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The three companions walked back to their inn in silence, unsaid words hanging in the air around them. Not a single one of them knew what to say anyhow, since normally it was their energetic companion that kept the conversation rolling. "You know, I almost miss that damned monkey's whining all the time," Gojyo said thickly after a moment, clearing his throat when he noticed his tone of voice.
A small, strained smile dared to grace Hakkai's thin lips at that. "I…yes. I agree. Sanzo, what in the world are we going to do? Goku could be anywhere by now and there aren't any real leads, so-" he started to say, until Sanzo's voice cut him off.
"I'm not planning on leaving him, if that's what you're thinking. Like I said before, I am going to find Goku if I have to tear this town apart with my bare hands. People can't just go taking what belongs to us and thinking that they can get away with it. We sure didn't let Kami-sama get away with it, so why the fuck should some hussy have the pleasure?"
His words brought chuckles from his two comrades, allowing a thin smile of his own to appear behind the shade of his hand. "Got that right, monk-man. Should we keep looking tonight, or what?" Gojyo asked, yawning a bit and stretching as they neared the inn. However, his question fell to the wayside when a group of very familiar faces appeared in the now-empty street.
"So we meet again, Sanzo party," a deep voice called, as a certain red-haired demon prince stepped into the circle of light from the lanterns hanging near the door of the inn. "Now-"
"Please, spare us the speech. You're here for the scripture, you won't leave until you get it, blah blah blah-edy fucking blah. Got it, great. Now, why don't you guys come back when we're in the mood to play, eh?" Gojyo interrupted, turning without even waiting to hear an answer. Of all the times for Kougaiji and his group to appear…
The demon prince looked a bit shell-shocked at being refused at point-blank, but quickly regained his composure and stormed towards the other three. "Listen here, just because-" he started to say, again finding himself cut off when Sanzo pulled out his gun and aimed it directly at him.
"Did you not hear what the kappa said? I am not in the mood to deal with your fucking shit right now, got it? Now, back the fuck off before I pull this trigger and blow that pretty head off," the blonde threatened, his frown deepening when the indigo-eyed man showed no sign of backing down. The action reminded him too closely of more recent events than he cared to admit.
"Hey, where's the monkey? He's not here with you?" Lirin asked, cocking her head to the side as she glanced around the street. Usually it was Goku who tended to square off with her brother, giving her the chance to play with Baldie-head.
Hakkai decided that it was time he stepped in, before the tension escalated any further. "Let's see, how should I put this…? Goku was, well, kidnapped recently by a woman claiming that he was her son. We've spent the entire day looking for some sort of clue as to his current whereabouts, which brings us to the reason that we are in no mood to fight today," he said rather pleasantly, training hopeful eyes on his womanly counterpart that he usually had the pleasure of fighting with. Meeting her eyes, he was able to ignore the glare that came from his blonde companion at revealing so much to their so-called enemies.
"Oh my goodness! That's awful! Why would any one do such a thing?" Yaone asked, clasping her hands over her mouth in sympathy. She could only imagine what they were going through.
"That certainly puts us in an awkward position, doesn't it, Kou?" Dokugakuji asked, rubbing his forehead. The prince had to agree, of course. While this would have been the perfect time to strike against them, enemies or not there were certain boundaries that never got crossed. Since the two groups had met such unspoken rules had existed, leaving the prince unsure of what to do.
Finally, Kougaiji decided what to do. "All right, all right. Since I am a man of honor-" he started to say, until his sister interjected, interrupting him yet again.
"You're just mad because it means you can't fight Goku."
The red-haired demon snorted at that, half in amusement and half in irritation. "As I was saying, we will step down for now, until your party is back in full capacity. It would indeed be rude of me to challenge you when my counterpart is not here," he finished, bombarded with the sudden feeling that a certain doctor was involved in this somehow. It must have been instinctual, because there was certainly no way he could have known for sure. He certainly wouldn't have put it past the crazy scientist to cook up a scheme as grand as this one. "Before we go, let me ask you this: how in the world did one human woman manage to take Goku away from you?"
