Beast of Burden

A Hakuryu Discovery Story
Inspired by the Premium OVA

Chapter 2: KYUU!

By Nekochan

Author's Note

Thanks go out to ASeptemberRose for being my beta, since she's been in the Saiyuki Universe for far longer than I have. (chuckle) This second half actually became a second half (rather than just finishing off writing everything in one chapter) after various comments that she made during my writing of the first half, in addition to a few jokes later involving Sanzo's sleeves. (laughs) She's all too familiar with how big those things are.

Once again, the songs to inspire me were 'Proud' by Heather Small (Queer as Folk) for Hakkai, 'Eighteen' by Aaron Pritchett for Gojyo, plus two for Hakuryu: 'Sound the Bugle' by Bryan Adams (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron) and 'Transformation' by Phil Collins (Disney's Brother Bear). This time, we also have 'Learn the Hard Way' by Nickelback (The Long Road) for Ensui.

Arigatou Minasan! (Thanks everyone!)

Nekochan

(-)(-)(-)

Late Evening, Tavern Exterior

"So, you wanna' tell me why you keep referrin' to this thing as a 'he' or 'him' or whatever?"

"I call him that because he's a living creature."

"Say what?"

"Don't worry, Gojyo, I'll show you," Hakkai insisted as he pulled the keys from out of his pocket. "Oh, look! There he is!" The brunette pointed to the same spot outside of the tavern, just outside of an alleyway where the small, white dragon sat curled up on the ground, the chain attached to the stake mimicking the dragon's shape.

Gojyo gaped. "That thing? That's a car? No way in hell that's a car, Hakkai, are you blind?" He walked a few steps closer to the sleeping creature and gawked at it. "This thing couldn't transport mice, let alone a grown person or two."

Hakkai had to chuckle. "I know he looks that way now, Gojyo, but trust me. This little guy apparently has the ability to transform into a vehicle - a Jeep, Ensui called him, didn't he?" He probably still doesn't trust me, Hakkai realized. "Wait for just a minute, Gojyo, I'm going to buy him something to eat. Here," Hakkai tossed Gojyo the keys, "try to see if you can find the lock on his harness." He walked a little ways off and started looking for some fruit.

"Fine, fine, not like I got anything better to do right now," Gojyo called back. What the hell is this thing, anyway? The redhead kept a fair distance from the anomaly, inching his way behind it so as to look at the spike in the ground where the chain began. Here's one lock . . . maybe one of these keys fits into it . . . He began to examine the keys while his roommate was away.

It didn't take long for Hakkai to find a fruit vendor still out with his wares. Deciding bananas were easiest for him to break apart, Hakkai bought one bunch and returned to crouch low near to the sleeping creature."Hey there, little one . . . How are you feeling?"

Blinking open red eyes, the dragon raised its head. "Kyuu?"

"Look, I have food for you." Hakkai tore off a banana, peeled it, and took a bit smaller than the white head in front of him into his hand. He pushed his palm as flat as it would go and slowly moved it towards the sleepy animal.

"You're givin' fruit to some half-snake half-bat?" Gojyo asked incredulously through his cigarette, knees splayed wide as he held the keys in one hand and the lock in the other.

"Well, if he's a bat, then he's lucky, isn't he?" (1) Hakkai insisted as he tore off another piece of the banana to give to the happily kyuu-ing critter. "However, I think he's something else."

"And that would be?"

"Probably a dragon."

"Say what?" Gojyo balked, nearly losing his balance; he stabilized himself with his left hand, letting go of the lock. "You're tryin' t' domesticate a frickin' dragon, Hakkai?"

"Well, look at how tiny-"

"Dude, you can't say that about a dragon, come on now! I mean, think about the monkey for a second, would ya'? The kid could probably do some serious damage if he had a mind to, but if this thing is really a dragon-"

"Then he's probably only just hatched, given how small he is," Hakkai noted, offering another bit of banana to his new friend. "Didn't Ensui mention something experimenting on a whole brood of creatures before arriving at this little guy, the successful result of a series of failed attempts?"

