Notes : This is from Hakkai's POV. Also, this fic is dedicated to my new fren, Mag Magenta, who is a faithful reviewer and a valuable supporter. I thank you for your friendship and your help. May Allah bless you, dearie! Now, read on people!

Mushroom And Chicken Soup

"Haraheta…"

"Urusai!" And the familiar thwack sound of the harisen was heard.

A smile was plastered on my face but my heart clenched with sympathy for the young lad. I wanted to whisk away the harisen from that blond monk. This was not the first time that I had the urge to do so.

"Itte…nani sun dayo?"

That sweet, innocent voice! The voice that sent shivers down my spine. I stole a glance at Goku through the rearview mirror. The poor lad was rubbing his sore head and looking at Sanzo with huge, almost-teary golden eyes.

"Is there nothing you think about other than food? We just had lunch a few hours ago!" Sanzo's voice was thick with annoyance.

Goku tilted his head. He looked so adorable. Was I the only one who found the young lad to be so?

"But Sanzo…that was three hours, forty-four minutes and twenty seconds ago."

I was quick to notice the throbbing vein that had appeared at Sanzo's right temple. "Maa…maa…that long? Goku…"

"Ne, Hakkai?" Goku turned his attention to me, a questioning look on his sweet face.

"Look into my bag. I think there are some dried cuttlefish inside," I offered with a smile.

"Honto? Sugoi…" Goku shrieked happily and quickly grabbed my bag.

"Hakkai….you are spoiling him!" Sanzo grumbled, casting a sidelong glance to me.

"Yeah, I agree. He will soon be taking advantage of you!" Gojyo interjected.

I closed my eyes and smiled happily. I did not bother about what the rest said. All that mattered to me was Goku's happiness. "I do not mind. Besides, I had extra food. Rather than letting it go to waste, I might as well give it to Goku," I said good-naturedly.

"Chh…"Sanzo muttered.

I gave Sanzo a quick glance. The blond monk really did not know how to appreciate a sweet boy like Goku and also the fierce loyalty that the latter showed. I knew that Sanzo could never acknowledge anyone into his heart since the death of his master, Koumyo Sanzo. But could not he at least show some kind of brotherly love to Goku? I knew all that gun pointing and harisen whacking were implicit forms of his care for Goku but still…

"I'm going to sleep. Hakkai, make sure the idiotic clowns behind do not make any noise."

"Hai…." I obliged. Glancing again through the rearview mirror, I saw that Goku was enjoying the dried cuttlefish. I smiled. Gojyo was looking at the lad with disinterest. I was surprised that he did not disturb Goku as usual, but he was probably heeding Sanzo's words. All of us knew that it was never wise to disturb the blond monk when he was taking a nap.

I turned back my attention to the road. It would be nightfall by the time we reached another town.

We were lucky to have found an inn but there was only one room left. Reluctantly, Sanzo agreed to rent the room and demanded three more futons to be laid on the floor. This was not the first time we landed up in such a situation. The last time this happened, we settled it with a card game. It was tough luck for the rest. I won, as usual. Do not ask me how I won…I just did. I myself was baffled with my ability when it comes to card games.

"This time, we will not settle it by a card game. Since I'm the one paying, the bed is mine," Sanzo declared as the four of us looked at the bed longingly.

"No way…you didn't pay for it. The Three Aspects did," Gojyo argued while placing his hands on his hips. I vaguely recalled that we had been through this conversation before.

A flash of silver glinted from Sanzo's hand and I saw that he had pressed his pistol against Gojyo's throat. My poor friend…

"Would you rather sleep on the floor or six feet underground?" the blond monk threatened.

"The floor please…" Gojyo squeaked. I stifled a laugh. Sanzo and his malicious pistol never failed to amaze me.

Then suddenly, we heard a loud snoring. We turned to the bed and saw that Goku had already made himself comfortable. He was in fact drooling and there was such a blissful expression on his face. No doubt he was dreaming about food.

"That stupid baka saru!" Sanzo shrieked angrily.

"Maa…maa, Sanzo. Let him be. If you need to whack him, whack him tomorrow," I suggested, though that suggestion was wringing my heart.

Sanzo narrowed his eyes at me. "You spoilt him too much, you know that?"

I was not about to let Sanzo had his way. "Sou ka…Ah, but I do recall running errands for a certain monk while he smoked and read his papers. Aren't I also spoiling that monk?"

