Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki. I own Ana. Let's keep it simple, shall we?
Reviews: Normally, I would write out responses to the reviews. And I did. But my browser crashed and now I have to settle for saying thank you to all the names because I don't feel like typing it all out again. Do not think you are unloved. I love you guys very much. And now that I'm done being a hippie, we can get to the names.
Thanks to DayDreamer9, Chick-A-Doom, Fcs,and newcomers Hellscreamer89, Lady Lotus Moon, & Spellcaster Hikaru. I look forward to all the reviews you'll give me next round if you don't mind.
Also, about hits, I have 746 hits total, as of July 14, 2007, at ten o'clock. 252 for the prologue, 109 for the first chapter, 97 for the second, 110 for the third, 124 for the fourth, and 54 for the fifth.
Chapter VI: Frankenstein I
Roxanna stretched the next morning, walking around happily. She was eighteen today, on this lovely day! Unfortunately, the memories of yesterday were a little too haunting to leave her alone. And the fact that Hakkai seemed even happier after his 'sudden illness' was creeping her out. Shame she couldn't just forget all of it.
She let out a hefty sigh and said to the sky, "Oh, well."
"Well, what?" asked a stern voice from behind her. She jumped, and turned, startled that she had been snuck up on. Fortunately, it was just Sanzo. Roxanna reviewed that thought and gave a mental snort. 'Just Sanzo… Riiiiight.' He was standing there in his usual authoritive and trust-inspiring way. How he inspired trust, she didn't know.
She grinned broadly… and began to sing just to piss him off. "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day in the neighborhood… will you be mine? Oh, will you be mine?" she sing-songed as she twirled and gave a bow to him, tucking her right hand behind her back as she held out her left to him. It obviously worked as she watched his eyebrow twitch.
"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," snarled the priest.
"No it's not," grinned Roxanna as she straightened herself. "I know a ton of annoying songs. All of them revolving around children's music. Wanna hear?"
Sanzo ignored the comment and got right down to business. "What were you talking about yesterday?"
"Eh?" asked Roxanna, scratching her head. "Which part?" Sanzo just glared at her. Roxanna's mind began to churn and she realized what he was trying to reference. "Oh… It's complicated."
"The same kind of complicated that turned you into a pile of blankets last night?" sneered Sanzo. The Caucasian-Latina blushed darkly. Last night, for some reason, every single blanket decided that they were her best friends… and subsequently attached themselves to her, turning her into a mini-mountain. Needless to say, everyone was certainly not pleased when they woke up cold and Roxanna woke up smothered.
She shrugged. "I dunno…" Her eyes darkened slightly. "I guess I could tell you because… Hakkai and Gojyo both know… sort of…" She looked at Sanzo square in the eye. "I'm from another dimension. How do I know this?" The lone female of the Sanzo-ikkou bit her lip and, fortunately, the houshi before her remained silent. "Well… You see. My brother is really into anime… and in particular a series called 'Saiyuki'…" She couldn't meet his eyes anymore as she scuffled her toe on the ground, her eyes focusing on the patterns. "'Saiyuki' concerned a group of four travelers headed west to stop the resurrection of a powerful demon… I hadn't gotten far into the series when I was dumped here. Only the second volume… The four main characters were, as follows: a blonde haired monk with a gun; a bottomless pit of a teenager; a perverted half-demon; and a man who smiled way too much and threw energy blasts."
Sanzo absorbed this information with a little difficulty. It didn't take too much thought to guess who she was referencing. "And?" he asked after a long pause.
"I think I found myself in that series… talking to those people," Roxanna said hesitantly, not removing her eyes from the ground. When the statement was met with silence, she continued slowly. "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind for fiction becoming reality. Had I had the choice… I'd've picked 'Harry Potter' or some such. You don't have to believe me. I won't ask you to. Okay?"
The blonde monk grunted in reply and turned to walk off. The things he had just learned were disturbing at best… Their world? A story? Fiction for the bored? That was too much to wrap his mind around. But it did make a lot of sense. To be dropped through time and space into something that was once considered fictional… Sanzo briefly wondered exactly what it would be like. Naturally, he didn't linger on the thought too long. If the girl was to come along, then so be it. He wasn't going to try and puzzle out her problems.
Back with Roxanna, she gazed sadly after Sanzo… She had hoped to get a better response from him than a grunt. The man certainly seemed like he knew what it was like to be stuck in a position not really wanted. He was on this journey after all. The coffee-brown-eyed girl sighed and stretched again. Today was her birthday… but it wasn't at all a happy one. Back home she'd've been able to vote and all. Here… she was on a journey to save all of human kind. How ironic life was, throwing curve balls like this when Fate and Destiny got tired of the same old same old. Given the choice, she'd rather be back home eating some popcorn and watching Orlando Bloom's ass in PotC… or Johnny's ass. She wasn't at all picky.
"If everyone cared and nobody cried, if everyone loved and nobody lied, if everyone shared and swallowed their pride, then we'd see the day… that nobody died. And I'm singin' a, amen I, amen I, amen I – I am alive," sang Roxanna sadly.
She started practicing with her lightning again. The 'Charged Palms' attack was all well and good, but she probably had to do something about that static cling. After all, she wouldn't win a battle of any form if she were trying to kick off the blankets that were attacking her at the moment.
Of course, the moment someone's hand landed gently on her shoulder, they got a small shock as she heard the audible pop of an electrical discharge. She spun slightly to see Goku standing there with a startled look on his face.
"What was that?!" asked the chimp.
"Uh… my electricity," said Roxanna.
"It was a lot stronger than that, Ana-chan!" But Goku just shook it off and grinned. "Anyway, Happy Birthday!" He hugged her, not receiving any more electrical shocks now that she had retracted her energy from the surface.
