Mission Nine
Queen of Hearts
"…And then the other night the miscreants even broke in here and made off with some important pieces from the treasury storage. They killed an acolyte and injured twelve others..."
I sucked my cigarette and stared out the window, barely listening to what Sanzo was telling us. It was the middle of summer now, and I was freaking hot; walking to Keiun temple had sucked, and going back would suck, and recovering lost treasure from a group of thieves would take the ass-sucking cake.
Sanzo kept talking, and I glanced around the room at the others. Hakkai was looking right at Sanzo, half-smiling, nodding occasionally. He didn't look like he was taking Sanzo's 'big emergency' all that seriously, but if I were him, I guess I wouldn't either. Not that I was going to take it seriously, I just had different reasons. He folded his arms and said 'I see', with that indulgent, humoring tone.
Goku was sprawled on the floor a couple feet away from me, scribbling something on a piece of tattered paper. He was humming and grinning and enjoying the hell out of himself. Sanzo's big emergency wasn't his problem. He'd probably slept right through the raid.
I leaned over to see what he was doing, just out of pure boredom, assuming it was homework or some shit Hakkai had brought him.
The little punk looked like he was drawing of all things. With a snort and a grin, I leaned over and snatched the paper from him, "Oo, leme' see."
"Hey! Give it back, assface!"
I let the insult slide off and looked the drawing over. It was crudely done, in colored pencils, but it looked like he didn't have a very wide palette, since everything was more or less the same color, and some of it was a little difficult to make sense of, but I gathered that it was pretty much a splash page of all his favorite foods: beef and chicken, and noodles, fish, fruit, and pretty much everything else he'd ever eaten.
"Ugh. You're totally obsessed, aren't you?"
Goku was on his feet now. He made a grab for the paper, "Give it back, Gojyo!"
Grinning all the more widely, I lifted his drawing high above my head, "No way. I'm still lookin' at it."
"Are not! You're just makin' fun of me."
"Quit bein' such a baby about it. I just wanna' see."
"Give it back, asshole!" He was jumping for it now. Too bad I was still like a million heads taller than him.
I grabbed him by the forehead, holding him back at arm's length and laughing as he swung his arms and growled and made pathetic, empty threats about what he'd do if I didn't give him back his food drawing.
Someone cleared their throat, and I looked up to see Sanzo and Hakkai frowning at me.
"In case you forgot, I'm still talking here, Kappa; would it kill you to pay attention for once?"
"Sorry. Thought you were finished."
"Well I wasn't. If your idiot brain can't grasp what I'm telling you maybe it needs a wake up call."
"No thanks." I dropped the paper back into Goku's hands, just as Hakkai was opening his mouth to say something along the lines of 'now, now, Gojyo. Please don't tease Goku.' I tousled the kid's hair, "Keep practicin', shrimpy."
"Jerk." He punched me lightly in the arm and slunk away.
"As I was saying." Sanzo went on, leveling a murderous look on me, "This has been going on for two weeks now, so I highly doubt the marauders are going to pack up and go away of their own free will, which is why I called you two here."
"Five counts of vandalism, three counts of theft, one count of murder, eight counts of disturbing the peace. Sounds pretty typical, boss. Want us to bring 'em all back in good shape or in pieces?"
Sanzo glared at me, "It's not as simple as you think, jackass. If you'd been paying attention you'd know that."
"What's the big deal? We've dealt with shitheads like this before."
"Yes, but it sounds to me like this group is considerably larger than anything we've encountered in the past." Hakkai spoke up. "As for the actions themselves, they're unnaturally random. I mean, carrying off livestock from the surrounding farms and villages? Running through the streets vandalizing public property and disrupting the peace? It's so sporadic, it could be that they have some sort of ulterior motive we're unaware of as of yet."
"Exactly." Sanzo agreed, giving me a dirty look, like he wanted to say 'at least one of you listens to me. "Also, according to how close together these events have taken place, I would say it's not impossible that there are two different groups cooperating with each other."
"Or perhaps one very large group that has split up, for some reason."
"That could be too."
"Still sounds typical to me." I muttered under my breath. They both ignored me, and I went back to smoking and looking out the window.
"Sanzo, do you have any idea of what the motive for these actions might be?"
Sanzo was quiet long enough that I eventually looked over at him to see what he was doing. He spoke slowly, "I thought…the way everything is going, it could be that they're purposely trying to get my attention."
Hakkai and I exchanged looks. "What in the world would they want your attention for?"
"I don't know." He shrugged, "I don't have any evidence that would suggest that's what they're doing. It was just a thought I had."
"Whatever they want, we'll clean it up before they get around to it." I said easily. I wasn't worried about this. Why should I be? We'd dealt with so much crap over the last year and a half, what was one more little gang, coming into our turf and looking for trouble?
"Don't get cocky." Sanzo growled, but it sounded almost like a warning. "This is not your usual case of gang activity, got it? I'm not sure what it is, but I have a feeling there's something else going on."
"Like what?" Goku asked, before I got a chance to. He was sitting up on his knees now, paying close attention to what we were saying, and his eyes were shining with the slightest indication of fear; he'd probably gotten all worried when he heard Sanzo say they might be trying to get his attention.
"Who knows? But." Sanzo looked right at me again, "It would be stupid not to consider every option."
"We appreciate the advice, Sanzo." Hakkai said with a smile, and I wasn't totally sure if he was serious or if he was being a smart ass, "We'll do our best to have this situation resolved as quickly as possible."
A brief, "Hn" was the closest thing we got to a thank-you or any sort of recognition, and then Sanzo sat back in his chair, fanning himself. Hakkai asked a few more questions to nail down the details of what we were up against and where we could start, and then we made our exit.
I ruffled Goku's hair again on the way out, "Keep up the good work, monkey."
"Don't call me monkey!" He chucked a colored pencil at me and it barely missed taking my eye out.
Laughing to myself, I followed Hakkai outside, where an unbearable wave of heat and humidity hit me like a wall. "Damn. It's frickin' hot today."
"Mm, yes. I think we may be breaking a record."
"Shit. I like the summer as much as the next guy, but this is too much." We started walking back through the trees, and I heard cicadas and all kinds of other insects buzzing, along with the varying calls of birds. Everything seemed to be bitching about the heat.
"Well, what do you think?" Hakkai asked after a moment or two.
"About Sanzo's 'big emergency'?"
"What else?"
"Pft. Can't believe we rushed all the way up here for that: it's totally routine."
"Hm. Yes, a little too routine if you ask me. As a matter of fact, it's so commonplace, it's almost…gaudy."
"Dunno' about that."
He looked at me, giving me a slightly more serious expression than he'd shown Sanzo, "As Sanzo said, it's almost as if they're doing all of this to get attention. After all, whoever's responsible has put on two displays of anti-social behavior every other night for the last two weeks—one here in Chang'an, and one in Nianzu village—as if they'd like to get caught; and the nature of their crimes, apart from the murder they committed in Keiun temple, is usually so petty…it hardly seems worth it. In fact, the Three Aspects likely would have ignored it if it hadn't been going on for so long, I think."
"Right, so two groups of punks running around causing minor damage for attention. Couldn't it just be a bunch of stupid kids?"
"Unlikely. Local authorities would have put an end to it by now if it were."
"So what'dya' wanna' do about it?"
"Well, I'm not sure if it's wise to split up, but it may be our best chance at clearing this up in a timely fashion, don't you agree?"
"I guess so."
"In that case, why don't you go over to Nianzu and I will remain here in Chang'an."
"Gonna' make me do all the walking in this heat, eh?"
Hakkai smiled again, but it was less than apologetic, "Keep in mind, Sanzo said the most recent incident took place last night, and as long as they continue to follow their previous pattern, there shouldn't be any trouble tonight; I suggest we do a routine investigation for starters, see if we can find any information from the locals concerning who might be behind all this, and, if possible, look for some type of hideout or headquarters they might be using."
"Geez, sounds like a lotta' work." I wiped some sweat off my forehead.
"Stop complaining. The sooner we look into this, the sooner we can have it over and done with."
"Who's complaining? I just wish it weren't so hot."
"That's a complaint. Now remember, if you do find some sort of headquarters over there, don't decide you want to get it all over with in one fell swoop and infiltrate the place on your own. We'll convene back home, share what we learned, and discuss a plan of action for tomorrow night."
"Right, right. Don't go bustin' in like an idiot."
"It would be for the best to go entirely undetected."
"Don't let anybody see you. Got it."
Hakkai gave me a skeptical look, "Sometimes, when you talk that way, I'm not entirely sure I can trust what you're saying."
"You want the straight up 'I won't, Hakkai'?"
"It's a bit more convincing at least."
"I'm not gonna' do anything stupid; have a little faith."
"Of course, I'm worrying for nothing, aren't I?"
"No sweat, pal. See you at home."
From there we split up, and I got on my way toward the other village.
Nianzu village was a good hour and a half way from our town, and I thought it was sort of a random place for a bunch of thugs to decide to attack. It was small, inhabited mostly by farmers, primitive, and over all, just not the kind of place most people looked twice at. There was nothing of value or interest there.
