"Once Upon a Time" Lasts Forever

The Bottom Line (ficlet; Saiyuki)

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:42:02 GMT

Title: The Bottom Line
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: Swear words, m/m groping, and smutty suggestions
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Hakkai/Gojyo
Spoilers: Absolutely none
Notes: smillaraaq and I were discussing shopping scenes in fic and fiction, and the idea that although Hakkai would enjoy dressing Gojyo well, he's actually probably pretty tight with a budget. And that grew into this. Beta by smillaraaq.
Summary: Gojyo needs some new jeans. Hakkai's going to make sure they get their money's worth.

It was the best menswear store in town. It had actual dressing rooms, with mirrors on the walls and latches on the doors and shit like that, and it had, like, 30 brands of jeans. After they had been there an hour and a half, Gojyo was positive it had to be at least that many, because of course, Hakkai had insisted on looking at every single brand. And now, Gojyo was getting really, really tired of trying on jeans, and really hot and sweaty, too, even though Hakkai had had him take off his shirt. They could've been home ages ago. Gojyo struck a pose in the last pair from the stack - it was either pair #9 or pair #10 ... he'd lost track. "Ta daah!" he said.

Hakkai, who'd been sitting primly on the fancy little chair in the corner, cocked his head to one side and looked the jeans and Gojyo up and down. "Hmm. Not bad. But I'd like to see you in the Botan brand again."

Gojyo groaned. "Hakkai. I have tried on every single one of these damn things. Why can't you just pick some out and buy 'em?"

Hakkai looked shocked. "Gojyo. This is your hard-won cash we're spending here. I have to make sure that I'm making the very best use of it. We don't have all that much to spare, after all."

Gojyo couldn't think of any really good answer to that - Hakkai always argued dirty - so he swallowed another groan and turned around again, shucking off the current pair of jeans. And his boxers came half off again, like they had at least five times already, leaving one butt cheek entirely bare. Shit, not again. He bent over to finish pulling the jeans off - and got an upside-down look at Hakkai's reflection in the mirror. Hakkai was gazing at his half-bare ass with shining eyes, his lips parted, a bright spot of color over each cheekbone.

He noticed Gojyo looking at him almost at once, of course. For a guy with one eye, he didn't miss much. He blinked and smiled sweetly, then licked his lips. "Do you need a hand there, Gojyo?" he said, kindly. And then smack! - a nice warm hand landed right on his bare ass-cheek and squeezed. Suddenly, Gojyo's wish to be at home got a lot more specific: at home, and naked, with Hakkai, in bed. With the door locked. He leaned his hot forehead against the cool glass of the mirror. "Damn, Hakkai, that ain't gonna help me get any more of these jeans zipped up," he mumbled.

Hakkai laughed softly and slid off the chair to kneel behind him, pressing his lips against the base of Gojyo's spine. "I imagine I can give you a hand with that problem too," he said.

The Tide (fic; Saiyuki)

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:49:25 GMT

Title: The Tide
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: bloody raving, insanity, angst, swearing
Pairing(s): n/a
Spoilers: The end of "Be There"
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time challenge #17, Sanity and insanity. Time allowed: 50 minutes. I fail big time: it was more like 70.
Summary: During his time in the Temple, Hakkai's sanity ebbs and flows.

Cho Gonou walks calmly into the chamber of the Three Aspects... .

Nothing To See (ficlet; Saiyuki)

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:41:16 GMT

Title: Nothing To See
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: worksafe; violence, blood, a cussword
Pairing(s): n/a
Spoilers: Events at the end of Reload 6 and beginning of Reload 7
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time challenge #16, the Sixth Sense. Time allowed 30 minutes; actual time: about that, but I ended up tinkering with it a little bit afterward for maybe 5 more minutes, because I originally wrote it in dribs and drabs.
Summary: It's hard to blunt the sharpest of senses for long, but sometimes a moment is all that it takes.

The night was alive with the tiny, mindlessly content sounds of insects ...

Antiphony (pair of haiku; Saiyuki)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:37:53 GMT

Title: Antiphony
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: Gojyo's mouth
Pairing(s): n/a
Spoilers: Nothing much. The Gojyo verse was directly inspired by the end of the scene at the site of the Centipede King's fortress in "Be There."
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time prompt #15 Sense of Hearing. Time allowed: any. Form required: Haiku. Time taken: 12 minutes
Summary: The sound of a voice can take you someplace you never expected.

Memorandum (drabble; Saiyuki)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:34:03 GMT

Title: Memorandum
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: oblique mention of sex
Pairing(s): Hakkai/Gojyo
Spoilers: A bit of Hakkai's history.
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time prompt #14 Sense of Taste, and originally posted June 20. Time allowed: 5 minutes. Time taken: actual writing, maybe 5 min. Wrestling with the strange keyboard at the hotel ... longer. About the title ... "memorandum" in Latin actually means "that which is to be remembered."
Summary: Many things can jog one's memory.

Hakkai wakes in darkness ... .

Skin-Hunger (ficlet; Saiyuki)

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:17:11 GMT

Title: Skin-Hunger
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: not-quite 585, oblique mention of bodily functions
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): [pre-Hakkai/Gojyo]
Spoilers: A bit of Hakkai and Gojyo's history together (primarily "Be There," but also their Burial Arc)
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time prompt #13: Sense of Touch. Time allowed: 10 minutes. Time taken: 14 minutes. I'm taking too long again - need to force myself to drabble.
Summary: Hakkai wonders about the peculiar nostalgia he's feeling.

After what Hakkai had come to think of as the Banri Affair, everything grew a little
easier ... .

Flesh of My Flesh (fic; Saiyuki)

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:34:03 GMT

Title: Flesh of My Flesh
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: Fluff! Crack! Schmoop! And a semi-technical discussion of mpreg! You have been warned.
Pairing(s): Hakkai/Gojyo
Rating: PG-13 for two guys canoodling in bed and strange biology
Spoilers: bits about Hakkai's and Gojyo's respective families.
Notes: smillaraaq and I were talking about andmydog's two-part Kink Meme fic (Green Thumb) about Hakkai and the plant babies. We were both in agreement that the bit in Part 2 where Hakkai seems pleased that the plants resembled Gojyo in at least one respect was especially charming. That thought grew into this story. smillaraaq did the beta read.
Summary: Gojyo inspires Hakkai to a peculiar flight of fancy.

Hakkai was thinking.

