Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, plots, the whole load of Gensomaden Saiyuki. But I do own Yuki-chan and Soichiro-kun.



A Snowy Run-In


Chapter Four: The Sun Shines


"Ready to leave, corrupted monk?" Gojyo questioned as he pulled the hood over his crimson coloured head, leaving a smirk on his lips.

"Whatever..." Sanzo snorted but couldn't hide a pale blush on his smooth cheeks. Gojyo's warmth was still lingering in his skin and clothes.


Gojyo noticed the smirk and gave rich chuckles in his throat.


"What's so funny?" Sanzo demanded.

"You look better when you have colour in your cheeks, Sanzo-sama," Gojyo replied, leaning his arm against the monk's cloaked shoulder.

"Urusei yo," Sanzo muttered, brushing the tanned arm away.

"I'm going to kick that kid's butt if he doesn't show up," Gojyo stepped out of the opening of the cave, "Then who can I quarrel with when I'm bored..."

"Then talk with yourself, kappa," Sanzo eyed Hakuryu who was crooning and flying in all directions, "Ikuzo, I want to get out of here as soon as I can."


Gojyo smiled slightly to himself before he followed the monk and the dragon to the open space of the mountains.



"Goku...Goku..."


Goku twisted his head, trying to keep the voice away from his head. He was feeling so warm and comfortable that he wouldn't want to wake up...ever.


"Goku...it's time to wake up."


Reluctant to leave the warmth surrounding his body, golden eyes slowly blinked open before focusing his vision. He could feel warm and tanned skin underneath his cheek and hear thumping heartbeats. He maneuvered his head upwards to find Hakkai looking down at him with his usual sunny smile and friendly emerald eyes although he looked slightly exhausted. Goku gave a boyish smile as he snuggled closer, hearing Hakkai's chuckles.


"Ohayo gozaimasu, Goku."

"Ohayo, Hakkai," he looked outside the cave opening and saw the weather had settled for a light drizzle of snow, "The storm's passed."

"The weather's not so rough now," Hakkai agreed as he gently pushed Goku away so that he could button up his green top and his sash, "Daijoubu desu ka, Goku? You've really slept soundly throughout the night."

Goku blushed as he dressed himself, "That's because you're here with me throughout the night. You...you really felt warm and you protected me from the darkness and my nightmares. Sanzo's usually the one who does this for me. I feel much better although I still feel a bit cold and really hungry. Sankyu, na?"


Hakkai was mystified by the grateful yet shy look on the younger one's face. Child-like innocence was shining within, pouring out from every pore of the boy's being. He smiled and helped Goku fasten his cloak on before attending to himself.


"Hai, Goku, we have to get going," Hakkai gestured to the entrance of the cave, "I don't know whether another storm would rise but we must find Sanzo and Gojyo."



"Oi! Baka saru! Hakkai!"

"Hakkai! Goku!"


Sanzo and Gojyo howled out their companions' names in hoping that they could hear them. Hakuryu flew high and low, his ruby eyes scouting any sign of his master and the boy.


"Ohayo, Sanzo-sama."


Ruby and amethyst visions shifted to find the two snow demons above them. Sanzo's ice cold expression held a frown as he reached for his spirit ascending gun inside his monk robes. Gojyo readied his weapon. Hakuryu crooned, flying around Gojyo's shoulders.


"Have you two had a good night with the snow?" Soichiro remarked, "We haven't settled our last fight."

"Hymph! I feel terrible because of you two youkai ruining our trek and the snow clogs up my senses," Sanzo snorted, his trigger finger itching to shoot the gun.

"Ma ma, Sanzo-sama. I thought everyone likes the snow," Yuki sneered.

"Or is it you're already missing your friends," Soichiro added.

"Ch! Friends?" Sanzo raised an eyebrow, his grip tightening on the gun, "Who says they are?"

"You're messing with the wrong men here. And to think I am so good with ladies," with a shout, Gojyo whipped the chain of his staff, aiming for the two demons.


But it succeeded in breaking a large chunk of rocky cliff above them as the two demons leapt away, hovering above both men. Both cupped their hands that were enveloped in a silver aura, their eyes glowing sinisterly.


"Time to get serious now! Ha!"


Icicles and snowballs materialized from the aura, aiming straight for the two men below. Sanzo fired his gun at the icy artillery, his purple eyes never leaving the sight of their opponents. Gojyo dodged in every way as he tried to vie close hand-to-hand combat with either Soichiro or Yuki.


'Kuso!' Sanzo darkened as he skillfully leapt away from an icy bullet aiming for him, 'This is going to take a long time...'



