Tick-tock, tick-tock. Oh how badly did Gojyo want to break that god damn clock hanging on the inn wall. Then again it was only so loud as they were so deadly silent, listening intently to the muffled screams and thrashing, crashing of the bed in the next room over. Goku suddenly stood, seized the clock and yank the batteries out; the sudden movement caught the only two in the room's attention. Gojyo at the table glanced away to Hakkai who had been stirring his tea robotically for the past ten minutes at the kitchen bench in their lodge.

"She'll be okay…" Goku looked at the batteries in his hands, he felt so dirty, so useless sitting in this room, but he knew Hakkai was probably worse "Ryu's tough, she'll be fine,"

Hakkai looked away to his tea, it was no longer steaming and poured it slowly down the sink. He was numb and sick but there was no more he could spew. All he could think of was the pain Ryu was in now and why no one blamed him after he cause another death of someone important…

The door screeched open and everyone turned hopefully on the tiny old man walking in. He rubbed his hands on a bloody cloth and pulled up a chair. The doctor had been up for the past eight hours and he was exhausted. He jumped hearing the bed thump in the next room; he could feel the eyes on him.

"She's alive…" he muttered rubbing his nose bridge "But I don't know how that's possible, she lost a lot of blood and her limb…" he trailed off as Hakkai placed a steaming tea next to him and sat.

"Do you have any anaesthesia?" Hakkai croaked, his voice was very hoarse. The doctor nodded.

"It's not working, it's almost as if her body is regenerating at such an alarming rate that it only lasts for a few moments, she is very conscious," he added the last bit a little gravely, his face tinging imagining the pain "There's nothing I can really do,"

"Mmm…" Goku hid his face in his folded arms on the table. The door opened a second time; Sanzo walked in dropping into a seat by Gojyo and took out a cigarette. The monk had relieved himself of his robes since they were bloodstained; his black shirt and pants were slightly marred too. Gojyo spotted the gun poking out the back.

"Thank you for helping us," Hakkai managed, the doctor looked over them all.

"You boys got into a real rough situation, what're you doing bringing an innocent little thing like that into this?"

"She's stronger than she looks," Goku repeated. The doctor nodded and stood.

"Call me if anything happens, I'm lodging just across the street," he took his coat and left, leaving a bottle of pain killers each for Gojyo's leg and Ryu. Sanzo dropped the Uten scripture in the middle of the table.

"It's because of this…" he began "She's lived with it so long that it's rubbed off on her. It's probably the same reason why spirits possess her,"

"So in other words…" Hakkai began feeling sick again, he couldn't finish it. Suddenly Gojyo seized Sanzo's gun and bounded for the door, but Sanzo was there with the same speed slamming a hand on it.

"Didn't you just hear me you stupid kappa!?" Sanzo snapped.

"Someone needs to do something! And dieing is sure as hell better than this!" Gojyo roared back, pointing at the other room as another muffled scream cried out.

"Even if you shoot her in the head, she's not going to die! We can't just give her a fucking mercy killing!"

Gojyo glared at Sanzo and Sanzo did likewise, they were both very tired of this, sick of it, they'd both wanted to help Ryu but they couldn't. Gojyo bared his teeth looking away as he dropped Sanzo's gun sliding down the wall.

"Then what the hell are we doing here. Hearing her screaming… is driving me crazy," he ran his hands through his crimson hair. Sanzo picked up his gun and sat down once again.

"We'll just have to be here for her…" Goku looked up "Right Sanzo?"

In the next room over, Ryu was thrashing against her restraints; the gag to stop her bitting her tongue was being chewed right out. The room was dark, yet she didn't see that, lost in her head with two voices fighting "AHHHH! Hck! RAHHH!"

'Nataku! How's it feel to be losing!? The scripture is gone, but we aren't. There's nothing to stop us!'

'Shut up! I'll kill you!'

'That didn't work so well the first time! I'll be resurrected soon, and you'll die along with the bitch!'

Screeeeeeech…!

The window above Ryu swung open slowly and a pair of bunny slippers shadowed the window sill. Nii pushed his glasses up his nose, a sick smile curling at the corners of his lips.

"Oh boy…" he sighed sarcastically "You poor thing, I didn't expect they were so nasty to you…" he sat himself besides her cuffing her chin.

