Previously:
"Aaah! Yesterday's card! You bastard! So you were cheating after all! You fucking kappa!" Goku growled, attacking Gojyo. Gojyo quickly stopped him by grabbing his hands before he could hit him.
"Shut up! Don't be mad about things in the past. You won't be popular with the girls, monkey boy," Gojyo mocked him.
"Hold him still, Goku," Myoko said, preparing to draw her blade and strike Gojyo with the back of it.
"Hey—aaah!" Gojyo said when the Jeep tilted again.
"Hey… does this mean..." Sanzo said, sweat-dropping as they slid off the road.
SPLASH!
The landed in water again.
"I'm definitely gonna shoot you!" Sanzo yelled furiously at them.
Chapter 6: Drug and Booze
"Sanzo's group is traveling Northwest at a point of 7km from this area. Those guys are traveling slowly in a Jeep, so we caught up with them easily," Dokugakuji reported to Kougaiji.
"What s the order from the sovereign?" Kougaiji asked.
"She said to send more assassins. I think it's not necessary," Dokugakuji replied.
"—Of course!!" Kougaiji said angrily, hitting the wall with his fist. "How many do you think of our people died like dogs because of them? Why doesn't she understand that attacking in numbers doesn't work!"
"Calm down, Crown Prince! That's why we're holding a strategy meeting," Dokugakuji reminded him.
"Man, you're such and irresolute man, Bro!!" Lirin said impatiently, standing with her hands tucked behind her head. "We should just beat them up ourselves! My body's gonna rot because of boredom."
"I agree," Baiyu said. "If it's come to this, we should just go ourselves!"
I know… in order to save my mother there's no other way but to fight… but for whom… Kougaiji wondered.
"Kou… are you still hesitant?" Dokugakuji asked. "About doing whatever that woman wants you to and helping out the revival experiment?"
"!" Kougaiji's eyes widened slightly but he quickly tried to cover the turmoil in his heart by acting tough. "—There is no such thing as hesitation for a person like me…!" he said fiercely as he faced Dokugakuji.
"—Kougaiji-sama!!" Yaone said.
"Yaone," Kougaiji said, looking at her.
"Will you please let me go?" she asked seriously. "We can't defeat Sanzo's group if we attack directly the way we did in the past. I'll be the bait!"
"… It's too dangerous! I won't allow it," Kougaji said, turning away from her.
"Why not?" she asked. "I, Yaone, want to be of help to you, sir!! … I want to repay you for your kindness from that time."
"—Still," Kougaiji said, concerned.
"And… I am Kougaiji-sama's attendant medicine master. If one has the word 'medicine' in their name… poison, explosion! He or she can control any of them," Yaone reminded him. She gave him a reassuring smile. "Please leave it to me!"
"… Do as you like," Kougaiji said after moment, giving in to her smile with a sigh. It was clear she intended to go whether he permitted it or not, for his sake.
"Bro's weak against women," Lirin said.
"Funny. He doesn't act like that with me..." Baiyu said, pouting.
"You're a special case," Kougaiji said.
"I'm special?!" Baiyu said excitedly with sparkling eyes. "Yay! "
"I didn't mean it that way… Hey! Are you listening?" Kougaiji asked, frowniing. But Baiyu was off in her own little world, fantasizing about being his 'special person'. Kougaiji sweat-dropped. He was already regretting it. He looked at Yaone again. Sanzo's group's actions cannot be measured in a single thread… Those people don't look like they're thinking about anything, but their actions are unpredictable as well, he thought. "—Don't overdo it!" he told Yaone, turning away from her.
"Yes, Kougaiji-sama," Yaone said dutifully.
—∞—
There's only one bar in the direction where Sanzo's group is headed. They should definitely pass by… Yaone thought. —In other words, If I go ahead of them, act as a waitress, and put some poison in the food that they ordered—
That way of thinking led her to disguise herself as a human and get a job at the bar as a waitress. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, except…
"—Hey, Waitress! Ad another plate of negima—" a guy wearing a band of fabric tied around his head called from where he was sitting at his table. Others were calling for her as well.
"Another bottle of beer here, please," another guy said, raising his hand to wave at her.
"Yaone-chan, after you're done, please carry this!" the owner/bartender said, holding a tray filled with drinks. He was a mild-looking man with a mustache and small, round glasses.
