A/N: I know that it's been nearly two months since the last update. I've had the chapter finished for some time, but my beta and I weren't able to communicate very much over the summer and just now got all of the issues worked out. It's also a lot shorter than my usual chapter length. I guess it makes up for the last one being too long.

Five: Toy

Night had officially arrived in the prison cell; Gojyo now found himself bathed in darkness. One tiny sliver of moonlight managed to filter in through the narrow window and cast a small spotlight just a yard or so away from his feet.

Several hours had passed since the youkai that had captured him came to talk. Gojyo was still waiting on that supposed bandage job after all that time.

The blood from the wound was dry; before that, Gojyo could only watch as the red further stained his pants. He hadn't had a cigarette in hours and the lack of nicotine wasn't helping the situation.

His vision blurred briefly, which he attributed to the exhaustion, and he saw a form standing in the moonlight. He saw white robes and mumbled Sanzo's name before he could stop himself. Gojyo blinked again and saw that there was no one there.

'Figures. Am I already delusional?'

He jumped when someone outside knocked softly on the door. It didn't seem like the style of the youkai from before to give him that particular courtesy, but Gojyo dreaded the visitor just the same.

The door opened after the person on the other side struggled with the lock for a few seconds, allowing a pale youkai man to step into the room. His features were rather plain, dark brown hair and eyes along with normal, loose-fitting clothing, and Gojyo almost mistook him for a human until he saw the telltale ears and nails.

The new youkai shut the door carefully behind him. He knelt down next to the captive redhead and looked him straight in the eyes. A wry smile was settled across his features. "Hope I didn't make ya wait too long."

Gojyo narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, 'cuz you know I can't get enough of these torture sessions." It was then that Gojyo noticed that he was carrying a first aid kit and a water bottle.

The youkai snorted. "Who said anything about torture sessions? I'm here to patch ya up." At that, he opened up the kit and started removing some bandages. "He got ya good, didn't he?"

Gojyo winced as the youkai tenderly examined the wound. "Not one of my better moments, I'll admit."

The youkai started washing the blood off of Gojyo's skin and the kappa thought the water felt refreshing beyond belief. The youkai worked in silence as he put a crude wrap around Gojyo's abdomen, tying it in a loose bow. "Can't do much about the pants, I'm afraid."

Gojyo looked down at the makeshift bandage. "Not your fault." He sighed and looked up at the window. "Now all I need is a smoke and I'm set." 'And a naked, horny blond in my lap, but he doesn't need to know that.'

As soon as he said it, the youkai began digging around in his pockets. "You particular to brand?"

Eyes lighting up, Gojyo felt his usual grin returning. "I'm a Hi-Lite man, personally, but at this point, I'll take whatever ya got."

The youkai produced a small red and white package that Gojyo immediately recognized. "All I got is Marlboro… sure that's okay?"

Gojyo stared down at the wound again, trying to ignore the tightening in his chest. "Like I said, I'll take anything ya got."

Seconds later, the youkai placed a cigarette between Gojyo's lips and offered up his lighter. The kappa took a deep breath, instantly relaxing. He had never enjoyed the taste of this brand before, but the scent was now attached to some very pleasant images, which he needed at the moment. 'If only he hadn't been so stupid and paranoid. Hell, if I'd only let it slide for once… bet I wouldn't be in this mess.'

The youkai lit up a stick for himself as well and began collecting the pieces of the first aid kit. "Shou."

"What?"

Tapping off some of the ash, the youkai repeated it. "Shou. That's my name."

"Ah." Gojyo rolled the cigarette to the side of his mouth. "Gojyo. But you probably already knew that."

"Actually, I didn't." Shou stood up, kit in one hand and the water bottle in the other. "I just knew you were one 'a Sanzo's lackeys."

Gojyo raised an eyebrow. "I resent being called a lackey."

"Whatever." Shou set down the first aid kit, moved closer, and offered the water bottle when Gojyo finished his smoke. After removing the redhead's finished cigarette, he put the bottle closer. "If you're finished, take this. He didn't say whether or not to feed ya, but I can't let a guy go all night without anythin'."

Gojyo sat up straight, eagerly drinking from the bottle. It felt like ages since he'd eaten or drank anything. After a few seconds and nearly gagging when he tried drinking too fast, he pulled back. "You're a real stand-up guy, Shou. Not at all like your buddy from before."