"Go-ku, a-ir!" gasped Roxanna as she tried to draw a breath into her oxygen-lacking lungs. Goku heard her and let her go immediately, apologizing profusely. "S'ok," gasped the now adult. "Let's get to the others. I'm sure Sanzo's pissed by now," she said once she had recovered her breath.
"Good idea," agreed Goku as the pair began to walk back to camp. "'Sides, Hakkai got you a gift!" A sudden 'oops' came from his lips.
"You weren't supposed to tell me, were you?" Roxanna asked dryly. Goku shook his head sheepishly. "I'll pretend to be shocked," she said as she sighed in mock defeat.
"Thanks, Ana-chan," Goku said with a grin. "I don't want Hakkai to be mad at me. He even fixed up a really nice meal to celebrate an' everything!"
Roxanna looked at him, surprised. "Why did he go and do all this? You guys haven't even known me all that long."
"We're your friends!" said the overly cheerful monkey. "'Sides, you've been with us for five days! That's gotta count for something!"
Roxanna knew that still wasn't long enough to be friendly with someone to get them a gift and a celebratory meal… but she wasn't going to argue with it. It was kinda nice to be getting something for her birthday when she was so far from home. It made things a little more… normal.
When they got back to camp, they found Gojyo sitting and smoking while watching Hakkai do something near the fire. The green-eyed man seemed to be overly cheerful… a front in which Roxanna was slowly beginning to perceive as upset. Upset at what, she certainly didn't know for he kept his worries well hidden. Sanzo was also smoking and reading a newspaper. From what Roxanna could perceive, the oh-so holy one didn't really lift a finger to help Hakkai out with anything. Gojyo could at least be bullied into it and Goku enjoyed helping despite the fact he complained. Roxanna thought that was very unfair, considering that she helped too… when blankets didn't seem to want to gravitate to her, that is.
Both she and Goku sat down next to the fire that had something being cooked over it. Whatever it was, it smelled like heaven to the hungry girl… no, woman. Hakkai noticed the expression on her face and laughed lightly. "I suppose you're hungry, Rox-anna-dono?" asked the cook as he adjusted his monocle. Roxanna never figured out where he had gotten the object, seeing as it was so out of date back home.
"Yep! I think Goku is, too!" chirped the girl. Indeed, Goku looked like he didn't want to wait for it to finish cooking before he helped himself.
"Goku's always hungry," groused Gojyo after plucking the cigarette from his lips. "You'd better not let him get at your bowl!" he said, deliberately poking fun at Goku. "Might never get to eat!"
"Shaddup, stupid ero-kappa!" snarled out Goku, snapping out of his daze.
"Now, now," chided Hakkai, trying to diffuse the argument before it became monstrously loud. "Let's have a nice little party."
"Why the hell are you doing this anyway?" asked Sanzo, his eyes not leaving his paper.
"Because she's eighteen!" Goku said as if that made the most sense in the world. "She should have a party!"
Roxanna just blushed and looked down. "You guys really don't have to do this," she mumbled loud enough for them to hear.
"In other words," groused Sanzo, "You are encouraging us to do so. So sit down and shut up." Roxanna stared at him, trying to work her way through the 'logic' Sanzo had given her, even as Hakkai finished the food and ladled some into a tin bowl for Roxanna.
"Forgive us for not having candles or cake," apologized Hakkai.
"S'ok," Roxanna said as she inhaled the scent of Hakkai's soup. "M'not big on sweets and my last birthday just included a bowl of spaghetti and a big fat mushroom on a bed of parmesan for decoration. One of the best birthdays I'd ever had." She took another whiff. "I'd say this is just as good."
Hakkai blinked in surprise and gave a smaller, less upset smile to her. "I'm glad to hear that, Rox-anna-dono." He continued serving up bowls and handing them to the others before they all settled down to eat… or rather, Goku was finished with his bowl and the others were eating at a more sedate pace. Hakkai happily served him another as Gojyo complained some about Goku 'hogging it all'. Sanzo silenced them both with his 'paper fan of doom'.
Roxanna found herself laughing into her food. These four… they were funny, though Sanzo would forever deny it. She was slightly startled when a weight became known on her shoulder and the soft white snout of Hakuryuu was dipping its nose into her bowl.
She mock glared at him. "What made you think you could have some of my food?" she asked the little dragon that she so adored. It had become more apparent as of late that Jiipu was as taken to her as she was to him. The tiny dragon, for the most part, rode on Hakkai's shoulder, but every now and then he'd get on Roxanna's shoulder instead. The Latina-Caucasian might have been very down-to-earth, but she couldn't deny the wonder she felt whenever she saw the tiny beast.
Hakkai, however, mistook Roxanna's words for actual anger. "Jiipu, come here and leave her alone," he said, worried that she was upset. Hakuryuu just looked up at him as he licked the broth off of his face and cheeped before going back to Roxanna's food. She moved it away, ate the last few bites (earning a mournful 'kyuu'), and got some more. When she held it up within the range of the little dragon's mouth, Hakkai knew that she had only been playing.
Sanzo just watched as the foreign girl and the dragon both ate. She was as annoying as hell, but he knew that soon enough she'd be useful… once she figured out how to use that damn power of hers. What worried him was the fact that there were no youkai attacks as of late. His instinct said that something was up… or rather… Something was scaring them away. It made him uneasy.
He was brought out of his thoughts, yet again, by the mischievous duo better known as Sha Gojyo and Son Goku.
And they were fighting…
Again…
"Shut the hell up!" snarled the priest as he trained his gun on them. "Or else you'll both be having a lead desert!" Both 'eep'ed and fell silent. Of course, that was only for the time being.
Once the meal was over, Hakkai decided it was time to give her her gift.
"I wasn't too sure if it would fit," he said as she opened the canvas bag it was in. "But I thought it would be nice for you to have some different clothing. No one, especially a lady like yourself, particularly enjoys wearing the same clothes over and over or borrowing clothing whenever in need of it."