Why is it this busy—? Yaone wondered, a little flustered. She was already juggling one tray full of food and drink in one arm and holding two large beer glass steins in her other hand. "Yes! Right away!!" she said, hurrying to continue her work as quickly as she could. "Ahhh!" she shrieked, startled when one of the men she was serving took advantage and placed his hand on her butt. "What did you do that for!?" she asked incredulously.
"It's okay, isn't it?" her molester said with a smirk. "It's not like it's gonna wear out orr anything. Let's have some fun!!" He put his hand on her waist and tried to pull her closer.
"!!" Yaone gasped, appalled. "You incolent man!!" She wanted to teach him a lesson, but she needed to keep her job. Before she could decide on a course of action, something came flying past her and nailed the pervert right in the head.
"Bu!!!" he exclaimed in pain. It had hit him so hard that it made his chair tilt over.
"?" Yaone said, surprised. She looked at the offending object as it hit the ground. An Ashtray? She looked around. From where…? Her eyes widened slightly when she spotted a table occupied by five familiar faces.
"Two beers," Gojyo said.
"Well then, this, this," Hakkai said, pointing to an item on the menu.
"Motsuyaki too!!" Goku said.
"Eat veggies!!" Sanzo scolded them.
"I guess we're getting an order of the veggie tempura too, then," Myoko said.
Those faces… there's no mistake! That's Sanzo's group—!!! Yaone thought, surprised to see that her prey had somehow arrived without her noticing.
"Shit, who threw that!" the man who had groped her muttered darkly, rubbing his sore head.
"He—y!!" Goku called, making her flinch a little in surprise.
"!!" Yaone gasped, wondering for a moment if she had been discovered.
"Could you take our order, Miss?" Goku asked, waving at her. From the innocent way he smiled at her, it would seem not.
"Ah! Yes!" Yaone said quickly. That's right… my mission… She hurried over to their table to take their order.
"Liver. Katsudon. Pizza. Rainbow bowl. Burger King," Goku told her, listing the dishes they wanted.
Is to assassinate these people! Yaone thought, writing it all down.
"—That's all the order, then," Yanoe said after Goku stopped talking, smiling a little wryly at all the food they had asked for.
"—Ah, and on top of that, can you bring us one ashtray too?" Gojyo added.
Huh? Yaone thought, surprised. The ashtray on the table's gone…? Could it be the ones that helped me were… —it can't be! There's no need for sympathy for an enemy… Kougaiji-sama… my savior… for you I, Yaone… would assassinate the Sanzo's group… even if it meant my life… She walked away from the table of enemies to get their food, ready to carry out her mission.
"… What do you think?" Sanzo asked.
"Think of what?" Gojyo asked.
"It's been a month since we left Chang'an," Sanzo reminded him. "The numbers of youkais we defeated are that of the stars. Of those, most of them were the assassins that 'Kougaiji' sent. I know that 'Kougaiji' is King Gyumaoh's son—still, I can't believe that the youkais, the ones who normally dislike following anyone's orders vow loyalty to the extent of their lives..." he mused, resting his chin on his laced-together hands.
"It's been quiet for a few days now. They'll send some kind of attack again sometimes soon," Gojyo said.
"… In the end, we still don't know anything," Hakkai said. "King Gyumaoh's revival experiment and… the ones who control the plan—"
"Um—your order's ready," Yaone announced as she arrived with some of their food.
"Yeah! " Goku cheered happily, making the others bow their heads and sweat-drop. All of the tension was immediately broken. There was no way they were going to get Goku to focus on anything but the food.
"Oh, well. Let's eat," Myoko said, smiling wryly. "We can talk later."
"Guess we can't fight with an empty stomach," Gojyo said.
"Seems that way," Hakkai agreed.
"Let's eat!" Goku said. A bead of sweat rolled down Yaone's face as she watched, waiting for them to consume the poisoned food. Then, someone touched her butt again.
"—Ahh!" Yaone cried.
"Wha?" Goku said as they all stopped eating, freezing with his first bite of food only inches from his mouth. It was the guy who had harassed her the first time. He was back again, and he had a friend with him.
"It's no use resisting! Let's drink together, Missy!" Yaone's molester said, gripping her tightly by the wrist and shoulder.
