Sanzo decided it was time to intervene. He'd been crouching in the bushes for the past half hour as Goku took care of Hakkai and Gojyo. It was hell watching those he'd been traveling with brutally beaten in front of him and almost equally as painful as standing after his knees had locked up. But he knew the easiest way to take care of Goku was if he only had to deal with Goku. *Sorry Hakkai...Gojyo. It's the way it had to be.*
Goku smirked as he lowered his head and his hands balled into fists. A faint laugh escaped from his throat as he vanished into the dying rain. A half second later, Goku appeared behind Sanzo and hearing the snap of a twig under the monkey's foot, the priest spun around and immediately fired five shots. "Still clumsy!"
The monkey vanished once again before the warm metal of the bullets could touch his skin. Appearing once again floating four feet above the damp ground to swing a kick at Sanzo's neck. The priest was barely able to hold up his forearm to block, but he managed to keep the foot from caving his face in, though the force from the kick was sure to leave a nasty bruise. Snarling in frustration, Goku disappeared again only to appear twenty feet from Sanzo, glaring with a mix of disgust and annoyance. As much as he loved to kill anything in his path, he was getting a little fed up with all the obstacles that kept popping up. Not to mention he hated admitting that they were turning out to be more of a threat than he though they'd be. The demon watched the priest carefully as his opponent quickly reloaded.
"Goku, give it up!" Sanzo fired twice at Goku, hoping Goku would help him miss.
He nearly breathed a sigh of relief as Goku's frame melted into the rain. "Goddamnit." Sanzo held his gun ready for any sign of Goku. However, he wasn't ready enough to be knocked hard against the tree to the left of him. The wind was knocked from his gut for the second time that day, but he pushed the sensation from his mind and fired a single shot to the front of him, knowing Goku wasn't so stupid as to stay to the right of him in such an obvious place.
Goku's eyes widened as he gasped. The bullet had just barely grazed the skin of his shoulder and left a smoking tear in his cape. This priest wasn't fucking around and he began to take him a lot more seriously than just a plaything like the others had been. Goku's expression of surprise vanished as he growled loudly and glared at Sanzo and sent a punch hard into Sanzo's relaxed gut in the same spot he'd been pummeled by Hakkai.
Sanzo's vision whited out for a moment as the blood he'd been holding back in his throat finally escaped from his mouth and splattered on Goku's bruised cheek. The raindrops on the monkey's skin took hold of the blood and together they ran to his lips as Goku gladly licked the watery blood away. "Little bastard." Sanzo gasped out as his knees buckled and he fell onto his back. Goku was instantly straddled across his stomach with his claws looking sharper than ever and threatening to turn Sanzo's head into a pin cushion .
Goku raised his claws and got ready to free Sanzo's esophagus from his throat. But Sanzo wasn't planning on going like a little defenseless pansy. His Smith & Wesson was pressed hard enough to bruise against Goku's neck in a flash as he grabbed the monkey's arm firmly. The two stared into each other eyes long and hard as the almost inescapable situation really set into their minds.
Sanzo's heartbeat quickened as he found himself on the edge of panicking. The feeling that was once so alien was beginning to become so much more familiar. The gold eyes that stared down at him were so intense, so deeply focused, so irreplaceable. His heart skipped a beat as he swore that as he looked deeper, he could see the Goku he knew behind these alien eyes. *Gods....Don't make me shoot him....* What was this? Shit...this feeling, the most dangerous feeling a human being was capable of possessing was arising in Sanzo's consciousness. He never realized until now just how much he...cared. As much as he tried to push it away, or at least suppress it, the feeling seemed to come back ten fold. *It's those goddamn eyes.*
Goku twitched and Sanzo cocked the gun instantly; his finger pressing treacherously hard on the now warm trigger. *I swear if you make me shoot him....* Sanzo though to the Gods. *I'll make your eternity a living hell.*
Goku scowled at the human that held him, enraged that he was trapped in such a pitiful, but lethal situation. He knew full well what the gun as well as the priest were capable of and hated the idea of risking his existence, but he was beginning to grow desperate. He'd just have to kill. He'd done it in the past and he lived, so why should this situation be any different?
Sanzo recognized that look in his eyes. *Shit!* He closed his eyes and looked away as he felt Goku's body move as he brought his hand down and squeezed the trigger. "Goku!" Sanzo screamed, his tone almost apologetic over the sound of the gun firing. But before the bullet left the barrel, a wave of intense heat washed over Sanzo and everything turned a fiery orange. He felt the weight of Goku's body vanish as the burning wind did. *I...killed him. Gods...I killed--* Instantly, Sanzo's mind filled with thoughts of heavenly anarchy, but when he opened his eyes the plans of retribution were washed away as he saw Goku peel himself from a severely burnt oak not far from him. If a person could die from relief, Sanzo would be a dead man then and there. He knew for this he'd have to give up bad-mouthing the Gods for a little while. But what the hell just happened? There was no way Hakkai or Gojyo could've intervened as they were as useful as the moss around Sanzo's head.
A small laugh echoed from a high ledge looking over the clearing and Sanzo looked up towards the noise. There stood the son of Gyumoah with a big grin of triumph plastered on his face. "I hope I didn't disturb anything too sentimental."
"Not in the least." Sanzo lifted himself from the ground and plucked the damp, clingy leaves from his equally wet clothes. He watched Goku stumble away from the tree and regain his composure, all the while silently thanking Kougaji's timely actions.
"Well you can thank us for saving your sorry ass later, baldie." Lirin chirped as she stepped out of the shadows with Yaone at her side and Doukugakuji not far behind.
