The pain! Goddamnit, why was Hakkai never there when he needed him! Sanzo had woken up from his 'dream' and was getting up, holding his hands over his side, trying to stop the bleeding. At least the youkai had gone down easily, despite putting up a fight. Sanzo picked up his gun, and growled as the silver metal was coated with the thick, red liquid.

"Shit." He hissed as the wound gave a painful throb. He could feel his heartbeat through the gash, and figured that that was normal; this had happened once or twice before. The Rikudo incident for example. Well, at least Hakkai had been there for that little mishap, and closed the wound using his chii!

Sanzo started to stagger down the hallway, trying to be extra alert, because he was really in no condition to fight at the moment. At least using a gun would make it so he wouldn't have to move very much, unless he was taken by surprise in front, like before. What was with this place! It was like it was all an illusion and everything was completely backwards!

Sanzo heard footsteps coming at him from the front, and stood flat against the wall so that he could see both sides, just in case this ended up being another surprise!

Dr. Nii glided through the hallway, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. He was walking past what seemed like a graveyard of youkai. All dead, all sloppily chopped to pieces. Dr. Nii looked as though he were going for a walk in the park with his bunny, completely oblivious of everything going on around him.

But, in reality, the scientist was observing every little detail. He weaved his way in and out of the bodies, making sure not to step in any organs or blood, so as not to get his lab coat dirty.

Nii Jianyi noticed a man with long, red hair, leaning against the wall, breathing heavily, and clutching a bloody shakujo, obviously having killed every youkai in the hallway. He hadn't taken notice of Dr. Nii yet though.

"Looks like you really cleaned up in here." He drawled out, while catching the red head's attention.

"Who the hell are you!" the man yelled, defensively.

"Just a scientist." Dr. Nii answered, while rubbing his bunny in unmentionable places. He looked up at the red head, as though trying to egg him on, by showing the perverted side of himself.

"A sick, twisted scientist. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm simply making a living." Nii said, while setting his bunny on a corpse that didn't seem as bloody as the rest. He then reached in his pockets, and took out what looked like some scrolls.

"Hmm. Now then, Muten, Maten, Seiten ..." He began listing off, while pulling them out and placing them on his shoulders.

"The sutras!" The red head yelled, but refrained from leaping forward to take them, when Nii raised a gun.

"Not so fast. Do you really think that I'd give up what I've been trying to collect for nearly eleven years, Mr. Child of Taboo." Nii grinned, as he saw the immediate look of surprise and anger cross the other man's face, "Ah, yes. The great Nii Jianyi knows all."

The battle wasn't going perfectly for either side in the huge, auditorium. Gyumaoh had taken a few strong blows, not to mention, he was weak from having just woken up after five hundred years of sleep. Kougaiji was wounded, but still fighting. Hakkai was doing alright, keeping an eye out for whoever had the sutras, but still fighting. Yaone and Dokugakuji were just doing whatever Kougaiji or Rasetsunyo told them to. It was five against one, now that Gyokumen Koushu had been killed.

Kougaiji released a his summon monster, but rather then aiming it directly at Gyumaoh, he sent it towards the machinery, which practically melted under the scorching heat! Gyumaoh howled, as his blood supply and life source were destroyed! Having only been awake for a little while, he still needed something to support him, but with nothing to keep his heart pumping and organs working, he was useless! Hakkai seized the opportunity, and sent a chii attack at the demon king, killing him off, the rest of the way!

Damnit, she'd gotten lost after all! Dr. Huan cursed herself for losing track of Nii. He must have expected her to follow, and taken an unexpected turn, but wherever he was, he would probably be causing trouble …as usual! Dr. Huan wished that she had stayed in the throne room, despite the fact that she would just have to sit by and watch, with everything short of a bag of popcorn! What if Kougaiji was hurt? He hadn't looked okay when she'd left, and what if he was worse off, now!

Hurried footsteps up ahead, pulled Dr. Huan out of her day dreams, and she was quickly on alert, trying to determine what direction the footsteps were coming in! It sounded like a youkai, because of how fast it was going; a human probably wouldn't get that excited. So, it probably wasn't one from Sanzo's ikkou, because they were all like human's, only they had power limiters on. But, on the other hand, there was one …

A boy with big golden eyes, and spiky brown hair, rushed around the corner, practically running into her! They both startled back, and stared in surprise at each other. Dr. Huan recognized him as the youngest member of Priest Sanzo's group, a boy named Son Goku.

"Who're you?" He asked defensively, while holding up his weapon, ready to fight.

"Don't get all worked up. I'm not going to hurt you!" Dr. Huan swallowed her pride, and said, "Have you seen a mad scientist looking guy, with a bunny and some scriptures?"