"You guys again… Let go!!" Yaone said, appalled that it was happening again. Once more, she wanted to teach them a lesson, but her cover…
"—Hey! Old man, you have poor skills on treating women," Gojyo said, drawing their attention.
"Whaa, you punks! Keep out of our business!!" the molester said. Then he spotted Myoko. "Although, if the little miss over there wanted to come play with us, that's a different story!" Myoko sighed in annoyance. Even hitting on a nun… the pervert seemed to be incurable.
"Do you wanna receive the ashtray again?" Gojyo asked the molester, pointing to his own head in the same spot where the other man had been injured earlier.
"!!" the molester exclaimed incredulously. "So it was you!!" he yelled angrily with veins throbbing on his head. "Take this!!" He kicked the table so it flipped over, spilling all the food onto the floor.
"What did you do that for?" Yaone cried. Her plan…! "!?" she was surprised when Goku placed a foot on the tipped over table. He looked furious.
"Bastard! You shouldn't have done that!!" Goku yelled, pointing at the man responsible for wasting such delicious-looking food. "I won't forgive you!" he said with righteous fury. He and Gojyo immediately started fighting the molester and his friend without mercy.
"Hey. What are you guys doing fighting humans instead of youkais?" Sanzo said as a bead of sweat slid down his face.
"Ah, they're abundant with youthful vigor!" Hakkai said. A bead of sweat slid down his face, too.
"A—ah. What a mess," Myoko said, looking at the wasted food with regret. She agreed that doing such a thing was a punishable offense. "You know, it's only been a few minutes..."
"Don't even think about it!" Sanzo said, gripping her shoulder.
"Now, now. Myoko-san wouldn't really eat food directly off the floor," Hakkai said with a smile.
"We're talking about a girl who's eaten garbage directly out of the garbage can… I wouldn't put anything past her," Sanzo said grimly, frowning as another bead of sweat slid down his face.
"..." Myoko sweat-dropped. What Sanzo had said was the absolute truth, but she didn't think it was that bad. Eating garbage or food that fell on the floor hadn't killed her yet. Watching them, Yaone remembered what Kougaiji had said about their group before.
Sanzo's group's actions cannot be measured in a single thread.
—Kougaiji-sama said this… I agree with him, Yaone thought, kneeling on the floor. She was caught between being dumbfounded and an intense feeling of woe. They are different… These people are truly different…
"Please stop, Fei-san! The store's going to be ruined!" the owner said anxiously, pulling him aside.
"Shaddup!!" the molester, Fei, snapped belligerently.
"If you want to fight, why don't you do the usual match?" the owner suggested, holding his hands up as a bead of sweat slid down his face. Yaone perked up when she heard that.
"Usual match? What is that?" Gojyo asked.
"When you say a barman's match, it's obvious!" Fei said, grabbing a bottle of cheap liquor and sitting down at a table with it. He smirked. "Drinking contest!" Sanzo, Myoko, Goku, and Gojyo all wore expressions of extreme disinterest, while Hakkai smiled nicely behind them. "… You guys just made a 'don't want to' expression without traying to his it, didn't you?" Fei said with a vein throbbing on his head.
"Ah… well… a little..." Gojyo said as he and Goku sweat-dropped.
"Well, guess it wouldn't be a match from the start," Fei said with a nasty smile as a bead of sweat dripped down his face. "The one over there's a kid," he added, looking at Goku. "Then there's the woman. And the monk's meager from the looks of it." Small veins throbbed on Myoko and Sanzo's faces.
"Sanzo..." Myoko said with narrowed eyes.
"You don't have to say it," Sanzo said, completely on the same page. "… Master."
"Huh?!" the owner said. Sanzo held up the credit card that had been given to their group before they set off.
"Bring all the alcohol, and don't leave a single drop in the store," Sanzo ordered with his eye twitching.
"Ye… Yes!" the owner said, carrying out the order immediately.
"… Uh, you're eyes seem to be swimming even before you began drinking," Hakkai said wryly as a bead of sweat slid down his face.
"Yeah~! Alcohol, Alcohol— " Goku cheered, waving his fists up and down.
"Uh, you're still underage, remember?" Myoko reminded him. There was no way he was participating.
"Okay, it's four versus four!! The first to get exterminated is the one who loses," Sanzo said, laying down the law.
"Got it!" Fei and his group agreed.