"He's not my buddy," Shou said, moving towards the door. "In fact, I'd be just as happy if he packed up and left as soon as possible. Seiran's a pain in the ass, that's what."

Gojyo closed his eyes. "Seiran, huh?"

-+-

When Yaone returned to where they where making camp for the night, Lirin was already curled up against one of the Hiryu. The prince had started a small fire and was conversing quietly with Doku.

After checking that Lirin was comfortable and settled in for the night, Yaone unfurled a few blankets and tried to make the ground more welcoming. It was an appreciated distraction from her earlier conversation with Hakkai and put anything but rest out of her mind for the time being. At least, she hoped that would be the case. Tomorrow would be a different story, especially since the two groups were going to be traveling together.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yaone watched Kougaiji. She would gladly sleep on the cold, hard ground if it meant that the prince wouldn't have to. To her, it looked like he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon.

Out of Yaone's earshot, Kougaiji crouched near the fire and watched the dancing flames. He had started this fire the natural way, instead of using his powers. It helped to make him feel a little more self-reliant this way.

Thinking back to the fight he'd had with Goku that evening, Kougaiji wondered what had possessed him to make the deal that he had with Sanzo and his group. He constantly reminded himself and the others that they weren't supposed to be friends or allies with them in the slightest. Yet, here he was, waiting for dawn so that they could take care of the mess that Seiran had created.

'Perhaps,' he thought to himself, 'I've been too distracted lately. First, the information about Sanzo himself; then, Yaone acting suspiciously… even Dokugaku seems like he's keeping something from me.' He stood up, realizing he'd been staring at the campfire for far too long, and attempted to set up his own sleeping place for the night.

Kougaiji hated feeling out of the loop; he had the distinct impression that ever since he'd gone on his little stint as Ni's puppet, things hadn't been the same. 'If it was far too easy to manipulate me, I've obviously let my guard down,' he decided. 'I'm not about to let something that serious happen again. I have to become more observant. Seiran wouldn't have gone off on this crazy plan of his if I had kept a better watch on him.'

"So, how long you plannin' on stayin' lost in your thoughts?" Doku finally spoke up and Kougaiji was slightly ashamed that he'd forgotten the other man was there. They had been talking about the camp layout for the night when Kougaiji decided to start the fire and had gotten distracted. As the prince cast his eyes on the ground, the taller youkai smiled. "It's okay. In the future, though, if I'm borin' ya, just tell me."

"It's nothing," Kougaiji said a little too quickly. "I'm just contemplating the best way to discipline Seiran for his actions."

"I didn't know you cared about Sanzo's group so much that you would go and get one of 'em outta trouble."

Kougaiji looked up towards Doku's face, which flickered with shadows from the fire. "It's not because he captured one of Sanzo's people. He deliberately disobeyed me—"

"Not to mention he's got some potentially damaging info on his person." Doku tried to shift over to a more serious expression as he pondered just what Kougaiji's punishment would be for Seiran.

Kougaiji nodded. "We weren't intending to use that knowledge against any member of the Ikkou. I should've known that it would lead to something exactly like this. I'm not sure if he intends to kill Sha Gojyo, but it seems likely."

"Well, it would suck to have to sit out battles in the future because he's not there to face off against me." Doku then moved to set up his own bedroll. He took a deep breath as soon as his back was to the prince. 'It's exactly the kind of thing I warned Gojyo about. Hopefully, we can reach him before Seiran does any real physical damage.'

-+-

He almost couldn't believe the things he went through to keep himself entertained. Here it was, the dead of night, and the man was out traveling through a dense forest, with only the full moon overhead for company.

He had never really minded the presence of the moon before; it was comforting and familiar in an irritatingly calm way. Now, however, the beams felt like judgment. The moon either thought he wasn't moving fast enough, or in a very fair manner. He could never tell which alternative the stubborn celestial body desired.

"Not now, Koumyou," he whispered, brushing aside a low-hanging tree branch. "I'm still playing by the rules, however few of them there are."

The moon didn't budge from its lofty sky view.

A gust of wind ruffled the Muten sutra that lay on his shoulders and his black robes moved as well. He was being pushed back, but it neither surprised nor deterred him.

"Now who's being unfair?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips. "I don't recall giving you control over the wind as well."

He continued his one-sided conversation as the forest cleared, showing a dirt road leading off into the distance. "A sutra is a sutra, dear Koumyou. If little Kouryuu is having difficulties seeing it as the most important thing, that's his problem, now isn't it?"