This wasn't always a pleasant activity - his brain was quite capable of wandering off into dark alleys involving his past, and sometimes even his future - but when he was lying like this, limp and completely relaxed and tangled snugly with Gojyo in their bed, it was hard to think of anything that wasn't enjoyable on some level. Even lists of chores that hadn't been done were spiced with the knowledge that he'd cheated himself - he was his own sternest taskmaster - by taking this time to indulge himself and his best friend with deliciously lascivious activities.

Just now, his head was pillowed on Gojyo's muscular but boney chest, and Gojyo's big, strong heart was sounding strongly right under his ear, beating out a message just for him, drowning out any voices that might try to whisper from the darker crannies of his brain: Live now, love now, live now, love now ... . Their legs were tangled together warmly. Hakkai had one arm draped across Gojyo's chest as well, and he was playing with a strand of crimson hair, lank with sweat at the moment, but still beautiful. How could he have ever felt that this color was sinister?

If we had children, he thought, they would be three quarters youkai. Would they have red hair and eyes, or not?

Of course it was ridiculous. Their lovemaking would never breed anything but pleasure for themselves and disapproving looks from Sanzo. He laughed silently - or so he thought.

"Hmmm? What's funny, baby?"

He felt Gojyo's voice as much as he heard it. The vibration made him feel content and cherished. "Well, I was just thinking ... ."

Gojyo chuckled, a friendly little earthquake under Hakkai's head. "Didn't I tell you that's bad for you? Lookit your temples - thinning already!" Long fingers combed through his hair. "So what's got your brain going this time?"

Hakkai hesitated a moment. "Truthfully, I was wondering whether our children would have your hair and eyes."

Gojyo's hand froze in his hair, like a small animal that thinks it scents a predator. "Umm ... Hakkai. Don't get me wrong - you're really hot and I can always get it up for you. But I am not havin' your baby."

"Aha ha ha ... of course not. The smoking and drinking wouldn't be good for it. I would have to carry our child myself."

"Hakkai ... ! " Gojyo whacked the mattress next his leg, exasperated. "You're a guy! What're you gonna carry the baby in?"

Hakkai sat up halfway and propped his head on his hand. As he expected, Gojyo's face was a delicious mixture of disbelief and outrage. Hakkai smiled calmly and prodded him a little more. "I thought I could try to grow a womb. With my qigong, I can make damaged tissue grow back now. It shouldn't be much harder than that. "

Gojyo was now rubbing his temples as though his head hurt. "But ... when the baby's ready to be born ... how ...?

"Oh, the birth would be by Caesarian section, of course."

Gojyo's healthy tan suddenly looked a little less healthy. He sat up and rolled over, grabbing Hakkai and pressing him down into the mattress, his hair spilling onto Hakkai's face and chest. "Hakkai ... buddy ... tell me you're not gonna mess with yourself like that. What if ... if somethin' went wrong ... ?"

The beautiful ruby irises of Gojyo's long-lashed eyes each had a ring of white all the way around. Hakkai was touched by the concern on his behalf, and a little ashamed of himself - but only a little. He craned his neck to kiss the corner of Gojyo's mouth.

"Well, then ... it was just an idea. You shouldn't worry so much about my post-coital ramblings, Gojyo. I'm liable to say almost anything. You're quite intoxicating sometimes."

Gojyo stared at him for a few seconds, processing that one, and finally smiled back at him. "Heh. I'm so good, I make you drunk?"

"Absolutely."

He felt Gojyo relaxing against and on top of him. The red eyes crinkled at the corners, and he seemed to be flushing slightly as he pressed soft, sloppy kisses from the base of Hakkai's throat up to his mouth. But it was all too gentle, and far too obviously driven by a need for reassurance rather than passion. Well, I have only myself to blame for that, he thought, as he responded in kind. Eventually, Gojyo laid his head on Hakkai's chest and sighed. Hakkai wound his fingers gently in long strands of crimson hair. "Are you falling asleep on me, Gojyo?"

"Uh ... yeah, sorry. " Gojyo rolled over - Hakkai hastily released his hair - and curled up with his back against Hakkai. "There ... now y'can breathe ... ."

Hakkai, bemused, spooned up behind him and draped one arm over his waist. Literal-minded Gojyo. There was no point in trying to explain. His mind drifted off again. He saw a daughter of 12 or so, with Gojyo's crimson hair - long, and in a braid, like Kanan's - and Dokugakuji's blue eyes. She would be motherly, and he would enjoy teaching her to cook. A son, a sturdy lad of 10, with Kanan's honey brown hair and his own green eyes. He would be quietly humorous and protective of his siblings. Another son, a quiet boy of seven who loved animals, and reading; he had Kanan's hazel eyes and Hakkai's deep brown hair. And last, a mischievous sprite of five, with Dokugakuji's inky hair and Gojyo's flaming eyes. She would be feisty, and get into fights defending weaker children.

I can dream, can't I? I have a practiced imagination, after all. Almost every day, I pretend that I never killed a tribe of youkai and half a village, never saw my lover die by her own hand, taking her unborn child with her ... .

He deliberately turned his mind away from those dark thoughts and pressed his mouth to the back of Gojyo's neck, parting his hair to breathe in the comfortingly familiar scent of salt sweat, musk, and that odd little note that made him think of river water. He opened his lips and traced with his tongue the prominent bump of the first large vertebra. Gojyo stirred and his breath made a faint sound almost like a little laugh. Hakkai pulled back a little and blew on the damp skin. Gojyo squirmed and finally swatted at the arm around him.

"Hey, stop ... you're tickling!"

"Mmm hmm," agreed Hakkai. He bit Gojyo's shoulder gently.

"Quit that, you wild man," protested Gojyo, unconvincingly. He grabbed the hand that was resting against his belly and began to kiss each finger individually. "I lied, y'know," he mumbled, suddenly, muffled against Hakkai's palm.

"You lied? About what?"

Gojyo tucked Hakkai's hand under his own chin, hugging the arm that hugged him. "I would have your baby. If I could."

Hakkai stopped breathing for a second. Then: "Would you stop drinking and smoking while you were pregnant?"

There was a long, sleepy pause. "Guess I'd have to, wouldn't I?"

Hakkai was afraid to say anything in the face of this amazing offer from his down-to-earth lover - even though the entire conversation was moonshine anyway.

"You can have the other one," added Gojyo.

"The other one?"

"His brother. Or sister. There oughta be two."

Hakkai moved his hand gently to feel around Gojyo's mouth. Yes, he was smiling. "Not two," said Hakkai. " Four. Two boys and two girls."

The smile slipped for a moment, and Gojyo grabbed his wrist. Then he started laughing, a soft, sleepy chuckle. "Now you're shitting me."