"Kougaiji-sama—" Yaone sobbed, holding her face. How did things get so far away from her? … Wha, What do I do… While she was crying, everyone participating in the drinking contest got into position at the table with Fei. The owner brought out bottles and bottles of liquor for them.
"Start!" the owner said, acting as their referee.
—∞—
After several rounds, every member of Fei's group, except Fei himself, were down—unconscious or too drunk to lift their heads off the table—while all four members of Sanzo's group were still sitting up straight.
"… Guess you guys aren't just words," Fei said, red in the face from all the alcohol he had drank.
"This is nothing. We still have stuff to spare," Gojyo said confidently, also red in the face. "Right, Myoko…?"
"Right..." Myoko agreed, even though her whole face was as red as a tomato, and she was starting to see double.
"Haha, guess the little miss has some guts!" Fei said, laughing.
"I'm surprised you can laugh," Gojyo said. "All of your guys have been exterminated."
"Too bad. I've never lost in a drinking contest," Fei said, smirking.
"Well then, can I have a stronger alcoholic drink?" Hakkai asked pleasantly with a smile. Fei's jaw dropped, and he went pale when he heard that and saw how completely sober Hakkai still was. He was obviously shocked.
"Come to think of it, we've never seen Hakkai drunk," Gojyo said with a bead of sweat sliding down his face.
"Can't underestimate him," Sanzo said, sweat-dropping.
"Yeah..." Myoko said, a bit dazed. She was on the verge of falling asleep sitting up.
"You don't need to worry, I'll probably win," Hakkai whispered to Yaone behind his hand.
"Huh?" Yaone said.
"We can't forgive men who sexually harass," Hakkai said to her with a kind smile.
Ah… Yaone thought as her chest tightened.
««« Flashback «««
"—Hey, wait!" Kougaiji said, stopping Yaone and the man escorting her. "Where are you taking that woman?"
"Prince..." the man said. "She seems to be a medicine girl, but because her appearance is so beautiful, we were going to take her to the hundred-eyed monster king..." Kougaiji saw that Yaone was crying silently. Her eyes were filled with despair.
"—I've taken an interest in this woman. I'll buy her instead," Kougaiji said.
—∞—
"The hundred-eyed monster king uses beautiful women like tools and plays with them," Kougaiji told Yaone as she walked away with him. "After he gets bored of them, he eats them. —Don't misunderstand. I didn't save you. From this day on, work for me… of course, as a medicine master. Understand?"
"Yes, Kougaiji-sama," Yaone said gratefully. "Thank you very much."
»»» End Flashback »»»
Yes… My life from that day on was to be with Kougaiji-sama… Yaone thought. Why am I holding back? These men are enemies… Kougaiji-sama's enemies are… my enemy…!! She squeezed her arm as she made up her mind about the people sitting at the table in front of her.
THNK.
Myoko's head hit the table. She had finally reached her limit. Sanzo wasn't looking too good, either.
"Hahaha—Hey, what's wrong, Monk? Have you reached your limit as well?" Fei asked tauntingly.
"..." Sanzo was doing his best not to throw up.
"For a feminine face like yours, serving alcohol suits you better. Of course, I'd rather be served by the little miss. Hehe," Fei teased, smirking.
"—Huh," Sanzo said, smirking with his eyes hidden by his bangs. "Fools! You have some nerve to ridicule me." He started mumbling something under his breath.
"—Sanzo?" Hakkai asked as a bead of sweat slid down his face, sensing trouble.
"Makai Ten..." Sanzo began to unleash his sacred scripture on Fei, but Hakkai quickly clapped a hand over his mouth to cut him off, and the scroll just floundered around Sanzo instead of attacking.
"Wa—h! Don't use such a powerful technique against commoners!!" Hakkai said, smiling nervously as he kept the priest restrained.
"Let's stop with the confusing match! We'll fight you with fists, punks!" Fei declared boldly. One of his friends seemed to have revived, because he was sitting up again and grinning as he formed a fist with his hand.
"Bring it on, you perverted old hag! Let's do it!!" Goyjo said, flipping them off.
"Yeah! Now it's my turn!!" Goku said, excited to be back in the fray again.
"Ah! My store—" the owner cried in dismay, holding his head.