When I walked into town, everyone stared at me. I didn't know if it was because I was dressed differently than them, or if it was because I was unfamiliar in general. I figured they were leery of anyone new these days, with the random crime spree, so I tried to act casual and kept my eyes open for any cute farm girls, whistling a little as I went. Aside from the heat, it was a pretty nice day to be out and about, and I decided to take my time with the official business on my plate.
Here and there I asked people about what had been going on, doing my best to stay non-specific—I wanted to come across as a nosey traveler, not a detective—but no one wanted to talk about it. Most of them played dumb, or got angry and told me to be on my way, so I played it cool a while and talked to some girls; none of them were very welcoming either. The few that did smile and make some effort to flirt back where joined suddenly by a guy—a jealous boyfriend or a concerned father or whatever—and pulled away in a hurry.
The whole thing got pretty boring really fast, but it hardly mattered: the town was small enough that I'd done as much investigating as I could in a little over an hour, and I still hadn't learned a thing. For the most part, anyone I came across who was willing to discuss it with me wanted to bitch about it and tell me their personal hardships. It didn't do me any good, and I assumed it just meant nobody knew anything about where the gang might be hiding.
At last I decided to step into the bar. The town only had one, and if by some off-chance a few members of a gang might be hanging around, it would probably be at the bar. More than anything else though, I just wanted a drink.
The place was practically deserted, which didn't help my cause much. Just a few drunks sitting around a table playing some cards and an old dude passed out at the bar. The bartender looked pretty bored, just polishing away at the counter, like he didn't have so much as a glass to wash, and he was quick to greet me when I walked in. He had a friendly face and a warm voice, sort of like a grown up Goku, I thought.
I gave him a grin and sat down, "Hiya' pops. How about a beer?"
He slid the bottle my way, considered me a moment, "Pops, huh? Must be getting' old if kids're gonna' start calling me that."
"Hey, if you think I'm a kid, you're already old." I smiled to show I didn't mean any offense.
He seemed to get the picture all right. "Heh. I never seen you around here before. New in town?"
"Just passing through."
"Ah, yeah. We've had a lotta' strange people around here lately." He smiled, like he was joking around, but I noticed that a veil of wariness entered his gaze. Whether or not this gang Sanzo had us after was doing petty bullshit, they definitely had this town scared, and dressing like some city slicker wasn't buying me any points.
"Heard about it." I took a steady slug off the bottle, trying to decide what my next move might be. I didn't see how I could get anymore information, especially if people didn't feel like trusting me, and by now it was way too late to go dress up like a hick and come back. Oh well. Maybe Hakkai would have better luck. "What's with that anyway?"
"Beats me, son. I just run the bar."
"So you haven't seen any weirdos running around?"
"Besides you? Eh, one or two, but nobody all that suspicious. These days, we do best to keep our eyes peeled, no matter what."
"Hm." I pondered that as I drank my beer, and he went back to polishing the bar. So a couple out of place guys had passed through and had a drink at least, and even if they had to do with the gang activity, they'd be long gone, if they were smart. I wondered where they were all holed up. If they came around every other day, they must have had some sort of camp close by. It might be worth it to take a look around in the surrounding area.
The bartender paced up and down the bar once or twice, checked on the passed out guy, and then went to wait on the guys playing cards across the room. I thought about heading that way myself, but Hakkai would be pretty disappointed with me if I got all side-tracked with gambling and got home late, especially since he was guaranteed to stay a hundred percent on track.
Such a weird guy. I'd never met anyone so damn meticulous before, and he went about it in this way that made me feel like he was determined to be responsible for everything around him to, whether it was something he'd done or something someone else had screwed up.
Hell. I suddenly realized the last thing I wanted to do was even slightly miff Hakkai. I hated that scary face of his. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how that pleasant smile could turn to a death stare so quickly. I think it even scared Sanzo, not that he'd ever admit it.
I took one last gulp from my beer and got up to go, was digging through my pockets for money when the bartender returned, looking slightly confused and a little less warm.
"Excuse me, sir. There's a gentleman who'd like to have a word with you."
It was strange—the last thing I was expecting—not at all like having a chick sending me a drink, so I did a double take of his face, just to make sure he was talking to me. "What's he want?"
"He wouldn't say. He asked if I would send you over…that was all."
I turned to take a look around the room, feeling pretty confused myself, and all but forgetting about my bill. There were still the guys at the table, but they were all ignoring me; the dude at the bar hadn't so much as snorted since I came in. Who in the hell…?
Then I noticed him. He was way in the back, where the lights were pretty low, so I hadn't seen him when I first surveyed the place. From the stiff, militant way he sat, I could see he was serious—not a homo looking to get into my pants or anything—and even though I couldn't see his face past the shadows, I knew he was staring right at me. When I finally looked at him, he raised his hand to give a short, jerking wave, indicating for me to come over.
"Weird." I slapped my money down on the bar, "Thanks for the drink, pops." Then I sauntered over to Mr. Spooky, starting another cigarette as I went. Whatever the creep wanted, I didn't have a lot of time to screw around with him, so I'd have to make this quick and be on my way. Outside, the sun was already starting to set.
I approached casually, not letting on that he had me a little unnerved, and stood behind the chair across from him. I still couldn't quite make out the details of his face, but there was a band of light falling across the bridge of his nose, and I saw that it was long and straight, his forehead wide, the one eye that was visible looked serene and calculating, and he had a straight, calm mouth.
"Alright man, make this quick. I'm in a hurry."
"A hurry?" The guy purred. His voice was just as calm, serious and analytical as the rest of him. "Well, in that case, I'll try not to take up too much of your time."
"Cool." I blew some smoke out my nose, feeling strangely exposed, like no matter how thickly I painted on the bravado, this asshole could see right through me.
He leaned forward, slowly, set his hands on the table very precisely, folded calmly, and I got the impression it wasn't just a mindless gesture. He wanted me to be able to see his hands.
Automatically, I slipped my own hands out of my pockets.
"I'll get right to the point. I've been watching you all afternoon, sir."
"That's a little creepy."
"Hm, yes, but I'm not stalking you, I'm merely observing, out of curiosity, you might say. More to the point, I have specific intentions for watching you."
The way he spoke…I didn't like it. He was polite, but more than that, he was explicit. He wasn't screwing around. He was deadly serious.
"What might those be?"
"A valid question. You see, I couldn't help but overhear that you're very much interested in the gang activity that has been going on in this town, and I was merely wondering why that is?"
I shrugged, "Just a nosey fuck, I guess."
"I see. Still, the way you've gone about it, asking the same questions of everyone who's willing to speak to you, struck me as having some rather specific intentions of your own."
"So what? A guy can't be curious?"
"Ah, you know what they say, sir. Curiosity killed the cat."
"Never heard that before." I smirked.
The man laughed, but even that was low and controlled, "Tell me. What's your name, sir?"
"Gojyo."
"Goodness, that's hardly an introduction at all. For example, I am Gan Koo, and you are?"
I couldn't help sighing impatiently, "Sha Gojyo." Then, just to be a smart ass, I stuck my hand out.
He smiled, but he was careful not to take it. "That's more like it. Now, then, Gojyo—I may call you Gojyo, correct?"
"It is my name."
"Very well. And you may refer to me as Gan, if you like. As I was saying, Gojyo, I suspect you have rather specific intentions for inquiring about what's been happening in this town."
"Right. What intentions do you suspect I might have?"
"Well, now, that's a very interesting question, in and of itself, one I considered myself, not ten minutes ago; your clothing tells me that you're not from this town, but seeing how you have no luggage and you're relatively clean-cut, I doubt you're a curious traveler. Also, your blundering, inept way of conducting yourself makes it unlikely that you're any sort of under-cover law enforcement. It did cross my mind that the villagers might have hired you to look into this affair, but I haven't seen much of organized attempt to put an end to the violence here, so I don't believe that's it either. Besides, you simply don't look the type. To me, you look like nothing more than a cocky, little punk who doesn't care very deeply about what he's doing."
One thing was for sure, this guy's calculations were brutal, and he was cold, like he was just reporting the weather or something. It actually freaked me out a little, but I hid that and snapped, "'Kay then, smart ass, you know so much, what do you think I'm doing here?"
"A personal favor for a friend, perhaps?"
"We ain't friends." I blurted before I could really think about it.
Gan's mouth twisted at the edges, but only slightly, and only for a moment; I didn't need to see it for very long to know he thought I was a total idiot. "Don't feel too bad." He advised, "See, you've been acting with such a 'this doesn't really affect me, but I guess I have to' attitude."
` I scowled at him, "What in the hell's any of this got to do with you? I mean, what's it to you what I want or why I'm doing it?"
"Heh. What indeed." He got up, smoothly, with absolute control. He was a pretty big guy, broad-shouldered and muscular, but definitely not a meathead. Again, I thought he looked like some kind of military man. While I was thinking about that, he snapped his fingers.