"Mmmm. Well, yes. And you weren't serious, either. But it was nice to hear." Hakkai snaked his other arm under Gojyo so that he could squeeze him, hard.

"Ooof! Damn, you're strong. Now I can't breathe."

Hakkai released him, then sat up and bent over to kiss his mouth, gently. Gojyo's eyelids were sliding shut again. "Good night, Gojyo."

"G'night, gorgeous."

Hakkai snuggled up behind him again, waiting for Gojyo's breathing to settle. His own breath seemed to large for his chest, as though his heart had grown and was taking up too much room. How absurd, to feel so happy about such a silly conversation. And the darkness that had been threatening to crawl out and engulf his thoughts had been blown away entirely. He could almost see it, pulled into streamers and raveled into nothingness, like smoke in a fresh breeze.

You're quite intoxicating sometimes. I'm liable to say almost anything ... .

Hakkai's lips moved, forming words so quietly that he hardly heard them himself:

"I love you, gorgeous."

Perspective (ficlet; Saiyuki)

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:32:29 GMT

Title: Perspective
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: Description of a grisly event
Pairing(s): n/a;
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Hakkai's history
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time prompt #12: Sense of Sight. Time allowed: 15 minutes. Time taken: 18 minutes. I guess I'm still not finished with Goku's headspace! [And as thewriter0 pointed out, I originally had the wrong eye missing for Hakkai ... thanks!]

Goku still remembered the day that Hakkai had lost his right eye ...

Solace (ficlet; Saiyuki)

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:44:38 GMT

Title: Solace
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: none to speak of.
Pairing(s): hints of Goku/Sanzo, Gojyo/Hakkai
Spoilers: Some of the events at the end of "Even a Worm" 19; takes place partway through "Even a Worm" 20
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time prompt #11: Sense of Smell. Time allowed: 20 minutes. Time taken: 20 - 25 minutes or so.
Summary: Goku, scents, and memory.

"Gojyo was stomping out the door of the half-ruined little farmhouse with a bundle of clothing in his arms ... .

Loving-Kindness (ficlet; Saiyuki)

Mon, 26 May 2008 03:46:34 GMT

Title: Loving-Kindness
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: nothing, really
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): A breath of 10K, if you listen hard.
Spoilers: nothing much - PG solely for mention of 10K and a curseword
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time prompt #10: Kenren. Time allowed: 45 minutes. Time taken: a little more than 50 minutes, plus 5 to look up a definition for the intro theme. This ended up being about all four of them really, but Kenren's at the center. (Is there a word for all 4 of them in Gaiden? Because they aren't the Sanzo Ikkou yet ... .)
Summary: Kenren has warmth enough to spare.

Konzen, hurrying through the gardens in the late afternoon with a sheaf of reports for the Bosatsu, nearly passes him by ... .

Fairy Tale (fic; Saiyuki)

Thu, 22 May 2008 02:06:58 GMT

Title: Fairy Tale
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: swearing and m/m foreplay
Rating: Mild R at the very end
Pairing(s): Gojyo/Hakkai
Spoilers: a little of Hakkai's history
Notes: This was inspired by saiyuki_time prompt #9: Magic, but the previous thing I'd written for saiyuki_time was also 585 fluff, so I decided to do something else for the prompt. Then smillaraaq asked me very nicely to go ahead and write this anyway, so I did. I feel that it's pretty similar to my earlier story Night Watch, but I had fun writing it, so I hope that at least a few people will have fun reading it! Not too surprisingly, smillaraaq did the beta. Will be crossposted a couple of places.

Summary: How the hell did Gojyo know that Hakkai needed him, back home? Must be ... magic.

I need to get home.

The thought came to Gojyo as he sat at the card table in his usual bar. It was a more urgent thought than "I need to take a piss" usually was, but not quite as urgent as the "I need to get outta here now" that had saved his ass a number of times in his younger days.

It was not, actually, a bad moment to leave. His current hand was mediocre at best, and he'd already won enough to feed himself and Hakkai perfectly well for at least a week. Besides, instincts had kept him breathing and in the money quite nicely for the last few years. He had no reason to ignore them now.

So when the ante came around again, he folded. He rose slowly, stretched casually, put on his coat at a leisurely pace. There seemed no harm in waiting to see the hand out, or taking the time to slap Seido jovially on the back and congratulate him on his win. Then he strolled to the door, shaking his head and grinning cheerfully at the girls who pleaded for him to stay - or at least, go home with them.

He opened the tavern door to the swish and hiss of a rainstorm. OK, then - that must be it. He must've noticed the rain with some part of his mind when someone else had opened the door earlier. Hakkai, and rainstorms ... but he'd been alright the last few times. Gojyo swore under his breath and turned up the collar of his coat, then hurried off down the road.

Damn. Their little house was darker than it should have been. The few times he'd come home this early, he'd found Hakkai working at their kitchen table, getting assignments ready for Goku or one of the other kids he tutored, or working on another of his own correspondence courses. They'd had some pretty good talks. those evenings - himself not as drunk as usual, Hakkai wide awake and pleased to see him. But the light wasn't on in the kitchen tonight, nor in the bedroom.

He grabbed for the door, swung it open. The kitchen was clean and dark, cold and silent. He stood dripping on the mat for a minute. What little light there was came from the other end of the room - the little lamp on the table next to the tatty sofa, the new lamp that Hakkai had picked out last winter and hardly ever used because he usually read at the table or in bed. Gojyo was about to stride off in that direction when he stopped himself short. Hakkai would kill him if he trudged across the shiny floor in his muddy boots. He scrabbled at the straps, kicked them off: "Hakkai?"

There was no response to either the thump of the boots on the mat or his call. Maybe he just had a headache, decided to curl up and read. And fell asleep.

It was really stupid, how freaked out he felt. He tiptoed toward the sofa. And there was Hakkai. Sitting bolt upright, eyes open, a book on his lap - closed. His eyes weren't tracking Gojyo at all.

Shit.

Gojyo shucked off his soaked coat and stomped over to his silent friend. "Hakkai!"

Not a twitch. Hakkai looked unnervingly like one of the funerary statues he'd once helped Banri boost from an antiques place, white porcelain skin and painted eyes and an expression like someone who expected to spend a couple of thousand years in a tomb with a corpse. Gojyo grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Snap out of it, buddy!"

Hakkai gave a little gasp, and his face relaxed. He blinked like he was just walking up. "Gojyo ... ?"

Gojyo sat down heavily next to him and slid one arm around his shoulders. "Yeah. Just me." He reached over and gently removed the book, which was starting to slide off toward Hakkai's sock-clad toes. "Are you OK?"