The little white creature, banana in its mouth, cocked its head to the side as if curious. It munched away before letting out a soft "Kyuu . . . "

Gojyo gave a heavy sigh, turning away a little, scratching at the nape of his neck below his ponytail. "Geez, go ahead an' play the pity card, why doncha', Hakkai?" He went back to comparing the keys with the lock. "You do realize there are three keys an' only one lock, right?"

Hakkai gave the playboy a 'You're hopeless' smile. "Would you like me to-"

"No, no, you keep playin' with the dragon, I'll stay back here." Gojyo took the key with a white teardrop looking shape on it and shoved it into the lock. "I'll just try 'em all, one atta time-"

"Gojyo, I really don't think that's such a good-"

Since the lock was being stubborn, Gojyo twisted it harder. He realized it wasn't the right one at the same time he felt the shape depress under his tight grip. What the-

Hakkai paused in the middle of giving the little dragon another piece of banana as it snapped its head back, curling into itself as if in pain. "Gojyo, what did you-" The brunette tried to demand.

"KYUU!" The strained squeal came at the same time as a white light exploded from the creature.

Gojyo and Hakkai stood up in surprise, but soon both were stumbling backwards as another squeal came from the place where the small animal had been. This time, however, it was the squeal of tires and an engine starting up.

"KYUU!"

He's angry, Hakkai realized, and that sounded like it hurt him to change.

"AH!" Gojyo dodged the wild blur of green, rolling to one side of the alley before running behind Hakkai. "What the hell just happened, Hakkai?"

"I think . . . I think you may have forced him to change into the Jeep, Gojyo," the brunette replied before his eyes went wide in shock. "MOVE!"

"KYUU!"

They tumbled to the ground out of the Jeep's reach due to the chain.

Gojyo sputtered dust and smoke, spitting out what remained of his cigarette. "THAT thing's the Jeep?" He looked at the keys, "Man, what the hell kind of whacko makes that kind of thing?"

"Makes that kind of thing . . . Wait, which key did you use, Gojyo?"

Gojyo held up the key with the white teardrop as Hakkai grabbed the ring out of his hands.

Black yin, white yang, and blank . . . Hakkai noted the shapes on each of the keys' silver coverings. "Gojyo, look at this!" He pointed to the white yang. "This one looks like a button that's been pushed in."

"Yeah, it did that when I was trying to turn it in the lock," Gojyo explained, "You think that key's what made him change?"

"Almost like a remote signaling device," Hakkai muttered aloud.

Jeep was flashing his lights and spinning his wheels in the dirt trying to get the stake out of the ground, all the while his doors crashing open and closed in time with his hood.

"Great, now the rabid dragon-Jeep-thing hates me. It's chompin' at the bit t' run me over!" Gojyo groaned, pointing behind Hakkai at the Jeep.

Hakkai glared at the keys and then turned to the Jeep, his expression softening to pity. "Oh Gojyo, don't you see?"

"Hmm?" Gojyo looked only briefly towards the bucking Jeep before looking back to Hakkai. "No, apparently not."

"Ensui wasn't his owner, he was his master. I think Ensui used these keys to control the poor thing's transformations. Look at him," the brunette motioned halfheartedly at the still-snarling Jeep. "He can move around as the Jeep on his own power - he doesn't need the keys for that, so why would there be a need for keys? I'm such a fool-"

A great tanned hand fell on Hakkai's shoulder. "Come on, man, you're all smart and stuff, but you've never seen a car before an' neither have I."

"Still . . ." Hakkai continued his melancholy gazing as he thought about how to help the 'dragon-Jeep-thing', as Gojyo had called him. "Hey . . ." He squinted at the Jeep's flapping hood. "Gojyo, do you think you can help me settle him down?"

A red eyebrow raised sharply. "You're nuts if you think it'll let me anywhere near it."

"Gojyo, listen, I know I've never seen a car before but . . . trust me when I say that I know what a bomb-trap looks like, okay?" He rushed forward, stopping only inches away from the Jeep.

"KYUU . . ." came the growl from the Jeep.