"People, people! Please calm down!!" Hakkai said with a smile and a bead of sweat sliding down his face, trying to defuse the situation. As soon as he spoke, something began to fill the room.
"?" Gojyo said, looking around. "What is this fog!?" Fei seemed surprised, too. "—Shit, my head's..." Gojyo held a hand to his head as he staggered.
"My sight's… becoming dark…?" Sanzo said, feeling weaker.
!? Hakkai thought as he realized something. It smells like medicine…!! He quickly covered his mouth. "This fog… don't breath it!!" Hakkai shouted, but he was too late. Gojyo was collapsing. "Gojyo!" he exclaimed as he caught his friend. He looked and saw that Sanzo and Myoko were lying on the floor, already unconscious. "Sanzo! Myoko-san!"
"Ughh… What is this…!?" Goku asked weakly, leaning against the table for support. "I didn't even drink, and I'm dizzy…?"
"Goku, cover your mouth!!" Hakkai said urgently. That's it! Everyone's drunk so the's effect must be faster…!! "Gojyo! Please hold on, Gojyo!" He noticed something else and became a little confused. "—They're breathing normally. This is…?"
"Yes, just relax..." Yaone said, holding the thing that had released the fog. "It's only a sleeping medicine. I can't let commoners get involved."
"Oh… You did this—?" Hakkai asked, looking at her. A bead of nervous sweat slid down his face.
"W-Why—?" Goku asked, falling to his knees.
"You… didn't breathe in the medicine..." Yaone said, looking at Hakkai. She wasn't worried about Goku. He was too weak to stand. —I wonder why I wanted for you to be the one… She watched as Hakkai set Gojyo down and stood to face her.
"… Who are you—" Hakkai asked. Yaone removed the bracelet she had been wearing on her wrist, and her youkai mark returned as her ears grew pointed again. Power stirred within her.
!! Hakkai thought, startled. A youkai power suppression device…!! Yaone ripped off her dress and threw it at him.
"—!" Hakkai gasped, startled again when a spear came shooting at him through it, cutting his cheek.
"Hakkai!!" Goku yelled. He tried to stand back up again, but couldn't.
"You too… are an assassin of 'Kougaiji,'" Hakkai concluded, touching his cut as he looked at Yaone. She was now wearing a new outfit, a dark blue leotard that revealed the vast majority of her chest and was held up by silver chains that crossed from one point of the leotard's top to across the opposite shoulder. Over it, she wore a sleeveless jacket that curved around her chest, secured by a brown belt around her waist, and a large white bow with black-blue trim on the ends. The jacket's fabric was yellow, with thick black trim along the shoulders and hem. She wore boots that matched her outfit. She also wore thigh-high socks secured by grey trim and long white gloves that went up past her elbows and were secured around her middle finger.
"I take it that you are one of Monk Sanzo's group, Cho Hakkai-sama. My name is Yaone," she said politely with a serious expression, holding her spear ready for another attack. "For our leader, Kougaiji-sama, I ask for you people to die right here!!"
"..." Hakkai stared at her. Her clear eyes held no malice or hatred. Who was this person, and why would she would go so far?
Yes…All of it is for the sake of Kougaiji-sama, Yaone thought, determined to do her part for him. "Prepare yourself!" she said firmly, charging at Hakkai with her spear.
"Hey, wait a min—!!" Hakkai exclaimed, quickly blocking her attack when she tried to whack him with the shaft with his arm. The force of the attack sent him flying, and he crashed into the door, forcing it off of its hinges.
"Hakkai!!" Goku shouted, concerned. But Hakkai managed to right himself, as he landed outside.
"—!!" Hakkai gasped when he realized she was right on top of him again. Before she could land another attack, Hakkai jumped high into the air, throwing himself up above her.
"!!" Yaone gasped, shocked. Hakkai grabbed the end of her spear near the blade with one hand and wrenched it back as he landed behind her. "Kya...aa!" she cried as he was sent falling to the ground.
"Would you stop this?" Hakkai asked with a sigh. He didn't want to fight her. She hadn't actually hurt anyone yet and didn't seem like a bad person.
"Urgh..." Yaone said, holding her shoulder. She drew out three round things from her clothes and tossed them onto the ground between her and Hakkai.
"!!" Hakkai gasped when they exploded. "Explosives…!"
