Disclaimer: The usuals… bleah

Notes: Written for Sariyuki's 383 Incidents project. Finally! I've got one incident fic done! Please… congratulate me!

The Waterfall Incident

A quick scan around the vicinity of their campsite revealed nothing remotely resembling the blonde priest. Hakkai rubbed his chin thoughtfully, wondering where Sanzo could have gone off to. The first rays of sun had undoubtedly warmed the earth's surface, vanquishing any worries that they might be put to sleep permanently, but it was not common practice for the blonde to run off somewhere – at least not before telling someone, namely himself since he often took the first shift.

Hakkai heaved a long sigh, contemplating whether he should leave his two sleeping comrades in search of their fearsome leader. It was not a hard decision to make since he always found himself favoring the blonde's welfare slightly above the others and what more, he could always count on Hakuryuu to keep an eye on things. With that conclusion, he hurried back inside the tent, went over to the sleeping white dragon and woke it out gently out of its blissful stupor. The blessed creature immediately stirred to its master's call and listened on intently to what was being asked of him. It understood, replying its master with a promising 'kyu' and promptly flew over to nestle itself between the bickering duo, albeit some safe distance away, lest it wanted to be caught in a deadly leg or arm lock.

The brunette issued a grateful smile then at his compliant pet before exiting the huge tent. Once outside, he cast another calculative gaze around him and this time by some strange magnetic force, he found himself looking in a direction that was ventured by both him and Sanzo the evening before. His brows creased into a questioning frown but nonetheless, he knew his instinct was seldom wrong. At that, the frown eased away almost instantly, giving way for the muscles around his lips to materialize a rather playful grin.

"Maa, maa… Sanzo! Fancy acting dispassionate yesterday," the brunette murmured under his breath as he began walking down the trail that he believed would lead him to the priest. A light-hearted chuckle escaped him then, wondering just what the blonde was up to.

The last low branch swiped aside, Hakkai stepped into the secret oasis that had been a fortuitous find indeed. An exquisite glade, its floor a velvet spread of olive-colored grass surrounding a small but deep pool that flawlessly mirrored the sky. A white waterfall that was the height of three men glistened with pride upon the touch of the sun's rays that peeked through the looming green canopy, pouring forth into the pool, completing the picturesque view. It was just as breathtaking and invigorating as Hakkai remembered the oasis to be, but unlike the evening before, the blonde was nowhere in the portrait.

It was as if the beauty of the glade, together with its waterfall and pristine blue pool, was accentuated even more with the presence of the great Genjo Sanzo who was standing hip deep in the water, form naked above and under the crystalline surface, staring at the cascading falls in what would remotely pass for as fascination. Hakkai realized then that he had been holding his breath, having no idea how long he had stood rooted to the ground, staring in rapt interest at the blonde who seemed oblivious that his privacy had been intruded upon. All that the brunette was acutely aware of was just how painfully beautiful the man in the pool was. Of course, he had often seen Sanzo without his shirt on but this time it was different as there was not a single thread upon that sylphlike body.

Upon regaining his senses and against his better judgment, Hakkai found his eyes straying to observe the other man more intently. The golden blond hair was damp and framed the chiseled face possessively, droplets edging of the ends and down the long neck, one which was adhered to strong shoulders. The shoulders were relaxed now, Hakkai noted, momentarily freed from the weight of the world that he was forced to bear. A slight smile graced the brunette's lips as he then carried on with his eyeful sally, choosing to examine the terrain below the shoulders. Sanzo's pale skin, flawless and satiny, that embellished the tight cords of muscles underneath, had rivulets of water sliding down it, almost in a seductive swagger, and for a moment, Hakkai felt a familiar pang crossing his heart, but of which he could not really identify. His eyes caught sight of one particular wet bead and he watched as it eased down the priest's sculpted back, thereafter the slight dent that bridged the upper torso and the lower half. His breath caught in his throat then when the wet bead took its time skimming down one shapely, rounded surface partially hidden by the glassy depths before returning back to where it came from, and for a long while after that, Hakkai could not tore his gaze from the firm contour, or contours, that had more of the wet beads trailing down with playfulness that irked.

Hakkai did not deny there had been instances in which he had secretly admired the priest from afar; at first, it had been Sanzo's no-nonsense attitude towards life, his strength and formidable willpower but gradually, the brunette found himself appreciating not only the internal splendor but the physical presence too. Along with his secret admiration, he slowly learned to let go of his past, finding refuge in the man who had given him a reason for living, a man who understood what it felt like to witness the death of a loved one and having hands that was badly tainted with blood.

