I'll Wait Forever

Chapter Ten

They'd stumbled across a small town not long into the afternoon the next day. Goku had been enthralled with the town's Farmer's Market. He was constantly running about, looking at little trinkets and food for sale. Sanzo had walked after him, still feeling anxious about staying in one place too long. But Goku insisted that they drop by, and at least pick up supplies. Supplies…Sanzo had cracked a small, undetectable smirk. Now didn't that sound familiar?

The town had really nothing to offer, and Sanzo was only there to stretch his legs. After they picked up some thing to eat he was going to drag Goku back to the car kicking and screaming if he had to.

That was when a glint of metal caught his eye, and he turned. Guns, swords, daggers, and axes. Sanzo stared in awe at the weapons, before his interest was drawn further back into the store. As he headed inside, inspecting an older model of a revolver, a voice made him jump, "Interested?"

He turned, surprised to find a short man standing behind him. He was old, with a long beard as small, beady black eyes. Sanzo frowned slightly; he hated it when people snuck up on him. "I was just looking," he said, turning back to the guns stationed along the wall. "I don't have enough money for stuff like this." Hell, he barely had enough money to sustain Goku and himself for the next week. He didn't have enough money to go off buying guns.

"Nonsense!" The man cried. "Of course you have enough for this one." The old man retreated behind a counter, pulling out a small box and beckoning Sanzo towards him. Interest caught, Sanzo headed towards the old man. "I don't show this to everyday people, but you seem like the kind who could put her to good use." He opened the box, revealing a silver revolver. Sanzo gaped at it. It was almost identical to his old Smith & Wesson, only much larger, and—Sanzo was sure—wasn't a banishing gun. Its silver glinted softly in the dim light, and Sanzo had to suppress the urge to take hold of it.

"I don't have enough money for something like this," Sanzo said, shaking his head. "This looks way to expensive."

"Nonsense. It's a gift," he said, pushing the box towards him. "I want you to have it."

Sanzo's eyes narrowed in accusation. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," the old man assured him, smiling softly. "I just have a feeling you're going to need it soon."

---

How long had they been trapped in the hospital? Too long. Gojyo had undergone several minor surgeries to set his ribs back in place, along with other bones he'd broken. He's also suffered a minor concussion, and had been sedated for several hours. It was early in the morning sometime when the doctors had asked him if he wished to keep Gojyo sedated for the first couple days so he wouldn't have to deal with the pain. Hakkai had declined. It would be best if Gojyo was awake, just in case Dominic had any "unfortunate accidents" planned for them.

Hakkai could still see the redhead lying in his own blood under the street lamp's pattern. He could remember how he felt waiting for the ambulance to come. Hopeless, helpless, and utterly lost. Truly it was only a few minutes until the ambulance showed up, but it felt like an eternity. He's pressed his hands lightly to the man's chest, praying that he could summon the energy to heal, as he did in his previous life. But no matter how hard he prayed, or pleaded, his chi would not focus enough to heal anything. He'd never felt so helpless in his life. He'd felt like crying in relief when the ambulance arrived and assured him everything was going to be okay.

That was when he'd started to worry about himself and realized the airbag had given him a bloody nose and a black eye. So much for safety.

It was sometime before noon that the pair found themselves seated in Gojyo's hospital room, picking up their old habit of playing poker when there was nothing else to amuse themselves with. Hakkai was winning, of course, but neither of them took note. Gojyo sighed, placing his cards down again. "What are we going to do?"

"About Goku and Sanzo?" Hakkai asked, before shrugging lightly. "There's nothing we can do. Besides, those two can take care of themselves."

Gojyo snorted. "Not likely. Maybe in our past life but in this one they're pretty much fucked. Goku can't run for more then fifteen minutes before he starts coughing up blood and I bet mister Prissy Priest has never fired a gun."

"Yes," Hakkai said with a concerned frown. "But what can we do about it?"