"Please die!!" Yaone said, throwing three more of the small bombs. These looked like they might actually hit Hakkai, until he raised his barrier, and they exploded harmlessly against the shield of energy. What… a protective barrier!? she thought, taken aback.
"Please give up…!" Hakkai said grimly.
Inside, Goku was finally starting to recover. He managed to stand, holding onto the table.
"Un…" he groaned, making himself move to the others, who were still out cold. "Hey, Sanzo! Myoko-nee! Wake up, Gojyo!!" Goku shouted urgently, trying to wake them. All three of them groaned as they opened their eyes. They held their aching heads as they pushed themselves up into sitting positions.
"Ugh.. Ow—" Gojyo said.
"What a hangover..." Myoko said with a pained expression. How long was she out?
"This is… What the hell is going on?" Sanzo asked.
"Hey! Why… Why is Hakkai fighting!?" Gojyo asked, flinching in shock.
"Hm?" Myoko said, squinting as she looked to see what he was talking about.
"Ugh… I have to use the last alternative," Yaone said, still facing off against Hakkai outside. She held up a detonating device. "I really didn't want to cause much destruction, but… I've planted a large amount of explosives in the bar."
"!!" Hakkai gasped.
"With this one switch…!" Yaone said, squeezing her eyes shut as she pressed the button with her thumb.
CLICK.
There was complete silence. Nothing had happened. "Huh?" Yaone said, sweat-dropping. She stared at the detonating device in her hand as she tried pressing the button again.
CLICK.
CLICK.
No matte rhow many times she pushed the button, nothing happened.
"Umm..." Hakkai said tentatively, getting her attention. "Would you possibly be talking about these?" he asked, holding up a handful of defused sticks of explosives while he rubbed the back of his neck as he smiled a bit sheepishly. "I apologize. I saw it before and I thought it would be dangerous. I pulled it out. Hahah." Yaone flinched in shock, then sank to her knees.
It's a total defeat, she thought, falling into despair. Why am I this stupid? My enemy… No. I've underestimated something called 'battle'.
"—Um, I'm very sorry," Hakkai said, squatting down in front of her. "I've reflected a lot of the attacks. … Are you hurt anywhere?" Yaone was shocked to see the concerned expression on his face.
"!!" she gasped, flinching when he held a hand out to her. "Don't touch me!" She slapped his hand away, injuring him.
"Yaone-san..." Hakkai said with his brow furrowed, holding his wounded hand. She was crying. One of her tears fell to the ground in front of her.
"On top of getting defeated… my enemy takes pity on me. I have no right to return to Kougaji-sama…!" she yelled with tears streaming down her face. "—Now my life isn't necessary!" she cried, pulling out a dagger and pointing it at herself.
"Wait..." Hakkai said, appalled.
"Don't come any closer!!" Yaone yelled. Goodbye, Kougaiji-sama. I'm sorry I wasn't of any use to you in the end…
"Idiot! Stop it!!!" Goku yelled as he and the other came hurrying outside. Hakkai's eyes were wide as he stared at Yaone, horrified. Terrible memories of another woman who had done the same thing came crashing back to the surface. Ah… he thought, looking at his hands, which had been stained with blood at that time.
««« Flashback «««
"Gonou… Please listen, Gonou," a beautiful woman with long, braided hair said. "Inside this belly there's that despicable monster's child." She raised the dagger she was holding. "That's why..." Hakkai, covered in the blood of all the youkais he had slain to get to her, watched helplessly as she plunged the knife into her belly and stabbed herself as deeply as she could.
"Kanan…!" he screamed in horror as she lay there on the ground, covered in her own blood.
»»» End Flashback »»»
"Stop…!!" Hakkai screamed as he watched Yaone raise the knife to stab herself. "!!" he exclaimed, shielding himself as there wast a strong gust. [check anime]
"Kyaaaa!!" Yaone cried as she shielded herself, too, surrounded by it.
"Yaone-san!?" Hakkai yelled, concerned for her.
"No..." Yaone said. A tan hand gripped the blade of the knife tightly before she could harm herself. Blood dripped from the tan hand as Yaone was scooped up and carried away by its owner. Hakkai followed them with his eyes, surprised to see a youkai with long, red hair cradling Yaone in his arms while he held onto the knife as he soared through the air.
"—Ko," Yaone said, surprised. "Kougaiji-sama…!!"
