Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki or anything else that anybody in the known universe could sue me for. I own nothing.
At the End of the Tunnel
The Prison Outpost was an ominous building. Even more so than Houtu Castle. Houtu Castle was home to some people. You could feel it if you walked down around the villages that supported the massive citadel. Although the peasants were greatly overworked to provide for the army you could still hear the occasional laughter of playing children. Or a pair of women chatting while buying groceries. Evil presence aside, it was a place where people, or more accurately demons, could set up their homes and lives. Yaone, herself, dared to call it home. Whenever she was flying to it from the distance she could feel the warm energy that radiated from it as well.
This place had no such warmth to its threshold. Just...cold. The cold of death and endless darkness. As Yaone flew on one of the long distance dragons she wrapped the tanned cloak even tighter around her. The light rain battering against her while she rode seemed tropical in comparison. She pushed the feelings aside, and reminded herself that she had a job to do.
The dragon flew up and circled the docking area of the stables. The sun was quickly disappearing behind the horizon, but there was still enough light to land without assistance. Yaone braced herself for this particular dragon's inevitably botched landings. She hoped it wouldn't land hard enough to crack open any of her jars. When it slammed into the ground with enough force to give its cargo whiplash she was glad to hear clattering, but no shattering.
She stretched out her aching muscles then released her legs from the saddle. A stable hand came running up, "Can I get you're bags ma'am?"
She handed her equipment to him as she climbed down, "Thank you."
He was a younger demon, with gray skin and orange colored hair, and he seemed nice enough. Yaone wondered how he found his way into a position like this...stable keeper in hell...He led her mount away and her bags were once again in her hands. Nobody bothered to tell her what kinds of wounds she would be dealing with so she was forced to pack near her whole collection. She entered the castle through one of the servant's entrances. The smell of cigarette smoke announced the one person she was hoping to avoid.
Dr. Nii was waiting for her, underneath the one faulty light in the entire hallway. It flicked over him. She wondered if he planned it that way or if it was just a significant coincidence. His smile was as twisted as ever. For once there seemed to be some kind of pleasure behind it. Just a kid who'd ripped off a bird's wings to watch it struggle. "Miss Yaone," He drawled, "I didn't think you'd come..."
"Well, I'm here. So why don't you tell me where my patient is?" The healer hoped the fear wasn't too apparent. She wasn't a coward, she was just as ready to stand and fight him if he attacked her then she would be anybody else. There was just something about him that made her fear him. Something empty, something predatory, something...
...evil. As a matter of fact his aura really fit in with the rest of the place.
"Is that what they're calling it these days? I guess 'conjugal visit' is too politically incorrect."
She ignored the comment, "Well, he's surely not your patient? What ever happened to do no harm?"
He grinned wider and walked towards her, "Didn't you get the memo? Malpractice is in."
Yaone didn't move, hoping it came across more as defiance than the fact her fight or flight was kicking in. The closer he got to her, the higher the hairs on her neck stood. By the time he was standing beside her she wondered if she would have time to draw her small dagger should he make a move. This close she doubted it. She focused all her energy on keeping her body from shaking when he placed his lips near her ear, "He's in the dungeon, lowest level. Have fun..."
It was only when he grabbed her behind that she finally snapped out of it and slapped him as hard as she could. She immediately regretted it. The bastard would probably consider it sexual tension...
"Ouch..." He said. Damn. Even the slap couldn't knock the smirk from his face. "Have fun little apothecary..." He drawled again before walking away, cackling all the while. That was when Yaone noticed something strange.
That stuffed rabbit...he didn't have that stupid little stuffed rabbit...
She filed it way for later. It was indeed strange to see him without it, but not at all relevant to her job. Good. Maybe he was back on his medication.
Yaone didn't trust the elevators in this place. Actually she didn't really trust elevators anywhere. Something about being locked in a small box, suspended from certain death by a cord didn't sit well with her. She sighed, maybe she was far too paranoid for her own good. But when there were people willing to kill her or her lord around every bend she'd learned things such as "too careful" didn't exist. So she took the stairs. Good exercise at least.
She didn't know what to expect. It could have been anything from mortal wounds to just a few bruises. They may not have even started yet. Or he could already be well on his way to the afterlife. Mentally, she prepared herself for what she would see. It would have been against Koushu's political standing not to publicly put him to death. Of course, it was Koushu. She may not even care. That woman was known to wave her control over Kougaiji right in front of him. Just the fact that Kougaiji argued her on the subject may well have caused the monk's early death.
She found a door at the bottom of the staircase. Definitely newer than the surrounding stone walls; Yaone didn't think they had titanium alloy back when this place was built. She didn't believe they had blast doors either. Upon quick examination it was clearly reinforced for explosions.
What? Do they think I'm going to break him out of here?
Smart of them. She wanted to.
She reached for the handle and tried to open it. Locked...and it seemed a key-card unlocked it. Shit! She didn't not want to go back up all those stairs for a card! Suddenly there was the sound of the lock being undone, the light near the handle turned from red to green and the door opened. Yaone found herself staring face to face with Dr. Huang. "What are you doing here?" the other woman asked.
