Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Saiyuki characters. They honorably belong to Minekura Sensei. Please don't sue me.
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Ayie: This chap is going to be like chap 13, filled with fighting scene….I'm dead for sure. Never mind, I'll try my best to picture the scene. And, don't worry. I'm not going to stop my fic halfway through….I'll finish this no matter what it takes…coz I'm proud of it…^O^laughed hysterically. Thanks for your support Azzie-san, GS-san..
The ikkou and the OCs: Bravo! Bravo! applause and cheering Ayie: blushed since she thought no one was listening
Ayie: I'm going to stop the fighting chaps, perhaps after this one or the next, to give way to Hakkai and Aiko… ehem...! But I'll continue the fighting scene soon…
Hakkai and Aiko: blushed
Ayie: Wii…I finished a fic dedicated for Mother's Day..Yipeeflipped around like crazy Sanzo: Ch!…She's crazy already…
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Chapter 14 – The Abduction
Aiko panted heavily as she glanced toward her opponent. She was losing a lot of her energy by releasing a lot of ki-blast and at the same time receiving numerous blows from Meili's mini bomb explosions. The last explosion sent her flying in the air and bumped furiously to a tree bark. Aiko spat out blood as her body made encounter with the tree. She fell down to the ground with a loud thump. Aiko looked up to Meili from the corner of her eyes. 'She's surely strong'. Aiko coughed out fresh blood.
"Aiko!" Kazo glanced worriedly toward his sister as he kicked Sen on his lower part. He was about to rush over to Aiko when Aiko put him in a halt with a sway of her hand. Kazo retreated to his battle. That was Aiko's last decision.
Hakkai glanced at Aiko. 'She'd lost a lot of her energy during the first attack'. Hakkai released a ki-ball toward Wai and darted toward Aiko. But then, a dagger that came dashing toward him at great speed stopped Hakkai abruptly. He dodged the attack and the dagger penetrated the ground near his feet. Hakkai turned and found Wai was dashing to his direction with a sword swung in a slashing mode. Hakkai ducked and slammed Wai's stomach with his fist. His inner force, which he gathered down to his fist sent Wai to jerk a few yards backward. Hakkai waited for the counter attack as Wai staggered to stand on his feet.
Hakkai took the opportunity and blasted a ki-ball toward the staggering opponent. But the opponent managed to dodge his attack by lurching to his right. Wai darted toward Hakkai furiously as the latter lurched to him with a ki-blast formed at his hands. Hakkai released the ki-blast and Wai didn't have time to elude it. The explosion sent Wai to stumble on the ground and fainted.
Gojyo was winning against Yoda. He swung his shaku jou and sent his crescent blade darting toward Yoda. The crescent blade hit Yoda's spear and the chain at the end of it rolled around the spear and locked it firmly. Gojyo pulled his shaku jou and took away with it the spear. Yoda was left disarmed. But he was not going to give up. Yoda darted toward Gojyo, trying to hit the latter with his bare hands. But Gojyo was able to avoid the attack and swung his shaku jou and slammed the crescent blade to Yoda's abdomen. The youkai's stomach was torn opened, revealing the flesh inside. Yoda was sent to stumble on the ground, wincing at the stabbing pain in his stomach. He gasped desperately for air before taking his last breath and died.
Sen flinched as Kazo's hard fist slammed his nose. He could feel his nose was broken into pieces. Blood came pouring down from his nostrils. He was getting weaker. 'My, this boy really knows how to fight'. He darted toward Kazo and lashed his whip upon the boy's head. Kazo blocked the whip with his arm and the whip twisted around his arm. Kazo held the whip with his other hand and pulled it with tremendous force. His act made Sen lost control of his whip and lost his balance. Kazo swung the whip and sent Sen to land on the ground. Blood rushed out from Sen's mouth and he was knocked senseless when Kazo jumped on top of him and punched him right on the face. The last blow broke his skull and Sen died instantly.
Lexus glanced at his men. The only one standing from his ikkou was Meili, but Meili was totally battered up and was coughing out blood. She had received a lot of fierce blows from Aiko. But it looks like she was winning against her opponent. Lexus' mind was snapped back to reality when Goku darted toward him with his nyoibou aiming at his head. Lexus, being less alert, received the blow right on his temple. The blow caused him to jerk back a few steps.
"Lexus-sama" Meili called out with an anxious tone.