A throbbing vein appeared. But I was not worried as I knew Sanzo had a slightly higher tolerance level with me. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw that Gojyo was trying hard not to laugh.

"You…you…." Sanzo was stuttering. Ah, I got him. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

I smiled. "Ah…now that's settled, let's just go to sleep. Oyasumi-nasai!"

I could not sleep. I was tossing and turning. To my right, I saw that Gojyo was sleeping like a log, with his mouth was wide open. I always wondered how the girls he bedded got through the night with him sleeping like that. Do not get me wrong. I respected and cared for Gojyo and I owed him my life but his sleeping habits just turned me off. To my left was someone who had sleeping habits that could put girls to shame. He did not snore, nor did he sleep with his mouth open. He would either sleep facing straight up or on one side. He was a civilized sleeper.

Feeling restless, I carefully and slowly stood up. Sanzo was a light sleeper and I would not want to wake him up. I made my way to the small chair at the far end of the room and sat down. From where I was seated, I had a good view of the bed and its inhabitant.

Goku… I wondered whether the boy realized that my affections for him ran deep; affections that were more than just brotherly love. But I was sure of one thing though. In his heart, there was only Genjo Sanzo…his savior. His sun. Aye, Sanzo had told me before that Goku was awed by his golden blond hair and had likened him to the sun.

My heart was overcome with pangs of jealousy. Sanzo, the one who always whacked him, who always shrieked at him, who always threatened him with the pistol, was the one and only in Son Goku's heart. While I, the one who entertained his hunger, the one who gave him advice, the one to cheer him up when he was down, was probably nothing more than a caretaker to him. How unfair was this?

And it did not stop there. I recalled the incident where Sanzo was poisoned by that scorpion youkai and in order to save him, Goku had to become Seiten Taisen Son Goku. Only in his actual form could he defeat Kougaiji, who had challenged him to a trade-off. I remembered clearly Goku telling me to stop him if he got out of control. But I failed and instead, Sanzo was the one who managed to subdue him.

I had taken out my frustrations on Sanzo when he finally recovered three days later. I was very upset and disappointed that I could not, and was not, the one who could stop the rage of Seiten Taisen Son Goku. And to see Goku so worried that Sanzo would be angry with him further disturbed me. I knew right then that I could never have a place in Goku's heart.

More incidents came flooding to my mind. But what saddened me most was the time when it was raining non-stop and Sanzo was in a very, very bad mood. Goku had brought him food but instead, Sanzo had chased him off. The hurt I saw in Goku's golden brown eyes when he stood at the doorway tugged at my heart. And he had ran off into the rain, ignoring Gojyo and me. At that time, I had wanted to just give Sanzo a piece of my mind.

"Hakkai?"

I was startled. I did not realize Goku was up and staring at me from across the room.

"You couldn't sleep, Goku?"

My question triggered yet another memory. I had asked Goku the same question before. It was during the time where Sanzo was seriously injured, having been slashed by Homura. Goku had tried putting up a brave front, catching trout while Gojyo and I looked after Sanzo. But as the night stretched, Goku could not sleep. The anxiousness he had for Sanzo broke my heart. When Sanzo finally recovered, Goku was crying with relief. Strangely, though I felt hurt, I was just happy for the young lad.

"Daijobu desu ka, Hakkai?"

My reverie broken, I found myself gazing at two golden orbs looking at me with concern. My heart skipped a beat. And when Goku extended his hand and placed his palm against my forehead, I was sure my heart stopped beating.

"You are not hot," Goku said as a-matter-of-factly.

I managed a weak smile as I reached for the hand against my forehead. "I'm alright, Goku." My hand lingered a little longer on his. It was hard to let go.

Goku frowned. "Then what is wrong with you? You were never like this."

"I…I just couldn't sleep. I'm surprised you could wake up on your own," I could not resist but to tease.

Goku shrugged easily. "I don't know. I suddenly felt that I just had to wake up."

I nodded, though I did not really understand what he was saying. "I am going out for a short walk. You go back to sleep, ok?" I stood up and made a move towards the door.

I felt the edge of my blue turtleneck sweater being tugged. Goku was looking up at me. "I….cannot sleep."

"Eh, nani?"

The puppy eyes! "Haraheta…" Goku pouted.

