"Sanzo?"

"Shut up."

"Ne, Sanzo..."

"What?" He didn't move.

"Get yourself something to eat then rest some. We'll be leaving soon and there's still a long way to travel. Make sure Hakuryuu's well fed too, please?"

A nod. "Don't wake up late. I hate leaving late."

"Good night, Sanzo."

"Ch."

And then he was gone. Only Sanzo could make something as simple as friendship into some impossible four dimensional puzzle.

The bed shifted next to him, and all the sensations of cold sweat and high fever dissolved, replaced by a heady musk that could only belong to a certain stubborn general smelling of cologne and cigarettes. The mist next to the window was gone, revealing only shutters and curtains. A cool hand checked the heat on his forehead, the heat on his neck. Ran down to the newly changed bandages and wondered who had changed them and why nobody else had informed him that someone else was tending to the Marshal in his absence. Farther and farther back into sleep, all that Hakkai could sense was the coolness, the warmth, cigarette smoke and musk. And the world congealed in a collective darkness, caressing and full. And something that breathed nice and slow nuzzled the crook of his neck in an apology his body seemed to understand.

"Taishou..."

"My head's been pounded by every fucking commander in all the fucking armies of fucking eternity." He felt the words on his skin. "Give me your worst. I can take it."

Given the liberty to do so...

"Broken and whimpering now? I don't like."

"Fuck off." But Kenren only pulled him closer. Don't leave.