A/N: Okay, for everyone who likes/loves this story, there are two things I need for you guys to know. One: I have gone through the first 8 chapters and edited some things and sentences that would make the four sound OOC as I've checked. Like in Resolution Pt. 2, when Kakera summoned that bird, I actually make it so that doesn't happen but she does something similar of what she did to Homura in the previous chapter. Two: You guys probably don't remember Sanzo's sudden hatred towards Kougaiji in the beginning. I know they really don't hate him, but as this story will be further explained in the next chapter, this unknown hatred will be clarified and Kougaiji's transformation will be revealed as well. I got a review from someone who pointed a few matters on what I needed to fix, so in case you guys want to refresh your memory and go back a few chapters, that's okay. I just wanted to let you guys know of that stuff. shuts up
Chapter 13
Ensnared
Just like the usual exercise routine, the five stood before a massive army of demons in a desert, the sun setting behind the army. The captain was standing on a large catapult, and there lines of archers and swordsmen. When the army stopped running towards them, they all rolled their eyes as the captain spoke.
"We finally meet, Genjo Sanzo. This is as far west as you go!"
They looked around the army again, trying to keep a straight face and prepared themselves for another helping of healthy play with demons.
"It's so rare to have demons address us by our proper names," Hakkai said.
"Then I guess we shouldn't be too hard on them," Goku said lazily, arms behind his head.
"Screw that, annihilate them," Sanzo retaliated to the monkey.
'At least they're not making me watch the Jeep this time,' Kakera's mind mumbled, sharpening her dull claws and boot heels.
"While you're being so formal about it, do you mind if I call you "big dumb ass?"" Gojyo wondered, cigarette still hanging in his mouth.
"Call us what you want! Against these odds, those will be the last words you ever say!" the demon captain threatened.
Sanzo, with his finger in his ear, just grunted in annoyance. "Morons… if we're all inept on in the introductions, meet Mr. Banishing Gun!" He fired, hoping to piss the demons off and lose concentration.
Just as the priest expected, the bullet landed inches away from the demon captain's face, and also like he thought, it only made things worse. The demon captain growled and made fists at the party.
"You're really asking for it! Let's see how cocky you get once an army's on top of you! Demons attack!!" Sure enough, the army began to assemble and charge to meet their prey.
"Sure took them long enough," Hakkai said after a silence.
"Let me guess, we're supposed to kill as many as possible, am I right?" Gojyo asked sarcastically, his staff twitching for action.
Goku lifted his hand and his trusted staff appeared. "Then let's get some food."
Kakera finished sharpening her right hand claws and looked around for a group to play with. "For once I agree with you. All this cocky crap is making me hungry." She also smiled to herself, thrilled to polish her new power since the fight with Homura.
The battle soon was in full swing! Demons disintegrated everywhere, burning like unholy species. Shots were fired, chains whistled and screams could be heard from miles around the barren desert.
Gojyo was entertained, watching his staff's chain and crescent dance along the battlefield, hacking every demon it came in contact with. He lit up another cigarette, knowing it would be a long night.
"We've got ten thousand demons and not a single looker in the bunch," he said with minor disappointment. He heard a snap behind him and he saw from the corner of his eye, that Kakera kicked the demon, sending him into Gojyo's chain. "Sorry pal, I only allow hot women to make a move on me."
"AND THAT WOMAN'S NOT ME!" Kakera reminded him as she slapped a demon, and then stabbed it in the chest with her heel.
Hakkai focused his powers, sensing his chi start to build within his hand. "I would suggest that we all try to resolve our problems differently but-," he paused; releasing his power and letting it roll like a deadly bowling ball into the field of demons. "Somehow I got the feeling that…it would be a waste of time."
"Hey, Hakkai," Sanzo said out of nowhere, now back-to-back with him.
"Do you need something?" Hakkai wondered.
"Is it just me, or are you getting more insufferable than usual?" Sanzo asked the man, stepping to the side and firing off a couple "sitting ducks" behind Kakera.
"Hey, got off my case! Who said you could crash the party?" Kakera yelled back, getting into an unusual stance. With one leg supporting her weight and the other spinning like a knife, she and her claws were busy shredding the wailing demons like a ballerina from hell. Sanzo watched for a second, wondering where her power was coming from.
