About an hour later, Ryurei awoke in Hakkai's arms, spooned against him. "Time to wake up, sleepy-head," he whispered in her ear, raining soft kisses on the side of her neck. He felt her hands close around his forearm, and soon, she turned around, and was facing him. He was a very lucky man, to have found her again… With what had happened a little more than an hour ago, he knew that the Goddess would have spoiled him from other women without question.
Never one to lie on a bed for long, Ryurei kissed his nose and sat up, taking the blankets with her. He might have seen her naked and much more, but she did not want to scare the hell out of the other three, who would barge in any moment now. Grabbing her silk gown from the floor, she turned towards him and gave him a playful wink before entering the bathroom to change.
The fire, the passion, and that glow that she had felt, everything had been real, and this time, he would not leave her on some death-seeking personal mission. She would be there with him. A slight smile formed on her face when she tried to imagine Gojun's reaction to what they had done, but she figured that he would let it slide. They loved one another, while he knew that it was utterly pointless to guard her honor forever and ever.
Several minutes later, she opened the door and found six other individuals in their room already, with no trace of the earth-shattering love-making that had occurred. However, there was this sly smile no Gojyo's face that she really felt like wiping it off with a brandish of her katana, but she digressed. Greeting each and every one of them, she sat next to Hakkai, and watched as Kougaiji and Dokugakuji laid out the computers that contained the extensive maps of Houtou Castle.
"So, as you can see, the Castle is heavily guarded at all fronts, so a frontal assault would be suicide," Kougaiji said, knowing that they would not be so stupid as to even try it, but it would not hurt to add it in. From the schematics that they had provided, it could be seen that there were four bunkers, albeit very carefully concealed bunkers that led to the Castle through extensive underground networks. "The labs extend to all around the Castle, but my father is held in the lowest basement floor, guarded by Nii Jienyi and his assistants."
Ryurei stood and looked at the profile of the scientist at the side of the maps: A Ph.D. holder at the age of seventeen, a highly regarded bio-scientist specializing in combat, genetics, Houjutsu amongst other things. So, this man was the Ukoku Sanzo she had been hearing so much about. "Leave this one to me," she told them, "He has more than just the experiments hidden in his sleeves, I can feel it."
If Sanzo was right in saying that the power of the Maten-Kyou was useless against it, then it was up to her, to handle this man, as crazed as he was. "If you act alone, it would be too dangerous," Hakkai told her, looking at Kougaiji for back up. However, the Youkai-Prince agreed with her.
Gojyo looked at the schematics and said, "Do you think that pulling the plug on the Castle would do anything for us?" If anything was that simple, anyone could have taken Houtou Castle down with much ease, but at least in cutting down the power, there would be confusion, and confusion would be a good thing, if they were facing hordes and hordes of Youkai in their own turf.
Yaone nodded and gave Gojyo an affirmative answer. "But the main laboratory has a second emergency power-source that has its power generated by magic," she replied with almost a sigh. "And it seems that only Nii Jienyi knows where that is."
"And what about the other Kyoumon?" Goku asked, "Won't they be gathered in the same place, since Gyumaoh needs all five of them?"
Kougaiji pressed on the keyboard of the computer, and the image of a small room was shown. "Here, they kept the Kyoumon here, but you would need Gyokumen Koshu and Nii Jienyi's fingerprints to get it."
"Easy, we'll just cut them off and get in no problem," Gojyo butted in, stretching lazily.
"No, the scanners only work if they can find a pulse as well. You would need them both alive, Gojyo-san," Yaone replied.
Well, that was a rather fun predicament they were in. Not only did they had to get it and cut the power twice, they needed to fight through countless Youkai, and kidnap Gyokumen Koshu and Nii Jienyi, get them to open the whatever it was that held the Kyoumon, kill them, and proceed to kill Gyumaoh once more. And as a bonus, they had to free Kougaiji's mother and stop the Minus Waves as well.
"We could create a diversion," Ryurei said to all of them. Seating herself before the computer, showed them the main entrance of the Castle, where about one hundred Youkai were patrolling and guarding it. Without a doubt that the main defenses would be there, and their first reaction would be to get as many people as they could to overcome whatever is coming directly at them. "Someone has to get out there and draw their attention from those working inside. That would give us just enough time before anyone inside knows what's going on."
Luckily, there was a chorused round of agreement to her suggestion. "I'll go, I'll go!" Lirin volunteered, jumping up and down happily. "We'll get one of you guys to look like you're attacking us, and they won't have any ideas that we're actually working together."
"It would work," Hakkai commented, "But I thought Gyokumen Koshu already knows of your defection? Wouldn't it be a little bit of a risk to try anything like that?"
"It would work, because only the higher-ups know," Dokugakuji replied, "Those that guard the main gates might not have a clue on what is happening, which means that Lirin and whoever is creating the diversion has a little time to get it before anyone notices what is going on."