Satisfied with this retort, Ukoku Sanzo continued along the path. If he had read the maps correctly, he would reach the little town by morning. He wondered if the same could be said for Genjyo Sanzo and his friends. After all, Seiran was supposed to be keeping them very busy.

-+-

The entire night was a restless one for the Ikkou. Due to the fact that three of them were sharing one room, Sanzo and Hakkai each took one of the twin beds, right and left side respectively, while Goku was regulated to a cot at the foot of Hakkai's bed. This barely left room for the table by the foot of Sanzo's bed, the nightstand in between the beds, and a pathway to the tiny little bathroom.

Goku moaned a little about being hungry before bed and as a result, slept very lightly on his cot, waking up at the slightest creak or thump. Hakkai lay on his side, keeping his head facing towards the door, in case of another attack. He woke up on the pretense of using the restroom about four times that night. Hakuryu was curled up next to Hakkai on the pillow. From the occasional chirping noises he made, it was evident that the dragon was on high alert as well.

Sanzo was sitting on his bed with his legs pulled close to his chest, resting his arms on his knees. He leaned against the wall and struggled to keep his eyes open. The moon sent a faint light through the window and illuminated the floor between the beds. He tried to stare at it to stay conscious, but it was a losing battle. His vision blurred several times and when he finally agreed to rest his eyes for a while, he was out. The next thing he knew, it was already dawn and the sun was peeking up from the distant mountains.

"Morning already." Hakkai's soft voice came to Sanzo's left, where he saw the healer standing, awake but trying to stifle a yawn. "That was fast."

"Time to get a move on," Sanzo decided, but his body had other plans. He swayed uneasily as he attempted to get out of his sitting position. Most embarrassing of all was how he almost fell off of the bed before steadying himself on top of the mattress. His legs had cramped from spending all night sitting up against the wall. In addition, his stumbling was the thing that finally woke up Goku, who had been drooling and softly snoring.

Goku rolled up to a sitting position and yawned. "Izzit time fer breakfast?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes and looking up at Sanzo and Hakkai.

Hakkai gave the teen a small smile. "More accurately, it's time to locate our friend, Goku."

Goku thought for a moment, looking down at his lap and then beamed up at Hakkai. "Gojyo would'a wanted us t' have breakfast b'fore goin' t' get 'im."

"Ever hopeful, aren't you?" Hakkai mused. "Very well, if it's what Gojyo would have wanted."

Sanzo finally got to his feet, pretending the incident of nearly falling had never happened. "Make it quick, monkey. We have no idea when Prince Pretty-boy is going to decide to take off… and I don't think he'll mind too much if he has to leave without us."

Goku immediately scurried over to the bag of supplies that Hakkai had purchased last night and rummaged through it until he found something that suited him. As Hakkai started picking up some of the items that had been carelessly tossed aside – in particular, a can of coffee – Sanzo cleared his throat.

The healer looked back at him expectantly and Sanzo suddenly found it difficult to look him in the eyes. Sanzo had never been too good with prying into people's personal lives and this was no exception. "You… were out pretty late last night. No problems, I assume?"

Hakkai gave him one of those smiles that involved closed lips and shut eyes. Sanzo hated those kinds of smiles. It meant, among other things, that Hakkai knew things that Sanzo didn't and was unwilling to share with him. "No problems at all… unless you count the store being out of chicken-flavored ramen as a problem."

Goku looked up from stuffing his face with some sort of cereal bar. "Did Yaone get all the stuff she needed?"

"I believe so."

Sanzo began gathering up his things and Hakkai excused himself, along with his pet, out of the room so that he could prepare Jeep for the day's mission. As soon as the door clicked behind the driver, Sanzo felt Goku's wide golden eyes turn to him.

"Naa, Sanzo…"

The priest rolled his eyes. 'Every time he starts a sentence with that phrase, I just know it's going to get me into a new pile of shit.' He took a deep breath. "What is it? If you ask me a stupid question, you know that I'm going to have to hurt you, right?"

Goku didn't miss a beat, despite Sanzo's death threat. "Hakkai was out with Yaone last night."

"Thank you for that brilliant deduction." Sanzo secured the sash around his waist and began looking for the gold rakusu he wore over his chest. "Any other exciting news to report?"