"You think so?" Hakkai chuckled, bringing the priest to reality.
Sanzo snapped back into reality, sensing the yell of demon charges growing stronger, so he quickly reloaded and aimed. "No big deal, but your personality can be a bit to take sometimes. I just thought you should be aware of it is all."
"Thanks that for that," Hakkai added, turning his head. "Because we don't want to have another extreme personality like you two."
"Hm…," the priest mumbled, firing three fatal shots. "I don't know who you're referring to."
As the demon captain continued to watch in shock as the five companions showed domination over his army, he couldn't help but notice Kakera's power. He remembered the grave warning his master gave him, so he decided to bring out the next step in his strategy, growling in frustration.
"Damn it! Commence aerial attack!" he yelled to the archer general.
"FIRE!" the man over the archers commanded, letting the arrows rein over the sky.
Swords came down on Goku, hoping to taster his flesh, but he jumped from the "brink of oblivion" with ease and used his kick and staff to get the demons out of his face. But his senses flashed a warning in his head, and he jumped to the side to avoid a thin veil of arrows.
Not too far from the monkey, Gojyo copied him and used his staff to tilt it up and down to deflect the arrows and make them impale the demons. He figured it was a fair trade for them, since they provided him with an exercise that he would benefit him in the next town.
Sanzo, also a few yards away, picked up the chain of reactions to the sky attack. "Sanzo!" Hakkai yelled behind him, now appearing before him, enough time to raise his shield to snap the arrows in half.
"Damn it…this can't be!" the demon captain growled, seeing his army wouldn't be able to stand much longer. So he turned to his men, hoping this jump would work. "Fire the catapult!"
"But sir, won't we hit our own?" a demon soldier questioned.
"I-I don't care, do it!" the demon captain snapped.
With the captain still on his porch of the catapult, his men prepared the massive ammunition. The captain smiled, seeing if this would slow down the warning his master gave him.
"FIRE BOULDERS!"
Though Hakkai thought he would get a break, he noticed something bigger falling towards them. The impact almost sent him on his knees, but he summoned up more of his power to keep himself together.
He kept taking more hits from the fiery boulders the catapult was firing, but eventually he realized he was running out of breath.
"There's too many of them," Hakkai grunted.
"Step aside," Sanzo said, hand on his companion's shoulder.
"Are you sure, Sanzo?" Hakkai asked, shocked at his comment.
"When nats buzz at my face, I can easily swat at them as much as the next guy," Sanzo told Hakkai, pointing his gun at the next batch of falling boulders. "Okay Hakkai, drop it."
"Okay, if you say so," and the shield was dropped.
Sanzo calmly shot at least six shots and the boulders were shattered by the small bullets, making the sky into a mouth of spitting fire. Bits of the boulders fell upon the demon, like a god smiting the unworthy.
"They're pursuing them, I cannot let them win!" the captain said to himself, but the sound of running feet made him look up to see Goku and Kakera running towards him.
After a few seconds of his glance, Goku threw Kakera into the air and the girl disappeared. The captain started to sense fear, now that his master's plan had failed and he would be the one to pay.
"They're coming this way, attack!" he yelled nervously.
To his right, he soon noticed that something too fast to see was destroying their catapult. He nervously jumped out of the way of the falling debris of the weapon. When everything stopped falling, he saw Kakera and Gojyo standing proud. She had her right arm rested on his shoulder while he lit another cigarette, a hungry look in her eyes.
"Hey Hakkai," Gojyo said as he put the cap on his lighter. "How far did you say the next town was again?"
"Yeah!" Goku echoed, the demon captain turning to see him sitting on the debris of the catapult. "I'm so hungry; I could really go for some meat buns."
"Exactly," Kakera joined in, feeling the adrenaline slowly fade away. "All this unnecessary testosterone has revved up my appetite." She flashed her claws at the demon for fun, and then put them away.
The captain started to step back, realizing now that he'd cut the wrong deal with the wrong person. He may have been guaranteed a handsome pay and go home unharmed, but he decided to screw that and leave.