"Ch, fat chance." Sanzo looked back to Goku who was eyeing each of the new adversaries over and getting himself in a position where he could easily defend himself if he needed to. Although, the new company didn't look like they'd be too much of a threat.
"Where's the other two?" Kougaji asked as he looked around, only to answer his own question a moment later as he saw the sorry shape the other two members of the Sanzo party were in. "My Gods...They did this to each other?"
"Gojyo..." Doukugakuji gasped as he saw his younger brother dangling lifelessly from the tree. He couldn't peel his eyes from him as the brotherly instinct inside Doukugakuji bubbled up at the sight of the blood dripping one droplet at a time from Gojyo' cold fingers. At the same time, Yaone's eyes came to rest upon Hakkai's pitiful form leaned against a bloody boulder. She brought a hand to her mouth as she took in the mangled heap.
"Deal with them after, we need to take care of Goku." Sanzo stated.
"What makes you so sure we want to help you guys out anyway?" Kougaki growled as he jumped from the ledge.
"For one, I'm not an idiot. I can see that your companions have a little sympathy towards those two morons." Sanzo cocked his gun as Goku took a shaky step forward. "And two, who would you have to keep you busy if we were gone? Besides, if I go, he's likely to come after you next and I know you wouldn't want your friends to go through the beat down you went through last time."
The memory stung Kougaji but he realized Sanzo spoke the truth about Goku coming after those he held close. "Heh, fine. I'll give you that one." Kougaji said as he took a ready stance. "I was really hoping for a rematch against that stupid monkey."
"Don't get cocky, Kougaji. He did seriously kick your royal ass last time he was berserk. We don't need to fight him so much as distract him enough for me to get the coronet back on him.
Kougaji grumbled in disappointment, but quickly formulated a plan anyway. "Yaone?"
The apothecary nodded as she understood the silent instructions Kougaji spoke through his eyes. "Right." With that, Yaone vanished silently up into the trees.
Doukugakuji gave Gojyo one last glance as he came up beside Kougaji; his sword materializing in his hand. "Think this will work?"
"He's heavily wounded, so we might actually be able to pull this off. Just make sure the priest can get a hold of him."
"Aye." Doukugakuji confirmed as he took his place on the other side of Goku so that the three remaining men formed a triangle around the cornered beast.
Sanzo and Goku's eyes were locked. The priest watched Goku falter slightly as he took another step forward. *Those idiots better hurry up.* "Goku, just stay where you are." He sighed, knowing there was no way to get through as Goku grinned evilly at Sanzo. "Shit." Why did he even bother?
Goku leapt at Sanzo as a barrage of smoke bombs crashed into the ground around them and immediately filled the clearing with a dense sulfuric fog. Sanzo ducked out of the way as Kougaji and Doukugakuji simultaneously slammed their shoulders into Goku's chest and knocked him against the tree. Goku's mouth gaped opened in a silent scream as the wind was ruthlessly knocked from his lungs and the pain of his sternum bowing under the force.
Sanzo spun around and concentrated on Goku's aura, finding his location almost immediately and shoving the other two demons from Goku. Without delay, he pushed the easily recognizable metal of his gun hard to Goku's neck. Sanzo pressed his body hard against Goku's as he pinned him to the tree and brought his hand to Goku's forehead. But before he could start chanting the sutra, Goku dug his claws into Sanzo's sides and rakes his claws down the lithe body. The cloth of the shirt Sanzo wore easily gave way as the claws ran through it and left bloody lines in the skin underneath. Sanzo cringed but continued with the sutra as he pressed harder against the struggling body under him; his grip on Goku's forehead tightening as he labored over finishing the prayer.
Goku screamed as a white light encircled his head when Sanzo nearly screamed the final word of the sutra and gripped the monk's sides hard. Sanzo cried out as the claws pierced his skin once again, but the pain was quickly forgotten when the beautiful golden coronet appeared around Goku's forehead. *Thank Gods.* Genjo Sanzo breathed a sigh of relief as he caught an unconscious Goku in his arms. It was then the clouds decided to part just enough to let the moon peek through the barricades to look on at the world below. The pale moonlight shone down and let the coronet glow in the miserable darkness.
When Yaone saw that Goku was no longer a threat, she jumped from her perch in the tree behind him down to Hakkai's resting place. She stepped cautiously towards the barely conscious youkai with a small vile in her hand. Hakkai's gaze followed her carefully through his one barely opened eye, growling as she knelt close to him.
"Oh, Hakkai. Here, just swallow some of this and everything will be just fine. I promise." Yaone popped the small cork from the mouth of the bottle as she settled beside Hakkai.
"What the hell is that?" Sanzo walked up behind the apothecary with Goku in his arms, his harsh voice startling her a bit.
Yaone smiled. "Well, a long time ago someone wrote down a rule every dignified scientist follows to this day."
"What are you saying? I'll kill you if this is a riddle."
Yaone nodded and held up the bottle. "Every scientist produces an antidote."
"An antidote? What for?"
Kougaji stepped forward to clear things up. "To make a long story short, one of our leading scientists developed a mixture that would bring forth the full power of a demon. By spreading the mixture into the clouds the water activated the chemicals, thus causing it to rain down on your comrades and cause...this. Understand?"
"I see. It makes sense now...Fine then, how did you get the antidote? And why are you doing this?"
"We got the remedy from an associate of the scientist who didn't agree so much with this little operation. As for why we're doing this, let's just say I'd rather kill you with my own hands instead of having some old quack off you." Kougaji muttered as he swatted a mosquito.
