FicWad

Dependant
Pairing - Hakkai/Gojyo/Goku/Sanzou
Rating - R
Summary - Sanzo is injured and the others take advantage to teach their Monk that being dependant on other’s isn’t a bad thing.
Disclaimer - I do not own.

He woke to a pounding headache. His mouth was dry and it took him a few moments to work up enough saliva to swallow. Opening his deep violet eyes to a sunny room wasn’t what he was expecting. Nor did he expect to see his companions, sleeping, in their own beds. Someone must have won the fight and gotten them all to safety. Most probably Hakkai, seeing as how he always had his faculty’s about him.

The sun was just peaking over the mountains when Sanzou turned his head to look out the window. It was going to be a nice, sunny day. They were going to miss their deadline to get onto the road and he couldn’t bring himself to wake them. He felt drained. He felt like shit and all he really wanted to do was go to sleep.

He stared out the window for what felt like forever, when a sudden hand on his forehead surprised him enough to jump. He cringed as the pain in his abdomen and leg thundered through his veins.

“Don’t move, Sanzou,” Goku’s grating voice warned - no - demanded of him. Who died and made Goku Leader all of a sudden anyway. He turned a glare on the monkey, but all he got was a look just as fierce.

“Fine,” he grunted. He didn’t feel like moving anyway and since he didn’t feel like it in the first place than that meant that Goku hadn’t won. He sighed and closed his eyes. He felt very tired.

“Sanzou? Wake up,” it was Hakkai’s gentle voice this time that woke Sanzou. He groaned, it took longer than he wished for him to open his eyes. Hakkai was giving him a worried look by the time he was able to see the other.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Err - we’re fine, but you took the brunt end of that one Youkai’s anger,” here Hakkai chuckled, his gentle smile back on his face. Which Sanzou much preferred to the worried one of seconds before.

“What’s so funny?” he tried to glare but it failed, miserably. This just amused Hakkai even more.

“He wanted to make you his mate, don’t you remember?” Hakkai asked.

“Did I hit my head? No, I don’t remember,” Sanzou muttered. Hakkai nodded.

“Do you think you can sit up? You need to eat something,” he asked. His hands were gentle on Sanzou’s shoulders.

“No, I don’t want anything to eat,” Sanzou shook his head.

“It’s broth, all you have to do is swallow,” Hakkai wasn’t going to give up and the small twitch of lips told Sanzou that this was his determined smile. Sighing, Sanzou tried to help Hakkai with sitting him up enough to drink the broth.

It was then that he noticed Goku and Gojyo playing cards at the table, but both were facing him and not paying any attention to the cards.

“How ya feeling, Monk?” Gojyo asked. He grunted. Not feeling much like talking. He tried to take hold of the cup Hakkai held, but one arm wouldn’t move. He blinked down at his bound arm.

“What broke it?” he asked.

“The demon, He didn’t really want to hurt you, he just wanted us to think it. You jerked in a weird way and the arm broke,” Hakkai explained, his voice was slightly strained.

“I don’t remember that,” Sanzou blinked up. His good hand was pushed away by Gojyo who had come to help, if Hakkai needed it.

“I can do it with my good arm, you don’t need to worry about me,” Sanzou said, his usual venom wasn’t present in his voice. More like shame.

“We thought we had lost you, when you were taken from us,” Gojyo said. He sat down on the edge of the bed. Sanzou glared at the rim of the cup that was pushed gently against his lips. Giving up the fight, he sipped. The broth was warm, not too hot and not too cold. He took slow, cautious sips of the broth. He didn’t eat much regularly; he knew that if he ate too much, he would see it again. He hated back lash.

He wasn’t able to take more then six or seven sips before he turned away; “Hakkai, that’s enough,” he said softly. He saw the dark look on Gojyo’s face. Goku had been quiet since his waking for the second time.

“Sanzou, please try some more,” he begged; large bronze eyes filled with tears.

“What are you crying about?” Sanzou hissed.

“I almost lost you,”

“I’m here now,” Sanzou reminded the monkey.

“Yeah, but what if…what if you did go away and never came back? What if I really did, actually lose you, forever?” Goku hung his head.

“Like hell that would ever happen. I think that I am destined to be annoyed by you,” Sanzou returned; his voice slightly stronger.

“Promise me you’ll never leave us, please?” Goku’s eyes now bore into him.

“I promise, happy? Will you stop crying now?” Sanzou snapped his teeth at the cup as Hakkai tried to use the distraction to get him to drink more.

“You won’t like it if I up-chuck it,” he warned.

“Sanzou, it’s not going to kill you,” Gojyo rolled his eyes.

“I have some herbal tea that will settle your stomach, come now, it’s not that bad,” Hakkai held the cup close.

“Will it get you to shut up and leave me alone?” he growled.

