Hotel California
Chapter Seven: Haven't had that spirit here…
Notes: Since I'm both determined not to let this one fall into hiatus again and charged from finally watching Requiem, this update is sooner than it should beh. Especially since I can't really update 'Protection' until I play LoD again. :winces: I make pancakes out of hot dog buns. Discuss.
I'm taking a liberty or two with certain youkai forms. I've never seen Reload, and I don't know if they ever show it, so I'm going by what I've seen… if I'm wrong, just mention it, okay? And, this chappeh has a high shounen-ai content rating. Random molestations and all. What's weird is I had this planned way before I heard anything about the movie. But as they say on Requiem's commentary…"Two words: shower scene."
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Gojyo kicked, catching his mystery assailant in the chest and pushing him off. The attacker flew a bit before catching his balance, coming at the redhead again. Gojyo, meanwhile, had stepped up on the bench he was being pressed against, and once the attacker was close enough to reach him, he jumped, sailing over him and making a dash for the door.
His attacker wasn't so easily foiled, however. He threw a rock, aiming it at Gojyo's leg. It connected brutally, sending him falling to the ground. Gojyo cursed sharply, rolling over and trying to get up. The assailant was on him again, grabbing him by the wrist.
Something hit the ground beside them, like a gunshot. Both of them froze, looking up to the place where it had come from. Sanzo stood there, face as passive as ever, aiming a revolver at the mystery person.
"That was a warning shot," he muttered.
The attacker watched Sanzo carefully for a few seconds, calculating his next move. Gojyo knew that Sanzo wasn't bluffing; he'd shot once, he'd do it again. The assailant seemed to know this too, because his next move was to jump back, stand up and start running into the dead shrubbery.
Gojyo sat up, bewildered. The way that thing moved was almost…inhuman.
"C'mon," Sanzo spoke up. He walked inside without waiting for Gojyo to follow. The redhead stood and went after him.
Goku was already in Sanzo's room when the two entered. The boy looked over his friend with shock. "What the hell happened to you?"
"You know what happened," Sanzo cut in before Gojyo could reply. He tossed the gun on the dresser. "I told you something like this could happen."
Goku looked worried. "But Sanzo—"
"It doesn't matter. We don't have the capability to handle this right now. Our best bet is to wait it out until morning."
"Why morning?" Gojyo leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.
Sanzo glared at him, violet eyes narrowed. "Because this monster you helped create only comes out at night."
He raised an eyebrow. "I helped create? What the hell does that mean? Or is it another one of your special cryptic secrets?"
"Idiot."
"Yeah, fine, whatever," Gojyo turned his back on them, waving a hand. "I've got better things to do than hang out here, although I'm sure I'll miss your charming company.
Goku hopped off the bed. "But Gojyo, we're supposed to stay together in case—"
"See you later, Goku." With that, he left, slamming the door behind him.
Muttering obscene comments under his breath, Gojyo shuffled down the hall into this own room, the pain in his ankle causing him to limp slightly. The door was slightly ajar, registering alarm with the redhead. He poked his head in, ready to run back to the pissy monk should he see the figure inside. He found nothing, however. Confident that he was alone, he walked inside, slamming the door shut behind him.
Hakuryuu mewled his annoyance from his usual place in the chair, unhappy to be woken by the noise. That explained why the door was open. Gojyo exhaled a sigh of breath, throwing himself down on the bed.
"Stupid Sanzo, always gotta start some kind of fight with me. What's his deal anyway?"
Hakuryuu mewed again, and Gojyo glared at the cat, as if dissatisfied with the cat's reply. Feeling slightly restless after a forced adrenaline rush, he sat up, rolling his eyes. Now he needed something to do. Hakkai was MIA, and Goku was holed up with Sanzo, leaving him with only a few options. Either sit here and endure a cranky cat's company, go downstairs and find something to do, or just go to sleep.
It was too early to sleep, and the thought of running into Ni downstairs in the dark disturbed him. He sighed again, standing up. "I don't suppose you're any good at Poker?"
Hakuryuu stared at him for a moment, and then yawned.
Gojyo decided to take his chances in the hall.
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Wandering aimlessly, Gojyo soon found himself in front of the secret passage once again. He looked down the hall either way, and found no one. He exhaled a breath, composing himself, before he pushed the switch and quickly stepped inside.
It was pitch black inside the passage, and Gojyo immediately regretted not bringing a flashlight. Rummaging through his pockets, he came up with a cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, taking in his surroundings once more. Dark, damp and ominous, just like he remembered it. He began the walk through the passage to the hall of mirrors.
He hoped to make it past the door this time. The decision to undertake the journey once more was spontaneous, but now that he was here, he needed some sort of plan. He and Goku had gone in once without one, and had dealt with some scary images as a result. This time he needed some kind of plan. He supposed he could feel his way blind through the mirror hall with his eyes closed. But he didn't know what to do at the door, since he didn't know what lie beyond it.
The trek through the damp hall was easy enough. There wasn't much to that, once you got past the damp walls and musky smell. Living in dark cities had pretty much accustomed him to that.
