Clean, Challenge 43
Title: Clean
Author: lady_ganesh
Characters: Mostly Hakkai, with a guest appearance by Goku
Spoilers: Hakkai's Angsty Backstory
Rating: PG
Time: About an hour total
It is an amazing thing, a bath. Heat; clean water; rest; comfort.
Cho Gonou-- no, wait, Cho Hakkai now-- didn't realize what a precious gift a bath could be. But, of course, there were many things he had taken for granted, once.
He might have bathed when he was searching for Kanan, though he had no clear memory of it. He certainly washed from time to time. Too much blood and soil made it difficult to hold the knife well, after a while, and there were wounds he had to keep clean.
And then...
He reached down and touched his still-healing stomach, gently. The bandages were off, but it still required some gentleness. It ached, sometimes. He might be able to wash the blood from his hands, but the wound would linger; when he scratched at the scab, he'd often find the thickened ridge of scar tissue underneath. The scabs had softened a bit in the water, and for once, they didn't itch.
The temple was quiet, and grand, and ridiculously peaceful. How a hundred men could make less noise than Sha Gojyo was astonishing, and perhaps did not speak particularly well of Sha Gojyo. Though that wasn't to say the temple was always quiet; young Goku would come cannonballing down the hallways, leaving chaos and the gossiping whispers of the monks in his wake. He clearly tried to stay quiet, but his energy and life were just too much to be contained at times.
Young Bai had been a bit like that. He'd be eight or nine now, if he'd lived.
Hakkai shook his head. The past was the past; nothing, as Sanzo said, to be done about it. Best to simply move forward, now he had decided to live.
He wondered how on earth he would go about it.
The monks had told him they could scent his bath with jasmine flowers, but he declined. It was strange and uncomfortable to be around them; half of them were clearly afraid of him, jumping at any sudden movement or sharp glance. The other half were friendly, welcoming, warm.
"They don't believe it was you," Sanzo had explained. "You're too nice. Too polite. They're all idiots."
Hakkai was learning that many, many people fell under Sanzo's definition of 'idiot,' including, no doubt, Hakkai himself.
But Sanzo had spoken for him. Hakkai still didn't understand that, and likely never would. He shook his head.
His skin was starting to wrinkle, but he had no desire to get out of the water. There was something so soothing and civilized about a bath. And it was good to be free of the shackles, though they hadn't been on for long.
Footsteps at the door startled him from his reverie.
"Hey." Goku, his voice gentle and soft. For all his boisterousness, he could be quiet when he set his mind to it. "Sanzo wants to know if you're gonna be in there all day."
"Ah," Hakkai said, turning toward the brown-haired, blurry young man. "I'm almost finished. Does he wish me--"
"I think he just wants a bath," Goku said, shrugging.
"All right."
"You okay?"
Hakkai nodded. "Yes. I think I'm all right. Thank you for asking."
"Kay," Goku said skeptically.
"Goku," Hakkai said, with sudden resolution. "Might I ask you something?"
"Sure." The boy walked further in the doorway, so Hakkai could almost get him in focus. "What?"
"Can you read?"
"Um," Goku said. "Sort of?"
"Sort of?"
"I can read my name," he offered.
"Ah," Hakkai said. "Perhaps I could teach you a bit more, someday."
"Dunno," Goku said. "Sanzo says I'm unteachable. And he wants you to do something."
"What?"
"I dunno. Maybe he'll tell you when you're out of the bath."
"Maybe he will," Hakkai said.
Author: lady_ganesh
Characters: Mostly Hakkai, with a guest appearance by Goku
Spoilers: Hakkai's Angsty Backstory
Rating: PG
Time: About an hour total
It is an amazing thing, a bath. Heat; clean water; rest; comfort.
Cho Gonou-- no, wait, Cho Hakkai now-- didn't realize what a precious gift a bath could be. But, of course, there were many things he had taken for granted, once.
He might have bathed when he was searching for Kanan, though he had no clear memory of it. He certainly washed from time to time. Too much blood and soil made it difficult to hold the knife well, after a while, and there were wounds he had to keep clean.
And then...
He reached down and touched his still-healing stomach, gently. The bandages were off, but it still required some gentleness. It ached, sometimes. He might be able to wash the blood from his hands, but the wound would linger; when he scratched at the scab, he'd often find the thickened ridge of scar tissue underneath. The scabs had softened a bit in the water, and for once, they didn't itch.
The temple was quiet, and grand, and ridiculously peaceful. How a hundred men could make less noise than Sha Gojyo was astonishing, and perhaps did not speak particularly well of Sha Gojyo. Though that wasn't to say the temple was always quiet; young Goku would come cannonballing down the hallways, leaving chaos and the gossiping whispers of the monks in his wake. He clearly tried to stay quiet, but his energy and life were just too much to be contained at times.
Young Bai had been a bit like that. He'd be eight or nine now, if he'd lived.
Hakkai shook his head. The past was the past; nothing, as Sanzo said, to be done about it. Best to simply move forward, now he had decided to live.
He wondered how on earth he would go about it.
The monks had told him they could scent his bath with jasmine flowers, but he declined. It was strange and uncomfortable to be around them; half of them were clearly afraid of him, jumping at any sudden movement or sharp glance. The other half were friendly, welcoming, warm.
"They don't believe it was you," Sanzo had explained. "You're too nice. Too polite. They're all idiots."
Hakkai was learning that many, many people fell under Sanzo's definition of 'idiot,' including, no doubt, Hakkai himself.
But Sanzo had spoken for him. Hakkai still didn't understand that, and likely never would. He shook his head.
His skin was starting to wrinkle, but he had no desire to get out of the water. There was something so soothing and civilized about a bath. And it was good to be free of the shackles, though they hadn't been on for long.
Footsteps at the door startled him from his reverie.
"Hey." Goku, his voice gentle and soft. For all his boisterousness, he could be quiet when he set his mind to it. "Sanzo wants to know if you're gonna be in there all day."
"Ah," Hakkai said, turning toward the brown-haired, blurry young man. "I'm almost finished. Does he wish me--"
"I think he just wants a bath," Goku said, shrugging.
"All right."
"You okay?"
Hakkai nodded. "Yes. I think I'm all right. Thank you for asking."
"Kay," Goku said skeptically.
"Goku," Hakkai said, with sudden resolution. "Might I ask you something?"
"Sure." The boy walked further in the doorway, so Hakkai could almost get him in focus. "What?"
"Can you read?"
"Um," Goku said. "Sort of?"
"Sort of?"
"I can read my name," he offered.
"Ah," Hakkai said. "Perhaps I could teach you a bit more, someday."
"Dunno," Goku said. "Sanzo says I'm unteachable. And he wants you to do something."
"What?"
"I dunno. Maybe he'll tell you when you're out of the bath."
"Maybe he will," Hakkai said.