"You haven't won yet," he muttered nervously, but when he turned around he saw his executioner glaring at him with his weapon.
"Is that right? I'm afraid I beg to differ," Sanzo hissed back.
"Be careful where you aim that gun, priest," the captain threatened, back away again, but now looking at someone else. "Don't think this is over yet, this is nothing compared to what our friends have in store for you. No matter where you go, we'll track you down and…"
His speech was cut off when he felt a pair of claws enter his neck, cursing Kakera in his mind. He tried to wiggle free, but he soon realized she was holding him above the ground…as a target.
"Track this," Sanzo growled, gun clicking. "Moron." His gun was fired.
A deep red moon hung in the black sky as Hakkai continued to drive the party further out of the desert.
"What an evening," he said calmly. "We even have a full moon to boot."
Goku, his arms behind his head again, got up and sighed at the sky. "I could care less about the stupid moon. Just how much further anyway?"
"Well, I'd say it's about…," Hakkai tried to say.
"Alright, what is it?" Sanzo had to ask.
Hakkai noticed that Sanzo was getting worked up about him trailing off, so he just put a shy hand behind his head and turned to the priest and staring Kakera.
"Oh, it's nothing for you guys to get worked up about. But I think I may have gotten us all lost," he confessed, laughing nervously.
"Ha ha ha my ass! There's no way I'm camping out in the woods without a woman again tonight," Gojyo hissed, not expecting a smack with his own staff.
"If you use that as an excuse make a move on me in my sleep one more time, I'll make sure the back of this jeep is the last thing you'll ever see!" Kakera yelled, standing on her seat and glaring down at the half-breed, now rubbing his head.
Gojyo shook his head from the shock and the impact, looking at her and speaking through clenched teeth, trying to keep control.
"Give me my staff back…Kakera, and I'll go easy on you."
"Why don't you ask me nicely…and I won't kick that perverted ass of yours off this ride with your own staff," she mocked him coldly, a firm hand on the staff.
"There's no restaurant out here...," Goku complained, after gathering himself from laughing so hard. He sat down as the jeep was stopped and Hakkai started examining the map.
"That's odd…according to this map, we should be outside the city limits," Hakkai said quietly, confused by the map.
"Where did it go?" Goku asked randomly.
"I swear, is there a single wrinkle in that brain of yours?" Gojyo wondered sarcastically, now focused on the monkey.
"What're you yelling at me for? It's the town's fault it's lost!"
"You prove positive a person can't think on an empty stomach, and your stomach is always empty!" Gojyo yelled, grabbing Goku's face.
"Oh yeah, well maybe we wouldn't have gotten lost if you used those worthless antennas of yours!" Goku snapped back, the fight beginning.
"I thought I told you to never utter those words around me again…" To the others, this fight was just another usual routine that was best left ignored.
'Now this is priceless entertainment,' Kakera's mind mumbled impatiently.
She figured, while the stupid fight about intelligence and name calling was going, she would keep points for whoever won. She thought that would be a way to get the two to shut up for good. But Sanzo had to fire his gun and scare everybody…
"You want a goodnight's rest? I'll put your lights out forever, you bastards," Sanzo hissed, his tone making Kakera lazily turn around.
'And yet Gojyo wins again, what a shame,' she concluded.
Within the blanket of the dark woods, a girl kept running and running. She glanced back every few seconds, and the demon kept following, until she slipped. She ignored the quick pain in her knee and kept going, until blinding lights reached her eyes and dropped to the ground to catch her breath. The demon screeched in the distance, and she didn't want them to become victims as well.
The five looked at her with surprise, wondering why she was running. But she soon caught her breath and started to run again.
"Get out of here!" she screamed and ran.
Just as she picked up speed again, the five heard the screech again and they saw a demon with wings fly down towards them.
"What the hell is that thing?" Goku asked, now alert.
"Goku…I do hope you like fried chicken," Hakkai suggested, revving up the engine.
"It's alright," Goku answered with a chuckle.
"Or would you prefer cream minced chicken lightly sautéed?" Hakkai added.
"Even better!" Goku said excitedly, his thirst for action rising.