"Ch. Of course, I couldn't expect any different of an attitude from you, *Prince.*" Yaone's soothing voice interrupted the conversation as she pleaded with Hakkai to take the contents of the flask. Hakkai stared at her, panting heavily as Yaone gently grasped the back of his head to tilt it forward from against the rock.
A sharp pain shot through Hakkai's skull as a finger pressed on a sensitive wound at the base of his head. Automatically, he slapped her arm away with a angry snarl. His bloody arm fell limply over his equally bloody stomach as Yaone's arm was knocked away. She looked at the red stain of a handprint on her forearm, then back into Hakkai's heartless eyes. "Please Hakkai, just take it." Yaone glanced at the bloody path the vines traveled over on Hakkai's battered face and whispered as she lifted the bottle to his lips and tipped a third of the contents inside.
The liquid stung like acid as it slid down Hakkai's throat but there wasn't much he could do about it. His limbs were dead and thinking began to become almost painful. However as moments passed the bitter taste in his mouth started to vanish, as did the angry, hateful, murderous feelings. A state of relaxation washed over his body as the antidote quickly disintegrated any remaining poison circulating in his body. Before closing his eye, he stared into the finally familiar face of Yaone and for the first time in hours, he smiled without any evil intention in mind. "Yaone..." Closing his eye, Cho Hakkai drifted off as the severity his wounds took the best of his consciousness.
"Thank Gods..." Yaone sighed as held the bottle ready for the next patient and watched Doukugakuji make his way over to Gojyo. "Well that's one part of our problem with him taken care of. I mean, how are we going to get more power limiters way out here?"
"You couldn't mean these." Kougaji held out his hand as two small silver cuffs glinted in the moonlight. "My eye only caught two, but it's better than nothing."
"I suppose so." Yaone nodded as she stood to take the cuffs.
Sanzo grunted a little as he shifted Goku in his arms to pull out the third silver cuff from his pocket that Hakkai had thrown on him. He handed it to Yaone who immediately went to replacing the cuffs on Hakkai's left ear. As she slid the third cuff on, the demon ears and fangs disappeared. The party watched intently as the vine patterns adorning the fallen youkai's body slowly erase themselves from the pale skin.
"I'm afraid he's not out of the water yet. He's still seriously injured."
"Ch, obviously." Sanzo interrupted as he shifted Goku back into a comfortable position.
Yaone shook her head and continued. "Anyway, I could try to bandage the external wounds as best I can, however...I'm afraid he has extreme internal bleeding as well."
Sanzo growled, "And the nearest town isn't for two more days. Go fucking figure."
"I'm afraid so." Yaone looked back down as she pulled out a bottle of iodine, gauze and a needle and thread for the deepest wounds, which unfortunately were the most plentiful.
* * *
Doukugakuji's head was just about the same height as Gojyo's stomach as he looked up to his skewered half-brother. "Oh man, Gojyo. I really hope your fully unconscious cause this might hurt a little bit." With that Doukugakuji carefully lifted Gojyo's body up and slid him off the branch, wincing at the blood that dripped down onto his face. He caught Gojyo in his arms and looked over the battered kappa's face. Doukugakuji moved some of the crimson locks from the slightly swollen eyes as they fluttered open. "Gojyo!" Doukugakuji watched as a hand slowly came to his face in an attempt to attack but which really turned out like a painful caress as the claws softly slid over the chiseled cheek bones leaving only small scratches on the skin. Gojyo's hand flopped back onto his stomach as he eyed his brother with distant eyes. "C'mon, let's have Yaone take a look at you." Doukugakuji walked carefully over to Yaone and the rest as he watched Yaone pull out various bottles of medicine. "Good, she brought the needle."
Doukugakuji lay Gojyo down beside Hakkai. He stood and looked to Sanzo, then to Goku. "What about him?"
"Take care of those two first, they need more attention then he does right now." Sanzo said as he looked up from Goku's sleeping face.
"I'm going to need some help from all of you," Yaone piped in sternly as she struggled with sewing a deep gash on Hakkai's arm. "Lord Kougaji..."
Kougaji looked down at his foe then to Yaone's pleading eyes. "Haven't we done enough already?"
"Please Kougaji."
Kougaji's will broke as Yaone's eyes buried themselves into his. The prince growled in defeat, "Ugh, very well."
"Thank you, My Lord." Then turning to Sanzo and Doukugakuji she added, "You two as well."
"What about--?" Sanzo started.
"Lirin can take care of Goku. Now if you want your friends to die just keep standing there."
Kougaji was caught off guard as he had never heard this tone in Yaone's voice but nevertheless, he and the other two makeshift nurses bandaged and salved the wounds Yaone assigned to them.
* * *
Dr Nii grinned as Dr. Huang entered the lab. "Well, well. If it isn't the girl I wanted to talk to most."
Dr. Huang stiffened a bit, but caught herself before she showed any notion that she was uncomfortable. She straightened her glasses and looked smugly to the rat seated at the desk to the right of her.
Nii laughed a little as he spun around in his chair, peeling his eyes from the screen he'd been watching for half the night. "Now doctor, you should know that I've kept my eye on the Sanzo party so that nothing slipped by me. And my attention caught one little bit of information that explained why I couldn't find the antidote for the last few hours."
"Dr. Nii I--"
Nii held up his hand, "Dr. Huang, I'm not mad at you and I want you to know I'm always here for you to talk to me about any problems you have with my actions." Nii watched as Dr. Huang shifted nervously. "Oh, and don't worry, I won't mention this little incident to Lady Koushu, so you can relax. However, in doing you this kind favor I expect something from you in return."
"What is that?"
