River of Stars Ch 8 bit – Breakfast with escape plans

“You really think Kanzeon edits what her kids remember?” Gojyo said thoughtfully. “Thought that genetic memory was what the whole species thinks makes ‘em special. Why cut bits of it out?”

“For the best reason of all,” Hakkai mused. “For wonder. How can you be curious about anything, if you think you already know everything?” He shook his head. “Gonou was never curious. And change – frightened him. When he felt me becoming other, and knew he could not escape….”

Goku surged in and wrapped arms around the man, hugging tight. “He’s gone. You’re okay. You’re going to be okay, Hakkai.”

“What the monkey said,” Gojyo grinned.

“Who’s the monkey, cockroach?”

Hakkai caught forks, then a plate, then two bouncing cups, handing each off in turn to Sanzo as their younger pair tried to wrestle each other into submission. Gave them a look over to make sure they didn’t roll too close to the counter where Hakuryuu was snacking on roasted bird, and sighed. “I suppose we are back to normal, at that.”

“No, you’re not,” Sanzo said bluntly, taking advantage of the chaos to grab a few more of the peach slices. “Gojyo probably knows more than I do about post-trauma and rape treatment back on Earth. I know enough of what Koumyou taught me here to know you are not fine.” He shrugged, carefully casual. “None of us are fine. But right now you’re a little more messed up than usual. So you damn well come to me if you feel like unraveling, before you go slaughter a couple dozen people who probably deserved it. Because I want to kill something too, and leaving me out is not sharing, Hakkai.”

“Of course.”

Was that a :giggle: behind that quiet smile? Hakkai had damn well better not be giggling. He meant every word of it.

“Hah!” Gojyo pinned Goku to the floor, panting hard. “Still don’t know everything yet, kid.”

“Oh yeah? Wait ‘til I-”

“Now, now,” Hakkai chuckled. “You remember what happened the last time you brought out youkai weapons in the kitchen, don’t you?”

From the way the two idiots froze, and pasted on nervous smiles, they definitely did.

Sanzo sipped his coffee. “Finish up. We’ll be heading out too soon.”

“With the floorplans?” Gojyo scrambled up off the floor and grabbed for his plate-

And stopped, at Hakkai’s wounded look, and washed his hands again first.

“Yes, with the plans,” Sanzo said grimly. “Kanzeon can always plug holes in security after they get out. The Merciful Goddess pushes people to their breaking point, you know that – and we can deal, but the SGC? The Tok’ra have done a lot of damage. One more push might be one too far. So. Let’s give them an out. Kanzeon wants to push, let her push. Just as long as she doesn’t push them into a corner. We know how Ra went up, and I’m not letting Shangri-La get hit the same way.”

“And?” Hakkai said quietly.

Right. Because of course Hakkai could read him well enough to figure out there was an and. “The SGC helped the Asgard smash Replicators. They’re wiping out System Lords. They’ve pulled the Tollans into an alliance. They’ve even gotten the Nox talking – the biggest isolationist pacifists in the galaxy. And they’ve done all that in just a few years. Kanzeon’s plans for the future might not have as much give in them as she thinks.”