“No, but it will help you to heal,” Hakkai replied with a chuckle. Sanzou cursed as he gave in. He was being crowded and he didn’t like it. He wanted his space damn it. He drank the rest of the cup which felt as if it had taken forever, then the tea that tasted horrible. But he didn’t complain. Hakkai probably made it that way to teach him a lesson. Damn idiot.

Gojyo and Goku, in the mean time had been busy doing something else in the bathroom. By the time Hakkai was done feeding Sanzou, those two had the bathroom steaming. Gojyo gave Hakkai a thumbs up as he bent, gently withdrew the covers of the bed and picked Sanzou up, bridal style.

“What the hell!?” Unable to move much, all he could do was grip Gojyo.

“You need a bath, and Hakkai needs to change the bandages,” Gojyo explained.

“Next time, just tell me, surprising me like that will only get you killed,” was the hissed reply. Gojyo laughed. Sanzou was just so cute when he was mad.

“What the fuck are you on?” Sanzou demanded. Gojyo shook his head. The small exchange found them in the bathroom with Goku who got out towels and tested the water. Sanzou was put down to sit on the toilet seat. Most of his clothing had all ready been replaced with soft pajama pants and a simple over sized tunic-like shirt. His bound arm was unwrapped gently by Goku. Every once in a while would he accidentally jar it enough to make Sanzou shut his eyes closed and breathe deeply. The other didn’t curse the Monkey for his lack of respect and care. No matter what, Sanzou knew that his arm would hurt even with the slightest of touches. Once that was done he allowed Goku to softly draw up the shirt. It was flung onto the floor without care and Gojyo took the pajama pants. Now naked, Sanzou was gently lead to the bathtub.

He got in without any preamble. The water felt good and he hadn’t realized how horrible he felt with dried sweat upon his skin. The sizzling water tingled at his skin and he had to admit that this was a good idea, despite having others undress him and help him more than he was used to.

“We have to help, Hakkai said that you shouldn’t move around so much,” Goku offered as an excuse. Sanzou nodded his head. He felt the headache growing behind his temples. He had to ignore it. As long as people were quiet it wouldn’t get too bad.

The first stroke of a soft cloth along his back had him looking to see who had started to wash him. Goku had taken off his armor and his sleeves were rolled high on his arms to keep them out of the water. But the touch was soft and caring. Gojyo didn’t lounge to watch in anyway. He had a bar of soap and a cloth himself and took over Sanzou’s legs. He washed between each toe. He smirked up at Sanzou when he saw that the blond was watching him closely.

“Has no one done this for you?” Gojyo asked.

“I don’t let anyone close enough to do it,” Sanzou replied, not in an angry way, but more in an impartation of facts. He held his broken arm close in a protective hold. The bandages that were wrapped around it were tight around two sticks to keep it straight from the elbow.

He honestly didn’t remember much of the fight, or the pain. He knew that ignoring the pain was to ensure his survival. He wasn’t weak. No matter how much the three around him treated him as an invalid. He could still kill them if he wanted (or pretend to in most cases).

“I like this,” Goku had perked up; he didn’t look so worried now. “This is fun!”

“Don’t get used to it,” Sanzou muttered through clenched teeth.

“Are we hurting you?” Gojyo asked. Sanzou shook his head.

“Just let us know, okay?” Gojyo put in. This wasn’t about pain, this was about comfort and Sanzou needed it. Gojyo didn’t even know how he had survived the wild of Shangri-la since – well, he didn’t know much about Sanzou anyway. But Hakkai had led on that Sanzou had been rather young when he became a Sanzou Priest.

The hot water was doing its work as Sanzou let himself relax. He wouldn’t be hurt by these hands unless he asked for it. And they’d never do it on purpose. Once Goku and Gojyo rinsed the soap suds from pail skin, they went on to washing is hair.

The egg/oil concoction was actually Gojyo’s idea because the ladies loved his hair. They let it set for five minutes before rinsing it out.

“There, all clean, do you feel good?” Goku asked.

“Better, you’re supposed to ask do I feel better,” Sanzou automatically corrected. He let himself be helped out of the tub, dried off and redressed in clean clothing (the same as before).

It was then that Hakkai arrived to re-bandage his broken arm to his side so that he wouldn’t be able to move it till it was healed.

“Do you have a headache?” Hakkai asked.

“It’s getting worse,” and that was all Sanzou was going to admit. Hakkai gave him two aspirin and then they all tucked him into bed. It was early afternoon as the blind were pulled to darken the room a bit.

“We won’t leave you alone, so you can sleep peacefully,” Goku said, he carted his fingers through fresh golden threads. Sanzou shook his head but Goku wouldn’t stop petting him.

Nothing else was said as he tried to relax enough to sleep. He was tired and he knew that he should rest while he could.

He let himself go into a meditative state, instead, which would lead to sleep if he let it. All he had to do was give up to the technique.

- - -

tbc