Aiko looked up. 'So, that's her weakness'. Aiko stood up on her feet and staggered a bit before she regained her balance by supporting herself to the tree bark. She ignored the pounding pain in her chest, courtesy of Meili's blow, and gathered what was left of her ki-energy down to her palms. Meili was totally unaware of that. She thought she had won over Aiko once and for all. She turned around and by the time she realized what was happening, she was already too late to avoid it. A large ki-ball hit her right on the target. Meili stumble backward fiercely and landed on her arm. Her arms cracked at instance and caused her to scream with agony.
Aiko walked toward Meili with a trembling gait. She'd used all her energy to finish this battle and it's not going to be soon before she could regain it back. As human, her power was limited. She looked at Meili with a sorry look. The female youkai was actually dying due to her inner injuries caused by Aiko's last blow. "Why…why I'd lost to you?" Meili asked sadly.
"I told you I died once and being human, I can only lived and died once" Aiko explained.
"I don't understand" Meili shook her head. She was seeing things. Meili tried hard to focus her gaze upon Aiko. "What do you mean you'd died once when you're still standing in front of me?" Her voice was trembling.
"I was dead on the day my family being slaughtered in front of my eyes" Aiko exclaimed. "My family meant life to me and when they were murdered right in front of me, my own life and soul died with them"
"I only live by the will to take care of my little brother" Aiko whispered as she glanced toward Kazo. "You lost because you're fighting a dead girl" she continued as she looked down to Meili. The girl youkai was panting heavily and gasping for air to breath.
"Sou ka…" Meili nodded. "It was an honor for me to die at your hands" she closed her eyes, drinking away the last elixir of life around her.
"Gomen nasai, I don't mean for you to end this way" Aiko bowed her head. "I took the advantage of you being less alert when you drew your attention toward Lexus" She explained. Deep down inside, she felt rather guilty.
Meili smiled. "You earned it, it's my fault to mix up my feelings with my job" She said. "I loved him so much that I'm willing to die for him" Meili inhaled painfully. Breathing was made hard for her right now. A thin line of tears trickled down her bruised cheeks. She convulsed and took her last breath. Aiko bowed her heart respectively and brushed Meili's face with her palm. With that she closed her eyes forever.
"Meili-san!!" Lexus cried out loud. He darted toward Meili but was blocked abruptly by Goku's extending nyoibou. The nyoibou was lifted up by his owner and hit him right on the face. He stumbled to the ground. 'This kid was so strong, I'd harvested my energy down to its last but he still stood unharmed'.
Lexus staggered and rose up to his feet. Once again, he darted toward the young heretic with his sword thrusting toward his opponent. But Goku was able to dodge his assault by leaping up into the air, bringing the nyoibou down to his head. The nyoibou hit him really hard on the head, causing him to stumble head over heels to the ground. This time he had no energy to get up at once. He lied on the ground, feeling numb all over his body. The last blow from Goku had paralyzed him from head to toe. The only thing he could do right now was to move his head.
Lexus glanced around, his men was no more. Each one of them, including him was dying. Meili on the other hand, had become lifeless. But then there was a rare flicker of serenity upon that girl's face. Lexus sighed and glanced at Goku. "You're a great fighter, dying at your hands was the last thing I wished before I die and I had gained my wish" He said it with a trembling and feeble voice.
Goku was astounded. He looked at Sanzo as the latter grunted heavily. "Why did you choose this way of life?" Sanzo asked as he kneeled on Lexus' side.
Lexus grinned and coughed fiercely. "My parents was killed by humans and that old man there was the one to save me from the massacre" He explained as he glanced toward unconscious Wai. "Since then, I hated myself for being human, the race that had finished my family….but the man brought me new life by taking care of me as his own son" he continued before coughing out blood.
"Ch!" Sanzo looked away. 'Another twist of fate'
"It's better to live as a youkai than living as the one who had took your life away without killing you" Lexus smiled. The flicker of satisfaction was shown upon his face. "I'm happy with it and to die as a youkai…was a victory" He said.
Aiko fell down to her feet. She has no more energy left. Any slight blow would have killed her right away. As soon as she was about to fall onto the ground, a strong hand caught her by her shoulder. Aiko looked up, and found Hakkai staring down at her with a concern look. Aiko's sight was totally blurred by the blood pouring down from her injured head, caused from the hard collision of her head with the tree bark. She could feel Hakkai's hand brushing her hair and she felt the warmth of his hand against her forehead. Hakkai was healing her with his ki-energy. She clung to Hakkai's waist and grasped at him tightly, trying to shove the pain away. Aiko felt that Hakkai's grip at her shoulder is getting firmer.
"Would she be okay?" Kazo darted toward the brunettes and kneeled next to his sister. Hakkai was cradling Aiko as he tried to heal her with his ki-energy. Aiko was clinging to Hakkai, gripping tightly and painfully. She was gasping for air desperately.
