-CHAPTER 1-

Ambush

The rain's stopped. Sanzo noted. Just as well that they had spare clothing… the night was particularly cold. He glanced back across the room. Hakuryuu had curled up beside the fire. Next to him lay their wet belongings, drying slowly.

"Move, Hakuryuu. You're lying on Sanzo's sutras," Hakkai said.

"Let him," Sanzo dismissed it.

"You are in a weird mood," Hakkai looked up. "Is it the rain?"

"Maybe." This trip is bringing back more painful memories than I usually get in a whole year…

"I'm going to the kitchen for a moment," Hakkai said. "I'll be right back."

"Hn."

Hakkai strode off, glancing back once. Hakuryuu was sleeping now, his shivers growing more infrequent. They had pushed him too far this time… racing through the rain to reach the town… The dragon sneezed, and kooed softly, but did not wake.

He wandered down the stairs.

The lights went out.

Just like a B-grade horror movie… and something nasty's going to appear, just about … now! Hakkai dived for cover behind a table as something lunged past him. He felt, rather than saw, the wisp of youkai presence. Then something flared in the darkness, the feeling increased ten-fold.

Youryoku limiter! No wonder we didn't sense him earlier!

"Time for a little light, I guess!" Hakkai focused for a moment, feeling the build-up of ki, then released it with practiced ease. The ball of light illuminated the entire room in a brilliant yellow glow.

There wasn't just one youkai.

"Whoops. I guess that Sanzo was right, after all," Hakkai grinned at his audience, then fired at the nearest enemy.

Youkai dived for cover, and there was a brief scream, and spattering of blood. Looks like I caught one. His senses tingled, and he whirled just in time to avoid a nasty stab in the back. "This one's for you." Another flash, and the attacking youkai shattered into a black mist.

Gunshots rang out from above.

Oh no… Sanzo! Hakkai glanced at the ceiling in alarm. Frantically, he began fighting his way to the stairs, but youkai were pouring down it now – where on earth had all these youkai come from?

***

"Eh, Gojyo, something's wrong," Goku said, with his mouth half-full. "I sense youkai."

Gojyo spun. "Where?"

Goku pointed vaguely.

"Oh crap… that's the direction that we came from!"

"They're being attacked?" Goku asked. Swallowing the rest of the bun in one mouthful, he took off running.

***

Hakuryuu kooed.

Sanzo sat up and grabbed his gun. There it was… that uneasy feeling of youkai hovering on the edge of his senses. It was faint… they might be far away—

The window shattered.

"Shit!" he dived out of bed, away from the window and the falling glass, as youkai swarmed into the room. "Where the hell did all of you come from?"

There were at least half a dozen youkai in the room already, and more coming. Backing up against the wall, Sanzo fired five shots in rapid succession, taking down two of the leading youkai, and injuring another three. He spun out of their reach, scrabbling for more bullets. "Don't you bastards ever give up?!"

His fingers closed on his extra rounds, as he hammered them into the Exorcism gun. Another youkai lunged towards him… he ducked, not quite fast enough. A fist slammed his shoulder, and claws raked across it. Another patching job… don't these clothes last longer than a week these days?

He slammed the gun shut and fired, sending blood spraying.

The door burst open.

Damn, I hope that's Hakkai—oh shit. At least four more youkai were standing the doorway, and these were armed.

Something attacked from the right. He strafed to one side, brought the gun round… fired, and missed, as the youkai ducked. Shit…

Pain exploded in his right side.

That one feels like it's going to need stitches… he couldn't catch his breath fast enough as he fired again, taking down another two assailants. There were just too many of them…

Where are the two idiots when you need them? he thought furiously, then checked himself. Since when did I depend on other people to get me out of scrapes? I've always managed on my own before this…

Another side of his brain told him that there weren't even half this number of youkai, normally.

And not when he was already so damn tired…

The trigger clicked on an empty magazine. Automatically, he reached for more bullets… and his hand closed on air. Out of ammunition. Now the fun starts…! He glanced around. The window was just 3 feet away. If he could make it—

A youkai grabbed his gun hand. Spinning, he turned to deliver it a blow to the guts for its pains… then there was a sharp pressure…

…a crack…

…a splintering sound as bone shattered…

…and the world went black and white for a moment in a flash of pain. "Damn you!" he grounded out through clenched teeth.

"Damn us?" the youkai sounded amused. He felt the iron grip slide down to the wrist, felt the damn creature squeeze

The next wave of pain nearly drove him to his knees, as his entire wrist was crushed under the youkai's superior strength. His fingers went limp, and the gun clattered to the ground. That was going to be a real problem later…

He reached for his sutras with his free hand, then realized that they simply weren't there. That was all the time he had for thought, before the other arm was captured in a vicelike grasp. Brilliant… just brilliant… he lashed out with a foot, trying to get one of them… just needed one arm free, that was all… just…

There was a wrench on his broken arm, and a fist caught him in the guts. Another blow knocked his legs out from under him. The strain on his arm worsened as he fought to regain balance. "Where are the sutras, monk?" a harsh voice demanded.

