Chapter 2: The Trap.
Morning light shone weakly into the parlor room. Hakkai looked up from his book and smiled to see it. Like the dawn they'd been longing for all this time. Glancing over at Goku, who was still sound asleep where he'd drifted off the night previous, Hakkai couldn't help the quiet breath of relief sighed out. They'd made it all three days. And Homura being the honorable sort, he was just sure they'd finally be free to go.
Getting up, he put the book away properly before setting a hand on Goku's shoulder. The saru didn't immediately wake, moaning something incoherent before lifting his head to stare at the other youkai with bloodshot eyes. It pained Hakkai to see Goku suffering as he had, but only remotely. He knew they'd soon be on the road again as always. "Good morning, Goku."
"I'm starving... can we eat breakfast yet?"
"We're leaving today. I'm sure we can find a good restaurant at the first village we pass," Hakkai replied pleasantly.
Goku immediately perked up, gold eyes lighting up like miniature suns. It never took much to re-energize him, to return the enthusiasm to his expressions and the spring to his step. "Really? Well let's get going then! Where's Sanzo?"
Hakkai laughed softly, "I think he's asleep still, so is Gojyo. If you want, you can go wake him."
He need say no more than that, biting the underside of his lip and wincing involuntarily as Goku leapt to his feet, eagerly sprinting to the door that lead to the sleeping chambers and opening it without thought of the noise level. Equally humerus were the prompt crashing sounds emanating from within, and the grumpy snarl of a priest being woken up abruptly.
"You. Stupid. Monkey!"
How the hell Gojyo managed to sleep through Goku's racket was anyone's guess. Sanzo stood at the foot of the bed, regarding the sleeping half-youkai for a long moment while lighting a cigarette. Completely and unremorsefully unconscious, Gojyo had an arm thrown over his eyes to spare them from the light of morning. Thankfully the sheets covered over him, save for his torso, the last thing Sanzo wanted to see after being woken from a restless sleep was a naked kappa.
He glanced toward the door into the parlor, now propped wide open as everyone prepared to finally leave. Hakkai packed up while Goku 'helped', more by asking questions and being a nuisance. Hakkai handled him easily, though, without ever developing the irritation that Sanzo did.
Good. That at least kept the saru out of his hair. Now, to deal with the sleeping kappa. Sanzo exhaled a stream of white smoke, took one step over to the bed before lifting his foot up to hook it under the mattress. It only took a little bit of effort and some leverage to flip the whole thing up and send the kappa sliding to the floor in a tangle of sheets and limbs.
Waking with a sputter, Gojyo immediately leapt to his feet, teeth grinding together as he searched for the culprit. Perhaps he expected it would be Goku, or perhaps he wasn't sure who to expect, but surely someone other than the priest who stood there, casually smoking his cigarette. "You bastard monk, what the hell was that for!"
"Get up. We're leaving," was all Sanzo would reply with. His eyes dropped briefly, scowling and muttering something under his breath as he realized Gojyo was standing there in the buff. "Do you /ever/ wear something when you're asleep?"
Gojyo didn't follow him back to the parlor, of course. Instead, the kappa stood there a moment to get his bearings, and then glance down to realize that Sanzo was right, he really was buck naked. Huh. He reached up to scrub the back of his tousled hair. He could have sworn that he'd gone to bed in his boxers. There was no recollection of removing them, other than -- that's when it hit him, the dream. Bits and pieces of it, at least. Something about Homura and--
"Aw fuck," he muttered to himself, "You just know I'm sex starved when I'm dreaming about screwing one of the gods."
His boxers were tangled in the sheets though easily found and put back on again. The rest of his clothing was right where he'd left it the night previous. He felt strangely sore, muscles aching despite the fact that he'd slept all night without anything waking him up. There was that rather disturbing dream to consider, but Gojyo couldn't really remember much of it, the shards of it having already driven themselves into the far corners of his subconscious. He'd definitely have to find the first woman available at the next town the stopped in. Or perhaps tempt someone else into a brief entanglement. Anything to get the memory of Homura's smile out of his head.
