Reflection

Chapter Twelve: The Coming of Retribution

The journey back to Sanzo's house had been more dangerous then Goku would have imagined.

Large posts that could only be described as street lamps stood tall and proud out of the street. They held containers, with what looked like old lanterns, which were lit with bright candles. It wasn't nearly enough light, but it would have to do. Sanzo tugged him down into alleyways and made certain to stay off the streets. He seemed abnormally tense, and every time Goku tried to ask him what was wrong, Sanzo would clamp a hand over his mouth to keep him silent.

As they headed along the street, Goku could only take in the shadows from every curve. Capital City looked frightful after dark, and Goku could only imagine what else was lurking behind darkened corners.

The streets had all but been abandoned. Windows and doors looked as though they were bolted up, and it caused the entire city to fall into silence. The normally livid city looking so desolate it made shivers crawl up Goku's spine. He gripped Sanzo's hand tighter as they continued down the street at a quicker pace. They only had a few blocks left but it felt like they had to cross a country. Goku couldn't explain the cold sweat that clung to his skin. It felt just… wrong. Like something was watching him.

Sanzo suddenly jerked him back into an alley, covering his mouth and pressing them both against the closest wall. Goku watched in silent horror at the creature that slowly made its way along the street. It was at least fourteen feet tall, with long, languid arms that dragged against the ground. It looked far too thin for his liking, and had a single, large eye the size of a dinner plate on its face. It was hairless, and its skin continued to become transparent and opaque, as though it couldn't decide whether or not it was real. Goku could hear the scraping of its knuckles against the gravel and it made him sick. Before he could blink the creature disappeared into the shadows of the night.

Only then did Sanzo release him, but he was still tense. Turning horrified eyes up to the blond, he could only whisper, "What the hell was that thing?"

"It's called a Night Walker," Sanzo replied softly, still watching the streets intently. "They're creatures that cannot stand the sunlight, and only appear when the Eclipse sets in. They come in different shapes and forms, so don't approach anything or anyone you don't know, Goku."

"Right," the brunet replied with a nod, before they were out in the streets again.

They ran for only a few minutes before Sanzo abruptly stopped, causing Goku to slam back into him. Backing off, he scowled, glaring at the man's back before he caught sight of what made the man pause. Standing less then a yard in front of them, were four figures. Homura and Nataku were easily recognizable, looking abnormally smug. A younger boy stood with them, and beside him the shortest figure was easily recognized as Seiten Taisei.

The demon stood tall, the effects of the fever seemed to be lost entirely on him. His golden slit eyes were trained on them, and a small, cruel smile worked its way onto his lips. His fangs looked purely deadly in the soft light and his eyes seemed to glow with devious intent. Goku could feel his throat close up ion fear. The only thought that made any sense in his mind was that he was going to die.

Seiten Taisei turned to them slowly, before with a burst of speed he was in front of them. Sanzo couldn't even draw his gun before Seiten had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and yanked him downwards into a searing kiss. Goku stared, wide eyed and open mouthed, too shocked to move, too stunned to speak. It appeared that Sanzo was having a similar problem. Goku knew that Seiten Taisei had feelings for Sanzo, but he never thought he would've acted on it. He could feel the flames of jealousy licking at his heart, yet he was still too stunned to do anything about it.

Finally, Seiten Taisei pulled away, releasing his keeper as a smile overtook his lips. Turning sharp eyes to Goku, his smile grew. "I'll kill you one day, Goku, and take what's mine," he told the boy with a low rumble of a voice, before turning back towards the men standing not far away. "But not today."

He suddenly jumped up on the nearest roof, disappearing into the night. As soon as he was gone, the distant sound of a howl sounded, one Goku knew was not emitted by any sort of dog. Goku's eyes were wide, not focused on anything as he thought of what would happen now that the demon was free. He'd only heard pieces of what had happened last time Seiten Taisei was free, but never really thought about it. Would it be as disastrous as the first time? Goku barely took note of Homura and Nataku leaving, abandoning their blue-eyed companion.