Goku panted slightly as he collapsed onto his knees with exhaustion.


"Ah...harahetta, Hakkai," Goku whined softly, feeling slightly dizzy in his head, "I don't...I don't feel well either."

"Goku, we can't stop now. We've come so far, I can't see any decent shelter from here," Hakkai paused, seeing that his younger companion did look slightly...sick. Hakkai frowned and knelt before him, feeling his temperature. He recoiled his hand when he felt heated skin and the hot touch of his youkai limiter, "Goku...you're having a fever. That makes it a reason to find the others faster. Goku, we have to keep moving."

"Uun..." Goku nodded and shakily stood up. But not before feeling a headache rising, "Hakkai...my head hurts a bit. Ite!"

"Easy, Goku. Here," Hakkai wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder, hoisting him to his feet, "We'll have to stop at an inn or a clinic somewhere as soon as we finish our business here. But right now, we have to press on."


Suddenly, a sound of an explosion echoed up on the cliff they were near. Both of them looked up just in time to see a cloud of snow that indicated the location of the sound's source. At this, Hakkai brightened. If there was an explosion, surely it would clearly meant that...Sanzo and Gojyo would be nearby.


"Goku, I vote that we should investigate where the explosion came from-"


Then they heard sounds of gunshots. Goku's eyes widened slightly.


"Sanzo!" Goku realised and turned to Hakkai, "Hakkai, Sanzo and Gojyo must be nearby."

'He took the words right out my mouth. Goku sure has his bright moments...' Hakkai surveyed the mountains, "Looks like the only way to get up there..."


Hakkai's eyes were set with determination as he spotted some ridges along the cliff wall before them.


"Is to climb that..."

Golden eyes carried the twinkle identical to Hakkai's, "Un..."



Gojyo grunted, swinging his chained blade, aiming at Soichiro who was now firing ice bullets shaped like arrowheads. Meanwhile Sanzo could only evade and run swiftly in order to dodge Yuki's deadly snowballs that were as large as cannonballs, having no ample time to get a good aim at his opponent but to shoot at target places the demon was most likely to appear. Hakuryu flew everywhere, spraying jets of fire to melt the snow artillery. But they were going nowhere ahead as Sanzo and Gojyo succeeded in getting scrapes and bruises.


"You are persistent, Sanzo-sama. The other opponents we faced didn't even last an hour," Soichiro commented as he threw created another whirlwind.

"Matte, yo!" Gojyo grunted, finding himself thrown back, "Aren't you even tired of fighting? We didn't sleep well last night!"

Yuki leapt into the air, hovering near her brother, "Shut up! We have enough of your obstinacy. This will be your end!"

"The end to our pain!"

'Pain?' Sanzo quirked an eyebrow before he fired another gunshot that missed its target, 'Kuso! They move too quickly!'


Sanzo, Gojyo and Hakuryu could only watch in trepidation as both youkai glowed in a stony silvery aura, this time gathering more snow and ice in a strong whirlwind, creating three large icicles looking like deadly missiles hovering above them.


"Die!"


As quick as lightning, the three icicles shattered into crystal shards, whizzing along with the winter breezes, and heading straight for the three companions a good distance away. Sanzo and Gojyo could only destroy a few, and with no choice, they braced for the impact the missiles were going to hit.
But out of a blue, a shadowed figure whisked by with lightning speed, aiming for the two demons.


"Come out, nyoibou!"


The famous almighty staff materialized and struck the two demons to the snowy ground, catching them off guard. Yuki gasped as she fell back against the snow with a bloody arm. Soichiro had his breath knocked out of his system before he pulled himself off the ground.


"Yuki-chan!" Soichiro shouted and ran to his sister's side.

"Daijoubu, onichan..." Yuki said with assurance before placing an icy gaze upon their opponents, "It appears we have been attacked by another."


A figure landed near Sanzo and Gojyo, sporting a grin on his flushed face. It was Goku.


"Goku?!" Sanzo exclaimed out of pure surprise.

"Oi! The missiles are still heading towards us!"


They were pleasantly surprised when a cloaked Hakkai suddenly jumped in front of them and formed an energy barrier around them, effectively crushing the icy missiles upon contact.


"Hakkai!" Gojyo shouted with smiling and relieved eyes.

The chi manipulator flashed a tired smile, "Sorry for being so late. Goku and I have been in a bit of snow trouble before we heard the commotion."


Hakuryu chirped happily to see its master again as it perched on his shoulder, giving a head rub against his cheek, making the man smile.


