Psycho-CJ: Hey, I'm back for another chapter. This whole chapter is original stuff so I actually had to take the time to write it, unlike before when I already had the chapters written.

Evan: Does that mean you are actually writing again?!

Psycho-CJ: I'm only working on this story though.

Evan: And I thought you were back to writing ten pages a day.

Psycho-CJ: Why do you have to remind me of that? So I've been having some writer's block, it happens to a lot of people.

Warner: You have to admit it was pretty funny that one night you stared at your computer for over an hour because you couldn't think of what to write.

Psycho-CJ: That wasn't funny! (crosses arms) It's really hard coming up with a good intro, and besides, I eventually came up with a really good one too, which makes this story seem like child's play.

Evan: Too bad you're having trouble editing the rest of it. (Psycho-CJ sweats drops)

Raven: If worse comes to worst, you can always rewrite it. (Psycho-CJ falls over anime style).

Evan: Now look what you did.

Goku: Um, what am I supposed to say again?

Gojyo: Psycho-CJ does not own Saiyuki.

Psycho-CJ: Unfortunately I own The Daycarthro Chronicles characters, who don't appreciate me.

Evan: Now you know why I said we should get a new writer. This one is starting to burn out.

Psycho-CJ: Major angst in this chapter, don't say I didn't warn you. And a little bit of OC, hopefully I didn't stray too far from them.

XxxXxxX

Chapter 18: Trapped in a World of Illusions

"No, I won't let you…" Raven whispers, forcing himself to stand up.

I can't let you be defeated. I have as much at stake as you do. If you don't get your act together, then I will be forced to intervene. Raven's eyes widen. If he lets the demon take over who knows what will happen. The first time, he killed his foster-father and several other people—he even tried to kill Cassandra. What would happen this time? Will the demon try to kill Evan or Goku?!

"No!" Raven yells, striking his foster-father. "You're dead, you can't hurt me anymore!"

"How dare you raise your hand to me!" His foster-father goes to strike him, but Raven catches his wrist.

"You have no control over me anymore," Raven slams his fist against the man's face. His foster-father crumbles to the ground, then disappears. "And you," Raven says out loud, so the demon can hear him. "I will never let you gain control again!" But the darkness in his mind is gone and the demon no longer speaks to him. Was it real? Raven wonders. Or was it another one of Daycarthro's illusions? What if the demon is somehow able to gain control again?

Raven isn't able to dwell on the question long when he senses someone's presence close by. He closes his eyes, trying to pick up on the person's power so he can figure out who it is. When he opens his eyes, the curtain of mist has completely surrounded him. In the distance he can hear someone's voice. Sanzo?

XxxXxxX

"Who's there?!" Sanzo demands, his gun aimed at the person approaching him. "If you don't answer me, I'm going to blow your head off," Sanzo pulls the safety off his gun. The fog clears and Sanzo nearly drops his gun when he finally sees who it is. Dark brown hair and kind eyes look upon him. "Koumyo?" Sanzo whispers.

"Koryu," his master greets with a kind smile.

"But you're dead," Sanzo whispers. "Is it really you?" He lowers his gun, allowing his surprise to get the better of him.

"Ko…" the former Sanzo's eyes widen and he falls forward blood pouring from claw marks on his back.

"Master?" Sanzo cries, rushing to his aid. Something knocks him back, and ten youkai appear out of no where. "Bastards!" Sanzo fires at the youkai, but the bullets miss their targets. He pulls the trigger, but nothing happens. The youkai proceed to rip his master to shreds, as Sanzo can only watch. "No!" Sanzo yells.

"Sanzo!" Someone yells. The monk stops, coming to his senses. "Sanzo, it's not real!"

"Raven?" Sanzo whispers, but he can't see the Hybrid anywhere.

"Daycarthro cast an illusion spell over us. Your fear will only make the spell stronger." The fog parts and Raven stands before him.

