A/N—I know I said it would be a while, but my sweetie left me alone for the weekend with a bunch of chick flick and this is the result.

Part 21: Don't Let Go

Sanzo

The first three fell pretty easy. Dokugakuji and Lirin took one, while Goku and I each battled the other two. How many are there? I don't know, but I push on through the gates and into the dimly lit hall. "Hakkai! Hakkai!" I call his name as I run. More of them come at me, but I fight like a mad man. I fight like Cho Gonou, but unlike Gonou I will not fail. I hear them all behind me.

"Hakkai!"
"Sanzo!" I hear him call my name. Relief floods through me. "Sanzo, we're down here!"

"I'm coming!" I run faster than I have ever before. My smoker's lungs burn, but my heart feels lighter. And then I see them. They stand in front of a dead youkai. Gojyo leans on Hakkai for support. Both of them are covered in blood and bruises.

My gun is aimed before I know it. "You bastard!"

"Nice to see you too, monk." He turns to Hakkai. "I told you he'd shoot me. Pay up."

Hakkai smiles. "We had a bet going. If for no other reason, can you not shoot him so I don't have to pay him."
This is too much for me to take in. "What the Hell is going on here?"

"Don't worry, I didn't steal him from you," Gojyo quips. "Now can we get out of this shit hole?"

"If you think this is over…"

"Sanzo," Hakkai interrupts my threats. "We should get out of here."

I grunt my reply as Goku takes over the role of Gojyo's crutch. "OWWWW! Watch it you, stupid monkey! I'm bleeding here!"

"Well if you weren't such a wimpy kappa you, wouldn't be hurt!"

Ignoring their bickering, I stand perfectly still for a moment. My pride stings.

"Sanzo?" Hakkai calls my name softly his hands stretched out toward the spot my voice came from last. I say nothing as I move to guide him. He takes hold of my arm a little tighter than usual. "Sanzo?"

"What?"

"You really are jealous aren't you?"

"I'd say that's half of it. Don't you remember the way he betrayed you? Do you think that if you left with him today that things wouldn't end up being the same? He's about as faithful as a dog?" Bitterness flows from me. I can't believe he'd do this to me after what we've shared.

He has the gall to smile. "I really don't want to go anywhere with him. Sanzo, I'm happy with you. I honestly can't believe you'd even think that I'd leave you after yesterday. Gojyo is a friend. Yes, I remember that he left me, but I forgive him for it. I can forgive him for it because I let him betray me—I knew it would happen. Gojyo is a friend," he repeats, "but you are my soul. Genjyo Sanzo, I love you."

I can't hold back my snort. "Sure get me good and pissed off and then drop something like that on me. I won't kill him, but if he ever does anything to hurt you again I'll do something worse than murder him. I'll castrate him," I say the last bit just loud enough.

"Hey, that isn't funny!" Gojyo cries from ahead of us.

"Good, because I wasn't joking." I tell him.

We are almost to the opening when they appear. "Oh shit."
"What's going on?" Hakkai asks helplessly. I push him behind.

"There's a whole shit load of them at 12 o'clock," Gojyo answers. Only then does it occur to me that Hakkai must have had some part in fighting the one back in the cells. His words come back to me. You have to believe that I am strong.

The battle that follows is all out chaos. This whole thing was all a trap to lure us in and attack us from behind. Damn, I should have seen it coming. They're a lot tougher than the ones we already killed. Kougaiji and Goku are even having problems taking them down. One. Two. Three bullets to kill one. My next two shots miss and I aim the last one at the heart of a youkai. Damn it! I hurry to reload.

Suddenly, Hakkai shoves his body in front of mine and summons a ball of chi. "2 o'clock." I say remembering Gojyo's description. Aiming where I told him, Hakkai lets the ball fly and it nails the target killing him. I push back in front and start shooting. The rhythm continues. The other's have taken out a quite a few of them, and by the time the last one falls, I have begun to relax a bit.

"Sanzo!" Hakkai cries from behind me a ball of light in his hands. A youkai stands just behind us and Hakkai releases the force at the same moment as the demon's spear pierces his chest.

He falls into my arms. "NO! Hakkai!"

There is so much blood. He rasps for breath in my embrace. "I heard him coming, Sanzo," he says pitifully and begins to cough up blood.

"Hold on, Hakkai!"