Roxanna pulled out of her bag some clothing as he said this. The first thing she pulled out was a shirt. The shirt was cut in a short-sleeved mandarin style and was made of a heavier-weight cotton fabric. The color was turquoise and it had aqua trim. Her eyes widened as she got a good look at it. "Wow," was all she could say. This new piece of clothing made her a bit more eager to check out the rest of the clothes. There was another shirt of a similar grade of cotton fabric, but this time it was a sleeveless turtleneck shirt a shade darker than the daylight sky. There were also two pairs of pants. One pair was a sensible pair of khaki pants and the other pair was a pair of black jeans. After that, Roxanna found an extra pair of shoes. This time, they were tough looking boots complete with a steel toe.
'Well, that explains why he was looking at my shoes,' thought the eighteen-year-old. She had caught him messing with her sneakers one early morning and had vanished for most of the day afterwards. Apparently, he was buying her some things to wear.
Roxanna refused to pull out the rest. Apparently, Hakkai, the ever-motherly one, decided that underwear was needed too. She could only guess how that went down at whatever shop he went to. And he had gotten her a simple sports bra… in a sensible… black… color.
Hakkai, from the slight tint on his cheeks, knew exactly what she was blushing about and coughed slightly. "Yes, well. That bag is for you as well. I got it exactly for that purpose since we all have our own totes." Roxanna hastily put the clothes back (neatly) and looked at the bag properly. It was similar to the totes she used when she went to school… sort of a saddlebag in a way and was made of heavy-duty canvas of the absolutely boring khaki variety. Good, sturdy, and would withstand several beatings and still keep going.
"This is great," she said finally, truly glad. "At least I don't have to worry about wearing dirty clothes!" Impulse gripped her and she put the bag down and went over to Hakkai and gave him a grateful hug. He was a little surprised by the sudden contact and his blush deepened to a more noticeable level as Jiipu cheeped at the sudden movements.
"Ah, you're welcome, Rox-anna-dono," Hakkai said with an awkward pat to her back. She released him and grinned at the rest.
"This is one of my best birthdays!" the Latina-Caucasian said.
Sanzo grunted at the happy-happy, joy-joy feelings running through the camp. He lit up a cigarette as if to say 'who gives a fuck?'
Goku jumped Roxanna, giving her a hug as well. "Glad you like it, Ana-chan!" he laughed as he hugged her close, getting her to laugh at the silliness.
Gojyo looked like he wanted to hug her too (and do a little more than that), but Sanzo's dark look in his direction stopped him fairly quick. However, that didn't stop Roxanna from hugging him anyway. She abstained on hugging Sanzo for he looked so damn surly. Plus, hugging him would probably bring death knocking. The rest of the day passed cheerfully as did the next… however…
They were all piled in Jiipu. Hakkai and Sanzo were in the front seats while Goku laid half on his side against the back of the seat as he snored and drooled. Gojyo sat with his head propped on his hand. Roxanna was slumped against Gojyo, her mouth turned down slightly in a frown.
Unbeknownst to the two youngest in their group, Hakkai awoke with a sudden gasp and shifted restlessly in his seat before Sanzo looked at him.
"Everything all right?" he asked. Hakkai gave him a slightly surprised look before murmuring 'Sanzo…'
"I'm fine," assured Hakkai, his mask sliding into place. "Just a bit uncomfortable I suppose. Heh. I think I'll go for a walk."
"As long as you're careful," Sanzo said even though there was no real need to warn the youkai slayer.
"Of course."
And in the back, a single red eye slid open even as Hakkai vanished into the night. The second opened as Gojyo lifted his head to stare after his best friend. Sanzo gave him a look of 'be quiet' even as the kappa pushed Ana-chan over onto the chimp. She moaned slightly in her sleep before she sighed and was pushed into REM sleep.
He slid out of the Jeep and went after Hakkai, Sanzo watching as he went. The priest grunted to himself and lit up a fag. The tip glowed in the night.
Gojyo soon found Hakkai examining his hands. The man seemed so deep in thought that Gojyo was able to walk up behind him with near little effort. "Damn, your lifeline's tiny," he said.
Hakkai let out a small gasp as he spun to stare at the kappa. "Wha? Gojyo, please don't surprise me," said the startled youkai. Gojyo just popped a cig between his lips.
"Right back at ya. I never thought I could sneak up on you so easy," he said as he began rummaging for his lighter.
"Which one is the lifeline?" queried Hakkai, looking at his hands. Gojyo pointed at the appropriate crease in his hand.
"Right here. See?" he said.
"Oh," Hakkai murmured in sudden revelation along with sudden embarrassment for having not known it. "It is short."
"Mine goes all the way down to my wrist," Gojyo said, showing Hakkai. He crouched down so he could be more comfortable. "Man, I'm like a cockroach," he mused to himself. Hakkai caught the comment and gave a small laugh as he settled back on a nearby tree.
"Your power to procreate seems strong as well," he teased.
"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Gojyo as he lit up. A moment of silence passed between the two as the moon shone down.
"…Did I wake you?" asked Hakkai, worried that he had done such a thing.
"Nn… Sorta. Ana-chan was keepin' me a bit warm… And I just can't pass up an opportunity to see Hakkai depressed." Hakkai stared out into the night, processing those words as Gojyo looked at him. Smoke drifted away into the night from the lit cigarette in the hanyou's hand.
"…May I ask you something?"
"What?" Gojyo said, slipping his cigarette between his teeth again.
"Three years ago. You know," Hakkai said, trying to bring up the subject without directly broaching it. "Why did you save me?" So much for not directly bringing it up. "If you had left me, I would have died like an animal. Perhaps that was what I deserved."
Gojyo took a long moment, puffing at his cigarette. Hakkai allowed the silence, a faint smile on his face as testament to his mask.
"If you're gonna put it that way," Gojyo said finally in a flat tone, "I'm not gonna answer."