"All of this is an illusion?" Sanzo asks, gazing at the bloody corpse of his master. Raven's blue-violet eyes fall on the body and he quickly looks away.

"None of this is real, unless you believe it is."

"We can't die here then."

"Actually we can. Daycarthro cast one of his higher-level spells. If your mind believes this is real, then the illusion can hurt you and at the extreme—can kill you as well. But one draw back is, since he used only one spell for all of us, we are connected to each other. With enough concentration you should be able to reach them by focusing on their essence."

"I see," Sanzo notes.

"The one thing I don't understand, is how does he know about your fear since he doesn't know you. And I never told him about what happened to me."

"Then how did he find out?"

"We're figure that out later." Raven looks off into the white mass surrounding them, separating them from the others. "If we are able to break the others out of the spell, we should be able to break the illusion completely." Raven closes his eyes, trying to pick up on the others. "I can sense Goku and Gojyo, but Hakkai, Cassandra and Warner aren't here. The three might have been immune to the spell."

"What about Evan?" Sanzo asks.

"I know he is here, I just can't pick up on him. He tends to have a weak essence in his current form. We'll worry about him later."

"Who says I was worried." Raven doesn't reply to the comment.

"We should split up. All you need to do is focus on the person's essence and you will be able to warp this world to your liking."

"I'll get Goku," Sanzo replies.

"I'll find Gojyo then," Raven disappears from sight. Sanzo focuses on the ape and his surroundings begin to melt away.

XxxXxxX

"Sanzo?" Goku calls, but no one answers. "Sanzo!" Goku yells. He tries to move, but finds his hands have been chained. "What's going on?" Goku cries. He whirls around and finds he is in a cave where the entranced has been barred off. "No! Let me out of here!" Goku cries throwing himself against the bars. "I don't want to me alone!" He struggles to slip through the bars, but fails. "Let me out! Sanzo! SANZO!"

Several minutes pass and Goku's attempts prove fruitless. The golden eye boy eventually drops to his knees. "Sanzo...?" He wraps his arms around his legs, hiding his face against his knees. "I don't want to me alone again," Goku whispers, the tears pouring from his eyes. Was is all a dream? Goku wonders. Did Sanzo really come and rescue me, or did I dream the whole thing? Sanzo, Hakkai, Gojyo, where are you?

XxxXxxX

"Raven?" Evan calls into the white mess. "Get your ass out here right now, before you piss me off!" No one responds. "Damn it," he swears under his breath. "I can't believe I got separated from that moron. He better not be having all the fun, while I'm stuck here." Evan crosses his arms in front of him, glaring at the fog that is distorting his vision. "Oh, wow, fog, I am so afraid. Please don't hurt me evil fog," Evan says flatly. "This is hell of stupid. Daycarthro needs to take some lessons on how to be evil."

"Evan?" a voice whispers.

"Great, who the hell is there?" Evan yawns. The mist clears and Raven is looking at him with those blue-violet eyes. "Take you long enough to get here. You know I hate to wait."

"Evan...? I'm sorry..." Raven collapses in a heap, blood forming into a pool around his body.

"Raven!" Evan rushes to his brother. "No, please don't die," Evan whispers. He places his hands on the wound, but for some reason his healing powers aren't working. "Raven, you idiot! Don't you dare die!"

"I'm sorry Evan, that I couldn't protect you," Raven wipes the tears from his brother's eyes. "Please...don't...be...sad." Raven closes his eyes, his body becoming still.

"Raven?" Evan whispers, shaking his brother. "Raven! Wake up! Open your eyes! Wake up!" he screams, but no matter what Evan does, his brother is already dead. "Raven?" Evan whimpers. "I don't want to be alone again."

Images of Pandora flash into his mind. He loved her, but he wasn't strong enough to protect her. Then he thinks of his original father, who betrayed the Demon Prince and was taken from him when he was still a child. His previous life was spent looking for a family to replace the one he lost. When he was reincarnated he thought he was given a second chance. Now that chance has been crushed, and once again he is alone.

