futon.



Goku took his dry clothes and headed for
the bathroom. After a few more minutes he was back at the room, too, warm and
dry.



Gojyo, now fully dressed, greeted him
with a blink and picked up the package.



“Hey, Hakkai,” he approached the healer,
package in hand. “I’ve got something for you.”



Hakkai slowly turned his head towards
Gojyo. For a moment his eyes were unfocused, but then he seemed to come back to
reality. “You’ve got something for me?” he repeated.



“Yeah, here.” Gojyo handed him the
package.



Hakkai took it, gave Gojyo the usual fake
smile, and opened it. When he saw the book, he turned it and read the back
cover. “Thank you, Gojyo. I haven’t read this one. That was very kind of you.”
Again the fake smile was turned on Gojyo.



The half-breed felt a small pang of
disappointment, but shrugged it off immediately. After all, he knew this wasn’t
the best day to try to please Hakkai. “You’re welcome,” he offered.



Goku stood beside him, and he didn’t look
very disappointed either. Heh, Gojyo grinned at the boy, at least they had
turned this miserable day into something more entertaining. Goku seemed to feel
the same, and grinned back. “Almost time for bed,” Gojyo yawned. “Anyone want
something to eat?”



The two silent ones only gave him two
different kinds of looks that both meant ‘no’. Goku, on the other hand, dragged
him back to the kitchen for something edible.



“Man, I’m glad you don’t sit sulking,
too, on rainy days,” Gojyo admitted to Goku as they sat eating at the table in
the kitchen. “You can be a real pain in the butt, but at least it’s always
possible to talk to ya… If I use simple words you can understand,” he added
with a smirk.



“Shut up, cockroach.” Goku glared at him.
“As long as you keep your mind on something other than your usual horny
thoughts, it’s possible to be around you, too.”



“Heh, you don’t know anything about what
I’ve been thinking.”



“I don’t want to know either,” assured
Goku firmly.



Gojyo just sneered at him.



Back at their room Hakkai still sat by
the window, but Sanzo was now curled under the blanket, and only his blonde
hair could be seen. Goku and Gojyo got ready for the night and crept into their
futons. Soon Goku was snoring, and slow, even breaths were heard from the
half-breed as he, too, was lost in the world of dreams.



It was dark now, but Hakkai still sat
motionless in his chair in front of the window. Outside, the rain gradually
subsided, until it stopped altogether. An hour passed, then Hakkai blinked. He
sighed and stretched. With the rain no longer clouding his mind, he suddenly
felt very tired. He looked over to his bed; it looked very tempting. His eyes
moved to Sanzo who seemingly was asleep in the bed beside his. On the other
side of Sanzo’s bed was a nightstand, and on it still stood a plate. The plate
was empty now, and Hakkai was amused that the monk actually had eaten the pie,
even if he hadn’t done so while Gojyo and Goku were in the room.



Something got his attention. The pie. He
looked down at the two sleeping at the floor. Goku had baked him the pie. He
frowned a little. Why? And Gojyo had helped him? Gojyo, who he hardly could get
into a kitchen unless the meal was served there. He gazed at the table before
him and picked up the book. It was a very fine book. One that he had been
wanting since he had heard the scholar was writing it. Must have been really
expensive, too. Gojyo had gone out in the rain to buy him this wonderful,
expensive book. Why?



For a moment he looked thoughtful. He
dimly recalled Gojyo whispering something to Goku after they had served him the
pie. “Told you it wouldn’t work.” Was that it? And Gojyo had had a flash of
disappointment in his eyes when he had thanked him for the book. Oh. Hakkai reddened. They
had been trying to cheer him up. And all he had done was give them polite
answers.



He kneeled between his two sleeping comrades.
Gently he stroked Goku’s brown hair, and then turned his attention to Gojyo.
The half-breed looked so vulnerable when he was asleep. Hakkai took a few red
strands of hair between his fingers. Letting go of the hair, he caressed the
scar on Gojyo’s cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered to both of them. As he stood
up and looked down at his friends, a smile started to form on Hakkai’s lips.
The smile spread through his body, and he was overwhelmed with gratitude for
his partners. Only a small remaining feeling of guilt was left. Those two, they
really were his friends. The guilt, he would deal with tomorrow. Promising
himself he would find some good way to make it up to them, Hakkai went to
sleep.



Owari



 









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