Gun shots rang out the clearing as chaos broke out. Gonou muttered Kanan's name like a broken record, part of his vines wrapped around his abdomen like bandages, the others slithered around like snakes in the woods, snaring his captives' limbs and flinging them out towards the trees. Gonou himself moved like a stealthy beast, deadly fangs and claws ready to rip out their throats.
"Hey, snap out of it!" Gojyo shouted at Gonou as the claws graze his face. Sanzo's bullets whizzed past and Gonou leaped away "Thanks."
"Move your ass and pay attention, are those fucking antennas no use at all?" Sanzo barked at him. Gonou had attacked before he could activate the sutra, and the mix attacks of vines and claws gave him no time to concentrate on the activation, which put him in an extremely foul mood.
"These aren't youkai sensors, you stinky monk!" Gojyo cursed loudly as he snapped a thick tree branch and swung it at the centipedes, sending the creatures flying everywhere and earning him more foul languages from Sanzo.
"Goku, leave Cho Gonou alone and attack the centipede freak!" Sanzo ordered.
"I'm trying!" The boy tried to land a kick on the youkai but Gonou stood between them and fended him off. The centipede crawled near and some were squashed under his shoes. "Ewwwwww…."
The harsh laughter of the youkai rang out as he watched with extreme satisfaction on their struggles. He couldn't help but gloat "That's all you've got? I'm almost disappointed; the infamous Sanzo Ikkou is just a bunch of useless weaklings. "
"What the bloody fuck is he talking about!? What the hell is 'Sanzo Ikkou!?'" Gojyo shouted his questions as he sent another crowd of centipedes flying and toss the branch that is now covered in worm guts. He wasted no time and snapped another thick branch to use.
But his questions went unanswered as a huge bright energy ball came flying at them and forced everyone to jump out of the ways. The energy ball mowed and destroyed everything in its pass and burned all the centipedes into nothingness.
"That's quite enough." The person slowly walking out of the woods had everyone staring. The youkai lost his gleeful smile and his expression quickly twisted into a mask of rage. "It's not possible…..how can you be here!?"
"Why not? I used to live here, you know?" Hakkai was still smiling, but his eyes were hard. The absolute rage exuding from him was so freezing cold and menacing that everyone took an unconscious step backwards.
He knew who that youkai was the instance the centipedes appeared, and he almost laughed at his own foolishness. How could he be so naïve to believe his past would no longer haunt him? How could he not have instantly notice the similarities between the youkai and Chin Yisou? They had the same twisted smile and narrow eyes; they even shared the same hair color and the skill of manipulations.
No…he will not let the tragedy be repeated, he would die before anything dear to him was ripped away from him once again by filthy youkais!
The murderous intent raged through his whole body, but his mind was amazingly clear and focused with one goal - kill the youkai.
Crush it before it has the slightest chance to harm the people he cared about!
Even when he was reborn as Hakkai, he knew "Gonou" still lives inside him, the dark twisted part of him full of burning rage still lurks in the shadows of his heart. After his rebirth and killing Chin Yisou once and for all, the twisted part of him was much calmer. But now, the bloody hands of "Gonou" wrapped around him, whispered into his mind-ears to rip the youkai to shreds, and Hakkai fully agreed with him.
He eyed the youkai coldly and calculating his next move. Even with Gonou's hindrance, he would be able to take him down without taking off his limiters. The youkais in Hyakugan Maou's castle were no weaklings, but they all died like bugs under his rage. The dark mire of hatred gripped firmly to him, and the sound of drumming raindrops hum in his ears.
But instead of feeling distress like he usually would, he felt elated.
He wanted that wonderful sensation back, to feel the satisfactory on how the hot blood splashes on him, and see the youkai filth die miserably. Every single one of those filthy centipedes needed to pay for lying their filthy hands on what did not belong to them!
Gonou's vine tried to sneak on him, but Hakkai had already anticipated on that move and leaped away. The chi balls he fired were so intense that they all had to dodge. The youkai meant to retreat, but Hakkai appeared right beside him and snapped his right hand within a second. The youkai screamed in pain and rage, but was spared of immediate death when Gonou attacked and kicked Hakkai towards a tree.
But Hakkai twisted his body in mid-air so instead of smashing into the tree with his back. He landed on the tree trunk with his feet and leaped right off it. Blazing energy of light exploded as the familiar sutra came to life and lengthen until it was flying everywhere. Forcing the youkai and Gonou to retreat. The youkai grabbed Gonou's forearm and they both began to fade into the thin air.
"Damn!" Hakkai charged forward but suddenly caught the youkai's eyes. Blinding pain exploded in his head and he knew nothing more after that.
-tbc-