Hakkai laughed as though Gojyo had make a funny joke. "I should have known," he said as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Just… quit thinking about it, Hakkai," Gojyo urged as he straightened. "It'll turn you bald."
Hakkai tittered again. "Oh my. That could be bad," he said. "Mm, hm."
Seeing a supreme opportunity for a joke, Gojyo plowed ahead. "I know, right?" he said before pointing out a spot on his head. "Just look at Sanzo. He hides it, but right around here—"
The joking mood was killed the moment the bushes rustled. A soft clicking sound could be heard. And it steadily became louder as a small figure emerged from the bushes clothed in a Chinese styled child's outfit. The clicking stopped when the doll stilled.
"Huh?" uttered a confused Gojyo. "Is that a… doll? Out here?" He was very confused, as was Hakkai. And it showed on both their faces.
"-Nihao,-" the doll suddenly spoke, startling the two partial-youkai with its strangely hollow voice. "-Nihao! Cho Gonou, the murderer!-"
His pupils contracted at the old name in his undeniable shock as he stared at the tile in the doll's hands. A tile bearing the character for 'grudge'.
"Oi!" said a pissed Gojyo. "Where'd that little freakbot learn your old name?"
But the doll didn't stop at 'cordial' hellos. "-Was your victims' blood warmer than a woman's skin? Or was it fragrant, like an orchid's petals?-" Hakkai maintained a steady silence of horror as he stared at the doll as it continue working its mechanical mouth. "-If you've forgotten, I can help you remember. There is nowhere for you to find peace.-" Each word, it seemed, was expertly crafted to hurt the listener beyond belief. "-You are a sinner. A sinner, Cho Gonou!-"
Gojyo had enough of it. He dropped his cig and smothered it under his boot even as he said, "…Shut your damn hinged yap! Just who in the hell—"
Hakkai interrupted him with chill, calm words. "I know what you're trying to say. But if you really do have business with me, come out and fulfill it yourself." The look on Hakkai's face was one that he didn't wear often. It was one of a cold, determined man that would kill if the situation called for it. He had before, after all.
"-Ha ha!-" laughed the doll in delight for the one pulling his strings was amused. "-That's the face, Cho Gonou! That reveals your true soul!-"
Startled beyond belief, Hakkai dropped the look even though his pupils were still contracted.
"Shut the hell up!" snarled an angry Gojyo as he booted the doll across the clearing, the mahjong tile flying free. "We're not taking bullshit from some stinking toy!" snapped out the kappa before turning to his companion. "C'mon, Hakkai. Let's get back to Jeep."
Hakkai, startled by Gojyo's sudden actions and then equally sudden words as well as the words of the doll from before, turned with a still slightly freaked expression. "Huh? Um… yes…" But at that moment, he saw the doll's mouth open. "Gojyo, behind you!" he shouted.
"Wha?" Gojyo turned just a moment too late and was hit square in the chest with a projectile that had been shot from the toy's mouth. Both were stunned by the sudden turn in events. "The…hell?" he said slowly as a hand went up to cover the bullet-sized hole in his chest. Whatever it had been, it was too slow to actually be a bullet, so that was a good thing.
"-Wa ha ha ha ha! For you!-" the doll cried out happily in its mechanical voice. "-Wa ha ha ha!-"
"…You… damn doll!" gasped Gojyo as he swayed too far forward and fell to the ground.
"Gojyo!" Hakkai shouted in shock.
"Hey, Hakkai!" called Goku's voice. "What happened?" Sure enough, when Hakkai turned, there stood Goku, Sanzo, and Roxanna coming through the underbrush into the clearing. They had been woken by all the shouting and had come to investigate.
"Sanzo!" cried out Hakkai in relief, hating the feeling of helplessness. "I think he's—"
He was cut off by a sudden jerk in Gojyo's body, the kappa's eyes flying wide in pain. As the group gathered near, they were horrified by what they saw.
"Wha? Ew!" Goku said pretty accurately. "What's that gross stuff on 'im?!"
"What's happening to his veins?!" gagged an equally horrified Roxanna.
Indeed, his veins were bulging all over his body where they could see skin and none had any doubts that they spread all over the rest of his body.
"S-son of a…" gasped Gojyo, twitching in pain before grabbing his head as he screamed bloody murder. "Shit!" he grated out, after the spasm had passed. "Something's moving in me! It's in my goddamn blood!"
"What exactly was he shot with?" demanded Sanzo, looking to Hakkai for answers.
"Gojyo!" exclaimed the two youngest at the same time.
"It can't be," Hakkai said in a disbelieving tone. "It's almost as if something were planted—"
He was cut off by the doll. "-A seed, Cho Gonou.-" They all looked, startled by the unknown voice. "-I planted a seed in his body. If you wait, it will suck all his blood and spread roots!-" The words were disgustingly ominous.
"What th' heck is that?! A creepy demon baby!" said a seriously freaked Goku even as Roxanna jumped on him to get off the ground.
"I hate puppets!" she spazed even as Goku began to balance her weight. "They're possessed freakshows!"
"It's from Chin Yisou," Hakkai said, worried and sickened.
"Him again?" snarled a disgusted Sanzo.
"-Ah,-" the doll said as if remembering something. "-You must hurry. If you don't kill the seed, your friend will become just another tree in the forest. Or would you rather leave him and help the environment? Wa ha ha ha!-"
By this point, Goku had knocked Roxanna off of him and they both were trying to hide behind Sanzo, equally freaked looks on their faces.
"-Yes, I'll tell you right now. The seed is planted by his heart.-"
"…Bastard," Sanzo snarled, seriously pissed. "If you've got a demand, let's hear it."
"-Wa ha ha ha!-" cackled the possessed toy as both teenagers flinched behind Sanzo. "-Wa ha ha ha ha! This is so much fun, Cho Gonou! Why don't you come join our side? Wa ha ha ha ha!-"
Ka-BLAM!
A single gunshot rang through the air as the doll's head shattered. Sanzo shook the two teenagers off of him, clearly annoyed… not to mention highly disturbed by what the doll had said.
