Disclaimer: Gensomaden Saiyuki and its characters belong to Minekura-sensei. We've done nothing to gain profit from this little fic. Well, nothing financial that is, just the rippling warmth in our hearts when we set these guys in yaoi scenes…..
Warning: Before you read it, please be warned that this fic has a very dark tone with twisted angsty plot and sexual abuse content. Don't read if you don't have a heart to read these kinds of stuff or to see the characters in distress and pain.
Heal the Healer
A fanfiction of Gensomaden Saiyuki
Plotter: Yoong
Writer: Sumeragi Sakura yami_no_tsubasa@otakumail.com
Part III : At the edge of darkness
Thunder struck.
The darkened gray cloud wept with the company of the roaring sky. Drops of cold water poured down to wet the dried air, spreading the smell of moist soil throughout the entire forest. The thunder struck again, flashing its silvery light to the spaces between the thick trees. The light flashed for a fleeting second, illuminating the entire forest, creating grotesquely shaped silhouettes under the hood of the trees' leafy branches.
A dark figure moved in the flashing light, like a bard of death performing his deadly dance. Between the trees and the bushes, he moved in high agility, even faster than the flashing thunder.
Hakkai leaped gracefully to the air, with a ball of light forming to take shape between his opened palms. He rolled in mid air and released the light ball to the nearest youkai. The lackey youkai screeched an ear-scorching scream before he exploded in pieces of flesh.
By the time his toes touched the ground again, Hakkai turned at his heel and aimed his still-opened palms to the youkai behind him. The youkai dodged his attack quickly, but wasn't quick enough to avoid the deadly burn that set his clothes aflame with white fire. He screeched in pain, while rolling on the ground and scratched the grass with his claws.
The rain fell down like mad. As if there was a river up in the sky which flow of water was diverted downward, right to the ground. Or a giant lake with a leak at its bottom. The forest bed was wet and slippery with mud. The falling water reduced the visibility inside the dark forest. The air was painfully cold. It was definitely not a perfect time and place to fight.
But Hakkai stood his ground. He didn't feel the cold air sticking through his skin like ice needles. He didn't tread on the wet ground long enough to let the mud restrained the movement of his booted feet. And his eyes were scorching hot. They were hot enough to let him see through the thick veil of rain and tracked his enemies.
His body moved even before his mind started to think. Long before his magic formed between his hands. Effortlessly, he stabbed his own hand repeatedly through the bodies of three other youkais, letting them to fall down dying on the muddy soil. Another second passed, and he had ripped the hearts out of another two.
Then he stood there, under the rain of the sputtering blood. A veil of thick, red liquid cloak covered his body.
Gojyo swung his Shakujou in a forceful blow. The youkai who plunged to rip his ribs away, was flung backward. Before his body touched the ground, it was separated in two at the waist and fell crumbling down to a heap of bloody mess.
"Heeeehh...," he sighed. "What a troublesome herd…. Muscles only, no skills at all. Hmph! You're just wasting my time, filthy bastards!"
He stood there, scratching his hair with a bored attitude. He took his time to smooth his hair, as calmly as if he didn't care what happened around him. A moving figure dashed from his side, the gleam of a steel blade streaked a silvery line from the hand of the figure, just outside his range of sight. He silently picked his weapon and stuck it out to the side. The blade from the tip of his Shakujou launched in a lightning speed towards his ambusher. Without even looking, he managed to aim the launch accurately.
The body of the youkai fell down to the ground at the same time as Gojyo flicked his hair over his shoulder.
"What a nuisance….," he complained.
He turned around, trying to see what the others were doing. Not very far from him, Goku was leaping from the tree branches with ease. Just like a monkey, Gojyo thought. Of course. The boy looked as if he was having the greatest time. He irritated the two youkais who were after him with the mischieful grin wide on his lips.
These youkais were not very skillful. It was not so hard to kill them. The main problem was, they came in a large group. Like a persistent flock of bugs. Easily crushed, but really irritated you when a bunch of them started to crawl up your legs.
Goku seemed fine, while Sanzo was out of sight. The last time he saw the monk, he was chasing after the hooded youkai deeper into the forest. Gojyo didn't really worry about the monk. He knew Sanzo could easily take care of himself. There were not so many people he considered as powerful, but Sanzo was always be one of those people.