The sutras…

The pain was blinding him. His ribs hurt like bloody hell… they'd probably broken one.

A blow across the face, hard enough to split his lip. "Where are they?"

He spat blood. "Go to hell."

Claws dug into the side of his face, lifting his chin. Then there was another blow, this one sending black spots spiralling across his vision. I need… a weapon…

"We don't have time," another youkai said. "The rest are on their way back. Just take him and go."

Take… what the… he tried to pull free, then nearly screamed as the youkai pinioning his left arm pressed down hard on the fractured wrist. "Just wait, you," the youkai in front of him growled.

He never even saw the blow that plunged his world into darkness.

***

Hakkai dispatched another youkai, then was forced to beat a strategic retreat into the kitchen. The stairs were practically inaccessible. The youkai had blockaded him off, and were attacking with long-ranged attacks, forcing him to go on the defensive. He couldn't quite get a correct count on their numbers in the gloom, but there had to be at least 15… and these were far more powerful than the average youkai-on-the-street that they routinely encountered.

Fire lashed against his barrier, and he wavered unsteadily. I can't keep this up forever… he winced as another wave of stones hit the barrier and scattered, too close for comfort. This youkai were good… they were really good.

"KOO!"

"Hakuryuu! No!" Hakkai cried out, as the white shape darted down towards him. There was harsh laughter, then a stone streaked towards the dragon. Hakuryuu banked to avoid it…

…and ran straight into a stream of fire…

"HAKURYUU!"

The dragon squealed and tumbled out of the sky. Hakkai abandoned his barrier, switching to a concentrated blast that sent the nearest youkai flying. They're too powerful… that fire youkai's almost as good as Kougaiji…

He sprang forward, as Hakuryuu tumbled into his arms, one wing in tatters.

The youkai attacked from behind. Even as he spun, he felt a sword edge bite into his side, in a nightmare recollection of his first encounter with Chin Isou…

He retched, blood spewing from his mouth.

Then Hakuryuu sent a puff of flame into the youkai's face. The youkai leapt back, startled, buying Hakkai enough time to grace him with a ki-blast to the gut. I can't take this much longer! His stomach hurt like wild fire. At least this wound isn't very deep… just a gash, but it's slowing me down…

He flung up the barrier just in time.

The fire very nearly cut through his shields this round. He could feel the heat streaking through, as his arms trembled from the strain.

"HAKKAI!"

Goku's voice, unmistakably!

There was the sound of fighting. Cautiously, he lowered the barrier. Goku and Gojyo were trying to force their way through to him. Several youkai lay dead at their feet. But the rest were fleeing—no, withdrawing. They leapt out of the windows, through the large hole in the wall… and disappeared into the night.

Within seconds, all the attackers had vanished.

Gojyo rushed over. "Are you okay? You've taken quite a nasty wound there."

"I'll be fine," Hakkai gasped. "But why did they break off like that?"

"Hah. Probably too afraid to take all three of us on. What happened to Hakuryuu?"


Hakkai glanced down at the little dragon. There was a scroll clutched tightly in his claws. A scroll… no… a sutra…

"Sanzo!"

They rushed up the stairs and into the room. The door had been broken down – blown off its hinges, more likely. The window was totally wrecked. Bloodstains covered the walls and the floor, as well as several youkai corpses. But of the living… no sign.

"SANZO!" Goku yelled. "SANZO!" Frantically, he scanned the bodies. Nothing. All youkai. "DAMN! What did they do to Sanzo?! DAMNIT!" Goku swung and punched a wall. His fist went straight through.

A glint caught Gojyo's eye. Stooping, he picked up a bloodstained revolver. Sanzo's.

"I don't think they killed him," Hakkai said worriedly. "Which means that there's still hope. Goku, do you sense anything?"

"No…"

"If we follow those youkai that were attacking us, I guess we'll find him," Gojyo said.

"Alright, let's go," Hakkai said.

"No you don't. You stay here with Hakuryuu," Gojyo returned, glancing Hakkai's wound.

"If Sanzo's injured, you'll need someone—"

"Do you think you're in any state to heal anyone? Start with yourself!" Gojyo snapped.

"I'm going," Hakkai insisted. "If we get split up again, they'll find it easier to take us out."

Gojyo paused. "Damn you and your logic. Fine, but we get that wound and Hakuryuu's wing dressed first!"