"Hakuryu, daijoubu desu ka?"

"You're so slow, baka saru!" Gojyo wasted no time to punch Goku's head.

"Ite! It's not my fault, ero kappa! I'm freezing cold and sick and don't you know how hard it is to climb a cliff wall?! I'd like to see you try it!" Goku retorted.

"Urusei!" Sanzo sharply intervened but not before landing a blow on both Goku and Gojyo's heads with the harisen, "Quarrel later!"


Soichiro helped his sister up before they felt more pain striking in their chests. The Sanzo-ikkou paused in their banter when they each heard the echoed heartbeats of their opponents. Hakkai was the first to notice the strange aura surrounding the demon teenagers' upper bodies and the pained looks on their tanned faces.


"Sanzo..." Hakkai said with dark eyes, "It looks like something is causing them pain they can't bear."

"Aaa...I see it too..." Sanzo nodded, noting the strange look in the two pairs of identical silver eyes, 'They are so willing to kill us...yet they are filled with pain...'

"Sanzo, what's wrong with them?!" Goku said with concern, "What's with the weird glow in their upper bodies?!"

Hakkai's eyes were filled with insight, "Goku, the glows are causing our opponents heart pain...it seems that their lives were riddled with torture so they chose to vent their hatred upon us and other people who fell victim to their icy offense and defenses."

"Ch! It's the same..." Sanzo grunted, eying the teens' glowing upper bodies, "It looks like we have to destroy the source."

"So you're meaning to tell us that we have to kill them to kill the pain?" Gojyo shook his head, "Ch!"

"Urusei!" Soichiro roared as soon as he and his sibling shot up onto their legs, pain still visible in their eyes and the glowing aura still present on their upper abdomens, "You don't know what we've been through! We've lost so many we cared for and we are settling this with the price of blood and death! The pain will stop once we are through with you, Genjo Sanzo!"

"Hah!" Yuki screamed and blasted more icicles at the four men.


Hakkai reacted quickly and created another energy barrier to protect him and his comrades. The chi manipulator winced visibly as he lost more of his strength.


"Hakkai!" Goku cried out, "Daijou ka?!"

"Daijoubu, Goku. Since we have group advantage, I think we can finish the battle much quickly, minna," Hakkai deduced.

"Hymph! Might as well," Sanzo turned to the three, "Hakkai, can you put up enough energy to another barrier?"

"I think so, Sanzo."

"Goku, Gojyo. Distract them and make sure they don't make a strike for me."

"And what are you going to do, corrupted monk?" Gojyo inquired in a mocking voice, "Standing and doing nothing?"

"Just shut up and do as I say or I'll send you down the cliff."

"Hai hai, minna," Hakkai said calmly, "We must get going."

"Baka saru! Wanna race?"

"Fine, ero kappa!"

"You will not stand against us!" Soichiro glared at them, "Yuki-chan! Be ready!"

"Hai, onichan!"

"Nice to see everyone working so hard. Ganbatte!" Hakkai cupped his glowing his hands, creating a barrier around himself and Sanzo.


Sanzo began to chant the sutra under his breath as Goku and Gojyo were in a formidable match against the two demons who were firing snowballs and sharp icicles in every direction, occasionally hitting Hakkai's energy barrier. Hakuryu assisted by spewing jets of fire at the stray icy artillery.


"Makayi Tenjyo!"


At once, the sutra fired its green tendrils, the mountain winds assisting to send them straight to the two demons who were now seriously injured from the beatings they received from Goku and Gojyo. Yuki was caught first as the sutra wrapped around her body.


"Onichan!" Yuki wailed, feeling the purple aura flaring within her soul and causing more pain she had never imagined, "Tasukete!"

"Yuki-chan!"


But as soon as Soichiro reached his sister, more of the sutra tendrils worked their way around his body, securing him into place. He gasped as he struggled to free himself and Yuki. But the purple aura also flared in his chest, making him scream in pain.


"Yuki!"

"Song na..." Yuki sobbed and closed her eyes in defeat, "We've forgotten about the Maten sutra...we can't break free from this bonding prison...we have failed..."


The purple auras glowed even brighter but they couldn't scream anymore. All they could do was gasp and writhe in abandon. Hakkai, Goku and Gojyo winced visibly at the pitiful display while Sanzo was preparing to aim his gun at them. Yuki and Soichiro stopped struggling, realising that attempts to escape would be futile. They gazed at the gun's muzzle pointed at them and the piercing cold glare from the monk's eyes.