But what about Hakkai?
Usually, he wouldn't worry about his quiet friend at all. Despite of Hakkai's calm composure, Gojyo knew what great power he possessed inside his thin, frail body. He wouldn't worry about him either. Usually. But today, Hakkai was slightly different. Maybe he was tired, maybe he wasn't feeling well. Gojyo hated the fact that he wasn't sure what was wrong with his close friend.
So, grumpily, he went to search for Hakkai in the forest. He could easily sensed Hakkai's presence near him, just behind the line of trees beyond his path. He could sense Hakkai's aura. But this aura, however similar it was with Hakkai's, it was different. It felt…..darker. And a lot stronger.
A throb of worry stabbed Gojyo's chest. Inside, a leaden feeling gripped his lungs in a tight squeeze. He didn't feel good about this. He quickened his pace and arrived at a clearing in the middle of the forest.
The rain fell in a thicker curtain of water drops at the clearing, without any leaves or tree branches to cut it off. A mass of slain bodies scattered on the ground. The thick river of blood flew from underneath the mountainous heap of flesh, forming a small dark, red pool not too far away from where Gojyo was standing.
But it wasn't the sight of the slain bodies that strangled the breath from escaping Gojyo's throat. It also wasn't the flowing river of blood that stained the earth. It was something else.
Thunder struck. Its flash of light fell upon the dark figure who stood in the middle of the bloody massacre. The figure was slightly crooked, its shoulder was heaving in heavy draws of strained breath. Its hands, its two blood-soaked hands were hung on the side of its body, dripping thick blood down to the ground.
Gojyo stared at the figure in horror.
"Hak….kai…."
+ + + + +
He could only hear his own heaving breath. His sight was blurred, his eyes were heavy. He couldn't feel his legs, he couldn't feel his body. As if the only thing existed in the world was his breath. And his eyes.
Rain… thick and cold, the rain was.
Just like that time. Just like that day.
It was also raining.
He climbed up the mountain under the rain. His mind was set on one thing and his body wouldn't stop until his goal was reached. He was going to rescue her. He was coming for her.
It was also raining. They attacked him too, that day. One, two, five, tens of them, he didn't know. He didn't remember. He wasn't sure he could see them either. All he wanted was to reach her place and anything that stood on the path between them should all be eliminated.
He stabbed. He ripped. He slashed. He broke.
Anything that was in his way.
Any single thing.
It was also raining that day. But he wasn't wet with water. He was bathed in blood. Wrapped in the stinking smell of the blood, he came to her. But it was also blood he saw. Spraying, flowing from her body, down on the floor to reach his feet.
Damned the rain….
It couldn't wash away the blood that bathed him. The cursed blood, tainting his cursed soul. He was cursed, thus he lost her. In a rainy night such as this.
Hakkai rubbed his throbbing temple with his hands. His blood-soaked hands. The same blood-soaked hands he used that day. That day he lost Kanan. That day he lost his soul. The day he tasted death.
A slight prick at the corner of his sight made him turned warily. He turned around, hands tensed up in ready-to-kill stance. But instead of seeing the youkais as he expected to, he suddenly found his own reflection on Gojyo's horrified eyes.
"Hak…kai…," muttered Gojyo, dumbfounded by the cold terror that reign over his body.
It wasn't Hakkai, thought Gojyo. It wasn't Hakkai who was standing in the middle of those corpses with a cold killing desire burning in his eyes. It was the man from the past. A deformed Cho Gonou. A broken Cho Gonou.
Gojyo swallowed hard. What had awakened him? They met youkais constantly everywhere they went. But this was the only time Hakkai's demonic side was awakened. What was the trigger?
More importantly, could he turn back to the usual calm man Gojyo called his friend? His Hakkai?
His mouth was half opened to call out his friend's name. Hakkai's name, not Cho Gonou's. His voice was already in his throat, but the loud scream coming from somewhere in that forest choked him before he could utter anything.
Wary and surprised, both of them turned at the direction of the scream.
It was Goku's scream. Calling out for Sanzo in a terrified tone.
"Shit!" muttered Gojyo, before he turned and leaped behind the trees towards the source of the scream.