"Sanzo…" murmured Hakkai, not sure whether or not the actions of the priest had been highly unwarranted. Sanzo remained silent for a moment as he raised his gun away from the puppet.
"So, he's a hobby man…" mused Sanzo as he ground a piece of the china into the dirt. "…Besides being a perverted psycho." He turned to the group. "Goku, Roxanna. Hold Gojyo's arms back."
"Huh? Uh, okay," Goku said, confused but doing as told. Roxanna bit her lip for a brief second before also bracing herself against Gojyo's arms. The two each took an arm and pinned them above his head. Roxanna tried not to feel the unnaturally hard, bulging veins beneath her hands.
"Listen up, Chin Yisou!" Genjyo Sanzo shouted into the darkness. "If this is what you want, you got it!" He cocked his gun and pointed it straight at Gojyo's pained form.
"Sanzo!" Goku shouted in obvious confusion as Roxanna watched him in horror and Hakkai reflexively started. "What the heck're you doing?!"
"Wait!" protested Hakkai, putting a restraining hand on Sanzo's shoulder. "The target's too small—You'll never hit it! And even if you did, the shock to his heart—"
"Hakkai," Sanzo said firmly, overriding the green-eyed youkai. "After I shoot, move in to heal him." He looked at the two teens. "Don't let go, you two," he ordered.
"Ack!" yelped Goku even as Roxanna exclaimed, "Are you serious?!"
"I won't miss. If he dies, it's because his heart couldn't hack it," Sanzo said in an assured manner.
"Stupid…" gasped Gojyo in visible anger even though he was in even more obvious pain, "Arrogant… Dick. You couldn't kill me if you tried."
"Keep talking if you want to bite your tongue off," Sanzo said, no emotion to his voice. He had a task. And that was to shoot a small, hard to hit target in a single, well-aimed shot. And not kill the idiot it was in. Sanzo pulled the trigger, firing one 10 mm bullet straight into Gojyo's chest, the kappa spitting blood even as he bucked against the ground, Goku, and Roxanna. Immediately, whatever plant that had been growing into him died and he fainted from the pain.
"Gojyo!" yelped Roxanna, wiping the spatters of blood from her face, leaving faint red streaks. Hakkai was already moving in, his hands glowing with the chi focused into them. Sanzo grunted as he watched with well-disguised worry.
"…I've closed the wound," Hakkai said. "He's unconscious, but alive," he assured them.
"Phew!" breathed Goku in a sigh of relief. "That was bad for my heart! Jeez!" Hakkai hovered over his still friend's body for a moment before abruptly standing.
"This is my fault," he said firmly.
"Huh?" Goku said, turning.
"Chin Yisou is clearly after me."
"Don't start, Hakkai," Sanzo said with a frown.
"But Sanzo!" protested Hakkai, turning to look at the man he respected.
"Just calm down," shouted Sanzo as he grabbed Hakkai by the front of the shirt to shake some sense into him. "Loosing your senses is exactly what he wants."
A second later, Hakkai collapsed and Sanzo caught his suddenly falling body. "Hakkai? Hey!" shouted the startled Sanzo. He turned to Goku and Roxanna, both standing shocked. "Go get water, you two!" he snarled.
"Yessir!" "Got it!" That was their replies.
The two turned and darted to where the Jeep was. Of course, it took a bit longer than it should have because both got slightly turned around in the dark forest. Roxanna stared at the vehicle. "Jiipu!"
"There ya are," Goku said in obvious relief. "With all these trees, my sense of direction's whack."
Roxanna gave him a funny look. "I think I noticed when I decided to follow you back."
The two started hunting for the water bottle, Goku calling for it like it would actually come, oblivious to the dark figure residing in the tree above their heads. "Hey! There you are!" chirruped the monkey as he pulled it out, Roxanna incidentally holding the strap. He grinned at Roxanna. "Looks like we both found it!"
Roxanna rolled her eyes, though she grinned too. "Now, let's go back to the guys, k?"
Chin Yisou at that point decided to strike. Leaping down, he scared both of them to jumping away from each other. Roxanna ran to the woods, fearing the strange man that seemed to have a gigantic grudge against Hakkai or Gonou or whatever he had called him.
Goku ran the opposite way when it was clear that the fortune teller was after him. He didn't want Ana-chan hurt by him. That, and he was terrified. The smell coming off that thing was that of a corpse. As Goku ran through the forest, he realized a moment too late that there was nowhere else to run and fell down the cliff that suddenly wasn't under his feet anymore. Tumbling down the rough cliff face, he lost consciousness as he hit a ledge protruding out. Luckily, the loss of consciousness didn't allow him to directly feel the sharp snap that was his femur breaking in two.
At the top of the cliff, Yisou smirked. It seemed that one more of Cho Gonou's little friends have suffered. Now for the girl. This was so much fun. The strange demon went in search of the youngest member of the Sanzo party and found her wandering around and looking for any familiar face. And what better way to damage a girl than to…
He grinned at the thought and appeared before her, earning a startled shout. Roxanna looked up at him in horror as she turned and tried to run. However, he caught her wrist and pushed her against a tree. "Remember, girl. This is because your friend is a murderer," he whispered silkily in her ear before proceeding to touch her in places that she really wished he wasn't. His clawed hand that wasn't gripping her wrist was at her breast even as he pressed his body against hers. It was disgusting. She really started struggling when that hand of his slid down between…
"Lemme go!" she shouted, fighting and beating on him with her free hand, but he was far too strong. She let out a strangled yell, momentarily closing her eyes, and suddenly there was a sharp ker-SNAP sound and the acrid smell of burning flesh.