"She'll be fine but her energy was totally drained up" Hakkai explained. He tried to smile but his effort was a vain. Soft moans escaped from the lips of the fragile being beneath his chest. Hakkai glanced down and swept the beads of sweat formed on Aiko's forehead. The girl's moans finally ceased as Hakkai had finished healing her wound. But Aiko was still too weak and feeble. It's impossible for her to recover her energy at instant when she's only a human.
"I fought you fair and I accept my lost with pride" Lexus heaved with pain. He smiled as Sanzo and Goku grunted. 'This man reminds them of Kougaiji'
"My…my…Lexus, Baron-sama was totally disappointed in you" suddenly a husky voice filled the air. The Sanzo-ikkou and Lexus glanced to the direction from where the voice came from and gawked at the sight of a man with white hair tied up in a ponytail floating on air. He was surrounded by a large white aura. "I shall finished you as a punishment from Baron-sama" he said as he formed a large ki-ball in between his palms. He released his ki-ball and it darted toward Lexus, Sanzo and Goku.
"Sanzo!! Goku!!" Hakkai shouted in alarm, as he couldn't do anything with him holding Aiko in his hands. Gojyo ran toward his companions, but he was too late as the ki-ball hit the ground and caused a big explosion.
"Sanzo!!! Goku!!!" Gojyo screamed from the top of his lungs.
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Hakkai looked at the standing figure in the fading smoke. The figure staggered as he stood protectively in front of Lexus.
"Wai!!" Lexus cried out loud. His hand tried to reach the man who is a father to him, but it couldn't even touched the man. Wai was terribly battered by the explosion. He fell down on his knees.
"Those years I spent raising you was the best of my entire life…" Wai whispered as he stumbled slowly to the ground. "You are my best son, Lexus" the last words were uttered with a thin curl on his lips. Wai gasped and breathed his last.
Hakkai bowed his head as a sign of respect for the vanishing soul. In a blink of a second, Wai lurched unnoticed toward the darting ki-ball and stood in front of Lexus, blocking the ki-ball with his own body. His effort succeeded but it cost him his own life.
"NO!!!" Lexus burst out crying. He looked at the figure floating in the air. "Xiang, you could at least spared him…" he said as his eyes flickered with rage. He pushed himself up and rose to his feet. He almost stumbled a couple of times but he managed to regain his balance. He looked at the man named Xiang and darted toward him furiously.
"Lexus-san!!!" Hakkai knew what the result of that counter attack.
Lexus jumped and swung his sword onto Xiang's head. His effort was vain as the latter dodged it with a slight tilt of his head. Xiang swayed his hand and hit Lexus right on the back, causing the blue-haired man to fling away and bumped onto the ground. Crimson liquid burst out from his mouth. Mercilessly, Xiang blasted another ki-ball onto Lexus and burned that man to death.
"K'so!!!" Goku darted toward Xiang with nyibou held tightly in his grip. He waved his almighty staff toward the man's head but the latter grabbed the nyibou and tossed it aside. Goku lost hold of his weapon and was darting bare handed in the direction of Xiang. Xiang caught him by his neck and chocked him before throwing Goku away from his sight. Goku landed on his head to the ground and blacked out.
"Goku!!" Gojyo took his turn and dashed toward the floating man. Xiang blasted a ki-ball toward him but he avoided it by jumping higher in the sky. He swung his shaku jou on his head and sent the crescent blade darting toward Xiang. Xiang smirked.
"K'so, he's smiling" Gojyo was astounded. He was shocked to see the man disappeared right before the crescent blade could slash his chest. At sudden Xiang reappeared right in front of him and punched him on the chest. Gojyo spat out blood and fell tremendously to the ground. 'Darn, I didn't even realize his movement'. Gojyo made encounter with the ground beneath him soon after. He flinched at the pain in his chest. The punch must have broke one or two of his ribs.
"Gojyo! Goku!" Hakkai, Sanzo and Kazo cried out. Sanzo fired his shoureijuu toward Xiang but the bullet was absorbed into the energy field that shielded him. "K'so!!" Sanzo cursed beneath his breath as he shot another bullet and another and another. Neither one of the bullets hit their target, as they were absorbed one by one into the energy barrier. Sanzo grunted as he ran away to dodge a ki-ball fired upon him. But another ki-ball hit him and caused him to stumble on earth, motionless. His body was numb all over.
