The World Goes Round
Chapter 10: Pieces Are Moving
In an obscure section of the imperial palace, an unresponsive figure stared blindly at a rectangular lotus pool.
A silver-eyed girl had been there earlier that day. First, she apologised for not being able to drop by more often. It had been a while since she was in the capital. Then, she spoke about seeing Goku, his guardian and two friends in the Realm Below. With the exception of Goku, they were called by different names now. The four of them had lost their memories of life in the celestial realm. Should he wake one day, it might be a dilemma for him to reconcile with the amber-eyed burnet.
Goku seemed to be doing well though; they all were, she felt. But they had been tasked to accomplish something extremely dangerous; stop those trying to resurrect a past-opponent of his, the Gyuuma-oh.
Unfortunately, his successor had become a highly dangerous and unpredictable element to their mission. Honestly, she remained conflicted. It turned out, a few years of taking herself away from the capital and a direct confrontation with Homura had done little to wipe her sympathy for the War Prince, no matter the recognition of his guilt and condemnation of atrocities committed.
The visit had to be cut short because she needed to be at the senate. A tiny, self-deprecatingly snort was heard. She informed him that her family would certainly be shocked once more. However, should all things go well, it would be some time before she could be back at the capital.
Take care, the Nana-hime of Seishin no Goten had bid him.
Nataku had gone on to ignore everything, as he had seemingly done so for the last few centuries.
– * * * * * * * –
"Sanzo… please explain to us what happened when you went to take a look at the Hall of Beauteous Sounds."
Hakkai asked and the mood among the Sanzo-ikkou sobered. The abrupt visit from two very significant Above Realm beings had thrown them for the loop.
Though he was still black-faced, the violet-eyed monk understood what was necessary.
"That one called Hikari was standing outside the Hall. Shortly after, Homura appeared. They have some unresolved business between them. Homura's sidekick – that Xenon – showed up next. Then, he and Homura decided there wasn't any point hanging around. They got out. I did too."
Spare to the bones, curt and definitely grudging in sharing details, Sanzo's answer was true to form.
Hakkai, Gojyo and even Goku eyeballed the blond.
"Was Hikari standing when you left? She's unconscious when we found her; someone bashed her head in." the Halfling pointed out sardonically.
"Hnh."
There was a lot to read between the lines.
Such were the reasons why discussions among the four of them typically did not wax long. Sanzo had always been laconic (and subject of universal concession that his jealousy over privacy was preferable to the alternative frigid putdowns). Hakkai kept to short and incisive questions and rather listen than reveal. Gojyo was more man of action than one to detail pre-emptive strategies. And Goku might be the most chatty among them but deferred to the three older men for explanations of where (or whom) he could swing his nyoibo at.
"Ehh… Sanzo, did you hit Hikari-nee-san?" the teenager was just a tad reproachful.
"…"
"Hikari-san was fine in the end, Goku," Hakkai injected, tone as comforting as warm honeyed-water. "Otherwise, her father would have done more than just immobilise and glare at him."
Goku brightened while Gojyo raised an askance brow. Sanzo sullenly dug out his pack of cigarettes from within his robe.
"Speaking of which… seems like bumping into more spooks is the regular thing now, as if we haven't been shoved enough crap on this trip!" the redhead groaned.
"I wonder who the Realm Above will send. Will this person be as strong as Homura?" Goku was genuinely curious, even excited.
Some would say the teenager's priorities were warped. But Hakkai only smiled indulgently and Gojyo snorted, muttering something about one-track minded chimps. Meanwhile, Sanzo closed in even tighter on himself.
"It doesn't help us to speculate, does it? We simply don't know who or how many, for that matter, the Realm Above is sending. Although it's considerate of Kanzeon Bosatsu-san to give us a heads up, I supposed," Hakkai reasoned. He ignored the sceptical sound from the Halfling.
"Anyway, I intend to check out the famous Hall of Beauteous Songs tomorrow," he went on.
Gojyo was nonchalant. "Go ahead. We should have checked out rooms for rent among the locals. I'll be working hard on some sweet-talking." He stretched out on his bedroll, tucking his palms beneath the back of his head.
"Oi, oi Kappa! Don't forget we could ask around for what the treasure is!"
"Che! Don't tell me what to do! Just follow my lead!"
Hakkai turned to their one silent member. "What do you plan to do?"
Coolly, Sanzo turned his back to the others as he laid down on his bedroll. A beat later, a low and terse 'whatever' was heard.
Gojyo sneered under his breath and Hakkai allowed himself a tiny smirk of satisfaction.
Indeed, the notion of communication must be creatively interpreted where the Sanzo-ikkou were concerned.
– * * * * * * * –
Genshou's study at the ambassadorial palace was quiet. Hikari and Yoshi sat next to each other on the seats adjacent to their father's desk, each keeping their own counsel. They were waiting.
And then, the lord of Seishin no Goten was striding into his study and his children hastily rose in greeting. Hikari's gaze, steady and determined, followed him as he took his place behind his table.
"Where's Shou?" the Seishin overlord frowned as he noted the absence of his fourth son. He had also been expecting Kourin.
Yoshi glanced at his sister, answering, "Shou-ou-nii's still upset."
Genshou harrumphed and said nothing more. Hikari cast her eyes down.
Kourin was with the Fourth Prince, soothing his temper.
"You told the magisterium you would like to represent Seishin no Goten in the effort to contain the Minus Wave." He paused and the grim line of his mouth conveyed his displeasure at being caught wrong-footed on the most major platform of their government.