Nii swiped his hand over the top shelf of his desk, knocking over half a dozen large vials of chemicals onto the floor. "Clean up for me, hm? I'm taking bunny out."
Dr. Huang clenched her fists as the broken glass crashed to the floor. But she held her tongue as she knew Nii could very well inform Lady Koushu of her actions.
"Oh and by the way, acid on base, base on acid, alright? Great, tootles."
"Why do you act as if this doesn't bother you!?" Dr Huang couldn't hold it in anymore.
Nii stopped in the doorway, placing the hand he was petting Bunny with on the doorframe. "You know, I'm not acting. It's just that I was bored and wanted a show. I never really cared if I ended up defeating them as long as I got the beautiful performance I had the pleasure of viewing for the last few hours. Besides, I'm not paid enough to *really* take care of them. I only work as hard as I'm paid to, you know that by now...*dear.*" Nii slid the heavy door closed behind him as he decided to wander the halls of the west wing for a while. Leaving Dr. Huang cursing the doctor's very disgusting existence.
* * *
Yaone wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead as she stood and peered down at the three unconscious demons. Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai looked like sorry excuses for mummies as they lay against the bloodstained boulder.
"I'm sorry, Sanzo, but this is all I'm able to do. I hope you all make it to the town alright."
"Yeah, yeah, we'll be fine." Sanzo grumbled as he stared down at his comrades.
"You say you'll be fine, hm? Well priest, how exactly do you plan on getting there?" Kougaji smirked as he saw Sanzo bite his lip in thought.
*Shit...*
As if on queue, a familiar high pitched squeal pierced Sanzo's ears in the silent night. Sanzo spun around to see the little white dragon fly from out of the trees and land beside Hakkai. The priest grinned, it looked as if things would be turning out alright, meaning the sooner he could get one with this ludicrous journey.
Kougaji and his companions looked to the small dragon who was pacing back and forth, stressing over his best friend's condition. "Well," The prince started. "I see you're all set to be on your way. We'll make sure to send Get Well cards your way."
"Don't waste your time." Sanzo snapped back as his foes took one last look at the fallen demons before vanishing back to the castle.
Sanzo sighed as he walked over to Hakuryuu and knelt beside it. "Well, looks like they're in pretty bad shape, hm? These idiots just hold me back all the time. We could've been seventy miles from....here." Sanzo's voice softened as Hakuryuu looked up at him with his watery, beady, red eyes. Sanzo groaned and whispered, "They'll be fine. We'll make it...hopefully."
A hand was suddenly placed on Sanzo's shoulder and in an instant, the priest had his gun pointed between the eyes of the intruder. Then, Sanzo gasped. "What the hell are *you* doing here?"
The Merciful Goddess stared down at the priest and his three mummified comrades. "I made a bet with Jiroushin that I do possess *some* humanity. So here I am."
"We'll be fine. So you can cart your divine ass back up to the heavens."
"Oh don't be selfish. You're friends are bleeding on the inside and will be lucky to make it another five hours. Face it, Konzen, you need my help. You and your party are going to the west and you're going together so for heaven's sake, step aside."
Sanzo muttered curses under his breath as he stood and stepped to the side, his hand traveled to the wounds he possessed on his sides so that he'd be spared the goddess's healing. He watched the Goddess place a hand over Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku's stomachs and chests as their bodies began to glow the same color as the moonlight. Within a few moments, the divinity stood back up and dusted her knees off.
"Well that should suffice for now."
"They still look like shit to me." Sanzo glared at the beaming deity to the right of him.
"I healed their internal injuries but I'm going to let them deal with everything else themselves. I'm not your babysitter for crying out loud."
"Heh, I'd rather have a baby-shaking Brittish nanny before I trusted you to baby sit."
"Well I can see you're relieved, Konzen." The Merciful Goddess turned to leave and was just about to head back before she caught herself. Spinning around she suddenly planted a healing kiss on Sanzo's unexpecting lips. Sanzo could feel his wounds instantly close as he stood paralyzed. His eyes narrowed as he snapped out of the Goddess's spell and jumped back, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Now, I've got some rewards to collect from Jiroushin, so if you'll excuse me. Now hurry along, their wounds can still be fatal if you just sit around on your ass like this."
"I'll go when I feel like it, goddamnit!" Sanzo screamed into thin air as the Goddess vanished and left an irritating laugh ringing in Sanzo's ears. The priest turned to the little dragon who was curled up around Hakkai's unbandaged, its head resting on the bruised knuckles. "Well c'mon, dragon. We have to get these asses medical attention sometime soon supposedly."
Hakuryuu lifted his head and stared solemnly into Sanzo's eyes. The priest turned away just in case the little dragon caught a glimpse of worry in the violet irises. "Kyuu!" Hakuryuu licked Hakkai's hand and flew a few yards from Sanzo and the others before transforming into the jeep in a cloud of smoke.
As Sanzo was moving Gojyo, he noticed a cigarette pack sticking out of his vest pocket, Sanzo groaned as he shifted Gojyo carefully and grabbed the pack. He set Gojyo down and walked back to Hakkai as he pulled out a mutilated cigarette. "I don't see how that bastard can stand these pieces of shit." But nonetheless, Sanzo quickly lit up a Hi-Lite as he began to transport his companions to the jeep, being extra careful not to tear any stitches After all, nicotine is nicotine. It seemed like forever passed by until Sanzo had everyone situated. Goku and Gojyo were in the back on blankets on the floor and Hakkai was propped up in the passenger seat. Sanzo glanced at each beaten face and sighed as he realized he was in charge of whether or not they lived. He looked down to the stick shift and bit his lip as he glared at it. "Shit. How the hell do you drive one of these things?"