"We follow them," Gojyo said with a wicked grin, slamming his fist into his hand. "We can stay hidden in the shadows and wait for the perfect time to strike, and then we take Dominic down, the four of us."

Hakkai sighed, placing down his cards. "But we have no idea where they went."

"They went west," Gojyo said, smiling victoriously.

"What makes you say that?"

Gojyo shrugged simply. "Just a feeling."

Hakkai shook his head with a small chuckle, throwing his cards to the table in defeat. "You're hopeless Gojyo," he muttered.

"Why?" Gojyo exclaimed, a little offended.

"Look at you!" Hakkai exclaimed, unable to stop the small chuckle that followed. "Three broken ribs, a fractured wrist and a minor concussion, and yet you still want to go after Goku and Sanzo?"

"Yup. Pretty much."

Hakkai smiled. "I'll get my coat."

---

It was early afternoon and the sun was out as they headed down downtown New York. People were out and running around, trying to get to wherever they were needed. Hakkai and Gojyo used to the crowds to their advantage, blending in as they moved towards the Car rental department. They were going to need something small, and fast to get Sanzo and Goku. They needed a warning at least. They owed them that.

It was one of those days when nothing should have gone wrong. The birds were chirping the sun was out; it was a day from a clichéd child's book. They weren't supposed to run into trouble. They were the heroes that were going to save the day, and make everybody's lives perfect. But this wasn't a child's story, and things did go wrong. Gojyo noticed it first, but Hakkai wasn't completely blind to it either.

"He's been following us for three blocks now," Gojyo whispered as they continued to head down the street, dodging people as they went past. "Do you think he's one of Dominic's?"

Hakkai smiled dryly. "You don't think he's just heading in the same direction as us, do you?"

"Not likely."

Hakkai let out a soft sight. "All right, duck into the nearest alley. We'll lose him there."

Gojyo nodded ever so slightly, before slipping into the closest alley. They headed down in silence for a while, before the ever-faithful sound of footfalls followed. Gojyo grimaced slightly, but did not increase his speed. "Shit Hakkai, coming into an alley was a brilliant plan there," he said sarcastically.

"At least we know he's really after us," Hakkai replied softly, his eyes never straying from the direction in front of him.

"What good does that do us?"

"Just wait…" Hakkai whispered, before turning to shoot the redhead a look. Gojyo caught it, and nodded back in confirmation. Suddenly the two burst forwards, running as fast as their legs would carry them. The man, caught slightly off guard, had a difficult time catching up with them. Gojyo then darted down a left alleyway, Hakkai down a right.

Hakkai kept up a good pace, glancing over his shoulder as he watched the man turn to follow him. He let a small smile cross his face, turning his gaze back forwards. Good, he wanted the man to follow him. Gojyo was still too injured to outrun someone for long.

Darting down another alley, he managed to keep up his pace. The man behind him seemed to be having some difficulty, and Hakkai silently congratulated him for keeping up thus far. Turning his attention forwards, Hakkai cursed when he ran into a dead end. Stopping short, he flipped around, watching as the man headed up behind him, producing a gun. "Cho Hakkai," the man said, still trying to catch his bearings. "I'm afraid I can't let you out of here alive. Dominic ordered that if you tried to interfere, you'd be killed on sight."

Hakkai's mind was racing, attempting to find anything that could get him out of this situation. Nothing. Not even a garbage can to hide behind. Damn, this was looking bad. He'd just have to talk his way out of this. "Do you really want to do this?" Hakkai cried, turning towards the man who was preparing to shoot. "Why are you so intent on following orders?"

"Shut up," the man said, glaring him down. "Stop trying to wiggle your way out of this. I have to go hunt down your troublesome friend after this, and I don't have time to listen to you try and prolong your life."

The gunshot seemed to echo off the surrounding walls, or perhaps it was the pain in his chest that caused the sound to seem all the much louder. Hakkai's eyes widened and his hands slowly made their way to his chest, where he could feel the blood slipping through his fingers. Weakened suddenly, he fell to his knees, before hitting the ground.