I was suddenly surrounded. The drunks playing poker at the other table were on me in a flash—I didn't even get a second to register what was happening before they grabbed me by the arms. One punched me in the stomach, and then while I was still struggling to understand, they must have slipped a bag over my head, because everything was pitch black.
There was a little noise—probably the bartender—but Gan was quick to speak, "Mind your own business, good sir. This hardly concerns you."
With that, he snapped a pair of handcuffs on my wrists, and someone dragged me forward.
"Hey, asshole!" I tried to wrench away, but the grips on my arms were iron-tight, and any time I tried to put up a struggle, I was restrained immediately. They didn't hit me anymore, like I expected them too, just firmly held me between them and marched me forward whenever I made a fuss.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I screamed, "Get this shit off, right now!"
Gan's crushingly calm voice interrupted, somewhere right beside my head, "Now, now, don't make a scene like a small child, Gojyo."
Suddenly I hated that I'd given him permission to call me by name.
"Come quietly and no harm will come to you. That's my word as a gentleman."
"I don't give a fuck if it's your word as a goddamn priest."
"That hardly surprises me, given your relationship to Genjyo Sanzo, however, allow me to reassure you that I have no intentions of harming you, and as long as you cooperate, you'll be on your way home in a matter of a couple of hours."
I still didn't care. I didn't believe a word of his bullshit, but I gave up the fight after a while anyway. It wasn't doing me any good, and even if I got away, what was I going to do? Run with the damn bag over my head?
We walked a long ways. I tried to listen for any sign of where we were going or what was happening, but the bag muffled my hearing, and the only thing I was aware of were the two pairs of hands cinching around my biceps. It got pretty hot in the bag, and my head was sweating like crazy in a matter of minutes.
At least it was an easy walk—they didn't make me climb any mountains or anything like that, and the dicks were all considerate and polite, always telling me to watch my step and take it easy. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what this shit was about—they didn't act much like gang members. I would have been shanked by now if they were, or at least roughed up a little. I wondered if they were actually going to let me go home? I decided not to let the whole thing scare me—I'd get out of it somehow, eventually.
About an hour passed before we stopped walking; someone pushed me into a chair, politely, of course, and then they let go of me, pulled the bag off in one sweeping gesture.
I blinked. The light was blinding, almost fluorescent, directly overhead, and I saw that I was in some kind of concrete cell. There was nothing there but the chair I was sitting in and a table. Everything else was cold, uninviting gray.
The two men who'd been holding my arms went to stand by the door, and Gan took a seat on the edge of the table, facing me and lighting a cigarette. Now that I could see him more clearly, I could tell he definitely wasn't the average thug. I put him at about forty-five or fifty, and he was well-groomed, with only a thin goatee, and his short, black hair was beginning to gray in the sideburns. He was even taller in the light, dressed nicely in a long, military jacket and polished boots. I saw that there was a pretty serious piece riding on his hip, and from what little I'd seen of him, I didn't think he'd have any inhibitions about using it. "I apologize for the inconvenience, Gojyo, but ours is a conversation best saved for a private location."
"Asshole." I growled, voice dry, "Who the hell do you think you are? Where am I?"
"Ah, if I told you that, it would defeat the purpose of having brought you here bound and blindfolded, don't you think?" He smiled again, that faint, almost mocking twist of the mouth.
I glanced at the gun again, trying to decide what I should do. There were only three of them—Gan looked like a pretty tough customer, but I could take the other two—but having the handcuffs on would make fighting them impossible. Besides, I didn't want to get shot, and so far they weren't going out of their way to hurt me or even threatening me, so my best bet might be to sit tight and hope they actually let me go.
"So what do you want?"
"Nothing really. I have a few questions I'd like to ask you, and I'd appreciate direct, honest answers, if you're able to provide them. For the most part, a simple yes or no should suffice."
"Why should I answer any of your fuckin' questions when you brought me here against my will, you lunatic?"
This time the twist of his mouth was just slightly more aggressive, and he leaned toward me, but his voice stayed as calm and cold as ever, "It's because I brought you here against your will that you should answer my fucking questions, Gojyo."
"You gonna' beat the shit outta' me or something if I don't?" I braced myself, preparing to get hit.
"Goodness, no. I have no intentions of resorting to such unnecessary violence. After all, you're nothing but a miserable, little boy, and what good would it do me to go around striking children? No, no, I think it would be utterly senseless. Pain can be quite an effective motivator, but in this case, I think it would be ill-placed. Instead, I think I can gain the information I need from you by simply being honest, and you, in turn, can get out of this situation rather quickly by returning the favor."
I scowled at him.
"So allow me to start us off, won't you? You do work for Genjyo Sanzo, don't you?"
"Suck my dick, freak."
He was completely unfazed, "The longer you continue to be uncooperative, the longer you'll sit there. You do want to go home eventually, don't you?"
"I don't have to answer your stupid questions." I glanced at the cigarette he was holding, annoyed that I couldn't have one too.
"I assure you, I have nothing against Sanzo, and your honest reply will cause neither him, nor you, any injury. Now, I ask again. Do you work for Genjyo Sanzo?"
"I don't work for anybody. I do that jerk a favor every here and again—what's it to you?"
"Yes or no will suffice, Gojyo."
I was really starting to hate this pretentious cock sucker.
"Yes." I growled.
"In that case, am I correct in assuming that you were in Nianzu on his behalf?"
"Yeah."
"Forgive me, I know this is tedious, but you were investigating the incidents there because Genjyo Sanzo asked you to, correct?"
"I said yeah. What more do you want?" I gave the handcuffs a tentative yank, but they were sturdy.
"You were working there alone as best I could tell. You didn't have a comrade with you, did you?"
"Nope."
"Do you often do Sanzo's bidding?"
"Yep."
"Alone?"
"No." This was getting old. I eye-fucked his cigarette again.
"You work with a partner then?"
"Yeah."
"Always the same person, or does it vary?"
"How'm I supposed to answer yes or no to that?"
"Don't be so two-dimensional, Gojyo, just answer the question."
"Same guy."
By this time, I really couldn't begin to guess what this was all about, and then he asked me, "So tell me then. Where is Cho Gonou?"
My blood stopped rushing for a second, and my heartbeat paused. I wanted to think I'd heard him wrong or something, but when I looked into his cold, analytical eyes, I knew he knew exactly what he'd said and how it was affecting me.
"Who?"
"Cho Hakkai? Once known as Cho Gonou. A notorious and brutal killer. According to my sources, you've been living with him for over a year."
"What sources?"
"Never mind that. You live with Cho Gonou, and that's all that matters."
"I don't see why."
"Tell me, Gojyo." It was really grating on me now to have him talk to me like we were old friends, "What sort of relationship is that?"
"What are you talking about?"
He spoke more slowly, like I was too stupid to get it, "Your relationship with Cho Gonou. What sort of relationship is it?"
I didn't get it, so he was right about that anyway. More importantly, I was afraid of why he wanted to know. I couldn't think to do anything but stall.
"Sexual?" He guessed.
"Fuck no." I blurted.
"Platonic then?"
"That's the opposite of sexual, right?"
"Is it a business relationship?"
"Yep. Strictly business."
"I've never heard of business partners living together. It seems that you'd develop sensibilities that might interfere. Judgment might be impaired, for example. Friendship might develop."
"Maybe."
"And as a friend, you would have a pretty good idea as to his current whereabouts, am I right?"
"I never said we were friends."
"You didn't have to. I inferred it. Now, I'll ask again, and this time I want an answer. Where is Cho Gonou?"
"You mean right now?"
"Of course."
"Don't have a clue. Can I go home?"
Gan sighed and stood up, paced around behind me with his hands clasped behind his back, "Very well then, you've been straight with me, so allow me to be straight with you."
"Great. Then I can go home, right?"
"Cho Gonou—Hakkai, as you call him—committed some very serious crimes some time ago; I'm sure you know. Apparently now, he's attempting to start over with a new life, however, unfortunately for him, past actions cannot be so easily erased. Particularly such brutal actions, and I'm afraid murder is not something people are likely to forgive. There is a small group of people, Gojyo, some distance from here, that was greatly affected by the murderous actions of Cho Gonou, and now they demand that Cho Hakkai pay the price for said actions. In other words, although he sees himself as starting anew and slowly atoning for what he's done, they see the same old abhorrent villain who stole their home and their loved ones, and rest does not come easily to them."
"What're you saying? You're from Hakkai's old village or something?"
"No, not I." He paced back to the table and crushed out the butt of his cigarette, "I've been hired by those unfortunate people in order to bring justice to Cho Gonou, no matter the cost."
A bounty hunter?
"It's my job." He re-iterated, "Finding Cho Gonou and taking him back to the ones who hired me is nothing more than business to me, which is why I see no need to strike you when you're insolent, or punish you in anyway for that matter. In a manner of speaking, this has nothing to do with you."
"Then why in the hell did you drag me over here?" I was beyond peeved now, but I wasn't quite angry…. More than anything, I was confused, and I was starting to feel a little afraid. Not for me though.