TBC: Come back for the upcoming Final Chapter....after all every tale must come to an end....
Goku smirked as he lowered his head and his hands balled into fists. A faint laugh escaped from his throat as he vanished into the dying rain. A half second later, Goku appeared behind Sanzo and hearing the snap of a twig under the monkey's foot, the priest spun around and immediately fired five shots. "Still clumsy!"
The monkey vanished once again before the warm metal of the bullets could touch his skin. Appearing once again floating four feet above the damp ground to swing a kick at Sanzo's neck. The priest was barely able to hold up his forearm to block, but he managed to keep the foot from caving his face in, though the force from the kick was sure to leave a nasty bruise. Snarling in frustration, Goku disappeared again only to appear twenty feet from Sanzo, glaring with a mix of disgust and annoyance. As much as he loved to kill anything in his path, he was getting a little fed up with all the obstacles that kept popping up. Not to mention he hated admitting that they were turning out to be more of a threat than he though they'd be. The demon watched the priest carefully as his opponent quickly reloaded.
"Goku, give it up!" Sanzo fired twice at Goku, hoping Goku would help him miss.
He nearly breathed a sigh of relief as Goku's frame melted into the rain. "Goddamnit." Sanzo held his gun ready for any sign of Goku. However, he wasn't ready enough to be knocked hard against the tree to the left of him. The wind was knocked from his gut for the second time that day, but he pushed the sensation from his mind and fired a single shot to the front of him, knowing Goku wasn't so stupid as to stay to the right of him in such an obvious place.
Goku's eyes widened as he gasped. The bullet had just barely grazed the skin of his shoulder and left a smoking tear in his cape. This priest wasn't fucking around and he began to take him a lot more seriously than just a plaything like the others had been. Goku's expression of surprise vanished as he growled loudly and glared at Sanzo and sent a punch hard into Sanzo's relaxed gut in the same spot he'd been pummeled by Hakkai.
Sanzo's vision whited out for a moment as the blood he'd been holding back in his throat finally escaped from his mouth and splattered on Goku's bruised cheek. The raindrops on the monkey's skin took hold of the blood and together they ran to his lips as Goku gladly licked the watery blood away. "Little bastard." Sanzo gasped out as his knees buckled and he fell onto his back. Goku was instantly straddled across his stomach with his claws looking sharper than ever and threatening to turn Sanzo's head into a pin cushion .
Goku raised his claws and got ready to free Sanzo's esophagus from his throat. But Sanzo wasn't planning on going like a little defenseless pansy. His Smith & Wesson was pressed hard enough to bruise against Goku's neck in a flash as he grabbed the monkey's arm firmly. The two stared into each other eyes long and hard as the almost inescapable situation really set into their minds.
Sanzo's heartbeat quickened as he found himself on the edge of panicking. The feeling that was once so alien was beginning to become so much more familiar. The gold eyes that stared down at him were so intense, so deeply focused, so irreplaceable. His heart skipped a beat as he swore that as he looked deeper, he could see the Goku he knew behind these alien eyes. *Gods....Don't make me shoot him....* What was this? Shit...this feeling, the most dangerous feeling a human being was capable of possessing was arising in Sanzo's consciousness. He never realized until now just how much he...cared. As much as he tried to push it away, or at least suppress it, the feeling seemed to come back ten fold. *It's those goddamn eyes.*
Goku twitched and Sanzo cocked the gun instantly; his finger pressing treacherously hard on the now warm trigger. *I swear if you make me shoot him....* Sanzo though to the Gods. *I'll make your eternity a living hell.*
Goku scowled at the human that held him, enraged that he was trapped in such a pitiful, but lethal situation. He knew full well what the gun as well as the priest were capable of and hated the idea of risking his existence, but he was beginning to grow desperate. He'd just have to kill. He'd done it in the past and he lived, so why should this situation be any different?
Sanzo recognized that look in his eyes. *Shit!* He closed his eyes and looked away as he felt Goku's body move as he brought his hand down and squeezed the trigger. "Goku!" Sanzo screamed, his tone almost apologetic over the sound of the gun firing. But before the bullet left the barrel, a wave of intense heat washed over Sanzo and everything turned a fiery orange. He felt the weight of Goku's body vanish as the burning wind did. *I...killed him. Gods...I killed--* Instantly, Sanzo's mind filled with thoughts of heavenly anarchy, but when he opened his eyes the plans of retribution were washed away as he saw Goku peel himself from a severely burnt oak not far from him. If a person could die from relief, Sanzo would be a dead man then and there. He knew for this he'd have to give up bad-mouthing the Gods for a little while. But what the hell just happened? There was no way Hakkai or Gojyo could've intervened as they were as useful as the moss around Sanzo's head.
A small laugh echoed from a high ledge looking over the clearing and Sanzo looked up towards the noise. There stood the son of Gyumoah with a big grin of triumph plastered on his face. "I hope I didn't disturb anything too sentimental."
"Not in the least." Sanzo lifted himself from the ground and plucked the damp, clingy leaves from his equally wet clothes. He watched Goku stumble away from the tree and regain his composure, all the while silently thanking Kougaji's timely actions.
"Well you can thank us for saving your sorry ass later, baldie." Lirin chirped as she stepped out of the shadows with Yaone at her side and Doukugakuji not far behind.
"Ch, fat chance." Sanzo looked back to Goku who was eyeing each of the new adversaries over and getting himself in a position where he could easily defend himself if he needed to. Although, the new company didn't look like they'd be too much of a threat.