"How about sukiyaki?" Hakkai asked, turning the gear and making the jeep speed backwards.
"Now you're talking!" Goku yelled in victory, seeing it fly lower.
The four hung on tightly as the car began to speed up backwards, the demon like bird heading straight for them, hungry for a satisfying meal. Its screeched, combined with the squealing of the tires, made the noise around them almost unbearable.
Gojyo spotted the girl not too far ahead, so when he knew the time was right, he picked her up. "I'll take care of the breast and thighs," he told Hakkai, referring to the bird.
"Alright then, I guess its Goku's job…," Hakkai paused, making the jeep spin to distract the bird. "To carve up the bird!" After a couple of spins the jeep stopped, and the demon flew higher.
"Wait a second; you guys haven't been talking about that thing, have you?" Goku asked nervously. "There's no way that thing will fit in a pot!"
Kakera carefully stood up; trying not to stay balanced and took out her claws. "If you're too scared to get your hands dirty, then I'll do it!" she suggested, the demon now diving down.
"She's right, since when did you become so fussy?" Gojyo wondered, still holding the girl. "Fry it already!"
Goku and Kakera almost lost their balance as Hakkai made the jeep swerve to the side to avoid a side attack from the bird. Luckily, they sped up for the woods, trying to get off their backs.
"So, what's your name?" Gojyo asked the girl, changing the subject.
"Uh…Houran," the girl replied quietly.
"Ah, Houran…pretty name for a pretty girl, you doing anything later?" Gojyo wondered with a smirk.
"Gojyo now's not the time! Can't you hit on her later?" Goku yelled in frustration, seeing the demon bird gain speed behind them.
"Look, you do your thing and I'll do mine! What's taking you so long anyway?" Gojyo pressed.
"If you're in such a hurry, you do it!" Goku snapped back.
"Look, I'm in the middle of something right now. So if you don't you mind, a little privacy," Gojyo suggested, as if Goku was a kid spying on him.
The demon continued to gain speed, screeching in frustration and hunger at the speeding jeep. Hakkai, tired of the fighting, drove faster. "I guess I'm gonna have to hold down the clock until those two stop bickering. Hold on!" The speed, picking up, made Kakera lose balance and land in the back on top of Goku.
"Hakkai, I was thinking…," Sanzo began.
"I'm afraid it's too late for that, we've become too involved in this," Hakkai reminded him, trying to keep control.
"Yeah, the girl stays!" Gojyo hissed.
"So, does that mean I get to feed you to the bird now?" Kakera asked with tight fists.
"Shut up, Kakera!" Gojyo snapped at her, trying to hide embarrassment.
The demon let out more screech, and Goku brought out his staff in anger. "I don't know, this guy looks too stringy for my taste," he told them, keeping balance as the demon headed higher above the trees.
"You know, I don't this guy's going away anytime soon! We might to actually do something about it!" he yelled, trying to make them listen.
"Sanzo?" Hakkai asked.
"No," he immediately replied.
"Come on, Sanzo…"
"No, it's not my problem."
"But all you have to do is…"
"Look, you guys got yourselves into this mess," Sanzo admitted. "I had nothing to do with it."
"But don't you think he's a little bigger than a fly?" Hakkai pressed.
"He's hungrier than I am!" Goku added.
Kakera rolled her eyes, seeing nothing was being done. She pulled out her father's scriptures, getting the idea that might solve their problems. 'This better work…just to make them shut up.'
"Come on Sanzo, just one shot, for me?" Gojyo asked simply.
Sanzo stood up in defeat, gun in his hand and a pissed off look. "Damn, alright, but you owe me. Out of the way, Kakera." She moved and fired two shots, but the bullets did nothing.
'He's a tad more resilient than I thought,' he said to himself.
"Should I slow down, you seem to be having a little trouble back there," Hakkai said, turning to watch.
Sanzo threw down his gun, pissed he had to use his last resort. "Don't bother, this will do just fine." He grabbed Kakera's hand, helping her back in the front. They closed their eyes and began to concentrate together.
"O holy scripture, I call upon your power to send this creature back to the darkness! Makkai Tenjo!"
