Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki. Wish I did, but I don't. The Dunne'kaa characters, however, are my own!
Dragon's End
Chapter One
The amethyst eyed monk glared at the cave entrance. Why had he, and thus, their little group been drawn here, to the middle of nowhere? For nearly 3 weeks he'd been 'pulled' here by some force unbeknownst to him. The other three looked at him questioningly and he glared at them with the same intensity he'd given the cave.
"So, Sanzo, this the place?" This from Gojyo, the crimson haired kappa.
"How the hell should I know! The feeling is strongest here, so it must be."
"Now, now. Let's just go inside and check it out. Maybe we'll find what's causing it." And this from Hakkai, the emerald eyed mediator of the group.
"Yeah! Maybe there'll be food inside!" The last from Goku, the golden-eyed monkey boy that was Sanzo's charge. This earned a sigh from Hakkai, and a snort from both Sanzo and Gojyo.
"I sincerely doubt it, you stupid monkey."
"I am NOT a stupid monkey, you perverted kappa!"
BANG
"Shut up and come on!" Sanzo tucked the banishing gun away and walked into the gloom of the cave, followed by Hakkai, and a subdued Goku and Gojyo.
The four of them wound their way through the cave. Shortly inside the entrance the cave lost its natural appearance, showing evidence of ancient workmanship. Torch sconces were set into the sides of the wall, following along the path, with unlit torches or the remnants thereof in them. Taking up one of the whole torches Gojyo lit it with his lighter. After traveling for some time, going deeper into the darkness of the cave, they came across a set of huge stone doors blocking the path. Each door bore elaborate carvings of dragons bound with chains on their muzzles and manacles on all four feet. The dragon on the left was painted all black, with ramlike horns on its head, a mane running down the neck, and tufts of fur on the ankles and elbows. A ruby eye glittered in the guttering torchlight and an amethyst was set into the dragon's forehead. The dragon gracing the right door was painted a yellow gold, with a mane running down its neck. A sapphire eye winked in the light and a ruby was set into this one's forehead. A talismanic seal covered the middle of the doors.
"What the hell...?" All four stepped closer to the doors to get a good look.
"What do you suppose is behind these doors? Whatever it is, someone felt the need to seal it away." Gojyo held the torch nearer to the doors.
"Well, what's been 'calling' me is behind them. I guess we find a way to get through the doors."
"Aah, Sanzo.. Are you sure that's such a good idea? I mean, for someone to wish to seal it away, it must be either very powerful, very evil, or both."
"Hakkai has a point, Sanzo. Do we really want to risk letting some extremely powerful and no doubt pissed off creature loose?"
"I don't think I have a choice. I was led here for a reason. If I leave without fulfilling that reason I'm sure I'll just keep feeling the need to come here. And it's driving me insane." Sanzo reached up and placed his hand on the seal. At his touch the talisman crumbled to dust and the doors slowly swung open.
"Well... that was easy enough..."
"Yeah, maybe too easy."
"Move it!" Sanzo walked through the doors, followed closely by the others. Inside, Gojyo held his torch up high and whistled at what was revealed. They were standing in a huge cavern. Near the doors the statue of a huge beast stood, a snarl on its face, one paw raised as if to swat or crush some insignificant bug. Tapered horns jutted from its forehead and each paw was graced with four knifelike claws. Teeth like sabers decorated its mouth. A second huge beast stood across from the first, sitting its haunches, mouth open in a silent roar. This one was a chimera consisting of a lion's head and forequarters, a horse's hindquarters and half-furled eagle wings.
"Whoa! What're those!"
"I have no idea, but don't go near them. I don't think that's what we're looking for."
"Well...what about that then?" Hakkai pointed further into the cave. Just on the edges of the torch light a vague figure could be seen. A person, sitting crosslegged on a dias against a stalagmite, slumped over. The four approached the figure cautiously. 'It' appeared to be a 'she' and 'she' appeared to be chained to the stalagmite, hands behind her back. She also appeared to be a Sanzo priest too. She wore pale gold robes and had what appeared to be a sutra on her shoulders, but with purple trim instead of green. A pendant made of onyx or obsidian,in the shape of a fang of sorts, hung around her neck.