"I have an interesting proposition for you, my friend. If you agree to hear me out and sit quietly, I'll remove those handcuffs, just to prove I feel that I can trust you."
What an idiot.
"Yeah, okay. Whatever."
With another cold twist of his mouth, he unlocked the handcuffs.
I rubbed my wrists, feeling that they were bruised and a little scratched, looked around toward the door again, where the other douchers were still standing guard, almost like statues. It wasn't going to do me any good to fight my way out now. I had to know what in the hell was happening, and Gan was definitely the kind of guy to shoot if he was attacked. I could just feel it. No matter how much he said he didn't want to punish me for any of this, he wasn't going to just stand there as I bashed his head in with the chair I was sitting on. So I decided I'd hear him out, sit quietly, and smoke a cigarette before my nicky fit got too bad to handle.
"I have quite a force with me, Gojyo. Almost a hundred men, armed, willing and waiting. How can I afford to pay such a force? Well, I'm a very advanced professional, and I only take on assignments that I'm sure can pay myself, as well as my soldiers."
I wondered how the people who'd hired him had gotten that kind of money.
"I could go to your house, I suppose." He was pacing again, and it made me feel a little nervous, like a shark was circling me, "I could take all my men, trash the place, kill you, and drag Cho Gonou away screaming. It would be a simple matter of researching your location and your individual routines."
I snorted suddenly, "What an conceited thing to say."
He turned a wide, somewhat irritated eye on me. I felt like it was the first real expression he'd made, "I beg your pardon?"
"Well." I puffed my cigarette, "You already know what a filthy murderer Hakkai is. What makes you think a hundred humans are going to be able to stand up to a guy who's killed a thousand youkai? Just seems kinda' conceited to me."
Now, beyond that twisted smile, I could see I'd made him angry, and in spite of what he'd said earlier, he backhanded me with a vicious swipe, knocking the cigarette out of my mouth. "Conceited, am I? In that case, you're rather pretentious yourself, Sha Gojyo."
I gaped at him a second, barely stopping myself from jumping up and hitting him back.
"You know, why should it matter to me in the slightest that you didn't ask to be thrown into the middle of this? You haven't killed a thousand youkai. Even if you did, somehow I doubt any fantastic phenomenon would come of it. I could have killed you without so much as batting an eye and continued to pursue Cho Gonou, unaffected, but instead I've chosen to take pity on you and your situation, and have brought you here, not to ask a series of repetitive questions, but to make an offer to you.
"See, I'm a man capable of great violence, but I don't delight in taking lives. Everything is a computation, and at times my job requires the shedding of blood, but if I can find a way to resolve the issues without killing, I'll take it. I would rather not kill you on my way to getting Cho Gonou, and I would rather not have a lengthy, bloody battle with him, if I can help it. And so, I thought I could help you, and myself, in a single swoop."
"God, you sure talk a lot." I drawled, just to piss him off. It was the best I could do in the way of getting him back for hitting me. Right now anyway. "Quit babbling about how great you think you are and just tell me what it is you want."
He gave me a flash of perfectly straight, white teeth, "What I want is for you to help me help you. Hand Cho Gonou over to me, and I'll make sure to make it worth your while."
"You crazy?" I demanded, "You want me to betray, Hakkai? That's what you brought me here for?"
"Betray is a very ugly word, but yes, I suppose you can think of it that way. Believe me, there will be a hefty reward in it for you."
"No way. I don't give a shit what's in it for me. I'm not gonna' help you capture Hakkai."
"Now, now, don't be so hasty. I'm not sure you understand the magnitude of what I'm promising you."
"I don't care what-"
"Tell me something, Gojyo. You strike me as a bit of a playboy, am I right? Gamble here, pick up women there, drink til you're sick, piss the night away?"
"Your damn informants told you that too, huh?"
"No, I can spot a punk when I see one is all. I know quite a bit about living fast myself, and I know that cheap bets can only take one so far. If you agree to cooperate with me though, I will see to it that you receive a percentage of the bounty."
"That so?" I tried to hide my interest. Mostly though, I just wanted to know what kind of bounty Hakkai had on his head.
"Indeed. How does seven-hundred-thousand yen sound?"
I curled my lip back disdainfully, "You want me to sell my partner out for seven-hundred-thousand yen?"
"Well, it's hardly a fortune, I agree, but it would certainly set a degenerate like you up for a good long while; and if you play your cards right—forgive the pun—you could easily become a very rich man."
"How do I know you'd actually give me anything?"
"I'd provide the sum from my own pocket, of course. The bounty I get from delivering Cho Gonou would more than make up for it."
Of course it would. Damn Hakkai had to be so freakin' notorious.
"No deal."
Gan shook his head faintly, "No, no, you're being much too hasty, Gojyo. Even a gambler must know there are some decisions that can't be made on a whim. Take time to consider, I implore you; perhaps in a few hours, when you're hard up and hungry and lonely, my proposition might look very appealing."
I got up, "I don't need to think about it. I'm not interested."
"Not at the moment. I still think you ought to weigh the factors and let me know what conclusion you come to. Suppose I give you twenty-four hours to think it over, and then we'll discuss the situation further."
Gan smiled knowingly at my expression and delved into his pocket.
My body tensed out of instinct.
"Don't be so apprehensive, Gojyo-chan." There was a touch of a laugh in his voice, like seeing me edgy was funny somehow. He pulled out a small, gray leather pouch and shoved it into my hands. I could feel that it was heavy with money. "Take that as collateral if you like, and if in twenty-four hours, you're still inclined to say no to my offer, you can keep it. However, consider this as well: if you do refuse my offer and go so far as to aid Cho Gonou, you'll find yourself going down with him, I'm sure."
By that he meant if I came back and told him no, he'd just kill me. If I wasn't going to help, I was going to be in the way.
"That would be such a waste, don't you think?"
I didn't answer, and he smiled, "I can see the wheels in your little brain turning now. You know, regardless of how he's been living this last year or so, Cho Gonou is still a murderer; and once an animal's tasted blood they can never go back. How safe is it to be living with such a sinister individual?"
I looked the wallet over, testing its weight, "You don't know much about Hakkai, do you?"
Gan continued to smile, but I could tell that had pissed him off too. After all his stupid research and spying, how dare I tell him he didn't know anything about his mark? It was a small victory.
"Twenty-four hours." He reminded me.
After that, they slipped the bag back over my head and marched me out, hopefully back the way we'd come, and when they finally let me go and vanished into the night, I was back in Nianzu, just a few blocks from the bar.
The little town seemed to have completely shut down since I was gone, even though I didn't think it could be a minute past nine. The night was warm and quiet, but I felt cold and troubled as I stood there, trying to convince myself that what had just happened was actually real. It had taken a couple hours when all was said and done, and yet it felt like everything had happened in the blink of an eye, and now I was left with this terrible sense of foreboding.
I knew Hakkai had done a lot of dark things in the past, but it had never occurred to me that there might still be people somewhere who wanted to get him back for it, which was stupid when I thought about it. He'd killed a thousand youkai all by himself, and I didn't even know how many humans he'd murdered. It made sense that there would be survivors, or family or lovers or someone who would want to make him pay for it. Still, putting a bounty on his head?
A little slowly, I started to walk. It was going to take a couple hours to get home, and by the time I got there, it would be pretty late, but I couldn't bring myself to hurry, and I kept glancing over my shoulder, checking to see if I was being followed. Why should they follow me though? Gan obviously knew where Hakkai and I lived—he must have, if he knew we were rooming together—so if he wanted to attack the house, he could, just like he'd said.
No, he really wanted me to go home, decide seven-hundred-thousand yen sounded pretty nice and sell Hakkai out. Maybe he thought it would be easier like that.
It would be. Fighting Hakkai was suicide, especially for a bunch of humans, but if I set him up and walked him into a trap, it would be easy to capture him. He trusted me, after all.
Along the way, I smoked a lot, and thought hard. Seven-hundred-thousand yen wasn't worth it to me, but it wasn't too shabby, and if Gan was going to take a pretty high percentage of the bounty for himself, plus pay almost a hundred other men, the bounty on Hakkai's head must have really been something, and as far as I knew, the village Hakkai came from hadn't been all that fancy. I wondered again how the people who'd hired Gan could afford to pay the reward money.
At first I thought their must really be a lot of people who wanted Hakkai dead, but now I wondered if they hadn't spent the last year and a half scraping the money together, painstakingly, setting aside everything they earned just so they could have their one shot at revenge. It was almost sad.
Seven-hundred-thousand yen. What could I actually do with that kind of money? It wasn't like it would set me up for life, but Gan was right about one thing; if I gambled well enough, I could multiply it until I was one rich bastard. I had the skills at cards to pull it off, my problem had always been coming up with the money to gamble in the first place. Before I met Hakkai, that had usually cut into my food money after a while.
Wouldn't it be nice to be rich?