The Holy Scriptures flew up towards the demon, but it simply dodged them and flew up higher to escape the possibility of a trap. Both stood in shock to see even their own power didn't work.
'He dodged the Makkai Tenjo,' Sanzo said, speechless.
'This is no normal demon,' Kakera figured, putting the scripture away.
"You see, that wasn't so bas was it?" Hakkai reassured them.
"Yeah, you two are pretty good at swatting flies," Gojyo said with a smile.
"I didn't see you chanting any sutras!" Sanzo challenged.
'Oh well, I can always send Gojyo back to where he came from is he decides to cause more racket,' Kakera thought, sitting down to gather her senses.
"So, what am I supposed to eat now?" Goku whined.
"Thanks, I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't run into you all," Houran said, ignoring the monkey.
"Think nothing of it, the least we could do. So, where do you live?" Gojyo asked, still mesmerized by her beauty.
"Not very far, but the house actually belongs to my master," Houran replied.
"Master? Lucky guy," Gojyo smirked.
"His mansion lies beyond the suspension bridge ahead, you can't miss it. You've done so much for me, but I'm afraid we can't offer you much beyond our gratitude," Houran said shyly.
"Do you have food?" Goku piped up with hope.
"Of course!" Houran assured him with a smile.
"What about a nice bed and some company perhaps?" Gojyo asked, moving closer to Houran, which made her speechless.
"Then I'm sold, let's go!" Goku shouted, happy to get food.
"I'm so there," Gojyo said in a relaxing voice.
"What do you say, you two?" Hakkai asked, eyes on the road.
"You guys do what you want," Sanzo grumbled.
'I don't like this,' Kakera thought, seeing the bridge ahead. She could sense a strange aura in the area, and she felt the charka on her forehead begin to burn. 'It must be one of them, I just know it…'
"Are you okay, Kakera?" Hakkai asked, seeing her tensed up.
"It's…It's just a migraine, stop worrying," she hissed with pain.
"O-Okay, if you say so," Hakkai said quietly, turning his eyes back to the bridge as they started to cross.
"Hey Hakkai, are you sure this bridge is safe?" Goku asked nervously.
'Pansy,' Kakera hissed, the pain intensifying.
"I'd say it is…probably," Hakkai replied with a simple smile.
"What do you mean by probably?" Gojyo demanded.
"I mean, we probably won't die," Hakkai told them again, laughing for a second. "Okay, here we go!" The jeep started to pick up speed, making the old wood keeping the bridge together tilt and swing.
"Hold on, Hakkai!" Goku yelled in fear, holding on to the side.
"Are you trying to kill us?" Gojyo snapped, but they reached the ground and the two sighed of relief. "Jeez, don't scare us like that, Hakkai." But the man driving at his stunt and they kept driving on, into the area that would ensnare and destroy.
"Looks like we just missed them," Kougaiji said, looking at the scene.
"Well, that's what they get for not waiting for our orders," Dokugakuji added, sword hung lazily over his shoulder.
"They were completely wiped out," Yaone said to herself.
"He wasn't the type to attack on his own like this," Kougaiji said with a low growl. "There's nothing more to do here, let's head back."
"Hey, what's that?" Lirin asked, pointing and eyes wide. The three turned back just in time to see the demon bird fly down towards them, the hunger making the eyes glossy with madness.
"What do you make of that?" Kougaiji asked with quiet shock.
"Whatever it is, it looks pretty big," Dokugakuji said, sword ready as the demon began to dive down faster.
"You don't think it's after us, do you?" Kougaiji asked them, not liking their situation.
"I don't care what it is, let's just wipe it out and be done with it!" Lirin yelled in frustration, seeing nothing was being done.
"What should we do?" Yaone asked the other two men.
'So, they left me out of the fun this time,' Kougaiji hissed, feeling the adrenaline pumping inside him. 'I don't like this at all.'
"WOAH! That's a big…house," Goku said with amazement as all six stood before the enormous mansion.
"It's this way everyone, Master won't mind. I'm sure it'll be nice to have some company in this place," Houran said, leading them closer to the large double doors.
"YAHOO, LET'S GO EAT GUYS!" Goku exclaimed, jumping around.