BOMB?! "Hakkai, you have fuckin' lost. Your. MIND!" Why do I bother, honestly? Why me? Gritting his teeth, Gojyo took three running steps before leaping high into the air and landing in the front passenger seat. He had to grab the steering wheel to keep from launching him out of the car and used it to pull himself on to the driver's side. "DAMNIT, WHICH ONE'S THE BRAKE!?"

"THE MORE SQUARE-LOOKING ONE!" Hakkai called back as he stuffed the keys into his pocket. "Come on, now, Jeep, I want to help you . . ."

Square . . . square . . . Gojyo quickly slammed on the thicker of the two pedals and braced himself against the dash.

"Kyuu . . . kyuuuu . . ." The strained cries turned into whimpering as the Jeep attempted to move, but was now stuck in place.

"Please, Jeep, let me take a look at you . . . You have a bomb under your hood; you can feel it, can't you?" Hakkai insisted, taking a step forward.

"Come on, Hakkai, no way the thing could-"

The hood popped open as Gojyo felt the whole car stop moving completely. "Kyuuuu . . ." the whines had become pleading.

"Thank you, little one. I promise to be careful." Hakkai moved closer to the Jeep.

"Man, you have no idea how weird it is to hear ya' talkin' to an animal an' for it t' be listenin'," Gojyo snickered, "Kinda' funny, too."

" 'It's always funny until someone gets hurt . . .' "

It can't be - Hakkai gasped, spinning around as Gojyo rose to his feet. "Gojyo, it's coming from the radio!"

A sharp laugh rung out over the emptied street from the dash of the Jeep. " '. . . Then it's hilarious.' "

"Ensui!" Hakkai hissed.

Gojyo materialized his shakujou, grinning with eyes alight. "Well, hey, as long as it's you then I'm inclined to agree."

"Guys like you bug the hell out of me, you know that?" Ensui called from over the radio, "I wish only scientists were allowed to use technology."

He's still around . . . "Bastard!" There! Gojyo leapt out of the Jeep in the direction of Ensui's aura: the building directly ahead of the alley. He landed on the edge as he was swinging the shakujou back to attack, but never got the chance to as a blade nearly chopped off his nose.

"Not so fast, Hanyou." It was the Purple guy and he was wielding an axe. "You're no match for youkai like us!"

"Gojyo, please be caref-" Hakkai cried before noticing a presence quickly approaching him.

" 'Be careful', yourself, Mr. Card-shark!" The youkai with orange hair swung a pair of nunchaku in Hakkai's face, but narrowly missed the brunette.

"Oi, Hakkai!" The redhead shouted furiously, "Materialize a freakin' weapon an' fight - no sense takin' off your limiters for these small fry, right?"

"Small fry!?" Orange and Purple gasped together.

That's right, I read that once . . . Hakkai recalled, trying to read the moves of Orange while he remembered the information. 'Youkai are capable of fighting in three ways. One is simple hand-to-hand combat utilizing their natural weapons of claws, fangs, etc.' He made sure to keep dodging Orange's free hand with the long claws. 'Two is summoning any of a variety of weaponry seemingly out of thin air.' The nunchaku were particularly difficult to keep track of due to the speed with which Orange was spinning them. 'The third form is the ability to manipulate elemental energies, with fire being a favorite. It is speculated that this is similar in technique to Qigong, since even the Youkai powerhouses that display this ability require intense amounts of concentration to complete their invocations.' And if that's the case . . .

Hakkai took a stance to counter Orange's next attack, trying to clear his mind and focusing his mental energies around his hands. It was going to be difficult, but Hakkai was determined to hold tight onto the keys in spite of the challenge it would pose to him. He closed his eyes, now able to predict what Orange would do next.

He didn't notice the dim green glow appearing there.

The Jeep wasn't entirely sure the Red One could be trusted, but the Green One . . . He tried tugging on the chain with all of his might, but it was still no use; it was just short enough that he couldn't reach the Green One to help him or even the Purple One to hurt him.