The thought floated through my head, and then I couldn't stop it. Wouldn't it be nice to live in some choice mansion, with a few servants maybe, all the food and drink and stuff I could ever want? Women. Power. Friends. Anything and everything. Not like being rich had ever been a dream of mine, but it wasn't something I'd pass up if I got a chance at it. Who didn't want to be loaded? Who didn't want to live in a huge, fancy house and eat like a king, play all the games of the rich and famous, pay your way out of any trouble you got into, have people there bending to your every whim, and…
Suddenly it was all too easy to put myself in that image of the rich I'd dreamed up ever since I was a kid when I used to watch the fat bags and their women pass by and look down their nose at me. Back when I used to think they had more than enough money to toss a few coins my way.
Did I really want to be like that? Would it be worth it to step on Hakkai just to get there?
Not really. I decided, right around the time the lights of my house came into view. Hakkai was home, of course, and probably had been for a few hours, totally oblivious to the complications I'd run into.
I stood there and smoked a while. The money wasn't really the issue…it was something else, some sense of obligation maybe, and even if I couldn't label all my reasons not to betray Hakkai, I knew not everyone was going to have that restraint. Gan was going to make a ton of money off Hakkai's bounty, so it wasn't like I could talk him out of it, or he'd back off if we threatened him. If I didn't agree to help him, he was going to hunt Hakkai down and stop at nothing to bring him in. Why did that bother me so much?
It shouldn't bother me. It should be as easy as telling Hakkai what happened today and then keeping a look out for that asshole, and when he came knocking, we'd send him packing. That should be simple for us. We'd probably even get a chance to complete Sanzo's stupid mission in the meantime. So what was it that was freaking me out?
Finally, I moved toward the door, dropping the half-smoked butt of my last cigarette and taking a deep breath. I didn't know why I was freaked out, and I didn't know what I was going to say to Hakkai, but suddenly it seemed like there was a really rotten smell ruining the fresh, summer air.
Trying to act casual and normal, I stepped inside.
Hakkai must have been listening for me, because he came around the corner a split second later, frowning, "It's almost midnight. I was beginning to think you weren't coming back."
I studied him silently. He was wearing his glasses, so he looked all intellectual and mild-mannered, and his green eyes looked totally innocent. I spent a moment searching for that piercing stare or some murderous intent, but I didn't see any sign of the bloodthirsty animal Gan had hinted at. Not today.
"Gojyo?"
"Yeah, sorry."
"Did investigating Nianzu really take that long? I was under the impression that isn't a very large place."
I checked over my shoulder again, just to make sure we were alone. What if Gan really had followed me and he burst in here now, with all his willing, armed men? I liked to think the two of us would just deal with it, but suddenly I felt like it wasn't enough to just assume Hakkai could handle anyone that crossed him. I needed to be sure.
I shut the door behind me, locking it as nonchalantly as possible, well aware that I never bothered locking the door. "It took a little longer than I thought it would, that's all."
"I see. I thought maybe you'd gotten mixed up in something." He added under his breath, "Or distracted."
"Naw, I stayed on task the whole time. What about you? You figure anything out in Chang'an?"
"Apparently a number of strangers have been hanging around that area, but I was unable to locate their headquarters. I also searched the wilderness in the surrounding area, but that didn't yield any results either. Wherever they're hiding, it's not in Chang'an."
That seemed weird to me. If he didn't find anything in Chang'an, and I didn't find anything in Nianzu, where would they be hiding? "Couldn't they be somewhere else? I mean, Sanzo only told us to look there because that's where they've been attacking."
"I thought they might be somewhere in our town."
"What would they be doing here?"
"I'm not sure, but we are located directly between Nianzu and Chang'an, and I think it's unlikely that such a large gang could camp out without anyone noticing. They have to have access to some sort of civilization, and whatever their goals may be, whether they go to Nianzu or Chang'an, they could get their easily enough from right here, and no one would think to look for them."
Whatever their goals may be…
What had Sanzo said about the gang trying to get his attention? What would they need his attention for, unless they were setting a trap? But what would anyone want to trap Sanzo for? What if they were after something else? What if they weren't after Sanzo?
"Gojyo?"
What would they be after instead? Relics and shit?
They'd stolen plenty in the last two weeks? Any good thief knew that you didn't hang around in the same area after you'd made your hit. What were they doing, trying to get caught?
"It looks like you have an idea." Hakkai was looking at me intently, "Care to share?"
"It's nothing. I'm just thinking. Anyway, what do you think we should do?"
"Well." He sighed, "I suppose we don't have much choice; as long as we have nothing to go off of, there's not much we can do, so I recommend we gather more evidence. Tomorrow we'll take a look around town and see if we can't find some sign of them."
Tomorrow Gan would want my answer even though I'd already given it to him, twice. Would he come looking for me, just pop up randomly? Would he try to nab Hakkai while he was at it?
No way. Not while I was standing right there.
"At any rate." Hakkai was staring at me again, "As long as there's nothing more to say, I think I'll get some sleep. Tomorrow may turn out to be a long day."
"No kidding." I mumbled, watched him walk away, and then I felt the sudden need to warn him. I just wasn't sure how or what to tell him exactly. I guess it would be better to tell him what had happened than have him be unsuspecting if they came tomorrow. "Hey, Hakkai."
"Yes. What is it?"
What should I tell him exactly? That there were some bounty hunters out to get him? It might not do me any good.
"Did you think of something else perhaps?"
Think. I needed to think some more. For once I didn't want to jump in headfirst and hope the water wasn't shallow. I had to have my own game plan before I told him anything. Maybe I could convince Gan to just forget the whole thing. Maybe we could make some kind of deal and he'd just leave Hakkai alone.
It was a stretch, and I knew it.
"Never mind. It's nothing. Night."
He stood and looked at me a moment or two, like he was expecting me to say something else, or like he had a question to ask, but eventually he just smiled, "Good night, Gojyo."
Hakkai woke up at the break of day—I guess going to bed early meant he was going to get up even earlier than usual—I heard him messing around in the kitchen, but I stayed where I was. I hadn't gotten much sleep because I kept playing the conversation I'd had with Gan in my head over and over again, and I still hadn't figured out what I should do. On one hand, it seemed like it was my duty to say something. And at the same time, who was I to think I could protect Hakkai? Wasn't I being a little pretentious thinking he needed me to protect him in the first place? I mean, sure, I wanted to prevent anything bad from happening, but who said anything was going to happen? I just didn't know what to expect.
He came and knocked on my door around eight, but I pretended to keep sleeping; he was back three more times after that, and the third time he sounded so annoyed, I knew I couldn't push him anymore, so I got up and went to take a shower. By the time I was done with that, it was almost nine thirty, and Hakkai looked pissed when I walked into the kitchen, only half-dressed and still dripping wet.
"What are you doing?" He demanded, "We don't have time for a leisurely start. If we're going to get this done today, we must act with haste."
I didn't know what to say to that. I couldn't explain why I was so worried about this, but there was a tense feeling growing in the pit of my stomach, and I just couldn't shake it. There was more going on here than I was aware of, and I had this desperate feeling that if Hakkai left the house today, he wasn't coming back.
It didn't make sense, and it pissed me off; I couldn't help snapping at him, "Hey, we're not all morning people, okay? I don't like rolling out of bed and running out the door."
"Yes, I noticed. Perhaps if you'd gotten up earlier you wouldn't have to."
I didn't want to fight with him, I realized. Not with that creepy 'I'll never see him again' feeling sitting just under my lungs. Sighing, I pushed wet hair back from my head, "Hey, I got an idea. Let's just not do this today."
"What on earth are you talking about? It's not as if we have a choice, or did you forget that as well?"
"Of course we got a choice, Hakkai. Sanzo asked us to do him a favor, it's not like it's mandatory."
He got this confused look on his face, "Well, that's true. However, I don't think we can back out just because you don't feel like going anywhere today. It's not what Sanzo would consider a valid excuse, and I'm inclined to agree."
"I'm not sayin' we shouldn't do it at all; I'm just sayin' we should put it off for a day."
"But to what point?"
"It's just one of those things I think we need to wait out." I muttered.
The annoyed expression came back, "Oh, nonsense. We're under the impression that the next incident will take place tonight, which gives us a limited window of time to find any information, so we need to get started immediately. Now if you don't want to come with me, feel welcome to stay here, but know that I'll be severely disappointed if you do."
Go figure, the last thing I wanted was for him to go off without me, so I threw on a shirt and went out, hair still wet. Not that it mattered: from the feel of things, today would be just as hot as yesterday.
As we walked, Hakkai babbled about all his different theories, and I tried to tell myself I was making a big deal out of nothing. There was no reason to be worried: Hakkai was a grown dude, and I shouldn't have to look after him.
It was just that Gan seemed so confident, even when I told him he wouldn't have enough men to deal with Hakkai. Maybe he was bluffing, just counting on me agreeing to help him, but what if he knew something I didn't? What if there was some ace up his sleeve and we weren't going to know what it was until he sprang it on us? What if that asshole actually caught Hakkai? That would suck.
"Is something wrong?" He asked.
"No."