Pulling on his pants and buckling them again, Gojyo paused as he spotted a strange stain on his arm. It wasn't that large, just like a droplet of wine red color. Setting a finger on it, it felt sticky and lifting his forearm up to taste it revealed a sweet-tart flavor.
He knew that flavor from somewhere. Somewhere recent, even as his mind refused to cough up the memories. He frowned at it a moment longer and finally gave up on the whole thought. They were leaving, finally, and that was more than enough impetus to pull on the rest of his clothing and high tail it out to the parlor to join the others.
Though he missed one detail in his hurry to leave. Just barely visible beneath the overturned bedding left draped over the floor lay the dehydrated half of a pomegranate, its red juices having long ago stained the pale flesh inside.
With the ikkou gathered once again, they collectively headed out of their quarters and toward the exit. No words were spoken, not with everyone lost in their own thoughts. Everyone except Goku, who happily bound forward ahead of the others, all smiles and glee at the prospect of finally getting something to eat.
"Come on, hurry up! I'm starving!"
"Tell him he'll get a meatbun and he'll walk a thousand miles to get it, won't he," Gojyo muttered. Sanzo didn't say anything, looking irritated, as if he were about to reach out and grab the saru's collar and drag him back to make him keep pace with the rest of them. Hakkai, as usual, simply smiled pleasantly and reached up to stroke the soft mane of the dragon that perched on his shoulder.
"I think we could all take cue from his enthusiasm. It will be nice to finally be away from here."
Sanzo grunted at that, fishing for his pack of cigarettes for a moment while holding out a hand toward Gojyo expectantly for the lighter. Quietly, the kappa prayed that the monk wouldn't notice his missing pack, yet and simply complied quietly.
The hallways stretched before them in a seemingly endless pattern of pillars and dark tile. Sun weakly streamed through dusty, barred windows as they found their way through the maze that lead back out to the main rotunda, and the exit. Back to their journey.
"Do you think we'll get any resistance?" Gojyo couldn't help but ask. Leaving like this made him uneasy, as it did Hakkai and Sanzo by the look on their faces. Sanzo looked as grumpy as ever, but there was a wariness behind those violet eyes that hinted at his discomfort. Hakkai you really had to know to read, and Gojyo could see the way he surreptitiously kept glancing to the right and to the left. As if he expected the shadows to come alive and try to eat them. Perhaps they might. Anything was possible in this place. Homura was a god, after all, wasn't he?
"I don't think so," Hakkai replied, though he didn't sound entirely sure of it. "We followed the rules and Homura has always been a man of his word in the past."
To that, Sanzo snorted, "He'll have something up his sleeve. Be ready." And that was the last word on it as they finally emerged from the last corridor, back into the main hall and the great double doors of freedom into the outside world.
It was entirely empty. No one there to greet them, or bid them farewell. "Well," Hakkai said cheerfully, "I guess we can just take our leave. Goku, would you like to do the honors?"
"Sure thing, Hakkai!" was Goku's eager response, bounding to the door to start pushing it open.
Except that as soon as he tried, it immediately slammed shut again, nearly on the saru's fingers. Goku was fast enough to yank his hand back, at least, blinking in surprise and befuddlement.
"No," Homura stated quietly as he emerged from a shadow behind a pillar. The smile on his lips was faint, but chilling at the same time. Something about his expression elicited triumph, even as his defeat had already been determined. "You won't all be leaving today, I'm afraid."
Sanzo didn't bother to turn or even acknowledge Homura's words, the vein on his forehead becoming visible as he ground his teeth in annoyance. Hakkai merely frowned thoughtfully as he came to Goku's side to take the saru's hand and examine it with brotherly concern. Gojyo was too busy with lighting another cigarette with the lighter he'd taken back from Sanzo. It was, predictably, Goku who actually challenged this. Turning, his expression quizzical, he asked, "What are you talking about?"