"Where's the other two?" Kougaji asked as he looked around, only to answer his own question a moment later as he saw the sorry shape the other two members of the Sanzo party were in. "My Gods...They did this to each other?"
"Gojyo..." Doukugakuji gasped as he saw his younger brother dangling lifelessly from the tree. He couldn't peel his eyes from him as the brotherly instinct inside Doukugakuji bubbled up at the sight of the blood dripping one droplet at a time from Gojyo' cold fingers. At the same time, Yaone's eyes came to rest upon Hakkai's pitiful form leaned against a bloody boulder. She brought a hand to her mouth as she took in the mangled heap.
"Deal with them after, we need to take care of Goku." Sanzo stated.
"What makes you so sure we want to help you guys out anyway?" Kougaki growled as he jumped from the ledge.
"For one, I'm not an idiot. I can see that your companions have a little sympathy towards those two morons." Sanzo cocked his gun as Goku took a shaky step forward. "And two, who would you have to keep you busy if we were gone? Besides, if I go, he's likely to come after you next and I know you wouldn't want your friends to go through the beat down you went through last time."
The memory stung Kougaji but he realized Sanzo spoke the truth about Goku coming after those he held close. "Heh, fine. I'll give you that one." Kougaji said as he took a ready stance. "I was really hoping for a rematch against that stupid monkey."
"Don't get cocky, Kougaji. He did seriously kick your royal ass last time he was berserk. We don't need to fight him so much as distract him enough for me to get the coronet back on him.
Kougaji grumbled in disappointment, but quickly formulated a plan anyway. "Yaone?"
The apothecary nodded as she understood the silent instructions Kougaji spoke through his eyes. "Right." With that, Yaone vanished silently up into the trees.
Doukugakuji gave Gojyo one last glance as he came up beside Kougaji; his sword materializing in his hand. "Think this will work?"
"He's heavily wounded, so we might actually be able to pull this off. Just make sure the priest can get a hold of him."
"Aye." Doukugakuji confirmed as he took his place on the other side of Goku so that the three remaining men formed a triangle around the cornered beast.
Sanzo and Goku's eyes were locked. The priest watched Goku falter slightly as he took another step forward. *Those idiots better hurry up.* "Goku, just stay where you are." He sighed, knowing there was no way to get through as Goku grinned evilly at Sanzo. "Shit." Why did he even bother?
Goku leapt at Sanzo as a barrage of smoke bombs crashed into the ground around them and immediately filled the clearing with a dense sulfuric fog. Sanzo ducked out of the way as Kougaji and Doukugakuji simultaneously slammed their shoulders into Goku's chest and knocked him against the tree. Goku's mouth gaped opened in a silent scream as the wind was ruthlessly knocked from his lungs and the pain of his sternum bowing under the force.
Sanzo spun around and concentrated on Goku's aura, finding his location almost immediately and shoving the other two demons from Goku. Without delay, he pushed the easily recognizable metal of his gun hard to Goku's neck. Sanzo pressed his body hard against Goku's as he pinned him to the tree and brought his hand to Goku's forehead. But before he could start chanting the sutra, Goku dug his claws into Sanzo's sides and rakes his claws down the lithe body. The cloth of the shirt Sanzo wore easily gave way as the claws ran through it and left bloody lines in the skin underneath. Sanzo cringed but continued with the sutra as he pressed harder against the struggling body under him; his grip on Goku's forehead tightening as he labored over finishing the prayer.
Goku screamed as a white light encircled his head when Sanzo nearly screamed the final word of the sutra and gripped the monk's sides hard. Sanzo cried out as the claws pierced his skin once again, but the pain was quickly forgotten when the beautiful golden coronet appeared around Goku's forehead. *Thank Gods.* Genjo Sanzo breathed a sigh of relief as he caught an unconscious Goku in his arms. It was then the clouds decided to part just enough to let the moon peek through the barricades to look on at the world below. The pale moonlight shone down and let the coronet glow in the miserable darkness.
When Yaone saw that Goku was no longer a threat, she jumped from her perch in the tree behind him down to Hakkai's resting place. She stepped cautiously towards the barely conscious youkai with a small vile in her hand. Hakkai's gaze followed her carefully through his one barely opened eye, growling as she knelt close to him.
"Oh, Hakkai. Here, just swallow some of this and everything will be just fine. I promise." Yaone popped the small cork from the mouth of the bottle as she settled beside Hakkai.
"What the hell is that?" Sanzo walked up behind the apothecary with Goku in his arms, his harsh voice startling her a bit.
Yaone smiled. "Well, a long time ago someone wrote down a rule every dignified scientist follows to this day."
"What are you saying? I'll kill you if this is a riddle."
Yaone nodded and held up the bottle. "Every scientist produces an antidote."
"An antidote? What for?"
Kougaji stepped forward to clear things up. "To make a long story short, one of our leading scientists developed a mixture that would bring forth the full power of a demon. By spreading the mixture into the clouds the water activated the chemicals, thus causing it to rain down on your comrades and cause...this. Understand?"
"I see. It makes sense now...Fine then, how did you get the antidote? And why are you doing this?"
"We got the remedy from an associate of the scientist who didn't agree so much with this little operation. As for why we're doing this, let's just say I'd rather kill you with my own hands instead of having some old quack off you." Kougaji muttered as he swatted a mosquito.
"Ch. Of course, I couldn't expect any different of an attitude from you, *Prince.*" Yaone's soothing voice interrupted the conversation as she pleaded with Hakkai to take the contents of the flask. Hakkai stared at her, panting heavily as Yaone gently grasped the back of his head to tilt it forward from against the rock.