Kougaiji…!? Goku, Gojyo, Hakkai, Sanzo, and Myoko thought, shocked that their number one enemy had showed up in person. Sanzo furrowed his brow as Kougaiji landed on the roof of the bar.
"You're Sanzo's group, right?" Kougaiji said calmly.
This guy…!! they thought, looking up at him.
"—I've come to retrieve my worker. That's all," Kougaiji said. "We'll meet again someday. Until then, keep your lives preciously." He turned to leave with Yaone.
"—Wait a second!!" Goku said, summoning his weapon. "Since you've taken the trouble of coming all the way here… Don't be so modest, and let's play!!" Goku said, grinning as he launched himself at Kougaiji. Kougaiji aimed his open hand at Goku and chanted a short spell [check anime].
"!!?" Goku exclaimed as he was surrounded by the spiraling spell. "Da… ahhhhhhh!!!" he yelled as he was blown back.
"Goku…!!" Hakkai and Myoko yelled, concerned. Sanzo furrowed his brow.
"Shit!!" Gojyo said, summoning his shakujo. He sent the sickle-blade shooting toward their enemy, but Kougaiji caught the blade with two fingers. Gojyo was shocked.
"Bunch of childish tricks," Kougaiji said, letting the sickle-blade drop to the ground.
"Hey, hey… Is this for real?" Gojyo asked, furrowing her brow and grinning nervously. Myoko got a running start and ran up the wall of the bar, launching herself into the air. Kougaji tried to hit her with the same spell he used against Goku, but Myoko thrust open her umbrella and chanted a sacred scripture to boost the power of the talismans pasted to it, creating a shield that protected her and allowed her to keep moving forward. Still holding the top part of her umbrella, she drew the hidden banishing sword from it, transitioning smoothly into a slashing attack faster than the blink of an eye. Kougaiji dodged, but she managed to scrape a small cut into his cheek.
"Kougaiji-sama!" Yaone cried in alarm. She threw a small explosive at Myoko, forcing her to jump off the roof to avoid being hit by it. Myoko landed in a crouch on the ground, gritting her teeth. She wasn't injured, but her shins hurt from the impact of landing from such a height. Before she could fully recover, Kougaiji began chanting another spell. Recognizing that it would be a much bigger attack, Hakkai began chanting too, and he managed to form a large shield that covered everyone in his group, protecting them just in the nick of time from Kougaiji's next attack. [check anime]
"Ku…!!" Hakkai said, gritting his teeth from the effort of holding bay Kougaiji's power. Kougaiji's eyes widened in surprise when something cold and hard pressed against the back of his head.
"Hold it right there," Sanzo said with his banishing gun held up against Kougaiji's head. Kougaiji and Yaone were startled. While Kougaiji was busy with the others, the priest had climbed up onto the roof and snuck up on him without either youkai noticing.
"… Good job climbing all the way up here..." Kougaiji said calmly.
"Thanks to it, my clothes got dirty," Sanzo said. "Thank you for your dynamic entrance."
"You can't kill me with that," Kougaiji said.
"I know that just by looking at you," Sanzo said. "—I have tons of things to ask you, Prince."
"Sorry, but let's arrange another day for that. If we fight here, civilian's houses would be destroyed," Kougaiji said. "I'll apologize for my henchman's rudeness up until now. —However. As long as you interfere with our project, we would definitely eliminate you."
"I'm not good at socializing. Wish you would make it brief," Sanzo said. [check anime] Kougaiji's triangular earring swayed as he took hold of Yaone.
"I agree," Kougaji said, disappearing with her.
—That's the first time I felt a murderous intent without an evil aura, Sanzo thought.
"Are you okay, Goku?" Hakkai asked as Goku said up.
"That was a nasty fall," Myoko said, frowning with concern as she looked at him. He was actually beat up. There was blood dripping from his nose.
"That guy… he's really strong," Goku said with his head bowed.
"Huh?" Hakkai said.
"He's really, really strong…!" Goku said as he looked up with a huge grin on his face. This is so much fun!!
"… That face…" Sanzo said with a vein throbbing on his head as a bead of sweat slid down his face.
"It's the expression of a little kid who found a new toy," Gojyo said, smirking.
"I'm glad he seems to be having fun," Hakai said, smiling wryly as a bead of sweat dripped down his face.