"I don't want to feel like this anymore," he cries. He hugs his arms to him, as he makes his body shut down so he won't have to deal with the pain.

XxxXxxX

When the fog clears, Sanzo finds himself in front of a cave, which looks like the one he once released Goku from. Goku is huddled in front of the bars, his face hiding in his knees.

"Goku?" Sanzo says as he walks up to the stone prison.

"Go away, you're not real," Goku whispers, not bothering to look up.

"Dumbass ape!" Sanzo snaps, whacking Goku upside the head. "Quit playing around and get out of there!"

"It's really you Sanzo!" Goku's eyes brighten up and he grasps the bars that are imprisoning him.

"Of course I'm real. Now get out from there."

"But I can't," Goku gives Sanzo the sad puppy eye look. The monk sighs and holds his hand out to Goku, who just stares at it.

"Come on," Sanzo sighs, not making eye contact with the monkey. Goku takes his hand and the chains and bars disappear.

"Yeah, I'm free!" Goku cheers, he hugs Sanzo. "Sanks."

"Idiot," he mutters, pushing Goku away. "Can you sense Evan?" Goku sniffs the air, then he nods his head.

"He's not too far from here."

"Let's go!" Sanzo places his hand on Goku's shoulder and the fog seems to engulf them.

XxxXxxX

"Where am I?" Gojyo wonders out loud.

The fog thins out and a youkai woman stands before him with a deranged look in her eyes.

"Okaasan?" Gojyo whispers taking a step back. The woman creeps towards him and Gojyo keeps backing away until his back hits a wall. His stepmother reaches out to him, her long claws grazing his left cheek. Tears pour from her eyes and Gojyo can't help himself from trembling. Her claws stroke his cheek, gently adding pressure so a long line of blood trickles down the side of his face.

"Leave him alone!" Raven's voice cuts through the silent terror Gojyo is facing. Raven stands behind them, his dagger drawn. "Are you okay Gojyo?" Raven asks, his eyes not leaving the youkai woman once.

"Raven? What's going on?"

"This is an illusion, she's not real." Gojyo looks back at the woman, who looks exactly like his stepmother. "She's dead isn't she?" Raven says, more as a statement than a question. Gojyo looks away, recalling how his half-brother killed her in order to save his life. "If you can't make yourself believe this isn't real, she will be able to hurt you and you won't be able to leave here."

Raven's right, she's dead, she can't hurt me anymore. Gojyo smirks.

"He's right. You aren't real," Gojyo stands up, walking away from her. She tries to claw him, but her nails pass right through him.

"That was easier than I thought it was going to be," Raven sighs in relief.

"I'm not one to dwell on the past, that's all," Gojyo shrugs his shoulder.

"I see," Raven smiles. "Then in one way, you are stronger than me."

"What do you mean one way?" Gojyo asks. "I'm also better looking," he flicks some of his red hair back. Raven rolls his eyes.

"Sorry, I don't tend to notice things like that," Raven smirks. Gojyo glares at him, knowing the real meaning behind the statement.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me?!"

"Maybe later. For now we need to find Evan and get out of here." Raven puts his hand on Gojyo's shoulder and the two disappear.

XxxXxxX

"Where do you think Evan is?" Goku asks Sanzo, as the two walk through the thick fog.

"He's somewhere around here. We better find him fast."

The fog parts and the two can clearly see a little boy sitting on the ground next to a body. Sanzo swears under his breath, not liking how the god is manipulating them. He hates to think of what Daycarthro forced Evan to see since the kid seems to be able to take a lot.

"Evan!" Goku calls as he races to the black-haired boy. The boy doesn't react as his eyes stare off into space. "Eh, Evan?" Goku waves his hand in front of the boy's eyes, but he doesn't even blink. "Hey Sanzo, something's wrong with Evan." Sanzo walks up to the boy.