Hakkai was still blinking. He felt cold as the dead under Gojyo's arm, and he was shivering. "Just ... I just fell asleep."

"Asleep with your eyes open?"

"Were they? I was ... I was going to read, and ... ."

His voice trailed off. In the silence, Gojyo could hear the rain blowing and hissing against the window. Hakkai's eyes were glazing again, but this time, his lips were open, and Gojyo could see his tongue moving, could almost hear the name that was forming. And anyway, he knew what it had to be.

"Kanan ... ."

Oh, fuck!

Gojyo half-stood and grabbed Hakkai, flipped him to lie full-length onto the sofa, and threw himself on top, gripping Hakkai's shoulders. "Listen to me, Hakkai! It's me! Be with me, damn it. It's now ... ," and he pressed his lips to his lover's.

It was as close as he ever hoped to come to kissing a corpse. Hakkai's lips were still and cold, and even his tongue ... . Gojyo screwed his eyes shut tight. It still smelled like Hakkai; the lean, smoothly muscled body beneath him still felt like Hakkai. He stroked his own hot tongue over those icy lips and breathed his own warm, desperate breath into that half-open mouth. And suddenly Hakkai twitched and gasped, and one hand came up and threaded itself into Gojyo's dripping hair. His lips pursed and then relaxed, and the tip of his tongue met Gojyo's. Gojyo deepened the kiss, reaching into Hakkai's mouth, feeling the flesh warm and respond. Hakkai wrapped his other arm over Gojyo's back and shifted underneath him, making them both more comfortable. At last Gojyo dared to break off and open his eyes.

Hakkai was looking back at him, tired and sad, but himself, present and aware and trying to smile. "Gojyo ... how is it you always know what I need?"

Gojyo started to blush and chuckle, but stopped, thinking about the strange moment in the bar tonight. He shook his head instead and sighed. "Ahhh, who knows. It was just a kiss, babe."

Hakkai's eye crinkled at the corners, and he squeezed some water out of the handful of hair he was clutching. "You're soaked ... there's a children's tale from the West, you know, about a king's daughter who was cursed for the sins of her parents, so that she slept for a century. In fact, the curse was so virulent that all the members of the king's household were affected, even down to the horses in the stables, while the forest took back the land around the palace. At last a young nobleman made his way through the wilderness and found the girl, asleep. When he kissed her, the enchantment was broken, and she awoke at last."

As he spoke, his other hand was drifting down Gojyo's back, over the base of his spine, to rest at last on one asscheek. He squeezed gently, the tips of his long fingers digging into the cleft between. Gojyo felt a flush of warmth rush into his crotch and ground himself against Hakkai's hip, turning his face into Hakkai's neck to lick and nibble. He felt the vibrations against his lips as Hakkai spoke again, his voice lower and a little rougher.

"And then there's an older version of the same tale, a version that was not told to children. It says that the handsome prince had to do ... rather more ... to wake up the princess."

Gojyo, grinning, eased himself half off Hakkai and started on the buttons of his shirt. "I guess I could try that too," he said.

Taking Wing (ficlet; Saiyuki; gen)

Tue, 20 May 2008 02:21:29 GMT

Title: Taking Wing (Challenge #9: Magic; Nii Jianyi [Ukoku] - PG
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: A bit disgusting to anyone sensitive to the idea of dead, rotting things. However, PG at most - work safe
Pairing(s): n/a
Spoilers: a bit about Ukoku Sanzo
Notes: written for saiyuki_time challenge #9: Magic. Time given: 1 hour. Time taken: 65 minutes, I think. There were many interruptions. This owes at least as much to my role-playing gaming geek background as it does to Saiyuki - it's mostly wild speculation.
Summary: The Muten Sutra is in no mere tool, and Ukoku has a long, hard road to travel before he gets where he wants to go.

When he defeated his master, he wept ... .

Cast-Offs (fic; Saiyuki)

Wed, 14 May 2008 11:54:53 GMT

Title: Cast-Offs
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: borderline worksafe; swearing, mild m/m interactions, implied offstage sex
Pairing(s): Gojyo/Hakkai
Spoilers: a small bit of Gojyo's history
Notes: saiyuki_time challenge #8: Spring cleaning. Time given: 2 hours. Time taken: closer to 2.5 hours. This is actually a long-after sequel to A Real Adventurer, which I wrote last autumn.
Summary: Hakkai wants Gojyo to get rid of some baggage, but Gojyo's not the only one who needs to let go.

"Hey, it's us!" said Gojyo, cheerfully ..

Apparitions (ficlet; Saiyuki; gen)

Sat, 03 May 2008 04:10:40 GMT

Title: Apparitions
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: brief mention of child abuse
Pairing(s): n/a
Spoilers: through vol. 3 of Saiyuki: Gojyo's history
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time challenge #7: Ghosts. Time given: 25 minutes. Time taken: just about that. Yay!
Summary: He was only trading one sorrow for another ... but somehow it felt a lot better.

It had been the better part of ten years since Sha Jien had abandoned his baby brother ... .

Chilling (ficlet; Saiyuki)

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:19:44 GMT

Title: Chilling
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: Sanzo's mouth
Pairing(s): n/a
Spoilers: really nothing
Notes: saiyuki_time challenge #6: Humor. Time given: 50 minutes. Time taken: closer to an hour. I think I need to learn to think in terms of scenes or vignettes rather than stories for these ... ,.
Summary: There's no better cure for a stifling summer night than a little monkey business.

Night lay over the Temple, deep and soft and stiflingly hot ... .

Withdrawn (ficlet; Saiyuki)

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:47:46 GMT

Title: Withdrawn
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: probably not worksafe - sexual situation
Pairing(s): Gojyo/Hakkai
Spoilers: none, really
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time. Challenge #5: Addiction. Time allowed: 30 min. I wrote this on Wednesday night, right after the challenge for the week was posted ... not good. I ran overtime (about 40 min.) and when I read through it, I could swear I saw bits of other people's fics in it, although I'm not sure whose. It's not freaking me out as much now, 3 days later, so I'm posting it, but if you see something you recognize, please forgive, and I'll try to do better next time.
Summary: It's early in their relationship, Gojyo is out for the evening, and Hakkai is having ... issues.

Hakkai was glaring at the spotless kitchen floor. ... .