Even turned away, Sanzo knew that Goku was pouting from his place on the floor. "You're not listening. He was out with her. I'm not stupid. I know they talk a lot and now they're hangin' out." There was a nervous cough. "Does Hakkai… like Yaone? I mean like her like her?"

Sanzo was now fully dressed after placing the Maten Sutra around his shoulders; as a finishing touch, he reached for his shoureiju and tucked it into his sleeve. "Don't know and don't care. None of my business unless they decide to run off together and leave us without transportation."

Goku grabbed Sanzo's robes when he attempted to walk past. "I'm serious, Sanzo! If Hakkai ends up finding someone…" Now, the teen was trailing off awkwardly.

Sanzo felt around in his robes for bullets. Finding that he had an ample supply, he tugged himself free of his charge. "Why do you care so much?"

Goku continued to kneel on the floor; at this question, he dropped his hand onto his lap and looked at the carpet. Sanzo knew this expression exceedingly well: from the very beginning, Goku always got embarrassed when he had to explain his feelings, especially to Sanzo. The priest was tempted to just dismiss it as Goku trying to hide his angst.

Looking back at the door to make sure it was securely closed, Sanzo lowered himself to the floor so that he was crouched at Goku's level. "You gonna tell me or do I have to wheedle it out of you?"

"I…" Goku stopped and tried again. "If Hakkai finds someone…" He mumbled the next part to the ground. "'M gonna be all 'lone again."

"Alone?" Sanzo bit his tongue so that he didn't immediately revert to calling Goku a stupid monkey and to hurry up and get ready to go. Separation anxiety had always been one of the boy's worst problems, especially with the unnaturally deep attachment he had to the blond.

"Look," Sanzo said after a slight pause. "You're not going to be alone. The four of us are stuck together, which I thought you knew by now. Hakkai likes us, for a reason only the gods know, so he's not going anywhere."

"I guess." Goku stood up slowly, head still bowed. "At least you an' Gojyo were already here…"

Sanzo felt yet another headache coming on. 'It all comes back to the damn kappa, doesn't it?' However, he could understand Goku's meaning. He and Gojyo were there from the beginning, while Yaone had never been part of the Ikkou. Goku's 'family' was being threatened, which the boy didn't like at all.

"Quit feeling sorry for yourself and get your ass in gear. We're leaving now, got it?" This was about as close as the priest got to being comforting, but it would have to do for the time being.

As Sanzo marched out of the room, he missed Goku's grateful smile. "Yeah, I got it."

-+-

The previous night had been a sleepless one for Seiran as well. The youkai that he'd sent a half-day ago to deliver the ransom note had not returned, leading him to believe that the messenger was now residing in the afterlife. He wasn't bothered too much by that assumption – delivering the note was all he'd intended to use the other youkai for anyway.

What worried him a little more was that he hadn't heard anything from the human scientist yet. Seiran had been ordered to wait for further instructions, but had received nothing of the sort. The only thing he had to go on now was that the Sanzo-Ikkou would be at the prison in a day or two at the most. However, he reassured himself that it wouldn't be too hard to get further information out of the hanyou.

'Funny how a little pain can make someone change their whole attitude about giving up intelligence,' he thought to himself, pacing around the quarters he'd taken over for the night. The youkai briefly wondered just how desperate the redhead would be to keep his Sanzo safe, or if their relationship was too shaky to be sustained. If the hanyou knew it would keep the priest alive, would he somehow convince the other man to hand over the Maten-kyo?

Seiran decided that he would try to rest for the time being and save his questions for another time. Unfortunately, he ended up tossing and turning fitfully for the rest of the night as he hoped for some kind of message from the scientist by dawn.

The sun's first rays brought him no message, making the worry building in his chest that much harder to squash. Seiran went about his business as normal – well, as normal as he could manage – by constructing a few bombs to replace the ones he had lent to the other youkai, as well as making sure that all of his daggers were sharpened exactly.

He had been at this task for about an hour, by which time the sun was fully up, when a sharp clicking noise at the window distracted him. Seiran looked towards the window, puzzled when he saw what looked like a mechanical flying insect resting on the sill. It clicked again and, this time, he got up to investigate the device. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it bore a striking resemblance to a beetle. A sharp cut on its back was the only indication that it wasn't a true insect.