Back on the rooftop, Blue edged out of the shadows near Ensui, who was leaning against his bike. "Hey, Mr. Ensui, should I join in this or stay put?"

The pink-haired youkai cackled loudly, " 'It's easier to apologize than to ask for permission.' So don't bother me until you've done something worthy of my attention." His long red nails stood out stark against his pale green-yellow skin as he made a shoo-ing motion.

Sneering a bit at being snubbed, Blue rushed forward to attack the hanyou with his scimitar, standing between him and Ensui, facing out to the alleyway. He brought the blade down on the redhead, but the staff came up to meet his blade. Man, how is this guy parrying both of our attacks at once?

'When the cat's away, the mice will play.' Playtime is now, Ensui decided. He raced past Blue and then Gojyo, snickering when their gazes met. His long, white lab coat flew out behind him revealing the long-sleeved purple shirt and pants he wore underneath. Leaving the playboy in wide-eyed shock, the scientist leapt off the building and went straight for the brunette holding the keys. "Let's see if your limiters can do anything against THIS!" Pulling a faintly luminescent rod from his pocket, Ensui cracked it in half directly in front of Hakkai's face. Not like I care, but it's probably better if the minions aren't blind too. He managed to block enough of the light with the palm of his hand so as not to blind himself or Orange, happily seeing the card-shark reel backwards, but angry that it meant his reach for the keys was off.

Great, Mr. Pacifist is gettin' his ass kicked, Gojyo thought grudgingly, 'Time to take out the trash' - Damnit, the crazy-talk is gettin' t' ME now! Launching himself at Purple with the stationary blade of his shakujou, Gojyo used the leverage to kick Blue in the chest with both legs and send the youkai flying. He then used the weight of his body and weapon to force Purple over the edge of the building, letting gravity do all the work as his blade cut deep into Purple's chest.

Blood was everywhere as Purple died from the impact and chest wound. Standing over the body as he pulled his weapon free, Gojyo cursed aloud, "Hakkai had better start on those outfits tomorrow, 'cuz Tenkai knows that shitty priest ain't payin' for this mess of a cleaning bill." He turned around to assess the situation on the ground just in time to see Orange slicing the squinting Hakkai's shirt open with his long claws. Gojyo gave a heavy sigh that he was sure he'd picked up from his new roommate. "And there goes my shirt, too."

Still stunned by Ensui's flash-bomb, Hakkai did his best to focus so that he could fend off Ensui. I was trained in blind-fighting, I can do this!

Jeep decided to change back into a dragon so that he could hover above the Green One's head and breathe fire into the Evil One's face.

Sputtering, Blue mumbled obscenities as he attempted to stand. He lost his balance once our twice, but eventually managed to stumble to the edge of the building, coughing all the while. From his vantage point, he could see the hanyou in the back with Ensui to his forward left with Orange next to him. In front of Ensui was the card-shark with Ensui's dragon hovering above the brunette's shoulder to Blue's left. Stupid hanyou, I'll get him yet!

Not liking the idea of being flanked, Ensui threw a smoke bomb to the ground at his feet before jumping up and behind Hakkai. He grabbed the Jeep's chain in his left hand and the dragon in his right. Teach you to fire upon your Master! " 'I am free to do what I want with what's mine!' If you don't surrender the creature, I'll detonate the bomb I planted in him! Now, hand over my keys . . ."

Taking advantage of Ensui having moved, Gojyo launched his crescent out at Orange. The youkai was nearly cut in two; he crumpled to the ground with a dull thud.

Hakkai blinked rapidly, desperately trying to recover his sight as he spun around to face the direction of Ensui's voice. Green eyes narrowing in rage, he began to reach for his left ear, but stopped himself. No, I shouldn't rely on something that turns me into a brutal killer unless absolutely necessary! There must be another way to stop him . . . Hakkai gripped the keys tighter in his right hand. A green glow formed there as he reached out his left hand, now also glowing, for the chain linking Jeep to Ensui's hand. "The little one shall have no Master!" He crushed the keys and chain simultaneously as Ensui looked on in horror.