Overcrowded (ficlet; Saiyuki)

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:15:45 GMT

Title: Overcrowded
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: Swearwords. Worksafe.
Rating: PG or PG-13
Pairing(s): n/a
Spoilers: none
Notes: For saiyuki_time challenge #4: Opposites. Time given: 45 minutes. I'm not very happy with this: it went overtime (about an hour), and I lost any ending I had in mind somewhere in the middle of it.
Summary: Four tired travelers and a noisy, busy taproom. Heaven, or hell?

"Well, I must say that the only thing wrong with this inn is the lack of vacancies," said Hakkai ...

Lighter (fic; Saiyuki)

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:37:53 GMT

Title: Lighter
Author: opalmatrix
Rating: PG or PG-13
Warnings: Worksafe (very mild m/m interaction; a couple of swear words)
Pairing(s): a bit of 585, a hint of 393
Spoilers: a bit about Goku's origin
Notes: This started, I think, with this picture. Things were also nourished along by some discussions this past couple of weeks with kispexi2, who also provided the Beta read. Thanks!
Summary: You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need.

It was a cool, bright day in early autumn, with puffs of thistledown blowing and glinting in the clear air. Sanzo sat perched on a rocky outcrop on a steep slope, smoking, catching the late-afternoon sun, and watching the lame comedians who called themselves his companions. In the camp below him, Hakkai had unwisely bent over the pot to stir it, and Gojyo had taken advantage of his lover's exposed position to cop a feel. Hakkai had quickly turned and straightened and - waving the spoon illustratively - explained, as best Sanzo could tell, exactly how he was going to make Gojyo pay for his transgression later on. Sanzo's guess as to the nature of Hakkai's speech was borne out by Goku, who had arrived with an armload of firewood and was making mock vomiting faces in the direction of his companions.

Sanzo was diverted at that point by his own reactions - or rather, by his lack of them. He'd witnessed enough of such nonsense in the various temples in which he'd sojourned over the years to have recognized what was going on with those two quite some time ago. Maybe he should be offended and disapproving, but he found it hard to care. It was true that Hakkai and Gojyo were only adding to their karmic debt, but you didn't blame the lame man for leaning on his crutch, or the blind woman for clinging to the one who led her. In many ways, neither Hakkai nor Gojyo was whole, and there seemed little point in interfering when they turned to each other to seek completion.

And they were good for each other. Gojyo lightened Hakkai's tendency toward darkness and despair. Hakkai reined in some of Gojyo's excesses. Of course the relationship was far from perfect, and sometimes - especially in close quarters, late at night, when the two of them hadn't been able to get some privacy for awhile - he wanted to kill them both. But that said at least as much about him as about them. If he were a solitary man who had to go it alone, that didn't mean he was, in the end, any better than they were. He was well aware, for example, that he had a certain grim pride in how he was carrying the burdens of his life - not a terribly admirable characteristic.

Hunching his shoulders, he ground the butt end of his current smoke beneath one sandal, and pulled out his lighter and a fresh coffin nail. He stuck the smoke between his lips. Flick.

Nothing.

He tried again. The spark simply wasn't catching. He shook the lighter. Empty.

"Damn it!"

He pulled the unlit cigarette from his mouth and stared up at the blue sky a moment. Thank you, Heaven, for that timely little reminder that I, too, have my crutch. He had no intention, however, of relinquishing any of his quiet time away from the other three, even though he would now have to spend it itching for a cigarette.

Sanzo closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Pride was another crutch - a pretty rotten one. He'd known a few priests worthy of respect: now that he was admitting to himself that he could do with some help, why couldn't someone like that just show up? Because sometimes the weight of the sutra, and what it represented, were like a yoke of lead across his shoulders.

When he opened his eyes, Goku was heading up the slope toward him.

Shit.

The monkey seemed to have filled out a little over the past year. The width of his shoulders was more than could be accounted for just by that ridiculous jacket he'd insisted on buying for the trip. The late sun gleamed and flashed on his diadem. As Sanzo watched, the kid stopped for a moment, staring another one of the rock outcrops scattered up the slope, then continued on up to meet Sanzo. He had something clenched in one hand.

"What, Monkey?"

Goku held out his hand. On the brown, calloused palm was was a battered brass lighter with a design of a dragon wreathed around it: Gojyo's. Sanzo frowned.

"He let you take it?

"Yeah. Well, 'cause Hakkai said he should. But I asked him."

So Goku must have been watching his little moment of exasperation with the lighter. Sanzo felt simultaneously annoyed - especially because Gojyo had become involved - and pleased. "Hnh." He picked up the offering and lit the cigarette he'd been holding uselessly, inhaling with relief. The soothing burn of the smoke rolled through his mouth and down into his lungs. When he breathed it out again, he felt his temper starting to settle into place.

"So what were you looking at, anyway?"

"Huh?"

Sanzo gestured to the rock formation below, and Goku's eyes lit up. "Oh ... seashells! I think. But how could that be?"

Sanzo stood up, tucking the borrowed lighter into his sleeve and dusting off his robes. "Show me."

The shells were there, part of the rock face revealed when a bit of the steep hillside had dropped away: a scattering of ribbed spirals, beautiful and unreal-looking, like a piece of a dream. Sanzo traced one lightly with a fingertip. Goku crouched beside him, watching. "How did they get in the rock, Sanzo?"

"Huh. A long time ago - millions of millions of years - a lot of places that are land were under water. And some of places that are under water now were dry land."

"But now the shells are part of the rock ... ."

Sanzo shrugged. Geology had not been a big part of the Temple curriculum. "Ask Hakkai, at dinner. He's the teacher."

"Dinner's in about ... 10 minutes now."

"Well, that's 10 minutes more I can have quiet."

Sanzo climbed back to his perch. When he turned and sat, he found that Goku had followed him. With a great show of being quiet, the kid sat down at his feet, his tousled head near Sanzo's knee. Sanzo deliberately looked away and concentrated on his smoke.

For a few minutes, all was as quiet as he could ever have wished. Then he became aware of a soft voice, crooning. He looked down at his feet. Goku was patting the dry ground: "... all under the water, deep down - long, long ago ... ."

There was wonder in his voice, and reverence, and even affection.

A heretical child, born of the Earth.

Sanzo breathed a cloud of tobacco smoke into the cool, darkening air, and watched his hand move, seemingly of its own accord, to rest briefly on the brown head at his knee. Goku turned his head slowly, surprise and concern on his face. Sanzo had no idea what his own face might look like, but whatever Goku saw there made him smile. His eyes gleamed as gold as the sunlight on his diadem, and in them Sanzo saw wonder, and reverence, and affection. In the distance, he heard Gojyo calling them to supper, and when he glanced that way, Hakkai was waving to them. Sanzo stood and stretched.

The sutra on his shoulders weighed no more than thistledown.