"Well, isn't this unexpected?" mused a slightly toasted Chin Yisou half a meter away. Roxanna stared at him in horror once she opened her eyes. He wasn't in pain… what was he?! "Hm… I suppose we can continue this later, hm?" The sick grin on his face was enough to make Roxanna shudder. She slid around the tree and bolted away from him like a bat out of hell. There was no way on God's green earth that she'd let him 'continue this later' as he so horribly said. Never had she had that happen to her. Never would she let it happen again.
When she felt that she was far enough, Roxanna collapsed against a tree trunk and began to cry. This was just wrong. So very, very wrong. After a long moment, she stood and began to try and find the others again. There, she could be weak and not worry about getting killed by the freakish demon.
Back with Sanzo, Gojyo, and Hakkai, they were taking a smoke break waiting for the two youngest in their party to return. The fog wasn't helping at all, sadly, so there was nothing more they could really do other than sit tight.
A rustling noise caught Gojyo's attention. "Huh?" he murmured before catching Sanzo's attention. "Oi, look! Is that…"
Sure enough, Goku came out of the brush with a wide smile. "Hey! I found ya, I found ya!" he chirruped as he came closer.
"Goku!" both men shouted in relief.
"Man, I thought you guys woulda left me by now!"
Gojyo caught him in a headlock and proceeded to give him a noogie. "Where the hell were you, turd? And where's Ana-chan?"
"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" exclaimed Goku as he tried to get the kappa off. "I j-just got the water and got lost. Ana-chan an' me got separated. Leggo!"
"Stupid monkey. Why do we bother? And why didn't you look for Ana-chan?"
"Chin Yisou didn't find you? False alarm, then," Sanzo said with a distinctly uneasy look on his face even as Hakkai emerged from the shallow cave fully dressed.
"Goku!" he exclaimed in relief, seeing the younger man. "Thank goodness," sighed Hakkai, touching Goku on the shoulders to make sure he was real. "Please don't worry me like that again." He looked around even as Goku responded and Sanzo watched the two interact.
"Uh, okay. Sorry."
"Where's Roxanna-dono?" asked Hakkai, not seeing their female companion. But before Goku could respond…
"…Hey," interrupted Sanzo, his suspicions seeming to have been confirmed. "Where's Jeep?"
"Huh?" said the easily distracted Goku. "I dunno. Haven't seen 'im," the chimp said in a nonchalant tone. "When the fog clears, he'll prolly come back. Let's get the heck outta here." He began to walk away.
But Sanzo stopped him again. "…Goku."
"Yeah?" asked the chimp only to freeze when he was looking down the barrel of Sanzo's Smith & Wesson. "Wha…"
The gun gave a small sound as Gojyo and Hakkai watched in silence. They, too, realized the problem the moment Sanzo had leveled his gun. "You're not him," Sanzo said quietly. "I know the monkey who called me."
The chimp became increasingly more upset. "Wh-What're you doin', Sanzo? Quit jokin' around! It's me, Sanzo! Me!"
Sanzo looked down on the fake, anger burning in his eyes along with a promise of death. "And one more thing," the priest said in a very calm voice as he pressed the barrel to the fake's forehead. "The only one who can use my name so cavalierly…" He pulled the trigger, firing a bullet into the skull, instantly killing the fake. "…Is the real stupid monkey." The fake collapsed to the ground in a heap, blood spilling out right before it began to crumble to dust, leaving only a mahjong tile in its wake.
That was it. They were pissed. "Drag your ass out here, Chin Yisou," Gojyo catcalled. "Sanzo-sama's pissed and wants a talky." Hakkai looked out into the fog, trying to perceive where the demon was.
"That was very well done," Yisou's voice said suddenly out of the mist, bringing their attention to him. "I've underestimated you." Sure enough, the fog cleared and there sat the corpse on a rock. "Always a pleasure," he said with a grin, though it was marred by the burns on his face. Hakkai stared at him with barely concealed anger. "That doll was a fine one. A shame, really. How did you ever figure it out?" mused Yisou.
"You fell short on your homework, pal," Gojyo said flippantly as Sanzo raised his gun. "Goku never says anything without first whining for food."
"Ah, tricky, tricky," chuckled Yisou, one sleeve sliding back as he raised his arm to reveal a slightly burnt hand so he could rest that hand against his cheek.
As if on cue, down a cliff some distance away, a certain monkey was climbing with a dragon hovering nearby. "I want food! Man, this sucks."
Hakkai slipped into dark remembrances of the past before being suddenly awoken again by the sound of a gunshot. Startled by how he seemed to be loosing it, Hakkai murmured a 'huh?' as he stared at Sanzo's smoking gun. And there was a smoking hole near the rock where Yisou was sitting.
"Goku. Roxanna. Where are they?" demanded Sanzo. "The next one won't miss."
A slight rustling sound was heard and they all looked to one side to see Roxanna emerge from the bushes, looking tired and terribly upset. The look vanished the moment her eyes fell on Chin Yisou and she bolted behind Gojyo, as he was closest to her, barely keeping from screaming out the moment she saw him. They didn't get a chance to ask her if she was okay or if she had seen Goku for Yisou responded.
"Ah," Chin Yisou said slowly as if pondering it over. "Well there is one, but what do you think happened to the other? Is he wandering around in the fog, perhaps?" He grinned maliciously. "Or residing in the belly of a bear instead?" Sanzo shot at him, missing as the freakshow jumped out of the way. "Hoo hoo hoo. Short tempered, are we?" teased Yisou with a snap of his fingers. "Perhaps you're not eating a balanced diet?"
They looked down when they felt something wriggling and moving on their legs and climbing upwards. "What the hell?!" demanded Gojyo in complete shock as he stared at the thick masses of centipedes climbing up his body as Roxanna froze, really wishing this was some nightmare as she murmured over and over 'Oh, my god. Oh, my god.' Her eyes wide with horror. Sanzo also froze for a moment, not wanting to incur a bite, his face twisted into a disgusted grimace. Hakkai was clutching at his own arms, shaking badly.
"Tch! Where are they coming from?" the priest snarled, trying to knock some of the bugs off.
