Ch. 7-

It was raining when he came to again. What an odd sensation, he was certain that it was cold, the rain almost icy as it pelted against his skin, but he couldn't feel it. No, that's not right. He could feel it, he just didn't care.

A snarl escaped his lips as he looked around the room. The tile floor was smooth, cool to the touch, the normal sunshine that would flit in through the open doorways were dark and heavy with the freezing rain. He smiled, liking the sodden darkness and the dripping of water polluting this holy place.

"Genjo Sanzo." The voice boomed through the room, screaming he tried to cover his ears, only to find that he couldn't move and glared up at the three glowing heads.

"No, you are no longer the Genjo Sanzo that serves this temple."

"Foul beast, why have you let him live?"

"You call me that again, my lords, and I will show you just how much of a beast I can be." A snarl from his left caused him to strain against his restraints, the blood lust curling up into his chest.

"See, now you've angered him." the faint padding of bare feet came closer.

The Sage hunched down, looking at him with something between pity and sadness and anger mixed on his face.

"He's not completely gone yet."

"He is tainted; he cannot be allowed to live."

"According to you lot everyone down here is 'tainted,' you plan on wiping us all out?"

Goku. His brain, or heart, something in his body twanged in recognition of the voice; the flowing aura that went back and forth between scalding hot and comfortable warmth.

"This man will destroy us all thanks to you."

"Hey now," Standing, the Goku/Sage walked back towards the heads, out of his line of sight, but he could still hear, "I was going to come out one way or another, just be happy the boy is stronger than he looks and we're almost done melding."

"You are an abomination that should never have been born. You were cast out from heaven twice for your sins!"

"Yeah, and now here you are looking to me to save your asses. Can't take care of one of your own so you make the 'tainted-one' fix the mess you've caused. What I can't figure out is why you locked him up down here in a human body instead of keeping up there where you could watch him?"

"He is Darkness." It was almost a hiss the way she said it.

"Daikokuten was banished from Heaven because of what he is. 'The Great Black One,' he is the absolute reality of man, the all encompassing and all consuming nature of the new moon."

"Nirguna." He murmured.

"Correct, we cannot have someone whose sole purpose is to destroy and restart the world in Heaven, he could be used for personal gains."

"Sounds like you shipped him off to keep him out of your own political messes. But now you've got him down here and in possession of both the sutras of Holiness and Evilness. So my lords," he hopped up on the edge of a banister and smiled, "What are you going to do about him? Those restraints won't hold long you know. This is just the surface of his powers and it looks like he's in a grumpy mood as well. Sanzo never was much of a morning person and he hasn't had a smoke in hours, let alone coffee."

"You must kill him."

Goku coughed, "Excuse me?" eyes narrowing to slits he stood, the force of his chi rippling across the floor in visible waves.

"Now wait a minute. I may be charged with protecting both realms, but I will not kill that man! And as much as part of me cringes at saying it, you can't make me." He stared at the Three Aspects defiantly, the part that was still a petulant child pouting inwardly.

"You don't have a choice Sage. If you are to be allowed to live, then he must die."

"Screw you." Their shocked faces reminded him who they were and he mentally shut Goku's mouth. "Pardon, but that's not your decision, if you could kill him yourself you would have, but you can't 'dirty' your own hands in this matter, so you're trying to get me to do it. Sorry, but unless he threatens this world I'm just going to sit back and watch."

The three looked at each other, "Fine. If he threatens this world or the Upper World..."

His voice became cold and detached, "Then we will stop him."

With that he turned on his heel and grabbing Sanzo's restraints roughly, stomped out into the rain.

***

Leaving the Temple of the Raising Sun, he fumed, how dare they try and get him to kill Sanzo?! If there was anyone he wanted to kill right now it was those three hypocritical bastards.

"Sanzo, if you're in there, you need to fight this. If you can bring the human side back, they will let you live, but this..." he set the semi-mad monk atop a crumbling wall and kneeled in the rain and mud, "you cannot stay this way, it is breaking him to watch you like this, and at this rate he really will lose his mind."

He took a chance then and gently kissed the blonde man, hissing as he pulled back, blood trickling down his chin. "Then that's it. You are already gone, aren't you?"

Sanzo, no Daikokuten, he needed to remember, this was no longer the man he loved, this was the Lord of Darkness and he needed to treat the situation as such. The air crackled as the restraints shattered, splinters of light bursting against the murky sky. He stepped back as the full power of the fallen God washed over everything for a mile. Trees twisted, buildings crumbled, the entire city of Chang'An was effected in some way.

He'd dispersed, blocked, or absorbed much of the power, but not all. Looking at his redden hands he realized he might actually be out powered this time. The thought both shocked and terrified him. Then a brash voice screamed in his head making him smile.

"Well then, it looks like Goku thinks we need to hit you with a large paper fan, something about payback for all the times he's been hit. He's rather serious about it you know?"

*Ungh!* he grunted as the first wave of power spiraled out from Sanzo's hands, hitting him hard. Clawed feet dug into the soft earth as he was pushed back slightly.

"Well, that wasn't very hospitable of you. If you want to play it this way, then show me your true form first, we should be on equal footing if we are to dance like this." Sweeping out an arm he watched warily as Daikokuten raised his hand toward the heavens.

There was something eerie about the way his one good arm was raised, and then he saw the faint outline, the evolved staff of pure silver that twisted out from his palm, the four loops jangling together melodically as he swept it down, his robes shifting like the moonlight until he was enshrouded in black flowing cloth, a single sheet of tattered white draped across his arm and shoulder, held on by several gilded clasps and buckles.

Shit. Alright, this time he agreed with Goku, they were in serious trouble here. But he had a duty, even if everyone else dismissed him, he must still stop this threat. Daikokuten was a god, he was not, but he was close. We're fine, just don't let him touch us, we have to get close, or he'll kick our asses with his long-range attacks. This is still Sanzo after all, he hates getting his hands dirty and that's something we're good at!

He smiled, he was starting to like this side of his other self, the brash unflinching confidence that refused to believe they'd be beaten. But he was slightly outnumbered here, they still weren't completely whole, and as long as their minds stayed fractured, so would their power. Just go for it, leave the fighting to me and just try to get around him, if we can pin his arms we might have a chance to talk him down.

'I don't think that will work anymore, the Sanzo you knew is no longer, this man is now a God, and a very powerful one at that.'

Nah. I can still smell him, even under all that darkness.

'All I can smell is the darkness; he is like the nightshade flower, full of passion and suffering, an angel of destruction, harbinger of closure and enlightenment.'

I guess. You're the enlightened one, all I know is that I can still smell Marlboro's and steel dust, you know, Sanzo; and if I can still smell him, he should still be able to hear us, even if it is just a whisper on the wind, we have to reach him.

'Yes, he cannot be allowed to destroy the world. So young one, should we cast our burdens' down and shuck off these mortal coils for the sake of the world?'

Only if those are things we can beat him senseless with.

Flexing his claws he smiled, 'Very well then, let us finish this.'

An unholy roar sprung forth from his mouth as he raced forward, claws struck metal and cloth, but mostly air. He was fast, most couldn't track him, but Daikokuten was always just beyond his reach. Power rippled across the land, the earth was torn and flung wide and far, between the heaving ground and mind numbing aerial acrobatics that left him dizzy and breathless he fought on.

He fought for his friends and family, Gojyo and Hakkai, Kai and Mao; he fought for once enemies, Koujagi's team; he fought for all the people he'd met along the way; he fought for all those he hadn't been able to save; for those that didn't know he was fighting; but mostly he fought for himself, for his love and for the man who was the sun and moon to him.

***