"He cast the crouched spell on Sanzo, to make him motionless" Hakkai looked at his companions who were totally battered. Gojyo was lying on the ground, wincing on his injury, Goku was knocked senseless and Sanzo was not able to move a muscle. Hakkai lifted Aiko's head from his lap and carefully placed her his folded backpack. "Take care of your sister for me Kazo" Hakkai held Kazo firmly on his arms.
Kazo stammered. He had heard those words before. He shook his head and looked up to Hakkai. "No…don't" he almost cried but he shook the tears away. 'Don't say it like Leon did'.
Hakkai smiled and rose up. He walked toward Xiang and stood in a fighting mode.
Xiang smirked. "I'm not here to fight you, I just want the baby" Xiang explained as he looked down to the man with monocle on the ground.
"Not before you step over my dead body" Hakkai smirked as he blasted a ki-ball toward Xiang. Xiang was able to dodge it and laughed arrogantly. But another ki-ball darted toward him and hit him right on the face. The ki-ball somehow managed to penetrate his energy barrier. Xiang darted down to Hakkai and bashed the latter with his fist. Hakkai, being too weak after losing his energy from healing Aiko, couldn't elude the blow and received a fierce blow onto his face. Hakkai spat out fresh blood. Xiang was about to illuminate the brunette for once and for all when a ki-blast from an unknown source hit him and caused him to stagger a bit, making his blow on Hakkai swerved at the wrong direction.
"Aiko!" Hakkai cried out as he glanced to Aiko who was staggering on her feet. The girl looked terribly haggard and feeble. Xiang smirked.
"Come and face me, Liamm" Aiko's voice trembled as she glared at Xiang. Xiang laughed menacingly at Aiko's last word.
"Liamm was no more, now what was left is me Xiang!" With that Xiang darted toward Aiko and grabbed her by her neck. The man lifted Aiko into the air and at the same time slapped Kazo who was kicking his waist, urging him to let his sister go. Xiang punched Kazo on the face and threw that kid away from him. Kazo landed on the ground and dozed off.
"Kazo…"Aiko called to her brother with shaky voice. She held out a trembling hand toward the direction where her brother lied motionless. She groaned when Xiang's grip on her neck was getting firmer. She was out of her breath and gasped for air. Aiko struggled to let herself free but her energy was down to the limit. She had no more energy to fight back.
"I can kill you here right now, at this time but on second thought…" Xiang smiled as he looked up to Aiko. Her face was pale blue and her lips turned to white. "I'll let you live so we can have a another duel" Xiang let go off Aiko and slammed his palm to her chest, making Aiko to jerk backward and fell down onto the ground. Aiko almost landed furiously on the ground when Hakkai darted toward her and caught her. Hakkai landed on his feet with Aiko in his cradle.
"And I guess I'll take him in order to make sure that you'll come for our next duel" Xiang said as he took Dai away. The energy barrier that Aiko had cast to shield Dai vaporized as Xiang touched it. Hakkai could only watched as the baby was taken away. He had lost most of his energy that any effort to stand up to his feet was impossible.
"Until we meet again, I'll promise that this baby will be left unharmed" Xiang uttered as he darted into the sky and vanished in thin air, taking Dai away with him. "Soreja… Reika!!" his last words filled the air.
"K'so!!" Gojyo cursed as he watched the white-haired man disappeared.
"Darn…" Aiko muttered under her breath as she dozed off in Hakkai's arm.
"Aiko! Aiko!" Hakkai called out as he glanced down to Aiko's face. 'No! No! Don't die!'
"Reika….?" Sanzo finally was able to move again. He rose up and glanced around. Goku and Kazo were coming around and Gojyo was able to stand up on his feet after pushing himself with large effort. Goku and Kazo shook their heads to shove the dizziness away when their eyes caught the sight of Aiko, unconscious in Hakkai's cradle. The boys darted toward the brunettes.
Sanzo stared at the unconscious girl with disbelief. 'Aiko is Reika?'
To be cotinue…..
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Ayie: Wohooho! I finished the fighting chaps already…(actually there are several more but that was in phase 2)…now…I want to concentrate on Aiko's background and of course Reika too…^o^, ah…not to mention the chap on Hakkai and Aiko…wiee…!!!
Sanzo: She had gone totally insane…
Ayie: Say what ever you like…but in the next chap I'll make you fluffy…Yay!
Sanzo: Shi…ne…!!! whacked the daylight out of Aiko
Hakkai: Well, she does need that looked at sleeping Ayie….she worked really hard to give out the best fighting scene in this fic.
Goku: She also has something to say for the readers…especially Azzie-san and GS-san, thank you for supporting her… she'll never stop writing this fic…instead she got a lot more fics coming soon…