Sanzo finally seemed to regain his composure, and his features were overcome with rage. Grabbing his gun, he turned to run after the demon. "Mother-fucker! I'm going to kill that traitorous bastard!" Sanzo roared.

Before Goku could do anything to stop him, a figure almost materialized out of thin air. He was a young man, probably somewhere in his later twenties to early thirties. He wore what looked like a jacket with no sleeves that reached down to his waist. A hood covered most of his face, but Goku could just barely make out aged brown eyes that looked like they could use a few more hours of sleep, light amber hair which seemed to have been burnt from long hours in the sun, and stubble that was a few days old. He wore about seven or eight pendants around his neck that all clinked together as he moved. Who the hell was this guy?

He stepped forwards, grabbing Sanzo by the wrist and eliciting a curse from the man. Before anything more could be said, the man whipped the blond around, and punched him to the face. Hard. Sanzo fell to the ground with a thud and a bleeding nose, his gun hitting the ground and sliding away. Panicking, Goku attempted to find anything that could help. He grabbed an old broomstick and snapped the end off, turning back to Sanzo and the new man. Without hesitation, he struck.

He'd been trained in Kendo when he was younger, and a stick was pretty similar to a sword, he figured. Besides, he always found himself better off with a Bo then a sword. Though when the stick came around, aimed at the man's head he turned, and held up his arm. The old broomstick cracked in half and the vibrations caused Goku to lose his balance, hitting the ground and staring up at the man. The hooded man didn't even seem to bat an eyelash at the blow that should have shattered his arm.

Sanzo—still held in his rage—drew his gun. Before anything could be done the hooded man kicked the gun from Sanzo's hand, and grabbed him by the shirt, dragging him up to look him in the eye. "Don't be an idiot!" he suddenly yelled, before shoving Sanzo back down. "You can't run after him right now! Think about the situation you're in!"

Sanzo took a moment to look from Goku, back to the boy who was still huddled against the wall, wide-eyed and shocked that his companions had abandoned him. He might come in handy. Slowly, Sanzo managed to regain his control, taking a moment to catch his breath. After a moment, his violet gaze hardened on the hooded man in front of him. "Who are you?" he asked in a low growl of a tone.

The hooded man cracked a smile, and bowed low. "My name is Gusei, utterly at your disposal." Standing his smile slipped and he glanced back towards the blue-eyed boy still huddled against the wall. "But at the moment, I believe we have more important things to deal with."

Suddenly all eyes were on the blue-eyed boy and Sanzo shook his head, pushing the heels of his palms into his eyes. "Damnit…" he whispered. "Let's just… head back to the Order."

---

In under an hour everyone had assembled in Sanzo's office. Kanzeon had joined them, along with a few guards in case the boy attempted attack anyone. He'd tried to run twice already, and was stopped once by Sanzo and once by Oliver. As soon as the boy understood that the building was alive he'd given up on running and simply sat in silence, glaring for all he was worth.

The boy's name was Hazel, but that was all they were able to get out of him. He'd kept his lips sealed not matter what kind of threats went his way. Only after Homura and Nataku had been brought up did the boy open up and speak a little, though it was only to badmouth his deserters. The interrogation had gone on for over an hour without much improvement. Sanzo was growing very irritated, and his foul mood upset Goku, though the brunet tried not to make it public. Even Kanzeon had begun to grow annoyed. The only one who seemed to be at ease was the strange hooded man named Gusei, who sat cross-legged on Sanzo's desk and watching the events before him. Sanzo had threatened the man to leave more then once, but he didn't seem too intent on moving.

"Listen to me," Sanzo said bitterly, staring the blue-eyed boy down with a glare that would make grown men freeze. "I swore I would never torture my prisoners, but you're making it very difficult to abide by my oath. Homura and Nataku abandoned you, so therefore you don't owe them anything. Stop being so damned stubborn and tell me what they want with Seiten Taisei."