"KYAAAHHHH!!!"

"Tsk, this'll need a lot of work," he turned her head side to side with a frown and shrugged, leaning back into the wall by her bed. He rummaged through his lab coat pockets and pulled out a small cylinder devise, a bright red button at one end. Ryu's red eye whirled to focus on Nii.

"You've had your fun …" he rolled it in his hands "It's time to come home…" and he pressed the button. During mid-scream, something suddenly clicked at the back of Ryu's head and her voice choked as she arched her back. Her eyes rolled into her skull as the restraints uncoiled and she fell quiet; sitting up with her head flopped forward limply. Nii pushed forward rubbing his lips against her soft cheek and breathed into her ear "That's my girl…"

Ryu's blank eyes, glassy and lifeless as a doll stared simply ahead as he cradled her into his arms, one voice in her head fell dead silent.

Hakkai couldn't take the intensity of the room anymore, his own guilt was overwhelming itself and memories of Kannan's corpse and teary face washed over his mind. Then there was no one to blame him, but here were three witnesses turned their backs to him, it was insufferable. He quickly went for the door, rubbing his hands together feverishly.

"Hakkai?" Goku called after him but the door slammed in response.

Outside Hakkai sat on a bench his face in his hands and feeling unbelievably sick "…Why…" his stomach lunged to spew but it was empty, he couldn't bring himself to eat after seeing the continents he chucked up into the toilet, blood and raw flesh. Smoke brushed over his shoulder, that didn't help.

"It ain't helpin' that you want someone to blame you," Gojyo's voice muttered.

"Please spare me the life lessons," Hakkai gave a sinister smile, Gojyo looked at him dully before thwacking him behind the head "Ow!"

"Better? Does that help Ryu?" Gojyo said "Man, you're beating yourself over something she did for you; it's kinda selfish you know. Ryu knew what she was doing and I'm sure as hell she's gonna live just to hear you spill your guts,"

"I'm sure that's a way of putting it…" Hakkai said tiresomely "But I can't get that copper taste out of my mouth…" he slung his head back, his hair battered down over his eyes he noticed Ryu's window swinging in the wind. 'She's going to get cold...'

Gojyo noticed Hakkai's prolonged stare above, his eyes were so intencely locked onto the swinging window it was heart breaking to watch him beat himself up inside. Gojyo grabbed Hakkai by the upper arm. "Time for some grovelling," he grinned

Hakkai looked down at his feet as he followed his friend, having trouble surpressing a small smile and feeling terrible for it he was hoping to hide his face. Gojyo always seemed to have this effect on him, whenever a weight fell onto him the red head seemed to lift it so easily. He felt slightly guiltly not being able to do the same, and sulking like a child no less.

As they snuck up the stairs and past their awkwardly silent room, and along the equally silent hallway. The creaking floar boards sounded as if someone had held a microphone to them. Yet all the while as they crept slowly towards Ryu's room Gojyo had a crusing sense in his chest. Something like a bad cough that was making breathing insufferable, but why?

Gojyo frowned, then it hit him. There was no noise, no muffled screaming or bashing against the bed post. No, what happened?

He dropped his cigerette and paused, but Hakkai who must've realised the same pushed past and opened the door in hast.

Ryu was already gone.

Back at Houto however Nii cursed at the operating table and tossed his scalpel aside. Huang looked on fearfully as he ran his blood soaked hand over his face, an insane cackle crying out as his shoulders jerked up and down. He'd just discovered the scripture was gone.

"Doctor?"

"Prepare lord Kougajii and his friends," Nii said mid-laugh.

"And the scriptures?"

"They're coming…"

Author: You know I'm rather hateful to myself for torturing Hakkai like this; he's such a cool character. After writing this chapter my friend mentioned a mistake in Gojyo's characterisation, usually he wouldn't allow someone to die (he didn't for Hakkai) oh well, maybe situations change? –Shrug-

Guys, I must warn you now that my updating will be prolonged sadly since of course I'm entering senior study and time is short. NOT TO MENTION a certain parent of mine has forbidden writing! -sniffle-

Thank you all for stay with me and encouraging me to update, I appreciate it soo much, even if I've been so terrible to leave you all hanging. Loves ya all!