Rhyming Games

Hello there. I'm an artist by trade, but I love the stories. I have faith in my ability to write well, but less faith in my ability to write someone else's beloved characters well, and no faith in people's willingness to even read my fanfiction. But I've been typing up this story for a while now, and it amuses me to reread it, so I hope you'll give me the benefit of the doubt. It's entirely self-edited, but my spelling and grammar at least is excellent. (If I do say so myself.) This is my first ever fanfiction, so be kind. More chapters soon to come...

Set after Gonou becomes Hakkai, but before the journey, in the early days of adjusting to life as roommates. My goal for the story was to have Hakkai get in touch with his youkai side. They never go into that in the series. He just magically emerges with the confidence to take off his limiters and stay in control. And of course this will address his budding sexuality as well. (Gojyo helps with that.)
Anywho, without further ado...


Rhyming Games

Chapter 1: Odd Pairs and Stunned Stares

Hakkai had assumed that he was perfectly content with his current living situation. Gojyo was someone he could trust and respect; he’d known that right from the start. It had been many months since their first meeting, learning that the half-breed had saved his life, and adjusting to injured life within Gojyo’s humble dwelling. Then there had been the fiasco involving the blonde Sanzo priest and his curiously powerful young charge... returning to the ruins of the youkai castle... losing his right eye... being arrested, led back to the temple, and given a new eye, along with his new name, which, he had to admit, he did not mind at all. He had started over, and while not all of his demons had been laid to rest – not by a long shot, emotionally speaking – he was finding a balance and a comfort in his new life and friends. Well, Gojyo was a friend. Sanzo and Goku had just been terrifically amusing so far.

But with his battles over, his affairs set in order, and nothing more to do for the time being except live his life, that left him where he – well, where Hakkai started: living with Gojyo in the one-bedroom apartment.

He cooked. He shopped. He cleaned. He chastised, and he indulged. He even found a temporary stand-in position as a tutor for the children in town. In short, he just lived, and as Gojyo’s roommate, he cared, and he was content. He thought he’d have a bit of trouble settling in, especially when it came to sleeping arrangements, but it all seemed remarkably easy. Gojyo, it turned out, was perfectly willing to sleep on the couch, seeing as Hakkai had already been using the bed for weeks while injured, and the green-eyed man had proven himself a stellar roommate. In the redhead’s opinion, he’d earned it, and like he’d told Hakkai, he often stayed out late with the ladies and the other worthy poker players, and sometimes he didn’t come home until the next morning anyway. Not that he would give up the bed entirely, of course (his perfect body needed its beauty rest after all), so every once in a while they shared. But usually only when the kappa came home too drunk to remember he had a roommate. Those were interesting nights. And mornings after.

They were comfortable together. They complemented each other. They’d settled into a routine that suited them both, and they respected each other’s lifestyles. Not without a healthy amount of friendly needling and moments of mild exasperation for both, but nothing that could break their stride.

Or so Hakkai had assumed. All of that had changed. And Hakkai cursed himself over the reason why.

From the very beginning, they had laid down a few ground rules. Many concerned privacy. Hakkai had always been considerably more modest and reserved than his new friend, while Gojyo, he knew, had no reservations about flaunting his body. The only thing the kappa was ever self conscious about was his red hair and eyes, and occasionally the twin scars on his left cheek. Hakkai knew that Gojyo would wander around stark naked on a warm evening if Hakkai hadn’t minded. The quiet brunette was shy enough about his own body, and in the beginning, Gojyo had stayed decently clothed while in his presence, not wanting to scare him off or make him uncomfortable. Eventually, when they began discussing their living arrangement, the redhead had casually asked, “So… you don’t mind if I just… you know, walk around naked sometimes, do you?”

A less jaded Cho Gonou might have blushed. Cho Hakkai rarely showed a great deal of surprise, and such a question from Gojyo was half expected. He did however have more respect for his roommate’s body than the other man had himself. Hakkai asked politely that they avoid complete nudity around each other, and naturally for each to respect each other’s personal time while dressing or bathing. Gojyo had cocked an eyebrow but agreed without a fuss. Hakkai supposed the free-spirited bachelor reasoned that a pair of underpants was a fair enough exchange for home-cooked meals and a companion who played cards with him and remembered to empty the trash on a regular basis.

All had been well. And then one day…


Hakkai was reading in the main room. Gojyo was showering. The bathroom door off of the bedroom was closed, in accordance with their privacy agreement. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Hakkai rose to go to the kitchen to make some tea. It was a chilly afternoon, and the drafts whispering through the house were just the type of thing a mug of steaming hot tea would cure. He boiled the water and soaked the tea leaves, shrugging his sweater around him more closely. When the tea was ready, he filled his mug and began walking with it back towards the couch and his book. Before he had taken more than two steps, he heard the bathroom door open, the sounds of the still running shower hissing into the room.

Instinctively, Hakkai turned towards the noise, looking up before he thought. And there was Gojyo, in all his nude glory, stalking into the bedroom, apparently in search of something. He didn’t have so much as a washcloth on him. His tan skin was flushed from the hot water, still dripping wet. His long red hair trailed in dark ribbons across his shoulders. A few suds clung to his taut muscles, which flexed powerfully as he moved, and his nipples were dark and peaked, reacting to the chill in the air. He was standing in front of the dresser, pawing through the top drawer impatiently, cursing under his breath. He had no idea Hakkai was standing maybe fifteen feet away, watching, stunned, from the living room.