Scented (ficlet; Saiyuki; Gyokumen Koushou)

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:54:13 GMT

Title: Scented
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: possibly not worksafe - allusions to m/f sex - R
Pairing(s): Nii/Gyokumen Koushou
Spoilers: some history of the Kou-tachi and their associates
Notes: Written for the saiyuki_time community. Challege: post coital. Time given: 1 hour. Time taken: 55 min? I'm trying to factor in time I spent thinking about it ahead of time. I typed for about 40-45 minutes.
Summary: The Lady of Houtou is finding it harder and harder to wait.

"Get out." Her own words echoed in her ears ...

On the Road (ficlet; Saiyuki; gen)

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:34:52 GMT

Title: On the Road
Author: opalmatrix
Rating: PG
Warnings: worksafe; mild Gojyo innuendo
Pairing(s): n/a; Sanzo POV
Spoilers: none, really
Notes: Written for saiyuki_time Challenge #2, Unexplored Territory: time allowed, 40 minutes.
Actual time: About that - 5 minutes planning, 30 minutes writing, 5 minutes revision. This time, I beat the temptation to think too much ahead of time by plotting out an entirely diffrent story than what I wrote!
Summary: Sometimes, the lesser of two evils might be just what the doctor ordered.

Sanzo stared silently at the white vehicle that had been a small winged reptile just moments before ...

Never Look Back (ficlet; Saiyuki; gen)

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:47:37 GMT

Title: Never Look Back
Author: opalmatrix
Rating: PG
Warnings: worksafe; angst and misery
Pairing(s): n/a
Spoilers: Yaone's history, through vol. 2
Notes: Challenge: Rebirth; time allowed for this challenge is 30 minutes.
Actual time: just under that. Written for meganbmoore and redbrunja, for the community saiyuki_time: Daytripping to the West. Spoilers for Yaone's history, through Saiyuki vol. 2
Summary: When your past has already given you up, there's no point in clinging to it.

The guards were all around her ...

Transformed (fic; Saiyuki)

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:58:05 GMT

Title: Transformed
Author: opalmatrix
Warnings: Worksafe; however, contains violence and disturbing ideas
Pairing(s): Hakkai/Gojyo if you squint.
Notes: Written for Daytripping to the West. Challenge - Write about someone's first time. However, the first time in your story cannot refer to a first sexual experience of any kind. Time allowed for this is up to one hour.
Actual time: 51 minutes, plus 4 minutes more to clean up. No beta. Concrit encouraged.
(Part of this was inspired by the fact that Hakkai later charged Sanzo for "Healing Gojyo's wounds." Presumably, if he'd been capable of doing so on his own with his chi, he wouldn't have had to pay for help.)
Disclaimer: Fandom characters and situations belong to Kazuya Minekura.
Spoilers: Burial Arc (through vol. 4)
Summary: In the aftermath of having removed his limiters purposefully for the first time, Hakkai's thoughts won't let him sleep.

He should not have been able to hear those tiny sounds.

It was a triple clink, off-beat: clink ... clink-clink

He should not be able to hear it now, over his own blood pounding in his ears, and Gojyo's slightly ragged breathing from the futon on the floor. He had only heard it then because his enemies had fallen silent, amazed at his crazed foolishness as he threatened them. Then he'd reached up - so simple, like this - and pulled off the cold little bits of metal that held him together.

Now, whenever he closed his eyes to try to sleep, he heard it, and then he remembered: the ticklish creep of his ears and nails growing, the hair stirring on his scalp as though in a breeze, the dimness of the cellar suddenly as bright as a moonlit midsummer night, the odors of those gathered around who were not his, as individual as their faces, and amidst them all the distinct, homelike scent of the one who was, sharpened with fear and pain. And the hatred that he swore he would never, ever let himself feel again: darker, sweeter this time, because he knew, in every one of his six senses, that they were afraid of him, and that he was more than their match.

He could feel his muscles as they were then, those few hours ago, pumped full of blood loaded with that hate and that dark power. The way that he could now leap, land, and turn, pick an opponent up as though he were a child's rag doll, and throw him against that rough wall. And he could hear that thump and crunch - sickening now, but deeply satisfying then - as the youkai's skull hit and fractured on the stones.

Hakkai sat bolt upright and ground the heels of his hands into his eyes until he saw stars and lightning, even in the bad one. Merciful goddess, never let me have to do that again! Unleash what he had become that night so many months ago, feel his own thoughts blossom so darkly, his body becoming that of exactly what he loathed.

But what if I hadn't been able to do so ... ?

Gojyo's head on the stone floor, a pistol barrel pressed against his forehead, that look of dull, hopeless, apathy on his face: an unwanted baby grown to a child abandoned like candy wrapper, grown to a young thug who operated on the far side of the law - and then grown further, into the roughly kind man who'd picked up the bloody mass of bone and sinew and exposed gut that had called itself Cho Gonou, and brought it home, to re-create him as a human being, coddled and cared for in Gojyo's own bed, that very bed where Cho Hakkai now huddled, trembling.

One moment's hesitation more, and Gojyo would have been nothing but scattered bone and brain, food for the worms.

There had never been any real choice. To hell with it, he'd said earlier in the evening, when he'd decided to leave the house and chase after his errant savior.

To hell. With good intentions, but hell nonetheless.

He dropped his hands and looked down at the futon on the other side of the room. He'd tried to make Gojyo sleep in the bed: there was only so much he'd been able to do about the cracked, bruised ribs on the right side of his friend's chest. They'd have to find a doctor in the morning. But Gojyo had insisted: he only wanted his usual bed, he said. He was alive: that was enough.

Now Gojyo stirred in his sleep and rolled over onto his bad side, and his face creased with pain. Hakkai held his breath, but was unsurprised when the other man's eyes opened. He stared at Hakkai with a face as blankly miserable as a hurt child's, and then suddenly everything shifted - he was smiling.

"Hakkai. You didn' go ... ."

His voice was burred with pain and blurred with sleep: he was still barely conscious, but the happiness was plain. Hakkai felt something warm and a little painful stir in the cold misery he'd been nursing inside. "No, Gojyo. I'm still here."

Gojyo tried to sit up. Hakkai rolled out of bed to crouch next to him, pushing him back down gently. "Gojyo - your ribs ... ."

Gojyo subsided, gasping. Finally: "But you were going."

"I thought I should. That I was making your life - "

A hand on his arm stopped him. "Don' go. Stay. Please."