He could hear the man walk away, not caring that he was leaving a man to die in a backwards alley, never to be found or saved. This wasn't happening. He couldn't die. What about Gojyo? And his girlfriend? And his parents? What would they say? With a shaky hand, Hakkai reached into his coat pocket, producing his cell phone. He had to try, once more, for Sanzo and Goku's sake.

He never felt happier to hear the voice at the other end of the line. "Hello?" it was Sanzo.

Hakkai attempted to choke out words, but the blood filling his mouth made it difficult. "S-Sanzo…"

"Hakkai?" Sanzo suddenly sounded alarmed. "What's going on? What happened?"

His head was beginning to fog and he couldn't remember what he had to say. He had to keep himself from slipping into unconsciousness. "D-D….Dominic… he… he has…. P-please Sanzo… b-be c-careful…" As Hakkai attempted to open his mouth to say what he had to, the phone gave a small beep, before the battery died. Hakkai couldn't help but feel defeated as the line went dead. Eyes rolling back in his head, he tried to keep conscious, but it was becoming very difficult to do so.

"Field Marshal Tenpou." A bright light blinded his vision, and as he looked up, he spotted the Merciful Goddess herself standing before him. Slowly, she kneeled before him, and Hakkai could feel the life slipping from him.

"Am I… dying…?" he whispered.

Kanzeon just smiled sadly.

---

Gojyo turned down around another alleyway, forcing himself to stop when he'd run too far. No one had been following him, and if they had he was sure they would be lost by now. With his back against the wall, he allowed his knees to give out under him as he slumped down towards the ground. Everything hurt. The morphine he'd been given was wearing off and it hurt to move, and breath and—hell, it even hurt to blink. But he'd have to deal with it, because he had to help Goku, and that annoying son-of-a-bitch monk Sanzo.

Slowly, he eased himself up again before a shot whizzed past his hair, hitting the wall next to him and causing an explosion of dust to cover him. Without a second thought he turned and began running again.

He turned several more corners until his legs burnt from the exertion. No matter how much he tried, he could not run anymore. Falling behind a dumpster, he attempted to hide himself. It was becoming exceedingly difficult with his breathing so heavy. He listened as the man entered the alley, trying to figure out where he went. Closing his eyes, he prayed he would be overlooked. He listened to the echoing footsteps, he held his breath. Only when the footsteps stopped did he open his eyes, meeting with the barrel of a gun.

Gojyo couldn't stop the small smirk the crossed his face, as he looked up at the man who stood before him, indecision caught on the man's face. He seemed trapped within some inward conflict and was unable to pull the trigger. Gojyo smiled bitterly. "Are you really going to shoot an injured man?" he asked quietly. Thinking logically, he could've probably grabbed the gun and twisted it out of his hand in his pause, but everything hurt too much he doubted he would be able to move. So he just closed his eyes again.

"I don't like shooting people who can't defend themselves," the man said quietly. "But orders are orders. I'm sorry." Moving the gun from aiming at his forehead, he turned the barrel down to Gojyo's chest, and pulled the trigger.

Gojyo couldn't stop the strangled gasp as he doubled over, clutching his chest. He listened as the man turned and left the small alleyway he'd wound himself up in. Gojyo just smiled bitterly through the pain, trying to quell the extreme agony from his mind.

"General Kenren," a bright light appeared before him, and Gojyo looked up to spot the Merciful Goddess appearing before him.

Gojyo chuckled, despite the pain, as he watched Kanzeon bend down in front of him. "This is how it is, eh?" he whispered, before coughing up more blood. "Life's a bitch."

---

"Hakkai? Hakkai? Answer me Hakkai!" Sanzo growled at the continuous beep of the dead line, before hanging up in defeat. What was he trying to say? Dominic had something? They had to be careful? Well, he knew that, but what… Sanzo's hand fisted around the phone, threatening to snap it. Goku looked up at him from his spot on a nearby bench, eyes wide and stunned.