"Uh, okay.. That's just weird."
"Saanzzoo! She's not like you is she?"
"No. All but one of the sutras are accounted for and the last is the one I'm searching for. And she's certainly been here longer than I've been looking." The group reached the slumped figure and gathered around her.
"I wonder who she is and how long she's been here. And what's kept her alive.." Hakkai studied the petite, sleeping form, while Sanzo knelt down in front of the dias. "Sanzo, I don't think it would be wise to disturb her rest.." Too late. The priest had reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder as if to shake her awake. There was a sharp pressure pop. The chains binding her hands fell away and she took a deep shuddering breath.
"San..?" Her voice was low and rusty with disuse. She raised her head and her eyes fluttered open, focusing on the person in front of her. Well, one eye did anyway. The left eye was a brilliant emerald green, with a slit pupil like a cat's eye. The right however stayed shut, a scar running from right above the socket, through the closed lids, to the middle of her cheek. From her bangs something purple glittered. She had an amethyst stone embedded in her forehead! The emerald eye narrowed, a cold rage simmering. "No! You're human!" She snarled angrily, lunging forward, moving faster than she had any right too after such a long confinement. She slammed into the priest, knocking him over. She pinned him down, knee on his chest and her fingers found his throat, claws digging in. She could smell his fear, but it was overshadowed by his smell of anger. He struggled to free himself, assaulting her with futile blows in an attempt to dislodge her.
"NO! SANZO!" Goku yelled and slammed the end of of his staff at her, striking her in the side of the head. She shook her head, feeling dizzy and disoriented, but still managed to keep her grip. Sanzo? Why had he called this one San'zo. This one was human. And why were three onni'murra traveling with a human in the first place? She snarled softly, chanting under her breath. The damage deflecting shield snapped into being just as a ball of energy slammed into her, knocking her away, claws leaving bloody but shallow rents in her quarry's neck. She staggered to her feet while the onni'murra gathered up the human, helping him to stand.
"So, you wish to play rough do you? Very well.. Sirrus! Helios! Attend me!" The female hissed. She grinned wickedly, baring sharp fangs. Behind them a series of sharp cracks resounded in the chamber. The four half turned slowly to find that the gargoylesque 'statues' behind them were shedding their stone skins, revealing the very real beasts beneath.
"Oh dear.. this is not good."
"Really? I'd never have guessed."
"Damn monk! Why'd you have to go and wake her up for?"
The giant creatures snarled and attacked the group, only to find themselves blocked by an energy barrier courtesy of Hakkai. While their attention was turned to the beasts the female attacked again from behind. The soft snick of her kappen(bladed fan) being drawn was the only warning they had before she was among them. The female danced among them, barely blocked by Goku and Gojyo.
"Uh, guys... I don't think I can hold them off much longer."
"Well, we get rid of the female, we should get rid of them." Sanzo cocked the revolver and pointed it at her, even as she closed with him.
She paused, puzzled by the tiny weapon. The priest fired point-blank. She felt something small and powerful ping against the shield, strong enough to bring it down. She snarled at their disbelief that she was unharmed and lunged forward. The female grabbed a handful of the human's robes and turned sharply, flinging him bodily into the dark recesses of the cave before turning her attention to the other two, at the same time bringing the damage shield back up.
Sanzo landed heavily, but struck something soft which helped to break the fall. Whatever she was she was strong, thats for sure. There was another sharp pressure pop.
"What the hell?" He pushed away as his cushion groaned, then sneezed abruptly. He turned and found himself facing another would be Sanzo priest. This one looked awfully familiar too. It looked a lot like him! He brought the gun up as the figure raised its head. The male was taller than him, and weighed more, though still thin. He had bright sapphire blue eyes and golden blond hair. He wore similar pale gold robes and had a 'sutra' trimmed in green on his shoulders. And from his forehead a ruby gleamed in the dim light. He slowly raised his hands in a placating gesture. From somewhere behind the two of them a beast howled in agony, followed by the female's roar of anger.