"You're being unusually quiet. I can't help but feel there must be something on your mind."
"I'm just thinking this might be a bad day for this, that's all."
"Yes, you made that clear enough before we left, but until you can provide me with a good reason for why that is, I'm disinclined to take it seriously." He hesitated to look at me, "Gojyo, is there a good reason we shouldn't do this today?"
"Hell, I dunno."
"I'm sorry then, but I don't think we can afford to make such important decisions based on your personal sentiments."
"I know. Look, somethin' happened yesterday."
"Something concerning our mission?"
"Um, no, not exactly."
"Well then?"
"I ran into a guy yesterday." I took a quick look around, hoping Gan wouldn't materialize out of nowhere just because I was bringing him up. That ass didn't scare me, but I just knew somehow that I had to keep him as far from Hakkai as possible. I didn't think you got to be a professional bounty hunter with a squadron of a hundred men by being merciful and sweet.
"A guy?" He sounded dubious.
"A bounty hunter."
"I see. And I suppose this bounty hunter is in pursuit of the same goal that you and I are after."
"Would'ja' let me finish, man? No, he's not, actually. He's after you Hakkai."
Hakkai slid a glance at me out of the corner of his eye, expecting me to tell him it was a joke or something probably, and then he said again, "I see."
"That's it? 'I see'?"
"What would you like me to say? I suppose I'm supposed to go all to pieces and completely lose composure, lock myself in my room and hide until I know it's safe." He laughed bitterly. "I can't believe that's why you don't want to go anywhere today."
"Hey." I snapped, agitated that he was taking my concern so lightly, "Did you hear what I said? This guy means business: he's got like a hundred men with him, all just waiting to take a crack at you. I mean, I didn't think you'd fall on your face and start cryin', but for fuck's sake, dude, don't laugh about it."
"Ah, Gojyo. You must forgive me. Of course I appreciate your adamant concern for my well-being. Still, what do you take me for? Naturally, I've been expecting someone to come after me sooner or later."
"You have?"
He gave me a reproachful look, "I murdered hundreds and hundreds of people; how foolish would I have to be to think I could go the remainder of my life without facing the consequences every here and again?"
"Yeah, but after everything that happened with Sanzo and changing your name and all that shit, I guess I just assumed-"
"Assumed changing my name and rearranging my entire life would automatically fend off any avengers who might want a pound of flesh for the blood I spilled? I wish it were that simple."
Frustrated, I grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at me, "I just wanted to warn you, all right? In case a bunch of psychos jump you in the alley today it won't be a total shocker."
He started to say something, probably to give me more bullshit about it not mattering, and then his expression mellowed, "I apologize, it's not that I don't appreciate that, it's just that I…would rather not deal with it at all, I suppose. There's enough to be concerned with already."
"I know."
We began to walk again, "What did this bounty hunter say to you?"
"Eh. A lot." I discarded my cigarette and got out my pack, disappointed to see I had only two left, and then I remembered that I'd burned through most of them last night on my way home. I grinned, trying to make the situation seem less serious, but there was still a lump of rocks sitting in my gut, "He tried to convince me to set you up."
"Hm, that would explain why he approached you in the first place. Was he a youkai?"
"Nope. Human. And I think all his boys are probably human too. Not sure though."
"A hundred humans?"
"Almost a hundred."
"That should prove to be amusing, don't you think?"
"Yeah, maybe."
"What in the world are you so worried about? Don't tell me you think I can't handle a few humans."
I tried one last time to figure out what I was freaking out for, but there was just that nervousness I couldn't explain, and that sickening vibe that there was more to it than I knew, "Just…they have guns."
Hakkai smiled calmly, "Humans with guns. How novel. You and I are both rather used to humans with guns though, aren't we."
"This guy ain't like Sanzo, Hakkai." I told him as we walked into town, "He's one cold son-of-a-bitch."
"He let you go though."
"Like I said, he wanted me to set you up."
"I'm honestly surprised you turned him down."
I laughed at that, just for the hell of it. "He wasn't offering that much."
We went the rest of the way in silence, and I wondered if Hakkai was more bothered by what I'd told him than he was letting on.
The town was slower than I expected, and the heat was starting to get unbearable, especially for being so early in the day, so I figured most people were staying inside to keep cool. "What're we looking for?" I asked.
"Evidence. Clues. Leads." He laughed suddenly, "I'm afraid I really don't know. I'm at a total loss as to how we're expected to track these people down. So far, nothing has worked."
"Great. You don't know, I don't know. This sucks ass."
"It's too early to be giving up though, so why don't we split up and start searching?"
Would it make me a total pussy if I said I'd rather not split up?
What the hell does it matter?
I draped my arm over his shoulder, "I vote we stick together."
"We can cover much more ground separately."
"I ain't in the mood to go wandering around alone—this town's mondo boring by yourself."
"By all means, I wouldn't want you to feel anything less than exhilarated." He answered mildly, but he didn't argue anymore, so I got my way, and we kept going. After a couple of minutes had passed he said, "This bounty hunter really has you on the edge, doesn't he?"
I scanned the crowd, looking for anybody who looked like they belonged to a gang, took a drag off my cigarette, "I can kick that guy's ass any day of the week; seriously though, this town is boring."
Hakkai just chuckled.
No good. Everyone I saw was someone I knew, or at least they were familiar. "Damn, I been living in this place way too long."
"In this case, that's a good thing. If there's someone we don't know it means they haven't been in town very long."
We hunted around a while, but I didn't think we were getting anywhere. I didn't see so much as one completely unfamiliar face, and no one we talked to knew anything about a gang. Most of them just wanted to gab their ass off about all the latest gossip or whatever. Hakkai was polite enough to humor them for a couple minutes, but I was getting annoyed, and for some reason, what Sanzo had said yesterday was bugging me.
It's like they wanted to get our attention, but as soon as we start looking for them they're nowhere to be seen.
And why did that bother me so much?
All day I found myself sticking close to Hakkai, doing my best to keep him in sight. It felt idiotic and even a little paranoid, but I had this reoccurring image of turning my back for a moment and him getting mobbed when I wasn't looking.
Then again, would they really jump him in broad daylight, in public? On our turf?
The sun got higher and higher, and by noon the heat was unbearable; I stood back under a shop awning, leaning against the wall and adjusted my sunglasses, looked up and down the street, noticing how it had cleared out in a matter of a half hour.
"Well." Hakkai said beside me, "So far this has been utterly fruitless."
"You can say that again."
He shielded his eyes and looked up at the sky, "I'd say it's about time for lunch. I think I'll go inside and get us some food. Please stay here and keep your eyes open for anyone suspicious."
"You want me to stay here?" I asked incredulously.
"Why yes. You're the one with the separation anxiety disorder today, not me; and besides, we'll be all the more efficient that way."
"It's inefficient for two of us to go in and buy lunch?"
"Please just stay here, Gojyo." He repeated, with a touch of annoyance this time, headed into the shop, "I'm only going inside a moment."
I watched after him a second, sighed, but I knew he was right. I was being ridiculous, and I didn't even know why. Worrying this way wasn't like me. Still, if something happened to Hakkai because I was dicking around when he needed me, I'd feel like such an asshole.
The street was almost completely empty now. There was a stray cat across the street, digging through a trash can, but as far as people went there were just a few, walking with the slow stagger of heat exhaustion. A couple guys were hanging around the front of the bar a few doors down, standing in the shade and bitching about the heat.
I saw a chick coming my way: she was wearing a long dress, much too modest, and definitely impractical in this heat, and a hat with a wide brim. I noticed that she still had all her energy, walking quickly; I watched her with interest, paying special attention to the swing of her hips and the bounce of her breasts. She was definitely one of the most attractive girls I'd seen in a while: there was something about that modesty that was cute to me, and her light, brown hair was shining in the sunlight, flowing back over her shoulders like a cape, almost to her tight, plump ass. I stared at her a good long time as she came up the road, completely forgetting about Hakkai.
When she was just a few yards away from me, she stopped suddenly and looked up at me from under the brim of her hat, and I saw full, pink lips, rosy cheeks, and the greenest eyes I'd ever seen…on a chick anyway. There was something hauntingly familiar about that face, and for a second, I thought I was seeing things.
She smiled at me, suddenly crossed the street, skirt swishing around her legs, and disappeared down the alley.
I noticed a man was standing in the doorway to the building directly across from me; it was a guy I didn't know, never seen before in my life, and I would have remembered. He was about as tall as me, with this outrageous, bleached-blonde hair that he had spiked really high, and he was wearing a black, leather jacket, which was just nuts in this weather. When he saw me looking at him, he indicated for me to come over to him.
It seemed stupid to just go, but the dude looked punky enough, and if I let the closet thing we'd had to a lead all day just get away, I'd never hear the end of it.
I looked over my shoulder; Hakkai was laughing with the cashier girl, flirting with her, for all I knew. He'd be fine. In two minutes, he was going to come outside, and then he'd probably head across the street to see what I was doing.