Lighting up a cigarette, Gojyo looked at Sanzo and said, "I know the perfect guy for the job… If Sanzo-sama personally attacks Lirin, their beloved princess, and the Castle directly, imagine how crazy they will get. But, Dokugaku will be there to help her, of course."
A harrumph could be heard from Sanzo, who said, "Suit yourselves," as bluntly as ever. Deep down inside, Sanzo knew that the kappa with the red hair had almost an excellent idea, but he did not like the fact that he would be used as a decoy, in relative safety compared to the others who would be working inside.
Everything depended on timing. They had to work with extreme precision and not only that, they had to trust one another. "We'll act in groups," Kougaiji said, "Yaone and I will get Gyokumen Koshu, while Goku and Gojyo will cut down the main reactor."
"That leaves Hakkai and me with the secondary generator and the Nii Jienyi, while Sanzo, Dokugakuji and Lirin provide our cover," Ryurei concluded. "How long do we have for each task?" The answer was given by Yaone, stating that they had about forty-five minutes each, which included all of them regrouping in the main laboratory for the last showdown.
This was it, the last attempt to strike. If they failed, there would never be another chance to do so again, and they had better not mess it up. Determination, the need to succeed and the negation of any room for failure was written on all their faces. There had never been such an effort in the history of Togenkyo that six Youkai, a Goddess and a Sanzo priest would join forces to take down the experiments that would cause the ending of their world as they knew it.
"We attack at sundown tomorrow," Kougaiji said with a slight smirk. "That will give us enough time, wouldn't it?"
The sun was already setting when Kougaiji, Lirin, Yaone and Dokugakuji left. Ryurei was on the roof of the inn, drinking a glass of wine as usual. That would be the last sunset that they would see before they attacked Houtou Castle, and the last sunset they would be heading towards. She had been with Hakkai, Sanzo, Goku and Gojyo for only the past six months, while they had been travelling together for close to three years, there was no doubt that they had been through thick and thin together, their bonds of friendship and brotherhood stronger than ever.
"Have you ever thought of what you'd do when we got back?" Goku asked all of them, "If we can get back, that is…" Although their plans were immaculate, there would be no telling whether or not they would make it alive, heck; there was even no telling if they would succeed at all.
"I would have to find another job, I suppose," Hakkai said with a slight chuckle. "The school would have found a replacement for me anyways."
Gojyo exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke and said, "I would be back in the arms of my girls, gambling and drinking all day… What about you, hime-sama?"
Ryurei's eyes widened for a moment. She never really thought about it, because all she wanted to do was to fight beside them, and to make sure that all of them were safe. Up until then, she had really never considered what she was going to do after they had completed their mission. "For one thing, I would go back up there and kick my brother's ass," she told them, "He had me cooped up in Heaven for far too long. There are so many things I want to see and do here, but I really never had the chance to."
Hakkai took her hand in his and squeezed it. "We'll do it all on the return journey," he told her with a smile, earning a few "aww" sounds from Goku and Gojyo, while she turned away, hiding the evident blush on her face.
"When this is all over, I would be glad that I can finally get rid of you idiots," Sanzo added. However, it was just a mere show. They knew that he cared for them, even if he appeared to be cold and uncaring. It was just the way he was, hard on the outside, and soft from within, most of all, to Goku, and that, Ryurei knew most of all. Goku was the one who had turned the haughty aristocrat that was Konzen Douji into a God that was all flesh and blood, a God that would actually fight for what he had wanted. The child was the sun that gave all of them light, and she should have been jealous that they did everything they had done just for him 500 years ago, to some extent.
Standing up, Ryurei told them, "Nothing would happen to us, I promise you." The reds and the oranges of the setting sun made her hair seem as if it was burning with a golden fire, her smile ever-evident. "The day after tomorrow, we would greet the rising sun with victory and we will head towards it, with no fail."
Gojyo stood up as well, and put his arms on her shoulders and Hakkai's. "That's a little cheesy, but since you're a Goddess, I'll let that slide," he told her, "But we'll all make it, the kuso-bozu will kill us if we don't, won't you, Sanzo-sama?"
"Hmph that would depend on whether or not you make it out alive," Sanzo replied. "I have no intention of dying in there at all." But if he had to, he would gladly do so. If all they needed was one sacrifice, it would be the price he would willingly pay, for the safety of all. He was a Sanzo, and to protect was his duty, the burden that he had willingly taken ever since he was of twelve years of age. But he knew that all of them carried the same thoughts, because they knew that their survival would mean little if there was no one in the world to share it with.
Playlist:
Ryurei and Hakkai: Saya's Love, Blood+
Discussion scene: Departure, Rurouni Kenshin
Sunset: Kuon No Kawa (大江东去）, Alan, Red Cliff Part 2 OST