"Sanzo?" he watched the older teenager grit his teeth, eyes darting around in thought. "Is Hakkai okay? What happened to him?"

Sanzo could only stare into Goku's horrified face, biting his tongue. Did he really want to tell the boy his suspicion that Hakkai was dead? He was afraid of it himself. It looked like Dominic was picking off Gojyo and Hakkai while they hid like cowards. His grip around the phone tightened again, and he had to force himself to relax. "Let's go," he said simply, turning and heading back towards the car.

Goku scrambled to his feet, grabbing the bag of food they purchased before heading after him. "Wait! Sanzo! You didn't answer me!" While Goku attempted to scramble after him, keeping the food from spilling out onto the street, he ran right into Sanzo's back. Falling back onto the street with an ungraceful thud, he frowned up at the blond-turned-black-haired man. "Sanzo?" he whined. "Why did you just…" Goku's sentence trailed off as his eyes drifted past the man, catching sight of what made him freeze. He could practically feel his throat close up.

Dominic smiled cheerfully at them, giving a small wave before removing the sunglasses that covered his devilish eyes. Goku couldn't breathe. How? How did Dominic find them so fast? There was no way this could be happening. Dominic shot him a wink, which made a shudder run up his spine. "Howdy there, Gokie, Sanzo," he smiled brightly. "What wonderful disguises you have. The dark hair looks smashing, Sanzo." Sanzo shot the man a low growl. "But I'm afraid this is where your game of cat and mouse ends."

His predatory eyes settled on Goku, the smile never leaving his face. "I promise Goku, if you just come peacefully, I'll leave Sanzo alone. I swear."

Goku looked uncertain, his eyes darting down towards the ground. "You promise?" he whispered. Sanzo's eyes snapped to him. He wasn't actually thinking of deserting him, was he?

"I promise," Dominic said, extending his hand.

Goku turned his eyes up to Sanzo, as the man shook his head softly. Trying to make him understand that he didn't have to do this. "I'm sorry, Sanzo," he whispered, before turning and taking Dominic's outstretched hand.

Sanzo watched in disgust as Dominic pulled Goku closer to him, shooting him a confident smile before turning to leave with the boy. Sanzo glared darkly. There was no way he was going to let him walk away with Dominic just to guarantee his own safety. "I know," he said, causing Dominic to pause, shooting him a confused look over his shoulder.

"Know what?"

Goku looked horrified, shaking his head and mouthing 'don't do this' over and over.

Sanzo's eyes hardened. He had no doubt that as soon as Dominic had Goku out of sight, he would kill him. He had to do something while he still had the chance. "I know your secret. Goku told me," his eyes narrowed. "You're a demon, and you don't want anyone to know."

Dominic's eyes darkened to a new level, and his grip on Goku's shoulder tightened to the point where the boy let out a yelp. "Is that so?" he hissed. "Then I guess I will have to kill you both."

And without a second thought Dominic produced his gun and shot Sanzo.

A/N: (snicikers a little) There? See? I can spread the abuse around. We've got everything but monkey-abuse in this chapter. Wow. In my original plan, Gojyo and Hakkai were supposed to stay in the hospital, but they wiggled their way out and practically took over the entire chapter. But Sanzo had to have his little spot there at the end. I'm sad to say that this story is almost complete. Two more chapters and then we're done! But I did write a sequal for this. It's just a oneshot, and it'll be up after I post chapter twelve.

Well, I told you there would be excitement. I bet you're all wondering who I'm going to kill off? I've shot three out of four of the ikkou. But will Sanzo survive? Will Gojyo and Hakkai? Or will I be an ass and turn around and kill Goku? (winks) Read to find out, folks!

Also, please C&C. Comments and crticism. I'll love you all and the review bunny will give you a cookie. Tata!