A sharp pain shot through Hakkai's skull as a finger pressed on a sensitive wound at the base of his head. Automatically, he slapped her arm away with a angry snarl. His bloody arm fell limply over his equally bloody stomach as Yaone's arm was knocked away. She looked at the red stain of a handprint on her forearm, then back into Hakkai's heartless eyes. "Please Hakkai, just take it." Yaone glanced at the bloody path the vines traveled over on Hakkai's battered face and whispered as she lifted the bottle to his lips and tipped a third of the contents inside.
The liquid stung like acid as it slid down Hakkai's throat but there wasn't much he could do about it. His limbs were dead and thinking began to become almost painful. However as moments passed the bitter taste in his mouth started to vanish, as did the angry, hateful, murderous feelings. A state of relaxation washed over his body as the antidote quickly disintegrated any remaining poison circulating in his body. Before closing his eye, he stared into the finally familiar face of Yaone and for the first time in hours, he smiled without any evil intention in mind. "Yaone..." Closing his eye, Cho Hakkai drifted off as the severity his wounds took the best of his consciousness.
"Thank Gods..." Yaone sighed as held the bottle ready for the next patient and watched Doukugakuji make his way over to Gojyo. "Well that's one part of our problem with him taken care of. I mean, how are we going to get more power limiters way out here?"
"You couldn't mean these." Kougaji held out his hand as two small silver cuffs glinted in the moonlight. "My eye only caught two, but it's better than nothing."
"I suppose so." Yaone nodded as she stood to take the cuffs.
Sanzo grunted a little as he shifted Goku in his arms to pull out the third silver cuff from his pocket that Hakkai had thrown on him. He handed it to Yaone who immediately went to replacing the cuffs on Hakkai's left ear. As she slid the third cuff on, the demon ears and fangs disappeared. The party watched intently as the vine patterns adorning the fallen youkai's body slowly erase themselves from the pale skin.
"I'm afraid he's not out of the water yet. He's still seriously injured."
"Ch, obviously." Sanzo interrupted as he shifted Goku back into a comfortable position.
Yaone shook her head and continued. "Anyway, I could try to bandage the external wounds as best I can, however...I'm afraid he has extreme internal bleeding as well."
Sanzo growled, "And the nearest town isn't for two more days. Go fucking figure."
"I'm afraid so." Yaone looked back down as she pulled out a bottle of iodine, gauze and a needle and thread for the deepest wounds, which unfortunately were the most plentiful.
* * *
Doukugakuji's head was just about the same height as Gojyo's stomach as he looked up to his skewered half-brother. "Oh man, Gojyo. I really hope your fully unconscious cause this might hurt a little bit." With that Doukugakuji carefully lifted Gojyo's body up and slid him off the branch, wincing at the blood that dripped down onto his face. He caught Gojyo in his arms and looked over the battered kappa's face. Doukugakuji moved some of the crimson locks from the slightly swollen eyes as they fluttered open. "Gojyo!" Doukugakuji watched as a hand slowly came to his face in an attempt to attack but which really turned out like a painful caress as the claws softly slid over the chiseled cheek bones leaving only small scratches on the skin. Gojyo's hand flopped back onto his stomach as he eyed his brother with distant eyes. "C'mon, let's have Yaone take a look at you." Doukugakuji walked carefully over to Yaone and the rest as he watched Yaone pull out various bottles of medicine. "Good, she brought the needle."
Doukugakuji lay Gojyo down beside Hakkai. He stood and looked to Sanzo, then to Goku. "What about him?"
"Take care of those two first, they need more attention then he does right now." Sanzo said as he looked up from Goku's sleeping face.
"I'm going to need some help from all of you," Yaone piped in sternly as she struggled with sewing a deep gash on Hakkai's arm. "Lord Kougaji..."
Kougaji looked down at his foe then to Yaone's pleading eyes. "Haven't we done enough already?"
"Please Kougaji."
Kougaji's will broke as Yaone's eyes buried themselves into his. The prince growled in defeat, "Ugh, very well."
"Thank you, My Lord." Then turning to Sanzo and Doukugakuji she added, "You two as well."
"What about--?" Sanzo started.
"Lirin can take care of Goku. Now if you want your friends to die just keep standing there."
Kougaji was caught off guard as he had never heard this tone in Yaone's voice but nevertheless, he and the other two makeshift nurses bandaged and salved the wounds Yaone assigned to them.
* * *
Dr Nii grinned as Dr. Huang entered the lab. "Well, well. If it isn't the girl I wanted to talk to most."
Dr. Huang stiffened a bit, but caught herself before she showed any notion that she was uncomfortable. She straightened her glasses and looked smugly to the rat seated at the desk to the right of her.
Nii laughed a little as he spun around in his chair, peeling his eyes from the screen he'd been watching for half the night. "Now doctor, you should know that I've kept my eye on the Sanzo party so that nothing slipped by me. And my attention caught one little bit of information that explained why I couldn't find the antidote for the last few hours."
"Dr. Nii I--"
Nii held up his hand, "Dr. Huang, I'm not mad at you and I want you to know I'm always here for you to talk to me about any problems you have with my actions." Nii watched as Dr. Huang shifted nervously. "Oh, and don't worry, I won't mention this little incident to Lady Koushu, so you can relax. However, in doing you this kind favor I expect something from you in return."
"What is that?"
Nii swiped his hand over the top shelf of his desk, knocking over half a dozen large vials of chemicals onto the floor. "Clean up for me, hm? I'm taking bunny out."