Something deep within the brunette stirred to life then, edging out the remnants of his bloody past. Closing his eyes shut, he could feel his past leaving him completely, as profound realization set in, whispering a new truth within him. And Hakkai knew he could no longer look at the blonde the same way again.

He felt strangely reborn, the feeling exciting yet daunting. There was no way he could denounce the truth now, even if he wanted to, even though he knew the hurt and pain that were attached to it. For all he knew, the future would only bear him alone but at least, he had rid himself of the past that would only serve to shackle him. Slowly he opened his eyes, overcoming the initial blurriness before they regained focus and when they did, widened in surprise.

"S-Sanzo?"

The said priest was standing directly before him, frowning darkly, lips stretched into a thin line of displeasure. The stormy expression on his face was enough to send any sane person running for his life and Hakkai would probably be doing so had he not been distracted by Sanzo's apparent ignorance of his unclothed state. "What are you doing here?" the priest growled menacingly, tone set a notch higher to be heard above the pounding of the waterfall.

Hakkai opened his mouth but what he ended up doing was gaping like a dying fish. Finally he snapped his mouth shut and without a word, took off his nightshirt and stepped forward. Careful to keep his eyes focused on Sanzo's heaving chest, he proceeded to circle Sanzo's lean waist with the long sleeves and deftly knotted them, the shirt's body effectively covering the frontal nakedness. Once done, he drew back and cleared his throat. Without a disturbing sight, the brunette was now able to find his voice. "You're one to talk. When I wanted to have a quick swim yesterday, you told me not to waste my time and get the water cans fill up quickly. So what are you doing here then, huh?" he questioned rather indignantly.

They stood staring at each other, Sanzo glaring daggers while Hakkai put up a defensive shield. It just occurred to the brunette that he was just as bare as the other man – waist up, that is – and the cool morning breeze was poking at his exposed skin, resulting in him shivering slightly. Worry seeped through him then. "Sanzo, you've better get dress quickly, else you might catch a cold."

Sanzo said nothing, his face still wearing the stormy mask from before. But unless Hakkai's eyes were playing tricks on him, or that his imagination was starting to run wild, he could have sworn the twin amethysts were assessing him, or rather, his bare torso. And he felt self conscious as he remembered the long drawn scar upon his tummy, a reminder of the past that had just been set free minutes ago. No, he was not being conscious of what the scar stood for, but rather of the imperfection it had wrought upon his skin.

Hakkai was about to turn and leave then, idly feeling like he was suffocating, what with the proximity between them, but Sanzo's question stopped him. "Are you leaving without having a quick swim first? I'm planning to set off immediately after breakfast."

The invitation was very tempting indeed. Without really wanting to, Hakkai's gaze strayed to the pool and its waterfall. He felt his skin tingling with life at what he had witnessed before and felt heat rushing up his cheeks. He cast his eyes downward, hoping that Sanzo would not notice his guilt. The last thing he wanted was to give Sanzo the impression that he was a pervert, though he probably was one anyway.

"Play fair, Hakkai. It's my turn to watch now."

A sharp gasp of surprise escaped Hakkai as his head snapped up to look at the blonde. Gone was the stormy mask, replaced instead with an impassive veneer, albeit tinged with a hint of mirth. So Sanzo knew he had been watching. But what made the brunette taken aback was that Sanzo was not angry and had been playing him all along. He officially blushed now and let out a strained chuckle to cover up his embarrassment. "You're always so mean, Sanzo…"

Sanzo snorted. "Just hurry up and get into the pool. I don't want the other two to walk on us."

The word 'us' was said with such ease and without qualms that Hakkai could not help but smile widely as warmth blossomed within him, a comforting assurance to what would be a promising future in which he would not be alone. He did not know why, how or when Sanzo felt the way he did but Hakkai knew he could always ask those questions later. Right now, he had to play fair and grant the blonde his turn.

"Hai hai," he consented with another wide smile before reaching for the buckle of his pants.

= owari =

Extra notes: Thank you so much for all those who reviewed my previous two 383 fics, especially "Falling Into You". I am so overwhelmed by the tremendous support I got for that fic but what made it so special was that the fic had captured the attention of non-383 believers too. Wow… I'm very much honored.

Also, I'd like to extent my warmest gratitude to fellow sisters – ChaosDaughter, shin-no-shibo and Sariyuki who are also faithful 383 followers and anon reviewer, SaiyukiCritic who makes me blush with every review. Thanks so much, you all!