"Evan, let's go," Sanzo orders, but Evan doesn't respond. "Evan!" Sanzo snaps.

"He's not even blinking," Goku pokes Evan right between his eyes. Sanzo finally realizes the person lying on the ground is Raven. Even Sanzo can tell Evan cares a lot about his brother. Could the thought of Raven's death cause the child to shut down?

"Damn it, we don't have time for this." Sanzo shakes Evan's shoulders and his eyes slowly become focused.

"Let go of me!" Evan yells, pushing Sanzo away. Evan hugs his knees to his body. "Just leave me alone," he whispers, his voice trembling.

"Let's go," Sanzo replies.

"Go away," he whispers. "Everyone's dead," he breaks into sobs, his whole body trembling. "He left me, just like everyone else."

"Shit, he gave in," Sanzo whispers. "Evan this is an illusion. All the things you saw aren't real."

"You're lying!" Evan yells. "Raven's dead, just like Pandora and father!"

"Idiot! You are playing into Daycarthro's hands. You're letting the illusion control you."

"Shut up! You're lying! Raven's dead!"

"No he's not! He's still alive and he's looking for you," Sanzo shouts, grabbing the boy's shoulders to try to shake some sense into him. Evan shakes his head, not even listening to the monk.

"I don't want to live like this anymore. Why can't I just die?!" Evan reaches into Sanzo's sleeve and grabs his gun before Sanzo can realize what's happening. He places the gun against his head, but Sanzo and Goku tackle him.

"You idiot! Don't take your life so easily!"

"I don't care! I hate living this way! Whenever I cared about someone they always end up dead!" Evan screams, kicking Sanzo away.

"Evan! Stop!" Goku cries, grabbing his wrists.

"Get your damn hands off me!" Evan struggles to get away from Goku, but the ape refuses to let go.

"No, I won't let you kill yourself!" Goku sobs.

"Just let me die!" Evan punches Goku, sending him sprawling onto the ground. "Maybe this time I will stay dead," Evan smiles slightly at the thought. He wants to fail to exist, so he never has to feel pain again. The boy raises the gun to his temple and his finger presses against the trigger...

XxxXxxX

Psycho-CJ: I know someone is going to kill me for this.

Raven: I can't believe you are deliberately torturing your audience.

Psycho-CJ: It wasn't intentional. This just happens to be four pages and besides, I'm not sure how this is going to play out. This wasn't as angsty as I originally planned, but then again, I'm not one to get depressed easily. Tell me what you thought about this chap. I still don't think I captured Sanzo very well, you know how he's not one to show off his emotions.

Raven: I like how you faked out readers by making the readers think I was going to be taken over by the demon.

Psycho-CJ: Actually, I was going to make that happen, but decided to save that part for the book I'm working on.

Warner: Please tell me I won't be around when that happens.

Evan: What? You don't want to die early?

Psycho-CJ: If I did let it happen, it would not have been pretty. Think of Evan, minus the playful humor and add a total disregard for human life and that would be the third-class demon in Raven. But I figured the plot is complicated enough already. Maybe next time.

Warner: Now if we only knew if Evan's second suicide attempt is successful.

Raven: (to Evan) I think I might need to send you for a psychiatric evaluation.

Evan: Just because I care about you doesn't mean I'm screwed up in the head. (He quickly covers his mouth. Raven stares at his brother.) I mean, who else am I going to annoy the hell out of? (Raven lowers his eyes then looks away.)

Warner: Right...

Psycho-CJ: I'll try to get the next chapter out before I go home for Thanksgiving and it seems I was wrong when I said this would be done by the end of Nov. I hope I'm not dragging this out.

Evan: Thanks to Evita, Ali the pretender, Sumitra, Louise and Rook for reviewing. And I'm sorry for taking so long to post this.

Goku: Till next time!