Tossing my cigarette down, I crossed the street and headed in the man's direction. He watched me come, hands at his sides, and he looked almost like a statue. Something about that level of control and caution was familiar. I stopped just out of arm's reach, in case he tried to gut me or something out of nowhere. "Can I help you, pal?"
A knowing smile came across his lips, but there was something really cruel about his face, "Sha Gojyo?" His voice was like ice.
It startled me that he knew my name, but I didn't let it show. I didn't want to look weak in front of a punk-ass like him. "Yeah. What?"
"My name is Shaozu."
Man, this whole thing was just getting weirder and weirder; I almost asked him why he thought I gave a shit what his name was, but decided I'd better just play along with him, for the sake of Sanzo's precious, little mission; I watched across the street momentarily, keeping one eye on Shaozu, but Hakkai didn't come out.
"You need somethin', Shaozu? Or can I just go back to my life?"
"Not me." There was a certain crispness to that smile now, "But Gan would like a word with you."
I looked up, leaving my surprise unmasked for a moment; I hadn't expected this to be about Gan.
"He's inside." Shaozu went on calmly, and then was quiet, looking out at the street like he was waiting for something.
Immediately, I was nervous. This asshole worked for Gan, or with Gan, or whatever, and Gan was inside right now. Did that mean he had us surrounded? Maybe when Hakkai stepped outside they'd all jump him, and I'd be over here like an idiot. I almost ran back across the street, but I would be stupid to think that not giving Gan an answer would delay him.
"Hey, thanks, man." I snorted, shouldering past him.
Shaozu went back to standing there like a statue.
The inside was dim, just like the bar from yesterday; I found myself in a wide, open room with a single table and just one chair. There was a big, black, iron pot sitting beside the door and a deserted counter off on my right, the wall behind the counter lined with shelf after shelf, each cluttered with little glass bottles and jars and whatever, but I could tell from the cobwebs and dust that no one had touched any of that for years; then I remembered that this had been some kind of herbal medicine shop once. An old youkai lady had run it, and people in the area said she was a witch. That was forever ago though—back when I first started living in this town. I wondered whatever happened to that old nag.
Now, the place looked empty to me. There wasn't so much as a fly buzzing around, and the room was unbearably stuffy, so I hung back near the door, hoping the fresh air would keep me from suffocating.
I'd only been there a second when Gan stepped out of the shadows. I guess he'd been standing over by the window, looking out at the town.
"We meet again." He said in his ultra-calm tone.
"Looks like it. It hasn't been twenty-four hours yet, you know."
"I'm aware. I only wanted to check in, see if perhaps you'd made up your mind early."
"That's good, I guess, 'cause I did." I pulled the wallet he'd given me yesterday out of my pocket and dropped it, gave it a kick so it bounced off his boot. "Like I already said. Not interested."
"I'm afraid that isn't a very wise choice, Gojyo."
"That a threat?" I narrowed my gaze at him. If this ass was going to start threatening me, I might just take him out right here, right now, before he got a chance to pull his gun on me.
"Not exactly, but I don't think you're really considering the ramifications of your decision."
"Oh, I am. There's no way I'm joining up with a scummy bounty hunter like you."
"Very well then, if I can't change your mind, there's no help for it. Have a nice life, Gojyo." He turned to walk away from me. It looked like he was heading for the backroom.
I called after him, stopping him in his tracks, "Look asshole, I get that you gotta' job to do, but I'm warning you: you better get the hell outta' this town and leave Hakkai alone."
Gan didn't answer; he was frozen a minute or two, and I thought he'd never say anything, and then I heard him snort a vague laugh. "Is that a hint of protectiveness I detect in your voice, Gojyo?"
"I don't need to protect Hakkai." I answered bluntly. "He can take care of himself; but I think you deserve to know, if you're fucking with him, you're fucking with me too."
"Business partners indeed." He looked back at me, finally, "Well if that's the way you wish to play, so be it, but allow me to reciprocate with a friendly warning of my own."
"Cool. Let's hear it."
"Watch your back, Gojyo; touching as your loyalty may be, I doubt you can count on your so-called partner to return the favor. He's as cold-blooded as a snake."
He walked away, disappearing into the shadows again, and I watched after him an agitating moment; I didn't really know why, but for some reason it really pissed me off to hear him say those things about Hakkai. I knew none of it was true though, so I went back outside.
Shaozu was gone, and the air seemed even hotter. "Goddamn." I started up on a cigarette, and then I noticed that Hakkai had come out of the store while I was inside. He was standing on the side of the street now, talking to a girl. I almost laughed and yelled over to him, but stopped myself when I noticed his body language.
He was totally stiff, standing still, and something about his posture made me feel like he was going to either attack or take off running. The food he'd bought was scattered around his feet.
My heartbeat was starting to pick up again. I studied the woman he was talking to, noticing her hat and long dress, realized it was the girl who'd smiled at me earlier. I wondered what she'd done to Hakkai to make him look so freaked. She was standing pretty casually, hands behind her back, leaning forward flirtatiously, and I could see that she was talking, hear her murmuring voice fluttering across the arid expanse between us.
None of it made sense. Hakkai done with women, for the time being at least, thanks to what had happened to Kanan, but I'd never seen him get all freaked out around one.
I decided to quit wondering about it and go find out what the hell was going on. I'd had just about enough weirdness for the week.
When I was halfway across the street, I could hear what they were saying, and my blood started running cold.
"…you're dead…" Hakkai gasped. "I-I saw it…I was there…"
"Gonou, what are you talking about?" She reached toward him.
"K-Kanan…I don't understand…how could you have come back to life?"
"What do you mean, silly? Stop saying such creepy things and let's go home now." She smiled and giggled.
"What the fuck?" I was just about to call out to him when I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye, turned to see that there was a man standing just inside the doorway of the shop next to the store Hakkai had come out of. In the building next to him I saw another. And then another. And another. I looked over my shoulder. Shaozu was standing like a statue, out in front of the building where Gan had been.
Suddenly, I understood everything.
"Hakkai! Get down!"
I ran, but it didn't matter; the world was in slow motion now: nothing was moving, even the sky was standing still, and I felt like the day had come to a total standstill. I wasn't going to get to him in time, and it probably wouldn't make much difference, even if I did. I was such an idiot for not figuring all this out sooner.
The girl reached for Hakkai.
He started to take her hand.
"Hakkai, wait!" I slammed against him, knocking him off balance, and we both had to struggle not to fall all over each other. "What are you doing?" I demanded.
"Gojyo…where did you come from?" He sounded like he was a million miles away, and he was only looking at me because I was right in his face. I saw horror and fascination dancing in his eyes. It was an expression I'd never seen before.
"Never mind, we gotta' get out of here, right now."
"Who's your friend, darling?" The woman asked. She had a voice sweet as rain and clear as crystal.
Hakkai went on staring at her.
I turned to give her a piece of my mind, thinking about hitting her right in the face, "Who the fuck are you? That's the real question."
"Kanan." Hakkai murmured, sounding like he was going into some kind of freaky, emotional coma. "Gojyo, this is Kanan."
"No it isn't." I snapped, giving his arm a twist. "C'mon, let's get the hell out of here, Hakkai."
"It is though…. I don't know how, but it is."
"Didn't you hear me? I said we have to leave. Now."
He went on staring.
She giggled, "Your friend is funny, Gonou."
"Don't call him that." I growled, then tugged Hakkai's shirt collar, trying not to seem too frantic, "Dude, listen to me. We're totally surrounded: those bounty hunters I told you about earlier tricked us. If we don't get moving they're gonna' kill you, and-"
"Bounty hunters?" The fake Kanan laughed, "What an imagination he has. I see you like to keep as entertaining company as ever, my love."
"And that is not Kanan." I finished.
"Her hair. Her face. Her eyes. Gojyo…it must be."
"But it's not!" I screamed in his face, but it didn't so much as faze him.
Gan's voice echoed through the streets suddenly, "Cho Gonou. My name is Colonel Gan: my men and I have you surrounded as we speak."
I saw him standing further down the street, a squadron of men lined up behind him, weapons drawn. They weren't aiming at us yet, but that could change quickly enough.
"I'd like to request that you accompany me now, Cho Gonou; if you surrender and come quietly, no harm will befall you, or your friends."
For the first time, Hakkai seemed to come out of his daze. I felt him grip my arm, "What's happening?"
"It's like I said, dumbass." I snarled. "They got us surrounded: they're gonna' kill you."
"But Kanan…they won't shoot as long as she's standing here."
"Yeah, 'cause she's working with them!"
He gave me the dirtiest look, "I beg your pardon?"
"Fuck. Have you gone bat-shit, man!" I grabbed his collar. "This chick is not Kanan!"
Gan called to me next, "Sha Gojyo, I suggest you move along, if you don't want to get caught in the middle of this."
What an asshole. As if I wasn't already in the middle of this. As if I wasn't wrapped up tight at the center of the whole dick-sucking thing. As if it wasn't my fault this was happening to Hakkai in the first place.
