Secret Santa's kick ass...

[aquabean]

sariyuki!! You're wonderful! *laughs a little guiltily* And I know how much this assignment made you crazy too -- But I love it!

For those of you that don't know, the 838 Secret Santa Project is now complete and you can enjoy all of the gifts, here. Sari's great little story is, Diorama, which I now demand that you all read.

One of the things that made this project so great was that neither the Santas nor the recipients knew who was writing for whom, so, I was stoked to learn this morning that my story (which took FOREVER because I had NO IDEA what to do, and then finally came up with something -- but that's epic and currently very much a WIP -- and then when I finally came up with this idea...yeah, a day before we had to have the gifts in!) was written for chaosd. Woot! Love, I hope you enjoy it. Herbal Remedies, can also be found at the SSP vault, but for posterity, I repost it, here:

Title: Herbal Remedies
Author: rune
Summary: Sometimes acting like a kid is the only way to get any “grow-up time.”

Left hand pinching the bridge of his nose, right hand stubbing out yet another cigarette, Sanzo sighed.
“What is it you want me to do again?” The question was muffled by his hand but it lost none of its frustration or weariness.
“Nothing. Or, well, so as long as it looks like nothing.” Hakkai glanced up from the notebook he was writing in, bangs falling in his eyes. “Just lay there and look sick.”
“Sick?” Sanzo stopped, new cigarette half way to his mouth, “I’m not sick.”
“Oh, but you are,” Hakkai sat up, pushing the notebook toward his companion, “See, here, ‘the Hermit’s Beard is an herb known for its ability to lower fever when made into a tea. When used as a poultice it reduces the swelling and itchiness usually found to accompany poison ivy or oak.’ It only grows in a town some,” he consulted one of the notes on the page,” half day’s drive from here. You’re very sick,” he reached out one hand, laying the back of it against Sanzo’s forehead, “with a fever like that I’m afraid you’ll be forced to stay in tomorrow, for sure.”
Sanzo pushed the hand away roughly, and snorted, “I’m not a child and I’m not pretending to have a fever.”
“It’s that or a rash--”
“Fuck you.”
Hakkai’s smile was serene as he took back his papers and continued his writing. Growling unintelligibly under his breath Sanzo finished lighting his cigarette. There where times when these “days off” Hakkai had started planning for himself and Sanzo seemed like more trouble than they were worth. But Hakkai seemed to take some kind of fiendish pleasure in coming up with the most complex and convoluted plans imaginable, to get rid of their two companions. Even now, he was still taking notes from a book on the local flora, drawing away, filling blank pages.
“Hold on. What,” Sanzo leaned forward looking more closely at the strange pattern Hakkai seemed to be making, “is that?”
“Well,” and Sanzo was pleased to note that, for an instant, Hakkai had looked almost sheepish, “it’s a Venn diagram.”
“Venn diagram?” he hated repeating himself, but Sanzo seemed to find himself doing that a great deal during these little plotting sessions of theirs. It wasn’t so bad though, because, much of time, like now, he found himself suppressing rather more amusement than frustration.
“There were several plants which could have been used for our purpose and I was simply trying to establish which would be the best, given the circumstances.” Pointing to one side of the figure, “The Widows Tooth is excellent for fevers as well, but there’s some growing right outside the back door of the inn. Sparrow Weed grows much further way but is only used when one is, well, constipated, and since I assumed that you wouldn’t want to have to say--”
“Well, you got that right.” Sanzo’s eyes were narrowed, and his mouth turned down in a frown. Hakkai simply smiled more brightly.
“And so you see, it was most helpful. Hermit’s Beard really was the only reasonable option.”
“Hmph.” But it was a sound of acquiescence and Hakkai’s smile became softer, as Sanzo turned to blow smoke out the open window next to which their table sat.