Everything got very quiet. He could hear his own heart, and Gojyo's breathing, and the small sounds of the night outside. It must be almost dawn: he could hear a bird piping softly in the distance somewhere. He put his hand over the other hand that held him so tightly. "Alright. If you still want me in your house."

Gojyo smiled, his eyes drooping closed again. "Your house, too, now. Owe you one."

Hakkai laughed softly. "Of course you don't. This just makes us even."

The sleepy lips formed "OK," but only a soft breath came out. Hakkai stayed there for a few moments, making sure he really was asleep again, then tucked his friend's hand carefully down along his side.

He rose silently as he could and sat down on the bed again, looking at Gojyo. Really, he should have been able to do more to help, with his chi powers. He had a lot to learn, still. Maybe one of the doctors in town would let him work as an orderly, if not an assistant, so that he could learn more about how injuries felt, and how they knitted together. He lay down, frowning, thinking, smoothing the blankets firmly into place around his body. The only sounds in his ears were his breathing, and his friend's, and the world awakening to the new day. When the first light crept into the room and across the pillow, the face it touched was at peace.

Night Shift (fic; Saiyuki)

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 03:29:32 GMT

Title: Night Shift
Author: opalmatrix
Fandom: Saiyuki
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Horrific dream imagery, swearing, implied m/m, mild Gojyo perviness
Pairing(s): Hakkai/Gojyo
Disclaimer: Saiyuki characters and situations belong to Kazuya Minekura. .
Spoilers: Hakkai's backstory through the Chin Yisou arc; one reference to Burial arc.
Notes: Beta by sanada and smillaraaq. Takes places well after Be There and Burial, probably very shortly before the Journey West begins.
Summary: Sometimes, all that stands between Hakkai and his inner darkness is a pair of cold hands and a warm heart.

It had been a good night, a very good night, with the other players flush with cash and enthusiasm. When Gojyo had said his farewells, it had been 3:00 a.m., and he'd had at least five beers (he'd lost track, because it had seemed more important to count cards than to count beers) and a congratulatory shot of whiskey from the barkeep, who appreciated the amount of drinking everyone had done. He'd come home, pockets bulging with other men's cash, to find Hakkai asleep, as usual on these late nights, and had crawled in beside him. Hakkai had wakened just enough to put his arms around his night-owl buddy, and then Gojyo had tumbled headlong into the smug, snug sleep that awaits a successful gambling man at the end of a hard run.

It couldn't have been much more than an hour later that Gojyo found himself inexplicably awake, and missing the sexy pair of women whose company he'd been keeping in his dreams. He never dreamed about Hakkai, because Hakkai was always right there, and besides, Hakkai could think of crazier things to do to Gojyo in real life than Gojyo's imagination could ever produce. But right now, Hakkai wasn't there. That must've been what had woken Gojyo up. Guess he had to pee, thought Gojyo, muzzily, running his hand over the rapidly cooling warm spot his friend had left. But there was no sound of water or plumbing, and Hakkai didn't come back.

Gojyo pried his eyes open. They didn't want to cooperate, but he finally got them back on the job. He found that there was a light burning in the kitchen. He couldn't think of any good reason for that, and if Hakkai was facing something bad, Gojyo should be there. Reluctantly he rolled over, got out of bed, and went to find out what Hakkai was up to.

Shit, it was cold tonight. The warmth of the whisky buzz that had kept off the chill on his walk home was long gone. He could almost feel the warmth of the bed reaching out to pull him back under the covers, but he was tougher than that. On bare feet that seemed to be rapidly turning into ice cubes, he crept into the kitchen.

Hakkai was sitting at the table, bathrobe neatly wrapped and tied over his winter pajamas. He'd been up long enough to make a cup of tea, which was steaming, untouched, in front of him. And one look at his face told Gojyo that he'd gone someplace where Gojyo didn't belong. But Gojyo was always wandering into forbidden places. He didn't see any reason to stop now.

"Hakkai?"

No answer. Gojyo wasn't surprised. He propped himself up against the cold, hard counter and wrapped his arms around his bare torso for the illusion of warmth they gave and stood watch over his bedmate. Hakkai's eyes were sunken into his head so you couldn't even tell what color they were, and his mouth was a colorless slash. He hardly seemed to be breathing. Finally, he said "I was back there."

His voice was a dry, low, icy monotone, and if Gojyo didn't already know, pretty much, what the words were, he might've missed them.

"The castle? You dreamed you were back in the castle?"

"Yes. That. The prison."

Hakkai picked up the cup. His hand was shaking, and steaming tea sloshed out onto his bare skin. Gojyo winced. Hakkai didn't seem to feel it, but he set the cup back down untasted. Wisps of steam were curling from the cup and his hand, tendrils winding up into the cold, still air.

"She ... was pregnant. Not like she really was. Farther along. Much farther. Swollen with ... it. Except it wasn't it, it was ... . She was in labor. Hundreds of them. Centipedes, scorpions. Legs, venom. Crawling ... crawling out of her ... ."

Hakkai's voice had grown scratchy and painful. His face looked dead, snowy white, and the shadows under his eyes were black and slate green, like bruises.

"She couldn't ... the labor wasn't going fast enough. Even with those hundreds coming out. And she grabbed the knife, and when she stabbed - more of them. From the gash, and from her womb, between her legs. Like some horrible fountain. Just pouring out. Piling up. Covering her. She was screaming, 'Too late, you came too late!' "

Gojyo didn't feel too well himself. He really regretted the beer. Or maybe it was those fried noodle things Jun Li was serving as bar snacks these days. His teeth were chattering too - hard to tell if it was the picture Hakkai was painting or the cold. "Hakkai, b-buddy - it didn't happen like that. What happened - was bad enough. B-but it wasn't like that. You know it wasn't."

He wasn't getting through. He knew he was a terrible speaker. Not like Sanzo who, for all his bluntness, could pick exactly the right word when he needed to. When Hakkai got like this, it was like he'd turned all his enormous willpower, all his mental brilliance, on himself. And whatever was inside the thick skull of Sha Gojyo, street punk, stray cat, school dropout, it wasn't much of a match for Hakkai's brain.

"Thousands ...," whispered Hakkai, as colorless, as dead, and as cold as the air around them. "Over her eyes, in her mouth. They were starting to eat her even as she gave them life ... ."

Fuck, thought Gojyo. He'd just have to get crude.

Hakkai was making another messy and hazardous attempt to do something with the teacup. Gojyo glided over behind him and waited until the cup was safely back on the table (still untasted), then slipped both of his very very cold hands down the neck of Hakkai's pajamas - one over his chest and one over his back.