The mirror corridor was another story altogether. He stopped before he passed the first mirror, worried that as soon as he passed it, the images would appear once again. He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut tight. Then he began moving forward, arms outstretched, feeling his way past the mirrors and hopefully toward the door on the other side.
His hand hit something finally that didn't feel like cool glass. It was a door, heavy and old iron. He chanced one eye open a slit, confirming his hope. Now past the mirrors, he opened his eyes and leaned against the door. It didn't budge. He didn't want to break it down, in case someone was still using it. But he felt he -needed- to know what was beyond it. He readied himself to ram it, shoulder first. Just as he was about to collide with it, he skidded to a halt.
A voice. He could hear someone speaking on the other side of the door. Gojyo leaned his ear against the door, trying to make out more of it. There was a hint of familiarity in the tone, but he couldn't place it. It was a male voice, and sounded very angry.
"I know you have it. Who else would even know?"
A second voice spoke up. This one he definitely knew. There was no mistaking the shudder-inducing tone of their new building inspector, Ni. Calm as always, almost to a point of anger to the listener, he responded to this new person. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He growled impatiently. "I don't have time to play your games, Ni. I'm losing control without it. This whole thing is your fault, so the least you can do is try to help a little!"
Ni sounded bored. "I suppose I can make you a new one. But that will take some time, you realize."
A thud, like a fist hitting a desk. "I don't have time! What happened to the old one anyway? I'm sure you know something about that!"
"It's not my fault you and your little boyfriend wanted to go play in the fountain." Cold and condescending.
Fountain? Suddenly it clicked. The voice was so familiar because it was Hakkai's! It was the tone that was different; Hakkai had never sounded so angry since they'd met.
"You leave him out of it! I warned you about that, and I -will- keep my promise if I need to."
"Please, be civil. I don't respond well toward threats, mind you. Now, your current problem has three solutions."
"And those would be?"
"One, you wait until I make you a new one…"
"And hole myself in here until then? Sorry, that hasn't worked so far."
"Two, you manage to find your old one…"
Hakkai let out a low growl that betrayed his anger, but didn't respond.
"And three, you just forget the whole thing and go on like this."
"I can't do that! I've already lost control once, and it's only the first night! Do you really want to repeat the incident with Goku?"
The laugh that Ni responded with told both Hakkai and the eavesdropping Gojyo that he didn't mind in the slightest.
There was a long pause in conversation, so much that Gojyo almost thought they were finished. Then finally Hakkai spoke again, sighing in resignation. "You get started on making a new one. I'll keep looking for the old one."
Gojyo heard footsteps walking toward the door. Quickly he pressed himself against the wall beside the door. It opened seconds after, shielding him from view as Hakkai stormed out. Hidden behind the door, Gojyo couldn't see him. He heard the brunette walk effortlessly past the mirrors, muttering to himself. He struggled to hear, but only caught one sentence.
"I just hope Gojyo isn't in the courtyard this time…"
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Gojyo made it a point to lock his door behind him upon returning to his room later that night. He felt jumpy and bewildered, moving quickly from hall to hall like a child playing spies. His mind whirled with all that had happened. Hakkai's angry voice, the conversation with Ni, something about an incident with Goku…none of it made any sense.
Hakuryuu regarded him curiously, mewing once. The redhead shook his head. "No, I don't think you wanna room with Hakkai tonight. Maybe you'd better stay with me."
The white ball of fur yawned again, laying his head back down. That cat was creepy sometimes.
He leaned against the door, running a hand through his hair. Once Hakkai had left, Gojyo had waited. He wanted to make sure Hakkai was out of the passage before he chanced the trip through the dark halls. This obviously had something to do with him now, so he had to be careful. Finally he decided he had given the brunette enough time and went to leave, scooting along the wall of mirrors. While Hakkai leaving the door open had hidden him before, afterward it had left him an easy target for Ni to spot. Fortunately the eerie brunette was absorbed in some kind of paperwork, and didn't look up. Once he reached the damp part of the corridor, he broke out into a run and didn't stop until he reached the safety of his own room.
He knew sleep was totally out of the question. Gojyo was the type of person who couldn't sleep when there was a lot on his mind. And he didn't think there had ever been more to think about at one time. He decided to take a shower, to try and calm himself down. Maybe then he could get some sleep. But the shower proved to only make him muse more.
Something was wrong with Hakkai. It had to do with him losing something while they were in the courtyard this afternoon. Now he was avoiding him entirely and yelling at Ni. Either Sanzo and Goku knew what was going on, or they had at least dealt with something similar. And what had attacked him in the courtyard? Hakkai had said something about him being there… But it couldn't have been Hakkai, could it?
This wasn't getting him anywhere. He tried to focus on the water instead. He closed his eyes, letting the spray hit his face. Sanzo had said they would concentrate on the problem tomorrow. He could get some answers then, but it wouldn't do any of them any good if he was a sleepless wreck.
He turned off the water and grabbed his towel. He dried himself off and changed into the pair of loose pajama pants he found in his closet. Then he flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Suddenly the playing cards, left out from the last game, started flying into the air wildly. Gojyo sat straight up, watching them. He turned to the window to find it open. The wind had picked up, blowing the cards around. Rolling his eyes, Gojyo got up and shut the window. He moved to the floor and began to pick up the cards.