"No." Then, Goku seemed to have an epiphany, and looked suddenly mean and dangerous, as his face twisted into anger, "So, he stole Sanzo's sutras!" The kid shouted. Dr. Huan nodded her head, and began to follow him as he rushed down the hallway, though she could hardly keep up. She recalled stories about Goku, that Kougaiji had told her. He was extremely powerful with his limiter on, but without …"Hell unleashed." Was how Kougaiji had put it.

Dr. Huan remembered when he had really gotten beaten up by Goku, and she had taken care of him, and helped him escape, but not before they had brainwashed him. Of course, his "trusty companions, Yaone and Dokugakuji" had helped pull him out of that one!

She noticed Goku suddenly seem alert, and suddenly they rounded a corner, and came face to face with …

Goku had practically jumped into Sanzo with a bear hug (even though he wasn't hardly the size of a bear) the moment they met each other at a corner! Sanzo gasped, and pushed him away, still managing to clutch his wound while doing so. He glanced at Goku to make sure that he wasn't hurt or anything. Despite the fact that the kid annoyed him ninety nine percent of the time, if they harmed him …

Sanzo then noticed the scientist looking women standing behind Goku, looking out of breath, as though she had been trying to run after him.

"Who's this?" Sanzo asked Goku, while motioning to the women. Goku suddenly looked absolutely perplexed, as he turned to the scientist woman.

"Umm, I don't know. Who are you?" he asked, while looking from Sanzo to her, then his eyes fixed on Sanzo's side, "Sanzo! Your hurt!"

"I'm fine, you stupid monkey, now let's find Gojyo and Lirin, and get out of here." Sanzo started in the direction that he had come from, but turned around, "Damnit!"

"You don't know your way through the hallways, do you?" The scientist spoke up, "I've been through here before, and I'm not an enemy, so I'll show you through."

"…Fine." Sanzo growled, clearly unpleased with being forced to trust a stranger.

"By the way, I'm Dr. Huan. Yoko Huan." She continued, while taking the lead, and guiding them through.

Damnit, if it wasn't Sanzo …Gojyo dodged another bullet. He had already gotten plenty of experience with Sanzo trying to kill him, so this crazy scientist wasn't a big deal. Gojyo found a free moment, where the scientist was quickly reloading, and began to swing his shakujo, but was caught mid swing with a bullet, grazing his shoulder!

"You fucking dick!" He yelled, trying to ignore the searing pain on his arm.

"Oh my, my bunny's so offended at being labeled with such profanities!" The man who called himself Dr. Nii said, his straight face unwavering. Gojyo saw him about to pull the trigger, and when the BANG rang through the hallway, he ducked to the floor, anticipating another shot to ring out, closer to his direction this time, but it didn't.

"Get up you lousy kappa." Gojyo looked up at the familiar voice, for once relieved to hear it. Gojyo looked up, and saw the scientist kneeling in front of him, his shoulder bleeding like a stuck pig. Sanzo was standing right behind him, his gun still raised, staggering slightly. As he stood up, Gojyo also noticed that Sanzo was clutching his side, but didn't bother ask, knowing that he might be the next one to be shot!

"I'll take those." Sanzo stepped forward, awkwardly and removed the scriptures from Dr. Nii's possession.

"Genjyo Sanzo, am I right?" Nii asked. Sanzo didn't look surprised, as many knew about him, so what's so big about this guy knowing too.

"What's it to you?" Sanzo said, gruffly.

"I just recognized you," The scientist turned around, and looked at him, and that was when Sanzo froze and seemed to study his face, "I'm sure you have never heard of a 'Nii Jianyi' but…"

"Ukoku." Sanzo said, lowering his gun, after draping the sutras over his shoulders.

"That's right." Nii/ Ukoku rolled his eyes as though that was a given.

"Gojyo, Goku. Go find Lirin and get out of here. I'll catch up." Sanzo ordered.

"But-" Goku was about to complain …

"NOW!"

Gojyo and Goku both yelped and then hurried away, Dr. Huan following slowly.

"So why the hell are you here?" Sanzo said, staggering slightly and pulling out a cigarette.

"I'm simply making my living. Besides, creating an evil demon king is much more entertaining then being a fancy pants little sanzo priest like yourself." Ukoku/ Nii replied.

"Then why did you want the sutras?"

"Well first because they would help resurrect Gyumaoh, but also because of my desire for power."

"Hn. Last time I looked, some miserable fuck of a scientist doesn't get any power or credit of what he did at all."

"I'm not miserable."

Sanzo rolled his eyes, not caring to respond to that one. He shuffled through the sutras in his arms, and found the Muten.

"This is yours. Go to hell, bastard." Sanzo turned around and walked down the hallway, in the direction where Gojyo, Goku and that scientist were. He heard Ukoku/ Nii start talking to himself, and just ignored him as he rounded the corner. It wasn't his job to come in and pay everyone in the castle justice. His job was to simply regain the sutras and destroy the demon king. Therefore, in Sanzo's book, the journey west was over.