He realized the cut indicated a small compartment, which opened up on top of the insect's back. At this, a piece of paper popped out. Seiran unfolded the note and instantly recognized the scientist's handwriting. 'Of course, this invention has to be his work as well.' The note was only a few sentences long and didn't tell him much other than things were 'going as planned' and to 'keep going' in his baiting of the Sanzo-Ikkou.

Seiran set the note down with a huff and watched as the insect's wings started up again with a buzz and it took off out the window. "Great," he mumbled sarcastically. "He said he was going to help from another angle… so nice of him to remind me." Seiran didn't know what the other angle was, so he supposed that he would just check and see how the half-demon was doing.

-+-

Gojyo couldn't remember any of the dreams he had that night. He only recalled waking up to the lingering smell of tobacco and fleeting glimpses of piercing violet. He heard a familiar soft, low voice beside his ear and could almost feel heat against his neck. Words flitted through his mind, like "space" and "responsibility" and Sanzo expressing a deep dislike regarding Gojyo being in the same vicinity as he was.

He fully awoke with a somewhat embarrassing snort and looked around quickly, hoping that no one had heard it. His head and back ached from sleeping up against the stone wall all night, not to mention the constant throbbing of his stab wound.

It had been fortunate for Gojyo that the youkai named Shou had come last night, but while Gojyo appreciated his kindness in binding up the wound, he really wished the man had brought some food along with him. It had now been more than twenty hours since Gojyo had last eaten and he could hear his stomach loudly protesting the situation. All he could think about was that he could really go for some sort of meat right about now, along with steaming hot rice, a cold mug of beer, and a cute waitress to bring it all to him.

He grimaced. 'I hate it when my thoughts start to echo the monkey's. Well, except for the 'cute waitress' part.' Gojyo could at least amuse himself with the thought that Sanzo would be very pissed at the imaginary waitress and with Gojyo, which would lead to the priest not so subtly claiming him after the meal.

The hunger gnawed at his insides again and Gojyo shifted a little bit, gritting his teeth when the manacles bit into his wrists. He struggled to find a more comfortable position, but it was easier said than done. Sitting on the stone floor meant that his legs and rear were on the verge of falling asleep and Gojyo cursed the pins-and-needles feeling that ran through his lower body.

He looked down at the bandages covering his wound. The first attempt to draw his right leg in closer to his body seemed to work – there was little to no pain and he was almost able to bend his knee at a forty-five degree angle. The left leg was a different story; as Gojyo's stab wound was on the left side of his chest, excess movement of the left leg sent shocking pains throughout his body.

The redhead gave up on that after a few minutes and once again started scanning the room for ideas. The youkai had not left anything that could be used for escape, much less unlocking his bonds. Gojyo idly tried pulling his legs apart, but couldn't break the metal with which the cuffs around his ankles were held together. 'Makes sense that they're stronger in a prison where youkai are hangin' around all the time… a lot stronger than humans. Stronger than 'filthy half-breeds,' too,' he thought sarcastically.

Faintly, Gojyo heard footsteps coming up the hall and found himself caught between hoping it was Shou again and tensing up in case it was Seiran, the youkai who'd tortured him. 'If that bastard thinks he's gonna get anythin' else outta me, he's got another thing comin'.'

The footsteps stopped right in front of the door, as Gojyo had expected in either case, and the keys jingled once more before the door unlocked and swung open. Much to the kappa's dismay, it was Seiran, claws sharp as ever and looking very pleased with himself. Gojyo didn't know if this was an act or not, but he was willing to give the youkai the benefit of the doubt in this case. After all, the redhead had no idea where exactly he was, or if help was on the way. The youkai was definitely ahead of him in the confidence department.

Gojyo held his breath, wound aching in a subtle reminder of his earlier encounter with the youkai. He waited for another attack, only to watch his captor smirk and close the door again. It was re-locked and the footsteps receded back down the hallway before he could process what was happening.

"What just—" he mumbled, then stopped himself in mid-sentence. 'Hell, what does it matter? He's probably planning something and just checking to make sure I haven't kicked it yet. Like last night wasn't bad enough.

'Or he just doesn't need anything from me right now. He'll be back once he figures out somethin' else I can tell him.'

Gojyo narrowed his eyes, suddenly doubting his assumptions. 'Unless he's actually done with me and he's just leaving me in here to rot. Maybe he was hoping I was already dead and that's why he left again. He's tryin' to see how long it'll take t' off me.

