Notes: The last installment. Very short; only 1600 words. Have fun reading!

If I never feel you in my arms again
If I never feel your tender kiss again
If I never hear I love you now and then
Will I never make love to you once again
Please understand if love ends
Then I promise you, I promise you that
That I shall never breathe again

- Breathe Again by Toni Braxton -

Sweet Beginning, Bitter End

The two scriptures were in his hands now. His eyes immediately fixed upon the one on the right – the Seiten sutra. He had expected to be overcome with great relief or perhaps feel somewhat empty now that his longtime search was over. But he felt nothing at all. No joy, no relief, not even the feeling of emptiness. It was as if the Seiten sutra was like the others, bearing no significance on him whatsoever.

"Would you like to stay for a few days here, Sanzo houshi-sama?"

Sanzo looked up to the weathered face of the reverend entrusted with the possession of the scriptures till his arrival. He was a dark skinned man, towering over the blonde a good few inches and had the kindliest expression ever. Sanzo found it difficult to refuse the man. Besides, he was worn-out from the journey and a few days' rest would rejuvenate him. "Thank you, Grand Reverend Ananda."

The reverend beamed like a proud father. "It's our greatest honor indeed to have the esteemed Sanzo houshi-sama here in Mahabodhi Temple." He turned to speak to a couple of page boys. "Prepare a room and have a warm meal ready."

Before the boys could hurry away, Sanzo quickly interjected. "I am not here alone. There's a driver waiting for me outside. Have them prepare another room and a meal."

Grand Reverend Ananda nodded quickly. "Certainly. We will honor your driver as well. Off you go now, boys."

Sanzo glanced again at the scriptures in his hand. He now had all five of the scriptures. The chains that shackled him since he was a boy were slipping off him. It was finally time for him to denounce his cursed position and appoint a successor. His heart was suddenly so much lighter; the burden upon it had been lifted off. There were no more worries to haunt him.

The grounds of Mahabodhi Temple were sacred to Buddhists, for this was where Gautama Buddha had achieved enlightenment. The legendary bodhi tree under which the Bodhisattva had sat in meditation awaiting enlightenment stood proud and strong still, ageless. It was definitely a must-see for visitors of the temple but Sanzo was not interested. A tree was just a tree, regardless who sat under it.

Nevertheless, he crossed the low platform which was adorned with eighteen lotuses, supposedly to represent the lotus flowers springing from Buddha's steps as he paced back and forth wondering whether or not to teach (which took place somewhere in the third week of his post-enlightenment meditation). There was a man – a visitor – who was gazing at the tree, as if truly interested, his expression thoughtful. Sanzo stood beside the man and crossed his arms.

"A tree is just a tree, legendary or not," he said scornfully.

"Perhaps. But a little respect doesn't hurt," the man rebuked.

"Chh." Silence ensued for a while. "Oi," Sanzo called out then. "How long do you plan to stare at this stupid tree? Our rooms are probably ready by now. Let's go back."

A soft chuckle. "Ah, it's been awhile. To your room or mine?"

Sanzo snorted. "In case you've forgotten, we are on sacred grounds here. I – mph…"

He was set afire almost instantly. The kiss was fierce but passionate; speaking volumes of the regret that Time was wasted unnecessarily. Sanzo gave the kiss his all, clutching hard at the other man, as if reassuring himself that he was not in one of his dreams. Even when they broke apart for air, Sanzo refused to let go. "Damn it, Hakkai! Didn't you hear what I said?"

Hakkai was as breathless, but his smile remained still. "Grounds are just grounds, sacred or not," he said teasingly. "Besides, no one's here. And you weren't exactly coy yourself."

Sanzo narrowed his eyes, and the brunette laughed again. For the umpteenth time, Sanzo wondered if the man before him was real. But the kisses, the laughter and smiles, the tender expressions, the coarse fabric he was grabbing onto … they were all real. It was not a dream, not a cruel figment of his imagination.

How long had it been since that night? Almost seven months now, perhaps? Sanzo never wanted to feel such pain – and embarrassment – again. Cursed the bloody resemblance between Linchei and Hakkai! He had thought it was the earlier who was staring at him when he slumped to the ground; a pitiful sight, he was willing to bet. It was only at a glance, after all. He had heard his name being called out, without the suffix 'sama', and by a voice he had thought he would never hear again. He had stared hard, noting the different set of clothes, the gaunt face, the green eyes. It had been Hakkai indeed, and he had looked as travel-wearied as he was.

"I'm glad you've finally got all five scriptures."

"Are you expecting me to thank you for helping with the retrieving works for the last two?" Sanzo asked as he slowly let go.

The brunette smiled. "It will be a nice gesture though." He sighed then. "I was glad Sister forced the story out of me. I had wanted to get away from the orphanage, maybe just do a bit of traveling with Hakuryuu, though there were no plans to head to Tenjiku at that time. But anyway, it gave me the opportunity to tell her so. I didn't know when I would be back though, and I was hoping you'd come looking for me during my absence, so I passed her the letter."