Hakkai staggered backward, unbalanced with his sudden jerk of consciousness. The scream had awakened his sanity. Without thinking any longer, he dashed through the trees, trailing Gojyo's earlier retreat.
+ + + + +
Goku gritted his teeth. His body was cold with horror when he saw Sanzo's figure knelt on the muddy ground. Blood was staining his white robe, right at the side of his stomach. Sanzo was shivering with pain, still eyeing his foe with fiery fire of anger aflame in his eyes.
"SANZO!"
Goku leaped to his side, holding his injured body tightly. Sanzo's body was as cold as ice under his touch. Blood trickled from between the fingers that clutched the wound at waist.
"Sanzo…," Goku found his voice hoarse with worry.
Sanzo snapped Goku's caring touch away. He pushed the boy aside and tried with great efforts to stand up by himself. He stared at the hooded youkai with shaking shoulders.
"Sanzo, what are you doing? You're hurt…"
"This fight isn't over yet," snapped Sanzo, stepping slowly toward the youkai.
The youkai himself wasn't in his best shape anymore. His robe was torn in many places, with bleeding wounds exposed under those torn rips. His left arm dangled uselessly on his side, stained with purplish blood. His dark complexion was pale. But he stared at Sanzo with the same fiery eyes as Sanzo's at his.
"No, this fight isn't over yet….," hissed the youkai. "Mark my word. My name is Boushu Jin, leader of the Kyogei Rhyaku, the band of youkais that rules over the middle provinces of Togenkyou. I will hunt you down and kill you with my own hands the next time we meet, Sanzo-sama."
The youkai's voice was shaken by his own anger. His brilliant yellow, cat-like eyes showed his hatred clearly. But he swallowed the anger proudly and retreated into the veil of darkness that surrounded the forest.
"Bastard…," swore Sanzo, before he fell to the ground.
"SANZOO!" Goku jumped in time to catch his fall.
"Lay him down on the ground. We have to stop his bleeding, " said Gojyo who suddenly appeared by their side.
Stupefied with worry, Goku let Gojyo took Sanzo's almost lifeless body from his hands. Gojyo gingerly held the monk tightly in his arms, while one of his hands pressed tightly against the bleeding wound.
"Hmph! I never thought you'd get injured easily by that scum of a youkai, Sanzo. What the hell was wrong with you?" said Gojyo in a serious tone.
Sanzo hissed in pain. "I wasn't concentrating."
"Is..is he all right?" asked Goku in a hoarse whisper.
Without turning to look, Gojyo spoke outloud. But his words weren't directed to either Goku or Sanzo. "I know you're there, Hakkai. Get your butt over here and do something with this hardheaded bastard."
Surprised to hear Goyjo's strange remark, Goku turned his head around to look for Hakkai. He was even more surprised to see the man stood a few feet away from them, just outside the line of trees, staring at them aghastly.
Goku frowned. He didn't know what was it, but he vaguely felt there was something wrong with Hakkai. But the man didn't let him see any further, for he immediately ran to Sanzo's side and tore open the bloodstained clothes. He put his hands above Sanzo's wound and concentrated his power to heal.
Gojyo was silent, staring only at Sanzo's grimacing face. Goku watched the healing process with impatience smeared on his face. He watched with amazement, seeing the blood stopped flowing from Sanzo's wound, until the only trace of the wound that was left was the just bloodstain around the wound.
"We should take him to an inn, quickly. The cold of the rain weakened his system," said Hakkai, already in his usual self again. "Hak Ryu!"
The little flying dragon, which had been hiding safely during all the fights, appeared quickly near Hakkai. He cooed softly, or rather grimly, as if stating his concern over the grief incident that fell upon them all.
"Let's go, Hak Ryu. Take us to the nearest town."
***TBC***
yoong's A/N: Sanzo's injured again. It seems like he's always the one to get injured both in the manga and many fanfics. grin Still, he's not the only one in this fic, as the story goes on, other characters will be injured too!
Sumeragi Sakura's Little Rambling: Whoo-hoo! A fighting scene! It's actually the first time I write a fighting scene. And I'm kinda proud of this chapter *blushes* I like this chapter a lot. The atmosphere is just right and the words were sort of flowed out of me. Especially in the Hakkai's part. Well, I hope you like it as well. ^___^