'No, that'd be a huge waste for him,' he considered. 'Why would he bother with sending Shou in here if he wanted me to die? He has to need me for something else…

'…But he just wants the sutra, doesn't he?' his brain countered yet again. 'I can't get that for him, so what use am I?'

His head was starting to hurt and he sent another handful of curses up to any deity who would listen. He wasn't used to being so analytical – that was Hakkai's department. Even Sanzo was more apt to dissect the actions of others than he was; Gojyo preferred to be directed towards the responsible party and begin kicking copious amounts of ass.

'I'm going insane,' Gojyo finally decided, slumping back against the wall. 'Must be the lack of cigarettes.'

As he turned his attention once more to the light poking through the window, he let out another groan. It had now officially been twenty-four hours since Sha Gojyo had last had sex.

"Damn it all!"

-+-

Yaone thought that she would be the first to rise, but Dokugakuji was already awake and packing up by the time she roused herself from her sleeping place. Lirin was still using one of the Hiryu for a pillow and Kougaiji was resting his head on his arm while he lay on his side. His eyes flickered under their lids and Yaone found herself wondering what kind of dream her prince was having.

"Mornin'," Doku said, standing up. He looked over his things one last time while Yaone was still rubbing the last bit of sleep from her eyes. "Good dreams?"

"No dreams," she replied, sitting up and stretching. "Those are the best nights."

Doku chuckled wryly. "Yeah, I agree with ya there."

"What time do you suppose Sanzo's group will be here?" Yaone immediately began busying herself with cleaning up and collecting her items. There wasn't very much to pack, but she felt a sudden manic need to be tidy. She halfheartedly wished that Lirin were already awake so that she would have a task to keep her occupied.

Doku shrugged. "Pretty soon, I guess. Why so worried? Got a date?" He couldn't resist winking at the woman.

Yaone clenched her blanket tightly in her hands. "I really wish you wouldn't say things like that, Dokugakuji. It's quite embarrassing to have another person insinuate certain things about a person's private life all the time." She was trying to remain polite, but ended up babbling; her memories were straying to the night before and it was making her nervous.

Doku held up a hand, placating her. "Sorry, didn't mean to offend."

"What's going on here?" Kougaiji cut in. Realizing he was awake, both of his subordinates fell silent. Violet eyes moved from Yaone to Doku, questioning, but received no answer. The prince finally let the subject drop and went to collect his own personal items.

Lirin was the last to wake up, yawning and whining about having to sleep on the ground all night. She was firmly of the opinion that "Baldy wasn't worth" all this trouble. The young princess was also disappointed that an all-out fight wasn't going to be happening anytime soon.

Kougaiji stood at the edge of the forest, waiting for the first sign of the Sanzo-Ikkou. He couldn't help pacing while he did so, trying to control the thoughts that were swirling around his head. He had barely been able to sleep the night before, forcing himself to come up with several different plans for getting Seiran under control as quickly as possible.

It didn't take much longer before the prince spotted the green Jeep heading down the street of the village. The only sound indicating that the Ikkou was approaching was the rumble of the vehicle itself. Everyone in Kou's group could tell that Goku was alone in the backseat because there was no bickering going on. Yaone and Dokugakuji approached from behind their leader on either side.

Lirin stood back, punching her fist into the air. "Yeah! Let's go kick butt!"

The Ikkou pulled up to the clearing and Goku immediately hopped out. "You guys ready?" he asked hesitantly. "You still wanna go rescue Gojyo, right?"

Kougaiji looked at Goku out of the corner of his eye. "I believe that I explained this before. As far as we're concerned, this is not a rescue mission. Once we reach the prison, we will go our separate ways and deal with our separate problems."

Goku's eyes flickered for a brief moment and then he nodded, attempting to be just as stoic as his rival. "Right. Got it." He then turned back to Sanzo and Hakkai, who were still sitting in Jeep. "We ready t' go then, guys?"

Sanzo lit a cigarette instead of responding. He continued to look down at his lap, so Hakkai chose to answer instead.

"If you would kindly lead the way, then, Kougaiji-san."

Dokugakuji started getting the dragons together. "When I took that Kishin guy home last night, I saw the location. Shouldn't take more than an hour by air or–" He nodded towards the Ikkou's vehicle. "By other means of transportation."

"Good." Sanzo tossed his cigarette to the ground, where it fizzled out. "The sooner we head out, the sooner this pain-in-the-ass side trip is over with."