fivebyfiction: Taking the Lead
Title: Taking the Lead [Untitled, 2/5]
Fandom: Saiyuki
Claim: Hakkai/Yaone
Set: #8
Prompt: Enemies
Word Count: 779
Rating: PG
Summary: "Hakkai realized he wasn't fighting against Yaone. They were dancing."
It only took a few more encounters with Kougaiji’s group before Hakkai realized he wasn’t fighting against Yaone. They were dancing.
She stepped forward on her left; he took a step back on his right. She thrust her spear at his chest; he pushed himself backwards on the balls of his feet - left, right, left, spin to face her on the other side.
Yaone panted, chest heaving, and he wanted to ask her if she was all right. Hakkai knew that she would see it as patronizing, so he wisely kept his hands up and his mouth shut. In the blink of an eye, she threw a smoke bomb down on the ground to blind him. He leapt backwards in response, heels coming down hard on the earth and giving away his location.
He spun again, barely avoiding another spear attack, but she stabbed the ends of his sash. Hakkai jerked back towards her, quickly freeing himself and smacking the weapon away. No props were needed here.
They broke apart again, waiting for the other to make a move. Just visible in Hakkai’s periphery, he could see Gojyo fighting against Dokugakuji. An explosion not far behind him indicated that Kougaiji and Goku’s battle was still going strong. Also, from last he’d seen, Sanzo was still keeping Lirin occupied.
“Stop… running!” Yaone cried, fingering another few bombs from her pouch and most likely judging her aim. How was Hakkai supposed to tell her that he wasn’t interested in fighting her?
There was another loud crash and Hakkai could see a few large pieces of debris heading straight for Yaone. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand, pulled her around to the other side of him, and leaned over, bending her backwards slightly and letting the rocks slam into the remains of a nearby building.
“Are you… alright?” he asked, suddenly uncomfortable with the fact that he had so rudely dipped her, and that her battle outfit was so revealing. ‘Not very practical,’ his brain decided. Then, he was able to mentally smack himself and pull them both upright.
“Why did you do that?” Her voice came out softly and she was staring at her boots. “Surely, it would have been better for you if I were injured.”
“Better if I were looking for an advantage, but it certainly wouldn’t have been very gentlemanly,” he tried to explain.
Yaone stared at him for the longest second and Hakkai’s breath caught. He wanted to say something, anything, but he didn’t have the chance.
This time, it was the apothecary who clasped his sides with both hands, pushing him forward at a rapid pace. An oddly large boulder crashed down where they were once standing and Yaone offered sheepishly, “We both would have been injured in that case.”
They were now standing like two partners in a waltz, Hakkai noted. She still gripped his waist with both hands while he kept his arms just shy of an embrace. They were frozen in place in the middle of a battlefield, looking as though they were waiting for music that would start any second.
Hakkai dropped one of his hands instantly at this realization and used the other to cover his mouth, suppressing a nervous cough. Yaone stared off into the distance and there was another awkward silence.
Soon enough, Kougaiji decided that the fighting was over for the day and withdrew, promising to be back for the sutra next time. They exchanged their usual goodbyes and Hakkai wished Yaone well.
“I wish the same to you,” she said, bowing softly. “Thank you very much for looking out for me.”
“It’s the very least I could do,” he replied, bowing back. He joined back up with the rest of the Ikkou as the Kou-tachi disappeared in a flash of light.
“We got some weird enemies, huh?” Gojyo marveled, leaning back against his Shakujou. “They’re s’posed to be tryin’ to kill us, yet they keep tellin’ us to take care.”
“Don’t let your guard down too much,” Sanzo warned, stubbing out yet another cigarette. “Like I said before, Kougaiji’s just a pawn being used by someone else. He might have that sense of honor, but I bet any money the bastards controlling him don’t have quite so many scruples.”
Hakkai thought of Yaone and devotion to her leader. She trusted absolutely in him and Hakkai knew she would be devastated if anything happened to the prince. Yet, she still found compassion for her opponent in battle, as Hakkai had himself.