Hazel looked defiant only a moment longer before his mask crumbled, bleeding away to show hurt and exhaustion. "I don't know, okay?" he mumbled in a soft voice that was difficult to hear in the large room. "They just said… that they wanted to free one of their brothers who'd been taken hostage by the Order. But I…" his voice trailed off as the boy's eyes clouded. His brows knitted together in thought as he tried to recall something. "But they kept… talking about… the coming of retribution… or something."

"The coming of retribution," Sanzo repeated, taking his eyes off the boy to mull the words over in his mind. Who was it they wanted vengeance on? As Sanzo considered the options, Gusei let out a long, loud whistle from his spot on the desk. Sanzo's eyes shot over to him as an annoyed growl formed in his throat.

The man had pulled back his hood, showing long blond-orange hair that brushed his shoulders, framing his face messily. He scratched at his stubble, brown eyes drawn together in faux thoughtfulness. The strange pendants around his neck clinked, and with the better light Sanzo could make out a cross, the pentacle that represented the Sun Goddess, a pair of intersecting circles, strange wings that looked as though they morphed into hands, and more that he couldn't make out. They were all made out of the same kind of steal and Sanzo wondered what the hell he used them for. His attention was drawn back up towards Gusei's face to find the man still pretending to contemplate something. "Well Sanzo," he said in the same slurred voice, as though he'd just come from a bar. "What do you make of it?"

"Didn't I tell you that you'd have to leave if you didn't keep your mouth shut?" Sanzo snapped, though his eyes flickered down to the ground in thought. "I'm not sure, actually. Nataku and Homura working together is surprise enough, though what on earth would they want Seiten Taisei for? I've never seen them demonstrate any interest in the demon before. My thought is they're planning to strike back against the Order. I can imagine why Seiten Taisei and Homura would want to, but the Order has never done anything towards Nataku, so I'm still uncertain."

"Or maybe," Gusei drawled, still gazing off as his lips drew into a soft pout. "Maybe they're working for someone else."

This caused every eye in the room to snap to him. Kanzeon's lips drew into a fine line, eyes sharp as she waited for him to elaborate. When Gusei did nothing more then study the dirt under his fingernails, she snapped, "What the hell are you talking about?"

The man winced, his frown deepening as he turned his brown eyes up to her. "I'm saying just that. Think about it, what are Nataku and Homura?" Placing his chin in his hand, he smirked.

Sanzo's brows drew together. "In-Betweens. They're neither human nor demon."

Gusei clapped, congratulating. "Good job. And what is Seiten Taisei?"

"An In-Between," Sanzo answered, brows drawn together in confusion. "He was supposed to be the most powerful and had been sleeping in a cave for one thousand years before the construction of the southern forests took place…" Sanzo's eyes widened a bit, only noticeable to those who knew him well. "Oh." Was all he managed to mumble.

Realizing Sanzo had figured it out, Gusei began clapping loudly. "Give the man a prize! He's figured it out!"

Goku shot his lover a confused look, laying a hand on his shoulder for support. Sanzo neither encouraged nor discouraged the act, instead suddenly looked fearful. "This is bad. Seiten Taisei was always the strongest. When he attacked Capital City two years ago, one of the reasons why he was so successful was because a bunch of In-Betweens joined him. He's like…"

"Their leader," Gusei said calmly from his spot on the desk.

Kanzeon's eyes narrowed, her arms crossed over her chest. "And how is it you know all this?"

Gusei threw his head back, and with a wet pop his eye flew from its socket. It wiggled through the air, like a fish thrown from its tank before Gusei caught it in his palm. He squished it in his fist, and Goku thought for a moment he popped his own eye. But when Gusei opened his hand, his eye sat in the middle of his palm, sitting in a small socket that Goku was sure had not been there before. With a lopsided grin, Gusei said, "I've got eyes everywhere."