"I'm here to care for the prisoner."
"Care for him?" The tone used was the closest thing to a laugh Yaone ever heard from Huang. They possessed very...differing opinions on the treatment of patients and the worth of medicine. Huang thought Yaone's medicine was based on superstition and not much else. Yaone argued that most of the drugs Huang used were derived from traditional herbal remedies. It may have been a cruder method, but Yaone didn't have the resources or the time at Huang's disposal. But as far as Huang was concerned if it didn't come from a laboratory then it was useless. Needless to say, their relationship was civil at best...
"Yes," Yaone said.
"I don't see a key-card."
"Nii didn't...give me one." The healer paused mid-sentence when an idea hit her. She reached back to the place just above where Nii touched her. The place where her dagger sheath was nestled comfortably in her combat attire. Right behind it was a key card. "Or, maybe he did," She held the key-card up for the doctor to look at.
Huang pushed her glasses up onto the bridge of her nose and studied the card thoroughly. "I'm not even going to comment on the fact you had it and didn't even know it."
"I'm not even going to comment on the fact that you're torturing a man and acting as if it's nothing."
...and openly spiteful at worst.
The doctor moved her head in such a way that the glare from the overhead lights hid her eyes entirely from Yaone. Quickly dodging the question she asked, "Why does Prince Kougaiji's personal alchemist need to care for a prisoner when there's a very skilled medical doctor on staff right here?"
"Kougaiji is the prince of these lands. It is his responsibility to care for his war prisoners until the sentence of death is handed out. It is also his choice as to who cares for said prisoners. Frankly, he trusts me more than you."
Huang snorted, "Fine. It's not like it matters anyway. Now. Later. He's going to die." And she walked away in a pair of heels that had to be incredibly painful.
Yaone wondered, what could have made her like that? So cold that she could discuss a man's death as easily as ordering coffee. Yaone knew she would never know; she just couldn't help but to speculate.
With a heavy breath she walked into the dungeon halls. Rows of cells on either side greeted her. Rusted old iron bars blocked them off from the main hallway. The stones that made it up were old. Disgustingly coated in some places by strange...what was that? Moss? Fungus? But all things aside they were sturdy. Not about to fall apart. A dead giveaway to Sanzo's cell was a set of new iron bars and a card reader stuck on the wall next to it. Hesitantly she approached. She didn't put it past him to have already escaped from whatever bindings he was held in and positioned himself to attack whatever fool came too close to the bars. "Genjyo Sanzo?" She called softly as she looked in.
He was chained to the right end of the cell. Sprawled out on his stomach and laying on a filthy mat barely half an inch thick. His only article of clothing was a pair of blue jeans. No guarantee you could tell they were blue anymore. From where she was standing she could see several deep gashes along his back, they were open wounds; never a good thing in a place where the walls were coated in scum. Something didn't quite look right with his left shoulder, it seemed twisted at some awkward angle. She wouldn't know whether it was dislocated or broken until she could examine it closer. "Sanzo?" She called again. Again there was no response. His eyes were closed, he looked to be either passed out or sleeping.
His wrists were shackled to one long chain that ran through a loop on the wall. And there were maybe ten feet of chain total. Five for either arm if he wasn't pulling with one and slacking the other. Which would give him more than enough length to grab her if she wasn't careful. Smoothly she ran her key-card over the reader by the cell. It beeped, and the lock undid itself. Fortunately when they put in the new bars they made it a full blown door; not the little hatch you had to bend over to get out of you usually found with demon prisons. That would be good in case she needed to make a quick getaway.
She didn't know what to expect from him. Humans, and demons, were at their base animals. When an animal is injured or cornered it will strike out at whatever moves. Whatever it is that's moving, whether that thing intends to help or hurt it. The same goes for when it's imprisoned. Yaone was hoping Sanzo was still coherent enough to know that she was helping.
The problem was that he looked pretty asleep. If he was asleep then there was no more dangerous time to approach him. But if he really were passed out, due to some injury she hadn't seen, she would need to treat him.
Yaone decided to take a chance. She slid he dagger out of its sheath and placed it by the opposite end of the cell. The last thing she needed was for him to get his hands on that. She also laid down her equipment and bags. "Sanzo? I'm coming over, so if you can hear me now is the time to say so."
No response.
She slinked over to him, cautious. When you were dealing with a man who could kill someone with a dirty tube sock "careful" was a priority. "Sanzo?" She asked again as she got close enough to touch his bare shoulder. Slowly she etched her hand out.
"San-" her hand barely touched his shoulder, that was all it took. His right arm flew up and grabbed her wrist roughly. The clink of chains accompanied his movements as he twisted sideways and forced her from her balance. Before she could even think his right hand was off her wrist and onto her neck. Somehow, he'd managed to drag her over him and press her up against the wall. Suddenly she wished she hadn't left her dagger at the other end of the cell.