"Idiot!" Sanzo scoffed. "You could have made the letter sound less dire! And that old lady was being too overly dramatic as well! If I didn't know any better, I'd say the both of you were conspiring against me."

A light chuckle. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you distress. But Sister did tell you I was on a journey, but you spaced out, remember? Sister said you looked positively horrified and she had a feeling you weren't listening." Hakkai was obviously having fun teasing the blonde. "But isn't it funny how things turned out? I came back to the orphanage the same day you arrived. I remembered thinking of going back as soon as the scriptures were found because I don't want to bump into you along the way. But I didn't expect you to drop by the town since I was convinced you'd want to avoid unnecessary stopovers."

It still amazed Sanzo how attuned Hakkai was to most of his thoughts. Even though there were times Goku understood him as well, the depth of insight was just not as profound. But Sanzo had no interest in what the reasons might be. All he knew was that this psychic closeness was something he shared with no one else except the smiling brunette before him. Genjo Sanzo was, after all, one who would never wear his heart on his sleeve.

"What's wrong, Sanzo? Is something bothering you?"

Sanzo massaged his temple. "Nothing. I just want to rest. If you want to continue staring at the tree, be my guest."

"No, I'm done," Hakkai said easily and they walked side by side towards the lodging quarters.

"It's strange," Sanzo began, "But I don't feel anything now that the Seiten sutra is finally mine. I'd spent all my life looking for it and never once thought about what I should do then when I finally found it."

"Ah, but you have all the time in the world now to think about it."

Sanzo stopped and slowly turn to gaze at the other man. He was reminded of the orange paper planes his Master often loved to set against a clear blue sky. It had been a beautiful sight. Hakkai was a beautiful sight, and one he would not want to ever take his eyes off again. Perhaps this was the reason why the Seiten sutra had lost its importance to him. "I don't need to," he said finally.

"Oh?"

Sanzo said nothing, merely closing the distance between them and placed a chaste kiss on Hakkai's lips. When he pulled back, Hakkai was ready with a teasing smile. "So we are back to where we begin? I have to try make you admit again?"

"Are you an idiot?" Sanzo scoffed. "Why do you need to do that for?"

Hakkai looked surprise, caught off guard by the response. "Eh?"

It felt good to breathe again, to be alive once more. He never wanted to be a living dead again. They were granted a new beginning and even if the end was inevitable, Sanzo knew now they had to do everything in their power to make sure it would be as sweet as the beginning. Only then would forever truly be realized. "Stay with me."

Green eyes widened. For a while, neither spoke. Sanzo crossed his arms, an eyebrow raised in mirth. Finally Hakkai managed to smile, his features relaxing. "I'll be glad to," he concurred.

Sanzo nodded and resumed walking. Hakkai fell into steps beside him, teasing about the room once more. The blonde refused to answer, merely keeping mute till they reached the quarters. Hakuryuu was waiting, flying restlessly over their bags. Upon seeing them, it kyu-ed happily.

"Oi, Hakuryuu!" the blonde called out, beckoning the white dragon to him. Hakuryuu gave a questioning kyu but approached the monk nonetheless. Hakkai watched in confusion as Sanzo whispered something to his pet, who then kyu-ed once more in understanding before changing into its jeep form.

"Sanzo?"

Ignoring the brunette, Sanzo called out to the few monks nearby. "Oi, get these bags into our rooms," he ordered. Then without warning, he grabbed Hakkai by the hand and shoved him to the passenger seat while he took the driver's seat.

"Sanzo? What are you doing? Where are we going?"

Sanzo started the ignition. "I'm counting on you, Hakuryuu," he said and the jeep revved to life, speeding towards the direction of the town. He turned to Hakkai then with a smirk. "I told you we're on sacred grounds."

It took Hakkai only a second to figure out what the blonde meant. He laughed then. "Ah, enlightenment is bliss indeed."

- owari -

It's officially over! Yeay! ::throws confetti::

Quick notes: The temple mentioned still exists and it is indeed the place most Buddhists agreed where Gautama Buddha had achieved enlightenment.

Thank you all who have read and reviewed. I'm very humbled by your trust in me and this fic. As you can see, I'm prone to dramatics and story-telling, and so if this fic lacks in wit and intelligence, I do apologize.

Ok, allow me to whine… I think I'm an incompetent writer. Why? Because the response I was hoping for ch3 isn't as expected. Hakkai was supposed to come across as 'dead' to readers but apparently, not many caught the idea. Since it was so, I guess this last installment may fail to surprise you guys. ::sobz:: I do apologize for my incompetence…. ::sobz again::

I just wanna point out though, that the first song is titled 'Breathe' and the last song is titled 'Breathe Again'. Corny, I know, but heck! ::giggles::

Anyhow, my next fic will be for the 383 X-mas fic challenge. After that, I may not be active anymore, since I've already started my 2nd semester. It's been fun writing this (simply becuz I get to flex my angst muscles again). And I really thank my fellow 383'shippers who, though weren't keen on angst, continued to support me till the end. See, it pays off to trust me, no? ::giggles::

Thank you once again! Have a good day, y'all!