Jeep, realizing he was freed, turned on Ensui. He scratched, bit, raked, and breathed on the Evil One so much that the youkai stumbled backwards before falling to the ground. The white dragon continued his attack even as Ensui lay on his back swatting at him.

How- how in the- Blue stammered, trying to figure out how things had turned from looking so much in their favor to a complete nightmare. Sensing that this was his last chance to escape, the youkai turned away from the battle and ran for the opposite end of the building. He jumped off and didn't look back.

Blue's abandonment of the battle didn't go unnoticed. Stupid coward, I wish I could detonate him, but the blasted Jeep won't get out of my face! Ensui grumbled. Focusing his attention on the white blur, Ensui slapped the dragon into the building on the other side of the alley, across from the tavern. In one smooth motion, he kipped up to his feet and jumped onto the building's roof. "Well, 'time flies when you're having fun' and I've just about had my fill of fun for the day. See you again!" With that, Ensui punched the white button on the master console attached to his belt.

Everyone held their breath, but nothing happened.

WHAT!? "DAMNIT, NO!" Ensui roared, punching the button over and over, trying to get a reaction. How could I possibly have set the fuse wrong? How . . . It's impossible! IMPOSSIBLE!

Blue was still trying to get away. He didn't hear the ratcheting chain and crescent slicing through the air until it was too late.

The youkai fell to one side as Gojyo wrenched his weapon free, standing at the T-intersection ending at the tavern. "Heh, I think that's three points for me an' zip for the morons."

Hakkai was looking at the Jeep's twitching form on the ground in the alley. Green eyes blazed with a fury normally reserved for his youkai form as he leapt into the air. He landed next to Ensui and proceeded to punch, kick, and otherwise pummel the mad scientist until a bright green light burst forth seemingly from his entire body. It knocked him backwards, forcing him to drag a hand on the ground and take a knee to regain his balance.

Ensui was also blasted away from the immediate area. As he went flying, he thought, No sense leaving them Jeep and a bike. He reached for the blue detonator and punched it, eyes widening when he heard two blasts.

"HAKKAI!" Gojyo screamed, seeing the blast from on top of the building where Hakkai and Ensui had been fighting moments ago. The redhead dropped his shakujou, letting it dematerialize, and knelt low so that he could leap onto the building.

Ensui was nowhere to be seen, but thankfully Hakkai was and, after Gojyo got closer, seemed to only be unconscious since soft groans were still coming from his roommate.

The playboy was soon joined by a hovering white form. "Kyuu . . ."

"He's fine, Jeep, don't worry," Gojyo insisted. "Hey . . . wanna' help me get him home?"

"Kyuu?"

(-)(-)(-)

-to be continued-

2/24/2007

(1) White bats are considered lucky symbols in China (see below).

At first, I didn't have Gojyo acting nearly as surprised as he ended up being in this version. In fact, the comments that get exchanged upon trying to figure out what Hakuryu is came from people's reactions to the plush Hakuryu I made and took with me to China in the summer of 2006.

So I lied again. At first this was going to be one chapter, then two, and now it's up to a planned FOUR chapters. (sigh) I know, I know, I can't write short stories. I'm sorry, but I just can't. I get this concept and then, as I'm writing, more things crop up. Things like a highly drawn-out and involved combat. This one was also 'played-out' using D&D miniatures - I designed the general way I want it to go, played it out on a standard square grid (i.e. not hex) to get the bullet points, and then wrote out the actual story around the bullet points. I did this for Forever Destiny :: Before the Beginning and it worked so well that I intend to keep doing it. Thus, the rest of the story got moved into yet another chapter and then an epilogue.

We blame NixiesOcean and ASeptemberRose (both authors on FFN) for the creative chapter names. (sweatdrop) They thought it would be hilarious; I hope you agree. (sheepish grin) Okay, so actually they just insisted I incorporate 'kyuu' into the chapter names as if Hakuryu was the one naming them, but I was the one who decided on each name.

Nekochan

Japanese Definitions

Tenkai - heavens

Hanyou - half-youkai, half-human

Qigong - Chi/Ki-manifestation, also "Kikon"