Hakkai screamed, jumped, and grabbed at him. He managed to snag the hand over his heart and held it there. In the silence after the scream, Gojyo was as still as stone. He could both feel and hear Hakkai's heartbeats, first racing, now slowing, but warm and red and alive, fiercely, hotly alive.

"Gojyo! That was cold! How many times have I told you that you should wear more to bed ... ."

Gojyo drew a long, thankful breath, feeling the cold air grow warm in his lungs. A nagging Hakkai was a pain in the ass, but infinitely preferable to a despairing, self-hating Hakkai. "Sorry, buddy."

"You should go back to bed, and warm up under the covers."

Gojyo bent and leaned his cheek on top of Hakkai's hair, feeling it feathery and warm on his skin.

"Think it's too late for that. Didn't you tell me once, blankets only hold in the heat you already got?"

Hakkai sighed, exasperated. It was such a blessedly normal sound that Gojyo smiled, up there where Hakkai couldn't see it.

"Well, then ... Gojyo, back up. I don't want to hit your feet with the chair. I suppose you're barefoot, too ... ."

Hakkai let go of his hand and pivoted the chair out away from the table. As he turned he caught sight of the forlorn, half-spilled cup of tea, stared, and shook his head. Then he slowly untied the bathrobe and held it open. "Come here."

Now Gojyo let him see the smile. He settled into Hakkai's lap - stupid idea, but the chair felt like it would hold - and Hakkai wrapped the robe around both of them, at least as far as it was possible. It was horribly awkward, but Gojyo settled gratefully into what warmth was available. Hakkai sighed again, sounding just tired now, and rested his head against Gojyo's shoulder. When he spoke, Gojyo could feel every syllable as a toasty little puff of air.

"I guess I woke you. I shouldn't ... you don't need to hear things like that. No one does. They're my own problems."

"Nuh-uh. Hakkai, no. Talk, please. Even if it's horrible. If you don't get it out talking, it comes out some other way. And that gets real messy, real fast. Remember? I think I could've lived my whole life perfectly happy, without seeing an umbrella rib coming out of some guy's ... ."

Hakkai gave a little dry laugh that was closer to a cough. "Point taken. But there should be some other way, that isn't so hard on you."

"Heh. There is - isn't there?" Gojyo demonstrated with a wriggle of his hips and a waggle of his eyebrows. The chair creaked ominously but held together. Hakkai smiled up at him sadly and shook his head.

"Usually, I'd say an offer like that from you could raise the dead. I hate to think what that makes me tonight, but ... no, not now."

Well, if he'd been dreaming what Hakkai had been dreaming, he wouldn't have been in the mood either. Gojyo put the eyebrows to work again. "Hey. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Sha Gojyo, Sex God, can actually go one or two days without. Maybe even three, if there's a really good reason."

Hakkai's smile got smaller but more genuine. "Really. Well. I didn't know that."

"Yeah. That's how it is. But, uh, don't tell the girls at Jun Li's. They'd be real disappointed."

Hakkai sat up a little straighter and blinked a couple of times. "Ah. I see. They'd become despondent. And then they wouldn't feel compelled to flirt with the other customers as much, which they habitually do, just to attract your attention."

"Yeah. And Jun Li wouldn't sell nearly as much beer, and hardly any whisky."

"And because the amount of money taken in for intoxicating drink at Jun Li's is by far the largest source of tax income in the town, the economy of the town would fail. And thereafter, the economy of the entire region."

"Yeah, for sure. And the whole place would be overrun by no-account youkai from the hills, with no taste and lousy manners. And there wouldn't be any good place to buy silk PJs or jasmine tea. So we're all depending on you, Hakkai-san, to keep your big mouth shut." Gojyo leaned in, nose to nose with him: "Get the picture?"

Hakkai smiled - his proper, smugly satisfied smile. "I've got it," he said, quietly, green eyes looking into red. And Gojyo couldn't be one hundred percent sure what he meant - Hakkai always seemed to be talking about more than one thing at a time - but it seemed to be something good this time.

Gojyo had to look away, then, because he was yawning - with tiredness or with relief, he couldn't say which. Hakkai looked up at the clock. "Heavens, it's a quarter to 5:00, and not getting any warmer. We should go back to bed."

He gently spilled Gojyo out of his lap and picked up the tepid cup of tea as he stood. Gojyo grabbed the dishrag and wiped the spill off the table before his friend could do it. Somehow the cup made it safely into the sink - followed, to Hakkai's disgust, by the dishrag, but he didn't seem inclined to do anything about it just then. They grabbed each other and staggered to the bed, piling in to huddle together in a shivering knot in the middle.

Gradually, the blankets and mattress took on their warmth. Hakkai sighed - a relaxed, comfortable sound this time - and turned on his side. Gojyo curled up behind him, arms around him, and willed himself to stay awake until Hakkai was properly asleep. It felt like forever, but really, it was only moments before the other man's breathing deepened and smoothed out. Gojyo rubbed his face gently in Hakkai's hair, smelling the familiar scent and feeling strangely triumphant. Me. I did this. I'm not as smart as he is, or as good a talker as Sanzo, or as fast or as strong as that little monkey, but I can do this. Me. Sha Gojyo.

Sex God. Heh.

He closed his own eyes at last and followed his friend down into the warm dark.

Homeward (Yuletide; fic; C.J. Cherryh - Company Wars/Alliance)

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 23:07:45 GMT

Title: Homeward
Author: opalmatrix
Fandom: C.J. Cherryh - Company Wars/Alliance
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: violence; swearing; m/f sexual situations (offstage)
Pairing(s): Paul Dekker/Meg Kady; Ben Pollard/Sal Aboujib
Disclaimer: Characters and situations belong to C.J. Cherryh
Spoilers: Massive for Hellburner; some for Heavy Time and Downbelow Station. Notes: Written for Sholio for the Yuletide 2007 Challenge. Thanks for: beta by my sister and fellow Cherryh fan A.; encouragement from sanada, my sis-in-law E., and the Mr.; and to Herself, C.J. Cherryh, for keeping me entertained and inspired for 25+ years.
Summary: As the Company War takes another grim turn for the Fleet, Ben, Dekker, Meg, and Sal face a devastating challenge to their partnership.

It wasn't unusual for two ships to meet at a nullpoint, even one as obscure as Kei's. But Meg certainly hoped that every single other such meeting had been under better circumstances that this ... .

Yuletide Joy!

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 16:58:20 GMT

I have a lovely shiny piece of Yuletide fic! It's fic on C.J. Cherryh's wonderful Chanur series! My favorite! XD Thank you, Santa!

Anify's Accord