* * * * *

It was silent. Blessedly, and supremely silent. It was heaven. Eyes closed, Sanzo leaned back against the tree beneath which he sat, and almost smiled. Of all the small “vacations” he and Hakkai had managed so far, this one had been the best. The morning had been tedious, but both Gojyo and Goku had accepted his performance as fevered -- though Goku’s incessant whining about whether or not the fever was going kill him had been enough to bring a flush of anger to his cheeks, which had probably helped the performance.
Hakkai, for his part, had simply been quietly and stubbornly insistent that Sanzo wasn’t well enough to travel. Gojyo had, of course, complained that this was some kind of favoritism, but Hakkai, being Hakkai, had simply nodded and shoved him and Goku out the door with a smile that spoke rather dangerously of his seriousness, leaving the them with no option but to take the jeep and go.
Sure, the whole thing had been more than a little insulting, and as usual Hakkai’s plans had been ridiculously overcomplex -- had it really been necessary for him to put his face next to the heater before Hakkai took his temperature? It wasn’t like either of the other two would have even know how to check, and he and Hakkai were lying about the whole damn thing anyway -- but it’d worked, so he wasn’t going to complain. Not now, not when he’d gotten to read his paper with out a single interruption. Not when he was, for once, able to hear himself think.
Shopping had been done earlier, and wandering around the market with Hakkai, watching him serenely talk people into practically giving him various items, had been good for more than a little entertainment. It wasn’t often any of them got to see Hakkai at his very best, what with Goku or Gojyo loudly demanding various things in the background, but Sanzo was more than willing to revel in the rarely seen instances of wickedness the other man was capable of.
Lunch had been leisurely, taken in a small shop that they never would have gone to otherwise, being able, for once, to choose a restaurant based on quality, not quantity. They had spoken, and not, enjoying both companionable silence and a rather heated discussion on whether or not a favorite author’s most recent book had been worth the effort.
But that had been earlier, and now, sitting alone in the small park across from the inn they were staying at, Sanzo was feeling more content than he was sure he had a right to.
“Sanzo?” Not worried, or urgent, Hakkai’s voice broke the stillness.
“Over here.” He wasn’t annoyed. Not really.
“Ah, I didn’t see you.” Leaves crunched under foot as Hakkai approached, stopping before the resting monk.
“That’s because you were too lazy to look.”
“I suppose you might be right,” Sanzo didn’t have to look up to see the teasing smile he knew Hakkai was wearing, “But I found you anyway, didn’t I?”
“Ch. Whatever.”
“Mind if I join you?”
“You’re going to either way, so why bother asking?” But Sanzo was sliding over marginally even as he spoke, eyes still closed. He felt the brush of fabric against his shoulder as Hakkai sat beside him. After a few moments he heard the a soft scratching sound. Opening one eye to regard the man next to him, he saw in Hakkai’s lap, the ubiquitous notebook.
“What in God’s name are you doing now?”
“Well, I had thought that today went rather well...” Hakkai trailed off, pen growing still on the page.
“Hakkai, you’ve got enough plans in there to last us three or four of these stupid missioins.”
“True.” He remained silent, eyes focused on the half empty page in his lap.
“Oh, come off it, Hakkai,” Sanzo growled, turning the rest of the way to face him, “I know you like making these insane plans but do we have--” He stopped when he saw what other man had written down already. “How many of these things do you have?”
“It just seemed prudent. To have all our bases covered.” Hakkai still hadn’t looked up, but what might have been a faint blush was colouring his ears. Small precise handwriting filled most of the page, and, Sanzo knew, much of the rest of the book. A majority of it, simply there so that the two of them could have days like this one. He snorted, and leaned back against the tree once more.
“Just don’t expect me to play the weakling next time.” He could feel, beside him, Hakkai’s soft, teasing chuckle.
“But, Sanzo, you’re so good at it,” and Sanzo rolled his eyes, before closing them again.
“No, next time no one’s going to fake anything.”
“And why is that?”
“Because next time you suggest something like that I’m going to shoot you.” Hakkai’s laughter this time was full, shaking his body, his shoulder bumping against Sanzo’s.
“I’ll have to keep that in mind.”
“Yeah, stick that on your Venn diagram.” Sanzo didn’t smile, but sound of Hakkai’s laughter was enough to make his mouth quirk at the edges, ever so slightly.


Written for the Interlude SSP, 2004.

Comments

[sariyuki.livejournal.com]

I love your SSP fic too. It has that easy and calm atmosphere which suits Sanzo and Hakkai interaction perfectly. It shows how both of them are so comfortable together *squee*

I'm so happy that you like your gift. Ho. Ho. Ho.

[runefallstar.livejournal.com]

*bows* Why thank you.

And I really did love your story. Just the kind of thing I was looking for *grins* Besides, you're a pretty cute santa there yourself XD