"Hyakugan Maoh was a centipede youkai." They all looked to Yisou who had suddenly spoken in a very calm, almost conversational tone. "Centipedes capture insects with the venom in their chins, yes?" he asked rhetorically. "You'd best hurry to escape. I'm afraid so many bites may jeopardize your lives."
A startled shout of 'Hakkai!' came from several throats at once when Hakkai's knees buckled and he slumped down to somewhat crouch on the ground, the centipedes working their way up fast as if knowing his peril.
"Do you not yet hate me enough?" asked Chin Yisou as he stepped on his 'friends' to come up to Hakkai. One clawed hand came forward and cupped Hakkai's chin to force him to look the demon straight in the face. "Well," breathed the youkai as he looked at Hakkai with malicious intent. "Look very carefully." He slowly stood, forcing Hakkai to half-stand even though his body was two-thirds covered by the poisonous bugs. "This is the son of the centipede monster…" He grinned in a self satisfied manner. "…Who raped and impregnated your precious sister."
Hakkai's eyes widened before he gained enough courage to break free from the centipedes to lash out at Yisou. He missed, only earning a soft and decidedly amused 'oh, my' from the demon's lips before he was elbowed in the gut. The youkai slayer hacked as his breath left him and before he could even recover, Yisou knocked him down and pinned him.
"Hakkai!" shouted Gojyo even though he was still covered in the centipedes. "Leave him alone!"
But it did little good as Yisou didn't care about the others. Hakkai glared up at him with a dark look, wishing that he was free even as he struggled against the grip. "Ah, there we are," he said in a tone of someone having found an elusive prized item. "Your face is changing nicely." He ground his head into the dirt. "I don't know if you plan to atone for those innocent lives you stole. It's not really that I hate your gallant hypocrisy, you know. But rather…" The sadistic side in the demon came out at that point as Hakkai's eyes lost what little warmth they had. "It's your foolishness and murderous intent that will fill my heart as I wish."
Roxanna had watched every big of the proceedings, the energy welling up in her to help her friend. She didn't know what Hakkai had done in his past, nor did she really care what he did. All she knew was that he was a good man now and every person deserved a second chance. Besides, these bugs were freaking her the hell out and she had enough electricity to become a Roxanna-shaped bug zapper. Her energy continued to build, forcing some of the bugs off, but it was Sanzo that stopped the three-ring circus from continuing with a few choice words.
"Shut the hell up. Your ranting is painful," Sanzo stated 'calmly' in a vastly irritated tone. "Of the three things I hate most in this world, you've already managed two."
"Oh?" asked Yisou, his curiosity peaked. "And what are those?"
Wordlessly, Sanzo activated his sutra, the paper swirling around them all, banishing the insects and forcing Yisou back. "Perverts and insects," Sanzo stated flatly as Yisou tried to shield his shifty eyes with a wrist.
But before Chin Yisou could obtain any sort of advantage again, a thin crescent-shaped blade on a long, seemingly endless chain sliced in between the holy scripture's coils and straight through the perverted psycho's arm, cutting it completely off. The startled demon grasped at his arm as the blood spurted forth, a grimace on his features. The useless arm flopped on the ground at his feet.
"Eeww," Roxanna said as she eyed the dismembered body part. "Naaastyyyy." She drew out the vowels as she grimaced herself, one hand going close enough to the rest of her body to create an arc of energy. "Erk!" she yipped in surprise as the electricity snapped.
"Hunh," Gojyo said as the chain retracted and the blade of Shakujou met the staff part in Gojyo's hand. "Lookit that. It's been a while since I sliced something up. It feels so, so nice to unwind," the kappa said with a sneer and quite the dirty look. "I've been such a good boy lately."
Roxanna gave him a severely disgusted look. "Ew. Pervert." The hanyou grinned lecherously at her and her reaction. "Seriously. I do not want to hear about your goddamn conquests. Especially first or second hand and certainly not third person."
"Aw, Ana-chan!" Roxanna just huffed and put her hands on her hips, the electricity snapping and crackling where they connected for she hadn't discharged completely.
"…Hey," Sanzo said, drawing their attention. "You all right, Hakkai?" The green-eyed demon was staring at the ground with wide eyes and didn't even twitch.
"Hakkai?" asked Roxanna when she saw him not even responding.
"Oi! Snap out of it, dammit!" said an incredibly upset Gojyo as he seized his best friend by the shoulders and shook him. "Listen to me!" he persisted. "You're Cho Hakkai! Got it?" The incredibly confused man covered his left eye.
"I-I'm all right," he said slowly, even though it was evident he wasn't. "I'm s-sorr—"
"Gojyo, watch it!" shouted Sanzo in warning.
But by the time Gojyo had received the warning, it was a tad too late once again. Yisou, it seemed, wasn't down for the count and gripped the half-youkai's head and pulled it back, his nails beginning to bite in. "Wha…!" managed a startled Gojyo.
"Gojyo!" cried out a panicked Roxanna, followed by an echoing cry from Hakkai's lips.
But suddenly, Yisou was forced to let go as a tiny white and very persistent dragon began attacking him, driving him off a tiny ways.
"Jeep?!" Hakkai said in wonder as they all eyed their transportation in wonder and shock. Yisou had enough of the interfering animal and swiped at him, but Hakuryuu nimbly dodged the speeding claws.
"You guys okay?" Goku asked, coming out of the bushes, startling them all.
"Goku!" Roxanna said, running over to him. Her relief at him being okay and in one piece was great.
He laughed with a grimace. "Sorry I took so long," he apologized as Ana-chan was fretting over him.
"Rrgh!" growled Gojyo, forgetting Yisou for a moment as he opted to kick the shit out of the imp. "Way to be late, you little shit!"