Hakkai had not been exactly shocked to see his roommate’s naked form. He’d figured he’d see it eventually one way or another. The vision passed before him so quickly that he didn’t think to avert his eyes. Instead, his gaze was drawn downward at the sight of dark black curls. He had not expected Gojyo to sport anything other than red and tan due to his half-breed coloring. And that, Hakkai figured in retrospect, should have been the end of his interest in his roommate’s body.

But the dark contrast of the pubic hair also served to draw Hakkai’s attention directly to the long, thick member that was dangling below, and it was this that made Hakkai’s eyes widen with surprise. There was even perhaps a moment of double-take, for “long” and “thick” were not adjectives when it came to Gojyo’s endowments; they were superlatives. The penis that hung flaccid between Gojyo’s legs was enormous, and far outclassed Hakkai’s own modestly-sized member. The brunette could only stare. He felt a little guilty about it, but stare he did. No wonder the kappa was so confident. Hakkai would probably feel proud too if he had that much meat packed in his trousers on a daily basis.

The vision was over in a flash. The huge cock swung merrily away, backed by a healthy-sized pair of balls, as Gojyo found what he was looking for in the drawer and retreated quickly back into the steamy bathroom, hurrying back towards the warm water. Hakkai hadn’t even noticed what it was the man had grabbed.

The human-turned-youkai simply stood there, mug in hand, staring at the empty space where his friend had been standing. He blinked.

Goodness, he thought to himself, I never imagined... not that it’s any of my business, of course, it’s just… well, no wonder he’s so popular with the women. I’m sure he has no trouble keeping their interest with that to rely on. Any man would feel like flirting and flaunting knowing they had that to back up their charm. Hakkai shook himself out of his slight daze and headed back to his book, scolding himself lightly for his thoughts. What a terrible thing for me to think. Gojyo’s charm could win anyone over. It’s worked on me more than a few times. What does it matter that he’s so well-endowed? I’m sure he’d be just as confident if he were equipped like a normal man.

Hakkai’s own thoughts began to make him blush a little, and he decided to dismiss his newly acquired knowledge altogether and return to his book.

He settled back onto the couch, snuggled into his sweater, found his place in his book and a coaster for his mug (these were Hakkai’s contribution; Gojyo didn’t believe in coasters) and easily forgot about the size of Gojyo’s penis.

For a few pages.

Then, without preamble:

It must be terribly uncomfortable at times, dealing with that.

Hakkai blinked, surprised at himself. It most certainly was not any of his business. Back to the book…

For a few paragraphs…

I wonder if it has anything to do with being half youkai?

Hakkai closed his eyes, then rolled them, somewhat annoyed with himself. So what if it did? Again, not his business. He found his place.

...

Are all youkai that big?

This thought prompted an actual shake of the head. Why on earth was he thinking of it at all? It didn’t matter to him one way or the other. He’d never cared about this sort of thing before. No reason to start. And therefore it should be simple enough to go back to his nice, relaxing reading…

...

...

...but is it normal for it to be so large?

The book snapped shut.

Stop it! Why does it matter?

His thoughts had no good answer for him. Because it didn’t matter. And it was quite unlike him to care. Drawing a deep breath, Hakkai turned to look back through the bedroom door. The shower was still running. There were dark splotches on the floor where Gojyo had dripped everywhere. Hakkai’s brow furrowed with mild frustration. He told himself it was because of the wet carpet. Gojyo’s been in that shower an awfully long time.

A vision of the huge free-swinging member appeared uninvited in Hakkai’s mind’s eye.

There is absolutely no reason for me to be thinking about this! He scolded himself. Well then, you simply don’t think about it. A chi user like yourself should have complete control over his thoughts. Problem solved. Nothing more to be thought. I’ll just go back to my book and enjoy my tea.

And that is what he did. Forcibly. He did not think about it.

After a few minutes of tea-sipping and page-turning, he realized that he hadn’t absorbed a single word he had read. He closed his book again, slowly this time, but gripping it rather tightly.

I won’t think about it... it’s just that... well, if Gojyo’s only a half-youkai, would it be even larger for a full youkai? Or does the mixing of species produce superior genes? Normally, he wouldn’t care about the size of anyone’s penis, but if it had to do with youkai genes, it might concern him, too, in a small way. He was, technically, a youkai now, after all. However, the limiters he wore kept him physically human. Nothing about him had changed from his days as Gonou, save the superficial reminders of past injuries. He had only been without his ear cuffs but briefly. Only the feel of elongated teeth and claws and the sight of a sprawling, vine-like tattoo remained in his memory of his moments in youkai form.

If he were to take those ear cuffs off, would his body become a similarly prime example of rampant masculinity?

Well, assuming I retained my wits, I’d most likely turn into someone like Gojyo...

...

...what an excellent reason to never take them off!

He nodded to himself, pleased with his neat little conclusion, and went back to his book once more, this time managing to lose himself in its plot properly. Even Gojyo’s reemergence from the bathroom (with a towel) a few minutes later was not enough to resurrect Hakkai’s previous train of thoughts, and the problem appeared to be solved for good.

Until one day...


(to be continued)
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