"No harm. I mean no harm. My name is San'zo, a Dragon Priest. I must stop her or she will kill them all." His eyes were open and trusting enough.
"Very well. Stop her then." Sanzo backed away, keeping the gun trained on San'zo, wondering at the odds of meeting someone(thing?) resembling him and sharing a similar name. The Dragon Priest stood, shaky on his feet. He made his way slowly across the cavern to where the female was fighting. She didn't notice him, intent as she was on the opponents in front of her. They had already managed to take down one of the guardian beasts, which surely angered her further. He reached out and clamped a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened and started to spin around, leading with the weapon, then stopped. The remaining guardian beast froze as well.
"San?" She turned to face him fully, delight suffusing her face. "San, it is you!"
"Yes, Chal. It is I. Apparently the human here woke me up. Hehe, after waking you up. Bad mistake." He turned and gave a wry grin to Sanzo. "Our thanks. We have slept long." He paused, eyes rolled up slightly as though pondering something. "A very long time indeed, it seems. Some 1000 years." The others had lowered their weapons and gathered around the pair. Their jaws dropped upon hearing this startling news.
"Umm. How can you know how long you've been down here?" Goku piped up.
"My dragon told me." San'zo smiled faintly. "Though I have no idea why we were allowed to be woken up. We were imprisoned here long ago by humans. We are the last of our kind left."
"So.. I was brought here to wake you up. For which we are nearly killed. Why is what I'd like to know. If you were sealed here so long ago, it was for a reason. I highly doubt that it was a good idea to wake you up."
"We can answer that quessstion." A soft, sibilant hiss filled the cavern, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. Movement from the back of the cavern caught the group's attention. Two figures emerged from the gloom. A slinky black dragon with ruby eyes and a tall, beautiful woman with black hair. The two Dragon Priests dropped to one knee, while Sanzo sucked in an angry breath.
"You! You put me up to this! You nearly got us killed!"
"Now, now Konzen. You did just fine. We would have stepped in if things had gotten too bad." She snickered softly and the dragon let out a sibilant hissing laugh. "As for why.. it was time for them to awaken and you need the extra help. They will accompany you on your journey."
"WHAT?" Both Sanzo and Chal erupted angrily.
"You want us to help a human! Humans are the ones who put us here in the first place!" Chal snarled but didn't rise from her place.
"I don't need any more tag alongs! I have my hands full enough already!" Sanzo's voice held just as much heat and anger as the female Dragon Priest's.
"You will go with them D'Challya. Thisss is my wissh." The black dragon hissed softly. It slid forward, looming over the kneeling Priests.
"Yes, my Lady." Though clearly not happy with the turn of events the Dragon Priest was not willing to go against the dragon's wishes.
"And as for you Konzen. I'm not asking whether you want their help. I'm telling you to take it! You will need it in the very close future." The lady snapped her fingers and both she and the dragon disappeared, leaving the others to work out their differences. The Dragon Priests rose to their feet.
"Wait a minute.. I know who the lady was but who was the dragon?" Gojyo's puzzled voice broke the tension. D'Challya turned to him.
"She was my Mistress, the Lady Grael. My Patron. San'zo here belongs to Lady Gaia, the Earth Dragon Patron."
"So, what. She's some kind of god?" Goku was all questions now that the danger was over and it was established that the two Priests were supposed to travel with them.
"Yes, the Dragon Patrons are the ones that the ancient Dunne'kaa worshiped. But no more. We are the last." San'zo sighed. "And it looks like we will be with one another for quite some time so I suggest that we all try to get along."
"Tch.. I still don't see why I would need your help." Sanzo turned and started walking back the way they'd come. The others followed behind, Goku continuing to pester the two newest members of the group with nonstop questions.