[closed] Head-heart malfunction

[rockthemonkey]

Who: Goku and Dokugakuji
When: March 18
Where: Li Tieguai's temple
What: Hakkai is still asleep, Gojyo is missing and Goku is Just Fine, guys. No, really, he's got this. This is fine.




[You'd never know from Li Tieguai's temple that it's owner is at all incapacitated. The animals are fed, everything is as tidy as a casual observer could hope, and people come and go every day. Goku's around even more than usual, running about with food and smiles and reminding Li Tieguai's shinki that they need to do things like eat and sleep. There's an undercurrent of tension but Goku actually seems pretty on top of things, everything considered. He definitely looks like the most upbeat person in the building. Today Ken and Chikusa have even apparently been convinced to go outside for a few hours while Goku minds the temple. Everything is okay.]

Hey, Hakkai! [Goku damn near bounces into Hakkai's bedroom with a plate of snacks in his hands and grins down at the sleeping man.] I brought food! You hungry?

[He takes a seat by the bed, a chair that probably hasn't been empty for longer than ten minutes in the past ten days. Goku waves a bit of food temptingly under Hakkai's nose but gets no response.]

... C'mon, Hakkai, you gotta eat. Wake up. [Goku's smile falls and he tenses up. He stares for a minute in silence before reaching over and snatching Hakkai's ear cuffs off in one quick movement.] Hakkai. You gotta wake up!

[Nothing. Even covered in vines, Hakkai is perfectly still. Goku stares for a little longer, not noticing his own shaking. The cuffs end up tightly gripped in his fist. Goku shoves his plate of food away, realising he's not really hungry.]

... 'm sorry. I'll find 'im, I promise, I'm sorry, I know he's still somewhere around here I just- ... Hakkai, you gotta wake up, then we can find 'im together. We'll all stay together then and it'll be okay, right? You'll wake up and we'll find Gojyo and then we'll find-

[He can't finish that sentence, Goku realises. It's too painful now. He's silent for a while, staring at Hakkai's sleeping form, only distantly aware of how hot his diadem feels against his forehead right now.]

... Hakkai, please. You gotta wake up.

Comments

[royaltyloyalty]

[ It's been two months since his temple was destroyed by volcanic lava and ash. In the immediate wake of that, Dokugakuji and Shinji were given shelter at Ebisu's place. Eventually, he got his own place again. Through all of that, he's been intentionally ignorant of a lot of things going on in the Far Shore, so that he could try to focus on getting settled again.

He also figures there's exactly 1 person in the entire Far Shore who would care that his temple's moved - that person being Hakkai, purely for the sake of helping keep Gojyo away from him for Gojyo's sake as a shinki.

So here's Dokugakuji walking up to the Li Tieguai none the wiser. ]

Yo! It's me!

[ He's waiting outside because no way is he going to try and 'surprise' Cho Hakkai. That way lies pain. He's also hoping that if Gojyo's hanging around and doesn't want to see him, then he's got a heads-up and can beat feet. ]

[rockthemonkey]

Chikusa an' Ken are really worried about you, y'know- but they're okay! [Goku is still talking to Hakkai's sleeping form. They promised to tell each other everything that was happening, after all.] They're both pretty tough and they've got each other so it's... Yeah...

[There's no sound in the temple but Goku's own voice. That's horrible, but complete silence would be worse. ]

But, y'know, Chikusa's a lot like you sometimes. So if ya don't wake up soon, he might- [ At the sudden sound of shouting, Goku jumps so hard in his seat he falls over backwards. ] What the- [Goku would exchange a look with Hakkai right here, if the man could possibly return it.] Who the hell is that?

[Well, Hakkai can't answer his door, obviously, so about a minute later Dokugakuji gets Goku cautiously opening the entrance door and peeking out.]

... Dokugaku?

[royaltyloyalty]

[ Well, it's NOT the person he thought would be opening the door, but he gets over his shock quick enough. He had been used to seeing the Ikkou in a tightly packed group, after all. Logically, he shouldn't be surprised seeing Goku open the door to Hakkai's temple. And hey, it's not his wayward brother chewing him out; beggars can't be choosers.

He throws his hands onto his hips and stands with his back straight. ]

Hey there... I can leave my message with you if they sent you to get rid of me.

[ He's got a relaxed enough air about him, but right now he's got no hints that anything strange was occupying Goku's thoughts. ]

[rockthemonkey]

[ Honestly, it's amazing that Goku ever moved out of Hakkai's temple to begin with. It should surprise no one that he's here once again. There's a picture of him in the dictionary next to the word "codependent". ]

Uh, hey. Nah, no one sent me.

[ A little confused by that. He steps outside and quickly closes the door behind him- a defensive move, though he otherwise doesn't seem all that bothered by Dokugakuji. Goku's fine. ]

Were ya lookin' for Gojyo?

[royaltyloyalty]

Ah... I wish, but he doesn't like seeing me these days. And I'm not trying to get him blighted to hell either.

[ He waves a hand dismissively. ]

I figured I'd tell Hakkai where my temple got moved to so that you guys could help him avoid it.

[ He rubs the back of his neck with a lame laugh to complement it. ]

Haven't had one of my own for awhile now - ever since it got filled in with lava.