"Just don't embarrass us like last time. Leave some for the rest of us," Gojyo reminded the monkey, the time a few days back when Sanzo and Kakera were injured.
"You're just too slow," Goku said, running inside.
Hakkai walked forward, but something told him to look back. He saw that Sanzo and Kakera weren't following them, still as stone. "Nothing's bothering you two, is there?"
Sanzo looked at her, and she just nodded with little care. "I'll go help in the kitchen," she whispered and then joined the others.
"Sanzo, what's going on?" Hakkai asked again. "What's bothering you?"
Sanzo looked at him for a moment, not really wanting to answer. So he just put his head down and walked forward. "Not really. Why, do I look bothered?"
"Always," Hakkai said with a shrug, both entering the mansion.
Deep within the heart of the mansion, the culprit was laughing and making another paper airplane. The ground was a sea of carefully folded paper, the man's face proud of his creations.
He kept laughing as he continued to fold another, sensing the presence of the party enter his domain. "How long I've waited for you to visit, Genjo Sanzo. Now that you've finally arrived, I can show the finest- the finest hospitality. But for the time being, please, do enjoy yourselves," he whispered with an evil grin, thinking about the deal as he folded the wings.
Screams of terror and laughs of evil echoed through his mind as the three explained their ends of the deal, and he couldn't help but feel excited that it was his turn to experience his part of the deal.
"And then…," he paused to raise his hand. "Let fly!"
He slowly watched the paper fly into the endless sea of orange, feeling the powerful presence of his prey. 'It's only a matter of time…'
Dougakuji flew through the sky like a bird of death, bringing down his sword upon the demon bird. The bloodied pieces of flesh and feather landed heavily upon the earth, but after he landed with a victorious smile, the pieces disappeared and reassembled themselves.
"No way," Dokugakuji said breathlessly.
"Lord Kougaiji, did you see the way it just-," Yaone tried to say.
"I saw it, we got ourselves a shikigami," Kougaiji told them, the demon flying down to them once more. "I really hate those things."
Lirin, headstrong and hyper as ever, started to run towards the bird and jumped. She punched a hole through the demon, blood spattering the ground. But the broken, bloody pieces did the same thing as before.
"Wh-Why's it going away?" she said with a hiss.
"It's useless nicking at it like this," Kougaiji said, tired of the failed attempts of murder. "We have to combine our powers and take it out in one fell swoop." He turned to Yaone, an idea coming into his head. "Yaone, you figure out how to hold that thing in one place."
"Yes," she said firmly, picking up speed as Dokugakuji threw her into the air. Once she got the right altitude, she started throwing her bombs into the fake demon, hoping to bind it.
Kougaiji saw his opportunity and began to focus his powers, determined this would kill it. He held out his hand out flat, glaring at the bird that kept him behind.
"Demon of darkness, divine shadow,
I summon your power to bestow my right hand, the power of night.
Fiend of day, fiend of sun, I summon you to bestow upon my left hand, the light of fire, the power of light.
Power of day…Power of night,
Combine your powers to send this creature back to Hell!"
Just as Kougaiji expected, the summon was a success as the fire demon came to life and soared into the demon. With a fiery body and a soul to execute the unworthy, the demon took the bird into the air. Then dashing from side to side, it slowly destroyed the bird, until the body was drove into the ground until nothing remained but dust.
After the summoned fiend had vanished, Kougaiji examined the dust and found a paper airplane. The others quickly joined them, wondering what made it so strong.
"What do you make of it, Lord Kougaiji?" Yaone wondered.
"This paper airplane holds the heart of the shikigami," Kougaiji explained, opening the plane to be in shock to see the words written inside. "This spell is unlike anything I've ever seen before."
Kougaiji smashed the plane in his hand, realizing now that he had been left out, just he and the other had done to the third person. He tried to mask his frustration to his unknowing friends, but his eyes could tell the mistake he made of not showing up earlier to prevent the second's plan from going into play.
'Damn, there's nothing I can do,' he hissed to himself, standing up and facing the direction of the mansion. 'Let's just see if this experiment is worth fighting and dying over like Homura says it is.'