The healer decided that it made him feel much better to think of their next encounter as another opportunity to dance. “Enemy” didn’t fit Yaone at all.
x-posted to fivebyfiction, hakkai_yaone, and saiyuki
Fandom: Saiyuki
Claim: Hakkai/Yaone
Set: #8
Prompt: Enemies
Word Count: 779
Rating: PG
Summary: "Hakkai realized he wasn't fighting against Yaone. They were dancing."
It only took a few more encounters with Kougaiji’s group before Hakkai realized he wasn’t fighting against Yaone. They were dancing.
She stepped forward on her left; he took a step back on his right. She thrust her spear at his chest; he pushed himself backwards on the balls of his feet - left, right, left, spin to face her on the other side.
Yaone panted, chest heaving, and he wanted to ask her if she was all right. Hakkai knew that she would see it as patronizing, so he wisely kept his hands up and his mouth shut. In the blink of an eye, she threw a smoke bomb down on the ground to blind him. He leapt backwards in response, heels coming down hard on the earth and giving away his location.
He spun again, barely avoiding another spear attack, but she stabbed the ends of his sash. Hakkai jerked back towards her, quickly freeing himself and smacking the weapon away. No props were needed here.
They broke apart again, waiting for the other to make a move. Just visible in Hakkai’s periphery, he could see Gojyo fighting against Dokugakuji. An explosion not far behind him indicated that Kougaiji and Goku’s battle was still going strong. Also, from last he’d seen, Sanzo was still keeping Lirin occupied.
“Stop… running!” Yaone cried, fingering another few bombs from her pouch and most likely judging her aim. How was Hakkai supposed to tell her that he wasn’t interested in fighting her?
There was another loud crash and Hakkai could see a few large pieces of debris heading straight for Yaone. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand, pulled her around to the other side of him, and leaned over, bending her backwards slightly and letting the rocks slam into the remains of a nearby building.
“Are you… alright?” he asked, suddenly uncomfortable with the fact that he had so rudely dipped her, and that her battle outfit was so revealing. ‘Not very practical,’ his brain decided. Then, he was able to mentally smack himself and pull them both upright.
“Why did you do that?” Her voice came out softly and she was staring at her boots. “Surely, it would have been better for you if I were injured.”
“Better if I were looking for an advantage, but it certainly wouldn’t have been very gentlemanly,” he tried to explain.
Yaone stared at him for the longest second and Hakkai’s breath caught. He wanted to say something, anything, but he didn’t have the chance.
This time, it was the apothecary who clasped his sides with both hands, pushing him forward at a rapid pace. An oddly large boulder crashed down where they were once standing and Yaone offered sheepishly, “We both would have been injured in that case.”
They were now standing like two partners in a waltz, Hakkai noted. She still gripped his waist with both hands while he kept his arms just shy of an embrace. They were frozen in place in the middle of a battlefield, looking as though they were waiting for music that would start any second.
Hakkai dropped one of his hands instantly at this realization and used the other to cover his mouth, suppressing a nervous cough. Yaone stared off into the distance and there was another awkward silence.
Soon enough, Kougaiji decided that the fighting was over for the day and withdrew, promising to be back for the sutra next time. They exchanged their usual goodbyes and Hakkai wished Yaone well.
“I wish the same to you,” she said, bowing softly. “Thank you very much for looking out for me.”
“It’s the very least I could do,” he replied, bowing back. He joined back up with the rest of the Ikkou as the Kou-tachi disappeared in a flash of light.
“We got some weird enemies, huh?” Gojyo marveled, leaning back against his Shakujou. “They’re s’posed to be tryin’ to kill us, yet they keep tellin’ us to take care.”
“Don’t let your guard down too much,” Sanzo warned, stubbing out yet another cigarette. “Like I said before, Kougaiji’s just a pawn being used by someone else. He might have that sense of honor, but I bet any money the bastards controlling him don’t have quite so many scruples.”
Hakkai thought of Yaone and devotion to her leader. She trusted absolutely in him and Hakkai knew she would be devastated if anything happened to the prince. Yet, she still found compassion for her opponent in battle, as Hakkai had himself.
The healer decided that it made him feel much better to think of their next encounter as another opportunity to dance. “Enemy” didn’t fit Yaone at all.
x-posted to fivebyfiction, hakkai_yaone, and saiyuki