By yumeneko
Disclaimer: As usual... Saiyuki is Kazuya Minekura-sensei's... I'm just torturing some characters here.
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Note: Whew… After a long confusing ride of memories… We're near the end of it all… 'Tis fueled by Linkin Park over and over and over again…
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Chapter 10: Fade Forgiven
Hakkai ran through the town, following his brother's cry. Even if the cold wind blew, he pushed through to get to his brother.
"Hold on, Hiro… Your brother's coming…"
"Aniki? What in heck do you mean?" Sanzo got to his feet.
"My name is not Quietus… I was brainwashed to become a reaper… My real name is Cho Hiro… I came from another life… My sister killed me because of the Chameleon Heart legacy…" Hiro revealed, "My brother is Cho Hakkai…"
"You're from another life… How can that be possible?"
"Pandemonium has no time and it is where every life ends. People there age, but no one dies… When I was killed, I wasn't able to enter the pool of souls, so I was brainwashed to become a reaper. I had access to any life. So I ended up here as Quietus, the hell-bent reaper. I was driven by my memories of pain in Pandemonium. I was a reaper, but I could remember souls being tortured in the pool… I didn't know I was a soul. Yet, I still felt sympathy for the souls being tortured…"
"Will I be able to trust you? You might attack me while my guard is down…" Sanzo took out his gun.
"Please believe me… Onegai, Genjo Kou… iya… Sanzo!" Hiro cried out in desperation.
"What were you about to call me?"
"Kouryuu… Genjo Kouryuu… That's you in the life I used to live…" Hiro replied softly, "My brother loved you so much… I liked you, but my brother already had you. When I died, I was told that Hakkai sold the house we used to live in and moved in to yours."
"Another of my lives holds my old name…" Sanzo pondered, "A name I wish to forget…"
"Hiro!" Hakkai panted as he entered the ballroom, "Sanzo, don't hurt him… He's gone through enough…" Hakkai took his brother into his arms, "It's okay, Hiro. Your brother is here…"
"Aniki… I missed you so much… No wonder I targeted you and Sanzo… I wanted to be with you again, but my raising as a reaper twisted my desire to a dark passion… Please forgive me, aniki… Forgive me, Hakkai…" Hiro's tears slowly flowed down his cheeks.
"I forgive you… Hiro." Hakkai smiled as he buried his hand in his brother's identical brown hair.
"Matte… Whatever happened to Gojyo?" Hiro's eyes flashed open, "Yoru must have poisoned him… We must save him…" He ran off in the direction of the garden while Sanzo and Hakkai followed close by.
"Gojyo!" Hiro cried out as he opened the doors of the garden, "He's weak… I'll only be a little while until he dies… The antidote must be with Yoru…"
"Can you save him?" Hakkai asked.
"If I can get the antidote from Yoru… I'll be able to save him…"
"You called, traitor?" Yoru appeared, "You've turned your back on your mission to liberate the souls of Pandemonium… I know what you're really up to… You just want to fulfill your own desire… You don't care about the freedom of the souls of Pandemonium… I won't give you the antidote until you defeat me!"
"Die, witch…" Hiro lifted his arms in a summoning form, "Pure light, shine on bloody impurity! Holy!"
"The opposite of the Flare spell… You've really flipped, Quietus… You aren't being yourself… If you were yourself, you'd be killing everyone here with the Flare spell…" Yoru laughed, "Never mind… I'll take all of you out with it… Inscript the dark god into a rotting body! Flare!"
The two spells were summoned and dazzling light was created as the spells hit each other, but inside, Sanzo could see a shining stone.
"That stone… It's the… Chameleon Heart…" Sanzo murmured and as he looked at the far-end of the garden, Ren was there holding Gojyo.
"If you're wondering, I was the one who threw the Chameleon Heart into the battle… It will decide the winner… Don't worry, I have Yoru's antidote with me…" Ren smiled as he gave Gojyo the antidote.
"Arigatou, Ren-san…" Hakkai bowed. They all turned to watch the duel.
"Naaaa!! What's the big deal, leaving us in that dungeon!!" Goku whined as he entered the scene with Lirin.
"Urusai, bakazarou!! This is a life-or-death battle…" Sanzo growled.
"Gomenasai, Lirin-san… But I was the one who played Dokugakuji…" Hiro apologized as he continued to battle against the sorceress.
"Daijoubu! As long as you're on our side of this battle, it's okay…" Lirin cheered as she gave Hiro a pat on the back.