The sound of water froze him instantly. The shower was on. Swearing to himself that he was sure he turned it off, he abandoned the cards momentarily to shut it off. As soon as his hand touched the faucet, someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around.
"Hakkai!"
Gojyo stood facing the brunette. He hadn't seen him in the passageway, but here he could see not only his tone had changed. His hair was much longer now, past his shoulders. And the hands that were now on both his shoulders were covered by what looked like vine tattoos.
Like the version of Hakkai he'd seen in the secret passage's mirror…
"What the--?"
Hakkai pushed Gojyo back, pinning him against the inner wall of the shower. It was still on, soaking them both. Gojyo watched him with shock, stunned into immobility. Hakkai stared at him for a few moments, regarding him intently. Then he leaned forward, capturing the redhead's lips forcefully.
Confused, Gojyo struggled for a minute, before responding. The arms that gripped his shoulders now wrapped around his neck, closing the distance between them. Gojyo moved a hand to the base of Hakkai's neck, moving through the now wet strands of hair. Hakkai leaned into the touch, pressing himself more against his taller friend. Gojyo bit back a moan.
Something collided bodily against the room door, interrupting the two. Gojyo stared at Hakkai, waiting to see what he'd do next. Hakkai looked from Gojyo to the door, as if weighing his options. Finally he let the redhead go.
"Hakkai…"
He shook his head. "I'm not in control. You'd better see what that was."
Gojyo sighed, moving past him to the door. He opened it a crack, peering out. Goku sat on the floor, looking distracted.
"Goku?"
He looked up, eyes brightening in relief. "Gojyo! Why'd you lock your door?"
"Because there's weirdoes like you running around. What's wrong?"
He stood up. "I wanted to check on you. Why're you all wet?"
Gojyo's face flushed slightly, but he recovered quickly. "Problem with the shower. It's nothing big. You'd better get back to Sanzo before he throws a fit."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I was just about to go to sleep."
"Alright…but I've gotta talk to you tomorrow. It's important."
"Okay. Are you okay walking back by yourself?"
He grinned. "I can take care of myself. It's you I was worried about."
"Hey…"
Goku laughed, before taking off in a run down the hall. Gojyo shut the door, turning back into the room. There was no sign of Hakkai. The redhead sighed, leaning against the door again. The window was open once more, blowing things around in the room.
"Dammit, 'Kai…"
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Gojyo hadn't had a nightmare in quite some time. Sometimes his dreams were surreal, maybe even a bit upsetting, but they never really scared him.
This one did.
It was the mirror again. He was walking through the passage alone, with no light. In each of the mirrors was the same image. The new version of Hakkai. He walked past them toward the door. This time when he pushed on it, it opened with ease. The room was empty, save for a larger mirror in the doorway.
Instead of his own reflection, Hakkai was there again. Gojyo stared at it for a moment. The surface of the mirror began to move, like a wave in a pond. Hakkai stepped out of the mirror, long hair and vines. Gojyo backed up, but the door had shut behind him. He hit the cold iron as Hakkai stepped closer with agonizing slowness.
He held up an arm. The vines wound down his arm, ending at his fingertips, which were clawed. He slashed down, catching Gojyo's chest. Gojyo fell to the floor, wincing in pain.
Hakkai stared at him coolly. "I'm not in control."
"Hakkai, don't…"
He smiled almost serenely. "I said I'd forgive you. Will you forgive me?" he slashed down again.
Gojyo awoke with a jolt, sitting straight up. He put a hand over his eyes, slumping his shoulders.
"What the hell's going on here?"
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well, that's it for chappeh 7! Unfortunately I've toned this one down a bit from the original content. Tho it'll get heavy before the end, for everyone waiting for that. :winks: I think things are starting to wind to a point here. I'm guessing we're about the halfway point now. So what's next? You'll hafta wait and see! But first, the review response!
The Jolly Leprechaun: Thankehs. I like the name!
C. T Saiyukilly Twisted: Zakuro? Is he from Reload? I have no idea who that is, but I've only seen up to Requiem...
Attiquah Gensui: Glad you're liking everything! I added you now, okay?
Keruri1222: Gotta keep everyone guessing, ne? Heh...And as you might gather from this chappeh, it seems the opposite of ignoring is going around...
zan: Na, I wasn't giving up...Chappeh 6 was just cursed. But i've broken it, and back on track! Thankehs for not giving up either! Don't worry, I'm the same way...
Cerridwene: Well, you were probably right. Everyone else seemed to get it right away. Another transparancy on my part I guess. Were you right?
SweetSnowCherryBlossomDarkness: lol...I love reviews at 2am... They;re always so funny.
altered carbon: I'll betcha you've got it. But I don't wanna give it away either... it'll beh clear soon enough tho. :winks:
saiyukisexy: Shh...don't spoil it. You win this round, but we'll see who wins next::dashes off evil villain style:
Zelgadis55: I know...I think Gojyo's gonna have a complex or something after this.
Until next time!