The two younger aristocrats tensed.
"How do you plan on doing that?" The Seishin lord said instead.
There was a slight hesitance in how Hikari stepped up to the desk, due to disbelief that her father was not going to pursue the matter. It had been a risky manoeuvre she had made to declare her offer before all the power-brokers of the realm, she well knew.
"T–To be truthful… I'm only working on a hunch. I still need to study the settlements in the area where Shou-ou-nii, Yoshi-ou-nii and I were dispatched to a few days ago in order to better verify why the people living there seem unaffected by the Minus Wave." She calmed the more she spoke.
Genshou had read the official report written by his sixth son, who was the one in-charge of the expedition. Yoshi did noted that the energy levels exhibited from the life forms in that sector was thriving and stable, very much different from the readings they had derived elsewhere.
Unmentioned was the carefully culled narrative of the detour into the First Trumpet town; Yoshi's editing choices justified by what did or did not contributed to the data and statistics desired. Everything the Seishin Okimi knew about the interruption of their work in the lower realm was based on closed-door and definitely more candid conversation with his children.
"You have a hunch?" He narrowed his eyes. "What exactly do you know?"
Hikari exhaled. "Five hundred years ago, the Western Army… or rather, Tenpou Gensui, conducted an experiment in that place."
She could feel the attention of her family members sharpened.
"You remember what it was like then? It seemed that every few days, an abomination would appear in the Realm Below. Casualties are rising and the army was stretched thin. So, Tenpou decided to invent a method of capture that relied on long-distance incapacitation. His aim is to minimise the physical effort necessary and hence injuries in the process of containing the creatures.
To cut the long story short, he got the First Squadron to implant a contraption in a mountain hollow, capable of tapping into the creatures' hearing frequencies and neurological wavelength. We managed to conduct one trial and there was evidence of success. But because it was only that one instance, strictly speaking, the result was inconclusive."
Genshou stared hard at his daughter over laced fingers. He was leaning forward in his interest, his elbows resting on the table top.
"The court did not hear of this."
"Commander Goujun knew, actually." Hikari shook her head. "The budget was buried in the weapon expenses. Before we could update the court about this, however, Nataku Taishi was presented. With him proving to be the most convenient tool, no one bothers with alternatives strategies."
Yoshi could no longer hold his silence. "Hikari-ou-mai… All this that you're telling us; are you saying the contraption is involved somehow in making the youkai resistant to the Minus Wave effect?"
A grave nod served as reply.
"Still, like what I've said, it's a hunch." The princess qualified. "I even tried to visit that mountain hollow to find out more… but you know I was intercepted."
Yoshi thought back to the chain of events that had occurred on the night Shou and he had located his sister away from the First Trumpet town. He blinked, only now understanding the significance of where they had found Hikari.
Genshou got to his feet. He moved from his table and took to pacing on the carpet in front while his children observed his frowning face with some anxiety.
The overlord was not restless for long. When his thoughts were sorted out, he turned and faced Yoshi and Hikari.
"By right, we should pass this information on to the relevant ministry–" He held up a hand, forestalling the protests that were forming. "–except we know it would be awkward to explain how we've come to know such a thing."
Both Hikari and Yoshi relaxed, particularly the Nana-hime. In the minds of the Realm Above, everyone associated with Tenpou Gensui, Kenren Taishou and the First Squadron had presumably perished. Even Tenpou's written designs and plans – which could have been another legitimate source of information – had been destroyed with his library.
"So it made sense for me to go." The Seventh Princess underscored, though she tried not to seem pushy. "After all, we just came back from an inspection related to the Minus Wave effect. There is an established association."
"You've given it much thought," Genshou acknowledged. "But answer me this… the current incarnations of Konzen Douji, Tenpou Gensui, Kenren Taishou and even Goku; do you intent to get involve with them? Surely you understand why Shou is angry?"
Regret flickered over Hikari's features. "No, I won't." She answered with such certainty it took her father and brother back.
Taking a deep breath, the princess clarified, "I'm taking on this mission as your heir. If the role of Seishin no Goten and its Okimi is to serve the integrity of our cosmos, then let me do my part. My return to the Realm Below might possibly offer a defence against the Minus Wave effect."
"Of course, I will not ignore my desire to preserve the legacy of the First Squadron," Hikari went on to acknowledge. "But Genjyo Sanzo, Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojyo and Sun Goku… we don't know one another. I don't see any reason to get involve with them."
Genshou marvelled at the frank gaze of his daughter and was convinced.
"Talk to Shou before you go," he said simply. "I expect constant reports, even if it's nothing about the mission."
Hikari's eyes briefly widened. She held herself back for a moment before taking the few steps forward. Suddenly, she threw her arms around her father – a familiar motion that had to be relearnt.
Genshou recovered himself too late, one hand partially raised from the instinct to pat his daughter's head. But the youngest Seishin noble and future overlord had already slipped away, half-running out of the chamber and leaving the startled stares of her father and brother heavy on her back.
– tbc –
From Lady Rurouni:
*Jan 19: slight modification done to Hikari's response to her father's question towards the end.
Recent chapters are short, I acknowledge. But they make sensible breaks within the entire narrative.
More has been revealed concerning the mystery in this chapter, especially its ties to the past.
And how will the Sanzo-ikkou and their assistant from the Realm Above (with her own secrets) work out the conflicts between them?
Feedback please!