For a long, long moment the posed question hung in the air, until finally the green-eyed man let out a long sigh. "The truth is…we're not sure. It seems the meat buns that I bought for Goku had been tampered with, so it would seem that someone plotted against us with the woman. Goku and Sanzo were in the same room at the time, and yet he did not hear anything occur during the night. We know that Goku would not have gone without a fight, so truthfully…the whole situation isn't adding up," he admitted, looking a tad sheepish.
The same was not true for Kougaiji, finding himself very, very upset that this could have happened under his nose. "What would you say if I told you I would help you figure out what happened?" he asked cautiously, mildly annoyed at the dumbfounded looks that came from both parties following his inquiry.
"Seriously?" Gojyo asked, narrowing his eyes after a moment. "And what exactly would we have to give up in return?" As good as the offer had sounded, he and the other members of their party knew the prince well enough to expect some sort of trade.
"If you're going to ask for the Maten scripture, then forget it. We'll find Goku ourselves using our own devices," Sanzo added with a sneer, already one step ahead of the kappa. He could not give up the scripture, no matter how tempting the situation may be. It would not only be unwise, it would complicate things more than they already were.
Truthfully, Kougaiji had thought about it, but the idea had made him a trifle queasy. "Since you won't give up the scripture, then how about this for a compromise? When Goku is back, safe and sound, you will agree that we will indeed battle for the scripture, without any further interruptions. Deal?"
The three men each seemed to ponder the idea, finally deciding that it wasn't really all that bad of a bargain. "Sure, why the hell not? We'll give you a battle in return for helping us find the missing monkey," Gojyo supplied for all three of them, the other two nodding in affirmation.
"Then it's settled," the indigo-eyed demon affirmed as well, turning then towards his own party. "Here's what we are going to do: Yaone, you will stay with the Sanzo party and check the room and the meat buns for signs of poisons, drugs, you name it. Doku, you will stay here with them to help gather any sort of evidence you may find. Lirin, you are going to come back with me so as not to attract suspicion. We'll use that time to scope the castle to see if indeed that crazy man had anything to do with this," he commanded, pleased when the group immediately set to their assigned tasks without question. "I'll return when I know something, all right?"
Obviously addressing the Sanzo party with that particular statement, their self-appointed leader took it upon himself to answer. "Fine. I want this whole mess over and done with as soon as possible, got it? Delay too much and I'll shoot you when you get back," Sanzo griped as he lit another cigarette. The caustic words brought a slight smile to Kougaiji's face, sensing the deeper meaning in such a harsh statement. He dipped his head in a semblance of a nod before starting off, heading with Lirin in the direction of the town's exit.
"Now, shall we then?" Yaone asked cheerfully, pleased that this exchange had ended so well. "Why don't you boys go get something to eat and rest a bit while I search? I'm sure you've had a long day," she offered.
"Sounds good to me. Hey, Doku…you want to hang with us for a bit? We'll clue you in on what we know so far," Gojyo offered in reply, trying to hide his eagerness at getting the chance to spend some time with his brother that didn't involve trying to kill each other. At the older man's nod, even the cocky redhead couldn't hide his excitement.
"Don't forget the seriousness of the situation. This isn't some damned sleepover, you cockroach," Sanzo grumbled audibly, not looking forward to the evening already. His entire day's plans had been shot as it was, and now he had to spend the rest of it with the kappa and a very near likeness. Gods, he hoped that the older one had more sense…
"I think it might be wise if I assist Miss Yaone. How about you go on to bed, Sanzo? I'll bring you up some food before we get started," Hakkai offered, sensing the shift in Sanzo's mood. True, he was more attuned to the monk then either of them wanted to admit, but it all came down to the fact that the two of them were very much alike. A grunt was his response, which he took for confirmation of the plan. "Good, shall we then?"
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As the group dispersed into their respective directions, watchful eyes took in just what they were seeing on the screen before them. "Do you see that, Bunny? Perhaps this experiment will prove to be the most fun yet!"
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(A/N: I hadn't originally planned on putting Kougaiji and company in here, but they just sort of popped up and decided to help. Should make for a very interesting plot twist with them involved. We shall see, indeed)