"What the hell are you?" Sanzo snapped as Gusei smacked his palm into his eye. He blinked a few times as the eye rolled back into its proper place in his head.

Gusei shook his head a few times, blinking before everything centered. "Good question," he muttered casually, cocking his head to the side as he stared at Sanzo. "But I think a better one would be, what are you going to do about Seiten Taisei?"

Pausing a moment, Sanzo thought it over. "I'm going to have to go after him," he decided with an air of finality. "The longer he has, the more In-Betweens and Night Walkers will join his side. Then not only will we have the Rebellion to deal with, but a shit load of demons ready and willing to watch Capital City burn."

"I'll come with you!" Gusei offered cheerfully, leaping from his spot on Sanzo's desk to land on the floor next to him. When his bare feet touched the ground, they didn't make a sound, as though he wasn't really there. "I've always wanted to face the great Seiten Taisei in full glory."

Sanzo's eyes narrowed, as his lips pressed tightly into a thin line. "Who the hell invited you?" the blond demanded bitterly.

"No one," Gusei said, shrugging. "But riddle me this, Sanzo: If I don't come with you, how are you going to take Seiten Taisei down? You certainly can't trust any guards with this task."

"And who says I can trust you with it?" Sanzo shot back with a snarl.

Gusei beamed, as though enjoying the battle of words. "Ah, touché."

Shaking his head, Sanzo turned, heading towards the door. "Kanzeon, keep a watch out here. Make sure the soldiers do their daily duties, and keep distributing food and supplies to the people. The Night Walkers shouldn't cause trouble unless they're disturbed."

Kanzeon nodded, decided that for once she wouldn't point out that she was senior officer.

"As for Hazel…" Sanzo muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the blue-eyed boy that was still glaring at him. "Lock him up. Don't let him leave the building. We might need him later." Turning back towards the door, he opened it, allowing Gusei to slip out into the hall, not waiting for his companion as he half-skipped down the hall. "And keep Goku safe, as well."

As though finally able to find his voice, the brunet stood suddenly from his chair, allowing it to clatter against the ground loudly. "Hey!" Goku yelled, storming towards the door angrily. "That's not fair! I want to go with you!"

"No," Sanzo said roughly. "You'll be safer here."

"No I won't!" Goku argued back, eyes wide as he attempted to find a reason. Without bothering to think, he continued, "Because Seiten Taisei might come back and kill me while you're gone! He said he would!"

"What?" Sanzo cried, baffled.

"Yeah!" Goku continued, feeling the desperation and fear of being left behind fueling his words. "He said so, just today! He said he was going to kill me for…" …For loving you… "…For stealing his strength! And if you're gone how do you know anyone here will be able to protect me!?"

Sanzo's reply didn't come right away, and Goku wondered if he won the argument. He stayed silent, searching his keeper's face for any sort of acceptance. As per usual, Sanzo's expression was guarded but his eyes shone with an emotion Goku couldn't name. Worry? Fear? Love? Goku swore he saw a flicker of something more, before everything went dim and Sanzo's eyes were shadowed with indifference.

The stoic Hunter turned back to the door, opening it and stepping out into the hall. "You'd better hurry or else I'm leaving you behind."

Catching the implications of his words, Goku's expression brightened. His eyes glittered as he turned, quickly following Sanzo down the hallways. Goku knew it was probably smarter for him to stay behind, but he couldn't stand to be separated for Sanzo. He had Lirin, Oliver and Kanzeon to spend time with, but somehow he knew something would be off without Sanzo. The man was his light, and his universe. And not being with him made something inside Goku wither. Besides, Goku thought as he studied his keeper's profile, he couldn't just trust Sanzo's safety into the hands of some stranger. If anything were to happen then Goku wanted to be there to take the blow, heal the wound—do anything so long as he was useful.

After all, Sanzo was his sun. And Goku would do anything for him.