Only then she noticed that, although a solid grip, she could still breathe. He hadn't cut off her air supply. The hold's purpose was to keep her from attacking him. It wasn't even hard enough to bruise, really. She stared him in the eyes for the first time. They were a wearier, more anxious version of the usual shielded gaze. But behind the obvious fatigue, there were reserves of strength and determination. Like he was ready to fight whoever would take him. He was breathing heavily, and Yaone figured she must have startled him. After a moment or so he moved again and pushed her onto the ground, where he finally released her.
She quickly scrambled out of his range again, "Sanzo?"
There was blunt annoyance in his voice, "What are you doing here?"
"Kougaiji sent me to care for your injuries," she stated coolly, "Now, will you please let me see those?"
"Fat chance. How do I know you aren't going get me so stoned that I won't even complain when they ask if I mind with how they're executing me?"
"That's absurd, they wouldn't ask you," Yaone wasn't taken aback by the reaction. She would have expected no less from him and was prepared for it. "And you don't," The statement was simple, "But you do know three things: Kougaiji despises Nii, and I share the position. Also, Kougaiji has no need to drug you for his own purposes, since we already know where the others are. And that if you don't have some proper care for your injuries they could get infected in a place like this."
Sanzo's back was resting on the wall and Yaone noticed there was a cold spot on her shoulders where she'd been pressed up against it. She shoved it to the back of her mind when she saw his left arm. Clearly dislocated and limp at his side.
"Toss me the shit," He said suddenly.
"What?"
For that question she got an annoyed look, "I said: give me whatever you want to put on me and I'll put it on myself."
Fair enough. As skilled a warrior as he was it was no surprise he was adept in caring for combat wounds. Besides, when he was in this state she knew this was the best she was going to get out of him. "Alright," She soothed and made her way back to her bags, where she quickly pulled out some of the things he would need.
"I'm going to start you with some Echinacea ointments, rub it on your wounds," She said as she fumbled through her jars and found what she was looking for. She rolled the bottle across the cell to him.
He looked at her like it was the most obvious question in the world, "Well? What does it do?"
"You rub it on the exterior wounds. It will help it heal quicker. It also strengthens the body's immune system. In this..." She motioned around them.
"You mean in this cesspool?"
Whether it was a joke or not, it got a quick laugh out of her. She couldn't help it. It was just so...true. When she looked up again he was looking at her like she'd grown another head. Finally he ordered, "Just keep them coming. What else?"
"Well," She said as she choked down more giggles, "Take this. Cat's Claw. I'd really like to start you on this. After just a few doses it has profound effects on the immune system as well. Did they inject you with anything?"
"Yes," He said flatly, a little irritably. Yaone got a feeling she was touching on a not-so-pleasant memory.
"Are there any lingering effects?"
"Muscle pains."
Yaone nodded, "I'm going to give you ground Burdock Seeds. Blood purifier. It should get rid of any excess of whatever toxin they injected you with." Once again she rolled a vial across the cell. He picked it up, studied it before tossing it back like a shot glass.
He blinked a couple of times, "That tastes like shit. Do you know that?"
Yes, she did. Kougaiji was a little better about taking what she gave him and not complaining. Doku had more the tendency to give her flak about whatever it was. He'd complained about everything from stinging to taste. It was actually a little funny. "What happened to your arm?" She asked.
"Nii pulled it out of its socket."
"You do know that you can't put it back onto place yourself?"
He glared at her. Yaone understood. If she were in a position as vulnerable as his she would be extra defensive as well. But if he limited her ability to do her job then she couldn't help him. He knew that, or Yaone hoped that was what the glare meant.
"Fine," He snarled, "Do what you want."
Yaone nodded and walked over to him. Apparently he knew the drill. He pushed himself off the wall so his back was to Yaone's chest, "Are you ready?" She asked as she gripped his arm.
He winced at her touch, "Yeah."
She held his arm outward, getting another wince out of him, before pressing it back in with speed and force. The sound he made could have been called a shout. She imagined it was more than Nii got out of him. "There, how does it feel now?"
"Tingling. A little pain."
"That's good. I'll need to get a sling ready. You'll want to move it as little as possible."
Sanzo snorted. His thoughts weren't shared with her, but she knew. She was thinking the same thing. About how Nii was likely to force it out of socket again. It was a hard thing to know that she was healing somebody who's captors wouldn't let it last. She fit him with the sling and quickly moved away. She was about to leave when she took off her cloak and handed it to him.
"What is this?" He asked.
"It's cold down here, and you don't have a shirt. As your healer I'm suggesting you take something to warm yourself up." She handed it to him; he took it, watching her suspiciously at the same time.
Yaone turned to leave after gathering her equipment and the empty vials he handed back to her. The cell door was swinging open before he said something. "Yaone..." He said softly, and averted his gaze from hers.
"Yes?" She asked.
"...The shit you gave me, it better work."
She figured that was the closest thing to a thank you she was going to get out him.
VVVVV Chapter End