My mind raced. I should have warned him. I should have made him listen to me. I should have never let him walk out the front door this morning. I shouldn't have let him go in the store by himself.
No time for that.
The girl was wheedling away again, "Gonou, what's going on? Who are all these men? Please, can't you take me home now? I want to go home."
He was just staring at her again, lips shaking. He reached toward her with a trembling hand, like he could only dream about actually touching her face. I heard him whisper, "It can't really be you, can it."
"No, it can't," I growled, shoving him back.
"If you refuse to cooperate." Gan warned, "We will take you by force. I suggest you boys do yourself a favor and don't put up any sort of resistance."
"That man. He's the bounty hunter you spoke of?"
"Damn straight. Now wipe the fucking stars out of your eyes and let's go!"
For the first time I noticed that they were closing in. Men were coming from all sides, weapons ready; they were dressed in heavy uniforms, helmets on their heads, and they had some pretty serious machinery.
I was getting that sick feeling again.
I grabbed Hakkai harshly by the shoulders, forcing him to look me in the eyes again, "Come on, man, snap out of it! If we don't do something we're both gonna' get slaughtered right here!"
A few citizens were peeking out of the buildings now. The handful of people that were actually in the street drifted to the side to stand back and talk and speculate. Most of them were people who knew us, but I could worry about explaining all this later, if I got Hakkai out of this alive.
The hunters were practically on top of us now. Shaozu was just a couple steps away, smiling coldly and jangling a pair of handcuffs. "You heard the Colonel, Cho Gonou. Surrender, and I promise not to hurt Kanan."
Eyes flashing, Hakkai turned on him, "You wouldn't dare."
"Oh-ho, wouldn't I? She's a beautiful woman—I might actually enjoy what I have in mind for her."
I couldn't believe this; it was a nightmare, and if Hakkai fell for this bullshit, I might just lose my mind.
He glared at Shaozu, a little defiantly, but I could see that he wasn't going to stand up and give them the best damn rumble they'd ever had. He was going to back down and give in, all because some stupid girl looked like Kanan.
Well, I wasn't going to sit by and watch this shit happen. I didn't know how much I could do by myself, but anything was better than nothing.
I darted forward, attacking the man closest to me, plunged a fist into the guts of the next guy up. Five of them came at me at once; the brave dude in front charged me, like he was going to tackle me or something stupid. I caught him around the waist, lifted him up, threw him back into his comrades, and all five fell in the dust. I kicked one in the face, just as he was starting to stand. Blood sprayed from his nose and lips. The others were struggling to rise too, but I stomped them back down, knocked them unconscious one after another.
More men charged in from the sides, shouting and threatening. They had knives. I ducked and twisted and dodged, felt the sharp edges flash by me every here and again, but it was nothing. It was so easy.
When they were down, and I had a spare moment, I rammed my shoulder against Hakkai, "Hey, partner, how about giving me a hand?"
"There certainly are a lot of them." He murmured. It sounded like something he was supposed to say. Pre-recorded or something. There was no emotion to it at all.
"Right. So I could really use your help." I shoved him toward the next wave of soldiers.
He reacted, thank God. His moves were a little sloppy, but he couldn't very well just stand there and let them beat the shit out of him.
Feeling a little more satisfied, I stood back to back with him and warded off squad after squad of stupid, arrogant, little soldiers, and all the while, Gan stood back, just watching, but I didn't feel any emotions radiating off him; I thought he'd watch us with hate and anger and frustration, but he was cold. Calm as the eye of a storm.
We were doing pretty well, just the two of us. After all, it was me and Hakkai versus a few dozen humans, and for whatever reason, they hadn't busted out the heavy artillery yet, even though I saw that every one of them was carrying a piece of some kind. Hopefully, we'd just mop up the floor with them and get to go home.
After five minutes of fighting, it was looking like that might actually be possible.
When I'd taken out at least fifteen of them, and Hakkai had done over twenty, Shaozu came at me. He still had the heavy, iron handcuffs, and he did his best to smack me across the face with them. I ducked. Hakkai stepped to the side. The idiot missed us both. Screaming in outrage, he flung another fist, gripping the handcuffs like a set of brass knuckles. He went for Hakkai's face, and then for his chest. I grabbed him by the back of the jacket and flipped him over my leg.
He smashed into the ground with a tangible cloud of dust, sprang back up immediately, and came at me again. I gave him the roughest right hook I could muster. It was so rough, it knocked him down again, and this time, he took a little longer to get up.
I was really hating him, for whatever reason. Maybe it was his cold smile or his cocky attitude, or just his disgusting face, but whatever it was, I wanted to take this whole mess out on him; when I was done with him, I'd move on to Gan. Then I'd tell fake Kanan to take a hike, and Hakkai and me would go home.
I moved in for the kill.
A man came caught me from behind, apparently trying to save his fearless leader, but I bashed him hard in the face and dove on Shaozu, just as he was getting his weapon from its holster. For a few seconds, we tussled on the ground, but I had no trouble wrestling the gun away from him, pistol-whipped him with it once, and jammed the barrel against his forehead, slamming his head back down against the ground.
A cocky laugh came from my mouth of its own volition, "Well, I can see why you're not the top dog. That was way too easy."
He glared up at me hatefully. "Go ahead and kill me; my men won't back down just because I'm dead."
"It's a nice idea, but I got somethin' better. Hey, Gan! I'm gonna' shoot your side kick unless you back off, got it?"
Gan didn't answer me. Too shocked that for words, I guess.
"Gan!"
He was standing to the side, totally calmly. There wasn't a single ray of emotion in his eyes.
To hell with him, "Hakkai! Let's get outta' here while we can, buddy!"
He was just standing there too, staring at me like he wasn't sure who he was with.
"Didn't you hear me, idiot? Run!"
Slowly, he nodded, and then he turned.
But not to run.
To my absolute horror, he faced the woman, offering her his hand, "Please, I don't understand all of this, but won't you come with me? This will all make sense soon, I'm sure."
"Hakkai!" I shouted, totally outraged. Who did that? Who watched his best friend wrestle a gun away from some asshole who wanted to shoot him and then immediately went for the woman?
The girl looked at him with those luminous, green eyes, earnestly and wonderingly, face childlike and trusting.
Hakkai smiled at her, "It's all right, Kanan."
She caught him by the wrist, jerked him forward, and before I could blink, she whipped a small, silver pistol out from her dress, sticking it right in his face.
"Shit!"
Hakkai gaped at her. There was this pathetic expression on his face, like he couldn't believe she would betray him. Like he couldn't believe his own stupidity.
I couldn't believe it either.
"Sorry about all this, Gonou, darling." She sneered. Her whole tone changed, just as fast as she'd pulled the gun. "It's all part of the game though."
"K-Kanan? I-I don't understand."
She laughed in his face, then yelled suddenly, "Hey, you! Pretty boy!"
I grated out, "You better not be talking to me, you bitch."
"Yeah, you. Lower that gun before I splatter your friend."
I hesitated, just for a second, sort of willing that idiot Hakkai to make a move, but he didn't. "You wouldn't."
"Think not? He's worth more dead than alive; the bigger the bounty, the better share for me."
It's a bluff. It's gotta' be.
Before I could call her on it, Gan spoke up, "I'm afraid she's right Gojyo. The reward is doubled if we bring Cho Gonou in dead." He was walking toward me, just as calm and relentless as ever.
"If that's true then why'd you even bother with this little charade?" I demanded, glaring up at him. I was starting to feel cornered and angry, and no matter how desperately I thought, I couldn't come up with a way to get us out of this. From the look on Hakkai's face, I could tell he wasn't even considering making a plan. Not even for my sake. He'd completely fallen apart over some bitch that looked like his old girlfriend.
"I told you already, Gojyo: I'm a professional. Besides, there's a certain thrill in all of this."
"That's fucked."
He gave me that faint, cruel twist of the mouth, "I'm sorry to hear that. Now, why don't you lay that gun down? It would be a shame if you had to watch your friend die over your own stubbornness."
It really would suck.
I hesitated just a moment longer, then slowly, very slowly, set the gun down on the ground.
Immediately, Shaozu punched me in the head, obviously as hard as he could, since a second later I was on my back, seeing stars.
Voices drifted around me, but they were muffled. My vision cleared in a matter of a couple of seconds, but by then, everything was fucked way too far for me to fix it. They'd snapped some handcuffs on me, and another pair on Hakkai, but he was still just staring at the girl like he couldn't believe what she'd done. I wanted to slap that dazed look right off his face.
Some soldiers hauled me to my feet, holding me between them. Another pair grabbed Hakkai.
"I apologize, Gojyo." Gan was smoking now, and he looked superior, cool and collected, "I did try to warn you about getting in the way, but you were just too cocky to heed."
I spat on his boots for a reply.
His mouth only curled again, "Keep that obnoxious attitude up, and you may not make it out of this alive. Men, let's move out."
As they marched us forward, I gave Hakkai one pleading, frenzied look over my shoulder, but he looked as if he may as well have launched off into space.
The great, smiling killer, defeated by a woman.