"I couldn't help it!" protested Goku, shielding his head from the attack. "My leg's broke! An' it hurts!" Roxanna looked at the appendage. Indeed, there was a dark red stain of blood on his pant leg. She knelt down to examine it as Goku actually flopped down to the ground. "Man," whined Goku as his stomach sent out a long, thin whine. "I'm so hungry I could eat a building. Today really blows."
"…It's him," Gojyo said with a smirk.
"That's Goku, all right," laughed Hakkai even as Hakuryuu checked his master for painful injuries. Ana-chan gave them a peculiar look, as if to ask what the hell they were talking about.
"Um… What are you tal--?"
She was cut off when Sanzo said a single, terse word. "…Goku."
"Huh?" the called chimp. He looked at Sanzo right before.
SMACK!
"You brainless ape!" snarled out Sanzo as he smacked Goku harshly upside the back of his head.
"Gyah!" cried out the Monkey King in pain before gripping the sore area with his hands. "What was that for?" he screamed at Sanzo.
"All is well," Sanzo said, suddenly much calmer.
"All's not well, ya violent droop!"
"You okay?" asked Roxanna, shocked by Sanzo's actions even though Goku's leg was broken. Apparently they didn't think that one could walk on a broken leg…
"Ggrr," growled the slightly older teenager as he rubbed the spot and glared at Sanzo's back.
"You could just tell him you're relieved," teased Gojyo. "But this's cuter. Heh heh." He didn't want to admit himself how relieved he was that Goku and Ana-chan both were safe.
Their attention was brought back to the situation at hand, however, when Yisou picked up his arm in an almost nonchalant manner. "Aaah… A clean slice, that," he said.
Gojyo was the one that broke the terse silence that followed, though every person was clearly unsettled by the actions of the strange demon… "Wait. Doesn't that… uh… hurt?"
"Oh, yes. Yes," affirmed Yisou, tossing aside the useless appendage, blood splattering slightly as he did so. "But when I watch all of your childish tomfoolery…" He lifted a hand covered with his own blood. "I get such chills that I forget about the pain."
"So the pervert shows his colors," Sanzo said in a flat, disgusted tone as all the members of the Sanzo-Ikkou stared at him with cold, disgusted eyes. Roxanna, well… she was somewhat sidling behind Gojyo once again. No way. He had acted as though he weren't in as much pain when she electrocuted him as well…
"Um, Sanzo?" Goku garnered Sanzo's attention. "There's somethin' weird about that guy," the little chimp said. "I can smell 'im." The seriousness in his tone kept those around him from interrupting as he stared at Yisou. "An' it's like he isn't livin' at all."
It drew a highly startled look from Hakkai even as Roxanna gagged in her horror.
"What do you mean?" demanded Sanzo.
"Well, I dunno," Goku persisted. "But it's nuts to be fine when your arm's chopped off!"
"Hang on a sec," cut in Gojyo, his mouth in a hard frown in his confusion. "What're you saying? He's not… a ghost or something, is he?"
Roxanna paled to a shade almost as white as Yisou himself as she stared at him in terror. "Y'mean I almost got raped by a zombie?!" she squealed. Yisou chuckled as the men sans a spazing Hakkai gained a chill air about them.
Gojyo was of the belief that if a woman wasn't willing, you shouldn't force her. And his best friend was having major emotional problems thanks to this freaky psychotic asshole. Not to mention he got shot by a freaky ass seed that nearly killed him right before he got shot again to save his life.
Goku, in his idealistic view on the world, was upset that anyone would do such horrible things to anyone. He didn't care as much that he had been thrown down a cliff and had his leg broken by the demonic zombie, but when it came to his friends, come hell or high water he would defend them to the end. And Chin Yisou had hurt Hakkai, Gojyo, and Ana.
Sanzo was disgusted by the youkai's perversion and the lengths he was going through to break Hakkai. He was also disgusted that he would know exactly what buttons to push in order to get the best reactions from the group. Though Gojyo was annoying, he didn't deserve death. Though Goku was close to them, he couldn't be imitated properly. Though Roxanna was the weakest in their group, she shouldn't have been molested. And though Hakkai was not innocent of the crimes Yisou spoke of, he didn't deserve what Yisou was doing.
As their anger built, Yisou decided to speak. Probably not the brightest of ideas, but who can accuse a corpse of being anything but brain dead? "Well, now. Shall we end the idle chatter here?" He paused for a moment before smirking. "I've been thinking you know. I wonder just what will make Cho Gonou happy."
At the mention of his old name, Hakkai looked at the corpse with hate and wonder, knowing that he had killed this monster of his past.
"It's quite simple, yes?" pressed Chin Yisou in an almost teacher-like tone as he raised a single clawed digit as though emphasizing a point. "Tormenting his friends is the most efficient path."
"Hey!" a pissed Goku cut in, his golden eyes burning with his anger. "You're a scummy lil' rat, y'know that?"
"Hm hm hm," Yisou laughed darkly as he readied the mahjong point counters he seemed to favor. "What delicious praise." With that, he snapped his hand and sent the little sticks flying. They passed a startled Gojyo and slightly nicked Roxanna who hadn't moved out of the way in time to land at Goku's feet. "The young man with red hair… little golden eyes… and the little lady," the demon said conversationally. "We've already had our fun. So my next dear playmate…"
The flying projectiles were once again thrown only to be caught almost absently by Sanzo between his right hand's fingers. The priest loosened his grip and the useless pins fell to the floor of the forest.
"I'm at the end of the loyal lineup," said a rather pleased corpse as he licked his lips with a long, pointed tongue.
"I'd like to see you try," snarled a flat-eyed Sanzo in response.
is a popular 'ghost story' invented by a young lady. It is about a man known as Dr. Frankenstein and his rather unorthodox creation dubbed 'Frankenstein's monster'.
MANGA CHAPTERS COMPLETED:
Volume 4: Chapter 18: Revenge Tragedy
Volume 4: Chapter 19: Misty
Volume 4: Chapter 20: Wandering Destiny
Review, please!