I sighed. Not that I was annoyed but I should have known. My lips curled into a smile. "Ok, how about I cook you some mushroom and chicken soup?"

"Su…" Clamp! I had to cover Goku's mouth with my hand.

"Shh….be quiet or you'll be eating Sanzo's bullets," I warned.

The young lad nodded his head earnestly. I smiled again and went out of the room, with Goku tagging along.

The cold breeze of the night revived my senses. I looked over to Goku, who was hugging himself. He was shivering slightly. Without thinking, I inched closer to him, draped an arm across his shoulders and pulled him towards me.

"Erk…" Goku wheezed.

"Feeling warmer?" I asked.

Goku gazed at me and I saw the brief hesitation in his eyes. But then he smiled; a smile that warmed my heart. "Saankyu…"

For a few minutes we sat in silence. The taste of the mushroom and chicken soup that I had made earlier still lingered in my mouth. Not to boast but my soup was one of my finest creations. And I knew Goku agreed with me for he finished up the whole pot. Not a drop was spared.

"Ne, Hakkai…"

"Hmmm…."

"Why do people kiss?"

"Erk…" I was totally taken by surprise. Why this sudden question? My heart was racing slightly. "I…er, I…think…I think…" I was lost for words.

Goku turned to face me again. His eyes were locked dead on to mine. "You think?"

I calmed myself. Goku had every right to know. He was already eighteen, a full-blown teenage boy. Sooner or later, he would probably fall in love with a girl and they would probably kiss. The thought was like a blow to my scarred tummy.

"Ok…erm, a kiss is very much like erm, mushroom and chicken soup!" I sweatdropped. Goku was looking at me incredulously. I rubbed my chin. "You see…mushroom and chicken soup is warm and creamy and the taste lingers in our mouth, right? And after we eat, we would want more, right, because it gives us a tingling and warm sensation? The same goes for a kiss. I think that is why people kiss."

I was trying hard not to laugh because Goku was seriously pondering on what I had just said. Oh-oh…was it wise of me to liken a kiss to food?

"Then who can we kiss?"

I raised an eyebrow. The young lad probably had witnessed Gojyo on one of his conquests when we were in the previous town. Sigh….how do I tell him that what Gojyo did was not right and that a kiss was only meaningful when there was love. "You see, Goku…you only kiss the person who you feel strongly for, the person that sits at the throne of your heart. This is known as love. There can be many people in your heart so you must really look deep and decide which one who you love."

The young lad looked in the distance. "Can I kiss a guy?"

I knew it…I just knew it. Not only me but the whole world knew it. Can I kiss a guy? How obvious was that? My heart tightened with envy. "I suppose so…" I answered half-heartedly.

I then started to withdraw my arm away from the lad. Goku quickly turned to face me and grabbed my retreating arm. "Dosh ta?"

"Betsuni…" I said and tried to smile.

Goku tilted his head. "If the person I love is sad, I should kiss him, right?"

"I suppose so…" Again, my reply was somewhat feeble.

Goku stared hard at me. My eyes were already halfway closed. Not that I was sleepy but I was disappointed and sad. I was probably destined for impossible love. First I fall in love with my own sister, who then killed herself before my own eyes, and now, I had perverted affections for my own kind, who ironically, had similar perverted affections for a certain blond monk.

And what happened after that took me completely off guard. Goku had leaned forward and pressed his warm lips against mine. My eyes widened. And instinctively, I pushed him away.

"Wh-what…" I stuttered.

Goku's eyes were also widened and his face registered shock, which immediately changed to hurt. And I knew why. He thought I was rejecting him!

"Goku…" I called out.

"Gomen nasai…I'm such a baka. I…I…." He then stood up and I knew he was preparing to run away.

No way was I going to let this misunderstanding drag on. In a flash, my arms were already tightly clasped around him. I buried my nose in his soft, brown hair that smelled of soap. "I didn't know….I didn't know…" That was all I managed to say.

I felt Goku stiffening and wondered whether I was mistaken. But when his arms circled my waist, I knew for certain who was in his heart.

"Hakkai…" Goku's voice was soft.

I pulled back slightly. "Nani?" I whispered.

"I want mushroom and chicken soup please."

I smiled for I knew just what he wanted. "One order coming right up…"

And I gave him a slow, delicious order that marked the beginning of our relationship…..

FIN