"Yeah..." Myoko agreed wryly, sweat-dropping.
"Well, I too don't like looking stupid," Gojyo said. "But you sure looked cool, Myoko. You managed to scratch him."
"That's all I did," Myoko said with a sigh. "We weren't able to find out anything from them."
"… No, I believe we learned one thing," Hakkai said. "The reason why Kougaiji is a charasmatic figure to the youkais."
—∞—
A safe distance away from Sanzo's group, Kougaiji stopped to check on Yaone.
"Are you hurt?" he asked her.
"Ah… No. I'm all right," she said, kneeling on the ground before him. "I… I'm sorry, Kougaiji-sama!! On top of failing my mission, I had to be saved by Kougaiji-sama… I will atone for this with me..." she said anxiously, bowing her head.
"—Stop fooling around," Kougaiji said. Yaone froze, her eyes wide with shock. "I don't remember having a stupid subordinate that throws away their life. Are you trying to break my promise of following me anywhere?" he asked, standing with his back to her.
Ah… My path is with this person's kindness and loneliness, Yaone thought, smiling. "… No. Forever… I'll be with you, Kougaiji-sama," she promised again. Until the very end.
—∞—
Hakkai stared out the window of the room they were staying in, looking out at the night sky. He had a bandage on his face over the cut Yaone gave him.
"It's cold tonight," Sanzo said, joining him. Myoko was there, too.
"Sanzo," Hakkai said, looking at him. He turned back to lean on the windowsill. "It's been three years since we met." Sanzo leaned against the wall with his elbows on the windowsill, next to Hakkai. Myoko leaned on the windowsill on Hakkai's other side.
"Has it only been three years? It feels longer," Sanzo said.
"Much longer," Myoko agreed.
"To the point of getting sick," Sanzo added.
"Now that you mention it, you're right. Ahahaha," Hakkai said, laughing. He made a closed-eyed smile. "—It's just that I remembered a lot of things. It's not like I've forgotten about it."
"… Hakkai. If you still have avenging feelings and want to take revenge for that time, you're permitted to take the road you wish," Sanzo said seriously. Myoko didn't say anything, but gave Hakkai a supportive smile that was entirely nonjudgemental.
"That's true… However," Hakkai said, dropping the forced smile for a more peaceful expression, "I chose to be here. Plus..."
BAM!
At that moment, Goku threw the door open and burst into the room.
"Sanzo, I want to change rooms!!" Goku yelled. He also had bandages on his face. "He doodled all over my foot while I was asleep," he explained angrily, pointing at Gojyo, who came in right behind him.
"Well, this guy's snoring is so loud that I can't sleep!!" Gojyo said, incredibly annoyed. They had both reached their maximum level of irritation.
"I definitely don't want to be in the same room as Gojyo!" Goku said.
"Ha! Can't agree more than that, Monkey!" Gojyo said.
"Don't call me Monkey!!" Goku snapped.
"Then what!? Ate you stupid? You're stupid, then!?" Gojyo shouted as Sanzo's clenched fist trembled.
"Shut the fuck up! I have a hangover, and your voices are ringing in my head!!" Sanzo yelled with a vein throbbing on his head.
"Uwaa, he's blaming us~!!" Gojyo and Goku said warily, frozen mid fight.
"I'm blaming you, too," Myoko said bluntly with an irritated expression, holding her aching head. "If you're gonna argue, at least do it in whispers! And don't wreck anything with your fighting."
"—As I thought. It would be easier to babysit if we had a nanny. Don't you think, 'Mr. and Mrs. Guardian'?" Hakkai asked Sanzo and Myoko.
"Definitely," Myoko agreed, giving him a wry smile, grateful for the help. Sanzo held his head with a vein throbbing on his face.
"...—What's with this 'Mr. and Mrs.' crap?" he asked with his brow furrowed, frowning.
—∞—
Three days later, the Three Aspects were checking the balance of the account connected to the credit card they gave Sanzo.
"Hey!! What do they mean by a credit balance of 860 yen!?" the female aspect asked incredulously, flinching in shock. "It's mostly repair expenses!!"
"Oh my, they're mighty money-eating insects," the neutral aspect said with a calm smile.
"… Should we close the account..." the male aspect wondered with a vein throbbing on his head as a bead of sweat slid down his face.