Sanzo grimaced before reaching out to grab the saru by the back of his collar. "Don't ask him anything, we're leaving. Homura, open the damn door and let us go."
"Sanzo," Homura called blithely, "Did we not make an agreement when you first came to this place?"
"Yes," the monk replied tersely, "We're all perfectly aware of your stupid rules for your stupid game. And despite your numerous attempts to lure Goku in, he hasn't eaten a thing. Now shut up. We're leaving."
"I'm not speaking of Goku," came the silver voice, tinged with amusement, "I'm speaking of your red haired companion."
That brought them all to a halt again. Sanzo looked sharply toward Gojyo a heartbeat before the other ikkou. He turned, cigarette still not quite lit, dangling from between his lips and snorted derisively. "None of us ate anything here, Homura. What the hell are you talking about?"
"Do you recall your dreams, Gojyo?" Homura's voice thrummed. Zenon and Shien suddenly emerged from their own shadows, coming to stand at the warrior god's side as if ready to enforce his will. "Did someone visit you in the night and offer you sustenance?"
"That... that was just a dream," Gojyo stuttered, though he no longer appeared quite so certain. Lips parted, the cigarette finally fell, caught in the palm of his hand. "And I still refused, even in that dream."
"Not entirely. The dream was fading. I was losing you, but in the end, convinced you that you truly were sleeping. Do you remember where you woke? What was on your arm?"
"Juice... of some sort..." Gojyo trailed off.
"Gojyo, what are you saying?" Hakkai asked. They all stood poised for an answer, though Sanzo looked like he was about to shoot someone.
"He ate three pomegranate seeds," Homura said. "Three seeds are all I need to bind him here, with me, as we agreed to."
Silence permeated the hall after that. Every movement, no matter how slight, produced sound most deafening. Gojyo had to think about this, as the memories his mind denied him suddenly came back forcefully. He squeezed his eyes shut, a hand coming up to rub his temple, as if he could block it out and deny it. "Oh god... you -- you asshole, you tricked me!"
Hakkai sighed ruefully, his eyes closing and chin dipping downward till his forehead rested in his hand. "Oh, Gojyo..."
"I didn't--"
"Shut up," Sanzo interjected in Gojyo's direction. "You stupid fucking kappa, what the hell were you thinking?" He looked as if he wanted to just pull out his gun and shoot Gojyo in that moment. In a way, the kappa almost wished he would. He didn't relish the idea of being trapped for a moment longer in Homura's pagoda.
"There's always a way you can reverse this," Homura offered. "Goku, if you want to spare your friend of this fate, you can take his place." Zenon was smiling roguishly as the trump card was played, shifting the gun he carried over his shoulder slightly in anticipation. Shien looked more bored than anything else.
Tugging on Goku's collar hard enough to nearly topple the saru over backwards, Sanzo growled, "Forget it. Gojyo got himself into this, he can get himself out. No deal."
Hakkai looked up sharply, "Sanzo, we can't--"
"Yes, we can and we are. Homura, open the door."
Gojyo was too stunned for anything to even register. Homura's smile never faltered, hand lifting with a jangle of the chain that bound his wrists, "Very well. Thank you for playing, Genjo Sanzo."
"Fuck you," was the last thing the priest said as he shoved one of the wide doors open and dragged Goku out with him. Hakkai hesitated a moment longer, a meaningful glance shot at Gojyo. Sorry, it said. Just like always. Sorry Goku's driving you nuts. Sorry Sanzo's being an asshole. Sorry this, sorry that.
"Don't worry about it, I'll get out," he assured Hakkai with a shrug of his shoulders and a wry expression, "Somehow."
Hakkai hardly looked convinced, leveling his gaze on Homura a moment before departing. The look said more than words ever could, and that's simply how Hakkai operated. Hurt Gojyo, and the god would pay very dearly.
The doors shut with a hollow sound of finality, the light from outside cut off abruptly. The ikkou left that day three strong, rather than four.