Dr. Huang clenched her fists as the broken glass crashed to the floor. But she held her tongue as she knew Nii could very well inform Lady Koushu of her actions.
"Oh and by the way, acid on base, base on acid, alright? Great, tootles."
"Why do you act as if this doesn't bother you!?" Dr Huang couldn't hold it in anymore.
Nii stopped in the doorway, placing the hand he was petting Bunny with on the doorframe. "You know, I'm not acting. It's just that I was bored and wanted a show. I never really cared if I ended up defeating them as long as I got the beautiful performance I had the pleasure of viewing for the last few hours. Besides, I'm not paid enough to *really* take care of them. I only work as hard as I'm paid to, you know that by now...*dear.*" Nii slid the heavy door closed behind him as he decided to wander the halls of the west wing for a while. Leaving Dr. Huang cursing the doctor's very disgusting existence.
* * *
Yaone wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead as she stood and peered down at the three unconscious demons. Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai looked like sorry excuses for mummies as they lay against the bloodstained boulder.
"I'm sorry, Sanzo, but this is all I'm able to do. I hope you all make it to the town alright."
"Yeah, yeah, we'll be fine." Sanzo grumbled as he stared down at his comrades.
"You say you'll be fine, hm? Well priest, how exactly do you plan on getting there?" Kougaji smirked as he saw Sanzo bite his lip in thought.
*Shit...*
As if on queue, a familiar high pitched squeal pierced Sanzo's ears in the silent night. Sanzo spun around to see the little white dragon fly from out of the trees and land beside Hakkai. The priest grinned, it looked as if things would be turning out alright, meaning the sooner he could get one with this ludicrous journey.
Kougaji and his companions looked to the small dragon who was pacing back and forth, stressing over his best friend's condition. "Well," The prince started. "I see you're all set to be on your way. We'll make sure to send Get Well cards your way."
"Don't waste your time." Sanzo snapped back as his foes took one last look at the fallen demons before vanishing back to the castle.
Sanzo sighed as he walked over to Hakuryuu and knelt beside it. "Well, looks like they're in pretty bad shape, hm? These idiots just hold me back all the time. We could've been seventy miles from....here." Sanzo's voice softened as Hakuryuu looked up at him with his watery, beady, red eyes. Sanzo groaned and whispered, "They'll be fine. We'll make it...hopefully."
A hand was suddenly placed on Sanzo's shoulder and in an instant, the priest had his gun pointed between the eyes of the intruder. Then, Sanzo gasped. "What the hell are *you* doing here?"
The Merciful Goddess stared down at the priest and his three mummified comrades. "I made a bet with Jiroushin that I do possess *some* humanity. So here I am."
"We'll be fine. So you can cart your divine ass back up to the heavens."
"Oh don't be selfish. You're friends are bleeding on the inside and will be lucky to make it another five hours. Face it, Konzen, you need my help. You and your party are going to the west and you're going together so for heaven's sake, step aside."
Sanzo muttered curses under his breath as he stood and stepped to the side, his hand traveled to the wounds he possessed on his sides so that he'd be spared the goddess's healing. He watched the Goddess place a hand over Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku's stomachs and chests as their bodies began to glow the same color as the moonlight. Within a few moments, the divinity stood back up and dusted her knees off.
"Well that should suffice for now."
"They still look like shit to me." Sanzo glared at the beaming deity to the right of him.
"I healed their internal injuries but I'm going to let them deal with everything else themselves. I'm not your babysitter for crying out loud."
"Heh, I'd rather have a baby-shaking Brittish nanny before I trusted you to baby sit."
"Well I can see you're relieved, Konzen." The Merciful Goddess turned to leave and was just about to head back before she caught herself. Spinning around she suddenly planted a healing kiss on Sanzo's unexpecting lips. Sanzo could feel his wounds instantly close as he stood paralyzed. His eyes narrowed as he snapped out of the Goddess's spell and jumped back, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Now, I've got some rewards to collect from Jiroushin, so if you'll excuse me. Now hurry along, their wounds can still be fatal if you just sit around on your ass like this."
"I'll go when I feel like it, goddamnit!" Sanzo screamed into thin air as the Goddess vanished and left an irritating laugh ringing in Sanzo's ears. The priest turned to the little dragon who was curled up around Hakkai's unbandaged, its head resting on the bruised knuckles. "Well c'mon, dragon. We have to get these asses medical attention sometime soon supposedly."
Hakuryuu lifted his head and stared solemnly into Sanzo's eyes. The priest turned away just in case the little dragon caught a glimpse of worry in the violet irises. "Kyuu!" Hakuryuu licked Hakkai's hand and flew a few yards from Sanzo and the others before transforming into the jeep in a cloud of smoke.
As Sanzo was moving Gojyo, he noticed a cigarette pack sticking out of his vest pocket, Sanzo groaned as he shifted Gojyo carefully and grabbed the pack. He set Gojyo down and walked back to Hakkai as he pulled out a mutilated cigarette. "I don't see how that bastard can stand these pieces of shit." But nonetheless, Sanzo quickly lit up a Hi-Lite as he began to transport his companions to the jeep, being extra careful not to tear any stitches After all, nicotine is nicotine. It seemed like forever passed by until Sanzo had everyone situated. Goku and Gojyo were in the back on blankets on the floor and Hakkai was propped up in the passenger seat. Sanzo glanced at each beaten face and sighed as he realized he was in charge of whether or not they lived. He looked down to the stick shift and bit his lip as he glared at it. "Shit. How the hell do you drive one of these things?"
TBC: Come back for the upcoming Final Chapter....after all every tale must come to an end....