"Yuki-chan..." Soichiro whispered to his sister, whose cheeks were now trailed with tears. He gave a watery smile as his own tears trailed down his cheeks, "Daijoubu...don't cry..."

Yuki shook her head, her lips now forming a rare sweet smile, her eyes ignoring the sights of the purple auras and focused on her brother, "I'm not crying, onichan...is it not strange...the pain doesn't matter anymore..."

"Yes...somehow..." Soichiro gazed at the monk, "He's going to set us free..."

"Onichan..." Yuki's voice was a mere whisper, "I love you..."

Soichiro nodded, "I love you too, little sister..."

Sanzo's finger was placed on the trigger, "These shots will end everything..."


With two consecutive shots, Sanzo's gunshots made their targets on Yuki and Soichiro.



"Ni-hakase!"


Ni looked up from his laptop to find Huang-hakase beside him, looking more peeved than usual. The man only smirked and chuckled.


"Huang-hakase...what is troubling you this time?"

"The so-called project with the talisman has failed," his colleague slammed a clipboard on his lap, "We received a strange energy signal and then the tracking transmissions with the tagged devices on the talismans had a complete shutdown."

"So it is...yare yare..." Ni stood up calmly, "They were easy targets because they are vulnerable in mind, spirit and heart..."

"This project doesn't prove anything!" Huang-hakase cried out as she stomped on her foot, "It was a waste of time!"

"Oh yes it did, dear doctor..." Ni stroked his stuffed bunny in his arms, "The project proves that the weak are always no match for the strong...and that anybody...human and demon alike...can be driven by their fears and desires..."


With that, he chuckled, leaving Huang-hakase fuming at his words.



The Sanzo-ikkou watched as the two demons were released from the sutra and fell back onto the snow, leaving crimson trails in their wake. They were a painfully beautiful sight for the long suffering brother and sister. Somehow, Soichiro had Yuki close to his body. His muscular arms wrapped around the girl's body as her hands were resting on his bloodied chest. Their heads were close together, their silver locks flowing into each other like a single silver river of silk. The snow surrounding the corpses was pure white, clearly signifying child innocence and purity embedded in their tormented souls. Despite their wounds, not one single drop of blood tainted the surrounding snow's glittering icy texture. Both of the demon teenagers' empty silver eyes were plastered with peaceful expressions and their lips, each pair revealing a gentle smile. Their upper abdomens were revealed and the Sanzo-ikkou could see a piece of paper written with Chinese characters attached sticking on their skin.


"Sou desu ka...so the talismans were their source of their powers...and their source of pain..." Hakkai deduced.


They watched as the talismans magically turned into ashes and flew away as dust.


The Sanzo-ikkou perked their ears when they heard two soft voices echoing the same message, "Arigatou..."


As the voices faded, the cloudy sky parted and a filter of sun rays filled the vicinity, making the snow and ice sparkle like beautiful diamonds. The sunbeam then landed on the two dead demons. Much to the companions' surprise, the bodies glowed and transformed into sparkling masses of snowflakes. A wind picked up in their direction and took the snowflakes in their currents, heading towards the sun where they shone more brightly.


Hakkai smiled and looked up to the sunny-filled sky, "It seems that these two have found the peace they deserved..."

"Aaa...it's done," Gojyo remarked, eying Goku who was looking none too well, "Oi, Goku. Good job."


Goku said nothing but collapsed face first on the snow. Gojyo gasped before roughly rubbing the boy's head.


"Oi oi, baka saru! This isn't the time to take a nap!"

"Gojyo! Leave Goku alone!" Hakkai called out before feeling the tinges of fatigue singing in his body, making him collapse onto his knees in exhaustion and grunted when he felt the arm wound opening even more. Hakuryu crooned with anxious concern as he darted about his master's shoulders.

"Hakkai, not you too!" Gojyo exclaimed.

"Betsuni," Hakkai shook his head tiredly, "It wasn't easy for us to survive when we got separated."

"Hakkai," Sanzo was kneeling beside the unconscious Goku before he gathered the boy in his arms with a rare look of concern flashing in his purple eyes, "What's wrong with the saru?"

"He's having a fever after going through the first stages of hypothermia, Sanzo," Hakkai said as Gojyo helped support Hakkai, who was holding his arm, "He will definitely catch pneumonia if we don't find decent shelter soon."

"Sou ka," Sanzo stood and carried the boy effortlessly, "Ikuzo. Gojyo, help Hakkai. I'm not going to spend the rest of the day in the snow freezing my butt up."


**tzuzuku**


Author's note: The next one should be the last chapter to finish off the story. Please keep reviewing.